Saturday, February 6, 2010
Day Off - Knee
Left knee still hurting, so I decided a day off was warranted. Iced it this afternoon and have been taking it easy. Hoping the knee feels OK for a long run early tomorrow morning. Going to head up Coal Creek Canyon and run on some of the roads up there. I've never run in that area, but hear there are some nice-n-hilly roads to explore.
Friday, February 5, 2010
North Table Mountain - Easy Run
Time: 1:05
Distance: 6.4 miles
Effort: Very Easy
Body: Fair
Weather: Chilly and partly sunny
Made it out of Washington, D.C. before the snow storm hit there. Good thing, too. My Friday Frontier flight, by yesterday, had been postponed to Saturday. Today, when I landed in Denver, I had a new e-mail from the airline saying my flight had been postponed yet again, this time until Sunday. I ended up having to buy a new return ticket flying USAirways to Boston, then United to Denver. Happy to be home!
On the way home from DIA, I stopped off at North Table Mountain, a 1,945-acre Jefferson County Open Space park just north of Golden. I parked on the east side of the Mesa at a ball field park. After a quick change into running clothes, I set off on a steady climb up singletrack bound for the the mesa top. As the trail crested the rim rock, a remarkably beautiful undulating grassland plateau spread out before me. Doubletrack and singletrack rails snaked here and there, weaving over and around small hills and rock outcroppings. Good views were to be had in all directions. The mesa is, in places, about 1,000 feet higher than the surrounding plains. The trails weren't in great shape, though. The only remaining snow on top of the mesa was in the trail furrows, leaving some of the tracks damp or muddy from the melting.
Still, it was a relaxing 6-mile jog on some new trails. And, it was warm enough for shorts and a light long-sleeve tech t-shirt. Not a bad way to reenter good ol' Colorful Colorado...
Distance: 6.4 miles
Effort: Very Easy
Body: Fair
Weather: Chilly and partly sunny
Made it out of Washington, D.C. before the snow storm hit there. Good thing, too. My Friday Frontier flight, by yesterday, had been postponed to Saturday. Today, when I landed in Denver, I had a new e-mail from the airline saying my flight had been postponed yet again, this time until Sunday. I ended up having to buy a new return ticket flying USAirways to Boston, then United to Denver. Happy to be home!
On the way home from DIA, I stopped off at North Table Mountain, a 1,945-acre Jefferson County Open Space park just north of Golden. I parked on the east side of the Mesa at a ball field park. After a quick change into running clothes, I set off on a steady climb up singletrack bound for the the mesa top. As the trail crested the rim rock, a remarkably beautiful undulating grassland plateau spread out before me. Doubletrack and singletrack rails snaked here and there, weaving over and around small hills and rock outcroppings. Good views were to be had in all directions. The mesa is, in places, about 1,000 feet higher than the surrounding plains. The trails weren't in great shape, though. The only remaining snow on top of the mesa was in the trail furrows, leaving some of the tracks damp or muddy from the melting.
Still, it was a relaxing 6-mile jog on some new trails. And, it was warm enough for shorts and a light long-sleeve tech t-shirt. Not a bad way to reenter good ol' Colorful Colorado...
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Washington, D.C. - Tempo Run
Time: 1:05
Distance: 9.17 miles
Effort: Moderate
Body: Fair
Weather: Chilly and cloudy
Ran from hotel in North Arlington, VA to Matt A.'s place on Capitol Hill. Route was down Curtis Trail (lots of ice and slush), which is a paved bike path that run along I-66, to paved path along Potomac River, over Memorial Bridge, down the mall past the Lincoln, WWII and Washington Monument, by the Capitol and straight down East Capitol Street. Made a quick stop at a small neighborhood bodega for a sixer of Magic Hat IPA and ran the last mile with beer in hand. Dedication.
Run was went by quickly, but never felt quite on...just OK. Average pace was 7:05. Average HR: 141.
Hoping to make it home tomorrow a.m. before the big snow storm hits. This town simply cannot handle snow. Government officials are advising people to stock up and be prepared to be self-sustaining for five days. Five days for a foot of snow! In 2003, when we got five feet of snow in Evergreen, we weren't stuck in the house for five days. These folks need some pluck!
