1153...

I ran. I ran until my muscles burned and my veins pumped battery acid. Then I ran some more. ~ Narrator

Thurs: 00:34, 3.51 miles, Neighborhood recovery run

For my last run of the year, I just spun around the neighborhood in windy, cold conditions. Not much to say about that aside from, "It was great to get off the couch." All in all, I am very pleased with how the last few months of the year have gone and that I was able to log 1153 miles for the year. Considering I was injured for most of the year, that is not too shabby. Here's how it stacked up:

• January - 0 miles: I was busy skiing, trying to recover from the wackiness that ended up plaguing me all year and well... just not running, I guess.
• February - A few. Not many, however: I know I got out for one run on the Mesa trail and definitely hit the treadmill a couple of times but didn't write anything down so whatever I actually ran, did not make it into the final tally. Less than 20, for sure.
• March - 28 miles: Sporadic, at best. I injured my knee in late February and that pretty much put the kibosh on any real running for the month. Plus, my abs were still kicking me in the ass (don't ask).
• April - 102 miles: Actually started ramping it up a bit and started visiting Janet Runyan for coaching. Two good things that go great together.
• May - 156 miles: Actually did a race in May too. Go figure.
• June - 79 miles: Abdominals came back with a vengeance and I throttled back the miles, got an MRI, and got on the schedule for a procedure to help with the problems.
• July - 51 miles: Going the wrong direction mileage-wise but the right direction health-wise. Sometimes one takes what one can get.
• August - 105 miles: Ramping it back up and another race under my belt. The Wild West Relay was mellow and fun.
• September - 137 miles: Able to keep things moving in the right direction. Relentless forward progress.
• October - 139 miles: Got in some good runs in October and paced Chase Squires to a 3rd place finish in the 24-hours of Boulder race. (Mostly, he did it on his own.)
• November - 172 miles: Really finishing up the year strongly with solid runs throughout the month despite crazy weather.
• December - 182 miles: The trend continued in December with solid running over the course of the week and fairly consistent weekly mileage. Logged several 20+ days and ended up with a solid month of training despite some crazy-cold weather.

All in all, this wasn't quite what I had hoped to achieve this year but sometimes you have to just roll with it. My goals for 2010 include: Staying healthy and injury-free (gotta get cracking on that one), doubling my mileage for the year (see #1), getting in some fun racing throughout (one race already teed up for February), doing several adventure runs (Kokopelli Trail and R2R2R are both on the list), training monthly at higher altitudes ("Define 'higher'," you say?), spending a lot of time on the LT100 course in July (running each section, doing back-to-backs and putting in "real-time" training on course), and finishing in the top 50 at the LT100 in August (this actually may change in the scary direction if things go well throughout the year).

Thanks to Patagonia and nuun for providing great clothing and awesome hydration. I highly encourage all of you to look first at these guys when gearing up and seeking solutions for your outdoor activities.

And I definitely couldn't do any of this without the support and encouragement I receive at home. Rach not only keeps me moving in the right direction but provides me with unbelievably yummy sustenance to enable me to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Yea Rach!!!

Here's to a new year and new adventures.

~stubert.

Mixing it up...

Snow run shot courtesy of Sean.

Security is mostly a superstition; it does not exist in nature. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. ~ Helen Keller

Sat: 3:17, 21.5 miles, Boulder Backroads course avec snow

Yesterday's skiing turned into a movie due to single-digit temps coupled with 40+ mph winds and a desire to keep Dad and Donna from freezing their tuchuses off so we went to a movie instead. Invictus, though somewhat charming (thanks mostly to Morgan Freeman's portrayal of Nelson Mandela), was entertaining at best. The secret service/bodyguard sub-plot felt really tacked on and Eastwood has handled shooting more adeptly in other efforts (which is saying a lot, considering I am not really a fan of his work). However, Dad and Donna enjoyed themselves so mission accomplished. Sometimes you have to take one for the team.

