I am very stoked about this past week's worth of running. While I didn't do anything drastic, I felt really good on every single run, and I ran everyday of the week. I haven't done that since college over five years ago. I am trying not to get too excited. It was, after all, only the first week of my winter training schedule, but the week has left me very optimistic that I am pursuing the right course and potentially setting myself up to be successful.
I spent a few hours putting together a program, and implored the knowledge of Jason Delaney as well as elicited advice on plyometrics and core exercises from Quincy Howe, assistant track coach at the University of Wyoming. Their advice and encouragement has been above and beyond, and I am excited to put their suggestions into action.
Mon. Oct. 17 - 3.5 miles in 26 min (7:25 pace). I did a quick and easy morning run on the Greenbelt along the Laramie River. Followed it up with quick some core exercises. Mondays will be my recovery days going forward.
Tues. Oct. 18 - 4 miles in 30 min (7:30 pace). Another short run on the Greenbelt. I went out after work in some slightly brisk, but wonderfully sunny weather. While I had sworn to get my runs done in the morning, a strange thing happened; I actually felt really good on this evening run. Weird.
Wed. Oct. 19 - 8 miles in 59 min (7:26 pace). Again I waited until after work to run and again...I had a really good run. What's going on here? Anyway, I went up the hill for a longer trail run. I did what I like to refer to as the "Southwestern Portion" of the Silent Trails course (e.g. Upper UW, Summit, Browns, Headquarters loop). I felt smooth and strong the whole run. Another beautiful day in Laramie, WY!
Thurs. Oct. 20 - 5.5 miles in 41 min (7:23 pace). Got out in the morning and did a loop around the northwest corner of Laramie East. Felt pretty good again. Followed with core exercises.
Fri. Oct. 21 - 6 miles in 40 min (6:40 pace). I did a three mile warm-up run to the Indoor Practice Facility where I did 2x30m of barefoot high knees, butt kicks, quick single-leg cycles, lateral bounds, and karioka. I followed that with 8x100m barefoot strides. Then I ran home. I felt strong and fast on the strides. This will be my Friday routine, more or less, and is based on what I was doing with Coach Sanchez last spring. Form is important going into the winter.
Sat. Oct. 22 - 6.5 miles in 45 min (6:55 pace). I did an old favorite, the Airport Golf Course/Lions Park loop in Cheyenne. Very nice morning over there. Good little run before filling in at Foot of the Rockies (yes, I have been working a few hours at the shoe store again).
Sun. Oct. 23 - 11 miles in 78 min (7:05 pace). Single Trudge loop. Met a group of folks at the Blair picnic area for some Sunday morning trail fun. Split off at the start with Chris Schabron and Horsecow Lonac, as well as Sandra's dog, Nick, and set a pretty good pace throughout. I got to see some of the benefits of the core strengthening I have been doing. For the first time, I put together all the climbs on the Trudge loop. I felt amazing, and was glad to share the beautiful weather with some good friends. Sandra and I followed the run by scarffing down delicious Corona Village burritos after.
Totals
Week's Miles: 45
Running Time: 5:19
Year to Date: 1259
Gear: Asics SpeedStar 5 (201 miles), Saucony Peregrine (32 miles)
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Thursday, October 20, 2011
The High Plains Harriers Fall 2011 newsletter is up. It covers the Laramie running scene very well, including races/results from all the local events from this summer and fall. It also profiles a couple of HPH members and has a couple of nice spotlights, including an excerpt of my Wind River Crossing write-up. Spread the word.
http://highplainsharriers.org/newsletter/HPHNews-Fall2011.pdf
http://highplainsharriers.org/newsletter/HPHNews-Fall2011.pdf
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Next Move: Winter Training Schedule
With the passing of Silent Trails a little over a week ago, I took a week pretty much off (I ran twice on the trails for a total of 13 miles plus a 6 mile hike on the trails Saturday) and mulled over where to take things from here. Silent Trails was the last thing on my 2011 schedule, and with the onset of winter (second snow of the season came down yesterday morning) I have been considering a race schedule for the remainder of the year and a training program to set me in motion for next year.
First, I have added a few races to my 2011 schedule. They reflect what is available in the area this time of year and also serve as one facet of my training strategy. I initially wanted to take a trip somewhere for a bigger trail race (a couple of 50Ks in Arizona had caught my eye), but money being what it is, tight, I think that won't be possible. The Backcountry Half seems like it could be a decent race. A little pricey at $50 pre-registration, but it is in Highlands Ranch so I suppose such costs are to be expected. I'm not sure I can or will be in shape for it, but it will give me an opportunity to do one more longer trail race before the end of the year. It also affords me the opportunity to visit Loni and Dane Johnson, Kevin's mom and stepfather, who live in Highlands Ranch, as well as Katy, Kevin's sister, who, along with her family, is now down in the Denver area. I haven't been down to visit them in a couple of years, and that is something I regret and wish to remedy.
