Sept 12 to Sept 18

Another week of vacation! It would just awful to have to work for a living! Even with a busy week, many miles are planned for the early fall season.

Monday; Sept 12: Down to the gym early for abs, chest, and triceps and then out the door for a basic, easy, no brainer 6 miles.
Fellow blogger, Wyatt Hornsby, recently published a post on his blog about consistency in running. As he pointed out, one would think that after running Leadville 100 Aug. 27/28, some time off from running or at least a greatly reduced running schedule would be in  order. However, as Wyatt explains, this is not always the case. In the 3 three weeks or so since Leadville, he has returned to a couple of nice 60 mile weeks and has no plans to pull the running down yet. Is he leading up to injury or burnout? No, not at all because he is tuned into his body and mind and will know when it is time to back off. He also describes how ultra runners in particular continue to run consistently over the course of several years, not just consistently on a day to day or week to week basis. An example; If someone is training for a race from 5K to marathon distance, he/she can most likely start with a basic  fitness level and build up to the race. Given the correct 12 to 15 week program, most folks can complete the race and live to tell about it. On the other hand, most folks will not be able to start from a basic fitness level, train for 12 to 15 weeks and then complete a 50K or longer race. Oh, they may finish, but it most likely be with  resulting problems. Most ultra runners are very experienced in running and did not take up the sport of ultras without first logging years of consistent running.  Running for ultra athletes is a way of life and pushing ourselves beyond a comfort level is a more normal existence than running for fitness or for a specific race that is marathon distance or shorter.

Tuesday; Sept 13:  Down to Colorado Springs early for a run with the Sunrise Striders and a tempo run of a warm up, then 4x8 minute repeats. These went well and then it was a few more miles to round out the day at 11.0.


Wednesday; Sept 14:  Being an at home day, it all started with a weight lifting session of abs, back , and shoulders. Out the door with Traysen with first light for a nice and very cool 10 miler. We are really enjoying these cool morning temps along with the slowly changing aspen leaves.

Thursday; Sept 15:  Welcome to Seattle!!!! Or at least it feels that way with all the rain we have had in the last day or two. This morning was a beautiful cool drizzle for what was supposed to be a track workout with the Sunrise Strider group. Unfortunately, at the last minute the location was changed(due to a flooded track) and with such a short notice, I opted to run 12 miles in Garden of the Gods. While the track workout would have been very effective, this run in the cool misty morning could not be surpassed.

Friday; Sept 16: Meeting with a good friend for a craft show outing at 830am, it was out the door in the dark at 5am for a brisk 6 miler with Traysen. Always interesting running in the dark at home since Traysen can see or sense varmits long before I can. Not sure, but hoping, it was a deer that tweaked  his interest a few times.

Saturday; Sept 17: Off to Mueller State Park very early for a nice 15 miler. The aspens are starting to turn as well as the scrub oaks and willows. Fall is by far the most beautiful time of year. Being able to run in such a pretty area makes me appreciate all that is in my life.
That is what running in the woods can do for a person. In what other activity can you get back to nature in a pure and natural form? A good pair of running shoes, some water, some basic clothing and off you go!



Always a welcome sight!! The aspens are turning nicely.



An odd black and white pic that shows one of the many aspen groves.

Sunday; Sept 18:  An early start to the day with a drive to Rampart Res. and the running of the Pony Express race. This 15 mile jaunt circles the reservoir, covering dirt trail littered with roots, rocks and small hills. The last few years (with a few exceptions) I have volunteered for this event and have enjoyed the quiet atmosphere, low key morning, hanging out with good friends like Pat Lockhart (cancer survivor) and Larry.
It was then time for Traysen and I to log out a nice 12 miler to wrap up the week.



The east side of the lake and the direction of the race.



The race start/finish and our hangout for the morning. Can it get any better than this?

Summary: A nice week of running with no work!! These cool temps has many runners out on the trails and many folks are thinking of fall races. Several fellow runners are going to the Devil Mountain 50 in Pagosa Springs on Oct. 1 while Lynne, Lori, and a few other gal pals ran Lead King Loop 25K this past weekend.
total miles for the week: 72. 0 Miles for the year: 2208.0

Sept 5th to Sept 11th

With a very busy week, running will most likely not be the mileage filled event it usually is each week. During these types of weeks, we just have to do what we can, realize we have other priorities in life and know that an unplanned slack week is not going to do our running life in!

