Ever have one of those....scratch that. Everyone's HAS had one of those days. Today was my turn during a double loop around Lakewood's Green Mountain.
Time: 2:59
Distance: 19.01
Effort: Easy (but hard)
Body: Poor
Weather: Sunny, then cloudy, warm(ish)
Had grand plans to get up early and head over to Buffalo Creek, but a poor night's sleep and a dog looking at me that way conspired to convince me to lend the early morning to the NY Times over breakfast and an hour at the dog park.
So, Plan B was something local.
A couple week's back, I really enjoyed running around the trails of Lakewood's 2,400-acre Green Mountain, formally known as the William Frederick Hayden Park. Seemed like a good plan to head back there for a couple loops.
From the get-go, the legs weren't there. Everything felt hard. In response, I adjusted expectations, put my head down and slogged out three hours of up and down. I ran the first loop of about 8.5 miles around the mountain counter-clockwise and the second the other way, adding on some trail sections to the northeast that I'd never been on before.
By the time I was jogging along the final stretch of trail back to the car, I was cooked. I was moving OK, but the mind and body definitely wanted to be somewhere else (like on a massage table).
I can say that I'm glad to have gotten it done, but that's about the only good thing I can say.
2,726 feet o' elevation gain.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Friday, March 11, 2011
Twice Around Betasso
A quiet evening, no plans and a pair of running shoes = two times around the Canyon Loop at Boulder County's Betasso Preserve.
Time: 1:25
Distance: 9 miles
Effort: Easy
Body: Fair
Weather: Windy and warm(ish)
Set off around 5 p.m. from the small parking lot for the Betasso Connector Trail just before the tunnel up Boulder Canyon. Jogged easy up the early steeps, then just set the autopilot on "low heart rate run" and ran up to the main part of the Betasso Preserve to the start of the 3.3-mile Canyon Loop.
Ran this easy and fun loop twice in the counter clockwise direction and returned back to the truck via the Connector Trail. All the trails were in great shape. Just a few wet spots and a couple of very short, sections of rapidly melting ice. Most of the bikers were friendly. Glad I waited until the end of the day to run. The wind had died down quite a bit by the time I was out there, but there was still some steady blowing from the west when one hit the preserve's open areas. Nice and quiet down in the trees and canyons. That was a far cry from last night when the massive wind gusts buffeted our house and kept JP and I awake from about 2 - 4 a.m.
Legs were a bit heavy from yesterday's tempo run (and last night's poor sleep, no doubt). I really enjoyed the mellow pace, but had to remind myself several times not to get carried away and to keep things mellow.
Eager for the opening of the four-mile Benjamin Trail at Betasso, which is supposed to open up this spring. Will be nice to have some more dirt to run on here. Map of new trail here.
Good luck to everyone running the Salida Run Through Time Marathon tomorrow morning.
1,478 feet o' elevation gain.
Time: 1:25
Distance: 9 miles
Effort: Easy
Body: Fair
Weather: Windy and warm(ish)
Set off around 5 p.m. from the small parking lot for the Betasso Connector Trail just before the tunnel up Boulder Canyon. Jogged easy up the early steeps, then just set the autopilot on "low heart rate run" and ran up to the main part of the Betasso Preserve to the start of the 3.3-mile Canyon Loop.
Ran this easy and fun loop twice in the counter clockwise direction and returned back to the truck via the Connector Trail. All the trails were in great shape. Just a few wet spots and a couple of very short, sections of rapidly melting ice. Most of the bikers were friendly. Glad I waited until the end of the day to run. The wind had died down quite a bit by the time I was out there, but there was still some steady blowing from the west when one hit the preserve's open areas. Nice and quiet down in the trees and canyons. That was a far cry from last night when the massive wind gusts buffeted our house and kept JP and I awake from about 2 - 4 a.m.
