May numbers and a few thoughts about WS

MAY- Miles: 327.2, 10.5 miles/day, 4 days off (2 in a row, longest running drought of 2011)
YEAR- Miles: 1742.6, 11.5 miles/day, 9 days off, 3150 pushups, 6180 crunches, 747 pullups

22 days until Western States. 22 days to get the legs fresh. 22 days to visualize running smooth and effortless from Squaw Valley to Auburn. 22 days to reflect on where I've been and where I'm going. 22 days to train, taper, and talk about the race. 22 days to focus and wonder. 22 days of gratitude and thankfulness to those who have supported my passion and dreams. 22 days to think about the goals. 22 days and then it BEGINS. Begin with belief.

Grindin' it out at Pocatello

Photo: Jared Campbell

The short of it: Had an awesome road trip to Idaho with friends, met a lot of cool people, ran a SWEET course, legs were flat as a pancake for this one.

First, another STUNNING performance by Montrail teammate Young Money (8:17) who finished 1st and collected a cool $500 for his effort. Wouldn't it be nice to make $10 bucks and change for each mile you run in a race? Second, congrats to Zach Miller (8:24) and Mike Foote (8:40) on their IMPRESSIVE finishes and rounding out a SOLID podium. Third, well done Team Montrai! Alongside Dakota, Joelle Vaught (9:31) won the women's crown convincingly, over 90 minutes ahead of Hardrock champ Diana Finkel. Montrail athletes earned 4 of the top 10 spots: 1-Jones, 4-Burch, 7-Hart, 8-Vaught! Fourth, well done road trip team! Doug Newton (one of the toughest men on earth) ran 11:38! BTW he ran Jemez the weekend before in 11:19! Two of the toughest 50's in back to back weekends- not too shabby for an old man :) His wife Kirstin Nelson ran a strong race in the 20 miler. Last but not least, Fort Collins local Aaron Marks got the job done in 13:01 for his 3rd 50 mile finish! Did you know that the night before the race he UPGRADED from the 50K to the 53M...way to go big! Fifth, great to share stories/laugh/chat with: Evan H, Luke N, Christian J, Jeremy H, Jason H, Bryon P, Bill G, Paul G, and many others! Sixth, I would HIGHLY recommend this race to anyone looking for a stout 50M with a variety of terrain during a turbulent time of the year. If you like the tough and dirty mountain races like Lake City or Jemez- do this one! Hardrock champ and RD Jared Campbell has it dialed. Jared and his team have faced more weather related adversity and challenging decisions than most RD's might see in a decade. Bottom line- they put on a great event and are prepared for it all.

As for me, it wasn't my day. I led the first 6 miles or so with DJ Money one step behind. After my sunglasses fell off my hat for the second time (I then put them on for the rest of the day) I stepped aside and had DJ take the lead- and that he did! He was within eyesight for the next four miles as I knew it was going to be a grind. Sometimes the three week window between ultras works well, other times it backfires. Worked great for DJ, not so grand for this old man! On the knife ridge climb I was passed by Luke Nelson, Mike Foote, and Zach Miller. At the plateau top I passed them and began the descent to City Creek TH. I knew it wasn't my day when the downhills weren't keeping me in the race. A few miles before City Creek Zach passed me on the downs like I was standing still; he was charging hard after Dakota looking strong and focused! On the Barkleyesque climb up a stream drainage Luke and Mike passed me. I passed Luke a few miles later and could barely see Mike minutes ahead. The climb up Scout Mtn was fun. Charging through mud, water, rocks, and then a few miles of slushy snow to the Famous AS where Roch and Karl were keeping all the runners fed and happy. I downed a bunch of peanut butter filled pretzels and washed them down with about 6 dixie cups of chicken broth. A few miles down the trail I remembered that I am vegetarian this year...woops!
Although I didn't have the mojo I kept grindin' it out. Mentally I felt amazing, fueling was brilliant, just no pow or zip in the legs. This was a great character building race. I knew I gave it all I had on race day despite being out of the race for the podium with sluggish stumps. I pulled into the AS at 45.6 at 7:37 with 7.4 to go. I knew I was moving slow but really wanted to break 9 hours. Got some Cheetos and started plugging away. The theme of the day remained constant- it took me 1:24:32 to cross the line-93 seconds too long to get it done! Nonetheless, I really enjoyed the course and will come back for some redemption and run a time I know I'm capable of.

