Sep 18th: 7 miles, 1500 vert, super easy Shanahan/Table Mesa out-and-back.
Sep 19th: 7 miles, 1500 vert, Shanahan/Table Mesa out-and-back. Took this a bit harder - call it a psuedo-tempo run in the middle 3 miles.
Sep 20th: Off.
Sep 21st: 9 miles, 2000 vert, Shanahan/Table Mesa out-and-back with Kohler Canyon loop thrown in.
Sep 22nd: 7 miles, 1500 vert, Shanahan/Table Mesa out-and-back.
Sep 23rd: 4 miles, 750 vert, mini Shanahan loop.
Sep 24th: Off.
Total: 34 miles, 7250 feet of gain. A drop week to punctuate the buildup. I think adding these is important to give the body some training integration time. Next week will be a push.
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Monday, September 18, 2017
Week ending September 17th
Sep 11th: 7 miles, 1500 vert, Shanahan/Table Mesa out-and-back. I really enjoy this route because it's got a lot of solidly runnable miles on the Shanahan/Mesa fire roads interspersed with technical stretches here and there.
Sep 12th: 7 miles, 1500 vert, Shanahan/Table Mesa out-and-back. Creature of habit.
Sep 13th: Off.
Sep 14th: 7 miles, 1500 vert, Shanahan/Table Mesa out-and-back. No, not boring yet.
Sep 15th: 9 miles, 1500 vert, Shanahan/Table Mesa/Kohler out-and-back. Felt really peppy and on top form the entire way, so I pushed it a little harder. Tired by the end, but never drained.
Sep 16th: 17 miles, 4500 vert, Shanahan/Bear Banyon/Green summit/Gregory Canyon/Chautauqua/Mesa/Shanahan loop. Churned it out in under 3 hours. This was an epiphany of a run, let me tell you.
I started from home and felt the previous day's effort, so I hung back on the first climb up and over Shanahan Ridge. When I hit Bear Canyon I started to feel the life in my legs come back. In the few times I've done this route, I've become pretty quick on the gentle but relentless climb on the backside of Green.
When I hit the west ridge trail I pulled back a bit and coasted up over the top of Green, taking no time to savor the view. For one, Green was enveloped in a cloud, and for two, I've found that it's good mental training to immediately start a descent. Greenman really beats you up if you're tired, but I was comfortably fatigued today and kept up the pace down to the Ranger trail. The reward of the quad blast on the upper half of Greenman is the cruisey, pine needly lower half of Greenman and the Ranger trail. It wouldn't be unfair to say I smoked this downhill and ended up in sun drenched Gregory Canyon before I even knew it.
Gregory gave me a bit of a run for my money after the aggressive descent of Green, with its myriad rocky outcroppings and steep little booters. With the Chautauqua ranger station as my target, I decided to run up and over Bluebell and down Ski Jump for an extra two-hundred-some vert, rather than cruise down Baseline. Learn to suffer.
The crowds on a cool Saturday morning on the Chautauqua trail. Whoah. It's like a sporting event. I refilled my bottle at the ranger station and immediately started re-ascending Chautauqua. It sounds stupid, but I'm proud I was able to run all the way up to the Flatiron trail without slowing down. It's a solidly steep 1,000 foot climb on fire road. It's nothing. But it felt like I finally got my ultra legs back. That ability to just start pulling energy out of nowhere.
Anyway, I cruised the mesas back to the house. The final climb up the Mesa fire road feels effortless at this point, even at the end of a hard effort long run. Amazing what some actual, solid training, sleep, and eating can do for a body.
Sep 17th: Off. Some biking around town, nothing strenuous. Taking this week off from lifting for R&R.
Totals: 46 miles, 10,500 feet of gain. About the same as last week, but with a way better long run. Achilles bursitis is nearly gone after I cut a massive V in the back of my shoes. Incoming post on heel counters, injuries, and how to fix overbuilt trail shoes.
Sep 12th: 7 miles, 1500 vert, Shanahan/Table Mesa out-and-back. Creature of habit.
Sep 13th: Off.
Sep 14th: 7 miles, 1500 vert, Shanahan/Table Mesa out-and-back. No, not boring yet.
