Weekly Summary - 10/10

Monday: As I said in my last post, my plan for ankle recovery started today. So, no running. It worked out well, as I had a long day at work and Christine had a nice pasta dinner waiting when I got home. Did a basement work-out and was amazed at how weak my upper body has become. I definitely need to do more strength training each week.

Tuesday: Hall Ranch - Singlespeed Mountain Bike (PM)
My second day into ankle recovery and I feel like it's improving. Trying not to push it and ensure recovery, I brought my SS to work and headed to Hall afterward. I didn't leave work as early as I'd hoped, but I got a good fast ride in regardless. Fall is definitely upon us. Due to my late start, I was descending just before dark. The good part is that the trails were virtually empty, with the exception of one guy. I passed him after the loop and said thanks as I sped by. I noticed his reply sounded strained and thought something might be wrong. I ended up giving him a ride home, as he had a bad fall and wrecked his wrist.

It was good to be back on the mountain bike, having only ridden a handful of times this summer. It also provided additional evidence that I need to keep my upper body strengthened, as my arms were getting worked being out of the saddle so much. Although I haven't been riding, I feel that my fitness is still fair, as my loop time was solid. I hope to give the ankle a test tomorrow.

Wednesday: Hall Ranch - Mountain Bike (Lunch)
Feeling good on the bike again today. I was actually faster than the yesterday, even though I could feel the soreness in my legs and core. The weather for riding and running can't be beat right now. I hope this sticks around for a while.

Run - 3 Miles - Neighborhood Loop (PM)
The ankle definitely hasn't recovered. I hesitate to even say it's improved from the weekend. I started out really slow, trying to ease into the run. My ankle was pretty stiff throughout the duration, but felt best when I did a few short sprints at race pace. I'm planning on a longer trail run tomorrow afternoon, so I'll gauge it then.

Thursday: 5 Miles - Work Pond Loop (PM)
Long day at work. I'm not sure why I've been so busy lately, other than the fact that I've been traveling for work every other week, which means my projects here in CO fall by the wayside. Right ankle is still hurting, but improvement is there. Felt slow and sluggish.

Friday: 5.3 Miles - Union Res (PM)
After the first mile or so, I started feeling good and noticed my time was solid for the first half of the run. Once I hit the turn around, I glanced at the watch and wanted to ensure my second half was faster than the first. With about a mile and a half remaining, pain suddenly overtook me, originating in my left knee. I'm still not sure what happened, but I'm icing both my right ankle and left knee. Hopefully it was some small tweak and I'll be good to go tomorrow morning.

Saturday: 6 Miles - Picture Rock (Lunch)
I was up early for a couple hours of work, which doesn't make for the best start to a Saturday morning. After I got home, Christine and I did some real estate homework, before heading to Lyons to see a house. We were planning to head to Boulder afterward, but we decided to stay in Lyons for a run on the Picture Rock trail, which we haven't been on in quite a while. The weather couldn't be better for running. We headed out at a mellow pace, discussing our housing options. We turned around at the 3 mile mark, which is just about the time my stomach kicked into overdrive.....or maybe I should call it reverse! Whatever the polite way to say it, my last 2 miles were pretty horrible. Christine sped ahead of me and I just focused on making it back to the trailhead. Later, Christine said it was a day of first. The first time she's ran faster than me and the first time Alabama has lost while Michigan State won. However you look at it, I was not in fine form. Between stomach problems, an stiff right ankle and aching left knee, I just hope tomorrow is better.

Sunday: 5 Miles - Mesa Trail (Lunch)
After church, Christine and I headed out for a run. We were planning a run of Estes Cone, but as we were heading west, a sizable storm cloud seemed to be planted on top. We decided to detour and head to Boulder. We ended up at the Mesa Trail, in the rain. Soon after we hit the singletrack, the rain had stopped. We chatted away as we enjoyed the nice cool weather, opting to shed our running shells quickly. It was a nice trail run, one that hopefully is helping my ankle issues to dissolve.

In other news, we're selling our house. I've lived in East Longmont, near Union Reservoir for just over 5 years. Christine has been here since we were married 3 years ago and it's been a great home for us. But after considerable thought and discussion, we decided to pull the trigger and put our house on the market. We weren't in any hurry to sell, or buy for that matter, so we did some uber-cleaning and started playing the waiting game. It took some effort, but we really didn't shop for other homes, on-line or elsewhere, as we had no idea when our house would sell. As our 6 month contract was drawing near, we began discussing possibly finishing our basement, or even dreaming of having a second home in the mountains (especially after I read this http://brandon.fuller.name/archives/2010/09/20/23.44.32/ on a runner's blog). Then, out of the blue, when we had almost resigned to the fact that we'd stay here a while longer, we got the call with a very good offer. The next thing you know, we're rushing around, signing contracts, looking for houses, checking for month-to-month rentals, and trying to wrap our head around actually moving.

So that brings us to today. We spent the afternoon checking a house from top to bottom (our 3rd time there), reviewing market analysis, and boxing our belongings. Decisions....decisions!