Legs were a bit heavy from yesterday's tempo run (and last night's poor sleep, no doubt). I really enjoyed the mellow pace, but had to remind myself several times not to get carried away and to keep things mellow.
Eager for the opening of the four-mile Benjamin Trail at Betasso, which is supposed to open up this spring. Will be nice to have some more dirt to run on here. Map of new trail here.
Good luck to everyone running the Salida Run Through Time Marathon tomorrow morning.
1,478 feet o' elevation gain.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Upper Bear Creek Road - Tempo
Very nice tempo run on Evergreen's Upper Bear Creek Road on a near-perfect spring-like morning. Also got in a late-morning dog jog at Elk Meadow Open Space.
Time: 1:35 (run #1); 30 minutes (run #2)
Distance: 12.3 miles (run #1); 2.6 miles (run #2)
Effort: Hard and Easy
Body: Good
Weather: Sunny and warm
Hooked up with Steve F. and Mara in the a.m. at the Wulf Rec Center. We jogged the mile from the rec center to the Evergreen Lakehouse as a w/u, then set off up Upper Bear Creek Road at an easy 8-9 minute pace. The plan was to run to the five-mile post, then tempo back to the lake.
The jog up was easy, but my legs felt flat. I was not looking forward to the tempo run back. Mara turned around at about 4.5 miles and Steve and I continued to the post. After a quick bio break, Steve hit his watch and off we went.
As we got up to a 6:15 pace, I started thinking "Uh-oh." 6:15 felt fast...hard. After about half-mile, my breathing eased up and I settled into pace, as Steve and I strode down this scenic road side-by-side. Still, things felt harder than they should have as we passed the two-mile mark. Somewhere in here, though, things started clicking. My legs suddenly felt solid under me, the breathing was steady, but measured and the pace was holding.
We caught Mara at about the 3.5 mile mark and kept chugging along. I gapped Steve a bit in the last mile and just focused on maintaining pace back to the lake. The last little uphill next to the golf course hurt a bit, but I held on fine.
The miles looked like this: 6:10; 6:11; 6:14; 6:04; 6:00.
After re-grouping, we did a one-mile c/d back to the rec center.
I was pretty happy with this run. It's been a couple weeks since I've done such a high-quality, structured run. Most runs of late have been longish and steady mountain runs. I enjoy the latter much more, but know there's a lot of benefit to be gained by the former. Definitely need to add more quality in the weeks ahead.
Late morning, I grabbed the dog formally known as the Dog to be Named Later, now named Maya (My-Yuh), and did an easy 2.6 mile dog jog in the eastern part of Elk Meadow Open Space.
14.9 miles on the day. 850 feet o' elevation gain for both runs.
Time: 1:35 (run #1); 30 minutes (run #2)
Distance: 12.3 miles (run #1); 2.6 miles (run #2)
Effort: Hard and Easy
Body: Good
Weather: Sunny and warm
Hooked up with Steve F. and Mara in the a.m. at the Wulf Rec Center. We jogged the mile from the rec center to the Evergreen Lakehouse as a w/u, then set off up Upper Bear Creek Road at an easy 8-9 minute pace. The plan was to run to the five-mile post, then tempo back to the lake.
The jog up was easy, but my legs felt flat. I was not looking forward to the tempo run back. Mara turned around at about 4.5 miles and Steve and I continued to the post. After a quick bio break, Steve hit his watch and off we went.
As we got up to a 6:15 pace, I started thinking "Uh-oh." 6:15 felt fast...hard. After about half-mile, my breathing eased up and I settled into pace, as Steve and I strode down this scenic road side-by-side. Still, things felt harder than they should have as we passed the two-mile mark. Somewhere in here, though, things started clicking. My legs suddenly felt solid under me, the breathing was steady, but measured and the pace was holding.
We caught Mara at about the 3.5 mile mark and kept chugging along. I gapped Steve a bit in the last mile and just focused on maintaining pace back to the lake. The last little uphill next to the golf course hurt a bit, but I held on fine.
