Weekly Summary - 11/28

Monday: 8.1 Miles - Neighborhood Figure 8 (PM)
Tonight was one of those nights when things just come together and feel good. After a handful of easy days, I had just planned to get in a few more miles than normal. After a brief warm up, it was almost as if my body just naturally eased into a quick pace and everything was on. I sped through the neighborhood lite by the near full moon and let my thoughts drift here and there. From all aspects, it was the kind of run that I enjoy. I wasn't necessarily focused on a certain pace just enjoying the cool night air with my body feeling good.

Tuesday: 4.0 Miles - Picture Rock with Christine (Lunch)

4.0 Miles - Treadmill
Warm-up then 1/4 mile on by 1/4 mile off
Chased the treadmill work with a little strength training.

Wednesday: Off

Thursday: 14.5ish Miles Total
For the last 2 years, Christine has offered a couple Thanksgiving morning pilates classes, which have filled up quickly. I was toying with the idea of running the Turkey Trot 5K in Loveland this morning. After waking up, Christine encouraged me to do something I don't normally get to do. That said, I've had ample time to pound the pavement lately, with my work schedule and the shorter days. So I decided to head to the trails and enjoy the solitude of trail running this chilly yet sunny Thanksgiving morning. When I got out of my car at the Picture Rock trailhead, my car said 11F. What another great run. I was super consistent on the ascent, my splits being within a few seconds of each other. I loved having the trail to myself, other than deer grazing throughout the climb.

At the top, I took in the views, ate a Cliff Shot Blok, and thought of how thankful I am to have both the desire and ability to run. It's something I often take for granted, yet it's something so many people may never experience. On top of just getting to run, I'm thankful for the place in which I live. The beauty of the Rocky Mountains is absolutely breathtaking and I get to run, ride, ski and do so many countless other things in the midst of them continually. What a blessing.

After my semi-emotional hilltop experience, I sped back down from whence I'd come. Feeling good about my ascent and wanting to knock-out a decent overall time, I pushed the pace significantly. I consistently clocked sub 7 min/miles on the technical terrain, finishing the run with a new PR. The trail map shows the out and back to be 5.5 miles, but I'm thinking that's a bit long, so I'm guessing the run was around 10.5 miles today.

After a little time hanging out with Christine in the hot tub, we got out for a jog around McIntosh Lake to add on another 4 Miles. What a good day of running. Happy Thanksgiving!

Friday: Tele ski cross training

Saturday: 4.0 Miles - Rabbit Mountain with Christine
Feeling a little unmotivated today, although the weather was amazing. Plan to get back in the routine on Sunday.

Sunday: 4.2 Miles - McIntosh Lake with Christine (PM)
We missed the nice weather window today. As we were running, you could see the clouds moving in and almost feel the temperature dropping.

4.0 Miles - Treadmill (PM)
Half mile warm up, then 0.25 Miles at race pace by 0.25 rest. Did a few sets, then moved to 0.5 miles at race pace with 0.5 miles rest. The treadmill has a maximum speed of 6 min/miles, so that's what I considered race pace, although I think I should increase the speed some when doing speed work. I find that by raising the inclination a little, it evens everything out.

Looking west toward Longs Peak and the Indian Peaks Wilderness. As seen from Rabbit Mountain

Looking South from the junction of Picture Rock with the Wild Turkey loop of Heil Valley. You can see the top of Green Mountain and Bear Peak in the center of the photo.

Looking Northwest toward the town of Lyons, while ascending Picture Rock.

Christine and I have been talking a lot about cynicism as of late. I catch myself being cynical about so many things in my life. I really liked the following quote by Yoani Sanchez. Maybe you can allow it to percolate through your grey matter just as it has been percolating through mine for the last few days.

"Unlike our parents, we never believed in anything. Our defining characteristic is cynicism. But that's a double-edged sword. It protects you from crushing disappointment, but it paralyzes you from doing anything."

Flattop Mountain - RMNP

With a thermos full of coffee, I headed out the door into the crisp morning air. The first stop was the Barking Dog in Lyons, where I was to meet my adventurous partners for today's outing. After a coffee, pastry (I know, but I'm a sucker for a cinnamon roll occasionally) and a little pre-game planning, we piled into the car and headed up to Rocky Mountain National Park and our final destination of Flattop Mountain.

