Moab 2014

15 Saturday Mar 2014

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moab bigAfter a super nice dinner last night at Jeffreys, I sleep well and wake up Saturday morning by 6am.  Karen and I are staying in the Entrada room at Cliff Rose Flats.  Nicely appointed room with a Moab theme; a couple of blocks from the park where I pick up the bus for the race start, and where the race ends.  I’d consider staying here again.

I gear up and head over to the Red Rock Bakery for a couple of coffees.  Karen is up too.  I buy coffee here every year because it’s good and the Irish guy running the place is cool to talk to.  Upon returning to Entrada, I eat some sheep’s milk yogurt, breakfast bar, and a Naked juice.  I top my coffee off with some of Karen’s and head over to the buses at 7:30.  I spill some of the coffee onto my fleece warmups on Hwy 128.  It’s a bumpy ride in school buses.

It’s a long wait for the start.  The half doesn’t launch until 10am.  This event needs time for the logistics of busing 4000 runners up the canyon.  I don’t find Keith until 9:30.  I find him at the gear truck.  We reluctantly strip down to the minimum race gear and toss our bags in the truck.  Keith leaves on two ugly, long-sleeve t-shirts that he plans to leave on the side of the road before the gun fires.  Smart way to stay warm.  I have my share of ugly shirts.  In fact, I have the same ones Keith has.

It’s only cold when the wind blows, which is randomly gusty.  The temperature is in the upper 40s.  The gun fires and we cross the starting line fairly quickly as we are lined up only about 30 yards back.  Still, the first mile is crowded.  This is one of the most crowded races ever.  Hwy 128 is extremely narrow and without shoulders.  One side is mostly bordered by a 2000 foot cliff.  The other by a drop into the Colorado River.  I’m hoping to run faster than last year’s 8 minutes for the first mile.  My Garmin captures a 7:20 at mile one.  I probably didn’t need to run quite that fast.  My goal is to average a 7:30 mile for this run.

I’m able to run faster as the crowd thins out and record a 6:56 for mile two.  I don’t really want to break 7 minute miles so I try to run with a bit more discipline.  I don’t feel winded though, although I’m breathing a bit heavy.  Mile three comes in at 7:07 and mile four comes in at 6:58.  A bit fast but steady.  I see Abby at this time but she slows down at the water station and I don’t see her again.  I finally smooth out my pace a bit in mile five which comes in at 7:23.  Both miles six and seven are 7:33.  Exactly what I want to run.  I want to hold this pace.  And I seem to be doing just that.

I see these times after uploading them to Garmin.com.  I stop looking at my watch after mile two because I lost the GPS signal and don’t trust the results.  I don’t feel like I need the Garmin either.  At least not while running.  I do like reviewing my splits online after the race.  I know I’m running well because I’m breathing hard while my legs don’t feel heavy.  So no oxygen debt.  This is like walking a tight rope and I’m walking it without a net.  Well actually I do have a net.  If I hit oxygen debt, I’ll slow down.

I don’t know how long I’ll be able to hold this pace.  Doubtful for the entire distance.  I could slow down now to save energy.  That’s a typical strategy when you’re racing a heat and simply need a certain time or place to qualify for the next heat.  I’m not doing that.  And because this could be my last race for a fairly long time, I’m just going for broke.  I’m going to run hard until I can’t anymore.  That happens soon enough.

I run mile eight in 7:31 and the ninth mile in 7:26.  This feels great.  I’ve been passing runners non-stop the entire course.  The tenth mile leads uphill and is paired with a wicked wall of wind.  My pace drops dramatically.  I know about this hill and was prepared to accept slowing down for it.  This massive wind was not anticipated and I didn’t expect to slow down quite this much.  A few runners pass me and makes me question if it isn’t something else.  They have the same wind and hill.  I pull out a gel in case this is a nutritional thing.  I finish it before reaching the top.  My pre-race plans included the hope that I could fly down this hill.  That doesn’t happen and I run mile ten in 8:03.  A dramatic thirty second slow down.

The 1:40 pace sign catches me – I’d passed them somewhere in the first half.  I resolve to run with them.  Since I started a minute or two behind them, hanging with them will have me under 1:40 – which is exactly what I want.  Then a freakish thing happens.  My hat blows off and I have to turn around to chase it in the wind.  This is probably good for a ten second hit to my pace, but I keep running hard.  I finish mile eleven in 7:50.  I don’t catch back up to the pace sign though.

Two more miles remain.  I think I have it in me to run faster, but I’m content to hold my pace.  I’m not sure if I’ll meet my goal of running a 7:30 pace.  I don’t care too much now because I ran some really satisfying miles.  Mile twelve comes in at 7:44 and the final mile in 7:49.  A bit off the 7:30 pace I want but I ran enough well under.  My Garmin and the official race results are oddly off more than usual.  My Garmin captures my total time in 1:39:18 and a 7:29 pace.  The race results show a 1:39:19 and a 7:34 pace.  I imagine the pace from the race is correct and the Garmin was off from losing its GPS for a bit.  Doesn’t matter much.  I didn’t beat last year’s time but was only about 30 seconds off.  You can never compare these races apples-to-apples, because of the wind.  In my mind, I ran about like last year and met my pace objectives almost spot on.

team moabKaren and I meet up for dinner tonight with the rest of Jabe’s Running Team at the Cali Cochitta where a number of them are staying.  Half the runners in this pic live in my neighborhood.  Shoot, many of them on the same street.  We figure, if we add in Fred (not  pictured), eight runners are from Tenacity Street in the ‘hood.  Most everyone seemed to have a good run today.  The wind did not spare anyone.  Likely all will be back next year.

Colorado River

13 Thursday Mar 2014

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moab courseWe drove out this afternoon for Moab and stopped for the night at the Hotel Colorado in Glenwood Springs.  We’ll leave for the final stretch to Utah in the morning.  Nearly the entire drive on I-70 is alongside the Colorado River.  This photo is what the race course will look like near the start Saturday.  The first ten miles run through the Moab Canyonlands alongside the Colorado River.  Simply spectacular.  If you’re looking for something to motivate you to train through the winter, consider the Moab Half.

KarenThis is my fourth Moab Half in a row.  For whatever reason, it’s a fairly competitive race.  More so than the Boulder Half in May.  I don’t expect to be competitive but I am hoping for a personal record.  I hate to make commitments for such a long distance race, but right now I feel like running hard.  Might be an issue that I’ve barely trained the last two weeks, but I’m going to consider it tapering.  Karen and I are enjoying the Hotel Colorado tonight.  It’s nice to cut the drive to Moab in half.

Keep Austin Weird

08 Saturday Mar 2014

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finisher fotoGot in a couple more miles in Austin today before flying home.  Thirteen more to be exact.  My flight isn’t until 8:30 tonight.  Too late to make Steve’s poker game.  Not too late to see Karen after my three weeks away.  Ellie will be at a sleep-over.  I imagine Karen will have already eaten dinner.  Maybe she’ll want to stop off for a drink somewhere.  Of course it’ll be after 10pm.  We’ll think of something.

