Good Tempo Run (and some reading material)

It started out cold this morning, but warmed nicely into the 40's by the time we were running.  We headed out for a tempo run on the Santa Fe Trail (postponed from yesterday), and judging by how the legs felt, the bike intervals tuned them up pretty well!  I wasn't sure what to expect, but the turnover felt really good out of the box and I settled in to a nice steady pace.  The section of Santa Fe Trail we normally use for these runs heads north from Woodmen Road onto the US Air Force Academy.  It is a gradual climb out, but somewhat "rolling up" with a couple hills out past the 4 mile mark.  So the inbound trip is generally "rolling descent" which makes for a good setup to negative split the return...usually.  Today was a challenge as I turned around at the 5 mile out mark, there was a pleasant headwind (sarcastic italics applied...).  Anyway, the run was good and there were lots of people out after the COLD yesterday (guess I should not have been gloating on the 67 degrees Thursday...).  Pushed pretty good on the out and then fought hard to negative split the return trip with the wind.  Ended up having my best pace for this 10 mile section at 7:21/mi.  Here are the splits:

Mile 1 ~ 7:39

Mile 2 ~ 7:13

Mile 3 ~ 7:33

Mile 4 ~ 7:32

Mile 5 ~ 7:49

Mile 6 ~ 7:28

Mile 7 ~ 7:16

Mile 8 ~ 7:10

Mile 9 ~ 7:05

Mile 10 ~ 6:56

Good day out there - sorry, no photo taking when trying not to cough out a lung ;-)  Will most likely try to continue these as much as possible over the winter as they have certainly ramped up the fitness and improved our overall running!  Kathleen had a decent day - not where she should or wants to be at just over an even 8 average but OK considering she is coming out of a serious funk cycle with the Graves - that roller coaster is getting old, but a post for another time will address those issues :)


Shoes - K Nike Lunarfly Trail
S Saucony Kinvara

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I don't often throw out what is on the reading docket but, in the vein of improved overall health, this is the current read, (thanks to ultra runner, Matt Hart, for the recommendation): 

Now, this is potentially dangerous reading for me since my brother in law (and his dad and brother) are king sized wheat farmers.  Ouch.  I would certainly hate to be disowned by part of Kathleen's family.  However, there is some important background info you need to know, just so you don't think I am out on a limb.  Kathleen was having some intestinal distress about 18 months ago (which knowing what we know now may have been partially related to early onset of the Graves) and dietary experimentation ensued - starting with cutting many wheat and gluten products from the diet.   Needless to say, this affected my diet as well (voluntary, mind you) but not nearly to the extent of hers.  There have been several noticeable changes that have resulted from the "gluten-light" diet we adopted.  Aside from the improved intestinal tract health for Kathleen, something unexpected occurred for both of us.  When Kathleen's blood panel was done for Graves in February, her total cholesterol was down 60 points.  Since we have always considered her high-normal level as family linked, we initially thought this drop may have been a side effect of the disease.  But, when I had my annual physical done recently, my total was down 34 points.  Hmmm, head scratcher?  The other significant change for me is that I am carrying 7 to 9 pounds less on average, maintaining a weight I have not seen in over a decade yet gaining on my fitness and strength.  More head scratching...  Now, I am certainly not advocating that everyone drastically changes their diet - we had reasons for it that were our personal choice for experimentation.  However, if you decide to pick up this book and start reading Dr Davis' pages, don't blame me for what might happen.  The documentation he provides is staggering. You might just find yourself thinking about doing this:

Bye, bye wheat....

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Last, but not least, more Christmas goods for you.  One of our old faves, David Crowder Band, has been performing this on their farewell tour - their rendition of Christmas Eve-Sarajevo (Carol of the Bells), ala TSO.  There is some talking at the start - music begins at 1:14 in - Enjoy:

Hangin' with the Pinkcorker

Almost four years ago, during a snowy, frigid, blizzard-y weekend, Steve and I 'discovered'  the world of running blogs, more specifically trail running blogs.  The absolutely first blog on the radar was Renee's "Pinkcorker". She and I seemed to be kindred spirits.  We have been blessed to have met and become friends with some amazing blog friends but Renee was the first.  We have cultivated a friendship via email over the past years.  Six months ago, she emailed and said she would be traveling to Colorado to visit a friend who had lived near her in Tuscon and asked if she could stop and finally meet and visit with us for a few days on the way.  You can probably figure out what we said - "Of course!  Come on up!"

