Week Summary 3/19 - 3/25

Monday              

PM: 14 miles, Aerobic, South Platte Trail

Tuesday

AM: 3 miles, Recovery, South Platte Trail

AM: core strength/stretching

PM: 12 miles, 3180’, Mt. Falcon

This was the second week of the Tuesday run at Mt. Falcon. My times for both laps were faster than last week, due in part to the snow free trails. My pace for ascent 1 was 9:59 and for ascent 2 was 10:25.

Wednesday

AM: 14 miles, Aerobic, South Platte Trail

PM: 3 miles, Recovery, Cherry Creek Trail

Thursday

AM: core strength/stretching

PM: 7.25 miles, Hill Workout, Treadmill

I warmed up with an easy mile, then set the treadmill incline to 15% for one hour. I made it 5.25 miles, which equates to almost 4200’ of climbing. Not bad for a run over my lunch break.

PM: 3 miles, Recovery, Cherry Creek Trail
I went to see Dr. Stripling after work today for some active release therapy on my achilles. I've been going quite regularly over the past few months and I really think that it's been helping to prevent the tendonitis that I suffered from last year.

Friday

PM: 10 miles, Aerobic, South Platte Trail

Saturday

AM: 21 miles, 8410’, Boulder

Drew and I parked at NCAR and got an early, 6am start. We headed north on the Mesa trail and ended up summiting Flagstaff Mtn, then ran back down to Chautauqua Meadows. From there we hiked up Saddle Rock to the summit of Green Mtn, then ran south to the less crowded Bear Pk. On the way we passed a group of 6 guys led by Dave Mackey. Pretty cool. This was my first time on Bear Pk and I really enjoyed the views from the summit.

From Bear Pk we headed south to the snowy summit of South Boulder Peak then made our way down Shadow Canyon. This was another new trail for me and I really enjoyed the technical trails. You definitely have to pay attention on these trails! Shadow Canyon trail connects to the Mesa Trail which leads back to NCAR. With a couple miles to go I decided that I still wasn’t quite ready to be finished so I hiked up Fern Canyon for a second summit of Bear Pk; about 3 miles round trip and 2000 feet of climbing.

Overall this was a great day on a lot of new trails. I really enjoyed the steep, technical terrain.

Hardrock training

summit of Green Mtn

looking back towards Green Mtn from the west ridge of Bear Pk

Drew on top of Bear Pk

Sunday

AM: 4 miles, 1666’, Loveland Pass

I got out for a hike with Jess, Matt, Phil and my mom. It was a bit windy, but otherwise a beautiful day in the mountains. If we don’t get any snow this week I plan to get back to the big mountains next weekend for some running.

near Loveland Pass with Grays and Torreys in the background

PM: 4 miles, Recovery, Cherry Creek Trail

This was another good week of training. I’m really enjoying my schedule during the week, where I have some tough hill/trail runs on Tuesday and Thursday and flat/easier runs the other 3 days. I really loved getting on new trails this week and will continue to seek out fresh terrain this spring.

 

Recap

Time: 16:51

Miles: 95.6

Vert: 18,146’

Week Summary 3/12 - 3/18

Monday              

AM: core strength/stretching

PM: 6 miles, Recovery, South Platte Trail

Tuesday 

AM: core strength/stretching

PM: 12 miles, 3194’, Mt. Falcon

It had been since December, but I finally made it out to the trails during the week! Pretty pathetic… However, I really want to integrate this workout into my schedule on a regular basis. I ran two laps of Mt. Falcon, with the first lap coming in at 51:08 and the second lap at 51:45. I was really working hard on the ascents, with my heart rate lingering in the low 170s.

Wednesday

AM: 10 miles, Aerobic, South Platte Trail

PM: core strength/stretching

PM: 3 miles, Recovery, Cherry Creek Trail

Thursday

PM: 7 miles, Hill Workout, Treadmill

I’m not a huge fan of the treadmill, but it is a great way to get in some hill training without having to drive out to the trails. I warmed up for a mile, then set the incline at 15% with the intention of seeing how far I could get in one hour. I managed to make it just over 5 miles which I was really happy with. This equated to 3,976’ of climbing.