I had some good runs down here.  I ran 26.2 miles across the streets of Central Austin – surprisingly fast (for me) in 3:45 and felt good doing it.  I had a fantastic trail run at Pedernales Falls – a state park with special memories for me.  I ate at my favorite restaurants and discovered some new ones – from sushi to steakhouses.  Saw a movie at the new Alamo Drafthouse at Lakeline.

sister-in-law at Tomo'sI hung out with family; eating multiple plates of sushi bombs followed by quail egg shooters at Tomo’s, ate the best Thai ever.  My father-in-law plied me with a 2011 Round Pond cab sav and bought me one of the best ribeyes ever at Flemings in the Domain.  I played several rounds of Cards Against Humanity – always a riot.  I also saw some old friends.  Visited Ray Johnson in San Antonio where I drank home brew better than I can buy in a store.  I met up with Johnny Martinez in Austin.  This was a complete surprise as my sister ran into him in the grocery store.  We first synched up at a Starbucks but went out last night to Top Golf.  If you haven’t been to a Top Golf locale, think bowling.  No, think swanky outdoor club with fire pits and live music and dance floor.  No, think pub food.  It’s hard to describe but pretty fun.

Johnny MartinezMy run today was in the quintessential Central Texas rain and mist.  Actually great for running.  I planned to run down on Town Lake for my last day but Mom wasn’t feeling well so I opted to stay close by.  I ran 13 miles on the Brushy Creek Regional Trail.  Fairly pedestrian but really nice with the creek, Live Oak and Texas Cedar.  My knees don’t care for the pavement but a good half of it is softer trail.  Next weekend is Moab.  That will be my last run for awhile.  Which is fine.  I have a sore knee that could use the time off.  I’d like to squeeze in another snowshoe or two with Karen.  I’ll need something to blog about.

Wolf Mountain Trail

01 Saturday Mar 2014

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Trailhead StartBusy week.  I have a project with looming deadlines.  I somehow found time to visit my buddy Ray in San Antonio Thursday night.  He hosted me at his house to display his home brew.  I sampled three or four (that night’s a bit fuzzy), and preferred his American Ale.  In fact, I emptied the keg dry of that brew.  Ray was flush with other beers though from German Kölsch to Hefeweizen.  Ray took up the brewing hobby in early January and does everything but grow the seeds himself.  He buys grain and yeast from Europe, and even hand grinds the grain.  Completely buzzed, we dined later in the evening at Perry’s Steakhouse.  Very nice.

It’s Saturday morning now and I find myself driving through a rainy mist to the Texas Hill Country.  I was 22 years old during my last trip to Pedernales Falls State Park.  My brother and I were floating down the spillway and I got carried over a 10 foot waterfall.  I flipped over and landed on my back on a big flat rock protruding from the water.  Steve had to carry me out of there.  I limped around for a good month.  Today marks my return.  Hoping things go better this time around.

I take MoPac out of Round Rock.  Traffic is light until the junction of Hwy 290 with Hwy 71 in Oak Hill.  When are they going to do something about this?  It’s been horrible for decades.  Just as the mist clears to blue sky, FM 3232 sneaks up on me as there is no sign for the State Park.  Odd considering I doubt anyone takes this road to Johnson City.  Pedernales has to be the primary destination.  The Park Ranger is located a few miles past the park entrance.  I stop to pay the $6 use fee.  I also pick up a green bandana that contains a print of the trail map.  Brilliant.  I’ve noticed many Texas runners wear bandanas to guard against gnats, which can be abundant along creeks and rivers.  I think it’s fair to call the scarf a bandana rather than a kerchief, because it’s worn around the neck rather than to cover the head.

The trailhead starts just beyond the Park Ranger Station.  The course design qualifies as a lollipop, although I don’t run it that way.  I intended to by running the nearly 2 mile stick and then doing a couple of loops around the pop.  Signage is poor though and I run more of an out and back route with a smaller loop at the end around Wolf Mountain.  I also run up and back a couple of trail spurs to other unnamed trailheads.  The lollipop route would be under ten miles.  My meandering gets me over 12 miles.

Much of the trail is wide double track.  Some cool single track presents itself deeper into the trail around the loop.  I cross three different wet creeks, first Bee Creek, then Mescal Creek and Tobacco Creek.  The water is low and I’m able to clear them without getting my shoes wet or muddy.  I stop on my way back at Jones Spring.  Not much water here either but enough to dip my bandana and hat.  I’m fairly baked at this point and thank this watering hole for aiding my return to the trailhead without walking.

trailhead afterI’m happy with myself for making the 50 mile drive to Pedernales Falls.  Sure, I got a bit lost at times but I love running new trails that I’m not familiar with.  Honestly, a few wrong turns only add to my enjoyment.  This is why I run trails.  They require total attention.  There’s no day dreaming.  Time stands still as I live in the present.  I don’t think about yesterday’s problems.  I’m not planning my future.  I’m fully engaged navigating turns in the trail while managing my footfalls.  Some work days actually go like this.  It might sound like how a stoner gets through mundane tasks, but I find it the perfect way to live.  This was a great run.

Oxygen Therapy

22 Saturday Feb 2014

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finishI’m currently training in Austin for my next big event, the Moab Half Marathon on March 15th. My plan is to leverage the oxygen at low altitude for the next couple of weeks to train at a faster pace.  Success will be demonstrated by a PR in the Half at Moab.  I PR’d there last March with a 1:38.  Considering I just ran the first half of the Austin Marathon in 1:42, I think I have a shot at it.  I just need to teach my body how to run faster.  For distance runners, speed is learned.

This picture captures my kick in the Austin Marathon last Sunday.  Both feet off the pavement.  That’s a little oxygen in my step.  If I’m going to be running in Austin for three weeks, I’m going to run fast.  I think I wrote of my 2014 plans in one of my end of year blogs that my goal would be to simply maintain.  And it’s still true that I reached a level of fitness last year that I am more than pleased with.  And that I obtained an equilibrium of sorts with my race pace.  I was rarely competitive in terms of placing but I oftentimes felt like I was racing which is what it’s all about for me.  I suggested I would be more than happy to simply enjoy a 2014 on par with my 2013.  No need to improve.

Turns out, I expect to take some time off from running this spring.  Maybe longer.  Priorities.  Moab might be my last race for awhile.  Possibly all year.  So I’m motivated to go out with a bang.  Not sure what to expect as a target but breaking a 7:30 pace would be nice.  Working against me will be 4000 feet of elevation.  Austin will allow me to push my heart rate higher.  Great opportunity for fartleks and tempo runs.  But three weeks is also enough time to lose the benefits of altitude adaptation.  It comes down to oxygen therapy.  Real or hype?  I got in a nice 13 mile run today in 73° on the Brushy Creek Regional Trail.  Ran it slow though.  Still working the kinks out from last Sunday.

Austin Hills

16 Sunday Feb 2014

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IMG_3434 - Version 2I wake up at 4:30 central standard time.  I make the coffee and my mom is up shortly after.  I prep my race food by peeling two oranges and cutting up two small bananas.  My brother will follow me around the second half of the course to keep me fed.  He wakes up at 5:30 and we drive downtown.  Having a race crew is very nice.  Steve drops me off on 15th St., a couple of blocks east of the race start.  I teach him how to take pictures with my iPhone and he drives off into the darkness for breakfast somewhere.

I have 45 minutes to get my mind into race mode for 26.2 miles.  Naturally, I’m anxious over this marathon.  I’m also a little bummed though that I won’t be snowshoeing with Karen.  We went snowshoeing the last five weekends in a row.  Maybe not how most runners train for a marathon.  Karen and I will hook back up in the spring to snowshoe some new trails.  For this race, I feel like I usually do.  I simply can’t believe the people who typically suck my time are granting me four hours to go run.  The weather is pleasant for standing around in shorts and my short-sleeve jersey.  It’s 57° and is only expected to warm up another ten degrees.  The Mayor of Austin, who sounds very much like Kris Kristofferson, says some words.  A lady sings the National Anthem.  Next thing I know, I’m running through the streets of downtown Austin.

