The Art of Slow

26 Saturday May 2018

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Heil Valley Ranch, Lichen Loop, Wapiti Trail

“I’m in no rush.” That’s what I told myself today as I parked at the trailhead. I should be back on the LoBo Trail where I belong, but I deferred a run last October to this October. The course runs upwards of 60 miles through Bryce, Zion and the Grand Canyon. Over three days. We’re in summer today, I felt it, but fall is up next. I need to train on a mountain trail. But I could give up thoughts of constant running today, on this trail.

At Heil Valley, I always warm up on the Lichen Loop. I was out early enough to avoid direct overhead sun. My current state of fitness won’t let me enjoy running up to the top of the Wapiti Trail. I ran over a mile of it but didn’t make it to the top. I don’t think it matters. I just need to run up and down a mountain trail. Doesn’t matter how I do it. Could be more of a power walk, with stops to drink water. Sometimes it was.

Part of the technical aspect of running such a rocky mountain trail requires attention to control. For me, control highly correlates with slow. Part of my plan already. I was good. I carried a water bottle, that’s how slow I started out. I don’t know if I ever actually increased my pace, but I felt like I did at times. Steep trails kill.

So I walked when needed, knowing that I would before I ever stepped out of the car. I would try to run when going past other hikers and bikers. Think what you want about me, appearances matter. I typically pass bikers on the way up. Not today though. Probably not for a couple of months, if I train. I ran strong though at times.

Whenever my lactate level would allow, I’d unwind over the dirt and rocks, and when I exceeded my lactate threshold, I either slowed down, or, with increasing frequency, I walked. Even the walking was a training experience. Both cardio and technical. I re-introduced myself to trail running today. It’s going to be an uphill climb, but starting is the hardest part. And I’ve started.

I know that I developed a pattern of streaking through sunlit meadows faster than the darker woods. It just seemed smart to expose myself to the unrelenting rays of the sun today, as little as possible. At times, I swear I could see beams of light slicing through the grass in front of me. I think this photo above proves I didn’t imagine it.

I think, never stopping to walk with full sun exposure, was what got me home today. Could have been the difference. Hard to say sometimes whether it’s the heat or the hill. Today it was both so I optimized my slower running to cooler parts of the trails. That’s environmental leverage. And because I carried water with me, I practiced a little hydro management too. Point is, pace doesn’t matter. Everything on the spectrum from walking to running today counted toward the training I’m going to need for October.

Running and walking with control, which is harder than you think on the downhills when you do it fast, meant that no matter how slow and controlled my pace was, I was getting something from it. Technical training from my foot placement decisions. Cardio from my random pace and the hills. As I passed an older couple, one called out something to me and I replied back with something witty that made them laugh. Then I laughed. Going slow allowed me to take photos. It was a good run

A Slow Burnt Orange

30 Saturday Sep 2017

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

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Tags

Heil Valley Ranch, Trailfest

bridge Heil Valley Ranch presents a runner with pine trees. Not aspen. Fall still shows herself though in the slow, burnt-orange grasses. Trail runners feel entitled to watch the change of seasons, to heighten their discernment of the dimming light. Upside down from spring growth, life is pausing toward winter death. Trail runners know the color of this pending cessation. They’re not satisfied until they smell the air, and feel it on their skin. My running has kept pace with the fall cycle, winding down until my legs are in preservation mode. Immersion in the season with a mountainside view makes everything okay.

I’ve determined if I’m to be running less for the next year or so, I’m going to take more advantage of the trails, to add quality to my runs. So I drove out to Heil Valley Ranch, the trailhead off Greer Canyon. There’s actually another, newer trailhead, just past the turn off Left Hand Canyon. I didn’t run this new trail but it looks to catch up to the original trailhead.

I always start on the Lichen Loop. It might add a few meters but mostly it adds a nice warm up hill. And it’s prettier than the gravel road start. This joins Wapiti for a 2.5 mile climb. I saw mule dear half way up. My legs loosened up at the top where I ran the 2.6 mile Ponderosa Loop. Got in about 8 miles in all, my longest run in quite some time.

I knew switching jobs would impact my running, so while I’m not happy about it, I expected it. Today it became obvious that if I’m to run less, I need to make the most of Boulder County’s trails. Quality runs only.

