January Long Run

I had set a goal this year to run a marathon distance or further every month of the year. Today was my attempt to run 26+ miles for January. It was really the only chance I would have considering I am busy next week with work and then scout camp on the weekend. So I went after it this morning.
I didn't prepare very well, I'll admit that right up front. I didn't eat before going out and didn't drink enough water the day before. At mile 2 I stopped at the store to purchase some goodies for the run and to eat a donut. Because I do a lot of adventure runs and ultras I have learned to eat while I run. I can also pretty much eat anything I want without it adversely affecting my condition (while I run). I won't go into the details of most of the run. If you want to read about the details you can go to my running workout blog where I track all of workouts at jun.fastrunningblog.com. What I will address on this blog is the end of the run and my reflection on how I did and my look to the future.
I fought energy issues the entire run and at mile 18 I was just out of steam. My cardio was still good and I felt like I had energy, but it wasn't transitioning down into my legs; they were just dead. I was also running out of the alotted time I had to spend this morning and knew I had to be home soon. Finally, I was closer to home than I had intended at this point in the run, so I was kind of having to improvise on my route. I really felt like I could push to at least 22 or 23 miles before having to call it quites, but I wasn't even sure my legs would let me. Because I love running uphill and I generally feel better doing it I headed up towards Mt Olympus through the neighborhoods in my town of Holladay. As I wound upward to a few streets above my house my calves started to cramp (not enough salt even though I had been taking pills) and my legs were just through. I figured it was time to turn west and head home. I was able to complete 21.87 miles in just under 3 1/2 hours.

There are some important take-aways from this run.
1. Even as a 'training run' I need to make sure I am better prepared.
2. I had some serious mental battles out there today and I overcame them all.
3. My biggest concern was whether my IT Band would get inflamed. I am happy to report that I ran for 3 1/2 hours without any knee pain, whatsoever.
4. This was a really hilly route. I probably gained and lost over 2,000 vertical feet in the nearly 22 miles. If this were a normal Utah downhill marathon I would have completed it, no problem.
5. Even though I didn't complete 26+ miles I did make some major progress. I haven't run over 13 miles in a single outing since my 50 miler in October. My legs are a little out of shape. Knowing I wouldn't hit my goal today I simply pushed as far as I could, to the point where I simply couldn't run any more. This will make my legs stronger and next time I'll be able to push even farther.

Overall I am very pleased with how it went today. It was definitely one of the toughest outings I've had in a my running career and I learned a lot today. Next month will be even better!

Ibex Climbing Trip

On Saturday a few friends and myself drove out to Ibex in hopes of finding dry rocks and warmer weather. The air quality in SLC has been so poor lately that it makes you want to stay indoors at all times. This this would be a welcome outing for all of us.
We got there by 11am and it was still really cold. We spent almost the first hour just trying to keep warm by playing with an old beat up car and messing around around the boulders, just not climbing them. Here is the crew getting ready to climb once the sun came out.

The car, for being basic garbage in the middle of the desert, was actually fun to play on. Here are Devin and Kyle taking it for a test drive  while I decided to jump over it after they got out.

Once the climbing actually began we warmed up and people started sending their projects like they had done it a hundred times. Jami was the first to send with completion of a project she has been trying for a few years. While it isn't rated very hard, it does have two small holds and a long reach that isn't good for the shorties, and she is a shorty!

Then we headed over to the White Arete boulder. The boulder itself was in the shade, making the rock incredibly cold. I was the first to go. Not feeling very strong I didn't have the highest expectations. But once I pulled on it felt simple and I cruised to the top. Once I was near to finishing my hands were pretty much numb and it got dicey trying to pull over the top when I couldn't feel my hands. Here I am sending.

Then it was Kyle and Devin's turn. Kyle was really struggling with the cold, but pushed through and finished the problem after about 5 tries. Devin just couldn't quite get his feet to cooperate and wasn't able to do it, but looked seriously strong. I bet he does it next time we go down.

 

We next moved over to the Red Monster to climb in the sun. We were able to stay warm for another 45 minutes or so then we lost the sun behind the mountain and knew it was time to go. It was a lot of fun and was so nice to get away. I've been back to work for two days and I'm already jonesing to take another road trip.

