Week Ending Dec 5

Mon - 6 miles (500') easy. Valley trails. Super windy.

Tues - Noon: 4.5 miles easy. Falls loop.
PM: 13 miles track w/Sam. Had to really talk myself into this one, which made getting it done all the sweeter. Target was 4(5x400) @ 5:00 pace (75) w/200 jog between intervals and 400 between sets. (78,77,74,74,75); (75, 74, 73, 74, 74); (75, 74, 74, 74, 75); (74, 75, 75, 75, 75). It was an effort to get up to pace as always, but once I found it I was able to stay there through the workout. It's a mind game with that many intervals, but certainly one worth playing - and not just for the fitness payoff. 4 mile w-u, 1.5 mile c-d. Another one in the books.
-----------------------------------------------
Jan: 252 miles (33,700')
Feb: 189 miles (33,500')
March: 488 miles (70,000')
April: 482.5 miles (72,700')
May: 439 miles (79,500')
June: 334 miles (49,000')
July: 279.5 miles (64,400')
August: 302.5 miles (50,100')
September: 237.5 miles (53,200')
October: 301.5 miles (44,600')
November 373 miles (52,900')

2010: 3,682 miles (603,600')
Avg: 335 miles (54,790')
-----------------------------------------------
Weds - Noon: 9.5 miles (1,200') easy. Overlook/Valley.
PM: 3.5 miles easy on bike paths before FCRC board meeting.

Thurs - Noon: 6 miles (500') easy. Valley.
PM: 10 miles (1,900') steady. Towers. Warmed up on the valley with 3 miles then Towers steady/hard in 31:03. Given that this felt like a much easier effort than two weeks ago when I went 31:13 on a hard effort, I was pretty surprised to see the low 31 summit. Felt more like a 33 effort. I think I could be hitting some pretty good fitness here.

Fri - Noon: 12 miles (1,500'). Soderberg to Lory Visitor's Center via Overlook on way out. A windy 60 degrees out. Really?
PM: 5 miles steady. Pineridge.

Sat - 26.5 miles (1,100'). 3:06. From Maxwell lot by the stadium ran the Horsetooth Half course and then continued on bike paths to west end of Spring Creek, with an added and somewhat inexplicable detour on North College by Lee Martinez Park. Cruised the hills on Centennial/23 through the first six or seven miles, then tried to up the pace for the last 17 on the flat bike paths. Ran 6:40s and bonked a bit towards the end. Jogged the last two. Had maybe two sips of water and no fuel, so not that surprising. The hard surface worked my legs, and both hamstrings felt like they were ready to cramp almost from the get go. Not a very comfortable run.

Sun - 4.5 miles easy setting up T&H course. Legs felt fine after yesterday's run, which was a pleasant surprise.

Total: 100.5 miles (6,700')

Legs felt good this morning despite the 26.5 pavement miles yesterday. Pretty happy with the week. Some speed, a hard hill workout and a solid long run, plus, of course, the all-important 100 mile week. Now switching the Tuesday track focus from leg turnover to progressively longer marathon/LT paced intervals for the second half of the training cycle.

We had 51 show up for the Tortoise and Hare 10k race this morning, which is a record number for the three years I've been doing it. Had me in a bit of an organizational tizzy, but it pretty much went off without a hitch. It's kind of hard to deal with 51 separate starts in the space of 20 minutes.

Also had 21 runners for Towers on Thursday night, which ain't half bad for a hard night run up a nasty hill in December. I believe there are 50 or so trail runners from Fort Collins descending on Moab in February for the Red Hot 50k. Trail community is thriving in the Fort right now.

Didn't recognize too many names off the WS lottery. Mike Foote was about it, so I'm expecting the field in 2011 to be a little weaker than 2010, but then of course the three guys who beat me this summer are all planning on running and they, clearly, are the guys to beat right now.