May update so far! Pikes Peak summit on 05/07, and weekly workout log

The month of May is off to a quick start! My regular workouts for the first week of the month were as follows:

• May 1 - Mon - 35 minutes row machine.
• May 2 - Tue - 7.8 miles run; side lateral raises.
• May 3 - Wed - 50 minutes row machine.
• May 4 - Thu - 10 miles run.
• May 5 - Fri - 6.3 miles run; pull-ups.

Friday's run was with Pippin:

10k in the park with my pal, Pippin. ❤️

Saturday I took an active rest day, still doing a 3 mile walk with my daughter. That night, we went to Denver for the Denver Fashion Week show.

It was quite a fun evening, but I didn't get much rest on Saturday night, somewhere between 2 and 3 hours of sleep.

***

Dionne was running on low sleep as well when we met up on the morning of Sunday, May 7. We didn't have Incline reservations, so we just started at the base of Barr Trail for our summit attempt day.

I recall saying very early on, somewhere on the Ws, that I felt very strong and a summit was likely within reach for me today. Despite not sleeping much, at least I'd had a few solid hours. A little sleep deprivation training isn't a bad thing for an ultramarathon runner.

We made steady time all the way through Lightning Point.

I pushed the last half-mile to Barr Camp a little bit more. It was nice to stop in and see Karla and Robert again. They said there were a lot of folks headed to the summit today, so I'd be in good company.

After a snack and a chat, Dionne and I headed back out. We continued on towards Bottomless Pit junction before she had to turn around for the day.

I made a solid push for A-frame. When I arrived and looked up the gully, it looked not only possible, but actually easier than the time I had on my summit three weeks ago.

I left A-frame and began climbing the rocky slope directly upwards towards the summit. As I ascended, I got some of the same classic views as I did on my summit trip three weeks ago. There were still patches of snow this time, but they were more avoidable.

As I continued to climb the central gully, I looked over at the sweeping east face and saw a skier 😲 launching off!

It looked like he was having a bit of a tough time working around the very patchy snow.

Furthermore, I knew from crossing a few snowfields already that the snow was crunchy on top and nice for climbing, with a good amount of icy, rough grip. That's the exact opposite of what you want for skiing down, when you want soft powdery slick snow.

I didn't envy his descent! I took a few minutes to catch some photos before I turned my attention upwards again, back to the uphill grind.

There were a set of prints that crossed directly up the snowfields, climbing right towards 16 Golden Stairs. Someone had pre-trekked in the gully for me.

For the most part, I followed their tracks, but a few times they became too meandering and I cut directly up the slope instead. Sometimes I'd drop to my hands and dig into the snowfield, using my whole body to propel me upwards, like a snow spider.

The giant snowfields were broken by patches of bare ground.

A few giant gusts of wind tried to chill me, but I just climbed onward and upward.

Soon, I'd reached 16 Golden Stairs. This felt familiar 😁, as if I'd just been here 3 weeks ago!

There were icicles hanging on one of the rocks near the 16 Golden Stairs sign - just another small indicator of winter still hanging on at high altitude.

I took a few deep breaths and scrambled directly up from the sign to the summit. I made the summit in 4:04 moving time!! (I had taken longer with the breaks and stops at Barr Camp, etc.)

The snow at the very top was deep.

I tiptoed along the edge of the train tracks, not wanting to fall through the snow.

I safely reached the platform and got a summit photo! 😃

What another fun Pikes Peak summit trip!!

It was much easier today than it was three weeks ago, and I was much faster overall. I had also planned on a summit today (versus an impromptu summit last time), so I knew what to anticipate from the outset.

This time, the road was open, so I was able to get a ride back to town without needing to buy a train ticket, so that was a nice bonus!

Additionally, I had a little extra time to check out the museum this time around!!

The museum has tons of great information. I'm a total nerd for museums, so I'll have to head up the trail really early some day so I can spend an hour or two exploring and reading every sign in detail. (While simultaneously spending time at altitude, what could be better?)

The friendly folks who gave me a ride down from the summit were kind enough to drop me off at the Legacy Loop trailhead, so I was able to jog the 3 additional miles home, netting 13.7 miles and over 8600 feet of elevation gain for the day.

***

On Monday (May 8), the day after my Ascent, I met Sharon for intervals!

The timing had just worked out that I'd end up having back-to-back hard workouts, but that was ok with me.

We did the 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, 1/2, 1/4-mile workout; our typical short interval ladder.

