Week 5

I saw this tree outside of a ghetto I was working in Mississippi.  It basically filled my thoughts the rest of the Day.  This tree looks like a maple, a relatively slow growing tree.  This barbed wire was running right through the middle of the tree with no sign of distress anywhere.  There are lots of cool observations that can be made about this tree and its friend the barbed wire so I thought I would run through them to see if anyone had any other thoughts.

When do we think this happened?  It was clear to me this tree was used as a fence post, Id guess 80 - 100 years ago?  at first it was a nuisance to the tree but the tree didn't care.  The tree has no feelings or thoughts about the wire it just did what it knows best...  GROW..  Now its a part of it.  Mother nature created this tree in such a way that even with the strain of barbed wire on it, it will continue to grow on.  My lesson is you can survive anything..  This tree didn't put a second thought to the fact that man thought it would make a good fence post and it could quite possibly kill it.  It grew anyway.  To me mother nature is the most amazing force.  

Tonight I ran in a popular place called Elk Meadow.  you think its just a name but as the name says, the meadow was littered with elk grazing as the sun decided to bed down for the night.  You look towards the hills and see the snowy peaks in the distance and you cant hep but feel mother nature.  A perfect balance.

Today was just a great day, stressful work with nice thoughts and conversation between meetings.  I did 4 miles @ :48:10 (12min average)  ave HR was 164 with a max of 173.  wasn't an easy run with 1000 feet of elevation gain.  Id call it moderate.

Yesterday was 5+ miles with 1454' of elevation gain and that took me 1:28:13.  About a 17.5 min mile. This was a difficult run but well worth it.  Would have been much shorter had i not gotten lost and had to re-run a section.  

Need to keep it up, traveling has thrown off my schedule but I need to stick with it.   Sundays run was supposed to be 8 miles, I think I'm set back a week which is fine.  I will jump ahead at some point and be back on schedule.

So I am looking to sign up for a race Circuit in Evergreen and possibly the "Leadville Heavy Half" marathon.  I'm a little nervous about the Heavy Half but I may just do it...

Week 4

As week 4 comes to an end I will say my training has been a disappointment.  Ive been in Mississippi for close to two weeks working long 12-14 hour days.  But I have still manage to get in a few road runs but I am considering this unacceptable.  Also my weekend long runs have been non existant.  I am supposed to to an 8 miler this weekend.  Not only would this be tough I dont know any 8 mile trails that arent covered with a bunch of snow.  I may still go for it Saturday and ski Sunday, well see.
My runs here have been short in the 3 mile range.  Its Hot and humid but I am fast at seal level.  Ran some 9 minute miles and maintained a lower heart rate.  Its dificult to travel and eat properly especially when your managing a team that wants to go out and eat at night and you need to buy.  Future trips I will work to do better in that aspect.

I did order some new shoes last night Im excited to get.  Also looked at some trail runs that sound fun.  Still contemplating the "Leadville Heavy Half" but I just dont know if Ill be able to make the cutoffs.  Maybe if the snow melted and I had more time to train at altitude.

Week 2 - Day 2 - 3 Miles

Well I made it out and did 3 miles and 550 Feet of elevation gain even though it was blizzarding.  The first 2 miles were on the road, the last mile was on a trail with about a foot of snow.  That made for an interesting run.  Fun though, Im not focusing on speed (although I am trying to move quickly) I am focusing on mileage and getting it in.  Tomorrow I am going to shoot for 3 miles again.  34:54 Minutes Burned 554 CaloriesAveraged 158 bpm and Max was 187bpm.  Im pretty sure the belt wasnt on right and somethign was wrong readings were strange.

