Sunday 31MAR2019

Came off camping for the weekend with the Scouts, and as is usual with that I was pretty beat down.  I got the dogs out for some jogging and then added on a bit for six miles and change before heading to band practice.  The weekend ended up being just about a dozen miles, but I was just over 60 on the week. 

That is not great mileage in what I feel is necessary for Pikes but the last few weeks (at least since getting back from Chicago) have generally felt better.  The foot is still a bit lame but I am able to manage it with the met pad. I am getting in at least a few quality efforts a week, and my easy runs have improved in terms of overall pace – even when feeling sluggish. 

Saturday 30MAR2019

AM - 6.2 miles with a couple of handfuls of strides with the team before heading out to go camping with the Scouts. 

Friday 29MAR2019

The warmer temps we have had the last few days are gone for the moment.  Today was a gray day, threatening rain, with a bit of a biting breeze out of the north.  I missed the AM practice with the team because of work obligations but I did manage some running in the afternoon.

2.4 mile warm up to the bridge at the end of Ridgeview and then six by 3 minutes on at 5k effort and then 2 minutes off.  Except I lost count and I ended up doing seven of the efforts.  These were somewhere north of six minute pace, even going to 6:30 on some of the hillier things.  Meh.

9.1 miles.  Saw one of these.  Not exactly sure what it is.

Thursday 28MAR2019

Afternoon – easy 7.7 through the open space before heading over to the meet.

Wednesday 27MAR2019

My legs felt like dog poo - an outcome of yesterday's work I hope.  I did an easy six and change with Greg in the morning as a part of practice.  We started at like 9 minute pace but ended up averaging 8s over the run.  That is pretty much the norm these days - very slow starts to open up.

I got another four in the afternoon.  It was a shirtless sort of day.

Sunday 24MAR2019

10 miles in 78 through the Lac Amora space, etc.  Legs felt a bit heavy but I was moving okay.  T-shirt day again, so the weather helped.

65 and change on the week.  That is about as big as I have gone from a weekly mileage perspective and I was happy to get in a couple of track workouts as well.  It was a good week.  The track meet kicked my patookus a bit more than I wanted to admit on Saturday, but that is part of the track season.

We had another "practice" at Frolic that was fun.  Here is a rendition of "Mountain Time."

Saturday 23MAR2019 Broomfield Shootout

Broomfield Shooutout today ... I got out with a handful of coaches from other teams and we did six and change around the ditch and Ridgeview Trail after the 4x8s and before the miles.  Still, a track meet leaves me beat down in a way that only a very long run can come close to.

Friday 22MAR2019

AM - easy 3.5 with the dogs
PM - 6.5 around practice

Thursday 21MAR2019

Afternoon - 7 miles.  2.5 mile warm up and then a couple of strides at 20 seconds.  Last Tuesday I did 10 x 200 in 39-40 on near 400 rest.  I also did that in Hokas.  Given I did a workout on Tuesday AM with flats that did not completely hobble me, I figured to give the 200s a whirl today in some of the lighter tires.  Plus, I sort of feel that I need to at least touch this sort of work at least every couple of weeks and not just completely bury that with other stuff. 

2 x 5 x 200 on 200 rest, 400 between the sets.  Greg paced me through 19 on the first 100 through the first set and then did his own thing (33s).  I started at 39, and got down to 35 on the last.  It was a nice workout, and a good improvement over last week.  I could feel the thoughts of "gee this is what a 200 was in the middle of a 3k use to be" bubbling up, but I was able to manage past that. 

Cooled down with just over a mile and a half. 

Wednesday 20MAR2019

It has been fun having KZ home for Spring Break.
9.6 miles today.  Legitimately a “suns out guns out” day to properly bring in the first day of spring.  I am feeling good.  I mean, I was a bit tired from yesterday’s work, but I can tell I have put together a few good days of work.  I like that feeling of being slightly tired, but knowing that the fitness is following the fatigue.  Today, I seemed to be also “square” with where I am at and where I could realistically get.
Kids had a great practice today too. 
Found this relic in the house today. 


A little Into the Mystic from the weekend.

Tuesday 19MAR2019

AM work on the track, 6AM start.

Syd is getting ready for Boston so I paced her through a bunch of 600s.  I ended up doing 8 of them at about 5k pace, and picked it up a bit on the last couple (started at 2:24 and then down to 2:10).  Good workout for me … probably my best on the track since January when I did the miles.  I wore the met pad in the flat and that seemed to help a bit. 

8 miles

4 miles in the afternoon with Greg during practice.

Monday 18MAR2019

An easy 5.3 before practice and then another 5.3 with Greg after practice.  Legs were pretty tired from the up tempo efforts the last two days, but I managed eight minute pace okay.

Sunday 17MAR2019

A little fun with Ty, Aaron, Stand and Charles on Mountain Time.

Got in 6.4 at tempo effort before this,

Saturday 16MAR2019

Saturday track meet.  A benefit of having the meets we were supposed to go to getting cancelled due to the weather was we got to go up the street to Centaurus.  It was a fun day.  I got in about 3 at the meet and then another up tempo 4 and change in the evening.

Thursday 14MAR2019

A little track work.

6.1 miles with 8 x 150 at 28-30 seconds.

Wednesday 13MAR2019

All folks can talk about is the weather. 

Greg and I got out for a handful plus before the real fun stuff was supposed to blow in.  It was pretty cold and wet.

