High Line Canal 100K

Here is the second run I have scheduled for Calendar Year 2017:

High Line Canal 100K

Littleton, Colorado

March 18, 2017

Ultra Signup Website Link:  https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=42964

Have A Nice Run™

Darin Lewandowski

Monument, Colorado

Strideopolis: "Home Of The 35-Day 13.1 Mile Training Run Challenge"

www.strideopolis.blogspot.com

www.facebook.com/strideopolis

www.facebook.com/haveanicerun

www.strideopolis.com

9 Mile Training Run

Yesterday afternoon I put in a good 9 Mile Training Run on the Santa Fe Trail here in Monument, Colorado.

Have A Nice Run™

Darin Lewandowski

Monument, Colorado

Strideopolis: "Home Of The 35-Day 13.1 Mile Training Run Challenge"

www.strideopolis.blogspot.com

www.facebook.com/strideopolis

www.facebook.com/haveanicerun

www.strideopolis.com

15 Training Miles Ran

I put in a good 15 Mile Training Run on the Santa Fe Trail on Saturday morning freeing up about 1,785 Calories for treats and meals over the long holiday weekend!

Have A Nice Run™

Darin Lewandowski

Monument, Colorado

Strideopolis: "Home Of The 35-Day 13.1 Mile Training Run Challenge"

www.strideopolis.blogspot.com

www.facebook.com/strideopolis

www.facebook.com/haveanicerun

www.strideopolis.com

Fat-Free Chewy Chocolate Cookies

My goal this Holiday Season is to get past the first of the year without gaining a single once of weight...So far so good!  To help my weight cause I came across this Fat-Free Chewy Chocolate Cookie Recipe on the www.food.com website.  They are so simple to make even I made a batch that turned out pretty darn good (See Attached Photo).

Here are the ingredients to make 30 Cookies:

1 1⁄2 cups flour
1⁄2 cup sugar
1⁄2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 cup Karo syrup (light or dark)
3 egg whites (or 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp egg beaters)

They take minutes to make and here is the best part...Only 55 Calories and 0.3 Grams of Fat Per Cookie!  Here in Colorado if you leave these cookies uncovered they become rock hard and crunchy but if you cover them up they remain soft and chewy.  Either way they taste good for being low fat and low cal.

Have A Nice Run™

Darin Lewandowski

Monument, Colorado

Strideopolis: "Home Of The 35-Day 13.1 Mile Training Run Challenge"

www.strideopolis.blogspot.com

www.facebook.com/strideopolis

www.facebook.com/haveanicerun

www.strideopolis.com

10 Mile Training Run

Yahoo...This morning I put in a strong 10 Mile Training Run on the frozen, snow covered, slippery, and bumpy Santa Fe Trail.  It was slow going when I first hopped on the Santa Fe Trail here in Monument, Colorado but trail conditions increased dramatically as I got closer to Palmer Lake, Colorado.  When I finished my run the bright warm Colorado sun was already in the process of melting all of the snow off the Santa Fe Trail!

Wildlife Report:
This morning I was blessed to have the opportunity to see two fairly sized Bucks galloping along side of the Santa Fe Trail as I headed back to Monument.  It is just amazing how graceful wildlife can be. 

Have A Nice Run™

Darin Lewandowski

Monument, Colorado

Strideopolis: "Home Of The 35-Day 13.1 Mile Training Run Challenge"

www.strideopolis.blogspot.com

www.facebook.com/strideopolis

www.facebook.com/haveanicerun

www.strideopolis.com

7 Mile Training Run

Yesterday I put in a very snowy 7 Mile Training Run on the Santa Fe Trail.  The Santa Fe Trail for the most part was covered with a good 4-5 inches of snow/packed snow as I made my way from Monument, Colorado to Palmer Lake, Colorado.  With daily high temps forecasted to hover in the 40's all week long this little light dusting of snow we received over the weekend will not be around much longer on the Santa Fe Trail.

