January 27, 2013

Over the last 30 days I've run 88 miles with 21,000ft of elevation gain. I've been much more focused on training smarter, and I've been taking the runs pretty easy. Lot's of stopping to take pictures, and just having fun. This week was a back off in preparation for an increase in weekly mileage. The weather didn't allow less mileage to mean less difficulty, though. I headed up Mt Wire on Friday, and the warmer temps made for one of the most torturous days on the trail that I can remember. 2000ft of elevation gain in about 1.5 miles with shin/knee deep slush that hardened to concrete with every post hole. It was nice to get above the inversion though. Today I did a 10 mile loop starting and ending at my driveway. More slush, but not as bad. I still can't believe how lucky we are to live in such a wonderful place. To run from my house, in a loop, for 10 miles, climbing almost 3000ft without seeing a single other person is as good as it gets.

Climbing out of the inversion. Mt Wire, 7200ft.

A stark reminder that there's still plenty of wildness just above the city.

Clouds and snow closing in on downtown Salt Lake City.

About 1.5 miles from home. Dropping down to Ensign Peak as the snow starts blowing sideways.

January 21, 2013

I've lived in Salt Lake City for well over 10 years, and despite my love of the mountains, I haven't ventured out much in the winter. Everything is harder in the winter, but to connect with and understand the landscape, it must be experienced in every season. I am committed to getting up to the high(er) country through the rest of this winter, and to hopefully gain a new understanding and comfort with the snow and cold. I don't have hundreds of dollars to buy ski gear, but I will get out as far and as high as I can with what I have. I have spikes, crampons and an ice axe. It'll have to do.
My first winter trip up 9000ft Mt Olympus was a humble start. The ice axe made me feel pretty bad ass, even if I only used it for balance on the scramble once or twice. Really, I'm probably a danger to myself and others with that thing.
My training is moving along smoothly, and after two months of lower mileage and an overall reduced training volume, I'm feeling healthy again. The knee feels good, and my energy has returned. I hadn't taken any significant rest since early 2011 when I started training for Leadville, and last summer (precisely when my knee gave up) I jumped to almost 60 hours a month of total training. New year, new smarts. Two days a week of lifting a la Wendler. Three days a week of running (for now). Two days a week of non running endurance and conditioning. Seven days a week of mobility, recovery, and self care. Pressure and time.

January 16, 2013

In the depths of winter I finally learned there was in me an invincible summer.   - Albert Camus

I am officially registered for these races.

Devil's Backbone 50 miler

Kat'cina Mosa 100K

There are more adventures and maybe another race or two in the works.

I learned some valuable lessons last year about what this body can and can't do. I've entered this year with a sober new humility, and my practice will be it's expression. I have energy to be expressed, and energy to be gained from wild places, but I'd like to get in as many years as possible of hard living. Perhaps, if this focus can be maintained, I can get stronger and faster, and maybe smarter. I'm up there in the snow and cold, and in the gym, laying down the foundation.

August 6, 2012

This is the elevation profile for the Alpine to Slickrock 50 miler that I'll be running on September 15th. I'm hoping for a little redemption after a lackluster racing year. I'm back to running again, but I'm taking it easy, hoping to ride on the fitness I gained with higher mileage and higher elevation weeks earlier this summer. I've been maintaining my capacity as much as possible in the gym with lots of rowing and airdyne interval work, and rehabbing the knee with single limb strength work. So far so good.
After Alpine to Slickrock, I'll be shifting my focus to next year. Lucky for me, after such a rough training year, my 2011 Leadville finish qualifies me for another try in the Hardrock 100 lottery. Wintertime will bring a little more focus to strength and power, but I'll still be logging the miles.

