Finchland

Let the Adventures Begin

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Finch) — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 15:17:00 +0000

A and I are excited to now share our adventures with Atticus. It's still a bit cold in the CO high country to go backpacking, but we did get in a good couple days fishing with the Sparrows on the Platte River north of Lake George. The hikes in were a bit more than we expected, but once to the river, we had a great couple of days! There are new challenges bringing a 1 month old on the trails, but we came out just fine. A had to feed on the trail a couple of times, we started with the BOB stroller, but had to carry it back to the car and just carry Atticus due to the conditions of the trails. There is no stroller heading back where we went. Heck there weren't that many people! All in all, it was a very fun weekend.

Caught some nice fish!

Awesome day by the river with the Sparrows!

Just yesterday, Atticus hit up his first baseball game. The Padres were in town, so we decided to make a date night out of it, get some sushi, and see the game. Although the Padres lost, he had a great time!

Atticus just chilled the whole game! Fist bump.

This dude is serious about his baseball!

It is fun watching our little guy grow up. Looking forward to more adventures and to raising Atticus up in love and adventure. Guinness was enjoying Atticus' one month pics.

Here are a few photos from our last shoot with Atticus. He was 7 days old! Amazing how fast he grows up.

Until our next adventure!

~J&A

We Are Blessed

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Finch) — Sat, 18 May 2013 13:49:00 +0000

Atticus is almost 3 weeks old, and we have had an amazing time with him! It is amazing how much he has changed over the first three weeks, but it also feels like time has slowed down in a way. It has been great to take pictures every day, enjoy the little changes, the new expressions, watching him develop and become more aware. It has been nothing but a blessing! Also, we got pretty lucky. Since the beginning of his second week, he has slept around 6 hours every night! We go to bed around 10 and he wakes up between 4:30 and 5:30 most mornings. I think this is rare, but you won't find us complaining. We have had a lot of fun learning what babies are all about (since neither of us knew anything more than what we read about). It is unbelievable how natural being a parent is once you have a baby. We hold him and don't worry about a thing. We calm him when he is fussing. Even changing diapers isn't bad. Surprising!!! Some of the highlights of the first few weeks are:

The dog's reactions to Atticus. They love him!

Bath time is entertaining!

Watching him sleep just makes you smile!

Enjoying the new addition!

We just got our first few maternity pics back. We ended up with some great pics from Karen Rubin! It will be a couple weeks before we get some of the newborn pics with Atticus! That will be on the next post. We really could not feel more blessed. We are excited to raise up this little guy and see the man he becomes. Life is good!

If you are in the Denver area, or want to visit the Denver area, come on over and hang out with Atticus! We'll cook you a nice dinner!

~J&A

A Week to Remember

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Finch) — Wed, 01 May 2013 19:51:00 +0000

Wow! Last week was by far the best week of our lives. Our 8th anniversary, hosting Denver's first annual Walk4Water for Hands4Others, AND the birth of our baby boy, Atticus!

I will relive the week in order:
Tuesday was our 8th anniversary! We decided to go out to dinner at Luca d'italia and celebrate. We had a great dinner, but also had a wonderful time bringing up memories. We talked about our marriage, how blessed we have been, where we want to go and what we want to do in the near future. About Atticus and his birth, about how we want to raise him and what we want him to stand for. About how we can influence that throughout his life and about how excited we were to meet him. It was an amazing evening with great food and wine.

Next on the agenda was Denver's first annual Walk4Water. We have invested a lot of time into preparing for the walk, getting in front of kids at school assemblies, volunteering at youth events, spreading the word around Denver, and trying to create a base for Hands4Others in Denver. It has been a stressful venture, but the walk went off on Saturday morning and it was great! Some folks that we didn't know came out and are very excited to be part of the movement, some kids came out that have fundraised, and our volunteers were awesome! With previous donations combined with the fundraising from this walk, Denver has funded its first village, providing clean, sustainable water to 1,000 people that have never had the opportunity to have clean, parasite-free water! An amazing accomplishment and strong work from everyone involved. We are excited to keep the momentum rolling and hold our second event in Denver in the early fall!

