This week wasn't great. A few external factors got in the way of training this week, but the main two were school and what felt like a twinge of overtraining. As many of my friends, and ex-coaches know, I am a chronic "overtrainer". At one point I was so overtrained I had to take three weeks of the bike and averaged about 13-14 hours of sleep per day. I am determined to start listing to my body and letting it rest when it needs it. I'm getting better about listening to my body but I still push through pain and fatigue to get the hours in, and sometimes this backfires. With that is mind, I decided to take every other day off and see how I felt. The week broke down like this:
Monday- off
Tuesday- 2.05 hours. Took the long way up Green and the Saddle Rock trail down. This run sucked. It was during this run that I knew something was up. I posted 1.15 hours for the long way up Green- an all time slow. Terrible to say the least.
Wednesday- off
Thursday- A 2.00 hour and $67 mountain bike ride with Taylor Horowitz and Drew Hogg. This ride wasn't epic but it was certainly interesting. Way up in Walker Ranch, almost at the same time, Taylor took a nice little fall and I blew my chain to bites. So I ended up working on my tucking skills and bombed down the Link Trail and Canyon Road to Boulder sans chain. I still managed to beat Taylor and Drew down the Canyon but I feel like they gave me that victory! We followed that up with a trip to the bike store to get a new chain and then cruised campus and holla'ed at all the fine honeys! Nothing more sexy then professional bike rides with shaved legs- the girls knew what was up!
Friday-Off
Saturday- Am 2.20 hours. PM 30 min. Ran Shadow Canyon to South Boulder then Bear Peak. Bombed down Fern canyon and cruised the Mesa trail home. This was a fun and pretty fast run. That afternoon I just cruised the south Boulder roads.
Sunday- 2.30 hour mountain bike ride. After a night of bull riding at shooters I wasn't really feeling like a long run. So with a perfectly timed text from Taylor we hit good ol' Walker Ranch...again. This time no falls or mechanicals. A solid day.
Run-4.55 hours
Bike-4.30
Total-9.25 hours
This week saw a little more biking then normal. I have found that the bike is so much easier on the body and is a good way to get some training in while feeling overtrained. The rest proved beneficial and I'm starting to feel better again. Sometimes you have to cut the losses and take a week easy. Its always better to have a low milage week rather then to push through it and have to take more time off. Looking to hit 14 or 15 hours next week.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Snow, Regrets, Indulgence. A week in Review March 27- April 3rd
After my one week hiatus, this week proved to be pretty solid. The knee is feeling good and is ready for another week of training. This week consisted of the following:
Monday- 20 min. This was a short run to feel out the head cold and knee injury. Started feeling good but not 100%. That night I saw Brent and had the Graston. The knee instantly felt better.
Tuesday- Am 3.25 hours. Pm 35 min. This was a solid day of training. Got two laps on Green and one on Flag. Knee felt solid and it was great to be back in the mountains. That afternoon was an easy shake out followed by my "Belgium" recovery (10 min in the hot tub, ice cold shower, 10 min in steam room. Repeat 3 times) This is a great recovery. The hot tub and steam room open the blood vessels while the ice water constricts them. This helped shock the inflammation out and circulate the blood.
Wednesday- 1.15 hours. Just cruised around the flatirons and tried to stay out of the mountains. I need to spend more time on the flats.
Thursday- 30 min. Lesson learned! After a late night run on Wednesday I hardly ate anything for dinner and pretty much skipped breakfast. I estimated something like 1500 calories consumed over the last 24 hours. Due to a lack of calories I was forced to stop running way early today. Big mistake with my eating and a valuable lesson learned.
Friday- 2.00 hours mountain biking. Pulled out the mountain bike and ripped the trails. Gotta love bike driving!
Saturday- 4 hours. A long loop up green and then a lap on Flag. This run took the "long way" up and pretty much consisted of running super flag then cutting into the mountains. With a combination of trails and road I hit the top of super flag then cut east to Ranger trail and up. Took this loop up and down (with a few small loops in between) then ran flag. The last 30 min hurt! I'm pretty sure I was highly dehydrated at that point.
