Iowa Love

My last trip to Iowa was in December 08. Snow, fog and temps in the minus 20's greeted my arrival. This time around sun, warm temps and a shit load of humidity were ready to shower me with their love and Michele and I were looking forward to visiting her family and friends over a long weekend.

Thursday: I look back at it now and no longer shocked on why I was exhausted for portions of the trip. By noon on Thursday, I had put in 5+ hours of work along with an early 8 mile run to start out the day. Our flight to Omaha departed on time around 2:30pm and we were on the road heading out Nebraska and up I-29 to our first destination of Inwood, Iowa.

I had a special request of stopping in Sioux City to visit the Sergeant Floyd Monument. Michele was reluctant at first but I can tell she enjoyed the brief 10 minute stop of some cool US history.



We pulled into Michele's brother Tony's home just before 9pm. His kids Riley, Avery and Trey all greeted us with open arms and right behind them was his wife Lisa welcoming us in with some cold beers. The rest of the night was spent sitting outdoors drinking beer and catching up. Don't think we got to bed till well past midnight.

Friday: I think I finally got out of bed around 9am and I still think I could have slept a few more hours. Played around with the kids abit as I laced up my shoes and out the door I went for an easy 7 miler.

A lot of firsts occurred for me on this run. Never had I run in farmland. Never had I run in the Midwest. And never had I run in humidity. Holy Crap! Running in humidity sucks ass. Factor in 90 degree temps and I was hurting. I made it a nice 3 miles before all this heat and humidity set in. The next 4 miles weren't so much a struggle as I pulled back on the pace, but more just draining. The views and surrounding area were stunning though. Had I planned it better, I could see myself enjoying a nice 20 miler on these farm roads as they were far from flat being we were so near the Sioux River along the Iowa/South Dakota boarder.



Finished up my run and the rest of the day was spent playing with 3 kids under the age of 10. Chasing them around the house, the farm, the swimming pool. This stuff was more difficult then my morning run.

As the 6pm hour rolled around, Tony offered to take me on ride around the Sioux River bluffs in his old Jeep Wrangler. Loaded up a few road beers and off we went. Spent the next few hours driving some amazing land that part of the country has to offer. Tony being an Agronomist, offered up some very inter sting stuff in regards to farming.



I grew up as a city boy in San Francisco and I'm truly intrigued by stuff so foreign to me. 12 years ago, I probably couldn't tell you what a corn or soybean farm looked like. Now I can tell you how they're harvested and what they're used for.

Highlight of the night for me personally came around 9ish. Alone, with a beer in tote, I headed off Tony's property line to a huge plot of land growing soybeans. The sun had just set with splashes of red lighting up the sky all around. Far to the east was an intense electrical storm. Surrounding me were thousands of lightening bugs bouncing around all over the place. I took a seat on the nicely mowed grass and just sat around for the next 20 minutes appreciating how good life is.

Saturday: After a few days of hanging out with the family we were on the road to visit first Michele's grandmother and then her close friend LeAnn. Today was going to consist of a lot of traveling in what was turning into an extremely hot and muggy day.

The nice thing about being way up in the far north west part of Iowa is we were near the highest point in Iowa. Hawkeye Point! 1,670 feet in elevation. It crossed my mine to run to the high point but by the time Garmin would pick up a signal, I could have made it to the high point and back to the car. So I opted for the 20 yard walk with Michele instead.





Michele wasn't down for a side trip to pick off another high point in Minnesota, so we headed to Manson, IA and had lunch with grandma. Grandma is getting up there in age. 94 1/2, in a retirement home, not really able to walk and hearing almost gone. But bless her for still have a good sense of humor.

After an hour or so, we were off to Newton, IA to spend the night with LeAnn and family, Michele's friend since their freshman year in high school. The next 3 hours of driving were boring. Iowa is beautiful in certain parts of the state, but not along the stretch near Aimes and Des Moines. Just brutally flat.

Newton, IA is best known for it's ties with Maytag. Maytag for years had their headquarters, plants, distribution centers, etc...in Newton. Well about 3 years ago Whirlpool came in, bought them out and taking away some 3,000 jobs in the process.

