Adventures in Runderland

Frosty's

2012-01-21T20:26:00.000-08:00

That sucked. But good times were had by all. Wanker beat me by a full minute in the 5 mile, but I crushed him by 6 minutes in the 10 miler. That should put an end to who's a better beer runner.

Between race PBR...

2012 Non Running Challenges

2012-01-18T09:46:00.000-08:00

Now you can follow along my non running challenges on the blog as well. On the right you'll see the 2012 book challenge, which sort of came about as a new year's resolution. Also, a bit further down, you can see each of my 100 beers from the 2012 100 beers in 100 places challenge.

As of right now I'm on pace for a solid 100 beers (2 per week), and I'm way ahead on the book goal. Kids books really shouldn't count, but I don't care.

Also, been thinking about getting Xavier some rock shoes in March when REI dividends come out. I'll need an activity to help develop some more upper body strength and Xavier loves to climb so bouldering will be a cheap and fun way to get him out in the hills and then perhaps if he gets it in his blood next winter we can climb indoors a bit at Thrillseekers.

CSFA50K

2012-01-16T19:54:00.001-08:00

Good times down at JT's place for the Fat Ass. Unofficially 5:54 (6:04 + 2 beers @ -5 minutes per beer). Only about 2 hours faster than JT which gives me a good cushion for this weekend. Looking forward to bringing my sons to a questionable post race beer environment. The FA was a great way to take it easy and cruise around some trails that I have this thing called dirt (weird concept I know, I was confused too).

More Good Parenting

2012-01-13T08:38:00.001-08:00

2011 Recap

2011-12-22T08:46:00.000-08:00

Ahh, the time of year that beckons reflection. Hot coffee, good beer, and slow runs abound. My family had our first Christmas with 4.

Sometimes folks look back at a year and say, "I could have done better here, here, and here." I know I'm guilty of it. Not this year though, I essentially did everything I wanted to and had a lot of fun in the process. I'll shoot to fulfill the same process this year with similar goals.

I'm embracing the snow for all it's worth, trying to be smarter about my training and scheduling of races. My main goal races are widely spaced, and I'm gonna train specifically for each. Bighorn is gonna be tough, really tough. Compared to Leadville, the race is a MAN sized 100. An area of mountainous terrain on the cusp of the Wyoming/Montana border, this isn't flashy. You'd more likely see Jesus' second coming than a Prius in Dayton, WY. I'll likely be going most of the night solo, no crew or pacer until mile 80. I'm rather excited about this actually, self sufficiency in a 100 is a tough thing to get right.

I've recently given some thought to racing the Devil Mountain 50 in October for the incredible run of Silverton > Steamboat > Pagosa all in a row. I think that would be a bit better than running Deadman Peaks both financially and logistically with what I've got planned for the run up to Hellgate.

In any case, let us look back on the year that was 2011. Some highlights:

Fourth of July Weekend:

My family was in California and I was able to sneak in a LOAD of training in a short amount of time. Two of the greatest people in the world agreed (each in their own way :)) to let me drag them along on a "fun" training weekend which included record setting vertical on all three fronts. Nevertheless we did manage that incredible fun that i'd promised. The fact that we literally almost drove my car off the mountain and died is an afterthought in that weekend which speaks to how great it really was.

Bighorn weekend:
Wyoming. Mountains. Family. First win. Enough said.

How quickly life goes from this:

To this:

Xavier's first day of Preschool:

So, hopefully, there'll be more runs like these to share our "year in review":

3K

2011-12-21T09:51:00.001-08:00

Hit 3k yesterday while spending some time up in wolf country. I was thankful for snow and an "easy" run. Easy in this case is 13/+2500' up to 9200'. Had a great time hanging with Lucho and chatting along the run. Amazing country West Golden is, such incredible access to unused mountain trails. Gonna have to get out and explore that area this spring and summer.

Legs actually feel good now, perhaps the hills and altitude pushed out the sludge that seemed to be stuck in there. Need to continue pushing to get some semblance of sharpness back, but there's time for that too. The real racing begins in April, so I don't want to get ahead of myself just yet.

Missed some vert in tracking, but no matter.

Parenting

2011-12-15T12:29:00.000-08:00

They say parenting is hard. But here is proof that even JT can be a parent.

Graphs

2011-12-15T07:39:00.000-08:00

Best new entry!
These are my favorites from the RunColo.com graph contest.

Fruita is booked

2011-12-14T05:57:00.001-08:00

Both the wife and I are booked for races April 21 and 22. If you want to hang out with us this weekend, I suggest booking a slot in one of the Trail Festival's many races...

Tentative 2012

2011-12-13T10:42:00.000-08:00

Salida Marathon
Fruita 50
Bighorn 100
Silverton Alpine 50K
Steamboat 50
Deadman Peaks 50
Hellgate 100K

Running Christmas

2011-12-12T14:59:00.001-08:00

I love Running Christmas. You see, this is (generally speaking) the months of December and January. It's cold, there's snow everywhere, you're out of shape or tired. In short, life is good. More than likely you've had a bit of a love affair with beer and food over the last month and you're both reflecting on a season of running and looking forward to what the new year will bring.

Some of the great things about Running Christmas are the following:

1. Planning races for the next year

Isn't it fun? I have a particular affection for this one. Part of my goal through ultrarunning is to experience new things and places. I'm really getting excited about Fruita, which is an area that I've only really driven through. Right now, I'd give it about 90% certainty that I'll be running the 50 miler there in April. Other than that, I've got a lot of decisions to make, particularly, which races will make my goal list. This year I picked out two races in particular that I wanted to make some noise at, and they couldn't have been more different. Bighorn 50K, a race that just about held everything that I'm good at in large doses and only a bit of the things I consider weaknesses. That one went as planned and I won (no excuses there, not exactly a strong field). Then Leadville, I had some ridiculous fantasies early, and as the race grew closer, I got a bit smarter and down to earth in my approach and it went pretty well (lots of room to improve, but for a first 100, I will consider it a win). The other races were a combination of things, but mostly a means to an end (Pb training). My approach will be similar but different this coming year, and I'll likely choose races that suit me and are close by. More M's and less K's.

2. Enjoying the ride

There's nothing like being months from any real goals or need for fitness to let one embrace the trails and trail running for their aesthetic greatness. A great case in point: my past two weekends of running. A 10 mile/2 and a half hour slog followed by a 22 mile 5 and a half hour slog. Absolutely loved every second of them both for the same reason. It's all about the company you keep. The natural beauty of the mountains in winter with all the snow is something to get excited about, not something to bitch about. What's not fun about trudgin' through 2 feet of snow with your buddies? There's way more time to chat, catch up on what others are doing in life away from running, kids and the like. It's like a really long cocktail party, and in that analogy, you don't even have to remove the alcohol! If I "ran" 22 miles in 5 and a half hours in June it would be likely that A) I'd be pissed off and B) I got injured. In December? It just means I stopped to smell the roses, had a delightful time, and made sure nothing passed me by.

3. Goal revision and goal setting.

I like goals, especially in sport. One of my goals this past year was to win a race, and cherry picked or not, I did. I tell you what, it was pretty fun, and I hope to do it some more if the cards fall right. The flip side to that? My run at Silver Rush, I tried to do too much and probably cost myself a good chunk of time. But, humility is a good thing, and getting your ass handed to you is a quick way to learn it. This year I'll be setting more goals, and I'll post them up sometime when I've got a better handle on them (that way you can bring them up to me later and laugh). However, I hope to improve again in 2012. I'm still a newbie to running, and I'm continually learning new things, but I've been helped immensely by my more versed friends. That is something that will never cease to impress me, I am grateful of the large group of talented and cool people that surround me.

So, enjoy Running Christmas y'all.

Stolen photos from Sunday's run.

2011-12-06T09:47:00.000-08:00

Stolen from Woody. I gotta say, I haven't been this excited about running in the snow in a while. Sunday's run was like letting a kid run riot in a candy store. The best thing about winter running though is that it makes running in the city WAAAAAY more fun. Last night my run was quiet, exciting (snow/ice), and free of the rash of people that usually inhabit my park. Perhaps the fact that it was 4*F kept them inside. I was sweating like a whore in church when I got home, dress for the weather and get outside!

Todd leading the way

Breaking some trail

Yeah, I should have worn tall socks

The gang (minus a few) just before the real fun began.

Blast from the past

2011-11-24T21:19:00.000-08:00

Me at the top (Dad left). Top of a huge climb in Andorra. Sure wish I could go back and do it again.

Thoughts and threads

2011-11-21T10:02:00.000-08:00

First, thanks to Woody for a great group run this past Saturday. I had a nice 15 and then promptly enjoyed a crash and burn, legs feel pretty good though despite it all. 'Tis the time to shape up.

Trying not to get my hopes up for Hardrock, but I think I'm ready should my name be called. If I'm later on the wait list I'll simply pull out and try again next year. I don't want to wait and see with this race, it will require far too specific training and alter the rest of my spring/early summer to chance it. If I don't get in, it likely means a trip to South Dakota or Wyoming for some fun in redneck land.

Word on the street is that the folks from Steamboat's finest run are considering putting on a 100 mile race. I'm all for more races in Colorado, makes it easier to stay home. A 100 in Steamboat would be epic, and the weather patterns would mean you'd have to be ready for anything. This year's race was freezing/sleet/nastiness and last year's was the opposite, hot as hell. Throw in the Altitude and seemingly boundless singletrack and I can't think of a much better area for a run. It'd be Leadville 2.0.

On the subject of Leadville, my (awesome) finisher's jacket has the saying "America's Highest 100 miler." Is that something that they've taken from the bike? I mean, Hardrock is much higher and certainly the folks at Leadville know of it. Perhaps its just marketing, but I was confused. In any case, I'll be interested to see who lines up for Leadville this coming year, and if the string of good weather days continues. I think we're due for a "snow year".

Lots of folks on the interwebs chatting about the States lottery (almost 1800). I get a bit confused with folks who get pissed that the race is making money. Look, I get it. It's far too expensive for me, but it seems that this is a simple case of supply and demand. If it was truly too expensive, people would stop paying for it. Hype is usually what people say is a turnoff, but I bet all of those people follow along online when the race starts. I'd have to guess that 90% of ultra races could be considered low key or small time, so I don't see what the big deal is with having 5 "big time" races or whatever the number is. It's such a small representation of the sport.

Speaking of races, getting stoked about the 50 in the Fort. Would be great prep for Hardrock, shit, let's talk about something else. 12/10 will should make for a nice walk in the hills up there in the Fort. I think getting back in shape should always involve some sort of intentionally induced suffering. Makes you appreciate fitness.

Mentioned to a few folks that the wife and I are considering taking some time in Virginia for our 5 year anniversary. Anyone with knowledge of a good B&B or cozy cabin in the area, please drop me a note. Proximity to Fincastle, VA or Big Hellgate Creek would be appreciated :)

Donnie is off to my favorite race, good luck to him. Gotta have legs and an empty mind by Bobblets Gap because it's 10 miles and not 5 to Day Creek.

Getting off of my soapbox now...

Good news

2011-11-17T08:49:00.000-08:00

It looks like JT (who registered as "Geoffrey Mutai") got a DNF at the Canya Canyon 6K.

The Rut Buster

2011-11-01T08:47:00.000-07:00

Going down to run the Canya Canyon 6K on Sunday. Mr. Bigtime is apparently in good shape these days and I am not. Hopefully it's icy and snowy so I can keep my 100% record, otherwise I'll have to eat some crow I'm sure.

Anyways, my daily running has picked up again, that's back to daily running and not a whole lot more. That sickness really took a lot out of me, and last weekend Gunner and I went to Falcon and I had to cut the run way short due to lingering fatigue. This week has been better, getting a bit of turnover in on the snow, though I'm clearly not on top form. That said, I'm still in pretty good shape. The starting point for 2012 is far better than the starting point for 2011 so I'm confident that I'll continue to progress.

The BS Report with Carolla was great. Bill Simmons argues that Rocky started the running craze. Also, they make fun of shorter distance running and endurance athletes in general. Though many of their shots would include me, I laughed my face off. Starts 15:45 into the pod if you don't want to listen to the whole thing. Love how they talk about running 11 miles a day is "crazy".

As for 2012, I'm still in research mode. Looking for stuff to sign up for in case Hardrock doesn't happen (List hasn't been updated since last month, but it was already at 274). Big Horn/Black Hills are the big frontrunners. Both courses offer something different, I'd have support for either, and I'll likely be at one or the other even if Hardrock happens as support for Gunner's first 100. I have a hankering to get out and run in Pine before December, I'll post the invite here if I can get a chunk of time clear.

Sick/Fall

2011-10-24T14:25:00.001-07:00

Took my first real big health hit of the fall this past weekend. I'd been bitching to my wife about my back/joints Thursday and Friday, then come the weekend I just felt like general crap. Got the clear to run Sunday morning, but really needed to sleep and rest which is what I did. I still don't feel right, but better than yesterday so that's a step. Hoping I get healthy enough over the week to get a basic run in the Boulder Mountains this Saturday.

Some random thoughts.

Most of the Fall/Winter race calendar sucks around here, minus the FA events of course. The winter distance races in the Denver area are less than appealing and quite expensive in my view for what you get back. Really looking forward to kicking JT's ass at the hill climb in a few weeks, though aparently he's top dog now. Won't do him any good getting an elite entry to CM50K though cuz it's just a marathon.

Also, really looking forward to the Twin Mountain Trudge in Laramie this coming year. I love me some snow running, can't wait for it really. I don't like the in between times with all the ice, but when it's just fluffy awesome snow, it's pretty damn good.

Carved pumpkins with Xavier on Saturday, and the damn squirrels already got to them. So our Jack-O-Lanterns look more akin to toothless West Virginians...

Beer Mile

2011-10-11T14:41:00.000-07:00

Harvard Gulch Track. Sunday 10/16 @ 5:30. Rules.

Catching up

2011-10-08T20:46:00.000-07:00

1-3 in the alumni game. Actually felt comfortable at the plate, drilled a single, stole second and third, scored. Made a couple errors at second (subbed in since none of our alumni players played second). I think if I still weighed 185-190 I'd still have the pop, timing was just a bit off (4 years not touching a bat will do that I guess).

In laws have been in town this week so I haven't gotten back into the groove of daily training, but I'm feeling more comfortable when I am out there. Snuck out to Mt. Falcon on Wednesday, felt a bit uncoordinated and slow, but settled in after a half hour or so.

"Raced" the Band on the run 2 miler out in Aurora today with my father in law. 12:30 in the snow on a slightly hilly course. Pretty fun actually, we couldn't find the start for the longest time (in a gated community that you couldn't drive into), but got there with 10 minutes to spare. I decided to bag a warm up and any real effort (wise decision). I didn't slack too badly, but with our first cold day and no warm up I could still feel the hammys twinging around mile 1. I was the default winner in the 19-29 AG, I was also the only one in the AG. For a race with an $18 registration they gave out some nice swag. I ended up with a $25 gift card to the Runner's Roost, but almost all of the other AG winners came away with a nice Saucony RR jacket. Then I ate 3 Cinnamon rolls, watched football, and drank Titan/Hop Trip IPA.

Back to work this coming week and I intend to get back on the horse. This applies to training and eating/drinking. I've enjoyed my beer and disregard for most forms of healthy eating, but I'm ready to start the long transition back to fitness. I might use some small 5K's or XC races to help with the speed work as I tend to get up and after it more with others there to push me. I'll also try to join Joe and Luke for some turnover work.

The 2012 race schedule has been up in the air a bit, but I'm gonna keep it under control until I find out about Hardrock. That would change everything, especially in regards to training.

Lastly, my Rockhopper is fully under construction, the entire front end is disassembled. Was happy to see the traditional 1 1/8" steerer rather than the 1". I may have socialized my way into a set of Mavic wheels this Friday. Pays to attend homebrewer parties.

A jock filled weekend

2011-09-30T08:32:00.000-07:00

Alumni weekend is upon us, or maybe just me. Time to relive our former glory.

However, more importantly, it's time for trash talk and reuniting with some good friends who I once shared many long bus rides to such wonderful locales as Las Vegas... the one in New Mexico...

Game time is 10am with BP prior, gotta try and put a few off the scoreboard like the good old days. Now that I'm 30 pounds lighter, it'll be a good time to prove my old theory that you don't have to be huge to hit homers. I'm gonna predict a 1-4 performance with a homer and 3 K's.

First things first though, time to enjoy a few beers with the boys tonight.

This is GREAT. To get an idea of just how bad we really were that first year, check this out.

I try to mention just how poor we were when people bring it up, or I mention that I played ball in college, but it's just easier to see it in writing: 6-45. If you look hard enough you can find me cast in a less negative light (beer to whoever actually reads through it enough to find them), but it's not easy to find...

Phase one complete

2011-09-28T08:50:00.001-07:00

Picked up a swap part saddle from the LBS parts bin (nice Bontrager evoke) for $20. Now my butt will be happy. I threw the new saddle on the CX bike to give it a go and this morning I thew my WTB Silverado saddle on the Rockhopper (so much better). The next phases are as follows:

Pedals- SPD/Less than $30

as is the bike is in commuter shape so pedals would allow me to use my Sidi's (which were purchased for $7.95 at DAV thrift store in Lakewood).