Renee jumped into the world of ultra running a few years back and our original plan, six months ago, was to take her on a few of our fabulous local trail runs.  Those plans changed when she unexpectedly decided to do the splits on a trail run in the Tuscon mountains and tore a ligament near the upper area of her femor earlier this summer.  Her 'splits injury' combined with my current inability to run long caused by the Graves, required a creative change of plans.  Renee's injury rehab has progressed well and, although she is unable to run, she is able to fast hike and bicycle.  She is learning to ride and is becoming best friends with her bike.  I was a cyclist WAY before becoming a runner so a bike ride always rates high on the desirability scale.


After getting our house guest settled in at Happy Trails Central on Saturday evening, we began plotting our plan of attack over the next two days.  Sunday morning, after renting a mountain bike for Renee at a local bike shop, we headed north on our ride on the crushed granite Santa Fe Trail.  With the combo of a long drive from Tuscon and altitude adjustment, a more mellow ride was on the docket for her and the Santa Fe Trail fit the bill.  We squeaked out 25 miles that consisted of constant girl chatter, beautiful weather, and our lovely mountain scenery.  Steve escaped our non-stop chatter by slipping away earlier in the morning for a nice, peaceful 17 mile trail run at Red Rock Canyon/Section 16/Intemann Trail area.

Renee is all smiles riding through the U.S. Air Force Academy on a gorgeous day.

I love my bikes!  Despite not spending as much time on them the last few years, riding still feels so natural and a part of me.

The Santa Fe Trail is a beautiful multi-use trail.

After our ride and Steve's run, we got cleaned up and headed over to Manitou Springs for some post ride/run grub at one of the best local eateries - Adam's Mountain Cafe.

Then, after the grub, we hit up The Mate' Factor for an iced peach yerba mate' tea.

Played tourists and wandered Manitou for a bit, then drove through Garden of the Gods on the way back to the house.  Renee commented that it felt like deja vu - everything seemed so familiar because of reading about and seeing pictures of everything on our blog!  She even recognized our house before she saw the address because of seeing pictures of our xeriscape garden out in front!

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Most out-of-towners seem to be intrigued by the Manitou Incline and Renee was no different.  Way-back-when, the Incline was on her list of 'must-dos'.  Although running is not an option for her right now, hiking is so we headed out for a grand hike up the Incline this morning.  We took it slow and although she questioned her sanity in undertaking such an arduous effort with her current fitness level several times during the climb, she's a tenacious ultra runner and perservered.

Finishing with a smile despite low-lander oxygen depletion

Connecting to Barr Trail.  I was thrilled to see that the Aspens on the left were NOT changing...... yet........

We fast hiked down Barr Trail.  Renee was excited to see part of Barr as she and her hubby and a group from their Tuscon trail running group are thinking about coming up next August and doing the Pikes Peak Ascent/Marathon.  If I can get completely back on track, the Ascent has been on my list of 'things to do someday'.  Hmmm, combined with a quite a few local friends who are doing the Ascent/Marathon next year, the Tuscon group coming up might provide the extra motivation to really train for it.  We'll have to see..........

We wrapped up a whirlwind day with lunch at Coquette Creperie, a repeat visit for Mate', a stop at a Chef's Catalog (kitchen store), the Dutch bakery (I needed to get a treat for Steve since he had to work and couldn't come out and play), Title Nine, The Colorado Running Company, and Criterium Bike Shop (Renee needed a jersey she had spied there yesterday).  Whew!  We had to blaze home, get her packed up and out the door so she could drive to her next destination near Denver and arrive before it was completely dark.

After hugs all around and waving good-bye, we realized again, that our interest in trail running has afforded us the opportunity to meet extraordinary people - Friends - over the past few years.

Happy Trails to everyone this week!

Good Weekend of Running

Falcon Trail

After a "wet your whistle" run on the back entrance into the USAFA last weekend, I was planning on taking on the full loop if weather held out for the weekend.  Sure enough, we had nothing but a dusting of snow and I was not about to let gloomy gray weather hold back this fun time.  So Saturday morning, I parked up in the Peregrine neighborhood and slithered through the iron curtain for some more sweet trails!  Kathleen had to work, so it was a solo outing.  It was cool in the mid 30's and there was an inversion over town, so up high it almost appeared as fog.  About a half mile in, I thought my day was over as a hiker coming up the road toward me was screaming for his pit bull "Turtle" to stop - which he did not.  Great, I thought, 'Runner mauled by pit bull on USAFA' - nice headline for the news...  Lucky for me, Turtle just wanted to jump up shoulder high and lick my face, all while almost knocking me down.  So, a few muddy footprints on the chest and on with the run...

