mile zero

Waiting for the Barkley Start

2011-04-01T13:09:00.000-07:00

"When your body starts to betray you and you feel totally defeated mentally, remember this: You are not this body. You are not these thoughts. You are a beautiful and perfect soul deeply connected to a much larger universe. And running five loops at Barkley is but a drop in the ocean of all of the Self's potential achievements. So. You will keep going.

Try, as best you can, not to identify with the body or with the thoughts. Get connected to something much, much bigger than the small self. Let the mind empty of everything else."

-Anon

Barkley Training Grounds

2011-01-04T13:28:00.000-08:00

I think I've found my Barkley training grounds. Lands End in Duke Forest off of Whitfield Rd in Chapel Hill. Not more than 100 feet of elevation change at a time, but it's steep and overgrown. 2mph is pretty good progress. Wash, Rinse, Repeat...

2011 Training Schedule

2011-01-03T14:21:00.000-08:00

"Pre-training" in January, then a 9 week cycle for Barkley, 3 weeks REST (i.e. basking in glory, conducting interviews, etc.), then a 9 week cycle for Western States.

I have some thoughts on what I'd do if I get into Hardrock, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there... Lottery on 2/5.

Appalachian and Bartram Trails 12/31

2011-01-03T14:03:00.000-08:00

Had a great New Year's Eve run with Matt Kirk, David Dirito, Carl Laniak, Mohamed Idlibi, and Scott Brockmeier. 27ish snowy, slushy miles starting from Nantahala Lake on the Bartram trail, linking up with the AT and continuing to the Nantahala Outdoor Center in 6 hrs.

Lots of fog and snow...

With David "Balto" Dirito

Barkley "Condolences"

2011-01-03T13:46:00.000-08:00

with our sincerest condolences;

we regret to inform you of your great misfortune during the drawing for the 2011 barkley 100 miler. it was your execrable bad luck to be selected to have your hopes painfully dashed on the course (most likely while being miserable, cold, and both mentally and physically damaged.) raw chicken will be served on Friday, april 1, with the conch to sound sometime after midnight for a Saturday april 2 start which will follow an hour later.

personal bugle serenades will begin shortly thereafter.

may your personal choice of deities have mercy on you.

should you come to your senses …
or have the good luck to be provided (or able to manufacture) a plausible excuse for withdrawing now, or at any time prior to the actual running of the event, please inform us at the earliest possible time.
although it defies logic, there is a lengthy weight list of individuals who honestly believe that they want to exchange places with you.

regretfully yours,

laz

Some things to remember

2010-12-11T07:18:00.000-08:00

A few things I learned last night while experimenting in cold, dark, Barkley-ish conditions:

Loose fitting, fibrous clothing snags on brambles and branches really easily. Hats too. This is bad for the clothing (I ripped a merino wool base layer) and slows you down.
I love wearing a headlamp on my waist to see the profile of the trail, but when you're ducking under trees and scampering around the light get's covered up or misdirected. Hands do need to be free, so going back to headlamp on head.
I really need to work on flexibility and muscle groups not typically recruited while "running".
I don't generate as much heat when moving slowly over/through tough terrain. Need to dress a little warmer than usual.

Foothills Trail (77mi) Report

2010-11-23T10:20:00.000-08:00

I finished the Foothills Trail 77M on Sat in 19:48. That's currently the 3rd fastest known time (FKT) according to Jason Sullivan's records here, but there will definitely be faster crossings coming as more people discover this gem! Matt Kirk holds onto the record and the 2nd fastest time pretty comfortably. Even more impressed with his 16:52 after seeing the course.

Byron Backer, Richard Lilly and I started out at about 3:15am from Table Rock. The first and most significant climb of the day felt really good. A few miles in Byron stopped to strip off a layer and told me to keep going. I was a little worried about wayfinding, having never seen the course before, but after switching my headlamp from waist to head I found the white blazes and signage to be very good.

Some highlights:

mi 6ish there was a Marmot vs Skunk standoff that lasted until I threw a stick in his direction and he ran off trail into the underbrush.
mi 9.7 at 2:05 into the run I met Jason Sullivan and his son Luke. It was great to see these guys and know that they'd be there for the day. This was a huge boost. They gave me some hot chocolate, refilled my bottles, and sent me on my way to Laurel Valley.
Mi 12ish I came upon a bunch of wild turkeys roosting in a tree. It was still dark and I couldn't see them, which made it even spookier when they took off and made all kinds of noise.
mi 14.5 I hit the road in 3:01 (coincidentally, my 2009 Uwharrie 40 halfway split) and got up to the Laurel Valley parking lot where Jason and Joe Parker had a great spread including some soup. I was feeling pretty good and told them I'd try to hold this pace through LV in case they were trying to predict timing when I'd see them next at mi 48.
miles 14.5-48 were through the Laurel Valley where there is no vehicle access (well, there's some boat access) and I had to carry all that I needed to eat plus SteriPEN to sterilize my water, compass, lights, whistle, flint, maps, extra layers... basically all the stuff I'd want if something went wrong. This section went very smoothly and I even got to run with some other folks for a while. Got off course 3 or 4 times, but didn't loose more than 20-30 mins total fumbling around.
mi 27.8 I saw a sign with mileage and realized I was moving slower than I expected. I thought I had been moving pretty well too! The trail just never seemed to really open up for long stretches and 4mph was about all I could average comfortably & safely.
mi 48 came after some tough climbing around the Whitewater river. I thought I was wrapping this section up and then saw a sign that said 2.3 mi to go. The terrain was pretty flat along the river and I thought ok I'll knock this out quickly. Wrong. This was the longest 2.3 miles of the day and I can now see why so many people drop at the top! At the top I was greeted by a big crowd including Jason and son luke, Psyche and her son Leopold (who had made a big "Go Marmot" sign), Charles Raffensperger, Joe Parker and Scott Hodukavich. Wow! What great treatment. I got a grilled cheese, soup, ginger ale, banana, expresso beans... I don't usually eat this well at home!
mi 48-52.6 had a nice climb that let me digest my big lunch and then a great descent into Sloan Bridge where I saw Psyche, Charles and Leopold again. Charles gave me some great tips on the section to come and I was off for some of the best running of the day. The trail was a little technical here at times, but I was feeling great and knew I'd have company again after this short 3.3 mi section.
mi 56ish was Fish Hatchery and Psyche, Charles and Leopold boosted me on my way again. I made good time again on this 3.9 mile section still feeling pretty good and staying ahead of sunset to enjoy the relatively good footing here. I finally flicked on my light toward the end as I was coming down into Burrell's Ford.
mi 60ish Burrell's Ford - I found a note and some Gatorade from Heyward Douglass, the Chairman of the 2008 Guide to the Foothills Trail! This was really cool. Heyward is intimately involved in the trails here and I had spent countless hours studying the maps and directions in the guide. I had bumped into him at Laurel Valley the day before and had a nice chat. What a boost! Charles and Psyche gave me some more tips on the Burrell's Ford section ahead which was a tough 10.4 miles. Psyche says she actually likes this section, and to be fair, it is lovely listening to the Chatooga river gurgle by and the moon reflecting just made it magical. However... this section seemed to go on FOREVER. There were a couple times I swear I was going around in circles. The course twists and winds around and my sense of direction in the dark after 60 miles started to get flaky. When the trail finally comes back around to the road it approaches and retreats like a wild animal, climbing a little more before finally dumping out to Cheohee Rd.
mi 70.5 At Cheohee Rd the whole gang was there including Byron who had dropped at 48. Judging by the depth of coals in the fire they had been here a while! It was quite a party and hard to leave, but only 6 miles to wrap it up and I was feeling energized again.
mi 77 After a lot of great running and a tremendous fall a mile from the finish I finally wrapped this section up and exclaimed "Someone needs to Garmin that sucka!" This section must be longer than advertised. I was greeted by the whole gang again and there was much fanfare and flashing of cameras. Whew. What fun!

This was a really special run. It will take me a while longer to process it, but there's something really cool about this genre of ultra. It's a beautiful trail and a worthy challenge, but beyond that it's the community and the purity of the challenge that stands out. For the amount of time on trail some folks will expect a buckle, but I found that the friendships and little keepsakes like the "Go Marmot" poster Leopold made and the note from Heyward Douglas are far more rewarding.

Some pictures from the day...

Foothills Trail (FHT)

2010-10-29T12:18:00.000-07:00

I'm starting to get my act together for a shot at the Foothills 77 Mi Trail on Nov 20th. Here's some more info about the trail and history of the run.

I've got USGS maps for the Table Rock, Eastatoe Gap, Reid and Cashiers quadrangles up in my office and have ordered the Tamaassee and Walhalla quadrants just East of Satolah. I don't think the course strays into Satolah, but may need that one too. There's an actual trail map available at the Foothillstrail.org site that I ordered, 'cause the trail ain't on the USGS maps!

Jason Sullivan tells me the FHT is marked very well and they just added over 30 new trail signs about a month ago. The only two tricky sections are the 9 miles along the Chattooga (Burrell's Ford to Cheohee Rd.) and three miles between Virginia Hawkins & Laurel Falls. The trail is blazed well, even through these sections, but there are some sharp turns to watch out for.

Here's Jason's description of each section:

1. Table Rock (14.5 Miles) starts with a steep 4 mile climb, levels off, then steadily climbs to Sassafras Mt. (SC's Highest Peak). After this, you have 5 miles of nice downhills. Possible aid points at 9.5 and at the end of this section.

2. Laurel Valley (33.5 Miles) begins in a gravel parking lot off HWY 178. This section is very strenuous and remote. There are no support areas through here so you need to stock up before heading in. After the initial climb from the parking lot you will have some nice runnable single track & fire-road for about 8-9 miles. There is a tough climb at the end of the section that brings you out at Whitewater Falls around mile 48.

3. Whitewater Falls to Burrell's Ford (12.5 Miles). 3 mile switchback climb out of WWF which takes you to a road crossing called Sloan's Bridge. Support can be had here. Some of this section is technical, but after the initial climb from WWF, there are no more major climbs in this section. As you leave Sloan's Bridge you head gradually uphills towards the Fish Hatchery which is about 3.3 miles. Aid can be had here too. From here there is an awesome 3.5 mile downhill section towards Burrell's Ford where you meet up with the Chattooga river. Aid is possible here too.

4. Burrell's Ford To Oconee State Park (16.3 Miles). There are no major climbs in this section either. However, the trail does get rather technical in places along the river. There is no support areas through here until you reach Cheeohee road about 9 miles in. The trail is moderate to easy for the final 6-7 miles.

So, Aid/Crew Access is avaialable at:

-Sassafrass Mt. 9.7 Miles
-Laurel Valley Access 14.5 Miles
-Upper Whitewater Falls 48 Miles
-Sloan Bridge 52.6 Miles
-Fish Hatchery 56 Miles
-Burrell's Ford 60 Miles
-Cheohee Road 72 Miles

That section through Laurel Valley looks like the hitch... 33.5 miles without aid is never anything to sneeze at. Going to have to add a new water purification system to my birthday wish list!

Now to round up some crew!

Hanging out with Laz / Thoughts on The Barkley

2010-10-29T10:52:00.000-07:00

I was fortunate to have some time on Sunday morning after Laz's Backyard Ultra to hang out with him (and his little dog, Little) and enjoy the "backyard" at a somewhat slower pace. We talked about the race, dogs, the caves around his property, some stone steps that he's working on and... The Barkley. Laz has a beautiful home and one of the coolest "yards" I've been allowed into. Some pictures below from the morning.

The Barkley conversation left a mark...

I have been interested in The Barkley for a while now but have been non-committal about taking any kind of real shot at it. For one thing, it felt a little presumptuous to intend to actually finish. Especially without ever seeing the course or talking about it with someone who did. (I have met finishers Horton, Wood and recently JB, although we didn't talk about Barkley). I thought the "fun run" (3 loop, 100k for "women, children, and wimps") might be a good goal, but that otherwise it might just be fun to go in prepared for and expecting humiliation (which is to say, not prepared at all). I think there have been >700 people now that have attempted the Barkley since 1986 and only 9 finishes within the 60hr cutoff. No shame in not finishing then, right?!

Well, right, but here's the thing. You still have to step correct. For me, this means some specific training and learning as much about the course and area as possible before race day (around April Fools Day). And, it means setting out on race day with the intention of not giving up. Flipping the grit bit. After talking with Laz about the vibe at Frozen Head when someone actually finishes... seeing that gleam in his eye when he talks about those who have... well, it's clear this challenge deserves nothing less than 100%.

So, keep a close watch on your license plates my NC friends.

Description of The Barkley from a bootleg copy of the entry form...

"What is it you are looking for in a race? Do you want huge crowds of gushing admirers? How about sumptuous aid stations, with a huge selection of goodies? Do you want to succeed and think of yourself as god-like? Maybe you want sympathy and consolation in the event you should fall short? Perhaps you are seeking well-marked, broad, and smooth footpaths? You might even be seeking an event where your pacer can hold your little hand and coax you thru the rough spots? Then throw this away and take the Barkley off your race list.

On the other hand,if you are looking for a racing experience that has been compared to being punched in the face for 60 hours, if you truly desire to be bruised, cut, battered, and left to lonesome hopelessness, on godforsaken trails in the middle of no-where, in the middle of the night, this might be the ticket. If you dream of clinging to a rocky hillside in pitch black darkness and/or impenetrable fog, in a freezing downpour, listening to your teeth chatter and wondering exactly where in the hell you are, then this might be just the race for you. If you want to return home to scorn from so-called trail runners without the nads to even read this entry form, you are on the right track. If you want to don your race-shirt at the next event, and have other runners move away from you, for fear they will be contaminated, this is definitely something to consider."

This space Intentionally left blank

Race Rebort: Laz's Backyard Ultra

2010-10-29T06:59:00.000-07:00

Summary: 2nd place finish with 56.5 miles on a variety of running surfaces including bushwhacking, newly cut trails, fields, and some road. Some representative pictures of each of these below...

I felt most at home on the cut trails but really enjoyed the bushwhacking (despite nearly bleeding out after the first loop). The roads were not as scary as I had imagined, but still my least favorite.

The lead pack including Will, Case, Carl and I set out on a good pace for the initial 2.5mi road section of the North Loop, arriving at the field and cut trail all together. The lead swapped around every time someone took a wrong turn here and I think I was a couple back when we crawled through a hole in a fence and began the singletrack section over some interesting exposed rock (picture to left). I danced into the lead and stretched it out a little through here. Case later remarked that I took off so fast on this section he didn't even notice I was gone. I think that was probably just because we were all watching our feet so closely! It was great toward the end of this section seeing Laz and some of the race volunteers as they cheered us through the woods. It took 49 minutes to complete the 5.5 mi North Loop the first time and then it was out on the more challenging terrain of the 4 mi South Loop.

I burned a few minutes trying to figure out how to begin the South Loop, backtracking to the start at one point and shouting to Laz, "Hey, where's the course go?". Definitely should have taken a look at the course before the race started. Will and Carl caught up to me here and probably had a good laugh as I was approached by a feral pit bull looking mongrel dog(i.e. the TN welcome committee ). This thing would not leave me alone so I picked up and started swinging a big stick. Finally I got away and started bushwhacking my way through the briers and brush. Will was just behind me and we overlapped a few times as I would stop and scurry about looking for markers. (Note: Terrible race strategy to be out in front at this point!). I finally got back to the start/finish concluding the 1st full figure 8 loop in 1:30 (World Record). The race volunteers were a little shocked to see anyone and said, "did you miss a turn or something?!", to which I had to laugh... "No, I missed about 10 turns, and had to backtrack to get back on 'course'"!

