Week Ending Jan. 29 & Yeti Chase 10K

Another solid week in the books.  The next couple of weeks will be focused on building up some miles in preparation for the Trudge.  I'm curious/cautious going forward from here since the mileage figures I have on the schedule the next few weeks will take me into territory I haven't been to in nearly six years.  I'm very comfortable with 45-55 right now.  I'm interested to see how my body reacts to 65-75 again. 

I also am looking to spend the next couple of weekends up in the mountains trudging around.  It seems odd to really focus and train for a free "race" in February, but given my past soul-crushing experiences at the Trudge, I really want to actually be somewhat prepared for once.  And I feel the best way to do that is to simply do it.  I've had my fun the last month with some shorter, faster road races, but that probably won't translate too well to trudging through the snow.  I was going to find another road race sometime in the first couple of weeks in February, but I think my time (and money) will be better spent focusing on some mountain training.

I had a pretty damn good race, a fun weekend out of Laramie, and a good time with good friends, both old and new.

Mon. Jan. 23 - 4 miles in 60 min (15:00 pace).  I wasn't feeling super hot all day but decided to head up the mountain after work and hike/run around a little bit.  I went in on the Pilot Hill road and followed a ridge running east parallel to Highway 210.  I stopped as it got dark, built a fire, made some dinner, and sat for an hour or so enjoying the evening (it was calm, no wind, WTF?).  Then I packed up and hiked/ran back out.  Nice way to relax after a somewhat frustrating day.

Tues. Jan. 24 - 10 miles in 75 min (7:30 pace).  TUESDAY NIGHT HILLS.  Three mile warm-up over to hospital hill, then 6x530m hills with jog downhill rest.  We got a little excited on number one and ran it stupid fast in 1:46.  We settled down and I hit 1:52, 1:51, 1:53, 1:53, 1:50.  Because of the stupid fast first one, rests were longer than last week's session, and I thought it would have been a little more productive to go out in and average 1:51 and finish up with a sub-1:50.  Oh well, six in one, half a dozen in the other, really.  Three-mile cool down run home.

Wed. Jan. 25 - 4 miles in 27 min (6:45 pace).  Morning run on the Greenbelt.  I fought the wind on the latter half and was a little whooped from the hills the night before.

Thurs. Jan. 26 - 4 miles in 28 min (7:03 pace).  This is the worst run I've had all year.  I didn't want to run, but gave into my compulsion (like I proclaimed I wouldn't do in last week's post) and forced myself out for four miles.  I was not checked in mentally and did the bare minimum.  I got home and did a pretty thorough core workout to try to make up for it.  That actually felt pretty good.

Fri. Jan. 27 - 5.5 miles in 39 min (7:09 pace).  Form workout at the fieldhouse.  I felt better this morning than I did the previous evening, even in the snow that fell during the run.  Usual Friday program: 2x form drills followed by 8x180m laps with same as half lap rest.  Averaged 32-33 for the first seven and came home in 28.9 on number eight.  Cool down run home.

Sat. Jan. 28 - 11 miles in 71 min (6:27 pace).  YETI CHASE 10K.  Scooch and I made it down to Golden Friday evening where we stayed with the Delaneys.  I got up Saturday and made the quick jaunt down to Bear Creek Lake Park in Lakewood.  I met up with Evan, Kennedy, Elizabeth, and Courtney, the other Laramigos down for the race.  The event marked Kennedy's first 5K.  Congrats!

L to R: Me, Kennedy, Elizabeth, Yeti, Evan, Courtney

I did a quick couple of miles of warm-up, and made the decision to go shorts and singlet in what was a fairly chilly and breezy morning.  We lined up for the start and I looked around and realized I didn't know anyone.  I have been out of the racing circuit, especially in Colorado, for many a moon.

The race started and it was immediately down to a lead group of five, with two runners setting the pace and me and two others about 10 seconds back.  The first mile had one nice downhill in it that set us up to hit a 5:15 split.  Once down, the wind was a bit of an issue, so the other runner, a younger guy named Collier, asked if I wanted to split duties fighting the wind with him.  I agreed and we made the rounds, drafting off each other for the next half mile or so.  We hit mile two in a 5:33 split, which I felt was quite a bit more comfortable than 5:15.

