Marine Corps Marathon

Sunday October 28, 2007
Well the day finally arrived. After months of training and a lot of posts back and forth to Colorado from this site to keep everyone motivated my Dad and I ran the MCM. For me, in record time. 4:18:24 chip time (the watch had me at 4:18:10 and ironically it said that we ran 26.97 miles with all of the weaving in and out of people).

Here are the Details from the Garmin:
Time 4:18:10 [] 9:34 pace [] 145 avgHR [] 56.3 Deg F [] Wind out of the NNW at 17.5 mph Gusting to 20.5 []
Here is the link to the Motion-Based readout of the Marathon:
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/4386992

It was a wonderful run and a great culmination of a lot of hard work in CT and in CO. I am so very happy that I got to share the experience and time in DC with my family.

Chris......

Marine Corps Marathon

Sunday, October 28, 2007 - 4:18:22 Pace: 9:51 Heart Rate ave 136/ max 156
I ran with Chris and he PR'd. Atta Boy, Chris!!
All in all a great day in an impressive setting. We would have finished a little earlier had we not stopped in front of the White House and "mooned" the Prez. But I kid the President! LOL

Mike - One Week To MCM

Sunday October 21 - 1:01 on the Treadmill as it is SNOWING like crazy outside! To think that last night I attended the CU game in shorts and a T-shirt. Gotta love Colorado! My cold is getting better and my HR was lower today with an ave HR of 132.

Mike - 8 Days To Go!!

Saturday October 20 - Tempo run @ Race Pace
:52 min 5.32 miles
10 min. @ 9:05 2 x 5 min. @ 9:02 & 9:11
HR ave 143/max 161
Notice how my HR is higher than normal. This is probably due to my cold which I seem to be recovering from.

Chris 10 Days Out

Thursday October 18, 2007
10 days to the MCM
WOW HOW DID WE GET TO 10 DAYS ALREADY!!!!!!!

Training:
"Quick 6"
6 mile Medium Tempo Run After Work. about 1/2 marathon pace
54:28:00, 9:04 pace, 143 Avg HR

Starting to feel good. My feet hurt a little more after the run than I would have liked them to considering that they feet very good all during the day.

Chris 12 Days Out

Tuesday October 16, 2007
12 Days to the MCM (its Taper Time)

Training:
4 miles easy. Pace felt like about 9:30 but I forgot my watch. I ran before work on a known distance and it took about 35 minutes.

Mike - 13 Days To GO!

Monday, October 15 - Easy run in VA 1:15, 7.66 miles
HR ave 127/max 142 9:49 pace
I added 30 minutes to compensate for "shorting" Sunday's run.

Mike - 14 Days to MCM

Sunday, October 14 - LSD on Treadmill at ORD
1:30 unknown miles To entertain myself I ran ladders at a 9:05 pace (6.6mph)
I planned on running 2 hours, but ran out of time. I'll tack on the missed 30 minutes Monday.
HR ave 121/max 138

Chris 14 Days out

Sunday October 14, 2007
14 days to the MCM

Training:
A HARD 10 - Actually 9.28 miles
2.5 Miles easy, then 4 miles tempo, then 2.5 miles cool easy [Total Time - 1:35:01][Avg HR 144][Max HR 174][1999' in total ascent]
( the Tempo was on the 1/2+ mile loop at the reservoir and I did them "double/double descend" that is that the 5th is faster than the 3rd which is faster that the 1st, but the 6th is faster than the 5th and the 4th is faster than the 3rd and the 2nd is faster than the first. My paces were [ 9:53, 9:35, 9:58, 8:53, 8:46, 7:11 ] and I felt GREAT. No rest just steadily increasing tempo for 4 miles ending at 7:11 pace for better than a 1/2 mile. )
( The easy sections were just 10:00 pace and felt fine )

Chris 15 Days Out

Saturday October 13, 2007
15 Days to the MCM

Training:
5 miles @ Marathon pace (9:40/mile) 143 avg HR. I went on the least hilly rout i have (which is still really hilly), but managed to keep my heart rate almost perfectly steady going up and down every hill at 139 (the 143 average is really from my normal spike in the beginning and a hard repeat up the last hill).

I did not sleep well last night and have been tired all day (in fact it was only now that I even had the energy to get my run in), but I am very glad that I did because I feel 100% better about myself.

Mike - 17 Days to MCM

Thursday October 11 - Easy Run with Punky Library Loop
:53 5.0 miles ave pace 10:38
HR ave 118/max 157

Chris 18 Days Out

Wednesday October 10, 2007
18 days to the MCM

Training:
5 Miles Easy
4.89 miles @ 10:01 pace (my most "hilly" rout).

The sprain is starting to be unnoticeable, but the planter fashitis(sp) is a bit rough, I keep trying to stretch it out, but it is definitely sore and if I ever stay in one position for too long like driving or sleeping I can barely take the first step when I get up. The good news is that the more I move, walk or run the better it gets (or at least it does not get worse when I am running).

If anyone out there has advice, I am open to it.

Mike 18 Days to MCM

Wednesday October 10 - Tempo run East 1 Hr 6.25 miles overall pace 9:36
2 sets of .5 mi @ 8:14 Pace 2 min active rest then 1.5 mi @ 8:40 pace
HR ave 132/ max 149

I am supposedly in my first week of taper, but due to my injuries this is actually my most intense week of training in four weeks!! I guess that my taper won't actually happen until this weekend when I drop to ONLY 2 hours LSD.

Chris---How about checking our hotel reservations and seeing if we can't add Friday night to it. It would be fun to be downtown Friday.

Chris 19 Days Out

Tuesday October 9, 2007
19 days to the MCM

Training:
8 Miles Easy Tempo, Road, Before work from the office to Windsor then on the asphalt trail down by the river. 9:38 pace, 137 Avg HR

My left foot did bother me most of the day, but it seems a bit better tonight and only hurt a little on the run.

Mike 20 Days to MCM

Monday October 8 - Easy run to Margaret's Pond :52 minutes and 5.0 miles
9/1 Run/Walk HR ave 125/max 141

Mike 21 Days to MCM

Sunday October 7 - LSD at Boulder Rez. First 12 miles with Helly and last 8 with Punky.
20.1 miles in 3:25 My pace was 10:13 and HR ave 135/ max 150
I felt pretty good considering my injuries in the past few weeks and the fact that I hadn't run really "long" in 4 weeks. I experienced no back or groin problems today! I'll back off to 2 hours this coming Sunday. Check out my run on Motion Based.

http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/4153952

Chris 21 Days Out

Sunday October 7, 2007
21 days to the MCM

Training:
7 Miles slow, This run is sort of a bad news good news story; The bad news is that I only ran 7 miles, but the good news is that it took me 1:22:00 so I had a lot of "time-on-legs". I think that yesterday was harder then I thought, and I stayed up way too late watching the Rockies win the NLDS. 11:50 pace, 122 Avg HR

Chris 22 Days Out

Saturday October 6, 2007
22 days to the MCM

Training:
"Easy 10" (1 mile warm up, 8 miles medium tempo, 1 mile cool down)
Lap 1 - 4 miles 10:05 pace 149 Avg HR
Lap 2 - 5 miles 10:09 pace 151 Avg HR
Lap 3 - 1 Mile 10:56 pace 161 Avg HR

Work out #2: Total Gym, upper body and core.

Mike - 22 Days Out

Saturday October 6 - Well my back is nearly fully recovered, but I suffered a setback last Sunday during my long run. I was planning on a 20 miler, but developed a cramp in one of my groin muscles at about 8 miles and couldn't work it out. I limped back to the car and "bagged" it after 2:15 and 13.4 miles. It doesn't hurt when I walk, but is noticeable when I run. It is not that painful, but I'm not sure how it will stand up to 20 miles. I plan on trying that tomorrow. I did receive a massage two days ago and the therapist said the my gracilus and adductor muscles were really tight. She worked me over and gave me some exercises to do. More news tomorrow.

