Running, Rocks and Rock

Training: The Buildup Phase

2012-01-16T21:22:00.000-08:00

As the word "buildup" implies one has to be in a state of atrophy or degradation before you can "build up". Unlike so many dedicated superhuman runners who seem to never allow themselves to fall into disrepair, the rest of us mortals find those occasions where we have slacked and given our shoes a chance to air out and de-stink a bit, and our tummies time to expand. This means that we must start the training process over again. How much you have previously ran, length of running hiatus, and your abilities as a runner, will determine how smooth or painful this stage of training is.

It begins the same as all things running, with a single step. The difference is that this first step often adsorbs the added impact caused by the extra pounds gained during the holidays (darn those chocolate oranges). Unlike the last time you ran fit and well, this step reminds you just how out of shape you let yourself become. The first system to tap out tends to be the lungs. This initiatory run seems to cause the lungs to revolt and sear with pain and all the huffing and puffing just falls short of filling your oxygen quota.

It is a good thing then that your pace for this first run falls somewhere between snail and tortoise. Now the mind kicks in and begins to scold the runner with such thoughts as "how come you took a break" or "this pace is pathetic, I might as well be walking laps at the mall", or you begin to sound like a fogie reminiscing about the good ole days like "I remember it only took me 17 minutes to get to this point during the summer". After the self-flogging you start to settle into some sort of a laboured rhythm.

Then for some of the more unfortunate runners, their pulmonary system has an unpleasant surprise in store for them. All the millions of capillaries that we had spent the previous year growing for maximal blood flow, had spent the hiatus sealing themselves up since they were no longer needed. Now that the body is having to work, it decides it is time to open up the old capillaries and move some blood to the surface of the skin to aid in the cooling of the over-insulated machine. This may seem harmless enough but for anyone who has experienced the burning and itching associated with running after a break, knows the torture I am talking about. No matter how hard you scratch your ribs, stomach, and thighs you can't begin to quench the fire from within. Millions of rusty pipes being flooded with blood for the first time in weeks or even months. All that can be done is a half trot half scratch lope down the trail or road (possibly even whimpering) until you finally have had enough training for one day.

With run number one out of the way you are able to start the next run knowing you have at least ran once previously and so you start again. This time things work a bit better, not anywhere near comfortable but at least the itchy capillary thing is over (it tends to only take one run and the phenomenon vanishes until the next time you run after a hiatus).

Now starts the phase of building up some fitness momentum. Unfortunately, fitness follows Newton's first law all to well, in that an object at rest wants to stay at rest and an object in motion wants to remain that way. In many ways fitness is like a gargantuan iron steam locomotive. If neglected, it kind of sits there in all its ginormous glory, and rusts to the tracks. In order to get your fitness moving down the tracks in the right direction again you first have to use some superhuman strength just to get it to budge. This is really what the first few weeks of a new training program are all about. Getting that fitness in a state of motion and moving in the right direction. With dogged perseverance and consistency you find your fitness on track and moving in the right direction.

It is at this point that we are the most prone to injury. The lungs and heart have finally figured things out and found that they are still capable of providing the oxygen necessary to fuel the furnace. Herein lies the conundrum, with your new found fitness, and zealous impatience to achieve that fitness level you once had you begin to ignore such basic laws of running like the 10% rule. Why not increase distance this week by 25 or even 50%? Now it is your legs who tap out. Up to this point your limiting factor has been your respiratory and pulmonary systems, now that they are working, and you are logging some impressive miles, you start feeling some pain along your shins or perhaps a slight twinge of something on the side or lower knee. Now is the time you must exercise extreme caution because you can kiss all those previous weeks of training goodbye if you make one wrong move at this point. You are on extremely thin ice. You now must let up a bit and let the legs catch up to the lungs. This interim stage usually takes a few weeks of tip-toeing the knife edge between too much and just enough. If you listen to your body and try not to get too greedy with mileage your legs eventually turn the corner and you begin increasing your mileage again, a little wiser from that close call.

You are now running consistently. You have lost some weight and your mental state has improved. You are positive and seeing great improvements. You can run 4-5 times a week with little problem. Your pace has progressed from tortoise to something a little quicker. Your long runs are at the half marathon mark no problem. You have made it through the buildup phase, it is now time to turn your attention to an entirely different beast, the long run, but that is a whole different story for another day!

New Years Eve Long Run: Getting Lost on Vancouver Island

2012-01-03T18:53:00.001-08:00

On top of Seymour Hill

Going for a run in a new location is always exciting and really increases your love of trail running, and this New Years Eve run was no different. Although I have been living on the Island for over three years now I still haven't even began to explore all the trail systems and parks even a few miles from my house. One area I haven't spent much time is Thetis Lake Regional Park. The park is wildly popular among residents because of its beautiful trail system, scenery, and more likely its appeal to dog walkers. It also hosts trail races like the extremely popular Gunner Shaw 10K and the Stewart Mountain 10 miler. It is amazing that I haven't run this park but one other time, with its amazing trails and rich cross-country race history. In the end, the main reason I haven't spent much time there is I don't like driving to a run if I can reach a similar type of run easily from my doorstep, I don't like paying for parking (May-September), and lastly I am not a huge fan of trails populated with dog walkers. I don't mind running around dogs on most trails but sometimes really popular trails get so choked with our canine friends it can really slow you down or prevent you from ever really reaching that flow state that can be so fickle to achieve.

That being said I decided it was time to give the park a try as my last run of the year. I went early enough in the morning that I figured the majority of dog walkers would still be avoiding the morning chill. I chose a course to run that followed closely to the Stewart Mountain Course with the exception of me running a smaller knoll called Seymour Hill first, and then also running to the summit of Scafe Hill as well as Stewart Mountain. The trail system is honestly straight forward and well marked so as to why I had such a hard time navigating this run is beyond me. Granted I haven't spent much time there before, and the main route has no fewer than 15 forks in the trail, but in the end I think I was just so busy enjoying the run that I wasn't paying much attention to what I was doing, but I am getting ahead of myself.

I started the run at a nice slow chug up the south side of Seymour. My blood began pumping and I quickly warmed up in the rays of the winter sun. I was in awe at how many cars were in the parking lot but the majority of people walk the main trail around the lake, so I had Seymour all to myself. The views of Thetis were absolutely beautiful and I was able to do one of my favorite things on the island which is glide along the tops of the hills over the moss covered rocks with amazing vistas all around me. After taking a photo or two at the top I began my descent and after a mile of beautiful twisting, turning, descending, single track I met up with the main trail that ribbons around the shore of Thetis Lake.

I knew that I needed to stay left near the shore a certain distance and avoid several right hand turns until I reached the correct right that led me north towards Stewart Mountain. The problem was in my attempt to hug the lake I took the trail that heads due south along a peninsula between the upper and lower Thetis Lakes and after a mile on that found myself literally back to where I parked. No Problem I thought I will just head north along the west shore of the lake and eventually meet back up with my main route to the north. In all, this wrong turn cost me several miles, but the trails were so amazing and the weather so perfect I just considered it a privilege to explore a few extra miles of trails.

I then began to probe my way toward the northwest end of the lake to find my main route to Stewart Mountain. I was unsure which trail I needed to take because I strayed from my original route that I had planned on running. So I found myself literally running every off-shoot trail I could find. I would run it until it dead-ended into a road, parking lot, race car track, or gravel pit. I was a bit frustrated to be honest but the trails were amazing and I had them to myself because I was away from the main lake. Eventually I found the correct trail after literally running every wrong trail in it's entirety. I thought it is a good thing I like to run long distances because otherwise I would be spent before I ever made it to the north bound trail that takes me to Stewart Mountain (which should have only taken about 25-30 minutes to reach).

I ran over streams, and puddles, and through trails with water pouring down them. I ran past old rusty cars and by old water tanks. It was a ton of fun to explore and every corner was new which is why I love running new areas so much. I finally reached Stewart Mountain an hour later than I had originally planned. At that point I realized I packed zero fuel and only had water and I could use a calorie or two going into the climb but pushed myself and thought it was good fat burning training. At one point I saw an overgrown trail that appeared to be a shortcut and would shorten my climb by quite a bit and so I took it. Within a minute I found myself chin deep in ferns and soggy grass. I stepped in a puddle that went up to my knee and finally broke through to the main trail after quite a battle with the brush, and while I was in the bush I donated my maps to the undergrowth. Finally I made the summit. It wasn't by any means a spectacular summit but it felt nice to lay down and I enjoyed the solitude and peace that comes from going further than anyone else is willing to go. I snapped a few photos, and took some footage, got a large swig out of the water bladder and headed back.

The way down was uneventful and now that I had a feel for the area I ran straight back to my car even without my maps that apparently didn't help anyways. What a great run and way to end 2011. I finished up the week with about 40 miles and felt really happy with each of my runs.

At the bottom of this post is the video I made of the run with another great song by Seven Mary Three. Feel free to laugh as I get lost, take shortcuts that don't pan out, and end up losing my maps (I know my wife sure had a good laugh at my expense). The video is in high definition so toggle to 1080 P before viewing to get a better picture!

Seymour Hill Ascent

Seymour hill

Thetis Lake

Running the Mossy Rocks

On the Summit of Stewart Mountain

Boxing Day 2 hour run.

2011-12-27T23:37:00.000-08:00

This semester was definitely an endurance event. Everyday felt like I was just trying to run to the next tree, or next stone, just like the late miles of a gnarly distance run. Instead of running to objects along the trail I was trying to just finish the next paper, the next assignment, or make it to the next meeting with my adviser. I was extremely relieved when it was all said and done and I could enjoy some down time with my family. I was also stoked to hit the trails again. So on Boxing Day I went out for a slow two hour run. I ran beach, I ran roads, I ran creeks, and I ran forest. It felt amazing! It was nice to actually be working towards my fitness and running goals again instead of buried in the books. The run was slow and painful but the light drizzle and beautiful Vancouver Island winter day recharged the batteries and I felt whole again.

Below are three shots from the run that represent the amazing variability and beauty I get to emerge myself in every time I run out the door.

Douglas Creek

Mt. Doug single track!

Arbutus Cove Beach

I haven't included much music in my posts of late so I am going to include a song that helped me through another brutal semester. This is a great song by Seven Mary Three an amazing and underrated band. They formed in 1993 in Virginia as teenagers but really broke out in 1995 with a hugely popular debut album "American Standard" and are a quintessential American band; two guitars, bass, and drums.

This song "Over Your Shoulder" comes from their 3rd and likely least popular album "Orange Ave." released in 1998. The band was having issues during it's recording, which affected its final sound, but it did have a nice song or two and this is one of them. The reason this song helped me this semester is that as I was pulling my first or even second all-nighter in a row, and I felt like just laying in bed and not ever moving again, I would throw on this song and soon I would rally as I realized that I just needed to hunker down and before I knew it the assignment or deadline would be "over my shoulder", and ultimately the semester was quickly behind me. It goes without saying that this song also applies to long distance running, we all come to those low spots in each run, each season, each year where the run or running isn't going exactly how you planned and everything seems to be going pear-shaped, but sooner or later it is over your shoulder. A nice song to pick you up when feeling overwhelmed. Enjoy!

Winter running (photo from this evenings run)

2011-11-28T21:04:00.000-08:00

Winter has now settled over the Island and the days are getting very short which means running in the dark. I thought I would take my camera with me and snap a shot or two. This is my favorite photo from tonight's run.

This semester has been really tough, but running has helped me keep my sanity. I can't wait to have this semester behind me. Grad school is an endurance sport and I feel like I am using similar tactics to long distance running to keep going. Very similar to picking a tree or rock to run to, and repeating the process when you are really knackered; I am having to pick many small goals to work towards during my studies each day. If I look at the big picture it is a bit overwhelming, so by just focusing on finishing this paper or writing a paragraph is what is allowing me to keep on plowing through. Running is definitely applicable in many areas of my life!

Mount Doug Victoria, BC Trail Maps, (Hillshade, Contour, Satelite)

2011-11-19T20:52:00.000-08:00

I have noticed that finding good trail maps of places like Mount Doug can be a challenge. The usual maps you find on line don't show enough detail and often are missing many trails. Before I started graduate school I worked in geographic information systems a.k.a. computer aided mapping. I found that the U.S. had great free resources to produce your own georeferenced maps using GPS or digital elevation models etc all free and readily available. Since moving to Canada I have found it difficult if not impossible to find freely available geographic information. So I decided to make a few maps combining data (all be it not the best data) from multiple sources in an attempt to provide a more useful map than currently exists. I had to use terrible quality rasters and photoshop them but in the end I feel these three maps are a nice approximation, and I hope others interested in viewing the trails on Mount Doug will find these maps useful. Keep in mind that they are approximate and by no means exact. They should give you a good idea as to which trail you are on and your options for various courses.

My next step is to put distance in Km's and miles on each trail section as well as a technicality ranking. That way anyone wanting to see the distances they ran or plan future routes can do so with ease.

The following three maps show a variety of formats ranging from hillshade and satelite, to street view, depending on your preference for viewing maps (I need to do a simplified grayscale one still). If you would like the maps in a larger format etc. feel free to e-mail or comment and I can send you a copy in the format you want. Feel free to use or re-post these maps if you would like and try to credit me if you are using them for public purposes.

Contour intervals are 20 meters or 65 feet.

World in My Eyes: Trail Running Victoria BC at Sunset

2011-11-08T09:39:00.000-08:00

This is a video I made at the end of summer of an 18 or 19 miler I ran at sunset. I like how you can see it getting later and later as the run progresses.

Fall trail running in Victoria, Vancouver Island

2011-11-05T10:29:00.000-07:00

Here is a short video with some clips from a trail run a few days ago in October. It was a great run and the colors were brilliant. It might cause some motion sickness, I wish I had a camera stabilizer. It at least gives you an idea what a Fall run on the Island is like.

Reset

2011-10-25T15:21:00.001-07:00

My wipers swished away the autumn rain droplets from the windshield. I had butterflies in my stomach. I was going for a trail run in a soaking rain at the height of fall on beautiful Vancouver Island. It had been a while. Sure I had the best intentions of running consistently throughout this semester, but like so many before it, I found myself lost in a whirlwind of field schools, thesis writing, and course work. The semester flooded over me so swiftly my only defence was to spend longer days in the books; early mornings and late nights. I was able to squeeze in the occasional 5:00 a.m. run but my running was suffering even though I tried so hard not to let things get out of hand.

I stepped out of my car and the clouds opened up and unleashed their fury on me. I watched as large drops of rain accelerated earthward towards me from their lofty origins in the heavens.

“There they are! The butterflies again”!

My body responded by sending a slug of adrenaline coursing through my veins. I had finally resurfaced again from my studies and now it was time, time to send my body hurling down another muddy trail.

The mountain wore an apron of mist and hissed with the sounds of a million drops crashing into needles, leaves and earth. The effects of the adrenaline were now waning and I settled into comfortable albeit slow rhythm. The muted color pallet of the gray weather was accented with splashes of yellow ochre and burnt sienna from the deciduous trees. I knew my fitness was lacking but it didn’t matter, I was completely alone, running through cloud, forest, and rain.

“There you are”! I thought to myself. “I thought I had lost you for a sec back there in all that school work”.

I climbed the muddy trails and rocky slopes higher into the clouds. The rain had soaked me through now. My heart remembered what was necessary to propel its owner skyward and my pulse quickened and I could feel the response in my temples. The lungs were searing as they tried to capture as much oxygen from each breath and exchange it for the accumulating CO2. I ignored the warning signs my body kept relaying and I began to push. The push started subconsciously but was building momentum and finally it became apparent what I was on about. I wanted to shed this sedentary chrysalis formed from hours at a desk and weeks under pressure, and I wanted to emerge a runner. Free!

I just kept on pushing. My legs were spinning and spinning. They didn’t seem to mind as much as the circulatory and pulmonary systems, in fact, I have a feeling they needed this as much as my restless mind.

I topped out and started down the other side of the mountain and didn’t even pause for a second. This run was not about meeting some training goal; it was not even about trying to salvage some form of fitness. This run was linked to something much more instinctive almost to the very basic fight or flight response found in each of us. Though I was flying I was not running from anything, quite the contrary, I was fighting…I was fighting for myself; I was fighting for balance; I was fighting for my sanity. I was tired of my life being so lopsided and I was ready to get back to a more balanced and healthy lifestyle. I hated the idea that to succeed in one area of your life other equally important facets of ones life must be neglected and those aspects of ones self quickly atrophy faster than idle muscles. I also understood at that moment that this aspect of excelling in one aspect of your life to the neglect of others can’t be avoided all the time, and it would only be for a short time. I looked down at my legs and was surprised to see their rapid cadence. I was on fire.

The next thing I knew I was back to my car. A flash…A blink and the run was over. I sat on the wood slat fence a little queasy and very light-headed. I was truly happy. It felt as though a “reset” switch was flipped and I was back to normal. It is interesting how something so seemingly simple as running through the forest on a rainy fall day can completely re-center your thoughts and attitude. What seemed to be drowning me just one hour earlier was now something I could face again with new vigour. My scrambled and turbulent mind was now refocused and clear. In one hour, running unloaded what took 6 weeks of heavy studies, travel. and stress to build up. Once again I was free of my burdens. How do people who don’t run cope with life?

Week 3 Ultra Training Vlog - East Sooke Park Coastal Trail Review

2011-08-18T20:55:00.000-07:00

Few aspects of trail running are more appealing then swiftly ascending the slopes of a major peak. With each searing breath and lactic acid-laden step you propel yourself heavenward. Peaks represent a very real goal that can be met with awe-inspiring views and a lofty sense of accomplishment. Running trails that lack major prominence may not seem as worthy of a pursuit, but these trails should not be underestimated and can be just as challenging, beautiful, and worthy trails to seek out and run. Perhaps few trails exhibit a merit worthy of comparison with some of the western cordilleran mighty summits then the coastal trails of the Pacific Northwest.

The East Sooke Park Coastal trail is a true jewel tucked away along the southwest corner ofVancouver Island. Upon exiting your car the trail seems quite tame. A wide gravel path leads between evenly spaced trees in a large grassy meadow. The trail seems to be teaming with hikers and you instantly worry you are going to be crowded. The trail flows into a nice sandy beach and becomes the final destination for many of the people you see parked at the trailhead.The coastal trail then turns abruptly west along the shady southern coast. Giant western red cedars, Douglas firs, and arbutus cast their cool shadows over the rocky path. Ten minutes into the run you approach a petroglyphic panel of unknown age. It appears to be a depiction of a salmon or other sea critter. Once again you lose more weekend warriors on the trail, whose main goal was the panel.

After the petroglyphs the trail begins to become much more challenging. It begins to rise and fall over angular jagged rock formations with intermittent sections of yellow grass-strewn headlands. Running along one of the many headlands in the fresh ocean breeze is beyond words.On the horizon the jagged outline of the Olympics rises out of the azure waters of the Pacific Ocean. Foamy waves break on the rocky shore below as the gusty breeze blows the salty scent of the sea over the grassy headland. It feels like you are running through a painting as the fall of your feet brush a seascape across a remarkable canvas of stone and grass. Beechy head is perhaps the most prominent of all the view points along the trail and a concrete monolith marks the summit of the whaleback.

The real work of the trail starts after Beechy Head. Few hikers venture beyond this section of trail and it becomes more wild and secluded. The trail takes on a different persona; one of twisted rock and root with abrupt elevation changes. The next major point you run towards is cabin point. This is an old trapper-style cabin like the thousands that once dotted the BC coast during the early part of the last century. The cabin is available for use and is perched on a lonely wind-swept point.

After the cabin, the trail darts north into a large canyon and turns back on itself towards the south, skirting a large rocky hill. The remaining portion of trail continues to ascend and descend rocky coastal slopes. You catch glimpses of large cliffs and watch the full weight of each wave crash at the base, creating a very dramatic effect.

The trail then comes to a lovely little cove and beach, near the Pike Road access. Many people shuttle cars so that they can hike the trail once and then drive back to the original trailhead.Most hikers take 5-6 hours to do the full trail. As for me I had to turn around and retrace my steps all the way back. I didn’t have time to run the full length of the trail but came close. My family was waiting back at the beginning beach and I was hoping to make it back to them in three hours.

The East Sooke Park coastal trail is a worthy and difficult trail. Every step must be adjusted for as each foot plant is on uneven rocky or rooty terrain. It becomes a struggle to climb and drop over each large headland only to have to repeat it over and over. Soon the quads ache and the calves beg for a stretch of flat easy running so they can recover. The views almost can’t be beat.This trail is highly recommended but if you are planning on doing the full out and back it could easily take 5 hours so be prepared for a long day on strenuous terrain.

Week 3 was not as great as I had hoped. I am trying to get a scientific publication in the works which is a time consuming project. I also had family visit which cost me a day of running and school work. I compensated by doubling Wednesdays mileage but many of those miles were on a road which beats me up a little worse then on the trails. Over all I was happy with the 32 miles I achieved but it definitely could have been stronger.

Ultra Training Week 2 August 1 - August 7 with a long run on Mount Work

2011-08-13T19:13:00.000-07:00

This is a little late considering week three is a day from being over but here is my Vlog on training for an ultra for my second week (it is a little quiet in places and once again the sound is off in a few spots but that is what I have to work with as far as my camera mic goes and also my editing software).

Monday - 4 mile hike with my daughter in my pack

Tuesday - fast 6 miler hilly

Wednesday - fast 5 miler flat

Thursday - 6 miles hilly

Friday - rest day

Saturday - hilly 14 miler

Sunday - easy 5 miles

Total - 36 miles running 4 miles hiking

Week 1 training for an Ultramarathon

2011-07-31T16:49:00.000-07:00

I finished the first week of my new training block for an ultramarathon. This first week was like the first week of any new block of training runs; some runs were great others were pitiful.

Monday found me running to the 47.5 meter (156 foot) tall Little Niagara Falls. A beautiful narrow cascade of water just off from the main road. Though it isn't as big or beautiful as it's more famous name sake, it still has a beauty and grandeur all its own. I then ran to and over the E&N train trestle that spans the Little Niagara creek gorge. Running on the 161 meter (529') high bridge with no rails and large gaps between the ties was really creepy. You would get vertigo and a bit dizzy. You can tell on the clip on this vlog that I am running very slowly and gingerly and even walking. I am not gonna lie it was unnerving. I would hate to get stuck half way on the bridge when the train came (think Stand by me). You would be in trouble. I then continued to some old mines on the Gold Mine trail and felt like I was running with ghosts. It was a great start to the week.

