Sunday, May 31, 2009
great weekend!
Awesome weekend on the HPb training front. To recap:
Friday - Pikes Peak summit via the Cog route. 20+ miles, over eight hours on my feet (not counting the half hour I spent above 14,000 feet goofing off), almost 8,000 feet of climbing.
Saturday - Rocky Mountain via the Incline. Over 3,000 feet of climbing.
Sunday - Barr Camp and back. 4,000 feet of vertical.
Over 13 hours of running and about 15,000 feet of climbing since Friday morning. Woohoo!
monthly PR
My current PR for monthly mileage is 305.7, set way back in March.
On the last day of May, I'm currently sitting at 298.5.
My legs are still fried from all the climbing I've done over the past two days, but I think I have it in me to set a new record.
Off to the Incline Club!
Friday, May 29, 2009
Pikes Peak!
Made it. Took me over eight hours due to heavy snow on top, as well as a lackadasical pace the entire way. Had a lot of fun, though. My 14th trip up Pikes Peak. And to top it off, Mrs Arizona 2009 Melanie Britton was waiting for me at the top.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
HOLYSHITIT'SAFUCKINGBEAR!
While most people would run away if they saw a bear, I guess Texans think the correct course of action is to stop and take pictures. Here are two pics of the bear seen at Jemez, near the bottom of the out and back up to Caballo mountain.
Jemez sheep pics
At the pipeline aid station at Jemez, only 11 more miles to go, the aid station volunteers required you to pose with the sheep mascot before you could leave. Here's my shot:
More importantly, here's the shot of my new ultracrush. Mmmm...that's one lucky sheep!
More importantly, here's the shot of my new ultracrush. Mmmm...that's one lucky sheep!
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
160
Decided it's finally time I start whittling down to my race goal weight of 160 pounds. There are only 44 more days 'till I toe the line at Silverton. I've been weighing in between 167 and 171 for over a month now. One would think it wouldn't be hard to drop 7 pounds in 1.5 months, but my dietary habits aren't exactly anywhere near decent, and I am unwilling to make any compromise in my alcohol consumption. I went into HR last year at 165 pounds, which worked out well, but I think I'd be better just a little lighter. Five pounds over 100 miles of mountains makes a pretty significant difference.
I'll start posting my weight when I can just to hold me accountable. I have a digital scale at my place. Katie has been unable to find a scale that can record her weight, so when I stay there I can't keep track. Which is a bad thing, since she is also the one who can cook and I eat a lot more at her place than mine.
Of course, the diet will start tomorrow, as there is free pizza and beer at the CRC tonight!
I'll start posting my weight when I can just to hold me accountable. I have a digital scale at my place. Katie has been unable to find a scale that can record her weight, so when I stay there I can't keep track. Which is a bad thing, since she is also the one who can cook and I eat a lot more at her place than mine.
Of course, the diet will start tomorrow, as there is free pizza and beer at the CRC tonight!
lazy hiker fee
By the end of June it's gonna cost you $5 to park at the Barr Trail parking lot on top of Hydro Drive. I think they should also make you wear a t-shirt that says, "I'm a pathetic lazy wus who can't make it from Memorial Park to the trailhead."
I'm guessing that it'll soon cost to park anywhere on Ruxton.
I'm guessing that it'll soon cost to park anywhere on Ruxton.
hell yeah!
A Colorado tradition for me since I moved here. July 4th at Red Rocks with Blues Traveler! With comedian Lewis Black opening...
GO PENS!
I barely know a blue line from a clothes line. But I know for sure that I'll be gettin' tanked down at the the Townhouse when the Penguins win the Stanley Cup this year!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
four hour bonus?
Officially, I spent 155 minutes at the 12 aid stations at Hardrock. Unofficially, due to me checking out of most aid stations before going back to eat and rest (especially Ouray and Grouse Gulch, where I spent over an hour at each place before moving on), I easily spent at least twice that amount of my race at various aid stations.
I plan on taking no more than ten minutes per aid station this year. If that goes according to plan, that's over four hours I'll pick up during the race. Pretty big deal for me, since last year that woulda dropped me under the 40 hour mark.
I plan on taking no more than ten minutes per aid station this year. If that goes according to plan, that's over four hours I'll pick up during the race. Pretty big deal for me, since last year that woulda dropped me under the 40 hour mark.
alex hoag pic
From the Alex Hoag 5K a few weeks ago. I actually passed the guy in front of me as we ran onto the warning track on Sky Sox field. Held the lead all the way across the outfield, but when we made the turn towards home plate the guy dropped me.1:31:29.44
Yes folks, that was my blazing time at yesterday's Bolder Boulder. I was out of shape at last year's Pueblo half marathon and I still beat that time. But I may have had as much fun as anyone out there, and I'm pretty sure I drank the most booze out of the 55,000 or so runners. Here are the final stats. Not too hard to see which mile had the hash beer check.
bib number: JB509
overall place: 37252
location: Manitou Springs, CO
division: M33
division place: 456 out of 483
gender place: 18581 out of 21941
mile 1: 00:07:20.33
mile 2: 00:09:07.01
mile 3: 00:09:00.93
mile 4: 00:10:11.48
mile 5: 00:08:26.93
mile 6: 00:45:11.27
net time: 01:31:29.44
pace: 14:43 (based on net time)
bib number: JB509
overall place: 37252
location: Manitou Springs, CO
division: M33
division place: 456 out of 483
gender place: 18581 out of 21941
mile 1: 00:07:20.33
mile 2: 00:09:07.01
mile 3: 00:09:00.93
mile 4: 00:10:11.48
mile 5: 00:08:26.93
mile 6: 00:45:11.27
net time: 01:31:29.44
pace: 14:43 (based on net time)
Sunday, May 24, 2009
CRUD run
Had a great run with CRUD on Saturday. I took the shorter version - Williams, Waldo, Longs Ranch, Eagle's Nest, Barr Trail, ending at the Colorado Custard Company for a chocolate milkshake. Another great group for a CRUD showing, as this week we were joined by Eric G, who had recently won the Miwok 100K. Thanks to CRUD historian Leadman Larry for the pics.
Here's a shot of Fast Eddy pointing towards Pikes Peak and saying, "no friggin' way I'm running over there, it looks way too hard."
Friday, May 22, 2009
small world yet again...
Last night at the Incline happy hour some of us were talking about the upcoming Big Head Todd & The Monsters show at Red Rocks. BLOS told me that the last time he had seen BHT was in Manhattan, KS (he went to whatever hick school is there) when a then unknown group called the Dave Matthews Band opened up. My sister and I went to that same tour's show at the A.J. Palumbo center in Pittsburgh! I'm thinking that was way back in 1995. In between Manhattan and Pittsburgh, DMB released "What Would You Say" and by the time we saw that show, even though it was still billed at a BHT tour, BHT actually opened up for DMB. My sis and I bought pirated t-shirts in the parking lot, and I wish I still had mine as they managed to misspell just about everything on the shirt.
small world...
Last year some friends and I went rafting down the Royal Gorge. It was a record snow year and the melt made for some epic conditions on the river (it was much worse than anything I've seen on Penns Creek, that's for sure). The boat behind us fliped over and the only one to stay on the raft was the guide. One of the gals dumped into the water broke her leg. Anywho, the guide on that boat? None other than Kimchi hasher OCD! We didn't know each other at that time. The above pic was taken during that trip.Starting to put together the plans for another raft trip. If you're interested, let me know. I'm pushing for the Numbers this year, as I've never done that section and there's a new brewery at the end. But if the pack wants to go back to the Gorge I'd definitely be down for that. Rest assured, the chances of breaking a leg during a rafting trip are relatively slim...
