Pikes Peak - 6:00 a.m.
crisp to start, high 70s to end, partly cloudy
mind/body - ready to go!
HR max/avg - 171/145
What a day running! Initially I met up with Rick Hessek from the South CRUD team. Paul DeWitt was going to show up but I know he just got back from Cali delivering furniture so he was sleeping in. A couple other CRUD guys joined us but Rick and I soon lost them. Later on up the trail we met up with Keith Grimes and even farther up John Hemsky (to my surprise). John is from my neck of the woods and is training for Big Horn 100 in a couple of weeks. John came along as we ran part of Elk Park, up to the two mile sign from summit, then back down. John and I need to hook up more often because he's a really strong climber who can help push the pace.
I felt very good today - nice and relaxed climbing 7000ft to 12,800ft. Move over Grandeur Peak - Pikes Peak now reigns as the toughest run of the year for me. Even though there isn't as much vertical, the dilemma with Pikes is that it's all pretty much runnable but at a much higher altitude. Anything above 10000ft seems to zap the energy quicker. Doing this run at least 6 more times before Hard Rock should prepare me mentally and physically.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Friday, May 30, 2008
10 myles - 1.10:29
Daniels Park - 2:00 p.m.
80s, partly cloudy, little wind
mind/body - hesitant
Heart Rate max/avg - 168/155
Since I get all this data from my watch I might as well use it, right? Instead of listing "effort" I decided to change it to maximum heart rate and average heart rate. This should tell me my effort based on the range I'm in. For instance, if I'm in the 150 range this a very comfortable, conversational effort. If my average is up in the 170 range then I'm pushing it. I don't know what my max heart rate is but I have a feeling it's in the low 180 range. I'll learn more as I go. In addition to the HR monitor, this watch has a pedometer which looks to be off by 0.04 mile. Either the watch is off or my odometer in my car is off. I say the pedometer just because of the mile splits I've been producing. Having said that I've been running a little more than what my watch says, which isn't all too bad.
The run today was a blase run. I was really debating skipping the run today because I've got a big run tomorrow with the CRUD guys down at Pikes Peak. Pikes Peak is the mutha of all climbing (sorry Grandeur Peak but you've got nothin' on Pikes), just about 8000ft of climbing all at 10,000ft or higher. Pikes Peak will be my staple run leading up to Hard Rock, it did a good job preparing me last year so why not go back and suffer a little more.
80s, partly cloudy, little wind
mind/body - hesitant
Heart Rate max/avg - 168/155
Since I get all this data from my watch I might as well use it, right? Instead of listing "effort" I decided to change it to maximum heart rate and average heart rate. This should tell me my effort based on the range I'm in. For instance, if I'm in the 150 range this a very comfortable, conversational effort. If my average is up in the 170 range then I'm pushing it. I don't know what my max heart rate is but I have a feeling it's in the low 180 range. I'll learn more as I go. In addition to the HR monitor, this watch has a pedometer which looks to be off by 0.04 mile. Either the watch is off or my odometer in my car is off. I say the pedometer just because of the mile splits I've been producing. Having said that I've been running a little more than what my watch says, which isn't all too bad.
The run today was a blase run. I was really debating skipping the run today because I've got a big run tomorrow with the CRUD guys down at Pikes Peak. Pikes Peak is the mutha of all climbing (sorry Grandeur Peak but you've got nothin' on Pikes), just about 8000ft of climbing all at 10,000ft or higher. Pikes Peak will be my staple run leading up to Hard Rock, it did a good job preparing me last year so why not go back and suffer a little more.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
12 myles - 1.31:08
East/West HR loop - Noon
windy, partly cloudy, upper 70s
mind/body - tired
medium effort
Didn't feel it today. Body, mind, legs - all tired. As long as I don't get injured I need to keep running on tired legs, this is the only way I will survive the Kokopelli trail for 6 days.
This course is relatively easy with less than 1000ft of elevation but the climbing comes in spurts which allows for recovery. Today my max HR was 170, avg 156, and an avg speed of 7.9mph. I'm beginning to like this watch because I'm learning how to work it.
windy, partly cloudy, upper 70s
mind/body - tired
medium effort
Didn't feel it today. Body, mind, legs - all tired. As long as I don't get injured I need to keep running on tired legs, this is the only way I will survive the Kokopelli trail for 6 days.
This course is relatively easy with less than 1000ft of elevation but the climbing comes in spurts which allows for recovery. Today my max HR was 170, avg 156, and an avg speed of 7.9mph. I'm beginning to like this watch because I'm learning how to work it.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
15 myles - 2.00:12
Mt. Falcon - 1:00 p.m.
mild weather, mid 70's, partly cloudy
mind/body - clear/strong
medium effort
Started off the day with no intention of trying to get under 2 hours for the full loop at Falcon. Once I saw my first split I knew I could if I really pushed it. Here are my splits:
On another note, I bought a new watch - Suunto T3. It has a heart rate monitor and pedometer, which clips to the shoe. I normally don't like to be wired but I wanted to see how high I could get my heart rate without dying, Mt. Falcon is the perfect place for that! I was surprised that I didn't even notice it once I got going. Today my max HR was 181, with an average of 158. I think the pedometer is pretty accurate, it measured 14.74 myles for the entire loop. The map reads 13.9 for the entire loop - pretty close. Good run as always at Falcon!
