Flag and Green

~7 miles
~2,700 vertical
20:53 up Flag/59:14 total to Green

I snuck out of work 30 minutes early (with the boss's permission of course) and had all kinds of ideas in mind, as it was over 60 degrees. I'm trying to avoid steep trails for a while as part of my kneehab, so I figured I would take a long route up Green via Flag. I was pretty motivated, mainly by the great weather, as I am having a huge bout of Spring fever. I worked pretty hard to get up Flag, hoping for sub 20, but the mud bogs, ice and snow all conspired against me (along with general lack of fitness) and I made it there in 20:53. Oh well, 20 sounds better than 21, so I was happy with that. It felt great to get the blood pumping. From here on, I just maintained a casually steady pace, down the road to Flag, past the Ranger hut, then took the Greenman trail to the sweet new section of trail. Conditions were mostly terrible, as the soft snow meant for much slipping, sliding and occasional post holing. I was on the cusp of a good fall just about all day. I made it to the summit just under an hour (59:14) and turned right around. I thought I would cruise the descent, but as I descended Greenman, to Saddle Rock, to Amphitheater, conditions just got worse and worse. It went from wet snow, to slushy snow, to glare, water polished ice and I got no respite until I made it to the Gregory lot. I had studs, but they are starting to dull. although they still helped tremendously. I made it down to the car at a snails pace of 34:58, even though it seemed like I was going pretty quick. Conditions will be even worse after it freezes and snows tonight as they predict. Time to stick to some lower "dryer" trails for a while, and/or the treadmill. It was an awesome day out and I am feeling great.

Sanitas from the West

~5 miles
~1,500 vertical
32 minutes up/56 minutes total.

Started at 4th and Mapleton for a bit of a warmup, cruised along the trail that paralells Sunshine. It was quite snow covered and icey as it is North facing, so it was a bit time consuming. Up Sunshine along the road for a bit, then ascended up the trail. The South facing hillside was completely dry and made for some enjoyable, albeit slow ascending. There were occasional patches of snow along the way to the summit and I arrived there after roughly 32 minutes of taking it pretty easy. I took the descent off the East side very cautious, as it is a complete skating rink and went even easier through the rocky sections. I opened it up a bit more on down the smooth valley trail, as I needed to be home by 6. Felt great.

Treadmill

1.5 miles
16:07 minutes
871.2 Virtual vertical
146 bpm

Hardly worthy of a mention. I was going to do nothing today, but at the last minute got on the treadmill for a short workout. Had to go to Pearl and test some shoes. Today marked 4 consecutive days running and my knee is great. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Mt. Falcon

2/10/08
7 miles/2,000 feet
30:36 up, easy on the down

After a morning spent cleaning house and waiting for the day to warm up, Allison, Sierra and I got out for a great outing at Mt. Falcon. Kevin was there to meet us on his mountain bike and it was good to chat with him for a while. Allison got a 5 minute head start, then I spent 7 warming up. We kept in touch with our two-way radios and her early report of her location has me scrambling. I was debating how hard I wanted to push, but her stunning progress got me motivated to go fairly hard, as I was not sure I would even catch her by the top.

As I neared the junction (getting to this point is normally just over half the time), I catch Allison and Sierra. I reach this turn at 16:39 after giving them 12 minutes, she was a bit off on her estimates. From here to the top, the gradient subsides a bit and you can really cruise fast (if it is dry). There were very few dry stretches for the entire route, lots of pig slop mud, deep slush, off camber snow. Toward the top I was rewarded with a sweet stretch of packed snow, which I used to really up my effort in hopes of going under 30 minutes (not that it really mattered). I arrived at the shelter in 30:36. Even though I was 4 minutes off of a "soft" PR, I felt great out there splashing in the mud and slush, working on turnover and form and enjoying a perfect February afternoon!

General Thoughts

The last year has been constant ups and downs with my knee injury. For that entire year, I have constantly remained optimistic, thinking that I have to be just about out of the woods. I finally got fed up, as I realized that optimism and reduced training were not enough to cure my patellar tendonitis. In early January I finally broke down and made an appt. with Jeremy Rodgers at Colorado Sports Chiropractic in Louisville, upon the advisement of my friends Steve and Claude who have received successful treatment there.

After 6 visits, I feel that I am on the right track to getting better. I'll admit that I was hoping for an instant cure, but I am realizing that I have to continue to be patient. Specific strengthening exercises, a chopat knee strap, DMSO cream and gait modification seem to be helping, but the results are not as immidiate as I had hoped. My knee is feeling stronger, but I am still occasionally feeling delayed onset pain after hill workouts (that is about all I can bring myself to do).

The fire is burning deep to get out there every day and pound up and down the hills. Not getting out is not due to my laziness at all (as I sometimes fear or accuse myself of), but the conservative attitude I have developed regarding my knee, compounded by the cold weather, short days, new 8-4 work schedule etc... have really cramped my recreation time as of late.

