This week seemed to go by fairly quickly - albeit probably more due to old age creeping in and stealing those seconds away without being decent enough to notify me. Fortunately, all in all it was a good week. Started out good, transitioned into not so good, followed by it getting better by the end of the week.
Last Sunday I went to Indian Peaks with Justin Mock and David (TDK) to run the sweet, sweet trails to get in a longer run at altitude. Felt pretty good the entire time, other than two rolled ankles that forced me to take it easy on the downs. Other than that it was surprisingly good running at higher elevation even though Justin really opened it up on me and got away during the flats of Lonesome Trail on the Continental Divide. Never was shortness of breath an issue, regardless of a total lack of running at anything above 10,000' since May. Only took one spill going around a quick switchback that forced me to curse the trail and adamently inform it "Is that all you've got? You can't stop me!", followed by me chuckling as I turned the next switchback to see Justin waiting for me.
Monday found my legs lacking any real energy which forced me to easily run the 7 or so miles with Scott Kukel and Chuck (?) during the Slattery Pub run that are held every Monday evening at 7:15 P.M. Excellent, low keyed running group that starts and ends at the pub followed by a grub feast of pasta, salad, and bread, along with copious amounts of water and $3 drafts for those wishing to partake in something containing alcohol. This is the sister group of the Irish Snug Runners, who run on Thursday evenings. Same owners. Same generosity. The only difference is the amounts of people showing up for the runs. Irish Snug on a good day: 100+. Slattery's on a good day: maybe 30. I would expect this to grow considerably considering they are much newer. Another difference is the course. An easy to follow out-and-back course but with some nice rolling hills that will force you to pay attention to pace.
Tuesday was about the same with me taking it easy at Wash Park. After the run however, the group decided to eat at Rubio's - a fish taco joint that easily rivals Wahoos but with better food I'd say. The bad thing was I left (or threw away) my wallet and in it my ATM cards, drivers license and a host of other cards. Luckily no credit cards. Wednesday still found my legs a little flat but surprised myself be being able to run strongly despite my leg fatigue. Wondering what I would have been able to muster had I felt fresh. Thursday I decided to skip the Denver Trail Runners group run to run alone up and down Lookout Mountain Road. Felt very strong all the way up despite a stiff wind in sections going up, then even better coming down. Turned around at about the 5 mile mark up near the roads leading to Boettcher mansion and Buffalo Bill's grave. First 2 mile decent were run in a blazing (for me these days) 9:53, and the overall final 4 miles in 20:38. Total 10 mile time - 62:28. Trying to use it for some training for the Evergreen Town and Georgetown half races. Friday found me very busy after work renewing my D/L and running errands before the business day was out. Tired enough to hit the bed by 9:00 P.M. Saturday's run can be chronicled below, and today (Sunday) was a pretty good day running wise. I decided to run in the heat again for my 7.5 mile out-and back run in the neighborhood. I knew it was hot but didn't realize how hot it was until I got home. Let's try something in the range 0f 96 degrees or so at 3:00 P.M. today. I kept a conservative pace on the way out, talking to myself, explaining how it really wasn't that hot and that the breeze I felt was nice and cool and how it would just make me a stronger runner having endured the higher temps during training. And so it went until the turn-around. From that point on I felt as though I had a second wind. I found myself running harder and harder until I figured I was down near 6:15 pace for the final mile and half to finish strong, and without having any trouble with the heat. Did a little cool down, and went inside to stretch and then showered. Total mileage this week ~ 57 miles.
After reading the blogs of some of my friends, it made me stop to think for a while. Remembering some of what Justin had written I drifted off in a tangent thinking of what I might do for 2009. Having a training plan is always important, written or up in the head. Regardless, they're important. The year so far has been a mixed bag of good and bad when it comes to racing. Started out tough in the winter since I had pretty much done no running, and it reflected itself in the races I attempted. After I started training in earnest I found my fitness rebound nicely and saw some PBs in races I'd done in previous years. Then a breathing issue caused me to do poorly in both the Bolder Boulder and the Garden of the Gods 10 mile races. Once that was resolved, I trained hard to the point that I once again rebounded quickly to see some good PBs in races I'd done in previous years. In my next post I will talk about some ideas for the coming year. Not that I'll necessarily stick with those ideas, but things I've been thinking of.
For those silly enough to have read this far, you'll find I will be using this blog more of personal reflection than something of a report to others. I'll try to be consolidate better for the most part, but there will be times where it will seem to go on forever. If somehow it's at all interesting, thanks but hold on for some inevitable bumpy rides.
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