2013 Starting to Take Form

January Riding at Pueblo Reservoir
Kevin, Sharon, Larry

Four weeks without running so far. I am going to make sure my heel heals completely. Maybe after a half century of stubbornness I’ve finally learned. One of my biggest downfalls and the downfalls of many endurance athletes is not having the patience to heal. My running career was ended for a dozen+ years or so when back in my early 30s I wouldn’t let an Achilles tendon injury heal. I struggled for two years always trying to come back too early. Finally, I got into cycling so I could stay in shape while waiting to heal. It wasn’t until I decided to try LeadMan about 15 years later that I started running again. So this time, I will be patient! Four weeks of stretching, icing, and massaging my foot with a tennis ball has help speed the healing process. I think I could start running now, but I’m going to wait another week and start back slowly.

Being able to ride my bike has helped immensely with the wait period. Actually it feels great riding while not being worn out from running. Without long and hard runs before rides my legs feel light and energetic instead of trashed. I’ve just been having a blast going out and tearing it up on the bike. Poor Max certainly misses the running though. He consistently got up with me in the morning with hope that got fainter and fainter that I would take him running. A couple times he’s laid on the floor whining for me to take him. I felt so terrible. So the cure for Max it turns out, is the same for me; take him mountain biking! He loves it! Problem solved for both of us.



Max has to get his running fix behind a Mountain Bike Now

With the injury I’ve been forced to change my plans. One of my goals for the year was to break 3 hours at the Ave of Giants Marathon. That is out the window. Even if I start running next week, I would risk injury again training at the intensity it would take to accomplish that time. So I will run it just for the joy and experience of running through the giant Redwoods! I am also going to shift my focus to bike racing this year, particuarly the Rocky Mountain Endurance Series. The Rocky Mountain Endurance Series includes the Breckenridge 100. This is definitely among the toughest 100 mile mountain bike races in the world. I raced it in 2010 and absolutely loved every mile of it. On the suffer scale you definitely get your money’s worth!

Finally I reached into my bucket list and pulled out the first thing that came out – Ride the Colorado Trail! Ouch! How did that get in there? Well that’s what came out so that’s what I’m gonna do. I’m still in the planning stages as this will be truly epic. Approximately 500 miles of extreme mountain biking at extreme altitude, 300+ miles of single track, and self-supported. This promises to be quite the adventure!

Bringing in the New Year

Well it’s that time again, a new year. Time to reflect on the previous year and set goals and plans for the coming year.  Up until December, I really hadn’t come up with any concrete goals athletically, so I was just running and riding for the sheer love of it, and transportation.  During this time I got into the habit of using my bike for just about everything; commuting to work every day, running errands, and even most of my Christmas shopping. Without realizing it I found two huge benefits;

1) It helped keep me in bike shape

2) Other than a trip to Moab, I haven’t put gas in my truck since September and still have a quarter of a tank!

Toward the middle of December I decided to run the Avenue ofGiants Marathon in May. My goal was to go all out and train to run it in under 3 hours. Paid the $80 entry fee and started training. I figured endurance is not an issue, what I need is speed work and lots of it. I think my enthusiasm got the best of me though and I fell victim to what I preach not to do and that is, doing too much too soon.  So now I’m limping around with Plantar Fasciitis. Everyone I’ve talked to that has experienced this wonderful injury says I’m looking at 6 weeks to 6 months of no running. I’m doing everything I can to speed up the healing so we shall see. In the mean time I can still ride my bike!

2012 was good year in that it was the first full year since treatment and I’ve made full recovery. Some highlights include The Coastal Challenge, Ring the Peak (bike & run), The Silver King, Moab, multiple climbs of Pikes Peak, Collegiate Peaks 50, The week- long” gentlemen’s” ride, and Leadman. I may not have done as well as I would have liked in some of these events, but when I think about it, I have to be pretty satisfied to have participated in these adventures while still regaining my strength and confidence from the year before. I really feel thankful and blessed to be able to train for and participate in quests like these.

