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I'm still Sure!
- Thread starter Sure!
- Start date
138.8 Short night, second or third this week which doesn't bode well for the project I have in mind for today without financial system...
Despite getting up a little late I opted for a yard workout. (Actually would have gone for trampoline but Tom had put up the slackline already and it would have been rude to ignore him and it.)
- Several slackline passes mixed in
- Rebounder throws
- 3 lengths on the monkey bars - super excited to be back on my bars!
- hanging knee raises
- inverted rows, 4x8 on the gymnastic rings
- assisted dips on the rings (totally dismal!)
- not sure what to call holding myself steady/upright on the rings - feet dangling, rings tight at my sides until trembling becomes too much (right now about 6 seconds!)
- pistol squats holding the rings
- pull-ups - little kip, small foot on vertical pole assist -12 spread across other activities
Right hand/wrist is kind of grumpy now, need to get it wrapped up and supported. Going to be a longish recovery, but at least it has started.
Despite getting up a little late I opted for a yard workout. (Actually would have gone for trampoline but Tom had put up the slackline already and it would have been rude to ignore him and it.)
- Several slackline passes mixed in
- Rebounder throws
- 3 lengths on the monkey bars - super excited to be back on my bars!
- hanging knee raises
- inverted rows, 4x8 on the gymnastic rings
- assisted dips on the rings (totally dismal!)
- not sure what to call holding myself steady/upright on the rings - feet dangling, rings tight at my sides until trembling becomes too much (right now about 6 seconds!)
- pistol squats holding the rings
- pull-ups - little kip, small foot on vertical pole assist -12 spread across other activities
Right hand/wrist is kind of grumpy now, need to get it wrapped up and supported. Going to be a longish recovery, but at least it has started.
July 17 - first trampoline workout! The mat finally arrived - it too eons! Really good, lots of flips and tricks.
136.4 Challenging run this morning. We took our 9151 trail which is very rocky and has a long steady uphill section. Ran where we could on the way up, and ran all the way back home being careful not to turn ankles as we are doing a race on Sunday. 4.6 miles and 490 feet of elevation gain.
I tested a pair of shoes I thought I might wear on Sunday - nope! A bit too minimal, feet and lower legs were not happy in them, so I'll likely wear the Mizuno's which are quite lightweight, but offer more support. I am so unused to running on pavement and this is a road race... well, I'll just be happier in a cushier shoe.
The race is on the road to our local ski resort, starts at about 7000 feet and climbs to about 9200. 7 miles, but the first 2 are quite moderate, the real climbing starts at about mile 4. This will be our 5th year doing the race, we've been in it every year it has been staged.
136.4 Challenging run this morning. We took our 9151 trail which is very rocky and has a long steady uphill section. Ran where we could on the way up, and ran all the way back home being careful not to turn ankles as we are doing a race on Sunday. 4.6 miles and 490 feet of elevation gain.
I tested a pair of shoes I thought I might wear on Sunday - nope! A bit too minimal, feet and lower legs were not happy in them, so I'll likely wear the Mizuno's which are quite lightweight, but offer more support. I am so unused to running on pavement and this is a road race... well, I'll just be happier in a cushier shoe.
The race is on the road to our local ski resort, starts at about 7000 feet and climbs to about 9200. 7 miles, but the first 2 are quite moderate, the real climbing starts at about mile 4. This will be our 5th year doing the race, we've been in it every year it has been staged.
Monday catch-up...
Saturday we climbed up Shoe Hill instead of hiking or running around it. Explored the volcanic craters a bit, the old rope swing in the big tree is still there, but the branch it is attached to is not looking well. Couldn't resist a swing, but Tom thought I was likely to get conked by the branch when it broke and fell on me. Poked around a survey marker, and enjoyed a very nice view of the painted desert to the west once we were on top. About 2 miles and 400 feet of elevation gain.
Sunday - race day. Went about as expected, I could really tell I missed a month of training/pushing myself. Was about 3 minutes slower than last year with avg/mile pace of 12:36. Avg HR of 158/max of 171 were both rather lame. I see intervals and a few trips up Saddle Mt in my immediate future as well as getting back to our Saturday long runs. I'd like to have a successful outcome at the annual race in September and I've set my heart on an age group award.