Wheels- Here's a tough one, I'll need a 29'er front wheel and a 26'er rear both NON DISC. Surprisingly hard to find old school MTB wheels nowadays. Likely will use my dividend from REI in march to pick up mismatched pair as they are the only place that seems to carry what I need (single wheels) in my price range.

Fork- Rigid, 29'er and Canti compatable

Tires- again, one 29'er and one 26'er, preferably 1.95's and fast (Small block's perhaps)

Now onto the stuff I have no idea about:

Headset- likely also need access to a press?

Stem- at least 100mm, likely need 110 or 120 due to having the smaller frame.

Spacers- including a front brake cable hanger like this one.

Handlebars- high rise, like this. Again, to accommodate my smaller frame.

The last step would be to turn it into a Single Speed, but that's simply to fulfill the desire to have a LOW maintenance bike. The gears currently on are great 18sp and in good condition.

Free meat saw/Project bike/Joke of the day

2011-09-26T16:17:00.001-07:00

My co-worker gave me his old 1993 Specialized Rockhopper Sport (in pristine condition) and now I have a winter commuter and a project bike. I'm gonna have some fun and maybe even get it ready for a Leadman 2013 go. Probably the most important fixes initially would be the saddle (it's original and it hurts) and the pedals. otherwise it's fully ready to ride. Even the original "smoke" tires have great tread.

My friend Jesse reinvented his early/mid 90's Specialized into this beast:

That's the inspiration. Jesse's bike is a SS 69'er with mullet brakes (disc front/canti rear).

Joke of the day:

A boy's parents are getting a divorce. The judge asks him, "do you want to live with your mom?"

"No," the boy says, "she beats me."

"Oh," the judge replies, "well, would you like to live with your father?"

"No," the boy says again, "he beats me too."

"Hmm," the judge considers, "who should you live with?"

The boy replies, "can I just live with the Denver Broncos? Because they're not gonna beat anybody."

Life

2011-09-21T09:50:00.000-07:00

Quick update about the status of the Garcia household.

All is good on our little patch of grass. As it turns out, Oliver broke his humorous on delivery (left side, basically the bone between your shoulder and elbow). We saw a pediatric orthopedic doctor yesterday and he assured us that it looks good and will heal extremely fast (3 weeks). We've got his arm immobilized by using an ace bandage to keep his hand on his chest (similar to the position a sling puts your arm). Otherwise you'd never know he's got a broken arm. When it's still (99% of the time) he's just a normal baby, no crying unless he's crapped himself or needs food. He fusses when we have to change his shirt but that's to be expected.

Sleep wise we're doing well (knock on wood). He's been cruising off to sleep for 3 hours at a time so we're relatively rested. I'm extremely thankful for that, and I've even got a few runs in. I might try to see if Xavier wants to go check out the Bear Chase Race on Sunday. Speaking of Xavier, I'm taking him on Thursday to go do something fun. Had thought of hiking, so I might check the weather to see if that's a good idea still. If not that, I might take him down to Manitou for the penny arcade and pizza.

Thanks for all the well wishes in the last post, always great to hear from y'all. Nick, Rachel loves the idea of hanging out with Dana and the Clark contingent of germ spreaders during the Chubster so we'll see you there. In other news, I will likely head up to Boulder sometime around Halloween, and take part in a small chunk of legally questionable hi-jinks. Won't be ready for the full deal, probably a heavy half.

Oliver Edward Garcia

2011-09-16T08:32:00.000-07:00

My second baby boy was born at 3:40AM today!

Crazy stuff as we had just enough time to get to the hospital. Literally, no more than 40 minutes from Rachel waking me up, we had another kid. So stoked right now!

Beer Sponsor?

2011-09-14T13:20:00.000-07:00

Companies can do a lot with grassroots marketing and here is my new idea:

A local beer maker promotes their beer by making me an ambassador. I promise to bring some of the beer to all of my races and share with friends and strangers. Ultrarunners are a great avenue to market at due to the level of beer consumption. I think it's a primary ingredient in all successful racing plans. I'm sure that we can conjure up some scientific studies proving the recovery benefits and social "coolness" factor. I'll even wear a hat.

You get a cheap marketing avenue, and I get a case or two of free beer every month.

Front range brewers, make it happen.

Hildebrand Ranch 6 miler

2011-09-14T12:40:00.000-07:00

Come on out and join me for the Hildebrand Ranch 6 miler this Satruday at 8:00 am. Early test to see where the legs are. Come laugh at how slow I am! $10 for a no frills, no BS race.

Or join me for a beer at Three Lions at 6:30am Sunday for the Liverpool v. Tottenham match.

Weekend

2011-09-12T13:44:00.000-07:00

Got a nice early run in with Mark Mobley around the Matthews/Winters area on Sunday morning. Total was something like 8.6 in 1:21 so even while it was an easy pace we didn't slack too much on the climbs. Mark is notably stronger on the climbs and gapped me on the climb back up on the Hogback. Wonderful morning out, loving the crisp 45*F air.

Legs are coming around but still dead and tired. The easy mileage is nice though, and I'm back to daily lunch runs (phone in hand, just in case the baby decides it can't wait). Definitely taking my time getting around the hood at lunch, but it doesn't really matter right now. Hopefully in a few weeks I'll feel rested enough to test out the legs with some speed work.

Three Lions Pub

2011-09-12T13:25:00.000-07:00

Perhaps the best place to watch football of the English persuasion in Denver. Three Lions Pub. They even have a booth with taps in the middle, and about 150 TV's.

Rock Canyon 1/2

2011-09-08T12:50:00.000-07:00

Thinking about heading out to Pueblo on 12/3 to run the Rock Canyon 1/2. Should be a good warm up for the chubster. I have to run 1:24:57 to make sure I beat JT's PR.

The Offseason/Allegiances

2011-09-08T08:42:00.000-07:00

Somewhere during the year of 2004 I began following football, well, Clark's brand of football. Having come from a typical American background I'd had no interest in the sport prior and indulged in America's major sports (baseball and football). When I moved to Colorado my roommate (Gunner) played soccer for the school and I began to gradually learn the game and its nuances. By my sophomore year I was skipping out on midweek classes to watch the team I'd grown close to play Champions League matches on ESPN.

I got in over my head as the season continued, I was more and more enticed by Liverpool's captain, Steven Gerrard. He played incredible football, and scored phenomenal goals, a la this one:

The team in 2005 was scrappy, and relied on a revolving cast of role players and creativity. League success was minimal, but we made the Champions League final where I became a Red for life:

In 2006, I found myself sitting in fado irish pub and throwing crap across the bar at the West Ham supporters after this game:

Then, in 2007 I made pilgrimage to Liverpool to watch the final league match of the season. It was incredible old grounds with everything you hope for. Dingy stairwells, cheep beer, and phenomenal seats.

Now, I get to take my son to bars at 8am on Saturdays to watch my boys play. With the running season in regression. My sports viewing will begin to begin to take its place with equal vigor.

Hardrock 2012

2011-09-06T13:46:00.000-07:00

My application is in the mail.

Anyone want to grab beers on lottery day?

Weekend

2011-09-06T07:38:00.000-07:00

Saturday evening GZ put up the bat signal so I heeded the call to Chautauqua at 6:30 Sunday morning.

Johnny T. joined us and we casually strolled out of the lot at a leisurely pace. Given that I hadn't taken a step since Leadville, I was encouraged with the feel but not surprised that they were still heavy. We headed up the backside of Green, I was thankful to avoid the frontside, and we started huffing and puffing our way up on a beautiful morning (45*F at the lot).

Somewhere around halfway or so my legs just couldn't keep the running motion and I went full on power hike. I was able to stay in contact for a while, but lost contact before the 4way where GZ kindly waited to ensure I didn't go for an unnecessary jaunt down Bear Canyon. Up the ridiculous steps to the summit and I let out a sarcastic, "suck it Tony, that's 2" as it was a second ascent of the year in 3 tries. As if on cue, Tony came hopping up the trail about a minute later and we all chatted on the summit for a while. Johnny T had to bail for work, but GZ, Tony, and I probably spent 10 minutes soaking in the views and catching up.

GZ and I then took the middle route down which was excellent trail, seemingly much flatter than what we had run up and talked family, youth sports and the like on the way back to the car. In all, a perfect morning out. It was nice to finally spend a bit of time on the trail with the mileage master himself and see the messiah on the summit. This time of year is the best, races done, and the only thing to dictate where, when, how far, and how hard you run is simply desire. I want to run up that. There are no easy days, hard days, or "workouts", just running. It's nice like that.

Mission Full Rest Complete and more on 2012

2011-09-02T08:36:00.000-07:00

This coming Sunday I'm going for a run, and I'm stoked. Since Leadville I've done zero running; I'm starting to go through withdrawal. I like taking two full weeks of rest to sit around and let my body heal from a hard effort, but getting that full two weeks tends to be difficult to achieve. The first week is easy, when everything is still out of whack and sore, but the it's the second week, when you feel fine that is the tough one.

While I've enjoyed my beer, I'm looking forward to enjoying the fall weather, even in small doses. Rachel is motoring right along towards having this kid and we're ready at any moment to have it. The sense of imminence means I'll be doing shorter runs, closer to the car and my phone. Sunday, I'm planning on hitting Mt. Morrison. This is the steepest climb on the Denver front range and one that is not frequented by runners or hikers. During the rest period I've decidedly come to recognize the importance of addressing the biggest weaknesses in my running: flat speed and climbing.

This past year's training log focused on base mileage and volume. I would do it again, because with my limited experience, I don't have a real base to draw on, but I feel that the past two years have given me enough to start to focus more on things that I believe will increase my performance. Conveniently, Lucho posted something that essentially confirms my thinking. However, I don't have the base (or talent), so I don't think I can get away with 50 mpw but from my experience I tuck nicely into 90-95 mpw in the meat of my schedule. It's an area that allows for volume AND intensity. That's my focus for the year; never sacrifice one for the other.

In regards to addressing my weaknesses, vertical is something I've lacked in my training at least on a regular basis. My desired race schedule next year will include plenty of vertical, and so Mt. Morrison will likely become a regular fixture in my training alongside Mt. Falcon and Lookout Mountain. Variety is key. Lookout being the best spot for workouts, Falcon being the most logical steep running trail, and Morrison being the place for masochistic workouts. It's our Sanitas/Incline/whatever. I'll also try to get some flat fast work in, while I've constantly avoided the track for a few years, it may be time to find a group to help me. I'm lost there, no experience whatsoever, so a group is likely my best option. That and joining up with folks doing marathon training. We'll see, but it seems like a good option. My group of running buddies has increased dramatically in the last year, so I can hopefully sneak into other workouts without too much hassle.

In short, my ideal race schedule for 2012:
Salida, Fruita 50, Ice Age 50, Hardrock, Wasatch, and Hellgate. Basically a two half season with a focus on speed early and mountains later.

Obviously that depends on my ability to gain entry into the latter four and there are plenty of great races that could replace them if I don't get in so finding races isn't the hard part, the hard part is addressing the issues in my training and tackling them.

Speaking of tackling, it is the start of football season, both here and aboard and my son is taking his cue. He just began preschool (see pic below) and we had a potluck dinner/meet and greet last night at his school. There were a few older kids (6yo) playing with a soccer ball that he wanted to partake in. The older boys began a game of keep away that was frustrating to my kiddo. After about 5 plays, Xavier decided to fix the problem by spearing the oldest kid and taking him to the ground. I know I'm not supposed to condone such behavior, but it made me proud. Find the problem, fix the problem. Now we'll have a double dose of that thinking soon.

Bring it.

Leadville

2011-08-22T09:09:00.000-07:00

Incredible. Painful. Fun.

That pretty much sums up my first 100 mile run. The challenge certainly falls into the category of things you need to do to truly understand.

Driving to the start line with Gunner and Keith was weird, I was predictably tired because it was so early but I didn't really have any nervousness, just calm. We had some good times as always making jokes (many that will not be repeated here) and staying loose. Not long after I was poking fun and taking jabs at my fellow running friends there at the start line.

Bang!

Stay calm, stay relaxed, don't do anything stupid. I stopped to pee on the side of the boulevard which helped calm me down and ran with Brendan through to the mini powerline cut where I hiked and ate the remains of a clif bar. I was taking the advice of Lucho and running without a watch, running easy, and eating like mad. I was a bit worried with all the people ahead of me, but trusted that it was ridiculous to worry about placing in the first 13 miles of a 100 mile race. I ran with my Nathan race pack so I cruised right through May Queen and heard someone mention that we'd hit near 1:52 for the spit. A bit too fast in regards to my plan but it felt incredibly slow.

I tucked in behind Mark Mobley through the CT section and focused on just taking it easy. The trek up the backside of Sugarloaf was a section that I knew was critical. Almost anyone can run this, but it's too early to hunt for time, so I forced myself to hike 90% of the climb. At the top of Powerline on the initial downhill, Tim Long caught me and made a joking pass at top speed. We chatted a bit, and continued to move towards Fish with Tim taking the lead down into the aid. This essentially happened over and over throughout the race.

Fish Hatchery brought my crew access and I was pumped to see them, but focused too. I swapped my long sleeves, pack, and headlamp for a bottle and my vest and was gone without missing a stride. It was seamless and continued this way all day, probably saved a minimum of 30 minutes over the course of the race.

Onto the road section I was feeling confident and calm, running easy as ever with 1/4 of the race done but the meat ahead of me.

I passed a few folks and made my way through Treeline, swapping a bottle on the fly and continuing through. The trail from here up through the new Mt. Elbert aid station is fairly monotonous, and I wasn't working to keep a decent pace. Down the single-track to Twin Lakes, I was confident and happy to have 40 miles out of the way.

Again, my crew was flawless, swapping my bottle for a pack mid stride and I was off to tackle the beast of Hope Pass. Across the river I was feeling good, and began grinding my way up over the 12,600' frontside. I knew I'd get passed so I tried to take it in stride when it happened. Arriving at Hopeless aid I got my super hike on and finally made it over. I love downhills, but I hate running down the backside of Hope. I simply made sure to stay on my feet and make way for the leaders. Sandes came through first looking amazing, then Dylan hot on his heels. It was pretty awesome seeing just how close the top 8 or 9 guys were.

On the way into Winfield I yelled a few profane remarks at Brooks and tried to take him out, but he was on to me. I had to settle for a run up to the aid station. I had aid workers fill my pack as I weighed in (only down a pound) and then I was back off to cheers from some friendly faces.

I felt great all the way until I had to hit Hope again, and it sucked. I slowly made my way up to the top all the while feeling worse and worse, getting passed at steady intervals and overall not enjoying my decision to do this run. Somewhere near treeline, Brian and Todd caught me and pushed me to the top. Their familiar faces were just what I needed to push a bit harder and get over that damn pass. I grabbed a cup of coke and headed out down to Twin Lakes. As we got back to more normal elevation I rebounded a bit and ran well into the aid station to change my shoes and head out with Jaime.

This was the only time I would stop at an aid station all day, and the only time I sat down. I spent all of a minute changing my shoes as everything was set and ready to rock. Jaime had all my stuff so I just focused on hiking out of the wall at Twin Lakes. The climb is steady, but I was feeling good and we made decent work out and when the trail flattened I was running strong. I felt great all the way until Half Pipe aid station where I spoke some famous last words. I asked Jaime for the time, and concluded, "I think we've got a shot," in reference to going sub 20 hours. Immediately my legs began to seize and I became a hobbling mess. I put on a brave face for my family at Treeline, gave my son a hug and kept moving through.

Once I hit the pavement I was quickly becoming a train wreck. I have never been in such pain in my entire life. I wish I was more coherent and fun, but I was just reeling. Jaime got me into the telephone pole game, walk one, run two, repeat. It was killer, but it kept me moving and then he made it 3 poles. By the time we got to Fish I was still horrifically catatonic, but I was moving. Jaime's job was done, he kept me moving in the deep dark place where you learn just how idiotic and tough you can be.

Gunner picked up the pacing duties at Fish, some 77 miles into the race and we made our way out to the base of the infamous Powerline climb. To put it mildly, I was just ecstatic to have him with me. Gunner is my best friend in the world, and is moving in a month to Chicago, so this was a sort of capstone to our current era. We did some life recounting while grinding up the climb and the I slowly began to rally, running sections of the uphills.

Once we crested the summit (it had just become dark enough to use a headlamp), we almost immediately began to reel back the time I had lost and we made excellent time down to the CT where I knew I needed to be careful and not end my race with a broken leg. To my surprise, we did really well here, Gunner was able to find a solid running cadence which allowed me to stay on his heels and follow his line. By the end of the CT we had caught and passed a runner and through May Queen we did not stop, passing at least one more.

From May Queen to Tabor boat ramp we continued the same agonizingly painful cadence, Jon staying just far enough ahead so that I could follow, fast enough that I needed to run. I always hate running this section because Tabor seems to take forever no matter how fast you run, this was no exception. Again through the boat ramp we did not stop, Jon having gone ahead to refill my bottles. Keith told us that there was a runner just up ahead that had been in rough shape and was walking so we kept pace, determined to catch him before the mini powerline. Just before matchless we found Brooks and heard about his unfortunate GI revolt and subsequent body malfunction. All in all, he seemed in good spirits considering and wished us well as we continued on.

