The Hay's in the Barn

Well, here we are 8 days out from Club XC and looking at the start lists as well as listening to folks talk about it, it sounds like it might be a better field than in previous years. I don't really know because I've never run it before. But I'm pretty excited, the better the field the more honest the race so bring it. The course looks a little more pleasant and lovely than what I generally prefer, and it would make me even more excited if it would dump rain or snow or something all over it and get it as muddy and nastified as possible. Maybe an earthquake or something to shake things up (pun...ha? No.). But whatever the weather it should be a great race.

Anyhow, training's gone pretty well the last few weeks. I hit a couple small speed bumps along the way and didn't get in the tune-up race that I wanted to last week. Not perfect, but you have to roll with it. At any rate, I had a great workout yesterday and will have one more on Tuesday then all that's left is to beat the Voices of Doubt into submission and it's go-time. Thankfully this time around I have not been overcome with fits of ridiculous nervousness that leave me wanting to curl up in the fetal position in the cabinet underneath the kitchen sink for days at time and think irrational, self-defeating thoughts. Is that a good thing? I'm thinking so. But we'll find out.

Alright, since this post is not particularly interesting or insightful or humorous and I'm really only writing it in an effort to procrastinate on going to do a spot of pool-running, I'm going to leave it off here. However, I will include this below photograph to give it at least one redeeming quality:

There.

Ok. That's all I got. Hopefully we'll all have wonderfully exciting blogs about the race coming up soon.

On the Up-and-Up

You know that winter is impending when not only is the oh-so majestic and glorious Pike's Peak crowned with whiteness, but when you can no longer take a pre-workout leak in the bushes because all of the leaves have fallen off of them, leaving you open to the scrutiny of total strangers. Boooo. But nonetheless it doesn't matter what season it is, this is a dang good place to train. Those things crossed my mind while I was getting dragged down the trail by Ryan Hafer this morning. In case you were wondering.

Back to buisiness. In a nutshell I feel fabulous and have been training and racing really well and couldn't ask for anything more than for things to stay on track. I got to travel with the UCCS team up to the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championships in Las Vegas (New Mexico that is) last weekend and they had as usual an open race preceding the collegiate races. It was a good opportunity to get in another cross country race and it went very smoothly. I felt great the entire way and ran a faster 6k time than I've ever run at altitude, and got to win too, which is always swell. Now granted this is cross country and there is always the possibility that the course is a smidgeon short or a tad long, so I don't generally put too much stock into times in XC. It's more about competing, which is one of the things I like best about it; no nit-picky split-taking nonsense. RMAC always has some great races to watch, so that made for some spectacular post-race entertainment. A very good time for sure.

Anyhow, initially I had all of these bright and shiney new training ideas to try out in the upcoming weeks, but I feel like things are going so well and keep getting better so I don't really see the sense in changing much. Don't fix it if it ain't broke. The biggest challenge over coming weeks will be tempering my enthusiasm enough to not do any of those "Well in retrospect, that was a poor choice" things. Obviously there are always a million hiccups along the way, but overall consistency is always the goal. I really want to be booking a flight to Spain with a USA singlet in my bag come this February, and so long as the wheels stay on, who knows what could happen? But first things first, and the next goal is to help make sure that Club XC trophy of the really manly-looking runner lady still belongs to our team in a few weeks.

Change is in the Air

I haven't posted in awhile and a lot has changed over the past several weeks. First, I am working...A LOT. It is really nice to be done with grad school and be in a career where there is actually a demand, but I tend to over-extend myself. A couple of weeks ago I was scheduled to work 13 days in a row--with no break--at 3 different jobs. I ended up getting a small stomach virus so I got an extra day off that I wasn't expecting in the middle of that, but I was tired by the time that stretch ended. So, the paychecks are nice and so is getting caught up on bills, but it has been a hard transition back into the working world and getting up at 4:30 am to get my runs in before work.
The other thing that has changed is that I am actually doing workouts, things are going well and I am healthy. My mileage is still really low, but we are finally to a point where I am no longer under-training and I am actually pushing my body to get stronger. Over the past few weeks I have been doing tempos at the end of my long runs, one track workout with shorter/faster intervals and then one longer interval day (this has been 2x2 miles). The fun thing is that the times are getting progressively faster while the effort is staying the same! So, that means I am getting into shape! Right now I am not very fit, but all of the work is building my momentum and hopefully letting me get ready for some late fall/winter racing and a spring marathon. So, in the meantime I am hoping that the trend continues and that I can actually get out there and get some racing in finally!!

