Now that ski season is nearly over, you may be wondering why we’re posting the second part of this blog.  Well, as PTs we figure it’s never too late to teach folks how to avoid pain and injury—and by now you may have discovered that a full day of skiing or boarding is leaving you with some aches and pains as you start your Monday morning.  So, that makes you a particularly captive audience!  Training (before you ski/board) and Recovery (during the day and before you get in your car to drive…

I figured I would dust off the ol' blog to write a little about my first ultramarathon. I ran the Moab Red Hot 55k in Utah on February 14, 2015. 

I know I've written about them before, but I would be half the runner I am today without the help of the Attack Pack Running Group. They are always game for a…

Since the crowning achievement of the Triple Crown is climbing a mountain, it is only fitting and proper to include hills in one's training is it not? So let me introduce you to one of my favorite little places of pain, a little something I call "LRB." It's located in Fox Run Regional Park and comes about 2.5 miles into a 3 mile loop (in the direction I run it). Attaching a video and some pictures (in photos) for your consideration.…

"Hills are speedwork in disguise." ~Frank Shorter

My husband (and coach), CJ, has told me for months that a hill workout is similar to a speed workout. Hill training is great for your lungs and your legs. As I plan to do a couple of hilly races this summer and one race with one very big hill (the Ascent), I realize hill workouts will become a regular…

As part of the PPS Triple Crown team, I will be running three tough races this summer...

1. The Garden of the Gods 10 Mile Run
2. Summer Roundup 12k
3. And the infamous Pikes Peak…

Well, here we go again, a third stab at that great sentinel above Colorado Springs. I mentioned to someone that I was part of a group attempting the Ascent again and this person, a very nice person mind you, never says a bad word about anyone, said "Yeah, I know" and then I distinctly heard them mutter, under their breath "Crazy fools."

Yup, crazy alright, seeing how fast one can haul their butt up a mountain and yet, somehow, in some peculiar way, it just gets in your blood and you…

If you are interested in training for a half- or full-marathon in the fall, I am starting a training group, USA Fit Colorado Springs.  It will be a group training deal open to all ability levels.  For more information, visit www.usafitcos.com or email me at info@usafitcos.com

We will have an information table at Jack Quinn's Running Club on May 6 and 13 and UVC Running Club May 12.

Some people run away when they hear the term 'lactate threshold,' but you don't have to! Even the recreational endurance athlete should understand the concept so that they can plan their training more effectively. And while the best way to know what your LT is to get tested with a blood lactate test, understanding the concept and the approximate effort levels associated can help you get faster.

I'm going to explain LT in a way that I hope everyone will be able to understand.…

A few months ago I wrote about handling recovering from an injury that needed surgery to repair it. It's been just over 3 months since my surgery (More specifically 14 weeks tomorrow as I write this.)

While the time has gone by quickly, it's definitely not an easy process, but I am making good progress and not missing out on too many activities along the way (except for running.) I've been going to physical therapy (Orthopedic Rehabilitation Associates near Powers/Dublin) religiously…

After two races, we've all had to deal with it - passing. Whether doing the passing or being passed, there's a few things to think about while out on the trail. Any time we're out on the trails, we need to remember there are other users. The interaction you have with that hiker, trail runner or fellow rider can color perspectives. We need all the good publicity we can get, especially on the busy and popular trails all along the front range. So here's some good tips to follow when out on the…

It's been the typical Colorado this year. Winter hung around until one day, it was time for heat. Since then, the sun has been blazing and it's been plenty warm.

Up into the 90's warm.

I think the last chilly day was the June 5th Ascent Cycling race at Bear Creek. Looking at the forecast for this week, it's gonna be a hot one for the second race of the series at…

Above: Victory soak in Fountain Creek. Photo by Christian Murdock. Below: Don and me, the only Pikes Peak Sports.us Triple Crown Runners who signed up for the marathon! Photo by Phoebe Blessing.

We've come full circle. I started blogging…

I will write about this in more detail soon enough, but for now ... HOLY CRAP I DID IT!

The Attack Pack and friends ready to take on the Falcon Trail in the dark.

Whenever I sign up for new race distances or athletic endeavors, I always envision feeling far more "ready" when race day/week/month actually arrives. The time between signing up and executing stretches on forever, week upon week of mythical training runs cascading into the future,…

So my training last weekend consisted of a hike up Mount of the Holy Cross, as I hadn’t yet climbed this 14’er (barely making it into the category at 14,005). The roundtrip was 11.5 miles with 5,600 feet of elevation gain (3,700 net) so it was a good workout. I did not run any portion of it. The 1.6 miles of talus at the end of the ascent and conversely, the beginning of the return trip, makes the 16 Golden Stair on Pikes look like a Legos playground. To a person, everyone who has…

Me and LB on our way up Mount Bierstadt, July 22

During every training cycle, especially for a new distance, I hit the skids mentally. I'm considering the PPM a new distance, even though I've run…

So I’ve had an idea in mind for a different workout and finally gave it a try on Thursday, July 19. Monument Preserve has long been a favorite place to run. It offers varied terrain, some up and down but certainly not killer hills and scenic trails that weave in aall over U.S. Forest Service land. There is a main parking lot for the preserve, right along Mt. Herman Road but I usually park at a pull-off area another half-mile or less up the road, almost directly across from a Forest Service…