2015 vs. 2016: What a Difference a Year (without injury) Makes

2015 was the year I learned that the IT Band is not a nerdy rock group.

I've seen a lot of posts this week about how many miles people ran in 2016 and people setting a goal to "run the year" (2,017 miles in 2017). I don't run much these days (if at all, for fear of inflaming my IT band, as I did in 2015) but this made me wonder how many miles I had ridden in 2016 and what my goal should be for 2017. I jokingly told one Facebook friend I would match her 2017 goal to run 2,017 miles -- on my bike -- but knew that would be far less than I had ridden this year so I need a better goal than that (like resolving to BEEFit)! 


So how many miles did I ride this year? Of course I tracked all my rides on my Garmin Edge 810 so was able to quickly look up my total miles for 2016 on Garmin Connect. I was actually surprised to see that I rode 3,737 miles this past year.

This screenshot of my 2016 rides from May to December shows the lead up to Cycle Oregon (Sept. 11-17) and maintenance rides through the end of November.

Without even going back and looking up past records I know that is the most I have ridden in one year. Given that I was close to 4,000, my daughter suggested I could set a goal to ride 4,034 miles (doubling up on 2017). I kind of like that idea but I spent a LOT of time on the bike this year (219 hours, 15 minutes and 52 seconds, to be exact) and am not sure how much more time I want to spend in the saddle!

By comparison I decided to look up 2015 miles. This time I was surprised how low they were. I only rode 1,779 miles in a year? How could that be? I didn't think I'd ridden fewer than 2,000 miles in a year since my first Ride the Rockies in 2005. 

This screensot of my rides from May to December 2016 paints a very different picture. My IT band injury put me out of commission for nearly five whole months!

So I looked at the calendar more closely and the answer was clear. I only rode NINE times between July 1 and December 1. Remember that IT band injury? Probably not, since I never wrote about it. So here goes...

All along the Water Tower in Chicago

One week after Ride the Rockies 2015 I was running in downtown Chicago. I love to run along the Miracle Mile and the trail along Lake Michigan. I was cruising along and stepped off a curb and felt something pull in my right hip. I limped along the remaining miles and could barely walk the next day. 

The run along Lake Michigan can be a little uneven in spots, which is one cause of IT band injuries (running on an uneven surface)

I tried riding a few times after but had knee pain that was unbearable. The IT band can wreak a lot of havoc when it is not happy! After reading up on it I decided rest was the best road to recovery and literally sat out most of July, August and September. The good news it worked! The bad news is I gained about 20 lbs. during all that sitting, and holiday eating. As a result it took me a lot longer than normal to lose my winter weight this past year. 

I wrote about why old guys get fat in winter several years ago, focusing on the hibernation theory. This year I think the answer is pretty obvious. I burned 170,310 fewer calories in 2015 (153,160) than 2016 (323,470). 

Getting out of bed to ride in winter is hard!

Fortunately I had more time to get into fighting weight before Cycle Oregon in September than I normally do for Ride the Rockies in June. I would have had a hard time hauling my ass over the mountains weighing 235 than I would at my normal 215!

Training for a ride in September meant that I stayed motivated throughout the summer and early fall. Typically I have a hard time getting back on the bike after my big event. This year I was determined not to let that happen and set a goal to ride at least 50 miles per week in October and November, which I did. I stepped that up to 75/week in December.

I like to set up my CycleOps trainer in front of the TV and watch the AFC West Champion Kansas City Chiefs! 

A lot of these miles were ridden on my CycleOps Fluid 2 indoor trainer, which involves constant peddling (riding outdoors it's normal to coast 10, 20, even 30 percent of the time and provides a great workout.

 

So here I sit on January 2, 107, weighing in at 223 lbs., ten pounds less than last year at this time and around my normal for this time of year. I want to get that back under 220 ASAP and hold it there until warmer weather returns and we emerge from hibernation!

The question is: which big ride am I going to do this year: Ride the Rockies or Cycle Oregon? Another possibility Jonny Rocker and I have discussed is doing our own ride, either self-supported or supported by our wives. Let me know if you have any suggestions for other week-long rides or planning your own route.

Ride on!

Daren

Do Fat Guys Burn Calories Faster?

I'd much prefer riding outside than on my indoor trainer, but the
winter months in Colorado make it a necessary evil.

A week or so ago I posted something on Facebook about riding my 25 miles on my Cyclops Fluid2 bike trainer and burning 1,929 calories. A friend of mine from Texas, who is a lean, Ironman triathlete, asked how I was burning so many calories, saying he'd only burn about 800-850 calories during a similar workout over and above his basal metabolic rate (essentially the number of calories you'd burn lying in bed*).

"Are you burning more because of the cold or altitude?" he asked. "I could drink a lot more Shiner if knew your secret."

I had to admit that I didn't have any secret. My calorie numbers were based simply on what my Garmin Edge 705 tells me. But I have often wondered why I seem to burn more calories than other people I ride and run with so I did some investigating and found some plausible answers.

My first theory was that maybe I burn more calories than he does simply because I am taller and weigh at least 40 lbs. more than he does. Turns out there is some credence to this theory. According to this article on Livestrong.com, "A 20-lb. weight difference can translate to a more than 10-percent increase in calories burned for some activities. For example, if you weigh 160 lbs., you'll burn about 10.3 calories per minute swimming the crawl at a moderate pace. However, if you weigh 180 lbs., you'll burn about 11.6 calories per minute."

