Close but no Cigar

So much to update on!

The week leading up to the Bolder Boulder I was still feeling the effects of giving blood!

Monday (5/21)

• 4.5 mile run
• Inconsistent at best

I tried running to and around Wash Park. I made it to the Firehouse which is around 2.5 miles and walked a tiny bit, ran another mile, had to walk and struggled the rest of the way home. That was my ‘long’ run for the weekend – not great!

Tuesday (5/22)

• 25 minutes cycling
• Abs/push-ups/free weights

Wanted to take it easy and only did a bit of the bike at the gym in addition to some weights

Wednesday (5/23)

• Treadmill Intervals
• 3 miles
• .5 miles @ 6.0, .4 miles @ 6.6, .1 mile @ 7.0 → Repeat 2 times

These intervals actually felt really good! It was the first time in a week I had a strong feeling workout! I hadn’t done intervals on the treadmill in a while either, so I was pleased with how it went!

Thursday (5/24)

• 25 minutes elliptical
• Abs/push-ups/free weights

Took it easy again and just did elliptical

Friday (5/25)

• Treadmill run
• 3 miles @ 6.0 (10 min mile pace)

This run felt pretty good too. I could tell I was getting tired at the end, but I didn’t have much of a problem keeping the pace

Saturday (5/26)

• Workout = cleaning ☺

No workouts on Saturday – Aaron and I spent the day cleaning the house and preparing for our BBQ (Happy Birthday James!). Then we went and watched other athletes run around at a Rapids game!

Fam at Rapids game

Sunday (5/27)

• 4.5 mile walk
• Walked with AA, James and the pups to Wash Park and around

Not much activity the day before the 10K either – made a trip to Wash Park and headed up to Boulder early to check out the race expo on Pearl Street! Here are a few pics ☺ My Uncle James (family running inspiration ☺) flew in for the weekend and registered to be in my wave and run with me! Even though he is much faster.

Ellie on vacation in Boulder

AA set up race cubicles for us!

Uncle James and I at race expo on Pearl St

Almost a Panda

Shenanigans

Monday (5/28)

• Bolder Boulder – 10K!
• Finished at 1:02:25 (10:02 pace)

GREAT day!! We were up at 5 and out the hotel by 5:45 to catch the RTD ‘RunRide’ to the start of the race. The race was very well run and it was nice to just take a bus to the start! The buses had certain roads open only to them, so it really helped! The only hitch in the morning was really the line for the ‘Fed Ex’ locker trucks! 15-20 min actually – apparently it isn’t usually that bad! Aaron took off earlier at about 7:15 and James and I left at 7:27:20. We were sort of making fun of the exact times of the waves, but it actual was great. There were volunteers holding the signs and ropes as the waves approached the start line. When we got to the front a bugle sounded the 30 second count down and then we were off!

The course is great and travels all through the city, through neighborhoods and ends in Folsom Field (University of Colorado). There are tons of bands and lots of spectators. A lot of the neighbors come out and drink in their lawns all day. There were people spraying you with hoses, marshmallows and Doritos offered, a slip and slide and much more! There was water at every mile and big signs for every mile AND every Km!

I started out the race (too) strong. This hasn’t happened to me before! Usually whatever I feel comfortable with, is what I can keep for the race, but around mile 3-4 I could tell that I was slowing down and not feeling as strong. I really think giving the blood took away a lot of my endurance! My first mile was 9:40 and I was actually thinking I could hold it for the whole six miles as it felt like a good pace. Unfortunately my lungs were just not prepared to do that (even though I know I had put in the training time for it). The 10K I did last November, I remember feeling so strong through the whole thing – but this was a different feeling. It was still awesome and I’m so glad I was able to make it the whole way! There is a hill as you approach the field which was not fun and I definitely slowed down. James was trying to pace me at the end, since I told him I really wanted to beat 10 min miles, but could tell I was struggling. I ended up being so close, but inside I know I did as much as I could have done for that day, so I am happy! Plus it is a 10K PR for me ☺

The finish in to the stadium was great as you wind around the field and cross at the 50 yard line. The stands were filled with other runners who had finished and other spectators. It takes a while to get through the line, get water, foot tag off, goodie bag, mini bagel, beer, and more. The snacks were great, and there were even Chick-A-Filet sandwiches being given out, so good!

