tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24848240703129231742024-02-19T15:46:37.034-07:00In the Skreets of BostonUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger92125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484824070312923174.post-26803533496399244772017-10-22T23:44:00.000-06:002017-10-23T06:29:02.553-06:00The Bear 100. Or 62<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The rationale for ultrarunning has not been articulated to my satisfaction by anyone, let alone myself. There are long-winded grandiose treatises published by Ultrarunning Magazine, iRunFar, and on personal blogs. These takes generally overstate the sport's importance, describing ultrarunning as the meaning of life, the cure for the world's problems, blah, blah, blah. And then there's the underwhelming cheap explanations about pushing boundaries, getting fit, socializing, etc. I'm somewhere in the middle, but will probably never be able to convey the "why" effectively. Running for me is something to be done more than something to be explained. Forrest Gump probably said it best when he eloquently stated, "I just felt like running"<br>
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As I started trail running, I wrestled with the idea of doing 100 miles ever. Initially, I had zero interest. Zero interest slowly evolved into being mildly intrigued. I did more ultras and spent more time in the mountains. Eventually, I could see that I was becoming the kind of person that did hundred milers. I thought like they did, spent my time doing what they did, and I was in the kind of shape I had never been in before. Where it seemed insane and undesirable before, it now seemed sensible and inevitable. Most importantly, I was excited about it.<br>
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I chose The Bear as my first hundred miler because I was excited about it. It was close to home in terrain that was familiar. It was challenging with 22,000 ft of vert, a Hardrock qualifier if I wanted to go down that road. To enter, I needed a 50-miler finish. I took care of that in March at The Badger Mountain Challenge with a respectable time and felt like I could do more when I finished. I debated the pros and cons of doing a few more 50 milers and/or 100Ks before going for The Bear, but it just seemed like delaying the inevitable. It would take more time, pushing me out another year or two and I was confident I had the physical and mental toughness to cover the distance. I wasn't out to break records, I just wanted to cross the finish line and get the hundo monkey off my back.<br>
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Now, a month after taking a shot at The Bear and dropping at the 100k mark, I still think my reasoning was sound. Even though I was unsuccessful in finishing, I think I made the right choice to take a stab at the distance. As (bad) luck would have it, I got a cold the week before the race. This is usually a bi-seasonal event; celebrated in spring and fall with a cough that lasts a good week and then tapers off. Such was the symptomatology this fall and I figured it would clear up before race day. I spent a good portion of the night before the race hacking my lungs out, but felt well enough to start. And really, after all the preparation it took just to toe the line, I wasn't about to <i>not</i> give it a go. I was still snotty and a bit hoarse at the start and began my long day and night of blowing snot rockets.<br>
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Here's a breakdown of each section:<br>
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Check-in<br>
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Short and to-the-point. Too a fault. It was confusing what needed to be done. There was a pile of waivers that needed to be signed, with no instructions about what to do with them. No guidance on race packets or drop bags. Everyone made our best guesses and eventually Leland the race director gave a little speech and we were done. I was a bit starstruck bumping into Timothy Olsen, Jeff Browning, Luke Nelson and their entourages.<br>
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Start to Logan Peak<br>
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I wanted to start out conservative. The fact that 350 of us were crammed onto a steep single track for about 10 miles made that pretty easy. In fact, I got frustrated on some sections where the group was moving very slow. Logan Peak aid station was a quick stop, only grabbing a few snack and then moving on.<br>
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Logan Peak to Leatham Hollow<br>
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Things finally started to spread out in this section. Fast folks were moving through the pack and slower folks were settling into the back. It was also really muddy and there was about an inch of melting snow. This lead to some difficult sections to work through with large lakes of muddy water filling the double track. I was close behind a woman who made the mistake of trying balance across a muddy ridge in the middle of the double track; she slipped and submerged waist deep in a large puddle of mud water. It would have been very comical if it hadn't of been so tragic. I was moving at a conservative pace on the downhills, keeping steady and yo-yoing with a group of 10 or so guys. Did not feel zippy, but was not concerned as I was keeping up and passing some. I didn't want to think too much about other runners and overextend myself by trying to keep up with someone I shouldn't. At the same time, I wanted to be aware of what other runners were doing to gauge myself. Most of these guys had a lot more experience than I did and I needed to learn when to push and when to hold back, so I made sure to pay attention to strategy unfolding around me. I rolled into the aid station feeling really good. I was moving well, feeling the effects, but not discouraged at all and ready to keep going. Deanna was there to greet me and I sat down to eat a bit before heading up the road.<br>
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Leatham Hollow to Richards Hollow<br>
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This section was relatively short but all on dirt road with a gentle grade. I was moving well and passed a lot of people on this section.<br>
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Richards Hollow to Cowley Canyon<br>
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Still feeling well and the weather was fantastic and even hot at times in this section. I did start to slow down, though. People were passing me, but I wasn't discouraged. Just kept moving and focused on keeping things together, not rushing or panicking. Just moving and passing the time. At the aid station, I ate quite a bit and kicked my feet up as I was starting to feel the miles more.<br>
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Cowley Canyon to Right Hand Fork<br>
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Not a lot of notable things in this section. Again, felt relatively slow compared to other runners, but still moving consistently and not discouraged.<br>
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Right Hand Fork to Temple Fork<br>
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Somewhere in this section is where I started to dismantle. I was walking large downhill sections and started to face the mental demons. I wasn't breathing well, was short of breath. I started to question if I could finish. I knew that thought would sneak in at some point, so this was not unexpected. But the fact that it was a rational thought and not simply a "I'm really tired" thought was surprising. My breathing situation was getting bad with my cold and logically it was hard to argue myself into believing a finish was going to happen. I convinced myself that my breathing issues were normal. I saw other runners slowing down with me and rationalized that this is expected. I was 40 miles in. It was supposed to be hard. I had drilled myself mentally for the months leading up to this on how to manage these discouraging thoughts and was successful in convincing myself to keep going and wait for things to fluctuate between despair, joy, apathy, and everything in between. I hadn't resigned myself to failure at the Temple Fork aid station, but I was in rough shape. Deanna tended to me and I sat regrouping for a good 20 minutes eating and summoning faith to keep moving.<br>
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Temple Fork to Tony Grove<br>
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The longer-than-expected break with Deanna taking care of me was more rejuvenating than I could have hoped for. I also picked up my trekking poles, which shifted the stress to new places. I'm amazed at how tired my back gets during ultras! I felt like a new man and even though I was tackling the second-longest climb in the race, the first 2/3 of it passed quickly as I was fresh. The final 1/3 of that climb were getting very hard w/ breathing and dropping temperatures, but I deferred judging anything until I could get to a downhill or flat. When that happened on the drop into Tony Grove, I felt really good. I had warm clothes on that boosted my morale and I was moving pretty well, even passing a few folks.<br>
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Tony Grove was noisy and there was nowhere to sit. I plopped down in the dirt next to another runner and asked: "this must be the dirt-sittin' club?" My profound humor elicited a laugh from my commiserator. The hot chicken-noodle soup wasn't as rejuvenating as I had hoped, but I felt decent when I decided to head out.<br>
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Tony Grove to Franklin Basin<br>
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That moderately good feeling ended quickly when the cold wind whipped across my exposed legs. The temperature was continuing to drop and I had put all of my warmest gear in my drop bags starting 2 aid stations away. That was the easy part. The hard part was the climbs. My lungs had revolted. Breathing was shallow and labored. I was going cross-eyed and getting dizzy stumbling slowly up the hills. Other runners were passing me en masse. The delusion that I was OK and within the normal range of a finisher's experience had slipped away. Doing the math in my head, I would have to maintain my current pace just to finish under the cutoff time. I had no faith that I would feel well enough to maintain my current snail's pace. Things were on a steady downward trend for the past 30 miles despite some moments of moving well. I weighed out everything and could only come to the conclusion that I should stop. It was surprisingly hard to talk myself into this after spending so many months training my brain to disregard such thinking. The logic aside, I think the real tipping point was when I had a flashback of a childhood asthma attack; I was experiencing the same symptoms. I was also feeling pneumonia symptoms, another ailment I had experience with. I decided I could live with myself calling it and that a Pyrrhic victory was not my goal. I wanted to finish and run another day. In fact, run a lot more days. So I rolled in and again, Deanna was right there waiting for me in the cold & dark. I immediately told her I was dropping and we went to the medical tent to check out. A Frenchman, also named Charles, had also dropped and the volunteers asked if we could give him a ride back to Logan. We happily said yes and enjoyed conversation about UTMB, the US, & France on the trip back.<br>
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Aftermath<br>
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Getting back to Logan, we went to McDonald's for a burger. For some reason, burgers are the only thing I want after a long effort. I slept pretty well that night, to my surprise. I woke up with a wave of failure and regret, having to reassure myself of the valid reasons for why I stopped. I was still in a mental mode where failure was not an option, so reprogramming was not instantaneous. We drove to the finish line to pick up my drop bags and watched as runners were coming in. This was both exciting and heartbreaking; I was simultaneously happy for each of them, but also badly wanted to be finishing with them. Fortunately, the pain of falling short has been overshadowed by the good that came of all this. It was a great day in the mountains. I ran farther than I ever have in my life. I gained invaluable experience. My focus has shifted to new goals and putting myself in the best position possible to be successful with my next attempt at The Bear 2018.<br>
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Thanks to my dear wife Deanna for crewing me; to my Aunt Betty & Uncle Wayne for housing us; to my parents for watching the kids; to the race organizers and volunteers; to friends and family for words of encouragement and support. The running itself may be an individual effort, but the process and logistics require help and patience from many. I am truly grateful for my good family and supportive friends for making this such a positive experience.<br>
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<a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/1209549273">Strava Activity</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484824070312923174.post-16779388600785160562017-09-12T20:59:00.001-06:002017-09-12T22:14:42.814-06:00Ultra Croozin<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I just wrapped up my last week of a 6-week training block for The Bear 100, which is in two weeks. This will be my first hundred miler. Following Jason Koop's general advice from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Training-Essentials-Ultrarunning-Ultramarathon-Performance/dp/1937715450/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1505271781&sr=8-1&keywords=jason+koop">his book</a>, I aimed for 9 hours of running per week as close to race day conditions as I could. Actually running that much is pretty hard to fit into normal life. The ever-present duties of work, family, and church make it difficult to achieve at times, but it was also fun to get creative and find ways to make it work. Not to mention 50 miles/week seems to be my maximum before I start getting injured. I've gone through the gamut: shin splints, ankle sprains, quad tears, calf tears, Achilles partial tears w/ subsequent scar tissue, plantar fasciitis, patello-femoral pain, to name a few. Somehow I'm in pretty good shape right now and keeping all of the above at bay.<br />
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I've been on a White Stripes kick lately and listening to the philosophy of their music as described by Jack White. Paraphrasing, he essentially said the self-imposed limitations of only using guitar, vocals, and drums forced a creativity that wouldn't be there with unlimited resources. He even went so far as to not buy new guitars as the band became more successful, using instruments that were notoriously hard to tune. There are many more examples that are pretty fascinating, but I digress. The point is, I feel the same about running and training for ultras. First of all, I don't have anywhere near the luxury of unlimited resources to train. I have a full time job, a full time family, and a full time religion that my training works around and occasionally with. Injuries also creep in at unexpected times throwing a monkey wrench in my often overly-ambitious plans. Rather than seeing these as things holding me back, I see them as forcing functions that maximize what I do with the time I have and enable a creativity that would otherwise not be there.<br />
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Which leads to the subject of this post: Ultra training while on a cruise. Deanna and I were due for a big trip with old friends. We recruited two other couples to join us, friends we have known for nearly 15 years. Deanna had the brilliant idea to book a cruise to Alaska, somehow meeting the preferences of all six people. We settled on the Ruby Princess out of Seattle over the week of Labor Day. Prices were lower that week and I really wanted to go to Glacier Bay National Park as part of the trip. This was our third cruise and I get the feeling that they are all about the same (aside from the destinations). Way too much food, lots of booze and gambling, lots of old people. Cheesy on-board activities. I didn't want to get to hung up on the annoying parts; instead I wanted to turn this into a big running adventure and focused time with friends and my wife. And sometimes those things even overlapped!<br />
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Here's how things played out on the 7-day adventure:<br />
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Day 1 Saturday. Got up early and drove to Seattle from Boise. Left the kids at home w/ Deanna's parents (a million thanks). 8 hour drive passed like it was nothing. Just chatted the whole way without interruption. Oh and Deanna slept. A lot. Got on the boat and of course started eating, met up with friends. Enjoyed the views leaving Seattle:<br />
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Day 2 Sunday. Slept in. Read. Ate meals (big ones) with friends and enjoyed a relaxing day at sea. Went to a presentation on Alaska by the on-board environmentalist/Alaska expert. Ran into an old friend from my missionary days, completely by coincidence. We made plans to hike together the next day. The temperature was noticibly cooler at sea. Sailed along Moresby and Graham Islands:<br />
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Day 3 Monday. Up early for a day off the boat in Juneau. Rainy and cold. Shared a cab with my mission friend to the West Mendenhall Glacier trail. On the way to the trailhead, our cab driver saw a deer and started backing up to get a closer look.....right into another car. No serious damage and everyone was fine; he settled it with the other driver and we continued on. We garbed up in rain gear and started our soggy <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/1170162271">7+ mile journey</a>. Was great to hike with my mission buddy and get caught up after 15 years. We explored some ice caves at the base of the glacier and were generally in awe of the scale of what was around us. In Idaho, I see all the evidence of where glaciers used to be, the carved canyons and rock. This was really neat to see that process in action. The glacier itself was alive, melting and collapsing. It was actually kind of unsettling being close to such a giant dynamic inanimate object. Signs marked the previous limit of the glacier along our way, showing how far it has receded over time. The start of the trail was covered in 1910.<br />
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Had some time left before we needed to get back on the boat, so started up the tram trail toward Roberts Peak by myself. That about sums up the life of an ultrarunner. When everyone else is worn out and sick of being outside in the elements, <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/1170163195">you head back out for more miles</a>. It was still overcast and raining some, so I stopped at the clouds around 3000 feet. The views were great from up there, unobstructed and super windy. Ran back down to the boat and felt pretty spent. Slept like a baby after another gigantic dinner.<br />
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Day 4 Tuesday. Pulled in to Skagway at dawn right as the weather started improving. What a beautiful town. Glaciers up high, rocky peaks. Salmon completely filled the creek in town. 4 of us went for a big day of hiking to Dewey Lakes and Devil's Punchbowl. Blueberries lined the upper half of the trail. We ended up<a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/1170506754"> hiking about 10 miles w/ 4000ft of climb together</a>. I submerged myself in Devil's Punchbowl, which was slightly above freezing. Upper Dewey Lake had an impressive shelter w/ diesel stove and the finest smelling outhouse I have ever been in, made of cedar. After descending, I split off and tacked on another 5 miles or so to Icy Lake then met up with our crew and we got halibut fish n chips. Explored Skagway before it was time to get back on the boat. Mike & Evelyn took the White Pass train to Yukon Territory, which also looked amazing:<br />
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Day 5 Wednesday. Cruised around glacier bay NP. The weather was awful. Still great views however. got to watch a giant piece of the Lamplugh glacier calve into the bay. It's a bit unnerving hearing the glacier constantly cracking and dropping chunks into the water. Apparently this glacier moves 6 feet a day. On the boat all day, so <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/1172653528">ran on the 7th deck</a>. I expected this to make a cool GPS track, but it ended up looking kind of boring. That was one of 3 on-boat runs during this trip.<br />
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Johns Hopkins Glacier:<br />
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Mike was selected for and won the axe throwing contest, earning him and Evelyn free tickets to the lumberjack show the next day in Ketchikan:<br />
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Day 6 Thursday. Short day in Ketchikan. Got up early so I'd have time to <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/1173246037">summit Deer Mtn</a> and do as much of the Deer Mtn National Recreation Trail as I had time for (wasn't much). Excellent views periodically through the clouds. I was solo running this day as everyone else was beat and opted to spend time in town. Finished earlier than expected and explored town for a bit with Deanna. Saw more salmon, this time jumping up rapids.<br />