I would have burned 30 percent more calories as Fat Daren at 270 lbs (at left in Dec. 1995) than as the skinnier version at 210 lbs (at right in Sept. 2000)

But that still doesn't explain how I could burn more than twice the calories my friend burns in the same workout. If I weigh 40 lbs. more than him I would only burn 20 percent more calories. So if he burned 850 calories riding 25 miles in 75 minutes (average 20 mph) I should burn 1,020 in a similar workout. That still leaves about 900 calories unexplained.

I've always thought the Edge might be overestimating calories and a quick Google search of "Garmin Edge calories" confirmed my suspicions. One glowing review of the Edge 705 found little to fault with what they called the "most useful bit of cycling-orientated electronics we’ve ever used." However, the review said, "We did find that the Edge 705 substantially over-estimates the number of calories you’ve burned. According to Garmin, the best algorithms for calorie consumption are protected by patents, so it’s best to treat this feature as a way of comparing rides for effort. If you eat to replace the food you have just burned, you’ll turn into a blimp." Bummer. Not the answer I was looking for!

So how much is "substantially"? And just how many calories have I consumed thinking I could "afford" them based on what my Garmin was telling me? Is this why I gained 10 lbs over the holidays?!

OK, time for another confession. I don't count calories. I just eat. And I workout. I track my weight and if it goes up I try to decrease calories consumed and increase calories burned. I go with my gut, literally and figuratively. So I can't blame Garmin for my Holiday 10. But I can't keep eating like I did during the holidays and expect to lose it, either. As they say, great abs as made in the kitchen, not the gym.

Ride on!

Daren

*I found an online BMR calculator that says a 6'4" tall, 215 lb., 48-year-old male would burn 2,044.25 calories per day (2,000 is considered "average"), or about 85 calories an hour.

Why I Hate 5Ks

Sitting on the couch watching the traditional Detroit Lions game, I am questioning my decision to run the 8th annual Turkey Rock Trot 5K. My feet hurt, my legs hurt, my back hurts and even my brain hurts. During the race I kept trying to tell myself the pain was only temporary but the fact is I am still hurting and probably will be for the rest of the day.


Me (at left), my brother Jon (right)
and nephew Alex (center)
looking pretty confident before the race.

The thing that hurts the most though is I didn't even run a particularly fast race (my unofficial time was 24:50 according to my Garmin Forerunner 410). My 8:00/mile pace was almost half-a-minute per mile slower my last race that covered twice the distance (10K) and only slightly faster than my last half marathon (13.1 miles).

I could blame the altitude (Castle Rock sits at about 6,400 ft.) but that last half marathon was in Denver (the Mile High City at 5,280 ft.). I could blame the weather but it was a fairly pleasant morning in the 40s with very little wind, similar to that 10K in North Dakota. I could blame it on a tough course but it's actually pretty flat and not particularly challenging. It just doesn't add up.

Maybe I'm just sore that I didn't reach my goal to break 24:00 and set a new 5K PR. I was battling a lot of mental "can't" during the race. My splits tell the story. I ran the first mile in 7:34, right on the pace I wanted to run today, and it's the toughest mile on the course. But for some reason I couldn't hold that pace and slowed to 8:06 in mile two.

I was just telling my brother and nephew that I got discouraged when I saw the 2K sign. "Only 1.2 miles?" I thought, "Not even halfway. I can't run this fast for another 2 miles." Then I got irritated. "Why do they have K markers instead of mile markers? We aren't in Europe!"

My brother just told me he got discouraged when a guy in an elf costume passed him. Funny how we let silly things discourage us. Thinking back I should have just set my sights on reaching the 3K marker and celebrating being over halfway. Instead I slowed down.

Here we are post-race, trying to mask the pain with a smile :)

By the time we made the turn towards home with about one mile to go I knew I would have to run a 7:30 mile to break 24:00. Instead, I slowed to 8:24 in the third mile before sprinting the final one-tenth of a mile to the finish line. To be honest, for much of that last mile I was thinking about walking, but I never did. 

I hate finishing a race feeling like I didn't give it my all. Seems like that happens to me every time I run a 5K. That's why I hate 5Ks. Short races require you to run all out for the entire race. To do that you have to push through the pain and negative thoughts that come with it. The devil on my shoulder got the best of me today.

While I didn't reach my goal I didn't quit either. I crossed the finish line ahead of everyone who didn't run the race :)

Ride on!

Daren

My Two Week 10K Training Program

I saw this post from a friend on Facebook this morning...

...and it reminded me of a post I wrote one year ago on October 1 called My Two Week Half Marathon Training Program. This post remains one of the top five most read posts on my blog. The funny thing is that it's not really a training program at all. I was making it up as I went along. I had signed up for the Denver Rock 'n' Roll half marathon two weeks prior to the race and was winging it. Two weeks later I ran my second fastest half in 146:43 (8:08/mile)!

One week ago today I ran the fastest race of my life following a similar training schedule, setting a new PR at the 10K distance (47:04) and the fastest per mile pace (7:35) of any race I have run. So now I present to you, my two week 10K training program:

click image to enlarge

Basically all I did was vary my mileage and intensity with longer runs on the weekends (5 mi.) and shorter runs during the week, mixing in one high intensity track workout the Tuesday (10/2) before the race. I did jog about a mile while marking the course on the day before the race but didn't capture it on my Garmin Forerunner. But I made sure to save up plenty of energy to give it my all on race day. And that's what I did!