mild weather, mid 70's, partly cloudy
mind/body - clear/strong
medium effort
Started off the day with no intention of trying to get under 2 hours for the full loop at Falcon. Once I saw my first split I knew I could if I really pushed it. Here are my splits:
- Turkey Trot - 17:14
- Shelter - 29:30 (didn't stop watch for Walkers dream or two dog)
- Start Parmalee - 50:45
- End Parmalee - 1.09:47
- End Old Ute - 1.34:09
On another note, I bought a new watch - Suunto T3. It has a heart rate monitor and pedometer, which clips to the shoe. I normally don't like to be wired but I wanted to see how high I could get my heart rate without dying, Mt. Falcon is the perfect place for that! I was surprised that I didn't even notice it once I got going. Today my max HR was 181, with an average of 158. I think the pedometer is pretty accurate, it measured 14.74 myles for the entire loop. The map reads 13.9 for the entire loop - pretty close. Good run as always at Falcon!
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
May 19-26 2008
Playing catch up here. The last couple of weeks have been pretty busy traveling on business and then on vacation. Having said that I'll get caught up by wrapping it up into one post.
As soon as I got home on Friday at 10 am, I did the ol' quick change and we were out the door by noon on our way to Deadwood, South Dakota. SOUTH DAKOTA?!?!? ....WHY??? Good question, the short answer is that our friends invited us to stay in their cabin for the weekend. The long answer is that I was supposed to go run the Deadwood Mickelson trail marathon but for some reason they changed the weekend but none of the families could change their days and the cabin was booked up for the next week. Therefore I decided to run my own Mickelson trail marathon and guess what, I won! Here's a picture of the trail:
It's basically a super highway - hardly a trail, at least not ones that I run. It's an old rail line that spans 109 myles through some pretty nice forest. I ran on this trail for 3 days and just took different sections with out and backs. In all I did about 30 myles of the trail. But again, I did NOT get any heat training in. Here is a picture to set the weather scene:
Yeah! That's 4 inches of snow on my car this morning! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?! I am about to run in the desert for 6 days with 100+ degrees and this is what "she" throws at me?!?! Someone is trying to be funny..... Maybe she's trying to get me ready for Hard Rock? (which by the way is officially on) Gonna be lots of the white stuff in the San Juans! Anyways great weekend in Deadwood, South Dakota. The highlight of the trip was Mt Rushmore. Talk about awe-inspiring! If you've never been you have to see it for yourself, pictures don't do it justice.
All in all it's been a fantastic two weeks for me. I have had a good dose of what makes my ticker tick: Epic runs with good friends, quality time with my parents, business knowledge, awe-inspiring sights, and most of all quality time with my family. Life is all about a good job, good family, and good friends. I feel very fortunate.
- Mon May 19th - Off
- Tues May 20th - AM 5 myles 35:55 University of Utah hills - legs were sore PM 7 myles 54:34 City Creek Canyon - A little elevation, felt better
- Wed May 21st - 8 myles 58:58 City Creek Canyon/BST - Feeling really good, a little stiff
- Thurs May 22nd - Off (Blues Traveler)
- Fri May 23rd - Off (Traveled to Deadwood, South Dakota)
- Sat May 24th - 22 myles 2.52:23 Mickelson Trail - About 500ft of elevation first 10 myles
- Sun May 25th - 20 myles 2.34:27 Mickelson Trail - Recovered really well from yesterday
- Mon May 26th - 14 myles 1.41:55 Mickelson Trail - Still feeling good despite previous day
As soon as I got home on Friday at 10 am, I did the ol' quick change and we were out the door by noon on our way to Deadwood, South Dakota. SOUTH DAKOTA?!?!? ....WHY??? Good question, the short answer is that our friends invited us to stay in their cabin for the weekend. The long answer is that I was supposed to go run the Deadwood Mickelson trail marathon but for some reason they changed the weekend but none of the families could change their days and the cabin was booked up for the next week. Therefore I decided to run my own Mickelson trail marathon and guess what, I won! Here's a picture of the trail:
It's basically a super highway - hardly a trail, at least not ones that I run. It's an old rail line that spans 109 myles through some pretty nice forest. I ran on this trail for 3 days and just took different sections with out and backs. In all I did about 30 myles of the trail. But again, I did NOT get any heat training in. Here is a picture to set the weather scene:
Yeah! That's 4 inches of snow on my car this morning! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?! I am about to run in the desert for 6 days with 100+ degrees and this is what "she" throws at me?!?! Someone is trying to be funny..... Maybe she's trying to get me ready for Hard Rock? (which by the way is officially on) Gonna be lots of the white stuff in the San Juans! Anyways great weekend in Deadwood, South Dakota. The highlight of the trip was Mt Rushmore. Talk about awe-inspiring! If you've never been you have to see it for yourself, pictures don't do it justice.
