Sometimes we all have days like I experienced this weekend.
Friday morning I had a good swim with the local Master's group and went to work when my stomach started to do flips. And not in a good way. A couple of yak sessions later, I decided to head home early. With a temp of 101 measured later that night, I wasn't much in the mood for anything except a whole lot of sleep. Good thing I worked my swim in early.
Saturday was better, Kristen and I went down to the Hyde Park Street Fair and enjoyed the idiosyncrasies of the North End. I still wasn't much for eating anything, so my pitcher of Gatorade was my temporary best friend. I was able to mow the lawn in the evening, so at least I wasn't getting worse.
Sunday was supposed to be a good 20+ miler three weeks before City of Trees. I settled for an easy 9 miler at about 8:00 pace, a good bit slower than the "typical" long run tempo, but still relaxed and not stressed. I was just happy to get out for a few miles at any pace.
Still feeling queasy for today's morning speed session, I opted for the 4x1200m with one lap recovery. I knew on the first repeat it wasn't going to be my morning, but I stuck with it and finished the workout a good piece slower than I could have on a "better" day. Maybe I'll start feeling more like my running self in a couple of days.
On a different note, I finally picked up my new Adidas Supernova Controls. I must say, I'm impressed, they feel quite a bit lighter than the previous version with a more glove-like fit. I've always been an Asics man, but now I finally have a shoe I think I can rotate in on a regular basis.
As for the Twin Falls Triathlon, lack of participation has forced the cancellation for this year. So that will effectively end the triathlon season, though there is still the Hidden Springs Duathlon on Sept. 27th. This will be only my 2nd duathlon, well, ever, and the first wasn't out of choice since the swim was canceled and turned into a 5K run. I need that swim to make up for the time that I lose on the bike! We'll see what happens...
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Take "5"
After last week's 30K 'round Payette Lake, I opted for the softer side of Boise and the foothills trails for this week's long run. As a change of pace (no pun intended), I took the Military Connector over to the Reserve trail system and up Trail 5 instead of the tortuous climb up Hulls Ridge. This climb is far more gradual, though still challenging, and offers great views of mountains and ravines all around. Of course, this eventually connects up to Hulls Ridge and the nasty hike up to the Zen Grove (five pine trees that offer shade in a very exposed landscape). From here the trail levels out a bit in the 5400' elevation range and the first glimpses of a different world to the north and east.
Here in Boise we have a tree line, but you have to climb to reach it. Much of that has to do with our precipitation patterns, as it snows a great deal here in winter and rains very little in summer, if at all. The snow pack can stick around for a while, particularly on north and east facing slopes, where pine trees grow (quite large) and the change from the desert landscape is most welcome.
Coming back through the burn area of '96, I connected back to Sunset Ridge (old logging road) and back down for a total run time of nearly three hours. Net elevation: about 7000'. I'll take the perfect weather, too.
After a short speed session this morning, I attended an afternoon conference up at our local ski area, Bogus Basin. It was a perfect opportunity to get out and enjoy the trails there afterwards, especially in sunny 70 degree weather. I opted for the one hour tour circumnavigating the ski hills with moderate elevation gain. A great way to cap off the day, even though I'm still a little sore from Sunday's quad pounding descent. No better way to work out the kinks...so I'll take the 12 or so miles on the day.
Here in Boise we have a tree line, but you have to climb to reach it. Much of that has to do with our precipitation patterns, as it snows a great deal here in winter and rains very little in summer, if at all. The snow pack can stick around for a while, particularly on north and east facing slopes, where pine trees grow (quite large) and the change from the desert landscape is most welcome.
Coming back through the burn area of '96, I connected back to Sunset Ridge (old logging road) and back down for a total run time of nearly three hours. Net elevation: about 7000'. I'll take the perfect weather, too.
After a short speed session this morning, I attended an afternoon conference up at our local ski area, Bogus Basin. It was a perfect opportunity to get out and enjoy the trails there afterwards, especially in sunny 70 degree weather. I opted for the one hour tour circumnavigating the ski hills with moderate elevation gain. A great way to cap off the day, even though I'm still a little sore from Sunday's quad pounding descent. No better way to work out the kinks...so I'll take the 12 or so miles on the day.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Payette Lake 30K
One rarely needs to make an excuse to visit the lovely central/west Idaho town of McCall. Sidled up to the south side of Payette Lake, McCall is one of those towns that provides outdoor recreation all year round. From skiing at Brundage in the winter to hiking and mountain biking in the summer, it's no wonder everyone in Boise seems to have a second home in the area.
Labor Day weekend afforded me the opportunity to get away for a couple of days with Kristen to do some of the aforementioned hiking and biking. But it also enabled me to participate in the circumnavigation of Payette Lake in the aptly named Payette Lake 30K. The 30K is one of those distances you just don't see all that often (they also offer an 8.6 miler and, for those who enjoy the shorter distances, a 5K). At a shade over 18.5 miles, it's no walk in the park, but it is a great training run for those looking at a marathon this fall.
My goal for this race was to run well within myself and put forth a good effort without killing my legs. Having run the course before, I knew what to expect: relatively flat for the first half, rolling and mostly unpaved for the second half. It's a lovely course with lots of trees and mountains in the distance and an occasional lake view.