I’ve could have titled this blog post, Two Weddings and a Deferral. I’ve been to weddings on the previous two weekends in a row. And then I had to make the painful decision to cancel a trail race I had planned for next weekend. Problem was, driving to Utah for the three-day race meant taking off Wednesday through Friday. Work is like college finals right now and I can’t afford to miss a single day. The only good news is that I was able to defer my registration to next year. So I’m running that Grand Circle Trailfest event eventually. Maybe a year when my personal running is in a growing season.

In Between Jobs

28 Friday Apr 2017

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

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Tags

Heil Valley Ranch, trail running, Wapiti Trail

What did I do on my one day off, the start to my three day weekend, in between jobs? Seriously? You have to ask? I went on a trail run. Six miles up and down the Wapiti Trail at Heil Valley Ranch. Gorgeous outside too, with 50° and full-on sunshine. I wore shorts and a long-sleeve T. The weather will turn to snow around 6 or 7 and the temperature will drop to below 30° later tonight. Good thing I could run early.

I would have enjoyed taking a week off between jobs but CenturyLink wanted me to start as soon as possible. They were going to have me fly to DC the first day but they couldn’t pull that off for a new hire. Would have been nice to meet all the team face-to-face but sort of glad because it likely would have required traveling on Sunday and I want my three day weekend. Just sort of hanging out now, setting up my new Mac Mini, merging photo libraries from various other machines. Fun stuff.

Runner Down

30 Saturday Aug 2014

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

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Tags

Boulder Backroads, Boulder Marathon, Heil Valley Ranch, Picture Rock Trailhead

I initially planned to run an easy 20 miles today on the LoBo Trail. I say easy because that trail is so pedestrian and flat. I changed my plans last night though to instead run a real trail at Heil Valley Ranch. Running from the Wapiti Trailhead on the south end to the Picture Rock Trailhead on the north end, and back, is 18 miles and considerably more challenging. It will be nice to run a real trail again. I couldn’t wait to wake up and go Saturday morning.

I start a bit before 10am. I don’t expect it to get overly hot and I am fairly well acclimated. I carry two liters of HEED sports drink in my Camelbak. I feel heavy starting out, but then I haven’t been running hills. This begins with 3 miles of moderate elevation gain. Nearly 1000 feet in 2.74 miles. I note as I struggle uphill that my legs don’t feel recovered from Friday’s run. This is odd because I only ran an easy 4 miler yesterday afternoon. My legs were sore last night too and I thought it odd at the time because generally I can run up to 8 miles and still feel fresh afterward.

Still, it feels great to be running on this trail. I notice that while there are tons of mountain bikers, there are no runners. Everyone is likely training on the Boulder Backroads for the upcoming marathon. Whereas those roads are hilly, this is a mountain. They zig, I zag. I take it slow though, which is my plan considering my 18 mile target. I maintain a slow pace as the trail begins the six mile descent down to the Picture Rock Trailhead. Not slow enough apparently as I trip at mile 5.25 and crash into the ground. Runner down! Falling forward with 6 miles per hour of downhill momentum is a bad scenario. I’m drinking from my camelbak at the time, which is likely why I lost focus. I’m just barely able to thrust my hands forward into a large but flat surfaced rock to break my fall. The rock angles upward so my hands slide forward and I rest on my forearms – in sort of a pushup position with my torso never hitting the ground. Until I rest on the ground of course for five or ten seconds.

The sliding motion likely spared my wrists or arm from breaking, but my palms leave behind measurable DNA on the rock. And they really hurt. I continue running, but more slowly. Either my trail legs are out of practice, or I’m super fatigued. I recount the fall and consider how lucky I am I didn’t break my wrists. I can run the Boulder Marathon in five weeks with broken wrists. Broken ribs would have ended my running season. I reconsider the wisdom of training on the safer Boulder Backroads.

I’m wearing my Garmin but never look at it. I find out after uploading the results later that I’m running over a 10 minute pace – even downhill. That’s unusually slow for me, but perhaps understandable given my near death experience. Despite my deliberate pace, I continue to stumble fairly often. This hurts my toes and I shout out with screams that echo off the mountains. I finally encounter another runner, a girl perhaps in her 30s, running in the other direction within a mile of the trailhead. I wonder how far she is going and when we will cross paths again.