July 22, 2012

Apparently, I'm on the two posts a year program, so I'll try to condense the last six months of training and whatnot to a piece that won't put you to sleep.
This year I finally found my focus and made fast foot travel in the mountains my first priority. Too often in the past I've let my attention run to whatever aspect of training was easiest and most convenient for me. Most of the time this was lifting or breathing hard in the gym. It's not that I found it more enjoyable, it's just that I was strongest where my attention had previously been placed, and running, although it was what I wanted to be good at, was just harder. I've put that behind me, and put in some real work in the mountains this year, along the way having way more fun than ever. The wild places are where I belong and I won't ever forget it. I've run tons of trails this year I've never seen before and followed some routes I've always wanted to. This has not come without a price though, and I am currently dealing with an overuse problem in my right knee. Moderation has never been a strength of mine.
Races haven't been as huge a priority, although there are two on the horizon. I competed as part of a four person team at the 24 Hours of Moab relay, and even though the field of competition was pretty thin, we took second. I'll take it. I did the Salt Lake Century bike ride. I didn't take part officially in the Wahsatch Steeplechase, but I ran the course a week before and managed a 4 minute PR on my own. I'll take that as well. I had very high hopes for the Speedgoat 50K, and although I think I can still set a PR, this knee problem is going to slow me a bit. After that, I'm registered for the Alpine to Slickrock 50 miler, but we'll just see how things unfold. I'm honestly more excited about adventures with my friends. Ridge runs here in the Wasatch and Uintas as well as the Grand Canyon are calling my name.
Dealing with this knee problem has had me thinking ahead to the winter and new goals.  Snowshoeing will for sure be a part of my winter as well as starting training at the Front climbing gym again. I predict more climbing and mountaineering scrambles next year. I even got an ice axe. Gym based goals are in the works too. 3000 calories on the airdyne in 120 minutes sounds like fun.
I'll be riding my precious airdyne until the Speedgoat 50K, and probably after that for a couple weeks. Then, hopefully I'll be back in full swing. Enough of that, here's some pictures. Everyone likes pictures.

The band after the 24 Hours of Moab. I'm the tall one.

10 mile run in Unicoi State Park in North Georgia.

One of many foothill runs waiting for the high country to thaw.

Gobblers Knob with Mike and Rich.

Heading up the South Ridge of Superior.

Looking east from the west summit of Broads Fork Twin Peaks.

Murray and the goat on Wildcat Ridge.

The Pfiefferhorn from Maybird Lakes.

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Hey there! It's been a while, but I'm going to breathe new life into this thing. Although the blog has been silent, my life has kept on moving and things are great. The gym where I work full time, SLC Crossfit, has moved in to a sweet new space and we're adding more and more amazing people to our ranks. I have an awesome job. My personal business is going well too, with several clients in the middle of my programs as we speak. Again, awesome. My wife, Tara, got her name picked to run in the Wasatch 100, so I can tell you now that when the trails thaw (which will be early this year), we will be on the Wasatch course almost every weekend. I've been training hard, maybe harder than ever and I'm moving into race mode stronger and healthier than I can ever remember. I unfortunately did not get picked in the Hardrock 100 lottery, but I've got a great race schedule this year.
To start things off this year, I took part in the Kahtoola Bigfoot Snowshoe Marathon (with the help of SLC Crossfit ) on January 28. With the thin snowpack I decided to not wear snowshoes and go with my Kahtoola microspikes. The course consisted of three 10k loops, two 5k loops and one 2k out and back to finish things off. Coming off almost 5 months of mostly gym training I was curious how things would go. I was pleasantly surprised. I finished in 6 hours and 16 minutes, and even though the field was small, it was good enough for 5th place. My friends did well too, with Mallin coming in under 6 hours for 3rd place, Vi coming in just over 6 hours 30 minutes to take 1st male in snowshoes, and Ed running his first marathon the day before his 40th birthday in 9 hours 30 minutes. It was a beautiful day on a fun course. I'll return to this one for sure.




So what's in store for 2012? A bunch. Here's my race schedule for the year.
January - Kahtoola Bigfoot Snowshoe Marathon (6hrs 16mins)
March - 24 Hours of Moab relay
April - Bonneville Shoreline Trail Marathon
May - Grand Canyon rim to rim to rim
June - Wahsatch Steeplechase
July - Millcreek 50K
July - Speedgoat 50K
July - Katcina Mosa 100K
September - Moab Alpine to Slickrock 50 miler
October - Grand Canyon rim to rim to rim (you know who you are)
November - Antelope Island 100K

I'm going for it this year, and I'm determined to make a serious run at this ultra endurance thing. My training has undergone a major shift and it's time stop screwing around. Let's do this.