Looking Ahead

There are few things that I get super excited about and plan well in advance for; Halloween and my Birthday Challenge. It is not uncommon for me to decide what I'm going to be for Halloween in March and start making my costume by June. Likewise, I have been known to start planning my Birthday Challenge the next year the day after my birthday. This year I actually made it a few months before getting excited.
If there is anyone who actually reads this blog you will remember that my birthday challenge in 2009 was to run 37 miles, which I eclypsed by running 50 as part of the Pony Express 50 mile race. While it was amazing and maybe the most memorable, it is an accomplishment I'm still paying for with an irritated IT Band. However, it certainly doesn't stop me from coming up with ideas for birthday 2010. I actually thought of this genius idea on my way to work this morning. Here it is.
Swim - .38 miles (3.8 miles would have been cooler, but even I know my limits)
Bike -  38 miles
Run  -  38 miles

Come October it actually won't be that tough of a challenge. What will make it tough is that I will have just completed my first 100 miler race (running) the weekend before. So I may actually have to do my birthday challenge a couple/few weeks after my birthday because, most likely, I won't be walking on my birthday.  I already know where I am going to do it. I'll do it all in Lehi because of the proximity to where I want to do the running, which will be at Lake Mountain.

Anyway, send me some comments if you have any. I'm curious to know if I'm being realistic or stupid.

2010 - A Year to Remember

It is finally 2010. It is surprising to me how fast time goes. 2009 was an incredibly busy year that tested my patience, strength, and mental fortitude. 2010 will be no different. I have a lot of plans and goals, all of which are achievable if I remain focused and determined.

I've started the year off right by running the first 3 days (plus one rest day on Sunday). All of the days I felt strong with little knee discomfort due to my IT Band. I have a good routine planned for the next few weeks as I finalize my recovering and prepare for my first of the 2010 goals, to run a marathon length run by the end of January. I will also be going to Ibex this Saturday with friends, so climbing is still strongly in the mix and it should be a lot of fun. Stay tuned folks, 2010 is going to be an amazing year!

Bouncing Back

Sorry, I've been really lazy about updating this lately. As a matter of fact, I've been really lazy altogether. While I've been trying to recover from my IT Band issues (which isn't going well, by the way) I have been doing some more climbing and hiking. I've gotten in a few decent runs, but nothing to rave about.
At the beginning of December I was asked to go hiking with Devin, Jami's brother. He had already been up Olympus and wanted to do another good hike that wouldn't take a lot of time. Considering the amount of snow that had fallen in the mountains I thought something near the city would be better, so I chose to do Grandeur Peak. It is a short hike, 6 miles round trip, with an exposed south facing slope, which means little snow as it sees the sun all day long.
We were off and hiking by 6am; me and Devin, with Tyler in tow. It was cold, but as usual, after we got going things heated up nicely and we were unzipping our coats and taking our gloves off. The trail was in pretty good shape. For about a quarter of a mile after the Church Fork / Pipeline Trail crossing it was really icy, but beyond that it was dry trail to the top. We hit the top in under two hours. The views were very good and there was little wind. It was much colder up there, so we didn't stay long, but I was able to shoot some photos of us on top, including a few peak jumping shots. You can see them below.



In the couple of weeks after that I got in some running, putting in about 20 - 30 miles a week. I've continued to battle my knee problems and I know I just need to take a bunch of time off, but I just hate the thought of losing all the fitness I built up this last year. So, as usual, I'll continue to work through it and retain some level of fitness.
On Friday, Dec. 18th, I met up with Devin again, but this time Scott W. and his friend Jackson came along for an attempt on Olympus. There was even more snow now than when we did Grandeur, so the top beyond the saddle would be even more challenging. We were moving against a short clock on this trip as Devin needed to be to work by 11am. We met at 6am, which means we only had about 4 hours to complete the hike so that Devin could get home in time to shower and eat some breakfast before heading into work. We moved out at a quick pace and after a half mile Devin and I had opened quite a big lead over Scott and Jackson. Devin mentioned that he felt bad leaving them, but if he was going to summit we would have to leave them behind. I didn't argue and we took off at an even faster pace.
The trail was well traveled, with packed snow all the way up past the switchbacks. Beyond that the trail was still in decent shape, but it was certainly far less traveled. As we got almost to the saddle we knew we were running low on time and were coming up to our turn-back time. I mentioned that even if he had to turn around that I would keep going, being so close. He agreed, but then said that he would tag along no matter what and just risk being late. When we got to the saddle he mentioned that the last time he had been up on Olympus this was the highest he had gotten because it was getting dark, so today would be his first time on the actual summit. Beyond the saddle we had to break our own tracks, sometimes in snow as deep as our thighs. Once we were in the gully up to the summit the snow was a little shallower and more solid, which made traveling a little easier, but the rock was icy and slick. Instead of turning right and moving up the last easy gully we decided to head up some 4th class right and then traverse over to the true summit. It was funny, not very scary, and made for dry travel. We only stayed on top for a couple of minutes, snapped a few photos and were off back down to the saddle. About half way down the gully we met up with Scott who was alone. Jackson was just cresting the saddle. They were a good 30 minutes behind us. We shot down the trail as quickly as possible and were down to the cars by 10:15, leaving plenty of time for Devin to get home and showered. It was a great morning. I only wish T could have been there. He still has yet to summit Olympus. Next time for sure.

