Thursday 090811

The Journey was blasting in the Element this AM.  It was a good day when bands could pull this off….

The that is one bad arse mo’and fro’.  This guy looks like this today.

Doing “how time changes us” comparisons … I got my new license.  I like to think that I have not aged signficantly in ten years by looking at these photos from the current license and my last one.  Of course, I hide any grey hair.

I found this post outlining training variables interesting.  Different interesting post on breathing.

Seriously ‘effed up … ultra runners in a race get majorly burned as they get caught in wildfires.

PM – Got together with Bob S over at Davidson Mesa.  After a warm up (1.5 mi) we got to work.  2 x 7 minutes with the last 2 minutes of each interval faster than the prior five.  Good workout and after the second, I was feeling pretty buzzed in the legs.  I was glad to have got a workout in the bag and be done.

But then Bob told me that we were then doing 3 x 4 minutes with the last minute being at a harder pace.  WTF?  I thought I was done.  Of course I had read the workout that Bob had proposed in the email incorrectly.  Of course I protested.  Of course Bob told me tough tamales.  Of course I did the intervals.  And of course it hurt like hell.

Awesome.  The challenge with this workout is that you run at a pace that is good for the interval for the first part, but then accelerating to something faster in the last part.  Very different than hill running for sure.  Bob pretty much beat the crap out of me.  During the rests we debated short interval versus long.  And I had no less than three visits to the plastic phone booth to talk to a man about a dog.  The workout fried me from the waist down – my legs were not used to holding the sub six pace for that long. 

The biggest benefit of this workout was this however:  training with someone else.  It is all to easy for me to bag a workout, ease up on the pace, change the workout on the fly when on my own.  These are not options when training with someone else (or they are less likely to be options).  In fact, I thought today the workout was just two seven minute sessions.  I was ready to be done.  Bob, the pain in the ass I will add, would have none of it.  Bless him for that.

I hope to make this a regular outing.  11 miles total.

Wednesday 090711

AM – cool, drizzling.  Kind of nice.  Easy five miles.

Hooray for cooler temps. (thanks to JT for the link)

Tuesday 090611

Sunday night we went to Lakeside … some shots of the tykes …

 
Last night the Valliere’s came over for some eats.  The youngest members of the JV clan were quite entertained by the the Norfolks.

Pete Magill says enough with paperwork for masters records through the USATF.

Evening – 7 miles.  Just over a mile warm up,  then a half mile at what I perceived to be mile pace (2:35, so in reality I was probably a bit fast) and then 10 x 30 seconds stride with 90 seconds rest.

I found this workout to be really enjoyable in many ways.  It reminded me so much of needing to let the run come to me. 

Going in, I found myself nervous … nervous about the hurt that this sort of running would bring, nervous that the times would not be as I expected them to be.  But then I just got to doing the work.

It was not nearly as fast as I would have liked them to be but I did the half at a speed that I could barely hold for a quarter last week.  I find that I can’t quite get myself to that level of pure anaerobic hurt that I used to yet because the speed is still having to come to me – and my mind almost won’t let me get there?  But it is getting there.  It is as if I am training my legs to remember turn over the same way I am training my mind to find paths that allow it. 

I found that if I strained for the speed, I did not go as fast as if I let it come to me.  After the first hard stride or two, I decided to focus on good speed where I thought about knee lift, thrust and forward motion versus being an explosion.  The velocity would come more effectively this way.

Tonight was a nice progression over last week.  Not all of the runs are going to be this fruitful, but it was a nice little surprise and reminder to trust the process.  I was not real fast tonight, but I was a little faster than last time.

Monday 090511

AM - 12 miles easy to steady (7:22 pace average).

Sunday 090411

AM - connected up with Johnny T and Patrick G for a "jog" up Green. My legs were protesting significantly by the "powerline" in Gregory Canyon, but I elected to keep a running motion versus going to a more efficient hike. Was able to yip yap a bit on the flatter sections before the Ranger Cottage, but slowed quite a bit - content to feel a nice burn in the legs once it pitched up again above the Greenman connector.