Yard workout this morning, but too windy for slackline.
Warm up with medicine ball, toe touches and squats
Lunges - 100/leg
JR 2 mins
Monkey Bars - 1 lap + 3 lengths
Rebounder throws
Landmine twisters
Pull-ups - finally - managed 3 with only a minor kip! Not dead hang, and did 2 more with a tiny foot assist, but getting them back at last!
KB swings
T2B, dead hangs, and hanging knee raises
Dips - 2 sets of 5 but the assist was significant because these happened pretty late in the workout
Shuttle sprints 5x30 seconds
Planks
Saturday we climbed up Shoe Hill instead of hiking or running around it. Explored the volcanic craters a bit, the old rope swing in the big tree is still there, but the branch it is attached to is not looking well. Couldn't resist a swing, but Tom thought I was likely to get conked by the branch when it broke and fell on me. Poked around a survey marker, and enjoyed a very nice view of the painted desert to the west once we were on top. About 2 miles and 400 feet of elevation gain.
Sunday - race day. Went about as expected, I could really tell I missed a month of training/pushing myself. Was about 3 minutes slower than last year with avg/mile pace of 12:36. Avg HR of 158/max of 171 were both rather lame. I see intervals and a few trips up Saddle Mt in my immediate future as well as getting back to our Saturday long runs. I'd like to have a successful outcome at the annual race in September and I've set my heart on an age group award.
Yard workout this morning, but too windy for slackline.
Warm up with medicine ball, toe touches and squats
Lunges - 100/leg
JR 2 mins
Monkey Bars - 1 lap + 3 lengths
Rebounder throws
Landmine twisters
Pull-ups - finally - managed 3 with only a minor kip! Not dead hang, and did 2 more with a tiny foot assist, but getting them back at last!
KB swings
T2B, dead hangs, and hanging knee raises
Dips - 2 sets of 5 but the assist was significant because these happened pretty late in the workout
Shuttle sprints 5x30 seconds
Planks
We've gotten in two longish runs this week and those lunges on Monday have had me whimpering ever since.
Yesterday we extended our 9151 trail by about half a mile, it just gets rougher and steeper farther along so this will never be a fast route, but it is a challenging route and a nice change as it is far more forested than our other trails from the house. Mix of running/hiking until we got to our turnaround spot, then ran nearly all the way back home. Slow going as the way is very uneven and full of rocks and other debris. Our best, gentle downhill mile was still a slow 9:30.
Today I started working at loosening the stranglehold my internal governor has on my heart rate. Saddle Mt, after starting with a slow 8 minute run, I did 2 minute run intervals. Peak HR's were 162, 165, 168, 168, 169, 168, and finally 172 for the last 4 minute run to top out. Overall time was slow at about 36 minutes because I didn't push hard when walking. 2.75 miles/840 feet climbed. Mix of walking and running back down as Tom and I commiserated on our lost high gears... then ran the last 1.5 miles working a little bit on cadence which has also gotten too low.
Yesterday we extended our 9151 trail by about half a mile, it just gets rougher and steeper farther along so this will never be a fast route, but it is a challenging route and a nice change as it is far more forested than our other trails from the house. Mix of running/hiking until we got to our turnaround spot, then ran nearly all the way back home. Slow going as the way is very uneven and full of rocks and other debris. Our best, gentle downhill mile was still a slow 9:30.
Today I started working at loosening the stranglehold my internal governor has on my heart rate. Saddle Mt, after starting with a slow 8 minute run, I did 2 minute run intervals. Peak HR's were 162, 165, 168, 168, 169, 168, and finally 172 for the last 4 minute run to top out. Overall time was slow at about 36 minutes because I didn't push hard when walking. 2.75 miles/840 feet climbed. Mix of walking and running back down as Tom and I commiserated on our lost high gears... then ran the last 1.5 miles working a little bit on cadence which has also gotten too low.
138.6 Play Day! Fun workout this morning until I ripped a callous. Haven't done that in a while and for such a stupid little wound, it really hurts...
