Excercise Practice: March 30 to April 5, 2014

Sun 3/30: Boise.  13mi, 2500'.  Robie Creek Tempo.  Start at beginning of dirt.  Climb 5 miles to Adalpe Summit, fast back to truck.  Started 1 mile easy.  Then progressive tempo to summit arriving in 35mins (7min avg pace for the 2000' climb).  Few fast miles back down at 4:45 pace.  Met Brandi and went back up with her easy and back to truck.

Mon: 3/31: AM1- Brundage Skin and Ski 2x.  3100'.  Easy effort for 29 min climb splits. 

Tues: 4/1:  AM1- Brundage Skin and Ski 2x hard, 3100'.  Tempo effort first lap 25:50- 160 max hr.  Second lap was 27 min with each tenth of a mile my watch was set to beep- alternating easy and hard efforts.

AM2- Gym.  Sauna 15 mins.  Bike 30 mins.  5 mins easy, then 8 x 1min hard/ 2 mins easy.  Cranked the 8 mins very hard out of saddle on max resistance, getting HR up to 165- hard for me on a bike.  Strength, core and mobility work after.

Weds 4/2:  Brundage Skin and Ski 2x 3100'.  26:10, 30:40.  Went out hard on first lap and fizzled up high due to hard day yesterday.  Need to be more patient and ease into the workout smarter.  The problem is that there were other skiers on the hill ahead of me and I wanted to pass them.  I need to race soon.

Thurs 4/3:  Rapid River easy/long 5000', 2:30 mins,  16 miles.  Felt flat all day.  Took it easy and cut it shorter than the planned 4 hours.  Up to McCrea Cabin, then up some more to snow line.  Back easy with Brandi to J Jones Grave, then picked it up to 8 min pace last 5 miles.

Fri 4/4:  AM1- Brundage Skin and Ski 2x Easy.  3100'. Splits 29+, 30+. 
Am2- Gym.  Bike 30 mins intervals.  2 mins easy/ 2 mins hard.  Cranked hard out of saddle on the new spin bike at max tension.  Did 5 reps of 2 mins hard.  Then, did mobility and strength work, and hit the pool.  30 mins in pool.  5 mins easy, then 20 mins of 30 secs hard/ 30 secs easy.  Finish with 5 mins easy.  Went very hard.

Sat:4/5:  AM- Brundage Skin & Ski 2x, 3100'.  Easy effort.  4 inches of fresh meant brilliant and effortless skiing. 
Noon- McCall Track session with Brandi and Mo.  3 miles total.  Easy running several laps with 1 harder kilometer thrown in- 3:08.  Went home and tried to watch basketball.  Total fail.  3+ hour nap.


Totals and Recap:  51 miles, 23,000' vert.  Skiing is still good with new snow still piling up and urging me out into the dark mornings to get the freshies.  2 weeks until Robie Creek Half Marathon, but I still feel like the skiing is my best bet for training in the long term, so I will ride that gravy train until the snow fails me.  Probably stay in the pattern a while- skiing every day, doing a long run, tempo run and my faster work on the bike/pool intervals. 

Hell's Canyon Run and Training Update

Hell's Canyon Run

Post race beers with our friend Hannah and her bird dogs.  This terrain is typical of the entire canyon- allegedly the deepest in the continuous 48 states.

Brandi and I went down to the Snake River a few hours north of our home for a nice gathering of like-minded runners.  We got on a jet boat and were transported 25 or so miles up Hell's Canyon to fend for ourselves to get back.  This is a low key event that wishes to stay that way, so you will have to track it down through the appropriate channels if you are interested.  Instead of hyping it up- I'll do what what ultra-blogs do best- hype myself up!

I went there to run hard in the sun...and I did.  It felt awesome after a winter of 30 minute miles and -10F.  No joke on that.  The trail is over-grown with bunch grass and cacti, with a rock under almost every step.  I was very pleased to find each smooth section to be pacing 5 low.  But around every hairpin corner was a momentum killing techy section or another short/steep grinder.   Just when you got going, there was something to slow you down.  Nevermind much of the race punishes a simple stumble with a fatal plunge over a cliff into the raging and icy Snake.  The thump of a military Chinook chopper could be heard prowling above the angry waters looking for a body from a rafting trip.  A scary reminder to run smart.  I planned to keep it reasonable until the 8 miles to go point, where the bigger hills start and continue in your face to the finish.  It was great to feel strong as I pushed up the final steep hills with energy to burn, finding my way back to Pittsburg Landing in 3hrs 15 mins.  My watch registered 4200' vertical gain.   A perfect early season workout in such a beautiful setting. We hung out a while and chatted as our friends old and new came along to join us at the finish. Sitting on the tailgate drinking beers and telling tales of pain and joy.