Sunday- 1.30 hours. Hit the rollers in South Boulder in the snow! Pure Blizzard...it was amazing! It cleared out all the douche bag college kids (event though they don't know about these trails- this area is my secret stash) and was epic! Was the first person on my super secret trail. This trail is off the side of a side trail and it totally epic! I only know 2 people who know about it (one of whom I showed) and it is a great run. For now the location of this trail is going to be my little secret! Awesome run! I wanted to go another 30 min or an hour but was utterly spent from Saturday's effort.
All in all:
Run- 11.30 hours
Bike- 2.00 hours
Total- 13.30 hours
This week was utter indulgence! It was so great doing these long runs and being back in the mountains. I look forward to this summer when I can train around 18-20 hours per week. Ideally I would like to hit 17 or 18 hours running and 2-3 hours on the bike. I found that my ideal training for cycling was between 18-24 hours per week and I am excited about getting up towards those hours again.
As many of you damn well better know today was the Ronde Van Vlaanderen! Today and next Sunday will always be two days of great joy and great sorrow in my life. Although today's run was amazing, it was overshadowed with sorrow. All my training on the bike, I mean all my training, was geared towards winning the Ronde and next week's Roubiax. All the way back to high school, on days I didn't want to train I did it because I wanted to win Roubaix. I didn't give a damn about any local races, I did them to turn pro and win these two races. These two days a year I usually get depressed and wonder what if. What if I hadn't chosen grad school and decided to continue to race bikes (I probably should have stayed on the bike). My biggest regret in life is not winning these two races. It's something I have to live with daily and I will be eternally sorrowful. Its hard to understand but those races are my life. Nothing, not even winning Mont-Blanc can compare to them. Is this healthy? Probably not. C'est la via.
I would like to take the time to congratulate my old friend Steven Van Vooren for his performance in the Ronde today! Way to go Steven, I will always cheer for you!
All regrets aside, I am still enjoying running and am excited to see how far I can push it. I can't say this is healthy but it's what I do. I would like to take the time to introduce you all to my old training method of "puke-er-vauls" Back in the day, I used to do 3x hill repeats until I either dry heaved or threw up. Not sane in the least but it showed me how hard and long I could endure. If you don't over tighten the screw you will never know how tight it can go.
The Ronde and Roubaix:
The two most beautiful things in the world. Period.
Monday- 20 min. This was a short run to feel out the head cold and knee injury. Started feeling good but not 100%. That night I saw Brent and had the Graston. The knee instantly felt better.
Tuesday- Am 3.25 hours. Pm 35 min. This was a solid day of training. Got two laps on Green and one on Flag. Knee felt solid and it was great to be back in the mountains. That afternoon was an easy shake out followed by my "Belgium" recovery (10 min in the hot tub, ice cold shower, 10 min in steam room. Repeat 3 times) This is a great recovery. The hot tub and steam room open the blood vessels while the ice water constricts them. This helped shock the inflammation out and circulate the blood.
Wednesday- 1.15 hours. Just cruised around the flatirons and tried to stay out of the mountains. I need to spend more time on the flats.
Thursday- 30 min. Lesson learned! After a late night run on Wednesday I hardly ate anything for dinner and pretty much skipped breakfast. I estimated something like 1500 calories consumed over the last 24 hours. Due to a lack of calories I was forced to stop running way early today. Big mistake with my eating and a valuable lesson learned.
Friday- 2.00 hours mountain biking. Pulled out the mountain bike and ripped the trails. Gotta love bike driving!
Saturday- 4 hours. A long loop up green and then a lap on Flag. This run took the "long way" up and pretty much consisted of running super flag then cutting into the mountains. With a combination of trails and road I hit the top of super flag then cut east to Ranger trail and up. Took this loop up and down (with a few small loops in between) then ran flag. The last 30 min hurt! I'm pretty sure I was highly dehydrated at that point.
Sunday- 1.30 hours. Hit the rollers in South Boulder in the snow! Pure Blizzard...it was amazing! It cleared out all the douche bag college kids (event though they don't know about these trails- this area is my secret stash) and was epic! Was the first person on my super secret trail. This trail is off the side of a side trail and it totally epic! I only know 2 people who know about it (one of whom I showed) and it is a great run. For now the location of this trail is going to be my little secret! Awesome run! I wanted to go another 30 min or an hour but was utterly spent from Saturday's effort.