Despite the hard climb yesterday, I felt better on each interval. My times were 2:04, 3:40, 5:28, 3:35, and 1:40.

I intentionally didn't try to overexert myself, although I did put forth a fair effort.

Our total distance for the day was 5.4 miles.

After our run, I did quite a few pull-ups and negatives.

***

On Monday night, I'd decided on a whim to sign up for the Pikes Peak Road Runners' Garden training runs which take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

I was up early enough and felt good on Tuesday morning, so I decided to go!!

I did not pre-plan back-to-back-TO-BACK hard workouts. And I usually wouldn't recommend this!!!

But I enjoyed jogging with the group and staying at a consistent (as possible) pace on the 3-mile gate-to-gate interval.

It was a gorgeous day for the run, and fun to meet new people to run with. I enjoyed the social atmosphere! After the uphill push, we jogged easily back down the road and then through the Central Garden back to the parking lot, for a total of 9.7 miles for the day and 1700 feet of elevation gain.

***

For three hard days in a row, I didn't feel completely crumbled.

After the back-to-back-to-back workouts, I subsequently took a rest day, a cross-training day, and an easy day:

• May 10 - Wed -  rest.
• May 11 - Thu - 45 minutes row machine.
• May 12 - Fri - 6.6 miles run.

This Friday's easy morning run featured spectacular clouds above the mountains.

***

Today is now Saturday, May 13. I feel a little cumulative fatigue from all the hard work these last couple weeks, so I may just rest today. If I do work out, it won't be anything too intense (recovery level.)

What an eventful start to the month! I've just been having so much fun ☺️ with my return to the mountains 🏔️😁!

Quite a bit of snow has capped the summit in white in just the last few days, so summiting might not be possible for a while! Glad I've been getting some early spring adventures in this year.

I'm simultaneously thankful for all that I've been able to do already, and also very much looking forward to all there is to see, experience, and adventure this summer 🌞!

Fri, April 21

9 miles on the Legacy Loop today. Mostly flat, nice smooth mileage.

***

Sat, April 22

35 minutes on the row machine at a moderate effort.

***

Sun, April 23

A trio of summits this morning with Dionne!

We started on the Incline, which was a little snowy.

I started at a light jog today, trying to shave seconds from my time where I could. Again like last week, I didn't look at my timer at all until I was on the last step. At the top, I cheered.

My time today was 31:59, shaving another 25 seconds off from last week.

Summit one: the Incline.

The clouds coming off the mountains created a distant layer above the city, making for very picturesque views.

After the Incline, we descended Barr Trail and joined into the Intemann Trail.

Then we connected to the Red Mountain Trail, which I hadn't ever been on before.

I felt good on the nice, runnable uphill trail.

The quick trip to the summit showcased some lovely red rocks and great views of the Incline behind us.

Summit two: Red Mountain.

We returned back to the Intemann Trail and continued on towards the last summit of the day, Iron Mountain.

The trail up Iron Mountain was clear and smooth and very runnable.

Summit three: Iron Mountain.

The summit has nice views of the surrounding area.

After Iron Mountain, we jogged back to the school. I added a couple extra miles on the Intemann Trail, to round out my day to exactly 14 miles. And quite a nice amount of uphill throughout the day.

Both Red Mountain and Iron Mountain were new summits for me, so thanks to Dionne for showing me them!!

And I'm really happy that my Incline time has gone down each time I've done it this year. I know for a fact I've never done it under 30 minutes before, and I'm only 2 minutes off from that goal now!

***

Wed, April 26

Dumbbell front raises, lightweight, unilateral & bilateral.

***

Thur, April 27

45 minutes on the row machine, trying my best to keep my form, engaging my core.

***

Fri, April 28

8.4 miles with Pippin today. It's been so busy lately I haven't had much of a chance to run with Pippin! 

He was excited to get on a variety of our favorite trails.

The moon was rising over the bluffs as we made our way back.

Later, I did lightweight dumbbell overhead presses. I tried to go slowly and focus every part of the exercise, feeling the different muscle fibers acting throughout the motion.

I followed those up with some lying leg raises, trying to engage the lower core.

***

Sat, April 29

I didn't want to do too much today and wear myself out before my Sunday Runday long run. But in the evening, I could tell Pippin was wanting to get out for a run, and I'd probably be too tired after my run tomorrow to take him.

So out we went!! I decided to treat it as a back-to-back run with tomorrow.

