Winter Series #4

Woof. If there’s the perfect word to summarize the last race in the Winter Series, this would be it.

Since my last race two weeks ago, Colorado decided to be Colorado, and we got veritably dumped on. Little did I know that February 14^th would be my last time seeing sunshine, as these past two weeks have brought ridiculous amounts of snow, ice, and cold, which even amounted to two snow days last week (probably the only good thing to come out of all this fluffy white stuff). Desire (and physical possibility) to run in this cold has waned, especially considering where I was this time last year (for those of you who don’t know, it was the muthaflippin’ CARIBBEAN).

This would've been around this same time last year...

So when we had another snow day the day before Winter Series #4, I was fairly relieved. See, I had run the race of my life two weeks ago, and having filled the time since then with slow trudging through mountains of slippery snow, a weight was lifted. I knew there’d be no way of racing a really “fast” race – instead, I had to race smart and just attempt to solidify my 2^nd-place standing in the overall rankings.

~

Arriving in Black Forest Saturday morning, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew our race would be roughly 20 kilometers (Strava data post-race had it 12.4 miles), but this was the furthest I’d driven for a race in this series, and I was in unknown territory. After collecting my bib and nearly busting a blood vessel in the port-o-potty, I managed a slow 10-minute warmup where I came to the conclusion: it’s cold. In addition to the slippery snow and 10-degree temps, unsheltered areas had some nasty gusty wind.

Now, this is going to sound inconsequential right now, but it’s a necessary detail: I thought I was going to be an idiot and race in my short-shorts. So this morning, I put on my tights over my shorts, then laced up my shoes ONCE, because I figured I’d be unlacing them soon to take off my tights. But during this 10-minute warmup, I made the executive decision to race avec tights, and the idea of double-knotting my shoes went out the window. You can probably guess where this is going…

Starting video of the race (I’m literally there for 0-1 seconds at the very start, which makes it look like I’m in first, but the camera guy just started late): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJGfgbBrUZE

I run up to the start line with 10 seconds to spare, see Alistair (semi-pro who’s currently 1^st in the series), and then we’re off. Alistair and another runner (spoiler alert: the eventual winner by more about 4 minutes) fly off into first and second place, while I’m content holding down third at an easy effort, keeping the two in sight. Not a minute into the race, though, do I notice: my shoe’s untied. Cuss. I briefly toy with the idea of running the entirety of the race with it untied, but after a mile of my foot gradually slipping more and more, and the laces continually whipping my ankles, I realize how stupid of an idea that is.

Through the mile at 6:30ish, I’m sitting 15ish seconds back from 1^st and 2^nd, and decide I need to stop before this hill and tie both shoes. If you check my Strava data, you can see a blip where my speed drops to 0 for 10-15 seconds, during which another runner passes me, and I find myself in a chase pack (runners in 4^th-7^th place). I somehow manage another 6:30 mile, despite the shoe-tying, and gap the pack I’m with, inching my way back to the 3^rd place runner 15 seconds up (AKA that’s where I should be had I not been an idiot).

You've gotta admit, the shades are fly

Then, we all ran. 1^st place was out of sight by now, but Alistair was probably 40 seconds ahead in 2^nd, 3^rd place was 15, and 5^th place was probably 15 behind me. We rolled in this train, each runner gapped by 15-20 seconds, as we all made due with the terrible footing and steep hills. I wish this was more exciting, but everyone maintained these gaps until about mile 10, clipping off ~6:30s.

GAP: Grade Adjusted Pace, making me feel a little less crappy about such a slow run

It was with about 2 miles to go when us 20K runners merged with the 10K runners, and combined with some long hills late in the race, made things more interesting. See, I found myself flying with ease on the flats and downhills, but towards the end, even the slightest of uphills really took it out of me. At mile 10.5 we hit a pretty nasty uphill that gapped me from the 3^rd place runner, and I even heard 5^th place right on my heels. Bridging the crest of that hill, I completely lost sight of the 3^rd place runner amidst all the 10K runners we’d been joined with. But passing people always helps, so I started picking it up again, breaking away from the 5^th place guy and after one more hill climb (plus someone telling me it would be the last hill), found myself flying downhill towards the finish.

