tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88909736667347176512024-03-12T22:54:22.250-07:00Bonus MilesA life-long runner who tries to make up for in consistency what he lacks in talent Kieran McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606919516884153997noreply@blogger.comBlogger153125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8890973666734717651.post-49089842855162050902024-01-03T08:19:00.000-08:002024-01-03T08:32:28.160-08:00End of Year Musings<p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Last week, on December 30th, I snuck in one more time trial on the track. I had never run 10 miles in less than an hour before. And so I decided to give that a go as well. The plan was to do 5:59s through 8k, and then lower it down to 5:55s the last 8k plus a curve. All was going swimmingly through 9k, until two soccer teams showed up at the field for a scrimmage and commandeered lanes 1 and 2, literally putting their gear all throughout the first two lanes of the backstraight. Long story short, I think I had a 59:30 in my legs, but I finished 40 laps and a curve (16100 m, if I had been in lane one), in 59:58.8. Probably got an extra 150m or so with the interruptions. My watch tracks 1600s as miles when it's in track run mode, regardless of whether you're running in lane 1, lane 9, or on the infield. Regardless, I ran 10-plus miles in under an hour. </li><li>My legs were absolutely thrashed after the effort, which I did 4 days after the 10k. 4 days on, they are still thrashed.</li><li>On December 29th, I hit 3,000 miles in the year, for the first time ever. I’d say this has a lot to do with the first bullet.</li><li>Without question, 2023 was my best year of running in the last 25 years, and high in the running for my best ever. Ran 3 very good time trials and 3 good races. Should have run more races, but the ones I ran all worked out pretty well.</li><li>Back in 2013, when I set the goal of running a sub-17 5k, my logic was simple. When I was a high school and DIII college runner, I had decent speed but wasn’t that great aerobically. At my peak, my shorter-distance times were much stronger than my long-distance times. Then I barely ran for ten years. Then I ran ultras for four years, which made me aerobically fit, but I had no wheels. I thought, if I could reclaim some semblance of my high school speed while maintaining aerobic fitness, then when I returned to running longer distance races, I would be a much more competitive runner. At the time, I thought I’d be there in a year. Instead, it took me 11 years to get back to sub-17 shape. </li><li>A lot has happened in the last 11 years. I started a business, got married, moved to Salida, had a nasty leg injury, had a kid, and became a track coach. All that stuff changes you, in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. </li><li>So, what now? I am officially burnt out on time trials. There’s a decreasing marginal return on chasing times in time trials as a master’s runner, and now that I’ve been doing it for a while, the big returns are almost certainly done. I’ve been chasing times every time I’ve gone down from low altitude just about every time I’ve gone down since 2018. The appeal has waned. I could chase 5-minute miles every year, but the only reasonable time to do that here is in the summer, and that’s the best time to get out in the mountains. I enjoy the track more than most, but I still prefer the latter to the former. </li><li>I think the next step for me is to keep doing the same stuff with the training, and then to run more random races, from 5k to marathon, whenever I’m in the mood. It’s time for me to de-emphasize time goals and emphasize life and running experiences. I still want to run sub-80 for a half and sub-2:50 for a marathon, but the impediment to that isn’t lack of speed anymore. It’s aerobic volume.</li><li>My “bucket list” of races is perhaps atypical. Hardrock doesn’t really appeal to me, but I want to run all the big road races, from Bix 7 to Lilac Bloomsday to the 5th Avenue Mile. I’d like to do all the marathon majors. I’ll throw some mountain races in there, too. At some point I’ll need to get revenge at Pikes for the stinker I ran there in 2021, but it won’t happen next year. </li><li>I love running, even the mundane and boring workouts. And I finally feel like I’ve figured out a training program that works for me and enables me to race to my potential while staying healthy. I have no illusions about being some national-class athlete. Heck, I might only be the 4th or 5th best master’s runner in Salida right now. But regardless, I do genuinely feel that I am maximizing my limited talent given the time and life constraints I’m under. I think that’s all you can ask for.</li><li>My training is very simple, for those who are curious. I run 6-9 hours a week. 75% of it is very easy mileage, at 70% of Max HR (120s, for me). About 23% of my mileage is at “sub-threshold” intensity, broken up into intervals of 1 to 10 minutes. I do about 2% in high intensity work, between races, time trials, hills, and more specific stuff. I think what is unusual about my training is that: 1) the volume of sub-threshold is much higher than what most people do. I’m usually doing over 100 minutes of it a week. And 2) the easy running is much easier than what most people do. </li><li>The question I have now is whether I’ll be able to apply what I’ve learned to longer distances and different surfaces. Look forward to figuring that out. The 10-mile PR is a good sign that this training will do well at longer distances, but the proof is in the doing.</li></ul><p></p><div><br /></div>Kieran McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606919516884153997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8890973666734717651.post-31076382769801146982023-12-26T10:09:00.000-08:002023-12-26T10:09:31.018-08:0035:54 10k Time Trial<p><a href="https://gnarlyirishmountainrunner.blogspot.com/2012/10/1659-3559-119-249.html">Knocked out another goal time. </a>This one isn’t just a masters PR. It’s a lifetime PR.</p><p>Family went down to Georgetown, TX, for the holidays, which is just outside of Austin and where my wife’s family lives. </p><p>Since I’m not getting any younger and I’m in as good of shape as I’m likely to ever be in, I’m trying not to let any low altitude trips go to waste. Wanted to try to run a few good times while I was here. </p><p>Doing a time trial the day after Xmas isn't ideal in terms of diet, sleep, etc., but this was the day that lined up best with weather and schedule. </p><p>I went down to the local track to give a 10k a go. I think the last time I had pushed a fast 10k was the Bolder Boulder my freshman year of high school, so whatever I produced for this effort was likely to be a PR. Decided to try to go out in 5:44 miles and see where that led me. It was a struggle from the beginning. I ran the first mile in 5:47, then 5:42, 5:44, 5:45. 5:47, 5:47, then 81 to close. 25 laps. Woof. Felt like I was redlining the last 10 laps. I wasn’t sure if I was going to get there until 200 to go. HR was higher than I would have thought possible for a 10k. This one hurt.</p><p>Judging by recent times, altitude converters, and Jack Daniels pace equivalents, I thought sub-36 was going to be relatively easy. It was not. I was hanging on for dear life the last few laps, and I feel like garbage now. Either way, sub-36 had been on my radar for a while, and I got there, even though the effort was way harder than I thought it might be. </p>Kieran McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606919516884153997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8890973666734717651.post-59086724673764339922023-11-24T08:35:00.000-08:002023-11-24T08:39:51.217-08:00Broomfield Turkey Trot<p>Ran 17:02 yesterday at the Broomfield Turkey Trot. 6th overall, 1st master. <a href="https://www.broomfieldturkeyday.com/Race/Results/16827#resultSetId-408936;perpage:10">Results here</a>. Their "clock time/chip time" distinction is wonky. I had 17:01 clock time on my watch.