Recovery

I've still been working to recover from an inflamed Ilio-Tibial Band. Wanting to run I have been focused on running shorter distances and whenever possible, barefoot. I'll save the barefoot discussion for a future post, but for now will discuss my immediate training. It is common knowledge that downhill running causes significant stress on the ITB and therefore should be avoided during a recovery period. I have been focused on running uphill as much as possible. Not only is it low impact, but I just love it. The problem is that 'what goes up, must come down'. I've tried to take it really easy on the downhill and, for the most part, have not put any undo stress on my ITB. Yesterday was a longer day, about 10 miles, and I could feel tightness with about a mile left, so I decided to walk off and on just to make sure.
I'll continue to focus on running hills through the winter months. I want to be a climbing machine come spring. I've reflected on races this year and going uphill could be a way for me to shave precious minutes off of race times in the future. I also have a bunch of adventure runs planned for 2010 and all of them have a huge amount of elevation gain and loss. But I need to be healthy, first and foremost. So I'll keep taking it easy and finding ways to strengthen my ITB.

End of Season Thoughts

Well, my racing season has finally come to an end. It was a long running season with my first race (a 10k) taking place in March. When I started running this year all I wanted to do was get good enough to run a half marathon in the fall. I had no idea at the time what I was actually capable of and what I would accomplish. My whole outlook on running, racing, fitness, and fun has changed forever. While I am still passionate about climbing, running has definitely taken a front seat in my list of activities. It is something I plan to stay with for the rest of my life and I have some amazing goals I plan to achieve. Below you will see a list of my 2009 accomplishments followed by a list of 2010 goals and then a few goals further out. I'd like to know people's feedback and what you think of what I'm doing now and planning to do in the future.

2009 Accomplishments
First 10k - Time: 46:16, 5th place overall
First Half Marathon - 1:36:28, 187th place overall (out of more than 3000)
First Marathon - 3:31:19, 198th place overall (out of more than 2500)
First Ultra-Marathon (50k) - 5:39:00, this was a fun-run.
First Ultra Marathon (50 miler) - 10:42:49, 3rd place overall (out of 14)

Other notable accomplishments include:
Ran Mt Baldy (8 miles) in just over 2 hours
Ran Mt Timpanogos (15 miles) in 3:18:31
Ran King's Peak (26 miles) in 5:48:34
Paced Davy Crockett for 14 miles in the Wasatch 100. I also crewed him later that night until 2am.
Completed multiple trail runs in the Wasatch Mountains up to 16 miles long.

2010 Goals
1 marathon length run or race in each of the 12 months of 2010.
Sapper Joe 50k in May
Squaw Peak 50 miler or Pocatello 50 miler in June
Zion Traverse (48 miles) from the east entrance to Lee Pass trailhead in Kolob.
Mt Timpanogos in under 3 hours
Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim (42 miles)
Set a new course record at the Lake Mountain 50k (under 5:18:00)
Run King's Peak again and break 5:30:00 (Quest for King's Marathon, my race)
Pony Express 100 miler in October

Future Goals (maybe not in 2010)
Run a marathon race barefoot (or in Vibram 5 Fingers)
Run multiple 100 mile races in a single year
Run the Wasatch 100
Qualify for the Boston Marathon (hopefully barefoot)

How's that sound? Ambitious? Would I do it any other way? You know the answer to those questions.