.104
I set a new PR this morning by blowing a .104% on the BA machine. Even higher than the time my old boss pulled me into her office and gave me information on the company alcoholic counseling services.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Jemez Mountain 50 miler
The big mistake of the race came on Friday afternoon. While filling up on gas and coffee in Walsenburg, somehow I managed to lose my right contact lens. This is OK for driving, but it does mess up your depth perception, which causes all kinds of problems if you’re trying to run on technical trails. So as if running 50 miles up and down mountains wasn't hard enough, I was not going to do it half blind. Oh well, as I always say, I love it when it sucks!
Part I: Start to Mitchell Trailhead, 4.9 miles
Did what I could during this section, running at night with messed up depth perception. Just did my best not to trip on all the rocks and roots. After about 40 minutes the sun was up and I could ditch the flashlight, which helped things a lot. Came into the aid station right around 52 minutes. They had 120 people start the race, I was somewhere in the middle of ‘em at this point.
Part II: Mitchell TH to Guaje Ridge, 2.2 miles, 7.1 miles total
First major climb of the day. Lots of switchbacks up the side of a big hill, but nothing too bad for a Manitou resident. I settle in with a pack of four and maintain a decent pace up to the aid station.
Part III: Guaje Ridge to Caballo Base, 3.0 miles, 10.1 miles total
After the climb the trail drops pretty quickly here. Eventually we hit a concrete dam and climb a ten foot ladder to continue on. Really nice singletrack here, through a beautiful green forest. It’s chilly, as the canopy is blocking out the sun, but I wore the Moeben sleeves I stole from Pete and they’re working fine (though I may have to contact the company about making a custom pair of lightweight titanium sleeves - it's pretty hard to contain my guns!).
Part IV: Caballo Base to Caballo Summit, 2.0 miles, 12.1 miles total
Climb number two. Up to the summit of Caballo Mountain (10,496 feet) and back down. Pretty steep, I get into a fast hike and make my way up. About halfway up I see something moving in the bushes. A bear? A mountain lion? An alien (Roswell isn’t too far away…)? Nope, it’s a chick taking a dump. Stupid contact lens. I’m sure the gal thinks I was watching her drop her deuce and thinks I’m a pervert.
Part V: Caballo Summit to Caballo Base, 2.0 miles, 14.1 miles total
As I’m at the summit of Caballo the lead runner for the 50K passes me (50 milers had started an hour earlier than 50Kers). I begin the trek down the mountain at a decent clip, though that’s hard to maintain due to lots of rocks and roots, as well as all the runners coming up. It’s a fun out and back, as I get to see a lot of friends, including all the Texans who have made the trip to the mountains.
Part VI: Caballo Base to Pipeline, 2.8 miles, 17 miles total
Fairly uneventful stretch. I’m still running well here, though not feeling great. But instead of a feeling of impending doom, I have an idea that things are going to get better soon. I continue on and soon hear Robert H talking smack. He’s volunteering at the Pipeline aid station and has my drop bag ready for me. I drink a ton of coke, eat some turkey, and dig my iPod out of my bag. Robert tells me, “jt, you’re literally going to run off the side of a cliff to start this next section.” Whatever. Crazy Texans, always exaggerating stuff…
Part VII: Pipeline to Valle Grande, 4.0 miles, 21.0 miles total
“Seriously, I hafta go down this? Where’s the rope?” Guess Robert wasn’t exaggerating after all, leaving Pipeline you take a straight drop down a cliff. You just kinda go and try not to kill yourself in the process, reminded me a lot of some of the sections of Hardrock. Once I finally reached the bottom I fired up the iPod and was energized by the tunes. I ran a great pace the rest of the way to Valle Grande, mostly jeep roads, and passed quite a few people, including Shannon.
Part VIII: Valle Grande to Pajarito Canyon, 7.8 miles, 28.7 miles total
Time for the big climb, to go along with the longest section between aid stations. The early part of this section is pretty cool. You’ve been running on singletrack and jeep roads through the forest for most of the day and here everything opens up and you head across a field through the Valles Caldera National Preserve. The first mile or so was slightly uphill, nothing too steep, and I was still running while most people were walking. Did a great job of not breaking an ankle here. Again, I passed quite a few runners. Eventually things got a lot steeper and I was forced to hike, but I kept a good pace. Even got to do a little bit of class IV scrambling through this section, reminded me of hiking a Colorado 14er. Soon I caught up to a runner who made a wisecrack about my young age (compared to him, anyways) and we got to talking. Turns out the guy had spent time in central Pennsylvania and knew the area, including Sunbury and even Kratzerville, very well. As we finally got to the top of the climb I told him “can’t believe I let an old fart hang with me.” We would continue this banter the rest of the day. Soon after, right around 25 miles, Shannon caught up to us. She said to me, “hey, I remember that hat from Fruita.” I had run behind her for several miles out there, and I was afraid she’d slug me if I told her what I remembered about her from that race, so I just congratulated her on her strong finish out there. I ran down the hill with those two for a bit, but eventually hit a rock wrong and wrecked my right ankle. I stopped to walk while those two took off. My ankle didn’t hurt for long, but for some reason that slip up had taken all the gas out of me. I was suddenly dead tired and had to walk for a while. But good times and bad times come and go in races such as these, and after about two miles I got a surge of energy and took off once again. I started running very well, quick enough that I thought I’d catch the old man and Shannon within no time. I was running so strong here that I started to think I could rally over the second half for that 11:09 I needed to win a six pack of beer. Guess I was thinking way too much at this point, because I soon realized it had been a while since I saw a course marker. FUCK ME! A conservative guess was that I had run a mile straight through an intersection where I shoulda made a left turn. Made even worse by the fact that I had to climb back up to the intersection. While it may not sound like much, what’s running two more miles if you’re already running 50?, psychologically this was a killer for me. Instead of being two more miles closer to the finish, I had run two miles and made it no closer. I was crushed. I found the intersection, which was very well marked, and slugged my way to the aid station. The longest 7.8 mile stretch made almost ten miles due to my own stupidity. I pretty much gave up after this point. Once I saw they had Fat Tire at the aid station, I took a seat against a tree and enjoyed a cold brew.
Part IX: Pajarito Canyon to Townsite Lift, 3.9 miles, 32.6 miles total
After sobbing in my beer for what seemed like hours, I finally left the aid station to continue on my way. Mentally I was defeated after the extra distance, but physically I felt decent enough that I thought about walking it in from here just to get the finish. But that’s a long way to walk, so I settled into my usual airborne shuffle. This entire section is a climb, but nothing too rough. I run some, I hike some, I stumble over some roots and rocks like the half blind half mind I am. I’m very tired by now, but as much as I’m suffering I’m having a good time, enjoying the beautiful scenery and exploring new trails. I soon come upon the aid station at the bottom of a ski lift.
