Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Autumn in the Salmon River Mountains

Loon Lake from 2011.  Plenty of snow on the hills above it now.
Feeling strong, recovered fast and looking to race again this month.  Took one week of doing nothing, then  felt like running...so I did.  Eight days after the Bear, I found myself at the Loon Lake Loop (10 miles) on the last warm and sunny day of the year.  I had some lingering stiffness in the hips and calves, but it was clear, my body wanted to go.  I managed a PR on the Loop by nearly 10 minutes- 7:30 pace.  The gain on that one is about 2400' and it was muddy and lots of trees down.  This clearly showed me that my body was still in peak form and still viable in a race.  I am considering a "fast" hundred for a change of pace.

See anyone familiar on here? http://www.ultrasportslive.tv/athlete-profiles/.  My friend Myles from Michigan Bluff Photography hooked up this interview.

Link to Bear Splits.  I crunched out the numbers for the Course Record splits vs mine.  Pretty easy to see where it got away from me.

This is interesting. Look closely at the next 2 pictures.  The top picture is pre-Western.  The bottom picture is pre-Bear.  My face tells the story of both outcomes.  I look like I should be sleeping at WS, just a minute before the biggest race of my life.  I looked liked that for weeks before the race.  Pre-Bear, I look fresh and hungry.
Bags under eyes, sleepy feeling.  That feeling just got worse all day until I passed out and DNF'ed at Rucky Chucky.  That is the look of a "slowly poisoned central nervous system...staleness"  Add that to the list of things to watch out for while training.  
Much better.  Agitated, coiled and ready to spring.  Notice B never changes her clothes.  As always, Matty's beard commands respect.

Moving on to recent McCall adventures...
Cold and tired, just 2 days post-Bear.  Still got the "100 mile swol" in the face.  I was psyched to walk about 6 miles in the snow without too much pain.

The girls have their final fall fling on Bear Pete Mountain.  This is what happens when women go into the woods unsupervised!

A decent start.  Harmless fun, what could go wrong.

Must women always be making arts and crafts?  Katie's Natur-Gaiters. The natural gaiter.  

Before you know it, things have devolved into a twerk-fest. Bear Pete (a real guy) is turning over in his grave.   Serious disrespecting on hallowed ground of the IMTUF course.  Do you see what you've done Miley! Their 50K run aspirations are cut in half and suddenly beer is mentioned...ending all hopes of athletic achievement.  
They take the party to Bergdorf for more drunken debauchery.  The hot water adds to the buzz, as any IMTUF 100 runner can attest.
Mark and Bryce join the party after their day of biking Ruby and Loon.

4 comments:

  1. Jeremy, it's good to see you're doing well. I was running with Tommy McNear this morning and he was talking about you. I said, "Hey, that guy was in my class in Salem!" Anyway, I had no idea you were into distance running. I have been into too for the last 10 years, but not quite to the extent you have been. I have completed 20 marathons and 2 50Ks. I'm running my third 50K in December but that's as far as I've gone. I think it's probably time to graduate to 50-miler. I haven't made the leap yet. The 100-miler is definitely on my radar. Anyway, I figured I would say hi. I live in Salem now. If you're ever back in the area and want to get together for a run, I'd love to catch up. - Scott Yakubek

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  2. YAK!!!!!!!!!!!
    Great to hear from you. I just checked your results on Ultrasignup and Google and you are doing really well with the Marathons and 50K's. Don't let the longer distances scare you. Just be really healthy, train on hills for strength, run slower and take care of the fueling. I've hurt worse in 50K's than some Hundreds. Are you still built like a Kenyan? I'll definitely contact you before we head back to Ohio, to do some running and hanging out. I've even thought about doing a race on a trip back home someday. If you ever want to come west, my wife and I direct some cool races here in McCall, Idaho.
    Take care and keep running!
    Jer

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  3. I sent the last message before I found all of your running exploits all over the internet. Very impressive! I am still built like a Kenyan, but hardly as fast. Working out as much as I can with three little boys. Time is my biggest enemy. I'm going to hit it hard this winter to lay down a good time at Boston. I had a good race there last year and ran really conservatively. I'm going to leave it all out there next year. Let me know when you're in Ohio and we can get together. You can contact me at scottyakubek@hotmail.com. Good to hear from you. Keep up the good work. Talk to you later.
    Scott

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    Replies
    1. That's the spirit Scott. Were not getting any younger- forget the safe running. Watch the Prefontaine movie "Without Limits" before the race. That will inspire you not to go conservative. I feel more satisfaction from pursuing the ideal and failing miserably, than just going through the motions. Just make sure you accept the other possibility that you may walk some miles at the end. Nothing wrong with that. I'll definitely follow your progress and watch the results.
      Jer

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