Today I had the opportunity to take an awesome young man from my church skiing. Actually, he's the son of the pastor of my church. He recently turned 16 and he's a great young guy. As I've gotten to know him, he's mentioned on several occasions that he's a snowboarder.....and that he's willing to go skiing with me anytime.....anytime! Knowing that I had the day off, I asked him if he wanted to head up into the high country for a little back-country riding. After approval from the parents, he gladly accepted.
Then came the hard part......where do you take a younger guy skiing? First of all, I wanted to ensure he was safe everywhere we went. I didn't want him traveling or skiing anything dangerous, which means sticking to 20ish degree slopes and being extremely careful where you're touring. Secondly, I didn't want to wear him out on a climb, leaving little chance he'd enjoy the trip down or the overall experience of being away from the crowds in the mountains.
Lastly, there was the logistics of getting him up the mountain. He's a snowboarder, whereas I typically telemark ski in the back-country, using climbing skins to tour and get me up the mountain. I've ridden with guys that use a split-board, giving them touring capability with their snowboard, but I couldn't find a setup for him. I've also ridden with guys that use snowshoes (or slowshoes as some call them) but I wasn't sure how he'd fare.
With all that in mind, I decided to take him to a local mountain pass where skiers and riders often go. By hitching to the top of the pass, you get halfway 'free!' Then, there's always a solid bootpack to follow up to the ridge. Lastly, a good portion of the bowl and runout sits at 18 degrees or so. I thought this was the best option.
For a high school sophomore, he was up early! I picked him up at 7 AM and we headed up to the high country. We talked about school, girls, music and all that lies in between. As we headed up the mountain, I ran into a co-worker who decided to join us on our outing. We hiked in great weather, with temperatures in the high 20's and virtually no wind. We couldn't have asked for better conditions. The snow was nice as well, giving us the opportunity to open it up a little in the bowl, having confidence there was little variability in the snowpack. As we were in the parking lot, munching on snacks at the end of our day, my young ski partner said, "that wasn't so bad.....I'd say it was pretty equal to track practice!" And with that (and a quick stop by Starbucks), we headed for the Front Range.
Monday: 11.6 Miles Total 4.2 Miles - McIntosh Lake with Christine (AM)Enjoyed waking up and getting a morning jog with Christine. Neither of us were feeling very spry, but being together made the run the nice. 7.4 Miles - Hall Ranch (PM) With the amazing weather today (60F and sunny!), I couldn't help but get a few more miles in. I headed over to Hall for a little vertical fun. I'm hoping that I could feel Saturday's effort....otherwise, my strength is going the wrong direction. Besides a little soreness in the legs, I was pleased with the effort and was thankful for a day off to enjoy being outside during daylight hours.
Tuesday: 7.1 Miles - Neighborhood Figure 8 (PM) I didn't feel half bad tonight. Since Christine had to work late tonight, I thought I'd just enjoy a nice and easy (i.e. slow) loop around the neighborhood. After a short warm up (speaking of warm it was super nice out tonight....maybe still 50F) I easily picked up the pace and held it for the majority of the run. There were a few times when I had to make myself slow down, as my legs were getting a little tight and I didn't want to risk an injury. I've read plenty recently of folks getting injured on random training runs, so I backed off, pretty much trotting the last half mile. I feel like I'm starting the week out well, in terms of both mileage and the way I'm feeling physically.
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: 6.1 Miles - The Mill
Friday: 8.1 Miles Total
5.0 Miles - Picture Rock with Christine (AM)
I haven't been sleeping well for the last 3 days so it was a challenge just to get a few miles in. My blood sugar also seemed to be screwed up, so I was struggling to say the least. I guess I have to look at days like these as giving me more mental toughness!?
3.1 Miles - The Mill Just a little shake out before heading to Boulder for the evening.
Saturday: 16.5 Miles - Picture Rock (Lunch)
Slept in today.....finally was able to get a good nights sleep, although I felt lethargic from my schedule change. We lounged around during the morning and decided to head out on a run. We drove separate cars, since I was planning to get a few extra miles in. Christine and I did the first 6 together, doing an out and back. It actually worked perfectly, as my legs were feeling tight and it gave me ample time to loosen up. I also enjoyed getting to run with Christine, talking about our previous week, the Holiday's (including our upcoming trip to Michigan) and the coming year. I'm really thankful to get to share time on the trail with my wife. It's a great time to connect while enjoying the outdoors.
After a quick pit-stop and a hug good-bye to Christine, I headed back up the trail. I was a little unsure of how much I was going to do, knowing that my left quad had been tight all morning. I did want to ensure I got in as many miles as last Saturday.
