Sunday 21JUL2019

Did a little round on Green with Greg and Gabby.





Saw this weirdness in the port-a-potty at Gregory Lot.


Local honey is back.



Made a mistake and walked the dogs on the Valmont side of Teller.  Got a ticket for it.  Ugh.




Short week on whole but got some stuff in.

Humble Pie

I recently asked someone how I needed to be prepared for an activity I’d do with them.  They gave me some of the expected details, but also said, “just have the beginner’s mind.” 

I felt a need to recall that over the last couple of days with my running.  I was a bit sore on Monday from my Green outing on Sunday with JV.  My legs were not super eager to jump into a workout of repeat 200s with the XC kids, and my mind was taking a beating as I pretty much was smoked on each repeat. 

The 200s started at 39 and I got a few of them down to 36, but I probably averaged 37 or 38 over the ten of them. 

This morning, I took an invite from JV to meet up with several of Green Mountain’s regulars:  Buzz, Homie, Bill, Derek as well as Jeff.  By the first turn up Amphitheatre, their headlamps had started to disappear into the pre-dawn darkness and I felt a bit embarrassed they came back down from the summit to check on me when I had not arrived in what was an expected normal time. 

I managed the ASG climb in 48:25. 

So I am not fit, or at least not fit by what standard I have set previously.   I have to keep the “beginner’s mind” and just keep plugging away.  The alternative is to not and that certainly won’t make anything better.  

Week ending 04NOV2018

I asked Siri on Friday how many day it was until August 23.  It replied that it was 294 days.  That is 42 weeks.  Hypothetically that ought to be a fair amount of time to undo some of the shift that has happened in the 1541 days since August 17, 2014. 

I have heard this coyote pair from the hollow just up the street at night.  Today, as we went for a walk for the dogs, they wandered out for some sun.  They were not easily hazed. 

In the spirit of “rebooting” for a “something,” I did get a round with JV on Green on Sunday AM.  As it has been countless times before, it was one of those runs where the time just disappears and there is hardly any “air time” as we fill the run with yapping on anything and everything … just fun.

That said, I am in horrible “hill shape.”  Things that were once easy climbs or at something I could shuffle a run out of have become hikes.  There is work to be done.  We went up via Long Canyon – one of my favorite but also one that rarely have hit because it ends at the Flagstaff Road, and then came back down the “middle” route – also one of my favorite. It was a great fall morning jog.

Wednesday 05AUG2015

Some predictions based on quick eyeballing, some gut and not knowing everything about everyone, subject to change.
PPA women:  Dobson, Payne, Ernholtz, Ortiz (doubler)
PPA men:  Wacker, Diraba, Chelimo, Maksimow, Gutierrez, Burrell, Miyahara, Parr (doubler)
PPM women: Roche (not yet listed but I have heard she is in), Dobson (doubler), Ortiz (doubler), Fluery.
PPM men: Nichols (after 2 years of getting second), Gates, Roche, Hazen, Thomas, Spillman,  Mckenzie, Severy (still thinking Carpenter shows up)

Oh, I am only picking Wacker on the assumption that someone is going to actually make sure he gets up in time for the race.

Note – I wrote that around 10AM.  By the evening I heard that Spillman was out as he was injured.  Apparently Ortiz is injured as well.  Payne in the women’s PPA field is apparently also injured. And I have been told I am overlooking Bay in the PPM field.   Some more on that here.

Yeah, I am a homer.  Of course on a personal level I am interested in how the so called men’s masters plays out.  Hahn and Dickey are saying 4:45, and with Pallansch in the Ascent, it could be a bit more open.  I am guessing a sub 4:40 is what it will take to win that, if not closer to a 4:30. 

In terms of Leadville – it seems on the men’s side it is just a race between Aish and Sharman.  Aish seems to have figured the long stuff out, but you can never tell what the heck someone is going to get in a 100.

