Week Ending Jan 27

Mon - AM: 16.5 miles (3,700') steady with Burch. From my house we went: Horsetooth (Rock/XC/Audra), ridge scramble to Westridge, Secret, Towers, Mill Creek, Arthurs Link, Arthurs summit, Arthurs TH, Valley, 38e, Grim Reaper (WS100 version), home. Started out at a casual pace for the Horsetooth summit, then scrambled the true ridge over to the middle of Westridge before picking up the pace a bit descending Mill Creek. Put in a good effort up Arthurs, took in the views and then laced the descent before hitting some good turnover through the last six miles on the valley and up 38e/Grim Reaper. Felt good to work things a bit on a longer effort in the hills rather than the usual jog-fest.

Tues - AM: 8.5 miles intervals. Workout (cemetery) was: mile, 2x800, mile, 2x800, mile. Not much motivation going into this one, and a bit tired from Monday's effort, so started out easy and then notched the effort to 5k/10k once warmed up: 5:36, 2:48, 2:41, 5:29, 2:41, 2:42, 5:27.

Weds - Noon: 7 miles (1,900') easy. Horsetooth north via Rock/North Gap, down on Audra/Southridge.

Thurs - AM: 10 miles (1,400') hill tempo. Out to the 5 mile on Centennial easy with Scott, Celeste, Mike and Mary, then back at a controlled tempo effort: 7:45, 6:44, 6:32, 5:47, 5:30. Even though the splits are all over the place, they actually represent a steady effort because of the hills: net up to begin, net down to finish. Effort was approximately marathon pace, which is about as hard as I want to push my tempo efforts right now. 

Fri - 8 miles (2,200') easy. Horsetooth north summit (South - Audra - North Gap) - Wathan - Spring Creek - Falls. Another gorgeous winter's day on the Front Range.

Sat - 15.5 miles (4,000') easy. Horsetooth north summit (South - Audra - North Gap), then Westridge - Towers - Mill Creek - Loggers - Sawmill - Stout - Towers - Spring Creek - Soderberg.

Sun - 15.5 miles (1,400') racing. I love me a bit of Frost Giant. Went up to Estes Park for the third year in a row to compete in the 34th annual Frost Giant 5k/10k double. Both courses feature a significant amount of climbing, with a mix of road and cross country terrain, all starting at 7,500 feet above sea level. And I always forget about that last part until the pre-race warm up when I start panicking about my panting. Then I remember that we're a good 2,500 feet higher than Fort Collins and that this endeavor is in fact going to be a whole lot more painful than previously imagined.

After a loop of the 5k course to warm-up, it was evident that conditions were pretty much perfect: very little snow on the ground, warm weather, and maybe a clump or two fewer on the clump-strewn paddock that makes up the cross country section of this classic Northern Colorado course. Yes, there was a stiff wind out of the west, but c'mon this is Estes Park in January. We'll take it.

Right from the off, a pack of four or five of us grouped into the lead pack as we headed up MacGregor Avenue towards the ranch. And there was some serious panting going on. The pack included last year's Quad Rock 50 runner up, Jim Rebenack, friend and training partner Mike Hinterberg, and two other guys I didn't know. After about a mile, we were down to three with Jim and a guy from Boulder, Roberto Mandje, setting the pace. I was still trying to catch my breath in third, just barely hanging on. I let Jim and Roberto go as we entered the ranch and ground up the little grunter there, giving them a five meter gap as we made our way onto the cross country section of the course. I quickly bridged on the descent to the fence line with the intention of tucking in behind as we made our way west into the heavy headwind, but then I got carried away and cruised into the lead (and wind). Roberto came with me, Jim dropped off, Roberto took off. By the time we were back on the road, I was five seconds back and not feeling much like chasing. The gap grew to about 20 seconds with a half mile to go, before I finally thought about putting in an effort to catch back up. I tried but it never happened (catching back up that is). I finished a fairly disappointing 18 seconds slower than last year, but I've got a sneaking feeling that the course was a hair longer this year as the XC turn seemed to be a little further off, so we'll call it a wash.

I hung around at the finish for the rest of the Fort Collins gang and then headed out for a very slow two-mile jog with Slush and Sarah (victorious in the ladies race). And then, all too quickly, it was time for the 10k. As in years past, this one got out at about 50 mile pace with nobody wanting to get after it at all. No great surprise really, as the 10k course starts out with a big fat grunter of a hill and nearly everyone in the 10k has run the 5k. Nonetheless, and despite the extraordinarily lackluster start to the race, I somehow found myself leading and then feeling quite good as the course leveled out a bit. On the last bit of climbing up Bighorn Dr, before the descent back to MacGregor Ave, I figured I'd squeeze the pace a bit to see who had what. Nobody but Jim came with me. On the descent to MacGregor I reapplied the effort and built a small lead, before settling back into a comfortable effort and building a good 20 second pad on Jim and significantly more on Roberto by the end of the first mile of cross country. I would essentially hold that gap as we made our way around the extra three miles of pasture that made up the 10k course, before slotting into a strong push for the finish over the last mile of road. I ended up one second and one position better than last year on a course that was again a hair longer than it has been in the past.

A short jog to cool down, 5k/10k awards and then off to Ed's Cantina for brews, burgers and tall tales of gale force winds and rodent holes the size of Kansas.  

Running west alongside Devils Gulch Rd on the first cross country section of the 10k race into a heavy headwind (not pictured). All pics: Lane Eskew.

Through the woods at roughly the high point of the course (7,900')

Just a mile to go on (yet) another Colorado bluebird day.

Total: 81 miles (14,600')

Was looking for 85 miles this week, with a full 20 on Sunday, but somehow we didn't get the planned warm down in after the Frost Giant races. No biggie though. We're still in January. Based on the Frost Giant results, it would appear that my fitness is at about the same place as it was last year. I'm not quite sure what to make of that, so I guess I won't make anything of it, other than to remind myself (yet again) not to get too carried away with the mileage in January, February and March like I did last year.

Qaud Rock 25 miler sold out last week, but we've still got spots in the 50 miler. And talking of Quad Rock, we're planning an 'official' training run for April 6. This will involve: running (duh), drinking, eating, and a chance to test ride the new Pearl Izumi E:Motion kicks (see images above for a look at the N1 trail racer). We'll also have EFS Liquid Shot and Ultragen Recovery drink for pre, during and post-race.

Race number five of the Tortoise & Hare race series next Sunday. This one is a 5k starting and ending in Fossil Creek Park (I think). The race director is a bit absent-minded though, so it might actually be a 12k starting and ending in Spring Canyon Park. Check out the Fort Collins Running Club website to be sure.

Could use some snow...

Week Ending Jan 20

Mon - 5 miles (1,000') easy. Falls loop.