From mile two, we had some uphill that I felt comfortable on (hooray for Tuesday Night Hills) and I started to feel Collier struggle a little.  Once over the hill, we dropped back down onto a flat section around a lake.  We hit mile three in 5:43 (16:31 for three miles) and started a pretty challenging uphill section.  I dropped Collier on that hill, and again thanked the hill workouts we have been doing.  I made it over said hill and turned downhill where I did relax a little in order to recover. 

I hit mile four in 5:51 (22:22 at four miles) and firmly in third place (mile four pic here).  I saw second place maybe 25 seconds in front of me and thought, "let's see if I can run this guy down."  I spent mile five recovering while trying to reel him in (mile five did have another small hill) and hit the split in 5:41 (28:03 for five miles).  Mile six was pretty flat, but we caught the tail end of the 5Kers who had started before us.  For the most part, this wasn't an issue, though I did have to dodge a couple of people, and I lost sight of  second place in the crowd.  I still dropped down to 5:29 for the mile six split, but by that time, things had been determined.  I came home third in 34:39, with second finishing in 34:25.  I was reeling him in, but not quickly enough.

Third place was good enough for $50 worth of prize money, which covered the entry fee and some of the gas cost to get down there.  I ran a cool down with second place, Frank Therrian, who spent his college days running for Central Michigan.  We spent a couple of miles swapping college cross country stories.  Nice guy, hope to race him again soon.

After a cursory glance at some of my old mileage logs, I came to the conclusion that the 34:39 may be the fastest road 10K I've ever run.  I don't believe I've ever broken 35 on the roads.  My pr 31:41 was on the track at Stanford, and I've hit 32:03 on a cross country course in Arkansas.  I really feel that had the course been flat, I could have run low to mid-33 minutes.  That makes me feel pretty good.  Maybe this old dog does have something left in the tank.

Sun. Jan. 29 - 13 miles in 98 min (7:32 pace).  Jason and I met some of his fellow BRC-Adidas teammates for a wind blown run up and around North Table Mesa in Golden.  A couple of the climbs up the mesa left me pretty empty, but overall it was a great group run on dry trails (what?!), even with the wind.  Then we spent the day eating, drinking beer, playing with Jason's two little ones, and eating some more.  Good weekend.

Totals:
Week's Miles: 52
Running Time: 6:38
Year to Date: 191 (23:45 running time)

Gear: Asics Speedstar 5 (482 miles), Saucony Peregrine (182 miles), Asics HyperSpeed 3 (92 miles)

*Linked pictures from SkiPix.com*

Week Ending Jan. 22

I had a down week scheduled since I had gone up each of the three previous weeks.  However, thanks to the fantastic (note: sarcasm) weather we've had recently in the Laramie Basin (and southeastern Wyoming as a whole), it became more of a down week than I planned.  The weekend in particular was terrible; beginning with the unruly winds on Saturday and continuing into a "flash" whiteout blizzard with 50-60mph winds on Sunday.

My former self would have obsessed about days missed and miles not run, and would have forced myself out into those miserable conditions, risking potential injury for no reason other than to satisfy my own compulsion.  I feel now, in what maybe isn't as tough a body but what I hope is a slightly wiser mind, that fighting those conditions in January is not worth the few miles I had on the schedule.  The thing that I have been most concerned about since I started training seriously again is injury.  I have been derailed by injuries too frequently in the past.  Tweaking my achilles while fighting the wind months out from my goal race would be extremely counterproductive.  Not to mention, forcing myself out in that kind of weather to prove my "toughness" is actually nothing more than vain stupidity.  It's not worth it.  I'd much rather stay healthy now, worry about more miles later when the weather gets better, and not spend weeks on the sidelines nursing an injury.

In other news, we had the High Plains Harriers officer elections Sunday evening.  I was unable to attend thanks to the aforementioned weather that stranded me in Cheyenne.  In what I can only assume was an uncontested election, I was elected vice-president to Jeff French's president.  I really look forward to getting more involved with the club and the local running community as a whole.  I think we are cultivating a great group of runners and building a solid running/fitness atmosphere up here in Laramie.  We seem to be stirring interest in the club and its going-ons as well as putting out a good product, fostering connections and putting on fantastic events.  I hope to see more good things in 2012.

Also, the new HPH website went live a couple of days ago, here.

Mon. Jan. 16 - 3 miles in 21 min (7:00 pace).  Easy recovery day.

