"It's up to you how far you'll go. If you don't try, you'll never know." Comments Welcome

[PrincessMickey]

Not too much to report this week. I wasn't paying attention to the schedule and ran 4 miles Monday instead of 3, oops. Training day on Wednesday for work. It was all day outside but we ended up with perfect weather, 70's overcast and a slight breeze so it wasn't too bad. Because of training I did my run on Tuesday. I went out too fast, it felt really good though. Who would have thought a few weeks ago that would happen. Friday we did 5 laps on the stairs again and ran two of them again, felt a little easier this week. Legs are definitely getting stronger. First mile was too fast, who would have thought even on jello legs I would feel so good. Saturday's run felt good, just a tad too fast though. Just have to get through this week and then it's race day!!! Race is on Sunday, I'll have to work that night so hopefully I will be able to nap in the afternoon. I want to keep up on the stairs but I don't think it's wise to do them on Friday, I'm usually still sore for a few days after. The only day I would be able to do them would be on Tuesday, if I decide to do that I will likely go to another place that's a little closer to me, we shall see. I'll do packet pickup on Friday afternoon and just need to make sure I stay hydrated this week. Initial forecast shows high of 69 and partly cloudy.

Planned Runs:
Monday: 3 miles, easy, total time 45:48
Wednesday: 4.5 miles, 1 mile easy, 3 miles 10k, .5 easy, total time 1:01:01
Friday: 4 miles easy, total time 1:01:04
Saturday: 4 miles easy, total time 1:01:04

Actual Runs:
Monday: splits 15:29, 15:45, 15:25, 15:06, total time 1:01:42 oops an extra mile
Tuesday: splits 15:24, 11:54, 11:40, 11:53, 15:05, total time 58:14
Friday: splits 14:51, 15:10, 15:18, 15:16, total time 1:01:02
Saturday: splits 15:13, 15:06, 14:59, 15:06, total time 1:00:28

 

[PrincessMickey]

Forgot to post a picture from Monday morning’s run...hot air balloons!

 

[PrincessMickey]

Just a quick update. Picked up my shirt and bib this afternoon. I’ve got my plan all worked out and I’m ready to go! Weather is looking great. It’s supposed to rain all day tomorrow so I will more than likely skip tomorrow’s 2 mile run. I did all my other runs this week so I’m not too concerned if I miss it. Sunday will be upper 40’s at the start and low 50’s at the end and mostly cloudy throughout. Will probably wear capris with a long sleeve tee but that might change. I don’t like running in short sleeves for some reason, either long sleeves or tanks for me so maybe I’ll change out the capris for shorts and maybe have a take underneath, we’ll see as it gets closer. I did not do the stairs today, wanted to make sure I had fresh legs for Sunday as the plan was to go from 5 laps to 6 this week. I still wanted to get some stairs in though so I went out Tuesday after work. I changed up the location to Red Rocks since it’s closer to my house and I limited myself to 1 hour like I do for runs during the week. It’s a pretty iconic and popular place to work out but I actually felt like I get a better workout on the incline. There’s different size steps you can use so I did the smallest and the largest. Smallest were almost too small they felt too easy. So I used the seating area as steps. Those were too big, knee height. That was more of a workout but i really felt it in my knees later. I’ll probably go back but maybe in addition to the incline as a different type of workout and I’ll experiment again, there are medium steps that I will try out and a few steep hills I can try too.


Red Rocks at sunrise

 

[PrincessMickey]

Just checking in real quick. Finish time was 2:00:59!!! I’ll do a full recap either later tonight or tomorrow.

 

[PrincessMickey]

Colfax 10 miler recap

This race was the farthest I have raced yet. I ran the half marathon in Disney in January but that was more for fun and characters. I had a few goals going into this.
A: submittable POT(1:56:00) for marathon weekend. I knew this was out of reach but is a goal for the year.
B: under 2 hours. Also slightly out of reach but goals.
C: based on training @DopeyBadger predicted around 2:05:00
The 10 miler is a point to point and feeds into the marathon so it was a later start which was nice. It was also a staggered start with corrals but from the corral they released 4-5 at a time every minute or so. The weather was pretty much ideal, mid 40's to start low 50's by end and mostly cloudy. The forecast called for rain in the afternoon but nothing during the run. On my drive there it was drizzling. As soon as I parked and made my way to the start it started pouring so everyone huddled under the one tent they had. Conveniently, about the time I needed to hit the bathroom one last time and head to the start it stopped and before I knew it, it was go time.

