December 2013 Summary

Runs - 23
Running Days - 22
Weightlifting Days - 8
Average Miles per Running Day - 9.9
Vertical Feet Ran - 29,000
Push Ups per Day for Mth - 147
Push Ups per Day for Year - 111.03 or 40,525 Total Push Ups

Too keep a theme going that many of my friends back home in San Francisco had going on, my top 3 moments at Candlestick Park.  Candlestick Park is where I had my first job.  It's where I feel in love with the game of baseball.  It's where I watched literally hundreds of baseball games between 1978 and 1999. Another 50 football games.  An absolute dump that I loved since I spent so much of my childhood there.

#3 - Sneaking into the stadium and onto the field as a 14 year old.  It was baseball season and the Giants were away.  We played catch on the infield for roughly 15 minutes till getting kick out of the stadium.

#2 - Roughly 12 years old and attending one of the lonely weekday night games.  Stadium crowd around 2,000 folks.  Hanging out with a few of my friends near the Giants bullpen and chatting with Vida Blue.  Vida Blue threatening to throw a baseball at a bobblehead roaming the seats nearby.  The bobblehead was my buddies little brother who was maybe 6 years old and wore a baseball cap that was meant for a teenage. Early 80s, 6 kids between the ages of 6 and 13 going to a baseball game in the hood via public transportation without any parental guidance.  I loved growing up in the Four One Five!

#1 - Game 3 of the 1989 World Series.  I was working there selling hot dogs and I was situated right where the opposing team entered/exited the field.  Jose Canseco had just entered the playing field.  The whole section was booing and flipping him off.  Then the earth shock. 

Funny how scared to death I was of reliving the first few months of a newborn.  Yeah, sleepless nights, rocking the little one to sleep at 11pm and changing way to many diapers can be rough.  Hell, being completely cashed by days end is rough.  Once reality hit, I was excited (not scared) to be dealing with a newborn, my son.  It's actually pretty amazing.  I mean, how often does one get to experience the first months of someones life?  I now have amazing memories of walking in circles around my basement of trying to get both my daughter and son to sleep.  I know, far from glamorous, but it's some of my fondest memories of being able to hold either of my kids in just one arm.          

The rest of my selfish activities were done when it impacted the family least.  Taking advantage of any window I had.  Sometimes it was before the sun rose, other times during naps.  When all said and done, I gave the month a good run.

Running happened surprisingly frequently this month.  Instead of running around town for 13 miles while the family napped, I took the December Mt Falcon Challenge instead.  No established "challenge", just me punishing myself with a lot of Mt Falcon as much.  10 visits total for the month.  The result was me posting a big climbing month.  You exclude out my Run Rabbit Run 100 Miler, and I ran as much vert in 5 weeks of December as I have in the previous 14 weeks. Ended up being one of my better running months of the year and best since August!

(Stupid toe nails)

My weightlifting is still going strong but I've hit the same crossroads I always do with lifting.  I can either do more (like say increase my weekly visits to the gym to 3 or 4) or stick to what I'm doing now.  Doing more would result in getting much stronger while sacrificing running.   Sticking to my current plan would yield positive results but at a much slower rate then I've seen over the past 3 months.

Running is still my passion and I've hit my goal winter weight of 185, but a part of me would like to push my weight up to 190 while maintaining 50 miles a week.  Time will dictate how much I focus on gaining another 5 pounds of muscle.  

The Push Up Challenge.  What started out as a challenged ended as a routine.  One that I did without putting much thought into.  Most days, I simply woke up and knocked out push ups. Sometimes 0. Sometimes 200. Most days somewhere that got me to over 100 push ups a day.

At the end of the day, running is going to put you in great running shape.  But I swear that all the weightlifting and push ups I've done over the past year has made me a much better runner.

Lastly, excited to enter a new Age Group and duke it out with my fellow Master Runners!  Which basically means I'll continue to get smoked by those around me.  

LOOKING FORWARD

There will be little focus on a training routine right now.  Simply sticking with staying in shape and building a strong base.  I literally will be taking it day by day and hoping to replicate December as much as possible (which will be tough due to less time off).

My next race will be the Salida Marathon in March. I won't be in any racing shape but I plan to be in strong running shape.

March will also mean the little one is 4 months old, that spring is near and the start of me getting 100% focused for the San Juan Solstice 50 Miler in June!  I'm already very excited for this race and have started putting down splits and figuring out what I need to do to get in 10 hours flat shape.  I won't even think about training for the Bear till early July.      

Kind of Looking Back at 2013

I wasn't planning on discussing anything regarding the past year till I read PGs honest reflection of his 2013.

I'm still reluctant to post much as I'd rather talk about stuff that's important.  Family, friends, the ups and downs we all go through in life and THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF ALL THIS LOOKING BACK IS how we are better for it...but I have no interest in discussing that on this forum. I'd rather discuss those items during a nice long trail run or over a few beers. 

In all aspects of my life, I strive to be the best I can be. I'm pretty hard on myself and believe I have a lot to figure out still.  Hell, I mess up enough to consider myself a fuck up a times.  But I do care.  A lot.  When it comes to running, I care about performing to the best of my running ability without it ever impacting those things that are most important to me.

That said, random observations from my 2013 races:

Moab Red Hot 55K - A race where I learned the so much about myself as a runner.  Learning that I can still run even when it hurts.  Running when I least want to.  Gaining so much confidence for the remainder of the year.  

Collegiate Peaks 25M - A race that I simply didn't need to do.  That signing up for one to many races can negatively impact future races.  Yes, I hung out with a lot of friends that weekend and loved every aspect of that. However I didn't hold back as much as I should have during this race and it cost me to perform at levels I expected to in the following 2 races due to an injury and fatigue I incurred during the race.    

Sun Mountain 50K - When on a family vacation, schedule the race at the start of it.  Not at the end of one. Combine that with being off my game since CP25 and I missed out on a great opportunity of performing really well here.

Running highlight of my year being a 1K kids trail race I shared with my beautiful daughter.

  (Running Highlight Of The Year Captured in Photo: Credit to Tachiyama)

San Juan Solstice 50M - My all time favorite race.  One that I executed nicely on considering the injuries and inconsistent training over the past month plus. This was an A goal race for me so to not be 100% prepared was a real downer.  

It's also the race where I thought I was a total fuck up. Mile 35 running mad and focused and I thought of my daughter and how badly I just wanted to be with her instead.  For a moment I just lost it.  How horrible of a dad I was by running a race instead of chasing her around at the park.  

I gathered myself rather quickly and put everything into perspective but not a run goes by today without me thinking of my 2 kids.  About what I might be sacrificing.  That at the end of the day, I'm a better father and husband because of running but it still doesn't make being away from them any easier.    

Run Rabbit Run 100M - I have a whole other post drafted regarding this race that I'll put up some other time. For now, months after the race has ended, I still have incredible memories of spending so much time with family and friends. 

