July 28th- August 3rd

"Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature.  It will never fail you." - Frank Lloyd Wright

Monday:   

-- Left camp outside of Creede about 6am to start heading home.

9 AM:  7.1 miles w/ 950ft of vert averaging 8min pace. Stopped in BV on the way home and did an out and back on the dirt roads just east of town from the overlook. Super chill effort but the HR was higher than normal at this pace but I was also at over 8,000ft and going on little sleep all weekend, so not surprised.

-- Also hit up the hot tub in the evening with Paula, time to get back to heat training for Cowboy.

Tuesday:  

6 AM:  9.7 miles averaging 7:15pace.  2 easy laps of Davidson Mesa plus 3 laps of Harper Lake to get my 1:10 of running. Threw in 5 strides throughout the run as well. Felt better than I was expecting too so there is that.

4 PM: 45min Garage gym session

Warmup: Airbike, Crossover, mobility

30mins EMOM
30sec jump rope
30sec hanging knee raises
30sec Devil press with 25lbs x2
30sec Russian KB swings w/ 44lbs
30sec Abmat sit-ups

Wednesday:

6AM:  12.5 miles averaging 7min pace.  4 laps of Davidson Mesa for this workout. 30mins easy/ 30mins @ Steady State/ 30mins easy. Funny how quick the pace is for the 30mins easy is right after an effort, easy pace becomes quicker than before the effort. Overall felt really solid today overall and think I paced this one just right for today.

4 PM:  40mins Garage gym session

Warmup: Airbike, Crossover, mobility

DB Reverse Lunges
5x20 w/ 15lbs each hand

Box Squats
4x10 w/ 125lbs

Barbell RDL
4x10 w/ 115lbs

Single leg calf raises
3x10 w/ 25lbs

Nordic Hamstring Curls
3x10

Thursday:  

  -NOTE:  Weight check in:  172.2lbs @ 8.8% bodyfat.  Down 2 lbs from 2 weeks go so trending in the right direction.  Funny how cutting out some of the before bed snacks helps.

6 AM:  9.2miles w/ 750ft of vert averaging 7:50pace.  First half of the run as a slog which is also were all the uphill basically was in the run. Also due to yesterday's run workout and leg lifting in the afternoon. Overall felt great and just a long shakeout for the most part.

4 PM: 40 mins Garage Gym session

Warmup: Rowing, Crossover and mobility

3 Rounds
10 DB Incline Chest Press @ 45lbs
10 Bench Dips

3 Rounds
10 DB Flies @ 25lbs
10 Hand Release Push Ups

3 Rounds
10 DB Close Presses @ 35lbs
10 Ez-bar skull crushers @ 57lbs

3x10 Ab Wheel Roll Outs

Friday:

6 AM:  4.2 miles averaging 7:50pace. Easy lap of Davidson Mesa and Harper Lake. Just a Friday morning shakeout for the most part. Legs are trashed from the week this morning. Most likely from the Nordic Curls I was doing a few days ago, been to long since I have done those.

10 AM:  35mins At VASA

Warmup: Elliptical and mobility

35 pull-up broken up as needed

Seated Cable Rows
3x10 @ 105

3 rounds
10 Ez-bar cable straight arm pull down @ 42.5
10 Ez-bar cable reverse grip straight arm pull down @ 42.5

3 Rounds
10 weighted hyperextensions @ 25
10 hyperextensions
10 decline situps

3 rounds
10 DB bicep curls @ 25
20 cross-body curls @ 25
10 DB hammer curls @ 25

Saturday: 

7 AM:  10miles w/ 1400ft of vert averaging 9min pace.  Easy cruise from the Dowdy Draw trail head for 2 loops of Springbrook and one loop of Gashawk. Was supposed to do a longer faster flatter run but was not feeling up for it this morning so switched my Saturday and Sunday runs. Needed some easy trail time this morning. Legs and energy were shit this morning.

