Monthly Archives: May 2012

Bolder Boulder 2012

28 Monday May 2012

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I’ve run a few of these now so I expected rain.  Memorial Day had to be the best weather ever.  But that’s not why Steve is smiling in this pic.  And it’s not because he scored such a sweet parking spot in his firm’s lot near Walnut.  I think it’s because he ran a faster time than me today.  It’s the little things that make Steve happy.

I’m pretty happy too with today’s run.  I’m mixed because of how it ended up.  This is my 3rd year in a row running the BB and I improved my time last year from 2010.  I hoped to do so again today but accepted that wasn’t going to happen considering I haven’t run in 3 or 4 weeks.  But I still thought it might be possible to beat my age.  I did last year and thought this year would be a done deal.

I started off too fast as usual with a 7:43 mile.  I was shooting for an 8 minute mile average and that’s not too far under.  But really, I do much better if I start off with a 9 minute mile.  And that’s not an issue with a half marathon because there’s so many miles to make it up.  I was tired climbing the hill in mile 2 but figured 6 miles is so short from what I’m used to, I just need to hang on.  Mile 2 was in 8:02.  Mile 3 was slower in 8:36 and put my average over 8 minutes.  Mile 4 came in at 8:23 which wasn’t aggressive enough.  I felt like I’d run faster.  The 5th mile felt on target although not quite fast enough in 8:05.  I did the math on the run by keeping an over/under tally of seconds from 8 minutes per mile.  I’m 46 seconds over with 1.2 miles remaining.

I picked up my pace running down Folsom and tried to keep running strong as the street gained elevation after Arapaho.  I told myself I’d put on a kick if that’s what it took to run under 50 minutes.  I don’t generally kick in races.  Seriously, in half marathons – what’s the point?  I even typically slow down a bit for a cool down the last half mile.  This is not unusual behavior for older runners.

I think I would have made it.  After 6 miles I was under 49 minutes and as I turned down that little seemingly downhill stretch before ascending into Folsom Stadium, my stomach cramped up and I began to heave.  Dry heaves I suppose, but the same motion as vomiting.  I can’t remember the last decade I threw up during a race.  This added another minute when I only had 90 seconds of running left to go.  That’s a bummer and I am a tad bit irritated.  But as I thought about it, I heaved from pushing a hard pace that final mile.  Had I run slower, I would not have cramped up and lost those precious minutes right at the end, but then I would have been slower from start.

I’m amazed with myself for running that hard.  This shows something.  This is not the same Ed who slows down the final half mile.  I’m ready to run another 10K soon to try for under 50 again.  Still, I wish I hadn’t gotten sick in front of the camera that feeds the jumbo stadium video screen.  There’s just no privacy anymore.

I waited in the stadium for my other friends to finish.  Everyone seemed to have a good run.  Watching the runners come in is quite a spectacle.  My favorite was when they played an uncensored version of Little Lion Man and then cut it short – but not before a few F-bombs were released.  Next up – Steve is talking about running the Sunrise Stampede on June 9th.  I smell a rematch.

Chicago Lakes Trail

27 Sunday May 2012

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I met up with Rob Friday evening at the Tommyknocker Brewery on Miner Street in Idaho Springs.  The place was okay.  The town was hopping.  Families have started their summer RV excursions to Colorado.  A year ago today I was hiking across the Georgia Pass where the Colorado Trail first crosses the Continental Divide.  This weekend’s hike is the Chicago Lakes Trail at Mt. Evans.

Rob found us a killer camp site off Hwy 103 just south of Idaho Spings and a few miles north of the Chicago Lakes trail head at Echo Lake.  We enjoyed the view of a nice meadow from our camp site as we smoked Cohibas that I smuggled back from Mexico a week earlier.  I’m not much of a cigar smoker, but these were seriously smooth.  Very nice.  The temperature dropped quickly as the sun set.  Bummer there’s a fire ban but the Cohibas kept us warm.

We slept in late by typical standards, not waking up until sometime after 5:30am.  Rob brewed some coffee and then we drove a few miles further down Hwy 103 to the Echo Lake Lodge and trail head.  We started off planning to climb Mt. Evans but pulled up a couple of miles short.  The hiking was extremely slow going – 2.2 mph overall and 3.3 mph moving – as the trail was buried in places by fallen trees from a recent blow-down.

We encountered a pretty Colorado girl returning on the trail shortly after embarking ourselves.  She said the blow-down was too difficult to cross.  Some of the trees could be scaled but other patches required a bit of bushwhacking to get around.  It certainly contributed to a slower pace.  The decision to skip Mt. Evans was less due to time however and for me more about avoiding the wind.  The weather was decent for this hike with temperatures in the 60s and mostly sunny skies, but the wind and blow-downs presented obstacles.  Understand when I say wind, I’m referring to massive chinook gusts that could seemingly pick a hiker up off the trail and carry him down the mountain as it proved it could do with the trees.