Tuesday saw me running an easy 7 miles on Mount Doug. You can read about it or see images on my last vlog post.

Wednesday was a flat five miler and was hot and not the best. I was a bit sleep and calorie deprived and very thirsty.

Thursday was a slow and painful 7 miles on Mount Doug with very leaden legs. I made it back in one piece but could feel the mileage from the previous runs piling up and definitely needed a rest.

Friday was a much needed rest day.

Saturday was my long run. I figured I would run two laps of my usual Mount Doug route but I ran so late that it got really dark on me. Just after passing the 8 mile mark I really rolled my ankle. One of those rolls that take you completely off guard. It hurt like crazy and for one split second I thought that was it, I was now going to be out for 6 weeks. Luckily my ankle recovered after some light running and I decided to quit while I was ahead.

All told I was aiming for 37 miles this week and ended with 33. I experienced the exhilaration of running under a waterfall, gingerly stepping on a 160 year old bridge suspended in space. I experienced some strong running with an easy and light pace, but I also experienced low lows. I had some slow labored heavy-footed runs where every step seemed a bit forced and clumsy. I ran in hot weather (relatively hot but not compared to many places currently east of here). I felt the jolt and disappointment of a really painful rolled ankle that brought my long run to a screeching halt. In short, I felt like someone training for a ultramarathon this week. What a great feeling!

0-100 miles: Training for a Trail Ultra Day 1

2011-07-26T21:50:00.000-07:00

I am constantly kicking around ideas to stay motivated and run consistently. Recently my friend Tim was up from Utah visiting me on Vancouver Island. We were discussing motivation techniques to aid in consistency, and I thought an idea to help me get back on track with my running goals would be to create a video blog (vlog) of what it takes for a slightly below average trail runner, that is currently out of shape and running inconsistently, to train up for a longer distance 50 or 100 mile Ultra.

I will record a few thoughts during one or several runs each week about what I am going through as I try to whittle my pathetic body into a beginning ultra-runner. The blog and idea are more for me than anybody else but I thought I would share so perhaps someone in a similar boat might see my experiment with long distance and hopefully learn from my mistakes.

The end result should allow me to run more consistently for the next 6 months to a year and hopefully will lead to a Ultra event of some sort.

Today's run was a 6-7ish mile run up and down and around Mount Douglas in Victoria. This is my usual venue for training. Tomorrow I will do a flat 5 miles.

Below is my first Vlog. I have to mention my voice can be quite monotone and boring. I often have to teach labs for my schooling and after each course the students evaluate you and you can read what they said about you later. I have to say I have been lucky to get great reviews but one student gave me a critique that follows "you are extremely passionate about geology, BUT... your monotone voice which lacks any sort of inflection makes it sound like you are quite bored, and as a result makes me think you are not as excited about it as you should be." I laughed and had to agree. I definitely have a weird monotone voice, so if this vlog puts you to sleep I apologize. Additionally I say um, uh, and so WAY too much. I am not a great orator but the idea is just to show others my life as I train for ultra distances through my eyes. It is a little uncomfortable putting myself out there like this but I will roll the dice and see what comes of it.

Geoff Roes Running Times Movie Short

2011-07-23T16:12:00.000-07:00

I found this movie on Krupicka's blog interviewing Geoff Roes for running times and I really enjoyed it. I really like how Roes is more interested in just running in the bush everyday and having an adventure rather than meeting some sort of time or mileage quota. I really can say, as I am sure many trail runners can, that it is this non-competitive connection with nature that really inspires me to run everyday. More important than mileage or distance or anything else for me is just the chance to get outside and run free and explore. It is definitely the journey for me that draws me to long distance trail running not so much the finish line. Props to Joel Wolpert for a job well done!

Ben Lomond Utah Trail Running Video 2

2011-07-21T22:46:00.000-07:00

I finally had a chance to gather up all my media and piece together my video from an attempt to run to the summit of Ben Lomond with my best friend Tim on July 2nd. You can read about the run and watch Tim's video here. My video isn't edited as well as I would have liked (issues with matching music and transitions etc) but I think it does a good job of showing what a great run it was even though we weren't quite able to summit!

Trail Run up Bair Canyon Utah - following the "Bairgutsman" race route

2011-07-17T10:12:00.000-07:00

Trail Followed for the run

During the end of June and the first week of July we traveled to Utah for a holiday. I had planned on running a couple of awesome runs with good friends. The extremely cold wet year eliminated the possibility of running the main route we had chosen so we had to get creative and find something new to run. To test how runnable the Northern Wasatch were and to see what options we had to replace our old run, I decided to take a test run up Bair Canyon which is the course for the Bairgutsman trail race, an 11-13 mile point to point trail race. I was running about 8 miles of the course and then running back so in total I was going to run 16 miles.

Starting at an elevation of 4800' the trail heads straight up Bair Canyon to the summit at 9,500' leaving the total elevation just shy of the 5,000' mark. I started the run at 5:30 a.m. hoping to beat the sun since I am use to running in the mild climate of the PNW. It was quite windy at the start but it was still fairly warm. I had some concerns about the high run-off that would make each of the four river crossings a bit dicey and I was also worried about the snow fields near the summit that were going to be treacherous to cross.

I started off at a nice clip and made it to the first river crossing very quickly. The river was high and frothy but it looked relatively safe. I jumped on in and felt the icy snow melt crash into my thighs. It ended up being quite simple to cross and I could tell I wouldn't have any issues crossing each of the subsequent crossings.

The trail had not seen many hikers past this first crossing this year and the trail began to be quite overgrown. Perhaps the most challenging aspect was the loads of stinging nettle that lined both sides of the trail due to the extremely wet conditions this year. I startled some campers who were sleeping on the side of the trail and weren't expecting to see anyone let alone at 6:00 a.m. I waved and crossed the river again and kept on cruising upwards.

I was also getting covered in hundreds of tiny silkworms that were dangling from the trees. Sometimes I would stop and pick hundreds of the little creatures off of me. Then I noticed a few other unwanted guests hitching a ride... Ticks! I picked several of those off my bare legs and then spent the remainder of the time in the trees and brush petrified of having to pick off ticks when I finished my run. I also began to notice cougar scat all over the trail and was a bit nervous, when a large sage grouse jumped out in front of me. Being already nervous of cougars this opportune explosion of feathers made me nearly have a heart attack. With a huge jolt of adrenaline I powered my way up through the remainder of the trees into the higher slopes of the range. The trail was extremely faint in places making it challenging to follow but my main concern was that on the return down I could easily get lost since the trail would be harder to see as I quickly bounded down the hill. There was also going to be a bunch of branches from mountain mahogany and scrub oak and nettle to sting and scratch my legs as I made my rapid and slightly out of control descent.

I reached snowline at about 7:00 am and found my first snow crossing to be treacherous as I had to slide down a nearly vertical 20' foot snow ledge on my backside. The next challenging snow field was a large side-sloped traverse that angled steeply into the canyon and would have been really bad to slip and slide down on. After crossing this side slope I realized all the switch backs were covered in snow and ice so I just cruised right up the ridge getting scratched and torn up along the full distance.

About two hours after starting out I made it to the summit ridge. The wind was really whipping up there. I decided to summit a small peak to the north of Francis Peak and have a sandwich. I took shelter from the wind behind a communication tower and had a great time on the summit. I changed my socks and started the descent. It went really quickly and running down the snow fields was a blast.

As I predicted the branches and nettle took their toll on my exposed skin and my legs were completely shredded and stung. It is all part of the journey. The descent went extremely quick and I got off the main trail during a slide-rock crossing but found it again and finished my descent with no major issues.

It was a great run and one I will always remember. I really love running in the clouds. Enjoy the footage I took of the run!

Epic run up Ben Lomond July 2nd!

2011-07-13T07:57:00.000-07:00

I went down to Utah at the end of June with the intention of running from Smith and Morehouse to Bald Mountain in the Uintas with my best friend Tim. The problem was that even though we waited to do the event until the first week of July, the weather had been so cold and wet this past spring that the Uinta Mountains were completely snowed over.

We had to think fast and come up with an alternate idea. I decided to take a test run to 9,500' in the Wasatch Mountains and see how the conditions were. I ran to Francis Peak and found that it was no problem if I stayed on south and west slopes of the range (more to come on that run). The north slopes were still quite snowy but it seemed reasonable that we could handle any run in the Northern Wasatch.

So while in North Ogden I stopped off at Tim's house and decided to talk to him about our options. We set our sites on 9,712' tall Ben Lomond. The idea was to hit the North Ogden Divide and run the south ridge all the way to the summit. Here is where we ran into our next problem. Tim called me that night and informed me that the North Ogden Divide was closed due to rock slides. We couldn't really get anywhere near the trail head. We devised a new plan to attack it via the east and north slopes of the North Fork Park (I knew that we would be dealing with some serious snow).

We met at about 5:30 am and drove to the trail head. The sun was already beating down on us as we started the run. We didn't quite know where the actual trail started and ran around the campgrounds a bit to find the actual trail near some corrals, which allowed us to stretch the legs and get the cobwebs out. I was still a bit fatigued from hammering a 13 mile 3,000' run just two days earlier and I could tell the elevation and heat would slow me down but in the end I could care less the mountain air was fresh and crisp, the sky a sapphire blue, and we were doing what I love most about running - propelling ourselves skyward!

The first few miles were beautiful and the trail was in great condition. We were able to quickly move up the mountain in good time. We purposely held back and took our time because we knew that the upper reaches of the mountain weren't going to be a picnic. After several miles of smooth sailing we began to ascend into ever higher trails and then ran into our first snow bank. The snow was soft and made a steep bevel that covered the trail. The edges of our shoes bit into the snow and we navigated the bank with little difficulty. The next bank was a bit longer and more solid than the previous one. Tim, being a road marathoner, was wearing his Mizuno Wave Runner's which have about 600 miles on them. We joked that he was doing an off-road event in racing slicks. This was Tim's first real trail running attempt and as we ran the snow I could see that his shoes were not going to handle too much snow but I thought "it is July, how much snow could there be up there?"

As we made continual progress up the slope we found the snow becoming more and more common. Finally it began to no longer be just a hindrance but a hazard as we side-sloped large ice fields with seemingly endless drop-offs. The once amazing and runnable trail was masked by large snow fields. We would continually lose the trail and have to find it after zig-zagging the snowy slopes. With all the challenges the snow were posing we began to work out a system where I would kick steps into the icy pitches and Tim would follow in my footsteps with his racing slicks. We found a smooth rhythm and began to make some good progress again. After several slow miles of kicking steps and finding the trail we reached a large gully that was choked with snow and ice. We could see that it lead toward the saddle that marked the beginning of the final approach to the summit. All we could see though was white. There was little hope of being able to ascend the last 600 feet without a better form of traction. With disappointment I told Tim that with a pair of Kahtoola Microspikes we would be able to launch ourselves right up the slopes.

We decided to run around a large hip that protruded from the slopes of Ben Lomond. As we rounded the corner we were met with the awe-inspiring 9,764' crags of Willard Peak. All I could to do was drool as I imagined myself standing on its summit in a perfect "snow free" world. Alas it was not to be. It would have been unwise to continue with racing-slicks and besides our unprotected eyes were now looking at the blinding light coming off the snow fields for an hour or two and snow blindness is something neither of us wanted. We decided to call off our summit bid and we anxiously looked back over the miles of mushy snow that stood between us and fast downhill running.

We picked our way back but continually were having issues following our footsteps back and after some confusion we realized there was a subsequent pair of insane runners like ourselves that had attempted the same run. We eventually ran into them as they descended as well having suffered our same fate of getting snowed out. We joked and shared running stories and enjoyed the unspoken bond that links all crazy runners. We all parted ways and began to pick up the pace as the snow thinned out more and more with each step.

Finally we reached the sloping trails leading back to the trail head. After several hours of slipping and sliding and kicking steps in the snow we were able to finally run! We pointed ourselves down hill and really turned up the heat! We floated down the gentle curves of the wooded apron that surrounds Ben Lomond. Leaping streams and flying across slopes covered in lush green grass and wildflowers, we finally felt more like runners and less like mountaineers.

The heat of the day and humidity rising from the dense vegetation gave one a sense of running in a sauna. Before we knew it we were down from the mountain and just meters from the trail head. Our water had run out just as we reached the car. We had given it our best shot and though we were unable to summit something told me as we stood side by side gazing at the blinding jewel that marked the summit we would be back. Tim may be able to run it quite soon but I live 900 miles to the northwest and will have to wait for another year. Perhaps next year I will be able to give it another go and we may even be able to nail Willard while we are at it.

Perhaps the highlight of the trip was running with Tim. Our running journey's have followed completely different paths. I have been running for almost 5 years now and have found myself drawn to the trails of British Columbian, where Tim has been running for only a year and a half and has spent most of his time on the roads training for half and full marathons. That being said two best friends of nearly 20 years who have polar opposite running styles and backgrounds were able to reconnect and share our first of many running experiences together and enjoy the camaraderie and joy that comes from running. Something tells me this is just the first page of a whole new chapter of our friendship.

Tim is currently spending the week with me on the island and we are already creating new and amazing running experiences here. I will blog about these amazing runs in the weeks to come.

Here is a video made by Tim of our amazing run. I have not been able to gather all my multimedia from the trip yet but will post it soon. I love the video Tim made and I feel it does a beautiful job of catching the amazing time we had during our first run together ever. Enjoy!

My first running of the Mount Doug Marathon Victoria BC

2011-05-23T12:42:00.000-07:00

I awoke on Saturday mentally prepared to run my first mountainous marathon of the season. I decided that I would run the Mount Doug Marathon. It isn’t an official marathon or race and the only entrant was me, so I knew I had great odds of getting first place, I just had to finish.

My training plan only called for a 24 miler but I was inspired by my friend Tim who was 800 miles to the southeast running in his first official marathon the Ogden Utah marathon, one of Runners World’s top 10 road marathons. I wanted to support him in his first marathon and celebrate his accomplishment of training consistently through the heat and cold of Utah’s extreme weather. Being in Canada and far away like I am it just wasn’t possible to be there in person. I decided I would run a marathon of my own in his honor and somehow I would be there with him in spirit.

I ate some breakfast of two fried eggs and some toast and jam. I have not had to really focus on fueling or hydration during long runs yet so I used this as an opportunity to see how well I could do. I packed a variety of snacks such as salted potatoes, peanut butter and honey, banana, and chips. I also packed 32 ounces of electrolyte drink and brought a gallon of water to fill my 16 ounce handheld.

The course I created is 4 loops and each loop is 10.5 km long and includes 3 summits and about 1500 feet of elevation gain and loss for a total of 4 loops, 12 summits, and 6000 feet gained and lost. After each loop I would pass by my car and be able to refuel and fill up my bottles.

I arrived at the designated parking spot to a chilly 55 degree and overcast day. It would be perfect conditions and allow me to properly cool off. I grabbed my bottles and started out nice and easy. My plan was to do each loop in 1 hour and 15 minutes for a total of 5 hours for the marathon.

Loop one was actually a lot more difficult than I anticipated. I didn’t get a ton of training in over the last few weeks and have been quite stressed and it was reflected in my heavy-footed trot towards the first summit. My goal was to quickly power hike all the 12 uphill’s and bomb the downs to make up time. The first 3 hills were quite easy and felt like small blips in my path but I knew they would get harder as the day progressed. Loop one was quite easy and I had to force myself to drink just so I could stay on point with my hydration. I flew through the last mile of single track quite quickly and reached my car at 1:07. Too fast I thought but no bother.

At the car I grabbed some corn chips, and ate about one red potato worth of salted potatoes. They tasted good and I washed it down with about 4 ounces of electrolyte drink. I refilled my hand held and got out of my car in about 3 minutes.

Loop two was by far the strongest of the four. I hit my stride and ran the flats with ease. I floated over the trails with my feet barely making contact with the ground. I grinded up each of the hills and tried to engage the glutes to take some stress off the quads and calves. I felt great! I had to really pull back on the reins because my body wanted to run the loop in less than an hour but I knew the run wasn’t even half over. So I forced myself into a painfully slow trot. During the last mile I had to hit the bushes. One challenge that is unique to me from other runner’s is the fact that I don’t have a large intestine and my food has a very short residence time in my digestive track. Running seems to speed the process along and one hour after eating seemed to do the trick for needing to hit the bushes. I quickly took care of business and hurried back to my car. This time I took 1:10:00 on the loop.

I ate half my PB&H and also downed about 8 ounces of electrolyte drink. I ate more potatoes but decided to opt out of the corn chips which seemed to make a reappearance several times during the previous lap (not that I puked or anything but you could tell they were being burped up). I spent 3 minutes at the car again.

I have run many runs this year that covered the two loops for a total of a half marathon on Mount Doug. This was the first time that I ever went beyond the 6 summits and 13 miles. So as I started loop three I was entering new hallowed ground. I love the feeling of pushing into territory that I have never done before.

Summit 7 quickly reminded me that I had just climbed and descended 3,000 feet over the last two hours and had 6 more to go. I began to slow a bit and my lactic acid threshold began to deteriorate. The long gentle uphill stretch between summits 7 and 8 proved difficult and I took a small walking break for about 1 minute. This really helped and I was able to finish summits 8 and 9 with some discomfort but nothing too bad. Once again I had to head to the bushes at the exact same point as the previous loop. I guess I know that on long runs I have about 1 hour between eating until I have to find a stump. Good thing I run trails and not roads! I reached my car at a much slower time of 1:15:00 for the loop and the slower up hills and extra walking breaks all took their toll and I got a much slower loop.

At the aid station I dumped debris from my shoes, ate the rest of my sandwich, my potatoes, and my banana. I drank the rest of my electrolyte drink and took a deep breath. I had 10.5 km to go and 1500 feet of vert still to go and I was feeling it.

Summit 10 was brutal. My legs felt like jelly and there just wasn’t any strength left in them to draw from. The descent began to show me weaknesses in my downhill conditioning and for the first time this year I felt my quads begin to really get chewed up on the descent. The long slow grind up to summit 11 was absolutely brutal. I began to think about my friend Tim and wondered how his race went. I kept on trying to draw some strength from him and think about how he was covering the same distance at a much quicker rate in much higher temps. Somehow I knew he had run well and this seemed to give me some extra motivation. Yet I still had to walk most of this shallow stretch. My legs were just knackered! The last 5 miles were brutal and the last two summits were quite taxing. After the 12^th summit I just had one long stretch of down hill to go. This is where the problem lied. Six-thousand feet of descent had taken its toll on my quads and they felt like they had gone through a meat grinder. I couldn’t believe how sore they were on the final descent. Suddenly my knees began to hurt and I realized my fatigued quads were not supporting my knees any longer and they were starting to track poorly and get inflamed. Rather than risk further injury I slowed down to a crawl and just coasted the last couple of miles. It wasn’t the strong finish I had in mind but I finished a really hilly and technical marathon at 5 hours 1 minute and 30 seconds. I would have loved to get a sub-5 but that was all I could do without getting injured.

What a great marathon! I can’t wait to improve and continue to work on my distances. I only lost 6 ounces during the run which was a testament to my attention to detail with my fueling and hydration. I only got sick once at the final summit and only for a few minutes. Overall I was quite happy with my first 5 hour run of the season.

Today’s song comes from the land of my roots Sweden and is from a Swedish duo called Familjen. The song is called “Det snurrar i min skalle”. I love the song though it is in Swedish. I also thought it fitting since the footage of the video comes from a Swedish faith healing evangelist from the 60’s, and since it was supposed to be the end of the world during my marathon I thought some sweet footage of this evangelist put to this awesome song was a nice fit. Enjoy!

Gowland Tod Park 4 hour run through the emerald hills

2011-04-23T21:41:00.000-07:00

I awoke this morning and loaded my running pack with 2.5 liters of water, my camera, and a peanut butter and honey (PB&H) sandwich. It was going to be my first 4 hour run I have done for many months. Since I am running strong and consistent, I felt I was ready to start doing what I love most- long runs with loads of relief.

I picked the Gowland Tod Range to run for several reasons. First it starts at about sea level and climbs as high as about 1350 feet at Jocelyn Hill and then dives down again and back up to 1000 feet at Holmes Peak after which you turn around and climb them both again in reverse. In total it has some good elevation and relief. The second reason I love this route is the views are breath taking. The entire trail parallels the Finlayson Arm of the Saanich Inlet and you can see the ocean, surrounding mountains, and forest. I believe every trail runner should have an opportunity to run this course at least once in there lives.

The weather was superb without a cloud in the sky and temps were hovering around 60. After arriving at the trail head I started my run and within about 10 minutes found myself cranking up the first hill, which climbs unrelentingly for several miles. The trail is rocky and winds it's way from near the ocean south towards Squally Reach. My legs were a bit tired from this week's runs but once I started motoring up the trail I began to relax and find my pace. Though not the fastest pace, it was maintainable and comfortable, and I knew it would last for 4 hours so I stuck with it.

Squally Reach in the Gowland Tod Range. Floating over the grassy hummocks!

I arrived at the squally reach lookout and drank in the most amazing view. I could see the ocean and Salt Spring Island, even Mt. Baker was dimly visible looming over the eastern skyline. I ran across the grassy hummocks and could swear I was floating.

After playful running on the reach I began to turn my attention to summiting Jocelyn. Jocelyn is a large grass covered blister rising nearly 1400 feet above the ocean. The trail from Squally Reach to Jocelyn undulates and ascends and descends over uneven terrain. Though most of it hovers around the same elevation there is plenty of ups and downs to keep you earning your forward progress. You feel you are nearly to the summit but then the trail turns north and you almost back track a Km before curving around to the south again. After turning to the south you begin to overlook the ocean once again and the views are breathtaking.

Approaching Jocelyn Peak with the Saanich Inlet behind me.

Leaving the Summit of Jocelyn.

The summit was a perfect place to stretch out on a rock and enjoy my PB&H. The sun cut through my sweaty shirt, warming my body all the way through. I closed my eyes and just let my mind wander. My thoughts turned to my summer plans and I decided that I really want to hike Lone Peak with my wife. Lone Peak is an 11,000 + footer rising directly over the Salt Lake valley with nearly 6,200 feet of prominence, it is not for the average weekend warrior.

