Thursday 05312012

Decalibron with Bob.  Started about a quarter mile below the “official” start.  From the start, 28:51 to get to the pass and then another 18:53 to summit of Democrat (50:52).  Hung out for a whole three minutes.  Back down to the pass in 12:42, and then waited for Bob for seventy seconds.  Reached Cameron summit in 1:28:58 (21:14).  Another 10:33 to Lincoln (that is a half mile!) (1:39:32).  Hunge out for 7:39, and then over to Bross (19:13), coming in at 2:06.  Down very carefully after a break  (4:21) in 26:58.  Whole run was 7.63 in 2:39:20.  Could easily carve of 20 minutes off this and probably a half an hour with a bit of work.


May stats
Last day in May so, May and annual stats.

Annual stats at end of May:  1385 miles.  203.5 hours, 98375 feet climbed.  25 days off, 19 treadmill runs, 5 20 milers, 24 days of quality, and three days at high altitude. Zilcho racing. 21 FR Peaks.   4 14ers

Monthly stats at end of May: 297 miles, 49 hours, 31580 feet climbed, 5 days off, 0 treadmill runs, 0 20 milers, 1 days of quality, and three days at high altitude. Zilcho racing. 7 FR Peaks, 4 14ers

While I list five days off on the month, the funny thing is that with the time change, Sporttracks does not.  In other words, a lot of time when I ran in the morning in Cork, I was actually getting credit for running the evening before.  Whatever.

Decalibron

Bob joined me for a lap on the Decalibron this AM.  This is a loop out of Kite Lake (12000’ starting elevation) that climbs to Democrat (14148’), then scoots over to Cameron (14238’) enroute to Lincoln (14286’), and finishes up with Bross (14172’).  We had excellent conditions for May, although the winds got a little rough as we went over Cameron.  Bob and I took this 7 plus mile, 3400 foot climb session relatively tamely – enjoying the high time.  I felt significantly better at altitude than I did on Monday (mental for sure, not physical) – but still – when climbing at elevation, you are bound to feel the “concrete” in your legs at some grade and some speed. 

Great day in the hills with Bob for this fun jaunt.  Even played with chainsaws and burnt stuff afterwards.

 
Starting out.

Bob with Democrat looming in the distance.
 
At 20 percent plus grade, you click off the vertical feet pretty quickly as you climb out of Kite Lake.

Typical trail as you head out of Kite. 
 
Heading up Democrat
 
Some shots from the summit of Democrat … Looking west.

Looking east.  That is Cameron and Lincoln and Bross … the next peaks to get.

Back towards Kite Lake and Buckskin Gulch.
  
Looking north, I think that is Quandry in the picture to the right
  
Down the snowfield off Democrat and to the pass to Cameron
 
No pix at the top of Cameron because it was crazy windy.  Heading over to Cameron and Lincoln and its summit.

 
From Lincoln over to Bross … looking back at Lincoln (right) and Cameron (left)

Summit of Bross

Coming off Bross and its 35 percent scree covered slopes.

Looking back at Cameron

Wednesday 053012 Green Mountain Middle Route Time Trial

How can I describe that I felt both good and bad?  My legs felt fresh, but on whole I felt a little tired?  Not sure.  There was no residual fatigue in my legs but there was no pop either.  In any case, I was pining for some Green action, but knowing how I felt a bit off, I figured a faster time was not in the cards for me.  As a result, I went in with the mindset to work but not worry.  Short warm up over to Gregory via Chaut, stinky restroom visit and then …

Bridge:  6:04
Ranger Cottage:  17:41 (11:36)
Turn to Greenman 21:37 (3:56)
Turn towards Green 27:36 (5:59)
Log marker on steps 38:27 (10:51)
Summit 43:36 (5:08)

So even though I felt like crap, I ran faster than I did a couple of weeks ago when I did this:

Bridge:  5:46
Ranger Cottage:  17:00 (11:14)
Turn to Greenman 20:57 (3:57)
Turn towards Green 27:03(6:06)
Log marker on steps 38:37 (11:24)
Summit 44:01 (5:34)

Now, that can mean I have been going out a bit too fast, or the heat of that day caught of to me a couple of weeks ago (it was very nice this AM – perfect conditions).  Interesting nonetheless how I was down 18 seconds at the bridge, and even 33 seconds at the turn to Green from Amp, but I made that up in the last sections by going around 30 seconds faster on each of those sections.  It certainly did not feel that way!