GO ROCKIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chris 24 Days out

Thursday October 4, 2007
24 days to the MCM

Training:
3 miles from work in the morning
37:31 12:43 pace 116 Avg HR
at the one mile mark i turned my ankle again. not as bad but definitely a set back. I was able to "run it off" a bit, but I cut my planned 6 miler short at 3. It is definitely stiff and sore tonight so i iced and elevated

GO ROCKIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chris 25 Days Out

Wednesday October 3, 2007
25 days to the MCM

Training:
5 miles tempo (ran from the office in the morning to again save daylight)
watch malfunction (dead battery)

Chris 26 Days out

Tuesday October 2, 2007
26 days to the MCM

Training:
4 miles easy (Neg split by 20 seconds) Road by office
38:21 9:35 Pace 138 Avg HR
I decided to run at work and shower there to gain a little daylight for running and do my commute in the dark.

Chris 28 Days Out

Sunday September 30, 2007
28 days to the MCM

Training:
20 KM Tempo Run, Airline Trail, Perfect weather
1st 10K - 53:54:00 - 8:41 pace - 146 AHR (Downhill)
2nd 10K - 55:27:00 - 8:56 pace - 160 AHR (Uphill)

My sprained ankle felt OK after the 1st 3 miles but my left heel is killing me as I write this tonight.

Chris 29 Days out (I'm BACK)

Saturday September 29, 2007
29 days to the MCM

Training:
I think that the rest was just right for my foot and ankle. it hurt some to start running after a long walking warm up, but it felt better and better all through the run.
3 miles easy, 3.25 miles @ 10:07 pace, 33:37, 140 avgHR (Road, Rolling hills, cool and sunny)

Total Gym Upper Body and core (i did total gym all 6 down days to try and stay with something while I treated for the injury)

I think that I will run on the airline Trail tomorrow for the softer surface and maybe try an easy 10, but i will see how my foot is this evening before I decide.

Mike - "Back" In Action (Pun Intended!)

Thursday Sept 27 - Easy Treadmill run for 1 hour and 6 miles. I am back in business after 10 days of lower back difficulties. When you can't bend over to "lace 'em up" running is not very possible. I did strap on a back brace last Sunday and ran 14 miles in CT, though just to show my toughness, determination, and stupidity! Dr. Cahn says to take it easy on the running. I interpret that to mean wait until Sunday to run 20 miles!

Chris 36/35 Days out

Saturday September 22, 2007
36 days to the MCM

Training:
45 minute run that ended badly. I was doing some nice varied speed/hill work on the trails and sprained my ankle. I am in recovery mode to try and repair the damage.


Sunday September 23, 2007
35 days to the MCM

Training:
(1)2:45:00 Mountain bike ride with Mom. Missed the long run that I had planned with Ray and Dad on the Airline Trail, but they had a nice run. My ankle felt OK, but there is no way I could, or should, have run. hopefully I will be able to run by Wednesday.

(2)5 minutes on the Total Gym. (I will need to do a lot of Total Gym and Biking in the next couple of days to make up for the time off running)

Garmin note: You have to upload between workouts or the Garmin thinks that what you did was just a single workout with a 24 hr rest break.

My Legs are Beat Like a Bad Dog

Saturday-Sept. 22- 8.15 mile run (1 hr. 15 min.) south on Cherry Creek trail. Started out a bit slow, but ended up negatively splitting. I was averaging 9:30 miles on the way out and 9:00 on the way back. Last two miles were around 8:30-8:45. 158 HR Avg. /172 Max HR at the end, when I sprinted to a 7:20 pace.

Sunday-Sept. 23-26 mile bike ride through the Pinery (2 hrs 15 min.). I waterproofed the front bench and back steps this morning, so I got a late start. I left at noon under threatening conditions, so I didn't want to ride out to far. So I ended up doing laps in the Pinery. Mom, I went by the Cape Cod house that I showed you. The owner was out watering so I talked to her. She said she watched it for 13 months before it went on sale. She wrote a contract to buy it 4 hours after the sign went up! She told me the builder liked it so much that he had constructed one just like it in the Timbers (South end of the Pinery) for himself. So I had to go ride through the Timbers until I found it. Iwasn't nearly as cute as the gray one. Now my legs are shot from riding hills the whole time. I can't even do any yardwork. I guess I'll have to finish Rob's eval. Yuck. My last night with my little banshee house guests. :(

Chris 37 Days out

Friday September 21, 2007
37 days to the MCM

Training:
1 hr monster hill workout with MOM. Took Mom on my normal hill training run and we had a great time. 5.39 miles [] 11:24 pace [] 129 avgHR [] 1381' ascent

Nutrition:
Breakfast - cereal
Lunch - Chicken salad wrap
Dinner - grilled steak, corn & veggies

IT IS GREAT TO HAVE THE MOM AND THE DAD HERE IN CT.

We are all working on the Dad to try to get his back fixed. it was getting better yesterday, but he is looking a little "stiff" again this morning.

Recovering- getting well

Well the bug I was trying to fight off last week before the race caught up with me. I had a Council meeting Monday night and my legs were cramping up while I sat there for 3 hours. I did a 5 mile walk on Tuesday after work. I felt very good to move. I used my shaking machine, did stretches, abs and arm weights all week. I was home sick Thurs and Fri. At least I was able to work on Rob's evaluation, when I wasn't resting. I felt better this evening and did a 7 mile bike ride on the recumbant in the basement in 26 minutes. My skin benefitted from the sweating and I think I sweated out the bug, because I felt so much better after.

I really have to go to the grocery store. I had zucchini quesadillas for dinner. Actually they were really good! I grated a zucch and sauted with finely chopped onion. Then I added a can of green chiles, some spices, salt and pepper. Then I spread the zucch mixture on a flour tortilla in a flat metal pie plate, sprinkled with cheese and broiled on low for a few minutes. The tortilla gets all crispy around the edges that way, yum! I make black bean quesadillas that way too, with beans, chunky salsa and cheese. I also make a desert tortilla with a sliced peach and cinamon and crumb topping. Always in the pie plate under the broiler on low.

Chris 39 Days Out

Wednesday September 19, 2007
39 days to the MCM

Training:
55 min trail run, nice and easy, nice and fun, 3.7 miles, 135 avg HR

Nutrition:
Breakfast - Starbucks sandwich and a donut
Lunch - 3 piece pizza
Dinner - scrambled eggs

Harvest Moon Half Iron Triathlon

Sunday, Sept. 16-Harvest Moon Half Iron Triathlon-1.2 mile swim , 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run, Aurora Reservoir. I did it! I took me 7 hours, but I did it! Mom and Dad got up at O'dark Thirty to come and support me (even though, the Buff game went late into the night before). Thanks guys; it was awesome to have you there! The water temp was pretty cold. The swim was an out and back and my arms were pretty cold near the end. I did veyr good on the swim, (32 minutes out of the water and 2 minutes up the beach to the transition area for my official split time of 33:56) I was ranked 101 in the swim out of 322 people total, men and women, elites and amateurs. Both my transitions were quite slow; guess I need to rethink the changing clothes thing. I guess it is time for a new tri suit, with 2 pieces and a zipper in the front of the top. The bike was not very fast at all, 3 hrs. 31 min., but part of my first time strategy was to be rested for the run, since I hadn't done enough running distance training. I was well hydrated though, Pops, had to take a nature break on both the bike and the run. The last 15 miles of the bike was very hard with a head wind and up-hill. The run was long, but doable. The rolling hills were challenging, but did break up the monotony a bit. My run time was 2 hrs 47 minutes, although looking back, it didn't seem like that long. I walked up all the steep hills and through the aid stations. It was hot for the first 3/4 and I dumped water on my head at every aid. There was also wind, which was a curse and a prayer. I feel better about the run, knowing that Dad said it was one of the hardest he had done. I guess next year, I better go do some runs at Aurora Res. to get used to those rollers. Well it feels good to have that under my belt! A great sense of accomplishment! And, I am even thinking about the next one. It's cool to think I can shave a half hour off my time, next time. Thanks for all the moral support, fam! I couldn't have done it without you all behind me. It was definitely mentally taxing to stay focused for that long. I did do my fuel right though. I have decided that I now deserve the somewhat obnoxious, "TRIATHLETE" with the green Colorado mountains bumper sticker in my car window!

Mike - 43 Days To Go

Saturday Sept. 15 - Tempo Run East 3 x 9 minute @ HM pace
1 Hr 6.61 miles Ave Pace 9:04 HR ave 140 max 163
1) 8:28 2) 8:36 3) 8:36

Thur Sept 13 - Hike East Maroon Pass

Wed Sept 12 - CB Lower/Upper Loop 1:21 8.0 miles

Tue Sept 11 - Mt CB Gothic Out&Back 1:01 6.1 miles

Mon Sept 10 - TM :51 4.04 miles

I'm planning on running 12 miles tomorrow during Hezzie's Ironman

Prepping for Half-iron

Friday, Sept. 14-30 min. AM swim at Stroh rec. center. Felt better than Wed., phfeww. Stretching.