After getting through matchless we pretty well nailed the remainder of the Turquoise Lake trail until the damn mini powerline descent. My legs revolted again, but all I could do was laugh as we began to recount all of the ridiculous situations we'd gotten ourselves into. I hobbled down CR-4, after getting passed, to the dirt road to the base of the Boulevard and tried to run again. After a few tries we got the wheels turning and I started running hard about 2.5 miles from the finish. I passed the guy who got me a few miles earlier and got a gap just as we hit pavement. I knew it would be close to sneak in under 21 hours and we picked up Keith to run the final mile. Conveniently, there was a plot to keep me moving by lying to me about what time it was, so I kept running as hard as I could.

A few hundred yards before the finish, I was greeted by Todd and JT, and then I saw the red carpet. I ran through the line to my waiting wife and son... Amazing. I felt awesome, mostly, and I tried to soak in what had just happened. After a quick weigh in (down just 3 pounds), I called my parents who'd been up waiting for me to finish. Incredible.

I can't say thank you enough for my crew. Keith had everything ready and done, I never had to stop for a single thing (added benefit for him, he didn't have to hear me bitch and complain!).

Jaime got me through the darkest of dark patches, 7 miles of hellish pain, thanks dude, you're amazing!

Gunner, well, this was something wasn't it? Some day we'll be all old and fat, fishing somewhere and you'll make a joke about this day and I'll spew some Deisel out of my nose.

To my wife and son. Thank you for putting up with me. Thank you for supporting me, and thank you for being there at the finish line! I love you!

Now, on to the next adventure, kid number two!

Again, thanks to Drymax and theAidStation.com for your support. I was as comfortable as 100 miles can be!

Endurance Planet Interview

2011-08-16T17:34:00.000-07:00

I did an interview for Endurance Planet on the build up to Leadville, my first 100 miler. Turned out pretty good. Link is here.

Season of Change

2011-08-15T14:56:00.000-07:00

A season of change is certainly taking place, both literally as fall becomes imminent and figuratively as the racing season comes to a culmination, I look to welcome my second child into the world, and I look to expand my personal boundaries.

The wife and I had a nice chat yesterday about a whole manner of things, but mostly about change.

I've been in Colorado for 8 years now, and while I could be here 8 more, it is time to realign my life a bit better. I've never been the type of person to settle for anything and at times I find myself doing that. So, I've made a decision now is the time to better align my personal and professional adventures. It's about damn time.

With that, Leadville is five days away, my second son is due in 5 weeks, and life is good! Heading up to the high country Thursday morning. The fact that I'm running 100 miles this weekend hasn't quite sunken in yet. That will come.

Pace

2011-08-09T10:34:00.000-07:00

Just emailed out my pace goals to my crew, mostly so they can get a feel for where I'm hoping to be. I will assume that I'll be 20 or so minutes back of the leaders by May Queen and over an hour back by Winfield (at least). I'm not here to run 7 minute miles down the boulevard. As Jacob suggested, I'll be hoping to have some room in my stomach for some "carnage asada" during the last 30 miles.

Leadville Training (1/2 Year) In Review

2011-08-01T07:43:00.000-07:00

I started this journey back in February of this year. Train for the Leadville 100 as best you can. The question was, what the hell do I do to get ready?

My basic plan was to run whenever I had the chance. I also raced more than I have in the past, mainly consisting of 50K's that I could train right through without really tapering or risking injury. I was worried that if I raced too long too much, I would end up hurt. Since I've only had a few years of actual running to call a base, building as much of one as I could was my main focus. Weekly totals for the last 26 weeks are as follows:

54
70
60
91
94
88 Way Too Cool 50K 4:08:46
86
87
82
81
84
90 Cheyenne Mountain 50K 4:48:08
67
76
95
87
67 Forest Park 50K 4:18:16
101
103
101 Big Horn 50K 4:05:20
101
95
93 Silver Rush 50M 7:44:41
92
79

Races:

So the only race I really tried to cut back on and race really well was Forest Park, which while a decent time, was a bit of a disappointment at the time. I was lucky to finish 4th, and it was a solid time given my recent history (or lack thereof) in the 50K distance. The only performance that I was really upset with was Cheyenne Mountain, which for whatever reason I just made a bunch of mistakes and ran poorly.

I feel like I've become a much better runner, a smarter runner, in the last year or so. Certainly much of that is from trial and error; learning from previous mistakes that I've made. Way Too Cool was a certain wake up call, though I felt like I ran about as fast as I could have given the time of year and my training, I was supremely humbled to be nearly 30 minutes behind the winner and 24th overall while running a 1.5hr 50K PR. A true showing of where I might be in the grand sense of things. However, I've gotten faster and stronger as the year has gone on. I sort of feel like I've moved just a tad over the edge of being a "rookie" and into the minor leagues. While I've not moved into the big leagues, I have the confidence that on a good day I can be at least respectably close to some of the big league boys out there.

Winning at BigHorn was a pleasant boost, though I recognize that I may have not run against any big time competition. A win is a win, and for a beginner like me, I'm pretty damn proud of it. Running from the front is really taxing, both mentally and physically, and I'm glad to have gotten a taste of winning.

As I look at what is almost certainly my last race of the year, and the biggest one, I'm content with my season as a whole and the work that I've put in. I understand at least a bit why AJW values consistency so highly, because doing the work is tough, and continuing it surely is even tougher.

For now, I'm tending to the hay sitting in the barn, trying to remain calm in front of the largest racing task I've ever undertaken. My main goal: Try to finish before Midnight. I understand things can go wrong. I know I have to take them in stride and work through it. I believe I can do it, and I have confidence in my training and abilities. Game on.

The 2012 Race Season?

2011-07-27T09:33:00.000-07:00

Oddly enough, my wife brought up the subject of the 2012 race season last night. So, naturally, I started thinking about it. A bit premature I admit, but looking at races is always fun.

Some ideas I've had include:

The only race I really would like to travel FAR for...

Cascade Crest 100. My absolute must have race (not necessarily this coming year, but it's the race I'd most like to do)

Colorado races I've yet to run...

Run Through Time Trail Marathon, North Fork 50K, CP50, San Juan... Hardrock...?

Is Clarkie still gonna put on a 100K? Please? Perhaps an RD experience that doesn't involve the hospital?

Close by races (driving distance)...

Zion 100? Ghost Town? A return to BigHorn? Black Hills?

East coasters...

Grindstone? Hellgate? If I go back for Hellgate, I want to make sure the weather is completely horrible so Horty and Ramsey will quit whining about how nice it was last year!

Canada...

Not likely, but I'd love to race Knee Knacker...

"Vacation" trips...

We travel to see family in Northern California and South Central Texas on occasion... No reason to avoid a mix and match :)

Thoughts and suggestions welcome.

***POSTSCRIPT***

Likely options now opened up most (or all) of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Illinois. Likely this means a trip out for the Ice Age 50

Silver Rush Splits

2011-07-20T09:47:00.001-07:00

The numbers more so speak for themselves, my climbing legs were non-existent. The drops were very reserved, which I credit to how my body feels today. I intend to run downhill in a similar manner at LT100 in order to preserve my body for miles 70-100. Looking at the results, the run is fairly similar to how I intend to run at LT100 as a whole. Never put myself into a hole I can't dig out of. Hopefully, I can match that for double, and hang on for the final miles. A lot easier said than done.

mi split
1 8:16
2 7:42
3 8:00
4 8:51
5 8:38
6 8:45
7 9:39
8 9:50
9 11:28
10 13:11
11 8:15
12 7:24
13 7:09
14 7:50
15 7:39
16 10:30
17 13:41
18 13:26
19 10:50
20 13:32
21 8:19
22 8:18
23 8:41
24 9:22
25 13:52
26 12:24
27 17:11
28 14:47
29 8:38
30 8:09
31 10:28
32 11:33
33 12:14
34 12:52
35 13:55
36 14:24
37 8:56
38 7:32
39 7:46
40 7:41
41 7:55
42 8:50
43 7:54
44 8:08
45 8:36
46 8:57
46.37 2:43

Total: 7:44:40 (4th & 1.5hr PR)

Silver Rush 50

2011-07-18T08:09:00.000-07:00

Not really sure where to take this report, but I've got mixed feelings about my run there. Overall, a wonderful day in the mountains, a great training run for Leadville, and nice to catch up with some other good people.

My buddy Jacob and I headed up to Twin Lakes Saturday evening to camp with Lucho and Co. Upon arrival I was excited to hear about his race that morning, though we quickly found out that he had spent the better part of the day in the ER after crashing out hard multiple times on the bike (shattering his helmet) with a concussion and incredible amounts of road rash. We got the skinny, well, as much as he could remember and got to see up close the golf ball emerging from the side of his forehead. A huge bummer to be sure, not solely due to the fact that he was crushing it in 2nd place and feeling crazy good up until the crash. Also a bummer that he'd be out of the run as well, dude was looking lean and mean. We got some great food from Mrs. Lucho and shot the breeze while the little luchoites clearly had zero fun playing around the campsite and eating roasted marshmallows...

On to the race. After a fitful night of sleep we awoke in just enough time to get up head down to the start, get checked in, and take care of some business before lining up. Hopped in next to Brandon and Luke and we were off. I settled into a slow climb, not wanting to overwork the initial grunt and then eased my way off the front of the group on the downhill to the trail. Right as the uptick in the trail shifted I had the ominous feeling that it wasn't going to be a good day. Legs had zero pep and I was slowly losing turnover. I crashed out shortly after getting passed for the first time and that sort of woke me from my slumber. Grinding out the first climb, I had fallen back into 5th or so, was passed by a few people, Luke included on the downhill where I just wasn't feeling good and didn't want to put myself into an early hole. So I was into 7th and cruised back into the mile 13 aid to refill water and be on my way.

Luke, Eli, and I worked our way down to Oro City and trading places and leapfrogged on the climb up to the side of ball mountain. I was hiking way to much for my liking but managed to pass both up to the aid station. We worked around the side of ball, and it seemed like quite a few folks caught up to me at the saddle, including Joe, and I put a bit of separation on them heading down to the turnaround. I passed Jesse (new to CO) to gain 4th into the turnaround in about 3:40 (plenty slower than I had hoped for initially).

Climbing back out of the turn is my least favorite part of the course, and with my pathetic climbing skills on display, I was passed twice on my way back to the saddle of Ball Mtn. From here I simply decided that I was going to put forth a solid steady effort and focus on moving forward efficiently. Made good time on drop off Ball Mtn and passed a guy at Oro City. I made a decent time on the way up to the mile 33 aid and began reeling in 4th place on the push up to the top of the last big climb. Once back on the drop I just focused on maintaining turnover. I knew I was gaining, but didn't want to push too hard and reel him in right away. I eventually caught him just before the 7 to go aid. I got some coke and salt water before heading back out to finish. I should mention that it was plenty toasty and I was getting fried on the exposed last section, so when I hit the little powerline stretch and then crossed the mineral belt trail, I was very happy to be close. I ended up bringing back the gap on Joe a little but finished in 4th in 7:44:40. Full Results here.

So, overall it was a good finish and a good training run. I feel great today, better than I did after Bighorn which I attribute to not really racing to my penitential. I have mixed feelings about the race (my race), but I think I've settled on it being a positive experience training wise. I think if I'd been able to run to my fullest abilities, I'd be hobbled today and it would have been detrimental to the 100 in 5 weeks. I certainly felt like I could head back out for more, so that's a good sign. I'm getting nice and antsy for the big one, but I have plenty of time to prepare and look at what would be a solid time for me. I got some great advice and notes from Lucho over the fire and I plan on attempting to run a similar race (smooth and controlled first half). He was something like 26th at Winfield and 6th at the finish. That seems like the way to go.

Thanks to Drymax and TheAidStation.com for the great gear, I was comfy all day!

The wolf in waiting at Silver Rush...

2011-07-11T13:40:00.001-07:00

In my mind there is one man to beat, and he goes by one name: Lucho.

Something that I have learned expressly from my parents and grandparents is that respect is essential. You must learn from those who come before you as well as those in your present. Lucho is both. When I was graduating high school, he was crushing IM events. He is crushing the mountains now.

While I've only met him once in person, I came away more than just a little impressed. There is only one way to describe his climbing: beastly. In that regard I returned to the place I learned my lesson from the man himself yesterday to work a Silver Rush specific workout. 2x Lookout Mountain. Up the road, down the trail. Workout was hard up, easy down, easy up, hard down.

I'm not much to speak of climbing, in fact the only above average skill I think I have is technical descending. I love it. My times on the drop were indicative of that, I ran over a minute faster on the 2 miles of rocky trail then the 1 mile of smooth pavement during the drop. This skill may be the only way I can stay close.

I'll be camping out with Lucho & Co. the night prior to SR so maybe some good vibes will flow my way! The real question now is... will he bust out a sweet visor and skin suit like this one?

Weekend Wrap

2011-07-05T08:53:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a good bachelor week and it has come to an end. I miss my family, and am glad to have them back tonight. My weekend was essentially living here:

Camp at 11,300' somewhere on the east side of Mt. Princeton.

The quick and dirty is this:

Friday after work Gunner and I drove to Manitou to hang with Ives and get ready for Pikes on Saturday. Getting ready meant beer and food at Trinity. Mmmm.

Pikes went well, we took it easy and made the others wait for us at the summit. You see, my friend Keith was dumb enough to blindly accept anything we had planned for the weekend. Don't bother telling us that he'd previously never run further than 10 miles and those miles being flat. Pikes marathon route? Sounds good to me. He did great, a bit of heat on the descent made a bit of a drag last 4 but we made it through. I even got to add a bit of bonus km's and vert in search of water.

Refuel with Pizza/beer/creeking. Drive to Princeton, set up camp, food.

Day 1 in the books.

We woke up Sunday morning, ran down to the base of the hill to meet Jaime and then proceeded up Mt. Princeton. The legs were ok, but sluggish and the technical last 2 miles or so were a grinder and somewhat hard to find the trail but we made it. It was crazy warm on the summit and the views were priceless. Tagged Tiger on the way back down, again struggling to find any resemblance of a "trail" but made it back to the dirt road and down to camp without issue. Great day on the hill, and nice to spend some time with my pacer from Twin to Fish.

Refuel with turkey and cheese sammies/beer.

Ventured down to town and forgot to get what we actually needed. We were having too much fun.

Day 2 in the books.

Wake up for what Gunner and Ives had deemed "beach day" and packed up camp to drive to Leadville. On the way down the hill we (and by we I mean I) may or may not have nearly driven off the side of the mountain, but team gunderson and the sergeant successfully "maneuvered" the 4runner back to safety via superhuman strength. Anyway, it was a blip on the radar and we grabbed our coffee and headed to Fish. Boys dropped me at Fish where I ran up over powerline (7 false summits if you're counting) around and down to CR4 then back to Tabor. Felt sluggish on the first two steep pitches of powerline, but as the grade eased I got stronger and ran everything from the top of the second pitch. Took it mellow down the dirt road, then got to feeling great coming around the CT and picked it up, from Mayqueen to Tabor I was hauling ass, bogged down a bit to CR4 then picked it up again back to the boys who were enjoying a nice start to "beach day". After a soak, we headed back home.

Refuel in BV with a cheese steak/sweet potato tots.

Home.

Lots of good times out there with old friends. Probably too many inside jokes and things that need not be repeated to others. What a memorable and great trip. Remember 4X4 roads mean 4X4, but you can leave your hiking boots at home you pansy...

June figures and the end of chasing

2011-07-01T07:46:00.000-07:00

444 Miles. 64 1/2 hours. 1 Race. Two days off (both 7hr travel days to/from Bighorn) By far the largest month (by about 100 mi) I've ever had. Simple purpose of the month was to hit volume and do some really tough runs. I certainly achieved that. The B2B Mt. Falcon days were tough, but it made me a bit harder mentally which will be key come August. With the wife and son gone until Tuesday, I've been up in the mountains every day after work including yesterday evening on the CT above 10,000 feet where I felt pretty good, took it easy, but the last 500' climb back to the ridge I got stronger as I went higher. Overall, I feel the volume in my legs and I'll be now shifting into a different period of training.

As I said, I wanted to combine some things that have worked for others (high mileage and specificity). I remember Lucho warning against cramming in 100+ mile weeks so close to a 100. Being that these last 4 weeks were my first consecutive big weeks, I don't want to push volume for volume's sake. This week may touch 100, but it will probably be the last until 8/20. I'll keep the volume at an appropriate level (probably 80-95ish) and do some more focused training while allowing my legs to recover and build strength again. This week and weekend I'm focusing on vertical and altitude. All of my runs will take place on big mountains and primarily above 10,000 feet.

So, my big volume weeks are behind me. I'm hoping to do some more specific work at altitude, faster work on flats, and dial in a bit. Hopefully I can trim down slightly (3-4lbs) and stay healthy. The big test is in a few weeks where Silver Rush is waiting. While the course is a fair amount different than the 100, being able to run well there should give me a much better idea about what to realistically go after at LT100. I threw out a reach goal while on a run Wednesday with Brendan and Steve, and while I actually believe I can do it (confidence is high, maybe too high, but it's as important as fitness I think), I'm not going to run myself into debt in the first half if it's not there.

From PDX with Love

2011-06-28T09:06:00.001-07:00

It's been a little while since my trip to Portland, but I haven't stopped thinking about what a great time I had there.