19 milesI’m in the top half of the 18,000 runners.  The crowd doesn’t begin to thin until we’re on South Congress after two or three miles.  I’m okay that my first mile is in 7:55 but suspect I’m running too fast as my second mile comes in at 7:17.  I consciously slow down.  My third mile clocks in at 7:40.  Still a bit fast.  The Congress Avenue hill helps to govern my speed by the fourth mile which is 7:58.  I hoped to average an 8:30 pace the first six miles.  Mile 5 is in 7:39 and mile 6 is in 7:45.

The mile 6 aid station begins a downhill segment heading north on South First St., back toward downtown.  I planned to maybe stretch out my legs on this downhill for a couple of fast miles but change my game plan and stay conservative given my fast start.  I stop monitoring my Garmin with the intent of not looking at it again until the half way point.  My Garmin upload though reports I run miles 7, 8 and 9 in 7:21, 7:31 and 7:34 respectively.  I’m seriously surprised by this given my dearth of winter training but suspect it’s due to the low altitude.  The half marathoners split off toward downtown half way into mile ten on Exposition.  This section is fairly hilly and the 3:25 pace sign passes me – which is probably good.  I run mile 10 in 8:01, mile 11 in 8:11 and mile 12 in 8:30.  Finally on pace.  I’m thankful I’m not hurting yet.  I try eating one of my FRS fuel candies but it’s hard and difficult to eat.  I start thinking about how old they are.  Five years maybe.  I switch to my Honey Stinger gummy bears and eat up the 200 calorie bag by the half way point, which the official clock shows me reaching in 1:42.  This pace would have me qualify for Boston, but I’m beginning to slow down.

I encounter Steve around mile 16 at Allandale, captured in the first picture above.  I eat some oranges and banana.  Miles 13, 14, 15 and 16 come in at 8:36, 8:26, 8:22 and 8:39.  This is the pace I want to run but begin to slow down even more.  I feel good in terms of energy and breathing but my legs tighten up on the 16th mile.  Miles 17, 18 and 19 come in at 9:01, 8:42 and 8:48.  The second photo is at 19 miles.  Mile 20 marks the turn south back toward downtown.  I run this in 9:09, mile 21 in 9:01 and mile 22 in 9:23.  Mile 23 is a bummer as my right hamstring cramps with very little notice.  I hit the pavement to recover and only lose about a minute, running mile 23 in 10:48.  I’m careful after this and purposely keep my pace slow in order to successfully finish.

Hyde Park Bar and GrillI pass one of my favorite Austin eateries at mile 24 – the Hyde Park Bar & Grill.  Karen and I lived nearby before moving to Colorado in 1989.  I recall running down this stretch of Duval back then.  It’s a downhill slope toward the UT campus.  I typically ran loops around the Hancock Golf Course one block east of Duval on 38th St.  Both Steve and my sister Nancy are here.  Nan gives me two PowerIces that contain the electrolytes I badly need.  I hand her my sunglasses that I haven’t needed.  Thankfully the sun never breaks through the clouds today.  Still, the humidity is high.  I’m not used to running drenched in sweat.  We perspire in Colorado too but it’s a dry sweat.  I run mile 24 in 9:49.

I know I’m going to finish my ninth marathon as I pass the Posse East, my old UT watering hole, and begin running across campus.  Confidence is always a good feeling.   Endorphins alter my consciousness.  Emotionally charged thoughts of my sister and brother waiting for me at the finish race through my mind.  My throat tightens and my eyes moisten.  If you’ve ever run a marathon or ultra, or done something similarly stupid, then maybe you’ve experienced this too near the end.  I find myself in awe that I’m still alive and doing this.  I “find religion” as they say.  I fully appreciate God letting me know He’s there, although happy to know He’s simply passing through.  Running this marathon is my way of letting Him know that when He comes for me for reals, He better send all four horsemen riding white, red, black and pale.  I’m going down swinging.  I run mile 25 in 9:43.

I regain composure as I spy the hill after 15th Street.  I need all my faculties as this incline challenges my cardio.  It’s like the blood flow reverses direction in my arteries and veins.  My heart is rewinding.  What sort of twisted race director designs the course up such a steep hill right before the finish?  I’m finding his email address.  Two seconds ago I was near hallucinogenic believing I was a couple of minutes away from finishing.  Part way into this hill, that result suddenly becomes much less certain.

race crewI look up to the top of the hill.  Form.  I pump my arms.  I begin popping up my knees before my feet can fully hit the pavement.  I could run up a waterfall with this form.  I look at my Garmin to see I’m only running a 10:50 pace.  Hmm.  If only effort equaled speed.  I crest the hill and turn right onto 11th St.  I pass the 26 mile sign and let my legs unwind downhill toward Congress Ave.  I think again of my sister and brother meeting me at the finish.  Here’s their picture eating brunch later at Hyde Park Bar & Grill.  Just as powerful as the tearful emotion earlier, euphoria washes over me strong enough to make heroin jealous.  I’ve felt this way before near the end of a big run.  I got a little emotional near the end of my first ultra.  Same with finishing the 500 mile Colorado Trail.  There is something about successfully completing an objective with such high odds of failure.  Like Sandra Bullock taking her first steps on the beach after riding that Chinese rocket down to Earth in Gravity.  This is why I run marathons.

bloody maryI run the 26th mile in 9:44 but my Garmin has that completed right before the hill.  My Garmin mile 27 is nearly a half mile long, although it should only be about 200 yards.  Garmin has me running the final half mile in 4:19 – which captures the hill.  My Garmin does agree with the final result though with a 3:45:50.  About 15 minutes faster than I thought I could run with my limited winter training.  551st place overall.  At this point in time I am giving credit to good execution on my nutrition plan.  I think this because I finish feeling good.  No post race cramps or vomiting.  Not to say walking to the car isn’t a bear as swelling consumes my legs.  I counter this with a Bloody Mary at the Hyde Park Bar & Grill.  I’m fine now.

Austin Again

15 Saturday Feb 2014

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Austin Marathon standingI run the Austin Marathon tomorrow morning.  This picture is of me after finishing the 2011 Austin Marathon.  It makes me appear seemingly fine.  The race was a disaster.  I started hurting after only ten miles.  I’m still surprised I even finished.  There was quite a bit of walking involved after 16 miles.  My time was a disappointing 4:23, my slowest marathon ever.  My only other race out of eight marathons where I couldn’t break 4 hours was Steamboat – another disaster – last spring.  I completed Steamboat in 4:13.  I hope to run right at 4 hours tomorrow.  That will be a 9 minute per mile pace.  I would like to do this feeling comfortable and avoiding muscle cramps.  I expect to do this with smart in-race nutrition and hydration.  I have a history of forgetting to eat and drink so wish me luck.

I arrived in Austin earlier today on a Southwest flight.  Steve picked me up at Austin-Bergstrom Int’l and drove me directly to the Palmer Events Center to pick up my race packet.  It was called Palmer Auditorium when I last lived here.  Actually we stopped for lunch first at Threadgills across the street.  It was convenient free parking.  Service was a bit slow but the waitress was a sweetheart.  Gave us drinks to go.  Palmer was a party atmosphere.  I discovered I won’t get the race shirt until – and if – I cross the finish line.

