Monday, 05/17/10 Green Mountain

I felt decent today and it happened to line up with me not having Sierra to wait for.  I was not entirely sure as to how much I was willing to dig, but figured I would put in a harder than normal effort up the front side of Green and see how it goes.  Parked at Chautauqua and warmed up the longer way up and over ski hill and then down to the Gregory TH.  There was a large group of college students approaching the Amphitheater Trail and I just missed starting before them, as I took a detour to throw out some trash I found along the way (had to cross the lot as the can on the Amphi side of the lot is now missing). 

First obstacle was the 6 or 7 college students (and dogs) who were well spread out across the trail.  I cleared my throat a few times and did the rock kick scuff hinting, but nothing.  They were busy in their own world.  I carefully contorted my way through, saying "thanks" before they knew what was happening, to be polite and be a smartass all at the same time, but still got bumped by one of the guys (90% his fault/10% mine).  I heard one of the gals yell "how bout an on your left next time" in a real smartass way as I bounded up and around the corner.  I seriously contemplated a "how bout you get the F@#K out of the way next time", but said nothing and kept moving.

I deliberately kept my pace in check, as I typically run the Amphitheater section a bit too fast.  It took some willpower to hold back, but I made the Saddle Rock junction in a very controlled 6:05, about where I wanted to be.  This seemed to be a good strategy, as it provided a good warming of the legs and I felt pretty fresh above.  I kept going at a reasonable effort, moving strong, but never feeling like I was totally killing it either.  Made the overlook in 14:2?, then the Greenman junction at 18:28.  I rolled pretty good through the flat/downhill section, concentrating on shifting gears well on all the undulations and variation of gradient.

I knew I would be close to PR, but was not too worried about it, I just was looking to get in a solid run.  I upped the tempo slowly throughout, but it felt like a very sustainable rate the entire time and I never felt like I was digging too hard, until I hit the final few switchbacks.  There was a touch of snow dodging, but I was impressed with how much snow has melted and it was hardly an issue.  I sprinted all out over the final homestretch, trying to dip under PR, but missed it by 4 seconds.  I was a little bummed to come so close, as I easily could have picked that up early on, but was buoyed by the fact that I felt as though I could have held that tempo for twice the distance, whereas last year, I was pushing much harder and was on or over the brink of implosion.

Still full of energy, I made a last minute plan to head down via Bear Canyon/Mesa Trail.  I was feeling strong still and pushed all the way back at a solid pace.

Splits on the up:

Amphi/Saddle Junction: 6:05
1st Overlook: 14:2?
Greenman Jct.:  18:28
Summit: 32:39 (avg HR 174/max 183)

Splits on the down:

4-way: 2:05
Bear/W. Ridge jct.: 8:28
Uppermost bridge: 12:06
Mesa: 24:28
Finish at Chautauqua: 45:52 (avg HR 156/max 171)

Sunday, 05/16/10 Green

Met up with Tim today for a lap on Green.  Went fairly mellow up Gregory/Ranger, waiting on Sierra and Pippit.  All of the snow has melted, including most of the lingering patches of old snow before the 4 way, but the trails are still wet in spots.

43:57 up (143 HR/159 max)
31:28 down (111 HR/132 max)

Saturday, 05/15/10 3.25 Laps on Sanitas

Last night I was all packed and ready to go "run" Grays and Torreys, but a faltering forecast and Winter weather advisories (thunder/lightning too) inspired me to save it for a nicer day.

I called Homie to see if he could get a morning pass and he suggested that we go keep Scott Jaime company for a few laps on Sanitas, which sounded great to me.  We met at 9:30 and debated what would be the best way to find him.  We figured he would most likely be going clockwise, so we went counter, but had no luck.  We then started up the S. Ridge going clockwise and bumped into him ~1/4 of the way up.  I introduced myself as something like "JV from the blog world/friend of George Zack" or something silly like that.

Scott had been going since 5am and was on his 8th lap, but was still moving pretty well.  We chatted about all things running through his 9th and 10th lap and also linked up with Garrett Graubins for the last lap who had just run the skyline traverse, followed by an extra lap on Sanitas and was going run back to S. Mesa on the Mesa trail.

It was great to meet and chat with these guys and of course, as always, great getting out with Homie.  Hopefully this will be the first run of many with these new friends.