Lots of slackline, monkey bars passes, and rebounder throws mixed in with more serious work: push-ups & negatives, inverted rows, pull-up negatives, planks/fire hydrants. Also played a little on the rings, working on getting steady and holding the mount position. It is just crazy hard to get to 10 seconds and beyond.
Lots of slackline, monkey bars passes, and rebounder throws mixed in with more serious work: push-ups & negatives, inverted rows, pull-up negatives, planks/fire hydrants. Also played a little on the rings, working on getting steady and holding the mount position. It is just crazy hard to get to 10 seconds and beyond.
Ow! Done that so often, takes far longer to heal than the softer skin too. Always expect hardened skin to hurt less but if it gets beneath them to skin used to being protected it hurts an unfeasible amount.
Recovery going well there.
Recovery going well there.
Today it feels like the various and assorted owies are winning! Ripped callous is painful, bumped my thumb and it felt like a bolt of lightning hit it/me, and then we were doing intervals this morning, and for the last, were sprinting to a spot - fartlek I guess, and I twisted my foot. There is no particular spot that hurts and so far no significant swelling, it just hurts and feels weak, and it's just 1 thing too many! Whaaaaaaa!
Ok, that is enough whining from me. Weekend plans for the usual - home stuff on Saturday and since Tom is climbing with a friend on Sunday, I'll be hiking (assuming foot is fine... and it better be!). Haven't decided if I'll go for max elevation gain or distance.
Ok, that is enough whining from me. Weekend plans for the usual - home stuff on Saturday and since Tom is climbing with a friend on Sunday, I'll be hiking (assuming foot is fine... and it better be!). Haven't decided if I'll go for max elevation gain or distance.
Kept foot wrapped for some added support on Friday and Saturday and decided it was fine for hiking on Sunday. Actually, Tom suggested that I get my mt bike into reasonable shape and bicycle on Sunday. We live in a 'mountain bike mecca' after all. But.... I have scarcely been on my bike for about 3 years so that seemed like a recipe for disaster, or more likely pain. And while I was pretty certain my foot would be fine hiking, I was not at all certain my damaged right hand would tolerate a bumpy dirt road, and a crash - well, I just didn't want to go there.
So I hiked, and it was good. Trail climbed 1200 feet in the first 2 miles, my favorite sort of thing. Did 10 miles, climbed 2400 feet, and had a really enjoyable time. I like hiking by myself. Met up with Tom and Brian who had done remarkably little climbing while I was gone. The area is pretty, so I found a nice spot and watched.
This morning I suggested a Shoe Hill Loop. Tom countered with strength, I said OK, went to change, and he followed me to the house and said never mind, let's do the SHL. Whatever - I just wanted to do something. Had a good fast hike, went for speed up the hill.
So I hiked, and it was good. Trail climbed 1200 feet in the first 2 miles, my favorite sort of thing. Did 10 miles, climbed 2400 feet, and had a really enjoyable time. I like hiking by myself. Met up with Tom and Brian who had done remarkably little climbing while I was gone. The area is pretty, so I found a nice spot and watched.
This morning I suggested a Shoe Hill Loop. Tom countered with strength, I said OK, went to change, and he followed me to the house and said never mind, let's do the SHL. Whatever - I just wanted to do something. Had a good fast hike, went for speed up the hill.
135.6 Yard workout today:
OHP: 8x45, 6x55x3
Squats: 8x55, 8x75x2, 8x80 - could go heavier but my knees are really creaky of late and I'm just getting back into it
Rebounder heavy ball throws - 100
Pushups 8
Inverted rows 8, 8, 8
Ring mount holds 10, 8, 8 seconds
T2B 3 - oh the ground I have lost on these
Monkey bars - 1 lap - didn't push this as the torn callous from last week is still sore
Burpees (floppies actually) as my pushups were dismal
And the triumph of the day was slackline! Got up on the hard side, made several good passes, and best of all, did a 180! Of course, once Tom got the camera out there was no more success to be had in attempting turns. Finished up with some double unders and general speedrope
OHP: 8x45, 6x55x3
Squats: 8x55, 8x75x2, 8x80 - could go heavier but my knees are really creaky of late and I'm just getting back into it
Rebounder heavy ball throws - 100
Pushups 8
Inverted rows 8, 8, 8
Ring mount holds 10, 8, 8 seconds
T2B 3 - oh the ground I have lost on these
Monkey bars - 1 lap - didn't push this as the torn callous from last week is still sore
Burpees (floppies actually) as my pushups were dismal
And the triumph of the day was slackline! Got up on the hard side, made several good passes, and best of all, did a 180! Of course, once Tom got the camera out there was no more success to be had in attempting turns. Finished up with some double unders and general speedrope
138.6 Hard run this morning, but good. My heartrate got high and stayed high which was the goal in that I am trying to get used to it being high as I push back toward max.