All in all:
Run- 11.30 hours
Bike- 2.00 hours
Total- 13.30 hours
This week was utter indulgence! It was so great doing these long runs and being back in the mountains. I look forward to this summer when I can train around 18-20 hours per week. Ideally I would like to hit 17 or 18 hours running and 2-3 hours on the bike. I found that my ideal training for cycling was between 18-24 hours per week and I am excited about getting up towards those hours again.
As many of you damn well better know today was the Ronde Van Vlaanderen! Today and next Sunday will always be two days of great joy and great sorrow in my life. Although today's run was amazing, it was overshadowed with sorrow. All my training on the bike, I mean all my training, was geared towards winning the Ronde and next week's Roubiax. All the way back to high school, on days I didn't want to train I did it because I wanted to win Roubaix. I didn't give a damn about any local races, I did them to turn pro and win these two races. These two days a year I usually get depressed and wonder what if. What if I hadn't chosen grad school and decided to continue to race bikes (I probably should have stayed on the bike). My biggest regret in life is not winning these two races. It's something I have to live with daily and I will be eternally sorrowful. Its hard to understand but those races are my life. Nothing, not even winning Mont-Blanc can compare to them. Is this healthy? Probably not. C'est la via.
I would like to take the time to congratulate my old friend Steven Van Vooren for his performance in the Ronde today! Way to go Steven, I will always cheer for you!
All regrets aside, I am still enjoying running and am excited to see how far I can push it. I can't say this is healthy but it's what I do. I would like to take the time to introduce you all to my old training method of "puke-er-vauls" Back in the day, I used to do 3x hill repeats until I either dry heaved or threw up. Not sane in the least but it showed me how hard and long I could endure. If you don't over tighten the screw you will never know how tight it can go.
The Ronde and Roubaix:
The two most beautiful things in the world. Period.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
the word of the day...recovery
A common misbelief about endurance sports and weight training is that you get stronger as you exercise. The truth of the matter is workouts break your muscles down and it is during recovery that strength is built. Throughout cycling I have always taken my recovery very seriously. I have found that there is only so much I can do for myself and I often look to other people to aid in my recovery. There are three main treatments I use: acupuncture, graston, and massage (in that order). I firmly believe that a combination of these three treatments can help anyone achieve their athletic goals. As massage is known to everyone I will skip over that and enlighten you about my other two, preferred, methods of recovery.
Acupuncture: Ahhh good ol' Steven Rizzolo. Rizzolo is my go to guy when it comes to muscle and joint problems. All my ailments are treated with a combination of ultrasound, trigger point needling, and e- stem. Steven was nice enough to write up the quick summery that follows on trigger point needling and its benefits:
What is Trigger Point Needling? How do they develop? What are the benefits of having then needled?
Trigger point needling is an extremely effective technique that uses a very fine acupuncture needle to "deactivate" or "shut down" painful or knotted areas in your muscles. A trigger point is a hyperirritable spot in skeletal muscle that is associated with a hypersensitive palpable nodule in a taut band. The spot is painful on compression and can give rise to a characteristic referral pain zone.
Trigger points form only in skeletal muscles by a local contraction in a small number of muscle fibers located in the larger muscle bundle. It often feels like a pea buried deep in the muscle that keeps the muscle tight and weak. Trigger points maintain a hard contraction on the muscle fibers that are directly connected to them. This constriction is the source of the discomfort within the muscle itself. These taut bands of muscle fiber also keep constant tension on the muscle's attachments often producing symptoms in tendons and adjacent joints.
Activation of trigger points may be caused by a number of factors including acute or chronic muscle overload as seen with training athletes, secondary activation of satellite trigger points by other primary trigger points, psychological distress via systemic inflammation, direct trauma to the region such as fall off of a mountain bike onto the hip, and accident trauma such as whiplash in a car accident that stresses many muscles and causes instant trigger points.
The illustration to the right is a common set of trigger points located in the muscle of the
levator scapula. The “X’s” indicate the location of the trigger points while the red dots represent the pain referral pattern. These trigger points are consistently active in cyclists and anyone who is working at the computer for an extended period of time.
