Weekend 16-18FEB2018

Not an ideal weekend for running or training … Friday we headed out to Ames to visit KZ. 

When we got there I thought we’d be able to run at the field house but after much to do to get prepared to go there, we learned JZ – as a minor – could not run in the field house after 6 as a minor (even with us present) (but he could the next day from noon to five).  We went to dinner. 

JZ showed more discipline than me by getting on treadmill for 35 minutes at 10 at night.  I made my way to the bed instead.

We did make it back to the field house (Leid) on Saturday.  The big 300 meter oval was tied up with folks shooting hoops, so after a warm up, JZ and I went to the upper track (yes, there are two tracks on top of each other in the building).  The upper is a touch smaller (5.5 laps to the mile so 292 meters ish versus 300 meters) and not as well curved but it was very nice (given the pretty cold and icy temps outside).

There are something like 36k students at the university.  Amazingly I ran into the one from Colorado that broke Brent Vaughn’s state all comer’s record for the 3200, Tanner Norman.  It was good to chat with him for a bit. 

JZ and I got in a tempo (25 min) and I felt pretty good about managing 6:20 pace through that.  We spent a good chunk of the day walking around the university.

Sunday was back to CO.  And while I had aspirations to get a run in when I got back, it was definitely one of those cases where the trip back was significantly longer feeling.  Fried when I hit the door at 7:30, I was in bed within the hour.

A low volume training week but I got in some workouts.  Still with Pikes on the radar, 50 mile weeks ain’t going to cut it.

Thursday 25JAN2018

Afternoon – 11.4 miles.  I still sort of felt like a heavy lug but I decided to try to blast through it.  I did a workout of sorts on Main Street, working the ups from the Gate n Green connector to the top (about 4/10ths of a mile).  Nothing quick but got me breathing hard. 

When not listening to Endurance Planet’s latest with Alex Hutchinson (good show) I had some harder stuff blasting in the ears. 

I was cooked enough that the cool down was one of those drags. 

In the evening we headed over to Colorado School of Mines for one of their HS meets.  We headed down with the Mooney family (their daughter Madison is heading to UWisc next year and is an athlete on the HS team).  It made for a fun night of some early season indoor racing.

As far as I could tell, JZ got a PR in the 800 (breaking 2:20 for the first time with a 2:19).  He got nipped at the line in his heat, but it was fun to seem him take control of the race at 400 (69), and jump on that third “lap” … Doubling back in the 400 20 minutes later with the 800 still in his legs and the indoor facility hack was a challenge but he put up a 62 – which I think is also a slight PR.  PRs indoors at this point in the season where he has not been grinding those high speed gears in workouts is great. 

Madison also had a great night – winning the 800 (2:17), and the 400 (60.x)

I love me a track meet. 

Friday 032715

Mid day – a quick jaunt between calls.  5.1.  Then about an hour later, after another call – 5.3 miles.  I spent a better part of the afternoon at the Broomfield HS track meet, helping some, videoing some races, and enjoying the buzz of a track meet.

Thursday 072414

News related stuff:  Deakins-Roche article, and Must.  watch.  this.

AM – struggling (slightly but noticeably) physically this week.  Probably a bunch of obvious reasons why, but unfortunate as I feel pretty good mentally.  Jogged over to the University of Cork College track – the Sonia O’Sullivan track,  but found the legs were still grumbly. 

It is a gorgeous track,  Lights for night stuff, and meticulously marked with indicators on the side stating what starts and finishes in each respective spot.  No one else on the track this AM other than a single elderly gentleman walking in his button down shirt, with tie and wind breaker.   I kept waiting for him to break out a stopwatch and bark at me.

Jogged through the neighborhoods.  6 miles.
 
MOR pointed out to me last night that these combinations of lower and upper doors are left overs on the South Mall when the river ran there.  The lower door was a door down to the river and your boat.  The upper door was well above the river.

Listening for the day.

Yeah – evening, an update to the post.  I decided to wander over towards the Mardyke area again tonight.  I noticed that there was quite a bit of activity at the track.  Like a LOT with a fair number of groups doing some pretty zippy stuff (I saw a few 300s at 42).  I jumped on and rolled around a bit on my won, doing a few miles at 5k pace (5:40 to start and even managed to get them a bit quicker over each) .  Still didn’t feel awesome but I clearly was able to muster an effort just based on the community energy there.  Quite a different vibe on this track than the one I was on up on Richmond (Vancouver) a few weeks ago.  Same number of people, but one was clearly a walker’s track (there) and one was a runner’s track (here).  8.5 miles.

