Sunday 083114

AM – 16.3 miles.  Started sluggish but it came about okay.  Easy throughout.

82.9 on the week, which unexpectedly happens to be the most I have in a measured week this year.  I finish August with 2182.3 miles, 120,600 feet and 291.4 hours on the year (August is 267.5 miles 39.48 hours, and 22955 miles).

Catching up on UTMB and Trofeo Kima stuff.  A post interview with Schlarb.  Got a tip from Wes T on where to find UTMB results.  Thanks Wes, and well done.  Looks like it was a helluva way to thrash a pair of shoes.

CU time trial results.

Meanwhile Gavin and Brandon S are rolling through the Nolans. (if you don’t know what that is, it is 14 14ers in a row) (post note, apparently they are done in 56 something hours).

My evening reading has been trolling through stuff like this.

Family gave me a present for my showing up a bunch of years ago.  It was this: 
I ain’t ditchin’ the WhisperLite but “hey Larry, I guess you won.” (he will know what that meant).

Saturday 083014

Back in sweet home Colorado.  KZ gave me the heads up that there was a run up at the Switzerland trail with the team, and gave me the okay to attend (this permission is required from my daughter) (several parents attended actually).  Nice wake up to go from sea level to 8800 feet.  8 miles. 

Last instructions from Coach Greg.
Ready to run
And they are off.
I don’t think I have run on the Switzerland in the better part of a decade, probably more.  It is a great place to run but takes a bit to get to.  It might be a touch slower on the way back than Mags, but probably a bit faster on the way out.  You also don’t need to worry about traffic on it (but it is that access that probably the why Wetmore uses it).

Saw Ethan G in the shop afterwards, and he said nearly all the freshman are red shirting given the depth they currently have.  Apparently the leaders at the time trial ran something like 25:50 for the 8k course.  Post the run, picked up some Huaka-phooeys from Hoka at the Flatirons run shop,

 
You can be fit as they come, but some days you are the bug, not the windshield. 

KZ has started a job.  She refuses to let me take pic of her in the outfit she has to wear, but I nabbed this shot of the hat.  Her brother is hoping this means pizzas come home instead of her getting a check.

Afternoon, dog jog and then a few miles on the ditch.  4.8 miles.  Listened to the Gist podcast.  You should too, as they talk about corporate tax rates, and why you shouldn’t trust people with two first names,

Andy Anderson gets another FKT,

I enjoyed Marvel Comics as a kid, but was never really a Captain America guy.  I thought this scene in the last movie, highlighted by the quote, “before we get started does anyone want to get out?” was pretty bad ass.  I love how they take near two minutes to build it. 

Some folks see dead people.  I see donkeys.

Friday 082914

The Wetmore factor.  CU, the defending mens XC National Champs, start their season this Saturday with the “time trial” over on Buff Ranch.  That course – 8k – is deceptively hard. 

Mentioned in the comments last week by Mike B, and just getting to it:  not homeschooling but unschooling.  Interesting read.

Slept poorly, and could not get up the muster to get out early for a run.  Wedged one in between leaving the office and my flight out of Newark.  Timko had also put in his recommendations the South Mountain reservation.  It was on the way to the airport, so slipped in an hour in, mixing in some trails and road.  Another green jewel in the middle of urban stuff.  7 miles.

Thursday 082814

AM -  sluggish 5 miles to start the day.

Thanks to JT for this tip, but WTF! is this crap?  No, NOT A GOOD IDEA.

Solid podcast by Tim and Gary (again).

Train like a pro.

Eric asked for folks to help him assemble news this week while he is on vacation.  I volunteered up and had today, so that is all over there.  Eric’s site is a great venue for news like that on a near daily basis. 

Last night I was yapping with various folks post run.  A younger couple (27) found out how I was from Colorado, and mentioned how it was a dream or plan of their to live there someday.  I glanced at the other “old guy” (50) who was in this conversation, gave an unspoken and unmoving nod to each other with the look and we both jumped in.  “Go now,” we advised.  “You have more flexibility in your lives now to go there then you will probably have in the next 20 years.  Go.”  They started to back pedal a bit of how it was not really a plan, and they had these jobs here that were good, and that they had time.  I don’t think we over pressed them on the matter, but … I think they thought we probably sounded like nutty old dudes – and we were.  But no matter, I guess … I probably will never see them again.

Today’s listening.

Evening – I felt compelled to get back to the Watchung Reservation given my short go at it the other night.  I was able to slip down there a little earlier and did the “white” trail loop.  There are a ton of trails through here, marked with different color blazes.  The issue is not finding a trail – it is finding the right one.  I came to junctions multiple times and had to pause to assure I was following the right route.   New Jersey gets a rap for urban sprawl but it was beautiful in this green tunnel tonight.