We stayed on the roads. Not long after we entered Palmer Park and began our climb up the mesa, Pippin spotted another dog ahead on the trail. This dog was attached to a cyclist and both were making their way casually uphill.

Pippin and I had the same playful thought. Let's race them!! I felt his energy surge as I encouraged him to pull on.

The dog pulling the cyclist spotted us. For a short time, the dog and cyclist sped up a little. 

But so did we!!

I was quite breathless by the top of the canyon, but as I looked back - we were way ahead of the cyclist/dog duo. I always have a fun time racing cyclists uphill.

As we parted ways with the cyclist and ran along the long flat part of the road along the mesa, we witnessed a beautiful sundown.

We watched the lovely clouds at the overlook for just a moment, returning home before it got too dark. We ran 5.9 miles total, and a nice little push on the uphill.

This was the perfect pre-fatigue run for tomorrow, since I'll be running with Dionne in less than 10 hours.

***

Sun, April 30

Dionne and I set out at 5:30, early enough to catch a great sunrise from the trail as we jogged Intemann Trail to the base of Barr Trail.

We jogged casually for our warm-up until the trailhead. We wouldn't be doing the Incline today, instead opting for the longer mileage of climbing the Ws on Barr Trail.

At the Barr trailhead, we began our climb. I wanted to do a steadily ascending pace at least until No Name Creek.

I didn't push the pace too much, but just tried to stay consistent.

We regrouped at No Name, and Dionne continued on with me for a little while longer before turning around.

Then I continued to Barr Camp.

The trail wasn't icy at all until the last half-mile, upon which point is was too lazy to spike up for the uphill, but I was quite thankful to have the spikes for the downhill later.

Today I got the opportunity to go into the cabin and meet the newest (within the last couple years) caretakers, Robert and Carla.

It was nice to be back at this little woodsy refuge in the mountains, enjoying coffee and conversation.

After I lingered around a while, I decided to go uphill just a bit further on the trail before turning around. I donned spikes for this part. The trail was normal winter conditions from Barr Camp up - packed down snow that is easily traversed with spikes. 

I bypassed the 6.5 mile marker and climbed up past the next switchback. I climbed a rock off the trail for an overlook before I would turn around.

From my perch, I saw an approaching hiker, and what do you know, it was previous Pikes Peak Marathon winner Alex Nichols. He was headed for the summit. He had a lot more snow to deal with today than I did two weeks ago with my summit!

After the short break at the turn around, I jogged as smoothly and continuously downhill as I could, making good time.

The skies were beautiful blue and the trail was easy. I did have to pass quite a few people after the Incline connector.

Classic Colorado blue skies 💙 over Cameron's Cone on my way down Barr.

I skipped the bus and ran all the way back to the high school, and I jogged up the stairs at the school to bring my total distance to 19.1 miles for the day.

After I got home, I still did several sets of push-ups to round out the day. I felt surprisingly still energetic after a 25 mile back-to-back weekend.

***

Wow, what another great spring week in Colorado!!

I have to thank Dionne for all the long training lately, we have been getting out on the trail and getting those miles in!

And I feel good that I'm able to incorporate weights and bodyweight workouts in pretty comfortably, and rowing.

I'm looking forward to summer more and more!! See you all out there soon!

A wintery Pikes Peak summit via Barr Trail on 4/16, plus weekly log

Tue, April 11

30 minutes on the row machine, followed by a short 3.4 mile run with Pippin. He seemed to be getting hot, as it was pretty warm today, so we kept it short.

***

Wed, April 12

Push-ups (a good few sets) in the morning before our speedwork!

Then I met Sharon and we decided to do the short ladder: 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, 1/2, 1/4.

My times were 1:42, 3:49, 5:28, 3:32, 1:52.

Overall this constitutes a pretty slow day for me, although the second half-mile at 3:32 was closer to on-pace.

I felt somewhat pre-fatigued today. Next week I'll try to be a little fresher for our speedwork. Next week, we maybe even bump the 3/4 up to a full mile.

We got a total of 5 miles, including warm-up and cool-down.

***

Fri, April 14

50 minutes on the row machine at a moderately-high effort. My row machine said I rowed 15 kilometers, although I'm doubtful about the accuracy of that.

Then I did some lightweight dumbbell squats. At only 15 lbs total, these weren't much more than body weight - just to get the blood pumping in the legs on this rainy, non-run day.

***

Sat, April 15

I took Pippin for a quick one, getting 6.5 miles in the park.

It was a very picturesque day, with deep blue skies and sunny tan sandstone hillsides.

