Year End Review

Ended the year with 2615 Miles versus 2163 last year.
Happy with these numbers. I thought I might hit 3000 this
year but never really worried about it. I didn't even know
how many miles I had for the year till Dec 23 when I added
them up.
I did 5 Marathons this year my most in a year.
I had a personal best at Houston Marathon 1/17/10 2:50:02
I ran a 2:57 trail marathon 4/17/10 2nd place overall.
I was pleased with this result.

I also did 2 50 mile trail runs and a 50k trail run.
Placed in the top 10 in all 3 of these. The 50k I was second
overall.

Had my best 10k time 35:52 6/12/10

So not a bad year at all. I look forward to 2011.
I turn 40 in March so will be a Master runner.
I hired a coach and think with his help I will PR again in
the Marathon. May 15, 2011 Cellcom Green Bay Marathon.

Other goal for 2011 is to improve on my Pikes Peak Marathon
results. I think living in Colorado now will give me a huge
advantage over my 2 previous attempts.

Happy New Year!

Waldo Canyon

7 Miles 57:26
144 HR average
10:00 am) 30's Sunny!
Second fastest time I have run this loop. I was pushing as hard as
I could. I have not worn my HR monitor on this trail before so was
curious as to what it would be. I thought it would be higher. Last
2 miles it was 153 average. I saw it hit 157 a couple times.
Cold and snow is headed this way. Not looking forward to it. We
might get 3-6" of snow and single digits temperatures for highs.

Pikes Peak Greenway s-n

10 Miles 1:10:05 7:00 average per mile
138 HR Average
10:00 am) mid to upper 30's Partly Sunny
Same run as yesterday. Only difference is that I capped my HR
at 130 for the first mile and 135-145 for the rest of the run.
I did good at not going over. Only 2 times it briefly hit 146.
I was surprised to see how low it was the first mile. Not sure
if altitude is a factor? It was always higher in Wisconsin.
Mile/Pace/HR
1/6:57/121
2/6:47/131
3/6:44/136
4/6:41/141
5/6:45/143
6/7:06/143
7/7:14/142
8/7:13/143
9/7:20/144
10/7:14/144

B/Launch/158

Pikes Peak Greenway s-n

10 Miles 1:08:55 6:53 average per mile
143 HR average
11:40 pm)upper 30's Sunny!
I'm starting to use my HR monitor again. Interesting to see the
numbers today. It was very low to start but got higher as the
run went on and got slower as well.
Mile 1 PACE 6:52 HR 131
Mile 2 6:47 135
Mile 3 6:47 140
Mile 4 6:52 142
Mile 5 6:55 143
Mile 6 7:00 146
Mile 7 6:59 148
Mile 8 6:59 148
Mile 9 7:00 149
Mile 10 6:43 151

B/a10/295

Pikes Peak Greenway

5 Miles no time
1:00 pm) 40's Sunny!
Forgot my Garmin so no time. Funny how dependent I am to the
Garmin. I almost didn't run because I wouldn't be able to time
my run. I ran on the Pikes Peak Greenway so I knew the distance.
It's marked every half mile. I decided to run easy today since
I wouldn't know the pace anyway. Well running easier doesn't
mean it will be a easier run. I guess I'm used to running at a
certain pace. It felt harder to purposely run slower. A couple
times I would go to look at my wrist only to remember I didn't
have my watch on.

Waldo Canyon

Sunday 12/26/2010
7 Miles 57:34
12:20 pm) 40's Sunny!
Felt good. Second fastest time I have run this loop.

61 Miles for the week. Good week got a couple longer runs in.

Manitou Incline & Barr Trail

5.78 Miles
12:15 pm) mid 40's Sunny!
Merry Christmas Everyone!
25:19 for Incline. 3rd Best time.
Wore my HR monitor for the first time since moving to Colorado.
I guess I have been afraid to wear it fearing sky high Heart Rate.
Well I checked it just before starting going up the incline it was
74. It went up quickly once I started the work out. At the top it
was 156. It averaged 143 for the 25:19 work out. So not as bad as
I feared. My max is around 174 so I did not hit that.
I restarted it for the next 4.75 miles which was mostly down Barr
trail so it stayed low. It averaged 130 for this portion. I will
check it again this week on a normal flat run. I"m thinking it
will be 140's to 150's. Of course it depends on what pace I run.

Kind of a strange Christmas for me. My first in Colorado and away
from family & friends. Also I can't remember never having a white
Christmas. I don't mind that part though. I have seen plenty of
snow in my lifetime.

