Training Week 9

I ran with Kristin over lunch on Tuesday afternoon. 30 minutes of trail running near Harms Woods. I skipped the long run on Wednesday, as I spent the day working, then traveling to Denver where I met up with Keith. Thursday morning we travelled to Rocky Mountain National Park and got in a 6 mile hike up and down Deer Mountain that evening. It has an elevation gain of over 1000 feet and provided some great views of the surrounding peaks. Friday morning I put in about 3 miles, with some full-out sprints at the end. We also did some hiking that afternoon and saw 6 elk just across the Alberta Falls fed Glacier Creek. For my long run on Saturday, I ran two laps along this route for a total of about 6.5 miles. I saw 4 white tailed deer just above the road around the second bend and a number of elk on my second lap. The entire park was gorgeous but running it is when I noticed so much more detail. The curves of the streams, the different greens in the grass, the various rocks scattered through the terrain. It was a treat and I hope I can make it out there again some time soon for some more hiking and running.

I didn't quite put in all the running miles required of this week's training, but I feel my legs got plenty of work. There isn't much flat land anywhere near the park and the air is much thinner up high, so my lungs also had to work harder than normal to keep up which is also beneficial.