</p><p>Brother lives in Arvada, and we were in town for the holiday. Sister-in-law suggested the Turkey Trot, so three of us ran it. </p><p>Thought I was in sub-17 shape at altitude, but I couldn’t quite get there. Course started downhill and then worked its way back up. Started in 5:20 and then just couldn’t quite sustain the pace on the gradual uphill back to the start. Course was a smidge short, too. 3.07 by my watch. </p><p>I keyed my race off a guy that passed me just short of the mile. He had some gray hair, so I figured (correctly) that he was in my age group. So I just sat on him with the intention of trying to outkick him at the end. Everything went perfectly when I passed him on the last straightway--and then he went to the left to run his second loop of the 10k.</p><p>My wife ran 25:20, which is a PR for her. That was the result of 7 weeks of 4-days a week training (including one threshold session per week). She could totally be in the 22s or maybe faster if she cared, but she’s more into yoga than running. </p><p>Fun to get out and race with family. I’m 46 now, but I still feel like I’m improving, albeit marginally. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnQlTwdgsAGiKFDPmFZ7AjEhnyvI-HoK5M42f4Jn_fOtlyYMGvm1sD5x71hqkDgEQrfyMr56k5ecg4_lhMKQC03o-KEJkEuD-jszo_Qxmm7tzMdjUXfFHDQWmBN0YPR3Ma9ki2wpisz1umk1GzTQ73oS_wfQxmSWOX9ns8THQvRV7T_nlyLdhPlSvR5EFU/s640/FullSizeRender.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="458" data-original-width="640" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnQlTwdgsAGiKFDPmFZ7AjEhnyvI-HoK5M42f4Jn_fOtlyYMGvm1sD5x71hqkDgEQrfyMr56k5ecg4_lhMKQC03o-KEJkEuD-jszo_Qxmm7tzMdjUXfFHDQWmBN0YPR3Ma9ki2wpisz1umk1GzTQ73oS_wfQxmSWOX9ns8THQvRV7T_nlyLdhPlSvR5EFU/s320/FullSizeRender.heic" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2E6mUQ7txbPv3B4JKe5A36mT2nzvFi3rXOOPwbElkbmGdYsWAUNDXOHxkX6fPDuZ3km7A4D6mf0gcVdtyH2dSHuVQg8DyU62mRjy2am9C0N4u6Ohgxi8JArmpQ_Dw_CgCHzrglncRqoysvUUdZ33NdqK5VJ5Zk3ZOZ1AcBWWSiry9OIdkOx2ajBInebJ-/s640/IMG_6175.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2E6mUQ7txbPv3B4JKe5A36mT2nzvFi3rXOOPwbElkbmGdYsWAUNDXOHxkX6fPDuZ3km7A4D6mf0gcVdtyH2dSHuVQg8DyU62mRjy2am9C0N4u6Ohgxi8JArmpQ_Dw_CgCHzrglncRqoysvUUdZ33NdqK5VJ5Zk3ZOZ1AcBWWSiry9OIdkOx2ajBInebJ-/s320/IMG_6175.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Kieran McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606919516884153997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8890973666734717651.post-25874108853564000612023-10-03T12:44:00.000-07:002023-10-03T12:44:02.412-07:00September Summary<p> 259 miles with 12000 gain in September.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">A slight downtick in volume compared to the last few months but a slight uptick in quality/intensity. I did a few track sessions without injuring myself, so that’s a positive.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I also started playing around with this guy recently. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw7RLxDO5mT2nDqcP1nc9ZD6Ae8WAz1dhOfI-KaLgl7V7uvnB8t3SgXpz5TQEduZqZ6v3i0duSaDp3I2Yi_DaB8XpUi4E-ViuEqr4Z2va52W3_TgKle3SNMLt6Ji0OaOgEZU9r7kLFp7AYCywULsS7TvbNpkyxNsuzsA9fJi44RfNjRkCAUyO6GaPw2A3I/s640/IMG_4453.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw7RLxDO5mT2nDqcP1nc9ZD6Ae8WAz1dhOfI-KaLgl7V7uvnB8t3SgXpz5TQEduZqZ6v3i0duSaDp3I2Yi_DaB8XpUi4E-ViuEqr4Z2va52W3_TgKle3SNMLt6Ji0OaOgEZU9r7kLFp7AYCywULsS7TvbNpkyxNsuzsA9fJi44RfNjRkCAUyO6GaPw2A3I/s320/IMG_4453.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Not sure it’s led to any radical changes in my training, as I was already doing "Norwegian-style" training before I got it. But it has caused me to make some subtle tweaks and adjust workouts in ways that I think might be beneficial. There was a learning curve associated with it, but now that I’ve gotten the hang of it, it’s nice to have bio-feedback that reinforces that I’m at the right intensity for what I’m trying to achieve. Discovered a few counterintuitive things I’ll be able to use going forward. And it appeals to my wonky nature. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Bit of a bloody mess sometimes, though. Not in the British sense of "bloody mess," but in a literal way. You definitely get some weird looks!</div></div><p></p>Kieran McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606919516884153997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8890973666734717651.post-78333754806315813622023-09-01T14:33:00.001-07:002023-09-01T14:35:20.865-07:00August Summary<p>279 miles on the month with about 15k of gain.</p><p>I hit 2037 miles on the year this morning, which is more mileage than I ran in four of the last five years, with four months left in the year. Unless I get hit by a bus in the next 10 days or so, this will be my biggest year of training since 2017, when I was doing almost no workouts of any kind, just long days in the mountains. </p><p>I have never run more than 3000 miles in a year. Not when I was training for ultras. Not when I ran in college. I had big blocks of 70-100 mile weeks back then, but there were always injuries in my big years that kept the yearly totals down. Since I’m already more than 2/3rds of the way there, hitting 3k has become a bit of a mini-goal for me this year. </p><p>Another very long-term goal is hitting 100k lifetime miles. Even though I’ve never been a high mileage guy, I have been consistent runner since I was 12. I’m over 57k lifetime now, so I would need some degree of mileage focus to get there. But projecting out 15-20 years with my current volume or something close to it, it’s not that crazy of a thought.</p><div><br /></div>Kieran McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606919516884153997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8890973666734717651.post-77799364298629655752023-08-02T10:23:00.008-07:002023-08-02T12:25:17.940-07:00White WhaleI ran a 16:42.4 5k this morning. On a concrete path near my parents’ place in Morgan Hill, California. Elevation 350. Flat as a pancake. 58 degrees. 5 mph crosswind. The slightest bit of drizzle. Perfect conditions. Nearly perfectly even splits. <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOLp-hIKG2Rts1od7ICq_OYXBHCa0anYU0lBQOMJSaAGmDEq9peBBZ0UJNEJdjSDL24RGYYaBeBdK4SXXA-UDs6evceB_ifWHnTPUxrh6vfrIc4SlJiYgdYMqQ37gnYNed9kSIGTNsif7duuQuQDsM7fkIZzFvWVmNSPNym9Z-tVR1feNwcKGm-RW08sWF/s640/IMG_4399.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOLp-hIKG2Rts1od7ICq_OYXBHCa0anYU0lBQOMJSaAGmDEq9peBBZ0UJNEJdjSDL24RGYYaBeBdK4SXXA-UDs6evceB_ifWHnTPUxrh6vfrIc4SlJiYgdYMqQ37gnYNed9kSIGTNsif7duuQuQDsM7fkIZzFvWVmNSPNym9Z-tVR1feNwcKGm-RW08sWF/s320/IMG_4399.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6iY_N8nQbtApRq67aRSg_V5oyvsbVuJk_jhpO1Nc0z1OURb461N38tiif0dgqBialIXwEGQQOHOBkLCEfdxS9BO4D49j_-C_g5L9WL0boQPF26AxcVTRyGZF91JCI_dmNOmA-3TZXmzll_mT-RJ9PFhskRLT5vbNmaMtKKxuIze33Feof-13EGWy9W8q3/s640/IMG_4401.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6iY_N8nQbtApRq67aRSg_V5oyvsbVuJk_jhpO1Nc0z1OURb461N38tiif0dgqBialIXwEGQQOHOBkLCEfdxS9BO4D49j_-C_g5L9WL0boQPF26AxcVTRyGZF91JCI_dmNOmA-3TZXmzll_mT-RJ9PFhskRLT5vbNmaMtKKxuIze33Feof-13EGWy9W8q3/s320/IMG_4401.jpg" /></a></div>That's the fastest I've run since I was a sophomore in college.<div><br /></div><div>On October 17th, 2012, I wrote a blog post here with the title “<a href="https://gnarlyirishmountainrunner.blogspot.com/2012/10/1659-3559-119-249.html" target="_blank">16:59, 35:59, 1:19, 2:49.