Reflecting on the past is fun and all but at times, there needs to be some kind of purpose in doing so.  I've made many positive strides as a person...as a runner in the past year.  Yet this fight to be better father, husband, runner continues. It's a very frustrating fight because it's one I will never win regardless of how hard I try.

Reality is I'll never be happy with the end result (even the best for my family isn't good enough in my eyes). But thankfully that's all on me and I wouldn't want it any other way.  

         

    

November 2013 Summary

Thanksgiving Morning:

Woken up at 3:45am and my wife alerted me she's in labor but not to far along. Thinking a lunch time baby. Wait, ain't this baby due in 10 days and not now?
Fast forward 45 minutes and she's going to have our son any moment. Thankfully already packed.  
Realizing we don't have a game plan for anyone to watch our daughter.
Running red lights along Downing on the way to the hospital. Now that was fun.
Explaining to my daughter how babies are really delivered and getting this reaction:

Actually that reaction is more from the lack of sleep combined with the sugar rush of a 6am popsicle!

6:30am baby boy born.  

So what did you do for Thanksgiving?

Now on to lesser important running related items.....

Runs - 22
Running Days - 22
Weightlifting Days - 11
Avg Miles per Running Day - 8.5
Vertical Feet Ran - 14,000
Injured - 0
Push Ups per Day/Month - 156
Push Ups per Day/Year - 108

I'll start with my Weightlifting first yet again as it's been my main focus for a few months now.  I had a goal of hitting the weight room 12 times this month but had to adjust to baby boys schedule.  Still, the progress I've made since making the weights a focus has been great.

Focus is still on every body part.  One of the biggest improvements I've noticed over the past few months is finding that muscle balance between the right and left side of the body.  For example, I noticed on my dumbbell lunges, my right leg was weaker then my left.  I've noticed slight muscle imbalances all over the place and I've made it a goal to even them out as much as possible...specifically the legs.  

Hitting the weights pretty frequently rarely left me fresh when it came to Running.  Squats, lunges, calf raises take their toll when trying to run a 8 miler around the hood or up Mt Morrison later that same day or the next.  Or even a few days later.  

But whatever.  I'm not training for anything and enjoying the simple act of running.  And this past month has been very enjoyable!  3 random summits, 2 short races in one day, 1 twenty mile pancake run.  All with friends who share the same passion of running and breakfast beers!  While the weights have rarely left me fresh, the focus on balancing out the muscle strength has been very noticeable as of late.  Hard to explain but the simple act of running has felt its smoothest in months.  I am sure this is also a sign of being fully recovered from all the races I've done since February.

(Santa Fe has many fun trail running options!)

Speaking of being recovered, it's funny how ones mind quickly shifts to "now what!".  Part of me really wants to start up a new training cycle for an upcoming race but thankfully there is nothing on the race radar till March.  As for the month end numbers, I was hoping for slightly more but baby boy altered plans during the last long weekend of the month.

Push Up Challenge. The stats are now up above.  I made a huge push this past month thinking time would be limited with baby boy's arrival in early December.  What resulted was my best number of push ups in one month.

Looking Forward

Finding that sweet balance of family with a new born, work and running.  It won't be easy, especially with such short cold days in the immediate future.  But the challenge in finding that balance is all the motivation I need to get after it with all I got.  I already see a lot of 4am wake up calls for my week day runs.

I won't make a separate post for my 2014 schedule, but for now I'm looking at the following - Salida, Colorado in March. Lake City, Colorado in June.  Logan, Utah in September.  Many mountain adventures in between.

2013 Pumpkin Pie 5K & 10K Race Report

Short Version:

That hurt.  That sucked.  Especially when I was slightly hungover and hadn't trained for this fast running crap in months!

Slightly Longer Version:

Not sure why I thought this would be a good idea.  To run a 5K followed by a 10K 45 minutes later.  But I signed up and suffered.  

My initial goal was to go under 60 minutes for both races combined.  As far as I was concerned, I didn't think I had a chance in hell.  Last time I focused on any leg turnover need for a 5K (much less 10K) was way back in January as I prepared for the Red Hot Moab 55K.  The race outcome was as follows:

5K -  18:58 (6:07 pace).  4th in my age group.  26th out of 2060 finishers.  

10K - 40:04 (6:27 pace). 4th in my age group.  30th out of 1008 finishers.  (20:17 1st 5K & 19:47 2nd 5K)

Total Time of 59 minutes and 2 seconds.  0 Pumpkin Pie Slices consumed.  Though my daughter ate 1/4 of a slice for me.    

My game plan for the first race.  To not crash and burn during the 5K race.  A one loop course.  I worked it pretty good but left some in the tank. The easy warm up and cool down before this race helped tremendously.    

Game plan for the second race.  Try and run a first lap 5K pace that I could hold for 3 straight laps.  No way in hell I could have ran 3 straight 20 minute 5Ks but thankfully I knew I had one more in me.  Not sure how I carved of 30 seconds on my second lap.  

Not training for these types of races was extremely evident during that last lap of the 10K.  I simply didn't have the muscle focus to turn my legs over.  My breathing wasn't labored and my running form pretty relaxed but I simply couldn't run faster.  At the same time, the fact that I was able to run at under a 6 minute pace for anything longer then a few strides kind of blew me away.  I'm pretty sure the last 1/2 mile of the 10K came close to a 5:40 pace.  I felt it though. Afterwards I was pretty sore and tight.  

Thankfully for me there were a few folks who had the perfect recovery plan and drink for the efforts exerted that morning.   

(Photo courtesy of JT....surprise surprise)

Someone asked me afterwards if I was going to focus any of my running attention to these shorter distances. HA!  First of all I love the trails way to much.  Second, running these road races are for losers who like to put 13.1 bumper stickers on their cars.  Lastly, these races are tough as hell and would destroy me within a few months!  

October 2013 Summary

Runs - 16
Running Days - 16
Weightlifting Days - 10
Avg Miles per Running Day - 6.9
Vertical Feet Ran - 6,000
Injured Days - 0

I'll start with the main focus this month and that being Weightlifting.  In past years, I would have taken most of the summer off from the weight room, leaving me in position that required a few months to get back into the swing of things.  Not the case this year.  I saw a few weeks of finding a groove starting late last month which allowed for solid efforts this month.

I focused on everything this month.  Upper body, core, legs.  Put on a solid 7 pounds this month.  Spending 60 to 90 minutes in there with each visit.  I also made each visit a cardio session of sorts making sure that rest between each set was no longer then a minute.  I would find myself knocking out 5 sets of bench press while some clown next to me did maybe one but shared stories of how he hooked up with the hottest chick in Denver over the weekend.  Nice work there you lying meathead.  My gosh I hate meatheads regardless of sport they are into.

I also continued on with my Push Up Challenge.  For the month, I averaged 132 push ups a day.  For the year, I'm averaging 103 a day.  

As for Running, my goal was to just let it happen.  I tried forcing it a few times early in the month, getting out for a run here and there at some set distance only to realize that a) I had no interest in running or b) had no interest in running that far.  The first 18 days of the month saw me run 8 times at an average of 4 miles per run.

