Wednesday 083111

Legs were a bit sore this AM – in the calves from the hard strides on Monday.  Did an easy five miles and then did a variety of core work, hip work, and squats (motivated) in the hotel room.  I really need to make this a habit:  leaving the easy days as easy, getting in other work – rather than forcing a ten mile day just to do it.  I’d do some more in the weight room, but this hotel’s gym sucks.  If things work out I might get a little jog tonight, but maybe not.

Up here working through a variety of stuff with my team.  In the later afternoon we headed out and kayaked the Deep Cove area. 

PM – 6 miles with a dozen 25 second strides.  Felt 10x better in the legs. 

Way behind on blogs but this covers some of it from the UTMB scene and this from the Leadville show.  But you already knew that – didn’t you?

Tuesday 083011

Vancouver.  Got out on the River Road, and then picked up this trail.  12 miles. 

Apparently the Berry Picker 10k in Vail was won OUTRIGHT by 10 year old Tyler Scholl.  With this win, Tyler adds a victory over Bernie Boettcher (who is 38 years his senior) to his resume – which already includes a 15:45 5k.  

A post from email

Flying from Salt Lake to Vancouver.  More sea level training!

I am writing this post into an offline email program (Outlook).  Supposedly by sending it to a particular blogspot address, it will post.  We’ll see.  It will be interesting to see how the pix attach.

The Great Salt Lake

I think this is the Columbia River?


Snow on these mountains and I think that is Ranier in the distance.  

I have had the week to contemplate a bit what is next.  It should come as no surprise that I want it all.  I want to run in the mountains, I want to run the steeps, I want to do the track workouts and I want to pile on miles.   I want to zip out a solid 5k, but then also be able to crash the mountains and touch the sky.  I want to run an ultra and compete and I also don’t give a crap, as there are times I just want to run and smell the rain.

Of course, doing all of these are not practical.  Family life and work keep me from attempting all of that (and that is probably a blessing in disguise).  The fall season here lights up with the little buggers in school, soccer, music, Scouts, etc.  And of course, those goals are all over the place, so they don’t mesh together well.

I am not even close to figuring out what I will do next year.  I have some desires to visit some of the wonderful places I have before, like the Grand Canyon but I also feel an itch to see some more of the places not far from my front door (like RMNP).   I don’t have to decide anything really, but I am the sort of guy that ends up in a bit of a rut unless I get ahead of the planning.   And while it has only been a week, I feel I can still put together the day at Pikes I have imagined.  Anything can change at this point, but at this point, I am looking to return to Manitou for the third weekend in August.  Part of me realizes I need to think about that now because of the commitment it would truly take – and to start the steer the ship that way.   But part of me also knows some silly little thing between now and then could unravel it all.

I guess I do know I don’t really want to take time off.   Simply, taking time off seems like a waste of time.  Yeah, I know, there is something to be said for a downtime part of the year – and I agree with that notion (even if I don’t practice it).  Generally I think time off is dealt to me.   So I with go with that when I see those cards pop up in my hand.

Over the past week I have thought that my ideal training right now would probably include…

… some running every day
… at least two days a week where I work speed and endurance specific for a better (than now) 5k/10k (a focus between now and Christmas)
….at least one day a week where I play in the hills (long or short)
… at least one day a week where I go long (I’d love that to be in excess of three hours)
… less emphasis on overall mileage (I have chased miles over the last couple of years, with over 10k miles since the start of 2009) and instead optimizing workouts
… getting to the gym more (I am become acutely more aware of odd weaknesses that I have in my body that do indeed the running I want and can do)

I don’t really know if I can do that.  This requires discipline, planning, habit forming and habit breaking.  The habit I have now is very much one of consistency:  get out run 7-13 miles a day, sometimes in singles, sometimes in doubles, mostly easy, avoid speed, not a ton of climbing.  To some extent it has worked.  But “if you always do what you have always done, then you will always get what you have always got.”    The issue for me will less about doing the actual training, but making the choices that allow me to do the actual training (if that makes sense) without impacting (adversely) the other important parts of my life.

Some of the posts read on the plane … Leadville reports from Fuller (again), Gorman, Burch, Bowman (again), Brooks, Boyack, Garcia, Solarweasel, Timko, Woody, .  Still need to get to a few.

