Forced Rest Week

Sometimes I guess you don't have a choice when your rest week falls.   This was one of those weeks.  Started feeling the tingling feeling in the nose on Monday so I wrapped in warm clothes on a 65 degree and tried to sweat it out Lucho style.  Did not work, by Tuesday I was going home from work early where I would sleep from 6pm Tuesday night until 6pm Wednesday night only waking up once to use the rest room.  Since then it has been a battle between head cold, to sinus infection, to pink eye.  Just won't go away.  I know it is not from training to much because my wife is battling the same issues, fun when both parents are sick but the kid did give it to us, he was sick 2 weeks ago.  By the time the weekend came around I said fuck it and just took it off with the intent to restart slowly on Monday.

Anyways my hours for the week.

Even though this was not caused by training to much but by a bug I have been known to over do it in the past at times.  Came across this on Gym Jones and love it.  Posting it for future references.  If you have not heard of Gym Jones Google it and get educated.  This came from his Instagram feed which is where he is most active at.
(Click to enlarge)

Another good reminder popped on my Facebook feed today also.

January Numbers- Big Month for me

Since the month ends on a Saturday instead of doing my weekly review I will just post the month of January numbers instead.

Just in case you are wondering about the week here you go, still have Sunday to go so will add 2ish hours of trail running most likely so I should be over 16 hours on the week after tomorrow.  Building the base.

Pretty solid month.  Looking back over my monthly hours the past few years this is my highest month total hour wise that I have ever had.  I need to be careful about that and not burn myself out, long ways to go until Leadman starts. (Click on photo to enlarge it)

Thoughts on the month--

1. Weather has been pretty good this month allowing me to get out on the bike more than expected.  Even took a day off work when it was nice to go ride.

2.  Really, really enjoying mixing in riding in my training verses just running all the time.  Yes my total running volume drops, but my overall volume of work increases and my joints don't hurt all the time anymore.

3.  Keeping up my weight training is starting to become a challenge but I am bent on keeping it up.  I think with the mountain bike that it is very important, especially upper body strength.  You do have to hang onto that bike.

4.  None of my workouts this month has been longer than 3.5 hours, need to start increasing the duration of long run/bike a little.

5.  Due to there only being 28 days in Feb instead of 31 days I expect my total hours this coming month to be between 50-55 hours.  Yes I need to really make my recovery week true recovery and NOT drop a 15 hour week like I did this month.

6.  Dropped 5 lbs this month while eating everything insight, guess that is good thing considering that I am stronger in my lifts at the same time so I am not losing strength which is what I truly care about.  I don't care about my weight as much as how I feel and my strength, which has been good.

I know this has been out there for a while now but I just got around to reading it thanks to James.  Of course I was reading at work when the Director of HR and Marketing walked up behind me to ask a question, but I don't give a fuck.  Read it...  http://markmanson.net/not-giving-a-fuck

Time for some R&R, start of Stout Month and Superbowl watching tomorrow.

Recovery week? Not so sure of that.

I really hate that stupid countdown clock in the sidebar but it is a motivating reminder.  Yes I will most likely bitch about it through the year.  146 days until the start of Leadman as of this morning.

I flagged this week as a recovery type of week which it was mileage wise but hell every jog or ride felt much harder than it should have.  Not sure what to think, hopefully this next week will be much better.  I cut the bike volume by a few hours, the run volume by about 10 miles , and only hit the weights once this week.   Speaking of weights, I am planning on keeping this up 1-2 times a week up until the Leadville Marathon.  Yes I know it cuts into my total volume/mileage but I just feel better and that is what counts.  My joints aka the right knee doesn't hurt nearly as much when I am doing a bunch of squats and deadlifts every week, I think there is something to that.   This is the knee that I have been struggling with since the beginning of May 2014 so it has been an issue.

Anyways came across this post. A great post by Vernon Gambetta that I need to file away in my mind to refer too.  I will stick to my garage gym.