The miles looked like this: 6:10; 6:11; 6:14; 6:04; 6:00.
After re-grouping, we did a one-mile c/d back to the rec center.
I was pretty happy with this run. It's been a couple weeks since I've done such a high-quality, structured run. Most runs of late have been longish and steady mountain runs. I enjoy the latter much more, but know there's a lot of benefit to be gained by the former. Definitely need to add more quality in the weeks ahead.
Late morning, I grabbed the dog formally known as the Dog to be Named Later, now named Maya (My-Yuh), and did an easy 2.6 mile dog jog in the eastern part of Elk Meadow Open Space.
14.9 miles on the day. 850 feet o' elevation gain for both runs.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Sanitas - Ups
Late afternoon run in the sun from the office to the summit of Mt. Sanitas and back.
Time: 1:28
Distance: 8.25 miles
Effort: Moderate
Body: Average
Weather: Sunny and windy
Lesson learned today: Don't run after eating a big black bean burger and onion rings for lunch, even if the restaurant is solely powered by the wind (green marketing at its finest).
Never felt very good on this run. Legs were a bit heavy. Stomach was churning a bit. But, it was sunny and it was warm. Take away the wind, and it's one hell of a day. And, there's more on the way.
Ran from the office in Boulder over to Mapleton Avenue and up to the base of Mt. Sanitas. Hit a split here and started the unforgiving ascent up the west side of the mountain. Ran steady, but without much pep. Focused on constant forward motion, limiting the speed walking to just the early steep steps. Hit the summit marker in an uninspired 20:14. Lots of runners on the hill today. Must have seen 10 people actually running up there.
Descended back down the west side trail and ran over to Sanitas Valley and ran up this wide gravel path to the trail sign at the top to pick up a bit more vertical. Came down the Dakota Ridge Trail and dropped down to North Street. Ran back to the office via a round-about series of city streets.
Not a lick of snow on any of the Mt. Sanitas trails I ran on. Bring on the spring!
Hoping to get some pep back for a morning tempo run tomorrow. Upper Bear Creek Road is beckoning.
1,671 feet o' elevation gain.
Time: 1:28
Distance: 8.25 miles
Effort: Moderate
Body: Average
Weather: Sunny and windy
Lesson learned today: Don't run after eating a big black bean burger and onion rings for lunch, even if the restaurant is solely powered by the wind (green marketing at its finest).
Never felt very good on this run. Legs were a bit heavy. Stomach was churning a bit. But, it was sunny and it was warm. Take away the wind, and it's one hell of a day. And, there's more on the way.
Ran from the office in Boulder over to Mapleton Avenue and up to the base of Mt. Sanitas. Hit a split here and started the unforgiving ascent up the west side of the mountain. Ran steady, but without much pep. Focused on constant forward motion, limiting the speed walking to just the early steep steps. Hit the summit marker in an uninspired 20:14. Lots of runners on the hill today. Must have seen 10 people actually running up there.
Descended back down the west side trail and ran over to Sanitas Valley and ran up this wide gravel path to the trail sign at the top to pick up a bit more vertical. Came down the Dakota Ridge Trail and dropped down to North Street. Ran back to the office via a round-about series of city streets.
Not a lick of snow on any of the Mt. Sanitas trails I ran on. Bring on the spring!
Hoping to get some pep back for a morning tempo run tomorrow. Upper Bear Creek Road is beckoning.
1,671 feet o' elevation gain.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
The Higher You Go, the Warmer it Gets
An early start to the workday allowed for an extended lunch run today. An inversion was holding the cold, damp air down low, making the upper reaches of the local hills warmer than the bottom.
Time: 1:57
Distance: 10.71 miles
Effort: Easy
Body: Average
Weather: Cool and Cloudy
Ran from the office to Eben G. Fine and up to the summit of Flagstaff Mountain via Viewpoint and Flagstaff Trails. Pace was easy, but steady. Trees, shrubs and grass all were covered in a nice cloak of snow from the overnight dusting. Truly beautiful.
