Water running, not so fun...

Success isn't how far you got, but the distance you traveled from where you started. ~ Unknown

Hit the pool yesterday for some low-impact excitement. Well, "excitement" probably isn't the best descriptor but it was low-impact and definitely low on the fun meter. But it was good to keep things moving and to have an outlet that avoids the lightning that has been rolling in every afternoon. Now THIS is the weather Colorado summers are famous for.

Probably heading out for another road ride today and tomorrow. Plus I'd like to see Up soon so may have to put that on the list of to-dos this weekend. Really excited to get out for longer adventures but patience is a virtue, particularly at this stage of the game.

~stubert.

Double deuce and another...

Aaagh! My groin!!! ~ George C. Scott (as impersonated by someone on the Simpsons)

Greetings blog readers.

Now that I have the formal bs out of the way, I would like to tell you about the last couple of days which notched 22 and 23 on the belt of the 08/09 season. Which reminds me... I need to purchase a belt notcher. And a belt, I suppose.

We got the serious posse together yesterday for Luke and Nichole's triumphant return to the Basin. They were greeted by pretty chilly temps and funky snow conditions. Luke still skis like a champ but for once, I was able to out-pace him. Only because he is not acclimated, really... but I'll take it however I can get it.

Pete, Edy and Caleb rounded out the crüe and we hooked up with Jodi for some nice, hard-charging laps off Pali. The Spine was flowing smoothly the first part of the day then got some nice blow-in later, which was pretty cool. The Rock Garden was skiing really well (as usual) and there were great turns to be found in the lower alleys. All around a great day.

I headed to the gym on the way home in a misguided attempt to get some miles under my belt. I lifted for a bit then did manage to run 1/16 of a mile. Not my best effort. My entire pelvic region is just completely messed up right now. Psoas muscles giving me a lot of trouble and now my groin muscles have decided to join the party. I suppose I should stop doing everything but it bugs me less skiing and I am feeling great otherwise so I'll probably be an idiot and keep hammering. Yeah. Not much has changed when it comes to self-abuse dipshittery in the casa del stubert.

I did swim for a bit, which actually seemed to loosen things up. Then my left foot cramped up. Which is not on my list of recommended things to have happen in the deep end. I do like my new goggles, however; and even suggested to Rach that I wear them full-time. She did not give the thumbs-up on that idea.

So today we headed up to Eldora which lived up to its name admirably. It is a little-known fact that Native Americans coined the word "eldora" to mean "cold as hell and windy as all get out". Most belive this was a reference to someone tribesman's bitchy and flatulant aunt but the origin is a bit foggy. Wait, what? It doesn't mean that? Well it should.

Caleb, Pete, Evelyn and I met early for a morning assault on the Rock and though it actually wasn't that cold, it was blowing like crazy which made it feel about minus eleventy million degrees. Yes, Centigrade... duh. Salto was skiing really well though so we braved the conditions until around noon. We hooked up with Morgan about 11 so got to spend some time skiing with her, which is always a treat. I also found a sweet nook at the top of Salto in which to hide from the blasting wind. I did my best Totoro impression but I don't think anyone got it but me. But as long as I am entertained, I'm happy.

I really, really need to get my office set up so maybe that will be today's afternoon project. If you think of anything else that I could use as a distraction, please let me know.

~stubert.

Fast. Furious. - Weekly summary...

Yo tengo un pato pedorro. ~ Pete Sabin

What a week. Way WAY too busy with work. Made me grumpy as hell but eager to get my runs in. Spent most of the week indoors but laid down some fast laps and felt pretty solid about it all by week's end.