Monday; Sept 5th: It was out the door at 430am this morning! No, not for a run but to travel to the Springs to head up Aid Station 13 for the ADT Marathon...and then to work! We had an awesome crew this year with about 6 individuals who cheered the runners with nonstop enthusiasm, "magic water," and "gogo gu." Thanks to all those who came out to support this annual event and make the day for many who were attempting that first marathon or half marathon or were just attempting to get the finish line!



What a great setting to cheer the runners on with water, Gatorade, and much hootin n hollarin!

Tuesday; Sept 6th:   After yesterday's long day with the race, the commute, and a short workday (ending in Jackson Hole, WY), one would think of sleeping in....well, that did not work out!  Out the door by 6am for a nice run through town and then out onto the elk refuge for a total of 7 miles. Then, a quick change of clothes and  it was back out onto the trails near the lodge for some easy hiking. This was a rare opportunity of time with nothing else on the agenda and it was a nice outing to just enjoy the woods.

Wednesday; Sept 7th:  In bed at 1am last night produced the usual slow day. A brief 6 miles was all I could muster, although the extra cool temps and quite a bit of rain made for a nice outing.

Thursday; Sept 8th:  With a rainy night behind us, it was down to the gym for what is most likely to be the only weight lifting session this week. Abs, back and shoulders were the order of the day and then out the door with Traysen for a nice and very cool 10 miler.

Friday; Sept 9th:  In Atlanta this weekend for a three day eventing horseshow with my Mom and Dad. (No, just as a spectator, not as a competitor....the ole wallet could never afford this sport!!!) Today was the dressage portion and what a beautiful event with the horses performing a set pattern of specific foot placements and pace changes.
As for running today, it was a 7 mile outing in the very early dark morning. The hot 90 degree temps have left the southeast and I was treated to a nice 55 degrees  and not much humidity.

Saturday; Sept 10th:  Day two of the horseshow lead us to the cross country portion, which consists of about a two mile course with various jumps and one interesting water feature for the riders/horses to navigate. Except for the spills of horse and rider (luckily neither were ever hurt), a very relaxing day sittin' on the grassy lawn in a comfy chair..
As for the run of the day: Wow....did I have fun!!!! Even though I didn't start til about 830am (and that was a bit late and warm), the area around the show grounds is amazingly beautiful with plenty of lakes, trails, woods, and some very small hills (small by Colorado standards). It was quite easy to put a great 10 miler while enjoying the serenity of Chattahoocee Hills.
This link below is the area where the horseshow took place....

http://www.chatthillseventing.com/about.html

And a pic or two:



These types of trails went on for quite a ways and usually wrapped around a lake.



The horse says, "Hang On!!!! We're goin' in!!!"

Sunday; Sept 11th:  The last day of the horseshow consisted of the stadium portion, which is the show jumping competition. Very beautiful to watch as horse and rider blaze through a tight course of 5 foot high jumps.
The run today was much like Saturday; a wonderful 10 miler through the woods and trails at the show grounds. What a nice treat to run in such a beautiful area!

A couple more pics:



The stadium jumping matches horse/rider with 3-5 foot high jumps; all jumps must be completed and in done so in a certain time.



Sunrise at Chattahochee Hills.

Summary:  Despite a very busy week, it was still a good week of running with 51 miles. The highlight of course was spending the days with my folks, watching the horseshow and exploring a new area of running!

Aug 29 to Sept 4

Fall is just around the corner and that means many miles of wonderful trails to run with golden aspens rustling in the wind. With a vacation week from work, this week has plenty of running in the plan.

Monday; Aug 29:  After the busy weekend, Traysen and I didn't make it out the door til 7am. By our return at 9am the temps had risen to about 65 and it was toasty!!! (Yes, that is warm for us!!! Plus the sun was blaring down....) A nice 10 miler started the week; the highlight was the twin fawns bounding through the woods. Traysen was sure he had found some new playmates.

