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Texas Race Photos

11 Wednesday Mar 2015

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twisted finish lineI think I’m finally starting to lose my double chin.  I know this because race photographers continue to think upward angle shots are a good idea.  Amateurs.  I shouldn’t complain over a free race photo, but then the registration fee was a bit pricey for a little 5K with no road closures.  I still can’t get over all the 5Ks around Central Texas.  There are over a half dozen each weekend in the Austin metro alone.  A baker’s dozen if you expand the radius to New Braunfels and the surrounding hill country.  Apparently you can’t have an event without a 5K.  I couldn’t find any tenable 10Ks.  The Twisted X 5K is the only one that provided race photos.  I like this one because it shows me finishing ahead of my buddy Ken.  He passed me at two miles.  I can assure you that was not part of my race plan, but racing him for the final mile was priceless.

Lakeway Jimmy IveyI already posted my only photo from the Lakeway Runforapurpose 5K, which I ran a week before the Twisted X 5K.  They took awards photos, some of which they posted in the Austin-American Statesman.  I’ve been unsuccessful at finding my photo so here is a pic of the runner who beat me, 24 year old Jimmy Ivey.  This race posted age graded results, and by that measure, I beat him.  But then Ken beat me with his age graded time, in fact he came in first.  This race was memorable, if not for being the first time I raced with Ken in 30 years, for the monster hills.  My thighs are still sore.

LettiThe Braunfest 5K took photos of us receiving our medals, but never made them available.  Doesn’t matter, this picture of me standing with Letty in the post run beer tasting tent is better anyway.  That was a big beer morning.  The most unique thing about that race was that they served chicken wings afterward, with an outstanding selection of hot sauces.  With beer of course.  Before 9am.  New Braunfels is a very German town.

Austin CapitolI have tons of photos from the Austin Marathon.  This is me, smiling of all things, just after crossing the finish line.  I’ve never finished a marathon feeling better.  Austin puts on a fun run.  I don’t know how many girls along the route yelled at me to “run boy blue!”  Not very original after the third time, but consistent enough that I got the message.  Next time I’ll try to wear contrasting shorts.  The most unique shout out was from a group of girls standing at mile 13; they asked me if I was Kevin Bacon.  They were serious.  In case you’re young, he’s an aging actor 4 years older than me.  I didn’t take it as a compliment, but was surprised by it nonetheless.  Maybe he’s also a runner known for wearing monochromatic outfits?

Dripping Springs

07 Saturday Mar 2015

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Twisted XIt’s not raining.  It’s not even cold.  It’s as if God plans on attending SWSX, so suddenly the weather improves.  I meet up with Kenneth Hausman in the Twisted X Brewery parking lot for a rematch from last Sunday.  This Texmex brewery and brew pub is located on the edge of Dripping Springs, on the way out toward Driftwood.  With Ken is his friend and neighbor, 45 year old Steve Yacktman.  Steve is prepping for a triathlon and is using this as a speed workout.  Steve also runs $30B of investments at Yacktman Asset Management.  He said, when he makes a mistake at work, it typically costs him over $100M.  Despite the large turnout and fast looking runners today, Steve smiles broadly and calmly on the starting line.  No pressure here.  This is a video of him on Squawkbox at CNBC.

Steve YacktmanWe line up just behind the runners who we expect might run a minute per mile faster than us.  We’re capable of averaging 7 minute miles.  My goal is 6:45 per mile.  I really want to PR before flying home tomorrow back to altitude.  That’s a 6:42 pace.  The first quarter mile is on a cow trail.  We expected pavement but apparently Twisted X had trouble with the permits.  I’m fine with this, I love trail running.  Grass and trails are slower though.

I start out running behind both Ken and Steve on the trail.  I pass Ken once we hit the street and start to run alongside Steve.  He pulls in front of me as we climb a monster hill.  This is just before the one mile marker, which we cross in 6:28.  I’m concerned because this is 20 seconds faster than my race plan, but it does help explain why I’m so winded.

3rd PlaceThe street doesn’t last long and we soon find ourselves back in a cow pasture.  I pass Steve around the half way point as his stomach begins to cramp.  I wish I could say it was because I sped up.  As we return to the street and run back down the huge hill, Ken passes me.  This is just at the two mile point.  I run this second mile in 6:42 which I consider excellent.  I’m on pace to PR.  Of course, I’d feel even better if Ken didn’t just pass me but I still feel strong and am able to stay close behind him.  I catch my breath running down the hill and run alongside Ken for the next half mile.

We’re both breathing hard with spit spraying out of our gaping mouths and snot flying out our nostrils.  We’re in a race.  Ken is five years older than me but the age division for this race is 50 to 59 and he’s not backing off.  The street turns to trail again for the final quarter mile and I’m able to shoot ahead of him.  I can’t wait until the last 100 yards to out sprint Ken because for one, I don’t know that I can.  And two, I might hurt myself sprinting.  My early kick pays off and I cross the finish line 3 seconds ahead of Ken in 20:28 – a personal record – having run 6:44 for my final mile.  My 6:36 pace is good enough for third place in my age division, 10th place overall.  Steve takes second place in the 40-49 group.  We win custom-made bottle openers – exactly what to expect from a brewery.

GodspellThis will be my last Texas race for awhile.  My three weeks are coming to a close.  I saw some old friends, work colleagues and family.  I ate Thai for dinner last night, Pad Ped Gang Dang with Karen’s brother Steve and his wife Susan.  We watched their daughter Lucy in a church play Godspell, with her Grandparents.  That was fun.  And I met Chris Amaro for lunch Thursday.  He’s another running buddy from Texas State.  He graduated with a physics degree and went to work in Vegas for the Reagan Star Wars industry.  He works now as a physicist for the State of Texas Department of Health.  Chris was more into marathons at a younger age, running four in high school.  He last ran the Austin Marathon in 2007, but plans to train for another soon.  I come down every year to spend quality time with my mom but it’s nice to see other friends and family and get in some low altitude racing.  My next race might be the Bolder Boulder 10K at 5,400 feet.  Adios Texas.

The Hills of Lakeway

01 Sunday Mar 2015

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Kenneth Hausman Kenneth Hausman is a college running buddy I met at Texas State.  Meeting up for this run is his idea.  He shows up in his Chariots of Fire sweats a half hour before the start and we warm up together.

There’s a reason they call it the Hills of Lakeway.  I might be from Colorado, but I typically train on an extremely flat trail.  This morning’s 5K has a couple hundred feet of elevation change in three miles.  Unbelievable.  The first two hundred yards are flat, then the course drops, sometimes steeply, for the next half mile.  Ken takes the lead from the start but we settle into a three man lead pack with twenty-four year old Jimmy Ivey.  Jimmy ran Cross Country for West Virginia Tech and works now as a diesel mechanic for Caterpillar in Austin.

Mostly downhill, we run the first mile in 6:38, almost identical to the start of my 5K yesterday in New Braunfels.  We chat the entire time, because Ken, an insurance agent and serial entrepreneur, is a talker.  Ken and I quiet down once we start up the next hill.  Jimmy continues talking and doesn’t appear to be breathing, so we sense we’re in trouble.  As the hill begins to steepen, Jimmy gains some separation.  A half mile later, he has 20 seconds on me.  I’m able to count this from where we turn around at the half way point.

I chase Jimmy after the turn as it’s downhill again, but he increases his lead.  I hit mile two in 7:08, again almost identical to yesterday despite the extreme hills.  Mile three though is brutal – a half mile climb.  I’m breathing like a race horse on the back stretch and lactic acid burns inside my thighs.  I’m not going to catch Jimmy, he continues to increase his lead.  I run mile three in 7:31 – a half minute slower than yesterday’s third mile.  I cross the line in 21:58, 39 seconds behind Jimmy.  For the second day in a row, I place second overall.  Always a bridesmaid.  Kenneth finishes a close third.

AwardsWe feel pretty good because not only did we both finish in the top three, but there are no other fifty year olds in the top 20.  We celebrate our demonstrated vitality with breakfast tacos at Rudy’s BBQ on 620 – a quarter mile past the 2222 intersection.  Another cold and wet race on a rainy Central Texas weekend.  Not bad running weather, although not comfortable for standing around afterward.  I’m showered, warm and dry now.  Kenneth is talking about another 5K next Saturday down in Kyle.

