Training Week 3/2-3/8 - 16 Weeks to Bighorn

Another solid week in the books--80 miles in a little over 11 hours. I am increasingly finding that my recovery after quality workouts just isn't what it used to be--a product of aging, I suppose. That's why my approach has evolved into going "hard" on days I feel good and going "easy" on days after hard workings and on days I'm feeling rough. Forcing quality on "bad" days isn't going to benefit runners in their forties. It's best to take it day by day and get after it when you're feeling fresh.

Here's how the week went down:

Monday: Easy/recovery
AM: 4.1 miles in 34:45
PM: 0
Just an easy 4 miles on the 'mill to get the week started.
Miles for the day: 4.1

Tuesday: Easy
AM: 7.35 miles with Nick in 1:03
PM: 0
Felt pretty OK. Nick was pokey as hell, so our pace was pretty slow. Very nice weather--31 degrees and clear. Plus, the last 30 minutes were in daylight (not for long). Enjoyed this nice weather while it lasted; the next day's forecast was fierce (ice, snow, super cold).
Miles for the day: 7.35

Wednesday: Mile repeats
AM: 3x1 mile at 6:00/maxed out treadmill with half-mile recoveries; 9 miles in 1:07.
PM: 0
I don't care who you are; mile repeats are tough and they're even tougher when they're at 6,200 feet above sea level. Had to do these indoors as it was 7 degrees and snowing outside. Underneath the snow was a thick coat of ice, so I didn't even flirt with the idea of running outside. Got through my intervals feeling pretty good.
Mile for day: 9

Thursday: Easy
AM: 7.6 miles in 1:04
PM: 3.6 miles in 30 minutes
Super cold but clear in the AM. With ice everywhere, had to watch every step and be careful. Felt good during my PM run.
Miles for day: 11.2

Friday: Easy
AM: 8.3 miles in 1:06
PM: 5.05 miles in 41 minutes, running very muddy trails
I was tired and labored during my morning run. Just couldn't get into a groove and never felt comfortable--probably delayed onset fatigue from Wednesday's intervals. So, I took it easy. However, I felt great during my afternoon run on muddy trails near our neighborhood. My pace would have been much faster had I not been slowed by a combination of mud, ice, snow and deep water. Good training for Bighorn, given the legendary mud there.
Miles for day: 13.35

Saturday: Easy
AM: 10 miles with Nick in 1:26
PM: 4 miles on muddy trails in 35 minutes
Felt brutal during my morning run--tired, groggy, and flat--despite getting a hefty 9+ hours of sleep the night before. So, I bailed after 10 miles. Once again, felt pretty good during my afternoon run, hitting muddy trails and coming back a mess. Not sure what's going on but I'm starting to see a trend of feeling rough in the mornings and good in the afternoons. Started listening to a Talk Ultra interview with Karl Egloff, who broke Kilian Jornet's FKT records on Aconcagua and Kilimanjaro.
Miles for day: 14

Sunday: Long
AM: 20 miles solo in 2:48 plus 1.2-mile cool-down in 13 minutes with Noah; about 1,500 feet of vertical
PM: 0
Don't you love losing an hour's sleep to daylight saving time? Oh yeah, and once again you're back in the dark. Was surprised to still not feel good. Just sluggish, slow and labored. However, the endurance was there (obviously). Made the decision to rest a bit next week. This was my 43th consecutive day of running. Was great to finish the morning's miles with Noah; he's getting faster and really seems to enjoy running. Finished up the Karl Egloff interview plus all the rest of the action on Talk Ultra, which, along with Ultrarunnerpodcast.com and Trail Runner Nation, is the cream of the crop, in my eyes at least.
Miles for day: 21.2

Total miles for week: 80.3
Total miles for year: 645

The week ended with me feeling less than 100%--a lot less. So, next week will see reduced volume. The only quality will probably be hill repeats--yep, gotta start getting after them. Then the following week the volume will be back up there, hopefully with some real trail running. The trails right now are horrible. It's hard to believe, but the racing season is just around the corner. Fortunately, I feel like my training is in a good place at this early date. Just ordered a new supply of S!Caps to get me through the season. 

Just to elaborate on the podcast rant above, here are my favorite endurance-related podcasts in no particular order: Ultrarunnerpodcast.com, Talk Ultra, Trail Runner Nation and Rich Roll. There are lots of other good ones but those are my tops.

Onward and upward!

Training Week 2/23-3/1 - 17 Weeks to Bighorn

Another decent week in the books even as it started off on a rough note. I had no energy on Monday or Tuesday. This fatigue problem started the previous Saturday, after the Friday night run. I could barely keep my eyes open all weekend and it went into the new week. By Wednesday, I was feeling a lot better. I'm not sure if I had a bug or if my endocrine system was maybe a bit stressed. Whatever the case, I've started consuming carbs after hard efforts. For the past few months, I've been keeping my breakfasts very low/no carb (Greek yogurt with berries, eggs, etc.) but I think that, with my volume on the increase, it's not working. So, after hard workouts, I'm allowing myself some cereal, toast, etc. But on easy days, I'm keeping my breakfast low/no carb.

On Thursday, I did a 3x1 mile workout and I'm pretty sure it gave me a little fitness bounce that I felt by Sunday. For me, 3x1 mile builds strength, improves leg turnover and enhances mental toughness. I would say it's the single best workout I can do and yet I often slack on it and miss workouts because 3x1 is damned hard. I'm going to make every effort to hit my mile repeats at least twice a month during my Bighorn training, while also incorporating hill repeats into the mix. There is no question that 3x1 works wonders for me.

Monday: Goal: Easy/recovery
AM: 4.1 miles
PM: 0
Felt very drained and tired, like I was battling something (a bug maybe?). Was also tired all weekend. Something amiss.
Total Miles for day: 4.1

Tuesday: Goal: Easy/MAF
AM: 6 miles
PM: 0
Extremely fatigued, so I went easy with Nick. A balmy 10 degrees and icy. The week isn't getting off to a good start...10 miles in two days? This all made me realize that maybe no carbs after my runs might be backfiring on me as my mileage is increasing. Had some cereal after this run.
Total Miles for day: 6

Wednesday: Goal: Feel better
AM: 7.15 miles at MAF
PM: 0
Felt much better. Ran with Nick. The fatigue seems to be gone but decided to hold the mileage for the day down and not do a PM workout.
Total Miles for day: 7.15

Thursday: Goal: Mile repeats
AM: 8.6 miles/3x1 mile
PM: 3.15 miles at MAF
A solid day. With it being 7 degrees and snowy, had to do the mile repeats on my treadmill. Busted out 3x1 mile at 6:00 each (maxed out 'mill) with half-mile recoveries at about 8:00 pace. Also worked in a 6:58 mile for mile 8. Felt good but, yeah, it was a tough workout.
Total Miles for day: 11.75
 
Friday: Goal: Easy
AM: 8.1 miles on the 'mill
PM: 0
With the temp a chilly 2 degrees and our streets very icy, stayed in for this run. Felt pretty good.
Total Miles for day: 8.1

Saturday: Goal: Easy
AM: 10 miles at MAF with Nick
PM: 3.6 miles easy on the treadmill
Was supposed to be a ski day but it was too cold so we stayed home. This 10-miler with Nick went better than expected despite a 0-degree morning. It was shockingly cold for the first 3 miles but then we got warmed up and cruised right along. Was glad to see Nick go 10 miles. This is his kind of weather--he thrives in the extreme cold.
Total Miles for day: 13.6

Sunday: Goal: Long/tempo
AM: 20.1 miles, averaging 7:30 pace
PM: 0
Very solid run. Started with 5.5 miles very easy with Nick and then did 9 miles at marathon pace/tempo (about 6:45-6:50 pace), and then "slowed" to 7:30 pace for 3 miles and cooled down at about 8:30 pace for 2.6 miles. Felt pretty good. Took in zero calories for the first 17.5 miles. Glad to have also gotten in 1200 feet of climbing. Made a point to hammer the downs as best as I get the quads ready for the trails.
Total miles for day: 20.1

Total miles for week: 70.75
February mileage: 271.75
Total miles for year: 564.7

While the weekly mileage wasn't quite as high as I'd have liked, it was nonetheless a solid week despite the fatigue issues on Monday and Tuesday. In addition to running, I mix in push-ups, core work and some walking (as always). I'll be going for 80 miles this coming week, schedule permitting. On Sunday, if the weather holds, I might head to Mt. Falcon for some vertical. We'll see.

Training Week 2/16-2/22 - 18 Weeks to Bighorn

This was a solid week of training despite a very busy schedule at work, with two consecutive late nights at the office (Wednesday and Thursday). Admittedly, the miles didn't come easily as I've been battling fatigue (a product of stress and cold weather, or so it is with me). On Thursday morning, I woke up with black bags under my eyes. I'm honestly not too worried; this, too, shall pass. Besides, I'm feeling better now, as I type this.

I have said it before and I'll say it again: In ultrarunning, while I'm in awe of the exploits of some of the most prolific performers, it's the guys and gals working full-time, attending to family, getting maybe 7 or 7.5 hours of sleep a night per night, and STILL finding the time to train and race well who I most admire. If I could get 10+ hours of sleep a night, I can only imagine what a difference it would make.