Sunday:  

8 AM: 18.5miles w/ 1800ft of vert averaging 7:45pace.  Joined the Boulder Track Club to run from Foothills park in north Boulder down to the canyon path for a lap of Chapman drive before turning around and heading back. Little quicker with these dudes verses going solo which was the point. Pretty trashed after this run, still not 100% but back into the larger overall volume weeks finally.

Total Weekly Numbers

Back to a larger overall week, at least for me.  Have not been over 70 miles in a week since 2 weeks before Western States so about 7 weeks ago.  Guess it is time to get a few more higher weeks in the coming 8 weeks.  Pretty wiped out come Sunday afternoon as you can see in the photo above but that is all just part of the process.  Should roll over 2000 miles covered by foot in 2025 on Monday.

July 21st - July 27th

"A day wasted on others is not wasted on one's self." - Charles Dickens, "A Tale of Two Cities"

-- Seemed like the right quote for this week considering I am pacing Don 25 miles at the Creede 100 this weekend.  

"Get up in the morning and live right." - Coach Joe Vigil

-- Had to include a quote from Coach Joe Vigil since he passed away this week at 95 years old.  He was a legend in the sport.  Look him up if you don't know who he is.

Monday:   

6 AM:  5.6miles averaging 7:35pace. Easy lap of the business center from work before the first meeting of the day. Super chill effort wise but felt pretty damn good today. Turn over was good but was a little sore in the joints afterwards. Need to get back to mobility more often.

4 PM: 44mins Garage gym session- lighter weight so I don't get to sore like last week.

Warmup: Rowing, Crossover and Mobility

3x30 DB Walking Lunges w/ 20lbs in each hand

3x10 Barbell Back Squats @ 115lbs

3x10 Barbell RDL @ 115lbs

3 Rounds
20 DB box step overs w/ 15lbs in each hand
10 box jumps

3 Rounds
20sec calf raises
10sec hold up
20sec calf raises
10sec hold up
30sec recovery

3x15 kb toe raises each leg

Tuesday:  

6 AM:  8.75 miles averaging 7min miles.  Zone 2 run around Davidson Mesa with 6x20-30sec strides in the second half of the run. Legs did not have the normal turn over today, guessing due to the lifting on the legs yesterday but not nearly as bad as last week. Seems to take a few weeks of lifting after time off for things to normalize.  Ran into Chris and Kunlong out there.  

--  Was planning on lifting this afternoon but Paula's surgery this afternoon took much longer than expected and she was in a lot more pain afterwards then expected.  By the time we got home and I got her feed and comfortable it was about bedtime so no lifting today.  All good.... 

Wednesday:

6 AM:  11 miles averaging 6:55pace.  Done over at Davidson Mesa again this morning.  Good place for a workout like this.  20 min warmup/ 4x5mins at marathon effort w/ 5min floats at 50K effort/ 20 min cooldown. Ran the marathon efforts between 5:55-6:15 pace (prob to fast) and the floats around 6:50-7:15 pace. Felt pretty good today. The first interval was a little rough like things were waking up and the last interval was rougher than the others due to the legs being worked some. Feel good about this workout.

2 PM:  38mins in the garage gym.  

Warmup: Rowing, Crossover and mobility

3 Rounds
10 DB Incline Chest Press @ 45lbs
10 Bench Dips

3 Rounds
10 DB Flies @ 25lbs
10 Hand Release Push Ups

3 Rounds
10 DB Close Presses @ 35lbs
10 Ez-bar skull crushers @ 57lbs

3x10 Ab Wheel Roll Outs

Thursday:  

  -NOTE:  Weight check in:  forgot this week.

6 AM:  8.2miles w/ 700ft of vert averaging 7:45pace.  Easy out and back straight west from Coalton Trailhead. About 2.75 miles in where you go through the gate by HWY128 to the Highland trail if you take a left instead the new tunnel under HWY128 is now open and connects to Rocky Flats and goes up a good size hill on a new trail into Rocky Flats. This trail is not on the maps yet. Once the new bridge over Indiana is done I can almost connect all the way to Boulder on dirt from home. So cool..... Legs are super tired from yesterday but did loosen up the second half of the run.