Tomorrow: bike chain cleaning and tire changing, gear prep, clothes/gear trials on tiny run and tiny bike ride, race packet pick-up, watching Parker Criterium downtown in a lawnchair, rest and stretching, eating good, lots of sleep. NO YARD WORK allowed!!!

Tapering for Half-Iron

Monday, Sept. 10-stretching and abs
Tuesday, Sept. 11-walk 1 mile/run 2.5 miles/walk .25 miles on treadmill in the evening
Wednesday, Sept. 12-Swim 35 minutes in the morning at Stroh indoor pool. Lots of stretching, staying loose. Different muscles used for the weights on Saturday, so these were a bit sore.
Thursday, Sept. 13-stretching and abs in the AM

Thinking and planning for race. Eating well. Getting lots of sleep.

Chris 46 Days Out

Wednesday September 12, 2007
46 days to the MCM

Training:
5 mile trail run, 57:22, 11:28 average pace, I did a warm up for a 1/2 mile then 4 miles of easy trail tempo then a 1/2 mile cool down.

Nutrition:
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - salad
Dinner - 2 sandwiches

Chris 47 Days out

Tuesday September 11, 2007
47 days to the MCM

Training:

5.77 miles "Recovery"[] 1:02:50

road, hills, 3 miles easy, 3 miles medium tempo, 6:30pm, cool and damp

total [] 5.77 mi [] 10:53 pace [] 138 avgHR [] 1318' up

lap1 [] 3.01 mi [] 11:39 pace [] 133 avgHR [] 838' up

lap 2 [] 2.76 mi [] 10:03 pace [] 144 avgHR [] 418' upT

Nutrition:
Monday
Breakfast - cereal
Lunch - salad
Dinner - 2 sandwiches

Tuesday
Breakfast - Starbucks sandwich and sweet roll
Lunch - wings and fries
Dinner - sandwich

Flatting out on Sunday Morning

Sat. Sept. 1-lifted weights, upper body and core, 30 minutes. Got to the pool too late to swim (they close the pool a half hour before the whole rec. center). But lifting actually felt really good. I always forget that swimming alone doesn't truly strength train. Also did 3-4 hours of light yard work.

Sun. Sept. 2-Well, I intended to do a short 1 hr. 16 mile bike ride before picking up Charn, Jen and Mom and going to the Estes Park Scottish-Irish Highlands Festival. It turned into a 2 hour "event." Had a great quick ride out through the Pinery, down Democrat Road and turned around at the Church at Flintwood Road, but as I rounded the turn from Deomcrat Rd. back into the Pinery, I heard a strange noise. It was a flat in my rear tire, and not just any flat, but a nail was protruding sideways through the tire. So, I flipped my bike upside down, took off the rear wheel and tool pack and cockily thought, "Gee, maybe I should time myself, and see how fast I can change a flat." About then a fellow cyclist rode by and offered to help. I said "No, I am fine thanks, I have everything I need!" Well, I put the spare tube in, or at least tried to, but it was too small. Upon removal of said spare tube and comparing the marked dimensions on the punctured tube, I discovered it was the wrong size! So, I proceeded to lick the punctured tube to find the hole, by getting my saliva to bubble. Found the hole, patched it and put it back in the tire/wheel and filled it with air. At which time, it promptly then deflated. So I took it all apart and examined the patch hole. Seemed to be holding. This is when I remembered that the nail had gone in sideways and realized their was a second puncture hole, opposite the first hole. So, I patched that and reassembled the whole lot and then refilled with air, again. Thihs time at least it held about 80 lbs. of pressure. So, I put the bike back togther and proceeded slowly toward home. Being careful to go slow on the downhill and stopping to top of the air half way home. So much for "timing myself!" Oh, and to add to my misery, the whole time I was changing the tubes, a flock of crows was incessantly "cawwing," I guess to tell me they wanted me out of their territory. Trust me crows, I wanted out too! Lessons learned, four...1) Bring a cell phone, 2) check the size of your spare tube, 3) have redundant air sources, and 4) bring a pellet gun to "take care of" errant crows.

(Just kidding about the last part.)

Mike - I Own 20 Miles (49 Days to MCM)

Sunday Sept. 9 - LSD along south side of Standley Lake. Punky rode out and refueled me mid run.
Thanks Punky!!
20.06 miles 3:18
Ave Pace 9:52 HR ave 131 max 143
I felt really good, but tightened up slogging up Cotton Creek. (I did finish with a 9:42 final mile, though)
My weekly totals were down due to my cold coming in at 5:37 and 33.59 miles

Chris 49 Days Out

Sunday September 9, 2007
49 Days to the MCM

Training:
Nikki's Run for Children's cancer research 5K
5K [] 21:07 [] 6:55 pace [] 160 Avg HR [] 439' ascent
Actually felt real good. Went out smooth, accelerated in the 2nd mile and tried to hang on with good tempo in the 3rd. The last 1/2 mile was a little tough :)

Nutrition:
Pre-Race - Balance Bar
Brunch - 2 little turkey and roast beef melts on some very cardboard-like whole wheat pitas
Dinner - 1 turkey and t roast beef casadilla
Snack - popcorn

Rebound Run

Tues. Sept. 4-rest day
Wed. Sept. 5- 50 minutes swim- indoor pool :( not too fast, stroke felt weird

Thurs. Sept. 6-10 mile run 1 hr. 38 min. avg. HR 149, avg. pace 9:48 min/mile. left at 6:30PM, ran south on the Cherry Creek trail to the run around and then past the house to add on extra distance and then back to make exactly 10. It was nice and cool, got dark, used little keylight at the end. Legs felt super!!! Hooray, I can run afterall. It was a little in doubt after the sucky run in Salida. I think I can do the half-iron next Sunday!

Fri. Sept. 7- rest day

Chris 50 Days Out

Saturday September 8, 2007
50 days to the MCM

Training:
18 Mile LSD
Airline Rail Trail with Ray
Total [] 18.03 mi [] 3:03:17 [] 10:10 pace [] 145 aHR [] 3442' asc
Lap 1 [] 9.00 mi [] 1:30:17 [] 10:05 pace [] 140 aHR [] 1850' asc
Lap 2 [] 9.03 mi [] 1:33:00 [] 10:18 pace [] 150 aHR [] 1596' asc
5 miles down, five miles up then 5 miles down and end with 5 miles up
Uploaded to MotionBased at this link:
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/episode/view.do?episodePk.pkValue=3890013

47.73 miles this week.

Nutrition:
Pre Run - energy bars
Brunch - McDonald's Chicken wraps (wanted egg McMuffin, but they were no longer serving lunch)
Dinner - 1 Turkey and 1 Roast Beef Sandwich
Snack - Popcorn

Chris 51 Days out

Thursday September 6, 2007
&
Friday September 7, 2007
52 days to the MCM

Training:
5 miles cruise tempo
50:44 [] 10:08 pace [] 140 avg HR
I also did 2 "10 second uphill sprints" at the end

Friday is a rest day for 18 miles LSD on Saturday Morning this week. Sunday I am going to run a fun run for charity.

Nutrition:
(Thursday)
Breakfast - cereal
Lunch - Ruben
Dinner - chicken cordon blue with wind rice
(Friday)
Breakfast - Starbucks b-fast sandwich
Lunch - Chinese (chicken with green beans
Dinner - chicken and mac & cheese (carbo loading for the 18 miler)

Chris 53 Days Out

Wednesday September 5, 2007
53 days to the MCM

Dad,
A question; are you supposed to delete the "history" off of the watch?????

Training:
4 miles easy
46:19 [] 11:01 pace [] 128 avgHR [] 882' ascent
I did the 10 sec uphill sprints outlined in this months Runners World (2 of them) at the end of the run and they were really cool. I was wearing my Yellow shirt and I felt so fast that it felt like I was Usane Bolt or Asafa Powell.