Tues - AM: 9 miles intervals. Phew, this was a cold one. The minute I stepped out of the car and my face started hurting, I questioned my sanity. Low-single-digit air temps are not ideal for interval workouts, to say the least. Nonetheless, six of us showed up and so we got on with it. Workout was: mile (cemetery), broken 1.5 mile (3x800 with 20 meter jog between 800s), mile (cemetery), lamp post 1.5 mile (hard/medium fartlek effort from lamp post to lamp post within the cemetery). Given the cold, I kept this at pretty much a tempo effort, running with Miler Ben the whole time: 5:40, 9:00 (2:46, 2:44, 2:47), 5:28, 8:40. Brrrrrrrr.
PM: 6 miles (1,000') easy. Milner loop. Felt like I needed to shake things out a bit from the morning so jogged a nice easy six.

Weds - Noon: 6.5 miles (1,900') easy. Horsetooth north summit via north gap, Rock Trail up and down. Beautiful day with temps in the mid 50s; so much better than yesterday.

Thurs - AM: 9.5 miles tempo. Jogged to Spring Creek bike path from Maxwell, then 20 mins out and 20 mins back at tempo. Ran this one a little slower than marathon effort - 10 secs slower coming back (slightly uphill).

Fri - Noon: 7 miles (1,800') easy. Horsetooth north summit via Southridge/Audra/North gap. Just another beautiful day on the Front Range. Wowzer.

Sat - 25 miles (5,300') easy. Headed down to the Springs early with Slow Aaron Marks to run the third and final installment of the Front Range Phat Ass series: Ponderous Posterior, although technically Fort Collins' 31 miler was the only real Fat Ass of the ultra series. Anyway, we were greeted with bright sunshine and balmy temps for this scenic tour of the Cheyenne Canon area. I was super impressed with the trails and vistas down in the southern Colorado Springs foothills. The country back there is noticeably more desert-like than it is just two hours north up around the Fort, and the hills surrounding the always impressive Pikes Peak are just a lot bigger, giving a nice sense of perspective to the area. The run ended up being super casual, both in terms of the average grade and indeed the overall pace, which made for a really pleasant morning of running. Ran with Pedatella, Jurek, Ricks, and Dave Phillips through the first half, before mercilessly dropping Jurek & Pedatella and continuing on with Ricks. So anyway, a super fun morning shooting the breeze with the boys and then kicking back and enjoying a few brewskies at JTs after. Ah yes.

Sun - 12 miles (3,000') easy. Blimey - a bit bruised from yesterday's casual outing it seems. I ended up procrastinating on today's run until the last possible minute, finally getting out the door a little after 11:00. My left knee, it seems, has developed a bit of old-man syndrome (a strange disorder where random parts of your body hurt for a few weeks before settling down and allowing the pain to relocate elsewhere), while my quads were noticeably sore. Just some early season seasoning going on, I hope. Anyway, started out with a hobble up Horsetooth for a north gap north summit, then headed north on Westridge/Secret, Towers, Carey, Loggers, Stout, Spring Creek, Falls. Finally felt warmed up after the Horsetooth climb and enjoyed a nice cruise around the park, before I was rudely interrupted by, and forced into polite conversation with, Slow Aaron Marks from the Falls back. Another gorgeous day on the Front Range.

Total: 80 miles (14,000')   

I fully feel like I am back in the training groove after this week. I'm still working hard to ensure that I keep things under control through these early weeks before the real madness begins in March/April/May. It felt good to get a couple of 3,000'+ runs in this past weekend, and for as achy as I was feeling on Sunday it was really encouraging to feel things open up after a couple of miles.

Quad Rock: the 25 mile loop is sold out - wait list is open. The 50 mile still has a good number of spots left, but we expect it to sell out by the end of next month.

I've got this crazy race in Nicaragua coming up next month. It wasn't part of the plan until a few weeks ago, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity. I'm really not quite sure what to expect from the course, but the two volcano climbs look really gnarly and I'm fully expecting a solid ass-whooping. Apparently 11 hours is the mark to beat, so I'll be shooting for that I guess.

Not much else going in my running world right now. Work is busy - and just got a whole bunch busier - which is going to add an extra level of challenge to this year's campaign, but we'll make it work. Up at 4:00 am, if I have to...

Week Ending Jan 13

Mon - AM: 6.5 miles (1,000') easy w/hill pick-up. Milner Mtn loop. Still jetlagged, I was up and at 'em early again this morning. Did a quick Milner loop, pushing the 500 foot hill from Redstone to Overhill at marathon-type effort. Felt really smooth.
Noon: 7.5 miles (1,800') easy. Horsetooth north summit via north gap. First summit of the new year. Went nice and easy enjoying a beautifully crisp and clear day. Packed snow most of the way, with good sections of dirt on south/west facing slopes. A little labored, but to be expected given that this was my first climb (at altitude or otherwise) in over three weeks. Felt great to get my hands back on some rock in getting up the north gap.

Tues - AM: 9 miles of intervals. First real speed session since Thanksgiving, which went surprisingly well. Workout was 4 x City Park mile (2 or 3 50ft hills per mile, depending on direction) with quarter mile jog plus additional minute or two standing rest between miles. Mile one and four were steady, miles two and three fartlek (hard, medium, hard, medium, hard on the five segments that make up the mile loop). Opened the first mile at a pretty casual effort, picking it up a bit towards the end. Fartleks I tried to really work the hard segments and recover on the mediums. The one thing I feel that I need to improve the most in my running is my leg turnover. I've just never been that fast - same story in my rugby days - so I'll be looking to really work that with form and shorter distance rep workouts (100, 200, 400) through the winter and early spring for a go at a 5k PR some time in March/April. Last mile was a bit of a slog, but I was just about able to hold form. Overall, I felt surprisingly good aerobically, if a little labored in the leg department. Reps went: 5:33 (5:22), 5:20 (5:26), 5:31 (5:24), 5:18 (5:24) (mile 1 & 3 was the 3-hill direction which is slightly over a mile (~ 1.02), and 2 & 4 the 2-hill direction @ just under a mile (.98)).  

Weds - Noon: 7 miles (1,800') easy. Horsetooth north summit via Southridge/Audra & north gap. Beautiful out again. Felt a little sluggish from Tuesday workout, so kept things super easy. 