Distance: 9.17 miles
Effort: Moderate
Body: Fair
Weather: Chilly and cloudy
Ran from hotel in North Arlington, VA to Matt A.'s place on Capitol Hill. Route was down Curtis Trail (lots of ice and slush), which is a paved bike path that run along I-66, to paved path along Potomac River, over Memorial Bridge, down the mall past the Lincoln, WWII and Washington Monument, by the Capitol and straight down East Capitol Street. Made a quick stop at a small neighborhood bodega for a sixer of Magic Hat IPA and ran the last mile with beer in hand. Dedication.
Run was went by quickly, but never felt quite on...just OK. Average pace was 7:05. Average HR: 141.
Hoping to make it home tomorrow a.m. before the big snow storm hits. This town simply cannot handle snow. Government officials are advising people to stock up and be prepared to be self-sustaining for five days. Five days for a foot of snow! In 2003, when we got five feet of snow in Evergreen, we weren't stuck in the house for five days. These folks need some pluck!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Treadmill II
Time: 25 (ish) minutes
Distance: 3.5 miles
Effort: Easy
Body: Good
Weather: Indoors
Under the theory that with exercise, some is almost always better than none, I jumped on the treadmill again in between work and dinner plans. Only had 30 minutes, so I did a few miles easy. Normally would have preferred to do 10+ on a Wednesday while on travel, but had to settle tonight for less.
Despite being crunched for time, time crept by. My left knee was hurting a bit, a lingering ache from a spill I took last week coming down an icy ramp on the CU campus. The pain is on the inside of the upper part of the kneecap. It feels tight, like some ligament is constricted and doesn't want to stretch back out. The good news is that it isn't getting any worse. The bad news is that it's been a week and it still hurts. It usually eases up as a run progresses, but I can usually tell its still there. Will ice it tonight and see if that helps.
Distance: 3.5 miles
Effort: Easy
Body: Good
Weather: Indoors
Under the theory that with exercise, some is almost always better than none, I jumped on the treadmill again in between work and dinner plans. Only had 30 minutes, so I did a few miles easy. Normally would have preferred to do 10+ on a Wednesday while on travel, but had to settle tonight for less.
Despite being crunched for time, time crept by. My left knee was hurting a bit, a lingering ache from a spill I took last week coming down an icy ramp on the CU campus. The pain is on the inside of the upper part of the kneecap. It feels tight, like some ligament is constricted and doesn't want to stretch back out. The good news is that it isn't getting any worse. The bad news is that it's been a week and it still hurts. It usually eases up as a run progresses, but I can usually tell its still there. Will ice it tonight and see if that helps.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Treadmill - Speedwork
Time: 1 hour (ish)
Distance: 6.5 miles
Effort: Hard
Body: Good
Weather: Indoors
Another biz trip to Washington, D.C + snowstorm + a brief window between work and dinner plans = treadmill.
Did 4x1 mile at one percent incline: 5:52; 5:56; 5:52; 5:52. They all felt good. A little tension in the quads on the last 1/4 mile of the last interval. I actually enjoyed the time on the mill tonight. Must have been the accumulated energy from sitting for four hours on the airplane.
Distance: 6.5 miles
Effort: Hard
Body: Good
Weather: Indoors
Another biz trip to Washington, D.C + snowstorm + a brief window between work and dinner plans = treadmill.
Did 4x1 mile at one percent incline: 5:52; 5:56; 5:52; 5:52. They all felt good. A little tension in the quads on the last 1/4 mile of the last interval. I actually enjoyed the time on the mill tonight. Must have been the accumulated energy from sitting for four hours on the airplane.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Quarterhorse - Elk Meadow Loop
Time: 1:02
Distance: 6.73 miles
Effort: Easy
Body: Average
Weather: Sunny and Cool
Easy run on the Quarterhorse Road - Elk Meadow loop, a nice mix of ups and downs and pavement/dirt road/trail. 1,068 feet of elevation gain. Average pace: 9:14. Average HR: 135.
