I've still got almost 40 miles to go to get to 110 for the week. And I'm tired tired tired.
I ran 11 this morning (in much less wind than predicted), got home, stretched, ate, sat (briefly) in an ice bath, showered, stretched out on the couch to read the newspaper...and fell asleep. Read, nodded off, read, nodded off - then changed into running gear and ran errands around town. Got home, did a few chores, ate dinner, stretched out on a different couch to watch TV...and fell asleep. TV, nodded off, TV, nodded off - then got ready for bed, stopped by the computer to write this, then will actually go to bed. It's out-the-door at 6 a.m. tomorrow for a long run including a rendezvous with the satboys gang at the rez at 8.
Oh yeah, it's snowing again.
Friday, February 16, 2007
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
WinterSpring
10 degrees.
.....More snow.
..........A hint of sunshine.
...............Two bald eagles in a tree.
..........Hawks everywhere.
.....A cow giving birth.
Good run.
.....More snow.
..........A hint of sunshine.
...............Two bald eagles in a tree.
..........Hawks everywhere.
.....A cow giving birth.
Good run.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
More miles? Well, then, more snow!
Yes indeedy. This week calls for 110 miles - a new high watermark for me, so, naturally, today brings more snow, cold, and ice. Despite the weather, I met up with AndyE for some hill drills. We managed 4 before it just got too slick and we called it quits for the drills. I ended up with an hour 45 minutes of running outside, followed by 3 miles of a treadmill hill workout at the rec center where AndyE and I had rendezvoused, and another couple of miles running home. Whether or not I go out again today will be a matter of gumption...
As for last week's running, I got in my second 100-mile week. By Friday I was feeling pretty creaky - enough so that I had my doubts about Saturday's runs. But, sticking to the plan, Saturday morning I pulled on my running gear, loaded up my pockets with Lara bars to munch on during the day, and headed out for my run to the xc races - and felt great! What with the excitement of the xc competition, I continued to feel great all day as I buzzed around doing my volunteer thing. By the end of the day, though, I was getting a bit concerned about Sunday's long run since Saturday had included 8 continuous hours on my feet, 3 runs, and very little food until dinner (oatmeal for breakfast, and 2 Lara bars, 1 cup of coffee, and 1 bottle of Gatorade during the day). But, again sticking to the plan, I headed out Sunday morning set on getting the 17.5 miles I needed to finish off my 100 mile week - and felt great!
You know how when you embark on something new and challenging, be it sport or academics or professional pursuit, you start from a comfort zone (often born of ignorance in my case) and dive into a whirlpool of struggling newness, thrashing your way through trying to master new skills and new knowledge and eventually, if you keep at it, you find yourself on a new higher-level comfort zone. So....I'm wondering....have I reached a new level? I hope so!
Meanwhile, today, it's just the snow/ice/cold vs. my gumption...
As for last week's running, I got in my second 100-mile week. By Friday I was feeling pretty creaky - enough so that I had my doubts about Saturday's runs. But, sticking to the plan, Saturday morning I pulled on my running gear, loaded up my pockets with Lara bars to munch on during the day, and headed out for my run to the xc races - and felt great! What with the excitement of the xc competition, I continued to feel great all day as I buzzed around doing my volunteer thing. By the end of the day, though, I was getting a bit concerned about Sunday's long run since Saturday had included 8 continuous hours on my feet, 3 runs, and very little food until dinner (oatmeal for breakfast, and 2 Lara bars, 1 cup of coffee, and 1 bottle of Gatorade during the day). But, again sticking to the plan, I headed out Sunday morning set on getting the 17.5 miles I needed to finish off my 100 mile week - and felt great!
You know how when you embark on something new and challenging, be it sport or academics or professional pursuit, you start from a comfort zone (often born of ignorance in my case) and dive into a whirlpool of struggling newness, thrashing your way through trying to master new skills and new knowledge and eventually, if you keep at it, you find yourself on a new higher-level comfort zone. So....I'm wondering....have I reached a new level? I hope so!
Meanwhile, today, it's just the snow/ice/cold vs. my gumption...
Saturday, February 10, 2007
An extraordinary day of running
...February 10, 2007: USA Cross Country Nationals Championship races.
...Masters men & women 8k races, Junior women 6k, Junior men 8k, Open women 8k, Open men 12k.