Arrived around 5pm and spent the rest of the muggy evening drinking, eating and just chatting it up. Woke up some what early the next day in hopes of beating the heat but even at 8am, the temps and humidity floored me. All I had planned was an easy 5 miler along rolling terrain of this small town and that's all I got. The time spent in Newton was short but a lot of fun. LeAnn, her husband Kelly and their adorable daughter Landry are a solid group of peoples and I really enjoyed spending time with them.

Back on the road to Omaha and our flight left on time shortly after 7:30pm. Stepping into the hot not humid temps of Denver never felt so good.

So what was my favorite part of the trip? Easy. Hawkeye Point! Kidding aside, it was easily Michele's amazing family and friends. I knew I was a lucky guy when I met Michele, but little did I know that she came with a finish line as well.

Grays & Torrey's

Running these peaks had been on my radar during last years training for PPM but for some reason never got around to it. This past Monday and for no specific reason, I decided to run them. It's been 8 or so years since I was last up there and vaguely remembered any specifics other then great weather, crazy looking mountain goats and my buddy Matt cursing me for giving Torrey's a go.

Up too early, out the door at a decent time and 50 minutes later I arrived at the Bakerville exit off I-70 before 6:30am. And this is where I was going to start my run. Figured the extra miles from the interstate might fun.



What? No love for Torrey's? Well it was far from fun. The road to the trailhead is about 3 miles with 1.4K feet of gain. Nothing dramatic. What was dramatic was the number of cars driving up to the true trailhead. Any time a car would come by, I'd make every effort to step out of the way to avoid the dust and exhaust therefore preventing me from getting into a running groove.

As I approached the trailhead, I could already see the madness begin. Madness of the amount of people getting ready to hike the same peaks I was aiming for. Crossed the bridge and it started. The constant battle of passing heaps of folks. Sometimes it was easy, other times I was forced to stop and work my way around them. And this was the theme all the way to the top of Grays. Honestly lost track counting after 100 hikers.

My fellow hikers, for the most part, were extremely kind and would offer up kind words of encouragement and shock at my summit attempt. Always nice to hear as I don't think I'm doing anything special with my runs.

The trail itself was dry and snow free all the way up Gray's. I was surprised by how runnable (when not crowded of course) the route was with only a handful of sections steep enough forcing me to power hike. The last 3 or so switch backs were my favorite. Folks were dying by this point and I was able to run the whole stretch.

The weather itself was so-so. 45 at the start. Windy and overcast most of the way up. Stiff wind at the top with I'm guessing temps in the low 30's. Thankfully the short sleeved top and gloves were more then enough.

The top of Gray's was straight packed so my stay was short lived. Off to Torrey's and things got interesting as the wind was ripping, my eyes were watering and the descent along the ridge technical. Before I knew it I was on top of Torrey's and quickly off. Made my way down to the saddle, across the only snow field on the route and took my first break of the day to enjoy some alone time to soak in the views.



Yeah the day was ridiculously crowded which never allowed me to get into a running groove but whatever, the views during this short little 5 minute stop more then made up for it. The decent down was fine. Ran, Stopped, ran, hopped, stopped, ran, stopped some more and finally crossed the bridge. The last 3 miles back to the car were all downhill and FINALLY allowed me to get in some uninterrupted running averaging just under 8's on the way back to the car.

Great day? No. But any day in the mountains that ends with me being tired and in one piece is always a solid day. 3 hours 15 minutes (never did hit stop on the watch) of running and I got in 14 miles with over 5,000 feet of climbing.

June Summary & Mid Year Thoughts

Runs - 17
Workouts - 1
Injured - 0

Normally I like to critique my running/training over the prior month but will not do so this go around. Let's face it, I've ran & raced distances like I've never done so before and I've enjoyed every moment of it. Lessons have been learned and I look forward to getting better from the past months experiences.

I'm now 2+ weeks removed from the SJS50 and my body feels surprisingly good. This stems from my solid back to back to back 9 to 10 mile trails runs over the long weekend. One of the runs that included meeting Scott Jurek at the base of Gregory Canyon. Couldn't have been a nicer individual during our brief encounter. Still intentionally holding back on any hard long runs till next weekend so I'm eager to see how that plays out.