2012 Highlights

 Silver Rush 50 Mile Run

Silver Rush 50 Mile Run

 

Leadville Marathon

 

Ring the Peak (Run)

 

Ring the Peak (Bike)

 

Leadville Trail 100 Run

 

 Leadville Trail 100 Bike

 

Leadville Trail 100 Bike

Coastal Challenge (Day 2)

 

Coastal Challenge (Day 3)

Coastal Challenge Day 4

Coastal Challenge Day 6

 

So I’m really looking forward to 2013. There are a ton of challenges out there. As much as I’d like to run a sub 3 hour marathon at 55, I may just have to wait until I’m 56. If that’s turns out to be the case, I’ll just have to reach down in my bucket list and pull out another adventure!

Have an awesome 2013!

Gratitude

I’ve been working, running, and riding a lot lately, and I love it. As much as I’d like to do Leadman again, it’s not going to happen. After 14 finishes of the 100 mile bike race, 3 finishes of the 100 mile run and dozens of Silver Rush and Leadville Marathons, Roswitha has had enough of Leadville and is begging me to do something else.  There isn’t really any event quite like the Leadman so I’ve come up with a bucket list of various events for 2013 but haven’t really committed to anything. So for the last couple of months I’ve been running and riding for the sheer love of it.

Over the week of Thanksgiving I took on the Carmichael Thanksgiving Challenge which is ride for at least 250 miles during the week. I made it a little bit more challenging by mixing the mileage with running. Also almost all my bike mileage was either single speed or mountain biking, so the miles came a bit slower. I ended up with 205 miles on the bike and 61 miles running. Being Thanksgiving and all I came to appreciate the fact that at 55 years old I CAN do this. I am so thankful to be able to do what I absolutely love day in and day out.


Best Running Buddy Ever! Max runs everywhere with me

As I thought more about this I realized that in many ways I am in better shape at 55 then when I was in high school. Sure I was much faster at the shorter distances, but I couldn’t of imagined running or riding the distances I do now. And so many of these runs and rides, especially with friends, make me feel like a high school kid again. There is always that sense of adventure on an epic mountain bike ride or run in the mountains, along with the fulfillment of pushing yourself to the limit.

Two years ago to the day I started a long six month interferon and ribavirin treatment that pretty much took me out of commission for almost a year. I tried to continue to ride and run during that time but often was reduced to barely crawling out of bed and shuffling around the block. After I completed the treatment it took months to get my red blood cell count back and slowly get back in shape. During this time I didn’t enjoy running or riding and wondered if I ever would again. I began to get an idea what running must be like for people who don’t exercise and could see why they may not like it. However after going through that, it showed me that no matter how old you are, or how out of shape you are, you can still get yourself in shape and feel like a kid again.  It doesn’t have to be running. It can be anything you love to do; walking, gardening, tennis, yoga, there are so many choices. It’s just a matter going out and doing it. It’s hard at first, but then it becomes one of the things you look forward to everyday. Do what you love and you’ll love what you do. The key is the word “ DO”.

 I saw a video the other day that really spoke to me. The video is from a series about an incredible young ultra-distance mountain runner Killian Jornet; one of the best if not the best mountain runner on the planet. In this video he visits Pablo Vigal a 60 year old runner living in Colorado. What really impressed me in this video is Pablo’s enthusiasm, passion, and love for running. Not to mention he’s hanging with a kid that could be his grandson and happens to be one of the best in the world. He exemplifies everything I feel about endurance, running and life.

So as we slip into the holiday period and we reflect on what we can be thankful for, I am so grateful that I can live my dream every day.  Well Max is giving me that look… Time to go for a run!

2013 Bucket List



Fresh Snow on the  Peak This Morning!

What a gorgeous fall season we’ve been having this year! The weather, although cool in the mornings, has been very mild by Colorado standards. This is the time of year when racing is pretty much done and one starts setting goals and dreaming about next year. I’m tossing a few ideas around but haven’t totally committed to anything yet, except crewing and pacing Sharon Larson in the Leadville 100 Trail Run. One thing I’m always torn on is weather to focus on biking or running. It is so hard to be on top of your game in both. It’s a fine line to balance and very hard to figure out. I certainly did not get it right this year. So I’m putting a bucket list together for 2013 and this is what I’ve come up with so far:

• Avenue of Giants Marathon May
• Ring the Peak Run June
• Firecracker 50 MTB Race July
• Burning River 100 Run July?
• Sliver Rush 50 mile MTB and 50 mile run July
• Steamboat Stinger 50 mile MTB and 26.2 mile run August
• Crewing and Pacing Sharon Larson Leadville 100 run August
• Multi Day Mountain Bike trip solo (Possibly the Colorado Trail) Aug/Sep

I’d like to run a Boston qualifier at the Avenue of Giants Marathon in May, so that gives me something to train hard for over the winter. It’s a road marathon vs. Trail marathon, something I haven’t done in a while. Always need a goal to shoot for; otherwise it’s tougher to get out on those cold icy dark mornings. I’d love to do Costa Rica’s CoastalChallenge again, but one only has so much vacation. No Leadman in the plans for 2013, but if anyone knows of a similar event, I’d love to hear about it. I’m also looking for a tough 100 mile mountain bike race other than Leadville. I love the Breckenridge 100, but it’s the same weekend as the Silver Rush.

 

 

Good to be running with CRUD Again

 

This week’s training: Took it kind of easy this week to recover from last week’s marathon. At the  same time I started bumping up the intensity to get ready for the Dirty Duo on Nov  3^rd.

 

 Week training Log (select to enlarge)

 

Xterra Cheyenne Mountain Marathon Race Report

Team CRUD had a pretty good day at the Xterra Cheyenne Mountain Marathon and Half Marathon Saturday. Three entries, three podiums! Dan Vega won the overall men’s half marathon, Shannon Meredith won the overall women’s full marathon, and I rounded it out by winning the old farts category in the marathon. And for icing on the cake, Jeff Mulder, a good friend, running his first marathon, ran the perfect race by running the second half one minute faster than the first half. All in all, a fantastic day!

I decided to do the Xterra marathon about a month ago while out running the course with Jeff. Cheyenne Mountain State Park has beautiful trails with a nice flow of rolling hills that that were so fun I signed up as soon as I got home. This would be Jeff’s first marathon and he was running strong, and in training seemed to be doing everything right. With over 3,000 ft of climbing it’s a pretty tough marathon for a first timer.

So Jeff and I arrived at the start to a nice freezing drizzle with every indication that the weather was going to hang around for a while. No worries, just adds to the adventure. Besides I had bandages on my nipples!

Video of the start

After the first half mile or so I settled into what felt like a comfortable and semi fast pace. Shannon pulled up beside me and we ran together the entire first (of two) lap. The first hill seemed a lot longer than I remembered from the elevation profile, so I thought we must have already went over it and we were on the first of four big climbs. That was not the case; we descended a bit then started the first real climb in earnest; eight hundred feet in three miles. The descent never really felt like a descent because it was rolling with lots of short climbs on the way down. Shannon and I talked quite a bit during our time together and we were just cruising along. We ran a couple technical sections and I felt pretty good hopping through the rock gardens. Eventually we came upon the second big climb, about 500 feet in two miles. The descent again was rolling with a couple of semi technical sections which brought us near the start/finish area before heading off for another lap.

As we started the climb on the second lap Shannon must have got bored with me because she took off. Actually, it only appeared that way. Our splits show that I slowed down significantly, as my second lap was almost 15 minutes slower than the first. Shannon just maintained the same speed. At about 17 miles I was struggling a bit and just kept telling myself, only 9 miles, piece of cake. Then just 8 miles, stay loose, no worries, relax, keep going. At 22 miles the final big climb and I got a bit of a second wind. Although I wasn’t sprinting up the mountain, I did run it fairly strong. Coming down though, I was in survival mode and not anywhere near as dainty going through the technical sections as on the first lap. The entire last two miles I was looking back almost as much as I was looking forward. No one caught me so I was able to cruise to the finish in 9^th place overall, and 1^st in the 50+. Shannon placed 6^th overall and 1^st  woman. Jeff came in shortly after placing 11^th overall, running a very very strong first marathon on a tough course in cold & wet conditions. A great  CRUD day indeed!