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Deer Mtn from the boat (peak on the right):<br />
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Deanna wore socks w/ sandals despite the social stigma associated with this behavior:</div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Deanna and Catherine did Karaoke to Alicia Keyes on the boat because that's what you do on cruises, apparently:</span></div>
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Day 7 Friday. Mostly a day at sea. We stopped for the evening in Victoria, BC. Walked around the downtown area and returned to the ship early because it was dark.<br />
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Also checked out the BC legislature:<br />
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The BC Museum was cool from the outside we could look at a bunch of old totem poles. Admission was expensive, so we opted for the free views:<br />
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I had read somewhere about <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Fox">Terry Fox</a>, turns out the intended end of his marathon of hope was Victoria and we stumbled across his statue:<br />
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Day 8 Saturday. Back to Seattle and home. Drive was great again, just chatting the hours away on an extended date sans children.<br />
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Overall, this was a fantastic trip. It was great to be with old friends and to not feel rushed. We had an entire week to spend time together, alone, and as couples. Cruises are nice because lots of logistics are taken care of-travel, food, lodgings. This can also feel restrictive because you are limited by these things, but Coastal Alaska seems a perfect destination to explore in this way. As for ultra training, I feel ready to take on The Bear next week after ending my training block with a big week of steep climbs and descents. I think it also helped to be out at different times of day, sometimes on very little sleep (I stayed up in vain looking for the northern lights). Ready for the next adventure :)<br />
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Stats:<br />
Miles run: 60<br />
Vertical feet: 14,000<br />
Wildlife seen: orcas, sea otters, humpback whales, salmon, grouse, sharks<br />
Miles sailed: about 2000</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484824070312923174.post-91429639201538632752017-01-26T21:26:00.003-07:002017-01-26T21:26:44.317-07:00Hawaii Running RoundupThere is no substitute for exploring on foot. It's an opportunity to see things in the context they were meant to be seen. Views from behind a steering wheel lack perspective of and connection with one's surroundings.<br />
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Exploring while running makes discovery possible on a larger scale, ideal for limited timeframes or soaking in a large geographic area.<br />
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Having realized this, running gets heavily incorporated into trips to new areas. This allows me to see/experience as much as possible when time is at a premium.<br />
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Enter Hawaii. We had 12 days to soak in as much as possible while we escaped the worst winter Boise has experienced for the past 100 years. The timing was impeccable and we were ecstatic to be far away in the Pacific. What follows is a daily breakdown of mostly the running activities:<br />
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12/30: Moanalua Valley <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/816345844">Strava Activity</a><br />
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We left Boise obscenely early on a Friday morning, stopping over briefly in Seattle before continuing on to Honolulu. Despite the exhausting nature of this itinerary, I couldn't wait to get out and explore after we got settled in. I had done some research to pick out general areas to explore here: <a href="https://hawaiitrails.org/trails/">https://hawaiitrails.org/trails/</a> I arbitrarily picked the Moanalua Valley for the first voyage, leaving about an hour before sunset. The first thing that became apparent was that it was going to be very muddy. The peaks of the Ko'olau Range were overcast and looking soggy. Not far from the trailhead I passed some people hunting pigs with a small pack of dogs. I tested out their friendliness, unsure if I was in a locals-only environment. I was clearly too pasty to pass as anything but completely out of place. We exchanged hearty hellos and I pressed on. On a sidenote, Hawaiian lingo was readily apparent early on: "howzit" was rampant as well as ending most sentences with "yeah?"<br />
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Things got wetter and weirder the higher I got. Attempting to keep my feet dry was pointless as I had to ford multiple flooded sections of the jeep trail and stream crossings with signs warning of flash floods. Eventually I reached a trailhead sign directing me to cross the stream and continue up the mountain, but someone had etched into the sign, reststop vandal style, the words "stairs" with an arrow pointing the opposite direction. Thinking the graffiti was pointing to stairs that would take me across this turbulent section of the stream, I followed the other way. The trail soon became very overgrown with soaking wet plants. I lost the trail several times until eventually finding some hot pink trail markers and a sign telling me to turn around. At this point there were knife-edge muddy ridges with ropes to aid the climb, increasing rain and sketchyness, coupled with complete darkness and a headlamp that I wisely brought with near-dead batteries. I turned around and trudged back to the car. Come to find out later, this wayward path was a now prohibited back route to the famous <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haiku_Stairs">Haiku Stairs</a>, which have been closed to the public and guarded for some time now.<br />
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12/31: Aiea Loop, Waikiki <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/817300350">Strava Activity</a>, <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/817363518">Second Activity</a><br />
Next up came the Aiea Loop, another slop fest. I took the kids on a short loop while Deanna ran, then she watched them while I ran the full loop. It was surprising to see so many people on this trail considering what a mess it was. Apparently RC cars are a big deal here, as I passed around 20-30 people running their miniature jeeps over the highly technical, messy terrain.<br />
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As much as I wanted to run, it just wasn't possible for the majority of this trail. I learned quickly to heed the advice of my uncle, a local of many years: <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">hawaii hiking rule: never step on the trail into ferns or other low plants without being sure there is ground under it."</span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"> </span></span> This type of terrain was a whole different type of challenge! The views were great (see outlook of H3 freeway below), however and I finished the loop completely covered in mud. A faucet was available to rinse off, but didn't prevent us from systematically trashing our rental car by the time our trip was over.<br />
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My goal to complete 1200 miles for the year was a bit short still, so I trotted along Waikiki later that day for 2 miles to an average of 100 miles/month for 2016.</div>
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1/2: Makua Cave Lookout <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/819418629">Strava Activity</a></div>
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After another day at the beach on the West Coast, we noticed a trail heading up the hill around the pullout for Makua Cave. I could see some people in a small lava tube several hundred feet up. It looked like a quick, relatively low effort/reward ratio run, so I jumped out and headed up the hill while my family sat in the car watching the sunset over the Pacific.</div>
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The trail up was ridiculously steep and quickly became dangerously so with poor footing. After some wrong turns I found the lava tube and a great lookout:</div>
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This trail was right next to the Makua Military Reservation, which was clearly marked by fences. Not sure what the history is there, but I found an old .50 caliber shell casing on the trail up, so I'm guessing the past involved frequently shooting crap to bits.<br />
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1/3: Manana Ridge/Waimano Falls <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/820439908">Strava Activity</a><br />
The next morning I got up well before sunrise for the first of two long runs on this trip. My aim was to get to the top of the Ko'olau Range looking out over Kaneohe Bay. The East side of this range is comically beautiful: sheer cliffs in fuzzy green with azure blue ocean views. So started the Manana Ridge trail with this reward in mind. The trail started off great, but quickly devolved into excessive mud and overgrowth. I came to a sign that indicated the trail was closed ahead due to a landslide. Of course, I had to see this and continued on. The landslide was impressive, but not impassable, so I pushed on slower and slower. The trail was now littered with ropes tied to trees to aid in the steep muddy climbs. At this point I was racing the clock and realized I was going too slow to make it to the ridge in any reasonable amount of time considering my family would be waiting to go explore. I reached a quality lookout and turned around:<br />
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I made decent time on the way down and followed a side trail indicating "Waimano Falls" about a mile away. At a fork, I made a wrong turn and got lost. Eventually I heard someone yelling in the distance and worked my way toward them along a sort-of trail, figuring they were at the waterfall. It sounded like they were calling for help, so I prepared for a potential blind-leading-the-blind rescue. I came to a clearing to find two men who were very surprised to see me speaking Portuguese. They had 5 or 6 pitbull-ish dogs with them and then proceeded to ask me if I had seen their missing pooch. So they weren't lost, but their dog was. They were dissappointed to see me trudge through the trees instead of Rover, but pointed me in the general direction of the falls, which I eventually found and had to myself for a few minutes to cool off:<br />
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I got back to the house at a reasonable time, slightly less muddy than anticipated thanks to the waterfall.</div>
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1/4: Makapuu Lighthouse <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/821564167">Strava Activity</a></div>
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Wednesday was my birthday and we spent most of the day snorkeling at Hanauma Bay. After that, we took a family hike up to the Makapuu Lighthouse, enjoying fantastic views:</div>
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1/6: Waimano Ridge Trail <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/823258963">Strava Activity</a></div>
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Friday I made a trip back to the Ko'olau Range, one ridge over from my run on the 3rd. The start of the trail followed along the fenceline for some state property before breaking away into an open ridge. Trees were awesome:</div>
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Roots made things complicated:</div>
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As expected, the trail crapped out the higher up I got. I turned back after finding a good view:</div>
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1/7: Ko'olina Lagoons, Kaena Point <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/824573995">Strava Activity</a> & <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/824722322">Here</a><br />
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I've been following <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Training-Essentials-Ultrarunning-Ultramarathon-Performance/dp/1937715450/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1485311684&sr=1-1&keywords=ultrarunning+essentials">training per the Ultrarunning coach of the stars, Jason Koop</a>. So today I worked on some VO2 max time doing intervals at the beach. This area was highly trafficked by tourist runners like myself; the strava activity here was intense.<br />
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I didn't plan on doing anything else for the day, but we drove up to the North Shore doing some exploring and out past Haleiwa to the trailhead to Kaena Point. Deanna could see that I was chomping at the bit to go check out the trail and run out to the point (about a 6 mile out and back). She offered to stay with the kids and do some beach combing while I checked it out. In her words: "just go-you can run that like super fast, right?" She didn't have to twist my arm too hard. She has enabled my running lifestyle-period. I couldn't enjoy such beautiful places on long, frequent solo runs without her making logistics work and waiting patiently for me at trailheads when I inevitably return late.<br />
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I dutifully ran hard to stay on schedule out to the point. This was a jeep road that has been torn up to the width of a highway and made for tricky running. The waves on this part of the island were large and lots of fishermen lined the shore, but no one was in the water. At Kaena point I came to a large fenced enclosure designed to keep pets out of an Albatross nesting area. There was a gate for hikers to enter and on the inside there were huge birds everywhere wondering why I was staring at them. The point itself was amazing with views of the West and North shores:<br />
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That wrapped-up the running on Oahu. Next stop: Kauai<br />
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1/9 Pihea Lookout <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/826998815">Strava Activity</a><br />
We had two full days on Kauai, which clearly isn't enough to see everything. But we intended to see the highlights, so we took a day on the South and a day on the North. After arriving, we drove straight to Waimea Canyon, which was covered with trails that need to be explored another day. It really is the Grand Canyon of Hawaii:<br />
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Our hike was to the Pihea lookout that looks down on the Napali Coast, where we would be the following day. The trail was loaded with tourists; many of which were wearing socks and sandals to give you an idea of the demographic we were dealing with. This in stark contrast to the melting pot of tourists and locals on Oahu. The trail itself was pretty muddy and we had the kids, so we took our time to not get too filthy. The kids did great on the technical trail and enjoyed imagining dinosaurs bursting out of the jungle to devour their small, tender bodies. Wasn't Jurassic Park filmed here? Obscene views:</div>
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We rounded out the day with a trip to a remote beach on the West shore of Kauai. Polihale State Park is at the end of a 5 mile dirt road that is in about as bad of shape as a dirt road can be. Our trail-ready Hyundai Elantra rental handled it beautifully :) Did another stroll and some body surfing on arrival:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixECjGvj88sLB6umrWvIzR_Z7UDwb1ecZ-llllNQ206-OIbsaV4HRW6KX8jR-1eWRjJbf-BmADLeL2R-ynLGsM2eN_wUYCu1QeGcqm8l6Y7iTQTzqrd_1XnGLiIpmHebIfgVwTeF3G-y0/s1600/IMG_20170109_152206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixECjGvj88sLB6umrWvIzR_Z7UDwb1ecZ-llllNQ206-OIbsaV4HRW6KX8jR-1eWRjJbf-BmADLeL2R-ynLGsM2eN_wUYCu1QeGcqm8l6Y7iTQTzqrd_1XnGLiIpmHebIfgVwTeF3G-y0/s320/IMG_20170109_152206.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We had a great view of Niihau, the westernmost island in Hawaii:</div>
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This also extended my Western-most travels from the place of my Birth! For reference, my Northern-most point of travel is Edmonton, Alberta. Eastern-most is Las Americas Airport in the Dominican Republic, Southern-most is Santa Rosa, Guatemala. I've got some work to do to get away from my native continent. It was also the furthest distance I have been from my place of birth (3094 miles). For some reason, I care about these things. Technically, the furthest I could get from my birthplace is the antipode to Idaho Falls, ID, located in the Indian Ocean about 500km north of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Southern_and_Antarctic_Lands">French Southern and Antarctic Lands</a>. Probably won't be heading out there any time soon. <a href="https://www.antipodesmap.com/">Cool antipode calculator here.</a></div>
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1/10: Napali Coast <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/828097562">Strava Activity</a></div>
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Before we left on this trip, Napali was the one place I wanted to do a long run. The Kalalau trail runs along the coast for 10 miles ending at a beach of the same name. I dug up a GPX from Strava, which confirmed the distance plus 10000 feet of vert (out and back). I'd seen pictures that only confirmed this was <i>the</i> place to check out on Kauai if I had to prioritize, which I did.</div>
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We left our hotel later than planned because we were all tired. Letting the kids sleep in would be important as we were going to catch a red eye flight home this same night. That meant potentially 36+ hours without quality (if any) sleep. Leaving late, I knew time would be at a premium on the trail. We planned to do the first section together as a family, then I would take off and do as much as I could with a 6 hour budget. The trailhead was mobbed, another symptom of arriving late. I didn't anticipate this many people, however. The kids were taking a long time, so I took off by myself with Deanna's blessing. I was immediately stopped on the trail because of some construction; it looked like they were trying to secure some loose rocks. After a few minutes, the workers let me and a group of hikers pass. I started pushing up the trail, dodging roots, branches, mud, and all the hallmarks of a Hawaii trail. But this one also included an obnoxious number of tourists unaccostomed to trail ettiquite. Folks had a hard time understanding "on your left" or "can I sneak by you?" either due to a lack of experience or non-English speaking status I assume. I saw no other runners the entire trip. In fact, everyone looked at me like I was crazy or they couldn't fathom why anyone would run on a trail. At first it was a novelty, but eventually the commentary and odd questions became a bit bothersome, like another hazard of the trail to deal with. After a mile or so of this dodging and explaining, I got to a fork in the trail that split off to Hanakapiai Beach one way, Hanakapiai Falls another, and the portion of the Kalalau trail that requires a permit to continue. Excited to get past the crowds, I continued on the Kalalau trail and encountered only sporadic hikers. The views from this point on became progressively more and more breathtaking:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsVeQO1qc30r4LOjhlzZm6XYtEYs5CV_i5fyP7r_k7d5mysAl_-j2wh1eL0c6kWpcFiK17HfBeCdhS9dHHrepG4LBTLb3903K2l0Jbs5_cjDUgXvaHoZF-_kiZI0Vkub4mx-V-UXs0oAU/s1600/PANO_20170110_130159.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsVeQO1qc30r4LOjhlzZm6XYtEYs5CV_i5fyP7r_k7d5mysAl_-j2wh1eL0c6kWpcFiK17HfBeCdhS9dHHrepG4LBTLb3903K2l0Jbs5_cjDUgXvaHoZF-_kiZI0Vkub4mx-V-UXs0oAU/s320/PANO_20170110_130159.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The running itself was extremely slow going. I averaged around 3mph, which wasn't going to give me enough time to get to the end of the trail. I've arrived home from runs late too many times, so I wanted to make sure I stayed on schedule for this one and relax with my family for our last afternoon of this vacation. I decided to push as far as I could and turn back slightly before 3 hours to give myself some breathing room for the inevitable fatigue that would set in with all this climbing.</div>
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One lesson I've taken away from running is that there are primary, secondary, tertiary, quaternary, and beyond goals. Not acheiving a primary goal doesn't feel like a failure; in fact primary goals are best-case scenarios for when everything goes as planned (not often). My primary, ideal goal for this trip was to run the whole Kalalau Trail and see the beach at the end. I didn't know if that was overly ambitious, but I intended to give it a shot. Once that goal became unrealistic because I couldn't move any faster and we needed a late start to get us all rested, I moved on to the next goal with full effort: get as far as I could in the time I had and enjoy the ridiculous sights all around me. It was a win-win. Close to my turnaround point, the trail became more exposed with clear views of the coast. It was indescribably beautiful. Pictures don't do justice to these types of places-the whole sensory experience is really what makes them so special.</div>
