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2013 Season Plans

30 Wednesday Jan 2013

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

IPR, Steamboat Springs Marathon

gridI’m planning my first marathon of the year for June 2nd in Steamboat Springs.  I would tell you it’s to run with a buddy who will be running his first ever marathon, but really it’s because this puppy drops 1500 feet in elevation over the course of 26 miles.  Steve really knows how to pick a first marathon course.

I have a decent idea of my racing plans for the year.  Of course, I already completed one half marathon in January, so that’s part of the official race plan.  Here’s the list.  Austin 3M Half in January.  Moab Half in March.  Boulder Half in April.  Bolder Boulder 10K in May.  Steamboat Marathon in June.  Imogene Pass Run in early September.  Boulder Marathon in late September.

Sure, I’ll do more events as they come up but if not – this is enough.  At $75 each (a realistic average cost) that’s over $500 in registration fees.  Easily another $500 to buy the race pics for my blog.  And travel cost for some of them.  Going into my fourth year of road races, I’m fairly confident of my schedule.  The only new event will be Steamboat.  I’d like to get in a trail run like the CPTR.  I’ll ask Rob if he’s interested in running that again but now that he’s moved to Durango, I suspect he’ll want to run something down in the La Plata Mountains.  So hoping for a surprise on my schedule.

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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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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2012 in Review

28 Friday Dec 2012

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

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Tags

CPTR, IPR, Running

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Downhill Finish

18 Tuesday Sep 2012

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

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IPR

This isn’t some Dutch angle.  Trust me, Sue’s not that good a photographer.  This is the slope of the final stretch toward the finish line down N. Oak Street in Telluride for the Imogene Pass Run.  Better down than up.

I can tell you this too.  By running conservatively on the top half of the hill, we were able to seriously unwind the final couple of miles into town.  I rarely put on a kick in 10Ks let alone half marathons and marathons, so this was special.  The slope-aided speed reminded me of sprinting when I was young.  What a kick.

The Denver Marathon this Saturday has a sensible finish as I recall.  There’s a sizable downhill somewhere in the final mile.  Maybe, they’ve changed the course along the last 10K.  But I don’t recall there being any vomit-inducing uphill near the finish line like in so many Colorado events.  And that includes Moab where the final 3 miles are uphill.  Don’t even get me started on the Bolder Boulder hill up into Folsom Stadium.  That’s insane.  Fairly certain Denver has a flat finish.  So the rare downhill finishes are fine from time to time.

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Tumble into Telluride

30 Thursday Aug 2012

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

IPR

Imogene Pass

This pic of Imogene Pass gives me chills.  It’s the backside of the run next weekend (Sept 8th) that drops 7 miles down into Telluride.  If it looks steep, trust me, that’s because it is.  I remember my feet starting to burn as soon as the descent began as part of my 2010 exploit over this hump.   The fire didn’t recede until my shoes were charred cinders and feet molten flesh.  At least I didn’t fall down.  Those runners that did fall looked worse for wear.  But this time I plan to stop and retie my laces – tight – before the tumble into Telluride.

Interestingly, at least to me, this will be the first time I’ve ever driven into Telluride.  In 2010, I ran into town.  I spent the night – two nights actually – before in Ouray.  I did spend the night of the run in Telluride recovering.  This time I intend to stay the entire time in Telluride.  Ouray isn’t known for their fine dining.  Hoping for a better selection of eateries in on this side of the pass.  I have a similar experience with Durango.  I’ve yet to drive into that town too.  Last summer I hiked into that mountain town off the Colorado Trail.  Durango by the way has great eateries.

I’m not planning to run any faster than the last time.  I’m in similar shape, a few pounds heavier, but this is one of those events you just want to finish.  I’ll run how I feel.  I would like to run a faster time down this hill.  It took me over an hour to complete the final 7 miles with my first attempt.  I’d be pleased if I could run it under an hour.  I’m willing to give up some time running uphill for a quicker dash downhill.  But I’ll take whatever the mountain gives me.  At over 13,000 feet, this is a real hill.

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Striking Distance

20 Monday Aug 2012

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

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IPR

We ended up in a mountain bar – the Millsite Inn – after last weekend’s hike, because climbing 13,000 foot mountain peaks makes me thirsty.  And nothing says mountain bar more than a painting of a naked lady on the beach.  This picture dominates the interior of the bar, contributing greatly to its cozy ambiance.

I didn’t run that Saturday but it was still an 8 mile day.  I felt really good about hiking uphill at altitude for 4 miles and reaching 13.2K feet.  Imogene Pass sits at 13.1K.  This hike climbed 3000 feet in 4 miles.  The IPR will climb 5000 feet in 10 miles – which is like 2500 feet per 5 miles.  That sort of simple math suggests the IPR will be marginally less steep than the hike.  So I didn’t need a run Saturday.  That hike was awesome prep.