 

 

 

Monday 082911

Some vids from the Pikes Peak road ascent.  Apparently Bigfoot was sighted.

Justin’s weekly MUT love.

If there was any doubt about how this guy has ascended to some other planet, check out this interview with the KJB.  He essentially plays off the UTMB as a training run.

I am sort of disgusted at some of the post UTMB bashing that is going on out there against “American” runners.  Nick’s blog has a comment thread that shows some of this.  

Frankly, I don’t get it.  I wore the US colors as a serviceman in the USAF so I get what it means to represent your country.  And while it is perhaps well beyond my reach, I’d be incredibly honored to represent our country as an athlete.  But that said, I don’t  – and I don’t think most of the runners I have met – do this running thing to put some mark on some score sheet that Americans kick ass and Euros don’t.  Maybe I am wrong on this but I don’t see them lacing up the shoes for a training run and saying, “okay, how can this run help me kick some Italian tail?”  I do see them putting in training to be the best they can be, and with that win – beating all comers, regardless of nationality.  I just don’tyu see the country chest thumping in ultras being the same thing as other sports.

Okay yeah, we get together in the mountain championships and do the country vs. country thing.   I realize I might be on a bit of an island here but that seems almost just a structured way to promote competition amongst the teams that further brings out the best of the individual.  I know that I have been in that circumstance – where I have found some motivation in a race to dig deeper for the team. 

Nick and others DNFing is one thing.  I guess since more of the top US contingent DNF’d across the board than less it is fair to even call it an American failure.  I’d feel a lot more comfortable about that if that came from the contingent (not a team mind you) had gone over there – and they stated that was there goal (maybe they did?) – to kick Euro butt as a US team.  Hearing it come from the interweb jockeys here in the US seems … well, stupid.  If you are going belly up and say that, you better be ready to toe the line and put your money where your keyboard is.

AM – 6 miles.  Threw in a dozen 20 second hard strides, really striving for a burst.  Tried visualizing pushing hard to nab a disc back in UConn ultimate days.  Definitely a different discomfort.

Sunday night

We got home. We unpacked. It rained. It smelled really nice. I went for a run in it. 3 miles.

Sunday 082811

Traveling back from Detroit today.  Off to Vancouver tomorrow.  I think I might jog tomorrow. 

If this does not fire you up a bit, you are reading the wrong blog.

A few of my trail buds reminded me that Pikes ain’t that steep and it ain’t that technical.  Chains?  Damn.  No way this happens in the US with our lawsuit culture

The statements of Euro dominance in MUT are hard to refute.  KJ is off the charts at this point.

Saturday 082711 … a wedding

No running.

Friday 082611 Ann Arbor

Up here in Michigan today.  No running but played a little soccer with the offspring, swam until we were pruned out.

But … the running thoughts were a bit louder today.  Thinking about the next.  It would come in spurts, mostly kicked up by relatives asking if I already went for a run today.  For the most part I was able to let that go and be in the moment.

Tommy Manning’s PPA report.

And this guy mentions PP.  Gulp.

Couple of interesting quotes in here.  “When does it end?  Everybody expects me to run. Everyone expects me to win.”

Spectators are not allowed on the course for this weekend’s PP road ascent.

Wow.  Holy Alps.  Getting there is officially on some unofficial list.

Thursday 082511

No running today.

My driver’s license is up for renewal.  I tried the little renew on line widget, but for whatever reason, I was informed that my license could not be renewed as such because they had no record of it.

I headed over to DMV in Thorton and got there around 8:15.  There was already a line about 60 yards out the door.  After standing in this line for a few minutes I was notified that Colorado DMV does not take credit or debit cards but they do take cash, checks and money orders  - but only in the exact amounts.  I did not have the cash on hand so I decided to bolt, swing by the bank and hit the one in Boulder –  and also hope for a shorter line.

I was issued number 894 in Boulder.  The sign read now serving 821.  There were three people working the counter.  For what it is worth, this office is exactly the same size office, location, everything that it was when I first got my CO license here some 15 years ago.  Probably the same three people too.   Its just that the crowds have grown.

