End of 2019 Musings

2020, eh? My reaction to that number is, “where the heck did my life go?” Alas, I’m still kicking and still running. All things told, it was a great year, with a new noteworthy hiccups.

• Only ran three races this year. One first place finish, one fifth place finish, and one noteworthy DNF. 
• 1542 miles on the year. Not great, but not horrible considering I had to take nearly four months off and then take another couple of months to ramp back up.
• Somehow, I’m in better shape than I was a year ago, despite being a year older, having run less mileage, badly broken my leg, and had two surgeries on my ankle.
• I like the kind of running I do now. Lots of short runs, some doubles, and a decent amount of tempo and light speed work. It's manageable with my schedule, and it seems to work for me.
• Through sheer necessity, I’ve started to do nearly all of my runs on dirt roads. Single track is great and all, and Salida’s famous for it, but for the majority of my running with my injury history, dirt roads make a lot of sense.
• In 2017, I ran about 2800 miles and had an underwhelming year of racing. In 2018, I ran over 2000 and did ok. This year, I ran 1542 and got a masters PR in the 5k.
• I ran a 17:13 5k this year. That’s only about 40 seconds off my lifetime 5k PR, set my junior year of high school (I ran an unofficial 16:15 on my way to 8k in college, but never ran faster than 16:30 in an official race). Could I get under 16:30 someday? My first coach, the great Doug Bell, ran a 14:36 as a 44-year-old. That makes me think 16:29 as a 44-year-old isn’t such a crazy thought. Time will tell. 
• I may have had some good fortune in my return to running this year, but make no mistake, my ankle is not fully healed, and it may never be. Swelling and scar tissue are still problems. It’s manageable, at least for now. But there might not be many races with technical downhills in my future. 
• In 2020, I plan to go much more aggressively into the short speed work. Feed the cats!
• I suspect I’ll run a few more races in 2020. I’m already signed up for the Bolder Boulder and Pikes Ascent. Keeping the calendar open to accommodate life and fitness developments. 
• Coaching Salida XC was a hoot. There are a lot of great runners and great running minds in this town. Fun being a part of that world. Looking forward to many more years of it. 
• I’m one of the coaches for Salida track this year, or at least I think I am. I have fond memories of running track, but I haven’t been to a meet in 20 years. We’ll see how that goes. 

Here's to 2020! To one more year of running and running against Father Time!

Dec 23-29: Ho, ho, ho

Dec 23
Am: 3.67 miles on CR 140, max HR 145ish, 27:01. Felt good; averaged 7:22 pace on this route w/ about 250ft. of gain/loss at 8k ft. while keeping it aerobic. That’s in the ballpark of where I was at the peak of my fitness pre-Japan, so I feel like I’m rounding back in to shape.

Pm: Broken tempo. 15 x 90 seconds on @ tempo pace, 30 seconds rest between each, with the high school kids. Good workout and the kids looked strong.

6.4 total

Dec 24
28:30, 2.5 mile dog jog, on CR 163. First time running with the new dog. He did ok, although he was definitely struggling in the second half.

Dec 25
3 x 15 subtempo on CR 220. Snow-packed, windy, and icy in parts. Averaged 7:47 pace on the 1st, 6:25 pace on the 2nd, and 6:49 pace on the 3rd one. Care to guess which one was mostly uphill into the wind, which one was mostly downhill with the wind at my back, and which one was half and half?

8.2 miles total in 59:50 w/ warmup & cooldown

Dec 26
4.9 miles recovery on CR 210 in 41:20, max HR 140. Snowy, cold, icy, and windy.

Dec 27
Am: Snowy, cold. 3 miles easy on mill
Pm: 5.5 pretty quick w/ Frank on HS team along railroad tracks toward the cattle yards

Dec 28
9.3 in 1:11:22 on CR 220. Snow and ice every step. Longest run since September 1st, I think.

Dec 29
5.2 miles easy on CR 210. Snow and ice every step. Max HR 140.

