Monday 072114

AM – 7 miles, snapping shots.

What I missed while traveling…

PM – more exploring, sort of looking for the Cork University track (but not really looking) and meandering through the campus and surrounding neighborhoods.  Cork is certainly a city that has both charm and some grit.  

Fought the lag a bit today.  And got sort of crazy hungry in the afternoon.  Not a bad day at the office though.  Nothing like this.

Actually had shepherd’s pie tonight.  Apparently I have never had it but I have had cottage pie hundreds of times.  Shepherd’s is lamb, cottage is beef.  Good stuff.

Sunday 072014

Travel to Cork.  Took the British Air direct flight to Heathrow from Denver given the quick turn around needed.  I have done that once before, but it has been a while.   FWIW, I got through the LHR maze of terminals, buses, security, border control, etc in under an hour before I plopped down for my EI flight.  That might be a PR for me.   Wouldn’t want to count on that being the norm.

Caught 300: Rise of an Empire, and Divergent on the way over.  The first was sort of ridiculous for all the reasons you suspect (coming to an appropriate crescendo with the closing credits being War Pigs by Black Sabbath).  The second I watched because KZ was pretty stoked when it came out.  I can see why she would enjoy that.  Kids kicking ass, post apocalyptic theme, trying to figure out where you fit in, (and some hot dude), etc.  She did seem to take special interest in this movie in particular after they did some “this is what career field you ought to consider” test at her school her freshman year and no results came back for her.   When she asked about it, they could not explain why there were no results and so she declared herself divergent.

Also got around to reading Nick’s WS report.  Other reading:  Ted Mahon’s HR report.  That guy is a machine there (like Scooter J).  How is it guys like that who are under touted are also the guys who nail that course consistently well?  And top players like Seb and Finkel who are incredible athletes crack?  Do those folks take it out too hard?  It almost seems Kenyan marathon like where those guys will go out in 61 and then blow up for a 2:18 … but maybe they hold on for a 2:04.  Is it that mentality except it is until your quads blow, or you have rhabdo in addition to being able to hold the pace?

Evening – 9 miles when I got here.  A bit more than I expected, as I headed out to get the fuzz out, and it ended up being the loop out around the river.  Of course the sun sets later here (this time of year).  Started easy, snapping shots, but the pace fell over the course of it.

 

So either 57.1 on the week if you don’t count the backpacking or 70.4 if you do.  Last week was sort of the same:  56.8 or 73.3 for the reason.

Saturday 091914

News:  a new running store opening in Boulder, Mo Farrah sets a world record, O’Day talks about training for Pikes, AJW contemplates being a dirtbag runner, a fast fast 1500,
with a great post interview with Willis (and additional analysis), Gray and Erholtz win Barr (okay I am late with that but catching up, broader results, no records though), you are probably going out too fast, a ridiculous reminder that we in ultras don’t know how to do interviews at the finish line (an almost painful 20 minutes), an article on Pack Burro Racing, the Men's 90-99 100m Final at the USATF Masters Outdoor Championships, what Tool is up to (and what is really happening), a good interview with Anton, misplaced hurdles create monster face plants, an interesting video on Israel, and the appropriate reminder that I am racing old men, old women and high school girls (pic from D. Albo).

Afternoon – hot, but the early day got away from me with prep for heading out to Cork, and various other things.  Five and change with some harder strides to mix it up.  TZ asked me if I saw anyone else while running today.  I said no, and she gave me the “humpf.  I wonder why” in regards to the heat.

Have had a sore tooth, apparently because I am grinding on it and I might be cracking the crown, which in turn may lead to a root canal.  Awesome, particularly as I set of the travel.  I have been given some antibiotics and controlled substance pain killers (if I need em) to get me through.  Maybe even more awesome.

Back to St Patrick’s Hill and a sea level mile crack.

Friday 071814

AM – 7.5 miles, easy to steady.  Joined KZ at practice and then peeled off to do some of my own miles.  Passed by the trail that is going to connect Broomfield Open Space and Boulder County Open Space through the Carolyn Holmberg / Ruth Roberts area.  They have been working to create this one mile of trail since at least April.  It is done, people are using it, but they leave these silly signs up.  Yeah BOCOS!