So fly

Strava will tell you my pace going down that last half-mile was 5:11 pace, of which I’m not surprised. I was surprised, though, that I never got sight of the 3^rd place runner; soon, I was making a quick 90 degree turn into the finishing chute. Official time for the race was 1:21:03, a 6:30 average for 4^th overall. Turns out, Alistair got 2^nd in less than a minute ahead of me, with 3^rd less than 40 seconds (5^th just 30 seconds back from me). Fairly pleased with my performance, yet totally trashed, I yogged an easy 10 minute cooldown with Rocque, stretched, then sought warmth.

However, despite my 4^th place finish, I managed to secure my 2^nd place standing in the overall series! Something I didn’t even dream about doing when I initially signed up, I was pleased with how this race series went, and pretty stoked about where my training’s at, just two months into the New Year - it looks like my 5 am runs before school aren’t just in vain.

I’ll attend an awards dinner next weekend, but won’t race again until March 14^th, which will be a St. Patrick’s Day 5K. Soon, I want to start logging some heavier mileage and get back into marathons/ultras, but I’m content to wait until the earth unfreezes. Until next time!

Winter Series #3

After a solid week of training and a weekend off from racing, I felt fresh and confident coming into this Saturday’s 10-mile Winter Series #3. This is in stark contrast to my usual smelly and awkward self, and when I found out that Alex Nichols (the local stud who’s been winning these races) would be racing elsewhere, well, you could say I was able to experience that elusive trait that most humans have called ‘self-esteem.’ While this would be my longest race since the Ascent last August, it was also relatively flat, and I figured I could come away with a podium finish.

(Obama 'Not Bad' meme)

Waking up race morning, I nearly kissed my iPhone when my weather app told me it would be mid-60s and sunny all day. I downed way too much coffee, took care of business (a euphemism for ‘clearing the pipes’)(if you’re not sure, that means I pooped), and drove down to the El Pomar Youth Sports Park. I jogged a slow 10 minutes, stretched, hit up the port-o-potty a total of three times, then anxiously walked around like a crackhead during the worst part of any race: waiting for it to start.

Finally, the race officials called 5 minutes, and I trotted over to the starting area, finding a spot right up front. Like, as front and center as you can get. I saw Alistair (semi-pro triathlete who beat me last race), and we chatted about pacing: his plan was sub-6s, while I was hoping to start at 6:30, then negative split my way down to low 6s, hopefully.

In first, like a dingus

But of course, when the starting gun went off, I was that idiot sprinting into first at quite nearly my 400m PR pace. Here’s some video footage of me being a total idiot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pubrl5QKFD8

Because I was so jacked up on adrenaline at this point, I had no idea I was running 5:15 pace until Alistair gave me a little nudge (SAM WTF SLOW DOWN NOOB), and two other runners caught us by the mile marker, right at 6 flat. The four of us chilled in this front pack through 2 miles, when it dawned on me: dufuq am I doing? It was clear I wasn’t going to win this race, and was already 45 seconds ahead of my planned pace, so I eased up and let Alistair take off, followed by another runner (who I learned post-race is named Matthieu). I focused on staying relaxed – because this race was an out-and-back, I knew the real racing wouldn’t start until after the turnaround, and was content to sit 20 seconds behind Matthieu as we rolled through miles 3 and 4.

Soon, as we approached the turnaround, Alistair came flying towards us, looking like he was taking an afternoon stroll, but within a minute, Matthieu and I hit the turnaround. Either I slowed down here, or Matthieu put on a surge (let’s be honest - probably both), because he was soon a good 30-40 seconds ahead of me, almost out of view. But, because we were now heading backwards on the course, I was passing runners still heading out, and the fact that multiple people used their valuable oxygen to cheer me on was a big boost (plus, there were a ridiculous number of hot chicks racing. The best motivation there is).