The goal at this point in my Bighorn 100 build-up is to lay down a sold aerobic base, with a little anaerobic stuff thrown in here and there just for good measure. But the overall goal is aerobic development, which I need to go 100 miles. I am getting VERY excited about hitting the real trails soon. I have some exciting runs planned, including an 8+ hour jaunt on mountain trails in mid-May.
 
Monday: Goal: Easy/recovery
AM: 4.3 miles/MAF
PM: 4.3 miles/MAF
Working from home, I was able to get in a lunchtime run in addition to my morning miles. Good to start the week off this way.
Total miles for day: 8.6

Tuesday: Goal: Quality
AM: 8.85 miles at tempo pace on the treadmill (HR hit about 160-165)
PM: 0
A solid tempo run. After a 2-mile warm-up at 8:20 pace, my splits were: 6:52, 6:42, 6:33, 6:25, 6:27, 6:51 (began cool-down) and, for that last .85 miles, 6:20. Felt pretty good. At this point in my build-up, short tempo runs are all that's needed.
Total miles for day: 8.85
  
Wednesday: Goal: Easy
AM: 7.45 miles with Nick at easy pace/MAF
PM: 0
Just an easy effort with Nick (note: Nick is my almost 3 year-old golden retriever). Kept the pace relaxed. My legs were a little beat up from the previous day's effort.
Total miles for day: 7.45

Thursday: Goal: Easy
AM: 7.05 easy with Nick/MAF
PM: 0
Well, this was supposed to be quality workout (maybe a MAF test) but I woke up extremely fatigued. Not only had I not slept well but, the day prior, I presented to our board and I think the experience left me a little hung-over. I also had some stressful stuff to attend to related to the ad campaign I run at work. So, given all of that, I woke up with black bags under my eyes and nearly bailed before even getting out the door but got myself out the door for some local trail miles with my pal, Nick.
Total miles for day: 7.05

Friday: Goal: Lots of miles, including a night run
AM: 4 miles easy/MAF with Nick
PM: 19.05 miles with Mark T., Matt C. (2014 grand slam champion), Mike W., and Scott S. With "snowmageddon" rolling into the Front Range, we started at my house at 8pm and ran all of the local trails, with a good bit still on pavement. By the end, we were all wet and cold. My legs were tired by the seventeenth mile. This run was timely as the weekend's snow fall and freezing temps would make long efforts quite difficult. As Bighorn approaches, I'll be going on several more night runs.
Total miles for day: 23.05
 
Saturday: Goal: Easy
AM: 5 miles easy/MAF
PM:  0
Pretty damned tired from the previous night's action. I didn't get in bed until midnight and then tossed and turned from 6-8am, after Noah and Anne were up. So, I got only 6 hours of sleep. Between getting Noah to karate, taking the family to lunch, doing a Target run and basically lounging around, the day saw "only" five miles.
Total miles for day: 5
 
Sunday: Goal: Tempo
AM: 10.25 miles at tempo/fartlek/progression
PM: 4 miles at MAF
With over a foot of snow, high winds and single-digit temps, I hit the treadmill for this one. This was kind of a hybrid progression/tempo/fartlek affair. My splits were: 8:50 (warm-up), 7:26, 7:07, 7:01, 6:31, 6:58, 6:32, 7:23, 6:50, 8:04 (begin cool-down), and, for that last quarter-mile, 2:00. Once again, my hamstrings were singing.
Total miles for day:

Total miles for week: 74.25
Total miles for year: 493.95

So, all in all, not a bad week. As far as aggregate mileage, I'm over 70 miles more than I was at this point last year, Next week is a ski week, so the goal will be around 60 miles. The following week, weather permitting, I'll be gunning for 80 miles.

Stretching the Limits

A lot of people have asked about my training, since I’m with a new coach. Without giving away too much info, here’s what I did last week:

• Monday – 6 miles easy (did these on the treadmill as it was cold, snowy and icy outside)
• Tuesday – 9 miles easy
• Wednesday – 8x800 meters at the track (did each in the range of 2:55-2:57)
• Thursday – 9 miles easy
• Friday – 6 miles easy
• Saturday – 33 miles via Waterton Canyon/Section 1 of the Colorado Trail (5,000 feet of gain on rugged trails)
• Sunday – 10 mile tempo run (focused on finishing strong, with mile 9 in 6:39 and mile 10 in 6:40)

I hit a total of 82 miles last week.

That’s actually less quality than usual as I was still recovering from the Colorado Marathon last week and we decided to cut one quality session. Usually I do quality on Tuesday and Thursday, a long run on Saturday, and a long tempo run on Sunday. For example, this week (the week we’re in now), I’m doing track intervals on Tuesday, hill repeats on Thursday, a marathon-distance trail run on Saturday (24-28 miles), and a long tempo run on Sunday.

With 43 miles run over the past weekend alone, today is an off day. I’m not taking a step but may do some dynamic stretching tonight.

One thing I’m learning is that my focus is now on nailing my daily workouts and not on aggregate mileage as it used to be. In other words, I’m not paying attention to what my weekly mileage is or chasing numbers; I’m just trying to hit my workouts as they take a lot of focus and can be daunting at times. It wasn’t until Sunday that it hit me that I ran 82 miles for the week.

Another thing I’m learning is that you—and no one else—are your biggest obstacle to breaking through and stretching your limits. Not before Saturday had I ever done a training run beyond 30 miles, races notwithstanding. Over the past few years, my long runs have been in the 20-25 mile range. I’ve come to realize that’s too short. On Saturday, I stretched my limits. A training distance (33 miles) that had rattled my cage now seems doable.

And that’s not all. On the heels of Saturday’s 33-miler, never in a million years would I have attempted a 10-mile tempo run the next day. But my coach ordered it and I did it. It wasn’t easy, but after 5 miles things loosened up and I felt pretty good actually. It’s in workouts like these that you learn something about yourself. Today, as I rest and recover, I can look back on last week and know I put in a good one. And I'll feel the same way in a few weeks when I take a step-back week to recharge.

So far, all systems go.

The Final Four Weeks before Leadville

At right about this time in the training process--four weeks before the big event--I'm usually reminded of how tough it is to train for a 100-mile race, especially the Leadville Trail 100. I love running, but at this stage it can often become a mentally and physically exhausting grind that can reduce you to the walking dead.

July has been a very busy month at work. We also just recently got a puppy. Amid of all of this, I've kept banging out the miles every day, including long tempo runs twice a week. Despite the busy month, things have been different than in previous years (at least so far). I have great strength in my legs. Yesterday I went a little over 25 miles up section one of the Colorado Trail, climbing over 3,000 feet. My long tempo runs have been super solid. I'm getting in very high-quality 90-plus-mile weeks, versus daily junk miles like what so many runners log (and don't get better from). I've been very vigilant about taking daily doses of Hammer Recoverite and also taking Udo's Oil and my green protein shakes.

No doubt about it: The long tempo runs I incorporated a few weeks ago seem to be paying off both physically and mentally. My leg strength has improved dramatically and I seem to move more efficiently. My mental toughness and focus have sharpened. When you run hard for 10+ miles, you have to be focused, especially in the final few miles. Basically, I feel like the tempo runs are getting me in good shape. Case in point: a few Sundays ago I went for a 2.5-hour run at Deer Creek Canyon. I ran 16 miles, climbed 3,000 feet, didn't walk a step and took in zero calories (just water). And when I got done, I felt fresh as a daisy.

I'm also working on upper body conditioning. I use dumbells and am doing push-ups and all kinds of core work. In 100s, the upper body and core play a big role. After a mountain race, I'm usually sore through my back and abs and sometimes in my arms. It's important for me to have well-conditioned arms since I may be carrying a water bottle for long periods of time.

I've also come to really focus on key workouts. Last week included three key works. The first was a 10-mile tempo run on Wednesday. Check. The second was an 8-mile tempo run on Friday. Check. The third was that that 25-mile trail run on Sunday, which came on the heels of a 19-mile Saturday. Check (and check). Today I'm recovering to allow my body to strengthen from the long run (very critical), and then on Tuesday I start a 7-day cycle that will take me right into a three-week taper. On Saturday I'm planning a 15-mile tempo run.

The cycle will end with a Hope Pass double-crossing run on July 30. I'd like to do the run in 5 hours--easier said than done. The double-crossing involves 21 grueling miles, a high point of 12,600 feet, and 12,000 feet of total elevation change.

One area of my training that might be lacking is high-altitude climbing. But lately I've been strong on the climbs I've done, which makes me think the tempo runs are giving me extra strength. As far as altitude, I'll be spending six of the next 25 night at above 9,000 feet. That includes a few nights in Leadville right before the race, when it really counts. Also, hey, it doesn't hurt that we live at 6,200 feet.

I do think most people who train for Leadville focus way too much on climbing and not enough on just running and quality workouts. They obsess over Hope Pass (and Powerline) and then make those sections the focus on their training, rather than bearing in mind that Leadville is a runner's race with just one fairly hardcore mountain section that most people hike. With that said, why over-focus on climbing? I mean, this isn't Hardrock.