Nutrition:
Breakfast - Cereal w/ fruit
Lunch - TBD
Dinner - TBD

Mike 54 Days To MCM

Tuesday Sept 4 - Treadmill in SFO 1 Hr 6.0 miles
6 x 800 @ 7.3 mph (8:13P)
Wed will be a rest day

Chris 54 Days Out

Tuesday September 4, 2007
54 days to the MCM

Training:
Monday - rest day
Today: 3 and 1/2 mile easy - great run. I did just a nice easy run but felt great running up and down a new monster hill I found (twice)
3.47 miles in 36:41 (10:34 pace) 142 avg HR, 741" of ascent
(I think that my watch is recording altitude change better now, maybe it needed to get broken in). This was not really much of a run, just a recovery easy day, but I uploaded the workout to MotionBased Just so that you could see the cool hill profile (link:http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/episode/view.do?episodePk.pkValue=3858740)

Nutrition:
Breakfast - Starbucks sandwich and a sweet roll
Lunch - Ruben
Dinner - Chicken cordon/blue

Laboring on the Bike

Monday, Sept. 3, Labor Day-40 mile bike ride to the log cabin house in Deer Field and back. Weather was great, no traffic since everyone was celebrating labor day. I started out slow to work out the lactic acid in my legs and then felt really good the last 15 miles.

Salida Tenderfoot Tri

Tenderfoot Du-Triathlon, Salida, CO Sat. Sept. 1st. Well, it was another hot one. My swim heat #6 didn't start until 9:45, which meant I was out on the run until almost 1PM. My lap counter put the "last lap kickboard" in too late so I did an extra half lap! My swim time was still 17:30 for 1000M, which I was happy with. Even did decent flip turns, Chris. The bike was nice, not really any ind to speak of. My bike time was 1 hr. 30 min., for 26 miles, which was a little slower than 2005. I was surprised, because I thought I would have been faster this year, but I think I wasn't rested enough. As evidenced by my 1 hr. 2 min. run time! AAARRRGGH. Well, I started out with 8:30 mile pace and did great until I hit the "S" hill by the water tower and then bascially walked up the dirt hill, which killed my time. Then on the way back it was up hill with a head wind and 80 degree temps. My HR was 170 for the last mile and I was only at a 10 min. mile pace, because of the hill, wind and heat! My overall time 2 hrs. 55 minutes was 12 minutes slower than 2005. Hard lesson learned for racing on non-rested legs. Plus, I have decided that I really don't like starting so late and may reconsider doing this race in future years. Plus, they are lumping the age groups together in 10 year increments now, so I don't stand much of a chance placing anymore until I am over 40! Ok, now that I have that out of my system...

Erin and I actually had a really fun weekend in Salida. We went to Buena Vista on the way on Friday and went to St. Elmo and the Flourrisant Fossil Beds on the way back. We also ran into a friend of hers from NJ who is an Army Captain stationed at Ft. Carson. He just got into Triathlons this summer and wants to do an ironman next year. He has a new baby boy but has to go back to Iraq in Dec. :( We had dinner with him Friday night and Erin had lunch with him after the race. He was in one of the first swim heats and was finished an hour and half ahead of me, when it was still cool and there was no wind!

Chris 56 Days Out

Sunday September 2, 2007
57 days to the MCM

Training:
17 Mile LSD - Asphalt Trail, 8:00 am, course profile 100% downhill to the 8.5 mile mark and 100% uphill all the way back. First real "bad" long training run of the program. Not a good week of training overall. ran too hard on Friday and did not get enough rest all week. I also hurt my back last weekend (sometime on Thursday or Friday, not while running??) and that is still tight. I did not bring any goo or food (only water) and I did not eat prior to the run..... so I "Popped" at 13 miles. It was a good thing that I was 4 miles from the house our I would have stopped, but keeping going I'm sure made me stronger and tougher I have seen the "Bonk Monster" so I know where he lives.
Run Posted to MotionBased @:
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/episode/view.do?episodePk.pkValue=3842109
~ Time - 3:29:43 [] Pace 12:18 [] 129 AvgHR [] 2752' ascent
~ Out ---1:30:25 [] Pace 10:38 [] 127 AvgHR [] 898' ascent
~ Back --1:59:17 [] Pace 13:58 [] 131 AvgHR [] 1855' ascent

Nutrition:
Brunch - Cereal with fruit (stupidly did not eat anything before the run)
Dinner - Wings at the golf course (played 18 holes int eh afternoon, but I took a cart :)
Late Snack - Cereal w/ fruit

Mike - 56 Days To Go

Sunday Sept 2 - LSD on the Bobolink Trail S. Boulder
3:11 17.6 miles HR ave 128 max 149 Ave Pace 10:52
A fair amount of hills with the midpoint 800 feet higher than the trailhead, hence the slower pace.
I felt very good during the run turning 9:16 and a 9:18 on the final two miles.

Week 9 Totals: 7:41 44.75 miles

Chris 58 Days Out

Friday August 31, 2007
58 Days to the MCM

Well after a busy week I have returned to the Blogoshere. sorry for being absent from the Blog for so many days.

Training:
Tuesday - 5 miles easy

Friday - 5 mile "time trial" pace run. Flat/cold start 23 minutes out, 20 minutes back. (pitch dark....I mean really dark)

Nutrition:
Pretty OK this week. Starbucks for breakfast, salads for lunch and medium light dinners

Mike 58 Days To Go

Friday August 31 - Fartlek workout on Dry Creek Trail
1:01 Time 6.55 Miles Ave Pace 9:19
2 x 4 min @ half marathon pace
4 x 2 min @ 10K pace
4 x 1 min @ 5K pace
HR ave 136 HR max 166
WTD Totals 4:30 27.1

Thursday August 30 - Weights and core exercises
No Running

August Totals - 25.7 Hours 154.7 Miles

Tapering for Salida Tenderfoot Tri

Monday, 8/27-rest day. read a few chapters of Marley when I got out the City Council meeting early.

Tuesday, 8/28-Evening Swim at Stroh outdoor pool. 50 minutes. I am very sad because the pool will be closing on Labor Day. :( I swam from 7:30 to 8:20PM and it was cool to be in the water in the dark, with just the pool lights. I was even able to still ride my bike to the pool with my headlamp on the way back. The lifeguards were playing cards so I told them not to worry at the end when I "disappeared" to do my underwater 25's. Shoulders hurt a bit, maybe it was the little free weights I used over the weekend. Stroke felt good though. Even my turns felt good, which is important since Salida is a pool swim. My legs were really strong from all my running and biking!

Wed. 8/29-AM run on treadmill to stay loose. 1/4 mile walk warm up, 2 miles at 6.8 -7 mph.

Mike - 58 Days To Go

Wednesday August 29 - Easy Recovery Run with Punky
:51 4.6 miles Ave Pace 11:05 HR ave 110

Mike 59 Days To Go

Tuesday August 28 - LSD run with Gary Macfarquhar to Standley Lake and back.
2:38 16.0 miles Ave pace 9:52 HR ave 129 max 143 A great, fun long run!

Mike 61 Days Out

Sunday August 26 - Semi LSD on a Treadmill at the La Guardia Marriott. No time or place to run three hours!!
1:23 8.25 Miles I ran at a 9:50 pace and finished the last mile at 8:57 with no issues. HR ave 109 HR max 123. I felt great!
I'm running 2:30 Tuesday with a United pilot friend.

Saturday August 25 - PHL TM Fartlek workout
1:01 6.0 miles HR 120/159

Weekly Totals: 5:05 30.84 miles

BTW, my room had a widescreen LCD TV with several HD channels! A first in my travels.

Prepping for 2 Tri's

These were my last training days before Salida (Tenderfoot Triathlon-Olympic distance on Sat. Sept. 1. But now that I have decided to sign up for the Harvest Moon Half Ironman Tri on Sept. 16, I had to balance prepping for each one. So, I did a trialthlon over 3 days.

Friday, Aug. 24-Evening Swim at Stroh indoor pool. 45 minutes. I was so bummed, because the outdoor pool will only be open for another week and they had it closed for a Luau Adult Happy Hour. I had fun watching the women Grandma Day's age with the big hairdos in their floral print wrap skirts and leis, snapping photos. There were only 2 on oxygen.

Saturday, Aug. 25-49.6 mile Bike ride through Deerfield and then out Tomichi Road to Russelville Road, looping back to a cutoff on the west side of Deerfield. I was running out of water/Accelerade the last 15 miles, so I had to conserve. Legs are still a bit tired from the 11 miler on Wed. Also, didn't want to ride too hard since I have Salida tri next weekend. But, I wanted the mileage to prep for Harvest Moon in 3 weeks.