I forget exactly when I started training for Imogene.  It was about 3 blog posts ago.  I think I’m starting my 3rd week.  Week 2 was a bit of a bummer because I picked up a stomach bug and missed 2 days.  But I picked up where I left off with my daily 8 milers and I’m feeling strong.  My weight is consistently under 180 pounds now.  Today I weighed in at 178.  I was under 175 two years ago when I ran the IPR for the first time but I seem to be losing a pound per week so I’m within striking distance of 175 this year.  I’ll take that.  I won’t carry water in my camelbak, that will save a few pounds.  The beauty of running organized events is they provide amenities at regular aid stations.

I can’t explain getting sick last week.  First time in nearly 3 years.  Maybe running so much has my resistance down, but I haven’t felt this strong in a long time.  I remember being a little scared before running the IPR my first time.  I hadn’t been at that level of fitness in decades and this 17 miler was an unknown.  Even though I might be a bit heavier than two years ago, I’m much more confident.  With 3 weeks to go, I’m on track.  I’m going camping this coming weekend and plan to fit in another peak climb or two.

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Back in the Saddle

10 Friday Aug 2012

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

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Tags

Imogene Pass Run, IPR

I’m back in the saddle.  Which is to say I’m lifting weights again.  First time in two years, since the last time a I trained for Imogene.  Nothing impressive with weights actually but I’m doing situps.  Toughening up the core is arguably as beneficial as running.  Seven straight days of running.  Fifty-four miles.  This is a promising start to my new training regimen.

Sipping a Heineken Light now.  My first beer of the week.  That must put me about 20 under par, so I’ll likely have another.  If I can handle it.  Increasing my miles means I can’t sneak off 3 or 4 over lunch.  I have to run in the evening.  And a mix of longer runs and weights makes my stomach too weak to imbibe or eat much at night.  On Wednesday, which was the hottest day of the week, I was fairly nauseous.  And I was pretty fatigued that day but my Thursday and Friday runs felt strong.  I’m getting in shape.

I’m meeting Rob tomorrow for breakfast in Boulder.  He’ll be my running mate for the IPR.  He’s in town for a cultural diversion to Denver with his wife Sue.  We can discuss our running strategy.  I wouldn’t mind being able to run more impressively on the seven mile drop into Telluride than I did two years ago.  I recall sliding down the trail with the brakes on.  Rob walked much of it due to sore knees, so I bet he wouldn’t mind some redemption himself.  But it’ll depend on the current condition of his knees.  There’s no running for old men.

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Training for Imogene

07 Tuesday Aug 2012

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Imogene Pass Run, IPR, Lilley Powell

I didn’t make the cut for the initial registration deadline to the Imogene Pass Run this year.  It sold out within a couple of hours.  But I received a transfer registration this week from a nice gal in Ignacio – Lilley Powell – so it’s time to get in shape.  However, I’m training for much more than just Imogene.  The 17 mile IPR is in 5 weeks, the Denver Marathon is 2 weeks later and the Boulder Marathon is 4 weeks after that.  I’m registered for all three events.  This is my way of celebrating my 50th year of life – by bleeding the cartilage out of my knees.

I ran the IPR two years ago with my fit buddy Rob Graham who lives in Grand Junction.  We’re pictured above at the start to that year’s run.  While only 17 miles, getting in shape for its verticality readied me for any marathon.  I followed it up with the Denver Marathon then, so I’m doing that again.  I’m throwing in the Boulder Marathon for good measure – mostly because I couldn’t decide between the two.  The Denver Marathon is such a nice event run through gorgeous Denver neighborhoods and parks while Boulder is sort of my backyard and I feel obligated.  Plus, running in the fall in Colorado is just so damned ideal.

I’m not currently in shape to run a marathon but know two things.  One, based on experience, assuming I get in shape for Imogene I’ll most certainly be in marathon condition.  Secondly, I am in position to get in shape with a month of increased distance training.  With Karen cooking dinner it’s a matter of focus and making time.  I need to become more consistent with daily runs and with longer distance.  There’s enough daylight that I can run after work.  My injuries, which are why I lost my conditioning, are mostly healed and I seem to be able to run 8 and 10 milers now without hurting myself.  Still, risk of injury is my biggest concern and I’ll monitor pain closely.  I could say injury is out of my control but I don’t believe that.  I just need to pay attention to it.  Wish me luck.

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Foot Injury Update

01 Friday Jun 2012

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Bolder Boulder, IPR

Because I’m sure everyone wants to know, here’s a current status of my foot injury.  The injury occurred six weeks ago.  The Internet suggested it might be broke and to expect six weeks for it to heal.  I attempted running a couple of days the following week with significant swelling as a result, but ran the 25 mile CPTR that weekend.  Like so many injuries, after warming up it didn’t really hurt until after the workout.