Afternoon – pretty hot in the “flats”  Got a little shade on a climb up Green on the middle route (I was a little motivated by Dave’s good run there recently).  8.4 miles.  I felt pretty good through out, but I could tell by some mid run markers that I was not flying (flying for me in terms of performances I have put up in past years).  It ended up being the fastest I have done in about 2 years, but still a handful of minutes off my best on that.  On the flip side I was sort of jogging the down and not putting much effort into that and even tied my shoe (I did not want to risk a fall) but that turned out to be my best time on that this year.  FWIW – I think the middle route is a little slower than it was years ago.  The bump in the trail below the cabin makes it somewhat slower … maybe 15 seconds, maybe 30 – I dunno.

If you look at yesterday’s comments, there is some chatter as to folks that did PPM and Leadville the last time they were on separate weekends.  One who did that is the guy who is pacing me from Twin Lakes to Outward Bound.

Saturday 27JUN2015

Green, middle up and down.  Not a bad run, but I have a bit of work to do on the climbing.  The downs that I can run are as about as good as I have run them.  I have done the downs quicker but when I look at the dates of those they are in winter months, so I have to assume that snow was a factor to make the rock sections a bit more smooth.  7.8. miles

With today’s run, June became my most vertical month (over April) (29450 thru today).  In April I didn’t miss a day but I had Vancouver and Tel Aviv business trips to flat locations.  Here in June I have missed 8 days, but should manage some 30k feet.  That is very little by the measure of many a runner but it being the most I have measured in a while … it is significant for me.

Of course more than half of this (16.5k) has come in the last seven days.

Probably another four miles walking with TZ later in the AM.

Picked up JZ up at Tahosa.  The boy is darn tuckered out. 

Thursday 25JUN2015

Kevin B has a nice follow up to the back and forth on the NOP story.  Essentially Alberto is stating that his stable of athletes are less likely to have hypothtroidism than when compared to other athlete groups.  However, as Beck points out the NOP group is 40x more likely to have it.  Ummm …

And then Kevin has a follow up to his follow up.  Also good.

As I was running with Bob yesterday, we were kicking the topic around.  If you have ever run around Bob … well, you know you are running with Bob.  Not just because he is a tough SOB who will jeer you with taunts and wisecrack humor but because he sounds like he is about to have his lungs come out of his throat.  He seems to always be breathing a lot harder than the rest of us, particularly at easy paces.  It has actually led me to thinking I have him on the ropes in workouts early; only to be crushed a bit later on (Lucho used to call him the energy vampire). 

So we wondered – maybe Bob is a asthmatic?  It is very unlikely that Bob will do anything to actually figure out if he is and subsequently get treated for it.  And when I look at the symptoms for Hashimoto’s … well, I know a lot of male middle age runners who are dealing with weight gain, sore muscles and joints, a slowed heart rate, dry and thinning hair, etc.  In other words, it is probably not a stretch to get a doc to look at you and say, “yup, you need these meds.”  And then you have your TUE.

I have said it before, and it sort of is worth repeating here:  sometimes it is a blessing that I am mediocre in running and I did not have to face some of these choices.

AM – started with KZ over at the HS.  The summer XC preseason jogging started for these kids last week.  I hung a bit to embarrass KZ (but did not play the trump card of running shirtless) and then jogged on my own.  I am still feeling like I have been through a football practice more than running given my recent spills, but it is working out.  6.2 miles.

Today’s listening:

Bellamy is just mind boggling to me as to what he does with the guitar and his voice at the same time.  And Wolstenholme is a true hard core rock bassist.

Afternoon – Green.  Progress.  I did not fall. 
GPS went wonky on the way up saying I did the first two miles at like a six thirty pace.

So we have all seen how cellphone cameras have changed the landscape of police-public interaction. How about in healthcare? A patient hits record on his phone and it picks up everything his care team says when he is under ... and it ain't pretty.

Good preview of USA nats this weekend by the guys over on HOR.

Tuesday 23JUN2015

Woke up and the right Achilles was hot.  What is that about?   I went to bed with it fine and I wake up with it gimpy.  I was actually walking funny most of the AM at work because of it.  I switched to my Hokas (someone at work called them Hukas so I had to go with that and say I don’t smoke through them blah blah blah) and it felt a bit better. 