One simple trail run in Durango got me rejuvenated and saw much better running to close out the month.  The running was still very unstructured and done to simply stay in running shape, but it's the best I have felt since Run Rabbit Run.

It's also been nice to run in the dark and cold again.  For some reason I thought this would deter my running, but that hasn't been the case.  I've actually really enjoyed the calm that comes with running at 5:30am around my hood this time of year.  The next 4 months of early morning running is going to be awesome.

Speaking of Durango!

(pics of Steamworks & Carvers Brewery not included)

Looking Forward

20 miles.  Pancakes.  Highlands Ranch.  Yeah baby!

More of the same for the month of November.  Lots of weightlifting and a healthy increase in miles and vert.  Might even mix in a 10K to show off how slow of a runner I really am.  

   

September 2013 Summary

Runs - 8

Running Days - 8

Weightlifting Days - 3 

Avg Miles per Running Day - 16

Vertical Feet Ran - 23,000

Injured Days - 0

The Running highlight of the month wasn't finishing the RRR100 but rather the experience of running the race AND sharing it with family and friends.  This is what I remember most of the experience.  What I will always remember.  How lucky I am to have my pacers sacrifice their weekends to assist me in my selfish journey.  My family sacrificing a day plus of our 5 day vacation to follow me around town.  I am forever grateful for their selfless acts that weekend.  

I was pretty surprised by how great I felt within a week of the race.  However I just didn't see much of a point in running.  Granted I did, but only a few times at a very limited distance.  Never once tracking any of the runs.  I simply woke up and dragged my lazy dog around a few blocks for runs never exceeding 15 minutes (poop time included).

The only issue I have is some tenderness surrounding my right knee.  Not at all surprised about it considering I easily spent the last 15 miles of my race running/walking with a very poor gait.  With each passing day, the tightness slowly goes away.  Mix in some stretching and icing and the knee responds great.

I honestly had no intention of Weightlifting this month.  As I wanted to focus all of my attention on the taper and recovery of the race.  However, roughly 10 days after my race, I got up out of bed at 5:15am.  No alarm and not at all tired.  So I threw on my running gear and hit the weight room.  Did that a few more times before the month ended.  In hindsight, I was actually very happy to be back in the weight room so quickly after the race as it gave me a way to burn some energy that didn't involve running.

Similar to the weightlifting, I had no intention of making any progress with my Push Up Challenge.  I honestly thought I'd take a huge step back in this challenge.  I took a good 2 weeks off during the month yet I still averaged 84 push ups per day for the month.  Most of my push ups coming near the end of the month.  Year To Date I'm at 99.8 push ups per day.      

Looking Forward
Running is going to come around when it comes around.  I won't force it one bit but I do look forward to one last escape to the high country and possibly a little weekend getaway to Moab by months end.

I do plan on spending a lot of time back in the gym and my short term goal is to put on 5 to 10 pounds of muscle.  This would put me at a nice weight of 185-190.  Right where I was at this past fall/winter/spring. I seem to run at my healthiest in this weight range.

The one thing I am looking forward to the most though is finally, FINALLY getting a chance to submit my name into the Hardrock 100 Lottery.  My dream race and not to be confused with some dumb bucket list race.  The only real reason I've ever wanted to run a 100 miler was in hopes of giving myself a shot of running this race.

Trust me, I know my odds here and they are terrible at best!  But you know what, these are the best odds I've ever had and I couldn't be more excited!     

2013 Run Rabbit Run (Tortoises) 100 Mile Race Report

Not even sure how or where to begin with this race report.  So much of the race is surprisingly fresh in mind other then the initial 4.4 mile climb up to Mt Werner.

Before I write anything, I have to note a few things.  I don't get to the start line without the support of my lovely wife!  My motivation to dig deep when it hurt is credited to my beautiful daughter.  I am so lucky to have had 2 amazing pacers in Hillary and WA.  They all deserve a buckle for the work they did out there!

Whatever issues the 100 had last year were completely resolved this year. It looks like the race management team took in all the feedback from last year and made this into one classy event.

Say what you want about splitting the race between the Hares and Tortoises.  It is what it is.  For the record, I was fine with the splitting of the race and enjoyed seeing such a stacked field cruise by me so frequently.  As for course markings...perfect.  If you got lost, that was all on you.  The elimination of the high school and short out and backs were a blessing.  The aid stations and volunteers...amazing!!  Each and every aid station went above and beyond.

Seriously, RRR was perfectly ran and either the 50M and 100M should be on your list for next year.  Assuming you like low key races, zero traffic issues, well stocked aid stations, knowledgeable and passionate volunteers and a race directing staff who cares about the runners.  

The weeks leading to the Race:

I'll be honest, I was scared as race day neared.  I had caught a stomach bug and nice cold from my daughter a few weeks out that wiped me out but also thought I was recovering from.  Then on Saturday, 6 days before the race, I woke to eyes crusted shut from pink eye and spitting out nasty glumpy balls of bloody snot from a lung viral infection.  Instead of resting on the couch watching college football, I was at an Urgent Care getting some medication to rid myself of this nastiness.

I had cleared most of the lung stuff out a few days before the race.  I was still putting in drops to my eyes the morning of the race.  Most importantly though, I had gotten 3 straight nights of amazing sleep leading to race day.  More then I had gotten the 3 plus weeks leading into the race.  

Race Start:

(Pre Race: Family)

(Pre Race: Pacer #1 - Hillary)

(Great seeing Scott finish his 3rd 100.  Still have fond memories of when I paced him at HR a few years back)

I was so thankful Steamboat wanted none of the weather the front range was getting.  It was raining hard at times, even snowing at the highest elevations, but winds were calm and the sun shining most of the day.

I took it easy with no expectations and don't recall much till mile 22ish (Olympian Hall AS in 4:30).  Alone on a steep climb around Emerald Mountain it dawns on me I still have roughly 75 miles left in the race.  What a crappy thought to enter the head.  All of sudden everything hurt.  Running was difficult.  Emotions started to get the best of me.  Then 2 runners approached me and I hung with them on and off till mile 42. I still had a few rough patches here and there but overall, bull shitting with these 2 made the miles just go by.

I got back to Olympian Hall (Mile 42ish) in 9 hours and 05 mins.  Much faster then I anticipated.  Mix in that I felt bad most of the loop and had no idea to expect of this section.  Some reported it being longer then stated, but I didn't find that to be the case.  So it was a surprise to knock out roughly 20+ miles in 4 1/2 hours.

(still feeling good after 42 miles and a rather rough 20+ miles)

To this point I'd consumed a consistent amount of calories (3,200+ all from gels and EFS items) and roughly 300 ounces of water.  I got the pleasure to pick up my first pacer Hillary and off we went to take on one of the races big climbs before sunset.

Look Death Straight In The Face:

Fueling and hydration were spot on thru 50 miles now.  Never once did I hint of stomach issues.  If anything I was getting hungry for real food.  I went for some water like I had for the past 10 hours but this time the second it hit my mouth, I was aiming for the bushes and clearing out my stomach.  Marched on for 15 minutes, tried getting some calories in and barfing yet again. Now I was laid out on a rock hurting and getting cold from the fast approaching night.