Thurs - AM: 10 mile (1,400') hilly tempo w/ Mike, Mary, Celeste, Pete and Slush. Out and back on Centennial from Maxwell to the 5 mile mark of the Horsetooth Half course. In an attempt to avoid racing the return five miles and keep this to a legitimate tempo effort, I ran this one as a progression run with a goal of running the last four miles at an effort somewhere between 10k and half marathon, with a build from the two mile to the five mile point from 50k to Marathon to HM effort. With no HR monitor, it is quite hard to regulate perceived effort on a hilly course, but I felt like I was able to run in the zones I was after without crossing the line too much; I might have run the hills a little too hard at times. Nonetheless, I think this was a more beneficial workout than jogging for five and them hammering for five. Tuesday is for the 5k-5 mile efforts, so it is key to keep Thursdays disciplined, and discipline is my mantra for the 2013 running year. This was a good start. Miles 6-9 were approx: 7:45 (up north dam hill), 6:45, 6:30, 5:50, which is 20-30 seconds  per mile slower than I typically run that stretch at 10k (ish) effort.

Fri - Noon: 5 miles (1,000') easy. Falls loop.

Sat - AM: 16.5 miles (4,500') easy. Hopped a ride with Burch out to Captain Corey's house just outside the north entrance to Lory Sate Park and ran Timber for an Arthur's summit, then down the rock trail to the Arthurs TH; a full Mill Creek ascent to the top of Towers, secret trail to Horsetooth's west ridge and then up for a north H'tooth summit. Left Corey and Ryan at Wathan and ran home on Southridge. Couple of inches of snow underfoot over top of some ice in places. Reasonably easy effort, but still felt a bit labored. Work to do in the hills. Super cold out.

Sun - AM: 15 miles (2,200') easy. With Pete at Bobcat Ridge on another super cold morning. Waited until 11:00 to get out in hopes things might warm up, but nah, another single digit run. Pooped out on a planned Powerline climb after doing the Ginny - DR loop, and jogged around on the valley trails for a while instead. Kinda disappointing. I'll blame the cold.

Total: 76.5 miles (13,700')

This felt like my first real week back in training. With two workouts and a couple longer weekend runs, my body can definitely tell that we're not just jogging around anymore. It's going to take a couple more weeks to really get into the swing of things again, accept the leg fatigue, the niggles, the creaks, and then you just get in a rhythm and before you know it you're running in shorts and a T again.

So, I have dubbed 2013 the year of discipline. Discipline in keeping mileage sane early in the year, discipline in holding the heavy mileage when the time comes in April and May, discipline in holding appropriate paces during key workouts, discipline in the ice cream isle at the grocery store, discipline in taking rest seriously and sticking with the plan. Last March I ran 500 miles with 450 mile months on either side and then kind of pooped out in May. This year, I want a much more controlled ramp of mileage for a properly timed peak in June. In addition, I hope to make use of the lower early season mileage by really focusing on breaking through on the speed side of the equation. I gauge this at the 5k distance primarily, as it's the most convenient race distance to jump on a race. Last year in March I ran an altitude 16:46 on a slightly long course; this March I want to get that comfortably under 16:30. If I can get there by March, I should feel confident going into the key months of April and May.

In other news, registrations for Quad Rock are bouncing along. At this point we have just 30 spots left in the 25 mile race and about 100 left in the 50 mile race. It's looking like we'll be fully sold out by the end of February at this point.

Pearl Izumi is back on board as the presenting sponsor for 2013, which means high quality form-fitted tech race T shirts, PI shoes for age group winners from the new E:Motion trail line, gear discounts at packet pick-up and opportunities to test ride the new PI shoes at the April 6 training run. In addition to PI, Cornerstone Mortgage has again stepped up as a major race sponsor, allowing us to bump the cash purse to $1,400 with the opportunity for 50 mile winners to take home up to $550 (with time and CR bonuses). We also have great stuff from Smith Optics, Highgear, Ultraspire and Runners Roost to give away as age group prizes and in the raffle, while First Endurance will again be providing a gel flask for each runner, with refills on course and Ultragen recovery drink at the finish. Pateros Creek will also be providing a recovery nectar with a batch of their special '51st Mile' English Mild for the post-race BBQ, while Colorado Physical Therapy Specialists will be on site for post race PT and massage. We're also grateful to local runners Cat Speights & Justin Liddle for their support through Cat's Countryside Vet practice & Justin's dental practice. Other fun stuff to announce as we move along, but for now things are shaping up for another fun race day.

Results from Chubby Cheeks soon.

Week Ending Jan 6

Mon - AM: 7.5 miles easy. Giles Lane - Tyler Hill - C&W - Park Wood - Station West.
PM: 3 miles easy. 2 x uni loop. Wet and windy (what a surprise).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

2012 BY THE NUMBERS

January: 330 miles (45,200')
February: 445 miles (58,500')
March: 501.5 (79,600')
April: 430 (66,800')
May: 387.5 (70,700')
June: 297.5 (48,500')
July: 369 (71,100')
August: 330.5 (67,100')
September: 344 (65,000')
October: 211.5 (48,400')
November: 227 (55,400')
December: 245 (38,300')