From miles 6-9, Matthieu and I played a weird accordion game where I’d close within 10 seconds, then he’d open it to 30. I had put a big surge in at mile 8, convincing myself that “only 2 more miles of racing was nothing!” This was stupid. I found myself within 5-10 seconds of Matthieu right before the 9-mile marker, and then it hit me: I still have another 5,280 feet of racing left. And believe me, I felt every inch. Throughout the first couple miles of the race, I couldn’t help but imagine how I’d throw down a sick 5-flat mile, closing hard for the win. But now that I was in the moment, all I wanted to do was slow down, or walk, or stop and take a nap. Literally anything but keep racing.

But, the fact that I could still see Matthieu up ahead kept me pushing. In fact, it was around a half-mile to go when (cue fangirl squeals) Peter Maksimow and Simon Gutierez, who had finished the 5-mile race, cheered me on during their cooldown. I knew my form was the picture-perfect antonym for flawless (flawfull?), and I’d started doing that oh-so attractive grunting thing with each exhale. But the finish was so close!

Quadzilla, on the hunt

Unfortunately, the finish was a long 300m straightaway that resembled the Serpent Road from Dragonball Z (fellow nerds know what I’m talking about, but if you’re not a total geek, this is essentially a never-ending road). Finally, with the end in sight and a large clock showing 1:01:40, I crossed the line, completely and utterly spent.

Maybe because it was the distance, or I pushed myself more than I have in recent memory, but I very nearly fell over the line, soon collapsing in the grass field nearby. It took awhile to get my feet under me, but it was fun chatting with Alistair, who easily took 1^st place, and Matthieu (a competitive half-miler from Texas), in addition to some other runners. Having beat both my B-goal (sub 65) and A-goal (sub 62:30), averaging 6:10 for 10 miles here in Colorado was easily my best effort to date.

 I’ve now got two weeks to get a bit more fit before the last race in the series, a supposedly hilly 20K February 28^th!

Gameday 5K

Due to a down week between races in the Winter Series, and because my social life is non-existent, I opted to race the Gameday 5K this past Sunday in downtown Colorado Springs on a whim. There’s absolutely no reason why I should’ve expected a decent race, as my training is limited to short 30-minute runs in the morning before school, with nothing that can be remotely close to being considered “fast.” But, I’d raced a surprisingly-respectable 8-miler at last weekend’s Winter Series #2, and I was curious as to what that could translate to on terrain that wasn’t undulating and icy mountain trail.

Waking Sunday morn, I made the slow jog over to the race as my warmup, about 2.5 miles from my house. Flabbergasted upon arriving at the race scene, I would soon discover there would be close to 600 racers in the 5K alone (another 500ish in the half-marathon that would also be racing).

A couple minutes of terrified hyperventilating later (to this day, cannot race without an initial anxiety attack), I ran some quick strides, then hopped on the starting line. It was sunny, but still pretty chilly – probably no warmer than 30 degrees, we were lucky that there was hardly any wind. Trying to not be a total idiot, I decided to race clothed this time around, sticking to some shorts, tee-shirt, and gloves (also, some sick shades to hide my deer-in-the-headlights look). I also opted to race in my Hoka One One Cliftons, as I’d been feeling pretty great in them recently, and finally had to chance to use the road shoe on … well, some roads.

Because this was my first road race since my collegiate days, I had absolutely no idea what to expect. I had no idea how I’d react to some back-to-back sub-6 miles, as: 1. I hadn’t run that fast since June, and 2. I’d NEVER run that fast at 6K ft. of elevation. But I came in with a goal of going sub-18, which would equal roughly 5:50 pace per mile, and based on last week’s performance, something I figured I’d be able to manage. Maybe. Hopefully. We’d see.

The whistle blew, and we were off, me quickly finding myself in ~6^th place. Two runners nearly sprinted to the lead, and I was happy to let them go, telling myself to relax this first mile, then negative split as long as I felt good. We started down a relatively steep downhill, and within a quarter mile were we onto a packed dirt trail, three of us running in a pack, chasing three runners ahead. I chilled the first mile, taking the lead of our chase pack but making sure to relax until we hit the first mile: 5:40ish. A tad faster than I had wanted, I took stock and felt pretty good, so decided to leave my pack and start bridging the gap to the 3^rd place runner. The two leaders were already at least 40 seconds ahead, but 3^rd place was within 20 seconds, and I could tell I was slowly gaining.