And now, the culmination of the week. I will keep the story as succinct as possible as it was amazing!
To set the stage. Adrienne went into labor the same day as the walk. We woke up at 5:30am and headed to Starbucks for breakfast. We set up the walk and got everything ready. Adrienne walked the three mile walk, and then helped break down. After, we headed out for some Mexican food and celebrated a successful day (little did we know what we were in for). We headed home and packed up our hospital bags and made sure we were ready for our next adventure. Around 10:00pm, Adrienne said she was feeling some crampy pains that she had not experienced during pregnancy yet.
Side note: A was very blessed throughout her pregnancy. No sickness, no pain, no food aversions, no real cravings. Just normal life with the addition of carrying a baby.
We decided to see what came of the pains and play it all by ear. Around 10:30pm, we realized the pains were contractions and they were coming every 5 minutes and lasting about 1 minute each. For those of you that do not know, that is when the doctor says to leave for the hospital. So instead, we stuck around the house just to make sure. These contractions continued and by 11:30pm they were around 3 minutes apart and getting much more severe. We decided to leave for the hospital then. I brewed a french press of coffee and got the car packed up (the essential things). We left around 12:00am and arrived to the hospital around 12:30am. We were checked in by around 1:00am, A was already dilated to 4cm and labor started getting pretty serious. She got sick a few times and the contractions looked extremely painful. I did my best to coach her through them, focussing on breathing and resting, and giving a lot of positive reinforcement. Adrienne decided to go through labor without the use of medication, so we were in for a workout! She got in the jacuzzi tub and labored there for around 1.5 hours. Once the contractions were too much to stay still, she got out of the tub and moved to the exercise ball. There was no more being comfortable! She dealt with the contractions amazingly! Breathing through them and then resting when they were over. After another hour of laboring, she looked at me with the saddest eyes I have ever seen and said, "I'm so tired. I'm not sure how much longer I can do this." It just breaks your heart as a husband to see that face and hear those words, but this was the time to be strong and continue being positive. I would pray for her each contraction, asking God to give her strength, endurance, perseverance, and to renew her mind! We asked the nurse how much longer until the next measurement. She told us she would measure again in 30 minutes and see where she has progressed to. Knowing it was only 30 more minutes before finding out progress gave A some renewed hope. We got through that next half hour and she was back on the bed getting measured. She had progressed to 9.5cm!! Praise God. She was almost there. The doctor was on her way and once she arrived, she checked the cervix and said it was completely gone and she could start pushing if she wanted to. This again brought new hope and it was time to push! Once the next contraction came around, the pushing started! What an experience! Adrienne pushed for 45 minutes and out came our baby boy, Atticus, at 5:52am. We were taking pictures, I had the GoPro running, and we were celebrating new life! Watching Adrienne hold our baby boy immediately after he was born was the most amazing thing I have ever seen.

Over the past four days, we have had the most amazing time with Atticus. So far, he is sleeping well, feeding nicely, and we are enjoying our new family! What an amazing week celebrating the best experiences of our lives, our wedding day and the birth of our son, Atticus. We could not feel more blessed.

Below is a photo bomb of A's belly before having Atticus, the completed nursery, and our baby boy!

A's Belly at 40 Weeks

Nursery Pics

Atticus Swaddled

Time to go Home!

He's a Charger's Fan!

A Little Retreat to Prioritize What Matters

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Finch) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 01:58:00 +0000

A and I decided to take a little retreat to the mountains before Atticus is born. We wanted to take some time to pray over him, us, and our future family. What a great time it was! It was Easter weekend and time for some fun spring skiing (A did not ski this time around). We hiked with the dogs, ate awesome food, bought some art, and enjoyed being alone with each other. You can never underestimate how important it is to get away from your day to day and spend time with your spouse. We love being together at home, love hanging out with good friends, but there is something special when we take some time to get away and focus on each other and the things that are most important to us. We sat at the bottom of the mountain and watched people ski down, secretly hoping to see a big crash! We sat by the fire and prayed for each other, our future son, and people that we love. We made breakfast together and enjoyed eating it while listening to music we love. It is hard to put a value on these things, but I rate them amongst the most valuable things in life. These are the things that keep a marriage vibrant and alive.

We went to the mountain top sunrise Easter service on Beaver Creek. It was classic! The worship was led by SNL's church lady's twin. I couldn't stop laughing, but it was great to celebrate Christ's resurrection together while watching the sunrise over the Gore range. What an amazing way to spend Easter morning. Atticus is due in just over three weeks and we are excited. A has had the most amazing pregnancy and we can't wait to meet our little guy. We pray to pass on our understanding of and desire to love.

Enjoying the mountains

Cooking up some good food!

An etching we bought for the nursery!

A little hike with the dogs

The pups had a good time as well!

