2013 Solstice Slog

Report of yesterday's stupidity. http://georgezack.blogspot.com/2013/12/solstice-slog-122113.html

GZ writes it up much better than I ever could.  I will add links to any other reports that go up in the next few days.  This run has me pondering doing something similar in Boulder with some peak summits thrown in.  Enjoy.

2012 Books Read

Its that time again!  At the end of year I post my list of books that I read at year and link them to Amazon so you can check them out if interested. Here is my list for 2012. I put a * behind the ones that are worth reading.  I have a couple more books that are in process right now and if I finish those before the end of the year I will just add them onto next years list.

If you have any suggestions of books to check out for 2012 I am all ears. I try to read at least 12 a year but if I ever want to knock down my growing list I am going to have to read more than 25.  The only reason this list is so long is because there is a bunch of Kindle Singles on here and short books on investing.   Hope you find something that you will enjoy!  Happy Holidays!


2012 Books Read

1. Running the Edge

2.  The Long Run- Mishka

3.  Be Brave, Be Strong *

4.  The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook

5.  AWOL on the Appalachian Trail*

6.  Running for the Hansons*

7.  Three Cups of Deceit

8.  Happier Than a Billionaire

9.  Iron War*

10.  Lost in Kandahar

11.  The Wall Street Money Machine

12.  The Duel*

13.  Desert Solitaire*

14. The Beast in the Garden*

15.  A Few Degrees from Hell*

16.  The Ledge*

17.  The PrimalBlueprint

18.  Foundation

19.  Ghost Trails*

20.  Bad Blood

21.  My Seinfeld Year

22. The Last Ridge*

23. The Millionaire Next Door

24.  Long Distance*

25.  Merle's Door*

26.  Beginners Guide to Stock Market Investing 

27.  Run to Overcome 

28.  Unbroken *

29.  I'm Here to Win *

30. Mud, Sweat, and Tears *

31. Just Tell Me What Stocks to Buy 

32.  The Thrill of Victory *

33.  A Life Without Limits *

34.  Eat & Run *

35.  Ultimate High *

36.  Addicted to Danger *

37.  Rough Ride 

38.  How to Win 

39.  Rich Dad Poor Dad 

40.  Warren Buffett 

41. Dividend Investing 

42.  Oxygen Debt *

43.  5 Simple Rules for Investing in the StockMarket 

44.  Ravings of a Runner 

45.  Finding Ultra *

Books Read in 2011

At the end of year I post my list of books that I read at year and link them to Amazon so you can check them out if interested. Here is my list for 2011. The ones that I put the number in bold are worth the read, the rest were either for work or just plan crap.

If you have any suggestions of books to check out for 2012 I am all ears. I try to read at least 12 a year but if I ever want to knock down my growing list I am going to have to read more than 25. I just don't see that happening.

1. K2: Life & Death on the Worlds most dangerous mountain
2. The Extra Mile- Pam Reed
3. In Defense of Food
4. Coaching for Performance
5. Food Rules
6. Eiger Dreams
7. Paleo Diet for Athletes
8. Relentless Forward Progress
9. Running on empty
10. Seal Team Six
11. Cycling home from Siberia
12. The Big Year
13. The Man Who Cycled the World
14. The Big Book of Endurance Training
15. And Then the Vulture Eats You
16. The Raw Truth
17. Now Discover Your Strengths
18. The Paleo Diet
19. Steve Jobs

Bear Chase 50K

I finally got back on the horse this past weekend and ran my first ultra since last year's Leadville 100 by running the 50K version of the Bear Chase. I just have not had the interest this past year with everything going on in our family's life to do the long races. Anyways a super quick report and some pictures.

I signed up for this race without really putting in any long runs. I was running about 50-60 miles a week for a while just as a stress relieve but my longest run was only 14 miles every weekend doing the Dirty Bizmark loop. About 3 weeks out from the race a I did a 24.5 mile run in the Marshall Mesa/Dowdy Draw area in 3 hours and 45 mins at an easy pace. After that weekend I took the next 2 weekends off due to family coming to visit, needless to say I was a little under trained.

I had 2 goals in mind for this race- A) break my PR at 50K distance which is 4 hours and 31 mins or B) Finish before noon which is 5 hours and 10 mins.

To keep this short I went out at a moderately hard pace but never close to the red line with the exceptions of the small hills on this course. I was able to finish the first 19 miles in about 2 and half hours or so. The third and final lap (12.4 miles) I was doing fine the first 5 miles of the loop then gradually got slower and slower until by mile 29 I was on my hands and knees with the puke fountain turned on in full force. My stomach just shut down again and my body quick absorbing what I was drinking and eating. I was able to walk it in losing about 4-5 places in the standings to finish in 4:50:22 for 14th male and 16th overall. At least I hit my B goal, got an ok time, and got back into ultras again.

What is next? I am pondering doing either the 6 hours or 12 hours of Boulder on Oct 15th. I am leaning towards the 6 hours so that I can go see Braden's hockey game that morning but I am unsure right now. I kind of want to go out for 50 miles which should be very doable on this course in 12 hours. We will see, here are some pictures from the race.