I reach Picture Rock Trailhead in a little over nine miles and turn around. This begins a six mile climb. I feel weak but pass several bikers on the ascent. I begin to wonder after only a mile into this climb if I can continue without walking. My strength is seriously fading. I begin walking after two miles. I figure I will start back up once I catch my breadth. I never catch my breadth. To be fair, I’m walking well under a 15 minute pace uphill, but this is strange. I figure worse case, I’ll walk the entire climb and run again on the nearly 3 miles of downhill into the trailhead on the other side.

I note that my head and face feel cold and clammy. I try to run occasionally but can never maintain it for more than 50 yards. I don’t believe it is overly hot and also think I’ve been disciplined in drinking my HEED. My rate of stumbling becomes worse and I even begin to feel dizzy. My shouts of pain that accompany each stumble are now joined by raging expletives. I’m in a foul mood. At 15 miles, nearly to the top of the hill, I begin vomiting. This makes me feel a bit better, although my legs and arms shake involuntarily for several minutes after I continue walking. My symptoms do resemble heat exhaustion and dehydration. I suspect I’m sick though. I feel sick.

I try running again on the downhill but can’t. In fact, my pace slows down even more, despite the easier grade. Fortunately there is a bathroom at the trailhead because diarrhea hits me at the end of my run/walk. I rest for about 15 minutes before driving home because my legs are cramping. Despite laying down on a picnic table, I never catch my breadth. Not until I vomit again does my breathing settle down.

I’m still in bed hours later. Karen thinks I over did it. I think I’m sick. Runner down!

Relay Prep

16 Sunday Jun 2013

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

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Heil Valley Ranch, Keith Jaggers, Steve Wolfe, Tom Bartel

I returned to the Picture Rock Trail Head to run some hills in preparation for the Flaming Foliage Relay. Generally I access the Heil Valley Ranch trail system from the Wapiti Trail off Left Hand Canyon. It’s closer to my house and only 2.5 miles up. Picture Rock Trail is over 5 miles up, but that’s the point. Today’s run included Keith and Steve, both on my relay, and their buddy Tom pictured here. He’s running yet another relay across Colorado with Keith and Steve in about 4 weeks. All of us need hill training to prep for our relays in the mountains.

Before starting up the hill, nearly 20 runners ran by us. They were men, seemingly in their mid to late twenties. They emerged from the trail head onto the road. They were apparently training on a more flat loop through Lyons that mixed trail with pavement. They were soon followed by a group of 10 or so women runners. We saw these women on the highway while driving to the trail head. This gave us a good sense of their course. These runners all looked elite. Or maybe all youth looks elite to me but they were running a good clip. The men’s squad had a few falling behind on the strong pace.

I wasn’t able to find the time to run Saturday and I think that made me refreshed for today. I led us up the hill and felt strong. The cool thing about this trail is that even though it goes uphill forever, the grade is manageable. Even for mountain bikers. Oddly there were more runners than bikers on the way up. Generally this is a mountain biking trail. Keith and I reached the top first. This is the point at 5.5 miles where the Picture Rock Trail intersects with the Wild Turkey Loop. It continues rising for another half mile for runners who haven’t had enough punishment. We stopped here per plan and waited for Tom and Steve.

Before they joined us, Keith and I chatted with a mountain biker who was resting. I didn’t catch his name but he was in his 40s and nursing a torn achilles tendon. He related the story of how he ripped it apart trail running in Estes Park. His subsequent surgery included replacement parts from a cadaver. Thank God that stuff only happens to others.

Tom and Steve had less time to recover before heading back down. I’m certain Steve wanted more time, but I felt like pushing him. The boy needs to get serious about his training with all the events he has planned. Invariably, my strategy on this trail is to get my workout on the way up and not worry about speed on the way down. I flew down fairly fast anyway because I had time to fully recover and felt strong. Tom followed me. Not sure of his conditioning but his ability to hang was probably more related to having experienced trail legs and confidence in his footfalls. I slow down on this trail when I feel fatigued because it’s treacherous. Anyone familiar with this trail has their share of stories stumbling over the rocks. I fell once so hard I bounced up a foot and a half into a thorny bush, which was fortunate despite the thorns as it kept me from tumbling down a steep hill.