Second Half Goals: At the start of the year, I had a 100 miler on the radar. This assuming all my training and racing went flawless. Well my training was interrupted a few times by some nagging injuries and my two races didn't result in what I know I'm capable of. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy with the way they played out but I know I can do better.

So the 100 miler is on hold for now. Bottom line is I know I'm capable of finishing one but that's not why I race. I race to compete and challenge myself. Not to just finish. Lake City was never about just finishing but competing and unfortunately I wasn't able to compete due to a tired body. So I feel it's best I challenge myself again at this distance. And at least a few more times before I step into the 100 mile world.

On September 18th, Steamboat Springs will host the 4th running of the Run Rabbit Run. A 50 mile out and back course that goes thru some beautiful country in Northern Colorado. I've only been in Steamboat once during the summer. A short day trip with some old friends. I've also had the pleasure of hammering the gladed thigh deep powder a few times. And no, I thankfully wasn't knuckle dragging or locked at the heels!

A few months back, Pikes Peak registration opened and closed in its almost too quick manner. I had contemplated running the marathon again with desires of breaking the 5 hour mark. However I refrained from signing up just in case Leadville called my name. Well it's calling my name but not to race it but rather to help out an old running mate from Durango. Along with his wife, I'll be pacing and crewing for Scott as he takes on his first 100 miler. Scott broke the 11 hour marker at the SJS50 just a few weeks back and his wife Sharron, an accomplished runner herself with a few age group records at the PPM, came in at 13 hours. I look forward to the opportunity of helping out Scott in any manner that weekend and know it will be great learning experience as to what really goes on during those last 50 miles of the race.

With 10 or so weeks till Steamboat, I'll have plenty of time to play in the high country as I prepare for the race. Thoughts of running Mt. Massive, knocking out the Northern Loop in the Indian Peak Wilderness Area or taking on the 4 Pass Loop around the Maroon Bells enter my head. So many trails, so little time.

San Juan Solstice 50

"Ready, set, go!" at 5am Saturday morning. 13 hours 35 minutes later I was back where I started. Crossing the finish line of my first 50 mile race.

Leaving work much later then I wanted to Thursday afternoon didn't stop Michele and I from arriving in Gunnison, CO around 9pm. A good nights sleep followed by some lazy time, an easy run and an ice bath Friday morning led to a 1pm arrival to a sunny, clear and almost hot Lake City, Colorado.



Bib pick up, bag drop off, pasta dinner and an early bed time at the surprisingly nice Matterhorn Hotel was the best I could have asked for Friday night. Up by 3:30am, at the Armory by 4:50AM and running at 5am. Times that follow are approximate but good enough for me.

Alpine Aid - 2 hours in: While the first 3 miles might be the most uneventful, I found them to be wonderful. 200 people, running in the dark all with the single goal of running 50 miles thru the San Juan's. Some where here to lay down the hammer (congrats to Dakota Jones and Darcy Africa on their impressive wins) while others (like myself) where looking to cross the finish line in one piece.

From the get go, the aches and pains I've been experiencing over the past week plus were still there. There was no way of avoiding them so my goals within the first mile were to run extremely conservative, drink liquids, stay up with the carb intake and have as much fun as possible.

Heading up to Alpine was gorgeous. Portions of this climb are extremely runnable (which I didn't do since I was holding back) and the creek crossings were unfortunately uneventful. The sun finally greeted us 7+ miles in just as I approached tree line. A mile plus venture above treeline lead to the first major descent into Williams aid station. A decent I would normally bomb but didn't. Mile 13 lead to my first pit stop. Let's just say I was THANKFULL I packed in some TP moments before leaving the hotel room.

Williams - 4 hours in: A very slow time but one I was extremely happy with considering the circumstances. Honestly felt like I'd hardly done much work. My time spent in the aid station was minimal and I was able to cruise to the Carson turn off pretty quickly passing a good 10 runners, not to mention the 20 or so sitting around at Williams. The climb up to Carson was crazy steep. Again, portions were runnable but yet again I held back. I just stuck with my power hiking passing another 5 folks as we arrived to Carson.