 
11.2 miles, easy.  Only fell once.

Jenny Simpson kicks ass.

Wednesday 082714 5kXC and Beer Mile in NJ

Second day travel ride caught up with me and I slept in. 

But I made up for it with some evening fun.

I asked Timko a few weeks ago, what runs I should do while out here.  “Race this” was a part of his reply.  Four miles from the hotel I am in?  XC in a low key fashion?  Recommended by Rob?  No problem.

I’d say no sweat but with a near 90 degree night in NJ humidity at the start, that would be a bold face lie.  I looked like I had gone for a swim after my warm up. 

I buzzed over after getting done at the office, and doing a quick turn around at the hotel.  The race was advertised to start at 6:45, with registration at 6.  I got there at 5:50 and found a person ready to register me old quickly at 5:50.  Shortly afterwards, a buzz of about 75 folks began to mill in.

I quickly realized that this was going to be a handicapped start affair.  The registrar had noticed I had not run the series before and put me down to start at 6:45.  I noticed on other bibs, there were folks starting at different times, and was able to determine that the general thought was were all supposed to finish at 7:15.  That meant I was signed up for a 30 minute 5k. 

Not wanting to be that guy that was sweating his arse off but also bagging the handicap,  I found “Rick” who was obviously the RD and the course marker (He had a can or orange chalk marking in his hand).  We chatted a bit and he asked me what I thought my finish time would be.

Umm, fair question since I brought it up.  Lots of quick calculations:  tired because of Pikes, hot and humid, cross course I have yet to see, travel weary … uh, how about 20 minutes as 6:20s ought to be okay?  He of course didn’t care and set me up as such.

I jogged the course then to see what I was getting into.  Green, humid, various track, fairly flat but with some quick short deceptive hills to throw you off - sort of like the old Wickham Park of home a lifetime ago.

I then jogged up the hill on my warm up out of the park and found the old now closed psychiatric hospital.  It is scary enough to be the scene of a real life haunted house.

Back down to the start and watched the milling of people and the start of folks as the stagger timed through.
And then the first one of us was off

I think this might have been the second staggered start race I have run ever.  I can’t say I am huge fan of it.  I know some folks like the idea of mowing down the people they have ahead of them.  That is certainly motivating in the moment, but it is sort of also demotivating to not be racing the folks directly around you.  Just different, I guess.

But in any case, I got out with a crew of guys who were all at that 20 minute mark.  They bolted hard ahead of me for about a half mile and then came back.  I worked my way through folks for the rest of the race, and got caught by one guy who plowed past me in the first 600 yards.

I ran pretty even – right around 6:15 pace for the first couple of miles.  I knew I was not operating at top capacity, but it was no walk in the park either.  Legs were heavy and I was working.  I slowed a bit on the second loop and saw the pace start to itch up towards 6:25 average but rallied across the last half mile to bring it back to a 19:30 finish.  Silly fun.

Of course, while I was finishing, there was almost all of us finishing.   That is the intent with the staggered start.  That is sort of cool.  Different but cool.

I jogged with the kid who passed me for a bit of a warm down and then I noticed beer coming out.  The RD (Rick, who knew exactly who Timko was and details of what was going on in his life) was putting up a beer mile as this was their last race in the park this season.  Did I want in?  Sure – I have never done one before, and the circumstances set up well for it – why not?

Rick even provided the brew.  We got about 10 folks to agree to do it, and then there were a few relay teams (okay, all fun).  Okay – an XC race, and then a beer mile?  WTF not (W is for why)?

Okay – so beer mile.  First, while I thought I could put a beer away pretty quick, there are apparently dudes who SUCK the beer out faster than it goes down just via a chug.  This guy who was easily 280 was out of the gate in like 5 seconds.  I was about half way through my first beer.  I was probably about 6th off the line after the first beer.

Second – I was not running hard.  Frankly I didn’t want to after the 5k, and with 12 ounces, and then 24, and then … well you get the idea.   I was running steady but this was no crazy ass running on the splits.  Some dudes who I smoked in the 5k were running WAY faster than they had in the 5k. 

Third – this is less about the running then you might think.  I got to the third beer and was like, “uh, okay I rather not really do this.”  I mean I was looking at my belly and it was already visibly starting to distend.  The fourth beer took me in a good long while.

Splits – 24.8 on the first beer.  1:40 on the first quarter.  48.5 on the second beer.  1:44 on the second quarter.  68.1 on the third beer.  1:46.7 on the third quarter.  96.6 on the last beer and 88.2 on the last quarter. 

On the last stretch, a NJ chick named Virginia who had been drink 10 ounce summertime Coors beer started coming by me and talking shit so I had to actually kick to get it in.  She had me for a bit but I suddenly forgot the 48 ounces of beer in my gut and mustered past her. 