All that said, I'm one of a thousand people signed up for Leadville. Of that, about 900 will show up. And of the 900, about 450 will finish. And of the 450 finishers, maybe 150 will go sub-25 hours. So basically 1 in 6 runners will be in pretty good shape and ready to rock 'n roll from start to finish. Like me, those 150 will have trained hard for months, making sacrifices in the process. I'm no one special; I'll be out there putting it on the line like most everyone else. Only about 10 runners out there will be true contenders, and maybe a handful, like this guy, that guy, maybe the great one himself, and a few others, will be in play for the win. I'm definitely not among that special class (far from it, as I don't have the time or talent), but I will surely be giving it my all, running my own race and showing patience in those first 50 miles. Because if you're not patient at Leadville, the chickens will come home to roost on Powerline and certainly around Mayqueen inbound.

Yeah, if this is your first Leadville, do yourself a favor and be patient. Almost anyone can run 50 miles fast. Not everyone can turn around and do it again, especially at 10,000+ feet and especially when you have to go back over Hope Pass again and do that grueling return trip that will surely make you puke (and crash and burn?). The good news is that if you are patient, Leadville is runnable--you just have to let it come to you....

Week Ending 6/3 (Golden Gate Dirty Thirty)

Monday: mountains
AM: 7.45 miles in 2:06 at Mount Bierstadt, a 14,060-foot peak outside of Denver. Very cold and windy. Had a great time with Bob and Scott. A few snow fields here and there but nothing bad. Pretty strong on my descent (wore my Salomon Crossmaxes), though my quads did tire just a little about halfway down. Awesome adventure and the views from the top were spectacular. 2742'.

Tuesday: easy
AM: 7.8 miles in 1:02 on the local trails. Legs a little tired.

Wednesday: easy
AM: 7.1 miles in 55 minutes on the local trails. Legs still tired.

Thursday: easy
AM: 7 miles in 55 minutes. Legs a little better, but still not 100%.

Friday: very easy
AM: 4.85 miles in 40 minutes on the local trails. Legs much better.

Saturday: Golden Gate Dirty Thirty
What else to say except this was an off day for me, even as my intent was to cover the 31 miles as a training run and not a race. I finished 34th overall with a 6:06. Not good; I really wanted a time under 6 hours (by comparison, the winning time was 4:47). This course is no joke; you're at over 9,000 feet for much of the way and are constantly climbing or descending, often on rocky trail. The total climb is about 7,000 feet--not exactly a walk in the park.

From the moment the gun went off my mind just wasn't into it; I actually wanted to DNF when I got to the first aid station, having taken a nasty fall that took a chunk out of my left palm, but I stuck it out in the name of finishing what I start. My legs were tired and flat and lacked speed. I didn't feel motivated to attack any of the climbs or bomb any of the descents. Descents were a major problem for me--not because of skill, but rather because my Hoka Stinson Evos just didn't work well for me on rocky downs (good to find that out now versus at the Leadville 100). They're too high profile for a tall dude like me (6'2") and I found that my ankles were very unstable on the downs, causing me to hit the breaks and run the descents like an amateur. Yeah, I was really missing my Salomon Crossmaxes, which I wore at the Cheyenne Mountain 50K, where I ran the downs very, very well and finished 5th overall with a time I was/still am proud of. You live and learn.

On the good side, I finished pretty strong and never felt really that tired, though the altitude did get to me in a few areas, like the climb up to Windy Peak. More thoughts below.

Sunday: off
Took the day off completely. The most I did was walk to and from the pool with my family and wash both of the cars.

Totals for the week:

• 65.1 miles
• 11 hours, 45 minutes
• 11,500 feet of vertical
• Average pace: 10:50
• 7 total runs
• Lots of core work, push-ups and upper body weight training

Totals for the year:

• 1,460.7 miles run
• 118 miles biked
• 6.55 miles walked

***

The Golden Gate Dirty Thirty left a bad taste in my mouth. It was a mistake to even enter that race. The course is hard enough to totally kick your ass if you're not feeling into it. I entered via the waiting list four days before the race, which means I had no time to mentally prepare. I more or less just showed up with tired legs and struggled mentally and physically for the entire 31 miles. Not very often are the letters D-N-F floating around in my mind five miles into a race, but on Saturday they were. Two-thirds of the way through I was dehydrated, unmotivated and pissed off, but I put my head down and got through it all, somehow managing to finish strong. Oh well....

Taking Sunday off was a good decision. I didn't miss running and instead had a great time hanging out with my family and doing stuff I rarely have time to do, like wash our cars and sit on the front porch with Anne sipping lemonade. We also went to our neighborhood pool and had a nice time together.

For whatever reason, my ability to recovery after workouts has diminished. I saw this with my bad tempo run last Thursday. I saw this in my tired legs after the Bierstadt summit on Monday. And, of course, I saw this at Saturday's (shitty) 50K. Bierstadt should never have done to my legs what it did--it's just 7.5 miles and 2,700 feet of climbing. So what does this tell me? It tells me that I'm flirting with over-training, which is why I took Sunday off completely and will kind of go easy this week with more emphasis on cross training over the next few days (cycling and walking) to get myself back in good shape and ready for the next nine weeks of training.

As for my Hoka Stinson Evos, they're great on smooth trail. But when I'm descending rocky trails, like what you have at the Golden Gate Dirty Thirty, they're freaking awful (for me, at least). I've now had two bad rocky trail experiences with Hokas. Never again will I wear them at a hardcore trail race. Do I still love Hokas? Yes, they're great on smooth trail and road. But for me they suck on technical downs. With my height, I need low-profile shoes for technical descents. Period.

Now, I'll quit my bitching and move on, with my goal still being to crush it at the Leadville 100. It's good I had this opportunity to vent. Thanks for "listening," and please feel free to offer feedback if you'd like.

Week Ending May 27

Jumping ahead a bit, on Memorial Day/Monday I got to Mount Bierstadt, a 14,060-foot mountain, with Scott Williams and Bob Sweeney. I'd been wanting to summit Bierstadt for well over a year, but either life circumstances or the weather always seemed to get in the way. Not this time! Scott and I arrived at the Bierstadt trailhead via Guanella Pass at about 7:15 a.m. and met Bob there. The weather was a mixed bag. On the good side, the sun was out in full force and the sky was clear. On the bad side, the wind was quite hostile, with gusts of 30-40+ miles per hour, and the temperature was in the twenties. It was a good thing we bundled up. I had on most of my winter running gear, including my windproof/waterproof North Face gloves.

That said, we went right after it, reaching the summit in about 85 minutes. In most areas, the trail was in excellent shape. However, there were a few icy, but small, snow fields to contend with, and of course the wind added to the adventure. We put on our spikes about halfway up. Spikes were nice to have, but not required.

The views from the summit were incredible. Despite a wind chill in the teens, I marveled at the Sawtooth connecting Mounts Bierstadt and Evans and at the spectacular view of Grays and Torreys peaks, two notable Front Range 14'ers, off in the distance. Even better, I had a good descent, moving smoothly and feeling strong, though my quads were slightly tired. The stats on the adventure were 7.45 miles in 2:04, with 2,800 feet of climbing to an altitude of 14,060 feet.

There are few better feelings than standing atop a 14,000-foot mountain! The perspective you are afforded is almost life-changing. Here are some photos from our adventure.

View from the parking lot. Bierstadt to the right; Evans to the left. The sawtooth is in the middle.
This photo doesn't do the size of those two mountains any justice.

Bob gearing up. He's been on a 14'er kick lately.

Not sure what that pointy peak is. I heard it's a 13'er.

Grays and Torreys are to the right. They're the twin peaks.

A nice view of Grays and Torreys (in the middle).

Kind of a bad view of the Sawtooth, but you get the idea.

Don't know who this is, but this shot was from the summit. Mount Evans is off in the distance.

At the summit.

Yeah, I know--I'm not much of a photographer. Had the weather been better, I'm confident I would have taken some better photos.
 
***

Here's how the week went:
 
Monday: super-easy
AM: 4.5 miles in 37 minutes on my treadmill. Very easy pace. Legs didn't fully wake up until about 3 miles into my run.

Tuesday: easy
AM: 9.75 miles in 1:13 on the trails and a few roads in the Parker hills. Felt much better than yesterday, even as I slept poorly last night.This is usually my interval day but I decided to push my speedwork back a day to allow my legs one more day of recovery.

Wednesday: intervals
AM: 10.5 miles in 1:18. This was an excellent interval workout at the Legend High School track with Scott. After jogging a mile from my doorstep to the track, I did 3x100-meter striders to warm up and "wake up" the legs. Then I went right into my repeats, running 4x800 meters at 2:45, 2:47, 2:47, and 2:47 (400-meter recovery in between) and then 3x400 meters at 1:22, 1:20 and 1:19 (200-meter recovery in between). Very pleased with those last two 400s as they show I got stronger and faster. Cooled down on the trail loop behind the school.

Thursday: easy
AM1: 9.9 miles in 1:18 on the trails and a few roads in the Parker hills. Felt a little beat up; the outside of my left shin was sore. Not too worried, though.

AM2: 4.1 miles in 34 minutes on my treadmill. I had a few extra minutes before having to jet off to work, so I did what I always do when I'm alone and have some time on my hands--I ran.
 