The next figure 8 started with a reverse direction North Loop. 20 or 30 minutes in I saw Carl and Will coming at me with Paul Melzer not far behind. First thought was: Hey, this is a reverse loop, right? They confirmed that it was, but that I must have missed a turn and got back on course going the wrong direction. This seemed unlikely to me at the time since I felt like I had always been following markers, but there are sections of the North Loop that are like cerebral cortex and I probably left course briefly and picked up markers again without even noticing. (Drat, burned my lead). Carl later said I probably picked up an extra .6mi. I have no idea. Carl and Will were engrossed in a conversation about something at this point and somehow I had gotten in between them and was making it harder for them to communicate, so I asked Will if I could step through. I kept a small lead back to the start and we all headed out together on a reverse South Loop. I finally regained some sense here and settled into a nice pace with Carl and Will on point. Much easier to follow them than find the markers myself! At this point we were already able to see the beginnings of a trail forming. (This would continue until later in the day someone described the South Loop as a "Superhighway" ... at least compared to the first pass through.) Will, Carl and I wrapped up this loop together and headed back out on the North Loop again in the initial CCW direction with Will and Carl gapping me on the road.
I lost sight of Will and Carl when we got to the field and singletrack sections of the 3rd North Loop. I was carrying 1 bottle here and thought I was drinking about half a bottle at the start/finish aid station, so I was surprised to notice that I was pretty dehydrated. This got worse as the loop progressed and by time I got back to the start I was in the ditch. Novice mistake. A smart person even tried to warn me about this and I still blew it. I happily accepted a second hand bottle here and spent some time trying to get some more fluids down. My North Loops at this point were 49, 1:04 and now 1:07, but I had been off course that 2nd one so my pace was slowing worse than it looks.

One more South loop in 50 minutes and an out and back got me to the 50k in 5:37. My South Loop splits were 40, 43, and 50 - definitely some dehydration slowing me down there.

2 more figure 8s brought me to the 50M point in 9:23. I got my North Loops back to 1:01s and South Loops were very comfortably 50 and 56 with some walking and fw conversations with folks going the other way (John Price and Abi Meadows). When I got back to the start Carl was wearing pants and lounging in a chair. I congratulated him on some fantastic running and let him know I wasn't quite done yet. I thought maybe he'd want to join me for another loop, but he was pretty satisfied with the day and his weekly mileage in prep for Mother Road 100 coming up. Carl's the man. Vol State Winner a couple yrs ago and super nice guy.

I took one last easy North Loop in 1:16, doing some walking and taking in the sights. I went reverse direction from Will so I saw he was ahead by a couple miles and knew there was no catching him with time remaining. When I got back to the start I had 55.6 miles and Will had taken off on one more South Loop to try to get as close as he could to the 100k mark. Carl had a pretty firm grip on 3rd place but had to put his flip flops on and walk a couple of the .5 mi out and back sections to hold off Paul Melzer. I opened a Two Hearted Ale and joined the shenanigans, adding another mile for 56.6 total for a podium finish in my only race in 2010!

This weekend was a total blast. The course, the volunteers, the support, perfect weather... Great crowd of Hardrock/Barkley/Vol State veterans and up and comers. And Laz...the whole Cantrell Clan really including Sandra, Case, and Amy... just priceless. Couldn't ask for more in a weekend. Some very special people came together to support this madness. People who do this because it is simply what they enjoy doing with their time. Hoping to spend a lot more time with these folks in the years to come. Thanks all!

Final Results that Laz sent out:
1) will taggart 61 miles
2) joe lea 56.5
3) carl laniak 51
4) paul melzer 50.5
5) mark dorion 47
6) abi meadows 44.5
7) shannon burke 41
8) case cantrell 40
9) josh weisner 36.5
10) john price 35.5
11) leonard martin 33.5
12) thomas nagies 33
13) michael hall, iliana dimitrova, diane taylor, mike potter, susan thompson, stuart gleman, mike dobies, naresh kumar, mike melton, mike o'melia, mike samuelson, steve durbin 31

Laz's Backyard Ultra

2010-10-05T13:53:00.000-07:00

Getting excited about Laz's Backyard Ultra coming up 10/23. Not much known about the event yet since this will be the first year, but with Gary Cantrell at the helm it promises to be *unique*.

The event will be sunup to sundown in and around Laz's property on a 9.5 mile figure 8 course including:

2.5 miles flat & fast
3.0 miles cleared undulating trail
2.0 miles flat cow pasture
2.0 miles uncleared hilly trail

After every 3 laps there will be a bonus 2.5 miles of flat fast road. (Some people like this kind of thing, but this worries me far more than "uncleared hilly trail").

Laz calculates that 50 km will consists of:

10 miles flat & fast road
9 miles "fast" trail
6 miles cow pasture
6 miles "slow" trail

50 miles would be:

15 miles fast road
15 miles fast trail
10 miles cow pasture
10 miles slow trail

And 100k is 50k doubled.... Math is fun!

No idea what to expect here. That's a lot of variety in healthy doses. Being not particularly good at anything may work to my advantage! I think I can handle the trail, the pasture, and the uncleared trail, but, okay, I've never run more than a couple miles on pavement at any given time. Seriously. I skipped the whole 5k, 10k, half & marathon thing and the thought of running 15-20 miles on pavement in one day is as mind boggling to me as Virginius Pass is to your average NYC Marathoner. So, good. Every good race pushes you out of your comfort zone a little.

Goals?? #1 Prove to the world that Polyester collared shirts are not only stylish, but are actually THE next big thing in endurance sportswear. #2 Win. #3 Figure out how to get into Barkley.

Tap tap tap... is this thing on?

2010-10-04T14:36:00.000-07:00

Hello? Testing, testing...

Wow, been a while since I've posted anything here. Not much to report this year. After having some arthroscopic surgery last year to address some meniscus issues I wound up taking a long, frustrating break. Lots of single digit mileage weeks. Some 0 mileage weeks.

Tried to rally in Jan... did an 8 mile run in the snow under a big moon (spectacular) and my knee was quite sore afterward. Drat.

Ran 13 miles in Feb.

Tried to rally in March... Fail. Longest run was pacing Robert "Kerndog" Kern 1 loop at Umstead 100. It was also great to see Warwick "Morph" Ames and Bill "Icarus" Vanca finish their 1st 100 milers. What a group!

April and May were not good (don't even ask). Finally, at end of May, with the help and advice of my Guru Physical Therapist Brian Beatty I got on the bike, refocused on PT and started running short distances every other day. We settled on August as the timeframe when I could start to think about doing any real training again.

By June I was feeling a little better. Paced my friend Jeff "Wackus" Patterson through his first 100 at Old Dominion. He did it! Awesome job with only 30% slowing in the 2nd half. Toward the end he was really pushing to get under 24 and calculating pace... just completely in the middle of it all. As much pain as he was in late in the race, I would have given anything to trade places with him.

Around the same time in June I got my arse handed to me on some group ride with bunch of people I didn't know (I will have my revenge on you people.) That fueled some hill repeats on the bike that brought back some cardio and leg strength and I started feeling a little better on the trail.

Mid July I was back at Hardrock to pace my friend Kean "Gumbi" Hankins. I was on the waitlist and actually got pretty close, but wouldn't have started. Seeing the views from Handies Peak in the San Juans fueled the fire some more. I talked to some marmots who were very nice. On one of the last days there I made the climb up to Grant Swamp Pass with Janet "Plank" Hankins and then in a moment of divine inspiration sprinted down to Island Lake, dove in and swam out the the island rock. "That wasn't a swim, it was a Baptism."

By the end of July I couldn't contain it any longer and set out on a spree of 20 milers every other day for a couple weeks. "Just until I get into shape" I said. And "I'm only running every other day." Slow. Cautious. Soft, even surfaces. Fitness came back quickly at first and then the excitement of being able to run was gradually replaced by the realization that it would take a loong time and a lot of hard work to get back to where I was mid 2009, let alone improve. Still, I was running again and could look back on my logbook and track my progress against old training run PRs and it helped to see improvements come in weeks that took months in '06 & '07.

Weekly long runs got longer throughout August. 20, 25, 30, 30. I discovered the all night run... put the kids to bed, go for a 7-10 hr run. Bit snakey at night this time of year it turns out. How this tactic escaped me in the past I'll never know! It's a thing of beauty when done right (trick is to stockpile sleep for a few days leading up to it). Having TrailHeads friends like Adam "Dorph" Byerly and Kurt "Snuffy" Rosencrantz out there all night made it pretty fun too.

Then in Sept, I logged two 40 milers in the same week rounding out 161 mile week. Time to sign up for something, but what? I saw an email on the ultralist from Gary "Laz" Cantrell about something he called the Backyard Ultra. I couldn't find any information (all the more interesting) so I sent him an email to ask when it would be (it's 10/23). No response. Next email from him on this to the ultralist had the date and the list of entrants, including my name! It's an 11 hr (sunup to sundown) race on mixed surfaces (more on that later). Ok... that's good for something different and I don't feel like throwing my name in the hat for any buckle races quite yet.

Wrapped up Sept with some great running and a beautiful wedding in Telluride, CO. I got back to some of my favorite passes including Grant Swamp, Oscars, and Virginius. Then the last day went back up Bear Creek Trail above Ouray. This place gets harder and harder to leave every time!

October started out well with some pacing at Grindstone for my friend Adam "Dorph" Byerly who completed his first 100 miler! Very cool course. Yes, I do a lot of pacing: It's fun, helpful, and very educational. I think I've paced something like 14 people now and learn something every time.

So, here we are, October 5th, the 1 yr anniversary of hearing that I would need arthroscopic surgery and some "time off". If my calculations are correct I'm about back to where I was in early 2008. Coming up on 1000 miles for the year (vs 2800+ in '08 and 2000 jan-aug '09).

Okay, that's the year to date. Bit of a brain dump, but there you go. Shorter posts from now on...

2010!

2010-01-17T06:21:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's been a while since I posted! Lots has happened...

1) Cascade Crest 100 - Fantastic event, highly recommended! Started out with a goal of beating the sun, but just never really recovered from Hardrock and didn't have it in me. Every 100 has been a completely different experience and all amazing in their own ways. This one was about running with friends and sharing the experience. Finished with fellow Trailheads Willow and Gilly who rocked their first 100s. So proud of these guys and the whole Trailheads Ultra Distance "team" that came out to Cascade Crest: Ringo, Bobcat, Icarus, Gilly, Willow, Blade, and Gumbi.

2) Knee injury! Crap. After 3 100s and >2000 training miles in the first 8 months of the year I tear medial meniscus jumping into bed wrong. Groan. Dr. Alex Creighton at UNC described it as "a bad medial meniscus tear that was not repairable". He took out 50-60% of the posterior horn... set the expectation that I'd be able to "gradually progress with rehab, returning to running 4-6 months" after surgery and that I'd have "some risk for medial joint line discomfort in the future" if I continue to run the miles I do. This was not easy to swallow.

3) 2009 training in review - averaged almost 60 mpw through August, then dropped all the way to 7 mpw average the last 16 weeks of the year including a stretch of 5 weeks without any running at all. Biking was fun until it got cold. Swam a little, but feeling very been-there-done-that about it. Finally got in some tempo runs the last couple weeks of the year and found I'm a about 45 sec per mile off my peak. This was a little encouraging given the lack of training. In all honesty, running is still a little rough and I wonder if I'll ever get back to 100%.

4) 2010 plans. Didn't get selected in the Western States Lottery. Dang it. This year is 10 years after I ran Western as my first 100. Very excited that fellow Trailhead Willow got in though and can't wait to see how that goes. 2 more lotteries coming up next month: Hardrock and Wasatch. I'm not expecting 2010 to be a particularly good year in terms of performance, but still want to get out there and finish at least one more of the hard Mountain 100s. If I get shut out of Hardrock and Wasatch I think I'll sign up for Bear. Planning on going out to Bighorn to help pace or possibly run one of the shorter distances (and hassle them for my Rusty Spurs award from 2008 that I never got in the mail!).

Training Log

2009-08-08T19:05:00.000-07:00

Looking back on the mileage leading up to each of the 100s I've done in the past year or so...

wk	Bighorn	Moab	Hardrock	Cascade
1	100	32	100	45
2	100	53	100	109
3	68	12	91	10
4	85	75	64	37
5	74	38	95	66
6	60	60	67	70
7	36	67	38	58
8	21	31	45	22
race	109	115	109	110

HARDROCK 100 2009

2009-07-17T12:02:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to say I finished Hardrock! My goal was 35hrs and I came in with 20mins to spare in 22nd place. I'm still babbling to myself but the fits of crying and laughing are coming less frequently. In a week or so I may even be able to post a report. For now, here are 3 videos (the only ones) that I took on race day. Enjoy!

The Grit Bit

2009-07-09T18:36:00.000-07:00

The grit bit is an internal binary system that can be toggled on and off under the right circumstances, sometimes intentionally, but more often in reaction to some external stress. When the grit bit is off we are driven to seek comfort, familiarity, and ice cream. With the Grit Bit on we are able to lift cars off little children, saw off our own limbs, and listen to the Diane Rehm show in its entirety. To turn the Grit Bit on intentionally is of varying difficulty, depending entirely on individual differences. As a rule, the more intelligent the person, the more difficult it is to simply flip the Grit Bit on at will.

At 0600 MTN time tomorrow the grit bit will be flipped.

Gold Hill 12,725

2009-07-06T21:15:00.000-07:00

I took a short hike up 2,250 to Gold Hill above Mountain Village today. Spectacular views of the Telluride Bear Creak up to Oscar's Pass portion of the Hardrock course. I took a lunch and lounged around at altitude for a while. Captured a 360 degree video...

Kamm Traverse to the Nute Chute on the Hardrock Course

2009-07-05T10:02:00.001-07:00

I met up with fellow Hardrocker Bob Combs around the Mineral Creek crossing yesterday and after continuing together about a mile in the reverse course direction we decided we should run point to point from KT Aid Station back to Mineral Creek crossing, mile 89.0 to 98.5 of the '09 Hardrock Course. So, that's what we did...

I took a lot of video on this section and really tried to study the lay of the land on the advice of Hardrock veterans Jim Ballard, Scott Brockmeyer and Geoff Scott. I found the trail to be well marked, but if you hit this at night and have the misfortune of having marmots or elk take out a marker or two, this could be tough. There are numerous cross-country sections where you either have to know the general direction you are going or hop marker to marker.

Here are some of my favorite videos from the day...

And links to many more videos of this section for those studying up!

Bear Creek Trail Work Party on the Hardrock Course

2009-07-04T06:43:00.000-07:00

Had a great time yesterday meeting folks and working on the famous Bear Creek Trail above Ouray at about the middle of the Hardrock Course. It seems every day I say "This is my favorite part of the course!". I really hope I can get here with enough light left to run parts of this section.

Some video from the day:

This is just majestic...

Geoff "Ringo" Scott (HRH '05 Finisher) showing me where not to step on the Bear Creek trail!

Joe Prusaitis almost scares me over the edge here...

Our trail work party led by Rick Trujillo. Here are Geoff "Ringo" Scott, Julian Jamison and 08 HRH finisher John finishing up some "cribbing"...

... and some links to more videos for those who want to see more of this section:

Ophir Pass Rd to Oscar's Pass on the Hardrock Course

2009-07-02T21:25:00.000-07:00

I made a quick trip up to Oscar's Pass from Ophir Pass Rd (reverse direction) today with Hardrock '05 veteran Geoff "Ringo" Scott. The trip up was uneventful, switching back and forth on a steep old jeep road 2.5 miles, 2500ish feet.

When we neared the top a few thunderstorms moved into the area. The first one passed off to the West but dropped the temperature considerably. Once on top we enjoyed the view of Bridal Veil Basin and crossed over to the Wasatch Saddle where we could look down on the Telluride Bear Creak. At this point another Thunderstorm came up from the South and started pelting us with very cold (near ice) rain. I was happy to switch into my rain gear, having learned my lesson on preparedness many times over during the past couple weeks.

Course markings were pretty good even in the reverse direction and someone even cut steps in the snow toward the top of Oscar's Pass and in Bridal Veil Basin. Those were awesome! I'm hoping steps will show up in Grant-Swamp Pass too. Thanks Trail Fairies!

Some video from today:

Telluride to Oscar's Pass on the Hardrock Course

2009-07-01T15:23:00.001-07:00

There's a beautiful section of trail up to Oscar's Pass from Telluride. Starts out on a gentle road (Telluride Bear Creek Rd) and then links up with the singletrack Wasatch Trail about 2 miles up. 6.5 miles up and +4390' took 2:15 and I came back down in 1:15 including a lot of video!