I always debate whether or not I should get out for a hill run, as I fear that even though I might feel great on that day, I might be setting myself back in the long run regarding my overall objectives. I debate whether or not I should be putting in base now, or just holding off until I am 100% sure I am over it and fully ready to achieve my 2008 goals.

For the past year, I have felt as though I have been floundering in no-man's land. I have had flashes of form, dusting old PR's by minutes, at lower heart rates, then completely coming unglued at Pikes Peak, my favorite race and most important objective of the year. Inconsistency has been the theme.

My optimism remains high and enthusiasm for the season is building everyday. Hopefully I can put my doubts to rest this year. As my doctor Jeremy says.... As we get older, we have to really carefully consider what the difference is between an injury, and the body's normal reaction to the intense demands we put upon ourselves.

Green Mountain

2/09/08
6.5 miles
2,500 vertical
57up/2hrs RT

Allison, Homie, Sierra and I got out for a nice hike/run up Green today. The weather was relatively warm, low 50's, but a little breezy and cool at the top, but overall quite nice. Took it quite easy on the up and down which was fine by me. I went a little faster for the last 14 minutes, but ended up being quite slow with all the drifted snow and postholing. Working on maintaining good form and cadence which is fine on the smoother, low angled, dry sections of trail (rare), but a bit more difficult to execute on the snow, ice and steep.

Treadmill

2 miles
21:20
11%
1,161.6 virtual vertical

Not much today, hardly worth mentioning, but that was all I could really squeeze in. Goofed around with different cadence and how it affects HR. 156 bpm average overall. Felt a little sluggish, maybe I just never got warmed up.

Flagstaff

3 miles
1,200 vertical
24:44up/18down

Ran some errands in Boulder. I was all dressed and ready to run, but the sun had set behind and ominous cloud, the wind picked up and the temperature dropped dramatically. Screw it, i'll just head home and call it a day. At the last minute I took a right on Baseline, and before I had time to talk myself out of it, I was running up Flagstaff. Snow, ice and mud all the way, but it was a great time. No wind, and not very cold once I got going. Glad I didn't bail.

Treadmill

2/05/08
3 miles
29:30
11% Gradient
1,742.4 effective vertical feet

While munching on Skittles and Reeses after lunch, George reminded me that it is only 190 (now 189) days till Pikes Peak. I was debating going to Boulder, running the mill at work, or just bagging it all and going home to prepare for Caucussing.

Well, the weather was not particularly warm, and my knee is acting up, so I figured I would be best off to do some uphill on the treadmill and avoid any down.

The first 7 or 8 minutes were sheer torture and my HR was only 148ish. I just wanted to jump off and quit. Not that it was that hard, just boring. I started to get into a groove and bumped up the speed to 6, then 6.5, then gradually up to 7mph at 11%. This was a great workout and I was comfortably turning it over at an 86 cadence at 178bpm. I did this for around 8 minutes, then dropped it down to 6, then bounced all over the place between 6 and 7.

My knee was hurting a bit running on the treadmill the entire time, but did not hurt much afterwards. On the trails, I don't feel it at all while running, but then it hurts afterwards. What's up with that? I think when I am outside, I am more focused on better things and it is more dynamic running on the trails. Boring as it may be, I just need to do this any day that I am not inclined to go to Boulder and get outside.

Green Mountain

2/2/08
7 miles, 2,500 vertical
47:55 up/30 down

Took Sierra for a nice jaunt up Green today. Lots of ice on the trails, drifted powdery snow on the upper ridge along Ranger Trail, so conditions are pretty messy right now and the going was slow. Went very easy, trying to not aggrevate the knee. Bumped into Paul and Kate near the summit of Green and chit chatted for 10-15 minutes, nice to see them. No wind today, but it never really warmed at all, the snow and ice added to the ice box effect.

Sanitas

1/31/08
24:54 up (via Dakota Ridge, then East Side)
14 down S. Ridge

Again meant to go moderate today, and I mostly did, but living in Boulder, that can be hard to do, unless you completely put your ego aside, which I find difficult sometimes. I ducked off the trail for a quick pee. I hear a group of runners making a bunch of noise crossing Sunshine and glance back. Uh oh, this is a big group, not sure who they are. I finish my business and get on the trail maybe 10 or 15 seconds ahead of them, I can hear that they are young, high school? College? I can't tell anymore, man am I getting old. I keep ahead, but when I get off the valley trail and head up to Dakota Ridge, I fall behind. My trail is technical and steeper in sections and I try to not loose too much ground. Once the trails merge, a bit of a surge of speed ensures that I make the middle of the group and I gain a bit. Fortunately they stop here and I don't have to play this game all the way to the top. The East side is icey and snowy, but I am wearing studded shoes, so it is no worry. The trip down the S. side is snowy in spots, but one could probably get by without traction.

