2000 Miles

Yes, this week (Friday, to be exact) I reached the 2000 mile mark. This is a huge milestone in my training, considering I put just about 3000 miles on my legs over the entirety of last season. At this pace I'll hit 5000 by the end of the year, something that has been a secret goal of mine since the season began. Since American River, I've been trying to keep the miles per week consistently higher and more technical. Here is what I've been up to....

April 12-April 18

M-AM 4 miles, 35 min (Sante Fe Trail)

PM 4 miles, 29 min (Sante Fe Trail)

T- 6 miles, 48 min (Sante Fe Trail)

W-AM 6 miles, 43 min (Sante Fe Trail)

PM 6 miles, 42 min (Sante Fe Trail)

T-AM 6 miles, 40 min (Sante Fe Trail)

PM 6 miles, 42 min(Sante Fe Trail)

F- 12 miles, 97 min (Garden of the Gods)

S- CRUD ~12.5 miles, ~110 min (Rampart to Waldo Canyon)

PM 6 miles, 45 min (Sante Fe Trail)

S-12 miles, 100 min (Barr Trail up to 9K from Memorial)

TOTAL: 80.5 miles, 10 hours 31 min, 7:50 min/mile

April 19-April 25

M-AM 10 miles, 76 min (Garden of the Gods)

PM 6 miles, 44 min (Sante Fe Trail)

T-AM 16-17 miles, 128 min (Garden of the Gods)

W-AM 6 miles, 43 min (Sante Fe Trail)

PM 4 miles, 26 min (Sante Fe Trail)

T-AM 18 miles, 158 min (BARR)

F-AM ~16-17 miles, 132 min (BARR)

S- CRUD 14 miles, 129 min (10" snow @ palmer)

PM 6 miles, 42 min (Sante Fe Trail)

S- 6 miles, 42 min (Sante Fe Trail)

PM 6 miles, 43 min (Sante Fe Trail)

TOTAL: ~110 miles, 14 hrs 23 min, 7:51 min/mile

April 26- May 2nd

M-AM 18 miles, 147 min (Door, GoG, Rampart)

PM 6 miles, 41 min (Sante Fe)

T-AM 6 miles, 42 min (Sante Fe)

PM 14 miles, 102 min (GoG to the SCAR)

W-AM 6 miles, 41 min (Sante Fe)

PM 6 miles, 42 min (Sante Fe)

T-AM 6 miles, 44 min (Sante Fe)

PM 6 miles, 44 min (Sante Fe)

F- 6 miles, 45 min (Sante Fe)

C2 Yoga, 60 min

S- COLLEGIATE PEAKS, 6:52:05 CR

S- 6 miles, 47 min (Sante Fe Trail)

TOTAL: 130 miles

May 3-May 9

M-AM 10 miles, 78 min (GoG)

PM 6 miles, 47 min (Sante Fe)

T-AM 10 miles, 78 min (Sante Fe)

PM 6 miles, 40 min (Sante Fe)

W-AM 15 miles, 123 min (GoG)

PM 6 miles, 42 min (Sante Fe)

T-AM 6 miles, 42 min (Sante Fe)

PM 8 miles, 75 min (SCAR)

F-AM 17 miles, 154 min (713 trail)

PM 4 miles, 27 min (Sante Fe)

S- 22 miles, 214 min (Rampart, Waldo, Long's Ranch, BARR)

S- 19 miles, 166 min (GoG, SCAR)

TOTAL: 129 miles

May 10- May 16

M- 6 miles, 46 min (sick)

T- 6 miles, 41 min (sick)

W-AM 6 miles, 41 min (Sante Fe Trail)

PM 6 miles, 40 min (Sante Fe Trail)

T-AM 10 miles, 66 min (Sante Fe Trail)

PM 6 miles, 41 min(Sante Fe Trail)

F- AM 15 miles, 117 min (High Drive, I hit the 2000 mile mark right as it began to snow at 8200 feet, a miserably cold run actually)

PM 6 miles, 40 min (Intemann)

S- CRUD 18 miles, 183 min (Trail 313)

PM 6 miles, 42 min (Sante Fe Trail)

S- 15 miles, 117 min (GoG)

TOTAL: 100 miles

These last few weeks have been amazing for quite a few reasons.

I've been fortunate enough to have locked down another solid pacer for Western States. This new friend, Brooks Williams, also has quite a gift for finding new trails that offer not only massive vertical gain but a great deal of scenery too. Together we discovered a way to run from Woodland Park to Colorado Springs in about the same time it would take to drive.

I've hit an average of 106 miles per week since January 1st, with recovery and build-up weeks added in. I know that this average will only get higher as the season progresses, and this realization has bumped me up a few notches in the mental game.

And lastly, I broke the course record at the Collegiate Peaks 50 miler while training through the race (6:52:05). This is a sure sign that my fitness has reached a level it has never been before. Below is a picture of Ryan Burch and I at the finish line. Ryan finished with an impressive 3:05. I'm excited to see what he does at Jemez. Hopefully I can make my way out there to be a spectator.

I still have a lot of miles left before the season is over, and quite a few races mixed in there. Next up is the Blue Canyon 100k. This race is 3 weeks out from Western States, and will be a great test to see if my legs can handle the climbs and descents. The 100k has 18k of elevation gain on a 66 mile out-and-back course. My hope is that its also hot so I can get a little bit of acclimation.... seeing as how its snowed here two days ago.

I've noticed quite a few people are posting their favorite tunes on their blogs, so I'd like to follow suit and give you one of my favorite songs to listen to (in the rare event that I run with an Ipod).

Ratatat- Seventeen Years