December 4, 5, 2010.
The two runs on Saturday and Sunday were great runs primarily because they were flat and very little elevation change. Steph and kept the pace pretty consistent. Our greatest challenge so far is carrying the hydration packs. We wanted to try something different for the next several months where we carry our hydration packs with plenty of water to carry as if we will be doing a very long run on a hot day. Although we don’t actually consume the entire fluid, the purpose is to emulate race day conditions.
Week of December 7-12, 2010
Great training during the weekday. We ran on Tuesday through Thursday.
Steph and I ran at Roxborough State Park on Saturday. I felt really strong probably because I carried less weight on me. It was an accident where I left my extra jacket out of my bag. I felt strong on the climbs and felt very comfortable descending in the sandals. It was also my first day to wear socks in the huaraches. Wearing the socks actually gave me blisters on my toes and it only reminded me why I abandoned conventional running shoes.
I didn’t realize how tired I was from yesterday’s run when we started running at Bear Creek State Park. I wanted to give the hills a break and I primarily wanted to concentrate on endurance and less on climbing and descending. In most of our training runs, Steph and I have always stayed together. I consider Steph to be an equal to me in terms of endurance but I knew there are times when I can push myself a little more than her. We talked about this and we both agreed that there will be no disrespect or animosity when I leave her behind on future long runs. I felt I was doing a dis-service to myself by keeping myself back. This was really my first time leaving her and I pushed myself. Despite my efforts, Steph always was in sight behind me on this run. Good effort for the both of us on this, what seemed like a long, run.
December 14 – 19, 2010:
Tuesday: 9 miles. Nice run around some reservoirs at Chatfield State Park.
Wednesday: 5 miles. Highline Canal.
Nice easy run but a bit chilly.
Thursday: 9 miles. Highline Canal.
Not one of my best runs. Frozen ground filled with horse hoofs. A little challenging with the huaraches.
Saturday: 16 miles. Roxborough State Park.
A bit chilly so we had to gear up. There was a lot of snow on the trail above 6,900 feet. It’s not fun for it to accumulate between the toes and huaraches. I had to do a lot of stopping to remove the snow. It wasn’t really my best of runs since I keep losing my rhythm every time I stop.
Sunday: 15 miles. Sharptail Trail.
Awesome run! I ran a good tempo all the way around. The trails were amazing. It’s just unfortunate that we discovered these days on our last week in Littleton.
Total miles for the week: 54 miles. Not too bad. Overall, we’re still trying to figure out what gear to bring with us on the runs.
