Weekend update and the first pack burro races of the 2018 season

It has been a busy week.  We had the end of the season track banquet earlier in the week.

There is always a bit of a finality to a track banquet, as it comes with at the same time seniors are graduating.  This graduating girls distance class is the best that Broomfield has ever seen.  They leave having rewritten the school record books on every distance event this season – the 4 x 8, the 800, the 1600, and the 3200 (and actually a distance heavy 4 x 400 school record) .  And beyond the top times, they also have their names peppered in the school top 10 lists. 

Broomfield is getting a new record board and along with the girls contributions, a total of 9 records were established in 2018.  It was an amazing season.

With that, JZ is keeping busy not running by being in the Bahamas.




Some kids are still running in prep for Brooks PR and Jr. National meets.  And the locals from different schools go from competitors to also training partners.

Memorial Day weekend also kicks off Pack Burro Racing season.  I have been doubtful about whether I would race this year but several folks thought I ought to do Fairplay again.  With that, I decided a few races to get a bit of familiarity would be good.  The early season races of Georgetown and Idaho Springs are typically different weekends but this year they were doubled up as a Saturday-Sunday affair. 

The Georgetown race has historically dropped into the town of Empire but permitting issues shifted that so we just kept climbing for another mile above the ascent to Union Gap over Georgetown.  In that way it became more of a classic out and back affair at a shorter distance of 8.75 (versus 9 plus in past year) – but slower than past years, probably because of the more aggressive climbing (but maybe other issues as well, more on that in a bit).

The race ended up being a nice crew of five of us, and I managed to get Jack under the I-70 overpass with little argument this year.  Jack and I built a gap of the next three and it came down to us and other mini-donk based team coming back on the final stretch.  The crowd threw Jack for a loop and we took an unexpected and errant hard left into the parking lot yards before the finish and ended up with a second by a nose.  But I was pleased with the race given that we worked well throughout it.

On Sunday, the double back was a bit different as there was the race in most of the field to start.  Idaho Springs starts hard up towards the Oh My God road.  I suspected we were going slower than we had in past years, and here is the data to prove that.

2015 42:39

2017 44:10

2018 46:19

The slower start kept a large crew in the mix and ten teams came out of the woods together. Jack and I had been anywhere from 3 to 6th all throughout the five mile race – a rather challenging affair for us given its short nature and the ridiculous drop through the scree and log filled gulch.    It was a bit of a drag race with 8 teams fighting for the top spot at the finish.  We ended up sixth.  Again, as we are not a top sprinting team in these races, I was pretty happy with that and it was a pretty fun finish with all those teams.

That said, I know that Jack and I are not what we used to be in terms of our performance.  We end up doing “ok” in these affair, but both of us as older gents are showing the signs of our age in being less than great in our climbing.  It used to be good enough that we’d be able to get away from most of the bigger packs and put the race to bed earlier but we don’t seem to have that gear anymore.  It is almost impossible to predict what will happen at Fairplay but our wins there came when we were able to outpace teams on the ups and the downs.  It would seem based on the last two years and where we are now, we don’t have that card to play anymore and we will have to roll with what we get. 

There are stories …

The three days of the State meet left me exhausted, emotionally, mentally and even physically but I didn’t even run a step on two of those days.  It was a binge watching of competitive track that I loved, but it impacted me significantly in a variety of ways.  In some ways, not unlike a hard race.   

This ride all starts well before the State meet.  The path that each kid takes, be the kid who is just starting to run, or the kid trying to break 8 for the mile, or the kid trying to be a state champion, is its own epic amazing story.   For some of these kids, it has been an on-going journey for four years. 

There are kids who are “all in" and the kids that are doing this to prepare for another sport. There are kids who are incredibly talented versus those that are less so.  There are desires and goals, different backgrounds, different stories of how their day went, and whatever else they are dealing with.  Each is an amazing story. 

It is an amazing privilege to not only have a front row seat to there story, but to be in some part on that roller coaster of ups and downs with them.  I am not just reading or watching the story, I am in it.