• Sunday 11/9: Horrendous half, 13 miles, 1:53. This was not the workout I had in mind as I just pretty much suffered through most of it. Felt friggin GREAT on the downhill then things got windy, cold and ugly fast. I find it virtually impossible to run slow enough up hills at altitude to keep my heartrate down. By the end, I couldn't keep it under control on the downhills. Plus I got nipple chafe. How lame is that as the proverbial cherry on top of a miserable run?
• Monday 11/10: Recovery swim, 30 minutes. Good to get in the pool to wash away yesterday's tears.
• Tuesday 11/11: Wash Park runstravaganza, 7+ miles, 00:57. Now THAT's what I'm talking about. Was down in Denver for meetings so decided to head to Wash Park for some laps. Was feeling pretty solid so I decided to step it up and lay down some good times. I have come to the conclusion, however, that I am an ugly runner. Who's that lump plodding down the road over there? Oh THAT? That's stubert.
• Wednesday 11/12: Indoor half, 13.3ish, 1:44. Ok, I felt the need to really put the hammer down and had a 12-miler scheduled so I figured why not turn that into a half marathon and see if I can get my target pace for the full dialed in? So that is what I did. Painful? A bit... but I felt okay afterwards and am now feeling pretty confident about adjusting my raceday target to something below 3:30 since I won't be at altitude. I'll keep you posted on that.
  
• Friday 11/14: LT 9-miler with some barefoot then swim, 9 miles, 1:09. Hit the track again because work kept me busy until after dark. Spun the first three miles at a steady 8-minute pace then turned on the heat for 5. Tried to keep a 7-minute pace for these but was redlined after 2.5 and had to back off for a little bit then crank it back up. Ended up finishing the first 8 in 1:00, which for me, is awesome. Then I did 1/4 mile slowish jog then 3/4 mile barefoot. All in all, a great training session. I then swam for a bit to cool down.
• Saturday 11/15: Day two on the planks at the Basin, 1:30. Pete, Edy and I headed up early and made turns until it got crowded -- which didn't take long. The snow was decent and a morning of turns is better than a morning spent sitting in front of the computer.

Total mileage for the week: 42.5
Total time for the week: 8:15ish (including swims and skiing and whatnot)

All in all, a bad start with a solid finish. Starting to feel fast and definitely more able to manage the heartrate at higher speeds. Good stuff.

~stubert.

Holy moly finally a weekly update...

Stay on target. ~ Gold Five

Aw crap. Did I just quote Star Wars?!?!

Ok... the last couple of weeks were just nuts so I am finally getting around to a weekly summary. It is spotty, at best, so bear with me a little.

Anyway, needless to say, I have been pretty stressed. Working the campaign, several client projects, and trying to get back in the groove of training. "Busy" doesn't begin to describe... So here is a feeble attempt to reenact the last couple of weeks -- for your reading pleasure:

• Sunday 10/26: Obama rally in Denver.
  
• Monday 10/27: South Beaver run, 8 miles, 1:08. Felt like hammered crap. Couldn't keep my heartrate down to save my life. Post race, I have really been struggling. I am going to lose the nail on my right index toe and my left index toe appears to have a bit of tissue damage that I am going to have to treat with rest and ice. It'll get better and there is nothing wrong with a little rest.
• Tuesday 10/28: Swim, 00:30. Just getting my low-impact on.
• Wednesday 10/29: SKI DAY #1, 1:30. Toe was killing me but Pete and I had a great time at the Basin. More swimming, 00:42.
• Friday 10/31: Halloween swim, 00:42. Not eaten by any zombie sharks.
• Saturday 11/1: Swim, 00:45. I am getting better at this but am not a huge fan.
  
• Sunday 11/2: Ran on the track, 2 miles then swam for about 30 minutes.
  
• Monday 11/3: Lifted weights and swam a bit, 00:45. Cold and windy up here so I went to the gym for a bit.
  
• Tuesday 11/4: Election day recovery run, 6 miles on the track, 00:48. Felt ok, not great. I was working the election for most of the day then did my run, swam a little, then worked some more and listened for the results. Needless to say, by the end of the day I was exhausted but thrilled to death to have a new President. Rach made phone calls to people all across the country to GOTV. I can't wait until January 20th.
  
