Aug 19-25

August 19
Think I need to do one more pure recovery day per week, in addition to Friday pool day. Think Monday’s a good candidate.

4.4 miles super easy w/ strides @ Big Bend to 163. Felt great and I feel great after the run.

40 minutes total

August 20
Am: 2 miles up, quick plyos and strides, followed by 5 x 3 minutes at CV pace with 2 minutes jog. Averaged 6:24/mile on the intervals. On the trails around the Arkansas River in town. Solid effort without emptying the tank. 6 miles in 55 minutes total, including cooldown and drills.

Pm: 4.2 miles in 34:40 on CR 220. Very warm. Felt sluggish. Some soreness above the right knee.

August 21
Am: 4.5 miles in 48:40 on the Rainbow Trail from 285 toward Mt. Ouray. This didn’t feel great. Actually, it felt pretty terrible. This is a moderately technical trail that gets bad erosion from dirt bikes. Wasn’t a great combo for my right ankle.

Pm: 4.8 super easy in 51:40 along the river w/ wife and some friends. Today was the worst my ankle had felt in a while. Easy run felt fine, though.

August 22
Am: 4.4 on CR 210 in 37:10. Ankle feels way better today. I love to run on mountain trails, but I don’t think my ankle is ready for it yet. Will try to stick to the soft dirt roads as much as possible for now.

Pm: Fartlek w/ the XC team. Worked hard staying w/ the lead pack for the first few reps. A couple of kids fell off the pace, and I decided it prudent to lay off the gas and stick with the second group.

Salida’s boys are ranked #1 Class 3A going into the season, according to the coaches' poll. That and $1.25 will get you a cup of coffee at McDonalds, but they’re a great group of kids putting in the work. Nice to see them get some recognition. It’ll be fun to have a front-row seat to watch how it all unfolds. 7.1 miles total

August 23
35 minutes pool jogging.

August 24
2 miles up, light plyos and strides, 20-minute tempo on CR 220. 6:40, 6:27, 6:23 miles on a slight net downhill @ 8000 ft. w/ some good rollers. 5.7 total. Good workout for me.

Got home and watched the results for the Pikes Peak Ascent with some interest. I had signed up for it in January and then deferred my entry to 2020 when I hurt myself.

In January, my back-of-the-napkin goal was master’s podium. What could I have pulled off there if fully healthy? Who knows? Easy to speculate when you’re sitting at your computer. Hopefully next year I’m healthy enough to find out.

August 25
Brief trip to Arvada to visit my brother, sister-in-law, mother & niece. Brother and family just moved from Sunnyside in Denver to Arvada this month, so figured we’d visit while my mom was in town.

Got in 6.3 miles easy in 48:50 around the Jim Baker reservoir. One of the flattest runs I’ve done in I don’t know how long. Also one of the hottest.