Week in Review (January 11 - January 17)

Tuesday (10,527 steps) - Work in the office. Longer walk at lunch because the weather was nice. 

After work I rowed (for the first time in like 7 months), then did a Peloton ride.

Wednesday (25,969 steps) - Decided to get up early to get my run out of the way. First real workout with the new coach. I had two different runs to do, the first was a short warm up, then tempo, then cool down. The warm up and tempo went ok, but I had completely depleted my legs and I had to walk a large amount of the "recovery" which probably should have been more running. Then I had some run/walk intervals that were much better. While I don't like getting up that early to run, I do like being done with it before I even go to work.

Short walk at lunch. After work I drove up to Louisville for a community run/event at the Runners Roost for the community after the Marshall Fire. Since I had already run, I walked with a few of the reps that were there. It was a nice evening!

Headed home before it got too late and made dinner. Ben had a long day and had to get his run in after work since he overslept, so he was still running just before 10 pm!

Thursday (20,439 steps) - Work from home. For my run I decided to go to North Table. I had originally just planned on a small loop, but when I realized that Rim Rock was open I decided to check it out. All in all the run was ok, but it was a lot muddier than I like to run in - except the top which was snow-packed and/or icy.

Took Pika for a walk, and after work I did the 40 minute video that my coach recommended. I honestly didn't care for it, so I don't do it again. I think I'll stick with building stacks on Peloton - they really are a good workout!

Friday (10,980 steps) - Wash Park with the gang! The weather was much nicer than I expected after driving there and seeing how windy it was. 

Turns out, that was the nicest part of the day as the snow rolled in around lunch. By the time I got off work and was driving home, however, everything seemed to be melted and the only remnant of the snow was blowing off people's roofs. I picked Ariel up from practice and then had to pick Ben up from  work since his truck is in emergent need of brakes. We stopped for a quick beer at Odyssey on the way home. Loved that their Christmas tree was still up!

Saturday (35,568 steps)  - Up really early so I could drive Ariel to the airport. We had found a really cheap flight for her so she could visit her Granny and cousins NOT over Christmas. I had decided to drop in with Runners Edge since the weather was so cold and gross. The group is soooo much smaller than it used to be. I was not at all amused that it was A LOT colder than the forecast said - about 10 degrees. Ugh. I ran for a bit with Sheila, but my lack of consistent running was evident and I ran most of the day by myself. 

Originally I had planned on doing two of the 8 mile loops, but after realizing how icy and NOT FUN the conditions were, I decided to turn around after 7 so I wouldn't be tempted to not go back out.

Shortly after turning around, I noticed a small farm and took a short video of the goats and kept going. Then I heard them bleating behind me - they had escaped out of their yard and were following me up the street. I stopped filming help corral them out of the road. Luckily the owner was outside and he was able to squish them together and pick them up. Oh my lord they were SO INCREDIBLY  CUTE.

On the way out there had definitely been some areas where the route markings were not very clear. Alex had marked it the day before and thanks to the snow and overnight freeze, some of them were not visible. I figured it would be easy to figure out going back... turns out I was wrong. I missed a turn and by the time I realized that things didn't look familiar I was pretty far off course. I pulled up Sheila's strava and created a route so I could figure out where I was and how to get back on track. Genius thinking on my part, and I'm glad I pay for the premium membership!

My run that I thought was going to be about 14 miles ended up being nearly 15.5. Ooops. I had finally started to warm up a bit but left all my layers on. Got back to the start and was surprised to see Sheila and a few others still there. I got a smoothie before heading home. SO MUCH DRIVING TODAY. Took a shower, then Ben and I went to the new(ish) Mexican restaurant up the street. I've decided cheese enchiladas are the best food after a long run! Ben's truck was finally ready to pick up around 5, and then we headed to Kokopelli for the anniversary party and met up with Kristin and Doug. It was NUTSO busy.

Scary sight to see - very hungry animals!

Ben made burgers for dinner.