So I mixed things up even more by moving my Long, Slow Day to Saturday this week so that I could run with a buddy of mine with whom I am hoping to do a lot of adventure running this spring and summer. We have a few grandiose plans (including the John Muir Trail, the Kokopelli Trail and a full assault of the Colorado Trail in '11) and he is actually starting to get excited about another attempt at the LT100 this summer. So that means I may have some company along the first half of the event but am down one pacer if he decides to go for it. One takes the good with the bad (and I kid... I'd love for him to give it another shot). So I headed down to Boulder amid flurries, gray skies and cold temps to get a long run on.

We met at Sean's place then drove out to the Boulder Res to run on the Boulder Backroads course. This is a notoriously difficult marathon course spiced up this morning by snow-covered and icy roads. Relatively fresh snow, to boot, so while it did provide some relief from the pounding one can be handed by frozen pavement and hardpacked conditions, it married this to sloppy footing and loss of traction to which I am becoming accustomed. This was not going to be a record-setting pace day, however.

We had the benefit of a crew today in the form of Sean's father-in-law, Dave, who graciously not only drove us to the start/finish but placed drop bags along the route so we could resupply water and other goodies, loaned me his YakTrax (which I didn't end up needing but were good to have along) and hung around after his shorter run to drive us back to Sean's. Dave rules!

Overall, I felt pretty great and we managed to keep an average pace in the low 9s despite the conditions. The weather even broke for us within a few miles of our start and it ended up being a gorgeous day. No wind, sun shining... good stuff. We were shooting for 20 miles but mis-estimated the turn around spot on the out-and-back section of the course and ended the day with 21.5. Some minor aches and pains in the last couple of miles but those were to be expected given the poor footing we experienced throughout the run.

I am testing a couple of recovery techniques and will let you know how they work. Added full-leg compression stockings to the immediate post-run regimen and took an ice bath when I got home. I know this isn't ideal (should tee that up immediately post-run) but thought I'd see if it appeared to have any positive effect when delayed. I tossed the stockings back on after the bath as well so now am I not only super sexy but well... I don't really know how to finish that sentence.

Rach filled me full of amazing curry she just made up from whatever we had in the house and now I am feeling quite sated. Great Boxing Day for sure.

~stubert.

Inspirato...

It never always gets worse. ~ David Horton

In my never-ending quest for inspirato, I stumbled across this amazing race report from Garett Graubins, sub-20-hour finisher at the '09 LT100. Great race. Killer report.

~stubert.

Ten ways to solve that problem...

Not mine, I assure you. © The New York Times

That was my favorite arm. ~ Douglas

Toenails, or lack thereof, are a fairly common thorn in the side of distance runners. I think I eventually lost 3 during my first attempt at the Leadville 100 and another has finally grown back after last year's Denver Marathon. Some runners lose toenails mid-event - dumping nails out of their socks and continuing on their journey. Losing toenails just seems to be part of the wackiness those of us who enjoy running for hours on end have to endure.

Apparently, there is a small group of endurance athletes who have taken drastic measures to ensure that they no longer have to endure the pain and hassles of toenail loss - permanent removal.

Though this is not a route I believe I would take, it is an interesting, albeit drastic, solution to a common problem. Thoughts?

~stubert.

Good eats...

Mmmmmm... purple. ~ Homer Simpson

In addition to whacking down nuun by the truckload, I have been experimenting with some new food selections I picked up from Christopher McDougall's book, Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen. In the book, he mentions iskiate and pinole on numerous occasions and hypes their collective awesomeness for endurance sports. Since no recipes were provided, I was left to my own devices to find information about how to prepare these tasty treats.

So I turned to my buddy, the internet, and found a couple of references to iskiate or chia fresca that turned out to be quite awesome. Here is one recipe:

• Combine 8oz of water with the juice of 1 lime and a couple tablespoons of sugar (or your favorite sweetener)
• Shake or stir until the sugar has dissolved
• Add 2 teaspoons of chia seeds
• Mix, drink, feel the pow-ah

The Terahumara use iskiate to fuel their day-long treks and I must say that it is not only delicious but does provide what appears to be a pretty slow burn fuel for longer jaunts as well as a tasty, post-run recovery drink. Chia seeds (yes, the same stuff used to make entertaining Chia Pets) are high in protein and anti-oxidants and can be purchased at many natural food stores or online.