2012 Total: 4,118.5 (714,600')

2011 Total: 4,264 (729,400')
2010 Total: 4,100 (655,850')
2009 Total: 3,451 (486,600')

2012 Avg: 343 miles (59,550')
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
2012 Summits (241):
.......................................
Horsetooth (7,255') (105)
.......................................
Mount Elbert (14,443')
Longs Peak (2) (14,259')
Mount Belford (2) (14,197')
Mount Oxford (14,153')
Missouri Mountain (14,067')
---------------
7 x 14ers
---------------
Pacific Peak (13,950')
Emerald Peak (13,904')
Crystal Peak (13,852')
Atlantic Peak (13,841')
Iowa Peak (13,831')
Hagues Peak (2) (13,571')
Ypsilon Mountain (13,514')
Fairchild Mountain (13,502')
Mummy Mountain (13,425')
McHenrys Peak (13,327')
Pecks Peak (13,277')
Whitney Peak (13,271')
Powell Peak (13,208')
Taylor Peak (13,153')
Mount Chiquita (13,069')
----------------
16 x 13ers
----------------
West Mount Sheridan (12,952')
East Desolation Peak (12,949')
Julian (12,928')
Stones Peak (12,922')
West Desolation Peak (12,918')
Mount Ida (12,880')
Point 12,820' (Chorier Point)
Chief Cheley (12,804')
Cracktop (12,766')
Terra Tomah (12,718')
Hallet Peak (12,713')
Otis Peak (12,486')
Mount Chapin (12,454')
Flattop Mtn (12,324')
Marmot Point W(12,005')
-----------------
15 x 12ers
-----------------
Marmot Point E (11,909')
Twin Sisters (11,420')
Mount Baldy (11,068')
Estes Cone (11,006')
-----------------
4 x 11ers
-----------------
Hidden Peak (10,992') (2)
Dark Mountain (10,859')
Lookout Mountain (10,626')
McGregor Mtn (10,486')
Needles (10,086')
10,008'
-----------------
7 x 10ers
-----------------
Storm Mountain (9,918')
Pierson Mtn (9,803')
Lily Mountain (9,786')
Lion Head (9,740')
Rams Horn (9,556')
9,540'
9,495'
9,475'
Kruger Rock (9,355')
9,342'
Panorama (9,284')
Crosier Mountain (9,250') (4)
Emerald Mtn (9,237')
Gem Peak (9,140')
Giantrack (9,091')
--------------------
18 x 9ers
--------------------
Sugarloaf Mtn (8,980')
Eagle Cliff (8,906')
Prospect Mountain (8,900')
Castle (8,834')
Pilot Hill (8,829')
8,820'
Mount Olympus (8,808')
Pole Hill (8,603')
Mount Ethel (8,471')
8,415' (Leila Peak)
Triangle Mountain (8,415')
8,380'
8,380'
Buckhorn Mountain (8,341')
8,310'
Round Mountain (8,250') (4)
Palisade Mountain (8,225')
8,194' (Giant Boulder Point)
Alexander Mountain (8,144')
8,092'
-----------------------
23 x 8ers
-----------------------
Blue Mountain (7,888')
Spruce Mountain (7,781')
7,814'
Sullivan Stump (7,778')
Turkey Roost (7,734')
7,725'
7,660'
7,655'
7,620'
7,567'
7,509'
7,500'
7,470'
Green Ridge (7,402')
7,383'
Green Mountain (7,335')
7,260' (Ziggy Point)
7,220'
7,178'
7,135'
Red Mountain (7,105')
7,098' (Poll Mtn range)
Table Mountain (7,074')
------------------------
128 x 7ers (incl 105 Horsetooth summits)
------------------------
6,930'
Arthurs Rock (6,780') (6)
Milner Mountain (6,893')
6,674'
6,300'
6,227'
6,100'
------------------------
12 x 6ers
------------------------
Morril Benchmark (5,791')
5,773' or 'Aggie Peak'
5,740' (Hwy 34 B4 Narrows) (1)
5,740' (Off Masonville Rd) (2)
Reservoir Ridge (5,735')
Goat Hill (5,604')
------------------------
6 x 5ers
------------------------
Aitxuri (1,551 meters)
Aizkorri (1,528 meters)
Aratz (1,443 meters)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tues - AM: 10.5 miles (500')  w/5k race (17:09, 1st). My fourth and final parkrun race of the UK visit in the company of 7 other Clarks, no less. Ran over to Whitstable from Canterbury, picked up my old mate Jim along the way and then learned that we were going to be running an all pavement version of the course this time around due to the super soggy underfoot conditions on the Tankerton Slopes. From the off, I slotted in behind the same young lad who'd led out the run on Christmas Day and let him set the pace for much of the first lap (8:25). I led the second lap and felt myself fading up the hill and into the wind on the final kilometer and a half. Thought I might sneak under 17, but came up a bit short. Doubled back once I was done to catch up with Alistair. He ran in for a six minute PR (29:37).

Karen

Matt

Alistair

Me

Maddie

William

Thomas

Dana

Weds - AM: 6.5 miles easy. Giles Lane - Tyler Hill - C&W Park Wood.

PM: 3.5 miles easy. 2 x uni loop w/around the block add on.

Thurs - AM: 10 miles (500') easy. To Chestfield and back on the Crab and Winkle with Anthony, a local runner who'll be running his first 100 miler this summer. Anthony has been following the ultra scene for a few years now and it was interesting to hear his take on UK ultrarunning. By all accounts, the sport is currently exploding in popularity much the same way as it has been in the U.S. over the last decade. I was excited to hear that Anthony will be running the North Downs 100 this summer, which is about as local a 100-miler as there is in the UK to my home town of Canterbury. It runs point to point from Farnham in Surrey to Wye in Kent on the North Downs Way, a long distance hiking trail, stopping just short of Canterbury. The route passes through bucolically scenic terrain over gradually rolling hills, and I would highly recommend the route to anyone considering an ultra in the UK. I was actually planning on doing the Canterbury loop of the North Downs Way on my visit, but given the current ground saturation, the 45 mile route through farmers' fields and the like would have been more misery than fun, unfortunately.

Me and Anthony outside my parents house. 

Fri - Off. Flying back to Colorado.

Sat - AM: 20 miles (1,800') easy w/ Mike, Slush and Sarah. It was good to reconnect with friends on my first run back in Colorado. We ran from my house down to Redstone Canyon, which we out-and-backed before finishing up with a loop of Milner Mtn and a few tack-ons at the end to hit the magical 20 mile mark. Toe-numbingly cold before the sun hit the canyon, but just a beautiful morning once it warmed up.

Sun - 9 miles easy on the bike paths setting up the Edora Park 8k T&H course, among other things. Still jetlagged, I was up at 4:00 am and ready to go, so I headed out the door and got a run in. It was incredibly cold in the dark (my car said 2 degrees), but with no wind and minimal humidity it was fine once the internal furnace kicked in. Standing around registering runners for the race was a different story, however. Brrr.

Total: 70 miles (2,800')  

Looking at the 2012 numbers, it is (vaguely) interesting to see that I posted essentially the same yearly mileage and vertical total as in 2011 and 2010, despite the low 200-mile months through the last three months of the year. I'm a big believer in consistency over the long haul and those numbers state just that. With a mellow October through December, I feel like I'm ready to harness that three-year base and really get after it in 2013; maybe my last serious year of running and racing before looking at different ways of utilizing my energy in future years.

In other news, I'm going to be running on the island of Ometepe in Nicaragua next month for the Fuego Y Agua 100 km race. I'm excited to say the least. Ometepe is a volcanic island in Lake Nicaragua, an inland freshwater lake, with not one but two volcanoes, the higher of which - Concepcion - is still active. The course - which takes in both summits - looks incredibly challenging and fantastically scenic. I'm counting my blessings.

Ometepe Island

Volcan Concepcion 

Volcan Madera

Week Ending Dec 30

Mon - 6.5 miles easy. Giles Lane - Tyler Hill - Crab & Winkle - Blean.

Tues - 11.5 miles (500') w/5k race (18:05, 1st). Ran over to Whitstable again on the Crab and Winkle bridle path to run my second Parkrun race of the visit. This time we were on the two lap promenade/Tankerton Slopes route, which meant that half the run was on challenging waterlogged grass. Went through the first kilometer in 3:15, chasing a young lad who got out a little quicker than I was planning on running. He maintained a five meter lead on the 1.5 kms of paved promenade and then began to fade as we ran up the hill onto the grassy Tankerton Slopes. By the end of the first loop I was ahead by a couple of seconds, a lead that remained about the same through the promenade section of the second loop and then grew significantly once we turned back onto the grass. This was an excellent way to start Christmas Day, made all the better by jogging out a third bonus loop with Alistair and Dana who had driven over to take part as well.

