MONDAY
Swim - 1:00/2600m - Short Intervals
Run - 0:40 - Easy Run
TUESDAY
Bike - 1:00 - Hill Work
WEDNESDAY
Strength - 1:00
Swim - 1:15/2800m - Longer Intervals
THURSDAY
Off Day
FRIDAY
Run - 1:30/8 miles - Long Hilly Run
Swim - 0:30/1500m - Optional Swim
SATURDAY
Brick - 3:30/44 miles - Hilly Brick (40 mile ride + 4 mile run)
SUNDAY
Bike - 1:45/30 miles - Tempo Ride
TOTAL TIME THIS WEEK
Projected - 12:10:00
PREVIOUS WEEK
Swim (Projected/Actual)
Time - 2:30:00/0:30:35 Distance - 6500/1500
Bike (Projected/Actual)
Time - 0:00:00/0:00:00 Distance - 0/0
Run (Projected/Actual)
Time - 4:00:00/6:49:20 Distance - 19/34.93
Strength (Projected/Actual)
Time - 1:00:00/1:00:00
TOTAL (Projected/Actual)
Time - 7:30:00/8:19:55
Friday, March 11, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
Dispatches From The Field - 3/6/11 - Going Home
Time to go back to work.
I'm helping my in-laws move back from PA to Vegas. My contribution is to drive their car from Memphis to Vegas. Need to be back by Monday afternoon to be at work. I stop to fill up the gas tank before leaving town and have my first moment of amusement...
The first day of travel was hectic with getting my family on a plane and getting the car packed, etc. Memphis weather was also still sketchy with heavy rain in the morning and then brooding clouds through the day. With the late start, I had to push until late to get to OKC, missing my 12 mile run in the process.
Today, I planned to run from the hotel in the morning, but sleep didn't come until the sun came up. By the time I woke up, I needed to get on the road again. Needed a big mileage day in the car today.
I drove across the bottom on the Great Plains, the tail really, and yet it seemed to run across my windshield for most of the day.
In the afternoon, there was a tangible change in the contour of the land as I got within 15 miles of the New Mexico border. The character of the plains remained but the face had changed adding slope and contour to the equation. As I came upon the town of Cuervo, I knew I had to stop.
Cuervo is three seemingly abandoned buildings with no parking signs and a half dozen ranches spread out overlooking I-40. I took a side road to a crest on the hill where I found a wide spot in the road to park. After a quick-change into some running clothes (fortunately avoiding mooning a rancher). I took off up the road.
The road takes a straight line to what looks like the horizon. Golden grass and a persistent headwind are the recurring themes, with the occasional scrub bush or stunted tree for flavor, as I push forward. After the first 20 minutes I am wondering if I really want to do this for 12 miles. Then I see the "T" in the road and the stop sign.
I actually laugh out loud for the grass. I can see for miles to the left and roughly two miles up the hill to the right. There is nothing but the ribbon of black asphalt splitting the dried desert grass. I break traffic laws and run the stop sign. To salve my conscience, I looked left - right - and left again, as I had learned on Saturday cartoons as a kid.
I chose to run up the hill into a quartering wind. At least that way, I could imagine what I would find over the hill. It turned out to be the same thing at higher elevation. I used what landmarks I could find to keep going. I would run to the tenth fence post...I also found a windmill, a dumpster, an abandoned shirt and a bulldozer along the way.
I also passed three cars (if you count the car that came back to make sure that the guy running down the road in the middle of nowhere was not a mirage). At six miles, I turned around and ran back, racing the daylight. The wind becoming my friend for most of the return.
The run felt good. On my way back into Cuervo, I see a Bobcat through the little town cemetary before running across the road in the pre-dusk. He hunkers down in the grass and waits for me to go by. I stop the car and we look at each other for what feels like five minutes, but certainly must have been less, before he takes off. I remember my Father telling me as a child that he had only seen two Bobcats in his life. I wish he were here to share this moment.
2:07:42 / 12 miles
I'm helping my in-laws move back from PA to Vegas. My contribution is to drive their car from Memphis to Vegas. Need to be back by Monday afternoon to be at work. I stop to fill up the gas tank before leaving town and have my first moment of amusement...
 |
| Memphis - What was he buying at Target? |
The first day of travel was hectic with getting my family on a plane and getting the car packed, etc. Memphis weather was also still sketchy with heavy rain in the morning and then brooding clouds through the day. With the late start, I had to push until late to get to OKC, missing my 12 mile run in the process.