Just before Christine and I hit our turn-around point at the 3 mile marker, we passed a runner going the opposite direction. When we arrived back at the trail head, this same guy was heading back up the trail. I wasn't sure if he was doing laps or had parked at the Heil Valley Trailhead, but the thought of catching him gave me something to work for. About a mile and a half into the ascent, I saw that he was about 5 minutes ahead of me. With that, the thought of catching him left and I just settled into a manageable pace. Another mile up the trail, I caught a glimpse of this guy again, seeing that I gained a couple minutes. The chase resumed, and I picked up the pace a bit in hopes of catching him before my turn-around point. I ended up catching him and ran behind him about a mile. At the junction of Picture Rock with the Wild Turkey loop, we exchanged a few words before he went on his way. Turns out, he was on the homestretch of a long run. He mentioned he had been at Hall Ranch that day as well, venturing to Button Rock reservoir. I'm guessing he knocked out a solid 35+ miles. I must say, I didn't feel quite as good about my meager 16.5 miles on the day, knowing this guy had been running for hours. Regardless, it was encouraging to run into someone on such a long run, on my backyard trails.
Sunday: 4 Miles - Rabbit Mtn with Christine
Just got out for a little jog today to stretch the legs. I could definitely feel the tension in my legs from the prior days effort, but nothing that felt bad. Tomorrow will be the true test, as it seems I feel the most soreness two days after a hard effort. The weather was amazing today, running in shorts. When I get out on days like this I'm always thankful, but I'm really hoping winter will come soon. I miss the snow!
Overall, I think this was one of my strongest weeks of running yet. Breaking the 50 mpw mark feels good by itself. I was also glad that I got in a decent long run. Besides feeling a little fatigued during the last 2 miles, I felt pretty solid. I only took one bottle and zero gels, so I was pretty gased at the end. Anything longer and I need to ensure I bring fuel along.
On the other hand, I didn't get in any speed work at the track or on the mill this week, which I think needs to be somewhere in the mix. With my current fitness level, I feel that I could venture off and run 15 pretty much anytime, but that 15 probably wouldn't be the fastest. My hope is that my cardiovascular system will improve with the long runs, which should inevitably aid my speed. Only time will tell and I feel that I'm in a good place going into 2011!
I try to continually evaluate all the areas of my own life, from faith to marriage to career to activities I'm involved in and the like. My goal being to keep myself somewhat in check with what I'm doing, where I'm going, etc.
It also seems that everywhere you go, when striking up a conversation with a stranger, the question is inevitably asked about work and how well you....like, enjoy, are passionate about (you insert the word that best describes your conversations)......what you do. Most people brush over it.....I mean, it is a stranger after all. Some people answer the question very honestly, which usually leads to a lengthy discussion as to the reason for said work unhappiness. Regardless, it seems that happiness (however you choose to define it) is something we are enamored with and maybe even a little confused by.
Some time ago, I listened to a cassette tape (come on, you remember what those are) while driving home from college by John Piper on Hedonism. I was quite fascinated by his take on what he definied as Christian Hedonism. Where does our desire for happiness come from? Is it 'right' to desire said happiness rather than desiring other things.
Wherever you fall on the spectrum of happiness in what you do for a living, I think it's extremely important to keep the idea percolating through all that grey matter!
Tuesday: 8.4 Miles Total 4.2 Miles - Rabbit Mountain with Christine (Lunch) What a beautiful day to be out.....too bad I had to go back to work.
4.2 Miles - Treadmill (PM) Short warm up at 7:30 min/mile pace. Then 0.75 at 6 min/mile with 0.25 rest, then 0.5 at 6 with 0.25 off, and ended with a few more sessions of 0.25 at 6 with 0.25 off. I'm feeling pretty good at that 6 min/mile pace, easily getting the turnover. I need to hit the track soon to get the speed work at faster speeds.
Wednesday: 4.1 Miles - Treadmill (AM)
Another 5AM sluggish workout is in the books. I'm hoping that my body adjusts to being up early at some point, but that hasn't happened yet. The desire to hit the snooze button is there, but once I'm awake, I never feel tired. Ah, the necessity of discipline!
Thursday: Strength training (PM)
4.2 Miles - Treadmill (PM)
These 14 hour work days are playing havoc with my running routine, to say the least. My second large work project is winding down, so I'm hoping (and dare I say planning) to increase the weekly mileage totals in the coming weeks. Christine gave me the green light for some Saturday 'me' time. The only debate is whether to ski or get some major running vertical in. It's been too long since I've made a trip up Green and I'm thinking of throwing that into the mix for Saturday AM. Decisions decision!
Friday: 6.1 Miles - Treadmill (PM)
Saturday: 14ish Miles - Mesa Trail + Misc Detours (AM)
Christine was meeting her friend Jamee in Boulder for a trail run and was planning to do coffee/lunch afterward. I decided to go with her to Boulder and do my own run, starting at the South Mesa Trailhead. The plan was simply to log some miles. From the beginning, I was feeling sluggish and slow, and I knew this wasn't going to be an amazing run. I had various thoughts after I set out, such as crusing up Bear Peak or after I made it to Chautauqua, head up Green, but the legs just weren't cooperating. Besides not feeling speedy, I felt like I easily got the miles in, which is encouraging. Hopefully the speed on the long runs will come in the future.