B finished strong in just over 5 hours.  Photo: Yadi Spangenberg

GEAR:
Ultimate Direction Jurek Grip Handheld and Essential Waist Pack
1 VESPA Ultra Concentrate
15oz Water
2 VFUEL Gels
SCOTT MK4 (discontinued road shoe)

TRAINING UPDATE

On the training front, I have been doing very little running.  I have kept it to no more than 2 runs per week.  That said, I am in far better shape and health than I have ever been at the end of winter.  Perhaps better overall shape period, as some stout PR's on training runs have fallen at low heartrates.  Here is a typical training schedule that I have followed since December 1, after taking November off of exercise completely.

Running: 2 days a week with a few days between each run.  20-30 miles and around 7,000-10,000 vert total.  One short and intense (5-10) miles at tempo pace or broken into intervals of differing lengths and intensities, sometimes on the treadmill, always on a steep grade.  The other run is a 4 hour mountain run usually at Rapid River with no calories or water over 18-22 miles and 5,000-8,000 feet vert.  The long run can include surges on the hills if I felt strong and some off-trail hiking on very steep slopes where the elk live.

Skinning/Skiing: 2-4 times per week  3,000-12,000 per session.  My standard is 2 climbs at Brundage at tempo effort totalling 3,100 vert over 2.1 miles in 25-28 mins each climb. On easy days, instead of a short/easy run, I go up to the hill and keep my heartrate low and do 28-30 min climbs.  A few days this winter, I did big volume climbing- going 4-7 hours at a slower pace and racking huge vert.

Cross Training:  Approximately 2-3x per week, I go to the Aspen Club in McCall for my cross training.  Usually one of these sessions involved a few of the things below, sometimes after the workouts above.  Once a week (minimum) I wear lots of clothes and sweat a ton.  Fun and gross.

• Deep Water Running (DWR): Early in the winter, I did lots of pool running with an emphasis on maximal effort for short intervals.  I have phased this out, but will come back to it at any time if I need high intensity work with no pounding.
• Gym Bike: Once per week I do a session of all out 8 x 1 minute work reps at max resistance, out of the saddle, with 2 minute rest intervals.  I also did recovery sessions of 30 minutes.
• Stepmill.  The mill is money for racking vert.  At a good clip, I get around 4,000 feet of gain in an hour.  I mixed this in for some bonus vert when I didn't get to the ski hill. I usually wear a 6-10 lbs pack for this.  Generally a few plates in my AK race vest.
• Treadmill.  Besides running hill intervals (10-15% slope),  I frequently walk on the treadmill with a 6-10 lbs pack at a 15% incline at 4-5mph.  Do this for an hour and you will see it is a great workout.
• Strength/balance/mobility work.  Huge emphasis on balancing things out in my hips and core this winter.  Every day, usually twice.  Early in the winter I did circuit classes 2-3x per week with zillions of squats, lunges, pushups, planks, etc.  However, this quickly builds too much muscle, so I stop this after a month to focus on more functional and subtle moves.  I like to impress the meatwad beastmen with some Jane Fondas, superstizzacked into some sick clamshells.
• Plyometrics.  Jumping, leaping, bounding.  No more old man ultra jogger.  I used to be fast when I was 10.  I want it back.  Key moves are broad jumps, high box launch jumps, 1 leg high box jumps and the dreaded 1 leg hop up a big stairwell at the gym.
• Sauna.  15-50 mins before and after training.

So, why not just run?  Anyone who has read any of my whiny ramblings from winter and spring would know that I am not able to stay healthy with the brutal cold and harsh surfaces I have near home.  My pattern since starting running a few years ago has been injured shins all winter allowing no quality training December to July.  My goal is to avoid the huge down time that each season has lost due to these injuries.  With a bigger base of training volume, but no damage, I should be stronger as the local trails come into shape and my running takes off.  This will build to a natural peak in late-August for a romp through the Alps. 

Maybe.

A winter in the hills and canyons

A snippet of my training since January.  I've been off the grid.  Hungry for adventure in 2014.