Dec 16-22: Snow and Ice Grind

Dec 16
3 miles easy, 25:11 CR 210

Dec 17
Am: 3.2 easy on CR 250; tons of snow
Pm: 3.9 on CR 220 & 221 in 29:40, packed snow and ice every step. Avg HR 139. As good as I’ve felt since I got back from Japan.

Dec 18
Am: 3.2 in 26:40 on CR 250 packed snow and ice every step
Pm: 4.8 miles super easy w/ HS kids

Dec 19
Signed up for the Pikes Peak Ascent this morning. Got in for free! Is it because I’m an A-1 ok superstar runner? Nope! It’s because I was broken earlier this year and I got a deferred entry.

I’m not sure how I’ve managed to be a semi-serious hobby jogger for 30 years, 20 years in Colorado and somehow never run that race.

I've wanted to, though. This is actually the 3rd time I’ve signed up for it. Both prior registrations were sunk by injury. 3rd time’s the charm?

Am: 3.1 miles in 26 minutes on CR 250. Lots of snow still.
Pm: Light tempo effort on CR 220 & 221. 4 miles, with last three at 6:35 pace on rolling hills & packed snow & ice. Nothing special, but trying to keep things moving when I can.

Dec 20
Am: 4.4 miles on spiral drive in 39:10 with the HS kids; 6 x 1 minute on/off up the hill. Got the HR up to 177 on the last one trying to keep up with the whipper-snappers! The kids keep me honest and humble!
Pm: 3.4 in 25:10 on CR 140, max HR 145.

In-laws arrived for the holidays. Gonna be a busy week.

Dec 21
Went to Denver to buy a car. Long day. No running.

Dec 22
6.1 in 45:20 on CR 220 this morning. Kind of a rhythm run where I started off easy and picked up the pace at the end. Finished with a 20:34 5k.

Some beautiful sunrises & sunsets this week at the house.

Dec 9-16: Winter is Here

Dec 9

3.3 easy w/ HS kids. 4 x 10-second hill sprints. I’m taking the lead on off-season track training. Excited to work with the kids and see how they develop. In cross country, another coach was driving the training, but at least this winter, I’m going to be in charge. Only a few kids showing up so far, and the track culture in this town is not quite up to par with the XC culture, but I'm excited for the challenge.

Dec 10

Am: 4 miles in 31:21 on CR 220. Pretty icy and treacherous. Felt a little more spry today.

Pm: 4.2 miles w/ HS kids w/ six strides

Dec 11

Am: 4.5 miles in 35:20 on CR 210. Felt much less spry today.

Pm: 3.7 miles in 27:50 on CR 140.

Dec 12

3 miles w/ 3 strides on CR 220 in 25:20. Recovery day, max HR 130.

Dec 13

Am: 4 miles w/ 4 x 15-second max hill sprints on spiral drive w/ HS kids.

Pm: 3.7 in 29:10 on CR 140, max HR 145; felt pretty awful.

Dec 14

8.8 miles in 74:30 on CR 220 & 221; mud, snow, ice, elevation gain, 20-mph wind. This run had everything that makes running here hard this time of year. Total slog.  

Dec 15

Am: 3.8 in 28:20 on CR 140; max HR 145; felt good, had to be careful with some patches of ice

Pm: 3.6 in 32:50 on CR 250; 5-8 inches of fresh snow; max HR 145

I live at 7800 ft. Where I live there's like three inches of snow. Like a mile up the road, at 8000 ft., it's about 5 inches. At 8500 ft, three miles up the road, it's like 8 inches. Monarch Pass 15 miles up the road at 10,600 has 56''. Amazing how slight differences in elevation totally change conditions.

Dec. 2-8: The weather outside is, indeed, frightful

Dec 2
Am: 3.2 miles on CR 140 in 24:20
Pm: 2.3 miles on CR 250 in 17:10. Chasing daylight.