Sat for a bit on the summit. Tony pulled up (good to see him out), and Tribs ejected (having to get to work and still run a few miles into town). Headed down the "middle route" as I feel it is one of the more enjoyable downs.

Several deer spotted. Beautiful morning (it started at 45) and a great way to start the day - just buzzing about the local hill with other good men. 7 miles.

Week was about on par with what I wanted: less miles (56, actually a bit more than I wanted), one soul cleansing in the hills (Green today), and easing back into some work to get some turn over (20 second strides on Mon, 25 second strides on Wed, track quarters on Friday). I will look to continue this pattern for a bit.

I have debated how long I can chase the turn over, or anaerobic work. Stumbled on this presentation (which told me what I already knew but I need to learn this stuff over and over again). Here's the reality - it has taken me quite a bit of time to get from being a low 16 minute 5k guy to now a 18 minute plus 5k guy. It ain't going to unwrap itself in six weeks, but it will be fun to see where I can go with it.

Now some yard work and Cub Scout planning ...

Saturday 090311

Green Mountain in the AM (as in Sunday AM – tomorrow).  Starting at Chautaqua at 6:30.  Contact me or just show up if interested. 

The dog daze of summer are winding down.

  

Seven miles easy. Did 30 pushups after miles 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

Friday 090211

Travelled back from Vancouver today.  I got a a gift on the flight home:  a whole row to myself.  I don’t think I have seen this on an airline flight in at least a decade.  In fact, the last I can remember it was on a flight to basic training (over 20 years ago) – and there were at least a few rows free on the flight this AM.  So I felt particularly happy to have a park bench to myself on the way home.

PM  - 2 miles warm up over to BHS.  2 x 200 to open up a bit (38, 40), then 8 x 400 with 1 minute rest (83, 80, 81, 81, 80, 79, 79, 79) and.then 2 x 200 (37, 39)  I tried to visualize the 200s like these “last 200s.”  Except it did not look that way.

Honest here:  I knew these would be slow.  I know I am slow with the turn over right now because I have done nothing to develop it.  I am not what I was in this arena but that is because I have not done what I did.

I am what I am – I just need to go through the process now if this is what I want to focus on. I have to be okay with that.  I am going to try to do this workout periodically (weekly) to chart progress.    Frankly, there is little little difference between me doing a 200 and a 400 right now.

The scale says I am the same weight I was (which is a bit heavy actually) but – I feel heavier out there lumbering through these (probably all that Canadian beer I drank this week).  All okay … a bit of focus on this and it will start to come back.  7 miles on the day.

Finally hit the Cheeky Monk.  Get brew selection and relatively close.  Hit REI afterwards and got a new headlamp.

Thursday 090111

AM – Six miles super easy.

I have never seen a sign like this in the US.
 

I found this statue of Lennin and Mao … interesting.

Hey, August is over.  I guess I am supposed to post my mileage totals from the month and the year.  August has become the month where my totals dip a bit.  A bit of taper, a bit of recovery, and it ends up light.  217 miles on the month, 8 days off, 2476 on the year.

Conversations brewing about Masters Club Nats with the team.  Not gonna go unless I can make a good race of it.  Simply have been humbled there too many times to put forth the airfare for another thrashing.

WAY behind on blogs.  Hope to catch up on the plane tomorrow.

Wednesday 083111

Legs were a bit sore this AM – in the calves from the hard strides on Monday.  Did an easy five miles and then did a variety of core work, hip work, and squats (motivated) in the hotel room.  I really need to make this a habit:  leaving the easy days as easy, getting in other work – rather than forcing a ten mile day just to do it.  I’d do some more in the weight room, but this hotel’s gym sucks.  If things work out I might get a little jog tonight, but maybe not.

Up here working through a variety of stuff with my team.  In the later afternoon we headed out and kayaked the Deep Cove area. 

PM – 6 miles with a dozen 25 second strides.  Felt 10x better in the legs. 

Way behind on blogs but this covers some of it from the UTMB scene and this from the Leadville show.  But you already knew that – didn’t you?