 "A beautiful weight room with polished floors, tons of weights, machines that go bing, beep and burp surrounded with walls of mirrors all in a strictly controlled air conditioned environment set at an optimum 72 degrees may not be all that it appears to be. It’s not the weight room it is what happens there that matters. Is real coaching going on or is supervision with everyone doing the same program? It’s not the weight room it is the methodology that is employed there, it is the quality of coaching. Ultimately it is how the strength qualities developed in the weight room transfer to the field, track, court or pool. It is a very comfortable and seductive environment that can be a trap. The trap is chasing numbers that result an athlete completely adapted to the weight room environment rather than fully adaptable and prepared for the demands of the sport they are preparing for. The key is to learn to use the weight without getting dependent on it. The weight room is a step toward a “weight room without walls” where you take the strength training to the track, to the pool deck or to the court. This demands creativity and a deep understanding of the sport the athlete is preparing for. The advantage is versatile, adaptable bulletproof athletes who can apply their strength. Use the weight room as a step in the athletes’ development, don’t abuse it."

Back to this week, here is what was supposed to be a "recovery week", looking at the total hours one would have to say that I failed at the recovery week.  I might have to schedule another one sooner that I wanted too.

Summit shot from the top of Green in Boulder during yesterday's 11 mile snow/ice jog.

I started a Facebook Group called "Leadman Class of 2015" a few weeks ago getting the idea from Andy Wooten and it has gotten a great response.  There is 30 something Leadmen/Leadwomen in the group so hopefully some awesome group training will come out of this.  On Sunday a group of us from the Facebook group all meet up at the base of Lookout Mountain and did a few laps up and down the road on the mountain bikes.  

Can you name any of these characters?   

Strava data from today's ride, it was a ball buster.  Of course a ride like today deserved a stop at Mountain Toad Brewery for beers afterwards.

Week 3 - Pushing the Volume a Little Bit

"Ask yourself: 'Can I give more?'. The answer is usually: 'Yes'."
-Paul Tergat, Kenyan professional marathoner 

So my whole goal this week was to push the total hourly volume of all activities combined a little bit with a loose goal of 50 miles running, 100 miles on the bike, and a couple of hours in the weight room.  Needless to say I am tired.  The last 3 nights I have been crashed out for 10 plus hours of sleep each night, which is my body trying to tell me something.  

After 3 solid weeks of over 15 hours, this week I think it is time to schedule in a down or recovery week.  Just not sure what that entails yet.  Thinking I need to cut the total volume down to about 10 easy hours this week, thoughts?  Guess I will just play it by ear.  As I sit here Monday morning my quads are actually sore to the touch so no hills today which is hard because I have MLK day off work and really want to hit my Flagstaff/Green loop like I did yesterday.  


This weeks training.

Photos from the week.

Took Friday off work and hit the roads on the bike in Lucho's hood.

  Easy run of Green and Bear with Clyde on Saturday

 

Week 2- Trying to Discover the Balance.

"Better to live each day with discipline than to suffer a life of regret"

Not sure where I saw this quote at this week but it has stuck with me as I try and figure out a good training, work, and family balance this past week.  It has been an interesting week trying to fit it all in.  I came close to last week but not quite.  Hope to increase the total hours next week before taking a lighter week.  On a side note I think I am really starting to hate the countdown clock on the right hand side of the blog that I added, it feels like a weight on my shoulders.

The weather this coming week and especially next weekend look really good right now so I need to take advantage of that, especially on the bike and ride a bunch more up Coal Creek. 

Couple of photos I took this week while out and about.

Awesome sunrise on Saturday's long run.  This was taken on the Mesa Trail at the top of Skunk Canyon.  The colors were so much better than what my Iphone could capture.  12 mile run with about 3300ft of gain.