Billy told me to go slow the first few miles and slowly ramp it up...apparently don't listen well and went out fast but I was feeling good. Because of the staggered start I was able to get into my interval right away. The first mile went around the campus of the art college and then fed into the marathon on the wide open road. I was in my groove, going way to fast and felt good. Eventually we made our way to Mile High Stadium in mile 5. This was my second slowest mile, there was a fuel stop and running through the stadium. This was my favorite part, I felt like a true athlete being on the field. After this it went from the road to a path along the river for the rest of mile 5 and 6. This was a tad slower as it was much narrower and more congested. Then it opens up and goes back to the road through downtown. There was one hill in mile 7 that I ended up walking the last half, it was short but steep. The last 2 miles goes through the neighborhood and into the park for the finish. The last mile was defiantly the hardest, the downfall for not listening to coach and going out way to fast from the get go but I still pushed through and finished in 2:00:59. I crushed my training goal and only missed my B goal by 1 minute. am not disappointed at all and super proud of myself. This was the hardest and fastest I have gone out and I did it! My brother did the half but we never were able to meet up but he had a good run and we were actually pretty even pace wise. He's been running for a lot longer than me so even though we didn't actually run together I kept up with him pace wise.

My biggest complaint for the race was getting back to my car. For a big race like this they don't have a direct shuttle back. They give you a bus pass and you have to take public transportation. This means walking a few blocks to the bus stop, riding the bus, then transferring to the light rail, then walking a few more blocks to your car. I don't mind public transportation but after racing I want to get to my car as fast as quick as I can. The half and full start and end in the same area so it only affects the 10 miler. If I choose to do this run again I mist likely will not do the 10 miler again because of this. I did enjoy the staggered start and less people at the start though. After I finally made my way back to car I raced home so I could get cleaned up and took a nap and then went to work all night. I highly do not recommend this but I didn't want to waste a vacation day so I struggled through the night and slept good during the day Monday. It was good to be on my feet all night but by 4 I could barely stay awake.

In the next week or two I will make a decision on weather I want to try another 10 miler in the fall or just be happy with my time. I'm also planning on running Bolder Boulder on Monday and because I didn't learn my lesson I will run Monday morning and work Monday night. I have no intentions of doing this for time and will just have fun with it. There is also a charity run next Thursday through work, it's only 2 miles but it's after I will have worked all night. I need to make a decision on that in the next day or two.

 

[PrincessMickey]

Not much to report this week. I took it easy all week. Friday I was back at the stairs. We did 6 flights, 1200 stairs. The last few times we had run some of them so we decided every other flight we would run it, that meant 3 runs each time we made it the first 50 steps before resting and then 30 at a time after. Next we up it to 7 times. I did an easy 3 miles yesterday just to shake things out in prep for tomorrow. Tomorrow bright and early is Bolder Boulder, almost as fun as Disney, and my only goal is at least one Jell-O shot along the way! I have everything all laid out and ready to go another fun outfit is in the works, going to have fun with my attire! No time goals, just going to have fun and enjoy all the antics. And against my better judgement I signed up for a 2 mile run on Thursday. No goals there either, just running with a few coworkers. It's in the middle of the day so I'm sure it will be hot. I work all night the night before and will be working OT later that night and than heading straight to the stairs Friday morning but who needs sleep, it should be fun and it’s for a great cause that means a lot to me.

Gotta love the mermaid!

 

[PrincessMickey]

Bolder Boulder recap

I only did this for fun. This was my first real race last year when I started running so there is that sentimental value as well. Last year I was barely trained for a 10k and was worried about actually finishing and now I run this distance regularly in my training runs. I just wanted to go out and have fun with this since my last race was only a week ago. It was cloudy all morning until my wave started and the sun came out and was pretty warm. Then as I was finishing the clouds were back and it cooled off quite a bit. It's not quite Disney but it is such a fun race and all kinds of costumes. In the first few minutes theres a huge trampoline set up and several slip and slides along the way. So many people in their driveways and yards with sprinklers and hoses. One house throws out giant marshmallows to everyone, the girl next to me got elbowed in the face by her friend trying to catch one, oops. One house has bowls of Doritos, and several hand out icy pops. I had myself a mimosa along the way as well as some beer! The best part for me is there are two hills you go up, one in the middle and one at the end right before you enter the stadium. Last year I thought these were mountains and I walked both of them. This year I looked at them and wondered what I was thinking last year and ran both of them! I also beat my time by over two minutes and didn't really try at all. I could have gone faster if I wanted but I wanted to just take it all in and have fun! My official time was 1:20:39.

My brother was ahead of me and he was able to cheer me on at the finish which was fun! Then we watched my sister in law and her coworker finish, they both walked the whole way. Last year we didn't stay for the ceremony so this year we made it a point to stay. It was fun watching the pro race and in awe of how fast they ran. The top guy was 28 minutes and top girl was 32 minutes, crazy. And watching the military ceremony was fun to watch too. After the ceremony we went straight to the buses. as soon as I got home it was a quick nap then to work that night. That was 2 weeks in a row I did this and regretted it both times but I hated taking a vacation day. Now to think about what kind of training plan I want to do for the summer.

