Skiing is Good

Today:
Run 14 miles
Ski 7 miles
-5 skate
-2 classic

Saturday:
Run 13 miles
Classic Ski 4 miles

Friday:
Run 15 miles
Bike Commute 3 miles

Thursday:
Ski ~15 miles
-9 classic
-6 skate
Bike Commute 3 miles

After about 10 days of a bit less training then I was doing for awhile I'm feeling really strong again. I've had some of my best runs in weeks the past few days and we finally have enough snow that I can consistently get out nordic skiing. I haven't been skiing very far but it's been nice to get out on my skis 3 of the last 4days.



I'm still planning to do a 50 mile run on Tuesday so I'll probably take a pretty mellow day tomorrow and try to get some good sleep tomorrow night, which isn't always a guaranteed on New Year's Eve but we'll see how that goes.

It's sure been a great year that I'd like to reflect on a bit here but I'm not really in the mood right now. Maybe tomorrow or Tuesday evening after my long run.

Totals for the week (as of Saturday): Bike 37 miles; Ski 19 miles; Run 70 miles; 15.5 hours.

More Pictures Coming Soon

Today:
Run 10 miles
Bike 10 miles

Yesterday:
Run 10 miles
Bike 18 miles

Monday:
Bike Commute 3 miles

Here's a picture of my new camera that my Mom got me for Christmas:


It really is as small as it looks, and weighs about as much as they key in the picture. With a 2gb memory card it will take almost one hour of video and store about 2 billion pictures.

Here's my first picture with my new camera:


Taken on the snowy trail above my house that I was running on this morning. It's not the greatest quality photo but this camera is so small I will pretty much be able to take it on every outing I go on... if i actually remember.

Smokin' Old Geezers

Run 22 miles

Got up for an early run this morning with a group that runs here in Juneau every Sunday. They call themselves "The Smokin' Old Geezers". One thing that Juneau has is some great local running talent and this group is the core of that talent. The foundation of this group is made up of some of the best masters aged athletes (both male and female) in the state of Alaska (thus the old geezers name), but the run today also included a couple strong younger runners and several others in between on the scale of age and talent.

After the run we had breakfast at one of the runner's house and even more local runners gathered for that. All told we were a group of 30+ running enthusiasts that included several of the strongest athletes in town, if not the state. The ages in the group spanned between about 14 and 80 and for a town of only 30,000 people included an impressive array of past achievements, ranging from the two time defending state girls high school cross country champion to an accomplished ironman triathlete and all kinds of other accomplishments in between.

I'm definitely more a loner when it comes to training but it was nice to run and chat with some of the local talent today. And then when we were finished with breakfast I ran the 13 miles back home so I got in some good solitary running as well.

Food Is Good

Today:
Run 15 miles
Bike 15 miles
Lift 12 lifts
-3 sets of 12 reps

Yesterday:
Skate Ski 7 miles
Run 7 miles

Thursday:
Run 15 miles
Bike Commute 3 miles

I didn't work yesterday or today. This was my first 2 days off in a row since Thanksgiving. And I don't have to work tomorrow; only a few hours on Monday; and not at all on Tuesday. By the time Wednesday rolls around I might forget how to get to work.

One thing that sucks about cooking food for a living is that it drains most of my motivation to cook at home. Especially the type of cooking I do at work where I get to create everything that I cook. By the time I get home the thought of creating a nice dinner based on ingredients that I have in the fridge is dreadful so I opt for simplicity more often than not. In the past several months we've eaten way too many dinners of frozen ravioli, quickly thrown together fajitas or burritos, and frozen veggie burgers.

Today was different though. I got home from 4+ hours of training and only had 45 minutes before Jill would be here on her dinner break, but I hadn't been to work in 48 hours and I actually wanted to cook. Because of the short amount of time available I opted for a pretty simple Indian dinner of mung dal over basmati rice and vegetable pakoras with tamarind chutney. But dang, it was so nice to not be eating frozen ravioli again for dinner. And with the day off again tomorrow I'm already trying to decide what I should make for my next dinner.

Training totals for the week: Bike 35 miles; Ski 12 miles; Run 81 miles; 17.5 hours.