1 PM: 35min Garage gym session

30 pullups

3 Rounds
10 DB shoulder press w/ 35lbs

3 Rounds
10 Weighted GHD Hip Extend w/ 10lbs
10 GHD Hip Extend
10 GHD Situps

3 Rounds
10 DB Bicep Curls w/ 20lbs
20 DB Crossbody curls w/ 20lbs
10 DB Hammer Curls w/ 20lbs

-- Taking off for Creede to pace Don at the Creede 100 late this afternoon.  Most likely will drive about halfway around BV or Salida then finish the drive first thing in the morning after running.  Going to be a fun weekend!!!!

Friday:

Missed my run today, just had no motivation once I got to Creede around lunch. Spent the rest of the day helping Don get ready for the race tomorrow.  All good, going to be along night tomorrow night.

Saturday: 

8 PM:  25miles w/ 5500ft of vert in 7:47.  Pacing Don at the Creede 100 from mile 55 to mile 80. Most of this route was over 12,000ft with about 4-5 miles around 13,000ft or higher. He was dealing with a lot trying to stay awake and just being tired overall from running all day, nothing new in a 100 miler.  Got through the night then he was a new man once the sun came up.  Such a neat section I got to pace.  Basically a section of the Colorado Trail that has the highest point on the Colorado Trail at 13,200ft. 

Sunday:  

--Got done pacing just before sunrise, spent the rest of the morning crewing until he finished about noon. So no sleep last night.  He finished in 1st by almost exactly an hour in front of second place.  Congrats buddy!!!!  Thanks for letting me be a part of this adventure!!

Total Weekly Numbers

Not a bad week overall getting back so some sort of "real" training again and not just jogging around a little bit here and there.  Actually got back to doing Workout Wednesday's again which I will keep doing for a bit in the build up.  Feeling pretty good about the week overall.  The next 6-7 weeks will be crucial to get ready for the next 100 at the end of Sept.  Time to grind........

July 14th- July 20th

"Work often becomes a substitute for living. But I think the most successful artists, and the happiest people, find a fullness in both areas." - Faye Dunaway

Monday:

10 AM:  5.1 miles averaging 7:30pace.  Snuck out of work and did an easy work lap around the business center in the mid-morning. Super chill and ready to get back at it. Legs were not the best since they had 4 days off.

4 PM: 45mins Garage gym session- lighter weight so I don't get to sore like last week.

Warmup: Rowing, Crossover and Mobility

3x30 DB Walking Lunges w/ 20lbs in each hand

3 rounds
20sec calf raises
10sec hold up
20sec calf raises
10sec hold up
30sec recovery

3x10 Barbell Back Squats @ 115lbs

3x10 Barbell RDL @ 115lbs

3 Rounds
20 DB box step overs w/ 15lbs in each hand
10 box jumps

3x10 single leg calf raises w/ 25lbs

Tuesday:

6 AM:  6.8 miles averaging 7:20pace.  Zone 2 run with some strides thrown in during the second half of the run. 2 laps of Davidson Mesa before work. Can really tell that I have lost some running efficiency over the last month or so because the strides did not feel natural at all. They felt very awkward, that will change with doing them more often again.  Back to building again.

Wednesday:

6 AM:  7.7miles averaging 8min pace.  Easy jog from work over to Link Lake for a lap and back. Super chill today, legs are sore as hell from weights on Monday. Of course they got better as I went along.

4 PM:  46mins Garage Gym session

Warmup: Rowing, Crossover and mobility

3 Rounds
10 DB Incline Chest Press @ 40lbs
10 Bench Dips

3 Rounds
10 DB Flies @ 25lbs
10 Hand Release Push Ups

3 Rounds
10 DB Close Presses @ 35lbs
10 Ez-bar skull crushers @ 57lbs

2x10 Ab Wheel Roll Outs

Thursday:  

  -NOTE:  Weight check in:  weight:174.2lbs / 8.9% bodyfat. Up about 4lbs since before Western States. Time to get back on the wagon of eating better again. Play time is over.

