Pikes Peak Greenway - Long Run

I wanted to find a new place for my long runs because there are so many hills where I live. I found out about a long bike/foot path that goes all the way through Colorado Springs - it's called the Pikes Peak Greenway. One of the places that connects to it is the America the Beautiful park - when the half marathon starts. I thought it might be nice to do a run down there to familiarize myself with the location. I found what I thought was the path - but it was actually a branch off of the main path. It abruptly ended after about 1.5 miles and I was pretty confused since I thought the whole thing was supposed to be 16 miles long. Then I realized that the main path runs north-south just east of I-25 and I had been running west and had gone under I-25. I ran back to the beginning. Part of the reason that I was confused was that the main path was not paved and the one that branched off of it was a nice wide paved path. Also, the trail that went north (the way I was planning on going) was blocked off with a detour sign - and the detour went through the streets of downtown. I ended up going south. It was a very nice path that ran along side a river. Part of it was paved and part of it was gravel. It crossed over the river several times and there were quite a few little waterfalls. I took this picture with my cell phone - so the resolution is not very good, but it was beautiful.

Down by the river were also some tents where I assume homeless people lived. It was a little unnerving, but there were quite a few people on the path, so that made me feel a little better. I needed to do a 10 mile run (my longest yet). At one point I had stopped my watch - when I was trying to figure out which way to go and I forgot to restart it. Luckily I noticed after about half a mile, so I actually went 10.5 miles. I was exhausted by the end and pretty much walked my last mile. Sometimes I wonder if I will actually be able to do 13.1 miles. By the time I got to my car I felt like I could hardly walk and was really beat for the rest of the day.

I think if I try the Greenway again I will go a park a little further north and run the north part of the path. All in all it was a good experience.



Garmin Connect Data

Treadmill Run

I actually felt pretty good on this run - even though it was 9:00 at night and I did a step class during the day with my daughter. She really wants to learn how to do step and they have a beginning class (which is very boring for me). Kids under 13 have to be accompanied by an adult. It was really easy - not very strenuous, but still, it was an hour of activity. I hadn't run on the treadmill for a while. It is so much easier than running outside! I can definitely keep a faster pace on the treadmill. I did a run/walk pattern - thus the hills on my heart rate chart. I feel that I am increasing my endurance and it is getting easier to run longer distances. Hopefully this will keep happening!



Garmin Connect Data

Legacy Parkway

After talking to my dad about suggestions on where to run, he pointed me to the legacy parkway bikepath. It was exactly what I was looking for - long and flat. I wanted to do a medium length run of about 5 miles. I felt pretty good and was able to keep the pace that I wanted.



Garmin Connect Data

Running in the mountains June 20

We had a family reunion to attend in Heber, Utah. I was determined to get out there for a run - even a brief one. It was quite challenging running on the side of a mountain on a gravel road. It was either steep uphill or steep downhill - with a little flat part in the middle. Also, the elevation was higher than what I'm used to in Colorado so that added to the challenge. The scenery was beautiful and it was a great way to start out my morning. I'm glad that I made the effort, even for a short 2 mile run.



Garmin Connect Activity June 20

June 15 run

I took a little trip to see some family and it kind of messed up my running plan. I drove all day on a Friday. I was going to try and do a long run on Saturday, but I had a migraine the night before and then it was raining on Saturday morning. I did manage to get a run in on Monday. My parents neighborhood was quite hilly and somewhat unfamiliar, but even cutting off a couple thousand of feet in elevation helped. It felt good to get out there and run after taking a few days off.



Garmin Connect Data

Long Run June 6

This was supposed to be a 9 mile run. I had a course all plotted out on mapmyrun.com and downloaded into my watch. You can put in a target pace for the run, and it will tell you if you are behind or a head of your goal - pretty cool. I stayed on the pace for the first hour - then I hit a huge hill and it was killing me! My heart rate was at my AT and I was barely chugging along. After that, I was pretty wiped out. I had to add a lot more walking breaks and didn't end up finishing the whole course. I went 7.58 miles. I think part of the problem is that I did an hour long step class yesterday. I guess I should really just rest the day before a long run - I think it does make a big difference. Oh, also it has been the warmest weather yet this season - I think it was between 70-75 degrees. Jeff Galloway says you should slow down if it's above 60 degrees, about 30 seconds per mile for every 5 degrees. That could have made a difference as well.

Garmin Connect June 6 Run

June 1 Treadmill

This was my first treadmill run after having calibrated my foot pod on the track. When I'm running, the numbers are very accurate and, I'm actually running faster than the treadmill thinks I am, so that's good. My average pace for 3.25 miles was 11:48. Now, why can't I do that outside?

June 1 Treadmill run on Garmin Connect