The shorter races will serve two functions: a) they will be my primary speed workouts during the winter and b) they are fun. I haven't run the Comea Turkey Trot since its inaugural edition 11 years ago when I was an 18-year-old college freshman home on Thanksgiving break. There's a new crop of young Cheyenne runners that have been bugging me to run a race or two over there. I figured I might as well oblige.
The Fort Collins Thanksgiving Day 4-Miler is another race I used to run frequently in my younger days, but I haven't made the trip down since 2006. We used to gather a group of folks from Cheyenne every year, head down, and try to win as many age-group pies as we could. That race has become increasingly competive over the years after the introduction of prize money ($600 first place purse for this year's race). I ran my pr 4M (20:28) there in 2006 and managed only a 10th overall showing, and won a pumpkin pie for placing second in my age group (and that only because there was no double-dipping). I know that I am nowhere near that fast now, but I remember always having a good time there and figure why not?
The Resolution Run is another race that a bunch of us carpool down for. I first ran the 2005 race, but have only been back once, in 2009. I remember those races being fun due to racing at night, having a good group of folks around, and the chance to go out on the town in FoCo for New Year's celebrations afterwards.
I may throw another 5K in somewhere in December. Plenty of Jingle Bell Jaunts, etc. around.
As for the winter training, my main focus and concern is injury prevention and staying healthy. I have always had a tendency to get banged up over the winter (running in Laramie this time of year can be hard on the body) and therefore come into the spring maybe a little behind schedule. I want to begin a methodical mileage build-up starting next month, culminating with the Trudge February 25. After that, my focus will be the Big Horn 50M (yes, 50M) in June, with Pilot Hill on the schedule, as well as a possible 50K sometime in April or May.
Along with a steady increase in mileage, I really want to work on my core strength and balance. I am working on a schedule of exercises to help with that. I also plan to incorporate a little weightlifting (nothing significant, I don't wish to pack on muscle, just strengthen my muscles up a bit) and some plyometrics. I think adding some of these things to my routine with help with injury prevention as well as better prepare me for getting back on the trails in the spring.
In training for something like the Trudge, I plan to keep things simple by simply getting outside. I think my weekends will be focused on getting up to the mountains as much as possible and making myself do something up there for two or three hours at a time. I want to get back into some snowshoe runs; we used to do that fairly often in college but I haven't so much the last couple of years. I have always viewed those as a great way to work some different muscles, get up in the mountains, and get the hell off the city streets for a bit. Time out trudging around is probably the best way to train for the Trudge.
I also want to try, weather and gas money permitting, to get down south more this winter. While the Laramie trails were inaccessible until mid-May this past spring, most of the trails south around Fort Collins, Loveland, Golden, Boulder, etc. were pretty much snow-free all winter long. Being able to hit up a couple of long trail runs a month would be great for training and great for my spirits.
That's that. I am going to actually write up a calendar schedule in the next week or two so that I have something physical and tangible to keep me going on the right track. 2011 has been a blessing; I have, with the guidance and friendship of others, fallen back into love with running again. While this year hasn't been easy, and getting back into shape has been difficult at times, I am back to the point where I actually look forward to my runs. I get excited about it. They are not obligations anymore, they are gifts. And I think this year has been the stepping stone. Next year, I look forward to taking that next step. I once, in the not so distant past, thought my competitive racing days were over. Now I look forward to a whole new set of challenges. I'm genuinely excited about the future. It's been too long since I've felt that way.
First, I have added a few races to my 2011 schedule. They reflect what is available in the area this time of year and also serve as one facet of my training strategy. I initially wanted to take a trip somewhere for a bigger trail race (a couple of 50Ks in Arizona had caught my eye), but money being what it is, tight, I think that won't be possible. The Backcountry Half seems like it could be a decent race. A little pricey at $50 pre-registration, but it is in Highlands Ranch so I suppose such costs are to be expected. I'm not sure I can or will be in shape for it, but it will give me an opportunity to do one more longer trail race before the end of the year. It also affords me the opportunity to visit Loni and Dane Johnson, Kevin's mom and stepfather, who live in Highlands Ranch, as well as Katy, Kevin's sister, who, along with her family, is now down in the Denver area. I haven't been down to visit them in a couple of years, and that is something I regret and wish to remedy.
The shorter races will serve two functions: a) they will be my primary speed workouts during the winter and b) they are fun. I haven't run the Comea Turkey Trot since its inaugural edition 11 years ago when I was an 18-year-old college freshman home on Thanksgiving break. There's a new crop of young Cheyenne runners that have been bugging me to run a race or two over there. I figured I might as well oblige.
The Fort Collins Thanksgiving Day 4-Miler is another race I used to run frequently in my younger days, but I haven't made the trip down since 2006. We used to gather a group of folks from Cheyenne every year, head down, and try to win as many age-group pies as we could. That race has become increasingly competive over the years after the introduction of prize money ($600 first place purse for this year's race). I ran my pr 4M (20:28) there in 2006 and managed only a 10th overall showing, and won a pumpkin pie for placing second in my age group (and that only because there was no double-dipping). I know that I am nowhere near that fast now, but I remember always having a good time there and figure why not?
