Chasing Animals

2012 Race / Event Schedule

2012-02-07T15:45:00.000-08:00

Way Too Cool 50k
BackBone Trail through run?
Grand Canyon R2R2R
Silver State 50M or Zion 100M
Softrock
Run Rabbit Run 100M
TNFEC50MSF ?

January

2012-02-05T21:32:00.000-08:00

313 Miles
35,150'

NEXT!

2012

2012-01-02T14:29:00.000-08:00

HEY. I started 2012 off my favorite way with a run down Cal St. with Jacob and Austin. SO MUCH DAMN FUN. I have been running well and enjoying the non-winter in the Sierras as much as one could, getting ready for a couple of spring races: Way Too Cool and Zion 100. I am also excited to announce my partnership with New Balance Roseville as a member of their Race Team. Chris Ross is making a pretty big effort to take care of us, ( I'm not sure who all the other members are just yet) and I for one really grateful for his passion for the sport. I have been quite happy with what New Balance has been doing in terms of trail flats for the last several years, and also with last years road minimus shoe. Check out the shop if you want to fly around the trails in some of those kicks.

We are but Beasts! 5/1-7

2011-05-07T15:43:00.001-07:00

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Started this week with Diablo and just kept going. Tuesday's run from the Overlook to Murphey's Gate and back was a fun refresher and reminder of the area's I sorely need improvement on (descending form, turnover, maintaining an even pace on a rolling course).
The heavy back half of the week was a ton of fun, just getting up and down Peavine everyday in a mechanically consistent fashion in spite of the ebb and flow of perceived strength through the week. A couple of highlights from my summit fixation include; unexpectedly running in to Anthony on Wednesday's ascent and introducing Jacob to Peavine by way of a Friday midnight summit (Tyler and Austin were also with us on this moonless night) followed by three hours of sleep before getting up and attempting to double summit (he was successful, I was not) before he had to get back down the hill. I am very pleased with my recovery and am proud to pull off my largest week ever, with an even 100 and just over 20,000 feet gained.

I nearly blew out my quads this week and now hopefully will blow out your ears. Metal fans will be familiar with the next couple tracks, non-metal heads might find something you like because this is a sampling of the best.

This was an excellent metal week for me, starting with TBDM, the kings of extreme metal, releasing a new track and news that their record is complete and available mid-June.

I saw BTBAM rock this on Tuesday night. They played a perfect (as always) 90 minute set.

The breakdown at the end of this jam was on loop in my head on several runs this week. Conducting pummels you with this one. I love it, though the lyrics are a bit brutal even for the genre. Similarly, The Acacia Strain singer, Vincent, writes some pretty negative stuff but it is quite creative and tongue- in-cheek. (pretty well done fan video below).

Runnin' with the Devil

2011-05-05T11:21:00.000-07:00

I got a DNF at Diablo "60k" and I didn't drop.

After years of hearing local runners alternate between complaining and praising the old Diablo 50M, I couldn't wait to test my legs on its climbs and descents. 2011 saw the same race directors returning to Diablo with a shorter course, so I dove in headfirst.
Preparation for this race was a bit of a trip for me, as it was my first race in sometime over 18 months, and first ultra since my underwhelming debut at WTC back in 2009. I was planning on logging big miles all the way up through race day, but my energy levels were very low, leading to a very grouchy (in retrospect, beneficial) half-week taper. The day before the race we got a final instruction email that showed we would actually be running just over 40 miles instead of the advertised 37. Surprising for sure, but not an issue as this was really a test for my upcoming 50M at Silver State, so why not run further?
When Jacob got off work Saturday night I swung by his place and we took a short drive down to his dad's house in the bay area, which was a few minutes away from the starting area. I had a fitful sleep, but woke up refreshed and ready to go. For the first time in several days I felt a sense of calm towards the upcoming race. In light of recent fueling issues, I made a point of getting a ton of "safe" food (I don't usually eat before a run, as it highly increases the likelihood of a mid-run BM) down the hatch. About an hour pre-race I threw down a cliff mojo bar and a belly full of water. The forecast suggest we might see 80 degrees by the end of the race and Jacob and I debated the merits of carrying an extra bottle to be utilized in the later part of the day. He carried an extra empty and I did not, partly due to my recent exposure to much warmer temps on my 2 week southwestern road trip. My shorts and handheld were loaded with 12 gels (thanks to Jacob's seamstress connection I have an un-intrusive pocket that holds about 6) and my electric blue MT 100s were laced up tight, it was time to run!
The appeal of this course is in it's difficulty, amassing nearly 11,000' of elevation gain (More than Silver State 50M) after every bump is counted (more like 8,000' of meaningful gain). Jacob and I took off up front at a comfortable clip, eager to gap the field but knowing that we were gonna need strength later in the day. I followed right behind him for the entirety of the first climb, marveling at the ease of motion and efficiency with which he adapted to the various grades presented to us by the mountain. Every so often I would suddenly be falling behind him and made a point of really using the little transitions to pick up the pace (this was a race after all) and get back in step with him. The unique benefits of my three most recent training climbs became known quickly; The scope of The Grand Canyon trivialized the length or gain that any climb this day could offer at once, while the similar to Diablo but never-flat nature and significantly higher summit altitude of Peavine made some of the rolling and short drops of Diablo great recovery zones. Finally, the incredibly steep and fairly technical grade of K2 but the steeper pitches of Diablo's climbs to shame. About 2/3s of the way up the first climb we were suddenly on an exposed ridge, and the combination of views and sense of strength was a timely reminder of why I love to run in the mountains. We continued along a winding single track on top of the Bay Area for a while and soon enough cruised past 1st aid. It was a short push to the summit from there and I was quite pleased with myself at the general ease of effort it took to get to the top. I was not expecting anyone to be so near to us as Jorge Maravilla was at the turnaround, so I really let things fly as we started to descend. The three of us came through Juniper Creek for aid in no time and I left my shirt there to pick up on my final pass through. The next several miles were fun and challenging, as I pushed myself to remain a competitor in what was looking like a three man race. At around mile 11 or so I had to resign to holding a pace I could maintain through the day and hoping the best for the other two. Watching them gap me lasted another couple of miles it seemed and once they finally disappeared from sight I got a little down, but took solace in my general feeling of well being. At the bottom of a pitch so short and steep that it nearly jarred me into shitting my pants, there was a fork in the trail which was marked to go to the left, but had a pile of unmanned aid station supplies to the right (no ribbons that I saw). My first thought was to go right, but the heavily marked left side left me with the conclusion that the aid would be set up on the right (Why wasn't there a volunteer here? At least 50 people paid the $100 entry fee...) to stop runners from going that way. The rest of the descent was gradual and I slowed down a bit, fearing being off course from time to time but always spotting pink ribbons ahead. Before I knew it The climb I had assumed to be another annoying bump just kept going up and I was entering the unknown second ascent. I was apprehensive that it would chew me up, but my legs just clicked into climbing mode and while I was not cruising in the same fashion as the first ascent, I was running efficiently with relative ease. When told by an aid station volunteer that I was the first runner through, I assumed that he wasn't paying attention or that Jacob and Jorge had come through before he was even there. I was taken off guard upon coming into Juniper Creek to hear them tell me that I was indeed at the front of the 60k race. It does not feel good to think you have taken the lead based on a technicality, and that feeling was compounded by the fact that both leaders were clearly going to outrun me that day and one of them was a friend. I grabbed my shirt and told the RD that the two leaders must have been lost and that there were quite a few turns that were ambiguously marked, then headed up to the summit. At this point my right hamstring was pretty cashed, and I was looking forward to descending to the finish. I had heard horror stories about the difficulty of the last 8 miles without aid, so I was both eager and apprehensive to get after it. What a great trail! It was mainly smooth single track with several brief technical sections, and sure it was swarming with hikers, but everyone quick to step aside and I was not shy about announcing my oncoming presence. Other that a short and steep grunt up to the North Summit, I was treated to some awesome, though over grown switchback sections. My legs held up admirably as I skidded around turns crushed the smooth sections and jumped down the drops. Obviously, I was not at full strength but was running fast and feeling good, so to check my watch and see I was already 1:10 out from the summit (only "8" miles remaining) and still fairly high above the valley floor was a bit annoying. the soon enough I was at the bottom and after walking several of the final bumps came across the finish line just under 5:59 (a 1:30 split for the final "8" downhill? I seriously doubt it and according to my highly scientific, non GPS intuitions would say it was at LEAST 9.5). I told the finish staff about the leaders I assumed were lost and settled in, quite happy about my day. just about 20 minutes later, as I was making my way towards the creek, in came Jorge! He was looking strong and surprised to see me, immediately asking where I had gone off course.
...
After some discussion it became clear that my left at the fork of what was later to become the Camel Rock aid station should have been a right. Whoops! 8 minutes later Jacob was in and we discussed and were soon laughing over my mistake. I cut out about 5.5 miles ("mostly boring" according to Jacob) of the "60k", but am fairly sure I ran about 35 considering the time, effort, and course info provided by the RD. Don't look for me on a finishers list anywhere, but do expect to see me wearing my funky yellow finisher's shirt without shame. This training race gave me exactly the confidence I was looking for going into Silver State. I am grateful to have finally discovered the trails of Diablo and for the volunteers who devoted their time, but am not so sure I would pay for an event of such caliber again.
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1 gel pre-race, 1 every half hour except for @ 5:30 I figured I was just moments out of the finish and didn't really want to eat the final gel. I should have, as my final hour ended up being my worst feeling.
I also had 1 S! cap at hour 1-5.

