October 17, 2012 - NATRA Soulstice & Thought Coming into R2R2R.

NATRA Soulstice - As a tune-up leading into my Grand Canyon R2R2R FKT attempt, I decided to do a little "speedwork".  Every year, the Northern Arizona Trail Runners Association finishes it's running series with the Soulstice Race.  It's well known around town for being a tough trail course with a wicked party afterwards.  Since returning to Flagstaff nearly 6 years ago, I had yet to run the race.. so I figured it was time.  My thought was that it would be a good lead in to next weeks "big run".  

At the start line the attitude was pretty low key as toed the line.  All of us knew each other quite well and were ready to do battle on the frosty, rock covered course.  As expected, Chris Gomez (local fast guy), jumped out to a quick lead.  I stayed about 30sec behind him for the first 2 miles.  At that point, the course starts a pretty serious grade for about a mile.  At that point, I put in a surge to close the gap.. then pressed passed Chris to take the lead.  Before I knew it, I was about 30 seconds ahead and we were about through climbing.  On the next section, which is a fairly flat to rolling part of the course, I started running between 5:30min/mile & 5:45min/mile.  I figured at a minimum this would force anyone that wanted to catch me to at least "work".

As I rolled into Sunset Trail, which is about half-way, I knew I had a bit of lead, but I figured if I pressed hard, that I might squeeze out a course record.  As such, I worked the pace fairly steadily and I could see on my watch that it would be close.  With about 1mile left, I begain to pull back as I thought the finish was further out... oops.. I should know better than to shut it down like that!!!.. Unexpectedly, the finish was right in front of me and my watch read 1:09:42 as I crossed the line.. the record is 1:09:17.. guess that gives me something to shoot for next year..

Rim to Rim to Rim - Thoughts Coming In -  After a pretty good showing at Soulstice, I am extra excited about getting into the Canyon.  My training has been focused on Strength, but surprisingly my "speed" is not too bad, which should help with the "flat" sections between the North & South Rim.  The current record (FKT) is 6hrs 53min held by Dakota Jones.  I am hoping to set the pace closer to 6hrs 30min.. and see what I have towards the finish.  My guess is that coming into S.Kaibab for the finish is gonna be rough, so I hope to allow myself a little breathing room. 

My plan  - - (1) The run will be completely self-supported.  Everything I use, I plan on both packing in & packing out.  I plan to have a couple people pace me out from Phantom up S.Kaibab to the finish, but they will provide zero support.  (2) Another standard I plan to hold myself to is that once I start my watch it keeps running until I finish.  No "pauses" for bathroom breaks, mules, pictures, etc.. - - no exceptions. (3) I will start touching the SKaibab Kiosk.. run to the NKaibab Kiosk.. and run back to the SKaibab Kiosk.. 

After the run, I will have a full write up of the experience.  If I get the record, I will post my time on the website: http://fastestknowntime.proboards.com/

Should be fun!!

October 8, 2012 - Catchup & What's Up Next

Wow.. it's been way too long since my last post.. First things first, a little "catching up".... then I will jump into "what's next"...

"Catching up" - - After a July / August where mileage was my number one priority, I raced the Imogene Pass Run.  Coming into the race, my quality runs were not so "quality", but my base was VERY solid.  As such, I felt very strong throughout the race, but was unable to "breakthrough" with a fast race.  I ended up in 2nd Place Overall - - 1st in my age group (35-39).. and ran the course in 2hrs 18min.  This was fast enough for a new age group course recording breaking the previous record that stood for nearly 30 years..

After recovering from Imogene, I immediately stepped the miles back up, but migrated towards focusing a little less on mileage in exchange for some VERY long efforts (30+miles).

On back to back weekends I ran 33 and 36mile Canyon runs.  Both runs, I had to battle 100 degree temps, but came out strong.  On the 36miler, I ended up accumulating 10,000 feet of climbing and a TON of cramps over the past 4 miles.. This run definitely put me in the hole, but after focusing on "recovery" last week, I feel like I am "back".. and I was able to run a very solid San Francisco Peaks run last Saturday.