When we were first married we would hike almost year round often in remote and unknown places. I recall many long drives in my jeep as we listened to music and discussed everything from our favorite movies to our future plans. These trips made our relationship grow so much stronger and created a depth that wouldn't have existed without these precious adventures. Now after the children have arrived I realize that I really miss hiking with my wife and I decided I will take advantage of having family around this Summer to watch our kids while we go and have another adventure. I hope Vye will be game. I snap out of my daydream and decide I better get busy and continue on to Holmes Peak.

Holmes Peak is the small blister (barely visible) in the foreground on the ridge with the taller hill behind it being Mount Finlayson.

The trail to Holmes Peak is very straight forward but I still veered off the main ridge and descended about 500 feet to a main road and realized I just tacked on about 3 extra miles and 500 extra feet of elevation up and down. I don't care, there is no need to stick to a plan I am just running where ever I feel like it. I regain the ridge and decide rather than turn around I will continue on to Holmes Peak.

Trail towards Holmes Peak.

Trail to Holmes over some rusty (gossanous) soil.

I reach the small peak and push quickly to the top. I then decided to finish my sandwich and get heading back. The sun is much warmer now as the day has progressed but I don't mind, I missed the warmth during the sun's 6 month hiatus from the Island. I worked my way back towards the arbutus tree-strewn ridge that hooks back up with Jocelyn. I am now feeling the distance and time on my feet. My legs are toast as I continue to climb.

I forgot the feeling that comes after several hours of hard trail running. The legs ache and elevation is not won so readily. I persevere through and begin to push a bit just for fun. I summit Jocelyn again and take one last look at the view.

The undulating terrain between Jocelyn and Squally really takes it out of me. I begin to have to power hike a few of the steeper hills and I can tell my body is burned out. After a long struggle I reach the Squally and only need to run down hill from that point. The quads feel like they have just gone through a meat grinder but I like it in a way only a distance trail runner could understand. I can feel that I really pushed myself and that I was operating near my maximum for the day. I know that I put everything I had to give into the run and I know that I am back to running 4 hours again. Everything is right in the world, I got the treasure that comes after you have done everything you can. My hydration and fuel were on point and I never felt thirsty or hungry. It was a great day! As I drive home I analyze my run and feel satisfied with it. I can't wait to try it again!

Today's song comes from Finland by a small duo named "Villa Nah". They are a synth duo with many great songs. Today's song is called "Emerald Hills" and though it really wasn't in my head during the run it kind of summed up my run today as I was climbing an emerald hill. I like the song and think that it fits perfect for spring trail running on Vancouver Island.

Running Free

2011-04-20T22:44:00.001-07:00

Several weeks have passed since my candidacy exam. The exam was one of the most stressful and pressurized situations I have ever been in. I had studied well and felt prepared but after nearly 6 weeks of 12-17 hours a day right up until I took the exam I realized that my brain was revolting and as the questions were asked my mind turned into a thick fog and a million fragmented pieces that I couldn't form together to make any sense. I was grasping and grasping but there was nothing there. It is the first time in my life that my mind froze like that. I was able to struggle through the exam and answer enough so that I somehow passed in the end, but I was really disappointed because my performance didn't represent what I really know. That being said, the exam came and went and I was able to get back to my experiments, research, and also running. For the first week or two following my exam my running was weak and inconsistent because of the 6 week running hiatus, foul weather, and because the stress from the exam took some time to completely dissolve away. This past week though, my running has improved drastically without the stress of the exam holding me back. I have felt like I have been running free for the first time in many months if not in over a year.

Monday was warmer than it has been all year and so I stripped down to a single shirt and shorts which felt amazing after 6 months of tights, toques, layers, gloves, and sleeves. I had been training for the past few weeks with a pack to prepare for my long Summer mountain run and so without the weight I felt extremely light and nimble. I ran really strong and summited Mount Doug 6 times for a total of about 3,000 feet of vertical both up and down. I just flew through the trails. I felt something that had been missing for some time...the twinge of a runners high...the warm glow that accompanies a runner when life is balanced and everything is in it's place!

Today I didn't have the option to drive to the trail head so I had to run the 3 mile evil black strip of asphalt, choked with walkers and automobile exhaust. The run started partly cloudy and about 55 degrees (perfect for running) and within 10 minutes my legs began to really start moving. It was one of those rare times where the legs crank like some sort of perpetual motion machine. The more I pushed them the faster they seemed to respond and it felt I was getting much more out of my legs than the energy I was investing. This carried me to the trail head and beyond the road extremely fast. I chose to do the more challenging and steep reverse route of the Mount Doug Gutbuster. As I was approaching the first summit the sun peered out of a dark veil of clouds and back lit a million succulent chartreuse leaves making them have the appearance of fluttering green butterflies. My spirits lifted as I rounded the corner to my first steep summit. The effects of the 3000 feet from Monday's run apparently hadn't fully left my system, and my legs began to fatigue. I pushed them right up to my lactic threshold trying to push beyond it so next run I can push it back even more. I tore down the mountain after summiting and felt the warmth from the patches of exposed sunlight between the new foliage-choked trees. After my descent I began a long and steady uphill grade to my next summit. I kept the legs spinning but they were tired. I didn't care I was free in the forest with my thoughts (free from stress and baggage that comes from feeling guilty if you aren't studying).

I began to think ahead 72 days when me and my best friend(s) line up at Smith and Morehouse Reservoir and begin our 24-ish mile run through Utah's Uinta Mountains to where we finally will summit Bald Mountain at 11,947 feet after 6,000 feet of vert. Is there still going to be too much snow in July? Will I be ready by then only being able to train at sea level and having no time to acclimatize? Questions began to spin around in my head. I began to think about Tim and I as we have spent many Summer's camping hiking and fishing in the shadows of the Uinta Mountains and now almost 20 years after our friendship began we will be running the same hallowed trails. I remember hiking there with Tim's dad and hearing him tell us how he used to run those trails and I couldn't fathom being able to do that and now I am months away.

The steep face of the last 100 feet of my second summit snapped me out of my thoughts and I began to grind up the steep face. On top I pound the last slug of water from my Ultimate Direction water bottle, I knew I could use all the fluids I could get with the sun now warming the temps. I glide down the slope and head for my final summit, the Bedrock Buster. The climb is steep and brutal and my legs are toast by this point. I pushed myself and ran on the exposed rib of diorite making up the trail. I catch my breath and am shocked to find dozens of people on the summit apparently deciding to crawl out of their holes to soak up some sun after driving to the top like hibernating critters. I decide not to linger in the crowds and plummet off the summit and down the mountain and instantly find myself alone again. My thoughts wander back to home and bounce from mountains in Utah and Colorado I want to summit, to the Himalayas. I wonder if I could ever accomplish my dream of summiting an 8,000 meter peak and what kind of money and kitchen pass I would have to come up with to attempt this. My legs are now spent as I reach the road. I painfully push myself the remaining few miles to my house. I feel I am ready for my first 4 hour run of the year. I will use the Easter weekend to run the Gowland Tod range and clock some time on my feet in that beautiful and under-utilized range just minutes away from Victoria. What a great feeling to be running free again!

Since my legs felt perpetual today I decided to post a song called "Perpetual" by Irish/British electronic group VNV Nation. VNV has components of Synthpop, Industrial, Trance and EMB sounds. The name stands for "Victory not Vengeance" in keeping with the band's motto that "One should strive to succeed, not sit in bitter regret." The song has a very perpetual motion sound to it and I like to use it as means of pushing myself during tough stretches or even to accompany me when running well like most of today. I saw these guys live in Salt Lake a few years ago and was really impressed with the positive energy and the great show they put on. Enjoy some Perpetual!

Running Form and Microfiber Accumulation

2011-03-04T14:02:00.000-08:00

I have known about this video I am posting for some time now and it brings up two really important points that I often muse about. First just how inefficient am I as a runner? What is my typical bounce distance, over-stride angle, toe lift angle and cross-over angle? I maybe don't want to know the answer to those questions because chances are half of my energy expenditure is wasted in inefficient movements. Second I have often wondered just how much more efficient I could run if I had the deep tissue microfiber release treatment and did some self-myofacial release maintenance often. I am pretty inflexible and have some serious knots in multiple muscles (e.g. piriformis and gluteus minimus) and have had shin splint issues off and on which all point towards severe running form issues and scar tissue buildup in my major muscle groups.

I watch this video cautiously knowing that it is in part, a sales pitch to get you to enroll in the expensive treatments at their center, but it makes you wonder if some of these faster North American runners could break the 2 hour marathon if they could improve their running form. I am sure the elite runners and their coaches are well aware of each running-form deficiency they have and probably work to improve these issues constantly. I do think the video illustrates the key points in proper running form and makes me more conscience of my own mistakes. Perhaps every runner should view the video at least once just to self-evaluate areas they could improve on.

I think the take-home message I am trying to make with this post is that running economy is a key to improving not only the elite athletes times but also my own. I should strive to improve my range of motion as well as my form. I would like to get opinions of multiple athletes who have had the treatment and see what there experience was with microfiber release and if the results were worth the money.

I am currently taking a short hiatus in my training due to a nasty chest cold. I tend to use the shoulder test to see if I should train or not (the idea that if the flu is below your shoulders you shouldn't run). It is tough to standby and wait for my cough to subside. I am doing everything in my power to beat this thing from vitamins and echinecea, to longer nights sleep and the break from running in the cold. It is stubborn and I haven't ran for nearly a week. I would hate to jump the gun, go run, and get really ill so I am erring on the side of caution. Hope to start up again by Monday at the latest!

Brooks Cascadia 6 review

2011-02-25T15:56:00.000-08:00

After nearly 1000 miles on my last pair of Cascadia 4's I decided it was time to buy some new shoes. I looked at several shoes from various brands. The criteria I was looking for was a shoe that has the ability to carry me 2-4 miles on the roads to get to the trails I frequent, and then be able to perform well on wet, steep, rocky, rooty, and muddy terrain, and then turn around and run back home on the roads. The problem with this sort of request from a shoe is that trail shoes that are nubby with good traction tend to wear extremely fast on the roads whereas shoes built to handle more road running tend to be a typical road runner with a more hardy sole but are not meant for hardcore technical trails. This combination of factors is why I have been running in Cascadia's for the last 3 years since they have proven themselves worthy to handle significant road miles followed by extreme trail conditions and long trail runs. The new additions and tweaks to the Cascadia 6 looked great and I decided that was my shoe again. So how did the new shoes holdup to my test?

New Cascadia 6 at mile 0

Maiden Voyage of the Cascadia 6's

First here are the stats of what I have put the shoes through thus far:

Weight: 12.0 oz

Heel-Toe Drop: 11.3 mm

Heel Height: 34.1 mm

Forefoot Height: 22.8

Socks - Injinji

Size - 10

Total weeks I have owned the shoes - 2 weeks

Total miles ran in the new shoes - 86 miles

Roads - 12 miles

Gravel Flat Trails (wet, dry, and snowy/icy) - 12 miles

Steep Dirt/mud Trails (>20% grades) - 15 miles

Steep Rocky Trails (>20% grades) - 8 miles

Varied Single Track (muddy, dry, sandy, flat, rooty, inclined/declined and streams) - 39 miles

I believe that the variability and current mileage I have ran while wearing these shoes has qualified me to make a proper assessment of their performance since I have put them through about everything a typical trail runner might encounter.

OutSole

The shoes tread has been changed slightly from older models to include additional traction for going up hills and running down them. There is a series of thin linear treads in the arch area of the shoe. Additionally they added what they call a "Caterpillar Crash Pad" in the heel area to aid in heel-striking. They exposed the ballistic rock shield through the sole so you know it is there.

So how did these improvements perform on the various surfaces I tried them on, and how do they compare to previous tread designs?

Roads - The tread on the roads is not the best because there just isn't that much surface area in contact with the road. On wet asphalt there is some slippage as the large lugs search for purchase. Lets face it though, roads are a necessary evil to get one to the trails and to be honest I don't need the shoes to grip the road but instead be able to handle the road until I get to the trail and this is what they do. I have never fallen on the road while wearing any of the Cascadia's and these have been the same. The feel of the shoe on the road is surprisingly cushioned and I have raced up to about a half marathon on the roads with the Cascadia 4's and so I feel the soles are suitable for the roads. Most impressive is how well they wear. They can handle many miles on the road before you begin to notice wear. 2.5/5 for the soles performance on the road

Trails - This is where the sole and tread design of this shoe excels. My first run in them was three 500 foot steep muddy and rocky hill repeats on Mount Doug. When I stepped off the pavement onto the muddy trail I instantly felt the shoe bite through the mud. The lugs are spread wide enough to prevent mud from caking on the bottom, they also don' allow gravel to get wedged (a real pet peeve on gravel trails). They felt much more stable on steep uphill in the mud (I am comparing them to my worn Cascadia's) but they still feel better than I remember the old ones. Once again on the down hill they gripped the muddy slopes well with no slipping. Some of the trails were steep and muddy enough to slide down on your butt but there was no sliding in the shoes. They handled sand and gravel well also with no complaints. As for wet rocks they did as good a job as you can expect a shoe. There always seems to be some slipping on wet rocks but they really felt stable and I was confident enough to turn up the speed a bit faster than normal. They hug dry rock extremely well and the ballistic rock shield eliminates the shock from sharp roots and rocks. Total score for tread off the road is 4.5/5 (to get a perfect score from me they would have to find a way to improve wet rock traction but I haven't found a shoe yet that can handle the wet slimy rocks).

Cushioning/pivot points/caterpillar crash pad

The new Brooks Cascadia 6 has incorporated the new Brooks DNA into the mid sole. This non-newtonian substance is supposed to give each runner a new tailored ride. Additionally they have added a 4th pivot in the front medial side of the shoe. The pivots are meant to take the shock of stepping onto the side of your foot on a rock or root and prevent ankle rolls.

Roads - The cushioning on the roads is great. I couldn't notice the cushioning at all which I feel is a great compliment to the shoe's cushioning. If you notice cushioning then that means it is too soft or too hard. The shoe absorbed the shock from the hard asphalt and concrete really well. During forefoot striking they really were smooth. The heel strike in the new shoe is actually much improved. For those who over-stride you will notice that the "caterpillar crash pad" is not just a gimmick but that it does make a smoother transition from the heel to toe compared to the past model and is a great addition. I think that the DNA feels great, like I said earlier the shoe is hardly noticeable on the road and this must mean the DNA is doing its job. I give the cushioning a 5/5 on the roads.

Amendment: After running several longer 3 hour runs since writing this review I have noticed some hot spots on the balls of my feet and I feel this may be due to the cushioning. If this issue persists I will most likely drop the score for the cushioning. I will have to see if the shoe really is harder or if I am just breaking it in a bit or because I haven't been running many 3 hour runs lately my feet are just more tender as they adapt to the miles.

Trails - Everything said previously about the cushioning on the roads applies to the trails but even improves slightly more since the added softness from the trails makes the impact even less noticeable whether you are mid-foot striking or heel-striking on rocks to mud. Where the cushioning in the mid-sole makes the biggest difference is the pivot points on uneven terrain. I don't feel I appreciated this feature until I started to pay attention to what it does. The new point added to the medial toe actually saved me from a possible roll just the other day. I was cruising down a steep hill and stepped right onto a sharp rock right on my right ball of my foot. Under normal circumstances a rigid sole without the pivots would have been thrown to the right and a painful roll and fall would have surely happened. This was not the case. I felt the shoe deform around the obstacle and I was stable enough to keep in control and not get injured. It was perhaps the most noticeable example of this feature helping in preventing ankle rolls I can think of. The shoe definitely gets the full 5/5 for cushioning because of the pivots, the DNA, and Caterpillar Crash Pad that all work together to give you a custom, stable, and hardly noticeable ride.

Upper

The upper has several adjustments as well, including an adjustable piece in the eye row, suede overlays and hydrophobic foam improvements.

Roads/Trails - The upper has worked really well and perhaps the most noticeable feature/improvement was the adjustable eye piece that flexes and changes across the bridge of the foot. What makes this feature so great is felt the shoe held much snugger in the arch when I need arch support but it flexed and eased up on the bridge or top of my foot during toe-off so that I had a better fit on the arch without pain on the bridge of my foot from being too tight to achieve the same effect. Running in the snow this week and rain last week the shoe can go from completely water logged from stepping in a stream or puddle to dry in about 20 steps so that the shoe really expels water once it gets in there and even seems to draw water out of the wet sock and move to the outside of the shoe. This is key for any long runs that have high probability for getting your feet wet. The shoes upper receives a 4/5 The reason I gave it a 4 is that I have had some issues tightening and adjusting the laces towards my toes. The laces also come untied easily and I had to use triple knots with the occasional stop and retie. The laces could really be improved. I did have some fit issues in the toebox as well. My toes were sliding forward slightly on the steep downhill running and resulted in small blisters on the tips of my toes. This seemed to occur during the first 20 miles I wore the shoe and now as the stretch is removed from the shoe and it is molding better to my foot it feels much more secure in the toe box. The shoe is an ounce lighter from the last model and is a step in the right direction (more bang with less weight). I love the bold colors Cascadia uses. I don't want a color that blends in the road or trail making it seem like I am hiding the fact that I am a trail runner. I want something that punches you in the face when you see it and says "I run hard gnarly trails and I am proud of it!" The lava red is awesome!

Overall I gave this shoe a total 21/25 (2.5 of those points are deducted from the grip on the road so the score without that category would be a much higher 23.5/25) and I feel any shoe over 20 is a top notch shoe. If I was to use the same grading system on the Cascadia 4 it would get several points lower. I feel all the improvements, although seemingly minor, all add up to make an improved ride and each new addition is not just a gimmick but serves a purpose and makes a difference for each step which adds up after millions of steps. I would recommend this shoe for the runner who could be running on a track one day and running down a steep mountain the next, the versatility of this shoe is impressive. There was little to complain about this shoe and I feel most people would be well off training and racing in this shoe.

I am posting a recent video of a run while I was in Utah in June. The run is up Bair Canyon and is part of the Bairgutsman trail race. You can read more about the run here.

Third up-week complete!

2011-01-16T19:00:00.001-08:00

Week 3 came and went rather quickly and like the previous week had some ups and downs. First the ups. Like I mentioned in this post I had a strong run Monday with 1500' of hill repeats, which is 500 additional feet from last week. I handled the elevation quite well and found my times for each repeat improved drastically from last week.

The second positive of this week was my long run. I was able to go 1.5 miles further than last week and only tack on an extra 5 minutes to my time from last weeks time. I ran at a much quicker pace and looking at my splits it is easy to see I made up all of my time on the longer uphill portions of the course. My flats and down hills showed small improvements but nothing to be excited about. I definitely feel that my strength is up hill running. I just love it and seem to be able to handle a good buildup of lactic acid before needing to power hike etc. My long run was in the evening because I had to tend to some of my experiments in the lab earlier in the day. It rained on me the entire run but it was actually quite warm with temps pushing 10 degree C or 50 degrees F. I actually was sweating more than usual and had to take off my toque to let some heat vent off. The top of the mountain was shrouded in a thick bank of fog that was almost like breathing in water. It was pretty dramatic up top but as you descended 100 feet you would be back below the clouds. The run got brutal toward the end mainly because I think I was sweating more than usual and needed some calories as well. I finished pretty strong and worked on the mental aspect of the long run, really pushing myself to plod on even when I felt my legs couldn't handle it. I look forward to another long run so I can go further! It is an addiction!

As for the negatives from this week Wednesday night saw me reach my breaking point. After hill repeats on Monday I took Tuesday as a rest day with the intention of running two faster 1 hour runs on Wednesday and Thursday. I put off my Wednesday run right until 9:30 PM partially because I was procrastinating due to really blustery weather and also I was trying to buy my legs as much recovery time as possible. I could feel I was walking that fine line between the maximum punishment my legs could handle and too much. I started Wednesday's run in the dark and rainy weather. I was pushing extremely hard and was thinking I was improving from the previous week's times drastically. About 15 minutes into it my lower legs (calves and shins) were on fire and each foot plant would send shots of pain up each lower leg. This in turn altered my stride as I tried to minimize the impact. Finally at 25 minutes into the run I looked at my watch under my light and was frustrated to see that even with all my extra effort I was much slower than my previous weeks times. I struggled for a few more minutes and then crashed. I realized if I pushed it any further I could risk shin splints or strained calves so I decided to turn around and start the long walk home. It was now after 10 PM and the rain was drenching me. I was dressed just warm enough keep me comfortable while running but I was not dressed properly for walking in the rain. I soon found myself chilled and slightly deflated as I made slow painful progress back home. I decided it was not a complete loss because I ran in the first place even though between the late hour, sore legs, and terrible weather I had many excuses to just call it off for the night. Even a month ago I wouldn't have had the self-discipline to force myself out the door. Secondly I rediscovered where my limit is and was reminded what too much feels like so hopefully next time this crops up I can chill out and perhaps not push the pace and salvage the run rather than force it. I ended up not running Thursday or Friday so I could run on Saturday and it ended up working out well.

Week three was a success and I am happy with what I have accomplished with my training. I feel I made vast improvements and I am getting consistent. It is starting to feel like a habit again. This is really the strongest I have ran since Fall of 2009. I feel that having my friends train with me has been a major boost to my moral and having this trail run planned for early July is also really great motivation.

During my long run on Saturday as I approached my first summit of Mount Doug in the dense fog a song from 2001 popped into my head. The song is from the Swordfish Soundtrack which was produced by electronic trance phenom Paul Oakenfold. The song that popped into my head was Oakenfold's remix of Muse's song "New Born". I really love this remix and have listened to it since it came out in 2001. I can remember bouncing along many dirt roads in the early morning hours, with this song thumping in the truck, creating the backdrop for another epic adventure. I am not sure why this song was in my head while running in the fog on Saturday but it was a great one to play in my head none the less. I hope you enjoy! I chose this video to embed just because I like the song juxtaposed with the cosmic images.

Hill repeats in an evening blizzard!