 

[sylkai]

I love the sound of a mid-race mimosa. Obviously not for a race where you have a time goal, but so much fun! Congrats on seeing so much progress! I love it when I look back and realize just how far I've come, because it really helps fight back against the days where I feel like nothing I do makes a difference.

Congrats on an excellent run!

 

[PrincessMickey]

I love the sound of a mid-race mimosa. Obviously not for a race where you have a time goal, but so much fun! Congrats on seeing so much progress! I love it when I look back and realize just how far I've come, because it really helps fight back against the days where I feel like nothing I do makes a difference.

Congrats on an excellent run!

Thanks!!!

 

[KSellers88]

That run sounds so much fun! Congrats!

 

[PrincessMickey]

That run sounds so much fun! Congrats!

Thanks, it was a lot of fun. I already can’t wait until next year!

 

[PrincessMickey]

Against my better judgement I did a 2 mile run on Thursday. It was through work for Special Olympics though. I worked all night Wednesday night then went home to sleep for about 2 hours then went back to work to carpool downtown. We all parked at the Pepsi Center and then shuttled to the capitol for the torch lighting ceremony. And then the run began just before noon, it was hot and the shirts we had were cotton. I put a moisture wicking tank on underneath which helped I think, I was sweating just standing in the shade for the ceremony. It was not a race, just a group run at slow pace. Quite a few people walked but I ran up near the front. The torch was in the lead and people took turns carrying it and you couldn't go in front of the torch. The first mile was down the 16th street mall. Most of the shuttle traffic was stopped but there was one in front of us so it was sorta stop and go waiting for the bus to go. Because it was right at lunch time there were a lot of people out and it was neat to have them taking photos and just watching as we went by. After that we turned onto a street that they closed down so here the speed picked up at tad and no more stopping. I normally do run/walk but I ran the whole thing minus the brief stops we had. And it made me feel pretty good because one of my coworkers told me at the start her goal was to keep up with me as long as she could. I'm not fast but made me feels good. She stayed with me until we turned off the mall. Another coworker is training to run her first 5k and she stayed with me the whole way. After they had burgers and snacks for everyone. Then they had a few Denver Nuggets cheerleader come out and their mascot and the mascot for the Colorado Avalanche and Colorado MammothIt was fun to be a kid again and get picture with them and we got Bernie, the Avalanche mascot's autograph.

Thursday night I worked overtime. For the stairs on Friday we moved the time up to start earlier so it would be cooler. I didn't want to go home first or I would've fallen asleep so I went there early and did a slow run for just over a mile before and then sat outside and rested up for a few before the others got there. We did 7 flights, running every other so 3 flights. The goal this time was to try to run more stairs at a time before resting. The first run we did 60 stairs to start, then 50, 40, then 50. That was tough especially the last 10. The second was 50 then 40, 40, 40, 30. The last we did the same as the first. The first two runs we had had a cheering section which was fun.

After the stairs went home and to sleep so I could do more overtime Friday night. I haven't slept much and have been working a lot but I only work 3 days this week so hopefully I can come up with a new strategy for the summer and then get with @DopeyBadger to get a plan going. I have a few thoughts but haven't made any decisions yet.

 

[PrincessMickey]

So after some reflection over the last 2 weeks here are some thoughts. Everything is a bit scrambled but I I just wanted to get it all down. I ran 1 race for time and 1 for fun. I never liked running. I started running to get into shape. I learned to use running as an outlet and stress reliever. I also learned to have fun with running, skirts and fun outfits, Disney, beer runs, etc. I enjoy my training runs and where I run. I have discovered so much, so close to my house, the river and all the animals and just nature in general. I like taking in everything around me and seeing new things. When I ran my run for time I was so focused on time and paces that I missed out on so much around me. The only thing I took in was running through Mile High Stadium, going into the run that was the one thing I was looking forward to and made sure I slowed down for it. I kinda feel like I was so focused on time I missed out on everything else. I know my time goals were slightly unrealistic so maybe that had something to do with but all I wanted to do was go faster and beat paces so at the end I was spent. So long story short I decided I don't like racing for times, it wasn't enjoyable to me. I still want to run and still do races, I still want to improve my time, I still like getting PR's, I just don't want the main focus to be on a specific time if that makes sense.

The only problem with this is at the beginning of the year one of my goals was to get a submittable POT for the marathon. I was 5 minutes away, 30 seconds per mile. So do I want to squash my goal and just go forward with my running for fun and enjoyment or do I still want to take another shot at it? I'm leaning one way but haven't made a decision yet.