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The exposed sections were pretty warm and I blew through all my water quickly. Unfortunately, I forgot my water filter, so I was left with a 9 mile return trip in the heat and no water. I had a couple options: ask the next hikers for water or drink from one of the many streams and risk some GI distress. I saw some feral goats along the trail, so I figured there was a substantial risk for some Beaver Fever. I did not want to get dehydrated because this would make my 3+ hour return trip more like a 5 hour death march. I came to a small waterfall that didn't seem to have any treadable area above it (by man or beast). The water was cool and my cells were aching for it, so I chugged until I was full and filled my hydration bladder and kept moving, glad to be juiced again. I've made this decision occasionally on trails when my fluid planning doesn't match the conditions and I find myself without water. It's never something I like to do and I mitigate the risk as best I can. So far I have yet to acquire Giardia or any ill effects from these occasional infectious diseases immersive experiences.</div>
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The return trip was hard work. My quads were falling apart and I could no longer run up the steeper climbs, so I powerhiked up and jogged down in true ultramarathoning form. Fatigue never worsened beyond this point, so I was able to enjoy the run back despite feeling about 50%. I passed all the people I had seen throughout the day again, many of which were suprisingly excited to see me. I was excited to see them as well, as they kindly cheered me on, boosting my spirits (aka adrenaline) and one group offered me water (too late!). Once I reached the Hanakapiai fork again, I decided to check out the beach. There were some surfers riding huge waves and the beach was beautiful:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic0ZJgWkqv6WYsfXA_H7SlPzAtSFYy6slqdwi2YpIvCbLuYANHApAby7PB9F79GxtOhlpkiadN284Uel1NzD7f5thve1ga3vpjzcnNMPZy8KgeltmbVW_MLrhQVIUyuIuPCzEQbxGp5-0/s1600/IMG_20170110_154038.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic0ZJgWkqv6WYsfXA_H7SlPzAtSFYy6slqdwi2YpIvCbLuYANHApAby7PB9F79GxtOhlpkiadN284Uel1NzD7f5thve1ga3vpjzcnNMPZy8KgeltmbVW_MLrhQVIUyuIuPCzEQbxGp5-0/s320/IMG_20170110_154038.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The last mile back to the car was a pain again with all the hikers logjamming the trail on this section. I wasn't moving as fast, so at least it wasn't as frustrating as the out trip. Upon arrival at the trailhead, I was about 15 minutes ahead of schedule, so I walked down to Ke'e beach where I swam to cool off and got a look at my Hawaii feet:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl9H8JsmqJ0zizM1-CtimIXc4x8rTUjXVcV4DKQh5U2cfU4biUdNtRfrHDyqRpN-lezS6r0AD8hVBXzyHQYGYx3fPGU1o7YQRhtsOsnOJ4nL_zq7LFqREj_tYw5jeYlPZJjEcVLbWBCh0/s1600/IMG_20170110_161722.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl9H8JsmqJ0zizM1-CtimIXc4x8rTUjXVcV4DKQh5U2cfU4biUdNtRfrHDyqRpN-lezS6r0AD8hVBXzyHQYGYx3fPGU1o7YQRhtsOsnOJ4nL_zq7LFqREj_tYw5jeYlPZJjEcVLbWBCh0/s320/IMG_20170110_161722.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The casualties from this week and a half were two toenails, one large blister, and a lot of cuts and scrapes. No show-stoppers though, thankfully. I also blew out the uppers on my New Balance MT101s on the first run. This was the only pair of shoes I brought, so they had holes in them for the entire trip, but held up well aside from that. I took three pairs of Darn Tough wool socks. These have become my go-to socks for everything. They are, as the name suggests, just tough-as-nails great socks.</div>
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I rinsed of the salt water in the beach shower and met Deanna in the parking lot. At this point the post-long run buzz kicked in, visible here:</div>
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<a href="https://content-na.drive.amazonaws.com/cdproxy/templink/OOGer_jJTlKsBnXJHOBCS9h_JBStvMGcFOCD-Ojku0YpX92IB?viewBox=1280,1280" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://content-na.drive.amazonaws.com/cdproxy/templink/OOGer_jJTlKsBnXJHOBCS9h_JBStvMGcFOCD-Ojku0YpX92IB?viewBox=1280,1280" width="320" /></a></div>
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Lastly, the Suunto video:</div>
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Fn8drlPt-5I/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Fn8drlPt-5I?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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It always feels great to sit down for a big, greasy meal after an adventure like this one. We drove back to Hanalei and chowed down on Chicken in a Barrel BBQ. Our parting view did not disappoint:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFb-TXNhR-_WvzcSo_lhORl3W_rF0boMpmdjYinq8dfBDyZsl9aaQY0F_9ZHgoV3wGxNb2dDNLg4nuKYi8f1NDJzdYSKpjGO_8pglDwzZEGQ9DB-MmU8Tq5ExdBE14RxkMy6wKnjFe_DU/s1600/IMG_20170110_181341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFb-TXNhR-_WvzcSo_lhORl3W_rF0boMpmdjYinq8dfBDyZsl9aaQY0F_9ZHgoV3wGxNb2dDNLg4nuKYi8f1NDJzdYSKpjGO_8pglDwzZEGQ9DB-MmU8Tq5ExdBE14RxkMy6wKnjFe_DU/s320/IMG_20170110_181341.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Running was the point of this post, but it wasn't the point of this trip. We went to spend time with our family in Hawaii. My grandpa George was kind enough to host us all at his home (he's 98!). Our kids got to know their great-grandpa and learn about his life, which is a blog all of it's own. My uncle Clark and aunt Heidi were also very gracious hosts and shared the beauty of their island with us pasty mainlanders :) We're glad we got to reconnect with them, grandpa, Carolyn, and Dan. Thank you for having us and we look forward to visiting you again!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484824070312923174.post-36537961415230301652016-09-28T22:19:00.000-06:002016-09-28T22:19:17.572-06:00Hoboing Business Trip Report<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Several months ago, I was invited to speak at a state-wide conference for pharmacists taking place in Sun Valley, Idaho.<br />
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We began preparations for the weekend trip to central Idaho, weighing our options. Family trip? Solo trip? We looked at logistics of skipping kid's soccer games, foregoing a local 5K, and traveling with a tyrannical 3-year-old. Ultimately, cost was the deciding factor in how this trip would play out. The "conference rate" for the cheapest rooms at the Sun Valley Inn were in excess of $200 <i>a night</i>. We were looking at 3 nights, so this option was laughably expensive. We looked at other hotels and Air BnBs, unable to find anything within 60 miles under about $150. The prospect of making this a family trip fell apart; the next logical option would be for me to go alone and to camp out.<br />
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This created another set of logistical challenges:<br />
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<li>Finding a campsite near the conference</li>
<li>Staying warm in early fall Sun Valley</li>
<li>Having access to my presentation materials so I could adequately prepare</li>
<li>Keeping my phone charged (this ended up being surprisingly difficult. Outlets were hidden behind secret panels at the Sun Valley Inn and I didn't have my external power bank with me all the time)</li>
<li>How to fit in running adventures in an area completely saturated with world-class trails</li>
<li>Bathing, grooming, and appearing/smelling professional in front of colleagues (including my direct supervisor and boss) with whom I needed to maintain long-term working relationships</li>
<li>(And as a last-minute added challenge) Safely transporting 3 full-size (roughly 3' x 5') posters of our pharmacy residents' research projects</li>
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I mentioned my plans to several coworkers who in turn offered to share a room or use of a shower. Aside from the awkwardness of these potential arrangements, I had already mentally committed to the camping approach, so I respectfully declined. At this point, I viewed it as a challenge to make this trip work exclusively utilizing ancient hobo technologies (Hobotech<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">®</span>).</div>
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Going into the trip, I had prepared very little. I had a general idea of what I needed to accomplish, but not many specifics as to how I would do so. I had a mental list like this:</div>
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Day 1 Schedule:</div>
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4:00 Wake Up</div>
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5:00 Leave for Sun Valley</div>
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7:30 Summit Hyndman Peak, one of the Idaho 12ers</div>
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12:00 Find Campsite, set up camp</div>
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13:00 Conference Begins</div>
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18:00 Poster Session (residents would need intact posters)</div>
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19:00 Return to campsite, bathe, prepare dinner, review presentation for tomorrow</div>
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Day 2 Schedule:</div>
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6:00 Wake Up</div>
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7:00 Continental Breakfast at conference</div>
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8:00 Conference begins</div>
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15:00 Presentation</div>
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18:00 Find a suitable trail to explore</div>
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21:00 Return to campsite, bathe, prepare dinner, read</div>
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Day 3 Schedule:</div>
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6:00 Wake Up, break camp</div>
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7:00 Continental Breakfast at conference</div>
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8:00 Conference begins</div>
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10:00 Sun Valley Ward Sacrament Meeting</div>
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10:30 Required Law Continuing Education Session</div>
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11:30 Drive Home</div>
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Day 1 started off weighing contingencies. It was raining on and off across the state, so I brought some rain gear and knew there would likely be some snow at the higher elevations. I made it to the Hyndman Creek Trailhead on time and headed up the trail. It was drizzling steadily, but not a downpour. And it was colder than I was accustomed to in the Treasure Valley aka the Banana Belt of Idaho. I ended up running with my rainjacket over my running pack because the winds were picking up and it was getting hard to stay warm. My feet got soaked early on after slipping during a creek crossing. At 8500' it began to snow and the weather was becoming more overwhelming. I pushed on to Sundance Lake at 9740' and there was 6" of snow on the ground. I did some soul searching at this point. I knew the remaining 2000' of climb was over scree and involved some scrambling. The weather wasn't improving and there was certain to be more snow the higher I went. I opted to head back down rather than risk death. I was on a tight schedule as it was and I needed to get the residents their posters. They would have a hard time finding them in the back seat of my car at a remote trailhead were I to perish in the wilderness. On the descent, the weather began to improve, so I was slightly bummed at this decision, but still glad I wasn't navigating snow-covered scree fields with semi-frozen feet. I made it back to the car and began the next task of securing a campsite.</div>
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I had tentatively planned on staying at the Boundary campsite for $10/night. It is a mile or so up Trail Creek Rd. from the Sun Valley Inn, where the conference was taking place. When I arrived, all the sites were occupied. It was a no-reservation site and I knew it was a gamble. I knew there were other campsites further up Trail Creek Rd., so I headed up that way and saw a sign for campsites on Corral Creek. I pulled into the first open site and set up camp. I got a text from one of the residents while I was pitching the tent (it was about 12:45) they were looking for their posters. It was still raining some and fairly windy, so I put on the rainfly, added my cot and some chairs for weight to hold the tent down if the wind picked up and went straight to the conference. I was still wearing my running gear which consisted of long pants and a long sleeve tech tee. I added a down jacket as a makeshift sportcoat to look slightly presentable. I figured there was always some guy at these conferences wearing a Hawaiian shirt, so I wouldn't look any more casual than that. I wasn't overly sweaty because of the cold, but I was wet and that doesn't smell great. It was a short day at the conference and I figured I could keep a perimeter around me when possible and try to lay low. Walking in, I sat down with a one-seat spacer between the nearest pharmacist and settled in for the first presentation. I noticed a guy a few rows ahead of me weaving snowflake Christmas ornaments out of fishing line and he was wearing a Hawaiian shirt. I relaxed. I ended up socializing a lot more than I had planned this day, but no notable grimaces on people's faces at my wet-dog aroma. One acquaintance did comment: "you look like you're going camping!" I responded unironically that I was. Reaching my threshold of introversion suppression for the day, I left and had a hankering for a burger (my go-to post-run food) and went to the McDonald's drive-thru in Hailey then returned to camp. Bathing was the next order of business. I brought baby wipes as a last resort to be used for a makeshift sponge-bath. However, Corral Creek was a mere 20 yards from the campsite and had good tree cover, so I grabbed my Peppermint Dr. Bronner's and shivered my way to the creek. I had taken cold showers for 2 years on my LDS mission and had hoped to be done with them for good. The first hot shower I took upon returning home probably lasted an hour. This creek bath was definitely next-level cold and would serve as stunning contrast of how truly amazing a hot shower is. I focused on high-stench areas (use your imagination) to minimize the misery factor of lowering my core temperature with a full-body submersion. I had some foresight and brought a towel, which was essential in shortening the suffering. I got into dry clothes, crawled into my sleeping bag and began to read. I hoped to review my presentation materials, but I had forgotten to download them to my phone and didn't have a signal. So I read <i>The Brothers Karamazov </i>instead. As I warmed up, I instantly became comatose around 9pm.</div>
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Day 2 I woke up after sleeping 9 hours! I was periodically cold, but slept mostly well. I dressed up fancy with a tie and fresh clothes. I slathered on some deodorant, hoping that between the targeted creek bathing and artificial aromas of Old Spice, my vagrant quotient would remain below the acceptable levels for a professional society. The morning CE sessions went well, only I was in need of some last-minute cramming to prepare for my presentation since I didn't have all my materials and crashed early the night before. I skipped the end of one session and sequestered myself for some highly focused review of current treatment recommendations for sepsis. In the end, it didn't make much difference. The format of the session I was speaking at (along with 3 other pharmacists) had changed at the last minute. This led to increased anxiety and a true test of my stench-prevention measures. Three hours later, the session ended without me betraying my true nomadic nature and hopefully imparting a few pearls of wisdom about antibiotic use. I left and headed straight to the trailhead. On a whim, I chose the Pioneer Cabin trailhead. Looking at my National Forest map, I found another trail that connected a loop I estimated to be at least 6 miles. I get the impression it's hard to choose a bad trail in Sun Valley and this ended up being about as perfect as I could have hoped. I climbed a steep trail for 3-4 miles in cool temps with a clear sky, eventually reaching the eponymous Pioneer Cabin with large lettering emblazoning the roof: "The Higher You Get, The Higher You Get." This summit coincided with the sunset, creating some highly rewarding views of the Pioneer range including Hyndman Peak and Devil's Bedstead. The cabin itself was interesting, similar to Appalachian Trail shelters, but more elaborate. It was full of hiker paraphernalia, including a guitar, sleeping bags, pot leaf graffiti, some food and fuel, and even had an old wood-burning stove. It reeked of putrid humans, which was probably a good sign that I hadn't ripened to that point myself. It was now getting dark quickly and I wasn't sure how far I had left in my planned loop, so I pressed on. The temperature was dropping quick now, so I put on my wool gloves and headlamp. To my chagrin, the batteries were nearly spent and my lighting situation was pretty crappy. This fact hastened my pace, so as to avoid a moonless stumble down the mountain if possible. The weak beam got me down the mountain eventually, but not before a minor twisted ankle and a few near face-plants. I ran into some bow hunters at the trailhead who asked if I heard the elk bugling, and indeed I had.<br />
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I got back to my campsite around 9 and performed an even more targeted creek bath as the temperature was now approaching freezing. I remembered seeing the fully enclosed bathrooms at the Sun Valley Inn where I could finish my bathing in the morning and wash the grease off my head. Bones chattering, I warmed up a Mountain House lasagna in some boiled creek water and whipped out <i>The Brothers K </i>once again. A friend of mine used to say "hunger is the best sauce" I would agree and add that a warm meal or drink when you are freezing cold and hungry is sauce for that sauce. It was great to not have cell service as a distraction this night. It helped me get fully immersed in Dostoevsky, reading a large chunk at once. Up to that point I had read small sections when I could and it was still great, but this was better and obviously how this book (and probably most books) should be read. Stepping out of my tent to water the plants, I looked up to an unpolluted night sky. The Milky Way was clear and prominent and constellations easily recognizable: Orion, big dipper, Cassiopeia, the north star. I opted for warmer arrangements this evening as the temperature was continuing to drop. I put my army surplus wool blanket inside my 20 degree down sleeping bag and stayed toasty til morning.</div>
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Day 3 I woke up groggy and it had frozen. The tent was covered in ice and my running shoes were blocks of ice. I warmed up my herbal tea while I broke camp. Made it to the conference at about 7 and secured my private bathroom stall for phase 2 of my bathing. Attended first CE session, then went to Sun Valley LDS Congregation Sacrament Meeting at 10:00. The chapel was a tall A-frame with large windows on the South side of the building. The chapel was packed with young families and <a href="https://www.lds.org/church/leader/james-j-hamula?lang=eng&role=05">Elder Hamula</a> of the first quorum of the Seventy was visiting. I took the sacrament and headed back to make the last CE session starting at 10:30. This was the law session they intentionally put at the end of the conference so people don't leave early. (All Idaho pharmacists need one hour of law CE annually for their license). I filled up my water bottle and hit the road.<br />
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The trip was a success. I maintained some level of credibility among my peers, explored new trails, stayed alive, learned some new travel skills, and enjoyed most of the trip.<br />
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And lastly, I saved a ton of money (I estimate about $750):</div>
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Lodging: $0</div>
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Conference Registration: $0 (covered because I was presenting)</div>
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Food: about $20 (I mostly ate for free at the conference and also brought protein bars, gels, Mountain House)</div>
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Gas: about $20</div>
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Total: <b>$40</b></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484824070312923174.post-56809413378596218502016-07-07T21:55:00.001-06:002016-07-07T21:55:52.822-06:00Mammoth Lakes mini trip<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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A few weeks ago, we took a quick trip to Mammoth Lakes California for a wedding. We left Thursday morning and drove the 9 hours through some of the less exciting parts of Nevada.</div>