Interestingly, the higher I went, the warmer it got. Apparently there was an inversion holding the cold air down low. Almost stopped to shed a layer at the top of Flagstaff.
After running around the trail atop Flagstaff over to Flagstaff Road, I jogged down to the Green Mountain Lodge, curious about trail conditions. The trail was icy, but footing wasn't bad due to the bit of snow covering everything. I was in the mood for a bit more vert, so I jogged up Ranger to Greenman, hung a left and ran over to Saddle Rock. I paused here for a bit and contemplated heading up to tag the summit of Green, but I already was hurting for time, so down I went.
The descent down Saddle Rock took a lot of time and patience. Lots of ice and no traction devices conspired to slow my pace to a crawl in spots. I even had to sit down and inch my way down one particularly steep, rocky and icy drop. Managed to make it down to the mouth of Gregory Canyon without hitting the deck, although I had multiple close calls.
Jogged through town back to work with a quick stop at Illegal Pete's for a burrito to go.
2,154 feet o' elevation gain.
Time: 1:57
Distance: 10.71 miles
Effort: Easy
Body: Average
Weather: Cool and Cloudy
Ran from the office to Eben G. Fine and up to the summit of Flagstaff Mountain via Viewpoint and Flagstaff Trails. Pace was easy, but steady. Trees, shrubs and grass all were covered in a nice cloak of snow from the overnight dusting. Truly beautiful.
Interestingly, the higher I went, the warmer it got. Apparently there was an inversion holding the cold air down low. Almost stopped to shed a layer at the top of Flagstaff.
After running around the trail atop Flagstaff over to Flagstaff Road, I jogged down to the Green Mountain Lodge, curious about trail conditions. The trail was icy, but footing wasn't bad due to the bit of snow covering everything. I was in the mood for a bit more vert, so I jogged up Ranger to Greenman, hung a left and ran over to Saddle Rock. I paused here for a bit and contemplated heading up to tag the summit of Green, but I already was hurting for time, so down I went.
The descent down Saddle Rock took a lot of time and patience. Lots of ice and no traction devices conspired to slow my pace to a crawl in spots. I even had to sit down and inch my way down one particularly steep, rocky and icy drop. Managed to make it down to the mouth of Gregory Canyon without hitting the deck, although I had multiple close calls.
Jogged through town back to work with a quick stop at Illegal Pete's for a burrito to go.
2,154 feet o' elevation gain.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
A Rare (and exciting!) Week in Review Post
I don't obsess much over keeping track of my running (no spreadsheets...no notebooks chronicling volume), so I can't say with any degree of certainty what my highest mileage week has been. Thanks to the Garmin, which does all the math for me, I can say that this past week may well have been my highest mileage week ever.
The stats looked like this:
94.59 miles
Eight runs
14 hours and 39 minutes o' fun
12,697 feet of elevation gain
The reason for the uncommonly high mileage (for me) was that I did long runs on Sunday (the start of the week) and Saturday (the close). Still, it all felt good. And, I have to admit to having a hard-to-stifle pull last night to go out and jog 5.41 miles to get the mileage up to 100. After much mental wrestling, I decided that was stupid and training-wise totally pointless. Although the symmetry of 100 miles certainly had its allure.
I was pushing the mileage a bit this week to see how the body responded, particularly given the niggles of late. Happy to say things are holding up well.
The plan is to make this week an easy week (taking today off) in hopes of absorbing a bit of benefit from last week before giving it another go next week. With the trails melting out a bit, I hope to get in some more elevation gain.
Highlight of the week definitely was the long run yesterday at Buffalo Creek. Everything there is completely runnable, so one is pretty much guaranteed a long, steady effort.