• Wednesday 11/5: Aero run on the track with strides and barefoot, 9.5 miles, 1:12. Finally a great post-race run. Took awhile but I felt awesome and kept a solid 8-minute pace throughout. Did strides at every mile and then did 1/2 mile of barefoot. I think this is the fastest 9 miles I have run and running barefoot was actually kinda cool. Swam for a bit afterwards.
  
• Thursday 11/6: Sat in front of the computer. Ugh.
  
• Friday 11/7: Aero run with strides and a couple fast miles, 9+ miles, 1:10. Ran at the track, late in the evening because work took up the rest of my day. I felt great, actually, and was able to keep the HR down even at an 8-minute pace. Started doing strides at every mile then tossed in sub 7 miles at mile 7 and 9. Feeling really solid. Swam for about 15 afterwards to cool down.
  
• Saturday 11/8: Recovery run in the woods, 5 miles, 00:47. Didn't feel so red hot today but given the last couple of efforts, I am okay with that. First time outdoors for awhile and it was nice to get back out to nature.

All in all, I am feeling more and more recovered and am getting back in the swing of things. With the marathon in about 4 weeks, I am feeling fairly confident. I am not really looking forward to the aftermath but am hoping that my second foray onto the tarmac will be a little less painful. Very enthusiastic about laying down solid 8-minute miles without killing myself. Skiing is going to be a real distraction and work has been slaying me of late but I think I can manage to stay focused and do well at Vegas.

The Community Center has been a really awesome resource. Psyched I gave it a whirl. I anticipate spending some time there over the winter staying in good running shape.

~stubert.

Another week...

Simplicity and repose are the qualities that measure the true value of any work of art. ~ Frank Lloyd Wright

This one restful.

So I was in recovery mode this week so I don't have much to crow about aside from dumping residual soreness from the marathon very quickly. I was a bit sore on Monday and Tuesday, then fine. Really fine. Pretty encouraging, actually.

Here's the week in review:

• Sunday (10/19): Denver Marathon, 26.2 miles, 3:41:31. You already read all about this one.
• Wednesday (10/22): Treadmill recovery then swim, 5 miles, 00:46 (20-minute swim). Just kept the heartrate down and relax. The first mile or so felt like I needed my joints oiled then I loosened up and felt fine. Just did a relaxed swim afterwards.
• Saturday (10/25): Treadmill then indoor track then lift then swim, 5 miles (2 and 3) with strides, 00:40ish. The treadmill was killing me. For whatever reason the HVAC was off so my heartrate was through the roof at an easy 9-minute pace. So I went upstairs to the track and had a hard time running mellow so I just kinda cruised and ended up laying down several 7-ish minute miles. Yikes. I felt great and started working on some new form technique so we'll see how that evolves. Then I lifted and hit the pool for about 15 minutes.

Total mileage for the week: 36 miles
Total time for the week: 4:57 (excluding swimming and whatnot)

Really, I feel pretty solid now. Very nice. Bob called today to see if I wanted to join him in something stupid tomorrow but fortunately we have plans else I might have been tempted. The last time I went out with Bobby T, I ended up with heat exhaustion. Not holding that against him, I'm just saying is all.

So tomorrow I am supposed to do 7 miles and we are going to go to Denver to join in an Obama rally. Very excited for that. Then I'm continuing to ramp back up for a few weeks before I start my taper for Las Vegas.

A-Basin opened up last week so I am guessing the pull of the slopes will start to infringe upon my running. Such is life in the mountains.

~stubert.

Tomorrow's the first of two. Weekly wrap-up...

Let's get it on. ~ Marvin Gaye

Well, tomorrow's the big day. Or at least the first of two scheduled big days. Though I am very excited and psyched to see what I can do, I am treating tomorrow's event as a training race/test drive of sorts. After talking with Caleb today, I plan to take things really easy for the first 6 miles or so, then pick things up and see how it goes.

