Spring Desert Ultra 2010

Given that the main goal for the first half of this season is to run 100 miles through some very hot canyons, I guess I couldn't have asked for anything better on the training front than what we got yesterday for the Spring Desert Ultra 50 miler. It was hot, damn hot.

Got into town around six in the evening after an uneventful but long drive from the Fort. Chatted with Chris Grauch, Harry Harcrow and Brooks Williams at the packet pick-up before heading out to Rabbit Valley campground to meet the brothers Goding, their dad Norm and friend Mark.

Bunked down in the back of the truck, I was warm and I was getting the feeling that things were only going to get warmer. At 6:30 the next morning, as the bullhorn blew, it was already a very comfortable 55 degrees. We had clear skies and it was looking like we might be in for a roasting on the benches and ridgelines of this stunningly beautiful course.

Race director Reid Delman asked for a moment of silence just before the race started in memory of Jenna Gruben who tragically died in a car accident in February. The field of 250 was silent to a person, and it was a nice moment of reflection for an unceasingly friendly and warm person who was an ambassador for the sport of trail running.

Somewhat unusually for a 25/50 mile race, the organizers offer a $100 premium to the first guy and first girl to cover the 1.3 miles to the base of the first climb. Basically a guy is standing there with a single hundred dollar bill waiting for the runners. Whoever gets it then has to navigate the rest of the course being sure not to lose the Benjamin. In previous years I haven't bothered with the premium, figuring it would be foolish to ruin my race in the first mile, but this year I'd decided that I would at least go out with the pack to feel it out.

The start, Courtesy: Duncan Callahan

Dan Goding and Chris Grauch took off from the go and they looked like they were pretty serious about picking up the cash. I stuck with them for a half mile, before deciding that the pace was just a little too hot and entirely counterproductive, so I let them go. A couple other 25-mile guys caught up to me as I was easing off, so I decided to pick up their pace, which with about a quarter mile to the money had us back on Dan and Chris' shoulders. We were now a pack of six guys racing for a hundred dollar bill. On a slight downslope before a steep little climb to the money, I decided to go for it, breaking from the pack and picking up a head of steam on the down while carrying it into the climb. Nobody came with me. Omar Martinez, I think, shouted some advice along the lines of, 'don't ruin your race.' I told him not to worry about me and snatched the cash, stuffing it deep into the pocket of my waist pack in with my salt caps and some gel packets.

Dan (middle chair) had a tough day in the sun. Bryan (left) ran a strong 8:11 while Norm (right) magically appeared at just about every aid station. Mark (foreground) had a solid run in the 25.

With that little interlude out of the way, I hunkered down for the first climb of the day and attempted to settle things down a bit in a bid to find my 50-mile pace. Problem being I was now stuck in the middle of a train of five 25-mile guys who were all moving well. I kept contact with the pack through the climb up Moore Fun trail to the ridge, where thankfully the two guys behind me darted through and took off, allowing me the chance to truly find my pace and assess things a bit. Aerobically I felt good: breathing easy and chugging along nicely. In the leg department, however, I was feeling heavy and clumsy. Fifty miles was sounding like a long way to run.

Up on the ridge, I could see that Ryan Burch and the second pack of runners were a good minute or two behind me, so I concentrated on settling in and trying to find a rhythm. On the switchbacks coming down from the ridge toward the first aid station, I could tell that Ryan was pushing to catch up to me. He had let me and others go at Salida through the first half of the race last month and he never quite caught back up to challenge for a podium. It looked like he didn't want to let that happen again in Fruita.

By the six-mile aid station, Ryan had caught up to me and we ran together for a bit, although I went straight through the aid while Ryan stopped to refuel, so I got out and headed up the second climb of the day with a slight lead in the 50-mile race. By the time we hit the river and the canyons, the trail eased up significantly on the technical front, and I was finally able to find a bit of cohesiveness to my running.

Three of the 25 milers were off the front of the race, while Ryan was settled in 10-20 meters behind me, with Dakota Jones making up the gap to run with Ryan by the time we hit aid two at 9.5 miles. I went straight through this one as I had the first and by the time we rolled into aid three at 12.5 miles, Dakota, Ryan and myself were running pretty much as a pack.

I stopped to fill up on water, as did Ryan, and Dakota shot through without stopping, opening up a 10-20 meter lead. Ryan and I ran together for the seven-mile rolling stretch to the next aid station, chatting about how it was setting up to be a scorcher and whether or not we thought Dakota was going to hold his pace, among other things. I have to say I wasn't too worried at this point, as while we were certainly moving at a good clip, there was over 30 miles of running to go. I had no zip in my legs, but I still felt like I could muscle out a solid effort.

On the long and sometimes steep climb out of the 19-mile aid, I put a bit of a gap on Ryan and figured I would have Dakota reeled in by the top. As it turned out, I probably picked up a half minute, but no more, on Dakota who still had a good 45 seconds to a minute on me by Mack Ridge. I took it easy coming down from Mack, allowing Ryan to catch back up, and then on the mile of dirt road back to the start/finish/turnaround, we watched Dakota pull in to finish his first loop in 3:21. He was out before Ryan and I got there, so he probably had 90 seconds on us as we pulled in. I pulled a handheld from my drop bag to go with the bottle I had in my waistpack, scoffed a couple of oranges and took off, maybe 30 seconds back on Ryan who transitioned quicker than me, and two to three minutes back on Dakota.

The climb back up to Mack Ridge felt much better than it did last year, however I was again surprised that I made up little to no time on Dakota by the top. Ryan dropped a half minute on the climb, and I kept the gap on Ryan through the long descent to the mile 31 aid. The aid station volunteers told me the gap was three minutes to Dakota, and I could see Ryan coming down the hill 30 or 40 seconds back. Fourth (Duncan C), fifth (Marty Walker) and sixth (Bryan Goding) were ten to fifteen minutes back at the turn, so I figured they wouldn't be a factor as long a I didn't totally implode in the sun.

Coming into the last aid station. Photo: Marco Peinado.

Marty coming into the last aid station. Photo: Marco Peinado.