~J&A

Healthy, Happy, and Adventurous

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Finch) — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 14:33:00 +0000

We really have been blessed throughout this entire experience. A has been able to work out every day, has not experienced morning sickness, has not had any crazy cravings, no mood swings, no change of diet outside of not drinking alcohol, and we've still been able to go out on adventures and create new memories! In reality, not being able to enjoy a nice glass of wine together at the end of the day has been the biggest sacrifice. As it currently dumps snow, we are thinking about bundling up and taking the dogs for a romp in the park! With Atticus's arrival, we are looking forward to the sacrifices and changes that are to come. Some we can foresee and others we cannot. One thing that is important to us is to always keep adventure in the fore of our lives. It wasn't too long ago that I was writing back to a friend in CA and we were talking about the challenges of seeking after the things that are pleasing to God and not to man. About how difficult that can be in our culture, with our drive, and how that balances out with a successful career in business, socially, etc. I stated some of my struggles and said something along the lines of, "Seeking holiness is the greatest of adventures." It truly is an epic adventure and we hope to share "the greatest of adventures" with Atticus.

His arrival is soon approaching with the due date 5 weeks away. This is a very exciting time of life with so many new experiences, surprises, and changes. We have been fortunate enough to be able to embrace them all and look forward with eager anticipation. Now, off to the park to play in the snow!

Guinness is ready for a baby brother!

Haile is excited as well!

The baby bump is getting bigger! Wahoo!

~J&A

Parties and Deer

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Finch) — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 16:50:00 +0000

Atticus's due date is 6 weeks away! It is amazing how time flies right on by. We are excited for his arrival and the whole experience that is to come! We had a wonderful shower hosted by our good friends Erica and Spencer Sparrow. It is rare that baby showers last until 2 in the morning, but it was a wonderful time celebrating the new life to come! Here's a pic of A and I at the end of the night. Also, one of Spencer and I celebrating.

I finally got my deer antlers back and put them up in the nursery. They are over the chair and add a nice touch to the room.

We need to get the pics I took printed on canvas and the nursery will be complete :)

We may change the barn print to a mountain scene with a lake, but need to see how they come out on prints first. Excited to take Atticus on adventures and introduce him to the wilderness that is out our back door. Speaking of, it's time to get out there myself. Time to wrangle up the pups and head to the hills! They are excited as well!

~J&A

Life Lived Through Song

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Finch) — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 04:11:00 +0000

It's funny how your focus changes when you are going to have a kid. This song has been on my mind since we found out we were pregnant, and even more so since we knew we were having a boy. The first time I heard it, when it was released, I thought, "That would be cool someday." Now, it is hard not to get emotional knowing the influence you have and the joy it is going to be to raise this little guy. Enjoy the song. If he's anything like me, we are in for a wild ride!

And here's a nice pic of my hot wife. She's pretty awesome!

Skiing black runs at 7 months pregnant. She pretty much rocks!

Atticus is on his way!

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Finch) — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 15:37:00 +0000

8 weeks until his due date! In between working and skiing, we have started putting the final touches on the nursery. We have a bit more work to do, but almost there! Preparing for your first baby is an amazing experience. The first time we walked into Babies R Us, we freaked out. We had no idea what to register for, what babies need in the first few weeks, months, year?! Totally in the dark. We ran in to our friends, Kate and Steve DeHoff, and they helped us out a ton! After that, we started reading, took an "Unmedicated Child Birth" class, and asked friends and family a lot of questions. The education was good for us. Although we understand that there are a lot of wonderful surprises ahead of us, we feel prepared and are anxiously awaiting Atticus's arrival. Adrienne's pregnancy has been a dream. There has been no morning sickness, no issues, she has been able to work out throughout, ski 20+ days, and live life without a hitch. It has been a blessing and something we are very grateful for! We'll keep up with this blog, highlighting our adventures and keeping anyone interested up-to-date. This way we don't have to inundate the facebook world with our family life. We are looking forward to this new chapter and all of the adventures it is sure to bring! Anyone out there ever gone backpacking into the wilderness with an infant? Attached are some pics of the nursery. It's coming along.

~J&A

Back to It

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Finch) — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 16:14:00 +0000

I decided to start blogging again. It was nice to read back through some old posts and view it as a sort of journal. If nothing else, it is good to go back and read some history. There will be some good stuff to write on throughout the year being an election year and getting back into running.

On the running front:
It has been nice to be out running again. I have been training for a couple months now and have been dealing with an achilles problem since I began. It has been manageable, and I have worked up to 50 miles last week. I have been getting massage and dry needle therapy. The dry needle is strange, but seems to work very well. I signed up for the Golden Gate Diry 30 again. The last time I did this race in 2009, I basically jumped in and suffered for over 5 hours. Hopefully with some training, it will be a lot more fun this time around. I am starting to feel efficient again and have a long-term plan to build strength and worry about speed later. Adrienne is doing the 12 miler and is getting in some pretty good shape. Should be fun to see what she can do. She is out of town for Easter weekend, so I will hit the hills and get in some nice miles with the dogs. Should be a good time! I love running in the forest. It has been unreasonable warm here for late winter/early spring. I know there is still a lot of snow in the high country, but hopefully it will melt off soon and I can hit up some good runs in the trails at high altitude.
Skiing was off this year, but still had some great days. Was on the mountain a little over 30 days and probably had 5-10 really good days. The rest were pretty sparse.

