Author Archives: Ed Mahoney

3M Half Marathon

13 Sunday Jan 2013

Posted by in Running

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

, , , ,

finsh lineWoke up at zero dark thirty to a cold Austin for the 6:45am start to this half marathon.  Can’t complain considering the temperature back home is closer to zero° and ice.  This wouldn’t be bad running weather if not for the 15 mile an hour wind that makes 40° feel like 33°.  I loaded my gear bag with tons of dressing options – expecting to wear the gloves – and dry clothes to change into after the finish for breakfast.

In terms of expectations, I know I’m not in the same shape I was in at the end of 2012, but I was hoping to run under an 8 minute pace.  Since my return to road races I have yet to do that in a half marathon.  I generally just run these things like any other workouts but woke up today feeling a bit edgy.  I think it might be from hooking up with a college buddy, Kenneth Hausmann last week to watch a bowl game.  Ken has an awesome house on Lake Austin.  Oddly enough I think he’s more into his houseboat.  His funniest joke of the night was when he said he should probably have it insured as he gave me a tour.  Ken owns a Farmers Insurance agency.

Ken’s wife Debbie made us a nice dinner and I met his youngest daughter Mia whom they adopted from China.  She’s totally deaf but can hear fine due to some amazing technology that incorporates implants and magnets.  Mia looks as happy as she is beautiful.  Part of my tour included Ken’s trophy collection.  Apparently while I was raising kids and building a career, Ken squeezed in twenty years of road runs.  He’s run Boston several times and has never missed the Capitol 10K.  When I say he has a mountain of trophies, I mean he has hundreds piled up on a workbench in his garage.  Some are traditional trophies, others are medals, or plaques, or plates – even a couple of dog bowls.  Many of them 1st place.  And all I’ve thought about since is how cool it would be to run a half marathon time today – in Ken’s backyard – that will make him feel slow and old.  Because we’re friends.

Fortunately it never rained.  The only cold part of this event was standing around before the start.  Because my brother dropped me off, I only had to stand around for a half hour or so.  Steve also shot some video around ten miles in front of the Hyde Park Bar & Grill.  I wore two shirts, neither heavy, but covered with my North Face shell to break the wind.  I also wore a pair of running tights that are thin enough to wear in the summer, some gloves and a runner’s hat.  I would say I geared up perfectly.  I pocketed the gloves after four miles, and I would have been fine without tights – but they made the start much more comfortable.

Every two miles displayed a pace clock and I appeared to be running on target for an 8 minute per mile pace.  I typically like to warm up with a 9 minute pace for the first few miles, but my goal to break 1:45 would require starting out faster and holding it.  My stretch goal was 1:40 and my fantasy was 1:30.  A boy can dream.  But even the 1:45 would be a PR and would require some racing tactics.  Starting out slow is smart for warming up, but presents a risk if I don’t have the energy or drive to pick it up.  Starting out too fast risks building up lactic acid and not being able to recover from oxygen debt.

Kerbey LaneI lined up behind the 1:45 pace group and suspect I passed both them and the 1:40 pace sign in the first mile when it was too crowded to notice.  The wind was in our faces the first half mile but wasn’t noticeable as we turned east on Kramer.  There were only a few short streets later in the race where we ran into head winds and it was never a big deal.  I don’t think a 15 mph wind has a big impact on time but it would have made today colder if we were running into it.  I do suspect the 400 foot drop in elevation over the 13 miles is helpful.  Not to the point it affects the course’s USATF legitimacy, but it sure beats a 400 foot elevation gain.  The combination of the elevation drop and the wind at our backs likely lead to a number of runners doing well.  I don’t know my official chip time yet but the clock said 1:37.  We ate breakfast at one of my favorite Austin eateries – Kerbey Lane.  Not a bad way to start a new year of running.

Floodin’ Down in Texas

10 Thursday Jan 2013

Posted by in Running

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

, , ,

BCRTSeriously.  Two days of non-stop rain.  Today was great (although I didn’t run) and tomorrow should be awesome too, but then it will rain again for the weekend – during the 3M Half Marathon.  And it will be cold – around 40°.  Bummer.  This pic is at the east end of the Brushy Creek Regional Trail after a 6 mile run Wednesday.  The trail was flooded throughout my run like the water you see behind me.  The ground is pretty saturated around here.  Worse, the mold count is high.

My brother will drive me to the race start which is cool because it’s located 13 miles away from the race finish and this over-priced event doesn’t provide transportation.  My suggestion to them is to use their gear bag buses to drive runners from the finish to the start.  Runners could park at the finish, take the bus to the start, leave their gear in the bus, and run the course back to where they parked their car.  But what do I know?

I’m hoping to buy some inserts at the race expo on Friday or Saturday because my racing flats don’t have any inserts of any kind in them currently.  I could transfer the inserts from my training shoes if necessary.  Race start is early – at 6:45 am Sunday.  Breakfast will be around 10am at either Magnolia Cafe on Lake Austin Boulevard or Kerbey Lane Cafe on Kerbey Lane.

3M Half Prep

06 Sunday Jan 2013

Posted by in Running

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,

austin marathon 2010Ran 56 miles so far this week, some on Town Lake but mostly on the Brushy Creek Regional Trail.  Much of it in the Texas rain.  That’s a really good week of mileage for me considering this is winter.  Haven’t been doing weights or situps; I did try one day but they hurt.  First trick is to establish my routine, then I can enhance it with calisthenics.  One more week of prep before running the Austin 3M Half Marathon on Sunday the 13th.

Not sure how well I’ll do but would like to push myself a bit.  I’ll have been in Texas for 3 weeks at that point so my blood will have lost most of its high altitude benefits.  At least I’ve always been told it takes about 3 weeks for the cardiopulmonary system to acclimate to altitude changes.  That’s to start to adapt, maybe 6 weeks to fully acclimate.  But all I ever really read on the topic is to adjust to higher altitude.  I know it’s critical to hydrate and vitamins are smart.  I’m just assuming it takes a similar amount of time to lose the conditioning.

It’s a funny thing anyway.  At sea level, you can run harder and faster.  Very curious to understand training techniques for adapting to lower altitude.  I suspect speed workouts, fartleks, repetitions on the track are all advisable.  I’m even thinking of running an asynchronous pace in the 3M Half – fartlek style.  There’s really not that much time to train so why not do it in the run itself?  I’ll start out controlled (slow) and rather than smoothly unwinding I might over pace myself, then recover with a slower pace, and repeat.  That will likely annoy other runners pacing with me.  They can suck it, I’m in an experimental mood.  And it won’t be easy to pull off.  I’m gambling that my conditioning is good enough to be able to recover from oxygen debt after each fast pace run.

I am somewhat concerned on how much situps hurt when I tried some the other day.  My core is feeling like it did when I had arthritis.  I’ll be bummed if it returned.  If I have to get another steroid shot, despite what I might have said in previous blog posts on the topic, I think I’ll opt for the anesthesia next time.  Taking a shot from a needle bigger than Dallas in a hip joint isn’t something I care to ever experience again.

A little word on the pic above.  It’s from the 2010  Austin Marathon – which I ran in 2011.  This pic still works for me as it symbolizes running in Austin and it’s free.  I don’t see any good graphics from the 3M Half Marathon which I’ll be running next weekend.  Sort of disappointing considering their outrageous registration fee.  The Boulder Marathon prints up cool posters too.  Cool enough like this one to frame and hang on the wall.  3M better at least have some good swag.