I am off to Ireland tomorrow.  Good news is that I will probably make it back for both Burro Days and Pikes.  Family thought I ought to get a haircut before going over for business.

Best HR video I have come across yet.  Be sure to let it queue up in HD though.

This one of some of the leaders going down US Grant-Swamp Pass is pretty good too though.

Evening – a steady 4 miles.

Thursday 071714

It is about a 50-50 chance that I might have to miss Pikes and /or Burro Days due to some international related work that might play out.   I have mixed feelings on that of course.  It is no secret that I love these races. 

This would be my eighth running of the Pikes Marathon.  I love the simplicity of the race.  Start at the bottom, go to the top, deal with the challenge of a long run, a grinding but runable climb, a descent that takes enamel off your teeth, and you better have some wheels too because this is no Hardrock hiker grind.  At the same time I realize, my preparation for it this season has been less than ideal – I know I would struggle with the mountain and the outcome more than in other years.  And because of that, if it did not play out, I can see a pretty easy coming to terms with that.

Burro Days in Fairplay has become special to me as well.  It is the event that my family enjoys more than any other that I do.  They laugh at it and that makes it worth doing for me in a way that is unlike the other events I do.  The race also puts me in a moment of realizing that there are a lot of things not in my control.  Of course, there is a hair in me that wants to win the dang thing again, but I know that I can only take what the burro gives to me on the day, and all I can control is my feelings about enjoying a day in the mountains laughing at the craziness of it all. 

It would suck to miss both of these but – we’ll see how it plays out.  Not a big deal in the grand scheme of it all, but something I am working through.

General stuff:  Ed Whitlock (thanks for the tip JT) for doing 3 hours a day in the graveyard, Emma Coburn for getting the AR in the steeple, John Burton’s HR report (admittedly, I am in awe of that race and at the same time think it is just stupid), a good read by Gordo,  KJ’s data to geek out to from HR, some good questioning on whether KJ could have actually been pressed at HR.  I have a dozen or so vids to work through on that I guess … some catching up after being out in the woods for a week I guess.

Evening – 10.1 miles, including a 5:22 mile on the track at the BRR meet.  I was in the second (slow) heat of three (the cutoff was 5:15 for the fast heat).  I fell into third place about 200 meters in and after a quick eyeball of the watch (40 for the 209), I was content to ride the group for a bit.  We came through the 409 in about 83 so we began to slow and the second place guy and I moved up.  This was about an 82 and so we came through the half in about 2:45.  On the curve I took the lead and managed an 80 for that lap, and then found a little bit of a gear for a 77 to close for a 5:22.  Not great again, but fairly happy coming off the trail, and a negative split. 

Colorado Trail Trip 2014

Short version:  success, 9 Scouts, 8 adults, made the successful and happy trek from Kenosha Pass to Breck -- on what was the first significant backpacking trip for many of them.

Longer version:  (more a quick technical report than anything about the grander nature of our trip) we arrived at Kenosha around 8:30 AM after leaving Broomfield a little after 7.  We met our older crew there as they had started the trail two days before to get in an additional 18 or so miles, and do the section on the trail that is before (or after) this one.  We restocked these guys up with items they had packaged up for us and we brought up.

TZ and her Dad went with KK and I and we got his car from the Lost Gulch region, and brought it back.  TZ and her parents would help us immensely by doing a shuttle of the vehicles around from Kenosha to Breck.  The rest of the crew had about an hour start on us, and KK and I started down the path to catch them.  We caught up to them at Deadman Creek, or about 2 hours into our walk.  I think this part of the hike – that is from Kenosha to Jefferson Creek is probably the best of this segment.  Huge wonderful views to the west of the mountains, great vistas of South Park.
Shortly after six miles we set up camp near Jefferson Creek, not far from the CO Trail, and the West Jefferson Trail.  There was some question as to whether we could camp here as we could be in the Jefferson Lake Recreation Area.  There was no signs saying we couldn’t, and there was plenty of evidence that camping had occurred in this area before, so it was up in the air.   One of the adults in our party talked to a ranger and we got a green light of sorts. 