Until next time.
-Finch

New Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Finch) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 15:51:00 +0000

I'm going to create a new blog. I will most likely just redesign this blog, but it will incorporate more than just good ol' running. Running is still a large part of my life, but there are many other aspects that are much more entertaining to banter about. Life, business, books, music, politics, religion. So, I will need to get going on a design. I am looking forward to the challenge and am excited to share some more thoughts. Until then, I will be running and working (and skiing of course).

Training is alright. I must admit that I am a little nervous as I committed to the SuperFrog again. I am doing the run leg of the relay with some guys from Multisport Ministries. Skiing has not helped my fitness, but I am still running well, and excited to race. I have set some high goals, but will keep those to myself for now.

Hopefully I will have this blog redesigned by April. We will see.

Finch

Good 'ol Running

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Finch) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 20:53:00 +0000

Finally, running feels fun again. I am not sure why...

Maybe I have a lot on my mind and it is my time away. We are busy getting the non-profit we work with started here in CO, contemplating options concerning job opportunities, buying land, raising a puppy, and blancing the quality time Adrienne and I get to spend together. It is easy to lose that quality time when you have so many good things taking up your time, but we both appreciate the time we have together and know how important it is to maintain that time. Running is a time I can go and think in fast-forward. I have time to contemplate different options and solve problems I otherwise don't have time to think about. It is nice to get out for 10 miles at lunch and come back feeling better and with less on my mind. I think this is how I got into running. That, and I love competing!

So, I will continue to enjoy what I am doing. Add some speed work and get rolling in some races. It is time to face the fact that I might not win every race I enter, but that is not a good reason not to race. I have had some trouble absorbing that thought.

So, I had 50 miles last week, and will have somewhere around there this week. All the miles have been easy and just cruising along getting my legs under me. We are going skiing for the weekend, so I will have to throw on the snowshoes and get in some good climbing. That is alwasy a lot of fun as well. If we get fresh snow I will strap the skis to my back and head to the top of the mountain early in the morning for some first tracks. That is one of the most beautiful things in the world!!! :)

Finch

CO Trail

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Finch) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 17:17:00 +0000

I couldn't decide where to run come Sunday afternoon. I was lacking some motivation, and didn't want to drive too far. The problem is that I am sick of running away from park rangers when Guinness is off-leash (which is the entire run). I already have recieved one ticket for such an offense, and I have some very serious opinions about this law. I understand the problem if everyone's ill-behaved dogs were running around the town off-leash, but Guinness is a great dog, he has very good obedience, and I mainly run out in the middle of nowhere. Not a problem. Anyway, that is the main factor in having a hard time deciding where to run.

I decided, the heck with it, I am heading out to the South Platte and get some miles in on section 2 of the CO Trail. I love this trail, and I would love to run it from Denver to Durango (maybe someday). I did not know how much snow and ice would be on the trail, so I brought my Yak-Trax and snowshoes up with me. I put the Yak-Trax on because the bottom of the trail was looking pretty icy. It was nice to have them on for the first mile of climbing, but most of the remainder of the run was dirt!!! Pretty surprising for a mid-January run at that altitude. As I got started I realized I had no way of telling how long I was running. I ran back to the truck and looked at the clock, just for a reference. Then, off Guinness and I went. The river looked great, and it was tempting just to stay and fish. Very beautiful with a good flow for this time of year. But, I came for a run, and that is what I was going to do. Up the switchbacks I went with Guinness running ahead and exploring. He is great to run with since it is so easy to get lost in "his world". He is in heaven running out in the forest! As we crested the first climb, there is a monument looking rock that overlooks the Hayman fire burn area. Most of the run goes through the burn area, and I found it, strangely enough, beautiful. There was very little vegetation, with the remains of burnt trees and large rock outcroppings for most the run. It is rare to be in an area that is so desolate, but I have an appreciation for the budding plants and the regrowth that will eventually take over the landscape and develop into a lush forest once again. I ran out, not wanting to turn back, but 4-5 miles in, I decided to call it a good day, and turn around. It is still early in my training and I have been taking it easy building up the miles so as not to get injured. It was a short run, but one I needed. I have been spending so much time running at lunch downtown, and not having much appreciation for my running or the places I am treading. It was very refreshing to get back out into nature and experience the sights and sounds of the wild. I will make this one of my key runs as I train this year for the longer races. I can get as many miles as I want on the CO trail, and there are lots every 10-15 miles where I can drop supplies if needed. It is a graet place to train, and a rare trail that Guinness and I can enjoy together, ticket free!