Got out for a hike jog in the afternoon.  It was pretty hot and so that combo’d with an unsteady piece of grizzle made for slow going.  I bit it twice.  Once on that root on the way down on upper Greenman, and then again just in the lower part of Gregory.  In both cases I pretty much threw my phone against a rock hard but the Otterbox kept that bugger intact.  My skin however is getting shredded on my legs and arms.  If beating up my quads to prep for Pikes and Leadville includes beating them down by falling onto rocks with them, I am preparing well. 

I listened to the URP Mackey interview podcast for most of the run.  After the first good digger I thought I ought to turn things off and focus.  Apparently it didn’t work. 

In addition to biking, Tony is climbing.  But that is not what I like about this post.  What I like about it is that it describes one of the local super heroes in this area:  Bill Wright.  Bill Wright is a part of the Boulder OSMP hills in a way that only a small handful are (and basically that handful are the Minions). 

Colorado pretty much ruled the podium at Mount Washington.

Friday 042415

Brandon has a humorous post regarding workflow at Chipotle.  This is funny, but it especially resonates with me as that sort of eyeballing of workflow is part of what I do.

Corporate weenieville … I see this stuff all the time.  And I am probably guilty of some of it.

CSI Longmont …

Strava gets in on the Boston Marathon geekiness.

Nice recap of Boston and a preview of London by the HOR guys.

Headed up Green via the middle route.  Started out hot.  Ended up in snow.

About 90 seconds after I took this vid, I started to head down, just as another guy came up on the summit.  He too was without a shirt and we laughed at each other as to how we each made the same silly choice.  He headed down Ranger, and I headed down Greenman (to go down the middle route). 

Just after the last of the rock fields (before the last bridge) in Gregory, I saw him (the middle route down is Greenman, Ranger, Gregory, the back route down is Ranger Gregory).   I was not pushing, and in fact my legs had felt like crap all day (up and down) and I was just absorbing the run versus pushing (but moving enough to keep warm).  I came up on him just before the Gregory lot … and as I expected he picked up the pace.  As we hit the newly carved Baseline trail I came by him and said hello again … except he didn’t quite give the trail … and so within five strides it was on.  I didn’t even think about it.  It just happened.  We barreled by Mark L who was finishing his own run and we must have looked like we had time trialed the whole damn thing together rather than the last 200 yards.  He cracked a touch as the trail flattened.  It sort of looked like this.

7.8 miles.  Fifth Green of the year.  All in the last 5 weeks.

Wednesday 040815

I am kicking around if I will go down to Lake Palmer this weekend and run a bunch of laps to get in a longer run, or if I head back over to the Front Range and get in some vertical.  I have some dental work on Thursday and will make a call on it after that.   I have had enough dental work that I know sometimes it knocks me back a bit more than I care to admit.

JZ in DC.  Climbing trees because he does that everywhere he goes.

A pic of JZ at the Vietnam War Memorial.

And he got to go to Arlington as well.

News stuff: Good read on why college track sucks, there is an 80 year old guy crushing it on two runs a week and the 2015 Pack Burro Race schedule.  With the Leadville burro race being 1 week out of Pikes, I think I will pass on competing on that one. 

Another Green, this one with Bob.  Up Bear Canyon and then down the middle.  5 minutes faster going up than Monday and 5 minutes faster coming down.  That is what you get when you have someone keeping you honest.  We saw a fox on the fireroad in the climb up out of Bear Creek on the Mesa (the part that is all washed out) and before continue onto the Bear Canyon Trail.  He was just jogging the other way and we passed him like he was some other jogger on the trail.  Bob could have reached out and touch him. 

10.5 miles.  And with that, in the last 3 days, I have had more vertical than any other week of the year. 

If you are from out of the area and wonder what it is like going up Green, Sage did a decent vid of it with the RMR group Monday night going up Gregory.  Alternatively Peter put up a list of the Boulder area Front Range runs.