New Braunfels

28 Saturday Feb 2015

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Guadalupe-Brewing

Very few drivers out on the road today before 6am.  Texas is frozen.  I drop Sandy off at Austin Bergstrom for an early flight easily enough.  My next target is New Braunfels to run a 5K and meet up with the Johnsons for the Braunfest beer tasting and lunch.  The drive though across Ben White to I35 is an icy death trap.  There are three major overpasses between the airport and the interstate.  Early responders are busy at all three bridges cleaning up catastrophic crashes.  I can’t imagine why anyone would drive faster than the 15 mph I’m doing across this ice, but these cars are totally smashed.  Multiple cars at the first two sites, just one at the overpass exit to I35.  Even at my slow speed, I’m in a controlled slide between the fire trucks, police cruisers, and wrecks.  Still, I make it safely to New Braunfels by 7am.

Only 68 runners line up for the race.  I might place.  The rain is holding back and 35° is not that unpleasant for running.  I layer two t-shirts and wear a ski cap along with gloves, and I’m comfortable.  Eight runners dart out ahead of me at the start.  After the first mile, only two remain ahead of me.  I’m stunned by my initial pace – 6:36 for mile one.  I hope, and actually expect, to run a 7 minute pace and did not want to start off this fast.

I catch Clay Coleman, the runner in second place, at the half way point.  He follows close behind as we head up a hill, but then fades.  Felix Acosta, the runner in first place is a good 20 seconds ahead of me and looks strong.  I focus on running my own pace and cross mile two with a 7:00 even mile.  I feel fairly strong myself but don’t want to race too hard.  I plan to run another 5K tomorrow.  Still, I make a move to close the gap and am able to close on the leader a bit.  My surge gives me a 6:54 final mile.  Felix finishes 15 seconds ahead of my 21:24.  He’s a bit younger than me and I’m happy finishing in second place.

I meet up an hour later with Ray and Letty for the beer tasting.  They’re feeling pretty good about their son recently being accepted into the UT School of Engineering.  They figure it was the billion hours their son put into his robotics club that got him in.  Oh, and he’s smart.  My favorite beer of the day might be the Hefeweizen from Guadalupe Brewing that was served post race with chicken wings.  After drinking our limit of beer before noon, we head over to the Friesenhaus for an authentic German lunch.  The waiters speak mostly German.  I order the Schleswig-Holstein Snitzel.  And more beer.  I’m going to need to run that 5K tomorrow.

Hill Country Winter Runs

22 Sunday Feb 2015

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kickToday’s weather was rain, light wind, and 40°.  I know what you’re thinking, absolutely ideal running conditions.  I ran 13 evenly paced miles today on the Brushy Creek Regional Trail and it was perfect.  I wore shorts and two shirts – my light, long-sleeved Boulder Marathon shirt layered over my Moab tech t-shirt. And a running hat.  I rolled up my sleeves at one point and rolled them back down on the return into the 10 mph wind.  My gear choices were perfect too.  Then there was the Brushy Creek scenery.  Mostly brown foliage but so pretty.  The trail feels so much more remote than the surrounding sprawl would indicate.  The cool, humidity paired well with the winter colors.

I neglected to mention that Central Texas rained on me around the twenty-third mile of the Austin Marathon.  Even though the rain down here is like warm bath water, I found it refreshing at a time I was over-heating.  I ran three very comfortable 7 milers this last week in sunny weather – upper 60°s and lower 70°s.  Very nice but I prefer this more typical Central Texas winter weather.  It reminds me of running through high school and college, growing up down here.  Nostalgia pairs well with long runs.

See Jane Run

20 Friday Feb 2015

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cesar chavez 1Forty-three year old Christi Moore took 14th in her age division of the Austin Half Marathon with a 1:43:02.  A 7:52 mile pace.  117th out of 5130 women.  I mention this because that’s her running behind me in this photo. We’re running together here at the seven mile point in front of the old Austin Power Plant.  It gets better.  Six miles later, we both complete 13.1 miles within a few seconds of each other. I ran my first half in 1:42:49.  The course splits after 10.5 miles between the full and the half.  We both continued on the same pace for 2.6 more miles.  In case you’re wondering, I’m pulling a gel out of my pocket in this picture.  Mobile eating is more difficult than you’d think.  Enlarge the pic by clicking on it and tell me that Christi isn’t checking out my ass.  If she PR’d, I’m taking some credit.

rebecca finishThis second photo captures thrity-one year old Rebecca De La Rosa rounding the final turn in the Half.  Rebecca likes to tell the story about how when the kids were told to run a mile in high school, she’d always walk it.  She’s been running the last couple of years with my niece Christi.  A different Christi than the one chasing my tail in that photo.  Since they started running Tough Mudders together, Rebecca has lost 70 pounds.  This was her second half marathon.  Rebecca PR’d in 2:10.

These are just two of the impressive women who ran the 2015 Austin Half Marathon.  The 3rd place woman finisher in the marathon has been in the news all week for her brave crawl to the finish line.  Seriously, Hyvon Ngetitch literally crawled the entire final sprint down Congress Avenue to the finish.  The women pwned Austin last Sunday.  Some tough Texans.

For the Hellth of It

20 Friday Feb 2015

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Mile 5 by the Hyatt HotelRunning marathons is probably on par with bolemia or similar health conditions.  Lucky for me, running is perceived as a healthy habit.  Run Forrest run. My insurance provider would even grant me a $100 rebate if I put a hundred hours into tracking my activities on their senseless web site.  I’ll try that again when I wear an Apple Watch with an app to automate the upload.  I do believe running is good for my mental health.  Some athletes curl stones across the ice.  Pick your diversion.

I can tell you that I felt great after the Austin Marathon last Sunday, and recovered well enough to run the next day.  I didn’t run the next day because the weather sucked and I was busy, but I could have.  My post-race massage deserves credit for much of my muscle recovery.  I think the point I really want to make is I didn’t hurt myself.  There were no marathon-related strained muscles.  I was a bit concerned I would make my cold worse, or develop allergies from the high mold count.  My cold did feel worse that night but mostly cured by Monday, and no allergies.  I dodged a bullet.

finisher photoThat I recovered so quickly hints that I am in fact in shape to run a marathon.  I usually know when I am but I don’t always know when I’m not. I think my slow down on the final 10K was only partly due to the hills in Tarrytown and the warm temperature and humidity.  The biggest factor is running the first 10K too fast.  The trick to running Austin well is a slow start, made difficult by the long downhill stretch on South First Street after 3.5 miles.  The photo above is in front of the Hyatt Hotel between 5 and 6 miles.  If I run this next year, I’m running super slow the first six miles.  Or I might just switch to the half marathon.

I picked up my sister Sandy from Austin Bergstrom at midnight Wednesday. She’ll visit for ten days. My mom now has a full house and I’m sleeping on the couch. I started running again Wednesday but have no race plans. Normally Moab would be next but I have yet to commit to that.  I’ll keep my runs at an easy pace and distance for the next few weeks to promote recovery and stay healthy.

Winter Marathon

15 Sunday Feb 2015

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balconyNineteen hours after arrival, my eyes stare south down Congress Avenue at the first mile of the 2015 Austin Marathon.  My stomach reminds me that I could still be in bed, warm and comfy.  My legs are simply ready.  Born and bred to run.  Primed.  This was their idea.  I know winter marathons to be a bad idea.  The Colorado ice age inhibits meaningful miles.  But with 15,000 runners poised over my shoulder, I’m in a one way cypher.  My only path is forward, for 26 miles of Austin.  I can do this.

My cold feels magically better.  Maybe colds don’t survive as long in warm winters?  The heat when the starting gun fired was around 60°.  I don’t question it, I’m happy to accept this gift from the marathon spirit.  I can breathe.  “Thank you, marathon spirit.”  So things are looking up for me.  I’m going to run however I feel.

rebeccaI maintain discipline with the start from 2nd Street and run my first mile in 8:17.  A little on the fast side of plan, but close enough for me.  I feel naked in this crowd without a tattoo and I don’t see anyone I know.  I figure Rebecca started somewhere behind, but don’t really know.  She’s running the half.  We’ll share most of the biggest hills in the first half of the course.  Mile two goes by in 8:03.  I think I ran faster because my legs warmed up, but mile two is more or less the same incline as the first mile.  Same goes for mile three.  I run this in 7:52.  Again, a bit of a miss to the low side but not that far from my previous mile pace.  At this point, I’m at the southern-most segment of South Austin.  I turn right and run up hill for a few more blocks on Ben White Blvd., before returning Downtown with another right-hand turn.

bridge I strategically expect my pace will change running down South First Street.  Amazingly unchanged, the homes and businesses still look like Austin when I used to live here.   Somehow cooler now.  Despite the low-hanging clouds, I’m seriously sweating.  85% humidity.  I’ve been wiping mold spores from my forehead since mile two.  I should begin to run well under 8 minutes now, until somewhere in Tarrytown, and I do.  I hit mile four in 7:32.  Mile five in 7:22, again for mile six in 7:22.  This is where I cross the bridge in this photo, turning west along Cesar Chavez.

