Livin' The Dream

Garden of the Gods

2012-01-29T11:12:00.003-06:00

8 Miles 49:44 6:13 average per mile
8:00 am) 30's Sunny!
Since 2004 I have probably run over 2000 training runs like
today. Today though was a bit different I was actually
shocked by my performance today. Nothing would have indicated
today would be a great run. I worked a hard 8 hour shift till
7:30 am. Hardly slept at all before the shift and before that
was my hard 4 mile race. So I had no expectations today. Wasn't
even sure if I should be running.
So I took off and first mile was 6:15. I felt like I was shot
out of a canon. I wasn't even really trying just floating along.
So of course at this point my mindset changes from whatever to
lets see what I can do today. Miles 2 and 3 slow down some but
still very solid miles. After that I started running low 6's
and just kept running them to the end. I have been thinking
about the 10 mile race in June a lot lately and have been
thinking could I run sub 60 on this course? I kind of thought
I was in over my head with that thought. Well after today I
really think it's possible and might even run 58 or 59.
Last year I ran 1:04 just to give some background.
Today's splits: 6:15,6:31,6:24,6:10,6:00,6:10,6:01,6:09

B/a11/239

Winter Series Race #2 (4 Miles Short Series)

2012-01-28T13:57:00.005-06:00

4 Miles 23:15 5:49 average per mile
10th Overall 1st Age (40-44)
10:00 am) 30 degrees
Very happy with the race today. Wasn't sure how the hammy
would hold up it was fine, it didn't slow me down at all. Race
started out fast. I wanted to run around 6:00 for the first
mile and ended up running 5:44. I was in 15th place at mile 1.
Mile 2 I slowed to my slowest mile 6:00. This was due to me
going out too fast. Mile 3 started to feel more comfortable
5:46. Last mile was 5:44 could have been a bit faster but
couldn't pass runner in front of me as all the 8 mile runners
were on there way out. I thought maybe I could break 23:00
today but I'm not complaining with my time. Mile 2 cost me
any chance of breaking 23:00. Maybe next year.

Pikes Peak Greenway Long Run

2012-01-26T12:58:00.003-06:00

17 Miles 1:52:44 6:38 average per mile
9:15 am) 40's Sunny
Very good run today. I pushed hard from the start. At mile 8 I was
already feeling fatigue thought I was going to crash early. I was
able to keep the pace up and held it. By mile 14 my legs started
to feel like jello. I fought the last 3 miles to keep from slowing.
Glad to get more than 15 miles in. Hope to get a couple 20 mile
runs in yet before Little Rock March 4th.
6:48,6:40,6:31,6:35,6:29,6:34,6:37,6:36,6:36,6:39,6:40,6:37,
6:48,6:39,6:46,6:44,6:22

B/a11/231

Mesa Rd.

2012-01-25T11:32:00.002-06:00

6 Miles 40:37 6:46 average per mile
9:30 am) 30's Sunny!
Tried to hold back today as tomorrow is my long run. I didn't
do a good job of holding back though. Last 3 miles I ran too
fast but they are downhill miles so it felt easy.

B/a11/214

Treadmill Speed & Tempo

2012-01-24T14:28:00.002-06:00

6 Miles 37:57 6:20 average per mile
20 minutes elliptical 10 minutes before 10 minutes after
Felt pretty good today so I pushed the pace. I was running
at different speeds throughout. I ran at tempo pace at times
and did some speed at times. I had no goal for this run other
than getting in 6 miles. Was happy to get in some faster stuff.

Garden of the Gods

2012-01-22T10:32:00.002-06:00

8 Miles 56:20 7:02 average per mile
8:00 am) 38 degrees cloudy & windy
Ran 8 of the 10 mile Garden of the Gods course. Was pretty
difficult run with the wind and my fatigue level. I still
managed to push a pretty good pace for this course. When
I race this in June hope to run it at near 6:00 pace. I
have my work cut out for me. Hamstring continues to improve
still sore though. It's sore to the touch but feels pretty
good when running.
I had a great week mileage wise. I ran all 7 days and hit 55.5
miles. Look to take a day off tomorrow or do elliptical only

B/a11/208

Pikes Peak Greenway

2012-01-21T13:42:00.003-06:00

15 Miles 1:41:56 6:47 average per mile
9:10 am) low 30's
Best I have felt in a couple weeks. Glad to get some miles in finally.
1/7:03--6/6:47--11/6:53
2/6:49--7/6:49--12/7:02
3/6:40--8/6:51--13/7:02
4/6:36--9/6:50--14/6:34
5/6:40--10/6:52--15/6:18

B/a11/200

Treadmill & Elliptical

2012-01-20T14:50:00.002-06:00

15 Minutes Elliptical
6 Miles Treadmill 39:06 6:31 average per mile
5 Minutes Elliptical
Was able to throw in some tempo pace last 2 miles on the tready.
My hamstring seems to be getting better.

Apt. to Garden and Back

2012-01-19T13:18:00.002-06:00

9.5 Miles 1:05:11 6:52 average per mile
10:45 am) 50's Sunny! Beautiful day in Colorado!
Hamstring was noticeable better today. I felt little to no
soreness for the majority of this run. It got a bit sore
last 2-3 miles but not bad at all. I was able to push the
pace today. I ran a hilly course and felt strong. I did
hold back on some of the steep downhills. Overall very happy.
Maybe I'm back!

B/a11/185

Treadmill & Elliptical

2012-01-18T12:15:00.002-06:00

15 Minutes Elliptical Warm up
6 Miles Treadmill 41:25
10 Minutes Elliptical with resistance HR hit 166!
Hammy felt pretty good today. Maybe a bit better
than yesterday. At least I can run on it but it's
sore.

Pikes Peak Greenway

2012-01-17T16:41:00.002-06:00

6 Miles 43:03 7:10 average per mile
Cold, windy and snow flurries 16 degrees
Hamstring was worse than yesterday so cut run short at 6 miles.
Might have to stick to treadmill for a while.

B/a11/175

Treadmill

2012-01-16T16:18:00.002-06:00

5 Miles 37:02
Took off yesterday. Ran on the treadmill today. Hammy was sore
but not painful and never got worse as run went on. So this is
a good sign I think. Tomorrow will try to go further and see
if this is on the mend. No speed work this week. I would like
to get some miles in this week though. My weekly mileage has
been pretty low for some time now.

Winter Series Race #1 Cheyenne Mountain State Park

2012-01-15T13:57:00.002-06:00

3.3 Miles 21:05
11th Overall 2nd Age (40-44)
10:00 am) 50's Sunny!
Was hoping to run a better race. I didn't start out good and my
breathing was very labored from the start. My hamstring was a
big concern but felt decent during the warm up. As soon as the
race started I tried to sprint at the start and could feel
the soreness in my hammy. It wasn't bad so I didn't let up.
After a couple miles of slipping here and there on ice and snow
my hammy finally got aggravated and made last mile painful to
run. Looking back I should not have done this race. I knew it
was risky and it wasn't worth it.
I took today off hoping some rest will do it good. Will try a
run tomorrow to evaluate the situation.

Pikes Peak Greenway

2012-01-12T17:18:00.004-06:00

12 Miles 1:21:51 6:49 average per mile
11:30 am) 40 degrees sunny
Not a bad run today. Hamstring felt better not a 100%. I never
tried to push real hard on it. Could have probably gone a few
more miles without much risk but decided I would be good
with 12. I'm racing Saturday so I needed to keep that in mind.
My race is only 3.3 miles but on hilly trails and some snow.
I need to be careful not to re aggravate the hammy.

