Tuesday, June 1, 2010

May In Review

(Wildflowers on Kohler Mesa.)

First, got a new post up over at Running Times, for those interested.

Now, for the wrap-up:

May Totals
-Miles: 522
-Hours: 73h 18min
-Vertical: 76,100'
-Green: 21
-Bear: 1
-SoBo: 1
-Days Off: 0

2010 Totals (Day 151)
-Miles: 2731
-Hours: 403h 08min
-Vertical: 483,000'
-Green: 154
-Bear: 8
-SoBo: 3
-Days Off: 0

Hmmm...May.  In a way, this was my "worst" month of running of 2010 so far.  The first two weeks were consumed by recovering from Miwok and getting my knee back to a place where it was comfortable with doing a bunch of running again.  Surprisingly, thanks mostly to a lot of acupuncture work with Allison Suddard in Erie, CO, it made a very solid recovery in the second half of the month, to the point where it now feels as good or even better than it did going into Miwok.  I was doing a lot of acupuncture with Allison back in February and March, too, so maybe it's something that I just need to remain consistent with if I want to keep running healthy.

Leading into Western States, less than four weeks from now, I'll be looking to hit two more key long runs interspersed among a whole bunch more 2hr-ish trips up and down Green Mountain.  So, basically, just more of the same stuff that I've been doing all year.  But, this stuff A) is motivating and inspiring for me, and B) seems to work, I think.  At its heart, running is pretty simple, so I try to keep it that way.

21 comments:

j.edge said...

love the last statement-- "at its heart, running is pretty simple, so i try to keep it that way." love the stripped-downness of that statement, sounding like a mantra somehow. . . . a pure act meant to inspire and motivate. thanks for a rich, somehow soulful, insight.

John said...

I summitted your mistress today... once...in FiveFingers...not recommended.

I cannot imagine anyone doing that loop four times in a day, not to mention adding in Walker Ranch and Bear Mtn.,etc.

Thanks for making it be something I can at least read about.

Unknown said...

Good to be on track! Nice to see that acupuncture really works. Well, at least for you it does. The knee is a whole other animal when it comes to healing because it takes the force of the pounding as you well know. Good luck the next 2-3 weeks. I know you will nail it leading into Western "fresh".

Brandon said...

Comment totally off subject...what watch/gps/training computer do you use to monitor your monthly mileage/elevation?

b

Eli said...

Hey Tony,
A bit off-topic, but I found your comments in the recent competitor interview regarding fat-metabolization very interesting. I am currently undertaking a similar experiment, seeing how much mileage I can get out of a paleo-ish diet and getting the body shifted away from carbohydrate as a primary source of fuel. What does post-run nutrition look like for you, in light of the low intake out on the trail? Thanks for your time, thanks for the constant inspiration and good luck out there.

Unknown said...

Anton,

Very specific question. What did you think of the toe box on the new NB Minimus shoes? I'm looking for a shoe that's flat, thin, light AND with a roomy toebox. Wondering if the Minimus may be it.

Thank you for the constant supply of inspiring reading material. I fantasize about running the way you do.

Jay said...

Hi Tony,

A very mundane question if you willing: Looking at your long run route I'm wondering how you connect the Green/Bear trail with Walker Ranch. It looks like you split off Bear West Ridge. Is there a trail there? I'm not seeing any on the trail maps and don't remember it. Also, to get to Walker from South Mesa TH, do you run the road to the Visitor Center and then the Eldorado Canyon trail?

Anyone else who knows, feel free to answer.

Healthy running, j

Gilles said...

I am very appreciative of your philosophy of life and running.
Just a quick hello from France in Paris.
Colorado is very pretty and it looks like my home region of eastern France.
Vosges (the peaks are less high than the Alps)
I have a friend who is the UTMB 2010 http://www.ultratrailmb.com/accueil.php
Again Congratulations to you and thank you for this daily blog looks.
Good luck and sorry for my poor english...
Gilles

Collin said...

Tony,
Question for you. I'm running WS100 also and doing it as a double with Badwater. I'm looking to run an easy sub 24 at WS100 while doing minimal damage to my body so I'll be ready to go after a more serious effort 16 days later at Badwater. Yeah, I realize that it's a horrible idea to run both, but I couldn't say no to either race. :) I've been running in the NB 100s lately and love them to death, but after 25 or 30 miles, the back heel seems to really start irritating my ankle. The last 50 mile trail trainer I did, I had to switch out my shoes after 30 miles since the back of the shoe was bugging me so much, even with pretty thick socks on that went higher than the ankle piece.

I went out on some trails yesterday for an easy hour and a half in my road shoes (a pretty basic 7 oz marathon racer, but with a somewhat higher profile than the 100s) just to test them out and see ift they would be viable at WS100, but I felt like I was going to roll my ankle the whole time. As a result, I'm not considering my road shoes to be a serious option for WS100 and need to run in the 100s or something very similar, but I'm concerned about the high heel piece irritating my ankle and achilles.

Since you modify your shoes quite a bit, do you have any suggestions on that? I'm a little concerned that I might make things worse just by cutting off the back. Otherwise, do you know of any other similar shoes that I could use? How about the 790s? Would that be a good investment that could eliminate that issue?