Have A Nice Run™

Darin Lewandowski

Monument, Colorado

Strideopolis: "Home Of The 35-Day 13.1 Mile Training Run Challenge"

www.strideopolis.blogspot.com

www.facebook.com/strideopolis

www.facebook.com/haveanicerun

www.strideopolis.com

Ollie The Springer Spaniel

Oh...There's nothing like a doggone good snowstorm!  We finally got a small taste of winter here in Monument, Colorado after receiving a few inches of snow from a storm that passed by on Friday night.  Ollie, my future trail running Springer Spaniel, enjoyed his Saturday afternoon frolicking around in the freshly fallen snow.

Have A Nice Run™

Darin Lewandowski

Monument, Colorado

Strideopolis: "Home Of The 35-Day 13.1 Mile Training Run Challenge"

www.strideopolis.blogspot.com

www.facebook.com/strideopolis

www.facebook.com/haveanicerun

www.strideopolis.com

Frozen Front Range Marathon

Here is the first run I have scheduled for Calendar Year 2017:

Frozen Front Range Marathon

Boulder, Colorado

January 7, 2017

Ultra Signup Website Link:  https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=36925

Have A Nice Run™

Darin Lewandowski

Monument, Colorado

Strideopolis: "Home Of The 35-Day 13.1 Mile Training Run Challenge"

www.strideopolis.blogspot.com

www.facebook.com/strideopolis

www.facebook.com/haveanicerun

www.strideopolis.com

10 Mile Training Run

Early this morning I put in another very strong 10 Mile Training Run on the Santa Fe Trail running from Monument, Colorado all the way to Palmer Lake, Colorado.  Yahoo...The outside temperature reading on my Jeep Wrangler registered a warm 60 Degrees when I hopped off the Santa Fe Trail after my run.  A 60 Degree reading on December 15th for Colorado is truly a gift!  I love warm weather to run in but I also do miss the snow.

Have A Nice Run™

Darin Lewandowski
Monument, Colorado

Strideopolis: "Home Of The 35-Day 13.1 Mile Training Run Challenge"

www.strideopolis.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/strideopolis
www.facebook.com/haveanicerun
www.strideopolis.com

9 Mile Training Run

Today I put in a strong 9 Mile Training Run on the Santa Fe Trail here in Monument, Colorado.  The trailhead temperature was a balmy 20 Degrees when I started my run to Palmer Lake, Colorado!

Have A Nice Run™

Darin Lewandowski
Monument, Colorado

www.strideopolis.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/strideopolis
www.facebook.com/haveanicerun
www.strideopolis.com

8 Mile Training Run

Yesterday I put in a good 8 Mile Training Run on the Santa Fe Trail here in Monument, Colorado!

Have A Nice Run™

Darin Lewandowski
Monument, Colorado

www.strideopolis.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/strideopolis
www.facebook.com/haveanicerun
www.strideopolis.com

Back On The Trail Again

Today I gave myself the green light to get back on the Santa Fe Trail again here in Monument, Colorado after taking 8 days off from running to give my body a little break.  On December 3, 2016 I successfully completed my 35-Day 13.1 Mile Training Run Challenge of running 35 consecutive Half-Marathon Distance training runs on the Santa Fe Trail.  After sucking in the Santa Fe Trail Dust for 35 days straight my sinuses finally cleared up over the weekend so I decided to stretch my legs this morning and go on a short 8 Mile Training Run.  It felt great to fire up my Santa Fe Trail running engine again and take a nice leisurely run from Monument, Colorado to Palmer lake, Colorado.  It was a beautiful morning for a run with trail temperatures hovering somewhere in the mid 40's with a nice sunny blue sky welcoming me back to the Santa Fe Trail.  The weather forecast looks very promising for the end of this week with mild 50 degree temperatures returning to the Monument Area which means that I will soon be able to bust out some longer distance training runs!

