Refuse to Quit

How Much Do You Care?

2012-01-27T08:58:00.000-07:00

I was reading a friends training updates recently and also noticed that he is registered for a 50 mile race in late March. He's also dealing with an injury that he is trying to recover from which will likely impact his ability to perform at his best. Here's the kicker, he's a top elite in any race up to 50 miles (my opinion, not his probably) and at any other time would be a contender to win it.

Those familiar with ultra running know that anyone who has run an ultra event can be found on ultrasignup.com, as long as the RDs report their results to the site (which is pretty much all events now-a-days). People listed on that site receive an overall ranking based on previous finishes. The number itself is represented as a percent. Elites will often be in the upper 80 - 90+% range. However, as often will happen, non-elites who do well in races with small fields (like me) or the races are non-competitive will also have a higher ranking, giving them the appearance of being better than they are (hey, like me).

What does this really mean? NOTHING, not a dang thing. So why do I bring it up? I do it because I'm wondering if there are people out there who care about their ranking and how they compare to other runners? And more importantly (and here's the big question) - would you consider opting out of a race because you are injured or not ready or for other reasons won't perform at your best just so that you can keep your runner ranking high? I think the answer we'd all publicly say is No, of course not. We don't care and it wouldn't have any impact on what races we do or how we perform overall. However, I'm also willing to bet that at least a little part of us is somewhat concerned with that ranking and how it might be impacted by a poor performance.

I know personally that while I'm not really worried about my ranking (because I'm not really an elite) I do look at registration lists for races I'm going to run and check out the profiles of those ranked high in the field because I like to know who I'm racing against. I think it gives an adequate picture of who we are competing against. Like other runners, I take it all with a grain of salt, but I can say that I do look and it does play a role in how I approach the race. I will be the first to admit that I'm a competitive person when it comes to events and I want to do well. I look at those lists and try to decipher where I'm going to land in the field. And generally I'm right unless I personally blow up and perform poorly.

So I'll ask the question again, what does the ultrasignup ranking mean to you?

And since I've made a personal commitment to not post anything on this site any more that doesn't include a photo or video, here is a token photo from a run I did a couple of days ago:

Scott descending from View Benchmark peak where there were 2 foot snow drifts near the top. Cool day.

A Winter Week

2012-01-23T09:26:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick video I threw together of a few of the runs we did a couple of weeks ago.

January 14th - Weekly Summary

2012-01-15T15:06:00.000-07:00

I'm not generally a fan of reading blogs where people detail out their daily runs, mileage, vert, etc. I don't really have much against it, it's just that it gets a bit old reading it on a person's blog between race reports. The only real weekly log I enjoy reading is to see how many times Tony K got up Green Mountain. Ha. For me these weekly reports will be to share a few photos and talk of some of the high points. I hope you find them entertaining.

I've already reported on the 50k around Lake Mountain that I did on Tuesday. At the end of that run I asked if any of the friends who with me wanted to run View Benchmark peak the next day. Scott said, "geez dude, don't you want to give your legs a rest?" My response was "I rest my legs on Sunday, until then they do what I tell them". Needless to say, I spent the next several days pushing myself and having an awesome time in the process.

This past week, other than running an ultra, I summitted three peaks and ran a bunch of really cool trails with some friends. Peaks included View Benchmark (on quite tired legs), Grandeur (via the loop course), and finally Lake Mountain on Saturday with my son, Tyler. All of those included solid miles, a bunch of vert, and spectacular views. I doubt I'll be able to repeat it this week, but even coming close would be an accomplishment. Below are a few pics from this week.

From the summit of Grandeur Peak. We did the 10 mile loop course that I love so much.

Tyler about half way up Lake Mountain. This was his first trip up the peak. He isn't a distance runner, so 8.4 miles is a long way for a run/hike. He was awesome.

The two of us on the summit looking east over Utah Lake and the Wasatch range.

Tyler running down from the summit. His shoes were bare of tread and the packed snow and ice was a real challenge for him on the top half of this route. Super fun though.

Lake Mountain 50k 2012

2012-01-10T20:47:00.000-07:00

Lake Mountain has become a favorite training run for that distance between 30 and 40 miles. It offers great views of the Wasatch, fast dirt road running, and a complete circumnavigation around a prominent peak, something that isn't easy to do in the Wasatch. We chose this route today as a back-up to running on Antelope Island as there was just too much snow reportedly out there. Four of us headed out to the south end of the island to begin our run; Matt VH, Scott W, and Josh G.

We arrived at 7:30am to a beautiful sunrise and temps in the mid-teens. We knew it would be a chilly run to start and dressed appropriately, hoping it would heat up once the sun was over the mountains. We set off at a very casual pace and made our way west towards Soldier Pass. The two other times I've done this course I started on the northwest side of the peak, getting the rocky hills out of the way early, but then having to deal with the flat, long, straightaway finish on tired legs. Today we would start with the easy stuff and put the difficult parts later into the run. It turned out to be the perfect decision.

As we crested Soldier Pass the sun crept over the top of the Wasatch and immediately warmed us up. However, as we dropped down into Cedar Valley and saw the thick fog holding the cold air down we knew it was going to get cold again. And cold it got. Bitter cold. We reckoned it to be down to the single digits and remain like that for another hour as we pressed on through thick fog, waiting for the sun to burn it off.

Super cold

Josh running strong in the frigid air

Scott in some seriously low visibility

Once we hit Eagle Mountain the fog had burned off, the sun was full at our backs, and we were plenty warm. We knew from then on it was going to be a very pleasant run. Just as we made the turn east all of us but Matt had to take a quick break. Shortly thereafter we were winding our way around the LDS Church farms and headed toward the east side of the mountain. The rolling hills, many of which I would walk in the past (even on very fresh legs) we were running with ease. We came around to Lot Canyon Rd on the east side at mile 19.4 in 3.5 hours. It wasn't going to be a fast day, but we sure were having fun. We stopped for nearly 15 minutes enjoying potato chips, Pepsi, and other treats before heading off along the power line ATV roads all the way to Enoch Pass.

Circumnavigating the farms

Scott cresting the last hill before descending down to our aid stop

While we had stayed together the whole way to that point we now started to spread out over the long rolling hills. Most of these hills are quite steep with loose rocks. In the past I've always walked them. However, this time I ran them all with ease. This is a significant jump in fitness for me since I was now 25 miles in and was cruising casually up some big climbs. I was determined and very happy to have run all of the hills leading the whole way up to Enoch Pass, a total climb of a thousand feet. Josh showed up a couple of minutes later, followed by Scott and Matt about 10 minutes after that. We only had six miles to go, all downhill (well, mostly all downhill).

Matt coming to the summit of Enoch Pass

Me heading down. Our stop was all the way down near the lake.

Matt and I pulled ahead of Josh as he had to make a couple of impromptu stops. We pushed a nice pace in the low to mid 8s all the way back to the car, beating Josh and Scott by about 12 minutes. The weather turned out to be nearly perfect, the company was absolutely perfect, and we had an awesome day. I felt strong at the finish and knew I had several more miles in my legs. It was a great start to the year.

Thanks to Altra for making the greatest trail shoe ever.

Thanks to my friends who managed to endure my stupid comments.

Thanks Utah for being the best place to run on earth.

October 90th

2012-01-07T12:27:00.000-07:00

A Facebook friend recently posted how much he was enjoying this weather on October 90th. I was an obvious stab at what is unseasonably warm weather for the first week in January. I chuckled at reading it and have now quoted it on several occasions. In light of this awesome weather me and a few friends made sure to take every advantage.

Each day this week I hit a different trail, wracked up a solid 7000 ft of vert, and spent every day running in shorts (except Monday when we ran at 8am) and a t-shirt. Now it is Saturday and the weather has turned a complete 180 as I type this while watching it snow in my backyard. I had plans to run today, wracking up a final 8 miles and 3000 ft of vert, but as is typical with a new baby, sometimes he changes the plans and I am unable to get out. So I'll just share some words and photos from this past week, hoping you get a feel for how much I've enjoyed this fall-like weather.

Monday I threw together a group run with some awesome friends. We ran the Ann's Trail loop on South Mountain in Draper. Even at 8:30 in the morning we were shedding layers and hats after a mile.

Tuesday and Wednesday we continued to hit awesome trails in the sun. On Wednesday I got to run on a trail that I haven't been on before; the Bonneville Shoreline Trail as it winds up the north side of City Creek and then along the ridge up towards Dude Peak. It was a similar route the Wahsatch Steeplechase ran this last year due to snow conditions. That is a really cool area and a series of trails I head back to more often.

The Wasatch range behind Scott looks nearly snowless. As of today that is all changing. While I've rather enjoyed this last week I am actually excited to get back into snowy conditions. It's a fun medium to train on and definitely switches things up, even when running the same trails over and over. Have a great week everyone.

Refuse to Quit

2011-12-28T09:58:00.001-07:00

I'm writing this post for a very special cousin of mine who is losing a bit of faith in herself. She has had many struggles in her life and has constantly had to battle self-confidence issues. Somehow, through all of this she has set a goal for herself to complete an Iron Man (I believe in 2012). If you knew her you'd know what kind of accomplishment this would be. She is absolutely capable and WILL accomplish it, if, and only if she will refuse to quit, no matter what. I hope this post will help get her going back in the right direction. I hope that maybe it will also inspire some of you.

In 2003 I set my sights on doing something that was extremely fool-hardy, for me. It was a last minute decision to join a friend and a couple of people from the local news rag to attempt to climb Utah's three tallest peaks in one day, starting from an advanced base camp. While I was in good hiking shape and was chiseled from years of rock climbing, I had no actual idea of what I was in for and no concept of how I would accomplish it. I just knew I had an opportunity to summit Utah's tallest peaks and that was good enough for me. I hadn't even considered the concept of Refuse to Quit yet, but would soon be faced with the foundations of it. After summiting King's and So King's I sat on a rock by a stream at the bottom of the Anderson chute with my shoes off, contemplating whether to continue on or call it quits. My hiking partner and the reporter and his son had already thrown in the towel, leaving only myself and the photographer to get the job done. He, the photographer, had said he was good with whatever I chose to do, obviously feeling the effects of the miles and vert we had already put in. We both knew we still had another 3000 feet of climbing and several miles to go before getting to the final peak, Gilbert. Every part of my body told me to stop. Every active thought in my head was screaming to just curl up and sleep. Yet, something in my core, at the very essence of who I was began to push up and rise through all the doubt like plant pushing through the soil to reach sunlight. At the time I didn't know what it was, but it became the beckoning force that motivated me to move on. It was accompanied by a very simple thought, "you can rest when you're done, you can quit when you're dead". I got up and pressed on. Together, we finished that last peak and made it safely back to camp.

I look back now, with all my experience as an ultra runner and realize that what I accomplished that day really wasn't all that awesome. Since then I've returned and completed that same thing thing in a much faster time and starting and returning to my car, which adds 16 miles. But on that day it was the biggest thing I had ever physically faced and it would set the tone for the rest of my adventurous life.

Not long after that event I was faced with what would be the absolute biggest challenge of my life, my divorce. That experience dwarfed the Triple Crown in difficulty, both physically and mentally. As I rebounded from that and began to start my life again I was faced with that age-old challenge of dating. After only a few random dates I was presented with a wonderful gift, the woman who would eventually be my wife. But only after she and I had gone through more trials than I thought possible would we be able to tie the knot and begin a life as husband and wife. I won't go into the details of those trials, but they tested me to my very core. They pushed the concept of Refuse to Quit to the absolute limits and on more than one occasion I was certain had broken it. I had given up. Yet, sitting silently alone, that same motivating force that had compelled me to get up from that rock next to a stream in Henry's Fork would push me to get up and fix things with my fiance'. Six years later and I'm happy to say that we have a wonderful marriage and look forward to a perfect life together.

I continue to face challenges. Every day something else jumps up. In the past year we've endured the process of buying a house and preparing financially to do that. I had no idea what a challenge that would be and on many occasions wanted to just quit and go rent something. In August we had our youngest son in the hospital for three weeks. I can't explain what kind of anguish we went through. And then to have to face the financial difficulties that would follow as a result of all the bills (a challenge we are still facing). Then, only a few short months later we were back in the hospital for the birth of our final child, William. While not a challenge in and of itself, the bills are now stacking up against Max's hospital bills, creating what is again a very trying time for us. There are moments when I just want to return to the base of King's Peak and curl up on the grass and die. But that's not who I am. Refuse to Quit has embedded itself so deeply in the foundations of my life I can't do anything but get up and continue on.

In our darkest moments we discover who we really are. It is at those times when we define ourselves by how we respond to that situation. Will you curl up and want to die or will you rise up and refuse to quit? It seems like a cliche' phrase, but when you really give it some thought and reflect on what you have gone through or are going through you may find that you too have lived by and are currently living by this same principle. At our very core I believe all of us who refuse to be held down, who refuse to live in the dark, and who choose to get up and be successful do so because we do one simple thing, Refuse to Quit.

A Vision

2011-12-22T11:15:00.000-07:00

If you read my most recent post you'll know that while 2011 was a very successful running year, it was also very busy professionally and personally, which didn't allow for me to do quite as much as I had hoped as far as personal goals are concerned. I'm hoping now that we are in a new home, our family is complete, and my job is back to normal that I can set some serious goals for this coming year and hopefully achieve a new standard of running for me.

While I will detail out several new goals, it is important to note that I will be running very few races. Unfortunately, the side effects of having a new home and new baby means we have less money for me to pay for big races. Instead, many of my goals will focused around some pretty awesome adventure runs. I'm absolutely certain I won't be able to achieve all of these since I simply won't have enough time, but I sure want to try.

Races
I do plan to do a few races this year. First on the list will be redemption at the Antelope Island Buffalo Run 50 miler. While I did actually reach my goal of nearly 8 hours last year, I felt like I didn't run the race well, struggled for at least 15 miles, and didn't actually achieve my true potential. This year I'm hoping to go back and push more towards 7:30.
Second, and without a doubt the most important goal on my list is to get into the Wasatch 100 and perform well. I have a few time goals in mind, which I won't publicize here. Let me just say that everything I do this year will be to prepare me for that race and 'just finishing' or even going over 30 hours is not an option for me. I will be going into it with the intent to achieve a new standard of racing, for me.

Me training on the Wasatch 100 course this past year

Finally, I will, of course, be racing the Pony Express Trail 100 again. Different from this past year, I won't actually be 'racing' it. My brother, Brent, is hoping to run the 50 miler, his first. My plan is to run the first 50 with him, nice and slow. Then hang out at the finish line with him for a while and enjoy seeing people. Then I'll chuck him in the van and continue on running the rest of my 100. It means that track record of coming in third will be thrown out the window, and most likely won't even see a sub-24 hour finish, but that won't matter. The purpose will be to just enjoy Brent's race and then cruise in and enjoy the rest of mine.

Adventure Runs

This is where things start to get a little crazy.

My first goal is to head back to Zion with some friends and finish what we started. The Zion Traverse. I actually plan to put a twist on this one, but I'll save that surprise for after I complete it.

Second is to go after another piece of unfinished business - complete the full 110 mile run on Skyline Drive in central Utah. Whether alone or with Davy Crockett, this thing is getting done this year. I have a new plan on how to crew it and friends who want to support me, so this is definitely on the books.

This past summer the MRC boys stripped the FKT on the Utah Triple Crown from me. It's time to get that back. I have a slightly new strategy that I think will shave some time. I'm also a better runner and that will help as I won't be slogging along the last 6 miles.

Standing atop South King's

Additional long-goals will include a potential shot at the FKT on the Uinta Highline Trail with some friends, a LONG slog of a run in the Wind Rivers, possibly doing a run of Gannett Peak in WY (this one would take priority of the long Wind Rivers run), Grand Canyon R2R2R (this is always a goal, every year), and start on my lifelong goal of running the entire Great Western Trail from the border of Idaho to the border of Arizona.

Other than that the only other real goal I have is to run at least one ultra distance run per month.

Not bad, right? If it seems like a lot, it is. It's more than I can do in one year without my wife outright killing me. Obviously I have to balance work and family in there, but if I can plan and save correctly I should be able to get to most of this. Like I said at the beginning, I want 2012 to be a new standard of running. Time to start get to work.

2011 Post-Mortem

2011-12-19T20:33:00.000-07:00

An organization I 'Like' on Facebook recently asked the question "What one word would best describe your ultra running performance during 2011?" My knee-jerk response was to put "lack-luster" since I didn't accomplish as much as I would have liked due to several things; buying a home, having a son in the hospital for three weeks, and then have a new son join us only two weeks ago. Basically, there was just so much going on I didn't have the time or the money to get out and do all the things I wanted to this year. Add to that the fact that we had significant snow in the mountains until nearly August and even my normal, shorter adventure runs were squashed.

And then, just before typing how I initially thought my year went I started to rethink all of the things I did accomplish:

My first real test of the year was the Buffalo Run 50 miler. I went into that race with a 'racing' mindset, intent on doing more than just trying to finish. While I had done numerous 50+ miles runs prior to that, I hadn't ever actually raced the distance. I prepared by heading out to the island on several occasions with friends to prepare. Matt and Scott were both running, Matt shooting for his first ultra. My goal was to hit 8 hours. While you can read my race report HERE, I'll just summarize by saying I came pretty dang close to my goal by running an 8:02:39, good enough for 11th place overall.

Over the next few months I focused on building my base and getting ready for all of the adventure runs and two 100 milers I had planned June and after. One of the cool runs I did with Matt, Josh, and Scott was to head out to Stansbury Island to run loops on the 10 mile long mountain bike trail. That place is amazing and we had an awesome time.

I'm certainly no road runner and am definitely not known for my speed, but I did end up running a half marathon PR in May - 1:34:49. I know, slightly pathetic, but it was a very flat course (something that isn't popular in Utah; they love fast downhill courses) and I wasn't planning on doing anything other than using it as a training run anyway. So to pop out a PR was pretty cool.

In early May I went on another adventure with my boys Scott, Josh, and Matt. We all headed down to attempt the Zion Traverse, 48 miles across Zion National Park. We went down knowing it would be a battle against the elements and a battle it was. Unfortunately, it was a battle we lost and after 18 miles we had to turn back due to significant rain, snow and mud. But wow, what an adventure. It was a 30 mile effort with almost 6,000 feet of climbing. You can read the full report HERE and watch the video HERE.

The Laramie 100 in June would be my 2nd 100 miler and really the first one I would go into with a racing mindset. While I intended to race it, I wasn't actually in the best 100 mile race shape, so my expectations were low. Surprisingly though, the field was small, but the competition still good and I put forth a solid effort that was good enough for the win. I thought the chances of me ever winning a 100 mile event, regardless of the size was near impossible. To do it on only my 2nd attempt blew me away. More than anything it opened my eyes to my own potential and I went into the rest of the year expecting more of myself. Details are HERE and the video HERE.

As the summer progressed I got more and more involved in personal and family endeavors, but even then I was presented with a really cool opportunity, to run Skyline Drive; a dirt road that goes from HWY 70 north to HWY 6, with most of the road being above 10,000 feet elevation. If completed, it would be 110 miles of pure bliss. Unfortunately, we got pummeled with 30 miles of mud. After 50 miles I called it quits while Davy Crockett continued on to complete 67 miles before giving into the mud. That will definitely be a run I go back and try and finish. Details HERE.

Right after that run all hell broke loose in my home. My youngest son, Max, ended up in the hospital for three weeks with a Colidocal cyst on his bile duct. It was a tough three weeks for our family, but he came out of the two surgeries completely back to normal and healthy as can be.

Ah, the sweet pain of not getting into the Wasatch 100. Well, if I couldn't compete I could help my friend Scott finish. He allowed me to pace him the last 47 miles. He knew that if he could make it 53 I could get him home the last 47. He made it without incident and we had a great time the whole way. Congrats to Scott, he really fought for his first 100 miler. The video is great, check it out HERE.

The real focus of my whole year was the Pony Express 100. I felt like I had prepared well enough to run under 20 hours, but the day itself would tell the tale. Not only did I achieve my goal, but I crushed it, running a 19:18:05 and taking 3rd. The part of the entire race was walking knowing I could go faster. My goal two years from now will try and cut another couple of hours off of that (next year I'll be running it, but not 'racing' as I plan to run the first 50 with my brother Brent for his first 50 miler). It was a great way to cap off racing for the year. Details HERE and video HERE.

The remainder of the year was filled with mediocre training and the newest addition to our family, William. Our fourth and last boy joined our family on December 7th. We are so happy to have him. I don't have a good picture now, so I'll have to add a few later.

So after all of that, how did I answer the original question on Facebook? Once I gave it some thought, there was only one word that could describe my year of ultra running - STELLAR. It was really that good.

Tune in soon for my 2012 goals. If I can even come close to achieving them it will be my best year yet!

Finding Time

2011-12-16T20:36:00.000-07:00

Obviously, since the birth of our new baby I have had little time to get out and run. Top all of that off with the nasty inversion that plagues Salt Lake City through the winter months and it has made for a messy tangle of lack of running coupled with unhealthy running. That being said, I have been able to get out a few times this week and have thoroughly enjoyed each and every step.

Monday was a road loop of only six miles, but it was the first real run since the birth of William, so it was awesome all the same. Well, except for the fact that I had eaten a huge lunch minutes before heading out. If I want to run though, I have to be ready to jump out the front door the second my wife gives me the green light. Draper has a bunch of paved trails that cruise through neighborhoods, keeping you off of the busy roads.

Tuesday was a step in the right direction as I took advantage of a short gap of time and drove up to the Red Rock trailhead and hit an amazing loop that starts on the BST, then heads up Potato Hill, and then finishes by running almost all of Ann's trail around to the BST again. There is 1000 feet of vertical gain, but none of it feels challenging and you can really cruise. For much of the run I had fresh tracks, just floating through the fresh inch of new snow.

The next couple of days were a shamble. It was only today, now back at work, that I could take a long lunch and head back up to those same trails and run a longer version of that loop. This extended course is what I hope to be a killer unofficial half marathon I'll be holding in late January or early February. There is 2500 ft of elevation, you summit a great small peak, and every step of the trail is runnable terrain. The entire route is 13.63 miles long and will make for a great, challenging half marathon. I tacked on another 1.37 miles to cap a full 15 for the day. That was just what I needed to deal with the stress of the last week. Below are a few pictures from several of these trails. Most are in summer, but you get an idea of how awesome the trail system is around here.

Summiting View Benchmark with Mt Timpanogos behind.

Matt running the upper section of Ann's Trail.

Tomorrow I'll have the opportunity to do a group run with the Altra fellas at the Salt Lake Running Co. While it will be a short run, it will be nice to hang with friends again.

Newest Member of the Team

2011-12-07T21:19:00.000-07:00

My wife and I are proud to present the newest member to the Lloyd family, William. He was born this morning at 9:53am. He weighed 8.8 lbs and is 20.5 inches long. Boy and mamma are doing well.

Mud, Sweat, and Laughs

2011-11-14T08:19:00.000-07:00

Half Pregnant Half Marathon

Matt and I have been working on this little fun run for some time and were so happy to see it turn out as well as it did. The weather didn't appear to be cooperating like we wanted, but we weren't deterred. We threw this whole thing together for a pregnant friend who wanted to run one last trail race before she was too prego to run at all. As it turned out she was only able to run the 10k at that.

We had a good showing, considering the dodgy weather: Matt VH, Dan V, Josh G, Eric J, Matt W, Amy F, my mom Mary Kay and her friend Deanna, Aaron W, Kameron K, Brent L, Jeremy and Leslie H, and possible a few I might have missed. We built some horrible trophies for the winners and even had Altra sponsor us with a pair of shoes for the overall half marathon winner.

We started around 9:30am. There was a ton of wind, but the rain and snow had held off. The previous night's rain and warm temps would have a significant impact on the trail conditions, but not until we were in Corner Canyon. Everyone left at the start while I stayed back to wait for the folks we put this race on for. They showed up about 10 min later and we took off. I immediately went out faster than normal so I could try and catch up (like that was going to happen) and just didn't feel like I had a lot of energy. I quickly passed my mom and her friend who were running the 10k and stopped to chat for a second and take a pic.

My mom, Mary Kay, loving the trails on the 10k

At 1.4 miles you come to the first real climb, a short grunter up steep scree and over a rocky hilltop. I had to stop and remove my pants and the extra shirt I had on and I also left my gloves. That cost me a couple of min and hopes of catching more half marathoners. Continuing on I started to feel my legs come around at about mile 2, but nothing like I felt I needed to do well. I passed Steve and Amy returning from the 10k turn-around and gave them both a high 5 as I passed. I then cruised down the BST into Corner Canyon. Turning up towards the Canyon Hollow Trail it wasn't long before I came up on Aaron, Matt's brother, slogging up the mud. We ran together for a second and chatted and then I pressed on up the single track.

Aaron in the early mud

About half way up Canyon Hollow I finally came upon my brother Brent and my friend Kameron. I was actually surprised to see them running up this section. Brent is a good runner, but not much of a trail runner and has had little experience running up the steep stuff. Just as I was passing him he caught a toe and went down in the mud. Awesome. I then passed Kameron and tried to turn on the jets, but they weren't there, so I just pressed as hard as I could. Once on the Corner Canyon road I again tried to turn it up, but the mud was so thick it was like I had 10 lbs weights on my feet. Finally I got to the Clark's trail head and began my descent.