I visited a podiatrist on week two.  He suggested I could do some light running while it healed after the xray didn’t indicate a broken bone.  I tried running once or twice each week but the swelling was such afterward that I didn’t continue running every day.  At the end of five weeks, I ran the Bolder Boulder.  While I lost my rate of progress, I don’t think I lost much of my original conditioning and ran respectably.  More importantly, my foot didn’t hurt much afterward.  So in this 6th week of my injury, I’ve started running again.

My ankle is a bit tight but I’m feeling pretty good about it.  I won’t over do it in terms of distance but I think it’s safe to run every day now.  I kept my calories derived from alcohol in check – well except for that week in Mexico – so my weight hasn’t increased much this past month.  I’m good to go.

On a sad note, I missed the registration for the IPR.  Registration opened at midnight and I tried registering around 10am this morning.  Registration closed at 9:37 am MDT.  Unbelievable!

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Running Five-0

06 Friday Apr 2012

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

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AARP, CPTR, IPR

So this is it.  I become a 50 year old runner later this month.  I now carry an AARP card in my wallet.  Seriously looking forward to the discounts.  I’d like to say I’m also looking forward to being more competitive in my age division, but that’s doubtful in Colorado.  In my defense, I’m about as competitive with the 25 year old age division.  It seems to be that way with distance running – you can only slow down so much without tipping over.  Truthfully, it’s not unusual to maintain or even increase aerobic capacity with age.  Sort of like nose and ear hair.  And I can honestly say I ran the same Bolder Boulder 10K time in 2011 as I did in 1991 – 48 minutes.  Of course I ran a 41 minute 10K in 1990.  Not sure what happened in ’91 other than Brit being born.  Karen recalls my favorite phrase at the time was, “I’m putting on sympathetic pregnancy weight”.  I’ve always been a team player.

I would like to improve my speed a bit because I like racing fast, but it’s more important to me to simply be fit at this age.  And to demonstrate that, I am planning for a big year of runs.  I’ve already run 3 half marathons this year.  The picture above is of me finishing the 2012 Boulder Half.  My next big event is a 25 mile trail run at high altitude – the Collegiate Peaks Trail Run on April 28th – four days after I will have turned 50.  I expect to run that with my high school cross country buddy Rob Graham.  The dude’s 51 and I struggle to keep up with him.

The next run I’ve registered for is the 2012 Bolder Boulder.  My goal there will in fact be speed as I would like to beat last year’s time.  Or if not, if I can just beat some of my neighbors I’ll be content.  I expect to run more half marathons.  I like that distance – mostly on trails.  And then, assuming I’m in shape, I would like to run the Denver Marathon again in the fall.  Or perhaps the Boulder Marathon which I’ve never run.  And the biggie of the year will be a return to Ouray for the Imogene Pass Run.  That’s only 17 miles but in my estimation is much harder than a marathon.  I do that and it’ll be a good year.

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CT Cronica: Ultra

07 Thursday Apr 2011

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Colorado Trail

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Colorado Trail, imogene, IPR, la sportiva, South Platte River, trail running shoes, Ultra

You might have started off leading this final leg, you don’t remember.  If you did, A Lo Hawk passed you at some point.  He’s ahead of you with hopefully only a few miles remaining when your feet begin to hurt and you reconsider promoting your shoes with a blog link.  This run brings forth memories of the Imogene Pass Run last September.  The bad part of the IPR – miles 8 and 9 leading up to the peak.  The only thing that kept you running then was the pressure of not forcing the runner behind you, whom you knew was likely to be feeling as tired as you, to have to pass you.  That trail didn’t provide the ability for runners to easily pass, and so you felt obligated to maintain your position and pace.  The CT at this point actually widens to double track, so you run alongside A Lo Hawk.  But that is short lived, you mostly fall behind – even when walking although there isn’t much of that.  The first 4 quarters feel like they were yesterday – this is the ultra quarter.

At some point you carry on a conversation with A Lo Hawk.  Talking is much more rare now too.  One of your chats covers the topic of falling.  You’ve only taken a couple of spills your entire life – both on trails.  The conversation foreshadows a near fall.  You slam the big toe of your right foot into a trail rock so hard you nearly hit the ground.  You scream loud enough to cause A Lo Hawk to turn around.  You don’t know if you were injured, you keep running.  But it hurts.  Bad.  You imagine it as a bloody stub, but the pain gradually subsides and is replaced with the misery afflicted to the soles of your feet which have become tenderized flesh.

