No such thing as bad weather

Gotta love that quote from Bill Bowerman. Got out today before work and hit the BST with Jim Skaggs. The original plan was to run on the island but we thought with the weather we should hit the mountain. Not only did we hit the mountain but some gnarly snowstorm stopped by to join us. We headed north from Rainbow Gardens and trudged up to the service road. The snow was deep. Mainly always above the ankle but some spots were easy mid shin. The fresh powder was light and beatiful but what laid beneath that was bumpy and crunchy. We looked like a couple drunk runners for most of the time. We got a great quad workout and a solid memory to boot.
Guess it's time to get some fast runs in on the dreadmill or road.
So my goal is to do the same thing I have done the last 2 years (haven't run long enough to make a long tradition)- run on the last day and first day of the year. Last year I was in Texas- 70 degrees and in shorts hitting some nice trails in Farmersville. This year will likely bring road and dreadmill. Either way, I am running and running pain free. Yep....pain free.

'Sounds like you're serious"

I heard this the other day at work and haven't wrapped my brain around it yet.
The last few years I have been trying to break into running. I always disliked running. I played soccer my entire life at all levels and with that came A LOT of running. I just never liked running just to run. I tried a couple times but there was no appeal, no lure, no enjoyment. That changed at the Wasatch 100 in 2005. My first real exposure to trail/ultra running. I was there to see a good friend who was running. I remember pulling into the aide station and looking around thinking- "what the hell?" Who were these people. Many had on Hawaiian flowered button up shirts, ringing cowbells and sitting around talking and cutting up small pieces of fruit and PB & J's. To know me is to understand I do not do well in crowds. I dislike crowds. I will not go to a movie unless I know it will not be crowded. Opening nights....forget about it. I enjoy people but I struggle to communicate at times. If I know you well that's another story.
So there I was waiting for a runner to come down from the mountain. Sitting, waiting and of course people watching (a new found hobby). Next thing I hear is cowbells and yelling- "RUNNER!". I turn and sure enough it's "my guy". I got goosebumps. This was cooool! Well, the next few years I tried and tried but nothing really seemed to work. I picked brains, read books, read magazines, surfed blogs (a new found hobby...might seek help for this addiction) and bugged the crap out of friends, co-workers and family. I started to enjoy the trails, my new friends, races and RUNNING????Yep running. I even went back to run the Wasatch 100 as my first 100 miler (finished but struggled mightily). Last year I suffered and Achilles injury and things just never panned out. I was lucky to finally get the help I needed and feel good now but there was still something missing. So I sat down and brainstormed. What was it?
The first answer was easy, the second not so much. I enjoyed the trails. I wanted to run. I started to feel a yearning to be on the trails but just never made it over the hump. Don't get me wrong, I have never had visions of winning or running a 6 minute or 7 minute pace but I wanted to see what I could do. I never left a race thinking- "that was the best I can do." So here are the 2 answers I came up with:
1- Lose some damn weight. I am not obese by any means but overweight-YES. Hard to swallow a bit of that though and had too many excuses.
2- Train proper- get a coach.

Well, I am bound and determined to lose some weight, maybe even obsessed with it. It plays a role in more than just running. I was fit and lean most of my life and this is kinda new for me so it has even been hard to talk about. And proper training. I know I probably do too many junk miles. So now I have Lisa Smith-Batchen kicking my butt daily! I have been on a training schedule for 4 weeks and LOVE IT! It is hard as hell for me but I enjoy the mix and times and goals. All that is left is me. I need to step up and take more accountability. So throwing this out on my blog is another way to be accountable. Put up or shut up!
So after all this rambling- it's up to me....bottom line.
I am really excited and look forward to see what I really am capable of if I give it a fair shot.
Hiring a coach, passing up the donut tray.....So am I serious?
Damn right!

Ouch-Sweet!

Today was a tough day of training. I had to go 20 minutes as a warm up then 2 minutes at a 5k pace then 3 easy minutes and repeat for 1 hour then the last 10 minutes I did 1 minute 5k pace and 1 minute easy. I have NEVER done this one before and I was gassed! I did this on the dreadmill and was pretty intimidated before I started. My easy pace was level 6 (10 minute pace) and my 5k pace was level 9. To my surprised I really enjoyed the workout. It was hard but different. I felt as if I had a reason for the madness. I completed my workout and felt fantastic. Hard to believe but I love my training program. I gets me excited knowing what I need to do and when. I am looking forward to see what I can do and maybe even surprise myself a bit.