Brent just after falling in the mud

Yesterday, when I marked the trail Clark's was slightly muddy and pretty icy. Overnight the warm temps melted the ice and left a 1.5 mile mudbog. While others may have hated this section I loved it and opened up my pace to completely out of control. I almost fell three different times and had mud completely covering the backs of my legs. Wow, that was awesome.

The mud aftermath

I made it down into the bottom of Corner Canyon without incident and started the climb back on the BST out of the canyon and back the way we came. Near the top of that section I passed Jeremy Howlett, husband of pregnant Leslie and Altra employee who sponsored us. Thanks Jeremy. With a late start he decided to turn back early so he didn't make everyone wait. What a nice guy. I could see Matt up ahead and made it a goal to try and catch him.

Jeremy running up the BST

It took me a little over a mile, but I was finally within shouting distance and made the mistake of yelling, "Matt, I'm gonna catch your A". That was the motivation he needed and sped up. Dang! Even still I pressed on and found that as I rounded the next corner I had made up some ground. I finally caught him about a quarter mile before the last big climb back over the original first hill. He said he had really hit the wall and was struggling. He let me pass as we crossed the bridge and I pushed slowly up the hill. Going down the other side I collected my discarded clothes and really pushed to the finish. I tried so hard to go under 2 hours and pushed the last mile and a half as much as I could, running faster than I ever have before. Even with that I crossed the line 41 seconds over 2 hours and collapsed on the grass. Josh and Dan were there waiting for me, along with my mom and Deanna. Matt came in a few minutes later followed closely by Matt VH. Kameron came in 5 min after them and then Jeremy, but still no sign of Brent and Aaron. We waited for a while and then I checked my phone. Yep, Brent had gotten lost and left me a voice mail. I called him and he said he got way off course, but was now only a mile from the finish. He and Aaron ended up running about 14.5 miles with over 2200 vert. That is probably the hardest thing Brent has ever run and he crushed it. We all then went back to my house for the best BBQ ever and a couple of hours of hanging out. Thanks to everyone who came to both the race and BBQ or just the BBQ. It was a perfect day. And thanks to Altra for sponsoring us.

Pics.

Matt VH finishing

Me and the boys

Kameron finishing

Brent finishing

Eric, Catherine, and cute Elliot

The Wesemann's

I'll post results later.

First Tracks

2011-11-02T08:33:00.000-06:00

Salt Lake received it's first real snow of the season yesterday. I knew it would leave the perfect amount on the lower trails and was excited to take advantage of the opportunity to run in it before it gets miserably deep and cold. Matt and I headed up to the LCC trail to find that we had fresh tracks on half of it. The snow had left a beautiful covering on the trees and stream. It was gorgeous. I had forgotten that feeling of running in an inch of fresh snow when all you can hear is the rhythmic breathing and crunching of snow under your feet. And while I will eventually grow to curse the cold and snow again, I am loving it now and look forward to some great training this winter.

The Perfect Trail Shoe?

2011-10-31T12:37:00.000-06:00

Is there such a thing as the perfect trail running shoe? Few companies have attempted to lay claim to the auspicious honor. Fewer still have even remotely lived up to the relative title of possibly being the best. I won't make the claim right now that the Altra Lone Peak is the greatest trail shoe ever built, I don't think I have the expertise to do that. But upon initial review of the shoe I'm ready and willing to put it up there with the best.

I've worn pretty much all of the top rated trail shoes on the market, at one time or another. I can speak to fit, footbed, pronation, traction, durability, etc. However, when it comes down to it only two things really matter - trail performance and comfort. There is hype flying all over the internet and in magazines about the need for the lightest shoe, the most durable shoe, minimalist shoes or the opposite. What we really want is the most shoe for our money. I'm no different.

In April of this year I gladly changed over to running in the Altra Instinct for both roads and trails. I'm several hundred miles into my 2nd pair (my first pair are still running strong at 650+ miles too) and can say in all honesty that I'll never wear another brand of shoe. I've worn my Instincts in two 100 mile races and in both I never changed my shoes and even wore them home after. I've worn them in road half marathons and on forever long trail training runs, always without a single complaint. To this day I'll vouch for them as the best shoe I've ever worn. Well, except maybe until now. We'll see.

Seth Wold flying in the Altra Lone Peaks at the Pony Express Trail 50 (photo - Frank Bott)

The Lone Peak is a shoe constructed on the same wonderful footbed as the Instinct. Like all their shoes, they are shaped to fit your feet, allowing for your toes to spread while keeping the heel locked down through the full motion of your cadence. Yet, the Lone Peak is more like an Instinct on steriods. They've added a rock plate to the sole. But pay attention, unlike every other shoe companies (that I am aware of), instead of putting the rock plate between the outsole and the midsole, they have put it between the two layers of midsole. This allows for more flexibility on the outside of the shoe, without the internal breakdown. It's literally genius. Additionally, like a real trail shoe they have added just enough additional traction to make the shoe grippy on loose dirt and in the mud. I just ran in them again today in some very loose dirt and felt like I had much better traction - especially uphill - than in the Instinct (obviously). Because of the rock plate and the lugs there is obviously some trail sensitivity lost. But, unless you are an ultra minimalist that shouldn't really matter. I want protection and these certainly offer it. Finally, Altra has added a stronger toe protection on the front and the sides. What seem like meaningless fluff by having a mountain range on the outside and inside of the shoe actually contribute to structural stability and lateral protection from rocks.

Golden Harper, Altra founder, high in the Wasatch (photo - Altra)

From a performance standpoint I found the Lone Peaks to be extremely nimble and movable. I had no problem moving around rocks. The biggest addition I saw over some of my more recent shoes - Inov-8 and La Sportiva - was that there is now more lateral stability due to the wider footbed and rock plate. So it's a couple of ounces heavier per shoe than the lightest ones on the market? Who cares if I'm getting added protection and comfort. The reality is that I can run faster for longer, which translates to better training and race results.

The biggest problem I have with the shoe is that I didn't have them on hand for my Pony Express Trail 100 race just over a week ago. 100 miles on very rocky dirt road would have been much more enjoyable in a shoe with lugs and a rock plate. Don't get me wrong, my Instincts were plenty comfy, but those little pebbles just start to eek through once you are 70+ miles in.

Thanks again Altra, you've outdone yourself.

Pony Express 100 Video

2011-10-25T08:20:00.002-06:00

Pony Express Trail 100 - Race Report

2011-10-23T10:23:00.000-06:00

It's always difficult to know where to begin when trying to put into words the lifetime of experiences you go through during a 100 mile endurance event. However, I'll do my best.

The Pony Express Trail 100 is held in the west desert of Utah. It follows the old Pony Express route that ran from Sacramento, CA to Missouri. The race is 100% roads, is very flat and very straight. It is also unique in that each runner has their own crew, no aid stations. My plan was to have my crew drive ahead every 4 miles and then stop and wait. If I started struggling I could have them reduce that distance, if needed.

I had the wonderful pleasure of having my brother, Brent, crew and pace me in this race. Joining him in these duties would be our mutual friend Ty Hansen, a solid runner and great climber. Brent and I pulled into the starting line at Lookout Pass camp ground on Thursday evening only to find out that Ty wouldn't be joining us until later in the day on Friday due to some work conflicts that came up last minute. I wasn't too worried as I didn't need a pacer until after the 50 mile mark (or further). My real concern was that Brent was really wanting to get out and pace earlier then that, just to get the good miles in.

After a horrible nights sleep in Brent's minivan we rolled out to a pretty uneventful race morning. Like many ultras there was little fanfare. We all lined up, a few jovial comments were shared, and the countdown began. We were off. As expected Jay Aldous (the eventual winner and new crushing course record holder) and Davy Crockett went out like a flash of lightning. I think someone forgot to tell them this wasn't a 10k.

Waiting to start

There really isn't much that can be said about the first 30 miles of this race. I felt really great, I ran a sub-4 hours for the first 26.2 miles, I passed Davy at mile 8 (I've never passed Davy, ever) and expected him to pass me at any moment during the next 20+ miles. I ran a lot of those first 30 miles with Kendall Wimmer, the eventual 2nd place finisher. He is a really great guy and I really enjoyed these miles with him. Together we were constantly amazed by how well we were running and the pace we were keeping. It was really cool.

Probably somewhere around mile 8

Kendall looking strong in the early morning

A beautiful PET 100 sunrise

About mile 20, past Simpson Springs

Around mile 30 is when it started to get really hot. I had hit the 50k mark in a new best time for me at around 4:40. My legs were starting to hurt as they always do at this distance and the black shirt I was wearing (thanks Altra!!!) was soaking up the sun. The temps were only in the low to mid 70s, but out on those dusty dirt roads it felt like 85. I slowed my pace as I made my way up Dugway Pass, took off my shirt, and watched Kendall start to really put some distance ahead of me. The chances of catching him were dwindling. Still ahead of me was Jay and Phil Lowry also, both amazing runners. I was sitting in a solid 4th position, but I knew I had a couple of really good runners behind me - Davy and Tim Long, both who could pass me in an instant if I didn't keep moving well.

On my way up Dugway Pass I met up with Mark Capone who recognized me as a fellow climber. Running/hiking with him really took my mind off my legs and it made the next couple of miles really fly by. At the top of the pass he kept going while I took a short aid stop. I flew down the other side of Dugway Pass (mile 37.5) and just cruised the next 5 miles down past the geode beds, finally passing Mark again at about mile 43. He was looking really good and would go on to finish his first 50 miler in 9:38. Congrats to him. I cruised into and past Black Rock Aid station (and the 50 mile finish), mile 48.5 (the 50 milers have to do a short out and back), without much else going on. I don't really even remember much of that section. I hit the 50 mile mark in 8:14:49. I was hoping to get there at the 8 hr mark, but that 15 min wasn't too much to add on.

Yep, that's tape on my nipple

It was now 3pm and Ty still hadn't shown up. Brent and I were getting worried that he wouldn't show or got lost. At mile 54 I finally passed Jay as he was cruising back from Fish Springs, now 10+ miles ahead of me. He gave me a high-5 and just cruised on past, looking like he wasn't even tired. Amazing. A couple of miles later Brent was trying to get me to eat anything he could get down me and talked me into a bit of yogurt. BAD IDEA. The dairy didn't take long to completely wreck my stomach and I would spend the next 10 miles trying to get over a yucky stomach.

Fish Springs is the turn-around of the race at mile 58. As we were coming up to the aid at mile 56 we turned around and here came Ty waving and screaming out the window. I had been a little down in the dumps and while Brent was driving along side for a short stretch to chat, I really needed a proper pacer and was just praying Ty would show up. His appearance was just the lift I needed.

The great part about this little section is that you get to see who is in front of you and how far they are ahead. We passed Kendall, who had passed Phil; he was about 2 miles ahead of us. Then, just before entering Fish Springs we passed a very down-trodden Phil who looked like he was hurting. It was at that exact moment that I knew I'd eventually catch up and possibly pass him. My stop at mile 58 was short and I turned around and started cruising with my ailing stomach. Once back at Ty's car I told the boys to go drive it to Black Rock and see if someone would take it back to the finish line (which Matt Williams did, thanks Matt), so I had the next four miles or so to myself. At mile 62-ish I finally passed Davy. He had been dealing with the heat, race organization problems, and other things I can't even imagine, but was pushing forward. He told me I wasn't far behind Phil and had a good chance of catching him.

Brent and Ty showed up a short while later and we were back at our new pacing process - aid stops were every two miles where they would switch off pacing duties. It worked very well. We finally passed Phil at mile 67 and cruised into Black Rock aid at mile 68. My stop here was longer than planned, only because I saw so many friends I wanted to congratulate from the 50 mile race. Over the next 10+ miles we kept leap-frogging with Phil, to the point that I was tired of it and just let him go on ahead. I didn't want to have to 'race' for 3rd place, I just wanted my sub-20 hour time. But as we were hiking back up to Dugway Pass there was Phil, sitting in a chair, not a half mile from the top. I had no choice but to pass him. I decided this time I would hit the other side of the pass and try and put some distance between us, hopefully for good.

I think this is coming up to Dugway Pass

Once back to the 'road from hell' and the long 18 miles straight stretch back to the finish line I could keep a relatively good eye on who was behind and guess at how far they were. I was pretty certain I had a decent lead on Phil, but I wasn't sure where Tim Long was as his crew was still passing us every now and again. That could mean he was 2 miles back or 5, we had no idea how to tell. By this point, mile 80+, all I wanted was to have it over. I was still having fun, but my legs were wrecked and I wanted to get out of the dark cold. I was able to maintain an OK shuffle with periodic walking spurts put in. Our 2 mile aid stops were very helpful and I was able to keep them super short. Other than Black Rock I never had an aid stop over 5 min, and I only had two even that long (Black Rock was 9 min). Brent and Ty were awesome at keeping me going.

Hiking out of River Bottom I could see a headlamp not a half mile behind us. Since it didn't stop at Tim's crew car I assumed it was Phil, and he was gaining. With only 8 miles left we were now back to a race for third. I continued to stick with my game-plan and just hope it paid off. With 4 miles left we had a long 3.5 miles of uphill and a half mile of downhill to the finish. Someone passed me and told me Phil was less than a half mile back and running 'like he wanted it'. Something clicked in my head and I just took off. I was now running a 9 min/mile pace uphill, 96+ miles into a race. Brent was pacing me and struggling to keep up. When Ty took over for the last two miles I didn't even stop at the car and just kept running. Ty did his best to keep up, but said that I even dropped him near the top. His positive words of encouragement were incredible as I ran up to the car at the turn-off to the finish where he hopped in to drive down with Brent to take photos and video. I knew I had 3rd in the bag and was looking at a time well below 20 hours.

I crossed the finish line with my boys and only a few race staff in attendance. It was weird to not have Davy there to welcome me in, but he still had work to do. I finished my third 100 mile endurance race in 19:18:05, good enough for 3rd place overall.

The finish line at Simpson Springs

Me crossing the finish

It was freezing, but I needed a pic wearing my Altra shirt.

Brent, me, and Ty. What a crew!!!

First and foremost I want to thank my crew - they were absolutely amazing. I don't know what would have happened without their positive words and encouragement.

Altra Zero Drop shoes make the best shoes on the planet. I ran 100 miles and never changed my socks or shoes. At the finish line I dumped out a little dirt and put them right back on for the drive home. They are the best.

And this will sound weird, but Brent, your chia seed energy gel is amazing. Absolutely amazing.

Refuse to Quit

2011-10-19T11:00:00.001-06:00

'Refuse to Quit'; it's more than just the title of my blog, it's something I feel defines who I am. For me it applies to more than just running, climbing, or peak bagging. It applies to my life, my family, my work, and relationships. It's something I teach my kids, have instilled in my scouts, and try and exemplify in my attitude and character. I hope I've represented the philosophy well.

This week 'refusing to quit' will be about more than just not DNFing in my race. On Friday it will be about refusing to sit and rest, to walk when I should run, and refusing to give in to pain and fatigue. On Friday I am going to toe the line of the Pony Express Trail 100 to race, not just run and finish. Do I really have a chance at winning? I doubt it. But I refuse to believe that I can't try anyway.

You can track my progress at ponyexpress100.org.

Before even starting let me express my gratitude to those who are supporting me in this race . . . . I'll do it with pictures:

My brother; crew and pacer -

My friend Ty; crew and pacer -

Altra Zero Drop Shoes -

Dad, this one is for you!

Race Week

2011-10-17T08:06:00.000-06:00

I came into this week not feeling overly awesome. The last few weeks haven't been the best training either. But all of that said I woke up this morning and actually feel amazing. I'll stretch my legs today and Wednesday, but other than that I won't do any additional running and nothing with elevation.

My race strategy is as follows; run as hard and as fast as I can until I collapse. At that point my crew is allowed to let me wallow in the dirt for 10 minutes, force me to get up, and start the process all over again. It's a solid strategy. I'm getting really excited!

Training Window Begins to Close

2011-10-03T13:43:00.000-06:00

The Pony Express 100 lingers less than three weeks away. Like my other 100 milers I find that even this far before the race it seems to occupy my mind more than just about anything else. I've set a lofty goal for myself and will do everything in my power to achieve it. I believe that my crew and pacers this year (brother Brent and friend Ty) will be a massive help in getting me to that goal. Not only are they strong runners and understand me well, but they are complete goof-balls which is vital in running a 100 mile race.

Training has been quite good. Other than dealing with an on-off lingering Plantar Fasciitis issue I've felt quite well and put in some really good build-up miles. Obviously, my 47 miles 30+ hours of staying awake while helping Scott run Wasatch was a great asset, but I've also done a few other larger runs that have really helped. Last week I ran the Lake Mountain Poop Loop with good friend Matt (who will be running the 50 miler at PET). It was a bit of a slog due to both of us having tummy issues, but we got in 32+ miles only three weeks before our race. Perfect timing. I've also been putting in solid 10 mile+ days, often at a much faster pace then I plan to run at PET100. My vert has continued to stay above 5000 ft/week, which is like doing speed workouts. And most importantly, I feel like my personal life and mental state are better than they have been all year. We are settled into our house, my kids are all healthy, my wife is working a normal schedule at the hospital, and I feel like I have a stronger mental base going into a 100 miler than ever before. I now know I can run 100 miles, and I firmly believe I can do it faster than I ever have before. So that being said, unless I have a fun adventure to post I'm hoping that my next post will be to announce my massive personal success (I'm quite certain I still have no chance to win this thing).

Matt, around mile 28 of the Lake Mountain Poop Loop

Ultra Running and Rock Climbing

2011-09-27T09:56:00.000-06:00

This morning when I got into work I went through my normal routine; check work email, check personal email, look for video updates from the youtube channels I subscribe to, etc. While doing so I saw that Salomon Running posted a new video of the team running a race in South Africa. It occurred to me at that moment how closely ultra running and climbing are physically and mentally.

Physically
I spent years as a rock climbing building my endurance for longer sport and trad routes. I would spend as much time on the rock as possible to develop that long-term muscle endurance that would allow me to sustain the physical strength to accomplish my goal of ascending whatever route I was on, without falling. When I transitioned to bouldering my focus changed to power endurance, being able to push very hard for a shorter period of time, yet maintaining the endurance to repeat my effort in case I failed to accomplish my goal.

Running is no different. I've now spent a few years building my endurance so that I can run long and strong. It has required me to train differently than other people might for a 5k or even a half marathon. I've spent hours on trails in the woods rolling over hills and mountains building my cardiovascular and leg strength, just to the point that I feel I can run much further without red-lining. Now that I've built up that strength my recent focus has been to build my power in climbing longer and steeper hills. I am trying to keep my weekly vertical gain to anywhere above 8000 feet. I'm hoping that the long term payoff is reduced racing and adventure time in more difficult races and trails, specifically the Wasatch 100 and adventure runs in Zion, the Grand Canyon, and Wind Rivers range.

Mentally
Climbers used to be quite unique in their attitude towards traveling the world looking for new and exciting places to climb. They were and are often tagged as 'hippies' or 'transients' as they travel around in VW vans or trucks with shells and beds built up in the back. They travel the country and world in search of the newest areas, beautiful back country, and hardest routes or problems. In reality, many of those climbers are professionals who manage a challenging weekly work schedule and family life. It is simply their weekend outings that tag them as something different.
Many climbers also seem to be in search of that zen state; a near meditative oneness with their surroundings, fully focused on the combination of the physical moment and nature, all at once. It's a unique feeling that can't be found in many, if not most, other activities.

Ultra running seems to be making a similar trend as climbing. I'm reading more and more about runners heading out on pilgrimage to foreign lands in search of new adventures. Whether going to the Alps of Switzerland, Table Mountain in South Africa, or the Grand Canyon of Arizona, runners are leaving jobs and family behind - if even for a very short time - to find a new course, mountain, or back country bushwack that will stimulate their sense of adventure. And like climbers many are driving out to their new destination in vans and trucks with beds built up in the back. It is not uncommon to see this setup at the start of races or the trailheads of some of the nations more common back country hikes.
I actually find that I am even more closely linked with nature when I'm running than I was when climbing. Rarely these days do I take my iPod with me when I'm on the trails. Instead, I like to connect with the ground, the trees, and mountains that surround me. This feeling of zen is most prevalent when I'm running technical downhill trails since they require my complete focus. The moment I lose that focus I often catch a toe and find myself face-down in the dirt. It is during those moments when I'm absolutely in LOVE with what I'm doing because nothing else exists. I'm not bogged down by the stressed of work, money, family, or other pressures of 'normal life' - it's just me and the trail.

Ultimately, I run long distances out in the middle of nowhere because it is fun. But finding these links between two activities I love so much is eye-opening and cool. It's interesting to me to know that there is something innate that drives me to be passionate about two activities that, at face value, seem so drastically different. It's pretty cool, I think.

Wasatch 100 Pacing

2011-09-11T15:16:00.001-06:00

I had the wonderful opportunity to once again be involved as a pacer at the Wasatch 100 Mile Endurance Race. When I didn't get selected in the lottery this year I as sorely disappointed, but once I recovered I decided I'd make the best of it by pacing and helping someone else get to the finish. When my friend Scott Wesemann got selected I knew he'd need some help as this would be his first 100 miler, so we talked and agreed that I would pace him for nearly the entire last half of the race - 47 miles from Lamb's Canyon to the finish in Midway.

For those unfamiliar with the Wasatch 100 it is one of the first 100 mile ultra-marathons. With it's roots dating back to 1980, this year would be the 32nd running of the event. The race runs on mostly single-track trail from Fruit Heights to Midway, UT in the high elevations of the Wasatch mountains. There is over 26,000 ft of elevation gain and the average elevation of over 8,000 ft. The trail is often technical and is rarely flat. Only experienced ultra-runners are encouraged to participate.

Scott has been dedicated to training specifically for this event over the last 7 months, but even then I think he felt he was a little under prepared. However, he had expressed confidence that if he could get the 53 miles to Lamb's Canyon, I would be able to get him to the finish. I had no doubt that was true.

When he did get to Lamb's he was already more than an hour behind schedule (he had a goal time of 30 hours) due to a solid bonk at mile 18. However, he had been helped with a pace the last 14 miles since Big Mountain aid station and was now feeling good and moving well. We got him through the aid station very quick and he and I were heading up Lamb's Canyon road in the fading light. There was a gorgeous gibbous moon (nearly full) and we were looking forward to a beautiful night in the mountains.

1.6 miles up the road we turned onto single track trail that would climb nearly 2,000 feet in 2.5 miles to a saddle and then drop into Millcreek Canyon. The climb for Scott was steady and strong and we passed half dozen other runners and their pacers.We were laughing and joking the whole way as we dropped the mile of steep trail down into the upper Millcreek paved road that would take us three miles back up to the Upper Big Water aid station. Even on this section of steep paved road Scott was moving strong and we passed several other runners. He came into the aid station feeling great and was looking forward to seeing his crew prior to us heading up the Big Water trail towards Desolation aid station.

We didn't stay long at the aid stop and started moving quickly up the trail. He again passed several runners and we cruised up to Dog Lake, sharing stories and making future adventure plans. We did get passed by a few people who took longer at the aid station while we had to make a few adjustment stops, but we weren't concerned; we weren't out there to beat others, just to get Scott to the finish line. While we moved quickly up to Dog Lake, the drop down to the Desolation trail put extra pressure on Scott's aching toes (both his big toenails were crammed and wrecked) and he had to slow down due to painful feet. The steep climb back up to Desolation Lake really took a lot out of him too. However, when we got to the aid station we were still having a lot of fun joking with the volunteers. We didn't stay long as there were several very tired and beat up runners and it was just depressing.

Scott making me feed him a PB&J at Desolation Lake

Out of Desolation you have to climb more than 500 feet up to the Wasatch Crest trail, then run 4 miles of some of the most stunning single-track this state has to offer. It runs nearly right across the ridge and you can see into both Park City and Big Cottonwood Canyon. The moon was still high, the temps were cool, and all of a sudden Scott found a gear he didn't even know he had. Since the trail casually rolled up and over small hills he didn't have to worry much about his toes and could keep a very steady running pace. It was incredible to watch as he moved over terrain that everyone else had to slowly hike. He flew into Scott Hill aid station, mile 70, looking like he had barely gone 25 miles. However, in reality he was tired and it was getting pretty cold. He asked to sit for a few minutes and eat some chicken broth (I had strict rules about sitting down and getting near fires). In the cold air his muscles tightened up and he had a hard time getting going again. Soon after the trail turns to dirt road, then pavement, both of which are quite steep as you loose 1500 vertical feet in 5 miles before reaching Brighton Ski Resort, the aid station at mile 75 and a place often referred to as "The Morgue". Scott had to walk the entire 5 miles and was pretty wrecked as we stepped into the warm air of the smaller lodge.

Above Desolation Lake along the Wasatch Crest trail

The stop at Brighton was long, but necessary. There were many runners who were looking like they weren't going to make it, one of which was elite runner Phil Lowry who had gotten very sick 3.5 hours earlier and had since been sleeping on the floor in the back room ever since. He still had time to finish if he could get up and start moving again, but that would require him being able to keep some food and drink down first. I ate awesome food and talked with several friends who were either running or pacing and just happened to be there at the same time while Scott recovered by getting a leg massage from his crew chief Greg. Scott ate really well and that helped his energy.