4/24-30

2011-05-05T10:21:00.000-07:00

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This was a strange week. I was hoping to get closer to 60 miles and 15k feet, but halfway through I totally burned out and went through a roller coaster self loathing/ affirming cycle. The week started out pleasantly enough, with a reintroduction to climbing after my R2R2R attempt. Running in the Grand Canyon, while beautiful, was an incredibly difficult day for me. Looking back, 900 calories on a hot day for an effort of such magnitude seems, comically low. Fueling is a bit of a new thing to me as I have been in the habit of stretching 3-5 hour runs on an empty stomach or at most 1-2 gels. This is an approach I like for several reasons, (trains the body to go without, less stuff to carry, gels are expensive) but as my long runs get longer and more intense, sometimes a more aggressive eating approach would be appropriate.
This week's running had several highlights, such as Monday's effort ( I forgot to get a time) on Stagecoach, where I actually felt fast for the first time in a while, which was capped by the catching and leaving in the dust of a feisty mountain biker. The best news of all, however, was the snow free nature of my preferred ascent of Peavine Peak (6 miles from 5,200'-8,200'). The heat is on, and though there is still a deep blanket of white stuff covering the Sierras, the sun is here. I did miss a few days near the end of the week, and though it messed with my psyche a bit, my body just didn't feel right and I am glad for the rest.
Finally I would like to extend a large thank you to Veloyce and Marsha at Monsters of Massage for finding time for physical and spiritual healing, and Chris Ross of New Balance Roseville, for his unwarranted generosity. Through conversation at his store the other day, it became evident how much he cares for the sport and the foothill running community. Cruise by the shop of you haven't tried the NB Minimus Road yet, I just got them and am blown away by how capable they are in the mountains.

4/10-4/16 & 4/17-4/23

2011-04-27T09:17:00.000-07:00

(10-16)

(17-23)

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I spent the last two weeks driving around the central and southern coast of California, and then out to The Grand Canyon. There were brief stops in Oxnard, to work at Primalcon, (covering the gas bill for the 2,500 drive) as well as Phoenix and the LA area to see friends and family. The trip was a blast and while my daily routine took a hit, I was happy enough with the end results and got to run in some inspiring new locations...
The Grand Canyon
I was out there the same day and Krissy and Devon, they smoked me. That many miles with that much gain is HARD. I suck at walking. Recovery was a snap, so I guess I am just getting stronger (I fear I am getting quite slow as well).

4/3-9

2011-04-11T09:54:00.000-07:00

46 miles
7:51 hours
9,500' gained
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I want to race. I'm not fit to race anyone...
Working at AR50 may be more tiring than running it. If anyone has pictures from our aid station (Last Gasp) please let me see 'em.

3/27-4/2

2011-04-02T13:46:00.000-07:00

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Seeing (and feeling the cumulative fatigue of) a 5 digit total of feet gained is sweet. Astute readers will notice I name my shoes as if they were pets (Yes I absolutely would name a dog "Black Death"). Running in Reno this week was divine, digging out my snowed-in tipi on Thursday (note 0 miles that day) was NOT. The sun is out, snow is melting, life is great.

The riffing by Abysmal Dawn on "In Service of Time" literally keeps me awake at night.

3/20-26

2011-03-26T12:27:00.000-07:00

34.5 miles
5:28 hours
3350' gained
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This was a planned down week before I ramp up for the next two months. I took a couple days off and spent most of the week feeling strong and energetic. I was quite happy Monday morning's mellow run up and down stagecoach with my good friend Monte Barnard. Monte is the vocalist for one of my favorite bands, THE ANTIOCH SYNOPSIS, (Follow the link to stream or get a free download of all of their recorded material) who played an awesome set last weekend opening up for After the Burial and As I Lay Dying. They are playing a couple more shows in the Sacramento-Reno area in coming months, so check them out. Thursday I got out in the rain twice. My morning run included double ascents of cardiac (800' in just over 3/4 mile), and a fast return on the canal where I tried to "hunt" down a runner I saw about 1/4-1/2 mile ahead. I don't know where they went but I knocked out roughly 1.5 miles in a little under 10 minutes and it felt GOOD. This was also my first run of significant length (11 miles) in the NB Trail Minimus. I am really happy with them so far, except when running a short stretch over a pile of sharp rocks along the railroad tracks where there are NO smooth places to step. Thursday evening I got out again, this time to cruise the canal with Jacob. I am very grateful to have him in my life, for I consider him to be both a friend but also someone to emulate, in running and attitude. I know he will be giving it his all at AR50 in a couple weeks and I expect the combination of training and mindset to guide him to a worthy performance. Keep an eye out for mountain tigers everyone!

3/13-19

2011-03-20T12:14:00.000-07:00

39.5 Miles
6:13 Hours
3650 ft/gained
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Uphill success! I had several deliberately (sloow) paced climbing efforts this week. First, a test up stagecoach's 875' from the river back to town, followed a couple days later by 2x k2 (15:05,15:01) plus a stagecoach cool-down. Running in the rain has been great in that it offers solitude if one desires it (love it). I didn't see many folks out this week. My focus the last three weeks was to reawaken my body to running on a nearly daily basis, and allow the annoying hangups in my lower legs to work themselves out. This approach seemed to work and now my sights are firmly set on racking up the vertical. I regard Silver State as a course catered towards the strong rather than fast, and as a result will try to really get my climbing legs in top form over the next two months.

Love this song/record/band

March 6-12

2011-03-13T22:24:00.000-07:00

42 miles
5:06 hours
0 ft gained
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Gonna start running up soon. Mt. Tigers Jacob and Big Chris showed up big time at WTC.

2/27-3/5 - Italian Tune-up

2011-03-06T20:45:00.000-08:00

41.25 miles
5:37 hours
0 ft/gained
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There were a few runs but none of note in the missing weeks here. I was caught up in the chaos of multiple storms dumping on the sierras, distrust of my tender achilles, and fairly significant work responsibilities (one could say that my restaurant job in fact places me with very little responsibility, but I was there 10 of 11 days with a few double shifts thrown in to make a final cash grab during presidents' weekend and the following "ski week"). Now my stint at the restaurant is over and with it goes the snowy tipi lifestyle. I will be back an forth between Reno and Auburn from now until I figure out a summer job. This week was a reminder of why I often state my disdain for snow. Running on the dirt of the canal trail (hence the non-existent gain) has been nearly too much fun. I spent the week cruising around, making a point to baby my lower legs, until Saturday evenings run in the rain, where I finally let the dogs off leash and crushed out 5 miles, followed up with some primal style fun (pullups, pushup, tire flips, and most importantly, all-out sprints) in the warm rain. The sprinting seemed to really polish off whatever inflammation was going on in my achilles, because since then I haven't had that strange painful snagging tugging feeling that I was nearly used to but fairly concerned about. Care is still the order of the week, since I though I had this shook in mid January, only to be let down when I started running on the terrain that I live for (up and down). I will probably spend another week running the canal as a precaution before I test out the moving parts on cardiac or stagecoach. It should be noted that the canal is dominating my life right now, as I attribute the return of my springy step to frequent and lengthy stands in the cold water with Austin just as much as any previously stated positive training.

2/6-2/12

2011-02-13T19:51:00.000-08:00

23 miles
3:03 hours
830 feet gained
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I skipped a week because it was made up of one very frustrating run where I knocked out 8-ish miles and 1500 feet on stagecoach, but more importantly flared up my achilles big-time.
Upon getting over the combination of anger at being hurt and fear of not recovering well, I got back to moving, though with pretty conservative goals. My pain seemed to be fairly pinpointed on the interior right achilles, and would flair up right after I got done climbing, leading to the strange sensation of it feeling ok going up but not coming down. My focus instead was to get to really working on my form and force the barefoot and recovery. Running fast on flat trails did not seem to be an irritant, so perhaps in the next few weeks I will try to pick up a little bit of speed. After an array of short runs through the week, and a lot of time in the Truckee River and Auburn Canal, I was ready to try out some climbing. Ideally I would be doing this somewhere that would be easy to bail out if things acted up, and without having to run back down what I just went up. Such a "trail" does exist, but has always been the kind of thing I scoffed at... until now. On Saturday I ran for 5.5 miles on a TREADMILL, getting a) about 830 feet in one push, and b) drenched in sweat. Mentally it was fairly challenging, but with the addition of music to my run, I had a pleasant time. It was a pretty far cry from heading up a mountain, but it was also painless a painless "ascent". So I grudgingly admit, I will probably find my way back onto it a couple more times in the near future

1/23-1/29 Hope

2011-02-03T11:39:00.000-08:00

18 miles
2:18 hours
0 feet/gained
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I took it very easy this week, when all I really wanted was to go hard. I was in Auburn working on shirts for the Running School Fun Run, and ended up just just boppin' out a couple of short runs on the canal and barefoot stuff at the park. By the end of the week I was running kinda fast and feeling good. Unfortunately, To kick off this current week I needed to start going hard and long, and as a result my achilles is quite inflamed. I can jog around, but ascents seems to be ripping me up. So, WTC is out, Silver State is still in.

1/16-1/22

2011-01-26T10:27:00.000-08:00

I didn't run once this week as part of a pretty aggressive effort to heal my right achilles.

1/9-1/15

2011-01-20T21:38:00.000-08:00

15 miles
2:04 hours
2600 feet/gained
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My Achilles hurts a lot.

1/2-1/8

2011-01-08T14:22:00.000-08:00

37 miles
7:06 hours
6500 ft/gained
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I am much more pleased with the total time on my feet this week rather than mileage completed. I was not moving particularly fast on my three runs this week, but that is in line with my makeshift attempt to get some sort of base in before Way Too Cool in roughly 2 months. I am taking off significant time each week because I still have little trust in my body to handle high mileage after taking off the better part of 2010 with a slow healing stress fracture. Instead of my preferred daily routine, I am following the advice of good friend and mentor Brad Kearns, who has repeatedly suggested that cramming lots of quality workouts into a short part of the week would be to my benefit. This seems to be working alright, as my body is settling into the long runs in the snow (I have yet to gain much appreciation for running in the sloppy or deep stuff). All in all I still find myself drawn to and missing those weeks where I am running more than once a day. For now I am happy with what I have and look forward to getting on the track in a few weeks to find a little bit of speed for what is sure to be a blazing fast race in March.