B/a11/164

Pikes Peak Greenway

2012-01-10T16:37:00.004-06:00

6 Miles 37:06 6:11 average per mile
7.5 miles total
10:20 am) sunny & warm 50's
Hamstring is still sore. I could feel it as I ran it was not so bad
that I couldn't run but I could feel the discomfort. I don't think
my stride was affected by it. My pace was slower this week.
Partially due to the hammy but overall I just didn't feel that good
today. Tomorrow I will not do my usual speedwork on the mill.
That would only make it worse. Thursday I want to get a long run
in but it will be run and see how it feels to determine that.

B/st5/125

Ute Pass Trail

2012-01-08T13:06:00.003-06:00

8 Miles 1:12:16 8:54 average per mile
8:50 am) cold 20's
Good run my hamstring was pretty good for the most part. I felt a
little twinge once when I slipped on some ice. I was happy to run
all the hills today. I usually hike a few of them. I didn't push
this run as hard as I usually would being a bit cautious with the
hammy.

Pikes Peak Greenway

2012-01-06T15:34:00.003-06:00

15 Miles 1:42:41 6:51 average per mile
10:20 am) upper 40's Sunny!
Well got a longer run in finally. I could tell my endurance was
a bit off today. Just glad to get this run in. I will continue
to add distance to my long runs next several weeks. Last mile
my hammy felt a strain. I think it was from fatigue and
dehydration. I didn't drink much during the run maybe 15 oz.
6:53, 6:56, 6:42, 6:44, 6:46, 6:51, 6:54, 6:50, 6:49, 6:51, 6:48,
6:56, 6:49, 6:51, 7:00

B/a11/152

Mesa Rd

2012-01-06T00:07:00.002-06:00

5 Miles 36:00 7:12 average per mile
11:00 am) 60 Sunny!
Actually kind of warm on today's run it felt great. I felt very
good and tried to run at a comfortable pace. Tomorrow will be
15 miles as I start the build up on my long runs again.

Speedwork Treadmill

2012-01-04T14:04:00.002-06:00

4.75 Miles
11:25 am) treadmill @ gym 6200 ft.
6x400, 2x200
Had a hard time getting started today. I took a nap before starting
this workout because I was just too tired to do it otherwise.
Once I got running I felt better first 400 hurt though. Thought it
was going to be a bad workout. Well it turned out to be a great
workout. I'm happy with the results.
Here is what I did.
400 @ 11.5 max HR 150
400 @ 11.8 max HR 152
400 @ 12.0 max HR 156
400 @ 12.1 max HR 157
400 @ 12.2 max HR 160
400 @ 12.5 max HR 161
I did .25 recovery in between each of these at 6.0
200 @ 13.0 max HR 163 .13
200 @ 13.2 max HR 165 .13
not sure the rest in between the 200's went by feel.
These were all done at 1% Incline
Interesting to see my HR #'s each one it went up. I felt like
I was all out on the last 200 but the way my HR kept climbing
maybe with another 200 or so I could have got HR higher.
My highest I have seen is like 174 a couple years ago. I'm
more fit than then so doubt I could hit 174 today.
I will look to continue to do this workout once a week and
will continue to add to it. Might not do more 400's next week
but will at least try to add a couple more 200's.

Pikes Peak Greenway

2012-01-03T14:03:00.002-06:00

7.5 Miles Total
6 Miles Tempo 36:34 6:06 average per mile
11:50 am) 60 degrees!!!
Woke up to a headache and generally not feeling good at all I
considered not doing this run today. Also was a bit sore from
race as it's been 48 hours and this is when I usually feel the
effects most. Headache went away and decided to give it a go
after all. Plus it was just to nice out not to get out today.
60 degrees in January! Gotta love Colorado!
My splits today:
Mile/Pace
1/6:08
2/6:10
3/6:08
4/6:01
5/6:09
6/5:56

B/st5/117

Rescue Run 10k

2012-01-01T16:04:00.005-06:00

6.38 Miles 39:02 6:07 average per mile
2nd Overall
10:00 am) mid 20's cold!
Very good run for me today. I exceeded my expectations. I was
hoping top 10 and maybe 40:00 at best. Course was challenging
hilly and most of it on dirt roads. First mile was the hardest
as it's mostly uphill. After that it's rolling and the last 1.5
miles is downhill. Course was a bit long due to a last minute
re route.
Good start to my 2012 season. I hope this will be a great year
of running for me.
My splits:
Mile/Pace
1/6:37
2/6:20
3/6:09
4/6:26
5/5:49
6/5:33
6.38/5:35 (2:07)

B/st5/109

Cross Training

2011-12-30T14:34:00.001-06:00

30 Minutes Elliptical
15 Minutes Stationary Bike
Kind of sore today from my run on Barr Trail yesterday. Today
was a good workout and was kind to my joints. Nice recovery day.
Tomorrow will be easy as well and might take off completely as
I might race on Sunday a 10k.

Barr Trail

2011-12-29T15:16:00.002-06:00

10 Miles 1:39:17 9:55 average per mile
11:40 am) 50's Sunny & Windy!
34:28 top of the w's
51:16 no name
1:01:22 turn around
37:55 down
Good run today not great as my legs felt pretty heavy. Wanted
to go further up but decided I better not so turned around at
5 miles. Trail was not too slippery but was kind of slushy
towards the lower parts. Once above no name much cooler and
the snow was not melting and was less packed down. Wore my
screw shoes and never really slipped at all. I can tell I
need a couple easy days now my body is tired.

Speedwork & Weights

2011-12-28T15:15:00.003-06:00

4 Miles 31:55 Treadmill
Did 5 X 400's with around 2 minutes recovery in between.
11.5, 11.8, 12.0, 12.1, 12.3
Started at 11.5 this week and built up. Last week started
at 12.0 and had to go down. I did 4 last week and 5 this
week planned on 6 but 5 was plenty.
I did these at 0% incline. I would have gone 1 % if I'd
remembered. Last week I never went over 12.0 so was not
sure if that was the treadmills top speed or not.
Found out today that is goes way over 12. Treadmill goes
up to 14.0!!! This is awesome and I might have to do
some 200's next week and get it up to 12.5 or higher.
Don't think I can run anywhere near 14.0 but will be
fun to see how high I can go.
Finished workout with some upper and lower body weights.
Nothing crazy hard just enough to work the muscles.
Tomorrow looking to run Barr Trail. I'm excited for that
not sure how far I will go. I will play it by ear. Should
be a nice day.

Pikes Peak Greenway

2011-12-27T14:35:00.002-06:00

9.5 Miles Total
8 Miles Tempo 49:24 6:10 average per mile
154 HR average 163 max
11:55 am) 40's Sunny! No wind!
Mile/pace/HR
1/6:12/144
2/6:14/148
3/6:10/153
4/6:20/157
5/6:02/154
6/6:12/159
7/6:12/159
8/5:58/161
This was one of the hardest runs I have ever done! I pushed hard
from the start. HR hit 163 in the last mile. I feel like that is
pretty close to the highest I can get it right now. I have seen
174 as my max a couple years ago so 163 is pretty close. Not
sure what happened on mile 4. I don't think I let up as my HR
went up even though my pace slowed 10 seconds. Was my slowest
mile but still not bad. Overall very happy with this workout
I'm showing some progress on the pace.

