2011 Racing Plans

First, I want to announce that Scott Jurek, Geoff Roes, Dave Mackey and myself will be part of a casual, largely informal social gathering of the Boulder Trail Runners at Sherpas on 825 Walnut St. here in Boulder tomorrow (Thursday, January 13th) evening at 6:00pm.  Each of us will speak very briefly (a couple minutes) and then will be open to an extensive Q+A session.  The hope is that it will be quite interactive, so come on out!

Obligatory current shot of Boulder, CO's iconic Flatirons on the face of Green Mt.

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Second, I think I've mostly roughed out the goal races in my 2011 trail racing season.  These are my current desires and hopes, but things are always bound to change due to unforeseen circumstances.  My schedule will include a mix of races I've run before and races that are new to me.

Feb 5--Rocky Raccoon 100 Huntsville, TX

March 19--Chuckanut 50K Bellingham, WA

April 9--American River 50 Sacramento, CA

May 7--Miwok 100K Sausalito, CA

June 25--Western States 100 Auburn, CA

August 14--Sierre-Zinal Sierre, CH

August 26--Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc Chamonix, FR

My schedule is pretty much guaranteed through Miwok, but after that things get a little hazy in an "if-then" causal sort of way.

First, I've thrown my name in the Hardrock 100 hat along with a bunch of my like-minded friends (Geoff, Nick Clark, Dakota Jones, Joe Grant, etc.) and if the kind of field I desire (i.e. deep, competitive) materializes there at the hands of the lottery gods (very unlikely), there is a good chance I would forgo Western States.

Second, my ability to make it over to Europe in the second half of the summer for a few weeks is largely a function of my duties as a thesis-writing graduate student.  If these responsibilities dictate my presence stateside, I will obviously forgo the SZ and UTMB races in August and instead insert the excellent White River 50 on July 30th (a very good chance I'll do this anyway), the Pikes Peak Marathon on August 21 and the Wasatch 100 on September 9, Wasatch lottery gods willing, of course.

The common theme amongst all these races is that, excluding Rocky Raccoon and maybe Wasatch, each should be amongst the most competitively deep races of the entire season.  Chuckanut looks set to be an absurdly fraught battle with the likes of Max King, Erik Skaggs, Geoff, Adam Campbell, and Andy Martin all pushing the pace up front.  American River looks slightly weak at this point, but I'm sure there will be the usual solid group of guys forcing the tempo, at least through the flat and fast first 30 miles.  The Headlands will be host to essentially a rematch of this year's TNF50 Championships in the form of the Miwok 100K.  I am looking forward to joining Dave, Geoff and Dakota in battling over those scenic hills once again and won't be surprised if it takes a course record to win it this year.

All in all, such a schedule provides plenty of motivation to strap on a headlamp and trudge through deep powder and single digit temperatures to rack up vertical on early January mornings and late evenings.

Weekly Summary: Jan 3-9

01-03-2011
Mon-AM: 13 miles (2:06) Green Mt., 3000'
Up back and down Bear Cyn with Joe and Scott.  NW ridge was more packed out than yesterday and we enjoyed classic winter trail conditions all-around.  Some great sunshine, too.
PM: 10 miles (1:17) Golf Course-Old Tale Loop
Legs felt good running in the dark.

Profile on the summit of Green. Photo: Joe Grant.

01-04-2011
Tue-AM: 16 miles (2:41) Green & Bear, 4400'
Ugh.  Kind of a tough run with Scott.  The track up the back of Green was in its best shape yet, but I was feeling pretty worked by the top of Green.  The plan was to tag Bear, though, too, so up the West Ridge we went and while it was looser footing it wasn't too bad following Scott's pace even as I proceeded to bonk something fierce.  The footing in Fern was excellent thanks to Microspikes--a real pleasure compared to its character when dry--and I happily survived the run back home via Mesa in the brilliant sunshine.
PM: 7 miles (1:00) Creek Path
Took it really easy, running late in the dark.

01-05-2011
Wed-AM: 14 miles (2:10) Green Mt., 3000'
Up back and down Greenman-Gregory. The footing wasn't ideal for Microspikes this morning--packed but too soft and often too loose.  Ran to the grocery store afterwards.
PM: 8 miles (1:05) Creek Path
Easy shake-out jog. A tiny fingernail sliver of a moon was rising over Green's north shoulder.

01-06-2011
Thu-AM: 32 miles (4:18) Creek Path Loop+Green Mt., 3300'
With Scott. Started with a 20+ mile loop on (mostly) pavement on the creek paths around town: Boulder Creek Path to 28th, up to Broadway, down Broadway to the dirt (ice/snow) South Boulder Creek Path, back north to Goose Creek to Cottonwood Trail all the way to Jay Rd where we flipped around and ran back on Goose Creek to Edgewood Dr and 20th.  Stopped by Jurker's and then my house to pick up Microspikes and then did a lap on Green, up the back.  I felt very strong on Green and the pavement stuff was in the 6:45-7:10 range.  My calf tightened up some from all the pavement, but it was generally a good first long run back (despite the wicked winds all morning) and should be good simulation for some upcoming races.

Thursday's long run is easily the most sustained pavement I've run since the run shown here: early bike path miles at the American River 50 in April 2008 (And, as you can see here, we were all sneaking as much dirt as we could).

01-07-2011
Fri-AM: 14 miles (2:06) Green Mt., 3000'
Up Gregory-Greenman down Bear Cyn. Legs felt surprisingly good and calf was much better than I thought it was going to be. Trail surface is frustratingly mixed right now.  Ridiculously warm.
PM: 8 miles (1:03) Creek Path
Nice evening to be out jogging in the dark.

01-08-2011
Sat-AM: 14 miles (2:03) Green Mt., 3000'
Up the back and down Bear Cyn w/ the usual add-ons at the beginning and end. My new shoes gripped wonderfully on the spring-like mix of dirt, ice and packed snow but that did little to inject any significant pep into my stride.  Desultory slog up the mountain then despite the fantastic weather.
PM: 11 miles (1:17) 4 mile+1mi @ BHS track
Felt a little guilty for reneging on my plans to race the Quicker Quaker 5K in Lafayette this morning (lingering concerns about my calf), so I headed to the track in the evening dark for a little test/make-up session. 2.5mi warm-up and then 4mi in 22:06 (5:40, 5:38, 5:34, 5:14), 5min/2-lap jog, then 1mi in 5:13 (80, 80, 77, 76). Eased into the 4mi effort mostly just wanting to cut each mile down a few seconds, but when I felt comfortable after 3mi I opened it up a bit for the last mile. After the recovery jog my quads felt a little strained on the first lap of the final mile so I opted to cruise it in just a tick under my fastest previous mile making it unexpectedly comfortable cardiovascularly.  Obviously, jogging up and down mountains every day builds the heart and lungs but not the turnover so much.  Finished up with a 3mi cooldown, most of it barefoot on the infield.  Good workout.