All in all it's been a fantastic two weeks for me. I have had a good dose of what makes my ticker tick: Epic runs with good friends, quality time with my parents, business knowledge, awe-inspiring sights, and most of all quality time with my family. Life is all about a good job, good family, and good friends. I feel very fortunate.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
20 myles - 3.56:01
Indian/Bonneville Shoreline Trail - 7:00 a.m.
clear, breezy, 60's to start, 90's to finish
mind/body - good
easy effort
This is what it's all about: running with good friends on the home turf! Aric Manning, Scott Mendoza, and Phil Mendoza all joined me for a run on their home course. I have been looking forward to running with these guys for quite some time and they didn't disappoint.
Of all the years I lived in Utah I can't believe I've never been on these trails. The first part of the run goes back into Ogden canyon on the Indian trail. Apparently the Indians used this trail to get in and out of the canyon to get to the valley. This trail is well maintained with some awesome trail work to keep it in place, basically etched right out of the side of the cliff. If I lived in Utah this would be my staple run because it's almost 6 myles long from point to point and some good vertical both ways.
We looped back around to the cars refueled and headed South on the Bonneville Shoreline trail. Phil had done the Ogden marathon the day before so I wasn't sure how far he would go but he was chasing quails around the parking lot so I thought he'd go all 20. Phil turned around and made it a 14 mile day because apparently chasing quails takes it outta ya. Scott made it just over 14 myles and headed out before the traffic began on this highly popular mountain biking trail. Aric made it the full 20 without regret! There is nothing better for training than back to back long days and with the day Aric and I had yesterday coupled with today, he is ready to take on Squaw Peak 50 miler. I predict Aric will go under 12 hours.
As for me, I had a stellar week! I ended up with 91 myles! I did have the Achilles soreness on Wednesday which scared me a bit but it seems as if I've rebounded. I felt better on this run today towards the end than I have all week. I realize I'm at a lower altitude but I believe the 20 mile runs are starting to pay off.
clear, breezy, 60's to start, 90's to finish
mind/body - good
easy effort
This is what it's all about: running with good friends on the home turf! Aric Manning, Scott Mendoza, and Phil Mendoza all joined me for a run on their home course. I have been looking forward to running with these guys for quite some time and they didn't disappoint.
Of all the years I lived in Utah I can't believe I've never been on these trails. The first part of the run goes back into Ogden canyon on the Indian trail. Apparently the Indians used this trail to get in and out of the canyon to get to the valley. This trail is well maintained with some awesome trail work to keep it in place, basically etched right out of the side of the cliff. If I lived in Utah this would be my staple run because it's almost 6 myles long from point to point and some good vertical both ways.
We looped back around to the cars refueled and headed South on the Bonneville Shoreline trail. Phil had done the Ogden marathon the day before so I wasn't sure how far he would go but he was chasing quails around the parking lot so I thought he'd go all 20. Phil turned around and made it a 14 mile day because apparently chasing quails takes it outta ya. Scott made it just over 14 myles and headed out before the traffic began on this highly popular mountain biking trail. Aric made it the full 20 without regret! There is nothing better for training than back to back long days and with the day Aric and I had yesterday coupled with today, he is ready to take on Squaw Peak 50 miler. I predict Aric will go under 12 hours.
As for me, I had a stellar week! I ended up with 91 myles! I did have the Achilles soreness on Wednesday which scared me a bit but it seems as if I've rebounded. I felt better on this run today towards the end than I have all week. I realize I'm at a lower altitude but I believe the 20 mile runs are starting to pay off.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
20 myles - 5.19:26
Grandeur Peak Utah - 7:00 a.m.
clear, 80's, dry trail
mind/body - not really willing
hard effort
Relentless, brutal, unforgiving, Achilles breaker, quad masher. These are all terms that could define Grandeur Peak loop.
I traveled to Utah to attend a week long meeting in SLC so I took advantage of getting out on the trail with good friends. My initial plan was to take Aric on the first 40 myles of the Wasatch course but because of snow levels we were unable to see any part of the course. Christian Johnson was nice enough to invite us to a small gathering organized by Erik Storheim to run the Grandeur peak loop on the East bench of SLC. When he sent me the email the two words that popped out at me was "unrelenting climbs". I knew I wanted some climbing so Aric and joined in on the fun. To my surprise this was more of a race to some, even with a couple of aid stations. I knew I wasn't racing so no big deal, I just wanted to spend some time on the trail with Aric. And this is just what the doc ordered for Aric as he prepares for the mighty Wasatch.
The loop is around 10 myles long with just about 5000ft of elevation gain. That is one steep mutha-humma! We took our time going around, catching up, and just enjoying being on the trail together. Took us just over 3 hours to do the first loop and then we headed out for another as the day heated up quite nicely. The second loop we went in the opposite direction just to mix it up. We ended up going over the first steep climb, dropping into Millcreek canyon then going up the aid station about 5 myles in. We then turned around and headed back down Millcreek canyon road, bypassing the other climbs because our legs we toast. In all we climbed just over 8000 ft and got a little heat training in.
Going into this run I was really nervous about my Achilles because it had been sore and with all this climbing I could have done some serious damage. I'm happy to report that my Achilles held up and wasn't any worse than when I started.
clear, 80's, dry trail
mind/body - not really willing
hard effort
Relentless, brutal, unforgiving, Achilles breaker, quad masher. These are all terms that could define Grandeur Peak loop.