Sunday, Aug. 26- 7.6 mile run from 8:30AM to 10AM. South on Cherry Creek Trail. Dad, I made point to attack every hill with my arms pumping and my head up!!! You would have been so proud of your protege'! Legs were pretty tired from the bike yesterday, but I kept my pace between 9 1/2 to 11 minutes/mile.

Chris 62 Days Out

Saturday August 25, 2007
62 Days to the MCM

Training:
11 Mile LSD, Trail, Major Hills, 6:00am, 80 Deg and like 90% humidity
2:08:51 [] 11:43 pace [] 143 avgHR [] 3246' ascent
record uploaded to MotionBased.com
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/player/3755263

Walked 9 holes of golf (shot 40)

Nutrition:
Breakfast - coffee cake (@work)
Lunch - Pizza
Dinner - Mac&Cheese with churisso

Chris 63 Days Out

Friday August 24, 2007
63 days to the MCM

Training:
Rest Day
played 18 holes of golf

Nutrition:
Breakfast - Cereal w/ fruit
Lunch - turkey sandwich
Dinner - Breakfast tacos

Chris 64 Days out

Thursday August 23, 2007
64 days to the MCM

Training:
4 miles Fartlek, road, rolling hills, 7:00pm, warm and humid
~1 mile w/u - 10:40 pace - 139 HR
~3x800m build up repeats at progressively faster pace with 1/4 mile easy between them.
#1 - 4:29 - 9:03 pace - 149 HR
#2 - 4:06 - 8:20 pace - 148 HR
#3 - 3:43 - 7:24 pace - 155 HR
~1 mile medium easy cool down - 9:55 pace - 148 HR

Nutrition:
Breakfast - cereal w/ fruit
Lunch - Turkey sandwich
Dinner - 2 egg sandwiches

Eleven Mile Test

Wed. August 22-Eleven Mile Run on creek path north to E-470 and back. 6:55PM to 8:52PM. Well I did it! This was my test run to see if I have a half-iron triathlon in me. I think I do! The Havest Moon Half-Iron is coming up on Sept. 16th. It is a 1.2 mile mile swim, 56 mile bike and 13.2 mile run. Which is double the distance on the bike and run of the Rattlesnake, but only .2 miles more on the swim (1/5th more).

I'd like some input from my blogging pals on whether you guys think I am ready or not.

Thanks to my blogging pals. I think I have trained harder than I ever have before this summer because of the moral support and accountability that you guys provide.

Chris 65 Days Out

Wednesday August 22, 2007
65 days to the MCM
I finally got the 15 miler posted to MotionBased (had to write the admin people and get them to do it manually) so here is the link for last Sunday's run:
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/episode/view.do?episodePk.pkValue=3725737

Training:
5 miles medium tempo, trail, out and back, rolling hills, 6:30 pm
51:40 (even split), 10:17 pace, 142 avgHR

Nutrition:
Breakfast - Starbucks breakfast sandwich
Lunch - casadilla
Dinner - egg sandwich

Chris 66 Days Out

Tuesday August 21, 2007
88 days to the MCM

Training:
4 miles easy, road rolling hills, cool and damp, 6:00 pm
43 minutes, 11:11 pace, 133 avgHR

Nutrition:
Breakfast - Cereal w/ fruit
Lunch - chicken salad wrap and a turkey sandwich
Dinner - Chef type salad

Mike 65 Days Out

Wednesday August 22 - Light Fartlek workout with the Striders along the South Boulder trail.
:56 and & 5.7 miles a 10:04 pace overall. We ran 4 x 60 sec, 4 x 90 sec, & 5 x 60 sec. I was quite stiff from the Brainard Lake run, but loosened up and felt great through the workout. We were running controlled at 70% effort throughout the workout.

Tuesday - A much needed massage!

Chris 67 Days Out

Monday August 20, 2007
67 days to the MCM (wow is that getting close or what)

Training:
Total Gym X-training day

Nutrition:
Breakfast - cereal and fruit
Lunch - soup and a piece of Pizza
Snack - french fries and a shake
Snack 2 - popcorn
No Dinner

Rattlesnake Tri

Rattlesnake Triathlon
Sat. Aug. 18-Well the sky was clear and the sun was very bright. Which was great for the swim and bike, but not so great for the run. The swim was about 25 minutes (27 minutes total including the wet suit strip and the run to the transition area) Had a fast 2 min. transition and then a good bike 1:27 for 26 miles. There were lots of rolling hills. I was very fast on the descents (Cousins Kim and Marty have taught me well). I was going 37 mph at one point, because I put it in the big gear and pedaled for as long as I could and then got in my aero tuck. I was faster than all the gals with aero bars on the descents, so I know my body position is good. The run started out decent. Felt better at the beginning than I normally do. My HR was between 163 and 165 for the first 3 miles and then I picked up the pace, my HR was 166-170 the whole way back (last 3 miles). But the heat and hills were killing me, and even though my HR was high, I was wasn't going as fast as I normally would at that part of the race. The run was 58 minutes. With my 2 min. transition from bike to run, my total time was 2:56. The results aren't posted yet, so I don't know my place yet, but I was mad that I let 4 women in my age group pass me in the last 2 miles of the run. GRRRR. I hate the heat and I hate hills, ever since my DVT. Well at least the swim and the bike went well! Thanks for all the support fam.

Sunday-Aug. 19-Bike ride with Punky to Deerfield and back. 39.7 miles in just under 3 hrs. We had a good time together and Mom pulled me over all the hills and in the headwinds. We had fun looking at all of my favorite houses and livestock.

Monday-Aug. 20-AM swim-Easy swim at Stroh indoor pool. 35 minutes. lots of stretching. Mental note, don't decide to do a full length underwater half way across the pool (I didn't take a big enough breath). But I made it.

Mike 67 Days To GO!

Monday August 20 - Easy run with "Punky" Margaret's Pond Loop
:45 minutes 4.32 miles HRave 119
I was a little stiff from yesterday's run at Brainard Lake, but less so than I expected.
Tuesday is a no running day so I will cross train.

Mike 68 Days to MCM

Sunday August 19 - LSD Run at Brainard Lake
2 hours at 10,000+ feet 10.0 miles 12:08 pace
HRave 130 HRmax 154
I fell near the end and have an impressive "trophy" running down my right chin!
Last Week's Totals: Time 4:49 Mileage 28.3
(I missed one easy workout due to my flying schedule)
View the workout at: //trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/3710119

Chris 68 Days Out

Sunday August 19, 2007
68 days to the MCM

Training:
15 Mile LSD, with Ray on Airline Trail, (4978' total ascent)
Negative Split (1:15:56 and 1:09:09 back)
Total-15.0 miles [] 2:25:05 [] 9:40/mile [] 147 aHR
Lap 1 - 7.5 miles [] 1:15:56 [] 10:07/mile [] 140 aHR
Lap 2 - 7.5 miles [] 1:09:09 [] 9:13 /mile [] 154 aHR
Uploaded to Motionbased.com at this link:
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/episode/view.do?episodePk.pkValue=3725737

Nutrition:
Brunch - 2 breakfast sandwiches (D.D.)
Dinner - Chop Salad
Snack - Popcorn

Chris 69 Days Out

Saturday August 18, 2007
69 days to the MCM

Training:
Yasso 800's X 7
7 miles Total [] Total Time 1:11:57
1 mile w/u, 7 Yasso 800's with 1/4 mile recovery, 1 mile c/d
## []800m time [] avg H/R [] ascent
#1 [] 4:10 min [] 148 bpm [] 108'
#2 [] 3:34 min [] 144 bpm [] 27'
#3 [] 4:27 min [] 149 bpm [] 160'
#4 [] 4:32 min [] 144 bpm [] 138'
#5 [] 3:26 min [] 152 bpm [] 40'
#6 [] 4:35 min [] 150 bpm [] 183'
#7 [] 3:37 min [] 155 bpm [] 46'
Average 800m Time: 4:03

Walked 9 holes of golf

Weekly Total mileage 8/12 - 8/18 = 28.94 miles

Nutrition:
Breakfast - Starbucks b-fast sandwich & coffee cake
Lunch - Roast Chicken breast with potatoes and mac&cheese
Snack - popcorn
Dinner - chop salad

Chris 70 Days Out

Friday August 17, 2007
70 Days to the MCM

Training:
4 mile hard Tempo - Out 7 Back - Negative split
Road, Rolling Hills, Cool and humid, 7:00pm
Lap 1
2 miles [] 19:25 [] 9:42/mile [] 143 a-HR [] 166 maxHR [] 328'
Lap 2
2 miles [] 17:04 [] 8:28/mile [] 161 a-HR [] 179 maxHR [] 334'
TOTAL
4 miles [] 36:29 [] 9:05/mile [] 151 a-HR [] 170 maxHR [] 662'

Nutrition:
Breakfast - coffee cake
Lunch - curry chicken wrap
Dinner - chicken and multi color pasta

1 day to Rattlesnake Tri

Well this was a taper week and I kept it in check.

