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.