Here's the weekly summary for October 12-18:

• Sunday (10/12): Treadmill and swim, 11 miles, 1:32 (if memory serves). I let the day get away from me and the weather was shitty so I just hit the treadmill to run a portion of the scheduled 15 (12 at pace). Actually, I felt pretty great. So that was nice. Swam for about 1/2 hour afterwards.
• Monday (10/13): Lift and row, 1 hour. Hit the gym for a bit. I was going to swim too but the pool was full of racer kids and I didn't feel like schooling them (read: getting my ass handed to me by an 8 year old). Also went to another doc who said my abdominal problems were muscular vs. organ-based. So two weeks blown on anti-biotics. Good for me.
  
• Tuesday (10/14): Recovery run in Boulder, 5 miles, 00:42. Had to squeeze in a run between appointments so just hit the Boulder Creek Trail then did some 400 repeats on the High School track. Did 3 repeats which felt pretty awful, really but I am not a fast man. Otherwise, felt okay. Stomach bugging me a bit but my second appointment was with Mark at In Motion Rehab who diagnosed my problem located in my psoas muscles. So he crammed his fingers through my stomach and, after several minutes of excruciating pain, told me that things would be better soon. Ya know, he was right.
• Wednesday (10/15): Test-drive, 7 miles, 00:56. Had to be in Denver for meetings so I jammed down to City Park to do my pre-race test run on the race course. Felt a little crappy for the first couple of miles then got into a groove and logged several sub 8s in a row. Overall, feeling pretty solid, which is a good way to feel.
• Friday (10/17): Recovery trail run, 5-miles with strides, 00:47. Just hit the trails around the house. Didn't feel great but was still working out some of the kinks from some fast running this week so with some stretching and the post-run ice-bath, think I'll be in good shape come Sunday.
• Saturday: Was supposed to do a 4-miler today but had to jam down to Denver to pick up my race pack and ended up with blisters on both heels. Ha. How much does that rule? I rode the motorbike down and honestly am not sure what happened that resulted in blisters. I have had these motorbike boots for at least 3 years and have never had problems in the past. So Rach picked up some blister stuff and we'll give it the old college try tomorrow. This will be great practice for Leadville.

Total mileage for the week: 28 miles
Total time for the week: 5:15 ish

So I have been eating carbs like there is no tomorrow and resting, watching movies, etc. Have to be in Denver by 6:15 tomorrow so I'll be getting up very early to whack down some breakfast and get my run on. Though the event is chipped, there apparently is not any real-time tracking but I'll let you know how it goes ASAP.

~stubert.

Weak-ly summary...

The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses - behind the lines, in the gym and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights. ~ Muhammad Ali

This wasn't much of a training week but sometimes rest does a body good. (Please don't sue me, National Dairy Council). I am still having my abdomen issues but the tendonitis seems to have healed, so I guess I am back to where I was two weeks ago. And that will have to be okay.

October 5-11, 2008

• Monday (10/6): Gym - lift and swim, 1:30. Since the doc said I wasn't supposed to run for a few days, I hit the gym to lift some weights and swim (albeit briefly). I am not much of a swimmer and though I went through a bit of a lifting phase a few years back, am really just working on high reps at this point. No need to bulk back up to super-sized Stu.
• Wednesday (10/8): Gym - lift and row, 1:15. Went to the gym intending to run on the treadmill but I forgot my shoes and Crocks are not only fugly but are not particularly awesome when it comes to running. So I lifted for a bit then used the rowing machine. Then I went home. I think the going home part was the most fun.
• Thursday (10/9): Treadmill and swim, 5 miles/20 lengths, 1:15. Lost track of time due to work stuff (again) and had to jam down to the community center to run on the treadmill for a bit. Just mixed up the speed and decided 5 miles would suffice for the day as I just wasn't feeling the love on the hamster wheel today. I did manage to keep a 9:00 pace, so that wasn't too bad. How the crap did Dean Karnazes run on this stupid thing for 48 hours? He logged 211.7 miles. And that is just silly.
  After my run, I swam for a bit. Actually getting better and did something like 20 lengths in about 20 minutes. I told you I was slow.
• Saturday (10/11): Peak-to-Peak popsicle, 7 miles, 00:57. Supposedly a recovery run but since I couldn't really figure out from what I was supposedly recovering (too many to choose from), I just kinda went with what felt right. Did about 6, 100-meter strides and felt okay for the most part. I was not really able to keep my heartrate down so just focused on having fun. My calves were fine, my abdomen hurt a bit but overall it was a good run in the very cool, misty October weather. Had to break out the gloves even.