Shannon's Post Race Interview

Thoughts on the Run

I definitely have not been very consistent with this blog and I realized today I haven’t updated since Leadville. I think one of the reasons is I’ve just been spending too much time on Facebook. That is definitely coming to a halt. So with all the politics of late and with the presidential elections, I got to thinking on my run the other day about the state of our nation. I am not an evangelist by any means; be it politics, religion, exercise, environment, health, nutrition, etc. There are far more than enough evangelists in every one of these areas. I tend to think that living by example is the best way of making a statement and if anyone asks my opinion or advice I’ll give it. Preaching tends to turn people off.

Recently I was on a business trip in Midwest U.S. and there was a Wal-Mart with a Subway restaurant next to my hotel. I got in late so I went over to have a sandwich. Without exception every one of the kids behind the counter was overweight to obese. When I asked if they had the Veggie Patty the kid behind the counter looked at me like I was from another planet. Do they only have these in Colorado? So I ordered a Veggie Delight and sat down by the entrance watching people walk in and out. First, I can honestly say that in the 30 or so minutes I sat there, I saw an amazing amount of potential “People of Wal-Mart” photos. But the sad thing is that approximately 7 out of 10 the people were overweight, and of those seven at least three were obese! What has happened to us? Is this typical Americans? (This was heartland America). Or is this just the typical Wal-Mart crowd? Or did I just happen to be there at a bad time?

 

 

 This got me thinking about health and nutrition. Oh oh,  here comes the preaching... I truly believe that a plant based diet is the cure to this madness. In my personal experience, it is when I eliminated meat and dairy from my diet (went vegan) almost 20 years ago, that I made the jump from mid-pack expert/category 1 mountain biker to consistent top five and 1^st place finishes. And I’ve been able to keep my weight consistent without even trying ever since. At 55 years old I still weigh the same as I did in High School. I hope I’m not coming off as arrogant or preachy, these were just some thoughts I had on a run recently. That 30 minutes in Wal-Mart was such a sad eye opening experience I thought I should share what I sincerely believe to be true. I recently read a very well researched (with links to real scientific studies) at Zen Habits, called A Guide to Eating a Plant-Based Diet . He says it a lot better than I  can.

So Saturday I’ll be running the Xterra Cheyenne Mountain Trail Marathon. A very tough hilly course. And to  add to the  adventure, its suppose to snow! Oh Yea!

Didn't Quite Make It

My Leadman quest this year came to a crashing halt about 30 miles from the finish of the Leadville Trail 100 Mile run.  After doing the Silver Rush Double, having a good Leadville Trail100 MTB race (good in that I gave it my  all, even though it was among my slowest), and winning my age group in the 10k, I came up short in the 100 mile run. The reason was quite simple; I went out too fast. For some reason I thought even though  I was not anywhere near 2009 fitness (all my races were much slower this year) I could take 2 hours off my  2009 time in the 100 mile run. My goal was to run it in about 22 hours.  So to make a long story short I went out at about a 22 hour pace, held it for about 40 miles, then got destroyed on the double crossing of Hope Pass. At 60 miles things were not looking good at all but I  decided that as long as I could keep moving forward I would. Poor Sharon Larson, my pacer for this segment had to  walk with me the next 10 miles (I couldn’t run) listening to me whine, until my legs began cramping up so bad I could not go on at about 70 miles.

Myself and Alex all smiles at the start

Jeff and me leaving Winfield for a 2nd Hope Pass Crossing (50 miles)



 

 

Am I disappointed? A little. The whole purpose of doing  Leadman again was to show there is life after the brutally nasty HEP C treatment, particularly the people in the Colorado Springs HEP C support group in which I am a participant. I think I proved that by completing the races that I did, especially the Silver King double. And I know, had I not made the mistake of going out  too fast I  would have finished the 100 run. I guess to put this in perspective, one can suffer and really tie up the last couple miles in a 10k run by going out too fast. Do this in a marathon and you hit a wall at about 19 miles that can destroy your whole race. Do it in a hundred miler and the effects are multiplied.


The result of starting too fast: Game Over at 70 miles!

So this year’s Leadman is history. Congratulations to all that toed that starting line. There were 99 entries this year and I believe about half made it. Some were very fast. After being away from the Leadville scene for three years it’s amazing to see how the whole series has evolved. It’s huge but somehow keeps the same original spirit that keeps us coming back. Good for Leadville – good for the race. I hope they can manage to keep it that way.

