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Leg of Lamb

30 Sunday Jan 2011

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I know, not my typical running pic.  But when I say I really enjoy the outdoors, that includes grilling.  And I’ve got a 5 pound bone-in leg of lamb on the rotisserie right now.  I ran 12 miles earlier today on the East Boulder Trail.  Why wouldn’t I enjoy some of Colorado’s famous mutton after such an extreme calorie burning endeavor.  I love lamb.  I love red meat.  I haven’t been eating as much of it since Karen started cooking most of our meals again.  I don’t believe runners need a high-carb diet.  I’ve always been pretty good at listening to my body; and after massive runs like today – my aching knees, muscles and joints are screaming for some fatty meat.

With that said, I am going to try to diet somewhat going into February.  The Austin Marathon is in 21 days and I’m a bit heavier than I was last fall when I ran the Denver Marathon.  I’m not looking to set any records.  I scheduled this to motivate myself to run through the winter and I’ve done that.  I just want to feel comfortable.  Losing five pounds would likely help.  I haven’t been consistent at lifting weights but I’ll try harder because I believe weights help too.  I believe a little strength training helps to avoid injury.  I’ve been reading some running blogs on the Austin course and apparently it’s considered hilly.  That’s the Austin I remember.  I’m not running hills during the week but I do on the weekends so I’ll be fine.  The course begins with a 300 foot climb in the first two miles.  I like that because it almost forces you to start out slow as you should.  The course then drops back down over the next 4 miles.  This is followed by a 12 mile climb back up those 300 feet but after mile 18 it’s all downhill to the finish on Congress Avenue.  Nice.

My flight gets in too late Saturday night to pick up my bib and race packet, but my brother Steve said he’d do it on the way to the airport to pick me up.  I’ll be staying at my mom’s house in Round Rock.  Steve will no doubt try to talk me into hanging out at the Cool River but I’m smart enough not to do that.  Hopefully he won’t stay out too late because he’s my ride to the race the next morning.  If I didn’t have family in Austin I’d have stayed downtown, probably at the Driskill Hotel – that would be convenient.  I’ll remain in Round Rock at my mom’s house for a couple days after the race, my return flight is Tuesday night.  I can work from her house – she’s got wifi and high-speed Internet.  I learned from the Denver Marathon that I should do some walking the first couple of days after the event to work out the lactic acid and loosen up.  It’ll be interesting to see how well I recover.  That will demonstrate both my level of fitness as well as my post race experience.

Fit for the Holidays

18 Saturday Dec 2010

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I’m off work for the next two weeks.  Perfect opportunity to focus on training.  But not always.  The holidays, and winter in general, is also a standard time for weight gain.  Work gets busier and with the stress comes fat.  I did miss a couple of days this past week because I couldn’t get away from work.  Usually though I make the most out of vacations.  I ran throughout Thanksgiving in Spokane with my daughter and brother-in-law.

In Texas for Christmas, I’ll be staying first at my mom’s house in Round Rock and then at my father-in-law’s house in Northwest Hills, Austin.  I have a nice route in Round Rock along a trail that follows Harry Man’s Road in Brushy Creek.  I can make an hour run out of that.  It’s nostalgic too because I used to run down this road in high school for cross country workouts.

In Austin, I’ll run down to the track at Murchison Junior High School.  Assuming it’s warm enough, I aim to launch my 2011 speed work with some quarter mile intervals.  My muscles need to relearn how to run fast.  No more seniors surging past me at the finish line next year.  I won’t need speed for my first planned event – which is the Austin Marathon in February – but I hope to show improvement in my 10Ks.  I’ll find one or two before the Bolder Boulder to get a good qualifying time.  I started too far back in the pack last May and found it frustrating to pass so many other runners.  I can tell you the secret to a good run in the Bolder Boulder – run slow the first mile.  It’s down hill, then miles two and three slope upwards and people die off.  It takes discipline to run slow that first mile with the race excitement and given it is downhill, but that’s the trick to running strong on that course.

I hope you have good winter running weather over the holidays.  Ski, snowshoe or run.  Weights indoors.  Take advantage if you have time off and use the holidays to launch your winter training regimen.  Merry Christmas!