...A serpentine 2k loop around a golf course in Boulder, snow-lined grass and dirt track with one small ditch jump and one big ditch jump (Jonesy's surprise, named after Steve Jones), tons of mud head to toe on runners, splattering spectators, sidelining lead vehicles.
...Fantastic spectator viewing options - and an estimated 10,000 spectators dashing about in the mud and snow to watch the action .
...The best of the best of USA's runners vying for spots on the World Cross Country Team going head to head, stride for stride, mud splat for mud splat.
Put it all together and you have a spectacular race.
I was very proud (and very lucky) to be a tiny volunteer cog in this extraordinary event...
And, if ever in the future you have the opportunity to participate in a National XC meet, do it!
...Masters men & women 8k races, Junior women 6k, Junior men 8k, Open women 8k, Open men 12k.
...A serpentine 2k loop around a golf course in Boulder, snow-lined grass and dirt track with one small ditch jump and one big ditch jump (Jonesy's surprise, named after Steve Jones), tons of mud head to toe on runners, splattering spectators, sidelining lead vehicles.
...Fantastic spectator viewing options - and an estimated 10,000 spectators dashing about in the mud and snow to watch the action .
...The best of the best of USA's runners vying for spots on the World Cross Country Team going head to head, stride for stride, mud splat for mud splat.
Put it all together and you have a spectacular race.
I was very proud (and very lucky) to be a tiny volunteer cog in this extraordinary event...
- to witness a 15 year old win the Junior girls' race by 14 seconds,
- to cheer for not one, not two, but 5 over-80 Boulder Road Runners cruised the course (and another 9 70+ year olds).
- to see first-hand what the announcer described as "perfect form" as Deena Kastor stretched it out with each lap of the course to win by 61 seconds over 3000 meter American record holder Shalane Flanagan
- to hear the roar of the crowd as hometown boy, CU grad and Olympian Alan Culpepper moved up through the pack, eventually overtaking Adam Goucher, Dathan Ritzenhein, and Jorge Torres to lead the four-man former-CU-runners sweep at the finish.
And, if ever in the future you have the opportunity to participate in a National XC meet, do it!
Friday, February 09, 2007
Glorious run, volunteer fun
This morning's run was out by the Boulder Reservoir - and what a treat it was. The run from my house to the rez was fairly typical of the last several weeks: lots of concrete, dancing around ice, and even some fog though not as dense as yesterday's. But once I got to the rez (and met up with Joe), we had clear sailing. The roads were completely clear of snow, the dirt was hard-packed (no mud, no ice, no puddles), the traffic was light, the fog added both stillness and a tinge of frost to everything. We were in another world. This 'other world' was also home to a host of hawks watching from tree tops and gliding over fields. And for a special treat - a heron flew out of a ditch next to us then stayed just ahead for several minutes of viewing enjoyment. One of the best runs of 2007.
After the run, it was a quick trip home to stretch, ice, shower, and eat before I headed off to the National XC Championships packet pickup headquarters where I handed out t-shirts for a few hours. Very fun seeing so many runners from all over the country...young runners, mature runners, men, women, tall, short, skinny, stocky...all quite excited about tomorrow's race. The race will be held at a golf course in town (a flat course as a concession to the altitude, but with a couple of ditch/stream crossings just to keep things interesting). The course has been plowed and the water has been squeegeed/blown off it. So it's pretty much ice-free but the runners should be cruising and the mud should be flyin'!
After the run, it was a quick trip home to stretch, ice, shower, and eat before I headed off to the National XC Championships packet pickup headquarters where I handed out t-shirts for a few hours. Very fun seeing so many runners from all over the country...young runners, mature runners, men, women, tall, short, skinny, stocky...all quite excited about tomorrow's race. The race will be held at a golf course in town (a flat course as a concession to the altitude, but with a couple of ditch/stream crossings just to keep things interesting). The course has been plowed and the water has been squeegeed/blown off it. So it's pretty much ice-free but the runners should be cruising and the mud should be flyin'!
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Run and run some more
This is supposed to be a 100 mile week. Monday and Tuesday went pretty well: 14 and 15 miles spread out over 3 runs on Monday and 2 runs on Tuesday. Yesterday (Wednesday) was another three-run day that went something like this:
Sunday I'll run as many miles as I need to get my 100. So far, I've got 56.5.