12/26-1/1

2011-01-02T00:08:00.000-08:00

51 miles
8:46 hours
6000 Ft/gained
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Had a righteous 50k to start the year running from Driver's Flat to Cal 1 and back. I am noticing my strength building quickly, as a mini bonk around mile 22 and a major bonk at mile 28 were both EASILY undone by adding some calories to my empty tank. At mile 22 I ingesting my first calories of the day in the form of 1 GU. That got me kick started for the next 45 minutes before I fell completely apart, only to be given charity calories by Ken Crouse. after a couple minutes of walking up Driver's Flat, I could put together complex thoughts and soon got back to running. It was a beautiful snowy day, and I was happy to share a portion of it with Austin and Jacob.
Here's to a healthy 2011!

12/19-12/25

2010-12-31T16:17:00.000-08:00

8 miles
2 hours
1500 ft/gained
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Welp, better to not run just because rather than being injured. The holidays and work and laziness combined to make for one pitifully slow run/ cat chase this week. Also, I got a a tattoo on my head.

Mountain Cat

2010-12-26T09:54:00.000-08:00

Austin and I saw a mountain lion the other day. We came upon a kill site on our run up Peavine.
The shin-deep snow was blown up and covered in fresh blood. A couple of moments of detective work had us a few meters up the ridge to the east. Then, looking at the top of the ravine to the west, I realized that the victorious party of the recent struggle was about 200 meters away, watching us with a disinterested eye... I wish I had a camera.

12/12-12/18

2010-12-20T10:27:00.000-08:00

36.5 miles
5:55 hours
5800 Ft/gained
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Three great runs this week, but my body is responding kind of poorly, so I skipped a final planned long run. I am pretty happy with the way things are progressing though. I spent a couple hours shoveling snow yesterday and it seemed to loosen up all of those worrisome aches.

12/5-12/11

2010-12-11T15:25:00.000-08:00

30.5 miles
4:50 hours
2300 feet gained
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I worked within the combined limits of a very hectic school week and a non-compliant ankle this week, so I ended up cutting out what was to be a long hard run Saturday. I planned to take the first four days of the week of to work on other things, and then begin a short and intense run this Thursday on Cardiac. Friday Austin and I ran the final 23 miles of the(NEW) WTC course in a warm rain. I intentionally kept the pace easy and was happy to cruise around the very fast (Ball Bearing's "replacement" route up to ALT covers about 700 ft in 3 miles...) course in a pedestrian 3:45. I tweaked my ankle a bit in one of the 10+ stream crossings but it seemed fine until this morning. The 5 hour work night didn't work out all the stiffness as one would hope. Seeing that weight bearing was pretty uncomfortable, I tried to warm it up with no success. This led me to blow off today's longish, slow, snowslog "run" I had planned. It feels like things will get back in working order shortly though, and as a result im my general pleasure with yesterday's long run I went ahead and signed up for Way Too Cool. Time to go stick my leg in a snowdrift.

11/28-12/4 weekly totals

2010-12-04T15:29:00.000-08:00

38.5 miles
6:50 hours
6900 ft/gained
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I am overjoyed to be getting in meaningful runs again in the mountains, even if it means I am post-holing through several feet of "Sierra Cement". Fortunately for me, though to the chagrin of my snowboarding friends, storms are few and far between up here, so I can look forward to breaking in a couple of trails. I am gratefully quite busy wrapping up a fairly hefty semester workload and look forward to the reward of my scholarly days coming to an end, or at least going on a long hiatus. The biggest change related to this is my in-progress move to Truckee, where I will live through the winter and early spring in a tipi with my brother (Tipi tales available here).
Really happy to be racking up gain again, but taking it really easy on the descents, as I just don't have tons of confidence in my recover-ed/ing tibia. My numbers aren't huge this week, but they came over just four runs, one of which was more of investment in breaking a couple miles of trail than workout.

Running

2010-09-01T22:16:00.000-07:00

Let's see...
15 weeks
4 days, 5 runs
24 miles

Summer did not rule.

Spring/Summer

2010-05-16T12:12:00.000-07:00

What a season!

This week started with a blustery, hand numbingly cold and wet run in Reno and ended with a warm, dusty run to Cool and back. My only drinking water came out of the sprinklers that were on in the middle of the day (What water crisis?) at the fire-station. Snow melt has the waterways swollen and I am taking full advantage, check out these very recently used public baths!

(Black Hole of Calcutta Falls, on the WS trail. A great spot to get a shower, wash blood off your face/out of your beard, or go for the full submersion.)

(A fun place to swim across the American River. The crossing just below the rapids is a crucial part of the ConLer loop, the official summer kickoff run. The dam scars sure are ugly though!)

(The Death Zone. My favorite Auburn ice bath. This runs through my parent's backyard as well as for a couple miles along the Sierra Nevada course just at the top of Cardiac Hill.)

Additionally, I got my first 60 mile week in a while, and it felt good. A couple of trips up Cardiac and a decent run up K2 are getting the climbing muscles back in shape. One week from today I will be done with the semester and couldn't be more excited to get up to the mountains.

DIO is dead!

Cross Training

2010-04-15T21:03:00.000-07:00

I feel like I am not alone among runners in my disdain at the thought. I run because its fun, which is not something I can say for cycling, (Ok, sometimes I have fun on the MTB, and cruising around on my black two speed is alright when I need to get somewhere) swimming, or lifting weights. XT seems like a general waste of time and energy that I would MUCH RATHER put into a run.

(Kenny Powers bringing heat)

I much prefer to look at my weekly running log and see upwards of ten runs a week, and right now that seems to be working great. The way I see it, different terrain and daily goals expose my legs to a smattering of different forms of fatigue and though body parts take turns hurting here and there, it is nothing enough to complain about in earnest. My weekly schedule is starting to become comfortingly routine, (since a frightening Achilles strain in February) and looks a little something like this:
4-5 modest effort/elevation gains (800Ft or more in a single shot. I am currently in the foothills after all).
4-6 rolling/flattish runs.
3-6 barefoot cool downs (sometimes these end up not being cool downs at all, as incorporating 100m strides adds some excitement to the laps around a soccer field) lasting 8-15 minutes.
Overall weekly mileage is hovering around the bare minimum of what I consider beneficial training in the 45-60 region but I am building at a much slower approach compared to the usual impulsive rush into higher miles. I’m actively avoiding any long runs, which is a bit of a tease with a body that feels hardened and ready to get after it. School is a good excuse to keep my runs contained to sub 90 minutes, but the semester end is just around the corner and the sudden excess of free time is going to line up nicely with my need to go out long enough to get a good sunburn.

Does slacklining count as XT? It’s yer call!

Winter

2010-02-12T23:33:00.000-08:00

If I hadn't been incredibly busy the last few months or so I would have written sweet blogs with titles like
Pneumonia
Stomach Flu
Finals
Busy Busboy at a Fancy Resort Restaurant
Snowshoes are Lame
Beautiful Santa Barbara

Basically, school and work are dominating my life, but my health has recently returned and I am running moderately well. I'm looking forward to more sunny days running.

Injury break.

2009-11-30T22:08:00.000-08:00

It’s been awhile…

The duathalon was a major success for me, I ran really fast without using much energy and rode pretty strong without even falling. The ride was kinda stressful because I was checking over my shoulder the whole time for the mountains bikers to come flying by me. Turns out I built a pretty nice lead in the run because I never saw them.
The best way I could think of cooling down was to go run a moderately paced 2.5 hours with Jacob Rydman, the fellow who dominated me at the Sizzler Relay. One rattlesnake encounter, a couple wrong turns, a sweet 15 minute barefoot cool down, and suddenly it was getting dark and I was done.

The next couple of runs saw me getting carried away with the joys of running fast, as I got after it pretty hard with the 400s and mile repeats. Naturally I bit off more than I should have, and after a couple of hard runs and really fun mountain bike rides on my newly converted singlespeed, I decided to pay attention to that knee pain I had been ignoring since before the duathalon. Today is the official end of two weeks off of running and riding entirely since I have patellar tendinitis and was recommended to take a short break. Cycling was out because I have a single speed MTB and a 2 speed road bike, neither of which is exactly easy on my knees.
I happily spent my time off driving all over the country, first to Yellowstone to "chase" wolves, even though I spent most of my time viewing wildlife through high powered scopes, my mom and I were lucky enough to catch sight of a wolf wandering around in plain visibility when we were on a hike along the Lamar River. After getting back into California I headed down to the XC State meet and watched some of my buddies run some pretty good times. It was my first experience at a major cross country meet and outside of the pathetically short race distances (I only say this because I am too slow to be competitive), it seemed like a lot of fun and something I wish I had taken advantage of back in the day.
I am feeling good about the future though as I had a nice easy spin on the 2 speed tonight and rode long enough that I was warm but never hit the pain that had been coming in the first 5-20 minutes. Looking forward to getting an easy run in one of the next two days and then get back to the LONG runs, but maybe back off a bit on the speed and biking business.

The Season Continues...

2009-11-07T21:19:00.000-08:00

(Site of a very recent run)

Due to the unfailing tenacity of the warm temps in recent weeks, I have yet to call a close to “shirtless mountain running” season, though we are now a week deep in November. I began a memorable stretch of days with a big run on the PCT while on my way to Reno for Halloween festivities. In just under three hours I got on top of three summits, starting with Castle Peak then tagging two smaller mountains while I was up above 9K feet. This was also the first long run I did in my MT100s after I tore out the glued in sockliners. The glue left little ridges which resulted in huge blisters on both feet. That added up to some major "fun" when I was standing around at a bar hours later, and although enough time had passed that I felt like it was the next day, my achy legs were a good reminder that I had put in major miles that morning.