How Does Trigger Point Needling Improve Function?
1. Trigger Point Needling of skeletal muscle causes a reflexive relaxation of the involved muscle.
2. Micro damage created by the needle insertion causes a local healing response in the effected tissue by increasing blood supply that promotes the natural healing process.
3. Trigger Point Needling disrupts the feedback loop nerve pathway that has created the trigger point.
4. Trigger Point Needling causes a local chemical release that blocks the transmission of pain messages.
Conditions That May Benefit From Trigger Point Needling?
1. Acute and chronic tendonitis
2. Athletic and sports-related overuse injuries
3. Post-surgical pain
4. Post-traumatic injuries, motor vehicle accidents, and work related injuries
5. Chronic pain conditions
6. Headaches and whiplash
7. Lower back pain
For more information or to schedule an appointment please contact Steven Rizzolo at:
Phone 303.506.4637
Steven@BoulderSportsAcupuncture.com
www.BoulderSportsAcupuncture.com
Graston: "The Graston Technique is a type of Myofascial Release Treatment. It uses a form of instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization that enables clinicians to effectively detect and treat scar tissue and restrictions that affect normal function..." (Boulder Tri-Massage). The man responsible for treating me is Dr. Brent Apgar, DC at Synch Chiropractic. This technique has greatly helped my sore knee and helped relive some tension in my lower back. I was a little surprised that Brent remarked that I had the back of a 40 or 50 year old. My back has been greatly traumatized due to all the years spent riding and racing bikes. He said that backs like that for someone my age only come with years of intense professional athleticism. Good or bad...you decide. Brent is an awesome guy and a fellow rock climber to boot. If your looking for an excellent Graston treatment or chiropractor Brent is your man. Brent works in conjunction with Boulder Tri- Massage and can be reached at:
http://tri-massage.com/index
http://synchropractic.blogspot.com/
Acupuncture: Ahhh good ol' Steven Rizzolo. Rizzolo is my go to guy when it comes to muscle and joint problems. All my ailments are treated with a combination of ultrasound, trigger point needling, and e- stem. Steven was nice enough to write up the quick summery that follows on trigger point needling and its benefits:
What is Trigger Point Needling? How do they develop? What are the benefits of having then needled?
Trigger point needling is an extremely effective technique that uses a very fine acupuncture needle to "deactivate" or "shut down" painful or knotted areas in your muscles. A trigger point is a hyperirritable spot in skeletal muscle that is associated with a hypersensitive palpable nodule in a taut band. The spot is painful on compression and can give rise to a characteristic referral pain zone.
Trigger points form only in skeletal muscles by a local contraction in a small number of muscle fibers located in the larger muscle bundle. It often feels like a pea buried deep in the muscle that keeps the muscle tight and weak. Trigger points maintain a hard contraction on the muscle fibers that are directly connected to them. This constriction is the source of the discomfort within the muscle itself. These taut bands of muscle fiber also keep constant tension on the muscle's attachments often producing symptoms in tendons and adjacent joints.
Activation of trigger points may be caused by a number of factors including acute or chronic muscle overload as seen with training athletes, secondary activation of satellite trigger points by other primary trigger points, psychological distress via systemic inflammation, direct trauma to the region such as fall off of a mountain bike onto the hip, and accident trauma such as whiplash in a car accident that stresses many muscles and causes instant trigger points.
The illustration to the right is a common set of trigger points located in the muscle of the
levator scapula. The “X’s” indicate the location of the trigger points while the red dots represent the pain referral pattern. These trigger points are consistently active in cyclists and anyone who is working at the computer for an extended period of time.
How Does Trigger Point Needling Improve Function?
1. Trigger Point Needling of skeletal muscle causes a reflexive relaxation of the involved muscle.
2. Micro damage created by the needle insertion causes a local healing response in the effected tissue by increasing blood supply that promotes the natural healing process.
3. Trigger Point Needling disrupts the feedback loop nerve pathway that has created the trigger point.
4. Trigger Point Needling causes a local chemical release that blocks the transmission of pain messages.
Conditions That May Benefit From Trigger Point Needling?
