New Ultra Star to Attend Sunki Mountain Running Camp

Ok, so she's not that new but her results are beginning to turn heads and raise eyebrows.

With accomplishments like Leadville 100 mile champion 2010, USATF National 100k trail champion 2011, 1st overall (male and female) at Cactus Rose 100 mile, 1st woman (2nd overall) Rocky Raccoon 100 mile, and others, Liza Howard seems to get stronger and faster the more she races.  She's a wife, a teacher, and a mother.  Learn how to do it all and win national ultras from this talented and witty woman.

Liza gets some training advice from her son, Asa.

Sunki Mountain Running Camp, www.mountainruncamp.com is proud to announce that Liza will be speaking at our camp and taking advantage of the training runs WITH us.  Talk about someone who knows the course!!

Sunki Camp has 4 spots left.  Check out the website for information.  Not only be ready for your next important ultra, be better.

Back on the Ranch

Walker Ranch finds new ways each time I'm there to beat me like a sickly, horn rimmed bi-speckled, skinny nerd.  The beating tool of choice is usually the weather with high winds, snow, rain, and/or sleet (Shaun referred to it today as the Bermuda Triangle).  When she lures me in with hopes of good weather, the beating follows more of an incline nature.  The loop is all uphill, like Escher Stairs.  It lures you into a fast pace then knocks you down when it's too late to pace conservatively.

Shaun and I headed out to Walker today for redemption on our run there last week where we were treated to face-stinging wind and snow while Boulder proper basked in sun and warm temps.  So, we over dressed this time.  It was near perfect on the endless uphill loop, no wind, pleasant temps.

I did three laps in 1:12, 1:16, 1:14 with an extra out and back to retrieve discarded clothing to round out the run at 24 miles for me.  One gel and 20 oz water for the entire run.  Yes, I was hallucinating on the third lap.  Shaun banged out two laps in impressive times, getting stronger each week!

So, my week was 74 miles in just 5 runs.  40 miles in the last 24 hours.

2 Ways to Save Time in an Ultra

1.  Use a race vest/hydration pack and skip aid stations.
2.  Pick out landmarks up ahead and focus on pulling yourself there (this repetitive goal setting and accomplishing keeps the mood positive and is easier to grasp than thinking about the finish line and how far away it is).

Unclipping the race vest to access the back pocket while on the run.  Portable aid station!

Seems like all my local (and some far away) athlete buddies are suffering some sort of malady, knees (boulder and south carolina), sickness (boulder and golden), tendons (colorado springs).  I'm just getting completely over 16 days of illness (likely obtained from the germ-y work environment of hacking humans).  It's difficult to have reasonable perspective on how to handle these things.  Being long distance runners, we're used to pain and actually accept and sometimes welcome it.  Setbacks of injury and sickness are at the very least difficult to endure and can have even deeper mood effects.  Like everything, they serve a purpose and, once outlived, they give us a fresh perspective and appreciation of what we have and can do.

Got out in the beautiful weather yesterday for 16 miles at (my) quick 50k pace.  Started at 3pm and was sweating like a billy goat on blacktop.  The temp change was drastic once the sun dips and the peaks's shadows march east.  I was rightly cold by 5pm.

I can feel the pull of races now and love the anticipation.  I'm excited to see how friends will do in their events and excited to be around other trail runners soon.  Solo training is nice but I'm looking forward to running with the herd again.

The Race Shell Game

Gwyneth has agreed to be my pacer for all my 100 milers. Go figure! Had to do a bit of rearranging with the race schedule and ended up dropping the Tahoe Rim Trail 100 mile and the Golden Gate Dirty Thirty 50k (had to eat a little cash in backing out) in lieu of Bighorn 100 mile and Vermont 100 mile.  I'm still racing every month of the year and shooting for at least five 100 milers (possibly six).

Nice 1k cruise intervals tonight.  Feeling good and just 17 days out from some racing!