(Getting my kicks off beating high schoolers)

The race was an out-and-back, and as I neared the turnaround cone, I saw first and second come blazing by me, probably with ~a minute lead on me. But, I was able to catch 3^rd place right at the turnaround, relatively close to the two-mile marker, and decided to throw down. Used to longer races, the fact that I only had 1 more mile was a relief, and making sure I had nothing left, I opened my stride and really started pushing. Plus, the fact that I was currently in 3^rd place (podium!) was pretty motivating, as well as passing the rest of the runners still making their way out (hearing a couple Go Mr. Welch! means at least a few of my students saw my atrocious form).

(Sucking wind, hard)

I checked my GPS watch a couple times that last mile, and surprised myself when I regularly found myself running 5:30ish pace. It was around 2.6 miles when things started hurting, and I probably checked the distance left on my watch every 0.1 miles until the finish. Soon though, it was in sight, and I threw in one last kick, finishing down the last straightaway with the clock in sight, ticking up to 17:45, 46, 47…

Even the race officials are amazed I managed to finish with THAT kind of form...

My official time was 17:48, a 5:46/mile average, and good enough for 3^rd place overall. To be quite honest, I was ecstatic with my time, despite finishing ~a minute behind 2^nd and 1:20 behind 1^st (uff da). But this race marked my first “fast” (in quotes for a reason) effort here in Colorado, and the fact that I was awarded 3^rd place up at the award ceremony was a pretty cool experience. Obviously, there’s still a lot of work to do, but my first month of real (regular) training is starting to pay off. The Winter Series #3 race isn’t until February 14^th, which means I’ve got a little less than two weeks to put in some solid training before a trail 10-miler with some stiff competition!

Winter Series #2

So, I’ve got a secret.

It’s really only a secret because I haven’t told anyone yet, but I figured if I tell you, my thousands of doting fans (or maybe it’s just my mom who reads this), I can be accountable. Y’see, I’ve got a very black-or-white personality – I’m either running hill reps and eating kale, or playing Pokemon at 3 am fueled by Nutterbutters. Since moving out to Colorado Springs, I’ve found it too easy to make excuses – granted, I’m a first-year high school teacher with absolutely no idea what I’m doing, but that doesn’t mean I can devolve into a nocturnal neckbeard.

No offense to this guy.

So, on New Year’s day, I thought it’d be cool to go for a run. And then, because I enjoyed it, I went on one the next day. And then the next. And I started getting into better shape, so I kept running to keep getting in better shape. Then I thought: I miss those Nutterbutters. And then I thought: what if I ran everyday this year? Like, 365/365, not missing a single day. Because God knows I can quit binge-watching Friends for 30 friggin’ minutes of running every day.

So, I’m 24 days in. To somewhat resemble a competent adult / teacher / human, I’m at school by 6:30am, which means I’ve been fitting in my runs each morning at 5am. To be honest, at first, this sucked hard. Sunrise isn’t until 7am, it’s colder than the devil’s butthole, and the number of hobos who lurk on the nearby running path is quite alarming (one was named Dirty Mike and he invited me to join him in a Prius for something called a soup kitchen?).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYfwRtS9Rmc

But, when I finish…I feel great. Wonderful. Fantabulous. I actually kind of feel like one of those guys – ya know, a functioning member of society. I’ve even thrown in doubles, running after school as well, and logging all my runs on Strava (I even went skiing last weekend and managed to fit in some pathetically-slow yogs at 10,000 feet elevation).

P.S. Follow me here! http://www.strava.com/athletes/3551024?utm_source=top-nav

The reason I’m telling you this, though, is because I think it’s actually making a difference. It turns out, running regularly can actually make you (gasp!) better at running (waiting for my Nobel prize). So when I raced Saturday at the second Winter Series race over at Bear Creek, don’t be too surprised when I tell you I didn’t suck too bad.