Have A Nice Trail Run™

Darin Lewandowski
Monument, Colorado

www.strideopolis.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/strideopolis
www.facebook.com/haveanicerun
www.strideopolis.com

13.1 Mile Training Run Recovery: Day 7

13.1 MILE TRAINING RUN CHALLENGE RECOVERY

It has now been 7 Days since I completed running my 35-Day 13.1 Mile Training Run Challenge on the Santa Fe Trail here in Monument, Colorado and I am doing fine.  After running a grand total of 468 Miles in 35 Days my leg muscles, knees, and feet are all doing great!  The good news is that I did not experience any running related injuries during my 35 personal running adventures on the Santa Fe Trail.  The only thing I am really recovery from now is a good head cold from running in the cold temperatures at night.  For 35 straight days I enjoyed crystal clear sinuses due to my running but now that I have stopped running my sinuses have been a little plugged up.  There is nothing worse then trying to go to bed at night when you can not breathe out of your nose and are forced to breathe out of your mouth.  Mouth breathing at night is a real hoot here in Colorado because the air is so DRY that when you wake up in the morning not only is your mouth totally dry, but your teeth are also bone dry as well!

I still plan to give my body a few more days to recover before I decide to hop back on the Santa Fe Trail sometime next week to take in a few small training runs.  Last week we experienced subzero overnight low temperatures with daytime wind chills as low as -19 Degrees but we are now in the midst of a tropical heat wave with afternoon temperatures rebounding back into the 50's this weekend.  As soon as my sinuses decide to cooperate it will be tally-ho for my Santa Fe Trail Running all over again!

So after running 35 Back-To-Back 13.1 Mile Training Runs my runner's high is finally starting to tamper off, but I still have one ferocious appetite telling me to eat everything in sight!  I am currently enjoying my mini eating spree while I am in my running recovery but will soon start to reduce my caloric intake once again in order to preserve the weight loss I worked so hard to achieve over the past several months.  One thing I know about my body weight is that I can gain weight in lightning speed but it takes months and a tremendous amount of effort to take it all off again!  So at this point in time I need to stay proactive and try to remain ahead of my Caloric Curve...It will definitely be a challenge!

Have A Nice Run™

Darin Lewandowski
Monument, Colorado

www.strideopolis.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/strideopolis
www.facebook.com/haveanicerun
www.strideopolis.com

Day 36...When To Say When

MY 13.1 MILE TRAINING RUN CHALLENGE 

IS COMPLETED!

The most important part of trail running is knowing "When To Say When" and on Day 36 it was time to say "When".  After 35 Days of consecutively running 13.1 Mile Training Runs, I decided it was time to hang up my Saucony running shoes and officially end my 30-Day 13.1 Mile Training Run Challenge.  It was quite the adventure and I will provide more details on all of the milestones that I accomplished over the course of my challenge in my next Blog posting.

But for now...Farewell 13.1 Mile Training Run Challenge but not Goodbye!

Here's The Skinny:
In the last 35 Days I have run a Grand Total of 468 Miles (13.38 Miles X 35 Days = 468.30 Miles) and have burned approximately 54,145 Calories!

Have A Nice Run™

Darin Lewandowski
Monument, Colorado

www.strideopolis.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/strideopolis
www.facebook.com/haveanicerun
www.strideopolis.com

Day 35...Running On Empty

MY TRAINING RUN RECORD NOW STANDS AT 35 DAYS

In the words of Jackson Browne, I was "Running On Empty" during yesterday's 35th consecutive 13.1 Mile Training Run of my 30 Day 13.1 Mile Training Run Challenge.  My challenge has now been extended by 5 additional days but with single digit and sub-zero overnight low temperatures moving into the Monument Area in the next few days, my daily runs from Monument, Colorado to Palmer Lake, Colorado may be coming to an end!


Wildlife Report:
No woodland creatures sighted on my late afternoon run!

Sasquatch Report:
No run-ins with Sasquatch...but I believe!

Celestial Report:
Sunny and cool but temperatures were above freezing which made for a pleasant day to run!