The Day Off: The Dim Corner

Monday is my day off from running.  It has been my day off each week pretty consistently for a long time.  I use it as a reward during difficult times on longer weekend runs, "Just eke this out and rest Monday."  Then Monday comes.  And I want to run.  Today is no different.  The rest day is as difficult as the long run and, also, just as important.

I'm a firm believer in at least one day of rest each week.  I might get out for a walk on those days but rarely, if ever, run.  So, here I sit with a two to three hour block of nothing to do.  I'm doing just that, nothing. 

My mind hums at a lower frequency and often in darker spaces on inactive days.  Now I use tomorrow's run as my reward for my day of rest.  Rebuilding fibers, tissue, allowing previous days' training to take hold and embed strength and endurance deep into the muscle and into the mind's perception. 

I occupy the void with thoughts of races, allow my mind to wander to fast 50ks and steady 100 milers.  They'll be here soon enough and then I'll be treading the thick waters of constant challenge, aggressive competitors, and the swings of emotions from anticipation before a race to the melancholy after a race.

Monday is the anchor.  It's the time to rebuild, regenerate, and appreciate. 

Dyn-O-Mite

Good Times indeed.

The week started off, well, didn't really get started until Thurs.  After the 26 mile run last Saturday, hacking up a lung the entire way, I seemed to get even sicker.  Monday I took off, Tuesday was a slog run around a lake, Wednesday was off.  Thursday I decided to make the last four days of the week productive and cranked out four runs of decent mileage with a miserably wonderful effort at [J.J.] Walker Ranch on Saturday - wind, snow, freezing.

Ended the week with 64 miles in 5 runs and (stop reading if you have good visualizing skills) about 5 lbs of mucus... AAK!  That's eight weeks of solid aerobic building.  Mentally on fire with the fitness to back it for once this early in the season.

Three weeks until my next race.  JJ Walker and I say, Bring It!

4 Ways To Finish Your First 100 Mile Run

1.  Run consistently for two years

2.  Eat and drink during the race

3.  Set your pace for the entire race, not just the first 50 miles

4.  Get a "hired gun" to pace you for the entire 100 miles

Me pacing Tim W (him in orange) leaving Twin Lakes about mile 60 at Leadville 100 2010.  He ended up 6th overall in 19:19!

Number 4 is what I'll be doing at Vermont 100 this July; pacing a strong 63 year old runner in his first 100 mile race.  Being over 60, he's eligible for a pacer the entire distance but I went ahead and registered for the race myself, so I won't feel guilty utilizing all the aid station goodies AND will earn a 100 mile buckle!  We're shooting for sub 24 hours...

The down side is that I have to drop out of Tahoe Rim Trail 100 on July 8th, HOWEVER, I'm in the lottery for Hardrock... Dilemma.  TRT I can live without and do any year.  Hardrock is a race that doesn't suit my strengths but is an epic event that I want to be able to say, "Yeah, I did Hardrock.  It sucked.  I loved it."

Strangely, I'm comfortable with the notion of running Hardrock and then pacing at Vermont the next weekend.  TRT and then VT would be difficult because I'd be full throttle racing at TRT (read: beating the core of hell out of my body).  Hardrock, for someone like myself, is not as punishing.  Yes, it's beyond words harder than TRT but doesn't rip up muscle fibers and connective tissue like running solid over 100 miles.  Many folks would beg to differ but I know how badly I feel after a hard, runnable 50 miler.  Bear 100 was less punishing overall to my body than was Deadman Peaks 50 miler (54 miles actually).  Also, Vermont will be at John's pace, which, even at 24 hours is more of a mental test than physical test for my body.  Yeah, it's hard!  I'll be too busy focusing on John's vital stats (food intake, hydrating, electrolytes, pacing, effort, positive mental focus, perception...etc).  Focusing all my attention on Tim W. pacing him at Leadville for the last 50 miles took away most of the sissy cribbing (self whining) on my own aches and pain.  Accomplishing something for yourself is sweet but being a part of another person's journey and achievement is a fulfilling, rich satisfaction that you have to experience to understand.