Tuesday 040715

JZ is in Philly and DC this week.  Here he is at Independence National History Park.’'  Kid has something that I certainly did not have at that age.  Like looking good in stripes and plaid.

Afternoon – TZ:  You should go get some vertical.  GZ:  I don’t want to go to Boulder.  TZ:  You should go get some vertical because you won’t be able to next week.  GZ:  I don’t want to go to Boulder.  25 minutes later I was in Boulder and I did a lap on Green via the middle route. I love that woman.

Oh yeah, saw Joe Grant out there.  Apparently Green is like the Hall of Justice these days because whenever I go there is some superhero out there. 

Friday 060614

Nice write up by Justin on Tony.

Last night’s results.  They are put up by Benji D.  2:09 marathoner.  Still sort of blows me away.  Also doing timing last night was Don J.  Another top tier marathoner in his day.  And walking around was Jay Johnson (not the young guy who ran for CU but the guy who won the world mountain running championships).  And national master champ Melody F.  Just a few of the folks … always amazing in Boulder in that regard.

Good rattle in the lungs from last night.  Interesting as the workouts leading up to last night seemed to be more working the legs than the lungs.  Last night it seemed to be more about the lungs than the legs.  Got up Green today (#4) on the year.  Headed up Enchanted Mesa, then over on the Mesa and Bear Canyon.  I had not been on this path since the floods and there are certainly some interesting washouts.  The route up Green on Bear Canyon is so different since the reroute of those trails a couple years back.  It used to kick the crap out of me but with that long winding grade, it is almost all run-able.  Came back down the middle route, and did not get attacked by the nut job bird.  10.4 miles on the day. 

Felt the slight tweak of a cramp (in the back of the right knee up into the lower hammie as usual) as I finished up and was bent in an odd fashion to untie my shoe.  I guess that was the universe reminding me about that little problem that I seem to encounter at Pikes.  Good that I am working on sniffing it out now.  Cracking up at how suddenly everyone seems to be a cramp expert given how some basketball player is dealing with it. Anyways, my biggest vertical day since last August (3k feet plus) and relatively unscathed.  Will continue to up the ante on this. 

Apparently Deena Kastor can’t break 5 in the mile either.  Maybe she should get on the elipti-go and compete with Mary Decker Slaney.

Races come, races go.  West End 3k, Unihill 2k disappear from the downtown series and the Park to Park seems to be done as well.

Friday 053014

Last day of school and so there is much rejoicing occurring in the GZ’stead.

We have all heard of Bannister.  Have you heard of Diane Charles (nee Leather)?

Alexa Efaimson runs a 1600 in 4:33 and its ho-hum news – partly because of Cain, partly because the 1600 is an idiot distance instead of the mile or the 1500.  And oh yeah, Cranny and Baxter.  By the way, my understanding is Alexa just finished her junior year.  Sick.  This form is beautiful though.

 

I met Alexa’s “rival” Elise almost 18 years ago.  Her dad Bob would run, pushing her in the baby jogger at BRR Sunday Fun Runs.  There is a story about a baby jogger 800 too, but I can assure you no kids were harmed in that race (even though I ran hard enough to puke afterwards). 

Anyway, there always seems to be a bit of a question around young kids and when they compete at that sort of level and burnout or worse.  My observation is the conversation is even a bit louder when discussing this bout young women, given the what appears to be the greater chance of eating related disorders that can go along with it in running.  It is a complicated topic.  I am no expert.  I can’t say if a kid is being pushed or pushing themselves too hard or if they are going to burn out.  And the topic of burnout is not just one about running:  it can be any sport or art or academic endeavor. 

So while this topic is complex, and I think becomes one very much about the individual human and their environment mix, I generally feel I am willing to let a kid push themselves to the well a bit, understanding that could mean they might burnout at some point in the future.  That is not an endorsement for taking on an outright health risk, but instead saying for any of us to be excellent at anything, it usually means the risk of pushing our comfort boundaries.  You might burnout.  I’d rather see a kid explore the appropriate limits of that and learn from it, versus the alternative:  never risk it, never feel the reward of it, and not learn from it at all.