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Sidenote mostly for myself: always get gas when you have the chance in rural Nevada.</div>
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This was my first trip to the Eastern Sierras, so I was excited. As fate would have it, I got sick on the way down and stayed that way for a full week. I blame allergies and running an ultra one week prior.</div>
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Friday morning, I was still functional, so the Mrs. and I climbed up to a ridge above Crystal lake to get a good view of the area.</div>
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That afternoon was the wedding, which was grown ups only. I volunteered for babysitting duty and got progressively more ill whilst a moderately sized militia of children enjoyed minimal supervision during their reign of terror.</div>
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Sleep and coughing dominated my time until Saturday night. During that interval I stayed confined to our condo, lamenting the fact that there was so much amazing trail out there that I wasn't enjoying. By Saturday night, I was completely stir crazy and feeling worse, but decided to get out and see how it went. I had picked out a loop around Gem and Agnew lakes during one of my non-comatose moments that was 12 miles <u>with</u> "2000" feet of vert. As with most trail distance/elevation estimates, this was a significant underestimation. It was over 3000 feet of climbing, which was even harder considering how crappy I felt.</div>
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My time estimate for finishing this loop was not particularly accurate, either. I ended up getting back to the car minutes before Deanna was planning on calling 911. I can't blame her as it was right as the sun was setting and I was an hour late! She has been my most trusty shuttler and has put up with a lot of poorly estimated meet-up times.</div>
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The loop was fantastic despite the problems. There looks to be so much more to see in the Eastern Sierras; I would love to spend more time in this area.</div>
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<a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/606501780">Strava Activity</a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484824070312923174.post-22777545804230888452016-06-14T23:20:00.002-06:002016-07-07T21:37:48.411-06:00Tony Bennett, The Cure, Southeast Idaho Rockers, and an Ultramarathon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A few days ago, I found out Tony Bennett was playing at Outlaw Field by the old penitentiary. As an admirer of lounge singers in general, this was big news. Unfortunately, I had already purchased tickets to see The Cure the same night at the same time. As luck would have it, The Cure had an opener, Twilight Sad, which I had no interest in seeing. So at 7:00, Deanna and I ascended the Old Pen Trail above Outlaw Field and enjoyed the smooth croonings of 89-year-old Bennett for free, from a distance. He still sounds awesome! I figure if you're touring as a soon-to-be nonagenarian, it is a labor of love.<br />
<img height="300" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/TEwJO7M0AeChM_nTCBGCMtmwxiagEXrXUgu1SR5Q-Q5kYOTrVkHZna3lRaL2gYyFNSHpvXJpaMlMQJi35dKP5AI_N9ZZ7XBFCPn-akAxSGYDjzporKyWYqhc-RetV4IP4Q45ygktKcak2YyGwWDbaSix7-ic5r5CWFOv6TDp89z1Koh0LIQDLBE76AlcsomTKektQ_fH28WHg4w90l1bfKW1ri4OMX-Yil1mzCLJZaZwV3wjk-nocCZWHb27EAhIZODvPaOQS_FhHPCeZtOPoiVoC0Uw13QeU2mr8V_7oFlWu3WBwOotnRBPQUt4xo2RIgm8fxhZuAKo9jNmd8HaoB5Xe3EiafUHv4wwgeodzUAdOSq1Yxv3_h5PhZWC3FiP3XTlcG_sW7d5jx4V8KvG_0kVJvFYCmmlkkmHBti0dvmHmIpXFKTv1PoMRtBPhQOy1OKrh85dLibyveYoXyJhU_QXEz_939g8G5OUgbXbOHST7TqPiODnoHD4TnS-wpT2GvUsvz0b_Ca1D8a-GQax8ygcXOIXyRZKFcmTayl_JaUVOH6RWdsKqX1Q753dYT5VIXz8vGOjUZCr-7pMv-6NF_0MbB0g2DI=w932-h699-no" width="400" /><br />
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We left to hoping to catch the beginning of The Cure's set, unsure of how long the openers would take. We came in to the packed Centurylink Arena a few songs into the set and were immediately blasted with some of Simon Gallup's bone-shaking bass lines. I'm a casual Cure fan at best, really only delving into the early albums and having a superficial familiarity with everything since, ie "Lovesong," "Why Can't I be You," "Friday I'm in Love," etc. I had read that Robert Smith didn't really like the Boys Don't Cry/Three Imaginary Boys album, so I didn't expect to hear them play any of the songs I liked. (It turns out they haven't played any of those songs since 2011 other than "Boys Don't Cry"). But, this outing was mainly one of curiosity for me and an chance to spend some time with my much more legitimate fan wife. Despite my pessimism, I was blown away by how good these guys are and feel like I get their later stuff now after seeing them live. Some notable performances: "A Forest" "Let's Go to Bed" "Lovesong" "Sleep When I'm Dead" "Never Enough" "The Lovecats" Really the whole show was great-<a href="http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-cure/2016/centurylink-arena-boise-id-2bfedcda.html">here's the entire setlist</a>. They played for 3 hours with 3 encores!<br />
<img height="300" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/jyurySyL8wLk7ttfITQy5uMTJEOFp3Qc3KbPYZPkHU_O0JB1nVbUJjOsEsUB4v5TgI5Kfuj7xOCsOZGQY8rehjk9u6klEh57x9D4cjUAEm2anBAhgygXmtmjfrr2VX7HE83-iyM_38MJkIZuTSNUkuHtv8DqHrcMLQZEzp-Yy3f7Debjl4xOTUyJVkDvgkEXKcHPEWePNb6Lrp98wKP1ZdAToEx5CiqfjCM6wxJ_dqOpd-badScb7owQr59cmVgEMYKPfdgvuyj_Eun3NDEI3fwnC9-HTvx0WAhEw4tr2PyfeCEcRf098ovO0mKkgd7tYctRLhQ_Fhj8mfXRMLH6OaLjE14iZBRQJXKN9eW70Dr2jX0bKz1j9z5vyFysDKxlCFcHWN1AP7QLVdOf7yHmsMNnx3VeejId2LKB14L_ZsqQ4bxhkKdaUv5J3O4zAMbnSVIXddf2tnudTbCgkXQkyIZrsdbNPGNeNPLkia8QwyR6-FeeGtaCVRofhDK2JhtTQ0c8E1PDwVt9Wt8dgXrjarlwZkhszADydybNvtgHVfHev9s6r2KwamBt2NyReNwxDQtFdiTMhBMnQbcI9BmUngL5FD5-M04=w932-h699-no" width="400" /><br />
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How does this relate to running? People think about lots of things while they are running: nature, their place in the universe, how to solve a complex problem at work/home. And while I do contemplate each of these, I primarily get caught on a loop of one or two songs repeated over and over again. In the case of this weekend's Scout Mountain 60K, it was obviously The Cure. A fantastic way to focus on cadence.<br />
<br />
The race was extraordinarily well organized. More so than any race I've run and that is probably because a decorated runner, Luke Nelson, is the race director. We arrived Friday afternoon to the Mink Creek Group Campsite and checked in, finding out that I randomly won a Black Diamond backpack. There were sponsors and giveaways galore-La Sportiva, Zeal Optics, Ultraspire, and even a local pharmacy-Shaver's.<br />
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Our pre-race meeting was short and to-the-point: don't litter or you'll never run the race again, take twice as much water as you planned because it's going to be hot, and be nice to the volunteers. Sage advice. Deanna and I set up our tent and headed back into Pocatello for a night on the town. We settled on sushi for dinner, a risky choice, but ultimately a good one. We walked around downtown and heard quite possibly the worst band in existence playing 80s hair metal (big surprise) at a record store with obscene prices. Exploring, we found what was once The Roche Motel, a small venue that was shortly in existence during my high school years. Notably, I attended my first concert here, Dropkick Murphys, which was a wild, wild punk rawk show! I remember bloody people emerging from the mosh pit and the lead singer threatening the venue staff when they turned off the power because they thought it was getting too violent. They played with Oxymoron, a now defunct German band, as well as The Ducky Boys and Randumbs. I had never seen such a spectacle in my short Snake River Valley tenure!<br />
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But back to running-we crammed into our ultralight 2-man tent to call it a night. I brought my obnoxiously large cot to make sure I slept well whilst my beloved found herself smashed against the wall of the tent. What a gentlewoman. At 5am, the 100k runners toed the line and made surprisingly little noise. We were able to sleep another hour or so before getting up and packing my race vest and trying to find the appetite to eat something. I had some nausea that was lingering from the day before, maybe due to nerves. It stayed with me off and on the whole race and after wards, probably exacerbated by dehydration. Never puked though. Ultimately, I ate a stinger waffle and chugged water. Then it was time to get on the bus that took us to the starting line. Before:<br />
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Luke gave us some final instructions and at 8:30 sharp, we were off. We followed city creek up a gradual incline in a mostly-cohesive pack of runners. Eventually we parted ways with the creek and hiked straight up the side of the mountain (not a soul was running). It was warming up and I was already pouring sweat off my face. Fortunately, this would be the steepest section of the race. We reached the top of the ridge near Kinport Peak and things flattened out on a jeep trail. This would be the most runnable section of the race and most of the shuffling took place over the next 15K. I made it a point to hold back the pace on this section, keeping my heart rate below 160. I wanted to be cautious about running conservatively the first half of the race so I would have something in the tank for the end. I'm glad I did this, because things got exponentially harder after reaching the Mink Creek aid station at the 25K mark.<br />
<br />
The climbing from that point wasn't particularly steep, but it was getting hellaciously hot and I already had 25K behind me. My standard long training run on the weekends is about that long, so there is a psychological wall once I get to that point. This is where I went into phase 3 of running: where there is jogging to exhaustion followed by hiking, rinse, lather, repeat. (phase 1 is feeling great, phase 2 is able to push with some discomfort). Level 4 would come later...<br />
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I pushed onward, eventually catching up with some of the 35K runners. I also realized I had been followed for some time. I couldn't shake this older guy behind me who started messing with me and threw a rock in a puddle trying to freak me out. Turns out he was using me as a pacer and would run when I would run and hike when I would hike. Eventually, coming up the South side of Scout Mountain he caught up to me and told me as much. Bill and I became well acquainted over the next 20K or so. He had a camera and we snapped pics from the summit, glissading down a big snow drift, and generally acted goofy trying to get our minds off of how difficult this climb actually was. It worked. We made small goals to run to the next bush or rock, then walk a section. This section would have not gone well at all without my new compadre to share the pain with. This was a really cool experience in the Ultrarunning culture; people are competitive, but collaborative. In general, everyone is absurdly polite and chatty. It's a survival method to deal with these ridiculously long runs, I suppose. If ultrarunners were jerks, I don't think many people would be drawn to ultras. I've found the same culture among Boise trail runners. Running in groups is genuinely fun and mutually beneficial because everyone pushes each other to run faster and distracts each other from the pain. While I still enjoy most of my running solo, I'm a firm believer in group runs and races to push me beyond my normal efforts. And to spend time with some genuinely cool people!<br />
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Back to the race-passing the summit of Scout Mountain, we began our mercilessly steep descent. My legs were hurting in new ways at this point so this downhill was excruciating. Bill and I pressed on in an all-out effort to the 50K aid station. I was confident in my downhill running and put everything I had in this push. We started passing other runners who were walking downhill sections, so I knew we were making great time. Finally we hit the aid station and I was exhausted. I plopped down in a chair and one of the volunteers made it her mission to get me anything I needed-fruit, electrolytes, then she started massaging my calves! I will note here that the aid stations were unlike anything I have experienced previously. It was like a NASCAR pitstop. The second you rolled in, people were all over you applying sunscreen, filling bottles with ice, handing you food. It was great!<br />
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Sitting down was necessary at this point, and also dangerous. I did not want to run 10 more K in this heat. I took a few short minutes to compose myself. Looking around at the volunteers, I noticed none other than <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Meltzer">Karl Meltzer</a> chopping up strawberries! Bill was ready to go at this point, so I joined him and we headed....straight uphill again! This is where Phase 4 began. The sun was beating down on this exposed climb and I could not physically run for any distance. When I tried, my breathing and heart rate would go wildly out of control and I would get dizzy. I literally felt like I would topple over. I feel very fortunate that I could at least hike as my primary goal at the start of this race was to keep moving no matter how hard it got. Bill seemed to only gain momentum and eventually he trotted off into the distance, but not without yelling at me to "come on!" A gentleman and a scholar...<br />
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Phase 4 was ugly. After finally cresting this blasted hill, I began a downhill section and found myself too exhausted to run. Downhill. That was demoralizing. Now I was getting passed by the occasional runner. If that wasn't enough, there was one last brutal climb over grassy exposed hills. I was overcome with thirst and chugged water and electrolyte, which did nothing to satiate my thirst. It was oppresively hot and I thought briefly that I would now die. I slowed the pace and pressed on. Delirious now, I stumbled on toward the last few kilometers. When the road to the finish came into sight, there was to be no more walking. I would run no matter how painful. The campground came into sight and Deanna met me a few 100 meters from the finish to taunt me that she was running faster than me. I couldn't even laugh! Focused completely on the finish, I crossed in <a href="http://ultrasignup.com/results_event.aspx?did=34785">just over 8 hours, 17th overall</a>.<br />
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Sitting down was wonderful. After:<br />
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<a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/598786086">Strava Activity</a><br />
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Gear:<br />
Altra Superior 2.0 w/ Gaiters<br />
Zensah Compression Sleeves<br />
Half Buff<br />
Suunto Ambit 3 Peak<br />
Ultimate Direction SJ Ultra Vest 2.0<br />
Darn Tough Herringbone Micro Crew Light<br />
Pearl Izumi Maverick Shorts<br />
Brooks Shirt<br />
Spy Dirk Sunglasses (found on the Appalachian Trail!)<br />
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Food/Fluids:<br />
Started with 100oz water, 60 in bladder, 40 in bottles<br />
Picky Bars<br />
Ginger Chews<br />
Gu Gels<br />
I took other food, but ended up not needing it because of the well-stocked aid stations.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484824070312923174.post-40174535745894004082016-05-15T17:30:00.001-06:002016-05-15T17:30:12.772-06:00Race to Robie Creek<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Final Time 1:41:46 89th Overall 16th 30-34<br />
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After moving to Boise, the Race to Robie Creek was immediately on my radar because of the overwhelming consensus among runners that it was a great race. I was not disappointed. It was highly competitive, well run, and a fun/challenging course. There is roughly 2000' of climb in the first 8 miles, with the final mile of climbing being the steepest, but still runable (slowly).<br />
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Registering for the race is a nightmare. When the race opens online, it sells out within 15 minutes. I tried at 20 minutes to no avail. I entered the second-chance drawing and also failed to get in. Eventually I listened to some seasoned Boise runners and bought my bib from someone else.<br />
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My training has been very specific to Robie conditions. Initially, this wasn't intentional. I just did most of my training in the foothills close to the course. As race day drew near, I ran more specifically on the course to get familiar with it. That training was extremely beneficial from a mental perspective as I knew exactly how long I had to suffer through each climb. I also proved to myself that I could run the entire climb without stopping or hiking any sections.<br />
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The night before the race was surprisingly cold, there was a light freeze and frost on cars/roofs. The day was sunny and slowly warming up. I opted to wear wool compression leg sleeves primarily for warmth, but also to feel some lower leg security for the traumatic course. I brought a handheld water bottle and a single Gu gel. There would be aid stations, but I didn't want to rely on these.<br />
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My pre-race goal was to break 1:45. After running most of the sections, I calculated that I could achieve this goal if things went moderately well. I had a secondary, lofty goal to PR my half marathon time and go under 1:37, something that would take a miraculous effort.<br />
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I used my heart rate monitor to pace myself on the uphill while training, keeping in the 165-170 range. My max effort was about 190, which I would save to push through the steepest sections, if at all. What I found on race day, however was that my HR was averaging around 180 from the start (race environment). This was a good thing as I was able to keep a faster pace while feeling I was putting forth my normal effort.<br />
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The uphill went remarkably well. I blew past all the strange folks lining the course handing out booze and condoms and began the steep descent to Robie Creek. This section I had never run in it's entirety. I pushed really hard down from Aldape Summit and even clocked a sub 6 minute mile thanks to gravity. I tried to trust my legs and the steep training I had done. But I hadn't trained a lot at this red-line pace. So at mile 10, things started to go haywire. I developed a major side-stitch and leg cramps. This had happened during the few intense downhill training runs I had done, so I was frustrated but not terribly surprised. I attributed it to bad timing of my nutrition, but may also be a result of just not training enough at that intensity. If I could do this race over, I would have taken gatorade in my handheld instead of water. I would forego the gel at mile 3-4. I don't see this helping the stomach situation. During low-intensity training I don't have a problem with gels, but doesn't seem to work with this type of race.<br />
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Miles 10-12 were rough. My breathing was all over the place and my side-stitch made me feel like I was suffocating. I pushed through as hard as I could, but could not maintain the pace I wanted. Eventually I reached an aid station and speed-walked through while drinking a cup of gatorade. This short break was the reset I needed; I felt great for the last mile and upped the pace again. I'll keep this in mind for future runs when I have stomach issues: sometimes a break can set things back to normal.<br />
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Post-race consisted of a surprising amount of food (turnip greens?) and a bus ride back to town. Overall, a really fun, tough race that I'd like to make an annual tradition. I think on race day I was capable of breaking 1:40, but made some mistakes that prevented that from happening. I'm happy with my effort, however. This is the hardest I have raced at that distance and I was glad I held up as well as I did. After running a lot of races with poor training during college, pharmacy school, and residency, it feels great to train adequately and perform well on race day.<br />
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After the headache of registering and spending money to do something I can do on my own for free, I wasn't sure how much racing I wanted to do in the future. But after running this race and finding again that I simply don't reach my full potential during everyday running, I am a firm believer in the importance of periodic organized racing. It provides structure to training and competition that pushes me more than I would on regular runs. Next race-Scout Mountain Ultra Trail 60k<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484824070312923174.post-35437428235927545772016-04-10T16:44:00.002-06:002016-04-10T16:44:10.974-06:00California Spring Break Running Round-Up<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Spring break ended two weeks ago. I got some great runs in:<br />