01-09-2011
Sun-AM: 15 miles (2:14) Green Mt., 3000'
Up the back and down Greenman to Flagstaff and Eben G. Fine.  Finished up with a visit to the grocery store before heading home.  I started out in a light snow that turned to an inch+ of accumulation at 9am on the summit and very heavy snowfall by time I made it back to town.  One of those magical, quiet winter days on the trails.
PM: 7 miles (1:08) Mesa trails w/ Jocelyn, 800'
McClintock-Enchanted-Kohler-Skunk Canyon-Campus and home.  Footing was pretty dodgy, but Joce and I had a good time slogging through the heavily-falling snow in the dark.

Total
-Miles: 169
-Hours: 24h 28min
-Vertical: 23,500'
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Week #2 of the 2011 training season.  It was good.  A good long run and a good track workout along with consistent vertical and mileage.  Also the second week in a row that I've finished one mile below a round number.  Thursday reminded me that my calf is still touchy and I need to continue to be careful with it.  School starts back up again this week and with TAing this semester I should be especially busy.  With a little extra discipline, though, I think I should be able to keep all areas of my life productive.  It should be an especially exciting year of racing, too, which I'll probably outline in a future post.

Frequently Asked Questions

From time to time I get a fair number of repeat questions in the Comments sections of my blog posts.  So, as one such commenter suggested a while back, I thought it would make some sense to answer a lot of these questions, once and for all, all in one public place (and then link it in the side bar), so that hopefully people see the link, read the page and then don't need to either sift back through countless comment sections or post another comment of inquiry.  Part of the utility/beauty of a blog is its interactive format, but it is my hope that this particular page will save all of us a little time in the future.

What kind/model of shoes do you wear?
I wear New Balance shoes.  As of February 2013, my main shoe is the MT110. Light, low-to-the-ground, and with exceptional precision on technical terrain, I love that shoe.  In the winter I wear the MT110W, which is the 110 with an integrated zip-up gaiter.  These are great for many of the high-mountain missions I do in the winter where open mesh would mean frozen toes.  However, I am nearly always trying out some early-version prototype of various models of NB shoes (usually of either the 100-series or the Minimus-series), so these see some fairly heavy rotation as well.

Do you ever wear socks while running?
For much of my running career it was pretty rare if the weather was warm. I pretty much always wear socks in winter. However, in 2012 I started doing a lot of my running off-trail on steep, scrambly terrain.  This meant that I was getting a lot more gravel, dirt, scree, and loose forest debris coming into my shoes so I began wearing over-the-ankle socks quite a bit so that when this stuff does come into my shoes it doesn't affect my comfort. Probably my favorite sock is the Swiftwick Pursuit 4 which is a Merino Wool compression sock that is 4" high.  I love wool, the compression means it never falls down (something I always hated about socks), and the height is great for scree or snow.

How many miles of barefoot do you run per week?
It varies depending on the season (more in summer, less in winter), but I usually get 15-20mpw as true barefoot, which serves mainly for me to work on my form and keep my feet and lower legs strong.  All of this is done as barefoot laps around a flat, half-mile grass loop here in Boulder tacked on to the end of a longer run.

What is your typical diet/how do you eat enough to run that much?
I don't have one.  I consciously try to eat a lot of fresh, local fruits and vegetables, often purchased from the local farmer's market (April-November), but I definitely tend to eat a whole lot of straight-up carbs/sugar in the forms of pasta, breads, muffins, scones, cookies, Nutella on tortillas, chai, etc.  I probably eat too much sugar.  I don't eat any fast food, except for Illegal Pete's (local Chipotle-style burritos) here in Boulder, if that qualifies.

In terms of eating enough to handle the mileage, I don't have a secret diet, however, I think I probably do have a fairly unique (i.e. slow) metabolism, because I don't feel like I eat a ridiculous amount.  Or, maybe the quantity I eat is all I've ever known and it actually is a ridiculous amount.  Or, maybe other people just eat too much relative to the amount of activity they have in their lives thereby making my diet not feel so out of place.  I don't know.

Sweet carbs: a monster pan of pumpkin walnut chocolate chip muffins I baked.

Do you do any strength work?
Not really.  In high school I used to lift weights a lot.  I could bench press my body weight (150 lbs) twelve times.  In college I used to climb a lot and in addition to all the time on the rock I would regularly do pull-ups to assist in my efforts on the crag.  Now, however, any strength work is limited to a nominal, <5min core routine (total of ~150 reps of various crunches, some planks, etc.) that I'll do maybe 5x a week and some very specific hip/adductor/abductor strengthening exercises that I'll do to help prevent my form from breaking down as much late in a long race and causing my left knee to hurt.

Do you do any stretching?
Basically none, but I've recently realized the importance of maintaining some elasticity in my lower legs (achilles, soleus, calves, etc.), so I have begun paying a little closer attention to that, but no real formal routine of any type.

Do you get any massage, acupuncture, etc.?
I get frequent acupuncture work done courtesy of Allison Suddard at Peak Performance Acupuncture.  Despite being a pretty big skeptic, I began this type of treatment in early 2010 as a reference from Dr. Jeremy Rodgers at Colorado Sports Chiropractic (my preferred sportsmed doc) in order to improve the vascularity in my right patellar tendon (generally speaking) and have since found the Trigger Point Therapy to be very useful in preventing the usual little aches, pains and niggles that accompany hard training from turning into full-blown injuries.  This past year (2010) has been, by far, my most injury-free and consistent year of running of my entire career so far (only 16 days total off from running, with 12 being injury-related and almost all because of my strained calf this past month), and while I also like to credit this to accreted wisdom and a sense of relative moderation on my part, I know that regular acupuncture (probably an average of almost weekly sessions over the course of the year) has been a key factor in achieving that consistency in my running.

EDIT (6/23/2011): This spring I had my first sport massages from Jeff Staron at Boulder Sport and Injury, and while they were excrutiatingly painful, they seemed to be helpful in dealing with my posterior tibial tendonitis and I'd highly recommend him.

How (physically, financially, logistically, mentally) do you run so much?
Physically, it's something I've been doing for a long time (since 1995, first marathon in 1996 at age 12), so I have a relatively monstrous life-time base by this point (~57,000 miles at the end of 2010).  Also, I've had my fair share of injuries, but in general I think I'm blessed with fairly efficient, neutral biomechanics.

Financially, I've been quite frugal my entire life--some times radically so--and this has allowed me to get by with much less than what might be considered the norm.  With parents who were a high school teacher and a non-profit director/farmer, frugality has always basically been a necessity in my life and a habit I am thankful that my parents taught me.  I have spent several months at a time living voluntarily in my S-10 pick-up, The Roost.  I am fortunate to be supported by a research assistantship for my graduate studies and various sponsors, most significantly New Balance, in my running.  Combined with occasional free-lance writing/production of on-line content and running store/coffee shop gigs here and there, it has always been more than enough.

Logistically, it comes down to making running a no-brainer habit and nearly unassailable priority--oftentimes at the detriment of other things (not always good).  It comes down to basic discipline and living-out of a specific value-structure.