There are a lot gray words in there:  complex, individual, environment, some point, usually, might, appropriate.  In other words, it depends a lot on the people in the game.  I probably sound like a dimwit on the topic.  I am.  To some extent, I am trying to sort out the amount I chase my own results and to what level of sacrifice – not to even go into where I am navigating that with my kids.  Or other people’s kids.

Another thing I have been musing on related but tangential to this is how much to motivate people with success versus failure.  This mostly comes up in my head when I consider my kids, but it has bearing to the others I deal with as well.  See, I could say to Bob, “is that the best you got?”  and he’d be very motivated to then kick my ass on the next repeat.  But that could be crushing to a kid.  It might be better to say to that kid, “holy crap that was pretty awesome.  You are working hard.  Keep it up.”  Saying “is that the best you got?” might lead that kid to say, “yeah, it is and if it is not good enough I guess I better go somewhere else.” 

Another Green today, and the front route on the up.  It is probably my least favorite route up because I find to be the least runable with its sections at greater than 40% grade.  I prefer the middle route – which stretches out the 2500 plus feet of vertical over the greatest distance (like 3.1 from Gregory versus 2.1), and hence shallowing out the grades.  I think go up the two routes in about the same time.   I guess that represents a weakness though, and so I am going to eat the front side for a bit.  I sort of feel I am relearning how to climb, and how to manage my effort on this route.  A bit quicker than the other day (42 flat up from Gregory) and came down to Chaut in about 35 again.  6.5 miles for Green number 3 of the year.  Sadly but I guess moving the right direction, this puts me at my largest vertical week of the year. 

Tuesday 052714

Bill Wright, an icon in the Boulder endurance scene, put up a great race report describing his back and forth with his 17 year old son in yesterday’s Bolder Boulder.  Awesome.

Of course, I trolled the BB results.  As in yesterday, even before lunch.  And of course, I did try to project where I would have fell in the results with a great day, an average day and a poor day.  Mail those results in folks.

Anyway, I could not help but notice that Shalane’s average pace yesterday (5:21) was nearly the same pace she held for Boston (5:25).  Is that because of the altitude?  Or the downhill nature of the Boston course?  Or her prep for Boston and now recovery?  Dunno.  Interesting anyway. 

Saw Chris Grauch posted a 33:49, and looks to have won the Masters division.  Watch out for Clint Wells though.  I don’t know when he turns 40, but he is 39 and ran it yesterday in 32:20.  And damn, Doug Bell breaking 40 at sixty three.  At the other end of the spectrum you have Lyon sophomore Paul Roberts putting down a 32:09, and twelve year old Riley Geldean putting up a 39:50.  There is the interesting “all time age records” page that would now have Paul at the top of the 16 year old bracket, and Riley number 2.  I had to check – hypothetically to make the top twenty in that list next year I’d have to run a sub 35:20.  Pretty stout list of names there … can’t say that I want to hang out with 50k people that way, but I will admit there is a bit more of slight interest there than there has been in the last handful of years.

Afternoon – with summer like temps, I hit Green, going up the front and coming down the mid.  Going up the front let me see the new ladder that is in place (not really a big deal) and some of the minor reroutes that have been put in place since the flood.  I clearly felt my lack of vertical, summiting in a slow 48 minutes and working a bit to do that.  Ah, well, keep at it and that will come. I came down the mid, and re-realized that in addition to not having the strength to climb well, I have some work to do to absorb the drops as well (about 38 minutes down, a bit more relaxed).  No surprise as this was my second Greenie of the year.  Round trip was 7.4 miles  Oh yeah, saw that guy from 127 hours.  He seemed to be doing pretty well.  Better than me anyway.

Friday 042514

Mebulous week continues.  I find Mario’s post to be spot on. 

SOS does a nice wrap up of the spring marathon season.  Earlier in the week SOS agreed that the pack made the “biggest mistake of their lives” letting Meb go.  They essentially gave him a 81 second lead for a 12k race. 