The stats looked like this:
94.59 miles
Eight runs
14 hours and 39 minutes o' fun
12,697 feet of elevation gain
The reason for the uncommonly high mileage (for me) was that I did long runs on Sunday (the start of the week) and Saturday (the close). Still, it all felt good. And, I have to admit to having a hard-to-stifle pull last night to go out and jog 5.41 miles to get the mileage up to 100. After much mental wrestling, I decided that was stupid and training-wise totally pointless. Although the symmetry of 100 miles certainly had its allure.
I was pushing the mileage a bit this week to see how the body responded, particularly given the niggles of late. Happy to say things are holding up well.
The plan is to make this week an easy week (taking today off) in hopes of absorbing a bit of benefit from last week before giving it another go next week. With the trails melting out a bit, I hope to get in some more elevation gain.
Highlight of the week definitely was the long run yesterday at Buffalo Creek. Everything there is completely runnable, so one is pretty much guaranteed a long, steady effort.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Buffalo Creek - Long Run
Solid 28-mile run around much of the North Fork 50/50K course in the Buffalo Creek area of the Pike National Forest.
Time: 4:26
Distance: 28.1 miles
Effort: Easy/Long
Body: Average
Weather: Partly sunny & cool
Met up with Patrick G. at JeffCo's Pine Valley Ranch at 6:30 a.m. Wasn't long at all before we were heading out along an old narrow gauge rail bed and taking a bridge over the North Fork of the South Platte River. We were bound for the day's first climb, the Strawberry Jack Trail, which is part of the North Fork 50/50K course. (This year's race is July 16th).
The plan for the day was to run much of the North Fork course, only backwards. Map here.
At the top of the Strawberry Jack Trail, we hung a left onto Homestead and ran it to its intersection with the Sandy Wash Trail. Rather than hang a right here to continue on the backwards 50K course, we continued onto Sandy Wash and ran it to Buffalo Creek Road (now closed post-1996 Buffalo Creek fire). This section is part of the 50-mile course. We opted to deviate from the 50K course in order to avoid the Gashouse Gulch Trail, which was expected to be icy and treacherous.
Most all the trails in this part of the forest were clear of snow and ice. With so little tree cover left after the Buffalo Creek fire, the area gets PLENTY of sun (just ask anyone that ran last year's race).
After cruising along the road for a couple miles, we hung a left up the Morrison Creek Trail, which is a long, steady climb to a dirt road and an intersection with the Colorado Trail. The CO Trail section had a lot of snow and ice on it. Thankfully, it was all runnable.
After a good bit of ups and downs, we hung a right on Tramway and descended back down to Buffalo Creek Road. Just a few minutes up the road was the day's last climb - Baldy Trail. Baldy is a fun climb. Its grades are gentle, but steady, and it tops out at a cool rock formation. From the top, it was a flatish run on a perfect, soft ribbon of singletrack to the Miller Gulch Trail.
Somewhere in here we missed a turn and ended up running a couple miles on a dirt road to the Skipper/Buck Gulch Trailhead. Twice near the end of this road, we both involuntarily ducked as gunshots rang out seemingly within range of the road we were on. Turns out there was a dad and his kid (both tricked out in full cammo) shooting at targets next to their truck.
Safely away from weapons, we hopped on the Buck Gulch Trail and began a speedy descent back toward Pine Valley Ranch (passing the only two other trail users we saw all day) through a nice mix of ponderosa and fire-opened lands. We picked up the pace as we hit the final descent back down to the North Fork of the South Platte River, getting in a couple miles of quality downhill to close out the day.
Felt like this was a very solid run. Body held up well. Still had some energy in the tank at the end. No major rough spots. This was my longest run by about five miles since last October. Feeling comfortably fatigued now.
All-in-all, a great close to a very solid week of running. Really good to get out and share some mileage with Patrick, who is putting up some big miles with the Way Too Cool 50K and Cheyenne Mountain 50K on the near-term race calendar. Thanks, Patrick, for putting out the call on this one. Good times.
