Well, one update every five months does not give much information to what is going on in my life!  Here's a recap of my main Mt Evans Ascent training run.

 Mt. Evans Ascent (the training run):  My longest training run was six miles.  I think I ran four or five times in preparation for the Ascent.  Not much time spent training (what's new!), and I was nervous I would not make the 9-mile cutoff in 2.5 hours.  The Monday before the race, I drove up to Echo Lake to see how fast I could make the cut-off point.  Before setting off on my run, I drove the route and stashed water and gel packets - just in case...

My running gear consisted of my shoes (naturally...), a cheap pair of running socks, my new neon yellow Pearl Izumi Barrier Convertible cycling jacket, a baseball cap, and a water bottle.  And a borrowed Garmin GPS HRM (Thanks, Jeff!).

I must first say that I love running and cycling in the mountains.  Echo Lake's elevation is 10,600 ft.  I neither run nor cycle fast, but I love the beautiful solitude that the high country offers.  I set out on my run at a slow jog, and about a half mile later I realized that I would NOT be running (or jogging) all the way to the summit.  After my half-mile jog, I simply walked as fast as I could.   There were a few sections of jogging, but my legs simply did not have the strength.  If I remember correctly, my heart rate never exceeded 145 bpm, but my legs refused to comply.  Nevertheless, I managed to reach the cutoff time (Summit Lake @ 12,830 ft.) with about 20 minutes to spare.  The weather was beautiful, with not much traffic.  Once I finished my run/walk, I thumbed a ride back down to the Echo Lake parking area.

Lessons learned:  I ended up with a good-sized blister on one of my heels.  I also found out how important it is to remember where water and energy packets are stashed.  I remembered a couple of places, but there are (I think!) three more locations where I left my stash.  I took courage knowing that since I made the cutoff with time to spare, that I would make it on the actual race day.  I also realized how cool it is when Mt. Evans tourists see someone jogging up the mountain road. 

2011 - First blog entry of the year!

Time for a new post! I have been hesitant to update my blog for a couple of reasons. First, I have not yet done any training for this summer's events, and secondly, if I updated my blog with everything that I am doing, it may not seem like I am doing as much important things as I should be doing. While that is not the case, perception is often difficult to change.

So what great physical events am I participating in this summer? Depending on the schedule of my more important activities (family, real estate, school, etc.), I will be doing the following:

Bolder Boulder 10K, (May 30, 2011)
Rocky Mountain Senior Games 10K (June 09, 2011)
Mt. Evans Ascent - 14.5-mile run up Mt. Evans road (ends at over 14K feet) (6/18/2011)
Team Evergreen's Triple Bypass - (July 09, 2011)

Similar to last year, I have not yet trained. At all... The good news is that my weight is down about 9 pounds from my last year's Triple Bypass weight. My weight goal for TBP this year is 150-152. The mere idea of pedaling 15 fewer pounds is highly encouraging.

My goal is to start (today) Healthriding every day, with three runs this first week. Next week I will run five days, with possibly a four or five mile run at the end of the week.

My biggest fear in all this is whether my body (knees...) will agree to the effort. Were it not for (the fear of) the knees, I'd simply go stretch, and then run for an hour or so. Might as well find out soon if they'll be a problem.

One other interesting factor in all this is that other than fish oil two or three times a week, I have had no cholesterol since last summer. No dairy, no eggs, and no meat. I have felt fine, and I have been allergy-free (last fall and this spring) for the first time in 33 years. My test is not very scientific, so I'll continue the experiment at least until November. I'll have my cholesterol checked before the Mt. Evans Ascent, so that will give me a comparison with last year.