The Scene Begins

2012 Training Log – Week 3

chrisboyack — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 22:26:52 +0000

Really slow start to the week. I was definitely feeling the effects from Saturday’s 50k for a while. I didn’t want to take any time off, though. So I kept the easy days really easy, then rallied late for some good efforts on Thursday and Saturday.

Looking for a good week coming up with a tempo run, more hill repeats, and another 20-30 long run on the weekend.

Monday
6 miles
40 TSS
Nike Free

Dreaded this one all day. Feeling tired and a bit sore from the big run over the weekend. Got on the treadmill and jogged – actually felt decent.

Tuesday
8 miles
53 TSS
New Balance MT110

Very tired, but got it done.

Also did some TRX.

Wednesday
8 miles
58 TSS
Merrell Trail Glove

Ran some laps at the boneyard with Stu. Trails were super sketchy with 2-3″ of clear/polished ice underneath a 1/2″ layer of powder. Multiple slips and close calls. Thankfully no diggers. Playing with fire on the ice…

Thursday
11 miles
112 TSS
Saucony Kinvara

I’m still dragging a bit after Saturday’s big run. Everyone else reported just running easy for the day, but I worked pretty hard for 40-50% of it with my heart rate in the upper 160s for very long stretches.

Wasn’t sure I would be up for doing hill repeats today, and the few surges I threw in during my warmup were pretty awful.

Turned out good, though. My best ever time on this particular hill (Locust) was 2:23.

I only did 4 repeats, but all were high quality:

2:21
2:23
2:22
2:28

There was no transitioning to an easy jog recovery. It was full-stop, hands-on-knees, head-spinning, breathing like a steam train, try not to pass out. Then start jogging again. I went absolutely as hard as I could.

I have no idea how I still managed a 2:28 on the last. It felt more like a 3:00. I had it in my head to bust through 2:20 so got out really quick. It came back to bite me in the butt as I crossed the razor’s edge and just about had to come to a stop. I staggered the last 100 meters and called it good for the day.

Also completed my toughest TRX workout yet. Loving the Atomic Pushup.

Friday
10.4 miles
105 TSS
Saucony Kinvara

Ugh. Legs shot. Really struggled to get through this one.

Saturday
20 miles
222 TSS
New Balance MT110

A much needed breath of fresh air in what has been a tough week. Dinner out, a movie, and an uncharacteristically good night’s sleep had me feeling really good in the morning. I got some chores done around the house and then busted out for a loop around Chatfield. My aim was to keep a steady effort going and I targeted the mid 150s for heart rate. Most of my long runs are more of a jog, this one was an extended medium effort. 2:45 right in the sweet-spot. Felt like good quality stuff.

Not every run can be a romp through the mountains with a group of friends.

Wolverine?

Living on the edge.

It was odd to see the lake surface so calm as I was getting pounded by the wind.

The mushy conditions made it tough to keep a good pace going.

Sunday
7 miles
108 TSS
Nike Free

5 on the mill, 2 with the dog. Easy. Tired, but ok.

Total: 70.4 miles / 11:26 / 712 TSS

Pic of the week. Puppy Love:

Contest Fever

chrisboyack — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 02:29:34 +0000

I’ve entered 4 contests so far this month. Probably 3 more than the rest of my life combined. I’ve written Haiku for a pair of shoes, left a comment for another pair of shoes, sent some photos to Gear Junkie for a Weekday Warrior series, and now this.

The latest one is a photo contest for Trail Runner Magazine:

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Hit Us with Your Best Shots!

In an upcoming spring issue, we will be featuring a gallery of our readers’ most inspiring trail images. So submit your sharp, well-composed trail-running photos (no paved surfaces, please!) that make you want to lace up and head out the door.

To enter, simply email 72 dpi jpegs (no more than six at a time, please, and edit down to the best of the best, i.e. no similars from the same shoot) to photos@bigstonepub.com. Deadline: January 26.

——————–

I’ve already had my picture in Trail Runner, so it stands to reason I’ll get a picture in Trail Runner.

I guess after winning some $170 La Sportiva climbing shoes last year with a picture of me rock climbing in 1988(!!), I’m feeling lucky. Can’t win if you don’t try…

Here’s my faux toes:

Race Report: 2012 Pikes Peak Ponderous Posterior 50K

chrisboyack — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 04:55:12 +0000

Ok, not a ‘real’ race, but it seemed best to file it under a race report. The PPPP50K is a Fat Ass event put on by Team CRUD in Colorado Springs. Just over 30 miles and around 8,000′ feet of climbing were the stats for the main event. I missed out last year and was very happy to be given the chance to make it down for this one.

I stopped for some supplies on the drive down, and smiled at the sunrise on the mountains. January?? It was going to be a spectacular day.

Three different start times were offered (7, 8, and 9), and I chose the 08:00 group. It was great to see and catch up with so many friends and familiar faces. Ultra trail running is definitely alive and well in these parts! After 1/2 mile warmup on the roads, we hit the nice dry dirt and started climbing up and over some small ridges. I was happy to be feeling good after a rough day on Friday, and knew the full route was on (I had been wondering whether I would need to cut it short).

I was working hard, but happy to even be running in the same zip code as these guys. I thought back to my first-ever double digit run. A 12 miler exactly five years ago this same week in January. That little run literally crippled me for several days. Very surreal to be staring down the barrel of a 30 miler like this one and thinking of it as just a training run. Go legs, go!

Our first of many vertical challenges came in the form of a short side trip up Red Mountain. A quick regrouping took place at the summit, before we bombed back down grabbing on tree trunks to swing around the switchbacks. I enjoyed some good conversation with Steve which made the time fly by. We also got a great preview of our next objective. The Incline.

You can see the scar on the mountain in the right of the photo. Roughly 2,000′ elevation gain in one mile.

The pictures just can’t do it justice. My goals were to keep moving, and not use my hands – which almost resulted in my tipping over backwards in one spot. Steep!

The reward for reaching the top was an outstanding view of Pikes Peak, some 9 miles away by trail.

Ryan and Jeremiah led the way on the snow covered descent that seemed to go on forever down to the aid station.

I hung out for about 10 minutes taking time to dump some rocks out of my shoes and fill up my bottles.

The course was marked very well, better than a lot of races I’ve done. I imagine Team CRUD’s tactic of filling trail markers with dog crap cuts down on vandals removing the flagging…

Seriously, though – the markings were great. Just a few flags at each intersection kept us right on track and were a big help.

After spending the morning running and chatting with others, I was alone for a few miles and settled into an easier pace and was really enjoying things until wiping out hard on a patch of ice. I thought my shoulder had been ripped out of its socket for a minute, but a few windmills and chicken wing moves proved it still worked. I was a bit more careful after that.

After a final look at the peak, I focused on the plains ahead which were a welcome sight at this stage of the run.

Several miles of downhill 7 minute pace chasing Leila, Ryan, and Jeremiah left me feeling pretty worked and ready to be done, and I was glad to see the dozens of cars lining the street signaling the return to JT’s house. I finished the run in 6:28 and immediately chowed down a huge plate of pasta, chips, and cheetos. I was starving!

Couldn’t have asked for a better day on the trails. The weather, terrain, company, and course were all fantastic!