Here are some of my favorite videos from the day...

Lots more on YouTube if you want to see...

Iron Springs to Grant-Swamp Pass on the Hardrock Course

2009-06-30T22:16:00.000-07:00

I started at Iron Springs/Swamp Canyon road yesterday with a goal of sneaking a peak at Island Lake, just over Grant-Swamp Pass. Wow. I had no idea this was one of the more challenging passes on the course - especially tough this year as the counter-clockwise direction puts us there at mile 85! I met 7 time Hardrock finisher Joe Prusatis and his wife Joyce at the top of the pass. While we enjoyed the view of Island Lake Joe gave me some sage advice... "watch out, this race can be addicting."

I took a ton of video. Here are a few of my favorites...

For those interested in seeing more of this section of the Hardrock Course:

Ouray to Virginius on the Hardrock Course

2009-06-25T07:19:00.000-07:00

I made the big climb (~5000ft) from Ouray to Virginius Mine and back yesterday in a little under 5 hrs. Basically 10 miles up, 10 miles down mainly on gravel, forest roads. A spectacular section! I stopped to take a bunch of video along the way. Here are a few videos showing what the conditions were like coming into Governor Basin...

The snow is receding from the road and it is easily passed up through the turnoff to Sydney Basin. With all the runoff, it's pretty wet right now, but after crossing Governor Basin Stream (calf high waters yesterday) your feet are going to be wet anyway...

A little further on there were a few snowfields that covered the road completely.

Then a steep snowfield where the course description indicates that we take a "short cut to meet the Virginius Mine road again after it has made a long switchback" and "climb steeply up the slope". (My first glissade experience down this on the way back... that was hilariously fun, but next time I'd like to keep the snow out of my shorts, thank you.)

And finally, standing on the Virginius Mine dump, a 360 degree view starting and ending with what I *think* should be virginius Pass. Great views of Mendota peak, St Sophia Ridge, Governor Basin, Stony Mtn...

And of course, you can see the dark clouds moving in because it is June in the San Juan's and I'm over 12k ft. I'm now 3 for 3 and this week's forecast calls for isolated or scattered T-storms every day! At least there was no lightening this time and the rain was actually pretty nice on the long run back to Ouray.

Telluride to Mendota Peak Excursion

2009-06-24T07:48:00.000-07:00

Toaday was my first day setting foot on the Hardrock course! Of course I took pictures, videos, and collected a few momentos... I've been building this race up in my mind for 10 years now and it's just a dream to actually be here in the San Juan's. Every time I look out at the mountains I pinch myself and am reminded of the good fortune to have the means to be here and the support from my family to live out this life dream. Okay, enough with the mushy...

Started out in Telluride yesterday under partly cloudy skies with a plan to head up to the Governor Basin area. This is the reverse direction the course takes this year and following the course description backwards (at altitude) kinda hurt my head, especially toward the top. Having skipped boyscouts as a kid, it was not until last weekend at San Juan Solstice that I learned the real virtues of being PREPARED! For this excursion I packed a day pack with rain pants, gloves, rain coat, rain hat, an extra layer and lots of fluids. The pack was a little heavier than I like to travel, but good training if nothing else! On the way up to Mendota I had the thought of putting some more rocks in my pack for a real workout, but the thought quickly passed. Day 4 at altitude and I'm still feeling it on the climbs!

I spent a lot more time looking at the map and the course description than I thought I would. I picked my way through what seemed like a few back yards in Telluride and then quickly got up to Tomboy Rd. At the Jud Wiebe trail intersection I was not sure whether to continue on the forest road or head off on some singletrack, but guessed right and stayed on the road. There was another split in the forest road higher up that was a little more of a puzzler, but again I guessed right, finally working my way up beneath Mendota Peak and Sophia Ridge. At this point I noticed some very dark clouds heading my way so I smugly changed from shorts and t-shirt into my rain gear and then took a couple short videos...

First video is 360 degrees of Mendota Peak, Sophia Ridger, Greenback Mountain, etc.

The next video is looking South back toward Telluride and the oncoming rain.

I holed up during the heavy rains in this old mine entrance. At least, I think that's what it is... from the map it looks like this was Smuggler's Mine, but not 100% sure. It was a nice hideout! After about 20 minutes the heavy rains and lightening passed by and I made my descent back into Telluride through light rains.

That's 2/3 excursions in the San Juans where I've encountered unexpected weather. I've either got to get better at tuning into the weather forecasting in this area or get used to the idea of running with a day pack.

San Juan Solstice

2009-06-21T08:45:00.000-07:00

I got a serious wake up call during my first adventure into the San Juan Mountains yesterday - The San Juan Solstice 50 Miler. This is one of the most scenic, challenging, and best directed races I've ever participated in. Five stars. I'm happy to have completed just 40 miles of it this year as part of my Hardrock 100 training and hope to be back some day to race it.

The day started out well, running with fellow Trailhead David "Balto" Dirito who just completed his first 100 Miler last month at Massanutten.

Then around mile 23 after being joined by another Trailhead, Adam "Dorph" Byerly, it started to snow as we passed through 12,000'.

A couple miles later around 13,000' it became dangerous. Here's some video I captured when the snow slowed for a few minutes...

We were exposed out on a 9 mile section of the Continental Divide with sideways snow that was coming down so hard sometimes it was difficult to see. Footprints from the runners ahead of us disappeared in the snow along with the trail itself. At times we had to navigate marker to marker being watchful of the sheer cliffs. Dorph and I were waaaay under dressed for the conditions and hypothermia and frost nip began to take hold. Unlike many portions of the course, there was no vehicle access here. Stopping for even a minute or two was followed by a scary drop in core temperature.

Godfather of Trailheads ultrarunning, Geoff "Ringo" Scott, wisely turned back on this section when, running alone, snow conditions got so bad he couldn't see. In hindsight, this would have been a smart choice for our party as well, but we crept on at a snails pace.

When we reached the aid station at mile 31 Dorph and I darted into a heated Yurt to warm up. Shaking uncontrollably at this point I had no intention on going any further. There were about 9 other like minded runners there huddled around a wood stove. Warm in his full body length garbage bag (drum liner), Balto quickly checked on us in the Yurt and then headed back out, eventually finishing in 13:39.

After about 1.5 hrs in the Yurt the snow stopped and I felt good enough to continue. Dorph was not so sure that was a good idea, so I headed out alone, picking up a garbage bag and borrowing gloves. The next 9 mile section was great and I made it into mile 40 well under the cut off time, but mentally I was done. Legs felt great, but I had seen enough for one day and need to keep focused on Hardrock. Better to be fresh and hungry for a deep challenge there.

I later learned that Dorph reconsidered dropping at mile 31 and set out behind me only 10 or 15 minutes after I left! He eventually finished up in 15:21!

Huge congratulations to Dorph for gutting it out and finishing. This was one of the most impressive rallies I've ever seen. And congrats to Balto on a strong showing so soon after his first 100M at Massanutten last month! And to Ringo for making a very difficult, but wise decision to "Do Nothing Fatal"!

Thanks to all the race organizers and volunteers!

Training Log: Week 5 for Hardrock

2009-06-17T06:31:00.000-07:00

Desktop background of the week. Note to self: Stay on trail.

Mon: 15 miles (am: 9.5, pm: 5.5)
Easy miles in the morning followed by stairs and weights in the afternoon.
Tues: 15 miles (am: 12, pm: 3)
2 hrs of singletrack in the morning that felt effortless. Short run in the heat later in the day.
Wed: 8 miles (pm: 8)
Hot mid-day singletrack.
Thurs: 14 miles (8.5 am, pm 5.5)
Singletrack at good pace in the am followed by weights and stairs in the afternoon.
Fri: 8 miles (am: 8)
a couple faster pace miles followed by moderate pace singletrack
Sat: 26 (am: 26)
3:30 am start for 4.5 hrs total including a few stops for food/drink/conversation.
Sun: 9 (am: 4, pm: 5)
Easy singletrack in the morning and a few more easy miles after dark. Multiple coyote encounters reported Sunday including one about 1hr before I started.

Total: 95 miles

Solid week. Stepping up the weights and keeping the mileage up. A little left knee soreness after Saturday's run, but nothing serious. Next up... driving to CO today to start getting my mountain legs and lungs.

Training Log: Week 4 for Hardrock

2009-06-09T08:30:00.000-07:00

This week my desktop background picture was sent to me by a Hardrock veteran and one of the top waitlisters for this year, Will Vaughan. It was taken from the mouth of Green Valley looking south across Cunningham Gulch. The upper right (way upper right) is the trail connecting Dives Basin and Little Giant Basin. The trail switchbacks its way down the mountainside just to the right of the “stream” in the photo. If you look closely you can make out parts of the trail. This will be the first downhill for this year's race, bleeding off 2500 ft or so. It looks rather intimidating. Having said that someone will probably send me a picture of the 5,200+ ft descent into Ouray.

I learned a new training technique this week called the "stepback week". I didn't pick up any of this great stuff as a swimmer. My recollection is that we pretty much went hard at it all year except for December when we went *really* hard and August when we surfed the whole month. Necessity is indeed the mother of invention and this week necessitated a little rest. I forced myself to sit out a couple days, caught up on sleep and cut my overall mileage ~35%. Probably could have cut a little more than that.

Here's how it broke down...

Mon: 10 miles (pm: 10)
2 sets of stairs for 40 mins each. Weights - lower body.
Tue: 8 miles (pm: 8)
Stairs and weights again - more upper body.
Wed: 18 miles (am: 18)
First 13 felt okay but ran out of gas the last 5. Fell twice in the last mile and called it quits.
Thurs: 6.5 miles (am: 6.5)
Stairs and lower body weights again.
Fri: REST!
Sat: 21 miles (am: 21 mi)
Sun: REST!

Total: 64 miles

Good to get some rest. This week - continued focus on stairs, weights, and higher mileage.

Training Log: Week 3 for Hardrock

2009-06-01T16:27:00.001-07:00

Week 3 of a 9 week training cycle for Hardrock 100.

This week's Hardrock picture was comfort food. There appears to be some runnable trail in the pictures I've seen, but I don't know where they sneak it in given the elevation profile.

Mon: 8 miles (am: 8 mi)
Running with Caleb and just having fun. Thought I'd get back out later for another run, but memorial day festivities caught up with me.
Tue: 12 miles (pm: 12)
Drive to DC early, conference all day, then run around town... Capitol building, Lincoln Memorial, Capitol building, Lincoln Memorial, rinse & repeat...
Wed: 0 miles
Great googly moogly. Work, conference, drive, work... blech.
Thurs: 20 miles (am: 5, pm1: 9.5mi, pm2: 5.5mi)
Quick 5 before work, then 9.5 miles of stairs at lunch and another short run after work. Getting mileage with lots of runs... kinda like getting lots of little cards in blackjack.
Fri: 20 miles (am: 11mi, pm 9mi)
11 miles before work with a group of 13 Trailheads who are training for Highland Sky, San Juan Solstice, or other events. 9 miles of stairs in the afternoon.
Sat: 21 miles (am: 21)
Blackjack!
Sun: 10 miles (am: 3.5, pm: 6.5)
4:30 am start hoping to get some miles before Elena's 6:30 run, but left knee was talking to me. Decided to practice walking form instead. Saw a fox. Came back after dark and felt much better.

Total: 91M

Decent mileage. A few miles short of my weekly goal and too many little runs, but really a solid week.

Next up: Focus on climbing strength - more stairs, weights. Longer long runs. More sleep...

Fitting it in...

2009-05-28T04:12:00.000-07:00

Running is really spilling over into the rest of my life lately, sometimes for the better. A couple examples...

Monday I went for an 8 mile run with my 8 year old, Caleb. This was his first adventure running beyond a mile or two and he did great! The farther we ran the faster he got (negative split by 30 mins!). I don't either of us had any idea that he could run that far, or that he would have as much fun doing it. It was really great seeing him discover this talent and I'm very proud of him. More on Caleb's blog.

Tues am I drove up to Washington DC for a 2 day conference called Capital Connection, where I got to listen to a bunch of early and expansion stage companies looking for venture capital investments. The Federal CIO, Vivek Kundra, keynoted day 1 followed by former Governor Tommy Thompson and former FCC Chairman Reed Hundt. Top notch! After day 1 I found a little time to weave in a run down around the Capitol.

In reality, sometimes the miles just don't fit. Tues and Thur mornings my wife runs 5:30-6:30 and I have trouble getting in any miles these mornings. Wed of this week I needed to catch up on work and focus on the business relationships that brought me to DC and I didn't log any miles for the first day in a few weeks. Now I'm looking at 4 days of 20 miles per day in order to hit my weekly goal... doable, but will it "fit" with the rest of life's balance? We'll see...

Training Log: Week 2 for Hardrock

2009-05-25T06:17:00.000-07:00

Week 2 of a 9 week training cycle for Hardrock 100.

This week's Hardrock picture (on my desktop background) served as a reminder of the many miles of uphill hiking I need to prepare for. I was expecting to identify more with the guy in yellow here, but had a great week.

Mon: 13 miles (am: 6 mi, pm 7 mi)
Felt great in the am... wondering if I dreamed the whole MMT pacing thing. Afternoon run felt progressively crappy - may have been the big pastrami sandwich for lunch!
Tues: 12 miles (am: 12 mi).
Retreat to forest roads for some easier footing after the rocks of MMT. 2 sets of pumpkin loops steady 18-19 mins.
Wed: 4 miles (am: 4 mi)
Didn't feel like running much. All my energy is going into figuring out how to get my family to CO for the time between San Juan Solstice and Hardrock. My mental model is *Sabbatical*.
Thur: 8 miles (am: 2 mi, pm: 6mi stairs)
Work! Feeling the time and energy crunch training has put on me lately. Trying to squeeze in a few miles anywhere.
Fri: 24 miles (am: 12 mi, pm: 12 mi)
Feeling well rested! Snuck out early (4:20 am) for some easy miles, then 9 miles of stairs and 3 warmdown in the afternoon.
Sat: 25 miles (am: 19 mi, pm 6 mi)
Felt a little tired toward the end of the am run, but coming back in the afternoon felt great.
Sun: 14 miles (am: 7 mi, pm 7 mi)
Easily the best I have felt in months. The more I run the better I feel...?

Total: 100M

Feeling much more comfortable with a couple weeks of training behind me. No tweaks and pains, or any real soreness except for a bad toenail situation from kicking a rock at MMT. Feeling ready to run each time out.

Next up...

Try to hold onto the mileage through a busy work week. Continue to hit the stairs and start looking for some sustained downhill. Focus on stretching and core strengthening. Continue to blend in some faster paced runs.

MMT 100 Pacing

2009-05-21T10:40:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I paced for a second time at the Massanutten Mountain Trail 100. One day I'll actually run this race... or maybe not! The trail is really technical and slow going. In many places it is so rocky it's hard to figure out where the trail actually is! See picture...

I had a blast out there for 12 hrs pacing fellow Trailhead David "Balto" Dirito. This was his debut at the 100M distance and did phenomenally well - 26:35 for 16th place! The weather was really rough this year - warm early in the day Sat and then thunderstorms and lots of rain throughout the evening and early morning hours Sunday. All in all just a terrific time and a great long run in preparation for Hardrock!

Training Log: Week 1 for Hardrock

2009-05-18T11:38:00.000-07:00

Week 1 of a 9 week training cycle for Hardrock 100.

The picture here was my desktop background for week 1. I'll rotate new pictures in each week during the training cycle.

It was a little tough ramping up the miles after taking a couple low mileage weeks, but nothing too stressful and by the weekend I was feeling smooth for the long run at MMT 100. I tried to load the miles during the early part of the week and then rest a little so I would be ready for anything while pacing. Definitely sleeping more this week and focusing on getting enough protein.