Monday and Tuesday Aug 13 and 14-rest days
Wed. Aug. 15-run and walk on treadmill 4 miles total- .5 mile walk warm up 3 miles run .5 miles walk cool down. no faster than 6.8 mph
Thur. Aug. 16- o-dark thirty pool swim at Parker Rec. 50 minutes. (Chris-its like swim practice in Naperville!) Lots of stretching. only fast for the last 500 or so

Tonight I will get my bike cleaned up and pack up my tri gear. The transition area opens at 5:30 and the women start racing at 7:40AM. It is a time trial start. Wish me luck!!!

Chris 73 Days Out

Tuesday August 14, 2007
73 days to the MCM

Training:
4 miles easy
Trail, rolling hills
Even split 45:48 [] 11:40 pace [] avg HR 131 [] Total ascent 1059'

Nutrition:
Breakfast - Cheerios w/ fruit
Lunch - szechuan beef
Dinner - steak and veggies
snack - popcorn

Mike 73 days To Go

6 Mile Tempo Run - I ran this east along the Highline Canal. 6 miles in 53:20 averaging 8:53/mile. I ran a little fast as I was aiming for 9:05 pace. HRave 134 HRmax 142
Total Time 1:03 and 7.0 miles
Wed. is a rest day
I highly recommend Tempo runs! Run UNDER CONTROL, not all out at a pace that you can sustain. At a pace where you can talk, but not carry on a conversation. Tempos are great for raising your lactic acid threshold. And they are confidence builders.

Mike 74 Days Out

Monday August 13 - Easy run to Margaret's Pond. :45 and 4.7 miles at a 9:36 pace

Chris 74 Days Out

Monday August 13, 2007

Training:
Rest Day

Nutrition:
Breakfast - Starbucks breakfast sandwich
Lunch - Turkey sandwich
Dinner - 1 turkey and 1 roast beef sandwich
snack - popcorn

Deer Trail ride

Fri. Aug 10-Ran 5 miles in 47 minutes at dusk on the Cherry Creek Trail south to the first gate. Felt really good. Although ate dinner at like 9:30PM.

Sat. Aug 11-Yard work in the AM for 4 hours (reaching down to pull weeds really works your hammies and I got carpal tunnel from weeding in the rocks). Swam at 4:30PM for an hour and 15 minutes. I must have done 4,000 yds. (always good to have an audience). I did a hard 1,000 yds. at the end and then 3 underwater 25's (breaststroke). I must be inspired by Dara Torres.

Sun. Aug. 12-Bike ride out to Deertrail and back 38.6 miles (without a rest break). I felt so great! Separating my run from the bike by running Fri. evening instead of Sat. AM, really helped. I can't believe how easy all those hills seemed, when they were so hard this spring. Thanks to the Courage Classic and Copper Triangle! I can't wait to show Mom this route next Sunday when she is down (bring the Bianchi Mamacita).

Mike - Also 75 Days Out!!

Sunday August 12 along the Switzerland Trail 2:30 time 13.89 miles with a 10:48 pace. The trailhead elevation was 8,474, hence the slower pace! We climbed to 9,135 feet, then descended 300 feet at the turn around point, and then slogged back up the 300 feet! The 300 foot climb was over a 1.2 mile distance. Nasty! But it didn't kill me so I will be the better for it.
HRave 126 HRmax 142 calories burned priceless! (1,842) Total elevation gain 1,814
WTD 37.7 miles 6:17 time

Chris 75 Days Out

Sunday August 12, 2007
75 days to the MCM

Training:
14 Mile LSD (but I was a bit aggressive and it sort of was a 14 mile Tempo Run)
Airline Trail, north, 6:00 am, Felt fantastic for 12 miles and then finished tough. The trail is pretty flat except that I ran out of trail at the 6 mile mark and had to run the miles from 6 to 8 over a hill that felt like Kilimanjaro on a country road.
I did running clock water walk breaks for 5 100ths of a mile ever 1.75 miles. Just enough to get a quick drink.
Dist - 14.00 miles [] Time - 2:23:51 (1:11:06 out, 1:12:45 back) [] Avg pace - 10:16 (100% full running clock) [] Avg HR - 147 [] Max HR - 166 [] Total Ascent 4061'
{Posted to MotionBased.com at this link: http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/episode/view.do?episodePk.pkValue=3634489}
((also posted yesterday's run))
24 Miles Total this week

Nutrition:
Breakfast - Toast (oat bran)
Lunch - Pancakes with sausage and an egg
Dinner - TBD

Chris 76 Days Out

Saturday August 11, 2007
76 days to the MCM

I had a weird injury this week caused by the 2 mile excursion on the downpour on the 8th. That night a large callus (from an old blister from my last 12 miler) came off of the bottom of my foot. Certainly due to finishing that run in soaking wet shoes and socks. Well that would not have been a problem except that it tore off a chunk of "live" skin too, just behind the ball of my left foot on the outside. I had the hardest time getting that to heal up and had to limp around for 3 days trying not to tear he wound open. It was finally healed this morning so I could run again. VERY ANNOYING!

Training:
7 miles, hard hills, road, 9:00 am (the hill profile looks like the CO front range)
watch time - 6.71 miles; Total Time - 1:16:30; Avg pace - 11:24; Avg HR - 143; max HR - 167; Total ascent - 1239' (felt like "dog dirt")

Walked 18 Holes and shot 83 from the tips

tomorrow is 14 miles LSD (ouch)

Nutrition:
Breakfast - cheerios with fruit
Lunch - Boneless Buffalo wings
Dinner - Steak and grilled veggies

Dad,
I think for getting further on to the mid and for foot it helps to "lean into it a bit" and really concentrate on not over-reaching forward with your stride. Also I think of my legs like "springs" pushing me forward and not "ores" pulling me forward; that seems to help me with the feeling (especially uphill).

Mike 76 Days Out

Saturday August 11 - Boulder Strider workout at Boulder Rez. We ran the fartlek workout outlined below in my last post. 1 hr 6.0 miles HRave 131 HRmax 151
WTD 23.8 miles 3:47
We are running the Switzerland Trail tomorrow AM at "O'dark thirty." 2:30 planned "time on legs"

Mike 77 Days To Go

Friday August 10 - No run Day
I did some upper body weight training and some core exercises.
Mike

Impressing the Lifeguards

Wed. Aug. 8- I had a super swim last night. I swam from 7:05 to 8:07. I must have done about 4,000 yds. At 7:50, I decided to do just one last 250, but felt good so turned it into 500, but then still felt good, so went for 750, and then said what the heck and just did 1,000 in about 17 minutes! The lifeguards were complimenting me when I got out of the water.

Thur. Aug. 9- Rode my bike to work today 11 miles in and 16 miles back. Barely made the train at Lincoln, as usual. I rode in like a time trial to catch the train, watch out bunny rabbits! Should be hot for the ride home.