Directly after flying in, Bobby picked me up and we headed out to a place that he was super excited to check out. The place was called McMenamins and it was AWESOME. It seems like an old retreat hotel and compound that was transformed into a brewery! And they have golf! We played 20 holes of the par 3 course with some phenomenal beer... Nothing like the beer girl selling bombers of kick ass IPA instead of Bud light.

From here we went back to the casa de Dettmer to meet up with Natalie and prepare for our night out. After much catching up we headed out to eat at a place called Pok Pok for some Thai food and found we had some time as they were on a long wait. No problem, and we took a stroll through an awesome Portland neighborhood and sat down for drinks and appetizers at the Whiskey Lounge. While out on our stroll I may have made a few comments about how many Asians there were in Portland (I had imbibed in a bit too much to drink so my volume control and filter had left me...). It was similar to how I felt moving to Denver, just with the white people (my hometown of Salinas, CA is filled with Mexicans like me so I had just assumed other places were like mine). I believe the population of Asians is generally higher in the PNW than other places in the US, which makes for some great cultural delights such as...

Pok Pok. It could have been that we had waited for a while, but I was really impressed with the food. It was AMAZING. Natalie had been stoked to try it, and usually when something is talked up, it disappoints. Not this one. I can't remember a better Thai meal, ever.

We had great conversations all day, it was just a delight to see my great friends again after far too long. We talked and hung out until it was LATE, and then headed off to catch a few hours of sleep before the race.

Race day.

After the race, we headed back to the house to clean up as I was a muddy mess, and then slipped off to downtown Portland for food and beers at Deschutes Brewpub. More great conversation and crazy good food. I had two meals and then had to order some extra sweet potato fries! But, before long it was time to head home. While I was excited to see my wife and son, I wished I had even more time to hang out with my great friends. To Bobby and Natalie, thank you so much for picking me up, touring me around, and being such excellent and exciting people. Hopefully we'll see you soon!

This past weekend...

2011-06-27T20:17:00.000-07:00

Good eats in Pb...

Heading to Fish...

Xavier just a little excited about cutthroat trout...

Ready to run...

Checking up on WS100 and chuckin' rocks...

Happy kiddo...

Block 1

2011-06-27T09:01:00.000-07:00

I have to say, that training for a 100 mile race is perhaps the most mentally perplexing thing I've taken a stab at in terms of my athletic career. Nobody seems to have a set idea, and more so than any other distance, the routes taken vary wildly. Success cannot be guaranteed, and it seems that fitness only gets you through half of the race. I have attempted to mash together some techniques from others, and gone with the idea of basically running as much as I can when I can with a concerted effort to try and reduce the amount of time I spend away from my family. I've done a decent job with that, and here are the last four weeks:

5/30-6/5 - 101mi LR of 26/17 Sat/Sun
Spent the focus of vertical and time on feet, both long days on Mt. Falcon.

6/6-6/12 - 103mi LR of 26 Sat
Tried to keep the volume without going crazy to stay "fresh" for Bighorn. LR was Stone Horse Trail/Bear Creek Lake/Matthews/Winters lollipop.

6/13-6/19 - 100mi LR of 33 Sat
Bighorn race. Was able to run hard downhill, really hard. Struggled with the moderate climbs, luckily there were few. Incredibly sore after the 6500' of downhill.

6/20-6/26 - 101mi LR of 17/14 Sat/Sun
Concerted effort to back off and try and recover while maintaining volume. Took it "easy" this weekend with slow runs. Altitude Sat starting at 6th and Harrison down the boulevard around the road to MQ with Xavier in the stroller (damn tough uphill at 10K), then finished off solo around to Matchless.

Last week was a tough one coming off of the race, perhaps even tougher than racing on heavy legs because I ran myself into the red a good bit more than I had planned at Bighorn. I got it done however, and my plan for those last four weeks was accomplished. I ran a ton, raced without a break, and recovered. I certainly feel the fatigue, but I think it is getting better. I have a big week in store vertically and at altitude as I'll be a bachelor for a week while Rachel and Xavier go on vacation to California. No use sitting around the house by myself, so I'll try to maximize the training as best I can. I'm hatching a plan in my head, but it's pretty broad and I'm leaving lots of grey area. I'm trying to focus on being able to handle the rough patches, the times when I know I'll want to drop. Good stuff in the Roes video, and I think he's right on. Anyone can run hard when they feel good, I need to focus on managing the damage. I won't rehash my ideas for time, but I will run as I feel fit. I will take what the day gives me, but I will also try to put myself in a position to run to my potential. I can only control so much, but I hope to do those things well and adapt.

On to block 2.

Bighorn 50K

2011-06-20T07:42:00.000-07:00

Like all good race weekends this one started with me realizing I forgot a multitude of things like my watch, sunscreen, and the bag I'd drop my pre-race gear in. That's not a big deal, but I like using my watch to fuel on regular intervals. In any case, I decided on a race strategy that might get me the win: take it out extremely hard, try to bring the other contenders with me and put everyone in the hurt box so that it became a suffer fest. I knew that the last 11 miles were 6 down and 5 flat so I liked my chances if I could get there and still be in the mix. Secretly I hoped to build a huge lead and be able to coast in. On to the race...

Race morning, I drove myself to the park in Dayton, did some work in the port-o-jon and hopped on the last bus. For some reason nobody wanted to sit next to me (maybe because I was wearing jeans and a jacket?) so I enjoyed my space and chatted with folks across the isle (good Laramie folk Perry-Silent Trails RD, and Brian). Arriving at the start I stripped down to my shorts and t-shirt banking on the day warming up which was a good decision overall, but I was freezing waiting there. I apparently did not understand that the course had changed yet again as they were able to gain access to Dry Fork, and after a quick run down of where we were headed I was good to go. Line up, bang, and we're off.

The new alternate course was 7 out, 7 back, 19 in. Wyoming math shows that to be 50K, or 33 miles, your choice. I took it out hard down the hill, really hard, too hard. Typically, I have difficulty making sure I can keep my heart rate up on the downs, but not this time, I was full tilt boogie and without a watch I can only guess that it was low 5's. After the initial drop, we hit crazy mud and stream crossings on rolling climbs to the turnaround (a man in a chair on the side of the trail with a flag). On the way back, I learned that my lead was not really that big, maybe a minute and I was not working well on the climbs. Flats and downs were fine, but the climbing was dreadful and I could feel the mileage accrued in my legs early. Not a great sign, but I dug in and kept plugging along.

Lots of folks on the way back were really kind and encouraging with words and I hope I didn't seem too off putting, but I was working hard and it was tough to make any additional efforts. Couple of GU's on the way back, and on the grinder climb back to Dry Fork Alex from Park City came right up behind me to about 10 feet and I thought for the first time, maybe I won't pull this one down after all. Quickly, I tried to push that out of my head. We hit Dry Fork essentially together, and while he grabbed supplies, I powered through. We had another good bit of climbing on an easy dirt road and I rallied and built up my lead again. Near the top, we're on some sort of off trail rocky meadow climb and I can see him a few hundred meters back and put in another surge on the flattish descent. This seemed to work a bit better.

At this point we're on a mix of 4x4 "road" and off trail marsh, most of which was either mud, or under a few inches of water. It was wild, but I was having a great time playing in the mountains. This is what I signed up for. I kept heading down the ridge to an aid station with 12 to go and just after that I nearly killed my race with a wrong turn, but I quickly realized my error, crossed the river and started what I call "that climb". It's short, but steep. No real trail for the first half and it was muddy and slick. Like trying to go up Oil Can road in Forest Park. I had to dig deep here and I chanced a glance back about 3/4 of the way up the climb. Just 100 meters back was a runner gaining on me (found out later it was Don Demetriades). Crap. On the top of the climb, I knew that I was winning, and that this was where I needed to be. I wanted to have a big lead and just take it in, but I had no choice.

At this point, I'd love to say that I remember the wonderful scenery, but instead I found a downhill pace I'll call "hospital pace." If you fall, you go to the hospital. Again, without a watch, I have no real idea how fast it was, but I put 14 minutes on Don in these 6 miles. I have to think it was sub-6. In all reality, I was out of control running down here, laser focused to the extremely rocky and steep trail. I didn't dare look back or anywhere else, all I could do was keep pushing the pace. Sections of trail were loose rocks, others weaving through trees and mud, but mostly it just steep. I blasted through the aid near the bottom, grabbed water with 5 to go and hit the dirt country road that leads to the finish. A volunteer yelled something like, "you better break blah blah 45," which I thought meant 4:45. I kept thinking, there's no way I'm not faster than that, but maybe she said 3:45, which wasn't going to happen in a million years. In any case, I just had to stay motivated and run these last flat miles hard. I can't say for sure what the splits were here, but I chanced some glances back and didn't see anyone which let me ease off the pace. I got doused by the water tanker spraying the road which was awesome, and then there was this angel girl with not quite frozen otter pops. I wanted to stop and hug her, it was the best thing ever, cold liquid sugar...

Rounding the last turn and into the park, I took a longing glace at the Crazy Woman Saloon, but resisted and made my way to the finish. I eased up as my family ran over to the finish, and tried to get Xavier to run with me but he was dizzy and a bit sick from an over extended time on the merry-go-round. Had I known my time, I may have ran hard through the finish without stopping, but I had no thoughts of a CR and I didn't even know what time it was. I settled for a kiss and a hug and walked across the finish line.

I was initially told that my time was 4:08:20 and that I had set a CR, in fact 3 or 4 volunteers congratulated me on the CR. A bit later I found out that we started 3 minutes past 8:00 and that my official time was 4:05:20, a PR. As I logged into my computer this morning, I did some checking after remembering something about the CR being faster, and it seems that I was just shy of it. Regardless, this was my first win at an ultra event, a PR, and one hell of a time.

**edit** After some kind words from Mr. Ricks, I'm claiming the snow course CR! He pointed out, and it is true, that no one has run faster on that course!

I learned a lot about myself, about being able to feel beaten and dig past it and dip into a more primal energy store. When I got caught, both times, I was initially super bummed, but was able to think rationally, and devise a strategy to push even harder. For the win, I received a free pair of Maui Jim sunnies, and one huge rock!

That thing is heavy!

With the conditions on course (crazy mud and water), I wore my Inov-8 X-talons with Drymax Hyperthin running socks. I expected that my feet would be wet all day, so a crazy thin sock that held zero water and a grippy shoe were key, that strategy paid big dividends. My feet are perfect. My quads, however, are feeling some big time soreness! Rocked my theaidstation.com shirt (thanks Jeremy), and was comfortable all day.

My best friend rocked the 50 mile event, finished 7th, ripped an hour and a half off his PR and "rocked" it as well!

Gunner rockin' it.

I can't thank the race staff and volunteers enough, this race was crazy well put together. There were literally HUNDREDS of volunteers and everything went smoothly, the course was marked great, and the awards were fantastic (I got a sweet vest with the race embroidered on it). As others before me have stated, the Bighorns are really special, and not many folks get to see them. You can tell that the trail is seldom used outside of the race for human travel, and that is a shame. This place is a gem. Both Dayton and Sheridan were beautiful, set right up next to the mountains.

I need to thank the Larson family (Gunner's Grandparents) for such a great time and hospitality. It was a family reunion of sorts with Aunts and Uncles, cousins, and the Mexicans from Denver! The night of the race, we moseyed on down to the local park for ice cream and it was glorious. I can't say this about many races, but I know for sure I'll be back to this one!

Post race "recovery"

4 weeks 'til Silver Rush... 9 weeks 'til Pb... The fun is just beginning!

Xavier riding the Raptor at Sanford's in Casper

What taper?

2011-06-16T11:35:00.000-07:00

June has been my largest and most consistent month of training so far (and we're just halfway done). I feel quite fit actually, and I've been amazed how my body feels like it is not only absorbing the mileage, but actually thriving on it. There have been times over the last two weeks that I have been getting an urge to turn the screws during my daily runs and let loose, but I want to get a few more weeks of build before I work on that. So, 16 days, 255 miles. Headin' up north in the morning for some time in the mountains. Life is good is it not?

Bighorn Thoughts

2011-06-14T09:30:00.000-07:00

We are now four days out from the Bighorn trail races and I'm counting the hours until the fun begins. With insane snow levels in the Bighorn mountains (something like 350% of normal), the new courses have been laid out. As I had presumed, the 50K course remains relatively unchanged, with only the opening miles changed. I'm happy with that, though it eliminates a small climb which is compensated with what appears to be a slightly longer course. Since it's never been run, I can't say with certainty how long it will be, but I'm guessing it'll be roughly 33 miles. As KJ would say, "more kilometers, more fun."

Physically, each day is a new day, and I'm learning to deal with general fatigue. With my mileage really beginning to pick up, I need to focus on getting more sleep (easier now that I have finished up my last class of the spring and have some more time this summer). I also want to try to focus on eating better, not that I eat poorly, I actually eat quite well thanks to my wife who is an excellent cook. Still, I need to snack better, and be sure to take in calories directly post run. I'm generally pretty good about it, but I need to make more of an effort to make sure I don't miss it as I don't have the opportunity to just relax and take a week off.

As for the actual race this weekend, I'm cautiously optimistic. The course seems to play to my strength as a downhiller, and with the sloppy conditions, it *should* mean that the speedsters should not be able to really put leg turnover into the mix. That leaves the less talented, less mentally stable folks like myself who love the unpredictability of running downhill as fast as possible with unsure footing. The last race I really had a good amount of this (despite PDX's short mudslide) was Hellgate's opening bombers. I had a great time running with Karl during those descents and I plan to take the same "devil may care" attitude here. Competition wise, there are a few guys to catch my eye after running through the list, but you never really know. The 50K has generally been a pretty slow race, but last year's 2nd place finisher JD Warren will be back for another shot.

We'll be heading up Friday morning, Gunner in tow (he's racing the 50M), and staying at his grandparent's place (cabin if the road is clear, house if not). Really looking forward to spending some time with them as they are some of my favorite people in the world, Scandinavian hospitality! Won't have internet for a while while there, but I'll hope to send a picture or two from my phone from the Crazy Woman saloon. I've heard from some guy who finished the Rocky Mountain Slam that a trip to Dayton without a visit to the Crazy Woman is incomplete. Anyway, loose goal is top 3, just so I can retain my "elite" status...

Invite to the Butte...

2011-06-09T09:17:00.000-07:00

Lake House in Evergreen tonight at 5:30 if you're interested. Gonna run up this:

Photo: JP

My bugs have friends

2011-06-08T12:22:00.000-07:00

So, as I've posted earlier, I've dealt for a few months with giardia. Monday, I learned that yes, in fact, giardia was definitely there. However, what I had not expected was that those little bastards made friends: Blastocystis Hominis. It's effects are not that different from the Giardia and since I've gone rounds with flagyl (with some success), I'll be heading onto another round of antibiotics which hopefully does the trick for good.

The flagyl has helped for sure, but I'm still not 100% so to speak and I would really like to be as I have just really entered into the meat and potatoes of Leadville prep. Here goes nothing...

Oh, and BigHorn seems like it will for sure be using an alternate course to some extent due to snow pack well beyond what even we have here in the high mountains. Not sure if this affects me on the "weeny" course, but we'll see.

The last few weeks...

2011-06-04T21:36:00.000-07:00

White Ranch

Wifey

Falcon

Mexican Poolside

May in review

2011-06-03T13:47:00.000-07:00

354 miles makes for a decent month, steady and solid, I've never put up 3 months like the last 3 months and I feel strong. Actually, much better as of this writing as the meds I'm on have been working well. There were some periods of tough sledding, but I hope I can attribute that to the bugs. Got in another race, a pretty good one and felt stong at the finish which was a continued good sign for me. These next two months are the big ones for me, hoping to 95+ mile weeks and more vert/altitude.

Big Horn should be interesting, depending on snow melt, it looks like we may be forced onto an alternate course.

Also, something is messed up with my blogger account and I can only comment on blogs where the comment screen is on a separate page like mine. Any blog where you just type it in and hit submit it won't let me chose my google profile or submit, frustrating. Sorry if this is one of your blogs, I've tried to post comments but I end up frustrated and give up.

Forest Park 50K

2011-05-31T09:14:00.000-07:00

I woke up to a queasy stomach though I was unsure whether to blame it on the 7 beers or the giardia. Grabbed a quick breakfast of peanut butter toast and Bobby drove me out to the start under overcast skies and a chilly, damp air. At the start I took care of some "buisness" and then introduced myself to Yassine Diboun who was talking with Jason Hill. It was a neat way to get acquainted with the PDX ultra scene, chatting with two of the fastest guys in Oregon (and, well, period).

With the 20K and 50K starting together I was tucked behind Jason, Yassine, and Todd Braje. At the gun, I made a consious decision to keep my distance from them, sitting around 50 meters behind and just behind the 20K female leader. During the opening 10K I just tried to maintain a steady pace while not pushing too hard. The miles are rolling uphill and at low elevation I was running much faster than normal but not breathing much at all. During the short out and back, I was already a few minutes back and when the 20K runners turned back I was suddenly all alone in the midst of the gigantic forest. It was truly breathtaking and I was having a blast cruising through the singletrack and ferns.