Even though the stop was 40 minutes we still got him out of there and up the trail towards Catherine Pass and a merge onto the Great Western Trail. It was a very slow climb up the 1,000 ft ascent to the pass. Scott was not in top form at this point and can you blame him, he was 75 miles into one of the toughest 100 milers on the planet. He had never traveled more than 50 miles by foot ever before and that was nearly a year ago on a very flat course. Half way up the pass here came Phil Lowry, now recovered and moving strong. We got to the top at the same time as several other runners and started down the very steep and technical descent down to Ant Knolls aid station. Scott's toes were now unbearable and his pace slowed to less than 2 miles an hour while moving down hill. We came into Ant Knolls and he looked really wrecked.

It was vital that I got him out of there as quickly as possible and back on the trail. I wouldn't allow him to stand by the fire or sit near the heater. He ate some hash browns and sausage, drank some Coke and Gu Brew and we were off onto the trail again. The next climb is the steepest of the entire race, but it is also very short. Once on top of the hill we headed south towards Pole Line Pass in the morning glow of the beautiful sunrise. Because it was slightly uphill or flat Scott was able to run again and we soon started making better time.

When we reached Pole Line Pass aid station the sun was now up and we were warm once again. I allowed Scott to sit in a chair by the fire while I fed him eggs and sausage. When I turned my back to throw something away and then looked at him again he had fallen asleep. He had now traveled 84 miles and had been on his feet for 26 hours. While I fully understood why he was sleeping I couldn't allow it to continue. With a not-so-gentle "wake up princess" I got him to his feet and made him start moving again.

The next section to Rock Springs is a very pretty trail as it winds up the west side of a small mountain. Below are beautiful lakes and above is always looming the amazing Mt Timpanogos to the west. The trail is mostly a gradual incline with only a few very steep climbs that never last more than 30 yards. Incredibly, 85+ miles into his run Scott was still able to slowly run the lower grade climbs while everyone else walked. We pushed ahead and came around to the south and into Rock Springs. It would be a quick stop as I knew it was time to push him to the end, now only 13 miles away.

Less than a half mile beyond Rock Springs are two sections of trail called "The Dive" and "The Plunge". They are apply named as they are frighteningly steep, loose, and covered in a fine layer of dirt. This dirt works into your shoes and quickly irritates the skin on your feet and toes and it gets ground in over the next several miles. With Scott's already wrecked big toes you can only imagine how slow this section went. It caused him more pain then I've ever seen him go through. In all the adventures I've done with him I had never seen him like this. He had lost his sense of humor and while he would continue to talk to me he wasn't jovial and just wanted it to be over. Having run 2 races of this distance before I knew how he felt and respected his quiet attitude. It was now just about getting to the finish line.

Feet from moving into The Dive

Once through both of those sections we still had 4 miles of meandering trail through the Aspens before we would get to Pot Bottom, the final aid station before pushing to the finish. Most people who haven't run Wasatch hate this section as it seems to go the opposite way it should, west and uphill. Every turn is a disappointment as you expect it to start going downhill towards the eventual aid station. Since I had run this section last year I knew what was coming and had prepared Scott for it. Unlike most others we actually enjoyed this section and Scott specifically thought it was very pretty and runnable. We came into Pot Bottom with high hopes of now getting to the finish line and doing so in good time. Scott flew through the aid station and started up the trail before I was even done eating my sandwich.

The trail to the finish from Pot Bottom is pretty easy - a 500 ft climb up a dirt road and then a 2500 ft drop down through ATV trails and single-track to a paved road that leads to the finish line. While Scott had to walk much of the downhill he picked it back up into a running pace once we hit the pavement. Soon after we met his wife and kids. His three daughters dropped in next to him and ran with him to the finish line where I had run ahead to take pictures and video. It was an emotional finish and beautiful to watch. He had traveled 100 miles on some of the most difficult trails in the US. He had been on his feet for 32 hours and 45 minutes and he had come in triumphant. It was an honor for me to run with him, to be a part of this wonderful experience, and I'm very happy for Scott and what he was able to accomplish.

The Desire to Run Faster

2011-09-04T00:01:00.000-06:00

For any of us, regardless of our passion or profession, I believe it is in our nature to try and better ourselves. With what effort we can we try and throw out those negatives that might hold us back from bettering our best; growing older, lack of time, no resources, the list goes on. And even when we are progressing, I think (and hope for that matter) that most of us - at least those of us who actually care about the things we do - still want to make that big jump up to another significant level instead of having to take baby steps.

I'm trying not to be overly specific here since this way of thinking applies not just to running (which is what I'm obviously going to be talking about), but may also applies to a persons career, family life, and other recreational endeavors. As for me though, this is of course about running.

Like any competitive person I want to get better at running because it is what I love and I want to compete at my absolute best level. However, as an ultra-runner I believe it is considerably more difficult than the average road marathoner for a few reasons:

While many people experience a mental and/or physical low during a marathon, ultra-runners often experience several. Managing through multiple lows can have a major impact on ones overall race time.
Time at one or two aid stations during a road half or full marathon might impact your overall time by up to a couple of minutes. In an ultra the same delays at the up-to a dozen or more aid stations can impact your overall time by an hour or more.
While many people in marathons have to stop for a bio-break, ultra runners have to do it many times (hopefully, if not they are in trouble). Again, a big impact on overall time.

There are more, but I'll just leave those as a simple example. It boils down to this, if I want to make a significant jump in my ultra-running ability, I have to be prepared to make a few major changes. Until 2011 my previous best 50 mile time was just over 9 hours. I set a goal going into the Antelope Island 50 Miler of 8 hours, a full hour faster than my previous best. That 9 hour 50 was run during the first half of the Pony Express 100 miler last fall, on a very flat course. Antelope Island 50 has three times as much vert and much of it was run on technical single-track instead of wide open dirt road. I knew that to accomplish my goal I'd have to run faster and spend less time at aid stations. Sticking to my race strategy I was able to run a 8:02, accomplishing my goal. I think it's pretty impressive considering I had a real low-point for about 15 miles during the race and almost dropped.

I've been reading reports of elite runners going sub-20 hours on tough courses and much faster on the flatter ones. While I know that's well out of my league right now I do have the desire to at least go sub-20 hours on a flat, faster course. It's my goal to go under 20 hours this year at Pony Express 100. To do that I will have to knock off more than 2.5 hours from last year's time. And my only basis of comparison in a 100 miler since was at Laramie where I ran 23:21. While it was 40 min slower than my first 100 miler, the course was significantly harder, was run at elevation, and I was really not feeling it that day. So to add only 40 minutes onto a course that had 10,000 ft more vert and was run on a slightly technical course (a few of the miles on the loop were technical) is a huge jump in performance, at least that is how I'm viewing it.

So how do I go sub-20 this year at Pony Express? Well, the reasons are numerous:

First and foremost, I can't bonk at mile 18 and then continue to flail until mile 31. I was a wreck at mile 20, sitting on the back of the car bumper with ice on my legs. I lost 40 minutes over the several times I spent just sitting there icing my legs.
Avoid any kind of allergic reaction. Ha. If you need to know what I'm talking about, read last year's race report.
Shorten my longer aid stops. In a 100 miler I expect to have 2 - 3 longer stops (upwards of 10 min). However, last year I had at least two stops that were in the 20 min range. My goal this year will be to keep all stops under 5 min. It might be hard to do, but it's a goal.
Run more consistently the last 40 miles. I just need to run more and walk less, it's simple math.
Finally, fuel better. I have a much better understanding of fueling this year and plan to take full advantage of it. If I can keep my energy up then I can run faster, longer.

So that's the plan. Will it result in a less than 20 hour finish? We'll see. I have one last long run while I pace my friend Scott for the last 47 miles miles of the Wasatch 100, then run a couple of additional good weeks before a nice taper. If all goes well I'll be more physically ready for this year's race than anything I've ever done before. Time will tell.

Make the Time

2011-08-31T11:50:00.002-06:00

We are coming up on the three weeks of my youngest son Max being in the hospital. However, due to a successful surgery last Friday and a very strong recovery we are hopeful that we will get to go home this coming weekend. The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of craziness. While my wife has become a resident of the hospital, someplace she already works and says she spends far too much time at already, I have been driving back and forth between home and here; picking up Sam and/or Tyler, helping out with football, moving the lawn, and generally just trying to keep everything else outside of this hospital together.

Needless to say my running has taken a backseat.

However, I have been able to schedule time with work, my wife, and parents to open up a day or two here and there to get in a few longer runs, while at the same time squeaking in additional very shorts runs on a few of the other days. This is a report of what I've been able to get out and do the last 7 days.

Wednesday, Aug 24th: Lamb's Canyon to Brighton, a preview of the Wasatch 100
22 miles, 6500 ft vert
Starting very early in the morning I headed out into the darkness with Scott and Adam. None of us had ever run the section from Lamb's Canyon up and over into Millcreek. It is an incredible section of trail. The northeast facing slope is lush, overgrown forest that (for the most part) casually sweeps up the hillside until it crests on the saddle one peak to the northeast of Mt Aire. I found this section really gorgeous. Then it's a very steep descent down to the Millcreek Canyon Rd and up to the Big Water/Dog Lake trailhead. I had run the rest of the trail from that point to Brighton, although in the other direction. This is all I'll say about this section; it is stunningly beautiful, but slow. For much of this 14 miles section you get to see views of both Park City and the Cottonwood ridges. You pass several lakes, can pull from a couple of natural springs, and with a bit of luck dodge a few moose and deer. Running the Wasatch Crest is one of my favorite trails near Salt Lake. I just love it. Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling it on this day. No matter what I did I couldn't find the energy to really push. Regardless, I still had a great time. I can't wait to pace Scott on this section in just over a week. Here are a few pics from trip.

Atop Desolation Peak

On the saddle between Lamb's and Millcreek.

On the Wasatch Crest

Saturday, August 27th: Timpanogos
14 miles, 4400 ft vert
I knew that running this on an early Saturday morning would be more like a visit to a big-named concert than a pleasant run in the mountains. Mt Timpanogos and the Timpooneke trail leading to it's summit is, by far, the most popular trail destination on a Saturday morning in all of Utah. Coeds from BYU love to start their hike at midnight and get to the summit just in time to watch the sunrise. Countless others start their hikes throughout the night and into the next morning, basically clogging up the trail from bottom to top and back; from midnight until late in the day, making it a complete circus to try and run on any given Saturday between August and October. And yet, even with this description, we went undeterred. Silly, right?

It was a very casual run up. Matt had to stop for a potty break very early on and I continued up. I didn't feel super strong, but I was able to maintain a running pace much further up the trail then ever before. I was watching my splits (yes, I track splits at certain landmarks on Timp) and was a minute or two behind my normal pace much of the way up. When I hit the saddle at 1:36 (mile 6) there were already 50 people there watching the sunrise. Generally I think these people are idiots, but this particular Saturday I couldn't blame a single one of them for making the pilgrimage to even this point (700 ft below the summit). The sunrise was a mind-blowing pink and orange and filled the eastern sky. Even in my hurry to reach the summit I had to stop in wonder if that beautiful moment. While there several coeds asked how long it had taken me to reach that point, and when I told them my time heard several gasps, awes, and a bunch more congratulations on getting their so fast. That gave me the boost to really push to the top and I found myself up there in 1:54, only 2 minutes behind my previous best time. Matt got there fewer than 5 minutes later. He was impressive, for sure.

We stayed for only a few minutes. I simply couldn't handle being up there with the hordes of idiots rambling on about their classes, weird friends, and general pointless gossip. I was pretty dang tired hitting the summit and wasn't sure how I'd fair going back down, but as soon as I hit the trail I let my legs go and I found a gear I've never used on Timp before. I call this gear 'Out of Control'. Ha. Regardless of the fact that there were hundreds of people coming up and going down the trail I had to constantly avoid I was still able to cut 8 full minutes off my previous best descent time. That turns out to be more than 1 min/mile faster. Even for me, someone who LOVES to run down technical trails, that is impressive. I can't wait to get back up there on a weekday when there are fewer people and see what I can really throw down.

Previous trip photo

Tuesday, August30th: The Pfeifferhorn
9.5 miles, 3800 ft vert
The last time I went up the Pfeifferhorn was at least six years ago. I wasn't a runner then and was happy with a 10 hour round trip time. Back then I went up to get time on the snow practice my mountaineering skills. I have never been up there when all the snow is gone and the green tundra and small lakes and ponds abound. How have I missed this beautiful scenery for so long?

I went up with Scott and we cruised up to Red Pine Lake pretty quick. I was ahead by a couple of minutes and took a bit of a wrong turn and ended up on a ridge to the east of the lake, instead of the direct route to the south. I was hoping to get a pretty fast time up, but between my wrong turn and the technicality of the trail I found myself more than 15 minutes behind schedule. I felt ok, if maybe a little sluggish, but how bummed can you be when you are surrounded by a place so beautiful. I liken it to the Swiss Alps, it certainly has that feel. Thanks to my wrong turn Scott was now ahead of me. I quickly caught up to him though and we pushed across the plateau to the scary ridge then up to the summit. I was more than 15 minutes behind schedule and no hope of reaching my goal, but I went after it anyway.

Going down I went back into my new 'out of control' gear and really let it fly. Moving down the extremely steep summit and down into the cirque are very slow, but I still was able to push fast. I love that kind of crazy trail running. Rock hoping, which usually stops people dead in their tracks, is something I relish and can generally move very fast. Then, down on the lower trail where it is super rocky and covered in roots I just focused on not catching a toe. Even then, on one of the smoother sections I still went down hard, rolling off the trail and down the steep hillside. I popped back up and continued on, losing only a minute or so overall. I hit the bottom in 1:45:16, 2 minutes faster than I was hoping to go. It was really cool to make up 18 minutes on the descent. Here are some awesome pics from the day.

Now it's time to look forward to pacing Scott for 47 miles at Wasatch 100 and then changing my focus to my big fall race, the Pony Express Trail 100 where I hope to go under 20 hours.

Life Happens

2011-08-20T19:56:00.000-06:00

It's been a week since the Quest for King's Marathon and I'm still here in the hospital with my son. We are still waiting for his lipase levels to come down in his pancreas so that they can do the final surgery. We are hoping it will happen on Wednesday. Then we just have to wait out his recovery and he'll be back to normal. Then, with a bit of luck, our lives will be back to normal.

I've only had time to run once in the last week. I can feel the lack of miles on my legs and can't wait for the day when I can get back on a normal workout program. But right now I wouldn't be anywhere else. Max gets better every day (until he has the surgery and then he'll go back into the recovery phase) and for a good portion of the day he is even a happy little boy, playing with his dinos and cars. These are the moments we look forward to and try to enjoy, knowing that later he will have to have his dressings changed or get checked by the docs, neither of which he likes. It's only time though and time passes, usually quite quickly. Soon we'll look back on this as a growing experience, at least until the bills start rolling in. Ha.

Quest for King's 2011

2011-08-15T16:59:00.000-06:00

Well, the third annual Quest for King's Marathon is in the bag. We had close to 15 people show up this year, all of whom had a great experience, or so I hear. I wasn't there.

The day before the race I ended up having to take my son to the hospital. It turned out to be the right choice because what we thought was only slightly serious turned out to be quit serious. He is still here and will continue to be here for up to a couple more weeks with a surgery in there somewhere.

I've read several reports from the race, however, and everyone reported they had a great time. You can read several of them here: Aaron K (winner), Scott W, Matt V, Josh, and Mr. Crockett himself.

Next year I plan to not only be there, but even have it a little more organized. I'd like to try and get most everyone gathered the night before, have a big bonfire and just socialize and enjoy the time we all have together. Then the next day have a proper start and something at the finish to welcome everyone back. But that will have to wait. For now my focus is on my son.

Thanks to everyone who showed up and ran. I'm glad everyone was safe and had a good time. Pics to come in the next couple of days.

Wasatch Whoa!!

2011-08-08T11:33:00.001-06:00

While I will not be running the Wasatch 100 this year I have a friend, Scott, who will. The current plan is to pace him at least the last half of the race. His preparation has included running a lot of the course. In the last week he's run from the start to Bountiful B and the section from Big Mountain to Lamb's Canyon. He is feeling pretty prepared.

However, one concern for him and something I noticed that could be a real concern for everyone is how much the course is overgrown in the first 53 miles. He mentioned last week that there were sections near Francis Peak and Bountiful B that were so overgrown you would lose the trail in a matter of 100 yards. Likewise, while we were running the last half mile into Lamb's Canyon the trail completely disappeared. We ended up going a quarter mile too far and had to bushwhack up a hill onto the golf course. Even with trail marking, if the markings are close enough in these sections a lot of people will get very lost. They still have a month to clear some of the really bad spots and mark it completely, but unlike past years the foliage is a lot more overgrown and there should be some sincere concern for how the course will run for up until Lamb's Canyon. Below are some pics that represent how overgrown it is.

Skyline Drive Attempt

2011-08-03T11:30:00.000-06:00

On Monday August 1, 2011, along with friend Davy Crockett, we attempted to run the entire 110 mile long Skyline Drive in central Utah. The route runs from Hwy 70 near Richfield all the way to Hwy 6 up Spanish Fork Canyon. Much of the road is above 10,000 ft elevation.

Due to a very heavy snow year and recent storms we encountered over 30 miles of intermittent mud - thick, sticky, clay mud that hung to your shoes like lead weights - we were unable to complete the entire course. I made it 50 miles before quitting and Davy went a total of 67. While difficult it was still beautiful and amazing. Below are some highlights and then a video. Enjoy.

- We hit serious mud at mile 9. Our crew vehicle had to turn around and drive many miles to a future meeting place. The mud continued to last for 7more miles and took us over 3 hours to get through.

- At mile 37 I rounded a knoll to find Matt and Josh (our crew) asleep (or so it appeared) in fold-out recliners both facing the most stunning sunrise I've seen in years. I actually got choked up.

- More mud. And the kind of mud that sticks to your shoes making them weigh about 5 lbs more than they should.

- Glaciated snow fields covered the road at 2 places, forcing Matt and Josh to drive hours in the opposite direction and miles around to a distant meeting spot.

- There were 5 miles of running where I actually felt really good. Physically I felt pretty great the whole run, but mentally I was a wreck from the time we started. Having been gone all last week I think I just really wanted to be at home with my wife and kids. But I had made a commitment to Crockett and wanted to do the run, so I was conflicted.

- At mile 47 my stomach turned south. It wasn't bad enough that I was stopped in my tracks, but it was the excuse I was looking for to quit at mile 50. That was the darkest running moment of my career. I've never quit anything I've tried before, except when I was in physical danger. I just quit because mentally I couldn't handle it. I was mad at myself for giving up and was thoroughly disappointed in myself for letting Crockett down. I quit wallowing in my own self-pity about 3 hours later and went on to try my best to support Crockett whom we never saw till he also called it quits.

- Crockett ran an additional 17 miles after I stopped, which took him 7 hours, all thanks to MUD!!!!! It was then he knew that he couldn't finish because it would have taken us about 12 hours longer than planned and we all have to work. He ran a total of 67 miles.

It was an awesome experience though. And I still got to run 50 miles in some of the most beautiful country in Utah. Enjoy the video.

Red Pine to White Pine - WOW

2011-07-22T18:43:00.000-06:00

Taking off a bit early today I headed up to the White Pine trailhead in LCC. Just before getting to the parking lot there were a number of cars parked on the side of the road and people directing traffic. Immediately I knew someone was hurt. I thought it would be a cyclist, but in this case it was a long boarder. He was laying in the middle of the road with people attending to him. As I looked to the left I saw, on the side of the road, his longboard and a full-face helmet. I had hopes he'd be ok, but was uncertain. I'll come back to him later.
I was off by 2:30pm up the trail. The temps were perfect and felt comfortable my shortish shorts, no shirt, and Altras with no socks (the socks I brought today are too thick and I like going sockless anyway). I took only one handheld and two power bars. The first mile up to the Red Pine Lake turn-off is a great, mellow warm-up as it gains only about 350 - 400 in elevation. From there it turns more into traditional single-track as it wraps around the mountain. The trail is gorgeous though and I love this section. However, it was also here I heard Life Flight coming in to pick up the boarder. My heart went out to him. About a half mile before the Maybird turn-off the trail gets considerably steeper and I had to slow to a walk. It was more because of the side cramp I had than anything. I had been dealing with it for a half hour now and it was just getting unbearable. I have only myself to blame thanks to a poor diet the last few days and not nearly enough water.

It was at the Maybird turn-off that I passed a group of hikers and one warned, "it's snow from the rest of the way". "Cool, thanks", I replied and kept on trucking. My Altras are seriously lacking in tread these days so the best I could do was muster a walk through the steep sections. I even had to pick up a long stick to help me keep my balance. I told myself that if I could get to Red Pine Lake in under an hour I would have a shot at the summit. I got there in 49:00. That seems cool, but it's only 3.25 miles to the lake. Ha.

I started working my way around the lake on the east side as it slowly gained in altitude toward the ridgeline heading up to the sub-Pfeif. There was a lot of steep snow ahead and a long way to go. My hopes of getting to the summit were fading. Then I looked to my left and saw White Baldy and it looked pretty snow-free, especially if I could go up the northeastern ridge - an only slightly precarious scramble up 3rd and 4th class rock - something I'm generally very comfortable on. As I made my up there I started doing the mental math about how much time I had and it wasn't looking good, so instead I thought I'd just cruise up to the saddle and hang out for a bit, eat my snacks, and cruise down. I was already above 10,500 ft elevation and was 4 miles in.

On the saddle I realized I was looking over into White Pine basin and the lake. Hm, I've never been over there or on that trail. I wonder if I can get down there? This 400 ft cliff I'm standing on might pose a problem. I looked to my right, and as a large cliff loomed above, it did look like only slightly frightening 4th class scrambling down to a large snowfield. I bet I could get down that, mountain goats do it all the time. About 15 ft down my slightly frightening course became a little more like 'moderately terrifying'. I bet Scott would be crying right now and Josh wouldn't have even tried. Haha . . . uh . . . As I got to the snowfield it seemed a bit too steep to just jump on and start sliding. My trusty ice axe - err, I mean my broken in half stick - and water bottle shoved in the back of my shorts (sorry Matt) - would work, but probably not on stuff that steep. Instead, I continued my scary scramble down, only slipping on my foot once and got to a place I felt comfortable sliding. PHEW!

The slide was AWESOME. I probably slid about 600 vertical ft and a full quarter of a mile. However, as I came to a stop I realized that my shorts had filled up with snow and I couldn't get it out. I hope no one was down at the lake watching me because I had to drop my shorts to my ankles to fish out all the snow. Uh, sorry innocent bystanders. I then cruised up and over a little knoll and down to the very obvious trail. I met up 4 hikers and asked if they saw me up there and they said No. Double phew! We were all crossing a steep snow traverse and I just took a few giant steps and then slid down. They must have thought it was cool because they were hollering pretty loud. I then hit the trail and cruised the three miles back to the car. The trail was wet most of the way, but it didn't matter, I was already wet and gross. I passed several other hikers on the way down. I sure love seeing people up there enjoying the mountains.

Back at the car I got settled and headed down .The Police were still cleaning up the area and as I drove by I saw the large area of blood that had been caused by the accident. I asked an officer if he knew if the guy was ok and he said he didn't know. I responded, "how sad" and he agreed.

My immediate thought to the accident was that it was so unnecessary, that it was a stupidly dangerous act that he shouldn't have been doing. I then quickly put myself in check as it occurred to me that that is exactly what I had been doing not an hour before. I was no different. The more I thought about it I asked myself, are any of us any different? How many of us going running in the dark without a light or reflective vest? How many run solo in the mountains? How many run long runs without water or fuel? In those situations we are all pushing our limits and the limits of safety and common sense. He was just doing what he loves, who am I to judge him for what seems dangerous? Geez, I've probably risked my life countless more times than that dude. So my heart goes out to him and to his family. I really hope he is ok.

Avg Pace - 15:45, 3030 vert

p.s. if you want to see just how steep that descent was off the saddle, view the route in Google Earth. YIKES.

Mt Timpanogos Attempt

2011-07-19T14:00:00.001-06:00

I made an attempt at Timp last week with Matt, Scott (it was his birthday), and Josh. We made it to just below the saddle. We had major snow from about 9500 ft to where we turned around. As a preface, I told the boys that I wasn't out to go mountaineering and that if at any time I felt like we were in too much snow we should just turn around and go find other trails to run on. I, apparently, am not a man of my word once I get in the mountains.

The trail is in great shape until you get up into the lower basin.

From there it is basically completely covered in snow from there to the saddle. You can catch the trail off and on until you start across the lower basin and then we just lost it altogether.

It was at that point that we just started making our way up the slope towards the upper basin and cirque. We had completely lost the trail and trying to find it again would have taken some scary traverses across exposed slopes, or so we thought. Instead we chose to go straight up, which, while steep was not super scary (for me), but did get a little sketchy at times.

Once in the upper basin it was very much like glacier travel until we hit the cirque. Normally the trail switchbacks up to the saddle, but since there was no trail we opted to just go straight up. We were prepared for snow travel, but not mountaineering (except Scott who had full-on crampons and an ice axe, which he had already cut his hand on previously). We had spikes and trekking poles which would be enough for what we did, but not for anything a little more committing.

We made our way up into the cirque by going straight up into the cliff band below the saddle. Straight up, seriously. We even climbed some 4th class to top out the cliff band. It was there where we decided to call it quits and turn around. We were just out of time and the way to the saddle looked pretty committing. The entrance onto the saddle still had a lot of snow and a massive cornice that we would have had to go around, right above a super scary cliff. We made the right choice.