2011-01-10T17:15:00.000-08:00

Today was hill repeat day. One of my favorites as far as training goes. The idea was to run a total of 1500' up and down in less than an hour. I had Vye drop me off on the mountain because she was taking the kids to swimming lessons at the nearby rec center. I told her to pick me up in an hour and off I went. It started to flurry about the second I started my run. It was really peaceful, tranquil and the mountain was almost devoid of life (my last few runs there have been terribly crowded). I warmed up for 5 minutes up to where the trail turns right up the south face. I really focused on pushing myself much harder than last week and nailed my first 500' quite quickly. I tightened my shoes in preparation for the steep downhill and began to realize that the slope was going to be quite slippy from the newly fallen snow. Apparently I didn't learn my lesson from Saturday's icy descent because I just flew right down the steep South slope of Doug with no questions asked. There was one time where I almost lost my footing which is surprising considering this pair of Brooks I am running have over 1000 miles on them and their tread is basically gone. I exited the rocks and really flew down the steep dirt trails below the rocks. I find I am a lot slower on my downhill currently than the last two years and I need to make some improvements in that arena (thats what these hill repeats are for). The second summit was a bit harder and I ended up running weakly nearly the entire 500' up. I chalk this up to mental weakness, because on my third and final summit of the day I decided I needed to stop being a wuss and hammer it. So with a 1000' behind me I hammered the last 500' with reckless abandon. The snow really began to fly and it almost pushed me to run harder. Within minutes of starting my final summit my legs found a strong pace where I was taking quick bites out of the hill. At the summit the skies opened up and as I began my descent the city below was swallowed up in a swirling blizzard. It really was an amazing site. I was concerned that Vye would arrive at the parking lot before I did and worry I was dead on the side of the hill so I really pushed and sprinted the last 500 meters to the meeting spot. I ended up beating her there by about 8 minutes and finished my entire run in about 57 minutes. I honestly have no idea what sort of distance I covered but know roughly what the elevation is. What a great run. Can't wait to nail 2000' next week!

As I flew down the steep snowy slopes and slipped on the rocks I began to think how easy it would be to get killed if I wasn't careful or just made a clumsy error. This put a song called "Death" in my head by a group called "White Lies". The group is a Indie Pop group from England and were influenced by Talking Heads, Tears for Fears, Joy Division, and Interpol. I am including the original and a remix by Crystal Castles whom I posted a song from last post. I like both versions of the song and prefer one over the other depending on my mood. I realize the lyrics and song title are a little dark but hey, when your are gripping to the side of a snow-covered rocky slope by your worn out Brooks these thoughts are not unrealistic. I hope you enjoy! (I couldn't embed the originals so if you are interested in the actual video you will have to go to you tube to watch).

Week two of training for the "S&M to Baldy"

2011-01-09T17:26:00.000-08:00

Week two of my training for the Smith & Morehouse to Bald Mountain went well. I started the week with hill repeats on Mount Doug. I absolutely love hill repeats, and I believe that hill repeats on steep terrain propel my fitness forward quicker than any other form of training (with the exception of long runs). After a brutal long run last week I took Sunday to rest and then hammered the hills hard on Monday. On Tuesday I had my best run in perhaps 6 months (probably a combination of the previous long run and the hills) and I actually had my first runner's high in some time despite the down pour. I ended up having some pain with my biceps femoris ligament in my right leg pit. Two days of rest and I was good to go.

Saturday's long run was amazing, it was one of those runs where you can feel your body making the change towards being more efficient and fit. I decided to crank out a full Mount Doug Gutbuster (2009 course) along with my distance from my house and back. Distance-wise it is about a half marathon, but what was so exciting is how much longer I could run (40 minutes longer) than last week's long run. Not only that, but I ran considerably stronger this week. I was able to keep drawing from strength and reserves that last week just weren't there. I must admit that I have upped my calorie intake each day this week up to nearly 2200 from last weeks 1600 and that has made a major difference. The Gutbuster was challenging in that Vic has been pounded by rain this week with almost 4 days without a break. The trail conditions were terrible as far as speed goes but they were fun and muddy. Half the trails were running streams, draining all the rain from the wooded water-logged slopes of Mount Doug. The flats were riddled with standing water in many locations, and every trail was muddy except those composed of solid bedrock. Speaking of bedrock, the north descent down the "bedrock buster" was absolutely treacherous. They were the most dangerous conditions I have ever experienced on the Mountain. The cold north-slope spends the majority of each winter day in shadow and as a result the entire route was laced in a solid glaze of black ice from the draining mountain. Every step was a roll of the dice as to whether you would still be standing or not. I did quite well up until the bottom quarter where I finally reached a point where the icy-rock, my speed, and gravity made the perfect storm and I went down hard. I bounced pretty good off my left butt cheek and caught myself with my left arm nearly busting my wrist and hand. I slid about 15 feet until I caught. I quickly picked myself up, did a quick triage (quickly realizing all was well) and then carried on. I sometimes forget that one wrong step could spell disaster and cost me a season of training and running or worse. Next time the bedrock buster is icy I will choose an alternate route down the mountain so I don't bust something and cause problems. Below is a picture of the upper reaches of the bedrock buster in Summer without the ice.

"Bedrock buster" in Summer. Picture it covered in a layer of black ice and then run down it (treacherous)!

I find myself daydreaming almost constantly about different runs I would like to do, and I am almost always concocting plans to run epic trails and bag legendary summits. This is dangerous because it is so easy to lose focus of my research goals. I seem to find myself on Google Earth, Topo, and Summitpost more and more trying to find or formulate the holy grail of trail runs. It is almost an addiction (OK it is an addiction) of trying to build the perfect run, combining amazing scenery, technical trails, and major summits. Some of the areas I have been looking at are Bryce Canyon in Utah and Delano Peak in the Tushar Range. Another drawback to this daydreaming is the reality that time and funds make it impossible to even attempt more than one or two of these runs a year. I will definitely still give it a red hot go though!

The Hoodoos of Bryce Canyon are beckoning me to come and run in their shadows!

The 12,000' + Delano Peak in the Tushar range is high on my priority list for trails and peaks to run!

This week was a good one for music because I was able to discover multiple songs that I really like. I have been in a bit of a dry spell as far as finding music that I really love and keep listening to over and over again. The first song I found this past week was a Cover of Platinum Blonde's 80's song "Not in Love". The cover was by the Toronto based thrasher duo "Crystal Castles" and features the vocals of Robert Smith of The Cure. I really like how the song easily resonates out of the 80's yet has carried the sound into the now. Smith's vocals compliment the electronic music beautifully and this song played over and over in my head on my Saturday long run and I enjoyed every minute of it as I ran through streams, jumped puddles, slid on ice, and cranked out a great run. Great song and Cover. Enjoy!

Winter Motivation and Smith & Morehouse to Bald Mountain

2011-01-01T13:18:00.001-08:00

I now have my next major goal event planned for mid-summer. I am very excited because I have gathered together an amazing group of guys to run this with me. My best friend Tim and I wanted to do an awesome run this Summer. One of our favorite places in the world is the Uinta Mountain range in Northeastern Utah. It is a very nostalgic spot for us because it is really where we grew up hiking, camping and fishing as well as both of our dads. I couldn't think of a better arena to host this event. I have wanted to do the Smith and Morehouse trail to Trial lake many times before but it has never happened.

Photo of Bald Mountain courtesy of Kevin Mikkelsen Photography Outdoors

I have also always wanted to summit Bald but just haven't gotten around to it. So I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to combine the two into one epic 21 mile trail run. The trail is really pretty straight forward with reasonable distance and elevation gain. However the majority of the trail is quite high with an average elevation of about 10,200 feet elevation. We began to solidify details and then I decided to send a handful of invitations to a small group of our close friends. They have all confirmed that they will begin training for the Smith and Morehouse to Bald Mountain. I couldn't be more excited and now that we have made the commitment we can all work towards our goals of preparing to run in this amazing corner of the Earth.

I have began training seriously this week and I am doing 5 days a week with a rest day prior to back-to-back long runs and a rest day following. Yesterdays long run was brutal because I had not properly fueled before hand and by the 90 minute mark I was starving to death. I was able to complete it and even snagged a summit of Mt. Doug in there as well but it was difficult. Today will be a slow long trail run on Doug and will be the second long one in a row. I should be sufficiently knackered by the end of it. I love having this event on the horizon. My motivation is through the roof at the moment and I am working hard to prepare. I look forward to improving drastically over the months to come. A funny side note is on my run yesterday I passed a tree that was blossoming! I have seen trees in Vic blossom in late January but never December! I have a feeling that may be a bit too early. Just thought I would throw that observation out there.

I have to say whenever I feel I need motivation I can almost always count on Krupicka to deliver. After seeing his end of year stats on his blog I am in awe. Below is a video of Krupicka running in the snow in Colorado Springs up Green Mountain and I find it really motivating and it makes my mild Victorian Winter seem like a warm holiday. (I had to post the link because the embedded video was automatically playing).

http://wpblogs.runningtimes.com/blogs/performancepodcasts/?p=248

http://blip.tv/file/4533849

Additionally I found this interview on Scott Jurek and thought it was motivating as well.

As far as music goes I was mainly listening to Christmas music the last month or so. I haven't really had a chance to think of what I might post but I have been feeling a little sci-fi-ish lately so I decided to post an odd one. Why not? This is "The Oh of Pleasure" by Ray Lynch and has been featured on movies (Gentlemen Broncos) and games. I know most people might not like this sort of stuff but I really like it and it is a nice soundscape for various activities. Enjoy!

Running out of land!

2010-12-03T17:06:00.000-08:00

Yesterday's run was a bit different; I decided to run along the coast instead of my usual trails that are always draped over mountainous terrain. It was a nice change of scenery and coasts offer unique challenges of their own. For example, the rocky shorelines get hammered by wave action leaving them quite fractured, weathered and slick, many have large breaks and gullies you have to jump and climb over (you can get a small sense from the video I am posting, but the quality doesn't really do it justice). There is also something really awesome about running the strand line separating land and sea, as the waves are crashing and the wind is blowing off the water, it is almost therapeutic after a challenging week full of stress.

I chose a spit of land projecting into the Strait of Georgia as my goal for this run, and decided to run until I was completely out of land. It was actually really awesome and I am really enjoying what I am doing with my running; by shaking things up and running to many different locations it is keeping things fun, new, and exciting. I went out armed with my bulky camera (since it was another clear day free of precip.) and snapped some shots along the way including some funny self timer ones. Mixing photography and running is also making each run more exciting, and I really enjoy it. I would love to take my big DSLR with me but it is too bulky (but the quality is unmatched). My current camera I am running with is no pocket camera, unfortunately the photo quality is out of date and isn't proportionate to the bulk of the camera.

This run like previous runs was not that great, but it was fun, so I really can't complain. As soon as I can get consistent I will start seeing the results I am after.

Self-timer shot on the rocky point after running to the lands end.

This photo shows what coastal running near Victoria, BC is like. Lots of slippery rocks!

A shot of the skyline just as I left the trails and started on the roads back for home.

In honor of Christmas I decided a photo I took of this Holly as I ran by was appropriate.

This is a short video showing me run to the end of the point. Not the best quality but I wanted to film it. I have to admit I ran it quite gingerly because of the jagged rocks, I was concerned if I ate it that me or the camera could get chewed up so I took it easy and you can also tell I was pretty knackered by this point of the run. I hope it gives a small glimpse of what it is like running the coast of V.I. (It is best viewed with the sound turned off because of the wind and the Cure video playing with the sound on. I know I could have just added a soundtrack in moviemaker but I would have had to convert the video format so this was good enough.)

I decided to post some acoustic Cure today. A Cure song has been long overdue on my blog and "Close to Me" has been one of my favorite songs since I was just a kid. I remember being about 10 years old and falling in love with the upbeat melody. One day after Halloween I had to stay home from school because I ate too much candy the night before and made myself sick. I can recall laying in bed with my recorder trying to play this song. I never could figure out how to get the notes right but it is nice to know the 10 year old version of myself had pretty good taste in music even back then. Enjoy!

Winter trail photos

2010-11-28T13:55:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was my long run and I headed out to my usual training grounds to get some hill and distance training in. I took along my bulky camera and snapped some shots of the trail, since winter afternoons always seem to have such awesome lighting. I ran a little early before the best lighting right at sunset but still thought it was a great time to run. The run itself was terrible, I just couldn't keep my breath and my shoes are way past due for a replacement. My shins really took a pounding on the downhills. I have had inklings towards trying the La Sportiva Crosslite's instead of my Cascadia's I have been using for the last two years. I will have to try them on and see how I like them. My only concern is they really can't handle the roads like the Cascadia's based on reviews.

I really miss my really long gnarly trail runs and am anxious to start incorporating them back into my weekly routine again. I can tell that many of my trail stabilizer muscles have weakened a bit so I have some work to do. My hills are really poor so I can't wait to start pushing more elevation. It wasn't the best week for consistency or quality of runs but I am just working on my base and hopefully as my distances increase my weight will decrease and I can get back into that fit zone.

Catching Up

2010-11-23T18:13:00.000-08:00

The first snow of the year in Victoria and a frigid 20 F (-7C) run on Mount Doug.

It has a been two months since I updated last so suffice to say a lot has happened. The major events that happened in the last 8 weeks were the Haney to Harrison relay race I did on the 6th of November, finishing my PhD proposal, having my Candidacy meeting with my committee and laying out the topics of my exam.

Haney to Harrison Race Recap

My training leading up to this event was like all my running this year inconsistent. I trained well from the last week of September into the second week of October including a 70 mile week. I was consistent and really enjoying myself. Then I was hit with an upper respiratory infection and rather than risk getting sicker I took the next couple of weeks off from training. I figured that if I trained hard and got super sick I might not have a shot to compete but if I took the time off and got better I would be able to race and finish my leg it just wouldn't be fast. My plan worked well and my lungs cleared about the first of November. I got one or two small runs in the week of the race but really my fitness stunk so I just planned on relaxing and enjoying the run.

The family and I headed to Chilliwack a day before the race and met up with my good friend Rob who was excited to have us over for a pasta dinner and really made our stay in Chilliwack happen. He was going to run the second leg right before me but after the Iowa marathon in September he was concerned about a foot injury. So he decided to run support and did a great job with our team. I met the team first thing in the morning (4:30am) on the day of the race and quickly breathed a sigh of relief when I realized the team was comprised completely of amateurs so there was no pressure to kill myself on zero training. The weather was quite foggy and perhaps 40 degrees out. The lead leg gal ran a very slow time and finished her 8 km leg in over an hour which as far as speed goes is nearly walking but she was our oldest team mate and was quite positive, happy, and seemed to enjoy her whole leg other than the last slow gradual hill.

Our second leg runner was actually Rob's Dr. Office nutritionist and was a last minute replacement for Rob. She had an extremely hilly run with tons of ups and downs and nailed her 13 km's in about an hour and twenty. I was waiting anxiously at the change station and the line to the two porto pots was ridiculous so I hit the bushes and when I popped out I saw our team mate coming in to the station. I took a deep breath and jogged over just as she swiped the chip (with some difficulty and unsureness if it worked or not) and handed it over to me.

My leg was pretty awesome. The entire run was through the forest and consisted of about 750 feet of elevation right in the first mile with multiple switch-backs. It then was undulating for a few miles and then was a gradual down grade to the end, the total distance was about 16 Km or 10 miles. I ran the first mile extremely strong and passed multiple runners and stuck with some of the faster runners all the way up the switch backs. My legs felt great but the lungs were not happy due to the recent bout of respiratory drama I still hadn't quite gotten over. After the summit I quickly found a strong pace that allowed me to be comfortable but still kept things moving along. At about mile 4 I began to feel the effects of my strong push at the beginning and I completely melted down to a crawl. I fought through the tough spot and rallied two miles later. This rally carried me at a strong pace for the next 2.5 miles. I felt pretty good but could tell that I was going to crash before the finish. I slowed my pace down a bit and sure enough at 8.5 my lack of training caught up to me and I crashed hard. The next little bit was extremely painful and I just didn't have the speed work or a consistent base to draw from so I basically came to a crawl. I began to get passed by quite a few runners and I got a bit frustrated. I had to keep in mind the majority of the runners are not balancing family, candidacy, proposal, PhD research etc. So I dug deep and with a half mile to go I was chagrined to see Rob waiting to run me into the gate. I pushed like a mad man to match his pace and was able to finish quite strong. My total time was an embarrassing hour and twenty according to my watch but the official time was slower perhaps due to some issues with the transition at the second switch. I was tired but actually recovered quite quickly and could have ran another leg if they needed me to. I drank a gatorade and then we drove back to exchange vehicles and runners for our last four team mates.

I was looking forward to seeing Vye and the kids along the course and was hoping that Vye could snag a picture of me looking epic. Unfortunately I didn't see her along the way and actually spotted her on the freeway on our way back to Chilliwack. She looked visibly upset. After meeting up with her at the hotel she explained how every road was closed so she could not approach the course at all with the children and cameras etc. She finally drove to the finish line and by the time she found parking and made her way to the station the officials informed her I had finished 10 minutes earlier. She was crushed and frustrated and the kids were upset they missed their dad's race. After Vye and the kids settled down we went to the pool and I sat in the Jacuzzi for an hour. We ate and then drove to the finish line to meet up with the remainder of the team. It was fun to see the last person come in and though I believe our team was perhaps the slowest we had fun. I was happy to know that I ran my hilly 16 Km leg in just a few minutes slower than it took two of our team mates to run their 8 Km legs. So I feel even though I was slow and not in racing shape I still was the strongest of our funny little team and we all really enjoyed the experience especially because it was the last official running of the H2H with it being switched to Whistler next year.

Thesis Work

The Tuesday following my race was the date of my Candidacy committee meeting. I had to prepare a presentation to give to my committee and answer their questions. This left little time between getting back to Victoria Sunday night and the meeting two days later. I luckily got a presentation together and felt I nailed it. My advisor and committee then informed me what they would like me to study for my candidacy exam. All and all it well and now I know what to expect for that exam. The timing made it impossible to train for my race properly but I arranged my priorities and figured I have my whole life to run but my PhD is a one time shot so I better not blow it.

What's next?

My running since has actually improved a bunch. I nailed 5 runs last week and I am starting strong this week even though it is quite chilly (20 F or -7 C) and snowy. I am really just doing multiple short runs right now with some longer runs on the weekend and I am just using the next 6 weeks as a base-building phase and will take off with a more tailored training approach after I have been consistent for a bit.

My race goals for next year are nearly non-existent but the trails I would like to run are quite epic. I would love to run from Smith and Morehouse in Utah's Uinta Mountains to Bald Mountain with my friend Tim. I would also enjoy running Mt. Arrowsmith here on the island. I am planning on speed hiking the Golden Hinde as well. Additional plans include the Tushar Range in Central Utah and a few other peaks in the Northern Wasatch. We will see how it all plays out.

New Music

It has been 15 years since the synthpop band OMD (Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark) has released an album. The band started by accident as the two main members used to play around on their synths in their mothers back room on Saturday afternoons. Friends told them to do a live show so they chose the first ridiculous name that came to mind not realizing they were about to become one of the biggest influences on the electronic scene for the next decade and a half. After many albums and hits around the world they broke up and now have released a new album earlier this Fall titled "History of Modern". I love that the band has stayed true to their original sound and though many bands try to reinvent themselves when releasing a new album OMD has taken a different approach and brought back many of the old sounds and styles of Synths from the 70's and 80's. They figured with all the new bands coming out that have a synth component and site OMD as one of their influences that if anyone should sound like OMD it is OMD and there is still a niche for their music. Today as I was chugging in the crystalline morning air one of their new songs was in my mind and powered me over the frozen terrain of Mount Doug "The History of Modern Part 1". I hope you enjoy their new stuff as much as me.

Running again and a pain in my butt part II

2010-09-20T09:58:00.000-07:00

I was able to get 5 runs under my belt this week. I kept everything in check by starting slow and just cranking out 3-5 mile runs for the first 4 runs. Saturday I did my usual Mount Doug course. The amazing thing is just how consistent I am on the Mount Doug course. If I take more than a week or two off from running, the first time I come back to Mount Doug, I always end up getting a 1:06. Usually within two weeks from that time I can shave off 10 minutes, but my first run post-hiatus is always the same. I have decided to do some more miles on flats and roads to prep for the H2H; so I have kept the runs around 30 minutes but I am slowly turning up the heat. I should be nearing 40 minutes come Friday. I am also doing some speed work. My idea of speed work is 4 kms at as fast a speed as possible with a 90 second break and then another chunk of distance as fast as possible. The idea is to increase my speed and stamina without going too far into oxygen debt so I can get used to walking that thin line.

Tonight is a speed night so I will just hit my 4.1 Km run at 6PM after I am done teaching my lab and see just what these legs can do. I am excited but a little nervous. I am just not that fast of a runner even when I am fit. I hope I can improve in this category over the next 6 months and come into the spring with some sustainable speed.

I blogged previously about a pain in my butt. I came up with several hypothesis and did some adjustments to try to remedy the problem. I still have the issue, and even after 6 weeks of not running; my butt hurts worse than ever. Usually if it is a running-related injury 6 weeks rest works miracles, but this was behaving in the opposite way. I finally broke down and visited a sports medicine specialist and after a quick run down of my running history and a series of small tests he concluded it was my Gluteus minimus/medius. I most likely injured the muscles years ago and have never properly rehabilitated or improved the muscles. Since these muscles become more sore when blood flow is decreased my hiatus and constant sitting was causing all the pain. When I began to run this week I felt much better as my blood flow increased. He suggests I see a physio, but at the moment funds are such that this is not an option. I have googled it a bit and have a few ideas on how to strengthen these muscles and stretch them on my own. This will have to do for now but it is nice to be zeroing in on the problem and a solution.

This week will consist of speed work tonight, a 34 minute run on Tuesday, a x-train day on Wednesday, 37 minutes on Thursday, 40 minutes on Friday and my long run will be 1:15:00 on Saturday, with a rest day Sunday. I hope I can keep to the schedule and stay consistent. Each run is a little different in regards to terrain, and running surface, and consists of different levels of exertion and speeds. My hope is that by really mixing things up I can be slightly more well-rounded and perhaps decrease the possibility of injury or plateau. I must admit I really love running in the fall. It is my favorite time of year for running. The colors and temperatures just seem to inspire athletic performance. Well off to class and then to run.