I want to put in a good effort for the Incline tomorrow, so this was just an easy day.

***

Sun, April 16

A big, unexpected adventure day today 😁!

I set out with the plan to do the Incline fast, then continue on to Barr Camp at a moderate pace. I thought I'd probably turn around at Camp, but I left the option open to go a little further if I felt good.

And, boy, did I end up feeling good!

My excitement level was elevated, as I hadn't been on Barr Trail above the Incline connection for years. I was so looking forward to heading up towards Camp.

But first, I had to tackle this Incline.

I set out with a solid start. I didn't feel like I was going quite as fast as two weeks ago, although my breathing was a little more controlled this week.

I didn't peek at my time at all, and didn't intentionally sprint the last few stairs, so I was very pleased when I landed at the top step in 32:24, cutting off 31 seconds from my time two weeks ago!

That sub-30 Incline goal is getting closer within reach for me.

At the top of the Incline, I actually spent more time than I intended to socializing, but it was a nice respite from the effort.

I met a man from Columbia who barely spoke a word of English, but had made his way up this grueling hike. I was so appreciative that I was able to have this international experience! The Incline seems to bring people from all walks of life.

Then, after this extended pause, I set out again at a steady, consistent uphill pace. This was mostly a jog with a few walks on the steeper parts of Barr.

Views from the uphill Incline connection to Barr, (near mile marker 3.) 

At No Name Creek, I put my nanospikes on. At this point, the trail was patchy ice spots with big patches of completely melted off trail in-between.

As I continued to ascend towards Bob's Road, the patches of melted trail became fewer and the ice slicks were longer, making me thankful I had the spikes for today.

I felt good, great even. I think the long rest I took after the hard Incline effort ended up being beneficial.

I pushed onward and upward, snapping a quick photo of Lightning Point before jogging on to Barr Camp. I was able to output a smooth jog, feeling like the ascents were nothing compared to what I'd just tackled.

I reached Camp in 2 hours and 2 minutes moving time, and I decided I felt well enough to continue onward for a while. So I skipped going into the cabin, since I thought I'd stop in on my way down.

I figured, depending upon snow conditions, I could reach Bottomless Pit junction.

The trail was packed in and treaded fairly evenly, so I kept jogging, even as my footsteps crunched into the powder more and more.

I started daydreaming about reaching A-frame.

The weather was warm, and I was down to a tank-top and shorts.

I just enjoyed the trail. It didn't feel too steep at all, and I jogged at a light pace.

Right before the Bottomless Pit turn-off sign, the trekked-in footprints that I had been following, turned around.

I was now going to be breaking trail from here on out.

With only nanospikes and shorts, would it be possible?

I'm not going to lie, with how solid I was feeling, and the warm weather conditions today, I was already dreaming of the summit.

On the big switchback after Bottomless Pit junction, the snow became deeper and deeper as the trail winds into the woods. This was the first time I questioned my sanity in today's adventure.

But I was not to be deterred. After the long switchback, the sunlight came out, and the unbroken trail lay ahead, waiting to be conquered.

I didn't look at the time on my watch at A-frame, but it felt fast.

I chilled at A-frame for a minute and enjoyed the view.

As I returned to the trail, I looked up the central gully of Pikes, and debated just scrambling right up. (Spoiler: I should have done this.)

Almost immediately after the gully, I already lost the trail.

I ascended a small snowfield and found it again, but the trail disappeared into a drift and I wasn't confident where it went.

This was going to become a pattern, unfortunately. The trail had been super solid all up until treeline, but the heavy amount of spring snow from the Friday night/ Saturday morning storm had frozen above treeline and become windblown across the vast open expanses that the Barr Trail crosses.

I ascended a small snowfield and spotted some mountain goats in the distance.

At this point I decided to ascend the ridge along the northeast face of the mountain, staying on the east face and trying to gain elevation before hopefully rejoining the trail further up.

I scrambled upwards as steeply as I could safely manage, bypassing "fins" and ridges that stood out along the snowfields.

Views of Lake Moraine and the South Slopes Rec Area stood out in the distance, beyond the stacked rocks of Pikes Peak granite.

Soon, I came upon a familiar sight. The classic ribbed rock formation near the 2 miles to go sign! A few poofy clouds floated behind the formation as the sky shone a true Colorado blue.

Even though this rock formation stands right off the trail, the trail itself was completely snowpacked at best, and covered in deep snowdrifts at worst.

After trying to stick to the trail as best as I could, I had to begin crossing massive snowfield after snowfield.

