PPM by 2010

Easy long run at Springbrook/Dowdy. Felt kind of slow and sluggish throughout for some reason; not sure if I was expecting to feel better with all of the trail/hill running or if I was just focused on pace too much, i.e. looking at the damn Garmin. Overall my pace was better that when I first did this run and I felt a bit fresher at the end even though I added two miles...stretching to 12 miles.

Ran easy for the first 5.33, than picked it up for a 800 at a 6:58 pace followed by 1.16 at 7:20 with a small cool down. Felt good overall. The intervals felt great with no real stress...did not have to work hard to hit the paces at all. Maybe the hills are helping?

9.04 pace in the heat, HR avg at 147 with a max of 162. Struggle to keep the HR low. Felt ok.

Dragged myself out for another Tuesday Tempo Run this week. Definitely a struggle as I have been hobbling around now since my mountain jaunt on Father's Day. It seems my legs are still not quite used to the big ups and more likely the downs of mountain running around here. Every part of my quads has been screeming at me to sit down and stop moving. So, getting out today was a small victory over couch. Regardless of this new pain, I am certainly reveling in shedding the boredom of long road miles and fast tempos for the fun of the trails.

Took advantage of Father's Day today by hitting some real peaks. I have not been up South Boulder Peak yet since moving here in 2000 and I have not been up Bear this year. So, no excuse was necessary to do a somewhat ambitious trail run. Plus, I have been reading lots of blog entries (BF and JP) lately about trips up South Boulder Peak and Bear so these peaks have been on my mind.

I was hoping to summit SBP in under an hour, but the trip took a little longer at about 65 minutes. I am starting to feel a little stronger on the hills but I fear it is going to take longer than just a few uphills sessions to erase some of the road warrior in me.

My first view of the summits as I hit Mesa.

Summit of South Boulder Peak facing Bear.

A little friend who was looking for a handout...not sure he would have liked my GU Chomps...

Bear looking North.

More later.....

Excellent run this morning from home. Intended on doing an easy one, but after about 3 miles I felt nice and loose so I picked it up for a bit. Did about 3/4 miles at around a 7minute pace and then finished out the last 1.20 around 7:18. Not a real hard effort as my HR was around 164 for the .75 and then 161 for the last mile (kind of downhill for this part of the run). The run average HR ended up around 151 which is very close to where I should be for an easy run.

A little sore in the calves and a slight tightness in one of my right achilles. This feels like a result of my tight calves from the hill climb last weekend and the tempo on Tuesday as well as my renewed focus on mid/fore foot landing. So, this is why I took it easy today. Day off tomorrow for sure. Will wait a week for another big hill effort.

I am looking forward to a nice long trail run on Sunday for Father's Day. I will be heading out early again so I can get back home before 9:30. Maybe will start at the Colton Trail Head and head out to the Springbrook trail to Vista and back. Will have to map this one out first so I don't over-extend myself...more to come.

Did a nice easy jog at work. HR average of only 145 with a max of 169 on one of the little inclines. Ran in the Precision 8's today with a focus on form. Time of 39:26 for about a 8:31 pace.



Felt good overall.



Will probably do some track work tomorrow; most likely 3 X 1 mile around 10k pace. We will see.

Been meaning to update lately, just have not had the time.


Did the Tuesday Tempo Run tonight with the Boulder Trail Runners. Great fun on the Shanahan Loop. We did the short one for about 3.56 miles or so. I think I was still a bit tired from my Sunday Run. Did the loop in 31:00 at an average pace of 8:42 overall with 1389 of climbing (probably about 800 or so of verticle gain). Not bad. Shins were tight on the descent...need to shorten the stride more and keep the toes down. Probably will run with this next week as well. Cascadias were again excellent, great grip, feel relatively light with nice trail feel.











Did an easy recovery run before work yesterday for just under 5. Really worked on the form concentrating on a forefoot/mid-foot stride. Definitely tight with a slightly elevated HR, but smooth overall.



