The week started off well, then fell apart.  Stress levels were at an 11 for most of the week, but I kept up with training despite that.  Until Friday when my body just had enough.  I decided to take the weekend off from training as I have been working fairly hard for the past month, especially with the added load of mixing the bike in.

Should have a few things cleared off my plate after this week is over so I can get back to a better schedule, and I finally started working on my Leadville 100 report.

Monday – 13.3 run

Great run. Unexpectedly good. Started off with an 8:30 then very gradually chipped the average down to 7:55. Wouldn’t say it was easy, but felt very controlled. The lack of tension in my legs was big time noticeable. The big ride on Saturday loosened them up nicely. My stride felt really smooth, I wasn’t bracing for impact – just spinning along and creating forward motion. Breathing was good, too.

Tuesday – 24.3 bike

Steady effort.

Wednesday – 7.5 run

Good cruiser. Starting to notice these types of runs are ending up in the 7-range more and more.

Thursday – 21.3 bike

Got my first Strava KOM on the bike.

Friday – 5 run

Body said ‘nope’.  Turned back early.

Saturday – 0

Kids went to a neighborhood Halloween party.  Lumpy the Heffalump, Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, and little Eeyore.

Sunday – 0

Rest day.

Total – 26 run, 46 bike, 6:37

Moderate week with a couple of up-tempo running efforts.  Then I survived my first bike race/event in 4.5 years on Saturday.  Awesome.

Monday – 10 run

I love the opening mile of the road going into Arches National Park.  I’ve always wanted to run it, but it’s not very practical with the traffic.  Fixed that little problem today by getting up at dark:thirty and running from our hotel to the park, then continuing up the road.  Running that in the dark by the light of a headlamp and having the place to myself was so cool.  Definitely a memorable run.

Tuesday – 7 run

Much better than expected coming straight off big Moab trip. Still long way to go, though. Some parts were dialed and smooth, others were choppy and floundering.

Wednesday – 4 run

That sucked.

Thursday – 17 bike

Mostly used ride to test following a course I loaded into my Garmin.  Knowing how to do this will be key for the race on Saturday.

Friday – 8 run

Pushed things a bit for a 2.5 mile section in the middle.  First time I have run multiple miles in the 6 range in a long time.  Slowly working back into it.

Saturday – 46 bike

Greenland Gravel Grinder.  Thanks to spotting a heads-up from JT, I was able to try a grinder for the first time, something I have been wanting to do for at least 5 years.  Decent runner turnout, good to see Shad and Donnie as well.

I’ll write a report later, but the short version is I loved it and can’t wait to do it again.

Credit: RidingGravel.com

Sunday – 0

Birthday.  Halfway to 88.

Total – 29 run, 63 bike, 8:14

For the first time in many years, I’m mostly injury-free in the off season.  Other than some perpetual calf tightness in my right leg, I’m feeling better than I have in quite a while.  Training is going well and I intend to keep it that way.  I’ve missed doing weekly training updates on my blog because it is a great way for me to reflect on things at a little higher level vs. just one day at a time.

I’m not following any plan right now, just running how I feel and finally mixing in some solid bike efforts like I have been meaning to do for a very long time.  Feeling optimistic about 2014 and ready to put in the work to make it my best year yet.

Monday – 7 run

Rare weeknight run from home. Was going to head up to state park visitor center, but the gates closed 6pm so headed back and did a loop of west village. Pushed for sub-8 pace and felt pretty good doing it despite a good bit of climbing.

Tuesday – 7 run

Steady lunch run.

Wednesday – 31 bike

Dropped the kids off for school and pointed the car west to Moab.  The family was gathering for the weekend, and I was going two days early to get some quality dirt time.

Checked in at KOA and headed up to ride Porcupine Rim.  A long-time favorite that I had not been on in this century.

I packed an extra 64oz of water, 2 cokes, and some other stuff to leave as a cache for the run I was planning on doing the next day.  My pack was huge and heavy, but the bike responded well and I made short work of the long grind out of town.

When I made it to the high point of my ride, I found a place to stash my loot and made a stick arrow just off the side of the trail so I wouldn’t forget where I had hidden it.

Thursday – 24 run

Started raining at midnight and was super soggy all morning.  I waited it out for a while and then ran the Porcupine Rim trail up from the Colorado River.

Nice little aid station at the top…

Friday – 66 bike

Met up with my brother and a couple of friends to spend the day riding all over the place.  Our original White Rim plan had to be scrapped due to the park closures as a result of the gov’t shutdown.  Those guys were bike fit and I struggled all day hanging off the back, despite putting in a big effort.  Fun day, though – and glad we were able to do it.

Saturday – 7 run, 3 hike

Heard the parks had opened due to a last-minute deal with the Utah governor sending a $1.7 million dollar wire to Washington to buy 10 day’s worth of operation for the 5 National Parks in Utah.  I got up early and ran from our hotel in town to the entrance of Arches via the nice bike path. My legs were tired, but responded better than I thought they would.

The park was open and we ended up spending the whole day there hiking around and seeing the sights.

Sunday – 0

No run. Headed back to Arches with family and had another great day checking out the park.

Total – 48 run, 97 bike, 19:11