Trail Bum

No Logs, No Fire

2012-02-09T17:37:00.000-08:00

I haven't felt real enthused about training. Races always seem fun, but I suppose if I don't rain, there won't be anything fun about 34+ miles across slick-rock, or 50 miles on any mountain course.

This year, I haven't bothered to update my Excel spreadsheet running log. I don't plan to, either. I don't figure I'll be logging enough mileage. The whole purpose was to guarantee that I don't over-do it, yet maximize the miles. I don't plan to train with such fervor anymore.

My right foot still hurts, but not as much as it did sitting on my ass. Still, I'm wary of putting too many miles on it. I want to spend more time using weights and my ergometer.

Mostly, I'm still too busy doing city things to get to the hills very much. I'm also trying to spend less money. Gas is too expensive to hop in and drive 200 miles to exotic places, or even often to less exotic places.
The smog in Denver is choking me more than ever, even though smog isn't as bad as it used to be in past years. I think the more smog my lungs process, the more toxins accumulate, and the more incessant my coughing, hacking, spitting, and nose-blowing becomes. Anyone who knows me knows I cough a LOT! Especially while running. It's one reason I usually prefer to run and power-hike alone.

Bergen Peak

2012-02-07T21:35:00.000-08:00

We got a nice snow storm Thursday night and Friday. It made for an awesome and difficult run. When I raised my feet as high as I could each stride, my toes were still plowing through several inches on top. It wasn't fluffy snow, either, but tiny flakes that pack closely together. Some guy drove real slow next to me at one point and yelled out his window, "Dude! you're frickin' hard core! Keep it up!" That cracked me up. Geez - civilians. Their so funny.

Superbowl Sunday, I drove to Bergen Park in a rush and put in some hours on the trail before the party. The area had reportedly gotten 28" of snow. The lower trails had been well packed by snowshoers, hikers, and skiers, but not a soul bothered to trudge uphill. So it was very hard going, but wonderfully pristine virgin snow. Some sections of trail were mid-thigh deep, and others had packed and melted in micro-climates to only ankle deep. And that's with me wearing my running snowshoes - I was still sinking in deep.
I didn't take poles because I wanted more of a core work-out. Man, between shoveling snow at home and plowing up Bergen Peak, my middle was fried.
I saw a couple of deer close-up, and whistled at them to calm them down.
The higher I got, the colder it got. I was barely wearing enough clothing, and I could have used an additional layer on my calves, but I came out okay.
I always forget my camera, so no photos - sorry.
I was so beat I almost fell asleep during the Superbowl.

In spite of not logging more than about 7 miles a week since Thanksgiving (except for a few stray long runs), I've suddenly been logging some miles each day in preparation for Moab Red Hot 55K. Of course, it's too little, too late, but better than nothing. Even though I'm running 6 days a week, some days I only do a couple of miles. With all the snow and ice, though, the miles have been much harder than normal. I've also used my Concept2 rowing ergometer a little bit. It's still going to be an ugly, grueling race for me. But if I'm on the trail and still moving, I'm happy.

Since my foot started hurting, even though I had nearly stopped running, I theorized that running on it again would make it hurt less. Guess what? I was right. It still hurts some, so looks like I need to run even more. Someone told me that only ultra-runners say stuff like that. All I know is I'm going to hurt one way or the other, because I've always had arthritis. The day I hold still is the day I turn to stone. And nothing will stop the pain then.

Man, am I fat! My belly is starting to jiggle. It's very disconcerting. I have no idea how I got fat - I think I'll have some more cherry pie and a beer while I try to figure it out.

Vi Endurance

2012-02-04T09:47:00.000-08:00

A set of friends a little north was having their public "outing" of Vi Fuel while my friends and I were in Estes Park. (Vi is pronounced "vee".)
Vi Endurance was started by Michael Hodges, Mike Poland, and Alan Smith. It's a new energy gel for ultra athletes. If you look at the ingredients, you'll see that it's different from any other product, including blocks. Vi has no refined, simple sugars. I have always preferred Hammer Heed because it has no simple sugars, but the taste was bland so I mixed it with Gatorade. Vi tastes sweet, though (not sure how they managed that). It doesn't taste as overly-sweet as other gu's, but it doesn't taste like bland, thickened Heed.
Since they're just starting out, there are only three flavors, chocolate, vanilla, and peach cobbler.
Vi is not yet available in many stores, but you can buy it here.
Expect to see plenty of people wearing Vi shirts and using Vi at the Moab Red hot 55K coming up in two weeks.
One of the other things I love about their website is all the featured runners in the banners are my friends from north-of-Denver on the trails we all run on.
Vi also has a Facebook page.

Estes Park Getaway

2012-02-04T08:56:00.000-08:00

I ran off to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park with friends last weekend.
The following photo is the only one my iPhone let me take before the cold zapped the battery and forced it to shut down.

As usual, I neglected to bring my real camera, so I stole the rest of these photos from my friends.

Brandy and Julia took turns dragging each other around the ice on Bear Lake. There was plenty of silliness that day, with snow angels, butt-surfing, and other goofiness. Our little-child inner selves were out!

Some of the ice was so clear you could see down to the water 20" below, and some very interesting cracks. I wish I'd had my camera! I could have taken some cool little videos.

There was less snow than I've ever seen for this time of year. This kept the wildlife dispersed through the forests - no need to come down to Estes Park or the meadows of RMNP.

Fried Foods

2012-01-26T12:00:00.000-08:00

This is a stupid research report...
Fried food heart risk 'a myth'
Most of us know the rule to avoid "fried food" refers to deep-fat friers, which can also be done with several inches of fat in a deep skillet.
This study, however, included sauteed food. It seemed to focus on sauteed foods. You know, a pan and a squirt of oil or spray of canola, sunflower, sesame, or olive oil.

So today we hear about a teenager who collapsed and was rushed to the hospital because she's been 'surviving' on fried McDonald's food. The problem was lack of vitamins. Granted, if she had been taking one multivitamin a week her whole life, she probably wouldn't have collapsed, but even then she'd have poor health. Deep-fat frying destroys vitamins. In fact, many scientists say that vitamins themselves can be toxic - they're too concentrated. On an empty stomach, some vitamins are somewhat poisonous.

Nothing beats whole, uncooked foods. I don't think this includes "whole" boxes of McNuggets.

I don't eat a perfect diet, but I also won't lie to myself or twist the truth.

(That's why I have to say that dark chocolate RULES!!!)

It's a Jeff Thing - You Wouldn't Understand

2012-01-02T07:56:00.000-08:00

That's what a shirt says that my boss gave me for Christmas. I'm a quirky person. Duh.
My boss knew I'd take this the right way, and my co-workers thought it was perfect - perfectly right-on funny!
She found this shirt in a store, and there were no others. You might think there were lots of shirts with various names, but there weren't. Sure, there probably are other shirts somewhere, but there was only this one shirt with "Jeff" on it, and she thought it was perfect.

For sure, I'm not wired the same as normal people. Not better, not worse - just very different. And this makes my friends laugh, and smile and we have fun with it.

I went to a wedding in Nebraska over New Years. My religious beliefs are very different than my parents, and I got all sorts of ridicule over the past couple of decades. They just couldn't let it drop! Every time I got with more than one family member they couldn't resist ganging up with derogatory crap about how I'm going to hell and whatever. So I wasn't looking forward to the weekend.
However, somewhere along the line, they seem to have changed their collective minds. Apparently my tenacious willingness to sideline my own gratuitous pleasures to stay devoted to being my son's father have surprised them. For a damned and worthless creature, I have been honorable, strong, and responsible. Heck, almost virtuous. So they didn't slather on the ridicule.
We didn't celebrate New Years. There was enough partying related to the pre-, during-, post-wedding that New Years kind of got lost in the shuffle. In short, we all had a really good time, and there wasn't any religious bullshit all weekend long. I never thought I'd see the day! Hallelujah and happy new year!

Fizzle

2011-12-29T19:34:00.000-08:00

This year was carbonated - it fizzled. I pretty much lost steam in life back in April. After years of realizing my relationship days are long gone, and then things at work went terribly wrong - unjustifiably - my morale hit the pits. Not much seemed worth any effort. I normally am a very enthusiastic person who throws his passion into everything. I'm creative and fast-moving. I'm extremely effective.
But I lost all my steam.

The politics of this country and direction it's taken, and how far in debt its gone makes me believe there is no way this country is going to survive. The only question is how long the death-throes will take. And how many other countries will die with us in this global economy?

My job looks like a dead-end. I am loyal to the core, but there have been too many times where certain key entities have basically told me "wait", don't", "do this instead" (knowing full well some other entity will have my ass if I do). I'm between a rock and a hard place. Damned if I do and damned if I don't. It's the worst mess since I got hired. But at least I still have a job, even if the joy is completely gone.

My brothers hope some day we'll have a ranch near Buena Vista. We're trying to figure out how we can afford it, and how we'll make a living. It could be many years away.
One of my brothers has been unemployed for years now. Heck, people we're hiring at work were unemployed for 1.5-2yrs on average.
My son can't find a job. He's going back to school in June - I hope I still have a job and I can still afford his tuition.

My right foot has been pretty bad since early Fall. It shows no sign of improvement. As far as I know, my foot will hurt until the day I die. I'm just glad I can still run some. It's bearable.
I have too many injured friends. Ultra-running can be cruel if you pretend you're invulnerable and just like everyone else. Some do fine running 100's their whole life. Others die from health issues. Most of us are in-between, and we should admit it. not too quickly, mind you - too many people accept limitations too soon and give up. If you accept excuses, you'll never achieve anything - you'll never be all you can be. But it's a dumb thing to cripple yourself for the last several decades of your life, like many of my friends have done.

My life feels like I'm backed into a corner and there's no way out. It's not the worst "corner" a guy could find himself in - I still feel fortunate as hell. I'm still pretty healthy and employed. I'm not about to lose the house. I'm not going hungry and not worried about how I'm going to feed myself. That's some degree of hope.
But it isn't happiness.
That pretty much sums up 2011 to me. Sorry for the downer, but it's all I have. It could be worse.

Winter Runs

2011-12-23T17:57:00.000-08:00

A storm had just blown in and covered everything with 6-12" of fresh, dense snow.

The Wednesday night run at City Park was in big-puffy-flakes falling down. I love running in this kind of snow-fall!!!

This week's DTR Thursday run was done on South Table Mountain. By then the snow was harder to get through. I wore my Atlas racing snow-shoes. It was a lot of fun.

On the way back, I found myself running alone. I heard a coyote around the bend. As I came around, I slowed and looked in the direction of yapping. I didn't see the coyote, but I saw a mule deer trotting up the mountain with obvious fear. No doubt there were a couple of other coyotes who were not yapping. The yapper corrals the deer while the others move in from the sides and try to ham-string the deer.
It was really cool to happen onto such a scene! Think of all those sorry saps sitting at home watching TV and I was watching real coyotes hunting real deer in a beautiful winter wonderland!

In Buena Vista last weekend, while trial-running, I decided to explore off-trail. I didn't stray far because there were boot tracks and I was afraid a hunter might shoot me. However, I saw the biggest freakin' canine tracks I've ever seen in the wild. They were as big as my hand. There are some people who break the laws and have wolf-dog hybrids. Too many hybrids attacked people, so they're confiscated when found and sent to refuges, or killed. So maybe this was a hybrid? Or, maybe wolves, which were re-introduced to Colorado many years ago (and my brother and I found a carcass of one with a tracking collar near Idaho Springs), have worked their way down south far enough to be wondering the hills around BV?

There were tons of deer around BV and Salida. They practically walk right up to you. They aren't "tame". They're used to a particular distance. If you look at them, or move the wrong direction, they bolt slowly away. I've found that if I whistle from a high-note to a low-note, it calms them. In fact, when I was younger, I could lure deer within 20 feet of me by wallowing in the grass and whistling. Curiosity could get them killed. Some deer can't resist checking out such a bizarre display. If I had a bow, they could be venison steaks.

Straight Razors

2011-12-23T17:26:00.000-08:00

I had to buy some new razor cartridges, and was pissed that they cost so much. Less-expensive ones were higher quality, but had all sorts of plastic and packaging added. It pissed me off. So much disposable and over-priced crap! The modern shaving razor market is a "racket". Stop the train! I want off!

So I used Amazon to find a straight razor. I decided on a Solingen stainless steel straight razor with a cheap plastic handle. All the handle does it cover the blade when stored. When you shave, it has nothing to do with the job. So I spent all my money on the blade and didn't give a hoot about the handle.
Some people take great pride (arrogance?) in the whole religious shaving thing, and they want the prettiest straight razor this side of hell. Me, I just wanted to stop filling the land-fills with stupid plastic and wasting my money. Sorry Gillette - kiss my consumer ass.

The Solingen was nearly impossible to sharpen. For weeks, there was no noticeable progress. All I managed to do was scrape skin off my neck. I was extremely exfoliated, for sure.

Then when I was coming home from my vacation, I stopped in Leadville and visited the big antique shop. I found an old Blue Ring straight razor for only $84. Victorian-age, in the box, and as far as I could tell it was never used. You can tell because the rounded spine ends up with a flat side the more it's sharpened. From the factory, there's very minimal flat. It came in the original box, greased. A 115yr-old brand-new straight razor for less money than I paid for my stainless steel modern one. Wow!
With very little sharpening, I was able to shave with it.
I ended up buying a straight-razor sharpening stone and strop, since I had such a hard time sharpening. Wouldn't you know it - the instant I spent the money, the Solingen started shaving.
When the new stone and strop came, it didn't help - it actually dulled the blade, so I went back to my old stone.
I started with my diamond file, from my machinist days. Then I graduated to my fine-grained dark Arkansas stone. Apparently the Arkansas stone is the very best. It seems I wasted my money on the strop and razor stone.

With two straight razors, plus paraphernalia, I wasted lots of money, but I hope the landfills never see anymore garbage from me from shaving. And eventually I'll end up saving money. It'll take years, though - I already have about $290 in this new shaving gear.

Salida & BV

2011-12-23T17:08:00.000-08:00

Some day, I might move to the Buena Vista area - or Salida. The locals, especially the ones who were born there, cringe when they hear yet another city-slicker is moving their way. Well I'm certainly in Denver, but a city-slicker is not very accurate for a guy who spent most of his life in tiny towns and whose only idea of fun has been to head into the woods.

I took a four-day vacation to scout out the area. Instead of doing a race or climb or camping trip, I concentrated my efforts on the towns. Previous visits used towns only as bases to launch my fun from - I never took them seriously. But this time I was looking at real estate, jobs, etc.

Of course, while down there, I used the shooting range twice, the hot springs once, and went trail running twice. I spent the night in the back of my Subaru.

The Proving Grounds coffee shop in Leadville is gone. City on the Hill coffee and espresso is the new name. All the usual faces are gone. Most of the new employees show very little personality, yet the food is just as good. Maybe the food is better - I had a pesto turkey sandwich that was awesome! At least one guy, who might be the new owner, has plenty of personality and is really cool. That makes up for the somewhat boring other people.
I can't help missing the old crew, though. But the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, and that sandwich is working on my allegiance.

El Chubbo 2011

2011-12-13T21:29:00.000-08:00

The annual El Chubbo Grande run near Fort Collins was every bit as fun as I'd hoped. After months of getting fat and slow, I let my legs stride out.

It was colder and definitely snowier than last year. There was even several scary patches of ice below Horsetooth rock, but I managed not to wipe-out. The snow slowed everyone down, and only the most elite bothered to go the full 50k distance.

I carpooled, and our driver wanted to get back by 4pm, so I grabbed a ride back at an aid station after only 21 miles.

Commuting, Work, Dreams

2011-12-03T09:04:00.000-08:00

I don't know about blogger etiquette, but they solicited everyone to link to their blog anyway, so I have their consent.
This post is so dead-on, and covers just about every tiny facet of fiscal reasons why living close to work is important. Any how you should buy a car, which car, why, etc.

The True Cost of Commuting

When I was 20 (some time in the last century in a land far, far away), my car broke down and I had to hoof it to work. That was crazy long and hard. So I bought a 10-speed for 10$ at a garage sale. Even biking took its toll on me (I was no athlete back then [how ironic that this older version of me can run circles around my younger self]). The lesson was learned: Always find work close to home so you have the option to walk, run, and/or bike to work - or take public transportation.

I also refuse to buy cars with a loan. If the money isn't in the bank, I can't afford it. People say that's crazy! It sure has saved me several thousand dollars in interest over the past few decades. Also, many insurance companies charge you higher rates if you have a lien on your car. If you get a loan on a car, it should be to boost your credit rating. You don't need to take the full term to pay it off. You can pay it off a couple months afterwards and your credit rating will soar.
But if I want a higher credit rating, I'll do it with a lower-interest loan, and do the same thing - pay it off after a couple of months. Auto loans charge the highest interest rates of any loan you can get.

I currently work 5.4 miles from work, if I drive the back-roads, which are safer and more predictable.
If I take the highway, good luck with the traffic-jams, but it's only 5.3 miles. It's more reliable going home, and some days I can get home in only 5 minutes.
But if I ride my bike, that's dangerous as hell. The area between home and work is a cluster-phuk of interstate highways, one-way streets, railroad tracks, Lightrail tracks, and clogged streets. So to ride my bike the safest way, I have to go the wrong way in many places to avoid the most dangerous sections. This takes me through Washington Park, then along the Cherry Creek paths. The air quality is horrible, especially in winter, so someone with asthma like myself is not actually getting healthier by biking to work.
Light-rail requires that I walk/jog 3.9 miles round-trip, so public transit isn't fast. There's a way to take your bike on Lightrail, but seriously, at the times I go to and from work, the trains are sardine cans. There are times a train stops and the doors open, and its all the passengers can do to keep from spilling out - there's no room for more, much less an entire bike. If I have to wait for a later train, I'm late for work.
We need more trains, but they're spending all their money expanding the tracks to newer routes east and west and diverting jammed-up trains from busy routes to new routes, leaving even fewer trains for the busy routes. Yikes! Suffice it to say that Lightrail hasn't worked out for me.

I know several people who live in Colorado Springs, Boulder, Ft. Collins, yet they work in Denver. They spend all their free time (and money) driving. I won't judge too harshly - many had the perfect formula, work and home close, they start a family, then they lose their job. To keep the house, and to provide for the mortgage, the kids, and everything, they are desperate.

My dream is to work from home. How's that for a commute? I could go home for lunch every day! I want a two-car garage-sized shop that I can work in, and an income from my shop, and income from my technical skills, some through the Internet and some from making house calls to fix computers or set up Internet/networking stuff. All I would need is an Internet connection, UPS/FedEx, and a workshop.
At that point, I'd be extremely mobile and could live just about anywhere. My dream is to move to Salida, Colorado, or somewhere like that, with a lot of land to play on.

It snowed Thursday, and I had a beautiful run in Elk Meadow. Now Saturday, it's snowing again. I love fluffy new snow! I like walking through it and the unique "smunching" sound it makes.

Erands and Projects

2011-11-20T22:01:00.000-08:00

I've been the Denver Trail Runners moderator for the month of November. It's not so hard when there's no races in my schedule.

I've been very busy doing things that I kept putting off while racing all the time. It's been years since I've bought any civilian clothing, like jeans. I ran out of things like shaving razor blades and shampoo. So I've been doing lots of shopping instead of lots of running.
My brothers and I have wanted a 1qt-1gal gallon paint sprayer, so I shopped online and found some with real good reviews. Finally, I bought one.

I also got to do some computer work for an old friend I hadn't seen in a couple of years. It's nice to catch-up.

My brothers and I are going to try to get several of our engineering ideas patented. Then maybe we can get some things into production. These are long-term plans we hope will allow us to be self-employed.

My Colt Navy 1851 revolver was missing the barrel catch for the reload plunger. I tried to order one from Dixie Gunworks, but instead of coming, I got an invoice that stated it was canceled - no explanation as to why. But my powder flask came. Well, I really, REALLY needed that barrel-catch! No kidding! So why didn't' they call or email? The order asked for my phone#. So I was pissed - partly because they charged $7.95 postage and handling and all I got was one item. I guess I won't be doing business with them ever again.
So I looked into my junk, grabbed a piece of metal, started sawing and grinding and filing and sanding. Geez, it only took me an hour to make the damn thing from scratch, and even had a bottle of gun-blue to darken it. I hammered it into place and now my Navy 1851 is whole again.
The flask had three set-screws that were loose. I had to take them out and apply Lock-tite before reassembling and filling with powder.
Then I made a percussion cap nipple-wrench from a piece of steel tubing and made a handle out of brass.

This working-with-my-hands stuff is what I have always liked. I don't have a real workshop, but I do have tools. I just do what I can with what I have.

I'm not sure when I'll be able to shoot it for the first time.

I now want an old-fashioned straight-razor. Extra shaving cartridges were on my list. What a scam! Ten cost $20.59 at Target. But I can buy 4 disposables of slightly better quality, also by Gillette, for $6.59 ($1.65ea.) This is moronic. The small cartridges cost nearly twice as much as disposables that will add 300% more crap to our landfills. I can't fathom why they do it this way. They also made deals so that no cheaper store-brand knock-offs are made to compete. This is kind of good in that crap Asian stuff doesn't push out the quality items, but it's still a racket that has a different kind of penalty. Shaving stuff has been this way for many years. The industry rewards you for choosing the big, wasteful packaging with more disposable junk.
So I'm ready to give up. Just give me a straight razor and some soap. I'll shave the old-fashioned way. I already have a brush.
I'll still be trimming with my little Wahl beard-trimmer, but the shaving-to-the-skin will be done with a blade.

Twice a week

2011-11-16T21:01:00.000-08:00

I run twice a week, Wed & Thurs evenings. Maybe every three weeks, I'll also run a Monday.
Being rested, when I do run, I tend to run faster than I've been accustomed to. I regularly run 8:00 or faster, concentrating on using my feet to propel myself a couple of extra inches each stride. This keeps me springy, keeps me from trashing my knees, and strengthens my feet, especially my arches.

Weekends have been spent recreating in less strenuous ways. I've been shooting, shopping online for gun parts to repair or upgrade.

I bought a Navy 1851 black-powder revolver that's as old as I am. This is something I've been wanting for many years. I bought it in Victor Colorado, near Cripple Creek.

This instigated much research on my part. Mine is a brass frame - apparently Confederates used more brass, where Union troops had mostly steel frames. Also, the term "Navy" was gleaned from the caliber: .36. Mine is a .44, which has a step in the cylinder for the bigger loads. So at a glance, you can tell the difference by looking for the step in the cylinder. Obviously the .44 doesn't hold true to the original Colt design.
I've always wanted three black-powder guns, the Navy 1851, a single-shot flintlock pistol, and a .50 Hawken that I insist on building myself from a kit. I want to do the stock myself, and I'm not sure I'll even use the wood stock that comes with the kit - depends on what design customizations I chose. I want it to be a freakin' masterpiece. I used to be a silversmith, in another life, and a tool&die machinist later, so I have the skills. But I need a bigger workshop for that project.

Back to running, there's been lots of talk about Fat Ass wannabes. There is a greater demand than there are races. So maybe I'll slap something together not too far from Denver, and not too high - so that weather can't derail the plans.

Differnet Strokes

2011-11-05T23:30:00.000-07:00

I have only been running Wed and Thurs, mostly, since Sept.

Large feasts are rare, to avoid gaining weight.

Last Monday, I somehow managed to run 8 miles faster than I think I have in 32 years.

Arthritis in my right foot is getting pretty bad, and causes me to limp a lot, but not while running.

I've been shooting my guns often. This is something I did many years ago, but since my son was born I haven't done much. I used to be an incredible shot with my Glock 17 and Glock 19. It was a natural ability that became better with practice, but I found that neither my natural nor my practiced abilities exist anymore. I guess I'll have to actually train to become good again.
My new AR-15 is very fun to shoot, but I'm having a hard time figuring it out. At 100 yards many shots strayed, but at 508 yards, I shot 20 rounds within about 5" while standing free and shooting fairly rapidly. Go figure. We'll see if I can continue that sort of accuracy the next time.
I wish I had a longer range to shoot at. I would like the opportunity to shoot 7.62mm out to half a mile, if only I could find a safe and legal place to shoot that far.
I used to reload lots of 9mm, but I now need to reload 9mm, .40S&W, 5.56mm, 7.62x39, and if I get the gun of my dreams, 7.62x51 also.