Thursday 071714

It is about a 50-50 chance that I might have to miss Pikes and /or Burro Days due to some international related work that might play out.   I have mixed feelings on that of course.  It is no secret that I love these races. 

This would be my eighth running of the Pikes Marathon.  I love the simplicity of the race.  Start at the bottom, go to the top, deal with the challenge of a long run, a grinding but runable climb, a descent that takes enamel off your teeth, and you better have some wheels too because this is no Hardrock hiker grind.  At the same time I realize, my preparation for it this season has been less than ideal – I know I would struggle with the mountain and the outcome more than in other years.  And because of that, if it did not play out, I can see a pretty easy coming to terms with that.

Burro Days in Fairplay has become special to me as well.  It is the event that my family enjoys more than any other that I do.  They laugh at it and that makes it worth doing for me in a way that is unlike the other events I do.  The race also puts me in a moment of realizing that there are a lot of things not in my control.  Of course, there is a hair in me that wants to win the dang thing again, but I know that I can only take what the burro gives to me on the day, and all I can control is my feelings about enjoying a day in the mountains laughing at the craziness of it all. 

It would suck to miss both of these but – we’ll see how it plays out.  Not a big deal in the grand scheme of it all, but something I am working through.

General stuff:  Ed Whitlock (thanks for the tip JT) for doing 3 hours a day in the graveyard, Emma Coburn for getting the AR in the steeple, John Burton’s HR report (admittedly, I am in awe of that race and at the same time think it is just stupid), a good read by Gordo,  KJ’s data to geek out to from HR, some good questioning on whether KJ could have actually been pressed at HR.  I have a dozen or so vids to work through on that I guess … some catching up after being out in the woods for a week I guess.

Evening – 10.1 miles, including a 5:22 mile on the track at the BRR meet.  I was in the second (slow) heat of three (the cutoff was 5:15 for the fast heat).  I fell into third place about 200 meters in and after a quick eyeball of the watch (40 for the 209), I was content to ride the group for a bit.  We came through the 409 in about 83 so we began to slow and the second place guy and I moved up.  This was about an 82 and so we came through the half in about 2:45.  On the curve I took the lead and managed an 80 for that lap, and then found a little bit of a gear for a 77 to close for a 5:22.  Not great again, but fairly happy coming off the trail, and a negative split. 

Thursday 070314

Louis Zamperini passed away.  I am currently reading the latest book about his life, Hilllenbrand’s Unbroken.  It is an amazing story.

Good read (actually a compilation of several) on Long Peaks and its dangers.

Good insight by Burch on how to approach a 100 based on his recent Black Hills win.  A similar theme (start slow), Anton’s report from his recent win.  What is up with those late night starts with races in Europe?

Catching up on a variety of Western reports:  Vargo, Aish, Sharman.  Looking forward most the Clark and Bowman posts (his blog seems dead though) as I know those guys a little.  Bowman had a big breakout performance which I am interested in reading about, and Nick had the opposite.  I am interested in reading how he dealt with that.  I did see a post on FB from someone who DNF’d who said:  My WS100 DNF taught me, for the first time in 17 ultra marathons, that a strong will cannot overcome all else.  It was good to hear that as I think the community tends to over pump up the “mental strength” thing quite a bit.  I get that there is a significant mental component, but there is a reason you don’t see the yogi’s running 2:08.

Admittedly, while I don’t have the 100 mile bug, I can see the small itch to consider one.  Again.   Thinking of doing such silliness, and actually executing one as something other than a stunt however are very different acts.  I can screw around with my general everyday more than the typical person exercise program and get away with jumping in all comers track meets (and get sub par results), or slipping into a burro race or two, or even getting a lap on Pikes.  A 100 … well, yeah, I can probably finish one, but doing what I am doing ain’t going to make that come to easily.  Not that any race is easy, but with my one experience at a 100, lack of prep (and off execution) really brings a heavy tax to pay.