Part X: Townsite Lift to Ski Lodge, 3.6 miles, 36.2 miles total
Time for the final climb. Back and forth across a ski run to the top of Pajarito Mountain (10,441ft - the 149th highest peak in New Mexico). Shortly after leaving the aid station, my mouth and both hands filled with food, I pass a guy barfing out a lung along the trail. “Dude, that’s pretty epic, you gonna be OK?” I ask. And in the most polite voice ever, he replies, “Oh yeah, I’ll feel much better after this.” A few switchbacks later I’ll look down the hill and give a yell of encouragement to the guy, who would continue on (unfortunately, I would find out later he dropped at the next aid station). Anywho, wow, did this climb ever suck the life out of me! I knew I was well ahead of the cutoff so my pace continued to slow down with each step. The climb reminded me a lot of the final climb at San Juan, not really that bad but it just knows the perfect time to come at you. And the whole time I was being taunted by the ski lift, making me wonder if I should take up another activity that requires no physical effort to get to the top of a mountain. To make things even worse, this part had quite a few false summits. Sheesh, I was tired. Eventually I did make it to the top, only be greeted by the one thing I hate more than climbing – a retardedly steep descent. I could see the Ski Lodge from the top of the mountain, but in between was a straight shot down a double black diamond ski slope. Too steep to run. Too rocky to slide. This was gonna take a while. But I trudged on and eventually got to within earshot of the deck at the Ski Lodge, where Robert was waiting and yelled out, “JT, you run like a girl.” That didn’t sit too well with the dozen or so females hanging out at the lodge.
Part XI: Ski Lodge to Pipeline, 2.9 miles, 39.1 miles total
Only 14 miles to go, once again I’ve come to peace with the fact that I can walk it in and still finish. But this is a short, flat section, so I begin my shuffle. Lo and behold, I pass a few people – one of them being the Old Man! “Where the hell have you been?” he asks. I put on a fake game face and say, “I don’t wanna talk. Where the hell is that chick?” “HA! She’s finished by now!” The old guy and I come into the Pipeline aid station together.
Part XII: Pipeline to Guaje Ridge, 3.7 miles, 42.8 miles total
I chug what has to be two liters of coke, eat a few turkey wraps, and begin to head out. The old man waves me on, saying he is taking a break. About two steps later some of the aid station volunteers point to a blow up sheep and tell me I can’t leave the aid station without having my picture taken with the sheep. Of course, being a hasher, I immediately begin molesting the poor thing, and the riotous laugh from all the volunteers leads me to believe this will be the photo of the day. There are two small climbs on a jeep road along this section, and they reduce me to a crawl. The old man rallies and passes me on the second hill. I’m now dueling with a runner wearing a UCLA shirt, and we’re going into an extensive history on the life and times of Ben Howland. Eventually the road turns to singletrack and I’m forced to slow down, a victim of my physical fatigue and poor eyesight. Eventually I hit the Guaje Ridge aid station. God bless those volunteers, they’ve been sitting on top of a ridge all day, enduring the dropping temperatures with no shelter from the wind.
Part XIII: Guaje Ridge to Rendija Canyon, 5.3 miles, 48.1 miles total
Leaving Guaje Ridge I decide to walk the final five miles to the finish, and this time I mean it. My legs are cooked from the past six weeks of huge mileage, I’ve been having trouble staying upright all day due to my vision, and frankly, I didn’t feel like running anymore. About two miles later I get passed by someone. And for some reason, this lights a fire under my ass. I begin running, pass the runner, and continue on. This section is somewhat technical, but for some reason I’m not having any problems anymore. I continue running and even pick up my pace. I begin to pass other runners. And there, up ahead, it’s the old guy! And he’s walking! And he hasn’t seen me! I pick up the pace yet again, and at this point of an ultra I feel like Usain Bolt, even though I’m probably running ten minute miles. I pass the old guy shortly before the final aid station.
Part XIV: Rendija Canyon to Posse Shack (finish), 1.9 miles, 50 miles total
The final aid station has a Christmas theme. As I run through without stopping someone asks, “you need anything?” “Yeah,” I reply, “where is the eggnog with booze?” Less than two miles to go and I’m now running like a madman. I run through a tunnel that we had passed about 48 miles earlier and now realize I’m within the final mile. I see someone ahead and go after him. After I get him, I see someone else and get him. I actually passed five people in the final mile, pretty hard to do in an ultra where people are usually spaced out. Soon enough, I round the corner near the horse stables and I’m at the finish line, crossing the in 13:37:58.
Part XV: Conclusion
Definitely not my best race ever. But after completing three 50 milers and a Grand Canyon double crossing in less than six weeks (and, let me remind you, also winning a 5K race in a course record time!), it’s about what I expected. My body is completely broken down right now, though that was the plan all along as I have plenty of time to get healthy again before Hardrock. Learned quite a bit from this race, like to remember to bring extra contacts to the next race, that I can go ten miles just using the two water bottles from my Nathan pack, and that I can’t tell the difference between 10,000 feet and 6,000 feet. It sure has been one helluva stretch and I will be getting to Silverton this year in much better condition than last year….
And for the record, this course is nothing compared to the San Juan Solstice!
Part I: Start to Mitchell Trailhead, 4.9 miles
Did what I could during this section, running at night with messed up depth perception. Just did my best not to trip on all the rocks and roots. After about 40 minutes the sun was up and I could ditch the flashlight, which helped things a lot. Came into the aid station right around 52 minutes. They had 120 people start the race, I was somewhere in the middle of ‘em at this point.
Part II: Mitchell TH to Guaje Ridge, 2.2 miles, 7.1 miles total
First major climb of the day. Lots of switchbacks up the side of a big hill, but nothing too bad for a Manitou resident. I settle in with a pack of four and maintain a decent pace up to the aid station.
Part III: Guaje Ridge to Caballo Base, 3.0 miles, 10.1 miles total
After the climb the trail drops pretty quickly here. Eventually we hit a concrete dam and climb a ten foot ladder to continue on. Really nice singletrack here, through a beautiful green forest. It’s chilly, as the canopy is blocking out the sun, but I wore the Moeben sleeves I stole from Pete and they’re working fine (though I may have to contact the company about making a custom pair of lightweight titanium sleeves - it's pretty hard to contain my guns!).
Part IV: Caballo Base to Caballo Summit, 2.0 miles, 12.1 miles total
Climb number two. Up to the summit of Caballo Mountain (10,496 feet) and back down. Pretty steep, I get into a fast hike and make my way up. About halfway up I see something moving in the bushes. A bear? A mountain lion? An alien (Roswell isn’t too far away…)? Nope, it’s a chick taking a dump. Stupid contact lens. I’m sure the gal thinks I was watching her drop her deuce and thinks I’m a pervert.
Part V: Caballo Summit to Caballo Base, 2.0 miles, 14.1 miles total
As I’m at the summit of Caballo the lead runner for the 50K passes me (50 milers had started an hour earlier than 50Kers). I begin the trek down the mountain at a decent clip, though that’s hard to maintain due to lots of rocks and roots, as well as all the runners coming up. It’s a fun out and back, as I get to see a lot of friends, including all the Texans who have made the trip to the mountains.
Part VI: Caballo Base to Pipeline, 2.8 miles, 17 miles total
Fairly uneventful stretch. I’m still running well here, though not feeling great. But instead of a feeling of impending doom, I have an idea that things are going to get better soon. I continue on and soon hear Robert H talking smack. He’s volunteering at the Pipeline aid station and has my drop bag ready for me. I drink a ton of coke, eat some turkey, and dig my iPod out of my bag. Robert tells me, “jt, you’re literally going to run off the side of a cliff to start this next section.” Whatever. Crazy Texans, always exaggerating stuff…
Part VII: Pipeline to Valle Grande, 4.0 miles, 21.0 miles total
“Seriously, I hafta go down this? Where’s the rope?” Guess Robert wasn’t exaggerating after all, leaving Pipeline you take a straight drop down a cliff. You just kinda go and try not to kill yourself in the process, reminded me a lot of some of the sections of Hardrock. Once I finally reached the bottom I fired up the iPod and was energized by the tunes. I ran a great pace the rest of the way to Valle Grande, mostly jeep roads, and passed quite a few people, including Shannon.
