Dragon Boats and a Fast Finish

It's that time of year again...festivals, festivals, and more festivals! On Sunday, Sargent and I met our friends Scott and Kathleen (see wedding photos in the 'Blogolicious' post) at the 8th annual Dragon Boat Festival on Sloan's Lake. Teams in four different divisions - Competitive, Corporate, Novice, and Youth - competed for the top prizes (not sure what the they were, but I'm sure there were some prizes) in the Dragon Boat races. The boats were really cool, certainly not something you see every day. It makes me wonder...were do they store these things, and do they just bring them out once a year for this festival?

Actually, the most interesting thing I saw at the festival was in the "dance" tent, if that is what you would call it. A DJ was spinning the music and providing some sort of commentary? on the action on the floor. The dancers? were spinning, flipping, and flopping, all to the rhythm of the music. Break dancing? Wasn't that in and hip in the 80's? Or was that the 90's? Anyway, now it is new and improved and called something else, I'm sure, although I'm not sure what. I was greatly impressed by the kinesthetic sense needed to do something like this. This is definitely not something found in my genes, which is probably why I am in such awe. I would look like I had a serious medical (or mental) condition if I tried something like that, not to mention that doing something like that would cause me to have a serious medical condition. Good thing I'm old enough to know better. I found this video on You Tube, which is, for the most part, what we saw on Sunday. Take a look.

I was very happy with my training this week. Monday was a recovery day, with 4 miles at a nice easy pace. Tuesday was off, and Wednesday consisted of 6 miles at race pace with one mile warm up and one mile cool down. I did strides on Thursday, and Saturday was my first 'fast finish' long run. For this run, I ran 10 miles at about 9:22 min / mile, the next 6 at 8:10 min / mile, and mile 17 as a cool down. I felt really good the entire run, and was quite pleased. Then on Sunday, Ironman Scott told me that I was running my long runs too fast, and that when Coach McMillan (the guy I paid $99 to write me a training plan) says to run the first part of your fast finish long run at 1:30 - 2:00 min. per mile slower than race pace, he means it. So this week I'll push hard on my interval workouts during the week, and just take it nice and slow for my 18-22 miler on Saturday. The bad thing about running those long runs so slowly is that it takes up so much time. To get in 22 miles at 10:00 min. / mile (my race pace is technically 8:20-8:30/mile), I will have to start running at 4:30 a.m. to avoid the heat. Ouch!

Scout got to run with me again this week, on all runs except for the long run on Saturday. She does not enjoy the heat, and I worry that I cannot carry enough water for both of us on the long runs. This translates into me not drinking enough so I can conserve for her, and then I get dehydrated and that is no good either. So she can go along for 8 miles or less. Anything over 8 and she stays home for at least part of the run.

Volunteer pet therapy dog Scout spent some time yesterday and today raising the spirits of patients at the hospice and the hospital. She seems to enjoy the hospice better. Perhaps she recognizes the peacefulness of the hospice environment, the transition to another life stage of the patients she sees there, the finality of the moment. Yes, yes, I know. I'm projecting. Dog's don't have a sense of past, present, and future. But Scout the pet therapy dog becomes tranquil and calm upon entering the doors of the hospice. She knows her job is to stand there and be petted, loved on, cried on, and talked to. Her job is to allow these patients the space to be true to themselves, to reflect upon their lives without the fear of judgement. Good girl, Scout.

Sweet 16 w/ Dick Francis; The great escape

I was all alone for my 16 miler on Saturday, as Scout was still on paw rest (much to her dismay)and Nancy was running with her club. I again returned to the wide open spaces of the Colton and Doudy Draw trails. I like this trail because you begin running west, towards the mountains illuminated by the rising sun. The first mile is a killer, straight up right from the car. After that, the uphill becomes more manageable until about mile 3 when it becomes more or less rolling hills.

I began my run at 6am, knowing the heat was going to kick into overdrive that day. It was a gorgeous morning, and as I ran, Dick Francis told me a story about a race horse, some shady business deals at Cheltenham and New Market race tracks in England, and how his main character saved the day and won the lady. Sound familiar, Dick Francis fans? About 10 miles into my run, I was beginning to feel the heat of the day, and my water bottle showed that it was a bit on the low side. Hmmm....what would Dick Francis do? Knowing that there was no where to fill up, I did not delay, but high tailed it up the trail. I ended up on empty with about 3 miles to go, and now it was 8:00 and really getting hot. Lucky for me, the last 3 miles were all down hill, and I coasted in on fumes. All in all, I averaged 9:34 pace, about 10 seconds faster than the previous Saturday.

The rest of the day I was shot. I ate breakfast, took a nap, woke up, took in some fluids, slept some more, drank more liquids, relocated to the basement (too hot upstairs), continued my nap, and more of the same. I was clearly dehydrated and probably had a touch of heat exhaustion.

Today, Sunday, I said "enough of the heat", and escaped to the good ol' Rocky Mountains. Previously I had purchased some "Mushers Secret", an all-natural waxy type substance that "heals and protects" the paws of working and athletic dogs. Scout convinced me that the "Secret" had done the trick, and she was ready for a hike.