</a>” I was 34 years old at the time. <div><br /></div><div>Those were my running goals for 2013. But I didn’t run any of those times in 2013. Or in the nine years that followed. <div><br /></div><div>But I finally got it done this morning. Nearly 11 years in the making. At the tender age of 45. </div><div><br /></div><div>The formula that worked for me: 1) Consistently good volume (for me) (62.9 mpw avg. since May 23); 2) High volume of threshold intervals (10-18 mpw at between 5:50 and 6:20 pace); 3) easy days very easy (HR sub-135); 4) Super shoes (duh). </div><div><br /></div><div>Zero race-pace training. Two sessions of hill repeats. Two races. Otherwise, all easy days and threshold training. </div><div><br /></div><div>I’ve tried lots of different training techniques over the last 10+ years. I’ve done big volume with big vert. I’ve done max sprints and max intensity. I’ve done Vo2 Max work. Etc., etc. More combinations of all of the above than I can remember. But this has been the most effective training regimen for me. This was the one that got it done. </div></div></div><div><br /></div><div>--</div><div><br /></div><div>285 miles in July with around 20k in gain. That's the most I've done since July 2017. And I think it's the most I've ever done while doing consistent workouts. </div>Kieran McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606919516884153997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8890973666734717651.post-68271364854086166612023-07-05T11:36:00.000-07:002023-07-05T11:36:26.832-07:00Vail Hill Climb 3rd Masters/13th Overall<p>Ran the Vail Hill Climb this weekend. Got 13th overall and 3rd master. <a href="https://www.vailrec.com/images/Sports_Results/2023_Results/2023_Trail_Running/2023_HillClimb_Results_by_Category.pdf" target="_blank">Results here</a>.</p><p>Not sure if this was a good race or a bad race. Course was 7.7 miles with 2233 ft. of gain. I ran 8:15 pace, which was really a 6:19 mile, followed by an 8-minute mile, followed by some 9-minute miles, followed by 6-minute pace for the rolling hill last .7. Kept my HR steady-ish, but the course went uphill and I slowed down.</p><p>At first, I thought it was an underwhelming result. But the runner who finished one place in front of me ran at DIII nationals in cross country last year, which is something I never managed when I was a DIII runner back in the day. And the guy who finished two places in front of me is a 1:16 half/2:36 marathoner. I am nowhere near that good. I suppose I finished about where I should have.</p><p>Some pics.</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTWlbhRnDYR66bNZahs8Na2sXtWGjEYzQraqoK-zdowWGjhj7262HDaNZwCFbyN4QvKnvBNQ4R0K7qT6s2ns20WcMkqT9BC5vnAsuBSjLBQKdLuRPE-4OoYqEwIEpTW1JLMu7Kep3Fz3TinT7LDC21dUr2gWYt-3w1BRNgCdWDbLRDLvlOT0_a-AYkEOnp/s1024/Start%20hill%20climb.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="339" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTWlbhRnDYR66bNZahs8Na2sXtWGjEYzQraqoK-zdowWGjhj7262HDaNZwCFbyN4QvKnvBNQ4R0K7qT6s2ns20WcMkqT9BC5vnAsuBSjLBQKdLuRPE-4OoYqEwIEpTW1JLMu7Kep3Fz3TinT7LDC21dUr2gWYt-3w1BRNgCdWDbLRDLvlOT0_a-AYkEOnp/w509-h339/Start%20hill%20climb.jpeg" width="509" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A little too eager at the start. Been going to too many track meets.</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj41uwxwz19P1VsrSKy89JDjuu6lfzlh1TesIPY3Hr4Dda5fEoeQb2xAnYDKZv-xE_lx74tYD-tXyI-OuteHtVYVwqcb2f414D5PQkYDZXYpXLueytx0x1bKpCsC91G1sWbvSOzoi_d6PA59pke5dwupyBFySIBdUgdmmL-pjCRTXcUU0EkiIk2MeHiyVpK/s640/IMG_3174%20(2).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj41uwxwz19P1VsrSKy89JDjuu6lfzlh1TesIPY3Hr4Dda5fEoeQb2xAnYDKZv-xE_lx74tYD-tXyI-OuteHtVYVwqcb2f414D5PQkYDZXYpXLueytx0x1bKpCsC91G1sWbvSOzoi_d6PA59pke5dwupyBFySIBdUgdmmL-pjCRTXcUU0EkiIk2MeHiyVpK/w492-h370/IMG_3174%20(2).jpeg" width="492" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finish</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_3l7jrwwn3ygRgzUKyPWbMXQVl4DqNrUQXGHRblgLqo0Z-ar2wwr6PyMDP4QCYNo_8bnea-QUo736Aden_rTNDkSH4nJDKRsjNg0oK1rVaeMVxOqiuvw0yj_-jMfcvfhUzqC8LTEf5yZnEwkKO6OjhHhXRL48mQECgS1j8tpmFwNQctXx9IZrR1CRRHJ8/s640/IMG_3177%20(1).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_3l7jrwwn3ygRgzUKyPWbMXQVl4DqNrUQXGHRblgLqo0Z-ar2wwr6PyMDP4QCYNo_8bnea-QUo736Aden_rTNDkSH4nJDKRsjNg0oK1rVaeMVxOqiuvw0yj_-jMfcvfhUzqC8LTEf5yZnEwkKO6OjhHhXRL48mQECgS1j8tpmFwNQctXx9IZrR1CRRHJ8/w325-h319/IMG_3177%20(1).jpeg" width="325" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This young man had never seen me race</td></tr></tbody></table><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg42XoK3gNs-696Lsem5-uKEGVczSLwA1Cl2PIeNC_z4wpkZQHRHMa8wTUcRaOoVhWo7cDj214Dc6r3qIEOGsDVM09-4NLb1pXghtu9MKsxGXI3s4O4wl7KEAaMGa6NRrZtK4tO6skzfUUg9NNJs9EIK02_HmYtc6UEIdKuu5IJBNkiQXEQ1t1ZWiUmoV3y/s640/IMG_3196%20(1).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg42XoK3gNs-696Lsem5-uKEGVczSLwA1Cl2PIeNC_z4wpkZQHRHMa8wTUcRaOoVhWo7cDj214Dc6r3qIEOGsDVM09-4NLb1pXghtu9MKsxGXI3s4O4wl7KEAaMGa6NRrZtK4tO6skzfUUg9NNJs9EIK02_HmYtc6UEIdKuu5IJBNkiQXEQ1t1ZWiUmoV3y/w453-h340/IMG_3196%20(1).jpeg" width="453" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These guys are better than I am at running up mountains.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p></p><p>264 miles in June again. Just hit 1500 miles on the year today. That’s a lot for me, considering the fact that I only ran 1575 in all of 2021. No wonder I sucked at Pikes Peak that year. </p><p>I ran the same number of races in the last two weeks as I had in the last four years. That by itself is an achievement for me. Nothing immediately on the agenda after this other than to continue to build and run races when I feel like it. I hope to roll with it and sign up for races when it works for my schedule. </p>Kieran McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606919516884153997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8890973666734717651.post-70423722780594319562023-06-19T16:13:00.000-07:002023-06-19T16:13:16.189-07:00Fibark 5k 1st Place, 16:49<p>For the first time in a couple of years, I ran a race this weekend. <a href="https://www.athlinks.com/event/355320/results/Event/1044677/Results">Results here.</a></p><p>Salida’s biggest festival of the year is the Fibark festival, which happens every year at the peak of whitewater intensity in the summer. It’s mostly a kayak, rafting, paddle-boarding deal, but they throw in a few running races for good measure.</p><p>I didn’t have anything going on this weekend, and I felt like I was in decent shape, so I decided to give it a go. </p><p>I ran 16:49 for 3 miles. It was labeled a 5k, but it was short. </p><p>My main competition was two of the kids I coach on the track team, our likely 2nd and 3rd runners for the upcoming cross-country season. They were talking a lot of smack going into the race, but I was reasonably confident, given that they had just taken two weeks off at the end of the track season, and I was coming off some 60-65 mile weeks. </p><p>The course goes up for 1.2 miles about 130 feet, and then rolls back down to where it starts for the remaining 1.8. </p><p>We went out in 5:52, which was not easy for an uphill at 7250 ft. I told the kids I coach that when we turned back to town, I was going to make a move, because if it came down to a sprint, I didn’t want to be racing a 2:05 and a 2:07 800 runner in a dash to the finish. I ran a 5:30 and then slightly faster for the next mile and that was good enough to give me some space for the win. </p><p>--</p><p>I’ve decided that I need to get over my silly perfectionist tendencies when it comes to racing. I have it in my head that I can only race when conditions are perfect and I’ve had a perfect lead up, but I put a lot of time into running, and I might as well get out there and race on occasion. </p><p>I was never that good to begin with, but I’m getting older but I’m not yet slowing down. I think being a coach has made me smarter about my own training, and that’s helped me fend off father time a little bit.</p><p>Still, that trend won’t continue forever. Might as well get out there and get after it while I still can. </p><div><br /></div>Kieran McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606919516884153997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8890973666734717651.post-73825767577097982322023-06-03T15:31:00.006-07:002023-06-05T09:55:42.363-07:00May Deets/An Actual Race?<p>264 miles this month with around 18,000 ft. of gain.