The parking lot was fairly empty and we lazily packed the appropriate gear in our packs for a few hours in the elements. With the group not being familiar with each other, the time passed quickly making random conversation from music to climbing to church and the like. The higher in altitude we got, the louder the wind became. Knowing we'd soon be getting pounded by mother nature, I opted to detour us a bit, attempting to stay in the safety of the trees for as long as possible. This proved to be a mistake, when I soon landed us all in a difficult situation of skinning up a steep, loose and wind-blown section of mountain. After flailing around in the snow, we decided to take refuge under a thicket of high altitude flora to get a break from the wind and take a gander at the map. The banana bowl of Flattop looked completely different than any other time I've been on it due to the lack of snow. We opted for the only skiable line, a short thin section, opening up at the bottom.

We tried to make quick work of removing skins, adding a shell layer, and throwing the skis on, but the wind and temperature made it difficult, with constant pelts to the face from frozen conglomerated snow. Once I booted up, I skied down a short section to 2 of our 4 party team, trying to ensure they were ready to descend. Surprisingly, there were a few nice patches of snow, allowing me to confidently drop the knee, hoping I remembered how to telemark ski.

Once back in the trees, we got some relief from the wind, threw a couple high-5's, and gave our own account of the snow slope. We then bushwhacked our way through the tight trees to find the return trail from Fern Lake. It was a bit of a roller coaster ride the rest of the way, skiing on narrow sections of trail, with little chance to 'check' your speed but ample chance to case of a rock or tree. We all arrived safely back to the car, pulling off the loads of gear we'd had been carrying and indulging in a celebratory Fat Tire, while recounting the day. We capped off the day with a quick stop at Kind Coffee (that may have been my idea, as I'm a bit of a coffee addict).

Joe and Mike, taking a breather from the roller coaster descent.

A view up the trail - from whence we came

No pictures from above treeline, as the wind kept my mind on one thing only - staying on my feet!

On our way up

As I sit and reflect upon the seasons first day of skiing, I can't help but compare it to running, as running as been my primary activity as of late. The first thing of comparison comes in the form of gear. My gear for running, for the most part has been shorts and shoes. Even with the coming of colder temperatures, you need only add a pair of tights, a windshell, and hat. That's it. Simple. Backcountry skiing on the other hand is much more complicated. Here's a quick gear list from my little outing yesterday:

• Skis - Telemark of course
  
• Poles - Retractable
  
• Boots - Lightweight for touring yet burly enough to turn a bigger ski
  
• Climbing Skins - To my detriment, I used my wife's old ones - (i.e. too short)
  
• Avy Beacon - Mammut Barryvox
  
• Avy Probe
  
• Shovel
• Base Layer - Top and Bottom
• Smartwool Socks - B/c they're the best
  
• Gore-tex ski pants - The North Face (Sorry Steve)
  
• Gore-tex soft-shell - Arc'teryx (Again, sorry Steve)
  
• Synthetic mid-layer - Patagonia (Thanks Steve)
  
• Down jacket (thrown in the pack just in case) - REI (it was on sale)
  
• Gore-tex gloves - The North Face (Christmas present)
  
• Winter hat - The North Face (Another Christmas present)
  
• Ski Goggles - Oakley (Someone left them in my car)
  
• Sunglasses
  
• Water bottles (3)
• Granola Bar (2)
• Sunscreen (always in the pack)
• Backpack - manufactured specifically to strategically place all these items

Although I actually had a few more items stuffed in my pack, you get the gist of the situation. Some activities just aren't simple. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love gear, in all it's glory, but yesterday I came to the realization that gear, in abundance, don't make an activity, like skiing, simple. Cycling, although not quite as complicated as skiing, is not simple.

In so many other ways, it's extremely difficult to compare running and skiing. Skiing gives me a feeling I've never felt while running. It also allows me to experience the mountains in a different way, in a different season, through a different mode. I absolutely love skiing and plan to get back in the backcountry as much as possible this winter (and maybe even do a little resort skiing).

But, when I slip on my 7.8 oz trail shoes and throw on my shorts, grab my 8 oz hand-held water bottle and head down the trail, I'll have a little extra pep in my step knowing that few things in life are simple and the act of running is about as simple as it gets.

Early Thanksgiving

Christine and I headed to the great state of Alabama for an early Thanksgiving celebration. It was a time to have fun, veg, and enjoy catching up with the family. We thoroughly enjoyed the time on the old homestead, which is where I spent the vast majority of my childhood. The farm was originally my grandparents (mom's parents). When I was young, my grandparents gave a small plot of land to my parents as well as my aunt and uncle. I grew up spending a lot of time with my grandparents, having breakfast with them frequently in the summers, which is where I learned to love Red Plum Jelly! I had ample room to ride 4-wheelers, dirt bikes, camp out, build cabins, and overall get into as much trouble as a young kid could. Every time I go back and wander around, I'm flooded with memories. I was truly blessed to have the childhood I did.