Refreshing

Today:
Run 5 miles
Bike 11 miles
Lift 12 lifts
-3 sets of 12 reps.

Yesterday:
Hike/Backcountry XC ski 5 miles
Bike Commute 3 miles
Run 11 miles

After just a couple days of mellow workouts I'm feeling much more fresh. I'm still planning on the rest of this week and next week being only in the 15-18 hour range (instead of 22-24 as I was originally planning). And to sharpen my body I'll probably plan on some of this training to be interval/tempo type stuff. For the past month or more everything I've done has been pretty slow and steady so it'll be nice to do some variety. And with the fresh snow we have now I'll certainly be mixing some xc skiing in as well. I finally dug the skis out of the shed the other day and sometime in the next few days I'll find the time to get them waxed up and ready to cruise.

By the way, the insulated canister stove idea that I was trying the other day didn't work at all. After an hour in my freezer, with a heat pack inside the insulated pouch, the fuel was completely frozen. Bummer.

Change of Pace

Today:
Run 8 miles
Bike Commute 3 miles

Yesterday:
Run 20 miles

We finally are getting some snow and cold. I'll probably bust out the cross country skis tomorrow. Ran on snow packed trail today. forgot how hard that can be.

I decided I'm going to ease back on my training for the next two weeks. I'm planning to run 50 miles on New Year's Day so I think I'm going to do a bit of a taper going into that (beginning now) and then turn it back up after that with a peak sometime in late January before starting another longer taper for the Ultrasport which is on Feb. 24th. My hope is that spending a little less time training for a couple weeks will refresh my body and mind and give me some time to focus more on testing and tweaking my Ultrasport gear.

The tweaking began today when I spent some time duct taping together an insulated sleeve to fit around a fuel canister. My hope is that I can slide a couple chemical hand warmers down in the sleeve and keep the fuel warm enough for my stove to operate in extreme cold:


If this will work I can save a lot of space/weight vs. using my liquid fuel stove. If I were planning to use my stove a lot while I was out there I think I would just go with my Primus Gravity VF liquid fuel stove but I'll basically only be carrying a stove for emergency snowmelt purposes. I'm not super optimistic that this insulated sleeve idea will work but I'm going to test it out in my freezer (about 5 degrees) and then if that works I'll take it to work and test it out in the walk in freezer which I presume is colder than that.

I've also begun trying to improve my sled from last year, including a different pole system, different skis, and a cover that will fit over all the gear to keep snow out. All of these upgrades are in the beginning stages but I'll be getting at those within the next several days.

Stuff

Today:
Run 25 miles

Yesterday:
Run 13 miles
Bike 11 miles
Lift 7 lifts
-3 sets of 12 reps

Thursday:
Bike Commute 3 miles

Check out "The Story of Stuff." Much like "An Inconvenient Truth" it doesn't really say anything all that new and shocking, but also like "An Inconvenient Truth" it ties together several ideas that most Americans never think about in a way that hopefully can get some people thinking. Unlike the issue of global climate change though, the issue of global over consumption of "stuff" has nothing for those unwilling to accept the truth to hide behind. Whereas many people's response to global warming is that it's simply a scientific cycle that has little to do with humankind, this idea of mass over consumption has no alibi. There's nothing we can blame this on except our culture's insistence upon mass production/consumption that has become so ingrained in our mind's as the norm. And there's no scientific cycle that will do anything to change this if we don't each make a choice to do our part and lay off the "stuff."

As for my training: A pretty crappy week. I felt good early in the week but then on Thursday I just had no motivation at all so I took the day off. I felt mentally better yesterday but physically very weak. My plan for today was to do 35 miles but I was feeling mentally and physically crappy so I cut it short and only did 25. I always struggle with cutting planned runs short. I know that physically it's good to listen to my body but mentally it's tough for me to back down from a planned run (I only do about one or two runs a week where I actually plan out ahead of time how far I'm going to go), and then when I do I find myself feeling like I made the wrong decision. Thus my plan is to see how I feel tomorrow and probably go for a 20 miler. At least that way my total of 45 for the weekend will be the same as if I'd done the 35/10 that I was planning on.