Sunday AM did a full Flagstaff TT from Gregory to the Leaving sign. I am feeling really good about this workout mostly because I finally got one in the bag and that I was able to run most of it to just past the firestation. As I feared, I tired when it got steep and took a few breaks. Overall did the run in 52:08 for 4.56 miles and about 2129 ft of climbing according to the Garmin. I definitely feel I could knock about 2-3 minutes off of this fairly easily in the next few weeks as I eliminate more and more of the walking. Splits as follows:


1: 10:19
2: 9:51
3: 10:13
4: 14:19
5: 13:14


On the way down I ran the road till it intersected with the Flatstaff Trail. Hopped into the trail to get a little footwork practice in and to eliminate some of the road pounding. The trail saves about a mile off of the distance, but it was a heck of a lot more fun.






Looking forwarding to doing this monthly or more to track progress. Will be adding in some Green, Bear and So Bo Peak in the next month or so. Loving being out on the trails and/or hills. Running the trails is so much more enjoyable for me this days. Feel reinvigorated for sure.


I need to sign up for the Eldora 10K and the Golden Gate Trail Run as these will be my next few races. Will see if something else comes up between now and then.

Excellent track workout this evening at LMS. Did 6X800 and then one 400. Generally positive splitted as I ran the first one in 3:06 or about 6:06 pace. This felt a little fast, especially since I wanted to do at least 5 or so. Also, wanted to a general Yasso workout where the time equals my projected (dream) marathon time. So, really wanted to be between 3:20 and 3:15. Overall the remaining ones were just under 3:20 with one at 3:22. The 3:22 felt excellent and quite a bit easier than the sub 3:15 sessions. So, after doing 6 of these generally under 3:20 I am feeling that a 3:20 marathon would be possible this year...if I had the time to train for one and if my training progressed to being able to do about 10 of these. Regardless, feeling ok about the speed. Definitely wish I had done a lot more track work prior to the BB as I seem to respond well to this type of workout. Did one final 400 in 1:39 at a pace of about 6:12. Felt tired, but good.

Did a great trail run this morning over at the new Dowdy Draw Trails. Ran Dowdy to Spring Brook to Gowshawk Ridge back to Spring Brook South and then to the top of Dowdy Draw and then back for 10 miles even. This all worked out to about 2100 feet according to the Garmin but probably about 1400 total verticle.

 

 

Overall I felt ok at the start, but mostly sluggish for the majority. I am not sure if this had to do with the climb right (gradual the whole way which is somewhat depressing) out of the gate or if I was just tired after two nights of crappy sleep. Overall I averaged about 9:40 for the whole run including the ups and downs. I guess this is better than last week at BlueStem where I ran about 10min miles for 7.20 with only about 1700 feet according the Garmin.

 

Regardless, I am really enjoying the challenge and the solitude of the trails. Springbrook itself was truly amazing and I was totally blown away at the amount of trails that are rideable from my house. I basically could link these new trails from on the mtn bike with little road work. Amazing. Gowshawk is off limits to bikes, but it was a great run overall. It ended up looking down on the Town of Eldorado and probably links up with Fowler which I believe would link with Rattlesnake. The end part of Gowshanks dumped onto what appeared to be an old rail road as it snaked through the ridge via this amazing curzed cut in the mountain...should have taken a picture of this. A great run when I am in better shape would be to do Springbrook to Gowshawk (or just Springbrook to Fowler to shorten the trip) and then up Rattlesnake for some excellent climbing. I would also like to do the same loop and then jump up Dowdy to the new Flatirons Vista. This would have added about 2-3 today as I essentially climbed the hill to the plateau right near the Vista Trailhead (I guess based on my review of the map).

 

Continue to be happy with the Brooks Cascadias. They felt even better today with no hotspots. Great traction and trail feel overall without being too heavy.

 

 

 

 

 

Still trying to figure out my goal race/races for the summer. Here is what I am thinking:

- Eldora 10K - 8/2/2009
- Coal Creek Crossing 10 miler - 8/31/2009
- either the Gold Gate Trail Half Marathon (12.6 miles) or the Bolder Marathon Half - 9/20/2009. Golden Gate is a incredibly fun race with excellent climbs and views.


I may also want to add in a race in July as well. Torn between sticking to the trails and/or hills or trying to do a fast 5K or 10K. More to come.

I am thinking of 2010 as the year I jump back to the marathon. The kids will be older which will allow me a bit more morning flexibility for more running.

Hard a great trail run early Sunday morning. Did Big Blue Stem to the Towee Trail to Mesa to South Boulder Creek. Renewed my love for trail running for sure! 7.2+ miles at an average pace of 10:00minute miles with about 1100 feet of verticle. Great fun!