Pinole proved to be even more elusive in both where to find the stuff and how to prepare it. In Born to Run, McDougall mentions the use of pinole as a pre-run favorite as well as being used mid-run to help refuel. Caballo Blanco (Micah True), a gringo who has lived among the Terahumara for many years, takes dried pinole with him on long runs. Pinole is made from dried maize which one grinds into a fine powder and toasts to produce a very complex carbohydrate that is perfect as an energy source for long efforts.

Discovering a recipe for pinole was even more difficult than iskiate so... I made one up using regular corn meal. Two actually. I toasted the meal until golden brown then added some sugar and cinnamon to one batch and added some salt to another to see if either of these did the trick. I even tried eating it a variety of ways: Dry (not so great), mixed with water as a thin sports drink (the corn meal I used was a little too coarse for this to work well), just dumping some in my mouth and washing it down with lots of water (again, not the best plan while on the move). I actually did recognize the benefits to eating pinole even though my delivery methods were less than ideal. The meal tends to swell up in one's stomach, producing a feeling of fullness and my energy levels seemed to stay higher with less spike-and-crash sensation one can experience with other, high-carb food sources.

Undaunted, I contacted the source, Caballo Blanco, for more information.

One of the many things I love about the ultrarunning community is its openness and willingness to provide assistance, guidance and support to others. Shortly after my first ultra race, the 2007 Leadville 100, I contacted the winner, Anton Krupicka for advice. I'd never met Anton (unless you count the brief encounter we shared on the flanks of Hope Pass - he was running back toward the finish, I was still on my way to the turn around), but he quickly responded with a reply (run till your feet bleed then run some more). Micah was no different. Shortly after sending him an email asking for advice about how to prepare Iskiate and pinole, Micah replied with several recommendations for each.

For iskiate, he recommends soaking the chia seeds in water, juice, sports drink... whatever you like until the seeds get plump with the soaked liquid. Then drink them down. I have found them to also be good just tossed in a salad, on oatmeal, etc.

To make real pinole, one starts from whole maize that has been toasted and ground to a fine powder. This can be made into a cream of wheat type meal or can be mixed in water like a sports drink for on-the-go nutrition/hydration.

So I am off to find some maize. Or it can be purchased here: http://www.mexicogrocer.com, though Micah says the fresh stuff is way better.

And on that note, I am going to grab a snack.

~stubert.

Spectating is hard...

Sometimes you eat the bar, and sometimes, well, he eats you. ~ The Stranger

Headed up to the LT100 on Saturday to do some spectating intervals. Needless to say, that was a bit more difficult than I thought it would be and I ended up dropping out after Tony came back through Twin Lakes (mile 60). I feel pretty good about the effort, however. It was quite warm, I was on the dirt bike and I managed to get a little run in there somewhere. I have to give a special shout out to my Patagonia Nano Puff Pullover for keeping me from freezing on my way to the race. Funny how cold it is at 6:00 in the morning on a motorcycle.

I was really pulling for Anton to win the thing in record style and thought he was still looking solid in Twin Lakes. He ended up dropping out at Fish Hatchery (about mile 75) due to severe cramping and intestinal issues. Read all about it here. Tim Parr took the reigns and finished up strongly with an overall time of 17:27:23. Way to go, Tim! Lynette Clemons took the women's title in 20:58:01 and I even ran with her briefly as she left Twin Lakes and I was trying to get some real training in.

So I jammed back to the Front Range and Rach and I went to see Ponyo, Hayao Miyazaki's latest film. As usual, he delivers the goods and it was fun to see in a theater full of munchkins.

Sunday, I went out for what is supposed to be my long, slow run but I turned it into a medium, fast run. Go figure. I was feeling super awesome so just thought I'd see how much I could turn on the heat. Ended up spinning 9.6 miles in 1:26. Good stuff.