I like to wear the race shirts and now won’t be able too.  Instead I’ll wear a recent newby – my ultra bright yellow, Colorado Club Championship Flatiron XC hi-tech t-shirt.  I might be chilly standing around at the start in 57° but it’ll warm up to 70° by the time I finish.  Short sleeves are the way to go.  I’ll pair that with my black PEARL iZUMi ultra running shorts.  They have awesome pockets for food and a built-in brief that wraps around the upper thigh like tights to mitigate chaffing.  I’ll add blue with my Boulder Marathon running hat and blue CW-X ventilator compression socks.  The German Olympic rainbow outfits will have some competition for color tomorrow.

For nutrition, I’ll carry a Cliff Shot Blocks at 200 calories.  A bag of Honey Stinger Energy Chews (think gummy bears) for 160 calories.  Six FRS healthy energy chews at 40 calories each for another 240 calories.  And four Hammer Endurolytes to mitigate muscle cramps.  I typically don’t eat half the crap I carry.  That might be okay because my brother Steve intends to serve as my race crew.  He’ll meet me at 3 points in the second half of the course with bananas, oranges and frozen PowerIce.  I also expect Steve to take professional grade photos.  Steve is currently attending two different parties in downtown Austin.  I plan to wake him up before 5:30 am to drive me to the race.  My bib# is 2401 for anyone who wants to track me with the race iPhone app.  I launch at 7am CST.

Middle St. Vrain Creek Trail

09 Sunday Feb 2014

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boulderWe returned to Peaceful Valley this morning for our final winter snowshoe before I head to Austin for three weeks.  This was our fifth weekend in a row.  Karen wanted to return to Beaver Reservoir and I wanted to return to Brainard Lake.  We opted for Peaceful Valley due to weather conditions.  We would not have been able to traverse the 2 mile county roads to either of the other two spots.  We couldn’t even drive onto the short road for Peaceful Valley.  We parked on the shoulder of the highway with our van pointed downhill in case we needed to push it out of the snow.

treeSnowshoeing down the road to the trail is about a 200 yard jaunt.  We only got about 50 yards before we had to stop and spend 15 minutes helping push a lady who got her Ford Explorer stuck in the snow.  She made the critical mistake of driving over the crest and couldn’t get back up the hill.  The new snow was too soft and deep.  I was burning up after that and hiked with my jacket unzipped.  We were in an odd weather inversion with the temperature warmer than 3000 feet lower in Longmont.  It was over 32° with zero wind.  I even took off my gloves.  The warmth was ironic given the thick clouds and falling snow.

oscar bluesPeaceful Valley has a good three or four feet of base snow now.  The most recent snow fall is super fluffy.  Middle St. Vrain Creek Trail was postcard perfect in the falling snow.  A few hikers in front of us laid the only tracks which helped ease our trek.  We continued beyond where they turned around though and blazed our own tracks.  The soft powder slowed us down considerably.  We made it as far as the intersection with the Sourdough Trail and turned back for an hour long outing.  I needed to dig out some snow in front of our tires with my snowshoes in order to get onto the road, but we made it home safely.  We stopped again for lunch at Oscar Blues in Lyons and were back home by 12:30.  It’s been a great winter snowshoe season.  Next time we’re up n the mountains will be late March or April.  I expect the snow to be even deeper then.

Twenty Mile Warmup

08 Saturday Feb 2014

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luge crashWith below zero temps all week, I trained Monday through Thursday on that little elliptical machine to the right of this picture.  Juxtapose this shot of me to that contraption as I just walked in from a twenty mile romp over snow packed trails in 32°.  This is my last chance to prep myself for the Austin Marathon on February 16th.

The idea of running twenty miles today, and the eighteen I ran last weekend, is to establish confidence with the marathon distance.  It’s too late to actually get in shape.  In fact, a number of runners would be tapering these last two weeks.  I just don’t have that luxury.  I have a job and family commitments that don’t allow me to fully live up to my self-centered, narcissistic potential.  And no way would I trade the weekend snowshoeing with Karen for a few more miles.  We’re headed back up to Brainard Lake tomorrow to experience all this fresh snow.

While I felt super slow today, I actually ran thirty seconds faster per mile than on last weekend’s eighteen miler.  I’m losing confidence that I’ll maintain a nine minute mile pace next week, but that’s not critical.  Goal number one is to run comfortable.  If that means a ten minute pace – fine.  I do expect to start off with an eight and a half minute pace.  Hard not to with the excitement of a big event.  I’ll try to settle down as I cross Lady Byrd Lake on Congress Avenue at mile two.  I’ve run this before so I know what to expect on hills.  I’ll run easy up South Congress and unwind a little coming down South 1st.  I’m confident I’ll run well and enjoy this event.  I’m ready.

Close to Home

02 Sunday Feb 2014

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cottonwood karenThe mountain trails of the Front Range are gorgeous, but there’s not much need to drive up there to snowshoe when there’s a foot of fresh powder down here.  And you know what a big day it is in Colorado with the Broncos playing this afternoon in the Super Bowl.  So we decided to snowshoe today quite literally in our backyard.  We started at the Niwot Loop Trailhead and headed south into Gunbarrel.  We covered the segment between 79th and 71st Street.

cottonwood edI ran out here yesterday.  Slogging through the snow was tough and I was the only runner.  Everyone else yesterday was Nordic skiing.  Today, at 18° but with full sun and zero wind, had mostly runners and a few cross country skiers.  Yesterday’s skiers helped to pack the snow for running.  Snowshoeing was great.  You’d think 18° is cold but we quickly pocketed our gloves and Karen unzipped her jacket.  The sun shining off the snow serves to warm things up.

niwot tavernThe Cottonwood Trail is fairly flat, certainly relative to the mountain trails we snowshoed on in January.  Plus it’s easier to breathe at half the altitude, so this was our fastest ever pace – well over 2 miles an hour for 3.5 miles.  We brunched afterward at the Niwot Tavern.  If the nearby IBM site has a company bar – this place is it.  We’re home early prepping for the game.  I made my shrimp ceviche mostly last night.  I added avocado and cilantro now to avoid those from turning mushy overnight.  After our 90 minute workout, we’re ready to party over at the Sebestas.  Go Broncos!

Pack Mentality

01 Saturday Feb 2014

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wolf packThat’s Fred, up front in a greenish yellow tank leading the pack.  I’m three runners behind him in a green long-sleeve team jersey.  Chris is another two or three runners behind me, wearing the same green team jersey.  This is during the first of three loops, just shy of the one mile mark.

Some say we won the team event in last week’s Boulder Cross Country Race because there were no other men’s teams registered.  I say we won due to the strong display of pack mentality illustrated in this pic.  Click on it to enlarge the view.  Pack mentality probably has some very specific meaning in psychology, but I’m using it here to suggest running as a team helps everyone to run faster.  This was my experience on teams as a kid.  Makes me want to consider training more with a team.  Fred trains with the Revolution Running Club.

That race was last month.  This month I have a marathon coming up.  The Austin Marathon on February 16th.  I’ve considered dropping out thinking I might not be ready.  It’s hard to get in the miles during the winter.  And I’ve been snowshoeing with Karen on the weekends when I should be maximizing my training miles.  And then, I have a really sore knee.  But I’ve been stretching and feel like my knee is responding well to that.  And that snowshoeing is still a good two hour workout.  Has to be good for something.  I just want to run that marathon.  I don’t need to run it fast.  I just want to enjoy it.