Tuesday 083011

Vancouver.  Got out on the River Road, and then picked up this trail.  12 miles. 

Apparently the Berry Picker 10k in Vail was won OUTRIGHT by 10 year old Tyler Scholl.  With this win, Tyler adds a victory over Bernie Boettcher (who is 38 years his senior) to his resume – which already includes a 15:45 5k.  

A post from email

Flying from Salt Lake to Vancouver.  More sea level training!

I am writing this post into an offline email program (Outlook).  Supposedly by sending it to a particular blogspot address, it will post.  We’ll see.  It will be interesting to see how the pix attach.

The Great Salt Lake

I think this is the Columbia River?


Snow on these mountains and I think that is Ranier in the distance.  

I have had the week to contemplate a bit what is next.  It should come as no surprise that I want it all.  I want to run in the mountains, I want to run the steeps, I want to do the track workouts and I want to pile on miles.   I want to zip out a solid 5k, but then also be able to crash the mountains and touch the sky.  I want to run an ultra and compete and I also don’t give a crap, as there are times I just want to run and smell the rain.

Of course, doing all of these are not practical.  Family life and work keep me from attempting all of that (and that is probably a blessing in disguise).  The fall season here lights up with the little buggers in school, soccer, music, Scouts, etc.  And of course, those goals are all over the place, so they don’t mesh together well.

I am not even close to figuring out what I will do next year.  I have some desires to visit some of the wonderful places I have before, like the Grand Canyon but I also feel an itch to see some more of the places not far from my front door (like RMNP).   I don’t have to decide anything really, but I am the sort of guy that ends up in a bit of a rut unless I get ahead of the planning.   And while it has only been a week, I feel I can still put together the day at Pikes I have imagined.  Anything can change at this point, but at this point, I am looking to return to Manitou for the third weekend in August.  Part of me realizes I need to think about that now because of the commitment it would truly take – and to start the steer the ship that way.   But part of me also knows some silly little thing between now and then could unravel it all.

I guess I do know I don’t really want to take time off.   Simply, taking time off seems like a waste of time.  Yeah, I know, there is something to be said for a downtime part of the year – and I agree with that notion (even if I don’t practice it).  Generally I think time off is dealt to me.   So I with go with that when I see those cards pop up in my hand.

Over the past week I have thought that my ideal training right now would probably include…

… some running every day
… at least two days a week where I work speed and endurance specific for a better (than now) 5k/10k (a focus between now and Christmas)
….at least one day a week where I play in the hills (long or short)
… at least one day a week where I go long (I’d love that to be in excess of three hours)
… less emphasis on overall mileage (I have chased miles over the last couple of years, with over 10k miles since the start of 2009) and instead optimizing workouts
… getting to the gym more (I am become acutely more aware of odd weaknesses that I have in my body that do indeed the running I want and can do)

I don’t really know if I can do that.  This requires discipline, planning, habit forming and habit breaking.  The habit I have now is very much one of consistency:  get out run 7-13 miles a day, sometimes in singles, sometimes in doubles, mostly easy, avoid speed, not a ton of climbing.  To some extent it has worked.  But “if you always do what you have always done, then you will always get what you have always got.”    The issue for me will less about doing the actual training, but making the choices that allow me to do the actual training (if that makes sense) without impacting (adversely) the other important parts of my life.

Some of the posts read on the plane … Leadville reports from Fuller (again), Gorman, Burch, Bowman (again), Brooks, Boyack, Garcia, Solarweasel, Timko, Woody, .  Still need to get to a few.

 

 

 

Monday 082911

Some vids from the Pikes Peak road ascent.  Apparently Bigfoot was sighted.

Justin’s weekly MUT love.

If there was any doubt about how this guy has ascended to some other planet, check out this interview with the KJB.  He essentially plays off the UTMB as a training run.

I am sort of disgusted at some of the post UTMB bashing that is going on out there against “American” runners.  Nick’s blog has a comment thread that shows some of this.  