We hung out on top of the cliffband for a while with the summit looming overhead, totally taking in the scene and the fact that we were totally alone. It was awesome. We then glassaded down the steeper slopes. Matt and Josh had never done that before, so it was a new experience for both of them. We took some video that you can watch on the link to my photobucket page, linked at the bottom.

We actually found the trail heading down through the lower basin, which was nice. We made all the snow crossings and we really able to cruise the rest of the way to the bottom. While it doesn't seem like there was a lot of distance in the trip, the 4 hour effort we put in was really what mattered. It was so much fun I can't even explain and it was worth every step. I can't wait to go back.

Avg Pace - glacial, 3504 vert

Draper Resident

2011-07-11T10:39:00.000-06:00

Well, we are finally moved to Draper, UT. It's nice to be in our own house and having the room to spread out and grow. We love the home, the yard, and the neighborhood. And I love being so close to the Draper Trail system. They definitely have some of the best trails in the Salt Lake Valley. I've run them more times then I can count and now that I'm a resident they are closer than ever.

So what's it gonna take to get the city to name one after me? Seriously, it's only a matter of time. Hahaha.

Quest for King's Marathon

2011-07-07T14:36:00.000-06:00

I've finally updated the Quest for King's Marathon page with details pertaining to the 2011 run. I would love it if we had more people turn out this year.

The current plan is to run it on August 13th, starting at 8am. We'll camp the night before a little further down the road from the main campground to accommodate everyone and have a nice fire the night before. Details came be found on the website: https://sites.google.com/site/questforkings/home.

Like last year, even though this isn't a race the first person back does get to keep the cowbell!

Laramie 100 Video

2011-07-06T08:17:00.002-06:00

I finally found time to set up my computer at the new house and create the video for my race. I hope you like it.

Laramie 100 Race Report

2011-06-28T11:02:00.003-06:00

Place - 1st Overall

Time - 23:21:00 Vertical gain - 13,000 ft.

I chose this race because it was cheap and I could run it and another 24 hour race in September (that I've now decided not to race) for the same cost that was refunded to me for not getting into Wasatch. I knew nothing about the race other than it is on a loop course and it is in the middle of Wyoming. I made Matt and my 13 year old son, Tyler, come along with me as crew and pacers.

Gear for the race:
Altra Instinct shoes - the best shoe ever. I had never done more than 36 miles in a single shot in them, but was confident that they would be the best shoe for the race. They were better than I could have imagined. If you haven't checked out Altra yet, do it now. They are more than just another shoe company, they are redefining what shoes are meant to do to enhance running altogether.
Life Is Like a Run shirt - my friend creates these amazing shirts. His phylosophy is in the name. Life really is like a run and was very much like this race.
Ultimate Direction water bottles - UD makes the best handhelds in the business!
Wasatch Running Center - for all my other running gear and needs. These guys are the BEST!

The drive out is actually worth noting. First, it's a long drive. Second, it's even longer because we got stuck for an hour and a half in stand-still traffic because the freeway was closed due to a diesel truck that caught on fire. We spent our time throwing the football and playing sudoku on our phones (I really, really suck at it). We then stopped at a Pizza Hut in Laramie for dinner and received a full-on redneck welcome. Scary. We didn't get to the start/finish campsite until 10ish, quickly set up camp and settled in. The race wasn't supposed to start until 9am so I was looking at a really good night's sleep.

The Laramie 100 is actually four different races; a 100 miler (there were 9 registered and we were considered the 'hardcore' dudes), a 24 hour solo, a 24 hour relay, and a 12 hour solo. All four events were to start at the same time and run the same course - a 5.6 mile loop up through the mountains in the Happy Jack recreation area. I was excited because while the overall elevation profile was pretty good at 13,000 ft of climbing total, the description said that in each 800 ft of elevation gain each lap, 700 ft came in a single climb that lasted 2 miles. 350 ft/mile sounded cruiser. I would soon learn that like much in this race, that was not accurate.

I woke early, about 6:30am and we were all up and moving around by 7am. It didn't take long to realize that the biggest challenge of the race would be the mosquitoes, at least for Matt and T. After a short pre-race meeting the gun went off and we were rolling right into a short section of single-track. I was in 4th behind a 24 hr guy and two relay dudes. After only 200 yards I passed the 24 hour guy (Jay) and the two fasty relay guys took off at a sprint. I was in the lead for the 100 milers.

So here's what I really found out about the course. It's about a half mile of single-track to another half mile of dirt road. Then finally another .6 miles of double-track until you cross two streams. This is all very mildly downhill. At that point you start "the climb". As it turned out it wasn't a single climb for 2 miles, but a series of short, steep climbs that crest, then drop, then rise again. The actual profile would look more like a roller coaster than a long, easy climb. While runnable on fresh legs they were brutal on tired ones. After the last steep climbs (the last three and hardest climbs I named "the switch backs", "the bitch", and "the whore" - sorry for my swearing) we rolled over to the top little aid station then cruised downhill through a few easy rollers and then a steep plunge back to the start/finish. Each lap we'd alternate directions, which is great because you can always see how close you are to those behind and in front. It's also a wonderful way to cheer on people and make friends.

I came into my first aid stop about 5 min ahead of 2nd place. From then on that lead would continue to grow. He (Jeremy) pushed me for about 10 hours, always staying within 20 - 30 min, but then he kind of crashed for a while and I knew I had it in the bag at that point. Let me just hit on a few of the interesting points and shorten this thing up.

I had my usual "doubt myself and want to quit" at mile 20 like I always do. Once I put my headphones on that went away though.

My quads were wrecked by mile 30. Seriously, dead tired. I just figured that the pain couldn't get any worse and I might as well keep running hard. I attribute the fatigue and pain to moving my home earlier in the week.

Matt and T could start pacing at 8pm, 11 hours after the start. When they started their first lap with me I was on mile 56 and was having some cramping in my diaphragm. I felt good and wanted to push hard, but I just couldn't with the cramping. I was really grumpy and this was my lowest point of the race. I knew that if I could get it to go away I could go strong again. The boys tolerated me for that lap and then forced some real food in me and I was immediately fixed. T ran one more lap and then settled in for a few hours around the fire, hoping to run the last two laps with me at the end for a total of 22 miles and 3200 ft of vert. On that 2nd lap with the boys I told them that things slow way down during the night in a 100 miler. But, looking at Matt, we had spent all winter running in the dark and we were going to 'own the night'. And own it we did. After Tyler took his rest Matt and I really began to push. Within two laps we saw the lead on Jeremy (2nd) go from 25 min to 40. I don't know if it was demoralizing to him or if he just bonked, but he disappeared soon after and we thought he dropped.

This was at about 3am. Matt and I were a barrel of laughs. We'd stop at the top little aid station and joke with everyone and then cruise down and do the same with the RDs and the relay people who were still awake. They loved us. Tyler was always around and was the most popular person at the race. Everyone was blown away by how cool this 13 year old was.

With 5 laps left I was asking about the "short out and back" we'd have to do at the end to get our full 100 in. Once they did a little math they realized that with this slightly shorter course (by .2) this year we needed to run a full additional lap. Sheesh. That was a blow. Oh well, we just kept pushing. It got very cold at the start/finish and the lower sections of trail in the early morning, but up high it was very nice all night long. When the sun came up just after 5am Tyler jumped back in for the last two laps. Matt was looking at a full 45 miler, 13 miles farther than he had ever run before. Tyler was looking at 22 miles; his previous long run had been 6 miles on flat ground. As we started into my very last lap Jeremy reappeared and started racing again, now almost 4 laps back, but still in 2nd place. Two other people we thought dropped also miraculously appeared and were moving strong again. Tons of respect to those dudes.

I really pushed the last lap. In fact, I think it was almost 10 min faster than my previous 6 laps. Matt and Tyler were having a hard time keeping up. I finished to subdued cheers and lack-luster fanfare by the organizers. Instead of a trophy I got a 1st Place medal, which was to take the place of my finisher medal. Not even a belt buckle. Oh well, I don't really care. We hung around for another hour or so to cheer on a few people I wanted to see before leaving and then took off. The drive home gave me a lot of time to think about the race and the experience. Here's what I walked away with.

1. My win means much less to me than seeing my son Tyler go 22 miles with 3200 ft of vert. He blew me away. I get emotional thinking about how incredible he was the entire weekend.
2. Matt is, hands down, the best crew and pacer ever. Not only is he a machine, but he always knew just what to do. I owe this race to him and Tyler.
3. While it may not seem as cool that I won against a small field, it is worth noting that I was the least experienced of all the 100 milers (by quite a bit). Apparently, people were approaching Matt and Tyler the whole race asking who that guy in orange was and saying how strong I looked. I guess other racers would come in talking about how fast I was. I never felt fast, but I always felt consistent.
4. Goeff Roes has been loosely quoted as saying, "being successful in a race isn't as much about pushing hard when you are feeling good, but being able to push hard through your low points". I found that to be completely true and a huge part of my success. When I was feeling slow and tired I'd just push harder and it really made a huge difference off my time.

Finally, win or not it was an awesome experience. The course was great. The format was really fun. The people I was able to associate with made the whole thing amazing for me. By far my biggest success of the whole experience were the relationships I made. What a pleasure it was to associate with such amazing people. I love running ultras!

Photos and video later in the week.

Trail Tuesday

2011-06-08T10:27:00.000-06:00

Last week I decided I needed a full day of running to myself for two reasons; 1- I needed the miles as a last long run before my 100 miler in 2.5 weeks, 2- I just needed a day to myself. I set my sights on the trail system in Draper/Corner Canyon as I knew there would be more then enough real estate to meet my needs. I had no planned route nor a desire to find one. I just wanted to park my car in a centrally located position to use as an aid stop.

I arrived at my home base, Red Rock Trailhead at 6:30am and was out of the car and on the trail within minutes. I started by running east on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail (BoSho) all the way to Corner Canyon Road. I had passed several mountain bikers along the way and one trail runner. We bid each other hello and continued on. It's nice to see how active the area is that time of the morning on a weekday. I then went up Corner Canyon Rd all the way to the top at the Clark's Trailhead. Instead of turning down the trail I took a left up into the dirt road system of Jacob's Ladder. I crested two small hills and took a short break as I took in the views of Lone Peak and Timpanogos. I had been running for just over an hour, had gone just over six miles, and gained more than 1600 vertical feet.

Looking up towards Lone Peak

Utah Valley

I continued east for another quarter mile then turned south down into a ravine with a very rugged dirt road in it. I knew this road would take my all the way to the bottom of Hog Hollow. It was really beautiful along this part of the course; the birds singing and fresh leaves on the trees.

Once down by Hog Hollow I took a wrong turn, but quickly corrected myself and headed up the appropriate road. There are roads and trails everywhere and it is pretty easy to get away from your intended course. Once in Hog Hollow however I had no problems getting all the way back up to the ridge. The road/trail is very runnable even though it is rocky near the top. I was amazed at where it let out and was very happy to find myself right back at the top of the Clark's trail. I chose to head west towards Suncrest and View Benchmark Peak. Normally I just run the dirt road over to the paved road, but last week I spied a possible trail that would take me further into town without having to run on pavement. A couple of the hills were a little steeper and I chose to walk them to conserve energy. The trail was awesome and dropped me off very near the crossroads. From there I continued on pavement up to the View Benchmark trailhead. I took a short break to fix my shoe laces and then hiked/ran to the summit. I couldn't believe how perfect the weather was. I could see down into both Salt Lake and Utah counties.

Timp in the background.

My legs were already getting tired and I was only 16.5 miles in. Last week's climbfest had really taken it's tool. I was in good spirits though, had plenty of energy, and looked forward to the technical trail down to South Mountain, a trail I've run several times. The steep downhill section I refer to as "The Wild Mouse" as it reminds me of the Lagoon roller coaster, constantly giving you this feeling you are out of control. Once I got to South Mountain I could choose to go down the steep ridge back to the car or continue over the summit ridgeline to the base on the west side. I chose the harder route. The climbs along the ridge are brutal, but I took it really easy and felt ok. Then the nasty downhill begins. It is REALLY steep and loose. I got several rocks in my shoes that had to be removed when I hit the bottom. In the picture below you can see how steep the trail is.

From that point back to the car is a very casual run along the BoSho. There are no really significant hills, but the heat was bearing down a bit and I needed to refill my water. My legs were also pretty tired from the pounding downhill. I was ready to sit and eat something normal. I got back to the car at 4 hrs 30 min with exactly 22 miles of running.

When I was at the trailhead of View Benchmark I had spied a new trail to the south I wanted to try, so leaving the car I headed up towards the new trail near the downhill mountain bike trail. The first part of the trail is gone due to construction of a new water tower, so I had to bushwack up the steep hill. It really sucked some of the energy out of my legs. I was able to run the next mile of uphill, but then had to walk/run the next half mile until I hit the steeper section. From there it was just a slog through the switchbacks to the top. I made my way to the trailhead of the new trail I wanted to hit and started down. It was here that I put my headphones in for the first time after 5.5 hours of running. That trail was pretty cool. It winds down through the ravine to a dirt road that links into a small housing community on the south of View Benchmark. As I ran through the neighborhood I said hello to people watering their lawns and then continued down Suncrest Rd until I found another dirt road that would link me back over to Hog Hollow.

Now going up Hog Hollow for a second time I wasn't nearly as spry as my first go. I was able to run about half a mile of it then had to slow to a walk for the rest. It was very hot and I was low on energy even though I had been fueling and taking salt. As soon as I got back to the top, however, I pushed back into a trot and made my way towards the Canyon Hollow trail, absolutely favorite trail in that whole area. It is so green and beautiful and the trail is so moderate that even on tired legs I was able to cruise at an 8 min pace. I forked over to Ghost Falls, stripped off my running vest and Ipod (which I had turned off a while back) and sat my hot, sweaty butt right down in the middle of the pool. Ah, it was so nice to soak my tired legs. I had been running for over 7 hours and more than 33 miles. I sat for about 5 min before getting out. I then refilled my water reservoir in the falls and took off back towards the BoSho.

Looking back at Ghost Falls. I took this while standing in the water.

I only had 3 miles left, but I had just taken my last bit of fuel and was very low on energy. I had to walk every hill, but could still run the flats and downhill. I got back to the car in 7:56:18 and 36.25 miles with 7000 ft of vert. It didn't get as many miles as I wanted, but the tough vert made up for it and I had an amazing time running such beautiful trails. I really felt like I had that whole mountain to myself. What a day.

Summiting View Benchmark

Zion Trainwreck Video

2011-05-21T17:57:00.002-06:00

Here is the video of the run on Wednesday. If you haven't yet read the report, scroll down.

The Zion Trainwreck

2011-05-20T09:19:00.002-06:00

In recent years there has been a new following of runners traversing Zion National Park. It has been most often tagged the "Zion Traverse". However, in Jared Campbell's wonderful report of his and Karl Meltzer's trip in 2008 HyperPhil Lowry, a Utah local and accomplished ultrarunner, commented that "I believe John Moellmer was the first to actually do the entire Zion Train, as it was called then and still is called now". He then asked that in respect of those first adventure runners that everyone in the future please refer to the run as the "Zion Train". I will make sure I do the same. However, in our case, I need to put a twist on it.

I've had my eye on the Zion Train since the fall of 2009 when I was just barely getting into adventure runs. It has taken me this long to finally pull it off. On Wednesday, May 18th, along with friends Scott, Matt, and Josh we attempted to do what so many have successfully done before us, traverse Zion National Park on foot from the East entrance to Lee Pass in Kolob Canyons, a 48 mile run with nearly 10,000 ft of vertical climbing. We knew the odds were against us as a very large storm was pushing through the state, but as with many recent runs we hoped it would hold off - or at least be kind to us - through our run.

We drove down on Tuesday night with Scott's two cousins in tow. Over the years I have become less interested in remembering people's names when I know I won't ever see them again, so I decided to give them nicknames. For the duration of the trip they would be known as 'Ed' and 'Frank'. They actually seemed to welcome it. We camped just outside the East entrance at about 11pm and tried to sleep through a very wet and windy night. Our alarms were set for 6am, but weren't needed as we were all awoken to Ed's loud complaining of a very wet sleeping bag due to his inability to close the tent door. Silly Ed. We quickly broke camp and were to the East Rim trailhead by 7am.

Josh, me, Matt, and Scott

We took off up the trail at a very easy pace. With the previous night's rain the very sandy ground was held a little firmer and we were able to run unhindered. We made every effort to reign in our excitement and keep it casual as we knew we still had a long way to go. The day was young, but the weather seemed to be holding with heavy cloud cover, but only patchy moments of very light sprinkling. The first 11.6 miles would take us up over the east plateau of the park and drop us down Echo Canyon into the Weeping Rock area and along the paved road to The Grotto. This section of the trail is absolutely gorgeous. There is something new at every turn and the trail is extremely easy to run. A couple of pics of this section are below:

Matt and Scott at about mile 3

Jolley Gulch waterfall. What you see is the top 3rd of it.

Matt and I at the top of Echo Canyon

The drop into Echo Canyon and Weeping Rock is like nothing I've ever seen. I've spent a lot of time in Zion canyoneering and hiking, but I had never been in this part of the park. I was constantly in awe of the trail as it cut into the side of the cliff and hillside. Much of the trail was bordered by a deep cavern (I couldn't help but long to have a rope and go down it) and it was hard not to stop and peer over the edge. Running down we just let gravity do its work and we cruised this whole four mile section to the bottom. Amazing.

Matt running down into Weeping Rock

The slot canyon runs right next to the trail.

Matt, like a kid in a toy store.

Josh running the switchbacks down Weeping Rock

You can't help but run fast on this section.

We met Ed and Frank at the Grotto. The weather had now started to turn and it began to rain. Knowing we still had most of the run ahead of us and being a little worried about the weather I told the boys to make sure they checked the visitor center before driving out of the canyon to see if we had turned around. That would turn out to be a wise decision. We made our way up the Angels Landing trail, another trail I have never been on. We climbed quickly through the paved switchbacks and up to the Scout Overlook. Matt had been struggling with some tummy issues since we stopped at the Grotto and he and Josh had fallen back a couple of hundred yards, but nothing major and we were still making good time. Like Scott, there was a part of me that wanted to run over and tag Angels Landing proper, but we just didn't have the time. It was at this spot that the rain and wind picked up. We had donned our weather gear a few minutes previous - garbage bags - and were now looking at 35 more miles of wet, cold running.

Heading up Angels Landing. Note the dry cliff above Matt's head (in the distance).

Scott on top of the Angels Landing plateau

Running down into Telephone Canyon.

The climb out of Telephone Canyon to the West Rim trail is absolutely stunning. You are surrounded by cliffs with massive waterfalls, trees of every size, and beautiful little flowers everywhere. Unfortunately, as we climbed higher along the cliffside the soft rain turned to heavy snow and the rocky path was now mud and sleet. When we reached the West Rim Spring for Matt to refill his water we were soaked and a little cold . . . and we still had 30 miles ahead of us. It was near here that I first talked with the boys about considering turning back. We discussed options that ranged from continuing to Hopp Valley to only going a couple more miles to see if things improved. However, after another quarter mile of nasty mud and having to walk on what would have normally been very runnable terrain we all decided to turn around, not only due to the slow going and the obvious increase in time it would have taken, but more importantly for our own safety. The weather was obviously not going to improve and the trail would only get worse. We made the smart choice and headed back down into Telephone Canyon.

The climb out of Telephone Canyon. You can see the trail hundreds of feet below.

Our turn-around spot. You can see how bad it is and it wasn't going to improve.

Running back down from where we turned around. Messy.

The run back down into the main canyon was incredible. The weather let up once we got below the storm, if even for a short time and we were able to remove the bags and run unhindered. The disappointment of having to turn back quickly faded as we knew we made the right decision and we had a blast bombing the trails and enjoying the beautiful views. Once back atop the Angels Landing plateau the weather really got nasty again and the heavy rains began to fall. We ducked into a small cave for about 10 minutes and had some lunch before continuing to the bottom. Waterfalls appeared out of nowhere on the cliffs above, obviously from flash flooding due to the heavy rain and snow above.

We continued down the switchbacks of the main paved trail that we had cruised up only a couple/few hours earlier. There were more tourists on the trail now, all moving slow and getting in the way. We tried to skirt around them as best we could, but we constantly had to stop and wait. I got tired of it and would time my pace so that I could hop over the walls and drop 4 - 5 feet to the next switchback while they were making the turn. I got more than one scream out of many of the small Asian women. It was really cute. On one long switchback I hopped a wall that had a solid 15 foot drop. There were two large rocks jutting out from the wall and I used them as stepping stones then dropped the last 8 feet to the ground landing only a few feet in front of a large German lady hiking up. Her very audible scream made me laugh, but I kind of felt bad for startling her. We had the best time running down. Remember that photo above where Matt had that dry cliff above? Well, now it was a waterfall and we had no choice but to run through it. There is video below. Awesome.

Uh, where did that waterfall come from?

This is one of my favorite pics from the trip.

Once back on the road we decided we weren't going to get any more wet than we already were so we continued to run all the way back to the visitor center. It was a very casual run with frequent walking breaks to take photos and just look around. We were worried that Frank and Ed had already left the park, but once we got down we looked for the car and there it was with the two boys sitting in the front seats. It was great to change our clothes and drink a Pepsi before heading out of the park.

I can't say enough about this trip. It was Epic, to put it lightly. There will always be a twinge of disappointment for not being able to finish the whole thing. But I know I'll go back when the weather is better and will enjoy that trip just as much. I was with amazing friends in one of my most favorite spots on the planet. And we still ran about 30 miles. I can't wait to go back!
**Photos courtesy of myself, Matt, and Josh (I didn't have Scott's yet).

Full video to come in a few days!

Provo City Marathon and Half

2011-05-08T12:19:00.000-06:00

I've been dealing with a nagging hip (I think I've mentioned this before) thanks to a lower back that's a bit out and running on the roads does not help it, at all. That being said, I had committed long ago to running a half marathon with my wife this past weekend. At the same time, only a week ago my mom decided to try her hand at a full marathon. Lucky for us it was the same race my wife and I were running.

However, a few days ago my wife confessed that she was not going to run the race since she is expecting our next child and these early weeks have not been good to her. She has been extremely tired and ill. Looks like I was going to be on my own. I had no intentions of going for a PR, not with my hip aching and even if it was in good condition I don't think I could do it on that course.

The Provo City Marathon starts up Provo Canyon and runs down into downtown Provo. They they run past the start/finish of the half marathon and run the half marathon course, or in other words, the half marathoners run the last half of the marathon course. The 13.1 we ran was extremely flat with many turns in and around the west of town. To say there were no hills is actually a mistake as there was a viaduct we had to run over in the first mile and subsequently again during the last mile. Also, the last two miles are gently uphill; something that a person wouldn't even think was uphill during a normal training run, but when red-lining on race day it feels like Everest. So yeah, Saturday would be all about easy and fun.

Any of you buying this? Yeah, me either. I toed the line with several friends, most (that's a lie - ALL) of whom are faster than me. I figured I would just go out and see how things felt and if my hip hurt I'd slow down. If I blew up because I don't know how to run a road race, I'd slow down. And if I just got bored, I'd slow down. When the gun went off I jumped out with the 7:15 pace and it felt pretty good. As we went over the viaduct and down the other side a 7:05 felt good. And kept feeling good. In fact, my hip really never hurt that bad and a pace between 7:05 and 7:15 was pretty much my comfort zone till about mile 11. Then the gradual uphill came and I just couldn't keep up that pace. I dropped to a 7:22 in mile 12 and then a 7:31 on mile 13 going over the viaduct again. I tried to put on a surge to the finish, but could only must a 6:50 pace the last quarter mile. But hey, it was good enough for 1:34:49, a nearly 2 min PR and 30th overall and 3rd in my age group. Who knew I could be so fast? I certainly didn't.

Now to the good part. My mom and her friend Dianna hit the half way point at about 3 hours. Their goal was to just take it super easy and have fun, even if it meant they came in last place. The RDs said they were pulling support after six hours, but my mom and Dianna didn't care. They RDs said they would still have a finish line for them, even if it took longer than the cap. During the time they crossed the half way point and ran the 2nd half of the course I drove all the way back to Lehi (my parent's place), showered, played football in the back yard with my kids, went out to lunch at CPK with the family and headed back over to the finish line to watch them come in. Even with all of that we had to wait an hour. There were, in fact, the very last two on the course.

The RDs stuck to their commitment though, they took down all the booths, the sound system, the timing mat, and even started taking down the finish line arch. Besides the very few volunteers left cleaning up there were only us and Dianna's parents there to cheer them home. As they came in view the RDs raced to re-inflate the arch and we welcomed them in with cheers, hugs, and tears. They looked and felt great, but were so happy to be down.

My mom, Mary Kay Fortie, ran her first marathon at age 62. She ran a 6:56:00, tied for dead last, and still came in 1st in her age group (she was the only one in it). Hahahaha. I'm so proud of her. Here are a couple of photos of her and Dianna finishing.

Crossing the finish line.

After getting their medals. My mom is on the right.

Mother's Day flowers

Thanks to Run13 for putting on a great race and supporting my mom and Dianna in their great accomplishment.

What a Week!

2011-04-30T19:29:00.000-06:00

I don't normally review my week's activity as a whole, but this was an exceptionally fun week and I really feel like it was worth spraying about. So that I don't have to mention it in each activity review I ran every run this week in my Altra Instincts. If you haven't read my shoe review, do it. They were amazing considering everything I put them through.