Sanitas

1/29/08
5 miles/1,740 vertical

Started off up the S. Ridge at a moderate pace, focusing on short steps and no long extensions. About 1/3 of the way up I spot a runner. He looks to be going pretty quick, but I'm not going to duke it out, so I maintain a steady pace. I slowly creep up on him without really trying, could it be Paul again? Nope, it is somebody I don't recognize. I pass on a flat section and keep the turnover high. Only about 3 minutes of running to the summit and I catch myself gunning it a bit. I steal a quick glance (eyes only) on one of the turns and he is nowhere to be seen. As it turns out, I had an OK time of 18:43 and felt great doing it, only really digging a bit for the final few minutes. I went down at a casual 15 minute pace and decided to get in a little extra run up the valley. I still felt pretty fresh and pulled off an uphill mile in 9 minutes. I focused on form and counting my cadence. I came up with mids 80's on the up, and high 80's on the down. Not sure where I should be, but it seemed to be better turnover than I have done in the past. I am sure there is room for improvement though. Maybe I will start training soon, I have lots of pent up energy to expend.

Meyers Ranch

1/27/08
5miles/~1,000 vertical

After regretfully declining to join Dave for a trip up Bear Peak, Allison, Sierra and I headed to Boulder later in the day to explore one of the few trails around Boulder that I have never been on before, the Meyers Ranch Trail. This is a great rolling wide smooth trail that trends upward on the way out, gaining roughly 750 vertical feet. It was sunny and in the low 60's, a perfect day just to get out and enjoy the warm sun on your face. The trail was packed slushy snow and we ran at a moderate pace out and back. I practiced some of the new modifications to my form as suggested to me by my doctor. It seems a little awkward, but I can see how it will all help in the long run to make me a more efficient runner and be less prone to injury. On the way back, we found a nice sunny meadow to work on some of my rehab exercises while Allison did some yoga and Sierra munched on a large deer antler. One could be fooled into thinking spring is around the corner, but it will for sure snow tomorrow, as I just washed my car after weeks and weeks of procrastination......

Meadow Mountain

Meadow Mountain 11,632
1/26/08
7.7 miles/2,832 vertical
Jeff and Allison Valliere, Dave Hale, Steve Hoffmeyer, Terri Horvath, Jennifer Roach, Jean Aschenbrenner, Scooby, Shep and Sierra

Not wanting to commit to too much this weekend due to other obligations and shaky weather reports, we quickly accepted Stevo’s invitation to join him for Meadow Mountain and St. Vrain.It was a bit windy and snowing when we all met ½ mile from the summer Mount St. Vrain TH, and we were wondering what we were doing there. Once we got going, conditions were not too bad, but I was surprised to find so much snow and such minimal (none) evidence of human traffic.Even though most of us had been up there a few times, we immediately lost the trail after passing the summer trailhead. I wallowed my way in the general direction of where I vaguely remembered the trail to be and we soon found it.Following the trail with the new snow was easier than wandering in the woods, but was still a good workout with all the fresh powder. Once the valley steepened, the real work began and we all took our turns breaking trail in the ever deepening fluff.Just below treeline we fully bundled up for the battle we knew was soon to follow. We gradually emerged from the trees into a full on 60-70 mph headwind/ground blizzard. See videos: http://s147.photobucket.com/albums/r296/jeffvalliere/Meadow%20Mountain/?action=view&current=MVI_4969.flvhttp://s147.photobucket.com/albums/r296/jeffvalliere/Meadow%20Mountain/?action=view&current=MVI_4967.flvNear the saddle at the far reaches of the Krumholtz, we removed our snowshoes and lashed them to the branches so they would not end up in Longmont.From here, although the summit looked so close, it would take a surprisingly long time in the ever increasing wind (video of upper slopes http://s147.photobucket.com/albums/r296/jeffvalliere/Meadow%20Mountain/?action=view&current=MVI_4978.flv)It took all of my might to place and secure each foot and pole. One moment of inattention or being off balance would send you tumbling across the talus.A few choice words were uttered along the way, but were quickly absorbed in the fury of the wind. Once on the flat summit plateau, I ran and took a few leaps toward the true summit. Once I jumped up, the wind would literally extend my leap by several feet. I also tried leaning into the wind several times and could easily maintain a 45 degree angle. I had to be careful to not face directly into the wind, as this would catch my hood (secured by goggles) and throw me severely off balance and threaten to rip off my goggles. (Summit video: http://s147.photobucket.com/albums/r296/jeffvalliere/Meadow%20Mountain/?action=view&current=MVI_4982.flv)Allison, Steve and Terri all arrived soon after (Dave, Jennifer and Jean were much smarter than us and turned around) and we spent no time lingering. Going back to treeline was a struggle not to get thrown to the rocks and it was a no brainer that St. Vrain was not in the cards. Allison got thrown to the ground at least once, but bounced out of it quickly. Once in the trees, we re-joined the remainder of the group and it was a total cruise back out in our now well worn path.This was one of the most hard earned small “easy” peaks I can remember due to the trail breaking and especially the wind. I had been up there a few times before and it was such an easy cruise, but this trip felt like somewhat of an accomplishment. All in all an amazing day with a great group of people. We were all quite compatible and had much to talk about, which really added greatly to the enjoyment of an otherwise less than ideal weather day.Pictures:http://s147.photobucket.com/albums/r296/jeffvalliere/Meadow%20Mountain/