Bio Report:
Here is how my Bio Report currently reads (1= Good, 10 = Bad)
Feet Rank = 1
Knees Rank = 1
Legs Rank = 1
Fatigue Rank = 9

My running Fatigue Rank is starting to skyrocket!

Here's The Skinny:
In the last 35 Days I have now run a Grand Total of 468 Miles (13.38 Miles X 35 Days = 468.30 Miles) and have burned approximately 54,145 Calories!

With temperatures expected to reach into the 40's with plenty of sunshine today it is very tempting to go on another 13.1 Mile Training Run, but the chances of going on another run is now "Slim to none and Slim is on vacation".

Happy Running Trails To You™

Darin Lewandowski
Monument, Colorado

www.strideopolis.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/strideopolis
www.facebook.com/haveanicerun
www.strideopolis.com

Day 34...I Almost Tapped Out

MY TRAINING RUN RECORD NOW STANDS AT 34 DAYS

Day 34...Last night I was one step away from "Tapping Out" of my 30 Day 13.1 Mile Training Run Challenge which now has been extended by 4 additional days!  When I stepped on the Santa Fe Trail it was 23 Degrees per my Jeep Wrangler dashboard and the Santa Fe Trail was covered in about 1/2 inch of freshly fallen snow.

The air felt quite crisp as I made my way from Monument, Colorado to Palmer Lake, Colorado in the darkness of the night.  In order to protect myself from the stinging wind chills, I had to alter my 30 Day 13.1 Mile Training Run Challenge course a bit by staying within the friendly confines of the Pine Trees that run along the Santa Fe Trail.  I still put in the same mileage as the original training run course but the Pine Trees made my run a little more hospitable during my 13.1 Mile scamper.  With some bitter cold air moving into the Monument Area over the next few days per The Weather Channel, I am not sure how much longer I will be able to extend my challenge.  Only Mother Nature knows.


Wildlife Report:
No woodland creatures sighted on my moonlight run...They where all covered in snow!

Sasquatch Report:
No run-ins with Sasquatch...Ditto...He was covered in snow too!

Celestial Report:
Brr...Brr...Brr!  Cold and Snowy!

Bio Report:
Here is how my Bio Report currently reads (1= Good, 10 = Bad)
Feet Rank = 1
Knees Rank = 3
Legs Rank = 1
Fatigue Rank = 6

My Fatigue factor is starting to SPIKE!!!

Here's The Skinny:
In the last 34 Days I have now run a Grand Total of 454 Miles (13.38 Miles X 34 Days = 454.92 Miles) and have burned approximately 52,598 Calories!

Going forward...Each additional 13.1 Mile Training Run is going to be considered a lucky Bonus Day extension of my 30-Day 13.1 Mile Training Run Challenge.

Have A Nice Trail Run™

Darin Lewandowski
Monument, Colorado

www.strideopolis.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/strideopolis
www.facebook.com/haveanicerun
www.strideopolis.com

Day 33...Do It Again

MY TRAINING RUN RECORD NOW STANDS AT 33 DAYS

Day 33..."Do It Again"!  Yes, I got up this morning and took the advice from the rock band "The Kinks" and did it again by running my 33rd consecutive 13.1 Mile Training Run on the Santa Fe Trail this morning.  According to my Jeep Wrangler dashboard it was a brisk 22 Degrees when I pulled up to the Santa Fe Trail trailhead this morning, but without any wind it was a nice day for a run starting in Monument, Colorado running all the way to Palmer Lake, Colorado.

As of today, I have now burned approximately 51,051 Calories during the course of my entire 30-Day 13.1 Mile Training Run Challenge.  To keep my challenge going past the 30 Day mark, I have now added a new Super Food to my daily diet...

...yes Homemade Pie!  Last week I made and baked the first Apple Pie in my entire culinary life!  It actually turned out to be very tasty and I soon followed up my first Apple Pie with my first Strawberry Pie and Blueberry Pie.  As you can tell from the picture above, I am now MORE concerned about MAINTAINING my current weight then losing any more weight during the duration of my 30+ Day 13.1 Mile Training Run Challenge.  The next pie on the docket to bake...My very first Cherry Pie.  I need more CALORIES!