4.68 miles, gently rolling so only 186 elevation gain
Avg pace of 9:55/mile, so not fast
Avg HR of 162 and max of 176 - happy about this as I haven't seen anything above 172 in a while
4.68 miles, gently rolling so only 186 elevation gain
Avg pace of 9:55/mile, so not fast
Avg HR of 162 and max of 176 - happy about this as I haven't seen anything above 172 in a while
138.4 Saddle Mt today. Mentals were not quite as good as I would have liked, but overall time was better than last week and I did pretty well at pushing myself. 5.5 miles, 840 feet climbed.
Looking forward to a strength/play workout in the morning as a nice change from running. We are thinking of doing a hike on Sunday, likely a circuit of the Peaks so about 18-19 miles.
Looking forward to a strength/play workout in the morning as a nice change from running. We are thinking of doing a hike on Sunday, likely a circuit of the Peaks so about 18-19 miles.
137.4 Tom was going to go climbing this morning, but the weather is bad (much needed rain) so he cancelled and we played in the yard instead. I would have done trampoline otherwise.
Started off with a variety of kicks to warm up and to let my inner chorus girl loose.
KB swings (100) plus single arm rows and overhead presses (20 each)
Monkey bar lap - still going easy on these as the ripped callous has not fully healed, also did a couple of single lengths
Pull-ups - mix of singles and one set of 3 (yippee - making progress!) and negatives
T2B - 1 and then 4 before finishing off a MB length - ugh, that was hard!
Bicep curls 8x45 because I happened to have the bar in hand as I moved it for the landmine twisters
Landmine twisters 2 sets of 8 each side
Rebounder throws 120 with heavy ball
2 sets of hanging knee raises on climbing holds
Little bit of speed rope work, planks, glut bridges, and fire hydrants
Lots of slackline in between exercises
Started off with a variety of kicks to warm up and to let my inner chorus girl loose.
KB swings (100) plus single arm rows and overhead presses (20 each)
Monkey bar lap - still going easy on these as the ripped callous has not fully healed, also did a couple of single lengths
Pull-ups - mix of singles and one set of 3 (yippee - making progress!) and negatives
T2B - 1 and then 4 before finishing off a MB length - ugh, that was hard!
Bicep curls 8x45 because I happened to have the bar in hand as I moved it for the landmine twisters
Landmine twisters 2 sets of 8 each side
Rebounder throws 120 with heavy ball
2 sets of hanging knee raises on climbing holds
Little bit of speed rope work, planks, glut bridges, and fire hydrants
Lots of slackline in between exercises
We did Saddle Mt this morning and I was pleased at having a slightly better time than last week up. Would be nice to be taking bigger chunks of seconds off, like say 20 or 30 seconds, but I'll take the 8 and be happy with it. Was also pleased that while I was running down the hill at decent speed (8:30ish/mile) my heartrate was down in the 150's instead of the 160's. There may be hope for my running efficiency! 5.50miles, 840 feet of elevation gain.
Was looking back at times for the September race from last year (signed up last week so we are committed). If I had been 50, I would have won my age group, but I was 3 weeks shy of my birthday and took 6th place in the 40-49 group. The person who won in the 50-59 group was 14 seconds slower than me. I would really like to beat 52 minutes this year which means taking at least 40 seconds off my time. I think I can do it...