Never saw the vomiting coming and no clue how I could have prevented it.

I still had 5 miles and some 2,500 feet of climbing left.  But I had put myself in a deep hole quickly.  Hillary's goal was to get me to the Long Lake Aid Station without stopping.  I fought her numerous times to stop and take a brake and never once did she let me.  The miles were slow and painful! Every muscle hurt. I looked forward to getting passed as it allowed me a few seconds of stepping off the trail and stopping.

The last mile into Long Lake AS (mile 53) was the worst.  I was whispering and mumbling responses to Hillary.  I stumbled on my own feet with each step.  I couldn't adjust to the now dark conditions.  I literally felt like I was blind at times.  I'm pretty sure I shit my pants a little too on a harmless fart.  Thoughts of dropping ruled my mind.

I got to Long Lake, found a seat and dropped my head to my knees.  No way in hell I could do this for another 50 miles.

Don't Call It A Come Back:

After a few minutes of sitting there, I noticed a volunteer had a bow of soup waiting for me.  Hillary had some warm cloths ready for me to switch into that I had stuffed in my drop bag.  At almost 10,000 feet, it was getting cold quickly.  Changed to warmer gear and ate a bowl of soup.  Then 2 bowls.  Then 4, then 6.  A few bags of chips.  Roughly 15 ounces of soda. A few cups of water.  After 30 minutes of sitting around, I literally hoped out of my seat.  By now Hillary was flirting with the boys at the aid station but saw me spring to life.  She was pumped at my new found energy.

It would end up taking me over 4 1/2 hours to cover 10 miles starting from the point when I left Olympian Hall AS to leaving Long Lake AS.

I left the aid station with 40 ounces of water, a PBJ sando and a handheld of hot noodle soup.  Next aid station was a slight uphill 6 miles away and while I ran very little of it, I continued on eating and drinking and found myself getting strong with each passing mile.

A brief stop at Summit AS (mile 58) and we ran big chunks of the roughly 12 miles and almost 4,000 foot drop down to mile 70 in pouring rain.  By now I had ditched the idea of taking anything of gel or powder substance.  All food, soda and water for me!

(wishful thinking that I'd only eat this crap for 103 straight miles)

Nick Clark was the lead at the Springs Creek Pond Aid Station and he had that place rocking.  Music, vibrant volunteers, everything a runner could ever ask for.  Family, friends and pacer WA were waiting patiently and pretty excited to see me in positive spirits.  

For never having paced (much less attend an ultra greater then 50) Hillary did an amazing job on keeping me focused and digging me out of my dark hole.  If I were alone, I'd still be hanging out along Fish Creek Falls laid out somewhere next to my vomit!

33 Miles Left:

(less intimidating then a choo-choo train. Photo: WA)

In this race, what one goes down must go up.  12 miles and almost 4,000 feet of climbing starting at mile 70.  I was tired but I was feeling great!  Hillary dropped me off in amazing shape and WA was beyond pumped to bring me home!  I was actually looking forward to this climb simply because having any other mind set towards the climb would have made it miserable.

Considering everything, I felt that I handled the climb well.  Hiked most of it strong, ran all the flat and downhill portions and even a few of the uphill parts.

The next part of the course is along the stunning Wyoming Trail.  A section I've always wanted to cover and a portion of the course I was looking forward to the most.  I was behind my expected time targets but it allowed us to run this section right before sunrise.  Stunning and while the 8+ mile section was long, WA did an amazing job in keeping me fueled and moving.

(a sunrise like this means I ran thru the night. Photo: WA)

Upon leaving Long Lake (mile 90), my body was finally having enough.  My muscles actually still felt really good and wanted to run!  It was them dollar coin sized blisters at the ball of each foot that were starting to get to me.  As was a strained muscle over the top of my right foot which prevented much foot flexing.  The 7 miles to Mt Werner AS were slow simply because it was too painful to run.  I tried a few times but couldn't.  I was either close to tears or cursing with each step.  Nothing was more painful then having one of my blisters pop on me.  

Roughly 3 hours to cover 7 miles upon leaving Mt Werner AS.  But not before sitting at the aid station as a medic patched up my blisters and taped my right foot.

Evil Downhill Finish:

3,500 feet of drop over 6 miles.  Walking slow was getting really old.  As was the pain in both my feet.  It was ugly, but I was hell bent on running as much as possible.  Heel strikes to stay off the ball of my foot and minimize the foot flexing.  All painfully manageable on the service roads.

Then the trail went technical single track, to bush whacking, to straight down a diamond slope.  Every step was killing my feet.  Another popped blister and more cuss words that damn near brought me to tears.

(who needs trails when you have ski slopes! Photo: WA)

WA and I joked on how much more evil this downhill could get!  Would I have to jump over flames at some point?  Run thru a muddy pond filled with alligators?

Finally back on service road and I found a way to run the last 1/2 mile or so to the finish line.  Swooped up my daughter right before the finish only to realize I had to run up 6 steps to a patio to cross the finish line.

(huge uphill finish!)

Simple Arithmetic:

21 hours to cover 86 miles when I was feeling good. 8 hours to cover 17 miles when I was looking at death straight in the face and hurting from thrashed feet and you get a 28 Hours 51 Minutes 01 Seconds finish in 17th place out 56 finishers.  Much room for improvement.    

(already wondering how I could have prevented all the lost time)

Aftermath:

Took off my shoes to assess the damage to my feet.  Dipping them in the cold creek near the finish line felt good.  What felt better was throwing down 4 beers and 5 slices of pizza immediately after the foot soaking.

I was useless the rest of the day. Much better the next day. 5 days since the race and my muscles feel great. The blisters are feeling much better and the only thing I'm feeling is the muscle strain on my foot and the right knee dealing with an altered gait the last few hours of the race.  If work weren't so demanding once I got back home, I'd have already gone for a recovery run.    

I gave my buckle to my daughter with the hope that it'll offer up some type of inspiration in the future.  My wife asked shortly after the race if I'm doing another one.  I gave her the stink eye and before being able to respond, she reminded me that my daughter's little brother who will be born in a few months will be extremely jealous that he doesn't have a buckle.  Time to start planning for 2014!

August 2013 Summary

Runs - 24
Running Days - 23
Weightlifting Days - 4
Avg Miles per Running Day - 11.7
Vertical Feet Ran - 40,000
Injured Days - 0

I'm a bit surprised by some of my Running numbers for the month considering I started my taper shortly after the 17th of the month.  Thought they'd be less since a huge bulk of my figures came during those first 17 days.

The running highlights were minimal but worth noting:

My only true Back-to-Back weekend -
Saturday the 3rd - 6 easy around Wash Park in the morning.  21 easy on the LT night run.
Sunday the 4th - 25+ on the Pikes Peak course which started with an up on the Incline (5:45 RT time).
I had roughly 2 1/2 hours of sleep between the night run in Leadville and the 7am start on Pikes.  Extremely sleep deprived but the body actually felt pretty strong the whole time.