Sunday (12,293 steps) - Tried to sleep in. Failed. Did my Peloton ride before driving up to El Dorado to do a hike/jog with Pika. Had to wait a bit to get a parking spot - I think because the weather was nice, but also because so many of the trailheads are closed right now, either because of the fire or because of mud. The mud was only bad on the trail closest to the parking lot and a bit up near the top, otherwise I think it had dried out pretty well. 

Pika was still a little sluggish - but not nearly as bad as last weekend.

We met Ben at Resolute for a beer. Normally we aren't too crazy about their beers, but they had a few new ones on tap that were pretty good.

We had Pho for dinner and watched the newest Resident Evil movie. It was actually pretty good!

Monday (17,274 steps) - Another failed attempt at sleeping in. 

Pika REALLY wanted to be let outside to chase that bunny

I had 45 minutes of strength training on deck, so I created a stack of three videos - lower body/upper body/core. I had never done any of these particular ones and they were all REALLY good. Ended with a nice stretch after. Solid!

After a quick lunch we took Pika for a walk. The lake is still REALLY muddy. Ugh, I hate this time of year.

We took down the Christmas tree (yes, finally), ran some errands, and then went to Odyssey for a quick beer. We had plans to meet up with Phil at New Terrain for a run at North Table for the full moon. I still had "sorta" speed work on schedule, so I started early and did my run on the flat canal trail. I managed to hit some paces in the mid 7's!! I hate running fast, but I like feeling fast, haha.

Moon was super cool looking, but of course photos don't do it justice

It was still nice outside, so we sat on the patio at one of the fire pits and had a beer. Went home and had dinner and then had to leave around 9 to pick Ariel up at the airport. Thankfully, her flight landed early, but we still didn't get home until after 11. I'm too old for this.

Stats:

• 133,050 steps
• 34.26 miles run
• 65 minutes of cardio
• 102 minutes of strength training

Week in Review (January 4 - January 10)

Tuesday (18,557 steps) - I had asked Steph to modify my workouts for the week since we were supposed to have a severe cold front come through later in the week. I decided to just get my run out of the way before work since I needed to get A from practice. It was warmer than I expected! I ran out on the road and then decided to jump on the trails for a bit after using the bathroom. That didn't last long and I'm glad I tested them out first. The trails were chunky and traction wasn't bad, but I also didn't want to roll an ankle, so back on the sidewalk I went. Pretty morning!

Work in the office. I figured I would double check on the gym situation. Sadness. :(

Wednesday (9,337 steps) - Another early morning. I had actual strength training on schedule, in addition to over an hour of biking. I got my strength training done before work - a core video and lower body*. (*I'm going to be feeling that later). Work in the office. The impending snow storm seemed to be having a slow start. Snow was supposed to arrive around 2, and I kept checking every 15 minutes or so. Ben told me things were getting "bad" although I didn't notice it until after 4. I left work a little early in hopes of avoiding nasty traffic. It was slow-going, but not that bad. Did 70 minutes of Peloton before dinner. LONG DAY.

Thursday (9,097 steps) - Work from home and a rest day, thanks to moving my schedule around. It was FREAKING COLD out, I don't think we got above about 12 degrees the whole day. Took Pika for a walk at lunch, and really nothing else.

Friday (19,546 steps) - I really really don't like having to run on Fridays, but I sucked it up since I had a wonky schedule this week. I was supposed to be running an hour "as fast as I could maintain." I was really shocked at how icy the park was - it's normally really clear, but it wasn't great. I couldn't believe no other runners had lights - it was the only way I could see the black ice. As per the norm, I wasn't really able to get into a great groove and walked more than I would have liked. Really hope I can get back to more consistent running - can I really do that while training for long stuff though? Hmmm.

Went to Stella's with the gang before going into the office. It was a really slow day since Joyce was out. Met up with Ben (late) at Torchy's for a drink and to pick up dinner.