Mon: 20 miles. (am: 12mi, pm: 8mi.)
4:30 am start for 2 sets of loops from Seawell. Slow and comfortable. Nice temp with light rain. Afternoon was a very relaxed 1:16 Ocho.
Tues: 22 miles. (am: 17mi, pm: 5mi)
3:10 in the morning all single track with the hill route in the middle. A little tired by the end. Couple pumpkin loops in the afternoon at 17:50 and 17:45.
Wed: 4 miles (am: 4)
Easy 4 miles looking for the crowd around Wilson park.
Thurs: 5 miles (am: 5)
Couple pumpkin loops and warmdown.
Fri: 6 miles (am 6)
Freaky Friday plus a little. A little amped after taking it easy the last couple days.
Sat: 43 miles (MMT pacing)
12 hours on feet and some challenging technical trails at Massanutten Mountain Trail 100. Felt great! Mini taper worked fine.

Total: 100M

Happy to be running right now and enjoying the hard work. I've literally been thinking about this race for 10 years and will not blow it now by failing to prepare!

Next up...

Feeling pretty good right now and expecting to plateau here for the next couple weeks. I think this week I'll work my climbing muscles a little more. Noticed at MMT that a 1000' climb felt like a big hill... need to adjust my views there!

My feet were pretty beat up after the wet conditions at MMT too. Need to start toughening them up a little more this week too (don't ask).

It seems a little strange to prepare so vigorously for a race that I only hope to finish. I'll work on some stretch goals this week too... right now I have no idea what place or time I should expect.

Matt Hart's Ultrarunning Video

2009-05-14T15:08:00.000-07:00

This pretty much sums up my love of trail ultra running, particularly the Western variety.

As Matt puts it, "for me this is simply about putting my passion on display in hopes you will catch the bug. My goal is to simply inspire you to run trail... period."

UltraRunning from Matt Hart on Vimeo.

Red Rock Canyons 2009

2009-05-14T15:04:00.000-07:00

Another great trip to Red Rock Canyon during this year's IBM IMPACT conference.

This year I lead a group of 12 other IBMers on a 2 hour tour of the area including a great jaunt right down the canyon floor. This is by far my favorite section of the Red Rock Canyon - it's about 10 degrees cooler and some light climbing is needed to get through some sections!

More to explore here, but that will have to wait until my next trip to Vegas!

2nd place at Moab 100!

2009-03-30T18:43:00.000-07:00

Running 100 miles is hard. The End.

(report added 4/2)

Summary
I flew out to Utah this past weekend and got 2nd place in the Moab 100M in 21:58! I was hoping to break 20 hrs but the course was a lot harder than I expected (literally *harder*, lots of slickrock). Elevation gain was about equal to the Umstead 100 (~8,000 ft) and presented a mix of dirt roads, slickrock (~40%, which about killed me), and sections of deep sand referred to affectionately by the locals as "cat boxes". The course was 18 loops (!) and a short out and back to equal an even 100 miles. Clockwise, counterclockwise, rinse, repeat…

Long version... (unedited. seriously, you don't want to read all this.)
The Moab 100 was kind of a strange race choice for me. It was a long way to go from NC and a whirlwind trip for a lesser known 100 with no buckle. There was definitely some appeal in seeing a new place and the possibility of a course record if none of the ringers showed up (one did), but ...a loop course, hours away from the nearest airport? Something drew me there that I couldn't explain until the night before.

A couple days before the race I settled on 4 levels of goals. First goal is always to finish, then sub 24, course record 23:30, and sub 20. The race plan was for sub 20 by averaging 10 min miles the first 50 and then letting that drift up to 12 avg and try to sneak in under 20.

Fri 4:20 am: Alarm goes off, but it's a mistake because I only get up this early to run on Saturdays. Wait, I have a early flight. Get up, shower, pick up dad and drive to airport.

Fri 5:45 am: The 6 am flight to Chicago checks in full and no standby passengers get on. (my Dad and I are flying standby using his tickets [he was an United pilot, but would want me to say he did 3 tours in 'Nam flying F4s and that napalm is, like, the coolest thing ever. My mom has WHOLE different perspective on this.]).

Fri 8:15 am: The 8:30 flight to Chicago also checks in full. This is reminding me of the family trip we took to Hawaii when I was a 8 where we were flying standby and ended up camping out in our Winnebago on an Air Force base in So Cal for 3 days instead of going to Hawaii. I got a really cool face mask and flippers out of the deal, so, there. (What the hell kind of race report is this?) Luckily I'm 38 instead of 8 and I've got a real job and 75k frequent flier miles on American to show for it, so I haul my priority status over to the American counter and hoped a 9:30 flight through DFW [seriously, when I die, if there is a heaven, and I don't think there is {we're all worm food}, I fully expect my soul would need to go through DFW to get there).

Fri 9:25 am: Before the doors close I quickly book a room at the Moab Days Inn since Dad was supposed to bring the tent and other misc camping stuff for us to camp at the Race Start and he's obviously not going to make it.

Fri 5:15 pm: Pick up rental car in Salt Lake City, set GPS coordinates for Moab. Garmin: "that's 4:15 mins drive time." Me: "I can do it in 3:30 you sissy."

Fri 6:00: Oh, there's a Wal*Mart... Styrofoam cooler, ice, nutter butters, 2x8 packs of mini Gator-Aid bottles, bananas, Turkey sandwich, Pringles, chocolate chip granola bars, 6 pack of mini-cokes (saved life later), Subway foot long cold cut combo. Pack everything up in the cooler in the trunk which miraculously stays upright, wedged between two rollerboards while I drive fast and swervy the next 200 miles.

Fri 7:05 pm: Crap, I was thinking about the run and missed my turn 16 miles ago. U-turn.

Fri 8:00 pm: Crap, forgot sunblock and a plastic bin to stash my extra clothes and misc. drop-bag stuff. Ok, there's a K-Mart...

Fri 8:20: AM 700 briefly mentions that Carolina is leading Gonzaga but doesn't mention anything else about it during the next hour as they fade to static.

Fri 9:00ish: I'm tense and have a real what-the-hell-am-I-doing-here moment as I make my way toward this Moab place. This is my free time. Why am I doing this? I'm tired already. Is this supposed to be fun? The best I come up with is that, no it's not fun, it's something different, something more meaningful. It's an expression of free will in a life that sometimes feels like a long line of dominoes someone else has set up. I try to relax a little and enjoy that part of the experience, but it's still hard. It's supposed to be. The idea that tomorrow will be a competition diminishes the moment and seems out of place and oversimplified. The competitive part is easier to grasp though and a little comforting at some base level. There's something about chasing and fleeing that is a deep seated and immutable part of the human experience. It holds some of the same inveterate appeal that a good fire has.

Fri 10:00 pm: Sheesus, the Days Inn is a total dump. Dad calls to say Carolina beat Gonzaga. All is right in the world.

Fri 11ish: I should probably sleep.

Sat 6:00 am: Find race start and check in. "Oh, you're the guy from Carolina?" Yup.

6:50 am: Race Briefing.... 18 loops alternating directions and then a 3 mile out and back for anyone still standing. Someone else in the crowd asks, "What's the capitol of Belgium?" That was random, I think. Brussels, right?

7:03 ish am: Sun comes up. So... Moab is in a desert. I wonder if there are snakes. Where did all these people come from? 3, 2, 1... Go! Start running.

7:04: Wait, where's my water bottle? Crap, not again. At least it wasn't locked in my car like at Bighorn 100 last year. I turn around and pick it up and join the back of the pack (which was a little like a leper colony). Spend next 5 minutes weezyling through the crowd to settle in with a really nice guy named Stan about 5 back. Stan reminds me that I need to book a room in Silverton for Hardrock if it's not too late.

7:25 am: Cruising up behind someone who is moving really well down the first section of slickrock. Me: This is going to suck at mile 80, eh?. Other guy (Duncan Callahan): Ha ha. Yeah it is! Which event are you doing? (there is a 24 hr, 12 hr, and several team competitions going on all at the same time, same course. I never really figured out how to tell who was doing what but the solo 100 milers all had red numbers in the 300s). Me: The solo 100. How about you? Duncan: Me too. Me: Got a time in mind? Duncan: Well I'd love to hold 10 minute miles, we'll see. (I thought he was kidding) How about you? Me: Well, I've got a noon flight out of Salt Lake (basically I better be under the course record to make the flight). Duncan laughs and there's a brief moment where he reminds me of Val Kilmer as Doc Holiday... "I'm your Huckleberry". More banter ensues over next 20 miles, during which time it becomes obvious that A) Duncan is one heck of a nice guy, and B) He's going to crush this course. He asks his crew to hook me up with whatever I need the rest of the day and they diligently check on me every loop. Awesome! During the course of our conversation Duncan mentions that he ran Leadville last year.... I looked him up in the results when I got home... oh jeez, he won it!! I totally should have gotten an autograph!

Okay, switching from timeline to looptime. Some splits for the first half (5.37 mi loops + the aid station time all according to my watch)...
1) 48:58
2) 48:32
3) 47:46
4) 51:44
5) 54:13
6) 59:26
7) 59:44
8) 1:00:00
9) 1:00:04

8:10 at the 48+ mi, 10 min mile average, but slowing.

Loop 10: 1:18:56 (including a long pit stop before starting the 2nd half). Coming into the turnaround I see some people cheering for me... 3 dogs... all labs. Brown, Black, Yellow. RINGO?! Yes, my friends Ringo and Cari show up out of the blue. They're like real world Guardian Angels. Cari crews like an absolute pro. Of course she does... her ultra crewing resume is as distinguished as Ringo's ultra running resume (Ringo is aka Geoff Scott, has run something like 15 of the hardest 100s including Wasatch and MMT last year and after turning 60 this year completed the New Zealand Ironman).

Loop 11: 58:01 Behold the power of Coca-Cola and CEP compression socks! (NFI)

Loop 12: 1:06:46 Still feeling good. Ringo remembers that I liked grilled cheese sandwiches while pacing him at Wasatch and he offers to pick some up for me in town. He and Cari braved the Moab Dennys to get the grilled cheese. Cari was amused by someone with a mullet.

Loop 13: 1:11:03 Sun sets and out come the headlamps and warmer clothes. Lows were somewhere in the mid 30s with some weird patches that are much colder than others.

Loop 14: 1:15:26 75 miles in 14 hrs... about 11 min mile average. The pace really slows from here. This is the end of the real running phase. The downhills are all slickrock which is harder than concrete and uneven. It would be very easy to tumble and I'm seriously feeling it in the knees. It's freaking dark too . There is the tiniest sliver of a moon I've ever seen that winks out behind the canyon wall.

Loop 15: 1:25:02 Running down the slickrock starts to really bother my port side knee. I don’t want to lose any training time recovering from an injury with Hardrock on the horizon. I start walking down sections I bounded down earlier.

Loop 16: 1:39:26 Ringo jumps in to pace! Me: I'm going to take it slow. Ringo: Fine by me! We have a nice walk and I learn about the potential of the economy rebounding in 2009 and the intricacies of Hardrock, Barkley, and how the Telluride real estate market is tanking the town's budget (Ringo is not only an endurance badass, he’s a brilliant private investor). The Stars are absolutely amazing. At the end of the loop I say goodbye to Ringo and Cari who begin their 3 hr drive back to Telluride. 2 more loops? Sure, why not? It's a beautiful night.

Loop 17: 1:44:04 Blech, that's about as slow as I thought it could be done. Slower than my first two loops put together! But walking those downhills is safer and I suck up my pride. I do some star gazing and wander around feeling increasingly content and tired.

Loop 18: don't know the split because the stopwatch function on my Nike Bowerman Series watch doesn't go beyond 19:59:59. This lap was slow. I saw Duncan heading to the finish when I was beginning this loop and congratulated him. What a run!

Bonus 3 miles: I sit down to empty the sand out of my shoes and find total enlightenment. The stars are poignant... was the last thing I remember thinking before nodding off. Someone wakes me up as they pass by and I forget the meaning of life and decide to finish this thing up.

Sun 5:02 am: The Finish! Me: "Number 423. I'm done." (No fanfare, no cheering... RD (later found out this person was not the RD) (enters the time and goes back to sleep.)

Sun 5:25 am: After packing the car I said my goodbyes and thanked the volunteers that are still awake. Woke the RD (actually, not the RD) to check on my finish time ("ugh, you finished at 5:02, ugh, one, two...in second place. Cool."). Told them I had a flight to catch and would miss the awards ceremony ("ugh, okay"). Grabbed a cup of coffee and got back on the highway heading north to Salt Lake City International Airport wondering if I dreamed it all…. no buckle, no medal, the t-shirt says something about 24 hr runs in Laramie, Moab and somewhere else... but the coffee is great and I’m feeling pretty good about going the distance again. (update 4/4: Apparently I didn't dream the whole thing! I got a nice note from the RD, Reid Delman, congratulating me on the run. He was not the person wrapped up in the sleeping bag keeping track of the results and offered to send me the medal! What a guy!).

Sun 6:30 - 7:00 am: Coffee wears off and I pull over for short nap.

Sun 9:00 ish am: Pulled off the highway and dumped a gallon of water over my head and tried to pretty up for the flight home. This had the effect of waking me up, but did little to pretty me up. I’m still wearing the compression socks at this point. No, I don’t have a financial interest in them!

Sun 9:00 pm: Home at last and I finally take the compression socks off and take the best hot shower of my life.

Okay, that's it. The End. I told you not to read all that crap!

Moab 100 2008 Pictures

2009-03-25T17:22:00.000-07:00

Last week I couldn't imagine feeling good enough to run 100 miles. With a little taper this week I'm starting to think it sounds fun! The pictures look pretty tame...

100 M Difficulty Ratings

2009-03-11T20:33:00.000-07:00

This is pretty cool... Gary Wang's difficulty ranking of 100 milers using Western States as a benchmark:

Hardrock---------------...1.55 (registered 2009)
HURT-------------------...1.31
Wasatch Front----------...1.17 (paced 2008)
Bear-------------------...1.13
Bighorn----------------...1.12 (completed 2008)
Massanutten------------...1.11 (paced 2008, waitlist 2009)
Angeles Crest----------...1.08
Superior Sawtooth------...1.06
Cascade Crest Classic--...1.05 (registered 2009)
Leadville Trail--------...1.03
Western States---------...1.00 (paced 1999, completed in 2000)
San Diego--------------...0.99
Rio Del Lago-----------...0.93
Haliburton Forest------...0.91
Mohican Trail----------...0.90
Javelina Jundred-------...0.89
Old Dominion-----------...0.88
Arkansas Traveller-----...0.88
Kettle Moraine---------...0.88
Heartland--------------...0.84
Vermont----------------...0.84
Umstead----------------...0.81 (paced 2000)
Rocky Raccoon----------...0.81

Elevation Profiles

2009-02-11T05:27:00.001-08:00

Uwharrie 40M 2009

2009-02-09T04:45:00.000-08:00

Whew! A quick post on the Uwharrie Mountain Run 40 Miler this past weekend...

After my first DNF here last year (followed by a solo rematch) I finally feel good about this race! I passed through in 6:37 this time for my first podium finish in 3rd place. I felt a little twinge when I slipped to 3rd in the last couple miles after having spent half the race in 2nd, but I think that was only due to the team competition and sense that I was somehow letting my fellow Trailheads down.

My racing philosophy is neatly aligned with George Sheehan's observation that "It's very hard in the beginning to understand that the whole idea is not to beat the other runners. Eventually you learn that the competition is against the little voice inside you that wants you to quit."

My Garmin data is up on Motionbased here. Definitely more slowing than I wanted in the 2nd half, but had a great time running fast with my new friends Ronnie Weed and Byron Backer the first half of the race (3:01 at the turn).

Best part of the race? Camping out with the Trailheads the night before! That deserves it's own post...

Hardrock 2009

2009-02-02T20:58:00.000-08:00

I got accepted into Hardrock! I'm still in shock and sorting out my thoughts. Here are some of the things running through my head...

Holy Crap, what have I done?

Yeah, that's pretty much it.

A picture is worth 1000 words, so I updated my blog header picture with one of Island Lake taken from the Hardrock course.

With ultras an elevation profile is worth about 50,000 words.

Here are some of those words from the 2008 Runners Manual (69 pages!):

"The HARDROCK 100 is a mountain run that passes through some of the most beautiful and rugged mountains in the world."

"The course is designed to provide extreme challenges in altitude, steepness, and remoteness."