The Resolution Run is another race that a bunch of us carpool down for. I first ran the 2005 race, but have only been back once, in 2009. I remember those races being fun due to racing at night, having a good group of folks around, and the chance to go out on the town in FoCo for New Year's celebrations afterwards.
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| Younger versions of Chris Schabron and me at the Resolution Run in 2005. Photo by James Hobson. |
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| The Cheyenne crew, including the Herrold brothers, the Vogel brothers, Scooter Foley, the Wildes (Sean and Maya), Gabe "Blue Steel" Floud, and yours truly post 2009 Resolution Run. |
I may throw another 5K in somewhere in December. Plenty of Jingle Bell Jaunts, etc. around.
As for the winter training, my main focus and concern is injury prevention and staying healthy. I have always had a tendency to get banged up over the winter (running in Laramie this time of year can be hard on the body) and therefore come into the spring maybe a little behind schedule. I want to begin a methodical mileage build-up starting next month, culminating with the Trudge February 25. After that, my focus will be the Big Horn 50M (yes, 50M) in June, with Pilot Hill on the schedule, as well as a possible 50K sometime in April or May.
Along with a steady increase in mileage, I really want to work on my core strength and balance. I am working on a schedule of exercises to help with that. I also plan to incorporate a little weightlifting (nothing significant, I don't wish to pack on muscle, just strengthen my muscles up a bit) and some plyometrics. I think adding some of these things to my routine with help with injury prevention as well as better prepare me for getting back on the trails in the spring.
In training for something like the Trudge, I plan to keep things simple by simply getting outside. I think my weekends will be focused on getting up to the mountains as much as possible and making myself do something up there for two or three hours at a time. I want to get back into some snowshoe runs; we used to do that fairly often in college but I haven't so much the last couple of years. I have always viewed those as a great way to work some different muscles, get up in the mountains, and get the hell off the city streets for a bit. Time out trudging around is probably the best way to train for the Trudge.
I also want to try, weather and gas money permitting, to get down south more this winter. While the Laramie trails were inaccessible until mid-May this past spring, most of the trails south around Fort Collins, Loveland, Golden, Boulder, etc. were pretty much snow-free all winter long. Being able to hit up a couple of long trail runs a month would be great for training and great for my spirits.
That's that. I am going to actually write up a calendar schedule in the next week or two so that I have something physical and tangible to keep me going on the right track. 2011 has been a blessing; I have, with the guidance and friendship of others, fallen back into love with running again. While this year hasn't been easy, and getting back into shape has been difficult at times, I am back to the point where I actually look forward to my runs. I get excited about it. They are not obligations anymore, they are gifts. And I think this year has been the stepping stone. Next year, I look forward to taking that next step. I once, in the not so distant past, thought my competitive racing days were over. Now I look forward to a whole new set of challenges. I'm genuinely excited about the future. It's been too long since I've felt that way.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Silent Trails 2011
From 2001 (the first Silent Trails) to 2007, the weather for this race was typically great. Usually a little chilly in the morning, but by race time it was another wonderful fall day in the Wyoming mountains. I used to run this race in a singlet. However, beginning in 2008, when we had a strange ice storm roll in the night before the race, this first weekend in October has proven to be the perennial first snow/cold/crappy weather of the season. 2009 saw the race cancelled thanks to a blizzard the night before, and last year's race, while missing snow, saw colder temps and a howling, freezing west wind that cut through layers of clothing. Thus, when I saw the weather forecast predicting 3-6 inches of snow for Saturday morning, I said to myself, "That figures."
It had yet to begin snowing when I left my house in town to head up the hill. When I arrived at Tie City, the snow was just beginning to fall. I met up with my parents, who travelled over from Cheyenne that morning to spectate, grabbed my race packet, and took off for a warm-up run. 15 minutes later, I was back at the starting line, marvelling at how much snow was beginning to accumulate on the trails.
It had yet to begin snowing when I left my house in town to head up the hill. When I arrived at Tie City, the snow was just beginning to fall. I met up with my parents, who travelled over from Cheyenne that morning to spectate, grabbed my race packet, and took off for a warm-up run. 15 minutes later, I was back at the starting line, marvelling at how much snow was beginning to accumulate on the trails.
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| My dad and me watching the snow fall right before race start. Photo by Cassandra Driver. |
We gathered for the start, where I said hello to Justin Mock and Nick Clark, the stud runners up from Colorado. Also in attendance were my fellow Hungry Dogs Chris Schabron, Nick Cramer, the Big Dog Chris Jons, and Maggie Diller. Jason Delaney hopped on the line next to me wearing only his BRC singlet. He looked at me, smiled, lifted his foot and enthusiastically showed me his shoes. "I'm spiking up, dude!" he proclaimed. Sure enough, he was cruising around in his Adidas cross-country spikes. I, having originally planned to race in my SpeedStars, instead opted for my New Balance 101 trail shoes. I'm not too sure they offered any more traction, by they didn't seem to get snow stuck to the bottom of them quite as bad as the Asics.