Tuesday; Aug 30: With Mom catching a 630am flight, the timing was perfect to run with the Sunrise Striders. When I say "run with," I mean that very loosely. The run for today was to warm up for about 15 minutes and then do 4 x 7minutes tempo run with 3:30 recovery between. Well, for little Miss I am not so Fast Here, the warm up was almost like a tempo run! I hung with the group for a few minutes but they slowly pulled away and left only dust  and Sarah in their wake. At the 15 minute mark, my speed increased to a good tempo pace and the 7 minutes was easily covered with no slowing down except on a few slight inclines. The 3:30 recovery was most welcome and I tried to keep it a steady slow trot so as to be able to hit the next repeat with full speed. The next three 7 minute repeats went well and the group caught me on the return as we were finishing our last repeat.
One key concept in this run was this: For all of this year I have been doing hill repeats and intervals; however, the intensity and the quantity have not been what they should have or could have been. All of this speed work has been done on my own with real exterior incentive to push myself. And even though I have enough inner drive to push myself, it is not enough to produce an excellent speed work session.

Wednesday; Aug 31:  It is way past time to get back to the gym; took all of last week off. So, it was to the pumping iron bright and early for abs, shoulders and triceps. Then, out the door, without lazy boy, Traysen. A nice 11 miler was the order of the day and it was your basic trot around the neighborhood, watching early morning activities of the deer, squirrels, and rabbits.

Thursday; Sept 1:  Today was a Sunrise Strider workout day, so Traysen and I jumped in the truck and off we went to find Eagle View Middle School. While he hung out in the truck I met up with the group for the interval portion of the run. We started with a warm up and it was here that the day took on a painful twist. In the first half mile, ole Clumsy here took a nice digger. The comments went something like this: "Ohhhhh, nice one." "Dang, that sounded bad." "Are you ok; you can't breath!!!" Instead of flipping them off, I managed a couple of "IIII'mmmmmm ok...jussttt neeeeddd aiiirrrr." With renewed air in the lungs, the warm  up resumed, bloody hang and knee to boot.
The  group's plan for the day was 8x800m with a 2: 00 recovery. Sarah's plan was to do as many of the 800s as possible, remain alive, and not go over head teakettle....again. The first 4x800m went very well. The time was respectable, the energy was good, the form was good,the fun was good,  and so I did two more 800s. Again, all went well.....so, I did two more 800s!! At the end, I had completed all 8x800s and the time was within a consistent 15 second range for each interval. As I was gathering Traysen from the truck,  Kenneth Chlouber's (Leadville 100 founder) comment came to mind: "You are better than you think you are and you can do more than you think you can."
As with Tuesday's run, this session proved it is  easier, more effective, actually more fun to run these hard intervals with others. During this session I was able to latch onto a few folks and push myself harder than in the past and it felt good to mix up the running with a very challenging effort.
Traysen enjoyed his 3 mile trot through Ute Valley Park to round out the day with 8 miles.



Thanks to Harsha Nagaraj's photos!!! Yes, I am smiling..guess I wasn't working hard enough on this particular interval!



Really...I am having fun!!!!

Friday; Sept 2:  Today was a solo effort (since lazy boy, Traysen, decided to sleep in with the wiener dogs) of 12 miles. A nice run with plenty of "squirrels" to keep my company.

Saturday; Sept 3: It's Fall!!!!! Finally, it's Fall!!!! Meeting Lynne and Michele at the Rainbow Gulch Trailhead, we ran the 15 mile loop around Rampart Reservoir, complete with long sleeve t shirt temps, aspens rustling in the breeze and a nip to the wind. It is mornings like this that make running all the better...cool temps, good friends, beautiful trails.....and lots of miles. Michele is training for a 100 miler in November so it was good to spend some time catching up on her training efforts and progress. She should be in great shape for a fine showing at the Ozark 100.

Sunday; Sept 4: Down to the basement gym for abs, legs, and biceps and then out the door at just barely daylight. Traysen and I wrapped up the week with an easy 5 miler; the highlight being the very cool temp of 42 degrees!

Summary: A great week of running with 70 miles, including two workouts with the Sunrise Strider group and two medium long, back to back runs of 12 and 15 miles. Also , with two weight lifting sessions were tossed into the mix.
The weeks where I am not working at all gives a brief taste of what retirement could be like in terms of quality rest and evenly spaced, consistent workouts. The two speed sessions on Tuesday and Thursday are perfectly timed during the week and then the body is recouped from those by Saturday for back to back long runs on the weekends......so now, this how everybody else does it? Well, only 9 more years til I join all of you with a normal schedule!
OH...Why 70 miles this week? Because I can!!!!