The proof is in the pudding:

Leg 1- 16.9M, 4500 ft. ascent, 2:34, 9:07/mile
Leg 2- 15.6M, 3600 ft. ascent, 2:40, 10:15/mile
Leg 3- 20.5M, 3900 ft. ascent, 3:47, 11:04/mile

Total- 53M, 12000 ft. ascent, 9:01, 10:13/mile

Not the race I wanted before WS. I took the last two days off from running. Starting tomorrow I have 25 days to rebound. Last time this happened was Hardrock 2009 where I DNF'd. This left me with some angst to race again so I signed up for the Leadville 50 that was 3 weeks later. I won it and set a then CR...gotta stay optimistic! Embrace the adversity...

On a side note I had a splendid time in the "banana peel" mud at Pocatello. The trail was "trench warfare" with each step!
Check out Jared Campbell's pics from the race.

Pocatello 53M this weekend!

Well, it looks like Pocatello will be another weather adventure for 2011! I just checked the reports a few minutes ago: 38-58 degrees, 30% chance of precip, 10-15 MPH winds, a possible 1/2 inch of snow Friday night. You gotta love running in the mountains to sign up for this one. Last year it was cancelled after 50K because of epic blizzard conditions. This year the Portneuf Mtns near Pocatello are 200% above normal snowpack. Because of this factor the 2011 course has a rerouted 3rd leg- similar elevation gain and loss- but at lower elevation to reduce the amount of postholing. RD Jared Campbell said the regular 3rd leg is better suited for Rando racing right now! It's tough to imagine it being crazier than last year or the epic 2009 blizzard at Lake City. With that said, I will PROBABLY start the race with more than a shirt and shorts :) Expect the worst, hope for the best!

I'm really excited to run this year and compare the difficulty at Pocatello to that of Lake City and Jemez. With 12K of climb and descent mixed in with mud, postholing, stream crossings and more it should be a gem! Here's a recent update from the website. And a look at the other adventure seekers. With $500. up for grabs it should be a fast one.

In 2009 Dave James set the inaugural CR with a 9:16. His splits were: Leg 1-2:43, Leg 2-2:39, Leg 3- 3:51. Last year through 50K Scott Jaime and Joe Grant were on track to break the record. Scott's splits were: Leg 1-2:31,(+8), Leg 2- 2:30(+9). 17 minutes up with 20+ miles to go. As a first timer on the course and a snow routed 3rd leg it's tough to predict a finishing time for this one. I hope to run a similar 50K (5:03) time of Scott and Joe and see how the legs respond during the 3rd leg.

Since Collegiate Peaks I put in some lower volume (60M) maintenance weeks to shake out some of the sludge and fatigue from CP. The 4 days after racing I felt the best I ever had after a 50M. Then I got hit with some fatigue- general tiredness with normal runs feeling tougher than usual. My long runs were 16 and 18 each week-nothing fancy-mellow pace-solid elevation gain. The goal is to stay healthy (check), and get to the start line with a little more spring in my step (TBD). Nonetheless, excited to run in some new mtns, have an adventure, and bring home the stories and memories that make this sport what it is.

Finally, congrats to my friend from across the pond (Horsetooth Reservoir) Senor Nick "Flash the 2nd" Clark who ran splendidly to a new CR at Jemez! In a post race interview he mentioned there were no "niggles", the "pistons" were firing properly, and before his meal he was a bit "peckish." More here! Gotta love the accent and complimentary vocab! CAN'T WAIT until his DVD hits the shelves!

Collegiate Peaks 2011

6:39 was the time that appeared during a number of my training runs leading up to the Collegiate Peaks 50 miler. I had been feeling good and looking forward to a solid race. One year ago I sandwiched the CPTR 25M between Fruita and Jemez to preview the course for a future run at the 50 miler. Thus, I knew what to look forward to!

Last year I ran a 3:05 at the 25 and rated my performance a B+ For the rest of the day I got to spectate and watch Andy Henshaw finish his first lap in 3:17 and go on to set a new CR of 6:52 besting Anton's 6:53 from 2007. Until this year, John Anderson was the only other sub 7 hour finisher.

One of my goals was to go sub 7 on Saturday. Looking at the entrants list I believed the winner would set a new CR. Duncan was looking strong 3 weeks after a solid win in Fruita. Dylan has hit a new level in his running. This was made even more evident at Antelope Island in March when he demolished my old CR by 16 minutes! Corey Hanson has steadily improved his performances this year and ran to a 50M PR at Fruita finishing second to Duncan. Sub 7 was one of my goals with that 6:39 continuing to surface in my thoughts.