Note:  After thinking about it, the likely scenario will be that I do the Bighorn 100 (June 18) in place of a possible Hardrock entry, thus giving 100% to my Vermont duties.

I also have an option to add ANOTHER event to my nutty schedule, just a 50k in April.  This year will be an adventure.

5 Ways To Increase Traffic To Your Blog

1. Have a post title that is a short, numbered list of "how to..."
2. Write boring comments on others' blogs and include your blog url in the comment.
3. Troll around in some forums.
4. Use a bunch of "hot ticket" words in the body of posts ("hot babe", "sexy car", "Elvis", etc.).
5. Beg people to include your blog on their blog lists.

OR...

You could just write interesting things.

Tomorrow:  "4 Ways To Win A 100 Mile Running Event"

Ponderous Posterior Marathon "race" Report

Due to my cold reaching its crescendo in all its swollen sore throat glory, I opted to head down to CO Springs for the event on race morning, lest I expose good friends to my germ-ful maladies by staying at their place the night before.

It worked out fine because I was able to ride down with GZ in his square pumpkin mobile and get in more conversation in one day than over the two years I've known him.

He wanted to get started early (the 7am wave) in order to cushion his time after the run and make it home for a Nuggets game with his boy.  I was fine with that since I felt like hell and didn't want to feel pressured to run too hard.

Pre-run in JT's kitchen.  Jaime's fixing his Dean Karnazes hairdo.  In the background, that's either a hippie's 1978 Volvo wagon or a refrigerator . (photo: GZ -nabbed from his blog)

The course is sweet with thousands of feet of climb, dry technical sections, fresh deep snow sections, and epic views of everything from Garden of the Gods at sunrise to several angles of majestic (and hulking) Pikes Peak.

Early in the run entering Garden of the Gods.  I almost wore a purple shirt to cap off the color spectrum of my ensemble.  (photo: Brian McCarrie)

Garden of the Gods early.  (photo: Steve and Kathleen)

Kathleen running up the long climb with commanding views of Pikes. (photo: Steve)

The run actually went by in a blink of the eye it seemed.  I wish we would've just added on the five mile (easy, according to Rick H.) section for the 50k course.  It was a nice effort all day and I felt stronger over the last 1.5 hrs, which is a good sign of where my fitness is currently.  I mostly just practiced early season race strategies like fueling, even energy, pacing, etc.

It was great to hang out with George all day and meet and run with Sean O'Dea, who acted as our guide (otherwise GZ and I would likely still be out there running today).

Thanks so much to Katie and JT for hosting the hoards (over 90 folks) of runners.  I had an excellent time talking with good friends like Scott Jaime (who never reads my blog) and meeting a bunch of new folks I've vaguely known but never met in person.  Like the great Chubby Cheeks run last month in Ft. Collins, this type of run leaves me more content than most organized big races.  Oh, and thanks George for sharing your most excellent home brewed IPA.  I was floored by it and will be breaking into your home the next time you're out of town to steal every remaining bottle of it.

Stats: 26.2 mi (we ran down the sidewalk at JTs to make it a true marathon)
Time:  4:52 (I'm pretty sure GZ, Sean, and I won the marathon - we finished holding hands)
Climb: various estimates from 5,000-6,500 ft (who the heck really cares?)

Results

Gear:
McDavid arm warmers
McDavid compression calf sleeves
Buff headband
Speedgoat 50k event shirt (a race of which I was disqualified for making up my own course)
Pearl Izumi shorts and gloves
Inov8 Rocklite 315 shoes and fancy pink flowered gaiters
Lucho gifted Rudy Project sunglasses

You have a huge bulge

Figured the title would increase site traffic of the female gender.  Sorry to disappoint that the phrase came from the guy who was going to fix a flat tire I got this week.