Shooting ranges are getting closed all over the place. There are too many idiots, and all it takes is a couple of idiots to ruin things for everyone else. People take TVs and computers to free outdoor ranges and shoot them up and leave the junk. So these places get posted - no shooting. I have taught my son, always leave with more junk than you showed up with. Always show respect and be safe.

I will return to more camping, like in previous years. Winter used to be my favorite time of year to camp. Maybe it will be again. Hopefully I'm not a wimpy old geezer yet!

Aspen Golden Leaf Half 2011

2011-09-27T19:56:00.000-07:00

Vasque and Ute Mountaineering put on a great race each year. My patience with crowded races has grown thin these years but the 4-wave start really helps tremendously. Since I go with a large gang of friends (well over 20 of us), and the scenery is great, I find this race hard to resist. It's become an annual thing.

After 50-mile races the two weekends before, I guess I wasn't at my best, but I couldn't tell by the feeling. I got in touch with my inner maniac and ran as hard as I could.
They changed the course. They made it harder and better, but there's more climbing at the start than previous times I did this. Since I'm no good at climbing, it took me 14 minutes longer than my PR for this course.
I almost wiped-out about six times, but never crashed.
I felt so freakin' fast! I was surprised when I still had over a mile to go when I reached my PR time limit.
I finished 10th in my age and 155th overall (out of 748 finishers) in the top 21%. I'm not proud of it, but I guess it could have been worse. If I want to be faster, I'll just have to get faster, right?

Steamboat 2011 Run Rabbit Run 50

2011-09-19T22:03:00.001-07:00

I was going for a PR for the course, but I was a couple minutes short. But a very fun weekend, for sure.

My recovery from my 50-mile PR 6 days before was rocky. I jogged 5.5 miles on Wed., then Thurs. morning I felt certain I was going to throw-up. That passed, but I didn't feel great the rest of the day. Then Thurs. night, I came down with a fever that lasted all night. It went away just in time for me to get up. I had Friday off, so I packed and drove to Steamboat, wondering if I was even going to start the race.

I slept in the back of my Forester, as usual, and the cold rain woke me up about 20 minutes early. I used the time to cut out circular athletic tape to put on my nipples. It was going to be a wet day and I didn't want bloody nipples staining my shirts.

The rain stopped in time for me to walk to the start line. It wasn't too cold or wet at the start. In fact, it was kind of perfect.

I took it easy the first mile, but then started to push harder than normal. If I was going to PR, I was going to have to keep pushing harder than normal.

After about 5 miles of climbing, we ran up into a cloud. We stayed in the cloud until the return, running back down out of it.

It started raining when I was about mile 22, and it just got worse from there. It rained pretty hard, and it was freezing-ass cold. The rain often turned into sleet and/or snow, then back to rain. I was soaked by the time I got to the Dumont aid station at mile 28.
This aid stop derailed my PR. The freezing rain had too many runners trying to stuff themselves under too few canopies. I had nowhere to put my bag and change. Finally I grabbed a spot and yanked my shirts off, but all I could find was one dry short-sleeve shirt inside, not a long-sleeve also. So I put the dry short-sleeve on and the soaked long-sleeve over that, and my ultra-lite rain jacket over that.

I left as fast as I could. A sock change would have been comical, since the single-track trough we often ran in was filled with water. Mud was everywhere and slimy like grease. The creeks doubled in flow. Occasional winds sucker-punched whatever shred of warmth surplus I could generate.
Man, was that fun! LOL
It was fun, but a bit dangerous. Half of the leaders had to drop from hypothermia.
In fact, nearly 50 people dropped, and no shame about it. It's the only ultra I've even done where the aid station volunteers sometimes had to suggest to runners that maybe they should quit - for safety-sake. You either had enough clothing or you didn't. If you didn't, you should stop. The conditions were the worst of any race I've ever done. The aid stations were too far and few to be screwing around out there without enough clothing.

The volunteers were the best. This may not be fair to volunteers at some other races, where the merde didn't hit the fan and allow them to show their mettle, but the Steamboat crew sure did a phenomenal job. No one was injured or lost.

Pretty much everyone who was out there lost the feeling in their hands and faces. I'll bet some volunteers were even in bad shape. Vehicles at aid stations had the engines running and runners were sitting inside, stacked on top of each other sometimes.

I barely had enough clothing to keep moving, and was gravely concerned for my well-being. BIG THANKS to Kelly and Katie for looking after me for a few miles.

Once I hit the last 10k downhill to the finish, my legs muscles carried me fast. My heart and lungs were fried, but my leg muscles take whatever I throw at them.

I ran a sloppy 2nd half of the race, and no doubt could have taken 15 minutes off my PR. I stayed horribly long at Dumont, the Long Lake stop was too long because the volunteer filled my 70oz bladder all the way up - my fault for not saying half-way. And half-way would have been faster, not to mention less weight. I only used 30 of those ounces the entire rest of the race! So I carried 40oz of dead weight for 13.6 miles! My brain was frozen! So that all adds up to a lot of lost speed. I finished in ~11:26 and my PR was 11:23:24.
That means next year 11:10 is mandatory.

I love this race for the family atmosphere. So many of us know others. It has a real local home feeling that I really feel a part of. People who run Run Rabbit really like to run for the sake of running.

It's amazing my poor battered body responded so well, so close after my other race. I'm now attempting to repeat the fast recovery so that I can hit the trails at the Aspen Golden Leaf half marathon a week later. Hell - it's just a half-, right? The problem is, a PR means running it under 2 hours, which for me is ridiculous. So that's my plan - ridiculous.

Hell Froze Over

2011-09-14T16:21:00.000-07:00

I won a race.
Naw, I'm not making this up.
Yes, it was a tiny event with no real competition.
I mean there were other ultra-runners there, but most of the people involved weren't even actual athletes. Some were soldiers recovering from grave injuries. Others were elderly parents of soldiers, lost or living.
It was the American Heroes Run in Longmont, CO. It's a fun, low-key event. There's only as much competition as you decide to have. There were only a couple other ultra-runner guys and a few ultra-runner women. The other ultra participants were not experienced as racers. The main theme was to commemorate the events of 9/11/2011, and all those who died that day and the decade since.
We ran for 9 hours and 11 minutes.
It began at 8:46AM, the same time the first plane hit the first tower.

The weather was clear and beautiful.
An Honor Guard was there in full uniform.
David Clarke and Emily Booth from Lifetime Fitness put the event on. There was a half-marathon, marathon, and ultra. There were also some team events.
As far as running, I was hoping to get a PR for 50 miles. I ended up not getting 50 miles within the time limit, but I kept going until I had done 50 miles. My new 50 distance record is 9:13.

The sky was almost entirely clear. Many stopped to take long breaks from the scorching sun. The temps were fine, but that relentless sun will microwave your noggin if you stay out too long. I just kept my cap wet and my sun-flap wrapped around my head.

Nobody was even paying attention to who was leading for most of the race. The other couple of guys were younger and faster than me, but I was the only one with a clear goal. My goal had nothing to do with other runners.
With less than three hours left in the race, Jeremy Ebel and I found out I had barely more than a 2 mile lead. He suddenly stopped horsing around and started running.
I had honestly lost interest in my 50-mile PR, and was interested in coasting through the rest of the time with more and more walking each lap. But Jeremy was trying to take this old, fat man's one-and-only win away, so I decided to give it a good go. He gained on me so fast I knew there was nothing I could do, but I couldn't resist making him earn it. Jeremy seemed to chew up nearly half a mile of my lead and then he was only barely gaining on me. And then he wasn't gaining on me. And then he just ran out of time.
By then, my 50-mile PR was back in sight again, so I kept pushing and made it.
I'm sure glad Jeremy was there to keep me honest.
Unfortunately, I was planning on taking it easy because my next race, 6 days after, is Steamboat 50. I hurt, and Steamboat is going to be "interesting". But it always is.

Recovery

2011-08-29T20:37:00.000-07:00

As pathetic as it may sound, I'm physically fine - except the skin is going to eventually fall off the bottoms of my feet. I never got to the point of physical exhaustion. I sure was tired, but we all were at 70+ miles, but I wasn't "spent". My muscles weren't even sore during or after the race.
I'm was kind of tired of talking about Leadville even before the race. There's a few noteworthy things though.

I screwed my race up by not changing shoes at Twin Lakes. That's the worst thing I did to my race. Oh, well.

I ran the Leadville 50 in my La Sportivas and got them very wet nearly the whole race, and there wasn't any hint of the troubles I would have in the 100. So that was a surprise. It's not like my shoes were untested, but I did forget a lesson from very many years ago. I seem to remember blogging years ago that shoes shouldn't be waterproof, but instead they should dry out fast. So uppers should be netting so that water drains out instantly, and shoes begin to dry out quickly. Lesson forgotten. Crosslites are great shoes, but I don't recommend them for Leadville unless you where multiple layers of socks - even panty-hose socks outside of Drymax could do the job.

My lungs are odd. They behaved as if completely healed at the Leadville 50, in spite of pushing too hard the first half of the race.
The lungs behave this way...
The stressor is the uphills, yet somehow the lungs are fine uphill. Even though the stress builds, it also somehow keeps my lungs clear. When I start heading downhill, the stress is off, but the stress has been loaded. My lungs start to fill on the downhills. If I hammer the downhills, which is what I've always been good at, then I manage to put some stress on down the hills and help reduce the lung-flooding. I can easily get through a 50 this way, or even a 100K, but there has always been hell to pay once I stop. When I stop, there's no stress, so my lungs flood quickly and I cough so hard I almost vomit and break a rib.

When I got to Halfpipe, they couldn't find my drop-bag. I thought they were going to keep looking, since I told them I needed it really bad. While I waited, I took off my shoes and socks and saw the state of me feet - bad. Then I ate some soup, put my shoes and socks on, and hobbled from tent to tent looking for my drop-bag.
Apparently someone somewhere gave the Halfpipe crew a list of bib numbers who had DNF'd earlier in the race. So they grabbed those bags out of the orderly line-up of drop-bags and tossed them into a disorganized heap. Whether they accidentally grabbed mine, or an entire list of bogus DNF's were given to them, the result was the same. When I stop, my lungs get worse, not better. So not getting my drop-bag was very bad at that point in the race.

Like a previous post on this blog, I mentioned that when in doubt about whether you're over-hydrated, dehydrated, hypernatremic, hyponatremic, just guzzle an isotonic solution. No matter waht, your pH will head towards the correct direction. This worked extremely well for me all day, as I had 20oz bottles of isotonic water in every drop-bag. I also had V-8 and Gatorade. On the return, I made it a rule that I would drink every drop of fluid in all my drop-bags before allowing myself to leave each aid station. The couple of miles after each aid station I always felt quite good.

If I had changed shoes and socks, I would have been moving faster when I got to Halfpipe. I wouldn't have taken off my shoes there. I would have impatiently demanded to know which tent had the drop-bags and I would have grabbed it sooner, instead of after stopping for 20 minutes. So I fumbled my race very badly from Twin Lakes to Halfpipe.

I have scarred the hell out of my lungs over the years. I love altitude, winter, mountains, and running long distances, but apparently I'm filling my lungs with fibrosis, and my lungs are becoming less and less capable of each breath. I really don't want to be one of those old people who has to carry around an little oxygen bottle everywhere I go.
So I don't want to ever let myself do another 100 mile race. I probably shouldn't do any 50's, but how can I resist?
Ultras are just so very much fun. We all run for different reasons. I enjoy the preparations, the drop-bags, logistics, "the plan", the execution. Unlike other runners, I don't get bored bored or lonely out on the trail for hours. I relish every step.
So I'm not going away from 100's with my tail between my legs, in spite of my horrible success rate. I need to stop doing 100's for my own health. I'm not sure I can stop myself, though. But that's the plan.

LT100 2011

2011-08-22T18:30:00.000-07:00

This was do-or-die, and I died.

I decided weeks ago that this would be my last effort at any 100 miler.
Things were going well the 1st 60.5 miles. That's when everything unraveled - fast.

I stopped because the soles of me feet were wrecked. Shoulda-coulda - I had dry shoes and socks at Twin Lakes and didn't change (to save time).
When I got to Halfpipe, they couldn't find my drop-bag. At all.
My lungs are not healed after all. As I sat terminally waiting for my drop-bag, my lungs started foaming up.
That's the skinny version.

Crusted Butt

2011-08-17T15:35:00.000-07:00

I've been on vacation, and I want to spend my time high. Sunday, I hiked/jogged up Hope Pass, river crossing and all. I tried to mimic guesstimates raceday pace. This was my last semi-workout before the race.
But Leadville is hard to take for an entire week. (Besides, now the Golden Burro is closed! So much for my local discount.)
Monday, I got a soak and massage at Cottonwood Hot Springs, and minor sunburn was free. LaNae seemed to think I was a mess. Said something was floating in the skin in my lower back, and something wrong with my neck. Couldn't believe I felt neither. And the dog bite - I thought it was looking good, but LaNae... Hey, don't tell me how jacked-up I am before Leadville! Wait 'til after - OK?!

Then I drove to Gunnison, then up to Crested Butte. I parked my Forester and immediately met two women. We had desert and margaritas, and one even paid for mine. (!!!) But then they bailed so they could go hiking next morning.

I found a quiet dirt road to carcamp on that night. I woke up several times. I'm a bit confused. I swear something small was running across the roof of my car, but I have my big Thule box on top. The first time, I shined my light on the roof. Nothing. Then on top of the box. Nothing. I'm deaf in my right ear, so I can't hear in stereo, can't tell direction or distance too well. The 3rd time, I looked under the car. The biggest porcupine I've ever seen was underneath. I had a 3-quarter rear view and it held still as if, "if I hold real still I'll be invisible!" I had to crank the starter a couple times to scare it off.

Tuesday morning, I went to look at Judd Falls. Couple miles.

Sat on my ass the rest of the day.
Later that evening, when I was online with my laptop in a parking lot, a bear ran by 20ft away. Whoa - hello! Right through town.

Wednesday, I did a rambling road-trip to every gunshop in the region. It's getting nearly impossible to find gun stores, shooting ranges, reload supplies, and law-abiding dealers who will help you attain whatever specific weapon you want to order.

Anyway, I'm in Salida drinking beer at Amica's. In a while, it's back to Leadville and getting in-gear for the LT100 this weekend.

Bristlecone

2011-08-02T20:57:00.000-07:00

The Heat is On

2011-07-24T17:31:00.000-07:00

I never have done well with heat. My body shuts down to preserve itself. It feels like I'm drugged. I'm not talking about when I'm actually in the heat. My body knows when its hot outside, and it does this. My body tries to go into hyper-sleep. I can't think very efficiently because it feels like my brain is drugged. I just can't get motivated. It's like I have sleeping-sickness - can't ever wake up all the way.

My training is going poorly - I'm very under-trained.
I went to Real Endurance.com and tried their calculator to figure out a predicted finish time for the Leadville 100. Granted, I was really sick during April, and my performance for each race since then has been better and better - so things are moving in the correct direction. But the calculator says I'll barely finish. That's IF I finish, and the margin of error is great enough that I could even finish, but not make the 30hr cutoff.

Real Endurance.com calculator predictions
Based on...
Run Rabbit Run: 2.42+/-.31 = 24:03/27:34/31:08
Jemez 50: 2.15+/-.24 = 28:56/32:34/36:13
SJS50: 2.11+/-.23 = 29:12/31:40/35:06
Silver Rush 50: 2.65+/-.27 = 25:07/27:57/30:36
/29:55:30/

I'm feeling real un-motivated, though. Just not caring about the Leadville thing much anymore.
I went to log into the Leadville website today, but my login was invalid. They dumped all usernames and passwords. So i created an account last October, but in February I couldn't log on. And now in July, the account was no good and I had to create a new one. I'm so glad I'm not dealing with this race ever again. I work hard at a job that is full of hassles - but they pay me to put up with hassles. But when I'm not getting paid, the last thing I want are hassles. The Leadville races just aren't my cup of tea anymore. I'm not against them - it is quite a big enterprise. I simply don't want it in my life after this summer.
It's like the Pikes Peak Marathon - so glad I did it - once. I never want to do it again - such a zoo.
There are other races coming out all the time, and I want to stick to races that are simpler. Maybe abandon pay-for events and stick with adventures with my crazier friends who like to do Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim, and stuff like that. I want to go back to work feeling relaxed - not like I've been run around a rat-race dotting i's and crossing t's.

Leadville Silver Rush 50 - 2011

2011-07-18T07:28:00.000-07:00

I really like the 50. Not to hard, not too easy, fantastic scenery, awesome people, not far from home.
I overslept. Somehow, two alarm clocks didn't wake me. The light in the sky woke me at 5:24. Race start at 6:00. So plenty of time to get there, but not enough time to get there all organized. Forgot my GPS pod, which would have helped keep me on pace. Didn't have time to deliver my drop bag.
My goal was a new PR. That would require under 10hrs.
I sprained my ankle at about mile 21. That sure didn't help. But I've had worse sprains, and an icy pool of water was blocking the road right after that. I stood in there for several seconds before continueing.
I made it to the half-way turn-around in exactly 5hrs, but the wheels were falling off. So Plan B was to finish as well as I could.
10:50:29
Not fast, not slow, just a fun day.

Sheryl

2011-07-12T19:01:00.000-07:00

One of my friends died over a week ago.

Missing Golden climber's body found on Mount Baker in Washington

She and her boyfriend were coming down from the peak and had to descend a large snowfield. The snowfield wasn't particularly steep. Conditions were complete white-out. Some other climbers started the glissade down the snow, then Sheryl started down, then her boyfriend. When he got to the bottom, the first climbers were there, but not Sheryl.
As it turned out, snowmelt had created a creek under the snowfield and had melted out a very deep hole. I think maybe it was over 20 feet deep. In the white-out, Sheryl never saw it until she was sailing into it. There is a strong flow of icy running water in the bottom.
That was July 3rd? I haven't been able to get a good date, but the story was out July 5th.
Sheryl's body still hasn't been recovered. Of course, its bad enough, and no one wants anyone else's life to be risked in a recovery operation. Still, its very hard to take.
Sheryl was a very happy and energetic person. She's very much missed around here.

Leadville Marathon 2011

2011-07-03T17:27:00.000-07:00

Oh, man, this was the year I was slow. The first three years I ran this race, I did so well, each year doing still better than before. But this year I knew it wasn't going to happen. I finished in 5:45, or something like that. My PR was 5:05 - so close to sub-5hr. Next year. I need to stay injury-free.

Good news is my lungs are still cooperating. Not like normal healthy lungs, but not like they have been, either. My lungs weren't a factor at all.

For training, I ran on Mt Evans twice in the past several weeks. But I haven't had nearly the mileage I historically have logged. I'm just not fast. That takes more training.

It was an awesome weekend. My son came along and we had fun camping the night before and after the race.

The weather was perfect. That makes all my races this year! Am I Mr. Lucky or what? Just give me free entry into your race and I'll bring great weather! (Void where prohibited by law.)
I really enjoyed the race. I wasn't agonizing over a PR. I was certainly giving an honest effort, but nothing like the past.

It was a very good time. The race is extremely well supported, and is one of my favorite courses. It's like trying to run on a pile of rocks for 26.2 miles. Crazy. I love crazy-ridiculous courses, but the scenery is also fantastic.

These panos were all taken from the race course.

San Juan Solstice 50 - 2011

2011-06-19T18:18:00.000-07:00

Wow, where do I begin. Mixed bag.
This is one of the hardest - if not the hardest - 50-mile race in the world.
This year, the water was so high, there was no way we were going to do the traditional route. The creeks and rivers are raging with the most possessed, ugly, brown, frothing water you ever saw. There was no safe way to send 200 runners across 18 (I think) stream crossings. So they created an alternate course, in the same region, avoiding all the major stream crossings.
Hearing this, lots of people who had to drive a long ways, and weren't already locked into tickets or reservations, bailed. This allowed everyone who was on the wait-list to get a spot.

One of the best things about the alternate course was that, for those of us who had already done SJS50 multiple times, this time provided new views. The morning views through the aspen and meadows with Uncompahgre and other huge mountains around was breathtaking.

The volunteers were the best! No doubt, these people are the best folks you could ever hope to staff a race with, and the terrain this race is in is so forbidding that it's a daunting task.
Because this course was thrown together at the last minute, there were a few minor glitches. There are several places where the course leaves a trail and bushwhacks up a slope, across a meadow, etc. If you didn't see the markers off-trail, up the slope, through the trees, you'd miss a turn. Most courses mark such a turn by making a line across the trail with white flour (it's biodegradable), or they take a long strip of course-marking tape and tie rocks to each end and put it across the trail. If you're looking down at the technical trail, you can't miss these types of "wrong-way" markers.

I didn't find anyone - not one single runner - who didn't get off-course at least once. I missed a marker and only went about 50 feet before having to back-track. Worst-case was a pack of 20 who went two miles off-course. Several of these people ended up calling it quits. It really sucker-punches your morale, especially when the terrain is so difficult, and you tell yourself that the alternate course, if you PR, won't actually mean anything - so why keep trying?

As for me, I just wanted a finish, a good time, and to not get another injury. My open dog-bite wasn't hurting. Band-aids were still coming off with some bit of blood and lymph, so after two weeks, it's still not totally sealed, but it wasn't hurting. The new course avoided all the deep water, and that allowed my wound to stay dry.

The weather was like at Jemez 50 - perfect.
Sorry I don't have photos, but I already took a camera on the previous two races, and I was car-pooling, so I packed light and ditched he camera.

There was a miscommunication that somehow occurred about the Divide aid station. We were all told that it would be at mile 31, but that it wasn't certain - they would go as close as they could. Apparently everyone thought that worst-case would be 1-3 miles away. They said aid stations #2 and #3 were at miles 11.5 and 22 and my GPS concurred. Then at mile 29.00, there was another aid station. They said the next aid station was at 31M. Not trusting, I went loaded with about 40oz of water. At mile 31.5 there were two non-athletic girls sitting on a rock. I assumed they were from the nearby aid station, right below the Divide rim - I was wrong. I asked some other racers if I missed the aid station. They replied that they never saw one either. So we continued up.

We found the yurt, but no sign of life. At mile 36.6, we finally found the Divide aid station. The aid station was great, the people were great, but we could have been warned that maybe it could have been that far. While only 7.1 miles, it was the 3rd brutal climb after many high-altitude miles, and it was slow. When each of us ran out of water, we could no longer eat or take salt. So not only did we get dehydrated, we dropped into glycemic deficit. So the Divide aid station had to do a lot of nursing of wrecked, staggering, mumbling runners. I must say they did a great job, in an exposed area, no tent, providing hot Ramen soup and all the other things runners' bodies crave. My hydration bladder also got stuck closed, and a guy managed to fix it without tearing it, which I thought was impossible. So I really appreciated his efforts. They got my feet back under me after about 15 minutes and I headed down.

In 2009, the descent into Slumgullion is when my lungs flooded with fluid, so I was apprehensive. But everything went okay. I ate a whole pocket full of Oreos and guzzled fluids, trying to recover from the deficits that almost caused me to collapse above treeline. When I got to Slum aid, Kristin Alvarez was there and helped me with everything I needed. Not long later, I ran out of there feeling almost human again.

...Until I hit the last Big Climb up to Vickers ranch. Beautiful area. The aspen, meadows, and views are so serene you just want to lay down and soak it all in - but you gotta keep movin'. Seemed like the climb would never end.

I finished a minute under 15 hours. A terrible finish time, but a finish. Still waiting for official results, but thinking there were epic numbers of DNF's, from demoralized drops to people missing aid station cut-off times.

I had a great time. Made some new freinds. Actually it's not the running and races that keep me coming back - it's the eclectic bunch of people I keep meeting.

Pitiful Mileage

2011-06-14T21:25:00.001-07:00

My logs tell a dismal story of very little training. The only thing the logs don't tell is my cross-training. But even that isn't impressive, if you count the time spent on non-running work-outs.
Weekly mileage for the year...
34
18
18.3
40
24
45.2
11
31.3
36.1
25.1
74
10.5
34.6
24
26.9
0
41.7
20
61.5
39.5
8.5
28.9
Yes, there's a zero in there. April was constant sickness, followed by Collegiate Peaks 50. I haven't hit 80 miles all year!
I feel good, though. Not much physical stress at all.

