Month end wrap 30-31 OCT2017

Back at it on the road.

Given my travels, my focus on work, my focus on the local HS XC team, and a lack of races, this blog has become … well a blog about my travel, the local HS XC team and generally jogging as exercise – not prepping for a race or what would be focused training.  Last week I didn’t even really try to get any hard efforts in.  My time, my brain, my efforts were otherwise focused.  Actually I am not sure if that really makes it so that I am less inclined to do harder quality stuff or if I am just not inclined to do harder quality stuff in general. 

For what it is worth, I rarely read race reports anymore.  I am more inclined to read coaching stuff if it is running related.  I do keep a bit on top of results, but lately I am more likely to tell you how a high school team in Utah did than I could about some MUT race. 

I am okay with this as I am in a different place than where I was with running than I was 5-10 years ago, but I recognize that there is a slip in fitness that is more than just aging.

I took a goose egg on Monday – my eleventh of the year and the first since late August (actually when I was last in Atlanta).  I was too tired (crap sleep last night), too hungry, and got on some work when I got to the hotel Monday night.

I did get 6.8 on Tuesday morning in the dark.  Not great places to run but it worked.  Monday night I managed to find some interesting sidewalks and got in another six.  The evening effort actually had some efforts thrown in – mostly an outcome of seeing a few segments on Strava via the morning effort that I decided to chase (with weak outcomes as would be expected in a true city).

October – a low month in terms of miles but to be expected with the work travel being extensive this month.  261.6 miles, 34.38 hours, 9570(!) feet.  The year sits at 3030.8 miles, 398.91 hours, 146,315 feet.  Other stats:  9.22 hours a week, 70 miles a week, 56 business travel nights. 8 camping nights and 2 other travel nights. 

State Week

Not much of a training week.  I did get 66 miles and change but nothing worth really writing about.  My legs have been consistently feeling pretty tired, and my mind has been focused enough on the kids for the State meet and my work that I have used my daily runs for just jogging for mental quiet.  It often is not mental quiet as I may churn through stuff but it gives me space in any case.

Pitched over 3000 miles on the year this week.

I did get down to Denver earlier in the week to run with the incredible and inspiring Rob Jones.  If you have no idea who he is or what he is about, check out this very good podcast interview with him by Jocko Willink

Rob is amazing – and his Denver marathon was his 13th in the series.  It was clear that he was driven and was happy to have support – but at the same time I could see the wear of this project on him.  That is not a bad thing or a criticism, but just the simple recognition that when one undergoes projects like that there comes a time where the grind that is just a part of it.  In this case, another city, a cold morning, laps around a lake and a lot of people.  It is all good, and the work gets done but this was 13 … not 2 or 29.

He was a cool dude and it was good to share some strides and chat with him a bit and wish him well on his mission.

The sunsets have been incredible as of late.

These pumpkins are likely to be rotted at the time I publish this.

The week of the State XC meet is always a bit riddled with anxiety.  You speculate on what will happen, what your team will do, what other athletes will do, who is fit, who is a bit overcooked, how a race will go …

We only had two boys going this year.  Michael was gearing up for an all State finish – while being a 2 sport athlete:  he also was playing on the school’s soccer team that started State tournament play.  Joseph just set a big PR and notched a sub 16 in the regional meet, but was struggling all week with a hip issue.

The girls seemed incredibly ready.  With 9 breaking 19 in the regional meet, we thought we had a chance at taking the race from Mountain Vista and winning a third straight state title.  The squad had lost two meets to Mountain Vista earlier in the year, and so it would be a very tall order to steal it from a team that their number 5 runner at 18:35 but we thought if we put it all together – we could accomplish a bit of an upset – even as the defending champs.

I get to work with a crew of coaches that are just wonderful human beings – they love running, they love the kids, they love the process of what this sport does to help people and … they really really make me laugh.

Michael finished seventh – a great finish for him in what was his first season of XC.  Joseph made a brave effort in the first mile, but it was clear that his hip issues were going to be too much to overcome and he struggled in the later parts of the race.  He was disappointed to finish his high school career this way of course, but he has had a good run over the four years at BrHS.




I watched the race start from the south side of the creek and then snuck back to the part of the course that was probably the farthest from the start line – about 1.3 miles in.  As the kids came over the berm into the long stretch, Vista was clearly dominating with 3 strong runners up front.  We were a bit back, and I hoped that a second half would play out well for us. 

I bolted down to the long stretch before the woods, maybe 2.5 into the course.  Here I could see Vista had four before the Broomfield second.  The day was going to go to Mountain Vista.  Not only would they win the girl’s title, their number one runner would get an individual title (1-2-6 in the top 10), and their boys team would also get the 5A title.  That is a pretty powerful day.