Saturday we did a mix hike/run. Hiked for the first 3.25 miles, then ran home via a different route. Running on gently rolling terrain in the 9 min/mile range felt good. Slowly, slowing getting better again! 6.28 miles total, 485 feet of elevation gain.
Sunday was to have been a big hike, but rain settled in Saturday afternoon and did not let up overnight. We skipped the hike and eventually made our way to the gym on Sunday. Happily, the clouds parted, sun came out and we enjoyed some time in the outdoor pool for the first time this summer. I am a terrible swimmer, very inefficient, but doggedly determined now and then. Managed 13 slow laps, lots of heart pounding and heavy breathing, but enjoyable nonetheless.
Was looking back at times for the September race from last year (signed up last week so we are committed). If I had been 50, I would have won my age group, but I was 3 weeks shy of my birthday and took 6th place in the 40-49 group. The person who won in the 50-59 group was 14 seconds slower than me. I would really like to beat 52 minutes this year which means taking at least 40 seconds off my time. I think I can do it...
Saturday we did a mix hike/run. Hiked for the first 3.25 miles, then ran home via a different route. Running on gently rolling terrain in the 9 min/mile range felt good. Slowly, slowing getting better again! 6.28 miles total, 485 feet of elevation gain.
Sunday was to have been a big hike, but rain settled in Saturday afternoon and did not let up overnight. We skipped the hike and eventually made our way to the gym on Sunday. Happily, the clouds parted, sun came out and we enjoyed some time in the outdoor pool for the first time this summer. I am a terrible swimmer, very inefficient, but doggedly determined now and then. Managed 13 slow laps, lots of heart pounding and heavy breathing, but enjoyable nonetheless.
Go for it. Keep the competition, friendly and empathetic, then annihilate them. I think that's the idea.
138.8 Really pleased with my run Wednesday morning. We went out 9009Q past the cattle trough and back, so 4.68 round trip. Felt easier this week than last and running times were good with roughly 9 minute miles. 44:22. HR in the high/ok range, it is good to push on this relatively flat run, although I noticed in looking at Garmin upload that my cadence is not what it ought to be. So many things to work on!
138.4 30 minutes on the trampoline this morning! Lots of flips, helicopter spins, 360/540's, swivel hips, and anything else that popped into my head as I bounced.
138.4 30 minutes on the trampoline this morning! Lots of flips, helicopter spins, 360/540's, swivel hips, and anything else that popped into my head as I bounced.
Catch-up after a good weekend with lots of playtime (and very few chores accomplished... oh well).
Got up Saturday and took Charlie fat cat for his stroll around the property. He caught a chipmunk on the last portion of the walk, so very proud of himself as he trotted the last section. He gets no praise for catching birds, but at our house, any small furry critter is fair game for cats. Also, even though we are trying to help him lose weight, I think he gets good nutrients from critters, nutrients that are surely lacking in even the best prepared pet foods. So, he is allowed to supplement if he catches it himself.
Tom is still a bit on the crispy side (sunburn last week) and opted for a yard workout over any sort of walk, hike or run.
- We were experimenting with a new setup for the rebounder, so got in a lot of extra throwing of the heavy ball as we tweaked and adjusted
- Pull-ups - getting better all the time and am a lot closer to getting deadhangs back, meanwhile, kipping is good!
- Landmine twisters
- KB play - rows, shoulder press, halos, squats
- fire hydrants
- straight arm side planks with rotation, and then with weight and rotation
- inverted rows, 3 sets
- ring mount holds, 4 sets, then some ring play with somersaults
- T2B - ugh, making little progress on this holding the fat bar
- jump rope
- bench press - 8x45lbs, then Tom reminds me of a test we just read about where women use 35lbs and do 1 press per second for as long as possible. Our bar is 45lbs and it was late in the workout, but I gave it a try and managed 13 presses before I was getting too slow. Then, just to finish myself off, I went up to 65 lbs and did another 7.
Gave up and went to the house to make breakfast.
Saturday night our meadow got inundated with smoke from that fire to the west of us. Really nasty, and we had windows open so the smell woke us. It cleared after a bit, but it made for a rough night. Still, we got up in the morning, decided the skies were clear enough to hike (rain was forecast) and so packed up and started for the trailhead at 7:30, we were hiking by 8:30.