On the road again

Today was a rare occasion. We got hit a huge snowstorm so the trails were tough to handle so I ventured off on a ROAD RUN. YIKES! I really hate running on the roads...bad. It was snowing pretty hard and and the fresh snow was really soft. I found that with the conditions the way they were....it was an amazing run. I was scheduled to go out for 1- 1.5 hours and I hit 1 hour 20 minutes pretty easy. Some spots were tough trying to navigate cars and snow to my mid-shin but when I got back home I felt great! I am hoping to get on the road more in order to get the running in I need. The trails should be pretty deep and I am sure I will still get out but the road today was very convenient and I got in a solid run.

Frosty or Cold? Damn cold

Today was a tad bit chilly. I am in Colorado and ran the Coyote Ridge trail with Scott Jaime. This is his home course and its a great one. We bundled up, left the house and the -5 degree temps were chilling to the bone. The loop we did was about 11 miles. I mixed in some 4/1 running meaning 4 easy minutes and pushed for 1. I did this for about 50 minutes. Combined with the cold- the 4+ inches of snow on the trail made it slow and go for me. I think Scott went as slow as he could without walking in order for me to keep up. I got a very solid workout in and now look forward to running the loop when it is warm and dry.

Did close to 11 miles- well maybe 10.5 in about 1:55.

Great run with a great friend.

More Snow on the Island and no WS100 for me.

Had a great run on the Island today. Went out to the island at 8 am to meet. About 10 people showed. The weather was cold and windy to start and before we knew it..snow and quite a bit of it. We ended up with about 8 miles which is right according to my schedule. Got some good grinding uphill and rolling trail. Lots of buffalo out today. I really am enjoying time on the island. Different terrain and scenery. Tomorrow will be yoga followed by more running.
Looking forward to getting my next 2 weeks of training though.
Side note- as expected I didn't get into Western States. It appears only 3 people from Utah got in.
What's with that? Loads of people fro Cali are coming to Utah and they only let us have 3?
Come on!

Circuit, Reps and Sets

Well, hit the gym for more weights. Still a little sore but in a good way. Started with the elliptical then hit the circuit. Training is going solid and I really feel like I am settling into a routine. Tomorrow is a run on Antelope Island so I am hoping for some good weather.
Update: Achilles is good! Still some swelling but little to no pain.
Tomorrow is the Western States 100 lottery. I put in for it. I am sure I won't get in but hey...I am trying.

Ouch and Easy...

Wow, I was a sore SOB today. My shoulders and chest didn't function so well. Trying to wash my hair this morning was a chore. I took it fairly easy with the weights knowing I was just getting into it but still........
Today was an easy run at 1 hour and 20 minutes followed by sit-ups, push-ups, jump rope and wall sits. I felt fairly good but could tell I was still sore. Even after Ultragen I was sore and tight. Even though I did lift with my legs, they didn't feel too bad today.
Tomorrow- elliptical and more weights. Man am I looking forward to running Saturday and Sunday!

Hittin the weights

Well, today was a first. My training program called for some time on the stair master followed by a serious training circuit with weights. I haven't touched weights in years- now I know why. After my circuit training I felt weak. My body was tired and felt like jello. My new training schedule is really focused and I am trying to get there. Just having that accountability is huge.
So Thursday is a easy 1:20 run with a few exercises at home followed by more weights on Friday....yippee! I just hope by Friday I can lift my arms!

Moon light run

Got a text about 5 pm from Jim letting me know he was running at 6 pm. I was supposed to get an hour easy run in tonight and dreading a treadmill run. Looking up on my way home I noticed a full moon. Oh ya! I busted home got my gear and took off to meet him.
Tonight was a pretty cool run. I used my new Pearl Izumi Fuel XC trail shoes- all I can say is HELL YA! Those babies are for real. Right out of the box. Jim, myself and Tom (from Mississippi) took the BST north. On the way out we had headlamps glowing and held a nice sturdy pace. On the way back- no headlamps- the moon lit our way. This may have been the best I felt in over 3 months. Went about 6.5 miles is all but a combination on my new favorite shoe, great people to share the trail with, the weather (clear and fairly warm) and running at night by moon light in the mountains was unmatched.
I am staying good to form on my training program and feeling great!