I traveled to Utah to attend a week long meeting in SLC so I took advantage of getting out on the trail with good friends. My initial plan was to take Aric on the first 40 myles of the Wasatch course but because of snow levels we were unable to see any part of the course. Christian Johnson was nice enough to invite us to a small gathering organized by Erik Storheim to run the Grandeur peak loop on the East bench of SLC. When he sent me the email the two words that popped out at me was "unrelenting climbs". I knew I wanted some climbing so Aric and joined in on the fun. To my surprise this was more of a race to some, even with a couple of aid stations. I knew I wasn't racing so no big deal, I just wanted to spend some time on the trail with Aric. And this is just what the doc ordered for Aric as he prepares for the mighty Wasatch.
The loop is around 10 myles long with just about 5000ft of elevation gain. That is one steep mutha-humma! We took our time going around, catching up, and just enjoying being on the trail together. Took us just over 3 hours to do the first loop and then we headed out for another as the day heated up quite nicely. The second loop we went in the opposite direction just to mix it up. We ended up going over the first steep climb, dropping into Millcreek canyon then going up the aid station about 5 myles in. We then turned around and headed back down Millcreek canyon road, bypassing the other climbs because our legs we toast. In all we climbed just over 8000 ft and got a little heat training in.
Going into this run I was really nervous about my Achilles because it had been sore and with all this climbing I could have done some serious damage. I'm happy to report that my Achilles held up and wasn't any worse than when I started.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
19 myles - 2.21:10
Waterton/CT - 10:30 a.m.
mid 60's, partly cloudy, muddy trail on CT
mind/body - hesitant
easy effort
Legs seemed a little heavy going out but warmed up to a decent level. In fact, I just checked my log book to find out how fast/slow my time was to Lenny's rest. Today was 56:06, which is the fastest I've clocked by 30 seconds, having said that I was a little wacky once I got up there. I had to rest and when I started again I felt a twinge in my right calf, stopped again and massaged it but it never went away. As I approached my turn around it felt like it was gonna rip in half! Turned around a little short of 10 myles and started down, going down seemed to help but I could tell it was still there. I hobbled for the next 5 myles and then all of sudden it went away. Once I finished both calves seemed tight and began to cramp a bit, not sure what's going on here. To top it off, as I write this entry an old, familiar pain has returned to my left Achilles. It hasn't hurt for 4 months and now it's a little tender. I didn't feel it running so maybe that's a good sign but now it's in my head. I will be mindful of it for the next couple of days and rest if I feel anything beyond today.
mid 60's, partly cloudy, muddy trail on CT
mind/body - hesitant
easy effort
Legs seemed a little heavy going out but warmed up to a decent level. In fact, I just checked my log book to find out how fast/slow my time was to Lenny's rest. Today was 56:06, which is the fastest I've clocked by 30 seconds, having said that I was a little wacky once I got up there. I had to rest and when I started again I felt a twinge in my right calf, stopped again and massaged it but it never went away. As I approached my turn around it felt like it was gonna rip in half! Turned around a little short of 10 myles and started down, going down seemed to help but I could tell it was still there. I hobbled for the next 5 myles and then all of sudden it went away. Once I finished both calves seemed tight and began to cramp a bit, not sure what's going on here. To top it off, as I write this entry an old, familiar pain has returned to my left Achilles. It hasn't hurt for 4 months and now it's a little tender. I didn't feel it running so maybe that's a good sign but now it's in my head. I will be mindful of it for the next couple of days and rest if I feel anything beyond today.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
10 myles - 1.11:33
Daniels Park - 8:00 a.m.
Rain/Snow mix, mucky mud, upper 30's
mind/body - Surprisingly good
easy effort
A RAIN/SNOW mix?!?!? Hey wait-a-minute.... that's not what I ordered! I want my money back! I think someone is settin' me up to die in the desert. I'm not very good in the heat anyway so either I get some heat over the next month or suffer mightily at Desert RATS.
The hardest part about the run today was getting out the door because it was miserable outside. But once I got going, I was fine. I felt good clocking my first/last in: 7:02/6:55. This latest snowstorm dumped a couple feet in the mountains and with the decision to hold Hard Rock coming this weekend, makes it pretty bleak.
Rain/Snow mix, mucky mud, upper 30's
mind/body - Surprisingly good
easy effort
A RAIN/SNOW mix?!?!? Hey wait-a-minute.... that's not what I ordered! I want my money back! I think someone is settin' me up to die in the desert. I'm not very good in the heat anyway so either I get some heat over the next month or suffer mightily at Desert RATS.
The hardest part about the run today was getting out the door because it was miserable outside. But once I got going, I was fine. I felt good clocking my first/last in: 7:02/6:55. This latest snowstorm dumped a couple feet in the mountains and with the decision to hold Hard Rock coming this weekend, makes it pretty bleak.
Monday, May 12, 2008
22 myles - 2.38:41
Daniels Park/HR loop - 9:00 a.m.