Last Long Run -
Saturday the 17th - 37 pacing WA from Winfield to MQ.  I'll let Woody share his story regarding Leadville, but damn did he do fantastic.  His ability to turn around a somewhat slow section to a fast one was awesome.  Especially after that tough climb up powerline.  Once on top of Sugarloaf Pass, he crushed it to MQ.  

Enough has been said about 2013 Leadville that I won't rehash any stupid thoughts or ideas.  However, I will share this.  I met WA at Twin Lakes inbound early in the morning.  Hung out for roughly an hour.  The zoo that place turned into upon leaving was mind boggling.  As soon as I saw my wife (who was also in Leadville for the weekend), I quickly apologized to her for dragging her thru this mess last year.  Never will I do that again.      

Stuck to the Weightlifting for yet another month. As I fully expected, the past 2 months of slowly cutting back on the weights began to show by the end of August.  The trade off of running more.  Not nearly as strong as I was at the start of the July, but compared to last year at this time, still a hell of a lot stronger.  And in all honesty, the decrease in strength is thankfully minimal.  My guess is the slight decrease in strength could have been worse had I not been doing my little Push Up Challenge.  In the month of August I averaged 119 push ups per day.  YTD, I'm averaging roughly 102 per day.  First time all year I've exceeded 100 per day YTD.        

The Taper!  Mentally, I was ready for the taper to begin.  Nice knowing I didn't have to wake up at 3 or 4am to hit the trails.  Nice not having to commit to driving to the trails.  Nice not having to run damn near every day with a purpose.

However, I've had a rather aggressive cut back to my taper due to circumstances beyond my control.  1) Work getting beyond stupid and seeing me in the office for up to 70 hours a week for what will be a roughly 3+ week stretch (and perfectly timed with my taper period).  2) Getting sick.  Pink eye, a stomach bug and a  24+ hour flu.  All 3 of these have swept thru our house.  Sure wish I got pink eye instead of the flu.

I'm fine with being busy at work.  However I hate being sick!  The mental games that creep in the head from being sick and exhausted only 2 weeks out from race day are messed up.

While this bit ventures in September discussion, it's taken me 3 days to put this post together because of how busy I've been and how the flu literally knocked me on my ass on Monday.  How I'm in the office today (Tues) is beyond me.  I'm sure I'll pass out shortly.  

Looking Forward
10 days till RRR100.  No update on the Bunny Money Meter but I was guessing that thing would shoot up with all the folks who have signed up.  And wow with the Hares race.  120 total racers signed up for both races and no one will care about the 85 signed up for the Tortoise race.  Which I totally get and am fine with (hell I'm excited about all the pros!) but it does highlight one of the issues with splitting up a race like this.  

Regardless, I'm just hoping to hang on for the next week with work and recovery from being sick.  Getting into Steamboat a few days before the race with the goal of laying low and sleeping.  I'll be in good hands once the race starts. My wife and her brother will be crewing and I'll have Hillary and Woody pacing me to the end.

I've slowly been getting ready for this race since last November doing all I possibly could with being smart towards my training and racing.  Not much I can do now other then relax and enjoy the race as much as possible.  Always easier said then done of course.

Just as recently as a week ago, I was feeling really relaxed and eager for race day.  This little flu though has got me thinking way to much about how my body feels less then 2 weeks out.  Like I said though, hanging on for dear life for the next week to go by will be key for me.  After that, work will be off my mind and hopefully this flu out of my system.

Hell, I should consider myself lucky this flu didn't hit me next week!!!

July 2013 Summary

Runs - 24
Running Days - 24
Weightlifting Days - 5
Average Miles per Running Day - 11.4
Vertical Feet Ran - 42,000
Injured - Zero!

My priorities in life are pretty simple.  Family first, career second.  Running ranks up high but will never distract me from these two items.  When training time increases/intensifies as it has over the past month, adjustments to my training schedule were made.  Adjustments to somehow find a way to run more trails and not have it interrupt family or work.

Accomplishing this was pretty easy.  To wake up damn early and run in the dark.  All of my runs except for those on Sunday started as early as 4:30am but never any later then 5:30am.  (Sunday is my sleep in day and make the family breakfast time...Bacon!!!)

I spent half my running days this month on trails.  It was a trend I started in early June, but intensified this month.  It was a huge adjustment to the body but by months end, I was feeling nicely acclimated.  Mid week runs were regulated to JeffCo parks or around the hood.  Weekends were left to some of the following:

(Ridge Run Madness - Torreys, Grey's, Edwards, McClellan, Ganley)

(26 miles of randomness with the highlight being the W Jefferson trail)

     (I felt amazing for 28 1/2 miles - highlight being the Lone Eagle Peak)

I find it odd that my right foot I strained still causes me some annoyance from time to time.  Specifically when when terrain gets technical.  Soon as the terrain smooths out a bit, it's completely fine.  It hasn't caused me any real concern thankfully.  If anything, it's a reminder that when my taper starts, I'll have to be really aggressive with icing and massaging the foot, similar to my approach prior to the SJS50.

As was my goal, hitting the weight room once a week was met.  Nothing intense and I'm hoping the lifting is helping keep on some body weight/muscle.  Lesson learned was don't do a shit load of squats and lunges and expect to run a lot of miles shortly after.  I feel like I've made this mistake a lot this year.  My Push-Up Challenge continues.  With zero push ups in the month of January, I now stand at 99.2 push ups per day Year To Date.  Damn near making up that deficit feels pretty good.  At the same time, I find it frustrating that I couldn't squeeze in an additional 170 push ups to get to an even 100.    

Shoes a half size bigger makes the N2 a pretty awesome shoe!  As for the tall boy, upon completing the Buchanan/Pawnee Pass loop, some hikers, parked next to me, had just completed the same route in 3 days. They were impressed that I ran the loop as fast as I did and didn't look beat.  They rewarded Brian and I kindly for our hard work!

(Trailrunning Beer Koozie)

Looking Forward

Heading into August last year I was toast.  Heading into August this year I am feeling the prior months effort but still feeling really good.  I've got roughly 3 more weeks of focused training and then I'm giving myself a proper taper heading into RRR100.  

In the meantime, I'll continue to enjoy the high country starting at Leadville with the Annual Unofficial LT100 Night Run.  

A few weeks later I'll get the pleasure of pacing WA up and over Hope, up and over Powerline, but thankfully not around that damn lake.  LT100 weekend will be epic!  

Other then that, I'll be working way to many hours.  

June 2013 Summary

Runs - 19

Weightlifting - 4 

Running Days - 18

Average Miles per Running Day - 10

Vertical Feet Ran - 33,000

Injured - Lost roughly 50 miles running & 8K of climbing

About the middle of November last year, I broke up my Running Schedule for the upcoming 10 months, leading to RRR100, into 3 Phases.  The 1st Phase being the building up to the Red Hot Moab 55K.  The 2nd Phase being the building up to the SJS50.    

