Streak no more

I didn't run last Monday.  The streak is dead.  But that's OK, I needed a day off and I took one.  My streak was never about checking off each day on the calendar at the cost of everything else.   So how did I come to miss a day?


I came down with the flu a couple weeks ago, the evening after the last Tortoise and Hare race to be exact.  At least the timing was good.  My wife and kids were all struck down on Thursday but I was able to have a fun Greyrock run on that Friday, run Pete's final 15 miles of March with him and Cat, and then run the Tortoise and Hare race on Sunday before becoming sick myself.  I've never had the "real flu" that I remember, turns out it wipes you out. 


The week I had the flu I was only able to manage a meager 1 mile walk with Sandis and Tonks on Monday but was able to run the rest of the week with Thursday even being an easy effort run most of the way up Towers.  On Friday I was back to work and was a little surprised that I made it through the flu with The Streak in tact. 


It also turns out that laying on the couch all day (with a short run in the middle of the day) while sick is much easier on the body than going to work when you're first "recovered".  I ran but was tired Friday, kept it short on Saturday and Sunday my 20 miles turned in the toughest 10 I've run in a long time.  When I was again dead tired on Monday I decided that running was not in the best interest of my recovery and took the day off.


The decision wasn't nearly as difficult as I once thought it might be.  When I thought about it logically I knew rest was the smart thing.  My streak wasn't a compulsive check it off kind of streak, it was about getting my head back in the running game and I had accomplished that.  There were a few days during the past month that I ran only because of the streak and I didn't like that, I knew it went against the reason I was streaking and I didn't want to become a slave to the number.  Mentally I needed a day off, but was slow to accept this.


I went to bed Monday content with a good run of 167 days of running.  167 days, 1017.4 miles, tons of confidence, and all the speed I had lost, to be exact.  And Tuesday I had one of the best track workouts I've had all spring.  Seems rest can be a good thing, mental and physical rest.


Yesterday I ran for the 6th consecutive day.  I think I'm mostly recovered from the flu, though I'd like to blame my slower than desired late miles of Saturday's run on not being 100% yet.  :-)  I don't think I'm going to call this one a streak though.  I'll get up every morning planning on going for a run, a but if it's not convenient or if I'm too tired or my head's not in it I'll be OK skipping it.  Though that's the first step to being lazy and falling into a rut I think I've learned enough to head that off if it starts setting in.


Long live the non-Streak.

Running is not a solitary sport

With the passing of Micah True I have been browsing back through Born To Run a bit.  Last night I came across this passage describing Scott Jurek.

"The reason we race isn't so much to beat each other, he understood, but to be with each other. Scott learned that before he had a choice, back when he was trailing Dusty and the boys through the Minnesota woods.   He was no good and had no reason to believe he ever would be, but the joy he got from running was the joy of adding his power to the pack."

I've mentioned a similar sentiment a few times before here but I really like how McDougal framed this in terms of experiencing joy by adding power to the pack.  I get that when out running with our FCTR pack.  It is what drives me to do this.  Running is not a solitary sport.

Prize Money!

The Tortoise and Hare race series is put on by the Fort Collins Running Club.  It is a once a month race series (Oct-Apr) with a staggered start system where all the runners will finish at the same time, if they run their predicted time.  Each race points are handed out to those who cross the finish line the fastest, essentially to those who beat their predicted time by the largest margin.  The top 5 five in the series standings receive gift certificates to a local running store.  To be in the running for the money racers need to continue to run faster than predicted each race, to continue to improve speed-wise each month as the predictions are re-calculated with every result.  Racers also need to be stubborn enough to show up each month, or at least for 5 of the 7 races.

Though I didn't plan it this way, my slump in fitness and speed happened at the perfect time as I was running as slow as I remember in 3-4 years when I entered my first race of the series last November.  On top of running my slowest 5K in recent memory that day I suffered the embarrassment of coming in DFL and of having taken a wrong turn on the course, adding 0.1 mile or so to my race.  Since that day I've been working hard to get my fitness back though and with every successive race of the season I have beat my predicted time, and for the past 4 races I have finished "in the points".  This was enough to earn me 2nd place overall in the standings and $75 to spend at the Runners Roost.  Woo Hoo, new shoes!

I've never won anything racing before, so I'm pretty excited.  It feels a tiny bit strange to win something this year while never scoring more than the minimum 5 points per race last year as I'm running essentially at the same level now as I was a year ago, with my last 3 race times close to identical, comparing 2011 with 2012.  Still it was fun, and actually took some racing in the end to secure second place.  I passed one of the girls who tied for 3rd place overall with about 1/2 mile to go in the race and had to edge out another runner at the finish line to secure my place in the standings. 

My race wasn't the PB I set out for that morning but the 2nd place finish will make up for it for now. I finished the race in 24:45, running 7:45, 7:54, and 7:58 splits the first 3 miles after aiming for 7:45 on all of them and around 24:00 for the race. I guess that's what the next race is for. Maybe Tonks can pull me in to a PB at the Fast and the Furriest.

5K with Stella

It was just a year ago that Stella started expressing an interest in running with me more.  For her first run we went out to Soderberg and ran up Towers to Stout where I had forgotten a hat along side the trail earlier that morning.  She ran the entire mile back to the Soderberg lot without stopping that day, her first day out.  Since then there are days she runs more and days she takes more walk breaks.  I think I've done a good job not pushing too hard while trying to get her out at least 1-2 times a week.   Last summer and fall she didn't go out a lot but this winter we have more, targeting the Sharin' O' The Green 5K as her first 5K.

Stella knows fashion

I was unsure what to expect for a time.  Most of our recent runs have had running portions of less than 1/4 mile before we break for a walk.  A 35:00 2.1 mile run wasn't uncommon.  I know she can run a mile without stopping though so who knows.  She could have been around 37-38 minutes and could have finished at 50 minutes and neither would have surprised me.

