Week Summary: Sept 13-19

09-13-2010
Mon-AM: 8 miles (1:01) Venice Beach out and back
Easy shakeout run in CA.  2nd half was barefoot.
PM: 14 miles (2:07) Green and Bear, 4100'
Ran up the steep frontside of Green at what ended up being a solid tempo effort and eeked out a 31:59.  I guess my fitness is still there to some extent, but lately I've been feeling like I'm just out there kind of jogging around not hitting the times on climbs that I usually would for a given effort.  It's just that time of year where it would make sense to really be taking it easy but the weather is so perfect that it's tough to not want to be chasing some really nice runs still.

09-14-2010
Tue-AM: 8 miles (1:05) Skunk Canyon+2.5mi barefoot on Kitt
Easy morning run.  Even on a shorter run like this I can get some great trails right from my doorstep.
PM: 14 miles (2:12) Green and Bear, 4100'
Pretty standard run but just tried to take it pretty easy on the climbing.

09-15-2010
Wed-AM: 8 miles (1:05) Flagstaff Mt., 1500'
Legs felt way better than expected and I wished I had more time this morning to run longer.
PM: 12.5 miles (2:00) Green Mt., 3000'
Felt really flat this run so I just took it easy.  Ran up the back of Green and then down the NE ridge trails and then cut over to descend Flagstaff to Eben G. Fine.

09-16-2010
Thu-AM: 14 miles (2:09) Green and Bear, 4100'
Felt good on this run, running a bit quicker than usual.  Really had the footwork dialed on the way down Fern, descending in a snappy 17:25.
PM: 10 miles (1:38) Green Mt., 3000'
Had only planned on an easy run up Flagstaff but the evening atmosphere was so nice that I was inspired to head over and up Green, too.  I was treated to an incredible sunset from the summit, which meant that much of the run back down to my house was in the dark.

09-17-2010
Fri-AM: 10 miles (1:37) Green Mt., 2700'
Ran early before yet another busy day at school.  Paused briefly to witness a bear rustling around in the pre-dawn light near the Gregory Canyon trailhead.  

09-18-2010
Sat-AM: 27 miles (4:37) Pikes Peak, 8000'
Perfect run on a perfect fall day.  Jocelyn was racing the CC home XC meet this morning so I took the opportunity to go run up my favorite mountain.  I feel like my climbing has certainly lost a few steps since this summer--things have just felt a bit off since Leadville--but I still enjoyed this run a great deal.  I was deliberately taking it pretty much as easy as I could while still maintaining a running cadence the whole way (except for a few steps on the 16 Golden Stairs), but it still felt like a little more effort than only a 2:45 ascent should be. Cruised the descent in 1:43 just enjoying the sun, the aspens, and the mountain.  There is no training reason to be getting out to do a longer run like this right now, but I can't resist the opportunity to go run up a 14er--especially Pikes--if I have the chance.

09-19-2010
Sun-AM: 15.5 miles (2:10) Green Mt., 3000'
Up the back and then down the NE ridge trails to Flagstaff where I went down the fire road that connects into Boulder Canyon and the creek path.  Another day of gorgeous weather.  Can see patches of glittering aspen everywhere up in the high country.

Total
-Miles: 141
-Hours: 21h 41min
-Vertical: 33,500'

Boulder 8ers 2010 (Day 261)
-Green: 216
-Bear: 22
-SoBo: 4
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And I guess that's how I do it in the "off" season.  Weeks like this show me just how important running is to me in and of itself.  Right now I have no imminent competitive goals, but I still feel compelled to get out and run up the peaks and log the time on the trails even without that end-goal impetus of racing.  Especially with the demands of graduate school picking up, my daily local summits are absolutely necessary to keep me sane and productive in other areas of my life.

Part of me knows that I should probably be taking it a bit easier--especially with a lot of my runs feeling like I've lost some of the pep from the summer--but until the snow really starts flying and making the trails a bit messier I probably won't cut back too much other than to continue to keep the intensity dialed back.  In the meantime, I'm going to keep enjoying fall and its perfect running weather.  Having said all that, I'm going to be traveling a lot in the coming week, so there's a very real possibility that I will actually scale back the running significantly for the next few days.

Wow.

After any trip back down to Manitou Springs and Pikes Peak, I often come away with some rather grandiose future plans.  Something about that mountain really draws me to it.  Actually, it's pretty obvious, really.  It's gigantic, its aesthetic as a summit is undeniable, and it's so close.  Last summer, Matt Carpenter--the undisputed mayor of that mountain--ran from his doorstep to its summit seven days in a row to celebrate his 45th birthday.  Running to the top at a casual pace yesterday, I could see--given the right circumstances, and enough time--committing to such an endeavor for, say, a full month.  Although I often get annoyed by the crowds on the first three miles of Barr Trail below the Incline turn-off, after this past year's acquaintance with Green Mountain here in Boulder, the idea of getting to know the Barr Trail and Pikes Peak with a similar level of intimacy really appeals to me.  Maybe next spring/summer I'll look at giving it a shot if I'm preparing for either Hardrock or the Pikes Peak Marathon.

Finally, I can't wait to see these guys next week here in Boulder, about four blocks from my house.