Carson - 5 hours 30 minutes in: I felt really strong since leaving Williams and wasted little time in Carson. A slice of watermelon, refill of the 2 water bottles and was back at it with the power hiking. Before I knew it I saw my first Colorado Trail trailmaker. Then I was passing Coney Peak and it dawned on me I was at the highest point of the course. I stopped for a good few minutes and just soaked it all in. Uncompahgre Peak to the north. Red Cloud to the west. The Grenadiers to the southwest. Powderhorn Wilderness to the east. I could have spent all day soaking in the views from this amazing vantage point. Hardly a cloud in the sky and a nice cool stiff wind at my back. Then I remembered I was in a race and got back after it.

Divide - 8 hours in?: Cruising into the Divide aid station came at a perfect time. I spent a good 5 minutes here chatting it up, eating watermelon, drinking liquids and eating some PB&J before heading out. And for the first time all day my body got tired. I found my powerhike slowing down and my downhill running not so enjoyable. The next 9 miles were uneventful. Not due to the amazing views but more to the body slowing giving up on me. Then within a mile of Slum, my first stomach issue. Was it the PB&J? Couldn't be the water intake cause I've gone number 1 a half dozen times to this point. Or the blocks cause I was chomping them down consistently. Then the stomach just about barfed at the thought of anything but water.



Slum - 10 hours 15 minutes: I could hear this aid station from a good distance away. Pretty pumped to get in as my wife was hanging out ready to offer up some support. Some more watermelon, some water and some cup of noddles. Figured the stomach could handle this. 5 minutes spent here at most. Kissed Michele good bye, thanked everyone and ran across 149 and took 10 running steps downhill. Then I barfed. And barfed again and again and again. A good 10 minutes hunched over a tree letting out every fluid out of my body.

Now not only was I pretty tired, but I just emptied out the tank. The uphill to Vickers, while beautiful, hurt. No energy in the body meant a slow walk. A few more vomit sessions here and there and finally got to the top of the climb to yak yet again. Stomach was in operation shut down. Guessing I spent a good 45 minutes throwing pretty much nothing up.

Laid low at the Vickers Aid station for a good 10 minutes drinking a little flat coke. Sitting around got boring so I just got up and gave it all I got. The running downhill was slow but manageable. Views of Lake City pumped me up and the thought of finishing finally crossed my mind. That was all the motivation I needed to bring it home.

Finish - 13 hours 35 minutes in: Yup, it took me that long to finish off the last 10 miles! Almost comical. Stomach holds on tight and I finsih at least an hour sooner. But who the hell cares. Yeah I do I guess, but Michele didn't. Neither did the volunteers, or the family and friends of my fellow runners or the locals of Lake City.




Gotta love the post game pose of laying on the ground after finishing the race. Seemed to be a common theme among many folks. Maybe 10 minutes after finishing the race I got hungry. So I ate, drank, ate some more. Guess the stomach was coming around. Odd how it went and came back around so quick. Then I took a shower, picked up some more liquids and off to this great joint for more beer and brats!



Slept great, packed up and headed off to the breakfast ceremony Sunday morning. I have to hand it to all those that make this race possible. Each and every single volunteer made for such a fantastic race. As tough as the race was, I loved every second I was out there. Yeah physically I was beat up, but mentally, I didn't have a down moment. And the fellow runners. Meet up with a few old friends and meet so many wonderful new faces. The passion for this sport by so many folks is why I come back for more.

A few fun stats:
# of 22 ounce bottles consumed = 9+
# of block packs consumed = 5
# of GU's = 0
# of socks changed = 0. Yup, I packed in 3 pairs and wore the same pair the whole race and the feet never were an issue. Gotta love them Injini's.

So what's next? Who know's. I got nothing on the calendar and will leave it like that for a few weeks. For now I got a finishers hat that I was so exicted to hand off to Jim L., my father in law. Yet another trip to the San Juans that exceeded all my expectations.

Lake City 50 in 3 Days

18 or so weeks ago I signed up for the SJS50. Now I'm 3 days away from running my first 50 Mile race.