My goal will be to run a 9 minute per mile pace.  I have a tendency to start out well under 8 minutes per mile but I intend to run with discipline this time.  My natural pace is about 8.5 minutes per mile, up to about 18 miles.  I suspect I could hold that in Austin considering the lower elevation, but I would still struggle on the final 10K.  I don’t want to do that.  I want to enjoy this run.  My goal will be a 4 hour marathon at a 9 minute pace.  I ran 18 miles today.  My first long run in several weeks.  Only averaged 10.5 minutes per mile, but I was running through a foot of fresh powder in 18°.  I don’t expect snow conditions in Austin.

Fast and Flurry-ous

26 Sunday Jan 2014

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fredI wake up this morning with the coffee machine at 6am.  I read my weekend edition of Barrons while the sun comes up.  I bake some Pillsbury Orange Sweet Rolls before waking up Ellie at 7.  We have a cross country race this morning and need some glucose.  Brit wakes up to the smell of those rolls too and decides to tag along.  Chris, Keith and Tom walk over at 8:30 and we pile into the mini van for the 20 minute ride to South Boulder.  Fred will meet us there.  We all live within a three block radius and will be running as a team – Team Prospect.  Ellie will run stag in the kids wave.  This first picture captures the start with me running in the green long sleeve jersey one step behind Fred, running in a tank.  This is as close as I will ever be to catching Fred today.

ChrisI hang with Fred for nearly a mile.  He puts some distance on me before the hill.  Chris then passes me running up the hill.  This puts me in third position on our five guy team – where I remain.  Chris typically starts out slow and then turns on the jets for a strong finish.  In the 2012 neighborhood 5K, the three of us finished together in consecutive places, Chris, then Fred, then me.  Today we finish separated by nearly two minutes.  This is Chris’ first cross country race.  He trains more for marathons and he feels the fast pace of this 4 miler.  Cross country races are typically on grass.

KeithI think this is Keith’s first XC race too.  Keith commented more on the wind afterward than the grass.  Grass will slow down a runner, but today’s wind is gusting well over 20 mph.  He runs strong though today and finishes two positions behind me in our 51 year old age division.  I finish 9th and Keith is 11th.  The results are posted here.  Keith didn’t start running until a few years ago.  He typically runs the same events that I do.  I ran his first marathon with him two years ago – the 2012 Denver Marathon.

TomTom is even newer to running.  He’s quite the sport though agreeing to join our team.  This photo by the water shows Tom running strong with good arm motion.  There’s a hill coming up shortly that requires a bit of momentum.  Note Tom isn’t wearing a hat or gloves.  Other than the wind, the weather is pretty nice – 50° and full sun.  I wear shorts and a long sleeve t-shirt.  No need to layer.  I consider tights but think they might slow me down once I warm up.  Because the girls are with us, we are able to strip off our warm-up gear and drop it in a pile near the start.  Very convenient.

winningFor reasons I still don’t fully understand, Team Prospect finishes in first place today.  Impressive considering we all live within three blocks of each other.  There’s a rumor that no other teams are registered.  I don’t go for rumors.  Our win comes with $500, or $100 each.  This makes us paid athletes.  Hopefully IBM doesn’t dock me for moonlighting.

girlsThe kids division launches immediately after the men finish.  Keith and I feel for them because the wind is clearly gusting more strongly and it feels like the temperature is dropping.  Snow is expected tonight or tomorrow.  Brit decides last minute to run with Ellie when they say parents can join the kids.  I get a ton of good photos of the girls but this is my favorite.  Brit applied the B&W effect.  This hill is near the end of the 2K loop – the kids only run one loop – but it’s steep.  It makes it hard to turn on a kick for the finish.

BrittanyAt Fred’s suggestion, we brunch at the nearby Southside Walnut Cafe.  This place is hopping but we’re seated after ten minutes.  I can’t believe I didn’t know about this place.  Awesome menu and incredible food.  I have huevos rancheros while Ellie orders a cheese burger.  Brit orders something with soy cheese on it.  She likes it.  We both love the coffee.  I find myself an hour later getting a pedicure with the girls.  Running with girls isn’t so bad.  They understand recovery.  Tomorrow I’ll cash our check at the bank and distribute the winnings.  Minus my management fee.

Beaver Reservoir

25 Saturday Jan 2014

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IMG_3277Another perfect day to be snowshoeing along the Peak-to-Peak Highway.  This morning we drove to Beaver Reservoir which sits half way between Brainard Lake and Peaceful Valley.  The trailhead lies two miles down County Road 96, which is marked on Hwy 72 by a sign for the Tahosa Boy Scout Camp.  The trail crosses the road about a quarter mile before the reservoir.  We simply parked on the side of the road.

creek

We started out southbound on the Sourdough Trail.  The trail was a bit hard to spot among new growth aspen and evergreen.  We turned around on a ridge after nearly a half mile because the snow was fading and the trail just wasn’t very pretty.  This was a good call as we discovered the northbound trail to be absolutely gorgeous.  We might have known since there were no tracks southbound but several northbound.

oscar bluesWe found ourselves shedding gear under the warm sun.  Despite the strong wind on the road, the trail was quiet.  We were able to cover 2.32 miles in about 90 minutes.

We skipped the Millsite Inn this trip and lunched at Oscar Blues in Lyons.  The weather was so nice we ate outside on the deck.  This marks our third consecutive weekend to snowshoe.  We hope to squeeze in a couple more jaunts through the woods and snow before I head to Austin.  This really is ideal training for a marathon.  Tomorrow I have a four mile cross country race in Boulder.  Ellie plans to run it too.

Peaceful Valley

18 Saturday Jan 2014

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Buchanan Pass Trail 1How can anyone resist snowshoeing at a trailhead called Peaceful Valley.  Karen and I couldn’t.  I initially planned another trail up at Brainard Lake, but this is closer.  We had a later start today and this saved us about 15 or 20 minutes.  The parking is just off the highway.  The entrance to the campground is closed off in the winter, but there’s about 100 yards of road to park on.  By the time we finished, others were parked out on Hwy 72.

buchanan pass trail 2We took the Buchanan Pass Trail.  This starts down the road a couple hundred yards or so past the first gate.  Actually just in front of the Peaceful Valley Campground which has a second gate.  The trail begins with a climb and is super pretty, in the trees and lined with natural boulders.  My Garmin captured 12° but it felt at least 30°, and the wind was only about 4 mph.  With a cloudless sky, the Colorado sun lit up the snow for a gorgeous day.

fat tireWe were passed by a Tokyo Joe’s team of 8 or so mountain bikers.  Click on the pic and check out these fat tires!  This looks really cool to me.  We had a decent workout, completing 3 miles at a 2 mph pace.  Thirty minutes faster than last weekend.  Karen thinks this trail is less technical.  The snow was fairly well packed too.  This is clearly a high use trail.  It’s a shared trail and had more cross country skiers than hikers snowshoeing.  Dogs are allowed and there were plenty.  One dog wore boots.  Definitely a dog day out there.  We were shedding gear on the way back.  I even took off my gloves.

