Fri 2/25 - AM 65 minutes very easy

To Washington Park and back, quite easy the whole time. Tired and somewhat fried from yesterday. Left hip feeling a bit stuck, which is not a huge surprise, hopefully it can be worked out in time. Last run in Denver.

Thu 2/24 - AM 2:15 up and down Barr Trail

Up the Incline, on to Barr Camp, and back. I wanted to see what the fuss was about with the incline, boils down to it being punishingly steep. This was the view from the bottom:

Able to run for the first 6 minutes, then the trail steepened even more and that went out the window. Double-stepped the ties for a while until that became too much, then it was a question of not stopping. Got to the top in a bit less than 25 minutes or so.

Took a few minutes to catch my breath then on to the camp. Snow above the experimental forest turn-off but  it was well-packed and easily negotiable for the most part. Still not easy by any means, took a long break at the cabin as I was feeling pretty fried. Descent was relaxed and not rushed, took a little over an hour. Finished feeling tired but not utterly destroyed.

Wed 2/23 - AM 2 hours

Falcon Trail in Colorado Springs. Mind-boggling that something like this exissts on the grounds of a military academy. I saw four people the entire time I was on the trails, just under 13 miles. Compared to yesterday's slippery steeps the terrain was much more reasonable, some climbs and descents but nothing beyond the pale. Moving well at times, but ran out of gas in sudden fashion near the end. Finished feeling quite worn out, partly from the altitude of course and partly from yesterday.

Tue 2/22 - AM 2 hours

Run/hike up and down Green Mountain in Boulder. Dry and clear down low, a different story in the upper reaches. Went up via Ranger Trail which was mostly hockey rink conditions above a certain point. Came down Greenman which was better with a nice run of packed snow which was nice and absorbent. Still some treacherous spots further down. Combination of pounding and slipping not the greatest for the legs of course but I couldn't resist this type of view:

Mon 2/21 - double, 90 minutes total

AM - 30 minutes very easy, Cheesman Park. Once again in the thin air of Denver. Easy morning shakeout, bracing cold temps mostly in the shade. Left leg stiff but it's been worse the day after a race.

PM - 60 minutes easy, Cherry Creek Path. Out and back with a 20 minute break in the middle to do errands. Glute and hammie somewhat stuck on the way out, felt better on the return trip. Earlier in the afternoon there was also a hike at 8,000 feet or so in Golden thrown in for good measure, windy and chilly with some slippery parts but not a bad time.

Sun 2/20 - AM 65 minutes incl. 5k in 15:40

The end of the indoor season that stalled out before it got going. Went in with diminished expectations, hoping to stick to 37-point laps and hopefully make a charge for 15:30, not quite able to do that. On pace for it through 2k but I could feel the pace wasn't quite sustainable. Stayed relaxed but it was a barely controlled deceleration over the last 60% of the race. Last km in 3:10, maybe a bit slower. Energy levels better than they have been but not quite tiptop either. If nothing else, the race gives me a reasonable idea of where my fitness level is at, which in a nutshell is where it was two months ago. Up and down between then and now. Better than the race itself was how the left leg and hip reacted to it. Some tightness in the glute during the warmup which had me concerned but some direct pressure dealt with it. Afterward, not nearly as debilitated as it has been feeling after harder efforts lately, and that includes sitting for 4+ hours on a plane. What progress there has been on that front goes down to strengthening routine.

Sat 2/19 - PM 45 minutes

Summerhill to Levittown. Leg starting to feel better, not coincidentally after a couple of days of consciously applying myself to doing more core work after runs. Still not free and easy of course. Thought of doing some strides on the way in, but a combination of the leg and the huge wind gusts put me off the idea. There hasn't been much in the way of short fast sprints lately, not for lack of desire.