Bad cold plus good friends means great workout

Sunday's forecast was for high winds so I was a bit concerned about how far we would make it. I wanted 10 miles but with this lingering cold I didn't think it would happen. Jodi was kind enough to drop me off where I met two other runners who left their cars because Jodi also agreed to pick us up whenever and from wherever we called at the south end and bring us back to the starting point.

We headed up the Pino Trail, Trail # 140, to the junction with Trail # 341 and turned north to # 230. The 230 loop back to 365 made this first section, coming right past where we started as we headed south, add up to over 4 miles. On the beginning climb my running partners gained a pretty hefty lead on me but as the route turned downhill and became more technical due to the fact I run trail and have been running on ice a few times this winter I caught up to them. That changed again as the route turned uphill and my yucky lungs took control. I caught them one other time on a downhill but after that it was a solo run.

We were fortunate that the wind never did get too strong and as the sun came out I was a bit overdressed but I didn't want too much exposure to the wind to make the cold any worse. I felt pretty good until about 7 to 7.5 miles but from there, which included the Glenwood Hills road section, there was a lot of walking. I was still moving and adding miles to the legs but ....

I did finish on a run and felt good about it. With the beginning loop being longer than I thought we actually did 9.4 miles. Not bad for my lungs screaming and sucking on cough drops the whole route.

Let's take a rest day or two.

More miles of walk, no run

Saturday Jodi and I were supposed to run with a friend on the dirt trail on the Bosque north of Alameda but run was not in my vocabulary this morning. I might have forced it but my lungs did not need to be excited and get things moving anymore. So I saw them off and headed the opposite direction.

I enjoyed a nice walk with views of the river, several birds and then as I was headed back across the bridge toward the parking area I was awarded with the sighting of an adult bald eagle soaring far above the trail. Very cool. I knew a pair lived in the area of the river but had not seen them in a couple years or more. It did make the walk worthwhile for sure.

Hopefully I can breathe a little better to run tomorrow.

Just adding miles to the legs

Well, not all runs are totally productive but at least any time on the legs counts. Wednesday the 8th my cold was much worse and I did not care a thing about trying to go fast or long but I didn't feel like taking the night off either.

I ran 2 slow miles from home on road. It was better than no run and I still enjoyed it. Time to rest.

Great after work run

On the heels of a very cold Sunday run, and a worsening cold, I was glad to see warmer weather Tuesday afternoon. It was still cool but not bad. I headed to the UNM golf course immediately after work and hit the uphill counterclockwise route first because I knew Jodi was joining me for the next lap. On this first one I took the very farthest outside route I possibly could then ran the bike path back to where Jodi was to meet me.

I didn't make it back to the car before I met Jodi so we turned around and did a clockwise route. We also took the very outside so I could so Jodi this little twist. After this lap she was feeling pretty good so we turned around and headed back up the hill for the counterclockwise route. At the north end we split up and Jodi took the outer route and I took the inner along the very hilly upper section. This is the first time I had done it this direction and on the third lap I was beginning to get tired so it was very fast but it was still fun.

I finished with a little out and back and forth on the bike path to finish 7 miles for the night, my longest ever run in the evening after work. I was very pleased and off to another good start for the week's mileage.

Can anyone say DAMN it's cold!! And windy!!

Serena made my day when she said she would run with me with Kim's group on Sunday 5 January. The planned route I knew was going to be one tough workout but good training both for me for my Phoenix race and Serena for the Mt. Taylor Quad in which she is doing the cycle and run portions next month.

We met at the home of a couple of the members of Kim's group and it took only a moment of discussion to agree to Kim's Plan B because of the amazing cold and wind. Ok, amazing is an exaggeration but it sucked. Instead of heading up to Tramway the to Forest Rd 333 and up to the LaLuz Trailhead we crossed Tramway and continued to climb through the neighborhood so there was more protection from the wind.

After climbing, and climbing, and climbing up rollers we started down and over more rollers then hit a dirt path that took us down a good fast downhill behind County Line BBQ and back to the Tramway bike path where we circled back to the house. I added just a little to complete 5.5 miles to make my mileage for the week hit 25.