It once again occurs to you that you are wearing the right shoes.  The thing about trail running shoes is they have a glob of rubber on the front, not unlike a car bumper.  These shoes re-earned their way back onto honorable mention in your blog.  That bumper clearly saved your big toe from destruction.  Thank you, La Sportiva.  Once you sufficiently recover from the pain and fear of toe loss, you find it ironic, almost irritating, that like the two falls you’d related to A Lo Hawk, this occurred in the last mile of your run.  But that’s probably not coincidence.  No doubt, the end of any run is when you are weakest and most likely to stumble.  Good reason to slow for a cool down.  And A Lo Hawk certainly is shuffling along the trail much slower these last miles.  The final downhill leg resembles the IPR’s 7 mile drop into Telluride.  As was the case then, A Lo Hawk’s and your quads are too weak to push it in.

Upon seeing the trail head, marked by an iron and wood foot bridge crossing the South Platte River, you are ready to simply walk it in.  And A Lo Hawk feigningly slows to meet your expectations.  But then you hear him mumble something and with renewed vigor he kicks in the final stretch.  This is fairly impressive considering the steepness of the trail here, but you feel more like penalizing him for the pitcher’s balk.  Your mind was set for walking, and you almost did.  Instead, you finish the trail running, as you had done for 16 miles; but without any pretense of strength by kicking.  You finish up slow as if running a cool down.  Much like you did during the last half mile of your most recent half marathon.

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Next Up – Moab

03 Thursday Mar 2011

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

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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.

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How to Motivate a Slacker

06 Saturday Nov 2010

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

≈ 2 Comments

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.

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Slouching Towards Recovery

24 Sunday Oct 2010

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Denver Marathon, IPR, recovery, the wall, training

When I ran the 17 mile IPR in September, although it took me 20 minutes longer to complete, I recovered much quicker.  The next day, Sunday, was a travel day.  And actually so was Monday as I flew to NYC and back for IBM in one of those epic 20 hour work days.  But I was running my regular 4.5 mile circuit again by Tuesday and 8 mile runs on the following weekend.  And I felt fine.  It’s been a full week since running the Denver Marathon and I have yet to recover.  Again, I took two days before running.  But this time it was more due to being too tight and sore than schedule.  Not understanding why the difference in recoveries irritates me, so a deconstruction is in order.

First, a description of the soreness.  I was sore and tight everywhere for the first couple of days.  But the symptoms have persisted around my groin.  I was only able to run 1.5 miles the first day – Wednesday.  It did loosen my muscles up quite a bit.  I should have at least walked Monday and Tuesday to work out the lactic acid.  I returned to my 4.5 mile routine on Thursday, and ran 8 miles yesterday – Saturday.  I don’t normally time myself, but did yesterday with a GPS iPhone app since I was running a new route my friend Amy suggested and I wanted to know the distance.  I ran a 9 minute mile pace.  Good God!  I ran an 8:17 mile pace for the entire marathon.  And while I didn’t time the 4.5 mile runs, I suspect they were similarly slow.  My legs feel fine, it’s just extremely high up on my legs, around my groin, hips and lower stomach, that is stiff and weak.  And it goes beyond running.  I can barely hold my bladder past 60 minutes.  I’ve never experienced anything like this before.  I seriously hope it’s from the race and not due to coincidentally reaching some men’s aging milestone.

Thinking back to the race, I recall how pleasant the pace felt.  I’m still amazed how fast I started out, running under an 8 minute pace for the first 10K.  Even though my pace noticeably slackened by 20 miles, I was enjoying the event and was confident I would finish.  I never hit “the wall”.  Or did I?  My experience with hitting the wall stems from running my first marathon at 16 in 1978.  I was running the Dallas White Rock Marathon with high school running mate, Mike O’Neill.  We started out running together, but at 15 miles where the course has its most notable hill – a long slope really – I got sick from the previous night’s indulgences.  This was awkward because this point in the course is also the finish as the race loops around the lake.  So thousands of people were lined up on both sides of the trail and I had to literally dive through a wall of people to find a spot behind a tree for some alone time.  I returned to the trail but had lost Mike at that point.  Running solo at 18 miles, not an uncommon mile marker to hit the wall, my body slowed down like a cassette tape in a Sony Walkman whose batteries were dying.  I didn’t have the running experience to understand what was happening to me.  Essentially, I was out of gas.  All blood sugar was gone and my body was having to find energy stores deeper in my muscles and bone.  I recovered from that after eating some oranges from an aid station, and went on to finish the run.  Since then, I’ve always associated hitting the wall with race nutrition and fluids.  But the link I added above is to an article that explains the wall as something much more complex.

