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.
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 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!
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.
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
After an afternoon trail run, Christine and I headed to a pumpkin patch, where we walked through the market and had hot apple cider. It was a great place to get us into the Halloween spirit.
We stopped by the store to stock up on candy, in thoughts of having a few trick-or-treaters. I was able to catch one amazing sunset around McIntosh Lake. Here are a few pictures from the day.
An extremely windy day, but beautiful nonetheless. I wouldn't choose to work at 1 AM everyday in order to get a decent midday run in, but I'll take 'em when I can get 'em.
Wednesday: 5 Miles - McIntosh Lake
I'm really working to get the "run" dialed in. I'm still having continual right ankle issues and it doesn't make sense. I've taken days off, rested, ran slow, ran fast, etc and nothing seems to help. Today, I noticed that my right foot supenates much more than my left. I can actually see much more of my right calve compared to my left, which leads me to believe the pain is coming from a joint issue. The pain, or should I say discomfort, isn't at all unbareable, but I don't want to "run through" a problem and make it much worse over time. I'm thinking of trying orthotics, which Christine completely believes in. I'm not sure exactly what I should do, but I'd like to get back to those runs when everything clicks and feels good.
Thursday: 7 Miles - Hall Ranch
Friday: Off
Saturday: 3.7 Miles - McIntosh Lake (AM) with Christine Left really sluggish and stiff on this run. Not sure if it's because of the day off yesterday or what, but my body felt really bad. What a beautiful day though. Christine and I have been enjoying being near the lake, which makes for nice morning runs.
7 Miles - Hall Ranch (Lunch) Decided to head to Hall for a trail run, attempting to rid myself of this strange tension in my joints. I didn't feel the best of the initial 1 mile climb, but I started to feel a little pep as I moved on up the gentle uphill toward the Nelson Loop. I paused to snap a few pictures along the way, as these warm fall days are soon to be over. It's hard to believe I was running comfortably shirtless on October 30th. Ended the run feeling much better and looking forward to a trail run with Christine tomorrow.
Sunday: 6.5 Miles - Picture Rock (Lunch) with Christine Neither Christine nor I was feeling very well at the start of the run. We settled into a nice, albeit slow, pace and enjoyed the rolling terrain. We were discussing desires. She asked, "what are the desires of your heart?"......and I went blank. I'm not sure if most people would have a million pictures flash through their brains, but my gray matter had zero spark. Regardless, it spurred on good conversation and we had another enjoyable run. I'm thankful for each of these jaunts with my lovely wife.
Here are a few pictures from my jaunts at Hall and our Sunday outing at Picture Rock.
Here is the song that has been playing in my head on a lot of my latest runs.....enjoy! YOUNG FOLKS