The bottom line is I never really follow any training regimen. Never have. Maybe that's why I'm a mediocre athlete. But then again I don't make a living as an athlete. I travel a lot for work and really can't follow a rigid training schedule. Business travel with a bike really isn't practical. And have you ever tried swimming laps in Holiday Inn Express pool? So I do what I can when I can. When I'm on the road, I run. When I'm home, I ride. In the winter I swim at the rec center and run on the treadmill. In the summer I ride my bike to work.

Today I think I'll go for a mountain bike ride on the Ridgeline Open Space. I'm not training for anything at this point. Just having fun and staying in motion. Maintaining a base level of fitness is the key to my two week training programs. I'm not starting on the couch. But if you are, it's never too late to start moving!

Ride on...

Daren

Fighting the Devil on my Shoulder



Approaching the finish line!

Everytime I run a race a little devil appears on my shoulder, usually about two-thirds the way into the race. "You can't do this. You're too tired. Your legs feel like lead. Your lungs are burning. You should slow down. Maybe walk a little. Or just quit." That devil cost me a PR in last year's Denver Rock 'n' Roll half marathon.

Fortunately I have an Angel on my other shoulder who balances that out. "You can do this. You have trained hard. The pain is temporary. Think how good it will feel to cross the finish line knowing you reached your goal -- and then post it on Facebook!"

Yes, sadly, I actually think about that when I am running :)

This past Saturday I beat the devil at his own game. I used him as motivation to run harder. I was expecting him. And when he showed up my Angel was prepared to fight with words of encouragement.

One of the angels on my shoulder was my friend Sheila Ressler, who not only helped plan the race but also finished her first 5K!

Since I had helped mark the course for the Beefin' it up; Fuel for the Finish 10K, I knew the course. Between miles 4 and 5 in Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park there was a nasty hill. A long, steady incline that ended with a steep, winding climb. To make it worse, a cold headwind blew down the hill. Having experienced it on the back of a four-wheeler the morning before, I knew this is where the devil would appear.

Yet another angel, Kathy Tokach, handled many of the details of planning her first race like a pro.

Saturday morning was cold, but not as cold as Friday morning. And a clear, blue, sunny sky greeted the 175 runners and walkers who showed up for the race. I took the sun as a sign the Angel would be strong!



Turns out I had several angels on my shoulder! Two Facebook friends, Sarah and Teresa ran their first 5Ks in identical times of 36:21. I'd have loved to see them cross the line together (but I was still out on the course!).

At the start of the 10K I took off fast. I wanted to lead out the group through the first turns to make sure everyone made it to the main part of the course. One young woman, who I now know as Brie, took off fast. And sure enough, she missed the first turn. I yelled to her as I made the turn and she quickly turned around then caught and passed me, with a guy in neon-colored shoes, who I now know as Jared) right behind her. I had held the lead for about .2 miles and now sat in third.

I kept Brie and Jared in my sights up the mile-long climb to the 5K turnaround point. But when I crested the hill into Fort Lincoln they were long gone. I hoped they could follow the markings we had made on the pavement. When the landscape opened up at the bottom of the big hill (the same brutal one we would climb on the way back) I could see them make the turn on the road that would take them to the turnaround point.

Brie and Jared were still running together when they passed me heading back from the turnaround. We high-fived as we passed. I was still in third. And when I made the turn at the 5K mark I was right on my goal pace. I had just run my fastest 5K ever!

I like an out-and back course because I think it's fun to see all of the other runners, give some high fives and offer words of encouragement. I saw my friend Calli on the way back and she said "nice work." I liked that comment. It reminded me that there was still work to be done. A hill to be climbed.

Turning back on the main road it hit me. The wind. The hill. The devil. But this time I was ready. I actually talked to him. "Shut up!" I said when the negative thoughts creeped in. "Go away!"

That hill sucked. But I didn't let it beat me. That mile was my only one over eight minutes and it was 8:00.10! At the top of the hill I checked my Garmin Forerunner 410. I was still on pace to break 48:00. In fact, I had a shot at 47:00! The devil bowed his head because he knew that he'd been beat :)

After crossing under the road and turning towards the finish line I saw the clock was still on 46:00 and change. I heard the DJ announce my name and sprinted towards the finish. I was still in third. I was going to make my goal. I crossed at 47:04 and yelled. Something like AAAAAAGGGHHH!

It was a painful, happy, satisfied, ardurous sound. I had just ran the fastest race in my life. Not only the fastest 10K, the fastest pace at ANY distance (7:35/mile). Take that, devil! At age 48. I'm not getting older. I'm getting faster!



The Beefin It Up! planning committee: from left: Michelle Marohl, Sheila Ressler, Sheyna Strommen, and Kathy Tokach.

The first-ever Beefin it up; Fuel for the Finish 5/10K was a huge success and provided me with a memory of a lifetime. Thanks to the North Dakota CattleWomen for inviting me to take part. Congratulation on putting together a tremendous race.

Ride on!

Daren

P.S. Jared and Brie took first and second in the 10K. Check out the full results here.

I'm Not Getting Older; I'm Getting Faster

As I mentioned in my last post I was invited to serve as the official "spokesrunner" of the first-ever Beefin it up; Fuel for the Finish 5/10K. The race was being managed by two friends from the North Dakota CattleWomen's Association and I was honored by the invitation. However, I also was a little nervous. I am not an elite runnner. I have never had a "podium finish." I didn't want to show up and turn in a mediocre performance!