I'll have to admit that the past few days have been a bit rattling for me. Most of this stems from prerace jitters I've always experienced. Nothing to concern myself with here. However, new to me, is how my body feels. Honestly just feels achy, tired and far from well rested. A far cry of how it felt a week ago. I'm sure I'm overthinking every ache, pain and discomfort I experience whether I'm out for a run or simply sitting at my desk. Regardless, this bit of doubt about my body has it's effects on my confidence level as I head into race day. Just hoping that it's part of the pre-race jitters game and that all will feel solid come Saturday morning.

It's been just shy of 4 weeks since Jemez. While I haven't logged in any huge miles during this stretch (just one 20+ miler), I've been pretty consistent with my training with my biggest break occurring just a few days ago with 3 straight days of rest. By far my biggest non-injured time off this year. Not sure how all this will work out for Lake City but felt that any type of extended rest period would have been worse.

The most common thing I think about heading into the race is my hydration, fuel and gear. I've opted out of my Nathan bag and gone with the double barrel action. 2-22oz bottles in my Nathan waist pack. I'll pack enough gels, blocks and sCaps heading into Williams. I won't have a drop bag here but will have an extra pair of socks with me. I'll have my first drop bag at Carson. Jacket, socks, more gel, blocks and sCaps will be waiting. Along with a hand held 22oz bottle. Not sure I want to carry a 3rd bottle but likely will be needed for the next 9 mile section. Slumming Aid Station will have yet another drop bag waiting for me. Here I'll have a pair of shoes, if needed, socks and will ditch the handheld. For some reason I'm hung up on socks and I'm sure it's due to the Crosslites drying up quickly but the socks remaining damp.

Goal over the next few days is not to think much about the race, get the hell out of work early Thursday and try and make it to Gunnison shortly after sunset. Sleep in Friday, eat some good meals, get in a really lazy run and pray for some more sleep Friday night.

Then it's an early wake up call Saturday morning to what I'm sure will be an amazing day playing in my favorite backyard. The San Juans!

2 Weeks till Lake City: Durango Style

That's right, doing one more long run with a little bit of Durango Love. Karma baby. A nice long weekend planned with Michele and I visiting Andrea, Matt and their beautiful daughter Adaira celebrating the big ONE birthday

Thursday: Got out of work at 4:30pm and into Grand Junction by 10pm. Not much more to be said about this as it was rather uneventful and just thankful to be out of the front range.

Friday: Up early and on our way to Ouray. Made my routine pitstop at McD's in Delta. For some odd reason, I love to stop at McD's when making the journey from GJ to Ouray. Not sure how this started but it's been something I've done numerous times now. Pulled into Ouray just after 10am and parked in the Hot Springs parking lot.

The goal was simple this morning. For Michele to enjoy a beautiful, I mean BEAUTIFUL morning in the hot springs while I went for a nice run around town with McD's coffee in the system. Specifically, a nice run around the awesome Perimeter Trail.

The trail itself is maybe 5 miles with a decent 1.4K of up and down. But the views you get of the town are fantastic. The loop trail does as advertised, run the perimeter of town. The running pace was easy. Easy on the flats, easier on the steeps, easiest on the descents.



Shortly after my sweaty run, I bee-lined my way into the hot tubs and rinsed off with some pool action.

A quick bite to eat and we proceeded to Durango. Spent the next few nights in the wonderful Rochester Hotel. Expensive but well worth it. Central location, great hospitality, adorable rooms and a solid breakfast. Off to Matt and Andrea's for Adaira's birthday bash. The evening was low key with gift opening, backyard drinks and catching up with some close friends. Opted to skip the BBQ for some Ken&Sue's. If you're in Durango, you gotta visit this fine restuarant.

Saturday: My goal was to be at a trailhead by 6am which meant I had to get up well before sunrise. Two nights of bad sleep made this very difficult and I ended up getting to the Lower Hermosa TH at 6:15am with an empty stomach, tired body and mind and venturing onto a trail system I had never been on.

While the body was simply tired, the mind was up to the task once I got going. On today's agenda was a loop consisting of the trails Jones Creek, Pinkerton-Flagstaff/Goulding/Dutch/Lower Hermosa. By my guess, 20+ miles with just under 5K of up and down.

