Brandon Fuller

Run: Green Mountain x 2 [BK/BK/FR/BK] (10.33 mi)

Seemed like there was going to be a plethora of opportunities for group runs this weekend. However, the usual planning craziness seemed to get in the way and I think everyone ended up doing their own things. I was equally lame because I had felt so groggy all week and I didn’t really want to commit to running something big or long and then holding up a group if I couldn’t get myself together. So I bailed on any remaining opportunities and figured I would just wake up and see what felt right.

Kim and I watched Zombieland last night and then went to bed. I was laying there at 10 PM with a raging headache. It was so bad I couldn’t lay down. I did some math and realized I had consumed caffeine in about 3 days which is a no-no…unless I meant to. Anyway, this headache had me laid out for hours as I whined in pain. It makes me think…this probably isn’t a good thing for my body if it wants/needs it that bad. Anyway, I eventually fell asleep.

I woke up about 8:30 AM (after the usually 3:30 AM baby wake up) feeling much different. In fact, I felt pretty good. For the last 4 days I woke up feeling like I had been hit by a truck. But I finally seemed to have caught up and maybe today would be a fresh start. I had emails from JV who was looking for me at 5 AM to run Green. Oops, I was pretty much asleep like the rest of the world at that hour. JP was running Mesa but I figured he was already out or done. So I was on my own. If I didn’t live here, what would I go do that I couldn’t? Run hills. Sounded like a plan. Laps on Green.

Got down there and the lots were pretty full already. Summer is here. Where were all these peeps in the winter? Actually, glad they weren’t out there. I hit Gregory and started my watch. Let’s see how I can hit this. I have been waiting for a dry and warm day to give this thing a decent PR effort. Maybe today? Had the MT100s on for lightness. Cranked up the hard music and set off. Admittedly, its sort of fun when there are bodies hiking on the trail. Getting looks when you go cruising by and they are having a uphill death experience because some moron in their group picked a difficult trail and they said they just wanted to hike around in the woods.

Average HR was 155 to the cabin and I hit the watch for my split: 18:12. I thought this was a PR at the time but turns out my PR to this junction was 6 seconds faster when JV was pacing me. In any case, I didn’t know that so it had me motivated to keep on it and see if I could make something out of this ascent. Frankly, I ran the steeps better than ever. There were a few hikers and I was in the zone and motored right up through them. So hard that when I hit the switchbacks I could feel death’s embrace coming up from behind. I knew I was running too hard but I felt like I could probably sustain it. Hit the 4-way in 19:03. A nearly 1 minute PR. I had 20:00 in my mind but when I saw I was nearly a minute under even with the fatigue I figured I had something. HR was at 162 through that section. LT. Well, that how you are supposed to run a PR here so feeling like I was doing what I was meant to do. Up through the stairs in 3:56 with HR of 165. No PR on that section but I was spent from the switchbacks. Tagged my watch at the top and then sat down. Now it was time to do the math to decide if it all added up. Tried to do that while catching my breath and it wasn’t going so well. I think I added it up 4 times. 41:11…a 50 second PR. I will take it. Always good to lower the bar.

After fueling up, I headed back down Gregory and bounded around the 4-way. I stopped to take a photo. This is one of my favorite turns in the entire Boulder Mountain Park. You kind of come around the corner and you get a good glimpse of the area all the way out to my house way out there — about 26 miles as I recall from the run I did to Green! Got my footwork together on the descent. Dodged a million people and was really running hard. Kept higher HR levels than normal but was still slower than winter descents. That snow really gave you an edge on the speed for descents. I miss it. Yeah, I said it.

Hit the TH and took a couple minutes to gather myself. From there, I set off up Amp/Saddle/Greenman. Amp was a hike. No running. That was cool. I didn’t apply even effort given the PR so this ascent would suffer. I need to practice a bit of powerhiking for the big ultras to come so why not. I got to the 1st overlook and Kim called me saying they were headed to Water World. I was supposed to meet them but I was already into my 2nd lap so I wanted to get that done. This got me moving a bit faster but I was hiking a majority of it. I flubbed the GPS and didn’t realize until the 2nd overlook so I don’t have a time on the ascent. But I hit the top moving pretty good and instantly descended back down the other side for another great run down the backside. Moved pretty effortlessly through the trail once again. Although, the ball of my right foot was really taking a pounding in those thin shoes. The 2nd descent was faster than the first minus another phone call. But I finished in good time and hit the gas station for another big 32 oz Gatorade and a bag of chips. This is my new post-Green meal. It seems to get me right back into feeling good so another Leadville crew strategy buried in there.

Figured Water World would be nuts today but it was virtually empty! Nice. The kids ran around and did all kinds of stuff while Kim and I and Kayla sat, talked and played. I took the kids on some new rides and some old favorites. It was great to sit around, soak the feet, and enjoy a bit of summer before the real work begins.

Oh yeah, felt great to feel good again today. Totally re-invigorating after a few moments of WTF this week.

I went 10.33 miles with an elevation gain of 4,805 feet in 02:26:20, which is an average pace of 14:10. Heart rate average was 148. View my GPS data on Garmin Connect.