~

Because the start of Saturday’s 8-miler was about a mile from my place, I was able to sleep in, then do an easy jog to the race as my warmup. With temps in the low-40s and partly cloudy, I opted to wear clothing this time around, racing in my Newton BOCO Sols due to the significant amount of ice and snow on the ground. With more than 500 people at the race itself, I was initially a bit nervous – unlike myself, most runners don’t dress like crazed nudists, and the competition looked fast (plus, there was an obscene number of pretty girls, and I really wanted to impress them¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ).

But then I saw Dan Vega, then Alex Nichols and Peter Maksimow, and they said hi to me. And after quietly letting the fangirl-squeals pass, I felt…confident? I’m not sure, as I’ve never felt like that in my entire life, but it was essentially the opposite of my everyday awkward and anxious self.

And like that, the race was off! I reminded myself to relax and start slow, falling into 5^th place right from the gun. The course was 99% snow, so footing was a bit slippery, but the fact that everyone had to deal with this was comforting, and I ran relaxed, soon catching 4^th place (a runner whom I’d soundly beat in the first Winter Series race) by the first mile. Alex and another runner had shot to the front from the gun, and after cresting the largest hill, I’d lost total sight of the two. But, there was a runner within relative reach – probably no more than a minute ahead, and I started to slowly attempt to reel him in.

The first 2.5 miles were on snowy and hilly trail, so I was surprised when I found myself averaging sub-6 pace coming into the road section, but I kept rolling with it. Seeing that lone 3^rd place runner on long straightaways, I kept reminding myself to relax, but over the course of the next 2 miles, it seemed like we were running the same pace.

Soon, I saw Alex and the 2^nd place runner flying towards me, and after briefly cheering on Alex (more like some unintelligible gasping), I see the 3^rd place runner I was trying to catch. Then, 50 meters later, the 180 turnaround! Knowing how close I was to him, gave me a brief confidence boost, and I was then able to see who was coming up behind me. I had about a minute lead on 5^th and 6^th, both of whom had beaten me last race (add one more point to my confidence). Running by all these other runners, both of us cheering each other on, was a pretty awesome experience, but despite really pushing that mile, I couldn’t seem to get any closer to 3^rd.

By mile 6, we were back in the snowy trails, and thus, the hills. This part was interesting, as the 8-mile racers began merging with the 4-mile racers, and because my form turns to flailing breakdancing by the end of a race, it was tough passing these runners on the narrow single-track without totally shoving them off the path. Add that to the re-addition of the hills, and mile 7 was easily my slowest mile (by nearly 45 seconds!). I kept seeing glimpses of the 3^rd place runner ahead, intermingled with 4-mile runners, but I could tell that we were still running the same pace.

Fortunately, the last mile had us on wide and flat paths, and I found a second wind, so much so that checking my GPS watch, I was pushing 5:30 pace! The end of the race couldn’t come soon enough, and one last hill before the finish line ensured I’d finish a wheezing slobbering mess. But crossing the line in 49:34, I was pretty pumped. I had managed to average a 6:15 pace on a relatively hilly and snowy course, which was definitely my fastest effort here at elevation, 5,999 feet above Chicago back home.

After the race, I was able to chat with a bunch of the racers, including that 3^rd place runner, who’s apparently a semi-pro triathlete from California training for an upcoming 70.3. I made the slow trek back home, thoroughly exhausted, and proceeded to sleep and grade quizzes the rest of the day. But because the next Winter Series race isn’t for 3 weeks, I decided to sign up for a local 5K next weekend, curious as to how fast I can run in a non-trail race (first in almost 4 years?!).

Props to you if you actually read this mind-numbing wall of text. If you’re a masochist like me, then check back next week for my recap of the Game Day 5K!

Winter Series #1

This past Saturday marked the first race in the 36^th annual Colorado Springs Winters Series, and the first step towards getting back into shape and less fat.