Part VIII: Valle Grande to Pajarito Canyon, 7.8 miles, 28.7 miles total
Time for the big climb, to go along with the longest section between aid stations. The early part of this section is pretty cool. You’ve been running on singletrack and jeep roads through the forest for most of the day and here everything opens up and you head across a field through the Valles Caldera National Preserve. The first mile or so was slightly uphill, nothing too steep, and I was still running while most people were walking. Did a great job of not breaking an ankle here. Again, I passed quite a few runners. Eventually things got a lot steeper and I was forced to hike, but I kept a good pace. Even got to do a little bit of class IV scrambling through this section, reminded me of hiking a Colorado 14er. Soon I caught up to a runner who made a wisecrack about my young age (compared to him, anyways) and we got to talking. Turns out the guy had spent time in central Pennsylvania and knew the area, including Sunbury and even Kratzerville, very well. As we finally got to the top of the climb I told him “can’t believe I let an old fart hang with me.” We would continue this banter the rest of the day. Soon after, right around 25 miles, Shannon caught up to us. She said to me, “hey, I remember that hat from Fruita.” I had run behind her for several miles out there, and I was afraid she’d slug me if I told her what I remembered about her from that race, so I just congratulated her on her strong finish out there. I ran down the hill with those two for a bit, but eventually hit a rock wrong and wrecked my right ankle. I stopped to walk while those two took off. My ankle didn’t hurt for long, but for some reason that slip up had taken all the gas out of me. I was suddenly dead tired and had to walk for a while. But good times and bad times come and go in races such as these, and after about two miles I got a surge of energy and took off once again. I started running very well, quick enough that I thought I’d catch the old man and Shannon within no time. I was running so strong here that I started to think I could rally over the second half for that 11:09 I needed to win a six pack of beer. Guess I was thinking way too much at this point, because I soon realized it had been a while since I saw a course marker. FUCK ME! A conservative guess was that I had run a mile straight through an intersection where I shoulda made a left turn. Made even worse by the fact that I had to climb back up to the intersection. While it may not sound like much, what’s running two more miles if you’re already running 50?, psychologically this was a killer for me. Instead of being two more miles closer to the finish, I had run two miles and made it no closer. I was crushed. I found the intersection, which was very well marked, and slugged my way to the aid station. The longest 7.8 mile stretch made almost ten miles due to my own stupidity. I pretty much gave up after this point. Once I saw they had Fat Tire at the aid station, I took a seat against a tree and enjoyed a cold brew.
Part IX: Pajarito Canyon to Townsite Lift, 3.9 miles, 32.6 miles total
After sobbing in my beer for what seemed like hours, I finally left the aid station to continue on my way. Mentally I was defeated after the extra distance, but physically I felt decent enough that I thought about walking it in from here just to get the finish. But that’s a long way to walk, so I settled into my usual airborne shuffle. This entire section is a climb, but nothing too rough. I run some, I hike some, I stumble over some roots and rocks like the half blind half mind I am. I’m very tired by now, but as much as I’m suffering I’m having a good time, enjoying the beautiful scenery and exploring new trails. I soon come upon the aid station at the bottom of a ski lift.
Part X: Townsite Lift to Ski Lodge, 3.6 miles, 36.2 miles total
Time for the final climb. Back and forth across a ski run to the top of Pajarito Mountain (10,441ft - the 149th highest peak in New Mexico). Shortly after leaving the aid station, my mouth and both hands filled with food, I pass a guy barfing out a lung along the trail. “Dude, that’s pretty epic, you gonna be OK?” I ask. And in the most polite voice ever, he replies, “Oh yeah, I’ll feel much better after this.” A few switchbacks later I’ll look down the hill and give a yell of encouragement to the guy, who would continue on (unfortunately, I would find out later he dropped at the next aid station). Anywho, wow, did this climb ever suck the life out of me! I knew I was well ahead of the cutoff so my pace continued to slow down with each step. The climb reminded me a lot of the final climb at San Juan, not really that bad but it just knows the perfect time to come at you. And the whole time I was being taunted by the ski lift, making me wonder if I should take up another activity that requires no physical effort to get to the top of a mountain. To make things even worse, this part had quite a few false summits. Sheesh, I was tired. Eventually I did make it to the top, only be greeted by the one thing I hate more than climbing – a retardedly steep descent. I could see the Ski Lodge from the top of the mountain, but in between was a straight shot down a double black diamond ski slope. Too steep to run. Too rocky to slide. This was gonna take a while. But I trudged on and eventually got to within earshot of the deck at the Ski Lodge, where Robert was waiting and yelled out, “JT, you run like a girl.” That didn’t sit too well with the dozen or so females hanging out at the lodge.
Part XI: Ski Lodge to Pipeline, 2.9 miles, 39.1 miles total
Only 14 miles to go, once again I’ve come to peace with the fact that I can walk it in and still finish. But this is a short, flat section, so I begin my shuffle. Lo and behold, I pass a few people – one of them being the Old Man! “Where the hell have you been?” he asks. I put on a fake game face and say, “I don’t wanna talk. Where the hell is that chick?” “HA! She’s finished by now!” The old guy and I come into the Pipeline aid station together.
Part XII: Pipeline to Guaje Ridge, 3.7 miles, 42.8 miles total
I chug what has to be two liters of coke, eat a few turkey wraps, and begin to head out. The old man waves me on, saying he is taking a break. About two steps later some of the aid station volunteers point to a blow up sheep and tell me I can’t leave the aid station without having my picture taken with the sheep. Of course, being a hasher, I immediately begin molesting the poor thing, and the riotous laugh from all the volunteers leads me to believe this will be the photo of the day. There are two small climbs on a jeep road along this section, and they reduce me to a crawl. The old man rallies and passes me on the second hill. I’m now dueling with a runner wearing a UCLA shirt, and we’re going into an extensive history on the life and times of Ben Howland. Eventually the road turns to singletrack and I’m forced to slow down, a victim of my physical fatigue and poor eyesight. Eventually I hit the Guaje Ridge aid station. God bless those volunteers, they’ve been sitting on top of a ridge all day, enduring the dropping temperatures with no shelter from the wind.
Part XIII: Guaje Ridge to Rendija Canyon, 5.3 miles, 48.1 miles total
Leaving Guaje Ridge I decide to walk the final five miles to the finish, and this time I mean it. My legs are cooked from the past six weeks of huge mileage, I’ve been having trouble staying upright all day due to my vision, and frankly, I didn’t feel like running anymore. About two miles later I get passed by someone. And for some reason, this lights a fire under my ass. I begin running, pass the runner, and continue on. This section is somewhat technical, but for some reason I’m not having any problems anymore. I continue running and even pick up my pace. I begin to pass other runners. And there, up ahead, it’s the old guy! And he’s walking! And he hasn’t seen me! I pick up the pace yet again, and at this point of an ultra I feel like Usain Bolt, even though I’m probably running ten minute miles. I pass the old guy shortly before the final aid station.
Part XIV: Rendija Canyon to Posse Shack (finish), 1.9 miles, 50 miles total
The final aid station has a Christmas theme. As I run through without stopping someone asks, “you need anything?” “Yeah,” I reply, “where is the eggnog with booze?” Less than two miles to go and I’m now running like a madman. I run through a tunnel that we had passed about 48 miles earlier and now realize I’m within the final mile. I see someone ahead and go after him. After I get him, I see someone else and get him. I actually passed five people in the final mile, pretty hard to do in an ultra where people are usually spaced out. Soon enough, I round the corner near the horse stables and I’m at the finish line, crossing the in 13:37:58.
