Sunday, July 31, 2011

Sondermann Park

6 Miles 46:09 7:41 average per mile
1:30 PM) Upper 80's Sunny Humidity 22%
Elevation Gain: 663 ft
Elevation Loss: 712 ft
Min Elevation: 6,062 ft
Max Elevation: 6,405 ft
Very late start today. Was going to make it a rest day due to
fatigue and lack of motivation. I finally got the itch to run
around 1:00 so I decided I would go after all. It was warm upper
80's but low humidity. Back in Wisconsin if it was upper 80's I
wouldn't even attempt a run outside. Got to love Colorado!!!
My run today was hilly on purpose I sought out the hills. I need
to run up and down as much as possible for next 3 weeks. Three
Sundays from today is Pikes Peak Marathon. I am super excited
this year. I'm in much better shape for it than 2008 & 2010.
Plus I have a year of living at altitude under my belt which
can't hurt.

B/a11r/243

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Manitou Incline & Barr Trail

7 Miles Total
8:00 am) 60's Sunny!
Incline 26:19
Not a bad time on the Incline. Faster than last time. It was pretty
warm already by the time I started. I think it slowed me down
some. A ton of people on the incline today! The most I have ever
seen. That's what I get for going on a Saturday morning.

Friday, July 29, 2011

19th St - Mesa Rd.

5 Miles 36:02 7:12 average per mile
8:30 am) 60's Partly Sunny
Was a bit more sore than what I thought I would be. First two
miles I was stiff. Loosened up as run went on and pace got
faster as the run went on.

B/a11r/237

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Memorial Park to Bottomless Pit Sign & Back

17 Miles 2:38:52 9:21 average per mile
7:10 am) 60's Sunny!
Goal today was to push it as I'm going to be tapering in about
a week. I will do one more long run next week then that's it.
Today I did something different I actually had a goal time.
I went to Matt Carpenter's website and wrote down the splits
for a 2:50 ascent up to Bottomless Pit Sign.
The splits were:
3:44 to Ruxton actual 3:28
10:43 Hydro Street actual 10:20
Didn't get the Top of the W's split. Still not sure exactly
where it is.
1:07:29 to 7.8 sign actual 1:05:15
1:26:22 to Barr Camp actual 1:24:13
1:38:56 to Bottomless Pit Sign 1:36:38
If I were to have kept going I think I would have started to
lose time to the calculator. I'm thinking on race day maybe
not push it quite this hard and have something for above A-frame.
The down today was okay not great by any means. Not sure if it
was fatigue or not enough calories. I also had a fall on the way
down and scraped up both knees. Nothing serious but it stung
a little bit.

B/TB/215

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Red Rock Canyon-Section 16

6 Miles 50:03 8:20 average per mile
9:45 am) 70's Sunny!
Elevation Gain: 963 ft
Elevation Loss: 956 ft
Min Elevation: 6,155 ft
Max Elevation: 6,801 ft
Started at Red Rock Canyon ran to Section 16 and then back.
Part of my run was on new trails for me so that was fun.
Felt good kept run on short side since tomorrow will be my
long run for the week.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Pikes Peak Summit



7 Miles Total
8:50 am)40's Windy at the top. Sunny!
Got a ride from Mike to the summit. Angela also went up with us.
She wanted to run all the way down to Manitou Springs for her
Marathon training.
I did 2 miles down with Mike then 2 miles up. Then did 1.5 miles
down and back up. So a total of 7 miles.
My 2 miles up were 14:47 and 16:27.
My 1.5 miles up were 15:47 and 17:47 pace for half mile
Like last time my 1st set is always faster. I ran around 1:20
per mile slower on second set.
Thursday I plan on running from Memorial Park to Barr Camp or
Bottomless Pit sign.

B/TB/198

Monday, July 25, 2011

Northwest Colorado Springs

4 Miles 33:33 8:22 average per mile
11:45 am) mid 70's Sunny & Warm!
Elevation Gain: 676 ft
Elevation Loss: 677 ft
Min Elevation: 6,621 ft
Max Elevation: 7,308 ft
Just 4 miles today but a hard 4. I ran a out and back and the 2
miles out were tough. Mile 2 my pace was 10:30! I did walk for
part of it. Not sure the name of the trail I was on. Never
been on it or knew about. Just kind of found it on accident.
Parked at a Methodist Church parking lot since I didn't see any
public parking near by.
The trail is located near Flying Ranch Road and Centennial.
Steve or Craig do you know the name of this trail? It's near
Ute Valley Park.