Sunday I parked at the bottom of Coal Creek Canyon and road my mountain bike up to Golden Gate Canyon State Park at about 9200ft and back.  Came across this sign on the road as I was suffering up the hill.  Yes my climbing legs suck right now.  Got some work to do but it will come with time.  Did 25 miles with 3200ft of gain.

 

 

25 Training rules to remember

Came across this article http://www.t-nation.com/powerful-words/100-laws-of-muscle and pulled out 25 of my favorites that I need to keep in mind over the next few months.  Of course I reworded them to apply to running and biking.  Enjoy!

Training

1. There is no perfect training program. In fact, very intelligent, very successful coaches often disagree with one another. That means you're going to have to learn a lot, think for yourself, and experiment a little and base it on what you have learned in the past. 

2. Don't repeat past mistakes that did not work in previous training cycles.

3. The effectiveness of any training program is directly related to the effort you put into it. If a program "doesn't work" it's probably because you're half-assing it. Effort trumps everything.

4.  Stop using "research" as a procrastination method. Yes, read articles and learn as much as you can, but most of what you learn will come from dedicated work.

5. Training may not always be fun, but it will always be rewarding. Lifelong rewards beat temporary fun.

6. Balance brutal workouts with long slow walks, preferably outdoors with the dogs.  This works for me.

7. Apply your work ethic to your workout. Don't give anyone the opportunity to think of you as lazy, distracted, inefficient, or weak... and don't give yourself that opportunity either. Embrace the work part of your workout.

8. Don't be so scared of injury and so obsessed with form that you forget to kick ass both running, biking and lifting. But don't be a jackass about it either and ignore obvious warning signs.

9. When life gets hard, work hard. Fight back, kick your own ass before anyone else has the chance – you'll steal their power and build armor.

10. Are you in this for the long haul?  Average people look for any excuse not to do the work, like a minor injury. Dedicated people find a way to work around injuries... and snowstorms, and holidays, and damn near anything else.

11. Think like a machine, not an emotional wreck who needs permission and approval and happy feelings at all times in order to be consistent.

Diet

 12. If the way you eat is working – body, mind, and ease of effort – then ignore diet trends that complicate things further. Rely on the knowledge you've gathered from prior experiences.

13. Having flat, carb-depleted muscles may make you look smaller, but it'll also make you weaker and lower your work capacity. Being weak and unable to work harder for longer periods of time is a recipe for stagnation.

14. Start with the major stuff. Worry first about that package of cookies or chips you're killing every night instead of your Vitamin C intake.

15. Be picky about where your macros are coming from and what purpose they serve. Sure, you can make kid's cereal fit into your nutritional allotment before bedtime, but is it taking the place of insulinogenic workout nutrition that would've made you kick ass at the next workout?

16. Don't do a low carb diet. Don't do a low fat diet. Do a low shit-food diet. Lower your intake of the things you know for sure aren't helping you.

17. Organic junk food is still junk food, hipsters.

18. Don't obsess over scale weight. Lose 10 pounds of fat and gain 10 pounds of muscle and the scale will say you made "no progress.” The mirror beats the scale.

19. To guarantee the greatest gains from training, fuel, protect, and reload muscle immediately prior to, during, and after training.

Mind Game

20.  Weak people face life's obstacles with an excuse in their hand. Strong people carry a hammer.

21. Get shit done. Period.

22. You know what's worse than a critic? People who tell you to be average – well-meaning folks who enable mediocrity. Be passionate. Be a freak.

23. Build your willpower muscle, but use it wisely. Anorexics have great willpower, but it is misapplied.

24. Realize that the moment you decide to better yourself, other people will often try to stop you. This is sometimes disguised as subtle behavior. Don't worry, after they try to sabotage you, dissuade you, or politely get you to stop getting better, they'll come to you for advice. Give it to them kindly. People are weird.