Friday: tempo
AM: 10.25 miles (7 at tempo) in 1:12 on roads in the Parker hills. Still feeling pretty beat up, which translated to slow legs, bad turnover and an overall labored tempo run. Splits were pretty bad: 1) 8:48 (warm up), 2) 6:36, 3) 6:20, 4) 6:24, 5) 6:28, 6) 6:17, 7) 6:26, 8) 6:35, 9) 7:57 (begin cooldown), 10) 8:01, and 10.25) 1:56. My tempo splits were 15 seconds slower than they should have been--a sign that I'm tired and may need an easy week.

Saturday: long/road
AM: 15.25 miles in 2 hours on the Tomahawk and Legend High School trail loops. Besides nasty and annoying winds, my breathing capacity was horrible, and I was also quite tired and flat. Not sure why I couldn't breathe well--smoke from wildfires, allergies, tired? Rather than doing a second workout later, as I usually do on Saturdays, I decided to take the rest of the day off. Exceeded 1,000 feet of gain.

Sunday: long/trail
AM: 15.75 in 2:04 at Hidden Mesa Open Space. The wind from the south/southwest once again sucked. But Hidden Mesa is a fairly enjoyable place to run so I had a good time. I felt much better than yesterday and my breathing capacity was excellent. Unfortunately, I got dehydrated when I ran out of water with about 2 miles to go. Climbed about 1,300 feet.
 
Weekly totals:

• 80 miles
• ~5,000 feet of climbing (estimated)
• Total training: 10:18
• 8 total runs
• Averaged 7:44/mile
• Lots of core work and push-ups. Also incorporated some upper-body weight-training.

Year to date mileage:

• 1,400 miles run
• 118 miles biked
• 6.55 miles walked

***

For this week (week ending June 3), my main goal is to get ready for a solid training run at the Golden Gate Dirty Thirty. I was a late entrant, getting into the Dirty Thirty via the waiting list only two days ago. I'm putting zero pressure on myself for the Dirty Thirty. It's a tough course and my legs are feeling it a bit from some solid training of late, so my goal is to be strong over the distance and on the climbs and descents and have some fun. But most of all, my goal is to put in a solid training run that gets me one step closer to a strong performance at the Leadville 100.

Week Ending 5/20

My review of Scott Jurek's new book, Eat & Run, due out on June 5, has gotten tremendous interest. If you haven't yet read my review, it's here.

***

My energy wasn't good a the week wore on. I'm not sure what the issue was, but I was cranky (just ask my wife), a bit mentally down and just flat-out tired. The fact that I had 7:30 a.m. meetings on Thursday and Friday, which caused me to get up at 4:15 for my runs, obviously didn't help. Sometimes I'm my own worst enemy. Anyway, I still managed decent volume (72.5 miles) and decent quality with my intervals and tempo run.
 
Here's how the week went:

Monday: super-easy
AM: 4 miles in 32 minutes on my treadmill. Felt good for a Monday.

Tuesday: intervals
AM: 9.05 miles in 1:08--about half at the track and half on the trail loop behind Legend High School. Was a bit late getting out the door because I couldn't find one of my arm sleeves.... After a 1-mile warm-up run to the track from my doorstep, I did 3x100M striders to wake up the legs and then went right into my workout: 1x800 at 2:43 (400M recovery), 2x1200M at 4:13 and 4:15 (400M recoveries) and 2x400M at 1:24 and 1:22 (200M recoverie)s. I continue to see improvement in my times. Felt better than last week--lungs good, leg turnover good. Feet hit the track gently. Nice to have some good company with Scott also there working away.

Wednesday: easy
AM: 9.7 miles in 1:13 on the trails around my neighborhood. Lower back a little achy, probably from tight hamstrings.

Thursday: tempo
AM: Unfortunately, I had limited time due to my early meeting, so I did what I could. 7.4 miles in 51 minutes on Parker streets and the Sulphur Gulch "Trail" (paved). This was a decent, albeit short, tempo run. Splits were: 1) 8:40 (warm-up), 2) 6:23, 3) 5:50, 4) 6:03, 5) 6:11, 6) 7:30 (begin cooldown), 7) 7:34, 7.4) 3:08.

Friday: easy
AM: Once again very limited time because of an early meeting. 7.2 miles in 54 minutes on the trail loop behind Legend High School. (Would have liked an afternoon session but I spent the entire day in meetings.)

Saturday: long/road
AM: 17.2 miles in 2:14. From my doorstep, I basically took East Parker Road all the way to its end, and then turned around and came back, hitting the Legend High School trail loop for a few miles. This is a fairly hilly course. My original plan was a 20-miler but the weather absolutely sucked for running--cold, rainy and windy. My legs got numb and week toward the end because of the cold, wet conditions. My Garmin says the run involved 987 feet of climbing but there's no way that's true. I'd estimate closer to 1,500 feet. I no longer trust my Garmin on climbing--I've seen too many inconsistencies and crazy findings, such as climbing while I'm running intervals around a pancake flat track (WTF?).
 
PM: 4 miles in 33 minutes on the treadmill. Legs a little wobbly from getting frozen earlier in the morning.
 
Total miles for day: 21.2 miles

Sunday: long/trail
AM: 14.05 miles in 2:12 at Mount Falcon. Intended to go for at least 3 hours but my legs were trashed--not sure why. Made it to Walker's Dream in 34:55--a nearly 2,000-foot, 3.5-mile climb up rocky trail. After that, I felt an unusual amount of fatigue on the climbs up to the summit of Falcon. GPS reports 2,700 feet of climbing. That's actually fairly accurate, though I would have guessed closer to 3,000 feet.
 
Weekly totals:

• 72.5 miles run
• ~7,000 feet of climbing (estimated)
• Total training: 9:39
• 8 total runs
• Averaged 8:00/mile
• Less core work than usual because of mild lower back issues

Year to date mileage:

• 1,320 miles run
• 118 miles biked
• 6.55 miles walked

So, overall, not the greatest week ever because of: a) limited time during the week due to meetings, b) general fatigue and c) crappy weather on Saturday that, for some reason, sapped my legs.

***

I think it's getting time to stretch out my tempo runs a bit. I've been keeping my actual tempo mileage (not including warm-up and cooldown miles) to about 6 each session. I want to start ratcheting that up with a goal of eventually getting in a tempo run of 10-12 miles by the time Leadville comes along. I'm fairly happy with my track workouts because, for the most part, I'm seeing improvement. I miss mile repeats, like what I used to do back East, but at 6,200 feet I'm finding that 400s, 800s and 1200s provide a nice workout.

My goal for the coming week is about 80 miles, including some quality trail work. On Memorial Day a few of us are planning to run Mt. Bierstadt, a 14,100-foot mountain that's pretty tame and runner-friendly. To the summit and back is about a 7-mile roundtrip, all between about 10,000-14,000 feet. In addition to a time trial on the Hope Pass double-crossing (would like to do Twin Lakes to Winfield and back to Twin Lakes in 5:30 or faster, which is what I need to break 20 hours at Leadville) and some more work on the Incline, this summer I also really want to run the Bross/Cameron/Democrat/Lincoln loop, which is about 7.25 miles and hits four 14,000-foot mountains. Can't beat that!

Week Ending 5/13

Despite a lot going on in my life, I managed a very solid week, hitting nearly 83 miles, good quality on Tuesday and Thursday, and 32 miles over Saturday and Sunday despite time restrictions due to visiting family and, of course, Mother's Day. The only thing missing was a big climb in the mountains, which just wasn't possible because of scheduling issues.

Here's how the week went:

Monday: super-easy
AM: 5.2 miles in 42 minutes on the trail loop behind Legend High School. Enjoyed the light rain. We get so little rain on the Front Range, so I try to enjoy it when the sky opens up a bit.

Tuesday: intervals
AM: 10.3 miles in 1:18 at the Legend High School track, followed by some cooldown miles on the trail, all with Scott. Warmed up with 3x100-meter striders at a comfortably hard and fast pace. Then I went into the meat of my workout: 4x800 at 2:42, 2:50, 2:48 and 2:49, each with a 400-meter recovery at about 2:00. I would have liked to get in a few more 800s, but my breathing was off because of allergies, so I did 2x400 at (a slow) 1:23 and 1:24 with a 400-meter recovery in between. Definitely felt the Cheyenne Mountain 50K in my legs. Finished off with some trail running behind Legend High School. Nice to have some good company.

Wednesday: easy
AM: 9.7 miles in 1:13 out on Buffaloberry and then on the Legend High School trail loop. Legs felt good.

Thursday: tempo
AM: 10.5 miles in 1:15 on city streets. My allergies were still affecting my breathing but I still managed a decent run and decent splits. Splits were: 1) 8:27 (warm-up), 2) 6:25, 3) 6:06, 4) 6:15, 5) 6:09, 6) 6:15, 7) 7:33 (begin cooldown), 8) 8:24, 9) 7:32, 10) 7:53, 10.5) 3:54. I would have liked to get another 1-2 miles at tempo pace, but my allergies made breathing a little difficult for such intensity.

Friday: easy
AM: 10.8 miles in 1:22 out on the Tomahawk loop followed by the Legend High School trail. Skies were gray and the air cold. Otherwise felt good, especially a day after my tempo run.
 
PM: 4.2 miles in 35 minutes on the Cherry Creek Trail single-track during my lunch hour. Legs felt super fresh.