3,836 feet of elevation gain.
Time: 4:26
Distance: 28.1 miles
Effort: Easy/Long
Body: Average
Weather: Partly sunny & cool
Met up with Patrick G. at JeffCo's Pine Valley Ranch at 6:30 a.m. Wasn't long at all before we were heading out along an old narrow gauge rail bed and taking a bridge over the North Fork of the South Platte River. We were bound for the day's first climb, the Strawberry Jack Trail, which is part of the North Fork 50/50K course. (This year's race is July 16th).
The plan for the day was to run much of the North Fork course, only backwards. Map here.
At the top of the Strawberry Jack Trail, we hung a left onto Homestead and ran it to its intersection with the Sandy Wash Trail. Rather than hang a right here to continue on the backwards 50K course, we continued onto Sandy Wash and ran it to Buffalo Creek Road (now closed post-1996 Buffalo Creek fire). This section is part of the 50-mile course. We opted to deviate from the 50K course in order to avoid the Gashouse Gulch Trail, which was expected to be icy and treacherous.
Most all the trails in this part of the forest were clear of snow and ice. With so little tree cover left after the Buffalo Creek fire, the area gets PLENTY of sun (just ask anyone that ran last year's race).
After cruising along the road for a couple miles, we hung a left up the Morrison Creek Trail, which is a long, steady climb to a dirt road and an intersection with the Colorado Trail. The CO Trail section had a lot of snow and ice on it. Thankfully, it was all runnable.
 |
| Partrick cruising along the upper reaches of the Morrison Creek Trail |
 |
| Making my way along the Morrison Creek Trail toward the Colorado Trail |
 |
| Patrick running toward the Baldy Trail junction |
 |
| A quick re-fueling break at the top of the climb on the Baldy Trail |
Safely away from weapons, we hopped on the Buck Gulch Trail and began a speedy descent back toward Pine Valley Ranch (passing the only two other trail users we saw all day) through a nice mix of ponderosa and fire-opened lands. We picked up the pace as we hit the final descent back down to the North Fork of the South Platte River, getting in a couple miles of quality downhill to close out the day.
Felt like this was a very solid run. Body held up well. Still had some energy in the tank at the end. No major rough spots. This was my longest run by about five miles since last October. Feeling comfortably fatigued now.
All-in-all, a great close to a very solid week of running. Really good to get out and share some mileage with Patrick, who is putting up some big miles with the Way Too Cool 50K and Cheyenne Mountain 50K on the near-term race calendar. Thanks, Patrick, for putting out the call on this one. Good times.
3,836 feet of elevation gain.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Flagstaff Mountain Loop
Late afternoon run up Boulder's Flagstaff Mountain, returned via Boulder Canyon...a loop I hadn't run before.
Time: 1:21
Distance: 8.75 miles
Effort: Moderate
Body: Good
Weather: Mostly sunny and cool
Set out from Eben G. Fine park in Boulder and headed up the Viewpoint Trail to the first pull-out on Flagstaff Road. From there, just kept heading up. Trails were in good condition all the way to the top of Flagstaff. There were a couple 20 meter sections of snow, but the footing was good. Just a tad bit of mud here and there.
Ran solid to the top, then as I ran the trail that encircles the unassuming summit of the mountain, I started doing the mental calculations of time and distance. How long to run up to Long Canyon, down to Gregory and back to the car? Should I just retrace mt steps? Then, I remembered the long-closed road that descends from the west side of Flagstaff to Boulder Canyon. I should be able to do that in the allotted time, I figured. So, off I went.
The early stretches of this road were covered in snow/ice, but once the road emerged from the heavily timbered area up top, it was pure dirt. I was surprised at what a solid road this was.
Made my way down to the canyon bottom, jumping off the road on a social trail near the bottom to stay away from a private residence. Once across Boulder Creek and on the road, I ran a half-mile or so to the terminus of the Boulder Creek Path and jumped on it for the steady cruise back to Eben G. Fine park in town.
