Weekly Summary - 1/23

Monday 1/17: 4.05 Miles in 33:01 @ 200 vert ft - Neighborhood Loop (PM)
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

Weekly Summary - 1/2

Monday: Off
Decided to take the take off. Even though I didn't hit my hoped for weekly mileage, I felt that I should take a day. It was good to get home from work at a decent hour and hang out with my wife for the night.

Tuesday: 9.2 Miles - Neighborhood Figure 8 Plus (PM)
Was feeling pretty bad for at least the first half of the run. My ankles were super stiff which caused my calves to tighten up. After I settled into the run, my legs slowly loosened up and I was able to pick up the pace. I'm not sure what happens with my body, but it seems that my legs are always stiff after a day off.

Wednesday: 8.0 Miles Total
4.0 Miles - Rabbit Mountain with Christine (Lunch)
Wind can make a trail run borderline miserable. The temperature was nice, in the mid 40's, but the wind was brutal. I can't believe I was running in shorts on December 29th. Although, in the next 48 hours, we should see negative temperatures on the Front Range.

4.0 Miles - The Mill
I needed to get a few more miles in, so I headed to the mill for some nice and easy miles. I read an interesting article talking about training in the 'black hole' zone. It gave an example about a former champion rower. The following year, he was doing pretty bad in early season races, but had changed nothing in this training. After further research, they found that he had a new boat. This new boat, and the excitement that came with it, caused the rower to give it a little extra during recovery days. Therefore, he wasn't actually recovering. The article ended in saying that you should stick to intense days (i.e. race pace-ish) and light, easy recovery days. The days that hurt you, or are basically wasted miles, are the moderate ones. It was definitely an interesting read and had quite a bit of research to back it up.

Thursday:8.2 Miles Total
4.0 Miles - Hall Ranch (Lunch)
What a beautiful day to run. Today was, in my opinion, our first 'real' snow of the season on the Front Range. It had just started snowing as I was driving to work at 6:30 AM this morning. As soon as I saw it, I knew I needed to get out for a lunch time run. By the time I headed to Hall around noon, there was a solid 4 inches on the ground. I felt like a kid playing in the snow. It was definitely a slow, sketchy run, as it was difficult to see the rocks and roots under the snow. The entire run was spent on the edge of falling or injurying myself, although you couldn't wipe the smile from my face. The downside was only getting 4 miles in, as I had to get back to work.

4.2 Miles - McIntosh Lake (PM)
I couldn't resist getting out for another quick run in the snow. Despite the quickly falling temperatures (it was around 12F), I wanted to catch the last bit of daylight and take a spin around the lake while the snow was still falling. It was absolutely beautiful outside and it was another reminder of why I love where we live. I had almost forgotten, due to a mild December, that Colorado has four distinct seasons and that's just one of the many things I love about it. And Colorado dawned its winter today. Welcome to the snow and the cold!

Friday: 4.0 Miles - The Mill (AM)
Christine and I opted for a quick shake out on the treadmill this morning before heading up to Rocky Mountain National Park with a couple friends.

Saturday: 4.2 Miles - McIntosh Lake (Lunch)

Today was a big day in regard to the Wilson Family and football. The Alabama Crimson Tide were playing the Michigan State Spartans in the Capital One Bowl. You might ask why this was such a big game for the raining National Champion Tide. Well, one side of my family is pretty big Michigan State fans. My wifes side to be exact. She started out attending college at Michigan State, before transferring to Western Michigan University to major in Dance. Her sister Kim graduated from Michigan State. Both of her parents graduated from Michigan State. In fact, at least one of her grandparents graduated from Michigan State. So, as you can see, there are some pretty strong ties to the school.

As for me, I graduated from the University of Alabama. The tradition of Alabama football is equal to none. Most people that I run into, that aren't from the South, often question this tradition, wondering just how intense it really is. I typically tell the story of my senior design project. I was a Mechanical Engineering major, and my project team was driving to Birmingham from Tuscaloosa to present to Southern Company. We were driving down the interstate, in a university vehicle, which was simply a white Ford Taurus with a university emblem. Suddenly, a man in a beat-up pickup truck (I think he had a sleeveless button-up on!) was yelling, with his windows down, Roll Tide Roll!!!! WOW!!!!

I've always thought that sums up the passion and intensity of Alabama football and, especially, the fan. That is, until I saw this ESPN commercial which paints a clearer picture:




BTW - Alabama won 49-7!

Sunday: 12.0 Miles - McIntosh Lake (PM)

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."

Halloween

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.