Distance: 6.73 miles
Effort: Easy
Body: Average
Weather: Sunny and Cool
Easy run on the Quarterhorse Road - Elk Meadow loop, a nice mix of ups and downs and pavement/dirt road/trail. 1,068 feet of elevation gain. Average pace: 9:14. Average HR: 135.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Waterton Canyon - Colorado Trail Long Run
Time: 3:30
Distance: 21.7 miles
Effort: Moderate
Body: Fair
Weather: Sunny and Cool
After reading JM's post from last week about a tempo run up and down Waterton Canyon, I figured this would be a great place for a long run. JM indicated that the canyon dirt road was in good shape ice-wise, so a plan was hatched....run up the canyon, hop on the Colorado Trail and do enough of an out-and-back to get in about 25 miles. Ahhh, if things had only been that simple.
I got to the Waterton Canyon lot around 7 a.m. and quickly headed out up the canyon's packed dirt road. I pushed the pace a little on the way up (400 feet elevation gain over first six miles) and hit the pavilion at the dam overlook right at 48 minutes. To get to the Colorado Trail, one keeps going up the now steadily climbing road past the pavilion. At the Colorado Trail sign, glorious singletrack begins. The first couple of miles climbs up via a series of snowy/icy switchbacks to a saddle between two big hills with views of the canyons and mountains to the west.
Here, one has two options, head southeast toward Roxborough State Park, or continue on the Colorado Trail. Since the Colorado Trail here drops down a south-facing slope, I couldn't pass up the chance to run on snow and ice-free trails. Unfortunately, the snow and ice was back the minute the trail snaked around to the north and west sides of the hills. The going wasn't too bad for the first two miles, then the trail dropped down into a drainage where the snow was still pretty deep and not well packed. I slogged another mile or so on the crusty, uneven snow before surrendering and turning back.
I ran back to the sunny saddle and took the .3 mile spur up to the Pike National Forest's Indian Creek Trail, which links into the Roxborough trail system. I did a 3-4 mile dash through this forested area, which dropped me back into Waterton Canyon just above the dam. I was very happy to see the canyon road again. The slog on the snowy trails took its toll. Twas hard and slow going.
After a brief stop to use the facilities (Brandon, of Team Shart fame, would love Waterton...there's bathrooms every two miles in the canyon) and eat a final gel, I headed back down the canyon at a good clip. I ran the first couple of miles around 6:15 pace, before falling apart and slowing down. Ran the final few miles at an average pace of 7:30.
The return down the canyon was quite a bit different than the ascent. I must have seen 10 runners and an equal number of walkers/bikers. The sun was luring folks out. I even ran into another of Waterton's denizens, a couple members of the big horn sheep herd that lives in the area. This guys wasn't at all shy, but his comrade perched high on the rock outcroppings above kept his distance.
Ran today in a new pair of La Sportiva Crosslites, my second pair. I really like this shoe. Decided on the way home, though, that the new Crosslites were lonely, so I stopped by Runners Roost in Lakewood and picked up a new pair of Brooks Cascadias (15 percent store discount for members of the Denver Trailrunners group...just ask). Hope to break out these shoes now and then to give tired feet a little break, especially with all the hard surfaces I've been running on this winter.
Finally, great article from Running Times about the relative advantages of handheld bottles vs. packs for carrying hydration/food.
Here's the nut of it: "When the one bottle, two bottles and pack were measured against the no-load control, the hydration pack, even though it greatly outweighed the bottle or bottles, did better than the hand-held options based on performance data of heart rate, perceived exertion, VO2 and ventilation rate (ease of movement of lungs). The only category of measure where the heavier pack scored lower than the single- or double-bottle method was the respiratory exchange ratio, which measures how much carbohydrate the test subject burned."
Research done by the High Altitude Performance Lab at Western State College here in Colorado.
Distance: 21.7 miles
Effort: Moderate
Body: Fair
Weather: Sunny and Cool
After reading JM's post from last week about a tempo run up and down Waterton Canyon, I figured this would be a great place for a long run. JM indicated that the canyon dirt road was in good shape ice-wise, so a plan was hatched....run up the canyon, hop on the Colorado Trail and do enough of an out-and-back to get in about 25 miles. Ahhh, if things had only been that simple.