About mile 10 the course began to change a bit, we were deeper in the forest and the trail was getting progressively sloppier and I slower. Sometime during mile 16 I was getting some good momentum after a few quick miles and while near full speed I stepped on a wet, wooden bridge and went down hard. The lower 2/3 of my body slammed on the bridge and luckily my face went straight into the mud. I was pissed at the time, but realized quickly how funny it must have looked to the hiker I had just passed and got to laughing at myself a bit which helped dull the ache. From here we got to some nice technical and steep short uphills followed by a wicked 1 mile descent. I thought the first 3/4 of a mile were nuts as I pushed the pace on the crazy slick mud, but then the last 1/4 mile was INSANE! It was fun and scary at the same time and I ended up on my butt doing a sort of baseball slide (good photos of it here and all me here). Thanks Glenn, for capturing us in all of our glory (falling on our asses covered in mud)!
Photo Courtesy of Glenn Tachiyama

Photo Courtesy of Glenn Tachiyama

This is my favorite, you can see the mud on my face and where the bill of my visor dug into the mud from my prior face plant! Photo Courtesy of Glenn Tachiyama

Photo Courtesy of Glenn Tachiyama

Anyways, just after this it's a easy jeep road back to a more difficult, sloppy, but runnable climb back to the 3rd aid station. Here's where I realized some mistakes I had made in preparation, but I was unfocused and made another tactical error. I had only packed 4 gels in my pocket assuming that the aid stations would have some, but I was wrong. I don't mind them not carrying any (they're expensive) and it was my own fault for not checking that before hand. When I found out I just went through the aid stop without picking up anything, a big mistake. I ate my last gel and proceeded to work back towards the final aid station but started to fade quickly after a few quick miles. You can see that I lost a good chunk of time there at around mile 22 on, even after hearing that I had cut down the 3rd place lead to roughly 4 minutes (according to a runner heading my way, so it could have been much more).

At the last aid station I realized that a PR was out of the question unless I ran near 5K race pace for the final 10K. While mostly downhill, I knew that was just not in the cards and lost some motivation. I had grabbed a handfull of trailmix and tried not to choke on it as I headed back, but I was struggling a bit. About mile 26/27 stomach cramps really hit me hard which could have been due to lack of fuel, giardia (had needed to go bad for a while), or a number of other things. I stepped off to releive myself and felt much better so I made a decision to be sure I could go under 4:20. I stayed relaxed through until the pure downhill the final 2 miles and with about 1.5 miles to go I started to turn it up a bit. This section was crazy because it's rocky and wet and there were people out on hikes all over the place with dogs and such. I did my best to be polite while letting people know I was coming and kept pushing and pushing. Near 1/2 mile to go I was really flying (watch read 5:04/m for a while) and I turned a bend to the finish saw the clock tick over 4:18 and cruised in for my 2nd fastest 50K and 4th place. Results here. As you can see, I lost a good chuck of time in the final 10 miles, a combination of a number of miscues on my part, but I still had a lot left in the tank which is a good sign.

I can't thank enough the volunteers and everyone who helped out with the race, I thought it was marked extremely well (though Todd Braje went off course and either DNF'd or DQ'd, not sure). Big thanks to Yassine and Jason for the kind words and good times, great runs guys. I have some pictures to come later.

Most of all, thank you to Bobby and Natalie, my great friends, and the best hosts you could imagine. In fact, my trip outside of the race was so good, I'm going to write up a trip report seperately. It was a quick trip for me, like 36 hours, but it's good to be home with my wife and son again.

DATA
Splits:

mi splt time pace
1 7:47 7:47 7:42
2 8:10 15:57 8:10
3 7:46 23:43 7:51
4 7:42 31:25 7:42
5 7:46 39:11 7:41
6 8:01 47:12 8:06
7 7:36 54:48 7:36
8 8:04 1:02:52 8:04
9 8:10 1:11:02 8:10
10 7:59 1:19:01 7:54
11 9:07 1:28:08 9:07
12 8:31 1:36:39 8:31
13 8:08 1:44:47 8:08
14 7:35 1:52:22 7:35
15 8:24 2:00:46 8:24
16 9:06 2:09:52 9:06
17 7:36 2:17:28 7:36
18 10:50 2:28:18 10:50
19 7:58 2:36:16 7:58
20 7:56 2:44:12 7:56
21 8:04 2:52:16 7:59
22 9:20 3:01:36 9:20
23 9:04 3:10:40 9:04
24 11:03 3:21:43 10:56
25 8:28 3:30:11 8:28
26 8:23 3:38:34 8:23
27 8:34 3:47:08 8:29
28 9:18 3:56:26 9:24
29 9:06 4:05:32 9:06
30 8:07 4:13:39 8:07
30.72 4:37 4:18:16 6:25

It was muddy, this was after the first cleaning! Wore my Drymax 1/4 Trail Lites and was good to go!

The last days of Giardia

2011-05-27T13:41:00.000-07:00

So, since April I've been dealing with some awesome effects brought on by the Giardia bug picked up from Buffalo Creek and with the weather heating up I finally got into the doctor after some "prodding" from the wife. Had my appointment yesterday and was prescribed Flagyl for the little parasites hanging out in my tummy. However, they said I couldn't drink beer for the 7 days I'm on the cycle and I'm going to Portland to race and visit with friends so I've made the executive decision to hang out for a few days and start the meds on Sunday.

The whole doctor's office visit was a riot of uncomfortable conversations, 5 to be exact. Four in my primary care office explaining what my stool has looked and felt like for the past 2 months, and one with the lady at the lab who had to spell out exactly how to conduct a stool sample. Everyone who is dealing with my shit is female, it's almost comical.

In any case, hopefully I'll get some energy and not be so dehydrated soon, really noticed that on my long runs as of late. And because we're on the subject of brown matter, the Forest Park 50K is shaping up to be an all out slog fest in the PNW mud. It's apparently been raining (surprise) heavily for a while now and the forecast has it continuing through the weekend. Should be fun! Leaving tomorrow and will be back Sunday with some notes.

Sunday

2011-05-22T21:39:00.000-07:00

Forgot my watch. Ran about 20 and +5K including a vomit inducing scramble up the non-trail front side of Mt. Morrison. Ate shit on the crazy ass descent twice. Legs are shredded. Cooled down w/wife and kiddo. Beer.

This is essentially what the route looks like, except this photo is from the actual trail. I ascended the ridge to the right/north which does not have a trail...

Forest Park

2011-05-19T10:20:00.000-07:00

Rest assured, I don't have any crazy ambitions for Forest Park in 10 days. I am, however, looking forward to this...

I'm banking on being around after the apparent rapture that is coming this Saturday, so I should be good to go. Maybe they'll make it part of the "apocolypse ultra series"...

Look through history of LT100 ending 2009

2011-05-16T14:03:00.000-07:00

This is from Matt Carpenter's site, he compiled a spreadsheet of almost every split for the top runners through 20hrs 33minutes. Really interesting stuff here, enough to give you a GZgasm.

HOMEWORK

2011-05-12T09:13:00.000-07:00

If you want to go fast, it pays to know how it's been done before.

Looking Forward

2011-05-11T09:22:00.000-07:00

After two less than stellar weeks and a really tough workout last Saturday, I think I may have turned a bit of a page. I'd been feeling pretty unmotivated and glum about things since Cheyenne Mountain, mostly because I hadn't had a good race and I was really busy with other things in my life. However, this past Sunday helped give me some good perspective on things. We had a nice, low-key mother's day at the nursery buying a rose bush and then lounging on the back porch in the kiddie pool when I realized (again) that these are the things that are truly important.

Whether or not I raced to my potential or had a good workout leave little changed in my place as a father/husband and relishing the time I spend with Rachel and Xavier is the rub. We've been talking a bit about the summer and just bought Xavier his first sleeping bag. After Big Horn, Leadville will be calling and I aim to answer the call. I have lots of fun workouts planned for solo runs, runs with others, and runs with Xavier in the Jog stroller. One of the beautiful things about Leadville is the option for running dirt roads, something that lends itself to the stroller.

Photo: Nick Lee

For the past few weeks I've had the above photo on my work desktop as the background, dreaming about getting there and looking out at the final destination. Roughly 55 miles down and 45 to go. I try to imagine the pain and jubilation of having tackled Hope and then the inevitable lull of the remaining work to be done. Train the mind and the body will follow (hopefully).

More in regards to Leadville, you can meet some of the folks I've started to assemble to hang out while I run. I'm not much for "crewing" and I don't plan to have a lot for them to do to get ready for me, but I intend for them to be a rolling party because when amidst the struggles of running for 100 miles, I'm sure seeing friendly happy faces will be a nice sight. The "crew" has a primary responsibility of consuming tasty adult beverages and pizza, secondary agenda may include a jacket, my headlamp, and some gels. And no, they're not going to Winfield.

The only thing I'm sure of right now is that I'll use a pacer from Fish in. Gunner, my best friend, college roommate, and best man at my wedding will be guiding me over Powerline, around the lake, and up the boulevard (bottom left of the last photo). In what can be the most negative part of the race (powerline false summits) it will pay to have the most positive man in the planet on my side. Possible conversation points: me- this sucks, everything hurts, I just puked, and I can't see the trail it's so dark. gunner- yeah, maybe, but look at the stars man, they're so bright!

The man in charge of the rolling party?

Keith Ives. Former Marine, disaster response expert, humanitarian, mountain enthusiast, and logistics magician. He may need to call on all of those, and perhaps his disaster response expertise will come in handy :)

The remainder of the "crew" will consist of a smattering of the below folks and perhaps a few others.

For now, I'm gearing up for the Forest Park 50K in Portland 2 weeks from this Sunday. I'll be staying and hanging out with some of my favorite peeps ever, the Dettmers (the couple sitting next to Rachel and I above). I'm really excited to see them and their home. I hear Portland has great beer...

April 2011

2011-05-02T09:40:00.000-07:00

Another solid month of training is in the books. Another race in the books. This should be how the rest of spring/summer goes all the way into fall. Race monthly, keep the mileage up and run through the races. Took a slightly unexpected down week this past week with family in town and class wrapping up, but my body thanked me for it and I'm feeling much better today. I had tentatively planned a double falcon last night, but I thought I should leave that to this week and take the break to rally the troops for another build in volume.

Jan-196
Feb-280
Mar-380
Apr-352
2011 Total-1209

West Side Stride 5K

2011-05-02T07:49:00.000-07:00

I run a 5K every two years or so it seems and this year I was lucky to run my wonderful wife's fundraiser 5K at my alma mater.

The event is a small one and with the weather forecast it appeared that there were a handful of folks who decided not to come out and run, but come race morning the storm cleared a bit and we were treated to sun (although with that came plenty of wind and some nip to the air). I was pleasantly surprised to see Team Gangels out in full force with a crew of little Gangels. Did my pre race warm up of sipping coffee and chatting with friends new and old then walked over to the start line.

Being such a small race, it was reasonable to think I could win, so I decided to take it out hard and see if anyone came with. The course has turns a-plenty and it starts with a short uphill section into the wind. I dragged a young kid with me the first 1/4 mile and he was sitting on me in the wind so I moved over and slowed way down to make him pass and sat on him until the course turned. He was laboring a bit and we had backed off even, so I made a move as the course turns back through campus and put a gap on him. Came around 2.5K in 9 minutes and was surprised (no watch). I let the foot off the gas on the second lap as I had a lead that wasn't going to be covered and cruised through for the win in 18:30 despite some howling headwinds. Full results.

Got $25 to the Runner's Roost for my troubles, but more importantly I ran 8 seconds faster than JT on what I will surely claim is a slower course. Though, I've got some work to do to cover his 5K PR. Not really sure where the wheels came from, but I've taken a down week (67 miles) so I was pretty rested coming in.

26 runners ran the race, but more importantly, they raised a good chunck of cash, which is the goal of course. Wife's plans are to move the race date back into May and hopefully draw out some more folks. Really proud of my girl for putting on a fun low-key event, and I'm continually surprised how much work goes into a race of any size.

Cheyenne Mountain 50K

2011-04-24T11:34:00.000-07:00

Well, not a whole lot to report as far as fireworks. I had a pretty blah day overall and was initially pretty frustrated with how things went, but as things have sunk in I'm realizing the good in what was going on and perhaps some things that I need to work on.

As for the trip, it was a lot of fun. Headed down Friday evening to JT's and had a few beers before heading downtown for more beers and the Lukas Nelson show. Then it was back to "elite headquarters" for some z's before the race.

Race morning felt a bit like any other morning except JT served me my coffee and it was overcast in Colorado. Temps were high 30's low 40's for the start, but it was nice to catch up quickly with some friends I hadn't seen in a while.

From the go I wanted to get a feel on what the big boys would do with the pace, but I let them go within the first 1/2 mile or so as it was too hot for me. I was in between the lead group and a chase group for the first few miles and after a quick stop to tie my shoe I was passed and working to get back onto the chase group. I felt fine, but similar to Way Too Cool, I just wasn't finding that next gear. The course was surprisingly fun with some really buffed out sections and some nice rocky sections mixed in.

Being that I'd never been down there, I was a bit disoriented at times with all the turns, but the course was really well marked and I managed not to get lost. Coming back through the Start/Finish I noted the course a bit long so I took a mental note so as to be unsurprised on lap 2. I didn't grab a split but I think I was somewhere around 2.13 or so for the first lap which was well off what I had planned going in, but about what I deserved given the effort and legs I had.

(Eyes closed!)

Starting lap two I had closed on Paul and Marco a bit, I'd get near them on the downs and lose them on the climbs, so I had some small motivation to plug a bit faster. I ended up catching Marco about mile 21 and it was clear neither of us was having a day to remember. Then I caught Paul at the base of the last grinder and put a bit of time on him, but could tell I wasn't going to be hanging on to a particularly good split for the second half and just focused on putting one foot in front of the other. I think at these times you want to drop because it'd be easier to say that you know it wasn't your day and blah blah blah. Then you show up to the aid station and realize you're being a little bitch and keep going. I finally started feeling stronger around mile 28 and made good time through the rollers and the long swinging downhill to the finish.

Time at the line was 4:48:08 which was almost exactly 40 minutes slower than cool (I owe a lot of beer) but I think the course was actually quite a bit tougher. Certainly there are far fewer sections where you can really open it up due to all the turning. However, for a first time event, this was a well planned, and well executed race. Certainly there were some Triathalon touches to it with the planned "elite" wave and the actual podium for the overall and a/g winners, but it was a good time on a worthy course. Lucho would feel at home ;) I could definitely see it turning into a bigger event and drawing a lot of folks who otherwise would have run Greenland as the course is much more preferable. Perhaps we'll see an option for a longer race as well 75/100K, which would be a nice way to test some early season endurance.

It was nice to catch up with the CRUD contingent after the race as well as Brendan, Luke, Ryan, Tracey, and Los DeGraves. I introduced myself to Jason in the parking lot and had a good chat. His buddy with him was introduced as that guy who won JFK; Brian Drumm, the man who came out of nowhere (at least in the ultra world) and destroyed the JFK50 field, nice guy for sure.

(Brendan cruising the bridge)

(Leila shows the boys how it's done)

Lots of lessons learned here. I have a tendency to be both over-confident and over-critical and I was the former going in and the latter throughout much of the race. With raw legspeed in the race, there was really no way I was going to win, but I could have been better prepared to run my own race and run faster. What I can take away is that I am actually becoming more consistent and stronger as a runner. I've been finishing closer to the front more often than not so that is a good sign. I also felt like I could have kept racing, I certainly had the legs to run a few more laps and perhaps that's a sign that what I've been doing in training is really laying the groundwork for August. However, with that said, if I'm going to stay in contact with Yassine for more than a mile at FP50K I need to continue to devote some more time to getting some leg turnover into my workout routine. I have some more plans with how to do that thanks to some prompting from Justin Ricks, a guy who if you haven't heard of him, you surely aren't aware of much in the Colorado running world. He'll go after an OT in Eugene next week.

Lastly, thanks again to JT and Katie for letting me crash the place and hang out for a few days. Thanks also to Drymax for yet another blister free race! Good times out there.

Fact of the day

2011-04-21T12:10:00.000-07:00

If you Google "Patrick Garcia Runner Colorado" you will find no pictures of me. However, you will find a few picutres of naked dudes running around with pumpkins on thier heads and a picture of the one and only George Zack.

Cheyenne Canyon Registrants posted

2011-04-20T08:26:00.001-07:00

Names are linked to a PDF here.

Lots of friendly faces will be running down in the springs this Saturday, including the other PG. Fast guys were what was already known pretty much unless there's somebody I missed (Vega, Hessek, Severson, Peinado, Trimboli, Schlarb). The women will be chasing Anita Ortiz who appears to be back in force, but maybe Leila or Maria can give her a run for the money.

Looking forward to hanging with the CRUD contingent down there. If I don't make it home JT will likely make up some story about how a tree fell on me while I was sleeping. Don't beleive it.

In other news, JT will be running in the "MASTERS" category...

Over/Under CC50K

2011-04-14T13:01:00.000-07:00

I've never been down to the Cheyenne Canyon trail system so I can't be entirely sure of what awaits me at the CC50K next weekend (4/23), but from all accounts there will be 4 climbs (2 per loop) that are shallow but long and 4 descents. The trail is supposedly not technical, but there are alledgedly not many straight sections and it's twisty turny and compacted to a relatively small area.

This is realtive to Way Too Cool, but the course is different and of course it's a few thousand feet higher than Cool. Here is the course map and profile. The race should be really interesting, but we're not all sure who will be there. A lot of the real big guns have confirmed they won't be there, but USATF 50 mile trail champ Jason Schlarb as well as Brendan Trimboli will be. Hopefully it's not just the three of us standing on the start line of the elite race, that'd just be weird.