I have been kicking back at Jeff all year on his offers to hit up Green.  Part of it is I have not had the appetite to circle into Boulder, deal with the snow, and frankly, I have been more interested in just getting out and rolling a bit near home.  That strategy however ain’t going to cut it if I intend to manage Pikes at some level of self respectability.  Yeah, it is time to start getting some vertical in, if I want to have a shot at performing better than last year.  So I hit up Green this AM with Jeff and Brandon.  My legs were shot more than I care to admit from yesterday’s effort.  Brandon was a bit worked as well so we kept it really easy and slow all the way around.  We were probably driving Jeff a bit batty as he could have napped for a portion of it and still been faster than us on the trip.  Great to get out with these guys on a beautiful spring morning on the local hill.  10.2.  My first Green of the year …!

Hit the OSTAC meeting last night  - it was my first as a citizen versus a committee member.  The Broomfield Trail looks to route a section on the north side of the water treatment reservoir.  It might have been the biggest turn out by the citizenship that I have seen at an OSTAC, even bigger than when there were coyote bite issues.  The folks that own the dozen or so homes are none too stoked about the project and turned out in force to squash this routing, propose alternative routing.  They like to see the path routed around the southern side of the res (away from their homes), but that does not seem to jive with some apparent security concerns of it crossing between the res and the water treatment plant.  I am not really sure what those regulations are.  While some of these citizens had concerns with some merit, the overall tone of their concerns came across as ridiculous:  the routing of a trail behind their homes meant an increase in crime, illegal swimming in the reservoir, and a security risk to Broomfield’s water supply.  They tried to play the upside as well to the south side routing:  it is nicer over there, you won’t have to hear my dogs bark.  A lot of NIMBY.  I can’t say what the regs are for the trail being routed near public water sources and works, and I don’t have a good read on the cost of one route option over the other, but I was disappointed that the folks effectively stalled the completion of the trail in this area for probably a couple of years.

Well, the times have changed.  I have run Boston … twice.  Both times as a bandit.  No number.  In college so over 2 decades ago now.  I recall nearing the line without a number and looking to pull off to the side, but the volunteers told me to go through.  I have a different perspective on that now than I did then, and that race has certainly changed.  The latest bandit story at Boston has created quite a fervor.

Sunday 081113

45th Green of the year, via the middle route.  Took the jog up Chautauqua and Gregory really easy.  I mean really easy, as easy as I could get it without walking.  I got a call from JV just before the bend where it flattens out to the Ranger cottage and agreed to meet him there.  I did 5 x 2 minutes at race effort (which is really not fast but it is an effort thing) on the hill climbing out of the cottage.  JV showed up and we finished up on the middle route, running, and walking some sections – but keeping it conversational.  Always good to run with Jeff.  We came down the middle as well.  9.5 miles.

I am hearing Karen Thorpe won the long course at Buena Vista and Hal Walter took second.  Apparently this means that they each are the respective gender’s triple crown winner.  Congrats to both of them.  Patrick Sweeney, from what I am gathering won the traditional short course.  This was the first year in quite a few for the long course (around 18 miles as I understand it).

Admittedly I am tickled a bit by Jono taking third at SZ, with the old guy taking it over the icon of the day, KJ.  KJ admitted on his FB feed that he is “slow as a tortoise over the flat.”

Catching up on track action in Moscow.  Cain qualifies (her kick is sick), Ritz is basically stating he is done with the track after coming up short in the 10k.  He is in it at a kilo to go and then he gets dropped in the matter of 75 yards. Also note in that interview how Ritz says he is really not done with the track because “Alberto is obsessed with speed.”   Along the lines of closing chapters, Deena (40yo) contemplates similar in this post marathon interview.

Farrah is just unreal.  The guy looks like he is jogging at 65 pace and is in last place in the first lap.  His last mile is 4:05. 