Saturday (33,458 steps) - A was going tubing and snowshoeing with her Girl Scout troop, so I was up pretty early to see her off. After she left, I headed down to Waterton Canyon for my 15 mile long run. I haven't run that far since... October? I was optimistic, but thankfully within 5 minutes I knew it was not going to be my day. My calves were incredibly tight and I felt very out of breath right off the bat.

I was worried I had overdressed when I opted to forego a long sleeve and vest for my Zip & Zoom hoodie. It always gets windy enough in the canyon that I was fine in what I had chosen. (I did see a girl wearing just shorts, a bra and compression socks. Her legs were definitely wind-burned!

The road was actually in great condition. Very few icy and muddy spots, I couldn't believe it. I knew that I had to go at least a mile past the dam to get round trip of 15 miles. Once I got to the single track it was a completely different story. Lots of snow!

The best part of my day was running in this section back towards the main road. I naively thought that my legs would feel better with the gradual downhill, but I was wrong. This was overall a pretty sucky run. At least I saw sheep on the way down!

I got back to my car and saw this email:

I've been trying to get into Vermont 100 for YEARS (seriously, I've been first on the waitlist for TWO YEARS) and to get this email was pretty exciting, although maybe not after the worst long run I've had in ages. I called Ben to see if he wanted to meet up for a beer.

We hadn't been to Over Yonder for a while, and they had a few new beers, so that was exciting.

Sunday (18,060 steps) - Had an "easy" day of 6-8 miles of power hiking on schedule. I didn't want to get up too early, but also wanted to get out early enough that the trails wouldn't warm up and be a muddy mess. I decided to take Pika with me since it was mostly hiking. I figured I would be warm enough in a pullover and vest, and it turned out to be the perfect outfit choice.

I had worn my Kahtool EXO spikes, thinking the trails (at least the ones up top) would be pretty icy. It was a weird mix of conditions. Some of the trail was completely dry, and then we would have sections that were crunchy snow or ice. Thankfully, no real mud.

Steph had wanted me to aim for a 16:30 pace, but between Pika dawdling and the crappy conditions, we didn't get anywhere close to that. Pika loves going to Boulder because she can be off leash since she has a sight/sound tag.

SO ICY!

I planned to easy jog the way down so we wouldn't be out forever. I should have taken my spikes off sooner, because between them, the rocks, the high stack of Hokas and the mostly dry conditions, I was asking for a rolled ankle - which I got. Still had about 2.5 miles to go. Ugh. I took off the spikes and walked a bit to loosen it out and then jogged most of the way down. I realized after getting to the car that I had forgotten a towel to clean a VERY muddy Pika off. Ugh. Met Ben at Westminster Brewing for a beer.

Monday (8,914 steps) - Work from home. A rest (or optional bike) day. Just took Pika for a walk, opted to skip the bike since... I am switching coaches. I love Steph (I really do), but I think I have outgrown what she can do for me, and with what I have on schedule for the year I really need someone who can give me better workouts/feedback and be overall more responsive. Spent quite a bit of time working with him to get on track with a new and "improved" training plan - starting tomorrow! Excited to be working with him as he has also done a few 200s and is signed up to run Cocodona as well. Lots of hard work ahead of me, that's for sure.

Stats:

• 116,969 steps
• 32.58 miles run
• 70 minutes of cardio
• 35 minutes of strength training

Week in Review (December 28 - January 3)

Wow - where did 2021 go?? Seriously. It FLEW by. 

Tuesday (18,109 steps) - Work in the office. Went to the gym at lunch and did a chest/back workout. 

Little did I know this would be the last picture I would take in the gym! Came back from working out to an email that the gym will be closed for TEN MONTHS for renovations. Sad :(

After work I headed over to Bear Creek. Since I had the same run on schedule as last week (20/20/02 Build), I was curious if I would be able to improve on it. First off, it was chillier, BUT!! I didn't need to use my headlamp the first mile. C'mon spring, I'm waiting... The run itself wasn't "great," but it went a LOT better than last week. I felt better and I was faster.