I watched a 16 year old cry when she learned she failed her driver’s test.  I watched an senior citizen argue with one of the staff that the letters from the eye test on line 3 were indeed H-R-F-D-Q and she’d get them right if he stopped changing the letters (I had to step out because I was THIS CLOSE to personally begging the guy not to give her a license renewal).  I saw a guy who took the concept of the big hole earring but had started to apply it to his nose – so he essentially had four nostrils.  A woman had a cell phone that had a ring of a rooster crowing (like what you would hear in the AM at a farm) that went off some 128 times.  

I ran into the ex-fire chief from Nederland.  I knew him from when I worked up there.  I had not seen him in at least a dozen years.  Apparently if I stayed at DMV a bit longer it would have turned into an episode of “This Is Your Life” because everyone gets stuck here for ridiculous amounts of time.

As much as possible I’d walk outside, watch motorcycle driving tests and periodically sneak back in to see how the butcher number counter had progressed.  Sometimes it would go 3 or 4 in  2 seconds.  Then other times it would sit at the same number for 20 minutes.  It basically ran at at a rate of about 20ish an hour. 

3 hours later, I was able to spend 21 bucks, 5 minutes of actual effort and get my licensed renewed.  They will mail it to me within 30 days.

This experience alone is one to drive me to run.  Holy crap did I need a mental escape after that.  Yeah, I know, I know.  First world problem and all. 

On a good note, later in the day, I was able to get through TSA at the airport with the junior hang nine calorie burners without significant issue.  Last time JZ had to go through the x-ray machine multiple times.  Apparently if you touch the sides, it goes off.  It was challenging for him to do this.  For a few moments, he brought TSA to its knees. 

Best part about a new laptop is crazy length battery time.

Wednesday 082411 burp

Last night I stepped out and it was not really much past 8.  In the east sky Orion was rising.  Damn, when did that happen?  Summer is slipping away.  Yeah, I know it is still 90 something degrees out but school has started, the grass is turning a light tinge of brown … 

Anyway …

• 11 is the time I went to bed last night (actually 11:11, reading a book series the crumbgrabbers recommended … the Percy Jackson series.  Even I can read it)
• 9 hours of work today (ack).  But it ain’t really work.  I mean, I sit at a computer and talk to people.  And ask PITA questions to influence them.
• 7 hours of sleep (and I feel fine)
• 6 Pbville reports read in the last day (with half of those being DNFs … ugh)
• 5 different meetings at work today(I am a corporate weenie for sure)
• 4 beers drank last night (3 PBR)
• 3 days of no running
• 0 miles today

Felt good today.   I could actually get up and around with no ache, no pain.  There is a tiny little bit of stuff in there left, including that weird ab thing.  No rush to get back. 

Actually, I recall now that I did feel a little remaining PF in the feet when I got out of bed this AM.  That result is primarily from going with racing flats for PPM.  I went with the road flats and people told me at the line I am nuts.  Really – Barr is a dang trail super highway.  You don’t need much more than flats for this race in good conditions.  And I am one of the more klutzy ones.   I do need to figure the shoe thing out before I get back to it. 

I almost felt like it would be nice to go for a jog.  Almost.  The game nature of the brain has actually turned this into its own hypothetical contest:  how long could I go without running?  I am sure I will fold on that pretty quick.  In case it is not clear – this is absolute evidence that I think about this way too much.

Suggestion for the Pikes race (did I say this one already?):  take all those shuttles and offer people a free ride up on the Ascent day (as in people who want to watch the race – not those in it).   And actually – maybe a ride on the marathon day up.  The scene is a small zoo at the top for the Ascent, but it would crazy EPIC MONSTER COOL if we could line the course finish with folks from the Golden Stairs to the finish.  I would even wear a devil costume.  Yeah – I know this sets up for a logistic problem to get those folks down – but … it’d be cool. 

For what it is worth – I did my post race gig of getting my legs up on a chair while I laid down (after Pikes).  No IV necessary.  No passing out.  15 minutes or so works. 

I watched those insane MFers coming off Independence Pass on Versus today.  NO WAY could I do that.  50 mph on those roads on a pair of those skinny wheels.  I don’t have a pair for those.