</p><p>That’s my second biggest month in the last five years. I’ve run some strong workouts, but I’m doing mostly threshold sessions and easy days, with a tiny bit of speed, so it’s hard to read too much into what I’m doing right now. I can do 10 800s in 2:55 on 1-minute rest and I tend to touch at lactate threshold right at the end of that workout. Toss in a few 100s or 200s at the end, and that’s my go-to training right now. The other standard workout is 7 x 1 mile on 1’ rest at subtempo, so around 6:10 pace, if I’m on the track. Most of the time I do the latter workout off the track, so I do it be HR or just by feel. </p><p>I’ve built up to 65 mpw, and assuming I have the time and don’t get hurt, I’m going to park it there other than race weeks. </p><p>Speaking of which, I just signed up for the Vail Hill Climb. 7.7 miles, 2200 ft of vert. Seems like a low-pressure way to revisit the racing scene. Have really no idea what to expect in terms of time or competition. I mean, it should take an hour or so, so hopefully I won’t blow up like I did at Pikes a couple of years back. </p><p>The track season ended well. Our top boy went 4:32 in the 1600 and 9:46 in the 3200 at state. He’s a sophomore, so he’ll have chances to improve on those times the next two years. Our top girl went 4:59 for 1600 and 11:08 for 3200, good enough for 3rd and 2nd, respectively, in our classification. She now owns the school records for both distances.</p><p>I’ve only been involved in high school track for the last four years, but the improvement in times and performances is stunning. I’m pretty sure only two girls broke 5 in the 1600 in the 90s in Colorado (Melody Fairchild and Rebekah McDowell), and those girls were all-time legends. This year alone I think 15 girls ran under 5. In 5A, the time that would place you dead last at state now would have been good enough to win state many years in the 90s and early 2000s. On the guys’ side, sub-4:20 used to be reserved for Adam Goucher and a handful of others when I was in high school. Rich Martinez held the 1600 record at 4:10.98 for 40 years. Now, two dozen boys run sub-4:20 every year at state. It’s just a different universe of competition. </p><p><br /></p>Kieran McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606919516884153997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8890973666734717651.post-90687995866193716952023-05-10T07:56:00.000-07:002023-05-10T07:56:14.632-07:00April Deets<p>230 miles in April with 12k of gain.</p><p>Not quite as much volume as last month, but I'm feeling fit. Judging from where my heart rate is in threshold days and easy days, I think I'm as fit as I've been in the last few years. 930 miles in the first third of the year, which is the best I've done since 2017, and the first time I've done decent volume plus quality since college without getting hurt. </p><p>I attribute that to a switch toward threshold work with volume with light injections of speed as opposed to the higher intensity speed that I was doing a few years ago. </p><p>The two races that are on my radar for June/July are Mt. Evans Ascent and Vail Hill Climb. In August, I'm going to visit my parents in California, so I might take a stab at a sub-17 5k on the track there. </p><p>In the fall, maybe the Color Run Half in BV, and then maybe California International Marathon in December? </p>Kieran McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606919516884153997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8890973666734717651.post-36352294487168092932023-04-20T08:16:00.002-07:002023-04-20T08:16:40.611-07:00March Deets<p>More than a little late on this one.</p><p><span style="text-align: center;">255 miles with 17k of gain.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As March turns to April, coaching track turns into a full-time job that’s more time consuming than my day normal full-time job. Last Saturday, I had one 15-hour day at a meet in Pueblo, followed by another 15-hour day five days later ending at 2 am coming home from a meet in the Springs. Not an easy thing when you’re trying to run a law firm and raise a 3-year-old. Coaching in Salida, traveling to meets with good conditions and good competition invariably means long drives and late nights. It’s fun but it’s all consuming. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I’m doing a better job of maintaining my own fitness than in prior years. I wouldn’t say I’m at peak fitness, but I think I’m close enough to it where I feel I could get there fairly quickly if I had the bandwidth and the motivation to do it. Being a coach does lend itself to access to high-quality training partners, even if they are less than half my age. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Watching Boston got my slightly motivated to consider a road marathon in the fall/winter. We'll see if I have the motivation and energy to follow through with it when it's time to put the time in for it.</div><div><br /></div></div><p></p>Kieran McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606919516884153997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8890973666734717651.post-41017419245932499492023-03-01T12:25:00.003-08:002023-03-01T12:28:19.340-08:00February Deets<div>204 miles with about 17k of gain on the month. </div><div><br /></div><div>A couple of hiccups held me back this month. </div><div><br /></div><div>Felt some strain in the lower-back of the hamstring mid-month that caused me to cut a couple of workouts short. Doesn’t really bother me on long or easy runs. Bothered me on a couple of consecutive workouts, though. Took it easy for a while and then I had a couple of good sessions at the end of the month. So hopefully that’s over with.</div><div><br /></div><div>And I got a stomach bug mid-month. </div><div><br /></div><div>The hamstring didn’t force me to miss any time, just take it easy. But the stomach bug knocked me out for a couple of days, which was why mileage was a bit lower this month. That, and the fact that there are fewer days in February. </div><div><br /></div><div>Still a steady month in terms of training. No breakthrough or drop offs. Just steady stuff. </div><div><br /></div><div>Some of the locals are doing some crazy mileage, workouts, and prep for the Run Through Time. I suspect there’s going to be a stronger-than-usual presence at the top of the podium with local runners for both the marathon and the half this year. Mark my words.</div><div><br /></div>Kieran McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606919516884153997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8890973666734717651.post-49956123493502779652023-02-01T19:10:00.000-08:002023-02-01T19:10:21.415-08:00January Deets<p>238 miles on the month with about 20k of gain. </p><p>Struggled a bit to build the volume the first couple weeks after getting back from Costa Rica, but the volume feels easy enough now. 50-plus miles every week in 2023, and no injuries or niggles, knock on wood. Only a few doubles this month.</p><p>Track coaching duties are in full force for me right now. I’m running five days a week with the kids. I’m mostly running with our two sub-16:30 guys and our 17-flat guy. This time of year I can usually keep up. It's the Vo2 max type work when I get dropped and we're not doing anything like that just yet. </p><p>Mostly standard base stuff. Easy days, long days up to 13 miles, hills, and lots and lots of tempos. Some light injections of speed. I can tell that the lead kids are developing fitness to a degree where I am going to start getting dropped soon enough even on their moderate days. Such is the life of a high school coach. </p><p>Our 800 kids’ training will deviate from the 1600-3200s shortly. So that complicates my ability to mix my training with theirs. From Feb-May, there’s a lot more holding of the watch and less running alongside them. I'll probably only be able to do 50 mpw if I can sneak in more doubles. </p><p>We had a 1:58 kid last year, and I strained a hamstring trying to run a 27-second 200 alongside him. This year, we’ll see if I can avoid being so stupid. </p><p>We’ve got one girl this year that is going to run D-I next year. So this might be the first year where one of the girls I coach starts kicking my butt. Fun stuff. </p><p>Today it was 38 degrees at practice. Downright balmy compared to what we’ve been dealing with.