They are thrilling and heartbreaking.  They are exhilarating and exhausting.  The sharing of the training runs, the workouts, and the races with these young athletes is just as profound and incredible as my own running was and has been to me.  And these days, it is even more. 

Colfax Marathon Relay

I ran in the Colfax Marathon relay yesterday.  I ended up on a team representing the school with a mix of teachers, parents, coaches, and alum.  I ran the last leg that ended up being about the last 10k. 

It was fun.  There is of course a certain energy that a big city marathon brings.  While I have never been bitten by the road marathon bug, I certainly understand its draw.  The relay thing provides an interesting twist as there is coordination to be in the right place at the right time, and as I had not officially met the runner who was handing off to me I was looking for someone in a Broomfield shirt.  It worked out and shortly after I was off I did the quick turn into Mile High Stadium.  I had never been there before, but as is the case when I run in races, I tend to not really enjoy the scenery or look around.  Pretty cool start to a run.

I was not expecting much.  I had thought maybe I could run 6:45s for the leg, but as it turned out I ended up doing just under 40 minutes for the 10k (or 6:25 pace).  It was more of a threshold effort but I also recognize there is not a lot of gears above that.  But nonetheless, I was encouraged with the outcome given what I have been up to lately.  It reminded me that if I really wanted to get on a performance improvement path, jumping into competition regularly would need to be a regular part of that. 

I passed Greg and Jen pretty early, as they were working to get Jen a Boston qualifier (she got it).  Just before my leg started, Brownie came through the exchange zone and declared there was no way in hell I was going to catch him.  I did catch him at about mile 23, but was glad I only had 3 on my legs versus the amount he had.   

Oh and I did it in trainers so apparently that means I am good for another three minutes at this level of effort. 

The 2018 State Track Meet

It’s 3 days.  It’s a ride.  Ups.  Downs.  Twists.  Unreal.  I don’t know how to even describe it.  I might just have to go with the pix for now. 

Girls 3200

4 Katelyn Mitchem 12 Broomfield 11:06.60

1:09.431 (1:09.431) 2:29.411 (1:19.980) 3:52.444 (1:23.034)

5:20.865 (1:28.421) 6:50.137 (1:29.272) 8:20.815 (1:30.679)

9:50.139 (1:29.324) 11:06.594 (1:16.456)

8 Ivy Gonzales 12 Broomfield 11:17.93

1:14.611 (1:14.611) 2:37.544 (1:22.933) 4:02.031 (1:24.488)

5:30.510 (1:28.480) 6:58.843 (1:28.333) 8:27.589 (1:28.747)

9:55.266 (1:27.677) 11:17.927 (1:22.661)

Boys 3200

1 Michael Mooney 12 Broomfield 9:12.97

1:09.919 (1:09.919) 2:20.658 (1:10.740) 3:30.816 (1:10.158)

4:43.191 (1:12.375) 5:53.068 (1:09.877) 7:03.985 (1:10.918)

8:12.234 (1:08.250) 9:12.966 (1:00.732)

17 Joseph Carwin 12 Broomfield 9:51.66

1:11.228 (1:11.228) 2:22.950 (1:11.723) 3:34.195 (1:11.245)

4:46.985 (1:12.790) 6:01.269 (1:14.285) 7:18.521 (1:17.252)

8:37.684 (1:19.164) 9:51.651 (1:13.967)

Girls 4 x 800

1 Broomfield 9:16.33

1) Madison Mooney 12 2) Katelyn Mitchem 12

3) Lauren Felknor 10 4) Sydney Swanker 10

Girls 800

2 Madison Mooney 12 Broomfield 2:10.19

1:06.201 (1:06.201) 2:10.190 (1:03.989)

10 Katelyn Mitchem 12 Broomfield 2:19.03

1:07.389 (1:07.389) 2:19.021 (1:11.633)

14 Lauren Felknor 10 Broomfield 2:21.08

1:07.427 (1:07.427) 2:21.080 (1:13.654)