Stella sits and waits in the wind with her Grandad. Not even the Olympic torch could pique her interest in the proceedings, however.

Finishing up the first loop. 

Dana and Alistair had fun in the mud.

Wed - 4 miles race. Boxing Day Run.

Thurs - AM: 6.5 miles easy. Giles Lane/Tyler Hill loop in the wind and rain.
PM: 3 miles easy with Dana. Two university loops.

Fri - AM: 6.5 miles easy. Giles Lane/Tyler Hill loop in the rain.
PM: 3 miles easy. 2 x Uni loop in the rain.

Sat: 16 miles (800') w 5k race (17:20, 2nd). Ran out to Whitstable for yet another Parkrun race. I was feeling a little tired standing on the start line for this one, my third race of the week (and fourth of the UK visit), so purposefully lined up a couple people deep to avoid going out hard. Two guys got out quickly and by the time I had moved around traffic they were already ten meters up. The younger of the two started coming back through the first km (3:16), but the lead runner looked like he would hold his pace, slowly building his lead on me to about 10 seconds as we made the turn at the end of the lollipop part of the course. We again had to deal with a good bit of slop on the lollipop section of the course, but significantly less than on the standard route (which we ran Xmas day). By the time we were back on the promenade with 2kms to go, the race for first was clearly not going to happen, so I just pushed on and enjoyed yet another opportunity to breath in the beautiful sea air and enjoy the vistas. Ran back home to Canterbury after the race into a super-stiff head wind.

Sun - Off. Set the alarm to get out and jog a couple of miles before catching the train to London to meet old school chums, but rolled over and caught some extra zeds instead.

Total: 57 miles (1,300') 

This week was billed as my first in the training cycle for the 2013 season, but it was about no more than building a bit of consistency and getting into the rhythm of things. I am determined to keep the mileage completely reasonable and non-taxing through January and February, with a goal of 60 miles this past week and no more than 70 this week (with a slow 5 mile per week progression from there). I'm starting to mix in a couple of double days now, just as a means of feeling my way back into the double day routine, and not really as a means of accumulating mileage. I find doubles to be an effective way of building mileage during peak training blocs, but it takes a while to get into the rhythm of heading out the door so often, hence the 'practice' right now.

I ran three races this week, which was a lot of fun, with the highlight being the always fun Boxing Day Run in Saltwood where I put in a proper effort in hilariously muddy conditions. One more race tomorrow on New Years Day, and then back to The Fort and some hills.  

Boxing Day Run

It's been rain, rain and more rain during this trip to the UK, and all indications suggest more of the same for the rest of the year. Indeed, the meteorological folk have just announced that 2012 is officially England's wettest year on record (after drought conditions through the first couple of months, no less). If you know anything about British weather, then you know that for this to be the wettest year on record means that it is indeed quite wet.

Needless to say, the running has been a rather soggy and sloppy affair. I've given up on Blean Woods, my staple soft-surface venue while in Canterbury, as the going has been terrible and have largely resorted to the roads when not racing. But luckily there's been plenty of racing to be had over the Xmas period, including one of my favorite events of the year.

The Saltwood Boxing Day Run has been an annual tradition for going on 40 years now, and while I've only been doing the event for the last six years, it's one I always look forward to running with the rest of my family as part of the annual return to Blighty.

Pre-run with the family in the pub.

So after a couple of muddy Parkrun warm-up races on the slopes above the Whitstable seafront in the first week of the holidays, it was time to give the Saltwood bog a go. Even in drier years, the cross country course has always had a fair bit of mud to deal with, but this year the bar was raised to a new level of god-awfulness with some of the worst running conditions I've ever raced in.

On the start line in the village green I looked down enviously at all the other lads with their spikes on and thought once again that I should really invest in a pair - even if to only use once a year. While the tread on the new Pearl EMotion Trail Racers did as well as I could have hoped for given the conditions, they were no match for the half-inch spikes the more seasoned cross country vets had on. Not that it would have impacted the placings, but what's a Clarkie race report without at least one caveat into why I didn't perform up to Olympic standards.

And talking of Olympic standards.

If I hear one more thing about the bloody Olympics and how brilliant the British team was, I'm rescinding my citizenship. Don't get me wrong, I think the Olympics were great, but the media over here are still banging on about the event like it finished yesterday. I mean I've even had to sit through an evening finale of 'Strictly Come Dancing' (the UK's version of 'Dancing with the Stars' and a national obsession) which predictably enough was won by some Olympic gymnast who won ... wait for it ... silver in the pommel horse. The pommel horse! This bloke is now a national hero. And what the hell is a pommel horse anyway?

Blimey!

You know what happens to gymnasts in the U.S. who get silver in individual gymnastic events? They get ridiculed.

That was a strange tangent. Back to my ramblings about mediocre running performances.

So yeah, we started back in the village green again this year, which allowed for a 400 meter section of road to get the race underway. From the off I was engulfed by a crowd of 12 year-old-girls who I had to gently prod to avoid a full-on collision with a car parked just five meters up from the already narrow start. With a bit of breathing room, I settled into seventh or eighth as we made the turn onto the playing fields, already a good bit behind a lead pack of four or five guys, but making up ground on a few of the other overzealous starters. I knew three-time champ Michael Coleman wasn't coming back, but I wasn't so sure about the others.

Note the zippy pre-teens to my left. 

I think I passed one, maybe two guys before making it to the goblin bridge at the end of the playing fields before having to wait for one guy to awkwardly hurdle the fence while a couple of others squeezed around the kissing gate (Dana would tell stories of male dangling parts getting caught on said fence only minutes later). Over the fence, it was then up the steepest hill on the course. Nothing too serious, but certainly enough to get your heart pumping. Up to this point the mud really hadn't been too bad; a bit of slipping and sliding on the descent to the bridge for sure, but nothing out of the ordinary. And even the grass off to the side of the main footpath up the hill was clumpy enough that a running cadence was easy to maintain, so I was able to ease past a couple of guys here, before being re-passed by the slow-fence guy right before the stile. And of course he was as equally slow going over the stile as he was the fence.

Cresting the hill, I moved into fourth and then almost lost my shoe in what would be the beginning of a massive bog around the sheep field. Skirting the mud really wasn't an option here, so it was just a case of plowing through - calf deep in places - and hoping for the best. I slogged past the young lad in third as we headed towards the woods and then looked up to see that first and second were off to the races. The race now was clearly for the final podium position, so I settled in and tried to maintain a sustainable effort. Looking back, it appeared that David Weekes - a former winner and something like 20-time top-10 finisher who I'd chatted to on the start line - was the only guy coming with me, so it would be a two horse race through the remainder of the bog.