Week 1 - Day 7 - 4 miles (Long Run)

Ok well I changed the numbering slightly of my titles.  but its not much.  Yesterday (Saturday) was the day I wanted to run but because of a very demanding ski day, I pushed it off to today, Sunday.  I went to Red Rock Amphitheatre.  My Goal was a 4.3 mile trail that runs up a hill the first mile (19:00).  So One thing I realized was the Maps were off, the GPS was more likely accurate.  The trail was really 3.4 miles.  SO I fell below my goal but I made it up the other day with the extra mileage.  Just important I get them in.  So it was 46:06 to run the trail which I may use as a quick test piece.  First mile is steep switchbacks so with 1st mile being 19 mins, that means the remaining 2.4 miles I averaged 11:15 per mile.  Total run im in the 14 min per mile range which doesn't bother me one bit.  I would call this trail Easy with a moderate climb in the beginning.  I completed this Run in 46:06 - I burned 777 calories and  had an Avg, HR of 165 and a peak of 175.  I felt Strong on the easy trails.  Just need to keep it up.  Hoping for 2 on Tuesday, 3 on Wednesday, and a 6 miler in Bozeman on Thursday, My Long run for the week since ill be skiing the weekend.

 

Day 4 - Rest Day

Today is Day 4, A rest day.  Tomorrow I am skiing A-Basin with coworkers.  I have a run picked out for the weekend at Red Rocks.  I'd like to do it tomorrow evening.  Its a 1 miles climb to start which is pretty rough but after that its pretty mellow and fun.  Theres probably some snow and ice on the trail.  I feel great today from the almost 8 miles I ran this week.  Im glad Im starting off slow and working up. 

Day 3 - 2 miles

2 miles 22:22 - same run as Tuesday 340 foot climb.  Burned 400 calories 167 Ave HR. 183 Peak HR.

Training reflections already?

I have not signed up for a marathon.  why not?  When I commit to something I generally do it.  I'm certainly a man of my word but its more than that, I do it for me.  I don't care what people think.  I am who I am.  I realize that sounds a bit selfish but almost all I do, I do for me.  I have delved into my selfishness before but haven't explained it well and tried to express unselfishness through selfishness. 

I want to Trail run...   Long distance runs over long periods appeal to me.  Maybe its primal, maybe it makes me feel like a man.  (flashes of fight club come to mind) I need to run.  The fitter I get I want to run everywhere.  I park my truck at work and I want to run up to the door, I take the dog for a walk and I find my steps getting larger and quicker.  We are made to run.  We evolved to be active and get away.  I am running for me.  One day I will run a 100 mile race.  I will do it for me.  I may skip activities in life, Parties, nights out drinking, eating, dates, Birthdays because I want to run..  I need to run.  Sometimes it hurts.  Bad...  how do you get through?  Its your mind.  I think "this is me, how do I want to remember this run?"  in a year, what do I wish I was doing at that moment...  When I run 100 miles in under 24 hours, I can only imagine how I will feel.  How did I get there?  Selfishness?  or is it devotion?  passion?  an instinct? a need to believe in myself, a need to improve, a need for a feeling overwhelms you.  I have only had runners high on long runs.   Ive felt it on mountains, Ive felt it on the side of a frozen waterfall...  Its a feeling when your mind goes blank for a second (REBOOT), it is then filled with a feeling of uneasiness.  All thoughts and choices become clear.  Its you and the task at hand.  Its only then when you realize how inconsequential most of the other things going on in your life are. 

Did you ever see a kid in high school.  Something happens, they get in trouble, a girlfriend breaks up with them, they get an injury, they thing the world is over.  I remember that feeling..  Like "this is it".  My life is over..  :)  its fun to look back...  Adults I know talk about it, comparing the stories, then go on to make their own complaints, My job this and my wife that, and these bills...  When I am on top of a mountain,  when I am skiing down a steep slope, sometimes when my life is at risk, I feel like those "adult" problems and their complaints are no different than the kids.  We have no control..  you want it, but its not there.  :)  deal with it.  Let it go..  go with the flow.  Book a trip, if it doesn't work out, go somewhere else and make the best of it.  Get up right now, find a trail and go for a run.  Maybe you don't know how far you'll run.  Maybe you haven't run a mile since high school.  maybe your Ipod will die...   Maybe it will get dark while your on your run. Do you have a headlamp?  Maybe.  My point is it'll work out.  Enjoy life.  Enjoy yourself and the feats you can acomplish.  When a good person is selfish, it becomes selfless.   It ad's to their personality.  Their soul gains wisdom.  You will then exude an aura of selflessness.  The people who think you are selfish are the selfish ones; Quietly judging something they couldn't possibly understand.  People are so quick to judge people, quick to criticize.  I don't let it bother me nor do I don't hold it against them.  So again, Find your mountain, find your trip, find your runners high, find your clarity... 