Training for SJS50

2011-06-12T18:15:00.000-07:00

My dog bite is healing, but it is a nastier thing than I had thought it would be. For about 15-20hrs, I was wondering if an infection was going to run-away, but I managed to massage the infection away. I had been so distracted by the open wound that I neglected to notice the little gouge next to it. That little gouge was way deeper than I had thought.
I put a couple of lose stitches into the big open wound, finally. A bit late, but it has helped. For one thing, the wound would break open a little and leak when I ran, but with the stitches, it hasn't opened up since.

After a week of pitifully short 2-4 mile runs and walks, with several 10-minute VO2Max rowing machine workouts thrown in, Thursday I finally ran a good 10.2 miles at Mt. Falcon Park.

Saturday, I drove up to Summit Lake below Mt. Evans and ran to the summit and back. Man, I so very often don't plan anything, and I use dead-reckoning. I thought the summit was only 1,000ft above me and the road was probably only a few miles. I planned on getting at least 10 miles, so I figured I would do two summits runs. WRONG! The road from Summit Lake to Mt. Evans summit is just over 6 miles and the summit is over 1,400ft above the lake. With a short extra I added south of the lake, I managed a very high altitude 12.7 mile training run.

My lungs are doing great. I don't understand this. There's tons of forest-fire smoke hazing up the air, but my lungs and asthma don't care. But just a little pollen and WHAM!! Dust often bothers me, but smoke isn't so bad.
I've been feeling very bad and weak for the past couple of months. April is historically the highest mileage month of the year, but this year, I was so incessantly sick that April is the lowest mileage. That will badly impact my performance the rest of this year. But runs like I did up Evans will help a lot! I feel very good. I almost feel like the SJS50 won't be so bad.

Unfortunately, the RD says we won't get to run the normal course. Too much fast-flowing water. The race criss-crosses the same creek several times going up the first climb. That water is so high it'll sweep shorter runners off their feet. A few years ago, we did this with ropes across and a one-person-on-rope rule. This created multiple traffic jams all along up the creek. And when we got above the creek, no one could feel their legs below the knees. I mean not at all. Zip. Nada. Gotta look down to be reassured they're actually still there. I'd rather do that again than run an alternate course.

Dirty 30 2011

2011-06-05T18:33:00.000-07:00

I don't have much time to post, but I do have photos taken during my volunteer stint at this year's Dirty 30 in golden Gate Canyon State Park.

Gunnison 2011

2011-06-02T21:18:00.000-07:00

My son graduated High School the Tuesday before Sage Burner, and originally I thought it was the Thursday before. Anyway, to save some money and give me the option not to go, I didn't register for the race.

Instead, I ran the course starting a much-too-late 1hr 45m after the start. I brought three 20oz bottles. At about mile 11, I bummed a quart off a very generous guy in a pickup. Then at the half-way point, there was an aid station that was still being taken down, and they filled me up. Then the next aid station was gone but they left all the water jugs. Cool - most of the race and still supplied.

But it was hot and very low humidity. I was drying out faster than ever.
By mile 12, my quads started hurting - left-overs from the Jemez 50 the weekend before. Then the dehydration slowed me down. I slowed so much so quickly that my progress became pathetic. There were two opportunities to shortcut back, but I was too stubborn. I really should have taken them, but, well, I'm stupid.

A biker gave me another 8oz. That helped me get almost back. Then a guy gave me a refill of an entire 20oz bottle with over half a mile to go, plus he mixed Heed with it. So I made it actually 32 miles total for the entire day.
It was too risky-stupid but worked out. It was hippy-running - bumming nearly all my aid. I guess it puts extra meaning to "Trail Bum". I guess I needed a cardboard sign that said, "I'll be honest - I just need a drink - and a Gu."

There were over a dozen of us from Denver camping together. It was a lot of fun.

Sunday, I stopped in Leadville for a short high-altitude run. The local kennel was out running their dogs in the snow off-leash because no one was out there. I guess I changed that rather unexpectedly. There were about six dogs and two ran up to me real friendly. I love dogs, but my lifestyle, and living in a basement, doesn't leave me a lot of room for a pet. As I got closer to the owners, the whole pack rushed me wagging and licking.
Except for one. It had been an abused dog and loved it's new care-takers. In an over-protective frenzy, it dashed in and ripped a hole in my calf. The kennel owners kind of freaked. I just packed snow on it and told them not to worry about it. It's just something that happened.
The emergency room didn't want to sew it shut. My doctor two days later also said he didn't want it sewed. So I'm going to heal with a hole in the skin.
It's a 90deg cut, all the way through the skin, but miraculously not through the fascia around the muscle. In a weird way, after it was cleaned, it was kind of cool looking through a door at the calf muscle moving around inside.
It never did hurt much - not when it happened, not in the ER, and not later. I think it was the Guillain-Barre that keeps me from feeling all the pain I could feel. Oddly, the Novocaine needle hurt like a hornet sting. It's as if I can feel certain sharp pains all the way, but dull pains not as much. Wouldn't you think getting bit would be a sharp pain? But it didn't hurt when it happened. Whatever.
I'm not supposed to run, but after 32 miles Saturday, I had a little post-run swelling that usually goes away with more running. Holding still caused my legs to swell below the knee. So to keep the swelling from cutting off circulation and causing an infection, I had to walk and run some.
I worked out on my rowing ergometer Tuesday, and I went running Wed., and walked Thurs.
It is a big and ugly wound, but healing well, and not interfering much with my life.

Jemez 50 2011

2011-05-23T18:27:00.000-07:00

After poor health for all of April and a stinging DNF at Collegiate Peaks, all I wanted out of Jemez was a good time and a finish. I got both.
But during the race, I wanted another thing - to finish before it got dark. I got that with some time to spare also.
It was an ugly finish, though. I finished faster than when I walked it in 2009, but not impressively faster. I'm just in lousy shape. Very lousy. There's just no way to cheat your way to the finishline. If you're in bad shape, it will show up out there.

Since I knew I'd be slow, I decided to take my running pack. I would use a hydration bladder and a 20oz bottle. Then 10min before start, I noticed my pack was dripping. I had checked my bladder for leaks, but not with the hose clipped in. So I rushed to my car and replaced the bladder with two 16oz bottles. Wow, two 16oz and one 20oz seemed a bit much, but a 16 & 20 wasn't going to be enough for my slow butt to go 7.8M between Valle Grande and Pajarito Canyon.

Things went well. The weather was beautiful! BEAUTIFUL!! I've never ran a race where the weather was better.

Then at Pipeline aid station, I accidentally left my 20oz bottle. I had been carrying one empty 16oz bottle and the other 1/3 full. So I slid and crashed my way down the cliff into the caldera and when I got to the bottom I realized my mistake. There was no way I was going back up that cliff! I had 7oz in one bottle, so I ran to Valle Grande much faster than planned. Then I topped-off both 16oz bottles and headed to Pajarito.

It was definitely a wonderful day. In spite of this stupid bottle problem, everything else made it a perfect day NOT to be sitting on my ass!

As expected, I got to Pajarito Canyon aid station dehydrated. I drank extra while standing around, then refilled and took off. I was really dragging ass, but better to recover moving down the trail than sitting at an aid station. So lots of people passed me. At the next aid station, one of the people who passed me sat down like he wasn't going to be able to walk another step. I don't know his name and I hope he managed to get his legs back.
As I started the last big climb over 10,000 feet, I started to feel almost human, but the climb kept me from feeling good. Again, I got passed and then passed them as they lost their legs.
Finally, the Big Drop - the double black diamond ski slope. I was surprised as slow and tired as I was on the up, my legs felt fine on the down.
Back at Pipeline, Grabbed my 20oz bottle again and headed up the last climb. The last 11 miles are monotonous. I just shuffled along. It wasn't a walk and it wasn't a run. It was that in-between thing. Walking hurts my feet too much. Running took too much energy.

This is the first time I took my new pulse-oximeter. I watched my blood-oxygen rate fall and climb. I was never in trouble. My pulse was sometimes high, and during the Caballo Mountain climb it dipped as low as 81%, but I found I did best if I kept it between 85-89%. Any less was dangerous to my asthma and anymore was being a pussy.

A finish is a finish. After the last couple months, I'll take it.
Stress from work, and not enough time off, has whittled me down. I needed a break. I got exactly what I needed. But even as slow as my finish was, it was over too quick. i love Jemez 50M. Slow or fast, I'll just keep coming back.

Collegiate Peaks 50 - 2011

2011-05-09T22:03:00.000-07:00

This went badly, but it was still a fun, beautiful and worthwhile weekend.
My lungs flared early. I gave a token effort the first 25M lap. I don't know what I finished it in. Probably 4:45, but I had to used the restroom, so I didn't leave for a while after that. My last lap, I just tried to run/walk/hack.
My lungs just weren't ready. I felt pretty good before the race, but as soon as I started running, I could tell it was too soon. Still, I paid special attention to all the stressors I could do something about, like hydration, calories, and electrolytes. I think I handled that well.
I tried to stay ahead of the cut-offs. This is something I could never imagine having to do. I really had to suck down some pride. There was the option to drop at the end of the first 25M loop, but I figured I didn't go to do half a loop. If I pushed too hard, I was just going to aggravate my lungs more, so just have a good time.
I missed the cut-off at mile 39. Got a ride back. I'm not hurting much, but more than 39 miles ought to.

Ryan Burch gave an unbelievable performance, breaking the course record by basically running 50 miles at marathon pace. I never saw him strain so much, but he was really knocking it down. Wish I could have seen more of him on the course.

I drove to Leadville for the night. I just drove to the end of the road, threw a couple of sleeping bags on the ground, and laid out staring at the stars. There was only one decent falling star. The other was maybe my imagination, it was so short and small. There was virtually no wind - just an occasional slight breeze. My lungs didn't like the thin air, but the cleanness of it, and the smell of pine was really fine. My body responded well to that.
My abs are still very sore from coughing. With the lack of training I've been getting, my abs at least have not withered.

Jemez is much harder. If I couldn't finish Collegiate Peaks, then how can I finish Jemez? I'll just have to hope the lungs clear up all the way, and I can get some training.
If I can't finish Jemez, I'll bail on SJS50. Those bibs are too coveted to waste a bib with too much doubt. If I can't finish Jemez, I feel obligated to give my SJS50 bib to someone on the wait-list who has a better chance. Besides, the way the wait-list works, if you bail, your credit card never gets charged - I wouldn't lose any money.

I've been told I need to go to National Jewish. Apparently there's a battery of tests they have to do - maybe 10 visits - where they really tell exactly what you need to do to deal with your particular type of asthma. They specialize in athletes, too.

Missed the Whole Month

2011-05-01T22:06:00.000-07:00

I've gotten in several runs in April, but not one of them was 100%. I had 6 days in a row of running. The rest of the time I spent coughing, and coughing, and coughing some more. I coughed so hard I thought I was going to throw-up my guts. I coughed so hard so often my abs are sore. I coughed all the way through the month. They wouldn't let me work because everyone was tired of hearing me cough. I coughed so hard I had a headache. I had to intertwine my fingers and clamp my palms on my temples before each coughing fit because it felt like my head would explode during the effort. I was coughing convulsively.
The doctor said it was Reactive Airway Disease, of which my asthma is just part of it. My hypersensitivity to pollen, smoke, or anything else causes my respiratory system to attack me. He stuck me on a steroid that got rid of most of the convulsive coughing, but that was a week ago and it is starting to return.
This elevates the risk of pneumonia. I've had acute pneumonia, walking pneumonia, and someday I'll probably die of pneumonia.
They x-ray'd my lungs and sinuses and they were clear, so he said I wasn't sick from an infection - just being attacked by my respiratory system.
I'm taking Claritin to help control my allergies. This Spring has been hell.
What fun.
This may end my racing career. Virtually no training this entire month. Friends are bragging how they've logged 300 miles, and I haven't made it 90 for the entire month.
I have Collegiate Peaks 50M in 6 days, and I'm still coughing. I may have to bail.

Sick Again

2011-04-22T12:44:00.000-07:00

After finally getting in six consecutive days in a row of running, even though it was small mileage, I'm now sick again. As usual, it's respiratory. My respiratory system is destroying my athletic ability. If it isn't asthma, it's a number of viral or bacterial issues.
A week ago, I'm pretty sure I had pneumonia, but I was still pampering myself from the allergy issues I had right before that.
I haven't been completely healthy since getting home from the Moab 100.

I've logged 46 miles in the past 7 days. That's the most I've gone since the week of Moab. That's not horrible mileage - better than nothing, considering - but it's leading me into a season of no-PR mediocre races.

Next up is Collegiate Peaks 50, which has sold-out. I don't think it ever sold-out before. There are lots of races selling-out for the 1st time this year. I don't think this is so much due to an ultra-running craze. I think the population of this country just keeps growing faster than the number of new races, but that's not a scientific opinion. Part of it is a bit of craze, and another part of it is the types and quantities of products for runners, from shoes and 4 oz. hooded jackets to gels and sport drinks.

When I was born, it was still seen as unsportsmanlike to eat or drink during a race. First they started fudging by drinking water, then the Florida Gators developed Gatorade, then NASA made Tang, and we've just been tinkering ever since.
I'm sure the 1st ultra-runners existed 1,000's of years before the marathon was created, but modern ultra-running races like LT100 and HR100, combined with sport-drinks, launched a new industry. That industry has allowed ordinary blokes like me to run multiple ultras each year. The more of us that sign up for multiple races, the sooner they'll fill up, obviously.

The price of gas will make future racing less likely for me. I might give up the Moab 100, Rim Rock Marathon, either the Salida Marathon or the Salida Scramble, and God-forbid, SJS50. I've already given up Sage Burner 50k, Steamboat Marathon, and Estes Park Marathon. That would leave...
- One Salida race (Mar)
- Collegiate Peaks (May)
- Jemez (May)
- Pbville Marathon (June)
- Pbville 50M (June)
- Pbville 100M (Aug)
- Steamboat 50M (Sept)
Seven races is still a lot, right? There would be some free events within 1hr drive from home I'd do - I've been doing more of that stuff in the past year.

Nuthin'

2011-04-18T19:21:00.000-07:00

I did errands last weekend, instead of driving to Desert RATS near Fruita.

Friday night - Fixed my son's school bell that he bought - but it didn't work. I tucked a tiny spring in the right place and it was better than new. (hard to believe it ever worked, with the crappy materials they designed it with.)

Saturday - Swapped my studded snow tires off and put my aluminum wheels back on, drove to the tire place and bought new Yokahama's, got a haircut, grocery shopping, clothes shopping, and squeezed in a short run.

Sunday - Ran in the AM, ran in the PM.

My running sucks. Something doesn't feel right. You know how you feel after a race, and there's traces of lactic acid in your quads? That's what my quads feel like - only I haven't done any races or hard runs lately. You know how sucker-punched you feel after a race? That's how I feel all the time.
When I look back at Calico 50K, and how good I did, it's hard to believe that was just three months ago, and that was really me.
I don't know what's going on. This week, I'm going to try real hard to "log" over 5 miles every single day, even if I have to walk it. Maybe some better consistency is what will shake me loose?

Salida Scramble 2011

2011-04-14T17:12:00.000-07:00

I had friends running up near Lyons on Saturday, but I knew I would be running in Salida Sunday, so to save gas and time, I went running along the way, Saturday.
I ran along Chubb Valley to Trout Creek and up towards Buffalo Peaks. Total of 9.5 easy miles, but at decent 9400'-9600' altitude.

I ate at Amica's with a beer and then to my usual parking place up in the hills. It was a very windy night, and one gust blew extremely hard for over a minute. But it settled down after that. The temp barely got below freezing.
Breakfast was at Salida Cafe & Roastery.
It was an easy 8:30am meeting time. It was still a little breezy and cold, but not bad. The trails were clear of any snow.

I was not feeling so hot, so I took it easy. I pretty much sat back and rode my legs and watched the scenery go by. In spite of that, I managed to get a good enough workout to make my quads and calves sore. 17.7 miles, including excursions.

And ever since getting back, I've been getting destroyed by tree pollen and dust. My sinuses are attacking me with such fury I've never seen. It seems to get worse every year. Things at work haven't allowed me the luxury to take more than half of Monday off. I'm desperate to get work done - no overtime allowed and I just can't seem to keep up with the load. I come home brain-fried, sinus-fried, and physically exhausted.

Attention Deficit Dis... look at that!

2011-04-07T19:53:00.000-07:00

I have always had a very difficult time concentrating on any one thing for very long. School was always horrible. I eventually had to give myself my own brand of education that catered to my erratic ability to concentrate.
As a kid, without ADD drugs, and lots-and-lots-and-lots of whippings, with black-n-blue whipping marks never healing before new ones were laid down for at least 10 years straight, I learned to concentrate. Getting into my groove is not easy, plus I'm not a morning person. The process requires that I force all distractions out of my mind, including internal mind-wandering distractions (I'm totally schizo upstairs). The end-result resembles a robot. I frown, I ignore, I talk to myself - and I can do the work of ten people.
The frustration that goes along with my wandering attention has driven me to work extra hard, but also to play extra hard. Running, hiking, climbing, winter trekking, have all been required Yin to my in-my-groove technical Yang. I need both.
My job is extremely stressful. There's so much work and they act like it all has to be done last week. Sometimes I come home so fried I'm lifeless. All I can do is sit and watch Netflix. But I love the work I do, the job I have, and the people I work with and for. When I go to work, bleary-eyed and still tired, I don't dread the journey.

Before I got into technology, I was a machinist. I loved the work, but the stress was worse. Most of the stress was from management. Blue-color workers are generally treated poorly, and the part tolerances in the tenths-of-thousandths of inch for satellite, computer, and airplane engine parts was stressful to achieve with extreme-rate production. Plus the hazards made the career not worth it. I knew guys with missing fingers. One guy lost his entire right arm. I was born deaf in one ear, and the noise of a machine-shop was degrading the hearing in my only good ear. And who knows about the chemical solvents and lubricants we work with? The labels said they were safe. Remember how they said DDT was safe? And Agent Orange? Ha-ha.

I miss machinist work, but I sure am glad I switched to technology. For one thing, I've doubled my income and cut the hazards. As a machinist, I dreaded going to work so much, I sometimes couldn't sleep well.

Running has saved me. Running 10K's and half-marathons just couldn't cut it. Job stress isn't the only source of stress in my life, after all. I had to run more, and further.
My friends say I'm crazy, and I know they're right. I'm not dangerous-crazy, but certainly I'm "different".
Sometimes I wish I was normal. I have a few gay friends, and I think it must be much the same for them. It's not that they're "wrong", but sometimes the differences can make life harder. My differences make me a frickin' moron half the time. When I'm in my groove, I can be brilliant. So depending on when people see me, they may think I'm either a moron or a genius. When people say I'm a genius, it doesn't go to my head because I'm so very frequently retarded to such an extent that I sometimes wonder if I'll someday be institutionalized. I'm really incredibly stupid - I just try so HARD to make up for it. Sometimes people see how hard I try and instead of being impressed, they become dismayed.
I've tried to be balanced, but so far no one has used the word "balanced" in any of the myriad descriptions of me.

I guess I feel pretty lucky overall. Things could certainly be worse. Being a retarded doofus isn't easy, but I hope to do the very best at it that I can. You know all those books "...for Dummies"? I could write the book, "How to be Stoopid for Smarties". Maybe people could learn to be more like me.

Moab 100 2011

2011-03-27T12:37:00.000-07:00

This race is just too hard! It has unique hardships not found in any other race. Slickrock is brutal. Not just because it's hard as concrete, but because it isn't flat/smooth.
There's sand that is more like powder than sand. It collects in your shoes and can wad-up around your toes in just one 5.37 mile loop of the 18+- loop race.
I'm definitely undertrained but was confident with years of experience with this race that I could nail it. For one thing, as sick as this may sound, I was completely in the mood to feel the profound agonies that hours and hours of punishment can dish out. I actually welcomed the pain.
It was a lot of fun, even with the agony, but my legs virtually became paralyzed by 67 miles. I had inadequate steering and brakes and came close to a catastrophic plunge down the slickrock. I staggered a bit and ended up going downhill and my legs couldn't keep up. Only luck saved me.
I dropped at about 70 miles.

I was surprised how many dropped. I was equally surprised how many finished. You definitely need your walking legs and feet. I don't walk well, for too long. I have a great powerhike that allows me to pass some people who are running, but I can't do that too much. Walking generally hurts more than running, even if it requires less energy. But there's no way in he'll I can walk 100 miles.

Next year - Gore-Tex shoes to try to keep the sand out, and gel inserts.

As for the legs, it was weird. If you have a glycogen depletion systemically, then you get emotional and pissy. I was fine, though - still having fun. Earlier, I was a bit hyponatremic, and had to take extra salt to balance-out.
I'm going to guess that the problem was localized glycogen depletion in the muscles of my legs, but still not sure. If that happens, doesn't your body start eating protein? That's unmistakeably painful, and that surely didn't happen. I lost no muscle in this event. I ate half the calories I should have in an attempt to work off the extra fat I accumulated over the past couple of years with plantar fasciitis, but like I said, I was not systemically bonked with calories or I would have gotten pissy. Maybe the combination of the earlier electrolyte depletion and localized glycogen depletion, with lack of training mileage, led to my legs diving into an almost paralyzed state.

That state didn't go away the next day. Now a week later, my legs still aren't right - mostly my feet. My feet are not bouncing back. There are cramps and pains I didn't have to put up with during the race. During my 11th lap, I stubbed my left foot pretty bad. It hurt a lot at the moment it happened, but not afterward. That's because my 1st-toe, which took the brunt, is almost completely numb. I've probed it to see if I can find an injury, but I can't. I'll take a numb toe over a painful toe any day!
I walked several miles Thursday, and ran probably just over a mile, but the legs are still a bit wasted. Standing around hurts more than walking. My feet swell up unless I get the circulation going.
My next event is 35 days from now, so I should be good-to-go.

Late Sunday after the race, I went to Canyonlands N. P. for the first time.

Salida Marathon

2011-03-13T14:05:00.000-07:00

No photos. It's a great course, but it's not the most photogenic.
I didn't feel good or bad, leading into this race. My daily life was so frantic I didn't have time to read the website, but I glanced at the map - new course similar to the old one.
I slept in the back of my car near the halfway mark of the race course.
Before the race, I consumed a quart of Gatorade, two 20oz coffees, and about 8-12oz of water. So about 80+ oz. That's well over half a gallon pre-race.
I ran with a 20oz bottle and didn't bother stopping at the first two aid stations. After that I filled up as usual.
I was feeling pretty decent, but my lungs were full of gunk. I couldn't tell if it was all from my asthma, or if there was still junk from my recent illness with the "crud". I had more respiratory problems than I'm used to having during such a short race.
I screwed this race up. Between the 4th and 5th aid stations is the furthest, and I ran out of fluids. Hard to believe how incredibly quick I dehydrated.
I wonder if my asthma, filling my lungs with fluid, dehydrates me internally faster than a regular runner? The water is still in me, but it's in my lungs, not my blood-stream where my organs could use it.
Anyway, by about 15.5 miles, I was screwed. I basically had to stop racing and go into survival mode. I was suffering.
But I loved it. If I'm on a trail and moving, I'm happy. I'd rather be moving fast, but I'll take slow if I have to. I asked myself if I'd rather be anywhere else? No. You like pain, right? Yeah. You're miserable? Yeah. Then you're happy, right? Yeah. Alright then.

Wow, Tim Parr was incredible. Even Nick Clark and Ryan Burch couldn't reel him in. The new course is HARD! There's a killer steep climb thrown in near the end. How Tim managed this course in 3hr is a mystery to me. The guy's having an incredible year. And this on the heels of leading Red Hot nearly all the way. He's always been fast, but this year he seems to be the one to watch.
Nick Clark is still fast as ever, and seems to do well even when he doesn't have a great day. If anyone shows him any weakness, he'll take the lead. On a good day, with a chosen key race, good luck staying ahead of him.

I spent Sat. night after the race sleeping in my car above Leadville. Gold Burro still gave me the local discount, even though I told them again that I'm not a local. Looks like Pbville hasn't had much snow since I last visited, but it started snowing during the night and blanketed the dirty snow with pristine white stuff.

Red Hot 55K Photos

2011-03-07T19:30:00.000-08:00

It's raining, and I'm smiling. All a boy needs is mud, sticks, and rocks.