"What's Next" - Well, my training has been solid and I am feeling VERY confident about where I am at.  This whole summer and fall my focus is set on the North Face 50 Mile Championships on December 1st in San Francisco.  Before I get there, I have my sights set on a few other races...
  (1) Oct 13th - NATRA Soulstice Race
  (2) Oct 19th - R2R2R FKT attempt
  (3) Nov 10th - Bootlegger 50k ... then...
  (4) Dec 1st - NF 50 Mile Champs

It's gonna be a busy fall, but I am really looking forward to racing again.. just got to stay healthy.. and stay focused.

August 19, 2012 - Wild Week of Running

Well, it was a pretty wild week of running.  My total mileage crept up to 115miles.. On Thursday morning I ran into my first Flagstaff, Black Bear .. Saturday I dipped into the wicked hot Grand Canyon again for a 26 miler.. and finished the week with a 17miler in the rain around Mt. Elden. 

The Bear sighting was pretty sureal.  The sun was just coming up and I still felt half asleep.  I was only 3miles from my house on Elden Road (a popular dirt road for running, cycling, etc).  I heard some pretty heavy rustling in the leaves next to the road.  VERY slowly, I looked over and I see the back side of a young bear tearing through the forest.  After a 100yds of sprinting, the bear stops and starts to check me out.  I always figured I would see a bear while running in Flagstaff, as a decent number live in the area, but I always thought I would be a bit more scared.  As I ran past the curious bear, he just watched me.. and I watched him.. BeforeI knew it, I had run out of sight.. and he was well on his way.  Pretty cool.

Next up.. 26miles in the Grand Canyon.  In an attempt to beat the heat, Ace Baty and I decided to leave Flagstaff around 4am.  That got us started a bit before 6am. 

At the start of our run, it wasn't too hot, but about an hour after we got going, I could tell it was going to get rough.

I decided to run S.Kaibab to Tonto.. Across Tonto Trail to Indian Gardens.. Down Bright Angel to Phantom.. Then up Clear Creek Trail for about 2miles.. Head back to Phantom .. Then finish up the run with a trip up SKaibab to the Top.

I felt pretty solid all day, but in the back of my mind, I knew the heat was taking it's toll.. It was easily 100 degrees over the last 2hrs of my run.. As such, I was pounding the water and keeping the effort a bit subdued.  

As I cranked my way up the last climb, I felt really good until I was about 1/2 mile from Cedar Ridge.  At that point, the heat had gotten to me, so I pulled back and hiked for about a mile.  Once I felt "better", I started running again and finished off the day.  The run took about 4hrs.. while the last climb took me 1hr 28min.  This is about 17min slower than my fastest time, but honestly, it hurt and I was happy that I ran as fast as I did.

Finally.. a day after my Canyon effort, amazingly enough, I felt great.  I decided to go for an easy 17miler in the rain.  I was surprised how quickly I had recovered.  I felt great and finished the in a solid 2hrs. 

I am starting to feel really good about my next race.. Imogene Pass Run.  I feel like the strength is there.. now I just need to sharpen up the speed.. and speed-endurance.. but I know I am headed in the right direction..

 

August 12, 2012 - Entering the Hot Box

To close out another 100mile week, I decided to take a trip the Grand Canyon.  Knowing it would be hot, Caleb Schiff and I were on the road right at 3:45am.. hoping to get started before 5:30am. 

The drive to the GC was like driving through a wildlife park.  We saw at least 50 deer and around 20 elk.  Each one, way to close to the road.  Hitting one of those guys is always my biggest fear in making this drive before sunrise. 

Thank goodness, we made it safely and were ready to go before 5:30am.  On the 1/2 mile run to the Rim, it was kind of cool.. but as we go to the start of the S.Kaibab descent, we could feel the heat radiating out of the giant ditch.  Right away, we knew we were going to be in for a HOT one.