The seven-mile stretch to the 38 mile aid is a long hot one with relentless rollers. Last year I only had one bottle through this stretch and ended up nursing a dribble of tepid water for most of the hour it took me to cover the ground, so I was stoked to now have the luxury of two bottles. From updates I was getting from outbound runners, it seemed like Dakota was maintaining a slightly faster pace than mine through here, and then with 12 miles to go the aid station volunteers had the gap at six minutes, then at 9 it was seven, and at the last aid station it was nine minutes. Game over. The last climb was as soul sapping as I remembered it from last year, but I felt like I may have been moving a bit better, although it was still no more than a token run.

Great record-breaking run for Dakota. Photo: Marco Peinado.

Looking pretty haggard. Photo: Marco Peinado.

Another strong 50 for Ryan. Photo: Marco Peinado.

Bryan gets it done with a smile. Photo: Marco Peinado.

Tough Day for Duncan.

Nick (2), Dakota (1), Ryan (3).

I ended up in 7:32, 17 minutes off Dakota's new course record time of 7:15, and four minutes adrift of Andy Skurka's course record from last year. Ryan was five minutes behind me in third, and Marty walker had a strong run for fourth. Bryan Goding was his normal consistent self, picking off Duncan Callahan, who had a tough day, a mile or two from the line, finishing in 8:11. Teammate Darcy Africa won the women's race in 8:39, followed by Becky (?) with Helen Cospolich - who looked to have had a tough time in the sun - third. Justin Mock's four-year-old 25-mile course record went down to Pawel Oboz who ran a minute faster for 3:04, with Chris Grauch running a strong race for second in 3:15.

Darcy Africa wins the women's 50-mile race in 8:39

So a few things to take from this race.

First, I am going to need to take the taper for Western States seriously so that I can really go in with a fresh pair of pins. My legs were tired and sluggish all day yesterday, and from the beginning I knew it was going to be a grind. I think I am going to employ a three-week taper for States, and really cut back on the mileage with two weeks to go, while also hammering out some local up and down time trials for intensity and leg strength.

Second, heat acclimation is going to be crucial. I bonked just about as hard as I did last year over the last 10-12 miles because the sun just zapped me. I was much better on fluids than I was last year, and okay on fueling, but I still withered like a delicate petal, so obviously I need to do something about that or I won't stand a chance of a strong run through the 100 degree canyons at States. As I understand it, heat acclimation is gained and lost quickly, so it's during the three-week taper that I'll really focus in on that.

Third, racing too much is detrimental to sharpness.

Anyway, another great event put on by Reid and his band of Desert Rats. And really, if you live anywhere remotely close to this one, you need to get it on the calendar for next year or some time in the not too distant future.

Colorado Ultra Season Set to Open

The Fruita weekend pretty much marks the beginning of the Colorado ultra season. I believe the 50-miler is the first ultra on the Colorado running calendar (don't quote me on that), which in concert with the fact that it's very well managed for a reasonable price and held in a jaw-droppingly beautiful location, makes it a race that I am thoroughly looking forward to.

In 2007, I had signed up for the 50 miler, but after getting lost for a good half an hour, just a mile from the turnaround, I decided to call it quits at 25 miles in a somewhat pedestrian 4 and a half hours. I skipped the 2008 rendition in favor of the Horsetooth Half Marathon here in Fort Collins (another great race), and then came back in '09 looking for a spot of redemption. While I ran a strong race last year, with the exception of a painful last few miles, I know I've got a better time in me on this course. Hopefully I can run a race that I'm happy with this year so I can finally get back to running the Fort-Collins-Running-Club's Horsetooth Half which has to be one of the best half marathons in the country (and one of the best after-parties: think lashings of free New Belgium beer and great live music).

Anyway, I posted a look at the Fruita competition for all four races over at RunColo.com if you feel like taking a gander. As you'll see, it's a pretty strong field this year in both the male and female 50-milers, with some interest also in the two 25-mile races.

As a side note, this will serve as the second installment in the five-race Burch vs. Clark 2010 showdown. And just as a reminder, Burch took a 40-second drubbing in the first leg in Salida last month.

As a second side note, good luck to GZ and JV who will be six or seven hundred miles downriver on Saturday taking on the Grand Canyon double crossing, aka the rim to rim to rim (R2R2R).

And then a third side note wishing Brandon, Brownie and Mike in Austin all the best in their sub-3-hour quests at Boston on Monday. My money as far as finishing times are concerned is on Mike, Brownie, then Brandon, although I'm confident they'll all duck under the 3-hour bar.

Week Ending April 11 (WS - 10 weeks)

Mon - Noon: 9 miles (2,200'). Horsetooth/Audra long route.
PM: 5.5 miles at Pineridge taking down T&H course markings. Felt great.

Tues - Noon: 9 miles (2,200'). Horsetooth/Audra long route. Wind, wind, wind. Felt like a sandstorm on exposed sections.
PM: 5.5 miles on Pineridge again. Ran hard last two miles. I suppose I'll take wind over snow, but boy was it blustery out. More hair-on-chest points for getting out twice, I guess.

Weds - Noon: 9 miles (2,200'). Horsetooth/Audra long route. Slushy after a bit of snow overnight. Beautiful out, felt great and cruised at a good clip.
PM: 5.5 miles easy at Pineridge.

Thurs - Noon: 9 miles easy (2,200'). Horsetooth/Audra long route. Went super easy with Towers TT later in the day in mind.
PM: 10.5 miles. Towers hard (1,800). 3.5 mile warm-up, followed by Towers TT.

Fri - Noon: 8.5 miles (2,100') easy. Horsetooth/Audra long route, home short way. Right achilles was hurting.
PM: 4 miles easy. A lap of Pineridge. Ran with Alex M on the back side - he actually reminded me today (4/15) that I did this run last week, so I get a few bonus miles that I forgot about. Like finding five dollars in a winter jacket that you haven't worn for six months.

Sat - AM: 20 miles (5,500'). 3:40. Met Josh, who was in Denver from Vegas, and Scott J at the Centennial TH in Boulder - a middle ground between Fort Collins, Denver and Highlands Ranch - and got out for a mellow tour of the Boulder mountain trails.

A little nip in the air to start.

None of us have much knowledge of the trails up there, so we did a lot of stopping and starting, in addition to slipping and sliding on some treacherous sections of ice on a traversing trail mid-way up Green Mtn. We started with an easy ascent of Sanitas (20:30) and then scrambled down and back around before heading south on a bunch of trails I don't remember the names of.