All in all it was a great race, we did not hang out for long as we wanted to get the dogs from the hotel, shower up, and head home for our celebratory Park Burger (notice a trend?) James was very impressed with the race too. He had run the Chicago Marathon with a similar amount of people but said this race you couldn’t tell there were 40,000 other people, whereas in Chicago you were crowded in to all the corrals. He has already convinced Stella to return next year and hopefully it can be an annual tradition!

AA, Amanda, James Post Bolder Boulder

Finish at Folsom Field!

Tuesday (5/29)

• Tennis

Pretty much a rest day! But Aaron and I played a few games of tennis at the courts across the street! I lost 6-3 ☹

Overhead slam!

Wednesday (5/30)

• Orchard Hills Run
• 3.2 miles – 34:28 (second fastest time!)
• 1.5 miles/walk/1.5 miles

I was definitely sore on Tuesday but today I was feeling pretty good (2 amazing nights of sleep) so I decided to see how the run felt today. It was gorgeous out and I’m glad I made it out!

I started making a calendar for the final 7 weeks before the Evergreen Sprint Tri! It is amazing how quickly time flies, and how little there is when I type it all out! We are trying to tackle three 14ers this weekend! (Lincoln/Democrat/Cameron) so that takes up some training time! I am hoping to bike to work tomorrow and swim in the evening. Friday will be a short run then the hike on Saturday. If I am still moving after the hike I’d like to take an elevation bike ride on Sunday…but I don’t want to get ahead of myself ☺

Blood , Birthdays and Burgers

Ups and downs over the past few days!

Wednesday
AM: Biked to work: 16.4 miles - 75 minutes
PM: Gave blood

I try to give blood every time there is a drive at work (every 12-14 weeks).
I was a little hesitant this time since the 10k race is next weekend and I would lose a lot of my blood and might not be as strong for my race.
I decided to do it, since it is great to do, and really my 10k time doesn't matter as much!

I have definitely been super tired since then. Wednesday we went to a Rockies game at night, and I was exhausted walking up to the top row!

Has anyone experienced this? Being tired for a few days giving blood?

Thursday
Just did free weights and abs/pushups at the gym because I was still very tired!

Friday (happy birthday to me!)
I was feeling stronger and did the 3.2 course at work. I was no where near as strong as the intervals I had done a week prior, but it was OK. I ran strong for the first 1.5 miles (10:15 pace), walked .2 then ran another mile. I usually finish all the way to work but was way too tired. I was happy with at least getting out A) on a Friday and B) on my birthday :-)

Panda Balloon :-)

Saturday
The plan was to go camping! But we were all super tired from Friday night and it was raining/storming so spent the day watching movies :-)

Sunday
Pegmatite Point Hike!
7.5 miles, 2900' elevation gain, 5.5 hours total time

Aaron got me an awesome hiking book for my birthday! It is The Best Front Range Hikes and has it categorized by location and gives great details. I had picked out a hike in Evans Wilderness, past Pine Junction. Here's a picture of the book :-)

A lot of the difficulty was the higher elevation, so you are immediately tired! Much of the trail goes through wooded trees, which would be nice for a hot day. The picture below shows as we are getting above treeline and it opens up to a meadow

Kels and AA with dogs in tow

Me and Kels with amazing views

AA and Ellie atop Pegmatite Point

Mountains and clouds for miles :-)

 Here is a picture of Aaron training for the Tough Mudder in two weeks :-) He carried two big rocks on the way down, while Kelsey and I counted sets of 10 arm presses :-)