Mike 78 Days To Go

Thursday August 9 - Easy
I ran east in my Newtons (still trying to get off of my heels!) for 50 minutes and 5.39 miles. (9:17/mile pace)
I had to work at slowing down to keep my HR down. HRave 124 HRmax 134.
WTD (3 days) 2:47/17.8 miles

Here are my planned workouts for the next three days:

Friday 10th		Rest Day - No Running
Saturday 11th		Portsea Fartlek - Meet @ Rez Parking Lot @ 7:30 am
		Warm Up 15 min/Stretch/4 x 20 sec strides
		(3 x 2 min/60 sec easy) (4 x 30 sec/60 sec easy)
		(3 x 4 min/2 min easy) (4 x 60 sec/60 sec easy)
		Take 2 min easy between sets
		Cool Down 10 minutes
Sunday 12th		Easy Long Run 2 hr 30 min - MARATHONERS

Chris,
How long of an LSD are you planning this weekend? Any advice on getting off of my heels?
Happy trails!
Pops

Chris 79 Days out

Wednesday August 8, 2007
79 days to the MCM
7 hrs sleep overnight

Training:
"2 miles hard"; I was going to go longer but it started to pour and I cut short since I was getting soaked; road, hills; 6:00 am
1.76 miles; 15:54 ; 9:03 pace ; 140HRavg ; 327' ascent

Nutrition:
Breakfast - cereal w/ fruit
Lunch - chicken wrap sandwich
Dinner - Cobb salad
Snack - casadilla (I was starving, oh well almost a full good food day)

Mike 79 Days To Go!

Wed Aug 8 BS Tempo at Coot Lake

		Tempo Workout - Meet @ Tom Watson Park @ 6:30 am
		Warm Up 15 min/Stretch/4 x 20 sec strides
		3 x 1.5 miles @ tempo pace with 3 min active rest
		Marathoners - run @ half marathon goal pace
		Half Marathoners - run @ 10 km goal pace
		Cool Down 10 minutes

Time 1:07 6.87miles HRave 130 HRmax 152
Tempo paces: 8:20/m 8:16/m 8:05/m
Note that I ran faster as the workout progressed!

Tue Aug 7 Easy run around Margaret's Pond
Time :50 5.53 miles 1st run in/on Newton shoes!

Mon Aug 6 Rest Day

Sun Aug 5 LSD Stanley Park Vancouver
2:10 13.1 miles! HRave 123 HRmax 146
Great Run! I ran the last two miles at a 9:22 pace

Sat Aug 4 Tempo Vancouver
1hr 6.36 miles HRave 128 HRmax 147 9:28 overall pace
4 x 800m Intervals

Fri Aug 3 Rest Day

Thu Aug 2 Easy Run
TM in SEA 51 min 5.0 miles HRave 119 HRmax 131
Perfect HR for an easy run!

Overall I am feeling GREAT!!
Last weeks mileage was 42.81 miles as I LSD'd on Mon and Sun

Chris 80 Days out

Tuesday August 7, 2007
80 days to the MCM
7.5 hrs sleep

Training:
"2 miles easy"; road; hills; 7am; warm and humid
1.74 miles; 18:09; 10:24 pace; 129 avg HR; elevation gain total - 410'

Nutrition:
Breakfast - cereal and fruit
Lunch - burrito and fries
Dinner - Cobb salad

Where are you at, Dad?

Chris 81 Days Out

Monday August 6, 2007
81 days to the MCM
9 hrs sleep

Training:
Rest Day

Nutrition:
Breakfast - Starbucks b-fast sandwich & Muffin
Lunch - chicken salad on wheat
Dinner - 3 egg sandwiches on wheat toast
Snack - 2 grilled cheese on wheat

Copper Triangle

Mon. July 30-rest day

Tues. July 31-one hour evening swim at the outdoor pool (I love summer). Felt amazing and strong. Did 3 underwater 25 m's at the end of the workout and then a 100 M. fast free to top it off.

Wed. Aug. 1-evening run 5 miles on the creek path south to the dam. It was cool in the evening and because it was getting dark, I had to run home really fast!

Thur. Aug. 2-Bike to work and back. 11 miles in to Light rail and then 16 miles home (in a cloud burst for 20 minutes). Had to go home and dry out and clean my bike.

Fri. Aug. 3- rest day- to Silverthorne in evening

Sat. Aug. 4-Copper Triangle bike ride with the Mumster. 78 miles over 3 passes (Copper Mtn. over Fremont Pass to Leadville. Then over Tennessee Pass and past Camp Hale (go 10th Mtn. Division!!). then over Battle Mtn. through Minturn along the Eagle River and into Vail. Then the long slog up and over Vail Pass. Mom did great considering her sinus infection. We rode togther down Vail Pass into Copper Mtn. Vail pass was easier this time than the first day of Courage Classic, maybe I am stronger, or maybe just not as intimidated. What a fun day of riding!! Thanks Mom!

Sun. Aug. 5- Silverthorne 3 hour hike with Mom. I can't remember the trail name. We got caught in the rain on the way down. and were soaked and wet. At least we didn't get struck by lightening. We hiked with a German Shephard with degenerative joint disease on the way down, Hank, he was pretty cool. Horrible traffic coming down to Denver.

Mon. Aug. 6-rest day
Tues. Aug. 7-Ran 3 miles on treadmill in the AM. (double public hearing week, so no workouts until Wed.)

Chris 82 Days out

Sunday August 5, 2007
82 days to the MCM

Training:
9 mile LSD
9:00am, Trail, hills (the hill profile looks like a row of sharks teeth.
1:56:05, 12.59/mile pace, 141 Avg HR, toal elevation gain 6,056'
(posted to the Web at http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/player/3558594)

Nutrition:
Breakfast - cereal with a ton of fresh fruit
Dinner - Mac and Cheese with andulli sausage

Chris 83 days out

Saturday August 4, 2007
83 days to the MCM

Training:
10K hard tempo (out & back, 1 min slower back, but that was uphill)
7:00 am, hot & humid, with Ray on the Airline trail
Distance (6.14 mi) Total Time (54:36) Avg Pace (8:54) Avg HR (151 bpm) Total Ascent (1424')

Tomorrow 9 Mile LSD

Chris 84 Days out

Friday August 3, 2007
84 days to the MCM

Training:
2 miles easy, 8:00pm, 100+ degree heat index and I had to shut it down

Chris 87 Days Out

Tuesday July 31, 2007
87 days to the MCM

Training:
3.26 miles easy, road & trail combo, 7:00pm, Extreemely Hot & Humid
Tested out new Garmin (SOOOOOOOO COOL)
I was hoping that I could get some of the graphs over to here, but it seems to not work to paste it???
Total Time (36:53) Avg Pace (11:18)Avg HR (144bpm)Total Ascent (783')

Mike - 86 Days

Here is today's Striders workout:

Wednesday 1st		Tempo/Hill Workout - Meet @ Eagle Trailhead @ 6:30 am
		Warm Up 15 min/Stretch/4 x 20 sec strides
		START with 3 mile @ tempo pace TAKE 5 min to re-group
		THEN 2 x 60 sec up/60 sec jog down recovery
		THEN 3 x 45 sec up/60 sec jog down recovery
		END with 4 x 30 sec short hills
		Easy to Base after Each Set
		Cool Down 10 minutes

Total running time 1 hour, 6.34 miles
136 HRave 151 HRmax
18.34 miles WTD

88 Days To Glory

How does my Post Title strike you for being positive? I have been away from the blog and over 5,000 miles from home so I have a bit of catching up to do.

Thursday 7/26 After flying all night and 4 hours nap in my hotel room I walked down to this really fantastic park and ran for 50 minutes and 5.18 miles at a 9:39 pace.

Friday 7/27 Forced rest as I didn't have enough time in Rio to get a run in.

Saturday 7/28 a one hour run on the treadmill at the hotel in Sao Paulo. I was attempting to duplicate the Striders workout for that day. The TM was metric so I had to listen to my body to figure out my tempo pace. After looking at my downloaded workout I found that I came very close to the correct pace. 6.22miles/10K in 1:00:43 including 6 x 5 min tempos

Sunday 7/29 Jet Lag Induced day of rest! I was wasted more from flying all night as Brazil is only three time zones east of here.

Monday 7/30 LSD west on the Dry Creek trail to Wadsworth. 12.0 miles in 1:56 at a 9:42 pace. I felt really good except on the climb up Cotton Creek during mile 11.

