AM – cold to start, and dark … no views in Bethesda of the super-blood-blue-moon thingy but it was a good run anyway. I got going to south on the Trolley Trail (v. north yesterday), and swung past NIH. After a slow start, I managed to get to tempo in the second half. 8 miles.
Travel back from DC. Flight was only delayed 3 hours, but it was okay… got home that night.
AM – early … tired and stalling to get out, but I did get out on the “Trolley Trail” for a slow dark six miles. 
Off to DC for a few days.
I have yet to register for it but I am thinking I am a likely for a local 5k this weekend. On yesterday’s run, Bob, Shad and I went around about what we thought we each could do. It seems a tall order for me to get that 18:20 5k Bolder Boulder A wave standard, but I don’t think that I am that far off. I made the statement that if I couldn’t get to that level of fitness that Pikes would be in question. They called BS on that and made it clear that 18:20 would happen. Maybe not this race but it would happen.
Yesterday’s 15 and change left me a bit more tired than the long runs I have done over last couple of weeks. Not crushed but definitely that sort of thing you feel when you are going up the stairs. That is good. The key difference in how I felt this week probably is related the quality work I did the day before.
The run yesterday was flat, and pretty much paved roads. It has a little bit of rollers in it, but not even 700 feet over the length of the run. There is one little steep hill we hit on the way out and it was clear that my climbing gears are just not there. Some of that is general fitness, but I will need to get on some hills as the spring comes about.
I have posted here before that one can consider the Pikes race as a 5 part problem. Part 1 – it is a long run. For the best, it is dang close to a four hour run. And it is a marathon. While it is no ultra, it requires attention to a long enduring effort. Part 2 – it is up. It climbs 7800 feet. While the grade varies, it is a 11 something percent average. Part 3 – it is down. The down is probably way more damaging than the up. I am not the only one that has joked that if the double order was reversed, the number of finishers would probably be half of what it is today. Part 4 – it is a race and it is runable. I bring this up because to be successful you do need some wheels on some sections. It is not a hike. Part 5 – everything else. I put this as altitude, the weather, the trail, course familiarity, what you eat, pacing, etc.
To be ready for the race, or at least race well, executing proper management of all five is necessary. Which in turn means preparation or doing the work is necessary. Right now, all I am doing is poking at that part 4, and maybe a little of part 1. That will need to adjust if I am serious.
Evening – 7.1 miles on the Rock Creek Trail
In the evening spent some time at this place that never gets old.
Friday – 10.5 around practice … easy.
Saturday – kids had some work in the AM, that included threshold stuff and then some harder strides. I was 6:30 pace for the threshold work, and then did the hundreds at 17 mid, low.
Sunday – back at it with the boys.
It was 15.5 just over 2 hours. It is always great to get out with these guys for so many reasons … not the least of is it makes the bigger runs slip by quickly with good conversation, laughs, ridicule and sarcasm. My legs were letting me know that I had put in a bit of a quicker effort yesterday but I handle the run without going to the well.
Good week … despite the travel, I got in over 70 on 9 runs, with 3 workouts in there and a long run. I am looking at a local 5k as a possibility next week just to get a true baseline as to where I am at with everything.
Afternoon – 11.4 miles. I still sort of felt like a heavy lug but I decided to try to blast through it. I did a workout of sorts on Main Street, working the ups from the Gate n Green connector to the top (about 4/10ths of a mile). Nothing quick but got me breathing hard.
When not listening to Endurance Planet’s latest with Alex Hutchinson (good show) I had some harder stuff blasting in the ears.
I was cooked enough that the cool down was one of those drags.
In the evening we headed over to Colorado School of Mines for one of their HS meets. We headed down with the Mooney family (their daughter Madison is heading to UWisc next year and is an athlete on the HS team). It made for a fun night of some early season indoor racing.
As far as I could tell, JZ got a PR in the 800 (breaking 2:20 for the first time with a 2:19). He got nipped at the line in his heat, but it was fun to seem him take control of the race at 400 (69), and jump on that third “lap” … Doubling back in the 400 20 minutes later with the 800 still in his legs and the indoor facility hack was a challenge but he put up a 62 – which I think is also a slight PR. PRs indoors at this point in the season where he has not been grinding those high speed gears in workouts is great.
Madison also had a great night – winning the 800 (2:17), and the 400 (60.x)
I love me a track meet.
I was yapping with Jeff recently … via email that is. Because I don’t see Jeff that much anymore. With the shift in my work and my increased involvement with the BrHS distance squads I don’t make it out to Green and Bear to do “laps” of those hills the way we used to.
I used to smirk at how Jeff would call a run up and down Green a “lap” – like we were doing a jog around a football field for some punishment or something. I expect that if I get in Pikes that I will need to get over to those hills a bit more often to get some regular vertical experience. Hope to get a few with Jeff too.
I had a Pikes dream the other night. It was race morning and I was like in the 32nd wave and I was trying to move up – as in I was trying to sneak up through the waves to get a better start. Don S was there telling me that it was no problem but then the RD Ron Illgen caught me. Don S was pleading a case for me and Ron sort of seemed like he was going to let me move up but then he noticed that I had a tattoo on my inner lip (the origin of this in my wee brain is that there is a kid on the track team that is thinking of getting one). He seemed put off at this and decided to reconsider if I should move up in the waves or not. Even Don was asking, “your lip? eww.”