Today, I planned to run from the hotel in the morning, but sleep didn't come until the sun came up. By the time I woke up, I needed to get on the road again. Needed a big mileage day in the car today.
 |
| Recurring themes in Oklahoma City |
 |
| Groom, TX - I was originally going to run here, but as you can see the winds were a little severe. |
In the afternoon, there was a tangible change in the contour of the land as I got within 15 miles of the New Mexico border. The character of the plains remained but the face had changed adding slope and contour to the equation. As I came upon the town of Cuervo, I knew I had to stop.
Cuervo is three seemingly abandoned buildings with no parking signs and a half dozen ranches spread out overlooking I-40. I took a side road to a crest on the hill where I found a wide spot in the road to park. After a quick-change into some running clothes (fortunately avoiding mooning a rancher). I took off up the road.
 |
| Starting out in Cuervo |
The road takes a straight line to what looks like the horizon. Golden grass and a persistent headwind are the recurring themes, with the occasional scrub bush or stunted tree for flavor, as I push forward. After the first 20 minutes I am wondering if I really want to do this for 12 miles. Then I see the "T" in the road and the stop sign.
I actually laugh out loud for the grass. I can see for miles to the left and roughly two miles up the hill to the right. There is nothing but the ribbon of black asphalt splitting the dried desert grass. I break traffic laws and run the stop sign. To salve my conscience, I looked left - right - and left again, as I had learned on Saturday cartoons as a kid.
I chose to run up the hill into a quartering wind. At least that way, I could imagine what I would find over the hill. It turned out to be the same thing at higher elevation. I used what landmarks I could find to keep going. I would run to the tenth fence post...I also found a windmill, a dumpster, an abandoned shirt and a bulldozer along the way.
I also passed three cars (if you count the car that came back to make sure that the guy running down the road in the middle of nowhere was not a mirage). At six miles, I turned around and ran back, racing the daylight. The wind becoming my friend for most of the return.
 |
| Finishing at Cuervo |
The run felt good. On my way back into Cuervo, I see a Bobcat through the little town cemetary before running across the road in the pre-dusk. He hunkers down in the grass and waits for me to go by. I stop the car and we look at each other for what feels like five minutes, but certainly must have been less, before he takes off. I remember my Father telling me as a child that he had only seen two Bobcats in his life. I wish he were here to share this moment.
2:07:42 / 12 miles
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Dispatches From The Field 3/4/11 - The Shelby Farms/Midtown Greenway - Memphis, TN
Rain.
Everything was going so well with the weather until today. The rain has been hard and consistent. Hard enough that I make Melissa take me to buy a raincoat.
The day has been hectic. I don't get out until about 30 minutes before dark. I put on my new raincoat and get to it.
The Greenway moves in a straight line between Shelby Farms and Midtown Memphis. The map says it is about six miles one-way. Today is a setup for tomorrows long run.
I just run a little past the prison...
44:41 / 3.54 miles
Everything was going so well with the weather until today. The rain has been hard and consistent. Hard enough that I make Melissa take me to buy a raincoat.
The day has been hectic. I don't get out until about 30 minutes before dark. I put on my new raincoat and get to it.
The Greenway moves in a straight line between Shelby Farms and Midtown Memphis. The map says it is about six miles one-way. Today is a setup for tomorrows long run.
I just run a little past the prison...
44:41 / 3.54 miles
Dispatches From The Field 3/3/11 - Tour de Wolf River Trail - Memphis, TN
The Interlude
Day three of running here and it just gets better every day. The weather has been beautiful although today was a little warmer. Still, no crazy humidity and no bugs. Each day, I have stretched out a little more trying to feel out my legs; and in the last two days I have been trying to expand my limited experience with trail running.
I have to say that the last couple days on the trail have made me realize why some runners never want to run on asphalt. The variance in terrain, the tactile feel of the ground and the constant mental and physical adjustments that are required as the environment around you is in flux takes running to a different place. The tree roots sticking up in the trail, the fire roads and single track trail, the squirrels and the robins have all made this a time that has completely recharged my batteries. Running is not a part of my routine right now, but rather an adventure.
