End of Month Update, August Plans, New Blogging Goal

So I’ve really never established any regular blogging habits. Instead of trying to blog once a day, my new goal is at least one update per week.

July training recap – one week at a time (just the highlights and totals):

07.05 – 07.11
Monday 07.05 15.3M (2:01:02) A long, slow run the day after the Firecracker 4K – a bit more than I was planning.
Wednesday 07.07 13M treadmill (1:19:28) Building to just under my LT heart rate (going with 145-155 for an LT range), and holding it there through 10M, then gradually back down over next 3M
Saturday 07.10 20.3M (2:37:56) City Park – Denver. Ran my first long run as a coach for BoldRunning – helping out the 7-8:00 pace groups for marathon/half-marathon. This run consisted of ~9M with group members, and another 11 or so tagged on afterwards as the morning continued to heat up. Ugh. More on the BoldRunning gig later.
Sunday 07.11 20M treadmill (2:40:00) A bit of an experiment here, with back to back 20 milers, but this one was quite easy. I dialed in at 8:00/M pace, and was excited to see just how easy it was – AHR101/MHR107.

Weekly Total = 108M (+ 5M elliptical)

07.12 – 07.18
Wednesday 07.14 8K Tempo @ Erie Middle School (EMS) Track (29:55.4) AHR146/MHR154 on a very warm morning. My left foot was a bit sore during run, and my left calf was a bit tight/sore during warm-up.
Thursday 07.15 13M treadmill, easy (1:26:52)
Saturday 07.17 20.5M on Highline Canal Trail (HCT) in (2:43:55). BoldRunning: ran 8M solo before the group run, and then spent time running with different group runners. Got warm by end of run, but we were done by around 9 am, so not too bad on a day that hovered around 100 degrees.
Sunday 07.18 10.4M (1:14:16). Ran first 5.2M while RG rode her bike and Niwot ran along side me (39:33), then dropped them at home and repeated the same local course for another 5.2M (34:43). I really felt good on a morning that was quickly turning hot. Strong.

Weekly Total = 76.55M (+ 20K rowing, 5M elliptical, 1 running day off)

07.19 – 07.25
Tuesday 07.20 4.05M Tempo Run @ Teller Farm (TF) in (24:23.7) AHR148/MHR159. Rained on me a little bit (nice with how hot it’s been)
Friday 07.23 3.84M Tempo Run @ Thomas Res near my place (22:40.5) AHR148/MHR152. Felt better and quicker here than on Tuesday.
Saturday 07.24 20.3M on HCT (2:38:06). BoldRunning: ran 6M solo (44:16), then 14.3M with different members of group. AHR112/MHR129.
Sunday 07.25 15M treadmill (1:59:55). Stuck it on 8:00/M and sat there – just like 07.11, but shorter, and even lower HR #s: AHR98/MHR104.

Weekly Total = 71.7M (+ 16K rowing, 13.5M elliptical, 2 running days off)

07.26 – 07.31
Wednesday 07.28 3M shakeout in AM on treadmill (22:35). In the evening…
Freeman Myre Corporate Challenge “Elite Race”5K: 16:45, 17th Male, 2nd Masters. Peter Hegelbach nicely coordinated a rare team racing night, with 5 of us running (Justin, James, GZ, Peter and myself – see the official results here). There seemed to be the feeling that a) the course might have been a touch short, but that b) the 6 hairpin turns kind of negated the shortness. I know GZ GPS’d it short, but others were just going off of time, I guess – I don’t get how the turns then negated the shortness. Whatever. I was pretty happy with the effort. I hit the first loop in 5:25, slowed to a 5:39, but held solid on the 3rd circuit with a 5:41. My form is feeling off – my left foot was bothering me some, my left leg bowing seems to have tweaked my form some more, and it just added up to a less than smooth gait. Tagged on ~7M for a warm-down with GZ and James that was a bit quicker than I was expecting. I’ve got some work to do…
Saturday 07.31 21M on HCT (2:49:25). BoldRunning: Ran 5.5M solo before group run, and 15.5M during, sharing time between Megan and Greg. Solid effort on both of their parts for 2+ hours. Warm – and more humid than normal for CO.

Monthly Total = 350.6M (+ 60K rowing, 31.5M elliptical)

Sunday 08.01 20M treadmill (2:39:58) AHR105/MHR111. Later – 2M @ EMS track with RG.

Weekly Total = 84.3M (+ 16K rowing, 4M elliptical, 1 running day off)

While I didn’t plan to have my usual marathon build-up heading into the Boulder Marathon, I don’t know if I’ll be able to prepare the way I want and need to reach an acceptable level of success. I haven’t ruled it out, and there’s still 1.5 months to go, but I’m also being pulled in a different direction. I’m still quite interested in the Bear Chase Trail Race 50M down in Lakewood on 10.03. And with that in mind, I’m going to be performing an experiment next Sunday, 08.08:

The Highline Canal Trail 38M Experiment
So there’s a 19M unpaved section of the HCT that runs from Colorado/Hampden to County Line Rd. On a couple of occasions (several years ago), I’ve attempted to run this entire section as an out & back, and crashed and burned both times. Once, I even had to call a cab to get back to my car.

Since then, it’s always been stuck in my brain as an unfulfilled goal. In the past, I was more fit, but I know that part of my issue was simply running too fast. I aim to correct that next weekend. I haven’t decided on a pace/HR quite yet, but what I’ve learned from some of these long, easy, low HR workouts on the treadmill is that I can run 8:00/M pace on the treadmill for a long time, and keep my HR around 100. Now, I can run quicker on the treadmill than outside at most any HR, but I figure that the key is to find an easy pace at a low HR (100? 105? 110?), and just hang out there and pile up the miles on the trail.

My main concern is how my body will hold up structurally – specifically my feet (damn left foot), my Achilles, and my neck/upper back that tends to tighten up on extra-long runs.

My longest outdoor run has been a 35M run that I completed back in 2005 (I also ran 40M on a treadmill in my basement, but that’s another story). I’m planning for a run that could take 5:30, depending on how things go. I’m undecided if I want to just maintain that low HR/slow pace, or pick it up if I’m feeling good in the 2nd half of the run. I hope to start some time around 4:30 AM to beat the heat, as that would have me finishing by 10 AM if things go OK. I’m still sorting out the fueling/hydrating logistics – more later on that. The exciting (and scary) thing about this experiment is that I really DON'T know if I can pull it off.

If things go well during and after this 38M adventure, I’ll likely be signing up for the 50M. And I’ll probably go check out the 12.5M loop at Bear Creek Lake Park the following Sunday (08.15) to see what I’d be in for.

Past that, I’d like to run the 5000m at the Boulder Road Runners All-Comers meet on 08.19. And I still like the idea of running in the Coal Creek Challenge 10M on Labor Day.

In the meantime, I need to get my eating and weight in order. My weight has crept up over the past few weeks – I average 179# this week, and I’m very much heading in the wrong direction. Stop it.

Again (to me!) - I'll be updating at least once a week.