February 16, 2012 - Pre Moab Thoughts

Well.. only 2days out from Moab 55k. I am really looking forward to the trip and the chance to hang out with the Flag Running crew.. As for the race, I have just about the lowest expectations that I have had in nearly 3 years. My mileage has been VERY low.. my consistency has been questionable.. my stress levels have been off the charts the past few weeks due to work.. and I have a bit of a cold that I am just about all the over (thank goodness!)... The only positive thing about my training has been my consistent Saturday Long Runs. I have managed running at least 20miles each Saturday for the past 7 weeks...

So what does that mean for Saturday???.. Your guess is as good as mine. My goal is to "just go for a run" and finish. Pretty simple and it should be attainable. My plan after this weekend is to draw a line in the sand and get back to a solid schedule. Originally, I had some big plans for April & June, so to meet those I am going to have to get it going soon. No better time than next week.

February 13, 2012 - Consistent Week.. Phoenix Run.. & a Science Experiment

Consistent Week

For the first time in about a month, I was able to complete a "consistent" week of running. Still feeling off, but I am happy to be heading in the right direction. My mileage was still WAY under the 90miles/week I would like to be running right now, but at this point, I will take what I can get.

Phoenix Run

After some solid running, I finished the week with a 20miler in Phoenix on the Black Canyon Trail System in North Phoenix. I was considering running in the Agassiz Uphill race the same day, but due to some rental property issues, I had to take a trip down the hill.. thus a long run on single track was a great substitute.

I started my run at the Rock Springs exit off of I-17. It was around 8am and already in the mid-60s. According to the forecast, the temps were going to reach near 80 degrees. That is hot for me this time of year... but a nice change of pace from wearing hat & gloves.

I wound my way through the rocky, rolling single track for a total of 10miles. My goal was to scout a route up to the top of Crown King (the highest point on the trail system). After around 1hr 20min of running & navigating, I ended up taking a "closed" road that took me to the base of the mountains and dead ended. I contemplated scrambling up towards the top, but besides being low on water.. I was in the middle of now where and I started having visions of the movie 127 hours.

Instead of "forcing" my way up the rocky, cactus covered mountain, I decided to turn back and push the pace on the 10mile return route.

I had been dead-legged all day, but something really kicked in around 2hours. I felt great. Maybe it was the heat melting my brain.. but I felts as if I was floating over the rocky curvy terrain. Before I knew it, I was back in the middle of civilization and chugging a milk-jug of water. Not a bad day.

Science Experiment:

The final day of running for the week was related to a science experiment my 3rd grader had designed for school. It was called "Heavy Running" and his hypothesis was that running with added weight would slow you down. Seemed logical enough to me. So me, my wife, and my oldest son strapped a backpack to our back and ran 100m intervals. The first time with no weight, the second time with 5lbs, the 3rd time with 10lbs, and the 4th time with 15lbs. Leading up to the fourth and final leg, the hypothesis seemed to hold true. On the fourth run, everyone ran slower except me. In all honesty, I ran as hard as I could and ended up running my fastest split. We tried to keep our effort even, but I think the motivation of proving I could run "fast" with 15lbs on my back overcame the drag created by the extra weight.

All in all it was a good week. Next week I am hoping to keep things going and head into Moab with legs that are ready to run.

View of Crown King from the Start

Let's get it started!!

February 07, 2012 - Rough Week.. Then a Struggle with the Canyon

Coming off a solid weekend where I ran 25miles (3.5hrs) in the Canyon on Saturday and 18miles on a mix of trails & roads on Sunday, I was feeling really good about where my training was going. Then came Monday. Despite traveling for work, I managed a solid 10miler on single track on the Black Canyon Trails in Phoenix, but honestly, I just didn't feel quite right. As the week wore on, my schedule ramped up at work (along with my stress levels) so my running really took a nose dive. Not only did I feel to physically tired to run, but mentally, I just didn't have it. That's just not like me.. but I guess it happens.

Leading up to my Saturday run in the Canyon, my weekly mileage was at a pathetic 23miles. Funny thing is, I felt like I had put in 120miles of hard running.. I was tired.

Saturday morning came and I ended up meeting up with a couple of my running buds - - Erin Hutchinson (one of the original Canyon Runners) & Ace Baty (a wild man who is known for his epic solo adventures). We met up with Jared Scott at the Canyon and start dropping down S. Kaibab as the sun started to come up. The first 1/2 mile was wicked slick, but after that the trail was only icy in spots. As such, we kept the pace very conservative and just "shot the breeze".

Excluding a couple flat sections, we kept the pace really mellow and ending up hitting the River in about 57min. Not a bad time considering we had it in cruise most of the way.

At that point, we started to split up.. Erin turned back for the Rim, while Ace, Jared, & I headed for Phantom. On the run over to Phantom, I knew I was in for a long climb out. My legs were heavy and my energy felt low. At that point, I decided to shoot for running in the neighborhood of 75min from the River to the Rim. My thought was that if I could run that pace feeling like I do today, I should be able to run that almost any time.