B/st5/101

Incline Club Run

2011-12-25T18:29:00.004-06:00

8.16 Miles 1:26:39
8:25 am) 30's sunny
Worked till 7:50 am went straight home changed clothes drove to
Manitou. Parked my car and immediately started running the
group had already taken off. Today I ran on Ute Pass Trail to
Highway 24 & back. Very hard run in some deep snow. Plus when
you factor in 9 hard hours of work before the run it was
exhausting. Good training I guess. My pace looks terrible slow
for this run but believe me I was working hard.
Had a nice Christmas spent it with some friends and watched the
Packers win again!

Pikes Peak Greenway

2011-12-24T14:26:00.003-06:00

5 Miles 38:11 7:37 average per mile
12:15 pm) 30's Sunny
130 HR average 143 max
Wore HR monitor again today. Was curious how it would be
running on a flatter surface. HR ran pretty low especially
first 2.5 miles was 125 or under. After my turn around I
noticed it almost immediately went to 133-135. Last miles
it hit 143 at the end. I ended with a uphill climb so was hard
to keep down. I'm liking wearing the HR monitor again I feel
it keeps me honest. On these so called easier days I need to
keep from pushing the pace.
Garmin was fine today it didn't act up at all so I'm relieved.

B/a11/137

Mesa Rd. - Flying J Ranch Rd

2011-12-23T14:56:00.002-06:00

7.26 Miles 55:12 7:36 average per mile
137 HR average
12:35 pm) 30's Sunny
Wore my HR monitor today for the first time in months.
Was curious what kind of readings I would get. Today's
test was on a hilly road that I have never run on before.
My HR was up and down depending on the grade I was running.
Highest it got was 148 on two different occasions. I
purposely made sure not to go over 150. My Garmin died on
me just as I was finishing my run. I figured it was
because I didn't charge it but when I got home and
plugged it in it still had 32%. So kind of weird. Maybe
something to do with HR monitor?
Here is my stats for today. You can kind of tell when I
was running down hill and when I was going up.
Mile/Pace/HR
1/7:44/126
2/8:11/134
3/7:40/137
4/7:02/139
5/8:19/143
6/6:43/134
7/7:28/144
7.26/7:56/146

b/a11/132

Gym Workout

2011-12-22T14:00:00.002-06:00

3 Miles Treadmill 22:30
3.2 Miles Elliptical 30:00
20 Minutes weights and core
Treadmill was 4 X 400's
First one was at 12.0 mph 1% incline
Second one was at 11.5 1%
Third one was at 11.7 1%
Last one was at 12.0 1%
First one killed me my legs weren't ready for that backed it off
on the second then felt better on the next two. I took around
2:00 minutes jogging between these.
Elliptical was a moderately hard effort for all 30 minutes HR
was pretty high the whole time 140's to 150's
Did some leg weights and finished with some ab work.
Two somewhat hard days in a row. Will now take 2 easy days
to recover.
Snowing like crazy here in the springs. At least 7" of new snow.
Biggest snow I have seen since moving here in 2010.
Love the treadmill on snowy days like this better than going out
and slipping around and risking an injury.

B/a11/124

2012 Race Schedule

2011-12-22T10:40:00.001-06:00

Just listed my 2012 race schedule on the right. It's still likely
to change some but for the most part these are the races I will
do.

Pikes Peak Greenway & Stationary Bike

2011-12-21T15:45:00.002-06:00

8 Miles 53:17 6:39 average per mile
12:25 pm) 30's partly sunny
.75 warm up
3 Miles 6:27, 6:29, 6:28
3:03 jog
2 Miles 6:09, 6:25
2:26 jog
1 Mile 5:59
.54 cool down
Effort was there put my pace was kind of slow. I think my speed
is stagnant I might need to start working on some speed work
200's - 400's.
After the run I drove immediately back to my apartment complex
and went to the gym and road the stationary bike pretty hard
for 30 minutes.

B/st5/91

Pikes Peak Greenway & Sinton Trail

2011-12-20T15:43:00.004-06:00

6 Miles 43:03 7:10 average per mile
12:15 pm) 30 degrees sunny
Had a couple of inches of snow last night. So waited till it
melted a bit before starting my run. The trail was in good
shape by the time I started. Goal was to run easy today.
I wanted to be around 7:30 average for the run. I ran last
couple miles a bit fast and my average was 20 seconds fast.
Yesterday I took off from running. I had a hard 8 hour shift
then did a killer circuit weight training and core workout.
I got a pass at the Y so joined some friends and they taught
me a lot. They were nice to me as I only had to do the
circuit 2 times instead of the usual 3 times. So after this
running was not very appealing to me.
Booked my tickets to Little Rock today. Let the training begin!

B/a11/121

Ute Pass Trail, LRR, Barr Trail

2011-12-18T13:39:00.002-06:00

12 Miles 1:54:48
8:00 am) 40's - 50's Sunny! It was Awesome!
Today was an interesting run. I felt pretty good for the most
part. I was running with some very talented runners I was out
of my league really but tried to hang with them. I would get
dropped on the hills then catch back up on the downs. Once
we hit Longs Ranch Road I knew I would be dropped for good.
These guys ran the whole way up to the top of the road.
I was not strong enough to run it all so I had to resort to
power hiking. Funny thing though I would keep them in eye
sight even with me hiking and them running. I guess it says
something about my hiking ability. Once we reached the top
I was able to catch back up with them and ran down Barr
trail with them.

Waldo Canyon & Manitou Incline

2011-12-16T15:45:00.002-06:00

10 Miles Total
Waldo Canyon 7 Miles 56:40
Incline 1 Mile 25:43
Barr Trail 2 Miles
Finally got around to running Waldo Canyon. It's been a while.
I ran very strong today and was within a minutes of my best.
Wanted to do the Incline today as well so I did it also.
I pushed it hard and was 1:20 off my best not bad considering
I had just run Waldo hard.
Overall a pretty tough day. Would not have been able to do
so well if I didn't take back to back easier days.

B/PG/125

Manitou Incline & Barr Trail

2011-12-15T22:21:00.003-06:00

4+ Miles
1 Mile Incline
Did the Incline today with my friend Bethany. Was lots of fun
doing it with her. She even had her fastest time going up the
incline. She was pretty surprised as she said she was not
feeling great. After the incline we ran down Barr trail.
Tonight I had dinner with some friends and went to the Colorado
Running Company Christmas party. Was a good time and saw
some friends I haven't seen in a while. Nice end to a Great Day!

Pikes Peak Ave.

2011-12-14T13:15:00.001-06:00

5 Miles 37:34 7:31 average per mile
9:00 am) 30's
Calves are still sore. First run outside since marathon.
I took it very easy. I need to run more slower miles so
when I want to run hard my body can respond. I look to
do more runs in the 7:30 range.

B/a11/115

Gym Workout

2011-12-13T17:39:00.003-06:00

30 Minutes Elliptical
2 Miles Treadmill
Weights
Still sore so another easy day. I did up the resistance on the
elliptical today. It goes up to 20 I went with 12-15 and kept
the PRM's at 100 or over. Was actually a great little work out.
Heart rate was low 150's by the end. That is actually pretty
high for me as my max HR when running is only in the 170's.
Afterwards jumped on treadmill for 2 easy miles just to get
some running going again.
Then I did some leg extensions and leg presses and some abs to
finish it out.

