Week of January 23 to January 29

SUNDAY

Dry Creek with Hudson. 2.1 miles

White Rocks in Golden in the afternoon with Maureen. On the way up alternated sprints with walks. On the way down went as fast as possible without cracking my skull on the rocks. 5.8 miles and 1,270'

Week ending Sunday January 29
Hudson 13.1 miles with 2 summits (Sanitas & Green)
Chris 44.5 miles with 8,325' - 6th and 4th best totals respectively


SATURDAY

Dry Creek with Hudson. 15F. Hud checked out the field when we crossed the bridge for a good minute - scanning for that bad dog. He went to where the fight was and did a dance of sorts. After that - same as usual, including sprints with two buddies. 2.1 miles

Teller Farms late morning. 12.3 miles and 787'

Here is a stolen photo from last weekend's race




FRIDAY

Green Mountain West at sunrise with Hudson. Saw two wild turkeys near the trailhead. Pretty icy. 2.8 miles with 600'

Green Mountain West with Maureen in the afternoon. An inch had fallen since the morning making it that much more slippery. 2.8 miles with 600'


THURSDAY

Dry Creek with Hudson. We ended up in a vicious fight with a psycho Boxer - eventually we won. Bullshit start to the day. Went back later to make sure Hud was good (socializing) and he played with several dogs

Mount Sanitas after work. Legs were tired - I think the dozen or so people who saw me were worried I was going to die. 3.1 miles and 1,357'


WEDNESDAY

Mount Sanitas at sunrise with Hudson. 2.6 miles and 1,357'

Went to Betasso Preserve in afternoon for a 7+ mile run but after 10 seconds I decided I didn't feel like it. So I ran to Bummer's Rock and practiced Class 2 scrambling for 30 minutes



3 bottles of complex carbohydrates in the evening


TUESDAY

Last week was good for speed and endurance so this week will focus on elevation. Like maybe 10,000'

Gave Hudson the day off and he was good with that

Mount Sanitas in the pre-dawn dark but not alone as others were out there too. 2.6 miles and 1,357'

Hogback Ridge in the afternoon - I like this trail, single track with consistent elevation gain (maybe 650' over 0.8 miles). And several deer. 4.3 miles and 900'




MONDAY

Was going to take the day off - but Hudson demanded his 2.1 miles at Dry Creek

Week of January 16 to January 22

SUNDAY

Hudson & I went for a longer run/hike on the Mesa trail early this morning. Gusty winds. We had the trail to ourselves - aside from the deer Hudson chased. 5 miles and 450'



In the afteroon ran up sunny cool Sugarloaf mountain twice. 3.5 miles and 954'

Week ending Sunday January 22
Hudson 12.1 miles
Chris 43.2 miles with 3,798'


SATURDAY

A short trot at Dry Creek with Hudson before leaving for Littleton. 0.8 miles - Hudson was not pleased when told we needed to keep it quick

Maureen's 5 miler was at 9am. Here she is near the finish



The 10 mile race began at 10:15am. I started fast - 1st mile done in 6:57. At the turn-around my pace was 7:10. At 5.5 miles I saw Jon Teisher coming the other way. Hahaha! I was beating an elite ultra runner (Update: reading his blog today, he had run the 5 mile race first then had a beer then missed the start of the 10 mile race by 60 seconds)

Then I started slowing down. The final 3 miles were really tough. I finished in 1:15:54 - good for 44/364. Final pace was 7:35

Good race. Cool long sleeved cotton shirts with a fun logo. No fondue (?) at the finish. Not since the Breckenridge Half was I this wiped out


FRIDAY

Dry Creek at sunrise with Hudson. 2.1 miles at a mellow running pace

A tough week with sleep. Generally getting between 6 and 7 hours but will be awake for 1 to 2 hours around 2am. Too much thinking - I should have a few cocktails before bed


