Training Log Archive: Carolyn

Old Chicago run. Just cruisin on the Santa Fe trail. Turned around at the yellow gate so about a mile farther than the official route. About the only time I run on flat dirt so might as well run more. Right at threshold pace; I slowed down every time I started to breathe hard.

One of my friends is learning how to be a yoga instructor so I'm playing guinea pig.

Social run at Salsa Brava again in ute valley park. Running with a few slower people and we turned around and looped back frequently. Left knee started bugging me again halfway through. It hurt really badly and I was limping around work yesterday but felt better as the day went on. I iced it last night and I didn't feel it today until the run when downhills started hurting. I'm not sure its the it band anymore- feels deeper. This better be gone by Sunday; I want a decent Fall Series.

Trinity Brew Co run followed with beer and mac 'n bacon. Probably should have stayed at work but I can't stay away from this one. I'm swamped with work and exhausted. Left it band started killing me about half way.

Event: RMOC - Cherry Creek State Park
 

Cherry Creek. A few bobbles with a ~7min wander on 14. Aside from 14, I found all of the controls easily. Sometimes my route wasn't ideal. Pauses on the way to 4. Veered off my inaccurate bearing from 5-6 and then was one knoll north. Too close to the marsh 6-7. Another sloppy bearing 7-8. Got hot and walked part of 8-9. Stopped to chug water between 9 and 10. 14 was bad- I was so close I probably would have seen it if I just turned around; Apparently Bryan had basically punched it in front of me and I still didn't see it and wandered around for a while. Slightly overshot 15. Pretty solid day. Highly runnable open course that suited me.

From Orienteering Routes

Pick up controls

Red - Splits

Another new social run at Old Chicago. Felt good. Still a little sore in the hamstrings and calves.

Social Run @ Salsa Brava. Haven't been to this one in almost 2 years even though its 1/2mi from my apt. Small group, but good food and beer discounts afterward. A slower group than the Monday night, but both are social and not really training. Hamstrings and calves still a bit sore from Sunday.

Trinity Brewing Co social run. Actually had beer this time. I'm trying really hard to like it...

Event: RMOC - Fox Run Regional Park
 

Pony Express! Volunteered for an hour w/ registrations then longest run ever + a bonus mile since I got lost (my fault, not the organizer's). We were supposed to keep the reservoir on our right the entire time and then I realized I hadn't seen it for at least 5min. Started out too fast, but settled into a good pace by mile 2. Went off course around mile 6.5 for about 10min. When I got back on course I ran 4 miles at trail 10k effort to make up for the lost time then blew up around mile 11. Learned a bunch, had fun, got a good workout. I have about 15min of easy gains next year since I was off course for 10min and then made a 5(+) minute pacing mistake and then my goal was just to beat the old lady. I'll be back for redemption next year. So I guess my race was more like 16miles than 15 so that's what I'm logging. I don't really trust my garmin #'s since it was twisty wooded singletrack. My legs were my major limiter today. The muscles in my inner quads and then just plain old foot pounding. Not a good thing when legs not lungs are the limiter in a flattish race at 9000. I was 2nd woman when I went off course and 15th at the finish (passed a handful back).

To the middle school and back just to get the cobwebs out of my legs after a lazy week (people procrastinate on their corp/pship extended tax deadlines meaning a summer full of little work and then 2 weeks of craziness). My longest run ever will be Pony Express 15mi around Rampart Reservoir @9,000ft tomorrow. I'm most definitely not trained for this, but that is ok. Its $6 so it wins the race/$ contest for the weekend.

I'm behind schedule with my racing in 2011. I did 37 races in 2010 but I only have 23 so far in 2011! Eek! And I only see 11 more "very likely" races on my schedule for the year. There have been a few weekends where I have chosen other crazy stuff instead of a race (good, that means I'm being more social) and I worked more weekends (semi-good = bigger bonus since I'm otherwise salaried or bad since some weeks I worked my hourly wage down to less than I made as a lifeguard)..

bike to and from work to the tire shop. darn flat tire on my car.

Full Moon Social Run

Bike ride include 11mi 3k ft Rist Canyon climb. My toe hurts and I have a black toenail.

Gray's Rock loop + spur to top of the rock. In Fort Collins visiting friends.

Ran Big Sky out and back while my friends mtn biked.

Bandit-volunteered at the 22mi aid station at the adt marathon. I had just come out to cheer but there were a bunch of whiny lazy annoying boyscouts and I felt like I had to get some positive energy into that aid station.

Looking at the results for yesterday, I put 21min on one girl in the 5mi descent. Yikes! I promise I felt in control the whole time. I never even had any close calls, I just stubbed my toes a few times.

Next adventure: Breck Crest Half Marathon. Woke up a little later than I meant to so no time to cook anything for breakfast. No coffee :-( Sore glutes and quads. Frost on my tent/car. I just drank a liter of gatorade on the way to the start. The plan was to push myself but not too hard since I can only take that about twice a year.

The road section went fairly quickly. As soon as we turned on the trail I started walking the steeper pitches even though I seemed to the be the only one doing that and a ton of people passed me. By the mile 4.5 aid station I think most everyone that was going to pass me had passed me. I continued to walk all the steep pitches and then I walked everything except downhill above treeline. Enjoyed the views instead of really pushing. The top of the race was just before the mi 7 aid station. 1:49 to the aid station. Here most people turned to do the marathon. Next year. I ate an entire package of shot blocks and drank 40oz of water on the way up. From mi 7 to 11 it was steep descending on a rocky road that I would not take my car up if my life depended on it. I just bombed down it and passed a ton of people. I put 10+min on the people I passed near the top. There was at last one mile under 7min in there. I thought I had a shot at going under 2:30 until mile 11. At mile 11 the trail switched to twisty turny singletrack that was not 100% downhill so I relaxed a little bit and slowed down.

The winning woman was 2:22 (13min ahead) and I was 2nd in my age group and 4th women. I suppose that's a new half marathon pr by 1:12 since the only one I've done before is Pikes. I'm thinking I could take another hour off if I run a flat lower altitude course.

Awesome awesome weekend and I still have another day. I'll be too sore to do much but I will cheer on my friends running the adt marathon.

1st crazy thing of the weekend. Friday, drove to Crestone to camp with three ultrarunner guys I'd never met before. I did "know" one through a tri forum and have read the other's blog enough to know they weren't creepy.

Then Saturday we hiked 5mi along the "alternate approach to Mt Adams" to South Crestone Lake. We hiked at a pace I could handle fairly easily since 2 of the guys raced leadville 2 weeks ago and the third paced for 50mi. The guys hiked around and up a little more; I just swam to the island in the middle of the lake and back.

It was awesome. Exceeded expectations. Beautiful scenery, great company, plenty of exercise.

Then onwards for me. I headed toward Breckenridge and camped by myself near the Mt Quandry trailhead...

2nd long work day in a row. 11.5 hours today. Its fall busy season. Working hard so I can actually have a 3 day weekend. Lots of possibilities for an adventurous weekend.