Sanitas does this to you. 1,300' in 1.3 miles.

Definitely some nasty sections of ice on the trail today.

The trails are packed with runners in Boulder and we bumped into a cast of characters on our way around, including a guy I had bumped into last weekend at Horsetooth - Audra's friend - then the brother of the RD for Fruita who's going to be taking pictures next weekend, and teammate Darcy Africa with her husband Bob who had hired a babysitter so they could get out for a run together - nice.

The Boulder Mountain trails are extensive and fun, but damn there's a lot of intersections and steep stuff. Don't get me wrong, I love me some gnarly climbing, but I think I prefer what Horsetooth and Lory have to offer in terms of variety and rhythm when it comes to day-in, day-out running. I guess the ice didn't help today. As Scott pointed out on his blog, we never really got much of a rhythm going with all the looking at maps and dealing with ice, but it was certainly fun to be out enjoying some good conversation and a patch-worked long run.

Sun - AM: 12 miles (1,600') at Bobcat Ridge with Eric. I always enjoy running Bobcat because the trails are so nice and the climb on Ginny is at a perfect uphill cruise grade. Took a detour to the top of the Powerline climb to scout out the Longs route a bit and then took it easy coming down.

A goal for this summer is to run to the top of Longs (second snow-capped peak to right of closer peaks) from my house via dirt. That's gonna involve some fence hopping. This shot is from the gate at end of the Power Trail at Bobcat Ridge, and the road in the foreground is one of a few private ones that I'll have to negotiate to get out to Longs.

Rest of day: Taxes (ugh). Maybe a run if I find the time.

Total: 107.5 (20,000').

Good to get a harder effort in there this week, and hopefully in the weeks following. I'll probably load the front end next week, and then take it easy Thursday and Friday in preparation for Fruita, which is setting up to be a pretty good race competition-wise. I'd be surprised if Andy Skurka's CR doesn't go down, but really I'm just looking forward to getting out on the beautiful course and mixing it up with Ryan B, Duncan C, Nick P, Dakota Jones and company. I'll probably do a pre-race look at the field over at RunColo.com later in the week.

Andy Henshaw, who narrowly beat me at Salida the other weekend, had a very solid run out in California at the American River 50 on Saturday. He told me after the race in Salida that he was shooting for a 5:50, and honestly I didn't think he had much of a shot, but he got pretty close - running 5:56. And just so we're clear on what a time like that takes: he ran a 2:45 marathon on the bike paths, followed by a 3:10 24 miler on rolling trails. Oh yeah, and he beat Olympic hopeful Max King convincingly. I know he trained hard for this bad boy, posting some ridiculous pavement long runs of 30-40 miles at 6:30-6:40 pace, so I've got to tip my hat to the guy for the discipline, but not my cup of tea, that's for sure.

Towers Spring Time Trial

Realizing that I need to start working a few hills, rather than jog up them comfortably as is my typical training habit, I put out the call to the Fort Collins Trail Running Group to see if I could get any takers for a hard effort up Towers Road this evening. Eight showed up at the Soderburg trailhead ready to blow the cobwebs off a winter of lazy miles.

Horsetooth and Towers off in the distance beyond the reservoir. Towers starts at Rez level.

Towers is probably Fort Collins' number one proving ground when it comes to climbing and it's a favorite among bikers and runners alike. As far as hill climbs go, it's about as pure as it gets: very little technicality to it, no hopping over rocks, no twisting and turning, just a steady three-mile, 1,800' grind on a dirt service road to a bunch of telecommunications towers, with a .45 mile connector trail from the parking lot to the climb. All told, the FKT route is 3.4 miles and 1,800 feet of hurt.

So last time out in September, Eric Bergman reset Steve Folkerts' FKT (30:36) to a hair over 30 minutes at 30:15, with me 10 seconds back in 30:25, so obviously the goal today was to duck under the elusive 30-minute barrier.

We devised something of a handicap based on people's best guesses or previous best times up the hill, and Jennifer, Kate and J.Z. set out first, followed by Chris (+6 mins), Alex (+8 mins), Kyle (+10 mins), Pete (+13 mins) and myself (+17 mins). There were also some mountain bikers who had set out a few minutes before us, which was good as chasing down bikes going uphill is a favorite sport of mine.

Once Pete set off, I jogged around a bit and then gave myself a rolling start. I hit Towers in a comfortable 2:49 (2:40 last time), then set about getting my head down for the climb ahead. The two faster bikes had a couple of minutes start on me, and they were the first target. I hit the Stout trail in 8:43, which surprised me a bit, because I felt like I was moving pretty well, but had somehow lost 13 seconds on last year (8:30). I wasn't going to throw in the towel just yet though as I also had a halfway split at Herrington to comp from. I figured that if I was still off, I would take the foot off and take it easy from there.

Heading up towards Loggers, I passed the mountain bikers, and while I was working hard I felt like I was also moving well. Through the 'S' turn past Loggers, I continued to hammer to see if I could get a decent split for Herrington, which I hit in 16:25, a full 20 seconds faster than my PR split. Back in the game. I hammered the flats from Herrington and readied up for the steepest pitch of Towers about two miles in, passing Jennifer on the way.

Coming up on Mill Creek, I caught sight of Chris, Alex and Kyle, and also saw that Pete was passing them. By Mill Creek I was past Chris, Alex and Kyle and looking to chase down Pete who had 20 meters on me with a half mile to go. By the top of the final grunt, I passed Kate as we hit patches of snow and ice, and just before the turn into the clearing I got a step on Pete who was working hard despite his pre-run claim that he wasn't going to push. J.Z. was already done and stood at the turn cheering us in.

I told myself that I wouldn't look at my watch past Herrington, but as I made the final turn, I took a quick peek to see if I had a shot at going under 30. Seeing 29:33 on the clock, I pushed out whatever it was that I had left through the clearing, slapping the finish-line building in a new FKT of 29:52, just barely holding off a replay of my lunch. Pete came rolling in a few seconds after me in a new PR of 33:53, followed soon after by everyone else.

We'll be repeating this one in two weeks and then every fortnight thereafter, using previous times as handicaps for a little racing action near the top. Good stuff.

Week Ending April 4 (WS - 11 weeks)

A little more action from Antelope Island. At the 25k turn.