We were frozen to the core but the homeowners had prepared great snacks and drinks to help us warm. The welcoming spirit of these trail running groups totally amaze me. On top of running lots of trail I'm making a lot of good friends along the way.

Training run that helped Jodi a lot also

Saturday Jodi decided she wanted to see and run the route of the Sandia Mountain Shadows 5k I raced in October. The start was kind of hard for her as it started on a road hill and she hadn't run a lot lately but after a kind of rough start she kicked in and ended up with a good pace and a nice run for me as well.

She wants to do this race in October so I would say we'll be running this route many times this summer. Her next goal, the 10k for the Zoo in May. She's got plenty of time to be ready for both. It should be a good year for her as well.

For me, I've got many miles of trail yet to do. I'm trying to stay on track but I'm also still fighting off a cold.

Off to a good start

I was a bit tired after the half and had to work Thursday so I took the day off from any exercise at all. Friday evening, January 3, after work I opted for an easy run from home. I kept the pace up a little better than I expected and when I got near home I was too close to a 5k to stop. Circling the block in front of our house twice would be just right as well as allowing me a couple good hill sprints on the north side. The longer I ran the better I felt. But I had told Jodi we would run on Saturday so I stopped at 5k. Another fun recovery run.

Next.

And so, Trail Running 2014 has officially begun, the ABQ Fat Ass Hangover 50k trail run

Jodi and I met on January 1st thirty two years ago. We always do something together on our "anniversary" so I felt guilty about getting up early and leaving her to go run with a bunch of other crazy people but I explained to her when I gave up the Lovelace team, 2014 is my year of selfishly running for myself. I got up at about 6:30, fueled with what I have learned through experimentation what works for me, three pieces of white bread toast with a little bit of spray butter and a drizzle of honey along with a cup of coffee. I've read a lot about coffee helping runners if they do not consume it on a regular basis and as long as they drink it early enough on race day.

The Albuquerque Fat Ass 50k series is a series of free, unsupported (usually) events held throughout the year all over the Albuquerque area to enjoy the running, the trails and the amazing camaraderie of the runners. Today's run, the Fat Ass Hangover 50k event began at the home of Kelly (Perky) and Joaquin Garcia near the CNM Montoya Campus and headed up Bear Canyon under Tramway Blvd and into the Foothills. Perky did a great job of changing unsupported to very well supported. After spending the day before the event and preparing everything else she gave a good briefing before the race then met us at the turn around point for the half marathon with water, bananas and cookies.

Several runners did the 20 mile or 50k run but I decided that starting the year with a half marathon, a distance I knew was possible for me, would be my best bet. Plus it would be just a little over the distance of the 20k race I plan to do on the 25th of January, the Coldwater Rumble 20k in Phoenix.

I started the run too fast following on the heels then eventually distantly in sight of the faster runners so I slowed pretty quickly on the 3.3 mile uphill up the canyon. At one time I thought I was in last place but told myself I would only lose if I quit, and I wasn't about to do that. I had set a time, 3 hours, that I wanted to finish in. I didn't look at pace all day and it turned out pretty satisfactory in my book.

I was grinning pretty noticeably as I neared the turn around point and Perky's aid station. I knew the way I felt I could finish this thing. I had run a little longer only twice ever but I just had that feeling. I took it easy on the road mile at Gleenwood Hills Dr so I would have more in the tank when I got to the downhill.

I did make a wrong turn, or missed a turn actually, and had to backtrack about 1/4 mile and ran for a few minutes looking around for the flagging so I felt like I was a bit behind. Turns out I finished in 2 hours 53 minutes, 7 minutes under the goal time I set. The official time will say longer but I did stop the watch one time when I was waiting with a runner for some friends but I did not turn it off when backtracking or earlier when I had to get the gravel out of my shoes. I was pleased with my time, and my pace when I looked at it, and felt better than I expected.

At about 7 miles I ate a cheese stick and I think I should have gone ahead with the Payday at somewhere around mile 10 and as always I know I should have hydrated more. I also think the calf compression sleeves helped a lot.