And I didn't just want to set a new PR for the 10K (55:29 set in my first 10K in 2007). I wanted run the fastest race of my life! By that I mean a faster per mile pace than any race I had run at any distance. This would mean I would have to run faster than 7:45/mile, a pace I set in the mostly downhill Trolley Run in Kansas City way back in 2004. So I set my goal at 48:00 (essentially 7:44/mile).

Keep in mind this meant I'd have to run 6.2 miles (10K) at a faster pace than I had ever run 3.1 (5K). My 5K PR is 24:09 (7:46/mile). After I announced my goal on Facebook and began having second thoughts. What was I thinking? I'm 48 years old. I haven't run a sub-8 race in two years!

So I started ramping up my miles but, more important, the intensity of my running workouts. I began pushing myself to run harder and faster, incorporating interval training and speed work. On several occasions I was able to run a sub-8:00 pace in training over the past two months but nothing to indicate that I was capable of running the fastest race of my life.

Sheila pounds in the mile marker "steaks" while Kathy waits on the four-wheeler. The 10K course followed along the Missouri River into Fort Lincoln State Park in Mandan, ND.

I flew in to Bismarck, ND, on Thursday and got up Friday a.m. to help mark the course with my friend Kathy and Sheila. The plan was to drive the course, which included sections of bike path and road, on Kathy's four-wheeler, marking the miles using my Garmin Forerunner 410 GPS-eanbled running watch. The plan did not include doing this in cold (28F), windy and overcast conditions!

After marking the miles I headed out to conduct a TV interview with KX News (CBS) in Bismarck. I was still shivering when I showed up for the interview. From there I met Sheila at the KFYR (NBC) TV studio for a live interview on the Noon Report. Then it was back to the course to mark key turns along the route.

Outside the KFYR (NBC) TV studio in downtown Bismarck, ND

We wrapped up the day with dinner at Montana Mike's steakhouse in Mandan, where I ordered my traditional pre-race meal of steak (filet) and sweet potatoes, two power foods that provide great fuel for the physical activity. I hit the sack early but slept fitfully in nervous anticipation of the race the next morning.

Could I pull off the fastest race of my life or was I overly-ambitious in setting such a lofty goal? Only time would tell.

To be continued...

Ride the Rockies 2012 Training -- Week Two (Riding with Big Troy)

Week two of my Ride the Rockies 2012 training began and ended on rides with my buddy Troy. There's just something about riding with Troy that always pushed me to a new level. Troy said the same thing when we were riding today. It seems like we always end up racing to the top of a ridge or seeing who can set the fastest pace pulling on the straightaways. To say we are both competitive might be an understatement!

Big Troy at the southernmost point of our ride, Palmer Lake, Colorado.

Troy is a big, strong rider. The two of us must be a sight on the road. He stands 6'6" and I'm 6"4". Our bikes are about as tall as you can buy without having one custom built. Heading south on Hwy 105 into a headwind towards Palmer Lake, Colorado, he makes a great wind block. But when we came cruising back down Spruce Meadows Road with a tailwind into Larkspur, we were flying along at 35-40 mph.

We rode past Spruce Mountain Ranch on our 54-mile ride today.

There's nothing much more rewarding than riding with the wind after two hours of pushing against it, which is why I always try to start into the wind. But even as we headed north towards home I found myself having to push hard to hang with Big Troy.

I was hurtin' for certain by the time we rolled back into Castle Rock. My legs ached for about an hour after the ride, even after breaking out the rolling pin to roll the lactic acid out of my quads.

I enjoy riding alone. Its a great way to get lost in thought and relax. But riding with a rider who is as storng or stronger than you is an important part of training. The route we rode today featured 2,136 ft. of elevation gain over 53.93 miles. I averaged 16 mph, about one mile per hour faster than I normally ride. But I didn't need my Garmin Edge bike computer to tell me that. I can feel it.

Ride on!

Daren

Ride the Rockies 2012 Training -- Week One

It's been just over a week since we learned we were selected in the lottery for Ride the Rockies 2012. In those nine days I have ridden a total of 135 miles, 125 of those on the road! That has been an unexpected treat as we have been enjoying spring-like weather in Castle Rock a little earlier than normal. Typically, March is Denver's snowiest month, averaging 11.7 inches of snow.

My goal is to ride 100 miles per week in March, either on the road or my Cyclops Fluid2 trainer. Its a lot easier to get the miles in on the road and, as my buddy Troy observed on our ride today, "There's nothing like riding on the road to train for riding on the road." I totally agree but indoor training is a must during the winter in Colorado. And the Fluid2 helps me practice on spinning a perfect circle, which is probably the number one thing I need to work on to improve endurance and get faster.

But there is nothing like riding on the road and climbing the hills around my home in Castle Rock for pure pain and enjoyment! Those 125 miles on the road consisted of three rides: 42 on Sunday the 4th, 48 yesterday and 35 today (Sunday the 11th). The total elevation gain: 5,699 feet; Calories burned: 8,076 (according to my Garmin Edge cycling computer).

I have the good fortune of living along Hwy 105 which runs for 33 miles along the front range of the Rockies between Sedalia and the Black Forest. The views are amazing and their are plenty of good climbs to simulate the grueling mountain passes we will tackle in June. The roads around my these are range from 6,000-8,000 ft. above sea level.