It had rained the night before, so it was hot and humid.. on top of the "steam", there was quite a bit of early cloud cover that seemed to seal in heat.  This was one of those days where you not only had to be cautious, but there would be no room for a "major bonk" or you could get yourself in serious trouble.

I decided to press the descent and hammered my way down to the river in 50min 30sec.  At the bottom, there was quite a bit of shade since it was still early, so temperature wise it wasn't too bad. 

After a quick refill at Phantom, it was time to make the climb out.  As I started the ascent, my legs were a bit tired, so my focus was on staying steady.

As I grinded my way up past the Tonto Plateau, the sun started pressing down.  From Tonto to Cedar Ridge on these early morning runs, is the hottest section.  I kept the pace steady knowing that I had a waterbottle stashed at Skeleton Point.

As I cruised up the swithbacks, I made a quick stop to grab my waterbottle and was on my way out of the Hot Box.

Before I knew it, I was passing Cedar Ridge and I felt a nice breeze sweep past.  It felt AWESOME.  Since I was so drenched in sweat, I actually started feeling "cold" over the last mile or so... but it felt great. 

I ended up topping the Rim in 1hr 19min.  Not even close to my fastest time, but a very solid effort nonetheless... and to be honest, I was  just happy not to be swallowed up by the Canyon considering the heat. 

With all the miles I have been putting in, I have been happy with these "quality" runs.  It seems that my body is really adjusting to the increase in mileage and my hope is that over the next few weeks leading into Imogene.. things will come together.

August 6, 2012 - Training, Training, Training

Since my last post, I have been deep in training.  I have decided to change my training from my standard 6 week cycles to 3 week cycles.  By moving to these shorter cycles, I am hoping to increase my weekly mileage while maintaining quality runs.  My thought is the short breaks will allow me to recover and stay injury free.

With this model in mind, I dropped two 100+ mile weeks then followed that up with 126 miles.  Included in those miles are some speedwork and Long Trail Runs.  During that stretch my body held up really well, so for now that's what I am going to stick with it.

Over the next few weeks, I am looking at getting to the Canyon a couple times to hammer the climbs and work on beating up my legs a bit.  Really looking forward to those runs.

July 27, 2012 - Back in the Saddle Again

It has been WAY too long since my last post.. Before I get into what's coming up, I will quickly throw out what has been happening since my last post in May.


What have I been up to... Well, after the GC Single Crossing, I quickly moved my focus to the San Juan 50miler.  Coming into to the race, I felt I was pretty fit, but I was battling some wicked stomach issues.  Ultimately, the stomach issues did me in.  During the race, each time I took a drink or ate anything, I immediately got sick to my stomach and even puked a couple times.  This lead me to drop out around 20miles.  I was bummed, but I kept repeating.. "Live to fight another day". 


After that race, I took 2 weeks completely off from running.  I can't remember a time in the last 5 years when I have taken that much time completely off.  It was hard, but in hind sight, the right thing to do.  Since I took the time off, I am completely re-charged and running a TON.  For the past few weeks, I have been logging +100mile weeks including some solid workouts and long runs.  Things are headed in the right direction... just need to get the stomach stuff figured, which is in process.


What's coming up.. I decided to hold off racing all summer so I could spend more focused time with my family.  As such, my next race isn't until September 8th.  The Imogene Pass Run (http://www.imogenerun.com/).  I am REALLY excited about this race.  A lot of people from Flagstaff make the trip out, so it ends up being a big reunion in the Colorado Rockies.  I ran this race in 2010 and got 2nd place.  If my training holds up, I should be able to improve on that... at least that's the plan.


After Imogene, I am going to get back in the Canyon again.  I am looking at going for a Rim to Rim to Rim record on Friday, October 19th.  After that run, it's back to training and then the North Face 50mile Championships on December 1st.


It should be an exciting Summer / Fall.. 

May 25th, 2012 - 2nd Annual Memorial Weekend Grand Canyon Single Crossing - NEW RECORD!!