Finch.

I Love to Ski, But...

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Finch) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 19:51:00 +0000

I recently picked up skiing. I have boarded most of my life, and decided I wanted a change. The change has been good and I have enjoyed the season a graet deal. The only problem is that I don't tend to run when I am up skiing. Seeing as how I will not give up skiing, I better get my sleepless butt up out of bed before hitting the slopes.
Adrienne and I met up with some good friends at Beaver Creek and spent two weeks skiing over Christmas and New Years. Oh how I wish I ran some while I was there! Yes there was a fair amount of alcohol consumed each night, and yes I probably did not sleep more than 5-6 hours each night, but now my legs are screaming at me. It was just today that I felt some bit of normalcy back in my legs. No pop yet, but at least I wasn't counting the steps back to my office during my lunch break. I left for the mountains in pretty good shape and came back hurtin'. Lesson learned, I hope...

Finch

A New Puppy

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Finch) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:52:00 +0000

Adrienne and I got a new Vizsla about a week ago. He name is Haile and she is qutie cute. Puppies are a lot of work, but it has been fun doing socialization, foundation training, and just hanging out. She and Guinness are getting along great and are having fun playing together. It did throw a small wrench in my training for the past few days, but that is easy to get back.

Back to running today. I will do 6-8 easy. I am building up a bit for the next few weeks, and then adding in some light speed and short hill repeats. I committed to doing the half marathon for the SuperFrog triathlon relay. Hopefully it goes better for the team this year than it did last year. That run is HARD. A lot of soft sand and the rest is on spongy hard packed sand along the shore. It is slow and hard. I went 1:19 or something like that last year, but it was about the same time as a 1:10 half marathoner. Ouch! I have a much better base this year heading into the training, and can hopefully drop a good amount of time off. I want to hit up a mile on Westmont's new track, but I will have to see how that works out. I will need to be FAST for that one, so I will have to see if the training is in the cards. It is hard to get good speed training in here in CO during the winter. It is just dangerous. I plan on hitting up a few 50Ks and maybe a 50miler this year. I am enjoying the distance training, and I am not minding running 7:30 pace. I feel like I can go forever, and that will be the challenge in these longer races. Hopefully in a few months, 7:00 pace feels like 7:30 pace does now. That would be a formidable pace for those races. If not, then I guess that is just the way it goes. I'm looking forward to getting in some fun runs with Guinness, and coming out of the ski season with some good fitness. It is always harder to run when the snow is falling and the slopes are calling!!!

Til next time,
Finch

Where's Winter?

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Finch) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 21:15:00 +0000

I have had a good time getting back after the sickness. I started lifting again to build some strength, which I think will pay off in some of the longer stuff. Multisport Ministries asked me to run again at the SuperFrog Triathlon in San Diego, so I will be training for that in April. I will be racing prior to that time, but who knows when and in what race. I will add some speed to the training soon, which should be a welcome change from the post-sickness base building. It has been rather dry winter here in CO. There is very little snow in the mountains, and there is not a lot in the forecast. That is a little sad, since I love to get up and snowboard. I started skiing this year, and it has been a blast. I bought some skis from http://www.powder7.com/. Jordan and Amy have a great business selling skis, and Adrienne and I have had a great time so far this year. We have been out about 8 times, and are looking forward to some good snow.

I will throw some updates out sooner than later on the training and race schedule. It should be fun to get back out there this year and do some races. We have been gearing up for a big year with the non-profit we work with. http://www.hands4others.org/ It is a great organization providing clean water to villages around the world. Check it out! We are starting a CO chapter and are looking forward to raising funds to provide the first taste of clean, parasite-free water these villages have ever tasted. H4O is Santa Barbara had a great 1st year in 2009, and we are looking for greater things in 2010.

Merry Christmas!

Finch

Sickness and Soreness

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Finch) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 23:39:00 +0000

Man. Running is going well, but there was a bit of a glich. I rarely get sick. I came down with something that I thought was going to be a head cold. Then I figured it was going to be a sinus problem. I don't really know anything about these things. It ended up being awful. I was racked out for a couple of day, but still have the crap in my lungs over two weeks later. I have been trying to run it out, which I believe is the greatest cure for most illnesses, but it just hurts when I am done running. I know it will leave, but it took its tole on my training over the past couple of weeks. I started back this week and was sore! I have not been sore like that for a long time, but it was fun to feel it again. I thought I was going easy on the first run back, but it ended up being six minute pace. That might have something to do with the soreness. I think that two weeks of easy running will get me back in the swing of things and I can reintroduce the speed and hills. It should be a quick recovery, if I can just quit coughing up green stuff. Ugh!

