Tuesday 060909

• DD and DJ posted a predicted top 50 for Mount Washington. I personally love the one sec diff they predicted b/w themselves. ;) The field looks much stronger than I would have guessed it. I have been thinking a sub 80 for me would be a good showing at this time.
• I forget if I posted this before … I have heard folks say things like, “if you had the head of such and such (insert sucessful runner here) on your body, they would run such and such faster at such and such distance.”  This is implying that those folks are mentally tougher, or have mentally broken barriers that the accused has not.  While I appreciate that mental toughness is very significant in this sport, I think you could also make the opposite statement just as well:  put Haile’s head on my body and he quits 5 minutes into a 5k because he can’t figure out how he could be working so hard to move so slow.  Anyway, a post on the head …
• Got out to Flagstaff again.  Warmed up via Baseline from Broadway (14:23, super easy) and then got to work. 
  • Mile marker (missed this last week in the fog), 3:56 (.46 miles up)
  • 2 mile marker:  12:26 (split 8:30) (last week 12:17)
  • 3 mile marker 21:02 (split 8:36) (last week 20:37, split 8:20)
  • 4 mile marker 29:54 (split 8:52) (last week 29:15, split 8:38)
  • 5 mile marker 40:45 (split 10:51) (last week 39:49, split 10:34)
  • top sign:  41:24 (split 0:39), (last week 40:29, split 50)
• I was not surprised that the time this week was slower.  I felt pretty amped last week, stoked to get after it – as my legs had bounced back post three easy days.   This week, I just did not feel bad, but I did not feel great either.  As long as I have the excuse shovel out, I was also carrying a full Camelbak this time too (5lbs of stuff) … and there were tornadoes.  AvHR was 172, (higher than last time) and max was 177 (also higher).  In addition to not feeling “A” I wonder if this is because of the “evening” component of this?  And if being at a lower elevation for a few day has any effect.  I have read that it does not (for as little time as I spent) but I have heard a lot of others subjectively say otherwise. (and as JP mentioned, no Lucho this time). In any case – no sweat (or, well there was).  It was a good workout.  Generally, I think I am a little ahead of where I was on this workout last year.  Of course, JV did it in 38 (actually 37:59)  the next day.  :)
• After a bio break at the top, I took the west ridge up to the top of Green (side note … the grade on this back side of Green is not nearly as ridiculous as the front/east side approaches … it only averages 5% from the road, but with the last section above the 4 way junction at 20% – but that is only for a little less than a quarter mile.  This last section, I have titled the “Elliott Stairs” as Scott does them as a Pikes Prep workout – to prepare for the last section at Pikes called the “Golden Stairs”) and came back down Green Bear, into Bear Canyon.  Bear Canyon was really slow going as the creek was high and moving – making for several slow crossings (I was in flats).  Picked things up a bit when I got back onto the Mesa.  And then edged it up more as I got to the Enchanted Mesa (6:30 pace) – just to continue familiarize the legs with hard downhill running.   HR was generally in the 150 to 160 range throughout the descent but would drop on the slower sections.  In retrospect, I probably would have gotten a better workout descending the road, and then climbing back up it again (either the full distance or part way).  But my head appreciated being out in the canyon as the sunset, and a light rain came in.   All told this came out to be 14.5 miles of running over 2:22, with just over 3000 feet of vertical.   The Garmin elevation correction had the gain as 3036.  The Alterra had it as 3116.
• Most likely I will NOT run the SoBo TT on Thursday night.  JZ has a game and that is where I will gladly be!