November Nielson

Results November 5, 2011
2 miles on flat trail (Classifying as a road race since I could drive the course)
14:29 28/115

I headed over to Monument Valley Park to take advantage of PPRR's free 2 mile race (1st Saturday of every month). Its been a while since I've made it out there. No real goals or expectations since I just took four days off to give my knee issue some rest and no fast training. Nice even pacing, but the speed gear was not with me. It felt like I was running at some ridiculous cadence at the end since my stride would not open up at all. I always enjoy this little low key race. As expected, pretty far off my handicap time and even further from my PR on the course (13:13 from July 2010), but I'm happy with the way I paced it and how my lungs felt. I'm looking forward to some strength building this winter on the snow- I've been feeling a little fragile/ragged for the past month or so.

Photo: Bob Kane

New Year's Extravaganza

Results January 1, 2011 Nielson Challenge
Results January 1, 2011 Rescue Run 10k

January 2011 Nielson 2mi

Run race 16:00 [4] 2.0 mi (8:00 / mi) +294ft 
shoes: Mizuno Elixer

Snowy FREEZING 2mi race. Felt like running in sand. Car said it was -2 when I got out.

Rescue Run 10k

Run race 52:33 [4] 6.25 mi (8:25 / mi) +783ft 
shoes: Screw Shoes (Brooks Axiom)

2nd race of the day, hilly 10k. Road was horrendously icy (with a few soft patches), trails felt like running on sand. Still very cold, but not was brutal as for the 8am race. I need to put new screws in my shoes since they don't have nearly as much bite as they used to. I had to be a bit cautious and I nearly fell into some guy once when I slipped on a slanted rock covered in snow. My hip flexors are really really sore from running hard on loose surfaces today.

 Photo: Brian McCarrie

It was so cold. I was worried my contacts would get blown out in the biting wind so dealt with foggy glasses instead.

March Nielson 2mi 2011

Results March 5, 2011

Nielson 2mi. Nontechnical trail with a u-turn.

15:21 Yikes I am out of shape. Tax season does that to me.

Anything that I would drive my car on is a road race. Anything I wouldn't is a trail race. This is a road race even though its on dirt.

CS Rec Center 5k #1

Low key 6pm 5k running race... The course is the 1k crit course at Memorial Park 5 times. Ran 21:40 and paced it somewhat badly but not atrociously. Wish I could keep up the pace I took it out at today (did that one in 2003 and once in 2007). Forgot the garmin coming from work, but I think k's were 3:56, 8:19, 12:50, 17:19, 21:40 soooooo 3:56, 4:23, 4:31, 4:29, 4:21 for each kilometer.

Stop, Drop & Run 5k 2011

Results May 28, 2011
22:16 13/130 OA 1/61 F

5k in Monument. Fundraiser for my friend's fire department. 1st half uphill +377ft, 2nd half downhill. It was a small race. I stayed in contact with the lead women on the uphill portion and flew by on the downhill. I like running downhill on roads, its what I'm best at, though it trashes my legs so I don't do it often. I relaxed for the last 3/4 mi since I was comfortably ahead and the ball of my right foot was killing me. I'm hoping its plantar fasciitis and not some stress reaction since its not very consistent and it didn't feel it the rest of Saturday or Sunday. Now comes the hard part of training. I can always get down to a comfortable 22 range 5k on very little training and no fast training but I have to actually work to go any faster or longer...

Peace Officers Valor 5k 2011

Results October 15, 2011
21:49; 3.1mi +384ft
19/177 OA 5/84 F

Raced a 5k because one of my buddies told me to.  Out and back along the Pikes Peak Greenway. Flat but gradual downhill on the way out / gradual uphill on the way back. I honestly felt pretty terrible the whole way. My IT band wouldn't warm up and then I felt a bunch of pain in my right hip area for no particular reason (didn't feel muscular, felt more like small kidney stone or a large cramp, ugh). Started off too fast for what I was feeling. I didn't go hard enough at the end to have stomach trouble but I'm sure I would have if I'd really pushed that last mile. Pretty disappointed with my time. I thought I was in better shape than that. Hoping it chalks up to an off day. For the past two weeks I've been able to do 4mi training runs at 7:45 pace and that seems to be right at the threshold where I start to breath hard and I feel great. But drop the pace to 7:15 and I feel miserable. I suppose I should do some training above threshold for once... I am not used to that feeling anymore.

Photo: Thomas Dewane

Started off too fast as usual. Wishful thinking pace. Miles were approx 6:30, 7:30, 7:45 (including .1). Average pace 7:03. A good portion of the slowdown was mental rather than physical.

Garden of the Gods 10 mile 2011

Results June 12, 2011

Garden 10 miler! 2 seconds faster than last year, actually :-) 1:17:52. I thought for sure my fitness was worse than last year. I think I just pushed myself harder. That's with a 10min last mile and a 9min penultimate mile since my stomach was very close to rebelling on me and I barely held it in until the finish line (average pace 7:47). Somehow I still negative splitted by 30 sec. I guess that makes sense with more downhill in the 2nd half. I like downhill. I was hot. My stomach was my limiting factor here in the last 2 miles. That seems to happen frequently, especially when I'm a little out of shape. I'm jealous of all the ironstomachs out there. The only food in the 12 hours before the race was gatorade and water and a gu.

187/1564 OA, 29/691 F, 8/41 F20-24 (but got 4th award since 4 were top 10). One of my last races as a 20-24.