Marathon list

2011-12-13T12:12:00.002-06:00

So I was thinking how many states am I up to now. I am at 10
now with the latest being Alabama. My long term goal is all
50 so a long ways to go.
Here is my list and how many times at each state
Wisconsin 11
Colorado 6
Minnesota 3
Massachusetts 2
Tennessee 1
Nevada 1
Texas 1
California 1
Michigan 1
Alabama 1
28 Marathons total.
2004- 2
2005-4
2006-2
2007-4
2008-4
2009-2
2010-5
2011-5

Gym Workout

2011-12-12T17:24:00.002-06:00

25 Minutes Elliptical
20 Minutes Weights
Needed to do something today but didn't want to run yet as I'm
still pretty sore. Elliptical was good. I did 20 minutes easy
then 5 minutes with good resistance to get HR up some hit 134.
Feeling very motivated already to get back at it. I know some
people would think I should take some down time or what not
but I have a hard time just taking it easy. So with that said
I already signed up for a March 4th marathon. I will take it
easy till Jan. 1. Then I will do a 8 week marathon schedule.
The plan is to train harder this go around. I really want to PR
this time no excuses.

Rocket City Marathon Huntsville Alabama

2011-12-11T15:28:00.006-06:00

26.2 Miles 2:46:28 6:20 average per mile
13th Overall 3rd Master
8:00 am) low 30's windy & cloudy
No PR today but a solid time nonetheless. I was 4 minutes of my
PR and 6 minutes or so off my goal time. I had a feeling it might
not be a PR kind of day early into the race. The first 2 miles
I was running 6:18 and 6:15 and it wasn't easy. I had hoped to
be running 6:05 from the start. Mile 3 I got it to 6:07 and thought
okay maybe I'm warmed up now. Not the case though mile 4 it was
back up again to 6:15. From here to mile 16 stayed in the 6:10-
6:20 range. I hit the half at 1:22:XX and new 2:40 was not going
to happen and 2:42 was not either. Plus the second half had more
of a uphill profile although only slightly. Also the second half
had more head wind to deal with. I ran the second half in 1:24:XX
so I actually ran a pretty good second half.

I only ran with one other runner the entire day and that was only
for a 5 or 6 mile stretch when we had a tailwind. So I think it
made my run alot harder doing it basically all by myself.

I am not surprised that I didn't PR even though I thought maybe
I could will my way. My training went well but the volume was
way down from what I did for Green Bay this past May.
As for the race it's very well run. The course if flat and fast
but it does have lots and lots of turns. Not sure how much if any
that really effects the time though. I don't think much. Unless
you don't run the tangents well. I recommend this race highly!

Visiting my friend from Green Bay was the best part of the trip. We
both lived in Green Bay 5 years ago and then he moved to
Huntsville for work. I had not seen him in that 5 year period so I
picked this race for that reason. It was fun visiting with him and
his 2 dogs. Those dogs are so cute. He also ran the marathon
yesterday as a pacer and he brought them in right on time. I really
appreciate his efforts and others that are willing to help runners
achieve a goal.

The people in Huntsville are some of the most friendly people I
have ever met. It's true what they say about the south and
southern hospitality.

Mesa Rd.

2011-12-06T16:05:00.002-06:00

5 Miles 31:12 6:14 average per mile
1:30 pm) 30 degrees & sunny
Today I planned on doing a 7 mile tempo run. Well it didn't
go well so ended it at 5. I was struggling so bad it wasn't
much of a tempo towards the end so just said that's enough.
I know what happened I went out too fast and just had nothing
after 2 miles. Plus the last 2 miles were the up hill miles
so made it even worse. I hate to show my splits but I will
as it shows what I'm talking about.
5:50, 5:55, 6:14, 6:33, 6:38
Well I'm off to Alabama tomorrow so this was my last run in
Colorado. I will take off tomorrow and do something Thursday.
Friday will be a short shake out run 2-3 mile. Saturday is
race day. Will not post for the next few days look for a
race report Sunday afternoon.

B/st5/56

Barr Trail

2011-12-04T14:06:00.002-06:00

7.07 Miles 1:04:41 9:09 average per mile
8:45 am) cold 20's
Couldn't get out off work early so got to the club run late.
I went 3.5 miles up Barr Trail and back down. I actually felt
pretty strong going up 32:45 to the top of the W's.
On the down didn't push too hard as I didn't want to risk
falling this close to my race Saturday.
I think this was my first time running up Barr trail since
the marathon. It was nice to be back on the trail.

Gym

2011-12-03T14:35:00.001-06:00

4 Miles 29:22 Treadmill
10 Minutes elliptical
Cold outside so opted for the warmer option. One week till
race day!

B/a11/99

Pikes Peak Greenway

2011-12-02T17:11:00.002-06:00

10 Miles 1:08:07 6:49 average per mile
2:10 pm) cold & sunny! mid 30's
Late start today as I wanted to wait for it to warm up some.
It was only in the 30's but with the sun and light winds it
felt nice. I even wore shorts! That's saying something as
I'm not warm blooded.
Run was good I tried not to push it real hard today. I ran
at a moderate effort. I'm feeling good and no injuries to
report. Only 2 more days of work then I'm off until after
the marathon. Will be a nice break.

B/a11/95

Mesa Rd.

2011-11-30T15:39:00.002-06:00

5 Miles 32:46 6:33 average per mile
1:30 pm)very warm low 60's sunny!
Legs were a bit tired from yesterday's tempo run but I still
managed to push the pace pretty hard.
Weather was awesome! I had to enjoy it as tomorrow it will
be 40 degrees colder!

b/a11r/360

Pikes Peak Greenway

2011-11-29T13:59:00.002-06:00

12.25 Miles Total
10:45 am) sunny & warm
10 Miles Tempo 1:02:34 6:15 average per mile
6:24, 6:20, 6:16, 6:24, 6:24, 6:09, 6:07, 6:25, 6:12, 5:51

B/st5/50

Mesa Rd.

2011-11-28T15:23:00.002-06:00

5 Miles 35:03 7:00 average per mile
12:00 pm) 50's Sunny
Thinking about 2012 Races.
Jan-Feb Winter Series
March - Marathon
May - Greenland Trail 50k
June - Garden of the Gods 10 Miler
July - Barr Trail Mountain Race
August - Pikes Peak Ascent
August - Pikes Peak Marathon
Sept. - Marathon or Bear Chase 50k
Oct.?
Nov.?
Dec.?
This is some of them. I will do more than this as I will do
some 5k's and such.
I'm thinking about the double! Ascent and Marathon. I think this
is the year I do it. Have not wanted to try it before but feel
I'm ready for it.

B/a11/85

Incline Club Group Run

2011-11-27T13:04:00.003-06:00

7.5 Miles 1:03:53 8:31 average per mile
8:00 am) cold & sunny
Got off work early today so I was able to make the first Incline
Club run of the new season. Today was also group picture day.

Today's run was up to 15 miles. I took a shorter option as I'm
tapering. I went out 3.75 and then back. Started at Memorial
Park went up Ruxton then over to Ute Pass to Longs Ranch Road
then back.

I felt good pretty good today. It's a tough 7.5 mile run lots
of ups and downs. I guess I ran pretty well as I caught up
to Matt C. at mile 3 and ran with him till I turned around.
Matt was doing the long course so he was not pushing it hard
at all. Still pretty neat to run with the legend. Kind of made
my day. Funny story as we were running together I said hi I'm
Brad and Matt says I'm Matt Carpenter. Like I didn't know that.