B/a11r/232

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Black Forest Regional Park

Cathedral Pines Loop 4.6 Miles x 2 9.2 Total Miles
1:14:55 8:09 average per mile
Elevation Gain: 780 ft
Elevation Loss: 784 ft
Min Elevation: 7,240 ft
Max Elevation: 7,569 ft
2:00 pm) Warm & Humid!
Ran with Randy from Virginia today. He was doing 4 loops. I
joined him on his 3rd loop. This loop was tough! Lots of
rolling hills. Hardly a flat spot on the loop. My Garmin says
only 784 ft of elevation gain well it felt like more than that.
Plus it was very warm today and that made it even harder.
I loved this loop and will run this again soon. It's like a
secret running spot. Didn't see any other runners on this loop.
Randy has run it 3 times now and he has not seen any runners on
the other runs either. Along the loop it's pretty cool you see
all these million dollar homes. I want to live there! Will take
pictures next time. Lots of pine trees along the trail which is
nice on a hot sunny day.

B/TB/191

Friday, July 22, 2011

Manitou Incline & Barr Trail

5.5 Miles Total
1 Mile Incline 26:46
4.5 Miles Barr Trail
5:00 am) Nice!
Met Mike at 5:00 am. Gave Mike a 2:00 minute head start.
Well I never caught him. I was slow today. I guess I can't
go hard every day an expect to not had a bad day. This was
my slowest time of the year. Even running down Barr trail
I was slower than normal. I guess I should take a easy day
tomorrow or even take off a day.

B/TB/182

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Pikes Peak Greenway

10 Miles 1:06:43 6:40 average per mile
9:30 am) 70's Sunny!
Not really sore from yesterday so I pushed the pace today. Maybe
a bit harder than I should have. I just can't hold back it seems.
I've always been like this and probably wont change. I hear all
the talk and benefits of doing slower runs but it's not to my
liking. Now if I'm running with a group and want to socialize I
welcome the slower running. I guess I just need to run with a
group more often.
When doing the 16 golden stairs yesterday I couldn't help thinking
this is like doing the Incline. I believe the Incline is very
beneficial for Pikes Peak training. Plus it's a lot easier to
access than driving to the top of Pikes Peak. Of course not the
same kind of elevation but just as hard.

B/a11r/228

Pictures from Pikes Peak Summit










Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Pikes Peak Altitude Training 2-2-1

10 Miles
8:20 am) 40's Sunny
Drove to the top of Pikes this morning. Was sunny and chilly at the
summit. I did 2 miles down then 2 miles up then did the same a
second time. After 2 sets of this I ended with 1 mile down and 1
mile up. Felt okay for all of this. Last 2 miles was getting very
hard.
Here is the stats on the day
First set of 4 miles
Mile 1 11:31 Down
Mile 2 8:30 Down
Mile 3 14:47 Up
Mile 4 16:43 Up

Second set of 4 miles
Mile 1 11:10 Down
Mile 2 9:17 Down
Mile 3 15:22 Up
Mile 4 17:39 Up

Final set 2 Miles
Mile 1 12:34 Down
Mile 2 18:18 Up

Looking at the numbers I see that I got slower as time went on.
Probably the altitude affect for sure.
Glad I did this today I feel a lot more familiar with the trail
after this. That last mile is tricky though no matter how many
times you run it. Glad to get through the workout without any
falls.
So my minimum elevation today was 12,600+ ft. That should be
very beneficial for my training. I hope to get a few more
runs like this one before the marathon. Plus I want to do 1
round trip run as well.
Driving down the mountain I didn't listen to the signs that
said low gear only. I kept it in 2nd. I guess I should have
listened. I got to the brake inspection spot and the guy
checked my brake temp and it was hot 380 deg. They like it under
300 deg. He told me to pull off for a bit to let them cool. So
I did and waited 10 minutes or so. The rest of the way down I
listened and put it in low gear.
Long day 54 driving miles. It looks so close from my apartment.
I took some pictures today I will post them tomorrow. I got to
get some sleep. I work tonight.

B/TB/10

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Waldo Canyon

7 Miles 56:37
9:30 am) Sunny & Warm! upper 70's
Finally ran Waldo can't believe it has been over a month since my
last run here. This summer is going by way to fast. Although I
will welcome the cooler fall weather when it gets here.
Had a good run today my knee is still bothering me but once i got
going it felt pretty good. Overall I feel great! Today I was only
15 seconds off my best time at Waldo. Not bad for 2 days after a
race and warm temps.