4:45am driving to work as normal.  Car feels a little funny but at 4:45am and 2 degrees outside everything feels funny.  I only drive 2.3 miles to work (shameful, I know).  When I get to work, I glance at the rear tire, which is steaming from the heat-churning into the frigid air; heat created from driving on a flat tire, duh.  This is the third flat tire in as many months.  All three happened on the way to work, the 2.3 mi drive.  Never a problem driving to Utah and back, New Mexico and back, Leadville, Colorado Springs, Wyoming, etc, etc, etc.  No logic to it.

So, I waited until it warmed to a respectable 20 degrees and went out to take the wheel off and drag it up to a garage (they must think I drive off road weekly with all the flats).  The flats aren't punctures, they're the bead of the tire pulling away from the rim.  Got those fancy performance low profile tires on the Quattro, yo.  They look neato but are a true pain.

The normal repair (basically filling the tire up with air again and charging me $17) couldn't be completed because of the aforementioned bulge.  I called around and found a cool place in N. Boulder that had a set of low profile gnarly, studded, snow tires!  I can basically drive up the side of a frozen waterfall now.

With the scratchy throat I had earlier in the week turning into a full blown cold (cesspool of germs in the office, no doubt), I gave myself a break of two consecutive days off of running.  Not a bad thing, but frustrating.  The plan is to get out this afternoon for an hour run, then head down to Co Springs for the PP50k in the early am tomorrow.  It'll definitely be less fun being sick and congested but a good workout nonetheless.  I can't pass up a long run with great runners on Pikes Peak with temps in the 50s!

I just finished a solid block of training (base build) and the cold this week will count as my "reset" week, which leaves me four weeks of building towards the Cool race in CA on Feb 12, then a reset week, then four week build to Antelope 100 mi, then reset week, then Grand Canyon double crossing, then reset week, then four week build to Ice Age 50 mi, then reset week, then, well, it gets nutty after that...

The Common Suit of Thoughts

Time.  Structure.  Spiraling.  Creativity.  Order.  Pattern.  Paradigm.  Follow.  Coincidence.  Inward.  Outward.  Meeting.  Similarity.  Separation.  Individualism.  Inversion.  Solitude.  Solipsism (and "reverse solipsism", which another wacko [who's a visual artist now living in Chicago] and I coined and developed late one night in college).

This is an exercise I've used since I was eight.  Of course the words and meanings have evolved over time.  It's the way I keep language and words corralled in my mind and invite new ones in.  It's a way to break writer's block.  It's a way to process new information.  It's a way to stretch the mostly linear routine of daily life.  Walt Whitman would spiral thoughts from particular, microscopic views to expansive, infinitival journeys, then back to the particular (particle-istic).

Try the exercise (game).  Start with a word and then add words that come to mind, then think about the "common suit" of the words.  Think about where your mind was before you began.  Where did your thoughts go during the exercise.  What are you thinking when you finish?  Have your thoughts spiraled from the mundane outward to another time, forward and backward, and then back to now, what you're doing now?

The now.

So, got out with GZ yesterday for a bitterly cold run along Boulder Creek Path, beginning at the eastern end at Arapahoe and turning around at the mountains and back.  Good effort for me.  Happy to get together with George so early in the year and hope we get to run together more regularly.  I added on a bit at home, mostly just to loosen up since I just hopped in the car right when we finished the run.  I couldn't feel my hands or face until after I took a hot shower.  McDavid sent me a new recovery suit (tights and shirt) that they designed and hand made just for me to try, so I put them on last night and wrote some feedback on fit and the graduated compression and where the stitching placement might work better.  Overall, I like the new design and fit of the recovery tights and am looking forward to the new calf sleeves they're working on next!

Bit of a scratchy throat and minor cold the last couple days and the frigid air while running doesn't help.  I'm looking forward to the PP50k this Saturday to test where I am in my training.  I want to hit the Cool Trail Run 50k (34 miler) on Feb 12 firing on all cylinders and am giddy about racing again.