Total miles for day: 15

Saturday: long
AM: 15.3 miles in 1:53 on the Forest Hills loop followed by the trail loop behind my house. Legs felt incredible. Would have liked to run several more miles but needed to get home, seeing as how we had family visiting over the weekend. The weather was more cold and more gray.

PM: 4 miles walking at a brisk pace with family. 58 minutes.

Total miles for day: 15.3 running, 4 walking

Sunday: long
AM: 13.5 miles in 1:43 on the Tomahawk loop and Legend High School trail. Legs a little fatigued. Needed to get back so we could get to breakfast for Mother's Day. Cold, gray and very foggy. I haven't seen the mountains since Thursday--it's that overcast on the Front Range.

PM: 3.5 miles on the treadmill.

Total miles for day: 17
 
Weekly totals:

• 82.9 miles run
• ~5,000 feet of climbing
• 4 miles walked
• Total training: 11:31
• 9 total runs
• Averaged 7:58 (includes walking)
• Push-ups and core work

Year to date mileage:

• 1,243 miles run
• 118 miles biked
• 6.55 miles walked

Next week I'll continue with the good quality and definitely get to the mountains for a nice climb of a few thousand feet--maybe the Incline followed by the Barr Trail.

I've added Udo's Oil to the mix, taking the recommended tablespoon each day, and I've begun to notice even speedier recovery between workouts. I already knew Hammer Recoverite, which I take after every workout, speeds up recovery, but it's nice to boost things even further with some Udo's Oil in my oatmeal, salads, eggs, sandwiches, etc. Udo's should be used cold and should never be heated. Maybe something to try?

***

I rarely comment on race results, but I have to say I was pretty amazed by Dakoka Jones' performance at the Transvulcania Ultra in the Canary Islands this past weekend. Dakota, who hails from Colorado, beat out Kilian Jornet and a very stout field of international talent, besting the previous course record by 33 minutes. At just 21 years of age, Dakota, who goes by "Young Money," has a hell of a bright future in this sport and will certainly be in major contention at this year's Hardrock 100. And, he also happens to be a really nice kid (being that I'm almost twice his age and he just hit the tender age of 21, I consider him a kid). Click here for an interview Dakota did with Bryon over at irunfar.com after the race.

Week Ending 5/6

This week I decided to ease off the quality, while still getting in some decent volume, in order to recover from the Cheyenne Mountain 50K on 4/28.

Turns out my recovery from Cheyenne has been much faster than I anticipated, maybe as a result of my vigilance in taking a full serving of Hammer Recoverite after every single workout. Or maybe my calf sleeves are really paying off, as I haven't felt much of any muscle soreness in my shins or calves in weeks. Or maybe I'm just really getting into good shape. Actually, it's probably a combination of factors. At any rate, there used to be a time when I recovered pretty well from races, and maybe now--after two years of struggles--I'm back to that place in my fitness?

Here's how the week went:

Monday: super-easy/recovery

AM: 4 miles in a little more than 34 minutes on the treadmill. I was surprised how decent my legs felt only two days after a 50K trail race.

Tuesday: easy
AM: 7.65 miles in 1 hour on the trails near my neighborhood. My legs and hips, which are usually sore after a long race, felt fantastic. Unfortunately, I'm still having some lingering posterior-tibial issues in my right leg. Will continue to ice and wear calf sleeves as a precaution.

Wednesday: mid-level effort
AM: 9.1 miles miles in 1:08, taking Buffaloberry out and back and then hitting the trails for a few miles.

Thursday: mid-level effort
AM: 9.35 miles in 1:10, mostly on the nearby trails. My legs were a bit tired. I was also labored in my breathing toward the end--maybe allergies?

Friday: mid-level effort
AM: 9.25 miles 1:10 on the trails. I felt much better than yesterday.

Saturday: long

AM: 16.05 miles in 2:05 on the Tomahawk loop and dirt trails in Parker. 1,000’. Not a very good run; I was winded and labored on the trail--maybe because of allergies?

PM: 4 miles in 33 minutes on the treadmill

Total: 20.05 miles
 

Sunday: long/trail

AM: 12.8 miles in 2 hours at Castelwood Canyon State Park. Did 2.5 loops around the canyon, hitting the Rim Rock Trail twice, and discovered a few new trails, as well. Enjoyed this outing and felt good--much better than yesterday. Felt like I ran well on the technical sections. 1524'.

PM: 3.1 miles on the treadmill.

Total: 15.9 miles

Weekly totals:

• 75,2 miles run
• ~5,000 feet of climbing
• Total training: 10:08
• 9 total runs
• Averaged 8:06/mile
• Push-ups and core work

April totals:

• 301.6 miles run
• 40 hours, 37 minutes
• Averaged 8:05/mile
• Several hundred push-ups and core work reps

Year to date mileage:

• 1,160.1 miles run
• 118 miles biked
• 2.6 miles walked

This week I'll be getting back into quality, with intervals on Tuesday and a tempo run on Thursday, and will gun for about 80-85 miles. I'm also giving myself until Friday to make a decision about the Colfax Marathon on May 20. That would allow a one-week taper for the marathon. My hesitance is that I'm still fighting some lingering effects from poster tibial tendonitis in my right inner calf. The lingering effects aren't bad by any stretch. But the injury sidelined me for two weeks over Christmas, and sometimes too much road work can inflame the situation--so I'm inclined to be cautious. At this point, I'd say Colfax is 50/50.

I'm excited about the spring and summer and am planning some big outings in the next few weeks, including a Memorial Day weekend run up to the summit of Mount Bierstadt, a 14'er that sits right next to Mount Evans. Alternatively, I may do Greys and Torreys. Such limited time....

The plan still stands--keep my weekly mileage in the 80s in May, and then jump up to the 90s in June and the 100s in July, with some recovery sprinkled in. Because of work stuff, I'm going to have to do a two-week taper for Leadville instead of a three-week taper. I'll go into more detail on that later. For now, I think I'll go for a little run....

Week Ending 4/22 - Rediscovering that 5th Gear

At the risk of jinxing myself, I’m in a very good place with my running. I have a way to go in being ready for the Leadville 100 and in sub-20-hour shape, but right now my fitness is progressing well and I’m extremely excited about my first race of the year—the Cheyenne Mountain 50K this weekend. At last year’s race, I finished 15th overall with a 5:25. When I crossed the finish line, I’d run something like 102 miles in the last seven days, so I wasn’t fresh going into the race, but I still finished very strong. In fact, my strength in the last 2-3 miles is my most vivid memory from the race. This year, if the forecast holds (high of 60 degrees) and all goes well, I’ll be looking to go sub-5 hours. With a one-week taper, I think that’s a doable goal.

The Cheyenne Mountain 50K is a two-lap course with something like 5,000 feet of climbing and 5,000 feet of descending. It’s moderately difficult but not super hard—and definitely very runnable. In other words, the course suits me almost perfectly. Breaking from a bad habit I’ve developed in the past two years (a bad habit that can destroy your race here in Colorado), my strategy will be to run the first half (loop one) pretty conservatively and then try to pick it up in the second half (loop two) and maybe climb a few places in the pecking order. I think passing runners late in a race is way more motivating—and will keep you going strong—than getting passed. 

***

Over the past few weeks I’ve made two changes that have really made a difference in how I feel and perform. The first change was getting back to the track after basically avoiding it for the past two years. Although I’ve only done two track workouts so far this spring, already I’m feeling the difference. It’s like I’ve been running with only four gears for the past two years—since we moved to Colorado in April of 2010. I tried a few track workouts early on but got frustrated by my times and how I felt, as the track I use is at 6,200 feet. So I avoided it at all costs and, as a result, got slower. No longer. I’ve recommitted myself to the track and have adjusted my workouts to the elevation, doing anything from 800s to 1200s with some 100-meter striders mixed in. Eventually I’d like to get back up to 3x1600, my old bread-and-butter workout when we lived back East. With a weekly regiment that now includes intervals and tempo running, over the last week I noticed that my stride feels more efficient and I’m faster—like I’ve got a new fifth gear. I’m not sure why I allowed myself to stray from the track when I knew it would help, but I did—and I’m glad I’m now back at it.

I do believe that success in 100s is as much about efficiency as it is about strength. I see lots of ultrarunners out there (I’ve been guilty of this in the past) just doing long, slow distance—which isn’t going to make them faster or better. To really break through, I think you need to develop good efficiency and leg turnover—which come with a commitment to fast stuff. If you have good efficiency and turnover, you use your energy more efficiently and will be able to cover the miles faster. Or so my theory goes. Anyway, I love the structure my new weekly training plan allows.

The second change I’ve made is cutting my coffee intake by 60%. For the past two or three years I’ve been drinking way too much coffee on a daily basis—a huge cup before my run in the morning, then another cup when I got to work, and then a third cup around 2:00 pm. On occasion the caffeine had caused my heart to go wacky (a benign condition), made me nervous and affected my sleep. Now I’m just allowing myself one cup before my run and that’s it. Instead of coffee the rest of the day, I’m drinking water.

