Training Update 10

Monday J20: AM 4:10 4:10 cycling- Granby to Berthoud pass (11,300') out on the Frasier to Granby Trail, back on 40- felt ok PM 0:32 running- flat Manitou loop following a long drive

Tuesday J21: PM 1:08 cycling- from Manitou to the top of Cheyenne Canon and back to the start of the mountain race PM 1:21 running- on the CMTR course with K

Wednesday J22: AM 2:20 running PM 1:40 cycling- to Bristol Brewing to meet up with a group ride (no one was there) so I rode up Cheyenne Canon and back down and when home

Thursday J23: AM 1:05 running- to Manitou High track, 8*100 meter strides with 100 meters rest, back home PM 1:01 cycling- mountain biking up and down Ute Trail (for the last time)

Friday J24: AM 0:30 running- flat Manitou loop PM 0:33 running- flat Manitou loop with Gute

Saturday J25: AM 0:38 running- with Gute along the river in CoSprings after his master's win in the Classic 10K PM 0:35 running flat Manitou loop with Gute- met up with MattC

Sunday J26: AM 1:42 running- 0:30 warmup; Cheyenne Canon Mountain Race in 54:23; 0:18 cooldown with RyanH PM 2:17 cycling- above Cheyenne Canyon

Weekly totals:
9:16 running (45% of total)
11:16 cycling (55% of total)

Total: 20:32

Comments: An interesting week for sure... It started out with a great road ride to Berthoud Pass and back and then progressed to the point that I decided to run the Cheyenne Canyon Mountain Race at the end of the week. My running during the previous week (up in Granby) had been pretty good and I thought that my knee could handle a mountain race without any (additional) permanent damage. The race did not go very well but I am glad that I did it. It was also good to take a few days easy (before the race) although I am not sure that it helped me very much for the three climbs of the race. A race report will follow shortly.

Training Update 9

Monday J13: AM 1:06 running- up and down Red Mountain with some additional out and back on Intemann trail PM 2:30 cycling- over to and out and back on the New Santa Fe Trail- a good ride aside from the horrible storm in the middle

Tuesday J14: AM 2:44 cycling- up to Divide "summit" and back down- felt rough and slow on the way up but I think that it may have been because I was riding into a strong headwind PM 1:21 running- around the Solvista Resort in Granby, CO- felt terrible at first but after I warmed up, I flet pretty good

Wednesday J15: AM 3:00 cycling around Granby, CO and then to Rocky Mountain National Park and back- felt pretty good but holy s$%# it was cold! PM 1:00 running- with K- slow

Thursday J16: AM 1:34 running- out and back on the Granby-Frasier trail- rolling felt good but my knee felt pretty bad afterword PM 2:18 cycling- out and back on the Frasier to Granby trail

Friday J17: AM 1:24 cycling- from Granby toward Tabernash on 40, around the YMCA of the Rockies, back on the dirt roads behind Sol Vista PM 1:10 running

Saturday J18: AM 1:35 running- on the nationals xc course partially with K PM 1:26 cycling- around Granby and Sol Vista with a good climb at the end- felt pretty good

Sunday J19: AM 1:03 running- up and down one of the Sol Vista Ski hills- felt ok PM 2:51 cycling- 40 to 125 and back- felt good

Weekly totals:
8:49 running (35% of total)
16:13 cycling (65% of total)

Total: 25:02

Comments: ...another very good week with some hilly running and some good cycling in there as well. I managed to get in two workouts every day despite a packed schedule helping K at the USAC National Mountain Biking Championships. We were staying at ~8,000 feet and everything that I did was up from there so that was good. I feel like I am pretty much acclimated to medium altitude. My knee felt OK when I was able to treat it properly (ice and stretch post run) and felt pretty rough on the day that I ran, did not ice, and then sat at a desk for a while. No single workout stands out as being the highlight of the training week but the final ride of the week (out and back on 125) was great- an absolutely beautiful road ride with low traffic and only a little bit of hail.