"Elevation changes range from a high of 14,048' to a low of 7680'. The total vertical climb and descent, accumulated while crossing thirteen ridges over 12000' in elevation, is about 66,000 feet."

"Animal life is abundant."

"This is a dangerous course! In addition to trail running, you will do some mild rock climbing (hands required), wade ice cold streams, struggle through snow which at night and in the early morning will be rock hard and slick and during the heat of the day will be so soft you can sink to your knees and above, cross cliffs where a fall could send you 300 feet straight down, use fixed ropes as handrails, and be expected to negotiate the course with or without markers."

"Feel free to include any specialized equipment such as ice axes, crampons, snow shoes, or skis that you are willing to carry between drop bag stations as part of your paraphernalia."

"This is a "post graduate" run, and not just a harder or higher version of some other trail hundred miler."

"Mountaineering, wilderness survival and wilderness navigation skills are as important in this event as your endurance."

Holy Crap, what have I done?

Moab 100

2009-01-25T04:06:00.000-08:00

Moab 100, March 28th. I'm in.

2009!

2009-01-11T05:26:00.000-08:00

It's been a bit hectic with the holidays and preparation for the 4th Little River Trail Runs, but finally coming up for air and posting on a few things.

Closing out the 2008 log it looks like I made it to 2812 miles. That's roughly the distance from Chapel Hill to San Francisco, which some people will do in the span of a few months. A bit short of my 3k goal, but 850 miles better than 2007 and 2534 better than 2006 when I was just coming back to the sport. Avg # of days run per week was 4.91 this year, but there were a lot of 2x per day runs during peak weeks.

Update on Race schedule for 2009:

I'm 59th on the Massanutten 100 waitlist. Not looking good there, so I may fly out and do the Moab 100 in March. I'd like to get another one under my belt soon (or on my belt... not sure if they award buckes).
Hardrock 100 application is in and the lottery is Feb 1st. Not good odds as it's my first year in the lottery there.
San Juan Solstice 50M registration opens next week at 2:59 am next Thurs and typically fills in a couple hours. I'm confident about getting into that one and have plans to spend about a week in Telluride with Ringo and a big group of Trailheads.
Cascade Crest 100 applications go in the mail Feb 9th. Should get into that without any trouble.
In the mean time, Uwharrie 40 is around the corner and I'm on track for a decent performance there I think.

weekly log: Nov 24 - 30th

2008-11-30T18:57:00.000-08:00

Mon - 21 mi (am: 12 mi; pm: 9 mi) Rough 12 miles starting at 4:30 but then felt great through a negative split 1:09 Ocho loop in the afternoon.
Tues - 8 mi on the Uwharrie course. Started at the 20 mile trailhead and worked my way in 4 miles and back out.
Wed - 21 mi (am: 16 mi; pm: 5 mi) 4:30 am start with dorph, blade and fleet feet mike. FF loop in the afternoon at 40 mins.
Thurs - 5 mi fast pace on the ocho while the turkey was cooking
Fri - 7 mi (am: 5 mi; pm: 2 mi) PR Freaky Friday birthday run in 38:17. Came back in pm to run long but knees hurt.
Sat - 23 mi 4:30 start with dorph, monk and pav. Great 4 hrs on feet.
Sun - 16 mi negative split double Ocho

Weekly Total: 101 mi

1st week in training for the 2009 season. From June 21 (Bighorn) to Nov 23 I logged 967 miles with a weekly average of about 45 miles. Nice off season numbers and now I'm ready to get back at it. I'm definitely feeling the extra miles this week in a few places, but overall am running better than I have at lower mileage. I may not keep the weekly mileage >100 over the next few weeks but it felt great this week and was relatively easy to fit into my schedule with W, Th, & Fri off for Thanksgiving (and 3 x 4:30 am runs!)

NB505 RX505CB

2008-11-20T20:48:00.000-08:00

Introducing the newest members of my closet, the New Balance 505s.

I love the fit and feel of the New Balance790s for the lighter end of the spectrum, but have been wanting a more aggressive tread on them. The La Sportiva Crosslites have the tread I like but are just too narrow up front. So I've been on a bit of a quest. What I really want is a pair of those experimental 790s that Kyle Skaggs wore for Hardrock this year. I tried signing up to be a New Balance tester, but no word.

Enter the 505s, an aggressive racing shoe for x-country, indoor or outdoor track. Weighing in somewhere around 7.8 oz (for my size, 9.5) they are even lighter than the 790s, yet the forefoot protection (with Rock Stop®) feels solid. They come in 2E which my feet love. As for traction... a little more than the 790, but really it's the 6 removable metal spikes that are the story there. I know from drilling screws into shoes that spikes aren't going to be good for rocky trails, but I'm looking forward to sinking them into some softer single-track. Would they stand up to Uwharrie 40 or Massanutten 100? You'd have to be completely insane to try it...

Uwharrie 2, Weezyl 1

2008-11-18T08:08:00.000-08:00

Saturday's run at Uwharrie wasn't pretty. The rain cleared out of the area leaving us with partly sunny skies and warmer than expected temps (70). A beautiful day actually. I was hoping this would be a good test of my recent training approach of faster pace, lower mileage and technical trails. I was also looking at it as a good benchmark before the 2009 buildup, but alas, Uwharrie got the better of me (again) and I'm not sure what conclusions I can draw.

The first 8 mi split 1:21 was 4-5 mins slower than I was looking for. Okay, I took a wrong turn, the leaves were thick, and the creeks were high, but I don't think that really contributed more than a minute or two. From mile 8 the run deteriorated quickly. I had a couple Honey Stinger gels and shortly thereafter emptied my stomach around mi 13.5. I forgot the S! Caps which would have come in really handy at this point (duh). Dehydration set in and by my mile 16 I was feeling pretty wonky and turned back. I tried a couple times to get something going on the way back but I had nothing. Legs felt fine, but no energy.

32 miles for the day. Ugh.

So, not sure what to take away from this. Certainly, 1) don't forget the S! caps, 2) aid at 8, 11, and 20 isn't enough for a warm day, and 3) more experimentation needed on the Stinger honey before I try that in a race.

On the positive side, I remembered Uwharrie being much more technicaly challenging and hilly. That may be a good sign that all the technical training is paying off.

Uwharrie 40 wet run

2008-11-14T07:08:00.000-08:00

I've been planning a dry run of the Uwharrie 40 course this Sat to see where my fitness is and to kick off the training season for 2009 events. Looks like this will be a very *wet* run instead of a dry run.

Weather forecast for Troy, NC changed overnight and now they're calling for thunderstorms tomorrow morning and "steady" rain later in the day. At 7 am it's supposed to be 63 and going up to a high of 68. With the rain they're getting today the streams will be swollen and there will be some good slippery, muddy sections.

Between the mud and the leaves I've given up on time goals for this run, but it will still be an interesting benchmark. I wouldn't dream of canceling this due to the weather. Perfect opportunity to see the course in less than ideal conditions.

Gear considerations
From my collection of trail shoes, I'll select the La Sportiva Crosslites for this run. They drain pretty well and have the most aggressive tread. Not bothering with a rain jacket because of the warm temps. I have an orange long sleeve patagonia shirt which will probably be too warm but It's the only thing I've got that the hunters will see (tomorrow is opening day for deer hunting). Wet clothes stick to you in different places than when dry so I may be taping or lubing a few sensitive areas. I think I'll swing by a Wal*Mart to pick up an orange hat too.

I'm driving out to the course this afternoon to stash some water and goodies. Here's the elevation profile with my aid stations marked (1-3):

The plan
Start: 2 hand bottles
AS1 mi 8: drop 1 bottle
AS2 mi 11: drop 2nd bottle, pick up my Nathan pack
AS3 mi 20: refill Nathan
AS2 mi 29 drop Nathan pack, pick up hand bottle
AS1 mi 32 pick up 2nd hand bottle

Should be fun! I'll write a report for my next post.

Trail Shoes

2008-10-21T19:50:00.001-07:00

About half of these are on active duty. Identify them all correctly
and win a prize.

Red Rock Canyon in the Fall

2008-10-17T14:00:00.001-07:00

2009 Race Plans

2008-10-02T09:56:00.000-07:00

Time for a 2009 race plan. Here's what I've got:

Uwharrie 40M Feb 7, NC
Miwok 100k May 2, CA (update 10/18) Leaning toward swapping Miwok out for Massanutten Mountain 100M, VA
San Juan Solstice 50M June 20, CO
Hardrock 100M July 10-ish, CO
Cascade Crest 100M Aug 29, WA

If I manage to get through both the Hardrock and Miwok lotteries, then I'll have to make some adjustments. Also need some alternates in case I don't get into either.

Marin Headlands

2008-09-24T20:00:00.000-07:00

My West Coast trail running bender concluded today with a return to one of my favorite spots in Northern California - the Marin Headlands. I picked up in the Tennessee Valey where I left off on my last visit to Marin Headlands, and headed North to Muir Beach following the outbound course for the Miwok 100k.

It was a tough week of travel and business meetings, but I thought I'd be ready to rip with a few days rest and all the hill running this month. Wrong. I took a lot of pictures instead.

Miwok 100k registration opens 1 week from today, but the drawing isn't until mid Jan. I think I'll toss my name in the hat but there are other lotteries I'll be in simultaneously, so this could get weird.

Back to the East Coast on the red eye tonight.

lost in the woods

2008-09-24T08:12:00.000-07:00

During a pre-dawn run this past Sat Dorph (aka Adam Byerly) and I happened upon a UNC student lost in the woods of Carolina North Forest. It was very dark, shortly after 5:00 am, and she had been wandering around for several hours after partying a little too hard the night before. We guided her out safely and resumed our run, not thinking too much about it. Later in the week I got this lovely email from her...

Hi Joe,

I am the girl that you helped out of the woods early Saturday morning last weekend. I have been trying to think about how I could possibly put into words how grateful I am to you and your friend, but I just don't think there is a way. If you hadn't run into me on the trail, I don't know when I would have ever made it out. I wandered into the woods around 1:30am after a stupid night out with friends and don't even remember entering the woods. Needless to say, I learned a huge life lesson that night and it really forced me to take a step back and re-evaluate some of the decisions I have been making lately.

I don't want to blabber on, but I just wanted to say THANK YOU SO MUCH! It really meant a lot to me what you said about how you hoped someone would help your daughter in the same way should she ever be in a situation like that (which I doubt she will and certainly hope she does not!). She is lucky to have such a caring father.

Thank you again,
(name removed)

Isn't that sweet?

Columbia River Gorge (Portland)

2008-09-21T19:18:00.000-07:00

After scoping out the Cascade Crest 100 course I drove town to Portland for more business meetings and more adventures on the Pacific Crest Trail. Fellow IBMer and Bighorn pacer extraodinaire, Darin Swanson, sent me some great info on running in the Portland area including this little gem, Herman Creek...

Darrin says, "Out on Highway 84 towards Mt Hood is the Columbia River Gorge which is snaked with trails and hills. Herman Creek / PCT which is some real hills. About 1 hour from town.
We park at Herman Creek Campground and the start of the Herman Creek Trail http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/columbia/trails/trail_406.htm

Drive up to the Herman Creek Campground and stay right to get to the trail parking.
You start at the Herman Creek trail which is right at the parking lot by the campground
This will climb a little to a power line easement.
Go through the easement and continue on the trail.
The next junction has a trail going up to the left and one to the right.
Take the one "down" to the right.
This will take you down to the creek and over a bridge.
Continue up the next side till you come to a 'T' with the Pacific Crest Trail (we call it Pain Junction :-) )
Taking a left you will climb.
At around 1.5 miles you will see a sign for the Hatfield Wilderness Boundary on a tree (old wooden sign)
At about another 1.5 miles you would reach Tea Kettle Spring (should have a sign as well)"

This was a great hill workout and the mossy, ferny Pacific Crest Trail here just can't be beat.

Cascade Crest 100 Course Recon

2008-09-21T18:53:00.000-07:00

I got out on the course for the Cascade Crest Classic 100 this past week while on a business trip to Seattle. Scoped out a nice campground at Kachess Lake and then ran the first part of the course up to Goat Peak and a few miles out and back from Stampede Pass toward Meadow Mountain.

The CCC100 Runners manual describes the climb from the Start up to Goat Peak as "not trifling". Essentially the same elevation gain and mileage as the climb up to the Escarpment at the beginning of Western States, but with more difficult footing and with a 10 am start the heat of mid-morning could definitely come into play.

As you pass by the rock outcropping on Goat Peak you can basically see the entire course to the North and East. From here you settle in on the Pacific Crest Trail for some great ridge running, eventually looping back around to the Start/Finish. Yep, add this one to the must do list.

Wasatch 100

2008-09-21T17:38:00.000-07:00

I had the honor of pacing my friend Geoff "Ringo" Scott at Wasatch this year where he completed his 17th 100 Miler and 2nd of the 2008 season! Wasatch is an amazing course and with iPhone in hand we had a blast sending live updates from the course to the Trailheads and taking calls and txt messages of encouragement at all hours!

(excerpt from my email to the rest of the Trailheads Sept 6th)
"Ringo set off this morning on a 100 mile journey from Layton to Midway, Utah through some of the most beautiful scenery in the Wasatch Mountains. It was a beautiful start under clear, starry skies. We're far out of Hurricane Hannah's reach and the start was at a very comfortable 50 degrees and 35% humidity. With the sun rising now it's shaping up to be a spectacular day! Winds out of the South around 10 mph means it will get nippy up over 10,000 feet later tonight and we're expecting some frost, but nothing like Gumbi's recent adventure at Leadville.

The Wasatch 100 is one bad mother of a course. Just driving around the mountains here is intimidating. With over 26,000 feet of elevation gain, its no suprise that Wasatch ranks an 8.5 out of 10 on the difficulty scale (second only to Hardrock). This fills one of the few remaining holes in his Ultrarunning resume that includes 15 100 milers and Badwater 135M!

Mrs. Ringo and I will be heading out to see the Reptile at the Francis Peak aid station at mile 18.76 shortly. The plan for the day has me jumping in from mile 39.4 sometime this afternoon and pacing to mile 61.68 where Mrs. Ringo takes a turn and I get some rest. Then I pick back up around the wee(zyling) hours of the morning at mile 75 and try to keep up with him to the finish."

Ringo looked good as he came through Francis Peak, but even more impressive was Caroline Scott's crewing!

I was dying to get out on the course and mile 39 didn't come soon enough. The views from the course turned out to be even more beautiful than I anticipated. We made great time from Big Mountain Aid Station at mi 39 to Lambs Canyon at mi 53 and then put on our cooler weather gear and headlamps.

From Lambs Canyon to Millcreek 61 was some of the best night running I've done. There was a nice quarter moon, perfect temperatures and it was just magical out there with occasional city lights views of Salt Lake City.

At mi 61 I turned over the pacing responsibilities to Caroline who would get Ringo through to Brighton Ski resort around mile 75. I drove up to Brighton from Millcreek and took a short, restless nap in the back of the car.

The Wasatch course dials up the intensity in the last 25 miles. From Brighton the course heads up a steep climb over 10,000 feet. We hit the top right around dawn and it was just spectacular.

The "100 miles of heaven and hell" for Ringo came to an end after just over 34 hrs. I was exhausted after only45 miles!

I've definitely got this race on my must do list. I think the sub 24 "Royal Order of the Crimson Cheetah" is going to be tougher than the Rusty Spur though...

London

2008-07-21T05:46:00.000-07:00

London has some great parks. On Thursday of last week's Europe trip I set out from the Hilton London Metropole and wound my way down into Hyde Park and then up to Regent's Park (pictured). A bit more pavement connecting the parks than I'd like, but once you get in the parks there are generally nice soft surfaces that can be found.

My original plan, on advice from Willow, was to run around Hyde Park, then over to Regent's Park, then to Primrose Hill for a good hill, through the neighborhood of Belsize Park up into Hampstead Village, and then on to the Heath for another hill and a run through the woods. And then back in reverse. Unfortunately I ran out of time, but now I've got something to look forward to on my next trip to London.

Milan

2008-07-15T10:12:00.001-07:00

I found a lovely park just a block from my hotel in Milan today and managed to get out for a run on crushed gravel. I have no idea what the history or significance of this park is. From the signs I gather that it is called the Giardini Pubblici Di Porta Venezia.