Part XV: Conclusion
Definitely not my best race ever. But after completing three 50 milers and a Grand Canyon double crossing in less than six weeks (and, let me remind you, also winning a 5K race in a course record time!), it’s about what I expected. My body is completely broken down right now, though that was the plan all along as I have plenty of time to get healthy again before Hardrock. Learned quite a bit from this race, like to remember to bring extra contacts to the next race, that I can go ten miles just using the two water bottles from my Nathan pack, and that I can’t tell the difference between 10,000 feet and 6,000 feet. It sure has been one helluva stretch and I will be getting to Silverton this year in much better condition than last year….
And for the record, this course is nothing compared to the San Juan Solstice!
Stole this video off of Footfeathers, who had taken it from Matt H. Pretty good if you're into ultrarunning and/or mountains. Probably pretty boring if you're not.
Decided to bail on the upcoming Golden Gate 50K. I'm pretty tore up from the last six weeks and don't need to be racing anymore until Hardrock. From now 'till then it'll be all about getting up above treeline. Probably do at least two out of town weekends, one at Kite Lake near Alma, and one in Leadville. And more than likely at least one at Rocky Mountain National Park.
Decided to bail on the upcoming Golden Gate 50K. I'm pretty tore up from the last six weeks and don't need to be racing anymore until Hardrock. From now 'till then it'll be all about getting up above treeline. Probably do at least two out of town weekends, one at Kite Lake near Alma, and one in Leadville. And more than likely at least one at Rocky Mountain National Park.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
the ball and chain returns...
Assuming she isn't quarantined for swine flu precautions, Katie returns from a few weeks in Laos tonight (the country, BLOS, not the Hawaiian taco place across from the CRC). So it's been an awesome few weeks of running and drinking, but after tonight it's back to my old life of running and drinking.
quote of the day
From the great runner/philosopher Wiley:
"Excuses are the nails used to build a house of failure."
That may become a staple of mine, along with "drink for whining" and "sounds like you're menstruating again."
"Excuses are the nails used to build a house of failure."
That may become a staple of mine, along with "drink for whining" and "sounds like you're menstruating again."
my new ultra crush...
Since my last ultra crush went out and had a baby, which I think is about the grossest thing in the world, I've dumped her and found a new one. This gal dropped me horribly at Fruita (though, in my defense, she was only running the 25 miler) and was with me at the halfway point of Jemez before destroying me over the second half. Some of my readers probably know this chick, so don't spoil things for me by telling me any personal info about her. You'll learn more about her in my Jemez race report...daily haiku - 5/20/09
I think this my first ever poem about a girl. Well, "girl" isn't really the right word since she's about to turn 40 (isn't that the age where people die of old age?). Inspired by Happy Sock.
The Sock is easy.
She'll do whatever you say.
She's a dirty whore!
The Sock is easy.
She'll do whatever you say.
She's a dirty whore!
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Hardrock runners manual
The 2009 Hardrock manual is now online. See it here. Looks like I have some light reading ahead of me! This is the next big race for me, and I'll be announcing my goals shortly. My last three races were all somewhat disappointing timewise, and I feel like my bad luck cannot possibly continue on much longer. I think I'm due to bust one out soon...
rock gym discount
The Sport Climbing Center is having their annual summer membership sale. Three months for $95. You can take advantage of it until June 30, 2009.
Robert, Joyce, and I hanging out after Jemez. The race started and ended at the Los Alamos County Sheriff's Posse Shack. We all hung around until the last finisher crossed the line, shortly after 10PM. Gave me lots of time to enjoy some of the local Isotopes Slammin' Amber Ale, named after the local minor league baseball team.Thanks to John F for the pic!
Monday, May 18, 2009
13:37:58
Finally back, sore as hell. Just ran out of gas over the last half of the race. Learned a lot of stuff for Hardrock though, and overall the trip was a blast. I'll do a race report tomorrow once I'm at work...
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
11:19:09
I bet Rick H a six pack of beer that I could run within an hour of his best time this weekend. He's run 10:19:10, so anything below 11:19:09 wins it for me. Here's why I think I can do it:
1. I am in better shape now than I was for San Juan last year, where I ran 11:52.
2. San Juan is a much tougher course than Jemez.
3. I'll really push my limits for free beer (are you reading this, Fast Eddy?).
PARAB
Went to my first PARAB meeting on May 7th. The highlights:
-Visited a site on the west end of town (across from the bottling plant) that some local is asking to turn into a park. Not gonna be a huge chunk of land, but it will include a half mile trail that could eventually lead to Ute Pass, Rainbow Falls, and the train tunnels. Could also open up a lot of space back to Greenstone Quarry and Greenstone Canyon. Not a purely philanthropic thing, as the guy owns some rental property near the proposed park, but I thought it was a great idea, especially since there ain't a whole lot going on in that part of town. There's a weird monument to "Amanda" back there that I've stumbled across, and finally got to hear the history of that (she was killed by a drug dealer). Anywho, I'm all about new trails so my first official vote with PARAB was a yes to moving forward with this project (actually, the vote was to waive all parks fees in exchange for the construction of the park and trail).
-Got an update on the creek walk that will eventually run from America the Beautiful park in downtown Colorado Springs to Soda Springs park. Everything for this project is already paid for and it should be completed by the end of the year. The only bad news is that they are probably going to replace the bridge near the Masonic temple. I love running across that bridge, wondering if I'm going to make it to the other side before it collapses...
-Voted to match a grant up to $500 for a new garden at Mansions Park. Mansions is where newlyweds go to get their pictures taken, so as you can imagine I don't really hang out there. But those kinds of peeps bring lots of cash into Manitou and the garden design looked pretty sweet. So if you run the Garden 10 miler a bit too hard, try not to puke there as we're dumping some serious coin into that area.
-Voted to give $200 to the locak Kiwanis club for Huck Finn days. It's a kids event, so I won't be anywhere near there, but it'll be a good event for the town. Still not sure why they spent so much time and effort to restock Schryver pond with fish if they're just gonna let a zillion kids with bamboo poles and hooks go fishing there.
-Denied a request for a volleyball court in Soda Springs Park. Too much stuff going on there, not enough space, and the requested permanent poles would be hard for festivals, such as the wonderful Manitou Craft Brew Festival, to work around.
Several other less exciting things happened, nothing too earth shattering. My political dreams of prostitutes and bribes and booze and drugs and general excess probably require me to move to a larger town if I want to see 'em happen. Though I'm sure the drama surrounding the upcoming parking battles will make for good blogging...
-Visited a site on the west end of town (across from the bottling plant) that some local is asking to turn into a park. Not gonna be a huge chunk of land, but it will include a half mile trail that could eventually lead to Ute Pass, Rainbow Falls, and the train tunnels. Could also open up a lot of space back to Greenstone Quarry and Greenstone Canyon. Not a purely philanthropic thing, as the guy owns some rental property near the proposed park, but I thought it was a great idea, especially since there ain't a whole lot going on in that part of town. There's a weird monument to "Amanda" back there that I've stumbled across, and finally got to hear the history of that (she was killed by a drug dealer). Anywho, I'm all about new trails so my first official vote with PARAB was a yes to moving forward with this project (actually, the vote was to waive all parks fees in exchange for the construction of the park and trail).