Friday, 05/14/10 Green Mountain

Hiked Green via Gregory/Ranger this morning with Allison and Sierra.  The trail is melted out to the cabin, but there is still plenty of coverage above, including several fresh inches of snow that fell overnight on the upper ~1/3 of the mountain.  It was cloudy/foggy most of the time on the upper mountain and I was a bit chilled.  It seemed as though it was pouring ran underneath the trees (most of the time), but it was just the fresh snow melting off.  At the 4-way, the sun teased for a moment, then on the summit, we basked in it's full warmth for nearly half an hour before starting back down into the murk.  Sunny and warm by the finish of course.  Super slick, but very fun.  I am really enjoying the snow, especially since I know it will be gone by Sunday.

Thursday, 05/13/10 Allergic to treadmills and pavement.

Seriously, I hate them both.  Sure pavement is great for getting around in the car or on the road bike and I guess a treadmill is a necessity if you have kids and can't leave the house, but other than that, I have trouble wrapping my head around the concept of clomping along, each step being identical to the last.

I went down to the Bolder Boulder office this morning to run my 2 miles on the mill and finally get my qualifier out of the way.  I was hoping to get into the A wave so I could at least toe the line with all my friends, but after I did the math, I knew I would have to actually put in a few training runs on the track, pavement or treadmill to accomplish this.  Oh well, an AA qualifier with no effort in my mind is way better than actually training in a manner that I don't like to get an A. 

Going into the office, I felt ready to put in a good effort and accept whatever happened, but still harbored illusions of running two 5:43 miles with no specific training.  I have done it before on the track, but for some reason can't seem to keep up with my legs on the mill.  Not to mention I never feel motivated while staring at a wall indoors.  I warmed up for a bit, testing a few different paces and cross checking with my HRM.  5:43 pace at first seemed tolerably fast, but I just knew that there was no way I could hold that.  After my warm up, the lady checked my time/distance and I was off (at 1% grade to account for wind resistance).

I started off around 6:00 pace and immidiately took it down to 5:43.  It felt fast, but my HR was hovering a bit below 170 which was reasonable.  In just over a minute though, a mucus plug of phlegm built up in the back of my throat.  I hacked and ugggghhhmmmed!!!!! a bunch of times, but it was like breathing through a fun straw.  I struggled with it for a bit and then remembered the GZ/Team Snot trick and started casually hacking a clam and then acting as though I was wiping my nose and would deposit it into my shirt.  Though it seemed like 40 minutes, I bailed off the 5:43 pace after only a few minutes and conceded that I just didn't give a shit about the A wave.  Even at a pace in the low 6's (comfortable for me on a track with no training), my HR was slowly creeping up and I was very uncomfortable, mainly because I was on a treadmill and had a hack clam lodged in my throat.

FINALLY, I crossed my imaginary two mile finish line in 12:13, a far cry from the 11:26 I needed, but enough under the 12:25 I needed for AA.  That really sucked.  Afterwards, I was feeling itchy and tingly which only added to my theory that I am truly allergic.

I headed over to Flagstaff, where I changed into clean/dry clothes and ran up SuperFlag.  I figured the treadmill work would make for a good warmup, but if anything, it threw me off just enough that I felt as though I just could only plod up the road.  I started off easy and attempted to ratchet up the pace/intensity, but it just was not my day.  I just figured I would cut my losses and run it easy, then enjoy the snow over to the summit of Green.

I topped out in a disappointing (but not surprising) 45:30 and then got on the W. Ridge trail to Green where there were only one set of hiking boot footprints.  Though I was not moving fast in the fresh and slippery snow, I felt infinitely better mentally at least and felt like myself for a short while.  At the 4-way, I passed a familiar face (turned out to be Jim P who was standing there waiting for a hiking buddy).  We spent a few minutes on the summit chatting, then I carefully jogged my way down, trying to not twist anything in the very slippery snow.  Below the Ranger Cottage, the snow had turned to ankle deep slush and I just had a blast sloshing through it (although for some reason, I hopped the creek).

2 miles on the mill in 12:13
Run up SuperFlag in 45:31 (avg HR 161(173 max))
W. Ridge 20:34 (avg HR 157(174 max))
Down Ranger/Gregory 28:40 (avg HR 132(159 max))

Wednesday, 05/12/10 Spring Storm on Green

All day at work, I was chomping at the bit to get outside and play in the fresh snow.  I knew from Homie's morning report that the snow would be significant, so I was well prepared with full winter running gettup (except for gaiters and microspikes).

Took it easy up Gregory/Ranger, stopping to take pictures and let Sierra go nutty in the fresh snow.  If there was ever a being on this planet that can't get enough snow and cold, it is Sierra for sure, as evidenced by her puppy like energy, non-stop sprinting and telltale, ear to ear perma-grin.  Went down Greenman/Saddle/Amphi to survey conditions (a bit worse than Gregory/Ranger).  It goes without saying that the Friday night TT (if anybody shows) will be a social run, no hope for any PR's for a few days at least.