Tues. Jan. 17 - 10 miles in 75 min (7:30 pace).  The return of Tuesday Night Hills!  I picked up Rachel on the three mile warm-up over to hospital hill.  The program was 6x530m hills with jog downhill rest.  Horsecow and I paired up and hit what I felt was a pretty damn good workout.  Splits were: 1:56, 1:52, 1:52, 1:51, 1:52, 1:51.  Rests averaged around 3:00.  Three mile jog home.

Wed. Jan. 18 - DAY OFF.  This was the first day I took off since Dec. 29.  I had flirted with the idea of trying to run everyday of the year, like my good buddy Chris Schabron did last year.  However, I decided that, again, my ultimate goal for the next six months is preparing for the Big Horn 50M.  I'm not going to sacrifice my race there to satisfy the compulsion of squeezing in a run everyday.  It is okay, even intelligent, to rest once in awhile.  Let the body recover a bit.  Oftentimes, it comes back even stronger.  So, again, getting away from my past compulsive behavior, I took a day off.  And it was excellent.

Thurs. Jan. 19 - A.M. 3 miles in 21 min (7:00 pace).  Quick morning run to complement the pub run later.

P.M. - 5 miles in 40 min (8:00 pace).  Pub Run.  Started at Front Street, then over to The Library, back across campus to The Ranger, over the tracks to Bud's, then to Lovejoy's for dinner.  Then we decided to get out of hand and had a long night cap at 3rd Street.  The crowd this run was particularly rowdy; shirts were optional for stretches of the run, and it felt like more beers than usual were consumed in route.  I didn't "run" back over the tracks for home until 1:30am.  Good times!

Fri. Jan. 20 - 4 miles in 28 min (6:52 pace).  Was feeling the pub run a little, but managed to squeeze in a quick post-work run on the Greenbelt before going out to dinner with my dad, who, since my mom was out in Virginia visiting my sister, was bored and lonely and came over.  And we ate bbq.  Awesome.

Sat. Jan. 21 - 6.5 miles in 43 min (6:36 pace).  I had planned a four mile tempo that I was hoping to get done in under 24 minutes.  After a two mile warm-up, I hopped on the Greenbelt at Curtis St. and ran south.  I went through two miles in a comfortable 11:50, and then I made the mistake of turning into what had become a 40mph wind.  I hit mile three in 18 minutes and shut it down.  Fighting the wind had negated the point of the tempo part of the run.  Again, not worth forcing something in that wind.  I was pretty pissed about it and spent my two mile cool down cursing to myself, yelling at the wind, and generally being a mopey little pissant.

I thought about it later and decided that hey, I got a couple of good miles in and still kept up close to six-minute pace into that wind for another mile, so maybe it's not all bad.  Again, it's January.  The objective is to stay active, stay healthy, and get in shape to run more miles later in what will hopefully be improving weather.

Sun. Jan. 22 - Unintended day off.  I, like my father, got bored and lonely on Saturday and went over to Cheyenne to hang out with him.  My plan was to stay Saturday night and head back over to Laramie in the morning, stopping at Happy Jack on the way to do 11-12 miles of trudging.  When I awoke on Sunday morning, I found a raging blizzard outside.  50-60mph winds, blowing snow, whiteout conditions, and closed highways.  While I debated going out for a few miles in Cheyenne, I decided, again, that fighting the wind just wasn't freaking worth it.  So I was a bum and drank some beer and watched football.  Ultimately, that was a much better decision than running.

So, I ended up a few miles short of what I had on the schedule (40-45 miles).  I'm not going to lose sleep over it. 

Totals:
Week's Miles: 32
Running Time: 3:48
Year to Date: 139 (17:07 running time)

Mastodon - The Sparrow

This week's song is from another of my absolute favorite bands, Mastodon.  I've admired this band and their phenomenal musicianship for years now.  I listen to their songs and simply wonder, "how the hell did they think of that riff?"  Anyway, this is the last song on their latest album, The Hunter, and it is predominately an instrumental with a four-word lyrical refrain, "Pursue happiness with diligence."  I've had those words floating around in my head for some time now...and I find they accurately describe my attitude toward life at the moment.  I spent the last couple of years concerned with the happiness of others at the detriment of my own.  I've earned the right to be a little selfish, and to pursue my own happiness with diligence.