Girls 1600

2 Madison Mooney 12 Broomfield 4:54.52

1:11.657 (1:11.657) 2:30.244 (1:18.588) 3:48.133 (1:17.890)

4:54.518 (1:06.385)

5 Katelyn Mitchem 12 Broomfield 5:00.00

1:09.852 (1:09.852) 2:28.071 (1:18.220) 3:48.991 (1:20.920)

4:59.993 (1:11.002)

Boys 1600

1 Michael Mooney 12 Broomfield 4:16.15

1:03.011 (1:03.011) 2:11.996 (1:08.985) 3:18.329 (1:06.334)

13 Joseph Carwin 12 Broomfield 4:22.56

1:03.568 (1:03.568) 2:12.925 (1:09.357) 3:19.657 (1:06.732)

4:22.556 (1:02.900)

It’s getting heavy

Plugging away with some exercise.  Legs have felt heavier than usual, but that is probably because I am too stubborn to take a down day, the business travel, and I was a little sick in the middle of the week.

I got to explore a bit of trails in Maryland as part of a trip to the FDA this past week.

There has been a ton of action in the run up to the State track meet – mostly trying to figure how to play the cards of who in what event to assure someone keeps a top 18 spot or to see if they can actually take a crack at one. 

Boys distance this year seems ridiculous to me.  In 5A it will take better than 9:38 to make the top 18 in the 3200.  That is four seconds faster than last year (which I think was 3 seconds faster than 2016).  The 1600 is going just as quick – it will take better than 4:23 something to make it in to the 5A state meet – also faster than it has ever been before.  In 4A and 5A there are no less than a handful of kids flirting with breaking a 30 year old all classification record of 4:10.9.  At altitude.  And two of those kids are sophomores. 

The pointy end of the spear is about the same as it has ever been, but the sheer number of kids that are running one step back from that is staggering.  I guess I should not be surprised at this given the growth of the sport, but I still find it amazing.

Amazing race

... this link should bring you right to the start of the boys mile at St Vrain. If not, go to the 1 hour and 20 Second point.

More reps

Still plugging here another 70 mile week, although my legs felt pretty dead on Saturday and Sunday after all day affairs at the conference track meet.

I “think” the overall pace of my easy runs has improved.  Meaning I think it was more likely to be an 8:15 to 8:30 affair earlier in the year and now it seems to settle in just around 8 or just under.  I could go check that but I am motivated to do the more detailed analysis.  It could simply be that it is warmer out and it is a bit easier to move over the ground when not dealing with snow and ice.  Of course, it is also that time of the year where you come in and think, “damn it was hot out there” and it is only like 78 degrees.  In four weeks we will be thinking this is a cooler day.

On the track team front, we are officially in the part of the season where we contemplate A LOT about the state meet:  what it takes to get a top 18 time to qualify, who from other teams is going to do what, what we should do for the kid that is on the bubble, what events to run a kid in at the meet, careful consideration of the state meet schedule, so called “last chance” meets, etc.  No doubt – I am a much bigger fan of a regional like approach with standards (and I’d be open to a high end auto time qualifier – say like a sub 4:20 for the 1600 for boys) than this top 18 internet game. 

Days like these …

Stutler Bowl.  Wow.

Broomfield High School has two new 1600 meter records, owned by the Mooney twins.  Both of their races were “legit” – with them going someplace because of competition they have not gone before.  Madison at the finish, while in the classic hands on knees pose a runner has post such an effort, blurted out in gasping breaths … “I did it.”  Yeah, kid – you earned it.

JZ PRd in the 3200, running out in the 16 turn stagger version of the event (it is a Colorado thing) and broke 11 for the first time.   I am blessed to continue to have a front row seat to his progress in this process.  It is amazing to share a bit of it. 

Michael’s race was a true boxing match – with both Michael and the eventual winner (by less than a quarter second) running four fourteen.  Each kid was swinging at each other with all they had and not wanting to give an inch.  It is a thing of beauty to see. 

