Week of July 23 to July 29

SUNDAY

Hoosier Pass / trail to Mt Silverheels again at sunrise with Hud. Again 42F and 2.1 miles with 350'

Felt better with stretching so went to the Quandary Peak trailhead and ran out-and-back on McCullough Gulch Road. 4.2 miles with 575' at a pain-free jog

Week ending Sunday July 29
Hudson 14.6 miles - a strong week
Chris 28.4 miles with 4,109' - not a strong week


SATURDAY

Went to Hoosier Pass with Hud at sunrise. It was 42F. We ran 2 miles with 300' of gain above 11,000' - more goofing around on the trail that goes to Mt Silverheels. Hud ate grass every chance he got




FRIDAY

Mellow run/jog with Hud at Dry Creek. 2.1 miles

Run in the drizzle in Alma. 2.7 miles with 150' on a rough County Road - past the rental we stayed in back in September of 2009


THURSDAY

Dry Creek with Hud at a brisk pace (sort of) - an 8:30 pace. I notice that each time I run fast I end up in pain. Boooooo!

After the run - which Hud finds boring if he isn't playing with buddies or exploring - he jumped out of the car to say hello (the pic looks foggy due to the humidity)




WEDNESDAY

Dry Creek very early with Hud. 2.1 miles

Green Mountain later in the morning. Much better. Have gone from 2h13m Friday (with a 10 minute chat) to 1h45m Saturday to 1h31m today. Was sore after




TUESDAY

Dry Creek with Hud early. 2.1 miles. Hud ran around all crazy with several dogs, especially his pal Trouble. Dick said his daughter and son-in-law were at the Aurora theatre next to the one where the shootings were and a lady 3 seats away got shot through the jaw. Yikes


MONDAY

Dry Creek with Hud early. 2.1 miles

Bobolink at 10am - 3.2 miles and finally cracked a 9-minute mile pace

My Dad wondered if my Bosses ever read. If so, today was another "challenging day" with people who are "challenged"

Week of July 16 to July 22

SUNDAY

Awesome sleep - can't wait until vacation. Dry Creek with Hud. We started at 6:15am but not crowded

Red Deer Lake from Dick's Campground. I'll guess 14 miles RT with 1,800' although GPS said 15.6 miles with 1,500' - I don't think GPS is perfect in the woods. It took 4 hours - a mix of jogging and hiking and a short stop under a tree as rain moved through. It was another "stupid day" - we forgot everything (wallets, packs, food for the run). I was fantasizing about food (eggs and crescent rolls) at the Lake and started going off trail to take a short cut back. Thankfully decided to suck it up and go back on the trail - otherwise they'd be sending in the rescue teams about now

Week ending Sunday July 22
Hudson 11.9 miles
Chris 40.2 miles with 7,571' plus 23 miles of biking with 730'


SATURDAY

A solid sleep and a run with Hud at Dry Creek. Unfortunately we were early so no one else was there

Went to Green Mountain and a better run than yesterday. Summit in 59 and descent in 46 and no pain. Here's my buddy the chipmunk on the summit



After breakfast Maureen and I were going for a bike ride before the heat (forecast of "low 100s") but - oops! Someone locked us out. Hahaha! Maureen started making calls and waited for the locksmith while I kept going for short rides - 4.6 miles, 5.4 miles, 4.4 miles and 3.8 miles with a total of maybe 600'


FRIDAY
Woke at 4am and ran at sunrise with Hud at Dry Creek. We caught up with Tumbles and family for the last half mile

Green Mountain to the Summit for the 54th time. Not fast but not bad. 5.3 miles with 2,300'

45 days to the Breckenridge Half Marathon. Yikes - will not be winning that


THURSDAY

Had a 6am work call so Hud and I got to Dry Creek early and ran briskly - finally a sub 10-minute pace. Plus Hud & Tumbles did a very long sprint together

Green Mountain again, same route. Today GPS said it was 1.07 miles with 525' - regardless ran it so should be a good weekend.


WEDNESDAY

Finally made it to Green Mountain. So far ascent & descents were most painful. Today went well - granted it was hiking. 1.25 miles with 554'

Biked to the store after. 4.5 miles with 134'

Oh yeah - work blows. Was up at 3am. Why don't big companies fire bad employees? Actually looked at jobs for the first time in years


TUESDAY

1.2 random miles with Hud at Dry Creek. Neither of us were up for running so he wandered around greeting other dogs


MONDAY

Dry Creek with Hud early am. Jogged maybe 70%. 2.1 miles

An actual (slow) run at noon at Walden Ponds. 1.4 miles

Week of July 9 to July 15

SUNDAY

Dry Creek with Hud - no day off today. He was tired and had no desire to play with the exuberant Tumbles. A brisk walking pace

20-mile bike ride with 617' after and then an actual run (well, jog would be more accurate). 3.3-miles at an 11:17 pace. Some discomfort but nothing intolerable