So the weekend ended with a nice hike, and a good workout. I have a class all week at work so I won't be able to take time to go to the gym during the day. The Bolder Boulder is a week from tomorrow (Monday), so I am thinking I'll run M/W/F since I did not get in a long run this weekend. Tomorrow it would be nice to run before work, but I see that as unlikely - so probably have to try and do a run around Wash Park after work! I am hoping to get some strength back for the week and am excited for the run! Hoping to have another good week of eating as the race approaches! That is, of course, after the amazing Park Burger Aaron, Kelsey and I had this evening :-)

Rainy Weather Won't Ruin Our Fun!

Just some random thoughts to begin the post: 

• Less than 2 weeks until the Bolder Boulder 10k and 2 months from today is the Evergreen Sprint Tri! 
• Training has been going great (with its ups and downs) and I really think keeping this blog has given me extra motivation, as well as self reflection on the experience. I've enjoyed searching for other blogs and am reading tons (and need to start commenting more). 
• I honestly look forward to working out (most days). My workouts during the day at work are a needed break from my cubicle life! I am really lucky to be able to get outside and run and take advantage of our beautiful weather. 
• On weekends, I love that Aaron and I can take advantage of our area and try to be active. A co-worker commented today how we even get in exercise and stay active over the weekend - I love it! 
• My swimming overall has improved (starting from no where) and am anxious to see how the open water swims + 5k go (start in 3 weeks every Thursday). 
• The biking has been fun but I want to try and do some bigger hill climbs still to get more comfortable for what I am in store with on the race. 
• I have tried to refocus my eating habits to make sure that I am allowing my body to be fueled, to be able to recover and also take advantage of all this training. Over the past week I have seen positive results and so much of that is watching what I eat. It all boils down to calories in versus calories out! 
• Taking one day at a time is more manageable and I love tracking my workouts on mapmyrun.com as well as my little sheet at my desk :-) Having a few races to train for have definitely helped to set goals and keep up with my training. 
• Training can definitely be time consuming and may take precedence over other activities. As long as I am able to keep a balance of work, working out, and everything else - I can see this continuing to work. It is important to also have fun activities planned, down time, and some days without any plans too :-) 
• I wrote these while at work today - I get held up a bit, then I had a flat tire and walked my bike home and the last thing I wanted to do was swim! But after just relaxing for a minute I mustered up the energy! It is funny how quickly it can change one minute to the next

It was hard planning over the weekend since the forecast looked so crummy! That is NOT normal for Denver. The entire weekend called for rain and thunderstorms. Friday night Aaron and I decided to postpone the hike scheduled for Saturday to possibly Sunday if the weather looked OK. 

Saturday  

Long run - 6 miles (slow)  

Stretching!

Aaron and I woke up to an overcast, dreary day - but no rain! So we ventured off for a long run! We decided to do an 'adventure' run meaning it wasn't the normal Wash Park loop :-) I mapped out a 6.5 mile run around the South Platte trail - since it is close to the house. Aaron was going to stay with me so decided to take some action shots of me since otherwise he'd be much further ahead! 

Along South Platte

South Platte River trail

Random Playground on top of Ruby Hill!

You can see from the map - we took a tiny detour near the golf course, but made for a nice picture. I was not feeling too strong and was running rather slow compared to my 'faster' runs earlier in the week. All in all we ended running more than 6 miles, and then course total was about 6.7 