Hitting the wooded section, the trail had enough foliage on the ground that there were sections where a normal running cadence was almost a possibility, and where there wasn't foliage I'd just jump deeper into the brush and take my chances. Nonetheless, there were still long sections of footpath that were just laughably churned  with nothing but ankle-deep mud to wade through. David would close on me through these sections as I flailed around, but never quite got close enough to pass.

The final half mile to the finish was decently graveled and offered comparatively good traction, so I was able to slot back into a proper running cadence and surprisingly found that I had plenty left in the tank as I came up the last hill. I got a lock on third here before motoring back down into the village to the always packed finish line on the green.

I'm still holding out hope that one of these years I'll be able to pull off a win in Saltwood, but for now I'm holding onto a collection of finishes from second through fifth, with an 11th place finish in my first run six years ago. Hanging out at the finish line waiting for the rest of my family, it was fun to see people finishing covered head to toe in mud. And it was even more fun to hear the kids' tall tales of mud holes up to their necks as we headed off to the pub for the conclusion of another memorable Boxing Day in Saltwood.

Week Ending Dec 23

Mon - Off

Tues - 5.5 miles (500') easy. Blean Woods. Green and Red loops.

Weds - AM: 4.5 mile easy. Blean Woods. Green loop with Dana.
PM: 5.5 miles (500') easy. 3 x university loop at an up-tempo effort.

Thurs - 5 miles easy with Dana. Tour of Canterbury, including a stop at the cathedral.

Fri - 9.5 miles (900') easy. Black outer loop of Blean Woods.

Sat - 8.5 miles (500') w/ 5k race (17:55, 1st). Ran 5 miles out to Whitstable to do the Parkrun event on the seafront. I went through the first kilo on the promenade very comfortably in 3:30 and then pretty much kept the effort there after I realized there would be nobody to race. The middle kilo to kilo and a half was totally flooded out and super sloppy, so I went through very cautiously before slotting back into my prior effort level on the boulevard return.

The Parkrun 5k races, of which there are hundreds taking place around the UK every Saturday morning, are completely free and designed exclusively to get people up off their asses and out running. Currently there is only one US-based event (Livonia, MI), but anyone can get one up and running - if, of course, they have the time and desire to commit to it.  Not a position I am in right now unfortunately.

Sun - 5.5 miles easy. Long uni loop via Giles Lane - Tyler Hill - Crab and Winkle. Major standing water in places on the C&W bridle path which was kinda troublesome in the dark.

Total: 45 miles (2,400')

Just an easy week here in Canterbury, where the ground is totally saturated and the heavens appear to be permanently open. Major flooding in the southwest of the country, so we actually don't have things too bad. Nonetheless, conditions are essentially the polar opposite of drought-stricken Colorado where I can't remember the last time I had to alter my stride to accommodate the mud.

Fun to get out and turn the legs over on Saturday at the Parkrun. I'll be back out there tomorrow morning for the bonus Xmas day rendition, followed by one of my favorite races of all time - the Boxing Day Run - on the 26th (aka Boxing Day). Then another Parkrun on Saturday with a follow-up bonus edition on New Years Day. So just the four races while I'm here then.

Oh, and training for the 2013 season officially kicked off today. For those counting at home, we're 27 weeks out from Western States, 30 weeks out from Vermont, 34 weeks out from PB'ville and 37 weeks out from Wasatch. Built a training chart and everything yesterday: yeah, it's serious this time. The base building concludes with the Salida Marathon in early March ... and then I start getting serious.

Three Weeks Ending Dec 16

Week Ending Dec 2

Mon - Off

Tues - 6.5 miles (1,700') easy. Horsetooth south summit via Slush's Slit.

Weds - 6.5 miles (1,700') easy. Horsetooth north summit via north gap.

Thurs - 10 miles (1,800') hard. Towers (31:10). Worked hard from Stout and came up pretty short (time wise). Further confirmation that I'm grossly out of shape right now. But that's alright. Training resumes in just a few short weeks.

Fri - 6.5 miles (1,700') easy. Horsetooth north summit

 

Sat - 15 miles (4,500') peakbaggery. UN 6,100', Pierson Mtn (9,803'), Lion Head (9,740'), UN 9,475', UN 8,380', UN 8,380'. Headed out early with Mike to go pick up some of the more southerly Larimer County peaks near the Boulder County border. The first one, unnamed peak 6,100', is one of the more ridiculous 'peaks' unique to LoJ obsessives and requires a little bit of creative thinking. In this particular case, the high point of the hogback is just a stone's throw from the front door of a rather large house. So, instead of donning camo gear and trying to sneak up to the high point in daylight, I opted for the pre-dawn approach; Mike waiting in the car with the motor running. Up and down in minutes and then we were off in a southwesterly direction to pick up the morning's real peaks.

Starting from the Lions Gulch Trailhead off Hwy 36, about 10 miles south of Estes Park, we ran the three miles out to the base of Pierson Mtn and Lion Head on a steady but casual uphill grade following the Lion's Gulch drainage to the site of a few old homesteads. The bushwhack up Lion Head was decent, as bushwhacking goes, and we were to the summit in reasonably short order. The views from the rocky outcrop were large, with the rare close-up view of Twin Sisters from the east especially impressive. From Lion Head, it was a short bop down to the saddle with Pierson and then no more than a 600 foot hoof to the forested summit. Both peaks had registers, so we added our names alongside the usual list of LoJ suspects and headed off down the rocky southwest side for the saddle with unnamed peak 9,475' - the last bump on the way to the big eastern slopes of Twin Sisters. 9,475 was another short climb - maybe 400 feet - but the rocky (and windy) summit offered a particularly striking vista of Twin Sisters.

Our route off 9,475 was somewhat convoluted as I think we entered the wrong drainage - missing the trail marked on the map - but nonetheless found our way down into the pasture to the south where we followed a ranch road while making sure to skirt two properties along the way. Back on NF land, we 'schwacked south for unnamed peak 8,380' (the southernmost of the two 8,380's we'd hit that morning). Unwittingly, we ended up on 8,340' (thinking we were on 8,380'), but we soon realised our error after surveying from the summit. This meant more bushwhacking to the south before eventually picking up the correct peak (lying just west of what looked like a crazy mountain airstrip). From there we retraced our steps northeast for the second 8,380' of the morning. This one was a fun summit that required some good hands-on-rock action up a tight gully to the saddle and some solid class three scrambling to gain the summit. There were big views east and west from the impressively rocky summit, including a shot of Kenny Mountain which had been on the docket for the morning's outing. However, short on time, we decided to forgo the biggest peak of the outing and instead found our way back to Lion's Gulch by way of a series of old forest roads and trails. Despite missing out on Kenny and bungling the navigation for the first 8,380' this was a really fun morning in new terrain with some killer new angles on familiar Estes Park-area mountains.

Meeker over the shoulder of Twin Sisters.

East slopes of Twin Sisters bathing in sunlight. From Lion Head.