Sunday was spent mostly horizontal, as I kept putting off a little recovery run up Peavine for a battery of lame reasons. The combination of a late morning and the time change caught me by surprise as the sun was already looking ready to retire and I had yet to do anything. I rallied and tore up Peavine, climbing the 3,000ish feet and reaching the summit just a few minutes after then sun disappeared. I was treated with an awe inspiring red, orange and yellow (extra color added by some fires) sunset over the Sierras, while at the same moment, the nearly full moon was just rising to my east. The huge moon looked close enough to juuuust touch, and was accompanied by a purple and blue sky. I was inspired to let out a monstrous HOOOWL before scurrying back down the dirt road, suddenly finding myself, if not feeling, then at least appearing rather underdressed in my shorts and shoes. A couple of “adventurous” folks had driven up Peavine, presumably to watch the sunset because I got a couple of honks and dust clouds in my face from fast moving SUV’s on the upper dirt road section. By the time I got onto the trail and into the little ravine that leads back to the city it was dark. I just blasted away feeling energized from the spectacular scene I had witnessed moments before. I didn’t even notice the usually difficult, technical sections of trail and ended up running my fastest descent split yet, (which isn’t really worth much for two reasons: first, I usually run Peavine on easy days, going especially easy on the way down, and second, I do tend to get a bit paranoid when running alone at night. As much as I relish the chance to see wildlife on the trail, I get slightly less comfortable thinking about what is out in the darkness seeing me and therefore tend to giddyup.)

On Monday I cruised up Mt. Rose and had my first snow encounters of the season. There was a nice patch at the beginning of the trail for about an eighth of a mile which seemed to do a pretty good job discouraging most day hiker types from venturing out any further. That left the rest of the mountain as my private playground and I barely saw any more snow until I got to some nice, icy stuff near the summit. I avoided any slides and got a nice mouth and face full of frigid water from a creek containing some very recently melted stuff. Gotta love runoff in November.

The rest of the week went along smoothly with a surprisingly fun track workout and a literal crash course through the trail I will be riding tomorrow in the ARC / Victory Velo duathalon. Friday I got back to running long miles and had a really fun run right from my front door. I went down WS in reverse, up K2 (13:28), and back onto WS until Brown’s Bar. From Brown’s I headed up Goathill (4:33), which I have only been up once before, in last March’s Way Too Cool sufferfest. I was astounded by how short and easy the hill was, and a little upset with myself for not having the juice on race day to run this course as well as I should have. I pushed back to Cool following the race course and drank out of the spigot before my easy cruise back to Auburn. Following the run I spent some premium time in the canal, which is at an optimal depth, hitting almost the whole lower body while I am still standing. Lots of canal time this week has kept my legs feeling mighty peppy, I wonder how long that will last. Additionally, I have been using a couple of Cytosport products that they gave me, Monster Amino and Fasttwitch. I don’t know to what extent they are helping but they taste good and I feel good, so that’s worth something. I ended the week with a couple of repeats on Stagecoach, doing my best to damage mountain bikers self esteem by giving them positive encouragement as I go cruising past them on the 2+ mile climb. All and all I was left counting up my first 8+ hour week (The PCT Halloween run counted towards the previous week) in quite a while and I am feeling pretty good about a big block of late fall running.

Group Leader

2009-10-12T22:57:00.001-07:00

Come join me this Saturday for the Auburn Running Company group run.
Good times are sure to be had and we can all mutually stoke each other out on the in-store appearance of the White Horse (Caballo Blanco), himself coming up later that evening.
Keep in mind that I am NOLS Wilderness First Responder certified and am itching to get to put some of my knowledge into action. Therefore, I aim to lead the most treacherous group run ever!
Of course I say that in jest, the run is (as always) open to all levels and is not intended to be a race or an avenue to injury. Hopefully lots of folks show up ready for some good times on the (potentially muddy) trails.

New Balance MT100 Rave

2009-10-11T21:51:00.000-07:00

In the last year (give or take) there have been a few new Trail shoes introduced to us that I would find reason to be excited about. First there was the much-delayed (and highly anticipated by the author) La Sportiva Skylite. Following soon after were the INOV-8 X Talon 212. I Tried the Skylite’s and was happy to be done with them, and though I have not tried the 212, I lost interest in what INOV-8 is up to after I ran a total of two times in their F LITE 230s (turned out to be two times too many). The hyper aggressive outsole of the 212s is also more then just a slight turn off. Though still suffering from nagging shin splints this past June, I decided they were healed enough to the point I would start training again in earnest and I started logging miles exclusively in the NB 790s. The 790s could perhaps be best described as an excellent shoe, though host to some wacky design attributes that serve to take away from its strong foundation (low and light, flexible and not insanely narrow). The things that came to annoy me most about that shoe were, in order of relevance: The outsole/tread pattern. The forefoot tread left something to be desired, but the big drawback here was that they went with an overlay type outsole (I assume to cut weight). This outsole had a series of tread “bumps” across the forefoot. Once I would put anywhere from 90-120 miles on a pair of 790s, the thin forefoot cushion would be broken down enough to the point that as a mid-forefoot striker, I they would push through and it almost felt like you were wearing a worn out pair of cleats. Essentially, the bumps pushed into my feet in uncomfortable ways to the point of really aggravating the nerves up there. This problem lead to a very high shoe turnover, which is unfortunate in that it hits me in my very thin wallet, and that it creates more waste shoes. The next issues are rather trivial but still worth noting as this is an in depth critique of shoes I have become intimately familiar with. The toe-box was wide to the point of being sloppy. Not too sound like a complainer because it didn’t ever cause any real discomfort, but it was more than what is necessary (considering my wider than average foot). The upper was bulky and stiff, and didn’t mesh well (pun intended) with the minimalist midsole and outsole of the shoe.

That being said I love the 790s and was very concerned about my running shoe future since they stopped production many months ago. I knew the NB was building a new low profile trail racer and assumed that it would be under the guidance of their outdoor “ambassadors” Tony Krupicka and Kyle Skaggs, so the prospects for a great improvement were certainly exciting. I first heard about and saw (on the internet) the 790 replacement, the MT100 in the late spring. It was being advertised as even lighter than the 790. In Leadville this July, Tony was gracious enough to show me some of the preproduction MT100s. The extremely simplified design was cool, but my main excitement lay in the slightly built up forefoot protection plate and one-piece (non overlay) outsole. Finally, I got a pair from my New Balance rep Shane on my 22nd birthday. I have been blasting around my local trails and non-local mountains in them for about a month and a half now and have nothing but positive things to say about the shoe.

790 vs 100

The outsole/forefoot plate are delivering as expected, with the same amount of flexibility and surefootedness provided by their precursor, but in a more useful (grip on sand and it looks like they will tear through the mud as well) and protective package.

(Notice the orange outsole "bumps on the 790 as well as the midsole on the outer midfoot getting destroyed due to a lack of outsole and the corresponding "corrections" in the MT100 on the left)

The upper is about as simple as they could make it. Lightweight mesh, non-padded tongue (Yay!), and plastic and metal ornament free; it fits my foot snugly but is not too tight by any means, simply an elimination of the slop I cavalierly complained of earlier.

(which is more streamlined?)

So far it seems as if they simply straightened out the little hitches keeping the 790s from perfection. My pair of size tens (they fit a half size smaller than 790s) weigh exactly 8.5 ounces apiece, but on my feet they don’t feel like anything at all. Lastly, they come in three pretty nice looking colors, a light grey, my pair of dark grey, black, and red, and an awesome looking red-orange color that I hope to get my hands on after I go through my remaining pairs of 790s.

Mountain Running

2009-10-11T20:38:00.000-07:00

I had been toiling away in the summer heat the last few weeks, until one day not too long ago, I woke up to find it was Fall. The cooler temps were delightful, but I found myself suddenly quite aware of the oncoming winter (snow). Getting up on top of mountains has become PRIORITY NUMBER ONE (not sure that it wasn’t already). So with renewed vigor I have recently been up Peavine in Reno (snow on top!!!!), Brokeoff Mountain in Lassen NP (the meeting point of the Sierras and the Cascades), and just today an ascent of Castle Peak followed by an epic ridge run. After spending most of September getting reacquainted with the life of a commuter/student and doing altogether too many races, it is nice to look at the calendar and know that the only events planned for the next several weeks are based around running to a summit and returning to camp. Oh yea, I also ran (most of the way) up Mt. Whitney a couple of weekends ago, props to Elke for getting me out of the Tahoe Basin and running up the highest peak in the Continental USA (and also my first ascent of a 14er). As joyful as the Whitney trip was, it also signaled the end of the TOAD Era. Though I will miss that ugly little wagon, I am happy to report I am driving around in a truck now and the comparative amount of space for storage and sleeping is over the top to the point of near luxuriousness. Hopefully I don’t get soft or anything like that.

Team Hayduke/Seldom Seen @ Lake of the Sky

2009-09-13T19:16:00.000-07:00

Mark this as my second race report of the week (why were they both relays?) Saturday I ran the first half of the Lake of the Sky Marathon Relay and my brother finished up the second half. I'm not exactly sure how many teams there were for this distance but I get the feeling it wasn't many. Our goal was to just stay ahead of everybody. Coming into the race I was a solid 0/3 on this course, every training run I did here was just plain bad. I was hoping that a race day mentality would bring an end to the cycle of suffering. The turnout was larger than expected, and I got parked just in time to throw my shoes on and toe the line. I took off right out the gate and was alone for the next three or so miles. Shortly before the first aid station a runner pulled up next to me and we cruised along alternately trailing each other by 20ish yard gaps for the next 5 miles or so. I would casually look behind us on some of the switchbacks and saw no one close behind. Soon I started feeling pretty nauseous and hungry, so I forced down a GU hoping to get some solution to one or the other annoyances. At this time I let the other runner pull out of sight (he was running a different distance).