North wind, mid 70's, partly cloudy
mind/body - decent
medium effort
I mapped out a new course today, combining my standard 16 mile run down to Daniels Park and adding on the HR loop trail. As I started I wasn't sure of the distance but once I worked it out in my head I figured around 22 myles. I didn't feel the best today but then again I didn't feel the worst, just a standard long run. I averaged about 7:15/mile with about 1100ft of elevation gain. When I don't have the time to drive anywhere and I need a long run, this will be my regular. It mixes hard pack dirt roads, gravel roads, asphalt, and single track all into one run.
It was only in the mid 70's today and I still struggled with the heat a bit. I only took one bottle of water and two gels so that might be the problem. I need to get better puttin' down the H2O.
North wind, mid 70's, partly cloudy
mind/body - decent
medium effort
I mapped out a new course today, combining my standard 16 mile run down to Daniels Park and adding on the HR loop trail. As I started I wasn't sure of the distance but once I worked it out in my head I figured around 22 myles. I didn't feel the best today but then again I didn't feel the worst, just a standard long run. I averaged about 7:15/mile with about 1100ft of elevation gain. When I don't have the time to drive anywhere and I need a long run, this will be my regular. It mixes hard pack dirt roads, gravel roads, asphalt, and single track all into one run.
It was only in the mid 70's today and I still struggled with the heat a bit. I only took one bottle of water and two gels so that might be the problem. I need to get better puttin' down the H2O.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
May 5 - 11 2008
- Mon - 11 myles
- Tues - 16 myles
- Wed - off
- Thurs - 16 myles
- Fri - 10 myles
- Sat - 13 myles
- Sun - off
- Total - 66 myles
Pic of the week -New Pearl Izumi-Smith team logo
Well things are starting to shape up with the new ultra running team. I believe kits from PI are being screen printed right now and should be shipped within a couple weeks, the website is under construction and should be done soon, and the team members are coming together quite nicely. Not sure when they are going to officially launch the team but a lot of big races are coming up and I know they wanna have the team decked out in the gear.
Great week this week! Usually the week after a race is a recover week but just like after AR 50, I felt good again so I just kept running. I did have one down day on Friday but on Saturday I rebounded pretty well. That Saturday run was a new run for me over at Matthew Winters. For those of you who don't live here in Colorado, Matthew Winters cuts right through the famous Red Rocks amphitheater and then goes over a couple ridges called "The Hogbacks". I will frequent this place just to mix it up with Mt. Falcon as far as elevation is concerned. My uphill running is really strong right now, probably due to all the hill repeats I've been doing over at Sanctuary hill. I've really concentrated on my technique of shortening my stride, increasing my leg turnover, and trying to stand up as opposed to hunched over. I read somewhere that successful uphill runners have good form standing up right which opens up the lungs for easier breathing, seems to be helping.
Moving into next week I will try and get between 90-100 myles. It's a little stretch but at this point I need to stretch it because Desert RATS is a month away and 148 myles in 6 days. I'll try to get two 20+ mile runs in during the week, separated by two 10 mile runs. Then I'm off to Utah for a week long meeting on Friday, that's when the hometown running begins. I'll be running with Bad Manners on Saturday and Sunday along the Wasatch course. We plan on running the first 40 myles to Big Mountain. It's always nice to get back home and see family and friends - that's what it's all about isn't it? If you've got good family and good friends then chances are you have a good life. Oh and by the way, I finally beat Slash on Guitar Hero (medium level).
Quote of the week: The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is an attribute of the strong - Mahatma Gandhi
Happy Mothers Day!
Happy mothers day to all the moms out there! In particular the mom's I know: my mom (Alverna), my wife (Nicole), and mom-in-law (RaeJean). Not that I don't know any other moms but these are the moms that I interact with on a regular basis.
This day is for you! This day is a day to recognize ALL that you do - noticed and many times not noticed. You have all shaped my life in one way or another to make me the person I am today.
To my mom: you always wanted the best for your 3 kids, which I never understood growing up. A lot of the times I disagreed with you for the simple fact of disagreeing. But deep down in my heart I knew you loved me and wanted me to make the right decisions. One story in particular I can remember when I was 15 years old, I was trying out for a competitive soccer team in Bountiful, Utah called the Cougars. I stayed out till the early morning hours and I have to admit I had been drinking. You waited for me to come home and when I did you let me have it! Do you remember? You knew that I wouldn't be the best I could be with no sleep and hung over, I thought different. Needless to say I didn't make the team and so the message is that mothers are always right, I guess it's called mothers intuition?? You taught me that once I make a commitment to something it's all or nothing. And to this day I think that's the reason for my drive in work or play. Thanks mom!
And to you my wife, Nicole: Thank you for all that you do, you are the reason this family survives. You are the rock in which Jaxon, Myles, and myself look to for just about everything in our lives. We all take you for granted because you are always there. I remember when you took the boys to Utah for a week and I stayed here. That brief week was a wake up call for me. I know I'm not always the sounding board you need but I assure you I hear you. I might not say much but I hear you. Thanks for putting me in my place when I need it most, and most of all thanks for being my wife and mother of my children.