Pikes Peak Greenway

16 Miles 1:48:10 6:45 average per mile
12:15 pm)low 40's Sunny!
Good run today. My energy level was good for the entire run. I
had consistent pacing. My slowest mile was 6:56 fastest was
last mile but that was only because I pushed the last 2 miles.
Nice day weather wise chilly but perfect for running.

B/a10/296

Uinah & Mesa Rd

7 Miles 45:38 6:31 average per mile
12:00 pm) Mid 50's!!!!! Awesome!!!!
What a difference a day makes in the weather and the way I feel.
I felt great from the start today. So I went with it and pushed
the pace. I ran the same course and distance as yesterday. My
time was almost 4 minutes faster.

B/a10/280

Wednesday 12/22/2010
7 Miles 49:43 7:06 average per mile
12:30 pm) mid 20's Cold! Light snow
Did not have the legs today. I had no energy. Coldest day I think
since I've moved here. Was not bad though I was dressed warm.

B/Launch 148

Pikes Peak Greenway & Sinton Trail

14.25 Miles 1:38:47 6:56 average per mile
Started out very sluggish and my breathing was labored. After
3.5 miles finally started to feel better. Was thinking about
cutting run short but decided to keep going. Not a great run
but glad I got it in.
B/a10/273

Monday 12/20/10
4 Miles
Manitou Incline & Barr Trail
I hiked this with Lori.

Pikes Peak Greenway

10 Miles 1:06:02 6:36 average per mile
12:30 pm) mid 50's Sunny & Warm!
Super nice day here. Ran in shorts! Lots of people out enjoying the
day. Saw lots of runners, bikers and walkers. Run was good but
pushed a bit too hard.

B/a10/278

Friday 12/18/10
11.25 Miles 2:05:29
12:00 pm) mid 30's Sunny!
Ute Pass Trail, Longs Ranch Road, Barr Trail
This was a hard hike/run. Longs Ranch road is steep and it had
fresh snow making it slippery even with my shoes with screws in
them. I did not run much mostly hiked. Good workout didn't have
a lot of energy though.

44 Miles on the week. Down big time from last week. I took off
2 days this week as I needed it. Got to listen to your body!

Apt. to Garden of the Gods & back

9.5 Miles 1:06:18 6:59 average per mile
11:30 am) 20's Snow!
Ran in the snow and enjoyed it. Coldest day I have run in a
long time. I was actually over dressed though. Took another
day off yesterday. I'm feeling pretty tired this week. My
job and working at night is an adjustment that I'm still
trying to get used to. It's hard to fall asleep when it's
daylight out. Next week I only work 4 days so that will help.

B/a10/258

Waldo Canyon

7 Miles 56:58
11:00 am) 50's Cloudy
Fastest I have run this loop. Previous best was 57:47 Nov. 22.
Very surprised I ran it this fast. I felt awful the first mile
and wanted to stop the run. By mile 4 I was feeling very strong
and pushed hard and ran some fast miles for this course.
Today is the last nice day for a few days. We are going to get
a snow storm tomorrow morning they say 3-6". By next week back
in the 50's. I love the winter here!

B/a10/248

Red Rock Canyon Open Spaces

6.25 Miles 55:10 8:50 average per mile
1:30 pm) 60's Sunny!
Very nice day here! I had to get out an enjoy it. Tired though I
worked 10.5 hours this morning. Tomorrow will be 16 hour day of
work due to training. No running tomorrow. I need a rest day
anyway.

MT/101/40

Pikes Peak Greenway

7 Miles 46:48 6:41 average per mile
12:00 pm) mid 30's Sunny!
Felt okay today considering 2 1/2 hour run yesterday. Run ended
up being a progression run with each mile getting faster. Last
mile was 6:09. Was chilly today but nice compared to what the
mid west is getting. Low 60's for tomorrow!
Great week mileage wise 73.50 miles. I think this is the most I
have done in a week since moving to Colorado.

B/Launch/141

Ute Pass Trail & Loop around Waldo Canyon & back Ute Pass Trail

15.25 Miles 2:28:00 9:42 average per mile
11:00 am) cool mid 30's Sunny & Windy
This was not much fun. I should have passed on this run but
wanted to get my long run in. I was tired from work and my
legs were not fresh at all. I really could not run any of
the hills today I was forced to power hike them. Hopefully
as time goes by these hills will get easier. My goal is to
do this run in the future with as little as walking as possible.

Pikes Peak Greenway

12 Miles 1:22:08 6:50 average per mile
11:30 am) 50 degrees Sunny!
Good run but got tired around mile 8. I have 50 miles in for the
week already and have the weekend yet. Not bad considering I'm
working every night this week.