I imagine this is a popular hike.  Discounting the fallen trees, the terrain isn’t too steep and there’s numerous lakes.  The slope actually declines for the first two and a half miles and the rise after that isn’t too tough.  It rises dramatically from where we turned at the 11,800 foot Upper Chicago Lake and the 14,265 foot Mt. Evans summit.  This is also an easy 90 minute drive from Denver, and there are tons of cabins and really nice camping areas.

I was of course concerned about my foot injury, not knowing if this stress would cause further strain.  I’ve gone three weeks now without any real running.  I tried a few miles in Mexico over a week earlier and that hurt, but my foot felt stronger this week.  I wore my pair of Salomon trail running shoes, thinking the tread would be stiffer than my other options.  Turned out to be a good call because we had to traverse a few decent sized snow packs and these shoes have good traction.  They are also water-proof.  The next day my foot was a bit stiff but not that sore and I can feel it’s improved.  I plan to still run the Bolder Boulder 10K on Monday.

We dined at the Echo Lake Lodge that sits at the trail head.  This is convenient for sure.  I can’t recall anywhere on the Colorado Trail where a cafe was ensconced right at the trail head.  The Mt. Princeton Hot Springs and Spa is pretty close to the Chalk Creek Trail Head south of Buena Vista.  The food at the lodge was fantastic but their specialty is pie.  I didn’t finish my entree so that I’d have room for some dessert.  Wow!  The Echo Lake Lodge is worth a weekend destination drive just for lunch and pie.

Puerto Aventuras

19 Saturday May 2012

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Say hello to my little friend.  This iguana seems to prefer sitting pool side with us gringos all day.  Not used to the heat and humidity of the Yucatan, I prefer sitting inside the pool all day.  This is day 8 of my vacation in Puerto Aventuras with friends and we leave for the Cancun airport in a few hours.

Day one travel was uneventful until driving out of the rental car agency.  The Policia pulled us over within the first mile for a gratuitous shake down – ostensibly for not wearing seat belts but the steepness of the fine appeared negatively correlated to my ability to negotiate in Spanish.  Mexico 1 – Ed 0.

The drive to Puerto Aventuras was easy enough, especially since I wasn’t driving.  It’s less than an hour south down Carretera 307.  We met with Doug, the proprietor of Brisa Caribe.  Doug’s an interesting Canadian ex-pat who designed this casa and had it built after a 27 year career in the seismic exploration for oil and gas.  He showed us around and then trusted us to ourselves.  Tina – the German chef – cooked us an outrageous Greek dinner and we enjoyed some night time swimming.  Per Amy – “the beer flowed like wine.”

I tried running Sunday morning but the subsequent swelling in my left foot was enough for me to give up on that idea.  There’s been no noticeable healing after a week of abstention.  I suspect I’ll need to take off a good 6 weeks.  Even snorkeling with fins at Akumal stressed my injury.  Really nice beach and quaint pueblo though.  I saw 3 tortugas and a stingray.  I picked up some nice gifts for the girls at the local shops and finished the visit with an ice cream at Lucy’s.

Karen and I have been able to stay in touch with the girls via a mix of texting and Facetime.  For a prorated $10 we can send and receive 50 international messages per month.  I disabled all Tweets from forwarding to my iPhone along with my data feature.  Brisa Caribe has decent wifi and Facetime allows us to video call Brit and Ellie.  We regret missing Ellie’s 4th grade talent show but Brit recorded it and posted it to YouTube for us to watch.  I also have an international calling plan but have used that sparingly since it’s still 59¢ per minute.  Other than Brit, I think the only person who called me was Karl my tenant.  Not sure why because I told him I was in Mexico and ended the call short.  I called my mom on Mother’s Day of course.  Otherwise I mostly used my iPhone to text my friends on this trip.

I have absolutely no idea of where the time has gone.  I mostly chilled on Sunday, exploring Puerto Aventuras by walking around, read “The Mongoliad” on my Kindle, and napped.  Tina cooked us another one of her fantastic dinners – this time it was Malaysian curry.  Monday included deep sea fishing.  Tuesday was Akumal and Dave grilled tenderloin for us.  Wednesday was a big road trip to Chichen Itza with Keith and Susan.  I think I hung out and read mostly on Thursday.  We celebrated Keith’s 50th that night while Karen led us all in Zumba.  Karen and I took the ferry from Playa del Carmen to Cozumel on Friday.

The Mayan ruins were so cool and certainly a highlight.  We drove a northern route through Cancun and then west on the 180 tollway.  There were two tolls, one for about $15 and another for maybe $2.  There was another small fee for parking and then we had to buy two tickets to enter.  One from the state and another from the federal government.  Apparently they don’t trust each other well enough to staff a single ticket master.  We arrived early but the crowd was already fairly thick – mostly Mexican tourists.  Entering was quick however and as soon as we walked inside we were within a few shorts steps of the ruins.

Our Mayan guide Luis explained to us how the pyramid was an architectural calendar.  The 91 steps on each side represent the days per quarter – with a final step on top for 365.  The terraces count their 18 months.  Tourists visit on the Equinox because of how the sun illuminates the snake that adorns the edges top to bottom.  Discovering the acoustics was surprising.  They bake the limestone to better bounce voices and stack them large to small stones in order to carry sound up the walls.  We returned on a southern route via Tulum, stopping off in Valladolid for lunch.  We took advantage of that stop to pick up a nice bottle of Mezcal from a Tequileria.

