I thought of this the other day as I biked down 385 in the Hills. See, I let my mind wonder on the bike too. Anyway, last year after the Flume Trail Race, I had a few runs I affectionately referred to as “junk miles” because I wasn’t getting ready for any race. Matter-of-fact, I was just passing time before taking some prescribed time off around Thanksgiving.

I’ve had this discussion with a few different people over the last year; Is there such a thing as “junk miles”. My thoughts are as long as each run serves a purpose, then there is no such thing, and every run does serve a purpose whether its physical, mental or spiritual, so one can conclude that there is never a time to call a mile and junk mile. Start assigning purpose to whatever you do and suddenly your attitude will change. The great Yogi Berra is quoted as saying, “90% of the game is mental, the other half is physical.” I see it a lot among people who workout, especially people who workout more than the average person, but not as much as an elite athlete. Say you had a bad run or weren’t able to run a faster pace like you wanted to. Well, that doesn’t mean it was a waste of time. There is an ebb and flow of good days and bad days, and it could very well be the purpose of your “off day” is to help you recognize something else like you ate something wrong, your not getting enough recovery, or your just burnt out.

Not to drag it on, but the last point, getting burnt out, is a common thing among runners and I think many of us fail to recognize the warning signs. When this happens, then you are putting on junk miles because your body/mind is telling you it needs rest and you are just forcing it to do something it probably shouldn’t be doing which will inevitably lead to injury.

Thanks for following me in my side-track, and back to my original thesis; there is no such thing as junk miles. This year, I took the pendulum and swung it to the other side of very few weekly miles and more intense workouts. Essentially I only ran to do a workout which makes one wonder about going for a regular run say around 60% MHR. Does it have any benefit? Yes, it does. Even though I’ve managed to get faster times this year on only a handful of miles per week, I could feel some limitations brought only by the lack of running volume.

The answer lies somewhere in between. An appropriate mix of interval training and regular runs in addition to some strength training and cross-training is the conclusion I’ve reached. It has been proven that increased mileage leads to more efficient running and intervals increase one’s V02max in addition to many other benefits. I have seen how the human body adjusts to the physical stresses we put on it and its fairly remarkable when you think about how adaptable it is. The trick is not to plateau.

Thats all it comes down to really. As mentioned before in this blog by Jessie Coy, Bill Bowerman said, “take a primitive organism, any weak, pitiful organism. Say a freshman. Make it lift, or jump or run. Let it rest. What happens? A little miracle. It gets a little better. It gets a little stronger or faster or more enduring. That’s all training is. Stress. Recover. Improve. You’d think any damn fool could do it, even….”. It seems like I always come back to this subject in this blog and thats only because I have been bombarded with other exercise regimes and specifically their claims to improve your running. My continual point is that it doesn’t matter what you do as long as you keep it simple - stress your body and let it recover which will lead to improvement. As far as junk miles go, there is no such thing as long as each run has a purpose.

Enjoy quality summer running in the Black Hills!

Leadville Colorado is not your typical Colorado town which is why I like it so much. Maybe I’m not giving Colorado enough credit because the towns we most associate with the Rocky Mountain state being the overcrowded towns of the Front Range and tourist traps along I-70. Leadville is nestled in the heart of the highest mountains in Colorado at an elevation of 10,152ft. The town has a rich history with names like Baby Doe Tabor and Doc Holiday highlighting it. There is a small Safeway grocery store and a Subway which are probably the only familiar names to an out-of-towner, so don’t expect a Wal-Mart, MacDonald’s or other big-names to great you. This is a small mountain town that hasn’t given into heavy commercialization which adds to its charm.

Leadville hosts a series of races over the short summer starting with the Trail Marathon and Heavy Half Marathon and concluding in late August with the 100-miler. Last year I ran the Trail Marathon and fell in love with the area, so I decided to return this year to run the Heavy Half Marathon. Not that I didn’t enjoy the full marathon – I just wanted to try something new and save my legs for more hiking in the Rockies afterward.

Race morning began like any other, with some mild trepidation waiting for the 8 am start. I actually slept very well the night before because I spent about week in the Rockies before the race adjusting to the altitude and just exploring. I wasn’t taking this race lightly with a solid ascent up Mosquito Pass at 13,184ft then turning around and returning to town for a total of 15 miles hence the “Heavy” in the half marathon. The race starts on Sixth Street in town and doesn’t waste any time running uphill to the dirt roads which would lead us up to the pass. I thought it would be chilly at the start and was greeted by mild temps and no wind. Regardless of the starting conditions, I still tied a light jacket around my waist and tucked some gloves in my shorts waistband in anticipation of windy and cooler temps at elevation.

The night before I watched some local TV program about the Leadville 100. An interview with one of the racers really stuck in my head that morning when he said, “you have to run your own race and not be concerned with the other runners.” Sounds simple enough, but for someone who is a closet competitor, it can be difficult to hold back when people take off with the fire of the gun. I just started running based on how I felt regardless of what was happening around me. I used to religiously start slow and “save energy for the finish” which I think was why I was slower in many races last summer. Running on feeling was something new I decided to try this year at the DMTM and it worked very well. It continued with the BHTR and I could only conclude that it would work again in Leadville.

I found a comfortable pace on the steady inclines and when things got too steep, I slowed to a fast-pace walk, and would kick back into my running pace when things mellowed out. It was important to be honest with yourself when running like this. My mentality was to “attack the incline.” I figured that if I got to the top in 2hrs, I could get down in an hour and change finishing somewhere between 3hrs and 3:30. I kept my head down most of the time to not get overwhelmed by the ascent, but every now and then, I forced myself to turn around and take in the scenery which was awe-inspiring. There is something special about being up there. It reminds me of that scene in the movie Dead Poets Society where the students have to stand on their desks to gain a different perspective. I think everyone of us who get that perspective, leave with something a little more in their lives.

I made it to the Pass in 1:40 a full 20 mins ahead of what I thought. It was windy and a little chilly as the sweat rapidly evaporated from my shirt. I thought about my jacket, but I decided to turn around quickly instead of loitering on the Pass. The final 3 miles up to the pass are very rocky and you really don’t consider it until you have to run down them. To make matters a little less comfortable, you have to negotiate around runners still ascending the trail, so you don’t always get the choice-route. You have to be very careful with foot placement. I knew this from last year’s marathon, so it came as no surprise. I cruised down the trail back to more stable trail/dirt road back into town. I could feel the excitement build the closer I got to town and when I looked at my watch guessing what my finish time would be. I was well ahead of 3hr pace and I could walk the last few miles and still beat that time. The course turns back onto Sixth Street after transitioning back to pavement for about the last mile. The last straight-a-way is always the toughest for me because you turn onto Sixth and can see the finish line about 0.5 to 0.75 miles away and it doesn’t seem to get any closer no matter how fast you run. I had some cramps at this point and had to stop for a brisk walk halfway down the street before powering through the finish line in 2:46:52.

Finish Line on Sixth St

The Leadville races come highly recommended from me. Rough terrain, high altitutude - give yourself a new experience.