Alistair running his own race

Mon - AM: 16.5 miles easy (2,000'). 2:30. With PI-S teammate Josh Brimhall at Bootleg Canyon (Henderson).

PM: 6.5 miles (1,000') easy up a canyon near Redrock Canyon.

Up yonder...

...to a wash where the trail dead ended. I followed the wash for a while, but tired of it and turned around to retrace my steps back to the car.

Name the burger.

Best burgers in the West. A mouth full for sure.

Tues - AM: 10 miles easy at Cottonwood Valley in Redrock Natural Area. Ended up running with a guy called Peter after being laughed at for setting cairns to make sure I wouldn't get lost. No trail maps available anywhere so I was just making sure, despite the general openness of the area and presumed ease of navigation. Mileage is a total guess based on time out.

Black Velvet Canyon is a favorite for trad rock climbers. Peter was positively salivating as he was describing the various routes up the face.

Back at the trailhead

PM: 4.5 miles progression on the treadmill.

Weds - AM: 12.5 miles at Cottonwood Valley. Got lost near the end of my loop, but not majorly. Had to do a bit of bushwhacking to get back to the car, but the vegetation and landscape were pretty open so it was easy to get to where I needed to be.

PM - 8 miles @ 8:00 on the TM.

Month: 488 miles (70,000')

Thurs - AM: 12.5 miles (1,800') at Redstone Canyon with Josh. Randomly bumped into, and ran with, an employee of the Boulder Running Company along the way.

PM: 4.5 miles easy on the TM.

Fri - 7.5 miles (1,200'). Despite 11 hours and 800 miles of roadtrippin' from Las Vegas to the Fort, I managed to talk Dana and Alistair into letting me indulge with an early stop-off in St. George to meet and run with Wilderness Running owner, Stacy Young, on his local trails. I continued my clumsy week by falling twice, after stumbling through Monday's run with Josh at Bootleg Canyon, but really enjoyed the opportunity to run some great trail and also keep my current running streak alive. Stacy has a sweet set-up from his front door with miles of 'Zen' slickrock-type trails and an unknown number of dirt miles in the valley below. The views of Signal Mountain from the Zen trails were fantastic and got me excited at the prospect of getting up Fort Collins' Signal Peak in the next few weeks as the higher elevations open up.

So anyway, I ran with two friends on this trip out to the desert and we have all recently purchased homes in our various locales. The common denominator being proximity to trails. I think Stacy has the closest access, with maybe a .3-mile warm up, followed closely by Josh and myself with about a half mile to our respective trailheads. Location, location, location.

800 miles and not a single meltdown.

Sat - 11 miles (2,200'). Wow, haven't felt this tired on a run in I don't know how long. The legs never kicked into gear so I was stuck on the small cog the whole way around. Went Horsetooth - Westridge - 'secret trail' - Towers - Westridge - Horsetooth - Audra - Southridge - home. I had planned some bonus mileage and vertical but kept the route direct as I was feeling so beat.
PM - 5.5 miles setting up T&H course with Alex M. at Pineridge.

Sun - AM: 5 miles on the Pineridge T&H course to make sure markings were still okay. Last race in the 09/10 series, so five months off for me. Decent turnout (20 runners) given it was Easter. My neighbor Amy showed everyone how it was done, running the fastest time of the day, beating Felix by two one-hundredths of a second.

Katie P and her very large dog, Griffin.

Club president Paul Patterson sets off in this handicapped race. If you look closely at the left cone, you'll see that Griffin mistook it for a tree trunk!

Ten-time Leadville finisher Jonathan Zeif sets off. All photos: Felix Wong

PM: 12 miles easy (2,700'). Service drive to bench - Falls - Spring Creek - Soderburg - Horsetooth - Westridge loop via Towers/secret trail - Horsetooth - Audra - Southridge back up to Horsetooth intersection and down via Horsetooth. Home the long way. Heading out to Towers on Westridge, I bumped into a couple of runners and their dog who was laying in a patch of snow. Concerned that the dog might be dehydrated (which she wasn't - just likes snow), I stopped to chat. Turns out the runners were from out of town (Boulder and Ouray) and had checked out this here bloggy for some trail beta. Turns out the girl's name is Audra, which is also the name of a connector trail at Horsetooth that I ply on a regular basis, and the pair were off to get a picture of Audra and Audra. Always great to see runners out enjoying the park, especially those from out of town.

Total: 116 miles (11,900')

Another solid week with some great variety and runs in three different states. Got to love that. I put in 488 miles in March, which is a few short of the mileage I ran last May before Bighorn, and a number I hope to eclipse in May of this year. Currently at five straight 100-mile weeks, and I was definitely feeling it at times this week. The run on Saturday was pure torture, but then Sunday I felt great, and so it goes. Right and left Achilles have been giving me a bit of grief, but more of a simmer than a full-on inferno. Will look to run in the 100-mile range again in the week upcoming and then take a down week leading up to Fruita.

Week Ending March 28 (WS - 12 weeks)

Mon - Noon: 9 miles (2,200'). 1:24. Horsetooth/Audra/Southridge. Trails were pretty sloppy and slushy, but I timed a few splits for kicks at what was an easy/steady effort: home to HTH start (6:49), to Soderburg bench (5:20), to Falls/Spring Creek stairs (8:32), to Soderburg end (7:17), to Horsetooth trail (3:57), to Wathan (12:58), to Audra (3:11), to Southridge on Audra (5:06), to Southridge/hiking trail intersection (top) and down to Hiking trail/Soderburg intersection (13:57), to end of Overhill (8:05), home the long way (9:00).

PM: 7 miles (1,800'). 4:06 to Towers, 7:32 (11:39) to Stout, 9:30 (21:09) to upper Herrington, 9:59 (31:09) to Mill Creek, 5:38 (36:47) to top, 25:18 (1:02) down. Put in a slightly harder effort than normal on Towers and pushed a bit in the second half. The track was a mess of mud, snow and slop in places, but overall not bad. Looking forward to pushing out an FKT attempt when it all firms up, maybe next week. Six to seven minutes off today's effort seems like it would hurt, but it'll be a good read on speed and fitness. I feel kind of slow right now with all the miles and climbing, so I'm looking forward to sharpening the load when the trails dry after the incoming round of snain. Got a sweet 4-mile Towers loop picked out with a 1.5 mile (900') climb to Herrington and then 2.5 mile loop around and down on Sawmill/Valley. Five climb intervals for a 20-mile outing and approx 5k climbing.