Week Ending Jan. 15

Polished off what I feel was a pretty solid week.  The runs have been coming pretty easy the last couple of weeks.  That's partly due to me being hooked-in to the process again.  I've finally arrived back at the point where I look forward to running everyday, and once I am out on the run, there's nothing else I'd rather be doing.  However, my long run yesterday did take me a few miles to get "checked-in" to.  But once I was there in the moment, into the run, it went swimmingly.

This coming week will be a cut back week.  I think I'm going to do a three up, one down build-up schedule through the spring.  The past three weeks I went 36, 46, 51, so I think I'll keep it to 40-45 this week, and then look to go 50-55, 55-60, and 60-65.  That should set me up to have a down week before the Trudge which would be pretty nice.  After that, I'm looking to hit a race per month going forward to Big Horn. 

One of my questions or concerns with a mileage build-up is seeing how much I can actually do.  In the past, I've been able to stay healthy and run well on 80 miles per week.  A couple of times in college, I got into the 90s (I've never had a 100 mile week) and broke pretty badly.  Seemed like as I got over 85 and into the 90-95 range, I fell apart.  The weeks after those 90+ weeks were typically in the 50s since I was on my ass trying to recover.  That's pretty pointless.

I'm not sure if I am a different runner than I was then.  I'm a slightly larger body than a lot of distance runners and I've often hypothesized that my extra mass simply can't handle the stress of that many miles.  I would like to revisit this and see if I can, if I'm smart about it, get to running in the 90s or triple digits comfortably.  However, I don't want to sacrifice something like Big Horn just so I can test my durabilty.  I think, for now, my eventual goal is to get back to that 80-85 range and make myself comfortable there.  Once I feel like I can handle that long-term, I may push a little harder and see what I can handle.

That may be getting ahead of myself.  I'm feeling pretty comfortable with this 40-50 range right now, but I haven't been into the 60s in five or six years.  One step at a time.

Mon. Jan. 9 - 6.5 miles in 45 min (6:56 pace).  Easy loop on the Greenbelt in the morning.  Still a little surprised about how good I feel following the snow shoe race.  I guess when one actually trains, a long race like that doesn't necessarily cripple a person.

Tues. Jan. 10 - 5.5 miles in 40 min (7:16 pace).  Post-work run along a shortened Spring Creek loop.  I had a hard time seeing things in the dark eventhough I had my headlamp on because of all the traffic and blinding headlights.  Not the most fun run I've had.

Wed. Jan. 11 - 4 miles in 29 min (7:15 pace).  Morning run on the Greenbelt in the blowing snow.  Weather rolled in overnight and made it kind of a crappy day.  I had intended to get out after work for another quick 4-miler, but decided, given the conditions, I wasn't that ambitious.  Ultimately, this was a good decision.  Not worth getting hurt in bad weather for four stinkin' miles.

Thurs. Jan. 12 - 11 miles in 1:23 (7:35 pace).  I met Jeff and Patrick for a lunch run.  It turned into a little longer of a run than I had planned, but running-wise, I felt pretty good.  However, I made a huge rookie mistake (I really, REALLY should know better) and did not wear enough clothing.  I got home to change for the run, checked my indoor/outdoor thermometer, saw that it was 34 degrees, exclaimed, "Yes!" and proceeded to put on shorts and a single long-sleeved shirt.  We had a rule in college that if it was 25 degrees or warmer, you wore shorts.  I, in my stupidity, neglected to account for the freezing wind chill (something, again, I should always account for since I live in freakin' Wyoming), and that wind cut right through my shirt.  I was very glad to get home and get in the shower.

Fri. Jan. 13 - 5.5 miles in 38 min (6:54 pace).  Warm-up to the fieldhouse, 2xhigh knees, butt kicks, side-bounds, karioka, and speed skaters, 8x180m laps averaged in 34 sec with 90m half lap same as jog rest.  Hit number eight in 28.6.  Had a little more speed this week than last week, but felt very tired after this one.  Cool down home.

Sat. Jan. 14 - 5 miles in 36 min (7:12 pace).  My old Monterrey Heights-Bar X-Western Hills loop in Cheyenne.  Pretty windy morning causing me to fight it a little more than I wanted, but otherwise I felt good.