B/TB/175

Monday, July 18, 2011

Barr Trail Mountain Race BTMR

12.65 Miles 1:56:08
17th Overall 3rd Master 1st Age Group 40-44
7:00 am) sunny warm becoming hot by the finish
Had a good day. Very happy with the outcome. I had no goals or
expectations going into this race. This was probably a good
thing as I didn't have a lot of pressure on me. I ran a smart
race as I didn't go out too hard and end up crashing. I was
passing runners the whole way up to Barr Camp. I think only 1
runner passed me. I didn't run all of it but more than I have
done in training. I would power hike the steeper stuff and I
found that I would lose no distance on the runners that would
try to run these sections. I think I'm a pretty good hiker.
When I got to Barr Camp the turnaround I was in 20th position
and my time was 1:13:XX. This is when I got concerned I'm not
very confident in my downhill running as both times I have done
Pikes Peak Marathon it's been my weakness. My thought was just
try to not get passed. Well I ended up feeling great on the down
and held my own. I wasn't getting passed. Then with less than
2 miles to go I saw a runner in front of me. Well this was very
encouraging. I actually could pass a runner on the down. It
didn't take long and I caught him and passed him quickly. I
figured that would be the end of me passing anyone for the day.
Well in the last mile I could see 2 more runners ahead of me.
I decided to go for it and see if I could catch them.
Within the last half mile I caught both of them and passed them.
I finished 17th passing 3 runners on the down! I later found out
the one runner I passed was 41 years old! So good thing for me I
pushed hard all the way to the finish. I ended up winning my age
group since the 2 master runners that beat me where older than 44.
So as far as swag goes I got $50.00 for 3rd master and for winning
my age group I got a certificate good for one pair of Inov8 shoes.
Not a bad day at all. By the way this is the first time I have
ever received any money from a race.
Next up Pikes Peak Marathon August 22. Can't wait! I think this
year I will break 5 hours.
Picture below is myself and the other 2 master winners. I'm the
young one. They are both older than me and very talented runners.
Post race went to Sean's house and enjoyed a BBQ with him any
many others including GZ. Fun times!

B/TB/168





Saturday, July 16, 2011

Pikes Peak Greenway

3 Miles 20:30 6:49 average per mile
10:15 am) 70's Sunny!
Kept it short today as I'm racing in the morning. Just 3 miles
with 2 30 second strides in the last mile. Excited for tomorrow
don't have a clue to how I will do. I guess I will just have
to wait and find out tomorrow.

B/allr/218

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Incline Club Thursday Run

3.4 Miles
5:30 pm) Rain
Ran with the Incline Club tonight. It was a very short run since
the BTMR is Sunday. Rained pretty hard for some of the run. Was
nice to just do a short easy run. I'm probably taking tomorrow off
and easy again on Saturday. Looking forward to Sunday. I think I
will PR for sure! Yes it's my first time running this race therefore
a PR is all but guaranteed if I finish.

B/a11r/215

Manitou Incline & Barr Trail

4-5 Miles Total
1 Mile Incline 24:53
3 Miles or so on Barr Trail with Mike E.
5:00 am)50's Felt a bit humid today.
Not my best time on the Incline but still my 3rd fastest!
Did the Incline with Fred B & Mike E. Mike was in the 27's
and Fred was probably 24 or so.

B/TB/153

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Pikes Peak Greenway

5.15 Miles 35:15 6:51 average per mile
10:40 am) 70's Sunny! Nice!
Felt good. Was a bit worried about my knee. It has been bothering
me the last couple days. No problems with it today. Not sure what
it is. I don't think it's serious.

B/a11r/212

Monday, July 11, 2011

Memorial Park

5 Miles 32:45 6:31 average per mile
10:50 am) 70's sunny
First time running at Memorial Park. Nice park with a nice lake.
I ran around the lake a couple of times. It's 1.25 miles around
the lake. I pushed the pace today since it was a shorter run.
Mile 3 I ran 5:56.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Beidleman Trails

5 Miles 40:41 8:07 average per mile
Elevation Gain: 727 ft
Elevation Loss: 719 ft
Min Elevation: 6,072 ft
Max Elevation: 6,404 ft
11:15 am) 70's warm
Good run kept it short. This week will be shorter runs only.
Have not run here since April! I should run here more since
it's so close to where I live.