Last Run

31 Monday Dec 2012

Posted by in Running

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

stevie rayFor my last run of the year – Lady Bird Lake in Austin.  The old Town Lake setting is always enjoyable and a great venue to end another year of running.  As I think back, these are my coolest runs of 2012.

Moab.  If you haven’t run Moab, or hiked the area, or mountain biked on the slick rock, you’re missing out on one of this country’s premiere outdoor locales.

CPTR.  The 25 mile Collegiate Peaks Trail Run is such a nice experience.  The views don’t get any better.  But I think it was the friendly participants and general atmosphere of Buena Vista that make this event worthwhile.

IPR.  I’ve run the Imogene Pass Run twice now.  At 17 miles, it appears more doable than a marathon.  More like a half marathon.  But trust me, your time will be slower than what you can run for a marathon.  This run only has one hill, but it’s ten miles up and seven steep miles down.  Easily the most challenging trail I’ve ever run.

Barton Creek Greenbelt.  I just ran this trail the other day for the first time in over 20 years but used to run it regularly.  I’ve yet to discover a comparable inner city trail run.

Boulder County.  I’m lucky that I live here.  I’m partial to the East Boulder/White Rock trails and Heil Valley Ranch but there are countless trails in the foothills of the Front Range.  And I’m fortunate to have the LoBo Trail out my front door that I run to Niwot and back on most days.

Wistful Winter

30 Sunday Dec 2012

Posted by in Storytelling

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, ,

iStock winter ornamentsAs the holidays yield to winter, I find myself in a pensive mood.  Doubt this is unusual, for me or most people, to reflect over the past year with a touch of melancholy.  In my case, there’s typically a stemmed glass within reach.  The girls have all returned to Colorado, leaving me behind in Texas to spend a few more weeks with my mom.

The moment my first daughter was born, like an epiphany, I knew my purpose in life.  Each trip home, spending quality time with family, reinforces the message.  Gollum doesn’t know the meaning of precious.  Waking up to a half dozen nieces and nephews each morning at my in-laws presented me with an over abundance of precious.  The silence is deafening now that they are gone.  Maybe I should have ran a daycare; I like watching kids play.

With one more day left in the year I’m starting to think of the future.  No big resolutions are coming to mind but I am going to stop responding to stupid facebook posts.  I thought I was doing good to keep my election comments limited to just one of my outspoken friends, but I’ve kept it up post-election with the Sandy Hook emotion.  I couldn’t help myself.  I’ve always been pro gun control and I could not believe the poor form expressed by gun advocates with their aggressive social network response to that tragedy.  I don’t care about their 2nd Amendment rights any more than the stats and reasons that I reply with.  I just care about how I feel on the topic.  That’s not going to change so I’m done talking about it and will just hope for positive social progress.

My running plans won’t change.  I’ll keep up most of the same.  I was able to register the other day for Moab and I’m set to run the Austin 3M Half Marathon in two weeks.  One thought I do have for a new years resolution is to start cooking from recipes in order to broaden my meal portfolio.  I’m not big on recipes generally but I do enjoy cooking.  Another thought is extending my trading savvy with options.  I traded options quite a bit this past year but I wouldn’t call it sophisticated.  I sold covered calls most months.  Great way to add a few points to my overall return but not very exciting otherwise.

I have a few thoughts on my job as well but that’s it.  Keep up my running.  Improve my cooking and investing tactics.  And cherish every moment with family.  Happy new years.

2012 stats in review

30 Sunday Dec 2012

Posted by in ReBlog

≈ Leave a comment

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 11,000 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 18 years to get that many views.

Click here to see the complete report.

2012 in Review

28 Friday Dec 2012

Posted by in Running

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

steve and edTime to look back on a good year of running.  I ended 2011 with a steroid shot to fix my arthritis and had great expectations.  And then I finally resolved my persistent plantar fasciitis in the early spring time frame and gained even more confidence.  But then something snapped in my left foot that left me wondering if 2012 would be a bust.

I did have to stop running for about six weeks to heal but still had some memorable experiences.  Ironically, I lost weight while not running by reducing my alcohol intake.  I was so happy with this that I’ve maintained this relative abstinence; the result being that I am ending the year at 175 pounds.  There was about a week after my two marathons that I was under 170.

My plan for the year was to run a bunch of trail events and I only did two of those – the 25 mile Collegiate Peaks Trail Run in April and the 17 mile Imogene Pass Run in September.  I ran both of these with my buddy Rob and enjoyed them both.  I would like to run the CPTR again – I love the Collegiates.  This was my second IPR and I wouldn’t mind making a tradition out of it.  Both this year as well as my first time in 2010 served to get me into shape for a marathon.  It helps that it’s held at the end of summer when there is enough daylight to support running longer distances.  These two trail runs were satisfying enough that I’m not disappointed I didn’t run more of them.  In fact, the registration cost of organized events is steep enough that I might run less in 2013.

In total, I ran 10 organized events in 2012.  In order, I began in February with the Austin Half, then March with the Moab Half, followed closely by the Boulder Half, then the CPTR in April and the Bolder Boulder 10K on Memorial Day.  I took a break to recover from my injured foot over the summer but returned to form in September with the IPR and Denver Marathon, and the Boulder Marathon in October.  I expected this to complete the year but squeezed in two 5Ks on December 1st with the Colder Bolder and Prospect Rudolph Dash 5Ks in the same day.

I could consider that only 9 events if I bundle the two 5Ks.  Regardless, that’s more than enough organized races.  I like running the occasional race for various reasons – to recognize and celebrate my fitness or to enjoy an event with friends.  Not to mention they provide content for my running blog.  But they do cost real money.  I would estimate 10 races come close to $500.  And perhaps half that again paying for race photos which I like for the blog.

Normally I would be planning the next year at this point but I don’t have a good feel yet for what I want to do.  Ideally I will focus on trail runs.  I’d like to kick the year off with the Moab Half because it’s fun to run with my neighborhood friends but I missed the registration deadline so I’m not sure.  The Boulder Half is usually the following weekend so it’s a bit of an expense to run those back-to-back.  I do know I’m kicking off 2013 with the Austin 3M Half Marathon on January 13th – which is only 2 weeks from now.  I might have to make a decision on the Denver vs Boulder marathons this coming year as they are spaced close together.  I suspect I will run less events overall but am keen to prioritize the CPTR and IPR over anything else.

I could see myself only running 5 organized events for financial austerity if nothing else.  I’ve published this picture of my brother and me taken this Christmas Eve because another goal is to get that boy working out again.  So the start of the year will be measured by my success at coaching.  He won’t be ready for the 3M Half but I’d rather rely on him to drive me to that event anyway.

The Greenbelt

26 Wednesday Dec 2012

Posted by in Running

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

,

Barton CreekI can’t remember the last decade I ran the Barton Creek Greenbelt in Austin.  Maybe the early ’90s.  I usually look forward to running on Lady Bird Lake downtown but this trailhead off Loop 360 is only a couple more minutes south down Mopac.  Before I moved to Colorado in 1989, I would run this trail several times a week.