O’Day posted a Double time five minutes faster than my time from 08.   Tip of the cap to him.  Actually a tip of my pile cap.  Because I did my double in the snow year. 

Top ten at the Ascent.

Tuesday blah blah blah

Again – no running today.  Ah, so with no running, you have to bear with the nutty post.  (or not really)  Or nuttier than usual.

I feel a lot less sore compared to yesterday and I probably could run but I am in no rush to get out there.  Could be tomorrow.  Could be a week or two.  Thinking I might get to the gym though to burn a calorie or two and do something different.  Actually there is a weird soreness in my abdomen today.  That might be the large amounts of pizza and beer I have consumed in the last two days versus something from Sunday.  I did have a few harder side stitches on Sunday though.

In the past I felt pretty motivated to get back to running pretty quick.  Either I was feeling super motivated off a good performance or super motivated off a poor one.  Right now I am pretty fine with turning my focus for at least a little bit to other stuff – like the crumb grabbers starting school and a few work projects.  I realize this thinking can change in a moment or two.  There is a small coal fire in there right now thinking of what I want to do next, but I am fine with a bit of break for a bit.  Maybe that is a little growing up.  I certainly hope not.

I actually did get out and play some hoops with the boy and a buddy of his for a bit.  I suck at basketball but I can kick some ten year old tail.  The movement was good to help move some of the soreness out.  No Green Mountain or anything like some dedicated people.

It is sort of nice not to run.  I can stay up to 10 without passing out. 

Ruxton on the way down always leaves me wiped out (yeah, there are a bunch of photos up on marathonfoto now).  I am glad that I have received PROOF that I have finished the race now.  Sweet.

I like this one a lot more.  And not because I have a bag of ice hanging out of my shirt.  It took us like 10 minutes to walk over to take this photo.  We didn’t want to but several adoring fans begged us.

Saying  this carefully, but honestly.  I can see in the photos compared to prior years, I am carrying a few more lbs this year.  I am sure that is partly because of the focus I had over the summer.   Clearly I was a little above racing weight, and I am sure that has some impact on a climb (more than a down).   We are not talking like 10 pounds, maybe 3-5.  Does not seem huge but I do think it makes a difference at a race like this.  I know there is a lot of potential issues that open with mentioning that, but it is a reality of that situation for me on this race day.  ‘Nuff said.

Got a new laptop at work.  My HDD blew up on my old one, and since the shell was near end of the warranty, they replaced the whole thing rather than just the drive.  Anyway, I was working on it with someone and they kept touching the BRAND NEW SCREEN.  I really wanted to scream CAN YOU NOT TOUCH THE DAMN NEW SCREEN?  Definitely the old man in there, but I was able to keep it at bay.  Cleaned his fingerprints off the screen right after he left.

Was in a class at work for most of the day.  In order to motivate people being on time they would give a person a playing card if you were back on time post the breaks.  Your playing cards were to be added up to a poker hand at the end of the day.  Obviously the more cards you got, the better your possible hand.  The class instructor got up after “dealing” the second card and asked “anyone got a pair?”  I seemed to be the only one cracking up (and thankfully, quietly inside).

Quite the read.  Be ready to dig in with that one.  This one is lighter fare – but good.

Anyone know who  this guy was in the marathon? He was third by a pretty long stretch when he came by me coming down, so I figure he’d end up in the top ten, but I don’t see him in those award shots.  I don’t see a number here on him either.
 
(Garner photo above, and this next one is from PikesPeakSports.us)

(note – my third masters trophy is about the same size of what Bernie and Daryn is holding … this is significantly larger than what a guy like Sean is holding.  His 8th place nets him smaller hardware than my 19th.  Just saying).

Good conversation starting over here regarding UROY.

GARNER WINS.  John wins the prediction contest.  His guess was the closest as he guessed 4:50.  If he had lost his wife Bethany would have won because she guessed 4:47:30.  A lot of folks kindly guessed sub 4:40, or even sub 4:30 which was very nice – and had I put together an ascent worth a damn that might have played out.  I owe John a six of beer.  I feel good about this as Bethany did the Ascent, and John worked the Cirque aid station on Marathon day.

Added Browning and Gorman to the blog list on the right.

Still catching up on Leadville blogs and that crazy Transrockies stuff.