Afterwards we had a little party at the park. We all brought
food and drinks and then shared it all. Good times.

B/PG/115

Gym

2011-11-26T14:16:00.002-06:00

12 Minutes Treadmill 1.7 Miles
10 Minutes Elliptical
Didn't feel like doing much today. Bit sore from yesterday and
working last night. Just wanted to loosen the legs up a bit.
First time on the treadmill in months. I found it to feel
harder than running outside. For fun I put it at 11.1 towards
the end just for some fast turnover.

Pikes Peak Greenway

2011-11-25T16:06:00.002-06:00

16 Miles 1:50:29 6:54 average per mile
11:50 am) cloudy 47 degrees
Was not sure what I was going to do today. I didn't want to
commit to running a certain pace or distance until I got
a mile or two into the run before deciding. Well I could
tell my legs did not want to do fast turnover but felt
okay if I kept the pace at a moderate pace. So I decided
to make this my last longer run before the marathon 2 weeks
from tomorrow.
7:11, 6:50, 6:46, 6:50, 6:52, 6:53, 7:00, 7:03, 7:07, 7:02,
7:08, 7:13, 7:07, 6:38, 6:42, 6:05
Last mile decided to finish strong and see what I could do.
I was happy to finish on a good note.

Briargate YMCA 5k

2011-11-24T13:00:00.004-06:00

3.1 Miles 18:08 5:51 average per mile
27 out of 2422 3rd Age Group (40-44)
Sunny & Warm 50's
Pretty happy with my race today. I had no real goal as I was
exhausted before the race even started. Last night I worked
very hard and didn't get off till almost 8:00. Race started
at 9:00. First half mile I was sluggish hard to get the legs
moving. After a half mile I got into a better grove and
started to pass all the people that flew by me. From this
point on no one passed me and I passed runners the rest
of the race.
The weather was perfect today! I could not have asked for
better. This is a fun race. They had over 2800 runners.
The Course is not flat it has some rolling hills. I actually
liked the hills today though as I would gain ground on the
other runners every time I hit one. I guess all the training
on hills this past summer is paying off.
Last year I was 30th Place 5th Age Group. I averaged 6:08 per
mile compared to 5:51 this year. So I am getting faster.
Picture above looks like I have no arms! I can assure you
I do have arms.

B/ST5/37

Palmer Trail Loop / Section 16

2011-11-22T13:04:00.002-06:00

5.46 Miles 44:55 8:14 average per mile
10:15 am) Sunny & Warm Upper 40's
Needed some trail running today as I'm kind of tired of road
running. Was nice out and I enjoyed the run. I felt slower
than usual on the climbs but faster on the flat sections
and the descents. I love this short loop it is probably my
favorite run. You work very hard the first 2 miles then you
can fly for the last 3.5 miles.

B/PG/107

Pikes Peak Greenway

2011-11-21T14:38:00.002-06:00

11 Miles Total
10:15 am)
Today was going to be a 10 mile tempo run. Well it didn't go
well. I ended it after the 8th mile. I was struggling and
mentally weak. I jogged back to the car. Tempo started out
good but it was hard from the start.
6:17, 6:25, 6:22, 6:27, 6:28, 6:07, 6:15, 6:30. Glad I ended
it as even the jog back to the car was not easy. Not sure
why I had a off day. Maybe doing 10 yesterday was a factor.
I usually run less the day before my tempo runs.

B/st5/34

Pikes Peak Greenway

2011-11-20T14:27:00.002-06:00

10 Miles 1:08:13 6:49 average per mile
10:30 am) 30's Sunny
Chilly run today but with the sun and light wind it felt pretty
nice. Felt good today and ran harder than I wanted to. Was
supposed to be easy. Tomorrow is a harder run so hope today
didn't jeopardize that.

B/a11/80

Manitou Incline & Barr Trail

2011-11-19T15:35:00.002-06:00

5.3 Miles Total
1 Mile Incline 26:53
I knew the Incline time would be slower today with me doing my
long run yesterday. I actually felt pretty good just didn't have
a lot of energy. Coming down Barr trail I felt great though.
Nice sunny day but very windy. At the top of the Incline the
wind was really blowing. Barr trail was in great shape no snow
or ice.

B/PG/101

Pikes Peak Greenway Long Run

2011-11-18T15:13:00.002-06:00

20 Miles 2:17:58 6:54 average per mile
9:30 am) 50's Sunny!
This run was a struggle today. I felt okay till mile 11 then
for some reason I started to bonk. At 14 miles I wanted to
end the run. I decided at 14 that 22 was not going to happen
and told myself lets at least try for 20. Got the 20 miles
so happy about that but am wondering what happened today.
Maybe just an off day?
My splits to give an idea of the slow down. Never really
crashed but did slow down.
7:07,6:41,6:35,6:35,6:44,6:42,6:42,6:45,6:48,6:46,6:57,
6:45,7:04,7:11,6:58,7:13,6:58,7:17,6:59,7:10

B/a11/70

Hill Repeats

2011-11-16T13:46:00.002-06:00

7.10 Miles 48:41 6:52 average per mile
10:15 am) cold 30's Sunny
Did something I have not done since March 26th. Hill Repeats!
I did a 2 mile warm up followed by 4 X 20 second strides.
Then I ran up 17th St. it's not steep but has a gradual incline.
I did 6 X 2:00. After each one I would jog back down for
recovery then repeat. After each one of these I was getting
to the same spot so I figure I ran them all at about the same
pace. On the 6th one I pushed harder and finished about 10
yards further down the road. This was a very effective
workout. Want to do it 2 more time before the marathon.
Quads are a bit sore from yesterdays run. I guess that's good
though. Easy day tomorrow then last long run on Friday.

B/a11/50

Pikes Peak Greenway

2011-11-15T12:41:00.002-06:00

10 Miles 1:02:31 6:15 average per mile
9:30 am) 40's - 50's Sunny & Breezy
Good run didn't really feel super but ran well.
12.35 Miles total

B/ST5/23

Pikes Peak Greenway

2011-11-14T15:48:00.002-06:00

5 Miles 36:01 7:12 average per mile
12:15 pm) 50 degrees sunny
Hamstring is a bit tender so I took off yesterday and ran relatively
easy today. Hamstring is still a bit sore but I think it's okay.

B/a10/43

Backcountry Wilderness Half Marathon Highlands Ranch, Colorado

2011-11-12T15:33:00.002-06:00

13.1 Miles 1:31:33 7:00 average per mile
3rd Overall 1st Age Group
Was a lot harder course than I was prepared for. Lots of rollers.
Never felt very good all day. I can't complain about being 3rd
but wish I would have felt better than I did. I was second for
first 3 miles then I got passed by 2 runners then the 3 of us
kind of stayed together trading positions every now and then.
I was in second until mile 9 when I got passed again and could
not respond. My legs were pretty much dead at that point.
Hung in for last 4 miles for 3rd.

B/PG/95

Palmer Trail Loop / Section 16

2011-11-10T14:33:00.003-06:00

5.48 Miles 44:10 8:04 average per mile
12:00 pm) 50's Sunny! Awesome weather!!!
Felt great today and ran this 28 seconds faster than I ever have.
I'm very happy with that time and I could have probably broke
44 minutes if not for some icy sections I had to slow down on.
Ran in short sleeves and shorts! Back home in Wisconsin they
are getting snow. Glad I'm here.