Mentally, ditto.

Frugal summer living in the Roost by the Dewey Bridge on the Colorado River near Moab, UT. Photo: Joe Grant.

Where/how do you carry your camera when you run?
When I carry a camera (a low-profile Sony Cybershot) running I keep it tucked in my waistband in an old soft eye-glasses case that has a clip on it.  I barely notice it most of the time.

What do you use to track time, distance, vertical gain, etc.?
My main piece of electronica is a Highgear Axio Max watch/altimeter.  It has a barometric altimeter (calculates altitude based on barometric pressure, not GPS), which I have found to be the most accurate type of tool for tracking vertical gain (of course, one must often calibrate the absolute elevation, but it does a pretty good job of catching the positive differentials).  As for mileage, I use a combination of MapMyRun and guesswork, usually.  I have a pretty good feel for what kind of pace I'm running/how fast I'm climbing and can usually come up with a pretty close estimate just based on running time.  However, some sections of trail (for example, Fern Canyon here in Boulder) can be deceiving and a friend's GPS often establishes a depressingly low value for those types of routes (the top of Bear Peak to the Mesa Trail via Fern Canyon is only about 1.5mi, but it drops ~2100' of elevation and typically takes me 16 or 17min...that's slower than 10min/mile pace going down).

How much do you eat/drink while running?
During training, on runs of 4 hours of more I generally eat one GU per hour after the first two hours.  I have found this to usually be enough but certainly not ideal in terms of energy needs.  In the summer I will carry a 20 oz. bottle on runs over 2 hours (and refill at streams when I feel the need).  In the winter, I generally need to be running 4 hours in order to bring a bottle along.  This kind of fueling allows me to keep running but I certainly finish my runs depleted and dehydrated for the most part.  I just replenish this after the run.

During races, depending on the weather and distances between water sources I will carry either one or two 20 oz. bottles.  I also drastically increase my sugar intake, eating a GU every 20-25min.  The plan is to never deprive myself of calories, and hopefully the restricted use in training has increased my body's ability to metabolize fat and hold onto water and salt.

How do you carry what you eat/drink while running?
I have a pair of home-modified running shorts that I can carry up to 10 gels in, which is usually more than enough for my longest training runs.  When I ran around Pikes Peak (68 miles/10hrs without resupply) in November 2010 I simply duct-taped together five more GUs and tucked them into my waistband, so that I was carrying 15 gels from the start.  Water is carried in a 20oz bottle usually with a home-made bike-tube handstrap.  I don't like the way that most waist-packs or backpacks ride while running, so I try to keep things simple and stripped to the essentials.

How do you eat/drink so little while running?
1) Practice 2) I think I have a slower metabolism than most.

Ever have any wildlife encounters?
Of course, but never anything too serious.  I've happened upon bears (a couple dozen over my ten years of running mountains, but no grizzlies), moose (probably the most tense encounters I've had), elk, and innumerable other more minor critters (deer, turkey, coyotes, marmots, etc).  My usual tactic is to be respectful and while I've, unfortunately, never seen a mountain lion it would be a privilege to do so one day.

Weekly Summary: Dec 27-Jan 2

12-27-2010
Mon-AM: 13 miles (2:01) Green Mt., 3000'
Up back and down 1st Flatiron with Scott after running down to the grocery store first.  Crazily mild weather morning but some significant bluster on the summit.
PM: 9 miles (1:30) Green Mt., 2700'
Up back and down 1st Flatiron again but with no flatland jogging around before or after except for getting to and from my doorstep and the trailhead.  Easy effort.

12-28-2010
Tue-AM: 14 miles (2:03) Green Mt., 3000'
Up back and down Bear Cyn.  Felt surprisingly spry.
PM: 10 miles (1:12) 4x1mile BHS track with Scott.
2.5mi warm-up, then 5:56, 5:51, 5:45, and 5:29 with a 2min/400m recovery, 2.5mi cooldown.  Overall, this was a very relaxed session designed to just be a rust-buster to test my calf and to reacquaint my legs with sub-6min pace after not running that in a sustained manner for almost two years (4th of July 5K in Leadville).  I'm objectively in pretty bad shape right now, but given today's (general lack of) effort I wouldn't be surprised to string together these miles next week as a 4 mile continuous tempo run with no recovery.  In the future, for mile repeat sessions I'll jog the 400m in 3min for recovery and will eventually be looking to get them in the sub-5:10 range.

12-29-2010
Wed-AM: 14 miles (2:07) Green Mt., 3000'
Up Gregory-Greenman and down Bear Cyn.  Ran at 5:15am in order to get it in before heading up to Frisco for an afternoon of the Jurkerman trying to teach me how to skate ski.  I was able to turn off the headlamp half-way down Bear Canyon when I was treated to one of the best sunrises I've seen in Boulder.
PM: 6 miles (:50) Creek Path+Kitt
After an afternoon of skiing I got out for a little shake-out jog that included a visit to the post office and 1.5mi of barefoot.  Skiing definitely engaged some muscles that I haven't used in a while and I haven't decided if that's a good or bad thing.

Benefits of an early morning Green summit.

As seen while returning to Chautauqua via the Mesa Trail.

With Jenny, receiving instruction from Scott.

12-30-2010
Thu-AM: 14 miles (2:09) Green Mt., 3000'
Up back and down Bear Canyon with Jurker.  We started in a very very light snow at 8am that increased throughout the run until it turned into a full-blown blizzard with limited visibility coming down Bear Canyon.  Snowing very hard cutting back across on the Mesa and by the time I got back to the house my entire face was obscured in a snow beard, eyebrows and eyelashes.  Awesome winter run!  Fairly uninspired energy on the climb today with mildly sore glutes and plantars from the skiing yesterday.
PM: 8 miles (1:07) Creek Path+Kitt
Easy run in a ton of new snow with it dumping the whole way.

In Bear Canyon with Scott, just before the blizzard hit. Photo: Jenny Uehisa.

With Chief Niwot on the Boulder Creek Path in the evening.

12-31-2010
Fri-AM: 14 miles (2:12) Green Mt., 3100'
Up and down Gregory-Ranger with Scott.  Ran down to the park to meet him and jLu and then after our glorious slog-fest on the mountain (first tracks up the hill through ~6-8" of powder) I ran down to the grocery store and back for some fruit.
PM: 8 miles (1:05) Creek Path with Joe
Easy out and back cruiser in the surprisingly cold dark.  Legs felt good.

01-01-2011
Sat-AM: 16 miles (2:34) Green Mt., 3200'
Wonderful slog up Gregory-Ranger and down Bear Cyn with Jurker and Geoff.  After gaining the NW ridge we encountered innumerable wind-packed, knee-deep drifts that of course slowed our progress but certainly didn't diminish the joy of the outing.  Surprisingly windless on the summit.  Finished up with a trip to the grocery store and back.  Great first summit of the year.
PM: 9 miles (1:08) Goose Creek Loop
Great jaunt in the darkening evening; had to be wary of ice, though.