The biker situation was completely different on the descent. We must have passed, or been passed by, 30 mountain bikers. It didn’t annoy me as much as it does other times. Perhaps because these bikers were mostly experienced and passed by without too much impact. Or, even though I was running strong, I wasn’t intent on racing and didn’t mind slowing down to let the less experienced bikers pass.

It’s rare I feel this strong sinking back to the bottom of a 5.5 mile ascent. I credit both yesterday’s rest and the long wait for Steve at the top with allowing my muscles to recover. I would normally slow down the final 2 miles on Picture Rock Trail regardless of fatigue out of respect for the rocks and memory of past spills. Click on this pic of Steve to get a view of the rocks. I might have got caught up in racing the bikers. I pushed it all the way down, with Tom close on my heels. He passed me near the end as I elected to cool down the final half mile. The weather actually cooled off during the run which may have also contributed to the fast descent. Nothing’s hurting a few hours later as I blog this. Really nice run for Father’s Day.

Wild Turkey

10 Sunday Feb 2013

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

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Heil Valley Ranch

If wind chill can make the air feel a few degrees cooler, today’s sky made the weather look 20° colder. I don’t know how people living in Nike country do it because gray skies can psych me out. I bundled up though and headed out to Heil Valley Ranch for a mountain trail run before noon. I wore tights and a long-sleeve compression turtle neck along with a skull cap, gloves and my North Face shell.

I didn’t feel the wind starting out and wasn’t sure if I needed the gloves. I did end up removing them after only a mile but my shell has great pockets for easily stashing discarded gear like gloves. There was a little wind on the north side of the hill but this was some excellent running weather. There was some light snow flurries which made the run more scenic. I’d have been fine without the tights too but they helped me overcome my mental resistance to going outside. So glad I got out there today.

There were a surprising number of hikers and bikers on the trail today. I didn’t encounter other runners until coming back down in the final two miles. I ran by the biggest group of mountain bikers ever – must have been a dozen of them at least. They were coming up the Picture Rock Trail although I encountered them on the Wild Turkey Loop.

I ran the Wild Turkey Loop, which is three miles, and came back down the Wapiti Trail making for a six mile run. As slow as I was going, felt more like a ten miler. I also saw a record number of deer on the trail today. Lots of bucks. One was a big daddy and he didn’t bother to scamper off as I passed him like the others. He kept his eyes on me. Even more amazing though was the gang of 30 or 40 wild turkeys that crossed the trail in front of me on my last quarter mile. This would have been more perfect on the Wild Turkey Trail but technically at this point I was on the Lichen Loop. Still, great day for wildlife.

Last Run

31 Monday Dec 2012

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

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Austin, Boulder, CPTR, Heil Valley Ranch, IPR, Moab, Stevie Ray Vaughan

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

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

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

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

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

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

Zero Wind Day

14 Friday Dec 2012

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

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Colder Bolder, Gun Control, Heil Valley Ranch, Wapiti Trail

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chia Fresca

21 Saturday Apr 2012

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Black Bear Hole, chia pet, CPTR, Heil Valley Ranch, Iskiate, Lyons

Met up with Enrique, an old friend, yesterday for drinks at the West End Tavern. We caught up while enjoying a view of the Flat Irons from the rooftop seating. Enrique said his parents, whom I care for as deeply as my own, are virtual fountains of youth and doing well. That was nice to hear. We had a pleasant happy hour, then he drove to DIA and I went home to the family. Drove Ellie to a sleep-over and then it was just Karen and me – and the dog. Around ten in the evening, Karen decided to practice her Zumba routines on the living room hardwood. She was working mostly on “Proud Mary”. I sat on the couch and watched. I rose the next morning at 6:15 and felt great.

Winter is over, and so are three half marathons. Four months into twenty-twelve, I’ve discovered some weight gain from an ever slowing metabolism is affecting my performance. I’ve discovered a few other things as well. How to lose weight. Minimalist running shoes. Chia seeds. And a leaky Camelbak. Today was a test run on some of these topic areas to prep for next Saturday’s CPTR.