Let me ask you a question...  Have you ever really challanged yourself????

Day 2 - 3.8 Miles

So today the plan was 3 miles at Three Sisters Park.  I mapped it out and all was good, a few wrong turns made it 3.8 but oh well, it was a good time.  I would call the terrain Moderate with about 800 feet of gain.  I was a little slow, the uphills killed me I didn't manage them very well.  53 minutes 50 seconds.  I burned around 900 calories and had an average heart rate of 164 and a max HR of 176.  I felt like I did well except the uphills, I need to work on them.  Tomorrows 2 miler will be a piece of cake.

Day 1 - 2 Miles

So day one was an easy distance for me.  I didnt find a good pace till the end.  The weather was Snowey, the trail had approximately 300 feet elevation gain and wan an out and back.  most of the trail was snow covered but didnt affect my pace until i got to packed snow behind some trees that dont get sun.  2 miles - 23min 14 sec - Average HR of 160 with a max of 175.  And I burned 440 calories.  Not a bad first run in my opinion.  A little boring but i have some better ones planned for the longer ones.  

Marathon Training

Ive said it before "Dutin Smoot is not a runner".  (I don't speak in 3rd person but Ive been told its good for search engines)  With that last race I decided it's time to do it.  I haven't really trained since Rainier and I know I can go a long way on a trail.  I know a few trail runs I've been wanting to do but their all in the 12 - 14 mile range.  So I took a random calender and I searched online for marathon training programs and I made my plan.  I felt like the novice programs were far too easy and the intermediate were for people already running 30 miles per week, so I decided to make my own.  The basic format of these programs seemed to be run shorter distances during the week and a long run on the weekend that came close to equaling the miles you ran during the week.  They alternate your pace keeping you working all of your heart rate zones.  One stipulation I made was that I am trying to mountain bike with some friends on Wednesday night for the foreseeable future so I will call that cross training and only run 3 miles on Wednesdays.  Sundays will always be an easy run for fun or hike as a stretch after my long runs on Saturday (If I ski Saturday I may do my long run on Sunday, if so I'll skip the stretch walk).  Also I will work in 2 full body workouts a week focusing on upper body and heavy lifts on the lower body with few reps to aid recovery.   My other spring activity is looking like it will be skydiving.  My friend is looking to get solo certified so we can jump alone and maybe graduate to BASE jumping or paragliding.  I need to lose a few pounds, 225LBS in your street clothes weight limit.  I'm 225lbs in my underwear so Ill need to lose at least 10 lbs (or more, I don't need to be right at the cutoff).   So along with the training I will work on my diet.  My diet is pretty good.  But I fall off and drink and eat crap occasionally.  I'm going to work on a clean diet, loosely based on a Paleo diet, without bad weekends.  Tonight I ate Stir Fry:  

So today is my rest day.  Which is good because my calves were so sore still from skiing.  (This was actually a breakthrough for me, my calves are never sore, I think I am finally skiing in the front seat.) 

So this week will be Tuesday a 2 mile run, Wednesday a 3 mile run, Thursday a 2 mile run. then Sunday a 4.5 mile run (I'm skiing Saturday at A-Basin if any ones interested).  This will be pretty easy for me.  I think.  :)  I will update here and list my progress, Ive been doing much better with blogging.  I'm hoping to be up to a 20 Mile long run by July.  And do some destination runs in the fall like PCT or some runs outside of Vegas and the Grand Canyon rim to rim.   have no Marathon in mind, no actual goal, Im hoping one becomes more clear soon so I can push myself through those long runs.

I would LOVE to hear comments or suggestions, shoot me a text!