I finish days like this hungry, tired, dehydrated, wind burned, sun burned, hoarse in the voice from cheering, with sore feet, cracked lips … but exhilarated.  I am so grateful to have the experience of being a part of this journey with these young adult athletes, the coaching staff and the supporting family and communities.  It is indeed amazing. 

The ditch

Less than 100 yards from my house is “the ditch.”  It is a classic west irrigational canal, bringing water from the highlands in the west to the farms and locations east.  I run the ditch a few hundred times a year.  It has a rider road next to most of it that is publically accessible, is a soft surface and avoids most traffic.
The ditch is either empty or full of water (duh).  I have long wondered what it would look like to see it at the moment that it was filling.  Ten years of running along this and I got to see that for the first time today. 

The dichotomy of the personal record

In the UK they call it the PB.  In the US, we call it a PR, or a personal record.  In other words, whatever your best performance is for a distance you race. 

It is your own “world record” or a measure of how you have performed your best for some measured distance in your whole life.  Or some segment of your life if you consider things like “the master’s PR” or some other significant to you milestone.

PRs are important to all of us, but it is pretty clear to me that they are very important to the kids I work with on the local HS team.   Some of this is driven by the so called information age we live in.  Every officially timed track meet ends up in a web database somewhere, and it becomes your own personal brand of performance.  If you are a kid that is vying for a state track meet spot, you have to put up a performance that is one of the top 18 in the state to make it to that meet in Colorado (for most divisions).  You become very aware as to where you stack, what your performance means, and if you are “good enough.” 

Even for the kid who is not a state level athlete, they naturally want to have objective evidence that they are improving.  They put in a dozen or so hours a week on the roads, track and trails in training to run as fast as they can around a track for two or four or eight laps.  With that sort of investment, it is appropriate that they want to see a return.

I encourage a focus on PRs too.  When a kid PRs, it is a big deal and I congratulate them as such.  They have done something they have never done before, and at some point in their life may never do again. 

Inevitably when speaking to a runner the topic of PRs comes up.  What was your best mile, 10k or marathon?  What was your best performance at Leadville or Pikes?  How fast were you in high school or college or as a master?  In fact, when a runner says to me that they were a serious runner at some point in their life and they can’t recall their PRs, they tend to lose some degree of credibility.  Remember when US House Speaker Paul Ryan claimed a PR for the marathon that was inaccurate?  The back lash, especially in the running community, was pretty negative.

But the focus on numbers, and PRs can be a problem. 

When kids show up to a race and it is too windy, too cold, too hot, too whatever … in other words the conditions are not ideal, and not “PR weather” they can take a dim or less than positive view of how they are expected to perform.  Or they don’t “feel” good and hence begin to think that because things are not perfect, they won’t perform perfectly. 

So while there is a consideration of PRs (or splits, or other numbers), it is not the whole consideration.  In fact PRs are not even the most important factor.  It is how you have performed for you on that day.  How did you compete?  How did you react to that competitor making a move in the race?  How did you respond on lap three?  What did you do when the pace went out too fast?  How did you overcome the weather or your less than snappy feeling legs?  How did you feel about how you felt?

This seems hard because it is less tangible to measure than a very objective number.  But we completely understand it. 

These pics above are samples from races where the finish time either didn’t matter and/or are significantly less than what would normally be expected.  But arguably, those races are pinnacle moments for each of the athletes careers and how they are considered as competitors.  Their PR is not what is considered most important when the body of their competitive work is reviewed – but rather performances where they overcame the odds, the weather, their competitors, and … themselves. 

Competere in Latin means "strive in common, strive after something in company with or together or to seek together.”  We seek a greater self than a PR in our competition, and so while a PR is likely to be an outcome from that, it should not be the only or most important outcome we seek. 

For me as a coach, I will continue to seek how to motivate and compel student athletes to these outcomes over a focus on the PR outcome, but it is clearly not a one or the other affair.

Local wildilfe

The open space just a couple hundred yards from our home and where I do most of my running if busy with wildlife.  This morning it was eagles and coyotes.

With the snow yesterday, the first light views to the west were ridiculous.


This came out yesterday.  Fun.