My Triple Crown Summer

I've written quite a bit this this summer but it's housed here over at the Pikes Peak Sports website. Follow the link and scroll down a bit to get to my posts. I'm working my way through the Triple Crown Of Running and it's been awesome. Thanks for visiting.

Backward To Go Forward

A couple of weeks ago, I was feeling invincible. I had been turning over great weeks of training, specifically with running. I increased my mileage up to 60+ miles and my legs were holding up great. I did one of those long and slow Team Crud runs on March 21st. I felt really good, even when we were in snow up past our knees. It was so fun to get out and enjoy the climbing and descending that I've been missing over the years. I just felt bullet proof even with post run soreness My quads were a sore after close to 5k of downhill but that was expected. What I didn't expect was my body being torn to pieces the following Monday. Vomiting and the other stuff came out of me for the next four days. I couldn't eat much so those sore quads weren't repairing themselves quickly due to lack of nutrition. It was supposed to be a recovery week so the lack of mileage was not an issue but this is not how I wanted it to play out!! Anyway, I was back out for 3+ hours March 28th and held up well. I continue to build a foundation of time on my legs to prepare me for the specific rigors of ultra running training. I'm trying to put a bit of speed in my legs with my first trip to the track (see here) in some time. It's all coming along but not the way I thought it would. Never does, right?

Back to My Roots

After years of being solely focused on triathlon, I’m back to running! This was a decision born from life circumstances but it’s a very welcome return. For years, I’ve had my focus on Ironman triathlon but the pull to the running scene has grown stronger and stronger over the past 3 years. I’ve missed the trails, running with Team C.R.U.D, Sunrise Striders and some of the other amazing groups in our Colorado Springs running community.  Well, I’m no longer being pulled. I’m back and I can officially say “I’m a runner”! I’m more excited about endurance sport than I’ve been in 7-8 years. A big thing that has been burning in my mind is the opportunity to go back and “get things right” in races where I tried and failed because I really didn’t know how to train and prepare. I will do this over the next two years. Triathlon training taught me a lot about how I should train to maximize my specific strengths and weaknesses. When I was focused on running in the early 2000’s, I was just running based on others training plans. I got faster so thought all was good. Being able to look in the rear view mirror, I see all the opportunities I missed in training. That will change.

Team C.R.U.D. at San Juan Solstice 2003. My worst race ever. I intend to fix that.

 I will update this page as accountability for myself. I’m going to write once or twice a week with what I am doing out there to prepare for my races and how this is impacting my life as a whole. This year will see me take on new challenges such as my first 100 miler in September. I will also revisit old challenges like the Pikes Peak Ascent in August (with a big PR as the goal!).  I am fully away from triathlon for a few years, if not forever. I am excited about this new adventure as is my family. My friends are surprised more than anything but support my shift from triathlon as they can see the passion I have for the trails. I look forward to meeting a whole new group of people that I’ve missed out on over the past 10 years of triathlon training. I’d write more but the trail is calling….got to get out and run!!