Joaquin was waiting for us with the clipboard to sign out as well as a great assortment of burgers, veggie burgers, snacks and drinks. Hats off, great big kudos and many thanks to Perky, Joaquin and the ABQ Fat Ass group for such a great event.

Time to rest up for a day or two then run with Kim Sunday and her try to kill us on the LaLuz road and trail.

Last trail run of 2013

We drove back, 13+ hours, on Saturday so I wasn't sure after sitting in the car that long whether I would feel like running with Kim's team on Sunday night but the plan was to run the forest road loop in Placitas and I LOVE Placitas.

I knew the extra food and drink in the so recently passed days would weigh me down but what better way to get rid of them than a 6 or 7 mile run in the hills. There were probably close to 20 runners of different ages and speeds. I'm always glad to see that so that maybe I can fit in somewhere in the pack without being last.

Sure enough the eating and drinking hurt that day. I have run that route twice before, once without any walking, so I was glad to have that to blame the walking on today. I was close to the end going up the long hill but once I finally caught up to Kim we ran together most of the rest of the way. That was very good for me because we talked about ultras, races all over this part of the country, race fueling and hydrating,

During all this time to talk, I was glad to know that she likes to talk while she runs like I do, I told Kim I was not planning to run the Cedro Peak race so I would volunteer for the event. I think this will be a cool side of trail racing to experience. I hope to help with more in the future to learn even more about race directing, event planning. Logistics is my thing!

Vacation running in Missouri

Jodi and I traveled to Missouri to spend Christmas with Jonathan, our youngest son, and his girlfriend Natalie. We had a blast but ate way too much and rumor has it I drank a bit too much.

On Christmas day we relaxed in the morning waiting for it to warm up a little then got in a little over 3 miles in the afternoon. It was still quite chilly and pretty flat but it was a pretty run through the neighborhoods and a park not far from Jonathan's.

On Thursday, once I shook off some of what I allegedly drank the night before, I got up and put on  my new 2XU calf compression sleeves Jodi gave me for Christmas and headed to the trail, SAC River Trails. I was hoping for some mud but was a bit surprised by just how much mud, and ice, I found. My phone doesn't work well with Runkeeper so I'm not sure but I ran somewhere between 5 and  6 miles. Much, much fun. The ice and mud slowed me down but the elevation, I'm not sure I was ever at over 1,000', made things easier for sure.

On Friday I knew I had to get in some miles after all I had been running so I donned the road shoes, the trail shoes were still quite wet and muddy, and did a little over 4 on neighborhood streets.

I love that I have learned how easy it is to stay on track with my running even while on vacation. It didn't make up for the over eating and drinking but it did burn some calories. I didn't do a long run but I did at least run three days in a row.

Fastest trail pace ever, thank you Serena

Anyone who has never used and may not understand a pacer doesn't know what they are missing! My buddy Serena paced for another great friend Whitney for the Day of the Tread 10k in October and helped her, literally grabbed her by the hand at the end, place a PR for a sub hour 10k.

On Sunday morning December 22nd Serena did the same great favor for me, not in an official event but still helped me run my fastest 8 miles on trail. It was great.

We met at her house and did a little less than half mile on asphalt as we headed to the trail. Then we hammered out 7+ miles of dirt at an average of only 8 seconds per mile slower than my previous 10k road pace.

I was tired when it was all over but every step was worth it. I felt a sense of accomplishment I hadn't felt in quite a while. Speed isn't my goal but it's still always fun to achieve it. Thank you Serena!!

Last run of 2013 for the Lovelace Running Team

The weather didn't cooperate as I had hoped it would for the last team run of the year on December 21st. It was cold and windy. We did not know how cold and windy until we stepped out of the car. WOW! There were three brave souls joined me to play in a little dirt which turned into a good workout with the wind included. Our distances varied but all ended up having a good run, even Jodi who despises weather like that.

When I put out the email for this run I let everyone know that I would not be leading the team in 2014 so that I may concentrate on my own trail training. I have had a blast with the team and will almost certainly continue to run with them when I can.

I will also be running road with Jodi to help her train for the Zoo 10k in May.