Tues - Noon: 9 miles (2,200'). Trails still pretty slushy. Got going at the start of what would turn out to be a pretty big storm. By the time I started thinking about a second run, there was already a good six to seven inches on the ground and I quickly decided better of it.

Weds - Noon: 12 miles (1,000'). Milner, 6 steady on redstone. Long way home.
PM: 6 miles steady on bike paths.

Thurs - Noon: 4.5 miles (700'). Mini Falls Loop. Horsetooth Falls were running strong after the heavy snow two days ago, I on the other hand was not. Legs super heavy to the point that I bagged a planned trip up Horsetooth in favor of a little rest with this weekend's 50k in mind.

PM: 7 miles easy on the bike paths with members of the Fort Collins Trail Runners.

Fri - Noon: 6.5 miles (1,500'). Easy trip up Horsetooth. Felt decent. Still way drifty up high and slushy everywhere else.

Sat - AM: 32.5 miles (4,000'). Antelope Island 50k.

Sun - AM: 4 miles on random desert trails.

PM: 3 miles on random desert trails.

Total: 100.5 (13,500')

Another solid week.

Antelope Island 50k

I put this one on the calendar a couple of weeks ago after doing a bit of research for a road trip out to Las Vegas that we had planned for Dana's spring break. After checking out the local racing calendar in Vegas, and coming up short - with the exception of an expensive and uncompetitive 50k - I figured I'd give the Salt Lake City area a look for Saturday events, and came up trumps with the Buffalo run.

We pulled into Ogden, just north of Salt Lake City, some time after 11:00 pm after a good six hours on the road (and beating the Google Maps' prediction by 45 mins). Stayed at an inexpensive, but very clean, Days Inn which was as close to the island as we could get without sleeping in a tent by the start.

Woke up to the sound of the hotel wake-up call after a solid, but short sleep. Scoffed a couple of glazed donuts, accompanied by some nasty cheap-hotel coffee before leaving for the island a little later than planned, which left me being rushed to get ready once we were parked up. Just as Jim Skaggs, the race director, told us we had two minutes until the start, I noticed a timing chip on someone's shoe, and then just as quickly realized that I didn't have one on my shoe. Bugger. I sprinted to the car and fumbled around with the chip - doing a really crap job of putting it on - and sprinted back to the start just in time to hear the 'go' command, essentially getting a rolling start. My chip was flapping annoyingly on my shoe - and would continue to do so for the next 32.5 miles. I also soon realized that my shoes were still tied in casual mode - not 'race-tied' - so there was a bit of slippage going on. Not an ideal start, but at least I was there.

As with every race on the road to Western States, this was a no-taper affair, and I could feel the extra weight in my legs as we climbed through the first two to three miles (600-700') of the course. About two miles into the race, we came across a herd of buffalo, two of whom had broken into a full-on charge in our general direction, crossing the trail ten meters ahead of us in pursuit of fleeing antelope. Wha?

By the time we cleared the Buffalo, it was beginning to look like it was going to be a two-man race. I initiated a conversation with my running partner, and learned that he was a former Weber State University miler, who was training for his first road marathon. I already knew he had good leg speed after struggling to keep contact through the opening mile or two, but with the additional info on his lack of endurance experience, I figured that he'd probably be struggling late in the game.

We went through the first five miles in 35 minutes, clicking off some sub-six stuff on the downhill connector between the two loops. By the time we hit the bottom of the second loop of the figure-eight course, at the base of a 700' switchbacked climb, a third runner in red had joined us. By the top of the climb, he was a couple of switchbacks adrift and we didn't see him again.

Coming back to the start/finish/turnaround on the back side of the first loop, I was beginning to gap the guy in second and by the time I hit the spur back to the start/finish, I had maybe a half minute. I decided to stop and answer nature's call, however, as I was unsure if we were supposed to hit the spur back to the start or continue the loop onto the second lap of the course. Turns out we had to do the spur. The two of us completed the first 16.3 miles a few seconds apart in 1:52.

Heading back out on the second loop, it looked like we had a good eight to 10 minutes on the next two or three runners. I was still feeling plenty strong, so knew they wouldn't be a factor. Half way through the opening climb, I heard the whooping and hollering of the 25k start, figuring that there would be a couple of guys in that field who might be chasing us down.

After the climb back out, I had put 20-30 seconds on second (after struggling to keep pace on the first loop), so figured he was starting to bonk a bit. As the trail flattened out, I put my head down and pushed a little harder to see of I could break my competition and get a lock on the race. A couple of miles later, it looked like the race was in the bag, as I had a good three- to four-minute lead and still felt like I had plenty left in the tank. The focus now was Brad Mitchell's 3:49 course record.

I knew that Brad was running the 25k, and was interested to see if he would catch me before the finish. By the time I was nearing the top of the switchbacks on the second loop of the figure eight, I could see Brad in his yellow La Sportiva top and another guy starting up on the second part of the climb, so maybe five minutes back with eight or so miles to go. Good stuff.

This was enough motivation to help me keep the accelerator depressed, but I could see the two of them were closing on me every time I got a visual. By the marathon-distance aid station, it looked like I had maybe two minutes. I knew the long uphill connector was coming, and figured by the top of that two-mile section they'd probably have me reeled in. As it turned out, I was able to maintain a bit of a gap, and as I made the 90 degree turn toward the backside of the final loop, it looked like I had 20-30 meters on the two 25k-ers who were still running in lock-step.

I took an internal assessment here, and decided that I would jump into the 25k race to see if I could maintain the lead and take a stab at the 50k CR in the process. Digging deep, I was surprised to find the gear I was looking for and was able to pick up the pace enough to maintain my lead. By the spur, and last three quarters of a mile of downhill, I took a quick look over my shoulder and realized that I'd actually increased my lead a bit. I took a look at my watch and saw that I also had a shot at the course record. I put my head down and let it go, finishing up in 3:48, just one minute ahead of Brad's CR from two years ago, and probably 30 seconds ahead of the 25k race. Kind of funny that Brad was the motivating factor in pushing me to take down his own course record.