Mile seven stays low with 7:36, mile eight lower yet in 7:34.  Then I hit the pace I want to run in the hills of Tarrytown.  Mile nine hits 7:59, mile ten 7:58, mile eleven 8:09, mile twelve is in 8:02 and mile thirteen is 8:04.  Honestly, I wanted those times a second or two under 8 minutes, but Exposition and everything west is Texas Hill Country.  Running slower was the right tactic.

rebecca in blue on bridgeThe site texting me says I ran the first half in 1:42 for a 7:54 pace.  I’m on pace for my stretch goal, and try maintaining it further.  I’m on the east side of Mopac now, running north up Bull Creek.  I complete the next four miles like clockwork.  I run mile fourteen in 8:00 even.  Mile fifteen in 8:01.  Then a bit of a slowdown occurs on mile sixteen with 8:15.  I’m moderately concerned with this and determine to pick it up.  I run mile seventeen in 8:11, a marginal improvement, but I felt like the time would be faster.  Fatigue is setting in.

The 3:30 pace sign catches me and aids me to run 8:06 for the eighteenth mile.  This is a struggle though.  I let the 3:30 runners go and slow to a 9:04 for mile nineteen.  I’m depressed over this and give things one more shot with an 8:34 for mile twenty – a welcome milestone.  I accept my demise after this and shuffle in with mostly nine minute miles to the end.  8:56 for mile twenty-one, 9:17 for mile twenty-two, and 9:20 for mile twenty-three.  In mile twenty-four, I see Chris Amaro at the Hancock Golf Course.  He runs up the hill with me to Duvall, and leaves me to run in the remaining miles.

balconyI’m done competing and keep an even effort across the UT campus with a 9:18 mile twenty-four, 9:08 mile twenty-five, and final twenty-sixth mile in 9:17.  I cross the finish line nine minutes short of my stretch goal in 3:39, an 8:24 pace.  Once I accepted that I was slowing down, I played up the point that I was also under last year’s pace, by six minutes, so I’m happy with my run.  Disappointed I couldn’t hold that faster pace, but shoot, I had a cold.

Rebecca PR’d in 2:10, this is only her second Half.  We all enjoyed hanging out on the balcony at the Stephen F. Austin Hotel.  Great spot.  I finished up with a massage by Jesse at Massage Envy in Round Rock.  I told her to apply deep pressure, even though I normally like medium.  Figured it would aid in muscle recovery.  It was good, but there were some painful moments.  Jesse could whip out a finger and bury it in my flesh like a switchblade.  I enjoyed fifty shades of massage.  Been basically eating non-stop ever since.  My eleventh marathon is complete.  This ends my winter running season.  I’ll be in Austin for a few weeks, and it’s already spring here.

2015 Austin Marathon

14 Saturday Feb 2015

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austin marathon Big run tomorrow. If you care to track my pace via text messages, text AUS to 37619. You’ll be prompted to add my bib number 2034. Facebook might also post my times, but I’m not certain I configured that correctly.

I initially expected to be able to match last year’s time of 3:45. Being a marathon, nothing is certain. And I have a cold this week. Not ideal. Plus, Austin is considered a tough course due to the hills. I believe I’m the same weight (170 lbs) as last year and in similar physical condition, so a cold notwithstanding, I suspect I can match last year’s performance. The thing is though, I really want to break 3:30. Before this cold, I thought an 8 minute pace possible if I were to run a perfect pace early. Perfect would be to run the first two miles around an 8:30 pace and to average a 7:50 pace for the rest of the run. Even with a cold, this is still my stretch goal. A boy can dream.

With all marathons, I’m always pretty satisfied with any time under 4 hours. Longer than that means I’m either not in shape for a marathon, or I failed to execute a good pace and nutrition plan. Or I have a cold. In 10 marathons, I’ve never failed to cross the finish line. Even after poor performances, I can find decent satisfaction in finishing at any pace. It’s a marathon after all. I know some runners feel they have to finish without walking. Not me. I don’t want to walk. I have specific time goals. But I don’t get overly down on myself for walking. That final 10K, after my body has burned all available stores of glucose, just may require that I walk through a few aid stations. I’m fine with that.

SBSocialRunI stopped by Shoes & Brews Thursday night to replenish my Skratch supply.  I’ll carry one to two liters with me in a camelbak.  That worked well in the Denver Marathon.  I used to think it smart to leverage the aid stations, but all they ever have is Gatorade.  I’m happy with my call to sport a small camelbak in order to support my electrolyte drink of choice.

I ran into Ashlee and gave her grief for dropping out of our Ragnar Relay Team.  Ashlee informed me that Colin and her are running the Austin Half Marathon on Sunday.  Naturally I let her know that I’m running the whole enchilada.  Since I’ll be running a full 26 miles, Ashlee suggested I wear a Shoes & Brew logo tech shirt.  I agreed so she sold me one.  At a discount.

I was going to ask her details on the Vfuel endurance gels.  Even though I’m well stocked with Hammer Gels, I bought a few to try out this weekend.  Before Ashlee could respond, Eve walked up and started chatting with me.  I forgot that Thursday is the evening social run.  I thought that was on Wednesdays.  I didn’t stay to run with her and Jabe because of my cold.  This is a massive taper week for me.  The only day I ran all week was Monday.  My legs should feel fresh tomorrow.

maplebaconThanks to Eve, I know absolutely nothing about these Vfuel gels.  I’m going to try them anyway.  I’ll mix them up somehow with my Hammer Gels.  I know trying out anything new on a marathon is stupid, but that advice is for more, less experienced runners who don’t know what they’re doing.  I can read and I see both gels avoid sugar by using maltodextrin.  My experience using Hammer is it burns nicely – meaning no gastrointestinal distress.  The Vfuel packaging is wider with square corners, Hammer is more slim with rounded corners. This is important in terms of fitting well within my shorts gel pockets.

nuunTurns out I left my Skratch sitting on the kitchen counter in Colorado, so I picked up a couple of electrolyte drinks at the race expo – UCAN and NUUN.  No idea how to pronounce either of them.  They seem similar in that they are pure electrolytes without sugar.  UCAN does contain Stevia.  I just taste tested them both.  I’m going with NUUN for its superior taste.  It’s fruity without being sweet.  Very refreshing.  48 ounces are chillin’ in a camelbak in the fridge as I write this.  I struggle in my attempts to drink enough fluids during runs.  Honestly, I don’t sweat much.  But a 57° to 71° temperature range will feel warm to me.  Of course I can leverage the aid stations if 48 ounces isn’t enough, but the first task is to empty my camelbak.

While I’ve lowered my performance expectations due to this cold, my excitement hasn’t diminished.  I can’t wait to line up on Congress Avenue with 17,000 of my peeps tomorrow morning to exercise my demons.  Marathons are good for that.  This will be my 3rd Austin Marathon, plus I ran the Half once.  Over two-thirds of the 17K will be running the Half.  The crowds are unbelievable.  Fans get a little thin for about a mile in the 3rd quarter along Mopac, otherwise the course is lined non-stop with thousands of Austin crazies.  If you’re one of my Austin buddies, get out there tomorrow.