Last year on Memorial Weekend was my first attempt at  GC Single Crossing record. Though I failed to hit the mark, my buddy Jared Scott had a solid day and lowered the 30 year old record previously held by Allyn Cureton by 37sec to 3hrs 6min 10sec. The whole experience was a blast.. so we decided to do it again...

That brings us to this year.....

Course:  We started from the N.Kaibab trail head  located at ~8,000 ft on N Rim.  This traildrop s us 4,800 ft to Cottonwood Campground in about 7miles.  From there, the Kaibab Trail guides you across the Canyon to Phantom Ranch and over the Colorado River.  During this section, you travel over a rolling 8miles that has a net drop of 1,100 feet which takes you through Phantom and across the Colorado River.  You then hit the S. Kaibab trail. This trail is about 7miles long and brings you up to the S Rim by climbing 4,800 feet. 

This year Jared and I were joined by Rob Krar and Ace Baty.  Rob ran the North to South route with us, while Ace ran the South to North version... By splitting the group, this saved us needing a "shuttle" driver and we were able to just swap vehicles.. - - BIG THANKS to Ace for agreeing to go the other direction!!!

As "race" time approached, admittedly, I was trying to think of a strategy that would give me an opportunity to win the day.  This was not easy.  Jared & Rob have been traveling all over the country crushing trail races and course records as they battle for the La Sportiva Cup.  Seriously, Google these guys'results.. they are killing it right now.

I am in pretty good shape, but I have been migrating my training towards building strength for the 50miles distance. My fear was that these guys were going to leave me as if I were standing still on the section from Cottonwood to S. Kaibab. - - So my plan was to make them work from the gun and hope that I could "out strength them". I also thought that if I could make them work the down hill hard enough that I might be able to bleed some of that speed out of their legs such that I could at least keep them in sight on the rolling / flat parts. Then it would come down to digging deep up S. Kaibab where I would hope to be able to close any gap before we got to the top.

Before we knew, it was time to run. After a quick warmup / stretch, etc, we were off right at 5:30am. I led Jared & Rob down the first few miles like the grand marshal of a parade - - nice & easy.  After the first mile or so, I said to myself.. "time to make it hurt", and I started accelerating down the rocky, sandy trail.  As I hopped over waterboards and slid around corners, I quickly put a 30second gap on Jared and Rob.  After about 3miles, I pulled back the reins just a hair so that I didn't blow my quads to pieces.  As such, Jared & Rob quickly closed the gap and 25min into the descent, Jared grabbed the lead.

From there, I pulled back just a bit more as I knew we were flying and it was just too early to go that fast. When I did that, Rob ripped by me.  No messing around today..we are running hard.

As I rolled into Cottonwood Campground, I can see Jared & Rob pulling out.. My watch says - - 46:20.  WOW!!..That's about 3min faster than I thought it would be.  (I learned after that Rob's split was 46:13 and Jared's even a little faster.)  I quickly refilled my water bottle.. now it was time to run... fast!

As we rolled our way towards the S.Rim, these guys gapped me worse than David Letterman's teeth.  Eventually, I lost sight of them around the constant twists and turns of the trail. I kept having to reassure myself that this run isn't decided until we start climbing S Kaibab.. so Don't Panic.. Just Run Hard!!

Since Garmin's don't work on most ofthe bottom section of the Canyon, I wasn't sure exactly what pace I was running, but it felt somewhere in the neighborhood of 6min/mile to 6:20min/mile. Plenty fast considering the climb we had coming up.  - - On some of the open sections, I would catch glimpses of Jared & Rob..Jared had a slight lead and they were both rolling!!..

As I got close to Phantom, I had gotten to a point where I was tired of dealing with a case of wicked stomach "pressure". I had been pushing through the discomfort, but as I rolled into Phantom, I was forced to make a pit stop in the restroom - - damn it!. This ends up costing me 2min total.. but it was worth it.  Afterwards, I felt awesome!.

 

After the pit stop and refilling my water bottle, I was in for another surprise.. Trail Maintenance and a Detour. Oh crap!!.. At this point, I am really hoping that the detour is short.  After quickly zipping through the detour, I am back on the main trail - - I don't think this cost us more than 30sec.. so not a big deal.