</p><p>Looking forward to spring. </p>Kieran McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606919516884153997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8890973666734717651.post-26722146588819297022023-01-02T16:35:00.001-08:002023-01-02T16:35:17.874-08:002022/2023<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It’s been a minute. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">But it’s a new year, and what the heck? I kinda miss the blogging thing.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I haven’t run any races since the crap-fest at Pikes in 2021, but my running has been going fine. I ran 2120 miles in 2021, which is the most miles I’ve run since 2017. I ran 30 miles a week January through June, 55 miles a week July through October, and then 30 miles a week in November and December.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I thought about running a marathon in the fall, but I never got around to it. Or any races, for that matter.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I did run a few time trials, most at 7000 ft. in Salida. I ran a 17:52 5k, a 10:28 3k, and three 5:0x miles, with the fastest at 5:05. So more or less in line with my fitness the past few years. Not any better, but not any worse, either.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I think there might have been a couple of times where if I had been transported to a low-altitude track against some appropriate competition, I could have gotten the 4:5x eluded me for a few years, but that never happened. I need to work on my transporter technology.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I was in pretty good shape in October/November, and I had half a notion of going for a sub 17:30 at 7k ft. around that time, but then COVID, RSV, and the flu hit our household in consecutive weeks, which is why the mileage went to down the tube in November.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The reason I picked it up in the first place was just that I felt like I gone as far as I could with the whole low-mileage training thing, and I was inspired by the training of the Ingebrigtsens, who do huge volume, low-intensity easy days, and a bunch of threshold work. So I started doing a dumbed-down version of that for myself, and it felt good. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Family spent most of December in Costa Rica, which was awesome overall, but terrible for running. Never had so many runs cut short by aggressive stray dogs before, but such is central America. I got in 25 miles a week with some threshold stuff. Good enough.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">In 2023, I aspire to actually run some races. Maybe some 10ks in the summer, maybe Creede and some mid-distance trail races in the late summer, maybe a road marathon in the fall. My marathon PR is 2:59, which is weak, and I think I can beat that with 15 weeks of good training, even as an old fart. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I aspire to run at least 2500 miles this year, and maybe 3000 if everything works out. I’ve never done consistent mileage (as in, above 50 mpw) and consistent workouts at the same time. I ran 60-70 mpw when I was healthy and training for ultras, but I didn’t do any quality. And I’ve done tons of quality in recent years, but not much in the way of mileage. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">If I can do both this year, and not get hurt, maybe I can get some masters PRs by summer and fall. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Might as well give it a go. I ain't getting any younger.</div><div><br /></div></div><p></p>Kieran McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606919516884153997noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8890973666734717651.post-87288786096130084572021-08-22T13:13:00.007-07:002021-08-22T13:26:08.614-07:00Pikes Peak Race Recap<p><b>Quick Synopsis:</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ec4jGEgzkJs" width="320" youtube-src-id="Ec4jGEgzkJs"></iframe></div><p><b>Longer version:</b></p><p>Well, that sucked. Laid a big turd out there. 3:24 and change.</p><p>Since I broke my leg 2.5 years ago, I’ve done about 70% of my miles on dirt roads, 10% on a treadmill, 10% on asphalt, 5% on trails, and 5% on trails. I used to run nearly half of my miles on trails, but since I had that fall, I just avoid anything technical. </p><p>Well, I had forgotten how many “step ups” and rocks there were on this trail up to Pikes. Leading up to this race, I did most of my training on high-altitude dirt roads. That’s fine for building the aerobic engine, but it doesn’t do anything to get you to accustomed to the physical challenge of stepping up on rocks 1000 times over 13 miles. And so I wasn’t ready for it on Saturday.</p><p>Executed the plan fine to Barr Camp. 52 to No name and 1:28 to BC while keep the HR below 160, which is generally a sub-tempo effort. Nobody passed me between No Name and Barr Camp, and I passed quite a few. But mechanically, above BC, it all went bad. Kicked a few rocks and slipped a couple of times. About 5 to go my quads started cramping and seizing up from all the step ups. By 4 to go, my legs were just shot. Last 4 miles were all slower than 20-minute miles. I just couldn’t push off worth a damn. My HR was in the low 140s. </p><p>I just wasn't anywhere near prepared for this race. I vastly overestimated my specific fitness for this challenge and vastly underestimated the scope of the challenge. And I paid for it with a 4-mile death march in some nasty weather up top. Was in total survival mode above A-Frame.</p><p>Other than the death march at the end, I had fun racing again. Fun seeing some folks out there I hadn’t seen in a while. </p><p>I’ll see if I can find another race this fall to get the stink off me from that one. </p><div><br /></div><p></p>Kieran McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606919516884153997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8890973666734717651.post-47357253214963774482021-08-16T14:29:00.000-07:002021-08-16T14:29:15.078-07:00Pikes !?!!?!!<p>I'm running the Pikes Peak Ascent in five days. </p><p>I haven't run a race in 22 months and it's been nearly three years since I finished anything longer than a 5k. </p><p>And of yeah, it's my first trail race since <a href="https://gnarlyirishmountainrunner.blogspot.com/2019/02/moab-red-hot-33kdnf-broken-leg.html">this happened.</a></p><p>It's a little hard to know how I'm going to do. On the one hand, I feel fit. On the other hand, I haven't done a race like this in a long time, and I've never done a race that was just straight up for nearly 8k ft. of gain. Plus, my mileage has been fairly slim this year. As in, like 30 miles a week through June and then 45 miles a week since. My longest effort this year is 15 miles.</p><p>The low-mileage approach isn't a principled stance. I know I'd do better if I ran more miles (assuming I could stay healthy). I've just been too busy with work, parenthood, and coaching to do more than I have.</p><p>That said, I just PR'd on my favorite high elevation tempo run, a 7-mile tempo on Old Monarch Pass. I ran 53:01 on Saturday, or 7:34 miles for 7 miles at over 11,000 ft. with over 1k in gain. That's a fair ways faster than I ran on a similar effort before I ran 81 minutes for a half three years ago. So that's encouraging.