VFuel

Use COUPON CODE "A-StayVertical" to get 20% off your Order!

I am excited to announce that I have signed on with VFuel to be my one and only source of energy gel! 

This was no easy nut to crack.  They are a small start-up and these guys get after it.  I had to track them down over a period of months, begging and pleading to get their attention and let them know I was not accepting "NO" as an answer.  I had a few run-ins with their product in 2012.  Josh Arthur gave me a few after the Cascade Crest 100 and in October, Eric Lee gave me a bag full at my IMTUF 100 race.  This was enough.  There was no going back.   I am still learning why it works so well.  Lots of sciencey stuff to devour.  A full review is forthcoming, with a give away contest.  

My VFuel Page

For now, I am sure of 3 things:

1.  Best taste.  No comparison.  Vanilla and Peach Cobbler are without equal.  As a gel eater/100 miler, this is #1 in my book.  No garbage gut in the world can consume 50 gels a day if they taste bad.  FACT!

2. The fat (MCT Oil) in the gel means I need to eat it less frequently.  

3. The consistency is perfect for mixing into water bottles or adding to gel flasks.  Drains easily and completely from a flask at -15F.  Try a Hammer Gel at -15F.  Like taffy.

"A warning shot across the bow"

"During the 18th Century, a warning shot (in nautical terms, often called a shot across the bow) could be fired towards any ship whose "colours" (nationality) had to be ascertained. According to the law of the sea, a ship thus hailed had to fly her flag and confirm it with a gunshot. Warning shots may still be used in modern times to signal a vessel to stop or keep off and may be fired from other ships, boats, or aircraft."  Wikipedia

My warning shot this week was to alert my body of the incredible intensity that is to come starting in about 3 weeks. After 16 miles and 6000' of vertical at Rapid River, I found myself back at the old standbye measuring stick...the Jim Jones Kool Aid Hill! The place of toil and sweat and pain. The place I have been dreading to compare my current fitness to my personal record time of 7:26. I remember how bad that effort hurt and how deep I dug to attain it last year. Was I up to the ego check it was sure to bestow upon me now? Only one way to find out. The ego was bracing for failure and already had the excuse ready of the tired state it was in from the hills it had been climbing all day.

All this drama for 3/4 mile...

I remembered my strategy from last year...easy to the 1/4 mile tree at the trail fork...no more than 160 HR to there. Let the HR go up to 165 through the mid-point easier grades, then all out to the grave...a la muerte. I began what felt like a really slow cadence up the opening steeps toward the fork- 15-20% grade for a short pitch.  HR rose to 155 and energy already was tanking. Low HR and high perceived exertion (PE) is a definite sign of exhaustion, so things were not looking good- the ego was making concessions with each step.  The HR stuck there as I worked harder and sweat streaked my face, so maybe I could break 8 minutes today.  That would be a victory- right?  The ego and its 100 heads are so sneaky in the way they convince you that GOOD is good enough.  But GOOD is the arch enemy of GREAT.  It is settling for GOOD that makes GREAT unreachable for us.  I fought this battle 3 times already in the first 1/4 mile.  This is why I love running so much.  Nowhere to hide.  You either do it or you don't.  

You either talk about it, or you BE ABOUT IT.  

Suddenly, I realized during all this thinking that the next 1/4 mile had slipped past and my stride was really long.  It still felt slow, but the knees were coming up, the hip extension was solid and I was making 5-6 foot strides.  Maybe 7:40 was possible?  That would set me up to PR within the next month!

Then, I tasted it.  Acrid bile and copper coin flavor.  The ammonia smell in my nostrils of Anaerobia...the state of cardiovascular pain that I haven't enjoyed since last autumn.  Careful Jerful.  A quick check of the vitals...shins are cool, calves are good.  The T2K's are flying.  That last Vi gel I took seems to be burning hot.  100 yards and this thing is toast.  A marker in the sand to build on.  7:30 will be mine.

I pushed and swung my arms.  All that pool running I've been doing had a noticeable effect on the velocity of my arm swings- they felt like pistons.  HR up to 170.  Pretty high for me.  I panted and hacked as the breaths became less and less useful.  I rounded the crest of the hill and loped towards the grave for the final 30 yards and stabbed at the lap button...7:05.  A proper warning shot.  21 seconds shaved off the PR...a 5% improvement.  Now the task of convincing the ego that it can go 6:30 by June.