We made good time up the Humphries Peak trail, passed a lot of people as we went. We got the saddle at about 1 hr 40 mins, having climbed over 2500 feet in about 4.2 miles. Took a quick drink and sucked down a Gu, then went up the trail to our high point for the day, 11,980. We mixed up jogging and walking for the next 8 miles, managing several 13-14 minute miles depending upon the trail. The Weatherford trail is rough, lots of baby-head and a bit smaller rocks which are tough to run on/over and around. Our longest stop for the day was 11 minutes on Doyle Saddle where we peeled our HB eggs and had a good drink. The last leg of the loop is the Kachina trail, a meandering, rolling, but generally uphill trail that goes through aspen groves, fern meadows, and over a long section of boulders. If we could cover the Kachina's 5 or so miles in under 1 hr 40, we would complete the loop in under 6 hours, something I've never managed to do. We both felt good, plenty of energy, so we decided to give it a try. We ran where it was possible (downhills mostly) and hiked fast otherwise, while still enjoying this lovely trail and the wonderful views. We reached the cave with 32 minutes to spare and both thought we remembered it taking about 30 minutes to reach the parking lot from that point. We still felt good and were optimistic - sure enough, we reached the parking lot at 5:55, so even had a little time to spare! 18.5 miles, 4063 feet of elevation gain.
I was so pleased with myself, but have to give Tom the credit for keeping up the running pace on the long downhill section, and for holding back just enough. I would have likely run faster and then been overtired on the Kachina. Went to town for a shower and a bit to eat, then still got home in time to take Charlie out for a walk to burn off some of his energy since we had left him in the house all day.
No workout Monday morning due to time and soreness.
140.0 and the second day soreness is just nasty! Woke to distant thunder and cloudy skies. Hopeful we will get a nice dousing today, our monsoon has not been as wet as we needed it to be.
We agreed last night on a Shoe Hill Recovery sort of outing this morning, but it morphed a little into something longer and a little more challenging, although not ferocious... walked down the valley, jogged north to the cattle guard which probably added an extra half mile for the out and back, then finished our normal loop, mixing a song's worth of running with 2 songs of fast walking. Tom had an earphone in and was using a mix he uses at Across the Years, the 24 hr event. Not having those tunes in my head, I just followed along and in some cases hoped desperately for his song to end since we were going purely on time with no consideration for terrain. Seems like we walked some very nice, very runnable flats and ran some rather rough rocky sections and up hills. Felt good to get the blood moving through stiff and sore muscles.
Finally done with networking interviews, the last guy today likely has great skills, but would just not communicate so left us with the impression he is just looking for a steady paycheck and nice benefits. Happily, we found 3 good guys to make offers to.
Got up Saturday and took Charlie fat cat for his stroll around the property. He caught a chipmunk on the last portion of the walk, so very proud of himself as he trotted the last section. He gets no praise for catching birds, but at our house, any small furry critter is fair game for cats. Also, even though we are trying to help him lose weight, I think he gets good nutrients from critters, nutrients that are surely lacking in even the best prepared pet foods. So, he is allowed to supplement if he catches it himself.
Tom is still a bit on the crispy side (sunburn last week) and opted for a yard workout over any sort of walk, hike or run.
- We were experimenting with a new setup for the rebounder, so got in a lot of extra throwing of the heavy ball as we tweaked and adjusted
- Pull-ups - getting better all the time and am a lot closer to getting deadhangs back, meanwhile, kipping is good!
- Landmine twisters
- KB play - rows, shoulder press, halos, squats
- fire hydrants
- straight arm side planks with rotation, and then with weight and rotation
- inverted rows, 3 sets
- ring mount holds, 4 sets, then some ring play with somersaults
- T2B - ugh, making little progress on this holding the fat bar
- jump rope
- bench press - 8x45lbs, then Tom reminds me of a test we just read about where women use 35lbs and do 1 press per second for as long as possible. Our bar is 45lbs and it was late in the workout, but I gave it a try and managed 13 presses before I was getting too slow. Then, just to finish myself off, I went up to 65 lbs and did another 7.