</p><p>If this were a 2-hour race between 7k ft and 12k ft., I'd feel well prepared. Unfortunately for me, it's probably going to be closer to a 3-hour race (or more) going up to 14k ft. So I don't feel <i>that</i> well prepared for that long of an effort. </p><p>Plus, I just realized that I'm not even in the first men's wave. I got seeded 231. Near as I can tell, I'm starting two minutes or so behind the lead women and a minute or so behind the lead men, so it's going be super congested going up the Ws. </p><p>I emailed the registrar to ask if I could get a bump to the first wave, and he said he would have given me one, but I asked too late. </p><p>Oh, well. </p><p>A+ goal would be sub-2:50, with an A- goal of sub-2:55. B goal is sub-3. C and D goals are to finish and to not break any bones this time. </p><p><br /></p>Kieran McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606919516884153997noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8890973666734717651.post-77056680589092404112020-12-31T13:30:00.003-08:002021-01-04T07:39:06.240-08:00End of 2020 Musings<p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>I’m still running. Every day. </li><li>I did not run a sub-5 mile this year. I have a few excuses, but the main one is that I’m not fast enough. </li><li>I’ve been struggling a bit with Achilles tendinopathy issues the last four months. I’m managing it fine, but it has flared up to the degree where it’s affected my training a few times.</li><li>Another matter complicating fast times on the track: the Salida track has often been closed this year. Every time they close the school for COVID, which they’ve done three times, they close the track. </li><li>On the whole, I feel like I’m about 95% as fit as I was a year ago. Good enough in a year like this one.</li><li>Last fall I was running 55 miles a week, and now I’m doing 30 about miles a week. </li><li>1815 miles on the year. </li><li>I do some intensity every week, although often it’s just a tempo or some light aerobic intervals.</li><li>Being a new dad certainly makes it more challenging to get as much running in as I might like. We’ll probably start putting the little man into childcare starting next year as he gets older and (hopefully) COVID becomes less of a factor. Maybe that’ll free up some time to run more in the coming years.</li><li>Running blogging (and blogging in general) has gotten the shaft this year. Not much to say other than it’s not a priority. </li><li>I’m not sure I’ll ever get back to posting weekly training. To the extent that anyone cared, you can go back and get the gist of the type of training I do. </li><li>Maybe I’ll post the occasional running-related diatribe in 2021 when I feel so inspired.</li><li>Baby is doing great. My dog with cancer is still alive and doing pretty well, all things considered. My business did fine this year. It’s been a weird year, for sure. But as a 98th percentile introvert, quarantine doesn’t bother me all that much. A traumatic year for the world to be sure, but on a personal level, I can’t complain.</li><li>What does 2021 have in store for me, running-wise? I think sub-5 is still the main goal. And I have still have a Pikes Ascent entry that was rolled over in 2019 for a broken leg and 2020 for COVID. Little did I know that when I signed up in January 2019 that I was making a 30-plus month training plan. I have a Bolder Boulder entry that’s rolled over twice, too, but I don’t think that one’s going to happen this year, either. </li><li>I can see myself getting out for some small mountain races in the summer, too, if I’m feel fit and healthy. Creede and Crested Butte always appeal to me. </li><li>2021, eh? Man, if I stopped to think about it, that would make me feel really old. Which is why I reckon it’s best not to think about it too much.</li></ul><p></p><p>Tata for now. Here’s hoping that 2021 goes a little smoother than 2020 did!</p><div><br /></div>Kieran McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606919516884153997noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8890973666734717651.post-7630453835643028282020-08-03T12:38:00.000-07:002020-08-03T12:38:16.181-07:00July 20 - Aug 2: HiccupJuly 20<br />
3-mile easy dog jog on CR 220<br />
<br />
July 21<br />
4 x max hills on CR 220. 1.8-mile warmup at 7:47 pace (uphill). 1.9 cooldown at 6:55 pace (downhill). 4.46 total<br />
<br />
July 22<br />
Track day.<br />
<br />
Plyos, warmup 200 in 35, followed by 400 in 69; 3 minutes rest; 400 in 70, followed by 4 x 200 in 36, 34.5, 34, 33.5, all on 2:30 rest. 1-mile cooldown in 7:20 for 3.73 miles total.<br />
<br />
I was hoping to do 3 x 400 on 3 minutes rest averaging sub-70. Decided to audible to 4 x 200 instead of the last 400, because I knew I wasn’t going to make the pace on the last rep.<br />
<br />
July 23<br />
7 miles on Mears Junction to Marshall Pass in 54:25. Solid run.<br />
<br />
July 24<br />
Am: 2-mile easy dog jog w/ Tanner<br />
Pm: 6 miles marking the national HS trail championship/beas knees course. This was harder and more time consuming than I expected. Took more than two hours.<br />
<br />
July 25<br />
Was hoping to do a downhill 800 in sub-2:20 on CR 140. Did .3 at 2:17 pace, but then felt a twinge in the hammy and decided to call it. Don’t think it’s anything too terrible, but I’ll need to take it easy for a few days. I think the course marking put strain on some muscles I wasn’t accustomed to using. Bending down 500 times to put in flags takes a toll.<br />
<br />
July 26<br />
3.9 easy on CR 220 in 30 minutes. Recovery jog.<br />
<br />
July 27<br />
1.5-mile easy dog jog w/ Tanner. He was sick all weekend, so we were both taking it easy.<br />
<br />
July 28<br />
3.8 miles in 29:20 on CR 220. Felt sluggish.<br />
<br />
July 29<br />
5 x max hills on Bald Eagle Lane. Nice light re-introduction to speed. Picked up the pace as I went. 3.2 miles<br />
<br />
July 30<br />
6 miles in 46:20 at Mears Junction. Tossed in a few surges @ 5k pace near the end.<br />
<br />
July 31, 2020<br />
2 miles easy w/ Tanner on CR 250<br />
<br />
August 1<br />
3 x (2 x 400), one minute between reps, four between sets. 74.5, 73.3; 74.3, 75.4; 74.3, 75.7.<br />
<br />
Didn’t exactly finish strong, but I really was just trying to get through this one without hurting myself, so we’ll call this a victory. I’d like to be able to do 6 x 400 on 1-minute rest at this pace later this fall. That’s my goal “test” workout before I try to for sub-5.<br />
<br />
August 2<br />
7.03 on Old Monarch Pass in 58:03. Felt ok. Nothing special.<br />
<br />
--<br /><br />
Definitely a little injury scare last week with the hammy, but I think with maintenance, I'll be in the clear. I've been fortunate to be remarkably injury free since the big injury last winter. Looking to keep it that way.Kieran McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606919516884153997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8890973666734717651.post-59934452963804021672020-07-20T12:30:00.000-07:002020-07-20T12:31:50.055-07:00July 6-19: Goin' StreakingJuly 6<br />
2.5-mile dog jog on CR 210<br />
<br />
July 7<br />
Had to get blood drawn and various other things done for a life insurance screen, which cut into my running window. Just ran up 250 to bald eagle lane to get in 6 max hill sprints. Fastest one was 4:17 pace (13.26), which was a PB for the hill. Across the board faster than last week, so I suppose that’s a good thing.<br />
<br />
Weight was 164, which is the highest it’s been in a while for me.<br />
<br />
3.3 miles total<br />
<br />
July 8<br />
7.05 easy on CR 250 in 61:46, turnaround a mile or shy of Blank’s Cabin. Got out late. It was warm, so I kept it easy.<br />
<br />
July 9<br />
Mears Junction. 1.5-mile warmup. 6 x 3 minutes at CV effort, with 2-minute rest. Followed by a couple of 30-second pickups at mile pace. First two were slow, last four @ 5:53, 5:46, 5:32 (downhill), 5:46 pace. Strong and steady but not too intense.<br />
<br />
5.64 miles total.<br />
<br />
July 10, 2020<br />
Busy day. 1.1 mile-super quick hop on mill.<br />
<br />
July 11<br />