We ended up second.  With six of our top seven being on the team that won last year, and four being on the squad the previous two years, being second on the podium stung a bit.  It is the odd dichotomy of being second when you are swinging for the win – it is a good position to be in, but it is often not quite what you wanted. 

I know it sounds cliché – but I have always valued the process of what happens with running, and this event, and the outcome it produced is no exception.  Sure, I would have loved to see the girls get the three-peat but perhaps the lessons are even a bit larger without it.  I am incredibly proud of these kids and their team mates.  Having been able to share these experiences, strides, workouts, ups, downs … they are not just athletes to me but people I genuinely care about.  It is wonderful to be a part of this.

Of course … it ain’t over yet.  There is still the Nike post season. 

Weekend 21-22OCT2017

Saturday AM – 5 miles, with strides (100s in 18).  In the afternoon, another 5.1 on the Ridgview-Ditch loop, a bit quicker than easy.

Sunday – headed out for a tiny bit before meeting Greg for the Lac Amora loop.  Most of our conversation was, of course, regarding the upcoming State meet, recent regional results and related affairs.  7.8 miles.  Another 4.4 in the afternoon.

62 miles on the week – another week of travel showing a bit less than typical miles.  I did get in a solid workout in Florida with 6 x the half miles, and a couple of other efforts where I was touching the gas a bit … but it was really more a going through the motions as well I could muster on the fifth straight week of travel.

I get this next week off from business travel so I will try to make of what I can with having some time at home. 

Friday 20OCT2017

Back at it … I felt heavy legged … a bit lagged from the travel I guess and the lack of sleep.  10.6 miles with a handful plus before practice and then the rest with the coaches with the now reduced squad.

Thursday 19OCT2017

It was about flipping driving me crazy not to be at the regional meet in Colorado today, but I had to finish up in Florida. 

The boys team came up 14 points short in qualifying for the State meet.  It is disappointing but it comes with guys improving (7 of  9 PR’d today and the other 2 were just a couple of seconds off season bests) a great deal, and learning a lot.  Proud of this lot.

The girls crushed the region, winning on 24 points, put 7 in the top 15 under 19 minutes and 9 in the top 25.  It is off to State for the team next week for what ought to be what has been expected all year – a showdown with MV.

I slogged 4 miles in the AM in the heaviness of the Florida air.  I flew back in the evening, tired from the weeks of travel, but as this was my view for my Melbourne to Atlanta flight – it was hard not to be amused most of the way.

Wednesday 17OCT2017

AM – dark and wet.  5.1 miles slow. 

Tuesday 17OCT2017

I did not get out tonight until close to 6:45 in the evening, which turned out to be a blessing.  While it was still in the 80s and warm, and I still looked like a soaked rat when I finished the run, it was a tad cooler.

I took advantage of the window and the conditions and managed to edge in something that actually resembled a workout.   I did 6 x a half mile on a straight flat stretch in the dark.  It was all about six minute pace (3 minute repos or a bit more) – so not so fast but it felt nice to get rolling with something.  8.3 miles.

In other news, one of the spots on the regional team opened up and so JZ was able to move up a slot and will race on Thursday.  He is pretty stoked. 

Monday 16OCT2017

Melbourne Florida.  It is ridiculous hot here.  Every run looks like I have gone for a swim.  I was fine for about 4 miles this AM and then it was just a slosh fest.  I got six and change out of it but the last two miles were a jog from shade patch to shade patch to try to keep some semblance of cool.

This evening was a touch better as I went as the sunset – 5.5 miles.

Weekend 12OCT-15OCT

With the heavy travel this week, it has been a tough week for exercise.  I knew time would be limited, but the multiple late flights also set me up with less than great sleep.  I thought I’d be just pushing the quality in short windows, but I ended up with short slow jogging for most of the runs this week.   I managed to start to get a bit of a reboot on Saturday with a fair effort in the 50 mph winds but most of the week I felt like I was running in deep sand, and just succumbed to that.

I thought I’d perhaps have a good go on Sunday, but I travelled out very early to Florida and was hit with near 90 temps and plenty of humidity when I got here (there).  I ran fair for about five miles but then I was a sopping mess, overheating and dragging for the rest of the run. 

42 miles on the week, and not much in terms to show for it other than a bit of consistency.
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Friday afternoon was a trip up to Fort Collins for the conference meet with the Eagles.  For all but about 2 dozen of the kids on the team this is the end of the season.  From here on out, it becomes a smaller set (9) that go to the regional meet, and then from that a smaller set (7) that would go to the State meet (if the team is one of the top four out of the region – otherwise you have to qualify as an individual).