My original thought was to head out to Como where there are some killer hills and beautiful views, but with so little time in Milan it seemed silly to head out for a daytrip. Besides, gotta save something for next time...

Over the Alps

2008-07-15T09:22:00.001-07:00

The visibility was spectacular on the flight from Amsterdam to Milan giving us some amazing views of the Alps. According to our pilot, Mont-Blanc is out there somewhere in this picture.

The Ultra-trail Du Mont-Blanc is run here, a 103 mile ultra with over 30,000 feet of elevation gain. Just for kicks I checked out the UTMB entry process for 2009 here.

Qualification requires a demonstration of success in trail ultras with significant elevation gains. They have an interesting point system whereby the difficulty of your qualifying runs is estimated by adding together the distance in km and the elevation gain in meters divided by 100. For example, Bighorn 100 was 161k and 5334 meters of elevation gain: 161 + 5334/100 = 214.

Qualifying runs have to score above 65 and present a significant altitude gain and/or a sufficiently technical course. Races are worth 1 point for an estimate effort between 65 and 89, 2 points for 90-129, 3 points 130-179 and 4 points beyond that. A total of 4 points is needed to qualify, which can be accumulated with multiple runs (e.g. four 1 pointers, one 4 point run, etc. I *think*), So, looks like Bighorn 100 works as a qualifier for 2009 and 2010.

After seeing it from the plane UTMB is definitely on my 5 year wish list along with Western States, Wasatch, and Hardrock!

Amsterdam

2008-07-15T09:16:00.000-07:00

I had a few hours in Amsterdam after a some business meetings on Monday. Not enough time to find any trails, but there are some nice old streets with lots to look at (snicker). This picture was taken in the heart of the Red Light District. Very different scene at night...

Trailheads Summer Survival Trail Running Series

2008-07-09T05:34:00.001-07:00

The 1st run of the Trailheads Summer Survival Trail Running Series was a big success last night! We had about twice as many people as we expected - somewhere around 80. Most indicated that they had never run in the Carolina North Forest before and many were very new to trail running. As you can see from the picture, the demographics were somewhat varied, but I'd say the majority of the runners were women in their 30s.

Big thanks to Squonk for organizing this and leading off with a nice lecture on trail running, active environmental advocacy, and how running in the wilderness amplifies nature's resonance.

For more information on the series see trailheads.org. What and Why of the series below...

What: Accompanied runs beginning at 5K (ish) or 45 minute duration. Comfortable pace. No runner left behind. Series culminates with a 90 minute outing with some navigational challenges thrown in for fun! Each outing will briefly kick-off with a speaker on subjects ranging from injury prevention and core building to basic gear, hydration and cross-training. Important: these outings are NOT races.

Why: Summer heat makes running challenging. Did you know that you can expect it to be 10 to 12 degrees (F) cooler on trails than pavement on summer evenings? Get to know the dirt trails in Carolina North Forest and understand trail running fundamentals that can be applied on any trail, any time of year. Learn how to run confidently and safely "out there" to more fully appreciate the importance of Carrboro and Chapel Hills' "island of trees."

Bighorn 100 Report

2008-06-24T07:40:00.000-07:00

I went out to Bighorn with three levels of goals: 1) Buckle (i.e. finish), 2) PR ( better than 27:37), and 3) a sub 24hr finish. I like this approach to setting a range of goals for ultras because anything can happen out there over the course of 100 miles and it's good to have backup goals to keep you focused in case you're feeling extraordinarily well or not so great.

The gear plan:
* mi 0-15: New Balance 790s and 2 Hand held bottles
* mi 15: Quick sock change and into the La Sportiva Crosslites
* mi 29: Sock change and pick up 1 headlamp
* mi 46: Garmin #2
* mi 49: Long sleeve wool top, nathan pack (drop hand bottles), a fresh pair of crosslites and another light
* mi 63: More socks, body glide
* mi 82: Jettison anything I didn't need (e.g. lights, warm clothes).

I almost botched this run very badly right from the start by leaving my hand bottles in the car which Elena locked before heading up the trail 1.25 miles where she would watch me come by and let me know how many folks were ahead. About 10 minutes before the start I realized the car was locked and went running up the trail to get the keys from her. Fortunately I ran into Squonk after < .5 mi and explained the situation quickly. He didn't hesitate and sprinted out to get the keys from Elena and then sprinted back to the start (~1.5 mi) opening the car with just moments to spare. That got my heart rate up and the extra .75 mi tempo run I did there was a nice warmup! I did get some strange looks from the other runners...

The start was a blur. All of a sudden we were running and I was trying to count where I was in the pack of ~120. Squonk yelled out "Go Weezyl" from somewhere and I had a good chuckle. When we got to the single track 1.25 mi later Elena yelled out 17th, which was about where I wanted to be. Everyone around me was moving pretty well and there was no real bottleneck as we hit the Tongue River Trailhead where it turned to singletrack and the climb began. From there we proceeded up the Tongue River Canyon in pretty warm temperatures. I drained my bottles quickly in the heat and was ready to refill about 5 miles in. I thought we had water stop at 6.5 but I never saw it and didn't refill until the aid station at 8.5miles. Unfortunately, I wasn't particularly well hydrated before the start either and this became a bit of a problem (I didn't pee until mi 50).

I saw Elena, Squonk and Paula again at mi 15 which came after a fast downhill into the Dry Fork Aid Station. I was running 15 or 16 back and not too far off the lead pack at this point. The first 15 miles had taken us through a tough climb with 3400' gain (up to 7500'), shown us how hot the canyons can get, and took us through some of the muddiest/snowiest mess I've ever seen. I remember saying to Elena and Squonk several times that this was a *really* hard course. I expected the early miles to slip by unnoticed, but I was already feeling beat up and had 85 miles to go.

Dehydration continued to be a problem for me through the next 15 miles. I got a little nauseous during the climb up to Riley Point at 8500' and threw up shortly after that. Lovely. I was really hoping to just cruise through the first 50 and could not believe that I was having trouble at this point in the day. Luckily I started to get back on track and piled on a bunch of 7 min miles on a big downhill section leading back into Dry Fork at mile 29, arriving in 6:10 or so.

A quick change of socks at Dry Fork, grabed my iPod (which I was reserving for emergency use) and I blasted the next 7.5 miles out to the Cow Camp aid station over muddy, rutted jeep trails with lots of stream crossings. I stopped at Cow Camp to do some preventative maintenance on the feet which had been wet for most of the day and were beginning to prune. I passed a few folks on the next section heading to Bear Camp and the really wild side of the course heading toward Footbridge. Here I met up again with a guy I had spent much of the early miles with, John Teeples of Georgia, who was running well with Kyle Amos from Kansas. We had a blast running together and talking about everything from race directing to raising kids. We ended up running together all through the night and most of Saturday.

The time went by quickly with the sun lingering just long enough to give us good light as we got down a very steep and rocky section to Footbridge at mi 46 around 9:00 pm. A quick out and back section brought us back to Footbridge and then we hit the 50 mile point around 10.5 hrs. We turned on the lights and made our way through the short solstice night running all the flats and downhills and walking the uphills at a good pace. There were a lot of tricky technical downhill sections but our lighting was good and all 3 of us were comfortable running at night. Kyle really kep the pace up here and John and I just let it flow as we passed a lot of folks who slowed down as the settled into the night.

The climb up to Bear Camp was tough but we did well for "flat landers" even passing a couple guys from Colorado here. At Bear Camp I changed socks again and rather than carry my wet ones with me, threw them on the fire there. They had served me well on many training runs and at Quicksilver 50 and this seemed like the most honorable burial I could give them.

Dawn caught up with us at 4:45 am around Cow Camp, mi 74. A quick stop for some soup and then the big climb up over Riley Point again. At this point I started thinking about the time and realized that we were probably "on pace" for sub 24hrs (whatever the hell that means with 25 miles to go). We moved well up to Riley Point and then were pleased to find that the night time conditions had frozen the snow and mud, making it much more runnable! This was the luxury of getting there quickly and many of the middle pack runners would be slipping a sliding through this section a few hours after we passed. Kyle got ahead of us by 10 mins here but John and I stuck together. We had to dig a little to ran some of the flats up at 8500' but managed to hold on and then descended into Dry Fork at 7:00am for the 3rd time at mi 82.7. That left 4 hrs to cover the remaining 17 miles for a sub 24 finish, but we had a couple more climbs to contend with and then the heat of the canyons in the last stretch.

We took off from Dry Fork at 7:06 and walked quickly up a long uphill section, running quickly when it flattened out. I found this section to be some of the most enjoyable running of the course - lots of very narrow winding single track that was just technical enough to keep you awake. We passed a couple more folks here. Then a steep climb before descending into Tongue River Canyon. We hammered the narrow rocky downhill trails here, quickly reeling in another runner, Tim Englund from WA. As we approached him we noticed he had lost a shoe in the mud near a stream crossing and was struggling to get it back on and get moving. He looked a little disappointed to be dropping back 2 places at this stage of the race (he must have been in 8th or so), so as we passed I told him we were on a mission to break 24 and encouraged him to come along. He had gotten some bad information about the distance remaining and was surprised that sub 24 was still possible. He quickly perked up and we welcomed him to our little group, exchanging information on pace and distance remaining.

We slowed down a bit as we approached the Lower Sheep Aid Station at mi 92.6 and a pack of folks joined us, including someone with a Patagonia Ultrarunning Team jersey who had been stalking us since Dry Fork (Oh that was Roch Horton! We'd been swapping positions with him and his pacer since the turnaround). Someone on the trail told us we had 10 miles remaining at this point and everyone shot forward, blowing through the aid station thinking sub 24 was going to be tight. I lingered a bit to get some mountain dew and checked my GPS which said we had 7.5 miles left. I asked the guy again and he said that yes it was really 7.5 but that he had just told the rest of the folks 10 miles! At this point I had 1:50 minutes left to come in under 24hrs and after doing the math it became pretty clear that it was in the bag. I figured I was somewhere around 12th, but within striking distance of 8th. I ran a bit farther at a good pace while doing a quick inventory of my goals, finally deciding around mi 94 that I'd be satisfied with anything sub 24. The real celebration started as I peeled off the single track at mile 95 to the cheers of the aid station volunteers there. At this point it was easy gravel roads to the finish and mild temps (later runners would face 90+ here in direct sun). I was all alone this last hour for the first time since mile 35 and it was nice to reflect on the events of the day, the training I'd put in for this, and the new friends I'd soon see at the finish.

Coming in to the finish at Scott Park in 23:42 I was greeted by cheers from Kyle, John and Tim. This was a PR by nearly 4 hrs over my 2000 Western States 100 and I hit my stretch goal. Elena and Paula showed up surprised to see me about 30 minutes later (the mark of a good run) and Squonk joined us around 7:50 after finishing up the 50 miler and taking some great pictures that are posted out here.

Results are here. In addition to getting a new 100M Buckle, I was inducted into the "Rusty Spur Club" for sub 24hr finishers and will be getting a special award in the mail any day (see picture left). The Rusty Spur Club is akin to Wasatch's "Royal Order of the Crimson Cheetah" or Uwharrie's "Organ Donor" list. A nice addition to the resume.

All in all this was an extremely well run event and one of the most beautiful locations I've ever run. Highly recommended!

The night before Bighorn

2008-06-19T19:39:00.000-07:00

Drop bags are packed and en route to Dry Fork and Footbridge Aid Stations.

Nickel sized hail outside...

Scott Jurek

2008-06-19T19:12:00.001-07:00

I met Scott Jurek at the Bighorn 100M Packet Pickup this evening and got some great tips on nutrition and hydration. 3 quick tips from Scott...

1: Your body needs carbs during ultras. I knew that but never knew how much. Scott says take your body weight in kilograms (divide lbs by 2.2) then multiply by .7. That's the number of grams of carbs you need per hour. Cool!!

2: Dehydration is bad, but don't panic if you're only 1-3% below your starting weight. At 4% you better be focused on getting back on track quickly, because it's a slippery slope to 5%+. At 5% you're likely experiencing nausea. A sweat test will give you a good indication of how much you need to drink. Sweat test procedures are i) weigh yourself naked, ii) run 60 minutes without drinking or urinating, iii) weigh yourself naked again, iv) Subtract iii from i. For each lb you loose that's 16 ounces of fluid you need per hour to remain at constant weight.

3: Electrolytes are key, particularly sodium. How much you need really depends on your body mass and how much you sweat. Find what works for you under different conditions (e.g. you need more electrolytes when it's hot). Be careful if you're gaining weight. Many runners will increase electrolytes at this point, but it is probably better to stop drinking until you start peeing again.

Yellowstone National Park

2008-06-19T19:03:00.000-07:00

Yellowstone is every bit as majestic as they say it is. I'll write more later... too much going on!

Nathan HPL 020 Mods

2008-05-26T18:12:00.000-07:00

A few modifications to my Nathan HPL 020 pack:

First, the straps -too long for me. They have been flapping around back there and driving me crazy. Easy enough to fix that by cutting them down. To keep the straps from pulling through I sewed a little fold on the ends of the straps just like the original design.

Next, the tube has been too long and I end up tucking it in to random places where it eventually works its way free. Another easy fix. I cut 6-8 inches off the end and replaced the mouthpiece.

Okay, this next one is a bit of an experiment. I sewed in a clip that the top of the bladder can attach to. Might improve the fit and flow, but also adds a little complexity to the refill process when I need to take the bladder out. The idea is that the clip will keep the bladder from sliding down to the bottom of the bag where things can get weird.

Lastly, I decided I'm going to need a little more storage space for Bighorn so I added a bungee cord to the outside of the pack. Easy to tuck in a jacket or an extra layer. I need to tinker with this one a little more... too easy for something to fall out.

Pacing MMT 100 May 17

2008-05-25T06:21:00.000-07:00

I spent Sat evening & Sunday morning pacing fellow Trailhead Jon "Bobcat" Parker through the Massanutten Mountain 100 Miler in Front Royal, VA. This is one of the more difficult 100s with a 7.5/10 rating.

52 miles of this course (almost 20 hrs) nearly broke me. About 20 miles in I wanted my mommy, but couldn't figure out how I would get back to my car if I quit. After 30 miles the bottoms of my feet pruned from being wet so long and then all the little wrinkles blistered. Even now, when I close my eyes, I see rocks...

It was very cool being out there with Bobcat for his first 100. As far as the MMT course goes... I think this satisfied my curiosity.

QuickSilver 50 Mile

2008-05-14T09:15:00.000-07:00

The Quicksilver 50k and 50 mile in the Almaden Quicksilver County Park, San Jose is sandwiched between the legendary MiWok 100k and the Ohlone 50k Wilderness Run that my friend Rob Byrne directs. It's just an amazing time of year for the Bay Area Ultra scene. So many folks are in the midst of training for Western States. From conversations during and after the run I found that even those who didn't get into Western States seem to be buzzing with energy and tackling tough races nearly every weekend.

This year Quicksilver saw the largest field in its history - and wow, was it competitive. I caught several glimpses of the front runners including Graham Cooper and Ian Torrence. Graham broke his previous course record here and didn't look like he had any trouble capturing another 1st place. The race has definitely grown since I ran the 50k here in 1999, but they have maintained a great vibe with beer and bbq after the race.

I ended up 17th out of 80 finishers with an 8:28. Not where I'd like to be in the standings, but not too bad considering the back to back 100 mile weeks leading up to the race. I think there were well over >100 starters, so I was at least in the top 20%. My 50k split of 4:59 would have put me at 11th out of 96 finishers.

During the run someone told me that an 8:30 on the Quicksilver course meant you could run a 19-22 hr Western States 100. I'd like to believe that, but there are a lot of factors that would need to be accounted for in that equation! Results may vary.

There were a few hills on this course! Some really steep ones coming into the 50k finish and again at the 50M finish. The web site said 9000 ft of gain and loss, but my Garmin reported +15,352 / -15,377! The profile to the left shows the data from my Garmin. I'd have to say that overall the footing was pretty easy though, unlike some of our East Coast trails.