-Got an update on the creek walk that will eventually run from America the Beautiful park in downtown Colorado Springs to Soda Springs park. Everything for this project is already paid for and it should be completed by the end of the year. The only bad news is that they are probably going to replace the bridge near the Masonic temple. I love running across that bridge, wondering if I'm going to make it to the other side before it collapses...
-Voted to match a grant up to $500 for a new garden at Mansions Park. Mansions is where newlyweds go to get their pictures taken, so as you can imagine I don't really hang out there. But those kinds of peeps bring lots of cash into Manitou and the garden design looked pretty sweet. So if you run the Garden 10 miler a bit too hard, try not to puke there as we're dumping some serious coin into that area.
-Voted to give $200 to the locak Kiwanis club for Huck Finn days. It's a kids event, so I won't be anywhere near there, but it'll be a good event for the town. Still not sure why they spent so much time and effort to restock Schryver pond with fish if they're just gonna let a zillion kids with bamboo poles and hooks go fishing there.
-Denied a request for a volleyball court in Soda Springs Park. Too much stuff going on there, not enough space, and the requested permanent poles would be hard for festivals, such as the wonderful Manitou Craft Brew Festival, to work around.
Several other less exciting things happened, nothing too earth shattering. My political dreams of prostitutes and bribes and booze and drugs and general excess probably require me to move to a larger town if I want to see 'em happen. Though I'm sure the drama surrounding the upcoming parking battles will make for good blogging...
ATY WTF?
Found out that they cancelled the annual Across the Years race (thanks to Chad in AZ for pointing that out). Held over new year's eve, I would never dream of running one (or two, or three) days straight around a track, but it always drew some big names from the ultra world so I would always track it online. Paul D tried to set an American record here last year, and failed so spectacularly that he won't hear the end of it for at least several more years!
Yeah, while I would never run around a track for that long, I'll get on the internet to watch people run around a track for that long. Runners are weird.
Yeah, while I would never run around a track for that long, I'll get on the internet to watch people run around a track for that long. Runners are weird.
masturbation world champion
Yes, there actually is one, and of course Dr. Slow Ride would be the one to dig up this info. I figured I could easily take the guy's title, but my days spent playing soggy biscuit in the field with the Infantry have definitely ruined my chances at challenging this endurance champion. See the article here.
here we go again...
A local deputy DA was busted for drunk driving over the weekend. See the Gazette story here. This was the same DA who prosecuted Barbara Thomas, who last summer hit and killed two local cyclists while all hopped up on prescription painkillers.
It's always fun to read the comments section on the Gazette when stuff like this happens. I don't like to pass judgment on DUI folks (well, unless they happen to be the same people who prosecute DUI cases here) since I realize it's beyond a miracle that I never killed anyone driving from Austin to Fort Hood shitfaced so many times. I've gotten much better, though nowhere near perfect, since I moved to Colorado.
Drunk biking, however, I'm all about that!
It's always fun to read the comments section on the Gazette when stuff like this happens. I don't like to pass judgment on DUI folks (well, unless they happen to be the same people who prosecute DUI cases here) since I realize it's beyond a miracle that I never killed anyone driving from Austin to Fort Hood shitfaced so many times. I've gotten much better, though nowhere near perfect, since I moved to Colorado.
Drunk biking, however, I'm all about that!
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
HPb 167 - Pueblo
Had the pleasure of running with Justin this afternoon. He's fresh off his course record from the 25K at Greenland, and his easy run was a tempo run for me, but I certainly appreciated him showing me some of his local trails. We started at the Pueblo nature center and hit some of the rocky trails out there, catching some cool views of Pueblo resovoir and the surrounding area. Reminded me a lot of Fruita. As if I wasn't going to be struggling to keep pace already, it was probably ten degrees warmer than anything I've ran through so far this year. Good times!
Start time - 4:30 PM
Distance - 9 miles
Time - 1:11:46
Pace - 7:59 per mile
Weather - 90F, sunny skies
Weight - 168 lbs
Monday
HPb 165 - 3.4 miles out and back through Old Colorado City, 30:24.
HPb 166 - Garden 10 miler plus the brand spankin' new Manitou hike and bike path (thank you PARAB!), 10.4 miles, 1:30:13.
I miss Jesse the Body!
Jesse Ventura: I would prosecute every person who was involved in that torture. I would prosecute the people that did it, I would prosecute the people that ordered it, because torture is against the law."
Larry King: You were a Navy S.E.A.L.
Jesse Ventura: Yes, and I was waterboarded [in training] so I know... It is torture...I'll put it to you this way: You give me a waterboard, Dick Cheney and one hour, and I'll have him confess to the Sharon Tate murders.
Larry King: You were a Navy S.E.A.L.
Jesse Ventura: Yes, and I was waterboarded [in training] so I know... It is torture...I'll put it to you this way: You give me a waterboard, Dick Cheney and one hour, and I'll have him confess to the Sharon Tate murders.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Telluride lineup
Here's what I got so far for Telluride Blues & Brews:
Taj Mahal & The Phantom Blues Band
Buddy Guy
Bonnie Raitt
Ruthie Foster
Xavier Rudd
The Lee Boys
Jackie Green
Umphrey's McGee
Otis Taylor's African Orchestra
Ryan Shaw
JP Sours & The Red Hots
Luberfonic
Can't friggin' wait for the Umphrey's McGee juke joint show! Woohoo!
Definitely one of the best weekends of the year. Wake up, go for a run on the Hardrock course, head to Baked in Telluride for some grub, then drink local microbrews and jam out to great tunes 'till you pass out. Heaven on earth for a guy like me.
blah...
HPb 163 - Alex Hoag 5K
HPb 164 - Barr Trail, easy 6 miles
Ugh. Was having a great week up through Wednesday, then it all fell apart. Life (and a killer hangover) got in the way and I had to miss Thursday and Friday. A decent race on Saturday was followed by a horrible run on Sunday. Not too worried, within the last month I've done two 50s (and one more on Saturday!), the R2R2R, and two hard 5K's, but this week it's time to get back to work.
Total mileage for the year is currently 1167.9, at least I'm still ahead of Wiley.
Got an update from the Hardrock RD today. He said the snow in the Silverton area is melting quickly and this should be a dry year for the race. Woohoo!
Saturday, May 09, 2009
18:40
Little bit better this week at the Alex Hoag 5K. The wind was awful, might have gone under 18:30 if I didn't spend half the race holding my hat on my head. First mile in 5:50, two miles in 11:45, then had some trouble keeping the legs turning over. Finished 14th overall out of well over 400 runners, though about 386 of those were fat joggers and walkers.
Got my Leadville packet in the mail today. I made it to Winfield in 11:23 last year. Really pisses me off that I started menstruating after that and gave up after Halfmoon. Ugh! I have some unfinished business with that course this year...
But right now, it's on the bike and over to Arctic brewing!
Friday, May 08, 2009
28
Holy crap, Bolder Boulder has 28 bands this year! One band every quarter mile!
Two years ago I ran a beer check at the five mile mark of the race. Turns out it was also the two mile mark of the elite race. Race officials asked us if we'd hold the Mile 2 sign. They even gave us some red tape to help with the job. We found a much better use for it.
Two years ago I ran a beer check at the five mile mark of the race. Turns out it was also the two mile mark of the elite race. Race officials asked us if we'd hold the Mile 2 sign. They even gave us some red tape to help with the job. We found a much better use for it.
I have a drinking problem
It's noon, and my BAC is currently 0.045%.
This is clear evidence that despite it being a beautiful Colorado Friday afternoon, I am sobering up.