A Cold

2011-03-04T20:57:00.001-08:00

I've been repeatedly dodging the bullet. Everyone around me has been getting sick with "the crud". When I've gotten sick, I'm just run-down for a day. This one started that same way. For an entire day i had to wonder if I was sick or not. I didn't feel bad, really, but something wasn't right. And all day I just stayed the same. When I drove by Wash Park on a sunny day and saw everyone running, and I felt no urge to join them, I figured I HAD to be sick. As I was going to bed, finally I began to feel it in my chest.
It never got severe. My job requires me to touch a LOT of people's stuff. Keyboards and mice are as filthy as money. Funny how many of us wash our hands at fast-food restaurants, then go to the register to pay and touch money that has passed through 400 people's fingers.
Who knows where I caught it from? One day with less than ideal hydration, maybe not enough sleep, and pow. So even though I wasn't real sick, I took Monday and Tuesday sick-leave to keep from spreading it around. I slept and slept and slept some more.
I ran hard for probably over 13 miles Thursday night, so I'm mostly over it.

Moab Red Hot 55K 2011

2011-02-21T15:51:00.000-08:00

I guess I love this race more than I remember.
I got my ass kicked this year. Maybe I'm a masochist, but the more a race kicks my ass, the more I love it. No doubt, the scenery is a lot of why I love it too, though.
I was trying to PR, so I didn't bring a camera.

I averaged about 9:55min/mile pace through the first 19 miles. In order to PR, I needed to average 10:32/mile. Since the finish was far below the mile-19 mark, I figured a PR was in-the-bag. My Timex GPS watch decided to die at this point, with moisture inside it, so I wasn't sure how I was doing the rest of the way.

The race started with a cold, windy rain. The rain stopped, sprinkled, quit, restarted, all day long. The wind never stopped. It was nice when the wind pushed us uphill, but a pain in the ass climbing with a face-wind.

About mile 29, my asthma was kicking up. When I was going through the last aid station, I was gasping like a dieing man and staggering as fast as I could, hoping not to lose my PR, which seemed to be fading. I was so hypoxic, I simply followed the people ahead of me. But they missed a turn. I suddenly noticed them ahead - milling in confusion. Where I was, about 60 feet away, I also couldn't see any pink ribbon markers, no jeep-trail white paint, so I turned around an threw my arms up in the air to warn the people behind us to stop and find markers. We all started running back towards the last marker. Someone saw one, and about 10 of us that went the wrong way got back on course. Some lost only half a minute, but others maybe a few.
I couldn't get my blood-oxygen levels stabilized until about mile 32. In spite of being pretty sure my PR was toast, without a watch, I had to keep pushing 100%.

Finished in 6:07, 3min over previous PR.

In light of my asthma, the missed turn, and the weather, I think I equaled my 2008 PR performance. While disappointing that I missed it, I'm glad that I have a solid race that proves to me that I'm every bit as fast as I was.

An awesome time. At he finish: beer, and bread-bowl potato soup.
Dakota Jones, Tim Parr, Ryan Birch, and Dylan Bowman did an incredible job. Tim led the whole race. Dakota passed Tim near the end. All the people who finished faster than 5hr are freakin' amazing!!

The wind and rain REALLY pummeled the later finishers. OMG, it was crazy. The next morning, the porta-potties at the race start were blown over. Very impressive winds. There wasn't much rain. The Moab area is prone to flash-flooding, and there was never enough rain to make anyone worry about that. It's just that the wind could blow what little rain there was right through all your layers.

The next day, I did the FIsher Towers trail.

The shady sides of cliffs still had snow, so it was nice to see the canyons, buttes, and cliffs with additional highlights.

I finished with a dark hike up to Hanging Lake, east of Glenwood Springs. It's mostly ice and snow, so I was wearing my snowshoes.

More Pbville Training

2011-02-15T20:18:00.000-08:00

I went up to Leadville to train in some altitude.

The first run up Ball Mtn, I forgot my camera. Too bad because the lighting was great.
I didn't work so hard getting up Ball, but once I got to the top, I did several hill repeats in the thin air at 12, 300 feet.

It was so beautiful, and I wanted to get two runs in, so I ran back to Leadville, ate a light lunch, grabbed my camera, and ran back up. But not all the way up the last time. And the lighting sucked. So you all missed out on the better views of the day.

The mine at the Leadville Marathon aid station #1, #2, #6, and #7 - yep, we pass this one aid station four times during the race, during July.

The temps were between 12F and 40F all weekend, so nothing like I'm used to in winter in Leadville. In fact, I couldn't tell there was any new snow from the past few weeks, in spite of the fact that Denver got royally dumped on. Snowmobile tracks and snowcat groomed trails abound in the Leadville area. And as you can see, you don't need skis, traction devices, or snowshoes. You could run a hundred miles by looping around over hills and through valleys, on buried trails and roads. The snow causes you to work harder, yet it's easier on your feet.

Electrolytes & Hydration, Part Last

2011-02-05T15:26:00.000-08:00

The main moral of the story. I repeat…

_____________________

If you take in enough isotonic mixture, your body will keep what it does need and flush out what it doesn’t need, either through your bladder or your bowels.
_____________________

Of course, it is not a perfect world, and a 100-mile running event, at high altitude, with monster 1000ft+ climbs, in weather flipping from cold to heat to cold again, is going to stress your system to the max. Trying to guess what your body needs exactly is nearly impossible. The aid stations are handing out completely erratically mixed beverages. It’s up to each runner to figure it out.
When in doubt, drink a known neutral mixture. This is one of the things having your own drop-bag is essential for. Your drop-bag is a reliable source for controlled-ratio mixtures. If you have a crew, then your bottles need to be marked clearly and your crew instructed clearly which-is-which, and when to hand you what. If you’re in a stupor, your crew needs to figure out if it’s from hypoxia, dehydration, hyponatremia, or low blood sugar.
(As for the latter, have any of you considered using a diabetic glucose tester in the later stages of a race to see if you're heading toward a glycemic crash?)

Many of us have finished a race during summer months and after our sweat dries, we’re covered by a comical streaking of white salt. It might be worth it, to judge the quantity of salt you’re expending, to open an electrolyte capsule and spread the powder on your clean, dry arm. See how much surface-area the contents will cover, leaving it as white and thick as you usually are at the end of these events. Then extrapolate for your body. THAT is how many electrolyte capsules you have coating your body. And that is how much more salt you need to consume (in addition to the usual urine) during a race to stay neutral.

Some of us sweat more than others because we’re all pushing at different intensities, and some of us have lower conditioning. An elite runner won’t burn as many calories to go the same distance, even at a faster pace. Fewer calories means less heat (byproduct of calorie-burn is heat) which in turn means less sweating, which means less breathing, lower rate of dehydration, and less loss of electrolytes. The worse shape you’re in, the more you hemorrhage electrolytes, water, and calories, and the more you build lactic acid. Even small reductions in weight and increases in systemic efficiency have a significant difference in the snow-balling long-term effect it has on your physiology. The lower your rates of expenditure, the easier it is to stay on top of your rates, levels, and ratios. When you end up with a deficit, it can cause serious problems, which lead to DNFs and/or much slower finish-times and unnecessary pain. Add to that, the first-place runners only have to be on their feet for half the time that last-place runners are out there.

Everyone has different strategies for maintaining optimal ratios and levels. Some prefer to keep everything separated into measured doses so they can count calories, electrolytes, and water ounces accurately. Some people can’t do math very well during a race and insist on drinking pre-mixed isotonics. Some drink isotonics without any calories, and then eat measure calories. The simplest way of all, is to mix isotonic sport drinks with adequate calories such that you don’t have to eat anything nor take any electrolyte supplements, but that tends to leave a slight mucous in your mouth. You might not be bothered by such a thing walking around town, but during a race, it’s bothersome. Most racers seem to prefer sport drink that is half-strength, and then eat some food and take some electrolyte supplements.

If you have a history of bad race experiences where you just can’t seem to nail the ratios or levels, there is something you can do.
Warning, this is gross, but it is clinically sound…
At the point of collapse, at the end of your rope, pee into a bottle – like an empty sport-drink bottle. Try to fill either a full quart, or exactly half a quart. Then let it evaporate. When all the water is gone, what is left is mostly salt, including ammonia salts and phosphate soda. Remember blood has about 2tsp of salt per quart (~10gms/qt). Pee reflects what your blood was like at the end of the race. If there’s less than 2tsp/qt, then you needed more electrolyte supplements. If there’s more than that, you took too much.
You can use a scale designed for light-accurate measurements, like a digital food scale that can flip from ounces to grams. Measure the whole bottle with the dried contents, then record the weight. Next, clean and dry the bottle thoroughly and weigh it again. After subtracting your bottle weight, you should have an accurate weight for salt. Then finish by multiplying, if you needed, to extrapolate a full quart.
Don’t ever forget the lesson from the sea – no matter how much sea water you drink, you will die of dehydration. If you pop electrolyte supplements like candy, you are basically drinking sea water and your body will react accordingly.

Electrolytes & Hydration, Part 2

2011-02-05T15:14:00.000-08:00

Collation 2
Now let’s collate the other extreme from the sea – travelling in a desert. To get across a desert, travellers used to take in extra quantities of salt before the journey – but not just salt! They have to follow it up with large quantities of water. First salt, to trigger the body to want copious amounts of water, then satiate that thirst immediately after, without over-doing it. This causes your body to temporarily hold extra water, until your body is able to return both quantity and ratio back to the optimal levels. But if you suddenly increase both, then set out across a stifling hot, dry plain, you will probably sweat out much of that excess before your body can pee it out. Thus you have given yourself an extra hour or so of comfort before things start to deteriorate.

Any state of “extra”, with either salt or water, is temporary, but if you don’t have enough water, your body will still rob your dehydrated body of as much water as it can to return the salt ratio back to optimal levels, even if it means dropping the hydration level dangerously below optimal levels. But of course if you’re dehydrated as your body is robbing even more water, then your blood becomes even thicker and it becomes a hopeless vicious cycle that leads to stomach cramps and collapse.

Collation 3
Many of us have heard of the Master Cleanse. This is a strict diet that consists of drinking fresh-squeezed lemonade with grade “B” maple syrup and cayenne pepper mixed in. It’s not delicious, but it’s not as nasty as it sounds. Grade “B” maple syrup is loaded with vitamins, plus fresh lemonade is loaded with vitamin C. Vitamin C is acidic, and cayenne pepper is caustic. Still, the mixture is somewhat mildly acidic and caustic, and causes no discomfort to drink for days on end. The mixture gradually corrodes the “gunk” that can build up on the insides of your intestines. This gunk is what leads to cancers, ulcers, and many other conditions. It will also kill all the bacteria and viruses living in your gut.
So first you loosen up the gunk, then you try to flush it out. Here’s the chemistry lesson in this… You mix 2tsp of salt with 1qt of warm (body-temperature ~98.6F) water, then you guzzle it real fast. If the solution is the same saline ratio as your blood, and you’re not dehydrated, then it will flush through, sometimes violently. It is stressed very clearly to anyone starting the Master Cleanse to be close to a toilet when they do the salt-water flush. It will gush right through from mouth to toilet with surprising speed. This is what blasts the “gunk” off the walls of your intestines during the Cleanse.
No doubt, if you aren’t taking in any other source of salt, then all your daily salt will come from this salt-water Flush – not all the salt will flush out, but the water sure will.
The Master Cleanse achieves bowel-flush through a combination of body-temperature water, empty intestines from no solid food, and the osmosis of salt from the Flush into your slightly hyponatremic system. If you try the Flush when you’re not on the Master Cleanse diet, then there will be plenty of digesting food in the way, so there won’t be any violent results. It takes about two to three days to empty all your intestines. It’s only after the intestines are empty that the Flush truly starts to do its work. The less food and “gunk” in the way, the more violent the Flush will be. When you achieve MC nirvana, clear water runs all the way through you. Nearly all the maple syrup and lemonade absorbs into your blood-stream.
FYI: When finished with the Master Cleanse sessions, you have to rebuild the healthy microbes that are supposed to be in your gut by consuming probiotics for several days. You can’t just start eating regular food again.
I guarantee the MC will cure you of serious flatulence. Flatulence is caused by undigested food (carbs are the worse) getting into your lower intestine. This happens when you over-eat. When the wrong kind of bacteria start colonizing in your lower intestine, then it doesn’t much matter what you eat or how much, you have chronic flatulence. Taking antibiotics is a less-perfect way of killing the bad bacteria, but won’t give you the cleaning.
If you don’t follow the post-MC plan of rebuilding your good-bacteria, and you start dumping hardy foods into your system, then you won’t be able to properly digest. You’ll end up with undigested food in your lower intestine again, which defeats many of the reasons for doing the MC in the first place.

- If your hydration and salt levels are both low, and you guzzle a neutral mix (such as Pedialyte, for example), your body will retain it all – because it needs both.
- If you’re well-hydrated but your salt is low, and you guzzle a neutral mix, your body will retain salt and flush out the water – not necessarily through your bowels, but also through your bladder.
- If you’re dehydrated but your salt is fine…
See the trend? Your body isn’t stupid, even though it sometimes acts that way. It knows what’s best and will do its best to bring all levels back to optimal. This only fails when you don’t give the body the resources it needs to return things to optimal levels.

In a perfect world, all the fluids offered at an ultra event will be mixed at perfectly balanced ratios. It may not taste good, but it will allow your body to adjust to healthy levels, even considering that some people expend either water or salt at different levels. One optimal mixture for all is actually good. If you take in enough optimal mixture, your body will flush out what it doesn’t need, either through your bladder or your bowels. You don’t need to worry about how saline your pee is – your body will make the correct decisions there. It won’t accidentally excrete too much salt through your pee.
If you drink too much water, and you don’t have enough salt, then your body will not be able to drop the excess water very efficiently. This state of hyponatremia can kill you. No one ever developed hyponatremia from drinking an isotonic mix.

On the cellular level, if you add plain water (hypotonic), the cells being saltier, osmosis will cause the cells to fill with water until they burst, thus killing the cells. This is why you shouldn’t try to clean a wound with plain water.

If you subject cells to hypertronic solutions, the cells will get the water sucked out of them, and will shrivel up. Traumatic shrivelling will kill or damage many of them.
Luckily, our stomach and other systems do a fine job of buffering what we consume to introduce substances in a controlled way, so there usually aren’t any traumatic cellular responses. But just the thought of these cellular responses should clue everyone in to how limited their use of water should be during a grueling event, and how important it is to not go hog-wild with the electrolyte supplements.

Electrolytes & Hydration, Part 1

2011-02-05T15:03:00.000-08:00

There are a lot of misconceptions and confusion around ultra-running electrolytes and hydration. There are also many fads or trends that go off on tangents, without collating data already learned from other sports.

Everyone already knows we need to maintain a certain quantity of electrolytes and hydration. The argument is how much? What makes this harder is that everyone is somewhat different.

The last part, about everyone being “different”, has to be taken with a grain of salt (no pun intended {well, maybe a little bit}). What causes everyone to be different are usually measurable things like heart rate and breathing rate. Otherwise we aren’t as different as most people imply. An elite athlete has an astoundingly low Resting-Heart-Rate, incredible VO2Max, and plenty of oxygen-carrying red blood cells. To run up the exact same stretch of trail, at the exact same pace, an elite weighing 130lbs will have a very low heart rate and breathing rate, because they aren’t working very hard. But a 180lbs runner, with twice the RHR, lower VO2Max, and not as many red blood cells, will be gasping for air. Regardless the altitude, the lighter elite athlete will not have to breathe or work as hard.

Unlike calories, electrolytes don’t “burn up”. Calories burn and escape the system via heat. Electrolytes don’t burn. They flush out via sweat and urine. Therefore, an elite who sweats less, wastes less. Urine is going to come out either way. Your body will try to maintain a healthy hydration and electrolyte balance, but if you flood the system with too much or not enough, of water or electrolytes, the body will have a harder time balancing. Way more than optimal salt and too little water – you’re in trouble. Way more salt and way more water, maybe not bad at all, but still making the body work extra to maintain “optimal”. Too much water and too little salt leads to deadly hyponatremia.

Collation 1
Everyone knows that people stranded at sea should never drink sea water, or they’ll get stomach cramps, delirium, and then die. Allegedly, you die of dehydration, no matter how much sea water you drink. The sailors who have lasted the longest aren’t the ones who drank only the survival-ration of on-board fresh water. The ones who lasted well beyond historical expectations were those who mixed sea water with fresh water. Only the optimal ratio is argued today. But why argue? We already know the optimal salinity of human blood. To maintain optimal water-to-salt ratio, you need to drink that same ratio. Each body may react slightly differently to sun and heat. If you sweat more, you’ll lose both water and salt through your pours, but some will lose more salt than others. So what is “optimal” for one person may not have enough salt for another. But sitting still in a boat, humans don’t vary much – only a little. The conditioning of athletes cause wild variations from one person to the next, but sitting still in the shade, people are very similar.

This should be a lesson for ultra-runners who are rabid fans of electrolyte capsules. Too many runners take electrolyte supplements based on the clock, while ignoring their bodies and their environment. It should be no mystery that they eventually drop or crash. They may still finish their race, but only after gutting through hours of self-inflicted agony. If the salt/water ratio is too saline, it’s like drinking sea water. And no matter how much sea water you drink, you’ll be killing yourself.

When you drink sea water, your body will attempt to re-balance the ratio of salt and water in the system back to optimal levels. The only way the body can rid salt is to flush it out with water. That’s why drinking sea water leads to dehydration – it takes more water to flush out the excess salt than was in the volume of water the sailor drank.
Sea water is about 3x’s the salinity of optimal human blood.
Blood = ~2tsp salt/qt (~10gms/qt)
Sea water = ~6tsp salt/qt (~1oz/qt)

Ultra-runners aren’t sitting still in a boat. The harder you work, the faster you breath, which dries you out. Breathing causes you to lose fresh water, but no electrolytes at all. Theoretically, if you didn’t sweat at all, and you were gasping like the Little Engine That Could, you would only have to take in as much salt as you peed-out - not much. (But of course, we always sweat some, even on frigid winter excursions.)
The recommended daily dose for average people is only 500mg/day, but the average person also only needs 2qts/day of fluids. What mainstream people refer to as “active” still ranks as “sedentary” to the average ultra-runner. During a 100-mile event, a middle-of-pack ultra-runner can consume two or more gallons of fluids in a 24hr period. If they get their electrolyte ratio wrong, they can do lots of damage.
FYI: Real (whole) sea salt, from evaporative mining, contains many of the minerals our body needs for optimal health. Salt mined from inland sediments, even if they originated from evaporated seas, often are missing these elements. Many salt-mining companies get most of their profits not from selling salt, but from selling the extracted, refined individual minerals. Beware what you pay extra for – just because its labeled “Sea Salt”.

Race-to-Driving Calculator

2011-01-22T10:07:00.000-08:00

In light of the 2000-mile-plus distances I accumulated in the Calico 50K drive, I decided to set a formula to calculate whether or not a race is worth the expenditure. Alene N has been using a formula for years. I can't remember what her's is, but it's probably like mine.

I figure divide the driving distance (one-way) by 10, and the race distance better be equal or greater. So for a 50K distance, I better not drive more than 310 miles.
The Red Hot 55K is coming up. I'm allowed to drive 341 miles. It very barely qualifies, since the race is north of Moab and I sleep in my vehicle 1/2 mile from the start area.
The Goblin Valley 50K is too far.
Jemez Mtn 50M is well within the limit. So is the San Juan Solstice 50M.
The Silent Trails 10M race near Laramie is well beyond the limit, but 140 miles is close enough, and I hardly ever see my northern friends, and so I made a judgment-call to go beyond the rule. Since I camp and hike additionally, not to mention 1-3 miles of warm-up before the race, I actually get more than 10 miles of travel out of the weekend.

This formula has a lot to do with arguing when people insist on doing races well beyond these limits. So here's the deal...
For a 50K, I'm willing to drive 310 miles for myself, and I will pay for that much gas. If one person carpools with me, I'm willing to go 620 miles, and pay for half. And for three people, 930 miles, but still only pay for 310.
So this 2000+ mile trip to Calico, with an added excursion to Ely, NV won't be happening again, not even with four people in the car. It's just not worth it, no matter how great the race was.
If they start doing a Calico 50-miler, and I get three passengers, then it would be worth driving that far.
The Bandera 100K is 903 miles away, so I will have to have someone to carpool with to make it worth it again.

Flying is out-of-the-question, since there's no such thing as splitting the cost of one ticket, or taking turns getting frisked by TSA. Although everyone on a plane is plane-pooling together, in a sense, planes are horrendously expensive and burn so many thousands of gallons of fuel that even after factoring in per-passenger, each passenger is causing the burning of a LOT of fuel.

Yes, in spite of leaning right politically, I am a bit of an environmentalist. I've been surprised by how many ultra-runners will run through pristine wilderness, appreciating it, and complaining about wear-and-tear, litter, etc., but they think nothing of burning horrendous quantities of fuel annually driving hither-and-yon to all our races.
There's another aspect too... gluttonous cost. Sure I can "afford it", but to me there's more to the equation than pure availability of cash. There's a certain amount of, "Should I be expending quite this much on my hobbies?" It's not like my passion is working to cure cancer, or bringing about world peace. I just like to run a long way, and races allow a support system for my long runs. So the money spent on races and traveling is pretty much purely selfish. I'm not Ghandi - I will allow myself the luxury of running races, but not without limits.
To a certain extent, I have to run. Keeping your life in order is too often not a matter of being perfect. We all have flaws, and I think ultra-runners might be the extremists they are because they are "odd". Being successful - not a train-wreck - is a matter of managing your tendencies. I manage my tendencies by redirecting all my unhealthy energies into running. Since I have a lot of unhealthy tendencies, and even quite a lot of unrequited healthy ones, I redirect all this energy down the ultra-rathole, instead of becoming a bitter alcoholic, or drug addict, or anything else.
Management requires rules and limits. Even with good things, nothing is healthy without limits. (Boy am I gonna get flamed for this!)

Calico 50K

2011-01-18T08:13:00.001-08:00

I had my arm twisted a bit to run this one. It's too far away, but it was still a good time.

I carpooled with Dave Black and his son. We slept on the ground - never once getting a motel.

First night was near Ely, Nevada, at a friend's place in the mountains. We spent the night in a shed at around 7000+ feet. It was 30F at that altitude, but only 17F miles away in any valley, so we lucked-out.

The next day was spent driving south, stopping in Pioche for lunch. I've never heard of Pioche, but it is a very cool little dot of a mining town.

We arrived in Calico at dinner time. The pasta dinner was very good - not the usual cheap pasta but some hardy gourmet stuff.

I never thought of California as a friendly place, but we were all surprised at how incredibly nice everyone was. not just the other runners, but Calico Ghost town employees, rangers, sheriffs, volunteers, etc.

I didn't race with my camera. For one thing, the vast majority of the terrain was very repetitive desert lifeless distant hills and creosote. The rugged parts were very rugged, but most of the race course is very runnable dirt and sand 4x4 roads.

We couldn't have asked for better weather. It was 47F when we woke up and probably 50F at race start. I was wearing a short-sleeve shirt, shorts, and a cap. No fleece, layers, or gloves! I also wore my Mizuno race flats. This ended up being a very wise decision. I didn't need better protection, since most of the course is sand. The small amounts of rock were very rough, and often scary-steep, but these shoes kept me nimble. By the time I reached 30M, my legs were fresh and I was sprinting full-speed towards town.

Joe Black got 2nd in his age group in the 30K, and an award! His coach is Jamie Donaldson. Not a bad deal!

I came in 20th overall in the 50K. Here's where I'm extremely confused...
They had the awards, and they completely skipped the 50-59 age-group. The guy in my age group who won asked and got his award. I simply looked at the board and it appeared I was clearly 4th. But the posted stats on the Internet today say I was 2nd male 50-59. So I guess they screwed-up the awards presentation and I have an award in California. Would have been nice to receive, since I was standing right there, but at least I had a great time and took that home with me.

On the way home, the good weather finally came to an end - We barely made it over Vail Pass before they closed it, and spent hours in a traffic jam creeping up to Eisenhower Tunnel. It took 4 hours to drive what is normally 50 minutes. But at least we made it home alive.