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| Snow really started to fall as we gathered for the start. Photo by Cassandra Driver. |
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| From the far left, Chris and me in our yellow HDTC jerseys, Jason in the green singlet, Justin next to him in the white socks, and Nick in the blue hat. One of the studlier starting lines we've had for this race. Photo by Amber Travsky, Laramie Boomerang.
Perry called the race to the line and got us going. From the start, Jason and Justin took off, with Nick not too far behind. Most years, I get sucked into that, bomb down Pole Creek too fast and find myself in oxygen debt when I begin the climb up The Bitch. This year, after a summer of running the course, I decided my best strategy was to be conservative down Pole Creek, do as best I could on the climb, then go as fast as I could on the second half and see if I could run anyone down. This strategy worked, for the most part.
I was tentative on the downhills due to my already well-known ability to fall in the best of conditions. A couple of inches of snow obscuring rocks and roots made things way more treacherous. Ted Haskell, one of the fixtures of Laramie running, has had a habit of really making me work in this race. In 2007, I literally had to out kick him for second place, and I don't believe I have ever finished more than a minute ahead of him. Ted, now officially a Masters at 41, is one of those "old guys" who kick the shit out of young pups on climbs. Ted and Dr. Dan Radosevich (the original Hungry Dog); I get schooled by their old man strength on a continual basis.
Ted caught me going down Pole Creek and I let him go. I kept a consistent 10-20 meters behind him as we went down. To my surprise, Nick Cramer passed me here as well. Nick, an old teammate of mine at UW who we nicknamed "Cosmo" because of his last name (Seinfeld reference), was a good half-miler during his college years. So, as he passed me, I let out some words of caution. "You're gonna want to slow down," I told him. He looked back, smiled, and said, "Hey, I'm just trying to cover as much ground as I can before you school me on The Bitch." Sure enough, after the creek crossing at the bottom of Pole Creek, we began the rolling climb leading up to The Bitch and I caught Cosmo and didn't see him again.
I have always maintained that the worst climb on this course isn't the 700', steep, switch backing climb up The Bitch. In my mind, it's the couple of smaller hills right before. Those little rollers destroy me and set me up for failure on the big climb. However, it was on those rollers that I felt my best. I caught back up to and passed Ted, and kept going. I started to get excited about how good I felt and how maybe this year I was actually going to climb worth a damn. As I began up The Bitch, I was feeling good, but reminded myself to settle in and run within my bounds. That changed after the first couple of switchbacks when I heard a sniffle, looked up on the next switchback and saw Nick Clark.
I immediately sped up. I had never been that close to Nick in a race before, and no offense to him, but one of my goals has been and will continue to be, to beat him in a race. Having him right there, in my sights, got my blood flowing and heart pumping. I decided, again, to calm down, try to reel him in bit by bit, and hopefully have him by the top. From there all I wanted to do was try to stay with him. I bragged in my last post about my confidence in my ability to descend with anyone. That confidence does not cover Nick Clark, whose descending abilities are out of this world. I knew I had to get even with him if I was going to have even the slightest of a shot.
However, that was not meant to be. 2/3's the way up The Bitch, I kept losing my footing in the snow and got a little frustrated and a little winded. By the time I crested the top, Nick was again out of sight, I was jogging down the backside trying to catch my breath (the wind picked up in the open and combined with the climb, the cold air, and the sickness I had a few days before, my lungs were not bringing in enough air), and Ted had summoned his old man strength to once again catch me.
We cruised down Summit and out to Brown's Landing where I finally found myself breathing again. I tucked in behind Ted, shielded my eyes as best I could from the driving snow, and prayed that I didn't misplace any steps in what was now ankle deep snow. My plan was to shamelessly sit on Ted, make him do all work up the backside of Headquarters and down the Overlook, at which point I planned to surge ahead and hopefully out kick him at the end. Ted, old man strength brimming over in the end, had other ideas.
When we came down the Overlook and back into the trees on Headquarters, I tried to make a move. Problem was, Ted was running very strong. And I was beginning to feel the effects of the snow. I was getting tired, and my foot placement was becoming a problem. Every time I surged to try to catch Ted, I seemed to invariably slip off a rock or clip a root hidden in the snow. One particular rock nearly took me down, and in my attempt to stay upright, I flailed my arms and legs about so wildly that I tweaked my hamstring. After that I decided, given the conditions, I would be happy where I was and with all of my parts intact. Ted deserved to beat me. He was the stronger runner that day.
Coming home in the snow. Photo by Cassandra Driver.