RaeJean my mother in law: You probably won't read this but I'll put a few words down just in case. Happy mothers day to you as well! Just like your daughter, you are solid as a rock! Even though it's rarely said, we appreciate all you do! You are a loving grandmother to my boys and you accept as your own. I couldn't ask for much more! Enjoy the day!
This day is for you! This day is a day to recognize ALL that you do - noticed and many times not noticed. You have all shaped my life in one way or another to make me the person I am today.
To my mom: you always wanted the best for your 3 kids, which I never understood growing up. A lot of the times I disagreed with you for the simple fact of disagreeing. But deep down in my heart I knew you loved me and wanted me to make the right decisions. One story in particular I can remember when I was 15 years old, I was trying out for a competitive soccer team in Bountiful, Utah called the Cougars. I stayed out till the early morning hours and I have to admit I had been drinking. You waited for me to come home and when I did you let me have it! Do you remember? You knew that I wouldn't be the best I could be with no sleep and hung over, I thought different. Needless to say I didn't make the team and so the message is that mothers are always right, I guess it's called mothers intuition?? You taught me that once I make a commitment to something it's all or nothing. And to this day I think that's the reason for my drive in work or play. Thanks mom!
And to you my wife, Nicole: Thank you for all that you do, you are the reason this family survives. You are the rock in which Jaxon, Myles, and myself look to for just about everything in our lives. We all take you for granted because you are always there. I remember when you took the boys to Utah for a week and I stayed here. That brief week was a wake up call for me. I know I'm not always the sounding board you need but I assure you I hear you. I might not say much but I hear you. Thanks for putting me in my place when I need it most, and most of all thanks for being my wife and mother of my children.
RaeJean my mother in law: You probably won't read this but I'll put a few words down just in case. Happy mothers day to you as well! Just like your daughter, you are solid as a rock! Even though it's rarely said, we appreciate all you do! You are a loving grandmother to my boys and you accept as your own. I couldn't ask for much more! Enjoy the day!
Saturday, May 10, 2008
13 myles - 1.56:49
Matthew Winters - 12:30 p.m.
gusting winds, partly cloudy, low 50's
mind/body - slow to start, strong to finish
medium effort
Ran with Tim Hola of Team Timex today. Just like Brian, any time I run with Tim the pace is always pushed. Having said that, it's so rewarding when we get done. Tim is very strong going up the hills and with Matthew Winters have a few big climbs, it's right up his alley. A total of 1820 ft of ascent per loop (6.67 myles), we ended up doing two loops for a total of 3640 ft for the day. First loop was run counter clockwise in 58:33, second loop was clockwise in 58:16.
For me with Hard Rock coming up this new run is exactly what I needed. Mt. Falcon is gettin' a little old or then again maybe it's just hard and I need some other runs to forget the Falcon punishment for a while. At any rate, it was a nice two hour run with a decent amount of vertical and technical trail. I felt really good today and hope the trend continues. A total of 66 myles this week, not bad for a week out from a race.
gusting winds, partly cloudy, low 50's
mind/body - slow to start, strong to finish
medium effort
Ran with Tim Hola of Team Timex today. Just like Brian, any time I run with Tim the pace is always pushed. Having said that, it's so rewarding when we get done. Tim is very strong going up the hills and with Matthew Winters have a few big climbs, it's right up his alley. A total of 1820 ft of ascent per loop (6.67 myles), we ended up doing two loops for a total of 3640 ft for the day. First loop was run counter clockwise in 58:33, second loop was clockwise in 58:16.
For me with Hard Rock coming up this new run is exactly what I needed. Mt. Falcon is gettin' a little old or then again maybe it's just hard and I need some other runs to forget the Falcon punishment for a while. At any rate, it was a nice two hour run with a decent amount of vertical and technical trail. I felt really good today and hope the trend continues. A total of 66 myles this week, not bad for a week out from a race.
Friday, May 9, 2008
10 myles - 1.11:24
Daniels Park - 9:00 a.m.
North wind, partly cloudy, mid 60's
mind/body - not peppy
easy effort
Usually I warm up after about a mile or so but not today. I just felt crappy for the entire run, just no juice in the legs. I really haven't taken a break since the race last Saturday so maybe this is just my body saying: WHOA! Need a little break here! No tweaks or aches to speak of just tired. I've put in 53 myles so far this week and with tomorrows run I should be in the mid 60's. Tomorrow is a new run for me, I'll be running with Tim Hola over at Matthew Winters State Park. It has about 6.5 myles worth of trails and about 1700 ft of elevation per loop, I plan to do two loops.
On another note, I messed up the format on my blog so I'll be spending the next couple of days messing with the HTML, which I know nothing about. All this because I added the New Pearl Izumi-Smith team logo. Looks good -huh-!
North wind, partly cloudy, mid 60's
mind/body - not peppy
easy effort
Usually I warm up after about a mile or so but not today. I just felt crappy for the entire run, just no juice in the legs. I really haven't taken a break since the race last Saturday so maybe this is just my body saying: WHOA! Need a little break here! No tweaks or aches to speak of just tired. I've put in 53 myles so far this week and with tomorrows run I should be in the mid 60's. Tomorrow is a new run for me, I'll be running with Tim Hola over at Matthew Winters State Park. It has about 6.5 myles worth of trails and about 1700 ft of elevation per loop, I plan to do two loops.