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Sat 3/19:<br />
<a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/521174249">Claremont Wilderness Trailhead/Potato Mountain</a><br />
After arriving in SoCal and finding the higher mountains still had a fair amount of snow, I looked for lower elevation trailheads close to the IE and Claremont Wilderness looked like a good choice. The morning I pulled up to the trailhead I realized how fortunate I am to live in Boise, where a busy trail means you see a few people. This was ridiculous! There was PAID parking at the trailhead that was completely full; people were circling the lots waiting for others to leave. I eventually parked in a nearby neighborhood (like a lot of other people). The trail was just as packed and the single track was wide enough to drive a car on, but that didn't stop people from walking side-by-side, blocking the entire trail. Aside from those annoyances, the trail was fun and the views were great as the smog had blown out of the IE.<br />
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Mon 3/21:<br />
<a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/523083371">Skyline Drive Trailhead/Pleasants Peak</a><br />
Another arbitrary find on the map, this was close but to the South from where we were staying. I found the "Skinsuit Trail" on the map and decided to take that up, which was a mistake. It was a motorcycle trail that was excessively steep and overall crappy. Once I connected to Skyline Drive, it was more runable. At that point I had a 2nd act experience with some Mexican food and was glad I brought the proper amenities (I've been unprepared enough times to never make that mistake again). Pleasants Peak was nice, but cloud cover prevented what would have been a great view of the ocean. The run down was more terrible motorcycle trails and me trying to stay on my feet. I got off course near the bottom and ended up in an old orchard where I came across a pack of large dogs that looked like possibly guard dogs for the property. Fortunately, they didn't see me, but I had a big stick ready if I needed to go down swinging. I eventually found my way out unscathed and hopped a fence to freedom.<br />
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Tues 3/22:<br />
<a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/523762940">San Clemente</a><br />
Strava was helpful in finding some routes to run in a city I've never spent any significant amount of time in. I got up early and climbed up and over into a valley that had a view of a great looking ridge that went down to the ocean. I started across the valley and ran into the boundary of Camp Pendleton, which was heavily marked as "no trespassing." Bummed, but still graced with great views, I ran down to the beach and then back to our motel.<br />
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Wed 3/23:<br />
<a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/524641039">Pacific Gateway Park</a><br />
The afternoon before this run, we hiked as a family out to International Friendship Park along the Mexico/US border. We ended at the beach, which was interesting to see where the border fence juts out into the ocean. The Mexican side is fairly busy and the US side is almost abandoned, marked with signs warning about raw sewage in the water, I presume from the Tijuana River that crosses the border and empties on the US side. Border Patrol was heavily patrolling the area, in multiple SUVs and six or seven helicopters that circled overhead. The kids wanted to get close to the fence, but the fuzz weren't having it and turned on the sirens once we got within about 20 yards, prompting us to change our course northward.<br />
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With that experience under our belts, I decided I needed to do some more border exploration the next morning. I did some quick internet research on the ACLU website to determine what I could expect from BP if I got stopped. It looked like they couldn't really do all that much, so I decided to press my luck. My original plan was to run up Otay Mountain. It had some Strava tracks on it, so I figured it was a safe bet. The spot I chose to get on the trail was heavily marked no trespassing, however and the official trailhead was far out of the way, so I went to plan B, Pacific Gateway Park. This did not have any Strava tracks, so I didn't know what to expect other than it was shown as a park on the map. I found an entrance through a warehouse park and got out of the car, promptly dropping my phone and shattering the glass right across my camera, making everything look like a cheesy soap opera. I could see the border fence from where I parked and headed out on what were clearly jeep trails used by the BP. I came over a little hill that opened up to a nice panorama of Tijuana with a hillside residential neighborhood a stone's throw away. In fact, the first thing I noticed when I crested the hill was the sound of all the roosters going crazy. I followed the trails, which were not next to the fence, but close to it. I wanted to stay away from the fence if I could, so as not to provoke BP, who were cruising up and down the road on the US side and in no-man's-land every few minutes. Ultimately, the trails led to the fence and I snapped some picks and ran along the fence for a few hundred yards, noticing many signs that would indicate this might be a sub-optimal choice. Eventually, a trail took off away from the fence up a hill and I took it. A few hundred yards up, I heard an SUV tearing down the road and up the hill and he turned on his siren. I made it a point to stop running and walk back toward the SUV and have a chat with Mr. BP. The agent got out and walked toward me asking how/what I was doing. Tempted to answer in Spanish, but deciding against it, I responded and struck up a convo. He informed me that I had set off motion detectors and they had me on camera running along the fence and that normally when they see people running in this area it is for non-recreational purposes (who knew?). He asked where I was from and if I was a US Citizen and despite my dark-chocolate complexion and heavy accent, left me on my merry way. I asked if it was OK to keep running along the fence, to which he replied I could expect to get stopped every few minutes if I did. So I didn't.<br />
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Thurs 3/24:<br />
<a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/525554157">Mt. Jurupa</a><br />
Back to the IE with my payload of international contraband, I hit up a section of the Jurupa Hills that I've never tread in previous visits. This was not particularly noteworthy, but a good hill workout and a decent view even with some smog moving back in. Mount Jurupa was flat as a pancake on top and I found what looked like a collapsed mine near the top. I shot for some course records, but had a GPS fail, apparently pausing my watch unintentionally. I was nowhere near setting any time records however, so this was frustrating, but not losing any sleep over it.<br />
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Fri 3/25:<br />
<a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/526438192">Mt. Baldy</a><br />
The only run I had planned for spring break was this one and I wasn't sure it was going to happen with all the snow when we pulled into town. Fortunately, it was a warm week and by Thursday, I knew it would work so I tracked down a NF adventure pass (surprisingly hard to find a daily version) so I could park at the trailhead and headed up at sunrise. As a side-note, the first time I hiked Baldy a few years back, I didn't know you needed an adventure pass to park in non-fee areas of the Angeles NF. Everything is a hassle and/or costs money in SoCal. I decided to do the same loop I'd done before since it was great last time. I took Baldy Bowl up and passed a few other hikers/runners on the way up, all of us questioning what the snow was like toward the top. It turned out that Baldy Bowl had a few sections of snow hiding the trail, but enough people had been up that there were tracks to follow. After getting up on the ridge, the snow was sparse. The summit sneaks up on you after some very steep hiking and you nearly get blown off the mountain. It was bitterly cold this AM, so I snapped some pics and started down Devil's Backbone, where some winter climbers had died a few months prior. There are certainly some high-consequence sections on Devil's Backbone, but with no snow, the risk was negligible when walking carefully. Overall, a great hike up/run down loop that I plan on doing whenever we make it down to SoCal. It's close and easy to do over the course of a morning. Although at some point I would like to take the longer Bear Canyon Trail up and spend more time exploring around the area.<br />
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Gear:<br />
I used my Nathan HPL 020 for most of these runs w/ a 70oz bladder and never got close to running out of water. This pack is great for runs up to 3 or 4 hours, but could use more up-front storage space so you don't have to take the pack off to get at food/supplies during longer runs.<br />
<br />
I also used an Ultimate Direction handheld for the Mt. Jurupa run. I like the UD bottles with the kicker valve caps. The handheld is nothing to shake a stick at, it does its job, will hold a key or a gel, that's about it.<br />
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Altra Superior 2.0 (2nd pair) the upper problems continue with this replacement pair Altra sent me. Apparently they've fixed this now, which is great because I really like this shoe. It's softer than most shoes I run in, which I've found more and more important for long technical runs where feet get bruised in other shoes.<br />
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New Balance MT101-these are relatively new in my line-up and I like them so far for shorter runs. they are light and a lot tougher than the Altras, but don't provide much protection on long runs despite the rock plate.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484824070312923174.post-83962803337426658012015-12-19T12:17:00.001-07:002015-12-28T20:43:09.980-07:00"Running"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Winter has made for interesting runs. Today was relatively warm (high 30s) and rainy with significant snow above 4000 feet. Drifts were up to thigh deep. Going was slow, but really fun.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484824070312923174.post-36592216386355219762015-11-02T18:34:00.000-07:002015-11-02T18:34:43.338-07:00Confusion<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
During Saturday's long run, I ran up to Boise Peak for the first time. This led to some minor navigation to find the high point, which is tree-covered and not an obvious peak. Using my app of choice, Backcountry Navigator, I found the peak and began looking for the quickest way down. It was at this point that I realized I was losing my mind. Because the app orients the map North to the top by default (can be changed), I kept getting confused about which way to turn based on the pointer. My brain could not process the extra step needed to convert the map orientation. It was extremely frustrating and could have been a bigger problem on a more complicated outing. Fortunately, I found my way. I realized while this was happening that something was wrong, since I normally don't have this issue. The problem was my glucose had crashed.<br />
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So, fueling. Usually I don't do a good job staying ahead of this. I get excited early in a run and don't fuel every 30 minutes. Then the inevitable crash. Saturday was an example of the problems other than extreme fatigue that come with crappy fueling. I did have major fatigue after the confusion episode, but the weird thought process stuff came first. One contributing factor was colder weather. I've noticed I don't absorb much water as the temperature drops and it sloshes around, not making me real excited to eat. Eventually, my digestion started up again, my blood sugar evened out, and I felt the black brain cloud lift itself.<br />
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Robie Creek is my next planned race, so I have some time to adjust to the cold fueling dilemma. My training routes have been well matched to that course, now it's a matter of building speed, getting used to the weather, and forcing myself to eat so I don't run off a cliff.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484824070312923174.post-27647920876962206452015-10-24T17:47:00.001-06:002015-10-24T17:47:46.846-06:00Ridge to Rivers Trail System<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'll just gush a bit about the <a href="http://www.ridgetorivers.org/">Ridge to Rivers Trails</a> in Boise. They're fantastic. The extensive network of trails in the Boise foothills down to the greenbelt along the river makes exploring this area very accessible and enjoyable. I have yet to try all the trails, but have really enjoyed the Shaw Mountain and Oregon Trail areas. For those who visit Boise and are interested in seeing what trail running/mountain biking options are out there, check out the link: it will not disappoint.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484824070312923174.post-37031270442936933152015-10-08T21:04:00.002-06:002015-10-08T21:06:34.069-06:00New Digs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Decided to spruce things up on ye olde thyme bloge since times they are a changin'. I started using Strava last month, which precludes the need for many aspects of this blog. I'll still post the wordier stuff here and pontificate on gear and such; times where things don't fit into Strava very well. Otherwise refer to Strava for my day-to-day activities.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484824070312923174.post-42128926908326567872015-10-08T20:59:00.002-06:002015-10-08T20:59:51.183-06:00FitOne Boise 10K<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Having left the skreets of Savannah for drier, colder, more altituded environs, I decided to take on the second 10K of my life. I felt good about my previous effort one decade prior (Provo Freedom Run 2005) and wasn't sure I would be able to best my time.<br />
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10K is a tough distance. Short enough to run hard and fast, but long enough to feel pretty beat up toward the end. On top of this, I'd be racing 3000 feet higher than I've been accustomed to for the past 7 years. Training for the past several months has been a steep learning curve (tee hee hee). Fortunately, my lungs finally caught up with my legs a few weeks before the race and I felt ready to take on a PR. My goal was under 40 minutes, which would leave some wiggle room for error taking down the previous time of 42:47.<br />
<br />
My formula for training was pretty straightforward:<br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>long run on weekends (at least over 10K) with lots of vert</li>
<li>weekly intervals (mostly on nearby soccer fields)</li>
<li>incrementally longer tempo runs at goal pace (6:25)</li>
<li>cross training (mountain biking)</li>
</ul>
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Mountain biking has been a recent addition and I think is what finally got my cardio fitness caught up to my legs. Specifically, a 2000 foot climb one evening was what blew out all the cobwebs.</div>
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The race was a pretty big ordeal, runners filling up a good portion of downtown Boise. I parked a half mile away and ran some strides to the start to warm up. The half marathon started first, then us 15 minutes later. For the first time of any race, I was able to get right up to the starting line, so there was very little gymnastics dodging people until we caught up to the straggling half marathoners.</div>
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I started off below goal pace for the first mile or so, then got a sense of urgency and settled into my manageable race pace. I then pulled up next to a 13-year-old kid to pass, but he put on the gas and we ended up hanging together for almost the entire race (more to come on that). Somewhere around this time, I passed a fellow runner I know from church and said hello. He kept me on a leash, however.</div>
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The kid and I trudged on in close ranks with the #1 female (the only reason I know is that everyone was telling her "you're the first girl!"). As we approached the on hill in the race, I decided to make a move and hope that my hill training would pay some dividends. I passed #1 female who graciously encouraged me on (most runners are ridiculously polite while being extremely competitive). I made a move on the kid but he soon reeled me back in.</div>
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After gunning the hill, I got sloppy and lost some momentum running the rim before dropping to the finish line. My church acquaintance pulled me back in and took his turn with the kid. They broke away and with just over a mile to go, I started to red line the pace, knowing there was a big downhill section I could try to make up ground on.</div>
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My two compadres were finishing quite a bit stronger, however, and opened a big gap. I did pass one more person, who was not pleased with this fact and voiced it. Crossed the finish line in 39:42, on what was clearly a short course (around 1/4 mile per several peoples GPS'). That was a bit frustrating not knowing how I really did. I would still have PR'd, but not below 40min. I found the kid at the finish line and congratulated him on his peripubescent prowess with running.</div>
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<div>
I managed 10th overall and 2nd in my division; very pleased with how things turned out even with the minor annoyances. It was fun to run with the leaders in an uncrowded manner with a handful of us pushing each other.</div>
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I walked back to the start line and entered the 5K stroller division with the chillun's while my other half ran the competitive 5K. My offspring did great in spite of the crowds and human chains blocking the entire running path. And the Mrs. ended up 1st in her division. Overall made for a great day for each of us individually and as a family unit. Best part about this race is it was cheap and the kid registrations were free. Will plan on doing one of the events yearly.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484824070312923174.post-65901421490700605572015-01-27T19:14:00.000-07:002015-01-31T07:52:50.129-07:00AT Section Hike: Neels Gap to Amicalola Falls<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Sometime in 2012 I got the absurd idea to hike all of the Appalachian Trail. I had just finished my second 50 mile section with our local group of Boy Scouts, which was one of the most miserable experiences of my life. I spent an entire week cold, wet, and sick with norovirus. I contemplated the plight of those forced to march to Soviet Gulags through Siberian winters. I recalled passages from Viktor Frankl's classic "Man's Search for Meaning." It was a harrowing experience. While I won't attempt to make any comparison of my suffering to that of a concentration camp inmate, I couldn't help but think that I was experiencing at least <i>something</i> of what they did. Dramatic? Maybe. But being thoroughly sodden with interferons pumping through your body while plodding up and down mountains, knowing you are not going to be warm for 5 days, can create some dramatic feelings. It was on the drive home from this torturous week that I resolved to take on the entire AT, section by section, over the course of years if necessary. Not for any reason in particular, either. Not to prove anything or to vindicate myself. It simply seemed like the most logical thing to do. In fact, there wasn't much of an active decision at all, I just immediately started planning how I would hike the next sections.<br />
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At present, I've completed 200+ miles, about 10% of the trail. I've learned to prepare better, mostly because its taken experience to know what to expect on the trail. There's plenty of advice and wisdom about the trail that can help hikers avoid common mistakes of multi-day hikes. However, nothing can take the place of personal experience and knowing exactly what you're dealing with because you've actually had to deal with it. In 2012, I was <i>not</i> prepared. Preparation is the main thing that has changed with my approach to hiking. My fitness level remains mostly the same. Running consistently has given me a baseline cardio fitness that has masked some of my poor planning skills. But some things can't be fixed by being fast or having good physical endurance. In fact, this has played into one of my major weaknesses. As my fitness and diet have improved, my body fat percentage has fallen significantly. I have essentially no insulation and can feel very subtle changes in temperature.<br />