Pleased in any case that I was able to post this … and took off about 25 seconds on my best this year and am now within 20 seconds of PRing on this course.  Sub 43 is coming in June.

Saw Aaron K on top, and met Mark O.  Talked a bit, jogged down to the old four way with them.  They went down Ranger and I hit the new down trail for Bear Green, enjoying the Hokas.    I took splits, but I am not sure they mean much.  It took me 48 minutes to get down from the summit.

10 on the day, 2600 plus of climbing, 98 minutes.

New Green Bear trail … love it or hate it.

Finally got around to reading Anton’s recent post on Skyrunning.  And I was thinking about it as I descended the new portion of the Green Bear trail this AM.  It was clear to me that there are folks who hate that trail.   These are folks, who want the most technical but runable steep straight up (0r down) the peak.  The new trail ain’t that.  In fact, it is almost more like a ramp built for handicap access.  The trail is super buffed out, not a root or a rock creates a wrinkle in the trail.  I think folks like Tony or JV find this trail almost insulting to their connection with the mountain.  A trail like this is almost equivalent to putting a sidewalk on it. 

But I had talked to a few runners on the peak who LOVED it.  One of these guys was a HR veteran but he loved it.  He could run it while enjoying the mountain’s other offerings without absolutely concentrating where to put his feet so that he did not land on his face. 

The new trail seems to be a love it or hate it sort of thing.

I see both sides.  My klutzy nature, along with a lack of strength (comparatively) on climbs greater than 10% and a “roadie” background let me see how fun this trail is.  At the same time, I will miss that last valley that this new trail has effectively closed off. 

For what it is worth, there appear to be some reroutes of the old trail in work to move it a whole four feet to the left (or right).  I am not sure that was really necessary.

Other notes:  it looks like Evans is bringing back some historical trophy hardware.  Cool.

Tuesday 052912

Off.  Busy up in Fairplay, moving slash, etc.  Then needed to get back down to Broomstock to have KZ to soccer and JZ to scouts.

various stuff

Back in Broomstock for a day or two to get some “real life” junk done.  Back up to the high country later this week to play in the thin air.

So Kilian’s next project was revealed.  Apparently culminating in Everest. 

Tell you what … that kid is epic.  Seriously … a generation of ultra running mountain and trail folks are going to call this guy the best ever.

Jared Scott gets the one way crossing record (FKT) of the big ditch (North to South) in 2:51 as told by Jason Wolfe.

DC Op-Ed discussing the coexistence of open space conservation and recreation.  Another related op-ed.

Anyone seen a registration list for Evans?  Sort of curious.

Monday 052812

Silverheels with Jeff Montgomery.  13.5, 3600 plus feet of vertical to 13800 plus.  All very easy but I needed it to be.  About 4 hours.

Silverheels

Got out with Mtnrunner2 for a summit of Silverheels (a 13882 peak).  Great to catch up with him, share some miles and get up high.  I was clearly feeling the higher elevations, but no surprise there.  Significant winds above 12k feet made things a bit more challenging, but skies were clear.  Came up via the south route exclusively (the other times I have gone up Silverheels or attempted it, I came via the Iron Mine road side on the north).

An impressive beaver dam, early in the run.

234 more payments and it is mine.

Mtnrunner2 about 5 miles in.  It is a lot less impressive in the picture because there is zero wind in the picture and a lot of it when you are there in real life.
 
Looking up.  Up. Up.

Summit of Silverheels.  A slow jaunt up today.  I felt the altitude.  But just shy of 14k feet by 120 or so feet. 

Mtnrunner 2

Good cell coverage.  Checking in with home base to let them know all is okay and we are on the way down.
Time to head down and get warm.

 
Quandry and the Ten Mile Range to the north and west.
 
Pikes to the south and east.

Grays and Torres to the north and east.
   

Of course also visible were Bross, Lincoln, and Sherman.  I think we were looking at some of the Collegiate Peaks as well, but I don’t know those as well.
 
Dog back at the house pissed she did not come.  (she is dealing with a shoulder injury at current)
 

Probably Decalibron on Thursday – getting going early.  Hoping the weather is a bit nicer by then … it is sort of chilly right now.

Sunday 052712

10 miles up in Fairplay.  Ugh.  It was tough.  And slow.  And the Achilles hurt.  And I was being a total puss.  Essentially doubled my vertical today … to a whopping 2275 for the week.