I got to the Waterton Canyon lot around 7 a.m. and quickly headed out up the canyon's packed dirt road. I pushed the pace a little on the way up (400 feet elevation gain over first six miles) and hit the pavilion at the dam overlook right at 48 minutes. To get to the Colorado Trail, one keeps going up the now steadily climbing road past the pavilion. At the Colorado Trail sign, glorious singletrack begins. The first couple of miles climbs up via a series of snowy/icy switchbacks to a saddle between two big hills with views of the canyons and mountains to the west.
Here, one has two options, head southeast toward Roxborough State Park, or continue on the Colorado Trail. Since the Colorado Trail here drops down a south-facing slope, I couldn't pass up the chance to run on snow and ice-free trails. Unfortunately, the snow and ice was back the minute the trail snaked around to the north and west sides of the hills. The going wasn't too bad for the first two miles, then the trail dropped down into a drainage where the snow was still pretty deep and not well packed. I slogged another mile or so on the crusty, uneven snow before surrendering and turning back.
I ran back to the sunny saddle and took the .3 mile spur up to the Pike National Forest's Indian Creek Trail, which links into the Roxborough trail system. I did a 3-4 mile dash through this forested area, which dropped me back into Waterton Canyon just above the dam. I was very happy to see the canyon road again. The slog on the snowy trails took its toll. Twas hard and slow going.
After a brief stop to use the facilities (Brandon, of Team Shart fame, would love Waterton...there's bathrooms every two miles in the canyon) and eat a final gel, I headed back down the canyon at a good clip. I ran the first couple of miles around 6:15 pace, before falling apart and slowing down. Ran the final few miles at an average pace of 7:30.
The return down the canyon was quite a bit different than the ascent. I must have seen 10 runners and an equal number of walkers/bikers. The sun was luring folks out. I even ran into another of Waterton's denizens, a couple members of the big horn sheep herd that lives in the area. This guys wasn't at all shy, but his comrade perched high on the rock outcroppings above kept his distance.
Ran today in a new pair of La Sportiva Crosslites, my second pair. I really like this shoe. Decided on the way home, though, that the new Crosslites were lonely, so I stopped by Runners Roost in Lakewood and picked up a new pair of Brooks Cascadias (15 percent store discount for members of the Denver Trailrunners group...just ask). Hope to break out these shoes now and then to give tired feet a little break, especially with all the hard surfaces I've been running on this winter.
Finally, great article from Running Times about the relative advantages of handheld bottles vs. packs for carrying hydration/food.
Here's the nut of it: "When the one bottle, two bottles and pack were measured against the no-load control, the hydration pack, even though it greatly outweighed the bottle or bottles, did better than the hand-held options based on performance data of heart rate, perceived exertion, VO2 and ventilation rate (ease of movement of lungs). The only category of measure where the heavier pack scored lower than the single- or double-bottle method was the respiratory exchange ratio, which measures how much carbohydrate the test subject burned."
Research done by the High Altitude Performance Lab at Western State College here in Colorado.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Quarterhorse Road - Elk Meadow Loop
Time: 50:00
Distance: 5.37 miles
Effort: Easy
Body: Poor
Weather: Sunny and Cool
Way easy recovery run though part of Elk Meadow. Didn't feel very good. Left knee is stiff and achy from banging it Tuesday coming down a long, icy ramp from the CU football stadium down to Boulder Creek. Every run since, I've been able to work it out and forget about it. Today, the ache hung around. Most uncomfortable on the downhills.
Average HR: 134. Average pace: 9:19
Distance: 5.37 miles
Effort: Easy
Body: Poor
Weather: Sunny and Cool
Way easy recovery run though part of Elk Meadow. Didn't feel very good. Left knee is stiff and achy from banging it Tuesday coming down a long, icy ramp from the CU football stadium down to Boulder Creek. Every run since, I've been able to work it out and forget about it. Today, the ache hung around. Most uncomfortable on the downhills.