____________________________________________________________________

Lots happening this week, but my camera is really crapping out so the pics don't do it justice. I'm sending it to Panasonic for some warranty service- so no pics for a while.  Getting really hungry to go fast.  I'm probably racing later this month- low-key.  More on that soon.

  Got some verty on the Treadmill this week.  Been mixing many more strides and fartleks into the base runs as the time nears for speedwork.  3 strength/stability/core sessions and 4 hours of shoveling on top of this.  I'll take it.  

Rapid River TH

Few climbing pics from Red Rocks.  

IMTUF 100 Registration is OPEN!!!!

Bigger and better in 2013.  Register at Ultrasignup today to lock in best pricing and secure your spot.

I'm happy to help with any questions on the race, travel, logistics, etc.  Just comment below and I will get back to you as soon as I stop running...

Desert Fun

While McCall remains locked in the ice, B and I took a trip to the desert for some running and climbing.  Got in some really good training days and I feel like I got a strong jump start from the sun, heat and altitude.  This week, I put in 91 miles with 17,700 gain.  For the first time since my injury, I began to "challenge" some hills and push the pace in places.  Everything seems in order- taking the rocky and steep climbs and drops in stride.  The Grand Canyon got hit with a big snow dump right before we wanted to visit, so the R2R2R was not to be.  Next time for sure.  Hopefully, very soon.

Turtlehead Peak looking down on the Calico Hills and Vegas in the distance.

Warming up for our Thunderbird Park hike with the Rhode's kids- my cousins.  Glendale, AZ.
I tried to tell them that static stretching before the run is passe, but they are old school.

White Tanks Park.

B climbing up Mesquite Canyon in White Tanks.

Cool washes in the canyons.

Finishing up my run at White Tanks.

20 weeks...

Another solid week in the books.  Things are progressing nicely and my body is settling into the higher volume routine.  All pains are being kept at bay with diligent therapies and disciplined pacing with liberal warm-ups and cool-downs.  I'm pulling out all the stops and doing all the things I need to do to keep it rolling.  All the things I used to complain about and make excuses not to do during the other 22 hours of the day not spent running.  I've never averaged over 40 miles a week, but this is what I've been building toward since I started training in early 2011.  

Next week we will be in the Nevada and Arizona deserts visiting family, rock climbing, running and Vitamin D...ing.  Might try for some big game running if weather is right.  Break out of the regimented script and go for it a bit.  

Where's Waldo?  Easy to get lost in this kind of terrain.  Look for the green speck striding out like a Kenyan;)

Lush Rapid River, green as always.  B training for Pocatello.

B shooting some cooldown/shakeout footage on the Rapid River Road.  Love the SCOTT All Mountain Tech shirt.  

This magic recovery water was ice about a mile upstream.  Whatever it takes.
Pain R Good, as the Old Man would say.

With the lack of recent snow and frosty temps, I've been able to run to Brundage Summit  lately.  Big time early season altitude and vert bonus.  

Monday-Sunday 2/10/13.  

Back at it...

Jim Jones Koolaid hill.  The classic 600' in .72 mile interval hill.  Just right to build monster cardio power.   Easy/Granny gear slogging for now.

After Bandera, I took a week of total sloth.  Were talking about naps every day, Playstation for hours at a time and gluttonous eating. Total embrace of the American way.

Then...I started running.  14 days have passed and I have run every day- usually twice.  I am using total discipline to keep the intensity low and just build the base.  Lots of strength training and flexibility work in there too, plus a few hours of pool running with the jog belt.  Exciting stuff.  Body is really happy with me for giving it rest, basically mid-November to late-January.  This week of 30's F and sun felt almost like summer after the bitter January we had.  Things are lookin' up.

Plus, Chief Meteorologist Phil has delivered his state of the art forecast predicting an earlier spring.  Groundhog day holds special sentiment for me.  It was, for some unknown reason, my father's date to begin preparing for anything.  It was his new year.  If he had anything big on the horizon, Feb 2 was the kickoff.

Significant Groundhog Days in the Humphrey Hall of Fame
Dad quit smoking and began running on 2/2/85- just 3 months before my first run at age 5.
Dad started training for his first Marathon (Pittsburgh, May 1987).  Every subsequent marathon he ran began with a 2/2 launch.
Denali expeditions (April/May 2004, 2005) most definitely began prep on 2/2.