Part of the draw of connecting to folks on the interwebs is discovering how at times your lives are oddly similar, in what seems almost odd trivial ways. Recent example ... I heard a podcast with Joe Rogan, Jordan Peterson, and Brett Weinstein a couple months back. I found it pretty interesting – especially the talk about Evergreen University essentially consuming itself on topics of expression. A couple weeks ago I get a note from Lucho – who I had not talked to about this podcast – and he shares how he is listening to Peterson’s podcast. I didn’t even know that Peterson had a podcast. Then yesterday Keiran McCarthy posted something about Peterson and an article covering him.
Peterson has become a bit more of a public figure and so him being recognized by different folks at the same time is not a shocker. But he is not a “hyuge” public figure. Lucho and Keiran coming on him at the same time is like hearing from 2 guys you talk to once a year saying “hey I really have got into this band called Rose Hill Drive!” when you have put them on your playlist just started digging them.
Been thinking about the 18:20 5k goal. It is 3:40 a kilo. Or 5:52 a mile (1600). Or 88 seconds a lap.
Bleh. One of those days … the travel back, getting home late, getting up early … just a mess today. Mailed it in after 5.3 slow miles.
AM – 8 miles easy and the typical drill … starting really really slow and then opening over the course of the run. I was a bit “sore” from the efforts over the last few days.
It was a ridiculous humid AM with water just condensing out on the streets, the trees, etc. I was the hairy shirtless guy in short shorts feeling like it was a summer day looking a bit out of place compared to the other Floridians who had on long sleeve Ts.
Heading back home tonight.
I had an interesting conversation with some of my colleagues last night. They were interested if I ever did not listen to podcasts or music when on my runs. I do of course (and never listen when running with others – I find that to be interesting when I see a couple or more people running together and they are all plugged into ear buds), but for the most part I am listening. I guessed I do podcasts or books to music on an 80:20 level when I listen and that it was to use the time to further learn and keep up to date regarding news or running.
It was asked: “don’t you like quiet?” or “do you ever meditate when you run?” Admittedly I felt a level of adverse judgment being passed on my listening to podcasts, etc but my response was that I’d rather use that time to hear something that might educate me a bit than hear the same monkey mind voice that tends to over in my head again and again.
On a separate note – really proud of this young lady.
AM – really slow to start this AM … 7.1 miles before heading into the engagement down here.
Evening – 4.3 miles, including about 20 minutes tempo (6:45 pace again, after the fact notice of the pace).
Another AM run before meeting with the team here for the day. I got a bit of a longer run (14 miles). It was as is typical of late … a real slow start (8:43 first mile), and then opening up as the miles clicked off to low sevens on the second half.
Good week. A couple of workouts, a bit of a longer run (not uber long but getting a few miles) … and some other consistency in the middle of the week Moving forward.
AM – up and at it before a day full of 2HC meetings.
Enjoying the benefits of flat Florida sea level, I started slow but quickly opened up to 7:45 or better pace for the majority of the run. 10.3 miles.
I travelled the day to Orlando to meet my team/company here for a couple of days.
I got here a little earlier than the rest of the crew, and got out for a run. Knowing from history that I am usually best feeling for running when I first get to a spot (versus a couple days later), I decided to get on a bit of work. 11.7 miles with 5 miles tempo in the middle (6:40-45 pace). Nothing great but still striving.
I went for a walk with TZ and the dogs this AM and started to talk through my Pikes dilemma of possibly needing a qualifying race. I even started to talk through the possibility of doing the Pueblo Marathon (recommended by JT and Wyatt). TZ questioned if I really wanted to do the PPM versus the Ascent. I confirmed that doing the marathon would be the desire there if I did the race.
In talking it through, it dawned on me that perhaps my Fairplay Pack Burro Race result from 2017 would serve as a sub six hour marathon qualification for the PPM. I pinged the race folks through FB …
So that was good news.
Yes, this confirms (further) that I am an old miser of a man with my race dollars. I’ll confess that I have a hard time with 40 dollar 5ks. And while the Pikes race is a good deal in its cost for a marathon in comparison, I still recall the days where I was paying 85 bucks for it (and the marathon was cheaper than the Ascent because they didn’t have to give to a ride down if you ran the round trip). Of course for a good number of years I effectively dodged the costs to some degree by either winning a comp’d in full entry fee for the next year or a partial one.
Admittedly, looking at the site, exploring the options, doing a fartlek run yesterday, going over the little bump of a hill in my neighborhood and seeing that slab of rock a 100 miles to the south … it has me a touch stoked to be gearing towards that again. Now … just got to be putting in the reps. All you old guys, get your game on because I want a good fight and I hope to bring one.
Afternoon – 10.1 miles. Slow slog.