Of course when I finished (10:38), I felt like I wanted to burp hurl to all heaven and hell but that never happened.  It is a pretty jacked feeling of expelling gas up, the pukey feeling on the back of the mouth, but not actually getting there.  I can only imagine how crappy this would be if I really ran it hard.  No rush to do this again, but I won’t refuse it if it comes up.

But good fun though.

Some dude popped a 7:48 on it.  Impressive.  I have a new respect for this nut bag event.  I can’t think of a time in my life in the last 20 years where I downed 4 beers in 10 minutes.  Maybe 2.  For sure.  Possibly 3.  Probably not.  Definitely no way 4. 

Finished out with 2 miles to warm down.  10.3 on the day.

Tuesday 082614

Rental car. Yeah, I even had the Bee Gees going.

No, I did not request it.  I just got it.  Never was even mentioned at the check out counter.

AM – 5.2 miles.  I can feel my hammies yelling at me for being worthless and weak and barely able to keep up with my 30 body weight only squats from yesterday.  Geez.

Evening – 5 miles over at the Watchung reservation.   I did not get over there until 7:30 because work … well, and the concept of traffic in the east.  12 miles to drive?  No problem - 35 minutes baby. 
Nonetheless, the “reservation” did not disappoint.  Even in the fading light of summer evenings slipping away, it was a wonderful location, mixing single track, wider trails, and the thick of the woods you get in the east.  But it was quickly growing dark, and I as I had no headlamp, I had no desire to let the lightning bugs set my path.  5 miles into the dusk. 

It was fun to buzz around the mixed track of this location.  I forgot how loud an evening in the east can be in the woods – the bugs all getting buggy and all.

Later tonight - Second bar I have been in this month that claims to be an “Irish” bar.  I realize I sound a bit snooty when I say it but -- it is a bit ridiculous because you have a wooden bar and an Irish flag hanging near it to call yourself an Irish bar.  Well, I guess I will give you a pass because you have this on tap.  This next pic is for Brownie.

 

Will look to get my ass handed to me tomorrow night in this.

Monday 082514

Sage breaks down on his PPA.  “when I look back at the race now, it was an extremely painful experience.”

Off to NJ for the week.  Got some tips from Timko as to running places I need to check out when I am there.  My travel is sitting at 25% ish on the year.  To the whirlwind business traveler that is not a lot.  To the average joe, it seems ridiculous.  It will quiet down until the end of  September, be really big in October and then be pretty quiet after the first week in November for the rest of the year.  Next year is a bit still up in the air, but it should be about the same, perhaps a tad less.

Trying to get back into the habits of bringing general strength back warmups in to my routine.   This stuff is stupid hard for me and I really need to address it and the imbalances it shows.

10 miles mid day in CO.  One sweaty run.  It was easy to start, but then the heat began to chew away at me a bit. 

Triple Crown debates

Warning:  burro racing specific so this might be of interest to Justin, but probably not Jeff.

Lot of discussion (some would call a debate, some would go so far to call it donkudrama) at the WPBA meeting last night about the Triple Crown.  For some historical perspective:

On the men’s side (if you think there ought to be a men’s side and a women’s side, more on that in a bit), the TC is pretty simple to understand.  Win the long races at Fairplay, Leadville, and BV (although there is no real long course at BV at this point).

At the core of last night’s discussion, were a few questions.  First, Leadville Boom Days Race Director Dave TenEyck put forth the proposal that the Triple Crown for women be determined from the top woman and burro at the Fairplay long course, the top woman at the BV race and the winner of the woman’s race at Leadville.  The woman’s race at Leadville is not the open course that goes to Mosquito Pass but instead a shorter run around Ball Mountain. 

Fairplay has a long course (29 miles) and a short course (15 miles).  BV has a single course (11 miles) but has had a long course in the past.  Leadville has an open course (20 miles) that both men and women can participate in and no short course but rather a women’s course (15 miles) that men are not to do.  So that complicates Dave’s proposal because there is division in the WPBA on whether Leadville should do away with the concept of a woman’s course, and just go long and short (without caring about gender).

Further wrinkling the issue is the question for some if there should be a man’s Triple Crown winner and a Woman’s Triple Crown winner.  At current there is such a distinction, but there are those who think it should be the winner of all the races, regardless of the gender.  Apparently it has been a single winner in the past.

Interestingly, there is really no debate on the consideration of men versus women in any one race.  If a woman wins, she wins.  If a man wins he wins.  If the woman gets second, she is second and the next person is third.  It pretty much reflects that the community recognizes that it is a fairly even playing field out there with a burro, and it is more about the burro versus the gender of the racer.

Then of course, circling back, which races?  Is it the long races at each of these events?  Well if that is the case, there is no long race (at current) at BV.