I did try skiing the other day. It was surprisingly easy. I have boarded most of my life and this was a nice addition to the mix. I am looking forward to getting into it this year, mixing it up a bit. I will give my friend Jordan Jones a call over at www.powder7.com and get some skis. They run a great business and it has been way too long since I have seen them.

Back to it!

Ready to Race

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Finch) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:04:00 +0000

I am looking forward to racing soon. It has been a long and sometimes frustrating road to get fit again. I have had quite a few good training sessions and am looking forward to testing the fitness out as well as getting some races in to get the legs ready to go fast. I had a nice tempo this week at 5:30 pace. It was a low-tempo effort and I was surprised at how well I felt. The speed work is paying off and the short hill repeats have given me more speed than I expected to have at this point in the training. There is a winter series coming up here in Denver, and I will register for those races to get a feel of how I am doing before next year's track season starts up.
Right now it is all about consistency and a gradual build. I feel strong, the legs are healthy, and the hardest thing I am going to have to battle in the near future is the weather. We got over 2' of fresh snow yesterday. I'm going to throw the snowshoes on today and take Guinness out for a run. Should be fun!

Finch

Good Times

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Finch) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:49:00 +0000

I don't know why, but I continue to find it amazing that I am able to run reasonably fast after some training. I know that is how it works, but I had been dealing with injuries, lack of motivation, etc, for quite awhile, and now it has been nice to train, and train hard. Tuesday I did 11miles at lunch, out to Wash park, around, and back. I was cruising under 6:30 pace for the entire run. Real easy, and smooth. I hit 8 yesterday in the freezing rain at around 7 min pace. Today was on the treadmill where I did 4x400 at 72, 1xmile at 5:30, 2x400 at 72. Got in 7 miles. The legs are tired, but the workout was pretty relaxed. The treadmill only goes 72/400 pace so that is what I have to deal with right now. I have been adding in some strides and that is making 72/400 feel very very easy. I still don't have a lot of endurance to hold a fast pace like that for over 1 mile, but the 5:30 in the middle of the workout was reasonably comfortable. My legs were tired, and it was good to get some more work in. I have been feeling fasater and more comfortable each week. The training is paying off. :)

Finch

San Diego

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Finch) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:28:00 +0000

I had a good run down in San Diego when I was there this weekend. Ran up the Bernardo Mountain Summit Trail. It was a beautiful view from the top and had a little sign-in book. Left a small note, appreciated the view, and was off down the mountain. It was 90 something degrees, so that was a bit difference, but I was surprised to find out that I could climb well. I have not been climbing at all, but I have been puting in a good amount of speedwork . It was nice to have good fitness and be able to hit a long hill hard and finish strong. That has been missing for quite a while. I tried to find a race while I was out there, but no luck. Just walking events over the weekend.

Back up to altitude, and back to training. Should be nice. I had a problem in my hamstring last week while doing some short hill repeats and I can still feel it. I will make sure I am watching that while building back up in the speed. I have felt good doing repeats under 5 min pace, tempos around 530 and some solid long runs. It is feeling like the fitness is coming back! Finally!

Finch

Coming Together

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Finch) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 21:50:00 +0000

I have been running more consistently. I need be more consistent on the weekends and then I think that I will be going pretty well! I have been running every Monday with Peter Vail, and we talk about life and running. He was right in what he said a couple weeks ago. Just keep running, going to the fast Niketown run, and getting in some workouts. The motivation will most likely follow the effort. I am excited to be more motivated than I have felt in a long time. I have been doing a longer tempo run each week (6ish) and then hitting the 400m repeats. They have come along nicely as well. I do 8-12 at 72secs. That is as fast as the treadmill will go and that is what I have to work with at lunch. Probably putting in 50-60 miles in a good week and take 10 or so off when I suck on the weekends (more often than not). All in all, it has been fun. 6 min pace was easy the other day, and that has been a long time coming. I will do some racing this winter, and then get ready for Westmont's new track facility opening. I would like to race a mile and then maybe a steeple or 5k. So, I will be running. It is nice to have some fitness back!

Finch

Enjoying Running

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Finch) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:28:00 +0000

I have really been enjoying my runs lately. I started up with the running group at the downtown Nike Town, and they are quite fast. We have run 10miles in an hour, and then 5.5 last week in under 30. That was really moving for me right now, but shows that there is some speed/endurance in the legs despite not focussing on training. I would like to say it is easy to get out there each day and make the necessary sacrifices to become "fast" again, but it is not. I still am lacking motivation and some commitment. The biggest difference since I joined the running group has been that I have enjoyed my runs a lot more. I have something to work for and I think that may lead to wanting to sacrifice some things to run faster. I think the cooler weather has helped out a lot and I am actually looking forward to the winter. Weird!