***Just got confirmation that Dan Vega will be there and he's got wheels!***
***Now confirmation that Marco Peinado will be there too!***
***2:27 Marathoner Levi Severson is making his Ultra debut***

So, without further aideu, the over/under for CC50K is my finishing time from WTC: 4:08:41. Rules are the same and simple, if you think I'll be slower, guess over. If you think I'll be faster, guess under. If you're right, I owe you a beer. If I'm right, you owe me a beer. Unlike JT, I'll actually pay up if I lose!

Speed or lack of

2011-04-13T13:28:00.000-07:00

There's always talk out there of weather you should incorporate speedwork into your training or just leave it out all together. We all know of the guys who have success both ways, we've got a bunch on the front range running on the track and a bunch who don't. I guess my opinion (a rather uneducated one at that) is that speedwork in moderation can't hurt. My goal for the year is to develop a strong base (getting there) and then consistently add quality workouts to my routine to peak in August. That said I'd basically not done any kind of structured speedwork since last spring or summer, so a few weeks ago I dabbled my toe in adding some.

I basically came up with the idea that I'd do one shorter session (repeats/tempo) on Wednesday and one longer but less intense session on Sunday. Let's just say I haven't been setting any records with my speed and I won't be out winning any 5K's soon. Last week I ran a pretty controlled 5M tempo at 6:25mpm (insert chuckle), and today's was a bit more work at 6:13 mpm. Some of the initial benefits I'm seeing other then the relative feel of my easy days feeling slower while at the same pace is that there is a certain mental toughness to finish out that last mile to mile and a half of the 5M tempo. No one is watching me, and no one will follow up with me tomorrow to make sure I did it. Mental strength is the ultimate X factor in ultrarunning, the more you practice, the easier it gets.

The reason I've been doing this speedwork is that I have a few races (one in less than 2 weeks) that require me to run significantly faster than in a typical Colorado style mountain ultra. Cheyenne Canyon will likely be fast and I want to be able to push towards the CR at Big Horn (found that the course is a few miles long which means the low 4 time is more stout than originally believed). There is an additional race I may take on that could require some turnover and then there's Leadville. Leadville is a runner's course no doubt, so the greater my ability to run, the greater my ability to do well (at least that's my approach). I am not planning on being a mountain beater at LT, but I want to really be able to handle everything between Twin and Harrison.

Any interest in an over under for CC50K??? I'm thinking of a number now.

My Wife's Race

2011-04-10T19:45:00.000-07:00

My wonderful wife is an RD for a small Non-profit fundraiser 5K in Lakewood on April 30th. You should come out and run it for a few reasons:

1. It's cheap ($15)

2. It's a 2 lap XC style course: few small hills, turns, and fun basically. Not your average 5K.

3. You'll probably beat me.

4. My wife is pretty hot. I may even let you take her picture.

And you can register HERE.

Silver Rush!

2011-04-05T12:58:00.000-07:00

This July I'm headed back to the place where the drive to run somewhat absurd distances started for me, the Leadville Silver Rush 50. I'm super excited for this race because it will allow me to see some of the progress I've made since jumping into ultras 2 years ago. In 2009 I ran 9:12 and was really proud of myself, as I should have been in my first 50.

Looking back at my training going in, my biggest week was 61 miles. Now that is a taper week, but I have worked hard to gain the base mileage and fitness needed to push myself that far. I have a much better approach now than I did going into SR in 2009, and I hope that I can take a huge chunk of time off that figure. I'm excited to tackle the race where it all began, which ends up in a perfect place for my Pb build. We grow and learn from race to race, so lets hope I've learned enough to run well at altitude.

Partners in Crime

2011-04-04T15:03:00.000-07:00

One thing struck me as I was running around the Ranch with Scott this past Sunday. While I do 99% of my running alone, or at least not directly in sync with another, the times I do get out with another person or a group really have an impact on how I view things. For example, as I've mentioned, I am taking a mitigated approach to increasing volume and really focusing on a base of mileage that will hopefully bring me to August in true top form.

Just having that person there to validate my thoughts is nice, because on every other run, I'm thinking these things and basically throwing them out into space with no response. About 2.5 hrs into the run on Sunday, we'd begun talking a lot about how to prepare for ultras (or running in general) and the need to build into fitness as opposed to holding fitness for an extended period of time. There are different schools of thought here, but it was interesting to hear Scott's version of the story as well as the similar but different views of his 2 coaches both past and current.

As well, I think about the weekend prior out in Buffalo Creek with Woody, Leila, Brendan, and Ryan. Running with them has a different feel than pounding out the miles by myself, almost a family quality, therapeudic even. It was cool to hear Brendan's thoughts as he and I are quite close in age.

This past Thanksgiving my family was staying in west Evergreen and Rachel and I went out for a run up into the Mt. Evans wilderness that was one of the true highlights of my year. Sharing the experience of being on the trail with the person you love most is something that is hard to explain. I got pretty excited when Rachel mentioned to me she was thinking of running 3 trail races next summer (post baby), as it means more shared experiences in the outdoors.

I think that as we interact while running we get a validation of our thoughts, and in a weird way, a family. I do like running alone, but the experience of sharing the trails with others has become a much needed way to validate my trail running soul.

March in Review

2011-04-01T07:51:00.000-07:00

March has been my best and most consistent month of training ever. I've done a lot of work to build a stong base which I think is coming along quite nicely. While I have started to sprinkle a bit more quality in my routine I'm far from being fast. I dropped a couple mile repeats on the way home from work the other day and I was bit unsatisfied with a 6:27/6:12/5:58, but I can't expect much anyways (hey, it was windy and uphill... or I'm just slow... or both). I wasn't even sore the next day, likely either due to the fact that I only did 3, and also that I couldn't even push myself past that point where it hurt. Hopefully I'll get around to some better and more consistent turnover so the next few weeks will be interesting to see how it goes.

The most important thing to me is that my long runs have been solid for the most part. I've been getting in around a 30 mile long run every weekend with the exception of the week when I did a 20/20 on Saturday and Sunday. While tough initially, these long runs are becoming by far my favorite and most enjoyable part of my running week. I've been out early as well, so getting done around 11:30 with almost 5 hours of running under your belt really helps make you feel productive even if you lounge around the rest of the day. Onward to April and the 2nd quarter...

Drymax

2011-03-30T09:32:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I picked up my first sponsor and was super stoked. Most of the ultrarunning world knows of Drymax as the company is both highly active in the community as well as highly used. After exchanging a few emails with Bob, I received a box of about 15 pairs of socks, all different kinds, to test out. To be honest, I had no idea they even made so many different styles, and it took me a while to even get through running in them all. For example, they've got 3 separate styles for trail running alone!

I'd previously run in the traditional trail running version and the hyper thin running, so I knew I was getting into a product that I could believe in. After going through all of the test samples, I found that all the socks I ran in were meritable on their own, but that I definitely had a two favorites: the Running Mesh Lite, and the Trail Running Lite. The styles allow you to pick a certain sock for a specific type of run if you're into that kind of thing, and they've got cold weather socks and hot weather socks and everything in between (literally). I wore the Trail Run Max Protection during Way Too Cool and despite running through water/mud for 31 miles with a terrible shoe selection, I walked away with no blisters or any other foot issues.

Perhaps you're like me and you are wary of people who are sponsored saying, "I wear this, you should too!" Don't take it from me, there is a reason a large portion of the ultrarunning world uses Drymax, and it's because they work, period. While they are going to cost you some money, they're cheaper than a lot of other performance sock brands like Smartwool. The multiple styles allow people to find what they prefer, but I'd say, if you don't take it from me, talk to someone who wears a pair who is not sponsored (they won't be hard to find).

More of a plan

2011-03-28T12:19:00.000-07:00

I made an executive decision to limit my weekly miles to 90 through roughly the end of April. Looking at my training I've been satisfied, but a bit concerned about the lack of true focus to any particular workout outside of the long run. I have been getting some great consistency and volume (for me) over the past 4 weeks and I feel like I'm ready to race now more so than I was going into Way Too Cool. The long runs I've done have left me with a growing sense of confidence about my base and endurance. This past Saturday, when I got back to the parking lot, I can honestly say that I felt fresh despite the fact that the rolling 7 days put me at 106 miles. It was as good as I've ever felt after running 31 miles, which I guess is a good sign. However, with my near term races both being 50K, I definitely have a need to start working some more quality into my week, and introduce some tempo work to get that going. I'm also planning to do some uphill repeats or tempo work as well, stuff I hope pays off come August. The plan I'm working on now will hopefully culminate with six 100+mi weeks leading into Leadville's taper. Cheyenne Canyon appears to be gaining more traction and looks like it will probably be a lot more competative than I initially thought due to them putting up $500 for the winner. I had the pleasure of meeting and running with Brendan this past Saturday and he'll be down there as well. I had to laugh a bit when he recounted essentially my feelings about the race when he signed up, basically that it was a nice new race, likely to be small and we could probably sneak away with a win. It appears now that it will be a good battle for the top spot.

Leadville

2011-03-23T15:29:00.000-07:00

Back in January I wrote that I would not be running Leadville this year. I have an admission, that's not really all that true.

When Rachel and I talked about Pb and the pending child we sort of came to the month buffer, basically if we were a month or closer to the due date, I would not run. When we found out about the new kiddo, we had (incorrectly) assumed that the due date would be early September when in actuality it was September 24th. When I wrote that last post, I was operating off the assumption, only finding out a week later that it wasn't true.

So, near the end of the open window I snagged a slot for Pb (not knowing it'd reopen again anyway) and I've been training as if I'll be there. There are some maybes here and there, and Rachel and I have some agreements in place in regards to me being there, but if all goes well, I'll be toeing the line come August.

I think I can run well at Pb, but I've also never run 100 miles, so it's been both exciting and scary at the same time. I'll likely glean as much from other more experienced ultrarunners as I can and show up with splits and a plan. When I finished Hellgate last year, I thought there was still some race left in me. I'm guessing that won't be the case here.

Way Too Cool - Race Report

2011-03-13T21:51:00.000-07:00

Driving to the start of Way Too Cool is a pretty cool endeavor in and of itself especially if you are an ultrarunner who is aware of all the history given Western States without having run the race. Seeing signs like "Forest Hill" on the way in have a way of tugging at you and getting you amped for a long day in the canyons.

As for the race it was really interesting to me. Certainly the largest I've ever been a part of with nearly 600 runners toeing the line. I wandered my way near the front, but making sure I wasn't on the heels of the big boys but rather near the likes of the top ladies. All of a sudden the entire field was sprinting down the road like the start of a local 5K and all I could think was, "holy shit this is stupid." Mile one is pavement and gradually downhill and the split came... 6:12... uh oh, I can't remember the last time I ran a low 6 minute mile (perhaps something to work on) and I'm a good 60 runners off the lead. So many WTF's in my mind, certainly all these guys (there weren't any ladies up there yet) were going to fade later on and I'd catch them.

So we're cruising onto the dirt now, sort of twisty turny, then the first stream crossing and I'm soaked from head to toe (should have done more homework on the race I guess). This first 8-9 mile section was pretty wet and muddy and I came close to going down more than a few times with my worn down Saucony Kinvaras. The pace was retarded still at 4 miles so I stop to take a leak and let some folks pass, look back down at my watch and I'm starting to split something a bit more palletable, like 7 flat, so I get back to it. We did some fun cross country style running through muddy bogs and more water then smooth single track and a short climb back to the start area. Waved to my Dad, Sis, and friends who were out at the race, made some noise and started cruising down to the river. The descent was fun, but would have been a lot more fun if I had chosen a better shoe for the race as I kept slipping in the mud.

(descending to the river)

The miles 12-17ish are the most boring of the race, but you can make good time and take in the canyon a bit because it's a gravel road along the river. Here we hit the 15 mile mark and I told myself to just keep the effort steady and solid all the way back in. That was the plan, though I was a good 15-30 minutes ahead of my scheduled arrival. All day so far the legs were holding up, tired, sort of sputtering, but strong, and I knew they would hold well through the latter half. I made it up a tough 1/4 mile grunter which I thought was the start of the climb back out of the river, but it was a false start and then the climb was over. I thought it was supposed to be a tough climb out of the river, but I pretty well made it through without notice and I just kept chugging along and eating a gel every 20 minutes. I was a bit crampy for the miles between 20-29 but I forgot to bring my salt and it was hotter than I expected, but it wasn't a game changer, I was just a bit uncomfy. I kept cruising for the most part but goat hill really kicked my ass. I was rather cocky coming up to it given the climb out of the river being not much to talk about but I had to walk it, and it was a nasty bee-yatch. Luckily it was short and we got to run some nice rolling singletrack for a while coming out.

The miles leading into the Hwy 49 crossing were tough on me because they wanted to be hammered, just like the first mile, but I couldn't turn the gear. I just didn't have the speed to push it, so I took in the views and some company with Hozumi Nakai who'd been playing leapfrog with me the last few miles. Got to see the crew again at mile 29!

(Hozumi and I mile 29.5)

We crossed Hwy 49 and Hozumi made a move but I couldn't respond, just didn't have the get up to get after it. But I grunted my way up to the finish line and crossed in 4:08:41 (full results).

In the end it was quite a bit faster than I had intended on going, but I don't feel all that different than after a standard long run. I have big expectations for myself this year and I think this effort was right in line with what I'm looking for. I knew myself going in, and pretty well did what I came to do, I ran hard but never overdid it. I think I have come along way, proof of that is the fact that this was a 50K PR by an hour and ten minutes. I don't think I'll ever be able to say that again!

Post race I met and chatted with Jacob Rydman (yet again another impressive run in his 2nd ultra) and Joelle Vaught (yet another win, both over all the women and me!). After downing a couple cokes I had to hit the road and start our trek back down to Spreckels, not before hitting up In-N-Out though... I'm ready to keep it going, both body and mind are back in the grind!

The real reverse taper

2011-03-09T07:48:00.000-08:00

275 miles in 22 days with 0 days off. That's what I'll have going into Way Too Cool.

Part of the reason for this is that I made a concious effort to tie all of my workouts towards Cheyenne Canyon in April and that means no time for rest right now. Then I've got some other plans that need base miles to build upon and I think I'm heading in the right direction. I feel good actually, my body has responded to the 90+ miles remarkably well and though I'm feeling leg tired (just fatigue, not really soreness even), I have still been able to go out and keep a solid day by day workout going. My plan for the year (training wise) has sort of come about from a compiling a bunch of ideas and insight from others who have had success and tailoring it for me. Not that I have any experience with training plans, but I don't really have any other option at the moment.

I know Way Too Cool is too fast for me, meaning, I'm not ready to gun it and run flat fast miles. I am ready to grind out some miles toward the end though, and for that I'm excited. No sub 4 time for me, I think that if I end up sub 4:15 it was probably a mistake and I ran too hard. Right now a loose goal is 4:25 or 4:30. Enough to get the blood pumping, but not too much to need any kind of structured recovery. Who knows, I'm just stoked to run, and a bit nervous. I really like the jittery pre-race feeling that the first race of the year brings. We fly out tomorrow, so I'll catch you on my way back home. Post race, I have some Central Coast singletrack waiting outside of my Parent's front door (perhaps I'll get a sunrise over the coast from Mt. Toro).

Thanks to the guys who keep throwing the good advice my way, I know especially on this type of course I need to smart early on, but hearing it from someone else helps make the point. I often have irrational thoughts about killing this race, but my smarts keep telling me how stupid that would be. Race smart, race hard, but know that this is the beginning, not the end.

February by the numbers

2011-03-01T07:24:00.000-08:00

I hadn't seen February as a particularly good month as I thought about it in my head, but the numbers were better than I thought. 280 miles on a short month, and dead on my loose number goal of 10 miles a day average for the year.

Two days off is a really good start to the training block. I felt like I really lulled there in the middle of February, but the combination of being sick, the family sick, and class all had me backed up and tired. The stretch of the last 10 days or so has been particularly good, with a solid mix of hills and strength training in there. I feel it in my legs when I wake up, and I feel it for sure on the run for a while, but I'm beginning to also get that feeling of hitting 15 miles and starting to feel good again. To me this means I've been doing some things right, but also that it will be a while longer before I'm truly ready to go.

This year I've tried to add a purpose to my training and get in a long slow build up so that I can enter a period of sharpening 8 weeks before my goal event and show up ready. Most everything else will be secondary, and I'll likely not take much of a taper going into CC50K or Big Horn, but there are always ways to make it work. I feel good right now, and my confidence (though perhaps misguided) is coming along. I think I'll write up something about how that can affect my training/racing in a very real way. Funny thing is the more you think about it the more you hear it all around you, I even listened to a Radiolab podcast that essentially confirmed what I had going on in my head, but I'll link that into a real post on the subject of confidence and it's role in my running.

Now I'm 1 week 4 days from Way Too Cool and getting stoked!

Way Too Cool T-minus 2 Weeks

2011-02-24T08:56:00.000-08:00

I thought with 2 weeks to go I'd give a sort of status update on my training and feeling going into the race. Over the last two weeks I've had a sort of roller-coaster in terms of general well being and feeling on my training.