Jones Creek was 4 easy miles of uphill trails. Nothing steep and in all honesty, the trail was nothing overly memorable. Finally met up with the Pinkerton-Flagstaff trail and the fun began. Mt and Dirt bikes frequent this ridge line along the Hermosa Cliffs so the trails were soft, dusty and freakin steep. For the next 4 miles I ran up, down, up, down, up, down....you get the picture. If not, below is all I saw. Trust me, the trail goes straight up.



Yes the views were amazing with Durango to the far south.



And the famous high points of Chicago Basin along the SW Weminuche to the north.



Physically, the Pinkerton-Flagstaff trail kicked my ass, but after a good 4 miles of goofing around and a quick little trip down to the cabin along Goulding, I hit the Dutch Creek Trail. I've heard of this trail and all I knew of it was how remote the trail is. The descent is some 3K and 6 miles. And a more important stat was the 20 or so creek crossings. Some where barely deep enough to get my shoe soaked. Others got my feet soaked. A good 6 were easily a foot deep.



From the start I wanted to get my feet wet and get use to running in wet cold shoes since this will be expected in Lake City. The most shocking of this was how freakin cold the water was. Not so much when you dippped in but as you left the water the toes and feet were just numb. Extra socks will be a must.

By the time I connected with the Lower Hermosa trail I had seen ZERO people in 16/17 miles and over 3 hours of running. The next 4 miles heading back to the car wouldn't be as nice. Mt Bikers, dogs, people and a few Texans. Still, the trail itself left a lasting impression with some sweet single track action.


Overall, the run was fantastic. Yeah the physical effort left a lot to be desired but I put in a solid effort 2 weeks before San Juan without blowing up. Mentally, I was pretty damn strong.

The remainder of the day was spent drinking, eating, drinking some more and a lot of socializing at day 2 of Adaira's birthday party. 92 degree temps decided to visit Durango in June leaving us with perfect evening mountain weather conditions. 10pm came around and it was time for bed.

Sunday: Slept in! Hearty breakfast and coffee at the Rochester! One last 5 mile run around my favorite in-town loop before heading out! Oh how I miss the Nature trail and Animas River. Two of the many routes I ran numerous times during my year plus in Durango.

Overall it was a fantastic weekend. Spent a lot of time with my wonderful wife who puts up with my running addition. Love you for it sweetie! While it was a crazy weekend for the party throwers Matt and Andrea, it was great spend some time with them. Thanks for having us over and throwing such a great party! Durango, as always, you delivered yet another amazing weekend. Durango Love Baby!

May Summary

Runs - 19
Workouts - 4
Injured - 0

The Bad: As I've pointed out, two things have frustrated me this month. One being the fact that I had to taper much more then I cared to going into Jemez. Would have loved going into the race not so much in full training mode, but with a few more runs and miles in the system. I honestly feel that this would have paid off nicely heading to Lake City. Then again resting the injured body parts isn't the worst thing for me so I digress.

Two, and easily the most frustrating, was my fuel intake during Jemez. Gotta do a better job on this matter or I will crumble while in the heart of the San Juans. I know better and just didn't bother taking in the necessary liquids and carbs. Great lesson learned here cause it sucked how one mile I was feeling solid only to lose it a few miles later.

The Good: Since Jemez, I've been running pretty strong. Of course there were a few days of tightness but overall I've very pleased. So encouraging that it's giving me a positive outlook as the San Juan 50 closes in.

I also am really happy with how the Jemez 50K went down. As tough as the day was at times, never did I want to quit. Never did I have thoughts of "man this sucks" go thru my head. The opposite actually. Loved the brutal ups and downs, the vibe of race day for an ultra and the level of fitness by the competitors. It was such an amazing thing to be a part of and consider myself so lucky to experience it all.

Bottom Line: Ending the month on such a positive vibe, it's easy for me to get ahead of myself in regards to races and running in general. Leadville or Bear? More weekly miles? More vert? Gotta check myself here. I think the best thing for me to do is take this month as it comes. Get some miles in, run and complete The Solstice and rest up a bit. I'll decide on the 19th, hopefully around 5pm, what my next step will be.

What I do know is it's finally summer and summer means playtime above treeline!!!!