Because of the day off Thursday and 10 miles shorter than I'd hoped for today my weekly totals were down a bit from last week but overall I'm still pretty much right where I want to be right now with my training and hopefully I'm just in a little 3 day funk right now.

Weekly totals: Bike 42 miles; Run 94 miles; 19.25 hours.

Hoping Not To Drown

Today:
Run 20 miles
Bike Commute 3 miles

Yesterday:
Run 12 miles
Bike 7 miles
Lift 18 lifts
-3 sets of 12 reps.

I think I might start swimming for some of my training. I don't really know how to swim, but I need something to add to my workouts right now. The weather has been horrible for biking for about a month now, but not enough snow yet for xc skiing. I figured by mid December I would be skiing 5+ hours per week but I haven't even been able to ski once at all yet. Thus the extra workout time has gone exclusively into running. This isn't necessarily a bad thing to be racking up the mileage on foot but now that we have some icy slushy slop on the ground it's harder and and harder for me to do my running on trails so it's really hard mentally to stay excited about running 100+ miles per week as it becomes more and more on roads. I wish I still owned a swimming suit and goggles. I guess I might have to go shopping soon.

A Taste Of Winter

Today:
Run 15 miles
Bike 18 miles

Yesterday:
Run 9 miles
Lift 16 lifts
-3 sets of 12 reps

Saturday:
Run 34 miles

Friday:
Run 9 miles
Bike Commute 3 miles

We finally got a little bit of snow. About 6" on Saturday. I was hoping to go xc skiing Sunday or today but it turned warm and started raining just as soon as the snow stopped. now we just have an inch or two of slush everywhere.

I ran 34 miles on Saturday during the midst of the snowfall so it made for a quite adventurous time. I was hoping to be out for about 4.5 hours but the going was slow so my route that I planned took me 5.5 hours. It was 15 miles of road and 19 miles of very technical trail. The snow and ice on the trail made for some horrible footing. I was pretty lucky not to hurt myself on any of the several falls that I took.

I've been very encouraged by how quickly I'm feeling energetic again after my long runs. It always takes a few hours to replenish my water and calorie deficit but as soon as that's taken care of I feel pretty much entirely normal again. A year ago when I was training for the Susitna 100 a 34 mile run would wipe me out for the rest of the day, and sometimes part of the next day. Now though, presumably because I have worked more gradual up to this point, and because I'm doing more mid week runs of 12+ miles than I was last year, I feel like a long (30+ mile) day is just another day of training. Hopefully I can work up to 50 miles in a few weeks and still feel this way.

Training totals for the week (as of Saturday): Bike 35 miles; Run 120 miles; 22.5 hours (including weightlifting time).

Revolution Is In The Air

Today:
Run 13 miles
Bike Commute 3 miles
Lift 18 lifts
-3 sets of 12 reps.

Yesterday:
Run 11 miles
Bike 26 miles

Tuesday:
Run 14 miles
Bike Commute 3 miles

Monday:
Run 9 miles
Lift 16 lifts
-3 sets of 12 reps.

The past couple days have brought about some very detailed discussions in the ultra running weblog world about the need for a true championship 100 mile race. That is, something other than Western States 100 which is more or less impossible to get into even if you are one of the best runners. If you're interested in this discussion check out posts and comments on the following blogs: Karl, Wynn, Tony, Matt, Paul, Andy, Bryon.

The idea to create a true championship race is one that I think would be great for the sport and one that I hope doesn't fade away into nothing. I don't have the experience, clout, or ability to make something like this happen but I sure hope that someone who does makes it happen. I could see a domino effect quickly pushing this over the top. If a few of the top guys simply picked a race and called it the "championship" others would flock to it for a taste of the competition. I hold no illusions that I am on the level of the top ultra runners that would be attending these races, but I also have made up my mind that I am going to work my ass off to try to get there. At this point there is nothing that would appeal to me more than the chance to run against a field that consisted of many of the top ultra runners in the country. I hope this unfolds the way it should. I hope that come 2009 there is a race that any top level runner can get into (defining top level runner can obviously be a problem, but I say let anyone be involved who thinks they can compete), and that all top level runners will want to get into because it will include most of the top runners. It's very exciting to me just to think about it.