First I got sick about a week and a half ago along with the rest of the family and it hit me hard, especially in my energy levels, I was tired all day. Through that I took some rest days but managed to eek out some miles though they were mostly all flat and at a moderate pace. That and I continued my regimen of lifting weights twice a week with an emphasis on squats. I have heard much on how ultrarunners don't need to lift and such, however most of these folks have access to tons of vertical on a daily basis and end up building strength that way. I however live in Denver with responsibilities that limit my access to big vertical, and I've found that lifting really helps me develop the strength needed to maintain composure, form, and power throughout the extended climbs.

Anyway, I had two terrible weeks of training where I wanted to be in the 70+ mpw range as I continue to bump up the intensity but managed 70, followed by 60 the next week. However, right towards the end of last week I started to claw my way out of the sickness I'd been dealing with (and get more/better sleep) and there's been a general turn in my feeling and training. Monday was awesome because I got to get up in the hills and run true "trail" (ice) for the first time in a while. I had attempted a 50K tempo on the Saturday before but ended up getting lost and picked up by my wife after crashing at 22 miles and 15 miles from home. Monday was the exact opposite; even through it was a pure ice chute I felt solid on the climbs and bomber on the descents. When I got back to my car 15 miles later, I wished I could just go back and do it again! This week should get me into the prime base training load of 85-100 mpw and I hope to keep it there consistently through the summer.

Now, when I look forward to Way Too Cool in 2 weeks, I'm becoming more and more satisfied to come in without expectations and just run solid all day as a training run. It will be super easy to stay engaged with the new trails, as long as I don't get lost! Who knows, the low altitude could help me turn in something faster that I think I'm geared for, but I'm not worried anymore. I'm just excited to hang out with all the fun trail folks and soak up the early season race atmosphere. I'll leave the hanging it on the line for Cheyenne Canyon...

A nod from Geoff

2011-02-18T08:11:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure how I missed this post from Geoff last friday (must have come out during my run), but it was an honor to even be mentioned in this list.

To be completely frank, I'm not sure I belong on the list with those other guys, but I agree with Geoff's assessment, I think the bigger and longer the race, the better I may do. That's been a bit of a self realization with me, both on an enjoyment and a performance level. I enjoy the epicness of the run perhaps more than anything really, that feeling when you get back to your car and go "wow." Sort of a sense of disbelief in what you have just experienced and how far you've travelled.

To that end, my racing this year will definitely be more limited with the child on the way. Rachel had her first exam this week and it went really well. We've got one kid coming and a due date of September 24th. Immediately I thought about that time of year and how cool it is to have a birthday then. That time falls in line with my favorite race (although it's been my nemisis from a performance place), Run Rabbit Run. I really look forward to sharing that with the little one when he/she comes as I have with Rachel and Xavier the last two years.

I'm really looking forward to racing this year, even though I'm not currently lined up for something "big". I hope to get myself into top form by July to be able to take a realistic shot at a record. I'm also looking forward to having fun at Way Too Cool. I think the race being so big, with so many fast dudes has me pumped up even though I know I won't be competing up front. I think a good race from me would bring me up near the top women, but that may be pushing it a bit as I don't really have much of the leg speed to be up there. If I can keep it close to the hills, I'll have a shot to not get chicked, but we'll just have to wait and see. Cheynne Canyon will be super fun too, I'm really excited to be on new trails and explore. The race should be small, but JT and I have some beer exchanging to do after his throwdown in NOLA.

After that, I am looking to lay down a solid race at Big Horn, with some outside intentions of seeing how feasible a shot at the CR will be. The 50K is devoid of any huge climbs, but from what I understand the course is pretty rough. The downhill is what really gets my blood pumping, it's the thing I do best, and there's a lot of it in the 50K. Then I'll put in one more push of training and taper off for July. I'm still not certain what I'll be doing then, but I know as long as I can stay healthy, I'll be pushing the training hard and getting ready. Most likely this will be for either North Fork or Silver Rush.

One thing I can tell you for sure; a mountain 100 is in my future, and I'm stoked for it when it comes.

Enough

2011-02-09T10:08:00.000-08:00

Why is it that I'm having trouble accepting that "only" 50 miles could be the longest race of my season?

I don't know, something in my brain is pulling back and forth. You need to do more... 50 miles is tougher than hell, just focus on that...

Weird. Sort of an existential moment. Why are ultrarunners so focused on 100 miles and not 110 or 120 or 100k?

Perhaps it's because I feel my body is better suited for longer than 50 miles, that I don't have the legspeed to keep up in shorter events. Perhpas not; sort of a odd moment right now for me.

Motivation

2011-02-04T19:39:00.000-08:00

As I alluded to in my previous posts, I've done quite a bit more thinking surrounding my running lately and I've come to some slightly vague conclusions around what my goals should be or what I should do to achieve them. The cool thing about this is that it has helped to form a solid motivational tool for me when it comes to training.

I'm sure most runners go through similar peaks and valleys, but I've always found it interesting that post race I'm either hyper motivated to race again, or I'm completely satisfied and ready to relax. My racing last year went: crappy race, train hard/good race... repeat. Logically it makes sense, because I was disappointed or embarrassed and I wanted to prove something to myself.

Initially this year I had a hard time getting going. Partly, I knew I didn't have enough time to adequately prepare for Way Too Cool and the toughness of training through winter (though ours has been unseasonably nice discounting the past week) left me lacking. However, there are some things that have helped which are contrarian by nature.

Hard line approach:

This is the logical side of my brain working. The marked improvement I noticed in my climbing ability during Hellgate was in no doubt brought about by the hard work I put into it. I ran more hills, and ran them harder than before. I got into the gym and did squats and lifts that helped build strength, and I ran uphill on the treadmill. I don't have ease of access to hills from my house or office, and I don't justify driving out to the hills for my daily runs. When I noticed the gains after reflecting on Hellgate, I knew I had to keep working hard (in my case in the gym) to continue that benefit. The more I dwell on this the more pumped I get about training hard. I watched a short video today on KJ's training and I just got amped on it. That's it man, rip it in training so you can rip it in the race.

My life approach:

Call me sappy, but the more I run, and the longer I am a Father/Husband, the more I draw inspriration from my family. Since getting passes to the Denver Rec centers, I've brought Xavier out quite a bit to play basketball. He's 2 1/2 so there's not much "basketball" being played by the little man, but there is a lot of running. When I was watching him yesterday, he was literally as full of joy as I've ever seen him. He was running full speed across the court trying to dribble the ball and then he would ultimately dive headfist and slide across the floor. After laughing like a damn fool, he'd get up and do it again. Baseline to baseline. It's purity man. It's why you do it; it's f***ing awesome. (sorry mom). I've been smiling a lot lately when running, it feels pure, it's kinetic. What better way to pass on to another generation what we should be doing as humans, respect life, be in the moment. That's what my buddy Johnny's late father taught me, be in the moment because it's not there forever. Enjoy your time doing what you're doing. I've been motivated because I enjoy getting out there every day, I enjoy what I believe is setting a good example for my son (and for the little fetus growing in my super hot wife's belly [shameless plug there, she deserves it]).

In any case, motivation is easy to come by right now. I waffle between the two approaches and it's been quite cyclical. One day I'm motivated because I'm super stoked to get out and cruise. Other days I'm motivated to ablosutely destroy my muscles, break down to build up. So far it's been a healthy balance. Writing this my legs feel as if they've exploded from the inside out, it was a good day at the gym...

Soon we'll be out running trails like the one from this pic I stole from Jaime's header:

Rego

2011-02-03T09:54:00.000-08:00

I'm all in now for Way Too Cool, Cheyenne Canyon (anyone have a course profile?), and Bighorn. I'm about 80% sure I'll sign up for North Fork, but I have time for rego on that one. I would love to run another 100K this year but I'm not sure it'll fit. I don't know why there aren't more 100K's out there, but I'm sure Nick's run will help fill that void. I found it to be a great distance, lots of fun, but still super hard. Now I got to get my 50K chops in order...

Below is a pic from the PP50K of me following Doug (pretty sure that's his name, cool dude but too fast for me that day) from Denver, then some other guy, Matt Carpenter, and some other fast guy. Proof I ran with MC baby! Gotta love MC, he's proof you don't need any fancy shit to run fast (saw him at BTMR wearing a cut off half cotton t-shirt).

Ramblings...

2011-01-30T19:23:00.000-08:00

Really it was Saturday "schooled" when the boys dragged my sorry ass around Mt. Falcon. I even cut off the Devil's Thumb loop because I was tired of making them wait for me. Outside of the PP50K (where I didn't run may of the hills anyways) I hadn't run a hill since Hellgate. Apparently it is easy to lose that mountain fitness, but not as easy to get it back. The good thing about this is that it let me get a bit fired up about training for the new year. I thought I'd share some things that I've been thinking of over my runs for the past few weeks...

My running base is decidedly small, and I've come to believe that in light of that fact, I need to be careful about the amount of training and recovery that I allow for myself. What I mean is, I don't have the base mileage and strength that I think is needed to race strong many times a year. With this in mind I have chosen two races to go for, one early and one late with the emphasis on getting to the date in July in top shape, and more fit than I was this past December. I can't ask too much of the races that I'm not gunning for because I think it would derail my efforts at the latter races. I don't have a super man body that some do, and the mileage would take its toll. I've actually come to see this as a benefit rather than a weakness, I can work hard to attain a certain level of base fitness, but for me there needs to be a focus. Not necessarily formulaic, but determined.

I believe that I am coming closer to the running weight that is optimal for my body type and I've been careful to examine the mileage I incur in a build up to a race. Two years ago I was 185# and built much differently that I am now, to that end I've had to buy new clothes and become accustomed to wearing a medium instead of a large. However, the drop in weight has had a positive effect on my recovery and running as a whole. The pounding on my body is much less now at 160# and I feel much more nimble on the trail. With the drop in weight I have found that I need to eat along with the build up in mileage: run more, eat more.

I've planned a few races out for the year, and due to the coming child, I'll have a front loaded schedule with my racing ending in July. I know for a fact that I won't be in top shape going into Way Too Cool but it will be a good bearing of how my training is coming along. For me 50K is a great race distance because it is a distance that is within my recovery tolerance and I should be ready to go again in April. I plan to have a longer building period going into June and July with my base mileage basically building from now until the last week of June.

All of this folds into some other thoughts I've had about racing ultras. I visualize a lot during my daily runs; perhaps to avoid the monotony of the same paths, but it serves a greater purpose. I go back through my previous races or look forward to upcoming races and see areas of opportunity. Where do you make a move? What are you racing for/against? What do you do when the pain and fatigue sets in? For me it's been hard to decipher these things in the build up to a race and even at times during the run. I've been all over the map, just look at the results off to the side. I think a lot of my inconsistency has just been the immaturity of my running career, I don't have the base to truly run great times over and over, or at least I haven't yet. I think I'm closer, or I'd like to believe that.

Truly, I want to be a strong racer, someone who can compete at least on the regional level for top spots. My two best races to date have taken place no closer than 1400 miles from Denver, but hopefully that will change. It is important for me to view a course with an attacking mind, I want to say, "at mile 23 I will switch from conservation to race mode and go for it." I want to say, "I'm racing against all these other people." These are important things to have, they motivate you before and perhaps during the race, but for me it's not the crux. I think, and I say this lightly due to my inexperience, that the FOCUS is the important part. Focus is the area that answers the question "what do I do when the pain and fatigue set in?" Focus is the place where you go to detach your brain and push your body to do things only an imaginative person would believe.

Two examples from my best two results. At Hellgate, the first half of the race was decidedly loose and talkative. I interacted with other runners and really had no agenda other than to conserve and finish, but at 50K I truly began to focus on the task at hand. I don't remember much of the scenery to be honest, I was so in the moment, transfixed on pushing and pushing harder than I ever had before. It was a moment, or series of moments, that flipped the switch in my brain that I haven't been able to turn off since. How do you continue this focus?

At Sun Mountain, I was focused going into the run, dead set on running a specified pace and hitting a split until the pain really set in and I fell off the pace. I lost focus. I remember being pretty upset those last 10 miles, knowing that my goal was within my reach but I just couldn't get there. While this race was my 50M PR by a long way, I was missing something. Focus.

I know this is long, but stay with me. I'm not sure if this is the same with marathoning but suspect it is, you need to get to a place in the race where you are going hard but able to really dig deep and focus on the task at hand. Mile 20 for a marathon, mile 23 for a 50K, mile 40 for 50 miles... The point is the same, if you are truly racing, you need to be in a position to truly race the crux of the race. My goal for the year is to be in a position to do great things, and to me that means being at the front of a race and maybe even winning one, but to do so I've got to be ready and willing to focus during the crux of the race and not give in to the fickle mind.

Cheyenne Canyon, Big Horn, and North Fork. These are races that I truly believe I can win. Perhaps that's just in my mind when I'm daydreaming through my daily runs, but belief is a major piece of finding that focus. I won't win a race if I don't believe that I can. Perhaps more importantly, I've found some success that I can hopefully build upon. To build upon it, it is the hard work. Squats in the gym, tough mountain runs, tempo runs, and recovery. Diligence in all things to get to the next level. I am working on the focus and the belief that my better days are ahead of me. I look around me and see guys crushing it that are older, more wise, and more experienced than me and I say, "one day I'll run that way, and to get there I'll do the work." No one takes shortcuts and gets better. Time to go to work.

Knee = Good / Invitation

2011-01-27T15:26:00.000-08:00

So far this week the knee (right IT band) has held in check and I haven't noticed it at all which bodes well given that next week I begin a short build of mileage in front of Way Too Cool. I've got a bit to say on some thoughts I've had on some recent runs, but I'll save that for a post this weekend probably. Most of my mid-week stuff has been solid, easy but not too easy, sort of right where I want it to be for the building period. I hit some weight last night, and I tweaked my right hammy a bit (was tight initially, and I didn't warm it up well) so it was not so intense, but these will build throught he summer.

Oh, and if you want to join TG, BF, JY, WA, JP, and I on a cruise of Mt. Falcon we're running it at 7am this Saturday. See ya there.

The Decision of Leadville

2011-01-23T15:49:00.001-08:00

Today my final decision to run or not to run the Leadville 100 was made easy for me. I will not be running the 2011 version, but rather I'll be training to be a father of two. Rachel and I are going to be having our second child way too close to LT to follow the rules of Joghard (of which I'm a full on subscriber). I'm super excited for our next child, and though I've been telling Rachel I think it's gonna be twin boys, I'll be stoked for whatever comes our way. Leadville will be waiting, and I'm not sad to see it go by for another year.

Right now I'll look over the rest of the summer, most likely it'll just be Way Too Cool and Big Horn, but who knows. My right knee has continued to give me a bit of guff ever since the PP50K, and I'm certain it's the IT band. Of course this means that the best way for me to get rid of it is to stop running, see the doc for a cortisone shot, and relax for a while. Way Too Cool though is right around the corner and I'm not planning on missing that. I'll do my best to stretch, ice, and ibuprofen my way through and then see the doc if things haven't progressed. I'll have a nice layoff in August/September or so to deal with it if it's still there then.

Now I get to look over race schedules to see if I can fit one more in July, but I may just plan some big epic solo run there and then begin building a base for the 2012 season. Perhaps I'll be ready to take a shot at Bandera next year or Rocky Raccoon. In any case, I'm stoked to be a dad again (not bad for 26 eh?)!

The Crew

2011-01-19T20:44:00.001-08:00

This is my crew (minus XG a few folks). I can't wait to hang in Lan Diego this summer with some beers and some footy. We'll be welcoming another little homie in a few short weeks.

Ponderous Posterior 50k

2011-01-17T10:19:00.001-08:00

This past Saturday I joined about 90 other crazed ultrarunners for a jaunt through the foothills surrounding Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs. I had the pleasure of making some new friends as seen in the photo (Brooks and James) as well as catching up with what was seemingly most of the CO ultra crowd. Brooks and I proved that the best way to get to know someone is to not train for 5 weeks and then fumble your way through 32 miles of snow. I'd say that the best measure of the success of the event is by measuring how much I laughed; I laughed a lot. Thanks to JT for opening your house and for the CRUD boys for the maps and organization. It was cool to run with big guns Tony, Joe, and Scott for a mile before stopping to pound a PBR. I did tweak my IT band on the right knee so I'm gonna take a few days off and ice/stretch to get on top of this.

A New Direction

2011-01-14T10:57:00.000-08:00

I've been wavering back and forth between posting this or just keeping it to myself, but I've decided to go ahead and throw it out there. Mostly this is just a personal thing, a mindset really, and something that Geoff commented on his 2008 season. Not that I view this coming season in the same way, but perhaps on a far smaller scale.

The past 5-6 months I've been more and more committed to the belief that I have an untapped potential that I think will begin to unfold in the next year or two. Hellgate certainly brought a lot of that out in me, and even Steamboat to some degree. I realize that the base of my running career is extremely small, and that as it has increased I've been able to see marketed gains in both performance and endurance. I beleive that I still have a long way to go, but I've started to feel the hunger of competition grow in ways I've never really thought I'd get to, and especially not this quickly.