Up: 45:52 (avg HR 147(max 162)

Down: ~32 (avg HR 109(max 132)

I'll let the photos tell the rest of the story.

Monday, 05/10/10 Bear Peak

Started from Cragmoor, up Shanahan to Fern. Went pretty easy up to the saddle waiting on Sierra and was itching to go faster. From the saddle, I upped the effort to moderate, feeling decent,but never really pushing. Took it really easy on the down, waiting often for Sierra, as she was getting a bit tired and as usual, lags behind majorly below the Mesa Trail for some reason (I think she is more motivated on singletrack).


Cragmoor: 0:00
Shanahan jct.: 2:56
Mesa: 10:46
Saddle: 28:30
Summitpost: 42:15
Summit: 42:51 (avg. HR 157/max 178)
Descent: 32:12 (avg. HR 125/max 148)

Sunday, 05/09/10 Green Mountain

Took it super easy today, partially planned, partially dictated by Sierra, who found it to be a bit warm and was lagging at times, so I was just content to take it easy and not push her.

Went slow on the down as well, stopping to let Sierra roll around and savor the last remaining patches of snow near the 4-way.  Bumped into Buzz on the descent, chatted with him for a while.

Up via Gregory/Ranger:  40:26 (avg HR 149/max 167)
Down the same way:  ~29 (avg HR 113/max 144)

Saturday, 05/08/10 Green/Bear/S. Boulder/Green

Started up Amphi/Saddle/Greenman.  My legs were not all that peppy and I was a bit slow to warm up, so I just kept the effort low and eased into it, never pushing at all, just gearing low.  I was surprised by the crowds out there today (probably increased by the recent CU graduation, as many seemed to be college age with parents, though there was also the expected hikers and runners out there).  Took a moment to eat some Chomps on the crowded summit of Green, but did not linger, as it was cold and I had some ground to cover. 

I felt OK on the down and by the time I got to W. Ridge, I felt nice and warmed up and enjoyed the gentle climb, just cruising along at a moderate pace, listening to my bodies cues and enjoying the morning.  Tagged the true summit of Bear and did not skip a beat, straight over to S. Boulder, then back to W. Ridge/Green/Bear, back up the summit of Green and down the way I came.  By now, the summit and trail was a true mob scene, as I had work my way through the mess, all the while trying to not look like a jerk trail runner in a hurry.

Splits:

Gregory lot 0:00
Green 36:58
W. Ridge/Bear Canyon jct. 46:46
Bear Summit 1:12
S. Boulder 1:22
Bear again 1:32
W. Ridge/Bear Canyon jct. 1:48
4-way 2:01
Green again 2:04:??
Finish Gregory lot 2:28 avg HR 155(176 max)

Thursday, 05/06/10 PR on Green

As I suspected on Tuesday when I ran Green via Gregory/Ranger in 36:32 at a low HR with the dog, I knew it was time to put in a good run on this route and try to beat my old PR of 35:3? (or something like that, I would have to dig into my records).

I spent the day running errands, cleaning house, laundry, mowing the lawn and clearing the yard of branches from the big wind storm the other day, so it was 4pm or so by the time I finally started and the weather had gone to crap.  I warmed up through Chautauqua, utilized the outhouse and got down to business.  I started off hard but controlled up Gregory Canyon, pushing, but also being careful to not blow it too soon or slip on the sloped rock sections, as the rain was coming down pretty steady.  I made the cabin in 15:03 and mentally shifted gears for the upper section which always seems to hurt a bit worse.

Soon, the steady rain turned to heavy snow and I was happy to be wearing my light windbreaker (though I was completely soaked).  Hit he flat spot on the ridge in 22:53 and was wondering if I could get to the 4-way by 30ish.  I was becoming super cold and contemplated bailing, but knew that if I pressed on, I had a PR in the bag, it was just a question of how much. 

Made the 4-way in 31:23 and was hoping for sub 3 on the final section (have gone 2:23 or so there before), but it was not to be and I hit the top in 34:38.  I was secretly hoping for something in the 33 range, but was stoked for a PR on that route, especially after grunting through the snow there all winter.  It was nice to really roll it.

I spent no time on the summit in the blizzard conditions, just long enough to tag and turn and then headed down Greenman/Saddle/Amphi.  I was cautious through the snow (I punched through bad yesterday) and then hit it pretty hard, mainly to keep warm, but still played it cautious due to the wet and slippery conditions.