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When a planned ski trip this winter fell through and left me with two days off of work and nothing to do, nature called. And the AT=nature. The southern terminus was closest and had been on my radar for some time. For this section, I couldn't have family or friends drop me off or pick me up. Hitchhiking wouldn't be an option, because I was on a tight time schedule. I decided to shop around with shuttles, which are abundant on the trail. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy provides a list of shuttles, some legit outfitters and some just normal folk trying to diversify their income. I cast a wide net initially emailing and texting all the shuttles close to the section I intended to hike. Responses trickled in, "$80" "$70 flat rate 1-4 hikers" I was shocked. I guess I had the number 20 or maybe 30 in my mind, but this would be around 100 miles out of the way driving for the shuttler, and these fees are usually split between a group of hikers. I kept shopping and haggled a guy named Murice down to $65 firm. Still excessive, but I was ready to shell it out. Instead I offered to trade a Fitbit that was gathering dust from Christmas. Haggling such a sissy trade with rural Georgians probably carries some inherent risk, but I was desperate to keep my cash. The response to offering my Fitbit Flex for the ride arrived quickly via text, "What is that?" Not big on their Fitbits in those parts, it seemed. They did film<i> Deliverance </i>not too far up the road. I gave the Cliff Notes version: "Its a fitness tracker that syncs with a smart phone, basically a glorified pedometer with some extra bells and whistles." I knew this was a long shot that some random dude would be interested in a city boy trinket. It must have been the mention of bells, or perhaps it was the whistles that hooked my future chauffeur, because I soon received a surprising response: "I think that would be fine by me." And so, not knowing if this man had a smart phone, any understanding of apps, or a computer that would allow him to successfully utilize the Coke bottle from the sky that I was about to drop on him as payment, we arranged a meeting.<br />
<br />
The five hour drive up to Amicalola Falls was uneventful. I called Murice north of Atlanta to let him know I'd be early. Upon arrival I had just enough time to sign in at the Visitor's Center and shuffle some things around my pack before Murice arrived in the "Black Ford Ranger with a rack" he described in his text. He played the part of a rural Appalachian gentleman well. He had long stringy hair, thick glasses hiding myopic eyes. He donned denim coveralls and lacked only a stalk of wheat in his mouth. As I got in the truck, I was greeted by Aiden, a dachshund/chihuahua mix that immediately took up residence on my lap. The truck was full of maps stacked on the dashboard and other signs of Murice's shuttling resume, including his ability to barter with hikers. As we pulled out of the parking lot onto the highway, I could see a car coming at us in the lane we were destined for. Murice shot out onto the highway as the car sped by, barely missing the front of the truck. "WOAH! I didn't even see him coming!" This would be the only understatement of our journey.<br />
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He told me tales of driving German tourists all around the Blue Ridge and rescuing freezing hikers on barely navigable forest service roads. He complained about receiving payment in the form of a tent with holes burnt in the bottom from one of the trail's many potheads, along with hyperbolic descriptions of motorcyclists regularly "doin' one eighty" around sharp curves of the dragon's tail, a "worldwide famous" strip of highway popular for scenery and dying, among other things. My favorite quote from Murice came after he described the hardships faced by those attempting to live off the land in Appalachia: "they can't eat just tree bark and dirt. They're not <i>Giraffes</i>!"<br />
<br />
The hour-long drive to Neel's Gap dragged on, speeding around sharp curves, all the while Aiden digging his claws into my thighs for traction and smearing his pungent glands all over my base layer shirt. The combination of smell and driving conditions were a perfect recipe for nausea. On top of that, I had guzzled a full liter of water prior to our drive and Aiden was stepping precariously on my tautly stretched bladder. Mercifully, the Walasi-yi Center came into sight, signaling our arrival. I gave Murice $20 for gas and told him thanks for picking me up early. He told me to text him if I ran into trouble, "texts will get through eventually!" I crossed the road around 1pm and followed the first white blaze.<br />
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The weather was excellent, around 50 degrees, mostly clear. I wore only my base layer comfortably. There were a few places I had in mind for potential campsites that night where there was a water source, but mainly I just wanted to get as many miles as possible in before sunset. The initial climb out of Neels immediately led me to the summit of 4450 ft Blood Mountain, known for its welcoming name. About a mile away was Slaughter Mountain, another indication of centuries of peace in this remote location. According to the AT guidebook, Blood Mountain is the most heavily trafficked point on the AT south of Clingman's Dome. I ran into 4 or 5 people, all day hikers. The shelter at Blood Mountain was a cool one, made of stone walls and a wooden roof put together with wooden pegs instead of bolts or screws. (please forgive my lack of carpentry vocabulary, I'm sure there are names for this).<br />
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I hiked on past the next shelter without stopping as it was far off the trail. I was making good time, making it farther than I had expected, the weather was staying nice. Descending down to Woody Gap and a road crossing, there were bear-proof garbage cans, a nice luxury on the trail to drop garbage weight. There were business cards inserted in the latch for each garbage can, placed strategically by none other than my chauffeur, Murice. About a mile south of Woody Gap, the sun was almost down and I started looking for a place to camp. I noticed some rocks up the hill to my right, it was a great lookout and there was a fire ring behind the rocks, along with well-spaced trees, perfect for a hammock. It had apparently been dry for at least a few days, I started a fire with no problems, set up camp and sat down for dinner.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha7k1epIkIwhs9Te46m6xCXCJnDUT7KZrxvXCLAPhHFzIkD6R-KQDGdshcUz4NKmw2T1S_HZ8Lr3CdHO8y_Sx6xFlgIQMNShJo_MNUu5Ew_8sEACtrbbxw9c9JGyoetMux7pu3yhXd3uM/s1600/IMG_20150122_184326.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha7k1epIkIwhs9Te46m6xCXCJnDUT7KZrxvXCLAPhHFzIkD6R-KQDGdshcUz4NKmw2T1S_HZ8Lr3CdHO8y_Sx6xFlgIQMNShJo_MNUu5Ew_8sEACtrbbxw9c9JGyoetMux7pu3yhXd3uM/s1600/IMG_20150122_184326.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKgFocnKR60Vk6btLVPT94RiiywUssNgb7_qo5yZSUicNXv7EZkWDgsNrZrC7I0SdX1sS2WhVqtNbFVH4N8j_AbRmBX3Tua93VQIHWmh1XYwM72ha2xDEIH1lx-F_Hem6vS2oHQiJUXPM/s1600/IMG_20150122_181054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKgFocnKR60Vk6btLVPT94RiiywUssNgb7_qo5yZSUicNXv7EZkWDgsNrZrC7I0SdX1sS2WhVqtNbFVH4N8j_AbRmBX3Tua93VQIHWmh1XYwM72ha2xDEIH1lx-F_Hem6vS2oHQiJUXPM/s1600/IMG_20150122_181054.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
It got cold that night, but my down quilt performed nicely. My only problems were with occasional cold spots where the quilt was compressed by the hammock on my shoulders and under my feet. For cold weather hammock sleeping in the future, I think an under quilt would remedy this, or at bare minimum a full-length sleeping pad. (I used my torso-length blue pad). During the night it started to rain, which was expected based on the 100% chance in multiple forecasts. Most forecasts predicted "occasional showers." Little did I know that the rain wasn't going to stop for the rest of the trip.<br />
<br />
But I was prepared for rain, or so I thought. I had made a last minute purchase of a Frogg Toggs rain suit, a decision for which I will be forever grateful. Friday morning started like most camping days do: shivering while getting dressed and breaking down camp. The rain was consistent, but not pouring, so my rain suit was doing its job. Beneath it, I had on my base layer and insulation layer (down jacket) and I was comfortable. My feet were staying mostly dry as no puddles had formed yet.<br />
<br />
Hiking that morning was mostly pleasant despite the rain. I was keeping a good pace and apparently pushing a little too hard because I was sweating. When I would stop, my temperature dropped almost instantly. I was soaking from the inside out. I took a break and removed my down jacket to keep it dry in case I needed it to stay warm that night. I continued on with rain gear and base layer only, which was noticeably cooler, but OK as long as I was moving. I started getting concerned with how cold I was when I stopped and the air temperature was down about 10 degrees from where it was most of the morning (40s to 30s). At this point I was completely soaked, head to toe and the prospect of spending another night in the hammock wasn't going to become a reality. I planned to reach the farthest shelter I could, hopefully Black Gap and hole up there for the night out of the wind. As I stopped at shelters, I realized that even out of the wind, I would be in for a rough night. Changing into my dry set of clothes would help, but dealing with near-freezing cold clothes the next morning after a night fighting to stay warm was not a hopeful proposition. At this point I started to fantasize about getting in my car, starting the engine, and cranking the heat. I could not get the thought out of my mind. This led to the idea of completing the remainder of the section that day, a total of 30 miles. Estimating an average of slightly over 2mph, I figured I could get to the car around 8:30. It would be dark, but I had a headlamp. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to do it, but that was a long way to go in one day. After weighing the choice of a miserably cold night vs. just a really long day and some night hiking, I decided to take my chances with the long hike. I was relatively warm on the move. I knew I probably had the stamina with some marathons and a 50k under my belt. I knew the night hiking might be a risk, but the real risk of freezing that night was more of a concern for me. And so I marched on, full speed with only a handful of short breaks, planning to make a final decision when I arrived at Black Gap, which was the last shelter before Amicalola.<br />
<br />
With new hope of a warm end to the day, I trudged on with spongy feet. After passing the sign for a waterfall, I turned back to appreciate some sights. Long Creek Falls was a welcome sight and break from the monotony:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXkKSIFXXYqEN9y5QnLkXRobO8B7-G_NIH5l8gwaot9OhrWPTGjr1E1F5EW_DNPzFegAp2JsFMGofUMY7Ehg79IFXHn8eK7TtyZb4m-I0-_GMB_ocV7BH3BtyTC3v8i8LXebm6kLqHU_s/s1600/IMG_20150123_135750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXkKSIFXXYqEN9y5QnLkXRobO8B7-G_NIH5l8gwaot9OhrWPTGjr1E1F5EW_DNPzFegAp2JsFMGofUMY7Ehg79IFXHn8eK7TtyZb4m-I0-_GMB_ocV7BH3BtyTC3v8i8LXebm6kLqHU_s/s1600/IMG_20150123_135750.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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My legs were getting quite fatigued at this point. I knew I'd be limping around for a few days after pushing the mileage like this. Most notably, my feet were getting beat up by my shoes. I thought the fit was roomy enough, but with swollen, wet feet, my toenails were getting jammed into the toecap and feeling ready to pop off. Finally, I reached Springer Mountain, the famous southern terminus of the AT:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUuy_RSTsrLxeq78EnOD-nGJwlJ8GEWxVLEy0jUyM-k_qT6K8WmfxKCcjCUmvowM4arp2zf2v-gkcRnA2fJObYGMFVwb0V02tjpKEo6gaJ09rx47ck4aQe7K3E2GT32DVwtrfQE8WkQnc/s1600/IMG_20150123_160735.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUuy_RSTsrLxeq78EnOD-nGJwlJ8GEWxVLEy0jUyM-k_qT6K8WmfxKCcjCUmvowM4arp2zf2v-gkcRnA2fJObYGMFVwb0V02tjpKEo6gaJ09rx47ck4aQe7K3E2GT32DVwtrfQE8WkQnc/s1600/IMG_20150123_160735.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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The stop was short as I had 8.8 miles remaining to the car and only a couple of hours of light left. I found the blue blazes marking the approach trail to the AT and kept moving. Black Gap was the final stop and decision point to tough out the night in a shelter or finish. I took one look at the drafty, drippy shanty and kept moving. All I wanted was to get out of the rain. I made it a few more miles before sunset, then prepared for a moonless, overcast night. The temperature dropped and snow started to fall, but not stick. I had my down jacket back on and I was staying warm, but still completely soaked, so the down wasn't doing much. I had my headlamp ready for when things got too dark but made it quite a ways while my eyes adjusted. I came to a clearing where the path wasn't easy to discern and realized I was going the wrong way. I switched on my headlamp and muttered an audible "oh crap." Visibility was about 10 feet at best between the snow and fog in the air. It was a total whiteout with the lamp on. I backtracked a bit and turned on my phone to use the GPS.</div>
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I was pleasantly surprised to see that I was just up a hill from the north end of Amicalola Falls State Park. I knew which direction to head, but couldn't find my trusty blue blazes. I wandered about a bit when I caught a sight of something on a tree. I switched on the headlamp to a bright blue blaze, The trail led down to a road crossing where a sign marked the border of the state park. The next challenge was to navigate my way down the hill, in the dark and avoid stumbling into the highest waterfall in Georgia. I could hear water at a seemingly safe distance and managed to stay on the trail by looking directly at the ground with my headlamp, seeing the worn pathway. I was stumbling and running into trees, bushes, and rocks, but stayed on my feet (barely). Eventually I saw some lights that ended up being the upper parking lot of the falls. Now it would get steep down to the bottom of the falls where my car was parked. I followed what I thought was the approach trail into the dark, with a precarious drop off to my right and the sound of rushing water. This trail was a side road rather than the approach trail, which ended up being a good thing. The approach trail went over the water with an extensive staircase that I wasn't too keen on traversing in the dark. Finally, I popped out of the woods behind the visitor's center where my adventure had begun less than 48 hours earlier. Every hike I have been on has a surreal moment of emerging from the woods to civilization, whether it's a road or something more substantial. The longer I'm in the woods, the stranger it is. This was no exception to that rule. I looked at the clock. It was 7:45. I had been hiking for 12 hours straight in the rain, keeping a pace of ~2.5mph. I crossed the street to my car and hugged the trunk. I had saved a clean pair of clothes for the trip home, so I took those out and headed back to the visitor's center where there was a men's bathroom on the outside that was mercifully unlocked. Stepping in, the first thing I noticed was heated air, an immensely relaxing luxury. I took a short hobo bath in the sink and put on glorious dry clothing while examining my traumatized, grimy body. The pile of wet clothes still reeked of Aiden's backside. I looked at my phone and saw a text from Murice: "I don't want to bug u,but how are u doing? ...Snow would have been better than this" After hearing his tales of rescuing Secret Service agents on vacation who had backed out of a 15 mile day doing 2mph, I wasn't sure Murice would buy my story of the day's events. "Actually just got off the trail. Finished early because of weather. 30 miles today! Thanks for checking up." His response gave me the assurance that this information would be embellished and exaggerated to future shuttlees: "Wow - that is amazing... Truly!! That might be a record, if they kept records of hikes in the rain and muck."</div>
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Murice is part of the reason the AT is such a great place to go. It felt good to know that he was watching out for me, someone he barely knew. He would have driven to any random spot on the trail, night or day, rain/snow or shine to save a hiker in trouble. He had no expectation of making much of a profit, or anything for that matter. He just liked being up there and being around hikers, showing them his mountains and telling stories about the people that try to tame them.</div>
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It's hard to say I had a good time on this adventure, but as time passes it's getting more and more enjoyable. Andrew Skurka has called this "Type 2 Fun." I don't think I made any major lapses in preparation. The rain would have made it miserable no matter what. I could have had warmer sleeping arrangements, as well as more dry clothes in my pack, but that's about all I would have changed. In the end, my legs and more than a few prayers got me off the mountain intact. Now the scheming begins for the next adventure.<br />
<br />
My pack list:<br />
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" dir="ltr" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: 1px solid #ccc; font-family: calibri,arial,sans,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; table-layout: fixed;"><colgroup><col width="97"></col><col width="251"></col><col width="71"></col><col width="377"></col><col width="60"></col></colgroup><tbody>
<tr style="height: 19px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Category"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Category</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Gear Selection"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Gear Selection</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Weight (oz)"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Weight (oz)</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Details"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Details</td><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Packing"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Packing</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Granite Gear Virga 2"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Granite Gear Virga 2</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,18.6]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">18.6</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Frameless, Size Regular"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Frameless, Size Regular</td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;"><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Garbage Bag Packliner"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Garbage Bag Packliner</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,1.6]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">1.6</td><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;"><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Equinox Ultralight Small Pack Pocket"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Equinox Ultralight Small Pack Pocket</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,0.8]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">0.8</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"For quick access to phone"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">For quick access to phone</td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;"><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Waist Belt Pack"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Waist Belt Pack</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,2.5]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">2.5</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Kirkham's Outdoor Products. Kept in Pack"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Kirkham's Outdoor Products</td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Sleeping"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Sleeping</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Enlightened Equipment Enigma Elite Quilt"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Enlightened Equipment Enigma Elite Quilt</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,17.5]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">17.5</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"900 HyperDry Goose Down, 30 degree, length regular, width slim"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Down, 30 degree</td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;"><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Blue Insulation Pad"]" style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Blue Insulation Pad</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,5.9]" style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">5.9</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Cut to torso length, R 1.4"]" style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Cut to torso length, R 1.4</td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;"><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Grand Trunk Nano 7 Hammock"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Grand Trunk Nano 7 Hammock</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,7.6]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">7.6</td><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;"><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Hammock Hanging Straps"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Hammock Hanging Straps</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,4.3]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">4.3</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"From