February 24, 2013

I can feel a shift in the weather. Winter is still firmly in control, but a tiny bit of warmth and sunshine has been peeking in. I went for a run the other day in shorts and a t-shirt, and although it snowed the very next day, the warmth was wonderful. The trails are in poor shape, with the old snow freezing, consolidating, and getting covered with new layers of powder. You never know where you're stepping, so I've been opting more and more for asphalt city runs. It's not my ideal scenery, but I've learned to make the best of it, and I've been using the mind numbing city miles to listen to audiobooks. Dual purpose runs!
Also, and I know I'm way behind here, I'm loving the Strava on line run tracker. It's cool to see how you stack up against others who are running the same courses. Plus, you can't lie about your results, because it's tracked from space! Year to date, I've run 155 miles with 32,300 feet of elevation gain. Again, that's outer space verified.

A halo around the sun, warning of a storm.

Heading down, steep and rocky.

Breaking trail in the hills above my house.

Untouched. Beautiful light.

Coyote on the hill. I woke them from their nap.

A special moment for me. Watching them move across the slope is something I won't soon forget.

Heading home. Fully absorbed. 

View from my window. Early morning moon as I get ready to head out and run the streets.

February 10, 2013

It's still winter, and I've been doing a lot of dreaming and planning for the spring and summer. As the snow falls, I'm still training and making steady progress, although all this daydreaming of springtime isn't healthy with so much winter left.
Running on snow is weird. I've felt a bit of strain in my right hip from the unpredictable and unstable surfaces of packed and unpacked snowy trails. Your feet are constantly slipping, and often violently shifting in unpredictable directions. I've been spending more time than usual on stretching and mobility, and in a rare move of restraint, I substituted a long gym session for this weekend's long run. Thirty miles on the airdyne in one hour thirty five minutes.
Speaking of the gym, the strength and durability work is going well. I can't speak highly enough of the Wendler 5/3/1 program. Strength is important, and I look forward to my time with the barbell.
Last week, my friend Dan and I did two trips to the summit of Mt Olympus. It was a great early season gut check and I felt better than expected. As always, this early in the year, recovery was a little slow. On the bright side, we were only 10 minutes off my time for the last Mt Olympus double I did in June 2011 to prepare for Leadville. 13.2 miles, 8400ft gain, 7 hours.
Over the last couple years, my love of trail running has led me to amazing places in the high country of the Wasatch. I've developed a love for scrambling and low level climbing, and elevation is always attractive to me. Combining trail running with semi technical scrambling and climbing has become a bigger part of my daydreams and planning for future adventures, and these daydreams and plans have led me to some decisions. Participating in the Hardrock 100 is a big goal for me. Getting in though, is a huge hassle. If I want to keep trying the lottery, I have to continue running races on their qualifier list. I'm not going to worry about it this year. In 2011, I ran Leadville, qualifying me for the Hardrock 100 lottery for the next two years. I didn't get in either year. Last year was a total wash with injuries, so I'm due to run one of their qualifiers, but I'm not going to. If I get the fever later this year, maybe I'll try to get in to one at the last minute, but for now, my quest for Hardrock is on hold. My race list for now is as follows:

March 23 - 12 Hours of Moab (registered)
April 13 - Bosho Marathon
May - ??
June - ??
July 13 - Devil's Backbone 50 miler (registered)
August 10 - Kat'cina Mosa 100K (registered)
August 17 - Pacing at the Leadville 100
August 25 - Pacing my perfect wife at the Lean Horse 100
September 14 - Alpine to Slickrock 50 miler (not yet registered. DNF last year, so I need redemption)


As soon as the high country is accessible, I'll be working on some big personal goals here in the Wasatch. I don't want to speak too soon. I don't want to get ahead of myself, so I'll just continue the slow and steady progress. I'm planning on a big summer.

10 rep deadlift @310lbs

Mt Olympus double. Dan, taking in the view at the saddle.

                    

Mt Olympus double. Dan headed down for the last time, dropping into the inversion.

  Weekday snow slog above my house.

 The barbell, more often than not, is the answer.

 10 mile run from Little Dell Reservoir to Big Mountain Pass and back.

Headed down from Big Mountain Pass.

 My friend the airdyne.

Long run substitution.

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.