B/TB/148

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Manitou Incline & Barr Trail

6.16 Miles
1 Mile Incline 25:08
5.16 Miles Ruxton Ave & Barr Trail 39:12
8:00 am) sunny 60's
Not a bad time on the incline today. I didn't expect to beat my
best time. Legs are still a bit sore from Thursday's long run.
I feel like I'm recovering fast though and will be ready for
next Sunday's race. No long runs this upcoming week as I will
try to freshen up a bit. I have no goals for this race other
than to just give it my best. I have not run BTMR before so don't
really know what to expect time wise. I look forward to racing
as I have not raced much this year. I have only raced 3 times
this year a 10 miler, half marathon and a marathon. I guess I'm
just cutting back this year after a busy 2010 season. I raced 5
marathons plus 3 ultra marathons. This year I might finish with
2 marathons and maybe 2 ultra marathons.

B/TB/143

Friday, July 8, 2011

Red Rock Canyon

5 Miles 45:06 9:01 average per mile
9:50 am) sunny & nice
Elevation Gain: 809 ft
Elevation Loss: 799 ft
Min Elevation: 6,171 ft
Max Elevation: 6,614 ft
Was thinking I would take the day off but felt pretty good actually.
I kept the run on the shorter side but still a pretty hard run with
the ups and downs.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Pikes Peak Summit

24+ miles 4:44:32
8:15 am)
Started at the Cog Railway. I actually was hoping to get a one way
ticket to Mount View. I was on standby but all the seats were full.
So of course I didn't want to change my plans I wanted to go to
the summit. This made my run probably 4 or 5 miles longer than I
wanted. I started out not feeling so strong. I was thinking maybe
I should not go for the summit. When I got to Barr Camp I felt
okay and decided yes I would go for it. I didn't run much after
Bottomless Pit sign. The last 3 miles I really didn't run any
of it. I was hiking around 17 minute miles for those.
I made it to the summit at 2:49. This is really good for me.
I went in the summit house and filled my bottles and bought a
couple of their famous donuts. After a short break headed back
down. I didn't want to stay at the summit too long. I wasn't
feeling that good. Going down I was super slow and very cautious.
I really don't like going down. My legs were feeling the effects
of the climb up I couldn't push it. At least I didn't get altitude
sickness like last August.
When I got down to Barr Camp I could hear thunder. I was not
prepared for rain. Well maybe a mile later it started to pour
I got soaked it rained the rest of the way down. When I got back
to my car I didn't have a dry spot on me and my shoes were totally
soaked.
Post run I feel pretty good. I'm sure I will be sore tomorrow.

B/TB/137

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Manitou Incline 24:25 & Barr Trail

9.6 Miles
1 Mile Incline 24:25 *PR*
8.6 Miles Barr Trail (3 miles up 5.6 miles down)
1:11:02 8:16 average per mile
5:00 am) 60's Warm
Met up with Fred again. He gave me a 1 1/2 minute head start
again. Last week Fred caught me around the false summit. This
week he did not catch me and I finished 15 seconds or so ahead
of him. I finished with 24:25 my best time ever! Last week was
my best of the year at 25:09. My best was last December 10th
24:36. Looking forward to getting in the 23's soon. Fred's time
was 23:12 today he is amazing!

B/TB/113

Monday, July 4, 2011

Pikes Peak Greenway

6 Miles 41:10 6:51 average per mile
11:00 am) mid 80's Sunny!
Took yesterday off unscheduled rest day. Was to exhausted to run.
I decided to listen to my body. Now that I'm 40 years old I'm
finally starting to listen to it.
Today had no real plan just get a few miles in. I got a late start
and it was already 85 degrees out. It didn't feel like it though.
I actually felt good and this ended up being a progression run
again. Last mile was 6:20 with a uphill finish. I had to work for
that one.

B/a11r/206

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Pikes Peak Greenway

10 Miles 1:07:17 6:44 average per mile
9:00 am) 70's Sunny!
Flat run today. I wanted to work on some turnover today. I feel
like I have lost some of my speed since I'm doing more hilly
trail runs at slower paces. Not a big concern but don't want
lose all my fitness on the flats. So today I tried to make it
a progression run. I did good I think every mile but 1 was
faster than the previous.

B/a11r/200

Friday, July 1, 2011

Gold Camp

10.2 Miles 1:42:41
2300+ vert gain
7:30 am) sunny & nice
Met up with Sean this morning at Gold Camp parking lot. Sean took me on a tour of some awesome trails. I had not been on these before but plan on going back soon. We probably ran on 4 or 5 different trails but they all conected to each other and made for one big loop. Neither of us wanted to push the pace today so we just ran at a reasonable pace and had nice conversation.
My legs still feel a bit tired from Tuesdays run but not bad at all.

B/TB/103