I now live at 6,400 ft. However, the first two years I trained for Ride the Rockies (2005-06) I was living in Kansas City at 1,000 ft above sea level. So how did I simulate the hills? Well, first of all Eastern Kansas is NOT flat. We may not have the sustained climbs of a mountain pass but we have hills, lots of them. Second, I really think the key to finishing every mile of Ride the Rockies is to get in as good shape as you can, not matter where you live, and stay hydrate during the ride (more on that later).

The other key is to fuel your body properly. As you may have guessed, my fuel of choice is beef. Of course, man cannot live on beef alone (although I come pretty close). They key is to enjoy a wide variety of foods to get all the nutrients your body needs to sustain and recover from long workouts. Lean beef provides the power athletes need with nutrients like protein to build muscle, iron for healthy red blood cells (which transport oxygen from your lungs to your vital organs and muscles, pretty important at the summit of Independence Pass!), and B vitamins for energy.

Threw these ribeyes on the grill last night to fuel my ride today (no, I didn't eat BOTH of them!)

Of course, one of the reasons I do things like Ride the Rockies is so I can enjoy the foods I love, like ribeye steak, red wine and chocolate! It just doesn't get any better than that after a long ride and a nap on the couch, which I am fixin' to do right now!

Ride on!

Daren

The Results are In!

After all my worry about a cold, wet run in this morning's Denver Rock and Roll Half Marathon, I woke this morning to see stars in the morning sky. Then I almost missed the race messing around thinking I had plenty of time before realizing the wave start was at 6:55 not 7:55! But I was able to find a parking spot five blocks from the start/finish line and had a nice warmup run to my spot in Corral #2.

Elvis could have stayed thin like this guy if he had been a runner and eaten more beef insteaad of Peanut Butter and Banana sandwiches. Did he know takes four times the calories (670) to get the same amount of protein from peanut butter as you get from one serving of lean beef (154)? This guy does ('cause I told him)!

With little time to think about what I was doing the race started. I felt like the first mile was very slow, weaving in and out of the crowd of runners. But when my Garmin Forerunner buzzed signaling the one mile mark it showed 7:54. I felt good so kept moving at the same pace and my next six miles clocked in at 7:44, 8:00, 7:58, 8:08, 7:51 and I crossed the halfway mark averaging sub-8s.

Then I started playing the mental games that always seem to plague me, alternating between thinking I may be able to finish with a new PR (1:46) to saying, "there's no way you can keep up this pace for another six miles." I think the negative thoughts won out over the next few miles and I slowed to 8:10, 8:11, 8:09, 8:21, and 8:49 (although I'm not sure this is accurate because my Garmin was showing two-tenths ahead the 11-mile marker and only one-tenth at mile 12 -- I think mile two was short and mile 11 was long).

At this point I almost gave up on a new PR until I finished the next mile in 8:06 and my Garmin was showing 1:38 with one miles to go so I kicked it up a notch and finished the final mile in 7:51 and the final .1 at a pace of 7:01 (downhill sprint to the finish!).

My official time was 1:46:43, just 43 seconds off my PR but more than three minutes ahead of my goal and crushing my previous best at altitude (2:08:52 in the Arby's Rocky Mountain Half in 2007) by over 22 minutes!

Smash Mouth rocked the party at the finish line in Denver's Civic Center Park.  

1:46:43 was good enough for number 842 out of 8,939 runners (top 10%), 551 of 2,941 men (top 20%) and 53 of 307 (17%) in my age group (M45-49). I am very happy with those numbers but most of all I felt good, had fun and the sun was shining as Smash Mouth took the stage at the finish line party! The bands along the route were nothing special given all I had heard about how cool Rock and Roll events are, but Smash Mouth made up for it great set of All Star, Walkin' on Sunshine, I'm a Believer and a Van Halen medly including Runnin' with the Devil.

All-in-all it was a very good day (even my Chiefs won).

Ride On!

Daren

The Denver Rock and Roll Half Snowathon?

After returning home yesterday from a week in California I woke this morning to the first snow of the season. It's still snowing in Castle Rock but according to the Weather Channel it is raining downtown and will continue off and on for the next 24 hours. Forecast for the start of tomorrow's Denver Rock and Roll Marathon/Half Marathon is 41F with a 31 percent chance of showers. Lovely. If it weren't for the $100 entry fee I'd be very tempted to bag on this one.


The first snow on our new deck. Not sure I am ready for this!





My two-week half marathon training program hasn't gone precisely according to schedule, given my crazy travel schedule, but I got in some good runs and am feeling reasonably optimistic about my new goal of break 1:50 for the third time in my life. Here's the rundown on the full two-week training schedule results:

Week One

Saturday, Sept. 24 -- 6-mile trail run completed in 57:18 (9:32/mile)

Monday, Sept. 26 -- 3.1-mile (5K) run completed in 25:21 (8:10/mile)

Wednesday, Sept. 28 -- 6-mile run completed in 48:09 (8:01/mile)

Friday, Sept. 30 -- 3.1-mile (5K) run completed in 24:00 (7:44/mile)

Week Two

Sunday, Oct. 2 -- 6.2-mile (10K) run completed in 49:28 (7:58/mile)
Tuesday, Oct. 4 -- 5-mile run completed in 45:16 (9:03/mile)
Friday, Oct. 7 -- 3.1-mile (5K) run completed in 28:02 (9:02/mile)


Running with my younger brother Evan (left, at the Good Samaritan 5K in September) always motivates me to push it to the next level!