Sun. Jan. 15 - 13.5 miles in 90 min (6:40 pace).  Sunday long run in Cheyenne.  I didn't get out until 1:30 or so, and as I alluded to earlier in this post, I spent a few miles around Mustang Ridge trying to find a physical and mental groove.  Once I got out on Storey and headed east to Ridge, I found that groove and started clicking off the miles.  I had wanted 13-15 today, and as I came up on 13, I decided that was enough for today.  I was happy with the pace.  Sub-seven pace still seems a little fast to me, but it was very comfortable today.  That's a good sign.

Totals:
Week's Miles: 51
Running Time: 6:02
Year to date: 107 (13:19 running time)

Gear: Asics SpeedStar 5 (462 miles) Saucony Peregrine (148 miles)

Patti Fiasco - Electric Smile (Live) And an Injury Report

Saw The Patti Fiasco at the Wyoming student union last night for a rocking free show.  Though they are based out of Fort Collins now, this band originated up north here in the WYO.  Very energetic and fun.

And my injury update: I got home from the show last night and as I was getting into bed, I stubbed my little left toe on the bed post.  I didn't think anything of it until I woke up in the morning and found my toe covered in blood.  Split the damn thing open at the cuticle.  Awesome.

Week Ending Jan. 8 & Snowy Range Snow Shoe Races

Back-to-back decent weeks for the first time in a long time.  Also strung together two consecutive good races.  And I just got back from the doctor with a clean bill of health.  My shoulder is still a little dinged up from my flailing at Silent Trails.  I have a pretty good-sized trapezoidal spasm and the bump in there that concerned me is more than likely an inclusion cyst, both of which should eventually work themselves out.  My other concern was some discomfort I was feeling in my lower left abdomen that I was concerned might be a hernia.  I had a hernia repaired once when I was a toddler, so this was not out of the question.   However, the doc found no evidence of that and my issue is more than likely a simple lower abdominal muscle strain or pull thanks to the races I've run the last two weeks.  So, now that I've shared a lot of personal information, let's get on with the show.

Mon. Jan. 2 - 5 miles in 35 min (6:54 pace).  I got out for an out-and-back on the Greenway in Cheyenne after sitting on my butt all day.

Tues. Jan. 3 - 4 miles in 30 min (7:36 pace).  My four mile out-and-back on the Greenbelt in Laramie.  I had planned to continue on and do the south loop, but Saturday's race caught up with me and I called it at four.  Did a quick round of core work after.

Wed. Jan. 4 - 7 miles in 63 min (9:00 pace).  I got up early for some snow shoe fun at Happy Jack in the rising sun.  I went down Pole Creek until the snow stopped, then turned around and went up Aspen and Forest, turned around and went up Middle Aspen for a couple of minutes, and then came back in up Pole Creek.  It was a beautiful morning up on the trails.

Thurs. Jan. 5 - 6 miles in 42 min (7:00 pace).  Did what I am now referring to as the Spring Creek Loop in the morning.  Felt pretty alright.

Fri. Jan. 6 - 5.5 miles in 38 min (6:54 pace).  Friday form work.  My house to fieldhouse, 2xhigh knees, butt kicks, side bounds, karioka, followed by 8x180m laps in 35 sec with 35 sec half lap jog rest.  Hit the last one in 30 sec.  Not feeling much speed this morning.  Renovations of the indoor track at the fieldhouse are pretty much complete and they look great!

Sat. Jan. 7 - 15 miles in 3:18 (13:13 pace).  Snowy Range Snow Shoe Races!  My dad drove over early to pick me up and we drove up the mountain to the ski area.  I signed up for what was billed as a backcountry 20K, and met the seven other crazy people who decided to do that silly race as well.  Sam and Jenn Malmberg were there, as was Mr. Martisius, who decided to forsake speed in the name of wearing the largest snow shoes I have ever seen.  It was like he had his own personal catamaran.  Our start time was 8:30am, with the 5K and 10K starting later.  After some pre-race instructions and course directions, Josh Fuller started us with a hearty blast of his vuvuzela. 

Pre-race meeting.

And we're off!  Note Fuller in back with the vuvuzela.

From the horn I took the lead with what I thought was a pretty conservative pace.  The first mile or two worked us up out of the ski area and toward Libby Creek trail.  Once on Libby Creek, I took a good digger when my snow shoe cleat grabbed a tree branch hidden by snow.  That allowed Sam to get back on my tail.  As we worked around Libby, I started to feel the 10,000ft. elevation and decided to start hiking the climbs.  I expected either Sam or Kyle Fanning, who had caught up to us by that point, to pass me on the climb up from the creek and onto Libby Ridge.  Neither did, however, with Sam expressing that he was content to follow me since I was the one who knew where we were going.  The course was very well marked, so I'm not sure I believe him.  I will concede that out of the three of us, I was the only one who knew these trails.