As I start up the third phase, I can't help but look back and be pretty happy with how all is going so far.  Yeah, there's a few things I would have changed and this annoying little injury that won't go away (not that I'm really giving it a chance to heal either), but overall I'm pretty happy about everything.    

The month started out solidly and I was feeling 100%.  Mt Falcon v2 on the 1st of the month.  28 plus miles, over 6K of climbing in roughly 5 hours and 3 minutes.  I actually would have been faster but the last 6 miles required me to gimp as I pulled a muscle in my right foot.  Was the pulled foot muscle related to my shin muscle issue from May?  Or was it due to the La Sportiva Helio's I had been wearing over the past month?

I'm sure it was bit of both but I lean heavily towards it being the Helio's fault.  A shoe that is comfortable but way to flexible, way to soft, way to unresponsive for me.  A shoe that at the end of the day thrashed my feet.  The shoe also left my left foot pretty banged up as well.  The Helio's are now my gym shoe and I've since moved to wearing the Pearl Izumi N2's (which apparently are a 1/2 to small) along with the always trusting Saucony Peregrine's with great success.  Feet and legs feel so much better.    

Going into SJS50, I was walking this fine line of resting the foot while, tapering and keeping with a consistent running pattern.  How it all worked out it is beyond me.  After the race, I took a break running only once on trails a week later and feeling pretty recovered.   

Weightlifting sessions aren't as intense as they were earlier in the year, but still a part of my weekly routine.  I attribute a lot of my success at SJS50, and running in general, to my weightlifting.  My Push-Up Challenge continues on with me averaging 118.5 push ups per day for the month.  Knocking down my year to date variance by 555 to (860).    

Looking Forward

I've talked about putting my weightlifting on hold for a few months as I focus in on RRR100, but I just can't seem to pry myself from the gym.  Especially how beneficial it's been to my running.  So I've decided to continue on with hitting the weights.  It won't be intense but a weekly visit will remain a part of my routine.  

I have to say, after my last race, I took a huge sigh of relief knowing that my next next race is not for another 12 weeks.  Unlike last year at the same point where Pb was roughly 8 weeks away.  

Last year at this point, I was stressed and freaked out about the 100 miler, about my fitness level, about what training I need to do, about pretty much everything!  This time around I'm so relaxed. I get this opportunity to "reboot" the system and start Phase 3 mentally and physically fresh.       

I am so excited about what the next few months of training will be bringing.  Hopefully lots of good health and time with friends on the trails.   

2013 SJS50 - Race Report

Wow that was one fun weekend!!!

The Lake City 50 (aka SJS50) is so much more then a bunch of trail runners tackling a stunning 50 mile loop thru the San Juan's.  It's all about the ultra running community's family and friends getting together and spending the weekend in the heart of the most beautiful mountains this country has to offer.  It's honestly more then that but I don't have the words to describe how amazing this weekend is.  It's why I've brought my family to Lake City, CO 3 of the last 4 years for the race and this year didn't disappoint.

A few things had me really worried as race day neared:

1) The nearby Papoose Fire.  The ridge in far back is roughly mile 31 of the course.  The fires were another 15 miles east of there & west of Creede. The winds thankfully blowing east.

 (Thur Evening)

(Fri Afternoon)

2) My inconsistent training over the past few months (the latest being a thrashed right foot forcing me to rest more then I wanted too...an injury I'm sure related to my strained shin muscle from early May).

Start to Williams (Mile 0 to 15.7):
Tecate cans and nudie girls on some playing cards marking the course!  Going out really easy on the climb.  Almost to easy. Going easier on the downhill.  Noticing how I wish I had a 1/2 size longer pair of PI N2s.  Noticing my quads feeling the drop to Williams and blaming it on the way to easy effort and altered running gait as to not smash my toes.

Getting into Williams in 3 hours 25 minutes.  Exactly like I was hoping too. But then spending like 10 minutes fumbling with my drop bag and sitting on the can.

Mixed bag on feelings here.  Worried about the quads and the lack of training.  Worried if the foot would hold.  Excited to tackle the next 2 sections which are my favorite.

Williams to Carson (Mile 15.7 to 21.5):
The flattish 2.5 miles went by quickly and I started the Carson climb on a mission to pass everyone I saw.  Huge problem though.  I passed 3 folks within the first 1/3 mile and saw no one else ahead of me for the next 2 miles!  Was easy to pull off the accelerator when there's no one to track down.  However I continued strong up the climb.

About 1 mile to go I FINALLY saw a runner.  Lots of them.  A dozen or so.  I was feeling great and just worked it passing them all into Carson.  As I entered the aid station I saw another dozen or so just up ahead and looked forward to tracking them all down as well.

4 hours and 45/50 minutes to Carson.  Spent a few minutes here just loading up on water and fuel.  No drop bag to mess with.  Mentally I was feeling amazing and looking forward to a lot more climbing ahead.

Carson to Divide (Mile 21.5 to 31):
Instead of pushing the effort on the remainder of the climb, I got in the mind set of holding a consistent effort till the high point of the course.  Roughly 3 miles and 1,700 feet of climbing up to 13,300 feet.  I was still moving well and I just knew other runners would be slower and I'd catch up that way. Another dozen plus folks were running slower and another dozen caught.

I've never had much of an issue being at high elevations and not once did I notice the thin air along the divide section.  It's been since last fall since I've run any technical high alpine terrain but my footing apparently hadn't missed a beat.  There is still no greater running playground then high above treeline on technical terrain and I was enjoying every breath and step of it!

I continued to hold back my effort knowing that taking an extra 5 or 10 minutes to get to the next aid station would only benefit me over the last 10 miles of the course.

With roughly 3 or 4 miles to go, I had somewhat of a teenage girl at a Beatles concert moment.  I was quickly approaching the machine himself who's closing performance at last years Hardrock ranks as pure awesomeness.

But it was who he was running with that made me stop and almost ask for an autograph.  Before I got into running, I was a huge skier.  A huge fan of the sport and of those who simply lay down the hammer out there on the big mountain.  I still have a few DVDs in my basement produced by companies like MSP, TGR..some including Mr. Chris Davenport himself!  Running side by side these 2 absolutely accomplished/bad ass skiers was pretty f'ing cool.

Shade over 7 hours into the Divide A.S.  Easily the smartest running I did all day was during this 9 mile stretch.  I could have kept this pace up all day.  A few minutes spent here and I was off.

Divide to Slum (Mile 31 to 40):
Since leaving Williams, I was in this very positive state mentally.  That didn't last long as I stepped into this section of the course.  The same section that literally brought me to my knees a year ago as my quad strain couldn't handle anymore.  Last year I walked 7+ miles of this section.  This year I walked maybe a mile of it.

I ran hard, focused and pretty mad.  I remember seeing the blogger formally known as ARunInWithTheLaw (great seeing you out there!) briefly.  I remember my toes slamming against the front of my shoes on the downhill.  I remember the toes really getting thrashed the last quarter mile of downhill of this section.  Don't remember much else.