It rained a touch in the afternoon, but not bad.  I got a light jog up the trail with JS (kid is getting strong) and then we settled in for the night.   (6 backpacking miles, 4 running miles on the day)

I was using the Appy Trails Mark III tent.  Good lightweight tent (1 lb, 2 ounces) but they don’t breathe great and so with the overnight rain, and being in the grass, there was a fair amount of condensation on the inside.  They are probably better on pine beds or dirt.  For me alone, in a Mark III – not an issue.  For 2 smaller boys in a Mark III – not an issue.  For the two adults who shared one, they were a bit wet.  I also found myself coveting JH MSR Reactor stove as he had water cranked at a boil in 3 minutes while I fuddled with my 20 plus year old Whisperlite.

The next day we started on the trail.  We were not exactly sure where we would end up.  It depended on availability of water, campsites, the strength of the boys, the weather, etc.  We ended up pressing up to Georgia Pass, getting there just before noon.  Clouds were present but nothing of significance.  Nonetheless, we high tailed it down just before 1PM.

Once over the pass, we were thinking it would be about another five miles to water – and we were right.  All the way down to the Middle Fork of Swan Creek … down, down, down.  The boys who had already put in a pretty big climb began to realize that down was not always easy, and after a total of eight miles, some of the spirits were starting to break.  Thankfully all the snow that Bob and I encountered three weeks ago was COMPLETELY gone.  That was rather amazing. 
While some of the kids were a bit broken when we got to camp for the night, they bounced back quick with the packs off their backs, some food, some water and some RnR.  (10.5 miles backpacking on the day, another 2.4 of running back and forth on Georgia for me as I shuttled back and forth between the front and back of our crew that had really stretched out)
We decided to keep day 3 light.  There were a couple of reasons for this.  First it gave the boys an easy day after a tough one.  Second, it put us near where I thought we’d be anyway in pretrip planning – and we had planned a surprise “drop in” from one of the boys parents.  He brought a variety of treats.  This was the good news.

The bad news was that in the bulk of the otherwise down day, I got out and ran to check out the conditions of the next day’s hike.  We were concerned about availability of water and campsites in this next area, and I had not recon’ed them previously.  I headed down Tiger Road, got a cell signal to dial our treat drop in, get a call to TZ out to let her know all was okay, and then headed up the Horseshoe Dredge.  I ran up to the Red Trail intersection, and confirmed that between our current camp and along the CO Trail, there was no water for the 9.2 mile stretch.

I got back to camp and we discussed various options, landing on one that would take our older Scouts on the longer trail up and over the ridge, and our younger Scouts along the lower road.  This would get them about 3 miles less than the older guys but skip the vertical that seemed to crush them two days before. 

I was fine with this.  One of my primary goals with this trip was to “set the hook” with backpacking.  The kids had seen the challenge of it, and I did not feel the need to break them over and over again – lest they may choose “this sucks, I will never do that again.”  Some might have that feeling anyway I guess.  On the day,  2.4 backpacking, 12.9 of running.

We did the split group plan on day 4, and rendezvous’d with the crew as expected near the confluence of the Horsehoe Dredge and CO Trail.  After some scouting around, we found a suitable site and set up for the night. 

I jogged the trail out to Breck to get a recon on what was up for us the next day, and to tie off with TZ on our pick up spot.  7.4 miles hiking, 5 and halfish of running.

I decided that a sleep under the stars was in order for me.  The clouds later decided that it was going to rain off and on most of the night.  I had wrapped my bag and pad in a ground cloth (painter’s drop cloth) which kept most the rain off me.  But again,the condensation was rich and by morning, I was laying in about a half inch of water anyway.  Nonetheless, my 20 plus year old EMS bag did fine … wet on the outside but I was dry inside.   So a night under the clouds, in a puddle, with a bug net on over the face … ah well. 

Our last day out, everyone was a touch wet with the rains from the night before so we were slow to break camp, as we dried stuff out.  Colorado though … put it out and it dries.  Can’t do that back east.  It was a nice short walk out (3.6 miles) to the Gold Hill Trailhead.  Our older crew had got 50 miles, our younger crew 30.  

TZ was there with the cars.  We took the Scouts up to the Silverthorne Rec Center for some showers and a quick swim and then gorged ourselves at Beau Jo’s Pizza for home.