Waiting for a break in the weather now to get in a short run with some speedwork then I'll try to get the shed roof dried in. Should be a productive afternoon.

~stubert.

And the trend continues...

What am I supposed to do? Just sit on my ass and watch TV? That ain't my style, man. ~ Homer Simpson

Missed my run on Tuesday due to extended work wackiness but did make it out on Wednesday for a great run in the woods with some tempo thrown in for good measure. 7.3 in 1:10 on technical trails with 15 minutes of tempo really satisfied.

Thursday I did a short recovery run and today I worked and hammered some nails. The shed is really taking shape and I expect to have the roof on in the next few days. Good stuff.

I am heading up to Pbville tomorrow to spectate and get in a little run somewhere on the course if possible. Hoping to see Tony Krupicka crush the course record. Sounds like he is flying right now.

I'll try to post from the race.

~stubert.

Well that was satisfying...

I haven't felt that good since Archie Gemmill scored against Holland in 1978! ~ Mark "Rent-boy" Renton

Two good runs in a row. That must be some sort of record.

Yesterday I got out early which was, I must admit, highly refreshing. Morning in the mountains is just different somehow. Anywhere, really. Things are more calm, collected. The quiet envelops you. And you can just settle into what you are doing without distractions found the rest of the day.

I headed out for a quick warm up on trails followed by several surges. I must admit, my abs have been bothersome of late but not so much that I can't enjoy myself and I have managed to finally get a tentative grip on running relaxed. By the time I hit the pavement for my first of 4 surges, I still felt fresh, fast. I spun nearly 5 miles in 40 minutes total with a good warm up and cool down. Pretty happy with that.

Today I headed out for my "long" run. The target was 1:20 and how I got there was really up to me. I selected one of my favorite routes with lots of hills and technical trails and told myself I would be happy if I ended up with 7 miles at the end of it all. I ran down the Beav then up into the forest that makes up what I like to call "the Triangle". This area represents part of the Roosevelt National Forest broken up by South Boulder Creek, Highway 119 and South Beaver Creek Road and is home to some of my favorite local trails – a couple of which I created. After climbing up Creekwood and heading out Judges, I dropped down Little Hope to Ski Thing and then climbed back up to Funky Boss via Sofa Spring. From there, I headed back up to Diver Down and then finished up by reversing my normal route on the Casa Trails and back home. Felt really great for most of the run with a couple of places I power hiked and went way anaerobic on one of the climbs before saying "screw this" and hiking. I have run everything on this route at one time or another but some sections are STEEP and I am working on hiking big ups but hammering the downs. In any event, I finished up with 8 miles in 1:20 on the nose for an average of 10-minute miles. VERY happy with that result.

I also made some progress on the shed over the weekend and just need to get a few more things in order to finish it up. Qwest comes tomorrow morning to fix our phone line and install a new modem for the office so that should make working in the studio a lot better and I have a meeting in Idaho Springs in the afternoon which should be productive. Rach hits the shelter on Monday so I'll be taking care of the critters at home while she is away as well. She has been staying down there Monday nights to give Nancy a break... which is just awesome of her.

I tuned into the Leadville 100 mountain bike race on Saturday as well and wish to congratulate Lance Armstrong on his record-breaking win. I was pulling for Dave Wiens but an in-shape Lance is a tough cookie to break. Dave took second (reversed the order from last year) and it sounded like an exciting race. I am looking forward to heading up next weekend to check out some of the run and hope to be back in there next year!

Also, if you have seen a shoe, Cort's was stolen last night by a fox so keep your eyes open for a stinky, fox-chewed Merrill clog-type thing. Not sure if we are looking for a left or a right but if you see something, let me know.

~stubert.

That's a wrap...

Let the dream die. ~ Captain Ed

Well, I think my shot at Leadville this year may be landing a bit short. Due to my ongoing abdominal problems, I have been instructed to reign it in, which most likely means I'll be on the sidelines in August when the shotgun blast sounds. Or musket. Or whatever the hell they use to start that thing.