The last several miles I again spent alone but unfortunately fell off pace a bit, and on a climb near the end I was very perturbed to see two runners gaining on me. I pushed up to the top and was greeted with a sign indicating my race would be done in a quarter mile. I rushed into that aid station pretty frustrated that I had let some folks close the gap that I had intended to be much larger for Tyler. He was ready to go and took right off. I had confidence in his fresh legs and his general downhill running ability, but I didn't know if a sub four hour team finish was possible after my half marathon took just under 2:05. Only a few minutes later another marathon relay team came in, followed by the leader of the overall marathon. I stretched out for a bit and soaked in Watson Lake, feeling generally uneasy being in a position to do nothing (and perhaps not doing enough when I had the chance). The drive back to the start/finish was quick and upon arrival I sipped on a pepsi which finally settled my stomach. It didn't take much waiting before I saw Tyler blazing down the road. He crossed in 3:57 and some change (a 1:52 split)! It was a really exciting moment for me because not only did the Curley brother's get to team up for the win, but also because he completely dominated the second half of the run. After hanging out for over ten minutes we took off, (he had to get to work) but the next finisher was still nowhere to be seen.

Sizzler 10+ Mile Relay

2009-09-07T11:45:00.000-07:00

Sizzler is another short "trail race" in Auburn that up until about a week ago I had no intention of doing. In reality, about 1/2 of the race is on roads above the canyon rim (mostly Lincoln Way, one of the busier roads in town, this course provided me with the distinct pleasure of running through two very crowded intersections). Beside the paved element, the main source of my hesitation was that I am racing another relay on this upcoming Saturday and was originally thinking of only doing the full 10.4 or whatever distance for the Sizzler. Austin had won that distance last year and I wanted to see if I could match his time. When I was talking to him on Friday before the race, he asked me to do the relay with him. Now considering how uncomfortable I was racing a "scant" 10 miles on my last outing, I wasn't sure that a 5 mile race really appealed to me. Running as a team would be fun though and I am desirous of "defending my turf". What really sealed the deal for me was when Austin said we could get a free entry by helping to mark the course, then suggested that I run the first leg and just tack on a few miles from the hand-off point so the morning would be more worth my while. Sold.
Regarding the actual race, I made myself promise to run smart for once and peak at the end of my leg. Since I know the course well I made a plan to allow the lead group to take off and just keep an eye on them until we got to Robie Point. From there I would turn on the jets and get up front before we got on the trail, which I always anticipate as the area where my talents are best put to use. The start did go just about exactly as planned, I couldn't help but chuckle to myself at the larger then expected lead group that took off right at the get go. I did have some fear that I was going to regret my "easy" start, but more likely they were set for some major blow ups. An interesting thing about these short distance races is the timing aspect of them. 15 minutes in we were heading down the last stretch of Western States in reverse, and I had already begun my second half push.
By the time I was on the trail I was in second place, about a minute behind the leader, Jacob (the dude is a significantly faster runner than me). By the bottom of the switchbacks I found him in plain view probably 20-30 seconds ahead. I tried to really zoom down the railroad grade to No Hands, but he had the leg speed to pull ahead. I knew that Austin had the ability to seriously overpower the second runner of the leading team, so keeping the leader in my sight seemed like a pretty good position to be in.

I dug deep and ended up getting to the the switching point in just over 34 minutes (I think this leg was about 6 miles?) and a pretty close 40 seconds behind the first runner. I watched Austin burst away and felt very confidant that he would have the lead fairly quickly.
I then eased up Stagecoach as a cool down and caught a ride to the finish (but not in time to see Austin come through for a comfortable win!)

Weekend Fun

2009-08-23T18:47:00.000-07:00

The last time I ran over three hours was in March. This weekend I was able to push beyond that barrier once again but with some expense. In preparation for running the Lake of the Sky Marathon Relay with my brother in a couple weeks, I went to check out the section of the TRT that I would be racing. Starting from Tahoe City I went up and up, briefly down, and then a lot more up. This is one of the rougher stretches of the TRT, fairly rocky and lots of exposure. I started the run feeling like I had finally cleared out whatever bug was in my system earlier in the week. That being said, I also felt as if I was coming off a spell of not getting enough calories and a feeling of general weakness. In consideration of said fatigue, I thought today would be a good day to take a gu with me. I ran well to start and had stretches of perceived invincibility. I knew in the back of my head that this being my first long run in some time, that I would probably crash but it didn't seem likely for the first 2/3 of the run. I got on top of a summit or two on the way out, even stopped to take in the view and refuel. With the gu gone about 1/2 way through I was feeling pretty on top of calories and whatnot. Something I failed to consider though was how much water I would unconsciously go through washing down the gel. 6 miles to go I realized I was very thirsty and had very little water. The ridge I was on was bone dry so I started figuring out how I would use my final sips (don't ration your water, this proved to be psychological torture. Suffering through tiny mouthfuls was less relief then it was worth, next time I will just finish my bottle when its low so I can be free of the 40+ minutes of dread knowing that it was almost gone). Soon after I was so tired that I found myself walking a descent and not knowing when I was going to see my car and the precious full bottles living inside of it. Time draggggggged. I wanted to run but upon resuming to pick up my feet I would suddenly be walking again without having made the decision to. EPIC BONK. After much suffering I finally found myself back at the trailhead. Water brought me immediately back to life and I was quick to find the humor in my "predicament". Fortunately for me this was the kind of horrible run that I needed as opposed to a horrible run where you just end up getting hurt or mentally beaten up. I got a nice long day on my feet and hit some of the lowest lows that I have experienced, but all it amounted to was a pair of sore quads and perhaps a slight over-consumption of cold and sweet products from the store in Tahoe City. Additionally, the zombie like status of being I felt on Saturday was reversed completely on today's run up to the Summit of Mt. Rose. I ended the 10.6 mile summit and descent feeling as alive as you can feel upon completing a run in the ominous and powerfully windy morning weather. These back to back runs have me feeling pretty good about my general altitude fitness for the 13 miles I have to race coming up. The legs are tired but not sore, so I guess I will run up Peavine tomorrow before returning to Auburn.

Blood, Sweat, and Beers

2009-08-16T22:22:00.000-07:00

LEAD PACK!

Between last weekend and now, I got the flu or something and have been a bit distracted. Getting a race report done here seems kinda trivial considering how short the race was, so a lean writeup seems appropriate. I can start by saying that the run was very well organized and I am super grateful to the RD for finding a place for two ARC employees in a race that some other shoe store was sponsoring. Unfortunately, the one place where the race failed to live up to its billing was as a "trail race". Seemed to me that about half of it was on the paved dam roads that AR50 runners know so well. I knew that I wouldn't have the foot speed to win on an easy course (easy as in technicality, the elevation for a ten+ miler was actually quite tough). This was the theme of the race for me, push it on the technical descents (of which there was only really 1+) then try not to get blown away on the paved or fireroad stretches. The best I can say is that I definitely got beat by some faster runners than myself, but I also feel confident that I beat a handful of guys that I probably shouldn't have. All in all it adds up to what I think was a pretty meaningful racing practice and maybe motivation for a lot of folks to get off the pavement and onto the trails (mixed blessing).

The winner put over six minutes on me.

Chasin' Cats

2009-08-14T22:25:00.000-07:00

Mark down tonight as one of those special, exceedingly rare points in time that I was in the right place at the right time to see a mountain lion. While riding my bike up cardiac bypass behind Matt, I was surprised by his sudden stop and exclamation of "Did you see that?" Indeed I had seen a bobcat sized creature running away from us and said so, but as Matt was up front and had a better look, he informed me that it had a long fat tail. No bobcats tonight. We wisely backed off a bit instead of actually chasing after it and had a few minutes of joking about which of us would be left behind as cougar food, but finished the climb and ride home without any more excitement.

PCT, Grouse Ridge, Finale.

2009-07-29T16:07:00.000-07:00

PHEW. The Toad worked hard these last few weeks. The trip is over and I topped out at over 3,100 miles. After Boulder I found myself winding up and down seemingly endless passes while taking the scenic route to my brother's places of origin, Winter Park and Kremling, and ultimately to Jackson, Wyoming in the same day. The last night in Boulder was pretty long and the morning started at 4AM so I valiantly fought fatigue through this long day of driving but finally succumbed to an hour nap on the side of the highway just before Steamboat Springs. This combined with a blast from the Black Dahlia Murder got me motivated to keep going and jam though the rest of a fairly boring day. Soon enough I was heading North in Wyoming and in awe of the range (Lander?) that paralleled the highway. When I finally arrived in Jackson (exhausted) I wandered around for a bit in the crazily busy historic tourist part of town and for the first time on my trip felt truly unwelcome. I'm sure the that it was as much my state of mind as it was my unkempt appearance but I did let it get me down a bit. After struggling to find a dark place that was far enough away from the highway to sleep (a cop did follow me around as I searched for secluded neighborhoods) I finally settled in behind a whitewater adventures office and passed out quick.
My negative attitude carried on into the next day and as stoked as I was to be at the Tetons and while I basked in their glory, I actually decided I was ready to head West again, as heading further North (Banff) seemed impossibly far away (also the additional miles would take a toll on my budget and the health of the Toad). Being decidedly sick of the perceived attitude in Jackson and not up to dealing with the rain outside I packed up the car and headed to California. Driving across the Rockies into Idaho was a fantastic sight as was the epic Snake River, but I couldn't wrap my head around getting out and running in the rain so I just mashed the the hard drive all the way to Reno.
I got to hang out with Reno homies and then had an awesome 17 miler on the PCT the next morning starting from the Boreal parking lot. Funny how a short time in Leadville makes everything else below 10,000 seem pretty easy. I rolled into Auburn at some point and got around to unloading the car. After a couple of runs in the heat I was stoked at the chance to meet up with Austin and Ken at Grouse Ridge and had an epic 9 miler there. I probably hurdled between 20-30 downed trees, almost wiped out multiple times, surfed down a scree field, chased a marmot and stepped on a wasp nest. FANTASTIC. I followed up the run with a running shoe presentation with Ken to the high school XC kids that were up there for a high altitude camp. It's always funny to me to sell cushioned and support shoes to people, when I try to talk my friends out of them in favor of simpler choices, but people like the idea of maximum cushion and it is my job to sell it.
On that note, I have after much deliberation decided to make a bit of a short term lifestyle change and commit the next two years to helping manage at the Auburn Running Company. The nature of this particular job makes it easy for me to be excited about, my deliberation was instead about if I could commit to anything for even nearly that long, as I prefer to be free to take off in the Toad when I wish for as long as I wish. That liberty is something I will sacrifice for the time being and I am instead going to focus on the challenges this new job will offer me as well as take the time to finish up my degree at Sac State, and of course log more and more miles on my favorite trails in Auburn.