Track day. Plyos, then a 200 and a 100 by feel as warmup, followed by 4 x 300 on 90 seconds rest. 51.3, 53.4, 52.8, 51.8. Dug deep on that last one. Average (52.33) was slightly faster than I ran on June 16th (52.6) for the same intervals, even though I had 2:30 less rest per interval this time. Progress!<br />
<br />
Finished w/ 2 miles at 7:20 pace.<br />
<br />
July 12<br />
8 miles on CR 220 in 61 minutes, max HR 150.<br />
<br />
July 13<br />
3 miles on CR 140 in 22:45, max HR 140<br />
<br />
<a href="https://abc7chicago.com/chicago-marathon-2020-cancelled/6315295/#:~:text=Chicago%20Marathon%202020%20canceled%20due,19%2C%20refunds%20offered%20by%20organizers&text=CHICAGO%20(WLS)%20%2D%2D%20The%202020,pandemic%2C%20event%20organizers%20announced%20Monday." target="_blank">Chicago Marathon canceled</a>. JT owes me a pizza.<br />
<br />
July 14<br />
Warmup and cooldown plus 7 max hill sprints on Bald Eagle Ln. 13.3 – 14.2 seconds<br />
<br />
3.44 total<br />
<br />
Got the results back from the life insurance screen. No COVID yet. No AIDS/HIV. Good news across the board.<br />
<br />
July 15<br />
5.6 in 41:20 on CR 220, max HR 150.<br />
<br />
July 16<br />
5 x 5 minutes tempo at Mears Junction, 90 seconds rest in between. Uphill and into the wind on the first couple (high 6s), then 5:57, 5:42, and 5:52 pace downhill and with wind at back on the last 3.<br />
<br />
5.9 miles total<br />
<br />
July 17<br />
3 miles easy w/ Tanner<br />
<br />
July 18<br />
Was going to go to the track, but they had a graduation ceremony going on there. Went to CR 101 in Fremont Country to do 15 x 1 minute on/off. Average of 5:48 pace on the ons, but most of them were high 6s on the uphill sections and right around 5-flat for the downhill sections.<br />
<br />
July 19<br />
7 miles on Old Monarch Pass in 56:32, avg. HR 142. Strong run. 8:04 pace at 11,000-plus ft. with non-stop up and down felt solid.<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
I’m actually on a bit of a running streak. I haven’t taken a zero since the day we got back from the NICU (March 14). 128 days!<br />
<br />
I think this is the second-long streak of running every day I've had in my life.<br />
<br />
Longest streak I ever had was 453 days, starting from spring of 7th grade and ending in the middle of my freshman year of cross country high school. Yes, I was that cool in middle school.<br />
<br />
I’m not going to take this too seriously, but now that I’ve got some momentum, we’ll see how long it goes.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Kieran McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606919516884153997noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8890973666734717651.post-52175846453211672092020-07-06T12:44:00.003-07:002020-07-06T12:44:39.062-07:00June 29-July 5: More of the SameJune 29<br />
3-mile dog jog on CR 210<br />
<br />
June 30<br />
Track day. Plyos then 3 x (6 x 200) @ slightly faster than goal mile pace. One-minute rest between reps and 3 minutes between sets. Averaged 36.5, 36.7, 36.4 on the three sets.<br />
<br />
July 1<br />
5.5 miles in 40:48 on CR 220. Solid run for an easy day. Felt spry.<br />
<br />
July 2<br />
1.2 mile warmup and cooldown. 5 x max hill sprints on Bald Eagle Ln. Don’t remember ever going faster than 5-minute pace on this hill before, but all but the first one was that fast this time.<br />
<br />
July 3, 2020<br />
2.5-mile easy dog jog<br />
<br />
July 4<br />
2 x (4 x 200), 30 seconds between reps, 6 minutes between sets. Averaged 34.3, 34.0, 34.5, 34.4.<br />
<br />
July 5<br />
8 miles on Old Monarch Pass, 68:24. Very much not recovered from yesterday’s workout.Kieran McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606919516884153997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8890973666734717651.post-56437318060116968092020-06-28T18:47:00.001-07:002020-06-28T18:47:16.751-07:00June 22-28June 22<br />
3-mile dog jog on CR 210<br />
<br />
June 23<br />
2 x (5 x 100) w/ 45 seconds rest between reps and 4 minutes between sets. Average of 15.5 on first set and 15.7 on second set. Range 14.4-->16.5. 2.5-mile cooldown. 4 miles total.<br />
<br />
June 24<br />
5.5 miles on CR 220 in 41:51<br />
<br />
June 25<br />
6 miles subtempo near Mears Junction in 41:24. 7:24 average the first three miles uphill, 6:24 miles average downhill on the way back.<br />
<br />
June 26<br />
Busy day w/ work and life. 1.1 miles in 10 minutes on the treadmill. Baby duty cut things short.<br />
<br />
June 27<br />
2 x (3 x 300) on the track. 2 minutes between reps and 5 minutes between sets. 53.5, 53.4, 52.4; 53.6, 53.6, 53.4.<br />
<br />
This was hands-on-knees hard on the last two intervals. 3 miles total.<br />
<br />
June 28<br />
7.4 miles in 74 minutes on Old Monarch Pass, the ski mountain, and the Continental Divide Trail. First time getting up to 12k ft. this year. Avg HR 134. <br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMsytyUt3MVPKCh3MAKTbZFqxF596-7gaLgKCaehuhywKKS-iUs-OEYDB8tGqmXaL760R4Z03QufIYYR3fsOKOymqFtYX1WSLhgpR4l2L5QRvmlL80BomV73v1Xi-i_OPxi0jsDhQkbdeD/s1600/IMG_3373.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMsytyUt3MVPKCh3MAKTbZFqxF596-7gaLgKCaehuhywKKS-iUs-OEYDB8tGqmXaL760R4Z03QufIYYR3fsOKOymqFtYX1WSLhgpR4l2L5QRvmlL80BomV73v1Xi-i_OPxi0jsDhQkbdeD/s320/IMG_3373.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Little man turned four months old yesterday.Kieran McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606919516884153997noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8890973666734717651.post-20096483329952795342020-06-22T15:45:00.001-07:002020-06-22T15:45:53.067-07:00June 15-21June 15<br />
3.4 miles easy w/ Tanner or CR 210<br />
<br />
June 16<br />
Track workout. Plyos, then flying 30s, then 4 x 300 on four minutes rest. Fastest 40 in 3.94.<br />
<br />
Was hoping to get all four 300s under 51. Ha! 0 for 4. 51.4, 51.2, 53.5, 54.4.<br />
<br />
This is the type of workout where I suck right now. Which is weird to me, because as best as I can recall, this kind of workout, hard repeats on full rest, is where I excelled in high school/college, when I was most competitive. Either that stuff doesn’t age well, or it’s a skill that takes a while to recover after neglecting it for 22 years. <br />
<br />
For now, sub 2:15 is totally unrealistic for me. I'm starting to think I need to shoot for sub 2:20 800 first, then sub-5 mile, then sub 2:15, in that order. Getting to all three of those is going to take a while, if it is to happen at all.<br />
<br />
Finished with a two-mile subtempo effort. 4.1 miles total.<br />
<br />
June 17<br />
5.2 miles on CR 250 in 44 minutes HR sub 145<br />
<br />
June 18<br />
10 miles in 81 minutes, Mears Junction direction of Marshall Pass. Another one of my favorites. 1500 ft. gain, turnaround above O’Haver Lake. Always the perfect temperature in summer, it seems.<br />
<br />
June 19<br />
3-mile dog jog on CR 210<br />
<br />
June 20<br />
2 x (5 x 200) w/ 55 seconds rest between reps and 5 minutes between sets. Average of 34.6 on the first set and 35.1 on the second set. Finished with two miles 7:15 pace. 4.5 miles.<br />
<br />
June 21<br />
8 miles in 66 minutes on Old Monarch Pass.<br />
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Kieran McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606919516884153997noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8890973666734717651.post-12936630301385463512020-06-14T12:32:00.001-07:002020-06-14T12:34:09.010-07:00June 8-14, Taking the High RoadJune 8, 2020<br />
3.45 miles w/ Tanner on CR 220<br />
<br />
June 9, 2020<br />
Woke up to snow and 50 mph winds, so no track workout today. Ran five miles on the saddle ridge loop in 38:03<br />
<br />
June 10<br />
200, 200, 400, 200 / 4 x 200. 2:30 between reps, 8 minutes between sets<br />
<br />
33.9, 33.4, 68.4 SB, 34.7 / (didn’t start my watch, but probably sub 34), 33.5, 33.3, 33.2<br />
<br />
Not terrible. I was going to try to do a second 400, but the first 400 wiped me out. Decided to stick with the 200s instead. First sub-70 400 this year, I believe. More than a mile of running at goal 800 pace. Busy with work, so no warmup or cooldown. 3.5 miles total.<br />