Millsite InnWe found ourselves back at the Millsite Inn for lunch.  The owner, Kurt, is quite a character.  He looks about 65 – hard to say.  Could be older.  He said he played NCAA Basketball for Ohio State – he looks about 6’4″.  He tells us stories of his snowshoeing and skiing.  He showed us pictures he took today of some snowshoe hares.  Stunning photos.  This is two weekends in a row snowshoeing for us.  Our goal is to hit the next three weekends before I head to Austin for the Austin Marathon.  I should probably be getting in more running miles, but I don’t intend to run that race very hard.  And I’m a big proponent of mixing up workouts – even though I’m generally bad at it.  If I do well in Austin, I’ll publish a book on how to snowshoe yourself into shape for a marathon.

Prostate Biopsy

18 Saturday Jan 2014

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Michelangelo's David with clipping path

Forgive the title.  I want to be clear upfront on the following content.  I held off blogging about this until I talked to my mom to give her a heads up.  Since she reads this blog, I have to be fucking careful about what I write.  A blood analysis last fall indicated an elevated PSA level.  I elected to take a second reading a few months later rather than proceed directly to a prostate biopsy.  Do-overs are standard policy in my book.  Unfortunately, the second test didn’t work out in my favor.

In case you’re interested because you expect a prostate biopsy in the future, the following is my experience.  I can tell you this is not some cavalier test.  Without even taking medication, simply having the procedure has potential side effects.  I find the risks acceptable, major inconveniences though for sure.  I can see not every guy feeling the same way.  Most of what I read suggests the side effects are temporary over the course of several weeks or months.  I find the more I subjugate myself to doctors and the more dignity I relinquish in their offices, the easier it becomes to accept such potential side effects.

I have to compare this procedure to a colonoscopy, mostly because I’ve had one of those too.  There’s the obvious rectal component.  In that sense, the biopsy is a mini colonoscopy.  There’s no prep to drink – so right there the biopsy wins.  And we’re talking about a rectal intrusion in terms of inches rather than feet, hence the mini.  There isn’t even anesthesia.  I was offered Valium but turned it down.  I needed to return to work afterward and I’m not exactly clear on IBM’s Valium in the workplace policy.  Believe it or not, I’ve never taken any of the popular anxiety drugs so I don’t truly know if there would be cause for concern.  Based on performance reviews, I do know that I’m overly transparent as it is at work.  I don’t need to be telling my coworkers what I really, really think.

My experience began with the nurse instructing me to undress from the waist down and to lay on my side covering myself with a sheet made from paper.  This picked up my spirits a bit as, on some metaphorical level, I found this preferable to having to bend over.  If you’re concerned you might get an erection, trust me – you won’t.  The experience is overwhelmingly emasculating.  I was like a dog with its tail between its legs.  She registered my heart rate at 56bpm so I was managing the anxiety fairly well.  She then asked for my permission to allow a 3rd party into the room, a woman technician, to train the urologist on their brand new prostate biopsy ultrasound machine and monitor the imaging.  Like I was going to say no to that.  “No, let the doctor learn as he goes.  We’ll learn how to operate this thing together.”  While I don’t think of myself as an exhibitionist, I was actually fine with it.  The more the merrier.

Dr. Webster was quite good at setting my expectations.  The procedure took maybe 20 minutes.  While extremely uncomfortable, it didn’t really hurt.  The most painful aspect was two needle injections of something to numb my prostate.  This hurt on the level of any flu shot to the arm, only it wasn’t to the arm.  My online research led me to expect the biopsy pinpricks to feel similar to bee stings.  Had the doctor told me this I was prepared to reply, “American bees or African bees?”  I’m still a little disappointed I couldn’t reference that Monty Python skit.  Reminds me though, I need to erase my search history.

I received 12 biopsies and only two of them hurt a little, but less so than the initial shots.  After the fourth biopsy, my penis began to burn – acute dysuria. The sensation was fairly strong actually and maybe hurt more than those two initial shots.  Apparently, this is normal, I’m guessing from a dramatic change in the pH balance suddenly streaming through my urethra.  In other words – bleeding.  I should have asked what causes it because I’m just guessing.  Feels better this morning.  Dr. Webster told me I would jump at the first biopsy – which I did – but I didn’t overreact to any of the subsequent biopsies.  Each biopsy made a clicking noise like a cap gun being fired, or a mousetrap being sprung.  It’ll spook you the first time.

I review the results with Dr. Webster in a week.  I’m not nervous.  Cancer is far from the worse prostate malady from what I’ve read.  Everything is essentially treatable at my age.  That’s why you don’t procrastinate on health issues.  Just ask Steve Jobs.  Oh yeah, you can’t.  I already know from the exam that I don’t have an enlarged prostate, which is a good sign.  The elevated PSA levels are likely from running.  I might be a bit preoccupied waiting for the results; considering I’m up at 5:30 am blogging about it.  Karen and I are going snowshoeing in a couple of hours though.  That’ll take my mind off it.

Brainard Lake

12 Sunday Jan 2014

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Brainard Lake

Santa brought Karen snowshoes for Christmas so today we headed up to Brainard Lake.  We wanted to watch the Broncos play too – which we are doing right now – so we headed up early.  Even without a game to get back for it’s generally a good idea to get up to the mountains early.  The wind was expected to increase in speed each hour, and did.  Plus Brainard Lake is one of the most popular winter recreational areas in Boulder County.  Carousing with the Prices and Sebestas last night didn’t help us to get an early start, but we reached the trailhead around 9am.

Brainard Road

We drove through Lyons to get there.  The turnoff to Brainard Lake is just north of the turnoff to Ward on the Peak-to-Peak Highway.  It was snowing but drivable.  The parking lot at the trailhead only had a dozen or so cars.  I think they built this lot in 2010/2011.  It’s pretty big.  The wind was howling like a banshee.  We put on our gear sitting on the back bumper of our Honda Odyssey under the shelter of the hatch.  We practiced at home to size our boots to the shoes and ensure we were familiar with the new gear.  Still, the cold wind in 23° was brutal.

trailheadThe wind was totally absent in the trees, once we were on the trail.  We took the snowshoe trail that veers south or to the left of the Brainard Lake road.  It heads west toward the lake.  I felt like we were snowshoeing through a Hallmark postcard.  No wind.  Falling snow.  God’s country at 23°.  I wore my new Sorel Conquest snow boots that Karen gave me for Christmas.  I’ve never had a quality pair of snow boots for hiking or snowshoeing before and these are so nice.  They are super light, water proof and have a built-in gaiter.  We were both comfortable in our gear.  Karen wore a balaclava to protect her face but my face was fine bare.

Millsite Inn

The wind didn’t hit us hard until our turn-around point where the trail crosses back over Brainard Road.  This is right at 1.5 miles.  We planned to take the road back if we were tired but we weren’t.  Good thing because even though the wind would have been at our backs, it didn’t look very enjoyable.  Visibility on the road was poor with near whiteout conditions.  It took us just over an hour to reach the road, maintaining a 1.5 mile per hour pace.  We returned back through the trees.  The wind was noticeably stronger, but mostly above our heads in the tree tops.  Plus it was at our backs so going back was fine.  A number of hikers were just headed out.  They would have to deal with tougher conditions than we did.  We encountered a mountain biker with the fattest tires I’ve ever seen on a bike.  What a bad ass.  It didn’t seem possible but the wind was blowing even stronger in the parking lot as we completed our trek after 2 hours and 10 minutes.  The lot was much more full.  Apparently not everyone planned to watch the Broncos later in the afternoon.  We had time to stop for lunch at the Millsite Inn on the way home.  We ate an awesome pizza fireside.  We plan to return back to Brainard Lake next Sunday.