That’s back when I was young and fast and I probably wasn’t huffing and grunting as hard as I am in this video.  I filmed this with my iPhone on my favorite stretch along a bluff.  I was happy to see the iron safety chain still there attached to the cliff wall.  I was concerned they might have installed some wimpy safety rail considering the drop on the creek side of the trail.  This is simply the coolest damned inner city trail in the country.  It starts downtown at Zilker Park.  This trailhead is about 3.5 miles upstream to the south near the Barton Creek Mall, and I run it further west to the end which is about another 3.5 or 4 miles.  If you click on the pic to enlarge the photo of the trail map, my description is from right to left.  I started in the middle at the “you are here” designation.

The bluff in the video where the trail dangles ten feet or so above the creek is in the first mile.  I captured the video though on the return.  The trail crosses the creek at Twin Falls about two miles in.  I’d forgotten exactly where that was though and crossed at different spots on the outbound and return legs – because the creek was dry at this point and I could cross almost anywhere.  There is still water upstream near Sculpture Falls.  The turn-around has another trailhead access via Scottish Woods Trail which is a short road that intersects with Loop 360 a few miles west of Barton Creek Mall.  I got in a 7.25 mile run which was my old route from back in the day.  If you ever have an opportunity to run in Austin, run the Barton Creek Greenbelt.

Training in Texas

22 Saturday Dec 2012

Posted by in Running

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

colder bolder 5Flew into Austin yesterday for the holidays.  I’ll remain here through much of January.  Previous plans to snow shoe and exercise in other winter sports are now shelved until I return.  Which is fine.  I can keep running.  While some nagging aches and pains continue to linger, I don’t have any injuries that would require me to lay off for the winter.  I got in a slow and easy 13 miles on the Brushy Creek Regional Trail this morning.  A fine start.

And so you know, this is my last photo from the recent Colder Bolder 5K.  Off next to ride the North Pole Flyer – an Austin Polar Express train ride that launches out of Cedar Park.  Dinner at Chuy’s afterward and perhaps a visit to the Zilker Park Christmas lights.  Same game plan as last year.

Mayan Apocalypse

19 Wednesday Dec 2012

Posted by in Running

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, ,

colder bolder 1This coming Friday marks the advent of the Mayan Apocalypse.  I don’t personally believe in any end-of-the-world scenarios, but it will in fact be the start of winter.  That’s dramatic enough for me.  The Colorado Front Range doesn’t experience the extreme cold common in the Midwest (I was born in Iowa) but it does get a few cold waves.  So I intend to winter in Austin.  Boarding a plane Friday, and assuming no massive tectonic plate shift happens below, I’ll land 1000 miles south.  I’ll ride out the apocalypse there for the next 4 weeks.  This means I’ll be able to continue my running in relative warmth.  I should mention that as I write this it’s currently 10° outside.

I find it ironic this week, with the pending doomsday, that I’ve read more Facebook posts defending 2nd Amendment rights than discussing the horror of Sandy Hook.  I’ve entered some of the discussions – fortunately civil debates.  So tired of some of the recent election passion.  Of course the odds are more likely I’ll die driving in a blizzard than any other scenario.  I nearly did wreck my car on I70 driving in a blizzard through Kansas last Christmas.  Relieved to be flying this year.  Karen found tickets on Southwest for $250 round trip.  Can’t beat that.  Although, actually I did.  I decided to delay my return to late January and saved another $65.  Of course, SWA has no change fees.  This is why we love Southwest.

Because I won’t be in Austin during February with this change of plans, I won’t be running the Austin Marathon.  I’m not too disappointed because I hadn’t yet registered and was considering signing up for the half again knowing I won’t be in shape enough in the winter to run a strong full marathon.  Tried that in 2011 and didn’t fair so well.  Maybe I’ll find a cool run in Central Texas while I’m there.

Zero Wind Day

14 Friday Dec 2012

Posted by in Running

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

colder boulder 3About time Colorado cools off to winter status.  Although the only reason it was cold enough in this pic to wear tights for this year’s Colder Bolder 5K was that it was early morning.  I love it when I get a race pic with both feet in the air.  It’s right up there with getting a pic that doesn’t show a double chin.  Click on the pic to enlarge it if you need to in order to see both feet are indeed off the ground.  But then you might also notice the double chin.  I downloaded five race pics – all capture a double chin.  Still, race pics with both feet in the air is like flying in your dreams.  Like unicorns in North Korea.  They are magical.

Those massive California rains turned into snow over Colorado and this week felt like winter.  At least at the start of the week it did; we’re back above freezing now.  I used the cold as an excuse not to run.  I actually don’t mind the cold, especially when the sun is shining, but I balk when the cold is combined with strong wind.  I used being busy at work as an excuse this week too.  Emphasis on the word excuse since I think I just didn’t feel like running this week.  I don’t think I’m burned out.  Maybe I just shifted my focus to preparing for the holidays.  Those Christmas cards don’t sign and mail themselves.  The holidays present additional tasks.  Apparently I sacrificed my running.  That’s okay.  No upcoming races to condition for, and friends and family in Texas will be disappointed if I don’t show up with my traditional paunch.  To wit, I’ve been eating more Christmas cookies than Santa this week.  Nothing goes better with coffee than Danish butter cookies – except maybe Gadget Girl’s coffee cake but that’s hard to say since she only talks about it.  I’ve yet to have any.

colder boulder 4With Fridays off this month though, I was able to get in a nice run today.  I returned to Heil Valley Ranch – the southern trail head near the Greenbriar restaurant – to run the Wapiti Trail.  I didn’t get out to the trail head until noonish.  Hearing the news of the Sandy Hook shooting sort of slowed me down for the day.  I spent the morning watching CNBC as I finished up the Christmas cards.

I wasn’t surprised to discover no snow or ice on the trail.  I’d be fine either way but what I really appreciated was that there was absolutely zero wind.  I wore a light fleece shell over two t-shirts and found myself quickly rolling up the sleeves.  And shortly after I began to carry my fleece cap in my hand. I brought gloves but left them in the car.  With the temperature around 50° or so, this was ideal running weather.  Almost unbelievable to have a day at this time of year with zero wind.

I probably ran close to ten miles – at least eight.  I didn’t time it but the Wapiti Trail adds up to five miles up and down, plus I ran the Turkey Trail Loop and a mile on Picture Rock.  Funny thing about not running for seven days.  My body began to hurt after a few days off.  My knees and especially my feet and ankles were just as weak and sore from not running as from running.  Some sort of reverse growing pain process kicks in after a few days. As my muscle tension relaxed, my ankles became as weak as when I increase my distance.  I have to be very deliberate when I get out of bed and hold the hand rail as I descend the stairs in the morning.  There’s a bit of pain associated with this but mostly just weakness.  Stability comes after a few steps.  It’s an interesting thought that it can hurt as much to fall out of shape as to gain the initial conditioning.  Bodies in motion want to stay in motion.  I ran slow to recognize my legs lost some stamina, but my breathing was fine.  You can’t lose a year’s worth of aerobic capacity in one lax week.

colder boulder 2Fairly relaxing day overall.  I didn’t have any stressful work issues arise over email so it really was a vacation day.  Fantastic run really but this school shooting has me at a loss for words right now.  We have a Christmas party to go to later tonight.  Hoping that’s a pick-me-up.  I don’t normally use this blog as a soapbox but will go on record to share my belief in the need for gun control.  I’m not a gun owner but respect the rights of sportsmen and believe we need to support the U.S. Constitution.  But be pragmatic.  Guns don’t kill people but they are for killing.  Semi-automatic weapons aid killing to an unacceptable degree in a society of 300 million citizens.  I support gun control.