Up Gregory/Ranger
Cabin 15:03
4-Way 31:23
Summit 34:38 (avg HR 176/183 max)

Down Greenman/Saddle/Amphi
22:06 (avg HR 155/174 max)

Wednesday, 05/05/10 Green Mountain

I was waffling whether or not I wanted to get out or take a rest day, but I am a sucker for nice, calm (relatively) Spring days, so Green Mountain it was.

Today was the same as yesterday, same route (up Gregory/Ranger and down NE Ridge), with Sierra, except there was no wind and I made it a point (as did Sierra) to just go super easy and make it an active "rest" day.  Today I was careful to keep close tabs on efficiency, HR, foot placement and just keeping HR low and not worry about time.  Made it to the cabin in 18, 4-way in 38, summit in 41:53 (avg. HR 141/max 153).  Took it easy on the down, again cleaning the trail of branches from the recent wind storm and really cleaning up a tree that fell next to the trail.  Down in 31:28 (avg HR 102).

Tuesday, 05/04/10 Green Mountain

The wind was hammering all day, 70+ in some spots, but the forecast indicated that it should die down in the afternoon.  As I leaned on the door to leave work, I knew this was not the case and could barely force the door open and when it slammed shut, I thought something might have broken.  Hmmm...  what to do?  Bail on the run and get some stuff done at home?  Alter my plans?  I thought I was going to be dog free and wanted to go hard today, but a mis-calculation looking at Allison's work schedule meant I was committed to a doggy friendly route.  I considered SoBo/Bear via Shadow, but knew the wind is typically bad on the approach on such days.  Fern Canyon?  No, gotta have the dog on leash and the upper ridge will suck in the wind.  There were really no great options, so I just stuck with the usual.

Heading up Gregory Canyon, the wind was in my face big time, so I just accepted it and pressed on.  It was warm at least and my energy level was much better than anticipated, as I felt like I was dragging all day at work.  I waited some for Sierra and slowed occasionally to call her name and make sure she was focused.

Despite the major wind, Sierra delays and the heavy klomper waterproof test shoes I was wearing, I made it to the Ranger Cabin in a very relaxed 16:33 (was only in the low 150's on the HRM to this point).  From the cabin, I upped the effort just a bit, as fast as I could go and not completely drop Sierra, though I still never really felt as though I was pushing beyond moderate.  Made the 4 way in 16:42 (33:15) and the summit at 36:32 (162 avg. HR/179 max).  Though having Sierra along requires a little waiting and some distracted focus, she did quite well and even rallyed at the end and was right on my heels the final ~2 minutes while I pushed somewhat hard.

Because of the wind, I decided to not backtrack, so we scurried down the front side (NE Ridge route) which, as expected, was much more sheltered and was the sane choice (22:54 for the down at 138 avg. HR).

Today was one of those days where I knew I just had it.  If it were not for the dog alone, I know I would have set a PR for sure.  Without the wind, dog and with light shoes, I would have killed it.  Hope to have another day like this soon with nothing holding me back.

Monday, 05/03/10 Green Mountain

Took it pretty easy up Amphi/Saddle/Greenman, just a light jog really.  Did some trail work on the descent, filling in a hole in the rocks near the top I have been eyeing for a while (first time I have seen it since October or November) and ridding the trail of some mis-placed (or placed) logs and sticks that just did not jive.  There is still a surprising amount of snow on the upper few switchbacks "Greenman Glacier" as Tony put it.

Up in 38:36 (avg. HR 151/169max)
Down in 28:16 (avg. HR 122/148max)

Sunday, 05/02/10 Green Mountain

Hit up Green today after work with Sierra.  It was colder than I had hoped and threatening rain did nothing to add to my motivation.  My mind and body were just not all that into it today, but I have an MP3 full of podcasts to catch up on and a dog that really needed exercise (I'll opt for a run up a mountain to avoid taking the dog for a 10 minute walk around the neighborhood).  Listened to Hal talk about WS100 on Endurance Planet (great interview) and some Adam Carolla (lots of laughs as always).

Went pretty easy on the ascent, 10bpm easier than yesterday (150bpm/175max), though I was 2:2? faster (39:58).  The descent was miserable, I was pretty cold and bonked hard about 1/3 of the way down.  I knew I should have packed a gel when I left the car and it was all I could do to lift my feet over rocks and other obstacles.  I fantasized about food the entire way down.  This seems to be what happens when my weight dips below 140, I just don't have the reserves I typically rely on.  Good lesson.  31:36 on the down (110 avg hr/126 max).