Liberty Lake Run

25 Thursday Nov 2010

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Today is Thanksgiving. I’m with family, visiting the Campbells as I did last year in Liberty Lake – just outside of Spokane, Washington. I discovered this unbelievably picturesque run during my visit last Thanksgiving. I posted a short YouTube of my first run. That is, I just now published the video as I just learned I only posted it to MobileMe last year. It was good cold running weather in 2009, but this year kicked it up a notch. Yesterday was 10o with a 10 mile an hour wind. Brittiboo and her Uncle Chad ran with me. Today feels warmer. While still only 13o , the wind is 4 miles per hour and that makes a huge difference. This picture is of the second mile of the run on Liberty Lake Circle.

I don’t care where you live, the Midwest or Canada, this is the kind of cold that causes you to consider the treadmill – but we all felt good. The Under Armour Cold Gear does the trick. It’s amazingly light and keeps the cold sweat off your skin. Of course, we ran in several layers of Under Armour. I forgot chap-stick yesterday so my lips are now cracked. My face was cold but became comfortably numb. The fleece running hat kept blood flowing to my head. I missed running two days in a row due to work on Monday and traveling Tuesday, so it felt really good to run despite the cold.

As I looked forward to the holidays, I think I might have spent the most time thinking about this run around Liberty Lake. It has everything, rolling hills, pine trees lining the road, a small lake beginning to ice over and radiating fog over the road and up into the hills. The lane was buried under a half foot of snow – softening my footfalls. Visibility today was sketchy from falling snow and I blindly ran onto several private roads not noticing myself branch off Liberty Lake Circle. This was an absolute dream run. If you ever get the opportunity to run in the wooded hills of Eastern Washington State – do it. I’m very thankful for such experiences, for my fitness, and hanging out with family. Chad is busy preparing our dinner as I blog. And we’re all looking forward to the UT vs A&M game coming up later. Happy Thanksgiving.

Denver Marathon 2010

17 Sunday Oct 2010

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I ran the Denver marathon this morning.  My first marathon in 30 years.  I’ve slowed down from when I was 18, but I’m still kickin’.  Ran it in 3:36, about an 8.5 minute pace.  Have yet to get my formal time, but I’ll update this link once it’s posted.  I’ll admit I wasn’t too excited about this run.  I signed up for it after the IPR to continue pushing myself after that run in September.  I certainly wasn’t nervous like I was for the IPR.  I knew after completing that run that a marathon was doable.  So no butterflies at the starting line.  But a really nice sense of accomplishment at the finish line.

The weather was incredible.  It started out cool enough that I wore warm-ups before the start.  It felt like around 50o, but there wasn’t any wind.  I wore a pair of Nike dri-fit running shorts that had pockets the perfect size to hold my iPhone without it bouncing around.  And I went with the hi-tech, long-sleeve race jersey I bought as part of the race gear.  Hi-tech race jerseys are made of a fabric that keeps the sweat off your skin.  It was much lighter than what a cotton shirt would have been.  I was looking to wear something that was a single layer so that I wouldn’t have to discard anything.  I rolled up my sleeves at the 5K mark and was comfortable throughout the run.  I also wore my Nike running hat but didn’t need it for warmth.  I wear it to keep the sun off my head.  But this course winded through tree-lined streets in stunning Denver parks and neighborhoods.  I wasn’t exposed to direct sunlight until the last 3 miles.  And I doubt it warmed up beyond 70o.  Fairly ideal running temperatures.

The course was flat enough.  There’s a small hill after 3 miles when you cross Broadway going up 17th St.  After that are what I would describe as slopes, but nothing to noticeably affect my pace.  Well, until after 15 miles when slight slopes suddenly felt steep.  I did begin to slow down on uphill segments at that point – a clear sign of fatigue.  I signed up for a service that text me and my friends with pace and times at certain splits; 5K, 10K, 11 miles, 13 miles, 20 miles and the finish.  The records indicate I ran well under an 8 minute pace for the first 10K, then slowed down to an 8.5 mile pace (my overall average) up until somewhere between 12 and 15 miles.  By the 20 mile mark I had slowed down to a 9.5 mile pace and ran a 10.5 mile pace for the final 6 miles.  Although I can tell you that it was the last 3 miles where I began to really wind down.  I noticed my stride shorten a bit at 20 miles but extremely at mile 24 and even more during the final mile.  My hamstrings were tightening and I fully expected my right hamstring to cramp up during the final half mile.  I’m surprised it didn’t but slowing down must have kept it in check.