Lagerman Res

11 Saturday Jan 2014

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LagermanLast weekend I blogged about being tough in cold weather.  Seemed topical on a national level.  I didn’t let last weekend’s polar vortex deter me from getting in some miles.  But I’ve spent this past week with a well-earned cold.  Couldn’t even workout on my elliptical.  Not how one wants to train one month out from a marathon.  I wasn’t sure I’d be up for running today but made the commitment since the wind wasn’t howling yet.  Keith drove me out to Lagerman Reservoir.  Brit used to run here with her high school cross country team, but this is a first for me.  Awesome trailhead.

Oddly, there are no signs.  Not even at the entrance off Pike Road.  You just need to be looking for it.  Drive west on Clover Basin until it turns to dirt.  You’ll see the reservoir on your left.  There is a trail around the reservoir.  It might be about a mile around.  We just parked here and ran west on the dirt Boulder backroads.

Amazingly there was zero wind.  That is until we reached Niwot Road where the wind must have been 25 miles per hour.  We’d run five miles by then though so simply turned around for a ten miler.  The wind died out almost immediately.  I can’t say it’s always like this, but it makes me wonder if this isn’t some magical wind-free zone.  If you’re running out by the Boulder Res and don’t like the wind, consider driving north a few miles and run along the dirt roads on the east side of the Table Mountain Antenna Field.  The Boulder backroads out by Lagerman Res are like a port in the storm.  A good option for winter running.

Winter Run

04 Saturday Jan 2014

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winter runI’m hearing stories today of it being too cold to run.  I can see that for the east coast.  The national news is making a big deal out of their freezing temperatures and foot of fluffy snow.  They should stay safe indoors for the weekend.  Of course that advice doesn’t apply to Colorado.  The entire first week of December was below zero.  I ran a 5K race at -1°.  Planes didn’t stop flying and we didn’t make national news.  We are Colorado.

It’s a bit chilly today – about 15° with wind chill.  And we have a few inches of fresh powder.  After seeing a facebook update from the neighborhood ladies about their early morning run, I geared up for an 8 miler.

Gearing up for a deep snow run means gaiters.  I wore my long pair.  Of course I wore mittens but ran half the route without them as I was fairly warm when the wind was at my back.  An 8 mile an hour wind is right about the barrier to a run’s enjoyability.  Over 10 miles an hour can overwhelm the warmth of the Colorado sun.  Tomorrow won’t be as pleasant but today really is decent running weather.  Get out there!

Barefoot Bootcamp

01 Wednesday Jan 2014

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cross countryI started this year off fresh with a fifteen mile trail run on the LoBo Trail.  I launched late morning in 32° under low-hanging clouds.  After a tough seven mile run in yesterday’s wind, this was nice.  There were a few snow flakes but nothing like what is falling now.  I only planned on running twelve miles, but kept going.  Why not?

It feels good to run in my trail flats after running the last week in my barefoot Merrell Trail Gloves.  I packed my barefoot running flats rather than regular training shoes because they travel better in the suitcase – being so light.  I expected a bit of leg fatigue but man, I was near tears after day two.  I backed off my mileage and did not run at all on Christmas day, allowing my legs to recover.  I did toughen up near the end of the week but didn’t really notice the difference the shoes make until today.

Late last week, my knee pain began to abate marginally but my arches were sore – in both feet rather than simply my left foot where I generally incur pain and injury.  After yesterday’s run, which was in my standard trail shoes, my ankles could barely support my weight afterward.  It was as if I’d been ice skating.  It all came together for me today though.  No more pain.  And my form was outstanding – short stride and forefoot footfalls.  I honestly believe that running a bit in minimalist or barefoot shoes is a great way to work on your stride.  I’ve learned you have to be careful to not over do it.  I’ve been injured from running in these shoes.  Still, I highly recommend working them into your routine.  Probably not the barefoot bootcamp I did, but consider running in them once a week.

I’m currently training for my next event – a four mile cross country race in Boulder on January 26th.  I’ve formed a team of 5 or 6 harriers from my neighborhood.  The men’s open division will be competitive so we won’t likely win.  Still, do you think you could form a team of five master’s level cross country runners from within a few blocks of your house?  I can.  I plan to schedule a few team workouts.  Maybe some tempo running in the grass in my Merrell Trail Gloves.

2013 in review

31 Tuesday Dec 2013

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The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2013 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 12,000 times in 2013. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 4 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

WordPress publishes these year-end stats for me.  My brother-in-law asked me the other day what websites I frequent the most.  My homepage is set to the WSJ because I subscribe to both the print and digital editions.  My other top pages are facebook, Fidelity (I track my 401K more and more the closer I get to retirement), dictionary.com (yes I suck at spelling but I try) and my WordPress stats.  I’m addicted to reading my stats like some people read the box scores each day in the Sports pages.

Readers are of course anonymous but I find the stats interesting nonetheless.  I especially like to review people’s search terms.  Runner’s Porn was high but less so than strassburg sock.  Explain that.  And my top 4 most read posts were written before 2013 – my SEI has been steadily growing with the search engines.  I suspect only other bloggers would find stats interesting enough to click on the link to review.  And that’s fine.  Comment with a link to your year-end stats.  I’d like to see them.

Texas Road Trip

27 Friday Dec 2013

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ArmadilloGot in a final nine mile jaunt around Town Lake today.  Fixin’ to dine at Molcas – a really nice family run Tex-Mex in Northwest Hills – for our last supper in Austin.  I should mention we dined last night at Hyde Park Bar & Grill too.  We always make an effort to visit our favorite eateries in Austin.

We’ll be driving early tomorrow morning to Dallas to visit long-time family friends and then head out west on 287 for as far as we can.  I hope to make it past Amarillo but don’t expect to cross the Texas border into New Mexico until Sunday.  As long as that sounds, it’ll be better than the trip down.  I thought I’d re-post this armadillo pic because I saw one cross the road on the drive down at night between Childress and Abilene.  It was as big as a baby black bear.

Actually just returned from Molcas.  Couldn’t finish this post first.  So I’m almost too stuffed with cheese and Bohemias to type.  Papa is playing his victrola for Brittany.  Some WWI era 78 rpm tune.  Brit is pursuing a music degree and is interested in such things.  Her Papa gave her a turntable earlier and she’s been playing 33 rpm vinyl records all day.  Some U2 War, Roberta Flack and her Uncle Steve’s Doctor’s Mob album.

Karen and I just made the decision to not pack the minivan tonight.  Grandma Barbie is dancing the Charleston.  Molcas serves decent frozen ritas.  I wonder how much gear we’ll leave behind when we leave.  I’m guessing multiple iPhone/iPad chargers and some really important jewelry.  See you in Colorado.