Still...I like running on the road. The consistency of the surface and dodging cars has an appeal for me too. Does this show a schizophrenia in my running personality? I love pastures with the sweet organic smell of animal trails in the spring and I also enjoyed the hustle and compression of humanity when I was working in Manhattan. I feel comfortable everywhere. It's not a matter of adaption to an environment, I truly feel comfortable both places and I see that as a gift I have been given in life.
Also, to paraphrase a line from Christopher McDougall's Born to Run, I want to swim and bike and run anywhere at any time for any distance. I want to be a true athlete in the second half of my life. I want to be Tarzan.
The Run
I was excited as soon as I got out of the car today. It was just one of those days when I was truly looking forward to this from moment I stopped running the day before. Today I was back in the heart of Shelby Farms to try my hand at the Tour de Wolf Trail. This Mountain Bike track comes off the park's Visitor Center and makes a meandering loop to the east. After an initial jog up the road behind the Visitor Center, I find the trail marker that gets me started.
While I'm sure it's entirely inappropriate, as soon as I hit the tree line I started thinking about the Battle of the Wilderness from the Civil War. I've never been to that part of Virginia and have no personal association between the two places - call it free association. I will say that if you are a reader of historical nonfiction, you must read Shelby Foote's account of this amazing time in our history...but I digress.
The woods here have a different quality from yesterday. They are fairly thick, but with a lot less undergrowth. The air does not have the damp density of yesterday. Today will be lakes as opposed to a river. I move through the landscape here without the same feeling of oppression that I had yesterday. I listen to the birds in the trees and enjoy the gentle breeze in the leaves.
The trees part for a clearing and Beaver Lake. How could you ever get tired of this? The small boat dock and the light playing across the water are so inviting. Moving down the lake I anticipate the tree line on the far side.
The trail is nicely marked with mileage posts every quarter mile and signs pointing the way at every fork in the trail. After some more time in the woods I come to Boy Scout Lake, which makes me think of my own time in the Boy Scouts. If only I could remember what poison oak looks like and if it grows in this part of the country. I believe the Scouts would call me a Tenderfoot.
Back into the woods again. Ducking under the occasional branch and skipping over the occasional standing puddle of water (now three days after the rain). The ground here has the same feel as it did along the Wolf River yesterday.
Cruising along through what is roughly mile 3, I come across a strange sight in a small clearing within the woods.
How many years ago was this left here?
Small undulations in the trail play with my personal gravity. I work on being light as I move from up to down and back. I try to make myself flow with the land. Taking advice from a small video done by Scott Jurek, I shorten my stride further and take extra steps through the exposed tree roots to help maintain my center of gravity and not over commit on my stride.
The trail breaks into a clearing that will take me the last two miles back to the Visitor Center. It feels like pasture land without the animals. The trail meanders along the contours of the slope and I follow it feeling the warmth of the sun on my back.
I am supposed to run the last three miles at race pace today, but I normally to this kind of run on the street, where the circumstances are different. My goal in June at the Double Dipsea is to break 3:00:00 which would mean I have to run at a sub 13:00 pace, but that course is going to be tougher than here; I shoot for anything sub-11:00.
The final leg of the trail moves along a dirt road that takes you to a single track that follows the multi-use path around Patriot Lake on the back quarter. At the end of trail, I head left and make a lap around Patriot Lake to finish. I think about form and speed (to the best of my limited abilities). Mustn't disappoint the fishermen on the lake.
1:28:28 / 7.62 miles
Day three of running here and it just gets better every day. The weather has been beautiful although today was a little warmer. Still, no crazy humidity and no bugs. Each day, I have stretched out a little more trying to feel out my legs; and in the last two days I have been trying to expand my limited experience with trail running.
I have to say that the last couple days on the trail have made me realize why some runners never want to run on asphalt. The variance in terrain, the tactile feel of the ground and the constant mental and physical adjustments that are required as the environment around you is in flux takes running to a different place. The tree roots sticking up in the trail, the fire roads and single track trail, the squirrels and the robins have all made this a time that has completely recharged my batteries. Running is not a part of my routine right now, but rather an adventure.