Before I knew it, we had our water bottles refilled.. gels consumed.. and we were on our way back up. Right out of the gate, I knew that I wouldn't see much of Jared. He had quickly taken the form of a mountain goat and was flying up the steep climb as if it was an escalator. I had chosen a more cautious approach and was simply dropping into "grind mode". I knew I was going to be battling just to keep a solid pace, so I just started grinding out the miles.

Most of the run was a blur excluding the stops for the mule trains. I kept my effort constant and my pace seemed to follow. As I pushed up the final few steps, I looked at my watch and saw 1:15:03. Considering both my mental and physical states.. I'll take it.

What now???.. My goal over the next few weeks is to get things going. I am trying not to put too much pressure on my training.. but at the same time trying to focus on "just running". My hope is that work will subside a bit over the next 4 to 6 weeks and I will be able to get a little better balance with the training. Time will tell.. until then.. "just run"..

January 31, 2012 – How Time Flies

It’s pretty amazing how quickly January came to a close.  It seems like we were just celebrating Christmas yesterday. Now all of a sudden we are getting ready to start February.  Where did January go???.. I blame this “velocity of life” on how busy I have been in pretty much every phase of my life.  All good stuff.. but crazy nonetheless.  

Despite how hectic things have been, I have managed to run enough to keep fairly fit.  I came into January with 4 running goals - - Stay Healthy, Be Consistent, Get in some Long Runs, & Maintain High Mileage.  I have stayed Healthy.  I have been Consistent.. I have got in at least 1 good Long Run a week.. but my mileage has been lacking a bit.  My hope was to keep things between 90 and 100.. Unfortunately my mileage has fluctuated from 50 to 85. 

So here I am… it’s February .. I am in decent shape.. and I have Moab 55k in 3 weeks.  Of course, I want to do well at Moab, but I have races later in the spring that I really want to focus on.  As such, the plan for this month is to pretty much train through Moab and get ready for some strong running leading up to Leona Divide 50mile in April…. And then San Juan 50mile in June.

January 10, 2012 - 2012 Run / Race Schedule

Well 2012 has begun and I am looking forward to another solid year of running. Since TNF 50, I have taken some down-time and slowly began to focus on Mileage and Long Runs. This has allowed quite a bit of time to think about racing in 2012. Below is my first stab at a racing schedule for the upcoming year. The hope is to compete in a few more organized races and mix up the training / racing enough to keep it fun.

February - Moab 55k

March - Mesquite Canyon 50km or Grand Canyon R2R2R

April - Leona Divide 50mile or Grand Canyon R2R2R

May - Grand Canyon Single Crossing

June - Lake City - San Juan 50mile

September - Imogene Pass Run

October - Long Beach Marathon

November - Grand Canyon R2R2R

December - TNF 50mile Champs

December 05, 2011 - North Face 50mile Championships

Thoughts Coming into the Race:

As race day approached, I found the anticipation of getting things going almost unbearable at times. Tapering is always such a tough mental exercise in patience.

The depth of this event was incredible and I couldn't wait to get out there and test myself in a 50miler against these guys. My last organized 50miler was Jemez in 2009. Based on my training & mindset leading into that event, I wouldn't say I was "racing"... so I was approaching this as my first 50mile race.

Getting to the Race:

Before I got to the start line, I had a bit of "drama" to deal with... First, they held the pre-race packet pick-up in Downtown San Francisco. For me that was an adventure.. but I made it out alive.. barely. Second, I show-up Saturday morning at 3:30am for the Shuttle Service to the race and to my surprise.. There was no shuttle!!!.. Talk about stress.. Eventually, I found my way to the starting line with a few minutes to get ready.. I am still not sure why the race decided not to pick us up??.. Despite all the drama, I ended up making it to the starting line.. and I felt ready to race.

The Race:

At 5am the gun went off. As we march off into the darkness, a large pack forms and quickly settles into a conservative pace. Excluding 2 guys from Salomon, we all stuck together and settled into a 6:15-ish /mile pace... each of us not wanting to lead due to a wicked head wind. Unfortunately for me, I some how was in the front with another runner, Jordan McDougal.. and we were providing a bit of a wind break for the field. During these miles, the Salomon guys took off and were quickly out of sight.

After 5miles of staying together and breaking the wind, I decided I wanted to close some of the gap on what was now 3 Salomon runners. Within a few miles, I had worked some separation from the rest of the field and was closing the gap on at least 2 of the front runners. Looking at my Garmin, I noticed that I dropped a couple 5:30-ish min miles.. but to be honest, I felt very comfortable, so I wasn't too concerned.