I pulled into the first aid station at about 1:05 into the adventure.  Sam Vogel and Fuller were there with cheer, water, and fig newtons (yum!).  I had put 20-30 sec. on Sam by that point, but I waited at the aid station so we could head out together.  From the aid station, we entered my favorite part of the course; a quick, few-miles long downhill on Barber Lake trail.

I pulled into the second aid station around 1:49 on my running time.  I was feeling pretty good at that point, and had built a comfortable lead on Sam and Kyle.  Again, though, I waited for Sam at the aid station so we could continue together.  At the aid station, we asked the volunteers there how far along we were.  One answered, "about half way."  I thought, "no way, we're at least two-thirds done."  However, I should have recalled the old saying about how in a mile race, it's the third lap that is the farthest from the finish line, not the first.  This proverb would prove correct.

From the second aid station we entered the rolling Corner Mountain trails that had a little more snow on them.  As I crested a rise, a large bull and large cow moose bolted in front of me, eliciting my cry of , "HOLY SHIT!"  I yelled at them a couple more times as I continued, but we went our separate ways and called it good.

Next was the crux of the course.  From Corner Mountain we hopped back on Barber Lake road for a short distance before making a turn up a forest service road.  I have camped off that road many times, but it produced the most difficult part of the race.  For a couple of miles, we trudged through mid-calf to knee-deep snow.  The only other evidence of humans out there were the two sets of snow shoe tracks left by those who marked the course the day before.  I tried to just settle in and walk in the previous tracks to avoid having to break much trail.  I found my trek poles to be particularly useful at that time.  I theorize I built up a good lead on Sam and Kyle on the section, since they did not have poles and I envisioned them struggling to stay upright without them.

I finally got on a groomed ski trail around the ski area and was thinking, "hey, I might almost be done!"  It was wishful thinking.  Alec had us finish with the 5K loop around Hanging Lake.  I was pretty cooked at that time, and struggled to make myself keep running.  I also struggled to keep my pants on.  After three hours of sweating and getting wet from the snow, my pants were so heavy with water that I had to fight to keep them over my ass.  That was my last couple of miles; cursing, wanting to be done, and constantly pulling up my pants.

Finally, I heard the joyful cry of the vuvuzela at the finish line.  I pulled up my poles and sprinted as best I could to the finish.  I crossed in first in 3:18:16 and was immediately handed a Pabst from Fuller.  After some congrats, back-slaps and handshakes, I turned around to see Kyle coming in.  Three miles before, I had no sighting of the guy, was certainly minutes ahead of him, and then he pulled to within 40 seconds of me at the finish.  He must has been burning on that last 5K.  Had the race been a mile longer, he might have had me dead to rights.

Finally frickin' done.

Alec's hand comes from out of nowhere to shake mine.

I got me a medallion!

That was the race.  Some conferring at the awards ceremony concluded that the course was actually about 25K, with multiple GPSs reading between 15.2 and 15.5 miles.  So, we all proposed that next year, Alec should probably bill this as a 25K, not 20K.  Some accuracy, please.

What a well executed race.  Alec worked his butt off and it showed, and I think it was worth it.  Hopefully others agree.  Great job from all the volunteers and sponsors who made a heck of an inaugural race.  I hope to see everyone again next year, with a few more out there as well!

Sun. Jan. 8 - 4 miles in 30 min (7:36 pace).  A quick morning running on the Greenbelt to shake out some of the junk from the race.  I was actually feeling pretty darn good considering the thrashing the day before.  I should train for races more often.  Seems like I'm not crippled if I do.

Totals:
Week's Miles: 46.5
Running Time: 7:17

Gear: Asics Speedstar 5 (422 miles) Saucony Peregrine (144 miles)

Cave In - Vicious Circles [HQ audio]

Enough with the acoustic/indie/melancholy stuff.  Back to the basics with one of my favortie bands ever-Cave In.  This latest album of theirs is a great amalgamation of what they've done in the past while also sounding fresh and unique. 

