Monday, November 15, 2010

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.

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