Race Report: Carmichael Training Systems Cheyenne Cañon Time Trial

On Saturday, July 11, I rode the Carmichael Training Systems Cheyenne Cañon Time Trial (CTSCCT). This is my second bike race ever and also my second uphill time trial ever. My first was the Allen Park Memorial Hill Climb last fall in Irasville, VT (traveling up the Appalachian Gap) where I finished 9th overall in a small field riding my Swift Folder. The CTSCCT is a little bit bigger of a race and, having been on my bike quite a bit this spring and summer, I was a little bit better prepared (plus, I have ridden the course a total of five times prior to the race). The course description from the race's official website is a follows:

Starting at the corner of N. Cheyenne Cañon Road and W Cheyenne Blvd. This challenging hill climbs 3.1 miles to the top of Cheyenne Cañon reaching the flat dirt parking lot at Gold Camp Rd. The total elevation gain is approximately 1,250 feet. The course follows N Cheyenne Cañon Rd. with no road changes. The final 1000 meters is a constant 10% grade.

So, that makes it 7.6% average grade over 5km which is not terribly steep but certainly challenging enough. I seeded myself at 19:34 which was exactly two minutes faster than I had ridden in my fastest training ride (riding pretty hard during my second of two reps). My seeding did not take into consideration the fact that K brought home a faster race bike for me the day before the race. That's right, instead of riding my 20"-wheeled folding bike, I would be racing on a hand-me-down Specialized S-works carbon fiber bike with Shimano Dura-ace componenets. The rig was a bit banged up but was wicked light and fit well after a few adjustments on the morning of the race. I do not remember very much about the race. I pretty much went all out from the start, passing several riders (the race was staggered at 30-second intervals). I think that I paced myself pretty well with maybe a little bit too much effort in the first half of the race.

The race was won in 13:38 by Garmin Slipstream's Tom Danielson who missed his own "course record" (in quotes because it was set during practice) of 13:34. If you have not heard of Danielson, he is one of (if not) the best climbers in the nation. He has the CR at the other Mount Washington race (49+ minutes) which is ~1 minute faster than Tyler Hamilton's old record. Lance Armstrong (a reasonably good cyclist) has also ridden this course in just over 14 minutes. I finished well back in 18th with a 16:28. This was good for 1st in my division, the utterly arbitrary 35+ category 4 (I was the 7th fastest 35+ rider in the race). All in all, it was a fun race and it would have been tough to pass up given nature of the race and its proximity to K's apartment. Post-race was great too with the awards ceremony at the new (and massive and beautiful) Carmichael Training Systems building. There were great beverages (gratis with no line!?!) from Bristol Brewing and some as great food (gratis with a long line) as well and the racers that I met there were genuinely friendly people.

...also, I have to add the new CTS building to my growing list of places without appropriate dedicated bicycle parking...

Training Update 8

Monday J06: AM 1:56 running- from USAC to Manitou through the GOG- felt ok throughout despite the heat (longest run since the post-post surgery flare-up PM 1:11 cycling- around the GOG

Tuesday J07: AM 2:16 cycling- to Cheyenne Canyon, up and down the 5km climb twice (1st time in 22:55, 2nd time in 21:34) PM 1:04 running- out and back on Intemann trail- felt pretty good

Wednesday J08: AM 2:13 cycling- to Cheyenne Canyon, up and down the 5km climb twice (this time, I did not time myself- I did not want to push myself too hard) PM 1:00 running- up and down Williams Canyon

Thursday J09: AM 0:29 cycling- to Cheyenne Canyon AM 1:06 running- Cheyenne Canyon Mountain Race Course with RyanH AdamR + 2 24:27 for the runout and the first lap, 18:17 for the second lap, and 23:55 for the third lap and run in. 0:37 cycling- back to Manitou

Friday J10: AM 1:05 cycling- very easy around the GOG

Saturday J11: AM 3:00 cycling- 1:00 warm up to and around Cheyenne Canyon, Carmichael Training Systems Cheyenne Cañon Time Trial 3.1 miles with 1,250 feet of elevation gain averaging 7.6% grade in 16:28, 1:20 cycling cooldown and then 20 minutes back home from the awards venue. PM 0:30 cycling- to and from Peter and Nora's- easy

Sunday J12: AM 2:23 running- 0:07 warm up up Ruxton, incline in 21:50 (slow), 0:05 cool down at top of incline, waited for the BTMR gun to go off at 7:00 and then ran from the top of the incline to Barr Camp in 40something minutes, took splits for the BTMR and then ran down (easily and carefully) in 1:10 PM 1:09 cycling- easy around the GOG