The highlight of the week was running with my brother Evan and brother-in-law Matt this past Sunday at the beginning of our vacation in California. The competitive nature of our relationship always motivates me to push harder, simulating race conditions. I finished second in the Tres Hermanos 10K behind brother Evan. It was my second sub-8 run of the week and came on a very hilly course (but not as hilly as my final two runs of the week in the northernmost area of the Sonoma Valley).


The driveway to our villa in Healdsburg, CA, was steeper than any hill I run around my house in Castle Rock, CO.

Today I plan to get in a quick mile on the treadmill at the Castle Rock Rec Center. Just enough to ge tthe blood flowing and loosen my legs after the car/plane/car ride home yesterday. I may have a few tannins left to sweat out, as well! Then its off to the Health and Fitness Expo to pick up my race packet wearing my new Team BEEF jersey!

Ride On,

Daren

My Two Week Half Marathon Training: End of Week One

The 3" Ribeye at Cagle's in Lubbock, Texas!

One week ago I decided to sign up for the Denver Rock and Roll Half Marathon on October 9. That gave me all of two weeks to train after basically taking the summer off from running races and just enjoying staying in shape by riding my mountain bike and running the trails in the Ridgeline Open Space near my house. One week later I have logged 18.2 miles and running some of the best times since I set my PR in the Kansas City Half last October (1:46 even).

This week I was on the road, traveling to Lubbock, Texas, and Wooster, Ohio, meeting with the people who provide the great-tasting beef I eat every day to fuel my training (thanks, cattlemen and women, for working hard every day to care for the animals you raise to make beef!). Wednesday in Lubbock, I went for a run on the campus of Texas Tech University. I love running on college campuses. There are always plenty of sights to see, running by basketball arenas, baseball diamonds, football stadiums and coeds on the way to class!



The Dos Rita at Ruby Tequila's in Lubbock.

Texas Tech is a huge campus so I could easily run six miles without covering the same ground twice. I wanted to run eight minute miles but wasn’t really feeling it as I left the Overton Hotel towards campus and finished the first mile in 8:40. I picked up the pace a little and finished mile two in 8:10, but then I started feeling good and finished the final four miles running sub-8s (7:51, 7:53, 7:55, 7:34). I really pushed that last mile trying to finish under 48 minutes but the final score was 48:09.33 (8:01/mile).



The Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center
in Wooster, Ohio

Two days later I woke up in Wooster to cool, rainy, 50 degree weather, a full 45 degrees cooler than Lubbock (where they haven’t seen as much rain all summer as Ohio got in the past 24 hours). I ran on the campus of the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC), site of the 2012 National Beef Ambassador contest. I really wanted to run sub-8s today so pushed hard from the start and finished the first mile in 7:54. The second mile was mostly uphill but I kept pushing and my Garmin registered mile two at 8:11. Determined to finish strong, and will a little help from a grade I ran the fastest mile I can recall in a long time (7:08) and finished the 5K in 24:00 flat (7:44/mile).

I feel good about what I accomplished this week, especially considering the long hours on seven flights traveling from DEN-LBB-DEN-ORD-CLE-ORD-DEN (on the last leg as I write). Saturday is a rest day then on Sunday I’ll do an LSD run (long slow distance) of 10 miles (at around 8:30/mile). Then it will be time to taper towards the run on Sunday the 9th, with runs of five miles on Tuesday, three on Thursday and one on Saturday (to keep the legs loose and blood flowing).

I have no idea if this training program will work, other than my experience following a similar routine last year prior to the Go! St. Louis and KC half marathons. And so far so good for the Denver Rock and Roll Half. I’m thinking 8:30s is very doable so am revising my goal to run under 1:50.

Ride on!

Daren

Day Three of My Two-week Half Marathon Training Program

Today was day three of my two-week half marathon training schedule (see What I Did on My Summer Vacation) -- a 5K run at race pace. I did what I call the Meadows 5K, a route I have mapped around my house that begins with a one-mile downhill, followed by rolling hills, and ending on a .75-mile uphill grind.


Evan and I get checked in for the Good Samaritan 5K in Castle Rock.

My goal today was to run at race pace, harder than I typically go when running in the morning with my dog Casey. My best time on this course is 24:19 (7:50/mile) on August 23 of this year. Today I ran it in 25:21 (8:10/mile), the exact same time I ran in the Good Samaritan 5K a week ago with my brother Evan.



Evan finished 4th out of 55 runners at the Good Samaritan 5K in Castle Rock.

Evan finished fourth with a 22:56, and I finished 9th out of 55 competitors. It was my first race since Ironman 70.3 Boise back in June and it hurt. Today wasn't nearly as painful. I have a hard time really pushing myself when I'm not in a race setting.



This kid edged me out at the finish to take 8th overall and push me to 9th -- my first top ten finish ever!

Saturday was the first day of my half marathon training. I ran six miles on the Ridgeline Trail at a nice, easy pace of 9:32/mile. Yesterday I took a 21-mile road ride, my first time out on the road since June. It felt good to be back on my Cannondale, flying down Wolfensberger Road at 45 mph! Think I'll have to try and squeeze in a few more road rides the Fall before the snow hits Colorado!

Next up: Five mile run on Wednesday.

Ride on!