25. Sometimes when you think life is kicking you in the ass, it's actually just moving you quickly to a better place.

Kick Off to Leadman training and 2015

Week numbro uno in the Leadman training and man do I have some work to do!  At the beginning of the week before Leadman opened up I got the bike trainer I have from my triathlon days out of the attic and got it setup just to see how bad my cycling legs are.  Of course none of the 5 mountain bikes we own would fit on this trainer and the only bike that would fit is my wife's road bike, so I guess that is what I am training on until the weather improves and I can move outside on Punisher (my mountain bike).  Maybe I should not have sold my tri bike last summer.

Anyways I discovered that after 45mins on the trainer I am wiped!  I have a long long road ahead of me as far as the cycling goes and honestly I find it exciting.  Much more exciting than running right now.  There is something fun in seeing improvement in leaps and bounds, I am looking forward to it.

Here is a breakdown of my week.  Of course all the cycling was on the trainer so there is no vertical there but it is still hard work.  With the trainer there is no breaks, no downhills, no cruising.  You are always pedaling.  Of course I was off work all week so it will be interesting to see what I can do once back at work, not sure I can pull out 17 hours during a work week but we will give it a shot. 

Have a great week everyone!

Leadman it is. What the hell was I thinking?

Well after lots of discussion with the wife over the past week I did pull the trigger yesterday for my plans for 2015.

Dear Shad Mika,

This email confirms your registration for the 2015 Leadman & Woman submitted on Jan 1, 2015 at 9:26:15AM MST.

We look forward to seeing you race in Legendary Leadville, Colorado!

Leadville Trail Marathon, June 20
Silver Rush 50s, July 11 & 12
Leadville Trail 100 MTB, August 15
Leadville 10K, August 16
Leadville Trail 100 Run, August 22

This is going to be an EPIC (yes I hate using that word) year for me for I just got a "real" mountain bike last year.  I have a lot to learn.  Hell with the through axles this bike has on it I still have not figured out how to even take the back tire off yet.  Suppose I should get around to that.   I was going back and forth between Leadman, finishing the 14ers, or doing a Sept 100 miler like Run Rabbit Run for 2015 but Leadman won out.  There is something exciting about adding the bike and knowing that you just plain suck and having to work up from the bottom.  Honestly as I sit here right now at 5:30am typing this up I really don't know if I can finish the bike races, the thought going down Powerlines with 1000 other people during the 100 mile bike race scares the living shit out of me right now.

I really have been pondering on getting a coach or not to help me through this year but remain on the fence due to the expense of it all but that may change come Feb after I spend this month just getting in some base training, especially on the bike.  I do plan on adding in some 50k's to use as training runs but I doubt I will go any longer than that, I truly believe that 50 milers take to long to recover from and the week of training you lose to that recovery is more valuable than the 50 mile run, it seemed to work last year getting ready for Bighorn.  I did learn something from that year of training under Lucho back in 2012.

Anyways I am planning on trying to keep this more updated as I work through this year.  Happy New Years everyone!

2015 Numbers

Damn what a year.  One of my lowest mileage years since I started running ultras but one of the highest amounts of time I have spent in the weight room along with my best 100 mile run finish at Bighorn 100 back in June.  Covered 2,669 miles on foot and another 240 miles on the bike.  The increase of weight training time (80+ hours) is due to about halfway through the year I built a full gym in the garage with bumper plates and all.  I got tired of feeling like a weak nonfunctional runner but that is a post for another day.   I full expect the bike mileage and weight room hours to increase quite a bit this year while seeing more of a drop off in mileage covered on foot but we will see how the year plays out.  Still not sure what my plans are going to be for 2015.  I have a few things in mind but can't seem to make up my mind.  One thing is for sure, I did not put my name in the Leadville 100 lottery so the Pikes/Leadville combo is out this year for sure.  Happy New Years everyone!!

Oh yeah--- found this gem on my phone last night.  This is the talk that happens during the Solstice Grog Slog.

2nd Annual Grog Slog

So another year and another group of idiots gathering for a dumb idea.  Yes this was the 2nd annual one, you can read about last year by clicking here.