Total mileage for the week: 12 miles
Total time for the week: 5 hours

The Denver Marathon is next Sunday so I have a week to go. Right now I am planning to just generally stick to my schedule the first half of the week then take it easy leading into the race. This is just a training race for me (shooting for 3:45-3:52) but my main goal is to run negative splits or to at least get a better feel for pacing and holding back the first half of the race. I have a tendency to go out a little hard and definitely can get swept up in the emotion of the event so I will really be practicing keeping my cool in hope that I learn something to apply to Vegas.

It is looking like it actually might snow for reals this time (currently 32 degrees, light drizzle and super foggy at my house). I'll keep you posted.

~stubert.

Hikin'...

I got a job makin' money for the man, throwin' chicken in the bucket with the soda pop can. ~ Beck

Yesterday: Swim - GCRC, 30 minutes
Today: Hike - Raccoon Trail, ~1 hour
Tomorrow: Swim - GCRC

I worked my ass off today then treated myself with a fun hike with Rach. My foot is still a bit jacked but not so much that a mellow hike didn't do me some good. It is awesome up here this time of year. Cool temps, afternoon thunderstorms. Good stuff. The mushrooms were out in full effect and the leaves have not yet begun to turn but are showing signs of the upcoming season. Winter is just around the corner.

Yesterday, I went to Shirley for a massage and then to Dr. Dave for a much needed adjustment. I was all jacked up. It is amazing to me what he can do. Shirley too. I left both appointments feeling like a new man. My legs were a bit sore and Shirley found a neat spot on my back that just killed. My lower back was all out of whack making my legs pretty much worthless. Dr. Dave fixed me right up, however. Rocketh on.

Other than that, not much is going on. Still just taking it easy, jonezing for a run, and working like crazy. I trotted a bit on the hike tonight and felt fine but know that I need to give it more time before I really go out and hammer anything. I want to get at least one more good Indian Peaks run in before the snow sets in. I should be able to get in a couple before mid October. I'd like to do Pawnee/Buchanan for sure.

Anyone know a good architect? I am thinking of razing our garage and building a new one but need to talk with someone who specialized in this stuff to see if this is a jackassed idea or not. I really like where we live but wish that we had a larger garage to keep all our crap out of the elements. The weather up here just beats the hell out of cars and whatnot. But I digress...

Movie stuff:
Last night, I watched Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. I really despised this movie when I first saw it but have been reading the books and thought it might be amusing to re-watch it. Ya know, it is still a pretty godawful movie. It was certainly more entertaining having read the books but I am of the opinion that movies should stand on their own merit. This one, really doesn't. And most of the acting is atrocious. And some of the effects are really special, while others are just not. Oh well. I'll keep watching the series now though, if just for laughs. Sometimes bad is good.

l8s

~stubert.

Nothing to see here...

You changed your name to McLovin? ~ Evan

Yesterday: Swim - Gilpin County Rec Center, 30 minutes ~1/2 mile
Today: Nuthin'
Tomorrow: Massage/Chiropractor/Swim (maybe)

Recovering nicely, I think. I am still pretty exhausted, that much I know and my foot still hurts quite a bit, but I am getting better. I have even caught myself wishing I could go for a run. Weird.