Past Two Weeks-Resolution Run-Year End Thoughts-Looking Forward

Time to finish off 2011 and move on to 2012 (say it "two-thousand and twelve," that will make Ryan Lunde very, very happy!).  This particular post may be long-winded; I have some things to cover.  First, let's round up the last two weeks of training (or more appropriately, non-training).

Tues. Dec. 20 - 6.5 miles in 48 min (7:23 pace).  Greenbelt run after work.  Felt pretty decent, especially considering  I hadn't run since the previous Wednesday.

Wed. Dec. 21 - A.M. 3 miles in 21 min (7:00 pace).  Quick morning run on the Greenbelt to complement this evening's pub run.

P.M. - 5 miles in 41 min (8:11 pace).  Start at the Alibi, on to Front Street, Ranger, Bud's, Altitude for dinner, and a night cap Guinness with Harnisch at 3rd Street.  Nice, relaxed social run with great company. 

And that was it for that week.  I went home to Cheyenne for Christmas and neglected to do anything other than eat for the next four days.

Totals:
Week's Miles: 14
Running Time: 1:09

Tues. Dec. 27 - 4 miles in 29 min (7:15 pace).  Quick post-work run on the Greenbelt to loosen up.  Followed with a thorough core workout.  Felt good to do something physically productive after sitting on my ass for nearly a week.

Wed. Dec. 28 - 8 miles in 75 min (9:22 pace).  Snow shoe run in the morning before work.  Parked at the Summit trailhead and proceeded down Crow Creek, up and out Headquarters, Browns Landing, Summit, and Headquarters back in to the trail head.  I had a skier mouth off to me when I used a section of groomed trail to connect Headquarters and Browns.  I ignored him.

The nordic ski club grooms a network of trails at Pole Mountain all winter long.  I have a small grudge going with the local skiers concerning my use of these groomed trails with my snow shoes (I don't ski).  The skiers can be particularly dickish about snow shoers being on the groomed trails.  My response is to point out that Pole Mountain is NOT a ski resort.  It is a multi-use recreational area within the boundaries of a public-use national forest.  Therefore, as a good, tax-paying American citizen, I'm going to snowshoe wherever I damn well please.  Especially considering the groomed trails follow the established trail system in most places, and you don't see me whining when I see skiers on what have been designated (by the nordic association, no less) as "snow shoe" trails. 

I've been fighting with those guys for the better part of ten years.  I'm just going to continue to ignore them and snow shoe where I want.  Free country. 

Fri. Dec. 30 - 4 miles in 29 min (7:15 pace).  Post-work Greenbelt run.  Tried to do a short 6x35 sec. with 35 sec. rest pick-up in the middle, but I'm not sure I was really picking it up all that much.  Oh well.

Sat. Dec. 31 - A.M. 3 miles in 21 min (7:00 pace).  Fought the wonderful Wyoming wind which has made its reappearance this week.  Hurricane force gusts (90mph) with sustained speeds of 35-55mph.  Awesome.

P.M. - 8 miles in 53 min (6:37 pace).  I drove to Cheyenne mid-morning through some amazing weather (wind, blowing snow, little visibility) and learned, when I got to town, that I-25 south to Colorado was closed.  Chris Schabron and I had been planning to head down for the KRFC Resolution Run 5K in Fort Collins that evening.  At noon, we decided that we were going to stay home.  By 3pm, the wind had died down, the sun had come out, it warmed up, and most importantly, the roads south had opened.  Race started at 7pm; Chris and I decided at 5pm that yes, we would head down for the race.

My dad drove us down so he could watch and we got to the CSU (boo!) campus about 40 min before race time.  Packet pick-up left us with about 15 min to warm-up as best we could.

Now, I wasn't feeling super hot on the ride down (I still don't; there is definitely something wrong with me) and I hadn't been very consistent with my running over the last month and I hadn't raced since Silent Trails, nearly three months before.  So, I had zero expectations going in and was hoping to perhaps place top-ten and maybe run in the 17s.

The race started and I went out conservatively.  At the half mile or so, I was feeling pretty good so I decided to catch up with Nick "Cosmo" Cramer who had gone out with the lead group.  I caught Nick and was surprised at how good I was feeling after that little surge.  I yelled at Nick for not wearing his Hungry Dog jersey and decided we should start rolling up the ten or so guys in front of us.  I went through the mile at 5:12, which surprised me since a) I had no idea I was running that fast and b) that 5:12 felt very good. 