Here are a few pictures from the trip.




















Christine paying Samuel back for all the leaves he threw at her the previous day!


















Sam just thinks he's going to win this race.....but he's wrong.


















One of my favorite views of the land I grew up on.























The leave covered road that I traveled so much.


















One can't travel to Alabama without the usual....cow tipping, cruisin' around in the back of pick-up trucks with shotguns, and ridin' on 4-wheelers. Christine had her initiation.




















Starting Samuel young on the jumping pictures. White men can jump!























An old barn stall door.
















Just one of the many pieces of horse-drawn farming equipment my brother has collected over the years.





















A barn that my Father, Grandfather, and Uncle built when I was no more than 6 years old.

Weekly Summary - 11/21

Monday: 4.3 Miles (AM) - The mill

I was feeling pretty rough this morning. I eased out of bed slowly but surely at 4:50 and knocked out a few painful miles. I may still be feeling the effects of my race on Saturday.

4.1 Miles (PM) - The mill
Nice and easy jog to shake out the legs after a rough patch this morning. I typically feel better in the afternoons anyway, but I needed a little boost.

Tuesday: Hike - Hall Ranch (Lunch)
Christine called just before lunch to see if I wanted to go out for a quick hike. Besides the wind, it was nice to get out, if just for an hour.

8.1 Miles (PM) - McIntosh Lake Neighborhood Figure 8
I couldn't bare another mile on the treadmill, so I decided to head out for a nice slow jog. I actually ended up feeling rejuvenated and picked up the pace after warming up. I found my thoughts drifting here and there, and it was just the release I needed.

Wednesday: Off

I had planned on leaving work early for an afternoon up Green, but a last minute meeting proved that would be impossible. Christine and I had a Young Life meeting at 7, so it was a day off for me.

Thursday: 5.2 Miles - Treadmill

Christine and I got up early before our flight to Nashville. We thought the shake out would make the flight a little more pleasant for our bodies. I did 15 minutes of warm up on the elliptical machine. I think my running would be completely ruined if I spent very much time on one of those things. My legs felt like they were in rapid fire when I first got on the mill, even though I was running at a slow pace.

Friday: 3.5 Miles - The Farm

Christine and I went for a short run on the farm. After a day of playing in the leaves with Samuel and taking random pictures around the old homestead, we trotted around on the trails that I use to ride 4-wheelers and dirt bikes on. As we ran through the overgrown, leave covered trails, memories of camping out, running through the woods, and building forts from the downed trees drifted through my mind. It was also pretty cool to be running on land that we actually own. With a little time and effort, I think I could make a great section of singletrack. There wouldn't be much on front of climbing, but the rocks, roots, and switchbacks could abound. Maybe someday! If I ever plan a considerable amount of time in Alabama with my folks, I may have to devote a portion to "trail maintenance." I've actually tossed around the idea of building a cabin on the land with my Dad. Although, he's the one with the abundant time in the land of retirement.

Saturday: 3.5 Miles - Wildwood

After sleeping in, we headed to Florence for a jog on some old mountain biking trails I'm semi-familiar with. I was nice to be on completely different terrain than anything I've found in Colorado. You could see that these trails get little traffic, as at times we were feeling our way through, more by braille rather than sight.

Here are a few pictures of the scenery:
















































I must say, I was somewhat discouraged by the amount of mileage I got in this week. I had planned to increase the mileage substantially, since I had a 4 day weekend. But, it was easy to enjoy the downtime, spending the days playing in the leaves with my nephew and niece, and catching up with my immediate family. My body must have needed the easy days, as well as days off, as my run tonight (Monday) was one of the best I've had in quite sometime, feeling minimal discomfort in my left ankle and making quick work of my newest 8 mile loop. Sometimes you just have to roll with the changes instead of forcing things. I can always find time to get a few miles in, but the time with family seems to grow less and less with each passing year. I want to savor each moment.

Veteran's Day 5K

Veteran's Day grew out of what was originally called Armistice Day by Woodrow Wilson to commemorate the end of World War I, at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. In 1953, a guy by the name of Alfred King, who was a shoe store owner in Emporia Kansas, thought it would be a great day to celebrate all Veteran's, not just those who died in WWI. And thus, the Veteran's Day was born.