1. Acute and chronic tendonitis
2. Athletic and sports-related overuse injuries
3. Post-surgical pain
4. Post-traumatic injuries, motor vehicle accidents, and work related injuries
5. Chronic pain conditions
6. Headaches and whiplash
7. Lower back pain
For more information or to schedule an appointment please contact Steven Rizzolo at:
Phone 303.506.4637
Steven@BoulderSportsAcupuncture.com
www.BoulderSportsAcupuncture.com
Graston: "The Graston Technique is a type of Myofascial Release Treatment. It uses a form of instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization that enables clinicians to effectively detect and treat scar tissue and restrictions that affect normal function..." (Boulder Tri-Massage). The man responsible for treating me is Dr. Brent Apgar, DC at Synch Chiropractic. This technique has greatly helped my sore knee and helped relive some tension in my lower back. I was a little surprised that Brent remarked that I had the back of a 40 or 50 year old. My back has been greatly traumatized due to all the years spent riding and racing bikes. He said that backs like that for someone my age only come with years of intense professional athleticism. Good or bad...you decide. Brent is an awesome guy and a fellow rock climber to boot. If your looking for an excellent Graston treatment or chiropractor Brent is your man. Brent works in conjunction with Boulder Tri- Massage and can be reached at:
http://tri-massage.com/index
http://synchropractic.blogspot.com/
Saturday, March 26, 2011
With break comes illness
...It happens like clockwork. At every major break in the school year, (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Spring) I inevitably get sick. Its happened the last three and a half years, and I don't know why I thought I could avoid it this year. With the exception of spring break freshman year (the first time I hit 20 hours per week on a bike) and the California Training Camp sophomore year I have always become sick. This week has proven to be no exception. With a goal of 12 hours of solid training, I ended up with 3. A terrible week. But on the bright side my knee is feeling good. I just gotta roll with the punches and get back on it. The next three weeks are planned out. I'm shooting for 12, 13, then 13-14 hours the last week. Lets make it happen!
Friday, March 25, 2011
Halla
Just wanted to give a shout out to Peter Horn and my old teammates over in Belgium killing it right now under the new name, Geox Fuji-Test Team. Peter has a working blog about the racing in Belgium that you guys should check out. Bernard has a strong team going and is running a great program for developing cyclists.
http://www.fujibikes.com/testteam/
http://www.cyclingcenter.com/
http://www.fujibikes.com/testteam/
http://www.cyclingcenter.com/
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
On a more personal note...
After Monday's hour run my knee wasn't taking it. About three weeks ago I twisted me knee on an epic 2 hour run through the snow. On that day I headed out to Heil Ranch (after a little snow storm) and was the only one out there. I broke trail nearly the whole way- losing the trail many times. Since that epic run, my right knee has been hurting on and off. With that in mind I decided once and for all to take three days completely off. No running, cycling, climbing or anything. I'm on day two right now and losing my mind.
I'v been told before that when you are forced to stop something you realize how important it is to you. Although I have been injured before it wasn't until now that I realized how essential being outside and active is to me. Its not even running, its everything. I have come to realize that I will never live in crowded clustered cities. I need the wilderness and open space to keep my sanity. As many of you know, I'm moving to NYC for one year next year to get a masters degree. After that I plan to move anywhere that I can easily access the wilderness. I know that means not living and working in NYC. Everyone tells me to not shut my "doors" and be willing to work there. I'm laying it out, right here and now, that I will not be living in NYC. I don't care if that shuts doors, that is a life I don't want and will not live. So please stop telling me this.
The question I get asked the most is why? Why do I want to run a 100 mile race? Most people look at me like I'm completely bat shit crazy. I remember one night out I was a wee bit tipsy and trying to convince a complete stranger that a a 50 mile running race was nothing. A walk in the park. He definitely thought I was crazy.
So why do I do it? To be honest, I don't completely understand. I do know that it has something to do with experiencing life to the fullest. For me running, cycling, and climbing all push my body to the limit and that's when I believe you truly live. The sensation for running in the mountains for hours on end, to the point of exhaustion, is essential to experiencing life. This all hit home when my close friend Richard Abruzzo came to a tragic death. I grew up cycling with Richard and always thought he was a total bad ass. When he showed up for a ride, I was worried. I was lucky enough to have Richard visit me in Boulder, CO last summer for a weekend of riding. I can't explain the feelings I had when I beat him up the local climbs. I will always remember the last time I saw him alive and will fondly look back at the weekend- a highlight in my cycling career for sure.