Sep 15th: 9 miles, 1500 vert, Shanahan/Table Mesa/Kohler out-and-back. Felt really peppy and on top form the entire way, so I pushed it a little harder. Tired by the end, but never drained.
Sep 16th: 17 miles, 4500 vert, Shanahan/Bear Banyon/Green summit/Gregory Canyon/Chautauqua/Mesa/Shanahan loop. Churned it out in under 3 hours. This was an epiphany of a run, let me tell you.
I started from home and felt the previous day's effort, so I hung back on the first climb up and over Shanahan Ridge. When I hit Bear Canyon I started to feel the life in my legs come back. In the few times I've done this route, I've become pretty quick on the gentle but relentless climb on the backside of Green.
When I hit the west ridge trail I pulled back a bit and coasted up over the top of Green, taking no time to savor the view. For one, Green was enveloped in a cloud, and for two, I've found that it's good mental training to immediately start a descent. Greenman really beats you up if you're tired, but I was comfortably fatigued today and kept up the pace down to the Ranger trail. The reward of the quad blast on the upper half of Greenman is the cruisey, pine needly lower half of Greenman and the Ranger trail. It wouldn't be unfair to say I smoked this downhill and ended up in sun drenched Gregory Canyon before I even knew it.
Gregory gave me a bit of a run for my money after the aggressive descent of Green, with its myriad rocky outcroppings and steep little booters. With the Chautauqua ranger station as my target, I decided to run up and over Bluebell and down Ski Jump for an extra two-hundred-some vert, rather than cruise down Baseline. Learn to suffer.
The crowds on a cool Saturday morning on the Chautauqua trail. Whoah. It's like a sporting event. I refilled my bottle at the ranger station and immediately started re-ascending Chautauqua. It sounds stupid, but I'm proud I was able to run all the way up to the Flatiron trail without slowing down. It's a solidly steep 1,000 foot climb on fire road. It's nothing. But it felt like I finally got my ultra legs back. That ability to just start pulling energy out of nowhere.
Anyway, I cruised the mesas back to the house. The final climb up the Mesa fire road feels effortless at this point, even at the end of a hard effort long run. Amazing what some actual, solid training, sleep, and eating can do for a body.
Sep 17th: Off. Some biking around town, nothing strenuous. Taking this week off from lifting for R&R.
Totals: 46 miles, 10,500 feet of gain. About the same as last week, but with a way better long run. Achilles bursitis is nearly gone after I cut a massive V in the back of my shoes. Incoming post on heel counters, injuries, and how to fix overbuilt trail shoes.
Wednesday, September 13, 2017
Week ending September 10
Sep 4th: 7 miles, 1000 vert, two loops around Shanahan. Just a quick shake-out after Sunday.
Sep 5th: 7 miles, 1500 vert, Shanahan/Table Mesa out-and-back.
Sep 6th: 9 miles, 2000 vert, Shanahan/Table Mesa/Kohler lollipop. Barely a hint of heel issues.
Sep 7th: Off. Just takin' it easy.
Sep 8th: 9 miles, 2000 vert, extended Shanahan/Table Mesa/Kohler lollipop redux.
Sep 9th: 13 miles, 3500 vert, Green Mountain lollipop loop via Bear Canyon, Greenman, and Mesa. Around 2500 feet of sustained climbing with another knock-on 1000 feet from the mesa trails. It was pretty hot but I managed to scrape this out without water.
Sep 10th: 5x5 weights again.
Totals: 45 miles, 10000 vert. Feeling in the zone, but tired. I may hold this mileage constant into next week before adding anything.
Sep 5th: 7 miles, 1500 vert, Shanahan/Table Mesa out-and-back.
Sep 6th: 9 miles, 2000 vert, Shanahan/Table Mesa/Kohler lollipop. Barely a hint of heel issues.
Sep 7th: Off. Just takin' it easy.
Sep 8th: 9 miles, 2000 vert, extended Shanahan/Table Mesa/Kohler lollipop redux.
Sep 9th: 13 miles, 3500 vert, Green Mountain lollipop loop via Bear Canyon, Greenman, and Mesa. Around 2500 feet of sustained climbing with another knock-on 1000 feet from the mesa trails. It was pretty hot but I managed to scrape this out without water.