Winter Taper

01 Sunday Feb 2015

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meekoI began my taper for the Austin Marathon this weekend.  Twelve mile run Saturday, down from twenty.  And a bit shorter snowshoe today.  My winter-style taper means only running about four days a week, and snowshoeing.  If I think about it, I probably have only been averaging four days of running per week all throughout January.  This year launched the start of the next ice age and conditions have been treacherous.  Saturday’s run was at a comfortable pace.  My legs were heavy from a hard run Friday, so it was mostly a recovery pace.  I loosened up on the return and squeezed in two tempo runs.  Weather was ideal.  Planning on a similar run next Saturday.

emma

The girls had a great day snow boarding.  We drove out of Boulder Valley across icy roads and under heavy snow clouds.  Canyon Drive up to Nederland was crawling at 35 mph.  But Eldora Mountain Resort was somehow above the clouds.  Full day of sunshine and minimum wind.  Ellie and Emma are becoming comfortable on their boards.  Pretty sure I know what we’ll be doing over spring break.  This first picture is of Emma, the second is of Ellie.  I didn’t get any shots close up.  I got yelled at for being on the hill without skis.  No pics of me today so I’m giving you a photo of one of our new puppies.

ellieI tapered a bit on my snowshoe today as well, keeping it under two hours.  I took the middle loop for the first time – Snowshoe Hare Trail.  This was too short so I worked in some other smaller trails as well.  The Snowshoe Hare Trail is the newest for the Nordic Center, and I would say the prettiest in terms of trees.  All the trails are hilly.

We made it home in time to watch the Super Bowl.  I made a beer cheese recipe I read in Saturday’s paper.  There were three other queso dishes at the party, so I probably shouldn’t be upset that my dish was only half eaten, but I didn’t care for it.  The texture is odd.  Susan suggested melting the cheese and I agree.  The story in the paper said that serving the dish warm is sort of a new spin on the recipe, otherwise it is historically served cold.  I also improvised with a seasonal ale I had from Austin called, Yule Shoot Your Eye Out.  Maybe not the best pairing with Cheddar.

Ellie Down

24 Saturday Jan 2015

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Karen & MarileeThe parking lot at Eldora Mountain Resort was packed early today.  No football on TV.  And an acceptable wind.  Karen and Marilee joined me this morning to snowshoe.  We started counter-clockwise on the Lonestar Loop, like I have on previous outings, but turned onto the Twisted Snowshoe Trail for the shorter inside loop. The Snowshoe Hare Trail is the middle loop and Lonestar is the longest, outside loop.

Marilee took to snowshoeing like a pro.  The snow isn’t difficult on these trails, no super deep powder.  But the slope is fairly steep, much more so than any of the trails Karen and I did last year.  We did well though despite the hills with a 1.5 mph pace for 1.5 miles – which made a one hour hike.

steep slopeThe girls enjoyed less wind for their snow boarding lessons.  Shortly after lunch though, Ellie went down hard on her left shoulder.  We collected her in the medical tent after the staff had recorded every ache Ellie experienced over the last several weeks.  They likely learned from this to ask my daughter less open-ended questions.  Who knew such extensive healthcare comes with the price of a lift ticket?  Ellie is still a bit sore but nothing serious.

Saturday’s twenty mile run didn’t go as well as last weekend.  I was hoping to show improvement, that would help my confidence going into the Austin Marathon.  Doesn’t matter, the important thing was I was able to complete the distance.  Speed isn’t critical.  I figure my legs were heavy from my workout the day before.

There’s still a bit of ice on the LoBo Trail south of Hwy 52.  There was enough clean dirt to safely navigate around the ice.  In my seventh mile, just before the ice patches, I saw Jen running back toward Longmont.  We gave each other a low five because we’re cool runners.  On my return, I began to run over the ice simply to make the trail less pedestrian.

Emma & EllieMy pace was slower than last weekend during the first half but I really slowed down at 17 miles.  Kind of like how a bad marathon goes.  Actually, I slowed down considerably at 17 miles last week too.  But everything was under a 9 minute pace then.  I ran a half minute per mile slower this Saturday.  Still, running the distance is all I need to feel prepared for Austin.  Three more weeks, I’ll be ready.

Wind Down

18 Sunday Jan 2015

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Ellie downhillNo snowshoe today.  Eldora Mountain called a “wind down”.  This is their term for shutting down the mountain due to strong winds.  They reported gusts from 35 to 80 mph!  A real bummer, it wasn’t cold at all.  The girls got in about an hour though boarding on a small hill waiting for the call.  They boarded a bit after as well since they could walk up the hill.  So not a complete bust.  Although I didn’t get a chance to snowshoe, I got some good pics of the girls.

EmmaPerhaps just as well I didn’t snowshoe.  I ran seven miles later in the day and could barely pick up my legs.  I wasn’t fully recovered from Saturday’s twenty miles.  I’m feeling good to have finally gotten in a big run.  The ice is melted well enough now north of Hwy 52.  The trail was still mostly ice south of 52.  I would tell you it slowed me down but I still averaged a nine minute pace – that’s good for me.  Of course, I’m hoping to run the Austin Marathon in an eight minute pace, but those will be more favorable race conditions.

snow in your faceCountdown is exactly four weeks.  I’m five pounds over where my race weight was in the Denver Marathon.  Winter comfort.  I tried abstaining from cheese and ice cream as a New Year’s resolution but gave up.  Totally unrealistic.  I’m also abstaining from alcohol and have maintained that resolution.  Beer and Dairy together was biting off more than I could chew.  I thought the dietary resolutions would help me with weight control knowing my mileage would drop over the winter.  The lower altitude might compensate for the extra pounds.

NANOspikes

12 Monday Jan 2015

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NANOspikesI beat the ice today.  Probably for the season.  My Yaktrax were fine but they disintegrated after a single season.  Plus they tended to accumulate clumps of fresh snow.  Yaktrax has since improved their design to include a spike plate similar to these Kahtoola NANOspikes, but only under the forefoot.  I imagine the rear coils still pick up wads of snow.

Today was yet another frozen ice capade.  I was considering the elliptical but then the package from REI showed up on my front porch.  I placed the order for these puppies last week after a four mile glassade along the LoBo Trail.  I rarely devote a blog to a gear review, but I had a great run today in these spikes.  I cruised across rivers of ice with never a fearful moment.

On slopes and turns that called for caution, Kahtoola’s tungsten carbide spikes gripped with confidence.  I was prepared to run only three or four miles to try these out but extended my run to seven exalted miles.  On my return, for the half mile between Ogallala Road and the foot bridge, I stretched out my stride to race pace.  Not sure I’ve been able to run fast like that yet this year.  Good to know I still can.  By this time the sun was setting and I wasn’t wearing a head lamp, but the NANOspike’s confidence broadened to my running form.  These spikes rock!

Tennessee Mountain Cabin

11 Sunday Jan 2015

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Robs ShortcutI wasn’t the only one out running on the ice this week.  I shared some “are you effin’ kidding me” looks with a few others on the LoBo trail.  The week before, I couldn’t get over the snow.  My runs were necessarily short given the exhausting conditions.  I donned snowshoes one day and ended up with a blister that I’m still feeling.  It was a poor week for running.  I commended myself for simply getting out at all and figured it couldn’t get any worse.  I was wrong.  It wasn’t safe to walk down to the coffee shop this week, let alone run.  We began with a foot of snow and below freezing temps.  Then, in half a day, the mercury rose by 50°.  Only in Colorado can that happen.  The flash-melted snow refroze as ice later that same night, so perfectly you could ice skate down the sidewalk.

Running was unthinkable and I lost a couple of days.  I know how unwise running was because I tried the day after the big snow-to-ice conversion.  Got in four miles.  Not sure how to describe my form.  I kept my stride as short as possible without actually standing still.  My effort was extremely taxing on my quads and groin.  There were countless out-of-control moments where I thought I was going to die.  It was not enjoyable and I spent the next two days indoors looking out the window like Sally and her little brother in the beginning to The Cat in the Hat.  Conditions were reasonably better Saturday and I skated for twelve death-defying miles, with a similar super short, groin-stressing stride.

Tennessee CabinThis is not ideal considering I’m training for a marathon.  I have five weeks to step up my distance.  With Ellie’s snowboarding lessons every Sunday, my only chance for the requisite twenty mile training runs is Saturday.  Fortunately I ran some twenty milers back in December.  I don’t need to run  massive miles every weekend, I’d settle for two such runs before February.  January has three more weekends in it.  This is why Colorado runners plan their marathons for the fall, after a long summer of optimal conditioning.  I’ve run two Austin Marathons in February and three Denver Marathons in the fall.  Despite the altitude difference, I’ve yet to run as fast in Austin as I do in Denver.  It’s difficult to train sufficiently for winter marathons.  I’m happy with my snowshoe training though.

I snowshoed the same Lonestar Loop today that I did last Sunday, but this time I found the spur to the Tennessee Mountain Cabin.  This added nearly a mile for a five mile, two hour effort.  Trekking counter-clockwise, the right hand turn to the cabin is at 2.3 miles, at the second intersection with the Rising Sun ski trail, a full mile after passing the high point sign.  That first 1.3 miles present a 700 foot climb.  The cabin housed some lodgers but they showed me inside.  Nine of them slept comfortably overnight, kept warm by a wood burning stove.

sittingThe girls had an awesome day with their snowboard lessons.  Zero wind today made the 20° feel warm.  This photo captures the only sun I ever saw today.  The clouds were black with snow, which fell heavy throughout the day.  This completes two of the girls’ six Sunday course.  Julianna, their instructor, praised their coordination and balance as they steadily progress up the mountain.  The girls are having fun while I get in some high-altitude hill training.  Maybe not your conventional marathon workout, but works for me.

Running with Reindeer

26 Friday Dec 2014

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RudolfSomeone stuck a red reflector onto the nose of the deer in this sign.  Along with every other deer crossing sign near my mom’s house outside Austin.  This is what makes Austin weird.  Oh, and I can tell you that there are countless deer for the next 8 miles rather than just 1.5 miles.  Unless of course this sign is specific to reindeer.  I saw zero reindeer during my runs along the Brushy Creek Regional Trail, but I could feel their presence.  I believe they were nearby, playing reindeer games.

I got in 13 miles Monday afternoon.  Felt good to unwind after two days of driving.  I-35 from Dallas to Austin has been under construction longer than any airport project I know.  I swear to you there’s nearly two hundred miles under construction, and it’s been this way for ten years.  Talk about nerve-wracking.  Whereas most states require so many hours of instructor-lead driving lessons, Texas parents can home school their children with Parent Taught Driver Education packets available to order online.  I believe this is Governor Perry’s response to NAFTA, intended to put the fear of God into Mexican truck drivers as they transport goods on Texas highways.  Driving between two hundred miles of concrete barriers and half-erected raised roadways among Texans felt like navigating through a cement rainforest in a dystopian video game.

momThe holidays are inexplicably busy and I find myself errand boy for this and that.  While I initially expect to run every day on vacation, I ended up running every other day.  I squeezed in another five miles on Christmas Eve along the BCRT and then nine miles down on Town Lake the day after Christmas.  Austin renamed this area Lady Byrd Lake a few years back, but I still reference the original designation.  I like to run the 4.4 mile loop between the MoPac and South 1st Street bridges.

Today’s weather was cloudy with the warm winter rain common to Austin.  Warm to me anyway.  I wore shorts and a light shirt.  Most runners were bundled up, including gloves.  I found myself sweating non-stop.  Oh the humidity.  I found the conditions perfect for running nonetheless.  The trail was never crowded although I enjoyed the company of a steady stream of runners.  Mostly younger, no doubt out of school for the holidays.

long boardBrit and Ellie did some running down here too.  Ellie also got in some long board action.  Ellie is pictured here next to her cousin.  Rachel had to fly out to San Diego early this morning to appear in a dance routine at the Holiday Bowl Halftime Show.  I feel this is a short week for us but her family is even more rushed to get everything in.

I just got back from seeing “Into the Woods” with the girls.  Highly recommended if you like lots of singing.  Next up is dinner with Steve and Susan at Sushi Tomo – my favorite Austin sushi joint.  Karen’s parents were nice to watch over Steve and Susan’s kids so that we could go out.  This week has gone by quick but I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.  I’m off next week too.  There’s plenty to do around the house but I also expect to increase my mileage – weather permitting.  I need to be in shape for my return back down here in seven weeks to run the Austin Marathon.

Writing from Amarillo

20 Saturday Dec 2014

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race_604_photo_13905086This is a short training week because I’ll be driving all weekend to Austin.  So I ran my big mileage on Friday.  I didn’t have the three hours needed to run twenty miles.  Still, 15 miles took 2:10 hours.  I squeezed my run in between my morning Chiropractor session and finishing up Christmas cards and other errands.  I could go on about the Christmas cards.  Instead though, I’ll relate the story of my first visit to a Chiropractor.  Oh, and I keep meaning to give credit to the Colder Bolder for these race photos.  A dozen hi-res digital pictures for absolutely free.  Unbelievable race perk!

I’m currently sitting poolside in an Amarillo hotel.  I wanted to make it to Vernon to shorten tomorrow’s drive but my ass hurt too much to keep driving.  I think from doing leg weights.  I’m bad at weights, but I like to include them in my routine when training for a marathon.  Not because I think weights will improve my speed.  My experience suggests weights help me avoid injury as I increase my miles.

My Chiropractor is Dr. Doug Brisson at the Aspen Chiropractic & Wellness Center in my neighborhood.  He comes across to me as a very sensible doctor.  The kind of doctor who, after you say it hurts to do something would say, “Then don’t do that.”  I have zero experience with Chiropractic medicine and Dr. Brisson explained some things to me I never knew.  He detailed how his adjustments affect the nerves around the joints.  The nerves need to be trained on the proper musculoskeletal positions.  And they benefit from receiving the increased blood flow and nutrition that result from his corrections.  I wouldn’t really know but I believed him.  His assessment of my physical condition was this.  I have a “really twisted body.”  I’m not surprised by this.  That’s why I’m here.

He popped a few joints and I felt better.  He told me to expect feeling fatigue afterward.  It was hard to say if I did.  I went on my 15 mile run directly afterward.  I felt fatigue after that.  Saw the Sebestas out on their bikes on the LoBo Trail.  Amy gave me a high-five with her gloved hand.  With her biking momentum, she nearly broke my hand.  My muscles were heavy but I think that was due to my run the previous evening.  I ran a fast seven miles fairly late in the day.  Us older guys need a full 24 hours to recover from intense workouts.

I expect to run next on the Brushy Creek Regional Trail near my Mom’s house on Monday.  Hoping to get in some decent miles at low altitude.  And get a run or two in down on Town Lake.  If anyone wants to run with me in Austin, ping me.  I’ll be there through Friday.

Twin Lakes Twenty Milers

13 Saturday Dec 2014

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SkoopI began my training for the Austin Marathon with two twenty milers to Twin Lakes this week.  One last Sunday and another today – Saturday.  Not a bad start considering my hamstring pull.  I still don’t know how I ran twenty miles a day after pulling my hamstring.  I wasn’t sure I’d be able to run at all.

I set the day after the Colder Bolder as my first day of marathon training and despite my sore leg, figured I’d just run slow.  I started out hamstrung but my leg loosened up after a couple of miles and I ran a fairly normal 9 minute mile pace out to Twin Lakes.  This is the ten mile turn-around point.  I tripped running up the steps to the lake trail, on the last step, with my weak leg.  Then I had to stop a few times around mile 16 to stretch it out.  My pace then slowed to over 10 minute miles, but I was able to continue running.  My leg was super sore after that and I took Monday and Tuesday off.  Got in six miles Wednesday and joined Keith and Steve Thursday for the Shoes & Brews social run.  We’re pictured here tasting the Skoop samples.  I got in another slow ten miles yesterday and then, amazingly, I woke up today with my leg feeling much better.  So I ran another twenty miles.

I feel a bit silly now that I scheduled a visit to see a chiropractor, but that’s been long overdue.  I discovered Aetna, my insurance provider, won’t cover massages provided for by a massage therapist.  Aetna will cover massages performed by Physical Therapists and Chiropractors though.  There is a Chiropractor in my neighborhood that everyone speaks highly of, so I will see him next Friday.  I have enough issues for him to review other than my hamstring.  My hip is out of whack, probably has been for decades.  As a result, my right leg is shorter than my left.  I suspect this leads to most of my running injuries.  Time to find out.  I’m just happy this muscle pull isn’t severe and that I’ll be able to run through it.

I have an odd albeit short history with Chiropractic medicine.  I haven’t been a fan.  I know it has its place though and I’m going to give it a shot.  It’s not really possible to train for marathons without getting in some decent miles.  I need to stay healthy over the next two months.  Giving my body a tune up next Friday is probably a good idea.  Poor Steve, pictured in the middle of the above photo, is scheduled for surgery Thursday to correct his running injuries.  I won’t describe the procedure because talking about that stuff gives me chills.  But the whole neighborhood will be thinking of him.

Varsity Lake

11 Thursday Dec 2014

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race photo 1The 2013 Colder Bolder is hard to forget with its brutal conditions.  It set the record low with below zero temperatures.  This year’s race though will stand out for me as much more memorable.  I haven’t raced like this in decades.  This is what I remember.

I purposely maintain a slow pace the first half mile.  I accelerate to my normal pace after that, sans oxygen debt. I not only pass countless runners, I do so with strength.  I find myself in several short races as younger runners try to fend me off.  I get a little winded myself trying to hold off a CU Cross Country runner who passes me around the two mile point.  Either he started off crawling, or he launched in the wave 90 seconds behind mine.  I recover along Broadway and launch into a long half mile kick to the finish.  If you click on the photo below, you can see the fatigue in my face after yielding to the cross country runner.

recovery after racing CU XC runnerI begin my kick with a bold surge through the hairpin turn at Broadway and University Ave.  I hope runners behind me are taking notes.  Before the turn I swerve wide to the left.  I then launch into the right-hand turn at a smart angle enabling me to accelerate through the curve, while others lose their momentum.  This helps me to pass a handful of other runners as there is also a short hill just after this turn – heading toward Varsity Lake.  With a half mile remaining, optimizing this curve isn’t critical, but it gives me more than momentum.  Like jumping off the ledge, I’m both emotionally and physically committed now to accelerate to the finish line.

bridge over varsity lakeAfter the hairpin, the guy wearing the blue shirt in this photo, 19 year old Audi Li, matches my stride as I surge past him.  He even tries to retake me but I demonstrate my ability and willingness to run as fast as he wants.  Although quite frankly, I’m a bit surprised he is so eager to start sprinting this early.  I discover why as we cross the bridge over Varsity Lake.  He is positioning himself for the cameraman on the far side.  He doesn’t want me blocking his photo.  He doesn’t seem to mind blocking my photo though.  I maintain my lead over him out of spite.  He fades behind me after we pass the photo shoot.  My pace drops off very little and I keep passing runners along Pleasant St., next passing Alex Leslie in the orange shirt.

Pleasant StreetI don’t know it yet, but Alex never really fades away.  He stays right on my heels for an imminent showdown in the field house.  31 year old Katie Hoyt and 11 year old Griffin Beggar are racing each other in front of me, obviously on their kick.  My money is on the older lady to beat the boy.  I strategically, almost recklessly, pass them just before the turn into Balch Field House.  Nearly as sharp as the hairpin turn earlier, I need to pass them to obtain the angle required for this speed.  The volunteer road marshal manning this entrance nearly panics thinking I’m out-of-control and can’t make the turn.  I make the turn.

field house kickI’m happy taking this pace to the finish but am determined to hold off that girl and little boy if they come after me.  I imagine they might be upset with me cutting them off.  Instead, 19 year old Alex Leslie rockets past me like a screaming comet.  Prepared to fight off the other kids, my legs are primed to respond and I close the gap.  He immediately surges back ahead of me by a full stride.  I never intended to sprint this fast.  My mind considers the risk of injury but my heart is in this race and makes the call.  I pull even with Alex again.  Only momentarily though as he surges ahead to cross the finish line in front of me.  Little Griffin finishes two seconds behind me, likely fueled by his anger with me cutting him off before entering the field house.  Audi Li finishes another nine seconds behind Griffin.

field house kickI rarely kick.  I mostly run marathons and half marathons.  What’s the point?  In fact, sometimes I purposely slow down the final half mile to cool down.  But wow!  This entire kick from Broadway to the finish line was a total blast.  I feel like a kid after this.  Even though I actually lost at the end, I’m ecstatic from the experience.  Although it also helps to know from the race results that I beat Alex by one second chip time.  We’re the first anomaly in the results where my time is faster than the runner who places ahead of me.  I’m 49th and Alex finishes 48th out of 1556 runners in the open division.

kick 3I like this final shot because if you click on it, you’ll see we are both airborne.  I still won’t consider sprinting balls out like this in longer races, but I might add more 5Ks to my racing season.  The kick is an intense microcosm of racing.  A chance to relive my youth.  Sprinting to the finish line is throwing caution to the wind.  It’s a complete disregard for the doctor’s orders.  A mental lapse of my corporeal limits.  I’m not 52 years old when I run that fast.

Like Icarus, my hubris leaves me with a hamstring pull.  Which is fine, I already have a referral from my doctor to treat my injury with massages from Massage Envy – meaning my treatments (massages) will be covered by my insurance.  I know a thing or two about recovery.  I can’t wait to do this again.

The Surge

06 Saturday Dec 2014

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startToday is Brit’s 23rd birthday.  I celebrate by running the Colder Bolder 5K across the CU campus.  I invite Brit of course but she has to teach voice lessons this morning at Wildflower School of Voice.  Ellie was going to run with me but she’s been down and out all week with a brutal virus.  All my other running buddies are up in Fort Collins running the Jingle Bell run.  Just me and 1000 co-eds.

The race is nothing like last year, when only 1000 runners braved the negative temperatures.  This morning is a balmy 39° and there are 2000 of us.  I race in shorts.  I carry all my gear with me by wrapping my blue North Face jacket around my waist.

My initial race strategy was to run/walk with Ellie.  I employed the ellie strategy earlier this year at the Bolder Boulder, where we mostly walked.  Subsequently, I did not get an invitation to run in a specific wave for this event.  I am running in the Open division.  This turns out to be a plus and I intend to run in the Open division ongoing.  More runners make for more fun, even though they stagger waves by 90 seconds.  As a gentleman runner, I appreciate the later start.  With Ellie DNR, at home sick, I change up my strategy and decide to start out slow and see if I can’t run either mile two or three (ideally both) under a 7 minute pace.  I’ve run all three miles under 7 minutes per mile in a 5K last year.  That was a flatter course and I had better weather that day.  The CU campus is noticeably hillier than that course.

I can’t tell really if I start in the 7 minute per mile wave or 8 minute.  Feels like a good fit as we start running.  I let the initial surge pass me, running slow and steady the first half mile down Colorado.  As soon as we leave the street for the campus bike paths, it becomes obvious the 90 second waves are smart.  Bottlenecks would have been brutal otherwise.  My slow start strategy would have stayed slow if there wasn’t room to pass.  I put on my first surge after a half mile.  This is the lowest elevation of the entire course at 5325 feet.  This is also the steepest hill of the course, but relatively short.  From this point on, I mostly pass other runners, although in spurts.  I’m surprised to run my first mile in 7:08, because despite the varied strategy this is nearly the same time I ran last week for my first mile in the Prospect Turkey Trot.

Many of the runners I pass are college kids.  Passing them isn’t easy.  Oftentimes they match my surges, but eventually they yield.  Somewhere in the middle of the race, I get passed by an athlete running super smooth.  He’s decked out in CU gear and looks like he might be on their cross country team.  I follow after him.  For about ten seconds, then I fade.  Chasing him might hurt my overall time but racing him felt so good, it was worth it.

Alex LeslieI’m certain I run my second mile faster and I do marginally in 7:02.  I actually expected to run under 7 minutes.  I felt so fast at times but I wasn’t maintaining a steady pace.  The constant slopes on this course make holding a steady pace difficult.  I simply go with it and enjoy passing groups of runners when I feel like surging.  For some reason, breaking 7 minutes is important to me and I start my kick early, with a half mile to go.  From this point on, I run under a 7 minute pace.  I’m nearly sprinting as I enter the field house.  Sonofagun if a 19 year old doesn’t immediately pass me on a surge of his own.  I surged passed him earlier in the race and apparently he followed after me.

Alex Leslie, a student from Redmond Washington, passes me with just enough distance left in the run for me to chase after him.  Or perhaps he is leaving me just enough rope to hang myself.  As soon as I catch him, he surges again.  Doh!  We’re running out of runway but somehow I find another gear and catch back up to him yet again.  Alex seamlessly shifts into yet another gear of his own and surges across the finish line ahead of me.  This was maybe over a 100 yard stretch inside the field house.  I don’t mind Alex beating me, racing him was so much fun.  I of course gave him grief afterward for beating up on a 52 year old.  I feel even better now after having seen the race results.  I beat him (chip time) by 1 second.  We finish just under 22 minutes.  I learn in a text that my buddy Keith ran almost the exact same time for his Jingle Bell 5K in Fort Collins.

BritOn the way home, I stop off at Whole Foods to buy some KBCO CDs as Christmas gifts for my Texas relatives.  And I pick the girls up some mobile gear at Car Toys for the drive down to Austin.  The rest of the day is spent celebrating Brit’s birthday for reals.  Cake from the Romana Cake House.  Tea at the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse.  And finally a movie at Flatirons – Penguins of Madagascar.

Tomorrow, I start training again for another marathon in February.  I hope to run twenty miles.  I may have pulled a muscle sprinting after Alex.  I’ll see how it feels on tomorrow’s run.

The Thankful Runner

27 Thursday Nov 2014

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Prospect Turkey Trot 2014I find myself more thankful with each passing year.  My contentedness is no doubt influenced by age.  And Ferguson notwithstanding, I live at the greatest time, in the most unrestrained society, in the history of the world.  Assuming you like all things unrestrained.  My gratefulness though is focused on my personal experiences this year.  I’m blessed with a loving wife and two beautiful, charming daughters.  I could stop there.  That is more than enough already.  But I also met up with some of my best buddies from high school for a week-long backpacking trip along the Continental Divide.  We hadn’t all three been together in twenty-five years.  That was a big chill moment.  My work has become more fulfilling.  I work ten hour days, so liking what I do helps.  And seriously, what’s cooler than cyber security?  I beat cancer and am fully recovered.  And I’m thankful my mother is still around to make coffee for me in the morning.  Now that should be enough but at the risk of revealing my shallowness, this year’s highlight is that I ran a 3:31 marathon in October.  At altitude.  Booya!  The year still has another month to go.  Looking forward to it.

After starting the turkey and stuffing this morning, I headed down to the corner for the neighborhood 3 mile Turkey Trot.  Speaking of unrestrained, Jabe organizes this unsanctioned event.  No permit.  No street closures.  Just Jabe out early with her stick of chalk posting turkey signs at every turn.  Fred Beavers won again, virtually unchallenged unless you consider my hopeless chase a threat.  Without a warmup, I was heavily taxed by a 7:04 pace for the first mile.  Fred already had a sizable lead by this point.  I started out in third place but soon passed the little boy who sprinted off at the start and tried to hang with Fred.  I maintained my distance behind Fred on mile two with a 6:57 pace.  And I dare say I gained a few seconds on him in mile three with a 6:35.  I finished second with a 6:53 average pace in 20:37.

Our food is all coming together.  My next task is to prepare the deviled eggs.  Happy Thanksgiving.

Blustery Seven Miles

22 Saturday Nov 2014

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KeithNot sure if this photo captures the wind, but trust me, Keith and I ran a blustery seven miles out on the Boulder Backroads this morning.  We opted for Lagerman Reservoir because past runs there suggest the antennae field hills shield the roads from high winds.  Today was no exception.  This is where you want to run on windy days.

Tons of bikers were pedaling out here, hiding from the gusts.  We couldn’t escape the blowing head winds the first mile.  And the first couple of miles are uphill, so our start running west along Prospect Road was a tough slog.  Turning north on 55th Street to Nelson Road was like entering a sauna.  I tied my light, North Face running jacket around my waist.  Our return back down Prospect allowed us to unwind our legs.  Felt great to run a couple of fast miles.  Keith has been squeezing in shorter runs lately with the diminished daylight and busy schedule caring for his father.  We were both glad to get out today before the weather turns colder.

Spikes in Snow

15 Saturday Nov 2014

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XC RaceAnd now, for something totally different.  A cross country race in the snow.  I’m not expecting to run very fast this morning.  Grass is considerably slower than paved roads.  Not that there is much grass visible on today’s course.  The course is buried under a few inches of ice and snow.  The weather isn’t too bad.  It’s snowing and under 20°, but there is very little wind.  Cold air is fine for running – without wind.

I studied my previous two runs on this course at Harlow Platts Park from January and last November.  I was in similar shape but only averaged a 7:22 and 7:38 pace respectively.  I find it difficult to believe I couldn’t manage a sub-7 minute pace for such a short distance.  My thought is the course cannot possibly impact my pace that much.  I suspect the race scenario results in too much of a sprint at the start.  My first mile isn’t too fast, but my first quarter mile is.  Probably, simply my first 100 yards.  So my race strategy this morning will be to crawl off the starting line.  This might have implications later trying to pass other runners, but I’ll take the risk.  It will be a good experiment if not a winning strategy.  Not that I’m going to win anything today.  I can’t place in cross country without a team.  And a large number of these runners are fairly elite.  But it’s not about winning.  I get a kick out of lining up with these hotshot harriers.

I realize any thoughts on running fast or race strategy is moot once I begin my warmup.  Running over this snow is hard.  I was hoping for a snowpack but this is loose powder.  Traction is poor.  The course has been snow-plowed.  This helps to follow the path but does little to help with footing. I talk with another runner who tells me his spikes don’t help because the snow is too powdery.  I’m running in my New Balance trail flats.  Wish I had spikes.  Long ones.  This is going to be a slow race.  My new strategy is to simply avoid being lapped by the elites before I complete my second loop.  It’s a three loop race over four miles.

I line up in the back with a few older guys.  The field looks like about 50 runners of various ages.  There’s a team of 70 year olds and a couple of 80 year old runners.  I would tell you I run to plan by starting off slow, but it’s impossible to run fast in these conditions.  The hills are made exceedingly difficult by the snow.  I count five hills, all short in length but extremely taxing.  Kids are sledding down the largest hill.  Traction is so poor I actually can’t tell you how I manage to climb it.  I think I will myself to the top on each loop.  Spikes would really help for this hill.  If these conditions are not bad enough, bales of hay are stacked at one spot on the course.  Apparently positioned just before the race start because I didn’t see these during my warmup.  This is insane.

I complete my first mile in 7:53 and feel strong with my breathing but still can’t run any faster.  I run mile two similarly in 7:56.  Nice even pace.  This gives me the energy to push my third mile.  Running hard on the third quarter of any race, regardless of distance, is my typical race tactic.  We’re so spread out, I only pass one runner.  I do run faster though in 7:45.  I finish my final mile in 7:57 for an average 7:52 pace for the 6K.  I feel good afterward but not sure this qualifies as a race.  Still, glad I got out.  And the elites didn’t come any where close to lapping me.  Always good to not get lapped.  I meet up afterward with Brit and Ellie, and Brit’s boyfriend Forrest, for lunch at Sushi Hapa.  We follow that up with some browsing at the Boulder Bookstore.  Not a bad snow day.

Longmont Turkey Trot 2014

08 Saturday Nov 2014

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Dave and Lindsay pick up me and Ellie at 8am to run the Turkey Trot at 9.  It’s about a 5 minute drive to the race start over at Altona Middle School on the west end of town.  I’ve been up for several hours already, drinking coffee and reading the WSJ.  My race strategy is to line up front and let runners pass me the first mile.  After the first mile, I’ll stop letting runners pass me.  I’ll start off with a 7:30 pace, give or take.  After a mile, I’ll decide to either maintain a 7:30 pace, or speed up to 7:00 and race if I feel some pep in my step.  I should be able to run near a 7 minute pace, but that will definitely be considered racing.  A 7:30 pace for me is still an aggressive workout.  I run 8:00 to 8:30 comfortably.

Dave doesn’t look like a distance runner.  He’s built like an NFL QB – tall with massively broad shoulders.  Or maybe he looks like a swimmer.  He was a seriously competitive swimmer in his youth – a state qualifier.  He raced a few triathlons this summer and is in decent shape.  I get the sense he’s interested in this 10K because running became a focus event for him as part of his triathlons.  If you race triathlons, then you know this.  There’s always one of your three events that takes the spotlight for the season.  Either because it’s your weakest event or because you’re excelling at it.  The swim, the bike, or the run.  For whatever reason, you become smitten with one of those three for the season.  I think Dave wants to see how well he can run a 10K without all the other noise from swimming and biking. Something to take into the off season.  He has a cold but expects to run about a 9 minute pace.

Lindsay is a stellar youth triathlete.  She’ll run the 2 mile event today.  Ellie doesn’t run much but she longboards regularly.  She’s game for the two miler.  “Ellie, you want to run a 2 miler next weekend?”  “Sure.  Are the Sebestas running it?”  That’s the perfect fitness attitude.  Thinking of a race as something fun to do for the weekend.  Ellie is dressed for warmth in a pair of Brooks Infiniti III running tights she acquired recently from Shoes & Brews and the long-sleeve race jersey from the registration.  Lindsay sports yoga pants and a Nike hoodie.

The streets are wet from last night’s hard, long rain.  The humidity is high for this reason too at over 70%, making the 47° air feel cool.  With zero wind, this weather is ideal.  The girls sprint south and west on their two miler while we shoot off north toward Nelson.  I’m wearing Pearl Izumi shorts and short-sleeved top.  I warmed up in the long-sleeved race jersey but toss it to the side right before we start.  I think I’m on pace the first mile but feel a tad winded.  I clock 7:08 which explains my heavy breathing.  Per plan, I pick up my pace a bit and begin to pass others.  Still, my second mile is only 4 seconds faster at 7:04.  Mile three is 7:02.

I almost always push the fourth mile in 10Ks.  This is my favorite race tactic to shake off other runners.  I’ve been running along with a younger guy pushing a baby stroller.  He’s mostly in front of me but I pass him a couple of times.  This is funny to me because of my friend George’s recent blog post about being passed by some hiptser pushing a stroller.  There’s something irritating about it.  I give this guy some grief, accusing him of drafting.  We chat a bit.

I run 6:51 for my fourth mile.  Exactly what I was hoping to do.  I slow back down to my 7 minute pace though on mile five to recover.  7:08 again.  A twenty year old girl passes me at this point.  The only runner to pass me since the start besides this stroller dude I’ve been pacing.  I stay with her but can’t pass her as this mile on Nelson Road ascends a slight slope west-bound.  The rise is almost imperceptible but I feel my heart rate increase.  This keeps me from accelerating.  The course flattens out as we turn south onto Grandview Meadows Dr., allowing me to surge back ahead of the girl.  The stroller dude kicks past me with a strong finish.  I find this totally irresponsible and consider calling social services for child endangerment.  I let him go but do run strong to the finish and cross the line at 44:30 – a 7:10 pace.  My best is a 7:09 pace so this is one of my fastest ever 10Ks.  “Ever” meaning since I returned to road racing in 2010 after a 20 year hiatus.  I place 2nd in my age group.

I’m certain I did actually PR because this course is easily 100 yards too long.  The starting line was moved down the street from previous years.  And my Garmin recorded 6.41 miles.  Doesn’t matter.  This was a super nice run today.  I got into race mode and kept myself from falling into oxygen debt.  Despite my 7:10 overall pace due to a long course, my slowest mile was 7:08.  All other miles were within a few seconds of that except for the faster fourth mile in 6:51.  That’s an extremely steady pace which is always one of my goals.  Dave PR’d despite his cold in 56:15.  The girls ran together and enjoyed their two miler, placing 56 and 57 in their age group.  We later brunch at Lucile’s.  Next weekend is a cross country race on grass in Boulder.

 

Rest of the Year Races

02 Sunday Nov 2014

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the kickI’m back at it.  I kept my post-marathon distances short the last two weeks, but ripped off 12 miles Saturday.  I ran another 10 miles today in the crisp fall air and full Colorado sun.  Saw Susan running with her dog.  What a perfect weekend for running.  This photo is of my last steps in the Denver Marathon.

I have some ideas for racing over the next two months.  I signed Ellie and me up for the Longmont Turkey Trot next weekend.  A 10K for me and 2 miles for Ellie.  The weekend after that is a cross country race in Boulder.  That’s only a 6K, but on grass.  A couple of weeks later will be the Colder Bolder – a 5K on the CU campus.  It’s impossible to run fast in such cold weather, buried under heavy sweats, but that’s a pretty fun event.

It’s easy to stay indoors when the weather turns foul.  So far the temperatures are ideal for running.  I expect some bad days as winter nears though.  Having an event to train for should work as needed motivation on those cold, dark days ahead.  Typically, I begin to run in the early afternoons once daylight savings ends.  I’ll only run 3 or 4 miles since I have to return to work.  Which is fine, it’s good to have an off-season for recovery.  I can still run longer distances on weekends.  Although the plan is to snowshoe as much as possible, like last winter.

Post Race Analysis

23 Thursday Oct 2014

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Finishing a marathon is hard.  Harder yet is committing to run it and training for it.  So I felt like a winner before even lining up in the corral.  But inevitably, one thinks about the experience differently once it’s over.  For the first time ever after a marathon, I ran the following day.  Just three miles to loosen up, but I ran.  This fall weather is too perfect not to run.  I ran though because I could.  My muscles have sufficiently recovered.  Getting a post-race pedicure helped.  That melted the strain from my feet and calves.  A few times I’ve been able to walk the day following a marathon to work out the kinks.  I’m mildly surprised though I was able to actually run.  Typically, my only post marathon goal is to navigate the stairs.

mile 16 in City ParkI’ve spent the last week analyzing my race.  I’ve been racking my brain trying to determine where I could have run a minute faster to break 3:30.  Not sure I could have run any faster.  In fact, had I not changed my goal to try for 3:30, I’m certain I would have run a more enjoyable 5 to 10 minutes slower.  I modified my strategy at the half way point to try for an 8 minute pace.  I averaged a 7:50 up until then.  Actually, I held a 7:50 through 17 miles.  Then the wheels began to fall off.  I ran mile 18, a downhill mile, slower than my previous uphill miles.

I slowed down on mile 18 running down 17th Street after exhausting myself running three fast miles through City Park.  I was seriously chasing down runners through the park trying to push myself.  My pre-race plan was to make up time sprinting downhill on 17th Street.  Hard to say what the smarter plan is now.  I suspect pushing myself for 3 miles is better than running hard for 1 mile.  I might have netted a half minute from that.

mile 9 near Coors FieldIf there is anywhere I could have run smarter, I probably should have run a bit slower on miles 8, 9, and 10.  I planned to run these hard but really this is too early in a marathon.  Next time, I’m going to run the first half as close to pace as possible.  Then try for a negative split.  Such plans will depend on the course elevation.  I planned my Denver tactics on the elevation chart, but could have run the first half one or two minutes slower.

I’m certain I could not have run faster the final 10K, because I tried.  Mentally, I was motivated and gave it everything I had.  There was a point on Speer, in mile 20 or 21, where I tried to run faster.  My heart rate shot up though, giving me a queasy feeling.  After that, my legs were unresponsive.  Similar to my three miles through City Park, I pushed myself through the two miles within Washington Park.  Just like my slow downhill mile 18, mile 24 was downhill, but slower than the previous two.

parkI think I gave it all I had.  If I feel like breaking 3:30 is important, I’ll sign up for a race at sea level.  And I take back what I wrote earlier about running 5 to 10 minutes slower being more enjoyable.  I did enjoy a couple of miles in City Park where I pushed my pace.  Not only was I passing other runners, but I found myself in a race with a couple of ladies, whom I passed for good.  And another guy who took me two full miles to pass – at mile 17.  He later passed me back for good at mile 22.  That was less enjoyable because I was pushing myself then too.  Ever been in a dream when you’re running, but in slow motion?  It’s like your legs are asleep.  That’s not unlike what it feels like after 20 miles.  You’re not winded – because you’re running so slow –  yet you can’t seem to get a response out of your legs.  It’s fairly frustrating.

mile 12Still, I met all my pre-race goals.  Even though I could no longer accelerate after 20 miles, I felt comfortable and never actually bonked.  And I didn’t cramp.  Having the energy to maintain a relatively stable pace in the 4th quarter, and not cramping, are somewhat similar goals.  I consider them separate though.  One goal is about managing fuel, the other is more specific on electrolytes.  I maybe should have consumed more Skratch in the final 6 miles.  I only drank a total 20 ounces over the three and a half hour run.  That seems light.  But really, it didn’t warm up until Washington Park.

Overall, I did most things right.  As good as I’ve ever run a marathon.  First time I ever ran parts of a marathon with a buddy, that was fun.  This is me running alongside Chris at mile 12.  And technically, I did break 3:30 for 26.2 miles – by about 30 seconds.  Problem is, actual distances are farther in a real race.  I ran a total of 26.42 miles.  Moving on, I should probably consider another run soon while I’m still in shape.  Maybe the Longmont Turkey Trot in November?