Still...I like running on the road. The consistency of the surface and dodging cars has an appeal for me too. Does this show a schizophrenia in my running personality? I love pastures with the sweet organic smell of animal trails in the spring and I also enjoyed the hustle and compression of humanity when I was working in Manhattan. I feel comfortable everywhere. It's not a matter of adaption to an environment, I truly feel comfortable both places and I see that as a gift I have been given in life.
Also, to paraphrase a line from Christopher McDougall's Born to Run, I want to swim and bike and run anywhere at any time for any distance. I want to be a true athlete in the second half of my life. I want to be Tarzan.
The Run
I was excited as soon as I got out of the car today. It was just one of those days when I was truly looking forward to this from moment I stopped running the day before. Today I was back in the heart of Shelby Farms to try my hand at the Tour de Wolf Trail. This Mountain Bike track comes off the park's Visitor Center and makes a meandering loop to the east. After an initial jog up the road behind the Visitor Center, I find the trail marker that gets me started.
 |
| Leaving the road for the trail. |
While I'm sure it's entirely inappropriate, as soon as I hit the tree line I started thinking about the Battle of the Wilderness from the Civil War. I've never been to that part of Virginia and have no personal association between the two places - call it free association. I will say that if you are a reader of historical nonfiction, you must read Shelby Foote's account of this amazing time in our history...but I digress.
The woods here have a different quality from yesterday. They are fairly thick, but with a lot less undergrowth. The air does not have the damp density of yesterday. Today will be lakes as opposed to a river. I move through the landscape here without the same feeling of oppression that I had yesterday. I listen to the birds in the trees and enjoy the gentle breeze in the leaves.
The trees part for a clearing and Beaver Lake. How could you ever get tired of this? The small boat dock and the light playing across the water are so inviting. Moving down the lake I anticipate the tree line on the far side.
 |
| Looking down Beaver Lake |
Back into the woods again. Ducking under the occasional branch and skipping over the occasional standing puddle of water (now three days after the rain). The ground here has the same feel as it did along the Wolf River yesterday.
Cruising along through what is roughly mile 3, I come across a strange sight in a small clearing within the woods.
How many years ago was this left here?
Small undulations in the trail play with my personal gravity. I work on being light as I move from up to down and back. I try to make myself flow with the land. Taking advice from a small video done by Scott Jurek, I shorten my stride further and take extra steps through the exposed tree roots to help maintain my center of gravity and not over commit on my stride.
The trail breaks into a clearing that will take me the last two miles back to the Visitor Center. It feels like pasture land without the animals. The trail meanders along the contours of the slope and I follow it feeling the warmth of the sun on my back.
 |
| Looking back from the finish. |
I am supposed to run the last three miles at race pace today, but I normally to this kind of run on the street, where the circumstances are different. My goal in June at the Double Dipsea is to break 3:00:00 which would mean I have to run at a sub 13:00 pace, but that course is going to be tougher than here; I shoot for anything sub-11:00.
The final leg of the trail moves along a dirt road that takes you to a single track that follows the multi-use path around Patriot Lake on the back quarter. At the end of trail, I head left and make a lap around Patriot Lake to finish. I think about form and speed (to the best of my limited abilities). Mustn't disappoint the fishermen on the lake.
1:28:28 / 7.62 miles
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Dispatches From The Field 3-2-11 Wolf River - Memphis, TN
Wanted to do some trail running today to mix it up. I did a little research on the web before flying out to Memphis and one of the places mentioned on the web is the Wolf River. Stopped by a local running shop called Breakaway in Germantown to get the 411 on trails around the river. They were great and a huge help in my finding some parking and getting started. They had a group run on for the evening and invited me to come, but I was under a bit of time pressure and had to get going. The idea of a night run was exciting though as it is something I haven't done yet.
Directions were great and I was in the parking lot in no time. There was a mountain biker and another guy that looked like a runner in the parking lot. I got myself organized and headed over to the "runner" to get oriented. After saying hello and some brief small talk about the weather I got down to it asking where the trails were. He just smiled and pointed at the trees behind him. I smiled back.
"Just go?", I asked.
"Yep," he said.
I smiled, this guy is the master of compression.
"OK, thanks." Me too.
Fortunately the pavement gave out as soon as I entered the treeline. I had a simple choice at the start, right or left? Nature's very own Peace Maze. I go right.