I felt quite comfortable the entire race until the final few miles where I began to chafe from the salt buildup and, while I never hit the wall from energy depletion, my legs became weighed down from exhaustion.  I was never in danger of walking and with only a couple of miles remaining it was easy to stay positive.  I did experience a stitch around 17 miles that worried me for a spell.  Forgive the graphic description, but a knot started in my right nut and shot up under my rib cage.  It only lasted a quarter mile or so.  I suspect it stemmed from a combination of drinking at an aid station and running up a hill.  Never had a stitch in my balls before.  Speaking of that, my groin became pretty sore near the end as my legs grew heavy and my hamstrings threatened to cramp.  I’m happy all the pain was so close to the end of the run.  Would have been work otherwise.

I think I’m done with road races for the season.  Work is getting so busy I can’t find time for long runs during the week and can only do 8 and 10 milers on the weekend.  My New Year’s resolution was to start up road racing again, after foregoing them for two decades.  I ran four; the Bolder Boulder 10K, the Garden of the Gods 10 Miler, the 17 mile Imogene Pass Run and now the Denver Marathon.  Mission accomplished.

Running in the Rain

12 Tuesday Oct 2010

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I ran in the rain today.  It’s worth writing about because I so rarely do that.  With over 300 days of sunshine a year in Colorado, there’s less opportunity than elsewhere.  And then there’s the wimpy, fair-weather runner attitude to which I am not immune.  But I’m running the Denver Marathon this weekend, so now is not a good time to slack off my training regimen.  And I had an unusual gap between morning conference calls that begged for an early run.  But I’ll tell you this, it’s always a cold rain in Colorado.  It takes a bit of self motivation.

I pulled on some Nike dri-fit shorts and added Under Armour ColdGear pants.  These are sort of a cross between loose tights and tight sweat pants.  It’s a good fit for running.  I added an Under Armour all weather, long sleeve jersey to my workout ensemble.  I then pulled on some Nike dri-fit socks which are specifically fitted for the left and right feet.  Around those, I wrapped my La Sportiva Gore-Tex trail running shoes.  This turned out to be a great call.  I sloshed through a huge puddle near the start of my run in the alley cutting over to Rainbow Ridge.  And the Creekside trail had countless water traps.  My shoes were completely drenched, yet my feet remained perfectly dry the entire 4.5 mile run.  Those shoes are brilliant.

Once I warmed up, the rain became quite pleasant and added to my enjoyment of the seasonal splendor.  The trail was covered in yellow and red leaves.  No wonder everyone visits New England to view the fall foliage, the window of opportunity is closing fast in Colorado.  I suspect had I not run in the morning, the trees would be stripped clean later in the day.

Now for those of you who think I must be a huge slacker to take off 30 minutes from work to exercise, I will tell you this.  I start work at 7am and typically work to 6pm.  I might go out for lunch once a week, but mostly eat at my desk.  Either you believe that exercise contributes to your overall productivity or you don’t.  I do.  There are two types of people in the world – healthy and unhealthy.  My goal is to belong to the former group.  Plus, my work time will stretch out even longer today since I have dinner plans with a business partner at the Boulder Chop House tonight1.  I’m trying to convince you that my time spent maintaining fitness is justified and that I feel no guilt.  But perhaps given all this rationale, I do feel guilty and am only trying to justify it to myself.  Whatever – I’d rather be fit than fat.  Well, as fat.  I figure I could still lose another 10 pounds.  And my stomach has a ways to go yet.  I won’t be running the Denver Marathon shirtless.

1 While I consider business dinners to be just more work, I grant exclusions to the single and lonely, those in dead-end marriages or with more than 2.x kids, and perhaps those who commute to their basement offices and need to get out once in awhile, especially those whose idea it was to dine at the Boulder Chop House.

IPR – Race Results

11 Saturday Sep 2010

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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.

IPR – Pre Race Prep

10 Friday Sep 2010

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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.

IPR Fear and Loathing

07 Tuesday Sep 2010

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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.