Top 4 ultra runners in the Boulder area

Last week at the BTR (Boulder Trail Runners) talk they had the top 4 ultra runners in the US. I was not able to go but did find this blog giving us the low down on the talk.

You can find it by clicking below.

http://www.activeataltitude.com/blog/?p=121

And of course the video!!!!

Boulder Trail Runners - Q&A with Scott Jurek, Anton Krupicka, Dave Mackey and Geoff Roes from Alpine Works on Vimeo.

Enjoy!!!

The Runner in Winter (Boulder Colorado)

Here is a great video of the local trails that I run before work sometimes and on weekends. Thanks GZ and Brandon for pointing this out.

Rattlesnake Rumble

Yesterday was a great little 4.5 mile local trail race in Eldo Canyon that brought out about 90 runners. It was my 1st race since Bighorn last June in which I actually gave an effort at it. I started out slow with no warm up but just built speed and kept trying to run faster as the race progressed. Even with my nasty crash I was able to finish 23rd overall Which is not to shabby considering the slow start, crashing, and the fact that it is Boulder (running capital of the world).

You can find the race website by clicking here.

Results are found by clicking here.

Race reports are found by clicking here and here.

And finally some photos I found.

Me trying to catch that one last guy. You can see the blood running down my leg from the crash just 1/2 mile earlier.


Fred coming into the finish


Views of what we got to look at during the run


You can view all the photos by clicking here.

Another Example of the Boulder Craziness!!!

This is an article that I found at the local paper here in Boulder Colorado. Enjoy.....

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Sandrock: Turner training for U.S. trek
By Michael Sandrock (Contact)Tuesday, February 12, 2008


Glen Turner is planning on running with "Zzzoomer," his self-made running cart, from Oceanside, Calif., to Savannah, Ga.

For the past several months, drivers on Baseline Road in east Boulder County have sometimes been startled by the sight of Glen Turner running along the road pulling a trailer loaded with rocks, looking like some variation of Fred Flintstone. There is, however, a rhyme and a reason to Turner's strange training regime.

Sunday, the Louisville stonemason embarks on a 55-day run across the United States. It is an effort that, if successful, will be the fastest unsupported, transcontinental run ever.

Turner's 2,493-mile trip will start in Oceanside, Calif., and end in Savannah, Ga. He hopes to average at least 46 miles a day, for 55 consecutive days -- or less. Making it all possible is the "seventh-generation" cart he designed and built.

The cart -- nicknamed "Zzzoomer" -- has a single wheel in the back and two wheels for turning in the front, brakes and can hold a lot of weight. During the day, Turner will run inside the middle of the cart, pulling it and all his gear -- roughly 70 pounds. At night, Turner will sleep inside "Zzzoomer."

What is perhaps most remarkable about Turner's planned run is that it's a training run for a proposed run around the world. Turner, 48, would start that journey in July and finish 2½ years later. That run is part of the World Run Project.

"I need to know I really can do it (the world run)," Turner said , "and I need to know I really want to do it. Two-and-a-half years is a long time to be away from family, friends and work."
Turner knows he wants to run across the United States. He has been meticulous in his planning for this running adventure. He will have local kids following along online in community running teams at http://www.grtrunning.com/. One goal is to inspire children to run.

Turner is a pleasant, outgoing fellow, as seen by the many friends he visited with while drinking a beer at a Boulder Trail Runner's symposium last week at Sherpa's restaurant. That gathering was one of Turner's few nights out recently. He has been living an ascetic lifestyle, renting out his house and living in a renovated garage.

Turner sold most of his masonry tools to raise money, although last week he was still working. He was building stone pillars at Folsom Field, generating some last-minute funds. Turner has spent much of his savings building the latest incarnation of "Zzzoomer," and is looking for sponsors for his run.

"I totally scaled down," he said. "I am ready to go. I am in incredible shape right now."
Turner, who excels in six- and 10-day races, is coming off a third-place finish in the three-day Race Across the Years in Phoenix, Ariz. As is the case in many of his runs, Turner got stronger as the race went on, clocking 83 miles on the third day. Only the world and U.S. 48-hour record holders beat him.

Turner is comfortable running incredibly long distances for days on end. Last summer, he spent three weeks in Denmark running 35 miles a day. That, too, was a test to see if he has the "right stuff" for a world run. Turner has shown many times he does indeed have the "right stuff" for a transcontinental and even a world run.

The key, Turner said, is "emptying" his mind.

"I listen to music and get into the feeling of what I need to do now. I don't think about the rest of the world," he said. "I am into my own form, my own breathing."
There will be a bit of fun on his run across the country. Turner said the best part of running with the cart comes when he reaches the crest of a hill. Then, he sometimes hops on for a fast ride down.

"It's a blast," he said. "A real fun thing. I have been debating whether to do it on the (transcontinental) run. It is just too much fun not to."