Monday - 8 miles, 180 vert, 1:06:08
Conscious of the lower back issues and the pain that is radiating to my hips I was determined to keep my runs this week flat. During a lunchtime run I headed out on the paved Jordan River Parkway in Sandy, UT in a light wind and warm temps. I intended to just keep it casual and only picked up the pace to an 8 min/mile for the 2nd half of the run. Nice and easy.

Tuesday - 9.15 miles, 1930 vert, 1:39:31
It took less than 24 hours to completely fail in my commitment to keep things flat. Under the extreme threat of snow and rain (isn't it the end of April?) I went out with Matt and checked out a new loop in Draper. We ran up a newish trail to the east of South Mountain and wound our way up to the top of Suncrest. At the summit we took a connector trail to the dirt road heading up to View Benchmark peak. Summiting in high winds we went back the way we came to the saddle then ran over to South Mountain. From there we went down the north ridge heading west until we had to cut down the steep hill before going into the quarry. Then it was just a half mile back to the car. This was a brutal, but awesome run on some great cruiser trails.

Wednesday - 8.22 miles, 1400 vert, 1:14:00
This time with Matt and Scott we ran the BoSho from the Red Rock trailhead in Draper into Corner Canyon. From there up the Ghost Falls trail as the Clark Trail is closed. Going up was fun, but a bit tiring.Tuesday's hill-fest took it out of me. We then cruised down Corner Canyon Rd and back on the BoSho. We all hung very close together until we had about 1.25 miles left, then I turned it on and pushed hard to the finish. Matt almost caught me with .3 left, but forgot about the final hill, something I had saved up for. I was able to push back ahead and finished 25 seconds ahead of him and another 2 min or so ahead of Scott. Two days of solid vert. Not great on the hip, but really fun.

Thursday - rest

Friday - 30.0 miles, 3350 vert, 4:56:30
I got a message from Scott early in the week asking if I wanted to go out to Stansbury Island and run the 10 mile mountain bike trail in three loops as he needed a good long run for the month. I've been out to the island a few times to climb, but hadn't ever made it out there to do a run. I couldn't pass up the opportunity. We coerced Matt and Josh to come along. It didn't take much as both were itching to run some new trails and get in a longer run.
The trail is pretty simple; park on the west side of the island and immediately climb 800 ft in the first mile to the main saddle, then down 100 ft or so and continue on the crest trail for 3 more miles before turning down a small canyon all the way down to the valley floor and back around on dirt roads. The crest single track trail is extremely rocky and technical. Everyone caught a toe on several occasions, although Scott was the only one to actually fall to the ground. He almost lost his water bottle over a cliff.
We ran the first loop clockwise, doing the big climb first. We all stayed together this loop until we had two miles left when Scott fell back to take a couple of pictures. He stayed back until we got back to the car. Our first loop was in 1:32:00.

For loop two we went back around counter-clockwise. It was a good choice since we were able to run the flat 4.5 miles to an easy climb and then run the crest trail to the last short climb over the saddle and power down the big descent to the car. We lost Scott about 2 miles into the run and didn't see him again until we got back to the car, 15 minutes after we arrived. At mile 20 I still felt really good, but the long wait for Scott took it's toll and for the start of loop 3 I was tight.

The third loop was painful. We went back clockwise to get the big climb out of the way. It was on the climb that my hip acted up. I kept it in check on the crest trail, but it really started to hurt the last 3 miles back to the car. This was a much slower loop as the week's activities had really taken their toll. Luckily, Matt and Josh were as tired as me and were will to take it slow too. We lost Scott way back on the climb and were just hoping he wasn't too far behind this time. Three loops, 30 miles total, with a ton of good vert. The trail is incredible and really remote and rugged. I can't wait to go back.

Saturday, 3.1 miles, 40 vert, 23:13
Salt Lake Running Co 5k
This is a free race put on each year by the Salt Lake Running Co. I signed up myself, my wife, and my son Tyler basically just to get the free shirt. My wife didn't go because she wasn't feeling well, so it was just me and Tyler. I know a 30 miler isn't a great taper run, but it would have to do. Back in my Altras and stiff in the hips Tyler and I settled into the middle of the pack at the start. He wasn't planning on running it hard, as it had just snowed and he knew I was tired, but once we passed the start line I knew it was ON. He was running so well it was hard to even keep up with my tired legs.

By the time we hit the turn-around I had caught back up and we ran together until a quarter mile left. Then I urged him to push on and drive to the finish. With 100 yards to go I yelled for him to drive with his arms and he really surged ahead, finishing in 23:10, more than 2 minutes faster than his PR. It was so awesome to watch him get a new PR and run hard. He's got real talent. My legs settled in after the first half mile and maintaining a 7:30 pace for the whole race felt pretty easy. I definitely felt like I had more miles in me, but I'm glad I didn't try. I'm pretty tired now.

Weekly Totals
58.49 Miles
6738 vert
9 hrs 20 min

What a week, huh?

A Shoe Review?

2011-04-25T13:36:00.003-06:00

I've never done a shoe review and wager that this will be only one of two I ever attempt. However, in this case, I think it's good to jump on the bandwagon.

Let me get something out of the way before I jump into my review.
I'm not a minimalist runner. I am a solid mid-foot striker and have been for about a year and a half. I moved to a mid-foot strike after dealing with ITBS when nothing else worked. I tried the whole 'minimalist' thing after reading Born to Run, but realized it didn't work for me as a trail runner; I needed more between me and the ground. I respect those guys who hold on tight to that concept; if it works for them then that's great. But I personally don't have a place for it in my running style. That being said, I am a big advocate of a mid-foot strike and wearing shoes that promote that.

Altra Instinct

THE ALTRA INSTINCT IS NOT A MINIMALIST SHOE. You may have read other reviews from minimalist runners who will talk heavily about their minimalist style and where this shoe fits into that methodology. Like I said above, that's cool for them and if this shoes has a place in their training and racing, all the better. But I feel it's important to suppress any incorrect assumptions. This shoe is so much more than a minimalist shoe that to corral it into a single genre of running would not do it justice. Altra has a minimalist shoe, but that is forth-coming.

Here's the real scoop on the shoe and then the real deal on how it will work for any runner out there.
First, and this is the biggie, there is no drop from heel to toe. Yep, Zero Drop. Altra owns the term and it's well deserved. This shoe is created to promote good running form, nothing more nothing less. If you want to call that 'minimalist' fine, but really they are just promoting proper running technique that will help any runner become better, reduce injury, and learn a greater love for the sport and the benefits it provides.

Second, the foot bed is actually patterned after the shape of your foot. It's weird how it actually took an innovative shoe company from Provo, UT to come up with a shoe concept that people have been speculating about for 50 years. The widened toe box will allow your toes to splay evenly as the foot rolls over the toe and kicks back. Yep, no more blisters. And the cupping heel shape will hold your foot in place, even on downhills. You don't need to oversize your shoes by a full size any more.

Third, this is a soft shoe with a non-EVA midsole, so there is less to break down over time. The cushioning is responsive and will stay that way. If at any time you feel that the cushioning is failing in this shoe it is most likely due to the insole breaking down and not the midsole. You can get many more miles out of this shoe (and any shoe for that matter) if you'll simply replace the insole every 200 miles.

Finally, this shoe is light and flexible. It will perform equally as well for a runner going after a half marathon PR as well as an ultra runner pushing 100 miles. It's been tested in every type of racing and the results are the same - Brilliant!

Matt Williams running a rocky trail in the Altra Instincts

So now down to what it will do for you.
Because the heel isn't raised up you have no choice but to push your hips forward, straighten your back, and land softer on the middle to front of your foot. Technique problems? Solved. OK, it's not that simple, but it sure does help. For a runner trying to transition they will find this makes the process easier and more comfortable. For an existing mid-foot striker it will be like running on a cloud and only enhance your existing form.

In the process of transitioning from a heel to mid-foot strike every runner goes through certain 'pains'. These commonly include calf and achilles pain. For those who push too hard too soon they may even encounter shin splints and pulled tendons. Altra is smart enough to tell you to take it slow and make the transition over time. Your body needs to get stronger, just like when you first started running.

However, making the transition in a pair of Altra Instincts is vastly different then the often tried dive right into a pair of Vibram Five Fingers or failing in an attempt to do it in a pair of regular shoes. While the move to a mid-foot strike is still adding more strain to your calves and achilles, the Instinct's10mm of cushioning between your foot and the ground significantly reduces the impact to both of those areas. As a current mid-foot striker I can say that I have had zero calf and achilles pain while wearing these shoes, but I still get it if I wear a pair of minimalist (less padding between my foot and the ground) shoes.

Like I said, this is not a minimalist shoe. It is, however, the most comfortable and form-promoting shoe I've ever put on my foot. I've worn it for dozens of miles on both the trails and roads. This shoe has seen mud, rocks, concrete, and asphalt and it has exceeded my expectations in every form of foot travel. All I can really say is, if the Instinct is this good I can't wait to see what the Lone Peaks can do in the dirt! I believe in these guys' philosophy and respect what they trying to do. I'm not a sponsored runner, I paid for my shoes like everyone else, but these guys have me sold for life. They live what they preach and I'm fairly certain they are going to change the face of running shoes.

And p.s., if you are a minimalist and want a minimalist shoe that will be everything and more try the Altra Adam. It will blow your mind.

Snow, Rain, or Shine

2011-04-18T15:30:00.002-06:00

It's been a crazy few weeks in Utah. The weather can't seem to make up its mind. A week and a half ago I ran 15 miles in six inches of snow. Two days later I was in shorts and a t-shirt. Today I ran in what I would consider a 'normal' April rain storm, warm enough for shorts, but still needing a long-sleeve shirt. The down side is that one would think the trails would be wrecked, but timing has proved otherwise. In the last two weeks I've done every single one of my runs on one trail or another, spanning from Kaysville in Davis County all the way down to Corner Canyon in Draper. While conditions have not always been perfect, the company has been and I've enjoyed every minute out in the hills.

My main running partner is Matt. He's not only a work team member, but a good friend and amazing human being. He started running just over a year ago with nothing more than a goal to finish a sprint triathlon. When that was over I took him on one or two trail runs and he must have caught the bug because now he's a full on trail addict and ultra up-and-comer. He ran the Buffalo Run 50k a few weeks ago in 5:20, incredible for a first-timer. Together we have attacked the trails and pushed each other far harder then either of us would normally run had we been alone.

Below are some pics of the last couple of weeks and the fun we've had. I need to start bringing my camera along more often. It's getting to be that time of year where I really start exploring and getting deeper into the unknown. I can't wait for summer.

Me cruising back along the BST in Davis Co. Matt had just made the comment that I was running sub-8 min/miles on a slight uphill. I thought that meant I was supposed to speed up. He cursed me a bit when we got back to the car.

Cruising back down to the bridge after coming back down Chin Scraper on the Wasatch 100 course.

Matt doing the same.

Matt making the turn onto the bridge. I love the look on his face.

Trying to make tricky turns down the Bell Canyon trail into LCC.

Matt topping out after 7.5 miles of constant uphill. We were not feeling it this day, but still happened to put in a good effort.

Flying down the trails. I can't wait for dry weather!!!

Building a Better Base

2011-04-12T08:21:00.000-06:00

While the Buffalo Run 50 miler was a huge success for me there were also a lot of lessons I learned from that race. I had initially thought, after my mid-race mental breakdown, that I simply didn't have enough long runs (over 30 miles) on my legs before the race, but feedback I got from friends who have more experience than me have changed my mind on the matter.

While I still think it is imperative to have at least one or two long runs over 30 miles in preparation for a 50 miler, I believe those runs are more about time on the trails and dealing with the endless hours of moving forward. It has come to my attention that what is really important is simply building a better base of weekly miles. I was told by more than one person that my target goal should be trying to keep up a base of around 10 miles a day with a longer run sometime during or at the end of the week. That would bring my weekly mileage up to about 70 miles per week. Ideally, that is where I've wanted to be anyway. While I couldn't quite do that in preparation for the Buffalo Run, it is certainly my primary focus right now.

So last week I changed my focus to my new training format and I'm pressing to try and make 10 miles each day feel like 5, in other words, easy. Last week I was able to get 50 miles in five days of running with one of those days being only a 3 miler. I couldn't do a long run due to conflicts which ended up being a good thing because it was technically my first week back at training since the race. And what a week it was. Two of the days I ran in shorts and a t-shirt, the other day I ran in 6 inches of snow, long pants and 3 shirts with a beanie and gloves. This month's weather is so messed up. But not only did I still get my miles, but I also included about 5,000 feet of vertical running, something I'll desperately need as I prepare for upcoming races and adventure runs.

Here is a pic from Friday's SlurpeeFest 15 miler. This is my friend Matt running down the Bell Canyon Trail from the reservoir.

A Week Later

2011-04-03T15:15:00.001-06:00

It has now been a full week since I finished my first race of the season. I have been extremely happy with my recovery. For a race that took so much out of me I healed quicker than ever. By Monday the soreness was gone and I just had residual fatigue in several muscle groups. By Wednesday even the tiredness was gone.

I had committed to taking the entire week off, but come on, if I really did that would I be me? Of course not. On Thursday I went out in the morning with my friend Scott for a quick peak-bagging jaunt up Wire Peak, a small 'hill' nestled between Emigration Canyon and the University of Utah. It is a short 4.1 mile roundtrip hike/run with 2100 feet of vert in the first half of the trip. My legs were obviously tired going up, but by the time we were half way to the summit I had settled in and was feeling fine. And the run down was casual and easy. I was happy overall with how well it went. That being said, the fatigue from Monday and Tuesday was back in my legs and I spent the rest of the day lethargic, but content.

I had been talking with another friend, Eric, about doing a longer run in the foothills of Mt Timpanogos on Saturday. But with the weather forecasts showing the best temps and sunshine on Friday, we decided to head out then. He wanted to try a new loop starting at Battle Canyon in Pleasant Grove, then run up to a connecting trail over to trail 51 and then follow that past Dry Canyon and up and over the western saddle below Big Baldy Peak to the Pipeline Rd in Provo Canyon. We'd then run the Bonneville Shoreline Trail back to our car.

Well, the trail went as planned, but my legs did not. The tiredness stopped me from pushing the uphills as much as I would have liked. The snow depth and mud slowed down the rest of the trip on the upper trails. There were times when we were hiking across thick snow crust, just to break through and scrape our shins. Once back to the BST, with only 4 miles left, all of my energy (and gels) ran out and it was a brutal slog to get back to the car. I had to walk the uphills, but could run the flats and downhill pretty fast still. Even with all of that it was an amazing and beautiful run and I was very content with how I performed. We had more than 1800 ft of vert over the entire 12.33 mile run. My only regret was not taking a camera. It was really stunning.

Map of the run.

Buffalo Run 50 Miler Race Report

2011-03-27T13:56:00.002-06:00

Time: 8:02:39
Place: 11th, Overall

Pre-Race
There has been a lot of anticipation for this race. I've felt that there were a lot of high expectations for me, not counting those that I had for myself. I thought I had put in a proper amount of training, I put together a great race plan, and was focused on just doing the best I could.

I met my friend Kelli at a pre-planned location at 4:15am and we drove up to Antelope Island. She was very nervous as this was her first 50 miler and because she is such a good marathoner people have really been feeding her with unrealistic expectations. I've been trying to keep her head focused on the right things for the last couple of weeks and it seemed that as we were driving up she was feeling better about her abilities and running the distance.

We rolled into the race parking area, about 200 yards away from the start tents, a little earlier. It was cold out, about 32 degrees. We knew it would be a chilly start. Weather forecasts for the day had varied considerably throughout the last week, but we were confident it was going to be ok. And was it!!! We made our way down to the heated tents, got checked in, and hung out with friends. Just prior to the start we stayed near the fire and only went over to the starting line a few minutes before go-time. I'm not sure how it worked out, but I was in the very front. Kelli stood right behind me.

6am - GO!

White Rock - Split Rock Loop
The elites took off like a shot. Kelli's gameplan was just to hang on my heels for as long as possible and then try and keep me in her sights the rest of the time. As we worked our way up the first hill Kelli asked me to tell her a story and I shared the one of me jumping off a cliff into a tree (you heard right). We weren't far behind the elites but were putting some good distance between us and the rest of the main pack. As we hit the top of the first 2 mile climb we caught up to someone I recognized, Josh. He and I have followed each others blogs for some time now and I got to meet him the last time I was out on the island. I think he's going to be a very good running friend, for sure. The three of us ran together across the ridge above White Rock valley and then cruised down the hill, into the valley, and towards Lone Tree hill. Nearly across the valley we were quickly passed by 3 of the elites who had said four of them had taken a wrong turn (where was the fourth?). They shot up the hill like rockets while the three of us slowed to a walk. We weren't about to blow our legs out this early. Towards the top we moved back into the trot and hit the Elephant Head aid station at mile 5.5 in just about 50 minutes.

We didn't stop, cruised right on by, and aimed ourselves down the steep hill towards Split Rock. Josh and I held back, only running a 6:30 min/mile while Kelli wasn't far behind. In the bottom of the valley Duncan Callahan sped by, the fourth elite who took a wrong turn. We shared pleasantries, wished him luck, then put our heads down and started up the switchbacks. How I love those switchbacks. We dropped Kelli a ways back at this point and were back around to Elephant Head aid station at mile 10.65 in 1:36:40.

Again, Josh and I didn't stop and headed out on the out and back. There were dozens of slower runners who were doing the out and back first. Like an idiot I was yelling "slap hands, slap hands" and giving everyone five. At the far end we grabbed our stickers, turned around, and headed back. I had been eating a gel every 30 minutes on the clock and had just now taken my first salt pill. Everything was working like it should. Within a quarter mile heading back we ran passed Kelli and urged her to push on. She hadn't felt strong up to that point, but shared with us that she finally found her groove. Yah.

Once back at the Elephant Head aid station I stopped to refill on gels and drop my headlamp. Josh kept running and while I would continue to keep him in my sights for most of the race I wouldn't really talk to him again except in passing on the remaining out and backs. I left Elephant Head for the last time at just under 2 hours, mile 13.4. I cruised back down into White Rock valley and spied Bryce not far ahead with Josh just ahead of him. I had to stop for a potty break on the ridge and the boys put more distance on me. As I came back around towards the White Rock aid station near the start/finish I was still able to keep them close, however, and made the turn to head towards the east side of the island after a very brief stop to refill my water bottle and give a friend a hug. I made the whole first loop 18.85 miles in 2:42:21, more than 2 minutes faster than any training run and almost 20 minutes ahead of schedule. But I was tired.

East Side Out and Back
Heading out towards the east side of the island I was still in good spirits and felt strong even though I my legs were feeling fatigued. Down the steep hill we all make a left turn for a short out and back to the marina. It was muddy and gross on the way out, but it was worth it because there was a port o potty at the end of the trail, something I greatly needed. After a 3 minute stop I was back on the trail and feeling much better. Kelli wasn't far behind me and Josh and Bryce were still within sight. However, heading out to Lower Frary aid station things began to fall apart. Around mile 25 my quads just began to ache and I couldn't get my legs to push anything faster than a 9:15 pace. In short, I was hurting. I rolled into Lower Frary aid station at mile 27.5 in 4:10:00. Bryce was there. I asked him how he was doing and he said he as probably going to drop. He has battling a cold the last few days and it was reeking havoc on his lungs. I told him I was really hurting and was thinking about calling it quits myself. He encouraged me to press on to the Ranch and see how I felt there. Unfortunately, the aid station workers at this particular stop weren't of much help and I wasted valuable time finding my own drop bag, refilling my bottle, and getting everything back together. Maybe they just felt busy.

But I headed out and as I peaked back over my shoulder I could see Bryce continuing on. The problem now was the best I could muster was an advanced run/walk. I'd run for a mile and a half and then walk for about a minute. As I crossed the road I slowed to a walk again and Bryce caught up. He confirmed that continuing on was a mistake and was definitely going to drop at the Ranch. I felt bad for him, but he had put up a great fight. I think he felt my desire to drop and gave me some words of encouragement. I think I figured at that point that if all that hurt were my legs I had no business dropping. But the mental side was tough. I knew my wife and boys would be waiting for me at the finish and I didn't want to make them wait. So I started back into a run. I hit the aid station, mile 33, in 5:08:30. I tried to make a quick stop and was back out. Bryce must have found his ride and left.

As I as leaving the aid station Kelli rolled in and met up with her husband Scott. I told her I was basically through and was just planning to run/walk to a very slow finish. Surprisingly, she said she kind of felt the same way. I assumed that it wouldn't be long before they caught up and passed me. But as I continued on I was able to only stop to walk twice before getting back to Lower Frary and Kelli and Scott didn't catch up again until I was through the aid station and heading out again towards the finish. While at Lower Frary I was talking to Scott and told him that I knew I would finish, but probably wouldn't make 8 hours, my goal for the race. Another runner who was there said if I could just keep up a 10 min/mile that I could still make it. I took some ibuprofen and drank some Pepsi and took off.

To my shock and surprise I was able to comfortably keep a 9:30 pace of much of the run back to the turn up the hill. I even ran all of the inclines and didn't stop to walk at all until I hit the aid station at the fence. I had even caught up and passed a guy in green who had passed me twice before. The climb out of the aid station is short, but really steep. I was looking forward to this climb not only because I could walk, but because I knew it would stretch out my legs. It was just what I needed. I was close to being back on schedule, I knew I would finish, and the thought of crossing the finish line and hugging my wife gave me new life. When I hit the pavement I was even singing out loud to some classic INXS. I then ran the short cross country down to Lakeside aid station, mile 36 in a total time of 7:24:47.

With four or fewer miles to go I had only 36 minutes to finish. With how I was feeling I just didn't think I had it in me to get under 8 hours, but I pushed on. The aid folks said I looked good and that helped. I love running the Lakeside loop, it is technical and winding. I do well in that kind of terrain. Twice I looked down at my watch to see that I was running a 9:40. Unfortunately, as I came around the west side my calves started to cramp up. I had to stop and stretch them. I hit the end of the single track with only 10 minutes left. I ran the little hill to the side road and went as fast as my legs could carry me. Unfortunately, it still wasn't enough and I crossed the finish line in 8:02:39. At the finish were my friends Scott and Matt, both had run the 50k and done very well. My wife didn't make it to see me finish but was there just minutes later. At the same time I saw her I was able to be at the finish line to welcome Kelli cross. She not only finished her first 50 miler, but she won it. WOW.

Final Thoughts
Did I reach my goal of 8 hours? You bet I did. I wasn't trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon or going after a 2 minute PR. In the ultra world and in my running anything within a few minutes of your goal time is the same as reaching it. Most often seconds don't matter, but minutes. 8:02 beat my previous best 50 miler by more than an hour. And I finished 10th overall out of more than 100 runners. It was the hardest race I've ever done, but I pushed through it, I finished, and I reached my goal on a mentally challenging course. I couldn't be happier.

Five Days and Counting

2011-03-20T22:00:00.000-06:00

Well, my training is complete and I'm in full-on taper mode. I have never liked tapering. I thought it was supposed to make a person feel spunky and refreshed. I've felt nothing but tired and heavy. For some reason I feel like I'm just not recovering and ready to race. I've been doing a lot of rolling and stretching and hope that with a few shake-out runs this week that will all turn around.

The build up to this race has been like no training cycle I've ever had. I can't remember a time when I've actually built my mileage and long runs week over week for this long a time. You'd think with the workouts I've been doing that I was training for a road marathon and not a trail ultra. A lot of that focus has been on helping my friend Matt get ready for his first 50k. Until we started really 'training' the longest race he had ever done was a 10k and the longest run of any sort was only 13 miles. As a coworker and good friend I agreed to help him get ready for this 50k. That's a lie, I didn't agree, I coerced him to let me train him. It has been one of the funnest training cycles I've ever had. We've spent several days out on the race course, hitting up miserable snow covered trails along the bench, and running up the Dimple Dell recreation area more times than I can count.

This last week was spent trying to reduce my miles and recover some strength. However, I've felt tired and uninspired. I'm hoping it's a good thing and that it is now out of my system. I know I'm going to be ready to race, really race, come Saturday. The weather forecast as of right now is not great; snowy and rainy. But that's ok. I do well in poor conditions.

I have a good gameplan for the race and if I can stick with it I should be able to better my own expectations for this race. I'm ready.

Antelope Island Group Run

2011-03-05T20:34:00.000-07:00

Today marked the last group run held out on Antelope Island before the race on March 26th. Between the four races offered approximately 750 people will toe the line ready to test themselves on the challenging terrain. I would say that at least 100 of them were out there today.

I met several friends at the gate, including Kelli and Scott, JD, Dan, Matt Williams and Brian Beckstead (co-founder of Altra Shoes). We met at 9am, a full hour behind Jim Skagg's scheduled group. However, when we got to the parking lot many of the runners from his group were just coming back from their first loop around the camp ground section. So we immediately saw others, including; Bryce, Jim himself, and Josh. We talked for far too long and then finally left. The temps were perfect and I had a goal to just go out nice and easy.

Scott and Kelli around mile 1

Nice and easy never happened. We set a pretty good pace through the first two miles of uphill and cruised the next mile of flat. Then we hit the downhill into White Rock valley and I opened things up to stretch my legs. I had Dan, Matt, and Brian on my heels. Going into Lone Tree hill we passed another several runners, including Karl Meltzer. Normally I walk the Lone Tree hill, but this time I wanted to try and run it. You know what? It wasn't that bad. At the top of the hill is the turn-off to Elephant Head which we were taking. While we waited for everyone we ran into several more runners, including a friend from my training tracking website, Oreo. The runners from that site are the coolest group of people EVER. The run out to the point and back was fun. It is so beautiful out there.