Fortunately I'd packed gloves. I dug my toes and fingers into the crunchy top ice of the snowfields, crossing the (at times) 35 to 45 degree slope on all fours, just like how I scramble up the steepest steps of the Incline.

Barr Trail is somewhere under all that snow.

At one point, I made a navigational error and ended up partway up a small cliff. So I backtracked down a little and then crossed the steepest snowfield of the day, getting my blood pumping a little. This was the only moment my fun went a little type 2.

Luckily, the weather felt exceptionally warm. There were occasional bitter gusts of wind. But the sun was so bright that I didn't even need both of the long-sleeve layers I had with me. And my legs were not cold in shorts, except when I fell through the icy top snow in a few spots.

As I looked up the massive east face of the mountain, I could see one of the metal signs directly ahead of me.

I gained some energy and scrambled upwards, hoping I'd found the 16 Golden Stairs sign, meaning the summit was really close!

Although I had somehow approached the sign from the wrong side, it was clear. 16 very snowy Golden Stairs.

At this point, I could see the summit. The train was just leaving.

There was no trail, just a rock-strewn snowfield, so I just scrambled directly upwards on the comfortable slope of big granite boulders.

I crossed the trail again, and it was just a snow gully this time.

But then barely a few steps more and, finally, there it was! The summit, the end of Barr Trail sign.

Since I hadn't been on the Pikes Peak summit since before the pandemic, I hadn't seen the new Summit House yet. The new Summit complex looks great.

Since the train had just left, the building was very quiet when I entered. The staff welcomed me but looked surprised. I was the only visitor in the summit house because the road was closed!

My downhill plan to grab a ride just went out the window! Luckily another train was still coming up for the day, so I had to buy a downhill ticket if I wanted a ride off the mountain today.

That was worthwhile for me, since I didn't want to down climb all those snow fields!

Summit view looking northwest.

Summit view looking southeast.

I had a fun conversation on the downhill train ride and enjoyed the views down into the South Slopes Rec Area.

Wow, what a day! I've done a handful of wintery-condition summits of Pikes Peak before, but this one was really fun.

It's also the second time I've summited Pikes Peak in winter conditions with shorts!

As far as training - today was an excellent training day, and so very mentally encouraging. I think I was under 3 hours at A-frame, although I neglected to check the exact time. Moreover, I felt very fast all the way up until treeline, where the snow conditions slowed me down.

Overall, my GPS gave me 10.1 miles today. That sounded short, but it's probably accurate as the Incline does cut off quite a bit of mileage.

What another great adventure on Pikes, and I can't wait to do many more summits this summer.

***

Mon, April 17

7.1 miles at a recovery pace, mostly flat.

I also did a few pull-ups at the bars at the park. When I got home, I did full sets of side lateral raises. This helped it feel like a well-rounded workout today.

My energy levels are quite good considering yesterday's adventure!

***

Tue, April 18

45 minutes on the row machine. Repeats tomorrow, no running today!

***

Wed, April 19

Interval day!!

Sharon and I decided to do the shorter ladder that we've done in the past, the 1/2 mile, mile, 1/2 mile.

I ended up running 3:35, 7:04, 3:36.

I really wanted to push the mile under 7 today, but couldn't quite muster the effort. 7:04 ties my best mile time since we began doing speedwork.

Although I felt less fatigued than I did for our speedwork session last week, I still had some residual tiredness. Pikes took a lot out of me on Sunday.

I still hope to run a mile in under 7 minutes sometime soon.

Our total distance for the day was 3.7 miles, as we didn't do too much of a cool-down.

***

The weeks have been flying by this year! Hard to believe how we're almost a third of the way through the year.

I had another very successful and adventurous week (and a half!)

Week after week, I keep feeling better and stronger. I hope I can continue to ride this wave by taking care of my health, eating well, and most of all - getting enough rest.

Sat, April 1

3 miles with Pippin in the morning, and 30 minutes on the row machine in the afternoon. 

***

Sun, April 2

This morning, Dionne and her friend Nichole met me for an Incline day!

I wanted to test out the last three months' worth of speedwork, so I tried my best to push myself.

I didn't feel like I was going very fast, mainly as I couldn't quite catch my breath.

But as I got close to the top, I peeked at the time and saw that it was just under 33 minutes. I pushed the last few steps and made 32:55! 😁

I'm over two minutes faster than last time, in December. I think it's our speedwork that's paying off!

We all gathered at the top of the Incline, which was busy on this nice spring morning.