What's my Worth?

Hello everyone, I know I have been MIA for quite some time now. I still see what everyone was and is doing. Great job to those who have been doing well in their running this past summer and fall! I wish I could say the same for myself! I decided to take time off from the sport a while back. Since I had last posted, I was in the process of getting back in shape. I trained for 2 weeks straight, then one day I just decided to take some more time off. Thats where I am now. I just barely started training again after 7 months of doing completely nothing that involved fitness. Just sat on my ass pretty much the whole time. Just feel like my life has changed as far as priority goes. I am going to finish school in december, then I am getting out of Alamosa for sure. I've been pondering Colorado Springs a bunch. Anywho, that will come later. But during the time, I have gained weight, pulling way too much all nighters, Alcohol has gotten the best of me. Its been quite a transformation for me. I don't really like it, but in the back of my mind, I feel that I missed out on my college days being a crazy person. I also see and think about my wife and how much I have missed out on our relationship. If she was a runner, things would have been simple. I could go on with my life knowing she is on the same page as me.
Feeling like I have lived 2 lives, my running and my marriage. I have had to maintain both. sure some might say, thats easy... but, if you are in my shoes, my partner doesnt care for sports. she supports me, but one can only take so much.
Long Story Short..... I am showing her the ways of an athlete now, so she can see what it takes and I want to go back to kicking some ass!
So of course I won't be going to Nationals this year.... I have let you guys down, and for that I apologize.

More Stuff

It has been an interesting last several months, and while I am not a big believer in counting my chickens before they hatch, sometimes you've got to be an optimist and I think that the roller coaster ride of, "Um, I guess that run was pretty good" to "Um, did I really just drop like 10 minute miles for an hour and feel that bad?! Seriously? WTF." With no in between at all, might just be coming to an end! After a not-so-great chunk of training after the CC meet, the Rocky Mountain Shootout was a total wash (I'll spare everyone another self-deprecating story, it was really rough though). Excited as I had been to compete there, once the gun went off I was never even in that race. Well no, the brain was in it, but the body apparently not so much for whatever reason...maybe someone sent me some bad juju...I dunno. In any case, I finished a pretty dismal 20th. Prior to that day, I'd never thought of myself as a "choker" before, but that race left me wondering. But you can only accomplish so much by beating yourself up, and a race or two does not a season make. So I got back at it and thanks to some helpful advice along the way, I mixed up the training over the following couple of weeks and also quit doing most everything solo on the same routes. Okay, I still did most of the same routes--kind of a creature of habit like that--but sometimes I did them backwards or with no watch or at a different time of day or whatever. I guess that was just what the doctor ordered because the next week plus of training felt terriffic and my long run the following weekend was the best one I'd had in a couple of years, and at the Metro State Invite last weekend I actually competed instead of just survived. Even though I got out-kicked and it wasn't a "victory" on the results sheet, it was a huge confidence booster for a huge number of reasons and I felt more comfortable racing than I have in forever so I was extremely thankful for that. You have to enjoy all of the good races when you have them, not just the big ones. The meet was a smallish 6k collegiate race, but there was some very good competition there as with just about anywhere in the state, I really liked the course, it was a perfect day for an XC race, and the crowd support was awesome. Cross country meets are hard to beat.

Rocky Mountain Shootout


With any luck and a lot of work things will keep getting better from here. I think that they will. I feel like I have a ton of momentum right now and kind of just want to keep rolling out races every weekend, but also think I need a decent block of training to get things to the next level. I may jump into a Turkey Trot up in Denver or Fort Collins in a few weeks, but outside of that Club XC is the primary goal with USA XC couple months after, but one step at a time.