Mt Bierstadt Trail Run

28 Saturday Aug 2010

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Getting ready for bed but I want to blog this while my knees still hurt.  I ran up and down a 7 mile trail this morning on 14K foot Mt Bierstadt to prep for the Imogene Pass trail run in September.  And to be honest, my knees don’t hurt that badly.  At least not in a manner I’d associate with real pain.  It’s more like they just won’t operate without coaxing.  I feel like the tin man in need of oil.  And indeed I did self-prescribe lubricants.  Two Avalanche Ales for lunch at the Motherload Tavern in Breckenridge.  And it was hard to count the glasses of wine tonight as I kept refreshing them.

I’m really happy I hiked this trail today.  It was Rob Graham’s idea for a training run and I am now much more confident that I’ll be able to make the cutoff times for the 10 mile run up Imogene Pass.  The 7 mile drop into Telluride should be doable as well but no doubt will be the source of most of the post race pain.  All I can do at this point is take comfort knowing that gravity will smash my frame against the rocks with less force at 170 lbs than the 187 I started the year out at.  Rob and I started out at the Guanella trail head which begins above tree line around 11,500 feet.  The route started off flat and we ran for nearly a mile before the incline moderated our pace to a power hike.  We figure we maintained about a 2.5 mile an hour pace – which might sound slow but not after you throw in the altitude, steep plane and rocky terrain.  The trail was packed with hikers, 100s of them.  It was difficult to find a free rock to sit on at the summit with the crowd.  It reminded me of those penguin videos with thousands of birds packed on a beach.

We waited to run on our descent until the hikers cleared and the loose gravel thinned to hard packed clay.  With free range and traction, we let loose our legs and soared downward until our muscles were exhausted.  I know I won’t be able to handle a downhill pace like that for 7 miles at Imogene, just another good reason for this practice run.  But I also don’t expect to have to serpentine down the 4×4 road into Telluride like we had to on these single track switchbacks.  I actually enjoy the challenge of committing my footfall among the rocks as the momentum forces quick and sure decisions.  But the friction takes its toll.  The heat begins in the soles of my shoes and rises up my thighs.  And when the pain begins to shoot into my hips, I ironically begin hoping for a short uphill for the relief it could offer.

A comment on my last running blog, I felt much stronger this past week.  After 2 years of my brother advising me to take supplements, I finally acquiesced and bought some protein mix to take after workouts to enhance recovery.  I was tentative because some labels I read on supplements warn against consumption if you have heart ailments.  I was diagnosed with tachycardia arrhythmia at 24 – which isn’t as serious as it sounds – but I have to be careful about drugs.  And quite frankly I find specious anything ingestible that isn’t regulated by the FDA.  So I mixed this protein powder with smoothies or Gatorade this past week and felt stronger between runs.  It didn’t hurt that the weather cooled off this week.

Heil Valley Ranch

21 Saturday Aug 2010

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Not quite recovered yet, but just ran a 10 mile trail at Heil Valley Ranch.  Second time this week since Dave turned me on to it.  He mountain bikes it regularly.  I don’t think I’m giving myself adequate time for my body to heal between runs.  This was brutal today.  Everything hurt from start to finish.  Starting at the Picture Rock Trail head, this trail steadily inclines for 5.5 miles.  I turn around at the 5 mile marker though.  And the grade isn’t overly steep, but the trail is fairly rocky in spots requiring high knee lifts.  This picture shows my legs covered in dirt starting at my ankle line.

I ran back down today like a banshee; not to say I was running fast, but because instead of breathing my body involuntarily grunted the entire retreat down the mountain.  And I howled forth several screams upon stumbling.  I pulled something in my left thigh after one of my stumbles to stop myself from falling over a small cliff.  And at one point a thorn pierced my right shoe into the ball of my foot.  I’ve been pushing myself hard this last week to prep for the Imogene Pass Run in September, but I may have to rethink my regimen because the intensity is taking its toll.  And to paraphrase Captain Mal, you can’t run if you’re dead.

The first time I ran this trail on Tuesday, I sprung back down in confidence.  But my legs were so weak today I had to let them move at the pace granted by my downward momentum because I was afraid any resistance would lead to collapsing.  My knees went from sore to numb and I wasn’t assured they would support my frame.  Descending downhill was more a matter of faith than actual control.