If you’re a backyard chef, you understand the effects on meat of slow cooking.  A brisket, after 8 or 9 hours of slow smoking, begins to break down at a cellular level.  The fats and proteins melt and coalesce into the meat lover’s equivalent of cotton candy.  It’s after this point one can “pull” pork.  I believe this is what happened to my body after 23 miles.  Muscles I hadn’t used before suddenly began to fatigue.  While I spent 20 more minutes running the IPR, my body experienced approximately 15,000 less footfalls than in the marathon.  I’ll admit that I’d also been running around 45 miles per week leading up to the IPR and only 30 miles per week since.  I didn’t think a month of lighter training would significantly affect my performance, and it probably didn’t have that much of an impact.  Regardless, while I was totally hydrated and had been taking in energy as well, the core of my body, my groin, hips, stomach all began to weaken.  My stride shortened and my pace correspondingly slowed.  So perhaps I did hit the wall.  It wasn’t as absolute as the one burned into my memory from the ’78 Dallas White Rock, but my metabolic physics had been altered.  Thinking back, I might have even experienced the mental delusions often associated with the wall.  Somewhere in the last 4 or 5 miles, I started to hear church bells.  Not wearing a watch, I recall thinking I could determine the time by counting the bells ring, but was too tired to count.  And as the song progressed on my playlist, I realized it was AC DC’s Hell’s Bells.  For awhile I thought how ironic that was and I should add it to my post race blog.  I didn’t though because afterward I couldn’t be certain if I ever really heard church bells or only the prelude to the song.  I didn’t want to make the experience up so I left it out of my blog.  I think now I might have been slightly delusional.

So there you have it.  I didn’t train as hard leading up to the Denver Marathon as I did the IPR.  And I suspect my body suffered more fatigue in the marathon than the IPR – which is hard for me to accept.  The IPR is simply the most challenging event I’ve ever run.  But I can’t ignore that my recovery has been slower this week than after the IPR.  The silver lining is that hopefully my core is toughening up.  I did feel better on today’s 8 mile run on the East Boulder Trail.  My groin hasn’t totally loosened up but my stride was longer and faster.  “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”

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Running Fast

26 Sunday Sep 2010

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Denver Marathon, East Boulder Trail, fast, IPR

I had some nice runs this weekend.  Week one after the IPR, I only ran my 4.5 mile loop each day to recover.  Did some 8 mile runs over the weekend and I expected to increase my mileage this week, but work was too busy and I only squeezed one 8 miler in during the work week.  Yesterday, Saturday, was sort of busy too and I didn’t make it out to a trail, but ran 8 miles in town.  It was probably good for my knees to keep off hills.  I ran in the late morning but despite the clear sky it wasn’t overly hot.  The air felt cool blowing against my sweat-soaked skin.  The amazing thing about this run was that after all the months of consistently running everyday.  Methodically increasing my distance.  Adding hills and trails at an increasing rate each week.  I finally felt some speed.  Don’t get me wrong. Losing 15 pounds this year was nice.  Having muscle tone return to my thighs and hamstrings was very satisfying.  I’ve even come close to my goal of a flat stomach.  I’ve started to accept that may never happen, but it won’t matter much if I can run fast.

After 3 miles into Saturday’s run, Ashlee Simpson began singing La La from my playlist, and my legs fell into a stride of their own design.  It was noticeable.  It was that feeling where your body’s forward motion is the norm and to slow down would take more energy than to simply let it go.  I haven’t felt this in two decades.  It’s extremely promising.  They say muscles have memory, well mine remember running fast.  If you’re a runner or athlete, and you ever reached peak competitive conditioning, then you know the thrill of letting go of conscious control while your body performs balls out.  It’s nearly an out of body experience.  Damn, I like it.

Today’s run felt nice too.  I hit the East Boulder Trail around noon and completed 10 miles.  It’s a challenging trail with serious hills the first 3 miles, and of course the last three miles as you return.  Even when I feel strong on the way out, I’m typically debating walking on the return.  I didn’t over stride today but I felt strong the entire course.  Very happy with myself.  Targeting the Denver Marathon in a few weeks.

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Running Blog

13 Monday Sep 2010

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

IPR

I didn’t intend to start a running blog. I actually planned to serialize a novel on WordPress. Plans! But thanks for following my little IPR adventure. And for all the support via Facebook, emails, etc. My favorite response was the blog satire of one of my more whiney entries. I am going to find some more races this fall to maintain the fitness momentum and will continue to publish my exploits.  This pic is at the summit of Imogene Pass – mile 10 – just starting the descent.  This isn’t some weird camera angle like on the original Batman series – the trail was really that steep.

It’s Monday night, two days after my most challenging run in 30 years, and I feel fine. Physically recovered and hungry, blogging from my WordPress for iPhone app and listening to a Singer/Songwriter Genius playlist. I’m sitting in seat 23A on Jet Blue flight 97 with my card ready in my pocket to buy both the beef and cheese snacks plus a Heineken Light as soon as the service cart rolls up. I rose at 4am to fly 4 hours for a 3 hour meeting in NYC. There wasn’t time for much food today and I’m not dozing off until I catch up on my calorie deficit. At least my hamstrings aren’t cramping like they did on the flight out.