So I am out this weekend as well. If anyone wants my Dirty 30 entry, just let me know. The plan is to really cut back the mileage and get consistent, pain-free running in at lower miles then start to work back up. C'est la vie.

I felt awesome today. No pain... did some surges... Janet said I was doing well so that was pretty cool. We'll just play the rest of the summer season by ear and see how I progress. I may get the green light for the Leadville Marathon on July 11th and am kinda secretly hoping to be able to pace someone in the 100. Keep that on the DL.

~stubert.

Sage Burner update...

Well I'll be damned. ~ Beavis

So the results have been posted and I ended up 34th overall with an official time of 2:45.11. This put my in 5th place for my division. Pretty sweet!

This week has been kinda nuts but I have been getting out. Monday's run was short but really sweet. Virtually pain-free. It started a little clunky but quickly smoothed out to a really efficient effort. I was able to just get in a zone and go, which just felt great.

Tuesday I went a lot harder and busted out 5 miles in about 45 minutes. I ran sections of trail that up until now this year, I have had to walk. Starting to feel a lot more fit. I went for a hike on Wednesday that ended up being a lot longer than anticipated and then just hammered out 4 miles on Thursday on the roads down in Boulder. That too was a pretty good effort though I didn't feel particularly awesome.

I am going out for a 10-miler today (at least that is the plan) and am hoping to hook up with Bobby T for a long one tomorrow. Still contemplating Leadville but I am rally wanting to do it again this year. As always, I'll keep you posted.

~stubert.

Where was I...

Hills are speedwork in disguise. ~ Frank Shorter

Somehow another week has blown by. That seems to happen a lot lately.

Spent the week working, getting some fun runs in and trying to get healthy. I feel like I succeeded on all counts. Nothing too major on the running front, just staying consistent. I took Monday off, then ran a hard 5 on Tuesday and felt awesome. Wednesday I went to see Janet for coaching then did short runs on Thursday and Friday. Starting to really feel it and think I am getting more fit every day and figuring out the new running mojo. Good times.

Hoping to do a high-altitude run tomorrow then maybe squeeze in a morning ski on Sunday. We'll see how it goes and I'll keep you posted.

~stubert.

Two in a row...

The greatest pleasure in life, is doing the things people say we cannot do. ~ Walter Bagehot

Nothing better than two solid runs in a row. Well, except for three, or seventeen, or twenty-eig.. SHUT UP! I'm writing this post.

So I have now logged two good efforts in a row and I am pretty excited about it. I have been seeing another awesome Physical Therapist who is helping out a lot. If you are having problems that you can't seem to figure out, call Sandy Bertrand. She's great. Thursday's run was good as well but only about 40 minutes so I am not going to count that one but Friday was fun and amazing. Hit the trails around the casa which are now mostly free of snow. There were a few sections I had to put on my trudging hat but for the most part they were clear. Did a fun, 8-mile loop with only minor ab discomfort and finished strong. Good stuff. Was able to hammer up the hills and just felt really solid throughout the run.

Saturday I took "off". By "off" I mean Luke and I rode dirt bikes for something like 6 hours so there you go. I put the DR through its first real tests and it rode like a champ. A LOT heavier than the Husky (which is kindof a pig itself) but I managed to make it up some pretty hairy stuff (for me anyway). Only dropped it twice. Nice! Really had a good time and explored some fun terrain between Rowena and Rollinsville.

Today the weather was kinda crap so I went to the gym and ran on the dreadmill for a bit. I felt awesome and super strong, which was refreshing. After a warm-up, I put the hammer down for an hour then ran laps on the track for another 30 minutes. I am definitely getting there and am pretty psyched. Really figuring out this new stride and think it is helping me a lot.

I am going to continue to wait until the end of the month to decide about Leadville but am feeling more confident every day. Excited to see how I continue to improve in the next few weeks. My first race is in Gunnison on the 23rd and I am hoping to do the full 50K but may have to back that down to 25K. I'll keep you posted on that.

~stubert.