Friday

AM: core strength/stretching

PM: 6 miles, Aerobic, South Platte Trail

Saturday

AM: 26 miles, 5778’, JeffCo Trail Marathon
Link to Garmin Connect data with interactive map

I got out for a solo run that linked together some of my favorite trails in Jefferson County. It was a lariat (lollipop) that included: Chimney Gulch, Apex, Dinosaur Ridge and Red Rocks trails, with a summit of Mt. Morrison thrown in there to add some climbing. I would love to make this an official race course. I could even add a section out to Green Mountain to make a 50k, and a climb of Mt. Falcon for the 50 mile course. Anyone with race directing experience want to help me out??

Golden from the top of Lookout Mountain (Chimney Gulch trail)

Mt. Morrison from Dinosaur Ridge

Red Rocks and Mt. Falcon from Dinosaur Ridge

Mt. Evans from the top of Mt. Morrison

2 miles, 1600 feet above Morrison Road

running with wet feet for Hardrock training

Sunday

AM: 6 miles, 2601’, Green Mountain (Boulder)

Jess and I took a road trip to Boulder for a change of scenery. The trails up to the summit were mostly snow free, aside from the last quarter mile.

Jess enjoying the views from the summit of Green Mountain

PM: 4 miles, Recovery, Cherry Creek Trail

Pretty solid week. It was my goal after Salida to focus more on vert and less on mileage. This happened to be my best week this year in terms of climbing. I basically substituted my tempo run and interval session with more climbing, and I plan to make that my usual routine.

 

Recap

Time: 14:39

Miles: 80.1

Vert: 16,345’

Salida Marathon Race Report

Date: 3/10/12

Stats: 26.2 miles; ~4,850’ elevation gain

Results: 3:38:03; 11^th overall

This past Saturday I had the pleasure of running the Salida Run Through Time trail marathon. I heard really good things about this event and I was looking forward to racing for the first time in almost 6 months. I had high expectations going into this race. My training had been solid throughout the winter and I was excited to see how I felt in a race situation. Jess and I drove down from Denver the night before and stayed at America's Best Value Inn. There's a reason that's the cheapest place in town. Oh well, it still beat getting up at 4am and driving down on Saturday.

The first 2 miles were fast, probably too fast. It’s easy to get caught up in the hype when you’re tapered and excited. After a couple flat miles at 6:25 pace, the trail starts the 2,000 foot climb from the Arkansas River up Tenderfoot Hill. The pace slowed and the field spread out a bit. The scenery and trails were amazing and the first hour flew by.

At mile 7.5 the single track met up with County Road 175, where runners would continue climbing for another 5 miles until the turnaround point. The incline of the dirt road is low enough that I should have been able to keep a steady pace, but for some reason I just wasn’t feeling it. It was probably a combination of going out too quickly and not drinking enough water. Whatever the reason, my reduced pace allowed a group of 5 guys to reel me in within a few minutes of getting on 175. Although it was nice to chat briefly with Brandon, Drew and Kyle, I was really frustrated that I couldn’t keep pace with them. All I could do was hope that I would catch a second wind.

At the 12.5 mile mark, runners turn around and run back down 175 for a mile before returning to single track for the final 12ish miles. This allowed me to catch a glimpse of the leaders and see how much ground I had lost over the 5 mile slog up 175. I hit the turnaround at an average pace of 8:00, giving me a good chance of breaking 3:30. That would require me to keep the same pace for the remainder of the race, but it was mostly downhill from here so it should have been feasible.

However, as the miles added up and the temperature rose, my lack of water and calories started to catch up with me. I kind of knew that I was digging myself deeper into a hole, but I didn’t feel like eating or drinking. I cruised through an aid station at mile 14…my main priority was to not lose more ground to the guys in front of me. In hindsight I should have stopped here for a minute to refuel for the final 12 miles back to town.

I ran that final 12 miles alone and I actually made up one position. Despite being mostly downhill, my pace slowed noticeably on the way back to the finish line in Salida. I just didn’t have the energy to produce any kind of leg turnover. The trail was mostly in good shape, with occasional patches of soft snow and mud. I could see the footprints from the runners ahead of me and I was frustrated that I couldn’t put up more of a fight and close the gap.

I was not disappointed with my time, but I know that I have the potential to improve. I definitely learned a few things which will hopefully benefit me in future races:  

1.      Don’t underestimate any distance.

I went into this with the mindset that “it’s only a marathon.” Sure that’s far, but I’ve been running that distance a decent amount lately. However, running that distance at race intensity is totally different. This leads me to the next one…

2.      Simulate a race environment during training runs more often.

Eat and drink while running. Force down food when I don’t feel like it. Add some sections of high intensity during a long workout. Run in the heat. Run at night. Take less social breaks. Always be moving.