Sunday  

Hiking Beaver Brook Trail 

9.5 miles 3,400 ft elevation gain 

Hiking time - 4.5 hours, total time 5 hours, 11 minutes 

Beaver Brook Trail near Lookout Mountain

Aaron and the pups...Scarlet, Ellie and Henry

We made plans with Kelsey to meet up at 9:30 at the bottom of Lookout Mountain since we had planned to do Beaver Brook trail which is a one way hike of 8.5 miles. Even though the forecast did not look great, we hoped that we would get lucky - and we did! Aaron had done the hike before, but it was the first for Kelsey and I. I had read it was one of the best to get views of the Front Range - and they were right! The first 3 miles are by far the most difficult of the hike. The steepest section is over 1 mile with 1200 ft elevation gain. After that part, there is still considerable gain. Apparently this is also a popular trail run - kudos for those of you who can do that! We stopped a little before 3 miles for a snack at an overlook. It was a simple one-way trail so it would seem there was no way to get lost. Aaron cautiously mentioned he thought the trail looked familiar - but none of us could imagine we went back the same way! The trail is marked every .5 miles - so after two signs we realized we were headed back the way we came. Whoops! This added a nice extra 400 feet of elevation gain and an additional mile. The trail was gorgeous and it was a great day to be out hiking. The weather must have scared off a lot of people as we only passed a few people. Aaron spotted four elk above the trail around mile 6 so Kels and I grabbed the pups but missed seeing them :-( The dogs did great, but we were all exhausted after the hike! Great day out on the trail. We are planning our first 14er of the season the weekend after the Bolder Boulder, so this was some good conditioning. 

Aaron and I!!!

Kels and I

Group shot!

Before getting lost...

Elevation Gain

Finished!

Monday 

Bike intervals - 15 min (3 min cycling, 2 min harder and standing) then repeat

20 minutes of pushups/abs/free weights

After the exercise intensive weekend I wanted to take it light and repeated the same workout as the previous Friday

Tuesday 

AM - 4 mile course at work 1.5/1/1 

Beat last weeks best by over a minute! 

I averaged 9:43ish for the first 2.5 miles and 9:31 for the last mile!!! 

Check out my paces below - I am thrilled getting all 3.5 miles under 10 minutes! I think the scaled back workout Monday helped since my legs were really tired yesterday It was a beautiful day to be running and I really was pushing it and trying to keep a steady pace. 

Pace for run - laps 3 and 5 are walking...

PM - Swim

3 sets of 18 lengths = 54

longest to date

I was tired! I never really got in to a rhythm - but I am glad I was able to get in the distance!

Tomorrow I am biking to work! 

Does Racing Improve Speed?

This weeks workouts have felt good so far! It's a bit of a long post! I think the length and amount of pictures relate to how great I felt after the GoG race :-)

Monday
Kept things simple and did 30 minutes of cycling at the gym and some free weights


Tuesday

AM: 4 mile course - 1.5/1/1 with .2 walk between

Improvement of 1 min and 45 over previous best

I decided to 'spice' up this workout and took pictures as I ran!
I think the race on Saturday helped me realize I can actually run a little faster than I do...I beat my previous best for the course by a minute and 45 seconds! That is a lot for only 4 miles, over 26 seconds per mile!
It wasn't a perfect blue sky day, but it was pretty nice!

Leaving work - about .2 miles to intersection

Running by start of Orchard Hills Park route - which is the 3.2 loop

Pretty flowers above me

On a clear day - this is all the Rocky Mountains - my favorite part of run and ultimate vitamin D kick!

Almost home - Jen's neighborhood!

Middle Earth

Okay so maybe that was not super exciting, but it made the run a little fun! Since I didn't stop they are not the best quality, but after the race on Saturday - this run felt great! I also tried to get some action shots running, but I could never hit the button!

PM: swimming 46 lengths - 15/15/16

I almost forgot to write about the swim! I hadn't been in a few weeks and as always it felt great to get back in the pool! Happy with my progress. I did 3 sets of 15 lengths (added one on last leg to get back to the right side). I am going to try and continue to do more lengths - maybe up to 60? Twice the distance of the open swim. I am still learning what good swim works are!