Not much new to report, really. I have two toenails with which I am pretty sure I will eventually part company and one other that doesn't look so great. We'll see what happens with those guys. Maybe I can auction them on eBay. If nothing else, they can join Rach's collection of Kingfisher puke and tarantula "skin".

I have a busy day planned for tomorrow with visits to Shirley for some post-race torture and then Doctor Dave for an adjustment to see if I can make my other shin behave. It actually seems to be doing a bit better today but keeps swapping leads with my foot for lingering-est injury. (Yes, I realize this is only a week out so really I should shut my yap.) Really, I expected to be much more crippled than this. Did I do something wrong? Should I not be pining away for the time when I can start running again? I think I broke my brain.

I'll keep you posted on progress.

Movie stuff:
The other day, I went to see the new movie, Superbad. This was a vile, profanity-laced, disgusting portrayal of life as a highschool goober. Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Take your mom.

This time last week...

The moments of the past do not remain still; they retain in our memory the motion which drew them towards the future, towards a future which has itself become the past, and draw us on in their train. ~ Marcel Proust

Yesterday: Swim - Gilpin County Community Center, 30 minutes
Today: Walk
Tomorrow: Ride or swim

This time last week, I was tromping through Aspen groves somewhere between Half Moon and Twin Lakes. If memory serves, I was trying to time my arrival in Twin Lakes to be somewhere around 12:15 (race report says 12:21, sweet!) and I was starting to experience some strange goings on in the physical realm. I remember that my skin had become sore to the touch, my nerves would fire if shaken or tapped (not unlike hitting your funny bone but requiring far less trauma to initiate) and blisters on my right foot had begun to create enough problems that I was unconsciously adjusting my gate to the point that I was over-pronating. This would be the first step to my overall downfall at Leadville.

Despite all of these problems, I was somehow calm and relatively collected as I alternated running with walking on the beautiful singletrack just north of Twin Lakes. I felt at peace. I had a task on which to focus and I kept moving - steadily making my way to mile 40 and beyond. As I approached uncharted territory (+8 hours and +35 miles), I felt a certain satisfaction in that which I had achieved and knew I had more in me. Many of you have heard me talk about the Horrible/Wonderful. I was certainly in it 7 days ago. And you know what? I loved it.

It is interesting how different parts of me hurt on different days. I must admit, I actually feel remarkably well considering what I put my body through last week. I wasn't nearly as sore as I thought and expected fairly extreme localized pain coupled with more general soreness. Frankly, I was more sore on a general level after several training runs. I am not sure if this is a good sign or a bad sign. Either it means I didn't push hard enough, or I conditioned and trained my body to accept the beating and therefore, I didn't suffer as much after the fact. I'll go with the latter.

My feet definitely took the brunt of it. I still expect to lose a couple of toenails (they are going through some interesting color-shifts currently) and the outside of my right foot is still giving me troubles. Yesterday, my right shin was the worst of it but today things seem to have settled back down in my foot and the toes of my right foot. Good times. It is just interesting to watch and feel how I am healing up.

Yesterday was spent getting paperwork organized and work completed for the new business. Luke and I have started Forty105, a consulting/design/development firm specializing in internet/electronic marketing solutions. At least that's what our letterhead says. Exciting times, to be sure. Currently, it seems that everyone wants their job completed by October 1. So September is going to be a bit hectic. I was able to make it over to the Rec Center to swim for a bit. As a kid, I used to swim all the time but haven't been in a pool in a non-recreational way since about '95. Needless to say, I am a bit out of practice. I really don't enjoy pool swimming. I have problems with the chemicals - but it is a great workout. I had forgotten how difficult it is. Especially when you tend to sink.

So today I am hoping to go see Superbad. Gotta rally here and see if we can go catch out George Michael in that goodness. Also have some errands to run and other general stuff to take care of. Today is as good as any for that type of stuff.

Hope everyone is having a fun, relaxing weekend.

~stubert.