Gave up and went to the house to make breakfast.
Saturday night our meadow got inundated with smoke from that fire to the west of us. Really nasty, and we had windows open so the smell woke us. It cleared after a bit, but it made for a rough night. Still, we got up in the morning, decided the skies were clear enough to hike (rain was forecast) and so packed up and started for the trailhead at 7:30, we were hiking by 8:30.
We made good time up the Humphries Peak trail, passed a lot of people as we went. We got the saddle at about 1 hr 40 mins, having climbed over 2500 feet in about 4.2 miles. Took a quick drink and sucked down a Gu, then went up the trail to our high point for the day, 11,980. We mixed up jogging and walking for the next 8 miles, managing several 13-14 minute miles depending upon the trail. The Weatherford trail is rough, lots of baby-head and a bit smaller rocks which are tough to run on/over and around. Our longest stop for the day was 11 minutes on Doyle Saddle where we peeled our HB eggs and had a good drink. The last leg of the loop is the Kachina trail, a meandering, rolling, but generally uphill trail that goes through aspen groves, fern meadows, and over a long section of boulders. If we could cover the Kachina's 5 or so miles in under 1 hr 40, we would complete the loop in under 6 hours, something I've never managed to do. We both felt good, plenty of energy, so we decided to give it a try. We ran where it was possible (downhills mostly) and hiked fast otherwise, while still enjoying this lovely trail and the wonderful views. We reached the cave with 32 minutes to spare and both thought we remembered it taking about 30 minutes to reach the parking lot from that point. We still felt good and were optimistic - sure enough, we reached the parking lot at 5:55, so even had a little time to spare! 18.5 miles, 4063 feet of elevation gain.
I was so pleased with myself, but have to give Tom the credit for keeping up the running pace on the long downhill section, and for holding back just enough. I would have likely run faster and then been overtired on the Kachina. Went to town for a shower and a bit to eat, then still got home in time to take Charlie out for a walk to burn off some of his energy since we had left him in the house all day.
No workout Monday morning due to time and soreness.
140.0 and the second day soreness is just nasty! Woke to distant thunder and cloudy skies. Hopeful we will get a nice dousing today, our monsoon has not been as wet as we needed it to be.
We agreed last night on a Shoe Hill Recovery sort of outing this morning, but it morphed a little into something longer and a little more challenging, although not ferocious... walked down the valley, jogged north to the cattle guard which probably added an extra half mile for the out and back, then finished our normal loop, mixing a song's worth of running with 2 songs of fast walking. Tom had an earphone in and was using a mix he uses at Across the Years, the 24 hr event. Not having those tunes in my head, I just followed along and in some cases hoped desperately for his song to end since we were going purely on time with no consideration for terrain. Seems like we walked some very nice, very runnable flats and ran some rather rough rocky sections and up hills. Felt good to get the blood moving through stiff and sore muscles.
Finally done with networking interviews, the last guy today likely has great skills, but would just not communicate so left us with the impression he is just looking for a steady paycheck and nice benefits. Happily, we found 3 good guys to make offers to.
139.4 Big rain yesterday and all night long, it was wonderful! Still raining today. But, it meant that doing anything outdoors with Tom was a non-starter this morning. And poor Charlie was so bummed when we opened the door. He looked outside, stepped onto the porch, got blasted with rain by a little wind gust and turned to come back in the house. He was very happy to play with the flutter mouse on a string after that.
Headed to the gym and while it probably should have been a weights day, I opted for a stairmaster session because my audiobook is excellent at the moment. Level 10 for 45 minutes and I was a dripping sweat monster after about 15 minutes. We are so unused to humidity here in Arizona. Climbed 2500 feet and if one believed the machine (I don't) covered 5.21 miles.
Headed to the gym and while it probably should have been a weights day, I opted for a stairmaster session because my audiobook is excellent at the moment. Level 10 for 45 minutes and I was a dripping sweat monster after about 15 minutes. We are so unused to humidity here in Arizona. Climbed 2500 feet and if one believed the machine (I don't) covered 5.21 miles.