Wildlife Report:
No woodland creatures sighted on my morning run!

Sasquatch Report:
No run-ins with Sasquatch...but I Believe!

Celestial Report:
It was a Brisk sunny morning but yet another nice day for a training run.

Bio Report:
Here is how my Bio Report currently reads (1= Good, 10 = Bad)
Feet Rank = 1
Knees Rank = 3 (Up From 1)
Legs Rank = 1
Fatigue Rank = 3

I bruised my knee playing with my puppies last night so I will pay more attention to this condition on tomorrow's run!

Here's The Skinny:
In the last 33 Days I have now run a Grand Total of 441 Miles (13.38 Miles X 33 Days = 441.54 Miles) and have burned approximately 51,051 Calories!

It's up, up, and away for tomorrow's moonlight trail run on the Santa Fe Trail.  Per The Weather Channel, I am going to be running in some very chilly temperatures tomorrow night with lows touching the teens during my 34th 13.1 Mile Training Run.

Have A Nice Run™

Darin Lewandowski
Monument, Colorado

www.strideopolis.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/strideopolis
www.facebook.com/haveanicerun
www.strideopolis.com

Day 32...In A Daydream

MY TRAINING RUN RECORD NOW STANDS AT 32 DAYS

Day 32 of my "30-Day 13.1 Mile Training Run Challenge" was an absolutely superb day to go on a 13.1 Mile Training Run on the Santa Fe Trail.  According to my Jeep Wrangler dashboard, it was a nice cool 29 Degrees this morning when I got on the Santa Fe Trail with a beautiful sunny blue sky keeping me warm as I made my way from Monument, Colorado to Palmer Lake, Colorado.

As I made my way down the picturesque Santa Fe Trail, the song that played in my mind today was a song from one of my favorite bands "In A Daydream" by the Freddy Jones Band.  It was such a calm, sunny, and cheery morning I could not help myself from daydreaming as I ran my 32nd consecutive 13.1 Mile Training Run.  I grew up with the Freddy Jones Band while I was living in Indianapolis shortly after graduating from college.  The Freddy Jones Band used to play at a local club in downtown Indianapolis a few times a month and I had the opportunity to see them many times along with having front row seats on numerous occasions.  The song "In A Daydream" is by far the most popular song that the Freddy Jones Band sang.  A great band, give them a listen!

Wildlife Report:
No woodland creatures sighted on my morning run!

Sasquatch Report:
No run-ins with Sasquatch...but I Believe!

Celestial Report:
Sunny, Cool, and Calm...Could not ask for better weather for November 30th!

Bio Report:
Here is how my Bio Report currently reads (1= Good, 10 = Bad)
Feet Rank = 1
Knees Rank = 1
Legs Rank = 1
Back Rank = 1

It was a little slow going at first but after about a 1/4 of a mile into my run I started firing on all 8 pistons!

Here's The Skinny:
In the last 32 Days I have now run a Grand Total of 428 Miles (13.38 Miles X 32 Days = 428.16 Miles) and have burned approximately 49,504 Calories!

I am ready for tomorrow's run of 13.1 Miles!!!

Happy Running Trails To You™

Darin Lewandowski
Monument, Colorado

www.strideopolis.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/strideopolis
www.facebook.com/haveanicerun
www.strideopolis.com

Day 31...The Law Of Inertia

MY TRAINING RUN RECORD NOW STANDS AT 31 DAYS

The Law of Inertia states that "an object in motion tends to stay in motion".  Thus after staying in motion by running 30 consecutive 13.1 Mile Training Runs in 30 days, today I tended to stay in motion by going on my 31st consecutive 13.1 Mile Training Run on the Santa Fe Trail.  It was yet another 35 Degree chilly day on the Santa Fe Trail running from Monument, Colorado to Palmer Lake, Colorado early this morning.  My "30-Day 13.1 Mile Training Run Challenge" of seeing how many 13.1 Mile Training Runs I can run consecutively gets extended by another day!  The weather here in the Monument Area is still quite mild for the end of November so I am going to see how many more 13.1 Mile Training Runs I can get in before that first big snowfall brushes me off the trail!