I think I may have met Yo...

Keep your god damned hands off my wife. ~ H.I. McDunnough

Recently, I started visiting a running coach, Janet Runyan, in an effort to see if changing my form could help with my abdominal problems and make me a more efficient (and subsequently less injured) runner. I found out about Janet several weeks ago when she hosted a seminar about "running with injuries". I liked what I heard and signed up to have her take a stab at improving my steeze.

Janet won a bunch of prestigious ultradistance races including Leadville in 2001, and is the current record-holder for Masters Women in that event with a finishing time of 21:47:44. Pretty amazing. So far, she is really helping me a lot and today's short run was a huge improvement in the pain department over anything I have experienced since some time in early October. Not pain-free by any means but a marked improvement over the past week's runs for sure.

She has also helped me run "lighter" and so it feels at least like I am able to go the same speed at a decreased effort. That isn't to say I am looking like a gazelle out there but I am starting to feel a lot more efficient. Good times.

Today, I took a little time to goof around on the 'net and looked up Janet's bio just to see what she had accomplished. Along with her race prowess, she is a music teacher with a performance degree in piano. She also was (or still is) a member of Divine Madness.

For those of you unfamiliar with Boulder running, there is a group of distance runners here called "Divine Madness" that has made quite an impression on the Ultradistance community. Their influence has dimmed a bit of late but in their heyday they were frequent podium finishers in many of the sport's toughest races. Five-time Leadville champ Steve Peterson comes from the DM camp. They have been likened to a cult by some circles and if one believes the stories, practiced some definitely untraditional methods to achieve their running successes.

Their leader, Marc "Yo" Tizer, is an interesting character (or worse) and has been accused of some pretty heinous behavior. There is quite a bit of information out there that details the DM lifestyle and allegations but this article by Michael Finkel is probably the most thorough. I actually read this several years ago when researching ultradistance running and wondering about Divine Madness and their influence on the sport. Funny how things come full circle.

So anyway, I was meeting with Janet last night and her housemates were cooking dinner. One of them looked suspiciously like Yo. He was wearing a towel. Given what I have read, that sounds just about right.

~stubert.

Consistency is key...

To avoid situations in which you might make mistakes may be the biggest mistake of all. ~ Peter McWilliams

I have been running fairly consistently of late with days off Wednesday and Sunday. Mixed it up a lot in between. Last Thursday, I ran down our road and back (about 8 miles in 1:10) then did a loop in the neighborhood on Friday. That was supposed to be "easy" and I suppose it was in a mountainous sort of way.

Saturday, Bob and I headed out with Lindsay and their new pup, Leah then carried on to the BoboLink trail and back over to South Boulder Creek and around to their place. Ended up being 12.5 or so and we did it very slowly. Just soaking in the cool, Spring conditions and enjoying the run. I hit the gym today and logged 4+ on the track.

Overall, I am feeling like I am getting there but my abs are still a problem. Hoping that with consistent training, a lot of stretching and some gait guidance, I can get it cleared up in time to feel more confident about tackling Leadville again this year. Right now I am vacillating but am actually really fired up to do it. Giving until the end of May to make my final decision.

Tomorrow I'll be down in Boulder for an 8-miler if anyone wants to go for a fun run in the early afternoon.

~stubert.

Rest day...

No rest for the wicked. ~ Kathy with a "K"

Like many a fine film, I will start this in the middle. Just to keep you on your toes. I have been training for the Leadville Trail 100 for about 9 months now and took a much needed rest day today to get ready for tomorrow's training event - the Cirque de Boulder.

I'll work my way back to the beginning, I promise, but for now, please bear with me. I have started this site to keep everyone appraised of my current mode of self-flagellation and to invite you to tag along in the fun and/or games. Friday's homework: Run around Boulder with as few forays onto pavement as possible. We'll start around 4:30 from the house that Luke's dad built (near Cherryvale and Baseline). About 30 miles later, we'll stop. Good times.

Map de la route

Comment if you care to join us or if you would just like to mock me.

~stubert