Donning Microspikes with Geoff and Jurker on New Year's morning. Photo: Jenny Uehisa

The whole crew. Photo: Jenny Uehisa.

Headed up Gregory Canyon for the first time this year. Photo: Jenny Uehisa.

01-02-2011
Sun-AM: 16 miles (2:23) Green Mt., 3200'
Same exact run as yesterday, except with marginally better snow conditions up on the NW ridge.  The wind drifted a bunch of new snow last night, so it was still slow going for sure.
PM: 8 miles (1:05) Mesa Trail out and back w/ Joe, 1500'

Total
-Miles: 159
-Hours: 23h 26min
-Vertical: 25,700'
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This week featured a decidedly successful return to running, which I was especially grateful for considering the week's snowstorm just before the end of the year.  I would've been massively disappointed to have not been able to get out on Green to experience the first real snow of the season, but thankfully, my calf is cooperating.

Tuesday featured a highly uncharacteristic visit to the track which I plan on continuing off and on through April.  While Tuesday's workout was more of a feeling-out session than anything, the calf responded well and I look forward to running at a more legitimate interval pace soon.  I have a couple of predominantly flat races during the first half of my season and while I'll be essentially sacrificing almost no vertical for them, I think the once-a-week injection of legspeed will be worthwhile and maybe even fun once I get into shape.

All in all, the injury-induced, largely low-key month of December did me a lot of good and I'm finally feeling the kind of motivation and energy in my running that I haven't really had since late summer.

Last Mountain Run of 2010...

This morning, Scott, jLu and I got out for first tracks to the summit of Green Mountain via Gregory-Ranger.  Yesterday produced the first legitimate (~6-8" or so in town) snowfall of the year, and after slogging through the wintry beauty to reach the summit I was instantly reminded on the downhill just why running in the winter is so fun: it often feels like pure play.  The powdery, cushiony surface spares the joints, the absolute muffled stillness is calming, and crystalline dressing on everything inspires.  It was a fantastic 296th (350th lifetime) and final trip to Green's summit for the year.

Our goal.

Scott powering his way up Gregory Canyon...

...and eventually, the summit rock of Green.

#296: tomorrow I start over.

Scott floating the descent through Gregory Canyon.

Nothing beats some properly-garnished Flatirons.

I suppose a few closing thoughts on the year are in order.  First, the numbers:

January:     488mi, 71h 50min,   91,500',   31 Greens
February:   501mi, 75h 33min,   101,300', 36 Greens
March:        547mi, 81h 08min,   94,700',   31 Greens
April:          673mi, 101h 19min, 120,400', 35 Greens
May:            522mi, 73h 18min,   76,100',   21 Greens
June:           674mi, 102h 09min, 113,900', 22 Greens
July:            501mi, 74h 23min,   77,700',   11 Greens
August:       459mi, 88h 06min,   66,400',   12 Greens
September: 435mi, 66h 35min,   85,300',   17 Greens
October:      668mi, 99h 37min,   128,900', 34 Greens
November:  461mi, 69h 35min,   97,000',   28 Greens
December:  356mi, 53h, 01min,  56,300',   18 Greens

2010:  6285mi,   956h 34min,   1,108,100'  296 Greens
                                                                       29 Bears
                                                                         6 SoBos

That's an average of right at 120.5 miles per week and 17.2 miles, 2h37min and 3036' vertical per day.

2010 was, by almost any measure, easily my best year of running ever.  Statistically, physically and spiritually I think, after 15 years, I finally arrived at a volume/combination of miles and vertical that has allowed me to sustainably maximize running's positive bearing on each of those areas.  I know for sure that in 2010 I was racing at my highest-ever level, and due to my notable consistency (only 16 days off the entire year, most of those in December) my enjoyment of running was at its highest-ever level, too.

Best Run(s)
There were a lot.  It is natural that a race is typically a "best run" because I have typically consciously set up several months of training in order to feel really, really good for that particular run.  As such, Western States and White River were certainly stand-outs.  In both I felt remarkably effortless (save the last 20 miles of WS) and both runs were further enhanced by sharing them with good friends.

A very close honorable mention was my solo 68 mile/10:16 run around Pikes Peak in early November.  While I didn't feel particularly physically proficient during that run (I was in the midst of a period of very heavy training preparing for the TNF50 Championships), it was mentally and physically much less of an ordeal than I had expected.  Plus, it was a loop that I had thought about doing on and off for very many years.

Another honorable mention was an 8hr outing in the Indian Peaks with Scottie in July.  We covered a ton of ground, saw many incredible sights, tread many miles of sublime singletrack, spent a whole lot of time above treeline and generally took advantage of our abilities to travel all day on foot with few physical consequences.  It was a blast.

Worst Run(s)
Without a doubt, my DNF at Leadville, obviously.  I've never run myself into the ground before, and let me tell you, it's not a whole lot of fun.  I learned much, though.  While I've had plenty of other crappy runs this year, none of them were so bad as to result in me passing out, so Leadville takes the cake.

A close second would be the profoundly mundane evening jog on November 18th where I strained my calf for good and did the damage that ultimately kept me out of the TNF50 showdown at the beginning of this month.  It was the only real injury disappointment of the year for me, and it came at a supremely inopportune time.

Well, that's enough.  Let me leave you, though, with a most aptly-titled track by one of my favorite bands, The Walkmen.  I've been listening to these guys for almost two years now, but ever since I saw them at the Fox Theatre here in Boulder in October they've been nearly non-stop on my music-playing device.  Much to the chagrin of my roommates, I imagine.  But, I think the passion evident in this song should at least partly explain why.  Happy New Year!

Running Times Winter Video

About a week ago, Running Times posted a "welcome-to-Winter" video that Joel Wolpert filmed here in Boulder back in mid-December.  Joel was in town for a few days and was extremely lucky to be here for the first (and almost only) little snowfall of the season.  I am very impressed with the nice 10min clip that Joel was able to put together with nothing more than a stedi-cam and a tripod to assist him and his camera.  Great work, Joel!  The video basically showcases my daily training grounds and is a rare instance of making them look almost as good as reality.



Joel also makes a concerted effort to include local bands in his videos, so I was happy to suggest Paper Bird and The Lumineers.  Jocelyn and I have seen Paper Bird open for other acts (Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros) and one of Jocelyn's law school friends was kind enough to invite us to this house party where these clips of The Lumineers were recorded.  Good stuff all around, and I think Joel did an excellent job of meshing the music with the running.

I know I'm about a week late with posting this, but I was back in Nebraska visiting my folks for the Christmas holiday this past week, and, well, the Interwebs still aren't very abundant where I grew up.

Weekly Summary: Dec 6-12

12-06-2010
Mon-AM: 14 miles (2:04) Green Mt., 3000'
Up back and down NE Ridge-1st Flatiron-Skunk Canyon
PM: 9 miles (1:13) Creek Path
Ran easy with Scottie in the dark. Had to be kinda careful with the calf.