THURSDAY

Dry Creek (below) at sunrise with Hudson. 2.1 miles at a lazy jog pace




WEDNESDAY

Dry Creek at sunrise with Hudson - he was zipping on a windy day after two days off. 2.1 miles, 17:26

Dry Creek is a fenced off-leash dog trail a few minutes from the house. Also a few minutes away is the Bobolink trail. Did a 3.2 mile run at a 7:24 pace


TUESDAY

Another day off for Hudson as he gets over a cough

A flat 9.8 mile run at an 8:46 pace at Cherry Creek State Park early afternoon. Nice prep for Saturday's 10 mile race. I was able to "feel" minor issues: left hamstring (need to start doing hamstring exercises) and left ankle (just tired).

The next 3 days will be fairly mellow to be rested


MONDAY

Day off for Hudson

Hiked up / ran down Green Mountain with Maureen. Conditions suck - icy and rocky below Greenman trail so sketchy without microspikes but not enough cover for microspikes. OK the last third. Until the next storm will likely only do Green from Flagstaff (which starts at > 7,500'). 4.6 miles, 2,344'

Week of January 9 to January 15

SUNDAY

2.1 miles with Hudson at Dry Creek

More track work in the afternoon. Slow lap / 1:35 / Slow lap / 1:29 / Slow lap / 1:38 / Slow lap / 1:28 / Slow lap

Week ending Sunday January 15
Hudson 15.7 miles with 2 summits
Chris 42.5 miles with 7,058'

Signed up for Frosty's Frozen 10-miler in Littleton - a nice flat race (82') and a nice late start time of 10:15am. Goal is 79:59 or better. Key sponsor is The Melting Pot - hot chocolate fondue is at the finish line!




SATURDAY

It seemed Hudson had good energy this morning so I took him to Dry Creek. I was wrong. Slow 2.0 mile walk with three other dogs

I went to the track after for "speed" work. Slow lap / Brisk lap / Slow lap / 6:56 mile / Slow lap. 6:56 is fine given no hamstring pain

Maureen is training for her first half marathon (Jemez in Los Alamos in May) so she wanted to see if Buchanan Pass (her favorite trail run) was runnable. As in snow conditions, given it starts at 8,600'

We had to park just off Peak-to-Peak highway as roads into Indian Peaks are closed during the winter. It was fine the first 3+ miles. After that it became erratic (sudden post-holing) and then comical (falling). Then the trail ended as is no more foot or ski prints to follow. I drifted off-trail and eventually decided to head back (pic below). 9.4 miles and 1,000'




FRIDAY

Slow jog with Hudson at Dry Creek am. 2.1 miles

Green Mountain West to Green Mountain summit with Hudson in the afternoon. 2.8 miles with 600'




THURSDAY

Day off for Hudson. Hiked / ran Green Mountain from Chautauqua. With 2"-3" of new snow I expected an easy time. Not so. Above 7,000' it was more like 6"-9" new snow with drifts. Coming down was super fun. With new snow and microspikes you can run as fast as possible down hill and it's like skiing. I fell on my ass twice. Haha! 5.8 miles with 2,744'


WEDNESDAY

In a light but steady snow at sunrise Hudson and I hiked / ran Mount Sanitas. His first time and he was a champ. 2.6 miles and 1,357' in under an hour




TUESDAY

Hudson declined the early morning run (?) so I went to Mount Sanitas. Tried to make the summit before the moon set to get a sweet pic of it over the mountains, but missed. Not only that - there would have been trees in the way

New ascent PR - 23:58. 3 minutes and 59 seconds to goal. Hahaha! This run already makes me nauseous

Did the full loop. Still icy on the NE section. 3.1 miles and 1,357'

At the parking area this is the WORST smelling outhouse. I think the city has forgotten it's there



Hudson was all set when I got home with breakfast so we did 2 miles at Dry Creek

After work did a brisk run at Teller Farms. 4.2 miles in 34:16. It was busy on the trail as you can see below