We loaded in the truck and headed up past Keystone to Chihuahua Gulch. We had done this trail before, last year with Sargent. I first read about it in Canine Colorado, a guide to great Colorado hiking trails for you and your dog. This trail makes its way along the backside of Grays and Torreys 14,000 foot peaks to a glacial lake at 12,200 feet. For the most part, the trail is an old jeep road cris-crossed numerous times by streams. Along the way, beaver ponds and rock scree keep the hike interesting. Scout had a blast, running, jumping, splashing, and cavorting all along the route. She often ran ahead, looking for critters to chase and good smells to follow, but frequently "checked in" to make sure I was still following along. At one point, she had run quite a distance ahead of me when I came to a stream crossing. As I slowly picked my way across the nearly knee deep, fast moving, glacially cold stream, she came galloping back for her check in and... SPLASH..."what's taking you so long?" The pictures in this posting are all of our hike today in Chihauhau Gulch.

Although I had escaped the heat for a while today, when I returned home at about 6:00 p.m., the indoor/outdoor themometer read 98 outside, and a cool 91 inside. Brick house = brick oven. I think I'll ask Sargent for an air conditioner for my birthday.

Injured Reserve

Poor Scout is on the injured reserve list. On our 14 mile trail run on Saturday, she literally ran her little foot pads off. The true companion that she is, she gave no indication that she was in pain while on the Saturday run. It was only later that evening that she showed tenderness in her feet. Today, Monday, she seems just fine. Playing in the yard with her toys, you would guess that nothing is amiss. She is running and jumping like usual. The pads on her feet, however, tell the story of many prairie dogs chased, mucho miles of rough, unforgiving land covered. She is off of running for this week. We will re-assess the situation next Saturday.

Scout is pissed about this. She woefully endures nightly applications of "Tuff Feet - A dog is only as good as it's feet" topical medication. To top it off, her fantasy Tour de France team "Team Scout" has moved to last in the league standings. It seems her tour riders are acting in sympathy and riding as if they are injured as well. What a rough week to be a dog.

Dogs have an amazing capacity for loyalty, one which far surpasses that of human relationships. Scout's willingness to continue running on Saturday reminds me of another true companion - my best boy, Caesar. After months and months of tests, xrays, and vet visits, at the age of 10 1/2, Caesar was diagnosed with bone cancer. Although in obvious pain, he continued to follow me from room to room, trudging around on his splinted leg. Up until the very end, the little stump of his tail still wagged, his butt still wiggled, he had a smile on his face, and he would lick you to death if you let him. He was a true companion - with me through all of the toughest times of my life - my one constant... And he remains with me in spirit. Rest in peace, my baby Caesar.

Wow...did I just have a good cry while posting this blog.

Mozart Under the Moonlight

On Thursday night, Sargent and I attended Mozart Under the Moonlight at the Arvada Center Amphitheatre. Although the day was hot, the evening was perfect for watching the Colorado Symphony Orchestra perform outdoors under a cloudless sky. Sargent has become increasingly interested in classical music, often listening to it at his desk at work. I must say, it is quite relaxing. He has it on his non-I-Pod, and we listen to it at night while falling asleep, each using one ear bud of the headphones.

This afternoon, I finally mowed the lawn after almost 3 weeks. It has been outrageously hot and dry in CO this summer, the driest on record in quite some time according to the people who keep track of those things. We increased our watering time so the grass has some semblance of green. The spots that got enough water grew quite a bit, but other areas are still brown. So, our lawn looked like it had mange, with long tufts of green mixed with short, brown, crusty areas. Now that I mowed the longish bits, it now just looks spotted. Oh well, it is just grass. Once I get my water bill, I'm sure I'll be in shock and will shut down watering all together and all of my efforts to date will be in vain.

Training - this was a good week for training. On Monday evening after my last blog post, I ran 13 miles. Scout didn't run with me because even though it was about 7:00, it was still too hot for a black dog. I feel guilty if I don't take her with me, and wonder what is going through her head when she sees me put on my running shoes but yet she is left at home. I don't really believe that dogs have the ability to reason, but yet we humanize them so much that it is hard to not blend the non-tangential properties.

Wednesday was the Yasso 800 day. This Yasso guy (or girl, I'm not really sure) says that the time you average for half-mile repeats (in minutes and seconds) predicts your finish time in a marathon (hours and minutes). For example, I ran 6 x 800 meters at an average of 3 min. 38 seconds. Yasso says that I should be able to complete a marathon in 3 hours, 38 minutes. This is good news. Technically, he also says that I need to be able do 10 repeats and take that average. I'll work up to that one.