Back from my writing hiatus - The H2H is when?

2010-09-16T17:03:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I finally wrapped up the first draft of my 50 page PhD proposal. It was a beast to write with hundreds of references. I basically sat and wrote for 6 weeks with little else to offset the academic-induced coma I found myself in. The worst aspect is I basically had to kiss my training goodbye for the summer and hunker down on my project. I knew that it was a matter of time before school pushed ultra training aside for various stints during my program. Alas, I came here to study Geology and leave an impact on how geologists' think about my area of interest. So I had to push my running aside because to run at all would be to take away from time that had to be spent sleeping or writing.

Excuses aside, I am back at it again. The main motivation is I just realized that I am less than 2 months away from the Haney to Harrison 100 km relay race in which I am a member of a 6 person team. I just realized that I am completely out of running let alone racing shape and I have a team depending on me. So I have developed a plan in which I add 3 minutes to my daily runs each day and 15% to my long weekend runs. This should get me close to 1.5 hours of running a day with long runs near 3 hours once a week. Since it is a road race (yuck!!) I have been incorporating flat road and gravel trail into my training to get me into better shape for pounding the pavement.

Even though I have had a two month break I have found my running coming back fairly quickly (for this first week anyhow). The first run was a bit brutal as my capillaries opened up again and I busted the lungs back in, but since I have comfortably found my breath and air. I really need to kick about 12 pounds as well so it is time to chill out on my eating. I am afraid that the pressurized writing scenario may have allowed me to find solace in snacking and late meals to accompany during late nights of writing. The lack of inactivity and overeating was a simple equation for rapid weight gain. I am glad to be back to burning some calories and eating less and more thoughtfully.

Last night was awesome. My 4 year old son wanted to accompany me for a short warm-up run. It was dark and foggy so we each strapped on the headlamps and hit the dark tree choked trails. What a trooper! He cranked out an awesome pace for a little dude and we ran about 1 km in about 9 minutes which was pretty cool. Perhaps the most amazing aspect of it was sharing this aspect of my life with him. I look forward to future running exploits with my family. I love that I don't even have to push him to do it. He sees me running and the joy and passion I get out of it and he naturally wants to run like dad. It is really cool. Who knows he may have a natural talent that can carry him far. I guess the key is I let him do it on his own without me forcing him. After all if I didn't enjoy it I wouldn't want to run.

I guess I have just a short 31 minute run tonight and I am looking forward to it.

In the spirit of my lack of preparation for the H2H I am including a song appropriately named "Not Prepared" by a group called Mesh. It is a classic song. The first time I heard it was on a napster copy of Depeche Mode's Exciter album. This leaked copy of the album included this track by Mesh and also "Pony Tail Girl" by Brian Hazard of Color Theory (another of my favorites). Apparently the person who put the Exciter album up on Napster around the year 2000 thought these two artists sounded similar to Gore and included them with the album, fooling many people (not me I could tell the two tracks weren't Gore). Well now that I am not prepared remotely in any way, shape, or form, for the H2H this song might light a fire so perhaps I can salvage some sort of a slightly below average time and not completely disappointed my team.

18 Miler in the Gowlland Tod and some early morning runs and my core dilemma

2010-08-07T12:26:00.000-07:00

Wow - This post has been in the making for three weeks now. I can't believe it has taken me this long to write about my running exploits. School is definitely heating up as I prep for my candidacy and try to get my research rolling in the right direction.

To begin three weeks ago I cranked out an 18 mile run in the beautiful and scenic Gowlland Tod Provincial Park, in anticipation for a 50km run on the Juan De Fuca. This is the first time I ran the full "Half Monte" course which is 25 km, and then I threw another 3 miles distance in due to a wrong turn to add some significant elevation and get me really good and tired. I was running for over 3 hours without a break and ran with my hydration pack I had bought earlier this Spring (Click here to see the southern 7.1 miles of the course, this was a new course added to the gutbuster series this year but I think they had to change it due to use restrictions). This run was really a great one. I first ascended a major hill that really only flattens out once or twice along the way for a few hundred meters over several miles. I was able to run this first major stretch without hiking or walking and all my hill training really gave me deep hill climbing reserves to draw from. I summited Jocelyn and took in the amazing views and reached the next stretch which is a descent to the base of Holmes peak, a short but sweet little climb. I chose this day to run because I had cloud cover and even though I was running at mid day I never over-heated. I summited Holmes easily and my legs still felt great as I approached the six mile mark in a little over an hour. I ran to the turn-around point at Caleb's Pike and began to retrace my trail. I decided to summit Holmes again even thought the Monty bypasses the summit on the return trip I believe. I was still feeling strong. As I approached Jocelyn again, the course takes a different trail then the one you come in on, so I thought I had turned onto the correct trail I needed but really I was on a little side trail that leads out of the park via a steep descent. Well 10 minutes later I realized I made a 1.5 mile super descent in the wrong direction, so I had to regain the ridge by a 1 mile 1000 foot climb, now I had been running for over 15 miles and my legs finally started to break down (it is amazing how fast you can descend on a wrong trail and before you know it 10 minutes turns into a mile and a half, and then you have to turn around and climb the hill that was so easy to coast down previously). After regaining the ridge I began to crash a little and could tell that I was a bit short on calories. I shuffled along and finished all the uphill and flat stuff at the top and just had the final couple miles descent. This typically is where I excel but my legs were toast and I found myself gingerly picking a nice controlled trot down the hill instead of blasting down it like I normally would. I got to my car in a little over three hours but that included several scenic stops and breaks to take in the views and relax in the cool wind. I was stoked with the run and thought it was perfect to push myself distance-wise and help me understand how I handle longer distances in rough terrain a little better.

The awesome thing about this trail system is just how little use it gets. I have been on this trail a dozen times and have never observed more than perhaps 10 hikers in one day and in the case of this run I only saw two. Sometimes I worry that if I ate it really hard, like a broken/sprained ankle, it may be hours before I could find someone with a phone or who could help. If this trail system was only 25 minutes from the Wasatch Front I assume there would be 100's of hikers on it a day. I feel that many Victorians don't take advantage of the awe-inspiring trails and parks they have at their doorstep, maybe because of just how surrounded by wilderness they are. Perhaps you have to live in the desert to appreciate amazing trails and forests that are so accessible. Another great thing about this run is the views. You start near sea level and climb straight up to almost 1500 feet where you catch expansive views of the Saanich Inlet, a small arm of the ocean that splits the southern end of the island into two pieces. Another awesome thing about this trail is it is purely narrow rocky, rooty single track. I really can't talk this run up enough. It is worth the 25 minute drive to get there. In the future I think I can tack some more distance in the form of adding a double crossing of Mount Work and also Mount Finlayson making a total of 4 peaks climbed twice each and nearly a Marathon in distance and perhaps 10,000' of accumulated elevation (perhaps over estimated in elevation and distance but it would be significant none-the-less). So that is a goal I am aiming to do. I would expect that trip to take over 5 hours and even closer to 6 based on my current fitness and speed but it could perhaps be run in 4 hours by an elite. I have never heard of anyone actually doing this in one go, it would be a really great training run for a long hilly mountain ultra.

I have also started to run earlier in the morning instead of the evening. This means getting up at 5:00. I had a great run on Mount Doug the other day at 6:00 am. I was cruising in my usual direction in the early dawn light and within a km found myself surround by a symphony of sounds that I don't typically hear in the evening. Two owls with there deep hoots were calling back and forth across the trail and it was super eerie to run right through their hooting in the light fog and morning glow. As I climbed Irvine I began to hear white tail deer grunting perhaps a precursor to the rut. It was the first time I have ever heard deer. It was amazing. There was a whole cornucopia of sound I seldom hear. I really was in awe of the amount of wildlife in the park. I only ever notice the deer but there is so much more active wildlife in the morning. One of my early morning runs found clouds over Belingham to the East but a sliver in the clouds allowed the rising sun to only be seen by its reflection off the ocean and quite literally looked as if it was DESCENDING from the strand line of the water and land (like an upside down sunrise) instead of rising. I am going to try to keep my morning runs going since it allows me to be more flexible in my evenings with my family and studies. I am more tired though and have to go to bed by about 11 or I am hooped.

So I have had a "core dilemma" ever since I had part of my ab muscle removed in 2005. My Doc told me that no physical therapy would be needed since you use your core a lot and it rehabilitates itself. Well I took him at his word and didn't really do anything to strengthen it. In fact I have done almost zero targeted core work since my surgeries 5 years ago. Prior to my surgeries I had an insane core, I remember when I was 18 doing 2,000 various crunches and ab exercises in one go just to see what it would take to reach exhaustion. I think that for the last five years I have just assumed I still have that sort of core strength to draw from. I DO NOT! I tried a 15 minute ab workout the other day because anytime I run far it is my core that fails not legs. Within seven minutes into the workout I was thrashed. It took everything I had to do the 25 reps of each exercise. I had to stop in places just so I could finish my reps. In the end I can't believe how entirely weak my core is. The next three days I paid a steep price and couldn't laugh or sit up without killing myself. My conclusion is I have a core dilemma that is going to take many many hours of work to fix. I can't believe how weak my core is and that I haven't really thought about the repercussions of being gutted like a fish and having ab muscle removed. Wish me luck because I have some serious work to do and I almost can't stand the thought of assaulting my core like that again but it should become a 3 time a week ordeal at least. Yikes!! I can't believe how weak I am!

This is just a taste of my running over the past three weeks and though school is almost too much to balance in my running currently I am still trying to force in some miles and get strong. It is really a battle of will at this point because it is taking everything I have to get things done in all facets of my life due to my workload. A PhD is a daunting undertaking and I am not sure that I fully comprehended what it would take. It is a significant step up from a masters.

The song I am including today is "Ghost White" by Swedish Synthpop band Rupesh Cartel. I have loved this song for years now. It is melancholy and yet upbeat at the same time. It is an interesting juxtaposition I think. I have a great acoustic version but can't find a vid to embed. The original is great anyways. I don't know if because I am Swedish I am genetically engineered to like music coming out of Sweden but I find I have a large collection of artists from the homeland. I hope it expands your musical vocab a little!

Summit of Mt. Finlayson and cooking up some lava

2010-07-14T15:39:00.001-07:00

Today I decided to run in Gold Stream Park and tackle Mt. Finlayson, a large diorite dome that errupts from the banks of gold stream at sea level. Mt. Finlayson is a short but steep trail that climbs from sea level to 1375 feet in just a few kms. The trail starts out fairly smooth and steep and is runnable but once you reach the shoulder of the mountain you enter multiple class three pitches with rocks wore smooth from hikers and past glaciers. It actually is about the most technical stuff I have attempted on the island. It took me about 28 minutes to top out but I wasn't feeling that well due to a sore neck from a restless night which lead to a morning headache. I was a bit dizzy off and on and it definitely isn't a trail to have any sort of fainting spell. I took it relaxed and power hiked the majority of the upper trail. The run down was quite dangerous with many spots where it would be easy to get out of control or lock ball-bearing gravel under your tread and slide of a ledge. I took a nice controlled descent and I can't for the life of me figure out how I got off the trail (it is extremely straight forward with bright orange markers everywhere) but before I knew it I was in the middle of the bush, whacking my way towards the general direction of the trail. I picked the main trail back up and flew through the last km of the trail like it was nothing. I ended up finishing the round trip in about 45 minutes, which is a pretty short run for me but I think that the steepness and length of the climb spiced up the variability of my weekly regime and I think I will use this one for future hill training and stack multiple summits to really get used to steep 1400 foot climbs and descents over technical ground.

After running Finlayson I headed into school where I whipped up a quick batch of lava. Much like baking cookies but instead of flour and sugar I add Silica (quartz SiO2) and calcium carbonate (limestone). And instead of putting the batch in at 200 degrees celcius I place it in a furnace at 15oo degrees celcius. When it has cooked long enough I pour out the glowing red viscous melt onto a stainless steel plate and now instead of a white or redish powder (from iron) it is a black glass like obsidian.

It was a good day with a steep summit of finlayson followed by making some lava. My life is awesome!

I decided to throw some Arcade Fire on my blog since I don't have Canadian music represented yet. This is a group with quite a few members but fronted by a husband and wife team from Montreal. This song "Keep the Car Running" is one of many favs by the band and I think it is a great song to have playing in the noodle during a crazy trail run like today. Check out more of their stuff, they have tons of different weird instruments that they incorporate in genius ways.

The Music of the Trail

2010-07-12T22:34:00.001-07:00

The sun was cooking my back and the sweat was already pouring off the brim of my hat. I had only been running for two kilometers. I was running my 14th run in 11 days and Victoria was in the throws of a heat spell. I knew going into week two of this training block that I would have a tough go since past experience had shown me the middle of week two usually turns into an absolute battle for survival. I turned onto Whitaker and started my first summit push of the day. I couldn't believe it I had absolutely nothing to give. Even before I reached the steeper portion of the Irvine climb I found myself out of breath and my heart was pounding in my chest like a runaway train. I hit a particular steep exposed section and really pushed myself up the hill. As I reached the crest of the scorching little climb my head began to spin and I was swimming in dizziness. I began to alternate short jogs and power hikes as I approached the summit. The last 200 meters were completely in the sun and as I topped out I sat down on a rock complete deflated. I felt like I was giving the run everything I had to give but already I was 4 minutes behind my usual pace and still had 35 minutes and about 6.5 kms to go. I clumsily stumbled down the steep rock slope of the bedrock buster and felt my legs turn to jello as I shuffled through dancing waves of heat rising from the scoured rock. I didn't turn left like I normally would if I was doing the full course, but instead hung a "Randy" and headed right back down to my car. The total run still took me nearly 48 minutes and on a good day would only take 30. I knew that I had finally crossed "the line".

Training for an ultra requires a ton of work and consistency but it also requires a balance of easy runs and careful planning to prevent over-training. I feel to properly train you have to constantly be pushing yourself right up to the threshold of over-trained, without ever actually crossing over. It sounds easy in theory but in practice it is like tightrope walking on 200lb test monofilment stretched over a yawning chasm of over-training induced symptoms and injuries. I knew that I just fell off my precarious perch of "just enough" and was now thrown into the middle of the abyss of misery that is to be over-trained.

As I trudged home that night, after my terrible run, I began to become a victim of one of the worst side effects of over-training, the mood swing. It started a few days earlier as I found that my typically good-natured self seemed to be replaced by an irritable and moody monster. After my terrible run I was playing an innocent game of clue with my wife and her younger sister, I threw a tantrum when I was thoroughly bested by my better half. I left the room and began to read my book and sulk, not about the game (that was just the straw that broke the camels back), but about my terrible run and the fact that it was feeling like my running was getting worse and not better. I knew I still have a ridiculous long way to go, and I was frustrated that I was set back because of my fainting spells last fall. Vye came up to try to sleuth out what was causing this Dr. Jekel and Mr. Hide reaction. I began to vent and really began to realize that perhaps most frustrating of all was coming to grips with giving up on a leg of research that I had devoted the last two years of my life to. A few days earlier my advisor and I reached the conclusion that this particular approach to the problem was not going to work. Two years of 30 hour experiments and trips to Vancouver to analyze my results, and then back to Uvic to analyze with the laser seemed like it was all for not. I was in a very dark place. As I vented if finally dawned on me that my mood shifted several days earlier and that I was not being myself. I began to piece together other clues such as my elevated heart-rate and breathlessness, my out-of-control hunger, and the insomnia that had plagued me for 3 nights in a row now. I was in the middle of over-trained-itis

I quickly apologized for being grumpy and explained what had caused it. The following day I took a much needed break, the first one in 12 days. The next morning I was still not my old self but I felt I was improving. I decided to take the following day off as well.

Last night a small cold front blew in and dropped temperatures significantly. I had taken a slow easy run or two after my two day break. Tonight I was now ready to really run again. The wind was still gusting and the temperatures were in the high 50's perfect for a strong run. I felt well fueled and hydrated and decided to run the Gutbuster course in reverse (a much steeper and more challenging run than usual). I busted into a trot and within three minutes of running reached my first climb, a steep relentless attack of the South face. I typically run down this trail when running the normal direction, but tonight I bounded up it like one of the many bucks I spooked on the side of the trail today. My legs were strong and I began to get into a rhythm. I could hear my feet striking the earth with a metered thud. Almost on cue a strong wind would blow through the trees about every four steps joined by a song of an identifiable bird, almost like a concerto playing over my percussive foot strikes. I began to relax and all my senses became enhanced as I continued to listen to the music of the trail. Above tree line a plant covered in black-seeded pods began to join the orchestra of noise. The song now took on an almost tribal feel as the rattles began to grow in both tempo and volume. I became elated as I realized I was running through the middle of song that only I could hear. A song that can only be heard if you are in the right place at the right time and are paying attention to the mountain and what it is trying to convey. The summit came to quick but for those few short minutes I experienced something almost outer-bodily as I actually felt what it is like to run through a masterpiece. During that portion of my run time seemed to stretch endlessly before me yet it ended so abruptly it felt like a blink of an eye.

The remainder of the run was fueled by that amazing runner's high. I had overcome the spell of being over-trained and found myself in the middle of one of my strongest and definitely the most magical run of the year.

I don't have a song to embed in this post because there is nothing that could do the music I heard tonight on the trails of Vancouver Island justice. I heard the music of the trail.

Heatwave!

2010-07-06T20:45:00.000-07:00

Summer decided it was about time to heat up the southwestern BC coast today and I actually was able to run for the first time this year in temperatures warmer than about 20C or 70F. It actually was in the upper 20's (80-ish) when I ran at 4:00 (I know it sounds pretty tame compared to Utah's summer temps but what can I say I am getting soft living on the BC coast). From my previous post I suggested that day 10 of a new cycle of consistent training is always brutal, well today was day 9 and the run proved brutal. There are several reasons for this. First I hadn't hydrated properly today even though I knew it was going to be toasty. I opted out of bringing a water bottle because I wanted to get some heat training without water to stretch me mentally and physically. Lastly I am running on tired legs, nine days without a break and averaging between about 7 and 10 miles a day. So I had set myself up for a real can-kicker. Immediately I knew I was in trouble when I noticed a stretch of trail that typically takes me about 7:30 to run, actually took me 8:10 to run today. Forty seconds slower for a mile is a significant decrease in speed, additionally my effort level seemed much more intense. I bit the bullet and began to push my way up the ferns to the Irvine climb. My legs revolted! I was barely able to maintain a shuffle so slow even an elderly person with a walker could pass me. My mouth was already dry and felt like there was sand in there, but I decided to persevere and kept in mind it was the first warm day in Victoria this year. I finally summited and sat at the top gasping for breath with sweat dripping off my nose and chin and my whole body glistened with beads of salty sweat. The drop down the bedrock buster was a joke, I found myself barely being able to control my descent, my legs were just knackered.

To make a long story short I ended up walking several portions of the climbs, and the sections that were flat, I just maintained a shuffle. This run was about enduring more than anything and I fought the urge to cut-off a summit here, or a traverse there, and gave it some serious stick-with-it-ness. It ended up being a mental victory and reminded me that I have to train and improve my mental game every bit as much as I have to focus on the physical aspect of my training.

Well Victoria looks like it is going to be in a heatwave for a while so I am going to get more opportunities to cook out in the sun and improve my heat tolerance. To celebrate this late Summer and the subsequent first hot run of the year I am going to include a video by IAMX's first album. The song is called "heatwave". I couldn't find any awesome concert footage of the song but none-the-less I had the song on my mind as the sweat poured off my face and the sun baked my back. It is a great song and will be my theme song for the next week at least based on the forecast!

Week in review June 26 - July 4 and some TrailMode

2010-07-05T16:29:00.000-07:00

In the previous 7 days I managed to run 9 times for a total distance of about 40 miles. It feels great to see some consistency. My run yesterday on the 4th of July was perhaps the crowning achievement of the previous week's hard work. My legs reached the point where they seemed to be on auto pilot, they pulled my body up the hills with a minimum of lactic acid build-up. It was awesome to not have to power hike anything. I had awesome runs on both Canada Day and also the US Independence Day and perhaps the added emotions that come with freedom and patriotism make for a little extra something to draw from. It seems like after 7 days of consistent running I always end with a strong run. I typically find that the next 7 days, particularly day 10, can be quite painful and sluggish. I will see if my past experience with week 2 this time pans out.

I ran particularly late last night and as I was cruising through the impending darkness on Mercer everything was clicking, and for a moment the only sound that could be heard was my feet on the trail and I just clipped along and "Enjoyed the Silence". One of the many great things about trail running are being able to find yourself in these types of situations where you are completely engrossed in the moment. I find it only appropriate to include some classic Depeche Mode to represent my run that played out in almost eerie silence. This is some classic Exciter Tour footage from the DVD "One Night in Paris". I also included an image of my own re-interpreted album cover art from Violator, I call it "TrailMode".

Reinterpreted Album Art - combining Depeche Mode and trailrunning (geeky I know).

Original Album Art

Running towards consistency and a Whisper to a Scream

2010-07-01T17:12:00.000-07:00

I am finally getting consistent. It has taken me a while to get into a grove and start building momentum. I have nothing to blame but myself. Perhaps following the Western States 100 last weekend finally got me out of my slump and lit a fire. I have been very consistent since Sunday and I have started logging some "Twice-a-day'rs" which is a first for my entire history of running. I really like running twice a day it is interesting to run on legs in the afternoon that you thrashed 8 hours earlier. I find my legs sluggish and non-responsive on my morning runs but they are usually pretty peppy for the afternoon runs. I don't know if that is normal or just for me. I do run much harder and longer in the mornings. The two-a-days let me run 10+ miles a day and not have any adverse effects like overuse injuries.

Last Sunday I had an extremely fast run nailing 56:44 on my 11 km run. It felt great to break an hour again and my legs were super strong on everything (hills, flats, rocks whatever). Yesterday my a.m. was brutal I never felt that my lungs, heart, and legs achieved sync. My heart rate was through the roof and 10 bpms faster than normal. My hydration was low and my lungs burned the whole time. I would tell my legs to move faster and step higher, but like naughty children, chose to ignore my pleas and rather they unresponsively tripped on every little obstacle and totally dragged. It was brutal but it was one of those runs that serve an important purpose and remind me that this is an endurance sport and there is a large dosage of enduring required to do well.