As the race started I settled in with DC a few steps behind Dylan. After the pavement warmup we hit the smooth, sandy, dirt jeep roads that make up the bulk of the course. Through 18 miles Dylan and I exchanged the lead numerous times. I needed to lengthen my stride on the downs while he glided on the flats. This was textbook to our race in Moab where we finished within 3 minutes of each other. At the 18 AS he took an extra cup of drink while I continued on. From this point in the course is basically 7 miles of cruiser downhill/flat to the turnaround.

I finished the first lap in 3:08. Only 3 minutes slower than last year and I was going double the distance! It felt good- I knew I had cruised the downs and was running smooth. Dylan came in 90 seconds after me. I knew if I stayed consistent one or both of us would go under the record. Despite him being relatively close I never got a visual of Dylan and ran the second lap by myself thinking he was within striking distance. I stayed consistent on pace and fueling and was ironically looking forward to the last stretch of pavement! Once I hit the homestretch I got into the American River rhythm and clicked off the final miles finishing in 6:37. Showcased by the funny looking burn between the top of my sunglasses and the bottom of my bandanna, the sun shined on me this day. So where did that 6:39 come from?

Fuel: 4 packs of Clif Bloks, 1 Chocolate Cherry Clif Shot, 5 Nuun tablets, 1-2 cups of Coke at each AS during lap 2

Splits I remember: 25=3:08, 38=5:05, 44=5:53 50=6:37 Lap 1=3:08 Lap 2=3:29

A Trip to the American River

This past weekend was a whole lot of fun! The 2.5 days in Cali felt like a week of warm sunshine refreshment. I'm really pleased with the race and fond of all the positive memories that highlighted the trip. I flew out to the race on Friday with my PI brothers- one the clean cut and self-proclaimed "Deano Latino" and the other wooly mammoth known to AJW as "Big Boy." After arriving in Sacramento we cruised the 5 in a Prius...not that this has any significance other than the fact it took us a few trys to figure out how to turn the darn thing on! More like riding in a space shuttle in the early going accompanied by a crazy sounding GPS navigational voice...

That night we got fueled up at the pre race meal. The cheese tortellini was amazing; probably a little too amazing...more on that in the race report. Anyhow, during the day the three of us talked race strategy and pacing and overanalyzed too many factors when thinking about the 50 miles we were to cover the next day. While MC'ing the panel during the dinner AJW brought it all back into perspective, "Tomorrow you're gonna run from Sacramento to Auburn." It's sound advice- SIMPLIFY!

Race day started a little after 3AM on Saturday morn. We hopped on the bus and arrived in Sacramento 1 hour before the start. A big thank you to RD Julie Fingar who kept us and some others warm before the start in a nearby office. On our way I was convinced we were looking for a warming hut...it was early...

As predicted the race started faster than any ultra I've been a part of. I did my best to find the fastest pace that wouldn't create any blood lactate in the muscles. For whatever reason my Garmin battery magically died the night before even after a full charge before the trip. This turned out to be a good thing- I simply ran by intuition. I ran in a mini peloton of 5 guys- one of which was Jacob Rydman. I found this out as the local received many GO JACOB encouragements along the beginning stretches of bike path.

Around mile 13 Jacob picked up the pace. The other 3 guys followed while I stayed at the same pace and began to find myself in No Man's Land. In many ways I like running by myself in a race so this turned out to be a good thing as well. I watched as the pack of 4 started falling off Jacob's pace one by one. Two hours in and that cheese tortellini caught up with me. A quick stop and I was back in rhythm. I then began to pass the other runners in the peloton that had been separated by Jacob. Around mile 20 I was surprised to pass Jacob who had looked so smooth on the pavement. Evidently his quads had burned out.

I went through the marathon 10 ticks before 2:55. This is the 3rd fastest marathon I've ran in my extensive road marathoning career :) Finally I hit dirt! Once I was on the trail I felt like a new man! On the pavement I built up plenty of aches, tightness, and yearning for a natural forgiving surface. American River is like eating a lot of mashed potatoes followed by a grand dessert! The bike path miles were bland and consistent. You knew you had to clean your plate though to get dessert. It was tasty! I loved changing up the muscle groups, going uphill, going downhill, and cruising along the rolling sections. At the AS at 35 I passed Deano Latino who said Senor was just a few minutes ahead. 15 miles to go and I was feeling good. For some reason the gels went down better during this race than any other. It was by far the most gels I've had in a 50M. It was solid and consistent energy all day! I pressed on wondering if I'd see the backs of any more runners.