Wednesday was super hot...98 in the shade hot. Of course I didn't get up at 5:30 a.m. to do this speed workout. And, we made plans for the evening for dinner with Anne, Daniel, and Jessie. So, that meant I had to get this workout in after work and before dinner. This was probably the hottest part of the day. Scout and I went to this place I used to take my old Rottweiler, Caesar, to swim. There is a gravel trail around a lake, with the South Platte River running nearby. Scout got to get in the lake and get all wet before we began. Then, as I was running these repeat 800's, she got to get her feet wet and get a drink in the river. She liked it...I did not. I got a bit over heated, and actually had chills during the last three repeats. No good. But I did them, and I ran them in fairly respectable and even times.

Friday was just a short morning run around the neighborhood. Scout loves to run with me in the morning because the squirrels are so active. She is so quick, I'm just waiting for her to catch one some day. Hopefully not, as last year squirrels in Denver were dying from the plague. Yep, the plague.

Today I ran 14.24 miles with Nancy, my wonderful massage therapist and friend. We started at the Colton trailhead and ran up and over the hill to the Greenbelt Plateau and back. The temperature was perfect (we started at 6:30 a.m.). Scout had a blast chasing prairie dogs all over. We even had an encounter with a crazy coyote. The coyote scared Nancy and I, but Scout didn't give it a second glance. After the run, Nancy gave me a massage. I hadn't had a massage for about a month, so I was definitely due. Thanks, Nancy.

Tonight, I sit under the grape arbor typing this blog. It is a gorgeous evening, as most are in Colorado. I can hear the tinkling of the water in the fish pond fountain, see the twinkling of the lights strung high up in the grape arbor, and smell the fresh cut grass (what there was of it). There is a comfort with this life that I haven't experienced in the past. I know that tomorrow I will make breakfast, drink my coffee, and read the Sunday paper. Then I will pull weeds in the front flower beds. After, and as a reward, Sargent and I will ride the tandem bike. Scout will lay around and rest her feet. At night we will drink some wine and prepare for the upcoming week. For a time, contentment can be a blessing, a security. Over time, it can be like a rut, holding you back from exploration and opportunity. If you know me, blog readers, you know that I am not good with ruts. Like getting your front wheel stuck in a washout, a slight wave of panic ensues, and you know that adjustments need to be made or you're going down. Now this may be a little dramatic, but you know what I mean. I'm already planning some epic hikes up the 14,000 foot peaks of Colorado this summer. I'll travel to Seattle to see my friend, Heather, and run a little race while I'm there. I'll try to explore new areas of the Colorado mountains that I haven't been before. These things keep me out of the rut, out of the mundane contentedness that can bring you down.

Look, Ryan, an update!

I hear you. I hear you saying I suck at keeping this blog updated. You're sick of checking in and finding nothing new. I guess the "blogolicous" post was enough satiate your demand for Renee & Scout updates for a couple of weeks, but that just doesn't cut it. You're right. The month of June was paltry in terms of blog postings. Just two. Pathetic. All right. I vow to be better in July. Afterall, you need something to do at work, right?

Training - I have now completed three weeks of a 12 week training program. This program is supposed to be my golden ticket to Boston. After all, I paid $99 for it, so it better work...as long as I actually put in the work ;) So, after three weeks, I would describe my relationship with this $99 training program as "rocky".

Week one started while I was on the family vacation, so I only got in 22 miles. 12 of those 22 were done in one long run. My notes say I felt good that day and ran at 9:22 pace (well within the plan recommended pace of 8:44 - 9:44).

Week two totaled 33 miles, with one tempo day, one stride day, a (not so long) long run of 7 miles (was supposed to be 12) followed by 6 miles at 8:40 pace the next day. On Saturday, my scheduled long run day, I felt really tired. Perhaps it was the tempo run (4 miles @ 7:36 w/ 2 warm up and 2 cool down) that left me fatigued. I'm not sure, but I'll watch it in the coming weeks. So, I only ran 7 of the 12. However, the next day I ran 6 at just 10 seconds slower than race pace, and I felt really good.

Week three was a shorter week with only 23 miles. This week was really hot, so I found it difficult to find a good time to run. If you know me at all, you know I am NOT a morning person, so getting up at 5:30 to do a run while the air is cool is not high on my list. I'll blame it on Scout. She likes to sleep in like nobody's business.

So, week four and it looks like I'm already playing catch-up. Today - tonight now, as it is - I will have to do my long run. Yesterday we hiked about 8 miles, but that doesn't really count. It counts for Scout, however, as she probably hiked (ran, jumped, chased critters, swam) about 25 miles. I should have hooked her up to a GPS and mapped it. That would be funny. Anyway, Scout's off the hook for tonight's run. She gets to stay home with Sargent and rest her little feet.

Speaking of Scout (since it is her blog too)...she's finally become "official" on the list of Pet Therapy dogs volunteering at the hospital. What a process! More of a process for me, really. Scout had to have two days of training and two behavior checks to make sure she wasn't going to bite anyone. I, on the other hand, had to have something like 6 months of training before the organizers even wanted to see Scout. Maybe they thought I was going to bite someone. I told Scout that even if she didn't like it, she had to pretend since it took what seemed like FOREVER to get approved. Look at that...she even has her own little photo ID badge.