Enjoyed the gentle downhill and quick turnover on the creek path. Felt good to run a 6 minute pace for a bit.
Yesterday was pretty much an off day. Just did a four-mile dog jog at Elk Meadow. The wind was howling, which caused my enthusiasm for a run later in the day to flag. Just as well, I reckon, as the week has been a solid one and a bit of rest was probably in order.
Now...what to do this weekend...
Time: 1:21
Distance: 8.75 miles
Effort: Moderate
Body: Good
Weather: Mostly sunny and cool
Set out from Eben G. Fine park in Boulder and headed up the Viewpoint Trail to the first pull-out on Flagstaff Road. From there, just kept heading up. Trails were in good condition all the way to the top of Flagstaff. There were a couple 20 meter sections of snow, but the footing was good. Just a tad bit of mud here and there.
Ran solid to the top, then as I ran the trail that encircles the unassuming summit of the mountain, I started doing the mental calculations of time and distance. How long to run up to Long Canyon, down to Gregory and back to the car? Should I just retrace mt steps? Then, I remembered the long-closed road that descends from the west side of Flagstaff to Boulder Canyon. I should be able to do that in the allotted time, I figured. So, off I went.
The early stretches of this road were covered in snow/ice, but once the road emerged from the heavily timbered area up top, it was pure dirt. I was surprised at what a solid road this was.
Made my way down to the canyon bottom, jumping off the road on a social trail near the bottom to stay away from a private residence. Once across Boulder Creek and on the road, I ran a half-mile or so to the terminus of the Boulder Creek Path and jumped on it for the steady cruise back to Eben G. Fine park in town.
Enjoyed the gentle downhill and quick turnover on the creek path. Felt good to run a 6 minute pace for a bit.
Yesterday was pretty much an off day. Just did a four-mile dog jog at Elk Meadow. The wind was howling, which caused my enthusiasm for a run later in the day to flag. Just as well, I reckon, as the week has been a solid one and a bit of rest was probably in order.
Now...what to do this weekend...
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Exploring Some New Ground
Got out on some new trails (for me) in Boulder yesterday for a 94-minute steady run.
Time: 1:34
Distance: 11.68 miles
Effort: Steady
Body: Average
Weather: Sunny and cool
With the sun shining yet again and the prospect for cooler temps ahead, I was keen to get out for a solid 10+ miles while motivation was high. Connected with Tim L. and he proposed hitting Teller Farms, a City of Boulder Open Space park northeast of town.
I'd never been out that way and was eager for some exploration, so a plan was set.
We met up outside Tim's place, ran over to the open space and spent the next hour-plus running around old farm roads (now trails) through thigh-high grasses. The temps were perfect for running, with just a hint of wind now and then. The views of the Indian Peaks, Longs Peak and the Flatirons from this park's vantage points were spectacular. At one point, as we were running west, I remarked that it seemed like we were running toward a photograph.
Saw a couple northern harriers prowling the grasslands, winging just above the grasstops hunting for rodents, their distinctive white rump patch visible. Heard a meadowlark at one point. The sound immediately made me think of spring.
The trails here, save for one stretch of gravel road, were all soft-surfaced dirt. Perfect for running on. The trails undulate up and down hills, with no major climbs. My favorite spot was along Boulder Creek (I think), where there's an old farm homestead and a whole mess o' old, big cottonwood trees. Beautiful.
These trails are perfect for runs where steady turnover is the order of the day. I'll be back, for sure.
Time: 1:34
Distance: 11.68 miles
Effort: Steady
Body: Average
Weather: Sunny and cool
With the sun shining yet again and the prospect for cooler temps ahead, I was keen to get out for a solid 10+ miles while motivation was high. Connected with Tim L. and he proposed hitting Teller Farms, a City of Boulder Open Space park northeast of town.