I need a liquid lunch.
Counting the hours until I head to my "real" job at Trinity Brewing...
This is clear evidence that despite it being a beautiful Colorado Friday afternoon, I am sobering up.
I need a liquid lunch.
Counting the hours until I head to my "real" job at Trinity Brewing...
hippocrit
I got so drunk last night that I slept through my alarm clock. No time to ride my bike to work today. The money I spend on gas today will find it's way back to Saudi Arabia and will eventually be used to kill an American soldier. I feel like a piece of garbage, and I'm not talking about the hangover.
Thursday, May 07, 2009
meth
Looks like the Colorado Meth Project is up and running with their media barrage, as this ad took up a half page in today's CS Gazette.Of all the junkies I work with the only ones who really scare me are the meth users. It's mind boggling what this drug does and just how many users are out there on the streets of Colorado. We've had several meth lab busts in the past few months in Manitou, and the problem is much worse in Colorado Springs. I've heard from several sourses that about 1/3 of truckers out there on the highways are jacked up on meth, something to think about on your next road trip.
Anyways, great ad, and it may double as a future Kimchi shirt as well!
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
Telluride lineup slowly leaking out...
Been pretty tough to find any rumors about the upcoming Telluride Blues and Brews festival, but the following bands have been confirmed:
Jackie Green
The Lee Boys
Lubriphonic
Ruthie Foster
And by "confirmed," I mean that I saw it on the internet so it must be true.
I'm hoping the Lee Boys are one of the juke joint bands.
My shot-in-the-dark guess is that Michael Franti & Spearhead will be one of the headliners. Nothing on their website yet, but they have no conflicting dates so far and they are playing San Francisco the week before Telluride, so who knows...
HPb 163 - the long run home
I've said this several times this year already, only to wake up and have to shovel my walks, but I think spring is finally here. Saw quite a few babes laying out near CC, and saw my first snake of the season, which about made me shit my pants.
Great run home from the office to the Santa Fe trail, south to Bear Creek Park, over to Section 16, and back to Manitou via the Intemann trail. The flat Santa Fe section felt great, the rolling hills of Bear Creek Park started to wear me down, and Section 16 and Intemann were brutal reminders that I had run a 50 miler a few days earlier. Had a blast though, and I must say running 14 miles home on the trails beats driving six miles home on the roads any day.
Start time - 6:00 PM
Distance - 14 miles
Time - 2:23:54
Pace - 10:17 per mile
Weather - clear skies, 65F, great reptile sunning weather
Weight - 168 lbs
Jack Trades this Saturday!
Not sure who Cory Branan (he lists Austin as his hometown, too bad nobody down there sees live music anymore or I could get a preview) or Chad Price are, but I know the Jack Trades will rock your socks off! Not to mention the sweet vibe at the Nickel, where pitchers of PBR are always $5.55 and the patrons are the people your mother always warned you to stay away from (like me!).Kimchi hash at Arctic, a night at the Nickel, and late night grub at King's Chef. Hooray for Saturday!
CP results
Holy crap, the BV optimist club was on the ball this year and have already posted the results! In years past it has taken them up to four months to accomplish the feat.
I ended up in 18th place, out of 64 finishers. And my official time was 9:12:59.
I can't use the Fruita excuse, since there were several other Desert RATS 50 finishers who whooped my ass pretty good. I think my GC/Fruita excuse was pretty solid though! And even though I'll have a great GC/Fruita/CP excuse handy for Jemez, I won't be using it as I'll be busy kicking some HCTR ass!
See the results here.
I ended up in 18th place, out of 64 finishers. And my official time was 9:12:59.
I can't use the Fruita excuse, since there were several other Desert RATS 50 finishers who whooped my ass pretty good. I think my GC/Fruita excuse was pretty solid though! And even though I'll have a great GC/Fruita/CP excuse handy for Jemez, I won't be using it as I'll be busy kicking some HCTR ass!
See the results here.
HPb 162 - Bear Creek Park
Nice run from Corepower south on the Sante Fe trail to Bear Creek Park and back. Feeling much better after Collegiate Peaks.
Start time - 6:30 PM
Distance - 8.5 miles
Time - 1:11:01
Pace - 8:22 per mile
Weather - clear skies, 55F
Weight - 169 lbs
Start time - 6:30 PM
Distance - 8.5 miles
Time - 1:11:01
Pace - 8:22 per mile
Weather - clear skies, 55F
Weight - 169 lbs
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
score!
Just picked up the one year of free coffee from Buywell Coffee I won at the Earth Day 5K. Got 24 bags, which they sell for $11 each. That's $264 worth of joe! Sleep is for the weak!
Bolder Boulder is a go!
Forgot that BB is actually on a Monday, which made the decision of whether or not to run a no-brainer. Gonna head up to Boulder on Sunday for a long run, drink the night away with some hasher friends, and then run in the KBCO wave.
HPb 161 - morning Garden
Nice run this morning with the PPRR folks. Bailed on the planned tempo run since my legs aren't quite recovered yet, and just did a nice, easy run on the Garden trails. Feeling a lot better after taking a rest day yesterday.
Start time - 6AM
Distance - 6 miles
Time - 1:03:24
Pace - 10:34 per mile
Weather - clear skies, 45F
Weight - 168 lbs
Start time - 6AM
Distance - 6 miles
Time - 1:03:24
Pace - 10:34 per mile
Weather - clear skies, 45F
Weight - 168 lbs
HPb 160 - Incline Club
Had planned on running up to Barr Camp on Sunday, but my legs were trashed from Collegiate Peaks. So I just ran down to Rainbow Falls and checked out all the new grafitti.
Start time - 8AM
Distance - 2.5 miles
Time - 34:59
Pace - 14:00 per mile
Weather - partly cloudy, mid 50s
Weight - 169 lbs
Start time - 8AM
Distance - 2.5 miles
Time - 34:59
Pace - 14:00 per mile
Weather - partly cloudy, mid 50s
Weight - 169 lbs
Monday, May 04, 2009
HPb 159 - Collegiate Peaks
Not much to say about this one. I knew going in it was going to be rough, as I hadn't fully recovered from my Grand Canyon or Fruita runs. Getting up at 3AM to drive out to BV didn't help either. But I figured it would be great Hardrock training to do a hilly 50 miler on dead legs, and on that account the day was a huge success.
I knew things weren't going to be pretty right from the start. My hamstrings were tight from the get go. My legs just felt dead, even though I took the first three miles very easy in an attempt to warm up.
And that's about how the rest of my day went. My legs never really came alive. I was struggling the first half, just not feeling like running, and I had actually decided to drop out at the 25 mile point, which would give me an official finish in the shorter race. My thinking was that I didn't want to risk injuring my hamstrings. Then Shad caught up to me and told me he was dropping and I called him a pussy. So thanks to my big mouth I was forced to head out on that second loop, as I couldn't quit after saying that.
Second loop was rough, but I persevered. I actually ran most of the loop, including the long climb after the halfway point. Even passed five or six runners over the final 20 miles.
For how much I was whining about how bad I was feeling, it was not that bad of a race. Once I decided to treat this as a training run, I really took my time through aid stations and easily wasted over half an hour just BS'ing with the volunteers. Take that half hour away and I'm approaching PR territory.
Some other thoughts I had on race day:
-Whenever I pass a runner headed out on the second loop, I'll cheer or yell for them, and they usually do the same in return. As I passed the second place guy, he said, "brownie, you're doing a heckuva job." I'm not sure who it was, but thank you!