Two Tales of Boulder

2009-07-22T19:29:00.000-07:00

7/21 - I was lucky enough to explore Chautauqua Park today. Jess and Duffy went for a hike and I took off on the trail that seemed like it would be the best combination of long and steep. Running was about as easy as I expected since I dropped about 5,000 feet. I did lose a little bit of that advantage once I got to the second part of the summit up to Royal Arch as it was very steep and technical and I had to slow down even though my motor didn't want to. I passed a lot of hikers but that's what you get for going to a park in the middle of a beautiful day. After climbing around for a little bit I headed back down the trail and made my way to the bottom of the wall on the Third Flat Iron, another ascent/descent had me up and back to the bottom of the wall on the Second Flat Iron and headed down and back up again to the top of the First Flat Iron. Down again and after spending a little bit of time getting lost in Gregory Canyon I found my way back to the park. Great run over all.
7/22 - So the Toad was doing some funky stuff (lights dimming, battery idiot light showing, power steering failure) Hoping that it would be the simple (though not super cheap) fix of replacing a battery I muscled the steering wheel down to an auto parts store and after a quick check and some helpful input from the employees who know about such things we determined that it was not the battery and potentially a problem with the alternator belt. Sure enough after looking around I saw the pulleys that were supposed to have the alternator belt on them but alas! no belt to be found. 20 bucks later we discovered that the crank pulley was busted and therefore the reason for the missing alternator belt. After some waiting around and more money spent the problem had the apperance of being successfully fixed. Let's hope that I did it right because I have a lot of miles to go.

Leadville Wrap.

2009-07-21T19:46:00.000-07:00

7/18 - Ran roughly 10 miles to get up Mosquito Pass, it was hard as hell and the beginning of a not so cool trend that has me getting nauseous on runs. This pass owned my soul last summer and it was a bit of redemption to get up it this time even if I did have to deal with ridiculous motorcycles and jeeps going up and down, and in some cases blowing up some parts and spewing black smoke into a nice cloud I got to run through (because breathing is just too easy above 10,000 feet otherwise). Bonus points to the fellow with a huge gun on a tripod (i don't know if that's what they call it but it looked like one to me) set up on the hood of his car who was practicing for whatever it is these people practice for. Guns scare me.
After my run I was able to have a good chuckle over the irony that I was reading Angle of Repose by Stegner and unbeknown to me there is a large section of the book on the earliest boom days in Leadville and a very well described tale of a wagon ride over Mosquito Pass. I took this sweet photo to try to share a little sample of the metaphysical themes of this trip, PB sandwiches and maps. Oooo cute.

7/19 - Got a nice 12ish miler in on my way out of town today. second consecutive run that I got nauseous. Got a good cool down and clean up by jumping in Turquoise Lake then headed to Boulder. Boulder was hot and I was pretty beat so I was feeling pretty grateful to fill my belly up with Chipotle. Oh, the comforts of suburban conformity.

666 The Playlist

2009-07-21T19:43:00.001-07:00

Good jams.

Disclaimer.
Don't take the 666 thing too seriously because I'm just kidding around. If there is no god there is obviously no devil. All I'm asking is that if you must worship a nonexistent deity, consider Satan.

Leadville

2009-07-16T13:49:00.000-07:00

Got here on Tuesday... relieved to be looking at the world without the windshield barrier. This town is pretty special to me and I'm glad to be spending a short stretch here. Besides the natural attractions (10,000 feet, big mountains everywhere) I think Leadville's appeal lies in its personality. It's hard to describe but I like to think of it as a ghostown/shitshow/throwback mountain town and I mean that as a compliment. Coming from the sterilized culture in Telluride that seems as if the "locals" are all following a guide on how to summer(yes summer as a verb, you won't hear that in Leadville) in the mountains, Leadville is a real kick in the pants. For comparison, Telluride has glossy magazines sitting on newsstands around town dedicated to architecture and interior design on the new "cabins" in town while Leadville apparently has a problem with too many loose pitbulls running the streets and attacking people. No crazy Leadville story would surprise me. Obviously I love it here. I'm sleeping in the peace and quite of my friends' (Jeff and Bonnelle) driveway and am making an effort to lay around a lot. Oh yea, and I am also working my way through a tour of the LT100's greatest hits, having gone up Hope Pass (as in HOPE your lungs don't quit and make you walk on what is a very runnable climb) Wednesday and the powerline trail today. I wish over and over again that Auburn had at least one tough 4+ mile hill, as the combination of the length and average altitude on these climbs is beating me up. Difficult as mountain running is here, it's the little things that get to you. Walking up some of these hills in town as I wander in the afternoons takes way more lung power than it oughta. I have some moderately more ambitious plans for the next couple days before I head to Boulder so hopefully they all work out.

7/11-7/13

2009-07-14T09:30:00.000-07:00

Lots of driving here.
7/11. Slept with the Burge Nation in Donner on Saturday night. I was super happy to be out of Auburn, even if it was only an hour up the highway.

7/12. Left California to fill up my tank in Reno and got two loaves of bread for $3. I Looked at a map and decided to take 50 across the state instead of the dreaded 80 and was definitely happy with the decision. It's a less crowded, less developed, and slightly more scenic route but the main goal for the day was to haul ass and so I did. Something about heading east always seems fundamentally wrong to me even though I have made the trip out this way a handful of times. I think it has something to do with our culture's "Go west young man" mentality. I can easily wrap my head around going north, or west, even south; but to go east to get to the mountains that are a western icon is strange. I tentatively picked a point at the other end of the state based off a some caves labeled on the map, but as I got closer I realized the caves were in Great Basin National Park, and I wasn't exactly itching to pay the entry fee then have to deal with the hassles of NP camping, so I blasted across the border into Utah and slept in a parking lot in Beaver. The most interesting observations of the day were the several antelope I saw heading into Beaver. For all my time in the Great American Desert, (that's right, the West is a fucking desert sandwiched between the Rockies and the Sierras) I had yet to see one until dusk of this night.
Total spent on gas - $56.39

7/13. Woke up and got a move on to Moab. I love this Canyon Country so much, It is otherworldly and stunningly beautiful. The drawback for me here is the heat, which leaves me with a strong desire to come back in the winter. The Moab Red Hot 50k+ really stands out as an event I would like to do. Enjoyed the views all the way until I drove across the Colorado River then quickly parked and jumped in. I followed my swim with a 4 level PB sandwich and headed out on an intention free walk up Negro Bill Canyon. I was really happy with the sandy, shaded single track and was motoring right along next to a shallow but loud creek. About a half mile in I came upon a cave the size of a classroom that was about 8 feet high in one of the red rock walls. I had to dust off the old climbing skills and put together a few fairly easy moves in my flip flops to get in. The cave was unbelievably cool, and I instantly wanted to live there. The biggest drawback were the innumerable names scratched into the walls. Why is it that people find something beautiful and immediately get to defacing it for there own honor? Unfortunately I didn't bring my camera with me or would have some very cool pictures, luckily the images are burned in my mind. I jumped down and continued the hike, sometimes in the creek, sometimes struggling to find a trail at all. I turned around after about an hour when the trail was far enough away from the creek that I could no longer hear it. I couldn't resist the urge to run most of the way back (regrettable because my shins hurt pretty badly immediately after and into the following day). Soon enough I was back on the road, planning a slight detour on the way to Telluride.

Last time I drove this way I was totally unprepared for the Route 666 experience, so this year I made sure that it would be perfect. If you look at the picture you will see that it says Old-666, New-491. Unfortunately the puritans that seemingly run this country changed it out of some pious obligation. All I can say is that the "spirit" of Route 666 lives on and I had an excellent playlist to get my head banging the whole way (Black Dahlia Murder, The Absence, Slayer...).
All that was left for the day was a quick drive up the San Juan's and into Telluride. I had a hunch that Norcal ultra dude Don Zea would be in town after Hardrock, I couldn't help but laugh out loud when I found a parking space right next to his Suburban that his kids had decorated. I dropped a note on his windshield and am hoping I will see him around town. T-Ride is great. It's a tiny town surrounded by huge red mountains and seemingly full to the brim of friendly, tan, and athletic girls. I considered the in town campground for about a half a second but was dismayed to see the price was $20 a night. No thanks. After wandering for a while and eating a dinner of leftover scraps that were sitting on my passenger seat I pulled into a neighborhood and passed out.

Total spent on gas-$37.79

Breakfast

2009-07-07T11:27:00.000-07:00

This morning marked the second time within a week that I was treated to a free breakfast from the canyon. Auburn can be a tough spot to live in the summer because of the overwhelming heat, though it hasn't been as painful as usual this summer, with the exception of WS Weekend of course. One of the consolations of still being here instead of the high country is the abundance of blackberries that just began to ripen and will continue to flourish for the next 6 weeks. Today on my cooldown from a subpar workout, I stopped at the railroad tracks and filled my UD bottle (after dumping its previous contents on my head) and my sensitive post-run stomach with the tasty, well defended fruit. It was a short walk home from there and I sat down in the shade to feast and jam to the new Suicide Silence record No Time to Bleed (highly recommended to those that enjoy heavy music).