This morning found me running on a cold and rainy Canada Day (Happy Canada Day all my friends north of the 49th). I started out with the thought that I am going to focus on my uphills since the rain slows me down on the descents due to slippy rocks. So I hammered the uphills very hard. I felt OK and the first two summits were smooth but I ran out of gas on the third. It was an average run with a time of 1:00 hour even but my legs did have a little more spunk then the day previously. I then helped a neighbor move into a place down the street and I have decided that I am going to take the night off and Celebrate the great Country of Canada and then tomorrow I think I will run two very laid back runs to rest me up for Saturday's long run.

Today's song is a classic 80's and arguably a one hit wonder by Icicle Works. The song is called "Whisper to a Scream (Birds Fly)". I wandered upon it while spending time boosting my 80's collection a bit and forgot what a sweet song it is. I think the song is going to somewhat represent my training this year. My training barely would even be considered a whisper at the moment but it is going to build into a scream as I prep for a major 100 miler. I believe I will be running the Bear 100. I may also look at theStormy 50 or 100. I have a lot of work to do but I hope I will be screaming by the Fall! Enjoy this forgotten under-rated 80's classic!

Photographic Journey through a Mount Douglas Gutbuster training run (a slight variation) Trail Running Victoria, BC

2010-06-27T12:06:00.000-07:00

On Father's day this year I decided to take my camera along with me on my run. This is not a simple task since my camera is not that compact. It has a 12x zoom and is pretty bulky. I have been wanting to document my average training run for quite some time so I finally decided to give it a go. It really didn't slow me down that much or make running that much more difficult but it did add about 20 minutes since I had to stop for each of the 200 photos I took. I held the camera the whole time and wrapped the strap around my wrist so I wouldn't drop it. So here is the course. The only variation is I start at point 26 on the map instead of point 1. This only changes the distance by less than 100 meters.

This is my starting point of my training run (point 26 on the map). I then head north or in the case of this photo follow the hiker on the sign on the Norn trail.

The first length of trail is very smooth and flat this is about 100 meters into the run at a place I call "the dip".

This stretch of trail is a rooty portion halfway between points 28 and 29 on the Norn trail. This length of trail has a very gently grade upward but is hardly noticeable.

Slight downward grade with some swerves between points 29 and 4.

Once again a narrow winding portion of trail between points 29 and 4. This portion of trail is flooded throughout the winter spring and after summer rainstorms.

This is the conjunction of Norn and Whitaker at point 4. The trail now gently climbs a shallow grade as it heads to the South-Southwest.

Just after point 4 and shows the typical trail conditions for the next couple hundred meters.

The trail now gives way to older growth Douglas Firs and more rocks and ferns and often has water flowing down the trail or standing water in the Spring and after storms.

The trail next climbs in a spot I call "the ferns". It is a short steep hill obviously drown in ferns just about to point 5.

You keep climbing toward point 5.

Classic stretch of flattish trail as you approach point 5.

You next have to "bob and weave" around these two arbutus trees between points 5 and 6.

A little climb leading to point 6.

A steep short climb onto the Churchill road crossing after point 6.

Point 7 begins the Irvine Climb.

This is where it starts climbing just after point 7.

Classic Irvine Climb

A nice stretch of trail next to a ledge with great views to the East towards Gordon Head and even Mount Baker.

Here is the view looking out.

The trail gets rocky as you approach point 9.

I call this slab the "rock ramp" can be quite slippy in the rain.

More climbing after the rock ramp.

This is the last steep stretch until the summit nicknamed the "Stone Staircase".

After the stone staircase there is a winding asphalt path that leads to the crow's nest at the summit. Approximately 500 feet of vertical elevation gained from the start of the run until the summit

Self timed summit shot with the gulf islands and mainland BC behind me across the Georgia Straight.

Summit shot without my mug in the view.

After the summit at point 10 you begin a rapid descent off the Northwest face of Doug know as the "Bedrock buster". A barren glacial scoured diorite face. This is a treacherous and technical trail and is where I am the most cautious. A miscalculation on this trail could seriously injure you. Rain only makes it worse and you have to move that much slower.

Typical footing and trail conditions as you descend the "Bedrock Buster".

Descending the buster

A stretch of trees along the Buster.

Last steep descent to point 11. Super steep here.

The trail between points 11 and 12 has slight uphill grade but is nice slice of rooty rocky single track.

Rocky approach to point 12 and starts the ascent of Little Mount Doug.

Begin climbing the short and steep north face of Little Doug.

Short and sweet climb up to LD.

The summit of Little Mount Doug with a lone arbutus tree. Big Doug through the branches of the Arbutus. Lastly a timer shot of me getting ready to take the plunge down the steep south face of LD.

Rocky and steep descent.

This is the last shot before I ate it and hit my camera lens on the ground. I was not happy but I think everything is OK.

Point 13 after running off from Little Doug.

The trail begins to head toward the trees at point 14. This is typical of the stretch between points 13 and 14. Rocky and barren with a slight decline. You can actually run this pretty fast if you pick the right line.

Average stretch of trail between points 14 and 15 and at point 15 the trail dives back into the forest.

When you enter back into the forest after point 15 you enter into a nice stretch of single track called Mercer. The trail has a steady decline that doesn't trash your quads but instead lets you really crank up the speed.

Classic Mercer!

Approaching point 17 along Madock.

Steep stretch between points 19 and 20 along the Whitaker Trail.

Whitaker.

At point 21 you begin your final climb up Big Doug via a steep rocky gulley up the South face.

The climb starts out very loose and sandy and then changes into a rocky almost stair-like climb.

Here is where it gets rockier.

Almost to the summit.

Some stairs leading to point 22 and the second Summit of Big Doug.

After summiting you begin your descent of the "powerline" trail but the top bit is quite overgrown this time of year.

Here is some footage of me running down the powerline grind. The video sucks because the lens cap was clicking against the mic (so turn the sound off) and also the video gets very dark when I reach the forest. The actual video wasn't so dark but once I uploaded it, it turned black. It does illustrate the section of trail somewhat but it definitely won't win any awards for best cinematography.

Commentary:

"I now have been running for just over 10 kms, this is my last km."

"I am going to try to record my last descent of Mount Doug."

"This trails pretty overgrown."

"The most technical part of it."

"The next section is pretty steep and smooth, only a few roots get in the way."

"You can't tell how steep most of this stuff is because I have to hold the camera at a downhill angle just to see the trail. It's actually pretty steep. A lot of the photos I took earlier don't really do them justice at all."

"Just about done, only a few more hundred meters to the car, and it is basically just flat single track."

After the powerline descent there is just a few hundred more meters until you are back at the car. This stretch of trail tends to stay wet and muddy .

Last log to hurdle.

Bust out of the trail and ferns into the parking lot.

Back where I started. 11 km later, 2 summits of Big Doug and 1 of little Doug.

This is a day in my life. I think that the variability of terrain and scenery make this a perfect spot to train. It really is amazing that this is what lies just beyond my doorstep and I get to play in one of the most beautiful playgrounds in the world. Perhaps the main thing the course lacks is searing heat, and some of the dusty rocky trails with loose gravel so many of the Western US ultras have. I would like to have a longer climb like 1,000 feet at least, I feel the mountain with 500 feet is a bit short. I do repeats but that still works different parts of your legs on the down instead of solid 3,000 feet of up hill and solid 3,000 feet of descent. There are some areas close by on the Island with bigger climbs but still nothing compared to what I had at my doorstep in Utah.

On a different note I followed the Western States 100 miler off and on yesterday on various web sites. What an awesome year. Two people beat Jurek's 2006 record of 15:36. Geoff Roes came in at 15:07 with an amazing awe-inspiring first place victory. Tony Krupicka came in 6 minutes behind him at 15:13 and still smashed Jurek's 4 year record. What a show! I don't know how I faired on the contest to guess the top 10 places of the runners but I do know several of my top 5 of both men's and women's didn't start so I doubt I won. Tracy Garneau won the women's with a strong race, there was a mistake at an earlier aid station leading many to believe she dropped but she was the winner. Ann Trason's record still held though. Just amazing to see these awesome records fall. Only the utmost respect for these titans of the trails.

Geoff Roes amazing last mile. Unbelievable to see him cruising with such a relaxed gait after a ridiculous exhibition of speed over the previous 99 miles and 41,000 feet. What a machine gives me shivers as you hear him approach the the stadium what an amazing feeling I can't even begin to comprehend.

The song for today is an interesting one. It is very common to hear large trance artists incorporate or "trance or techno out" a classical piece, but the song for this blog is backwards from that. It is a cover of an Armin Van Buuren trance song by the North Netherlands Orchestra. Very interesting. The song is called "Zocalo". Enjoy

Random snippets thoughts and aspirations

2010-06-18T09:33:00.000-07:00

Last night I only had time for a quick run so I did a short flat 5 miler or two laps around the Chip Trail. It was fun to work on a faster pace. The temps were perfect and my pace came naturally after about 4k.

I would really like to start running twice a day. First I would like to bust out 10-15 clicks on technical trails in the morning. In the evening I would like to run 5 miles on Chip just to practice keeping a fast pace on the flats. That would end up being 11-15 miles a day which seems pretty reasonable, it is just the challenge of getting in the habit.

I am trying to build some momentum towards consistency. My spotty spring/early summer has been a major downer on my psyche and the only way to ward that off is to bring on the consistent weekly miles. I finally feel the slow wheels of momentum building, where I get those butterfly's in my basket when I begin to think about my next run. This is good I can see a seriously strong buildup that swings me into some great fitness come August, at which point I hope to nail a couple of big runs around the Island and or the Olympic Peninsula.

I submitted my predictions to the iRunFar contest for the "Big Dance" at this years Western States 100 miler. They have some great prizes from Mountain Hardware's running line and also Montrail's Sabino Trail Shoe . I think I submitted a very competitive list and stand just as good a chance of anyone for winning. I am not divulging my secret sauce in this post but will after the Big Dance. What a cool contest, kind of a chance for us non-traditional sports enthusiasts to test our knowledge and predictive powers against other running geeks. I did quite a bit of background reading, reviewing past results from all the racers, and blog prowling to come up with my best guess. It was actually a ton of fun to get acquainted with some runner's who have had outstanding careers.

My research has been challenging at best. I find myself in the middle of what I call the "copper conundrum" and I find that controlling the behaviour of copper under conditions that simulate conditions beneath our volcanic systems (like the cascades) is a truly fickle beast. I have bounced from one idea to another and yet my analysis of copper alludes me. It is a metal that likes to move around and exit the melt, whether it is into the volatile phase or into my platinum or gold-palladium metals I use to contain it. I just can't seem to get it to reach equilibrium in my melts. I am also trying to write up the parts of my thesis that I can, and that is fun but challenging for a perfectionist. I have written my long introduction 3 different times and I am currently rewriting it for the fourth time, I am just never satisfied. That is where I am at in terms of my thesis work.

I think I am going to go run 7 miles for lunch right now to release some research-related frustration. I will finish this post with a 1999 ATB and a 1999 Ferry Corsten remix of Moby's "Why does my heart feel so bad". Two awesome takes on an awesome track. Cheers!

19 clicks, ultimate direction bottle review, and some Discovery

2010-06-15T18:02:00.000-07:00

Last night I ran 19 clicks at Mount Doug. It has been a while since I cranked out distances greater than 7 miles so it was nice to get out there and stretch the legs. The run had 8 clicks on roads which reminded me just how much I loathe the asphalt. I hate the sound of cars and waiting to cross a busy road. I don't like how there isn't anything technical to occupy my mind and to pick my way through. No steep hills or anything to really push the legs. I was extremely happy to hit the trails and start cranking through the course. I ran late and the deer were everywhere. It was really amazing the number of bucks I startled with their budding velvet antlers. Several jumping huge distances to avoid my clumsy approach. I love running at dusk! My legs were definitely feeling it by the end and even though in my last post I mentioned that all the hiking had kept me somewhat in running shape I quickly realized that I was perhaps in 10 K running shape, but definitely not 20. The last few clicks on my way home were brutal and the pavement seems to always flare up the periformis/hamstring injury. I can't wait to get back into the swing of things. Restarting is always so challenging mentally. I think that is why I ran so far last night because I have been taking it easy for the last few months and I feel it is mainly due to a lazy mindset so I decided to buck-up and give er' the onion! It felt great and was a mental victory.

I tested one of my new water bottles. It is the "Ultimate Direction Neoprene holder and bottle". I really like this bottle. It replaced my old bottle holders made from socks and orange duct tape, which don't get me wrong were actually quite good considering but the new bottles are a vast improvement. The straps comfortably hold the bottles to your hands and adjust quite easily, both to tighten and loosen. The rubber kicker valve is a nice feature and I was happy with the ease of pulling it up and closing it with my mouth. I had some issues with the cap leaking a bit and may be because I was squeezing and may not have had the lid fully threaded on. I hate leaky bottles so I stopped and readjusted the lid and sucked the water instead of squeezing the bottle and found this did the trick. Other than that these will definitely become a staple for all runs over 10 miles. I have a feeling I will get my money's worth out of the bottles which I purchased from MEC for about 11 bucks Canadian.

I recently discovered a band appropriately called "Discovery". I stumbled on them from one of my many YouTube tangents. I have really been digging a song called "Osaka Loop Line". It is very electronic with interesting sounds and tempo changes. I like most everything from the group and think they are doing many innovative ideas with their music. This song was definitely blaring in the old noggin as I cranked the 19 clicks out. Enjoy!

Product Review - Injinji socks

2010-06-11T12:36:00.000-07:00

When I really started increasing my running distance I knew that there would be some casualties and my feet perhaps would take the brunt of my obsession for steep rocky terrain and insane distances. Over the course of several years I found a shoe that worked well for me and eliminated many of the blisters, broken toe nails, and issues I received in my early running exploits. There has always been a slight reoccurring problem with toe blisters for me, both on the tips and between toes, as I approach the 14-20 hour a week range. I have played with lubricants and tapes and mole skin but always found blisters when I removed my socks after a long run rugged run or a hard week.

Finally I broke down this Spring and dropped $18 each on a couple of pairs of socks. I have seen adds for the Injinji toe socks for some time and have wanted to try them. Here is what I have found.

When I first tried them on they felt a little unnatural. Granted I don't like the feel of anything between my toes, hence my hatred of flip flops. I could however feel each toe flex and move independent of the others as I walked around my room in my new socks. My first chance to really try them out came during the last hard day of our Field School earlier in May. I had left a handheld radio on top of the highest summit in our mapping area and decided I would wear my running garb and run the summit to recover the radio. The entire class thought I was crazy since the summit requires a pretty good effort while hiking. I put on my new socks and attacked the trail. I was still recovering from a chest cold and was completely out of shape but right off my feet felt great. My toes adjusted in my shoe individually and seemed to improve my balance. After reaching the summit in about 30 minutes I found my radio and really began to crank down the steep rocky switchbacks. My socks made my feet feel great even though my feet were really slamming the front of my shoe on the steep rocky trail. The total run was just over 50 minutes and though my lungs and legs were knackered my feet felt great.

Last night I wore them again for the first time running my usual Mount Doug course. I have only good things to report. Normally my toes get sweaty and stick together often rubbing and chaffing skin from between the toes but with the Injinji socks they felt great.

I highly recommend spending the money for a nice sock specifically if you have issues with toe blisters and chaffs. The real test will come as I begin to push my running back to the 20 hour a week stage. I haven't gotten them too wet yet either but I am anxious to see what happens after a good soaking followed by 10 dusty miles of rocky single track. I will keep you posted but I think they may be the answer to another one of my running questions.

Back from my blogging hiatus and some Daylight

2010-06-10T22:58:00.000-07:00

This is just a short update since I have been out of the blogging loop for a couple of months and have limited time to write tonight. The last few months have been very busy with a hectic end of the semester, followed up with teaching field school, and finally a few weeks in Utah seeing family and friends. In total I was on 12 ferry's and drove over 4,000 clicks in five weeks.

My running during all this madness was inconsistent at best but I did hike like crazy and hiked several hundred Km and over 100,000 feet of vert. One major deterrent was the crazy weather Utah had this May. I hardly got a chance to go above 7,000 feet because temps were low and storms which dropped significant snow seemed to come in daily. I was in Nevada on May 29th in freezing temps with horizontal snow on top of Bald Eagle Mountain in the Pilot Range. That is just crazy!

Tonight I tried my hand at my usual Mount Doug course so I could gauge my fitness and determine what it is going to take to salvage this Summer as far as running goes. Come to find out all that hiking seemed to keep me somewhat fit and I was able to run strong the first 6 clicks but began to fizzle the next 5. I was actually quite surprised but perhaps the best surprise was how nice it was to run without the upper respiratory problems that plagued me from new years to the beginning of May. It is amazing the difference being able to breath makes for your running, I think I am going to roll with the breathing for the next while. The Mountain is definitely overgrown and perhaps could use some daily visits from me to open up a few of the trails so that is my goal.

I am quite anxious to start running consistently again, I need to shed about 15 lbs so I have a one month goal to lose that extra weight so by the beginning of July I am at my racing weight. I also would like to be running a 50 Km long run once a month for the next few months and then go from there. I have been weak on my long runs and have only one over 45 km's in the last 4 months so I will need to improve there.

I have been really digging a song called "Daylight" by Matt and Kim, lately (a duo from Brooklyn). It is one of those songs that makes you want get out and attack the trails. The song gives you some pep and energy in the morning and I think it is a nice way to start the day or in the case of my run tonight it was playing in my head throughout the run. I hope you like it too.

Running the Juan De Fuca Trail this Summer and "These old Shoes"

2010-04-11T16:11:00.000-07:00

I have hooked up with several experienced and accomplished ultra-trail runners to run the full Juan De Fuca Trail this Summer. These guys are serious runners and masters with a several decade head start on me. I am afraid my inexperience at ultras will definitely shine brightly but I don't care I am just glad I found people willing to let me tag along on their adventure with them and that they trust in me enough to keep up. I really like having this goal to really propel my training over the next 3 months. I feel if I can run consistently for the next 100 days I should be able to keep up with them.

Several shots I linked from a google image search of the Juan De Fuca.

The trail is 47 km long and starts at China Beach and finishes at Botanical Beach following the Pacific Coast of Vancouver Island. I think we are shooting for a time around 8 hours which seems slow but the trail is difficult with everything from boulder beaches to mud slides and shoots to suspension bridges. Though there is no spot along the trail with major relief the cumulative elevation is significant due to constant ups and downs over various headlands. I am way excited.

I may also may be running portions or all of the North Coast Trail as well this Summer. This rugged 60 km trail near the very northern tip of the island is a newly opened trail and looks truly epic. A nice write up by Ultra Runner Jeff Hunt can be read here. This would be truly challenging including sections that are so rough they are aided by ropes. It took Jeff and his party 11 hours and they appear to be great runners so I can expect much slower times. None the less it is exactly the type of adventure I could use this Summer.

I have a final on Tuesday and then I will be able to get serious into a training phase. I am looking forward to it.

I have really been digging a band called Deer Tick lately and have been enjoying a song called "these old shoes" quite a lot. I think the song makes me think about all my old shoes I have owned over the last few years and almost brings a tear to my eye when I remember all the beautiful miles of trails we ran together. Here is an animation and a live performance. I hope you like it as well. It kind of has a southern bluesy feel to it but great stuff.

Mount Work TH to TH to TH double summit

2010-04-05T20:06:00.000-07:00

I have not posted for a while for several reasons, first because it is obviously the end of the semester and I have not had the time to write about my life, secondly because it is the end of the semester I basically have had to take a small hiatus from running to get my final assignments squared away so I have not had any training runs worth mentioning on my blog to report, and lastly two weeks ago I was ill and took some time off to let my lungs heal. I am afraid this lung thing is still hindering my running but I am not letting it slow me down too much.

Since it was a nice spring morning and we are on the tail end of this 4 day Easter break I decided to crank out a double summit of Mount Work, starting at the north Trail Head running to the south Trail Head and then turning around and running back to the north Trail Head. The distance or elevation are not anything to write home about but it ends up being about 10 km with 1800' of vertical. Since I have been ill and running inconsistently the past few weeks the run was nothing impressive, but what a joy to get out there and push myself to the top of the mountain several times. The summit is not spectacular in itself but if you run to the south a few hundred meters the views really open up. I could see Victoria and the Olympic Range to the south and the Gowland Tod Range to the west. The trails were littered with uprooted fallen trees and branch debris from a Spring Gale that blew in the previous week (the same story on Mount Doug with many trees fallen across the trail, I am kind of glad I postponed my run during the worst of the wind for that very reason).

I had never ran the south side of the mountain and found the trails to be fantastic. The trails switchbacked through large forests of Arbutus trees and wound down the ridge to the shore of Fork Lake. I popped out at the Munn Road parking lot and turned around and began my climb back to the summit. There was a major difference with the run feeling much steeper heading up than it did when I was gliding down. I took my time and pushed hard and cruised beyond the summit and started my final descent toward the North Trail Head again.

I caught up with a couple who had started the hike the same time I started the run at the north trail head, and they stopped and asked me why they didn't see me at the summit and wondered where else I would have ran. I explained that I ran to the other trail head and turned around and came back. They couldn't fathom that someone would or could do that, let alone in the short time it took them to hike to the top once and get a quarter of the way back down. I think it is interesting that many people don't really ever consider running on the trails. It was intriguing to see them react to my trail running as if it was the first time they considered the possibility. I strongly urged them to give it a try and who knows perhaps one day I will see them out there running in the bush and enjoying the freedom that comes with trail running. I can't imagine spending my life not pushing my physical limits, I feel many people underestimate what the human body is capable of.

I actually was surprised at how easily my pace came and that I still had some fitness to draw from even though the last two weeks have been inconsistent and challenging at best. I only have another strong month of running before I teach Field School for the undergrads for a month, and then head straight to Utah. It is really important that I run consistent the next 30 days and throw in several long 3-4 hour runs with 3-5000 feet of vert if I want to be up to running the peaks and trails I am planning on running in Utah in May. I know I will be consistent. School is really starting to cook but with the longer days it shoudn't be too hard.