Dropped back off of facebook.  I found it more aggravating than entertaining.  So, if you notice I'm not your friend any longer, have no fear.  We're still friends.  We just don't share our boring, daily rituals with one another for the rest of the world to see.

Coaching?

Imagine how much a consultant was paid to design this  and implement it into some sort of workshop...(frankly, the arrows make no sense.  Are they the escape routes from this corporate weeny image?)

Running last Sunday with Jaime, we were discussing coaching.  The conversation went from general benefits to more granular specific skills from specific coaches.  I've thought about it a lot over the last three days and will add a full blog post on the topic to the list of topics I'd like to eventually get around to writing.

Briefly, I've tried coaches in the past (twice) and found one to be incompetent (this is a veteran ultra runner) and the other one, while a solid coach with substance and quality,  was too far removed from my goals and beliefs on racing (he wanted me to essentially race just twice a year).

Though I don't spew my boring training on this blog or talk much about training methodologies, I've read and feel I grasp concepts from several schools of thought from Noakes to Daniels (I used to follow track workouts based on my vdot like a robot until about seven years ago).  Most runners need some sort of structure in their training, whether that is the same routine run every day or a complex array of varied workouts.  I'm no different; I follow, loosely, a three or four week cycle with a "reset" week after the most intense week.  I feel that once runners get to a certain experience level, they know how to get in shape and if they don't, then there's this cool new thing called google where one can find just about anything needed on training.

Like I mentioned to Scott on Sunday, I think the key in a "racer's" needs in terms of coaching is skill.  I know how to run and how to run as fast as my limited natural ability allows.  I need skill, know-how, insight, experience.  I look at it like driving.  Once you're 25 years old, you know how to drive and are likely really good at it.  To do well on a grand prix course or rally, you can't just expect to go fast based your established time behind the wheel.  You need to either spend the time learning through trial and error (smashing your car into a few walls, spinning out of control on the trackside grass, and puttering across the finish in last place) or you could consult a veteran racer.  He's not going to show you how to turn on the car and drive in your neighborhood.  He's going to teach you techniques in races, strategies on certain courses, what to do between races to prepare for the next one.  You KNOW how to drive.  He's going to teach you how to RACE.  It's skill as opposed to ability.

I have the ability to run 5-6 100 mile races this year and run a couple of them to my potential but that doesn't mean I am able to do it.  I need the skill from someone who knows the distance, has run multiple 100s, all of them, and has defined how to run 100 miles over the most technical terrain, someone who glides up climbs and defies logic on descents, running stronger over the last 30 miles than everyone else in the race.  That's skill.  That's what I need and am getting.

The dilemma is that traditional coaching is difficult for me with a heavy season beginning in a few short weeks.  There's not enough time between races for a schedule to take hold.  I can't just hop up the next day after a 100 miler and do a hill workout.  So, I'm working out a custom-coaching thing-a-ma-bob with... an exceptional ultra runner.  Gettin' me some skillz.

"Hello, Mr. Scorsese?"

So, up at 530am on a Sunday morning to head over to Denver for a live segment on Channel 9 with Jennifer Ryan.  Got there early and just sort of hung out looking around the sets and stressing about doing something stupid on air (like developing turrets syndrome or something).

Jen was fun to be around and made it much easier.  I can talk in front of a room full of people but stick a camera in my face and, "uh, duh, mmm..."

It was all over faster than yanking a tooth out and I actually wished it would've lasted longer.

Afterward, I met Scott down where the rich folks live and we had a nice run of (I'm guessing) around 10 miles at most.  The most exciting part of the conversation was Scott mentioning we should run the FKT (fastest known time for readers like my mom) on the 66 mile High Line Canal Trail.  I was just thinking the exact same thing two days ago when we planned to meet.

Anywho, without further adieu, here's the segment (my part starts at about the 4 min mark):