Matt on the flat section above White Rock Valley

Kelli enjoying the technical Elephant Head out and back.

Back on the main trail we came to the massive downhill. Again, I opened things up and hit a 'best pace' of 4:13. Haha. We pulled back and cruised the rest of it before the switchbacks. We never ran more than a mile without passing other runners. The switchbacks were again great. I love those things. We kept a good pace up, for sure. This time I didn't drop Matt though. He was solid all day. On top we dropped into a comfy pace and just cruised back to the junction. I kept waiting to run into my good friend Davy Crockett, but we were always on a different part of the course. I'll have to save the comment I had about Ensure and Depends for him another time.

Matt, Brian, and Dan finishing the switchbacks

The last three miles back to the start Dan and Brian really stepped things up, averaging a 7:30 pace on flat and even slightly uphill sections. Amazing. It was hard to keep up, but I did. We got back to the car, mile 18.9 in 2:44:00ish. Fast, much faster then I plan to run it in the race. But I felt good. And then we lingered . . . . and talked . . . . and laughed, as we ran into other runners finishing their day. Unfortunately, we lingered . . . and talked . . . and laughed way too long. So long that when we started running again my fueling was off, I was out of energy and my legs were tight. But still being in the best of company I couldn't complain too much (I definitely did a little). We cruised the back camp ground loop. Once I got over my fuel problems I felt good again, but then I started cramping in my left calf. I thought I was keeping up on my salt, but it mustn't have been enough. I fought it the rest of the way back to the car.

Once back we enjoyed some snacks and a few good laughs and we were off. It was an incredible day and set the perfect stage for my race there in three weeks. I'll have one more good week of training and then taper for two weeks. I've felt very good about this training build and I'm confident that the race will go well. It's also nice to have my weekly mileage back above 50. Now, if I can just get rid of this ankle tendinitis.

A few photos to enjoy.

The crew

Kelli and Scott at the point

Matt looking smug

Brian preaching to the choir

One last look at the switchbacks

And of course, no pics of me. It's really for the best.

I Just Can't Get Enough

2011-02-18T16:40:00.000-07:00

I really can't get enough of running on Antelope Island. I went back out with Matt, Scott, and Adam. We chose to run the long out and back section on the east side of the island. This section of the trail is part of the Buffalo Run 50 miler and falls at around the 20 mile range, so it's pretty much most of the 2nd half of the race.

For the 3rd week in a row this would be Matt's longest run ever. There is very little elevation gain/loss on this stretch of trail, but the views are still pretty and the buffalo abound (not so much on this outing, but still). The goal (for me) was to push the pace a little and really use it as a training run. We all stayed together and chatted for the first few miles and then I upped the pace a little and Adam and Scott fell back. Matt stayed with me until about mile 10 and then I sped up even more (it was a race to the toilet at the ranch!!!), but he stayed within a couple minutes of me. I hit the turn around at the ranch in 1:29:49, mile 10.68. Matt was right behind me and Scott and Adam were only a few additional minutes behind that. We were all doing really well.

When we started back I intended just to put it in cruise, but Matt set a solid pace and I realized I felt super good, so I kind of took off. And then I just put it on auto-pilot and made sure I fueled every 30 minutes and my pace just stuck. At first I hoped to run a negative split, but that wasn't going to happen so I shot for keeping it under 3 hours. With a mile left I knew I would be cutting it close. When I hit the fence and turned to go up the hill I had 2 minutes and was certain I wouldn't make it. I didn't think there was any chance I could still run the hill after maintaining that pace for so long. But up I went at a trot. Half way up I know I could better 3 hours and just kept the pace on. As I crested the top I nearly puked, but I was under three hours. EDIT: It just hit me that I had my split times wrong. I didn't realize while running and just figured it out now. I actually ran an even split on the way back, not 5 min over like I thought. That makes me super happy. I gave myself about 1.5 seconds of celebration and then dove in the bushes to relieve my upset stomach (for the second time). Matt came in about 10 minutes or so after me, then Adam after that, and finally Scott. I think overall everyone had a great run. It was a perfect day out there. Thanks to my homies for tagging along and doing so well. Once again, I'm completely amazed by what Matt does, even as he pushes his longest distance.

I'm feeling confident about my 50 miler next month and that I can PR out there. I did the math and if everything goes well I should better my current 50 mile PR by more than 30 minutes. Below are a few photos of the boys along the trail.

Matt finishing.

Wasatch Front from Antelope Island

Scott doesn't do well with gels once into a run. Hahaha.

So sly at the turn around at the ranch.

Scott finishing.

Adam finishing.

I'm Tired of Snow Running

2011-02-14T09:43:00.000-07:00

Matt and I ran the Bonneville Shoreline Trail in Draper to Corner Canyon, then up to View Benchmark Peak, and down the mountain bike trail back to the Corner Canyon BST and back. The trail was never in good shape. From about the Ghost Falls trailhead to the road it was a solid two miles of 6 inch deep untracked snow. We then got to run pavement to the View Benchmark trailhead. It was well tracked from there to the summit, but there was still a lot of punching through.

On the way down we were going to take a different way back and run the downhill mountain bike trail to Mike Weir Blvd and catch the BST again. There was only one set of snowshoe tracks going down and it was a complete mess, doing everything you could not to fall on your face. Once back on the road we decided to stay on pavement instead of catching the BST that paralleled it and pick it back up at Coyote Hollow, near the Draper temple. Once back on we were kind of cruising the uphill back to Corner Canyon Rd. Then those last three miles. Oh, the shame. The trail was soft and crappy, our legs were shot from dragging them through the snow, and we both just wanted it to be over. Even with our fatigue Matt still ran the entire steep uphill after the first bridge (jerk). Of course, putting me to shame I knew I had to run the rest of the little hills. I thought on the last one I might puke. In all, it was a crazy, brutal, fun outing. I sure like it better when there isn't any snow. And Matt officially ran 2.67 miles further than ever before in his life. I told him based on effort alone this was a much harder day than a trail marathon and considerably harder than last Saturday on Antelope Island. Awesome.

It was a great time, actually. Even with the misery we had a lot of fun. And it was solid training, for sure. Below are some pics to entertain you.
Time: 3:48:52, 3400 vert

Lone Peak looms behind Matt

You can see the snow depth. And this was a shallow part.

Matt atop View Benchmark. Lone Peak in the background.

Trying to navigate the steep and dodgy lack of trail.

Matt enjoys one of the rare dry spots on the trail.

Antelope Island, Part 2

2011-02-05T13:36:00.000-07:00

1:21:00 - Finally! I've been waiting three months for any kind of run longer than 10 miles to feel that good. I headed out to Antelope Island with Scott and Matt for a trip around the 25k course. Both of the boys plan on running the 50k next month, so this would be the perfect training run to scout the course. Matt and I had gone out last November, but we didn't get to do the back loop with the switchbacks and were curious to see how we'd fair. I made it a point to try and manage my energy the same way I would if I were racing, in other words fuel every 30 minutes. This was the key to my success today.

I love the trails out there because all of the uphill is runnable (except for one section of about 100 yards). We took it easy for the first couple of miles and then I opened things up a little. Matt fell only slightly behind and only for a minute while Scott was just a min or so behind the two of us. We stopped where the Elephant Rock turnoff is to wait and regroup. We looked down into the bottom of the next valley (about 1.5 miles away) and could see three people. I put out the challenge to catch them before they looped back around. I was in high spirits and when we hit the big downhill into the small valley before the switchbacks I really let it go, running a 5 min/mile for at least a half mile, then pulled back to a 6:30 to let Matt catch up. Scott yelled something unrepeatable from behind us because he was so psyched about how fast he was running, but we were still pulling away. Ha.

The switchbacks were new territory for me and the only knowledge I had of them were from the maps I've seen. They looked steep. In reality they were incredibly runnable and I LOVED every step. I actually caught the three guys ahead of us by the time I got to the top of the switchbacks. Like Matt and Scott they will be running the 50k next month. Once back on flat ground I felt good running fast again and loved the pace back to the end of that loop at the Elephant Rock turn-off. Once there I took some time to wait for the boys, fuel, and take some electrolytes. Once again regrouped we sped off down the trail and cruised the rest of the way back. I continued to feel awesome on the two remaining climbs and cruised the downhill in the low 7s. Taking everything into account I have to say that it was nearly the perfect run.

Avg Pace - 8:48, 2051 vert

Buffalo. A lot of them.

Uh, yeah.

Scott approaching the Elephant Rock turn-off

Coming up the switchbacks. Matt is on the right and Scott is way down and to the left.

The trails out there are so amazing.

What a Week

2011-01-31T13:10:00.000-07:00

This past week was a lot of fun. My mileage wasn't that high and I didn't do anything spectacular, but I spent a lot of time with great friends and family just cruising the trails. Here are a bunch of photos for you to enjoy.

Working backwards: I ran the Lindon BST with Kim and Brent and had an awesome time in the mud.

Prior to the run, goofing off.

Brent coming up to the turn-around.

The day prior I ran with Brent again on the Orem BST. Mostly dirt roads with the last couple of miles on pavement, this was a very enjoyable outing.

Scott and I climbed Wire Peak on Wednesday. It was very foggy and we couldn't see much, so we took other fun-filled liberties.

Scott nearing the summit.

Me completely goofing off.

One other day to note was my Saturday run with Kelli and her husband, Scott. We had a great time on the Pipeline Trail in Millcreek Canyon. I didn't take my camera which I completely regret now, but we had a wonderful time all the same.

This coming week won't be nearly as exciting as I'm trying to heal a couple of nagging injuries, so I might be spending most of my time on the treadmill. Not exciting, but probably necessary. I'm looking forward to feeling good and ramping up training in expectation of the Antelope Island Buffalo Run 50 Miler in a couple of months.

Minimalism and Shoes

2011-01-21T17:47:00.000-07:00

I regularly have discussions with friends and fellow runners about the new line of minimalist running shoes that is making a big wave in the shoe manufacturing world. What was once considered a fad is now a solid niche and possibly even the preferred - or suggested - shoe to go with. I'm not going to take sides on the minimalist vs 'normal' running culture. I have my own thoughts on the issue, some of which I'll address here, but will refrain from trying to express what I think should be gospel on the issue. Most specifically I want to address the new line of minimalist shoes that are coming out this year.

I'm a mid-foot striker, I'll get that out of the way right now. I used to heel strike, but after reading Born to Run by Christopher McDougall I, like many others, got caught up in the wonder of minimalist running, even barefoot running. I hit the streets barefoot in an inch of fresh snow and blasted out 2 miles without any problems. I changed my form to a mid-foot strike and sought out shoes with a low heel-toe drop and reduced midsole. I had encountered some severe Illiotibial Band Syndrone as a heel striker and was certain that it would cure my problem. While it helped in the short term it did not cure me. It wasn't until I learned how to run properly from the hips up and how to relax and strengthen my hips that I was able to finally cure the problem for good. I also changed up my shoes and found some I really loved (Inov-8 Roclite 295). However, it was during this whole process of change that I also came to a few truths that I'm sure would not be looked at promisingly by those committed to the minimalist movement. I'm not trying to ruffle any feathers, but here it goes.

2011 will be the year of the minimalist trail running shoe. Literally, every company out there who already produces a trail shoe will now have their own minimalist version. It is awesome. I'm excited about a lot of these. Unfortunately, I probably won't get to try many of them. Basically I'm just not cool enough for companies to want me to test out their products. That's fine. I run and race because it's fun; I don't need perks like being a tester, as fun as that would also be .

Traditional running shoes were pretty standard: stable upper, gnarlier sole, rock plate. Then New Balance came out with the MT100 and changed everything. They significantly reduced the midsole, whittled down the tread, and made the upper super light. They have now improved upon it with the MT101. However, even with these drastic reductions they kept the rock plate. Inov-8 really changed things up dropping a ton of weight, but still able to keep wicked-good tread. They claim to have a rock plate, of sorts, but I don't think I've ever really felt it.

This year will be about two things; reducing weight and minimizing the heel to toe drop. Let me address the heel-toe drop thing first. As a mid-foot striker I think this is pretty important, Ok, kind of important. I currently run in two different brand of shoes with a 10mm drop. Three companies this year will come out with 'zero drop' shoes. Altra, who actually owns the term 'zero drop' will come out with a whole line of shoes that will maintain the foots height off the ground from toe to heel. Pretty cool. I really look forward to trying these shoes. The other two are Merrell and Inov-8. It will be interesting to see how these shoes compare to each other. Here's my little hang-up though - if you are a proper mid-foot striker then is there really a difference between 10mm drop and zero drop? Your heel really isn't going to strike the ground anyway. I think the idea is fine, but I just don't think it is necessary. More like a nice to have. I know most minimalist proponents would argue with me, but I'm telling you, if you took 50 trail runners and put them in two shoes - one with a zero drop and one with a 8mm drop - and they didn't know which was which, I bet after running in each for 20 miles they couldn't tell the difference. I'm just saying.

The other issue is weight. I like that companies are trying to reduce weight in their shoes, but please, please, please, quit sacrificing what is most important, THE ROCK PLATE!! Seriously, as a friend of mine recently said, "the only real difference between a road shoe and a trail shoe is the rock plate". I couldn't agree more. Unless the outsole is a little stiffer I don't think I'm even going to consider a shoe that doesn't have some kind of plate. Maybe rock plateless shoes will work out there in No Cali or in some places in CO, but here in Utah where the trails are rock and root stricken, a shoe without a rock plate is a foot's death wish. I can personally attest to this after running a lot of trails in a shoe without a rock plate and coming out of it with foot problems. Again, if a company can produce a shoe that doesn't require one, fine, but I have yet to see it. I love my Inov-8s, I really do. They claim that the extra lugs on the 295 don't require a stiffer plate, but I kind of disagree. Sharp rocks get through. I've worn three pair and would gladly buy another one, but the fact remains that I feel rocks all the time. Adversely, the MT101 has a solid plate and minimal tread and I feel fewer rocks in those than my Inov-8s.

I first began running trails in the Brooks Cascadia 4. I loved that shoe, except for one thing; I would get a blister under the bend in my big toe on longer runs (weird huh?). As I started into my minimalist phase I put them aside. However, in 2011 they will introduce the Cascadia 6 which is slightly lighter and only has an 8mm heel to toe drop. And guess what, they have a strong, visible rock plate. This could very well be one of my new shoes this year. If I can run in them without the little blister I might find a new home for my feet. Oh, and they come in red. Huzzah!!!!

Anyway, take it for what's its worth. I'm not a sponsored athlete. I'm not well known in the running community. I run because it is fun. I run thousands of miles on trails in every kind of condition and in any location. I've been through many shoes, I know how to run, and can attest to what will and won't work for the average to above average runner. If you think I'm wrong, cool, call me out. Then send me a pair of shoes and prove me wrong. I'd love to be wrong. But there you have it.

2010 Trail Running Video

2011-01-20T19:05:00.000-07:00

I finally got around to finishing my little compilation video of last year's trail running. It's nothing big, in fact, it's pretty ghetto, but there is some pretty cool stuff to see. Enjoy it if you can.

Training Week 1/10 - 1/15

2011-01-18T12:29:00.000-07:00

This was the first real week of training that I've had since trying to take intermittent time off for my Peroneal Tendontitis (ankle suckage). I didn't want to push it too hard; no high mileage days and reduced amount of hills. While it won't appear that I stuck with this focus, it really wasn't all that bad a week.

Monday 1/10
4.2 miles, 100 vert - A quick loop on pavement during lunch. I was still nursing a strained calf and really didn't want to push it.

Tuesday 1/11
a.m. 3.8 miles, 2300 vert - Hiked Mt Wire (there's very little running to be done on this small peak) with Scott W and Matt VH. I felt good considering my lack of hill work over the last couple of months. It was a cold 6 degrees and didn't warm up. Made it to the top in 56:30 and roundtrip in 1:22:00. Saw about 8 elk that were really beautiful.
p.m. 4 miles, 0 vert - I did a treadmill run at the gym. Nothing special. I threw in a sub-7 min/mile just to stretch my legs. Boring.

Wednesday 1/12
6.06 miles, 1328 vert - I ran the BST in Draper. It was a beautiful day. After the 6 degrees beating the morning before I was able to run without gloves. Hit the trail with Matt W and we had to turn around a bit early due to larger snow drifts covering the trail.

Thurs 1/13
3.8 miles, 2300 vert - Wire Peak again with Matt R (yeah, I know a lot of Matts) and Scott W. Quicker day as it was super warm and the trail was beaten in better. Hit the top in 53:31 and roundtrip in 1:14:51, considerably faster than Tuesday. I think in the summer I could make it to the top in the lower 40s and round trip in under an hour. It will definitely be a goal of mine.

Friday 1/14
9 miles, 600 vert - I ran the Pipeline Trail in Millcreek Canyon. There were lots of people snow shoeing in big jackets, beanies, and snow pants. I ran by in shorts and a long sleeve shirt. Ha. I went up Church Fork, out to the point and back, and a quick out and back east on the trail to get an extra couple of miles.
1 mile, 0 vert - After getting home I picked up my son and we drove down to a park where we ran 1 mile on the dirt path around the park. He just wanted to get some exercise in. I'm so proud of what he's doing.

Saturday 1/15
Nothing. I couldn't find the time or means to get out. Shame really.

Weekly Total:
31.96 miles
6628 vert

I think overall I accomplished my goals. It seems like there was a lot of vert in there, something I committed to not doing. But most of it was hiking and low impact. I'll have another moderate week and then start pushing my training a little harder. My next race is Antelope Island Buffalo Run 50 Miler at the end of March and I'd like to be well prepared so that I can perform at my best. Since few are really reading this and no one ever comments I'll keep my fingers crossed for myself and not ask anyone else to do it too.

I've Got a Dream

2011-01-07T10:49:00.000-07:00

I've been procrastinating writing up my 2011 goals on this site. I've had them posted on my personal running blog on another site where only a few friends will see them. As expected, many were awed by my lofty sights, but all were very supportive. Throwing them on here, for the world to see and ridicule, is a new level. I'd love to hear your feedback.

Antelope Island Buffalo Run 50 Miler - with my ankle hurt and considering the recovery time I really don't think I'll be in shape for the 100. I may even bump down to the 50k, but most likely will do the 50. I love running out on that island. Many people don't like the 50 because of the long, flat out and back on the west side. After running PE100 the last thing I fear is long and flat.

Timpanogos Double-up - this should be an easy middle of the week outing. I plan to run Timp about 10 times this year.

Timpanogos from Grove Creek - I am really excited for this one. I actually hope to do this a few times. About 30 miles round trip with about 8000 ft of vert (you actually lose nearly 1000 ft coming around the north side of the mountain that you have to gain again).

Zion Traverse - 48 miles of pure heaven.

Bryce Canyon Link-up - Doing it proper this year and definitely going to try and bag the very soft speed record. For those of you who enjoy the Grand Canyon R2R2R or the Zion Traverse, this is a must-do.

King's Peak Double - Yep, I'm going to run that silly mountain twice in one day. 52 miles. The last 5 miles are always a slog and now I get to do it twice. At least the first time will be in the dark. This goal is a guarantee for this year and down-right STUPID!

Quest for King's Marathon - Looking for a good turn-out this year. It is going to be a full-on party. I plan to have a very large campground set up a mile or two from the trailhead where we can all gather and party the night before. If it isn't on your calendar, set the date. Looking to do it the 3rd or so week in August. Reminder: this is a fun-run, not a real race. Although, the first person back does get the cow bell!

Wasatch 100 or Bear 100 - Whichever one I get into. This will be my big race focus of the year. All of my adventure runs during the summer will build for this.

Pony Express 100 - going for a sub-20 hour tour this time (hoping that I will be recovered enough from my previous 100). I think this race is going to get popular so I'm not going to target winning the thing. There is a solid chance some very good runners will show up this year. 100 straight, flat, long miles in the desert = awesome.

Grand Canyon R2R2R - there is no way I'm not doing it in 2011. I've waited too long.

6 days of Ultras - Yes, I plan to run 6 50k's in a row. It is helping me gear up for the next goal.

Finally, I'm going to start running chunks of the Great Western Trail. My plan (about 5 years from now) is to run it from the Idaho border to the Arizona border in a single push. Should be 500+ miles. I'm hoping to run 25 - 40 miles a day. I need to get a good handle on the trail though. There isn't a single consistent trail (often times there are 2 - 3 trails that all bare the name and parallel each other) and it will be easy to get off track. I will be doing a ton of research over the next few years and just building mileage and getting to know the trail.

Notice that I'm only running three real races this year (I will do a road half and full with my wife this year, but those aren't goals, just expected). We are trying to buy a house in July and I want to focus financially on that. My adventure runs, while costly, are still about 1/4 of what it costs to run and support myself for an ultra race.

I know, these are a whole bunch of goals. Only two things will hold me back from achieving them; time and injury. If I can manage both appropriately I think I can do all of this. I don't fear any of them.

2010 In Review

2010-12-13T10:05:00.000-07:00

While I know there are still a couple of weeks left in the year to do something cool, my commitment to heal up this Peroneal ankle tendonitis is winning out over running. With nothing to do, really, I find myself reflecting on my accomplishments of this past year. I will review each in its turn below, but some of the behind the scene bigger moments are; getting through 95% of the year injury free, continuing my streak of ultras without a DNF, eclipsing my total mileage of 2009 by several hundred this year, and the biggest yet, making new running friends and just thoroughly enjoying the trails with all my mates. 2010 has been a brilliant year.

Now, reflection.

Big Goals - Coming off of 2009 recovering from ITBS I set a pretty high goal of running a marathon length distance or further every month this year. January and December were the only months I failed to do that (December isn't over yet; don't count me out). While I didn't do it in each of the months, I did run 26.2 or further 15 different times this year, a huge accomplishment for me . . . or just about anyone, really (except Davy who seems to do it week after week).

Sapper Joe 50k - While I had some great runs early in the year, my real test was in May during the the Sapper Joe 50k, my first race of 2010. I knew the competition would be tough and I only had hopes for a personal good performance, but even though I had a really difficult day I was still blessed to run faster than planned and take 4th overall. I'm looking forward to bettering my time in 2011 by more than 20 minutes. Placement won't matter to me.

From 2009, but you get the idea

SL Valley Temple Run - If I get something in my head it generally gets stuck there until I achieve it. Not attempt to achieve it, but actually do it. Running to each of the 4 LDS temples in the Salt Lake Valley was an idea I got in my head very early in 2010 and I just couldn't sleep at night until I went for it. The wet spring and muddy trails really helped me make the decision to go after this urban ultra.

Bryce Canyon Link-up - Another hair-brained idea was to link the three main backcountry trails in Bryce Canyon, making for an amazing tour of the park. While I didn't get to run every step of the trail I had planned, I still linked all three, technically, and did something I'm pretty sure has not been done before. I can't wait to head back and try the full version in 2011.

Utah Triple Crown - Setting the new speed record on the Utah Triple Crown has been my primary goal since I decided to start running. In 2001 I hiked all three in a day from an advanced base camp, making the papers (silly) and triggering a small wave of followers who were now set on repeating it. However, in 2008 Davy Crockett did all three in a day starting from the car. He not only stepped up the standard, but he set a solid time to beat. My intention was to target a different route and hopefully cut off mileage and time. The end result was that I not only set a new record of 9:41:46, beating the old record by more than 4 hours, but I summited 4 peaks instead of just the 3 tallest (I had to go over East Gunsight to get to Gunsight Pass). Davy thinks the record will stand for a long time. I think, and hope, that it is beatable and anyone who is familiar with the area could do it in the next couple of years. That would be awesome.

Katcina Mosa 100k - August would be new ground for me, running further in a single go than ever before. The Katcina Mosa 100k is one of the toughest 62 mile trail races in the country, boasting over 34,000 ft of elevation gain and loss. It is run in the hottest month of the year through the mountains behind Provo, UT. I had set a pretty good goal and over-achieved, something I really didn't expect. It was an awesome race and I ran a 13:38:00, taking 9th overall. It was that race that really gave me the confidence to run 100 miles. While wrecked after, I knew I could have gone further if the race required it.

Quest for King's Marathon - In 2009 I devised this little fun run as a way to race the tallest mountain in Utah. It's not an official race since racing isn't allowed on pristine wilderness land, but it is a great way to get all my friends together and enjoy one of my favorite trails in Utah. This year we had a small turn-out and I had a rough day, but overall it was a really fun day. I set a new PR and came in 2nd overall. I'm pretty sure that next year I won't finish that high, but I do hope to knock off more than a half hour on my time.

Pony Express 100 - My focus since mid-year 2009 was to work up and run a 100 mile race. While I am a mountain runner at heart, the Pony Express 100 was a draw for me for several reasons. First, the race director is a friend and my running mentor, Davy Crockett. Second, I ran the 50 last year, knew the course, and enjoyed the remoteness of the course. Finally, I was on the race committee and therefore had no choice but to go for it. Oh, and Davy was way too smug about always winning it. He needed someone to take him down. While it wasn't me or anyone else for that matter, I did come in 3rd overall, set a 100 mile PR of 22:46:00, and wet my tongue on the world of 100 milers. I'm hooked. Next year I will have no other goal but to win it . . . and try and go under 20 hours. I know I can do both.

