Running
In March I will turn 36 years-old. Sadly, for a male long-distance runner I am thought to be at the end of my physical prime, if not already beyond it. Sure, many older runners do phenomenal things. For example, last year 85-year Ed Whitlock ran a sub-4:00 marathon, and 44-year-old Jeff Browning was the second-ranked ultra runner in the…
If the Indian Creek 50M had been held 72, 48, or even 24 hours earlier, the outcome for me would likely have been very different. I woke up on Tuesday with a sore throat and had full-on cold symptoms by the end of the day: coughing, wicked congestion, body aches, and a slight fever. I…
“Notes for next time” has become a regular feature on this site, following major hikes and races. Its usefulness to readers is unclear to me, but I plan to keep it up anyway — I reference them often enough prior to future big hikes and races to make the effort worthwhile. Let’s get started. Links…
Even after a few days of recovery and a substantial amount of sleep, I do not seem to recall my Silverheels 100 race as vividly as others. This may partly be a function of the course, which favors many shorter segments over a few extended efforts. But I think it’s also a reflection of my…
The Silverheels 100 starting gun fires tomorrow morning at 4 AM, and I will be there. With a field of only about 40 and without an obvious ringer, this appears to be the lowest pressure and least competitive ultra that I have done. Furthermore, I’m no longer intimidated by the distance, the weather forecast is…
The qualifying requirements for Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB), Europe’s marquee 102-mile ultra marathon, are unique and complex — and, some might say, brazen. They also underwent significant changes for the 2015 season. To help avoid disappointment or mid-season race shuffling (as I just went through), I thought I would provide an overview, and some insight…
San Juan Solstice 50-Mile Official race results When I turned off the gravel road onto the Alpine Gulch Trail (mi 2.3), I was in seventh place and my heart rate was unsustainable, in the low-150’s. In the lower reaches of this first 4,000-foot climb, three other racers (Frank Pipp, Owen Bradley, and Chris Marcinek) caught…
It’d been seven years since I last ran the San Juan Solstice 50M, and wish I’d kept a record like this one: Training After the Colorado Marathon, I increased my mileage and — much more significantly — my weekly vertical. Before the taper, I put in three consecutive weeks with 80+ miles and 15k+ climbing. I did not…
Somewhat reluctantly, I registered for the Colorado Marathon in early-January. If it had not been means to a Boston qualifier, it probably would not have been on my radar. Months of training on flat bike trails, country roads, and high school tracks? No thanks. Or so I thought. Now, two weeks removed from the race,…
Previous “Notes for Next Time” posts (like this one and this one) have proven helpful to me, and popular with you. Why make the same mistakes twice, or risk forgetting something that could help us achieve better results on a second attempt? Here are my takeaways from last weekend’s Colorado Marathon: Training Tempo efforts offer the…