Weekly totals:
7:29 running (37% of total)
12:30 cycling (63% of total)

Total: 19:59

Comments: This was a good week with a low-key race thrown in to mix things up a little bit. The race (see related post) went well but the best workout was actually the next day when I ran hard up to Barr Camp (albeit with a long break in there) for the first time in, well, a while. I was volunteering for the Barr Trail Mountain Race and my job was to run to the top of the incline (at my leisure) and then wait for the gun to go off before I ran over to Barr Trail and up to Barr Camp (the race's turn around) fast enough (hopefully) to beat the first runners through with the stopwatch that I started at the top of the incline. It meant that I had to run 4-4.5 miles while the leader was running 6 but I still did not want to take it easy and risk getting passed on my way to the turn around! Now that I have done it (run to Barr Camp and back), I now have the courage to (carefully) do the up and down workout in on Barr in the future.

Training Update 7

Monday J29: AM 1:08 running- up and down trail in Williams Canyon- Williams is beautiful and one of my favorite easy runs around here- it is a narrow canyon (could be called a slot canyon in places) and is usually deserted PM 1:36 cycling- around the GOG- even in the height of tourist season, the Garden is a great place for urban riding! I am really starting to feel the fatigue of altitude acclimation. Even small, easy climbs today where leaving my legs burning.

Tuesday J30: AM 1:15 cycling- over to meet Nancy with some additional stuff up into the canyon. AM 1:00 running- met Nancy at the start of the second national team trial race (in late July) and ran around trying to figure out how to lengthen the course so that the winner of the men's race runs for at least 50 minutes (just under 60 would be perfect)- there was lots of starting and stopping but I did manage to get in some quality running as well- and yes, I did feel like a slug at altitude AM 0:45 cycling- back to Manitou from the race site. PM 0:58 cycling around the GOG

Wednesday J01: AM 2:03 cycling- to Cheyenne canyon, up the canyon and then back around on High drive PM 1:02 run up Cave of the Winds and back down Williams with MattC- felt good

Thursday J02: AM 0:59 cycling- in the GOG PM 0:32 cycling from Manitou to Cheyenne Canyon PM 1:11:00 running- tour of the trial race course with RyanH- run out and first loop in 25:32 second inner loop in 20:36, third inner loop in 20:00, run (including the extra lollipop loop in 4:52 (1:11 total) PM 0:33 cycling back to Manitou from Cheyenne canyon

Friday J03: AM 6:51 cycling- from Manitou Springs to Breckenridge- a 100 mile ride over three major passes (Divide 9,136', Wilkerson 9,507', and Hoosier 11,531')- this was a good ride and I felt pretty good until I got to the bottom of Hoosier Pass- the final four miles of climbing was not terribly steep but it was the highest that I have ever cycled and I was really struggling

Saturday J04: AM 1:11 running- on ski mountain slop in Breckenridge- tried to find the flattest trails that I could (with limited success)- did not feel very good PM 2:15 cycling- out and back on the Breckenridge bike trail- very crowded but a very fun section of trail (hilly and winding with a beautiful view)- felt not so good

Sunday J05: AM 2:53 cycling- from Breckenridge to Vail Pass (elevation 10,662)- felt pretty good considering the altitude PM 1:02 running- with pMax up and down Williams Canyon- felt bad at first but then got better once we entered the canyon.


Weekly totals:
6:34 running (24% of total)
20:40 cycling (76% of total)

Total: 27:14

Comments: After last week's travel-related disruption, this was a good week of training. Friday's ride was certainly the best workout of the week (it was a tough ride and I paced it pretty well). The weekend in Breckenridge was fun (Kelli had to be up here for the Firecracker 50, the mountain bike "marathon" national championships) and I managed to get in some good riding and a pretty good run as well. I hope that the weekend up here (almost 10K' will help me to more quickly acclimate to the altitude down in Manitou (6.5K'). This week was also an unusually social week for me running-wise in that I had running partners for 4 of 6 runs (this is a lot considering that I will often go for months without running with anyone else).