Anyways, great job to everyone who raced Chicago (Tera, Adrian, Robbie, Art, Paul, Greg, Tommy, Jason, and sorry to anyone I missed), Cow Harbor, and Tufts (Ali, Cassie, Amanda, and Wendy), keep up the good work. Happy trails.

marathon!

Every time I run a marathon I think.... why don't I do this more often? I LOVE the distance and last weekend in Chicago proved no different. I had a ridiculous amount of fun during the two and a half hours I was racing and I'm pretty bummed its over.
I was a bit nervous going in. I've been dealing with a foot problem for the last 2 months and didn't know how it would hold up. The morning of the race I was still trying to figure out what shoes, inserts, pads, etc I was going to wear.
I also don't particularly enjoy racing in the heat and was hoping for another 30 degree day like last year. It ended up being between 69 and 75 while I was racing. Not terrible but definitely not ideal.
I knew I couldn't do much about those things so I decided to stop stressing, try my best and have some fun. I felt fantastic pretty much the entire way. Normally in a marathon I'll have a bad patch or two but it just never seemed to come. I was really hot and very thirsty but never hit a wall or anything. My foot started nagging around 5 but thankfully didn't get really bad until after the race was over.
Now I'm looking at a nice long break to recharge the batteries and get my foot healed. Taking time off isn't my favorite thing but I know its good for me.

My new beard

Well...I haven't written anything in far too long. I apologize. I have been too busy running huge miles and growing this absolutely glorious beard.

But training has been going really well the past few summer months. I have traditionally been a low to mid-mileage person, but have made a concerted effort the past 2 years up here in Gunnison to try to get to the point where I could handle much higher mileage. I finally feel comfortable running 100 mile weeks with a few quality workouts. Where 90 mpw used to be a huge struggle, now it feels very under control (knock on wood.)

My hope is that the new strength will really pay off later this Fall, but particularly in the Winter and Spring.

But until then, I am hoping to see some progress in the next several weeks. I am going to attempt my first 1/2 marathon on October 16th (The Murfreesboro Half)! I figured if ever I was going to be in a position to run a half, now is probably the time. I haven't started Max VO2 intervals that would lead to a fast 5 to 8k yet, but I think my longer tempo runs the past several weeks should help over a half. We will see, I guess. :)

I hope everyone's training is going very well and you all are enjoying the cross season.



Paul

One Day at a Time

Back in August I drove over to Grand Junction to have an evaluation done by a biomechancis specialist. This specialist has credentials a mile long and I trust his judgement along with my physical therapist's, both have come to the agreement that I have a pelvic instability on the left side. I have been working hard the past few weeks to address this weakness and as my body adapts to new mechanics new issues are inevitably popping up. Although what I am dealing with right now has me questioning whether it is from changing mechanics or something more acute. Something is wrong with my knee--I have heard everything from tendonitis to a stress fracture and still have no concrete idea of what is going on so I am working around it and treating it with ice, massage, anti-inflammatories and modalities (like iontophoresis and ultrasound). One of the things this summer has taught me is that I have to just go along for the ride, weather the ups and downs without letting either dictate my motivation. This has been a hard lesson to learn, but one I think I have figured out (at least today).

Tomorrow before work I am planning on running an hour or to right before my knee locks up and doesn't allow more running. I am taking things one day at a time but staying hopeful that I can keep training. My goal tomorrow is to make it through the whole hour without the excruciating knee pain that has happened the past few times I have run over an hour. Hopefully I will be successful!

When you have more than one blog post in a row it starts looking like you have no life...but seriously, we are really slacking here you guys. I know some of you have some phenomonal race results that you're just dying to share....am I right? Don't be shy now.