***

For the week ending April 22, I made the decision to cut volume just a tad to begin my taper for the Cheyenne Mountain 50K. I still got in a little over 72 miles. I’m going to get far more out of Cheyenne (mentally and physically) if I’m well-rested and do well there, versus training through it and not being as strong and fast I could have been. Here’s how the week went:

Monday: Easy/recovery

AM: 5 miles in 41:33 on the treadmill. There is something about the treadmill on Monday mornings that I like. I just get on, run the first mile in 8:50 and then eventually ease into 8:00 miles while enjoying Noah’s rambunctious company in the basement. I was surprised that my legs felt so good a day after hammering it down the Barr Trail.

Tuesday: easy
AM: 9.05 miles in 1:12 on the trails around my house. This was to be interval day, but, alas, I was quite tired and my hips were a tad too sore for fast stuff. So, I decided to just go easy and delay intervals to Wednesday. Saw a beautiful sunrise.

Wednesday: intervals
AM: 10 miles in 1:14. On the heels of a pretty horrendous first-of-the-year interval session the week before, this was a pretty decent track workout. I wore my very flexible lightweight trainers, which help me move more smoothly around the track. After a 1.5-mile warm-up running to the track from my doorstep, I did four 100-meter striders and then went right into my intervals. Workout was 3x1200 at 4:16, 4:16 and 4:20, followed by 1x800 at 2:55 (slow!). Fairly happy with my 1200-meter times but quite unhappy with that slow 800. That said, this was only my second track workout of the season. Eventually I want to work up to 3x1600 at around 5:38-5:42 each—not easy when you’re at 6200 feet. Cooled down on the trail loop behind the high school and jogged home. Listened to Mike Morton’s awesome interview on Trailrunnernation.com.

Thursday: easy
AM: 6.25 miles in 50 minutes on the treadmill. Had an early morning meeting, so I had to start this run at 5:00 AM and only had 50 minutes to work with. For some reason, I wasn’t motivated to run outside this early, so I stayed in and ran on the treadmill while listening to Ultrarunnerpodcast.com.

PM: 4.5 miles in 37 minutes on the Cherry Creek Trail during lunch. Included 7 minutes of barefoot running. Forgot my socks but decided to run anyway and, consequently, developed a nasty blister on my left Achilles, cutting my run short. Not good! You can develop Achilles tendonitis from irritation, and so I washed the area thoroughly when done and bandaged it up pretty well.

Friday: tempo
AM: 7.85 miles in 55 minutes on the Parker roads. I had another early morning meeting so this was all I had to work with for my tempo run. A solid effort.  Splits were: 1) 8:46 (warm up), 2) 6:37, 3) 6:17, 4) 6:13, 5) 6:28 (uphill), 6) 6:17, 7) 7:54  (begin cooldown) and 7.85) 6:43. Quite pleased.

PM: 5.2 miles in 41 minutes on the Cherry Creek Trail during lunch. Ran the single track and enjoyed the beautiful scenery all around me. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that beyond the banks of Cherry Creek is a bustling urban area.

Saturday: longish

AM: 13 miles in 1:40 mostly on the Parker trails and some roads in between. 1,000’. Felt very strong. Nice weather though slightly windy. Didn’t want to do too many miles with the race just a week away.

Sunday: longish

AM: 12 miles in 1:30 on the trail loop behind Legend High School. 800’. Mile 11 in 5:56 (on the Sulphur Gulch Trail on the way back home). This was an awesome run—I felt strong, fast and light on my feet and could have run much, much farther. A good confidence-booster with the 50K a week away. Again, didn’t want to over-tax myself.

Weekly totals:

• 72.9 miles run
• ~3,500 feet of climbing (pretty low)
• Total training: 9:24
• 9 total runs
• 7 minutes of barefoot running
• Averaged 7:45/mile
• Push-ups and core work

Year to date mileage:

• 1,024.5 miles run
• 118 miles biked
• 2.6 miles walked

The plan this week is to take it easy and be well-rested going into the Cheyenne Mountain 50K. I'm going to still do my quality, but will cut back on the volume and probably take Friday off. What I do the week after Cheyenne is yet-to-be-determined and really has to do with how I'm feeling after the race. Ideally, I'll be back in action.

Looking more long-term, I'm going to keep my mileage at about 80-85/week through May and then will jump up to 90/week in June, followed by some big efforts in July to help get me peaking for the Leadville 100--including an all-night run of 30+ miles in a location yet to be determined. I'll be sure to take recovery weeks every so often to stay fresh. The ultimate tell-tale of whether I need recovery is if I simply can't get in good quality because I'm so tired and trashed.

Week Ending 4/15 (Be Sure to Always Refuel!)

Despite a horrendous interval workout on Tuesday--my first time on the track in 2012--I just completed one of my better training weeks all year, setting a new 2012 high of 81 miles. I was in a bit of a funk going into the week (theory below), and so it was nice to feel somewhat strong again. Here's how the week shook out:
 

From the top of the Manitou Incline on Sunday.

Monday--recovery pace
AM: 5 miles in 40 minutes on the treadmill.
 
Tuesday--intervals
AM: My original plan was to do 2x1600 and 2x800, with the possibility for 3x1600 if my legs were there. None of that happened. I made many mistakes with this workout. First off, I ran a little more than 5 miles before stepping foot on the track--way too much warm-up (I was waiting for a little more daylight before starting my intervals). Secondly, the shoes I wore were too heavy. I should have worn my lightweight trainers (and will do so this week). Thirdly, I didn't do any 100-meter striders beforehand. The net result was a crappy 1600 in 5:48, followed by a 1200 in 4:24 (ugh!) and an 800 in a God-awful, embarrassing 2:59. I just ran out of gas. A nasty wind from the S/SW didn't help, either. Bottom line is that I didn't feel fluid or smooth on the track. My movements were labored and my breathing was off. I think this was just a bad day (and maybe a wake-up call). There's a lot of room for improvement. Totals were 10 miles in 1:13.
 
Wednesday--easy
AM: 9 miles in 1:10 on the Tomahawk loop. Fairly easy pace. A bit tired this morning.
 
Thursday--tempo
AM: On the heels of Tuesday's debacle at the track, I somehow busted out a very solid tempo run this morning--hopefully signaling that this slump I've been in is over. Totals were 10.25 miles in 1:11, for an average pace of 6:57. My splits were: 1) 8:41 (warm-up), 2) 6:24, 3) 6:04, 4) 6:15, 5) 6:27 (uphill), 6) 5:57, 7) 6:25, 8) 3:18/3:55, 9) 7:49 (begin cooldown), 10) 7:55, and 10.25) 1:56.
 
Friday--easy
AM: 9.15 miles in 1:11 on the trails near my house.
PM: 5.25 miles in 41 minutes minutes during lunch at work. Ran the single track along the Cherry Creek Trail and then followed up with 7 minutes of barefoot running in the field in front of my office building.
 
Saturday--long with a semi-fast finish
AM: 16.4 miles in 2:06 on the Tomahawk loop, as well as the trails and dirt shoulders up in the Parker hills. 1,100'. Felt decent for a Saturday--maybe because I slept quite well last night (Noah didn't get up until 6:45!). Finished "fast" with mile 15 in 6:49 and mile 16 in 6:56. My legs were just tired enough for those two "fast" miles (which really weren't fast) to have been decent efforts.
PM: 4.1 miles in 33 minutes on the treadmill. Legs felt very strong--like I could have run forever. Focused on holding good form. 20.5 miles on the day.
   
Sunday--long/trails
AM: 12 miles in 2:31 on the Incline and Barr Trail. 4,000' of climbing. Did the Incline in 28:27--not that great but solid nonetheless. My legs were a bit tired from yesterday's 20.5 miles. After the Incline, I ran up to Barr Camp and then turned around and followed the Barr Trail all the way back down, taking the Pikes Peak Marathon turn-off to get back to my car. This was one of my better Barr Trail descents--my legs were moving well and (knock on wood) I didn't trip on anything. I'm pretty sure my downhill technical running has improved quite a bit since last year--which will bode well at Leadville when I'm descending Hope Pass both ways. The weather on Sunday was a bit dicey from about 9,000 feet up to Barr Camp. It was very windy (gusts of 40+ mph) and cold and I got chilled in a few spots--not what you'd hope for on a Sunday run in April. There was a decent amount of snow on the trail from last night's storm.
 
Weekly totals:

• 81.2 miles run
• ~7,300 feet of climbing
• Total training: 11:18
• 9 total runs
• 7 minutes of barefoot running
• Averaged 8:22/mile
• Push-ups and core work

Year to date mileage:

• 951.7 miles run
• 118 miles biked
• 2.6 miles walked

***

As fas as why I think I was in a funk, obviously the loss of our dog, Sophie, was a major factor, but there was another factor at work, too. I had fallen off the wagon in refueling after every workout with Hammer Recoverite, and so I'd gotten into a recovery deficit that affected my physical and mental condition. Hammer Recoverite delivers a 3:1 mix of carbohydrates to protein and helps you recover from your workout so you're ready for action the next day. When you're training for an ultra and putting in big mileage, you need that "extra" for your recovery. This is where Recoverite makes a huge difference for me. For the most part, I've been religious about refueling with Recoverite after every workout, but sometimes the mornings can be chaotic and I forget. For the past week I've been hitting the Recoverite after every workout and I've noticed the difference. I won't be falling off the wagon again any time soon. By the way, though I am sponsored by Hammer Nutrition, my endorsement of Recoverite is purely on the basis of my experience with this amazing product. The stuff works. Give it a try and you'll see and feel the difference.