Finally I had an incredible crew during the run. Roswitha, as always running  the show  and doing an incredible job. She is truly a seasoned crew leader in every sense of the word. Jeff Mulder joined her this year as well as paced me over Hope Pass. Incredible guy to have crewing and pacing. As far as a pacer he’s the best anyone can ask for. He sticks to the plan ensuring you  get the right amount of calories as well as entertaining. He definitely helps keep your mind off the suffering. Alex O’Daniel, a 15 year old high school cross country runner who came out from Kent, OH to help crew and signed up to pace from Fish Hatch. Unfortunately I didn’t make it that far, but it was still an eye opening experience for him. And finally, Matt and Sharon Larson who came up to pace, after running the Pikes Peak ascent on the same day. Sharon walked with me ten miles through the night until I couldn’t go on. I know this had to be very painful for her, especially since she had to listen to me whine most of the way.

So all in all this quest was mostly a success. My main mission was to come back from HEP C treatment with a Leadman title. If not for a silly tactical error I would have made it. The important thing is I  can show people going through treatment today that there is life afterward... And, I’m already searching for the next big challenge!

Leadman Hath Beguneth!

Three down three to go. The Leadman hath beguneth.  I can’t say that I am totally happy with the results but I am totally happy that I am able to participate.

The Leadman 2012 began with the Leadville Marathon on June 30^th. I decided to run in my NB 110s which is a totally minimalist shoe. I wore them during the Ring the Peak run covering a little over 50 miles. I was really beat up at the end, but thought since this was about half the distance I should be OK. Well they were great on the first half which is mostly climbing. I got to the top of Mosquito Pass in good shape, feeling great and on par with my top times on this course. The descent was a different story. Going down Mosquito Pass destroyed me. By the time I got to the bottom, I felt like I had a stress fracture on the top of my right foot, both shins were destroyed as well as my lower back. And to add insult to injury, I caught my toe on a rock and took a nice spill! As far as I was concerned, I was finished. I walked a good portion up the climb up Ball Mountain, and absolutely could not run downhill. At one point I sat on the side of the mountain and contemplated dropping out, which meant my Leadman was over.  I finally decided that  if I quit now I had no choice later, and if I finished, even if I walked in, I had the choice to continue or not continue the Leadman pursuit. I decided to finish, walking most of the way; my legs were just too beat up to run downhill. I finally hobbled through the finish line 1 hr and 6 min slower than in 2009. Ouch!

So onto the Sliver Rush 50. At the last minute I decided to do both the Leadville Rush 50 mile mountain bike race, then the Silver Rush 50 mile run the next day They both follow the exact same course. Believe it or not the key motivator was not for training purposes but because Steve Bremner said he “might” be impressed if I did. Pretty silly reason, but I’m glad I did it.

Gathering for the Start of the Silver Rush MTB (photographer unknown)

The Silver Rush 50 MTB has grown by leaps and bounds since 2009. There were close to 1000 on the start, making for quite a spectacle.  I got off to a good start so did not get caught up in the huge queue at the top of the running hill. I pretty much took my time on the climb, just staying within myself, as I have not done of race of this difficulty in almost two years. I felt pretty good but held back quite a bit for two reasons: 1) Two years of no real racing, and 2) I had to run the same course tomorrow.

The Silver Rush course is an incredible course that I will always love. It goes above 12,000 feet four times and is described as “Just like the 100 with all the easy parts taken out”. It seems while riding this course you are either going up or down with no in between. All at over 10,000 feet!  I pretty much stayed relaxed throughout the race, hanging around mid-pack, and striking up conversations with fellow riders. I decided after losing so much time in the marathon that I was just looking to complete Leadman rather than race it. One of the nice things about the Leadville races is they are all out and back courses so you can see the race up front when the leaders are coming back and encourage the riders that are still outbound when riding inbound.  The way back also has steeper (but shorter) climbs then outbound, so there is a lot of hike a bikes over the top of passes. The final climb is approximately 3 miles of dirt road in which I have never been passed. It was no different this year and I was able to continually reel in riders ahead of me all the way to the top.  Finally an incredibly fun 10 mile mostly downhill blast to the finish. I love this section and just love to let it rip here.  As much as I love it though, I did ride a bit conservatively, as I’ve cramped here in previous years pushing it all out down the mountain. Again I finished well behind the mark of previous years but again just happy to be here.