12-07-2010
Tue-AM: 14 miles (2:14) Green Mt. 3000'
Up back and down 1st Flatiron with Joe and Scott. Ran down to 13th St to meet them and then ran to the grocery store at the end to pick up a couple of things. Descended the front of Green with a CU Norwegian Nordic skier who was a bit taken aback at our precipitous route.
PM: 8 miles (1:04) Skunk Creek+3mi barefoot at Kitt
Legs felt surprisingly good.

12-08-2010
Wed-AM: 14 miles (2:05) Green Mt. 3500'
Ran with Joe up Gregory-Long Cyn-West Ridge and then down to the 1st Flatiron/Saddle Rock and then half-way back up Flagstaff on Crown Rocks before descending to EGF and running home.  Gloriously beautiful day but my legs felt pretty terrible.
PM: 11 miles (1:38) Green Mt. 2700'
Up front and down Ranger-Flagstaff Rd all in the dark.  Didn't get out until late and then my pace/effort was pretty severely limited by a dying headlamp battery on both the way up and the way down.  As such, I decided to bail onto the road for the remainder of the descent because my light was so weak.

12-09-2010
Thu-AM: 14 miles (2:11) Green Mt. 3000'
Up Gregory-Greenman and down 1st Flatiron to Saddle Rock+1.5mi barefoot at Kitt.  Legs tired from yesterday's double Green.
PM: 8 miles (1:02) Skunk Creek+3mi barefoot at Kitt
Legs felt great slicing through the dark.

12-10-2010
Fri-AM: 14 miles (2:03) Green Mt. 3000'
Up back and down Bear Cyn.  Another beautiful day, if a bit windy.

12-11-2010
Sat-AM: 24 miles (3:51) Green-Bear-Green, 7000'
Got out for a solo lap around Green and Bear feeling good, but on the summit of Bear I decided the inch of fresh snow was going to make Fern too much of a pain, so I ran back to Chat via the West Ridge and Bear Canyon.  However, I was planning on meeting Dave, Geoff and Bob at Chat for another easy lap on Green, so through Bear Canyon and back on Mesa I injected some legitimate pace into my legs for the first time since I strained the calf (in order to make up for the longer route) and it ended up being a really bad idea.  I felt my calf tighten ever so slightly as we stood around in the parking lot and then on the very easy effort up and down Green it only got worse.  By the end of the run I knew I'd really messed it up good again, so I limped back to the house and spent a lot of the rest of the day icing.

12-12-2010
Sun- zippo.  Calf wouldn't allow it.

Total
-Miles: 130
-Hours: 19h 25min
-Vertical: 25,200'

Boulder Summits (2010)
-Green: 289
-Bear: 29
-SoBo: 6
-----------------------------------------------------------
Well, the story this week is pretty obvious.  I had the calf back to a place where jogging around on it--even up a mountain--was really no issue, but when Saturday rolled around and I inadvertently found myself actually running a decent pace for the first time in a long while, well, my calf protested fairly spectacularly.  It has me pretty bummed, and I'm only a small bit confident that I haven't set it back completely to square one.  All week I guess I'd kind of convinced myself that I was basically healthy, but that was a false confidence on account of the fact that I'd never pushed hard on the calf even the slightest bit all week.

If this doesn't completely rule out the Chubbilooski for me this coming weekend up in Fort Collins, at the very least it means I won't be doing anything but socially jogging around on the Horsetooth terrain.  Certainly nothing even remotely approaching a race-type effort or pace, unfortunately.  At this point I just want to get back to consistent running as quickly and easily as possible.  I'm still kicking myself over the bonehead move of running hard on it for even the shortest of stretches on Saturday.

While I went over 6000 miles on the year some time this week, what I thought to be an exceedingly modest goal at the beginning of the month--300 Green summits on the year--is beginning to look extremely touch-and-go, especially with a trip home to Nebraska planned before the end of the year.

November Wrap-Up

The November stats:
461 miles
69h 35min
97,000' climbed

Which makes 5929 miles, 900h 19min and 1,051,800' of climbing on the year.

A discerning eye will notice that those monthly totals look just a touch deficient when compared to what has generally been my norm in 2010.  Unfortunately, this is not because of a particularly aggressive taper for this weekend's highly anticipated TNF 50 Championships, which, much to my disappointment (obviously), I won't be running.

For the past week and a half I've been nursing a strained calf muscle that resulted from running uphill in snow without sufficient traction, which in turn resulted in my first extended break from running of the entire year (I missed five days in a row last week, bringing my yearly tally of days off to 11).  While I'm back to some very light jogging now (20min this morning), I unfortunately won't be in Marin this weekend duking it out with the rest of the best trail/ultra runners in the world.

I know it foils all kinds of dream match-ups (Geoff vs. me for ultrarunner of the year, a Western States re-match between Geoff and I, a taste of Europe's best vs. North America's best, fast road marathoners vs. fast 50/100 milers, etc., etc.) and, believe me, I have been at least as interested as everyone else to see exactly how things would've shaken out this weekend with me in the mix.  Now, I'll just be watching from the cyber-sidelines like most people.  I've been focusing my training on this race so much this fall that I still can't quite believe I won't be lining up.

Whenever I get injured I first get really frustrated and generally pissed off at the injustices of life, but I eventually cool down and start to try to learn something from the situation so that maybe I can avoid making the same mistakes in the future.  I'm still not sure what exactly happened this time.  I first tweaked the calf on the evening of November 14th while completing lap two of a double-dose of Green Mountain.  I'd gotten out for an easy jog up the mountain in the morning and that evening had PRed on the first lap and headed up the second time at a more moderate intensity in order to just round out my planned two hours of running.  My feet had been slipping plenty in the fresh snow on the top half of Green Mt and on round two I felt something pull a bit in my calf on a particularly steep stretch of trail.  Of course, if I were to do it over again, I wouldn't have headed back up Green for a second lap that night--the PR effort on poor footing was probably more than enough strain on my body as it was.

When I woke up Monday morning my leg was definitely sore, but it loosened up after a mile or two of easy jogging and kept improving with each run the rest of the week, so I assumed I was in the clear.  However, on Thursday evening (after a pain-free run up Green in the morning) I set out on a typical flat, easy shakeout jog, and after waiting for a car to pass on a cross-street, I sprinted across the road and the next thing I knew I could barely run and ended up having to walk the mile or so back home.

Since then I've only done a very little easy jogging and lots of icing, ultrasound and acupuncture.  I can tell that it's coming around but certainly will in no way be ready for a hard 50 miles this coming weekend.  I'm sure I'll be back on the trails in the next 10 days or so, though, and ultimately, this couple weeks of rest/very easy running will probably benefit me for the exciting year of running I have planned in 2011.  I wish the best of luck to everyone on Saturday.