We have been out hunting with Guinness a lot this year, and I am looking forward to phaesant season. He should learn a lot this year on wild birds and the goal is to have him steady on his point by the end of winter. I will go home today and run with him after work. I love running with him, but he has gotten so confident and just takes off. I think he knows where I am at all times, but I have no clue where he is. That does not usually work out here in suburbia. Adrienne and I have really been thinking about building a log home in the hills. It better suits our passions and lifestyle, so we will see how that turns out.

There is a cross country race in Lakewood next Tuesday that I might jump in. I don't have too much speed yet, but why not go out and race. I am sure a good butt kicking will get me more motivated. I still do not like losing. That will probably never change. It should be a good time.

Finch

Too Long

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Finch) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 17:34:00 +0000

It has been awhile since I have posted. It is not that I have been lazy, or not running; just that there has been nothing noteworty to write about. I started training some speed again, and will just jump in some races here in a few weeks. I have never been one to be bored running, and I still am not bored, but it would be nice to have some goals and some test of my current ability. Amazingly I have not lost a lot of speed, just the ability to hold it for a prolonged period of time. I have no problem running 4:40 pace, just a problem holing it for more than a mile. So, I will do some tempos and repeats. Probably get in two good stress workouts a week, and supplement that with long runs and easy runs at lunch. I averaged around 30-40 miles a week over the past couple months. No focus, no ambitions, just good 'ol running.

I will look at what races are around in the next month or so, and sign on up. To the pain!

Finch

Golden Gate Dirty Thirty

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Finch) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 18:59:00 +0000

The race went well. I was a bit surprised how well it went, but then again, I didn't know what to expect.

Adrienne and I got up at 4:30 in the morning, ate a bit and made some coffee. Got our stuff together, loaded up Guinness, and headed out to Golden Gate Canyon State Park. The drive was nice, and we arrived at around 6:00. My race took off at 7 and Adrienne's at 8, so we had some time to get our stuff together, drop off my drop bag, and mill around for a short time. Come race time, I lined up and took off. I wore a Nathan backpack, and it was a good idea. It had all the nutrition I needed for the race packed in it, including, a Cliffbar (I will not bring this again), 12 Gu's, and 2 liters of Gatorade. The race started out and I thought, "What the hell, I'm going for broke." I decided then and there that I would do my best to win the thing, knowing that I would probably have to deal with a good amount of suffering. There were about 4 of us that took off up front, and we started climbing. We crossed this beautiful little creek about 10-11 times and each time was over a little log, or a quasi-bridge made out of fallen trees and branches. It was pretty neat. I was feeling the climbing already! I have noticed that I do not do well racing over 7000' and this race shot up above 8000'-8500' right away. I wore my HR monitor so that I had some accountability, but it didn't really matter. I was at 165 HR the whole first climb and I walked most of it. I let a few people go, and tried to keep the HR below 165. We finally crested the first climb and I took off down the hill. I looked down one time and was going 5:15 pace :) Needless to say, I caught the group quickly and decided to keep up the pace down the hills and pulled a little gap. We hit the next climb (around 2 miles long) and I walked/jogged most of it trying to keep the HR down. Two people caught me at the top of the hill, but then I pulled some distance on the next downhill. This was the strategy that I would keep for the rest of the day. There were many hills that I was walking up with a HR over 170!!!! Geeze! I was good on the nutrition taking a Gu about every 30-40 mins and keeping the hydration going. I was passed going up a hill around mile 8, and just kept true to my new strategy. We hit a very technical trail at about mile 10-12 and I went off trail many times. Interestingly enough, I came out of the trail in the lead. I guess the guy that passed me leading into the trail got lost worse than I did. I came to the drop bag check point (mile 17) in the lead and was feeling pretty good. I did not take anything from my drop back and just kept on going. There was an 1100' climb out of this aid station and I felt this hill. I started cramping a good amount while going up. First my quads, then my calves, and finally my hamstrings. I downed a Gu, and it took care of the cramping. I decided to slow my walking down up the hills and maintain a good pace on the flats and downs. I was passed at the top of the hill after the aid station and wished the guy good luck. He was climbing strong and I did not think that I could keep up for the remaining 10 miles. Surprisingly, around mile 22 I started feeling pretty good again. I was cruising at 7min pace on the flats and downs, running at around 160HR, and just walking the hills. I got to the final aid station somewhere around mile 25 and they said I was a few minutes behind. I thought, what the heck, I will keep the strategy and hit the downhills a little harder. You never know, right!?! I actually climbed the next hill fairly efficiently and started a screaming downhill!!! I was moving well and feeling smooth. Next thing I knew there was the finish line. The only problem, I had only run about 28 miles :( I missed a turnoff at the top of the last hill and missed the final climb. I headed back up the last mile I descended (around 800' gain)! and saw the trail I missed. I was hurting at this point. I decided to call it a day, disappointed, but also very pleased. It was a great learning experience, and a beautiful day. I was told that I was about 1 minute back right around the trail head that I missed. Either way I would have been happy with the finish. This was the first time I have run over 20 miles in as long as I can remember, and it was a pretty comfortable run. I think I will train specifically for the distance for awhile and see what I can do. If my aerobic fitness was a bit better, I think that I could have held a much more efficient pace up the hills. I still got in 30 good miles of running and over 12,000' of climbing with the addition of my detour. I have to look at my watch readout, but I was on pace for around 5:30. That is a long time running, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The hills took up most of that time, and the elevation was another nice challenge. I think I averaged 164HR! That was the biggest surprise of the day. I am on the edge of aerobic at this HR and probably a bit over the line, but it did not seem to have too much of a negative effect. I felt really good from mile 22 on, and with a bit different nutrition, I think I could have minimized or negated the cramping. I think the hills were the biggest culprit of the cramping, but some more electrolytes could have made the difference.