The 3 ultrateers - Dave, Larry, & Steve

So Sunday I woke up wondering what I got myself into. My friend and fellow Leadman competitor Dave Spivey was also doing both races, but he planned on dropping at 25 miles. I thought about that option, but I signed up to do this so I was going to see it through. Besides, Steve “might” be impressed. This was also a great test for my new shoes; Hoka Stinson Evos. Which I found to be incredible. More on those in another post.  The first 25 miles I ran very slow and contemplated dropping out all the way  to the ½ way (turnaround) point. Once I started the return trip I was finally committed,  quit feeling sorry for myself, and just ran.  Although I was extremely tired from the day before, I had a good solid second half. I felt like I ran the last 10 mile descent very well considering I’ve never been a very good downhill runner. Those Hokas are awesome! I finished in a very unimpressive time (over 10 hours) but I felt good and not beat up at all! As a matter in fact I had no problem jumping in my car and driving 2 ½ hours home right after the race. But apparently Steve was not impressed as he mentioned to me his girlfriend Rebekka had a faster time last year. Oh well it was a great workout!

Stopping for a pose

So the heart of the Leadman takes off this coming Saturday. The famous Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike Race, followed on Sunday by the Leadville 10K Trail Race, and then the big daddy of them all - The  Leadville Trail 100 Mile Run on Saturday. It’s gonna be a party!

Colorado On Fire!



Waldo Canyon Fire Courtesy of Kelly Mcgrew

It seems that all of Colorado is on fire right now. I believe ten wildfires at last count. We have a huge one just west of Colorado Springs burning up some of our favorite trails and stomping grounds. It is in its third day and has spread to over 3,500 acres. Temps have been in the high 90s and even reached 100 F on Sunday.  11,000 people were evacuated from their homes including the entire town of Manitou Springs. Over 450 firefighters along with 7 – 10 aircraft have been working in this heat around the clock. And miraculously no structures have been lost so far, even with the fire skirting dangerously close to a major subdivision.   Talk about ultra-endurance. These guys are heroes!

Of course with all this fire, Colorado Springs is covered in a haze of smoke making riding and running a questionable activity. Everything smells like a campfire and the mountains are hidden with a smoky haze.

Scene from I25  crossing Garden of  the Gods Road.

After deciding not to run on Sunday, I finally got restless Sunday evening and went for a run wearing a painter’s mask. I thought “The Leadman is an extreme event that requires extreme preparation” and ran for a little over an hour on a smoky 95 degree afternoon. Since all parks are closed I was force to run a good bit on the roads and with my mask, I definitely got some looks. This is a good week to take it easy though since the first event, The Leadville Marathon is this Saturday. Oh yea there is a fire just outside of Leadville too.

I stopped in my favorite running store the Colorado Running Company for some new shoes. John presented me with a pair of Hoka OneOnes. I said “That is a really ugly shoe.” His reply, “Have you looked in the mirror lately?” That made sense and I bought them… A perfect match!

I was pretty tired this week, stretching a normal three week period into four, so I am really ready for an easy week, which just happens to be the week before the first Leadman event, not to mention Colorado Springs is a hazy smoke pit right now. For those here in Colorado Springs, Care & Share is taking donations of energy bars, water and Gatorade for the fire fighters. Definitely worth doing!