Since I have no problem rambling about anything, no matter how pointless, I will start by saying, "HOORAY for cross country season!" That's where it's at. If cross country could go on year round, that would be fine by me. None of that round oval track nonsense--that stuff is for the birds (or more like those with actual leg-speed. I've always been a little jealous of those folks.). Anyhow, on that note there have been a couple lower key collegiate XC races here in town over the last couple of weeks, both of which were generous enough to let unattached folks in. First was the 3rd annual aptly named UCCS "Rust-Buster" Invite a couple of weekends back. That one was a 6k that wound its way through Monument Valley Park. It went well, I felt good, and it was good to see everyone and get to see all of the current UCCS runners, a lot of new faces, and plenty of alumni as well. A good time for sure.

Last Saturday, Colorado College hosted its Tiger Invitational. That one was another 6k in Monument Valley Park (I really like racing there...) but a slightly different course. That one went alright as well. I finished behind Steph Bylander, who won the show. That one was a bit different in that they combined the college and open races and it was fun to mix it up. I almost felt like I was re-living the glory days, just like the Bruce Springsteen song. So next up is the Boulder Shootout up at CU in a couple weeks, I am a bit nervous for that one. But what else is new.

As an aside, I am in the process of figuring out a good running goal. I realized the other day that I'm almost at the quarter century mark of life, and since a person's athletic ability dwindles quickly with time then I have to figure out what to do with what time is left! There is a lot of urgency here. I don't particularly want to be a marathoner, for some reason that race hasn't ever appealed to me, I don't really like the track that much but will do some of that this spring for PR-ing's sake, cross country is unfortunately far less popular than it would be if I was in charge of everything (which I am not), I really like road racing but don't know what distance to focus on, and I think I need to do a couple trail/mountain races to figure out if I have a niche there because I've never tried it. I guess I will just do some of everything till I figure it out.

A Step in the Right Direction

Things are still slowly and steadily on the up-and-up. I'm okay with that. I finally got up enough nerve last weekend to actually run a race. I went up to Denver on Saturday to do the Erace (that's not a typo, it's a pun) Homelessness 5k in City Park. After my previous and somewhat disasterous attempt at a "race" about a month and half ago, I didn't go in with the highest of expectations--in fact I was trying to not have any expectations--I just wanted to improve upon what I did the time before and get a decent idea of where things stand fitness-wise. Both objectives were accomplished, I got second (Lori Walker soundly trounced all of us--kudos) and got to actually take home prize money for the first time ever. My time was nothing to write home about, although supposedly the course was about 100 meters too long, but that could be one of those self-esteem boosting rumors that runners conjure up when no one runs that fast on a particular day and we all want to comiserate with each other. But according to Andy Rinne's GPS (here we go with this technology business again) the course was 3.2 miles long. It was a fun race on an interesting course, and I would have to say that the highlight was when some random aid station worker guy pitched a cup of water directly into my face at mile 2. I still don't know what that was all about. Maybe I looked like I was falling asleep out there, I'm not really sure. But I'm sure that it was done with the best of intentions.

Adam, Andy, Robby, Ashley, Russ and me at the start line.

Cross country season is in full swing now, and I always get all nostalgic this time of year, not to mention really jealous of all the college and high school runners gearing up for another year of racing. I really miss that stuff. I mean, I kind of get to pretend to be on the Palmer High School team since I'm always with them and everyone asks me if I run for them (I'm almost 25 for crap sakes, do I LOOK like I run for a high school??!!). It's a bit different (nope, it's a LOT different) when you're not stepping up to the line with a team at your back with everyone counting on you and on each other to give it everything and a bit more on that day. It's a totally different mind-set and it's taking some serious getting used to even though I've been working on it for over a year. The whole Every (Wo)Man for Themselves mentality is a bit more mentally taxing I think.

At any rate, there are plenty of XC races to jump into this fall, and next up is the UCCS Rust-Buster down in Monument Valley Park on the 11th of September. Great race to run and great races to watch. After that, I'll probably jump into the Colorado College Invitational then the Boulder Shootout a week after to get ready to race fast (hopefully) at the Tufts 10k in mid-October. Although at the moment I'm having a lot of trouble getting into that race, hopefully it'll work out.

Great job to everyone in all your races this weekend, and keep up the good work!