As I begin moving down the trail I think of three things in this order:
1. This place is straight from a horror movie. Winter foliage on top with green undergrowth, everything is damp and grey and you can't see more than ten feet on either side. I'm somewhere in Blair Witch Project-land. I am half expecting to see an ash-grey bare foot poking out from under a bush.
2. The ground has a wonderful combination of being both soft but firm. I feel like I could run on this stuff for miles and miles. It's not going to be fast, but it is going to be forgiving.
3. The sommelier in me is thinking about Merlot. There is a lot of clay in the heavy soil here. While it is firm,
the soil is wet and has standing water in places two days after the rain. As the hikers, runners and mountain bikers have compacted the soil here over time, the tree roots are coming to the surface. Yes, I admit that thinking about this is silly. All I can say is that those studying for the Court of Master Sommeliers would understand...
About a mile in I come to a four-way intersection with a sign ahead (you'll see a picture of one like it later in the blog) warning me that anyone other than hikers will be prosecuted. I go right onto the White Trail.
The White Trail sits on a levee and is basically flat. I cruise along until I see a what looks like a firebreak to my left. I take that trail for about a quarter mile until I hit a bog that advertises itself as a shoe stealer. I turn around and head back to the White Trail. I continue the way I was going before I turned off White and after another quarter mile, I run out of trail again. I turn around again and head back the way I came. Passing the intersection where I originally turned I head down the trail another half mile until I hit both the Wolf River and the Yellow Trail.
I don't have any experience here, so I don't know if the river is normally brown or if the color is a product of the rains earlier in the week. As a desert boy, that much water is still exciting to me. As I head up the trail (I think I am going west...) the tree roots become more pronounced in sections. Still the trail is very runnable and because the underbrush is so dense, I can't see very far in any direction adding to my feeling of excitement and exploration about what is around the next corner. I am now thinking about the Snow White ride at Disneyland. This is just so much more fun than a treadmill.
It is here that I encounter my first people of the day, or rather, a man and his dog. I smile and apologize as I scare him to death as I come up behind (he must be living the Blair Witch movie in his mind too). The dog seems to be in heaven though as I smile down at him. It appears that his name is not Cujo.
I cruise along enjoying the trail until I hit where I think I should turn around based on time to get back. Along the way, I pass one more runner coming the other way and two mountain bikers.
I cruise back, noticing that for some strange reason the trail appears more open to me in this direction than it did as I was heading out. I also notice that I am doing the same thing with my running that I often do in a car - I am faster on the way back because I now know where I am going.
T-Burke should be here for this; simply incredible. What a different environment from what I normally run. I love the desert, but this is just so different! The run back to the car was in many ways way too quick.
1:17:00 / 6.73 miles
Postscript:
There are two things outside the run today that I would like to note:
1. If you look at the picture I took of the Wolf River, you will notice trash that has collected behind a tree branch that has dipped into the river. While I'm not saying that the people using these trails did it, it was sad to see it and a reminder that we need to pack out what we take in. Please leave it for the next person the way you would have liked to have found it yourself.
2. I read this on the Internet as I was looking for trails in the area:
The Wolf River trails are the most politically sensitive in our area. These trails are used by
many other groups that would like to see bikes banned completely...
Use policy from Lucius Burch Natural Area Management Plan, February 1999 prohibits jogging. The runners are due a wake up call.
When I used to rock climb access was always a major issue. I was always careful to treat the people I encountered with respect, packed out my trash and tried to keep noise levels down. It's a shame when people start to look on swimmers, cyclists or runners as a menace.
Directions were great and I was in the parking lot in no time. There was a mountain biker and another guy that looked like a runner in the parking lot. I got myself organized and headed over to the "runner" to get oriented. After saying hello and some brief small talk about the weather I got down to it asking where the trails were. He just smiled and pointed at the trees behind him. I smiled back.
"Just go?", I asked.
"Yep," he said.
I smiled, this guy is the master of compression.
"OK, thanks." Me too.
Fortunately the pavement gave out as soon as I entered the treeline. I had a simple choice at the start, right or left? Nature's very own Peace Maze. I go right.
 |
| Getting Started |
1. This place is straight from a horror movie. Winter foliage on top with green undergrowth, everything is damp and grey and you can't see more than ten feet on either side. I'm somewhere in Blair Witch Project-land. I am half expecting to see an ash-grey bare foot poking out from under a bush.