Check out this tattoo (photo from PikesPeaksports.us) 

Various

I did not run today.  So I wrote a lot of junk.

To all the aid station folks:  the only people out there crazier than the runners are the aid station volunteers.  You stand there all day to have water and gatorade splashed on you while sweaty, spit covered, vaseline greased, mountain dirt encased, bloodied, air starved people come gimping buy you.  Maybe you like to see people suffer?  Of course there was 2008 when you stood out there in the snow.  You are really nuts.  You are awesome.  Thank you.  No way I was making any of that happen without all of you yesterday.  Thanks.

Bernie Boettcher.  Really?  His 8th third in PPA and PPMs?  And he is 48?  He is only 48?  I really can’t complain about aging. 

Daryn Parker.  Think of the impact this guy would be leaving on the hill if Carpenter was not in the mix.  8 top tens and 3 second places over the last three years in the marathon.  And the guy is incredibly humble and nice.  I think his best day is yet to come on the mountain. Congrats to him and his wife as the get ready to welcome another Parker into the world this November.

Matt Carpenter.  I am looking to turn this into a verb.  In other words, when something absolutely is going to happen, it is Carpentered.  Or something like that.  I talked to Daryn Parker afterwards and he pointed out how amazing it was to run with Matt because his effort (not his pace) is so machine like even (except when he decided to put a little move on Daryn).  And that he does not breathe hard.   A lot of us were Carpentered out there again.

The Marathon is obviously not a thick in the competition up front as the Ascent the last couple of years.  If half of those guys who did the Ascent turned to the Marathon, I’d not even be in same zip code for Masters competition.  Why don’t they do the marathon?    In all seriousness, I think this is because 1.) folks don’t want to deal with the down or 2.) the folks that do want to do the down are further diluted by people going to Leadville instead (or now TransRockies).  Whatever the case, it is leaving a lot of spoils on the table for folks like me.

But wait a second … all this talk of European domination?   Where was it?  Maybe some where else but not at Pikes.  And heck, this race is on the Skyrunner circuit.  Some of the Skyrunners did not even beat Dobson in the Ascent.  I am sure that is going to be forgotten though.  I actually don’t think the string of Western, Leadville, and Hardrock wins by non US citizens symbolizes a take over by Europe (or South Africa) in this sport like some.  I see it it as one of those sports talk show arguments anyway.

Recommendation for Pikes:  I want a belt buckle.  Please.  I am so over hearing about these guys over in Leadville (the second highest town in Colorado) yap about their buckles.  Okay, I will admit it.  I have buckle envy.  I don’t even have a belt that would use that sort of buckle and I am not sure I’d have the gumption to wear it (much).  Anyway, I will pay extra for a buckle at Pikes  assuming I earn it.  Yeah … Tons of Leadville blogs to read.  I almost know the order of the different aid stations now.   I have picked through some reports of success and some of failure.  Love it.  Love all of it.  Got to dig a race that does that.  In Colorado for for crying out loud.   Speaking of Leadville … can’t we get these races to regularly occur on separate weekends? 

Recommendation for former Pikes champion(s):  you have a free entry for the races for life.  You have earned that privilege.  I think it is a very cool attribute of this race.  Yes, you ought to be able to walk up to the line the day of the race and just hop in, but … really, just put your name in when the entry window opens up.  Then if you pull because you made the World Mountain Team or because you are fried you did some cool mountain race in Europe – you at least have the option to race (or not) without the “drama.”

Recommendation for Manitou Springs:  please consider doing something different about your Cold War parking policies on the days of race weekend.  I saw the article as to how much revenue the runners and company were bringing in over the weekend.  It would sure be nice if you could do something so the runners did not have to park 2 hours before the race in some hidden spot or park a crazy distance away.  They really can’t walk there afterwards anyway.

I still need to calculate who won the prediction contest but early indicators (being told that is) are that it goes to the Garners.  Nice kids those folks are.  Pretty methodical calculators too.

Some guy proposed to a woman at the end of the Ascent on Saturday.  I think she came in 10th?  I don’t think he ran.  I think this is genius.  Here she is in an hypoxic oxygen deprived muscularly depleted state surrounded by 150 people on the mountain.  Of course she is going to say yes!