Wednesday
Rode my bike to work!!
Course was 16.4 miles and gained about 550 ft of elevation. 
As I mentioned after my previous ride home from work, it would take a bit longer since it was all uphill. I was very pleased with my 1 hour and 17 minutes! I was super energized at work too. My goal is to try and do this once a week. I rode the light rail home :-)

Right before entering in Cherry Creek Park

Thursday

AM - 3.2 mile course (intervals) .5/.5/.5, walk .2, .5/.5/.5

improvement of 45 seconds over previous best

Interval training! I decided to do the 3.2 Orchard Hills loop doing intervals - this is one of the things I have been missing in my training.
After reading lots and lots of blogs - I realized that if you hit the 'lap' button on the watch it restarts the auto-lap. I reset mine to .5 miles today so that would be my interval length. Since I walk .2 in the middle - I can just restart the lap and know exactly what I get for my running part after I walk. It is so simple, but I was SO excited that it worked! Can you tell I have never run a lot?

Below are my laps - my plan was to run normal for the first .5 miles, run fast for the 2nd and then recovery for 3rd. Then walk .2 miles and repeat.
The first set of that went great, I had 10 min pace then 9 mile pace then 11 min pace! For the second set, my first and second were almost the same pace (9:45ish) and then cool down of just over 11 min pace. If you take out the running, it works out to a 10:15 min/mile pace. I also beat my previous record for this course by 45 seconds!

.5 mile laps (with .2 walk in the middle)

Wheel of fortune is almost over and I need to stop blogging so I can go swim!

PM: 30 lengths - continuous! 20 minutes

Tonight was a shorter swim, but the longest I have ever done without stopping! I was telling my sister on the way home when I first started I would do 4 lengths and stop for a few breathers. Tonight I did 30 lengths! It is great to see my progress of the past few months!

Rec Center where I swim!

Volleyball craziness at Wash Park - every night of the week!

View from light rail bridge - why I don't drive :-)

Sorry for the length and excess amount of pictures! Lots to update I guess!

Tomorrow I am hoping to do arms/abs/push-ups at the gym. Maybe a little cycling if I am not too tired. Saturday we want to go for a long hike, but the forecast does not look promising!

From all my new blogs - I like how people end with a question. I talked with my sister Molly today who has been doing great on her quest to run her first 5k! We talked about motivation and how this is the first time she has ever looked forward to running! 

What keeps you motivated? What activities are you looking forward to this summer?

Amazing Day Racing in the Garden

A quick recap of the week before I get to the race! 

Tuesday- ran the same route and intervals as last week
1.5/1/1 = ran 3.5 miles walked .5 miles
I ran it about a minute slower than last week so I knew I was tired!

Wednesday- brought the bike to work and got to do a ride to Cherry Creek Park! This was the first time I rode from work and did the whole loop during work and it was great. I finished in just under an hour so it was good timing for lunchtime. A little windy, but some good climbs. Only 530 ft of elevation gain over almost 14 miles so I need to find some bigger hills!

Thursday- ran in Orchard Hills park - 3.2 mile route. I ran 1.5/1.5 with a .2 mile in between. I tied my fastest time from a month ago, so I was feeling better about the race on Saturday that my legs were feeling good! I am still a minute off my time from before my injury so still a little more to go! I am also walking .2 miles of it versus running the whole thing so that could be the difference.

Friday- REST!!!
 
Aaron made a great spaghetti dinner on Friday for a carbo load before the race. Then we had decided to head down to Colorado Springs the night before with the pups so it was a little less hectic before the race. Employee rate nights are great :-) We checked in, found some great ice cream, and called it a night!

Saturday- Beautiful day in Colorado. The race started at 8 AM in the Garden of the Gods. There were shuttle buses from the parking lot to the gates of the Park. The race was very organized and everything seemed smooth! We got great short sleeve tech tees, there was water, bagels and fruit after the race, along with 2 water stations during the course. It was chipped time and there were about 1000 runners between the 5k and 5 mile race. The picture below is a shot from the bus - we were so giddy that morning. I was excited to be running in such a beautiful place and excited to do another race and see how I did!