Molybdenum

08 Saturday Dec 2012

Posted by in Colorado Trail

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , ,

Henderson TrailheadI drove up to Empire at 5am this morning.  There’s a number of access points to the Continental Divide Trail off Henderson Road.  I met Rob near the Big Bend picnic site where he camped overnight.  Henderson Road leads of course to the Henderson Molybdenum Mine.  The Henderson trail head leads from the mine up one mile where it connects with the CDT.

Rob said he heard truck traffic all night long, along with the roar of the mine itself.  Business for Molybdenum must be good.  This mineral is mostly used for strengthening steel and making other super alloys.  But it even has biological and chemical uses and occurs naturally in tooth enamel.

We continued to hear the mine for miles, until we reached treeline.  The wind turbines hum non-stop serving as a beacon to the trail head.  Even the trail head and trail are named for a past mine engineer – Henderson.  The mine dominates everything until treeline when the focus shifts to some of the area passes and peaks that are accessible by day hikes.

The day began cold and snowy so I geared up relatively heavy with a sweatshirt and ski jacket.  I only had one of my long gaters, having been confused thinking my two short gaters connected by their velcro was the second long gater.  I decided to wear the single long half-pair.  With my boots and snow pants, gaters weren’t critical.  Based on my post-hike assessment, I would say the boots were critical.  I don’t have hiking boots – I always hike in trail shoes which allow for running.  These are snow boots which I brought along because I expected to snow shoe.  They work fine in snow shoes but not for hiking.  Their traction is horrible and my feet slip inside them causing blisters – especially when hiking up a steep slope.  Wearing ankle-high socks didn’t help as they slipped under my heel.  I was able to stop this by pulling my tights down over the sock rather than the other way around.  And this mitigated the blistering.

Henderson THThe weather was actually quite nice in the trees.  No wind at all.  And suffice it to say there wasn’t sufficient snow to snow shoe.  Considering the time of year, Colorado is on track for a real drought next year.  The ski resorts are likely feeling it now.  Hopefully the spring will bring heavy snows.  I guess it’s not even winter yet, not for another week or two.  But still, it’s December and the mountains are way behind in expected snowfall.  I don’t expect to get up here again until January.  I can’t imagine not being able to snow shoe by then.

After the first mile of hiking, the connector trail hit the CDT at a T intersection.  Click on the picture of Rob up top and you’ll be able to read the signs.  We intended to turn south toward Jones Pass to complete the section that lines up with where we ended our last hike.  But the hiking was so slow with poorly adapted boots (Rob wasn’t wearing optimal shoes either) and wicked ice spots covered by the fresh snow.  The signs said 6 miles to Jones Pass and 4 miles to Berthoud Pass.  Add in the one mile connector trail and we had a choice of 14 miles or 10 miles round trip.  We selected the 4 mile route to Berthoud and turned north.

ridgeWhile snow shoes were not possible, I can’t imagine this trail being accessible without trekking poles.  There was just enough snow, and especially the hidden ice, that poles are required.  They were almost needed to withstand the wind.  Most of the hike follows a ridge along the Continental Divide where the views are unbelievable, but so is the wind.  Sometimes the trail would follow the side of the ridge protected from the cold mistral, but it also would pass from side to side and we had moments exposed to gale force blasts.  My face appears a bit windburned this morning.

cloudsWe didn’t make it all the way to Berthoud Pass as we were concerned about returning before we lost the sun.  Although the clouds were so thick at times the sky appeared to be near dusk at noon.  I was comfortable warmth-wise with my gear selection but wish I would have added a balaclava to my Christmas REI wishlist.  This is something I could use to guard my face from the wind.  We stopped after four hours of hiking for what would mark our turn-around and ate lunch on the wind-protected side of the ridge.  I inhaled my store-bought sandwiches.  Wish I’d taken the time to have made my own sandwiches at home.  I make the world’s best sandwiches.  Well, at least this world’s best sandwiches.  I’ve never been to Lamuella and don’t see it listed on Urban Spoon.

Mountain BuzzLeading on the way back, I discovered some ice by taking a 20 foot fall down a frozen waterfall.  My bottom is still sore and bruised.  I never panicked while sliding down the hill, but did have to roll a couple of times when faced with large rocks aimed between my legs.

We found ourselves once again eating at the Mountainbuzz Cafe & Pizzeria in Georgetown.  This place has some incredibly satisfying pizza, paninis and calzones.  And beer.  Rob is pictured here showing me his bruised elbow from a fall he took on the ice on the trek up.  Given the holiday schedule, we won’t likely make it back up to the high country until January.  Should be enough snow pack for snow shoeing by then.  And hopefully I’ll have a balaclava.

La Bruja

02 Sunday Dec 2012

Posted by in Running

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

iStock_blonde runnerIn the Rudolph Dash while running down Sunset, Chris and I uttered breathless irritation over the fact we were trailing a pack of kids.  Ever determined to beat age, I surged away from Chris and yelled back over my shoulder that I was going to take them.  That might not sound too tough considering they were about middle school age – not even teenagers – but from my perspective it was bold talk from a one-eyed fat man.  They still had 20 to 30 yards on me and there was no guarantee I wouldn’t seize up trying to overtake them.

I flew by the pack of kids with the graceful stride of experience.  That is until I caught up with their leader, this little blonde girl with braided pigtails.  Within half a step of gaining even with her, she surged.  I couldn’t believe it.  And when I caught up to her the second time she surged again.  Unbelievable!  This little bruja refused to yield to my overwhelming experience.  But I was ready for her this second time and held her pace.  I was close to failing to her tactics when she finally relented and fell to the rear.  Whew!  She almost had me.

But I was spent from that exercise and couldn’t fend off Chris as he passed me a quarter mile later.  I quipped to Chris as he ran by that I had paced him.  Smack talk in vain from a fallen fighter.  My smooth surge had stalled, my legs heavy with lactic acid – cursed by my blonde encounter.  If you race locally, beware the bruja.

Competition and Pedicures

02 Sunday Dec 2012

Posted by in Running

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

,

woman athlete in position ready to runThe effect of competition was apparent on the performance of my two 5Ks yesterday.  I finally found the race results from the Colder Boulder and was surprised to learn I ran faster in the Rudolph Dash.  I ran 23:10 in the first race compared to 22:21 in the second run.  Clearly this was due to my efforts to keep up with my neighbors.

The run didn’t feel as strong because my legs felt so heavy, but I did loosen up half way along the course and must have run stronger the final mile.  The two neighbors I ran with are Keith Jaggers and Chris Price.  Keith lead us through the wind on the first mile to where we were all sufficiently winded.  I credit myself with pushing the second mile – certainly once we hit Sunset – finally catching Triolo who had been  flying from the start like a bat out of hell.  And then Chris brought us home with his 22:11.

I probably shouldn’t be too surprised by this.  It actually makes me happy to think I could recover enough from the morning race to do this well in the afternoon.  And I shouldn’t downplay the benefits of the men’s pedicure at noon.  This is my secret recovery technique that I highly recommend.  I went with Ellie who got flowers painted on her toe nails while I received a foot and calf massage.  Competition and pampering – that’s the secret to top performance.