Frankly, I don’t get it.  I wore the US colors as a serviceman in the USAF so I get what it means to represent your country.  And while it is perhaps well beyond my reach, I’d be incredibly honored to represent our country as an athlete.  But that said, I don’t  – and I don’t think most of the runners I have met – do this running thing to put some mark on some score sheet that Americans kick ass and Euros don’t.  Maybe I am wrong on this but I don’t see them lacing up the shoes for a training run and saying, “okay, how can this run help me kick some Italian tail?”  I do see them putting in training to be the best they can be, and with that win – beating all comers, regardless of nationality.  I just don’tyu see the country chest thumping in ultras being the same thing as other sports.

Okay yeah, we get together in the mountain championships and do the country vs. country thing.   I realize I might be on a bit of an island here but that seems almost just a structured way to promote competition amongst the teams that further brings out the best of the individual.  I know that I have been in that circumstance – where I have found some motivation in a race to dig deeper for the team. 

Nick and others DNFing is one thing.  I guess since more of the top US contingent DNF’d across the board than less it is fair to even call it an American failure.  I’d feel a lot more comfortable about that if that came from the contingent (not a team mind you) had gone over there – and they stated that was there goal (maybe they did?) – to kick Euro butt as a US team.  Hearing it come from the interweb jockeys here in the US seems … well, stupid.  If you are going belly up and say that, you better be ready to toe the line and put your money where your keyboard is.

AM – 6 miles.  Threw in a dozen 20 second hard strides, really striving for a burst.  Tried visualizing pushing hard to nab a disc back in UConn ultimate days.  Definitely a different discomfort.

Sunday night

We got home. We unpacked. It rained. It smelled really nice. I went for a run in it. 3 miles.

Sunday 082811

Traveling back from Detroit today.  Off to Vancouver tomorrow.  I think I might jog tomorrow. 

If this does not fire you up a bit, you are reading the wrong blog.

A few of my trail buds reminded me that Pikes ain’t that steep and it ain’t that technical.  Chains?  Damn.  No way this happens in the US with our lawsuit culture

The statements of Euro dominance in MUT are hard to refute.  KJ is off the charts at this point.

Saturday 082711 … a wedding

No running.

Friday 082611 Ann Arbor

Up here in Michigan today.  No running but played a little soccer with the offspring, swam until we were pruned out.

But … the running thoughts were a bit louder today.  Thinking about the next.  It would come in spurts, mostly kicked up by relatives asking if I already went for a run today.  For the most part I was able to let that go and be in the moment.

Tommy Manning’s PPA report.

And this guy mentions PP.  Gulp.

Couple of interesting quotes in here.  “When does it end?  Everybody expects me to run. Everyone expects me to win.”

Spectators are not allowed on the course for this weekend’s PP road ascent.

Wow.  Holy Alps.  Getting there is officially on some unofficial list.

Thursday 082511

No running today.

My driver’s license is up for renewal.  I tried the little renew on line widget, but for whatever reason, I was informed that my license could not be renewed as such because they had no record of it.

I headed over to DMV in Thorton and got there around 8:15.  There was already a line about 60 yards out the door.  After standing in this line for a few minutes I was notified that Colorado DMV does not take credit or debit cards but they do take cash, checks and money orders  - but only in the exact amounts.  I did not have the cash on hand so I decided to bolt, swing by the bank and hit the one in Boulder –  and also hope for a shorter line.

I was issued number 894 in Boulder.  The sign read now serving 821.  There were three people working the counter.  For what it is worth, this office is exactly the same size office, location, everything that it was when I first got my CO license here some 15 years ago.  Probably the same three people too.   Its just that the crowds have grown.

I watched a 16 year old cry when she learned she failed her driver’s test.  I watched an senior citizen argue with one of the staff that the letters from the eye test on line 3 were indeed H-R-F-D-Q and she’d get them right if he stopped changing the letters (I had to step out because I was THIS CLOSE to personally begging the guy not to give her a license renewal).  I saw a guy who took the concept of the big hole earring but had started to apply it to his nose – so he essentially had four nostrils.  A woman had a cell phone that had a ring of a rooster crowing (like what you would hear in the AM at a farm) that went off some 128 times.  

