04-08-2013
Mon-AM: 2:39, 6000' ~ Flatiron Quartet+Green+1st Flatiron
Biked to Chat and headed up with the intention of doing a bunch of scrambling before it started snowing in the evening. After climbing the First and Second Flatirons I was on a really good pace but then had to drop down to the Royal Arch trail and take it over Sentinel Pass to the 4th and 5th Flatirons (the 3rd is closed). These went well, too, and after the 4th I went to the top of Green where I bumped into GZ and we chatted amicably for a few minutes enjoying the beautiful morning. Finally motivated to get moving again, and on the way down I tacked on another high-intensity lap of the First (and its 700' of vert...always tough at the end of a long outing). Great run.
PM: 1:09, 3000' ~ First Flatiron+Green Mt.
Biked to Chat and headed up the hill with an eye to the sky, expecting it to start raining at any moment, but it never did. Good scramble, solid effort up the hill, and then a pretty mellow downhill (24min back down to Chat), taking it easy on my knee (which actually seems to be a combo of peroneals and IT band tugging on the fibular head).
04-09-2013
Tue-AM: 1:58, 3000' ~ Green Mt.
Woke to dumping snow, so ran to the trailhead and went up Gregory-Ranger and down the front. ~6" of fresh snow with more coming down.
04-10-2013
Wed-AM: 2:11, 3000' ~ Green Mt.
Same as yesterday except I went up the front and down the back and there was a ton more snow, making it quite the slog. Well over a foot on the summit. Cold morning, too, with temps in the single digits and high humidity.
PM: 1:01, 500' ~ Sanitas Valley-Red Rocks
Very easy jog in the chilly evening with Jocelyn. Been a really long time since I've been on these flattish but nice trails.
04-11-2013
Thu-AM: 2:22, 4400' ~ Bear & Green
From Chat ran up Fern Canyon---which was kind of a slog with all the snow---and then broke trail all the way down the West Ridge and up to the to summit of Green. Trail is packing in nicely on the front of Green, though. All of this snow is going to melt very quickly, definitely be able to do some scrambling this weekend I think.
PM: 1:25, 3000' ~ First Flatiron+Green Mt.
Well, turns out I was able to get in some scrambling sooner than anticipated. Biked up to Chat even though it was sort of randomly sprinkling and ran up to the base of the First. I could see that there were a couple ice/snow patches in key spots up high, but the real issue was the water running down the face on the thin stuff right before it gets steeper and juggier. I just tip-toed my way through here, smearing on many a wet foot-hold, but everything went well. Up high I had to take the standard route onto the arete instead of my usual shortcut under the Ear because there was a giant curtain of icicles still hanging off of the flake. Lots of snow on the arete itself, but I could mostly navigate around. Slow 19min ascent, then. Postholed up to the summit of Green and then splashed down through the very soft and deep slush. Classic spring conditions.
04-12-2013
Fri-AM: 2:00, 4400' ~ Bear & Green
Biked to Chat and did the exact same run as yesterday morning except that with some aggressively-lugged shoes (custom 110s) I was able to do the whole run sans Microspikes, which was really nice. Fern was in way better shape, but no one else had been down the West Ridge of Bear or up the connector to Green since I ran it yesterday morning. Really fun run, but I was bonking hard at some points, like, losing vision bonking. It happens.
PM: 1:17, 3000' ~ First Flatiron+Green Mt.
Went at mid-day and caught a gorgeous window of hot sun. Wet shoes made the first couple minutes of the scramble slow, but eventually I got going and was a bit surprised to see two other roped parties on the face. I actually tried to go under the Ear again but a big chunk of ice thwarted me so I just bopped up to the arete like last night. Sloppy, slushy, slippy snow for the rest of the outing.
04-13-2013
Sat-AM: 5:21, 8200' ~ Green-Walker-Eldo-Green
Met Scott and ran up to the Gregory trailhead. Ran up Green via Gregory-Ranger then headed out to Walker Ranch for a lap before running down through Eldorado Canyon and up on the Old Mesa trail. Jurker headed home from there while I went back up Green via Bear Canyon to tack on an extra 2k' climb and push the day's outing up to 35mi. First long run I've done in a very long time and it went quite well. Despite the big week of volume and vert I felt strong on all the climbs and really enjoyed just getting out and cruising consistently for a full morning (as opposed to breaking it up with scrambling or hiking).
PM: Climbing w/ jLu in Eldorado Canyon.
04-14-2013
Sun-AM: 2:11, 4500' ~ Flatiron Trifecta+Green Mt.
Biked to Chat, but even that did little to get my legs warmed up; it was a proper stumble over the mountain today. So I just went easy. But the ice on Greenman (fresh stuff from overnight, not frozen slush) got me on the way down and things in general just felt like wreckage. Nice to get out as always but kind of a relief to get back to Chautauqua, too.
Hours: 23h34min
Vert: 43,000'
Really solid week despite the big dump of snow in the first half of the week. Another month of weeks like this and I think I'll be ready for a good one at Transvulcania. Starting to get really excited about the racing season, feel like I've got fresh legs and a good level of basic fitness to build on.
Here's a post I did over on the Swiftwick Blog explaining how my relationship with them came to be.
Mon-AM: 2:39, 6000' ~ Flatiron Quartet+Green+1st Flatiron
Biked to Chat and headed up with the intention of doing a bunch of scrambling before it started snowing in the evening. After climbing the First and Second Flatirons I was on a really good pace but then had to drop down to the Royal Arch trail and take it over Sentinel Pass to the 4th and 5th Flatirons (the 3rd is closed). These went well, too, and after the 4th I went to the top of Green where I bumped into GZ and we chatted amicably for a few minutes enjoying the beautiful morning. Finally motivated to get moving again, and on the way down I tacked on another high-intensity lap of the First (and its 700' of vert...always tough at the end of a long outing). Great run.
PM: 1:09, 3000' ~ First Flatiron+Green Mt.
Biked to Chat and headed up the hill with an eye to the sky, expecting it to start raining at any moment, but it never did. Good scramble, solid effort up the hill, and then a pretty mellow downhill (24min back down to Chat), taking it easy on my knee (which actually seems to be a combo of peroneals and IT band tugging on the fibular head).
04-09-2013
Tue-AM: 1:58, 3000' ~ Green Mt.
Woke to dumping snow, so ran to the trailhead and went up Gregory-Ranger and down the front. ~6" of fresh snow with more coming down.
04-10-2013
Wed-AM: 2:11, 3000' ~ Green Mt.
Same as yesterday except I went up the front and down the back and there was a ton more snow, making it quite the slog. Well over a foot on the summit. Cold morning, too, with temps in the single digits and high humidity.
PM: 1:01, 500' ~ Sanitas Valley-Red Rocks
Very easy jog in the chilly evening with Jocelyn. Been a really long time since I've been on these flattish but nice trails.
04-11-2013
Thu-AM: 2:22, 4400' ~ Bear & Green
From Chat ran up Fern Canyon---which was kind of a slog with all the snow---and then broke trail all the way down the West Ridge and up to the to summit of Green. Trail is packing in nicely on the front of Green, though. All of this snow is going to melt very quickly, definitely be able to do some scrambling this weekend I think.
PM: 1:25, 3000' ~ First Flatiron+Green Mt.
Well, turns out I was able to get in some scrambling sooner than anticipated. Biked up to Chat even though it was sort of randomly sprinkling and ran up to the base of the First. I could see that there were a couple ice/snow patches in key spots up high, but the real issue was the water running down the face on the thin stuff right before it gets steeper and juggier. I just tip-toed my way through here, smearing on many a wet foot-hold, but everything went well. Up high I had to take the standard route onto the arete instead of my usual shortcut under the Ear because there was a giant curtain of icicles still hanging off of the flake. Lots of snow on the arete itself, but I could mostly navigate around. Slow 19min ascent, then. Postholed up to the summit of Green and then splashed down through the very soft and deep slush. Classic spring conditions.
04-12-2013
Fri-AM: 2:00, 4400' ~ Bear & Green
Biked to Chat and did the exact same run as yesterday morning except that with some aggressively-lugged shoes (custom 110s) I was able to do the whole run sans Microspikes, which was really nice. Fern was in way better shape, but no one else had been down the West Ridge of Bear or up the connector to Green since I ran it yesterday morning. Really fun run, but I was bonking hard at some points, like, losing vision bonking. It happens.
PM: 1:17, 3000' ~ First Flatiron+Green Mt.
Went at mid-day and caught a gorgeous window of hot sun. Wet shoes made the first couple minutes of the scramble slow, but eventually I got going and was a bit surprised to see two other roped parties on the face. I actually tried to go under the Ear again but a big chunk of ice thwarted me so I just bopped up to the arete like last night. Sloppy, slushy, slippy snow for the rest of the outing.
04-13-2013
Sat-AM: 5:21, 8200' ~ Green-Walker-Eldo-Green
Met Scott and ran up to the Gregory trailhead. Ran up Green via Gregory-Ranger then headed out to Walker Ranch for a lap before running down through Eldorado Canyon and up on the Old Mesa trail. Jurker headed home from there while I went back up Green via Bear Canyon to tack on an extra 2k' climb and push the day's outing up to 35mi. First long run I've done in a very long time and it went quite well. Despite the big week of volume and vert I felt strong on all the climbs and really enjoyed just getting out and cruising consistently for a full morning (as opposed to breaking it up with scrambling or hiking).
PM: Climbing w/ jLu in Eldorado Canyon.
04-14-2013
Sun-AM: 2:11, 4500' ~ Flatiron Trifecta+Green Mt.
Biked to Chat, but even that did little to get my legs warmed up; it was a proper stumble over the mountain today. So I just went easy. But the ice on Greenman (fresh stuff from overnight, not frozen slush) got me on the way down and things in general just felt like wreckage. Nice to get out as always but kind of a relief to get back to Chautauqua, too.
Hours: 23h34min
Vert: 43,000'
Really solid week despite the big dump of snow in the first half of the week. Another month of weeks like this and I think I'll be ready for a good one at Transvulcania. Starting to get really excited about the racing season, feel like I've got fresh legs and a good level of basic fitness to build on.
Here's a post I did over on the Swiftwick Blog explaining how my relationship with them came to be.
 |
| Flatties 1, 2 & 3 in the fresh snow Wednesday morning. |
 |
| Backside of the First Flatiron, from Saddle Rock trail. |
 |
| Upper Greenman. |
 |
| Green summit. |
 |
| Longs (and Meeker, Pagoda and Chiefs Head): my favorite mountain. |
20 comments:
Nice to see it goes kinda well again for you.
Cheers from flatland germany,
A.
That has to be one of the most beautiful places on the planet.
Great to read you're able to get in a long run. I've been 'working' really hard to get well again myself and really enjoyed the article you put up on UD that has helped immensely in my recovery.
Here's to hoping you're 100% for Tranvulcania, and all the best!
Looking forward to seeing your name among the front pack runners come 5/11! By the way tell NB thanks for awesome pair of shoes (1210's/Leadville) :)
I can't wait to see you and Sage Canaday race each other!
Really nice write up about you and the Swiftwick crew. Brings a lot of attention to detail and how they pursue their brand awareness. Rare and great to know. Congrats on teaming up with them. - Nice run on Saturday btw.
Hey Tony,
I read your FAQ section, but one thing I've always wondered that went unanswered is how much alcohol you drink, if at all. I feel that even small amounts affect me and my ability to rise early and run, so I was curious how you deal with it or even if you avoid it all together.
I am considering giving it up for good because running and climbing mountains has become central to my life yet drinking alcohol stands as somewhat of an impediment to forward progress. I believe your thoughts on the matter would be helpful.
Thanks! As always, I enjoy reading the blog.
Carson in Fort Collins
Barry - Right? Boulder after a snowstorm seems more like a fairy-land than standard Front Range foothills.
Dallas - Glad you're enjoying the 1210. It's a lot of shoe for still being only 10oz.
Eichhhorst - Thanks, the passion and attention to detail of pretty much everyone I've met at Swiftwick is definitely inspiring.
Carson - Alcohol is a take-it-or-leave-it kinda thing for me. I drink plenty of beer socially but have never developed much of a taste for the hard stuff (probably a good thing). I probably have some beers two or three times a week but rarely ever have more than three or four drinks or so in an evening. At this amount I've felt basically zero affects the next morning. I've never felt the need to completely cut out alcohol, and it's honestly something I've never even thought about. But, as you can see, I'm not exactly binging or anything.
Tony - It is a lot of shoe, I'm an overpronator so these are perfect.
And even though the 110 is great, my bio-mechanics just won't allow it nor can I fit a custom pair of orthotic inserts in the 110's but the 1210's I can.
Now I'm able to run true and straight.
Shoes and Minimalism
This demands a response.
x2 at Charlie's Comment...
Tony- I like Dakota and know you two are friends and think your spin would be also supported and very much welcomed. Also have you ever considered writing for I Run Far or maybe you have, and I missed it along the way. As I'm sure your articles would be very interesting and a great read to the fans who follow you.
Hope your enjoying this 16 inches of fresh powder we got in Boulder!
Charlie and Dallas - I love Dakota's writing because he often effectively mixes humor with incisive critique. His recent piece on iRF was more of the same, entertaining and full of valid points. I'll tell you what Dakota told me: "As long as you keep beating me in races, I reserve the right to talk shit about you online." The problem with all of this is that none of it translates very well if you don't have the context of our off-line interactions. I know my shortcomings as an athlete (too obsessed, often too iconoclastic maybe), and I appreciate Dakota's willingness to call me out on that sometimes. That's what friends are for, straight talk.
Tony - Spot on, it takes a true athlete and even a better man to own up to your own shortcomings, as even I have more than my fair share.
But I was more or less talking about how it would be nice to hear your input on the topic/article he wrote about in general and less about the Friendly "Jab/Poke" he made as a friend and fellow ultra runner, as I understand you guys are buddies so I didn't think any thing negative when I read his article.
I enjoy reading writers such as yourself, Geoff, Sage, Dakota, and many others. And having read your material both here and on many other publications, I thought it would be nice to see your stuff on IRF.
But then again, since I follow your blog I pretty much have a grasp on your ideas and thought process on how you like to run, train, race, and even live.
Point being, it was not about the personal/inside jokes that Dakota wrote about, but more or less about your views on the overall topic it self.
Hope that clears up my last posting...
Dallas - I would say that Dakota's and my views on mountain running footwear have essentially intersected at this point, even if we originally started at opposite ends of the spectrum.
Always enjoyed about reading your blog. Thanks Anton, you are my inspiration! Cheers from Italy
Tony,
Always love the blog, and the pictures are incredible. Just curious, what small camera do you take with you on your runs. Looking for a light one to pack on my runs up in British Columbia, Canada.
Shaun
Anton, tenis is my first comment on your blog. I've just finished my first 42k on the trails in the beautiful Patagonia. Just wanted to let you know that you' ve been my inspiration during the whole race.
Kind regards from Argentina.
Good to see you mention running with Jocelyn! Our family aims to run together so this is inspiration. Hope all is well on that front.
Nice blog
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