In my short history I've always been an above average athlete, though this athletic talent was always channeled towards team sports, specifically baseball. It wasn't until I developed a focus and a desire to get better (about 14/15 for me) that I was able to really make strides and become a great player. While I wasn't the best, I was able to turn myself into a pretty decent D2 hitter and an ABCA Division II All-West Reigion player. Apart from perhaps those years from 14-17 where I played essentially year round on various teams, the past year has produced the most focused athletic training that I've ever done. As I observe others in the ultrarunning world, most have a far longer history of running, especially in the upper tiers. The one thing I do have on my side is a bit of time; I just turned 26 on 12/31 (I really started running around 23-24). I'd like to think that by the time I'm 30 I could be winning or finishing on the podium in many races. Perhaps that is a stretch, perhaps not.

I think that there are some people out there who do not want to attempt to find the best possible versions of themselves for fear that they might not live up to what they thought they "could" be. It's easier to be able to say "I could have done this or that" than it is to say "I wasn't able to do that even though I tried." I want to be able to say the latter if what I'm shooting for doesn't work out. I look at Steamboat as an example of what didn't work out, I went for it, made some bad decisions, and paid for it. I can, however, say that I wasn't afraid to fail. It sucks, but I'm ok with that.

Initially at Hellgate I was mostly reserved, and it wasn't until about 50K that I decided to really hang it out on the line. Perhaps that was smart, but at the point, I had no idea if I could withstand the last 20 miles. The craziest thing about the finish of that race; I was running up the road to the line thinking to myself, "I could still run more if I had to." I was tired, but not fully finished racing. That thought, and the 30 caffinated gels I ate had me wired until about 11pm that night after not sleeping the night before.

When I look at this season, I think I can place well in almost every race I intend to run. While I'm unsure of what I can do at Way Too Cool, I believe I can win in Wyoming, and I'll comment on the rest of the summer later. I'm also looking at the courses in a far different manner then I did a year ago. As I look at WTC, I look directly to 28K and see an opportunity to attack the course. In the past, I've looked at areas where I would struggle and view the rest of the course as simply something to get through. Now I see things differently, and I look at the course in a manner of "what do I need to do so that when I hit 28K I can really turn it on and catch some people?"

In any case, I beleive that I am stronger runner than I currently am, or I at least have the potential to be. I beleive that I can show up to many races with a shot to contend for a top spot as ludacris as that may sound to some. I'm ready for competition, and I'm hungry for the next level.

Focus:

I believe the key to attaining whatever success may come in my future (or not) lies in a focused approach to this season and the next few years. This entails (but is not limited to) a focused goal in training, proper planning of races, proper planning for rest, and the ability to keep the desire to get better in the front of my mind.

I'm not going to be in top form come March, but maybe perhaps I'll be able to peak sometime say in August... maybe...

Dogfish head 90 minute IPA.

2011-01-05T20:21:00.001-08:00

More where that came from folks!

2010 Wrap Up - 2011 Thoughts

2010-12-30T15:11:00.000-08:00

I ended up with 2,362 miles on the year with about 10 more planned to tie up 2,372. Not the big numbers other folks are turning in for 2010, but I'm happy and content with what I've done. Especially considering the fact that I did not run in January or February due to injury.

I had my highs (Hellgate/Sun Mountain/Leadville) and my lows (Steamboat/Sageburner/Barr Trail) but in all I had a truly great time. I'd say that I learned a lot, but that would be understating it. We all get the question ("why do you do it?"), but I've found it's easier just to not answer that, or that I can't answer that. I'm not entirely sure why I choose to devote so much time to such an endeavor as ultrarunning, but I enjoy it, and that's the short answer I give if I have to.

Some of the better moments this year were the most simple. There was a run I did with my best friend/training partner Gunner outside of Twin Lakes, CO where we laid down on the side of the Colorado Trail at 10pm and just watched the stars for a while and chatted. Pretty cool to be out in the middle of nowhere with no light pollution and watch stars (well until what sounded like a bear...). Then a week later, pacing the unflappable Leila DeGrave to a stellar Top 10 finish in her first 100 miler. Good stuff.

I met a lot of great people, most much faster and far more accomplished than I, but found them to all be normal guys with a similar passion. Seemingly, the faster you are, the more humble you become. I wonder if this has any relevance to the fact that all of these guys have truly gone to the edge of the human body's limits, and sometimes they've gone beyond. I think that my experience in Steamboat set me up for a great dose of humility and as well a good run at Hellgate. As cliche as it is, we learn far more from our failures than we do from our successes.

As I consider 2011, I have a few races in mind that I mentioned prior, but also some that I might just bail on. So far the only races I think I know that I'm doing are Way Too Cool and Big Horn. I still haven't decided on Leadville, though I'm leaning towards it. I think I'll think it over for a week or two still before making my decision. I applied for the Runner's Roost Elite Team, but I don't honestly think they'll take me, they've shaken up their sponsorship program so I may not fit the bill anymore.

I would love to spend some more time in the Pike National Forest next year; a place I'm so happy to have found. Opportunities seem endless there. Anyways, I'm bouncing around a lot, but I think most runners are this time of year. No racing, no real certainty, and plenty of time to think makes us antsy.

Here is one thing I'm certain I'll do next year: I will put myself in a position to achieve things most people may not agree that I'm ready or prepared to do. This was (partly) the reason I ran so well at Hellgate, I trusted what I had done in my training, and accepted the fact that the unknown could either support or fail me. I am fine dealing with "failure" (if you can call it that), but I want to at least be in a position to do something great. I could run 9:30 mountain 50's the rest of my life and that would be fine, but I want to see if I can run them faster, much faster. If that means I blow up and limp home in 10 or 11 hours, so be it. I don't think I will ever be as fast as the truly fast guys who are our there winning every weekend, but I want to find out how truly fast I can be in the mountains over long distances.

On goals:

I think I'll develop some goals because I think they're good to have, but I won't feel all that tied to them. I'll have to go back and check, but I don't think I achieved any of the goals I had set out for 2010! Primarily, I want to have a good work/run/life balance and be as good a runner as being a good father/husband will allow.

Awesome Photos!

2010-12-26T12:34:00.000-08:00

Check out my wife's blog for some amazing photos of my son's shenanigans. He's so funny! Merry Christmas folks... More to come when I get back to CO.

Looking forward to 2011

2010-12-21T07:15:00.001-08:00

Last week Rachel and I went out to dinner as sort of a belated 3rd anniversary dinner since I was travelling to VA for Hellgate on our actual anniversary. During the conversation we touched a bit on racing next year and one race in particular: Leadville. I've been adamant that I wouldn't touch it because we're planning on having another child, but when we were talking and determining the time-frame, it would actually fit. For now I'm going to wait a while and talk it over a bit more, but there is a seed planted, and I'm not even going to mention my goals for 2011. Not yet at least. Below are races that I'm looking at and some that I'm committed to. So far the ones set in stone are: Ponderous Posterior 50K, and Way Too Cool 50K. Everything else is up in the air, and certainly depends on weather or not I decide on Leadville. My main goal for scheduling races is to stay closer to home and make things as easy as possible on my family. The two out of town races are an exception, but not really. Way Too Cool is scheduled into a vacation to see Rachel's sister, and my family in CA. If we go to bighorn, my best friend has family in Dayton and we'd likely be able to stay in a cabin. For now, I've got some thinking to do.

*bolded races are getting serious consideration*

Hard at work!

2010-12-17T19:14:00.000-08:00

Hellgate 2010

2010-12-14T16:28:00.000-08:00

Wow, what can I say? I had a friggin' blast running at the Hellgate 100K in south VA! I've got a lot to say about the travel and the rest of the trip including all the great people I met, but I think that was enough to warrant it's own post so I'll keep this one to the race itself.

12:01 am December 11th, we busted down the dirt road leading to aid station 1. The "road" was just a typical Jeep road that you might find on the outskirts of Leadville, but there were some definite differences to that; more scattered rocks (larger rocks) and a lot of leaves and overgrowth with scattered roots. I started out nice and easy, slipping right in a group of about 15 or so within 10 seconds of the lead. Here, I made sort of a conscious decision that there was absolutely no reason to be ahead of Karl Meltzer so I slowed when he slowed and pretty well stayed in his shadow through the first aid station (~5 miles).

From here we started a series of climbs as a good chunk of the 13,500' of gain is in the first 22 miles or so. I ran side by side with Jason from PA and we passed the time while keeping in touch with Karl and some of the top locals. Some time into the climb, Jason stepped off for a bio break and I kept at it, running somewhat with the guys but never really with anyone. It seemed like we had been climbing forever, but the grade was manageable (5-7% maybe?) and I was running strong and not breathing hard.

Somewhere just before or after aid two I was running right behind Karl for a long time, absolutely hammering the downs, slipping and sliding all over the place in the soft snow and leaves and pushing hard on the ups. This section (I think, my memory is a bit off during the night section) was awesome! Running on a really narrow trail in and out of the mountain side through the snow, it was what I had signed up for. We stayed like this and dropped a few of the other runners with us, including some guy who went out way too hard, and I was starting to think to myself, "what am I doing here? Scott said I should have only one goal: FINISH." Then I'd think, "I can run 50 miles in 10 hrs without a problem, if I get there, I can walk in under the limit even if I completely blow up." That's kind of when I went in the first phase of "race mode." All this meant was that I was going to try for a top 10 slot, figuring I'd need about 13:30:xx to get there based on previous results.

On my way up to aid 3 on the big climb, I found myself running with super nice Chris Reed from Team Inov-8 (must be a requirement to run for them) and we were motoring when we passed Karl, but just figured he wasn't feeling good and we'd see him later (I was right). After we passed aid 3 I kept moving, running with Chris for a few miles, then he'd drop back and I'd go out front now in 2nd place and just keep at it. Chris would come back to pass me in the middle of that section on the climb, then when I stopped to take a dump (rather precariously off the side of a cliff) I was passed by Karl and Keith Knipling. Here, 22 miles in my legs started to feel a bit worked and I had the "oh shit" moment, thinking I could have started to kill my legs only 1/3rd of the way through the race. Immediately I started to take my foot off the gas, walked for a minute or two for close to the first time and made sure to eat a few extra gels and 2 endurolytes.

I was caught and passed by Ryan from NY in this section leading to Headforemost Mtn, but I caught back up and ran with him into the aid 4 where I made a quicker stop and was out before him, I just tried to put a gap on him and shortly I saw more lamps in the distance, I spent the next downhill section trying to catch those lights, and I passed Karl taking a dump about a mile from aid 5 and caught Keith at the aid station, coming out there is a very shallow 3 mile climb and this is where I made the decision to go for it, it was roughly 50K into the race and I was feeling good again, actually not just good, but great. I absolutely HAMMERED the climb, running 8's or somewhere close and put a big gap on Karl and Keith, and I continued to run my ass off through aid 6 where Horton was ready to motivate.

Dr. Horton really knows what to say to get you moving or keep you going, it was odd but he got under my skin at this station and the next two as well. I think he said something like, "Scott wasn't lying about you Mexican't, you can do it boy!" I took off, just moving near the edge of too hard and I began to internalize everything that was happening around me. Nothing moved, I was living in a world where the only things that existed were me, the 15 feet of trail in front of me, and 2 guys ahead of me. I'd say over and over, you're feeling good, keep going, there is no reason to slow down, no reason to walk, it doesn't hurt that bad. It felt like I was in a trance almost, sort of weird. Blowing through the rolling terrain here was nice, and I really thought I might catch Chris, but he must have been moving too.

At aid 7 Horton yells at me, "4 minutes off Chris and 29 down to Jeremy, you know Scott came out here and WON his race, come on BOY GO!" I tear off out of there like a man on an effing mission, determined that I'd catch Chris. As fast as I could go, I couldn't ever get an eye on him, and I was starting to get scared because I realized Horton never said anything about who was chasing me and I thought Karl might well be turning on the jets and looking to go for the win. Shortly thereafter I fell hard and smoked my left knee on a rock. Needless to say, I was terrified, at this point, I had run in 3rd place for so long that losing it would have been a huge blow mentally. Then the mental struggle of sleep deprivation hit me and I was just totally zoning out through aid 8 at Bobbet's Gap. From here to the last aid station is known as the "forever section" and damn it is tough. It's not that it's hard terrain, it's really not, but it is frustrating, you kind of know you need to be heading "left" but the trail keeps swinging back uphill to the right, and you start cursing out loud. All I knew is that I had to keep moving, and I slowed down a lot here in this section, constantly looking over my shoulder expecting to see Karl.

There were 3 short climbs and short descents with leaves covering every inch of the trail, some places knee deep and I was just so over it when I realized I had started descending for the 3rd time which meant I was on my way to the final aid. When I got there, they still hadn't set up yet, but they had gatorade at ready so I topped that in my bottle not wanting to eat another gel. Here on in is 2.6 mile climb and 3.5 mile descent and I ran my as much as I possibly could up the climb which is not that bad, but I was just exhausted, but more sleepy than sore. When I reached the top and realized I still couldn't see behind me I knew that I had 3rd in the bag and I just cruised down the hill around the corner and in through the finish line. When I crossed the line I kissed the ground and gave thanks to Horton for the great race he put on.

My finishing time was 12:05:18, 9th fastest time ever on the course, and I won my age group (0-29 with the 2nd fastest age group time ever). I ended up beating two of my ultrarunning idols, Karl Meltzer and David Goggins (whose article in RW opened my eyes to ultras just over 2 years ago). I am just stoked right now, I worked really hard for that result and I'm damned proud. Part of the spoils included a $150 Patagonia Jacket with the Hellgate logo embroidered in it. I can't thank Horton and the race staff enough for putting on a great race. The course was marked impeccably, and the aid workers were awesome. I'd definitely recommend this race to anyone, just be prepared to run...

Off to Hell

2010-12-08T19:31:00.001-08:00

Flight in the morning, won't have internet of any kind so I'll text in a tweet to the side bar here ->

I've got enough layers to keep me sweatin' like a whore in church all night long :) Sorry Mom.

Stoked to find a bit of myself out in the mountains...

The weather in Hell

2010-12-03T07:32:00.000-08:00

Looks to be getting more interesting by the day. Yesterday it was showing sunny and clear with 0% chance of precipitation. As you can see, we're looking a bit differently today:

Personally, I kind of hope it snows. I like running in the snow, and I think that could play to my advantage, thouh it might slow me down... Don't forget to through in your beer wager; so far JT is the only one going over, so that means either he or Todd will be 2 for 2 come Saturday the 11th.

Exchanged a few emails with Horty yesterday, seems like a funny guy, and quite intent on impressing the idea that this will hurt BAD! He also said something about that other mexican (actually I believe his word was Mexican't) never winning another MMTR ever again... Looks like I've got to work hard to beat as many whities as I can...

Remember November

2010-12-01T13:52:00.000-08:00

Biggest month ever:

328 miles. Time to bring the pain!

Over/Under for HELLGATE!

2010-11-30T07:55:00.000-08:00

Ok folks, it's getting to be Christmas time, so obviously that means suffering through the freezing cold and pounding your legs into submission. Oh, and beer of course. Here's how it goes, I'll place the line, then you say that you think I'll either go over that time or under (you can add a specific time if you like). It's that simple. If you're wrong, then you buy me a beer (we're going with Dogfish Head 90 minute IPA this time). If you're right, then I buy you a beer.

The line for Hellgate will be set at 14 hours and 12 minutes. I came to that conclusion by looking at the times of the racers that finish around where I typically do and gave myself 10 minutes (most of these folks have run 100 miles or 100k and it wasn't their first go at it like me). I realize that I could be over ambitious on the time, but if I set it any higher I don't think there would be as much draw to pick the over. If all goes well, hopefully I'll make the under, but I'm not going to gun it out of the starting gate like I've done for many a 50 miler.

This looks to be my biggest race for a while (this next summer could be sparce for me in terms of racing) so I hope to make the best of it and show the East Coasters how we roll in CO. Some info on the course to help you make the decision on where I fall:

Elevation gain - 13,500'
Length - 66.6 miles (4.6 of extra fun)
Start time - Midnight

Most accurate course info including Google Earth track.

Now let the wagering begin...

Quick Note/Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-28T20:55:00.000-08:00

I've been up in Evergreen on the eastern border of the Pike National Forest for the past 5 days and have been out of touch with most things, and I couldn't be happier. While I had a bit of a stiffer first taper week (only 50 miles), I got to spend a lot of quality time with my Dad and Mom, as well as my wife and son. My parents had rented a cabin/home for the holiday and we were tucked into the hillside nicely at 8800' with unbelievable weather and views.

I did get out for a few runs while up in the hills and they were incredible. T-day was a run with the wife where we ran through the neighborhood (friggin' steep) to the NF access trail and then up the side of the mountain (I ran a bit further, then smoked it back to meet Rachel) topping out at 10,100' with relatively little snow, amazing for November. The next day I ran a few miles further and ended up in the Mt. Evans wilderness (10,500'), couldn't help but think of getting all the way to Evans and back from Evergreen proper... Probably need company for that though, I've been seeing too many severed deer legs out on the trails...

The runs were just what I needed and free of any other traffic minus two dog walkers (who were surprised as hell to see me). I never knew that there were trail-heads to the NF in Evergreen but they are right there for the taking... I'm in the nervous but it's too late for any major changes now stage in preparing for Hellgate, so I've got to commit the course to memory as much as I can, and trust that I've done the work. I'm excited to race, really just excited to run far and free. I'll get the over/under up this week so folks can get ready to buy me some beer.

Catching up on the blogs tomorrow, hope your holiday was as great as mine.