This week's song (not sure if this is a new, recurring theme or not) is this sweet cover of U2's Zoo Station Mr. Reznor. I've been a huge NIN fan since I was pretty little (I was 11 or 12 when I bought Pretty Hate Machine), and I have been missing it a little since Reznor but NIN on hiatus. This helps.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Week Ending Nov. 13
Surprise! Another sub-par week thanks to my laziness. I have been on edge the last week or so; I have no patience (even less than usual) and am quick to get frustrated and lose my temper. I have also been extremely tired thanks to a couple of late nights and this strange ability to not get completely rested off nine or ten hours of sleep. The majority of the weekend found me on my couch, shivering and feeling terrible. I have felt better so far this week, but I was out of it Sunday.
The famous Wyoming wind made a return this weekend, and with a vengeance. It has been howling for four straight days, and I mean howling. Everything outside my house has been blown over, to include garbage cans, my grill, and all my weighted down patio furniture. The windows in my old house are terrible and they provide little in the way of a barrier between inside and the cold. I have a feeling I am not going to enjoy my gas bill next month.
My objective this week is to relax a little, run a little more, pray the wind calms down (seriously, I'm talking gusts up to 90mph), and really get into my thesis. Yes, I have done the impossible; I actually started the damn thing.
Mon. Nov. 7 - 4 miles in 30 min (7:30 pace). Quick run after work just to get something done. Followed it with a lengthy core routine.
Tues. Nov. 8 - 6.5 miles in 47 min (7:10 pace). A little "North Laramie" loop on a brisk morning. I have been enjoying the time change that is bringing me sunlight at 6:30am.
Wed. Nov. 9 - 8 miles in 56 min (7:00 pace). Another brisk morning, but things were clicking well. First run that I have felt good on in over a week.
Fri. Nov. 11 - 6.5 miles in 44 min (6:46 pace). One of those runs where I had no motivation, but forced myself outside, and then it turned into a great run. I really like it when that happens. 20 minutes in I was feeling so good that I kicked the pace down to 6-flat or better for a couple of miles. Impromptu tempo run...nice!
Sat. Nov. 12 - 11 miles in 108 min (9:49 pace). WARTs run around Turtle Rock at Vedauwoo. First day of the voracious winds. In the trees on the trail the wind wasn't too bad, but up on top it was ridiculous. I did three loops around Turtle Rock with Alec, Daniel, and Rachel. Really good time. Potluck that night was delicious.
Too bad I spent the rest of the weekend on my butt feeling miserable. But, if nothing else, I got up Saturday and got in the long run. The same can't be said for Horsecow, who was "incapacitated." Hope his "Beat Ragan at Pilot Hill 2012" training is going well. He's going to need it. HA!
Totals:
Week's Miles: 36
Running Time: 4:45
November's Miles: 65
Year to Date: 1378
Gear: Asics SpeedStar 5 (299 miles) Saucony Peregrine (53 miles)
The famous Wyoming wind made a return this weekend, and with a vengeance. It has been howling for four straight days, and I mean howling. Everything outside my house has been blown over, to include garbage cans, my grill, and all my weighted down patio furniture. The windows in my old house are terrible and they provide little in the way of a barrier between inside and the cold. I have a feeling I am not going to enjoy my gas bill next month.
My objective this week is to relax a little, run a little more, pray the wind calms down (seriously, I'm talking gusts up to 90mph), and really get into my thesis. Yes, I have done the impossible; I actually started the damn thing.
Mon. Nov. 7 - 4 miles in 30 min (7:30 pace). Quick run after work just to get something done. Followed it with a lengthy core routine.
Tues. Nov. 8 - 6.5 miles in 47 min (7:10 pace). A little "North Laramie" loop on a brisk morning. I have been enjoying the time change that is bringing me sunlight at 6:30am.
Wed. Nov. 9 - 8 miles in 56 min (7:00 pace). Another brisk morning, but things were clicking well. First run that I have felt good on in over a week.
Fri. Nov. 11 - 6.5 miles in 44 min (6:46 pace). One of those runs where I had no motivation, but forced myself outside, and then it turned into a great run. I really like it when that happens. 20 minutes in I was feeling so good that I kicked the pace down to 6-flat or better for a couple of miles. Impromptu tempo run...nice!
Sat. Nov. 12 - 11 miles in 108 min (9:49 pace). WARTs run around Turtle Rock at Vedauwoo. First day of the voracious winds. In the trees on the trail the wind wasn't too bad, but up on top it was ridiculous. I did three loops around Turtle Rock with Alec, Daniel, and Rachel. Really good time. Potluck that night was delicious.