As I have stated here before … I love an XC meet so much.  And Friday was no exception.  The Fort Collins HS course reminded me of the HS course I ran on – loads of turns, barely any grass, and long stretches of road, sidewalks and parking lots when a school attempted to define a route within the confines of their campus.  It is hardly an ideal XC course, but the beautiful weather and the backdrop of it being the season finale, set up that place I love to be.
The Broomfield Eagle girls did what that have done almost every time they have raced in the last three years – and that is win and do it in a “shake your head” sort of fashion.  Recognizing this meet is not the primary goal of the season, the girls were given instructions to start the race at a threshold pace and to run together.   This sets up for “the blue blob” that is hard to miss.  The “shake your head” part of it is that when you see it, you see the girls running rather comfortably, perhaps even chatting only a few dozen yards off the front while everyone else is drilling themselves as you’d expect.

At 2 and a quarter miles, the girls were given the green light.  Another school had four in the top seven and looked clearly positioned to win the meet and conference.  The Eagle girls were about 40 yards behind that position and told that to open it up and that if they could put the team in front of that runner it meant a team win.  Within 300 yards they had blown up the front of the field, put all seven of themselves ahead of that and continued to mow down other competitors.  The girls put 7 in the top 15, scored 31 points and won the meet by 39 points.

Success here or in the past is no guarantee of a wins in the future – especially since this season the Mountain Vista squad has put up the only two losses these girls have had in the last three years, but on this day it sure felt good to enjoy what these ladies have accomplished, and recognize they are positioned to make a good go of it in future meets.

The boys are not in the same position the girls are and will need perform strongly to make it out of the region next week to make it to the State meet.  The conference meet on Friday represented both an opportunity for our kids to show where they are at this point in their readiness for that and a last chance to fight for one of the individual slots on the team that would go to the regional meet. 

JZ had a fair race, about where he has performed recently, but the competition from his team mates around him has been coming on in the recent weeks, and enough kids were ahead of him that he ended up as the 10th man on the squad as the results were posted.

He was obviously upset about what this meant to him and what it likely means for his season at this point, but he also knew what it meant to his team mates to get that slot.  I found a bit of emotion rising inside as watched the JV race competitors come in, saw the clock and knew what it meant.  He congratulated his friends and team mates that had out performed him with a smile of course, but I could feel his disappointment. 

It is a hard part of this sport.  At some point in running, regardless of level of excellence, we come up against the brick wall of losing.  As backwards as it sounds, this attribute of it is part of its nobility.  I feel these moments teach us in many ways.  The performance sets up a moment to then allows us to decide – “now what will I do?”  And what we do is where we grow.   Or not.

I have seen kids face this of course, but it is a bit different when you see it with your son.  I recognized that while in the bigger picture that whatever happens with his season now, the outcome be good in the long term. I felt like any parent does when your kid is disappointed – you want to fix it and help them.  Regardless … I feel really blessed that I have been able to share this sport with JZ, and that he has taken to it with a passion, and for all that it is providing him. 

As a guy that has received an AARP card in the mail (multiple times now) I am certainly a part of that generation that can point at kids these days and say, “kids these days!”  This is usually followed with some sort of rant (that may have some slivers of truth in it) about their cell phones or their sense of entitlement or some other attribute that is probably as much applicable to the me and the other old people I am ranting to.  But I can look at most the kids at these meets, and in particular the kids on this team and say, “these are really good kids.”  I feel really lucky and blessed that I get to share a slice of their lives through this wonderful sport.  It is

Wednesday 11OCT2017

AM – really foggy and slow to get out of bed.  3.1 on the Richardson Trail before heading into the office.  Yawner here for sure.  In an effort to wake up the legs and spark them for something tomorrow where I might be more capable, I did 10 x 100 in the middle of this.

Tuesday 10OCT2017

I got in late to DC and then headed to Silver Springs MD (should have flown into Baltimore).  I hit the rack at 12:30, and set an alarm for 530, hoping to get a few miles in before I had to head into the FDA office here for a presentation and a day of meetings.  I woke without the alarm at 0526 … nearly perfect. 

I got out for a slow and sluggish four, but happy that I got something in any case.  My head was foggy from the travel, the lack of sleep, so I practiced elements of my slides aloud – which probably seemed like I was not well to the folks I passed waiting at bus stops. 

The presentation went fine of course – even with the brain fog, once I got rolling it was not a problem.

I caught an evening flight back to Dallas. 

Monday 09OCT2017

Dallas – and back on the Richardson trail.  10 miles and change where I looked to be a soggy sweat mess when I was finished.  Entertained a nice call from KZ over the last couple of miles.

Acorns here are really big.

Day here in Dallas and then off to DC tonight.  Pretty early start tomorrow and then a flight Tuesday night back to Dallas so a run may not fit in the schedule. 