Good grief I am sore.  My arms hurt.  Seriously.  More than my legs in some regards.  Although my feet are really pissed.

I have said this before … it bears repeating again.  Recommendation to Pikes:  I was fifth Master on Sunday.  Yeah, I know I got third, but there were TWO masters ahead of all us counted in the Masters ranks.  And frankly had I not made the top five masters I probably would have edged my way into an age group award for the 40-44.  I get why the race committee does this:  it provides more folks with more awards.  It feels to me like an artificial spreading of the wealth though – even though I am on the winning end of that.  I guess it will be interesting if some day Carpenter falls out of the top ten and as a 50 something wins a masters spot but not an age group award.  Bottom line – I am fine with so called “double dipping” of awards.  Those folks earned them.

Got a longer post brewing about “burning matches” in the ascent portion of the marathon.  I think some guys eek out a few more minutes in the ascent but then pay for it on the down.  Maybe they go 2:50 instead of 2:55.  And then they run 1:50 down instead of 1:43.  Hard game to figure out.

I didn’t take nearly the nutrition on board that I thought I would during the race.  I brought five gels, but only had two.  I took a handful of pretzels (actually maybe 3 each time) at Barr Camp, Aframe and Cirque aid up and down, and NoName on the way up.  However as I carried a water bottle, I emptied the bottle into my gut as I approached the station and went with water or gatorade via a quick fill (usually a pitcher pour at the ready with me shouting air traffic instructions as I came in) … choosing whatever drink I felt like.  The water bottle helped for sure on such a hot day.  It probably was a key to a better down for me.  

Before and after (he actually already had it out but then stuck it back in for these shots).

Colorado type of shot.  Coach Bobby Magee in traffic on the way home.  Check out the plate.
 

I was asked by a friend today if I thought I could break my 2:37 ascent.  I did not hesitate.  I said yes.  I balked a lot in that 2:37 in 06.  I did a lot of RUNNING, and a lot of walking.  Now I do a lot of plodding.  The other thing was that I trained a bit scared back then.  I was scared of what Pikes could do to me, and I did a lot of little things that helped that training.  I think maybe I am a bit less scared?  And so maybe I don’t do all those little things.

Bigger picture, and I alluded to this yesterday – while I am less physically fit, I truly believe the bigger issue for me is that I am less mentally fit – or confident.  I found that last year I could just say to myself – keep on running, or run  100 more steps and I had the mental (and admittedly physical) fortitude to do that.  Not so much this year.  And I think that mostly comes off a mental weakness that relates to less confidence because of less specific training.  This sort of has a double effect.  You are not running well.  Then you realize that.  And so you start have to deal with that and it makes you run less well.  It is just better to be fit and running well.

Weird chemistry change … I suddenly find PBR a bit more palatable than some IPAs.  I am sure this temporary madness will pass.

From 2007 …

Some Pikes Pix

Gasping for air at the Cirque aid station.  You can see how I had opened my water bottle for the filling here. If you look carefully over the volunteer’s shoulder – you can see the finish way up there in the distance.  Photos here are courtesy of John Garner (who may have won the prediction contest – something I still need to check).  Yes … I am not really running here.  That was pretty much the case up there.

 

I got this pic from Brad P.  It comes at the finish.  It clearly shows a bad habit I get when I am tired and that is a rolling of my head back.  Not a big deal here as I am three feet from the line, but I do remind myself pretty consistently when coming down to LOOK DOWN, as it keeps my head forward (and neck a bit more relaxed).

Post race … listening to 28 wins between the two of these guys (from JV)

Top five masters … I have my arm around Steve G who also won six marathons in a row in the 70s.

Monday 082211

No running today by design. The bottom of feet are most sore, and I have typical post race "ugh" everywhere else. It is a lot of ugh.

Almost immediately after the finish, there were questions floating around as to what was next for folks. Sneaking into the top five masters landed me a free entry for Pikes next year. I love the race of course, but getting something free helps grease the skids for that. But there was already talk of Leadville for some. We hoped for a year where the races would fall on separate weekends - perhaps setting up for a PPA, Leadville double.