Breathing a sigh of relief, I look over the long view of the trail and hope to catch a glimpse of Jared & Rob...Sure enough, there they were working the lower sections of the climb. Jared still had a slight lead.. and they appeared to have about a 3min lead on me.  At that point, I am thinking that it's going to be a tough gap to close, but if I have a solid climb up S. Kaibab I will close the space quickly. 

As I approach the bridge, I see my old nemesis.. the Mule Train.  Thank goodness this was the only one we would see all day.  It cost me about 30seconds (talking with Rob &Jared afterwards - - it cost them about 90seconds).  Once again, not a big deal..

I came across the bridge and started the climb.  At this point, my watch read 1hr 39min 25sec, so my split for the 8mile section from Cottonwood to this point was 53min 4sec.  Consideringall the stops, I was happy with the time and I was starting to feel confident that I had a shot to break 3hrs.  I told myself.. "if I break 3hrs,... I should win".  So there it was.. Time to close that gap!  - - (Rob & Jared came through at 1hr 36min 37sec, split= 50min 24sec).

Steadily, I started pushing my way up S Kaibab.  Every now and then I would see Jared & Rob and each time they looked strong.  I couldn't believe how fast these guys were running.  I felt really solid, but I was working and I wasn't making up any time.   

 

Before I knew it, I was coming into the Midway switchbacks.  At this point, I could see Jared & Rob..not only were they getting closer, but both of them were hiking.  This gave me hope and belief that I may be able to catch these guys.  I started really hammering this section.  I was drooling.. spitting..growling.. I must have sounded like a wounded animal as I past the multitudes of hikers.. but I didn't care at this point, all I wanted was to gain some more ground.

As I came out of the Midway switchbacks onto Skeleton Point, I started to push the flattest section of the ascent. I couldn't see Rob, but I could see Jared and he seemed to be struggling. Since he is my bud, I was sad to see him fall off pace so drastically. I definitely wanted to catch him, but I was also hoping that he would go with me so we could push the last sections together.

Making up chunks of time, I passed Jared as we pushed towards Cedar Ridge which is about 1.5miles from the finish. I gave him the old "come on man" .. and he responded with a mellow, "looks like I blew my wod".. I asked him how far Rob was ahead and he said he thought he was at about 6min up.  What theF?!!!.. How did that happen?.. I thought maybe the heat was getting to Jared.. or Rob was simply crushing it.

As I hit Cedar Ridge, I looked at my watch and I knew if I ran solid the rest of the way, I would be under 3hrs. I kept the pace consistent and closed out the section with a solid pace.  Coming into the final switchbacks, I could hear Rob yelling and howling... Looking at my watch, I thought it might be close.. so I just started throwing down.  Once again, I was drooling.. spitting..and grunting.

Forcing my way to the kiosk, I touched the structure... and stopped my watch.  2hrs 58min 50sec.  (Split from the River = 1hr 19min 25sec.)  I had broken the previous record by over 7min!!.., but I was over 7min off of Rob's new record of 2hrs 51min 28sec.   Jared finished shortly after I did in a time of 3hrs 3min10sec (3min faster than the previous record!!)

As Rob told me his time, I just shook my head.... that is FAST!!!..  2hrs 51min 28sec.. WOW!!

Sitting at the kiosk, covered in dust& sweat, we looked back over to the North Rim across the very trail we had just run.  The view was amazing.  Then, glowing with sense of accomplishment, we congratulated each other and walked our way back to Ace's vehicle.  What an amazing day.

Splits - Jason

NRim to Cottonwood        46min 20sec
Cottonwood to River         53min 4sec
River to SRim                   1hr 19min 25sec
Total Time                        2hrs 58min 50sec

Splits - Rob (Record Splits)

NRim to Cottonwood        46min 13sec
Cottonwood to River        50min 24sec
River to SRim                  1hr 14min 51sec
Total Time                       2hrs 51min 28sec