I can remember Karen telling me before we were ever married that I would suffer the sins of my fast metabolism. That my eating habits would make me fat once my metabolism slowed down because I wasn’t learning healthy diet discipline while I was young. I scoffed at her bruja predictions and married her anyway. Twenty-five years later Karen weighs the same and, well, I’ve gained more than one pound per year of marital bliss. I used to always be able to start running and get it back under control. Now, I’ve had to moderate my calories derived from alcohol and increase my running mileage. Three and four miles do nothing, it takes a good six or more to stoke my fire nowadays. That’s fine, I like running. And I’ve had some success recently at driving back the beast within my belly. Today’s 14 miles burned nearly 1800 calories and afterward I weighed 180. Nice progress.

The shoes were today’s big gear test. Most advice I’ve received regarding running with barefoot or minimalist shoes as I am now suggest running in them for 2 to 3 miles perhaps every other day. I’ve worn them on every run since I bought them last Sunday. I didn’t run every day this week – too busy – but I started out with 4 miles and worked my way up to 7. My calves felt it but they would loosen up enough to run again the next day. The question today is, could I run 14 miles on a rocky trail with my Merrell Trail Gloves? If so, then it will add confidence to my plan to wear them for Saturday’s 25 mile trail run.

The other test project has to do with chia seeds. True to plan, I’ve been eating them all week. I don’t know if they’ve helped me necessarily. It’s hard to feel. But when I consider that I’ve run with these minimalist shoes all week – shoot – maybe the seeds are helping. I simply followed the chia fresca recipe during the week. That involves a couple of table spoons of seed in a ratio of 7:1 water sitting for a few minutes in the fridge. It gels up a bit into the base for Iskiate. First I drank it as is. There’s no flavor but the consistency isn’t all that great. So I quickly evolved the drink into a Chia Fresca by adding Gatorade. Not bad. Today I made my first smoothie with the seeds. This is definitely the way to go but I’ll probably only do it on weekends, or maybe later in the summer as it gets hotter. I added a banana, a tangerine, a dollop of blackberries. Basically any fruit sitting around the kitchen. I topped it off with ice, Snapple’s apple juice and the Iskiate. When are smoothies not good? I had this after today’s 14 miler.

Other gear that got tested today included a new Camelbak Ultra hydration running vest. My old one burst on this trail last weekend. The new one worked out nicely. It contains a 2 liter (70 ounce) hydration reservoir. I only drank half the water which isn’t enough. Rule of thumb calculations suggest I should drink 15 ounces per hour. That would be 45 ounces for today’s 3 hour run. I tend not to hydrate enough but this wasn’t too far off. It does tell me that I’ll be fine carrying 2 liters for Saturday’s 25 mile run. I expect to run it somewhere around 5 and a half hours. I’ll also plan on drinking at the aid stations. Hopefully their drinks will be chilled.

Today’s run was on the same Picture Rock Trail in Heil Valley Ranch that I ran 11 miles on last week. My pace was nearly a minute slower overall at 12:30 per mile but I actually ran the first 5 miles quicker than last week. The Garmin site offers a nice compare feature for multiple activities. I’ve found my trail legs and these Merrells seem to help. I focused on lifting my legs and trusted my feet to land safely among the rocks. It’s a good sign of my trail experience that my feet found the right surface with each stride. These shoes help as they almost force you to land on your forefoot. Feet need to work independently on trails and I feel that these minimalist shoes aid that process. I did step on pointy rocks a couple of times with my heel. This hurts but it was rare. My feet became a bit fatigued though. I think this is why I returned slower than last weekend. More so than the 3 extra miles. I was barely breathing on the return decline but my feet were becoming too tender to blaze downhill. I’ll monitor my progress next week but the plan of record is to wear these shoes for the CPTR.

I finished up today feeling strong other than fatigued feet. I stopped off at the Black Bear Hole in Lyons to soak my feet and calves in the St. Vrain River for an icy bath. I credit that with my recovery today. Gotta get up the strength for a neighborhood party tonight.