This week's Training Log

Mon AM: Core Strength, crunches, reverse crunches, back bends, and trunk rotations
Tue AM: Ran hills in Ute  Park practicing running down rocky technical descents. Went in by  hotel then run up and down the three major  hills in the park. Felt good and ran the downs better than usual. 1.7 hrs, 10 miles
Tue PM: Pro Cycling ride. 30 min warm-up then up Gold Camp. Legs felt really tired but was able to keep  distance pace, kind of in a no mans land between the 1st and 2nd group. Flatted going  down Orion so rode the rest of the ride alone. Slowest time up Cheyenne Canyon yet 24+ min. Start a second climb but  legs were shot. Headed back to the shop. 2.1 hrs, 30 miles
Wed AM: Easy recovery run - Hanks loop. Legs felt very  tired. Then rode to work. Went as easy as possible but had a strong head wind, so had to push a little. Legs felt pretty shot. Run 0.5 hrs, 3.1 miles. Bike 0.7 hrs 8 miles
Thu AM: Tempo Run. Easy pace  to Woodman/Santa Fe Trail head then tempo from Trail Head to AFA South Gate: 1.6 miles in 12:22, easy past Ice Lake then tempo on AFA hill climb: 0.8 miles in 8:26. Ran relaxed but fast down hill then third tempo from AFA south gate to Woodman Trail head: 1.6 miles in 12:24.. Easy run back home. Ran with new HOKA shoes. Definitely heavier, but softer and will  take some getting use to. Legs felt pretty tired.1.5 hrs, 10.1 miles
Thu PM: Ride with Kevin around AFA counterclockwise from work. Legs were pretty tired and had a hard time keeping up on the climbs. Winds were pretty brutal coming out of the south. Once finished went back to work, grabbed my pack and rode home. Legs are really tired right now. 2hrs, 28 miles
Fri AM: Ride to work. Legs were pretty much dead, so just took it easy and rode as easy as possible. 0.7 hrs, 8 miles
Sat AM: Felt pretty good today. Decided to do some climbing but start tapering for the Leadville Marathon next week too, so only road for a little over 4 hours. Went up Flying W/Rossmere climb in about 8 min, then Gold Camp in 23 min, then 3 * Cheyenne Canyon in 25 min, 24 min, & 23 min. Actually felt better each climb! Rode home through downtown/Santa Fe bike path. Total climbin 5,920 ft. - 4.3 hrs, 54 miles
Sun AM: Ran late in the afternoon/early evening because of  Waldo Canyon Fire and 100 degree temp during the day. Air is very smoky so I wore a painting mask which definitely got some looks from people. Oh  well, Leadman is an extreme event so one sometimes has to do extreme things to train for it. Ran Hank's Open Space, did the hills and practiced running down them, then Santa Fe to Woodman then home. 1.2 hrs, 8 miles

Racing in my Front Yard!

Raced the Ute Valley Pro XCT Mountain Bike Race Saturday and it was a certainly a shock to the system. I think it’s the first bike race under four hours I’ve done in years. Needless to say it was a sprint right out of the blocks and I was dangling toward the back with my lungs ripped out and legs screaming right from the beginning. The course being practically in my front yard; I know it like the back of my hand. I just haven’t rode at that intensity in years. I’m used to the long stuff! By the second lap I was finally able to adjust to the tempo and get into a rhythm, but the damage was done, I was definitely out of the hunt for top spot in the 50+ age group. I started catching people and focusing on staying relaxed while going fast, especially on the short power climbs. By the third lap I was feeling stronger and reeling in more when I flatted. I had no tools because I thought the race was so short that any mechanical would end the day. It was close to the end of the lap so I rode it flat to the ROTOR tent and re-inflated the tire. It seemed to be holding and off I went. I caught about four more riders in the first half of the fourth and final lap and then another flat. I had nothing to fix it (silly me I left my tools back at the ROTOR tent) so I rode the last half of the lap very slowly and carefully with a flat. Everyone I passed over the last two laps passed me back and I ended up dead last. It was still a lot of fun and just under 1 ½ hours of pure anaerobic hammering; a great workout and an intensity I rarely experience any more.  Just wish I hadn’t forgotten my heart rate monitor, I’d be interested to see how the ol ticker did. Great seeing all my old racing buddies again!

Steve heading up our Mountain

Come dad you're holding us up!

Throughout the day the dogs stopped to take in the view too

To completed the LeadMan sandwich, on Sunday Steve Bremner, Max & Chewy the dogs, and I took a nice 29+ mile jaunt on Pike’s Peak. We got a nice early start at 5:30 am and ran/hiked Barr Trail to the top. We took a different route down, starting with the cog railroad then to an old wagon trail that eventually led to a series of reservoirs.