With a Snowday graciously bestowed upon us the day before, all of Colorado Springs was blanketed in a solid layer of ice. The morning of that Snowday, I went out for a quick jaunt: just an easy pre-race 30 minutes to flush out the legs and mentally prepare for Saturday’s 7-miler. However, that short ‘yog’ quickly turned into a horrifying death march on skates. As I glided in and out of traffic, even my “trail” shoes (trying out the Newton BOCO Sol) couldn’t get any grip on the ice (I may have performed my first ever splits, not by choice). Thankfully, I managed to make it back home alive, if a bit scraped up (I’ll spare you the pics, but my tush took a spanking). A couple hours after my run, I received a notification that the El Paso County intelligently decided it was not worth timing Saturday’s race, thereby reducing much of the competitive edge.

This pup knows what's up.

 So, swathed in a wooly cocoon of blankets, I awoke to my alarm Saturday morning, emerging from my Tauntaun of warmth to meet up with Dan Vega, a local runner who was kind enough to carpool with me. I was surprised by how many people were at this race – I’d say there were easily 200 people – but even more surprised when Dan introduced me to Alex Nichols and Peter Maksimow, two local pro runners who I’ve been hardcore stalking since well-before my move out here.

So you can be sure that, when the four of us started running together on our warmup, it took all of my collective willpower to not bust a nut. Thankfully, because I was bringing up the rear of our group, Alex and Peter couldn’t see the massive nerd-boner I had, but holy effing ess, I could’ve broken both my legs and still called that day a success.

After a couple easy miles together, we all went our separate ways in the minutes preceding the start of the race. Dan and Peter were running the Short course (5k), while Alex and I were in the Long course (supposedly 7 miles, but my GPS logged 6.6 miles). With about a minute before the gun would go off, though, it hit me: I was hot. Like, really hot. Boiling. In the past month, I hadn’t felt any temperatures above 40 degrees (I’m poor and refuse to turn the heat on in my place). So my fellow IWU runners wouldn’t be surprised when there I am, next to runners bundled in scarves and tights and gloves, shirtless and in short-shorts.

It was a pretty "chill" race.

My fellow racers only had a few seconds to bask in my awesome nude beauty, though, when the gun went off, and I found myself racing right up to the front. Alex and another runner took the quick lead, and I trailed ~5 seconds back with two other runners. The raced started downhill on the road, but after 400m soon turned to snowy single-track, forcing everyone into single file. While I felt good, I knew I was probably pushing a bit too hard – the race’s first 2-3 miles were primarily uphill, and I always tend to do best with a slow start. But soon I was passing those two other runners, sneaking into 3^rd place behind Alex and the other runner, who were soon too far ahead to see.

I ran mile 2 in no-man’s land, slipping and sliding in the mud, but quite thankful I opted to go shirtless. I was hot, and with the sun out, temps must’ve been at least 50 degrees. That quick first mile also seemed to catch up to me, and without much downhill, I was sucking wind, hard. On top of the fact that these muddy hills were just like wet cement, I wasn’t surprised when one, then two people passed me. In fifth place now, I focused on keeping the 4^th-place runner in sight, and was able to shadow him for miles 4-5. After an excruciating hill (what turned out to essentially be the last), I lost sight of that 4^th-place runner, but without the constant uphill gradient, I was finally able to open my stride. I bombed the downhills with reckless abandon, finally getting into that groove where things seem to click.

At the same time, I heard another runner start to catch up to me, but with less than 2 miles to go, I started really pushing. In retrospect, my form was pretty atrocious here, but trying to run fast down muddy/snowy single track (no doubt hiding rocks/sticks/etc.), I was doing all I could to stay upright. Finally, with the end in sight, I threw in a final kick from ~600m out, surprising myself with how fast I could go. Kicking mud errywhere, I finished with some awkward cheering for ‘that naked guy’ in 51:08, good for 5th.

Sample of the day's conditions (insert Obama 'Not Bad' meme)

There was a lot to learn from this race. According to Strava (race found here, for those curious: http://www.strava.com/activities/239298688/overview), my GAP (Grade Adjusted Pace) for my first mile was 5:55 – probably a tad too fast for such a hilly and technical course. I definitely need to work on my climbing, and including some hill repeats / hilly fartleks would be of utmost importance. Because this race wasn’t scored for the overall series, January 24^th’s race at Bear Creek (literally two minutes from my house) will be the race’s first real race, and I’ve got a lot to do to prep for it!

