Week Ending Dec. 18 and the New Mexico Bowl

I had a short and busy week.  The first half provided me with some decent, though short, runs, and the latter half saw me get zero runs.  That's what happens when you spend 16-17 hours in the car during a 40 hour period.  My dad and I road tripped down to Albuquerque to watch the Pokes take on Temple in the New Mexico Bowl on Saturday.  Unfortunately, the only people from Wyoming that showed up were the fans.  The football team did a good job of not doing anything well.  A 37-15 defeat after what was the best season the Pokes have had in over a decade was a let down, but I suppose that this was a team that was a little ahead of schedule, is young, and will hopefully continue to improve on the strides made this season.  And regardless of the outcome, it was really fun to do something silly like drive all that way to spend about 24 hours in Albuquerque, watch a football game, and head home.

Other things are going well.  I'm excited about prospects in life.  I think everything will be gravy.  Finally.

Mon. Dec. 12 - 4 miles in 31 min (7:45 pace).  I was pretty whooped after my tough weekend.  Run in the dark on the Greenbelt after work just to get something in.

Tues. Dec. 13 - A.M. 3 miles in 22 min (7:19 pace).  Quick morning to complement my planned snowshoe run up at Happy Jack after work.

P.M. - 5 miles in 65 min (13:00).  Rachel and I went up to the trails for some early evening fun.  She skied while I snowshoed.  It was an absolutely perfect night weather-wise.  No wind, fairly warm ambient temps, and just enough moon to negate the need for a headlamp.  Beautiful evening.  Had I had my camping gear in the truck, I may very well have stayed out there that night.

Wed. Dec. 14 - 4 miles in 26:55 (6:43 pace).  I got out after work for a quick run on the Greenbelt.  I was feeling pretty good, so I dropped the pace a little.

After that, I didn't run again.  Thursday was spent working, doing laundry, and packing for the trip.  I left Laramie a little after 6am Friday, met up with my dad in Cheyenne, and hopped in his truck for the haul down to Albuquerque.  We got there at around 3:30pm, picked up our tickets, checked into the motel, and grabbed some dinner.  Game started at noon Saturday, we got out of Albuquerque around 3:30, and made it back to Cheyenne at midnight on the dot.  Very quick trip.  I spent today sleeping in, eating a huge breakfast, attempting to finish off my Christmas shopping (I failed), and then watched all the football teams I follow lose (first the Pokes, then the Packers, Vikings, and now the Broncos, who are in the process of losing).  Oh well.  I'll get back on the horse this week before I eat too much over Christmas.  Ah, the holidays!

Tailgating before the game.  Crowd was predominately Brown & Gold.

The Pokes warm up.  This was the best they looked all afternoon.

University Stadium, University of New Mexico.

The Pokes come out to the field.  And then disappeared.

Totals:
Week's Miles: 16
Running Time: 2:24
Year to Date: 1521

Long Time, No Posting...

November has come and gone.  December is nearly halfway through, and I haven't said anything here in over a month.  Guess what?  I haven't done a whole lot in the last month, running-wise anyway.  The winter cold and doldrums have set in on the high plains, and I am just this past week altering my attitude to accommodate the atmospheric change.  While running in town on frozen pavement in zero degree temps blows, there are alternatives in which one can partake.  I have decided to change my focus to more snow and winter related activities.  More snowshoe runs, more trudging; getting prepared for the Snowy Range Snowshoe Races and the Twin Mountain Trudge.

I'm also trying to streamline things a bit.  That has been a concern/obsession for some time.  What do I really need, both metaphysically and materially?  I'm interested in keeping only the material things I need.  I'm focused on ridding myself of excess emotional baggage.  There is no reason to be so stressed out about what others do or do not do.  Not my problem.

With that, I am moving forward and onward.  I got a new position at work beginning in January that I'm excited about, I had a great time over Thanksgiving with the two best friends a dude could possibly have, and I've been hanging out with some new friends that have brought me quite a bit of fun.

Week Ending Nov. 20

Tues. Nov. 15 - 7 miles in 48 min (6:51 pace).  Post-work run on the Greenbelt in somewhat dying wind.  I ran into Horsecow a couple miles in and cruised with him for the rest of my run.  Saw Fuller out and about as well.  Great minds think alike.

Wed. Nov. 16 - 6.5 miles in 48 min (7:19 pace).  Cottonwood Estates loop.  Another chilly, windy late afternoon run.  Legs were pretty sore.

Fri. Nov. 18 - 5.5 miles in 38 min (6:54 pace).  I ran to the fieldhouse, did some form drills (high knees, butt kicks, side bounds, karioka), then 8x180m laps with half lap jog recovery.  Hit the one-lappers in 34 sec with number seven in 32 and number eight in 29.  Half lap jog rests are in same time as the one-lap pick-ups.  I found that it felt pretty damn good to run a little fast.  I sometimes miss the track.

Sun. Nov. 20 - 11 miles in 101 min (9:10 pace).  Ran a Trudge loop with Horsecow and Rachel on what turned into a beautiful day in the mountains.  Felt pretty good on the run.  First time with my pack in awhile.  Figured I'd start humping it along to get used to it again since I plan to have it with me on my planned double-loop come race day.

Totals:
Week's Miles: 30
Running Time: 3:55

Week Ending Nov. 27

Mon. Nov. 21 - 4 miles in 30 min (7:24 pace).  Quick run to work out some kinks left from the Trudge loop the day before.

Tues. Nov. 22 - 6.5 miles in 49 min (7:28 pace).  Met Horsecow at 6am for a relaxed run around town.  Very nice to get it over and done with.