Christine and I headed up to Fort Collins this morning for the first running of the Veteran's Day 5K in memory of Captain Jason Galus, an outstanding Army Officer and ROTC graduate from Colorado State University. Upon returning from a tour in Iraq, Jason was tragically killed in a bicycling accident in Fort Sill, Oklahoma on April 28th, 2009. His family (wife, sister, mom and dad) were all on hand for the race and even participated. They are all in the military and it was moving to hear Captain Galus' Father address the runners prior to the start of the race. My thoughts went out to all our armed men and women fighting for our freedom in the far reaches of the world, as well as here on our own soil. Regardless of whether you stand behind the decisions our leaders have made in the past, I for one am so very thankful for their sacrifice and commitment.

So, the race. Let's just say I learned some important lessons. This being the first running event that I felt I could actually race, it was a good stepping stone.

Pre-Race: The weather was not perfect for running a short distance race by my standards. The car showed 27F as we exited I-25 to head west into Fort Collins. The temperature may have gained a few degrees by the start, but not by much, which made it difficult to warm up the body.

Lesson 1: A better pre-race warm up routine.

Christine and I jogged about a mile, maybe a little more, then a did a series of 100ish meters at desired race pace, followed by 200ish meters recovery jogging. During each series, my body and particularly my legs, felt terrible. After review, I feel that I would need a solid 2 miles of jogging at, say a 9 min pace prior to doing a series of 200 meters at race pace with 200 meters recovery.

After our short warm up, we heard the National Anthem, a few words from Captain Galus' Father, then a short walk to the starting line. This was a total of maybe 12 minutes, which caused me to lose any warmth my body had generated previously, making for a not so great start.

Lesson 2: I went out too fast.

I've always had this problem, with the exception of Leadville this summer which I can't really compare. I had my race fairly well planned before arriving for the race. My overall goal is to break the 19 minute threshold in the 5K before focusing on the 10K. Today would have been as good a time as any to achieve this. I had planned to hit the first mile in around 6:20, the second at 12:40, then give it all I had during the last 1.1 to finish strong. I still feel this is well within my reach, but I did not demonstrate it today.

I went off the start line and forgot to start my watch, which I noticed 20 seconds later. The race was small so things were spread out from the beginning. Three guys took off fairly quickly and I settled into 4th. I passed #3 by the time we were a quarter mile in and things stayed that way for the majority of the race. At the 1st mile marker, I glanced at my watch and it read 5:37, meaning I had ran the first mile around 5min 57 sec, well faster than I had planned. That would be my fastest mile of the day. The two guys in front of me must have realized something similar, as we all slowed and the gap between us all remained the same. Before approaching the 2nd mile marker, I would hear the guy behind me approaching. We would pass the guy (actually a young kid) in #2 almost side-by-side. I never even looked at my watch to see the split. The last 1.1, which was suppose to be my strongest, was actually my worst, by far.

Lesson 3: Control my breathing!

My breathing was very erratic and it hit me during the final portion of the race. With maybe a half mile to go, running 15 meters behind 1st and 2nd, I had to slow down to get my breathing stabilized and I watched as the distance grew. I had no choice but it left a pit in my stomach to almost voluntarily give up and not race that final quarter mile.

My final time was 19:49, well off my intended goal of 18:59, leaving me 3rd overall and 1st in my age group. Regardless of the less than desirable outcome, I feel this was a necessary race for my growth. I can see 18 minutes in my future, whether there are lower digits behind it or higher. Weekly speed work will be a must for my short-term goals in both the 5K and 10K.

I should also mentioned the stellar performance of my wife. She decided to sign up and run, rather than be a spectator. She's been running consistently all summer, but without any defined goals or even strategy. She didn't have a goal or pace in mind. Her plan was simply to run, check herself after each mile and adjust from there. As I write, that actually sounds like the best plan! She crossed the finish line in 23 min 32 sec, good enough for 4th female. She got faster with each mile and finished very strong. I have no doubts that she could improve her time drastically if she desired.

Christine and I both had a good day of running and hope to find another race to focus on in the near future. Although, we don't plan to give up our trail shoes anytime soon!

Weekly Summary - 11/14

Monday: Off



Tuesday: 4.5 Miles - Treadmill (AM)

Pretty boring sweating it out on the treadmill. It definitely takes more discipline on my part to get the miles in that way. Not planning to make the treadmill workout a daily ritual, but don't mind throwing one in from time to time.

A short strength training session (Lunch)

Wednesday: 4.3 Miles - The mill (AM)

Thursday: 4.0 Miles - Hall Ranch (Lunch)
First snow of the year. What a great day to be out! I'm actually excited about winter, with the exception of minimal daylight. Today was the first run in a while where I felt complete solitude.