Halloween Half Marathon - One of my most prized moments of the year was running a road half marathon with my wife, mom, and brother (and my mom's friend). I can't express how proud I am of my wife and how much I value having the experience to run with her. She beat her goal time by 15 minutes, ran strong the whole way, and we just had a TON of fun. I am so proud of her.

While the year was dotted with other fine accomplishments, such as; running two ultra distances in Cedar Valley, monster days on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, pacing at the Wasatch 100, Lake Mountain marathon, and discovering how amazing the Timpanogos trails are, the ones listed above were truly the highlight of an amazing year. Will 2011 be even better? I don't know. I'm not sure I could ever have a better year than this one, but you can be certain that I am going to try. Stay tuned for my 2011 goals. They should be impressive, even for me.

Euro Racing

2010-12-07T13:27:00.001-07:00

I've been doing a bit of reading and watching race videos of trail races held in Europe, specifically two kinds of races that differ from those (if only slightly) we offer here in the States; Sky Racing and Vertical Challenges (Vertical Kilometer). Both of these types of races interest me greatly. I'll address them seperately.

First, Sky Racing. This has been defined by the International Skyrunning Federation as - The discipline of running in the mountains above 2,000m where the incline exceeds 30% and the climbing difficulty does not exceed II° grade. Ski poles and hands may be used to aid progress. There are three types of sky races; Sky Marathon (20 - 26.2 miles in length), Sky Race (15 - 20 miles in length), and Sky Raid (multisport team races at elevation). There is also Sky Ultramarathon, which is anything more than 5% greater than a Sky Marathon. We have a few of these in the States that would qualify; Wasatch 100, Hardrock 100, Leadville 100, Wasatch Speedgoat (best possible example) and others. We also have races that are similar in nature to Sky Races, but aren't quite at elevation. One that comes to mind is the Wahsatch Steeplechase.

Often times these races run up and over mountains. The grade is extremely steep for most of the ascent, requiring the use of trekking poles and on occasions, ropes to pull yourself up. The distance of such a race (15 - 20 miles) is ideal in that, for most, runners will likely push their limit on not only climbing but outright running. Often with ultras we just get into a casual rhythm and grind it out to the finish. With Sky Racing you have the challenge of doing difficult mountainous ascents at marathon pace.

I would love to host or co-host races like this here in Utah. For those familiar with the Wasatch Mountains I can easily think of several options that would fall into this category; Bullion Divide, Beatout Hike, Devil's Castle / Sugarloaf / Baldy loop, Alta-Brighton loop, etc. The requirements are easy - make it steep and do it at altitude. I just think it would be cool to do more altitude racing, especially since our local options are in such abundance.

Now, as for the Vertical Kilometer. These races are simple and insane. Find the steepest, toughest trail you can and push racers up it for 1 kilometer. I've watched videos on this and its crazy. The old Widow Maker trails on South Mountain would work perfectly for this. I wonder if Draper City would let me run a race like this. It's individually timed and people leave about 2 minutes apart. And they just go up as fast as they can until they collapse at the top. Sound fun?

What are your thoughts on the whole concept?

Friday 26.2

2010-11-26T19:59:00.001-07:00

I needed to get my marathon or further in today, but I also wanted to hit some trails and maybe get a peak in. Since I'm a wuss and backed out of the Wire Peak Rampage, and knowing I would be down here in Lehi today, I decided to try a run from my parents house all the way out to Lake Mountain, summit the peak, and come back. I was hoping it would be near 26.2 miles. It was almost dead perfect.

I woke up late after dealing with the kiddos all night, but that turned out to be a good thing. I left at about 9:30am, just warm enough to be outside. There was no wind and with the sun on me I was able to stay warm enough to maintain a good pace and positive attitude. I ran the trails through Lehi and Saratoga Springs, passing (I can only assume) near Crockett's house. I know I was near his house because I could smell the fear of me beating him next year at Pony Express 100 coming from somewhere nearby. I then continued along the paved trails until I got to the access road to Israel Canyon. That climb through the neighborhood was very pleasant and when I hit the dirt road I still felt pretty good (8.2 miles in).

I have struggled on my runs lately that are longer than 10 miles, but today was different. Once in the canyon it turned to more of a power hike. I was worried I was going to have to break snow most of the way up the canyon, but to my surprise I had a couple of day-old four wheeler tracks to follow, almost all the way to the top. I probably only had to break snow (that wasn't more than a few inches deep) for about a half mile. I then ran into the tracks again right at the top. I hit the summit in 2:31:06, 2.81 miles. I stopped to call my parents and check on my kids, eat a few things, take a couple of pics (to be posted later), and I was off again.

Running down I chose to follow the four wheeler tracks. It added a little distance, which I needed, but it was all runnable and I was having a great time blazing down the snow for the next several miles. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to run fast through the snow, but I maintained a 6:30 pace for more than 3 miles down the canyon. Near the bottom I still held a pace in the 7s and even maintained a pace in the 8s nearly the rest of the way back. I was pretty tired my last two miles. I had to walk a few times. I was energizing well, but I also did the mental math and found that I had burned almost 2600 calories and only taken in 700. I wasn't bonking, I was just tired. I finished strong though and am super happy with my effort today. It was a near perfect outing. I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving.

Time: 4:19:03
Avg Pace: 9:53
Vert: 3370

Turkey Leg 5k

2010-11-25T11:35:00.000-07:00

This is not a race I ran.

There are certain moments in your children's lives that really stand out. Whether it is the first time they rolled over, walked, or shoved a pea up their nose, they are moments beyond 'milestones', moments that you know you will never forget. When it comes to my children, there are more of these moments than I can count. I am proud of each of them for so many little things they do almost daily.

Today's day was Tyler's. I've been asking him if he wanted to run a 5k for a few months now. Running one on Thanksgiving Day seemed like a logical and fun choice. A friend of mine was the race director of a cool 5k up in Farmington, called the Turkey Leg 5k. Yes, there are many other options much closer to home, but I thought it would be fun to support him. Besides, I also had several friends running in the race and I knew that the tech t-shirt they gave out with the entrance fee would be awesome. Unfortunately, my wife had to work so I had my two smallest with me. Knowing the temps would be in the teens, at best, not only would it be a challenge for Tyler, but it would be tough for my two smallest to hang out in the cold.

I got Tyler there about 20 minutes before the start. His mom had shown up to cheer him on, as well. I bundled up the rug-rats and we all headed out to get him settled. Just before the race started he stripped of his down coat and sweats and headed to the starting line. Minutes later they were off. I had coached him to not go out too fast and just find a group of people he felt comfortable running with. He listened to my every word.

The layout of the course was cool in that just after the 2 mile mark the runners pass the park, so you get to see them run by. It was here that I snapped a few good shots. I then urged him to start pressing a little harder. The race then runs through a neighborhood and then loops back around the opposite side of the park and around and back, so you get to see them finish the last third of a mile. As Tyler came back into view I could see he was still running strong. He was passing several people who were out of energy. With 100m to go he passed two people. The announcer then called out the competition between the three and the two he passed started to sprint. Not to be beaten though, Tyler turned on the heat and passed them both again at the line, finishing in an unofficial 25:08. That is super fast for a 12 year old in his first 5k. I couldn't believe how well he did and I am so proud. He was hammered. I asked if he thought he might puke to which he concurred, but he kept it down. That's the sign of a great effort. We snapped a few more pics and then I got my freezing kids home while Tyler left with his mom.

Tyler at the 2 mile-ish mark

Not to be beaten

I am so proud of him. He has really caught the running bug and is going to be amazing. Congrats Tyler!!!

Here are a few additional pictures:

T and his Deacon's Quorum advisor, Jason

T and his mom

T and me

Antelope Island

2010-11-23T14:11:00.000-07:00

Matt and I went out to Antelope Island to try and do the 25k course. We knew of the impending storm coming in and were a bit worried, but it appears the craziness isn't coming in until tonight now. We only had to deal with wind and cold. I like the cold, but hate the wind.

The first several miles run south heading straight into the wind. We passed several buffalo along the way, which was cool. The views are awesome. The weird thing though is that everything looks closer than it really is. I knew within a mile that we wouldn't have time to do the whole course so I thought we could go out and bag Elephant Head knoll, but it turned out to be quite a bit further than it looked. Even still, we got out there pretty far and turned around at the 6 mile mark. We then reversed the course and followed the finishing way back, which added the half mile. It was a really cool run and I can't wait to go back out there and run the whole thing. Oh, and there was zero snow on the ground.

Timpanogos Has a Front?

2010-11-06T15:08:00.000-06:00

Several weeks ago I went running with my friend Eric in the hills east of Provo, following the Squaw Peak course. With Timp as our background we talked of running the trails on and around that mountain. I mentioned that I don't think I'd be interested in running any trails on Timp that didn't involve me hitting the summit. But then last week Eric ran a loop route on the front that he absolutely fell in love with. He mentioned it in his report and challenged me to come out and try it. He was confident it wouldn't disappoint. He couldn't have been more right.

We met this morning at 7:30am at the Grove Creek trail head and headed out north on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. Even that section of trail was nice; 4 miles of perfect single track to about a mile of dirt road where we stopped at the mouth of Dry Creek for a quick bathroom break and then up the canyon. I was having trouble with my breathing, but even after my tough run up Malan's yesterday I was surprised how well my legs felt. Eric told me that the next three miles would be a steady climb up Dry Canyon, but that it was all runnable and beautiful. I had no idea just how incredible it would be. Unfortunately, one of the set-backs of Pony Express has been that my recovery after even a normal run has been slow and the climb quickly took it's toll on me. Within a mile I found myself walking periodically. My legs were heavy and my quads really suffered yesterday. Six miles into our run and I was tired. At mile 7 you come to a bench on the edge of a cliff that looks over an amazing waterfall. The views out over Utah Valley were incredible and even with my tired legs I couldn't have been more content to be running in such a beautiful setting.

Our run began with a beautiful sunrise

About a half mile up Dry Creek, after the first switchback

Eric running along a cool cliff line

At the bench looking back at our route up Dry Creek

Above the big waterfall with a small one behind

Does it honestly get any better?

Another mile past the waterfall we were up at Dry Creek campground. I really struggled that last mile, hiking more than running. I was really mad at myself because the trail was all runnable and on any normal week I would have cruised right up it. And I was holding Eric back, which also bothered me (I doubt he cared, but that's not how my psyche works). Once you hit the campground the trail rolls up and over a small pass and then you get to cruise through amazing meadows on your way to Big Baldy Pass. I can't even put into words how beautiful it is up there. So I won't.

Yeah, it was that cool.

Possibly the best running pic I've ever taken

After you run through the meadows you then have a very easy, steady climb of about 1000 feet up to Big Baldy Pass. It is a series of switchbacks that slowly climbs up to the pass. I made the mistake of looking at the actual time on my watch and realized that I was going to be really late getting home and that got to me even more. I was struggling just putting one foot in front of the other. It wasn't about fueling or energy, I had been fueling fine the whole run. I just didn't have anything in my legs. I don't think I've ever felt like that before in a run. Ever. But again, the views were pretty dang good.

On the way up to Big Baldy Pass

At the top of Big Baldy Pass we were at mile 11.5 (about), which meant we had about 2.5 miles of wicked-steep downhill, then another mile to the base of the canyon and another 1.5 miles back on the BST to the finish. I could do that. Eric mentioned to me that these first couple of miles were really steep and in a 'trough', but wow, I certainly didn't realize how steep and deep it was. The trail/trough was a good 3 feet deep with grass growing over the top, so you couldn't even see your feet. And the horses had chopped up the trail enough that it made foot placements tricky. I was wearing my new New Balance MT101s and was glad I had put on thicker socks. They were working very well.

We made good time down the steep stuff and then opened it up on the lower angled downhill to the bottom, laughing and talking the whole way. The last cruiser mile and a half back to the car was pretty good and I felt remarkably better than I thought. Don't get me wrong, my legs were TRASHED, but I was still able to keep a moderate pace. As soon as we got back to the car I called my wife and apologized. I would be more than an hour late getting home. Luckily, she is extremely understanding. I couldn't ask for a better wife.

After talking with Eric I've resigned myself to the fact that even though I've had some good runs in the last couple of weeks that I am just not recovered from my 100 miler. It will definitely be in my best interest to take the next week off, which I plan to do. I need my legs to recover. I still have to run an ultra this month and I'd like it to be the Grand Canyon. Not sure if I can work it out logistically, but I want to try and I need to make sure my legs are up for it. I'm sure they will be. Below is a 3D map of our route and the statistics summary. Note the 4600+ feet of vert we had. Pretty monster for a run that long. Even with the trouble in my legs and the holding Eric back part I can't say enough about how cool that run was. Without a doubt one of my most favorite trails I've ever run. I can't wait to do it again. Hopefully, the weather will hold until I can try. If not, I'll be on it first thing next Spring.

With Timp as a constant background, what could go wrong?

Malan Peak

2010-11-05T10:04:00.000-06:00

I had a great morning running with 'the boys' - Matt, Bryce, and Scott. The three of us drove up to So Ogden and met Bryce at the trailhead. I had just gotten my new MT101s in the mail yesterday and was eager to try them out. Last night the 11.5 felt a little large, even though in the store they felt perfect. I guess my running socks weren't as thick as my work socks. So this morning I put on a little thicker pair of trail socks. Still not good enough, but we'll get to that.

From the start it is a gorgeous trail up awesome single track to Malan's Peak. After about a mile it gets really steep and I slowed to a power hike while Bryce continued to climb. This is about what I expected. Bryce hit the summit first, followed by me, then Matt and finally Scott. I hit the peak in 41:30. Bryce said that was pretty fast, but I felt like I was really slow. I was definitely not in good form today. Just not feeling it. The overlook was amazing, however. We hung out on top long enough to chat and take in the sights and wait for it to get light enough to run down without our headlamps.

Ogden from the summit of Malan Peak

Scott and Matt on top

Me, of course

Bryce

Of course there was a peak jump

I flew down the trail. It was hard to keep my legs moving fast enough at parts. I was not happy with what my shoes were doing though. I felt like I was swimming in them. However, my heel never came up and my toes weren't crushing against the front. The trail was wicked-steep though, so between not having on good socks and the trail I think both contributed to a bad experience. I'm not going to blame the shoes. The rock plate in these things is amazing. I rarely ever felt a rock, something I can't say about my Inov-8s. I'll have to try my next run in better socks (Darn Tough vs Bolega - what I wore today). Biggest lesson learned is to just buy a size 11 next time. They just felt so small when I had them on in the store. Maybe I'll feel better about things when I get on better socks. I certainly can't send the shoes back after today's run. Ha.

Bryce and Matt near the bottom

Anyway, it was an awesome day and I loved running with the guys. I think we are going to head back up on Monday/Tuesday to try and do Ben Lomond, which should be amazing.

Halloween Half Marathon

2010-10-31T15:07:00.001-06:00

I had the wonderful opportunity of running with my wife, Emily, in her first half marathon; the Halloween Half Marathon up Provo Canyon. The race is only in its second year and they went from 700 participants last year to nearly 2500 this year. While there were some minor frustrations with the race (as there is with EVERY race) I thought everything was really well done. There is just nothing better than running with several thousands of other people dressed up like idiots down a beautiful canyon a beautiful fall day.

I can't say enough about how awesome Emily was on this run. Her goal was to run a 2:30:00 and I knew it was very achievable. She has been working hard and has some good, fast, long runs in and I knew she was ready, even if she didn't. Along with her my Mom would be running her third half with her friend Deanna and my brother, Brent, would be running his first half, as well. We all dressed the same; black tights, black top, masks, and a purple and red kids cape. We all met at University Mall in Provo to catch the buses and quickly got on. We were on one of the short in-town buses and had a great time riding up with other costumed racers.

On the bus. So fun.

The buses dropped us off at Aspen Grove, above Sundance Ski Resort. They had a large 15000 square foot heated tent for the runners to hang out in prior to the race. I don't know why they had people get up to the start so early, but we were there for two hours. At least we had fun seeing the other costumes and hanging out together.

Our group costumes

Me and Em

A group of people up for the costume contest

When it came time to gather outside it had warmed up a bit more and wasn't so bad waiting for the start. It was cool to be out there with so many people on that narrow road. Since we were lined up with the 2:30 runners we were right in the middle of the pack. Below is a picture looking back behind us.

And the four of us at the start (Brent lined up with the faster runners)

When the gun went off we headed out slowly, as usual. We had to make our way through a maze of cars and buses shortly after the start that got stuck in the road, but after that it was clear sailing with the rest of the group. Emily was running at a very even pace as hundreds of people zoomed by us. I told her that we were pacing it just right down this steepest of sections. I then told her to pay attention to what happens after we exited Sundance Canyon, we'd start pacing people all over the place because they started out way too fast. About mid-way down the canyon a guy in tiny shorts and a half cut shirt was dodging the cones in the road and at one point picked one up and carried it over his head for about 5 minutes. It was really funny and there were about 100 of us just laughing at him. It was awesome.

Em running strong down the canyon

At the bottom of the canyon we hit the the Provo Canyon Rd and then at Vivian Park we caught the Provo River Trail all the way to the finish. As predicted, we passed hundreds of people on this 8 mile stretch. Emily continued to run super strong. Her pace never faltered and we only had to stop for one potty break (in the bushes) and then to walk a couple of times while she ate a gel and took a salt pill.

At about mile 9 we started up this super short hill by Nunn's Park and while we ran up it really strong these two girls started to walk it as one said to the other, "there's no way I'm running up this thing". The hill couldn't have been more than 100 ft long and both Emily and I laughed as we easily ran up it, never breaking our pace.

Emily along the Provo River Trail

Such a beautiful trail

Em started to have some cramping in her calf towards the end, but other than a grimace on her face she never showed it and her pace remained consistent. With less than a half mile to go she really picked up the pace and pushed strong to the end. We crossed the line at 2:16:36, nearly 15 minutes faster than her goal time of 2:30:00. I was so proud of her and her determination to train hard and run a solid race. It is a fast course, but you still have to run the distance. She was amazing the whole way. Here are some final pictures of the finish line. We hung around for a while with friends and then my step-dad came to pick us up to take us back to our cars. We ended the rest of the day with our children, trick-or-treating in Lehi and having a great time!

Em and me with our finishers medals

All of the great finishers

My FastRunningBlog friends:

Allie, RAD, Bec, and Lily

Me and Scott W

Zero to 100 in 22:46:12

2010-10-17T16:30:00.000-06:00

When I started running in January of 2009 I had two goals in mind; set a new speed record on the Triple Crown and to eventually run in a 100 mile endurance race. I achieved my first goal in July and my second one on Friday.

The Pony Express 100 is a self-crewed (you have a support car with crews providing help along the way) race on a dirt road that follows the old Pony Express trail into the west desert of Utah. It is a brutal out and back race that is very flat and remote, yet strikingly beautiful in its own rugged way. The course starts at Lookout Pass west of Vernon, UT and runs west 58 miles to Fish Springs. Runners then turn around and return the way they came until they get back to Simpson Springs. Along the way runners have to endure many difficult situations that are very unique to this race, namely; an 18 mile stretch of road that is so straight it feels like it will never end, subtle desert heat that creeps up like a ninja, and a mountain pass that just seems to rise out of nowhere. In all, while it may seem like an easy race on paper, in actuality it is very challenging.

I had been planning to run the 100 a year ago after finishing the 50 miler on the same course. I enjoyed the mental challenge the race brought and the stark beauty of the landscape. I have spent all year preparing for this one race. Over the last 10 months I've run more marathon length or further distances than I can count, competed in my first 50k trail race, and also completed my first 100k trail race. Along with a good final long run (32 miles three weeks ago) and a nice taper I felt like I was coming into the race very prepared. However, whether from nerves or my wife being sick, just days before the race I felt 'off'. It was as thought I had a cold, but without the chest congestion. I didn't have any energy and couldn't think straight. While I was worried about the impact it would have on my race I also knew that as long as my lungs felt healthy that I could continue to go on and compete.

I got a great night's sleep two days before the race and was even able to muster a solid 5 hours the night before while my wife and I stayed at my parents in Lehi. I was crewed by my wife, my mom, and my step-dad. We drove out to the starting line and arrived about 30 minutes prior to the beginning of the race. I handed over the trophies (I was on the race committee and designed the Champions trophies), said a few hellos, and then went right back to the car to stay warm. I was not my usual giddy self and that bothered me. With only a couple of minutes before the start I got out and prepared to go. There would be 21 people running the 100 miler and about 19 running the 50. There were staggered start times for the race; early starters for the 100 began at 5am, early starters for the 50 began at 6am, normal starters for the 100 began at 7am, and finally, the normal starters for the 50 began at 8am. Of the 21 100 milers only six of us would start at the normal time.

5 min before start

In typical fashion, when the race began the race director and good friend, Davy Crockett, shot out like a rocket. Someone forgot to tell him that this was a long distance endurance race and not a 10k. We all knew what he was doing though, this is what he did at every race. The remaining five of us lingered back and chatted and got to know each other. We had Troy - who is a local runner from Salt Lake, Frank - who is from NC, and Ed and John, both from southern California. Ed would have to hurry as he had a 6am flight the next morning out to Boulder, CO to run in another 100 mile race. That's right, he was doing back-to-back 100s. Now that's crazy.

After dropping nearly a thousand vertical feet in just a couple of miles the road flattens and then has a very small hill to another long downhill. On the uphill I was feeling strong and kept my good pace, dropping the other four runners. I didn't intend to drop them, nor was I trying to push the pace, it just happened. I would spend the next 30 miles running relatively alone. At mile 14 I came across Maurine Lee, a friend who was attempting to finish her first 50 miler. She was running with another strong local runner and they were both looking great. When I caught up I put my arm around Maurine and we chatted for a bit. Then I continued on all the way to Simpson Springs, mile 16. The mile preceding Simpson Springs is a long, easy uphill that I had to walk part of last year. I was determined to run it this year. However, when I got to the monument I was more tired than I had hoped and I just felt a bit off of my game. I had had some doubts at my ability to finish all the way back at mile 8, but pushed through it (I always seem to have doubts at mile 8). This time I was feeling it physically. I thought that I should have felt much stronger at this point in the race. But I continued on. Not long after leaving Simpson Springs Ed and John passed me running strong. Within 4 miles I could barely see them any more.

Simpson Springs, mile 16

The next six miles are the beginning of the very long straight section of the race. They were also downhill, so it wasn't bad to continue at a good pace. I had already passed many of 50 mile early starters, but now I was in a gap all alone. at mile 20 my step-dad, Curt, hopped out and got on his bike to ride beside me. We talked and that helped to pass the time as I continued to drop into a further slump. By the time I hit Riverbed Station, mile 24, I was very tired and in a bad mood. My crew did their best to take care of me, but I just wasn't feeling it and was having some serious doubts. I kept telling myself that I just needed to settle in to the misery and that it would get better. It was at mile 28 that I ate my first real food, some watermelon. WOW. That changed my whole game. Within minutes of leaving the car after eating I felt a million times better. Curt and I was laughing and talking and having a great time. While the road was ridiculously straight and long and even starting to go uphill we were having fun and I came into Dugway Topaz Well, mile 33.3 feeling awesome. I yelled out, "I'm back!". My crew responded with screams of excitement and we all knew this was a turning point. I had completed a 50k in 5:50:00, not bad.

Pretty miserable at mile 28

At this stop my wife Emily switched with Curt and rode along side me. What she didn't know was that we were heading up to Dugway Pass, the highest point on the course. She did awesome though and we had a TON of fun chatting and talking about other runners. She was able to keep up on the bike, even on the first hill, and then had to hop off about a mile from the top when it started to get really steep. She dropped back a little, but told me to go on ahead. It was at this point that I saw Scott Wesemann for the first time. He was running the 50 and took the early start hoping I would catch up to him so that we could finish his race out together. We laughed and joked all the way up Dugway Pass. Emily was still behind, but Curt had seen her hop off and drove back down to trade her spots. He rode the bike the rest of the way up while she drove the car. Even though Scott and I walked a fair amount of the big climb we still felt it was appropriate to summit the climb running and did so looking fresh. Dugway Pass is mile 38 and I got there in 6:45:00. Last year I had to walk down the other side of the pass because my ITB hurt so bad. This year Scott and I bombed it passing more runners than I can count.

Scott and I after Dugway Pass

Scott's crew was stopping every mile to hand him water and fuel. At about mile 45 he stopped to restock and get his legs rubbed out. We agreed he would just catch up. However, he stayed longer than expected and I just couldn't wait any longer so I pushed on. He was moving well and I knew that he would finish strong. Scott ended up having a great race and finished in 10:30:00. About 2 miles after leaving Scott I saw two other runners ahead. I couldn't tell who they were until they were closer, but they turned out to be Ed and John. How in the world did I catch these two very experienced and strong runners? They were shocked when they saw me and I cruised by. Both commented on how strong I was running. We would leap frog each other for the next several miles.

At the 50 mile mark I stopped to use the bathroom and record my time. My 50 mile time was 9:04:50, something I was extremely pleased with. It was nearly an hour and 40 minute PR. I also needed to find a bush and took some TP and wet wipes with me. When I returned I thought wiping my face down with a wet wipe would feel nice, so I cleaned up a little. Just as my crew took off my nose started to itch and run and I was sneezing. Then my eyes swelled up and were red and itchy. I was having a pretty severe allergic reaction to the wipes, something that has never happened before. For the moment the best I could do was spray water on my eyes and shirt and try and wipe them down. Feeling horrible I send Curt ahead on bike to bring the crew back. I was still leap frogging Ed and John and both commented on my looks and were concerned. I told them my breathing was fine and that I would be fine in the end. My crew returned and I got cleaned up with a wet towel.