I jogged down the connector trail with Dionne and Nichole, before splitting off back up the big hill.

I ran back up to No Name Creek trail sign, turning towards the Experimental Forest split. Barr trail looked a little icy going up from No Name Creek.

I ran up through the Experimental Forest, down Longs Ranch Road and Ute Pass Trail.

There were great views of the Waldo Canyon area to the north and some of the old burn scar.

As I descended the trail, the day warmed up nicely.

My GPS got a little messed up after the top of the Incline, showing only officially 10.5 miles for today's run, although the real distance was a little over 11 miles! I won't count my missed half mile towards my overall distance this time (Although it does make up for some of those walks between intervals that go towards my running distance 😅).

After I got home from my Incline adventure morning, I wanted to do a little upper-body workout to balance the day.

I did several sets of front raises with the 15 lb dumbbells this time. Both unilaterally, and bilaterally (30 lbs together). These are still on the heavier side for my front raises, so sets were around the 9 to 12 rep range.

***

Tue, April 4

I felt a little under the weather after the Incline and LRR run, but was still able to meet with Sharon for a short run this morning. We did 4.5 miles with a few bursts of speed. I won't count this run towards my monthly speedwork goal, but I easily exceeded my (twice monthly) goal for March, so I'm not too concerned this early in the month.

Afterwards, I did want to take Pippin out for a while. The weather seemed to improve temporarily when we set out, and the sunlight enticed me. We did 7.7 miles together, making my total for the day 12.2 miles.

***

Wed, April 5

Some inclined push-ups with the yoga trapeze. These are good for targeting the chest and also stability muscles because of the need to stabilize myself while performing the push-ups.

***

Thu, April 6

Still feeling fatigued and a slight cough today from the mild cold I somehow acquired.

Nonetheless, I ended up having a pretty decent exercise day. First thing in the morning, I did 35 minutes on the row machine. (Even before coffee ☕!)

Then, I had my coffee and did my morning work, and waited for a lot of the snow to melt off the roads and trails from last night's wet spring fluff.

In the afternoon, I took Pippin for a little more than a 10k, just under 6.3 miles.

The sun was bright at the "sundial" rock at the first overlook.

I sat for a few minutes, looking out across the city at my favorite mountains. I look forward to being up there soon!!

But I didn't want to linger too long, as a cold wind picked up and I still felt a little weak from the illness. Not wanting to chill myself too much, I ran out along the road with Pippin to the other (Grandview) overlook, then home.

***

Fri, April 7

30 minutes on the row machine in the morning.

In the afternoon, I did a weight workout including:

* Dumbbell press-outs

* Dumbbell front raises

Finally, in the evening, I decided to take Pippin out for a "short" one. 

The weather, the air temperature, the sunset... Everything was amazing.

I smiled the whole time, and couldn't stop running. Pippin and I ended up doing 10.6 miles with 1500 feet of elevation, and he was leading and pulling perfectly. What a night.

We went out and back to the Overlook 3 times along the road. What a fun, fast, breezy sunset/ nighttime run on this Good Friday.

***

Sat, April 8

* Dumbbell overhead presses

* Push-ups

***

Sun, April 9

Pippin and I snuck a run in on this lovely Easter Sunday between family activities. We got 9.5 miles on the Eastern Rock Island Trail.

Mostly flat, very warm, and breezy. Classic trail, where the mountains meet the plains.

Our family had a lovely Easter, with bunnies, baskets and all. 🐰

* A few ab-wheel roll-outs in the evening.

***

Mon, April 10

8.5 miles, mostly flat, in the morning. Nice sunny day, it's getting warm early these mornings already. Feels very summery.

In the evening, I couldn't help but take Pippin out, since he still needed his run. We did 8.2 miles, bringing my total to 16.7 miles for the day!!

I felt good doing that amount of running split between two runs.

A good base mileage day.

I will try to go easy tomorrow, since Sharon and I have speedwork planned for Wednesday and I want to put in a solid effort.

***

What a great week!

I just cannot complain when the weather has been fantastic, and I feel good getting out and running almost every day. (With a few cross-training and rest days thrown in now and again.)

I'm getting close to some of my fastest times ever on the Incline and in the mountains.

Moreover, I'm leaner than I have been in years, and I feel strong and ready to tackle the trails. I think I'm right around the "Racing Weight" that Matt Fitzgerald writes about in his book.

So, let's go out and tackle some runs! Get in touch with me and let's run 😁!