Thus, on 2/2 my training was officially and ceremoniously underway.  With an early spring coming to the Idaho mountains, it is clear that Phil knows I need my trails to melt out.  He knows I need downhill quads of steel to get to Auburn and treadmills and road running won't get me there.  He recognizes the homage my family has paid to February 2nd, and is now pulling for me at Western.  Maybe Phil can do something about the boiling heat in the American River Canyon as I move through there in June.

Last 14 days.   Less miles and more vert in the near future.

Rapid River.  Calf is finally feeling strong enough to climb the steepest of the steeps.  I did 2 climbs that were over 1200'+ vertical per mile.  Too bad the snow line is hanging low right now.  Can't get much past 4K' until this warm front moves through.  Great to get some sun and run some actual trail.

Cruisin through the canyon on the way back toward the Fish Hatchery/Trailhead.  Love the big limestone.  Reminds me of  some great climbing areas in Wyoming.

T2K autumn 2013 colorway.  This might be the only pair in existence right now.  Thanks for the hook-up SCOTT!  This color is much faster than the Spring 2013 blue/orange.   

Ice Road Truckin' #1.  I shot this series during my lonely marathon this week on the flats of Long Valley, just south of McCall.  Hard to see all those peaks up there and know I'll have to wait 4-5 more months to get after them.

Ice Road Truckin' #2

Ice Road Truckin' #3

Ice Road Truckin' #4.  Mounted my wedding ring to a leather necklace.  It was ripping into my finger while shoveling, climbing, doing pullups...any kind of manly guy stuff.

"Know Thyself"...what I learned in 2012

This is a Mission Statement...Not a Memo.  

This post was supposed to be a Bandera 100K race report.  It was my coming out party on the national stage, where I claim my National Championship and reap the plunderings of being the best- blah, blah, blah.  Unfortunately, like another National Champion hopeful linebacker Manti T'eo...my January not only failed to enshrine me as champion, but came with a nasty slice of humble pie to go with my injuries.  OK, I didn't let some idiot convince me my fake girlfriend was still alive.  That is seriously being out of touch with oneself.  My lack of self knowledge was a bit more insidious.  It was motivated by greed and ambition.  Even though I "knew" the outcome, I went along for the ride, like I was watching a re-run.  Like poor Manti, I failed to read all the signs and listen to my instincts. 

The only picture I took at Bandera.   My campsite not 10 feet from Tim Olson's, but just 20 feet from at least one million portapotties.  What is it with Texans letting the crapper doors slam shut when people are sleeping?  Fitful night.

So what happened in Texas?  I quit around 12 miles into the race with a badly stained/ torn left calf.  Was I surprised?  No.  I have had problems in that area each of the past 3 years from November to June.  As soon as the Idaho winter comes, I have gone from solid to crumbling like flipping a switch. This year, the symptoms were all there:

1. Long training and racing season with massive damage and fatigue accumulated.  Check.
2. Super strong November with big power and miles trying to jam everything in before my trails get buried under snow.  Check.
3.  Soleus, posterior tibialis, and gastroc tightness giving way to knots and little tears up and down the lower legs.  Check. 
4.  Mileage falls, but I rest enough to go hard a few days later, making the injuries worse each time.  Meanwhile the intensity training continues, even in cross training, without any base/MAF training, completely erodes the base and turns me into a 10K runner/ Crossfitter.
5. Serious injuries up and down the chain explode as I soldier on in the face of mounting problems.  "Gotta get ready to race."
6. Hip flexor tendonitis, shin splints, calf strains, and the kiss of death for a runner- achilles tendonitis.  CHECK, CHECK.  CHECK YOU MORON!
7.  Try to race in January with all the injuries and lack of fitness and POP! goes the athlete.  

Didn't I do the same thing last year?  Yes, this pattern has repeated four times now.  What now?

Well, Texas was a colossal failure, but it is water under the bridge.   I have no emotional bruising or disappointment.  I had no spiritual connection to the race (big mistake) and I was just racing for the competition and possible cash (mistake) and I wanted to be on iRunfar.  There, I said it!  I wanted to be the big time guy.    I was willing to risk my career and health on pure pride and ego!   I lost my way.