Week finishes at 42.7 miles, and 4000 ish vertical (nearly all of that coming today) with a day off.  Lowest miles of the year in a week thus far – given the taper.  Just over 6 hours, so about a 40-50 percent taper in terms of time, miles and a bit more with the vert.  Will trim it up a bit more next week as well.

Sunday 072113

All my GPS devices are acting wonky today so I had to figure out today’s run length and vert off a combination of things I have done before, and mapmyrun.  Not a big deal, but I was both amused and annoyed at how reliant I am on these toys and my reaction of the world not being right in having them not working wonderfully like they typically do. 

Of course, the body doesn’t care.  A hamstring has no knowledge that I ran 18.2 miles, Green twice up and down via the middle route, and then up and down the Enchanted Mesa.  My brain cares because I want to have the numbers to crunch, but even if they are not there, the run was.

I was feeling particularly “left footed” today.  I use this term when I am feeling less than sure footed, tired, and just off.  As a result, I am much more likely to take a spill … I lift my feet less, take odd steps and generally go about like I have two left feet.  After getting through the first lap unscathed from any falls – but realizing how slow I had been, I contemplated just running down into Boulder.  But I had committed to meet JV for my second lap.  I warned him that I’d be dragging him but he seemed okay with it.

It has been a bit since I have seen Jeff so it was great to catch up with him (it always is) … parenting, work, Pikes, running, cycling, getting older, shoes, Hardrock, Homie, and machines that turn sweat into drinking water.  The hill just flies by.  Well, I took two minor spills but it still went quick.

I tacked on a bit to round out the miles and time, but the whole run I felt a bit wonky.  Was it a hangover from being at sea level?  The steak I had last night? The skipping of a beer with dinner?  A basic bonk?   A bit too much yesterday?  The early start?  I dunno. 

Green’s 43 and 44 on the year.  72 miles on the week, 6100 + feet (ah, Vancouver), and about 11 hours.

This is pretty awesome looking:

I am sure it would crush me.  Honestly it is the only time I have seen KJ pressed, and kicking at the finish (versus his typical turn around finish).

The wonders of photoshop in our media. (hat tip to LL)

I recognize Gray, Randall, and Nichols on the USMRT, but I can't find results yet.

Wednesday 070313

Green 42 this AM.   About a 20 minute warm up and the 5 minutes on, 90 seconds off up the middle route.  Pushed the 5 minute repeats and then walking the 90 seconds to recover.  I was going to do six of these, but I lost count and ended up doing seven.  This brought me a touch shy of the summit, coming up on the third switch back below the summit.

Was hitting 170-174 on all of these and had that nice mushy concrete leg feeling.  About 48 and change on the up with the walks in there.

Was screwing around on the down when Johannes rolled me up.  I let him pass, but then I parked on him for a bit and then we started conversing.  Good to catch up.  Had to ditch the HR monitor on the down as it kept sliding down my torso and eventually off. 

9.3 miles on a beautiful morning.  Just under seven weeks to race day. 

Apparently the week before Pikes, they are going to have a mile race up on the summit.  It sounds like they will keep the event flat up there, but still – running around at 14k feet as hard as you can for an all out mile makes root canals sound fun.

Sunday 063013

21.6 miles, 5450 of climb, Greens 40 and 41 on the year.  Headed up out of Chautauqua on the Mesa and then up Bear Canyon.  Came back down that way on a bit of a cooler morning.  Did the quick refuel stop at the car and then went up and back the middle route.  Definitely did not feel as easy as last week but no major concerns.

Garmin was not cooperating so I went with the phone and I think it might be measuring a touch long but I think that a lap on the middle and then Bear Canyon is 10.3.  So two of those essentially are 20.6.

“Watched” a couple of races yesterday – including the WS100 and the Pb Trail Marathon (along with some others) – via the intertubes.  I am not surprised that Timmy won it, but I will admit I didn’t think his chances were going to be great in the heat.  Color me wrong on that, but the guy is a bit bigger and I thought the heat dissipation thing was going to be an issue for him.  Krar nearly steals the show in the best supporting actor role by taking second in his first hundred ever.  And Morton takes all but two scalps – pretty dang good for a guy whose wins have been considered “non competitive.”  Lots of other stories as well, like Pam Smith cracking the top ten overall, etc. 