Following an Old Wagon Trail

The reservoirs were a good thing as it was warming quite a bit the lower we went and the dogs definitely needed water at every opportunity. Both Steve and I eventually ran out of water having to drink from the creeks. At one point we made a right when we should have made a left and ended up in Albequrque. No wait that was bugs bunny.  We ended up at McNichols Reservoir behind Mt. Baldy. We were way off course and had to backtrack until we eventually found the trail leading back to Barr Trail. We came out at no name creek in sweltering heat and had another three miles to the bottom and the next source of water for the dogs. We kept a good pace and the poor dogs were dragging quite a bit. I was super worried for them as it was in the  vicinity of 95 degrees. We had not planned on being out this long but there was nothing we could do now but try  and get them to water as soon as possible. We eventually made it to the bottom where they both headed into the creek and practically laid down in the water. Just a quarter mile more and we were at Steve’s house and finished a truly epic run. Max was pretty shot the rest of the day but he's looking like he may be fully recovered now on Wednesday. As a matter in fact he was very disappointed when I didn’t take him running this morning. I think I’ll give him a couple more days.

Chewy & Max Cooling Off

This week's Training Log

Mon: Core Strength, crunches, reverse crunches, back bends, and trunk rotations

Tues AM: Worked on downhill running this morning. My greatest weakness. Went to Ute Park and ran tempo of various rocky hills then ran as fast as I could down them, focusing on looking ahead and relaxing. Did the NW Corner, the Ridge behind the school, and the no bikes section from the valley. Felt good the whole run. Definitely need to work on downhill trail running at least once a week. 9:37/mile pace. 1.3 hrs, 8 miles
Tues PM: Tues ProCycling shop ride. Felt extremely good today, very reminicent of my old self. 22:18 up Cheyenne Canyon which is about 1 1/2 min faster than last week and I didn't feel like I was pushing it that hard. Felt super strong op Gold Camp also but didn't clock it. HR going up Cheyenne Canyon 149/156. 10:17  up Orion with HR 141/153. HR for entire ride 119/157. 4441 ft of climbing. 2.2 hrs, 30 miles
Wed AM: Tempo Run with Max. Easy pace  to Woodman/Santa Fe Trail head then tempo from Trail Head to AFA South Gate: 1.6 miles in 12:19 @ 7:37/mile, easy past Ice Lake then tempo on AFA hill climb: 0.8 miles in 8:12 @ 9:55/mile. Ran relaxed but fast down hill then third tempo from AFA south gate to Woodman Trail head: 1.6 miles in 11:57 @ 7:24/mile. Easy run back home. Overall pace 8:35/mile Felt really good this morning, running with a big smile! 1.4 hrs, 10.1 miles
Wed PM: Easy ride home from work on mountain bike. Took Santa Fe Trail then an easy loop around Hank's Open Space. Felt pretty tired. HR 102/130. 0.8 hrs, 9.3 miles
Thur AM: Rode over to Ute Park and did a lap of the race course before riding to work. It's kind of flagged so I think I got it right. Felt good riding the course, but felt a little tired riding to work. HR 108/141 1.3 hrs, 14 miles
Thur PM: Worked on my bike to get it ready for race Saturday.
Fri AM: Very easy recovery run with Max - Hank's Loop. Felt kind of stiff and sore at the beginning but limbered up after a mile or so. 9:36/mile, 0.5 hrs, 3.1 miles.
Sat AM: Ute Valley Pro Tour MTB Race. Big shocker - very fast start and I was close to the back right from the start. Too bad I didn't have my HR monitor. Really suffered 1st lap (even though did a 6 mile warm-up including a lap of the course. Felt better on the 2nd lap and started catching people. Flatted on the third lap, stopped at the pit and filled the tire. Unfortunately it was a sidewall tear with a slow leak and went flat again about 1/2 through the 4th lap. Had no CO2 so had to ride last half of lap with a flat. Everyone I passed earlier passed me. Kelly got me right at the finish and I got dead last in the 50+.  1hr: 21 min time.  30 min warm-up, 3 mile cool down after. Total 2.3 hrs 26 miles
Sun AM: Run to top of Pikes Peak then down tracks to Windy Point. Cross Country to old toll road but made wrong turn and ended up at McRenolds Reservoir.  Back tracked and eventuall got back to Barr Trail near No Name Creek. Bar Trail down. 95% when finished, very rough on the dogs Max and Chewey.  8.9 Hours, 29.3 miles