Oh yeah, it was shorts and t-shirt running yesterday and got in a little over 10 at a little over 8 pace. 

Monday 11MAR2019

Afternoon - it was a typical spring afternoon in Colorado, meaning the weather seemed to play its game of being one of those beautiful days that lull you into being complacent about the weather and then nails you with an icy wind that cuts through all the clothes you have.  And then a few minutes later it is wonderful again. 

The kids had a pretty tough workout on tap, and the combination of having being inspired by their performances and a few minutes of nice weather got me to do a track workout.  It has been a bit and doing it in Hokas seems ridiculous but I will protect that foot.  I was also inspired by Greg giving me some well placed ridicule and sarcasm.  I did 10 x 200, and he did some 400s.  I was 39-40, which is about where I at these days.  All told, 8.2 miles.

Sunday Frolic-ing, 10MAR2019

Sunday AM - oh, yeah, there is this time change thing.  Forgot about that.

Got out in the AM and felt pretty good.  10.1 miles under 7:30 pace through the open space and another 2.5 with TZ.  The foot thing is still there but it seems to be subsiding very slowly.



In the afternoon, I had a little fun with Charles, Ty, and Aaron over at Frolic Brewing. 




Here are a few clips.

Saturday 09MAR2019

There was supposed to be the Boulder Snow Invitational today.  While it is a Boulder meet, Boulder typically has the meet at Broomfield given the Broomfield track has 8 lanes and Boulder only has six.  So while the meet is held at Broomfield, it is managed by Boulder. 

Boulder cancelled the meet mid week.  Exactly what was their purpose of cancelling the meet I don’t know but I have heard it was because of the possible weather or how the track looked in terms of snow coverage mid week or because they did not want to get port-a-potties (as the field house water won’t be set to run yet – apparently because of the freeze concern).  Again, I don’t know any of that for certain – just some things I heard. 

With the cancellation, Broomfield decided to host a “scrimmage.”  It meant there would be no fully automatic timing (hand timed instead) and some events could be scratched altogether.  10 schools showed up and we had a meet run from 10-1:30 for all the events. 

This was our weather.

Even Boulder came to the scrimmage. 

It did get windy in the afternoon as often the case in the spring in Colorado. 

I got in 9.3 with Parker and Greg before the meet. 

Friday 08MAR2019

One of those days … a travel day.  Goose egg.  Up early to get out early and get the read out down at the engagement site … and then wasted time for delays at the airport, etc.  It took most of the day to get from Chicago to Denver. 

Thursday 07MAR2019

5.2 in the evening.  Meh. 

Wednesday 06MAR2019

AM – tired but a few miles slow in the AM to get awake.  Even through some grade on the mill to get a few vertical feet.  3 miles.

And that was it … was tied up for the rest of the day.

Tuesday 05MAR2019

I got a good night sleep, but I was tired to get started nonetheless … AM, 3 miles on the mill.  Again starting slow but getting pace down by the end (just under 25 minutes).

In the evening – back to the hamster wheel … 7 miles with 15 minute warm up, then 10 by 90 seconds on, 90 seconds off, starting at 6:25 pace and then carving down. 

Monday 04MAR2019

AM – four miles on the mill as it was –3F ambient and negative stupid something with the windchill.  I started SLOOOOW – like 10 minute pace – as it was a wake up affair.  I did end up with four averaging under 8 min/mile though when the coffee kicked in. 

As KZ mentioned to me, this is the part of my day then where I am supposed to fall in and then become a super hero.

Evening – tired after a full day but another 6 on the mill. Yeah, I am wimping.

Freezin’s the reason for the drill on the mill–Sunday 03MAR2019

“Slept in” … meaning I woke up around 7:30 rather than the typical 5:30 or 6.  It was –2 out but it was sunny on the fresh four five inches we got.  I still chose not to get out in that and caught up with TZ over way too much coffee cake she made … and then headed out to the airport.

Waukegan is where I am now.  And it is 9 degrees here but with a pretty rough breeze.  And while I get to travel to some pretty nice sites at times, this is one where I am a bit locked in between a couple of highways and without a car.

So it was me, and the the Courtyard Marriott treadmill tonight.  5 miles before heading to bed.

Saturday 02MAR2019

I was less than stoked to wake up and find snow coming down again. Both TZ and GW gently reminded me not to be such a whiney #$%^& about it.  I got out with the kids for a half hour, did a half dozen strides, hit the weight room for a bit, and then did another 55 minutes to get in 10.5 miles. 

Off to the Chicago area tomorrow. 

Friday 01MAR2019

AM – 3.7 with Greg

PM – 8.7 with Greg and Syd.  She had a bunch of kilos on tap so I figured I’d roll with a few of those just to see how they went, how the foot felt … it had been several weeks that I had done any quality.  I did a handful at 6:25 pace.  Nothing to be overly stoked about since I was doing miles at the start of the year at 6 minute pace but it was a step in the right direction.

Thursday 28FEB2019

Just a half of an hour-ish before the kids did their time trial (normally it is Saturday but we shifted it given there is weather coming in Saturday).  I thought I'd get more but I lost any motivation after the TT when the temps dropped 15 degrees in like 15 minutes.

I was considering yesterday how January and February were not quite the training months that I wanted, but it is what I got.  The flu, the angry foot, and the weather have all taken a swing at my resolve so far this year.  I'll see what I can do to "reboot a bit" in March in terms of consistency, commitment and focus.