Getting back into the swing of things

Mostly all winter, I've been running once a week or so, and even with a regular gym schedule and cross-training, I was beginning to miss running as frequently as I had last year. Now with it being intermittent spring, I am trying to hit the trails at least 2 or 3 times a week.

Even now though, as I play at the park with my children, I watch all the snow clouds forming over the mountains. It's beautiful to see them engulfing Pikes, and then Mt. Rosa, and soon the foothills. But I know this means the storm cloud will be over town by tomorrow! The lesson is: take advantage of the early spring training while you can, because winter's not done with us!

On Sunday, I hit up the incline. I started late, sleeping in for the time change, so I didn't go to the club run. But happily I ran into Jim on the Barr as I was headed down, so I finally got back in contact with him, as I look forward to scheduling some runs with him this summer. He's a long distance kind of guy, and I certainly am waiting patiently on mountain adventures for this summer! I can't wait to get the Missing Link trail (now called Lake Moraine trail also I believe) completed from North Cheyenne Cañon to Barr Camp.

As for Sunday, the day started cloudy and windy but quickly got warmer, and I hit a 36:29 on my Incline for the day. I enjoyed the views of Pikes from near No Name Creek as the clouds lifted. I then headed down, opting for a short day.

Today,  I decided to set out and run at least 10 miles, since Sunday was such a short day. I ran a good segment of the Legacy Loop. For those of you who haven't tried this urban loop, the improvements have made it very nice to run.

I mixed it up a little on my run. First I stopped by my favorite pullup bars and did 3 sets of pullups and 3 sets of pushups.

Then I ran until my GPS said 5.5, calling 11 miles "good enough" for today. The Legacy Loop has some nice features. As I was running, I thought about the recent Adam Ruins Everything episode on nature, and as he states,  nature can be everywhere - and this urban trail corridor is no exception. The natural features like ponds enhance the loop.

The improvements to the trail include a nice walkway that goes down to a flat area near the river, close to Uintah street.

Then I found a bench and did some tricep dips, rounding out my earlier workout. I will probably still do some core work later tonight. Hopefully all this training will actually help my times on the mountain this summer as I prepare for the Ascent. I'll need focused speedwork and dedicated strengthening to get that sub-4! The Legacy Loop can be used in many ways to contribute to this training, so I'm thankful to have it completed and operational. 

Now as I watch the clouds while at the park, I look forward to many beautiful days atop those far summits! One of the best parts of living near the mountains is getting to enjoy their grandeur after a nice long run.