I'd never been out that way and was eager for some exploration, so a plan was set.
We met up outside Tim's place, ran over to the open space and spent the next hour-plus running around old farm roads (now trails) through thigh-high grasses. The temps were perfect for running, with just a hint of wind now and then. The views of the Indian Peaks, Longs Peak and the Flatirons from this park's vantage points were spectacular. At one point, as we were running west, I remarked that it seemed like we were running toward a photograph.
Saw a couple northern harriers prowling the grasslands, winging just above the grasstops hunting for rodents, their distinctive white rump patch visible. Heard a meadowlark at one point. The sound immediately made me think of spring.
The trails here, save for one stretch of gravel road, were all soft-surfaced dirt. Perfect for running on. The trails undulate up and down hills, with no major climbs. My favorite spot was along Boulder Creek (I think), where there's an old farm homestead and a whole mess o' old, big cottonwood trees. Beautiful.
These trails are perfect for runs where steady turnover is the order of the day. I'll be back, for sure.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Double Day and a Weird Feeling
Mild temps, a dog and a desire to get the base mileage back up all conspired to get me out the door twice today.
Time: 39 minutes (a.m.); 1:11 (p.m.) - Total: 1:50
Distance: 4.1 miles (a.m.); 8.45 miles (p.m.) - Total: 12.55 miles
Effort: Easy
Body: Average
Weather: Sunny and cool
This was the third time in my nascent running career where I managed to get out twice in the same day for a run. The presence of the Dog to Be Named Later certainly has been the impetus for the last two doubles. Can't say I particularly enjoy the doubles, but appreciate that they can be valuable, certainly as I try and rebuild my mileage base after a sub-par late fall/winter.
The weird thing, though, after just two doubles, I suddenly am feeling the urge to complain about the lack of prize money in ultrarunning and about race directors that don't offer elite runners coveted entry slots ahead of all those slower guys. This is weird. I'm sure it will pass. Back to one-a-days tomorrow!
Dog was solid on the a.m. run. She set a nice pace on the leash, never really pulling, expect for a time or two when she really wanted to go meet a dog she could see ahead. I'm enjoying running with the dog. Eager for the Meadow View luge run to melt and dry out so we can do the regular loop at Elk Meadow Open Space.
Evening run was from the house into Elk Meadow, down Sleepy S, up Painters Pause, over to the Rec Center and then down Troublesome Gulch, through the Hiwan 'hood and home via Bergen Peak Drive.
1,373 feet o' elevation gain.
Time: 39 minutes (a.m.); 1:11 (p.m.) - Total: 1:50
Distance: 4.1 miles (a.m.); 8.45 miles (p.m.) - Total: 12.55 miles
Effort: Easy
Body: Average
Weather: Sunny and cool
This was the third time in my nascent running career where I managed to get out twice in the same day for a run. The presence of the Dog to Be Named Later certainly has been the impetus for the last two doubles. Can't say I particularly enjoy the doubles, but appreciate that they can be valuable, certainly as I try and rebuild my mileage base after a sub-par late fall/winter.
The weird thing, though, after just two doubles, I suddenly am feeling the urge to complain about the lack of prize money in ultrarunning and about race directors that don't offer elite runners coveted entry slots ahead of all those slower guys. This is weird. I'm sure it will pass. Back to one-a-days tomorrow!
Dog was solid on the a.m. run. She set a nice pace on the leash, never really pulling, expect for a time or two when she really wanted to go meet a dog she could see ahead. I'm enjoying running with the dog. Eager for the Meadow View luge run to melt and dry out so we can do the regular loop at Elk Meadow Open Space.
Evening run was from the house into Elk Meadow, down Sleepy S, up Painters Pause, over to the Rec Center and then down Troublesome Gulch, through the Hiwan 'hood and home via Bergen Peak Drive.
1,373 feet o' elevation gain.
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