Daren

Random Thoughts and Pictures from a Terrible Blogger

I am a terrible blogger. One of the keys to blogging is posting fresh, new content on a regular basis. Fail! I have a tendency to think I have to have a great story to tell before I can sit down and write. I think I just need to post more random thoughts and pictures. Like this one...

I went for my longest ride of the season today...42.31 miles in 2:37 (16.2 mph). I think that's a new record for me on the route I call the Larkspur Loop. It's a beautiful ride along the Front Range of the Rockies with 2,753 feet of elevation gain, according to my Garmin Edge 705. I burned 2,996 calories  (also according to Garmin).

I stopped at Vigil's New Mexican in Larkspur for a bowl of pork green chili (calories unknown and I don't care!). Sat on the patio in the sunshine. Nice spot. Great food. I'll be back!

That's it for my random thoughts and pictures.

Ride on!

Daren

Where in the World is Elephant Rock?

I woke this morning feeling very stiff after yesterday's 65-mile Elephant Rock Ride from Castle Rock to the northern edge of Colorado Springs and back (At left: at the rest stop in Palmer Lake). It was a great ride, despite the stiff headwind that beat us back for the first half of the ride. Otherwise the weather was perfect: sunny and cool for most of the morning and the tailwind was great when we turned back north for the home stretch back to Castle Rock.

The Elephant Rock ride begins and ends in Castle Rock, Colorado but is named for an Elephant-shaped rock supposedly somewhere near Palmer Lake, Colorado (one of the stops along the ride). I kept looking but never saw the elusive Elephant Rock. And I asked a number of other 7,000 riders and nobody seemed to know which rock was THE rock.

I searched Google and found an Elephant Rocks State Park in Missouri, a picture of Elephant-shaped rock, Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada, Elephant Rock Nature Park in Oklahoma and even le Rocher aux Elephants (the Elephant Rock) in the Republic of Chad in central Africa...but no Elephant Rock in Colorado (like most people, I only checked the top 10 listings in Google -- who has time to sort through the other 391,990 hits for "Elephant Rock"?).

Back to the ride...according to my Garmin Edge 705, I completed the 65.62-mile route in 4:39:45 -- an average of 14.1 miles per hour. Not particularly fast, but I was happy with the time given the 5,426 feet of elevation gain (most of which was into the wind headed south). And I was just happy to be back on my bike with thousands of other crazy cyclists.

I wasn't happy about all of the riders who insisted on riding 3, 4, and 5 abreast on Hwy 83 as we headed south out of Castle Rock. Hwy 83 is a state highway with a fair amount of traffic. State Troopers traveling the route for our safety had to constantly remind riders to move right and let traffic pass. It's no wonder some drivers hate cyclists and there have been several attempts to ban or limit large rides in Colorado.

After the ride I hosted a BBQ at my house for my friends from Team DFL (my Ride the Rockies team). After burning 3,069 calories on the ride I was ready to refuel. When I got home I pulled the brisket off the smoker, where it had been slowly cooking since midnight the night before (for my instructions for smoking a brisket, check out Life is Good, Part II).

Team DFL members Kris (our fearless, earless, rearless leader), Patty (faithful domestique) and Amy (team doctor) joined us after the ride. Kent (official Serotta test rider) called to report that he was on his couch with an icepack on his knee and was not getting up.

Unfortunately Kris and Patty weren't able to ride E-Rock. Kris has been suffering from an "equilibrium" problem and can't ride (I didn't say she was dizzy...she did!). And Patty had a run-in with the pavement on Saturday that left her sporting 11 stitches in her chin...ouch! At least there were no broken bones, so she'll still be able to do Ride the Rockies. Kris, on the other hand, thinks she's going to have to sit out this year. It just won't be the same without her!

So, we're looking to change our name from Team DFL to Team Accident Prone. First, Amy went down while training in April '07 and broke her wrist, causing her to pull out of RTR. Later, Canada Jane withdrew with a nagging injury. Then Kent did a sommersault over a car that decided to turn in front of him as he hurtled down Rabbit Ears Pass on day one of last year's ride, dislocating his shoulder and tearing up his knee. Next, I pulled a Kent and broke my collarbone on that fateful day last September. Now Kris is out of commission and Patty has some funky new hairs on her chinny chin chin.

Nitin/Jay, please be careful out there!

Daren

Wild Ride on the Cherry Creek Trail

After a great trip to Mad City it was good to be back in Denver today and to get back on my bike for the 50-mile round trip commute to my office. As strange as it may sound, I really look forward to riding to work...it's the trip home I dread (in addition to being tired at the end of the day, I have a net altitude gain of 1,476 ft. on the ride home)!

Mornings on the Front Range are almost always sunny and cool. And as the sun rises in the east and hits the mountains to the west, the views are breathtaking. Riding to work this morning was especially nice because I had a gentle tailwind blowing from the south. And my legs felt good after taking a few days off from riding while on the road (and despite the pain I felt yesterday after my 6.2 mile run in Madison).

According to my new Garmin Edge 705, I averaged 16 mph (my best to date on the ride to work) and burned 1166 calories. Not a bad way to start the day!

But the highlight of my ride to work was encountering several deer out for a morning stroll along Cherry Creek. So I stopped and asked an innocent bystander to capture the moment (I carry a camera on rides ever since I missed the opportunity to photograph an entire herd of elk running along the road beside me!). That's me in my Beef jersey, the deer are in the distance over my left shoulder (click on pic to view fullsize).