My first big race of the year, the Cheyenne Mountain 50K, is now a little less than two weeks away. I plan to get in about 70 miles this week, with strong quality in my intervals and tempo run, and then taper next week for the 50K. My goal for Cheyenne is have a strong race (duh!) with a super-strong finish, and to take off quite a bit of time from last year. The weather may be a factor. Depending on how I feel after Cheyenne, I may (or may not) register for the Colfax Marathon on May 20.

For now, I'm going to keep gradually increasing my volume, mixing in some recovery, with a goal of hitting peak fitness for the Leadville 100.

Week Ending 4/8

This was not a good week at all. On Wednesday night we had to make the horribly tough decision to put our beloved dog, Sophie, down. A "60-pound brown dog," as we often described her, Sophie was with us for 13 years and brought so much love and happiness to our lives. We (read: Anne) got her from the local shelter in January of 1999, when we were living in Raleigh, North Carolina. At the time, Anne was in her third year of veterinary school at NC State University, and I was about seven months into my first job out of graduate school--making a meager living and taking up residence in a grubby duplex near the trendy Five Points area in Raleigh. Sophie was with us through relocations to Indiana, Ohio and Colorado and was there when we welcomed our son, Noah, into the world in 2008. In her younger years, she loved chasing rabbits, running through grassy fields and going on vacations. Even in the end she loved going on walks and spending time with the family. In the final days, her mind took a turn for the worse, but even then she was still a loving dog, often wagging her tail and greeting us at the door when we came home. To say that Anne and I were and still are devastated over the loss of our "Little Girl," as we called her, would be an understatement.
 

I miss you, Sophie.

And so the quality and volume of my training last week was not good. I had very little motivation and didn't enjoy running at all, as I was hurting badly deep down. My heart was broken and I'm only now beginning to come to grips with the fact that our beloved Sophie is gone and it's time to move on. Anyone who's had a dog understands what I'm saying here.

As far as training week specifics, I ran 66.2 miles and cycled about 10. That includes about 15 minutes of barefoot running. Zero quality. That brings my year-to-date running mileage to 870.5. My goal this week is to get back to quality, with some track work, a good tempo run and a decent climb, too. My first track workout of the year will be on Tuesday morning and will likely involve 2x1600 and 2x800. If I'm feeling good after that second 1600, I may add a third. We'll see. Planned schedule:

Monday - Super easy
Tuesday - Track - 2x1600 and 2x800
Wednesday - Easy
Thursday - Tempo run
Friday - Easy - two runs
Saturday - Long road
Sunday - Long trail

***

My first race of 2012, the Cheyenne Mountain 50K, is in three weeks (April 28). I'd like a good effort there, so I'll probably do a one-week taper. I did Cheyenne last year as a training run and had a nice time despite chilly temps. Then three weeks after that is the Colfax Marathon (May 20), for which I'm still questionable. If I do Colfax, which is in Denver, I would have one goal: to break 3 hours. This will not be an easy goal as the Colfax Marathon is run at 5,280 feet. Maybe it's a coincidence, but in 2008 and 2009 I ran spring road marathons, breaking three hours each time, and then went on to have really solid 100-mile performances soon after (4th overall at the 2008 Mohican 100 and 1st overall at the 2009 Mohican 100). Whatever the case, I'm going to stick with track and tempo running all summer long and see where it takes me at the Leadville 100.

I was thinking the other day about the best best races I've ever had. These come to mind (in no particular order):

• 5th overall with a 3:46 - 2009 JC Stone 50K (road race) (tentatively planning to do the JC Stone again in 2013)
• 5th overall with a 4:14 - 2010 Greenland Trail 50K (moved to Colorado 3 weeks earlier)
• 1st overall with a 19:52 - 2009 Mohican 100 (very hot and muggy that day)
• 9th overall with 130.67 miles - 2009 24-Hour National Championship (stout competition)
• 33rd overall with a 2:58 - 2008 Cleveland Marathon
• 1st overall with a 4:36 - 2008 Winter Buckeye Trail 50K (led from the first footstep)
• 7th overall with a 4:41 - 2007 Buckeye Trail 50K
• 4th overall with a 17:39 - 2009 Aurora Labor Day Classic 5K
• 2nd overall with a 17:45 - 2008 Aurora Labor Day Classic 5K
• 8th overall with a 1:22 - 2008 Spring Classic 1/2 Marathon
• 5th overall with a 4:49 - 2009 Forget the PR Mohican 50K (104-mile week)

Week Ending 4/1 (Tribute to Micah True)

Before I go into the details of the week ending 4/1, I want to share a few thoughts about a man who was--and still is--revered in the ultrarunning community: Micah True (1954-2012). Micah, aka "Caballo Blanco," died last week while on a trail run in the rugged and beautiful Gila Wilderness in New Mexico. Runners from all over dropped everything to go to New Mexico to help with the search. I didn't know Micah well. I'd seen him a few times in Leadville (he lived part of the time in Boulder and often ventured to Leadville for the big race) and I've always admired his gentle spirit and selfless works on behalf of the Tarahumara Indians. Micah lived his own way. Years ago he walked away from a potentially lucrative career as a boxer/kickboxer and turned to a life of meditation and running, ultimately venturing into the Copper Canyons in Mexico to live among the Tarahumara. Despite the fame brought on by Christopher McDougall's best-selling 2009 book Born to Run, Micah always stayed true to himself, never losing his way or losing sight of his commitment to the Tarahumara, who he selflessly helped through the 50-mile Copper Canyon race he founded. Whereas some have sought to exploit the Tarahumara, Micah probably would have gone to the end of the Earth to protect them. To many, Micah will always be the inspirational leader of ultrarunning and will be remembered as a legend.

 
Having said that, this tribute, by Brian Metlzer, who is senior editor at Running Times and knew Micah quite well, is to date the best I've read.

And here's an incredible first-person account of when Micah first met the Tarahumara at the Leadville 100.
 
Here's a wonderful video from the Leadville 100 in 2011 that includes some words from Micah:
 



***
 
Another solid training week is in the books. Here's how the week went:
 
Monday--easy
AM: 40 minutes on the indoor bike trainer at easy pace.

Tuesday--moderate
AM: 8.7 miles in 1:07 on the Tomahawk loop in Parker. 550'. This was not a great run at all, as I slept horribly and barely made it out of bed. Also, I was a bit leery about running outside due to the smoke from the fires out in Jefferson County, but ventured outdoors anyway. Turns out the air wasn't that bad after all.
 
Wednesday--moderate
AM: 9.45 miles in 1:13. 620'. Got some decent sleep last night for a change. I decided to delay my tempo run by a day as my ass was still dragging a bit and I felt I needed another day of rest.
 
Thursday--tempo
AM: A decent, but not great, tempo run, as my splits were slightly off from last week--likely a sign that a recovery week is needed. My splits were: 1) 8:24 (warm-up), 2) 6:35, 3) 6:18, 4) 6:14, 5) 6:27, 6) 5:59, 7) 6:29, 8) 7:58 (begin cooldown), 9) 7:23, 10) 7:48, and 10.25) 1:58. The legs just didn't turn over as well as the previous week. 550'.
 
Friday--moderate
AM: 9.5 miles in 1:13 on the Tomahawk loop. 620'. Held a pretty relaxed pace and felt decent.
PM: 5.57 miles in 44 minutes minutes during lunch at work. 200'. Ran the single track along the Cherry Creek Trail and then followed up with 7 minutes of barefoot running in the field in front of my office building.

Saturday--longish
AM: 14.15 miles in 1:51 on the trails and dirt shoulders near my house. 900'. I was pretty tired even though I slept well the night before. 8 minutes of barefoot running and definitely felt it in my calves.

Sunday--long
AM: 17 miles in 2:14 on the trails in Parker. 1200'. Like many, I dedicated my Sunday run to Micah True. Ran all three trail loops in Parker multiple times--the Legend High School loop, Buffaloberry loop, and loop behind house--and also covered sections of Tomahawk, East Parker Road (westbound) and Canterberry Parkway. Pretty windy from the southwest (what else is new?).

Weekly totals:

• 74.6 miles run
• ~5000' of climbing
• 11 miles on the cycle
• Total training: 10:14
• 7 total runs
• 15 minutes of barefoot running
• Averaged 7:43/mile
• Push-ups and core work

March totals:

• 321.8 miles
• 43 hours, 39 minutes
• Averaged 8:09/mile
• 22 miles on the cycle (1 hour, 20 minutes)

Year to date mileage:

• 804.3 miles run
• 118 miles biked
• 2.6 miles walked

It was a good but not great week. I didn't get to the mountains because of time issues, which left me feeling a little hollow about the week since it involved so little serious climbing. Also, I didn't like to see a dip in my tempo run splits. To me, that dip may signal the need for a recovery week.

I'm really getting into barefoot running as a great way to strengthen my feet and improve my form (as well as strengthen my calves). When you run barefooted, you automatically adopt proper form, landing on and pushing off from the forefoot. If you landed on your heel or midfoot while barefoot running, you would find the experience altogether uncomfortable. This all leads me to the conclusion that the human foot (at least in most cases) was designed by nature to run properly. But, alas, built-up shoes have more or less ruined the fabulously designed human foot, enabling us to do unnatural things like heel strike. I have been working on my form now for about 3 years in an effort to further-improve my efficiency, and I have to say barefoot running is a critical part of the process.

