Week ending 05JAN2020

Monday - 6.5 with practice in the AM
PM - 3.5 miles

Tuesday - 10.2 miles out into open space, feeling pretty good.

Wednesday - GW was talking about doing 20 and it seemed like a novel idea to start the new year.  Gabby and Terry joined us.  We started fine, heading south and east out of town and getting down onto the Big Dry Creek Trail.  Once we turned around at Metzger we were getting kicked around really hard by the wind - one of those winds where you can't even talk to the person next to you.  Gabby and Terry finished at a dozen plus and Greg and I did loops behind the wind break of the King Soopers until we got to two hours.  15.1 miles.

Thursday - Achilles was a piece of turd today.  Kept it easy with 6.1 miles.  Went into the shoe shop as the outsole of the Levitates I had cracked.  Got a replacement set of Nikes (yeah, I am a sellout).  Took a peek at the Vaporfly things.  Crazy shoes.  I didn't get these.



Also went over and checked out the new Wildwood Guitar facility and geeked out for a bit.  Then I got on their website and perused the offerings.  You can lose you mind looking at guitars that cost more than cars.

Friday - 10 miles.  Did 5 x 2 minutes at threshold - so not really hard but enough to shift gears - in the middle with practice to mix it up.  Felt pretty okay.

Saturday AM - did 8 x 30' hills with Greg, Braun and Terry on Main Street.  Nothing awesome but just rolling the legs a bit.  We hosted an alumni run post at the HS.  7.7 miles.


A little later in the AM, 2.5 getting the dogs out.

The hills and harder work left my Achilles fairly thrashed and I was noticeably gimping later in the day.  I spent the later afternoon/early evening managing it to some semblance of happiness.

Sunday AM = got out with Shad and Bob on the Coal Creek trail.  Nice jog, and it has been a while since I have got out with those guys.  It was fun to catch up Saw a lot of crews on the trail, including the Mines distance squad.  12.4 miles.

Really nice training week for me.   74 miles with some quality.   Of course, while it was a "work week," this time of the year is only a half-hearted approach to that by most (and will be probably until mid next week).  I also head off for biz travel towards the end of next week so that will put a wrinkle in there.

Good music week for me as I am managing a few new tunes, and working a bit more specifically to some of my own lyrics.  Playing some of my own stuff at a mic in 2020 is a slight goal of mine.  Got a bunch of hours in practicing and played with software related to the Fender G-DEC amp I have.  Still figuring out that rabbit hole of tech with that amp - as it hooks up via USB and has all the pedal effects, etc.

Week ending 22DEC2019

Good week. 
MON – 6.1 miles
TUE – 10.6 miles.  With Gabby and Greg and actually did some quality (first time in 2 and a half months).  It was just 6 x 90 seconds on equal rest but it was good to be moving a bit again. 
WED – AM 6.4 miles, PM – 3.7 miles
THU – 10 miles
FRI – 8.4 miles in the AM with practice, another 3.2 in the afternoon.  AM session started with a part of a workout for Braun so it had some faster stuff in it. 
SAT 10.1 miles with practice
SUN – 8 miles with JV over Sanitas and Anemone.  Over 2000 vertical – which is a lot for me these days. 



60 something plus on the miles this week, with some workout stuff in there and a good climb.  Clawing along I guess. 
Sort of a big music week for me.  Had a lengthy practice on Sunday afternoon and another Tuesday.  Gearing up for a show on the 27th – one where I will actually be in full with the band this go around so there is a fair amount of prep to be sure I know the pieces.  


Thursday night Rails End hosted another open mic night.  I did four tunes – almost all of them were an on-the-fly call as I got up there.  The guy before me did all quiet tunes so I felt compelled to shift it up to see if I could get the audience going.  Did Post Malone’s “Better Now,” The Violent Femmes “Blister in the Sun,” Caamp’s “By and By,” and finished with “Squeezebox” by the Who.  A guy jumped on the drum kit with that tune and so that was fun. 

Week end 15DEC2019

A week in Pittsburgh …

MON – AM – 5.4 miles … pretty fuzzy
PM – 6 miles, raining. 

TUES – AM – rain – 6.1 miles
PM – more rain – 7.1 miles

WED – AM – rain is gone but cold now – 3 miles
PM – 7.8 miles

THUR – PM – slept in and got out in the late afternoon.  10 miles.  Felt good.  Moving well towards the end

FRIDAY – AM – four slow slow miles

SATURDAY – AM – flew back from Pittsburgh.  Did a couple with TZ about the same time I hit the door and then added on another bunch for 10.

SUNDAY AM – with Greg and Gabby on a chilly morning – 10.2 miles

That was the first 70 mile plus week since September.  The Achilles ain’t completely right but well enough.  Not pushing anything just yet but it felt nice to get a week of solid miles in. 

Saturday night Spare Change asked me to open for them.  I did five tunes – which is the most I have done before.  It was fun – and sort of interesting to see where I was with this about last year at this time and where I am now. 

Week of 03NOV2019

Over the weekend I picked this up.  Really stoked about it.  Now I just need to play at a level that goes with that kind of guitar.


On Wednesday I headed up to 300 Suns in Longmont, intending to get some more work on an open mic.  It turned out to be a jam circle.  I felt like I walked into a dojo and delightfully got my ass kicked.  Completely different vibe and type of work.  I sang nothing, went for the ride and played along.



Oh yeah ... running ...



MON - 10 miles - actually moved pretty well on this one, despite the snow.

TUE - 8.3 miles - mid day, sort of felt forced.  But fine enough.

WED - a slow 5.4 miles in the single digits.  Quite the icy face and beard.

THU AM - jogged to the track with the shovel.  Cleared lane one for the afternoon kids for the workout.  Then watched the plows hit the football field and push all the snow back into lane one.  Jogged home.  4 miles.

THU PM  - jogged while the kids did their workout.  5.1 miles.

FRI AM - 6.1 miles, including a good number with Greg

FRI PM - 6.0 miles as a part of practice.  Stopped to do core and stretch with the kids and the last mile home sucked - the Achilles was tight as a E string.

SAT - pissed off Achilles, but made a fair round of it.  10.2 miles.

SUN - with Greg and Abby - 10 miles in the ice and mud.  Good run.  Rubber bands were bearable.



Fair week of jogging.  Not ready to go after any "q" at this point, and probably just jogging to for some balance.

Post brewing in here about how I can see how I have become one of several guys I knew when I was younger.  Traveling consultant.  50 something runner grumbling about injuries and talks about days gone by.  Pretty guitar and fair musician but sort of a hack at it too.  Coach on the sideline in suburbia taking pix of the furniture in the back yard when it snows.  Looking for my glasses when they are planted on the top of my head.  And a host of other sort of expected stuff.  I am good with it all.  I just didn't expect it, even though I drove right to it.