Sunday morning dawned cloudy and rather chilly, upper 40s or so with a stiff breeze, far different from the upper 70s of the previous day. I warmed up with a mile or so from the hotel to the race start where I encountered Tony, a running acquaintance from Boise. We took another warm up mile, catching up on running exploits of the past few months. Tony is off to Boston next year as a result of his fine performance at RnR San Diego back in June, well done!
I had a few minutes to relax before the laid back start, when 100 or so souls set off to run the Payette Lake circuit. I started off running with Tony, the first mile passing in about 6:42, feeling a little sluggish, knowing my legs would kick in with a couple more miles. Six folks took off in the distance, receding further as the race wore on. I realized about mile three or so that the established distance markers were less than accurate, overall pretty close, but running 5:30 then 7:30 with little variation in my personal tempo made me suspicious. I knew Tony and I were right around 6:40-6:45 pace for the first 6 or 7 miles, right into a fairly stiff headwind, a good comfortable start for me.
I pass mile 9 in just under 1:01, where the road turned to dirt along the north side of the lake. Here is where the hills start, a couple of them quite nasty but very runnable. Tony starts to fall back, but I see 5th place ahead of me and decide to pick up the effort. The views of the lake here are just phenomenal, especially as we climb just a little. I pass 5th place through an aid station on the "nasty hill, who I learn later is Brian Baker, a very strong masters Boise runner.
I also start to catch the 8.6 mile race participants, as they started an hour later at our 10 mile mark. This serves as great motivation for this challenging section of the race. I'm still feeling pretty good at this point, maintaining pace on the hills.
We get back to honest to goodness pavement about mile 15, coming around the south side of the lake. I pick up the pace a little, into the 6:30s for a final finish along the southeast corner of Payette Lake. Here is where the course turns a bit more "urban" with many lakefront and near lakefront homes, not to mention the nearby Ponderosa State Park. A couple quick turns, and the finish is in view, 2:03:32 after I start.
I finished 4th overall, passing 4th at some point during the second half but not knowing it. While it wasn't as fast as I could have gone on this particular day, I feel good with the effort. It builds confidence for my 3:10 pacing gig in Detroit come the middle of October.
Labor Day weekend afforded me the opportunity to get away for a couple of days with Kristen to do some of the aforementioned hiking and biking. But it also enabled me to participate in the circumnavigation of Payette Lake in the aptly named Payette Lake 30K. The 30K is one of those distances you just don't see all that often (they also offer an 8.6 miler and, for those who enjoy the shorter distances, a 5K). At a shade over 18.5 miles, it's no walk in the park, but it is a great training run for those looking at a marathon this fall.
My goal for this race was to run well within myself and put forth a good effort without killing my legs. Having run the course before, I knew what to expect: relatively flat for the first half, rolling and mostly unpaved for the second half. It's a lovely course with lots of trees and mountains in the distance and an occasional lake view.
Sunday morning dawned cloudy and rather chilly, upper 40s or so with a stiff breeze, far different from the upper 70s of the previous day. I warmed up with a mile or so from the hotel to the race start where I encountered Tony, a running acquaintance from Boise. We took another warm up mile, catching up on running exploits of the past few months. Tony is off to Boston next year as a result of his fine performance at RnR San Diego back in June, well done!
I had a few minutes to relax before the laid back start, when 100 or so souls set off to run the Payette Lake circuit. I started off running with Tony, the first mile passing in about 6:42, feeling a little sluggish, knowing my legs would kick in with a couple more miles. Six folks took off in the distance, receding further as the race wore on. I realized about mile three or so that the established distance markers were less than accurate, overall pretty close, but running 5:30 then 7:30 with little variation in my personal tempo made me suspicious. I knew Tony and I were right around 6:40-6:45 pace for the first 6 or 7 miles, right into a fairly stiff headwind, a good comfortable start for me.
I pass mile 9 in just under 1:01, where the road turned to dirt along the north side of the lake. Here is where the hills start, a couple of them quite nasty but very runnable. Tony starts to fall back, but I see 5th place ahead of me and decide to pick up the effort. The views of the lake here are just phenomenal, especially as we climb just a little. I pass 5th place through an aid station on the "nasty hill, who I learn later is Brian Baker, a very strong masters Boise runner.
I also start to catch the 8.6 mile race participants, as they started an hour later at our 10 mile mark. This serves as great motivation for this challenging section of the race. I'm still feeling pretty good at this point, maintaining pace on the hills.
We get back to honest to goodness pavement about mile 15, coming around the south side of the lake. I pick up the pace a little, into the 6:30s for a final finish along the southeast corner of Payette Lake. Here is where the course turns a bit more "urban" with many lakefront and near lakefront homes, not to mention the nearby Ponderosa State Park. A couple quick turns, and the finish is in view, 2:03:32 after I start.
I finished 4th overall, passing 4th at some point during the second half but not knowing it. While it wasn't as fast as I could have gone on this particular day, I feel good with the effort. It builds confidence for my 3:10 pacing gig in Detroit come the middle of October.
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