Calico Ghost town, in spite of being an incorrigible tourist-trap, is a fun place. I wish I had been given the time to explore it.

If I lived in California, I'd definitely run this every year. The race was fantastic, and again, I wish I could run it again, but it is just too far away to justify spending that much gas driving to and from. The Bandera 100K in Texas is slightly closer, and twice as long of a race, and just as well supported, so it's a better value. But Bandera is too far also! I'm glad for the experiences at Calico, though, and the great people I met before, during, and after the race. Maybe if I can go in the future, and spend time there, with my son and others, then it would be worth it. I can only hope. Maybe when I get older, I'll move around, like a transient, living a different place for a year at a time?

Hardwater Snowshoe Race 2011

2011-01-08T17:52:00.000-08:00

I think wearing feathers is cheating. It's an unfair advantage. But I found a feather on the ground and stuck it in my cap. So there!

Started with my fleece vest on and expected to have to take it off a quarter mile into the race, but the race start coincided with a cold-front and precisely matched my warm-up. So I was perfectly comfortable the whole race.

I fell down multiple times, but no injuries.

Minimal ice build-up. My duct-tape repairs totally failed. Lucky my shoes didn't disintegrate.

Leadville New Years 2010/2011

2011-01-05T20:37:00.000-08:00

Cross country skiing on the Mineral Belt and the Leadville railroad

East of Leadville

Mt of the Holy Cross

Last Blast of 2010

2010-12-31T16:13:00.000-08:00

What a year! Or not. At least I've been recovering from previous injuries. Life has been good, right through the so-called hard times. I've kept my job, my general health, even if not always my structural health.

I could have worked harder, on the running, but I honestly don't care that I placed it at a lower priority. I'm still looking forward to next year running ALL of the usual races, like I haven't done in two years.
One problem is that I signed up for the Barstow, CA, Calico Canyon 50k (2 wks away), and on the drive out there, the San Juan Solstice 50M registration will open. If I'm not registered within the first seconds after registration opens, I won't get in. The plan was to camp, but I don't think the San Rafael Swell has WiFi, so I'll have to get a motel, and get myself up in time. Both could be challenging.

I'm in Leadville, like has become a New Years tradition for me. I don't really party-in the new year. Instead, I tend to have maybe one or two beers after dinner, and then drive up to find a camp site. Usually asleep by 10pm. How's that for boring? But I've really enjoyed spending my New Years this way, so that's why I keep doing it. Besides, I haven't been invited to a New Years party since about 2007/2008. That business is usually for young people who are looking to get laid, not old guys who are retired from the whole boy-girl thang. So the choice has actually been easy.
My Leadville New Years tends to be peaceful, with lots of reading and staring at the wind, trying to clear my mind and soul and clear out the bytes, hertz, and C# code, and get back to nature. Surrounding myself with the most bitter cold and harsh winds have been an important ingredient. What better way to remind myself how mortal I am, and how simple real survival is? Returning to what it takes to stay alive reminds me that there isn't much about modern life that seems to have anything to do with anything.
I like to end the bitter cold with a luxurious soak in the hot springs followed quickly by a hot-stone massage to melt me into the new year. It's like closing the door on whatever was last year, and opening a completely new door on the next.

Namaste to last year, namaste to next, and namaste to all m friends out there!

El Chubbo Grande Fat Ass

2010-12-18T19:22:00.001-08:00

Got together with friends and ran. This was supposed to be a low-key event, and I was one of the FNG's, so I didn't feel like it would be kosher for me to invite any of my friends. Fat ass races tend to skirt some regulations, so pardon the lack of written details.

El Chubbo turds.

JT taking a photo of me taking a photo of him. We almost caused a singularity event.

El Stone Grande Del Arthur

The rest of the run was nice - and very runnable, but not so photogenic.
I haven't been doing my long runs. My feet are currently soaking in ice-water. My plantar didn't screw with me today, so I'll take regular sore feet over that old nonsense any time.

Sunset

2010-12-17T06:52:00.000-08:00

I shopped last weekend, instead of running. The only outdoors experience I got was a beautiful sunset from Cherry Creek mall.

This weekend is in doubt. Big plans, but I have a cold, so the plans might fizzle.

Rock Canyon Half

2010-12-05T19:07:00.000-08:00

I ran the Rock Canyon Half Marathon a couple of years ago. It was lots of fun: near home, quick, simple, fast, cheap, and I could sign up at the last second. Not this year.
I talked to JT, and he was told it was "closed" two weeks before. Other sources said it was closed a week before. Still others didn't report it was closed until a few days before the race.
At the race, an hour before start, one of the club members and race volunteers was surprised to find out registration had closed and that there was no race-day registration.
The RD is a good guy, and this is a great race, but it has always been a small-local event, and this year it kind of exploded into a very big thing. Bigger than expected. So communication and organization in some areas kind of went out the window. Those who got registered were well-organized, and once the race started, it was business as usual: a very good time.
But I did not get registered in time. Dave Black and his son Joe did. Anita F also didn't get registered. This was FUBAR - the plan had been for Dave, Joe, and I to drive down to Colorado Springs to camp on Anita's floor, then all four of us carpooled down to Pueblo Saturday morning. But only half of us ran the official race.

Anita and I ran the whole course starting 40 minutes before everyone else, so we had a roving ring-side seat.

The forecast was for colder, windier, and even some wetness. It was dry and (almost) nice.

I ran the whole course for free, but without the extra oompf from competition, and $40 cheaper.

Daniels Park

2010-11-30T20:54:00.000-08:00

Yes, I actually did something last weekend, but I've been too busy to get it posted.

Paul G was training for Across The Years and decided to do a Fri-midnight to Sat sundown run on the high ground from Daniels Park south of Denver. Some people are quiters. Paul doesn't know WHEN to quit!! So I met him after sundown Saturday night and we went several miles. I left him for a bit and did 3-sets-of-3 1/8 mile hill repeats that hurt like bloody hell. Oddly, the last set didn't hurt any more than the 1st.

Somehow, I haven't seen or spent much time with my friends since summer. Tim F is in Afghanistan. Anita F I finally saw again at Rim Rock and I realized I've been remiss. So I spent time with Paul Sat night, and then again Sunday morning (yeah, he was still going). And I'll be car-pooling to Pueblo with Dave B this weekend for the Rock Canyon Half Marathon.

I did hill repeats Saturday night, then intervals Monday night, and track workout Tuesday. Rest and massage tomorrow. DTR run Thursday (I plan to be a slacker).

Monday, coming home from work, a black fox with a white-tipped tail crossed the road in front of me. These are usually teenage Red Foxes that are full-grown, but not fully matured. Very rarely, they retain their black coat through life. I'd never seen a black fox, though, so this was a very cool thing to see. And it was only about 50 feet away.

DTR Thanksgiving Day Run

2010-11-25T20:31:00.000-08:00

We were supposed to meet at Noa Noa coffee shop, but I was running late. Then I took the wrong highway west from Golden and ended up on the wrong side of Centennial Cone Park. But it didn't really matter. I met up with the group 20 minutes later.

The wind was raging, and the temps were frigid. Thankful it wasn't -36 like it was in Leadville this morning!

I gave blood on Tuesday, so my legs weren't getting oxygen. I wasn't light-headed. It was as if I had just finished a race two days before. My legs just weren't cooperating. But I still got some decent miles and time-on-feet.

This is where everyone headed back, and I continued for some longer miles.

Mine were the only tracks for much of the way.

I saw two adult bobcats, a hawk that flew out of the grass a dozen feet away, a Rocky Mountain Bluebird flew across the trail in front of me, and whitetail deer tracks - a doe and two fawns. Unusual to see two fawns with one adult. The fawn tracks were so small they must've been the size of a medium dog.

James Peak on the horizon.

In all, 17.2 miles.

Rim Rock 2010 Re-assess

2010-11-21T09:17:00.000-08:00

I was pretty hard on myself for taking longer than 4hr to finish the Rim Rock Marathon. No doubt, I'm not exactly in great shape. However, looking at the stats, I still managed to finish 3rd in my division, and 58th out of 174 finishers. That's exactly the 33% mark, with 2/3 of the racers finishing behind.

I stopped "racing" at mile-marker 25, when I looked at my watch and saw 3:53 race-time. In order to reach my goal of a sub-4hr finish, I would have had to run sub-6min pace. I wasn't moving that fast down the steepest decent! So I "jogged" it in, not even caring that Sarah Labrec passed me near the end. I was more than able to re-pass her, but wasn't about to ruin what was apparently a very triumphant photo-op finish for her. I missed my goal and so nothing else really mattered but finishing. No doubt that final jog padded my time by over a minute.
However, compared to the whole pack, and the fact that I've been injured, I compared decently.
If I had not taken my camera, then finishing sub-4hr would have been guaranteed. Check out my special photographer running technique...

There was plenty of that, stopping, running backwards, even backtracking for the right angle a couple of times.
But I still tried hard, and with every stop, that's a bit of rest, and so not every second of stopping was actually a second lost. I was always able to run a tiny bit faster after each photo break.
So even though I'm still not satisfied, I'm not as upset as I was.

Check out this running form video/photo analysis...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hqspH_OTzA
"Bounce" in and of itself is not bad. It's "vertical" bounce which is bad. Cheap elastic energy refers to your springiness. This is good, and leads to reduced injury and increased efficiency. This much is left out of this gait analysis. They do mention "range", but not "spring".
I already have the correct landing angles, and my hands don't cross over, but I'll bet I bounce vertically quite a bit. Last night, I tried to mimic the Ethiopians, not bouncing as I ran. What I found was that in order to avoid vertical bounce, I had to alter the gyrations of my hips. This tired me out very quickly. I also discovered that in order to pull off the type of leg motions with that lack of bounce, I had to move much faster. Since I'm not in great shape, moving that fast, with that running form, killed me in a quarter mile.
On a ragged trail full of rocks and tree roots, much of this falls apart. It is not lost completely, though.
When Adam Feerst first re-taught me to run five years ago, I went through the same ordeal - running the way he taught wore me out in a quarter mile. But the end-result, once the required muscles had been retrained, was that I was much faster and less prone to injury. The knees I ravaged through over-striding were healed and my pace dropped precipitously.
You have to watch closely where in the stride they measure the angles. Many of the Africans will reach forward with their legs, and if you measured when their foot is several inches above the ground, it would look like an over-stride. But it only counts when their foot contacts the ground. As Adam taught, your foot should already be moving backwards when it contacts the ground. The Africans reach forward, and then arc back, contacting with a backwards-moving foot, and the shin is angled back far enough to place the toes directly under the knees.
This video analysis doesn't negate anything that Adam taught me, but it does add a significant morsel, i.e. vertical bounce. I was not able to take all of Adam's clinics, so maybe some of this would have been included? Anyway, very glad to see this, and passing it on to all of you.

Rim Rock Marathon 2010

2010-11-14T20:30:00.000-08:00

This was my first running of the marathon version of this race, which used to be the 23.5M Rim Rock Run.
My "training" pretty much ended at the Boulder 100, which was followed by a cold, then epic allergies, blending seamlessly into another cold. Neither cold was very severe at all, but it did keep me from breathing. Add tons of work on the exterior of my house and the only training I had for weeks has been the Denver Trail Runners Thursday night runs, once a week, and one Boulder Flatirons run.
So I knew I'd suck. I figured if I could finish under 4hrs, I could be satisfied, under the circumstances. Unfortunately I missed it by 4 minutes. So I'm not satisfied with my marathon finish.

The rest of the weekend, though, was incredibly enjoyable and relaxing. I enjoyed the ride out, the people, the weather, the scenery. I even enjoyed the snow storm on Vail Pass coming back so much I parked at the Pass and slept the night there to prolong the winter experience.

The final shot is Eisenhower Tunnel, at a red light, waiting for the hazardous fuel tanker on the right to drive through by itself. Winter is here, in the high country.

Bear Peak and Mesa Trail

2010-11-07T08:56:00.000-08:00

After two weeks of allergies and colds, with about three intermittent days total during that time of health, I finally went for a halfway decent weekend run. It was low intensity, but it was still extra running on great trails with great company.

I hooked up with Eric Lee, Kari Frasier, and Mike Poland from Boulder. Unfortunately, my camera was set to the wrong settings - I'm still clueless. It must've been trying to take "portraits". My Bear Peak summit shots were blurry, washed-out, and the Rocky Mountains blended into the clouds such that you couldn't see the peaks. I'm not sure why the pano turned out, but even that needed some retouch.

The free tools I use are Paint.NET and Autostitch.

I have Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2, but I hate it!! First, the install didn't go smoothly, and it kept wanting to go to the Internet. Second - and this one really sticks in my craw - advertisements pop up when I launch it. I paid for this app, and they have the nerve to spam me while using it! If it was freeware, I could understand that, but bought-and-paid? I also had to hack some garbage out of the Startup routines. I swear Corel is as bad as HP when it comes to crapifying your computer with startup shitlets, but at least HP's are easy to hack out. Corel has gone through great efforts to keep you from hacking them out. They want to take over your computer and remove any choice in having Corel contact and interrupt you at-will. I'll never buy Corel products again. Period.
I loved Paint Shop Pro, when it was owned by Jasc, but when Corel bought it, it got ruined by the marketing department and Corel management. I guess I'll just keep using my ancient version of Paint Shop Pro 5.
But honestly, Paint.NET does 95% of what I could ever want a graphics app to do, and it's totally free and totally supported with multiple updates a year, plus plugins.
Paint.NET runs on the Microsoft .NETFramework engine, so it doesn't come in a Mac or Linux flavor. That's the only downside. On the plus, it has a rotation function that is superior to any graphics app I've ever seen. I even have PhotoShop on one of my older machines, and it can't compare. For rotations, Paint.NET rules!

In order to get Autostitch to do what I want, I found I have to change two settings, Output Size and JPEG Quality, to 100%. This requires a lot of CPU speed and computer memory, but my computer is a beast, so no problem. If you use Autostitch, and have a slower machine, you can set these two settings a little lower and still get good results. It's better to leave photos at max resolution before stitching, even if it's slower. I prefer to crop lastly, because I often need to correct some tilt out of the pano, and zoom-crop. Reducing the image size to between 1-2MB is the last thing I do.

I haven't done a great many panos, so I only use this a few times a year. And when I get the hang of my new camera, I won't need it - my camera has a panorama function built-in. I just need to learn how to use it.

Half the time, though, all I want to do is paste a screen-capture, crop, and put red boxes around stuff to highlight. For that, my favorite is the ultra-simple MSPaint. I sometimes prefer there not to be any fancy features that slow the launch down. Using the keyboard and mouse, I can create entire images, with edits, in seconds. Any of the other apps mentioned would take 5x's longer.

Catching Up

2010-10-26T08:24:00.000-07:00

I have a cold. Nothing severe - all upper respiratory so far - but enough to call in sick to work.
So I've been using Remote Control to work on computers at work. My God, when I was in High School, computers didn't have hard drives. Computer Science taught us how to punch out paper cards as "programs". And now I can take control of a computer at work as if I'm sitting there. Telecommuting (in order to telecommute properly, you have to be drinking coffee and sitting at your computer in your underwear - it's a rule).
I'm paying dusty bills, cleaning stuff up, and stringing new network cable. Since my home is little more than a crash-pad, it is not a nice environment. There's no room. One of my friends said I'm "The mad scientist of computers." My main room is a computer lab with every flavor of Windows, Ubuntu Linux, a MacBook, laptops that work and laptops that don't, bins, shelves, and cabinets of parts, books, books, and more books (less than half about computers).
This is the same lab where, as a machinist, I built a lab from computers I rescued from dumpsters, taught myself all about networking and computer maintenance/repair, quizzed-out on exams, and got a white-collar job paying twice as much.

I'm not much of a reader or watcher. The idea of watching baseball or football - and doing nothing else - appalls me. "You mean... JUST watching??? How do you do that?" I'd have to hold still and not interact. I'd have to log some real ass-time!
Runners World? Trail Runner Mag? I have been given copies of those but I barely glance at them. I'd rather run than read about it. I know there are "inspiring" stories, stories that help us avoid injury, run faster, etc. But still, I'd rather just do it than read about it. Part of it is that as I've gotten older, I care less about how well I'm doing stuff and more about just doing it. So I donate the magazines to my local Kaladi coffee shop.

It's days like today when I'm sick (and in the future as I get decrepit) I will plug away at the stack of unread books that has gotten so high, it fell over a couple days ago.

My son is 18. It will probably be another few years before he's done with school and under his own roof. The apple didn't fall far from the tree, but the apple did roll a long ways, and it continues to roll. He loves the outdoors, but he's more into music than athletics. I at least have him lifting weights. He is an incredible musician. Okay, the music is not my choice, but he writes his own music and engineers it too. He has friends, both at school and across the Internet, who send him parts to songs. He builds the songs with multi-track recording software and a mixing board. Then he burns the CDs and distributes them. He wasn't given any lessons with any of this stuff. He is completely self-taught.
I've spoiled him with stage-quality musical instruments. I remember trying to learn snowboarding with a half-assed board. I still don't care about snowboarding. Maybe if I'd had a real snowboard?? Trying anything with a "toy" instead of the real thing can turn you off to something. I figured I'd buy him one decent keyboard when he was a kid. If he liked it, great. If not, I could sell it or give it away. His ADHD brain took right to it. So every year, I bought him more stuff - all stage-quality. Roland, Squire, DigiTech, Korg,... And every penny well worth it. While other kids are getting high and drunk, he's writing and mixing songs.
Yet his passion is cars, not music. He wants to be a mechanic, but also wants to design and make his own cars. I guess he wants to be the Dick Rutan of automotive.

I've tried to show him through the way I live my life that limitations are most often figments of our imaginations. That's what running ultras is all about - showing him that the impossible is possible. If we perceive a limitation, we should be realistic and honest about it. It's okay to accept certain limits, but don't fictionalize excuses for why that limitation is being practiced. We decide how we want to live, which direction we want to go, whether or not to achieve, what to achieve. To achieve our goals, we need priorities. I don't believe in parenting in such a way as to impose myself onto him. He is he. I am I. He needs to find himself, build himself, and live his life. But there is one thing I selfishly insist on trying to imprint him with: It's all about people. It's okay to have goals, and to charge forth, destroying or ignoring whatever obstacle gets in your way - except not at the expense of people. I'm no fan of religion, but I do believe that the value of our lives is equal to our contributions to humanity. If I imprint nothing else on him, and he is different from me in every other way, I will feel like a successful parent.

Now look what happens when you mix free time (ass-time!) with cold meds... I just rambled all over myself - and now you.

Boulder 100, 2010

2010-10-18T13:36:00.000-07:00

I signed up for the Boulder 100 an hour before the race started. There aren't many races left where you can still do that.
It's nice to be back in the fray.

As far as the race goes, it was a complete bust. Memories of the Steamboat Marathon 2009, I spent half my time on toilets, and my fastest running was trying to get to the toilets before it's too late. The good news is, I didn't have any accidents. I saw sign that I was not alone in my agonies, and feel thankful I fared better. Still, after symptoms grew half as severe, and then went back to full strength again, I lost patience.

I could no longer run to the toilets because running made it worse. So after reaching 50 miles in only 10h25m, I struggled through one final, agonizing lap.
It was a 30hr race, and I had only gone 57 miles when I stopped, and parked my car next to the porta-potties. All night long I listened to the porta-potty doors slam, using them myself half a dozen times. In the morning, after some sitting and drinking some Mix1, I hoped I could walk one more lap. Even that was dangerous, and I again barely made it safely.
Total mileage ended up being 64 miles.
In spite of the way it turned out, there is no other way I would rather spend my weekend than doing my best at a 100-mile race.
I believe finishing was a certainty, if it hadn't been for my issues. My pace was quite good, and I was looking at a slight PR of maybe 23:10 to 23:20, if you factor in normal deceleration. My target had been 22:49, but I lost so much time in toilets, that frittered away. I knew the crux of any hundred is the miles between 70 and 90. For some reason, if you can make it to 90, it seems your demons are slain, and the last 10 tend not to be as bad.

Sixty-four miles is far short of my goal, but it's more than 100K, and it's farther than I've run since the Moab 100, 2009, when my plantar fasciitis first reared it's ugly head and took me out. There is no sign of my PF. Unfortunately, you don't dare turn your back on PF. If you've ever had it, you're more likely to get it again, and you just can't stop the ice treatments.

One of the highlights was when David Clarke found me in the dark, right before my 8th lap. He barely had time to pace with me for 3.5 miles. I was in a "shitty" mood, but he sure did raise my spirits.

Next event, I plan to help at Adam Feerst's Bear 10-Spot.

Spammers

2010-10-15T10:19:00.000-07:00

Spammers are a peeve of mine.
Anyone who posts with any spam links will get rejected - no matter how nice and complimentary the post is.
Lately, it's been getting worse.
I wonder - how much do these people get paid? .003 cents per post? Is it somehow a spam-engine doing it?
My Yahoo email account is getting spammed with chat request - just lately. I've tried blocking, but that doesn't block chat requests - only emails.
Thank Blogger for moderation controls!

Silent Trails 2010

2010-10-09T20:42:00.000-07:00

I had a good time in Wyoming, but no PR this time.

I drove up the night before. Dinner was at the Albany Restaurant across the street from the old depot tourist-trap. I had the cutest waitress, way too young, but vivacious as hell. She parked herself at my table and just started talking, and talking, and talking... Geez! And I was lovin' it, but it seemed odd, and I was kind of looking around thinking, is she going to get in trouble for spending so much time standing at my table? She told me all about her pet snake, her pet rats, and we talked about dogs and cats and rabbits, gerbils, hamsters, guinea-pigs, and ferrets. She was so expressive and, well, ADHD that it was hard not to laugh. But she was so very endearing! That made my whole night! Too bad she was young enough to be my daughter. In fact, I wondered if the glaring proprietor was her dad.

I parked for the night near the race course and slept in the back of my car in the trees. The wind was blowing very hard, especially up on the Divide where I was. It just rocked me to sleep.

The next morning was coffee and breakfast in Laramie, then back to the hills for the race.
I wore my new Mizuno Wave racing flats and loved them. They aren't as minimal as some racing flats, so these will last longer (I hope).
Other than the wind, the weather was almost perfect.
I took all my asthma meds, and downed 16oz of Gatorade, chasing it with Heed to try to avoid gunk in my throat. Sugary drinks like Gatorade have a bad habit of causing phlegm in my airways.
My plan was to run at least 3 full miles to warm up, but I screwed that up by getting all sociable and talking all my time away. I ended up only running half a mile. That hurt. I immediately started the race slow, and couldn't push it any faster. So I lost time from the very beginning.
Then I missed a turn and ran for over a minute before finding out. When I got back tot he course, I was pissed to see that I ran right between two arrows, one on each side of the wrong way, pointing me to turn left. So I lost over two minutes, and definitely less than three.
I had my usual asthma attack near the top of the big climb. Every time I've run this race so far, the climb triggers one where I'm gasping both in and out, on the brink of a catastrophic clamp-down attack. Next time, I've GOT to bring my Albuterol!
But the rest of the race went well, and I had a very good time. It's so nice to be hammering the trails again!

My PR was 1:32 back in 2006. I managed 1:39:52 this time. Even taking off a couple minutes for the wrong-way, I still would be over my PR.
Poorly done, what can I say? I will have to kill it next year.

Best Campsite In The World

2010-10-07T14:03:00.000-07:00

Meghan had a great post about a recent fast-pack trip, and she mentioned the World's Best Campsite. That put the idea into my head to have a little contest to see if we could all figure out what the World's "ACTUAL" best campsite is. Not that Meghan's campsite couldn't be the best, but this is a democracy, after all, isn't it? Of course, the Internet spans well beyond our USA borders, and I would never want to exclude the Rest Of The World.
So here's the deal...
Everyone tell me what their bestest, favoritest campsite in the whole wide world is. Preferably, give a link to your own blog or website, or even photo-sharing website to show us some views. Tell us why it's the best. Include stuff like how far away from water it is (make sure it's a legal distance per park/forest reg's), how soft, flat, protected the sleeping area is for a comfy sleep, and how much sky you can see.
I know it's subjective, but that's part of the fun, isn't it?

I have several favorites. Getting photos might take me a little while. Some places I haven't been back to since digital cameras came out, so I may not have jpg's yet.

Maybe this post will end up being a rambling post that never ends...