I’ll get home after midnight, a 20 hour work day driving American productivity by marginalizing my salary – but it’s all good. Looking forward to resuming my regular routine of the basement commute, early morning calls and launching Ellie off to school. The IPR was an outrageous goal that accelerated my fitness regimen by light years. Tomorrow I will google a fall marathon to keep the running routine active.

Thanks again everyone.

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IPR – Race Results

11 Saturday Sep 2010

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Barr-Camp, CamelBack, imogene, Imogene Pass Run, IPR, Nike Drifit, Ouray, run, Telluride

Here’s your result for you Steve (just read your FaceBook query).  I’m sitting in my hotel bed watching the Ohio St. vs Miami game.  Totally spent for the day.  Good game though.  I’m following the CU vs Cal game via my ESPN ScoreCenter for iPhone app – but it’s depressing.  Sort of happy the hotel cable doesn’t carry it.  I don’t know where to start describing this run. It was such an extreme experience.  I’ll start with the morning.

The hotel in Ouray didn’t have alarm clocks or clocks of any kind really.  But at 48, I haven’t needed a clock in 20 years.  I don’t wear a watch and I don’t set alarm clocks.  I was staring at the blackened window waiting for some rays of sun to hint at the approaching morning.  Karen didn’t wait.  She woke up to brush her teeth sometime before 6am.  It didn’t bother her to turn on all the lights.  This killed my window sun ray measurements plan.  My iPhone was charging across the floor so without being able to check the time I laid in bed until I felt ready.  I didn’t hear any meaningful action in the street below (the race started outside our room).  But I got up and checked the time.  6am – imagine that.  Like clockwork.  I don’t need no stinkin alarm clock.

Rob and Sue called from the lobby a little before 7am.  Karen answered as I was in the bathroom.  While I’ve known of my lactose intolerance for over 30 years, I thought a malted milk shake looked tasty last night.  I met them in the lobby.  Sue was talkative – must be a morning person.  Rob was content to talk about coffee.  I think he eventually poured a cup.  We reached consensus that since it was fairly nippy outside, we’d wait in the lobby until 7:10am.

Once outside, I felt good about my wardrobe choices.  Nike DriFit running shorts. No, I didn’t misspell “dry”.  Click on the link.  WordPress provides me with stats of the clicks on my links and it irritates me readers don’t click more often.  I wore an Under Armour reversible AllSeasonGear fitted crew top.  I wore it to keep warm.  The flip side keeps you cool.  And I wore my Columbia Omni-Tech Waterproof Breathable hiking jacket.  Their current lineup might be called Omni-Heat now, not sure.  I walked outside with my Barr-Camp running hat but switched to my red fleece skull cap.  I wore some running gloves and configured my iPod nano and earbuds for easy use later.  I decided on the earbuds rather than my bluetooth headset – which I like very much but their batteries don’t seem to last much past an hour.  And because I didn’t require bluetooth, I left the heavier iPhone back in the room.  The jacket, gloves and hat were official race requirements.  Both Rob and I refrained from carrying water because the event arranged aid stations about every two miles.  Still, at least half the runners carried water.  I suspect some did it because their mini CamelBack completed their fashion ensemble.  And honestly, some of them looked really good.

The race announcer was a card.  He communicated this run had only one hill.  The pistol fired and we were off.  The first mile was similar to my prep run.  My calves burned and I was breathless.  Course options were offered that I didn’t know about yesterday.  You could choose to stay on the jeep trail or take steeper but shorter single tracks at times.  I chose the shortcuts because they were different from yesterday, and because it provided a chance to break from the crowd.  Probably a poor choice because the crowd followed me.  And because steeper is never better.  I caught my breath on the second mile just like yesterday, and I noticed this time the trail flattened out so that explains the recovery.  I was still running alongside Rob and he shared with me we were on a 12 minute mile pace.  I wrapped my jacket around my waist during the 2nd mile but kept my gloves on.  A little after 2 miles was the first aid station.  We slowed to drink some Gatorade and I turned on my iPod.  Sometime during the 3rd mile, the wind picked up and I put my jacket back on.  I can’t recall where exactly, but before 5 miles, we started walking in spots.  I took off my gloves but went back and forth on the jacket depending on the shade and wind.  A nice feature of the jacket was the velcro.  I didn’t have to bother zipping it.