2. The ground has a wonderful combination of being both soft but firm. I feel like I could run on this stuff for miles and miles. It's not going to be fast, but it is going to be forgiving.
3. The sommelier in me is thinking about Merlot. There is a lot of clay in the heavy soil here. While it is firm,
the soil is wet and has standing water in places two days after the rain. As the hikers, runners and mountain bikers have compacted the soil here over time, the tree roots are coming to the surface. Yes, I admit that thinking about this is silly. All I can say is that those studying for the Court of Master Sommeliers would understand...
 |
| Leftovers from the rain in the Blue Trail |
 |
| The White Trail |
 |
| The Wolf River from the Yellow Trail |
 |
| Does this count as technical? |
I cruise along enjoying the trail until I hit where I think I should turn around based on time to get back. Along the way, I pass one more runner coming the other way and two mountain bikers.
 |
| Turnaround on the Yellow Trail |
T-Burke should be here for this; simply incredible. What a different environment from what I normally run. I love the desert, but this is just so different! The run back to the car was in many ways way too quick.
1:17:00 / 6.73 miles
Postscript:
There are two things outside the run today that I would like to note:
1. If you look at the picture I took of the Wolf River, you will notice trash that has collected behind a tree branch that has dipped into the river. While I'm not saying that the people using these trails did it, it was sad to see it and a reminder that we need to pack out what we take in. Please leave it for the next person the way you would have liked to have found it yourself.
2. I read this on the Internet as I was looking for trails in the area:
The Wolf River trails are the most politically sensitive in our area. These trails are used by
many other groups that would like to see bikes banned completely...
Complaints about bikes have increased. If this continues, Shelby Farms will take action
against us. The best was to improve our trail access is to peacefully coexist with the other
trail users...
against us. The best was to improve our trail access is to peacefully coexist with the other
trail users...
Use policy from Lucius Burch Natural Area Management Plan, February 1999 prohibits jogging. The runners are due a wake up call.
When I used to rock climb access was always a major issue. I was always careful to treat the people I encountered with respect, packed out my trash and tried to keep noise levels down. It's a shame when people start to look on swimmers, cyclists or runners as a menace.
Let's all work together to keep that from happening.
 |
| They say a picture is worth a 1,000 words... |
Dispatches From The Field 3-1-11 MEMPHIS
Now that I am running, I always see places with a whole new face. Not only terrain and grade, but just the overall landscape. It's hard to really see the things around you when you are doing 80...
Shelby Farms Park is worth slowing down for. My in-laws live slightly less than 1 mile from this amazing place and I am going to take advantage this week.
Getting in late today due to US Airways, I had just enough daylight after getting settled in to sneak in a quick shake-out run. This place just renewed my soul today.
Over the next couple of days, I plan to explore different areas in and around the park with my running, including some trail runs. I will be taking more pictures and posting as I go.
The weather was perfect and so was the sunset.
1:06:38 / 6.13 miles
Shelby Farms Park is worth slowing down for. My in-laws live slightly less than 1 mile from this amazing place and I am going to take advantage this week.
Getting in late today due to US Airways, I had just enough daylight after getting settled in to sneak in a quick shake-out run. This place just renewed my soul today.
 |
| The Rail to Trails Program is Awesome! |
 |
| The Greenway Connector |
 |
| There was a time when this mighty animal covered the Great Plains like a blanket. That truly would have been something to witness. |
 |
| Grazing in the last hour of the day. |
1:06:38 / 6.13 miles
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Dispatches From The Field 2-27-11
Didn't get this posted with scrambling around getting ready to travel, but wanted to share...
Met fellow sommelier Jeffrey Bencus at the Late Night Trail head in the Cottonwood Valley. He dropped me a text commenting that it might be muddy. I responded with "OK", figuring a little mud never hurt anybody. Hell, my cousin Daren lives for mud.
The trail is at roughly 4200 feet and when I checked the weather on the Internet it was in the low 50s in Las Vegas, so it never occured to me that there might be snow on the ground (ok, a dusting of snow, but hey, it's the desert) and that I might be dealing with strong winds. Cold, Cold, COLD! So don't I feel stupid standing there in shorts and a thermal looking at Jeffrey who is clearly properly dressed for the conditions.