Dec 3
Am: 3.7 miles in 28:50 on CR 140, max HR 145. Felt sluggish.
Pm: 4.3 miles in 34:50 on CR 220, max HR 145.

Dec 4
Am: 3.7 miles or CR 210
Pm: 3.7 miles on CR 140

Dec 5
Had to drive to Denver. Zero.

Dec 6
Drove back from Denver
5.25 miles on CR 220 in 41:20; Most of the ice and slop is gone.

Dec 7
Am: 4.7 miles in 38:10
Pm: 3.7 miles on CR 140 in 27:40, max HR 145, avg 139

Dec 8
Am: 5 miles on CR 220 in 40:10 max HR 145. Fresh snow this morning created a bit of new slop.
Pm: 4.1 miles on CR 210 in 34:10, max HR 145. Packed snow and ice most of the way.

Felt sluggish since the trip. Most runs are way slower than they were before I went to Japan. Weather’s been crappy, and I’m struggling to get going. Not so much a lack of motivation as a general lethargic feeling with the change of seasons. 

Nov 11-Dec 1: Tokyo, Kyoto, Shikoku, Awaji, Eiheiji, Kanazawa, Tokyo, Denver, Salida

I'm a few weeks behind on this. Haven't been spending much time at the computer, so just catching up now.

Nov 11
Am: 4.7 miles in 34:40 from the hotel and around Imperial Palace. No imperial procession today, so things went a touch quicker. Did a light 1-minute on, 1-minute off around the palace. It rained last night, so it was a little slick in sections, so didn’t push too hard. That said, my paces were still a bit slower in general on the “on” sections than I might have liked. I think the high mileage walking routine might be putting some deadness into my legs.

Pm: 5 miles of walking around Tokyo

Nov 12
4.6 miles in 33:57 from the hotel around Imperial Palace. First and last mile was a jarring start-stop fest with lots of bobbing and weaving around the palace as well. Have enjoyed my stay in Tokyo tremendously—overall the trip has far exceeded expectations. That said, not going to miss running in Tokyo.

Pm: Bullet train to Kyoto and 3.7 miles walking

Nov 13
Tried to go for a sub 17:30 5k along the Kamo River trail in Kyoto. Mostly-flat path with some weird dips and bumps around all the footpaths, and some sketchy footing in parts. Mix of dirt, cobblestone, pavement, and a few things in between. Started with a 5:31, was on pace for 5:35 for mile 2, but then there was a detour off the path to another river path. I tried to roll along with it, but that new path was sketchy enough in terms of footing that I decided to call it off. Sigh. Ended up getting confused by the detour and getting lost in my return.

Eventually found my way back after 6.8 miles.

Pm: Another 10.2 miles walking around Kyoto. Boy are my feet sore.

Nov 14
Am: 3 miles walking around Kyoto

Pm: 7.6 mile run in 55:20 on Kamo river path. Avg HR 137 w/ 7:18 pace. Kinda windy. God bless low altitude.

Nov 15
Am: 3 miles in 22:30, max HR 135, w/ four strides. Kamo river path.

Pm: 4 miles walking around Kyoto.

Nov 16
Am: Figured I had to give the time trial 5k thing one more go.

Ran 17:13 along the river path in a time trial. Started in 5:27, then 5:32 and 5:40. Thought I had scoped out a route without detours, but I scoped it out on a Thursday, and on the Saturday, there was a detour for something. Had to turn around at 2.5 and do a 180 mid-run. Killed my momentum a bit, but I managed to hang in there and finish reasonably well.

Running a sub-17:30 5k was my big goal last year. It didn’t happen last year, but I got there this year, the same year I had the worst injury of my life, and six months and two days after my second ankle surgery of the year.

Not sure what to say other than that the recovery has exceeded all expectations. I had a great, 15-week block of training. I was inspired to run a little faster by watching some high school kids running fast. So now I’m a little faster than I was last year. That’s how it’s supposed to work, right?

