Sunday 060808, South Boulder Peak, Bear

I have been incorrectly calling the South Mesa trail head, South Boulder Creek trail head.  There is a South Boulder Creek trail head, and it does intersect with the Mesa trail, but I have been "getting on" at the Mesa trail head just outside of Eldorado.

Objective:  go easy for two hours with some significant elevation change.  No need to press it, just do a slow burn.  It was a cool  overcast morning as I set out (6:05AM) when I got going on the run), with a bit of rain occasionally falling, and a good breeze coming through the open spots.

I headed up the Homestead trail (instead of Towhee ... simply because I hardly ever take Homestead and I wanted to see what it looked like again), into the Mesa, to Shadow Canyon (24 min), up Shadow (27:50) to the Saddle.  It was spittin' a bit of snow as I ascended Shadow, so I put on the wind breaker.  It was quiet other than the wind, and on this whole run - I only saw one person above the Mesa trail (and even that came on the latter descent).  I kept the effort real easy, resorting to power hiking whenever necessary to avoid a red line.  Up to So Bo in just under an hour.  Doubled back to Bear (72 min), and then carefully plucked down the nasty upper stretches of Fern (12:30 back to the Saddle on the Fern side).  Nonetheless, I took a spill as the loose talus slipped from under me.  A tree and bike gloved hands saved me from significant damage.  25 minutes from the top of Bear back to the Mesa trail (forcing me to recall that time that Jeff and I ran down in the snow all the way back to Cragmoor in under 22), on the Mesa for a bit and the Bluestem ... completing the loop in right at 2 hours.  Mission accomplished.  Back to the house for some scrambled egg - avocado breakfast burritos.

The week ...

M - JW workout, 60 minutes
T - Green via Flagstaff, 92 minutes
W - 75 minutes, easy, flat
TH - Green - 70 minutes, incl 42 ascent via classoc route
F - So Bo, 84 mins, including 23+ ascent in Shadow
Sa - flats, easy, 80 mins
Su - 120 min, easy, So Bo and Bear

Total minutes running were 581 on the week,  with an additional 1:40ish of biking. via work commutes.  Fair amount of vertical with four climbs over 2500 feet.   The volume still comes in a bit shy of where I would like it, but the intensity was up a touch, so I think that is okay.  I will look to continue the program in the same regard next week, but will see if I can handle some strides for some turn over.  Nothing too taxing, but just to test those waters.

Okay ... so this is where the post breaks down and I reveal some of the indecision in my head on how to train next.  Apologies in advance, or just tune out now if you like. 

There are definitely some thoughts where I want to begin to push the edge a bit more:  drive the length of the long runs a bit longer, push the hills a bit harder, start getting to the track, fiddle around with the red line a bit more ... I am on the fence as to how hard I ought to push right now.  I fear that driving a bit too hard at this point sets me up to teeter out as the summer progresses - when I want it to just keep building up and up up.  But then I begin to wig out, wondering how far I am behind where I want to be.  And then I want to go and begin to grab that via pushing the limit.  I feel that while I am in fair position with my general hill climbing skills-fitness, I need to begin to compliment that with general speed and longer effort strength.  Make sense?  I didn't think so.  Like I said yesterday, a bit of a head case here.

Part of it is that I feel I need to have some decent flat speed to make the best of a good run at Pikes.  Yeah, there are those that can do hills exclusively and do well on mountain climbs.  Most of the guys you see down there who do well on the mountain however, are also good road and track runners.  There are flat (well, sort of) sections at Pikes that a good road runner needs to be able to really roll to do well.  I feel that part of my success in 06 was because I was able to recover on Bob's Road, and then put part of the race away.

The other question that popped into my head was the concept of the Double.  When everything was going south with the Chronicles of Hernia, I thought, "screw it, I will do the Double ..."  The thought here was that if I was not well prepared for a personally solid Ascent or Marathon, then I'd do both.  In any year where I was solely focused on doing well in one, I'd not do the Double.  The injury set me up to do both with little concern.  With some "fair" climbs on local hills, the thought as to whether I'd do both has come into question.  If somehow I was able to work myself into a good position for a decent marathon, would I skip the Ascent?  I don't know.  I  am leaving all options open right now.

69 days.  Live it.