3.      Pace myself.

A marathon is a tough distance when it comes to pacing. If you start off too fast (like I did) you’ll lose that time back, and then some, in the second half of the race. Start too slowly and you don’t have enough time/miles to make it up. This is something I need to practice more.

4.      Race day nutrition can be more important than fitness.

As I mentioned above, I did not pay enough attention to food and water. I need to figure this out. I’m still not sure if I like the hydration pack or hand helds, gels or real food, water or sports drink.

5.      Respect the Vibrams.

I was very impressed with Kyle’s 4^th place performance, wearing Vibrams nonetheless. I run with him a decent amount so I know he’s fast. But damn…
 

course map

a few miles into the race

post race "ice bath" in the Arkansas River

Drew, me, Kyle

Week Summary 3/5 - 3/11

This was an uneventful week, aside from the Salida Trail Marathon on Saturday. This is a quick recap of the week and a race report will follow shortly.

Monday              

PM: 5 miles, Recovery, South Platte Trail

Tuesday

AM: core strength/stretching

PM: 8 miles, Aerobic, South Platte Trail

Wednesday

AM: core strength/stretching

PM: 6 miles, Tempo, South Platte Trail

I threw in a couple quick miles in the middle to emphasize leg turnover for Saturday’s race.

Thursday

AM: core strength/stretching

PM: 4 miles, Recovery + Form, South Platte Trail

Friday

AM: 3 miles, Recovery + Form, South Platte Trail

Saturday

AM: 26.2 miles, 4852’, Salida Trail Marathon

Spent the morning running beautiful trails in great weather. A full race report to follow.

Sunday

PM: 3.5 miles, Recovery, Cherry Creek Trail

PM: core strength/stretching

 

Recap

Time: 9:48

Miles: 56.0

Vert: 5,131

Week Summary 2/27 - 3/4

Monday              

AM: core strength/stretching

PM: 6 miles, Recovery + Form, South Platte Trail

Tuesday

AM: core strength/stretching

PM: 11 miles, Intervals, South Platte Trail

Another tough session of mile repeats. Although these aren’t always enjoyable, I really do believe that they make me a better runner, which I guess is a good enough reason to do them. I warmed up with 3 miles then did 4 x 1 mile with a mile cool down jog after each one. I ran the miles in 5:47, 5:35, 5:43, 5:43.

Wednesday

AM: core strength/stretching

PM: 13 miles, Aerobic, South Platte Trail

Thursday

AM: 5 miles, Recovery, South Platte Trail

PM: 5 miles, Recovery, South Platte Trail

Today I felt good but decided to stick to the plan and get in a recovery day, mainly because I wanted to get in a quality run tomorrow.

Friday

AM: core strength/stretch

PM: 11 miles, Tempo, South Platte Trail

I warmed up for 3 miles, picked up the pace for 6, then cooled down for 2. I  ran the middle 6 at 6:29/mile.

Saturday

AM: 12.5 miles, 2175’, Centennial Cone

I enjoyed a beautiful day at Centennial Cone with my brothers and Drew, Kyle and Will. We ran a very relaxed 12.5 miles. Four of us are tapering for Salida so we were fine just getting out for an easy run. This was my second time at Centennial Cone. The first time I was here the trail was covered in 2 feet of snow. Today I actually got to run on the trail. Although this loop is relatively short, it is a great trail which is close to Denver.

PM: core strength/stretch

Sunday

AM: 8 miles, Intervals, Wash Park

I ran 8 miles with 4 x 800m repeats. Not quite as difficult as the mile repeats, but running fast is not easy.

PM: Bike Ride

Jess and I biked downtown and back, about 15 miles. This was the first time I’ve been on my bike in about 5 months! Wow that’s crazy. We biked at a pretty relaxed pace, but I was still sore afterwards. This definitely made me realize how much I enjoy/miss biking. As of now I’m not planning on any triathlons this year, but I still want to get out for an occasional bike ride.

 

Recap

Time: 13:32

Miles: 71.7

Vert: 2,777

I stuck to my training plan and felt really good with this past week. Being a relatively new runner, it feels really good to run 70 miles in an easy week. I got in a few quality workouts and am pumped for next weekend’s race!