Anyway, the posts on the 100s get me thinking about it a tiny bit.  But out of all of those posts on LONG distance races … I enjoyed Tony’s commentary on coffee the most.

More later tonight after the track meet.  Hoping to better the 4:59 from last go around but admittedly am a bit pessimistic on it given a hack I seem to be dealing with.

How your body responds to exercise.

More Hardrock porn …

… that part near Handies … Sort of different than I remember it.  Of course it was the middle of the night when I went through that part.

blah, blah, blah.  That long to come up with that? 

Evening – the hack was still in the rattle, and the legs didn’t feel great on the warm up.  In light of that, decided, I would look to get out very easy and see if I could pick it up.  Steve M said he was dead set on starting at 79, coming through in 2:39.  I dumped my watch as that sounded fair and  I looked to settle in behind him on the start.  I found myself needed to chop my stride a bit, but I went with the plan. 

I was in last place.

As we came up on the 400, the person reading the splits was saying 87, 88, 89.  Surprised, I quickly thought, “oh screw this.”  If we were indeed going at 6 minute pace, and I was already breathing hard, it was going to be a fughedabutit night.  I started to step off, and she said, “no, I mean 80, yes, 81, 82.”  And rolled back from lane four and back into it.  Stupid move on my part but my head was only partly into it.  Steve began to falter a bit and sensing this I went around him in the next 200.  There was a guy about 4 or five seconds up, and I thought about seeing if I could slowly close the gap on him.  Came through the 800 in 2:41 – so about even.  I never felt great but I began smell the line a touch here.  4:02 for 1200 with Steve fading back and the guy in front of me coming back just a touch.  I went for a next gear, and it was actually there and I managed to get to the guy with 100 to go and put a fair pass on him.  I expected him to come back so I tried to get the knees up in the last stretch and I managed to hold the gap.  5 flat.  About the same as what I did about a month ago and so no improvement, but I feel strangely more confident off this one – I ran it in almost reverse of what I did when I ran 4:59, and it felt a helluva lot better.

10.3 on the night, with a longish warm down on the Creek path.  Seems that there are about the same number of folks smoking pot along the creek as there were 15 years ago when it was illegal.  Ran into Straka out there and yapped with him a bit too.

BRR summer meet #2 061914

Apparently there is a CO 14er FKT attempt underway.  Tracking site, discussion board, blog, and Homie’s splits for historical perspective.

BRR meet.  Ugh.  I knew on the ride down from Fairplay my hip arse was less than happy.  And I knew on my warm up and strides that I felt pretty poor.  But I figured I’d give it a go.  It went badly.  Tight hip, a bit of weariness in the legs from the get go.  Not sure what I ran but I think it was around 5:25ish, with a big falling out on laps 3 and 4 (fairly sure I saw the clock at 80 at 409, and 2:40 at 809, and 4:03 at 1209).  Maybe even 5:30.  Moving backwards I guess.  Ah well, well keep at it.  I know I got better than that, I just didn’t show it tonight.  10.6 on the evening.

Again, no lack of Olympians at the meet, current, past and probably future.  Stephen Pfifer took a shot at the CO state record in the mile (4:03) and after coming through a paced half of 2:01, came up short on the second half and ran 4:08.  Cranny was in the 400 and 200, and the 5k did not finish until well after dark with Olympians holding sprinkler heads down so they did not spray the runners.  Awesome

How many can you name?
First 209 was 29 …

All by himself for a tough second half mile.  At altitude.  You can see the crowd in the background now heading to the finish …
Old man JJ getting it done, sub 4:50.

BRR meets are indeed all comers

Blocks?!

That folks is racing WAY under distance.
Steeple before things got messy.

I waited for a good crash.  There were none but form was good to poor through the pack.

He led for most of the race, but I think he ended up taking second because he went shoeless.
Brightest light on the track for the 5k.

Water was spraying everywhere.  Janicki and Durden attempt to control.  Up the way, Rizzo was doing the same.

Thursday 060514

In my head this is how I hoped I would look at the mile tonight.

No, JT, not the guy attempting flight on the left.  Yeah, 50 year anniversary of that guy breaking four as a high schooler  (…video of that if interested).