Roughly 8 Hours and 25 minutes into Slum.  Hardest miles I ran all day was in this section and I felt really good.  I think it took me 1:20 to run this section. Spent a few minutes getting what I needed.  Thoughts of a 10 1/2 hour finish crept into my head as I wondered if a 2 hour split was possible over the next section (I know, wishful thinking).

Slum to Lake City (Mile 40 to 50):
Damn it was starting to get hot out.  Them strong climbing legs I had earlier were gone.  The last section of running hard got to me.  I focused on water and a few calories every 5 to 10 minutes with hopes of a slow consistent uphill.  I passed one running close to the Vickers A.S.  That was it.

Got passed smoked on the uphill by the 3rd place M in the 35-59 age group (I ended up 4th in the age group) around mile 43.  Absolutely impressive.  I got passed smoked on the downhill by Mr StuckInTheRockies around mile 48. Absolutely impressive.

Once at the Vickers aid station, I had 40 minutes to cover 4 miles at a shot at breaking 10:30.  With my thrashed toes, that wasn't happening.  I simply couldn't open up on the downhill anymore regardless of how good my quads still felt.  So instead I just sat and chatted with those in the aid station before cruising it in.  The 3 running encounters I just mentioned were the only runners I saw this whole section.

They never called in my bib number as I entered the finish line chute.  So no running with my daughter down that stretch.  But she was right there at the finish line waiting for me.  A huge "DADDY!", embrace around my legs and fall to the ground followed by a kiss and a "I want ice cream" request.  The next morning I got to hold her in my arms as she accepted my visor for finishing in the 10 to 11 hour range. So a solid way to end the race weekend with my little girl.

(Took me an hour before I could drink a beer)

The nearby fire smoke never an issue.  Blue skies all weekend.  The foot and shin injuries never an issue.  It's like they were never injured.

10 Hours 39 Minutes 47 Seconds
18th Place Overall --16th Male Overall

I ran (mostly) smart all day.  I left it all on the course but I know there's still room for improvement. A low 10?  Realistic. A sub 10? Doubt it. A 7:35.03? I still don't believe that's the new course record!!!

Congrats to all the other amazing runners out there giving the course all they had!  Awesome job by all the volunteers out there who made the course and aid stations spectacular!  I'll see you all in 2014!!!!!!!

(Well earned Cannibal Division visor)

May 2013 Summary

Runs - 17
Weightlifting - 4
Running Days - 17
Average Mile per Running Day - 10.75
Vertical Feet Ran - 24,000
Injured - Missed out on roughly 100 miles for the month

The best way to describe my month of Running is one of running through an injury.  Amazes me how stubborn I can be about an injury that impacts my running.  If I had a friend who asked for advice regarding a similar injury, I would have told them to stop running for a few days the minute the muscle was strained.  And not do what I just did over the past 5 weeks.  

A solid 3 days to start out the month followed by 2 races and roughly 19 days of very inconsistent running.  This chunk of time is where I lost most of my running days.

To stay positive, I did get in some quality long runs in of 22, 25 and 31 over the month.  Ideally would have like to gotten in another 20+ over Memorial Day weekend but was just happy with knocking out Mt Falcon v1 for the 5th straight month and 10th time for the year.

Weightlifting days is exactly where I expected it to be considering the race schedule and family vacation.  Right when I'm feeling my healthiest and fittest in the weight room I start to back off.  Thankfully I still have my own little goofy Push Up Challenge going.  I averaged 139 push ups a day for the month bringing my year-to-date variance down by 1,200 to (1,415).

I'm still wondering if I'll post anything general on my family trip to the State of Washington.  What I will say now is what a wonderful state it is and what a great time I had out there.  The city of Seattle reminds me a lot of San Francisco and the state itself is as diverse as Colorado in regards to the various ecosystems.

A few things came to mind after my trip out there.  Damn I wish Denver was half as cool as Seattle.  If I didn't live in this wonderful State of Colorado, I would seriously consider living in the Pacific North West.

(Seattle Skyline from the Sound/Elliot Bay)

(Ruud Awakening IPA - One of the better beers I've had at one of the cooler breweries I've visited!)

Looking Forward

My right shin muscle strain turned to a slight case of tendinitis is thankfully getting better and allowed for some consistent running to end of the month.  Starting out June will thankfully be positive as I aim to put in a solid 2 weeks of miles and climbing in preparation for my all time favorite race, Lake City 50!   Goals for the race are pretty simple.  To have a blast, to finish strong and to enjoy Lake City with the family for the long weekend.        

Other then that, wait patiently for the snow to melt in the high country to play in the best playground this state has to offer!

Sun Mountain 50k & Kids 1k - Race Report

By far the best part of race day was running the Kids 1k race with my daughter prior to the start of the 50k race.  This was my daughters first race ever...and a trail race at that.  She has now been exposed to a few of my races and is starting to get it.

Cheering at the start of the race, at the aid stations and as runners cross the finish line.

Now it was time for her to be cheered on.

Lining up with 25 or so other kids, we started in the back so the bigger kids wouldn't trample us.  When the RD said go, we all went scampering off.  The smile and laughter my daughter expressed as she chased after the other kids was priceless!  Just another reminder how lucky I am to be the father of such a beautiful little girl!

The crowd quickly thinned out as the big kids continued to run on.  The back of the group started to walk, get distracted by flowers and do what every 2 year old kid does.  The 1k started at 9:45am, my race started at 10am.  So to keep things moving, I would pick up my daughter and run for a minute before she wanted to run again, or as she would say "I run, I run".

(one way to warm up the muscles for a 50k)

We finally arrived to the finish line to a very supporting and loud crowd.  My little girl couldn't have been happier throwing up a high five to the RD as she crossed the finish line.  Second to last place and probably the youngest runner out there.  

I had roughly 5 minutes to get my act together and prepare for my own little race.  By now, my excitement for the race had disappeared, especially compared to what I just got to share with my daughter.  The race itself had also become my last priority of the 6 day long family vacation.

Traveling with a 2 year old is exhausting.  Exhausting but one I would not have changed since I was loving every second of family time.  I also consumed way to many locally brewed IPAs during my trip which didn't help being exhausted.

I was pretty beat and tired but honestly more worrisome was my Right Shin Muscle which had been acting up over the past 3 weeks.  It had prevented me from any specific training since the CP25 race.  I never really gave it a break either and was left in this unstructured 2 week period between races that had left my running mojo all out of whack.

(Rockin the yellow 2010 Loveland Turkey Trot T)

I don't recall much over the first 17 miles and 2 hours, 8 minutes as I entered Aid Station #2.  Other then a beautiful course.  The wild flowers just blinding at times.  The sun and warmth almost overbearing when the shade provided no relief.  Thankfully fueling and hydration were spot on.  I didn't feel like I was moving well at all but my energy was remaining consistent from the start.  Attitude was high as I was simply enjoying the beautiful day.  