So as my head is starting to wrap around the year, and consideration of Pikes, I went checked if I was still “eligible.” There is this …
I last raced in 2014. So I am rookie. So I’d have to do a marathon or a ultra of some sort in the past two years. My 2015 LT100 is too far in the rear view mirror to count and my burro racing at Fairplay is shy of a 50k. I did do a half in 2016 but that does not quite cut the mustard for the marathon at Pikes.
So there is that to think about. 190 bucks for that marathon in addition to whatever other race I decide to do. And I’d need to figure that out pretty quick as registration opens on March 10 (can’t wait to do a race like the Dirty 30 or something like that)
I could certainly “jog” a marathon to get the requisite time, but I have a feeling that might be a bit outside of my mindset once pinning on a number.
There ain’t a lot of marathon options between now and March 10 – as far as I can tell none in Colorado. There are some AZ and TX options in February.
Ultra events … I still need to explore those but those also seem to be a bit of a travel burden or are at least 50 milers. My not racing and my skipping of Pikes for three years and my not thinking about this until now has created a bit of an issue here. Which is to say – I ain’t griping at all about the Pikes registration process … it is fine. I made this bed.
I could just do the Ascent, but that is not what I really want to do if I go down there. Then again maybe this is a blessing in disguise.
I could toss my name in the hat for a competitive entry but as Bob said to me when I brought that up, “who the hell would take you and on what merits?” He is right of course … I have only cracked the top ten in the race once so why would I think I qualify now?
More to come. In the interim, the short term focus is getting that old man 5k back under 18:20 to see if I can get a BB qualifier in the A wave.
Afternoon – 6.7 with some fartlek thrown in, touching sub six pace as much as I could on the hilly trails.
AM – 10 miles, including about six with a neighbor. Very easy and slow … I felt no worse for wear from yesterday’s long run but the weather was cold and a bit icy as a storm blew in – making the easy pace even more desired.
Finished my first book of the year – Business of the 21st Century by Kiyosaki. Meh. The E-S-B-I principles he describes (a quadrant approach asking if you are an employee, self employed, business owner, investor – and the considerations of each) seems sound and interesting but the rest of it was less than stellar (including pushing network marketing – which smells like pyramid schemes to me).
I am rolling through Why We Lost by Bolger which is an account by a high level military officer regarding the Iraq and Afghanistan wars via an Audible book. It is lengthy (20 hours plus) and very deep in the details … but fascinating. It brings into perspective how the legacy of prior military actions (like Vietnam) still have huge impacts on our actions today in these wars.
Friday – very easy 3.1 with TZ in the AM.
Saturday – 19.6 with Shad and Bob out of Costco and over into Boulder, heading towards NCAR (and back). Managed to keep the overall pace under 8 for the run, even with a slow start and few slogging miles on a few of the climbs.
I managed a few things this week that I think were a step away from so called “exercise” and a towards “training.” Today’s long run was one of them. Bob put up the call for the run yesterday and I had some hesitation in committing to it at first, but then realized that if I wanted to at all have a shot at anything with Pikes this summer, I have to get on runs like this … like now. And so I knew I had to get it. I manage it well today too. I did start to feel that build of a bit of fatigue from 15-16 on, but that is not surprising given the nature of my running lately.
Perhaps as positive as having a run like this was also not submarine-ing it yesterday. I got an easy 3 with TZ in the AM, and was super tempted to get in another effort … simply because that is what I do. Once I made the commitment to Bob, I figured it was better for me to assure I was ready for the Sunday run versus chasing more miles on Saturday. I know that sounds like a “eh, so what?” but it is a bit of a shift for me that I need to embrace a bit more.
It helped that I spent a good part of Saturday afternoon tied up watching the CU Indoor Meet at their Indoor Practice Facility. It was great to watch kids buzz around the track. 
Plus, two sessions this week where I was getting a bit uncomfortable. That was good.
I am decidedly not posting mileage for the week. I am not really sure it makes a difference or not as I still track it, along with minutes and feet, etc … but I am trying to be a bit less focused, concerned, whatever on that number and a bit more focused on what happens in those numbers. The miles will happen so to speak … it is what I do with them. That could change of course, particularly if I try to bounce those miles up in number.
Workout today – I did 4 x 5 minutes at threshold on 2 minutes rest, and then 4 x 200 with Greg. With the warm up, cool down and a handful of 200s with the kids at the end, it ended up at 7.8 miles.
Greg is rounding into shape again, and it seems like quickly. It is a nice little motivator as he was talking smack today. It is good to see him coming around for him, and it serves as a nice kick in the ass for me to get going. Thinking more about getting out for some 5ks soon to see if I can get that A wave qualifier for the Bolder Boulder. I sort of sense that I am not there yet, but a few races would get me pretty close.
Weight room work post run.
I was a bit sore from yesterday’s fartek and the weight work I did so I kept it easy: 10 miles, with a jog over to practice, getting the kids off and then doing the rest of my stuff on the oval.
Afternoon - six miles. 20 minute warm up, then fartlek with the kids, 5:40 pace for me on the ups. 10 minute warm down. Hit the weights a bit harder than I usually do, focusing on the legs with various squats, jump rope work, etc. I skipped all upper body at this point as my right shoulder is barking (unusual).