Garden of the Gods view

Aaron and I before the race!

The park was packed with excited runners. 505 runners ran the 5k and 487 ran the 5 mile course. It was probably already almost 65-70 degrees and the sun was shining beautifully! I love seeing one thousand other people out enjoying the outdoors and excited to run! Aaron and l lined up and my juices were flowing! As the race began there was a bit of a log jam but the first nine tenths of the race were uphill so it quickly thinned out. I felt strong and tried to maintain a steady pace up the steep hill. The first .9 miles of the race is 200 feet of elevation gain and starts at about 6,320 feet. I felt pretty strong on the first uphill and it is also encouraging when you see that others may need to walk :-) It is hard to say exactly what I was thinking during the whole race but I tried to enjoy my surroundings as well as the crowd. There is definitely something special about a race and you definitely get extra energy. As we crested and began the downhill, there were runners on each side of me and it felt neat to be running in a pack and enjoying the experience together even though they were complete strangers.

As we continued the downhill for another mile and a half, as we reached the turnaround for the 5 miler we were able to see the runners in front as they started back up the hill. Our section cheered on the lead runners and I again felt so happy to be running on such a beautiful day! I got to the inside of the road and had my eyes peeled for Aaron. The race shirt that about half the runners were wearing was red, and Aaron was also wearing a red shirt so it was hard to pick him out - but we saw each other and slapped hands and I got an extra push! Right after the turnaround at 2.25 miles there was a water stop. They were short on cups so I had to wait a few seconds which seemed forever. I took a quick gulp knowing the great downhill I just made time on I would soon have to run up. Although downhills are nice, I find myself trying to steady myself. I definitely get passed on the downhills and pass others on the uphills. I'll have to research which is better. The next mile was brutal and had 200 feet of elevation gain. I continued running while many had to stop but my steps were slow! The charts show how my pace increased dramatically. Luckily at the top of the hill there was a strategic water station which I desperately needed.  One of the race volunteers urged us on and promised that the toughest part of the race was done! The last 2 miles had some uphills but was mostly grading down which made it easier than the middle mile. The runners had thinned out but I was feeling strong and was able to pace myself well around my other runners. The end of the race was great as you turn the final corner and have a straight away that is downhill. As you run down you can see the crowd of finished racers and supporters and the finish line! A man approached me during the last few tenths. It was great motivation as we sprinted to the finish line! 

Aaron was waiting and cheering for me! I had a huge smile across my face and although I was very tired, I couldn't be more thrilled with my experience. I stopped my watch at 50:35 (which the chip time agreed with) and was excited with my quick math pace calculation. It turns out to be 10:08 min/miles. The 10k race back in November I ran a 10:04 so I was very consistent! I broke 10 min/miles for the 4 mile Turkey Trot so that is my goal for the Boulder Bolder. We enjoyed water, bagels, oranges, bananas and Gatorade and took it all in.  We ran through our course analysis with each other and were just very happy. The watch has the course elevation gain at 541 feet! It was a great trip, a great race, and a great experience. I am excited for the 10k in three weeks! Below are some more pics as well as the course map and profiles. 

Follow the route counter-clockwise...up to the right first!

Green = elevation, Blue = pace

Go!

Amazing place to run

Garden of the Gods entrance with Pikes Peak in background

Being from back east, it saddens Aaron and I that there are no Dunkin Donuts in Denver! Aaron remembered, however, there are some in Colorado Springs! After showering up and picking up the dogs, we located the closest DD and indulged in some iced coffees :-) Great way to end a great day

Oh how I missed you Dunkin Donuts

So although I was very scared to see how my first post-injury race went, I was super pleased with my results. I have slowly eased back in to running over the past 8 weeks. I am still icing my ankle and trying to remember to do the strengthening exercises! I have come so far and do not want to lose my strength! This week I hope to have more good runs, bikes, and swims :-) 

...12 days till my birthday :-)