Frost everything! Beard, arms, even legs! Photo by Cassandra Driver
I came home in 5th in 1:17 and change, over seven minutes slower than my fastest time on this course. Jason brought home the bacon for the Hungry Dogs in 1:09, with Justin a close second, Clark third and a deserving Ted fourth. After the race, Mr. Jons and I discussed how this was truly a quintessential Wyoming cross-country race blessed by the guys. Coach Sanchez came up to me and said, "Y'know how I always used to say there was a fine line between tough and stupid? Well, I think we crossed that line today!" I laughed and agreed. We also summed up that everyone out there was a distance runner. There were no candy-asses in sight.
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Week Ending May 8
Mon. May 2 - Day off.
Tues. May 3 - Day off. Lazy.
Wed. May 4 - 9 miles in 70 min (7:46 pace). Lunch time run with Jeff and Patrick. Felt pretty good and strong; cruised the single track climb out to the fence line. I was feeling a little bummed this day. We lost a special person. Roni Sanchez, Coach Sanchez's wife and den mother to a couple generations of Hungry Dogs, passed away yesterday afternoon after succumbing to a 10+ year battle with cancer. She was an unbelievably strong and spirited person. She took such good care of the team (and of Coach). Some of my favorite memories from my college XC days were the brunches we had at the Sanchez home following a weekend long run. I remember being a 17 year-old high school senior visiting Wyoming on a recruiting trip in the fall of 2000; I was so warmly and graciously welcomed to the Sanchez home and family by Roni that I knew Wyoming was the place for me. I took an oftentimes misleading path to get here, but I've never regretted it. Wyoming was where I always needed to be, and Roni Sanchez was a big reason why. I will miss her dearly, but I will remember her spirit and her attitude and her strength and hope I can portray even a fraction of it in my own life. She's finally not suffering anymore, and I do find some peace and comfort in that.
Thurs. May 5 - 8.5 miles in 66 min (7:45 pace). Another prairie run with Jeff and Patrick. Patrick went out for more miles, Jeff cut back in for fewer miles. I felt pretty good. Beautiful day in Laramie, WY!
Fri. May 6 - 4 miles in 27 min (6:45 pace). I ran from home to the IM fields by the outdoor track, then kicked off the shoes for 6 x 35 sec. pick-ups with 35 sec. jog between. This simulates the old pre-race workouts we used to do before XC meets back in college. I add the barefoot stuff because I did them on grass and it feels good!
Sat. May 7 - 17 miles. Greenland Trail 25K. All I can say is that I felt this race was a complete disaster. I'm really disappointed in my inability to put it together. Maybe I overestimated what kind of shape I'm in. Maybe I need more experience with these longer trail races. It was also hot, in the 70's by the second loop, and one of the drawbacks to training in Laramie in the winter and spring is that you are never prepared for temperatures much over 60. It's like when we had MWC outdoor in Vegas my sophomore year (2004). We did a workout in Laramie in the snow and wind, then ran the 10,000m the next morning in 95 degree heat. I don't handle heat well to begin with, and especially not when I'm not acclimated to it at all. Couple that with the course being totally wide-open with no shade, and I wilted pretty bad.
Another unforeseen issue was the wind. I had earlier in the week made fun of Greenies (Wyomingites' derogatory term for Coloradoans) for complaining about a 15mph wind. I said something to the effect that we don't even qualify 15mph as a wind in Wyoming. Well, Karma is a bitch and the race began with a 15-20mph headwind for the first 3 or 4 miles. And running into it hurt. It wore me out right from the start. However, I actually welcomed it on the second lap because it was the only thing cooling me down.
Those are my excuses for what I considered a sub-par performance. I placed 15th overall in 1:57:29. I went into the race thinking I could run 1:50 or better. Again, I overestimated my fitness (or my skill level...I may not be as good a runner as I seem to think I am), and got my butt kicked for it. I suppose that I shouldn't expect results to come instantly; I have not trained consistently for four years, I gained nearly 30 pounds (from a lean, mean 152 to a portly 185) since college, and I'm not getting any younger. It really is amazing how differently the body responds to training or how quickly it recovers when one is 27 (I'll be 28 next month) compared to being 19 or 20. I really must adapt my mentality to that. I'll never be in sub-15 5K shape again. That kind of sucks.
That said, we had a good crew down for the race. Johnna kicked some ass, placing 27th overall in 2:04:15; she was the 5th overall woman and the first masters woman. Good ol' Huntington placed 3rd overall in 1:45:01, once again proving that he is a vastly superior runner to myself. That one XC season that I consistently beat him is what it is, a fluke. Jeff and Sam ran well, but felt the heat like I did, and poor Brian DNF'd due to injury. He'll get back on that horse!
Sun. May 8 - Day off.
Totals:
Week's Miles: 38
Running Time: 4:50
Calories Burned: ~ 4,243
May's Miles: 53
Year to Date: 446
Gear: Asics Speedstar 4 (324 miles), New Balance Trail 100 (227 miles)
Tues. May 3 - Day off. Lazy.