9,475 all the way left (just a bump), then Pierson and Lion Head. From 8,380'.
 

Twin Sisters w/ 9,475' all the way right.

Sun - 2.5 miles easy on the bike paths setting up the 6k course for the Tortoise and Hare series. Another big turnout, followed by a nice Xmas breakfast at Fuzzy's before flying out to New York for work.

Total: 48 miles (11,400')

Week Ending Dec 9

Mon - Off. NYC. I'm not a big fan of running in New York, especially when there on business, so purposefully didn't pack any running gear.

Tues - Off. NYC.

Weds - 7 miles (2,000') easy. Put up a bunch of cairns and a flag or two for El Chub. Horseooth north summit.

Thurs - 10 miles (2,300'). Ran from home to build more cairns for Chub: Falls - Stout - Towers - Carey - Loggers - Sawmill before swinging over to Soderberg to meet the crew for the VBM.

Fri - 8 miles (2,000') easy. Chub marking with Stefanovic. Falls - Spring Creek - Herrington -Spring Creek - Towers - Westridge - true ridge to south summit of Horsetooth - Rock - Southridge.

Sat - 25.5 miles (6,300') easy. 4:31. Had a good time running the marathon version of the Chubby Cheeks course with Tony, Joe and Brandon Stepanovic, among others. Beautiful morning and a fun after party made for another successful rendition of the Chubster. Course records tumbled across the board, but more on that later when I get back from the UK and find time to unearth the results sheets. Racked my 100th Horsetooth summit of the year along the way.

Sun - 3 miles (600') hiking and de-flagging the Falls loop with Alistair and Stella. Cold.

Total: 53.5 miles (13,200')

Week Ending Dec 16

Mon - 6.5 miles (1,700') easy. Horsetooth north summit via the north gap.

Tues - 8.5 miles (2,500') easy. De-flagging the rest of Horsetooth w/Wesir. Took the true west ridge across to Horsetooth again and decided to do all three H'tooth summits for kicks.

Weds - 6.5 miles (1,700') easy. Horsetooth north summit via the north gap.

Thurs - AM: 10 miles (1,400') hilly threshold. HTH5MO&B w/Sarah, Scott, Mike, Pete and Celeste. Out easy and then back at a relatively casual effort (~32 - 33 mins). Limited motivation right now to push things, but getting back on the early morning tempo train is a step in the right direction.
PM: 7 miles (1,700') steady. Towers at a very casual 35 mins.

Fri - 7 miles (1,800') easy. Horsetooth trifecta. Thought this was going to be the last summit of the year before I took off for the UK, so tagged all three summits.

Sat - 10 miles (4,500) baggery. Castle Mountain (8,834'), Eagle Cliff, Rams Horn, Giantrack, UN 7,509', UN 7,135'. Finished up most of what I had left in the Estes Park area on the Larimer County project with a six-bag morning. Wesir and I pulled down the first summit, Castle Mountain, in the dark after an overly zealous early morning meet. We parked at the turn circle at the end of Castle Mountain Rd, which is off Hwy 34 to the north, and then hoofed the 950 feet from there. The going was pretty steep for the most part, and despite the darkness, navigation was easy (keep going uphill until you can't go any further). We hit the impressively rocky summit in exactly 20 minutes, enjoyed the very first hues of light to the east and the silhouetted lines of the Continental Divide and Mummies to the west and north, before bombing the descent back to the car. Killer peak. Jumped in the car and headed back into town to pick up Hwy 34 out towards RMNP. Parked up at a small pull-off just before the toll gates and headed due south across pasture land past a big herd of elk on a direct line for Eagle Cliff. Again, this was very straightforward and we were up on the summit in less than 20 minutes and back at the car in just over 30. Hopped back in, headed to town, picked up donuts from The Best Donut Shop In The World, and then headed out to pick up Rams Horn and Giantrack.

In order to get Rams and Giant quickly we pulled off a mega cheat by driving all the way up the private road that services the million dollar homes on the eastern slopes of Rams Horn, parking just 600-700 feet below the summit on a road to an undeveloped lot.The summit of Rams Horn lies on the middle of the three huge rocky features known as Teddy's Teeth. We didn't know where the summit was at the time, but tagged all three teeth anyway and then continued south, thinking that Lily Mountain was the true summit. We eventually realised our error and backtracked for Giantrack, picking up a private/social trail along the way. Back to the car after hitting the relatively unimpressive Giantrack, and after some procrastinating, we realised that 'Thunder' and 'Lightning' were going to be a stretch with the time we had, so we headed south on Hwy 36 to pick up a couple of easier summits in the Pinewood Lake area.

For 7,509', we parked right under the redstone quarry and scrambled the 300 feet to the summit in no time. From there, it was cross country to pick up 7,135', an elegant lump of textured granite sitting above an open pasture. This was probably the funnest peak of the morning with plenty of good scrambling to be had, just going to prove that low-lying unnamed peaks are just as deserving of love as the big alpine boys that can oftentimes be quite tedious.

Another fun morning exploring the high points of Larimer County. Unnamed peak 7,135' was my last Larimer summit of the year and coincidentally my 100th, leaving just 155 to get before I have the full collection!

Meeker and Longs finally looking somewhat wintery. From Rams Horn.

Teddys Teeth from just below our cheat parking spot.

Rams Horn (fore) and Twin Sisters (rear).

Sun - 6 miles (1,600') steady. Snuck in a quick summit of Horsetooth (north gap) before heading off to the airport and the UK for 105 total Horsetooth summits on the year.

Total: 61.5 miles (16,900')

I've got some major catching up to do on the blogging front, but life, work and play have been busy, so blogging has taken something of a backseat here in the off season. Maybe I'll be motivated to tap on the keyboard a bit more when I start refocusing my energy on running. Or maybe not.

Speaking of refocusing on running, I really haven't had the greatest desire to get out and run since Leadville. Really the only thing that has been getting me out of the door has been the daily Horsetooth summit, Larimer Peaks (more hiking than running), and opportunities to catch up with friends. Nonetheless, I feel a bit of the old drive coming back, especially now that I have some firm running goals set for 2013.

And what might they be?

Well, a summer of 100 mile racing and recovering basically. I think 2013 will be my last crack at Western States, so I figured I'd also give the Grand Slam a go. For the uninitiated, the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning begins with Western States in June, follows on with Vermont in July, hits fever pitch with Leadville in August, and limps to an end with Wasatch in September. I beliebe these are the four oldest 100 milers in the country, but I might be slightly off there. Anyway, Neal Gorman set the record a few years back, breaking Joe Kulak's decade-old record by just a few minutes. I was actually there to see Neal come in during the wee hours that night, and was inspired that day to give it a go myself. I guess 2013 will be the year. I've already run three of the four races, and all of them a good bit faster than in Neal's record-breaking year, but the wildcard here is the recovery number. One botched race - or 100 degree temps at Western States - and the dream could easily be crushed. It'll be an interesting and fun summer for sure.