 Top of the backside climb - looking across to the rim where I dropped in

After dropping in from the rim and navigating the gates through the horse pasture, I hopped on Falcon trail and headed clockwise for the backside climb.  Might as well get the two biggest climbs on Falcon out of the way early, at least that was my thought.  It was quite cold on the back of the Academy in the shade and my glasses fogged frequently from the thick air steaming each breath.  Aside from a few ice flows and a bit of snow, the trail is mostly clear even around back.  I attempted early on to gauge my effort as this is a stiff effort for me this early in the year. 

 Cadet grounds across the valley - not part of the Falcon loop tour

After passing the Stanley Canyon trailhead at the high point, the sun started to peak out now and again, and with it, came the wind ~ pleasant...  Aside from the chill, I got into a nice groove on the second half of the loop, even "tapping the brakes" a time or two knowing that the final 2 miles are straight up.  I was astonished to see golfers out - that had to feel great on a cold day, let alone the fact that the greens are brown!!!

 Up on the north side - looking out at the Inversion sitting over town

(That is Cheyenne Mountain on the far end of the city)

 Stopped for some history - or to catch my breath...

Stopped to check out the cabin in the lower meadow after crossing Academy drive.  I even remembered to catch both sides of the sign this time!  There was quite a fair amount of bike traffic considering the cool conditions and I had to negotiate a few passings on the east side of Falcon, especially tricky as the singletrack is, for the most part, very narrow on the east.  Luckily, all the bikes I encountered today were piloted by qualified trail users, not wobbly neophytes ready to leave chainring scars on your leg from panicking and tipping over right on top of you.  But I digress...

 Finally at the BX - still looking foggy over town

 Blodgett Peak

 Top of the singletrack climb and onto the dirt road - 
looking across to the high point from 10 miles previous

I had a pretty decent climb going on the way out until I hit the first steep switchbacks on the dirt road, then I cramped on my right quad.  While favoring that, I soon cramped on the left hammy - what the heck???  (A couple hours later the salt "harvest" on the rim of my visor could have adorned an entire bar's stock of margarita glasses....)  Time to start stashing some S-Caps even though it is cool I guess.  By the time I reached the top, the last of the day's sunshine was being engulfed by cloud cover.  Oh well, I got a little bit of time with some rays, so life is good.  The loop ends up being 17 miles as I had expected and the elevation for the route is just over 2500'.  Unfortunately if your legs are toast, 600' of that is in the last 1.5 mile climb out.  All in all, a good run and a new preferred way to run the Falcon Trail.

Shoes - Pearl Izumi SyncroFuel XC

Sunday run on Santa Fe Trail

 Gray again...and cool

This morning, we headed over to the Santa Fe Trail to get in a little different run (for us) - a relatively flat run, with more continuous leg turnover.  It was once again gray and drab looking, with a south wind that was quite sharp.  That meant we would have a headwind on the return trip of the out and back run.  It also meant I would be running on the USAFA for a second day, this time farther east.  Despite the "atmospheric un-pleasantry", there were a lot of folks out on the trail today.  I guess they were all taking the weather guy seriously on the pending winter storm warning for tomorrow...

 Cruising with some tunes - very rare for HT

 Kathleen enjoying the run......

....... and getting a little friendly with the "camera man"

Kathleen turned back at the overpass for Stadium Drive but I continued on a way as I have been making a concerted effort to bump up my weekly mileage.  This will be aided by the impending time change - extension of daylight is a good thing!!! 

 Some ducks enjoying the beaver pond

Asked a nice stranger to snap a group photo - 

don't know where the goofy look came from...

Today was a nice change of pace run for us.  Different from what we normally choose to run but good in its own way.  It was nice because everyone was happy on the trail - usually you have at least a handful of grumps, but not today.  Hope you enjoy your week - Happy Trails!

11 miles, 600' climb

Shoes - K Saucony Xodus

S Saucony Mirage

Kathleen "Runs With Jill"

...But First, Where Have You Been?....

Haven't posted in a bit??  I know, not because of a lack of desire.  Just have not been up for it.  Back up a few weeks and I'll give a brief explanation.  Coming out of the Greenland race, we both felt pretty good.  Had a decent showing there and headed off to sunny New Mexico to try and get spring jump started.  By mid-week, I thought I had a slight groin strain from the race, so tried to keep an eye on it and do some stretches, etc.  However, not a strain.  Let's just say strong antibiotics and very painful and we'll leave it there.  It has left me on the non-impact, unable to run list.  So, ...