I ran into the ex-fire chief from Nederland.  I knew him from when I worked up there.  I had not seen him in at least a dozen years.  Apparently if I stayed at DMV a bit longer it would have turned into an episode of “This Is Your Life” because everyone gets stuck here for ridiculous amounts of time.

As much as possible I’d walk outside, watch motorcycle driving tests and periodically sneak back in to see how the butcher number counter had progressed.  Sometimes it would go 3 or 4 in  2 seconds.  Then other times it would sit at the same number for 20 minutes.  It basically ran at at a rate of about 20ish an hour. 

3 hours later, I was able to spend 21 bucks, 5 minutes of actual effort and get my licensed renewed.  They will mail it to me within 30 days.

This experience alone is one to drive me to run.  Holy crap did I need a mental escape after that.  Yeah, I know, I know.  First world problem and all. 

On a good note, later in the day, I was able to get through TSA at the airport with the junior hang nine calorie burners without significant issue.  Last time JZ had to go through the x-ray machine multiple times.  Apparently if you touch the sides, it goes off.  It was challenging for him to do this.  For a few moments, he brought TSA to its knees. 

Best part about a new laptop is crazy length battery time.

Wednesday 082411 burp

Last night I stepped out and it was not really much past 8.  In the east sky Orion was rising.  Damn, when did that happen?  Summer is slipping away.  Yeah, I know it is still 90 something degrees out but school has started, the grass is turning a light tinge of brown … 

Anyway …

• 11 is the time I went to bed last night (actually 11:11, reading a book series the crumbgrabbers recommended … the Percy Jackson series.  Even I can read it)
• 9 hours of work today (ack).  But it ain’t really work.  I mean, I sit at a computer and talk to people.  And ask PITA questions to influence them.
• 7 hours of sleep (and I feel fine)
• 6 Pbville reports read in the last day (with half of those being DNFs … ugh)
• 5 different meetings at work today(I am a corporate weenie for sure)
• 4 beers drank last night (3 PBR)
• 3 days of no running
• 0 miles today

Felt good today.   I could actually get up and around with no ache, no pain.  There is a tiny little bit of stuff in there left, including that weird ab thing.  No rush to get back. 

Actually, I recall now that I did feel a little remaining PF in the feet when I got out of bed this AM.  That result is primarily from going with racing flats for PPM.  I went with the road flats and people told me at the line I am nuts.  Really – Barr is a dang trail super highway.  You don’t need much more than flats for this race in good conditions.  And I am one of the more klutzy ones.   I do need to figure the shoe thing out before I get back to it. 

I almost felt like it would be nice to go for a jog.  Almost.  The game nature of the brain has actually turned this into its own hypothetical contest:  how long could I go without running?  I am sure I will fold on that pretty quick.  In case it is not clear – this is absolute evidence that I think about this way too much.

Suggestion for the Pikes race (did I say this one already?):  take all those shuttles and offer people a free ride up on the Ascent day (as in people who want to watch the race – not those in it).   And actually – maybe a ride on the marathon day up.  The scene is a small zoo at the top for the Ascent, but it would crazy EPIC MONSTER COOL if we could line the course finish with folks from the Golden Stairs to the finish.  I would even wear a devil costume.  Yeah – I know this sets up for a logistic problem to get those folks down – but … it’d be cool. 

For what it is worth – I did my post race gig of getting my legs up on a chair while I laid down (after Pikes).  No IV necessary.  No passing out.  15 minutes or so works. 

I watched those insane MFers coming off Independence Pass on Versus today.  NO WAY could I do that.  50 mph on those roads on a pair of those skinny wheels.  I don’t have a pair for those.

O’Day posted a Double time five minutes faster than my time from 08.   Tip of the cap to him.  Actually a tip of my pile cap.  Because I did my double in the snow year. 

Top ten at the Ascent.

Tuesday blah blah blah

Again – no running today.  Ah, so with no running, you have to bear with the nutty post.  (or not really)  Or nuttier than usual.