Closing it out

So anyway, when it was all said and done, I felt like I finished the race feeling strong and in control. I was able to dig deep late in the race and find gears and energy that last year would not have been there. There's no better feeling in endurance running than digging deep late in a race and finding reserves. I'm really starting to believe that if I can stay healthy over the next couple of months, I have the potential to be a threat in late June.

Okay, you can stop laughing now.

I plan to put in a mini one-week taper for Fruita next month, so I can go in feeling rested and ready to race and get a true read on my form versus last year. In Fruita last year I crumbled over the last five or six miles; this year I'm hoping to find a similar gear to the one I found yesterday, and I'll need it if I'm gonna give Duncan, Ryan and Dakota a race for their money.

Finally, a note on Antelope Island and the Buffalo run. The course was definitely tougher than I was expecting on the climbing front, but the track was very runnable, which allows for good predictable footing. The views of the Wasatch Mountains across the Great Salt Lake are breathtaking, and to run with the Buffalo is a truly unique experience. Jim Skaggs does a great job managing the race, and I do believe a good time was had by all. Highly recommended on all fronts.

I'll clean this post up and add some photos when I get a chance, but right now I'm off to post some recovery miles at Red Rock Canyon, before a session in the pool with Alistair and then some food, beers and gamblin' this evening. Ah, vacation.

Week Ending March 21 (WS minus 13 weeks)

Mon - Noon: 8.5 miles (2,100'). Horsetooth/Audra.
PM - 7 miles (1,750'). Towers. Nice and easy.

Tues - Noon: 10.5 miles (2,600'). Falls add-on to normal Horsetooth/Audra route. Nice out - like 60 degrees nice. Trails were packed with kids and parents on spring break.

Weds - Noon: 9 miles (2,200'). 1:26. Horsetooth/Audra + extra on Southridge. Wow, tired legs. Slooow. Trails packed again.
PM - 7.5 miles (1,800'). To end of the road on Towers after finishing out FKT route in 39:20, down in a relaxed 26. Easy zoned-out effort. Legs felt better than earlier in the day, but it's always easier to climb on a dirt road than it is on trail - no concentration required.

Thurs - 12 miles (2,900'). 1:57. As yesterday noon, with Westridge/Towers loop add-on via the 'secret trail'.
PM- 6.5 miles easy w/ FCTR around Pineridge and then back to Alex M.'s for burgers and brews. Good times.

Fri - 11.5 (800'). 1:35. 6 miles on Redstone w/Miler loop added on. One last kick in the nuts from old man winter. Cold, miserable run in blowing hail/snow. Ughh.

Sat - 27 miles easy (1,200'). 3:42. Tour de Fort Collins with Alex, Pete & Mike. We had planned a double loop of Bobcat, but the snow dump from Friday scuppered that idea. As a backup, we met at Pete's and then headed up behind the stadium and ran the Horsetooth Half course and then continued on the Poudre trail to Spring Creek and took that all the way west to Cottonwood Glen and back to Pete's. First time I've run the whole Poudre/Spring Creek urban trail system in one go. Makes for a sweet long run with Centennial completing the loop. Very cold to begin with but beautiful once the sun was up. Legs solid the whole way round. Wanted some climb miles in the PM, but window of op. never appeared.

Sun - 17.5 miles (4,300'). 2:50. Triple Horsetooth to Audra: Service drive/Southridge/Audra (27:30), down on Southridge (18:51); up on hiking trail (28:22), down on Audra/Southridge/service drive (19:46); up on service drive/Southridge (28:28), down on hiking trail, then back via Spring Creek/Falls. Conditions were wet and slushy, but could definitely have been worse. A pretty easy effort all around, but I was still pleased with how good the legs felt on the first two laps after the long run Saturday. The third climb was something of a grind, especially starting out, but I got it done.

Total: 117 (19,600')

The mileage load feels like it is starting to pay off. Had a solid weekend and really didn't feel tired or fatigued on or after either run, which is a great sign that the legs are setting up well for some longer races. Looking forward to putting that to the test in April at the Fruita 50.

In the meantime, I'll be running the Antelope Island 50k out near Salt Lake City next weekend as a pit stop on our family spring break road trip out to Las Vegas where I hope to rack up a huge stack of chips and a solid week of faster miles out on the desert trails. We're staying with my mother-in-law, sister-in-law and her kids - so babysitters a plenty and no excuses (except for the free beer). Hoping for some hot weather so I can get some good heat training in too.

Anyway, I don't recognize too many names on the 50k start list, but Brad Mitchel put up a 3:49 CR last year so I'll be gunning for that, if nothing else. The more interesting race is the 50 miler where Scott Jaime and Ryan Burch will be battling it out. Too close to call, although recent race results have the bookies putting Jaime in as a slight favorite.

Week Ending March 14 (WS minus 14 weeks)

Mon - 9.5 miles easy (600'). To Rim Rock on Blue Sky Trail from Soderburg.

Tues - Noon: 10.5 miles easy (800'). To Indian Summer on Blue Sky Trail. Legs felt like bricks.

PM - 7 miles (1,200') with Pete & Alex. Reservoir Ridge.

Weds - 11 miles (1,000'). 1:31. Blue Sky + Indian Summer from Fisherman's. Legs were bricks again. Felt better the faster I went, but generally just tired.

Thurs - Noon: 11 miles (1,000'). Same as yesterday. Legs fresher but still heavy.
PM - 5.5 miles (500'). Milner loop steady.

Fri - Noon: 8.5 miles (800'). To Indian Summer on Blue Sky from Fisherman's.

Sat - AM: 26 miles. (3,900'). Salida Marathon. 3:19.

Sun - Noon - 11 miles (1,000'). Blue Sky/Indian Summer. Legs were a little creaky to start, but felt great once warmed up.

Total: 100 miles (10,800').

Another solid week, with a strong race sandwiched in there. Back into the hills next week.

So there have been a few obsessive-compulsive admissions of late in the Colorado-running blogosphere. Anton confesses that he thinks about running. A lot. George comes out and follows suit a couple days later. And while I'm not about to pen a long post confessing to my running obsessions, I had a good laugh (to myself) thinking about those posts as I was listening to Lou Reed's portrayal of life under the shackles of a heroin addiction.