Winter Series 2015

With the new year, there’s an inherent sense of rebirth and renewal that makes me all reflective and soul-searchy. I have this blank slate upon which I can make a fresh start, picking up more mature or beneficial habits and dropping the not-so-great ones (looking at you, entire pint of Ben & Jerry’s in one sitting).

Thanks to the dastardly concoction of laziness, cold weather, and video games, I essentially took 2 months off running. After a dismal race at the 13.1 Marathon of Trails in October and a ramp up in school work, I lost all motivation (and free time) to train. Thankfully, the end of the semester meant 2+ weeks off from my all-consuming classroom, and I used that free time to jump back into that thing I missed oh-so dearly. Y’see, perhaps the largest factor for me deciding to take this teaching job in Colorado Springs was the simple fact that it was in Colorado Springs. The mecca of trail running, Colorado offered ample altitude and tremendous trails (and awesome alliteration) that was supposed to take my running to the next level. And then school happened.

Fortunately, I’ve been able to start this new habit of daily running, a devotion that’s been in my life (minus these past 2 months) on a religious level. And so, with this new year and new semester, I’m making it a goal to start training again. Now, don’t get any delusions – I’ve got months until I really get into some serious running slash racing, but I miss that daily struggle, step by step, of trying to physically better myself.

And what better motivation to stick with this resolution than to sign up for the Colorado Springs Winter Series! Consisting of 4 races over the course of the next two months, I’ll be able to race increasing distances with fellow runners, injecting that bit of competition to really keep me motivated. The Series’ first race is a 7-miler this upcoming weekend (January 10^th) at the Cheyenne Mountain State Park, and while I’m not expecting much (heck, finishing without walking would be nice), I’m genuinely excited to get back into this ol’ running thang.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbbSAY7Atac

So, expect some race reports in the near future! The race schedule can be found here: http://www.pprrun.org/events/WinterSeries, and I’ve begun to regularly use Strava (http://www.strava.com/athletes/3551024?utm_source=top-nav) to log all my mileage, if you’re really into stalking me. 

XTERRA Marathon of Trails 13.1

Well, as I’m sure all of you, my loyal, doting worshippers fans have noticed, the supposed Breck Crest 13.1 that I mentioned at the end of my last post…yeah, that didn’t happen. The week after the Pike’s Peak Ascent was an overnight school field trip, and because kids are just festering harbingers of death and disease, I found myself sick for the first time in forever. I definitely have no regrets DNSing this one, but I’m still curious how racing up in Breckenridge will be, so next year fersher.

The reason I’m updating this blog though, is because yours truly tore it up (literally…ha, I’ll get to that) this past weekend at the XTERRA Marathon of Trails over at the Cheyenne Mountain State Park. However, before I delve into my embarrassingly dismal performance, there’s a good 7 weeks that I need to update y’all with!

For a bunch of really good reasons (read: pitiful excuses), my training this Fall has wavered between nonexistent and weekend-warrior-hobby-jogger. But Lucky Charms, (for cereal) (seriously) being a first year high school teacher, on top of coaching middle school cross country, leaves approximately negative time for things like having a social life, sleeping, and doing laundry. (Tee bee aych, I wouldn’t do that last one if I had all the time in the world.) But running now ranks (arbitrarily) 14^th in things-I-must-do-to-survive-on-a-daily-basis, right after eating and just before beating the Elite Four in Pokemon Yellow. So, while I’m working 12 hours a day during the week, my lack of social life provides me with ample time to run on the weekends, where I attempt to cram in 20-30 miles over the span of two days.