I feel a lot less sore compared to yesterday and I probably could run but I am in no rush to get out there.  Could be tomorrow.  Could be a week or two.  Thinking I might get to the gym though to burn a calorie or two and do something different.  Actually there is a weird soreness in my abdomen today.  That might be the large amounts of pizza and beer I have consumed in the last two days versus something from Sunday.  I did have a few harder side stitches on Sunday though.

In the past I felt pretty motivated to get back to running pretty quick.  Either I was feeling super motivated off a good performance or super motivated off a poor one.  Right now I am pretty fine with turning my focus for at least a little bit to other stuff – like the crumb grabbers starting school and a few work projects.  I realize this thinking can change in a moment or two.  There is a small coal fire in there right now thinking of what I want to do next, but I am fine with a bit of break for a bit.  Maybe that is a little growing up.  I certainly hope not.

I actually did get out and play some hoops with the boy and a buddy of his for a bit.  I suck at basketball but I can kick some ten year old tail.  The movement was good to help move some of the soreness out.  No Green Mountain or anything like some dedicated people.

It is sort of nice not to run.  I can stay up to 10 without passing out. 

Ruxton on the way down always leaves me wiped out (yeah, there are a bunch of photos up on marathonfoto now).  I am glad that I have received PROOF that I have finished the race now.  Sweet.

I like this one a lot more.  And not because I have a bag of ice hanging out of my shirt.  It took us like 10 minutes to walk over to take this photo.  We didn’t want to but several adoring fans begged us.

Saying  this carefully, but honestly.  I can see in the photos compared to prior years, I am carrying a few more lbs this year.  I am sure that is partly because of the focus I had over the summer.   Clearly I was a little above racing weight, and I am sure that has some impact on a climb (more than a down).   We are not talking like 10 pounds, maybe 3-5.  Does not seem huge but I do think it makes a difference at a race like this.  I know there is a lot of potential issues that open with mentioning that, but it is a reality of that situation for me on this race day.  ‘Nuff said.

Got a new laptop at work.  My HDD blew up on my old one, and since the shell was near end of the warranty, they replaced the whole thing rather than just the drive.  Anyway, I was working on it with someone and they kept touching the BRAND NEW SCREEN.  I really wanted to scream CAN YOU NOT TOUCH THE DAMN NEW SCREEN?  Definitely the old man in there, but I was able to keep it at bay.  Cleaned his fingerprints off the screen right after he left.

Was in a class at work for most of the day.  In order to motivate people being on time they would give a person a playing card if you were back on time post the breaks.  Your playing cards were to be added up to a poker hand at the end of the day.  Obviously the more cards you got, the better your possible hand.  The class instructor got up after “dealing” the second card and asked “anyone got a pair?”  I seemed to be the only one cracking up (and thankfully, quietly inside).

Quite the read.  Be ready to dig in with that one.  This one is lighter fare – but good.

Anyone know who  this guy was in the marathon? He was third by a pretty long stretch when he came by me coming down, so I figure he’d end up in the top ten, but I don’t see him in those award shots.  I don’t see a number here on him either.
 
(Garner photo above, and this next one is from PikesPeakSports.us)

(note – my third masters trophy is about the same size of what Bernie and Daryn is holding … this is significantly larger than what a guy like Sean is holding.  His 8th place nets him smaller hardware than my 19th.  Just saying).

Good conversation starting over here regarding UROY.

GARNER WINS.  John wins the prediction contest.  His guess was the closest as he guessed 4:50.  If he had lost his wife Bethany would have won because she guessed 4:47:30.  A lot of folks kindly guessed sub 4:40, or even sub 4:30 which was very nice – and had I put together an ascent worth a damn that might have played out.  I owe John a six of beer.  I feel good about this as Bethany did the Ascent, and John worked the Cirque aid station on Marathon day.

Added Browning and Gorman to the blog list on the right.

Still catching up on Leadville blogs and that crazy Transrockies stuff.

Check out this tattoo (photo from PikesPeaksports.us)