I can't claim discovery of my song today because I am going to repeat one that I first heard on Krupicka's blog here. It is called "Sweet Disposition" and is by an Aussie group called the Temper Trap. The song has U2-ish guitar riffs with awesome vocals. The first time I heard it on Krupicka's blog I thought it was good and then forgot about it, but last night Vye and I were watching So You Think You Can Dance Australia (a guilty pleasure) and saw a routine with the song and I suddenly really felt it, and it has been in my head since. So while running Mount Work this beautiful song was stuck on repeat in my head as the drama of my run unfolded under cool gray skies. It was EPIC. I hope you enjoy it.

A day in the life...

2010-03-23T20:15:00.000-07:00

I found this on a great ultra blog I follow and thought it summed up a day in the life of an endurance trail runner nicely. Since I am down with a bit of a chest/throat bug right now and haven't ran since Saturday I find myself obsessing over training strategy and future runs I want to do. It has been brutal focusing on my studies, with the end of the semester nearly upon me I am going to just have to hunker down make it through a couple of presentations, a final, and then it will be a Summer of experiments, data crunching, field work, and running bliss. I can't wait!!! The typical day of an ultra trail runner is truly epic!

Getting to the bottom of this pain in my bottom, and more Leiahdorus

2010-03-21T10:45:00.000-07:00

This was a good week for running. I nailed a faster time on the reverse course of Mount Doug, and shaved anther 3 minutes off my best time (54:20). You have to love the spring, where drastic changes in your fitness and times are observable almost every run.

I have had a pain in my butt for over a year now. I have self diagnosed it as Piriformis Syndrome, which is basically when the piriformis muscle is inflamed and clamps down on the sciatic nerve causing all sorts of drama in the butt cheek and down the leg. The usual cause as you read about it, is overuse in challenging terrain. Well since I only run about 50 miles or so a week and only run up and down gnarly-rooty-rocky trails I was able to conclude that my injury is not a result of overuse or strain from running too much in rough terrain. So I turned to the scientific method to actually get to the bottom of this pain in my bottom. Basically I gathered all the observations as to why or when or how my butt hurts to identify the real culprit. Plenty of people run 200 miles a week in much worse terrain than me so clearly it has more to do with my form or biomechanics than the act of trail running alone.

Observations

It doesn't matter how long I take off from running it always comes back when I start packing on some volume.
It hurts when I sit for too long on a crappy chair.
My gluteus isn't very maximus (I mean no padding)
Speed work on flats makes it worse than hills and distance.
Often feels better during running sore after.
Only on my right leg.

Conclusions

The observation I really focussed on was it is only in my right leg. That tells me that there is something going on in my right side that isn't happening on my left. Possible explanations are:

I am missing a lower right ab muscle due to surgery
there might be some asymmetry in leg length
I always carry a fat wallet in my back right pocket

So to me any one of these three observations would explain why my right side is more prone to injury than my left.

I tend to notice in science, if there is multiple explanations for a problem, it usually isn't one or the other but a combination of all the possibilities in different proportions. So to summarize I have a pain in my butt (right side only) because I sit in hard chairs at school and in my office (terrible office chair) all day long with a fat wallet in my right pocket, which crushes my muscle and pinches my sciatic nerve. I also use the toilet with a hard seat more than the average person (a gory side effect of not having a large intestine - T.M.I. - I know!). Lastly I have a missing ab muscle in my right side which makes a generally weaker core on the right side and may be manifested in asymmetry in running particularly on long runs when fatigue sets in. All of these problems place stresses on the piriformis and sciatic nerve, which are then exacerbated by running high volume in challenging terrain but even more so by flat speed work.

Solution

If I was really taking a scientific approach I would try to resolve one issue at a time such as removing the wallet for a month to see the effect this would have and in this way I could pinpoint the exact problem. I don't have the luxury to experiment on my butt pain for the next six months so I am running a preemptive strike against my pain in my butt.

I am first removing my wallet. Next I am trying to walk around more when sitting for long periods of time (I may even start sitting on an exercise ball). I think I need a padded toilet seat, and a new office chair. Lastly I really need to do core work to strengthen my weak core and particularly ab muscle and back. There are some stretches I need to start doing to fix the existing problem. The final step is using as efficient biomechanics as possible focusing on a neutral pelvis and straight back with no hunching or slumping. This should solve the problem.

I dislike that anytime there is any sort of injury on an endurance runner, the go to answer is too much running on too rough of terrain. I can see if I increase mileage in rough terrain by 40-50% in one week, but when I am doing the same mileage that I have been for a while there is usually a different explanation. I find if I try real hard to think and analyze all of my actions and movements throughout the day, not only when running, that often times the cause is more subtle and usually not related to running per se but aggravated by running. I have already put most of these anti-butt pain measures into effect and have noticed a marked difference in my butt pain already, with my wallet being perhaps the biggest factor (nothing to do with running). I think this stresses how important it is that we are able to analyze and listen to our own bodies. Doctors don't know each individuals daily routine and frankly have no choice but to blame running but we can dive deeper and come up with additional explanations.

Yesterday was a long 11 mile easy run (when I say easy I mean effort not necessarily the course or distance since the course I chose was brutal). I wanted to run 13-14 but it got dark on me and I had to bail because I didn't have a light. I made an effort to run easy and go up and down the hills as smoothly as possible. After my usual 7 mile mark I found I had tons of reserves and ran very well the last four miles including my fifth summit of Mount Doug for the night. I really love the 1.5-2 hour runs. I should be logging 3 hour runs right now for my long runs but I am a bit behind due to school. I can't wait to start injecting much longer runs into my week.

Spring is in full bloom on the mountain and I find it super refreshing and motivating to run through cherry blossoms and delicate neon green foliage. I really love the spring. I think that running anywhere in the spring is just about as good as it gets ( I especially love running the deserts in the spring, a green lush desert is just such an oxymoron). It seems that my fitness usually finally starts to come back around about this time of year, as I am ramping up for epic Summer runs.

For this post I decided to throw in a song by Leiahdorus called "Wake". I describe a bit more about this group in a earlier post here. It is just a chill song I really like.

Some speed work, Easy/Lucky/Free, and a PR on the MDGB reverse course

2010-03-13T12:02:00.000-08:00

Thursday was supposed to be an easy run. I thought that because it was supposed to be chill I would run the reverse course and enjoy some variability. My legs were still knackered from the previous day's hard run and PR. I tried keeping a strong pace from the start but the legs were already burning. When you run the MD gutbuster in reverse you start out with a steep assault of the southeast face of the mountain. I gave it everything I had and was tasting lung by the top. I realized that my body wanted to try and set a PR on the reverse course even though it was supposed to be a rest day. I am not one for following schedules or regiments but instead prefer to have my routine dictated by my body and my mood. I let my legs start spinning down the steep south face and began to really push my speed.

I have a small side note here in that it amazes me how many people have 3 and 4 large dogs and without fail the dogs have no concept of stepping aside and a good 5 times this week I had to come to a complete stop to get around dog blockages. I am an animal lover and have no issues with dog walkers but it does throw off your flow when you are trying to eke every bit of speed from your body. I realize it is just a part of the experience and I have to not be so selfish with what I term to be "my trails".

After my circumnavigation of several Grey hounds, Labradors and Great Danes I got back in my groove and began a longish climb to the base of little Doug. I hit my stride at this point and really made some tracks. After summiting the little diorite glob, I had a nice downhill stretch to the base of the bedrock buster. The final summit of Doug went smoothly and I couldn't run the full hill but seriously power hiked it. After the last summit I just had another two miles of easy downhill and single track. I finished up with a 57:30 which was almost 4 minutes faster than my first reverse course attempt. I feel my fitness is slowly coming around from my terrible winter due to the issues I had with my syncope. I was super happy with two PR's in two days and every night I was able to sleep peacefully knowing I put everything I had into each run and never sandbagged.

Yesterday my old running partner flew into Victoria after spending two weeks of running in Hawaii. We decided to do a 3 mile speed work drill together and catch up on things since he moved to the Mainland to take over a practice in December. The weather was perfect and we started out a little slow and even though my legs were knackered I really felt my cadence speed up within 5 minutes of running fast. I lead most of the run for 2 and 3/4 miles. Rob mentioned my form has improved drastically since we last ran together in December. That was good to hear that my mental effort and struggles with improving my running form have paid off a little. He kicked it in high gear right at the end, and I was spent, and couldn't quite keep up with him the last quarter mile. I finished 2 seconds behind him. Not bad, considering I had already ran 45 Km up to that point with 6,000 feet of elevation, and I have not done any real speed work in Months. It was fun to talk to rob and it was the first time I had ran with anyone in 3 months. I do miss having someone of similar ability to push me and force me to do speed work and run a little faster. That competition amongst running partners is a powerful tool to improve running ability. He heads back to the mainland and I will be once again a solo performer. I do like solo running though and must admit I prefer it most of the time.

I have had some Bright Eyes on my mind lately. I had a song playing in my head during my reverse course of Mount Doug called "Easy/Lucky/Free". It is a mellow song but has a cool almost surfer treatment with the guitar. I really like another song by the group that has great runability but I will save it for another post when it is playing in my head. I think the title of the song can be used to describe several aspects of running. Running really is easy, you just put one foot in front of the other quickly. It comes naturally and almost always happens within a few days of learning to walk (at least with my kids who only have two speeds, running and sleeping). I like to run easily and keep things very uncomplicated with no set distance or regime. I think that I am lucky that I discovered the fantastic treasure that is endurance trail running. Everyday I feel I accomplished something, I get to see the Pacific Ocean from the Summit of Doug and I get an hour or two with nothing but my thoughts and fresh air. Not only am I healthier but I am happier. Running is indeed a treasure each runner should cherish and find themselves lucky for the discovery. Lastly running is free and makes you free. It costs little, at least the way I do it. Sure you can dump thousands into clothes, shoes and races, but I have one set of shorts and shirt that I wear regardless of weather, and use my shoes until they are falling off my feet, I am too poor to enter races so I make my own events. Nothing is more freeing than pointing yourself toward the forest wall and then exploding into a fast run with nothing in the world but you, the wind in your hair, and the trail. Nothing is as easy, or lucky, or free!

Hard Earned PR!

2010-03-10T19:04:00.000-08:00

I have been trying to set a new PR on the Mount Doug course since the 54:18 I set on the 26th of February, and today I finally smashed it at 52:57! I started the run feeling a bit leaden and heavy and had some sore spots in my chronic injured right hamstring and also in both lower legs (the usual aches that come with the consistent increase in trail mileage). This was supposed to be a hard run and I felt some doubt creeping in that I would not even be able to run 57:00 tonight.

I then reflected on an article in the New York Times about Matt Carpenter. Carpenter is very likely the best mountain runner to ever live. He has the highest VO2 max (a gauge to see how well the body processes oxygen) ever measured in a human save one (Carpenter's is 90.2 compared to Lance Armstrong's VO2 max of 81). The guy is a machine and I would like to make a "Titan's of Trailrunning" post dedicated to him in the future when I free up some time. In this article it mentions that Carpenter's training philosophy has always been "to go out hard, and when it starts to hurt, try even harder".

So I took Carpenter's simple advice and got down to business of getting this PR I wanted. The first summit felt forced and wasn't great. I was huffing pretty good and could feel my pulse in my neck and head. After my first summit I noticed my splits were a bit slower than my previous PR from the 26th. I knew I needed to make up some ground. I bailed off the Northwest face of Mount Doug onto the bedrock buster, a steep glacial scoured and exposed rock chute that is perhaps one of the most technical spots of the course (really bad when it is wet). I cruised on this section and made up 22 seconds on the downhill. I next summited the much smaller Little Doug and I was just hating it by the top but I put everything I had into it. Once I summited I realized I had gained another minute putting me spot on to my previous PR splits.

Now I knew that I could get a PR if I really pushed on the last half of the course. I took a deep breath a bailed off the south side of little Doug. I hit the next portion of the course which is a pretty gradual downhill grade for almost a mile. I struggled a bit on this portion of trail and the legs were tired and heavy and the lungs were not doing their job (I have had an upper resp. infection for over two months now). I finished the section of the course spot on with my previous PR's splits. I had one more big summit of the mountain, a final descent, and then a bit of flat sloppy single track to the finish. I kept repeating Carpenter's mantra in my head and when I began hurting I kicked it up a notch. I reached the summit and was a bit light headed but quickly caught my breath and screamed down the final slope. I reached the finish and stopped my watch and did a double take to make sure I had read the 52:57 right. I couldn't believe it, I had struggled for 12 days to even get near my previous PR, but tonight I passed it up by over a minute and a half. I guess Matt Carpenter knows what he's doing when it comes to winning and setting impossible course records on some of the most rugged and highest elevation marathons and ultras in the world.

I had some Frozen Plasma songs in my head tonight. FP is a synth group from Germany and could be considered futuro-pop. The song I am posting is a song called "A Second Of Life". It is kind of a dark and haunting song. Honestly the lyrics and mood of the song had nothing to do with tonight's run it was just in my head. I couldn't find any good videos to post for this song. Several versions had 9 minutes of watching people's digital avatars from some computer game wander around in some nerd environment. Another had clips from some vampire movie, so I ended up choosing this short version with a video of some fog and boardwalks and a forest. It was my best option for this post. Like I said the song has been in my head lately and though I don't expect many people to go nuts over it I think it is a cool song with a haunting vibe.

Easy 7 miler and some 7M3 - Devil Boy

2010-03-09T19:20:00.000-08:00

Tonight was an easy run so I did a simple 7 miler at Mount Doug. It has been very cold this week and possibly colder than it has been since early December but that being said it was still 4 C or 45 degrees F. We even saw some snow flakes yesterday though they didn't stick around long. My focus tonight was just to run easy and run light with as little impact as possible and to run at a nice speed where it was easy to keep my breath. I accomplished my goal and was really amazed at how easy it really felt. I hardly broke a sweat or got out of breath even on the uphill. I was tempted to turn up the speed but with many more miles and summits lined up for the week I decided to take it easy like I had planned.

My thoughts were mainly focussed on my studies today and I thought a bit about magma differentiation and the effects of melt composition on element partitioning. Pretty heavy stuff to be focusing on during a run but I find my easy runs allow me to think more about school and other complex subjects that require my full attention. When I am really running hard I only have the brain capacity to tackle the trail and have to completely focus on the run and so other thoughts are pushed aside.

Today I had some old school Seven Mary Three playing in my head. The song that was blaring in the old noggin is called "Devil Boy" and is one of my favorite from their debut album American Standard. I have loved 7M3 since they saw popularity in the mid 90's with "Cumbersome" and "Water's Edge". I think many people stopped listening after the first album but the band has continued to create great music with many albums released since then. They are really a southern grunge band, though that is a bit of a generalization. I love the vocals and guitar riffs. They are still around and making music and playing various venues. I have also included a song from a more recent album called "Last Kiss" to show that they still make great music. Neither video is recorded in great quality but I think they are both still awesome to watch. I like their bearded look it is pretty sweet. "Last Kiss" is a great song and I like the rocky feel of it. I definitely have many fond memories of American Standard and the music of 7M3 has accompanied me throughout most of my adolescence all the way to adulthood. They often were playing as me and my brother slowly drove up many forgotten back roads in the Uintas as we pursued various treasures. For some reason that first album reminds me a lot of our prospecting trips in South Fork, Noblett's Canyon, and the Red Creek areas. Very nostalgic stuff for me. They release MP3's from their site (7MP3's) for free and I grab those whenever I can.

Transitions and The Sun and the Rainfall

2010-03-07T23:53:00.000-08:00

I ran well today, felt strong and was motivated a little more than usual. I was able to push myself extremely well, and had it not been for the downpour I found myself in for the duration I very well may have had a personal best. It was perhaps the strongest I have ran uphill all year. So while I was chugging away I couldn't help but think I was approaching some sort of transition with my physical fitness, and as I thought about it more I think I am at a crucial transition in my life.

While thinking about my past, I realized that my physical, mental and spiritual activities have been on two year cycles for most of my life. I find that I tend to have major transitions and shifts in my entire ideals and also new discoveries about myself about every two years. For instance the last two years have been an extremely important phase of my life consisting of me figuring out my body, and settling into a running routine, and discovering why I am running. The two years prior to this current period I was still recovering from surgery and was not well enough physically or mentally to take my running to where I currently am taking it. This period has also been a time where I have adjusted to being a graduate student in a different country and I have laid a strong base for my understanding of the geosciences and grown immensely in my field. I have also made changes to diet, and have significantly changed my attitude and mentality towards life, and eliminated much of the negativity that I had built up over the years from the many challenges I was faced with. So really this last two year period has been a time of discovery and growth where I have found out many truths about myself and what it takes to make me happy. I really have had a great two year phase.

I find myself now nearing a new transition and it feels as if I am at the cusp of something even better with all aspects of my life. I feel that the previous two years were really just laying the ground work to set me up for a new and very strong direction. I feel that if I am able to breakthrough and push myself with my school, running, and family I could really achieve some amazing personal goals and live a healthier more meaningful life. The trick is making the breakthrough. I feel that it is approaching but that there will be a significant amount of work and desire needed to push me over the cusp. I hope that this breakthrough is real and I am not just wishfully thinking. I look forward to what the next two years of my life will bring and all I can say is I know it will be great because I will not accept anything less. I now know why running makes me so happy and what aspects of it I will allow me to obtain the most meaning from the experience, I know where I am heading with my thesis work and I know what needs to be done to contribute meaningful insights into the geoscience community, I know what type of diet works best with my body and leads to the most energy and quality of life, I know where my attitude and spirituality need to be to allow me to find the best balance and joy, and lastly I know what each member of my little family loves and is interested in and I am devoted to helping each pursue whatever it is they are currently interest in. In short if I can stay motivated and focussed on implementing these recent truths and realizations about my self and really apply what I have found I feel I can have an amazing next couple of years. These were my thoughts as I was running tonight. I hope this post doesn't sound too lame, self-righteous or self-promoting but instead that it relates how I was feeling tonight, and portrays my biggest concern that I take action and not sit on this information.

Well tonight saw me running in a full downpour but it was amazing because the southwestern sky opened up to let the setting sun filter in through the forest and there was a juxtaposition of moody clouds and rain with a cheerful spring like sunset. So the next thing that pops in my head is a song by Depeche Mode called "The Sun and the Rainfall". Easily in my top ten. I decided to put in a great remix of the song by Dominatrix and I think it is a great modernization of the classic song by DM. Enjoy!

February in Review and some KOL

2010-02-28T21:20:00.000-08:00

February was a great month for my training and was much stronger than January. It still was not as consistent as I would have liked but it seldom is.

Total summits of Mt. Doug = 53

Total Elevation = 22,500 feet

Total Mileage = 135 miles

I wanted to finish February with over 60 summits but it didn't happen due to some schooling conflicts, late nights, and long weekends in the books. I am definitely going to improve on this consistency this upcoming month and keep pushing. I would love to break 100 summits this month but that is over 4 a day and I don't know if my legs can handle it. With only 11 weeks until I hit Utah, and I start bagging 2-5,ooo foot prominence runs at high elevation, I am going to need way more training in these few short months. I am a bit worried about transitioning from sea level to 5-12,000 feet as well. From what I read the first few days will be alright but after a week or so at higher elevation I will breakdown a bit. Should be a good experiment to help prepare me in the event that I run a 100 miler in the mountains while I am training at sea level.

Thursday saw one of my fastest Mount Douglas Gutbuster training runs with me coming in at a smidgen over 54 minutes. The run started fast and I felt good and so I went with it and really pushed myself the whole time. I really flew on the downhills making serious tracks and shaving most of the time off the descents.

Saturday saw one of my slowest runs of the Gutbuster course. I have never ran the course in reverse, surprisingly, and decided to give it a go. Since Mount Doug is a glacier feature known as a "Roche Moutennee" it is an asymmetric mound with a gentler slope facing the north or the direction of ice advance and has a very steep south slope where the glacier plucked rocks from the lee side forming steep ledges like the image below.

The typical route summits the mountain on the North side of Doug first, then the north side of Little Doug second, and the third summit is up the steep south slope. When you run the course in reverse you summit the steep south slopes twice and the third summit is up a gnarly steep side of the mountain known as the bedrock buster. This reverse course was a real butt kicker and I saw one of my slowest course times at over 61 minutes. I did have a bad day and was running with a stomach full of less than tasty lunch that was definitely not rocket fuel. You gotta have the rough runs to appreciate the good ones. I think I will start incorporating more of the reverse runs because of the nasty steepness, it is a nice variation on an already technical course.

I had so many songs playing in my head this past week as I plugged away at my training runs that I really struggled with picking one to showcase for this post. There were three in particular that were excellent and I decided to go with some older Kings of Leon. I really like the earlier albums from KOL and find all of their stuff great. There appears to be quite a group of people who think they sold out with their new album but I don't see it. I see a band that evolved to a slightly different sound and then saw a wave of success in the states that hadn't always been there. I like their new stuff almost as much. I think this song "King of the Rodeo" is a classic. For some reason these guys kind of remind me a tad of CCR or Seven Mary Three though all three are quite different it just has the same southern feel to it. Enjoy!

Running, Exams, and Taking a Spill

2010-02-23T18:05:00.000-08:00

Last weekend was the worst. I slept 4 hours in three days and basically studied for my thermodynamics in igneous petrology exam the whole time. I did a few experiments as well which means heading to my lab at 2 in the morning to pour out melted rocks etc. So suffice it to say I didn't run for three days. I took the exam and I didn't do as well as I liked which brings me to my thoughts while running today.

I was cruising on the trails and was still a bit tired from the weekend cram session. The blood began pumping and I began to settle into my running groove. At that point in my run I began to think about the exam I took the previous day. Suddenly each and every question become clear and the answers came flooding into my mind. Unfortunately many of the answers that came to me while running were not the ones I put down on the exam. So my epiphany was that I need to devise a way to take exams while running. I think I would do much better on any exam if I could take it while running. The blood is flowing, the scenery is inspiring and the stress is not there (perhaps I could just dictate the answers and process for coming up with them into a digital recorder and send it to the prof). Another interesting point is that the answers didn't come to me in the time after the exam and waited to become apparent until I ran today. Even though I had been out of the exam for 24 hours the answers still weren't there until tonights run. Perhaps for the final I will go for a two hour run before the exam rather than flip through my notes for the hundredth time. I think I will do that and do better for the final.

