Manitou Springs Coffin Races & Pikes Peak Greenway 5k

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.