This has (surprisingly) yielded some pretty good training runs, including some lung-burning jaunts over on Barr Trail, Red Rocks Open Space, and Columbine Trail. Unfortunately, following these runs with 5 days of grading papers and Pumpkin Spice Oreos effectively brings me back to ground zero each week. So why I decided to race a half marathon over on Cheyenne Mountain 5 days before the race is beyond me. I guess, with the Moab Trail Marathon now less than four weeks away, I figured I needed to bust some rust, and what better way than forcing yourself into a race that you have no right running in?

I managed a disturbingly tough 40-minute jog the Saturday before the race, sapping any ounce of confidence I had going into this race. At the time, I couldn’t figure out why I was so out of breath within no more than 3 minutes of running. Now, I realize that was because I’m ridiculously out of shape.

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Race morning had me up at 6:30 am, with a conservative 8 am start at Cheyenne Mountain State Park, luckily less than a 15 minute drive from my place. A brisk 45 degrees, I was downright frigid driving over to the start, where I picked up bib, then sat shivering in my car for the next hour, Snapchatting away my woes. I managed a 5-minute warm-up, which was a fantastic way of confirming how much this race was going to suck, and before I knew it, we were off. Like an idiot, I was “that guy” jockeying for position within the first 400 yards, watching a couple studs fly off into the distance and finding myself, uncomfortably, in about 8^th.

For some reason, I still had delusions of magically throwing down the hammer and proving the running world wrong. I CAN race a new trail 13.1 PR off of exactly zero training! You don’t need to actually run to run well! This was not the case. Within a mile (quick at that, too) of mostly uphill, I found myself sucking wind, hard. Like, way too hard for a race that included 12 more miles. I let (ha! As if I had the choice) three runners pass me, finding someone in orange (let’s call him orangey) to trail behind. Again, for whatever reason, I couldn’t figure out why I was feeling so bad (IT’S BECAUSE YOU HAVEN’T BEEN TRAINING IDIOT), but I found myself trailing behind orangey for miles 2 and 3, where he slowly slipped away. However, mile 4 finally afforded me some downhill, and like magic, I found myself, for the first time all race, feeling good. I hammered the downhills, opening my stride and attempting to close that gap back to orangey.

It was probably around mile 5.5 that my mind started to wander, and BAM! Found myself face-first in the dirt, busting up my knee and chin in the process. Feeling like a doofus, I frantically picked up the pace, and soon caught Redshirt, who was recently passed by orangey (who was probably 15 seconds ahead). Running easily my fastest miles (you can check my Strava run here: http://www.strava.com/activities/206635731), I inched my way closer to orangey, wondering to myself how I could all of a sudden be feeling so good (IT’S ALL DOWNHILL STUPID).

Busted knee, made me look pretty BA or like a n00b

It was around mile 9 where we hit the uphills again, and surprise-surprise! I started dying, hard. The uphill became really technical in this part as well, and I found myself walking over the rockier parts. The minute we hit these uphills, orangey took off, and by mile 10, redshirt soundly passed me, out of sight within a minute. Totally alone miles 10 and 11, I know I could’ve/should’ve pushed this section harder, but soon, around 11.5, I ran into the inevitable downhills, and I was able to open up my stride again.

Just wanting to finish, I recklessly flew down the next half mile, soon catching sight of redshirt. Without orangey in sight, I made beating redshirt my new goal, and by mile 12, quickly passed him, and pressed on the gas. It was difficult finding a good rhythm, as we had switchbacks every 50 feet, and my long stride afforded me (maybe) 3 strides before a clumsy 180 degree turn. However, I made sure to make it hurt, sprinting the final straightaway to finish in 1:41:29, good enough for a 6^th place finish.

I managed first in my age group (somehow 25-29? Still don’t understand that), but more than 7 minutes behind first place (results: http://marathonmajic.com/xterraCMSP2014octHalf.html). I was actually pretty embarrassed by how quickly I sprinted in the finish; clearly, it’s these uphills that are giving me trouble, and something I REALLY need to work on before my marathon next month. It’s also time I get some real trail shoes, as my Newton Gravitys, a most-definitely road shoe, are looking pretty torn up after all these trails. With coaching cross country over, I’m hoping to use this extra 2 hours per day to log some mileage. Be on the lookout for next month’s suicide suckfest race!