This past week was spring break for Ruth and my kids. I had work, but took Thursday off to ski, and was able to sleep in a bit in the mornings instead of making lunches and getting kids off to school. And I ran and ran.

• 12 hours and 59 minutes running and hiking
• 66.2 miles
• 8038 feet D+

I had a solid interval workout on Tuesday and some faster paced running on Wednesday at Pineridge, which had finally dried out and become open for use. Saturday I joined a small group of Quad Rock 50 aspirants in running the 25 mile course. I was ahead of my May 2018 race pace until the last two descents of the Mill Canyon and Timber trails, which were quite packed with snow and ice. I took it easy going down, not willing to risk crashing. I had to cope with some back and ankle pain left over from skiing, and managed that well, too. Good company helped. After the run, I felt like I had enough energy to turn around and go back out, which is a good sign. Other good signs: on south-facing slopes there are green shoots coming out of the soil and it's warm enough to run in shorts and short sleeves as long as you don't stop moving.

Today I went out for another 16 miles on single track east of Horsetooth Reservoir. The muscles in my lower back were less aggrieved, but the tendons on the front of my left foot were more tender than the day before. I concentrated on running lightly, thinking happy thoughts, and being friendly to the many other folks on the trails. This worked well. 41 miles is a weekend record for me. I felt quite satisfied as I first soaked my feet and ankles in a bucket of ice water and then enjoyed a cold beer and a hot bath.

Sign of Spring: Jonquilles emerging in my yard

I've finished another recovery week. I spent twice as much time in yoga and massage sessions and on an elliptical trainer as I did on the trail.

• 1:56
• 11.9 miles
• 233 feet D+

We had a blizzard on Wednesday and plenty of snow still around on Thursday. I'm fortunate that I didn't have big training plans. The snow is largely gone now, except where it drifted, but trails are quite muddy. Bobcat Ridge, Pineridge, Maxwell, and Reservoir Ridge are all closed today.

I'm going to attempt to run over 200 miles in the next three weeks. I should probably be napping or rolling on my foam cylinder instead of writing, but I suspect I won't have much energy for extracurricular writing during the remainder of March and am trying to cram in a little blogging today.

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The last week was challenging. I reached a new personal mileage record, ran 9 consecutive days (ending Wednesday), finished the Run Through Time trail marathon on Salida's Arkansas Hills Tail System on Saturday, and then went out for another long run on Sunday.

• 68.4 miles
• 12 hours 45 minutes
• 6430 feet D+

The weird thing is that I'm feeling good and not at all worn out or burned out. I guess my training regime must be working. Next week is a recovery week. I'm going to do much less running and more cycling, yoga, and hiking with my kids on the weekend.

Friday I drove 200 miles from Fort Collins to the town of Salida in the center of Colorado to participate in the Chaffee County Running Club's Run Through Time trail marathon.

My race bib.

In the 1990s I used to come to this part of Colorado regularly for hiking and skiing in the Sawatch Range, but it's been a while since I've visited Salida. The race day weather was fine. Cool and sunny with just a bit of a breeze. I wore my windbreaker, hat, and gloves at the start and for about half a mile of the course, then stashed them in my pack for the remainder.

At the starting line with Mt. Shavano and Mt. Princeton in the background

My performance expectations were low. The race was coming at the end of what were, for me, three big weeks of training. I didn't feel tired, but I didn't feel very fresh. After the start I drifted towards the back of the pack while trying to find a suitable pace. After a few miles I settled in and started to feel comfortable on the winding, rolling singletrack at the bottom of the course. At mile 7, the course turned onto a steep graded road for six miles. I hiked most of this and passed a number of runners. I've been working on hiking quickly and efficiently and was satisfied with how I did during the race.

At the top, the course switched onto completely snow-covered trails for about six miles. The snow was deeply drifted in places and the footing was poor. I took this slowly, got passed three times, and conceded a bunch of time. As the snow clear, the descent turned very steep and rocky for five miles. I managed this well, but my legs were feeling heavy in the last two miles and I conceded more time. I finished in 5 hours and 33 minutes, two hours after the first finisher. I'm pleased with this. That's 15 minutes faster than my 2017 Blue Sky marathon time, on a comparably challenging course, without any tapering or rest before the race. I'm also pleased that I was able to recover and go for another long run on the Coyote Ridge and Blue Sky trails on the way home from Salida. 37 miles in all for the weekend. I'm feeling more confident about finishing the Quad Rock 50 in May.

Tenderfoot Mountain, Salida landmark, and the first climb of the day

The numbers:

• 10 hours and 8 minutes
• 55.2 miles
• 4531 feet D+

A lot of snow had fallen by the time I got to Lory State Park on Saturday morning and it continued to snow steadily if not with intensity. I cut my planned run short because the going was so slow and I wasn't prepared for 7 or 8 hours out in the snow without skis or company. I went south in the valley, up Sawmill and Towers, down snowy and icy Mill Canyon, and back. 3 hours to go just under 12 miles. I could have skied some stretches of Mill Canyon Trail and did slide and fall once on my butt and elbow on the ice near the bottom.

Loggers Trail, Horsetooth Mountain Park

I didn't feel like running in deep snow today and did an easy 13.5 mile loop on the paved and mostly cleared rec trails of SW Fort Collins. I fell 5 miles short of my goal for the week, but did have solid runs during the week and made the most of poor weekend weather. I'm looking forward to nicer weather next Saturday at my first race of 2019: Chaffee County Running Club's Run Through Time in Salida, CO.