Winter Running Land

01 Saturday Dec 2012

Posted by in Running

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,

The Colder Bolder sent me a post card invite to run a 5K this morning in a heat with other runners who finished with my 50 minute time from the spring Bolder Boulder 10K.  I doubted I could compete at a faster 5K pace but I didn’t have anything else planned for December and the concept sounded interesting.  I signed up for the invitational. The top three finishers win a penguin trophy.

The starting temperature was around 50° so it wasn’t that cold.  I parked down at the Tewnty-Ninth Street Mall and there were no gear bag options so I had to commit to my clothing selection.  I over-dressed slightly but it wasn’t a critical error because the tights and hat were light enough to wear in the summer.  And my shell could be tied around my waist – which is what I ended up doing.

This run is across the CU campus with the pre-race setup site and finish line located in the fieldhouse.  I took some video of the fieldhouse and also of the starting wave and more of the leaders as they passed Norlin Library.  The first wave began at 8am with subsequent waves following every ten minutes.  Mine would be at 8:50.  I refilled my coffee from the fieldhouse and drank some water with it for a bit while stretching, then began jogging for a warmup about 15 minutes before my heat was scheduled to start.  I can’t remember the last time I warmed up this well for an event.  There isn’t much reason for it in longer runs so I start out cold.  But I was concerned about being able to run the first mile faster and prepping with a mile jog is the way to do that.

The trick was to be able to start out fast without going into oxygen debt.  Adding to the challenge was the first 200 yards are downhill.  I think I managed well enough.  I did start off faster than I ever would in a 10K or longer event but I never felt overly fatigued.  The warmup worked.

I felt strong in this run.  I felt like I ran fast – I even suspect I might have run the 3rd mile the fastest.  The two mile point was near the UMC and a few feet later a coed was walking down from the steps that lead from the Broadway crosswalk.  She was oblivious and walking on a path across the course that put her on a sure collision with me.  Maybe she thought I would slow down because I was running uphill but I wasn’t about to yield.  I put on a Heisman move prepared to block her progress with my left arm.  She braked.  I don’t remember if we actually touched but it was that close.  I lost zero momentum and started to pass other runners.  I put on a speedy kick which I rarely do.  Felt good.  I wish I knew my time and had the formal race results to report here but I don’t see them posted yet.

I didn’t catch my finish time and didn’t wait around afterward preferring instead to cool down by walking back to my car.  This was a super satisfying run.  Without knowing my pace I do know that I pushed myself.  I was proud of myself for pushing up the inclines and passing people in the second half of the run.  I accomplished my goal of running at least what I thought was fast.

Once home I did some errands and then Ellie and I went for pedicures.  I know, a 3 mile run probably doesn’t justify such indulgence but I needed to recover for the next 5K.  The Rudolph Dash 5K was set to run though my neighborhood at 3:30.  I didn’t know about this event when I committed to the Colder Boulder but felt obligated since it was in my backyard.  I wasn’t interested in running it too hard since I was happy with my Colder Boulder performance.  So I had a beer and snacks just before the run at Dave’s house while watching the start to the Georgia-Alabama game.  But then I ran into some friends at the start to this second run.

I ran into Chris Triolo, a work colleague who also lives in the neighborhood.  I knew he runs about my pace but I wasn’t concerned about competing with him.  My belly felt too full.  But then as I lined up to start, I ran into Chris Price, Keith and Kelly.  These are the guys who I sometimes train with and have beat me in various runs over the last year.  Now I was even more aware of how heavy my legs felt from the day’s earlier run.

I followed Keith off the line as the race began.  It felt too fast and I let him go for about a minute but then decided I didn’t want to drop too far behind so sprinted back after him.  I kept up with him to Plateau Road where we encountered the coolest thing – absolutely stunning horses galloping across the field to chase us.  That was awesome.  The heaviness from the earlier run began to subside and I was able to maintain the pace with Chris and Keith west on Plateau.  Kelly was running with his kids and Triolo was running a bit ahead but not out of reach.

I began to loosen up and feel good on Sunset.  Chris and I were chatting about wanting to catch the little kids who were running ahead of us and this is where we finally passed most of them.  I passed the rest of the little tykes on Pike.  About the time I caught up to Triolo, Price passed me.  I thought I was going to catch him on my kick but discovered we had to go around another block before turning for the finish and I lost steam.  Bummer because Chris passed the guy who took first in my age division on his kick.  I was a few seconds behind and got second.

I’m extremely surprised to learn from the race results that I ran a 7:12 pace.  That was my estimate of how I ran in the morning.  I feel like I ran faster in the first run but maybe not.  This race gave me some competition from friends.  I have to believe that’s what motivated me because before I saw them I was planning on a leisurely jog.  And I know that whenever I can pass a friend in a race, an angel gets their wings.

I didn’t think I would do any running events in December but the campus run seemed cool and I couldn’t ignore a run in my neighborhood.  My legs are dead to the world now as I’m sitting here watching Texas lose to Kansas St., but I’m satisfied.  Really curious to see my pace from the Boulder run if they ever post the race results.  The second run felt slower, but I did loosen up about halfway and was able to run that competitively as well.  At this pace, I shouldn’t have to worry about winter weight gain.

Pain is Good

27 Tuesday Nov 2012

Posted by in Running

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, ,

No idea why I am thinking about this now.  I was in a group conversation several months back that started out about how drugs have hurt people and I started to contribute to the discussion with a spin on dealing with reality.  I put it in terms of pain management.  I realized I was going to start talking about my sister who had drug issues and has now passed away and so I sort of clammed up and withdrew my contribution to the discussion because I wasn’t drunk enough to open up and talk about it.  I guess because I left the thought open ended, it has stayed with me and I want to close it.  Not the thoughts about my sister but the notion of dealing with pain.  This is a running blog.

I’m as big a whiny wimp as anyone – trust me.  But I’m good with pain.  To a degree.  I’m not referring to the levels of pain associated with torture and such.  I’m talking about pain that is there to reinforce that fact that you are alive.  Pain is the perfect feedback loop on your running.  Pain and fatigue establish a barrier that you can actually feel to understand your pace in a run or intensity of training.  If you’re not sore after a workout, you should understand you are maintaining a plateau more than improving.  And you couldn’t ask for a more clear signal than pain in a race to monitor your progress.

I think this thought came to me because I’m planning to run a couple of 5Ks this Saturday and I’m thinking of pushing them hard.  I haven’t run a 5K road race in over 20 years and I’m curious if I can handle a hard pace for 20 minutes.  Clearly I’m used to running a pace that I know I can maintain over one to four hours.  Much longer on some of my high altitude hikes.  But I’m not going to run that slow for 3 miles!

Working against me is experience.  I don’t have any recent experience at running faster.  I haven’t trained for a 5K.  But I think I know the tricks because I do have knowledge from past experience.  I can’t start out so fast that I immediately go into oxygen debt.  I’ll know I’m in oxygen debt by the heavy pain that consumes my legs.  And it’s possible that despite knowing better to start out too fast, I might anyway.  The pain will be my signal to slow down.  You can recover from oxygen debt.  The human body is nothing if not anti-fragile.  It learns from experience and recovers from sickness as well as workouts – sometimes even with future immunity.  You can recover more effectively from the build-up of lactic acid the quicker you notice it occurring.  So if I’m overly excited and launch off the starting line like a rocket, I’ll slow down.  But I’ll monitor the pain and when I feel it subside I’ll begin to push myself again.