Shortly after, at mile 54, Emily asked if I wanted some company and she hopped out to run with me for the next 4.5 miles. The few miles preceding Fish Springs is really cool. It is literally an oasis in the desert. There were large bodies of water and reeds everywhere. We could hear ducks and other water creatures. I could hear a car coming quickly behind us and it turned out to be my dad and step-mom, who were there to run the finish line aid station. It was so much fun to see them along the course. They also commented on how stronly I was running. After they left Em and I continued on. The sun was just beginning to set and we were within a mile of Fish Springs. I commented to her that I was surprised that we hadn't seen Davy, John, or Ed coming back at us. I thought for sure that they were miles ahead of me, but based on where I was in relation to the turn-around there was no way they could be further than a mile or two. Within a half mile of the turn-around I came across Davy who was really struggling in the remaining heat. Minutes behind him was Ed who was now running strong and looking good. Both had nice things to say about my running. As I approached the turn-around John was just stopping and getting ready to come back. I planned to make this my longest stop, so I knew they would get more of a lead on me, but the stop helped to re-energize me and I think it was worth it.

The pumpkin on top lit up so we could see the car afar off.

Emily hopped back in the car and Curt joined me again. The sun had now set and the temps were awesome. We had fun running back towards Black Rock Station (the 50 mile finish) and as it got darker started to try and find where people and crews were along the route. We had been passed by two relay teams and a 100 miler early start (he was running strong). In fact, Emily nick-named him 'Woodwork' because he literally came out of nowhere (the woodwork) to run strong and pass me. As we approached Black Rock Station we turned our lights off so that we could sneak up and scare everyone. It was a lot of fun to see the looks on people's faces as we got there because they couldn't see any lights approach. We arrived at the 68 mile mark at 13:47:00 (8:47pm). I went and sat down at the aid station and there was John. I thought for sure he'd be miles ahead. We both enjoyed some chicken broth and chatted for a minute and then headed out. I got out before he did and was able to stay about a mile ahead of him heading back towards Dugway Pass. I could tell where he was based on his crew car. It would drive a mile ahead each time and park to wait for him. Most times it would pull just ahead of us and stop. As we reached the Dugway Geode Beds I could tell he was within a half mile so we pushed the hills up towards the pass a little quicker. I was amazingly still able to run a lot of these hills, hills that Curt was having a hard time riding his bike up. By the time I hit the pass, mile 78, I was about a mile and a half ahead of John.

Awesome volunteer manning Dugway Pass

I stopped a little longer again here to refuel. Woodwork didn't stay long at all and by the time I started running he was well down the pass. Curt and I started out. I had tender legs running down the steeper sections, but once the grade eased up I was able to press and we caught Woodwork and his pacer within a couple of miles. We all moved together and talked for a while. Woodwork is from Texas and ended up taking 5th overall, a real accomplishment considering he started early, which meant he had to have beaten John by more than 2 hours (with John only a couple miles back that would be tough with about 20 miles left). At mile 81 I stopped for a break and the wheels fell off.

I hadn't been fueling properly and I was sleepy beyond belief. After sitting on the bumper for a couple of minutes I decided to just lay down in the dirt for a minute. I laid down right in the road and stretched my legs and hips. I tried to fight off sleep while Curt handed me an energy gel. I forced myself to get up and eat the gel and take a few hits of Rockstarr. I then set off again. I told my crew to now only go ahead two miles. Curt stayed with me on the bike to keep my company, even though we didn't talk much. I was walking like I was asleep. I had tunnel vision and was just stumbling forward. Then, at the snap of your fingers, the gel and caffeine kicked in and everything cleared up. I started walking straight, then running, then talking and laughing. I was back again!!!

This method of refueling every two miles was the ticket to my last 20 miles. Every two miles we'd creep up to the car and I'd take a gel (or shot blocks or sport beans) and take a hit of Coke or Rockstarr and I'd be off again. Most every stop (except one to fix my hammered pinky toe) was less than 1 minute at the car and I was off again. At mile 88 a car pulled up and it was the guy who had manned the 50 mile aid station. He said that I was currently the only person on the entire course (and he had driven by them all except the two in front of me) still running. He was amazing. Geez, I was amazed. How was I doing this? I knew I was still on target to go sub-23 hours, something I could really only have dreamed of. I was back on the super long, straight road and I could see the two racers ahead of me (Davy and Ed), as well as many of the racers behind me. I was comfortably in 3rd, but because you can't tell how far away people are I always had it in my head to keep moving forward. No matter who it was I didn't want to get caught. With 8 miles left my dad (Steve) showed up in his car to give me some motivation. And then with just 2.4 miles left he and my step-mom (Marie) showed up again to tell me I was almost there. It was awesome.

At just before 5am on Saturday, October 16th I ran (yes, ran, not jogged) through the finish line of my first 100 mile endurance run. I ran into the arms of my wife, my mom, my step-dad, my dad, and my step-mom. I had the people I loved most (minus my three kids) there to be a part of this amazing experience. I can't express my gratitude enough to each of them for the role they played in this race. Even my dad and step-mom who manned the aid station. While I didn't see them often, the few times I did was an amazing inspiration. I love all of them so much for sacrificing for my selfish endeavor.

It is now a day and a half later and I can finally find time to write this. I reflect back on everything I went through and am still amazed I finished . . . and so well. Thank you to Davy Crockett for putting on an amazing race and to my family for providing me with the support and inspiration to finish. I can't wait to do it again.
Here are some photos from the finish line:

My wonderful crew-wife, Emily

This guy road 74 miles on a bike to keep me company!

Crew parents rock!

Aid station parents who drove all over the desert to support me.

And cook wicked-good pancakes.

100 mile finisher. FINALLY.

Final Build, Now to Taper

2010-10-02T22:38:00.000-06:00

I capped a great week of running as I peak my miles before I start a 2 week taper leading up to the Pony Express 100, 14 days away. I'm getting nervous and very excited for my first 100 miler. Based on how I've run this past week I think I have a shot at doing really well, considering the course and my current fitness level. I'll break down my week by day and you be the judge of whether I've prepared enough or not.

Monday, 9/27
32 miles - I ran out in Cedar Valley. I posted specifics of the run earlier in the week. No need for details here.

Tuesday, 9/28
5.15 miles - It was important for me to be able do an ultra and then get right back out on my legs the next day. I felt really good this day considering I was running on the roads and I was still having pain in my cuboid bone in my left foot. My legs felt pretty good though and I knew I could have gone for more miles had I had the time.

Wednesday, 9/29
Day off, but not on purpose. I intended to run about 20 miles and was going to do it at night, but by the time it came around I was just too hammered from work, family, and scouts to get out. Knowing I had Thursday and Friday off I decided to just go to bed and rest.

Thursday, 9/30
13.5 miles - I chose to run on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail downtown since there weren't any real big hills and I could run with a single water bottle. Leaving at 10:30am it was still quite cool, but quickly heated up and the run became tougher and tougher as I continued on. I had to bow out a bit early due to the heat and lack of fueling, but I still managed to get a peak in (2 actually, the Avenue Twins) and put in some steady miles.

Friday, 10/1
No running, just an awesome day with my family. My cuboid was killing me this day.

Saturday, 10/2
15.8 miles - My friend Eric and I attempted to run the first half of the Squaw Peak 50 course, but as expected, we ran into issues with the trail. We parked my car at the bottom of Hobble Creek and then drove back to Bridal Veil Falls in Provo canyon. Parking there we started across the bridge and ran the .2 mile down to the Bonneville Shoreline Trail and headed up. According to the directions online (which must be very old) we were supposed to turn off the BST after less than a mile onto a service road and then catch a pipeline trail up to another road and across to a trail that leads into Hope Campground. Well, we found the service road (hurray) and it did turn into a pipeline trail. Unfortunately, that trail was TOTAL CRAP!. There were wires crossing it, a slot through two cliffs, and then narrow trail on treacherously steep hillside. And guess where it deposited us? Yep, right back on the BST. Wasted time. When we got to the Squaw Peak dirt road the directions were even less clear and we ended up going up into the archery range and running around there like weirdos for a while before giving up and going back down to the BST. We thought after getting back on it that there might be a branch off trail, but nothing looked definitive enough for us to try as we were already pretty frustrated and had wasted a lot of time. So we continued on. As we did so we passed two guys on horseback and said hello and then just decided to continue to the paved road.
Once on that we ran up it until a half mile or so before the T where we caught a steep trail up to the right that put us on the ridge and a gorgeous overview of Utah Valley. From there we took that all the way up to near the paved overlook. We then decided to run the dirt road past Hope Campground and up to Rock Canyon Pass and decide what to do from there. We were now about 3 miles over where we should have been and I was getting tired from a big week. I also wasn't fueling properly and after turning off the dirt road onto a trail really lost my energy and had to walk. I pumped another gel in me and then met up with Eric at another look-out, surprisingly back on course. We followed that another mile or so until we hit the Squaw Peak overlook. Almost immediately here came our two boys on horseback again, but this time from the west. Huh? We questioned them on where they had come from and they explained the trail they came up. Amazingly, it was the Squaw Peak course trail that we had missed. I was still not quite over my mini-bonk and we were more than an hour behind schedule so we just decided to go where the horsey guys went and summit Buffalo Hump peak (yeah, that's right, we humped the buffalo) and then head back on the appropriate trail. I immediately felt better as we descended and we had fun cruising the correct trail into Hope Campground. The forest service has been up there 'chaining' and it knocked out almost a half mile of the course above the camp ground. We found it again though and didn't have any problems the rest of the way down.
I thought my legs would be more hammered than they were. I could feel it on the latter climbs we did, but I was solid on the flats and downhills. Eric pressed his very casual pace of nearly 7 min/miles the last three, but I was able to keep up and still hold a conversation. Not too bad after a 60+ mile week. We now know where we are going and will head back to try our hand at the front half of the course again. While we didn't get all the way across to Hobble Creek, it was still a lot of fun and a great time with a good friend.

Weekly Total - 66.45 miles

Here are some photos of the Squaw Peak run. It's really beautiful out right now.

Taking a cut-off trail above the paved Squaw Peak Rd.

Eric running through scrub oak and aspens.

Looking back at Mt Timpanogos, my favorite mountain in the Wasatch.

Redemption in Cedar Valley

2010-09-28T09:44:00.000-06:00

Finally, redemption on Cedar Valley. That place hates my knee and every time I have run there (albeit, it has only been twice) I've walked away with ITB issues. Monday would be a very different story.

I had planned to head out there with the objective of running anywhere between 30 and 50 miles. I would just take it easy and see how things felt. I knew going in it would be a challenge. I think I under-estimated how impacting my run with Emily on Saturday was on me. I actually felt pretty good that whole run, however, in the 2.5 hours we were out there I didn't fuel at all because I gave my one gel to my wife to eat. I also kept my fluid intake to a minimum because I made her take more due to the heat. I ended the run feeling pretty worked, considering it was only 11 miles. Sunday I really felt it. My legs felt tired and heavy and I was lethargic all day. I knew I was feeling the after effects of mild heat exhaustion. So I knew going into Monday's run that I would be working against my own legs and energy. It was a good thing though because I wanted to test myself on tired legs and without a taper.

I drove out to Cedar Valley and was parked by 5:15am. I was off and running my first loop by 5:20am. The moon was bright and I didn't even need my head lamp. I never turned on my light and fully enjoyed running in the dark. It was a beautiful, cold morning, with a light mist over the valley and beautiful stars above my head. The first loop runs around into Eagle Mountain and then back to the car. It is about 4.75 miles back around to the car. It was a great warm-up with little incidence. I then took off towards The Ranches because I wanted to get the big hill out of the way early. There is also a lot of running on pavement and I wanted to get that out of the way too. It was a smart decision. I felt pretty good most of the way, but by mile 13 my Plantar in my left foot was starting to really act up. It would plague me until about mile 20 when it would finally settle down. Loop 2 is about 13 miles and is a direct out and back on the Pony Express road into the Chevron at The Ranches. As I ran down the hill to the Chevron I got to watch the sun rise behind Mt Timpanogos. Beautiful. I didn't stop at the Chevron, but just turned around and headed back. Running back up the 2 mile hill felt just like running on flat ground and I was making great time. When I got back to the car I had traveled roughly 17.5 miles. This stop was longer because I had to refill everything, grab a banana (which I carried for another two miles before eating), and take off my pants. It was still chilly so I kept my long-sleeve, hat, and gloves on.

As I began loop 3, a lolli-pop run into Fairfield and back, I really started to feel the affects of Saturday settling in. My visions of going 50 seemed remote, but I knew I had enough for at least a 50k . . . and I was still maintaining a pretty good pace. That loop was also uneventful, although I pushed the pace much quicker the last three miles because I wanted to see if I could complete a marathon in under 4 hours, but I didn't quite make it. I got back to the car, 25.75 miles, in 4:02:00. This was another long stop (4 min - ish) because I took the time to stretch (very smart) before heading out again. So I didn't actually complete a marathon until about 4:11:00 or so. Stretching was genius though because I felt awesome. On loop 4, after 2 straight miles I had about a 250 ft climb over the course of a mile to reach the highway and again it felt like I was running on flat ground. I stretched again at the top and then turned to head back down. I took note of the time as I hit the 50k mark and it was exactly 4:53:00, a new 50k PR. I then trotted to the car to finish the whole thing off at exactly 32 miles. I definitely had more in the tank and could have probably gone to about 40, but I really wanted to get home and spend the afternoon with my family before my wife went to work tonight at 6pm for a night shift at the hospital.

I don't feel sore or all that tired. I already have plans with Scott to run during lunch tomorrow. I was worried about my fatigue for a while there and if I thought I could really travel 100 miles on flat dirt road. I quickly put it out of my mind though, knowing that after a good, long taper and lots of rest I should be just fine. I'll have a ton of support too and that will make a lot of difference.

Mon, Sep 27, 2010
Slow miles	Fast miles	Total Distance Total Time
22.00	10.00	32.00 5:02:16

Timpanogos Summit #4 . . . this year

2010-09-20T10:47:00.000-06:00

I just can't stay away from this mountain. It is too much fun and too good of a run to pass up when the opportunity presents itself.

I ran it with Scott this morning. He was itching to get out running and tag a peak. There is no better than Timp, that's for sure. We met at the normal spot at 2:30am and were at the trailhead 20 minutes later. We were running before 3am, it was nice. When we got to the parking lot there was only one other car there and by the way it was parked it looked as though it had been there for at least a full day. Just as we were leaving another car pulled up, but other than that we didn't see anyone the entire way up the trail. SO NICE!!!

It was really casual going up, just like last time. Splits for this time were nearly identical to the last time we ran up it. The only change was my split from the saddle to the summit. This time it was about 6 min faster. I felt really good, especially after a good week last week and basically no rest day (27 hours doesn't really count). I huddled in the shack for about 7 min until Scott got there, we took some pics and then headed out. I only stopped my clock a couple of times to wait for Scott.

Coming down felt pretty good until I folded my right ankle and had a few dodgy steps on my left plantar (which hurts now). The ankle is fine and the plantar will subside, like usual. Scott was much quicker coming down this time than last, especially on the lower half where he kind of had troubles last time. He should be pleased with his overall time. I feel really good. I'm surprised how well my legs are doing right now. I should have another strong week this week and then my last long run this coming Monday. Then I'll taper for the race.

Splits:

Location	Split Time	Total Time
Scout Falls	21:54	21:54
Emerald Lake TO	1:03:38	1:25:32
Saddle Up	28:43	1:54:16
Summit	18:27	2:12:43
Saddle Down	13:52	2:26:35
Emerald Lake TO	19:53	2:46:29
Scout Falls	43:59	3:30:28
Total	15:19	3:45:47

Pacing at the Wasatch 100

2010-09-11T19:03:00.000-06:00

I had the opportunity to pace a friend of mine in the Wasatch 100 today. It was a long and tough day, but he finished and did a great job. But let me back things up a few steps. . .

I was following my friend's race online (along with Crockett and others). He was doing great on pace until he reached Lamb's Canyon, mile 53. Then something happened between there and Big Water (the top of Millcreek Canyon). He was due to arrive at about 8:30pm, but by 10pm he had yet to show up. I was planning on leaving home around that time, drive up to Brighton, and run the course backwards for a few miles and then cruise back to the car for a warm-up, prior to Darrell getting there. However, I didn't want to leave home in case something happened to him, so I hung around home till 11pm with no change to his status and decided to drive up anyway. Upon arriving at Brighton I immediately went into the aid station (pleasantly referred to as "The Morgue" to see if he had finally showed up at Big Water. It was now 11:30pm and he had still not shown up. To keep on pace to go under 30 hours total he would have to be in Brighton by 2pm, but the trip from Big Water to Brighton is 13 miles and takes most people 4 hours, at minimum. I would have a long time to wait. So I went out for a run in the freezing cold.

I ran down from the aid station to the Guardsman Pass road and then started up. After only a mile from my start I saw a blaring green light in front of me, no other than the illusive Davy Crockett. He was on PR pace. I ran back down the road with him for a bit, chatting and enjoying the night. He asked about Darrell and I explained the situation, at which time he said, "wow, a lot of people are DNFing at Big Water because of the cold". I figured it was best to head back to the aid station to see if, in fact, he had DNFed. When I got there just the opposite had happened, he had actually gotten to Big Water and checked out and was due at Desolation Lake at 1:40am, putting him at Brighton around 4:30am (based on the average pace of most runners at that pace). I thought it best to bail on my warm-up run and instead get a bit of rest, so I headed back to my car and hunkered down under a blanket for a couple of hours. I set an alarm for 3:45am, thinking that was plenty of time. I don't know how much rest I got, no more than an hour, and at 3:18am got a call, unbelievably from Darrell. He was at Brighton. Somehow he had found a 5th gear and crushed the Desolation to Brighton section. Seriously crushed it! So I quickly gathered up my things and headed indoors. Within 10 minutes we had bade his brother farewell and were off up the trail to Catherine Pass.

It was cold outside, but the nightsky was incredible and we were flying up the trail at a monster power hike. Within the first 30 minutes we passed two groups of runners. By Catherine Pass we passed another, and by the time we made it down the very technical trail to Ant Knolls aid station we has passed another couple of groups. Unfortunately, the climbs were steep and when it was runnable trail Darrell was a bit too tired to push the pace, so we jogged at times, but generally maintained a steady power hike.
We cruised into Pole Line Pass aid station feeling good and other than standing by the massive fire for a few minutes to warm up we were ready to go. That fire may have been the most depressing thing ever. The few runners who were sitting around it did not look good. Runner 201 actually left the aid station and then came back less than a minute later, he was just too cold. Poor sap. He probably shouldn't have worn shorts in sub-freezing weather.

We hoped that after Pole Line it would be a steady cruise the last 16 miles down hill to the finish. Little did we know we were in for a battle. Up, then more up, then around a mountain, then up, down, up, down, down, up, technical trail through trees that just never ended. It was the longest 6 miles to Pot Bottom aid station of our lives. Darrell was frustrated and ready to just be done. Even still, he kept up a good power hike out of the aid station and onto the ridge heading towards the finish. There were moments of cursing the continuous twists and turns, ups and downs, but finally we made it to pavement and the last mile to the finish. Darrell finished his first 100 miler in 31 hours and change. Amazing. I was so happy for him and proud of his ability to stick to it.

And here's how dedicated I am as a pacer: I missed my sons football game for this and he got an interception!!! So awesome.

Congrats to Darrell, Davy, and all of the others who put everything out there to do something great. Whether it was their first 100 or their 50th, I can vouch for the fact that it is always something special. I can't wait to try my first.

And I was happy to get in a good 28 miles on tough trails on only one hour of sleep.

Mt Timpanogos Run

2010-09-01T11:46:00.000-06:00

I've been planning for a while to do a night run so that I could prepare for pacing next week at the Wasatch 100, but I was uncertain of what I wanted to do. Then it occurred to me to try 'double-up' of Mt Timpanogos, a 14 mile round-trip run with 8700 ft of elevation gain and loss. It is an extremely rocky and technical trail, but most of it is quite runnable. Doing it twice would be a great accomplishment for me and another ultra notch on my belt of growing achievements. However, as a result of running Quest for Kings a week and a half ago I have developed Cuboid Syndrome in my left foot from all of the pounding on technical trails and it is extremely painful. I thought I had it pretty well healed up, but Monday I did a road run with the last to miles in my Vibram Five Fingers. Those two miles completely inflamed the injury again making my double-up attempt doubtful. Over the course of the 24 hours from when I re-injured my foot I went back and forth too many times to count on whether I would try the double-up, not try it, only do a single summit, run a different trail, and not run at all. It wasn't until 5pm yesterday when I finally decided to just head up to Timp and give it a single go, post-poning a double-up attempt for a time when I am 100% and have a better pair of shoes (the shoes I ran in last night are well worn and are racing flats, not great for me at distances above 15 miles). So I rallied my compadre Scott once again for some silly adventure. The plan was to run it super easy and if I felt significant pain I would cruise to a walk. The goal was two fold; get some good night time running in and finish. Simple.

I met Scott in Alpine and we drove his car up to the Timpooneke trailhead. We intended to start running around 10pm, but were slightly delayed and didn't hit the trail till just after 10:30pm. There was only one other car in the parking lot. We started off at a super easy pace and were able to maintain it for a long time before we felt the need to power hike anything. We were a few minutes behind my last time up there when we got to Scout Falls, but it is what I expected and I felt fantastic and knew that this was the perfect pace for this run. Not long after Scout Falls we came across two women who were hiking up into the Emerald Lake area. One had a pair of skis strapped to her back. They were obviously going to camp, summit, and then the one was going to ski the glacier. Awesome. We made pleasantries and continued on at a great pace up into the lower cirque. At this easier pace I was able to run more sections than ever before, something I'll remember on future attempts. My goal was to simply hit the summit in under 2:30:00. We crested the lower cirque into the upper at almost 1:24:00 and continued smoothly up to the switchbacks. Scott took a digger on a rock which slowed him down for a minute, but he recovered well. I had been keeping a very sharp eye on the clock and when I should be eating and it really paid off. I used First Endurance EFS gel and the pay-off was HUGE. I had tons of energy on the whole run. I swear that stuff is like rocket fuel. I took some of the short-cuts up through the switchbacks in the main cirque, but it still felt really long, longer than normal. I tried to push to the saddle quicker, but that just made Scott fall behind. I waited at the saddle and then we both pushed through easy to the top. I ended up hitting the summit at 2:15:00 and Scott got there about 5 minutes later. It was super cold, but such a beautiful night over-looking the valley. It was a real joy to be up there in the middle of the night alone in that place. I sure do love that mountain.

We didn't stay long, it was just too cold. We both had on pants and a long-sleeved shirt. I also had on gloves, but my hands were still cold. The temps had to be in the 30s with a 20+ mile an hour wind. Chilly. I still felt awesome and my left foot wasn't hurting too bad so I was able to keep a good pace going down the scree back to the gap. I opened up a sizable lead on Scott who was taking it much slower on the technical terrain. I waited behind a wind sheer at the gap and then we made our way back to the saddle. By now we were well behind my pace from when I did it in July, but we were still on target to hit the bottom in under or around 4 hours. Working back down through the cirque went slower than I had hoped and we only managed to get back to the Emerald Lake turn-off at exactly 3 hours. That left one hour to get to the bottom, very doable. We tried to keep a decent pace, but Scott was having trouble seeing the rocks with his lite, so I gave him an extra I had. It seemed to help a little, but still couldn't stop him from taking a fall down near Scout Falls. It was a hard hit and really shook him up. He recovered after a couple of minutes and I put him in front to try and give him some extra light with me running behind. I think it helped because his pace picked up considerably. We hit the bottom at 4:18:34 by my clock and 4:30:00ish by his (I stopped mine at the top and saddle waiting for him), a little slower than I had hoped, but still respectable and I think really good for Scott's first time running that mountain and in the dark. It was a lot of fun. I didn't get home till about 4am, quickly jumped into bed, and got 3 solid hours of sleep before having to get up for work. Yeesh, what a night.

Location	Split Time	Total Time
Scout Falls	21:54	21:54
Emerald Lake Sign	1:03:07	1:24:01
Saddle Up	28:33	1:52:34
Summit	24:14	2:15:40
Saddle Down	18:39	2:34:20
Emerald Lake Sign	26:35	3:00:55
Scout Falls	57:58	3:58:01
Total	20:32	4:18:34

Some things I learned from this trip:
1. My shoes have been a major contributor to my foot injury. I'm certain I ran my Inov-8s about 100 miles past when I should have retired them. They got soft and unsupportive while I was still running very technical trails. Likewise, because I am a mid-foot striker the chunky soles on my Crosslites began to wear down heavily on the outside of the sole, but not on the inside (the natural way of rolling from the outside of the foot to the inside - pronation). Therefore, it was causing an uneven landing surface and forcing more weight onto the outside of my foot or Cuboid bone. New shoes have been ordered!
2. Maintaining good energy is essential. And not just maintaining good energy but utilizing a product that works well for me. I am fully committed to First Endurance products. They are amazing. I strive to ingest about 300 - 350 calories an hour and it works great for me.
3. Could I do a Timp double-up? Absolutely. In different shoes with a healthy foot I could have done it last night. I felt great at the finish and I feel good now. In fact, I think I'll go out for a run. Have a great day.