Grays & Torreys Time-Trial

2010-10-03T20:29:00.000-07:00

I have been running Grays & Torreys from the chimney near I-70 for several years now. I've been putting forth an extra effort to get training above treeline, so it made sense for me to run this before the snow flies to see how bad I still suck, and to see how much further I need to go to get back to my 2008 fitness level.

My doctor gave me some Advair samples, and I've used it for a whole week. My asthma has been dogging me for years, and it's the biggest limiter of my performance. In addition to Advair, I took a snort of Astelin, which is a long-acting nasal dilator, like hot mustard, but not painfully intense, and not wearing off after a few minutes. Astelin lasts half a day. Last, I took a hit on my Albuterol.

Thursday, I chugged a whole quart of Gatorade before the DTR run, and because of that, I ran like a banshee. Since that worked so well, I did the same this morning.

I love my sleep, so I didn't bother to wake up early. I didn't get started until 9:46am.
There wasn't any chance of breaking my 2008 record of 3:56, so I started out walking, but not wasting any time - I wanted an honest assessment of my current conditioning, but without tearing up my lungs.

I was surprised when I reached the summit of Torreys in 2:10. I was pretty sure my previous time was 2:12. I wasn't even wasted/hypoxic! That's when I realized I could actually set a PR. So I hustled over to summit Grays and then down.

As I left the upper cirque and was getting into the flatter section above treeline, my right toe caught a rock. I spun around so fast, slammed my left shoulder (boy, I really am trying to break it again, huh?) into the trail, but it ended up being a glancing, hard blow that left me staring at the sky. I'm slower than I used to be downhill because I'm paranoid I'm going to fall, yet in spite of being extra careful, I still keep falling. Luckily, no harm done.

I finished in 3:45, taking 11 minutes of my best time!
How the hell is this possible? I really am in worse shape than I was in 2008. I can only guess that the Gatorade and asthma meds did the trick.

The chimney in the parking lot is my Start/Finish

So now I'm looking at the Rim Rock Marathon. What if I guzzle another quart of Gatorade before the race, and do the same asthma-med ritual? And what about the Boulder 100? Yeah, boring course, but it's a great course for experimenting. Is it possible that at mile 80 I won't have lungs topped-off with gunk? Will I be able to finish an hour or two faster?
I used to train nearly every day. I haven't been doing that recently. I'm afraid I've been slacking off - only running a couple of times a week. No more Tuesday runs, no more running every day, just the DTR Thursday run and a weekend mountain run. Yet somehow I'm performing as good as I did in 2008?

Fingers crossed. Awesome news. I'm elated.

Run Rabbit Run 50, 2010

2010-09-19T22:44:00.000-07:00

Wow, what an awesome, awesome weekend!
As I was walking into the Bear Bar where Run Rabbit was based, the evening before the race, someone asked me if I was running. I said, "Heck no! I've been injured for over a year. I'm not trained-up. I can't run 50 miles through the mountains!"

Then Fred offered me a bib and I just TOOK it! What was I thinking? I think it was something like, "Life is an adventure - get on the frickin' boat and shut up!"

I somehow managed to have everything I needed to run an ultra in my car.
My pre-race meal was pizza from Blue Sage Pizza.
Naz A offered me floor space at his hotel room. It was his 1st 50 miler, and he did great. He finished about 2hr 30m faster than me.

Being so under-trained, my goal should have been just to finish, but instead I decided to take 30 minutes off my previous best.

Fred A. told me I had to finish. I said I can do bad, or I can do terrible, but I can't quit.

The weather was almost perfect, but like the Saturday before, there wasn't a speck of cloud in the sky and it was a scorcher. Luckily, it was a mildly gusty day, and the course gives a fair amount of shade. I took two Ultimate Direction bottles and always had water in one, sport drink in the other. So I was able to use half my water by squirting it on head and shirt. This kept the heat from bothering me at all.
I also paid better attention to my hydration and electrolytes than the weekend before. I ate regularly, used about 6 gels, ate potato chips and banana at the aid stations, and just kept moving.

The course is 50.2-50.3 miles, so it's almost exactly 50, with just enough extra to avoid any arguments.

The weather obviously helped everyone. All the records fell.

I love this course! Very beautiful, several lakes, very challenging, great people, great town.

I never felt bad during the race. My asthma hurt early, which concerned me, but it never got worse and I never faded.
Charles Danforth and I somewhat leap-frogged each other the whole race, especially the last 3rd or so. It's about time I got to know a guy whose name I keep hearing, and whose blog I've stumbled across several times.

The last 10k of the race is steep downhill, but this time I wasn't as fast. Since breaking my arm, I keep having visions of crashing. I still take some chances, but not like I used to. I actually got passed three times during that final descent. A fourth guy nearly passed me too, but I managed to stay ahead through the chute and across the finish.

My body was wrecked! I was almost in shock. I had to keep moving or I would have passed-out. Then when I was finally able to sit, I started turning to concrete, so I had to move some more. Eventually, I got some post-race pizza and one beer into me, but I couldn't stand to consume anything more, nor could I stay conscious much longer. So I went back to my car and passed-out on my sleeping bag in the back of the car. I slept right through the awards.
Around 11:15, I struggled out of bed, drove to a convenience store and bought some Gatorade. After drinking the whole thing, I drove a few miles out of town on a dirt road and slept until morning.
After Breakfast, I soaked at Strawberry Park Hot Springs. Then ate pizza at Beau Jo's back in town. I don't think I've ever eaten so much pizza in three days in my life.

Right now, I finally feel human again. Tomorrow, I'll be 100% again.

OMG! I in Run Rabbit Run 50

2010-09-17T19:05:00.000-07:00

So I drove to Steamboat to volunteer. Fred A said they had enough volunteers - do I want to run? They have people doing half-day shifts but I worked all day last year. So he got me in.
Whoa, what a surprise. And I went through a 15 minute panic where I started trembling, wondering if I even have all the stuff for running a mtn 50.
This will be interesting...

9/11 American Heros Run

2010-09-11T19:40:00.000-07:00

My friend David Clark, who I crewed at Leadville, and Max Muscle put this event on. Let me tell ya - 9 hours and 11 minutes is way easier than 12 hours or 24 hours!

My poor brain just wasn't into waking up at 5:30am, though. I figured I'd wake up at some point, but it's easier to drive while awake. I missed the turn-off and had to backtrack.

The course was a 1.06 mile loop in Rogers Grove Park in Longmont, CO. My goal was to run 50 miles, which would have bettered my 9:33 finish at Collegiate Peaks 50 in 2008. It didn't happen. The temps weren't too very hot, but there wasn't a speck of cloud in the sky. At Longmont's altitude, it was a scorcher. I could have handled my hydration, electrolytes, etc. better. Still, I was surprised that my wheels did not exactly fall off. However, after hitting pace for 33 miles, I realized I couldn't hold the pace after so many hours struggling with the heat. I basically walked with Dale Perry for half a dozen more laps.

First place, Jerry Armstrong, was way, way ahead with 6 more laps than me and Chris Labbe.
Chris was hoping to do a 9min/M pace the whole time, but for some odd reason, his heart rate shot to 162, which happens to be my VO2max rate! So even though he got two laps ahead of me, I managed to get ahead of him by a couple laps. But then his legs got better, and I stopped trying, and Chris tried to sneak by me. He managed to gobble up nearly all my lead.
Then with 17 minutes left, I realized I could easily do another lap. Dale Perry said he was done, so I ran faster than I had in quite a while. Chris tried to reel me in, but after walking so many laps, my legs were stoked with energy. He finished only a minute behind.
In my best year, 2008, I couldn't have hoped to keep up with Chris Labbe, so this was a fluke. When you get old and fat like me, you gotta take what you can get. He had a bad day and i had a good day. That leveled the field.

In all, I managed 46 miles, although officially, I only got 45.8, or something like that. I'll go by my GPS, since they don't pad. GPS's can only shortcut your path. So you can fairly accurately trust you went at least as far as your GPS says.
If I hadn't given up and walked, I don't think I could have done better than 47 miles.

It was a very fun day. David Clark's family is the coolest family you could ever meet! His dad walked the entire 9 hours and 11 minutes and PR'd!

Buchanan Pass-Pawnee Pass Loop 2010

2010-09-06T08:09:00.001-07:00

I never knew this trail existed! OMG, this one is a keeper!
Unfortunately, my son stole the SD memory card out of my camera without telling me, but the camera has 10-12MB internally, so I was able to shoot half a dozen photos. I stole others from Kari.
My northern freinds from the Boulder/Ft Collins area put this run together.

I needed altitude, and I knew there were lots of trails in the Indian Peaks Wilderness area south of Rocky Mtn Nat'l Park that I needed to discover. Having a crazy bunch of special idiots show me the way was a luxury I couldn't pass up.
Seven of us started out after 7am.
I played caboose all day. At first, it was because I have to warm up very slowly and carefully in order not to aggravate my asthma. It takes a few hours to get fully warmed-up. But I also wasn't sure what my conditioning status was at this point. I'd been working on short, fast speed-work. I've been logging scant few miles. My main goal has been to trigger my body to return to its previous state. Muscles have memory. I've seen this several times over the years in my own body where I get out of a cast and my limb is horrifyingly emaciated. But in just a couple of months, it's back to normal.
So I stuck with Cat S until we got over the first hill.

Longs' Peak in the distance

Then as we started the 2nd big climb of the loop, Kari called a pow-wow. Our various paces were too strung-out for the long day and it was time to choose sides. Three opted to turn around at the top of the pass. I chose to become the caboose for the four that continued.

Coming off Buchanan Pass

These three women kicked my ass!!!! Okay, I kept up, except for the stretch between Pawnee Lake and Pawnee Pass which had me sucking for air, but it was a race-pace effort for me to stay with them.

The scenery was so beautiful, and it just kept getting better and better.

Head up towards Pawnee Lake

The trail below Pawnee Lake is FULL of the most incredible waterfalls! There were several sections of river that were series of falls and pools. If the water hadn't been too cold, even at this warmest time of the year (for mountain water), I'd have said they were great for skinny-dipping.
I bought a SteriPen a year ago but had never used it. Since we were going light, and drinking out of clean mtn water, I opted for the 'Pen instead of my filter. It's a slick thing to have, and leaves no chemical flavors, and faster than pumping.

I didn't know at the time, but all these women kicking my ass were elite runners. Yikes! Even though I kept up with them, I'm sure it was only because they throttled-back. But the stretch between Pawnee Lake and Pawnee Pass, they dusted me off like lint and waited for me on the top. !!!
I've got a long way to go to get my legs back under me, folks. I'm fat. My weight is still 170-174lbs, and has been steady for over a year, but my belly really sticks out in the most unflattering way.

I hadn't planned on such an arduous run, but it really was beneficial.
Except for my Pearl Izumis. As we headed up to Pawnee Lake, my toe caught a root stub that punctured the shoe mesh and ripped it all around beside the outer toe. It wasn't a catastrophic failure, I barely noticed any difference, but I've had to throw the shoes away.

Pawnee Lake

The trail up the west side of Pawnee Pass goes through quite a rock pile, and zig-zags up a wall.

Steph E about to cruise on by without any effort, while I suck like dieing goat

Very strong gusts of wind were not helping, except for the few times it was a tailwind and lifted me up the trail.

Here's a shot just after getting over the top of the wall. The trail drops straight down below the spires in the foreground.

Birds-eye view of Pawnee Pass

My feet are good and no sign of my PF, but I need some serious altitude training.

What an awesome time! Everyone says it's 27 miles, but my GPS claims 26.3. GPS's tend to shortcut switchbacks, and there were quite a few, but I think 26.5 is probably accurate, and that's what I'm putting in my mileage log.

More from Charles D, who did this with Steph (one of the trailmongers kicking my ass), and another from Jim P.

Actually Still Here

2010-08-31T18:13:00.000-07:00

Been a whirlwind past couple of weeks, and it won't end soon. But rest assured I'm still here and having fun.

After crewing David Clark to his LT100 finish, I stayed in Leadville until Monday.

How's this for a fiery sunset???

Monday afternoon, I ran up Mosquito Pass, ran hill repeats until horizontal rain scared me back down, and then right when I was about done, I wiped-out. Not far from the spot where I wiped-out during my last running of the Leadville Marathon in 2008. I landed mostly on my hands, rolling sideways and slamming my shoulder - the same shoulder I broke last May. It hurt, but not too bad. The next day hurt a lot more, but then it was fine.

Then, still oozing bloody goo from my scrapes, I met Leslie G and Keith B in town for the TransRockies Run.

My PT for my arm discovered that the fall on my shoulder seemed to help add a wee bit of extra motion in one sector. (Maybe I should fall some more?)

I had a very good run with the Denver Trail Runners at Apex Park. I hammered it hard and felt great. I was extremely careful on the rocky sections, but still went fast. When I fell on Mosquito Pass, I was being extremely careful, so even with care, the trails are sometimes very dangerous. I suppose I could crash and burn again even worse, someday.

Then over the weekend, my friends Brandy P and Chris R got married near Rocky Mtn NP, at a lodge. Partying two nights in a row, for me, plus a run Saturday morning up to Sand Beach Lake, left me very tired.

I started this week with a very intense VO2 workout at the gym, and then 5.2M around Wash Park. OMG, I'm so slow! I ran as fast as I could for one lap and only managed a 7:42 pace. I have GOT to lose WEIGHT! My midriff is a very embarrassing zone of lard. Even though my weight is not any more than it was two years ago, I guess I was fat then, too. If I shaved 12lbs, I'd be able to climb faster and injure less.

Crewing at the 2010 LT100

2010-08-23T08:59:00.000-07:00

This year, I crewed for David Clark of Longmont Max Muscle.

David has been training for this for over a year. He has not been logging historically fast finish-times for many races, but has had a history of unstoppable forward motion. I wasn't concerned before or during the race that he would fail from any weakness, whether mental or physical. Still, a LOT can happen in 100 miles, and there's a lot of people who were tough enough who couldn't get across the finish for various reasons beyond their control. I just hoped that I wouldn't be one of the reasons he didn't cross the finish!!!

I somehow managed to bring my camera case, but the camera wasn't inside, so all I had was my crappy 1st-gen iPhone camera. But I got the most important shots of red-carpet and breaking the tape. David did AWESOME! Never a whimper, never a thought of quitting.

As far as weather goes, this may be the best year in LT100 history.
Anton Krupicka apparently tried to knock off Matt Carpenter's record. He was well over an hour ahead of 2nd-place Duncan Callahan. But alas, Tony's body would have none of that on this day. But what an awesome go at it!!!

Jake Gyllenhaal and another big star that my non-movie-star, non-fanboy head can't identify, and a small crew of others who seemed to be producers and/or directors and movie technician guys showed up and followed the race. And I mean they really followed it. They lived in Leadville for a few days before the race, they didn't sleep much or at all during the 30hr race, and even at night, I ran into them again at Fish Hatchery aid in the middle of the night. Mostly they watched, but I think they helped at times too.
They didn't seem to be filming any final footage of anything. It seemed to be tons of snippets. I was standing around with a random runner and friends at Twin Lakes. Jake G's star-friend was taking photos of us with a huge camera. It was only later that I noticed he had a small shotgun-mic attached. So he was taking movies and over-heard everything we said!
The director guy, of course, had to have a special chair that couldn't look like anyone else's. And of course he parked his glorified ass in it, apparently unable to stand amongst normal folk. LOL And he had to have guys handy to write anything down in case he said something important, like, "gimme a bigger latte manana" or something like that.

What a circus the LT100 has become! There were two para-sail planes flying around, documentaries being filmed, old veterans of LT100 mega-finishes milling around, and new Lifetime Fitness people, who now own and run some of the show.

David Clark moved well nearly all of the race. He executed just about the smartest, most disciplined LT100 I can imagine. His only problem was coming into Winfield, which left him close to the end of his rope. LT100-veteran Nick Sterner was his pacer and crew at Winfield. He knew exactly what David needed to do, and got David's legs back under him and out again. It was a loss of about an hour between Twin Lakes and Winfield, but he had managed to get way ahead at Twin Lakes, so he merely was back to his previous pace-average. No harm done overall.
All I can say is, for a crazy sumbitch, he was one sane, positive, and fun guy the whole way. It was a great time for all.

Nick Sterner paced David from Winfield to Pipeline Road crew-access. Nico Brooks paced him all the way to May Queen aid - the last aid station. Kelly Lotterhos ran him in to the finish.

David had his whole family in-tow. His brother and father even helped crew him and were indispensable assets. His wife and kids and his mom were there. I think everyone involved batted back a few melodramatic tears now and then. It was an experience, let me tell you. David is one heck of a guy to witness 1st-hand. Just seeing anyone do the LT100 is one thing, but David Clark is an extra special kind of character you have to experience to fully appreciate.

What a pleasant morning for a walk, eh?

...beep... "Uh, Houston..." ...beep... "We have attained red-carpetness."

YEAAAAAAY!!!!!!!!!! And the crowd goes wild!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There's another good reason not to miss the 30hr finish cut-off... Ken Klouber shoots stragglers.

LT100 Crewing

2010-08-21T04:12:00.000-07:00

I'm in Leadville crewing David Clark at his 1st ever hundred. He is slow but strong, and I think that is what should get him across the finish. His chance of finishing is actually better than mine ever was. I'm as nervous and hyped as I am when I run it myself!

Not sure what's going on with this race. I personally didn't guess that Lance Armstrong would try again, but he destroyed his own record in the LT100 bike race a week ago. Not sure why all the famous people are in town. Sitting here in the Provin' Grounds coffee shop just after the start of the LT100 run, and the star of Donnie Darko, Jarhead, Rendition, Jake G, and some other famous notables, have been sitting around the couch hunched over maps.

Been sleeping in the back of my Subaru and lovin' it! Looking at stars through the huge moon-roof is great. Although the young couple who drove up nearby and phuq'd made me lose 30 minutes of sleep. I still have the easy end of the job.
But I'd rather be running, even with the pain and agonies. Nothing beats the adventure of pushing yourself so far that you break.

North Half Moon Lakes

2010-08-18T21:09:00.001-07:00

Short on time again (express train never stops), so I don't have much time to write.
Took my son backpacking to Half Moon Lakes.

Lots of mushrooms.

Truffles???? I'm not sure.

Poisonous!!

Mushrooms started growing between the soil and a rock. The mushrooms pried the soil up off the rock, but the oddest thing was the mushrooms were all growing upside-down.

One of my favorite campsites in the whole world! I was in this exact spot about 6 years ago, in winter. Obviously the only person up there. Snow, the lake was frozen with spidery cracks all through, and the wind was rockin' me. But the sky had been clear and the moon lit up the night. That was then. This time it was warm and calm. We watched dozens of falling stars and satellites. The meteorites were very spectacular, with yellow fireballs and glowing tails. My brother said yesterday that this was a predicted meteor-shower. So we lucked-out. I've never seen so many spectacular meteors in my life, on one night. And it was on a night so clear and dark, I never remember such vivid sky.

Of course, we had to have Jiffy-pop popcorn on my camp-stove.

Run Rebellion Run of the Mundane

2010-08-08T16:51:00.000-07:00

My Internet is down, so this simple post is coming from my iPhone.

I managed to log 130.7 miles in July. July is the first month this year that I've managed to run more than the same month last year.

August is off to a good start...
Joshhua Mitchell's Run Rebellion held the Run of the Mundane to see how many laps they could get in at Washington Park. It was a scorching day. I sweated buckets, but managed to keep peeing. I soaked myself With water constantly, yet I couldn't dump enough water on myself to keep the salt from crusting.
My goal was 100 miles in 21hrs. Not a realistic goal, in light of my year-and-a-half of persistent injuries, but it wasn't about being realistic.
I managed only 38.7 miles.
Mainly, I needed to find out where I was at in the endurance arena.
Conclusion: I suck - I've lost at least half of my conditioning.
I had hoped that I'd only lost speed, not endurance, but I think both areas are half what they used to be. I think I can only manage a 4:50 marathon, 5:45 50K, and 11hr 50M.
I could have gone faster and farther, but my crotch got severely chaffed - again. This is what happened last time I went round-n-round at Wash Park. This time, I quit before breaking the skin. The worst welt was puffed up a good 1/4". One or two more laps would have bled. Nothing about Wash Park would make that worth it. Even Vaseline didn't help. If it gets too hot, Vaseline melts completely and runs off. I should have used an anti-chaffe stick, but I used it up last year.
It was lots of fun, good exercise, and I actually managed to hold a 21hr hundred pace for 26 miles. Beats sitting at home.

Clear Creek Camping

2010-08-01T21:56:00.000-07:00

My son got back from Chicago with his mother on Wednesday, so he only had a couple days to chill out before I grabbed him for backpacking.
I had loftier goals for this weekend, but I don't believe in pushing very hard when going with my son, or any other less-motivated people. We got a late, leisurely start, and the forecast came true - rain.
I had hoped to backpack north into the basin south of La Plata, but my son's allergies can get severe, and the rain had them flared full-blast, so we modified plans.

The rain didn't stop us from having a small fire. There were about three short breaks in the rain that allowed us to re-stoke the fire before retreating a short ways to our dry abode under a giant fir. We ate lots of jerky that we bought at a road-side stand on Climax. Elk, Salmon, and Buffalo. We each had an apple, and we finished with Jiffy-pop popcorn, which somehow came out perfect, even though the poor pan was a month old, and had been beat-up while packed. It's the simple, stupid things that make camping with kids fun.

We slept late. I guess my son got more sleep than I, since my broken arm always hurts when I lay down.

We were camped in this grove of trees.

The trip was worth it! The camping went smooth, and the views were breath-taking, in spite of not climbing above the valley.

The air was so clean!

This is one of the most beautiful spots on Earth!

I'm enjoying introducing my son to each of the most-awesome places. There are many more.

I have worried in the past that he might not appreciate the outdoors. It's not like you can force anyone to apprciate it. I used to think the only people who don't love the outdoors are people who never experienced it, but then I met several people who explained how and why they love cities and not the outdoors. I understand why they're the way they are. And they aren't wrong. I'm just not like that. In spite of being a computer nerd, my soul belongs to the boonies!

We were in luck! We found more strawberries than I have ever seen in the mountains. For the uninitiated, Colorado's forests are paved in strawberries. This is not something that you hear, generally. But anyone who bothers to look down will see, "Doesn't that look just like strawberry plants?" But you never see any strawberries.
Then, about 10 years ago, I found several pea-sized strawberries. Oh, the flavor was HUGE!! All the flavor of a full-sized strawberry packed into a berry the size of a pea.
Then again, a couple years ago, I found a few more.
But this batch was the most abundant I have ever seen. Unfortunately, they did not pack the punch of the first ones I had found - just normal flavor, but at least my son got to pick and eat wild strawberries in the mountain and appreciate how rare a treat that is.
These are the sort of simple little memories childhoods are paved with, and I hope I provide enough of them for my son. Computer games are fun, and texting, driving to the mall, hanging with friends, is all great, but there's no substitute for SMORES, wild strawberries, hikes, and stories around a campfire.

Pbville with Friends

2010-07-26T19:26:00.000-07:00

I spent last weekend crewing Anita F, Time F, and Theresa D-W on some training runs on the LT100 course.
I'm sitting this one out, since my arm is not strong enough and I've lost so much training and lost muscle to fat. I'd rather crew.
Anita just got done with a 37hr Badwater 135, so she was a little slower than usual, but geez, going so soon after BW, and three days in a row... she's off the charts, what can I say?

First, we met at Fish Hatchery where I picked them up and drove them to Twin Lakes. The clouds lit up in a blaze of glory. This photo was taken about 5 minutes too late.

Then I drove to Half Moon. The official course was changed last year. Ken K decided to make it permanent. So no more Half Moon aid station. It'll be Box Car. But to keep things simple in the dark, they decided to take the old route.

When the run was done, we headed for the exquisite Timberline Motel. This posh villa had a bathroom door that actually closed (with a little shove of the shoulder)!
It was good enough for ultra-runners.

Coffee got us going again Saturday morning. We drove to May Queen trailhead, dropped off Theresa D-W's car, and headed to Fish Hatchery.
I took Toastie the Australian Shepherd and drove back to Leadville to get more coffee at the Provin' Grounds. Toastie was a chick magnet. All extremely cute, all in really good shape, and nearly all of them young enough to be my daughters.
Toastie is a very cool dog! We got along GREAT! Almost made me want to get a Border Collie (almost the same as Aust Shep.)
Then I drove to May Queen again and took Toastie for a hike. We had gone about a mile up the trail when Anita, June, and Theresa D-W were coming down. Toastie went ballistic to see mommie again!

