Baby #3 and other things to look forward to.

Baby number 3 is due any day now.  To be honest, I'm freaking out!  We are very excited but I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around how to handle this responsibility.  Time, money, energy, stress, commitments, etc.  I should cut something out.  Running seems like an easy choice but I've thought about this a lot and I don't think that is the right move.  Running adds real value to my life.  It is my therapy, meditation, church and health all wrapped up in one.  I need it!

This doesn't mean that I won't have to adjust.  I do have responsibilities to my family and I can't go out running every night when I get home.  Homey don't play that.

My week's are made up of 3-4 runs of 5-8 miles.  I can do these in the early morning.  Waking up at 4 am sucks but the morning is peaceful and I feel energized for my day.  After work I have time to be with the family.  This is a sacrifice I am willing to make.  I'll go out on the weekend for one long run and maybe grab an evening run once or twice a week.  I think this can work.  I'll miss the trail some of these days but if Meg will compromise for my races and long runs I can compromise with running on the streets.  Who knows, maybe I'll get fast!

2014 has professional stresses that I'm not ready to talk about so I decided I need something to look forward to.  I'm feeling good.  My weight is down to 185.  My diet is much improved.  I have remained injury free for some time now.  I want to run 100 miles again.  Once was great but twice would prove to myself that I'm not a fluke.

There are a couple of 100 mile races that I'm interested in.  Western States and Big Horn both appeal to me. The cost, travel, lottery, etc turned me away.  I want to try something completely different.  Last year I noticed the White Rim Trial in Canyonlands National Park.  We were standing at the overlook and I saw this road.  Someone referred to it as the 100 mile road.  3 years of running ultras changes your perspective a bit.  100 miles?  I could run that.

I started looking into it.  I couldn't find any run reports.  It is a popular mountain bike ride but it seems that runners have not really gone after it.  It sounds like there are a handful of runners who have completed it.  This could be cool.  I started talking to some people and it sounds like I have a crew and a couple of pacers.  I'm hoping to get some other runners to join me.  This is my goal run for 2014.

Life is going to get tough.  I'm going to have to get tougher.  Like training for a run of this magnitude there will be ups and downs but the journey is pretty awesome and if you keep your head up and eyes forward the goal can become a reality.

Here we go.  Ready or not!

Satisfaction

Run Rabbit Run is in the books.  My training had been more focused for this race than any other race this year.  I DNF'd Zane Grey.  I had a tough time finishing the Grand Canyon and fell apart the last 10 miles of the San Juan Solstice.  I even sputtered in the last quarter of the Dirty 30.  Those races were frustrating but my training hadn't been that great.  In all honesty it has been a year long recovery after Leadville.

Things started coming together and I had a solid 2 weeks of training before my taper where I felt tired and strong.  I had peaked at the right time.  I stuck to a good taper plan and hit the race with an ambitious goal of 10:30 with a stretch goal of 10 hours.  In 2011 I clocked in at 11:30.

I started off the race well and really felt great in the middle sections of the first half.  I clocked several miles under 10 minutes and was cruising along.  I made it to the top of the Rabbit Ears at 5:01.  Sub-10 hours was a possibility.  About 70% of the climbing was complete.  I came off the pass and logged some good miles until the end of mile 28.  There is a 500 foot climb at this point and I hit a wall.  I walked several miles and stumbled into Base Camp aid station.  I sat down, focused on eating and tried not to think about the next 20 miles.  I sat down for a good 8 minutes.  This was disappointing.  I left the aid station walking and struggled to run the downhills.  My hips, back and groin had all tightened up and my energy levels were zapped.  I was worried about breaking 11:30.

I slowly walked 3-4 very runable miles and kept eating.  Then I came back from the dead.  The food had given me energy and my core loosened up.  I put in some strong miles and my new goal became sub-11 hours.  I continued and climbed up the backside of Mt Werner at a very good clip.  When I got to the top I realized if I ran sub 8-minute miles for the next 6 miles I could break 10:30.  I tossed on some The Black Keys, let out a roar and let it rip.  It felt like I was sprinting for 45 minutes.  The miles clicked away and the goal was in reach.  I gave it all I got and crossed the finish line in 10:30:11.

It felt great to finish a race strong.  It was great to hit my goal.  I had come short on all my race goals this year and was starting to question what I was really made of.  This finish was very satisfying and will hopefully propel me to a sub-10 hour 50 miler some time in the future.

The baby is coming soon and time will be harder to come by.  It is nice to know that I can accomplish these type of goals with average training weeks around 35 miles.  I'll continue to focus on diet and begin some core training during the winter months.  It is great to end the racing season on a high note.

Tetons and Yellowstone

The family took a week long trip to the Tetons and Yellowstone a couple of weeks back.  We loaded up the car and made the 9 hours drive up to Jackson, WY.  We spent our first 3 days in the Tetons.  The Tetons are familiar to everyone.  The iconic peaks are photographed and published frequently.  Until you stand in their presence you cannot truly appreciate their majestic power.


The peaks are wicked and sharp.  Their appearance changes from different points along the range.  They are awesome and they beg you to explore.  I had planned on not running much during this vacation.  My family puts up with it all year.  This was a time to spend together.  Fortunately, I was able to sneak away one morning while Meg and the kids went on a wagon ride breakfast.

From the moment I looked at the map I saw a loop that would be perfect.  21 miles up Paintbrush Canyon and down Cascade Canyon.  This was perfect.  I asked the ranger about it and he told me at least 5 times that it would take 9-12 hours.  I cordially nodded my head in agreement and started planning my run.  Bear spray would have to be included even though the only bear I came across was a black bear.  There was still snow at the top of the pass but I was comfortable going at it in shorts and a short sleeved shirt.

I was amazed as I rounded each turn.  The mountains connect with me like no other place and the Tetons were special even in this regard.  The steep, rocky cliffs climb up in an impossible and beautiful way.  I wanted more before I even finished.  I finished the run in 5 hours and took a soak in the lake as I waited for the family to come pick me up.  I was reenergized and happy.

We enjoyed our time in Jackson and plan on going back.  We then made our way to West Yellowstone via Idaho.  This was a great drive through beautiful farm country with the backside of the Tetons framing the eastern skyline.

West Yellowstone is kind of a dump.  Our cabin was nice though and we enjoyed the stay.  Unfortunately, I did not plan far enough in advance to get lodging in the park.  We will be sure to stay in Mammoth and at Roosevelt Lodge next time around.

Our first day in the park we made our way through the West Entrance and down to Old Faithful.  We were held up in a 1 hour traffic jam because of a Bison in the middle of the road.  We then hit many of the hot springs and geysers on the way to Old Faithful.  The place is ridiculous but I was a little frustrated with the amount of people.  This really hit its boiling point when we got to Old Faithful and there were several thousand people waiting.

Maybe it's unfair but this cheapened the experience for me.  The parking lot was like pulling into Disney and the crowds were suffocating.  We need parks where beauty is accessible but I prefer the places where you have to earn the view.  There is something special about being alone in a place where few people go.  That is when you can really connect with the earth and feel its power.

I was discouraged and worried about the rest of the week but we found some great places in Yellowstone where the crowds thinned.  It was a great trip overall.

I look forward to the next 6 weeks of training as I prepare for Run Rabbit Run.  I'd like to put up a good time.  Last time I ran it it took me 11:30 to finish.  I'm hoping to finish an hour faster with a stretch goal of sub-10.  I have a lot of work to do.

Until the race I look forward to a few more adventures.  The journey is often times better than the destination.