31 March 2011

1st Quarter Review and Grey Rock Summit

Wow! 2011 is flying by... here's a quick look at the numbers:

March YTD

Miles: 337.1 1067.8
Miles/Day: 10.9 11.8
Days Off: 3 3
Meat: 0 0
Alcohol: 0 0
Stretch/Roll: 23/31 79/90
Race Miles: 26 81
Race Reg: $40. $216.25
Pushups: 400 2300
Pullups: 128 497
Crunches: 900 4330

Tidbits for March: 3 long runs above 26.2- 1. Chubby Cheeks 50K with Clark. 2. Salida Marathon. 3. 26.7 tour of Lory/HTMP with 2009 Leadman Corey Hanson. BTW- Corey did all the bike events on a stiff frame single speed! Dipped under 31 for a Towers Road PR of 30:58.

And... DJ Money and I ran up Grey Rock last Sunday. Grey Rock is a short, steep, and technical trail northwest of Fort Collins. It offers 2300 ft. of climbing in 4.5 miles via the Meadows Trail or via the Summit Trail in 3.1 miles. It is a classic training ground for Fort Collins runners putting in the miles for Hardrock. Look for Pete Stevenson who probably holds the record for Grey Rock laps in one run...





16 March 2011

Salida Run Through Time: Version 6.0







Timmy bags a turkey! That's 3-in-a-row at Salida for Mr. Parr. I think I got him super focused for this race after I took it to him in 2008...fortunately my blood trail led him to the finish :)

Salida brings back many fond memories for me. 6 years ago this was the longest trail race I had ever run. As an ankle biter Tenderfoot Mtn was the first peak I ever climbed and it was always fun to chuck rocks in the Arkansas...those were the days...when life was uber simple and I was a lil' hellion on my Big Wheel- one of the best child transport devices ever!

Now I'm 6 for 6 at one of the best low key trail events that draws solid competition year in year out. Regionally, there isn't a better longer distance trail race you can run in March...in the mountains. At $40 you won't find a cheaper marathon. I highly encourage you readers to put this one on your schedule for next year. I am really hoping for another EPIC snow year at this race next year and I would also love to see someone go under the 3 hour mark...Timmy needs someone to push him/chase after...who will it be? Is there none among you? I must have the movie Troy on my mind...

To the race...after warming up for 1.5 miles I made my way to the start to catch up and banter with friends. I was pleasantly surprised to see the UROY toeing the line. It would have been fun to see Geoff and Timmy race each other at a shorter distance...but it wouldn't be this past weekend as Geoff was using the race as a training run before the showdown at Chuckanut.

In the beginning miles I ran with Tim, Senor, Marco Peinado, and Dan Vega. Soon enough Tim gapped Nick who gapped Dan who gapped Marco who gapped me. Around 6 miles I chatted briefly with Marco and from here on I essentially ran by myself. At the 10.5 mile turnaround the leaders had about 5 minutes on me. The plan was to turn it up for the second half and see if I could reel in any fish. I was solid all day but the extra gear decided to take this race off. At the mile 20 AS I decided to roll the dice. I ran through this AS hoping the extra 5-10 seconds might help me bridge the gap if Nick or Dan began to slow. Not this year! So I ran the last 16 miles of the race on 22 oz. of banana nuun Needless to say I was thirsty when I finished. And for whatever reason I didn't want to eat much either and only put down two expresso Clif shots for a whopping total of 200 cals and 44 oz. of nuun.

In regards to the course changes- the more singletrack the better- even if it "slows" the course a bit. Comparatively my best time on the old was 3:11 while the new came in at 3:14. From memory I think Tim's best was 3:02 on the old with a 3:05 on the new. However, I heard there may be a newer/different course for next year as well...

The post race was great to chat with all the homeys and continue the gathering at my Aunt Pat's for the annual Irish feast! Mmmm....Good times had by all, see you in 2012!

06 March 2011

Police Report II: Guilty!

Earlier this week one Dakota Jones was sentenced by Larimer County authorities for abandoning his principles regarding the sport of Ultrarunning. Full Police Report here. Shortly after the report was filed I received a phone call from the DA. My assignment: Observe and report upon the lifestyle of the accused. After reviewing the case I realized that the accused had been misunderstood. However, after the past two court appointed intervention sessions my views have changed after new evidence was exposed.

03/02, 40 degrees, 4 PM: During my under cover observation I witnessed the accused running shirtless on the Foothills Trail. I began to doubt his credibility given the conditions. However, after conversing with the accused I believed he simply needed some support. As part of his witness protection program I knew he needed a brief respite from the local trails. The accused needed a place to run in total anonymity. That led to our second intervention session of the week.

03/03, 35 degrees, 6:45 AM: The accused reported to my house on time and ready to run. After my initial intake we arrived where ultrarunners are rarely seen, on the track! This would be his first time on the oval de cush in 2011. The workload was straight forward: 5X1 mile with 400 recovery jog. The results were shocking.

Mile 1: 5:36
Mile 2: 5:30
Mile 3: 5:25
Mile 4: 5:20
After the 4th mile the accused "felt pretty good" and wanted to try to beat his 5:02 mile PR. The light turned green.
Mile 5: *5:00*

The Accused: Dakota Jones
The Verdict: Guilty
The Reason: Killin' it on the track

Young Money, run for and with your heart!

01 March 2011

Numeros de Febrero

February

319.4 Miles
11.4 Miles/Day
0 Days Off
0 Meat
0 Alcohol
25/28 Days- Stretch or rollout
40 Race Miles
$120. Race Registrations
700 Pushups
130 Pullups
1155 Crunches

YTD

730.7 Miles
12.3 Miles/Day
0 Days Off
0 Meat
0 Alcohol
56/59 Days- Stretch or rollout
55 Race Miles
$176.25 Race Registrations
1900 Pushups
369 Pullups
3430 Crunches