Weekend 06OCT-08OCT2017

The BrHS kids enjoy “team dinners” usually once a week.  These are put on by parents of the athletes.  It is a nice collection of great kids outside the day to day of workouts and races.

I flew back Friday AM, did a quick call and then headed to the Pat Amato meet.  It is a flat course, with hard surfaces so it usually runs quick.  Unfortunately tough winds (40mph) gusts blew up and made it a more challenging day.

JZ ran within a few seconds of his PR, and about a third of our kids did actually PR – reflecting that they are coming along well in their fitness progression. 


The girls varsity race was a train wreck.  An official cited a lightning strike had been seen in the distance and called the race as the leaders went through 2 miles.  The top 20 kids ran undaunted nonetheless and the BrHS girls put 6 in the finishing group.  I can’t say the kids (or their coaches) were being cavalier about the weather – no one I spoke to felt there was any real lightning threat at all.

A shot with me in the background hollering as I do at these events.

I got seven miles on Friday, an AM fiver with the coaches at practice and another five after the Homecoming pix were taken.

Sunday was 10 and change.  My legs have felt like sludge most of the week so I figured to go with hills – if I was going to be gassed why not on hills?  I did fartlek hill work on the hills in the area, most of them being ones that had some sort of Strava segment associated with them.  I eyeballed a few that I might chase, a few that I have no shot of ever getting, and got a couple of FKTs.

65 miles on the week.  Next week will be a challenging week.  I head to Dallas today, then DC tomorrow night, return to Dallas Tuesday night and then back to Denver on Thursday.   I’ll try to make any efforts that I get to be worthwhile. 

Thursday 06OCT2017

Finished up the work gig here today but I am not flying out until tomorrow.  I thought I’d get nice long run through the evening.  I made my way across the highway sketchiness in day light and headed towards the University of Alabama – Huntsville.  I thought perhaps I’d find a bit more trail and or sidewalk up there but it too was just a lot of roads with thin shoulders and fast traffic.  As it got dark I realized running back in this and over the highway was not particularly smart.  7.6 miles – and then I caught an Uber ride from the University back to the hotel.

Most places I travel I can find a pretty good place to run with a bit of Strava / Google Map recon.   There are the places where I get tied in a bit of a nowhere tech park and a knot of highways.  This week was one of those places.  In those cases, it is a bit of how much work do I want to do to risk fighting / risking the traffic to get to something better versus running around a parking lot a gazillion times (or even taking to the dreadmill).

Next week will be tough as I have flight travel on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. 

Wednesday 04OCT2017

AM – despite a pretty good night of sleep, I was sluggish on the jog this AM – uninspired by the loop around the hotel but not disciplined enough to fight out it and over the sketchy highway overpass.  5 slow miles.

I didn't finish the day until about 7:30.  I headed out on the hotel loop again in the dark, and got in another five miles.  While the loop is less than inspiring, I find I can tune into an odd enjoyment with this sort of runs:  the moon was rising, a fox cut across the field in the loop, a few Army helicopters went by and then hovered for a bit over the nearby Army outpost, and I could just buzz around 1.2 mile circles.

Tuesday 03OCT2017

AM – 5 miles on the little loop around the hotel here.  Picked it up for about a mile to see if it would wake the gunk out of my legs.   Not so much.  Maybe a little.

PM – another five between office, calls and dinner.  Did a 10 minute warm up, then 5 x 3 minutes on, 2 minutes off.  There ain’t a lot of space between the paces on tempo, 3 minute reps, 1 minute reps, etc.  I need to work back to that.

Monday 02OCT2016

AM – 10.1 miles.

Sunday 01OCT2017

The fall tour continues … off to Huntsville this week. 

This week I forgot the Garmin watch.  I guess I don’t really need it though as I can just run Strava off the phone, which I tend to run with most of the time anyway. 

I am a bit bummed that my work has fired up at this very point because it is right when the XC season is really firing up.  But I recognize that this is a crossroads with this company – and I have to “strike while the iron is hot.” 

I could have taken a later flight to get to HSV but it would have been a much longer trip with at least a hop.  I elected for the earlier flight as it was a direct bird.  I had a few extra hours to explore a bit and so I headed up to a trail that I missed on my last go around – the Indian Creek Greenway.   It is nice. 



It is a bit of a stretch for me to get this and back on one of my early morning jogs (3 miles to just get to it) so it was nice to explore it a bit tonight.  12.6 miles.

It was a pretty good week of exercise / training for me:  I got in a hill workout, the kilos, and then in the absence of doing my Ridgeview tempo run I did about 20 minutes and change of that stuff here tonight.  I ended up with 67.7 on the week.