September

Lone Peak - The Rut

September was all about The Rut and preparing for the White Rim Trail.  I didn't get in as much climbing as I probably would have liked the month before the Rut but I had a solid training run up Greys and Torreys 2 weeks prior.  Coming into the race my legs felt really fresh.

The Rut is unlike any race I have ever run.  The race runs 32 miles with 11,019 feet of climb over some very rugged mountainous terrain.  The race was the Sky Runner Series Championship so the field was stacked.

They let you ease into the first 10 miles before really climbing.  My fueling and energy levels were pretty solid throughout the day.  I am really happy with my race management.  If I run it again I think I could improve on the last 8 miles of the run but I don't think I would knock too much off my time.  It took me 8:53 to finish which is an outrageous time for a 50k especially considering how I well I ran.  The race is that challenging.

The was one mile that took me 53 minutes!  The picture to the right shows the ridge line.

It's a great race, unlike anything I've run in Colorado.  The race management was great.  I would love to go back.

I took it easy the week after the Rut and then put together my best training week ever.  I stuck to rolling terrain without major climbs.  The White Rim Trail climbs just over 7k over 100 miles so I wanted my training to be similar in profile.

I ran 90 miles in one week which broke my previous record by 16 miles.  I ran 100 miles in 8 days which is the goal I set out for myself.  Over that 100 miles I climbed 7,758 which is almost exactly the same profile as WRT.

I'm currently tapering.  We run on October 11th.  I feel pretty fresh.  I'm working through a strange pain in my left foot but I don't think it will be an issue.  I am excited to see what I can throw down.  David and I are hoping to finish sub-24 hours.