I’ve only been averaging a few drinks per week ever since Moab in a vain attempt to lose weight – which has been successful.  That was closer to my hourly average down here.  This week, fishing was really drinking.  Swimming was really drinking.  Volleyball?  More drinking.  With that said, I rarely felt drunk.  Either the beer here is hops flavored water, or I’ve been sweating out the alcohol as fast as I’ve been taking it in.  I can’t say the same about the Mezcal.  At Keith’s birthday party, the Mezcal flowed like wine.  We polished off those 750 milliliters in 3 nights.

This trip was mostly planned by Amy and Julie and I can’t thank them enough.  Well, actually I think I can as Karen and I bought each of them a little souvenir salsa bowl in Cozumel.  That will have to do.

I suspect everyone enjoyed themselves equally.  Most were religious in their morning runs.  Amy and Julie were in constant facetime contact with their families.  It occurs to me I might be only one without an iPad.  For the most part we did everything together.  Not everyone golfed.  Karen and I skipped the Cenotes for Cozumel.  I didn’t read as much as I thought I would.  I did very little work – mostly processing email from my iPhone.  This has been a true vacation.  I feel bad that this trip worried my mom but fortunately the Cartels kept missing us.  I can’t say enough about how nice La Brisa Caribe is and highly recommend it.  Click on the link above.  Doug has established the perfect vacation home for large gatherings.  And take advantage of having Tina cook for you.  She cost less than most meals out and her food is wonderful.  We mixed up the venues, eating mostly outside.  Brisa Caribe has four different settings with tables large enough to seat a dozen guests.

I’m about ready to hit publish on this blog and get dressed for my last morning in paradise.  We’ll have a few hours to do one final activity before catching our flights home.  The adjustment back to reality will be hard but I’m looking forward to seeing my kids again.  Jack too.  Adios Puerto Aventuras.

No Running for Old Men

09 Wednesday May 2012

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I tried to run through this foot injury but it’s a busy week with work and I just don’t feel like it anymore.  I haven’t run now since Saturday.  I’m going to do what any sensible slacker would do and take time off until I heal properly.  There’s no running for old men.

I’m a little bummed because I was starting to average longer runs of 7 and 8 miles per day.  This ain’t intramurals brother.  Running starts to become addictive at that daily distance.  Fortunately, I have a box of Buster Bars to help me get over the sudden decrease in endorphins.  Thanks Jules.  I also wanted to train for the Bolder Boulder 10K on Memorial Day weekend but I don’t care really.  I might not beat last year’s time but at least I know I can run that distance regardless of my conditioning.

These pictures finally arrived from the CPTR.  If it looks like Rob and I are walking, well we probably are.  That picture above was taken at the crest of the first big climb at the 11 mile point and 9200 feet.  So yes, these two old men aren’t running here either.  Neither was anyone else.  These mountain trail runs are more of a shuffle really than balls-out running.  You take what the course gives you.

I really liked the fact Rob and I were able to stay together the entire course.  We didn’t plan that and it’s rare I run a full race alongside a buddy.  Although this is one event I didn’t need a friend to talk to.  Ultra runners are the chattiest group of athletes I’ve ever encountered.  I had maybe a dozen conversations on this run.  The CPTR was a very enjoyable event.  I’ll consider it again next year.

Zumba Party

06 Sunday May 2012

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Karen dances too fast for me to get a clear picture, but you can see clearly enough that she’s smiling.  I’m trying to think if I’ve ever smiled while working out.  Doubtful.  Zumba is dance fitness and it must be fun because Karen smiles throughout the hour long sessions.

She went to a Zumba Party last night.  This was essentially a 2 hour Zumba workout.  Only Zumba would refer to a 2 hour workout as a party.  Karen lead 6 of the songs.  She gets a real kick out of Zumba – whether she’s teaching the class or participating.  When she practices her routines on the living room hardwood, I sit on the couch and watch.  It’s pretty sexy.  This workout has everything going for it.

Internet Diagnostics

03 Thursday May 2012

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Turns out the Internet was wrong, my foot is not broken.  My visit to Dr. Steed (pictured here with his family) at Flat Irons Foot & Ankle today countered what the Internet diagnosed to be a broken metatarsal in my left foot.  To be fair, an MRI might find a crack but the X-Ray was negative.  The really good news here is that Dr. Steed feels it’s not necessary to totally demobilize.  I told him I’d like to continue running 3 and 4 mile distances.  He responded that I would need to run in my normal training shoes and not the minimalist pair, and advised to shore up my stability with some more inserts.  Otherwise he wasn’t concerned I would cause more damage.  He also advised applying a topical analgesic.

It also turns out that my pain is not in my metatarsal, but just north of there in my medial cuneiform.  Or maybe between that and the cuboid.  There’s no swelling or bruising.  If I have time today, I’m going to squeeze in 3 miles this evening.  Four days without a run is a modern day record.  I can’t let it go to five days.