Week ending Sunday July 15
Hudson 15.2 miles. A very strong week for Hud
Chris 20.9 miles with 321' - ran less than 5 of those miles. 48 miles of biking with 1,452'

Here's a race in 2 weeks: Llama Race


SATURDAY

Slept in so Dry Creek at 7:15am. Apparently I was there with Grumpus - he's been getting some good miles with his buddies and it was warm as we started later. Maybe a day off for him tomorrow as he has done over 15 miles the past week

Good bike ride later in the morning - according to my MapMyRun app it was 17.69 miles with 580' from home to the other side of the city up Boulder Canyon and back

Did some "dry-land" training and then went to Wonderland for a 2.3-mile run/shuffle/walk with 321' - alternated walking and running every minute but by end was too sore to run. Still, positive




FRIDAY

Dry Creek early am. Walked half when Hud took off after a deer - he came back after the chase was lost. Ran into Dick and Trouble then Tumbles. Had a new toy - "MapMyRun" which uses GPS. Specifically we did 2.61 miles with 61' in a horrid 58:08

A short 1.1 mile bike ruide to look at a house then a 9.1 mile bike ride this evening


THURSDAY

Dry Creek at 6:30am. 2.1 miles with Trouble & Preston. Hud also met a new pal, a Great Dane. Long debate over how long the loop really is - will use an app on my iPhone tomorrow to confirm

Last night and early am close to no pain but became sore during the walk. No race this weekend


WEDNESDAY

Dry Creek at 5:30am. 2.1 miles at a brisk walk. Saw much of the usual gang. At least Hud is getting his miles


TUESDAY

Work is busy and intense and is to be blamed for me waking up at 4:30am. Dry Creek with Hud at 5:30am - walked with Taz the white lab and his people - Hud did some sprints with Tumbles. Saw Preston as we were finishing

Sciatic slooooooowly getting better as I keep it mellow


MONDAY

Was going to skip Dry Creek and rest but Hud was determined. 2.1 miles with Barb & Preston and were later joined by Dick & Trouble. Hud did some good sprints with Trouble


In my non-running/non-hiking/non-mountain climbing boredom sitting on a heating pad, I created a "goal" race plan through Halloween:

07/14 - Allenspark 5K/10K. A small-town race on the way to Estes Park / Long's Peak. Likely a real bad idea for the injury so likely will not happen

07/19 - Not a race but hope all is good to play hooky and do a 14'er with Leadville Chuck in the Breckenridge / Leadville area

07/28 - Mount Falcon 15K - Mount Falcon in Morrison is awesome with 2,000' of gain

The weekend of 08/04-05 has 3 great looking races to choose from:
- Eldora 10K in Nederalnd at the ski area. I ran a strong race last year - aside from getting lost
- Hunky Dory Half Marathon in Breckenridge. Great looking course
- Evergreen 5K/10K

08/09 - Pearl Street Mile is a Thursday night sprint

08/11 - Woodland Park 10K
or
08/12 - Leadville 10K. Love Leadville, hate the company that runs these races

08/16 to 08/19 will be a 3-event weekend
08/16 - Eldorado Spring 4M was awesome last year - cold beer and $25 in winnings
and
08/17 - Loveland 5K, another night race
or
08/18 - Fairplay to Alma 10K - 2 of my favorite towns
and
08/18 - Pacing Leadville Chuck again at Leadville 100
or
08/19 - Heart and Sole Half Marathon/10K which we did in 2010

08/25 - Bergen Peak 20K is an awesome trail

09/02 - Breck Crest Half Marathon - my focus for the year (now with Jemez)

09/08 - Frisco 2M / 1,500'
and
09/09 - Neder Nederland 10K - I won chocolate last year

09/15 - Eldorado Springs 4.25M

09/22 - Estes Park 3.75M. Also known as Running of the Bulls as in Elk, which wander around town

10/07 - Golden Gallup 5.3M is a great race
or
10/07 - Pikes Peak Road Ascent 10K

10/19 - Loveland 2M
and
10/21 - Rudi's Half Marathon

And a double to celebrate Halloween:
10/27 - Louisville Phantom 4M
then
10/27 - Lousiville 5K Monster Dash

Week of July 2 to July 8

SUNDAY

Went to Dry Creek with Hud at 6:30am after sleeping in and heavy rain. Ran into Tumbles who tried to get Hud to play by jumping on him. Was in a lot of pain today - obviously did too much yesterday. Ran into Dick and Trouble and walked slowly and heard about Dick's similar back problems as Hud and Trouble chased each other and nearly took me out. 2.2 miles

Short 4.6-mile RT bike ride to the store and back at a brisk pace

Week ending Sunday July 08
Hudson 10.5 miles. A good week for Hud
Chris 13.5 miles with 10' - yes, 10' - and ran less than 3 of those miles. Also 20.6 miles biking and some stretching and core work as that has to help back problems