No problems with any of my gear and no trouble bouncing back after a nice massage and a couple days rest. All in all a great training run for Bighorn. I'm looking forward to another long run this week while pacing fellow Trailhead Jon "Bobcat" Parker out at the Massanutten Mountain Trails 100M!

Muir Woods

2008-05-08T20:05:00.000-07:00

"This is the best tree-lovers monument that could possibly be found in all the forests of the world," - John Muir

Muir Woods is part of the National Park Service in Marin County, California, 12 miles north of San Francisco. It protects 554 acres of forested area populated by Coast Redwoods, and is one of the last remaining stands in the Bay Area along with one of my other favorites, the Big Basin Redwoods State Park where I enjoyed a great run on my last trip to CA.
Today's outing came after a long day which started with morning meetings on East Coast time and ended with many hours on the Exhibit floor at the JavaOne conference. I didn't have a hard time convincing fellow runner and co-worker Erik Kristiansen to join me. Together we ducked out of the conference with just enough time to bag another spectacular National Park.

This is the 3rd time Erik and I have gotten together for a run while traveling on business. We've covered some great trails in Edinburgh Scotland, the Red Rocks Canyon area in Nevada, and now Muir Woods. Erik was 3rd in his age group at Owl's Roost half marathon a couple weeks ago and he has run with the Trailheads a couple times. He'll be an official, named member soon!

I have to admit this was really more of a jog/walk than a run, but there's just so much to see here. Something new around every bend. There are times when it feels good to put your head down and zen out, and others when you really owe it to yourself to pay attention and "stop and smell the roses". This was definitely the later.

Marin Headlands

2008-05-07T17:18:00.000-07:00

The Marin Headlands is a hilly area located just north of San Francisco, immediately across the Golden Gate Bridge. The entire area is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area which is famous for the stunning views of the Bay Area and the Golden Gate Bridge.

To the California trail running scene, the Marin Headlands is like Mecca. This area hosts some of the most beautiful and popular trail runs in the world, including the Miwok 100k, the Dipsea founded in 1905, and relative newcomer on the 100M circuit, the Headlands Hundred, founded last year.

I got out to the Headlands around 7:30 this morning and spent some quality time along the Miwok Trail, winding my way down into the Tennessee Valley. The Miwok Trail was named for the Miwok tribe of Native Americans who moved between the bay side of the peninsula and the ocean side seasonally, for thousands of years. There were very few people out on the trails today and at one point I found myself on an animal trail imagining I was one of the Miwoks (Indian name, "Runs with Camera").

I cut straight down through the heart of the Tennessee Valley, following a small creek which empties out into a very small cove embedded in the rugged coastal bluff bordering on the Pacific Ocean. I couldn't believe the views here and had to stop and gawk every few minutes. This area reminds me a lot of sections of the Jurassic Coast. Very diverse though. Rocky exposed ridges, lush valleys, beach...

Weekly log: April 28 - May 4

2008-05-04T17:13:00.000-07:00

Week 2 of 6 in preparation for Bighorn 100.

Mon - 0 (did I mention I have a job and 3 kids?)
Tues - 21 (am: 11 mi; pm: 10 mi)
Wed - 18
Thurs - 13
Fri - 11 (had a massage with z-bow later that day and felt amazing on my long run the next am)
Sat - 26
Sun - 10.5 (4x pumpkin loops: 18:23, 18:03, 17:28, 16:02)

Weekly Total: 100 mi

Great week at home on the Carolina North Forest trails. 7 runs total vs 9 last week for the same distance. Even managed a full (unplanned) day off. Pretty consistent so far, but this coming week will get a little weird with a business trip to CA and the Quicksilver 50M Sat. I'm going to be pretty busy at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco and unfortunately may not find time to get out on the many spectacular trails around the Bay Area.

Tentative plan for week 3 is to get at least a couple descent runs in as well as some cross training in the hotel pool and weight room. Then I'll use the 50M on Sat as a good hill training run. No real goals for Quicksilver right now. I'd just like to get through it feeling strong and psychologically ready for that to be the half way point.

Qicksilver will also be a good opportunity to put 50 consecutive miles on my La Sportiva Crosslites. I'm zeroing in on these as my Bighorn shoes, but not 100% yet. I like the weight and the aggressive sole, but the NB 790 toebox is a better fit for me. Maybe I'll mix it up a bit.

Weekly log: April 21-27

2008-04-27T17:47:00.000-07:00

Week 1 of 6 in preparation for Bighorn 100.

Mon - 11 mi (am: weights. pm: twin FF loops at 44:20 and 43:55. Focusing on neg split.)
Tues - 13 mi (am: 11 mi double hill workout 51, 48. pm: 2 mi recovery run)
Wed - 16 mi (am: 4:20 start from Seawell. 6 single track, 10 mi on pumpkin 21:03, 20:44, 20:07, 19:47)
Thurs - 13.5 mi (am: 5mi. Saw first box turtle of the season. pm: 8.5)
Fri - 10.5 mi (pm: 2 pumpkin loops at 18:10 and 17:40 followed by a FF loop at 45:10. 82+ degrees!)
Sat - 10 mi (am: 10 mi. 4:20 from Seawell)
Sun - 26 mi (pm: 17 mi single track, 10 mi gravel roads. 4 pumpkin loops toward the end: 20:55, 19:52, 19:37, 18:39. Some heavy rain toward the end that was fun.)

Weekly total: 100

Pretty solid week on the trails of Carolina North Forest. A few more miles than I've done in the past, but enjoying my time "out there" and feeling pretty good. I focused this week on keeping my pace up and negative split most runs. I'm also keeping the total number of runs per week down to 8 or 9, which is at parity with my training for Jurassic Coast Challenge. So the plan here is more miles than JCC training, but same avg pace and same number of runs. That forces some longer harder runs. We'll see how well I can maintain this strategy heading into week 2...

Elbow Cay, Bahamas

2008-04-22T09:24:00.000-07:00

Last week of rest before the buildup for the Bighorn 100 in Wyoming! This week was also my wife's birthday and with our 10 year anniversary right around the corner we decided to celebrate with a few nights on Elbow Cay in the Bahamas.

Elbow Cay is a six-mile long cay in the Abaco Islands of the Bahamas. Originally populated by British loyalists fleeing the newly independent United States of America in 1785, it survived on fishing, boat building, and salvage but seems increasingly oriented toward tourism now. The main village of Hope Town surrounds a beautiful protected harbor with a red and white striped 120ft lighthouse built in 1863.

I somehow managed to squeeze 44 miles in between the rum drinks and Cuban cigars. Running barefoot on the sand definitely worked some new muscles! My calves sure are sore and tight. Running around the island was a great way to see some of the areas outside of town, but we got some strange looks from the locals.

La Sportiva Crosslite

2008-04-13T15:16:00.000-07:00

I've been on a trail shoe bender the last 12 months, trying almost a dozen pairs across brands Montrail, Inov-8, New Balance, and La Sportiva. I've mostly settled on the New Balance 790s for training and racing, but after slipping around in the mud so much at the Jurassic Coast Challenge last month I decided to add something into the rotation that would give me better traction when needed. Enter the La Sportiva Crosslite. The description is spot on:

"A featherweight racing shoe with a burly outsole for wet and muddy conditions. Features: Simple mesh upper with integral scree guard Wide-spaced lugs promote shedding of mud and grass."

The toebox may be a little too narrow for me, but I'm going to put them to the test with the upcoming Bighorn 100 training cycle and see how it goes... may need to make a few alterations.

Red Rock Canyon

2008-04-12T13:53:00.000-07:00

I typically wind up in Las Vegas at least once a year on business. This trip I decided to rent a car and make some time to explore a bit outside of town.

I was absolutely stunned by what I found at the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.

Red Rock Canyon is just a few miles west of Las Vegas and sits on some 197,000 acres within the Mojave Desert. It was only 20 minutes drive from the Strip, but a completely different world.

They pretty much called it like they saw it.... There is a spectacular red rock canyon that I ran straight through. Views like this really make me want to pick up a good geology book.

Supposedly there are wild horses, bighorn sheep, and wild burros roaming free but I didn't come across any. I did see a few rabbits and some spectacular wild flowers.

Over the past few years there have apparently been several efforts to develop this area. One plan even called for 8,400 houses in a master-planned community within the park. Concerned citizens got together and confronted the developers and won.

Toenail Removal Process

2008-04-12T13:36:00.000-07:00

And now a brief intermission from all the pretty pictures from exotic running locations. Here's what ultrarunning is really about...

I've settled on a pretty straightforward approach to removing toenails that have been damaged on long runs. By damaged, I mean fluid has built up underneath the nail separating it from the connective tissue. If it gets infected this can be very painful. And if you don't remove the damaged nail it can obstruct the path of the new nail, which gets a little wonky. So, I just pull 'em off. The process is 1) soak in the tub, 2) grab one side of the nail with pliers, and 3) pull. Afterward I'll put on some antibacterial ointment and a band-Aid. Viola.

Day 3 Jurassic Coast Challenge

2008-03-30T12:23:00.001-07:00

Day 3: 5:46, 27.2 miles, 5th place overall for the 3 day challenge!

Overall Results
Pictures

The sun was out today and I got some beautiful pictures. They are truly worth 1000 words each... I'm knackered and should just leave it at that but I'll write a few words until I get to bottom of this lovely Lugger Ale I'm having.

Overall another Epic day. The coastline here is just amazing (when you can see) and pictures can't begin to do it justice. We got off to a later start today than I expected and the weather turned out to be a bit warmer than predicted. I overheated early on and hit a rough spell around mi 7. The 6th & 7th place guys got in front of me around this time, but I kept on the fluids and S! caps and managed to pull out of the death spiral just in time to reel them in. The last 9 miles I had to fly to catch up to those blokes. My Garmin showed 7 min miles for a few miles on a very crowded boardwalk through the town of Swanage. Some strange looks from the locals.

Beautiful views like this all day. I kept thinking, "Sheesus, I've got to run all the way down there?!" I'd rather just take pictures and walk a bit... (which I did).

The elevation was just crazy today. Hardest day of the 3 day challenge. Again, it's not the overall elevation change that's so impressive (check out today's elev profile below)... it's the grade. Oh, and the mud made for some very comical steep ascents and descents! I took many falls and ended up a muddy mess, but so was everyone else and it made for some light moments.

This year's JCC exceeded my expectations again despite the crazy weather. I made some great friends this weekend... including a couple who are now seriously considering Bighorn 100. I am very pleased to come away with 5th place given the level of competition and just the overall number of competitors (we started with somewhere around 130, but the crowd seemed to slim down some by day 3). Definitely my best performance in terms of the percentages.

Alright, my pint is empty and I've got an early flight back to the States. I'm going to be starring at this elevation profile for a few days. I'm feeling soreness in muscles I didn't know I had... fortunately I don't think there's anything of this grade at Bighorn 100.

Day 2 Jurassic Coast Challenge

2008-03-29T14:06:00.000-07:00

Day 2: 4:49 and holding strong in 5th place. 27.5 miles.

Did I say yesterday was muddy and windy? Double that. Winds along the ridges in excess of 50 mph and rain almost all day today. Total mudfest. Today was dubbed the hardest day in JCC history. The oner (all 78.6 miles in one go) was canceled tonight as the winds are expected to increase.

I ran a bit faster today, and a bit further than yesterday. Spent much of the day in 2nd place but then took a break the last few miles dropping back to 5th. That keeps my overall position comfortably in 5th. I'd be very pleased to end up in 5th overall. The folks in front of me are very talented and experienced stage racers. Lot's of who have done the Racing the Planets 4 deserts series, Marathon De Sables, etc.

Tough to get pictures today with all the rain, but I did manage to snap a couple toward the end. This really is a spectacular course.

Topped the day off with a nice soak in my tub and couple pints with some new friends.

Hopefully some better weather tomorrow!

Day 1 Jurassic Coast Challenge

2008-03-28T12:11:00.000-07:00

Day 1: 4:44 and 5th place out of ~130.

A spectacular day along 26.6 miles of the Jurassic Coast from Lyme Regis to Chickerell, UK.

The weather was typical this time of year here - rain, sun, repeat. Winds in the 20mph range. I snaped some pictures from my iPhone when the sun came out. I don't normally run with gadgets, but this race actually requires that you carry a cell phone. Also required: 400ml fluids (duh), compass, flashlight with extra batteries, whistle, gloves, something warm in a waterproof ziplock bag, a "chocolate bar", notepad and pencil, and maps for the day. Sheesh. Fortunately everything fit in my Nathan pack quite comfortably.

I also opted to wear my Garmin Forerunner 205. I'm having some trouble getting the data out to motionbased.com but will add those details when I get that sorted out.

This is a tough course - much harder than I remember from last year. The overall elevation change doesn't tell the story here - these hills are super steep and require engaging some muscles that lesser grade hills don't reach. (Lesson learned.) I hammered the downhills and walked anything I couldn't see over. At one point I checked my pace on an uphill section: my Garmin showed 30+ min miles.

The course is really muddy this year too and my NB 790s were slipping a lot -uphill and downhill. I went down a couple times. Nearly lost a shoe in sucking mud twice. In some places today it was the sticky kind of mud that builds up on your shoes so it feels like you are running in high heels. I kept looking for rocks to knock it off. When we weren't in the mud we were often in cow pastures with hoof prints or along the beach in soft pebbly sand. I conveniently forgot about that from last year too.

I'm tired, but not too sore. Looking forward to seeing what tomorrow brings...

Thurs Night at The Lugger Inn

2008-03-27T15:15:00.000-07:00

Thursday night before Day one of the Jurassic Coast Challenge. After not sleeping particularly well on the redeye I thought I'd get to bed early and catch up on some shuteye. The party is still going on downstairs however. Sounds from the Lugger Inn (on the right) is an audio recording of the festivities that can be heard from my room.

Post from iPhone

2008-03-25T19:16:00.001-07:00

Okay, this is geeky. I'm trying to post from my new iPhone with the
thought that I might not take my laptop with me to the UK tomorrow.
I'm hoping to post updates from the jurassic coast challenge each day
but don't feel like packing my laptop.

Got another pair of NB790s today for JCC. Let's try to add a picture...

Nags Head Woods

2008-03-25T06:01:00.000-07:00

Visited Nags Head Woods for some easy running and hiking Sat and Sun.

Nags Head Woods is considered one of the best remaining examples of a mid-Atlantic maritime forest with deciduous hardwoods. This pine and hardwood forest harbors trees up to 500 years old and has an extensive system of dunes, interdune ponds, and wetlands. The forest's great natural diversity is due to the fact that it draws water from an extensive freshwater aquifer and is sheltered by ancient dunes.

The preserve is also an important nesting area for more than 50 species of birds, including green heron, wood duck, red-shouldered hawk, clapper rail, ruby-throated hummingbird, pileated woodpecker, prothonotary warbler, and summer tanager. The freshwater ponds are inhabited by turtles and salamanders and support a great diversity of floating aquatic plant life, including the rare water violet.

An extensive marsh system bordering Roanoke Sound on the western side of the preserve supports a wealth of wildlife including river otter, muskrat, egrets, herons, and many species of migratory waterfowl.

I did a lot of training for Western States 2000 here and really fell in love with this place. We bought some property here in '03 (Walker Island) that has a great view of the Western border of Nags Head Woods. Caleb and I went out to the island on Sat and romped around among the oak trees.

Weekly log: March 17-23

2008-03-25T05:53:00.000-07:00

Very easy taper week. Bit too easy perhaps...

Mon - 3
Tues
Wed - 5
Thurs
Fri -3 (15:13 pumpkin loop -where'd that come from?)
Sat - 4
Sun - 1 hike with the kids

Weekly log: March 10-16

2008-03-25T05:39:00.001-07:00

Week 6 of training for the Jurassic Coast Challenge. Started out strong this week and then cut my long run on Sat short, deciding it was time to start tapering for Jurassic Coast. Bit of a Forest Gump moment there... "I'm pretty tired. I think I'll go home now."

Mon - 11 (2x15min tempo)
Tue - 11.5 (am 5.5, pm 5.5)
Wed -7.5
Thu - 6 (tempo)
Fri - 4
Sat -17
Sun - rest

Memories

2008-03-16T06:09:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite memories of my grandfather, who passed away peacefully this week at the age of 95.