Thurs. Nov. 24 - 8.5 miles in 60 min (7:00 pace).  I flew down to Tempe, AZ with Lunde to hang out with Bret over Thanksgiving weekend.  I wanted to hang out with my buddies, drink beer, enjoy some warm weather (averaged a beautiful 75 while we were there), and get in a few desert trail runs.  In that respect, the trip was very successful.  Bret dropped me off at South Mountain where I did my best not to get run over by mountain bikers and did a simple out-and-back on the Desert Classic trail.  Felt great to run in shorts and on dry trails.  After, we ate a hearty Thanksgiving dinner at Scott and Tanya's.  Good day.   

Scott and Lunde, pre-Thanksgiving drinking.  Photo: Bret Waldron.

After 3.5 years, I found Croatian beer.  In an Asian market.  In Tempe, AZ.  Worth it.

Lunde relaxes the right way.  Photo: Bret Waldron.

Brian and me, rocking some beards and drinking some beers.  Photo: Bret Waldron.

Outside Sedona, AZ.  Enjoying some scenery.

Sat. Nov. 26 - 6 miles in 44 min (7:19 pace).  I did a late afternoon run around the Arizona State campus, including a scaling of "A" Mountain.

Sun Nov. 27 - 12 miles in 88 min (7:19 pace).  Bret and Lunde dropped me off on the Hawes trails north of Mesa while they went to Franklin Field to look at airplanes.  I had a wonderful time traversing some pretty awesome single track desert trails.  Got a little warm; I have been running in Laramie after all, but otherwise I felt awesome.

Hawes Trails, North Mesa, AZ.  Awesome.  Photo: Bret Waldron

Back on the patio, drinking more beer, enjoying more fantastic weather, and bonding with Sara the dog.  Photo: Bret Waldron.

Totals: Week's Miles: 37
Running Time: 4:31

Week Ending Dec. 4

Tues. Nov. 29 - 4 miles in 28 min (7:00 pace).  Quick post-work run on the Greenbelt in the dark.  Missing AZ.  Not much fun.

Wed. Nov. 30 - 4 miles in 28 min (7:00 pace).  Same as yesterday but in the opposite direction.  Not much in the way of motivation.

November Miles: 140
Year to Date: 1453

I decided to spend my Thursday building a gear room.  I was inspired by the beauty and functionality of the gear room Bret and Jannel had at their house in Tempe.  I've had this spare bedroom that I haven't done anything with; I figured using it as a large closet in which to organize and store my running/camping/biking/guitar gear would be perfect.  Thus, I created a gear room.

Fri. Dec. 2 - 10 miles in 123 min (12:18 pace).  I went trudging up at Happy Jack.  I wanted to do the Silent Trails course, but I lost the trail half-way up the Bitch and decided that with the falling temps and setting sun, I wasn't interested in wandering around the mountainside route finding.  Hence, I turned around and went back.  I also threw on my Kahtoola microspikes for the second half and holy cow, did they make a difference.  They may have just revolutionized they way I run/train in the winter.

Totals:
Week's Miles: 18
Running Time: 2:59

Week Ending Dec. 11

Mon. Dec. 5 - 3 miles in 22 min (7:19 pace).  We had a Canadian cold front come down through the basin over the weekend, sending the temps down below zero.  I chose to go out for a run after work, in the dark, with the temp being 10 below.  I ran the first mile with my hands in my pants since they were frozen from the moment I stepped out my door.  After 20 minutes, I decided I'd had enough of this shit and called it.  I am turning into a sissy-la-la in my old age.

Wed. Dec. 7 - 8 miles in 68 min (8:30 pace).  I got a message from Rachel wanting to know if I would be interested in a run.  Of course!  I hadn't put in a lot of miles the last week or two, and I can tell that it was affecting my mood.  I'm glad she got me outside.  It warmed up to 34 today and it was one of those runs that two steps in, I immediately felt better about everything in general.

Thurs. Dec. 8 - 5.5 miles in 47 min (8:32 pace).  My first snowshoe run in forever.  I hit up Headquarters and Summit as the sun was setting and a nearly full moon was rising.  No need for a headlamp tonight!  Got my butt kicked a little; my calves have some acclimating to do with the snowshoes, but it's nice to get up top and out of town.

Fri. Dec. 9 - 5.5 miles in 40 min (7:16 pace).  Morning form workout at the fieldhouse.  I was a little sore from the snowshoes last night, but once I got into the one-lappers, I got most of the kinks worked out.  Form drills (high knees, butt kicks, side bounds, karioka) and 8x180m laps with half lap rest in same time as one laps.  Averaged 34-35 on the first seven and then finished number eight in 29 just for fun.

Sat. Dec. 10 - 9 miles in 97 min (10:46 pace).  Elizabeth and I went up to the Snowies to enjoy some awesome weather.  I dropped her off at the ski area and continued up the hill to the Green Rock trailhead to snowshoe run.  Had a good time stomping around Barber Lake Road and Libby Creek trail.  Finished up, picked up Elizabeth and stopped at the Bear Tree for their famous pizza and a nice, cold PBR. 

Sun. Dec. 11 - 11 miles in 152 min (13:49 pace).  I was maybe a little over-ambitious when I thought combining a long snowshoe run with a Trudge loop in one weekend was a good idea, but I got it done.  The Trudge loop has quite a bit more snow on it than three weeks ago and I was pretty cooked from the run the day before.  I was out there a little longer than I had anticipated, but it was another beautiful day, so in the end, I didn't mind.  Pretty decent training week.

Totals:
Week's Miles: 42
Running Time: 7:06
December Miles: 52
Year to Date: 1505

Gear: Asics SpeedStar 5 (355 miles), Saucony Peregrine (109 miles)

Nine Inch Nails (NIN) - Zoo Station (U2 Cover)

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.

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)

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)

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)