It was a great experience with a bummer of an ending. I was not too disappointed, but it would have been nice to see how the day would have ended had I taken the right path. I think I will have fun training for this distance and I think it is a good fit physiologically.

Adrienne ran a great 12 mile race with 5,000' of climbing! She took it out conservative, and ended up passing a lot of people over the second half of the race. She has only been training for 4-6 week consistently, and has come a long way. I have not seen her result yet, but she had a great time and is really loving the new challenge. She is training for a 50k in December, but we may find one before that. It is great to be able to train and race these races "together". It is fun to be able to relate to the highs and lows together as well. We are enjoying it quite a bit. I think it is great for Adrienne because she was a very competitive sprinter, jumper, and soccer player. It is great for her to have something new to be competitive in, set goals for, and to have fun doing. I am excited to see how far she is going to come and I know she is going to enjoy the journey!

Until next time...

~Finch

50k-12,000' gain, Why Not?

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Finch) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 21:02:00 +0000

So, I am going to jump in the Golden Gate Dirty Thrity this weekend. It is a 50k race out here in CO that I came across last Thursday. I don't think I have ever run 31 miles before, but I think I can get through it alright. I will take it easy and see what happens. There is 12000' of climbing and 12000' of descending. I am not a big fan of downhills, but I will have to deal in this race. I assume I will just go out with whoever is willing to lead and see how I feel at 20. I know I can run 20 and fell alright, so that should be a good place to take stock. Then we will see what happens. Until then, I will be thinking about the race and figuring out what I am going to eat. I assume I need to eat, and I saw something that said I have to carry 40oz of water. That sounds heavy, but I will make it work. I'm going to have to wear one of those silly belts :( I am sure that thing will be of great importance during the race. I will probably eat gels, Cliff Bars, and gummy worms (if they sound good)! They sound good right now and I assume they will sound good 25 miles into the race :) I love climbing and I love Golden Gate Canyon State Park. It is very pretty!!! I'll let you know how it goes!

Racers or trainers? Hmmmmm...

Finch

Miles and Pools in my Basement

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Finch) — Tue, 26 May 2009 22:27:00 +0000

This weekend was alright. Had a nice 14 miler at Bear Creek on Saturday, took Sunday off from running and planted the garden with Adrienne, and then got in 20 on Monday. The 20 was a nice loop. Mt. Falcon parking lot, Morrison, up the highway to Lair O' the Bear, up to Parmalee Gulch Rd., climb up to Mt. Falcon, and then down the hill to finish up. Lots of up, and a long down at the end. I felt good and all that I felt this morning were my knees. I think they just need to get used to the pounding for that distance. I had a nice 5.5 miler at lunch today and will take it easy for the rest of the day.

On another note, our basement flooded last night! Damn! As far as I can tell, the water came up from under the foundation, and found whatever cracks it could between the foundation and the walls to come up into our house :( We are so close to finishing up our house and this is such a bummer! If insurance does not cover it, I will have to tear out the drywall in the room downstairs, and all the wood flooring that we installed. I am rather depressed about the whole situation! Well, that is part of owning an old house, I guess?!

Ugh!!!

Finch