The Santa Claus Rally

26 Thursday Dec 2013

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zilker treeFor stock traders, the Santa Claus Rally ends on Jan 3rd.  My 2013 running exploits will end with my vacation on Jan 1st, so I’m giving it my all in a final sprint.  These final days include significant driving time too, so I can’t run every day.  I began with a ten mile run Monday after a half day drive to Austin from Abilene.  I ran this in Round Rock on the BCRT.  After that brutal 2.5 day drive down from Colorado, this was the perfect recovery.  The weather was sunny and 55° or so.  I ran in shorts and layered a long sleeved shirt over a short sleeved shirt.

mom and the boysAn added wrinkle to my last running week is that I only packed my minimalist Merrell trail gloves.  They pack nice because they are so small and light.  The risk is whether or not I can log any real miles in them.  I ran this first ten miles strong but my legs were super fatigued the next day and I could only run six.  I took off Christmas day, as much to recover as due to the time suck.  Even on vacation, not every day can be all about me.  I could have squeezeed in a run but opted for family time.  I figured the recovery day might be smart considering these high impact shoes.

I was ready to go Thursday and ran 4.5 crisp miles on Town Lake.  I park at the boat ramp near Austin High.  The modern Austin downtown cityscape does little to dent my nostalgic mood racing past Auditorium Shores.  I recall running here with my high school buddies thirty years ago.  Or the very first Capitol 10,000 that started on Congress Avenue and ran entirely on the Town Lake trail.  I have great running memories from my high school years.

Matt's El RanchoI think about my past year of running too and on my plans for 2014.  I had my best year ever in terms of strong performances and injury-free running.  I don’t even care to run faster next year, I feel satisfied I’ve reached my target times.  I’d like to be able to maintain my 10K time in the Bolder Boulder and remain in the B starting wave.  That will require some speed work to hold a 7 minute pace for six miles.  I’ve already registered for the Austin Marathon in February and the Moab Half Marathon in March.  I’d like to run the marathon in about 3:45 but will be happy with anything under 4 hours.  I don’t think I have any time goals for Moab but will want to race against any of my other neighbors who are going too.  Lastly, I’m certain I want to run either or both the IPR and Durango Ultra again next year.  Those are my plans.  Mostly just looking to maintain consistency with this year and stay healthy.  These photos are all family pics taken over the holidays in Austin.  Happy new years.

Fat Face

20 Friday Dec 2013

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profileMy fat face might not really show here unless you click on the picture to enlarge the view.  Honestly, I feel as trim as I’ve been in twenty years.  I can’t explain that fat face.  I was in a conversation with Susan at our Christmas party the other night and she made the statement that I don’t have a runner’s body.  I forget where she was going with that.  I probably didn’t let her finish.  I remember my response.  I know my leg length is less than optimal.  Oh, and I have a bit of a paunch.  But I have 40 years of experience that gives me good running form.  My college track coach used to film me running quarter mile intervals for his Kinesiology class because he believed I had perfect running form.  My calves are oddly large – a product of running on my fore foot.  And my cardio system might have a predisposition for aerobic sports.  Not only is my resting heart rate under 50 beats per minute, but my 23andme DNA results suggest I’m a natural aerobic athlete.

I guess the fat face and double chin just come with age.  That’s fine.  So is the paunch.  The last thing I care to look like is a malnourished Mr. Gumby.  I know I don’t have the perfect runner’s body, but I feel like a runner.  I am a runner.  I read lots of running blogs and some writers suggest what a runner is and who isn’t a runner.  I’m no different, I too have a definition of a runner.  If you run, and it’s more than just a workout but something you rather enjoy – then you’re a runner.  I’m still ecstatic that I got back into running 5 or 6 years ago.

Ran today on the Eagle Trail in 27° and zero wind.  I totally over dressed.  It was well below 20° earlier in the day but warmed up once I hit the trail.  That kept me from running faster and farther but it still felt so nice to get out of my basement and off the elliptical.  There’s so much more gravity in the real world, my legs felt the difference in impact.  Two day drive to Austin tomorrow so today will be it for awhile.  Looking forward to running some of my favorite trails in Austin.

Elliptical

16 Monday Dec 2013

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Elliptical gym machineI just completed day one of my new winter regimen of training on an elliptical in the basement.  The plan is to run – err train – on the elliptical after work each day from 5 to 6.  PM – Karen trains on it in the AM.  We’ve owned this equipment for years but I’ve never adapted it into my workouts until now.

I hauled it into my office the other day so I can watch TV.  If I can’t look up at the snow laden peaks of the Front Range, I want to view the evening News.  As much as I’d rather train outdoors, I need to accept reality.  A week shy of winter solstice, there isn’t enough daylight.  The last time I tried training through the winter for a February marathon, my race results were a disaster.  I elected to run during lunch, but of course could only squeeze in about 3 miles given the time crunch.  I can tell you now that 3 miles per day is not a very smart training program for a marathon.  I don’t know that training on an elliptical is much better, but at least I will be able to put in the hours.  The obvious downside is the lack of high-impact, but maybe that will be a plus in terms of keeping my legs healthy.

I’ll still run for reals on the weekend.  And I’ll focus on ultra long runs.  Not the next two weekends though as I’ll be driving to Austin and back for the holidays.  The marathon is the same one I ran in 2011 – the Austin Marathon – and is on February 16th.  I already have my ticket to fly down the day after Valentines.  That gives me a good 7 weeks of elliptical training.  This will be interesting.

A Fast 5K

14 Saturday Dec 2013

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TeamI drive to Fort Collins this morning with Coach Jabe and her large team.  We have 7 in our car, plus another car.  The Jingle Bells 5K raises money for Rheumatoid Arthritis.  Our team raised the 3rd highest amount and qualified us for the VIP tent – which I use to store my gear bag.  That’s Jabe to my right in the Santa outfit.  I run wearing a Santa beard.

I don’t like making commitments to a fast race.  I prefer to make up my race plan after I’ve warmed up in the first mile.  Keith asks me how I plan to run though, and I sort of suggested I was striving for a 5K PR in my last blog.  I tell Keith I am going to run hard enough to beat my best 10K pace of a 7:09 mile.  When Abbie scoots in line with me and suggests she is going to run about 22 minutes, I tell her I will try to keep up.  I am also talking to Tom, a 62 year old in line with me, who said he runs about a 23 minute 5K.  I am in fast company.

I chat a bit with Abbie during the first half mile.  I feel comfortable breathing.  The weather is sunny and in the 40s – perfect for distance running.  I surge a bit ahead of Abbie which suggests to me I might be running too fast.  My pace at the first mile marker is 6:44.  This is fast for me but I feel fine.  This CSU campus course is virtually flat with only a 59 foot elevation gain.  My initial plan was to push the second mile but since I’m considerably under my target I decide to try holding my pace.  I find myself passing quite a number of other runners but am fairly certain I’m not picking up my pace.  The second mile comes in at a 6:46 pace – only 2 seconds off my first mile.

I’m super pleased with this because I still feel quite comfortable.  I determine to forgo a kick and start pushing my pace now to ensure I PR.  I’m confident I can run this third mile in a 7 minute pace.  This will be great because I don’t just want to beat my 10K pace, I want to average under 7 minutes and right now that looks achievable.  I pass about 3 more runners on this last mile, including a lady running with her dog and a kid likely in grade school.  Surprisingly my final mile is in 6:38 and I finish with a 20:49 PR.  This kills my previous best 5K by well over a minute and I even cooled down the last 100 yards rather than putting on a kick.  To make things even better, I win an award for placing 2nd in the masters division which is for everyone 40 and older.

abbie and keithKeith finishes with Abbie and wins his age division in about 22 minutes – exactly what Abbie said she would run.  We all meet up at the Chi Omega sorority house for a fund raiser breakfast.  Home now planning an appetizer for tonight’s Christmas fondue party.  I might just cut up a bunch of celery sticks.  Sort of short on time.