- I woke up knowing it would be an icey morning given the prior day's warm temps and the mounds of snow still lining all the roads and yards. So, I figured I'd have my short run in the morning and a longer run when the day got warmer. That meant Jester would get to come on the morning run. At least one of us was psyched. I made a poor choice of routes: home to the CU cross-country property. The road into the CU property was an ice skating rink. The trails within the property were chopped ice. The bike paths I took out of the property (to avoid the ice rink road) were rivers of ice...absolutely impassable. I ended up hiking through snow banks. All in all, very little running and a whole lot of grumpiness.
- Post-run I met up with friend Debby to strategize on sponsorship possibilities, PR, logistics, etc. and ran into running buddy Joe. Debby always brings my psyche around to a good place and Joe suggested an afternoon run together. The mood was on the upswing.
- The afternoon run with Joe was over our regular fartlek loop (without the fartlek). Shorts weather. Clear roads. Great stuff. All was well with the world again.
- As part of the National Cross-Country meet activities, there was going to be a nutrition panel/talk in the early evening. The sun was still up, the talk was only a couple of miles away, I decided to run there.
- Wednesday totals: 3 runs, 14.5 miles, full stretching routine, no ice bath
- This morning I was to meet up with AndyE for an early run. And we had a new weather challenge: fog...so thick where AndyE and I were meeting that you couldn't see the length of a block. We cut our run a bit short though I still managed eight miles by taking a round-about way home.
- To get my 100 for the week, I really needed to get in an afternoon run. My body was not too terribly thrilled with the idea so we had a rather intense discussion. "You're going to be running two-a-days all summer, you'd better get used to it." "Yeah, but I'm achey and would really rather just sit with my feet up." "What's 180 miles in a week going to feel like if you can't even muster 100 miles?" "What's another run today going to feel like if you're already tired, eh?" Well...I won that argument. uhhh...which side was I on/not on? Anyways. Went out for another 5.
Sunday I'll run as many miles as I need to get my 100. So far, I've got 56.5.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Hill fun
First: it's warm! How warm? Warm enough for shorts! Yesterday it was predicted to get into the 50s so I went ahead and headed out in shorts even while the temps were in the 30s. It warmed up quite nicely and I was one happy pale-legged camper. Today it was already into the 40s when I went out the door and my knees were happily breathing fresh air once again.
Second: the hills! The plan was to meet AndyE at our favorite hill-repeat hill. I ran about 50 minutes to our rendezvous point, and we found a horde of runners gathering for their hill repeat session at our hill. It turned out to be Mark Plaatjes' training group and when they saw us hanging out behind them (no way were we going to the head of the line) they encouraged us to join in. Well, heck, why not?! Every train needs a caboose! So there we were, running hill repeats with Plaatjes' speedy striders. 10 repeats in fact. And it was a blast. We were by far the slowest in the group but it turned into an excellent workout. They'd make it to the top and turn, and as soon as we saw them turn, we turned. They'd pass us on the way down, and when we saw them turn at the bottom, we'd turn to go back up the hill. 5 repeats or so into the workout, I started playing 'rabbit' - trying to stay ahead of the fastest runners with Mark exhorting his runners to catch Paula. About 8 repeats in, only Mark caught me and we both burst out laughing when he sneaked up on my shoulder (that man is a beautiful runner...his feet barely touch the ground as he flies by). And, upon finishing the 10th repeat, off I went for the rest of my run...50 more minutes, all of it spent dreaming of the ice bath I'd be treating my legs to as soon as I got home. Great fun!
Second: the hills! The plan was to meet AndyE at our favorite hill-repeat hill. I ran about 50 minutes to our rendezvous point, and we found a horde of runners gathering for their hill repeat session at our hill. It turned out to be Mark Plaatjes' training group and when they saw us hanging out behind them (no way were we going to the head of the line) they encouraged us to join in. Well, heck, why not?! Every train needs a caboose! So there we were, running hill repeats with Plaatjes' speedy striders. 10 repeats in fact. And it was a blast. We were by far the slowest in the group but it turned into an excellent workout. They'd make it to the top and turn, and as soon as we saw them turn, we turned. They'd pass us on the way down, and when we saw them turn at the bottom, we'd turn to go back up the hill. 5 repeats or so into the workout, I started playing 'rabbit' - trying to stay ahead of the fastest runners with Mark exhorting his runners to catch Paula. About 8 repeats in, only Mark caught me and we both burst out laughing when he sneaked up on my shoulder (that man is a beautiful runner...his feet barely touch the ground as he flies by). And, upon finishing the 10th repeat, off I went for the rest of my run...50 more minutes, all of it spent dreaming of the ice bath I'd be treating my legs to as soon as I got home. Great fun!