79.6 on the week at near 11.5 hours (again more than a third of that coming today).  June wraps with 322.9 miles, almost 35k feet of climbing and 51 hours.  6 Green summits on June. 

3 of the June weekends had 20 mile runs / or runs greater than 3 hours.  That is significant in that it is new territory for me to get that many with such consistency.  No real big secret to these runs … really just having the discipline to get up early and get them done.  For me that means getting up at 4, cuz I need to screw around for an hour before heading out. 

The year sits at the half way mark at 1866.9 miles, 266 hours, and 162k feet of climbing.

Sunday 062213

Long run this AM.  Up early.  Headed out of Chautauqua on the Mesa, and then up Green via Bear Canyon.  Came down the middle route.  Pretty much seemed to have the mountain to myself until I came down past the Ranger cottage (early start on a Sunday I guess).  Did a quick station stop at the car – which included shifting from the Garmin to the Iphone for gps tracking (as the Garmin battery was just about dead).  Back up the mid, and I felt surprisingly good.  Better than yesterday on this climb for sure. 

Saw a lot more people on this second trip of course – but they seemed eager to get out of the way.  Maybe it was the city camo Skins half tights and no shirt that helped?

Came back down the mid and just before the Greenman Ranger junction, I got my first bear sighting on anything on the Front Range.

18 miles (10.3 the first loop, 7.7 the second (Strava put the second loop on the phone as 8.5 miles, but I have put the up and down on the middle route as 7.7 a handful of other times) in 3:45 with over 5k elevation.  Longest time run and most elevation in a single run on the year.  I am happy with how I felt.  I felt pretty comfortable throughout, but clearly was getting some of that fatigue feeling going into the final part of the second climb (and some of that tweaky catching I get in my hammies when I do that – that is why this is good practice – I am strengthening that).

But I am happier that I saw the bear.  That was cool.

2 laps on Green gave me the 38th and 39th summits of that this year.

Watched the 1500 finals yesterday.  I found the contrast in perspectives between the guy who took fourth (Elliott) and fifth (Leer) to quite interesting.  First, Elliott  “I ran 4:42 in high school.”

Then Leer.  “That was a shit show.”

Word is Carpenter’s record (7:59:44) was broken by Dakota “nearing middle age money” Jones with an amazing 7:35:03.  I am not particularly surprised given Dakota’s affinity and familiarity with the area.  Good on the guy and well done.  Breaking any CR is satisfying.  I imagine breaking a Carpenter CR is an order of magnitude greater.

Saturday 061513

Timko hooked me up with Mike.  He is a fairly quick guy in from NJ and was llooking to do some of the local trails this AM.  I had a moderate tempo on Flag road on the schedule, so it was not exactly a tour of the local trails for him but he was game.  We did the Flag Road, West Green and down the middle so he got a little taste.

I felt like crap pretty much the whole run.  Legs were just not strong today.  I am not sure if I am holding some stress from the week or something or I am just in a funk of some sort.  I was sweating my tail off the whole way up even though it was relatively cool.  I really fell apart on mile 4 to 5 where the climb gets steep.  We still passed some bikes but I was nearly going backwards.

42:23 for the climb on the road which is well off my best (from 4 years ago) but this was more a tempo effort.  Strava lists is as a best for me on the season which I guess is hidden good news:  season best on a craptastic day.

Mike, a low 2:20 guy at the marathon from what I gather, had little issue with the pace or the climb.   We continued casually over to Green (#36 on the year)

We headed over to the summit, hung out for a bit while I tried to play tour guy and then came down the middle.  We briefly ran into Nick P who looked at me and wanted to know why the hell I was sweating so much.  Kept the down pretty relaxed as I had no legs anyway.

10.8 on the day.

Will be eye balling the Mount Washington and Evans results later today.  Post Script – early results have Blake going in under an hour (59:55) FTW.

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