Too bad I spent the rest of the weekend on my butt feeling miserable. But, if nothing else, I got up Saturday and got in the long run. The same can't be said for Horsecow, who was "incapacitated." Hope his "Beat Ragan at Pilot Hill 2012" training is going well. He's going to need it. HA!
Totals:
Week's Miles: 36
Running Time: 4:45
November's Miles: 65
Year to Date: 1378
Gear: Asics SpeedStar 5 (299 miles) Saucony Peregrine (53 miles)
Monday, November 7, 2011
Mumford & Sons - The Cave
A little Indie for my tastes, and I know it's been out awhile and I'm not one of the "cool" people who were listening to this band with large-rimmed glasses and fake mustaches (I can grow an actual, real mustache) before anyone had ever heard of them, but today, I find the lyrics of this song to be particularly poignant.
Week Ending November 6
This week started off well and on track, and then I fell apart. Not sure what my deal is. Did a workout Friday afternoon, ran like crapola, and spent the night hacking up my lungs. I took Saturday off in an attempt to recover (and thus no Comea House 5K), and I didn't run yesterday because I was being lazy. I've been sleeping 10 hours a night and still don't feel rested. I'm dragging myself out of bed in the morning and then falling asleep on the couch at nine at night. Makes me wonder if I didn't pick up some bug. May just be feeling all the effects of increased training.
Oh well, if there is one thing I have learned over the years, it's that one should listen to their body. My body gave me the middle finger this weekend. Sometimes it is actually okay to take a day or two off from running. Nine times out of ten, it will be beneficial in the long run.
Mon. Oct. 31 - 4 miles in 29 min (7:07 pace). I hit up a quick and easy run after work. That's pretty much it.
Tues. Nov. 1 - 7 miles in 56 min (8:00 pace). I went up to the trails in the morning to see what I could see. What I found were trails that had been packed down and iced over from the weekend. Apparently, thousands of people were on the trails the past weekend. Odd, I never see people up there. Tough run with little traction.
Wed. Nov. 2 - 9 miles in 65 min (7:13 pace). It snowed a few inches Tuesday night, so in an effort to avoid the icy roads and idiot drivers on said icy roads, I ran a couple of loops on the safety of the Greenbelt. Not the most stimulating run, but given the weather, it was pretty good.
Thurs. Nov. 3 - 4 miles in 29 min (7:15 pace). I had six on the schedule, but settled for four. First day in three weeks that I felt blah running.
Fri. Nov. 4 - 9 miles in 60 min (6:40 pace). First, I had a few too many beers the night before (I quit drinking so much and then I do that, brilliant) and got talked into joining the UW cross team for the annual "Get On Down Invite." That is Coach Cole's famous (infamous?) last workout of the season, a mock track meet where all the runners dress up in odd racing clothes (in my day we wore old high school singlets one year, homemade uniforms the next) and run a race. We used to pair up two girls and one guy and ran a three-leg relay. This year, Cole had the girls run a 1500m and the guys run a 3K.
I ran from my place to the outdoor track, loosened up and hoped for the best. What was quickly evident from the first lap was that I have absolutely no speed anymore. I got spit out the back of the pack after a 72 first quarter (SLOW!) and only fell off more from there. I hit the half in 2:28, 1200m in 3:50, mile in 5:14 and came home in 10:12 for 3K. I felt terrible the whole time, got lapped (on a 3K!) by Taylor, one of UW's top runners, and I then spent the rest of the night having asthma problems and coughing up my lungs.
I grew up with asthma being a by-product of my allergies. I've had three or four pretty bad asthma attacks in my life, but the last one was when I was about 17. As I got older, it seemed like I grew out of it; my allergies became less severe over the years and by the end of my first year running for Wyoming, I had officially ditched my Albuterol inhaler and haven't had any significant issues since. However, Friday evening, I really could have used that inhaler. I'm not sure what the issue was. I wasn't exactly running fast, but something got in my system, or I stressed it too much, and I had a reaction. Very strange.
After that, I took the weekend off. I ate way too many carbs, and spent too many hours sitting on my butt watching football. Lunde and I had made plans to go camping, and then called them off because we were supposed to get a snowstorm through the area Saturday. That never happened, and I'm a little annoyed we didn't go camping. Oh well, not much we can do about it now.
In short, it was kind of a waste of a weekend.
Totals
Week's Miles: 33
Running Time: 3:59
October's Miles: 137
Year to Date: 1342
Gear: Asics SpeedStar 5 (274 miles) Saucony Peregrine (42 miles)
Oh well, if there is one thing I have learned over the years, it's that one should listen to their body. My body gave me the middle finger this weekend. Sometimes it is actually okay to take a day or two off from running. Nine times out of ten, it will be beneficial in the long run.