Saturday, February 03, 2007
winter winter winter
3 hour run today. Much of it
.....uphill. into the wind. on ice.
No exaggeration.
.....uphill. into the wind. on ice.
No exaggeration.
Friday, February 02, 2007
Colorado through Wisconsin is mapped!
I just finished mapping Wisconsin! Which means I've just arrived at the Michigan border! If the schedule holds, I'll be entering Michigan on July 21 - 1,198 miles into the run! The grin just kept getting bigger and bigger the closer I got to the state line! And we're only talking a map here!
The Wisconsin route can be found at: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=681821
Synopsis:
I'll be in Wisconsin from July 10 a.m. through July 21 p.m.
The route through Wisconsin is 289 miles long.
And, best of all, the route includes a lot of trail time:
fyi - The routes through the states leading up to Wisconsin can be found at
Colorado (still to be converted from mapmyrun):
0-105 miles: http://www.mapmyrun.com/route/united-states/co/boulder/178670771
105-210/Nebraska: http://www.mapmyrun.com/route/united-states/co/brush/178705730
Nebraska: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com//?r=673075
Iowa: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=646975
Minnesota: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=649166
The Wisconsin route can be found at: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=681821
Synopsis:
I'll be in Wisconsin from July 10 a.m. through July 21 p.m.
The route through Wisconsin is 289 miles long.
And, best of all, the route includes a lot of trail time:
- Chippewa River State Trail from Durand to Eau Claire
- Mountain-Bay State Trail from Weston to just north of Pulaski
fyi - The routes through the states leading up to Wisconsin can be found at
Colorado (still to be converted from mapmyrun):
0-105 miles: http://www.mapmyrun.com/route/united-states/co/boulder/178670771
105-210/Nebraska: http://www.mapmyrun.com/route/united-states/co/brush/178705730
Nebraska: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com//?r=673075
Iowa: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=646975
Minnesota: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=649166
Thursday, February 01, 2007
gyah I'm sick of this
The nice lady on the radio said she had an announcement: "We're under a snow advisory through 9 a.m. tomorrow."
The nice man on the radio shortly thereafter said: "They're now predicting 8 inches of snow."
Yesterday it was all of 17 when I went out for my morning run - and I ran south which turned out to be into the wind which dropped the temperature to I-don't-know-what bitter cold. And as I was headed toward a trail a fellow was coming from that same trail and said: "It's really choppy, really icey, really bad." So I turned (which got me going with the wind and warmer) and ran one more stupid circle on this stupid snow with this stupid ice.
Today it was 5 degrees when I headed out and I was dressed better than I had been yesterday so stayed almost warm. But yesterday's really fine dry snow coated the streets which were then packed down by cars and everything was slicker'n'snot. I met up with AndyE about 40 minutes into my run and we ran some stupid sidewalks around in stupid circles avoiding the supid snow and stupid ice.
Tomorrow we're supposed to see a high of 10 degrees, with wind gusts up to 28 mph, and we'll have that up-to-8-inches of snow on the ground.
Are we having fun yet?!
The nice man on the radio shortly thereafter said: "They're now predicting 8 inches of snow."
Yesterday it was all of 17 when I went out for my morning run - and I ran south which turned out to be into the wind which dropped the temperature to I-don't-know-what bitter cold. And as I was headed toward a trail a fellow was coming from that same trail and said: "It's really choppy, really icey, really bad." So I turned (which got me going with the wind and warmer) and ran one more stupid circle on this stupid snow with this stupid ice.
Today it was 5 degrees when I headed out and I was dressed better than I had been yesterday so stayed almost warm. But yesterday's really fine dry snow coated the streets which were then packed down by cars and everything was slicker'n'snot. I met up with AndyE about 40 minutes into my run and we ran some stupid sidewalks around in stupid circles avoiding the supid snow and stupid ice.
Tomorrow we're supposed to see a high of 10 degrees, with wind gusts up to 28 mph, and we'll have that up-to-8-inches of snow on the ground.
Are we having fun yet?!
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