 Sidi Dominator - worth buying for the name alone!

At the end of this week, I got out the trusty mountain bike and figured I would find out if I could at least tolerate some rides.  Ride 1 short but good on Friday evening.  Saturday morning, Kathleen ran by herself before heading off to work.  She got in a nice 9 mile run, incorporating some of our local hills.  Good run and all seems to be clicking for her - awesome!  After she left for work, I headed over to Santa Fe trail to try some mileage on the bike.

North Gate - USAFA

Nice  view of Blodgett Peak, with the tip of Pikes Peak behind, and the B-52 display in the foreground.

10 miles out and feeling good

Headed out 10 miles to the north boundary of the Academy and then had headwind the whole way back - yeah...  I am talking the nice, sustained 35 mph with 50 mph gusts - awesome!!  Just what you live for on the bike - or NOT.  But, it's Colorado in the spring and you learn to suck it up, bury your head, and go.  I ended up with 20 miles in relative pain-free fashion - good news.  

NOW, Run with Jill!

 Kathleen and Jill

Kathleen had been chatting with Jill post-Boston about doing a trail run with us.  So a run was coordinated this week to take place at Waterton Canyon outside of Littleton, CO.  The trail is a wide dirt road that follows the South Platte up to the Strontia Springs Dam.  It is a very scenic canyon and there were many trail users already out early this morning.  The plan was for Kathleen and Jill to run and I was going to ride the bike - better than staying home, right?  Jill also had a friend, Dennis, that showed up and ran with them most of the way.

Plenty of wildlife - mama and goslings

Tried my hand at video while riding

Most of the ride up was shaded, as the sun had yet to clear the canyon walls - a bit cool but still pleasant out.

Strontia Springs Dam

Stopped to have a look at the dam when I reached the top.  The dam is 243 feet high and I was quite happy it held it's contents while I was below it!!!   I knew I would have a bit of extra time, so I continued on toward the start of the Colorado Trail.  

Local residents lounging

The Colorado Trail

We  have been on several segments of the Colorado Trail, which starts here and goes all the way to Durango, but have never been to either endpoint - until today.  I rode a bit up the singletrack, which was quite steep, and then turned to start back down.  We will be back to run this and get in some more of the singletrack trails!!!

View from the top

I saw Dennis on my way down and knew it was time to keep my eyes open for the gals.  Sure enough, along came Kathleen and Jill - both all smiles and enjoying their day.  Notice their synchronized running - almost like they practiced it for years!!  Once again, we had some unbelievable weather.  We went from two days snowing last week, to 80 degrees Saturday and 75 today - gotta love the mountains.  I continued on down and chilled in the sun for a bit while the gals finished up a nice run.  It was a nice day and we were glad to meet Jill (& Dennis too).  More "Kathleen Commentary" coming tomorrow.........

Back in Time...

Quick rewind to last weekend - we got out for a run at the Monument Fire Center, trying to get a preview for a big loop we want to do in the near future.  With many rides under our belts on these trails, and some local recon info from our friend Jon (whom you met several posts ago), we decided to expand our base a bit and go a little higher up on Mount Herman.  Kathleen is cruising up into the alpine section here on Trail 715.  We are looking at an option to form an 18-20 mile loop utilizing these trails.  Trail 715 will form the "spine" of our big loop, as it traverses the southern and western flanks of Mount Herman.

High up on Trail 715

Group summit photo

We thought we were taking the newer Black Pearl trail, however, my navigation was a bit off and we were on the 715 all the way up to an intersection with Mount Herman Rd.  That worked out OK, though, as we realized the potential for the circumnavigation of Mountain Herman.  We topped out around 8000 feet but will need to climb higher to complete the big loop.  With more navigation resources from Jon, we will be looking at that in the near future.

Because of the "issue" previously mentioned in this post, we decided to cut off the exploration for the day and begin our descent back to the Fire Center.  As we made our way down, we were excited about the potential loop even before we got to sit down and scour the map.

Another trip through the Memorial Groves on the way out

We finished our day with 11 miles but are hopeful to get back over soon and take a shot at the big loop.  Watch for details.... 

EVENING NEWS FLASH!