There is a whole bunch of history around this and thus some folks being a bit irked on the topic.  There were cases where the first woman at Fairplay then raced the long race at Leadville, but was considered not the Triple Crown winner because she did not do the woman’s course.

Underlying all this is a larger question:  does the desires of the WPBA drive what the RDs do at each of the races or vice versa? 

Confused?  Yup.  And well, let’s not forget, the donkeys really don’t care. 

My nickel for those that have played this far along:
1.)  Keep it simple. 
2.)  Have a TC for women and men.
3.)  Look for ways to involve people in the sport, and use the TC as a carrot to do that.

I’d prefer it to be all long course based, but that is less important to me.  Create a Triple Crown story that is simple for folks (the people drawn into the towns) to understand, seems fair and equitable, and draws people into the sport.   Right now, it seems that winning the Triple Crown is complicated, and mired in conversations that the casual observer wouldn’t understand.  That does not benefit the sport.

I’d probably go so far to say that it would make sense to have a TC possibility across the long and the short across both genders, meaning you could have four in a year, but that might actually go to a bit more complicated. 

I’d probably look to have Leadville eliminate the concept of a women’s course, and instead have a long and a short as that would allow men who want to do the short course to do that.  That draws more folks potentially into the sport as well.   At the same time, I recognize that the sovereignty of the respective RDs should be strongly considered.  These are volunteers after all.

I also understand that these sort of decisions could create some shifts in the prize money structure, but … okay, that is fine with me.  We are not talking about tens of thousands of dollars here for the TC winner.  It has been a 500 dollars savings bond and frankly if it were zero, I’d be fine with that.  It is pretty clear that the money in pack burro racing is not the primary draw for the people who do it anyway. 

Nothing was really decided last night at the WPBA other than to bring it a vote to the broader organization.  More to come. Regardless of the outcome, I don’t see it changing anything for me and enjoying a day in the mountains with a burro.  After all, the donkey really don’t seem to care.

Sunday 082414

Day got away yesterday and I ended up taking it off from running.  Up early this AM and got in a couple of hours easy, 15 miles.  Started the run feeling a bit stiff but it warmed up and loosened up well.

45 miles on the week – which is a bit more than I expected in a recovery week.

These kids are awesome. 

Coverage of KZ’s XC meet in Boulder on Friday.

Coverage of Flatirons Running opening up.

I picked up some CDs at the library, including an Eminem album.  So I am listening to it in the car, and I am trying figure out what is wrong with it.  It doesn’t sound right.  Wait, I know:  they have muted out any word that is a curse.  This is probably no big deal with some songs, but apparently it is about 50% of the lyrics in some of his songs.  I will tell you it makes the music pretty shitty (muted).

In the evening we went to the annual dinner for Western Pack Burro Association (WPBA) at the TommyKnocker brewery in Idaho Springs.  Good to see the croo outside of the races.  The agenda and conversation … more on that in another post.

  

I expect to go the movies Christmas Day.

Friday 082114

Hat tip to Brandon for calling this out:  Rob going off course.

A heckuva climbing race coming up if interested.

Running.  Dissatisfaction. 

Speaking of dissatisfaction, it was the first day of school for both of the kids today. 

As I was driving KZ up to the HS, she saw the typical blob of kids meandering to the school, the stack of cars and quipped, “Oh this is such a major suckage.”

I am not sure exactly how to react.  I guess it is probably normal for a kid to hate school because of the pseudo discipline towards forward growth and maturation it provides (but in an “awkward” time of life) when you rather be laying in bed.  I imagine though it is also reflective of a system that has made education less than enticing.  This highly motivated kid who grinds through their studies was the child who loved school in her younger years.  Bummer.

That said, clearly there is a good amount of enjoyment and fulfillment she gets out of school.  Like cross.

Headed over to the Boulder – Valmont Bike Park where they had a XC meet today for the HS kids. 4k course over 3 loops, with a bugger of a hill in the middle of each loop.  I bounced around a bit (7 miles), taking pix, hooting and hollering all the clichés you yell at running races.

The sprawl of teenagers.
Hay bales 250 meters in.

The switchbacks and bumps curving up.

New Balance sponsored.
Benji doing awesome timing again.
Overlooking the west end of the course.
Coach at work

Ladies getting pumped up.

KZ near the start.
KZ mid race
Line of kids in the race. Brutal stairs on each loop. Glen D with a drone camera. 
Spent the evening chatting with guy and attempting to glean some wisdom. 

Thursday 082114

Aish’s Leadville report.  Go back and listen to the interview him on ET too.  I love how he expresses fear of Clark.

Got this from my daughter today.  I am glad I am raising her right.

And then of course, there is this coming from Dave.

Interesting wrap of Kara Goucher’s shift over the last year. 

Starting to feel human again.  8.4 miles.

Helluva race from Simpson in the 1500.