Unfortunately, at the age of 38, I'm leery about reversing the effects of the built-up shoes I've been wearing and adopting minimalist footwear, especially as I've had some foot issues in recent years (including a nasty bout with plantar fasciitis that effectively sidelined me for five months in 2010-2011). But I can see that barefoot running has the potential to bring many benefits even to those of us who wear built-up shoes. I may at some point try out minimalist footwear, such as New Balance's minimalist trail shoes, but for now I'm going to continue exploring barefoot running as a way to enhance my fitness, improve my form, strengthen my feet and enjoy the simple act of running.

Week Ending 3/25

Here's how the week went:

Monday--easy
AM: 40 minutes on the indoor bike trainer at easy pace. This was about proactive recovery from a nearly 37-mile weekend.

Tuesday--moderate
AM: 9.6 miles in 1:13 on the trails near my house. 700'. I felt very good for a Tuesday. My legs were fresh and responsive. Cross-training yesterday paid dividends in how I felt today.

Wednesday--tempo run
AM: 10.65 miles in 1:14. Another very strong tempo run. 600'. Everything clicked, even as it was quite cold and dark. Every single tempo split was an improvement over last week: 1) 8:25 (warm up), 2) 6:30, 3) 6:09, 4) 6:08, 5) 6:23, 6) 5:53, 7) 6:28, 8) 7:58 (begin cooldown), 9) 7:31, 10) 7:52, 10.65) 5:13. I really like my splits for miles 3, 4, and 6. Mile 5 would have been low 6's had it not been on an incline.
 
Thursday--easy
AM: 5.1 miles in just shy of 41 minutes on the treadmill. I had an early morning meeting so this was all I could muster. Ran at super easy pace.
 
Friday--moderate
AM: 9.35 miles in 1:11 on the Tomahawk loop. 600'. Very tired from another crappy night of sleep. TGIF.

PM: 5.65 miles in just shy of 44 minutes during lunch at work. 200'. Ran the single track along the Cherry Creek Trail and then followed up with 5 minutes of barefoot running in the field in front of my office building. At nearly 80 degrees, it was quite hot! This was my first lunchtime run in about 2.5 years and the first barefoot run in over 3 years. Running barefoot in the grass was a lot of fun.

Saturday--longish
AM: 11.6 miles in 1:30 on the trails and dirt shoulders near my house. 800'. I felt a little flat, probably from not sleeping well this week. Finished up with 6 minutes of barefoot running on a nearby soccer field. I really love barefoot running. Not only is it fun, but it also strengthens the feet, improves your form and basically works muscles you wouldn't normally work while wearing shoes.

Sunday--long
AM: 22.45 miles in 3:40 in Waterton Canyon and on section 1 of the Colorado Trail. 3,005'. The group included George Zack, Brownie, Sean O'Day, Jim Petterson, Wes Thurman, Ryan Kirchner and about 20 other folks. Due to time constraints, I turned around after about 1:50 and 11.2 miles and ran back with Wes. Photos here.

Weekly totals:

• 74.5 miles run
• ~6000' of climbing
• 11 miles on the cycle
• Total training 10:55
• 7 total runs
• 11 minutes of barefoot running
• Averaged 8:16/mile
• Push-ups and core work

Year to date mileage:

• 729.7 miles run
• 107 miles biked
• 2.6 miles walked

All in all, this was another solid week of training, with two really great workouts--Wednesday's tempo run and Sunday's long run on the Colorado Trail. This week I'm going to play it by feel. I'd like to once again crest the 10-hour, 70-mile mark but may ease back a bit and recover. One thing I DO want to accomplish is getting to the track on Friday morning if there's enough sunlight to work with and if the weather cooperates. I really want to once again structure my weeks around one tempo run, one track workout, a long run, and a medium-long run, with everything else being easy.

Speaking of weather, it has been an unusually mild March here on the Front Range. We've had basically no snow all month, which is rare. Combine the super dry conditions with high winds and it's no surprise we're on alert for wildfires and brush fires. As much as I've enjoyed the mild conditions, we really need some precipitation. So you won't hear me complaining if it snows. What I'd most like are a few rainy days. I miss the rain.

On Saturday, April 7, I'll be venturing down to Manitou Springs to participate in a portion of the Inclinathon, a Fat Ass-style event that will showcase a train wreck in the making. I won't be doing 13 laps on the Incline (for a total of ~27 miles and 26,000 feet of vertical), as others may be, but I'll be going for 3-4 laps on the Incline and Barr Trail. Four laps would come to about 17 miles and 8,000 feet of serious, lung-burning vertical. That's a walk in the park compared to 13 laps up and back down the Incline for the most brutal marathon imaginable. I can't wait!

Week Ending 3/18

I haven't done a weekly wrap-up in a long, long time. Here goes nothing (keep in mind that this is ALL at 6,000+ feet and much of it between 6,200-6,400 feet):

Monday--easy
AM: 6 miles on the treadmill, averaging 8:00 pace. Legs a little tired from the previous weekend's running.

Tuesday--moderate
AM: 9.45 miles in 1:13 on the Tomahawk loop. FYI, the Tomahawk loop is a moderately challenging dirt-road loop up in the Parker hills.

Wednesday--tempo run
AM: 10.35 miles in 1:13. This was a very solid tempo run. The goal was 6 miles at tempo pace. My splits were were: 1) 8:24 (warm-up), 2) 6:36, 3) 6:12, 4) 6:17, 5) 6:29, 6) 5:55, 7) 6:33, 8) 8:01 (begin cooldown), 9) 7:45, 10) 8:15, 10.35) 2:43.

Thursday--easy
AM: Had a 7:30 AM meeting so all I had time for was 4.3 miles and 35 minutes on the treadmill. Super easy pace. Woke up at 4:30 AM for this one.

Friday--moderate
AM: Argh, once again another 7:30 AM meeting, leaving little time for more than a short run. Ran 5 miles in 36 minutes, running miles 2-4 at about 6:45 pace. Woke up yet again at 4:30 AM for this one.

Saturday--long
AM: 18 miles in in 2:17 the Parker hills, averaging 7:38/mile. 1150'. I ran mile 17 in 6:26. Unfortunately, none of Parker's trail loops are really connected so what I did was run the loops and then the roads in between, trying to stay on dirt the whole time. This was an excellent long run--I felt strong and steady the whole way.

PM: 3.3 miles easy. These may look like junk miles but they weren't. I focused on holding good form with tired legs.

Sunday--semi-long
AM: 11.8 miles in 1:32 in the Parker hills, once again running on the trails and dirt shoulders. Estimating 1000' of climbing (GPS battery was dead due to a PC glitch and I didn't have time to recharge it before my run). I was glad I got in this run in before the high winds came later in the morning. Despite the 21.25-mile effort the previous day, my legs were surprisingly functional and even responsive. I didn't push it and instead just held an even, steady pace. I would have liked to run a bit longer but we had church at 9:30 and so I had limited time to work with.

PM: 3.3 miles easy. Once again focused on holding good form.

Weekly totals:

• 71.4 miles run
• 9 hours, 10 minutes
• 9 total runs (7.93 miles/run)
• Averaged 7:43/mile
• Push-ups and core work

I love the way my core is developing now that I've incorporated a few new exercises.

Year to date mileage:

• 655.2 miles run
• 96 miles biked
• 2.6 miles walked

My cumulative running mileage is down a bit from previous years--a result of starting 2012 with a fairly significant leg injury. But my health is good right now and, despite VERY limited time on Thursday and Friday, this was a solid week, for March anyway. The reduced mileage on Thursday and Friday, though keeping me from an 80-mile week, seemed to translate into strong runs on both Saturday and Sunday. Also, I hate that I didn't get to the foothills/mountains over the weekend. I've been making it a point to get there at least once a week, but this weekend time just wouldn't allow it.

My goal for the coming week is to inch toward 11 hours of training, how ever that may come.

Monday: Cross-train (probably cycle)
Tuesday: Easy run
Wednesday: Tempo run
Thursday: Easy run
Friday: Two runs
Saturday: Long run, maybe on the Highlands Ranch network
Sunday: Longish run with some quality power-hiking in the mountains, preferably the Incline and Barr Trail

Once we get some light in the mornings, I'll be heading to the track for some 800s, 1200s, 1600s and, oh yes, 3200s. This is the first time in more than two years that I've felt motivated to get to the track. Here are a few of my favorite workouts from years past:

• 3x1600 at just slightly better than 5K pace (back East this was at about 5:30 pace). This is my mainstay.
• 2x3200, each at about 11:55. I haven't yet done this workout at elevation.
• 10x800 at about 2:45 pace, also know as Yasso 800s.
• And my favorite: 5x1600 at 5:55 pace. I love this workout but, again, I've never done it at elevation.

I always do 100-meter striders before my track workouts.

Unlike in previous years, I'm not killing myself to do mega mileage in March, with my goal race (Leadville 100) being five months away. Running 70 miles a week right now, with some good quality mixed in, I'm establishing a very strong base and protecting my good health in advance of a progressive ramp up in May, June and July.