My 2 handhelds is all I had.  1 to be filled with water.  1 to be filled with my EFS flask and diluted with water.  Along with 2 gels and 6 SCaps to get me thru the race.  At AS #2 I went for a refill.  Bottle one of water filled...check.  Bottle two of EFS (stashed in a drop bag) and water...ERROR!  I had put my EFS into bottle number 2, asked the kid to top of with water.  He filled with water half way, shook the bottle and proceed to dump out the contents.  Then refilled with water.

I sat there in horror!  400 calories gone like that.  I had 1 gel left for 14 miles with heaps of climbing and a lone aid station left.

But what was I to do?  Get mad?  That wasn't going to happen.  The kids a volunteer and this is a race that I'm only competing against myself in, not for first place or prize money.  I had taken all I could get in at the aid station so I just moved on and put myself into race management mode.

There were 2 short but steep climbs left in the race.  I was hoping to use my only gel for the last climb but ended up taking it in at the top of the first 900 foot climb.  Aid Station 3 came and I slammed 4 small cups of sodas and passed on the Watermelon Gu.  One very exposed 1,100 foot plus climb and roughly 6 miles left.

I got to the top and wasn't tired or anything, but just zapped of any real energy.  I needed some calories and had nothing but 15 ounces of water and roughly 4 more miles.  Down the last climb and I was feeling it.  Got half way down the climb and just needed to walk for a bit.  Whole body tingling and feeling lighted headed from the lack of fuel.  I just laughed it off and just hoped it would pass quickly.

1st place gal passed me 2 or so minutes later.  2nd place gal passed me a minute after that. After about 5 minutes of walking and I began to jog again.  Body was slowly coming around and I just went with it.  Another guy from Canada caught up to me and put 30 seconds on me on the lone flat road section around a lake which lasted a mile or so.  No one else behind me so I knew my forward momentum would hold my place

Finally on the single track and I just put my head down and knew it was an uphill mile+ and I'd be done.  Canadian who passed me on the flat was walking so I passed him with easily.  The 2 gals who left me on the downhill finished 30 and 45 seconds ahead of me respectively.  It was nice to finish on a strong running note.

7th Place Overall at 4 Hours 29 Minutes and 32 Seconds.  It would have been nice to hold my 5th place slot but I honestly didn't care.  It was a great day on the trails.

When all said and done, it honestly wasn't a great day of running for me.  I easily felt the worst so far of my 3 races this year.  I can compare the actual act of running in this race to a normal long run along the foothills on the weekends done alone.  Wasn't a grind or tough but just a shuffle till the end.  

However it was a great day to be running and so happy and luck I finally got to enjoy the some trails in the PNW! Getting out to this part of the country for a race has always been on my wish list and Rainshadow Running did not disappoint one little bit.  Would HIGHLY recommend their events    

The added bonus of running in this location and with this racing group was getting photographed by one of the best in the business.  Glenn Tachiyama.  While I really enjoy the scenic view of this pic taken on the descent off Patterson (also gives you an idea of terrain), I will forever love this pic of me pacing my daughter during her 1k!  Can't wait to frame that shot for my office!
  

Mt Washington Road Race HOF

I'm not one to name drop, especially on a public forum like this.

However I've got to name drop one person here simply because I'm so proud of the honor she's about to receive.  I'll be honest, I'm not all that knowledgeable when it comes to the famous race back east.  The Mt Washington Road Race.  What I do know is it has a rich history, loyal following and the course from my understanding is one tough SOB.

On June 14th, J'ne of Denver will be inducted into their HOF.  Being inducted with a few other runners who are well known around the world in the mountain running community.

I first met J'ne after my 3rd running of Imogene Pass Run in like 2004.  I'd only been living in Denver for a few years and just picked up running.  I knew a few people in Colorado at the time.  I knew no other runner in Colorado at the time.  J'ne quickly introduced me to her group of running gals.  I would join her and a group of older faster gals on the weekends to run trails.

Since then we've all become good friends and have gotten to know each others family well.  I've run countless miles with them.  Ran numerous races (including last weeks CP25) with them.  They were even there to celebrate my wedding celebration.  

Now all in their 50s, these ladies may have lost a step or two, but offer up so much inspiration.   Still running and having a blast doing so.  Never loosing sight of the pure joy associated with running trails.

Congratulations J'ne!

Starting with the CP25....ending with a Cigar

The week leading into the Collegiate Peaks 25 didn't go exactly like planned (but does it ever?).  I caught a nice cold, mixed in a few long work days and ran thru snow/20 degree temps to start out May.  Instead of being at 55 miles for the week to start the race, I was closer to 48ish.  Regardless, 73ish miles was a solid week of running.

As noted in my prior post, I would gauge this race on how well I hydrated and fueled.

Goal:
70 to 90 ounces of water
900 calories
3:45 to 4:00 completion time (an arbitrary time I randomly threw out there)

Actual:
90 ounces of water
700 calories
3:33 completion time

My only hiccup was my calorie intake.  At the second aid station (mile 11.7) I took in a gel but it went down the wrong hole.  My lungs loved being coated in Vanilla Honey Stinger and I proceeded to cough like some old smoking hag for the next 4 miles.  I intended to take in a gel at aid station 3 (mile 14.6) but was still trying to get gel substance out of my lungs.

As for the race, I took it really easy for the first 15.  One thing I noticed right away was my legs were ready to climb.  Too bad I wasn't on the Quad Rock course instead.  Regardless, I walked a lot of the small early climbs during the first 15 miles.  Just to keep the pace easy.  Upon leaving aid station #3, one is greeted with the longest sustained climb of the day.  I didn't run the section hard, but damn did I run strong.  Passed some 15 runners in this stretch.  Got to the top (aid station #3 mile18) and felt fresh.  Sat up there for a good minute plus taking in a gel, drinking water and knowing I could just cruise it in for the day in comfortable fashion.

The last person I passed on the climbed got to the aid station a minute after I did.  We fist bumped each other on a job well done on the climb and proceeded to the finish line together.  I had never met the guy from Boulder before, but conversation was really good and pace was solid.  Around 2 miles before the finish, we caught up to some slacker which made for more good conversation.  That slacker bumped me near the end to edge me out at the finish line by 0.1 seconds.  The last 6 miles may have been faster then I intended for but conversation was had a huge majority of the stretch so I know I still had a lot left effort in me.

Ended the race feeling fantastic.  Reinforces my training as of late that I'm doing the right thing and that quality over quantity will always be better for me.    

Instead of heading to Eddylines for a beer, we stuck it out for the awards ceremony to cheer on my friends 2nd place overall women's finish in the 25M.  That a girl Hillary!

So what does one do after that?  Well I bombed it to Denver with a quick stop to Macy's to pick up a wedding gift.  By 4:00pm I was in a suit and tie (damn I was looking good) and off to a dear friends wedding.  Fast forward to midnight and there I was smoking a cigar with the groom and a dozen other friends celebrating an amazing & beautiful wedding celebration.

What a great weekend spent with so many friends on the trails and at the wedding.  Damn does my life not suck one little bit!