Wed. May 4 - 9 miles in 70 min (7:46 pace). Lunch time run with Jeff and Patrick. Felt pretty good and strong; cruised the single track climb out to the fence line. I was feeling a little bummed this day. We lost a special person. Roni Sanchez, Coach Sanchez's wife and den mother to a couple generations of Hungry Dogs, passed away yesterday afternoon after succumbing to a 10+ year battle with cancer. She was an unbelievably strong and spirited person. She took such good care of the team (and of Coach). Some of my favorite memories from my college XC days were the brunches we had at the Sanchez home following a weekend long run. I remember being a 17 year-old high school senior visiting Wyoming on a recruiting trip in the fall of 2000; I was so warmly and graciously welcomed to the Sanchez home and family by Roni that I knew Wyoming was the place for me. I took an oftentimes misleading path to get here, but I've never regretted it. Wyoming was where I always needed to be, and Roni Sanchez was a big reason why. I will miss her dearly, but I will remember her spirit and her attitude and her strength and hope I can portray even a fraction of it in my own life. She's finally not suffering anymore, and I do find some peace and comfort in that.
Thurs. May 5 - 8.5 miles in 66 min (7:45 pace). Another prairie run with Jeff and Patrick. Patrick went out for more miles, Jeff cut back in for fewer miles. I felt pretty good. Beautiful day in Laramie, WY!
Fri. May 6 - 4 miles in 27 min (6:45 pace). I ran from home to the IM fields by the outdoor track, then kicked off the shoes for 6 x 35 sec. pick-ups with 35 sec. jog between. This simulates the old pre-race workouts we used to do before XC meets back in college. I add the barefoot stuff because I did them on grass and it feels good!
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| Start of the Greenland Trail 25K. |
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| Starting the second loop. Feeling the heat. |
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| Coming into the finish. |
That said, we had a good crew down for the race. Johnna kicked some ass, placing 27th overall in 2:04:15; she was the 5th overall woman and the first masters woman. Good ol' Huntington placed 3rd overall in 1:45:01, once again proving that he is a vastly superior runner to myself. That one XC season that I consistently beat him is what it is, a fluke. Jeff and Sam ran well, but felt the heat like I did, and poor Brian DNF'd due to injury. He'll get back on that horse!
Sun. May 8 - Day off.
Totals:
Week's Miles: 38
Running Time: 4:50
Calories Burned: ~ 4,243
May's Miles: 53
Year to Date: 446
Gear: Asics Speedstar 4 (324 miles), New Balance Trail 100 (227 miles)
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Weeks Ending Sept. 25 and Oct. 2
Catching up on a couple of weeks. One was decent, the other not so much. Nothing I can do about that now. I spent last week in Virginia with my parents visiting my little sister and brother-in-law. While it was nice to get out of Laramie for a bit, and great to hang with the fam, I did jack for training and came home with a pretty nasty cold that has managed to hang on for nearly a week (I hypothesize some super-Virginia virus for which I have little to no immunity). So, I am going into Silent Trails either doomed for disaster or extremely well-tapered. Can one really taper off a few 50 mile weeks? I guess I will find out.
Tues. Sept. 20 - 8.6 miles in 62 min (7:12 pace). I ran an old West Laramie loop that Jason and I used to include in a larger, all-of-Laramie loop we did for weekend long runs back in college. I was out between 7 and 8 in the morning, and the traffic over on that side of town was a little ridiculous. And apparently West Laramie residents believe not in sharing the road. Or slowing down whatsoever for pedestrians. Saw my life flash before my eyes a couple of times.
Wed. Sept. 21 - 9 miles in 57 min (6:19 pace). TEMPO RUN! Warm-up from my place to the UW track, form drills and 4x100m strides, then into a three-mile tempo at six-minute pace. I actually hit the mile splits in 5:51, 5:59, and 5:56 for a total of 17:46/3-miles tempo. Felt decent, pretty smooth and relaxed. Followed it up with 6x100m barefoot strides on the infield and a cool-down jog home. Last "workout" before Jelm.
Thurs. Sept. 22 - 5 miles in 38 min (7:35 pace). As if I haven't figured it out yet, I again waited until after work to run, and once again, I felt completely awful. I wanted to get in 8-9 miles, but after making a quick loop out in Cottonwood Estates, I bagged it and went home. Ragan, you NEED to get your runs done in the morning, bonehead!
Fri. Sept. 23 - 6 miles in 42 min (7:00 pace). My house to the UW track, 8x100m barefoot strides, UW track back to my house. Quick and easy pre-race workout.
Sat. Sept. 24 - 13 miles in 97 min (7:37 pace). JELM MOUNTAIN RUN. Went to the race with my dad and Mr. Vogel. Did a quick ten-minute warm-up to get some blood flowing into my lungs. Chris Schabron and I worked together on the first couple of miles while Sam Malmberg opened a gap on us. When we started the first of the real climbing about 1.5 miles in, I thought, "Oh no, I feel terrible, nothing is flowing and it's going to be a bad day." Chris put a few meters on me before my legs woke-up and started getting down to business.