George already beat me to the punch and put up a report of Sunday's adventure, click here.  And yes I did hit number 365 in the Year of Beer.

RUN FAT BOY RUN!!!!

Slowest 5K in a few years last weekend, 19:18 at the Stocking 5K.  The last mile was uphill with over a 300ft climb and that buried me deep in a hole.  This is about 50 yards before the finish line.

Still Here...

Yes I am still here, just not doing much besides running a little and I mean a little and drinking lots of beer for the 365 Day Beer Challenge which is not to far off from being complete.  You can check that out over here- http://shadsyearofbeer.blogspot.com/.  Hopefully I will get the bug again soon and get back to training for something.

Cheers,
Shad

Bighorn 100 - Closing the deal

Suffering is one thing; knowing how to suffer is quite another. -unknown

Been meaning to get this report out sooner but it seems every time I sit down to write something either at work or home comes up and I have to put this aside for a while.  It is not nearly the report I wanted to write due to everything just blending in together and fading over time but you get the idea. 

Well I headed out to Northern WY  with friends to give the 100 miler another shot.   I wanted to know if my only finish in 2010 at Leadville was a fluke or not, I was 1 for 4 for 100's before the start of this race.

Race Description (From the website)
The Bighorn Trail 100 Mile Run is an arduous trail run that will take place in the Little Bighorn – Tongue River areas of the Bighorn National Forest. Starting time for the event will be 11 AM, Friday June 20, 2014, with a 34 hour (average pace of 2.94 mph) time limit to finish the event. Runners must be prepared for potential extreme temperature variation and weather conditions during the event with possible temperatures exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit during the day in the canyons and well below freezing at night in the mountains. The course is wild and scenic traversing territory inhabited by elk, deer, moose, bears, cougars, mountain lions, and rattlesnakes with the potential for wildlife encounters with runners. Crew access points on parts of the course are limited and the runner should be prepared to carry a fanny pack and or other necessary equipment to ensure their ability to safely traverse difficult remote mountainous trails in potentially unpredictable weather conditions. The course is an out-and-back consisting of 76 miles of single track trail, 16 miles of rugged double track jeep trail, and 8 miles of gravel road with approximately 17,500 feet of climb and 18,000 feet of descent.

Profile (Reads right to left and back)

Weather
Hot during the day and cold/windy/raining in the night. The sunset and sunrise were perfect.

Race Report
Well it was a lot of fun,  especially since this is the first time that I have done a 100 where I did not puke.  What a world of difference it makes to slow down and manage my effort from the start so that I don't dig myself into a deep hole that I struggle to get out of every time.

Left Denver around 1pm Wednesday before the race on Friday with Clyde (crew master) so that this time I make sure that I have lots and lots of time just to chill out on Thursday and get the drop bags around which was a mistake that I made last time in 2009 at this race.  After a good night's sleep, Thursday was spent doing drop bags, race check in and drinking beer at Blacktooth Brewery.  No better way to get ready to run a 100 miles.

Friday morning got up and hit Perkins with Clyde for a for a filling breakfast than off to the pre-race meeting.  One thing that I really like about this race is that it starts at 11am.  It is both good due to the extra sleep it allows but also does have a down side, my nerves were eating at me all morning up until the race started.

My cool Elevation Tat with all the water stops on it was very helpful all day.

Some of the runners and their crew from the Special Idiots house we rented at the start of the race, missing is Clyde who was taking the photo.  This group had an 80% finish rate (4 out of 5) verses the 60% for the rest of the racers.  Believe a couple of them were even 100 mile virgins.

I had the following plan laid out which I though was very doable for this 100.  It is the exact same plan that I had in 2009 but this time I planned the night gear section a lot better and actually grabbed a coat.

Mile 30- 7-8 hours
Mile 48- 12-14 hours
Mile 66- 18-20 hours
Average 3mph to the finish which would be 30 hours.

Start of the race.