Well, blew up on the third lap and came up quite a bit short.  Opened with a 77 (spotting 57, 58 for the first 300) and it felt like I was over my head.  Came back in 79 for lap two, but I was catching some folks and moving around okay.  Came up on a guy in lap three and made the rookie mistake of sitting there for a bit because I was not ready to keep pressing and that was an abysmal 82.  Finished the last 3/4 of a lap in 60, so not much of a rally back. 

With the decimals it came out to be 4:59 for the 1500, so a couple of handfuls short of what I thought I was.  So not a great night, but I am more motivated to improve on that than disappointed.  No legs or lungs tonight, and I got the first lung rattle going for the season.  As I suspected coming in, I need to get some work done and guts for lap 3.

I contemplated the 800 but I chickened out of it when Steve from work asked if I’d help him in the 3000.  Running at 6 minute pace an hour later versus sub 5 pace 15 minutes later seemed to be much more desirable.  He fell off after 4 laps quite a bit.  Six minute pace seems hugely easier than 5:30 pace for me.  Hugely.

Anyway, I love the track events the BRR puts on.  The old timers, the Olympians, the kids, the races of all types (holy crap the high hurdles are HIGH) the setting of the Flatirons behind the track, just a great time, even if my seventh grade self was better than me tonight.

11.8 miles on the day with the events and the jogging before, after and in between.

Today’s listening … Hans Zimmer’s Black Hawk Down soundtrack is incredible for running.

Tuesday 040114

Well, it is April.  I am not completely sure what that means for me as I am squarely on the fence about various running goals.  Or maybe I am not on any fence at any point because I go between wanting to run well at Pikes, see what I can get my old man mile down to, or see if I can convince the other #GOMs to to do a 100 in the early fall.  Or some race with a donkey. 

But it is April so I better start to getting if I am going to be getting.  I decided to go over to the track to get some work in but I was firmly undecided in what I would do. 

I have long hid out at my local track, BHS, but as I was in the office it was about an equal shot for me to head over to Fairview.  I had been chatting with Jay Johnson and figured it was time to meet him and he mentioned he is over there on Tuesdays working with his athletes.

I forgot about the carnival of Boulder tracks.  There were no less than a dozen tri folks with their bikes hooked up so that they could do brick workouts.  Brad Hudson had his crew out there so there were some really fast people.  It was just one of those environments where everyone was pretty dang fit.   I decided I would be the hairy snotty sweaty mess guy way out in lane 8 and try to stay out of the way with my slow labored breathing self.  At least I shared the lane on occasion with an Olympian.

I recall seeing the carnival at Potts Field (the CU track) quite a few years ago now.  Not so many triathletes, but crazy abuzz with Olympians, NCAA champs, the WCAP group.  It was nuts.  Guys doing 1000 repeats in sub 2:40.

4 mile warm up, and I decided to get some turn over.  16 x 200 with a full recovery on a 200 walk jog.  I started at 39-40 and worked them down to 36-37.  I tried to keep the first few as float easy and then began to “play” to see if I could grab another gear come the last 80 yards or so of the last four or give.Cool down to round it out to 10 miles.  Got to meet Jay but only chatted with him briefly as he was appropriately busy with his athletes.

I can’t take the news today because of the silly April Fools crap.  Apparently Rudisha did not retire.  I did like this Garr article today though….

Sunday 032314

Got out for a run this AM.  I tried to break away from the beach as I imagine there will be a good amount of that this week.  To the west and up I went.Came across Kapaa HS.  Well, I sort of knew it was in this direction and I was curious as to what its track looked like.  Another person was there doing drills and some work. 
There was a frog of significant size in the pole vault thing where you put the pole.  I guess I ought to know what that is called.
I figured that since I was at a track, and pressed for time, and supposedly committed to trying to do more intense work this week in light of that, I’d do a mile to see what I can do.  I’d like to say it was all out but it wasn’t.  I just can’t my head to that gear yet.  The GPS put the mile at 5:13 but I don’t think it was that fast.  I’d say closer to 5:30.  But it is hard to tell if the track is 400 meters or yards or what.  It is just a big oval, red dirt and no lines.  Pretty cool actually.  You can hear the ocean.  And feel it.


63 and change on the week with yesterday as a day off.  No push ups now for three weeks.     

Various other pix on the day…