She was unhappy about waking up at 7:15 Saturday morning and a little chilly, but excited, as race time neared.  The 2800 person crowd made for a crazy start but we were far enough back that we ran slowly until the crowds thinned.  I think this helped Stella's pacing a lot.  We ran until 1/2 mile where I offered up a walk break.  Nah, let's keep going.  At 1.25 miles she took me up on the walk but we were running again by mile 1.5 and ran until a bit after the mile 2 sign.  This walk break was shorter and soon we were running again.  Stella was chatting the whole way and having a blast.  We took one last short walk break at the 4K point (34:00, 51 seconds ahead of her 4K time last spring) and then headed out for the final half mile.  As we got close Stella wanted to kick it in but I reigned her back, thinking she might blow up if she kicked too early as she had already run more than I expected.  I should have let her go.  When my watched beeped at 3 miles I told her to go and for a second I had trouble keeping up.  She ran the entire last stretch at an average 8:07 pace.  40:28 for a finish time and she ran progressively faster all race long.

About 1/2 mile in

Stella has fantastic theories and observations on all things in life.  Her 2 observations from the race were A) she ran so fast at the end because her legs were numb and they were just flopping around and going fast was the only way to not fall down and B) she was amazed at how she improved as the race went on.  B) doesn't seem too strange until I finally realized she wasn't amazed at running negative splits, she was amazed that her muscles were adapting and getting stronger during the race, thus the faster paces as the race went on.

At the finish, I'm not sure who is prouder

I had a blast running with her and she did too.  She was a little mad that she couldn't go run up Towers with me and Tonks later that afternoon.  I think this race re-kindled her love of running so I hope to keep it going through the spring and summer. 

Tonks got her turn later that afternoon

Spring again

  Last Sunday Ean and Alex hosted the second FCTR March Madness Horsetooth circumnavigation series.  Like the year prior the weather was nice, spring was definitely in the air.  Fun was had both running and back at the Mays' afterward grilling, eating, drinking beer, walking the slackline, telling tall tales, and of course giving The Nick Clark shit. Also like the year prior I shared in a running first with Stella, this year it was her first 5K at the Sharin' O' the Green 5K on St. Patrick's Day (last year her first trail run, up Towers to Stout and back). 

The 8:00 Gang

  For March Madness I started with the 8:00 crew.  I planned on at least the 23 mile route with them but hoped to summit either Arthur's or Horsetooth along the way.  As we took off things stratified rather quickly and by the top of the first climb, about a mile or two down the road, I was running with Marie and Ean and we spend the rest of the day together.  We ran around the south end of the reservoir and through Soderberg to the Arthur's trailhead where it was decision time.  I was willing to forgo Arthur's to stick together as though I enjoy Arthur's I enjoy company even more.   Marie, of course, was all for going up and it it didn't take much to convince Ean to do the same.  The views from the top were great as always.  We hung up top a bit, ate some food, chatted, and rested from the 1200 ft climb before we started down Timber.  All reports from a week prior were that Timber was an awful mess but we were treated to mostly dry trail with a bit of slush here and there, but not much.  The run down Timber was a blast, easily my favorite part of the day.  Rather than take the swing to the west at the bottom of Timber we cut down the Wells Gulch trail where we saw our first wildflowers of the spring.  

Marie on the way out of Soderberg

  As we hit the north end of Lory we opted again for a course detour and took the trail from Satanka Cove to the boat landing by the north damn.  Trail is a generous word in some spots.  Some was trail, some a faint game trail, and some was just plain bushwhacking or scrambling up rocks.  We made our way across though, more successful than some of our other trail running buddies were at finding the route.  The run/climb/bushwack is about a mile shorter, but probably takes longer.  It was surely more fun though, and it earned us some bragging rights.

Ean coming down from the top of Arthur's

  Marie and I ran MM together last year too, and we both commented on how we felt much better leaving Lory this year than we did last.  We turned south for the last 7-8 miles and turned straight into a wind that for most of the day was light or non-existent for most of the day.  It wasn't my first choice, but what can you do.  I've done versions of this run a half dozen times, ranging from 23-30 miles, and I always have a tough time at some point along the Foothills trail, sometimes barely out of Lory, sometimes not until we're approaching the top of Centennial, but always before Maxwell.  Maxwell and Pineridge then turn into a slog back to the Mays', complete with some 14 minute miles on what really is some easy trail.  To my surprise that didn't happen this time.  Though I didn't have the same pop in my step as I did leaving the driveway that morning I did manage to keep up a reasonable pace all the way back as we pulled back into the driveway at just about 25 miles.  I was tired but not really pushing the wall like I typically am.  We did take it slower on the climbs in the park and spent a good amount of time on Arthur's and lost time in our adventure from Satanka to the boat landing, so maybe that was it.  Maybe it was conditioning, maybe it was hitting the food and drink and electrolytes just right.  Maybe it was my new batch of energy bars.  Or the PB&J on Irish Soda bread - my newest trail food of the gods.  Maybe it was just the good company.  Rating how you feel at the end of a 25+ mile run from 1-10 this was a solid 8, hard to complain about that.

Spoiling the best view of Fort Collins you can find

So back as we left Lory I commented that we were going to finish right around 25 miles and knowing Marie she would egg us on to do a bit more to get a marathon in.  As we neared the finish we all said we were OK with just 25 though.  And then 5 minutes after stopping Marie and Ean told me they were going after the last bit.  So off we went.

I went back and read my post about the 2011 MM run because I remembered it also being a lot of fun.  Everything I said then still applies, the FCTRs are still a great group of runners and friends and they more than anything are the reason I train.  I train so I can be in good enough shape to run and have fun with them.