I am nowhere near knowing what I will do next year but I guess if I had to state it - it would be Pikes. I love the race, I love its challenge, I love its simplicity. Seeing that I missed top master by less than five minutes has me wondering ... and frankly, I know that if I train right and execute right, I can still have my best day there. Last year I trained well and executed fairly well. This year I trained fairly well and executed as good as I could on race day. I still wonder what I can do if I can put it all together. I am not sure if I will ever put it all together but there is joy in the mystery of that.

That said ... right now, it is rest. Clearly my body needs it after a race like this but I might need something a bit more substantial. I love the run. I love my daily routine with it, but there have been a few more days this summer where it has been something a little less than love. A little downtime my be better for my head, and allow me to flush out a few of these niggles.

It is easy to think about Pikes now - the day after the race. It is sort of like opening day of baseball. The dreams for next year can start now. But a million things can happen between now and then that make it so I don't even get to the line. I certainly did not forecast all this travel last year at this time.

For what it is worth, Carpenter's book on the PPA/PPM actually calls for 3 months of down time post the race. I can't see me with my feet up for three months (he does quite call for that), but a shift in focus will be nice.

I realize we are hitting some of the most awesome time of the year. While there may not be training I can see getting out and just goofing off to enjoy the ladybugs up on Green (or something like that). With school firing up with the kids, soccer, baseball, music - all that stuff - it is a good time for some down time.

I am thinking that when do get back I may train for a 5k, mile kind of race. I realize I say this often but if I transitioned from goofing off to training the training would be focused on that sort of stuff. That means a shift in discipline (more speed, less miles) than what I have done.

Of course then, I recognize that might still mean some silly ass crap on the weekends.

So I don't know ... more to come. A few brews to mull that over for a bit.

More insights on Pikes forthcoming ...

At the start

At the summit

Sunday 082111 Pikes Peak Marathon 2011

My PC is dead and so this is getting posted via a loaner. This will be a relatively quick one - I will get other stuff up on the race posted later this week. I have a ton of post race thoughts and folks to thank. A lot of thanking ...

3:06 up. I decided to try to pace for a 2:50 up, and was right near that through No Name Creek. As I climbed things got progressively slower but not by much through Barr Camp. After early running sorted stuff out, I was running near Sean O'Day and about 20 yards behind Brad Poppele - but it was one of those taffy works. Sometimes it would be really close and then other times it would really stretch out.

Above Barr Camp, things began to slow. I was not fried, but I just could not go. I got to the A frame and Sean and Brad had begun to pull away and I started to get eaten up by a couple of other guys. Above Aframe was a mess. I must have walked 75% of that. I just had no power. I watched guys just float away from me. Sean and Brad probably put 4 to 8 minutes on me in that stretch.

I strongly suspect that a good deal of this is because of a lack of long run training, and probably more importantly, a lack of training up high. Equally important however is the game that this plays in your head. Physically, even though this was 20 minutes slower than last year, it felt pretty close to the same (other than the walking). But that starts to mess with your head because you see the splits. In other words, I was probably as mentally unfit for running up high as I was physically unfit.

Seeing 3:06, I was thinking that based on how that felt, and the heat down low, a sub 5 would be a tough day. I had not bothered to count the number of runners ahead of me but I loosely guessed it was around 30 or so.

So I started down. Through the up, I had pretty much been able to keep a good mental view of what this was - a day of fun running on the mountain. At the Cirque sign down I took a quick fall on my hip on the turn in the pea gravel while avoiding runners up. No significant damage and I was on my way.

At about the 2 mile to go sign, I caught my first runner. I was convinced, seeing those who were just behind me that I would get caught by at least a couple of guys. I was not running crazy hard - but steady ... strong, but careful not to do anything stupid that would cause a big fall or make me unable to work the lower hotter down.

And that is what it was ... I picked folks off slowly but surely. I got to Barr Camp back down right at 4 hours and thought that a sub five was certainly doable but then got the oh so fun cramps that shoot up the back of the hamstrings. I talked out loud "easy, like water, relax, careful, water, flow down like water." As stupid as it sounds it worked (but the switch backs still caused some spasms).

In the lower Ws I caught JV. The competitive side of me was happy to catch another runner, but my heart broke a bit because he had been running strong for so long.