Sep 10th: 5x5 weights again.
Totals: 45 miles, 10000 vert. Feeling in the zone, but tired. I may hold this mileage constant into next week before adding anything.
Thursday, September 7, 2017
Week ending September 3
Aug 28th: 6 miles, 1000 vert, Shanahan/Bluestem route. Slowly getting my running legs back.
Aug 29th: 7 miles, 1500 vert, Shanahan/Table Mesa. Up and over Shanahan Ridge, down to Table Mesa, reverse and repeat. Felt good to slam the downhill on the Mesa Trail fire road. This out and back is fast becoming one of my favorite hour runs.
Also did weights, the ol' 5x5 bench, deadlift, squat. 5x5 means you get to the end of each set spent but not wrecked, and with only 5 reps per set, you can really focus on power output (i.e., faster, more explosive lifts). I can feel my quads and butt getting kicked into gear.
Aug 30th: Off.
Aug 31st: 7 miles, 1500 vert, Shanahan/Table Mesa.
Sep 1st: 8 miles, 2000 vert, Shanahan/Table Mesa out to Kohler. Just a bit longer with more climbing at the turn around. This felt like a breakthrough run - I was able to hammer all of the climbs and the little rollers the whole way. I think eating and sleeping better is already working its magic.
Sep 2nd: 7 miles, 3000 vert, Bear Peak out-and-back via Fern Canyon. The "hard" way to the top of Bear (there is no "easy" way up). Started at 10 AM, it was already cooking down below. The breeze at the top felt great. A bit shaky coming down, so I don't have my mountain legs back, yet. Cruised it in nice and easy to cool down and cap off the week.
Sep 3rd: Weights, 5x5 again, no surprises here. Lifting doesn't even feel like coss-training anymore, it's more relaxing than total rest.
Totals: 35 miles, 9000 feet of gain, 258 feet/mile gain. I am both surprised and apprehensive about those vert numbers. As I add mileage I'll probably mix in some flatter runs. I've thought about throwing in a once-a-week road run just to work on form and pacing. I'm really more worried about injury prevention. My right heel (bottom) was a bit sore on Friday, but on Saturday's Bear run it hurt much less. Should be gone by next week.
Aug 29th: 7 miles, 1500 vert, Shanahan/Table Mesa. Up and over Shanahan Ridge, down to Table Mesa, reverse and repeat. Felt good to slam the downhill on the Mesa Trail fire road. This out and back is fast becoming one of my favorite hour runs.
Also did weights, the ol' 5x5 bench, deadlift, squat. 5x5 means you get to the end of each set spent but not wrecked, and with only 5 reps per set, you can really focus on power output (i.e., faster, more explosive lifts). I can feel my quads and butt getting kicked into gear.
Aug 30th: Off.
Aug 31st: 7 miles, 1500 vert, Shanahan/Table Mesa.
Sep 1st: 8 miles, 2000 vert, Shanahan/Table Mesa out to Kohler. Just a bit longer with more climbing at the turn around. This felt like a breakthrough run - I was able to hammer all of the climbs and the little rollers the whole way. I think eating and sleeping better is already working its magic.
Sep 2nd: 7 miles, 3000 vert, Bear Peak out-and-back via Fern Canyon. The "hard" way to the top of Bear (there is no "easy" way up). Started at 10 AM, it was already cooking down below. The breeze at the top felt great. A bit shaky coming down, so I don't have my mountain legs back, yet. Cruised it in nice and easy to cool down and cap off the week.
Sep 3rd: Weights, 5x5 again, no surprises here. Lifting doesn't even feel like coss-training anymore, it's more relaxing than total rest.
Totals: 35 miles, 9000 feet of gain, 258 feet/mile gain. I am both surprised and apprehensive about those vert numbers. As I add mileage I'll probably mix in some flatter runs. I've thought about throwing in a once-a-week road run just to work on form and pacing. I'm really more worried about injury prevention. My right heel (bottom) was a bit sore on Friday, but on Saturday's Bear run it hurt much less. Should be gone by next week.
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