5K Saturday

So there’ve been some changes to my schedule this week that I’ve used as convenient excuses to not run. I won’t be running in Hampden Heights in Aurora for the foreseeable future: I start a new job soon that doesn’t entail a long commute in the mornings. What it means for me is I can bike or run to work. That’s exciting.

This morning, I got up and headed down to Monument Valley Park to do a couple of miles. I just wanted to get out and do something, and the something turned out to be a slow 5K. I joke that when I run to work, since I’m a slow runner, it’ll still take me an hour to get there.

Today’s Stats:
3.1 miles
39:22 m:s
12:42 avg pace

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Baby Steps

As in I told myself this morning: “Get off your fat ass and go run. Quit whining, you big baby!”

Since I’m clearly a meanie and a bully and I didn’t want to put up with that, I went and ran. It was my first run in Hampden Heights in a long time (December, I think). I was expecting to have to stop to walk for a bit; but as it turns out, that wasn’t necessary. And I wasn’t too far off my pace, either.

Maybe I’m not a lost cause after all.

Today’s Stats:
3.05 miles
36:53 m:s
12:05 avg. pace

“Rest” Day

“Daddy, can we climb Pulpit Rock this afternoon?” This was the question I heard after we picked up the kiddo from her job.

Inwardly, I groaned — a little. I mean, running two miles yesterday and then cycling for ~10 in the afternoon — my legs were kind of shot. But a change of clothes, filling the Camelbak and some sunscreen later…

I don’t know if this counts as exercise or not.

A pic of Pikes Peak from Pulpit Rock:

An Afternoon Bike Ride

So even though I ran the Nielson Challenge this morning, the weather was nice enough to lure me out this afternoon for a bike ride. I rode through Garden of the Gods and up Mesa Avenue where I took this pic of Pikes Peak and the north formations of Garden of the Gods.

I’m not sure how far it was, maybe around 10 miles? I don’t even know how long it took. It’s all very hilly with a lot of long steep climbs. The 5-mile loop around Garden of the Gods starts out with a pretty significant climb. The downhills are fast (in the neighborhood of 26-30 mph, maybe), and I hoped I didn’t run into any deer in the bike lane (which is an extremely likely possibility) — I didn’t.

April 2019 — Nielson Challenge Result

Oh how the tubby has swollen…

Okay, it wasn’t that bad. But this was my worst time this year… as you may imagine, given I haven’t been doing much (read: any) running lately. So I have to use this as a spring board to get back to it (and you know, actually get back to it this time instead of just saying that and then not doing it). The Run to the Shrine is coming up soon!

Today’s Stats
2 miles
22:21.490 m:s.hhh

75% The Man (and Some Rambling)

I want (arguably need) to be 75% the man I am right now. I lose a bit of weight over the summer and inevitably gain it back in the winter — which sucks. As I’ve mentioned, I am looking at the Colorado Springs Half Marathon in September, and I definitely don’t want to be dragging all of (current-) me around for 13 miles.

I don’t know what you suspect Springtime in the Rockies is like, but it’s likely colder and snowier than you imagine. March is historically the month we get the most snow in Colorado. And the weather is frighteningly schizophrenic: shorts-warm one day and blizzard-blowing-snow-holy-crap-it’s-freezing cold the next.

I took PTO today since my mom’s in town for a visit; and while she and the kiddo were out running around shopping, it was warm enough to tempt me out for a bike ride. I rode a little over 14 miles. I hoped to work some of the stiffness from yesterday’s short run out of my legs. The fact that they’re as sore as they are is a big indicator why I need to become less the man I am! Though it was a little windy, the sun was out and it was a beautiful day.

Square 0

I know it’s supposed to be ‘back to square one’, but I write C/C++ code — so I’m indexing to zero in the proper fashion.
I got home and decided to do the run I didn’t do at work today. Nothing special; just a couple of miles. I think the trudgemill erodes tolerance to real running surfaces… What do you think? Or is it just that I’m still fat and I’m beating my knees, feet and legs with all that mass?

Today’s Stats?
2.33 miles
29:19 m:s
12:35 avg pace