Thanks for your help and good luck with the training. I'm betting on you at WS100 to edge out even the best of the rest.

Anton said...

Brandon-Highergear Axio Max for elevation and MapMyRun for distances. I run a lot of the same trails every day, though, so have a pretty good feel for mileages.

Eli-Post run I usually eat a couple apples and a few tortillas with Nutella on them. I don't prescribe to any specific kind of diet but it's generally high in carbs, vegetables, and fruits.

Pablo-It's hard for me to say anything about the Minimus's toebox because right now only a very few pairs in sample size (9.5) are available and I'm a 10.5. However, the Minimus is built on a brand-new barefoot-specific last that was specifically designed to be broad through the forefoot to allow for toespread. I think the fact that I can semi-comfortably wear a 9.5 at all attests to that fact.

Jay--Look closer on googlemaps and compare them to the routes I've posted and you'll see how I get to Walker from Bear's West Ridge. It's a dirt road. To get from Eldo Springs to Walker I run the Fowler trail into the park and then take the Eldo Canyon trail out to Walker.

Collin--I'm not sure what kind of irritation you're getting from the 100s, but the issues I've had don't actually cut into my achilles, the EVA collar just presses the back of my heel so that I get a numb, tingly hotspot. I've remediated this by carefully carving out a little hollow--from the inside--in the EVA collar where it presses on my achilles. By just removing a couple of millimeters, it's made a big difference. But, I also only get it on one foot, so I suspect it's ultimately a sizing issue (my left foot is slightly bigger than my right). Good luck in your upcoming races!

Unknown said...

Thanks for the detailed info on the Minimus. It sounds better and better. I wish they would launch it tomorrow.

It's amazing to me that you actually take the time to respond to pretty much everyone that asks a question. It says so much about you. And I think people are not without reason pulled toward you, your blog, your thoughts, your running, etc. Fantastic source of inspiration. Thank you, as always.

Collin said...

Tony, thanks for the info. That sounds like what happens with me, except it progresses past being a hotspot to actually rubbing off my skin. Interestingly enough, I went a couple hours with my 100s last night and ended up having to cross a creek, so I ran for awhile on them with wet feet and no socks and i have a pretty huge sore now and 3 long runs in the next 4 days to do on them. :( I'd been thinking about trying to cut the piece off entirely, but I'll try to just hollow it a little bit and see if that works for me. My current pair is at 7 or 800 miles anyway, so if I accidentally ruin them, it won't be a big deal. Thanks!

Scott McMurtrey said...

Enjoyed the post over at RT. I've done some running in SoColorado near the Spanish Peaks, but have never been to Boulder. Sounds like my dog would love it there. :)

Charlie said...

Tony,

What do you think running 700k across the Pyrenees in 7 days is going to do to Kilian's WS chances?

Bobby said...

Tony,

Perhaps you've touched on this in the past, but what is the issue with your knee? Is it structural, muscular, etc?

Anonymous said...

Another off topic question and perhaps many of the posters could answer this as well. As an aspiring long distance runner I look at some of these races with many river crossings and have always wondered just how people deal with wet feet especially if unable to switch out shoes/socks for many miles. Is it one of those things you just suck up and deal with or are there methods to help prevent skin damage with having you feet wet for so long.

Anton said...

Charlie--I have no idea.

Bolo--Simple patellar tendonitis that is brought on by a breakdown in form after many many hours of running and vertical feet descended (primarily because of weak hips, my right knee tends to "drop in" ever-so-slightly when I'm getting really tired). If I was just a 5k/10k athlete, I would never even know it was an issue.

ZakFarmer--I guess I "suck it up"? I don't wear socks so that I'm not carrying around too much extra water weight. It's not something I've ever really given much thought to other than the fact that I like a shoe whose upper is quick-drying/drains well and doesn't lose form/support when it's wet.

Paulette said...

Not really a running question...

So what is your field of study at CU? I'm asking because I am super interested in Boulder's PhD programs in English. My work combines ultrarunning, english, and philosophy in a wierd and fun way, and if I don't get back into school, I might loose it!! I'd like to hear from an insider what it's like. Or even what the status of graduate studies is at Boulder in the given economy. I'm in Arizona, and we felt the crash pretty hard. If you don't want to talk public about this, then you can e-mail me. Paulette.Zillmer@asu.edu

Jim Ellis said...

Hey Anton,

Did you grow up in Colorado?

Jim

(Green Mt. native, currently living in Sioux City, Iowa)

R. Logan Brooks said...

If you havn't discovered them already I wish to forward a band from one runner's playlist to another. The National is the band, and give 'em a listen. From what it seems you forgo listening while you run so maybe just give them a listen in your spare time. That's my two cents. Thanks for the daily insight.

Darren Demers said...

Leading into Western States, less than four weeks from now, I'll be looking to hit two more key long runs interspersed among a whole bunch more 2hr-ish trips up and down Green Mountain. So, basically, just more of the same stuff that I've been doing all year. But, this stuff A) is motivating and inspiring for me, and B) seems to work, I think. At its heart, running is pretty simple, so I try to keep it that way.
house of lawn suits wholesale
pakistani lawn cotton suits wholesale