-Eddyline Brewery opens May 23rd.
-This was by far the most competitive field for CP. I hit the halfway point around 4:12 and was in about 25th place. A year ago that time would have put me near the top five.
-Beer drinkers need to be more responsible. I picked up several beer cans out there, and there were many more. All either bud light or coors light, so I'm sure the rednecks with their oversized 4WD trucks and guns are out there goofing off, but quit giving beer drinkers a bad name and clean up your shit!
-I listened to the same four songs by the Flobots for the final two hours of the race.
-I love the volunteers at this race. I don't think any of the aid station volunteers were runners, and you could tell they thought we were crazy. But they were there, for a LONG time, helping us out. I enjoyed wasting tons of valuable race time talking with them.
-Swine flu mania continues. We were required to sanitize our hands before eating at an aid station. Maybe that's a good thing. I try not to think about it, but most of the food I eat in ultras has already been touched by a guy who rubbed vasoline all over his junk a few hours earlier.
-I'm light years ahead in my Hardrock training than I was at this point last year. I'm going to hammer Jemez and then start getting up above treeline. Bring on the mountains!
I knew things weren't going to be pretty right from the start. My hamstrings were tight from the get go. My legs just felt dead, even though I took the first three miles very easy in an attempt to warm up.
And that's about how the rest of my day went. My legs never really came alive. I was struggling the first half, just not feeling like running, and I had actually decided to drop out at the 25 mile point, which would give me an official finish in the shorter race. My thinking was that I didn't want to risk injuring my hamstrings. Then Shad caught up to me and told me he was dropping and I called him a pussy. So thanks to my big mouth I was forced to head out on that second loop, as I couldn't quit after saying that.
Second loop was rough, but I persevered. I actually ran most of the loop, including the long climb after the halfway point. Even passed five or six runners over the final 20 miles.
For how much I was whining about how bad I was feeling, it was not that bad of a race. Once I decided to treat this as a training run, I really took my time through aid stations and easily wasted over half an hour just BS'ing with the volunteers. Take that half hour away and I'm approaching PR territory.
Some other thoughts I had on race day:
-Whenever I pass a runner headed out on the second loop, I'll cheer or yell for them, and they usually do the same in return. As I passed the second place guy, he said, "brownie, you're doing a heckuva job." I'm not sure who it was, but thank you!
-Eddyline Brewery opens May 23rd.
-This was by far the most competitive field for CP. I hit the halfway point around 4:12 and was in about 25th place. A year ago that time would have put me near the top five.
-Beer drinkers need to be more responsible. I picked up several beer cans out there, and there were many more. All either bud light or coors light, so I'm sure the rednecks with their oversized 4WD trucks and guns are out there goofing off, but quit giving beer drinkers a bad name and clean up your shit!
-I listened to the same four songs by the Flobots for the final two hours of the race.
-I love the volunteers at this race. I don't think any of the aid station volunteers were runners, and you could tell they thought we were crazy. But they were there, for a LONG time, helping us out. I enjoyed wasting tons of valuable race time talking with them.
-Swine flu mania continues. We were required to sanitize our hands before eating at an aid station. Maybe that's a good thing. I try not to think about it, but most of the food I eat in ultras has already been touched by a guy who rubbed vasoline all over his junk a few hours earlier.
-I'm light years ahead in my Hardrock training than I was at this point last year. I'm going to hammer Jemez and then start getting up above treeline. Bring on the mountains!
another 5k?
Thinking of doing yet another 5K this Saturday since it's a low mileage week. The Alex Hoag Run for Sunshine. I think it's one of the bigger races in the area in terms of numbers. Only 20 bones and you get a shirt and a ticket to the Sky Sox.
Any locals interested in getting a team together?
Any locals interested in getting a team together?
Sunday, May 03, 2009
Collegiate Peaks
Felt bad all day, but pushed and prodded my tired legs to a 9:13 finish. Race report to follow, right now it's off to hang with the Incline Club.
Saturday, May 02, 2009
Friday, May 01, 2009
HPb - April
Good times, bad times.
Starting with the bad, I didn't make it to my goal of 300 miles for the month, ending at 270.6 miles. After setting my PR with 25 straight days of running, I ended up taking 7 rest days over the final two weeks of April. One of those was a travel day back from the Grand Canyon, a few of those were work related, at least one was due to being sick, and some just to recover from Fruita.
But I'm still happy with the month, as I had a lot of good, hard runs with the Garden training group, and also had two epic long runs. I'm still very much ahead of where I was this time last year.
The stats, as we cross the 1/3 of a year mark:
2009 distance - 1070.1
2009 time - 198:13:08
2009 pace - 11:06 per mile
average 2009 daily mileage - 8.9 miles
catching up...
HPb 150 - tempo run in the Garden. 15 minute warm up, 25 minutes hard on the trails. 6.2 miles, 60:10
HPb 151 - easy 5K in 33 flat around Manitou.
HPb 152 - Earth Day 5K.
HPb 153 - Palmer Park trails, 9 miles, 1:30:06
HPb 154 - 6.5 miles through the Garden, 1:00:08
HPb 155 - 3 miles around my Denver hotel, 26:33.
HPb 156 - Greenland Trail Open Space loop. 8.4 miles, 1:08:42.
HPb 157 - Nice morning fartlek in the Garden. Two minutes hard, two minutes easy. 6.1 miles, 55:54.
HPb 158 - 7.1 miles out to Rainbow Falls and around Intemann. 1:17:15.
That brings everyone up to date. Had a lousy stretch after Fruita due to work and getting sick, but in the long run it may pay off as it allowed me to recover from all the long trail runs I've been doing lately.
50/50/50
Have had this idea in my head for several years now, just never really talked about it. Most people are aware of the 50 States Marathon Club. Though I don't think I'll actually pay the dues to join the club it is a goal which I'll pursue over the rest of my life. I have a few under my belt already:
Pennsylvania (Chambersburg 1992, Pittsburgh 1997, Philly 1997)
Texas (Austin '05 and '09, Rocky Trails '05)
Wyoming (Rocky Mountain '07)
Colorado (Salida '06 thru '09, Pikes Peak '06)
Luckily the 50 Club allows ultramarathons to count, so I have adopted that rule as well.
Of course, since I always love piling lots of crap onto my road trips, on top of running at least a marathon in each state, I plan to bag that state highpoint and hash in the state as well.
I only have two state highpoints on my peak list, Mt. Elbert in Colorado and Guadalupe Peak in Texas. I could have many more here, but I didn't catch the mountain climbing bug until I moved to CO.
Next up on the state highpoint list will be Mt. Davis in Pennsylvania. Not a hard hike, which will be nice since I'll be going there right after the Oil Creek 100 in October. Of course, I'll hit Mt. Greylock when I run (and hash!) Boston next April.
I'm much further along with my state hashing goal. The very first thing I do when I find out I get to travel is look up the local hash. Texas, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Alabama, South Dakota, and North Carolina (the Army had a lot of help with those travels). Some of these states will require a return trip for the marathon/high point goals, and of course the hash will be revisited!
Nothing to do with this post, but since I have the list out, here's my current lifetime count for marathon and beyond races:
marathon - 12
50K - 6
50 miles - 8 (and one this weekend!)
100K - 1 (sure wish there were more of these out there)
100 miles - 2 (3 attempts)
get yer Dead on!
Shakedown Street this Sunday afternoon at the Townhouse Lounge! 2PM, and they'll play for a while. Nice time to start getting ready for the Jerry Garcia b-day DIM in August...
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