B/PG/80

Pikes Peak Greenway

2011-11-08T13:47:00.002-06:00

10 Miles 1:02:45 6:16 average per mile
10:20 am) 40 degrees Sunny & Windy!
Wanted to do 12 miles today but decided 10 would be enough.
I was tired before even starting this run so figured 10 was
better than nothing. It was chilly and windy for this run
making it even harder to get motivated for it. I did a
mile warm up. Was still kind of cold but once I started
the tempo run I was warm. I started out against the wind
so I would have a nice tail wind on the way back.
6:40, 6:33, 6:29, 6:37, 6:35, 5:56, 5:57, 6:16, 5:56, 5:45

New Shoes Brooks ST 5
B/ST5/10

Canya Canyon 6K

2011-11-07T11:21:00.002-06:00

4.04 Miles 33:54 8:24 average per mile
3rd Overall
Mile 1 7:35
Mile 2 10:39
Mile 3 7:50
Mile 4 7:40
Last minute decision on this race. I worked the night before
the race so I was a bit tired going into this race. My
schedule was for a shorter faster run so this worked out
good.
Mile 2 was extremely hard! I had to even do some power walking
due to me red lining early into the race. I recovered pretty
well for mile 3 & 4. I was 4th place until the last mile
when I made a pass going up hill. Was a risky move but was
able to hold on for 3rd. I was pretty far back from top
2 runners so even if I was fresh I would have been 3rd.
Top runner Peter Maksimow broke 30:00 (29:47) for a course
record. That guy is in shape!!!
7 Miles on the day.

B/PG/74

Uintah to Garden of Gods & Back

2011-11-05T12:13:00.002-05:00

8 Miles 55:21 6:55 average per mile
9:15 am) 40's Partly Sunny

B/a11r/363

Manitou Incline & Barr Trail

2011-11-04T16:23:00.003-05:00

5 Miles Total
1 Mile Incline 26:33
Pushed pretty hard on the Incline. Took it easy coming down
Barr Trail as I was a bit sore from yesterday's run.

B/PG/74

Pueblo Front Range Trail

2011-11-03T17:56:00.003-05:00

20 Miles 2:12:46 6:38 average per mile
11:40 am) low 40's Sunny!
This was a hard run today. I didn't feel great for most of the run.
The last 5 miles were especially tough. I struggled just to hold
on. Glad to get this run in though. Not really sure why I didn't
feel better. Maybe because I did a hard tempo on Tuesday.
Another factor could be that I just haven't been logging that many
miles lately and my endurance is weak. Not sure that's the case
though last week I did 18 and felt very strong.

B/a11/38

Pikes Peak Greenway Tempo Run

2011-11-01T14:25:00.003-05:00

10 Miles 1:02:19 6:14 average per mile
10:00 am) 40's Sunny
Probably the fastest I have run 10 miles since living in Colorado.
So far my training couldn't be going any better. Hope I can keep
it up for a few more weeks before the taper.

Manitou Springs Coffin Races & Pikes Peak Greenway 5k

2011-10-30T12:44:00.004-05:00

6.1 Miles Total
1.6 warm up
3.11 5k 18:09 5:52,5:54,5:48,5:25 (:35)
Didn't think I would beat last weeks time. I did barely 2 seconds.
Happy with that.
1.3 cool down.
Took off yesterday and went to Manitou Springs. I watched the
parade and the coffin races. That was one interesting experience.
I took a bunch of pictures. Weather was fantastic sunny and warm.
Would like to participate next year I just need to get a team
together. Maybe get some fast runners and win the thing.

Pikes Peak Greenway

2011-10-28T15:09:00.002-05:00

18 Miles 1:57:19 6:31 average per mile
10:35 am) 40's Sunny!
Great run today! I was not expecting to have a great run today.
Yesterday I had thoughts of going long but just didn't have it
physically or mentally. Today was the complete opposite.
6:56,6:41,6:30,6:28,6:30,6:30,6:41,6:39,6:41,6:26,6:37,6:37,
6:25,6:43,6:17,6:23,6:06,6:06
Slowest mile 1. Fastest mile 18. That's good pacing.
I have about 4 more weeks of hard training then a 2 week taper.
Next week will be my first 20 miler. Then I think I will go
down to 16 then 18 and finally a 22 miler. I'm just winging
it I have no set schedule. I kind of like it that way. My
focus each week is 3 hard workouts 1. 5k for speed. 2. Tempo
run 10-12 miles. 3. Long run. I might do a session or 2 of
some hill repeats. I take at least 1 day off a week and no
2 a days.
Wore new shoes today. Well not new same model I always wear
but never worn. I don't think you need a break in period
when your not switching to a new model. I wear the Brooks
Adrenaline 11's. I also run in the Brooks ST 5's for my
faster runs. I will wear the ST 5's for the marathon.

B/a11/18

Garden of the Gods

2011-10-27T11:07:00.003-05:00

6.5 Miles 51:09 7:52 average per mile
8:00 am) Sunny & Cold! low 20's
Was going to run with a friend today but he canceled. So I had
to run solo and just didn't have the motivation today and
ran shorter than planned. Was a beautiful morning though!

B/A11R/355

Pikes Peak Greenway Tempo Run

2011-10-25T15:17:00.002-05:00

12 Miles 1:!6:51 6:24 average per mile
10:30 am) 60's Sunny!
Good run today. The weather was perfect! That wont last though.
We are in a winter storm warning for tomorrow morning. Maybe
3-7" where I live. Will be cold but will be warm by the weekend
so I don't think the snow will last long.
Today's splits.
6:38, 6:46, 6:39, 6:32, 6:29, 6:27 out
6:13, 6:15, 6:12, 6:13, 6:16, 6:09 back
As you can see from the splits the route is slightly uphill going
out then slightly downhill coming back. Last mile was very hard
today. I was out of gas and my form was not good. I was surprised
to see it was my fastest mile today.

Pkes Peak Greenway 5k

2011-10-23T13:32:00.003-05:00

5.64 Miles Total
11:20 am) low 60's Sunny!
1.26 warm up
3.11 5k by myself 18:11 5:51 average per mile
Mile 1 5:51
Mile 2 5:56
Mile 3 5:48
.11 (:36) 5:26
1.27 cool down
Last week I was 18:34. I didn't expect to run faster this time
as I was pretty tired from work last night. I considered passing
on this run but the weather was just to nice today not to get
out. I have to enjoy it while I can. Wednesday is only going to
be 33 degrees with snow.

Manitou Incline & Barr Trail

2011-10-22T14:26:00.002-05:00

6.05 Miles Total
1 Mile Incline 25:37
11:30 am) Sunny & Warm
Pretty good time for the Incline today. It's 1:13 off my best.
Considering I'm not doing it on a regular basis I think it's
good. Ran slower on the way down Barr trail today on purpose.
Trying not to run hard every time out. Tomorrow is speed work
if I'm feeling okay. Saturday night is always a hard night
at work so will see how I feel in the morning.

B/PG/75

Pikes Peak Greenway

2011-10-21T14:45:00.002-05:00

16 Miles 1:50:29 6:54 average per mile
9:20 am) 50's - 60's
Thought it would be a bit easier today I struggled more than
expected. I think yesterday's hard trail run took more out of
me than I realized. Miles 10, 11 & 12 were pretty slow till
I refocused and ran stronger last 4.
Next week I'm doing 18 miles and will either take off the day
before or go short and easy. still glad to get 16 in today.
It's the start of my quick build up for Dec. 10th race.