It was 59F today and tomorrow we'll get 3" snow with temps hitting 9F


MONDAY

2.1 miles with Hudson at Dry Creek. Awesome full moon over the Rockies

Week of January 2 to January 8

SUNDAY

An aborted run by Hudson - it was 14F at the trailhead

Went to Chautauqua and ran over to Gregory Canyon and up Amphitheater to Green Mountain summit. With 2"-3" of new snow it was a smooth run up. After lounging and chatting for several minutes headed down Green-Bear (below) to Bear Canyon where I did slip on ice and landed on my ass. Then it was north on Mesa back to the car and 12 minutes later I was eating deep dish pizza. 8.1 miles with 2,750' in 2:29:18



Week ending Sunday January 8
Hudson 12.7 miles
Chris 41.9 miles with 8,087'


SATURDAY

Dry Creek trail early with Hudson. 2.1 miles in 15:41. We did a shorter walk after so Hudson could play with some buddies

Went to the local "old school" track in the afternoon for some interval training. I've done interval training once - and blew my right hamstring. I avoided slipping on goose poo and alternated slow jog / walk for 1/4 mile with fast run 1/4 mile. My fast 1/4 miles were 1:46, 1:42, 1:30 and 1:31




FRIDAY

Dry Creek trail with Hudson. 2.1 miles

Double summit run in afternoon. Parked on Flagstaff and ran Green Mountain West to Green Bear to the steep Bear Peak West Ridge to Bear Peak. After a few icy boulders I decided to fall 30 yards short of the actual summit (over my left shoulder)



Stopped at the summit of Green Mountain on the run back. 8 miles and 2,530' - in 2:56:15. I did put on or took off my microspikes maybe 10 times as needed and chatted with the two people I saw - but I got my ass kicked today. Bear Peak to me is the Boston Bruins to the Vancouver Canucks


THURSDAY

Dry Creek trail with Hudson early am. 2.1 miles in 18:12

Hogback Ridge in afternoon with some new trails for me. 4.4 miles and 900'

It was 63 and sunny. Too warm for mountain lions




WEDNESDAY

Day off

I read other runner's blogs. Some are witty (http://www.pittbrownie.blogspot.com/) and some have good real time info on local trails since so many live in Boulder. Obviously all are self indulgent to an extent. How can they not be?

Speaking of self indulgent, here is a pic from the Rescue Run Sunday - Pike's Peak is in the background. I had 2 women comment positively on my Vancouver Canucks sweatshirt




TUESDAY

Dry Creek trail with Hudson early am. 2.1 miles in 20:17 - brisk considering the first 0.1 miles took over 3 minutes

Teller Farms in afternoon. 4.1 miles. Lazy jog mostly to get out of the "office" although a quicker pace at the end - until the cows. This trail is through Open Space used for grazing. Two women with their little dog were stopped on the trail as a huge cow was not moving. I led the way safely by and saved the day


MONDAY

Went with Hudson at sunrise to Green Mountain West off Flagstaff but his paws didn't like the icy snow crystals. So we went to Gregory Canyon trailhead and he was happy. No summit as it was very icy but we goofed around for 45 minutes, maybe 2.5 miles and 550'



Later in the day I enjoyed my last day of vacation by running Mount Sanitas. It was crowded. Did the summit in 24:07. 2.3 miles and 1,357'

Rescue Run

Took Hudson to the Dry Creek Trail for a quick 0.8-mile run before Maureen and I had to leave for Colorado Springs

We both did the 10K at the Rescue Run at Palmer Park. Cold (23F) and the first mile was a hill. After the first mile I thought I was going to stop breathing so I took my "scarf" off. On the last mile I started sprinting and felt that pain in my left hamstring so I ran briskly to a 54th place out of 375 in 48:35. Well off my 10K goal of 39:59 - but it is all relative. Only 1 person broke 39:00 and only 16 broke 43:00. Sweet shirts, great race

Week ending Sunday January 1
Hudson an outstanding 16.5 miles including a summit of Green Mountain
Chris 47.6 miles with 6,088'