3 miles

I ran 3 mi today, 9:28 out and 8:55 back. I ran the last 400 meters at 8:00 min/mi.

3 miles

Today I ran 3 mi, 10:03 out 9:48 back. I just returned from backpacking in the Holy Cross Wilderness and my legs feel really depleted. I also decided that my short run should go back to 3 mi. I should not have increased my mileage when I started running Vdot easy paces.

4 miles

I ran 4 mi today, 9:23 out and 9:11 back. Slight pain in my right Achilles at a3.25 mi but I slowed down and it went away.

5 miles

I ran 5 mi today, 9:15 out and 9:06 back. My backpacking trip was postponed for one day.

4 miles

I ran 4 miles today, 9:19 out and 9:05 back. I do not plan to run at all tomorrow in anticipation of backpacking on Wednesday.

5 miles

I ran 5 miles today at 9:23 out and 9:10 back. I plan on running 4 mi tomorrow.

4 miles

I ran 4 mi 9:17 out and 9:07 back. The Achilles tendinitis is much better but I think I will keep alternating between 4 and 5 mi until I feel well enough to run 6 mi. The increase in pace and mileage probably brought the tendinitis on.

5 miles

I ran 5 mi today, 9:23 pace out and 9:12 pace back. My backpacking trip got postponed for a few days to let a couple of rainy fronts to pass.

4 miles

I ran 4 mi, 9:28 min/mi out and 9:08 pace back. I originally set out to run 11 mi but my right Achilles tendinitis, a sore lower back and starting off at a 9:50 pace convinced me I should just run 4 mi and not injure myself. I plan on resting tomorrow before my 4 day backpack into the Holy Cross Wilderness.

5 miles easy

I ran 5 mi at 9:12 min/mi pace today. This is a little bit faster than my target of 9:17 and I reached the turnaround with an average pace of 9:10. This is backwards from what I should be doing. I would like to run out or upstream at target pace + 5 seconds and then back or downstream at target pace -5 seconds to simulate running negative splits for my upcoming half marathon. I'll try this tomorrow on my 11 mi run.

My hill workout

I live in East Boulder where the terrain is flat but I have found a hill on Westview Dr at E Baseline Rd that is suitable for hill workouts. It is within warm-up distance from my home and is a lot more convenient than driving/biking to NCAR or Linden. The hill is 0.17 mile (900 ft) long and has an altitude gain of 30 ft for a 3.3% grade. The view of the Flatirons across Baseline Reservoir is spectacular and where I am sure the road got it's name.

I typically run 6-7 repeats in about 90 seconds each. I concentrate on using my glutes as Dave Scott coaches. I have seen Dave Scott running around Boulder and IMHO he has the best running form in town. Of course my running form is nowhere near his but using his principle of running uphill using your glutes has made me a better runner. He also advises taking the shock of landing with the glutes when going downhill and I have found this also works. I am much more efficient when I run with my glutes.

Bobolink trailhead at Baseline and Gapter is a convenient place to start a hill work out because it's about a mile warm-up away. Starting at Bobolink head North on Gapter, turn right on Dimmit, cross Cherryvale and run East on Baseline Rd until Westview Dr. Baseline Rd is fairly busy 8-9 am and 3-5 pm so I try to avoid those times. Thursday is trash collection day and I try and avoid it also.

Reflections on running the Steamboat Marathon

This is me at 25 miles.

I was trying to smile for the camera.

This is the best I could do.

Steve Walker, June 7, 2009

I thought the Steamboat Marathon would be a fast race, but I was wrong. I ran it in 4:07:09 and placed 3rd out of 5 M60+. The marathon course starts at the old mining town of Hahn's Peak Village and drops in altitude by 2,100 ft / 640 meter to the finish in front of the Courthouse in Steamboat Springs, CO. The graph of the course elevation printed on the entry form had had a very short horizontal axis and the rolling hills were not visible. The two big hills at 4 mi and 20 mi were visible on the graph but I did not understand how large a roll they would play in my time until I drove the course in my car the day before the marathon. I found that the 2 mile long hill at 4 mi had a steep descent, and the 3 mile long hill at 20 mi would slow me down considerably. I planned on going slow on the steep downhill, running at a heart rate below my anerobic thresehold from 5 to 20 mi to conserve my energy for the hill at 20 mi. I targeted my Boston Marathon qualifying time of 4:00:00 and was right on pace at the hill at 20 mi. This meant I had to maintain my 9:10 min per mi pace up the hill. I could not do that given the steep, long hill so I hoped to climb it at 9:40 pace and descend into Steamboat Springs at 8:40. This was not to be because a stiff head wind hit me when I turned away from the Elk river and started up the hill. I should have built a cushion from 5 to 20 miles in anticipation of the hill. I enjoyed the Steamboat marathon, their organizers, and the locals on the course cheering us on in the rain showers. I would do this race again in a heartbeat. I highly recommend this race for it's spectacular course and organization. Do not expect a PR.

9 miles

I ran 9 mi at 9:27 min/mi today. My Achilles were both sore so I decided not to run 11 mi or a 3 mi tempo at 9:17. My prime objective is to avoid injury caused by the increase in stress from going up to Vdot 43. I will only run easy 5, 7 and 11 mi runs in the next four days before I backpack into the Holy Cross Wilderness next weekend.

Nike Lunar Glide Shoe Review

I just returned from running 5 mi at 9:12 min/mi pace on my new Nike Lunar Glide shoes. These shoes appear to be a good lightweight, moderately stable trainer for me. Cushioning is good, the toe box is roomy, and I could feel the stability inserts doing their job. It has a somewhat lower heel than other shoes and I found it easier to soften the shock of landing with my forefoot.

The Lunar Glide is a good looking shoe with a seamless upper.

I require stability shoes and currently run in Nike Nucleus for easy runs and Brooks Axiom 3 for tempos, intervals, repeats and races. The Lunar Glide is not as supportive as the Nucleus but it weighs 2-3 oz less. The comparison between the Lunar Glide and the Axiom is more subtle. They weigh about the same with the Axiom having more outside forefoot support, less heel support and a higher heel.

7 miles easy

Today I ran 7 miles at 9:17 minutes per mile. I seem to be adapting easily to the 9:17 pace and noticed in the last week of July that I was naturally running it instead of 9:27.

5 miles

I ran 5 miles at 9:16 min per mi. My Vdot 43 target paces from now until the Indian Summer half-marathon, 9/13 are Easy - 9:17, Tempo - 7:58, Intervals - 7:18, Repeats - 1:40. I suffered only a pinched nerve in my L ankle on the backpacking trip into the Gore Range. I am going up a Vdot level and increasing my mileage in anticipation of the half marathon.