I started churning up the mountain, eventually dropping Chris and continuing up. I felt really good on the climb, the best I have ever felt on that mountain. I thought, for a brief period of time, that I was making up time on Sam. I think this was an illusion; Sam beat me to the top by exactly three minutes, 43:10 to my 46:10.
When I began the descent, I had a choice to make: do I bomb down this mountain as fast and haphazardly as I can and try to catch Sam, or do I take it easy and make sure I have the ability to walk the next few days? I had almost two minutes on Ted, who was in third, at the top. I figured if Ted could make up those two minutes on the descent, I could deal and just out kick him at the finish (sorry Ted, I mean no offense). I decided to relax, figuring I wasn't going to make up three minutes on Sam, a much more skilled trail runner than I, on a descent. I chose to sit and defend my second place.
My plan worked, I was in great shape after the race and had no issues with my plane travel to Virginia the next day. I descended in 30:55 compared to Sam's 28:19, putting me 5:36 behind his winning time of 1:11:29 with a time of 1:17:05. Talking to Sam after the race, he was concerned that I would catch him on the way down, claiming that he was not a great descender. That got me wondering if maybe I shouldn't have pushed harder coming down. However, looking at my previous times on Jelm, I seriously doubt I would have done it.
When I won Jelm in 2008, I ascended in 46:44, and descended in 28:29, for an overall time of 1:15:13. I did climb faster and more comfortably this year, but had I descended in a similar time this year, I still wouldn't have made up those three minutes on Sam. I would have merely remained even with him. What I need to do is figure out how in the hell to get up the mountain faster. I am confident in my ability to descend with just about anyone, and if things were to come down to a kick, I'm pretty confident I could summon up enough of my old track speed to get by the trail guys. What kills me is the time I lose to them on the climb. I can't make that up coming down. I think next year will see a few more forays up Jelm.
Totals:
Week's Mileage: 42
Running Time: 4:56
Year to Date: 1164
As for my week in Virginia...I ran twice on Virginia Beach, felt terrible on both, couldn't breathe in all that thick, humid air, and continued my legacy of being the only human alive that functions at a disadvantage when going down from elevation to run at sea level. Seriously, a look at my personal bests is pretty indicative of this fact.
800m - 1:59.9 in Fort Collins, CO (5,003ft.)
1500m - 4:08 in Fort Collins, CO
Mile - 4:23 indoors at Black Hills State in Spearfish, SD (3,648ft.)
3000m - 8:41 indoors at Nebraska in Lincoln (1,176ft.). However, I ran a 9:02 indoors at Air Force (~7,000ft.) that converts to ~8:42. Basically the same time.
5000m - 14:56 outdoors in Albuquerque, NM (5,312ft.). I ran 15:07 indoors at Iowa State (Ames is 942ft.) one year. And felt twice as bad doing it.
8K XC - 25:35 in Fort Collins, CO. My best low-elevation time was 26:01 at Notre Dame (South Bend is 692ft.).
10,000m - 31:41 at Stanford. Again, I ran a 31:42 at BYU later that year (Provo, UT is 4,551 ft.).
Now, some of these times have certain extenuating circumstances impacting them. For one, since I live in the Rocky Mountain region, and Wyoming is part of the Mountain West Conference consisting of schools in similar geographic locations, most of my running and racing is done at elevation. Also, most of my pr's are from races run at the end of the season, meaning I a) had a whole season worth of conditioning under my belt and b) I was peaked/tapered for most of those races. My 5,000m pr was run two weeks before the MWC outdoor championships, my 8K pr was at the MWC XC championships, and the 3,000m and 10,000m times I ran at elevation were both at conference meets. Most of the lower elevation races were early in the season when I was perhaps less ready to run well. However, I still feel that I have never come close to seeing all the physiological benefits of going down to sea level to race that I heard so much about my entire life.
Mon. Sept. 26 - 4.5 miles in 32 min (7:06 pace). I ran down the straight, boring street that ran along Virginia Beach. I turned around and hopped on the beach coming back. The sand there was so soft that I felt like I was running in peanut butter. After about ten minutes, I retreated back to the pavement.
Wed. Sept. 28 - 4 miles in 30 min (7:30 pace). Again, just wasn't feeling it. It was particularly humid this day (94%). We don't have such things in Wyoming.
After that, I caught a cold from my sister and brought it home with me.
Week's Mileage: 9
Running Time: 1:02
Year to Date: 1175
Gear: Asics Speedstar 5 (162 miles)
Tues. Sept. 20 - 8.6 miles in 62 min (7:12 pace). I ran an old West Laramie loop that Jason and I used to include in a larger, all-of-Laramie loop we did for weekend long runs back in college. I was out between 7 and 8 in the morning, and the traffic over on that side of town was a little ridiculous. And apparently West Laramie residents believe not in sharing the road. Or slowing down whatsoever for pedestrians. Saw my life flash before my eyes a couple of times.