Caballo Blanco

14 Saturday Apr 2012

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CPTR, flat irons, Heil Valley Ranch, Micah True, REI, trail runner

I laced up my training shoes as Karen pulled up in the car – returning from teaching a Zumba class. A little after 1pm. I was seriously itching to hit the Heil Valley Ranch trail today for a big run. Partly because the front was expected to hit any minute. I would be fine in the rain and snow but my weather channel app showed the wind increasing steadily with each passing hour of the day. The other reason for my impatience was I just couldn’t wait to get out on the trail. I might be picking up a little addiction to the endorphins. Most of my runs go for an hour or more now. That’s enough time to fire up a nice runner’s high. My runs are becoming a nice little habit. Today’s 10.5 mile run was exceptional.

I got to the trail head a little before 2pm. I’m prepping for a mountain trail run in two weeks and decided I would use my weekend runs to replicate the race as much as possible. I wore my small pack with a 2 liter camelback. I added cytomax to the water. And I brought along a selection of running clothes to make the last minute decision on what to wear. The weather was cool and breezy, but no rain or snow yet. It will definitely be storming before I finish this in 2 hours.

I layered shirts with a summer-thin Under Armour long-sleeve high-tec fabric underneath covered with a light fleece pullover. The thought was the undershirt would whisk away sweat into the outer garment. This ensemble performed perfectly. I simply wore shorts for my legs. This was comfortable starting out although I pulled up my sleeves after two miles.

This course is great prep for Buena Vista. It rises non-stop until I decide to turn around. I turn after 5.5 miles where there’s a sign noting the trail joins a loop near the crest of the hill. My garmin actually shows this to be 5.25 miles. This garmin result link shows all the stats. You can see how the course rises from 5400 feet to 6400 feet where I turn. 1000 feet in elevation change over 5.5 miles. The CPTR rises 1000 feet in 9 miles – including a 200 foot drop on the 7th mile. So the steepness of the grade will provide decent conditioning to my legs. Then the rocks on this trail require constant vigilance. I decided against listening to a playlist so I would focus on the trail. The attention required for each footfall, thousands of repeating footfalls, is almost hypnotic. I could have run forever in this ultimate escape.

You have to plan each foot placement on the rocks in micro seconds. When a decision to yield to bikers coming the other direction must be made, I make it at the last possible second. So do many of the bikers. I generally feel like we can both pass without anyone stopping. The bikers were aggressive today and few ever yielded. I rarely yielded as well, especially as I was flying down on the return. Hills, footwork, gear testing, but the best part was the total escape of the run itself. I felt great.

Testing my gear was brilliant. Turns out I have a leak in my camelbak. I’ll pick up a new one tomorrow at REI. The drink leaked out over the back of my shorts. As the wind and cold increased near the end of the run, I got a bit chilled. So the dry clothes in my car came in handy. Good test run.

In honor of the Caballo Blanco, pictured above, this will be the summer of mountain trail runs. I’ll be training on trails every weekend that I’m not actually running a trail race. My first will be the Collegiate Peaks Trail Run on April 28th. I could feel Caballo Blanco’s spirit on the trail today. Hope to see him again tomorrow when I climb the Amphitheater Trail up the Flat Irons in Boulder. It should be snowing.

Thanks Sir – Have a Good Run

27 Tuesday Mar 2012

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East Boulder Trail, Heil Valley Ranch, Spring

With the Austin and Moab half marathons behind me, and spring having launched this past week, I’m officially in spring training. Daylight savings time has allowed me to move my runs to after work which gives me time to run farther. And so I’ve begun to run a route that’s 6.8 miles. But this weekend I really kicked it into gear, running 10.4 miles Saturday and 13 miles Sunday. I ran pretty slow on both days – in the range of ten minute miles. But these trail runs are seriously hilly.

The East Boulder Trail I ran on Saturday begins and ends with a 3 mile section of massive hills. And Sunday’s run at Heil Valley Ranch goes up until I turn around. I didn’t time myself because I expected to be crawling and I was. Of course it’s downhill all the way back but my legs were too wasted to take it fast. This is an extremely rocky trail, one that I’ve fallen hard on in the past, so I maintained control and focused on my foot work. The uphill slog is all about thighs and foot work while the downhill return is all about knees and foot work. The foot work is because of the rocks and is fine because I need to rediscover my trail legs since I intend to run several trail events this summer. And my knees held out ok on the way down since I went slow enough.