So when Jeffrey inquires if I might be cold and maybe a tad under dressed, I look him in the eye, shrug and say, "I'll be ok, let's go!" (Man-up baby)
Today we are running through the tunnel under Highway 159 toward the south. Jeffrey has run a loop over here before that is 6 miles. I need 10, so we agree to do his loop and then keep going past where we parked out Late Night Trail way to get in the other 4 miles. This way we will both see some new real estate.
Immediately, my legs hurt and Jeffrey is a little quicker than I remember. This does not bode well. I tell myself to relax and let him go. I'm going to give my body time to settle in. Patience I think, patience is something I'm going to need in November. I jog along and listen to my body as my legs speak with me frankly about yesterday's injustices.
The 3 mile outward section of the loop is all uphill and it is beautiful. Further, I get lucky as the landscape acts as a windbreak for most of the climb up. The trails here are perfect for me right now. For the most part the single track is not technical (although there are moments) and the grades are not crazy. That being said, it's enough to get my attention. The Double Dipsea in June is very much on my mind. For me, this will be one of three "A" races for me this year and my first trail race ever. I have no illusions of being a threat, but I want very much to be respectable. As I get a little closer, I plan to throw in some hard climbs and more aggressive technical trail.
Jeffrey is one of the nicer people I know, and shows it by jogging back a quarter mile a couple of times to make sure I'm not dying on him. I wave him forward (I have my pride). My legs are also coming back. I churn ahead.
The picture above is at about the three mile mark and I am thinking I am in the home stretch. Jeffrey is at the top to greet me and inform me that we are going to continue up to the right of this picture for the steepest part of the climb. It was only about a third of a mile though and the view was spectacular. Of course I didn't get a picture because Jeffrey took off and I was worried about not seeing him again for the rest of the day.
The descent has the most technical running of the loop and I focused on small, quick steps. That too is something I'm going to need to get some serious practice on between now and June.
The rest of the run was pretty straight forward and just plain fun. It got a little cold in the flats where the wind picked up again. Jeffrey waited for me at the Late Night Trail. We ran most of the last four miles together, enjoying the view and catching up. I plan to do a lot of running in this area in the near future. The 4-5 runs I have done out here so far have all be awesome and there is just so much to explore.
In the future, I will dress for success.
2:11:34 / 10.91 miles
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| Sometimes the desert just takes your breath away. |
The trail is at roughly 4200 feet and when I checked the weather on the Internet it was in the low 50s in Las Vegas, so it never occured to me that there might be snow on the ground (ok, a dusting of snow, but hey, it's the desert) and that I might be dealing with strong winds. Cold, Cold, COLD! So don't I feel stupid standing there in shorts and a thermal looking at Jeffrey who is clearly properly dressed for the conditions.
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| Jeffrey B. - That smile says it all. |
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| Unlike me, a runner with common sense. |
Immediately, my legs hurt and Jeffrey is a little quicker than I remember. This does not bode well. I tell myself to relax and let him go. I'm going to give my body time to settle in. Patience I think, patience is something I'm going to need in November. I jog along and listen to my body as my legs speak with me frankly about yesterday's injustices.
The 3 mile outward section of the loop is all uphill and it is beautiful. Further, I get lucky as the landscape acts as a windbreak for most of the climb up. The trails here are perfect for me right now. For the most part the single track is not technical (although there are moments) and the grades are not crazy. That being said, it's enough to get my attention. The Double Dipsea in June is very much on my mind. For me, this will be one of three "A" races for me this year and my first trail race ever. I have no illusions of being a threat, but I want very much to be respectable. As I get a little closer, I plan to throw in some hard climbs and more aggressive technical trail.
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| Working up the trail (no help for the sun) |
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| Almost at the top of the loop. |
The descent has the most technical running of the loop and I focused on small, quick steps. That too is something I'm going to need to get some serious practice on between now and June.
The rest of the run was pretty straight forward and just plain fun. It got a little cold in the flats where the wind picked up again. Jeffrey waited for me at the Late Night Trail. We ran most of the last four miles together, enjoying the view and catching up. I plan to do a lot of running in this area in the near future. The 4-5 runs I have done out here so far have all be awesome and there is just so much to explore.
In the future, I will dress for success.
2:11:34 / 10.91 miles
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