Rapid River West Fork.  One four-hour run here each week.

Glassing hundreds of elk.

B skating in a local relay.  Their team was the Nordic Ninjas.

Wind River Trail and the Bouillon Mine Trail above the Salmon River, just east of Riggins, ID.

Wind River Bridge over the Salmon River.

Sergeants Mountain (North Brundage Peak, 7800'-ish) just after the new year.

Fall Creek Summit with the Crestline Trail running north. This is the heart of the IMTUF 100 course.

Brandi and her girlfriends skate skiing to Burgdorf in January.  They ski 21 miles to the Hot Springs.  Party it up with various libations.  Then, ski 21 miles back home the next day.  This old forest road is the start and finish of IMTUF 100, just a 1/4 mile from Burgdorf.

B, earning turns on a cold Brundage morning.

Another awesome day in the Canyons.

Robie Kitty.  Rollin in swag.

Shell-shocked and hypothermic after 5 hours and 11k vertical.  Skinning and skiing at Tamarack on a miserable -10F day.

Happy times with Miss Molly at Rapid River.

RR.

Molly will be in Nepal...walking across it for the next few months.  She should be ready to rip IMTUF a new one when she gets back home.  Strength and Honor young lady

The greatest race ever run

If you have never seen this race and don't know the outcome, please don't look it up or click ahead to watch the finish.  Just watch it.  It lasts only 1 min 45 secs.

First...Get psyched up like it is your own race day.   Today, you "the nobody," will be racing in the Olympics.  Nobody knows you and you are written off as a fluke who doesn't belong here.  However, you know something they don't know.  It's time to show them what you have been building while the world had its eyes on bigger and better things.  What you built day after day in the heat, wind, snow and rain.  Today is the day and you will show them all.

Finally, the time has arrived and the gun goes off.  You have waited patiently for months, now you will wait one more lap, THEN MAKE IT HAPPEN...


We may all be nobodies now, but as this race proves- even Napoleon Dynamite from Canton, Ohio in a goofy painters cap can be the best in the world one day, on the biggest stage.

Now I'm off to train with fire and purpose.  May we all have our Dave Wottle day just once before we die.  Yours might just be today.

Happy training,
jer

Twenty-seven, 8 x10, color glossy photographs, with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one...

Ok, now it's officially Thanksgiving. A Turkey Trot and Alice's Restaurant are more Thanksgiving than turkey and football.  Everyone enjoy this day of thanks.

Pretty good turnout.  Each year Brandi has grown it a little more.  Here, Brandi gives final instructions for the 6k course.  The Aspen Club's Third Annual Turkey Trot.

The overall winner...Timmy Olson???

Photo Reminiscing

Ran and exercised today- first time in over 3 weeks- unless you count fetching 6 cords of firewood.  Feeling great.  Doesn't feel like I missed a step.  Can't wait to get my training going with purpose.  For now, just easing back into the game.  Yoga, Circuit Classes, treadmill, nordic, stepmill, skin and ski, pool running.  This is my winter.  Working on my racing schedule next year.  Exciting stuff.

Been looking at some old time pics- from adventures of yesteryear.  Sitting around playing Playstation isn't worth photoing, so I'll throw some older shots up there.  Enjoy.

Diamond of Longs Peak, CO.  5.10 climbing at 14,000 feet is no joke.

Lumpy Ridge, Estes Park, CO.  Trying to rap the Nose Route in a looming storm, we encounter this guy at the base.   What do we do- face the storm or face this bear?  The storm fizzled out before it got to us and we hung out and watched this guy for an hour.

Indian Peaks Wilderness, CO.  Running up to Lone Eagle Peak on the west side of the IPW, I bumped into him not long after leaving the truck at first light.  He was very mad and had I not found a boulder to climb, I think he would have stomped me to death. 

Jah Man on Sister Superior, Moab, UT.  We ascended the soupy cloud bank into blinding sunshine.  Awesome climb and beautiful day in the desert.

At the base of Jah Man, Sister Superior tower, Moab, UT.

Brandi in the early squeeze chimney on Jah Man.

Time Wave Zero 5.12.  Potrero Chico, Mexico.  This 3000+ foot climb was great fun to the top of the Toro Peak.  We speed climbed it in about 8 hours round-trip (climb and rappel). Back in plenty of time for Cervesa at camp.