I am falling into the desirable summer routine of a morning run, long recovery/lazy time, doing some sort of task/work for the day followed by another workout and an early night in bed. Having that bit of stability is pretty nice considering the the emotional roller coaster that has been my life the last couple of weeks. As the combination of difficult realities have continued to pile up, they have served as a reminder to how I can really be nothing but grateful to be running almost everyday on the trails that I love.
Peace Suckas!

Daniel Quinn, Death Metal, Doughnuts, Dudes

2009-06-13T19:31:00.000-07:00

I just got back from some snow free high elevation running and now that I can breathe again I am happy to report the short trip as a major success. The running was hard, the food was generally uncooked, and we even had a surprise appearance from Dean. Unfortunately the inanimate version of him couldn't sign autographs or come join us for a treadmill run.

(Austin with his hero, The Ultramarathon Man)

More importantly I finally got around to reading the Daniel Quinn’s follow up to Ishmael, The Story of B. I highly recommend both books starting with Ishmael first. Daniel Quinn has done more then any author or professor to really shape my worldview and I really appreciate the connections he is able to put together that are otherwise hiding in plain sight.

Now I just need to get my things in order over the next couple of days so I can take off to my fairly mysterious location of summer employment.

(Doing my part to beautify the village)

2009-06-06T13:05:00.000-07:00

Summer is literally starting with a bang this year. I got to enjoy a thunder and lightening show of unprecedented magnitude the other night, and followed it up with my first win this weekend. Luckily the storm was a wet one and we haven’t had any fires spring up. I have been starting to feel pretty good but my runs have been really inconsistent. I was very stoked to run to Cool and back last weekend with my brother and even put up my fastest climb up K2 that day. A couple days later I struggled to keep moving on a relatively flat 6 miler in Chico, where I was spending the week getting my WFR training (lots of fun). I have been overjoyed to get back to running in my favorite shoes, rotating the NB 840s and NB 790s without hurting too much. On Friday I had a surprisingly productive speed day running laps around Robie Point and started considering jumping into the Auburn 25k the following day even though I had promised myself I wouldn’t due to lack of proper preparation. The race in town was so temping because it is on my favorite network of trails that I am familiar with to the point that I would have a distinct “home-trail” advantage. I figured the level of entrants would be low because anybody that wanted to run a 25k this weekend would head down to Mt. Diablo for the PCT run. My buddy Ken Parnow was going down there to chase Chikara Omine up and down the mountain.
When I woke up Saturday morning I tested everything out and my body felt so good I decided that it would be a shame not to head over to the race. As expected it was pretty low key, I doubt there were more then 20 entrants in the 25k compared with Mt. Diablo’s 170 something. I eyed the competition and noticed a kid towing the start line looking ready to go. We took off and I found out that Eric was from Monterrey and decided that my familiarity with the course was really gonna come in handy, as he clearly was ready to set a pretty hard pace. I let him push ahead a little bit on the way to No Hands Bridge but kept him within sight. I was surprised with the power that he pushed up the hills with. It was a cool, overcast morning so I had plenty of water in my bottle and breezed by the first aid station. Eric pulled away from me on the stretch up to K2 and I just put my head down and cruised up it as I always do, counting on the technical descents to slow him considerably. It was pretty steady going through Cool on the Olmsted Loop and pretty soon I was at Norm Klein’s aid station on the road, where he told me I was about 3.5 minutes out of the lead. He kept trying to get me to stick around so he could do something about my tattoos, typical Norm joviality. I blasted down the road aiming to get Eric in my sights before we dropped down the canyon again. Soon enough I was at the fire station and he still wasn’t in sight. I asked a volunteer where he was and they said he had made a wrong turn. Bummer of a way to pass someone but the course was well marked, I think he may have gotten incorrect info from a volunteer and if so that is really unfortunate. I just blasted on down the trail hoping to seal the deal on the race with over 7 miles to go. On the Western States Trail heading down to Highway 49 I was flying around a corner and came face to face with a medium sized, cinnamon colored black bear that was moving pretty fast my way. It turned and boogied the other way when it saw me and though I was super stoked to see it I was also a little cautious for the next half mile-ish hoping I wouldn’t surprise it again, I just glided down the trail with my eyes peeled giving the occasional “HEY BEAR HO BEAR” shout. From there it was too easy to haul ass down to No Hands and I again skipped aid and when I was crossing the other side I stole a quick look back and didn’t seen anyone. That left me feeling pretty comfortable with a solid lead of at least a quarter mile with 4 to go. My parents were aware that I was considering racing and my mom popped up at several points on the course and I was pretty happy to see my dad running down the trail towards me after No Hands, two bears in one day! I dropped my Auburn Running Company sleeves for him to pick up and then just put it on cruise control up the same route that I end almost all of my runs on. I checked behind me a couple times and all was clear so I can’t say that I pushed it to the finish. I intentionally didn’t wear a watch because I didn’t need to know what time it was to know how I felt and what place I was in. My realistic finish time was 2:30 and I was pretty happy with myself when I crossed the finish line in 2:27 without ever having to dig deep like I was expecting. I got a nice cool down run in on the grass then soaked in the canal as people started trickling in. I hung out for a bit and got a burger and chatted with Eric (he was sent the wrong direction). I pressed him to come back and run in Auburn again sometime and maybe have a better experience. I couldn’t ask for better race conditions and am OK with the small turnout, because I really needed to get out there, go hard, and just get some race practice. It is a pretty unique feeling to be out in front and certain that you can hold it to the finish. Now it’s time to really tighten up the fitness and get ready to take what I learned today and apply it to some longer races. I would also like to give a special shout out to my buddy Austin Violette, who was going to poach the race and do it with me, unfortunately due to a mis-communication I never saw him. Ha.

Moving Forward

2009-05-10T11:25:00.000-07:00

Since March I have been barely running at all, instead just trying to focus on getting my shins to feel better. In the last month or so I have been doing a little bit of running in super cushy road shoes while staying slow on relatively flat trails on the top of the canyon. It really sucks. The highlight of my spring running season was seeing a bobcat a few weeks ago. It's been really tough to watch everyone building up and doing all day runs in the canyons while I do pretty much nothing. My shins do seem to be getting better though and I think I will be able to start building by the end of this month and hopefully still have lots of long days on my feet through the summer.

Way Too Cool 50k report

2009-03-19T16:40:00.000-07:00

In keeping with a general theme of lack of preparation, I overslept by an hour on race morning. I took care of business and got out the door about 15 minutes after I had planned on leaving but was as ready as I was gonna get. Got to cool in time to warm up my legs for a moment and then the “race” began. The first 7 ish miles were a blur for me, I just started in the middle of the pack and forced myself to keep the pace slow, all I remember was slowing reeling in a lot of familiar faces all the way to highway 49 (55 minutes). Once we crossed the highway and were on the perfect singletrack descent, I was itching to move, but stuck behind about 7 runners. On the short gravel stretch I launched past them then fell immediately upon hitting the singletrack again, but jumped up with only a few scrapes. At the bottom of the singletrack I came out onto Quarry Road feeling very good, and noticed myself passing Tim Twietmeyer. I knew that I would really regret it later in the race but felt like I was going the right pace for the moment. By this time the slight tension in my shins was entirely shaken out and I really enjoyed the run out to ALT 1. I was cruising in a pack going at just over 8 minute mile pace and felt comfortable. Felt myself slowing down a little bit on the loop from there and didn’t really know what to expect for the rest of the day so I allowed myself to slow down a little and really enjoy the scenery. On the way back to ALT we came across a group of probably 20 hikers that obviously hadn’t heard about the race. They were spread out over a very long and steep descent but they were very accommodating and didn’t become obstacles. I never pushed the downhills in this race like I usually would because I really didn’t know what to expect from my shins and from my body in general beyond mile 20. Shortly before I got to ball bearing there was a gushing knee deep creek crossing that I could have sat down in and stayed for the rest of the day, but just quickly waded across and hoped that my feet would dry out. After a tough hike up ball bearing my run was pretty much over. My groin cramped up like crazy and I would have to alternate running and walking to try to keep it loose. Feeling done but generally fine I just zoned out until it came time to hike up goat hill. I pushed up it with encouragement from a friendly Canadian, still feeling like my worst-case goal of 5 hours was within reach. It wasn’t until I was cramping like crazy trying to make it to highway 49 that I pretty much gave up on 5 hours and was ready to just walk it in. And that’s when Matt Keyes came along. I had promised myself that if I took off ahead of him, then I would have to stay ahead of him so it was incredibly frustrating to see him coming in hot behind me. He got very loud in a hurry and when all is said and done saved the day for me. We came into highway 49 together and I was ready to stop for aid but he wouldn’t let me, so with Matt’s encouragement I started to run hard through the cramps until they went away. I was able to keep going about halfway up the climb then got into a very strong hike until the flats. From there I “ran” hard to the finish with aim to put some distance between my co-worker and myself. I crossed the finish like in 5.01.52 which it good enough for me to be happy about. Matt came in about 30 seconds later looking about 10x better then I must have. Being done was good enough for me and after a few days of reflection and recovery I am pleased with the way things turned out. My initial goal was to just go out and finish an ultra, and I ended up doing it in a pretty decent time considering my poor training and health leading up to the race. It was a good race day learning experience for me and I look forward to doing Cool again next year but I promised myself I won’t sign up for anymore races until I am ready to race the way I want to…

Way Too Soon

2009-03-04T16:24:00.000-08:00

Way Too Cool 50k is coming up in less then two weeks and I am feeling wholly under prepared. The last time I ran was Feb. 21 and though I felt great about the 22 miles we did that day, that is 9 miles less then what I need to do race day. Though my general fitness is a cause for some concern it is overshadowed by the on again off again shin splints I have been dealing with since mid-January. I had to skip what would have been my last intense long run in my Cool buildup and have instead spent Way Too Much time icing, massaging, biking, and RESTING when I otherwise feel great and am dying to be out running. What I am worried about most is that by race day my shins will feel good enough that I can go run, but in doing so screw up the healing process and go through this same recovery/half ass routine again. The worst thing about the shin pain is that it isn't overpoweringly painful to that point that I can't run. I usually can get them to loosen up after a few miles and can forget about them except on long descents. I already tried to "run through" the pain in the early parts of February and that made the injury much worse. Hopefully my torturous session at Monsters of Massage yesterday has me fit to run tomorrow, because going for bike rides just isn't cutting it right now.