Dreams of '09

Run 30 miles

I doubt that I am alone amongst endurance athletes in that I like to pass the time while out on long training sessions daydreaming about events I'd like to do in the future. For the past several months this has meant almost always thinking about the Ultrasport and/or the GDR. For whatever reason though I found myself today thinking beyond that and daydreaming about 2009 a little bit. The '09 racing season is still a long time away but I've been thinking more and more that this will likely be the year that I will focus on trying to run 100 milers at a higher level. I'd love it if I could get into 2008 Wasatch 100 and then get into 2009 Hardrock 100. Unfortunately the odds of both of those happening are slim to none, but the good thing is that there are dozens of other very intriguing races out there. HURT 100, Coyote Two Moons, Massanutten, Superior Sawtooth, and The Bear 100 are just a few of the many that seem oh so exciting to me.

I'd love to run 5 or 6 100's in '09. Certainly I am a much stronger runner than cyclist and I think that 100 miles might be my strongest distance. In the one 100 that I've done I was only strong for 75 miles but that was a learning experience that I feel like I can easily overcome. Until I actually get out there and race with some more experienced ultra runners I really have no way of knowing just how my success here in Alaska translates to success in larger races, but I have every intention of finding out.

I was never really focused on school for the short time that I was in school, and I've never really had a job that I've been all that dedicated to or focused on. This motivation and determination that I have about endurance racing is really a very new thing to me. Sometimes it's a bit scary but mostly I really like it.

And now back to focusing on my next event. It's time to gather up my winter camping gear to get ready for bed out in the backyard. It's supposed be in the single digits tonight with heavy winds: first good chance this winter to acclimate to sleeping out in the cold. Tonight I'll do the wimpy backyard thing and then maybe tomorrow head up in the mountains a bit. Hopefully by next week we'll have some snow and I can begin to load my sled up with all my gear and head further out on some overnighters.

Pass The Poultry

Today:
Run 13 miles
Bike 6 miles
Lift 18 lifts
-3 sets of 12 reps

Yesterday:
Run 7 miles
Bike 20 miles

Thursday:
Run 11 miles
Bike Commute 3 miles

Wednesday:
Run 10 miles
Bike 12 miles
Lift 17 lifts
-3 sets of 12 reps

Tuesday:
Run 13 miles
Bike Commute 3 miles

Monday:
Bike 33 miles

I've not eaten meat (fish excluded) in about 12 years. Until this week that is. I've been thinking about introducing meat back into my diet for several weeks now and finally did so this week with a couple turkey sandwiches and some Indonesian chicken curry.

Why meat? why now? Well, the next 2 races that I'm doing are going to be very long and in very remote places of North America. Both the Ultrasport and the GDR would be entirely possible to do on my loose vegetarian diet (i.e. lacto ovo pesco veg.), but I am discovering more and more that there is no substitute for a hot, substantial, hearty meal when out racing for hours and hours.

During the Susitna 100 last winter my only "real" food was a bowl of rice and cornbread at mile 75 and I'm certain that rice never tasted so good in my life. Then during the 24 hours of Light in June I ate, or more accurately gobbled down, some corn chowder at 3:00 am. Again, the most satisfying corn chowder ever to meet my stomach.

Anyhow, to make a long story short I am planning on enjoying every chance I get in both the Ultrasport and the GDR to gobble down some "real" food. I have never found it difficult to make hearty, satisfying, vegetarian meals for myself, but at lodges along the Iditarod trail and small cafes and diners along the Great Divide Route meatless options are either going to be non existent or pathetically unsatisfying. That rice and cornbread during the Susitna tasted great but I'm sure it would have been much more satisfying had I eaten the Jambalaya that I passed on because it had chicken or pork or something in it.

So my plan is to get used to meat in my diet now, with enough time to also incorporate it into my training diet to figure out which meats fuel me best when active for several hours at a time.

I'll likely go back to a mostly, or entirely vegetarian diet after the GDR, but for now I'm just trying to find out where I can get a good steak in Juneau, and looking forward to sucking down countless burgers and fries out on the trail. (gosh, this sounds so disgusting right now but everything has a time and place I guess).

Totals for the week: Bike 77 miles; Run 84 miles; 19.5 hours time.