Tons more to say about the whole wonderful nature of the trip, how the kids performed, how it was good to get out with Dad of like mind, how wonderful the terrain was, but I am pretty beat tonight.  More on that to come, and maybe some pix that people took with actual camera’s versus the junk I took with the iphone.  Lots of stuff to say but at some level,  I was happy to not be the guy that brought Scouts into the wilderness to end up a headline in the news.  ;)

Friday 071114

Apparently Andrew Hamilton’s 14er FKT attempt ended in rhambdo.  Yeah, I guess on Hardrock day, I note that while I enjoy endurance distance running as a fan, I do question how healthy that sort of stuff is.  Arguably, the running that the folks I follow do is not about health, be single mile races or 100 milers, but I still see the 100 miler as particularly abusive.  Doesn’t mean you should not do it.  Just means I won’t recommend it.

Okay – yes, Jornet will probably win.  Which is why I really want Jones or Grant or Campbell or Jaime or Olson or Browning to win.

Pete Julian, Olympian, former Boulder local, the organizer of the XC Nats there in 2008, NOP coach and good guy and hence why I really want to believe Rupp is clean, fights cancer.

Good interview with Tony over on TalkUltra (starts at the 2:04 mark into the ‘cast).

12.2 miles, wilting in the heat of the morning again after a slow rise.  Headed over to the Legacy track and gutted through 8 quarters, an effort that was probably more a mental workout than a physical one.  Managed them in 78 down to 76.  Feeling a bit fried, but again, the trail time will probably serve as a nice respite.  Still … I will avoid treadmills. 

Pikes Ascent WLDMR challenge US team named.

Out of pocket after this for about a week …

Thursday 071014

AM – 14.2 miles.  Got a later start than I wanted as I slept pretty hard.  Felt sluggish waking up, getting going.  I have felt this way for a couple of days, and so perhaps the incurred downtime from hiking/backpacking next week is a good and needed thing.  The last half mile of today’s run included carrying a dog.  I ran into TZ who was out for a walk with a friend and our dog was getting hot.  I tried to run back with her but she was convinced she wanted to go with TZ.  So I had to carry her.

BTMR:  Hard to bet against Joe Gray the way he has been running lately.  Can’t really say that Nichols holds a home course advantage as the defending champion as Gray has been spending time in the Springs.

I am finding it hard to give myself some sort of justification to run USATF XC in Boulder next year other than a bunch of guys I like are doing it.  USATF is just making plain stupid mistakesin how they run their business and treat their customers.  But I guess they get away with it when we all sign up to go to their races. 

Lot of HR stuff this week as would be expected.  On the run today, I saw Shaun K’s very recognizable Jeep buzz by and gave him a wave.  Just seeing that Jeep makes me think of our HR experience, crewing and pacing for Footfeathers along with Justin and Kara. (stole the pic from Tim’s blog header).  Lot of memories from that weekend.

 
I listened to the interview with Dale G this AM and did some additional recollection of the nuttiness that is HR.  It is truly one of those things you have to see to understand (sort of like the Grand Canyon).  The Skaggs interview is a good one to revisit as well.

One of may favorite pix from that weekend.  It reflects to me how flippin hard Timmy had to dig.
Muttering on that for a bit … I guess you can say I ran in one shot with Tim more than anyone.  42 miles and 18 hours.  That has me thinking about Hal Walter, because over the last four years, I have raced that guy over a variety of distances summing up to close to 150 miles.  Alot of that was nearly step for step together.  And I guess arguably, I have run with Jack with more than anyone … not sure what all that means anyway.

For what it is worth, this next week’s trip to the CO trail was somewhat inspired by that 2012 trip to Hardrock.  While climbing out of Sherman, into the breaking day, I kept singing how beautiful all this was and how I wanted to get back down there with my family.  The idea of hiking down there with the Scouts seeded itself in my head.  Better judgment took hold of me as I started planning.  I figured a closer trip, that was challenging but not as far, high or exposed would serve as a good springboard to future San Juan events – and so this backpacking is on the CO trail.   With successful completion of this trip (hopefully), we will be one step closer to getting to the San Juans.

NRR:  Cool article on software development speed.

Sub 4:20 at 48.