Mon. Oct. 31 - 4 miles in 29 min (7:07 pace). I hit up a quick and easy run after work. That's pretty much it.
Tues. Nov. 1 - 7 miles in 56 min (8:00 pace). I went up to the trails in the morning to see what I could see. What I found were trails that had been packed down and iced over from the weekend. Apparently, thousands of people were on the trails the past weekend. Odd, I never see people up there. Tough run with little traction.
Wed. Nov. 2 - 9 miles in 65 min (7:13 pace). It snowed a few inches Tuesday night, so in an effort to avoid the icy roads and idiot drivers on said icy roads, I ran a couple of loops on the safety of the Greenbelt. Not the most stimulating run, but given the weather, it was pretty good.
Thurs. Nov. 3 - 4 miles in 29 min (7:15 pace). I had six on the schedule, but settled for four. First day in three weeks that I felt blah running.
Fri. Nov. 4 - 9 miles in 60 min (6:40 pace). First, I had a few too many beers the night before (I quit drinking so much and then I do that, brilliant) and got talked into joining the UW cross team for the annual "Get On Down Invite." That is Coach Cole's famous (infamous?) last workout of the season, a mock track meet where all the runners dress up in odd racing clothes (in my day we wore old high school singlets one year, homemade uniforms the next) and run a race. We used to pair up two girls and one guy and ran a three-leg relay. This year, Cole had the girls run a 1500m and the guys run a 3K.
I ran from my place to the outdoor track, loosened up and hoped for the best. What was quickly evident from the first lap was that I have absolutely no speed anymore. I got spit out the back of the pack after a 72 first quarter (SLOW!) and only fell off more from there. I hit the half in 2:28, 1200m in 3:50, mile in 5:14 and came home in 10:12 for 3K. I felt terrible the whole time, got lapped (on a 3K!) by Taylor, one of UW's top runners, and I then spent the rest of the night having asthma problems and coughing up my lungs.
I grew up with asthma being a by-product of my allergies. I've had three or four pretty bad asthma attacks in my life, but the last one was when I was about 17. As I got older, it seemed like I grew out of it; my allergies became less severe over the years and by the end of my first year running for Wyoming, I had officially ditched my Albuterol inhaler and haven't had any significant issues since. However, Friday evening, I really could have used that inhaler. I'm not sure what the issue was. I wasn't exactly running fast, but something got in my system, or I stressed it too much, and I had a reaction. Very strange.
After that, I took the weekend off. I ate way too many carbs, and spent too many hours sitting on my butt watching football. Lunde and I had made plans to go camping, and then called them off because we were supposed to get a snowstorm through the area Saturday. That never happened, and I'm a little annoyed we didn't go camping. Oh well, not much we can do about it now.
In short, it was kind of a waste of a weekend.
Totals
Week's Miles: 33
Running Time: 3:59
October's Miles: 137
Year to Date: 1342
Gear: Asics SpeedStar 5 (274 miles) Saucony Peregrine (42 miles)
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Week Ending October 30
Back-to-back solid weeks for the first time in forever. Consecutive days running count up to 14. I must say, I am still feeling pretty good and excited about this whole adventure. Here's what I did this past week.
Mon. Oct. 24 - 4 miles in 29 min (7:15 pace). I did my new quick and easy four-mile out-and-back on the Greenbelt for my Monday morning recovery run. Followed the run with a stretching routine. Hamstrings and right IT band have been a little tight.
Tues. Oct. 25 - 6 miles in 41 min (6:49 pace). I did what I am referring to as my Southeast Laramie loop. My place, over the tracks, then I followed Garfield east and around Washington Park. I went south around LaPrele, hit up the "pretty alley" and Spring Creek, then up 9th St. back to Garfield and back over the tracks.
Wed. Oct. 26 - A.M. 3 miles in 24 min (8:00 pace). I did a quick little morning run on the Greenbelt.
P.M. 7.5 miles in 56 min (7:28 pace). PUB RUN! Met the crew at The Alibi, then a long jaunt across town to Mingles, another long jaunt back across town to Mulligan's, then a jaunt over the tracks to Bud's, and finished with dinner at Lovejoy's. Brisk temps and icy roads made this one an adventure, but great company and tasty brews more than made up for the near-death experiences.
Thurs. Oct. 27 - 4 miles in 28 min (7:03 pace). Quick post-work run just to get something in. Followed with a core workout and a lot of food.
Fri. Oct. 28 - 6 miles in 38 min (6:19 pace). Form Workout. Same as last week. Run to the IPF, 2x30m form exercises, 8x100m strides, run home.