Harbor Freight Tie-downs"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Harbor Freight Tie-downs</td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Shelter"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Shelter</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Granite Gear White Lighting Small 8 x 10"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Granite Gear White Lighting Small 8 x 10</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,22.8]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">22.8</td><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;"><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Coghlan's Ultralight Stakes x 6"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Coghlan's Ultralight Stakes x 6</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,4]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">4</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"With a small bag"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">With a small bag</td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Packed Clothing"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Packed Clothing</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Dahlgren Ultralight Hiking Socks"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Dahlgren Ultralight Hiking Socks</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,1.5]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">1.5</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Alpaca/Merino"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Alpaca/Merino</td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;"><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Extra Longjohns"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Extra Longjohns</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,18]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">18</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Cotton/Poly"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Cotton/Poly</td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Hydration"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Hydration</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Nalgene 32oz HDPE Wide Mouth"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Nalgene 32oz HDPE Wide Mouth</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,3.8]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">3.8</td><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;"><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Nalgene 32oz Tritan Wide Mouth"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Nalgene 32oz Tritan Wide Mouth</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,6.4]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">6.4</td><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;"><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Platypus 1L"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Platypus 1L</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,1.3]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">1.3</td><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;"><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"MSR Hyperflow Microfilter"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">MSR Hyperflow Microfilter</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,10.9]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">10.9</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Fits widemouth Nalgene Bottles"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Fits widemouth Nalgene</td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Cooking"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Cooking</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Light my fire Spork"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Light my fire Spork</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,0.4]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">0.4</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Tritan"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Tritan</td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;"><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Primus Cooklite Stove"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Primus Cooklite Stove</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,8.6]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">8.6</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"With stuffsack"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">With stuffsack</td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;"><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Coleman Gas Canister"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Coleman Gas Canister</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,12.8]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">12.8</td><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;"><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Toaks Titanium 600mL Pot"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Toaks Titanium 600mL Pot</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,4.1]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">4.1</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"With stuffsack"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">With stuffsack</td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Small Essentials"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Small Essentials</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Primus PrimeLite D Headlamp"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Primus PrimeLite D Headlamp</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,2.5]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">2.5</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"5 LED"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">5 LED</td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;"><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Gerber Dime Multitool"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Gerber Dime Multitool</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,2.3]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">2.3</td><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;"><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Nexus 4 Smartphone w/ bumpercase"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Nexus 4 Smartphone w/ bumpercase</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,5.8]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">5.8</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Use Back country Navigator App & camera"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Backcountry Navigator App</td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;"><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Duct Tape"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Duct Tape</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,0.3]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">0.3</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"several yards wrapped on Nalgene Bottle"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">5 feet</td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;"><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Billfold"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Billfold</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,1.6]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">1.6</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Cash, ID, 1 credit card"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Cash, ID, 1 credit card</td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;"><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Car Key"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Car Key</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,1]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">1</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Honda!"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Honda!</td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;"><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Lumsing 10400mah powerbank"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Lumsing 10400mah powerbank</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,8.6]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">8.6</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"charges phone ~3 times"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">charges phone ~3 times</td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;"><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Emergency Mylar Blanket"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Emergency Mylar Blanket</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,1.7]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">1.7</td><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;"><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Paracord 50ft"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Paracord 50ft</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,3]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">3</td><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;"><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Firestarting Stick"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Firestarting Stick</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,0.5]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">0.5</td><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;"><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Bic Mini Lighter"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Bic Mini Lighter</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,0.4]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">0.4</td><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;"><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Keyring Thermometer"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Keyring Thermometer</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,0.3]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">0.3</td><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;"><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Compass"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Compass</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,1.7]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">1.7</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Suunto M3"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Suunto M3</td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;"><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Map"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Map</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,1.6]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">1.6</td><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;"><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Baseweight (no worn items/consumables)"]" style="font-size: 110%; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Baseweight (no worn items/consumables)</td><td data-sheets-formula="=SUM(R[-34]C[0]:R[-1]C[0])" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,184.70000000000002]" style="font-size: 110%; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">184.7</td><td data-sheets-formula="=R[0]C[-1]/16" data-sheets-numberformat="[null,0]" data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,11.543750000000001]" style="font-size: 110%; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;"><div style="text-align: left;">
11.5 lbs</div>
</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"lbs"]" style="font-size: 110%; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;"><br /></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Worn Gear"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Worn Gear</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Uniqlo Ultralight Down Jacket"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Uniqlo Ultralight Down Jacket</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,9.2]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">9.2</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"~700fp Duck Down, with stuffsack"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">~700fp Duck, w/ stuffsack</td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;"><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Merino Wool Buff"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Merino Wool Buff</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,1.8]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">1.8</td><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;"><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Carhartt Knit Cap"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Carhartt Knit Cap</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,3]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">3</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Acrylic"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Acrylic</td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;"><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Injinji Nuwool Midweight Socks"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Injinji Nuwool Midweight Socks</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,2.1]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">2.1</td><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;"><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Uniqlo Heattech Longjohns"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Uniqlo Heattech Longjohns</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,14.5]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">14.5</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Synthetic blend"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Synthetic blend</td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;"><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"GoLite Yunnan Hiking Pants"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">GoLite Yunnan Hiking Pants</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,11.8]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">11.8</td><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;"><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Fingerless Gloves/Mittens"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Fingerless Gloves/Mittens</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,3.9]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">3.9</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Thinsulate"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Thinsulate</td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;"><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Merrill Shoes"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Merrill Mont Mavis Shoes</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,19.9]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">19.9</td><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;"><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Belt"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Belt</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,0.8]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">0.8</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Web"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Web</td><td></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;"><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Frogg Toggs Ultralite2 Rain Suit"]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Frogg Toggs Ultralite2 Rain Suit</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,10.4]" style="font-size: 110%; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">10.4</td><td style="padding: 0px 3px 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484824070312923174.post-2366368454293818322015-01-02T19:04:00.000-07:002015-01-02T19:04:28.883-07:005K Training<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In 2005 I ran my first distance race of any kind, The Rex Lee Run 5K in Provo, UT. I ran a 20:48, which remains my fastest 5K to date, despite multiple attempts to take it down. Until recent years, my training strategy was pretty simple: as often and as hard as I could. As I've made attempts at longer distances, some forethought has been necessary to avoid common problems like shin splints, barfing, crapping, chafing, and dying.<br />
<br />
Early this February I will take my first serious crack at PRing my 5K time. My training focus is on speed workouts instead of mileage, and holding goal pace for each of the workouts. I'm currently at week 4 of the schedule that goes thusly:<br />
<br />
Week 1: 400m x 4, easy 5<br />
Week 2: 1K tempo, easy 6<br />
Week 3: 400m x 6, easy 7<br />
Week 4: 2K tempo, easy 7<br />
Week 5: 400m x 7, 2.5K tempo, fartlek, easy 7<br />
Week 6: 400m x 8, 3K tempo, fartlek, easy 7<br />
Week 7: 400m x 9, 3.5K tempo, fartlek, easy 6<br />
Week 8: 400m x 10, 4K tempo, easy 5<br />
Week 9: fartlek, fartlek, Race<br />
<br />
I chose 400m intervals because that is the distance I can consistently maintain a 5min/mile pace. I define tempo as my goal race pace of 6min/mile. My fartleks are just mixing up the pace regularly on a 2-4 mile run. Easy miles are basically just exploring trails at a comfortable pace, usually 7:30-8min/mile with some short breaks, walking/hiking.<br />
<br />
In addition to the running, I've been more diligent about warmups and building leg strength at the gym and with stationary exercises.<br />
<br />
I had originally planned on 1 speed workout (intervals or tempo) per week and 2-3 other days of low-intensity miles. This week with my 2K tempo, I could tell I needed to build some speed and cardio fitness, so I'm increasing to 2 high-intensity workouts per week.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484824070312923174.post-81071142766627968782014-06-01T18:46:00.001-06:002014-06-01T18:46:39.209-06:0050K Training<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Just under 3 weeks to the Bad Marsh 50K, so it's time for an update on my training experiences. I've never done a 50K, so I've looked to some of my running mancrushes such as Anton Krupicka and Dakota Jones for guidance. I use the term guidance loosely because I can't put in 100+ mile weeks or anything close to it, but I try to glean principles from their training schemes. Here's what I've been doing:<br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Lunges, one-legged squats, two-legged squats</li>
<li>I switched to a standing desk at work and exclusively use the stairs in our 8-story hospital, two steps at a time up and down</li>
<li>Cross training on stationary bike and rowing machine</li>
<li>Focus on weekend long runs</li>
<li>Intervals</li>
<li>Weekly "Feel" runs with no specific goal for speed or distance</li>
</ul>
<div>
Things were going really well until a few weeks ago when I got to the 18 and 20 mile long runs. My legs had enough of the increasingly tough weeks and let me know, so I've started to taper down prematurely to salvage what I can. I'm maintaining cardio fitness by spending more time on the stationary bike and rowing machine at the gym. Last night I tried out a 4.5 mile run and felt improved and assured that I haven't ruined my chances of doing well on race day.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It's a fuzzy line between progression and injury. Running hard always "injures" you to some degree I suppose. Its more of a continuum than a specific point. Injury/soreness that doesn't result in improved fitness or race performance is what I'm trying to avoid. And thus I've backed off as I feel myself going down the "too sore" road. Running wasn't fun for a couple weeks there, a bad omen worth paying attention to.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Aside from dancing with injury, I am in great shape. Specifically cardio-wise and leg strength. Curious about what I could do in a timed mile on an official track, I busted out a 5:37 mile with about 80% effort and no specific preparation. So I think the fitness is there to take on this 50K. I've worked on speed, distance, endurance, eating, pooping, the works. It will come down to running smart and taking care of my body for the next 3 weeks.</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484824070312923174.post-48810279595879982632014-03-07T18:08:00.002-07:002014-03-07T18:08:53.075-07:00Today's SCID Post<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Rest & Relaxation<br />
<br />
Where I've gone wrong in the past: too many consecutive days of running. Granted, the type of running matters too, and in what context. For example, running 5 times a week when the past 6 months have been sedentary. Bad idea.<br />
<br />
I was never a coached runner, but I've read and heard about "workouts" which from what I understand generally refers to the non-junk miles days where you actually focus on a specific pace. Don't do two days of workouts back to back. That's where recovery days come in. Save those rest days or easy pace runs for the day after a workout (in my case this is either intervals, a long run, or a full-effort 5-10K. It's also a good time to do non-running fitness activities such as core, weight training, poodle grooming, and the like.<br />
<br />
Gradually increasing mileage and number of days run is also sage advice. I've seen percentages thrown around, but that seems really arbitrary to me. The number of miles probably doesn't matter as much as how they are run. At any rate jumping from 10 mile weeks to 30 mile weeks is asking for trouble.<br />