B/a11r/348

Waldo Canyon

2011-10-20T14:07:00.004-05:00

7 Miles 55:55 *PR*
11:00 am) 60's Sunny! Awesome weather!
I had not run here in 5 weeks and was looking forward to today's
run. Also I had not run here in my new Brooks Pure Grit shoes
so I was curious how they would work on this trail. Well they
worked great. My best time here was 56:23. I took off 28 seconds
today very happy! I took off yesterday to recover from my hard
12 mile tempo run on Tuesday. I'm at the point where I think
days off are good for me and no longer feel I have to run
everyday. If I miss a day or two a week no big deal. I'm not
chasing miles anymore. In fact I have not even been keeping
track anymore. My only goal at this point for my upcoming
marathon is to get like 3 good workouts in during the week the
other days are whatever I feel like doing if anything at all.

B/PG/69

Pikes Peak Greenway (tempo run)

2011-10-18T13:23:00.002-05:00

12 Miles 1:17:39 6:28 average per mile
10:10 am) 40's Sunny - Very Windy 10-20+ mph
Today was a tempo run and I was not really looking forward to
it as it's windy here today. I decided I would go north on
the trail first and fight the head wind. Couldn't wait to
turn around and use the wind to my advantage.
My splits were pretty slow at first but I was working very
hard. Overall a great run.
6:48, 6:53, 6:53, 6:42, 6:41, 6:35, 6:28, 6:13, 6:09, 6:04,
6:13, 5:58

Palmer Trail Loop / Section 16

2011-10-17T14:25:00.003-05:00

5.43 Miles 44:55
10:30 am) 50's Sunny!
Felt good today. Pushed as hard as I could. Was 12 seconds off my
best time. Nice fall like day. Perfect running weather!

\B/PG/62

Pikes Peak Greenway

2011-10-16T15:16:00.002-05:00

10 Miles 1:09:39 6:58 average per mile
10:40 am) sunny 50's NICE!!!
Not feeling super today just okay. Didn't try to push it just
wanted to get the miles in. Booked my flight today to Alabama!
I guess I'm doing this.

B/a11r/332

Pikes Peak Greenway

2011-10-15T12:48:00.002-05:00

6 Miles Total
1.4 warm up
3.11 5k by myself 18:34 5:58 average per mile
Mile 1 5:59
Mile 2 6:05
Mile 3 5:54
.11 (:36) 5:37
1.5 cool down
Pretty happy with this. I want to do this once a week to see
how my fitness is coming along.

Mueller State Park, Divide, Colorado

2011-10-14T18:08:00.005-05:00

8 Miles 8:57 average per mile
1:45 pm) sunny cool 50's
Been wanting to run here for months so finally decided to get
to this park before winter hits. I had plans on running more
than 8 miles but due to me stopping often and being at higher
altitude made me feel more tired. Plus the trails I ran on
had some steep climbs. I had to hike on several occasions.
I took many pictures. The colors were pretty today I think
a week or so past prime though.
Lots of trails at this park I would like to get back this
year and runs some more of them. Only problem with this
park being at over 9,000 ft snow falls here sooner than
the Springs. If not I will be back this coming spring for sure.

B/PG/56

Pikes Peak Greenway

2011-10-13T16:12:00.003-05:00

11.30 Miles 6:40 average per mile
12:00 pm) 60's Sunny!
Good run today but it was a not a easy effort. I got pretty tired
by the end. Going to start doing long flat runs again as I'm training
for a flat marathon December 10th. Also will incorporate some
sort of speed work and a tempo run each week. I'm excited to be
training for another marathon. I love the process of training for
something. It keeps me motivated! My goal is of course to try and
PR so sub 2:42. Would like to be in the 2:30's.

B/a11r/322

Manitou Incline & Barr Trail

2011-10-11T14:52:00.004-05:00

6.10 Miles Total
1 Mile Incline 26:43
First time on the Incline in a few weeks. I was kind of slow today.
I expected it though. Felt great coming down Barr trail in my new
shoes. Brooks Pure Grit handled the trail nice. Shoes are not so
great though on the paved road. Not enough cushion for my liking
on the pavement.

B/PG/48

Pikes Peak Greenway

2011-10-10T14:28:00.002-05:00

8 Miles 51:30 6:26 average per mile
11:45 am)50's sunny!
Took off yesterday just because it was the day after and thought
I should take a recovery day. Today I felt awesome! I felt no
soreness from the marathon. I ran hard the last 4 miles to start
working on some faster turnover. I plan on doing a marathon
December 10th so I need some faster runs. I have the endurance
already with all my races in the past 7 weeks.

B/a11r/310

Xterra Cheyenne Mountain State Park Trail Run

2011-10-09T11:22:00.006-05:00

26.2 Miles 3:45:05 8:35 average per mile
1st Place!
8:30 am) 30's Cold, Windy, Rain, Snow & Mud
Going into this race I did not feel good at all. I have felt run
down all week. I even took some days off due to fatigue. Morning
of the race woke up and felt no better. This was the worst I ever
felt on the morning of a race. Plus to make matters worse the
conditions outside were not ideal to say the least. Of course
though I was going to give it a shot I always do.
I got to the park and sat in my car with the heater on. I was
chilled. I really considered just leaving. I called my mom and
she even encouraged me to just go home. I'm stubborn and I
decided well I'm here I will give it a shot and at least try
to do one loop 13.1 miles. Race was delayed and we got started
a half hour late. This really was no big deal though as I was
not that anxious to get going anyway.
Race got under way and right away I noticed my breathing was
very labored not a good sign. After a few miles my breathing
settled down but I just felt tired. By mile 8 I almost convinced
myself that I would drop out at 13 miles the end of the first
loop. This was not an easy decision for me as I have never had
a DNF. Got to my 11 and was still not great but no worse started
to think maybe I will not drop. Finally made it to the end of
the first loop and not sure what happened but quiting was not
an option and I kept on going. It was like a switch went off
I got past that negative thought pattern and my brain switched
to race mode finally. My energy picked up and I started running
faster. The course was getting very muddy on the second loop
but I was still running faster than the first loop.
I was pulling away from the other runners that were right with
me at the end of the first loop. I was gaining confidence.
I was strong the entire second loop I only slowed the last
few miles due to conditions more than anything else. My new
shoes were awesome. Yes they slipped around in the mud but I'm
pretty sure any shoe would slip in that mud. I wore the new
Brooks Pure Grit trail shoes.
So the lesson I guess I learned from this race is never give up!
If you feel bad it can turn around. I now believe you should only
DNF if it's due to injury or a true health concern and not just
fatigue.
So this was my 27th marathon and first marathon win. Only my
3rd ever win at any distance. I hope I can get a few more wins
before I get too much older.

Pikes Peak Greenway

2011-10-05T15:12:00.004-05:00

3.5 Miles
Tired today should have just taking the day off. I was going to
run more but decided to cut it short. Besides being tired I actually
wasn't really motivated which is very unusual for me as I'm
usually super motivated. I think work is effecting my training
for sure. Lately my part time job is full time. This is good for
paying the bills but hurts the training and motivation to get out.