 

[DopeyBadger]

The only problem with this is at the beginning of the year one of my goals was to get a submittable POT for the marathon. I was 5 minutes away, 30 seconds per mile. So do I want to squash my goal and just go forward with my running for fun and enjoyment or do I still want to take another shot at it? I'm leaning one way but haven't made a decision yet.

I'd say don't put any pressure on yourself. Just do the best training you can in the mean time, and let what happens happens. If you continue to put in the work, then things will fall into place on their own without having to worry about it.

 

[PrincessMickey]

I'd say don't put any pressure on yourself. Just do the best training you can in the mean time, and let what happens happens. If you continue to put in the work, then things will fall into place on their own without having to worry about it.

Thanks

 

[PrincessMickey]

It’s been so long since I’ve posted. I’ve had a lot of personal stuff going on and just didn’t have the time to get on here. I have been running though and plan on doing another 10 mile run in the works in September. I just got back from vacation and admittedly did not run during that, who wants to run in 115 heat in phoenix? I will start back with at least weekly updates this week.

 

[PrincessMickey]

That didn’t last long keeping up with weekly updates, ugh. I’m currently sitting in training trying not to fall asleep so why not attempt a quick update. I have a love hate relationship with training. It’s a day not doing my regular job and we get to socialize easier with coworkers and we get to leave the building for lunch. But these quick turn arounds are horrible, I managed a whole 4 hours sleep today.

A few quick highlights from the last 2 weeks. After my long run on Saturday the week before we took an impromptu trip to the mountains for the day/night. We didn’t even pack gear or anything and did something I’ve actually never done before. We loaded the truck with blankets, sleeping bags and pillows and truck camped. Ended up working great, it rained so it was enjoyable falling asleep to the sound of rain an watching the lightning and not getting wet. It was a lot of fun, surprisingly this was the first time this summer to get up there, hopefully we can get up there at least one more time this year but the kids already started school this week so it’s a little bit more complicated.

I finally remembered to get clarification on two of my speeds in my plan, just haven’t had time to log in so my running is all back on track and going well. On days I work I’m in that sweet spot where it’s still dark when I get home but too hot in the afternoons to run so I have to wait a bit before leaving the house. It’s great for sleeping though, so much easier to sleep when it’s still dark out.

Also, this is our big week for the stairs. We’re doing the big incline this week!!!! So far weather is looking good and should be a great day, can’t wait!

A few pics from the last few weeks



I love running in the cool mornings watching the balloons, so peaceful!




These guys have been hanging out the last 2 weeks with us while we do the stairs. No fear, the one was less than 10 feet from us just munching away. The last picture you can see all the haze and smoke in the air. Most days it’s been like this. It’s getting yucky to be outside anymore.

Must start paying attention now so hopefully I can get back on here after we do the incline.

 

[PrincessMickey]

Today was the big day, we conquered the Manitou Incline!!!! Just under 1 mile up, 2744 stairs, 2000 feet in elevation gain! I did this last year with my dad, this year was all about the girls with 2 of my coworkers.

A few notes about last year for comparison: I had only been running for about 4 months and I had just completed my first 10K. I was about 10 lbs heavier last year. Near the top we had to stop every 5-10 steps to catch our breath and rest. We made it to the top in just under 2 hours.

This year: a half marathon done and currently training for a 10 miler. We’ve been doing the mini incline weekly for the last several months, only 200 steps, we did as many as 8 trips up but the most popular was 5 trips up. The bottom part we made it several hundred steps between rests. Towards the top we would go 100 steps between rests.

Also to note, last fall they closed the incline and made several improvements, they added a bunch of stairs eliminating the big huge steps that were knee height and hard to climb.

We made it to the top in just under an hour an half!!! It felt so much easier this time around. Breathing is the hardest and my legs didn’t start feeling it until we were almost to the top. I don’t feel sore at all, in fact I feel so good I maybe could have done it again. After a quick snack at the top we took the trail, almost 3 miles, back to the bottom. We took a drive with a quick stroll through Garden of the Gods and then it was back home. Overall, it was a great day!!!

I wish it was a tad closer because I actually want to do this more often. The other girls plan on stopping the weekly mini incline, I will keep it up at least until after my 10 miler and probably will keep it up even longer than that. My legs feel so much stronger and I think it helps my run game quite a bit.


Elevation chart, and quite the pace chart.


From the nail out point 2/3 of the way up looking down.


Made it to the top!!!


On the trail down.


Garden of the Gods.

 

[DopeyBadger]

That is insane!

 

[KSellers88]

So cool! I really want to do that one day, way to go!