<br />
What happens if you overtrain? From my experience-injuries. I've experienced 3 major injuries that all came down to the "too much too soon" principle. Shin splints-running in Vibram Five Fingers 20 miles a week on pavement. Achilles tendonitis-probably from amping up mileage in zero drop shoes too quickly. Patellofemoral pain-running with weak legs. This one used to really scare me. Since I've strengthened my legs, I have very little knee pain. Leg strength takes time and for me lots of lunges, squats, and using the stairs all day at work.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484824070312923174.post-45580238912600560572014-02-16T17:33:00.000-07:002014-02-16T17:33:03.154-07:00SCID Installment #1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Sometimes I get solicitations for running advice, which I feel dumb giving. What seems more appropriate is sharing things that have not worked for me or have simply gone horribly wrong. And thus what will be a recurring segment: SCID (stupid crap I've done).<br />
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Meal Timing<br />
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There was a time where I ran with reckless abandon. Eat bacon & eggs, run 5 minutes later. Eat a giant "carb load" meal the night before a big race. I don't do those things now because I would prefer to not have to be in constant vigilance that I don't load my drawers mid-run. Let's cover some basic physiology first: it takes your stomach about 2 hours to empty. Running with a full stomach is uncomfortable and for me causes crippling sideaches. I don't know the mechanisms behind this, whether it's from my gall bladder squirting out digestive enzymes or the clash of sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system responses. Whatever it is, it doesn't jive, y'all. After two hours I'm almost always good from a sideache perspective.<br />
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The dookie situation is interesting. I've found there's no predictable formula for "eat at time x, meal transit time through gut=x+y. Drop deuce at time z. Lather, rinse, repeat." BMs seem to be more of a circadian thing for me, irrespective of meal timing for the most part (unless Taco Bell is involved, then formula becomes "eat chalupa at time x, endure stomach cramps at time x+5 minutes, fumigate lavatory at time x+5.2 minutes"). Meal <i>size</i>, however, is an important trigger for laying cable. My new formula, that I have yet to find unsuccessful is: wake up early, eat medium size breakfast, large glass water at time x, await inevitable dook at time x+0.5 hours. This has been a vital tidbit to help avoid "messy" situations on long runs.<br />
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Runner's Trots are pretty <i>crappy</i>. Having the urge during a race I think is avoidable by following the morning meal rule. But even if the staging area is clear at race time, what about that "carb load" meal from last night still meandering through 30 feet of entrails? This has come back to haunt me (if ghost are apt to haunt one's bowels) at the end and after runs, where I'm writhing in pain as my body rejects the previous night's meal. (Don't ask how I can be sure it was the previous night's meal). So that age-old advise to eat a bunch of pasta before a race? Bad idea. In general, it's just a bad idea to do anything you wouldn't do during training for a race. That's a recipe for surprises. And in this case "surprises" is a euphemism for diarrhea which may or may not be disposed of in a socially acceptable way.<br />
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TMI you say? I learned the hard way so you don't have to. Take heed.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484824070312923174.post-41292018254166362272014-02-02T19:23:00.000-07:002014-02-02T19:23:36.865-07:00Tybee Run Fest Half Marathon Race Report<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Final time 1:37<br />
<br />
Very happy with that. Yesterday everything came together in ideal fashion and the end result is better than I expected.<br />
<br />
The running community is full of advice. Nearly all of the advice is based on personal anecdotes from people with a broad range of experience levels. I've never really known what to do with all the running information out there, so I've tried a lot of different things. After much ongoing trial and error, I have developed the following rule of thumb for what advice is worth my attention.<br />
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-Listen to people that have more experience than yourself. Conversely, take with a large grain of salt any advice from less experienced runners. Unfortunately, it is the latter who are often the most vocal.<br />
<br />
One of the most measured sources of running information I have found is runblogger.com. Written by a former college professor turned full-time running blogger, the perspective resonates with my own. The author was not always a runner and approaches running objectively or discloses his personal biases when he doesn't.<br />
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Why do I mention this? Yesterday was a big milestone for me. All the advice I've taken and personal experience from the past 10+ years of running are starting to congeal. Some lessons learned that were made manifest yesterday:<br />
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1) Race infrequently. I've made the mistake of signing up for races every month before. And I've done poorly and injured myself as a result. Racing is hard on the body. I push myself much harder in a race than when I am training. That kind of effort is not sustainable physically. Now I race less and train more.<br />
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2) Eat for runs >5-6 miles. I like gels because they digest very easily. Yesterday I had a gel right before starting and about 40 minutes in. Additionally, it takes about two hours for your stomach to move a meal on to greener pastures, so I eat two hours before race start. Both of these points have made an enormous difference in my running. Bowels move at the right times (pre-race) and sideaches are a rare occurence as long as eating during the race doesn't outpace use of the food. Unfortunately, there is no hard rule I've found for this. Every run I go on I have to gauge how much and when to eat based on how much I'm sweating and whether or not my stomach is sloshing.<br />
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3) Pace is key and without form, pace is unsustainable. Running well is a skill. Anyone can move quickly (well almost anyone). Running sustainably takes deliberate adjustments to and awareness of cadence, posture, footstrike, arm movement, breathing, and knowing when to push and when to ease off. Cadence was the name of the game yesterday. Normally, I'm the guy falling apart at the end of a race. This time I was flying past everyone the last 5 miles. I would catch up to someone, they would try to match my pace taking longer strides and making significant effort to run "harder" I would move my legs faster and inevitably drop them when the two techniques were put head-to-head. Posture is a big deal too. As I've done regular core stregthening workouts, I can keep good posture through longer runs.<br />
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4) Train to end strong. Negative splits have been a big focus in my training. I used to go out hard and just hope that I could hold on to the pace. This technique works sometimes for shorter races (5K, 10K), but it has come back to bite me on long runs. It's a great way to injure myself and feel discouraged. Long distance running is a matter of sustained pace. Ending strong doesn't mean sprinting the last 100 yards. If you can sprint at the end of a race, you have clearly not allocated your efforts optimally. I finished at about a 6:45 pace for the last mile and literally could not have gone any faster. I spent all my energy to sustain my pace for 13 miles and no more.<br />
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5) How and what you eat matters. There is a really ignorant idea floating around that if you exercise enough, you can eat whatever you want. You'll just burn off the calories. This is what I like to call excrement. In America, meals are traditionally three times a day and they are large and carbohydrate rich. This is not compatible with an active lifestyle. I had an epiphany while doing a 50 mile hike on the Appalachian Trail last summer when I was eating small meals every couple hours all day long and then a bigger meal at the end of the day. It seemed very counterintuitive to eat that way as the 3 meals paradigm was well engrained (pun intended). It seemed like I would starve snacking on granola bars all day. Here's the thing: I didn't starve. I had energy all day, no sideaches, and actually felt good. Turns out my idea of a meal was really more of a binge. The "snack" is my new meal and I've lost 15 pounds of superfluous swelling and fat. I eat high protein, high fat "snacks" all day every 2 hours on the hour and I feel awesome. High carb foods I save for running. The American diet is a great way to spike your blood sugar and tell your body to store fat and be tired. Not great for anyone trying to get out and run regularly. I won't be going back after 30 years of that nonsense.<br />
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There's my contribution to the vast wells of running opinion out there. It's a work in progress, but I'm glad there has been significant progress for me. I had a lot of fun racing yesterday.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484824070312923174.post-63682484039586553932014-01-20T16:25:00.003-07:002014-01-20T16:25:43.889-07:00Illin'<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The past few weeks I had some type of disease. I think it was the flu. It decimated me for a good 48 hours. Recovery and feeling well enough to run took longer. And thus, training runs fell apart. I've run when physically able. With 12 days left for the Tybee Half, I needed to fit in my final long run before the race. I got off of work and started running, planning 13.1 miles at race pace. I felt pretty peppy to begin, but was unable to hold the pace like I could a few weeks ago. My 7:30 miles started pushing up to 7:45 range. This is not as bad as I feared after such poor past few weeks. The end of the run I was able to speed things up and come up with close to an even split. I'm not upset with the time, which is the fastest I have <i>ever </i>run, 1:41:13. My goal for the race is under 1:40, which I think is doable with some adjustments. I seem to run better in the AM, not after work and fortunately the race is early. Pit stops were a little weird since I had to stop at home, I can mitigate the time loss better with a real race. My stomach did well. I ate two gels, the first right before I started and the second about 35 minutes in. I did drink a tad too much water and had some transient sideaches. It is a trick figuring out how much to hydrate when it's not hot as blazes. During the summer, I drink pretty much as much as I want with no problems. Now to fit in some intervals and easier runs, then race time.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484824070312923174.post-33738299806347733162013-12-21T10:53:00.001-07:002013-12-21T10:53:55.412-07:00Still progressing<p dir="ltr">http://connect.garmin.com/activity/418011838</p>
<p dir="ltr">8 miles today at 7:30 pace, negative splits. Still trudging on toward a sub 1:40 half marathon Feb 1st. Stomach was about 80% with a gel 2 miles in and minimal sips of Gatorade from handheld bottle. Started out a little sluggish and things picked up late, a good sign in my mind. Warm day. Don't know what to expect come race day with bipolar weather all winter.</p>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484824070312923174.post-74709935324241335682013-12-16T21:37:00.001-07:002013-12-16T21:37:36.814-07:00"Intervals"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I stretched out the length of my intervals tonight. Before I'd been doing basically very short sprints down the block. This frightened neighbors to see a ghost-pale walking stick sprinting down the street after dark. Around these parts you either run because you stole something or because you are trying to escape a pack of pitbulls. (I've done one of those on numerous occasions.) So tonight I dropped the pace down to 6 minute/mile pace, albeit not actually running a full mile. I pulled off a whopping two 1/3 mile intervals at this pace before I reached the brink of death. While this was not a particularly fun exercise, I did enjoy exploring a limit. Now I can use this information to hopefully come up with a more manageable interval scheme.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484824070312923174.post-78052290679020234052013-11-23T09:06:00.000-07:002013-11-23T09:06:57.356-07:00Speed Kills<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The handful of runs I've done since the marathon have been short and fast. I was surprised at how zippy my legs felt. In fact it was hard to hold back the pace. Maybe its knowing that I'm not going to be running for 2-3 hours that provides the incentive to push harder.<br />
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I'm also tracking my pace and stats with a GPS watch now, the Garmin Forerunner 10. I had been using my phone, but it was impractical for certain runs. After reading some reviews on what they can do coupled with the unexpected bestowal of a gift card and a 20% off storewide sale at Fleet Feet, I took the plunge. What is normally a $130 watch ended up costing me less than half that. So far I love it. I can tell my pace at any point during the run, total distance run, time each mile, all without a giant smartphone clumsily lashed to my arm. And I can upload all this information and get even more detail, including elevation change and automatic compilation of weekly totals.<br />
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After these initial runs, the 1:30 goal for this upcoming half marathon is probably a little too lofty. Realistically, I'm going to shoot for under 1:40, roughly 7:30 miles. This is pushing it, but doable in the limited amount of time I have before the race. Depending on how the intervals and strength training go, I hope to whittle that goal down some.<br />
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I did 5.5 miles today at a 7:33 pace. I plan to go up to 6 miles next week, then increase a mile a week until 2 weeks before the race. Weekly intervals, increasing distance, weekly strength work-lunges, squats, using the stairs at work, running the Talmadge Bridge. Also 1-2 maintenance runs during the week, usually 2-4.5 miles.<br />
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Sticking with the diet of fat and protein, crack carbs almost exclusively while running. I've bottomed out my weight it seems at 145 lbs. My body fat% is still coming down some, currently 11%. Hopefully this means I am building some muscle mass, because my total weight hasn't changed for well over a month.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484824070312923174.post-51142245143401124892013-11-14T18:18:00.001-07:002013-11-14T18:18:48.884-07:00Savannah Rock N Roll Marathon Race Report<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Final time 3:52<br />
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Goal accomplished. Beside the fact that it hurts pretty bad, it feels good. Some real progress toward Boston. Here's my rosy retrospective:<br />
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Woke up at 5:00. Ate a large bowl of oatmeal. Moved bowels. Rejoiced.<br />
Arrived at starting line around 6:30.<br />
Waited in line for bathroom until about 7:15.<br />
The race started at 7:00. Fortunately it is timed by chip. I was supposed to be in corral 8, ended up starting with corral 10, I think. There were somewhere around 17000 runners I hear. This makes for a very long, drawn out start.<br />
It was a cold morning, so I used arm sleeves for the first time, kept my arms toasty.<br />
The first 10 miles were very frustrating. Due to the large number of entrants and the fact that I went out with a slower corral, I was pushing through crowds this whole time. I had intended on running 9 minute miles and speeding up progressively. I found out I was doing about 8 minute miles, probably because of adrenaline and frustration with the crowds. (Specifically large groups of old ladies running side by side blocking the ENTIRE street.)<br />
When the half marathon runners split off to head toward the finish line around mile 10, things lightened up.<br />
One mistake I made in this race was eating and drinking too much. I blame this on training in the heat all summer. I was used to drinking almost 3 liters every 10 miles! I tried to adjust for the weather difference, but apparently it wasn't enough because I got some "sloshin" and even some short lived side aches early on. I started skipping aid stations and things improved somewhat. Things were going remarkably well for about 20 miles, and I was on pace to go under 3:45, unbeknownst to me at the time. At mile 20, however, the wheels started to come off as it were. Cramps. Again. Dangit. Whereas 2 years ago my quads cramped, this go around it was exclusively in my calves and stomach. I ran through most of the calf cramps, but the stomach cramps affected my breathing so much that I could not take a breath. I started to walk and tried to devise a way to salvage the race. I started to take obnoxiously deep breaths, gulps really. My breathing had become progressively shallow, so this logically made sense to try and it worked. Stomach cramps ended, calf cramps continued on and off, forcing me to walk sections. This was disheartening to say the least. I was sure my goal of sub 4 hours was lost. With 2 miles left, I was passed by the 3:55 pacer! That was enough to wake me up from my funk and adrenaline squirt to the finish, including a "sprint" the last 100+ yards.<br />
I was greeted by the hawk-like shrieks of legendary butt-rockers Jackyl, who headlined the event.<br />
Celebration ensued with the fam, and we made way to the pre-determined "Green Truck" hipster burger restaurant, including grass-fed beef & homemade ketchup. I was a little worried to grease up an already unstable bowel situation, but the levee held until arrival at home.<br />
As before, the race organization was great, bands along the way were actually pretty good. The expo was busy but not ludicrous this time. I would recommend RnR series to anyone, assuming the other events are similar.<br />
Already I have schemed new plans for the next race. The Tybee half marathon in February, where I will try to beat my PR. Really I have in my mind shooting for 1:30, a lofty goal on par with the pace I will need to qualify for Boston. I plan to focus heavily on intervals and speedwork.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484824070312923174.post-80867890845807457432013-10-20T17:30:00.001-06:002013-10-20T17:30:12.242-06:00T-minus 3 weeks<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Yesterday I did my last long run before tapering down for the race. I ran 20 miles on Hutchinson Island, almost entirely on pavement. I tried to replicate race conditions as closely as possible. I've learned that surprises are great on Christmas and birthdays, but not so much for races. It was a humid, warm morning and I didn't feel particularly peppy at any point during the run like last week, but I slogged through all the miles at an average 9 minute pace. I expected to be a corpse for the next 36 hours, but I am eerily well today with only minor soreness. I feel like I'm in a good place with training. I've done a number of things differently this go around, so I'm not sure what to attribute my small victories to or if it is a combination of several things.<br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>I'm eating much better. I've lost 15 pounds by forgetting the 3 meals a day paradigm and basically just snacking on protein and fat all day. I'll eat a moderate size dinner, usually with a salad. Very little sweets and bread. I save the pure carbs for when I'm running. I have more energy and don't have to haul around as much weight.</li>
<li>I've focused my training to include high-quality long runs. I worked up distance slowly to my maximum of 20 miles. On average I run 3-4 times a week. My short runs are generally 2-5 miles, some intervals, cross-training.</li>
<li>I figured out how to use energy gels. I used to reserve energy gels like they were a fine vintage concoction. This usually meant eating a gel after I was already "bonking" when it is too late to salvage a run. Now, I eat gels every 30-45 minutes before the bonk.</li>
<li>Electrolytes. I'm taking an electrolyte supplement w/ trace minerals. Also, I only drink gatorade for the long runs now. Something I've done in the past is alternate water and gatorade. With the heat here, I think it would be pretty hard to get too much salt. Cramping has not been an issue for several months now.</li>
<li>I've developed better form. I think this is the key. Having good form is usually not too hard for several miles, but after some fatigue it is hard to focus. I think all the previous points have enabled me to maintain good form for longer periods.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Things look great for race day at this point. I'm on track to run under 4 hours. I'll try not to do anything stupid in the next few weeks.</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1