Wed. Sept. 21 - 9 miles in 57 min (6:19 pace). TEMPO RUN! Warm-up from my place to the UW track, form drills and 4x100m strides, then into a three-mile tempo at six-minute pace. I actually hit the mile splits in 5:51, 5:59, and 5:56 for a total of 17:46/3-miles tempo. Felt decent, pretty smooth and relaxed. Followed it up with 6x100m barefoot strides on the infield and a cool-down jog home. Last "workout" before Jelm.
Thurs. Sept. 22 - 5 miles in 38 min (7:35 pace). As if I haven't figured it out yet, I again waited until after work to run, and once again, I felt completely awful. I wanted to get in 8-9 miles, but after making a quick loop out in Cottonwood Estates, I bagged it and went home. Ragan, you NEED to get your runs done in the morning, bonehead!
Fri. Sept. 23 - 6 miles in 42 min (7:00 pace). My house to the UW track, 8x100m barefoot strides, UW track back to my house. Quick and easy pre-race workout.
Sat. Sept. 24 - 13 miles in 97 min (7:37 pace). JELM MOUNTAIN RUN. Went to the race with my dad and Mr. Vogel. Did a quick ten-minute warm-up to get some blood flowing into my lungs. Chris Schabron and I worked together on the first couple of miles while Sam Malmberg opened a gap on us. When we started the first of the real climbing about 1.5 miles in, I thought, "Oh no, I feel terrible, nothing is flowing and it's going to be a bad day." Chris put a few meters on me before my legs woke-up and started getting down to business.
 |
| Chris and me enjoying our Saturday morning. Perfect weather. Photo by Wendy Perkins. |
When I began the descent, I had a choice to make: do I bomb down this mountain as fast and haphazardly as I can and try to catch Sam, or do I take it easy and make sure I have the ability to walk the next few days? I had almost two minutes on Ted, who was in third, at the top. I figured if Ted could make up those two minutes on the descent, I could deal and just out kick him at the finish (sorry Ted, I mean no offense). I decided to relax, figuring I wasn't going to make up three minutes on Sam, a much more skilled trail runner than I, on a descent. I chose to sit and defend my second place.
 |
| Feeling good. Floating over the ground. Photo by Guy Driver. |
 |
| Cruising into the finish. Photo by Wendy Perkins. |
 |
| I like this picture of Patrick, Mr. Race Director, and me. Photo by Wendy Perkins. |
Totals:
Week's Mileage: 42
Running Time: 4:56
Year to Date: 1164
As for my week in Virginia...I ran twice on Virginia Beach, felt terrible on both, couldn't breathe in all that thick, humid air, and continued my legacy of being the only human alive that functions at a disadvantage when going down from elevation to run at sea level. Seriously, a look at my personal bests is pretty indicative of this fact.
800m - 1:59.9 in Fort Collins, CO (5,003ft.)
1500m - 4:08 in Fort Collins, CO
Mile - 4:23 indoors at Black Hills State in Spearfish, SD (3,648ft.)
3000m - 8:41 indoors at Nebraska in Lincoln (1,176ft.). However, I ran a 9:02 indoors at Air Force (~7,000ft.) that converts to ~8:42. Basically the same time.
5000m - 14:56 outdoors in Albuquerque, NM (5,312ft.). I ran 15:07 indoors at Iowa State (Ames is 942ft.) one year. And felt twice as bad doing it.
8K XC - 25:35 in Fort Collins, CO. My best low-elevation time was 26:01 at Notre Dame (South Bend is 692ft.).
10,000m - 31:41 at Stanford. Again, I ran a 31:42 at BYU later that year (Provo, UT is 4,551 ft.).
Now, some of these times have certain extenuating circumstances impacting them. For one, since I live in the Rocky Mountain region, and Wyoming is part of the Mountain West Conference consisting of schools in similar geographic locations, most of my running and racing is done at elevation. Also, most of my pr's are from races run at the end of the season, meaning I a) had a whole season worth of conditioning under my belt and b) I was peaked/tapered for most of those races. My 5,000m pr was run two weeks before the MWC outdoor championships, my 8K pr was at the MWC XC championships, and the 3,000m and 10,000m times I ran at elevation were both at conference meets. Most of the lower elevation races were early in the season when I was perhaps less ready to run well. However, I still feel that I have never come close to seeing all the physiological benefits of going down to sea level to race that I heard so much about my entire life.
Mon. Sept. 26 - 4.5 miles in 32 min (7:06 pace). I ran down the straight, boring street that ran along Virginia Beach. I turned around and hopped on the beach coming back. The sand there was so soft that I felt like I was running in peanut butter. After about ten minutes, I retreated back to the pavement.
Wed. Sept. 28 - 4 miles in 30 min (7:30 pace). Again, just wasn't feeling it. It was particularly humid this day (94%). We don't have such things in Wyoming.
After that, I caught a cold from my sister and brought it home with me.
Week's Mileage: 9
Running Time: 1:02
Year to Date: 1175
Gear: Asics Speedstar 5 (162 miles)
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