I was doing great the 1st part of the race staying on what I had laid out as a race plan. That 1st climb from the start up to Horse Creek was a bitch. It was basically a 4000ft climb in about 7 miles.  It just climbs and climbs and climbs. Needless to say there was a lot of power hiking up this section. Since it is all single track you kind of get stuck in a train which helps me to control my pace and not push to hard.  My whole goal the first 30 miles of the day was to just survive the day and not dig myself into a hole which I came very very close to doing due to how hot it was out there that afternoon the last 2-3 miles into Footbridge.

I came into Footbridge (mile 30) at 7:01 right on target which would be 6pm. It was hot and I was starting to crash due overheating, I hit this aid station just in time to recover and cool down thanks to Clyde's problem solving skills.

Overheating and Clyde taking care of it for me.

Feeling much better after a 27 minute pit stop to cooldown, rehydrate, and refuel.

I would not see my crew Clyde until the turn around at mile 48 so I told them I should be there around 13-14 hours (big climb heading out).  Leaving Footbridge I was allowed to pick up my first pacer Donald who was jumping at the bit to get going.   My goal was just to keep moving aka walking through out the night and that is what we did as we took off doing chatting away like a couple of little school girls.

Checking out the sunset as we head up into the meadows up high and turn around of the race.

Just shortly after this photo was taken I started to hit a really low point.  All I could do was keep my head down and follow the other runners that we caught up to trying with all my will power not to be sick.  I knew that once I started puking it would not stop for a while and I would start to crash due lack of calories getting into my system just like all the other 100s I have attempted.  By the time I came into a back country aid station called Elk Camp (a lot like Hope Pass station in Leadville 100, remote) at mile 40ish, I was in bad shape from the stomach and moving very slow.   I sat down next to the fire trying to figure out what to do.  After a few mins with my head hanging low I ask Donald to grab me a couple of cups of Coke and Ginger Ale.  After chugging down 4-5 cups and a bunch of chicken broth all of the sudden I let out a huge 10-15 second burp and all was solved.  As everyone was laughing I looked at Donald and said "Lets go!" and jumped to my feet and starting hiking out into the mud with hand fulls of bacon and trail mix. 

As we hiked up to the turn around we were having a blast as a storm pounded us with rain and lighting.  I was just having fun playing in the mud watching Donald fall all over the place.  After the storm passed the stars out there in the middle of no where were just amazing, wish I had a photo of how bright they were.  We fast hiked the rest of the way up to the turn around aid station Jaws getting there at 13:49 into the race.  Spent about 25 mins here just eating (yes more bacon) and chatting with Clyde who made the long drive around in the middle of the night to crew me.  I was in a great mood and was ready to get to hiking the rest of the night.

Refueling at the turn around aid station Jaws.

Donald and I spent the rest of the night heading back to Footbridge as I counted how many times he fell in the mud.  Damn it was a lot.  It kind of freaked me out for I was afraid that he was going to injure his neck where he just had a rod put in just 8 months earlier.  By the time we got back to Footbridge Donald won with falling 9 times in the mud verse my 1 time.  Someone needs to put his ass into yoga or something to work on his balance.  Donald ended up covering around 36 miles with me through the night.

Coming into Footbridge Aid (about 3 miles out) as the sun was coming up.

 Donald and I came into Footbridge(mile 66) about 7:15am or 20:15 into the race.  I spent about 15 minutes here eating some more and changing my shirt to something cooler for the upcoming hot day.  I also debated if I should change shoes or not due to the 30 some miles of mud we just covered.  I elected not to because my feet were numb and I did not what to take the chance of that changing.  I wish I would have changed my shoes as you can see from the photos at the end of this post, maybe they would not have been as bad if I would have made the change.  I exchanged Donald for JT and we heading out climbing up The Wall at a good clip ready to do some head hunting.