So, yeah, a couple of weeks of finding a running groove here in the UK and then it'll be time to get the old head down to start building for June. I've done the Western States cycle three times now, and aside from year one (2010), I really don't think I've nailed a proper peak (always too much too soon). This year, I've got a plan. Hopefully I'll be able to execute with a fair bit of discipline and maybe even bring a cougar back to Fort Collins. I always like to dream big.

Been tossing the idea of an early spring marathon around with a few folk. Originally I was looking at New Orleans, but I've gone off that idea. I'm now thinking Phoenix or Red Rock Canyon in Las Vegas. The former would be a true PR type of course, the latter a more challenging strength course. I've got until Dec 26 to make a decision (per Olive Oil Joe).

In other news, the comments section of my blog is getting hammered with Spam, so I've had to put a filter up. Guess that'll do it for now.     

Vertical Malted Beverage Mile (VMBM), Act III

Ah, the V(M)BM.

Participation in this event has been growing by leaps and bounds over the three years we've been running it, and for some here in town it's the highlight of the season, the pinnacle of athletic achievement, the yardstick by which all running greatness is measured.

Those who find it hard to combine the rapid consumption of gloriously gassy lager with the simple act of running uphill do their best to downplay the magnitude of the event, but as I think anyone who plays in Fort Collins trail running circles knows, it is an extremely prestigious honor to be crowned King or Queen of the VBM ... but maybe I'm getting ahead of myself.

The pre-race chatter had been building for months (seriously), and all eyes were on the women's event where an all-star cast of contenders had been positioning themselves as potential winners. Last year's champ, Mindy "I'm Irish" Clarke, was considered by many to be the favorite. But also toeing the line was the winner of the inaugural event, Celeste "I'm Irish" O'Connor, in addition to last year's runner up, Jessie "I'm from New Jersey" Wilburn. And the depth didn't end there.

We had runners with pedigree. Shalane Flanagan couldn't make it (we're told she can drain a beer pretty quickly), but she sent her sister as a stand-in. Maggie had proven herself earlier in the year on The Big Hill by consuming 15 beers and a similar number of tacos over a 24 hour period, during which time she managed to record 7 laps (49 miles, 12,500' of vert) and a second place finish in the second annual running of the 24 Hours of Towers (official results still pending). And, as it turned out, there were others waiting quietly - yet confidently - in the wings to prove themselves.

The men's race. Hmm, well, as much as I shy away from tooting my own horn, I'd have to say I was about as confident on that start line as Secretariat was before his record-breaking Triple Crown run at the 1973 Preakness, especially after the late scratch of Horsecow Lonac from the field. And while I would normally fear Horsecow's last-minute stand-in - a certain Dakota Jones - before most running events, when it comes to running and drinking, the youngster clearly has a thing or two to learn.

Lonac put up a brave fight last year, but shied away in 2012.

With a good 20+ runners on the start line, it was finally time to get this show on the road. I made note of the fact that the craft brews so many had thought would be a good idea just two years earlier had largely been replaced by the Banquet Beer, aka the VBM Beer of Champions. Maybe we'll see about an endorsement deal moving forward, but for now we'll let it lie.

A hike up the hill to place refreshments, a brief recap of the rules: "if you puke, don't forget to do a penalty quarter at the end," and we were off.

Hey, get that camera out of my face!

Having not skulled a beer since the previous year's running of the VBM, the first one went down in a pretty rough manner - although it did go down in its entirety before I jumped off the line in first place.

I wasn't surprised to have company running up the first quarter mile while I groaned and worked on degassing the tubes. Stevenson was on my shoulder - as he had been in 2010 - but I wasn't too concerned as history has shown that a fast start by Pete has a tendency to end in chunks, while Dakota was right there along with Gisler, the token Boulder'ites.

And so it progressed. The Boulder pretenders fell off the pace, while Pete put in a gallant effort at dethroning the VBM king. At aid station two, Pete was a quarter can back on me; at aid three, a half can back; and by the final aid station it was apparent that I'd just need to keep my stomach from erupting to retain my title. Despite a few bubbly burps on the way to the finish line, I was indeed able to keep all 64 ounces down and cross the line to celebrate the glory of a VBM three-peat.

Pete trundled up 30 seconds later for a strong second, and lo and behold one of the Boulder runners had managed to keep his lunch intact. Gisler (who I'm pretty sure is really from the east coast somewhere) ran in for a strong third-place finish. Burnett can clearly skull beers and proved it with a strong fourth. He was followed closely by Senor May (a former podium finisher), Dakota (who promptly turned around to complete a penalty lap and ended up finishing last according to the official results), and Josh (who'd shown up to run a regular Thursday evening time trial, but embraced the alternative TT with open arms). Then all attention shifted to the women's race.

Seventeen minutes ticked by and right on schedule, and in course record fashion (17:19), Mindy came galloping across the finish line to complete a second Clark/Clarke sweep of the VBM. A proud moment, indeed. The Irish were also to be made proud with Celeste bursting through the darkness to cross the finish line in second (completing the three-year podium grand slam - 1st, 3rd, 2nd).

With Flanagan still out on course, it was looking like it would be an Irish sweep of the podium spots, but ever so quietly, the endurance drinking specialist was upstaged by Nora who, we were told by her proud significant other, has put in plenty of hours of specificity training on the ski-bum circuit.

However, as the one-two in the boy's race showed, real strength in this event comes from growing up as a rugby player.

And then it was on to the after party for tales of debauchery, more frivolity, and anticipatory discussions on part deux of the Festivus activities - el Chub. But more on that later.

Clark/Clarke, Chicken Lady, Gisler.

Jubilation at finishing third.

 

Tallying the results.

Your 2012 VBM results (as best I could make out):

1. Clark: 12:32
2. Stevenson: 13:03
3. Gisler: 14:15
4. Burnett: 14:44
5. May: 15:12
6. Josh: 16:12
7 (1). Clarke: 17:19
8. Mike M: 18:30
9 (2). O'Connor: 18:37
10. Jesse G: 19:20
11. Will H: 19:45
12. Gareth: 20:11
13 (3). Nora: 22:10
14. Glen: 22:29
15. Slow Aaron: 24:53
16. Sam HN: 25:30
17 (4). Flanagan: 25:50
18 (5). Fast Krista: 25:53
19 (6). Lindsey: 26:00
20. Roberson: 28:28
21. Scott the Hobbit: 29:30
22 (7). Wilburn: 30:09

DFL. Jones: 2:07:33

Honorable Mention:

Wesir & Burch: 17:10 (1st in the relay non-category).