The "coming-up" sequences in Heroin are not only great background music for a mini, one-song fartlek session, but also a stark reminder that we all face our demons, addictions and obsessions. Some just happen to be a little healthier than others.

Hi my name's Nick and I have a running obsession.



Also check out Andy Henshaw's CR finish from the Psycho WyCo Run Toto 50k this year. Love it:

Salida Marathon 2010

Holding a March trail marathon in the mountains has to be considered something of a craps shoot with regards to conditions underfoot. Last year we got lucky and had perfect conditions on a perfect day. This year, we were told to expect this on the back half of the course:


On the drive out Friday night with Nick, Mike and Caroline, I was trying to make sure I was clear on all the bets I had riding on the race: first race of a five-race series against Ryan, one of three against Nick, and beat Brownie by more than 26 minutes for a 12-pack of beer. Okay, think I got it.

Didn't get a great night's sleep in the bunk room at the Simple Hostel in Salida, but woke up feeling decently motivated to get out and run some hard mountain miles, especially as the sun was up and it was looking like we were in for a perfect morning.

Chillaxin pre-race (photo: Caroline Soong)

From the off by the railroad tracks it seemed like 10-15 people shot out ahead of me. As there were three races taking off at the same time - 2 mile, half and full - I wasn't unduly concerned about the situation. As things settled out through the first mile or two, it appeared that one guy had taken a flier (Michael Trahan - half winner), with John Tribia in pursuit (second in half), closely followed by Timmy Parr, a couple of other guys and two women, one of whom looked like Mount Washington winner Brandy Erholtz.

The first ten-mile section of the Salida course is essentially a steady 2,000 foot climb on a dirt road. It offers the best running of the whole race, with no major grunts in grade, allowing for an honest and even pace. The half marathoners go 6.5 miles up the road and then turn around to head back down, while the marathoners head out to the ghost town of Turret where they turn around to retrace their steps to mile 18, before hitting some gnarly jeep track back into town. Total elevation gain is in the 3,500' range.

After about four miles, I was sitting in sixth place between the two races, catching slowly up to Brandy who was leading the women's race over Kim Dobson who looked to be having a good run.

By the 6.5-mile half marathon turnaround, I had eased past Brandy and two of the guys in front of me made the turn, leaving Timmy Parr and an unidentified runner ahead of me in the marathon race. Timmy had two to three minutes on me, and the guy in second had maybe 20 meters. Dan Vega was sitting on my shoulder as he had been from gun.

From here on in, the conditions underfoot deteriorated significantly. The road started to get sloppy at mile seven and by the time we hit the Turret road (8 miles) at 9,000' or so, we were dealing with a mix of mud, ice and snow. The trip out to Turret was as long and drawn out as I remembered it from last year, and at the 12-mile turn (1:30) I was about five minutes back on Timmy, a half step ahead of Dan, maybe 20 seconds ahead of the guy who had been in second on the climb (Andy Henshaw), and two to three minutes up on a hard-charging Ryan.

It felt like Dan and I kept a strong effort going on the way back out of Turret, which is where I started falling apart last year, and by the turn back onto the county road (16 miles), Dan was sitting right where he'd been all morning - on my shoulder - with Andy still hanging 20-30 seconds back in fourth. Timmy was out of sight in first.

It was beginning to look like we had a race brewing for second.

I upped the tempo on the mile or so of downhill to the turn onto the trail section of the course, but couldn't lose Dan. We hit the last aid station at the 17.8-mile turn and I got a quick fill of Gatorade, purposefully slowing to let Dan set the pace for a while. Things slowed so I figured he was breaking a bit. I was content, however, to sit back and regather.

Andy got back in the mix here, which was my cue to go by Dan and start working again. I held off Andy for a bit, but I could tell he wanted to pass. Problem was we were stuck running in narrow jeep tracks with deep snow on either side. By the time Andy found a spot to get by, Dan had fallen off the pace and it looked like we were down to a two-man race for second.

Like Dan, Andy slowed soon after he passed me on a climb, so I was able to keep comfortable contact. Internally, things seemed to be firing pretty well - the legs had been feeling heavy all morning but were getting the job done, the breathing seemed good and the workload still manageable. The snowy/icy/muddy track was a real grind however. Andy and I switched on and off in the lead through the rollers in the next two to three miles, between what were probably miles 19 to 22. We both put in mini surges here and there, but neither one of us seemed able to create a gap of any significance. This one looked like it might go down to the wire.

I knew my best chance to create some separation would be on the mile or two of steep descent back into town, and I did manage to get something of a gap on Andy here. However, when we finally got off the snow and back onto dirt, maybe two miles from the finish, I had no more than a five second lead. Andy was quickly on my shoulder saying something about 'third' being 300 meters back (he had actually said Burch).

I upped the tempo and we went stride for stride for a while as the grade mellowed out, but I could tell Andy had a bit more in the tank, so with about half a mile to go Andy got some separation and I let him go.

Coming back down to the railroad tracks I took a glance over my shoulder and saw Ryan for the first time since the turnaround. He was out of real estate however, so I was able to finish out the last few hundred meters at a comfortable pace.

I ended up finishing five minutes faster than last year in 3:19, six minutes behind Timmy (3:13), just under a minute behind Andy, and 40 seconds or so ahead of Ryan. Dan ended up about ten minutes back on me, Keri Nelson maybe 20 back for first in the women's race and Nick P a minute behind Keri in seventh.

Brownie finished 35 minutes after me and I immediately put in an order for Guinness.

3 (Nick), 1 (Timmy), 2 (Andy)

Muddy day

Thanks for the Brewskies Brownie and for bringing home my Bandera hardware.

Picking up my third-place award (this & next photo: Caroline Soong)

Showing it off, while enjoying a Brownie-bought Guinness

The S on the hill is lit up at night, alternating with a red heart. 'S'hart according to Mike

All in all a pretty solid race. I was pushed for most of the race by Dan and Andy, but was able to respond when necessary (except when it counted). Andy's a tough runner, who should be a threat at most of the races he runs this year. He says he's looking to post a fast time at American River, so I'll be interested to see how he goes. If he's got the necessary leg speed for the flat course he should be in contention.

Another great day in Salida with a bunch of strong mountain runners in all the races. This is a great early season tester and definitely one for the calendar.