I enjoyed running around in the Boulder area, something I don't do very often. It's pretty hard to justify driving to Boulder, when I have amazing trails in Lyons. Christine and I both commented post run on the number of trail runners on the Boulder trails today. Typically running the surrounding Lyons trails, we rarely encounter other runners. On a cold and gray day, it's possible to enjoy a day of running and have the trails all to yourself. Today, it reminded me of the fact that I spend most of my time running alone, with the exception of running with Christine. I find that I need the time to myself as I spend almost of all my day managing (and hopefully somewhat leading) people. Although, it was good to see folks out, getting to share both the trail and a passing hello.
Today also got me thinking of running goals. After spending a little time in Boulder, looking up at South Boulder, Bear and Green Mountain, I'm reminded of the Skyline Traverse. That's definitely going on the goal/to-do list. I'm not sure I'm quite ready for it now but I feel certain I'll be prepared by early 2011. Other than a few local trail runs, I still want to get my 5k and 10k's dialed by early Spring. I'm also toying with the idea of signing up for the Fort Collins Marathon in early May. I feel that, given my current level of fitness, I could be ready for a semi-solid performance in the next 5 months. As you can see (or read) things are still quite up in the air, but I feel that running has quickly become my go-to outdoor activity (which truly came to light this weekend, choosing a trail run over back-country skiing) and I think having goals for 2011 will only make it even more enjoyable.
Sunday: 5 Miles - Picture Rock with Christine (PM)
I feel that I'm finally moving forward in my running, gaining speed and endurance. I'm also beginning to incorporate the long run into my weekly routine, which I know are necessary for my 2011 goals. I'm expecting the coming weeks to calm down in terms of my work load, so I'm hoping to get a few more miles in as well as spend some much needed time with my wife, who tends to get the short end of the stick when my work hours increase.
Here are a few pictures from my Mesa Trail outing on Saturday:
Here's a gem of a song I found while doing a little blog surfing this week. It's been in my head the last few days. Little Comets - Joanne
Monday: 4.0 Miles - Hall Ranch with Christine (PM) I took the day off to spend time with Christine on her birthday. We headed to Hall Ranch in the afternoon for a little run. I was feeling really sluggish, the legs just not wanting to turn over. It was good to get a little vertical in and be back on my favorite trail. And, Christine got an added birthday present with a personal best to the first bench!
Tuesday: 7.0 Miles - Treadmill (PM)
Just a little shake out after a long day back to work. Not really feeling great and definitely not excited to be on the mill, but I just didn't have the motivation to put on more than shorts and a T-shirt.....that's sad!
Wednesday: 4.0 Miles - Treadmill (AM)
Man 4:50 AM came early this morning. Trying to get back in the routine of a few early morning shake-outs. I think my schedule is off drastically due to the long weekend. Although rolling out of bed wasn't easy, it was good to loosen up and get some good reading in this morning.
4.0 Miles - Neighborhood Loop (PM) It's amazing how much better I feel in the evening/night versus in the mornings. Every morning that I wake up for an early run, I'm sluggish, feel slow (generally am slow) and really just grind out a few miles. But in the evenings, as was the case tonight, I felt great pretty much from the beginning of the run. I was only a short distance in the run and I had to mentally tell myself this was just a little shake-out. Then I made the mistake of picking up the pace too much at the end of the run and tweaked my right calf a touch. It stiffened up pretty quickly, but I have hopes I'll be good as new tomorrow. No AM run tomorrow as I'm meeting friends for coffee at 5:30, so I'll have the day for a little healing. Overall, the run was 100% better than this AM (minus the tweak).
Thursday: Off After working 14 hours and hoping to just sit down and have a conversation with my wife, I opted for the day off.
Friday: Off Another 13 hour work day.....seriously!
Saturday: 9 Miles total
4.0 Miles - Picture Rock with Christine I had to work today.....on a Saturday.....but I had a surprisingly good attitude about it, despite not being able to get a long run in, which I had been mentally planning since Thanksgiving day's 14.5 miles. I was able to sneak away around lunch for 4 miles with Christine, although my stomach was giving me issues which made it less than stellar.
5.0 Miles - Rabbit Mtn I left work just after 3 and was able to get a few more miles before Christine and I went to get a Christmas tree and get out of the house for a while. After picking out a nice little tree to go in our nice little apartment, we headed to the Pumphouse Brewery for good food and better conversation.
I was able to PR on the 4 mile loop. Things like this continue to confirm that my fitness and speed are improving. A 1 mile shake out to end the session.
Sunday: 13.9 Miles Total 7.4 Miles - Hall Ranch with Christine (Antelope side) Enjoyed getting out with Christine, spending a little extra time on the trail. 6.5 Miles - McIntosh + Neighborhood Went straight from the trail to pounding the pavement. I'm trying to get a few extra miles in on the weekends to hopefully transition to a true "long" run in the near future.
I've been thinking a lot about what my running goals are for the coming year. I feel that I've been more consistent with my running that ever before. I would still like to dial in my 5k and 10k in the coming months. I found a few 5k's in early January that I may sign up for. But my true motivations are of the longer distance variety. I'm really just searching to find both my capabilities and my limitations. More on this soon.
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!
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."
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)
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.