A biker called out to me on the incline that he was impressed I still had the knees for this punishing trail. The backwards compliment didn’t occur to me then and I shouted back that my knees are fine going uphill. Later I realized he was also suggesting I’m an older runner.

This trail was actually crowded with bikers – it was a perfect spring morning with a cloud cover that never fully dissipated and a strong enough breeze of crisp cool air to keep me from over-heating without water for 2 hours. Each time I passed some bikers either they would stop or I would pull over to let them pass. There is official etiquette on who should yield to whom, but I make the call each time based on situational merits. If they look like they will stop or if they need to stop, I’ll keep running. If they look like they need to keep their momentum more than me or if they simply look strong, I’ll yield. Sometimes there is room for both of us to squeeze by without stopping, but it is single track.

There’s typically a polite exchange. If they pull over I say something like, “Thanks buddy”. I received quite a number of “nice run” and “looking strong” comments. Bikers always think runners have it tougher on hills. But the very last biker to speak to me in the final mile said this as I pulled over for him. “Thanks sir. Have a good run.” I shared little dialogs like this with over 20 bikers easily. Some were even awkward as we would both stop not knowing who should yield. Despite my exhaustion at this point, this guy irritated me. Who the hell is he calling sir? That’s fine when the bag boy says sir to me at the grocery store, but out here on the trail, when I’ve just completed 12 miles at altitude, don’t call me sir! I’m on par with everyone out there, regardless of their age. I passed my share of bikers, and other runners, both going uphill and back down. I’m not a “sir” running like that, I’m a total bad-ass. That skinny little runt probably didn’t even bike to the top.

How to Motivate a Slacker

06 Saturday Nov 2010

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

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Tags

Austin Marathon, Denver Marathon, Heil Valley Ranch, IPR, slacker

See the blood in this pic, under my left arm pit? That was due to chafing after 23 miles into the Denver Marathon. Of course this pic is at the finish. You would think completing a marathon, all bloody no less, would indicate what a committed, disciplined and serious athlete I must be. Not really. I mean, I have my moments, but I can be just as equally the biggest slacker to ever lace up his racing shoes. I was motivated to get into road racing shape – mostly out of fear – after registering for the Imogene Pass Run. I’d worked up to 45 miles per week, including regular hilly mountain trails. But in the month between the IPR and Denver Marathon, and the weeks since, I’ve dropped to 30 miles per week. Worse, I’m back to averaging four drinks per night. By my measure, four drinks over five hours doesn’t make me a drunk, but it won’t earn me parent of the year either. The combination of running only 30 miles per week and four tasty beverages per night has put a halt to any improvements in my athletic conditioning. I’d lost 15 pounds this year, and had hoped to lose yet another 10, but it won’t happen at this pace. In fact, I’m in danger of regaining lost weight. I need to turn this around and get back on track.

Still high from a sub 4 hour time in the Denver Marathon, I registered for the February 20th Austin Marathon. My logic was to give myself a goal that would keep me training through the winter. Seems like a good call. Problem is, it’s not working. To be fair, I’m still running everyday. But the diminished distance and lapse of drinking discipline is dire. I’m walking up an escalator moving downwards the other direction.

In my defense, my work load at IBM isn’t leaving me much time for longer runs. I can only seem to squeeze in a 30 minute run, and I don’t have time for weights anymore. I haven’t lifted since the IPR. I’m still running 8 to 10 miles on weekends, but I’ve dialed down the intensity on those as well. I recognized my slacker attitude this week, which is why I’m blogging about it, and I’m going to turn this around. Starting Wednesday or Thursday, I reduced the volume of drinking by half. And today, I returned to the mountain trail, Heil Valley Ranch, that prepped me for the brutal IPR. An 11 mile run consisting of 5.5 miles up and 5.5 miles back down, over rocky, single track.

I worked too hard this year to allow for any reversals. I’m going to refocus my efforts. In my giddiness as I registered for the Austin Marathon, I had thoughts of breaking 3 hours. I really want to break 3 hours. I at least want to do well. My first event at sea level presents opportunities. And I would like to lose a few more pounds between now and race time. I will not allow myself to lose any more momentum! I’m kickin’ it back up a notch! Stay tuned.