B/a11r/302

Cheyenne Mountain State Park

2011-10-04T12:54:00.003-05:00

10.25 Miles 1:30:00 8:47 average per mile
8:00 am) cool & sunny
Ran here for the first time today. I have wanted to run here
for a long time now but never got around to it. Plus the $7.
daily use fee makes it less appealing to me. So many good
trails here I can run for free! I wanted to run here today
though as I'm racing here on Saturday and wanted to get some
feel of the course and terrain. I ran today with Dan Vega
he knew some of the trails so I was glad he joined me. Plus
I always enjoy having company when out running.
Wore my new shoes Brook Pure Grit today. I really am liking
them. I'm going to use them Saturday hopefully they will be
okay for 26.2 miles.
The trails are really nice at this state park well groomed.
It will be a challenging marathon as it's far from a easy
course lots of climbing and lots of turns. Not sure what
time I can run I'm not going to worry about it. Last year
the winning time was 3:30. Probably a solid time considering
the course and altitude.

B/PG/16

Rest Day

2011-10-03T16:17:00.002-05:00

Decided to take the day off. I'm feeling kind of worn out so
I will listen to my body plus I worked 9.5 hours so that was
a major factor. I'm very motivated to run right now so it's
hard not to get out. Sometimes I think not running is better
for me so I consider this part of my training plan.
Registered today for the trail marathon on Saturday. Hard to
believe but it's going to be COLD! It's 84 right now in
Colorado Springs!

Mesa Rd

2011-10-02T13:46:00.002-05:00

7 Miles 46:30 6:39 average per mile
11:30 am) mid 70's Sunny & Warm
Summer like weather here today. Cooler weather by next weekend.
I might do another race Saturday. I'm starting to get carried
away with all this racing. Oh well I feel good and I'm recovering
fast after each race. The race this Saturday is a trail marathon
here in the springs. So it's nice and close to home. I'm not
scheduled to work Friday night which is very unusual so I feel
I should take advantage of it.
The race is at Cheyenne Mountain State Park. I'm kind of excited
to run there as I have yet to run on their trail system.
Today's run felt sluggish to start and after 3 miles I felt
great!

b/a11r/298

Nielson 2 Mile Challenge

2011-10-01T12:14:00.003-05:00

2 Miles 11:39 4th Place
8:00 am) sunny and cool
This was not a planned run at all. I got off work early and
remembered that the first Saturday of the month there is a
2 mile run at Monument Valley Park, Colorado Springs.
I have not been able to make it before so thought why not
it's a free event too which makes it even better.
I have done zero speed work as of late so really had no
expectations. I did think I could break 12:00. I ran 11:39
so I'm happy with that. I was in fourth the entire race
except near the end when I passed the third place runner but
he came back strong and passed me and I could not respond.

Pikes Peak Greenway

2011-09-30T13:58:00.003-05:00

8.5 Miles or so 58:XX
Forgot my Garmin today. Of course this bugged me but not
enough to drive back home to get it. I carried my cell phone
to keep track of time. Distance is probably very close as
they have mile markers along the trail. Another beautiful
fall day. I love running this time of year.

B/a11r/291

Palmer Trail Loop / Section 16 NEW SHOES!

2011-09-29T13:35:00.003-05:00

5.5 Miles 44:43 Fastest I have run this so far.
11:00 am) Sunny & Cool
Last time I ran this I was 45:56 so not bad today. Wore new shoes
today Brooks Pure Grit. They are very light less than 9 oz. I
really like them so far but it was only 5.5 miles so not a real
test. The only issue I had was my right shoes laces came untied
2 times. I even double knotted my shoes laces. Glad Brooks finally
came out with a light weight trail shoes. These might become my
new go to shoe at least I hope.
Legs felt great again today and ran very hard last 1.5 miles.
Easy to run last part hard as it is downhill. I like it though
as I get to work on some fast turnover. I averaged around 5:30
pace for that 1.5 miles.

B/PG/6

Bear Chase Pictures

2011-09-29T10:01:00.003-05:00

Pikes Peak Greenway

2011-09-28T14:01:00.002-05:00

10 Miles 1:09:17 6:56 average per mile
10:15 am) warm mid to upper 70's
Good run today. Legs feel very good. Was warm but didn't really
notice it with such low humidity.

B/a11r/282

Ute Valley Park

2011-09-27T15:18:00.002-05:00

5 Miles 43:35 8:42 average per mile
11:00 am) Sunny & Summer Like
Took it easy today and kept it short. My legs actually feel great
no real soreness from race. I did feel fatigue though. Nice day
here in Colorado Springs! This weather has been super lately!

B/a10r/272

Pikes Peak Greenway

2011-09-26T13:44:00.002-05:00

8 Miles 56:50 7:06 average per mile
10:00 am) warm & cloudy
Yes I'm running already no day off. Probably take tomorrow off
as I'm usually more sore 48 hours later. I think my body is
somewhat used to the pounding as I have done 2 marathons and
a 50k in 5 weeks. Might be time to take a bit of a break.
When I say a break I don't mean no running just less off it
and easier paced.
No races planned at this point but I might have something in
the works for December? If so I will need to get some good
training in a short period.

Bear Chase 50k Trail Run

2011-09-25T17:56:00.004-05:00

31 Miles 4:05:42 7:55 average per mile
4th Overall
Well a good race not quite what I hoped for. I hoped to break
4 hours today. I was well on my way to doing that until the
last 12.5 loop. I went from a 1:32:53 loop to a 1:48:22.
Several reasons why my last loop was over 15 minutes slower.
I ran second loop too fast. My hamstring cramped after 3rd
creek crossing. Was able to work it out but slowed me down
and finally for the first time in my running career I got sick.
I was in 4th going into the last loop so I feel very fortunate
to not lose any positions.
My time was over 11 minutes faster than last year so that's
a pretty good improvement. This also is a PR for me in the
50K distance. The finisher medal is Awesome! It's large and
heavy. I highly recommend this race to anyone!

Sondermann Park

2011-09-23T14:13:00.002-05:00

4 Miles 30:26 7:36 average per mile
11:00 am) sunny & warm
Short run today. Just enough to get a sweat going.
I'm going to take tomorrow off so I'm done till race
morning.

Pikes Peak Greenway

2011-09-22T13:49:00.002-05:00

5 Miles 32:03 6:24 average per mile
10:30 am) cool & sunny!
Short run but pushed it hard. Feeling better than I did a couple
days ago. Should be ready to go Sunday!

Elliptical & Treadmill

2011-09-21T14:53:00.001-05:00

1:00 Total gym workout
30:00 elliptical 3.44 miles
30:00 treadmill 3.28 miles 10% Incline
Very good workout.

St Mary Falls

2011-09-20T11:58:00.003-05:00

9.10 Miles 1:35:50 10:32 average per mile
7:00 am) Sunny & Chilly
2476 elevation gain
Met up with Dan Vega at Gold Camp parking lot. Dan took me on
one of his runs that he does. I had never run it before and didn't
know what I was getting myself into. Well it started out okay
no problem then it got steep. I was having a hard time keeping
up with Dan. Eventually I just couldn't keep up with him. I was
reduced to power hiking. Even the power hiking was hard. Dan
just kept on running he didn't walk a step of the run. He is
a great climber! Once we reached the top we turned around and
ran it back down. Thank goodness for the downhill!
I will need to do this run some more. I want to eventually stay
with Dan on this. Was my first time running with Dan I hope to
get to run with him more in the future. I always like running
with someone better than myself it makes me a better runner.

B/TB/115