<br />
June 11<br />
8.15 miles in 78 minutes up to Windy Ridge via Pass Creek road. 7700-9400 ft. That’s a serious hill. Some of the best views of the southern Sawatch on that ridge. Wasn't even windy up there today.<br />
<br />
June 12, 2020<br />
3.9 miles easy on CR 220 in 31:51 HR sub 140.<br />
<br />
June 13<br />
4 x (4 x 300) at near-goal mile pace. 1 minute between reps; four minutes between sets. Range of 55.8 to 58.5, average 57.1. That’s an average of slightly under 5:05 mile pace for 4800 meters worth of work. Good workout. Faded slightly on the last set but hung in there. 5 miles total.<br />
<br />
June 14<br />
8.9 miles on Old Monarch Pass in 77:40. I love this road. It’s the most runnable dirt road that I know of that’s entirely above 10,000 ft, peaking at nearly 11,500 ft. Even on weekends in summer, almost no car traffic.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Kieran McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606919516884153997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8890973666734717651.post-17234409081201789752020-06-08T10:47:00.002-07:002020-06-08T10:47:41.093-07:00June 1-7: A long way to go<br />
June 1<br />
2.5 miles easy w/ Tanner on CR 210. Cut this one short because a storm was blowing through. Got back to the car just before it started lashing down rain.<br />
<br />
June 2<br />
Track workout. Plyos, then 3 x flying 30s (no time, 3.97, 3.91) followed by 4 x 200 on 3:30 rest. 30.5, 31.1, 31.2, 32.2. Not my best speed endurance workout of the year, but this one was solid for me and maybe my best since the little man came to town. Wanted to average under 32 and the average was 31.25. If I could run an 800 2.5 seconds slower per 200, I’d be thrilled.<br />
<br />
4.85-mile cooldown in 39:10 by the river for 6.64 miles total.<br />
<br />
June 3<br />
5 miles HR <145 on Saddle Ridge loop in 38:41. Warm, windy, my legs felt sluggish.<br />
<br />
June 4, 2020<br />
8.18 miles on CR 240 up toward Ptarmigan peak. 9100 ft.-10,500 ft. This road is rocky most of the way, which slowed things down.<br />
<br />
June 5, 2020<br />
3.45 miles on CR 210 w/ Tanner<br />
<br />
June 6<br />
Track workout. Was hoping to do 4 x 800 in sub-2:40 on 3 minutes rest. Did 2:40, 2:40, 2:43 and then called it quits. Probably should have just toughed out one last interval, but my heart wasn’t in it. My HR wasn’t super elevated; I just felt sluggish and unmotivated. There was some wind and rain, but I’m not sure that was the problem. Chalk this up more to mental fatigue than physical fatigue. 2.35 total.<br />
<br />
June 7<br />
9.03 in 80:27 on 225/Fooses Creek between 8600 and 10100 feet. Beautiful day on a beautiful trail.<br />
<br />
My conclusion from this Saturday’s track workout? I’m nowhere near fit enough to a run a sub-5 at 7000 feet yet. My fitness is probably closer to 5:15 right now.<br />
<br />
Fortunately, I have no races on the agenda and nothing but time to get fit. I've had a few workouts in a row where I couldn't make expected splits. I just have to stay patient and keep putting in the work.Kieran McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606919516884153997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8890973666734717651.post-60443558773328237702020-05-31T12:12:00.003-07:002020-05-31T12:12:30.474-07:00May 25-31<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
May 25<o:p></o:p></div>
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3-mile dog jog w/ Tanner on CR 210<o:p></o:p></div>
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May 26<o:p></o:p></div>
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Track workout. Plyos, then 3 x flying 30s (no time, 3.94, 3.82 SB), followed by 3 x (100, 200) with two minutes rest between reps and four minutes between sets. The idea was to do the 100s all out, then do the 200s at goal 800 pace on short rest.<o:p></o:p></div>
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14.19, 13.94 SB, 14.47; 33.4, 32.9, 32.2. Much more encouraging than Sunday’s workout. I aspire to be able to do 200s @ or below 33 even on tired legs. 3-mile cooldown in 23:15 around town.<o:p></o:p></div>
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5.1 total.<o:p></o:p></div>
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May 27<o:p></o:p></div>
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2.86 easy w/ Tanner on CR 250<o:p></o:p></div>
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May 28<o:p></o:p></div>
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5 x 20-second max hill repeats on CR 210.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’m looking to add a third day with speed into my routine. Three days at the track feels like too much, so I’m thinking I’ll do short max hills most weeks, assuming my body feels like it can handle the extra intensity.<o:p></o:p></div>
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56-minute aerobic run on CR 210 after the repeats. 7.68 total on the day.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Pikes Ascent was canceled today. No surprise there. This is now the third time I’ve signed up for the race, and I still have never lined up for it. I think I have six lifetime DNS’s and three of them are at the Pikes Ascent (although I’m not sure it’s a DNS if the race was cancelled).<o:p></o:p></div>
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I deferred to 2021. 4<sup>th</sup> time’s the charm?<o:p></o:p></div>
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The crazy thing to me is that the Bolder Boulder, currently scheduled for Labor Day, hasn’t been canceled yet.<o:p></o:p></div>
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May 29<o:p></o:p></div>
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3 miles easy w Tanner<o:p></o:p></div>
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May 30<o:p></o:p></div>
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400, 300, 200, 400, 300, 200, 400, 200<o:p></o:p></div>
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76, 56, 34, 71, 55, 34, 70, 36. Two minutes of jogging between reps.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Really wanted to get that last quarter under 70, but I couldn’t quite get there. Did a similar workout 10 days ago with more reps slightly slower. Amazing how knocking 3-4 seconds off a quarter can make a controlled workout go to failure. Legs were filled with lead on the back straightaway. Might have been feeling the Thursday hills in the legs, but that’s probably just an excuse.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Not a great workout, but I’m putting in the work. 2400 meters, most of it under 5-minute pace. 30-minute cooldown for 6.3 total miles.<o:p></o:p></div>
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One year ago, I took my first baby steps of running after a nearly four-month hiatus from a compound leg fracture.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Here’s the log entry: “Six minutes of walking, five minutes of jogging, five minutes of walking, five minutes of jogging. 1.31 miles total, with a max pace of 11:26 per mile.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Against that backdrop, today’s workout looks feels more positive.<o:p></o:p></div>
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May 31<o:p></o:p></div>
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7 miles on the Colorado Trail starting at Angel of Shavano past Blank’s Cabin toward Raspberry Gulch. 81:34. Beautiful, and I pretty much had the trail to myself. Saw one dude jogging with poles and a button-up sleeveless flannel shirt. Made me snicker a bit. I think I'm progressing farther and farther away from whatever is trendy in the ultrarunning world. </div>
Kieran McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606919516884153997noreply@blogger.com0