12 tips for making the most of your gym time

     I'm excited to tell you that I've registered for the Mountain Athlete coaching certification! I'll be heading up to Jackson for three days of programming, theory, practical application, as well as two written tests and a gnarly fitness test. I have until the beginning of December to prepare and I've been training like a madman!
It will be a great learning experience, and as long as I can pass the physical test (I'm not worried about the written tests), I'll come out of it with a certification. I have a lot of work to do in the strength department, and I think I can do it, but I'll be cutting it close. We'll see!

     In other news, I spent the weekend in Boulder, Colorado helping my beautiful wife run the 24 Hours of Boulder. Despite shadeless heat and stomach issues, she managed 50 miles. I'm proud!

     As you may know, my full time gig is coaching at Salt Lake City Crossfit. I'm lucky to do what I love for a living and I've met some amazing people there. I've been thinking lately about what we do there and what should be expected of a trainee. The coaches have put together your workouts, are there to provide you with guidance and motivation, and are there to ensure your safety. As a trainee, what else is required other than showing up?

1. Show up prepared. This means show up on time. Show up rested, hydrated, and fed. Bring a water bottle and your post workout nourishment. Show up with the proper footwear, ready to run, jump, or lift. Show up with a positive attitude, ready to work hard.
2. Be honest with yourself. Your inner dialogue should reflect the reality of your strengths and weaknesses, not what you have learned to believe and not what you want to believe.
3. Be willing to work hard. Be comfortable with uncomfortable. Know the difference between pain and hard work. If it doesn't hurt some, you're not trying hard enough.
4. Listen to your coaches. We've been training ourselves and others for a long time. We're here for a reason, so listen. What we tell you is for your own good. We're here to make sure you're safe, to push you beyond your self imposed limits, and to teach you new things. We want you to succeed. When we're talking, be quiet and listen. When we ask you to do something (short of jumping off a bridge), trust us and comply.
5. Technique before intensity. Focus on doing it well before trying to do it faster or heavier. Your RX means nothing if your deadlift looks like garbage and you can't stand up straight the next day. Who cares how fast your time was if you look like a wet noodle doing push ups? Leave your ego at home.
6. Ask questions. We'll never ask you to do anything that we can't explain the why of. Asking questions helps you learn. When we don't have the answer, we'll find out and learn something too. Thoughtful questions help everyone.
7. Be consistent. Everyone has different goals and everyone is busy. Taking this into consideration, you should have a minimum number of training sessions per week. Whether it's one or five, you need to be consistent. If you show up once a month or every two weeks you're wasting your time, and to some degree ours. 
8. Quantify your training. Keep a training log, whether it's written or on line. Record every detail of every workout. Track what you eat, how you sleep, how much you hydrate, how you feel, how you perform, and how you look. 
9. Have goals. This can be anything from fitting into a pair of pants, getting your first pull up, taking care of back pain, or taking part in competition. Progress is rarely random. Pick a goal, spend the time, do the work.
10. Spend time on self care and recovery. We can give you a million self care and recovery strategies and tools, but we can't follow you home and make you do it. Stretch, foam roll, eat, sleep, hydrate, ice bath, massage, etc. Spend one minute recovering for every minute spent training.
11. Conduct yourself with dignity. How you behave under the stress and discomfort of a workout in a group is a good indicator of how you behave out in the real world. Work hard. Don't cheat. Help and encourage others. Clean up after yourself. If you don't have anything positive to say, don't say anything at all. Don't make a spectacle of yourself, we all know you're working hard, there's no reason to yell obscenities with every rep.
12. Have fun. You choose to do this. Make the best of it and make the most of it. Make some friends and challenge each other.

Get to work!