I was hoping to get out for lunch and enjoy this incredible day, but work wasn't having it. So I had to settle for a little shake out when I got home, around 6 PM. I'll consider this a recovery and loosening run, as my legs were pretty sore from the strength training session last night.
Tuesday 1/18: 4.11 Miles in 34:20 @ 748 vert ft - Hall Ranch (Lunch)
My legs were still sore today, but I actually had a 2 second PR to the bench. I'll take the credit and contribute it to a fitness gain! It was another beautiful day on the Front Range. Even though I have a ski trip to Silverton planned in 2 weeks, I'm somewhat yearning for spring and the longer days that come with it. Although, the warm weather also brings snakes, which I'm less excited about!
Wednesday 1/19: 6.15 Miles in 48:15 - Treadmill (PM)
Today was a rough day at work, to say the least. It was one of those days when you question what you're doing and, more importantly, why. I think we all have those days occasionally, they make us stronger, but they're not pleasant. I got home and decided to chill for a while and talk to Christine. So around 8:30, I threw the ear phones in, hit the treadmill, and tried my best to zone out. It worked for the most part.
Thursday 1/20: 7.19 Miles in 55:00 - Neighborhood Loop + 1/2 McIntosh Lake (PM)
I took it nice and easy tonight. I could feel a little tension in my left ankle, which concerned me. It has historically been my right ankle that has plagued me. I'm not sure if I've changed my foot strike or if it was just a coincidence, but I took it easy and I'll reassess tomorrow.
Toward the end of the run, as I was cruising around the lake in darkness, a policeman walked out from behind a fence! It scared the crap out of me. Of course, all I initially saw was a big guy in all black coming at me. It wasn't until I saw the shinny badge that my heart rate dropped. To make things worse, I had noticed a helicopter circling near the area for the entirety of the run. I'm still not sure as to why this officer would need to be where he was, when he was there, but for now I'll just be glad he was protecting me!
Friday 1/21: 11.57 Miles in 1:32:20 @ 769 vert ft - Neighborhood Loop
After a long work day I arrived home to an empty house. Christine had a workshop in Denver and wouldn't be home until after 9 PM, so I was on my own for dinner. I decided to head out for a decent run on an empty stomach and hoped to get home about the same time as Christine. The run wasn't anything to write home about, but I feel it helped in training my mental fortitude. I wandered through some neighborhoods, took random turns to shake things up and make it interesting, but it's still a little boring to be running alone on a Friday night. Regardless, I knew that I wouldn't be able to fit a run in tomorrow so I better just lower my head and get the miles. I got home just in time to stretch, shower, and warm up some left-overs - chicken enchilada's with green chili.
Saturday 1/22: 5.39 Miles in 1:53:01 @ 993 vert ft - Keystone Gulch - Cross-Country Skiing
Christine had made reservations for us to ski and have lunch at the Tennessee Pass Cookhouse. We have really fond memories of this place. The day we were engaged, I had planned to cap off our wonderful day here. It is by far the most unique dining experience I've had. To sum it up, it's a yurt about a mile in from the Ski Cooper base area. It's only accessible by hiking or skiing in. There's zero electricity so the owners cook everything by propane and bring the food in fresh each day by either snowmobile or 4-wheeler.
Our plans were thwarted by winter weather and traffic. It took us almost 4.5 hours to reach Silverthorne. Without enough time remaining to make our reservation we opted for some skiing around Keystone and a stop by the Dillon Dam Brewery. Unfortunately, this wasn't the end to our traffic woes, as we endured another 4 hrs to drive home. Drives like these make me question opting to drive to Summit County rather than stick around the Front Range or even venture into RMNP. For Christine, I'm fairly certain the question is answered!
Sunday: 9.4 Miles Total
5.25 Miles in 41:29 @ 241 vert ft (AM) - Lake McIntosh
I crawled out of bed this morning for a stiff shake out this morning. I couldn't have asked for a better mornng, as the sun was shining and quickly bringing warmth to my morning run. Despite the urge to keep running, I took the disciplined approach and headed home so that I could have ample time to stretch, read, and enjoy a good cup'a coffee before heading to church.
4.15 Miles in 38:47 @ 190 vert ft (PM)
After spending the early afternoon touring houses and, subsequently discussing said houses at Vic's, Christine and I grabbed the last bit of daylight for stroll around the Lake. Nice day, comfortably running in shorts. Afterwards, I threw on my Domestic Husband hat by attempting to prepare Elk Medallions with a reduced Grape Sauce, complimented by Roasted Carrots. I'll say it turned out in the o.k. category and I have much room for improvement!
Strength Training (PM)
Sit-ups - Push-ups - Squats - Lunges
Right now, I feel that my running can be defined as stable. I haven't been able to increase my weekly mileage as of late, which is a little concerning. Overall, I feel my my week day runs can be placed in the adequate category, but my weekend runs have to change...soon. I feel that I'm a long way from where I hope to be this Spring. In order to get there I, at a minimum, need to have a significant long run every other week. Ideally, I should get a substantial 'long' run in each week, in the realm of 15-20 miles....more throughout the Spring.
I'll be heading to the San Juans this weekend for some skiing at Silverton Mountain, so I won't have the chance to log the miles that I "should." Although, this is going to be an awesome weekend, one that I'll be getting in ample exercise.
The next weekend should be interesting. Christine is heading to California to hang with a friend, so I should have ample time for a long run. I know I'm far from ready, but this would be a perfect opportunity to attempt the Skyline Traverse. I'll let it percolate and make the decision as that weekend approaches.
2011 Totals:
152.29 Miles
20:51:22
7,649 Vertical Feet of Climbing
782 Push-ups
731 Sit-ups
Above are a couple pictures from our Keystone XC outing on Saturday.
Here's some new music that I just can't stop listening to - The Heavy
All good. Stable in January is good. Id'ing that it is time to up the game is good. Getting to up the game ... even better.
ReplyDeleteThat many push ups is good.
Thanks for the encouragement and the challenge. Much appreciated!
ReplyDelete