On another note, I messed up the format on my blog so I'll be spending the next couple of days messing with the HTML, which I know nothing about. All this because I added the New Pearl Izumi-Smith team logo. Looks good -huh-!
Thursday, May 8, 2008
16 myles - 1.51:41
Daniels Park - 9:00 a.m.
rainy-partly cloudy/wet/South wind
mind/body - fresh/no aches
medium effort
Puttin' a good solid week so far. My thought for today was to go early to avoid the typical springtime Colorado afternoon thunderstorm..... didn't happen! As I started, I looked to the West and noticed a dark band of clouds but couldn't tell which way they were moving because the wind was swirling. As I got to my turnaround it started to rain horizontal - guess dem clouds were a-movin' East towards me! The rain only lasted 20 minutes but numbed me to the bone. I'm lookin' outside right now and it's pretty much blue skies, crazy Colorado weather.
Despite all that I still put in a good time, 2nd fastest on this course. And I felt really good the entire way. First/last splits were: 6:55/6:35. Fitness is coming around! No more cold, bring on the heat!
rainy-partly cloudy/wet/South wind
mind/body - fresh/no aches
medium effort
Puttin' a good solid week so far. My thought for today was to go early to avoid the typical springtime Colorado afternoon thunderstorm..... didn't happen! As I started, I looked to the West and noticed a dark band of clouds but couldn't tell which way they were moving because the wind was swirling. As I got to my turnaround it started to rain horizontal - guess dem clouds were a-movin' East towards me! The rain only lasted 20 minutes but numbed me to the bone. I'm lookin' outside right now and it's pretty much blue skies, crazy Colorado weather.
Despite all that I still put in a good time, 2nd fastest on this course. And I felt really good the entire way. First/last splits were: 6:55/6:35. Fitness is coming around! No more cold, bring on the heat!
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
16 myles - 2.07:16
Deer Creek - 3:00 p.m.
mid 60's, clouds moving in, dry trail
mind/body - eager/slow to start
medium effort
Another fine day on the mountain! There is about 2600ft of elevation gain at Deer Creek with some spectacular single track - some of the finest around. I added on Black Bear trail today that adds just over 700 ft of elevation. I didn't feel like adding it on the way out but by the time I got back to it I was in a good rhythm so I shot down it. Going down the trail a red fox was carrying a meal in it's mouth and was coming right towards me, I made some noises but it wasn't gettin' off the trail! What the hell?!? I stopped but it was still comin' - I can see the headlines now "man mauled by small red fox". Finally the little fox veered off the trail and was out of sight. On the way back up, at about the same area, I saw a cute little baby fox that scared the bajeezes out of me! This cute little brown/gray creature nearly sideswiped me on the trail! I jumped, turned around and little fox crossed the trail as if it had never seen me. Where was mama? I didn't stick around to find out. I shot back up the hill and back to my car with a little adrenaline rush. Here I am thinking about Cougars and what they will do to me, now I'm wondering what a mama fox will do to me...... what next a rabid squirrel??
mid 60's, clouds moving in, dry trail
mind/body - eager/slow to start
medium effort
Another fine day on the mountain! There is about 2600ft of elevation gain at Deer Creek with some spectacular single track - some of the finest around. I added on Black Bear trail today that adds just over 700 ft of elevation. I didn't feel like adding it on the way out but by the time I got back to it I was in a good rhythm so I shot down it. Going down the trail a red fox was carrying a meal in it's mouth and was coming right towards me, I made some noises but it wasn't gettin' off the trail! What the hell?!? I stopped but it was still comin' - I can see the headlines now "man mauled by small red fox". Finally the little fox veered off the trail and was out of sight. On the way back up, at about the same area, I saw a cute little baby fox that scared the bajeezes out of me! This cute little brown/gray creature nearly sideswiped me on the trail! I jumped, turned around and little fox crossed the trail as if it had never seen me. Where was mama? I didn't stick around to find out. I shot back up the hill and back to my car with a little adrenaline rush. Here I am thinking about Cougars and what they will do to me, now I'm wondering what a mama fox will do to me...... what next a rabid squirrel??
Monday, May 5, 2008
11 myles - 1.14:04
East/West HR loop trail - 10:30 a.m.
60's, no wind, light layer of clouds
mind/body - really good!
easy effort
Today was a very important run for me. Normally after a race I like to do 6 myles the next day to work out the lactic acid but since Desert RATS is coming up I thought I'd simulate a bit. The crux of Desert RATS is the 50 mile day, followed by a marathon. The trick is to get done with the 50 mile day so that you can have a day off before the marathon. (50 mile day4/5, 26.2 mile day 6) Some people will take 18 hours to do the 50 mile day and that way they won't have a day off.
Having said that, today was a day to test my multi-day running fitness. I'm here to report I felt absolutely GREAT! Legs were a little slow to respond initially but once they got going I had no soreness or tweaks of any kind. Albeit I only went 11 myles and in the race I'll have to more than double that, but I have time to get there. I think half the battle getting out the door to run is not the body but the mind. If your mind is weak, then you talk yourself out of it. I was looking forward to the run today because I wanted to judge my fitness. I'd say pretty good so far!