Week Log: March 2-9

2008-03-10T21:26:00.000-07:00

Week 5 of 6 in preparation for the Jurassic Coast Challenge. Another odd week that included a great business trip to CA for some hill training. Relatively lower mileage and less intensity.

Mon - 4.5
Tues - 5.5 hills
Wed - 8 mi hills (3.5 am, 4.5 pm)
Thurs - 10 mi hills
Fri - 0 (travel back from CA, ending a 31 day streak of running every day)
Sat - 24
Sun - 9 mi

Weekly total: 61 miles

Trying out something a little different with the taper for Jurassic Coast. I backed off a bit this week to get a little rest heading into my last hard week before tapering for 2 weeks. Picked this up from Eric Grossman during an Iron Mountain training run. The overall training cycle is supposed to like this (by week): hard, hard, hard, hard, moderate, hard, taper, taper/race.

Looking forward to some higher mileage this coming week and then getting some rest.

Maps for Jurassic Coast Challenge

2008-03-09T13:56:00.000-07:00

Maps of the Jurassic Coast Challenge were just posted. A lot of the same ground we covered in last year's JCC.
&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-kingdom/jcc-day-1/815245443"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;JCC day 1&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/find-run/united-kingdom/jcc-day-1"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Find more Runs in JCC Day 1, United Kingdom&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-kingdom/jcc-day-2/60084453"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;JCC Day 2&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/find-run/united-kingdom/jcc-day-2"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Find more Runs in JCC Day 2, United Kingdom&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-kingdom/jjc-day-3-/287671089"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;JCC Day 3&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/find-run/united-kingdom/jjc-day-3-"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Find more Runs in JJC Day 3 , United Kingdom&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Big Basin Redwoods State Park

2008-03-06T15:07:00.000-08:00

I drove out to Big Basin Redwoods State Park in the Santa Cruz Mountains today for another look at one of my favorite Bay Area running spots.

Big Basin is California's oldest State Park, established in 1902. Home to the largest continuous stand of ancient coast redwoods south of San Francisco, the park is > 18,000 acres of old growth and recovering redwood forest. Elevations vary from sea level to over 2,000 feet so this was another good hill workout.

I have some great memories here. The first time I ran the ultra distance (29 mi) was in this park in 1998, the weekend after my previous distance PR of 18 mi... which was the weekend after my previous distance PR of 13 miles. That was an interesting month. Felt like I was living that dream where you find a room in your house you didn't know was there. I also ran my 2nd trail race here that same year, the Big Basin Marathon (sadly, discontinued).

Today I set out with the idea that I'd follow the first 5 miles or so of the Big Basin Marathon course and then come back. I got a little off course the 1st mile and went out on what I think is the return leg of that course, heading up nice 500 foot climb and then linking up with the marathon course. Miles 1-4 bled off 1000 feet over soft trails with good footing that is so typical of the West. I like the challenge offered by the rocky, technical trails in the East, but the fast, soft trails here were my first love in trail running and today rekindled that affection.

At mile 4.2 there is a beautiful waterfall nestled in a lush canyon that I snapped a picture of. Unfortunately my camera batteries died shortly thereafter. There is another waterfall at mile 5 that requires some light climbing. Not recommended for acrophobics! I really wanted a picture of that one because I've talked about it frequently. Hearing that I run long distances folks always ask what my marathon time is. Well... I've only run 2 "official" marathons (both on trails) early in my running career, and Big Basin was the fastest at 3:50. Folks are usually unimpressed, and I feel compelled to add that it was a challenging trail marathon with some light climbing up a waterfall. Next time I'll get that picture.

The return trip of this out and back is a little tougher with >1000 ft climb from mile 6 to 9, then a quick 500 ft decent the last mile. All in all a spectacular day among the ancient redwood giants.

Oh, and on the way back to my hotel in Los Gatos I was passed on a double yellow lined windy mountain road by a Prius... that just seems odd doesn't it? Must be time to head back to NC.

Coyote Peak

2008-03-05T21:00:00.000-08:00

After wrapping up a rather long, but successful meeting with a business partner today I jumped in the car and sped off to the Santa Teresa Park in the hills Southwest of San Jose, CA.

This park is nestled between IBM's Almaden Research Lab and the Silicon Valley Lab where I first interned with IBM and then hired on 10 years ago. This is also where I first got interested in trail running. These hills really call out to me and I spent a lot of time today just wandering around remembering different parts of the trails and the surrounding landscape.

Santa Teresa Park features acres of rolling hills, many native plants and wildflowers, and spectacular views in every direction. I also saw quite a few deer today.

The most prominent feature in the park is Coyote Peak at about 1150 ft.

I remembered my Garmin and got a nice profile. Sure felt more than 650 ft on the run up! There's really very little relief and the grade is steep (650 ft in a little less than 1 mi).

Los Gatos, CA

2008-03-05T20:21:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I love my job. Especially when it takes me places with great trails.

Today started with a run in the Santa Cruz Mountains above Los Gatos, California. I managed to find a hotel that is literally 100 yards from a great trailhead I got to know while living in the Bay Area in the late '90s.

I have some great memories of this trail, one of the first I ever ran. As I ran today I thought about the time I nearly stepped on a rattlesnake here. And how another time I tripped and nearly went off a cliff. And how I felt on the downhills when I first ran in a pair of trail shoes on this trail - Montrails when they were known as OneSport.

This morning's run was more about memories and taking in the scenery, but there are some great hills here that snuck up on me. Next run I'll remember to take my Garmin and check out the elevation change.

Week Log: Feb 25 - March 2

2008-03-02T18:03:00.000-08:00

Week 4 of 6 in preparation for the Jurassic Coast Challenge. Bit of an odd week that included a business trip to Boston, some time in the hotel weight room, a little stairmaster, and a hard 40 mile long run.

Mon - 2 miles bushwhacking
Tues - 11 mi
Wed - 6 mi (treadmill followed by 30 mins stairmaster)
Thurs - 3 mi (treadmill and weights)
Fri - 5.5 mi
Sat - 40 mi
Sun - 4 mi

Weekly total: 70 miles

Had a good session with local PT guru Brian "Gyro" Beatty this week at Balanced Movement. I've now got a new stretching routine that includes fun stuff like this...

I'm feeling pretty good about preparations for Jurassic Coast, but definitely feeling the accumulated miles after yesterday's Uwharrie adventure. I'm looking for more hill training this week and then back to back marathons Sat/Sun, starting with the Umstead Trail Marathon.

Uwharrie 40 Rematch

2008-03-01T16:51:00.001-08:00

The Uwharrie National Forest is an All-You-Can-Run Buffet of the rockiest, most technical trails in the Piedmont of NC. Bob Boeder started a trail race here 17 years ago and used this area as his training ground for The Grand Slam of Ultrarunning and Hardrock 100. For my long run this week I ran the 40 mile course Bob laid out along the Uwharrie Trail.

But, this was more than a training run for me. This was a chance to even the score with the course where I DNFd last month for the first time. This run would be more of a hard core empty arena, cage match than my usual tranquil weekend long runs.

I set out with the same goal I had on race day last month: Sub 7hrs, organ donor's club. Only this time there would be no aid stations. No cheering fans along the way. No family and friends waiting at the finish. No other human competitors. No taper. And no official results.

I drove out to the Uwharrie National Forest Friday afternoon and stashed water at the 8mi, 11mi, and the 20 mi turnaround, then met my family at the Asheboro Hampton Inn for a night of bouncing on the beds, eating pizza, and playing in the hotel pool. Sat am I drove out to the Flint Hill Trailhead where the 40 mile course begins, getting there just in time for my target 7:00 am start (same as race day). It was a beautiful sunny day with temps starting in the upper 30s and topping out in the mid 60s.

The Trailhead was quiet as I laced up my NB 790s (arguably an insane shoe choice for this run), strapped on my Nathan pack, and hit the start button on my Garmin. I had no idea what the day would bring, and with the lack of cell phone service in the area I was a little apprehensive the first mile. Bella Fleck came up on the iPod and with the sun hitting me just as I crested the first hill everything seemed to be falling into place.

My strategy was to divide the run up into 5 x 8 mi sections. If I could average 1:24s for these I'd be right on the 7 hr mark.

After taking the first hill quite a bit slower than race day, I came through the 8 mile point about 1 minute faster feeling really good: 1:17. This was the confidence boost I was looking for and I was able to keep it going through the next 8 miles, dropping my time on that section to 1:16 despite taking a short break at mile 8 and 11 to refill my water. It was in this 2nd 8 mi section that I began to have ITB pain on race day and started walking the downhills. No problems today. I felt strong through the half way point, coming through at 3:14. The 3rd 8 mile section was a little slower, 1:26, but not bad considering the time I took at the halfway point refilling my Nathan pack and getting some food. The 4th 8 mile segment (mi 24-32) was hard. With each hill my average pace came up a few seconds and I wasn't making it up on the steep, technical downhills. The sun was beating down on me now and I was short on fluids. I slipped to a 1:30 for this section leaving myself exactly 1:30 again on the last 8 mi segment in order to break 7 hrs. I started getting nervous that I might really bonk with dehydration. Lost in my thoughts and wondering if Uwharrie might get the better of me again I failed to notice a tree that jumped in front of me. Ouch. The Uwharrie Trail wasn't going to let me win easily. Bloodied, bruised, and a little shaken I plodded along through the uphills and was finally relieved to find a few downhill sections that were not too steep to run.

Before I knew it I was making the turn back down to the Flint Hill Rd Trailhead parking lot. I cruised across the "finish "to an empty parking lot in 6:55:32 to tie up the score: Uwharrie 1, Marmot 1.

Week Log: Feb 18-24

2008-02-24T13:36:00.000-08:00

Week 3 of 6 in preparation for the Jurassic Coast Challenge. Another solid week on the trails of Carolina North Forest.

Mon - 4 miles easy
Tues - 11 miles
Wed - 3 miles
Thurs - 9 (am 5.5, pm 3.5)
Fri - 13 (am 5.5, pm 7.5)
Sat - 24 (half dark, half light)
Sun - 16

Weekly total: 80 miles

The week started out a little rough, but ended well. I think running doubles (am & pm) and getting out with some of the Trailheads was the key to keeping the weekly mileage and pace on par. The usual long run (4 hrs , 4:20 am start) on Sat was the hardest it's been in a while, but it was nice to be joined by Gumbi (and stitch) at 5:30 and then at 6:30 by Willow, Grinz and Half Dome. These guys really pulled me along during the low points.

Sunday was a complete reversal and the 2nd Sunday in a row I felt really strong. 10.5 miles on even footing at 7 minute miles followed by another 5.5 of single track. I don't understand why I'd feel strongest the day after my longest run of the week. Conflicts with my "over training" theory about why the beginning of the week was rough. Bizarre, but I'll take it.

So far I've been training at a pretty consistent level for Jurassic Coast Challenge. Here's how the first 3 weeks look with regards to the 3 gauges I've been watching: mileage, pace, number of runs...

wk 1: 80 miles, 8 runs, 9.4 min miles
wk 2: 80 miles, 9 runs, 8.6 min miles
wk 3: 80 miles, 9 runs, 9.0 min miles

I'll take a snapshot of the average here and (80m, 8.7 runs, 8.9mm) and use this as a baseline against which to measure the buildup for Bighorn 100 where I'll try to reduce the number of runs while keeping the mileage and pace constant. Sounds simple, right?

For the next week of training for JCC I'll be breaking the routine a little and focusing on a few special things.

Week Log: Feb 11-17

2008-02-17T16:35:00.000-08:00

Another week running the trails of Carolina North Forest. This is week 2 of 6 in the buildup for the Jurassic Coast Challenge 3/28-30th.

Mon - 3 mi easy
Tues - 12.5 (7.5 am, 5 pm)
Wed - 12 mi (7.5 am, 4.5 pm)
Thurs - 5 mi (night run)
Fri - 5.5 mi
Sat - 24 mi (half dark, half light)
Sun - 18 mi (7:30 pace)

Weekly Total: 80 miles

I've been keeping an eye on 3 dials: 1) # of runs per week, 2) miles per week, and 3) average pace. Tinkering around with the idea of holding the weekly miles and time constant while reducing the total number of runs. Basically encouraging longer runs at pace. Something to think about on the road to Bighorn 100. For now, I'm enjoying squeezing lots of shorter runs into my schedule and starting to ramp up longer back to back runs.

Added another couple pairs of NB790s to the rotation. I'm running in these almost exclusively now. Last time I was this excited about a shoe was when I discovered One Sport (Montrail) in 1997 with a model that became the Vitesse.

Another week injury free and generally feeling good physically and mentally. Looking forward to an easy day tomorrow and hopefully another solid week.

Week Log: Feb 4-10

2008-02-10T14:09:00.000-08:00

Single track in Carolina North Forest.

Mon - rest
Tues - 13 mi
Wed - 12 mi (4.5 am, 7.5 pm)
Thurs - 11 mi
Fri - 12 mi
Sat - 17 mi
Sun - 15 mi (7.5 am, 7.5 pm)

Weekly Total: 80 miles

No more IT Band troubles this week. Switched out my Hardrocks for a pair of New Balance 790s. Opposite ends of the continuum. I'm loving the NB790s for the shorter distances on soft trails. Thicker socks helps provide a little more cushion too. Not sure where this experiment is going though... I don't think I'd brave an ultra in a shoe this lightweight, so... why train in them? Because it's fun. I've decided to look into this lightweight trail shoe phenomenon some more. Seems to be working for some, including Anton Krupicka (recent shin issues aside).

mile zero

Waiting for the Barkley Start

Barkley Training Grounds

2011 Training Schedule

Appalachian and Bartram Trails 12/31

Barkley "Condolences"

Some things to remember

Foothills Trail (77mi) Report

Foothills Trail (FHT)

Hanging out with Laz / Thoughts on The Barkley

Race Rebort: Laz's Backyard Ultra

Laz's Backyard Ultra

Tap tap tap... is this thing on?

2010!

Training Log

HARDROCK 100 2009

The Grit Bit

Gold Hill 12,725

Kamm Traverse to the Nute Chute on the Hardrock Course

Bear Creek Trail Work Party on the Hardrock Course

Ophir Pass Rd to Oscar's Pass on the Hardrock Course

Telluride to Oscar's Pass on the Hardrock Course

Iron Springs to Grant-Swamp Pass on the Hardrock Course

Ouray to Virginius on the Hardrock Course

Telluride to Mendota Peak Excursion

San Juan Solstice

Training Log: Week 5 for Hardrock

Training Log: Week 4 for Hardrock

Training Log: Week 3 for Hardrock

Fitting it in...

Training Log: Week 2 for Hardrock

MMT 100 Pacing

Training Log: Week 1 for Hardrock

Matt Hart's Ultrarunning Video

Red Rock Canyons 2009

2nd place at Moab 100!

Moab 100 2008 Pictures

100 M Difficulty Ratings

Elevation Profiles

Uwharrie 40M 2009

Hardrock 2009

Moab 100

2009!

weekly log: Nov 24 - 30th

NB505 RX505CB

Uwharrie 2, Weezyl 1

Uwharrie 40 *wet* run

Trail Shoes

Red Rock Canyon in the Fall

2009 Race Plans

Marin Headlands

lost in the woods

Columbia River Gorge (Portland)

Cascade Crest 100 Course Recon

Wasatch 100

London

Milan

Over the Alps

Amsterdam

Trailheads Summer Survival Trail Running Series

Bighorn 100 Report

The night before Bighorn

Scott Jurek

Yellowstone National Park

Nathan HPL 020 Mods

Pacing MMT 100 May 17

QuickSilver 50 Mile

Muir Woods

Marin Headlands

Weekly log: April 28 - May 4

Weekly log: April 21-27

Elbow Cay, Bahamas

La Sportiva Crosslite

Red Rock Canyon

Toenail Removal Process

Day 3 Jurassic Coast Challenge

Day 2 Jurassic Coast Challenge

Day 1 Jurassic Coast Challenge

Thurs Night at The Lugger Inn

Post from iPhone

Uwharrie 40 wet run