Rob would gain distance on me whenever we walked.  He’s just such an incredible hiker and I couldn’t walk as fast as him.  But I was never too far behind and he’d wait for me at aid stations.  And sometimes I’d gain on him during running portions of the course.  After 7 miles, when I was feeling fairly pleased with myself, the course grew steeper.  And colder.  The boards that were placed across streams were gripped in ice and the shady spots were frigid.  But it was the increased incline that marked my memory of the upper 3rd of Imogene trail.  Each mile, from 7 to 8, then 8 to 9, and finally 9 to 10, increased in slope and cruelty.  I wanted to crawl.  Well, maybe I was crawling, it’s a bit blurry now.  But I know I never stopped my forward motion.  I know enough about finishing anything that perseverance is like the shark that never sleeps.  You just keep on truckin.

Personally, the race was over for me when I reached the summit.  I’d been concerned about the cutoff times and according to Rob we’d smashed them.  We reached the top in two and a half hours.  Maybe 2 hours and 45 minutes.  The results aren’t posted yet.  Rob waited for me at the summit aid station and we shook hands on our triumphant accomplishment.  The descent wasn’t what I expected.  I thought I would walk a bit until I recovered and then run as fast as I could handle.  I’d been training on trails and as I’ve mentioned before in these blogs, I really like running downhill fast when I can.  But I couldn’t here.  The course was so steep and the rocks so treacherous, I never felt like I was running.  For nearly the entire 7 mile drop into Telluride, I was hitting the brakes.  In this phase of the run, perseverance meant preservation mode.  I ran like James Tiberious Kirk clawing his nails into the Iowa top soil after driving his red Corvette off a cliff that looked more plausible in Idaho – or the Imogene trail.  This was 7 miles of putting more energy into thigh-burning resistance than controlling momentum.  Ironically, I could breathe going downhill, but my legs were burning, rubbery buffers between my torso and the rocky slide IPR certified as trail worthy.

Which is fine.  I made it up this hill, I was going to make it down.  What I don’t get is how over 100 runners screamed past me on the descent.  I know some of it is trail conditioning and fitness.  I didn’t note a pattern of men vs women kicking my ass.  The mountain isn’t sexist.  Most were younger.  And even more were lighter.  But the real difference was these people were insane.  With 90 percent of my energy directed at stopping, these runners’ momentum was balls out directed down the hill.  I like running fast downhill, but I don’t know how they were able to do it in these trail conditions.  They ran like stones skipping across water.  Their feet never touched down long enough to slide.  Traction was never in play.  And this ensued the entire 7 miles.  I got passed as much at mile 11 as I did mile 16.

My awe from watching this runners’ cirque du soleil tap dance down the trail was finally surpassed upon encountering the first views of Telluride.  It’s hard to describe such earthly magnificence.  Upon seeing Ouray for the first time the other day, I didn’t expect to be viewing a town that could challenge it so quickly.  But whereas Ouray is walled with stunning canyons, Telluride is set within a gorge of towering green pines.  And, if you want to get picky, the streets are paved.  Both towns are impressive, but Telluride offered a panoramic finish that Hollywood couldn’t reproduce with CGI.  The race finished down a shady tree-lined street into the center of town.  True to the last 7 miles, this street was also too steep for me to allow my legs to fully sprint.  The pavement was finally solid, but I was simply too weak at this point.  I crossed the finish line in 3:49:35.  I had secretly hoped to finish in 4.5 hours so I was impressed with myself.  And now I’m recovering.  Rob and Sue left after lunch and we’re already  planning dinner.

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IPR – Pre Race Prep

10 Friday Sep 2010

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

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Tags

Imogene Pass, IPR, Ouray, run, Uncompahgre

I’m committed now.  We arrived in Ouray Thursday and checked into the Beaumont Hotel.  The picture is of Karen and Ellie standing outside the hotel on Main Street, about where the race will start tomorrow.  The run will proceed up the hill in the background.  We met some friends, Khris, Janet and Sadie Mae, for drinks last night at the Hotel’s Voodoo Lounge and had an Italian dinner at Bon Ton.  The Voodoo Lounge has an extremely impressive wine list, especially what they serve by the glass.  Our friends own an eclectic cooking and kitchenware store in town where Ellie bought an apron – and wore the rest of the night.  Ouray itself is a spectacular setting, surrounded on three sides by dramatic canyon cliffs.  The Uncompahgre River flows through town and is encircled by hiking trails.  Ellie and I will hit the Ouray Hot Springs later this afternoon.

Khris, a graduate of NY’s CIA and accomplished cook and baker, ran the IPR several years ago and gave me advice.  He told me to expect the uphill climb to start immediately, along with the pain.  But that I could expect the early race excitement and associated adrenalin to get me through the initial shock.  And then the trick is to simply keep a forward motion and soon my body would lose sense of the strain and carry me up to the summit easily within the cutoff times.  I took this with a grain of salt since he completed the course in 3 hours and I’m planning on closer to 5 hours.