Sat. Oct. 29 - 6.5 miles in 51 min (7:50 pace). Chris Schabron and I got an early start in Cheyenne on what was a windy, brisk morning. Took it easy on the Greenway. Then we travelled south to spectate at the Mountain West Conference cross country championships. Pokes had a bad day at the office, but that team is more talented than their 5th-place showing. Hopefully they'll regroup and race well at NCAA Regionals in two weeks. Good luck, WYO!
One thing that struck me was how much different the Mountain West is now compared to even just 5-6 years ago when I was finishing up. Case in point, my senior cross season (2005), the conference meet was on the same golf course in Fort Collins in similar conditions (our race had less snow, but colder temps). I had my best XC race ever, placing 21st overall with a time of 25:32. I was UW's fourth man that day, and as a team we placed fourth. Six years later, BYU is no longer part of the conference, New Mexico has become a solid program with good coaching, CSU isn't as deep or strong as it used to be, Boise State appears to be middle of the pack, and TCU is bottom of the barrel. My time from six years ago at the same meet on the same course would have placed me eighth this year. And I was nothing more than a middle-of-the-pack runner.
Makes you wonder if all this conference realignment that appeases football programs is maybe not a good thing for every other sport.
Sun. Oct. 30 - 12.5 miles in 89 min (7:09 pace). Sunday morning long run with Chris in Cheyenne. Beautiful morning for a run, what more can I say? Felt good, had a good conversation with Chris, and finished off the second week of my build-up strong.
Totals:
Week's Miles: 50
Running Time: 5:57
Year to Date: 1309
Gear: Asics SpeedStar 5 (248 miles) Saucony Peregrine (35 miles)
Mon. Oct. 24 - 4 miles in 29 min (7:15 pace). I did my new quick and easy four-mile out-and-back on the Greenbelt for my Monday morning recovery run. Followed the run with a stretching routine. Hamstrings and right IT band have been a little tight.
Tues. Oct. 25 - 6 miles in 41 min (6:49 pace). I did what I am referring to as my Southeast Laramie loop. My place, over the tracks, then I followed Garfield east and around Washington Park. I went south around LaPrele, hit up the "pretty alley" and Spring Creek, then up 9th St. back to Garfield and back over the tracks.
Wed. Oct. 26 - A.M. 3 miles in 24 min (8:00 pace). I did a quick little morning run on the Greenbelt.
P.M. 7.5 miles in 56 min (7:28 pace). PUB RUN! Met the crew at The Alibi, then a long jaunt across town to Mingles, another long jaunt back across town to Mulligan's, then a jaunt over the tracks to Bud's, and finished with dinner at Lovejoy's. Brisk temps and icy roads made this one an adventure, but great company and tasty brews more than made up for the near-death experiences.
Thurs. Oct. 27 - 4 miles in 28 min (7:03 pace). Quick post-work run just to get something in. Followed with a core workout and a lot of food.
Fri. Oct. 28 - 6 miles in 38 min (6:19 pace). Form Workout. Same as last week. Run to the IPF, 2x30m form exercises, 8x100m strides, run home.
Sat. Oct. 29 - 6.5 miles in 51 min (7:50 pace). Chris Schabron and I got an early start in Cheyenne on what was a windy, brisk morning. Took it easy on the Greenway. Then we travelled south to spectate at the Mountain West Conference cross country championships. Pokes had a bad day at the office, but that team is more talented than their 5th-place showing. Hopefully they'll regroup and race well at NCAA Regionals in two weeks. Good luck, WYO!
One thing that struck me was how much different the Mountain West is now compared to even just 5-6 years ago when I was finishing up. Case in point, my senior cross season (2005), the conference meet was on the same golf course in Fort Collins in similar conditions (our race had less snow, but colder temps). I had my best XC race ever, placing 21st overall with a time of 25:32. I was UW's fourth man that day, and as a team we placed fourth. Six years later, BYU is no longer part of the conference, New Mexico has become a solid program with good coaching, CSU isn't as deep or strong as it used to be, Boise State appears to be middle of the pack, and TCU is bottom of the barrel. My time from six years ago at the same meet on the same course would have placed me eighth this year. And I was nothing more than a middle-of-the-pack runner.
Makes you wonder if all this conference realignment that appeases football programs is maybe not a good thing for every other sport.
Sun. Oct. 30 - 12.5 miles in 89 min (7:09 pace). Sunday morning long run with Chris in Cheyenne. Beautiful morning for a run, what more can I say? Felt good, had a good conversation with Chris, and finished off the second week of my build-up strong.
Totals:
Week's Miles: 50
Running Time: 5:57
Year to Date: 1309
Gear: Asics SpeedStar 5 (248 miles) Saucony Peregrine (35 miles)
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