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Ridgeline Trail

09 Sunday Oct 2016

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

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Castle Rock, half marathon, Ultra

start

On second thought, racing a trail half marathon without proper training might not have been such a good idea.  I wasn’t ready for the Ridgeline Trail in Castle Rock this morning.  At least I wasn’t stupid enough to sign up for the 50K (31 mile) ultra.  Chris did though.  He’s still picking up his feet in this picture above, just starting out at 8am.

final-stretch

Actually, Chris did quite well for his first ultra.  He finished second in his forty year old age division and tenth overall.  He’s still smiling in this photo above, even though it is after the 26 mile (marathon) point.  Although, he was crying “ouchie” as he ran by.  I have to say that the trail rarely looked this nice.  It was mostly rocky with tree roots, a lot like the Picture Rock Trail in Lyons if you’re familiar with that.

last-aid-station

Worse part though wasn’t the technical footing, it was the non-stop undulating elevation. Every ten yards alternated between uphill, then down hill, then uphill.  Think rollercoaster, for thirteen miles.  The foothills themselves were runnable, I didn’t have to walk any, but somehow it contained 3500 feet of elevation gain.  I started out slow but my legs were still mush after six miles.  The course was a loop, but out and back in the sense it climbed over the same hills on the return.  This is Chris at the final ultra aid station, with three more miles to run, taking time out for brunch.

grass

This final photo of Chris is with only two hundred more yards to the finish.  He looks happy.  I only ran a fraction of the distance, and can tell you I’m beat.  I ran 2:06, which might be okay for the course.  Still, I normally run 1:45 for the first half in a full marathon, so sort of slow.  And painful.  Cool training course if you make it down to Castle Rock, but very, very tough.

 

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The Boulder Half

27 Sunday Mar 2011

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

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Tags

Boulder, half marathon

I completed the Boulder Half Marathon this morning and it went really well.  I must be learning my pace.  I ran this exactly how I described my plans in earlier blog posts.  I ran the first half nice and easy – maybe a 9 minute mile pace.  Upon turning back at the 6.55 mile marker, I dropped a minute or more off my pace.  Man did that feel good.  But let me start at the beginning.

For breakfast, I ate a banana and a tasty organic tangerine.  I also had a mug of java – half decaf, half the real deal.  I included a sip of OJ and a glass of water.

I reached the Boulder Reservoir at 7:15.  It was nice being able to park there close to the race start in terms of not having to commit to my race gear until the final minute.  It was chilly as I expected but the wind seemed fairly calm.  I committed to the two race jerseys I described in my last blog post, along with a thin pair of Under Armour tights and runners gloves.  I figured I didn’t really need the tights, but they kept me comfortable while waiting for the race to start.  And I felt confident I wasn’t over dressed as easily 80% of the crowd was wearing tights of some sort.

I also had to make a decision on what hat to wear.  I brought a fleece runner’s hat and my Barr Camp runner’s cap.  I have three fleece hats of varying thickness.  This was the thinnest – my baby bear edition.  But the idea of wearing it for 13.1 miles didn’t appeal to me.  Fleece hats get so sweaty.  Since the wind wasn’t strong, I figured my ears would be fine and opted for the runner’s cap.  It’s easy to pop that thing off and force the sweat out of it by swinging it a few times.  Plus the bill shades the sun – which came out from the clouds right at the start of the race.

I launched my playlist in shuffle mode and started the race to REM.  Seemed appropriate.  By 2 miles, I’d warmed up nicely and would not have needed the tights, but they were such a light pair that I felt fine with them the entire course.  I noticed the first race photographer at this spot too – I didn’t know this event would have them.  I’m guessing the Flat Irons were in the background at this spot so I hope they got a picture of me.  I was dressed head to ankle as black as a cat burglar.  Ideally, this color selection will make me appear more slender than the white compression jersey I wore in Moab.  The picture above might not show this, but in other pics it made my prominent belly pop.

I removed my gloves at 4 miles, and also surrendered a minute to take a leak.  A minute well spent I assure you.  I encountered the lead runner around 4.5 miles coming back on the out and back course, and saw the first female around mile 5.  When I say she was pretty in pink, she was wearing pink and she was a blond cutie.  Boulder’s finest.

Upon turning back myself at the half way point, I did exactly what I had hoped I would do – I turned on the jets.  It could have been the down slope, or it might have been Green Day.  ENGLAND!  I feel like I dropped a good 90 seconds off my pace.  I felt awesome.  And I wasn’t the only one – a couple of guys and a couple more women had the same plan and challenged me.  But I kept strong and didn’t let anyone surge past me until the final half mile when I decided to coast in for a warm down rather than race it in.  I ran strong the entire way back and that was my reward to myself.  I’d accomplished my workout plan and didn’t feel a need to kick.

I don’t know my true chip time yet but the clock read about 49 minutes – which is the same time I ran in Moab.  This felt so much better though.  I started out slow the first mile in Moab but otherwise ran a strong, consistent pace.  The final 3 miles in Moab were difficult as the course sloped uphill.  Today I ran easy for the entire first half.  And it was noticeably tougher than Moab because the first 6 miles were completely uphill – an elevation gain of 300 feet.  And at 5200 feet, you feel every one of those 300 feet.  So controlling my pace was smart.  The return back down those same 300 feet felt great.  I started so fast between miles 6 and 7 that I didn’t know if I could maintain my pace.  I know I dropped back off a good 30 seconds, but overall I stayed strong.  I’m really glad I decided to run this event.

Drinking a Boulder Beer at the finish, I sat down next to this guy, he said his name was Jim Frimers.  Not sure if I spelled that correctly, but he’s a writer for Trail Runner Magazine.  I really enjoyed talking to him and plan to look up his column.  Next weekend I’ll meet up with A Lo Hawk to hike the Colorado Trail.  Looking forward to that.

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Next Up – Moab

03 Thursday Mar 2011

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

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Tags

Canyonlands, half marathon, Imogene Pass, IPR, Moab, Pasta Jays

I feel fully recovered from the Austin Marathon. Admittedly, I’ve only been running my little four mile route, but the runs have felt strong and all the lingering pain from the marathon has dissipated. It’s such a relief to escape any ultra distance conflict injury free. Just ask Alohawk pictured here descending Imogene Pass about that. Or better yet, read his blog on how such injuries can impact later events. He got lucky in that he mostly recovered before his next big event. I feel like I dodged a bullet considering I launched this season with a marathon. Could have ruined the entire season. Instead, I’m feeling pretty confident.

Moab Canyonlands is next up in 16 days. This is going to be a blast – half the neighborhood is going. We’ve already made reservations for Pasta Jay’s on Friday. And I expect Dave will cook up some awesome BBQ on Saturday. Some of my friends will be biking on Slickrock, which I’ve never done since I’ve yet to visit Moab; but I understand it’s one of the most fantastic mountain trails ever. Biking is on my list of things to find time for this year. First, I’ll need to buy a bike.

I’m not certain if I’ll amp up my training for Moab. These 4 mile runs are feeling nice and comfy. I’ll squeeze in more distance on the weekends of course, but I’m not looking to race Moab in spectacular fashion. In fact, I’m more interested in using it to gain experience on pacing myself. I’d like to control my first mile or two with about a 9 minute mile pace. And assuming I feel good after that, speed up to whatever. It’ll be interesting to see what “whatever” turns out to be. You’ll be the first to know, as soon as they post the results. Sooner if I decide to wear a watch.

40.137598 -105.107652

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