When I got to the last AS at 48.5 I did a triple take as I thought I saw two Tony K's hanging out together. It was funny how closely they resembled him; the hair, beards, tan, and shoes were spot on! I was really psyched to see the last two mile markers come and go with relative ease. A glance at the watch and I kicked it into gear to go under 6:10.

The post race was also exceptional! Veggie burgers, music, and good people helped recharge the battery. It was fun to meet and chat with many of the Montrail Team for the first time. Congrats to Greenwood, Skaden, and Perry for their impressive finishes! Dinner that night brought together good laughs, good people, and good food! The next morning we got out on the WS100 course. Ran out to No Hands Bridge and back from the track with Perry as I wasn't feeling as spry as my older counterparts...fun to watch FastEd drop the hammer down the home stretch on Clark! Prophetic? We'll soon find out. Ladies and Gentlemen the time is now!

1st Quarter Review and Grey Rock Summit

Wow! 2011 is flying by... here's a quick look at the numbers:

March YTD

Miles: 337.1 1067.8
Miles/Day: 10.9 11.8
Days Off: 3 3
Meat: 0 0
Alcohol: 0 0
Stretch/Roll: 23/31 79/90
Race Miles: 26 81
Race Reg: $40. $216.25
Pushups: 400 2300
Pullups: 128 497
Crunches: 900 4330

Tidbits for March: 3 long runs above 26.2- 1. Chubby Cheeks 50K with Clark. 2. Salida Marathon. 3. 26.7 tour of Lory/HTMP with 2009 Leadman Corey Hanson. BTW- Corey did all the bike events on a stiff frame single speed! Dipped under 31 for a Towers Road PR of 30:58.

And... DJ Money and I ran up Grey Rock last Sunday. Grey Rock is a short, steep, and technical trail northwest of Fort Collins. It offers 2300 ft. of climbing in 4.5 miles via the Meadows Trail or via the Summit Trail in 3.1 miles. It is a classic training ground for Fort Collins runners putting in the miles for Hardrock. Look for Pete Stevenson who probably holds the record for Grey Rock laps in one run...

Salida Run Through Time: Version 6.0

Timmy bags a turkey! That's 3-in-a-row at Salida for Mr. Parr. I think I got him super focused for this race after I took it to him in 2008...fortunately my blood trail led him to the finish :)

Salida brings back many fond memories for me. 6 years ago this was the longest trail race I had ever run. As an ankle biter Tenderfoot Mtn was the first peak I ever climbed and it was always fun to chuck rocks in the Arkansas...those were the days...when life was uber simple and I was a lil' hellion on my Big Wheel- one of the best child transport devices ever!

Now I'm 6 for 6 at one of the best low key trail events that draws solid competition year in year out. Regionally, there isn't a better longer distance trail race you can run in March...in the mountains. At $40 you won't find a cheaper marathon. I highly encourage you readers to put this one on your schedule for next year. I am really hoping for another EPIC snow year at this race next year and I would also love to see someone go under the 3 hour mark...Timmy needs someone to push him/chase after...who will it be? Is there none among you? I must have the movie Troy on my mind...

To the race...after warming up for 1.5 miles I made my way to the start to catch up and banter with friends. I was pleasantly surprised to see the UROY toeing the line. It would have been fun to see Geoff and Timmy race each other at a shorter distance...but it wouldn't be this past weekend as Geoff was using the race as a training run before the showdown at Chuckanut.

In the beginning miles I ran with Tim, Senor, Marco Peinado, and Dan Vega. Soon enough Tim gapped Nick who gapped Dan who gapped Marco who gapped me. Around 6 miles I chatted briefly with Marco and from here on I essentially ran by myself. At the 10.5 mile turnaround the leaders had about 5 minutes on me. The plan was to turn it up for the second half and see if I could reel in any fish. I was solid all day but the extra gear decided to take this race off. At the mile 20 AS I decided to roll the dice. I ran through this AS hoping the extra 5-10 seconds might help me bridge the gap if Nick or Dan began to slow. Not this year! So I ran the last 16 miles of the race on 22 oz. of banana nuun Needless to say I was thirsty when I finished. And for whatever reason I didn't want to eat much either and only put down two expresso Clif shots for a whopping total of 200 cals and 44 oz. of nuun.

In regards to the course changes- the more singletrack the better- even if it "slows" the course a bit. Comparatively my best time on the old was 3:11 while the new came in at 3:14. From memory I think Tim's best was 3:02 on the old with a 3:05 on the new. However, I heard there may be a newer/different course for next year as well...

The post race was great to chat with all the homeys and continue the gathering at my Aunt Pat's for the annual Irish feast! Mmmm....Good times had by all, see you in 2012!