Tomorrow my wife and I leave for some remote parts of Japan. Not sure I’ll get much running in the next week or so.

Nov. 17 – Nov. 20; Four days in the Iya Valley on the island of Shikoku, Japan. No running.

Nov. 21; 3.2 miles in 25 minutes in Takamatusu, Shikoku, Japan. Found a trail that had what I think was a “warning, wild boars in the area” sign. Fortunately, I managed to avoid a wild-boar incident. Finished with a flat 6:39 mile, average HR 139. God bless low altitude.

Nov. 22 – 2.32 miles in 18 minutes on a big hill near the ocean in Awaji, Japan. Raining and a bit treacherous.

Nov. 23-24; Two days at Eiheiji Monastery, the original home of Japanese Zen Buddhism. Heck of an experience. No running.

Nov. 25
Saw online that Salida had six boys under 17:02 at NXR. Placed 5th among small schools. Not bad. Plus two coaches under 16:30!

The hotel had a pamphlet that recommended a 500-meter running path two miles away from the hotel.

3.2 miles easy on the mill; 25 minutes; Kanazawa, Japan.

Nov. 26
Back to Tokyo. Zero.

Nov. 27
3.4 miles in 24 minutes around Imperial Gardens in Tokyo. 7:35, 6:56, 6:26, 6:36 pace, max HR 145.

3.2 miles walking around Tokyo.

Hard to put into words our trip, so I won't even try. Here are a few pics.

Nov. 28
Back in Colorado. Visiting my brother for Turkey Day. 2.7 in 19:50 running around Jim Baker reservoir in Arvada. Snowy and icy.

Nov. 29
4.1 in 30:10 in the same spot. Even worse with snow and ice.

Back to Salida

Nov. 30
2.3 miles on CR 140. Turned around because of ice. Still pretty weary of the stuff.

Dec. 1
Am: 1.2 miles on CR 250. Quit because it was so treacherous, even with screw shoes. Did another 2.4 on the mill.

Pm: 3.17 on CR 140 in 23:59, max HR 145. SW wind and cold.

11/4-11/10: From Salida to Tokyo

Nov 4
4.1 on CR 210 in 34:40, max HR 135

Nov 5
Am: 5.5 in 41:50 on CR 220, max HR 145
Pm: 3.2 miles in 24:20 on CR 250, max HR 145

Nov 6
3.7 in 28:10 on CR 140

Nov 7
20-minute tempo run around Jim Baker reservoir in Arvada near my brother's house; 3.16 miles. Expected this to feel light and quick after my race on Saturday, but it did not. Had to work harder than I had expected.

5.1 miles total

Pm: 13-hour flight to Japan

Nov 8
Japan is 15 hours ahead, so this day mostly didn’t exist for me. Left Denver at noon on Thursday and arrived in Japan at 7 pm on Friday. First day off in months (depending on how you define a day - my Saturday run was technically on Friday in Colorado).

Nov 9
Am: 8.7 miles trotting a couple of laps from hotel and then around the Imperial Palace Gardens in Tokyo.

They were having ceremonies related to the crowning of a new emperor in Japan, so there were roadblocks, crazy crowds, and lots of other festivities.

Lots of scenes like this

Pretty serious park

Lots of folks in ceremonial garb

Pm: 4.8 miles walking around Tokyo.

Nov 10

Am: 5.7 mile run around Imperial Palace. There was a procession for the new emperor, so more roadblocks and detours. Probably saw 2500 police officers on my run, often yelling at me to stop running or to run somewhere else.

Not a lot of imperial processions on County Road 220 in Salida, so the run made up for in visual and ambient stimulation what it lacked in consistent aerobic stimulus.

Pm: 9.8 miles walking around Tokyo w/ the wife.

Not a lot of runners here

View from the hotel window

King Kong, doing his thing

Not in Salida anymore, Toto

Hanging with an old friend from college in front of a robot restaurant