Yes, this is the sad state of "speed work" these days

Ben was off, so he met up with us at Green Mountain for a beer. Of course the one time he can actually go, hardly anyone was there. Because it was cold?

Wednesday (7,577 steps) - Work in the office. I *really* should have gotten up earlier and done my workout before work. But I didn't. Sigh. So went for a walk at lunch. After work I met Ben at Woods Boss for a beer. THEN, I had to go home and do my HOUR LONG Peloton ride. I need to be better about planning out my days.

Thursday (18,587 steps) - Work from home. First, here are pictures of the cats in their respective banana beds.

Robin sleeps "across" her banana, but she is using it!

Batman often acts like he does not enjoy his banana, but we alllll know he loves it

Most of the day was fairly uneventful. Ariel and I took Pika for a walk at lunch and noticed that it looked smoky to the north. Tyler had mentioned that he thought there probably had to be a fire somewhere. Our office closed at 3 and Ariel and I ran some errands before heading home. I had a call at 6 and Ben interrupted to say "things are getting really bad." Well as you all probably know, not only was there a "fire," but it turned out to be the most destructive fire in Colorado history. 

I'll preface by saying that thankfully we are fine, our house is fine. But we had an evening full of stress because the evacuation zones kept getting closer and closer. We actually had the mud room turned into a staging area for emergency gear and things we planned on taking with us should we be evacuated. If nothing else, this proved to be a good learning experience as I couldn't find my birth certificate and some other important items. We will have an emergency checklist going forward.

Friday (12,816 steps) - None of us slept well, so it was a "good thing" that we all had the day off for New Years Eve. It was really a slap in the face that after the horrific fire the day before that we were buckling down for below freezing temperatures and a LOT of snow. Ariel and I managed to get out for a walk with Pika before the snow started. No real recollection of the evening, other than it snowed (A LOT), we stayed up playing some dance game with Ariel (that was a LOT of fun) and ACTUALLY MADE IT UNTIL MIDNIGHT. Who are we??

Looks like a pint of snow...

Saturday (15,203 steps) - We originally had plans to do a 20.22 mile run (like last year). However, with the shift in weather and well-below freezing temperatures, we made a judgment call to skip the long run and reschedule(ish) for Sunday. We did not sleep in since apparently we are incapable of doing that. By the time we took Pika out for her walk it was no longer snowing, but it was VERY cold. Maybe 12-14 degrees. Brrr.

Ben and I both decided that we would get out and do at least a short run, although we were doing separate things. In the past, the city does a great job of plowing the sidewalks, but I'd say there were probably still 50% that weren't done yet - which made for some deep snow sections - but at least it wasn't icy yet.

Even though it was still really cold, I was actually fine. The Zip & Zoom hoodie is literally the best running jacket I have ever owned. It will totally replace my puffy coat that I normally have used for my emergency jacket on long running events. 

Sunday (27,962 steps) - The group was a bit smaller due to the date change (and probably weather), but a group of us still headed out for what most of us would modify to a 12.22 (for 1.2.22) run. 

Maureen and I were the only ones that brought spikes, and we were both pretty happy that we had. After the first mile or so of slipping and sliding we figured it was a good idea to put them on before we would start any of the descents. 

At least it was sunny, and much warmer than the day before. 

I had to put my jacket in my pack by the time we were about 7 miles in because I was getting way too hot. 

Astrophysics in one of the tunnels?

I was really not feeling good this whole run. I seem to go through phases where I feel "better," but this run didn't feel that way at all. I felt very sluggish and fatigued, although I am sure that I can blame some of that on conditions. Once we finished our big loop we did a short out and back into the park to hit our distance goal. We met up with almost everyone at New Terrain after.

Monday (10,211 steps)  - Work from home. We took Pika for a walk at lunch and then I had a Peloton ride to do when I got off work. Nothing else?

Stats:

• 110,465 steps
• 24.82 miles run
• 105 minutes of cardio
• 25 minutes of strength training