Wednesday 070914

Jogged this AM with the BHS group again.  There are a fair number of kids there that show up that have already graduated, and even another dad or two.   We jogged the ditch trail.  Greg has kids go in various groups:  30 minutes, 40 minutes, 45 minutes.  I joined the 45, and the kids slid into an easy seven minute pace as a slow start.  Afterwards there was a few strides.  While I have no issue “jogging” with the kids at their easy pace, they have many more gears than me when they hit the strides.  One of the kids I know pretty well was giving me a good rash of appropriate crap over it.   7.4 miles.

“I’m more intimidated by the mountains than by Kilian (Jornet),”

Thought I’d get out again, but the day got away from me, including doing food prep for the crumbgrabbers for the trip.

Tuesday 070814

Here is the Leadville 100 calculator that I was looking for, thanks John Prater.

… but I think there’s a cultural problem in the U.S. and elsewhere. Too much reverence for 2:10 and not enough drive for 2:07 or 2:08. People think that 2:10 means you’ve arrived.

Admittedly, I have contemplated this sort of nuttiness.  Rather than a hundred on a track, I thought about running around the square block of the local high school as it is 1 mile around (yes, that means each side is a quarter mile).  Something stupidly local and cheap about it.  Figure I don’t need too go far to do a spirit walk if I need to do such a thing. 

Teagan Keil got disqualified from the local 4 miler … mind you her Dad pushed her in a baby jogger.  And beat all the other age groupers and everyone else in the race by a minute.  Nice job summit race management.

How long should your high intensity reps be?  Of course … it depends.

Heck of a HR article.

Afternoon.  Track.  A scary place, for me  particular when I am going it alone.  Not really but today I was a big wuss and struggled with getting the work done there.  Stacking up repeats was something I used to do with little consideration to the workout, giving more thought to the benefit.  Today I was a pile of mush.  I found myself mentally whining at being surprised how some of yesterday’s drills with the HS team left me a tad sore in places I normally don’t think about (which is good). I did some stuff, nuthin’ worth blogging about.  (okay, for transparency sake and because it is not an all good news blog and so I can see how wishy washy it was kilo in 3:18 coming off a 19, 38, 78, 1:58, 2:38, 5 x 300 in 55-56, and 5 x 200 in 35-36).  I really need to do this stuff with someone who will keep me on task. 

Monday 070714

AM – joined KZ for her summer training group over at the HS.  Jogged with Coach Greg for a bit and CU bound frosh Ethan.  It is sort of funny because when I jog with Ethan he looks at me and says “you ran a 100 miles?” and he is sort of in awe.  And I look at him and think, “you ran 9 flat for 3200 in HS?” and I am sort of in awe.  5.3 miles.

Of course, KZ has a set of rules for me that I need to follow when I go to these events.  There is a whole post in that, but today, I will delve into things that make no sense to me. 

Like this ad.  Look, I like ultras.  And I were not such a homer and could do one more than a dozen miles from my house and this one happened to not be on the same weekend as Pikes – I’d do Leadville.  And I like shotguns.  But what the hell does a shotgun and a 100 miler have to do with each other?  Particularly with some old miner in jeans?

Okay, yes I sort of get it.  He is the guy behind the race.  He looks cool with the gun and the jeans and the hat and the big buckle, but it really has little to do with the race.  I mean, why not Spuds Mackenzie then?

Post script.  Apparently the gun is what is used to start and declare the official cutoff end of the race.  Oh, I get it now.  And Pikes ought to have whoever belts out America the Beautiful at the start as their primary pic. 

Or how about this mail we got.  Apparently I can feed hungry children for six cents a day.  So what did this organization that wants me to do that do?  THEY SENT ME SIX CENTS?  Why not feed the dang person that can be fed on six cents a day?

Add this one in there:  the closure of the Anemone Hill trail by Boulder OSMP:
It was revealed however on the Boulder Trail Runner List that this is not what was agreed to.

There is this sort of idiocy:

And … Interesting battle brewing in the Grand Canyon.

Someone was asking me if there was an interactive pace calculator for Leadville, sort of like the one for Pikes.  I was not aware of such a thing.  Anyone know?  I am aware of the various sites, like Leblanc and Weber …

Tony’s take on this weekend’s show down.

Arguably the one of the best MUT guys in the sport … has a blog.

Great report from D-bow on WS.

A few more miles (4.3) in the evening with this guy, testing him out solo.