Theresa decided to call it a day, so I had the chance to trot back over Sugarloaf Mtn back to Fish Hatchery with June and Anita. We met Joy Robertson near F-H.

That night, we celebrated Anita's Badwater performance at the Tennessee Pass restaurant - best food in Leadville.

Sunday, we climbed Mount Elbert. I sucked at taking photos. Honestly there were all these cute women running around and I forgot there were any other views to look at. I guess there were still mountains around. Take my word for it.

At least I took one of the King of the Mountain - the surly marmot.

A very fun weekend.

Geneva Creek Hiking, Day 2

2010-07-19T18:45:00.000-07:00

The 2nd day saw me up bright and early.
Yeah, right!!! Not me!! I slept in! Damn right! Beer before bed, coffee in the a.m., and hittin' the trail no earlier than 9:30a.

Here is probably the best river crossing (deepest). Since I'm not done planning the race route, it's not certain.

Pass the Swampy pond...

It dawned on me that many people who have never been to Colorado don't know this bit of lore/history. Just about anywhere and everywhere you can go in the Colorado Rockies, you will see stumps. Just when you think you're standing where no human has EVER stood before, there's a stump. Not blown-over by wind, but either sawed or chopped. Back in the mining years, they cut just about every tree that grew in the state. Railroad tracks, mine tunnel shoring, firewood, housing, you-name-it. And the sad thing is, just like slaughtering buffalo from trains and leaving hundreds of carcasses to rot in the sun, you can find swathes of old stumps with the mating trees laid across the ground next to them. Without chainsaws, this was particularly lousy management. I'm sure the grunts who cut these trees down were peeved at the idiots they worked for.

Of course, Ma Nature has it's own destructions, but somehow it always ends up as art!

Beirstadt from much further away, along Trail 600.

Top of the ridge, with Red Cone in the center of the pano. This road has far more traffic than I like. People riding 2-stroke engines always seem to drive like idiots. It's like a contest to see who can put the most smoke and dust into the air. But the ridge that climbs on the left is so steep, they have to gun the cramp outa their engines, or they won't make it. And that's the ridge my runners would be going up and down.

The road is so treacherous, if you're not careful, you'll lose your "S".

Whoa! Now I know where baby trees come from! Look at the cahones on that bull tree! I'm just glad I didn't have to see a woody too!

There's only one way to end a hard day on the trail, and it ain't YOGA!!

Geneva Creek Hiking, Day 1

2010-07-19T18:06:00.000-07:00

I hit the trails with my GPS, this weekend. Originally, I was going to take my son, but his mother kidnapped him the day before. Her reasons were good, but geez was it sudden! Her mom in Illinois didn't even know she was coming! Poof! They're on the way!

So I plotted out some of what I hope will be a race course.

Not much to say. I hiked north and came back, slept in the back of my Forester, then hiked south and came back. So I'll just post the photos.

Guanella Pass off my right shoulder and Beirstadt off my left.

The whole pano!

Sometimes the trail is clear and other times you follow carnes.

Lots and lots of carnes. There's so many you could follow it in winter on snowshoes, if the snow wasn't too deep yet.

Some sections are wide, steep, and rocky. Plenty of good trail-running rock-n-roll.

Free at Last!

2010-07-11T16:58:00.000-07:00

Free at last, free at last
I thank God I'm free at last

Sorry to be so melodramatic, but I'm out of my sling.
Orders are to work on regaining the range of motion.
Therapy starts in three weeks. That's gonna hurt more than the original injury.
Currently, I'm hurting myself more than the original injury. I'm shocked at how much range of motion I've lost.
I'm not supposed to lift any weights, but he didn't say anything about surgical tubing, so I've been doing some limited triceps exercises with my ceiling-mounted rubber tubing. I also use it to hold onto while raising my arm higher. The most pain is coming from the front of my arm. The bone certainly is not strong, and sometimes the pain from inside the bone actually gets bad but not dangerously severe.
My arm is getting stimulated a lot. It's getting stronger real fast, but there's a very long way to go. In spite of setbacks, my diet and religious following of doctor orders has led to a faster progress than normal (so far - knock-on-wood).
Overall, though, in spite of all the pain, I feel better. I really enjoy using my left arm, almost like I used to, getting dressed, tying shoes, taking showers, driving my car...

I ran last Thursday with DTR, and at Elk Meadow near Evergreen in my Five Fingers before my friend, Andy's, birthday party. I'm not running on rocky stuff at full speed, and I'll walk if there's the slightest possibility of falling. My left foot hurts today, so tomorrow will probably just be a gym workout. The great news is that my running at Wash Park can proceed at full-speed. There's no reason to run any slower on the manicured track around the park.

A little over a week ago, I hiked 18.6 miles at Red Rocks with a new set of friends - Run Rebellion. About once a month, they do something fun, free, and a bit on the dare-you-to side of things. They like to pick lap-courses and see how many laps people are willing to do. Jason and I have already talked about doing 100 miles at Wash Park. That's 38.8 laps.
Years ago, The first long trail-run I ever had at 24hr/100miles was a self-supported event where I only made it 76 miles. I finished that time with blisters, very severe chaffing in my crotch, and no so good in the armpits, either. I could have kept going, but not the full 24hr nor 100 miles. I quit when I did because I would lose too much quality training if I made my issues ever-worse. And the event didn't even count for anything but training. And I figured I learned everything I had hoped to learn from the event.
But this time, I already know about chaffing, blistering, nutrition, etc. Yep, I'm really, really out of shape, but I'm not exactly "racing", either.
Coming off PF and a broken arm, it's kind of ridiculous, but are any of you surprised that I would go for this? There's no pressure - maybe I'll quit after 40 miles? Or 80? Who cares? It's all just simple fun.

Arm Status

2010-07-03T17:29:00.000-07:00

I've had a rocky road with my broken left arm.
Two doctors agreed, no cast, no surgery, no nothing.
The MRI showed my rotator cuff is fine. There's some ligament and tendon tearing on the back, which allowed the shoulder to go forward out of the socket. So the dislocation is healing fine.
The arm is potentially bad news.
4.5 weeks: Almost tripped but didn't, while getting ready for bed. I jolted so violently that my fused arm broke again. It was audible and it hurt like hell for three days. Almost went back on pain meds.
5 weeks: I woke up in pain. Somehow, I re-broke it in my sleep moving around. Again, hurt for three days afterward.
5.5 weeks: I was getting dressed as normal, being real slow and careful. Must've moved 1mm too far when tieing my shoes. Ouch. Again, hurt for three days afterward.
6 weeks: Just about to drift off to sleep. A spider bit me on the left elbow. I jerked, jumped, and rolled to scrape the spider off on the bed-sheet and if it didn't scrape off, it would get crushed. Only that was rather destructive to my broken arm.
But wait, it ain't over!! So I'm about to go to sleep again, and a 2nd spider goes waltzing across my left shoulder! I swiped it into oblivion without any further damage to my arm.
You probably think the spider attacks are done, now, right? Think again! A half-hour later, a Grand-daddy Long-leg bit me on the left thigh, under the sheets, causing me to jerk again. I don't know if I did any additional damage, but it sure caused additional pain. Grand-daddy long-leg? Bite? They can't, right? Their fangs are too short and small. So no, it didn't put some fangs in me, but Grand-daddy long-leg spiders have the most potent venom in the world. Did you know that? Nobody does, because nobody gets bitten by them!!!! Ever had a hornet drag it's stinger across your skin without actually stinging you? That's exactly what the Grand-daddy Long-leg felt like.
So why did 3 totally different species of spider bite me in one night, including one that never bites humans? Sounds like a Hitchcock movie. "Goodeev-unning."
Then the house next door cranked a party up starting at 12:30am. If my arm wasn't broken... If it was any louder, I would have called the cops. That house used to be a really bad party-house for years. I'm not going to be very lenient. The previous owner almost got his house taken away from him. The cops started the legal process to confiscate it, permanently, and auction it off, but the owner managed to head it off with some lawyers and get it sold to a different landlord.

So I haven't been sleeping much, mostly because of the arm.
But to hell with it!! I hiked 18.6 miles, three laps around Red Rocks, today, with the Run Rebellion group for wayward racers. It was a very hot day. I drank over a gallon of fluids and still ended up a little dehydrated. When I was done, I sat in the cold stream.
So I managed to run 39 miles so far this week, and I still have a day to count. This is more mileage than I've done since the LT100 last year. Not bad for a cripple, huh?

Ultra Quest

2010-06-19T16:14:00.001-07:00

I exchanged a few emails recently and one of them somehow triggered a small torrent of thoughts and feelings for me. It seemed like a good thing to stick most of it on my blog, since it was all kind of blog-like...

I'm not sure my ultra-experience is like everyone else's. I had Guillane-Barre 12 years ago. My hands and feet were 99% paralyzed. I could barely move them - they were completely useless. My immune system ate nearly all my nerve tissue away. They gave me immune-globulin to confuse and reset my immune system, then I re-grew about 15-20% of my nerve tissue. But that apparently varies wildly around my body. My broken arm barely hurts, and that's causing problems. In two weeks, it hasn't healed at all. I guess I've been moving around too much. Pain would help limit that. So I'm operating on a fraction of the average nerve-tissue. I quit running, most of my life. I ran some in high school and college, but not seriously. I never referred to my running as "training". I quit, and there were several feeble attempts to start back up again. So about 12 years ago, I had Guillane-Barre, a great son, and failed marriage. There was a mix of thoughts and emotions - mostly what a loser I was. I trained myself in technology, quizzed-out on exams, and changed careers from machinist to technology. But that wasn't enough. When I turned 45, I had a mid-life crisis. My dramatic self-taught career change taught me that just about anything is possible, but I still felt like a loser. Most people's physical performances start to subside in the 48-52yr-old zone. I figured I had 5 more years to see what I could do. I had only ever gone 10 miles once and 11 miles once. Those were my longest two runs in my life! So when I ran (okay, I walked most of it) the Goblin Valley 50K, it was an eerie experience. What if you were an interstellar astronaut, and you're used to traveling all over the galaxy, never more than several light-years away from the nearest star, planet, or chunk of something, and somehow you manage to go way beyond. Suddenly there's nothing familiar around, and you can turn around and look at your own (entire!) galaxy and now it seems so small. And everywhere you look, there are galaxies EVERYWHERE - like stars where in your old galaxy. Suddenly your mind and soul are seeing life on a totally new, exhilarating SCALE!!!! I suppose people who gradually migrated to ultras, and had more ordinary lives, haven't had such a powerful experience. However, there are LOTS of people like me who start running ultras. That's why the average age of an ultra-runner is in the 40's, not the 30's like it is for marathons, and 20's for short stuff. Often, hard life experiences migrate people's psyches towards ultras - cancer, alcoholism, drug addiction, obesity, MS, divorce, dealing with suicide from a loved-one, getting out of prison, and countless other hardships lead people to try something that is considered "impossible" by ordinary people. I don't want to talk down on "ordinary" people, because we're all ordinary. It's just that for some people who have lived ordinary lives, and gotten a glimpse of "the end", they tend to want to be "extra"-ordinary. Ultra runners often tell each other that we're all either running away from something or towards something - or both. But I think some people are doing neither. They're running "around"; around their normal life, looking for meaning that they've previously missed. Like gold miners sifting through old mine-tailings looking for missed granules of gold. Sometimes venturing beyond their ordinary life, but mostly staying within their old life, with the same relationships, but not accepting the old status-quo. Like the interstellar astronaut not just traveling for the sake of traveling, but looking for dark-matter, the center of the universe, primordial grains of sand - anything that helps explain where we came from, why we're here, and what holds it all together? The odd thing is, even people with religious backgrounds, who have been fed the answers to all these questions their whole lives, are not immune to traveling on this parallel journey. Maybe because their religion fills the void quite well for some parts of their mind and soul, but not all of it. And yet most of the people on these journeys practically never think "consciously" about these higher subjects. Some seem almost unaware that they're on this sort of journey. Training programs... I noticed that the most disciplined runners tend to be the ones who gradually migrated to ultra-running, through gradual progression. They're more likely to have finish-time goals, but also training goals, diet goals, weight goals, etc. They think with more structure. We all have the same emotions, and love running, but logic rules how they train and race. People like me, however, are far less likely to use structured regimens. We run/race almost entirely because we like it. We have more injuries, slower finish-times, more DNF's - and more fun in life. This isn't always absolutely true, but generally is. Statistics are often made-up, so that's what I'm going to do... For disciplined runners, the reason they run is maybe 40-60% because they love it. But for runners like me, it's probably closer to 80-95%. Disciplined runners often rebuke fun-runners for being crazy or stupid, and they warn fairly accurately that the fun-runner is about to get injured. Yet in spite of that, those who run just for fun have few regrets. We all run for (similar, but) different reasons. There are also those who run to prove something to someone, or show-off. (I'll bet 95% of those are younger males, but again, that's a made-up statistic.) This is an external reason. One of the reasons I have tried to finish the Leadville 100 is to teach my son through vicarious example that the concept of "impossible" is too often nothing more than a state of mind and emotion. If you want it, go for it. Don't make up self-defeating excuses - that will lead not only to failure, but sucks all the fun out of the endeavor. This is similar to "showing-off", but not quite the same. As long as my training/racing doesn't cause me to neglect time with my son, it is a positive thing for both him and myself. Training depends on your "base" and/or athletic history. It also depends on why you run (above paragraphs). If you get too structured or the training type is too intense, then you'll burn-out and either quit running, or quit ultra-running. So to avoid that, we need to constantly self-monitor, "am I having fun? is this doing it for me? can I sustain this?" One way to get the best of both worlds is to mix-it-up. Do unsustainable speed-work some weeks, then revert back to some more junk-like fun/adventurous running. "Junk" training or miles is defined as having no performance-enhancing value. The good thing about junk miles is it can give you "some" rest (if you don't do too many junk miles), yet keep you from losing what you gained during more intense, unsustainable training. The bad thing about junk miles is it can mentally train you to get used to running without speed, can overload your system with useless accumulated-stress, which then causes injuries, especially on your next speed work-out. Unlike marathons and shorter, where you can get all the necessary caloric needs from stored glycogen, body-fat, and sport-drink, the longer the ultra, the more the need you'll have to eat real food while you race. Most people have no idea how much energy digestion takes. It's a LOT! While digesting, you tend to feel less energetic. If you eat during training, it helps train your stomach to digest quicker and more efficiently. It also trains your mind to expect a little lethargy during digestion, so you eat smaller amounts, and don't get psyched-out by a little lethargy. You don't always have to inconvenience yourself by eating during training, but you can eat a small amount before your runs. During longer, self-supported runs, you'll need to get used to carrying your food. You need to figure out which foods are best for you when on-the-move. Some can only manage Gu, while others eat almond-past, some trail-bars, some mashed-up potato chips, etc. If you wait until a big race to discover this, it can lead to disaster (bonking, diarrhea, vomiting, etc). What joy, huh?

Plantar Fasciitis, Part 5

2010-06-19T15:09:00.000-07:00

The Running Phase of Therapy
Change your mindset. Accept that you are no longer a “distance runner”. You will be again, some day, but not now. Now you need to work your way up to 5K, and you need to do it very carefully so that you don’t cause regression and permanent scar tissue. If you run too soon, too far, too fast, and with improper form, you will not heal – ever. Some people run and race with PF the rest of their lives. They do it because they love the social aspects of running and racing, they want to keep their weight under control, and they’re impatient, but their PF takes the enjoyment out of running, and they run slower, with pain, the rest of their lives. If you’re going to recover, you need to keep your eye on the prize – whatever will keep you on-track. Depending on how bad your PF is, it might take you up to four years to recover, but optimally, even with serious PF, you should only miss one year. Accept that. If you need to mentally/emotionally focus on a specific race, do that. If you need to mentally/emotionally let go of any racing ambitions, do that. But stay on track. Don’t run until it’s time, and only run as far or fast as beneficial.

Never add exercises without stretching first. Stretching cold tissues is hazardous, and can lead to further injury, so like you have been doing, stretch gently and hold a long time. In fact, if you start out correctly, you’ll be spending more time stretching than exercising.

Initially, you start with walks. Most people walk on their heels, even if they normally run on their toes, but you need to walk on your toes when healing with PF. This doesn’t feel natural for most people, and this causes them to tense. Concentrate on loosening and opening your hip motion while taking the same short steps you should take when running. The only difference between your walks and your runs is you won’t get airborne. Don’t over-stride and don’t follow-through too far back.
With each and every step, squeeze your arches, but don’t let your toes curl under. Try to keep your heel off the ground. It's most important to keep your plantar slack if you have falling arches, but even if your plantar is too tight, it is bad to yank an inflamed plantar. Stretching is good for a tight plantar, but trying to stretch it out with the quick yanks that happen during walking/running is the wrong way to recover from a tight/inflamed plantar. All stretching should last several seconds.
In fact, do this everywhere you go. PF therapy should be a constant effort. Once you have your theraputic walk memorized, do it at work, while shopping...everywhere.
Ice your plantar 2-4 times a day, even if it doesn’t hurt. Elevate and compress too, if ice alone isn’t enough. In fact, you’ll have to get used to this process. You may never be able to stop icing.

Taping may help to protect your plantar. This is done with three lengths of athletic tape. This won’t last for too long, but it should give you at least 15 minutes of protection, and maybe as long as an hour of benefit.

Strengthen your feet, shin muscles, and lateral stabilizing muscles. This is done while standing. Do toe-raises, heel raises, stand on one foot and rise onto your toes and hold it. Balancing exercises are important.

Eventually, you will add short runs to your walking; maybe only 10 steps, at first. These runs should concentrate on knee lifts – evenly on both sides. With proper running, follow-through doesn’t involve trailing ground contact, but instead involves snapping the foot off the ground and bringing the heel up towards your butt. Practice ballistic action with the full range of motion – as long as it doesn’t involve over-striding. Feel the free elastic energy. Bounce on your muscles and tendons, minimizing ground contact. Do this very carefully. Don’t try to bounce into orbit just yet. Jab the ground quickly, correctly, and float to the next contact. Try to float, but don’t worry about floating far. Concentrate on each and every step. If you can’t do it correctly, and you can’t do it without pain, return to walking.

If you can, try walking and running barefoot. This takes away the “crutch” of modern running shoes and forces you to use natural processes to produce spring and shock absorption.
Strongly suggested… buy Vibram Five Fingers and wear Injinji socks. These slippers will give you a small degree of skin protection and keep your skin away from the normal animal feces (from geese, rodents, traces from dogs, etc.) that are found everywhere. Five Fingers will force you to use the muscles you’ve neglected while wearing running shoes. Your first run in Five Fingers might be brutal to your calves. Suggested: wear them walking for a couple of weeks and then run a mile or less the first time. Try to run with your heel never touching the ground. When you can’t keep your heel off the ground, return to walking.

When you really are ready to start running, it may take you a week to recover from one mile. And your “one mile” might actually be an accumulation of short runs during three miles of walking.
When you start running again, be very careful because endorphins may mask regressive stresses. Go by numbers. Increase your mileage carefully and systematically. If you still aren’t recovered from the week before, don’t do as much as you had planned. Return to stretching, icing, and walking, if you have to. If you over-do it, you’ll be one of those who take four years to recover.

If you’re running, then it’s also time to start jump-roping. This is good for getting your knees up, and teaching you to bounce. Jump-roping is all about elastic energy. Remember that the plantar plays a very central role in ballistic action. Protect your healing plantar by flexing your arch muscles to the max. If every muscle in your feet ache from this effort, but your plantar is fine, then you did it correctly.

Even though you’re now exercising, never forget that stretching is more important than exercise. And keep icing regularly. ALWAYS ice after exercise, even if there’s no pain. Massage several times a day.

Plantar Fasciitis, Part 4

2010-06-19T12:48:00.000-07:00

Specific Therapies…
The Non-running Phase
There isn’t much you can do to heal PF, unfortunately. Mostly, you need to stop the advancement of the condition, avoid regression, and help the body to heal itself.
Reduce swelling with ice, compression, and/or elevation. Swelling reduces circulation, and can cause stagnation, which leads to scar tissue. Large amounts of scar tissue, left untreated, lead to heel-spurs, which may require surgery.
Use massage to avoid the development of scar tissue, or break up scar tissue. This increases circulation. Squeeze out stagnated fluids so that fresh fluids can flow back in. This is the single best thing you can do to improve new building-blocks entering the damaged area for healing.
If you try to massage an area which is already swollen, it will be difficult to force any benefit. If swelling is that bad, ice, elevate, and/or compress before massage.
Icing reduces swelling, but it also reduces circulation. Just as with swelling, trying to massage cold tissues will provide minimal value. If you massage cold tissues, though, it will not cause harm, it will just provide minimal return.
Massaging warm, swollen tissues may cause even more swelling. If you massage warm, swollen tissues, you need to use ice/compression/elevation immediately afterward to avoid causing more damage than therapy.
Some therapists say to massage with a golf ball or a hard roller, but many other therapists warn never to massage with hard objects. Instead, use a tennis ball, a hard foam roller, your thumb, or spiky-ball designed for plantar fasciitis.

Stretching must be done carefully. For the most severe cases of PF, it will be destructive to stretch at all, at first, but stretching is one of the most important therapies for PF. So even if you can’t “stretch”, you should at least take all slack away to avoid tightening-up during the period of total rest. When beginning actual stretching, the emphasis should be on minimal degrees of stretching, but maximum amounts of time spent at stretched angles… gentle for a long time.
One of the most effective long-gentle stretches is achieved with an orthotic boot designed specifically for PF, or by using the Strassberg Sock.

!Important!_________________
However, use caution with PF boots and socks! Not widely communicated, you have to use these devices correctly according to your specific cause of PF. If your plantar is too tight, and you have a high arch, then you need to stretch everything from the back of the knee to the tips of your toes (the plantar and calf.) But if you have a falling arch, stretching a failed plantar will make your injury worse, not better. In this case, you need to work on your calf, which is pulling on your heel and elongating your failed plantar. In either case of PF, the calf must be stretched, and a PF boot or sock will do the job. But if the arch is failing, always use arch supports inside the device, or you will see marginal benefits.
!Important!_________________
As things improve, don’t stop long-gentle stretching, but do add other stretching. Still, longer stretches are better than shorter ones.
Stretching should be whole-body, but most importantly from the hips down – don’t neglect the IT bands or lower back muscles. The back should be evenly strengthened and stretched to make sure there are no imbalances. Even proper arm dynamics can affect your plantar.
If you have falling (low) arches, when you stretch your calf standing up, and this coincidentally stretches your arch, squeeze your arch muscles to avoid pulling on the plantar with much force. If your plantar is too tight, then you want to stretch the plantar. Just don’t stretch too hard or you’ll continue to aggravate and swell your PF.
Gurus of normal athletic stretching preach that in order for any stretch to do any good, you must hold it for at least 20 seconds. For PF therapy, though, you need to take this further. Stretches should be held for a minimum of 60 seconds. It’s even better to stretch in phases, spending 60 seconds with virtually no stretch, then move a bit further and hold another 60 seconds, move further…
Some therapists say that when you stretch, you get a good feeling in the stretched tissues. They say with PF recovery, this is actually a bad sign – you’ve stretched too far. You need to avoid going quite that far until you’re back running again on a regular basis.

Two calf stretches help. One stretches the upper calf and the other the lower calf. One calf stretch requires keeping the heel down while keeping the knee straight and leaning forward (increasing the angle of the ankle). The lower calf stretch starts in basically the same stance but requires that you keep your heel down while bending the knee forward. Doing the calf stretch wrong, and stretching too vigorously, can actually lead to PF. Your plantar isn’t supposed to stretch much – it’s supposed to stabilize your arch. If you do calf-stretches with a relaxed arch, and you pull too hard, it can damage the plantar, especially if you’re already in an over-trained state. Whether your plantar is too tight or too loose (failing), pulling on an aggravated and swelled plantar can be counter-productive, depending on the stage of recovery and type of PF being suffered. One type of stretching/recovery program isn’t correct for every type of PF. However, ice is the one universal and absolutely critical therapy for all types of PF.