Week Ending March 7

Mon: Noon - 8.5 miles (2,100'). Horsetooth/Audra + add-on route. Sloppy out. Legs felt good after big climb week last week, although foot flared up a bit. Guess I just feel a bit fragile.
PM - 7 miles (1,750'). Towers. Way sloppy on connector and lower section. Good running above that. Felt good and smooth, but took it easy.

Tues: Noon - 8.5 miles (2,100'). As yesterday, but a little sloppier. Shorts and T. Beautiful out.
PM - 7.5 miles easy with FCTR on bike paths in town.

Weds: Noon - 8.5 miles (2,100'). Same again, firmer in places, sloppier in others. Hoping for 90% dirt by the weekend. Shorts and T again. Beginning to feel like spring is in the air.

Thurs: Noon - 8.5 miles (2,100'). Felt pretty sluggish today. Didn't help that the trails were pure slop in many places, but boy was it beautiful out. The woodpeckers have started attacking our house looking to build nests behind our cedar siding, which is a sure sign spring is just around the corner. Time to start hanging some CDs from the rafters. Feels great to finally be getting some solid running done now that the weather is turning.
PM - 11.5 miles (2,300'). To Soderburg from home, then Towers to top and back down to Westridge and down Horsetooth.

Fri: Noon - 8.5 miles (2,100'). Went super easy today as I was feeling a bit burned from yesterday. However, was feeling great by the end of the run. Love that feeling of being tired but strong. Really starting to feel some good fitness. Keeping the focus on June, but sure looking forward to some racin' in the interim.
PM: 5.5 miles (600'). Milner loop easy.

Sat: AM - 25.5 miles (6,200'). 3:58. Up Horsetooth from home, then across on a snowy Westridge to top of Towers. Then descent of Towers + two more up and downs, and home via Shoreline/38e. 56' to Towers (1), 25' to Soderburg, 39:49 up (2), 26' down, 38:30 up (3), 25' down, 25:45 home w/add on. After a big climb week, felt surprisingly good on this quad-burner of a run. Decided to fuel as I would a race (EFS Liquid Shot), which I rarely do in training, and that really helped with good energy the whole way around. I felt so good in fact that I finished the last three miles at tempo effort. Tested out a Nathan waist pack with a one bottle/one gel flask set-up. The waist pack felt good with very little jiggle, but the gel flask was a bit cumbersome to get in & out although better than ripping gel packs. Will try it again at Salida as I really want to find a hydration system for WS that doesn't involve carrying hand-helds. I also have a two-bottle deal that needs testing, but the one-bottle seems like it will work out okay - certainly for shorter legs between aid stations - which is a good start.
PM - 3.5 miles easy setting up T&H course. Legs felt good after a creaky start.

Sun - 4 miles while T&H was ongoing. Ended up running the last two at 6:15 to make sure I was back before the first finishers. Kind of dumb as I was only trying to get a couple recovery-pace miles in.
PM - 6 miles (1,300'). Up Southridge, down Horsetooth, around on Spring Creek to Falls. Met up with Dana and Alistair and hiked the last mile home.

Total: 113 miles (22,700')

Very encouraging week. Way more miles than I had planned on at the start of the week, but with 50k in the bag by Tuesday, I decided to grind out some volume to get the WS train officially in motion. All my running windows stayed open this week and I was even able to carve out some bonus time by getting up very early on Saturday. Outside of running, I was also pretty productive at work and with the family. Hopefully I can keep the balance going through the next three months.

Everything this week was about climbing and moving well on the descent. I don't really ever plan my training beyond reserving time slots to run, but I have something of a plan for Western States, which looks something like this: run lots. I guess I'll be looking to keep the mileage as close to 100 per week as possible, but that may or may not be plausible from a time and wellness standpoint. Currently I'm thinking that 14-day hill blocks, followed by 7-day flatter/faster blocks sounds like a plan, so I suppose I'll go with that until I change the plan again.

With two 20,000' weeks in the bag, the week upcoming will be about resting the quads a bit and working in some faster stuff in preparation for Salida on Saturday. There are a couple of guys running Salida who are at about my pace (Ryan B & Nick P) and one who is faster (Timmy P), so there should be some good company to help push out a hard effort. Looking forward to it.

Some Rivalries for 2010

The Burchmeister and I have decided to throw down for 2010. In a recent phone conversation, which inevitably centered around running, we realized that we'd be seeing quite a bit of each other at various race venues across the Mountain West this year. As we run at a similar pace and a similar level of intensity, we figured we'd make a little side bet of things over a five-race series beginning at Salida ten days hence.

The last time we raced, Pilot Hill 25k, I destroyed Ryan (right, with another foe, Michael Huntington, left).

While Salida will just be the beginning of the series between Ryan and I, I also have a bet riding on the Salida race with the Brown Man from Colorado Springs. I have graciously given Brownie (aka Jon Teisher) a 26-minute handicap (the differential from last year's race), with the loser buying the winner a 12 pack of their choosing.

Back to the Burch showdown. The calendar looks like this:

Salida (26.2)
Fruita (50)
Jemez (50)
Pikes Peak (26.2)
An as-yet-undecided fifth race, which will likely be the Speedgoat 50k or the Breck Crest Mtn Marathon.

The stakes are mainly about bragging rights, but the loser will be taking the winner's family out for a slap-up dinner at an as-yet-undecided venue. Although Burch is currently 3-2 over me in our head-to-heads to date, recent race comps suggest that I'm in with more than a fighting chance and, quite frankly, I'm yet to be beaten this year. So Burch, you better be bringing your A-game!

Another blogosphere racing brawl that I've been trying to instigate is with Denver resident and fellow RunColo contributor (and Western States pacer), Justin Mock. Justin and I will both be running Pikes in August and have thrown around the idea of making that the tie-breaker (or victory lap) of a three-race series. Justin is more roadie than trail runner, so I suggested we choose one venue each for the other two races, thereby increasing the likelihood that Pikes will indeed be the tie-breaker. My choice is the Horsetooth Trail Half in early June (if I don't beat him there then I won't beat him anywhere), but I'm waiting on confirmation - so Justin, consider this a publicly stated call to arms.

Oh, and I don't know if this one will ever get off the ground, but the FoCo (area) vs. Boulder (area) hill climb challenge series is still hanging out there, but is in need of some serious organizational and scheduling commitments.

Anyone else?