The OF

Strong from Courage Classic

Well after a few days of rest...Oh I forgot that I swam 1/2 hour each day of the Courage Classic.
Fri 7/27-AM fast run on Treadmill before work 3 miles (better than nothing) saved a frog that was trapped in the window well.
Sat 7/28-Cool AM run-8 miles Cherry Creek Trail south to turn around HR avg. 145 out and 154 back
Sun 7/29-Coolish AM bike ride-47 miles without stopping! I felt like a Tour rider. rode out to the Pinery and then Deertrail around Tomichi Road to Russleville Road and back. The FUJI is all cleaned up and lubed!
Dad-
I got the HR monitor to download! I will try to download more frequently. :)
-Hez

Chris 89 Days out

Sunday July 29, 2007
89 days to the MCM
6.5 hrs sleep overnight

Training:
~12 Mile Long Run. 1:58:11 (9:50 pace). Airline Trail South from Hebron with Ray. 7:00 am warm and brutally humid.
First run on this great crusher fines trail. It is an old rail bed so any slopes are flattened out. That said it does slope gently down for the entire first 5 miles. The 6th mile was uphill (and a bit more sharply) to the turn around at the 6 mile post. That profile makes the return downhill for a mile then 100% steady uphill for the entire last 5 miles. Very tough. The trail has exact mile markers on the whole length and we walked about 400 yards to the first mile post so the distance on the run is exact. That 400 yards was also a great warm down at the end. I suffered some blistering on the arch of my right and on and behind the outside toes of my left foot (probably due to the humidity, I had to ring out my socks). Not too bad though and all in all a really GREAT run. We went out in 54 minutes (remember that was mostly downhill) and we felt great. The return was a lot tougher and by the last 2 miles I was a bit in survival mode, but not too bad. I brought recovery drink for us on ice in the truck and Ray is now as much of a believer in Endurox as the rest of us. It is amazing how in just seconds you can feel the Endurox start to begin your body's recovery. I drove home and went strait into an ice bath and after some more replenishing fluids and a good brunch I think that I have no ill effects or unexpected "pains". DAD & Hez - You must come out for a run on that trail, you would LOVE it!!! and MOM you would too, 100% shade.

Nutrition:
Pre run at 5:30 am - Toast (should have put a bit of peanut butter on it)
Brunch - eggs and sausage and waffles (not too much, but enough)
Dinner - TBD

Chris 90 Days Out

Saturday July 28, 2007
90 days to the MCM
7 hrs sleep overnight

I had a training slip. I kept missing my morning runs on Wednesday and Friday (also missed my xtraining day on Thursday) and was just too tired to go after work. Feel terrible about it, but I will just have to go for it next week and turn it around.

Training:
~5 mile fast tempo (42 minutes) road, rolling hills, hot and humid, 8:00am
~mowed the lawn (right after my run) it took 2.5 hrs and I kept my heart monitor on and my heart rate was between 130 and 140 the whole time (I thought I would pass out afterword)


Nutrition:
Breakfast - toast
Lunch - grilled meat and cheese sandwiches
Dinner - grilled meat and cheese sandwiches
snack - sugar free/fat free ice cream sandwich

Mike 93 Days Out

Easy 1 hour run with the Striders along South Boulder Trail. 6.16 miles at a 9:44 pace. HRave 129, HRmax 138 - just about right! 11.21 miles WTD
I am off for DC and then Sao Paulo tonight so I have about 6,000 miles to go before I sleep. I'll get a run in along Ipanema Beach in Rio, but will have to wait until Monday to do my weekly LSD. (I return home Sunday AM)
Happy Trails, Roads, and Pools!
Pops

Chris 94 Days Out

Tuesday July 24, 2007
94 days to the MCM
7 hrs sleep overnight

Training:
~4 miles easy 37 minutes
6:00am, cool, road hills
felt great

Nutrition:
Breakfast - cereal
Lunch - buffalo chicken wrap
Dinner - chicken Cesar salad
snack - popcorn

Chris 95 Days out

Monday July 23, 2007
95 days to the MCM
5 hrs sleep overnight

Training:
Rest Day

Nutrition:
Breakfast - Starbucks breakfast sandwich
Lunch - Salad Bar
Dinner - Grilled Cheese Sandwich (2) cheese and home grown jalapeno casadilla

Mike - 95 Days To Go!

I haven't blogged since Wed so this is a catch up entry.

Thurs --SNA Easy 50 min 5.5 mile run on a community college track. Boring, but a great surface to run on! 9:11 pace

Friday -- Rest (and fly my arse off)

Sat -- Tempo run with the Striders. We ran 4 x 5min tempos along S Boulder Creek trail. 45 minutes and 4.57 miles.

Sun -- LSD in Wichita. 1:36 min and 10.2 miles with David accompanying me on his bike. 9:27 pace in heat and high humidity. Yikes! I wilted in the 2nd third, but finished strong.

Mileage for the week hit 30 miles.

Tue -- Easy run around Margaret's Pond. 46 min and 5.05 miles at a 9:06 pace

Happy Trails!

Courage Classic

Another awesome year riding the Courage Classic with Mom, Marty and Kim! Thanks sponsors (Chris); The Children's Hospital Foundation is a great cause to ride for!

Saturday-July 21- Rode 58 miles in the first day of the Courage Classic. We left from Leadville and rode over Tennessee Pass (10,404 ft.) and then past the 10th Mtn. Division Memorial at Camp Hale (we thought of Chris). Then we went over Battle Mtn. and through Minturn and Vail. We had a nice lunch at the rest area along the river. Then we climbed over Vail pass (20 miles of climbing to 10,666 ft.!) and then finished in Copper Mtn.

Sunday-July 22-Rode 88 miles on day two. We left Copper Mtn. and went down 10 mile canyon to Frisco/Silverthorne. We did the option route and rode out along the Blue River and up Ute Pass and then back. Slogged through Silverthorne (very hot, steep and traffic). Then we climbed over Swam Mtn. and went into Breckenridge for lunch. Then we rode back up 10 mile to finish in Copper. Whew, we were beat and hurting!

Monday-July 23-Rode 45 miles on day three. We left Copper and rode up Fremont Pass (12 miles of climbing to 11,318 ft.). Then a fast descent and into Leadville (48 mph was my top speed!) Then it was around Turquoise Lake (lots of up and down, more up than down) and then back to the High School in Leadville for the finish. We met Gail there and had lunch.

What a great time!!!! Thanks for riding again Little Mountain Goat (aka Mom) (aka Dilly)
-Dally (aka Hez)

Chris 96 Days out

Sunday July 22, 2007
96 days to the MCM
7 hrs sleep overnight

Training:
~11 mile LSD, 1:40:00 (negative split by 2 minutes), 7:00am, Trail, Felt only OK but I made it.

~18 holes of golf

Weekly Training totals:
Total Work Outs - 7
Running work outs - 4
Running miles - 27
Running time on legs - 3:54:00

Nutrition:
Breakfast - Cereal & oat an toast
Lunch - 2 tacos
Dinner - finger food appetizers (wings, calamari and nachos) at the golf course

Chris 97 Days out

Saturday July 21, 2007
97 Days to the MCM
7 hrs sleep overnight
THINKING OF THE GIRLS ON THE TOUR DE CLASSIC!!!!!!!!

Training:
~6 Mile (54minutes), brutal, hill speed workout.
1 mile steep uphill w/u, 1 mile down, 1 mile up (hard), back down again, back up (harder), then back down to the house. 11:00 am; sunny and cool. really good work out.

~ 9 holes of golf

Nutrition:
Breakfast - 2 slice oat bran toast
Lunch - Cobb Salad
Dinner - Chicken breast (roasted), w/ a few roasted potatoes

Chris 98 Days out

Friday July 20, 2007
Man am I upset that I missed workouts on the days that I would have seen the "odometer" roll over from 100 to 99 days to go, but my training schedule had to be flip flopped this week due to meetings.

So I was off for 2 days (Wednesday and Thursday) missing one run and one cross training. In order to get back on track I will have the run hard 3 days in a row this weekend (Fri tempo, Sat speed, Sun LSD) and do a Xtraining session of some kind.

Training today:
5 mile 40 minute hard tempo run (1 mile w/u 4 miles tempo with an ending kill climb)
6:30 pm, sunny and warm It felt good and strong

Nutrition:
Breakfast - coffee cake
Lunch - burger and fries
Dinner - sushi

Mike - 100 Days Out

Wednesday July 18

I ran a hill workout with the Striders this AM on the Eagle trail at Boulder Rez. After our warmup we ran a 2 minute uphill at a steady pace followed by 2 sets of steps (45 sec, 60 sec, 75 sec, 60 sec and 45 sec) . I started out wondering if I could even finish the workout, but actually ran quite well. I'm stronger on the hills than I used to be thanks to Darren's sadistic hill workouts!
I plan on an easy 50 tomorrow in Orange County, a Strider run on Sat and a 9-10 miler in Wichita Sunday.

9.91 miles total this week& 1:39 hours