SATURDAY

Went to Dry Creek with Hud at 6:30am after sleeping in. Much cooler after rains overnight so he was frisky. Ran / walked until running into Dick & Trouble as well as Barb & Preston. Hud and Trouble chased each other awhile as Preston - who is 16 - watched. 2.1 miles

Feels like fall today but humid. Did a 5-mile RT bike ride in 24:45 - a 12:07 mph pace. Not even twice as fast as running but fun

Short run on a Bobolink spur. 1.4 miles in just over 20 minutes. Rehab is frustrating

Rode our bikes up to Snarf's for sandwhiches. 5.3-miles RT. A new donut shop is opening up across the street from Snarf's - perfect


FRIDAY

Went to Dry Creek with Hud at 6:30am. My sciatic was less good today so I had to turn around at the bridge (just under half-mile out)

Called it an early weekend and rode the bike which helped. 5.7-mile RT


THURSDAY

Went to Dry Creek with Hud at 6:00am. Dick and Trouble were just ahead so we caught up to walk the 2.1 mile loop

Long day again at work. After late afternoon thunderstorms with minor flooding we all went up to the track. Hud alternated between running alongside me and chasing tennis balls (and getting yelled at for eating unknown things and drinking out of puddles). Laps were at a slow paces of 11:12 / 9:28 / a decent 7:40 / walked final with some soreness

Progress but still frustrating


WEDNESDAY

Went to Dry Creek with Hud at 6:30am. Dick and Trouble were pulling in at same time so we walked the 2.1 mile loop. Limping some but Hud got some miles. Plenty of dogs beating the heat

Felt good after some heat and advil so went with Maureen to Walden Ponds for a 30-minute jog/walk


TUESDAY

Went to Dry Creek with Hud but after 0.1 miles I was limping. I let him run around and say hi to his buddies before we headed out

Boooooooooooooooo!

Used the heating pad which seemed to help - enough that I was able to get out for some pizza and beers (complex carbohydrates)


MONDAY

Arrgh. Boring day. Frustrating given they've opened up many of the trails - including Green Mountain

Week of June 25 to Canada Day

SUNDAY

Boring day with sciatic nerve issue. Will be on the 3-day disabled list (I hope)


Week ending Sunday July 01
Hudson 6.9 miles - brutal hot week again
Chris 38.0 miles with 6,557' with a Green Mountain summit


SATURDAY

3.3 miles and 600' at Betasso with Hud and Maureen at a brisk hiking pace

They then went to Nederland to get milkshakes and donuts while I satyed and did both trails. 7.2 miles with 1,000'. My "sciatic nerve" started hurting the last mile or two which turned into a slow jog. After lunch and the heating pad went to Eldorado Canyon State Park and sat in the cold South Boulder Creek for 20 minutes. May need to take Sunday off which would be sad being Candada Day

June
Hudson 41.5 miles
Chris 183.4 miles with 29,291'

9 Month Total
Hudson 445.4 miles - 62% to his goal of 500 miles
Chris 1,503.0 miles with 240,140'


FRIDAY

Dry Creek. As his "ankle" heals Hud is running more again. Today we did just under a mile but he did a few sprints with Tumbles

Finished a long few weeks of work by calling it a day early. It was 95F. I wanted somewhere shaded - many of those local trails are closed due to the fire. Surprisingly Eldorado Canyon State Park was open so I renewed our annual pass and ran to Walker Ranch and back. 7 miles with 1,000'



I was thinking of a 10-miler in Rollinsville tomorrow but having "sciatic nerve" issues (per the wife, who is not a doctor)


THURSDAY

Went to the track with Hud - he seems happy frolicking on the grass especially in the hot weather. 3 laps - including one that he ran alongside me - plus whatever time chasing him around

Mount Sanitas after - 3.4 miles and 1,357'

Stolen race pics. I would buy but it's like $25 each to download

The start line



Before the suffering began




WEDNESDAY

Dry Creek with Hud - it was 77 at 6am so we kept it to 1.1 miles

A busy day at work so headed up late afternoon to Betasso for a mellow 7-mile run but as I arrived this was going on:





I skipped the run after 15 minutes of the electric storm and saw one nasty lightning bolt that was purple, hit the ground and start a fire (that was under control within 2 hours). Rain was heavy on the drive home - bad for driving but good news for the fires


TUESDAY

Gave Hud the day off - not sure how his "ankle" is from his running injury Sunday

Met Leadville Chuck at 6:20am for a Green / Flagstff run. We went off trail today and it was like a secret world. A little steeper with a little scrambling. Fun stuff



Bear (?) print



After Green we headed down and cut over to Flagstaff with a woman who joined us. She was amazing - she talked the entire time

We guessed 6.8 miles with 2,700'

And now beloved Bear Peak is on fire

MONDAY

Dry Creek with Hud but he turned around after 0.2 miles. We went to the track instead and he was happy to saunter / occasionally sprint as I did 2 quick laps (slow / fast - although fast wasn't that fast)

Bobolink at 9:30am and it was already blazing. 6.7 flat miles in the heat. Even the prairie dogs looked lazy