When Richard died, two things happened. The first was when I was talking to Jim Klabunde, Jim told me that "...Richard lived, he didn't just go through the motions he truly lived." This is something that I will never forget. It's why I do it. I want to live, I don't want to waste away in some office, in front of a computer, or in a concrete jungle. The second thing Richard's death taught me was that he died doing what he loved. Some people think he was being irresponsible and stupid but I can't disagree with this point enough. I have found that there are two different types of people in this world. One who jumps off the cliff and one who watches and says "thats re-tarted." If you belong to the group that jumps, you get it. There is something we understand that we will never be able to explain to the other group. Richard and I are proudly part of the group who jump and I will not even attempt to explain it because you will not understand, ever.
If your part of the group that jumps you probably understand my reasons for running insane distances. If not, you probably think this whole thing is stupid.
I'v been told before that when you are forced to stop something you realize how important it is to you. Although I have been injured before it wasn't until now that I realized how essential being outside and active is to me. Its not even running, its everything. I have come to realize that I will never live in crowded clustered cities. I need the wilderness and open space to keep my sanity. As many of you know, I'm moving to NYC for one year next year to get a masters degree. After that I plan to move anywhere that I can easily access the wilderness. I know that means not living and working in NYC. Everyone tells me to not shut my "doors" and be willing to work there. I'm laying it out, right here and now, that I will not be living in NYC. I don't care if that shuts doors, that is a life I don't want and will not live. So please stop telling me this.
The question I get asked the most is why? Why do I want to run a 100 mile race? Most people look at me like I'm completely bat shit crazy. I remember one night out I was a wee bit tipsy and trying to convince a complete stranger that a a 50 mile running race was nothing. A walk in the park. He definitely thought I was crazy.
So why do I do it? To be honest, I don't completely understand. I do know that it has something to do with experiencing life to the fullest. For me running, cycling, and climbing all push my body to the limit and that's when I believe you truly live. The sensation for running in the mountains for hours on end, to the point of exhaustion, is essential to experiencing life. This all hit home when my close friend Richard Abruzzo came to a tragic death. I grew up cycling with Richard and always thought he was a total bad ass. When he showed up for a ride, I was worried. I was lucky enough to have Richard visit me in Boulder, CO last summer for a weekend of riding. I can't explain the feelings I had when I beat him up the local climbs. I will always remember the last time I saw him alive and will fondly look back at the weekend- a highlight in my cycling career for sure.
When Richard died, two things happened. The first was when I was talking to Jim Klabunde, Jim told me that "...Richard lived, he didn't just go through the motions he truly lived." This is something that I will never forget. It's why I do it. I want to live, I don't want to waste away in some office, in front of a computer, or in a concrete jungle. The second thing Richard's death taught me was that he died doing what he loved. Some people think he was being irresponsible and stupid but I can't disagree with this point enough. I have found that there are two different types of people in this world. One who jumps off the cliff and one who watches and says "thats re-tarted." If you belong to the group that jumps, you get it. There is something we understand that we will never be able to explain to the other group. Richard and I are proudly part of the group who jump and I will not even attempt to explain it because you will not understand, ever.
If your part of the group that jumps you probably understand my reasons for running insane distances. If not, you probably think this whole thing is stupid.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
A Week in Review March 14th-20th
As I have already mention, Monday was a rest day and Tuesday was a solid 3.00 hour run. The rest of the week goes as follows:
Wednesday- 1.20 hours up and down Flagstaff with some loops at the top. I was feeling rather tight today and this was a painful one. With a soreness in my legs that only endurance athletes know, I opted out of Green and ran the much easier and shorter Flag. I followed this up with a great acupuncture session with Steven Rizzolo.
Thursday- 1.30 hours. Grabbed the mountain bike and hit the trails with Herron! Such a fun ride. As much as I enjoy running, I can't always resist the urge to ride the bike.