Ponderous Posterior 50K

The final installment of the Front Range Fat Asses (preceded by the Boulder Basic on October 30th and the Fort Collins Chubby Cheeks on December 18th) will be the PP 50K (Ponderous Posterior or Pikes Peak, whichever you prefer)  in Colorado/Manitou Springs on January 15th.  Here is a map:

Click for a larger version: start at JT's house on 31st St (right hand side of map)
and proceed in a counter-clockwise fashion.

Here is a Terrain Map version for a little more insight into the topography of the route:

Looks to be about right at 30 miles.

And here is a MapMyRun-produced profile:


Should only be about 6k' of climbing, with a high point of nearly 9200'.

 And here is a link to the MapMyRun file that will allow you to look at satellite imagery and inspect the exact trails that we'll all be experiencing.

PP Route Description:
Starting from JT's house on 31st we will run a few minutes of pavement and snake through the Garden of the Gods via the Dakota Ridge and Bretag Trails.  We'll exit the Garden by hopping a fence for a couple premium miles of singletrack on the Navigators property before climbing quite steeply to the west for a half-mile or so to gain Rampart Range Road.

Run up RRR for ~3mi to the radio towers before turning left/down onto some singletrack and dropping into incredibly scenic Williams Canyon.  After a mile and a half or so of winding down-canyon the course will turn to the right up a drainage for ~1mi that will connect into the Waldo Canyon Loop at the top of the climb.  Turn right onto the Waldo trail and run it counter-clockwise all the way down to Highway 24 and the Waldo Trailhead.

Cross the Highway with care (there may be an informal aid station in this parking lot), crawl through the big metal gate on the other side, and run UP Longs Ranch Road for ~3mi and 2000+' to the high point of the course at ~9200'.  This is the monster climb of the run.  At the top, turn left/down through the Experimental Forest and connect into the famous Barr Trail at No Name Creek.  Run ~3mi down Barr Trail to Ruxton Ave and Manitou Springs and then turn right onto the Intemann Trail at the Iron Spring.  Follow the signs for the Intemann/Ring The Peak Trail traversing above town.  Eventually pop out onto Crystal Park Road for 1mi+ of paved uphill running and turn left back onto the Intemann Trail (nice big wooden sign marking the trailhead).

Run this for ~2mi until turning left onto a marked trail to connect into Red Rocks Open Space.  Run through Red Rocks (there will be a lot of hopefully reasonably marked junctions through here, but the general idea is to just keep heading down, towards the highway and the Open Space's very developed railhead/parking lot), recross Highway 24 and Colorado Ave on Ridge Rd, take a right onto Pikes Peak Ave and run this back east for just over a mile back to the Start/Finish at JT's house.

-----------------------------------------------------------

More details to come as the date gets closer, but this is a gathering open to all with the route having several shorter bail-out options---there's no need to complete the full ~30mi loop in order to take part in the fun.  The run will also adhere to strict Fat Ass Rules: No Fee, No Aid, No Awards, No Whining.

An 8AM start from JT's house is preferable, but again, earlier starts/shorter loops are certainly acceptable so as to facilitate an early-afternoon post-run lie-telling session back at JT's abode.  The idea is to get out for a friendly, possibly semi-competitive group run that showcases many of the endless classic trail options in the Pikes Peak region that many out-of-towners are probably not familiar with while still incorporating the super-classic lower three miles of the Barr Trail (W's, etc.) that everyone is familiar with.

A few images from the planned PP course:

The run starts with a view something shockingly similar to this.

A motley crew running up Rampart Range Road, with a big mountain behind.

A panoramic of the little-known Williams Canyon we'll drop into.
Photo: Harsha Nagaraj

Climbing up the connector btwn Williams and Waldo.
Photo: Steve Bremner.

The views of Pikes from Waldo can't be beat. Photo: Larry Dewitt.

Some goofballs on the Longs Ranch Road climb (our gracious host on the left).
Photo: Larry Dewitt

...which can get awfully steep at times. Photo: Larry Dewitt.

Everyone knows what descending Barr Trail looks like.

A view of Pikes from the Intemann Trail above Manitou Springs.

Red Rocks Canyon Open Space--the final terrain of the course.

Planning for 2011

Although there are a number of (at least semi-) goal races between now and Summer 2011, if I wanted the least-hassle route of keeping the Western States 100 as an option for next year I needed to cash in on my top-10 status from this year by registering and plunking down my $370 before the end of this week.  So I did.  

There is a good chance I'll be back at Western States in 2011 (not the least of the motivating factors being the matter that my $370 is non-refundable) despite the fact that I will almost certainly be entering another conflicting (in my mind, at least) lottery sometime soon (cough-Hardrock!-cough).

Little Giant Saddle at the top of Dives Basin. The creek at the
bottom of the picture is alternately mile 9 or mile 91 of
the Hardrock 100.  This mountain is only one of a dozen similar
such absurdities that must be scaled during the race each July.
Both inspiring and horror-inducing. Photo: Klas Eklof

While the aesthetic and ethic of the Hardrock 100's course is much more my style (unending gigantic alpine passes), the chance to re-engage with the top long-course mountain racers in the world at Western States is pretty hard to pass up. For better or worse, it seems that WS and the Ultra Trail du Mt Blanc have become the two can't-miss stops on the international 100 mile circuit if you are truly interested in racing the best in the world.

I, for one, know that virtually every time I run up Green Mt., an image very much like the one below flashes through my mind at least once:

A crazed yeti chases a diminutive mountain-slayer through the snow at Robinson Flat,
WS100 2010. Rickey follows behind, documenting the moment on video, while I'm
sure Geoff is just out of the frame somewhere. Photo: Mike Redpath.

But Western States and the Hardrock 100 are only the beginning of the lotteries I plan to enter in the next couple months.  The Miwok 100K, Wasatch 100, and UTMB all hold their lotteries this time of year too and are all options I would very much like to have remain in play for next year's racing season.

Like Hardrock, even the best are relegated to a hike on the
climbs at UTMB.  Kilian grunting his way up to La Flegere,
the final crushing ascent of the UTMB route, in 2009.
The scenery can't be beat, though.

Weekly Summary: Nov 8-14

11-08-2010
Mon-AM: 14 miles (2:06) Green Mt., 3000'
Up Gregory-Greenman and down Bear Cyn.
PM: 8 miles (1:03) Skunk Creek Loop+Kitt
Ran easy with Joe.  Got in 1.5mi barefoot.

11-09-2010
Tue-AM: 14 miles (2:09) Green Mt., 3000'
Up back and down Bear Cyn.  First snow clouds of the season were rolling in towards the end.
PM: 8 miles (1:01) Skunk Creek Loop
Legs felt surprisingly good.  Maybe because it was snowing the whole way; I was in full-on tights, gloves, hat, and jacket.  Lovely run.