It will be much more efficient overall to warm up with a slow pace and gradually increase my speed, but in either case it’s a matter of being tuned in to the pain feedback.  Again, this isn’t tortuous pain.  It’s manageable.  And it’s a tool.  It’s fair for any coach to say it’s mental because at this level it really is.  Like the line in the movie The Matrix, “There is no spoon.”  Low-level pain can pass for numbness with the right focus.  If I listen carefully to my body, I’ll be able to maintain a pace that is just below the threshold of oxygen debt.  I think I can maybe do this for a 5K based on my ability to do it in a marathon.  At least I hope so because I’m fixin’ to run the Colder Boulder 5K and the Prospect Rudolph Dash 5K this Saturday.  I want to run well and it’s too late to start training for speed now.

La Cueva

24 Saturday Nov 2012

Posted by in Running

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,

Finally found the desert trails in Carlsbad.  I had to up my game on searching the Internet.  I discovered a defunct Cavern City Running Club web site that lead me to hints of 15 to 20 miles of mountain bike trails on the south side of town.  A few expert searches later I discovered La Cueva Trail.  If you can find yourself to the intersection of Lea Street and Standpipe Road, the trail head is about 3 miles south on Standpipe.  After 2 miles, you’ll pass through a 15 MPH S-curve.  You’ll cross over a cattle guard after another .8 miles and then see a dirt road to your right after another .2 miles.  Take this dirt road.  You’ll pass some boulders lined up on your right after a tenth of a mile which is half way to the trail head.  Parking is on the left before the road splits in a Y.

There are three trail signs.  To the far right is La Cueva.  Left of this is a trail sign oddly named Back To Truck.  Left of this is the right branch of the road and further left is another sign for La Cueva.  Apparently it’s a 20 mile loop.  I suspect most runners/bikers start out taking the right branch.  They say if you want to avoid the crowds at Disney World, branch left at the entrance and move clockwise through the park.  Ever the contrarian, or perhaps because I’m left-handed, I took the left trail loop.

This is a rugged trail.  The surface is more rock than dirt and difficult to follow in places.  There are spots lined with rocks and the occasional cairn but I lost the trail numerous times.  At one point I crossed a creek and found myself following false trails that linked up various oil wells.  After meandering for ten minutes I turned back to the creek and saw where I made my error.  I should never have crossed the creek bed.  From then on I paid more attention to the infrequent strips of yellow or pink tape in tree branches.  Even when I turned around though I lost the trail several times near the creek because there were so many variants.  Generally upon losing sight of the path, the best decision was to simply run straight ahead until the trail presented itself again.  And it helped to keep my head up to look for tape and the path on the horizon.  This lead to missing the aggressive Ocotillo thorns splayed out across the trail immediately in front of me.

I suspect Ocotillo is Apache for blood thirsty savage plant.  I highly advise wearing gaiters on this trail to protect your shins and ankles.  I left behind my share of DNA on La Cueva.  Although I was more concerned about snagging the thin material of my North Face shell.  It was 42° with a bit of a breeze when I started out but warmed up quickly and I tied the jacket around my waist.  I didn’t see any rips in my shell afterward but did pull out a few thorns that left micro holes.  Click on the pic to get a better view of some of the skin damage to my shin.

I was never worried after losing the trail because it seemed easy enough to find again.  The scariest moment was when I found myself running directly into a raging bull.  We played chicken for about two seconds before he mercifully veered off the trail.  I was very close to jumping into the Ocotillo bushes.  Overall, this was a fairly satisfying run.  I got in nearly 8 miles in 75 minutes.  I think I could have run faster had I been more familiar with the trail.  I plan to return and next time will run the loop counter clockwise.

The Flume

23 Friday Nov 2012

Posted by in Running

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

Started Thanksgiving day out with a 9 mile run along the Pecos River in Carlsbad, New Mexico.  My iPhone app tracked 13 miles at a 5 minute pace.  So much for accuracy.  I probably ran an 8:30 minute pace over the course of three loops.  Felt good after driving for 11 hours the day before.  Later in the day I emailed Karen some links to Garmin GPS watches as ideas for a Christmas gift.

I discovered this urban riverside run when I visited my sister-in-law Laura and her husband Chad for Thanksgiving last year.  It’s very pleasant with people fishing and geese vying for control of the sidewalk.  For some reason I forgot that it is completely paved.  I’d prefer a trail.  Since everyone drives at least 5 miles under the speed limit in this town, I was able to gaze into the undeveloped desert on my drive back.  It occurred to me that there must be more than a few running trails in this area.

I drive right past the flume on the way back home.  It looks like an abandoned cement bridge to nowhere.  Over 100 years ago, Ripley’s listed it as the largest cement structure in the world.  There has to be some trail associated with this monolith.  I queried it later in the day and learned that it launches the start of a 6.4 mile, 5-foot wide asphalt recreational trail that is located along the Carlsbad Irrigation District Canal and runs the entire length of the city.  Okay, asphalt is not a trail but this looks interesting.  An out and back will make for a 12.8 mile run.

So on Friday I parked back behind the hospital at the flume to run the Carlsbad Irrigation Canal.  I wouldn’t describe this path as scenic or extraordinary in any way, but it is a hike and bike path and serves this purpose well.  It begins by meandering through hardscrabble neighborhoods with $50,000 pickup trucks sitting in front of $30,000 houses and pitbulls tethered to dirt yards.  These dismal abodes eventually yield to a more rural setting equally unattractive along the southern edge of town.  I turned around about a mile short of the end because I wasn’t sure it continued and because I was ready.  I ran back on the other side of the canal which was mostly dirt and gravel.  I actually preferred this as it more resembled a trail and would be easier on my knees.  Total time was 80 minutes and I’m guessing I ran close to an 8 minute mile pace for nearly ten miles.

Given what I know of Carlsbad to date, I recommend this running route.  The river downtown is more scenic but it’s all cement sidewalk.  This might not be much of a running town but I suspect the real runners know where the trails are.  I did research online and just couldn’t fund much.  There is the Ocotillo Trail near the university campus, but it is only 1 mile in length.  There is Brantley Lake State Park 12 miles north of town, but I am not certain it provides any good trails.  I’d have to drive there to know for sure.  A bit disappointing I can’t find more online.  Still, I intend to discover a trail for my next visit.  This high altitude desert simply has to have some trails.  If you are familiar with the area, please provide ideas via comments.

Seasonal Slowdown

17 Saturday Nov 2012

Posted by in Running

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

Can you believe the size of this sign?  I suspect most college track teams don’t even have a sign.  Only in Texas.  I connected with my old team on Facebook recently.  Only see one team member – Michael (Tap) Tapscott – on this page from my years.    That guy was such a bad ass 800 meter runner.  I haven’t found any of my cross country buddies at this FB page although I am friends with one of them already.  Apparently ’80s runners don’t live big digital lives.  Considering what little running I’ve been doing the last two weeks, virtual running by finding past teammates online might be all I do this winter.

You might gain an extra hour of sleep when daylight savings ends, but I swear you lose hours to the darkness in the days after.  I only had time to run once all week.  I hope to make up for it this weekend.  Ran seven today and will run at least ten tomorrow.  I’ll somehow squeeze it all in between dropping off Jack at the dog groomers, getting my own haircut, grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, servicing the cars, holiday decorating.  Today was a day of a thousand errands.  Tomorrow will be more of the same but I’ll get my run in for sure.  Today’s run was the quintessential fall scamper on the LoBo Trail.

The wind blew from the east with a nose of burning leaves.  Not sure what farmers roast this time of year, but the air smelled seasonal.  My thoughts drifted to Thanksgiving next week with family in Carlsbad.  Laura will have her house crafted beautifully for the holidays.  Chad will cook an unending feast with the focused fervor of Daniel Craig in the opening scenes of a Bond film.  I’ll contribute the wine.  Carlsbad has a nice running loop around the river downtown that I intend to run Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  I’ll get back on track next week.

Mountain Buzz

11 Sunday Nov 2012

Posted by in Colorado Trail

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , ,

Rob and I met up at the Mountain Buzz Cafe & Pizzeria Friday night in Georgetown, exit 228, to camp out and hike the CDT nearby on Saturday.  We returned from our last outing with each other’s sleeping bag, so first order of business was the exchange.  I knew I had Robs’ but did he remember mine?  We’re good friends and all but I wasn’t giving Rob his bag unless he had mine.  Funny thing was we both brought not only each other’s bag but an extra one just in case.  I ended up using my extra bag for additional cushion in my tent.

I can’t say enough about how awesome this little pizza place is in Georgetown.  I think the name alludes to their coffee.  Hard to say considering we’re a “green” state.  The menu is mostly pizza, but also calzones and paninis.  And they have a few beers.  We drank a couple of IPAs.  Actually, Rob had to wait for me about 30 minutes and who knows how many beers he had.  He was able to talk with Paul, the guy in the pic, as well as other patrons.  He met some kayakers chasing the last fast running water before it dries up or freezes.  The flat screen was playing my new favorite show – American Pickers.  What’s the odds of a restaurant or bar playing the History Channel?  Before leaving, I ordered a calzone to go to eat on the trail the next day.

After dinner, we drove up I-70 7 miles and setup camp at the Bakersfield exit 221.  Our trail would launch from here Saturday but we were close enough to the other trailhead that we didn’t plan to shuffle cars until morning.  I took my time setting up my tent, preferring to drink more IPAs while sitting in my camp chair.  It was dark of course but the sky was clear and we enjoyed some great stars.  The camp conversation was deep.  I learned the first time Rob got drunk drinking beer was with Miller High Life.  Mine was PBR.

We called it a night around 10pm expecting a half foot or so of snow overnight.  I went to sleep in my Under Armour to keep warm.  The wind hit us like a freight train some time after midnight but the trees sheltered us.  The snow didn’t begin to fall in earnest until we woke up at 4:30am.  Rob brewed some trail head coffee and we shuffled a car 3 miles west to exit 218.  The plan was to start with a 4 mile run on the trail between our camp site and this Herman Gulch Trailhead.  The trail runs along the south side of I-70 and is actually paved.  I think it continues to the Loveland ski area.  We began running at 6:10am expecting to need our headlamps but it was easy enough to see in the morning twilight.

This was a good warmup and helped us to determine the gear we would need to wear for the hike.  Once we reached the car I took off some heavy cotton and dressed in layers of light gear.  I wore snow pants along with my knee-high gaiters.  I left my big snow jacket behind risking a lighter wind jacket.  I don’t know the temperature but guessing it was around 32° and there wasn’t much wind – especially in the woods.  We almost canceled this trip because of the weather reports but the day turned out to be great for hiking.  It snowed non-stop but it wasn’t cold.  In fact, we planned on snow shoeing but there wasn’t near enough snow for that.  We did use our trekking poles and they were very much needed.

The trail was hard to spot at times and Rob did pull out his GPS after we lost the trail in the snow.  It was slow going due to ice under the fresh fallen snow.  This is a popular trail close to Denver with easy interstate access, so we ran into a number of other hikers.  One big group had turned around and warned us about the ice.  We managed though using our trekking poles and got in a 6 hour hike covering 10 to 12 miles.  Rob did crash hard on some ice on the way back but lived.  I bet he’s feeling that fall now though.

Rob demonstrated how to keep your fingers warm by swinging your arms in a windmill fashion.  It’s always good to learn a new trick.  Watch the video.  This works well.  We did occasionally have some strong wind when hiking ridges so we alternated gear a few times.  I had plenty of options of light gear in my back pack.  The sun came out by the end of the day – which for us was around noon.  I ate my calzone in the trees below Herman Lake which we got in with a side trip on the return.  This was an out and back hike.  I award Mountain Buzz with a puerco pibil for that calzone.  Some of the best hiking food I’ve ever had.

We planned to snow shoe and that didn’t happen, but it was a great day for using trekking poles.  I can’t imagine not using them for this hike.  My arms are sore still – this was very much a full-body workout.  More so to guard from falling on ice than post-holing.  Besides safety, the poles helped us to maintain a healthy pace.  I suspect we will continue hiking segments of the CDT throughout the winter.  And snow shoes are definitely in our future.

All Day Long

03 Saturday Nov 2012

Posted by in Running

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

This pic was within the first couple of miles.  I know because my sleeves are still down for warmth.  I wasn’t actually listening to a playlist yet, not until about 7 or 8 miles.  Had the ear buds in though to be ready.  I held a few conversations on this run.  Running a nine minute pace, I was never winded.  This was all a matter of enjoying the fall colors.

I recall when I was a kid, running competitively, how nervous I would be lining up for a race.  My stomach would feel sick up until the starting gun fired.  My body knew the ordeal it was about to go through and it would be on edge.  Now, I line up casual.  Rarely any nerves.  And even for marathons, the only thought going through my mind is that I can’t believe my life is so perfect that I get four hours to go for a run.  Sweet.

Ran twelve miles this morning on LoBo Trail.  I ran slow and could have run all day long.  Ran so slow I’m really glad I didn’t time it.  But it was 50° and sunny.  Another beautiful day in Colorado.  Ran in my bronco colors – blue shorts and orange long sleeve t-shirt.  It was such great weather I planted bulbs after putting away the Halloween decorations.  Still cool enough though that I have a skillet of chili simmering now.  Using up my garden tomatoes.

Barefoot in the Park

30 Tuesday Oct 2012

Posted by in Running

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

With no more big runs planned, you might think I’d run out of content.  A runner can always talk about their shoes.  I only had time today for 4 miles and it occurred to me I could revisit my attempt at training in minimalist running flats.  Earlier attempts ended with something broken in my left foot last spring, but I know what I’m doing this time around.

I won’t train barefoot on 15 mile trail runs this winter.  I expect to be mostly running 3 and 4 miles which is the sort of distance that should be safe and allow me to adapt to barefoot running.  So I pulled these down from my gear wall and slapped them on.  You guys all have a gear wall in your basement too, right?  Well, I love how these Merrell Trail Gloves fit and feel.  It’s just amazing how they force my stride to strike the ground on the balls of my feet.

Truth be told, I’ve been limping a tad this evening, but I don’t think I overdid it.  One might argue that I’m typically limping after most runs.  Generally not the short runs.  This will take some practice but that’s the plan this winter.  I’ll work these into my regimen.  With no upcoming events, the potential impact from injury is low.

Post Season Plans

28 Sunday Oct 2012

Posted by in Running

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

Two marathons, back-to-back, and two photos crossing the finish line with both feet in the air.  Tells me I finished the season with a little skip in my step.  Great metaphor for my year as I began injured but finished healthy and in decent running shape.  This might have been my most productive season ever in terms of road races – The Austin Half, Moab Half, Boulder Spring Half, Collegiate Peaks 25 mile trail run, Bolder Boulder 10K, Imogene Pass Run, Denver Marathon and the Boulder Marathon.  I also discovered 3 neighbors to not only run with but who beat me in some of those runs listed above.  Next year’s Moab Half will be competitive with those guys.  Win or lose, I now have a cool running hat none of them have.  Click on the pic and check out that orange hat.

At Jen & Kelly’s Halloween party last night, Keith asked me what big event we should plan on next year.  I responded I didn’t think I was ready just yet to make plans.  I don’t have any idea for next year except for the spring.  I plan to repeat what I did this year.  However, if I’m in shape, I’ll run the full Austin Marathon in February instead of the half.  Follow that up with the Moab Half in March, the CPTR in early May and end my spring season with the Bolder Boulder.

My winter training will be with the goal of beating my neighbors in those events.  I’m currently healthy and strong.  I’ll shorten my runs during the week after daylight savings time ends next weekend.  But I’ll try to do weights and work out my core.  That’s as important as running distance.  I expect to have some good long runs on weekends (ran two 12 milers this weekend) along with snow shoeing.  My spring results will stem from how dedicated I am with my winter maintenance program.

Return to LoBo Trail

27 Saturday Oct 2012

Posted by in Running

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

I realize the knee high compression socks make me appear like a school girl, but they are actually in fashion for runners so I don’t look out of place in that venue.  At least I don’t wear short racing shorts.  And I don’t tuck in my shirt for the same reason I don’t wear a belt with shorts.  That’s for old men and golfers.  Speaking of old men, the Boulder Marathon marks the first time for me since I returned to running road races that no one 60 or older beat me.  It is one thing for a 70 yr old to beat me in the IPR when he lives and trains with the other mountain goats at that elevation, but another thing entirely to be out kicked at the end of a 10K in Boulder by a septuagenarian.

I found myself talking to Chris last night at the Burlington Elementary Fall Ball about what age division is the easiest – relatively.  My thought is that the two 30 year old age divisions are the least competitive.  Not by number of participants, but by how competitive their times are.  Said another way – these guys are the biggest slackers.  Most likely their focus is on family and careers.  Still, thirty year olds are the relative slow guys.

I’m prepared to slow down.  The 2012 season is over for me.  Had a great run today on the LoBo Trail but overdressed a tad.  I said this to a runner who passed by in the other direction around the 2 mile mark.  He was wearing leg tights and a jacket.  Shortly after I removed my top layer – a Broncos orange long-sleeved t-shirt – and laid it on the ground at the LoBo singage near the Ogallala Road crossing.  I also ran the furthest I ever have on this trail.  I’ve done ten miles before so know where the five mile turn around is.  I suspect today I ran to the six mile turn around for a twelve mile run.  The course winds into Niwot housing developments and is spectacular.  The trail is nearly invisible under the broad leaves from Cottonwood trees.  The path under the canopy of Cottonwood dripped with melting snow so hard it was like running behind a waterfall.  Or like dining at the Rainforest Cafe.  Metaphors depend on your personal experience.

I began scanning the trail for a meaningful turn-around as I trotted past a smaller dirt path branch off to the right via some open source bridge across the creek.  Looked like it just continued along in the same direction on the other side of the creek.  Would have been more interesting than this pedestrian trail but I ran past it before having that thought.  A quarter mile later I determined to turn back at a spot I thought I could remember because some nice homes came up close to the trail at this point.  As I reached it I discovered the other end of the dirt path crossing the creek again.  This time I took it.  Perfect because I already know where it comes back out now.  And it changed up the scenery by changing my running surface with a narrow, slightly muddy trail.

I could have kept going I felt so good but that was an awesome spot to turn back around.  I maintained a slow stride the entire run.  I collected my shirt at Ogallala Road and tied it around my waist for the last couple of miles.  I think now for the winter I will plan to run nice, long slow routes on weekends just like this out my backdoor.

Muscle Cramps

26 Friday Oct 2012

Posted by in Running

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , ,

Based on my experience cramping in the Denver Marathon – where I felt like Rambo being electrocuted against a bed frame of steel mattress coils – my biggest concern in the Boulder Marathon was avoiding cramps.  Initially I had one strategy, I planned to drink as much electrolytes as possible at the aid stations.  The Boulder Marathon course has 10 aid stations and because you run by some of them twice, they are spaced about every two miles.  Some are closer as you pass the 10 aid stations 16 times.

They were all stocked with Gatorade Endurance Formula along with water.  Several had GU Gels and bananas and oranges.  I drank the Gatorade electrolytes at nearly every aid station.  I didn’t begin skipping any until after 13 miles.  I figure I drank a total of 1000 grams of sodium from this during the event.  The plan I blogged about earlier was to drink twice that, but I would have needed to stop at each aid station to swallow so much liquid.  And it’s too much liquid.  I also ate two gel packs – which I never do because they suck.  These weren’t bad though.  They were vanilla bean flavored.  And of course I washed them down immediately with water.  I also had a few plain waters.

I would say this plan was successful in that I didn’t cramp, except it wasn’t the most controlled scientific experiment because I also wore compression socks.  I can’t say for certain that compression socks do anything positive per claims, but I can tell you they feel good.  Or at least my calves feel good wearing them.  I’m a fan.  In the Denver Marathon, I also suffered a cramp in my hamstring at mile 22.  I never felt a twinge of cramping in my hamstring Sunday, and of course the socks stopped below my knee.  So it’s plausible the electrolytes contributed in this case.

Coincidentally, I found myself chatting with a high school boy running his first marathon somewhere during the final 10K.  I noticed him pass by me a bit earlier but now he was stopping at regular intervals to stretch.  He told me his legs were cramping.  I advised him to drink a couple of cups of Gatorade at the aid stations – which I saw him do at the next one.  I don’t know but hopefully this helped him.  In our discussion, he was actually well versed in runner’s nutrition and the need for sodium.

My feet did cramp a few hours later as I was getting a massage, but I was in the right place for that to be properly managed.  My arches did not cramp during the middle of the night, so I consider the massage successful.  As of Monday, I had one nagging knot on the inside of the top of my left leg, but most of the pain was gone by Tuesday.  I would have run Tuesday but didn’t have time so I finally ran for the first time on Wednesday in the cold rain that preceded the snow.  Actually pretty decent running weather and I got in 8 miles.  Felt great.

There’s a part of me that is still disappointed I ran 10 minutes slower than four weeks earlier in the Denver Marathon.  But I accomplished some of my goals.  I avoided cramps.  My core felt stronger and for a longer period.  Boulder was a much tougher course than Denver.  Denver is largely flat but Boulder is nonstop rolling hills.  Based on how weak my pace is the final 10K of marathons, I clearly have more to learn.  I know that I’ve yet to train properly for a marathon.  I don’t put in enough miles.  But I sort of suspect nutrition is still a big component of my 4th quarter decline in pace.  I don’t have any commitments yet but I expect to sign up for the Austin Marathon in February.  That will be my next test.