Miles: 86 mi
Vertical: 8.200' gain
Notes: Leaning toward a taper for a 50k in two weeks. I'll probably reduce my training miles in this next 7-10 days. Feeling strong right now and down at 'race weight'. I'm excited to be getting the miles I am in our Colorado winter. I look forward to Spring, when I can increase my mileage and venture deeper into the rocky mountains.
Mon: 16 mi; 3,600' vert; El Dorado Canyon & Mountain; Mesa Trail; Climbed w/Sherpa . Sherpa is a professional mountain guide and he took me into some areas I thought were inaccessible (except by helicopter.) His new gopro camera came too...so we got some video of this sweet training day.
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| El Dorado Canyon |
Tues: 9 mi; Treadmill Tempo; It was 7 deg when I woke up and the rest of the week is supposed to be 40-50 deg....which means, today is 'tempo day'. Ran with traditional kick-ass Celtic music and bagpipes. It was as awesome as a treadmill can be.
Wed: 14 mi; 2,700' gain; Mesa Trail & Stuff; I make it a habit of ignoring the weather man unless there is red text on the screen indicating some type of safety warning. If I did listen to what they said, I would be discouraged to run in the crappy conditions that are sure to happen anyway. Hence, being the only guy at the trail head again in gusting winds in sub-freezing temps. Most of the run was fine, but there were moments when I wished I was somewhere, anywhere, else....like maybe a warm bathroom, a transient's tent, or even a dumpster behind McDonalds.
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| My car, the only car, at a popular trail head in crap-ass conditions |
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| Icy trails from Chataqua Park |
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| Relentless Cold Wind |
Thurs: 7 mi; Dry Creek Trail; Woke up with no motivation. The wind was crazy outside. I picked up my iphone and looked at the temp, "53 deg". It was too late to make it to the mountains, so I dragged myself outside. But, as usual...quite happy I did. The winds weren't that bad and it really was over 50 deg. Ran a bit of barefoot in the last mile.
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| Ahh yeah... |
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| A wee bit. |
Fri: 7 mi; NCAR & Bear Canyon; 1,500' vert; I've lost all motivation to run on anything but mountain trails. Some days, I just drive west and make random turns, park, and run. From NCAR, I ran west and headed up Bear Canyon. Western States 100 Champion Geoff Roes came flying down the singletrack on ice. I threw a quick wave hello and he waved back, only briefly taking his eyes of the icy trail. Per his blog, he's in Colorado preparing for a little run they call Iditarod. (Holy crap)
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| I must admit I feel warmth and increased blood pressure... energy from inside as I pull up to the trailhead. Comparative to a drug addict? Yes..I think I am comfortable saying I am addicted to endurance and the adventure any day can provide. This drug empowers my body and mind, fulfilling my physiological need to explore the environment, my physical abilities, and my mind. |
Sat: 30 mi; "Southside 50k" group run; Superior, Doudy Draw, El Dorado Canyon; Rattlesnake; 2,800' vert; A highly successful 'fat ass' run organized mostly by Cindy Stonesmith yielded a group run of almost 40 total. Everyone carved out different distances to meet their needs, but the group started and finished in the same location. Later, I ran a couple miles barefoot with my son, Jalen. He's just full of awesome.
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| "Southside 50k" group training |
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| El Dorado Canyon |
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| Rattlesnake |
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| Me and the future of endurance sports |
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| Born into a family of endurance athletes, he has no mental limitations. At 3 weeks old, we carried him across the Ironman finish line. At 3 years old, he was the last official finisher of a trail race at 8,000'. At 4 years old, he climbed the highest peak in Boulder unassisted. At 5, he ran a half marathon. I think of my son as an individual, whom I feed with respect, knowledge, discipline, and guidance. I fuel his body and mind with the best food on earth. I am envious of his innocent positivity and proud to be his dad because he gives me hope. |
Sun: 3 mi; Dry Creek Trail; I spend Sunday finding my balance. I juice fresh vegetables 3-4 times and eat raw vegan. I read and watch documentaries. Much of my interest and research in the past month has been Buddhism, energy vortex, and magnetism.
The video below is absolutely epic. John shared this with me and its really powerful. This video captures the feeling and experience of a great 100 mile mountain ultra. Time stands still, and the sun rises and falls. The night comes and goes...and we just keep running. As ultra-endurance athletes, we come to experience nature in a much different way...we work with the earth and come to know the subtle changes that happen every day and throughout the year. Changes and adaptation to environmental factors like cold, wind, water erosion, light, and dark, shape the earth into its magnificence. Ultra athletes, too, are shaped by these forces, and the mental and physiological adaptation that takes place develops us into advanced versions of our previous selves.
Wonderful landscape :)
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