What!?

2009-02-12T19:23:00.000-08:00

So, certain elements of my plan to live in Flagstaff weren't really working out. No worries though, I just came back to Auburn. It does feel mighty strange to have said goodbye to a place and find myself right back here a month later, but I did miss it more then expected. Lucky for me, I came home in the middle of a dry spell and all trails below 5,000 ft. were in seemingly perfect running condition. It was only too easy to go running everyday and I had some great runs on stretches of the Western States, Way Too Cool, AR 50, and Silver States(I made a "biggest little" trip up to a snow-free Reno) courses. Unfortunately, going from three days a week to everyday was a little ill advised and my shins started screaming at me and forced me to abandon my hope to run everyday up until Way Too Cool. After almost a week off the shins feel good and the trails are getting really muddy (We do NEED the water, but I sure was happy to take advantage of the dry conditions). Its hard to say where I will go from here, but know I'll be happily running around the American River Canyon until I figure something out.

Flagstaff

2009-01-21T21:29:00.000-08:00

It's been a couple of weeks since I moved down here and in that time I have gotten fairly acquainted with my new home. The presence of real winter conditions was something I slightly underestimated, but I am still getting in some good runs both in town and below the snowline. I keep meaning to take pictures to share this varied scenery that is quite exotic in comparison with my (still beloved) Sierra Foothills. From the red rocks in Sedona to the 12,000+ foot San Francisco Peaks I am not at a loss for landscapes to admire. Unfortunately I do feel significantly slower now then my last couple of weeks running in Auburn, but that can be attributed to the following factors (excuses); ELEVATION, Trail familiarity and conditions(The trails back home are truly luxurious, getting used to snow and ice and the sheet-metal screws that go along with them has been strange but fun), and the fact that I have been working to up my mileage significantly. Way Too Cool is in less then two months, and I am not exactly in 50k shape. The easy solution for that is a heavy dose of long runs. I'm getting a solid three long runs a week and trying to compliment that with speed or recovery runs plus three yoga classes (I am soooo close to touching my head to my knees) per week. Last weekend had me(lost) on the trails of Sedona for over 6 hours plus a really fun barefoot session on a golf course. I am also considering the following races for the spring season; Moab Red Hot, Pirate's Cove, Zane Grey, and either Bishop or Silver States.... I am starting to love it here but am looking forward to getting my fix of the Sierra's for a week plus in March. Future posts will include more details on specific runs and training blocks and maybe even some photos.

Guilty Conscience

2008-12-21T15:43:00.000-08:00

Yesterday on my way home from a run that took a lot more out of me then it should have, I came upon a deer. Instead of getting excited and provoking it to run so I could chase it for a couple yards, I just continued my uphill slog. As soon as the deer hopped out of sight I regretted the opportunity blown.

Western States Trail on Snowshoe

2008-12-21T14:58:00.000-08:00

We finally got some snow in the Sierras this past week. I made plans to run up to the the top of Castle Peak in a pair of borrowed snowshoes, but had to turn my car (I also had all my snowboard stuff in the back as well as the standard sleeping pads/bags. Winter travel is such an ordeal, and though I do love the variety we get with the seasons, there is something to be said about summer/fall when I can travel anywhere with running shoes shorts and a bottle) around in Applegate. Not yet ready to give up on the day, I decided to check out the canyon instead. There was plenty of snow before I even got to Foresthill and I had to reluctantly give up my hope of getting the toad(my Subaru wagon looks like a toad) all the way out to Robinson Flat. I decided to head down the unplowed Bath Road and towards Michigan bluff on the WS Trail. Dropping down was a lot of fun, even though snowshoes sure do slow you down(I could definitely use some technique pointers on this one, I don't know anything about snowshoeing). I was all alone in the surprisingly deep snow. there were a few icy puddles in the flat spots, some of which I could jump across and more then one where I came up short with a soaking wet sock. It was very cool to look out across the canyon and see snow falling in the fog. I wasn't moving too fast and didn't have any workout goals in mind, I just wanted to play around with some snowshoes. The relaxed expectations enabled me to bring a camera along and snap some amateurish action pics. By the time I came back up to Bath Road it had been paved and I opted to kick the frames off and boogie up the pavement in my Skylites feeling somewhat liberated.

Crossing back over Volcano Creek

(the snow was much deeper away from the creek bed)

Amphibious snowshoes!

(Does anyone else have chafing problems with tights?)

Shoe reviews

2008-12-08T20:58:00.000-08:00

These are the shoes I have done the majority of my running in over the last 4 months (I don't think a review of XC flats or the five-fingers is necessary). I am lucky to get prodeal / free shoes due to my employment at the Auburn Running Company and therefore am not as financially restricted to try different shoes as I would be if paying retail price. The only shoes that interest me are low profile and lightweight. These shoes may not work for everyone as I am willing to make compromises with cushioning and protection in order to sit low and feel the trail. Noticeably absent are any of the Inov8 shoes (we don't have an account). Hopefully this is helpful for someone.

New Balance 840 *****
PROS
Thin forefoot lets you feel the trail.
Aggressive tread dominates all trail conditions.
Comfortable midsole gives just enough support to feel good on long runs.
Lightweight
300 plus mile lifespan
CONS
Heel could sit a little lower (could be easily modified but it doesn’t bother me enough to warrant the effort).

New Balance 790 *** (discontinued)
PROS
Very lightweight; hardly even noticeable.
Low heel and great feel for trail.
Feel very similar to the 840s in many respects.
CONS
Traction is so-so in mud.
Foam is a little too soft for my liking.

Brooks T5 Racer **
PROS
Super lightweight road running flat.
CONS
Very narrow
Extremely soft foam doesn’t stand up well on any but the smoothest trails.
Not a bad shoe for fire roads or track workouts (no thank you).

La Sportive Skylite ****
PROS
Low profile with a stiff midsole (best midsole density on a low profile shoe) that holds up on long runs.
Sticky rubber outsole grips well but becomes irrelevant in the mud.
CONS
Stiff midsole is thicker then necessary (could manage to lose a mm or two up front and 2-4mm in the heel for better connection to trail).
Toecap irritates sensitive skin on top of toes (boo hoo).
Pretty narrow
Heavier then expected

2008-04-02T15:44:00.000-07:00

Have questions or criticisms? Looking for a floor to sleep on or a local (currently living between Auburn, Ca and Reno, Nv) resource? Want to go for a run?
Feel free to contact me via Email ( connorcurley@gmail.com ) or Facebook

Current Gear List

2008-04-02T13:57:00.001-07:00

Multiple pairs of New Balance MT 100/101 - these are my go-to for anything fun (long or technical).
New Balance Road Minimus MR10 - My favorite all purpose running shoe of all time.
New Balance Trail Minimus MT10
Asics Speedstar - A departure from what I typically like in a shoe, I use these behemoths on flat, hard surfaces or when a body part is exceptionally pained and I think extra foam will help the healing.
I'm not particularly into clothing or running accessories.

Previous Race Results/Reports

2008-04-02T13:57:00.000-07:00

2011
Diablo 60k, DQ Report
Silver State 50M, DNF
Sizzler 10M, 3rd, 1:xx:xx?

2009
Way Too Cool, 5:01:53 Report
Auburn 25k, winner, 2:27:30 Report
Blood, Sweat, and Beers 10M, 1:16:29 Report
Sizzler 10M Relay, winner (with Austin) Report
Lake of the Sky 26M Relay, winner (with Tyler), 3:57:59! Report

2008
Tahoe Rim Trail 50k, DNF
Leadville Trail Marathon, 5:58:13

Running Blogs I Like to Read

2007-04-02T14:51:00.000-07:00

Auburn Running Company Blog - I used to work here. Good local resource.

Anton Krupicka - Great runner, great writer. Tony is devoted runner who's confidence is backed up by a long list of accomplishments. He is somebody I relate to not only as young man in an old man's sport, but in his Ed Abbey influenced running bum approach. He is also a genuinely nice guy.

Anthony Molina - An ex - classmate, I have known Anthony since summer football practice prior to our freshman year of high school. Dude likes to work out and is starting to love running.

Dakota Jones - Besides being an incredibly talented and driven runner, Dakota is a good writer with a sense of humor that I appreciate.

Geoff Roes - Insights into the mind and training of one of the best ever.

Jacob Rydman - A good friend and up and comer on the mountain ultra scene. His faith shows through in his attitude and blog, in a pleasant way (high praise from a devout agnostic and frequent antagonist such as myself).

Joe Grant - Joe's website not only features thought provoking and inspiring blog posts, but some lovely photos as well.

Karl Meltzer - LEGEND.

Nick Clark - Nick is a badass Mountain runner. His blog is heavy on the weekly totals.

Renaissance in the West - A multi-authored blog that I contribute to. The content range is broad but running does work its way in from time to time.

Rogue Valley Runners - This lighthearted blog has a finger on the pulse of the Ashland trail running crew.

Tim Olson - Talented runner and mellow dude with some well written race reports.

RESOURCES

Monsters of Massage - Veloyce WILL FIX YOU

Running School - Non-profit kids fitness organization I proudly work with, headed by the great Brad Kearns.