2.3 Miles - Treadmill (PM)
Just a nice and slow shake out of the legs.

Friday: Off

Saturday: Veteran's Day 5K (AM)
1.5 Mile Warm up
3.1 Mile Race
0.5 Mile Cool Down

McIntosh Lake (Lunch)
4 Miles with Christine - Post race shake out

Sunday: 4.1 Miles - McIntosh Lake (PM)

Felt worse during this run than any run in quite some time. Overall, I was out of my normal routine, which I'm sure had an impact. I slept in a little, opting to forgo the Sunday morning run for an extra cup a'coffee (maybe 3) and read a while before church. I had planned to get a longer run in after church, but ended up having to head to work for a few hours. I was bummed that I didn't get a long trail run, as the short days are forcing me off the trails onto the pavement more and more. Although, Christine and I are heading to Alabama on Thursday for an early Thanksgiving, so I hope to get some adequate mileage in this week.

Weekly Summary - 11/7

Monday: Off

Tuesday: 4.1 Miles - McIntosh Lake (AM)
A little spooky running around the lake at 5 AM without a headlamp!

2.2 Miles - Neighborhood Loop (PM) + Strength training

Wednesday: 4.4 Miles - Neighborhood Loop (AM)
It was my second 5 AM run in as many days and I've thoroughly enjoyed both. I see that I need to get up a little earlier to get a longer run in, read, and get to work when I'd like. I'm sure the upcoming time change will make that 30 minutes much easier.

Thursday: 5.2 Miles - Neighborhood Loop (PM)
When my alarm went off this morning, I was feeling rough. So, after a few thoughts, I reset my alarm clock and dozed off for what only seems like seconds, but was actually an hour.

I went to the Chiropractor today at lunch. As I've stated numerous times in previous posts, I'm continually battling pain in my right ankle. I can tell that my foot strike is concentrated on the outside of the foot rather than exactly balanced, so I thought it worthwhile to get it checked out, especially since I have never done this before. Christine has worked with this particular chiro (both teaching her as well as getting work done from her) and said she pays a lot of attention to bodies being completely balanced, recommending not only adjustments but a mix of proper posture, stretching, strength training, and even PT in cases.

So, today my theories were confirmed that while both of my feet supinate, by right foot is worse that my left. She recommended orthotics as well as reviewing my total body alignment. I was a bit surprised at the price of orthotics and am somewhat hesitant to go down that road. I'm going to continue dialogue with Christine, my in house expert.

Friday: 4.1 Miles - McIntosh Lake
A quick run before dinner. We had squash and pepper fajitas, fresh Salsa from the Farmers Market, and a Fat Tire for dessert!

Saturday: 4.0 Miles - Rabbit Mountain with Christine
What a ridiculous day! I, as well as everyone else, cannot believe it is November 6th. It was a beautiful day to be out on a trail.....or picking up trash on the side of Hwy 36! Christine and I volunteered (along with a few other folks from work) to do clean-up with the Lyons Community Foundation. We spent the better part of the afternoon, making our way through the weeds to do a little bit for the community. It was great to be out, especially since Christine and I could volunteer side by side. What did I find that was most surprising? Definitely the amount of hammer gels, power gels and the like. For some reason, I thought that the cyclists (ok, I'm making an assumption) were much less likely to throw waste out the peverbial window than most, but I'm starting to rethink that stereotype.

Sunday: 7.4 Miles - McIntosh Lake with Christine (AM)

I'm really getting really tired of this darn ankle pain. I feel as if I have to change my stride, and hence foot strike, in order to compensate for the dull pain. Then, after a few miles of this compensation, I begin to feel a twinge here and there in other parts of my body, like knees and hips, where I then revert back to my original stride and foot strike. I feel like I'm playing this game much too often. After this mornings run, I've decided to give the orthotics a try.

Track workout: 5 Miles - Westview Middle School (PM)
Short warm up at 7:45ish pace
400 meters on by 400 meters rest
Ended with 800 meters on by 800 meters rest

Overall, I felt like this was a pretty decent week, running wise, besides the ankle issues of course. I'm finally getting a few early AM runs in, which both ensures I get miles in before my day starts and also ensures that I get ample time at home with Christine, even if work goes awry. I can definitely feel my fitness improving, as each mile goes by a bit quicker and easier. Although, I feel that I'm doing a little work to get there, which feels good in and of itself. And with that, I'm toying with the idea of running the Children's Hospital 5K this coming Sunday. I don't feel that my time will necessarily be at goal pace, which I've yet to divulge, but I'm a bit anxious to toe the line just to see how far I have to go. The decision is pretty much made, I just need to bite the bullet, even if my showing is not what I want it to be. Regardless, I'm having a pretty good time running right now and I don't plan to change course anytime soon.

Here's a little soul for this Sunday night. Sean Hayes