I continued on to the second lap (different course this year from when I last ran in 2009) and continued rolling up the guys in front of me.  By half-way around the second lap, I had caught up to Sam Malmberg.  I sat on him for a few seconds before deciding to continue on around him.  I entered the finishing lap around the oval in second place.  I could see first place way out in front of me, already nearly half-way around the oval.  That would be Scott Foley, a former Central High runner who was part of the senior class I "coached" in 2007.  He's finishing up his last year at Boise State, and has been running phenomenally as of late.

I came into the finish feeling fantastic.  Crossed the line in second place in 16:23.  I have no idea where that race came from, but I won't question it.  I felt great the whole race; never once feeling like I was struggling.  Scott finished in 15:31, which he ran solo toward the tail-end of a 90 mile week.  I'm impressed.  That kid is arriving.  I think if he sticks to it, he can make a push for the marathon trials in 2016.

2011 KRFC Resolution Run.  Southeast Wyoming crew (L to R): Me, Chris Schabron, Scott Foley, Sean Wilde, Maya Wilde, and the famous Rick Bishop.

The Laramie/Cheyenne crew cleaned up.  Scott first, me second, Chris 9th (17:32), Sean 10th (17:38), and Cosmo 11th (17:40).  If that had been a cross country race, we'd have won handly.  Good times.

December Miles: 110

Sun. Jan. 1 - 9 miles in 60 min (6:40 pace).  I went out to loosen up, my calves being particularly tight after the race the night before.  Ended up feeling pretty good, so what was originally meant to be about a 7 mile run around the parks turned into a nine-miler with the capital loop added on.  Turned into a nice day and...NO WIND!!! 

Totals:
Week's Miles: 36
Running Time: 4:27

Gear: Asics SpeedStar 5 (397 miles), Saucony Peregrine (122 miles)

Now, I had mentioned that I wished to discuss this past year.  While it was challenging and sometimes very difficult, it was also rewarding and eye-opening.  I was motivated to begin this blog as more a motivation tool for myself than a way to share my training and thoughts with others, and in that regard, it has worked out pretty well.  While I am still prone to some periods of being undisciplined and unmotivated, I have trained pretty consistently all year, something I hadn't done really since college.

I sat at my desk last January staring at a figure: my mileage from 2010.  That number was 772.  Since I started running when I was a 15 year old high school sophomore, that was the least I had ever run.  And it showed.  I was an ill-defined, slow, beer-bellied 185 pounds.  I was unhappy and moody.  I was 27 years old and questioned whether I would ever be able to recapture that little bit of my youth. 

I'm not sure what it was I missed most.  I think it was the sensation of running with little effort.  For the past few years, the inconsistency with which I had run, due to injuries, apathy, and a myriad of other excuses, had made it impossible for me to run without it feeling like a struggle.  And when I knew it would be a struggle, I would force myself to do it.  And when I got tired of forcing myself to do it, I simply didn't do it.  And the greatest gift I've ever had in my life was gone.

So, back in January, I vowed to make myself try a little harder.  I made myself find the motivation and inspiration to get out and get it done.  And in the course of twelve months, I found that there are many things I can do if I just try.  And in the process, I made some close friends and rediscovered a part of myself I thought may have been lost forever.  I am really glad to have it back.

I ran 1564 miles in 2011.  I started the year at an amorphous 185 pounds and sit here today a much leaner and meaner 162.  I brought my 5K time down from 18+ to 16:20.  I ran my first sub-five mile in over three years.  I improved consistently all year.  I got some mojo back, I became a little more like my old self.  I took steps to pursue my own happiness with diligence.  I stopped drinking so damn much.  I started eating a lot healthier.  And I ran my first ultra; enduring the epic 50 miles across the Wind River Range with an amazing and inspiring group of individuals.

I owe a debt of gratitude to Patrick Eastman, Jeff French, and Alec Muthig for adopting me into their fold and showing me what running truly is, fun.  I had lost that over the years between taking things too seriously in college, to spending a couple of years in there hating running and hating myself for not doing it.  This year, I truly fell in love with running.  The act of it, the practice of it, the fun of it.  It's been an incredible year, and I thank the above mentioned guys for the help and friendship. 

Here's to 2011.  I think it will prove to have been a beautiful stepping stone to bigger and better things in 2012.  And with that, I need to go run!