Atop Time Wave Zero, Potrero Chico, Mexico. 

Childhood's End 5.12, Big Rock Candy Mountain, South Platte, CO.
One of my favorite Colorado climbs with Brandi.  Physical and scary, this proud line runs 1500' or so feet through perfect granite to a great summit atop the dome.  The admission fee is long runouts on 5.10 and 5.11 slab climbing and a tough 5.12 crux.  No one around for miles.  I will never forget adventures like this.

Dogma 5.11c, Red Rock Canyon, Vegas, NV.  Great 2500+ foot climb on Mt. Wilson.

The business on Dogma.  Fingery and gently-overhanging for a long way- I am just getting to the summit or plummet move where you latch a big hold or fly about 40 feet.  I sent.  B sent too.  Awesome day.

B on Serenity Crack 5.10d, Yosemite, CA.

B in the midst of the Northwest Face of Halfdome 5.12c A1, Yosemite, CA.  We fired it in 13 hours- climbing as fast as we could for the 2000+ foot route.  Very committing.

Thank God Ledge, NW Face of HalfDome.  After 2000' of climbing the route hits a steep and blank spot.  Thankfully, Thank God Ledge traverses 100 feet left providing a reasonable passage to the last pitch.  Royal Robbins first did this pitch on the first ascent of the route in the 50's and said "Thank God."

B after finishing of the "Scenic Cruise" at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.  Long, hot and tough- we were glad to be out of that Hell Hole.  Gunny is known as "Yosemite...for grown-ups."  An intimidating place to climb for sure.

Arizona trip

Well, Javelina didn't go as planned.  I went out aggressively with the leaders- hoping to run under 14 hours.  I managed 70 miles in about 10 hours, but had to quit to avoid serious injury.  The last 40 of those miles were full of pain from a foot problem.  My feet had been aching coming into the race from the Bear 100, but I thought plenty of rest would fix them.  I also started in Hokas because the softness seemed to help the pain.  While running, I took some Ibuprofen and that worked for a while, but as the heat grew into the 90's I was unwilling to take any more meds for fear of kidney problems.  I had the lead after the 50k mark (3:54), but I had to stop after the next lap to ice my feet.  There, I changed into a SCOTT road shoe (AF Trainer) and that felt a little better.  Hal and an Arizona guy named Catlow passed me while I sat in the aid for 15 minutes.  I decided to try to go some more.  I managed another good lap to mile 60.  The pain was unbearable as I climbed up the hill to Jackass Pass at mile 70.  I stayed close to second place on the way up.  There, I asked the aid volunteers if I dropped, if I could get a ride back to the start.  The foot pain was severe and I feared it was breaking a bone in there.   I decided to quit.

I felt great, except for the foot thing.  I had to hang there for a while before my ride left.  I cheered on the other runners while I drank some beers.  First beer in a while.  It was great hanging out with Ian and greeting Hal at the finish.

The next day, presumably from limping for 40 miles, I had a big black and blue bruise indicating a bad strain of my right calf.  This was from favoring that bad left foot.  I had a lot of pain in my right hip/groin too.  I came into the race fantastically fit, but my tissues were obviously still recovering from the strain of the Bear, less than 1 month earlier.  The effort felt easier than any ultra I had ever done.  I had an unfulfilled season and I was trying to get one more good one before the fall fitness wore off and the snow fell.  I will learn from this and move on without regrets.  I had a nice time down there.  Running with Hal K, Joe G and Ian was fantastic.  We kept a good conversation going for the first 30 miles. They gave me a drop-down finish of the 100k- 8hrs 53 mins.  I'm not a fan of consolation prizes, so I didn't take a buckle.  I quit the race, plain and simple.

Now, I am taking a full month off of running.  I am almost 2 weeks into it and my feet, calf and hip still hurt.  I had a weird year- some success and several near misses.  My energy has never been higher as I make out 2014's race calendar.  I am actually looking forward to the torturous grind of training season.  I have some really big plans...

Early in the race- Hal, me, Joe G, Ian (Coury Photo)

Leading after 2 laps.  It was getting really hot. (Coury Photos

The Rhodes kids were a fantastic crew.

Arizona Hot Springs, near Hoover Dam.  Brandi and I stopped here for a quick run a few days before the race.  A great wash leads down to the Colorado River.  From here you climb up a very narrow slot canyon and climb up a ladder to the very hot pools.