11-10-2010
Wed-AM: 14 miles (2:07) Green Mt., 3000'
Up Gregory-Greenman and down Bear Cyn.  First real snow up there since April.  Maybe an inch or so on upper Greenman that definitely affected footing a good bit.
PM: 14 miles (2:00) Green Mt., 3000'
Up the back and down Bear Cyn.  Legs felt decently good--coming around after the long run on Saturday.  Cruised up Gregory-Ranger in 36min and spent too long on top so that I was stumbling around a bit coming back on Mesa in the dark.

Starting to fill in the cracks on upper Greenman.

Ocean of clouds from the summit of Green.

11-11-2010
Thu-AM: 18 miles (2:51) 1.5xGreen Mt., 4700'
Met Joel (RT photographer) on top of Green and then we went down Greenman doing a lot of running back and forth for filming.  We started descending Gregory to meet the group and eventually turned around and ran back to the summit via Ranger with Geoff, Joe, Jeff, Brandon, Dave, and Nico.  Descended Bear Cyn and came back on Mesa.  There were a few inches of new snow and the peaks were all in the clouds today.  First real day of winter running this season.  Skipped the evening run to try and get back on top of my fatigue levels.

Headed up Green in the snow. Photo: Joel Wolpert.

Through the winter wonderland. Photo: Joel Wolpert.

11-12-2010
Fri-AM: 13 miles (2:02) Green Mt., 3000'
Met Danny down at the St. Julien and then took him up Viewpoint/Flagstaff to Ranger and then descended Greenman-Gregory.  The snow was pretty slippy this morning and my legs were a bit tired, but the mountains looked incredible with all the frosted trees. Gorgeous clear day, too.

11-13-2010
Sat-AM: 14 miles (2:06) Green Mt., 3000'
Up back and down Bear Cyn.  Felt okay through the canyon but the slippery snow on the top half of the mountain sapped my energy a bit.  It's going to take a week or two to adjust to the new rhythm of winter running.

11-14-2010
Sun-AM: 15 miles (2:12) Green Mt., 3000'
Up back and down Bear Cyn. Enjoyed how the chillier weather is thinning out the crowds on the trails.  Also, a nice inversion layer covered the city in a sleepy blanket this morning.
PM: 20 miles (3:00) 2xGreen Mt., 5500'
#1: up back, down Bear Cyn. (34:46) 12:25, 15:25, 19:15, 23:40, 28:40
#2: up front, down back: (32:36) 6:30, 12:05, 14:35, 18:11, 22:10, 29:22
Great run. After an afternoon in the library I didn't get out the door until 5pm, so I took a headlamp with me and needed it by time I was half-way up Green the first time.  I was feeling pretty good but was definitely shocked to see I was 15 seconds under PR pace at my rock-check (start of flat terrain before lodge) because I certainly wasn't putting in much focus.  The snow started in earnest here, though, and although equal to PR pace at the cabin I was forced into a much more casual pace above the cabin because of the poor footing and ended up a little over a minute over PR.  Coming back on the Mesa trail my legs still felt great so I decided to hit another lap on Green and headed up Amphi-SaddleRock.  Despite stumbling around a bit in headlamp-light and not putting too much effort into it I was a surprising 7 seconds ahead of PR pace at the 1st Flatiron cut-off, the same at the 2nd overlook tree and despite the snow and poor footing still right on PR pace at the Greenman junction.  Above there, however, the snow became too slick to keep pushing and I mostly just jogged it to the top with the snowy surface acting as a governor.  On the descent down Gregory I am about 80% sure I saw a mountain lion staring at me from ~20yards off the trail.  I saw its eyes in my headlamp and after a triple-take (and with the help of the moonlight) came to the conclusion that whatever it was its head was awful big for a fox (one of which I had seen earlier on the Mesa trail).  All in all, pretty encouraging run as I think it was quite likely I would've PRed for both routes on Green in the same run if it weren't for the slick snow on the top half of the mountain right now (not to mention the dark/headlamp vision).

Total
-Miles: 152
-Hours: 22h 37min
-Vertical: 31,200'

2010 Boulder Summits
-Green: 270
-Bear: 28
-SoBo: 6
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I knew this week would be affected a bit by residual fatigue from last weekend's exceptionally long run, so I was careful to not force any kind of above-average effort or distance most days.  Life was especially busy in general this week, too (which will be the standard for the rest of the semester), so it wasn't hard to scale back the miles and intensity a bit.

This week also brought the true re-introduction of winter to the local trails, which means that there will be a frustrating couple of weeks traction-wise where it doesn't make sense to wear Microspikes but where standard running footwear isn't quite as satisfactory as it is on dry trail either.  Even so, I'm enjoying the change in seasons and the new flavor it brings to the daily running.

Weekly Summary: Nov 1-7

11-01-2010
Mon-AM: 14 miles (2:02) Green Mt., 3000'
Up back and down Bear Cyn. Legs felt terrible lying in bed but not half bad out cruising around in the top-notch fall morning.
PM: 14 miles (2:02) Green Mt., 3000'
Up front and down Bear Cyn. I couldn't resist testing out an awesome new pair of NB kicks (the update to the 101, this shoe is essentially the mountain shoe I've been looking to design for the past six years), so of course I had to give them a run through my laboratory.  My legs ended up feeling good and I charged up the front in 31:10 (6:40, 12:30, 14:56, 18:30, 22:08, 28:40).  I started out putting in no effort just easing into the mountain, but by time I got to Greenman I noticed I was only a bit over PR pace so I tried to focus my effort a little more.  Even so, my mind kept wandering to this week's trip to Creede (sample bottles, sampling locations, collection protocols, etc.) so I was almost forgetting to look at my splits.  Despite my lack of focus I ended up only 20 seconds off of PR for my 2nd-fastest time ever. The last couple of switchbacks through the talus still had a slight dusting of snow, so I'm guessing it can't be much longer before that becomes permanent.  Went down Skunk Canyon and tacked on 1.5mi of barefoot down at Kitt before jogging home in the dark.  Great run.

11-02-2010
Tue-AM: 15 miles (2:14) Green Mt., 3000'
Up back and down NE Ridge to Flag to EGF+1.5mi barefoot at BHS.  I'm ready for the time to change this weekend.  It was dark all the way until the Ranger cabin, so I was stumbling around a lot before that.  Legs felt good by the end of the run.
PM: 14 miles (2:00) Green Mt., 3000'
Bumped into Jeff at the trailhead so we ran together up the backside and ended up running the top half of the mountain quicker and harder than I would've alone for sure. My legs were definitely heavy. Jeff was pushing a quick pace down Bear Cyn as well, but it was all good as I needed to get back in time to make my 5:00pm class.  Tacked on a mile of barefoot down at Kitt.

Sunrise over Boulder as seen from Gregory Canyon.

North and South Arapahoe Peaks in early morning light.

Longs Peak with the purple morning glow.

11-03-2010
Wed-AM: 14 miles (2:09) Green Mt., 3000'
Up back and down Bear Cyn. Ran at 4am before driving to Creede, so this whole run was in the dark by headlamp.  Pretty cool, and kinda makes me look forward to 100 milers in the future (UTMB, Hardrock, Wasatch) that will require significant night running.

11-04-2010
Thu-AM: 14 miles (2:00) Green Mt., 3000'
Nice easy cruise after a long night of driving. Had to hustle back for a conference call regarding the update to the MT101s.
PM: 15 miles (2:22) 2xGreen Mt., 5000'
Great run. Ran up the frontside for both laps with the first being a PR 30:44 (6:32, 12:22, 18:11) and the second being a more mellow but still satisfactory 32:52 (6:55, 13:02, 19:27).  Felt very strong all evening and just generally had one of those euphoric evening outings.

11-05-2010
Fri-AM: 14 miles (2:08) Green Mt., 3000'
Ran really easy up Gregory-Greenman and down Bear Cyn. Hips were a bit tired after yesterday's vertical binge, so I was just trying to make sure that I would be able to make it through the next day's long run.

11-06-2010
Sat-AM: 68 miles (10:16) Ring The Peak circumnavigation, 13000'
Ran around Pikes Peak on the RTP route. Longest solo non-race run ever.

11-07-2010
Sun-AM: 16 miles (2:46) Green-Bear-SoBo, 4800'
Got together in more awesome weather with Geoff, Jeff, Dan Brillon, Dave, Darcy, Krissy, Charles Corfield and Jason for a very casual tour of the local peaks just before a violent little storm cell blew in.  The pace was very easy all day and we had extended re-grouping at each summit, but Geoff, Jeff and I descended Fern at normal pace so as to not be tripping all over ourselves on the technical terrain and then it was just a nice jog back on Mesa to finish out the run.  I'd gotten out for a little neighborhood loop beforehand to loosen up my body from the day before but all in all things felt good today, just some to-be-expected heavy legs.  Always a pleasure running with good company.

Total
-Miles: 198
-Hours: 30h 01min
-Vertical: 43,800'

2010 Boulder Summits
-Green: 260
-Bear: 28
-SoBo: 6

Weekly Summary: Oct 25-31 and October Totals

10-25-2010
Mon-AM: 14 miles (2:05) Green Mt., 3000'
Up back and down Bear Cyn.
PM: 8 miles (1:05) Skunk Creek Loop+2.5mi barefoot at Kitt

10-26-2010
Tue-AM: 15 miles (2:08) Green Mt., 3000'
Up back and down Bear Cyn. Light dusting of snow on top along with astonishingly powerful winds.
PM: 8 miles (1:04) Skunk Creek Loop
Still really really windy.  Reminds me of Nebraska in the Spring.

10-27-2010
Wed-AM: 15 miles (2:09) Green Mt., 3000'
Up back and down NE Ridge to Flagstaff and then to the grocery store and back.  Still not feeling a lot of pep in my legs, but not feeling bad, either.  Just sort of average.
PM: 14 miles (2:03) Green Mt., 3000'
Ran up the front side in a PR 30:50 (6:33, 12:12, 14:42, 18:11, 21:47, 28:23). Descended Bear Cyn in the dark down to the Bear Mt. Drive trailhead where I ran back to the Kitt Fields along Broadway for a couple of laps before heading home.

10-28-2010
Thu-AM: 15 miles (2:16) Green & Bear, 4200'
Easy effort up the back of Green and then finally felt warmed up heading along Bear's West Ridge. Gorgeous day and my legs felt good descending Fern Cyn.
PM: 8 miles (1:02) Skunk Creek Loop
2.5 miles barefoot at Kittredge Fields

10-29-2010
Fri-AM: 14 miles (2:09) Green Mt., 3000'
Up Gregory-Greenman and then down Greenman to Flagstaff and EGF.  Noticed an odd puff of smoke over on the north side of Flagstaff as I entered Gregory Canyon and by time I was half-way up Green it had turned into a full-on wildfire over on the summit of Anemone.  Very very smoky coming home on the Creek Path but barely anything up at the house.  Also, I felt terrible on this run.  Going so slow up Green that it felt like I should've just hiked it.

10-30-2010
Sat-AM: 25 miles (4:05) Basic Boulder Mountain Marathon, 7200'
Ran over to Phil's house and then up Flagstaff very, very easily with a big group.  Things spread out a bit on the run up Ranger to tag Green and by time we were headed down Bear Canyon there was a solid, jovial group of myself, Dave, Jurker, Geoff, Joe, Nick, Dakota, Jeff, Ryan Cooper, Johannes Rudolph, Brendan (?) and maybe a couple of others all just cruising along very casually and enjoying the beautiful day.  Took Mesa over to Bluestem and down to the South Mesa TH before making the 3000' climb up Towhee and Shadow Canyon to the summit of SoBo.  I waited on top for everyone where we spent a long time chatting and enjoying the glorious day before bopping over and up to Bear Peak for more of the same.  Here Dave suggested that we head back over for one more summit of Green (instead of the prescribed descent of Fern Canyon and back on Mesa to the finish).  I was game as it would represent my 250th of the year. After a final re-grouping on top of Green I led Dave, Dakota, Joe, and Nick down to the NE ridge where Dave decided to rip the vintage route in spectacular fashion.  Joe, Dakota and I stuck right on his heels through the kamikaze descent, however, and it was a great way to finish out a fantastically enjoyable day in the Boulder Peaks.

Standing around at the start, scoping Nick's hot new PI Peaks. Photo Eric Lee

Getting in some "mountain jogging" behind Mr. Clark and ahead of Joe, descending SoBo Peak. Nick Pedatella ascending in the opposing direction. Photo: Eric Lee

10-31-2010
Sun-AM: 24 miles (4:02) Guinn Mt. Ski Hut from Nederland, 5000'
Started at Geoff's house at 8500' just above Nederland with Joe, Dakota and Patrick and took singletrack trail right from his backyard up and over 10,000' Tennessee Mt, down to Eldora, and then up the Jenny Creek trail to the ski hut at 11,000' just below Rollins Pass Rd.  The last 30min or so of uphill was mostly a nearly knee-deep slog through snow, but the way back was a blast with the downhill assisting us in our trek through the white stuff.  I felt pretty crappy the first two hours, but really felt a lot better the second half of the run.  This was definitely my last high country run of the season.  I'm going to enjoy the dirt down in Boulder as much as possible before snow finds its way down there, too.

Total
-Miles: 160
-Hours: 24h 07min
-Vertical: 31,400'

October totals  were 668 miles, 99h 37min and 128,900' climbed.

2010 Totals
-Miles: 5468
-Hours: 830h 44min
-Vertical: 954,800'
---------
-Green: 250
-Bear: 27
-SoBo: 5

All in all a good week.  It was satisfying to hit a PR on Green on Wednesday and the Basic on Saturday was a true pleasure, but my lack of pep on Sunday was a bit of a bummer.  Even with the unpredictable energy levels I'm confident that my plane of fitness is starting to become fairly high.  After this weekend's get-together here in Boulder I'm definitely looking forward to the Fort Collins edition at the Chubby Cheeks 50K on December 18th.