BREAKING HEADLINE

March 28, 2010 - Reuters - Colorado:  A normally peaceful, quiet, and happy-go-lucky Colorado couple snaps and goes on a rampage, driving their SUV wildly through muddy parks after winter continues to bludgeon their trail running efforts...More details at 10.

This could have been us.  Three spring dumps in 8 days has taken it's mental toll.  We're tired of winter and this ain't whining any more.  Just plain done with it!

Photo from I-25 from this last storm - not even funny Old Man Winter!

So when the dust, umm Powder, cleared from Friday's storm and the weather report for Saturday was continued flurries, Happy Trails was at the breaking point.  We got in a 5 miler yesterday and that was all we could take - 35 - 45 mph winds, temp 31 with 15 wind chill is just plain wrong for March 27!!!

Well, Sunday dawned with sunny skies and expected temps in the low 50's.  Good sun, good temp, however - lots o' mud.  We did not care - if we did not get the miles today, the short 50 mile drive to the state mental hospital in Pueblo was on our to-do list!!!  We headed over to the North entrance of the Air Force Academy to start our run on the Santa Fe trail - not singletrack, but it is dirt and kept us off the pavement!

Nice view of Mt Baldy holding a good stash of spring freshies.

Lots and lots of water running through the Academy streams!

There was no way we were running in knickers, even with the 40 degree start - Kathleen sporting a wonderful pink ensemble.  Go away winter, we want warm trail running!!!  Nice view of Pikes Peak-ing out over Blodgett Peak.

Air Force Falcon Stadium on a beautiful day.

Good full view of Pikes - note the sign on the left:  Definitely don't want low flying aircraft while we are running!!!

MUCH Happier Trails today - regardless of the shoe swallowing mud at times, sun and an eventual 50 degrees puts a smile on our face.  (Now we just need to work on the tan lines....)

More snow being held on the north end but we did not care.  The run was just what the Dr. ordered today and we had a great time out on the trail.  We were able to run 12.5 miles, enjoy the sun, renew our will to live - you know, all the things that happen on a good spring run after shoveling 2 feet of snow in the past week!  It was good to be out - and most of the whining is tongue-in-cheek, just FYI!!!  (Although that could change if we get Armageddon Snow week again - stole that line from Jill, who feels our pain too!!!)  Have a great week and Happy Trails!

Shoes - Asics 2150 Trail

Finally Some Sun!

 

Headed over to the Woodmen Park-n-Ride to start a run on the Santa Fe Trail.  Seems our little bonus snow on Friday really upped the ante on our mud/ice scenario on our regular trails, so we figured we would try to at least bag some miles on the more open terrain that SF has to offer.  Plus, at 600' or more lower than our house and some of our favorite singletrack, it got much less snow from the past 2 storms.  The trains were running pretty frequently, this empty one heading back north for more coal.  Pikes Peak looks great with a full blanket of snow, doesn't it?

  

We started out a bit cloudy with a stout headwind, however, that worked to our favor as the wind pushed the clouds off for a while and we got to run a majority of the time in SUNSHINE - oh yeah!  We paid for that a bit in that we had a lot of mud, but with the crushed granite surface, most of it does not stick to the shoes.  Plus, we'll take the sunny runny after some of our grayness of late.  We ran north from Woodmen onto the US Air Force Academy and enjoyed some casual running today - no pace goals, nothing to worry about, just enjoy the run!  Here I am enjoying the splash of sun and glad it made it feel warmer than it was.

  

Happy Trails indeed!

  

 Ice is starting to melt on Monument Creek - maybe Spring will decide to get in gear.

  

Kathleen enjoying the wonderful rays that lift the spirit and warm the soul - almost makes running feel effortless at times!!!

  

Finishing up the run, crossing the footbridge over Monument Creek - little different scenery than some of our regular runs but a little flavor nonetheless from one of our regular haunts.  There was nothing utterly spectacular about our run today, scenery or otherwise - unless of course you figure (as we do) that every day you get to be out and running is a great day.  Life is definitely good!

  

Parting shot - looking back at the trail as it passes under the Mark Dabling and Woodmen interchanges, meandering along Monument Creek.  We were able to enjoy 11 miles, most of it under a sunny sky which made it that much better.  We're holding out hope that Old Man Winter is going to loosen the grip on us and let some Spring weather start to trickle in - plus it is two weeks from time change and longer evenings - bring on the midweek runs!   Happy Trails!

Shoes - K Asics 2150 Trail (think she finally found her Go-To shoe)

S - La Sportiva Wildcat