Week ending 29OCT2023

63 miles and change on the week.  Slow overall, but some stuff picking up.  Can almost smell a little improvement there.  

Eagle kiddos headed to State.  A fair day - meaning the girls performed a bit better than expected and the boys a bit less.  The girls were not even a team we thought had a great shot at making it to State.  The squad was 8 girls - that is really small for a 5A school.  We only lined up six and taking 14th was a good day for them.  The boys ended up with some illness that challenged them on race day and they finished 19th.  

The XC game has changed a lot.  When I started helping here years ago, 16 minutes was a near winning time most years.  That was outside the top ten now, surely a combination of shoes, increased participation and better training in the sport.  The top 50 times on that course (not an easy one at all) all now are well under 16 and have come in the last few years.  

Fairly certain this is my last go at this.  I was pretty absent for most of this year for a variety of reasons.  Just time to move on to other things.  This has been a good run.  

Week ending 22OCT2023

Coming off the low miles of Puerto Rico, where it was frankly a chore to run in the heat and the humidity, I got back at it a bit.  Last Saturday and Sunday were 8 mile days, and I kept at it through out this past week.  Everyday was an 8+ miler with the exception on Tuesday (a 6 and 4) and Sunday (a near 12).  It is good to be home in the low humidity air, the cooler temps (even if it is a re-summer of sorts at the moment). 

On Friday, the local HS team competed in the regional meet.  Both teams earned a berth with 4th place showings.  It was definitely a nice surprise on the girls side, who got that by 4points.

This one has been hanging about as of late.  

On Sunday, JZ and I hit NCAR and headed out on the Mesa Trail.  We made the call at the Bear Trail break to head up that way.  And then we decided to do Green when we got to Green-Bear trail.  It was a bit more than I was looking for with it being 12 miles and near 2500 feet, but it was great to be out with the "boy."

Week ending 15OCT2023

It was a long trip back on Friday.  2.5 hours in a car from Anasco to San Juan.  Then a 4 plus hour flight to Houston.  Then a couple hours back to Denver and the ride home.  

I was wiped Saturday but I knew I had to get back on the horse.  8 plus miles.  

I repeated the exercise on Sunday.  I can feel the lack of work over the last couple of weeks.  And so I will look to lean into that a bit and see if we can get some good habits developed again.

Update 11OCT2023

Been in PR since the last post and here for a couple more days.  Over the weekend I moved from San Juan on the north side of the island to Anasco over on the west side.  The running in San Juan was much more scenic, but it seemed more brutally humid.  Or maybe I have started to get used to it a little.  Runs have completely sucked.  3-6 mile affairs that leave me looking like I have gone for a swim.  

But it has been fun to be here.  I do miss CO of course, but it is pretty epic that I get to be here.  

Update 02OCT2023

First - I was wrong about near even splitting Pikes.  

I got to Barr Camp in 1:51:13, but then took another 2:07:23 to top out ... that is showing how I essentially walked from Barr Camp to the top.  Also worth noting my first mile down was 20 minutes!  

Anyway ... since then I have been slowly getting back to some regular stuff.  Last week was 40 miles with a lot of beautiful days up in Dillon.

Admittedly my legs feel like shit.  Weak mostly around the knees.  I dunno why.  But I do know it ain't getting better by just running 9 minute shit.

There were some good looking runs in Broomstock too.

On Sunday (yesterday as I write this), I flew down to Puerto Rico.  Runs here are gonna be short, stupid sweaty and wet.  But with some good views.

It will be that sort of 3 - 4 mile thing out and back on the beach ... and then looking like I went for a swim.  For a couple of weeks.  

Be a traveler, not a tourist.