B/Launch/134

Garden of the Gods & Rampart Range Road

11 Miles 1:18:34 7:09 average per mile
12:00 pm) 50's Partly Sunny. Very Nice!
Ran around the garden and went up Rampart Range road for a
couple miles before turning around. Rampart Range road goes
for like 25 miles. It goes up to Woodland Park. I have not
driven it yet in my car. Not sure I would want to it was
kind of rough in some spots. My next vehicle will be a Jeep.
Picture of my car above with Colorado Plates!

B/a10/241

Manitou Incline & Barr Trail

10 Miles 1:40:32
12:00 pm)40's Sunny
25:32 Incline. No record this time still 3rd best time. I worked
9.25 hours last night so I was tired.
I continued up Barr trail to 9600 ft before turning back. Not much
snow up there. Trail was clear for the most part except a few
shaded sections. Pretty happy to get up high without dealing with
a lot of snow.
Great weather here in the 50's in Colorado Springs! I'm loving
it. It has been sunny almost everyday since September and I love
the sun!

MT/101/33

Williams Canyon

8.25 Miles 1:25:00
9:30 am) 30's Sunny
First time running at Williams Canyon. Pretty nice place! I took
a bunch of pictures. This is just a few of the ones I took.

Pikes Peak Greenway

10 Miles 1:06:07 6:36 average per mile
1:00 pm) upper 40's Sunny!
Good run! I felt sluggish at first but got faster each mile.

B/a10/230

Ute Pass Trail-Longs Ranch Road-Barr Trail

11.25 Miles 1:53:43
12:15 pm) 30's Sunny!

I was not feeling it today. I was tired and this route didn't
help any. Lots of climbing. I started in Manitou Springs memorial
park 6300 plus feet and I went up to just under 9000 ft before
heading down Barr trail.

Longs Ranch road was new for me and it was super hard. It had
some very steep sections. I had a 1 mile stretch where I hiked
the whole mile and my split was over 16 minutes! It was probably
a 45% incline plus a couple inches of snow.

Great day to be out. Sunny no wind and great views!

51.55 Miles for the week. Nor bad considering I worked 6 days.

Manitou Incline & Barr Trail

5 Miles 52:14
10:30 am) 30 degrees sunny
24:36 Incline. New Best Time!!! I pushed very hard today. I
wanted to break the 25 minute barrier. I was 25:11 on Thursday
so I new only need 12 seconds. Glad to do it now rather than
later. Once the incline gets more snow and ice I'm sure my times
will slow. Today there was no ice and only a trace of snow. It
was chilly but perfect weather for it. I still wore shorts and
I was plenty warm. I got a little chilled at the top. Once I got
going again I was fine. After the incline I go up another
quarter of a mile or so before heading down Barr Trail. I had my
fastest descent as well today. My footing is much better than it
used to be. Coming down I was running 6:40's. Doesn't sound
very fast but the switch backs slow you down.

Apt. to Pikes Peak Green Way & Back

10 Miles 1:09:00 6:54 average per mile
9:15 am) 50's Sunny!
Decided to run earlier than later. I heard the forecast and it
was calling for very windy conditions. So I got the run in
before the wind came. It's now very windy and warm mid to upper
60's! Felt okay on the run but had to push pretty hard to run
the pace I ran.

B/a10/220

Manitou Incline & Barr Trail

4.80 Miles 52:56
1:00 pm) 40's Sunny!
25:11 for the Incline. New best time! Best was 26:01 from just
last Friday. I don't know how I knocked off 50 seconds of my
best time. Today was strange it was the first time I have ever
been passed going up the incline. The guy that passed me started
behind me maybe 30 seconds or so and got to the top probably a
minute or two ahead of me. His time was probably 23:00 or under!
Not sure who he was. I was hoping he would stick around at the
top so I could talk to him. I have now taking 7 1/2 minutes off
my first trip up the incline August 13.

Pikes Peak Greenway & Sinton Trail

12 Miles 1:23:38 6:58 average per mile
11:00 am) 50 degrees Sunny
Very nice day! Can't beat running in shorts in December.
Run was okay but I was tired. Working at nights is taking
a toll on me. I'm not getting much sleep.

B/Launch/122

Garden of the Gods

Tuesday November 30 2010
8.50 Miles 1:01:28 7:14 average per mile
12:00 pm)30's Sunny!
Parked at the visitor center. Ran the roads around the Garden.
Pace was all over due to the course. Look at my splits and
how in consistent they are.
1. 7:59
2. 6:51
3. 6:54
4. 7:45
5. 7:02
6. 7:33
7. 6:50
8. 7:07
8.5 (6:52)3:26
I want to do the 10 mile run next June at the Garden of the Gods.
My goal is to run the 10 miles at 6:00 average pace or just a bit
over. Have my work cut out for me!

B/a10/210