4:49:22 for a finish. I caught ten guys on the way down, and no one caught me. My down looks to be around a 1:42 and change.

Given the training I have done, the expectations I had based on that, and the uphill that I did, I am pretty happy with the outcome. I think I did pretty much what I could out there today. I am probably more fit a couple days after this run than I was going into it. While this is not my best or worst performance, I probably had more fun out there than I have had in a long time (the snow year of 08 in the Double is pretty close).

More to come in the days to come.

Splits:

Ruxton 2:59

Hydro 9:54 (6:55)

Top of Ws 33:53 (29:59)

No Name Creek 50:01 (16:08)

7.8 Sign 67:47 (17:46)

Barr Camp 87:35 (19:48)

Bottomless Pitt 1:42:12 (14:37)

Aframe (or 3 to go sign) 2:09:29 (27:16)

2 TO GO 2:27:35 (18:06)

1 TO GO 2:44:43 (17:08)

Summit 3:06 42 (21:59)

Barr down 3:58:20 (51:38)

Finish 4:49:22 (51:02)

This guy is amazing.

This guy is too.

Saturday 082011

So no running today. 

I will admit I am both calm about tomorrow and nervous about tomorrow.  I am calm because I can see what it really is and what it really means.  Translation – it does not matter, it is a gift that I get to do this and I am still expected to go to work on Monday.

I am nervous because on the edges I have some self imposed expectations in terms of performance.  It makes the most sense for me to let those go, and let the race come to me versus chase down those expectations.  In many regards, this race has become a test for me in self control.  Control in the race of course - (don’t go out too fast, dig when it really hurts), but also self control over myself day in and day out.

Whatever.  I definitely got to see first hand today some strong runners get worked pretty damn hard and so that is on my mind for sure.

Going with racing flats tomorrow – probably a bit light and thin but it has worked for me over the years.  Today it was pretty warm up there.  If it expected to be about the same tomorrow, I am probably going to opt to carry a water bottle.  I have never done that but I am thinking that it could help me in the heat on the down.

Mentally I am ready to be SUPER relaxed through the start tomorrow.  This is a test in discipline.  I have been a guy that feels he needs to bank a bit more time on the bottom because I will lose time on the top.  I still might lose time on the top as I have not been doing much at altitude but I feel I will lose more if I am not careful low.  This will mean that I need to let guys (and gals) go low.

Video from the start

In the big contest, Pittbrownie ran about 18 minutes faster than Amanda.  I guess the good news is that he is off doing Leadville and Transrockies so we don’t need to hear him gloat for a while.

Runcolo has some good videos of the top finishers (glad that Justin edited in some music so my jack ass comments can’t be heard in most of them) and the CoS Gazette has some winner post race interviews.

Quick Ascent update

Some shots from the Ascent this AM.  I might be able to get a little video up later.

King was in the press truck at the start and there was no sign of Randall.

Mario took it from the gun, leading by 20-30 yards by Ruxton.  I caught a ride with Scott E to the summit and perched out near the Fred Barr sign to take it all in  Mario was the first we saw.  He had at least a five minute lead over Manning when we spotted him crossing from 2-1 up high.  Incredible finish for him, dipping under 2:09, only the third (as far as I know to debut) under 2:10 (but now that has happened two years in a row).  Had a good time yelling at guys (along with Tony K, Justin M, Scott E, others) as they came by.  Video of Macias winning from PikesPeakSports.us.

It became pretty clear pretty quick that the depth of racing we thought might occur was not to be – only 7 guys broke 2:30.  I was reminded as to how cruel the mountain can be as I then watched folks who hoped for a sub 2:30 come in 2:40ish.  And those wanting to come in sub 2:40 coming in closer to three.  And these are solid athletes.  A bad day on the hill does not mean you are off by a minute or two – it causes an eruption.

Macias performance is pretty amazing but I am tossed up if Dobson’s 2:34 and change – just missing a CR by the last switchback is the performance of the day, or Mike Kloser running 2:38 at that age of 51. 

Off to get my number now and get some rest.

Tentative results are here.

The start

The turn up Ruxton

Bag duty at the summit and various summit shots before the runners pour in,

The top ten men
 

Dobson – top woman
 

Grauch, Ames and 51 year old Kloser running 2:38.