Average HR: 134. Average pace: 9:19
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Treadmill
Time: 1 (ish)
Distance: 8.1 miles
Effort: Hard
Body: Fair
Weather: Indoors
Cold. Gray. Foggy. Treadmill.
One mile warm up at 7:53 pace, then did 4x1 mile at 5:56 pace with 800m recovery at 8:00 pace. 1.5 mile cool down at 8:00 pace. Highlight of the time on the mill at Buchanan Rec Center was taking my ear buds out after the last mile repeat and discovering that the ol' codger next to me was trying to sing some sort of experimental jazz thing. Nonsensical and odd. People are great.
Average HR: 156.
Distance: 8.1 miles
Effort: Hard
Body: Fair
Weather: Indoors
Cold. Gray. Foggy. Treadmill.
One mile warm up at 7:53 pace, then did 4x1 mile at 5:56 pace with 800m recovery at 8:00 pace. 1.5 mile cool down at 8:00 pace. Highlight of the time on the mill at Buchanan Rec Center was taking my ear buds out after the last mile repeat and discovering that the ol' codger next to me was trying to sing some sort of experimental jazz thing. Nonsensical and odd. People are great.
Average HR: 156.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Bergen Peak
Time: 1:57
Distance: 10.52 miles
Effort: Moderate
Body: Fair
Weather: Cool and mostly sunny
The call of Bergen Peak was finally too much for JM and he was lured this morning to Elk Meadow Open Space for a 10.5 mile loop of said peak. Following a late-night e-mail exchange, we arranged to meet around 8 a.m. to run the mountain together.
With snow in the forecast and a still-blue sky above, we set off around 8:15 a.m. and ran the Sleepy S - Elk Run - Meadow View - Too Long - Summit Trail route up. The plan was to run steady, but at an easy pace. We tagged the summit sign in about 1:05.
The descent down the Bergen Peak trail was sketchy and slow, with long stretches of ice-covered snow. Neither of us had any traction devices today. We managed to make it all the way down to the intersection with the Meadow View Trail without falling. Yet, somehow my first steps on Meadow View led me to slip and fall on the last bit of ice. First time I've hit the deck this winter. Funny to make it down such a treacherous section of trail only to take a digger right where the trail levels out. Live and learn.
We made quick work of the last couple of miles back to the car running at a low-7s pace.
It was great catching up with JM, who's been running very strong this winter. Safe to say I wouldn't have tackled Bergen Peak today after yesterday's hard run up Green were it not for his rare winter appearance in this part of the foothills. Thanks, JM, for getting me out the door this a.m.
Average pace: 11:08. Total elevation gain: 2,339. No HR monitor today.
Distance: 10.52 miles
Effort: Moderate
Body: Fair
Weather: Cool and mostly sunny
The call of Bergen Peak was finally too much for JM and he was lured this morning to Elk Meadow Open Space for a 10.5 mile loop of said peak. Following a late-night e-mail exchange, we arranged to meet around 8 a.m. to run the mountain together.
With snow in the forecast and a still-blue sky above, we set off around 8:15 a.m. and ran the Sleepy S - Elk Run - Meadow View - Too Long - Summit Trail route up. The plan was to run steady, but at an easy pace. We tagged the summit sign in about 1:05.
The descent down the Bergen Peak trail was sketchy and slow, with long stretches of ice-covered snow. Neither of us had any traction devices today. We managed to make it all the way down to the intersection with the Meadow View Trail without falling. Yet, somehow my first steps on Meadow View led me to slip and fall on the last bit of ice. First time I've hit the deck this winter. Funny to make it down such a treacherous section of trail only to take a digger right where the trail levels out. Live and learn.
We made quick work of the last couple of miles back to the car running at a low-7s pace.
It was great catching up with JM, who's been running very strong this winter. Safe to say I wouldn't have tackled Bergen Peak today after yesterday's hard run up Green were it not for his rare winter appearance in this part of the foothills. Thanks, JM, for getting me out the door this a.m.
Average pace: 11:08. Total elevation gain: 2,339. No HR monitor today.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)