The ride also provided a great view of the mountains I run on a weekly basis. On the left there is Bear Peak (with South Boulder behind it out of sight) and the right peak is Green Mountain.
Friday- 1.40 hours. Solid run up and down Green Mountain. Ran up the Saddle Rock trail, then cut over to the Ranger trail for the decent. I decided to add a little more vertical so I took the E.M Trail back over to Saddle Rock and then ran down.
Saturday- Home for break! This was a rest day like no other. I got in around 6.30pm last night, went to bed at 11 pm and slept tell 11.30 am. I then hung around the house and went back to sleep from 12.30 tell 3. I followed that up with a late dinner and bed by 10.30 pm. I slept another 12 hours this night as well!
Sunday- 2.15 hour run. My knee was hurting a little early on during this run and I was worried that I would have to turn back early. After 20 min and some stretching it started feeling good. Did a few laps on the hills around my house in Albuquerque then climbed most of Pino Canyon. This is a pretty fun climb and pretty easy. Its not very steep and make for a good consistent climb. I had to turn back early due to snow. Nothing like running shirtless, in 70 degree weather on the snow. It was an awesome feeling.
P.M- 1.15 hours mountain biking. I was able to borrow a Canondale Lefty and ripped the trails on it. That bike climbs so well! It was a real treat to rip around on it.
This was a pretty good week of training, I got in three solid peaks and one minor one. Overall I'm satisfied with the week, given all the tests and papers. It was really fun getting back on the bike. I was introduced to endurance sports through cycling and I will always be a cyclist. I don't really see myself as a runner yet. A few weeks back I was running on the trails and the person in front of me warned his friends that a "runner was coming." This was the first time I really realized that I'm being labeled a runner. It's something that I haven't quite come to terms with. Personally I still view myself as a cyclist.
Total hours on the week:
Run- 8.15 hours
Bike- 2.45 hours
Total- 11 hours
Wednesday- 1.20 hours up and down Flagstaff with some loops at the top. I was feeling rather tight today and this was a painful one. With a soreness in my legs that only endurance athletes know, I opted out of Green and ran the much easier and shorter Flag. I followed this up with a great acupuncture session with Steven Rizzolo.
Thursday- 1.30 hours. Grabbed the mountain bike and hit the trails with Herron! Such a fun ride. As much as I enjoy running, I can't always resist the urge to ride the bike.
The ride also provided a great view of the mountains I run on a weekly basis. On the left there is Bear Peak (with South Boulder behind it out of sight) and the right peak is Green Mountain.
Friday- 1.40 hours. Solid run up and down Green Mountain. Ran up the Saddle Rock trail, then cut over to the Ranger trail for the decent. I decided to add a little more vertical so I took the E.M Trail back over to Saddle Rock and then ran down.
Saturday- Home for break! This was a rest day like no other. I got in around 6.30pm last night, went to bed at 11 pm and slept tell 11.30 am. I then hung around the house and went back to sleep from 12.30 tell 3. I followed that up with a late dinner and bed by 10.30 pm. I slept another 12 hours this night as well!
Sunday- 2.15 hour run. My knee was hurting a little early on during this run and I was worried that I would have to turn back early. After 20 min and some stretching it started feeling good. Did a few laps on the hills around my house in Albuquerque then climbed most of Pino Canyon. This is a pretty fun climb and pretty easy. Its not very steep and make for a good consistent climb. I had to turn back early due to snow. Nothing like running shirtless, in 70 degree weather on the snow. It was an awesome feeling.
P.M- 1.15 hours mountain biking. I was able to borrow a Canondale Lefty and ripped the trails on it. That bike climbs so well! It was a real treat to rip around on it.
This was a pretty good week of training, I got in three solid peaks and one minor one. Overall I'm satisfied with the week, given all the tests and papers. It was really fun getting back on the bike. I was introduced to endurance sports through cycling and I will always be a cyclist. I don't really see myself as a runner yet. A few weeks back I was running on the trails and the person in front of me warned his friends that a "runner was coming." This was the first time I really realized that I'm being labeled a runner. It's something that I haven't quite come to terms with. Personally I still view myself as a cyclist.
Total hours on the week:
Run- 8.15 hours
Bike- 2.45 hours
Total- 11 hours
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