Now, there is a message that is resounding in my head as I try to sleep at night: 

KNOW THYSELF!  

This sport is particularly cruel to those who fail in this simple edict.  It is this failure that chews up our champions and spits them out after just a few years on top.  I can honestly say that each time I have suffered a setback in training, I knew EXACTLY what was coming. I fed the rat/ scratched the itch anyways and I lived with the consequences.  I am living with my choices now, stewing on the couch, tearing my hair out, wanting to rip through the hills, just 5 months from the Big Dance.  The frustrating part is that I did know myself well enough to have seen this coming.  But, the temptation to splurge is huge.  The pull of the alpine is strong for me and I must binge from time to time.  The same goes for my competitive spirit.  Timing of these binges is the key.

Further adding difficulty to our journey of self knowledge is that we ultra runners have so many details floating around in our heads, that we miss the big picture: 

...continued healthful progression toward our ultimate potential.

If we focus on how many miles Nick Clark ran this week and that he ran Mt. Everest worth of vertical- we may feel the need to keep up.  Remember, it is not "Know Clarkyself."  It is know thyself.  Plato, telling his stories through Socrates, espoused self knowledge above all else.  He counseled his followers and adversaries that trivialities like mythology were not worth pursuing, because if he (Socrates) doesn't know himself, then how is the minutia of other things worth the effort?  Nick Clark's numbers might as well be mythology to me.  They are so out of touch with what is possible for me and most others, that they might as well not be real.  Focusing on what others are doing will only lead me farther from focusing on proper doses of training stimulus and the inevitable breakdown that follows when I listen to myths about who does what, versus my own instincts.  I know that If I am smart and listen to my body, I will be ready to roll come June 29th- regardless of what training some other athlete does.  It was in fact Nick Clark's recent blog post that reminded me of the dangers of over-aggressive training too early in the year and his commitment to stay light in the buildup to Western until the right time.  Nick deems 2013 to be the year of "DISCIPLINE."  He acknowledges that in the past he too has done too much, too early, and it has cost him.  This is just another way of saying that he will use his self knowledge, gleaned from failures of the past, to advance to the next level.  I believe he may have just found the secret to a few more years on top of the mountain.  It will be interesting to see if his pursuit of the Grand Slam comports with what his body demands.  Time will tell and the ultrarunning world will be watching intently.

So...how does one come to know him/herself?  We can fail repeatedly until our time has passed and we can think of what might have been.  Or, before the sand slips through the hourglass, we can carefully define our nature, our essence.  Boil it down to who and what we REALLY are.  Pursue our own truth and cut away the remainder.  This was a key concept for pursuing universal truth for Socrates, Plato and Aristotle.  They would ask..."Chair, what IS a chair?  What is it about a chair that defines its chairness?"  Then, after deducing the minutia from its defining characteristics, they would know the nature or "form" of what a chair is- the universal truth of its existence.  The chair is just an example they used because it is easy to grasp and easy to define its form.  Base/Pedestal/Legs + Thing where your butt goes = Chair.  A back would be nice, but a chair exists without one.  The aim was to boil down the nature of ourselves and of existence to this simple recipe.  I'm not sure I'm there yet, but after 33 years of life, I am getting to know my nature quite a bit.  The harsh lessons of being an ultrarunner either teaches you quickly, or you retire.

By pursuing my true nature, the simplest possible existence for myself and my family, I WILL:

...be true to myself and stop trying to be the guy in the iRunfar interviews.  
...honor my truest motives- those that define my life and my nature.
...trust my gut and my warrior spirit.
...glimpse my potential...the one I have been eyeing for 28 years, when my father took me for my first run.

No more EXCUSES.  No more EGO.  No more BULLSHIT.  One, two, ten-thousand.  As my strength returns and my resolve fortifies, the path becomes clear.  On to Auburn.

B heads back into the sub-zero cold of the Wilson Creek Frozen 50K

2013 will be a big year for SCOTT.

Gorgeous powder day.

If you think you like coffee, you should try the amazingness that comes out of the AEROPRESS.  

Birthday Pumpkin Log Cake.

Poppin bottles.

Skater chicks.

Our Christmas tree harvest.

Still got it.  Katie spots.  Chalk dust chokes the air.

Earnin' turns.