6 AM:  7 miles averaging 7:15pace.  Two laps of Davidson Mesa at a Zone 2 effort with some 20sec strides thrown in during the 2nd lap. Legs are still feeling the weight lifting on them from Monday but otherwise all good. Just trying to get my turn over back which I seem to have lost the past month.

4 PM: 43mins in the garage gym

Warmup: Rowing, Crossover, and mobility

30 Pull-ups broken up as needed

DB Bent over rows
3x10 w/ 45lbs in each hand

3 Rounds
10 Band Pulldowns (green band)
10 DB Pull overs w/ 45lbs

3 Rounds
10 Weighted GHD hip extend w/ 10lbs
10 GHD hip extend
10 GHD Situps

3 Rounds
10 DB Bicep Curls w/ 20lbs
20 DB alt. cross body curls w/ 20lbs
10 DB Hammer curls w/ 20lbs

-- 20mins in the hot tub right afterwards.

Friday:

6:30 AM:  5.6 miles averaging 8min pace. Easy dog jog from the house before work. Ran the dog the first 2.5 miles then dropped her off to finish out the 45mins easy. Been a while since she has gone more than a mile with mom so need to be careful taking her out for to long.

1 PM:  Bike 11.8 miles in 57mins.  Easy gravel ride around the hood with Paula. Showing her a new way to connect to the dog park on dirt and went to see if the bridge connecting the dog park and Rocky Flats is done yet. Almost! Will be nice to connect all the way to the Boulder peaks on dirt soon.

Saturday: 

7 AM:  11.6 miles w/ 2500ft of vert averaging 11min miles.  Easy lap of Green Mountain with Dan and Donnie. Good to get back to some real trailrunning with some good vert. Legs could really feel it for sure but some of the heart/lung fitness is still there. Ladybugs are starting to come out on the summit of Green.

Sunday:  

7 AM:  7.9miles w/ 1200ft of vert averaging 9min pace.  Easy lap of Springbrook and Gashawk trails from Dowdy Draw trailhead. Legs are shot today, took forever for them to loosen up. The vert yesterday did a number for sure, have a lot of rebuilding to do over the next month. Super chill morning with no goals, so nice just to jog for an hour or so.

2 PM: 43mins in the garage gym, make up for missing it on Friday.  Followed this with 15mins in the hot tub.  Time to get back to heat training again.

Warmup: Airbike, Crossover, Mobility

Seated DB Shoulder Press
3x10 w/ 40lbs

3 Rounds
10 DB Lateral Raises w/ 20lbs
10 DB Front Raises w/ 15lbs

3 Rounds
30sec Plate upright rows
30sec Plate steering wheels

3 Rounds
20 Single leg v-ups
20 Bicycles
20 Ball Russian Twist 10lbs
20 High Plank knee to elbow

J-Curls
3x15 w/ 35lbs.

--  So PROUD of Paula.  She went down to Colorado Springs today and threw her hat in the Rocky Mountain Orienteering State Championships.  She walked away with the GOLD!!!!  WHOOO!!!

Total Weekly Numbers

Just a week trying to get back to it some.  Time to start building again for the next 8 weeks before another taper for the next 100.  Stepping back a little bit and relooking on how I want to approach this training block.  I have the Rut Triple Crown (51 miles w/ 21,000ft in 3 days) in Sept which has a lot of vertical but then 2 weeks later is a flat 100 miler in Nebraska, trying to figure out the best way to approach this block.  More to come on that in a later post, maybe. 

Western States Photo Blog Post

 "I swing big, with everything I've got.  I hit big or I miss big.  I like to live as big as I can." - Babe Ruth

So this is going to more of a photo race report.  Photos will also not be in order since they come from lots of different sources, my Meta glasses, crew, pacers, friends, race photographer, Speedland/Deathmarch crew and the SaySky photographer that followed me.  Speaking of SaySky, they just posted the story on their website a few days ago, so cool.  https://saysky.us/blogs/saysky-journal/western-states-100-the-long-haul 

Enjoy!

That's all folks!!!!