 


As JT and I were getting going to asked him to remind me to eat every 30mins or so and he suggested I start taking in salt tabs at every aid station to get ready for the hot day to come.  It seemed to work well as we shot the bullshit and trash talked back and forth as we made our way to Dryfork aid station at mile 83 and yes to my surprise I was still running the flats (rare in this race) and the downhills.  The one time that I did start to whine JT looked at me and said, "My hearing aid is broken and I can no longer hear your bullshit lame excuses."  Game on.

We rolled into Dryfork Aid Station at 25:01 or at noon which totally surprised me that I was able to cover the 18 miles from Footbridge to Dryfork in about 4.5 hours.  Guess I was moving ok.  We spent about 10 mins at this aid station splitting a Fat Tire Beer and eating again before heading out to cover the last large downhill section of the race.

There are a couple of short uphills still before dropping down into the canyon towards the end.  I still had something in me as we were doing the last small climb at about mile 90.

From the top of this pass you drop down into the canyon for a few miles before hitting the road for the last 5 miles of the race.  In the canyon I was still able to keep jogging for the most parts on the downhills.

About mile 93-94.

Once JT and I got out of the canyon and hit the road was I was so happy to get off the rocky single track and on to something where I did not have to worry about my footing anymore and could just get to the end.  My mental energy was dropping quickly and I was starting to overheat.  JT did a great job of helping me manage to stay cool by scarificing his water bottles dumping them over my head as we worked our way up the road.  Halfway up the road I was walking and JT asked me to read a sign in the road which said "Runners on Road", after reading this out loud he turned to me and said, "Exactly, not Walkers on Road.".  Point taken, time to get back to jogging.  About 2 miles from the finish a couple of girls came along and handed out some popsicles which was heaven on earth for this road was never fucking ending.

The plan all along was to stop at mile 99.5 and drink a beer before crossing the finish line but once I got there I just wanted to be fucking done.  I was afraid that if I sat down for a beer I would not be able to get up to get my ass across the finish line.  So why JT pealed off to grab his beer at the bar I jogged the last half mile to the finish line and sat my ass in a chair with a Coors Light supplied by my previous boss from my last job that rolled up on me on a bike.  Thanks Grace and Don!  Finish time 29:09, way faster than I thought I could.  I was thinking it was going to be a 32 hour day.

Crossing the finish line.

Beer me!

My feet were trashed from all the water and mud. It is going to take 3-4 weeks for all the open wounds on my heels to heal up.

My Strava data (yes, I got the watch to capture everything):  http://www.strava.com/activities/156472429

The rest of the night was spent back at the house chugging beers trying to get my ass to fall asleep.  I was so pumped up about finishing it took about 5 beers and sleeping drugs to knock me out.

The next morning before the drive home we had to get pickup free food and the buckle of course.  Isn't that the whole reason we do these?  For the buckle?

Special thanks to Ashley for all her support that allows me to discover what I am able to do on these stupid runs.  I want to thank Clyde for crewing me and putting up with all the driving this course requires for the crew to do.  I want also thank Donald and JT for taking the time to drive up there and spend some slow hours on the trail pacing me and keeping me company.  I know some people are against pacers and crew but in my mind spending time out there on the trails with friends and family who are crewing and pacing is what makes 100s so special.  It was an epic day guys and thanks again.


I am going to take this month off from structured training, still going to run when the feet heal up and when I feel like it.   I am signed up for Imogene Pass run in Sept so that will be my main focus as I get back to training in July.  I am also pondering a couple of other ideas but we will see if those play out or not.

Thanks for reading!

May Numbers

Not a bad month but not a great month either.  I was planning on doing a lot more than this to get ready for Bighorn but with battling Patellar tendinitis for the last 29 days I am doing what I can.  Hope it is enough for Bighorn.  Time to start the taper with a 50-60 mile week, then cut down to 30-40 and then 10 on race week.  Hopefully the reduced miles will bring my knee around.  Maybe I should cut the mile even more than that for the next 3 weeks?  Thoughts?


Click on to enlarge: