Alpine Binge

Last week I was presented with the opportunity to get out and spend some significant time in the high mountains.  This is my favorite type of running to do, hands down.  The powers of precipitation only allow running travel above treeline for a few short months out of the year, so I always make a concerted effort to cram in as many miles as possible up there while I can.

The highlight of all this was a 50ish mile long run on Saturday (that we had intended to be 40ish miles).  Scott and I planned a "Super-Loop" of sorts up in the Indian Peaks Wilderness just west of Boulder.  Neither of us had much, if any, experience with these trails, so we were both eager to see as much as we could in a single day.  With that in mind, I devised the following admittedly ambitious route:

(Starting and finishing at Long Lake in the Brainard Lake Recreation Area.)

The start would be at the Brainard Lake Recreation Area at ~10,400'.  From there we would head up and over 12,550' Pawnee Pass down to Monarch Lake at 8400'.  Next would be a hump up to the Strawberry Bench and the High Lonesome Trail/CDT, which would take us to Junco Lake.  From there we would continue climbing up to Caribou and Arapahoe Passes back at 12,000', drop briefly to 11,200' and then climb again to the day's high point of 12,800' at the Arapahoe Glacier Overlook.  An enormously long descent would deposit us down at the University of Colorado's Mountain Research Station before we made our final 2000' climb of the day up and over 11,500' Niwot Ridge to drop back down to our starting point near Long Lake.  On the map it looked bold, but doable.  Of course, none of this was even remotely appropriate as a "taper" before this past weekend's White River 50 mile USATF National Trail Championships, which we both ended up running.

(A fairly intimidating profile.)

Scott was gracious enough to carry a camera all day, and it was completely worth it.  The breathtaking scenery and fantastic singletrack were the defining characteristics of this day's run.  Also, the stark difference between what a plan looks like on a map and the nature of the actual felt experience. 

There were at least two moments worth noting during the course of our eight hours and ten minutes of running.  After about four and a half hours of running time I topped out on our third 2000' climb of the day at Caribou Pass.  As I sat on the edge of the thin piece of singletrack carved directly into the rock mountainside, sucking on a gel and gazing out into the spectacular basin that spread out before me, I finally "got it".  This is why Boulder is a special place.  For the past year I've had a hard time accepting why Boulder garners so much more praise and hype as an outdoor mecca when someplace like, say, Colorado Springs had the nearly incomparable charms of Pikes Peak going for it.  Well, these mountains had to be it.  The Indian Peaks are as rugged, steep, remote, and scenic as anything I've seen in the San Juans or Tetons, two of my upper-echelon contiguous 48 states mountain standards.  Eventually Scott joined me and we trotted over to Dorothy Lake at 12,000' for a quick alpine dip before continuing with our run.

The second moment was more of an existential, despair-inducing episode.  Scott and I had just climbed to ~12,800' to a perch on the ridge overlooking Arapahoe Glacier when I pointed out to him the Niwot Ridge trail snaking over an alpine meadow waaaay over there.  We'd been running for over five hours at this point and I was trying to convince him--and myself--that we were only ~12 miles and two hours away from the crest of that final climb.  Of course, we were way off on the mileage and it would actually be another full three hours of running before the day's work was complete.  But that's a big reason why we were out there: to see a lot of country and in the process callous our minds and bodies to the demands of running all day.

The rest of the story is better told in pictures:

(Looking down the magnificent drop on the west side of Pawnee Pass.  Monarch Lake can be seen way off in the distance.  The only other place I've seen trail constructed on such precipitous terrain is in the Grand Canyon.)

(Scott, utterly dwarfed by the immensity of the landscape on the Pawnee Pass drop.)

(Who would've thought this was back there?)

(The High Lonesome Trail: where it seems only elk dare roam.)

(Wow. Sitting on Caribou Pass with Arapahoe Pass and South Arapahoe Peak in the background.)

(Scott cruising over to Arapahoe Pass.)

(A late-in-the-day desperate descent off of Niwot Ridge after not being able to find the trail back down to Long Lake.)

(We came straight down that.)

(Finally, back at the Roost, killing mosquitoes.)

(Scott expressing his love for Forest Service mileages after a longer-than-expected day.)

Weekly Summary: July 26-Aug 1 and July Stats

07-26-2010
Mon-AM: 15 miles (2:28) Mt. Elbert, 4500'
Great run back on what still feels like one of my home mountains/trails.  Despite limited acclimation (compared to the perfect acclimation I had living in Leadville last summer) I ran to the top a full minute faster than before the White River 50 last summer. Bruised quad was decently improved.
PM: 9 miles (1:11) Area 57 in Leadville, 1000'
This is an exceptional area (between 5th and 7th St on the east side of town) of somewhat secret singletrack that eventually climbs up to 11,000'. It was designed by mountain bikers, so it's a bit sinuous but still really nice stuff for running. Legs felt great and kept a clipping pace. Love the running in Leadville.

07-27-2010
Tue-AM: 15 miles (2:16) Wason Park from Creede, CO, 3000'
Perfect singletrack right from main street Creede that climbs to a huge tundra meadow at 11,700' just below the Continental Divide and in the La Garita Wilderness. Love this trail, but after Inspiration Point at 11,000' it looked like hardly anyone else had been on the trail since I ran it last summer.
AM2: 8 miles (1:10) San Luis Pass, 1500' vertical
After running at 4:50am I was ready for the second run by 10am, especially since I knew I'd be driving back to Boulder all afternoon/evening. Parked near the Equity Mine (where I was placing a precipitation collector) at 11,000' and ran up to the 12,000' pass on the Continental Divide and then continued on the CDT/CT to the "north" to a high point of 12,500'.  Legs felt great.

07-28-2010
Wed-AM: 15 miles (2:09) Green Mt. up back down NE ridge, 3000'
Cruised easy but the legs had lots and lots of pep.
PM: 8 miles (1:02) Creek Path
Got in about a mile of barefootin' while Jocelyn was hanging out in the law school.

07-29-2010
Thu-AM: 8 miles (1:07) Creek Path with Jocelyn
Random running of errands. Trying to get in a (very) small taper here before White River on the weekend.

07-30-2010
Fri-AM: 8 miles (1:03) Creek Path
Cruised around the Goose Creek loop with Jocelyn on her bike before hopping a plane to WA. Legs felt great and ready to race.

07-31-2010
Sat-AM: 51 miles (6:33); White River 50 in 6:25:29
New course record against a surprisingly deep field. One mile cooldown. 9000' vertical.

08-01-2010
Sun-PM: 5 miles (:42) Creek Path
Just an easy shakeout after a long nap. Legs actually felt really good--last year I could barely walk the day after WR and tonight my upper hamstrings were just a bit tight and my quads a little sore. Total recovery should be quick.

Total
-Miles: 142
-Hours: 19h 41min
-Vertical: 22,000'

2010 Summits (Day 213)
Green: 187
Bear: 12
SoBo: 4

July Totals
-Miles: 501
-Hours: 74h 23min
-Vertical: 77,700'

2010 Totals
-Miles: 3906
-Hours: 576h 26min
-Vertical: 674,200'
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I came into this week half-contemplating the thought of racing White River this weekend and by Wednesday night--after seeing that Jocelyn and I were, indeed, going to be capable of moving out of apartment by the end of the month--Scott and Jenny had talked me into it so I bought a plane ticket, instituted a super-quick, two-day "taper" and went for it.

I'm obviously pleased with the way this week turned out after not deciding to race White River until Thursday and going into the race with a 50 mile run and nearly 200 mile week in my legs on top of a pretty volume/vertical-heavy first half of this week.  It was a bit of a gamble to go to a championship event with a top-notch field not fully rested, but I felt this was an important week of training headed into the August 21st weekend of racing, so I didn't want to rest too much.  Thankfully, it all worked out.

This coming week I'll look to fully recover from White River in the next day or two, hopefully get in a couple nice mountain runs in the Wasatch while in SLC for the Outdoor Retailer Trade Show, and then hit a solid seven-day or so stretch of training before one final taper this summer.

In the meantime, may this induce some foot-tapping:

Weekly Summary: July 19-25

07-19-2010
Mon-AM: 15 miles (2:29) Devil's Thumb, 3000'
PM: 7 miles (:55) Creek Path+2mi barefoot at Kitt
Acupuncture with Allison Suddard immediately afterwards.

07-20-2010
Tue-AM: 17 miles (2:36) Green Mt. & Bear Peak, 4200'
Fog layer at 8200' made for incredible views from Bear this morning. A very snappy 31:46 (6:45, 18:50, 29:20) up the front side of Green left me a bit wobbly-legged on the descents, but it was an awesome run overall. Hamstring felt the best it has since WS...very little trouble with it.
PM: 5 miles (:41) Creek Path

07-21-2010
Wed-AM: 35 miles (5:35) Granite Pass-Flattop Mt &back, 8500'
Great first long run back after WS. Scott and I started at the East Longs Peak TH at 9400' in RMNP, ran up to Granite Pass (12k'), all the way down to Glacier Gorge (9200') and Bear Lake, up to the summit of Flattop Mt (12,324') and then exactly back the way we came. I did the full 34mi out and back in 5:28 after charging over the final pass and down the last descent with more than a little fear of lightning strike. I felt good on the first climb, but the rest of the day had a hard time finding a good rhythm, except for the last descent. Jogged around at the end to shake out the legs after running fast downhill.

07-22-2010
Thu-AM: 16 miles (2:20) Green Mt. up back down Bear Cyn, 3000'
Easy effort after yesterday's long run. Running in Boulder in the summer is pretty great, if hot. Jumped in the creek afterwards.
PM: 8 miles (1:04) Creek Path with Jocelyn
Got completely soaked in a raging downpour.

07-23-2010
Fri-AM: 16 miles (2:22) Green Mt. up SR-GM down Bear Cyn, 3000'
I've never run the full Saddle Rock trail from the bottom, so Scott and I checked that out. It's nice. Legs felt good. Legs are definitely finally fully back post-WS.

07-24-2010
Sat-AM: 50-ish miles (8:10) Epic Indian Peaks Loop, 10,000'
Started from Brainard Lake/Long Lake with Scott and went up Pawnee Pass, down to Monarch Lake, High Lonesome Trail to Junco TH, Caribou Pass, Arapahoe Pass, Arapahoe Glacier Trail down to Rainbow Lakes Campground/Rd to CU Mountain Research Station, up and over Niwot Ridge and back down to the Long Lake lot. One of the best days I've ever had in the mountains. I was blown away by the magnificent beauty right from the start--I had no idea the stuff that was back there in that wilderness. Those mountains are on par with anything else I've seen in North America, stuff like the Tetons, San Juans, Elks, North Cascades, and high Sierras. After making the fifth and final 2000' climb of the day up to the Niwot Ridge Tundra Lab, we lost the trail (we'd gone too far west) and couldn't find the final three mile descent back down to Long Lake so Scott and I ended up dropping straight down an absurdly steep tundra and talus slope (at least 60 degrees) to intersect the well-traveled trail around the lake.

07-25-2010
Sun-AM: 16 miles (2:25) Green Mt. up G-G down Bear Cyn, 3000'
Hot, but legs felt surprisingly good after yesterday.
PM: 8 miles (1:12) Golf Course Loop w/ Jocelyn
Very slow easy jog because Joc was dragging a bit.

Total
-Miles: 193
-Hours: 29h 49min
-Vertical: 34,700'

2010 Summits (Day 206)
-Green: 186
-Bear: 12
-SoBo: 4

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

This was a great first real week back to training post-WS.  The two long runs were definitely highlights and sort of showcase why I tend toward ultras when it comes to racing: in the summertime (or anytime) it's just really hard for me to not want to get out there and enjoy all-day runs in the mountains and this obviously better prepares me for all-day races in the mountains.  The Saturday run was an epic almost paradigm-shifting event for me (at least in terms of my sense-of-place), so it definitely deserves a forthcoming blog post all its own.

I was also pleasantly surprised by my uphilling legs on the frontside of Green Mt. on Tuesday.  That time is only 17 seconds off of my PR and came after not pressing until the top half of the mountain.  I think I've held onto my fitness well since Western States.

With regards to racing plans in August, I'm still fairly squarely on the fence betwixt Pikes Peak and Leadville, but right now my attitude is resonating slightly more with the acronym title of the stellar Yeasayer tune O.N.E: One's Not Enough.

Rocky Mountain National Park

Ever since I moved to Boulder last year, I vowed to make the short trip northwest to Rocky Mountain National Park for an epic run or two.  I had visited RMNP well over a dozen years ago on a family camping vacation, and it was trips like those that laid the foundation for my present-day obsession with cruising as many miles of high country trail as available time and my two legs will allow.

Alas, last fall my two legs (my right knee, specifically) weren't allowing too many miles of any sort at all, so it wasn't until this past Wednesday that I finally made it up to RMNP to explore this iconic portion of Colorado's mountains.  Starting from the East Longs Peak Trailhead, Scott and I completed a fairly arduous route that would include three nearly 3000' climbs and 34+ miles of singletrack all above an altitude of 9000'.  (All pictures courtesy of Jenny Uehisa.  Likewise the wheels, patience, and irrepressible good humor on the day.)

(Our route: a scenic out and back to the Continental Divide in RMNP, starting at the base of Longs Peak.)

(12,000' Granite Pass, 12,324' Flattop Mt, and Granite Pass again: three big climbs.)

(Advising Scott on the emergency options for Longs Peak.)

(First strides of a long day in the mountains: East Longs Peak Trailhead at 8am.)

(Typical trail above treeline on the outbound leg of our run, headed towards Granite Pass on the horizon to the right.)

(Some stunning gneiss and the Diamond on the east face of Longs Peak, above Chasm Lake.)

(Trail signage on Granite Pass: Bear Lake = 7.3 miles away.)

(Our destination as seen from Granite Pass.  Clouds brewing.  Bear Lake is in the center of the photo at 9400', and the climb up 12,324' Flattop Mountain is on the ridge headed out the left side of the frame.)

(Scott, back at the trailhead, happy to get out alive.  A fairly lively little storm cell chased us all the way back from Flattop Mt to Granite Pass and our starting point at the trailhead.  Although we probably appear extremely minimally prepared for above-treeline weather, the fact that we are running puts us in a much more advantageous position--in my opinion--than hikers stuck above treeline with gigantic packs weighing them down and drastically increasing their exposure time to the elements.)

(Enjoying the pleasant exhaustion that five and a half hours of mountain running can bring.  Scott and I are likely debating the relative merits of employing road flats on 34 miles of largely technical and rocky trails.)

Weekly Summary: July 12-18

07-12-2010
Mon-AM: 7 miles (1:00) Creek Path+2mi barefoot at Kitt
Miserably sluggish and slow.  I went to bed at 5pm after bagging the evening run.

07-13-2010
Tue-AM: zippo
Woke at 1am last night and proceeded to experience endless hours of projectile unpleasantness of all sorts.  Really really sick.

07-14-2010
Wed-AM: nada
Still bed-ridden.

07-15-2010
Thu-AM: 4 miles (:37) Creek Path
Very very slow and hazy return to physical activity post-illness.

07-16-2010
Fri-AM: 15 miles (2:12) Green Mt. up back down Bear Cyn, 3000'
Finally made it up Green again.  Hamstring tightened significantly on the final descent down Skunk Canyon.  Really really hot, too, as it's been all week. Had a remarkably painful acupuncture session with Allison Suddard in the afternoon.

07-17-2010
Sat-AM: 15 miles (2:22) Devil's Thumb, 3000'
Very nice run up to the Continental Divide in the Indian Peaks Wilderness with Scott, Jocelyn, Jenny, and Bill, all between 9k' and 12k'.  Scott and I took it pretty easy all morning, especially on the downhill where my hamstring had me fairly gimpy. Great to finally make it back above treeline. Lots of exploring to be done up there in the next few weeks.

07-18-2010
Sun-AM: 15 miles (2:16) Green Mt. up back down ridges, 3000'
Getting my mojo back with good energy the whole way and a relatively cooperative hamstring. It's been so hot this week that ending my runs with a short swim in Boulder Creek has become mandatory, especially since there's a perfect swimming hole right outside our apartment.
PM: 5 miles (:44) Creek Path+1.5mi barefoot at Kitt
Ran super easy with Jocelyn.

Total
-Miles: 61
-Hours: 9h 11min
-Vertical: 9000'

2010 Summits (Day 199)
-Green: 182
-Bear: 11
-SoBo: 4

The first half of this week was destroyed by coming down with some sort of flu-like sickness, but the second half I finally started establishing a little more consistency to my running again.  My post-WS hamstring tweak continues to be a bit of a limiting factor on downhills, but through a combination of acupuncture and strengthening exercises it seems to be gradually improving enough that I can still run on my preferred terrain.

On Friday, Jocelyn and I made a stop in at Albums On The Hill, the only independent record store left here in Boulder.  The demise of this part of the music business is certainly a sad one, but not particularly puzzling.  A new CD there is generally $12.99 compared to the $9.99 that iTunes charges.  However, Jocelyn and I both agree that there is absolutely some sort of almost intangible satisfaction and glee that comes from purchasing the material disc instead of simply performing a download of a digital file.  We still have a CD player, but it syncs up with our iPod just as easily as popping a disc in its slot, so its tough to put a finger on what exactly makes buying a CD from the local shop more enjoyable than downloading.  Interacting with another knowledgeable, informed, enthusiastic human being is definitely part of it.

However, it makes little sense to me why specialty record stores are disappearing while other specialty businesses--say, running shops--can still make a go of it.  I suspect it's because A) they're a bit more diversified, and B) people still like getting fit for shoes and getting advice on other gear.  Music stores definitely used to be a way of learning about new music, though, too--music that wasn't necessarily force-fed to you on the top-40 radio stations.  So, I don't know.  It's all a bit baffling to me.  In the meantime, though, I guess I'll continue paying an extra $3 every now and then to get a new album in order to support the local shop.  I know it's almost certainly a futile effort at supporting the business in maintaining its relevance, but I'll keep doing it as long as the store is there.

Incidentally, on Friday Jocelyn and I picked up both of the albums by the White Rabbits, Fort Nightly and It's Frightening.  Both are inventive, high-energy, and highly listenable.  A token track from each, respectively:





In fact, this entire concert--available streaming for free at http://www.tenthrow.com/--was so good that it's what inspired the purchases.

Searching For The Routine

The last three weeks have been pretty hectic for me.  In the lead-up to a big race like this year's Western States 100, my life tends to take on a borderline ascetic existence.  Each day is extremely predictable in its activities and very little is allowed to disrupt the necessities of running and recovering from running.  This might sound like a somewhat miserable way to go through life, but I definitely find a measure of comfort in the familiarity and rhythm of a daily routine, and really, I think it's the only way that one can sustain--both mentally and physically--a truly high level of training.

How high?  In the first six months of 2010--a relevant training block punctuated with the coda of Western States--I ran:

 3405 miles,
 in 502h 03min,
 with 596,500' of vertical climbing.

And some other dude still beat me by six minutes.  That's how it goes some times.

(This dude, actually.)

The last three weeks have been far different.  The two days after Western States, I didn't run a step (the first days I took off all year), mostly because I really couldn't.  I drove back to Boulder, CO, got in a couple extremely short and laughably slow runs, and then drove home to Nebraska for a 4th of July family reunion in South Dakota.  Other than offering a very good excuse for taking it very easy getting back into running, it provided an in-my-face reminder of how miserable wind, heat/humidity, and mosquitos can be.  There are some things I don't miss about my Great Plains roots.

After that it was another big road trip back to Boulder where life became complicated yet again (but, in a fantastic way) with Jocelyn's return to Colorado, a tight hamstring, and a three-day video shoot in Boulder's Mountain Parks for the forthcoming New Balance Minimus line.  During this time I also had the pleasure of spending some time hanging out with fellow WS-competitor Kilian Jornet and other friends here in Boulder (his English has significantly improved even since race day) as he took a whirlwind tour of the western US before heading back home to Europe.

(jLu tests out her Polaroid camera b-day gift.)

So, after two weeks of 34 miles and 79 miles and a couple of key visits to Allison Suddard for acupuncture, I've been spending this week just trying to transition back into a more routine and familiar lifestyle that will hopefully involve a lot more running and frequent trips to the high country both to appreciate its rare snow-free state and to prepare for end-of-the-summer races.  I'm confident it will all come together again soon.

Western States 100 Race Report-2010

My full report is posted over at Running Times, now.

My apologies if it's a little too long and self-indulgent.

Western States Images

There was a lot going on out on the course on Saturday, and a lot of folks got some neat shots that really help sum up the day.  Below are a few of my favorites.  Also, my race report is in the hands of the good folks at Running Times and should be posted in less than 24 hours.  I'll provide a link when it's up.

(Running up to Emigrant Pass out of Squaw Valley with Geoff, first thing in the morning. There was an incredible layer of fog hanging out in Squaw Valley and then the spectacular view of Lake Tahoe directly behind us. Photo: Luis Escobar)

(Geoff, Kilian and I as we were from miles 23-45--never more than a few feet apart. Photo: Salomon)

(Dusty Corners (38mi) pit-stop: it looks hectic, but my crew was perfect all day. Photo: Doug White)

(And away I go--leaving Dusty Corners. Photo: Doug White)

(Getting weighed at Devil's Thumb, mile 48.)

(Running into Michigan Bluff at mile 56. I'm obviously excited here because the major canyons are over and I still feel really good. Both of my empty bottles are stuck in the back of my shorts--I was definitely carrying water all day! Rickey Gates sneaks in there with a little video coverage, too. Photo: Glenn Tachiyama)

(Joe escorts me out of Michigan Bluff; still running calm and relaxed even though it's starting to get hot. Photo: Brett Rivers)

(Coming into Foresthill at mile 62 with Jenn.  Still feeling really good but pretty curious as to how I'm ever going to manage to break Kilian. Photo: Megan Zaranek)

(A short video clip at ~70mi on Cal St. I'd just gotten a ton of rocks in my right shoe and needed to stop briefly to get 'em out. This was the only time--other than the raft ride--that I got off my feet the whole race. We caught back up to Kilian and Rickey right after this.)

(Riding across the river at mile 78 with Joe, Rickey, and Kilian. I'm kind of losing it here a bit--just tired and hot. Photo: jLu)

(Emerging from a dunk in the river and preparing to run the hill up to Green Gate at mile 80. Photo: Glenn Tachiyama)

(From left to right: Rickey, me, Jenn, Jorge, and Kilian running up the climb from the River Crossing to Green Gate, ~79mi.  I think this picture shows pretty well why Geoff was able to catch and pass both Kilian and I--we'd been working each other pretty hard for the last 35mi and were hardly ever seperated by more than what is shown in this photograph.  At the top of the hill, Kilian would lie down in the shade and I wouldn't see him again until the finish line. Photo: Luis Escobar)

(Just before the mile 93.5 Highway 49 Crossing. I'm sure I'm looking for Geoff in this shot as I'd been within 50 yards of him just a few minutes earlier. Photo: Carl Costas)

(Running across No Hands Bridge at mile 96.8 with Jenn trailing me. Photo: Megan Zaranek)

(Wow. Pretty intense moment here at ~97mi. Jenn and I had just crossed No Hands Bridge where we were erroneously told that Geoff was only 3-4min up (it was actually 5 or 6min). I'm doing everything I possibly can to rally any kind of charge to make one final bid at the win. On the almost three mile descent to No Hands I knew I wasn't going fast enough to catch Geoff, but it's all my quads would allow, so I was just hoping that he would blow up a little on the Robie Point climb and maybe I'd be able to catch sight of him again like I had a half an hour earlier on the climb up to Highway 49.  Geoff closed extremely well and timed his final surge perfectly. Photo: Luis Escobar)

(Finishing 2nd, six minutes behind Geoff and 23min under Scott's old CR. I guess this picture shows why you run the WS100--the competition is top-notch and people get excited about it. In North America, probably only the Leadville 100 approaches the same level of interest at the finish line and along the course throughout the day, and it's not even nearly this high. Photo: Luis Escobar)

(Pretty happy to be done--Geoff is standing there to greet me. Photo: Carl Costas)

(Congratulations from the Sheltonator. Photo: Glenn Tachiyama)

(Five-time winner, 25-time finisher, and WSER Board President Tim Twietmeyer interviewing me moments after finishing.  I'm mostly just psyched to be off my feet! Photo: jLu)

(Media scrum: people get excited about this race! Photo: Luis Escobar)

(Rickey provided the contraband. Photo: jLu)

(Congratulating the man I ran with all day. Photo: jLu)

Pre-WS100

Well, what a race.  I'll post an in-depth race report for this past weekend's Western States 100 sometime in the next few days, but for now I'll just say that it was the most fun I've had probably in any race ever.  True head-to-head competition is a blast and I think the sport of mountain ultra running--both the fans and competitors--would benefit from more situations like what materialized Saturday in the Sierras.  It'd be exciting if more events provided the requisite incentives to make it happen.

In the meantime, below are the (belated) final two weeks of my training leading into the big race, an article I wrote for Running Times more generally chronicling my training philosophy for the event,  and then a few photos from the days leading up to the race.

06-14-2010
Mon-AM: 50 miles (7:48) 2xGreen-Walker-Eldo-2xGreen, 13000'
Still a bit rainy, but I did about 5hr of this run with Scott. Easy effort all day.

06-15-2010
Tue-AM: 15 miles (2:22) Green Mt., 3000'
PM: 10 miles (1:21) Streets+Sanitas Valley w/ Joe, 800'

06-16-2010
Wed-AM: 18 miles (2:55) Green Mt. & Bear Peak, 4200'
Nice easy effort with Scott.
PM: 6 miles (:47) Skunk Creek+barefoot

06-17-2010
Thu-AM: 15 miles (2:15) Green Mt., 3000'
PM: 8 miles (1:03) Creek Path+barefoot

06-18-2010
Fri-AM: 16 miles (2:19) Green Mt. w/ Scott, 3000'
PM: 8 miles (1:03) Creek Path+barefoot

06-19-2010
Sat-AM: 15 miles (2:10) Green Mt. w/ Scott, 3000'
PM: 8 miles (1:02) Creek Path+barefoot

06-20-2010
Sun-AM: 15 miles (2:14) Green Mt., 3000'

Total
-Miles: 184
-Hours: 27h 14min
-Vertical: 33,000'
--------------------------------------------------------------------
06-21-2010
Mon-AM: 8 miles (1:00) Creek Path

06-22-2010
Tue-AM: 8 miles (1:00) Kokopelli Trail

06-23-2010
Wed-AM: 8 miles (1:00) Tahoe Rim Trail

06-24-2010
Thu-AM: 7 miles (1:00) Volcano Canyon from Bath Rd, 1500'

06-25-2010
Fri-AM: 4 miles (:36) Truckee River

06-26-2010
Sat-AM: 100 miles (15:13:53) Western States 100, 18000'
2nd Place

06-27-2010
Sun- an appropriate amount of hobbling

Total
-Miles: 135
-Hours: 19h 50min
Vertical: 19,500'

(Designer extraordinaire jLu in her Boulder sweatshop putting some crucial finishing touches on the race shorts.)

(Relaxing through the taper with some slacklining in North Boulder Park.)

(In jLu's office, going over some final logistics with 2/3rds of my crew.)

(Geoff and I at the pre-race check-in in Squaw Valley.)

(Rickey Gates interviewing me after the pre-race meeting.)

(Where's the Mt. Dew? The final 1/3 of my crew, clearly psyched to be awake at 4am.)

(Last minute gel-stashing on race morning. Also, the last time my new pink kicks would look so sharp.)

(I had the most dialed crew on the course: Jenn, Joe, and jLu.)

(Getting some last-second rest, just moments before the start...)

(All photos: jLu)

Weekly Summary: June 7-13

06-07-2010
Mon-AM: 14 miles (2:17) Green Mt. up Back down Gman, 2800'
Predictably dead today. Went very easy.
PM: 9 miles (1:13) Creek Path+Campus
Hot and relatively humid. Temps in the 90s. Legs felt way better than this morning.

06-08-2010
Tue-AM: 15 miles (2:15) Green Mt. up Back down Bear Cyn, 3000'
Felt like a human being again this morning. Which is nice.
PM: 9 miles (1:12) Skunk Creek+3mi barefoot at Kitt
Ended up doing the barefoot with Carney (but he was in his usual boats). We got carried away talking so we did a mile more than I'd planned. Boulder Creek borderline flooding today.

06-09-2010
Wed-AM: 16 miles (2:28) Green Mt. & Bear Peak, 4200'
Casual 32:42 up the frontside of Green showed me my legs were back, so I tacked on a nice cruise up Bear's West Ridge. Actually had a fun time descending Fern Canyon. This is probably my favorite loop to do in Boulder. Took a comedic tumble when I caught a toe coming down Skunk Canyon. Somersaulted head-first off the steep trail and dropped into a deep thicket of plum-brush that left my whole right side pock-marked with thorns.  Luckily, no one saw me, but now a few days later I think I may have picked up a bit of poison ivy?
PM: 8 miles (1:04) Creek Path+3mi barefoot at Kitt
Nice hot weather--hit this run mid-day to get some heat. Had a helpful acupuncture session with Allison Suddard in the evening.

06-10-2010
Thu-AM: 27 miles (4:24) Pikes Peak Summit, 8000'
Caught a ride to Manitou with Jeff and a couple of his friends. Took a while for my legs to get going (I'm used to a little more warm-up before hitting a big hill like that), but once on Barr I couldn't believe how much more shallow it is compared to what I've gotten used to running in Boulder. 1:22 nice and relaxed to Barr Camp from the start at Memorial Park and another 1:12 to the summit (legs finally warmed up) despite maybe half a dozen stretches of still not insignificant snow in the final two miles (some postholing--but it will probably be all clear within another week) and still lacking any real acclimation. Descended casually as I didn't want to be too tired for the weekend long run and made it down to the finish line in 1:42 from the top for a 4:16 for the full PPM. Back at Memorial I jogged a few more minutes to round out 27 miles. Stopped momentarily at BC on the way down, but unfortunately Neal and Teresa weren't in--haven't seen them in a while. Still my favorite mountain of all time. It's just so damn big and feels like home.
PM: 5 miles (:42) Creek Path
Just running some errands--returned a library book, mailed a bill, picked up a few groceries.


06-11-2010
Fri-AM: 15 miles (2:10) Green Mt. up Greg-Gman down Front, 3000'
Fun easy run with Jeff on some vintage routes. The northeast ridge and 2nd Flatiron trail offer some premo views. Finished up with 2mi of barefoot at Kitt.


06-12-2010
Sat-AM: 16 miles (2:16) Green Mt., up Back down Bear Cyn, 3000'
Raining the whole way. Some sleet/graupel fell higher on the mountain. Weather is causing me to push the final long run back a couple of days. At first it felt good to thaw out in the sauna afterwards--but, then pretty quickly it sucked just as much as usual.
PM: 8 miles (1:01) Creek Path+3mi barefoot at Kitt
Raining.  Still.


06-13-2010
Sun-AM: 17 miles (2:25) Green Mt. up Back down Bear Cyn, 3000'
Still raining. Gave Jurker the tour and did a lot of splashing through the high water in Bear Cyn. Legs feeling great, hope to get out for one last semi-long one tomorrow to give Scott a real picture of the area. Hopefully, by time I'm recovered from WS he'll be fully acclimated and we can do a lot of sweet high-country running.
PM: 8 miles (1:03) Creek Path+3mi barefoot at Kitt
Snuck this one in between rain showers.  My goodness, what weather.

Total
-Miles: 167
-Hours: 24h 30min
-Vertical: 27,000'

2010 Summits (Day 164)
Green: 166
Bear: 10
SoBo: 4
14ers: 2

Another very satisfactory week of running in the legs.  All that's really left to do is not run.

Barefootin' Article

My feet after running the Miwok 100K this year (in shoes).

I make my contribution to the fray over at Running Times.

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Weekly Summary: May 31-June 6

05-31-2010
Mon-AM: 15 miles (2:14) Green Mt. up Back down Flagstaff, 2800'
Took it very easy. Felt a lot better by the end.
PM: 8 miles (1:00) Creek Path+3mi barefoot at Kitt

06-01-2010
Tue-AM: 15 miles (2:11) Green Mt. up Back down Bear Cyn, 3000'
Saw a huge black bear walking up the trail towards me in Bear Cyn (right above the lower-most section of new trail).  I stopped and he kept ambling until he saw me, then he stopped only about 25 yards away.  That sucker did not have a rough winter--he was gigantic.  We both stood there just looking at each other for a long time--at least a full minute--until I took a single step towards him and he got the idea and jumped off the trail into the bushes.  Pretty sweet seeing charismatic megafauna like that.
PM: 8 miles (1:01) Enchanted & Kohler Mesas, 700'
Amazing wildflowers up on Kohler Mesa right now.

06-02-2010
Wed-AM: 27 miles (4:05) Boulder Skyline Traverse, 6600'
PM: 8 miles (1:02) Boomerang Hill-Enchanted Mesa, 700'
Legs felt really good for some reason.

06-03-2010
Thu-AM: 15 miles (2:15) Green Mt., up Back down Bear Cyn, 3000'
Ran very easy, so was feeling really good by the end.
PM: 8 miles (1:04) Downtown+3mi barefoot at Kitt
Ran to the bank and post office.

06-04-2010
Fri-AM: 16 miles (2:24) Green Mt. up Back down Flagstaff, 3000'
Ran easy but I had a bunch of energy. Descended Greenman, bopped over Flagstaff, and then down to Eben G. Fine and home on the Creek Path plus a trip to the grocery store.

06-05-2010
Sat-AM: 58 miles (8:22) Almagre Mt. & Mt. Rosa, etc., 11,000'
Incredible day of running.  Felt very strong all day.  Had about another 45min of leisure (picture taking, bottle filling, mountain gazing, etc.) along the way, so it was over a 9hr outing.

06-06-2010
Sun-AM: 15 miles (2:18) Green Mt. up G-man down Long Cyn, 3000'
Legs felt surprisingly good but left achilles was a bit tight.
PM: 15 miles (2:08) Green Mt. up Front down Bear Cyn, 3000'
Ran up the front in 33:23. 90F temps provided good heat training before clouds rolled in on the descent. Saw what I think was a King snake (not the venomous coral snake...I think) on the Mesa Trail.

Total
-Miles: 208
-Hours: 30h 04min
-Vertical: 36,800'

2010 Summits (Day 157)
Green: 160
Bear: 9
SoBo: 4