95 days to go - No Dumping!

Hi friends,

How's your running going lately?  Well, I hope.  Mine is going pretty well.  In fact my training went so well last week that I skipped absolutely nothing.  I was supposed to run forty miles, and I merely dropped the zero (nothing) and ran four instead.  Pretty sound logic don't you think?  Yeah me too.  Thats what the upper respiratory crud will do to you.  At least when you're not on a streak run, and don't have the same compulsion to push through the burning lungs and throbbing head.  Ahh the good ol' days.  So I ran once last week.  My rationalization is that it was an unplanned taper week in advance of the marathon in NoDak land that is coming up in four days.  Rationalization is nice.  

The marathon?  I know everything could blow up, and/or I could come in with a time slower than Mario Lopez, but I'm not really worried.  I guess having done a bunch of 20+ mile runs leaves me at least feeling like I can cover the distance.  Also the elevation profile for this very" mountainous" run, doesn't inspire much fear...


I think the gross elevation gain is about 3'.  Seriously.  Naturally great cross training for leadville me thinks.
At any rate it should be a fun training run.
Goals would be:

  1. Have fun.  
  2. Have fun watching my sis finish her first marathon! woot!
  3. Finish in under five hours?  (Crazy talk with my "ultra" pacing of late.)   
  4. Not get swept away by the infamous Fargo wind.  

Good times.

Thus with nothing to report from running last week, I will go back to the previous weekend where I did get in a five hour long run which I would like to entitle, the "Tour of Colorado Springs"
The intrepid tale?  Well I ran.  I took my time.  I even took pictures!  (I'm aspiring to be more like HT, but it would help if I set my camera phone to use a resolution higher than 100x80 pixels..)
The route was to run (between soccer games) from Cottonwood Creek park, to Palmer Park, run around in Palmer park, and then back to Cottonwood Creek park via the Homestead trail.  Now it is a "trail" but it is not lovely Colorado single track.  Its a paved trail which is intertwined with suburbia and park systems, and the like.  There are some nice views of the city...


And I was hoping to cover about 25 miles or so.  Well as is apt to happen these days, the "or so" jumped up and I didn't exactly get there.  For starters there was the now infamous "Double D".  Being a fairly popular trail, with regular walking and bike traffic, the threat of having to stop to take care of one's business on the side of a public trail with no cover was not exactly appealing.  However as you may have experienced, the call of nature can sometimes come with urgency.  Fortunately I was able to complete the dastardly deed seconds before a couple taking a romatic stroll came around the corner in direct viewing.  The laugh about it later moment, came only a few steps later, just after I started running again when I passed this sign.


Apparently I may have been violating city ordinances.  Oh well.












I did continue on, and normally I would have been obsessing about times and distances, but I decided to poo poo that... (sorry) and just enjoy the darn run.  I stopped and took pictures.  I hit up the local gas station for a cold gatorade.  I cut the thing short, and just tried to enjoy being outside and covering some distance on my own two feet.  What a blessing!   I think I need to do this more often...

Besides, on this day I was all about following the directions I found on signs...

Comments

HappyTrails said…
Way to go Ace. Good thing you did not end up on the police "blotter". Good luck in North Dakota - enjoy running with your sis!
I think I mentioned this the first time that you mentioned that you were going to run that race - but out of 7 marathons, it is my favorite. have fun!
joyRuN said…
Sooo, you're running tomorrow?

As long as you've hit your 20+ milers, I wouldn't worry about the advanced taper time.

GOOD LUCK!!!
Scott McMurtrey said…
Happy training for Leadville!
HappyTrails said…
How are you recovering from the marathon Mr. Ace?