After a long day at the office, including a 3 hour spokesperson training this afternoon for the Young Cattlemen's Conference, I climbed back into the saddle for my ride home. The typical Colorado afternoon clouds had rolled in and the wind had picked up, so I was concerned I'd have an unpleasant commute home. But as I set out I could tell my legs still felt strong (a sign they are getting back into cycling shape after my seven month hiatus) and the wind was blowing from the northeast, giving me a crosswind for the first six miles but a good tailwind when I turned south.

Once again the Cherry Creek Trail offered up an unusual site. This time I nearly ran over a young Western Diamondback Rattlesnake. Circling back to confirm, I captured this picture as it scurried towards cover. If you look closely (click on the pic to view fullsize), you can see the beginnings of a rattle forming at the end of the tail.

Much to my surprise I finished my ride home in 1:42:03, by far my fastest ride home from work, averaging 14.52 miles per hour (previous best was 13.56). And I burned another 1277 calories. That's 2443 for the day (not a bad day's work!).

As I rolled into Castle Rock and looked south at the view of The Rock (on the left) and Pikes Peak (in the distance to the right), I was struck by how blessed I am to live in the beautiful part of the country and to once again be able to ride my bike.

Since May 1, I have logged over 300 miles on my indoor trainer and 300 on the open road. After a 35-mile ride tomorrow and Elephant Rock (65) on Sunday, I'll be over 700 total.

My plan next week is to drive to work Monday a.m and home Friday night. If successful, I'll log 200 miles riding the rest of the "legs." That will leave 100 miles to reach my goal of 1,000 before Ride the Rockies. I should be able to knock that out with a 50-mile ride that weekend and one day's commute. And as a result, I should be better prepared for RTR than in any of the previous three years.

I am Ready To Rock!

Daren

Mad City

Greetings from Madison, Wisconsin! This is my second trip to "Mad City" (last time I was here was during the World Dairy Expo in October 2005). Based on my two experiences, I can see why it is consistently voted one of the ten most livable cities in the U.S. I've never visited Madison in winter, but in the spring, summer and fall, it's beautiful.

I'm definitely not sure about the whole raising chickens in the backyard deal. But I can testify that the steakhouses in Mad City stack up against the best in Denver, KC and even NYC. I ate dinner tonight at johnny Delmonico's and had the 20 oz. Certified Angus Beef bone-in ribeye (at left). It was as tender, juicy and tasty as any ribeye I've ever had (and I've eaten a lot of bone-in ribeyes!).

I worked up a big appetite before dinner with my own version of the Mad City 10K. Wearing my Garmin Forerunner 305 I set out from the Best Western Inn on the Park Capitol Square and headed to the trail along Lake Menona. From there I ran along the lake and wound my way through downtown Madison, up and down the State Street Mall and circled the State Capitol (twice) before ending up back at the hotel (exactly 6.2 miles later...thanks to my Forerunner!).

Sitting in my hotel room tonight, looking out my window at the State Capitol (at left: the view from my hotel room window), my legs and feet are feeling the effects of running for the first time since I was in Sacramento a little over a month ago.

Running that far in my first run in over a month was probably not a good idea. I have a blister on my right foot and I'm sure I will be barely able to walk tomorrow. Running is so different than cycling. So much more punishment on the body and running uses different muscles in the legs.

Last year at this time I was training for the Vineman Half Ironman, so was running, cycling AND swimming. But this year I am focused on getting ready for Ride the Rockies and have only run when I'm on the road without my bike. But as soon as RTR is over I have to start pounding the pavement to get ready for the Boilermaker 15K (in Utica, NY on July 13). I'll be running as part of Team ZIP -- over 50 beef-eating athletes demonstrating the power of beef protein by competing in the country's biggest 15K race.

It's going to be awesome...but I will have some work to do between June 21 (when RTR ends) and July 13 to reach my goal to finish in under 54 minutes (less than 9 mins per mile). The good news is that I'll get to eat lots of beef to strengthen and sustain my body during the training. In fact, I plan to throw a brisket on the smoker this weekend to feed a bunch of hungry cyclists after the Elephant Rock Ride on Sunday, June 1. We're hosting a BBQ at our house for my friends from Team DFL and RTR following the ride.

Of course I will use the opportunity to tout the benefits of enjoying great tasting beef after a big ride -- sports medicine experts say that consuming protein within two hours of a workout is as important as consuming carbs to replace glycogen. Protein provides the amino acids necessary to rebuild muscle tissue that is damaged during intense, prolonged exercise. The amino acids in protein can also stimulate the immune system, making you more resistant to colds and other infections.

But not all proteins are created equal. The best source is complete proteins (those containing 8 essential amino acids) coming mostly from animal products such as meat, fish, and eggs. And of all the meat protein choices, beef gives you the most bang for the buck. Not only does it taste good, beef is also a great way to fuel your body. In the American diet, beef is the number one contributor of protein, zinc and vitamin B12, number two of vitamin B6, and number three of iron and niacin. By supplying a nutrient bundle in every bite, eating beef is a great way to make your calories count. A 3 oz. serving of lean beef contributes less than 10% of the calories in a 2,000-calorie diet. At the same time, it supplies more than 10% of the Daily Value for these nutrients.*

To me, there's nothing better than a good steak after a nice long ride...and a cold malt beverage (liquid carbs) to wash it down!

Daren

*Source: http://www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com/nutrition/nutritioniq.asp