I ran the first two miles of the race this morning to prep, and I think Khris’ advice will pan out.  I was indeed shocked at how steep the course began along Hwy 550.  The route turned off the highway after a quarter mile and onto the hard packed gravel jeep trail that most of the race will consist of.  I was breathing heavily (this begins at over 7800 feet) and my ankles and calves were burning.  It occurred to me I should have included toe raises in my training regimen.  I can’t whine about this course like I did Garden of the Gods because the IPR makes no pretense.  It goes up for 10 miles.  And up means a steady and steep incline.  Even the apparent dips were still sloped upwards.  But after the first mile, I stopped noticing my legs and I actually caught my breath.  I’d settled into my pace.  I continued for the 2nd mile which was my goal and would make a nice 4 mile workout.  My lower legs did indeed become numb.  Apparently you don’t really need lower legs for running, wooden pegs suffice.  My thighs and hamstrings felt fine so perhaps I’m in sufficient shape for this little walkabout the San Juan Mountains.

At 2 miles I did an about-face and headed back down.  I checked my time and was surprised to learn I maintained a 10 minute per mile pace.  My confidence at making the cutoff times got a boost from that.  This prep run was brilliant.  I didn’t want to wear myself out with too hard a run before tomorrow, but I would have liked to go up 5 miles to the Lower Bird Mine.  Khris told that the course will leave the jeep road there and detour through the mine.  That will be cool.  Can’t wait until tomorrow.

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IPR Fear and Loathing

07 Tuesday Sep 2010

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Boise St., Imogene Pass, IPR, Ouray, run, Telluride

Imogene Pass Run

The Imogene Pass Run is this weekend.  I declined when Rob first asked me to run this race early in the year.  It didn’t seem like something within my physical capabilities.  But then a second friend Mike said let’s do it and I signed up.  Registering was good for me.  I would never have reached this level of fitness without such a fear of impending altitude induced pain.

Hopefully I won’t kill myself before the race gun fires.  I stumbled on my mountain trail run yesterday.  With less than a mile remaining on an 11 mile trail, my right shoe toed a rock and I fell forward on a downhill section of single track.  I was able to roll left while falling to keep my face from smashing into a rock the size of my head.  But the roll resulted in my left hip colliding hard with the craggy trail.  My roll continued spinning me left into another large rock and giant prickly bush – which spared my now bloody carcass from tumbling down a steep hill.

I laid there for a minute, contemplating how I might have just injured myself to where I couldn’t run this Saturday.  But the bush wasn’t comfortable enough to lay in for long so I extracted my body with a counter roll back onto the trail.  Because of strong pain in my left hip, launching that exit roll took more mental will than I could ever accurately describe.  I thought about waiting for help to come by before moving.  The exit roll and a tad bit of sideways scooting to the main trail was of course uphill.  It was a fair amount more strenuous and painful than standing myself back up.  Upon standing, a lone biker reached me and asked how I was.  He didn’t see me fall but did witness me crawling out of the bush.  He hung around while I collected myself.  He told me stories of his bike crashes on this treacherous trail.  I don’t remember any of them because I was in a fairly myopic self-centered state of mind at the time.  He left after he was satisfied I could walk.  Soon I began running again for the last quarter mile before reaching the trail head.  The injuries were largely superficial and the pain from my bruised hip gradually subsided – until this morning.  I recall laughing at some pain medicine commercial (Tylenol, Bufferin – not sure) that played during the Boise St. vs Virginia Tech game last night that pitched the concept of aspirin for breakfast.  I thought it was ridiculous last night but I could have been a use case this morning.  I ran a 4 mile recovery run later today and I don’t expect my injuries to worry me on Saturday.

Like I need more worries.  Did you click on the graphic to review the altitude and rate of incline?  The cutoff time to reach Upper Camp Bird is 2.5 hours.  4.5 hours for the summit.  That might seem like walking pace – actually it might be – but not at altitude man!  My biggest concern and as well as goal for this race is to make those cutoff times.  I’m less concerned about the 7 hour cutoff time for the complete course.  Assuming I shuffle up to Imogene Pass in under 4.5 hours, I can likely roll down to Telluride in 2.5 hours – now that I’ve had practice rolling.  Honestly, I hope to complete this race in under 5 hours, start to finish, although I have no idea what to expect in terms of time.  I know it will hurt.  I hit the wall at the 18 mile point in my first marathon.  I figure much of the 10 miles uphill will feel just like that – which is a nightmare.  Hence the loathing.  But I’m also extremely excited.  And for a bonus, this is my first trip to Ouray and Telluride.  Karen and I intend to visit our sister-in-law’s sister Janet and her husband for drinks on Thursday.  They’ve lived in Ouray for several years.  And I’ll be running with my buddy Rob.  Well, “with” being a relative term.  I hope to see him if he waits for me at the finish.

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