My playlist helped.  I borrowed Karen’s iPod and played a shuffle of her dance tunes she uses as an aerobics instructor.  I was near tears as my exhausted flesh exited the canyon with 1 mile remaining, and by then the music wasn’t enough to keep me from walking.  But a strong breeze came from nowhere and cooled me down.  And again, with only a half mile to go, I considered walking.  But the oddest thing; a Christmas song played – Winter Wonderland.  It created enough of a fantasy world for me to think it wasn’t so hot and I made it to the trail head in stride.  I’m going to keep my distance up next week, but I might back off from squeezing in so many mountain trail runs.  I need to live to run another day.

Garden of the Gods 10 Miler

13 Sunday Jun 2010

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Garden of the Gods 2010Nice run today in Manitou Springs.  I under-estimated just how mean the hills would be.  I couldn’t count all the runners vomiting during the first two miles.  Reminded me of when I ran my first marathon at 16 in Dallas.  I drank beer the entire night before with my buddies, Mike O’Neill and Rob Graham.  I made it 15 miles before spilling my beans.  Finished in 3:10 though.

I finished today in 1:25 – an 8:30 pace.  It really surprised me because when I was crawling up some of those hills I expected to finish closer to 2 hours – if at all.  There was not a single mile of that course that didn’t contain massive hills that would have been impressive at sea level let alone 6000 feet.  By the 3rd mile though, the torment of the hills and grandeur of the vistas coalesced into oblivious forward movement while REM lost their religion on my Plantronics 903 Bluetooth for iPhone headset.

The half way point marked the top of the terrain where we went off road to run on a paved trail.  The setting was spectacular, like running on top of the world.  It was even relatively flat for  a half mile.  I nearly forgot all about the hills while the Eagles sang, “You’re losing all your highs and lows.  Ain’t it funny how the feeling goes away?”.  Then I became disoriented around mile 7 when I was certain that I was running downhill; but it felt as if I was running uphill.  I determined there was a strong wind assaulting my chest.  It kept me cool though.  The weather was actually quite nice for running.

I’m happy my neighbors talked me into running this event.  It gave me a great sense of what I need to do to prepare for Imogene Pass in September.  I like to joke that I’m considering a medicinal marijuana card; but what I really need to do is lose about 20 pounds.  That should keep my knees from hurting.  More importantly, running 10 miles up to 13,000 feet will feel much better at 165 pounds than 185.  I need to schedule a few more events to prep.  The Georgetown to Idaho Springs half marathon sounds good.  And I want to run up the Manitou Springs Incline.  Probably run back down on the Barr Trail.  The summer is shaping up nicely.

Great Day to Run

14 Sunday Feb 2010

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Man, what a fantastic day to get outside for a run!  Fresh, white powder.  Crisp but no wind.  And intense sunshine.  I strapped on my MonTrail Cryptonites and played a James Blunt playlist – in honor of Valentine’s Day.  I slipped once on some ice under the snow on a street near my house, otherwise the shoes grabbed the trail with confidence.  Afterward, it was too nice to go inside; so Ellie and I went sledding on a hill at Sunset Middle School.

New Year Run

10 Sunday Jan 2010

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winter runI might have squeezed in a run earlier this year, I can’t remember. I don’t think so though because I was sick the 1st weekend of the year and since then it’s been bitter cold. And I was too busy meeting some deliverables at work to run during the day. But today man, 44o , bright sun, packed snow, great day for a 4.5 mile run. I pulled out some Under Armour cold weather running gear I got for Christmas, ripped off the tags and suited up. It’s in shades of black and gray and along with my black V-Moda ear buds, and black & gray Barr Camp runner’s hat I looked pretty good for a fat man. I launched off the front porch in style.

My run playlist began with a ’70s hit from the Boss, Thunder Road, followed by Sheryl Crow’s Run, Baby Run. Good stuff to get me going, and there were some other running classics like U2’s Where the Streets Have no Name, Velvet Undeground’s Run, Run, Run, and Del Amtiri’s Driving with the Brakes on. And when I was feeling a stitch, Jimmy sang to me to Break on through, break on through, break on through to the other side. I have 3.5 hours of music on my run playlist and usually play it in shuffle mode. Although I’m starting to use the Genius feature more and more. You play one song or artist and the iPhone picks the rest of the songs from your entire library. Good way to hear some random stuff. It was a good run. Hoping to get some more in this week.