70 miles on the week, 9.5 hours.  But, with 2 days missed, and the travel, and all pretty decent as far as pace went (except today and yesterday).  All in all – not bad for an international travel week.   3rd 70 mile week in a row, and also no gym.  But no way in hell was I going to sit in a gym with Ireland and England outside.

Springtime in the Rockies

... and now it is snowing in Fairplay.  Got to love CO in May at 10k feet.  I might have to delay my Decalibron run that I thought I would do tomorrow.

Sunday 052712

Back up to 10000 feet.  Total arse kicker.  Dropped three trees today, limbed them and got the slash staged up for removal.  Needless to say, the run afterwards was done a bit tired. 

This is Mount SIlverheels … a prominent 13er in the area, often overlooked as the peaks just to the west are 14ers (Sherman, the Decalibron, Quandry).
 

Saturday 052612

Back in Colorado.  AM – 7 miles, including dog jog.  54 minutes.  PM – 8 miles around soccer fields between KZ games.  65 minutes.

Friday 052512

First, general apologies to anyone who has commented and that I have not responded to.  I am a bit behind on the blogosphere with travel.   Started to catch up a bit with listening of podcasts here on the flight, including starting a pretty interesting post Transvulcania episode from the guys at TalkUltra. 

I am somewhere over Newfoundland.  Out the window it looks like this.  That looks pretty damn harsh.

The flight I am on is full of what appears to be a high school aged rugby team.  They are apparently playing in some tournament in Vail shortly.  They asked me what to do there.  I told them they’d probably be better off asking the young ladies in the row ahead of me as to what to do when they are not playing rugby.  That said, I had a brief chat on the benefits of hydration and sunscreen when people come from sea level to 8000 feet.  Have to keep up the old man image I guess.

I have not been training so to speak, but I am remaining fairly active, and getting a fair amount of exercise.  Tim L has reason to believe that Geoff Roes’ withdrawal  from Hardrock, officially opened the door for him to get in.  And hence, I am in as his pacer.  I am hugely excited about this – for many reasons.  The limited pacing I have done has been incredibly inspiring.  Being there in the moment with someone pursuing something this deeply physical and spiritual is rather amazing.   Doing this with Tim will make that countlessly more so.  Additionally, I imagine I won’t ever toe the line at Hardrock.  Frankly, there is not a huge draw to that for me to do that event in that venue with where I am with things in these chapters of my life.  Maybe someday.  But being part of it, with a friend, in the San Juans, while some of the best ultrarunners in the world go at it … yeah, I am very much wanting to be a part of that. 

So I need to assure that I am in at least some form of fitness to support that.  I feel pretty good about the level of work I have been getting in over the last weeks since getting back on the horse in San Francisco.  Actually those first couple of days after getting started absolutely sucked, but I have had a few decent runs since then, and even some while on the road here in Europe.  Clearly however to be ready for Tim at Hardrock I need to do both physical and mental homework.  Physical in terms of getting some climbing in, some time at altitude, and practicing something Tim is uncannily good at:  walking fast.  On the mental side, I need to figure out logistics, get the course dialed in to some degree in my head, solicit feedback from other pacers that have worked with Tim and talk to Tim to find out what he wants.

So yes, bigger picture of the summer, I am registered for Pikes and am expecting to line up for the marathon.  I’d say I am not thinking about it but it would be more appropriate to say I am more or less past worrying about it.   I considered dropping from the race actually.  I was really just not sure if I’d put together a period of training that would set me up for meeting some self imposed expectations.  But when I chew on that, such thoughts seem sort of … I dunno, selfish and short sighted?

So, my training is not ideal.  So what?  It is not ideal.  When will it ever really be?  To only engage in things when they are ideal would seriously limit what I (you) engage in.  And that does not seem right.  Today I believe I have the abilities to get up and down that mountain.  In the grand scheme of things of what I expect I will do, my performance will hardly be grand, but it is engaging in something pretty amazing nonetheless.  If we wait for everything to be ideal, nearly all things will be a “no deal.”

Besides, training or exercise for an endurance event really does not need to be more than this.

A few more shots from London this AM.  Weird thing on this trip is that I noticed that I was consciously thinking about the photos I was taking and the framing, and that I was looking for interesting angles and the like.  So then I started thinking I was thinking too hard, which hard to do when you don’t have much to think with.


Next week, I am off and heading to the high country to get in some running, cutting some wood, and sleeping in the forest.  If you are in the area and are interested in such, let me know.