Clinical treatments may include ultrasound, phonophoresis, neuroprobe, contrast baths, or cortosteroidal injections.
Phonophoresis is the use of ultrasound to push topical ointments into the skin. This sounds like gibberish. For one thing, your plantar is almost solid, with no blood vessels flowing through it. Most medical doctors will tell you it’s impossible to get topical ointments down below the dermis, no matter how hard you rub, poke, or even use ultrasound. But if it gives you psycho-emotional comfort, and it’s not a substitute for remedies that “work”, then go for it.
Acupuncture has been proven to increase circulation in certain areas. Even if you could get $20 acupuncture (not likely), PF takes so long to heal that you’d have to spend thousands of dollars over very many months to see even a small improvement, at best.
Acupuncture has also proven to reduce pain. If this works for you, you could try it.
Some acupuncturists use electric probes on their needles. This is an implementation of neuroprobe. Acupuncture works – make no mistake – but it works varying degrees on different people/injury-types. It’s up to you if the amount of money and time you sink into it has a worthy return-on-investment. I’ve never known acupuncture to hurt an injury – that’s the good news.
A “contrast bath” is when you ice your foot for 20 minutes, then warm it back up again, usually in hot water, and then you ice it again. Icing shuts down the swelling, but icing also causes such severe contractions that it squeezes out old fluid, like wringing out a sponge. Heating it back up again causes fresh, nutrient-rich fluid to flow back in. Icing it again wrings it out again. And finally it will warm up again on its own, again letting fresh fluid and nutrients in. The plantar itself is solid enough that the fluid will not have much benefit, but the reduction in swelling is good, the increased health of the surrounding tissues is good, and ice baths are free.
There is a lot of witch-doctory out there, old-wives-tales, snake-oils, and dim-witted or misled advice for PF. Beware.

Plantar Fasciitis, Part 3

2010-06-19T12:45:00.000-07:00

Strategies…
If you develop PF on only one heel, then you probably are imbalanced, left-to-right. Having PF on only one side doesn’t necessarily prove that you have an imbalance left-to-right, but it does look suspicious and should be checked out. This may be a contributing cause of the specific case of PF.
If pain is too debilitating, soft padding and springy arch supports may provide relief. This may be necessary in the worst stages of PF, but it should be kept in mind that orthotic remedies are very similar to cushy running shoes which lead to PF in the first place. Use shoe and orthotic remedies with caution. If your arch has failed (past-tense) then you have no choice. You must rebuild the arch. Muscle strengthening alone will not be sufficient. You must use both strengthening and structural support. There’s not just plantar and muscle change that must take place. You must also reshape the cartilage of the arch. This is not a quick process, and can take four years of therapy in the worst cases. Without therapy, it simply will never go away. If pain ever goes away, it will be after scarring and arch failure, and the patient simply gets used to the failure. This type of failure means the natural mechanical benefits of the arch are forever gone.
The first part of your strategy should be to stop aggravating the injury. This may involve complete inactivity for a period of months.
Return to the basics of proper running mechanics. Develop proper “spring” and elasticity, and strengthen the muscles of the feet and ankles. Also practice proper weight transition through your stride, making sure your arms, body and legs – your entire center of gravity – are properly positioned at all phases of your stride. Foot muscles should be strengthened for shock absorption and smooth control, but the best shock absorption of all is “free elastic energy” response from limber, healthy stretched muscles and tendons.
Never over-stride. The foot should land directly beneath the center of gravity. The foot should have very short ground time. Long strides should be achieved through air-time, rather than leg reach. Improving natural bounce is essential to remaining injury-free.

Plantar Fasciitis, Part 2

2010-06-19T12:22:00.000-07:00

Simply put, plantar fasciitis is caused when you stress your plantar beyond its structural strength. This is basically true of all injuries. Nothing breaks – or begins to break, tear, etc. – until you stress beyond its structural integrity. When you demand more from tissues than they can withstand, they begin to fail.
Much stress is accumulative – tissues normally develop tiny micro-tears, which heal quickly. The healthier the athlete, and the better their diet, the faster they heal. Still, if you don’t allow normal micro-tears to heal before stressing again, micro-tears become bigger tears, which take longer to heal, and scar-tissue accumulates, which is almost permanent and can lead to other injuries.

PF Cause...
There are numerous ways to develop PF, but all instances are caused by exceeding the strength of the plantar attachment and/or demanding more than the plantar can sustain.
Extremely weak, sedentary, and over-weight individuals have extremely weak muscles (which doesn’t allow proper shock absorption), and bad walking form. They often walk straight-kneed, landing on their heels, inflicting direct trauma to the plantar attachment area. When walking, this heel trauma is followed by shifting the weight forward, yanking on a relaxed plantar, surrounded by weak muscles that are doing nothing to help.
At the other extreme, athletes may be trying to conserve energy by relaxing as much as possible – including their arches – causing some atrophy of the foot muscles.
Modern shoes do an amazing job of making running easier, allowing bad foot-form while running. Minimal footwear normally causes discomfort over time and forces runners to use foot muscles to produce all bounce and shock absorption, but soft, springy shoes lead to laziness.
Athletes who are most likely to develop PF tend to be heavier than average, older than average, run many more miles than average, or a combination of these factors. People who specialize in downhill running put far more stress on their plantar fascia than people who specialize in uphill running.
It’s not necessarily that an athlete’s foot muscles are “weak”, but they are not strong enough in proportion to what is demanded.
With the popularity of ultra-running, and consecutive hundred-mile-weeks, coupled with modern running shoes, PF is more common than ever, even for skinny teen athletes.

Common symptoms of PF sufferers are very tight calf muscles, weak shin muscles (imbalanced with calf), weak or insufficiently strong foot muscles. Many suffer from cramping calf muscles during the PF development stage.
Falling arches tend to cause your ankles to sag inward and your toes to point outward (duck-footed) even if the heels are still pointed straight. Sagging ankles lead to over-pronation. Over-pronation may lead to PF, or falling arches may lead to over-pronation. Either one may cause the other. Not all these symptoms are experienced by all PF sufferers – it depends on what type (cause) of PF they have.
If your plantar is too tight, your toes may point straight or inward, and you might suffer from under-pronation. Under-pronation may lead to PF, or tight arches may lead to under-pronation. Either one may cause the other.

In “Brain Training for Runners” by Matt Fitzgerald, Tim Noakes, they say over-striders try to land softly. “Unfortunately, the softer you land, the more “free” elastic energy you waste, because it dissipates before you can reuse it. You transform yourself into a loose spring.”
Free elastic energy is a quick process, like a pogo stick. If you were on a pogo stick, and you tried to use your legs to lengthen the amount of time on the ground, you’d see the wasted affect. You’d actually expend more energy to accomplish less.
Fitzgerald and Noakes call the proper use of free elastic energy “ballistic action”, which is short and fast. “Many distance runners believe that the ideal pattern of muscle action during running is sustained and gentle. The idea is to use energy evenly throughout the stride, landing softly, staying relaxed, and avoiding wasteful “peaks” and “valleys” in muscle work. In reality, the best runners have a ballistic style of running.”
The fact is, even distance runners who are well aware of these principles often fail to properly implement them. They get tired after long hours, or they don’t rest/sleep enough, or they have other foot issues that keep them from being able to fully implement ballistic action.

Plantar Fasciitis, Part 1

2010-06-19T11:36:00.000-07:00

Over the past 15 months, I've received more erroneous info on PF than beneficial. It has been enormously difficult to figure out the correct remedies for my own PF because there are too many one-type-of-PF mentalities out there and too many people dish out virtual absolutes about what you should do without realizing there are different collections of situations that lead to PF and therefore various proper therapies. One of the problems is I was given lots of advice that is correct - but wrong for my specific type of PF (falling/failing arch). I found lots of medical studies online, but none (not even specialist reports from sports orthopedic surgeons) describe all the various types of PF and various therapies like I have here. Yet all of my PF report has been gleaned from various reports and learned friends. There just isn't any single report that seems to have all of this in one place.
There have been a few times in the past many months when I figured I knew it all and my report would be accurate, but then I'd hear/see/read more that blew the problem into a more complicated mess. Again, i think I have it right, but these five reports are subject to change.
I hope this helps other people who have PF to get on-track immediately.

Definitions and diagnoses
Fascia is connective tissue. Its purpose is to keep your soft tissues positioned at the proper locations. The plantar fascia continuously elongates during the contact phase of gait. It goes through rapid elongation before and immediately after mid-stance, reaching a maximum of 9% - 12% elongation between mid-stance and toe-off. During this phase the plantar fascia behaves like a spring, which may assist in conserving energy. In addition, the plantar fascia has a critical role in normal mechanical function of the foot, contributing to the "windlass mechanism”; the plantar fascia being the cable, the metatarsal head the drum, and the handle, the proximal phalanx. Plantar fascia is not a muscle, not a tendon.

Muscles are dynamic cells which can actively change length.
Tendons are elastic tissues which connect muscle to bone.
Ligaments connect bones to each other, most importantly at joints. Ligaments are meant to limit the range of motion to keep joints inside the optimal range of structural integrity.
Fascia most often connects soft tissue to soft tissue, but some fascia connects bone to bone, such as the plantar fascia. The difference between ligaments and fascia is that ligaments have no mechanical roles. Ligaments bend, flex, and stretch a minimal amount. Fascia is meant to stretch even less. The role of the plantar fascia is similar to a hoist-cable on a crane, but inverted.
There are generally two causes of PF, but one way can be divided two different ways. One is blunt-trauma; the other two are from the plantar tearing. Tearing can be caused by over-stretching (low and falling arches), or it can be caused by tightness (arches that are too high), which may or may not then lead to falling arches.
Plantar fasciitis (PF) can be the first stage of “falling of the arches”. The plantar starts to tear, usually from one of the attachments, and most commonly from the heel.

Some misdiagnoses occur when other injuries nearby are mistaken for PF.
Sometimes, rather than the plantar tearing off the heel, they develop fractures near the plantar attachment.
Enthesitis (Inflammation Where the Ligaments Attach to the Bone)
Inflammation of the enthesis, where the joint capsules, ligaments or tendons attach to the bone, is a hallmark of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). This can be felt in multiple areas of the body where your doctor can check for pain and tenderness. The sites are sometimes referred to as "hot-spots." They can lead to swelling and tenderness along the back, pelvic bones sacroiliac joints, the chest, and the heel. The heel can be significantly affected, in which case the pain and tenderness can have a serious impact on a person's mobility. The two areas of the foot that can be affected are the Achilles tendon at the back of the heel, and the plantar fascia at the base of the heel. Reiter's syndrome is part of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. These two are not sport-injuries, but chronic conditions.

Jim Romero's 70th

2010-06-18T08:06:00.000-07:00

Jim Romero's 70th - interviewed on the news
The link above is about Jim Romero's 70th birthday. Jim is one of the original inspiring people I ran with who helped me lose my mind and decide to run ultras. Okay, so I had already previously lost my mind in many ways, but Jim helped me lose it in an additional way.

He is an amazing, positive, warm, and caring soul. He doesn't simply inspire to run, but to live more fully. Yet he never lives his own life more-fully at the expense of others. He places family first, in all things.

Second Opinion

2010-06-13T17:56:00.000-07:00

I was told by a sports orthopedic surgeon that I don't need surgery. Also, the latest x-rays show two things... The sock I've been cramming in my armpit to help pry the crack shut works. But... so much of the jagged edges started filling in over the first three weeks that the crack can never fully close.

Now that the two halves can contact each other, they can fuse, but it also means more pain. There's still almost no pain, which kind of freaks me out. No pain meds necessary. I hated them - so hard to wake up the next day.

He told me to join a gym and use the bike - a lot.
Wear the sling for 10 weeks. Already done it 3 so 7 to go.
I can run in 5 weeks on flat terrain. Trails are another matter. I can't afford to fall hard again. In fact, that means no Aspen Golden Leaf in late September. But mild trails in 8 weeks. So trail running is going to be hard to do this summer.

Meanwhile, I'm posting the Denver Trail Runner Thursday runs this month, even though I can't actually run them. I've been getting some walking in, though. We were at Apex Park. It rained. Everything is lush and green this time of year. Sage and everything else was growing so fast you could almost see it squirting out of the ground. And the scent! Man, right after rain, with the sage and everything, it is the best smell in the world!

I had my son help me replace the radiator in my old CR-V. Although the radiator is good as new, there's still a long list of things to fix. He wants to learn to be an auto mechanic when he graduates in a year. Let's see if he's still interested after busting his knuckles on stubborn bolts, etc. It's enough to make you real religious. Why, I talk in tongues all the time, when I work on cars.
- replace windshield
- fix the shorted-out electrical system that drains the battery dead in 3 days
- fix the gimpy moonroof
My Subaru Forester has lots of great luxuries, not the least is that everything works. The moonroof is HUGE!!! The stereo kicks pooster. But considering the design and engineering functionality, nothing will ever beat the old CR-V design. Everything is slightly better than the Subaru, if only it weren't so old and broken-down. Too bad Honda abandoned the great old design and basically turned the CR-V into a miniature mini-van in 2002.

In spite of lots of BS at work, and my broken arm, and my broken-down CR-V and drained bank account from buying the Forester, I'm very happy and contented these days. Very happy. This is an awesome country to live in. If only we wouldn't destroy the ocean, and others stupid stuff, but I do appreciate freedom, and that the average American really cares, even if they don't agree with each other and bicker about it. At least we can bicker about it without worrying about being sent to prison for subversion. I can go to work without worrying about being hit by a bullet or getting blown up.

CR-V R.I.P.

2010-06-03T14:18:00.000-07:00

Well, not quite. I still have the CR-V, but I also have a 2006 Subaru Forester XT.
I like Honda, but the newer CR-Vs don't have the right rear seat design to fold flat for sleeping.
Nothing beats a Jeep Cherokee rear for flat and spacious, but their mpg sucks.
Ford Escapes, well, they're Fords. Otherwise, the rear design is good.
I might have found a more satisfying vehicle, but I've been searching with what very little free time I have, and this one seemed okay for the price. It lacks the ground clearance I prefer, and the power will take some getting used to. But the back is big enough and flat enough to bed me down before and after races (if I'll ever stop jacking myself !up! and can get back to it).
The old CR-V will get worked on by my son and myself. Maybe he'll drive it a while, or maybe I'll park it at Goodwill like I did the last one.
But at least I'm not marooned in town anymore.

New Exo-skeleton

2010-06-01T20:53:00.000-07:00

I got tired of not getting any sleep, and the lack of stability, so I made a cast out of 1/2" foam, Velcro, a cinch strap, and some duct tape. Voila! A redneck shoulder cast!

First step is to wrap my bicep in Ace bandage, and put on a short-sleeve shirt.

Then I cinch up my strap-on! (tehehe)

Then slip my sling on over the bottom of the foam cast.

Finally, over all that goes an additional shirt (with my arm inside) to help plaster it all a little more firmly in place. Usually a sleeveless running jersey works best.

During the days, however, the bones just keep moving around. I doubt the broken bones have even begun to heal.

And during all this, my old CR-V has died, so I'm walking and taking Lightrail. Kind of hard to shop a new car, get to doctor appointments, etc. Friday, it boiled-off an entire radiator full in three miles of uphill driving. Fill it and its empty in three more miles. Downhill, I drove 20 miles back home without having to stop. The radiator fans weren't working, but when I tried to fix them, they mysteriously started working again, before I could find a problem. I wasted all of Memorial Day putting a temporary epoxy patch on my radiator leak.

So no spare time in my life these days. Hoping my CR-V will get me to the dealership tomorrow to look at a 2006 Subaru Forester.

Bruises

2010-05-24T21:15:00.000-07:00

This is part of the dislocation and broken arm.

Not sure where the bruising is coming from. It might be blood deposits from minor internal bleeding, not necessarily classic bruising from the locations that are discolored. The bone break is like a knife in there. It doesn't hurt, but I think moving as little as possible is best.
Days have been easy, but nights are rough. I'm a tosser-and-turner, but I can't do that. There's only three positions that are comfortable, and each take some work to get just-right.
My arm hurts at night. I tried sleeping sitting up but I can't sleep. So even though days have been less painful, I'm becoming a sleep-deprived zombie. I don't think I sleep more than 10 minutes at a time.

Broken Arm

2010-05-21T20:56:00.001-07:00

I was running at Lair o' the Bear, had finished all the initial climbing and was enjoying some downhill on the other side. I cleared a big rock, toe caught the next small rock, and the timing of my stride absolutely could NOT have been worse! My shoulder had slammed into the trail before I knew I was falling.
Dislocated. So I tried to remember the fancy motion for putting it back in the socket. I chose a tree as a volunteer, but was doing a lousy job. My friends asked the bikers that came by if they knew how to fix a dislocation and one was a physician!
He told me to lay down and he worked it. We both thought it went in, but nope - almost. So he tried again as I stood. Bingo! Lego-man back together.

I thanked him and he left us.
Gayle told me "You're done."
I insisted I was good.
She insisted.
I insisted, but I would go very slow. I had completed the climb and I wanted my reward on the other side.
So I ran with John and the blonde visitor from Pennsylvania for another 20 minutes. Then I turned around and headed back.

As if that wasn't enough, on the way back, I sprained the HELL out of my right ankle. Again. The same one as last Thanksgiving.
Honestly, after all these years of ripping my ankles, the ligaments are too long, loose, and weak. I'm basically running with no real lateral support.
So I jogged back even slower, but still holding good form. Then I plopped down next to Kristen and her sons as we iced our feet/ankles in the absolutely frigid river.
The ligaments on my ankle swelled up like golf balls.

It was the night of the Denver Trail Runners 1st potluck of the season. There were about 40-50 people and all sorts of food. (YUM!)

Finally at home, it was a rough night. Two Percocets helped me through the night, but my arm still hurt - more than when I was running.
Next morning, I was pretty sure something was broken.

When the doctor and his PA jammed the x-rays onto the screen he exclaimed, "Holy cow!! Is that a crack? Look at that! He must be the toughest man alive."
The only benefit of having had Guillane-Barre and being a temporary quadriplegic ten years ago is that I only have about 20% of the nerve tissue the rest of you have, even after "recovery". So I don't get the full brunt of the pain. But it hurts plenty enough for me. Still, the doctor was used to moaning patients, not happy guys telling jokes with big cracks in their bones.

Very disheartening, though. After 13 months of plantar recovery, finally getting back in shape, I wrecked myself.

I'm not sure where the break stops. It kind of looks like it might go all the way through, but the doctor says it stops under the head. Then how does it open up 1/8" or more?

The doctor's PA thought I was a clear candidate for quick surgery. He said, Naw! and sent me home with a sling and a bottle of Oxycodone.
- Tape it up and get back in there, son! - Well the pain isn't very bad, but looking at the x-rays, I'd think something more than a sling would be in order.
I wrapped an Ace bandage around my bicep with a thick hiking sock in my armpit. The theory is this will help close the 1/8" gap in the crack. Even if the doctor won't treat it, knowing the direction and angle of the break helps me do the right things and avoid the wrong.
I'm thinking about a 2nd opinion, because it seems to me that leaving the 1/8" crack to fill in naturally will make it take 3-4x's longer to heal. Summer will be over by then.

Now thinking of how I was trying to get my shoulder back in the socket, and the helpful doctor on the trail, it's a wonder I wasn't howling in pain, and if it's not broken all the way through the head, I'm lucky relocating my shoulder didn't finish the job. I could have had a compound fracture.

I don't think I'll bother to register for the Imogene Pass Run in September. It should be healed, but I won't be trained-up. I'll be back down to 9min. miles.

I hope everyone else is doing well. Post photos of your adventures.

Did It!

2010-05-16T18:08:00.000-07:00

A 38-mile week!
Not only that, but my pace was 8:15/mile. Still shaving off the seconds. 30sec/mile left to shave off to reach where I was at when I got injured.
My body is starting to feel good again. The endorphin factory is getting into high production.
Muscles have memory - getting back to where I was won't be so hard and testosterone is helping to speed it up. That's one advantage guys have.

Cool, Wet Week

2010-05-16T09:45:00.000-07:00

It's been a cool, sometimes cold, week in Denver. The mountains have been getting snow. It's been raining every day since Tuesday. Finally today, Sunday, it's a perfect Spring day.

I'm so averse to heat that I've actually enjoyed the cool weather. Even running in cold, slushy rain is okay. But Tuesday, my left nipple was rubbed RAW! (Oops, sorry. TMI alert!) There's not much of a Spring/Fall. It's just Winter/Summer fighting over the weather. But today is definitely Spring!

The Colfax Marathon is finishing as I write this. I don't bother with it because it's not my cup-o-tea. Why would I pay to run in a city? Pavement, crowds, no scenery... I'll leave it for others to enjoy. Sure, I'll do the Steamboat Marathon and Rim Rock, but look at the scenery!!! No comparison whatsoever. And Steamboat is definitely my time-trial marathon course - mostly downhill. In spite of that, I might still not bother, except that Strawberry Park Hot Springs beckons. Marathon+springs is an unbeatable combo.

I'm about to go running. I'm on the brink of logging more miles in a week than I have since my pathetic attempt to get my money's-worth out of the Leadville 100 last August. (I shouldn't have even started that race, injured, but couldn't help myself.) I ought to be able to break 50K for the week. Chump mileage in the old days - today a milestone. One small step for an ultra-runner, one giant leap for a cripple.

I hardly ever feel any pain in my plantar anymore, but I feel something. It's a sensation of discomfort; a knot that isn't quite right. There's no way it's "healed", past-tense. I'm still very much in the process. I've got the rest of this year to go.
I hope (hope [hope]) to be ready to run the Bandera 100K next January. Last time I had serious blisters at mile 5. Next time, I hope to kill that race. Totally want to finish 1-2 hours faster. So this will probably be my next ultra.
My next "planned" race is Imogene.
It's becoming increasingly harder to hold myself back from racing. It's not in the plan, and it could unravel months of healing. I keep telling myself, "steady - keep your eyes on the prize".

I guess this post is also a milestone. I haven't been allowing myself to even THINK about racing. Now here I am starting to map out a schedule.

Healthy Drink

2010-05-08T14:17:00.000-07:00

I have a new drink that is both healthy and tastes as good as any soft-drink. I mix almond-vanilla milk and oat milk 50/50 (both non-dairy), with a dash of grade B maple syrup. If this sounds gross, well it doesn't look great, either. But it sure tastes great.

The oat has tapioca and calcium phosphate. They both have some sea salt. Between the syrup and the starch, it's the best complex-carb pre-run drink I can imagine. In fact, I wonder if it would be great to drink at aid stations during an ultra?

I also bought a small Sharper Image Citrus juicer a month ago.
So I've been drinking healthier than ever.

13.2 on Sunday

2010-05-04T21:15:00.000-07:00

I ran the equivalent of a half-marathon on Sunday, averaging 8:25 pace. I still need to take 40 seconds per mile off my pace in order to get back to where I was before my injuries.
Tonight was the Wash Park run. I couldn't get enough oxygen, so I'm still worn-out from Sunday's run.
Even though I'm doing the same mileage as several months ago, I'm doing it faster. So things are still moving in the right direction.

The Wash Park group is all but gone, now. Except for tonight, that is. For some reason, several people showed up, plus a new girl.
It seems that the key ingredient in running groups is women, especially under-40. If a woman shows up, and there aren't any other women, she won't come back. If guys show up, and there's no women, they won't come back. If a group is all women, women like it. And if they allow guys, guys sure like it!! No one cares if there's guys.
Since we ran out of women, getting new members is nearly impossible.

Another problem is, there are often women who are not very social. They come, and stand around, waiting to be catered to. Maybe they're feeling insecure? They often get mad if guys don't treat them exactly the way they want - but how are we to know how they want to be treated? And WTF, anyway?
Most of us aren't touchy about how people treat us. We just show up, gab a lot, run, gab some more, maybe eat dinner, and we're done. We're just out to relax and have some fun. It's not rocket science.
I try to make everyone feel comfortable, but everyone is different, so sometimes my efforts backfire.
Tonight, though, Sara showed up. I think she might return. She showed up and just started talking. She seems secure, out-going, and well-adjusted. Maybe if she keeps running with us, the Wash Park group will grow again.
All it takes is one (the right one).

My son keeps having music gigs on Thursday nights, so I keep missing the DTR runs. One more year of high school.