Wildlife Report:
No woodland creatures sighted on my morning run!

Sasquatch Report:
No run-ins with Sasquatch...but I know he is out there somewhere!

Celestial Report:
Chilly and Breezy!

Bio Report:
Here is how my Bio Report currently reads (1= Good, 10 = Bad)
Feet Rank = 1
Knees Rank = 1
Legs Rank = 1
Back Rank = 1

After going on 31 runs of 13.1 Miles, I am still running strong!

Here's The Skinny:
In the last 31 Days I have now run a Grand Total of 414 Miles (13.38 Miles X 31 Days = 414.78 Miles) and have burned approximately 47,957 Calories!

All systems are go for another 13.1 Mile Training Run tomorrow morning!

Have A Nice Run™

Darin Lewandowski
Monument, Colorado

www.strideopolis.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/strideopolis
www.facebook.com/haveanicerun
www.strideopolis.com

Day 30...400 Miles Ran...Mission Accomplished!

MY TRAINING RUN RECORD NOW STANDS AT 30 DAYS

Wow...I did it!  Today I went on my 30th consecutive 13.1 Mile Training Run and hit the 400 Mile Milestone right on the nose...well maybe one mile over the milestone mark!  It was a sunny, chilly, and very windy final training run when I hopped on the Santa Fe Trail running from Monument, Colorado to Palmer Lake, Colorado this morning.  "My Personal Training Run Challenge of seeing how many 13.1 Mile Training Runs I can run consecutively" vision quest continued as I added one more training run of 13.1 Miles to my streak, officially hitting my Goal of 30 training runs in a row.  I really can not believe that I got this far into my 30-Day 13.1 Mile Training Run Challenge because after completing my first week of training runs, I really felt like my body was already spent especially when my feet and knees started to ache at night.  The "Good News" is that I stuck with my 30-Day 13.1 Mile Training Run Challenge and ran right through the pain until it cleared up all on it's own.

Looking back at the last 30 Days/30 Runs, I have really put myself in a very good position for when I run the 24-Hours At Palmer Lake Fun Run and the Salt Flats 100 Mile Endurance Run in April 2017.  I already dropped 15 pounds through diet and exercise prior to running my 30-Day 13.1 Mile Training Run Challenge, and these additional 400 Miles I have run during my challenge have truly sculpted my body in ways I did not think were possible at my age.  I am now thinner and more cut than I was in my mid/late 20's!  The "Bad News" now is that I will have to go out and buy all new clothing because everything I wear today is super baggy on me.


Wildlife Report:
No woodland creatures sighted on my morning run!

Sasquatch Report:
No run-ins with Sasquatch...but "The Man, The Myth, The Legend" is out there somewhere!

Celestial Report:
Sunny, Chilly, and Windy!  In other words...A great day to go on a Training Run!

Bio Report:
Here is how my Bio Report currently reads (1= Good, 10 = Bad)
Feet Rank = 1
Knees Rank = 1
Legs Rank = 1
Back Rank = 1

I am really flabbergasted that my Legs, Knees, and Feet all feel better now then they did during the first week of my 30-Day 13.1 Mile Training Run Challenge.

Here's The Skinny:
In the last 30 Days I have now run a Grand Total of 401 Miles (13.38 Miles X 30 Days = 401.40 Miles) and have burned approximately 46,410 Calories!

All I can say now after 30 Days of consecutively running 13.1 Mile Training Runs on the Santa Fe Trail running from Monument, Colorado to Palmer Lake, Colorado is Mission Accomplished...or Is It???

Have A Nice Trail Run™

Darin Lewandowski
Monument, Colorado

www.strideopolis.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/strideopolis
www.facebook.com/haveanicerun
www.strideopolis.com