60's, no wind, light layer of clouds
mind/body - really good!
easy effort
Today was a very important run for me. Normally after a race I like to do 6 myles the next day to work out the lactic acid but since Desert RATS is coming up I thought I'd simulate a bit. The crux of Desert RATS is the 50 mile day, followed by a marathon. The trick is to get done with the 50 mile day so that you can have a day off before the marathon. (50 mile day4/5, 26.2 mile day 6) Some people will take 18 hours to do the 50 mile day and that way they won't have a day off.
Having said that, today was a day to test my multi-day running fitness. I'm here to report I felt absolutely GREAT! Legs were a little slow to respond initially but once they got going I had no soreness or tweaks of any kind. Albeit I only went 11 myles and in the race I'll have to more than double that, but I have time to get there. I think half the battle getting out the door to run is not the body but the mind. If your mind is weak, then you talk yourself out of it. I was looking forward to the run today because I wanted to judge my fitness. I'd say pretty good so far!
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Collegiate Peaks 50 mile - 7.26:36 1st place
Sorry didn't bring the camera so all you get is the race logo.
It was a quick trip. I watched the boys while Nicole played soccer on Friday night so I left late. After that I picked up Brian Fisher and we headed up to his cabin in Leadville. Leadville is about 1/2 hour from Buena Vista but worlds apart. Buena Vista is part of the banana belt so often times they get wacky weather, having said that I was sure we were gonna being running in snow because it had snowed in Highlands Ranch two days before. To my surprise as Brian and I showed up in Buena Vista @ 6:10 race morning, no snow in sight and the ground was completely dry. The race started @ 6:30 so Brian and I were scrambling to get checked in and get to the start line in time, we made it and we were off. Going into the race, Brian had decided to make this a training race because he hasn't done any races or longer runs up to this point. I had other ideas because I HAD been racing and feeling very good going into this race.
CP 50 is a two loop course that is composed of a little more than 3500 ft of elevation gain per loop (7000+ total) with an average elevation of 8500ft. There are two races going on at once, 25 mile and 50 mile. Having said that it's really hard to tell who is racing which race, other than a few really fast guys off the front immediately.
Here is how the race unfolded:
Brian and I are pretty evenly matched as far as pace goes so I was really surprised 5 minutes into the race Brian was nowhere to be found.... guess this really was a training run for him. I saw a pack of 6 guys way out there and a string of others 400 yards in front of me. As hard as they were running up those hills I had to assume they were all 25 milers. For the entire first loop I felt completely relaxed, not breathing hard at all. I had no idea what my splits were from 2005 so I just had to go on feel. I wanted to do the first loop in 3.30 to ensure a 7.20ish finish. Well I came to the turnaround @ 3.25 - yikes! A little fast! 5 minutes doesn't seem like that much but it was enough for me to slow up and cruise the first 5 myles on the second loop. The second loop is in the opposite direction which in my mind was easier. I came to the 50K mark in 4.35 - happy because I still felt relatively good. I thought in 2005 I went through the 50K in 5.05 but as I got home and looked I actually went through in 5.25, I was nearly 1 hour up on my time from 2005 (7.55). Looking back if I would of held on I could have broken 7 hours. Still feeling good through mile 36 the last big climb begins and that's where I started feeling it. With just about 12 myles to go I had a sudden feeling of nausea which slowed me down for about 10 minutes. I'm not sure why that happened because I was on top of my eating, drinking, and electrolytes. I knew I'd come back if I just took it easy for a bit. I got into a nice rhythm as I started the last big downhill and felt like I was making up time. As you will see from my splits I was actually going slower than I thought. I'll list my 2005 and 2008 splits side by side so you can see I really slowed down the last 12 myles, guess I didn't come back as much as I'd like to. One caveat here, in 2005 I was chasing two guys the final 13 myles so that might have been the reason for faster splits. Yesterday I had not seen anyone all day so it was kind of De-motivating. Anyway here are my splits:
- 2005 2008
- AS 1 mile 5.7 - 50.32 46.26
- AS 2 mile 11.7 - 1.43 1.35
- AS 3 mile 14.6 - 2.07 1.58
- AS 4 mile 17.9 - 2.44 2.29
- AS 5 mile 21.8 - 3.15 3.00
- AS 6 mile 25 - 3.44 3.25
- AS 7 mile 28.2 - 4.35 3.55
- AS 8 mile 32.1 - 5.32 4.36
- AS 9 mile 35.4 - 6.06 5.05
- AS 10 mile 38.3 - 6.35 5.37
- AS 11 mile 44.3 - 7.23 6.35
- Finish 7.55 7.26
All in all it was a good day and I'm very happy with my time. I think if I had a perfect race I could get in the 7.15 range, nowhere near Tony Krupicka's record of 6.53. Brian ended up finishing 4th overall with a time of 8.13 - not bad for a training run Fish! Afterwards Brian and I sat around and drank a couple of our favorite beverages. Great way to spend a Saturday, hangin' out on the trail with good buddies and washin' it down with the good drink.
Next race - Desert RATS stage race. Here comes the heat training!
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