Around mile 10, I whipped by one of the Salomon Runners from South America. At the same time, I had managed to put about 2min on the "chase pack". Around that point, I came to a Y in the trail. I didn't see any markers telling me to turn, so I kept going straight up hill. As I looked over my shoulder, I saw the string of headlamps make the left turn that I passed.... Ouch!!.. I had already gone off course!!.. Even though it was very early in the race, it sucked in that I had put some effort into developing some separation.. and now I had just lost it all.. and then some due to a wrong turn..

I tried to stay calm.. but I couldn't.. I put in a surge and within a mile I had regained my lead on this group and was back in third. The problem was I burned up a bit of energy doing it. I should have accepted the fact that I went off trail and been more patient with regaining contact, but my temper just didn't allow it.

Honestly, the next 10 to 15miles are almost a blur. There was a group of about 10 of us that stuck together. We eventually caught and passed the Salomon rabbits, but I lost contact with the lead group around mile 24 when I stopped to take a leak. I was never able to regain the time I lost. The next 6 miles up to mile 30 I just tried to stay relaxed and I hope for a strong finish. I knew that I was only a few minutes behind the leaders and there was still plenty of race to run.

Somewhere around mile 30, I started getting passed.. first by Adam Campbell and Tim Olsen. Next by Jezz Bragg... then a few other folks... Then Jason Schlarb came wizzing by me.. It was pretty clear... I was bonking. Looking at my Garmin, between miles 31 and 38, I dropped a couple 12 to 13min miles... and believe me, it was NOT all uphill.. there was a good amount of gentle down.. and flat that I was now having trouble with. My quads were crying.. my stomach was growling.. I was in the pain cave and not liking it. In retrospect, I wonder if some of this was mental. I know that there was a definite physical aspect, but mentally, I became resigned to the fact that I wasn't going to catch up with the leaders and I think this simply crushed my motivation.

Around mile 38, I started to pull out of this hole and actually felt pretty good. I had been passed by a good number of runners, so now my focus was to go after as many as possible and hope for a Top 10 finish. I was steadily increasing the intensity of the next 10 miles. The miles started to fly by and I was passing people left and right.. Most of the people were 50k participants, but it was still a good feeling to catch and pass people on the trail.

At mile 47-ish, I noticed that one guy (ended up being Mike Foote) was on my tail and despite how hard I pushed, I wasn't able to gap him. He would continually close any gap I could muster up. With only 2 to 3miles to go, I kept telling myself, "If I keep my foot on the gas, he won't be able to get me".. so that's what I did. With about 1mile to go, I come to another section of trail where I see ribbons going in both directions. Based on the advice of one of the 50k runners and a couple spectators, I went straight... I quickly noticed that in the crazy bunches of ribbons flagging the course, there was no "orange" color.. which is my color... Dang it!!.. I took another wrong turn. I can see that 2 other 50 mile guys were smarter than me and went the right direction (Mike Foote & Jason Schlarb). Not wanting to lose all the hardwork that I had put in over the past 10miles to hold-off these guys, I started letting the legs go!!..

My last mile was a 5:20. I ended up passing Mike Foote with about 20m to go, so the wrong turn didn't cost me any placing.. but it definitely made me work harder than I wanted over the 50th mile.

I ended up finishing my first 50mile Race in 8th place in a time of 6hrs 52min. This result was not exactly what I expected, but all things considered, I am happy with both the effort and the outcome.

Post Race Reflections:

After any race where things didn't go exactly as planned, I have a tendency to reflect and try to figure out what I need to do differently to reach my goals. As such, below are a few things I need to do to be a more competitive Ultra Guy.... if that's what I want to do.

(1) Long Runs - Need to do more efforts over 4hrs. In the past 12months, I only had 3 runs longer than 4hrs.

(2) Nutrition - Still need to work on dialing this in over the longer efforts to prevent the severe "downs" in energy.

(3) Course Navigation - Some how I need to get better at this. May be a case of taking more time at "unclear" junctions.

(4) Experience - Learned that Ultras are like any other race.. If you want to win, you can't count on coming from behind. Fighting the urge to "let guys go" in the middle of the race is just as critical in the Ultra distances as it is in any other distance.

All in all... I had fun.. and I look forward to the next adventure in 2012!!..

Solid Few Weeks... Plus a Link to TNF 50 Preview

First things first, my training over the past few weeks hasn't been "stellar" but it has been solid. I have been able to mix in a good amount of climbing (short & long) with some faster paced runs. Other than having to fight a very weak cold over the past 5 days, I feel really good.. and I am ready to do battle with an amazing field at TNF50 this weekend.

With that being said, I am amazed to see just how deep this field is. Below, I have copied a link to a race preview that outlines just how stacked the race is this year. To add to this author's list, there are a good number of solid runners that he doesn't even mention (some noted in the comments to the article). It's going to be a wild race...

http://www.irunfar.com/2011/11/the-north-face-50-mile-championships-2011-mens-preview.html