My run tonight wasn't the best to be honest. The stress from the exam, (bad diet from sneaking some comfort food to keep me company during the sleepless nights including root beer) and my sleep schedule is still a bit wacky, which may be the main reason tonight's run lacked a bounce in my step. I was almost three minutes slower on my 7 mile run than Thursday's run of the same course. I was cruising down a fast section of trail when I stubbed the right toe on a root and it was so unexpected that I ate it hard. Luckily I had on mountain bike gloves because I landed on my palms hard. Next I rolled hard onto my left arm which would have destroyed my i-pod had I wore it today. I barrel rolled several more times before my momentum ran out and I made it to my feet. Instantly my lazy brain tried to get me to just head back to the car and call it a day. I fought the urge to quit and made my final summit and descent. I am glad I finished instead of let the fall beat me psychologically. I don't fall often but when I do they are always bad, unexpected, and abrupt. I know where that root is now and will never forget it.

I had the Bonus Track "Imperial" from Rupesh Cartel's new album "Anchor Baby" in my head. Rupesh is a synth group from Stockholm and have been one of my favorites from the genre since 2005. Perhaps because I am Swedish I tend to gravitate toward groups from Sweden like The Knife, Rupesh, Code 64, Elegant Machinery, Michigan and many more. I wonder if there is something in my genetic code that predisposed me to like Swedish Electronic music, probably not. The song is good and was in my mind when I wasn't obssesing over my exam.

Golden Hinde and Wheeler Peak

2010-02-19T18:53:00.000-08:00

I thought I would post a few more running destinations I am interested in pursuing in the next few years.

Wheeler Peak

Location: Eastern Nevada

Elevation: 13,063

Prominence: 7,563

Distance: Depends on how I decide to attack it but relatively short.

I decided to put Wheeler on for several reasons. First it is truly a remote mountain with the nearest town being Delta Utah. Secondly this is a monster at over 13,000 feet and number 12on the contiguous 48 states ultra prominence list at over 7,500 of prominence, and lastly another mountain oasis in the desert with terrain ranging from desolate to alpine. I think this hulk of rock is very runnable and also appeals to me just because of it's size and aesthetic. I would love to hammer this mountain in the late Fall or early Summer. You actually run through a bristlecone pine forest, some of the oldest trees alive, many over 2000 years old including the felled Prometheus a nearly 5000 year old tree cut down for research in 1962.

The Golden Hinde

Location: Strathcona Park Vancouver Island

Elevation: 7,211

Prominence: Not sure perhaps 3-4000

Distance: Once again no clear numbers on this but I assume 20-30 km one way and 40-60 km round trip

I think that this is one of my immediate goals and I hope to run the summit in the next Summer or two. The Golden Hinde is the Vancouver Island high point named for Sir Francis Drakes ship that sailed along the coast of the island in 1579. The biggest challenge with this run is the distance to the mountain (usually 2-4 days of hiking) and then the class 4 routes that must be taken to make the summit. Class 4 is un-runnable and I will be forced to climb a chute to the top like everyone else. After 6-7 hours of straight running this may prove challenging and dangerous. My goal is to do the whole trip in 20 hours from trail head back. I think it is achievable and I am not sure of the current speed record but I bet that it is more than 24 hours round trip from the trail head. I would need to hike this first before I run it and learn the convoluted paths just to get to the base. Once I checked it out I could try to run it. This would be ridiculous to attempt in less than a day but I think it is doable if it was well planned with some form of support most likely friends camping out along the way for a sort of aid station and maybe even another friend on the class 4 approach ready to lend a hand and a helmet for the final approach. It is said there is so much up and down just to get to the base that you easily cover 7,000 feet just to get to the base. I would love to summit it though.

I have a midterm on Monday so I will most likely not do much running this weekend but may squeeze in an hour or two depending on my studies. I had a super fast Mount Doug Gutbuster route time of 56 minutes which would be good enough for about 25th out of 60 runners. The winners are usually in the low 40's. I wasn't even racing and so I think I could get a sub 50 now. I will definitely race that course this year.

13 Miles and 4,000 feet in the Gowland Tod Range

2010-02-17T13:29:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I decided to do a training run on the Half Monty course in the Gowland Tod range. You couldn't ask for better weather with temps in the low 50's, bright sun, and light breeze, conditions were perfect to run the 25 Km's from McKenzie Bight to Caleb Pike and back.

I grabbed a 16oz water bottle after filling up on my new love; corn tortillas filled with avocado, grilled onions and peppers, tomatoes, and black beans with some lime and cilantro (rocket fuel). I quickly drove to the McKenzie Bight access and set off on my lone 25km journey along the east ridge of the Saanich Inlet. My legs felt great and I had tons of energy which I quickly utilized to run to the top of the first major climb. It is about a 3 km climb of nearly 1500 feet. The climb is gradual and just about perfect for taking small light steps on your toes. Within about 20 minutes I found myself at the Squally Beach overlook, a beautiful spot with views from Saltspring Island to the north and Mount Finlayson to the south. My legs felt great and were spinning up the trails with little effort. My breathing was smooth and controlled and I could tell it was going to be a great run.

The next 5 km of trail snakes its way up another 800 feet or so and weave in and out of cool refrigerated canyons. The final push to the top of Joselyn Peak was smooth, I even passed one of my students that I got into running. He was so focussed on his run, and his music was so loud, that I don't think he realized it was me as he zipped past in the opposite direction. His form was great and he was really moving. I suggested he become a trail runner almost a year ago. I could tell he would take to it and I thought it would definitely be a better addiction then his current love of that cleverly named poison we all know as "energy drinks". It was great and inspiring to see someone I influenced, running 10 km away from anywhere, zoned out, and floating along the trails weightlessly.

I hammered up Joselyn and started my run towards Holmes Peak. I had never ran beyond that point before and so I got confused and took a trail that lead me on a side ridge and I set off in the wrong direction. When you are flying down a steep hill sometimes several Km's can scream by before you realize your error. I should have realized the mistake when the trail began to fade away and large portions were submerged. I popped out on a road and located myself on the folded map I keep in my pocket along with my emergency T.P. I talked to some hikers and found where I went wrong. I had to run up the 500-700 feet I just ran down to pickup the the main ridge. I now lost 30 minutes of time that should have been spent heading toward Caleb's Pike. I gave it one final push but with the sun dipping low on the horizon and 11 Km of tricky trail running left I had to opt out of the full 25 Km and settle for 21 (I will nail the 25 next time).

I turned around and ran the correct trail back up the ridge heading back towards McKenzie Bight and as I was approaching Joselyn again I felt a terrible pain on one of my tendons or bones on the bridge of my left foot. That was the first time I ever had an injury there. Each step began to be quite painful. I gritted my teeth and found a pace and stride that minimized the pain. I ran out of water at this point but with only a few more km's of rolling trails along the ridge I would be entering my final descent in a few minutes. It was now getting cool as the sun finally faded below the ridge. I tightened my shoes and decided to just power my way to the car. I leaned back and let my legs spin under me and gravity did the rest. Within a matter of minutes I was off the ridge and to the main bridge. The last Km or two was good and I felt strong other than the foot. I really could have ran another 10 km if I had more time and my foot wasn't killing.

I saw my car a little over two hours after setting out on my lone attempt at the Half Monty. I was super happy with the first half of my run up to the point where I took a wrong turn. I ran strong and powered up the hills effortlessly and never had to stop at all. Just 3 weeks earlier my run was more power hiking than running. All my hard work on Mount Doug and my hill repeats are paying big dividends. I can't wait to run peaks in Utah and I am so motivated to whip this wimpy body of mine into mountain running shape. I can't wait to be on the summit of my first major peak run this Spring! My foot killed for all of the drive home and I expected to see swelling and bruising when I took off my shoe but there was absolutely no sign of injury. I iced and popped some ibuprofen and within a couple of hours my foot felt great. I have no idea what the problem was and I still can make it hurt if I apply the right pressure to it so I am taking today off to make sure it is OK and will start running again tomorrow.

Anyone who knows me well knows I am a sucker for good Synth music. Most of the synthpop faded with the 80's and though Depeche Mode has hung around the majority of bands that saw popularity in the 80's are long gone. There has been a small group of artists that have continued to make this genre of music even though there is little money and a small following. I like that these artists are still making it for the love of the music and it seems a little more pure because it isn't influenced by labels etc and is generally underground. Fans of this music are scarce but I think it is a great genre and very runnable with endless sounds and directions each band takes their sound. While running yesterday I had a song called "Forget" by B! Machine in my head. It is a cool song with simple electronics and baseline and the vocals are really unique. I have loved the song since 2005 and it still gets plenty of play. I have been on a B! Machine kick lately (all though just a short one a lot of his stuff is a little melancholy) and that is why it was in my head, it really had nothing to do with my run or thoughts during the run it was just playing in my mind as I hammered out the 20 K. It might be a bit out there for most people but I dig it. Enjoy!

List of my future and goal events - King's and Ibapah

2010-02-14T21:57:00.000-08:00

I always see fellow runner’s blogs with lists of races they are going to participate in for that year. Many of these dedicated runner’s have races lined up almost every weekend from early spring to late fall. I am inspired by these lists and I am excited for the time in my life when it makes more sense to participate more in these events, mainly for camaraderie but also to put my training to the test.

I decided that though I don’t compete in these events at the moment I can still put together a list of runs I am planning to do in the near future. My events so far are all unorganized and as far as the enrolment goes I am the only one registered. The date for each event is TBD and the entry fee is whatever it costs for me to get to the trail head. Aid stations are whatever I can carry while running, and running partners are hard to scrounge up for these types of events so most likely will each be solo.

So here goes my list. It is long so I will try to post in phases over the next while showing a spot or two per post.

King's Peak

Location: Utah

Elevation = 13,528’

Prominence = 6,348’

Distance = 28.8 miles

This is Utah’s high point, an ultra prominence peak (peaks with more than 5000 feet of prominence) and since I am a Utah boy and a sucker for the Uinta Mountains I chose this as one of my top destinations. This can be run in one day but is a long day due to the hefty chunk of elevation and altitude. I don’t think I will be able to get to this monster this year because of my timing for being in Utah is too early and would mean plenty of deep snow still. This is a classic alpine trail starting in the coniferous forest and then leaving for the barren alpine tundra above about 10,000 feet. I could really see this as being a great run with a nice mixture of rolling trails, boulder fields and scree slopes. This could easily be incorporated into a longer 35 mile loop taking in the views of Upper Red Castle as well.

Ibapah Peak

Location: Deep Creek Range Western Utah

Elevation = 12,087

Prominence = 5,229’

Distance = 13 miles

I have been interested in this monster monolith south of Wendover for some time now. There are several reasons this mountain is so high on my must run list. It is a very remote mountain seeing only a limited number of ascents each year. It is an ultra prominence peak. I like the runs that start in desert and end up in higher alpine elevations. It is a nice way to get to experience a large variety of climates, terrain, and scenery in a short few miles. This is a run of extremes, from extreme elevation differences to extreme temperature differences. This run would require a certain amount of preparation and some support in the event of an injury, dehydration, snake bite etc. You would need a couple of back-up plans just in case.

These are just two peaks that I am very interested in running and look forward to the time when I can tackle them. This week saw some weak mileage and not as many summits as I would have liked but I was walking the edge between injured and over-trained so I listened to reason and ran about every other day in anticipation of Spring Break which starts tomorrow. I hope to get some great runs in, including a long one in the Gowland Tod range tomorrow. I hope I have a strong injury free week.

Great first week! And what is it I am trying to accomplish here?

2010-02-08T23:11:00.000-08:00

This week was a strong beginning to what looks like a great year for this passion of mine. I think I also have decided more than anything why I am ramping up my training this way and what it is I am trying to accomplish by running this way. First though my stats from the week.

Total hours ran = approx. 7

Total Days ran = 6

Total miles ran = approx. 30

Total Summits = 14

Total Elevation = approx. 7,000 feet up and same down

I feel this has been a consistent and reasonable week with a good mixture of mileage, hours, and elevation for the first week of a training phase.

I think it is important to understand why you run and what it is you are trying to accomplish by running. Up to this point I haven't felt I have quite found myself as a runner but the last few months everything has clicked and a light turned on. So what is the goal or point of my running?

I have played around with being one of these guys who runs every organized event offered. This means I could sign up and spend hundreds of dollars, that I don't have, to start jumping into various events around the island including marathons and road races, but this honestly isn't that appealing to me. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy racing and competition, but I don't enjoy crowds, I don't enjoy flats, and I really hate roads (especially flat ones). I think that if I race anything this year it would be the Gutbuster Series, the Full Monty, and several other smaller trail events around the island like the The Great Walk or the The Great Lake Walk. These events have smaller entry fee's, less runner's, and more of what I like which is gnarly terrain and die hard passionate trail runners. Ultimately my interest in running has zero to do with competing (at this time anyway, but perhaps when I become a better runner with some extra cash I will race and be influenced by racing more, it is hard to tell).

So what I am training for and obsessed with is running to the tops of Mountains or more importantly areas with major-relief. Not just little hills like Mount Doug where I train (at a whopping 698 feet above sea level with my summit attacks being about 500 feet each) but I am talking epic mountains that rugged mountaineers and hikers alike flock to, mountains with Ultra Prominence (greater than 5000 feet of elevation gain).

What another great breakthrough into what is driving me! It feels like all my thoughts, training, reading, and diet have all culminated into this realization that my reasons for pursuing this crazy obsession is to quickly propel myself skyward until I run out of slope. This is super appealing to me for many reasons. I love exercising my will power over my body to encourage it to do more than I ever thought possible, and peaks are a perfect catalyst for this scenario. I love taking in breathtaking views and scenery, but when I'm hiking I feel I am being held back or limited by my clumpy boots and hefty pack and I am limited by slow progress as to what I can see in a given day. Hiking feels like you are clumping along out of place or a visitor in the mountains, but quietly running and pouring yourself over the terrain is so much more intimate like you are part of your surroundings. Running peaks and mountains allows me to see and experience so much more of the wilderness in the same amount of time (I guess I have always liked to optimize my time expenditures because of a lack of time). I enjoy the pain of running hills both up and down. Just like the saying "if you make pain your friend, you will never be lonely", I welcome the pain of each strenuous climb and quad trashing descent. I like that peaks represent goals or objectives; places you know you have been and experienced, and so each run takes on it's own personality linked with the mountain and conditions surrounding the journey. I could keep going on and on, but suffice it to say this is where my passion for running and my goals and objectives lie.

It is a little sad that it has taken me this long to discover these truths about myself. I am just happy I am now sure what I want out of these experiences and now I have a steadfast direction I am heading. In the past I have kind of thought maybe I like running so much because I wan't to be a marathoner, or maybe because I want to get faster etc. It is so obvious now, but I have enjoyed running, and always knew I was going to get into endurance trail running because I love the wild so much and there is no better way to experience it than developing and tuning myself into an endurance trail runner who could actually move with the land quickly, quietly and efficiently. Running to these majestic precipices would then lead to me optimizing my experiences and making each outing meaningful and epic. This is what makes me lie awake at night thinking about all the things I would like to run and do this is exciting and that is why I run. I am so stoked to be where I am today pursuing my goals by eating right and running free on the trails.

12 summits and 2 to go!

2010-02-06T22:05:00.000-08:00

I am super happy with my running this week. I am right on course to wrap up the week with my goal of 14 summits of Mount Doug in 7 days or an average of 2 a day. I am super stoked and even though I am just getting started I can feel that my tanks weren't completely empty to begin with and I still have some fitness I am drawing from.

The greatest part about today was the fact that I didn't have to power hike at all and ran all 1500' of vert nonstop (3000' in the last two days). I also was flying down the hills pretty good and I enjoyed that as well. I have been focusing on forefoot striking on the down hills (you have no choice to forefoot strike on the up hills because of the steepness). This requires really pointing your toes as you run down the hill to allow your toes to make contact first. I think it really helps to absorb the shock and my legs aren't as beat up as they were last year when I was running lots of down hill every day. It made me think that my little sister who is a talented multifaceted dancer would be good at trail running because of her leg strength and her ability to keep her toes pointed and absorb shock. It would be fun to see how she would do as a trail runner but I am afraid she would be hard to sway into running.

Vye has been exercising at night and I keep telling her that I am going to do core work with her but I always seem to find myself falling asleep at about 11:00 when she begins her workout. I have to give her major props because it is challenging to take care of the kids all day including watching a friends of ours son most days. She then works on strength and toning after the kids are asleep, the house is in order, and we have had some time to spend together, and by that time of night I am so knackered, but she finds the motivation to workout. I am super proud and inspired by her. Being a mother and finding time to be an athlete seems like such a challenge and yet so many women do it. Vye has also been doing a lot of photography lately and it is awesome to see her excel at something she is so passionate about. She would really like to learn how to photo trail running events and I think that would be awesome to have her there to not only support me but to photo the runner's and the event. It may be a nice niche to play around with in the future, combining several of both her and my own talents and passions.

I have a hefty week this week as we lead up to the reading break the following week. I will have to ration my time wisely. Reading break should be a great time to cram for a midterm and then run some longer 2-3 hour runs at the Gowland Tod range or Thetis Lake and I hope to have some serious mileage and elevation during the break.

I often run without music (like an i-pod) because I really enjoy silence and have come to appreciate the sound of my labored breathing and clumsy feet as I tackle the trails. I do often have various music playing in my head sometimes because I have recently heard the song but other times because a song just popped up for no reason. This evening a new song called "Childhood's End", from an awesome electronica band I have loved for years called Leiahdorus, popped into my mind. The song is from their new album and I think it is really cool. I wish I could have seen these guys at the synth festival in Salt Lake city in 2005 but missed it. They are from New Mexico and often perform at Burts Tiki lounge and I would love to see them one of these days. I hope you like the song and all their other stuff is great also and worth checking out if you are into finding new music like I am.

Science - Run - Music - Repeat -- and some insight from my youth

2010-02-05T20:53:00.000-08:00

Higher reaches of the Mill Hollow area.

A view of Mill Hollow Reservoir in the Uinta Mountains in Utah.

This week has been great! I have had three main themes running through my life the past 5 days; science, run, listen to great music, and repeat. My runs also have all been repeat summits of Mount Doug which has been awesome. I was a little down last month which always seems to be directly correlated to poor or inconsistent running. I need to run to be happy and I find genuine joy in running on trails in the mountains.

When I was in third grade our school gave young students a chance to go to a week long camp in the Uintas at a place called Mill Hollow. This small Summer Camp was like any number of youth Summer camps filled with nature hikes and boon doggle. We also had free time each afternoon to play around the little mountain retreat. My best friend at the time, Anthony Wood, and I formed a small posse of like minded souls and we created a sport we called "stump jumping". The goal of the game was to scramble as far up the side of the wooded mountain slope as possible and then to run down the steep stump choked hillside with reckless abandon as fast as your legs could carry you. We didn't just do this to go fast but we also showboated by launching off from logs, stumps, and rocks to see how much hill could slip beneath your airborne body before the bone jarring landing, often times jumping many meters at a time. We then got creative and began to jump over our fellow school mates by placing them under a lofty precipice and then using our downhill momentum to hurl our adolescent bodies over the brave volunteer.

One thing I realized today as I was flying down the trail at dusk is that I am exactly the same today as the small tow-headed third grader that I was then. When I was younger I found myself the happiest when I was in the woods flying down the side of a mountain that any normal person would call insane. What a great piece of insight to realize that I am still a happy boy who loves life and I am still a boy who is happiest while playing in nature. I don't have money to enter many events (even though it is something I would like to do more of) so my running isn't really influenced by races or bragging rights. I run because it makes me happy because of how playful and innocent it is, and because I need to spend some time each day being who I really am, and that is a big kid who likes to go fast in ridiculous terrain. Now that I am older I can say that I still make that playfulness and that adventure part of my daily routine. I truly am lucky to have such a great opportunity to run up and down mountains and trails right outside my doorstep.

The last three summits of Mount Doug were pocked with small victories again. I am finally getting my uphill endurance back and I am running to the summit without power hiking (at least on the first summit) which is awesome. I also added a third summit to the mix today. I know I was only supposed to summit 2 times a day this week but because yesterday didn't allow me to get out I figured throwing in an extra summit today was fine. The third summit was a bit painful but I forged on ahead and made the summit right as sunset on this awesome 55 degree clear sunny day. I am even seeing a few cherry blossoms out hinting at the nearing spring.

All I can think about is running up summits everywhere and I am putting together a list of all the summits I would love to run in the next year or two. I should post mt summit list and see how many I can nail in the next two years.

Music has been important this week and I find that after hours of spreadsheets and diving into my data it is the perfect release from stress that comes from experiments and results that are straying from my hypothesis, and the solutions I need to solve the problems. I have been listening to a lot of poppy and upbeat "springy" songs and groups lately which is quite different than the melancholy music that dominated last month. The other day as I was in the car my wife had left a CD playing with a bunch of different songs on it but the one that was playing when I hopped in was "Running up That Hill" by Placebo which is a remake from the Kate Bush eighties classic. The song has a "chug-a-chug chug-a-chug" type beat that actually feels like you are chugging up a hill. I always have ran to this song whether on my ipod or in my head on my runs I purposely leave the ipod at home, but since I have become obsessed with running up hills this year I found the song only fitting to represent this post. I think Placebo does a great cover-- I like the arrangement and think it has a raw power and emotion to it. It is a great song to slowly run up any hill to. I don't think that Kate Bush had ultramarathoners in mind when she wrote the lyrics but that is what I get out of it so I am sticking with my interpretation. Here is a live Placebo and old school Kate Bush live version.

2 days in and 4 summits toward my Mount Doug Experiment

2010-02-02T20:30:00.000-08:00

Since I was inspired to start bagging summits of Mount Doug after reading Krupicka's post GREEN MOUNTAIN PROJECT two days ago, I am happy to report that I have ran the first two days of February and have 4 summits of Mount Doug. These summits are just infinitesimal victories but are definitely firing me up for the future. I am taking a very cautious stance and trying not to overdo it like I tend to do with everything. So I am restricting myself to just two summits a day for this first week while I build back up to mountain running strength.

Yesterday was a mid day run in which I ran up and down the south slope of Doug two times. It was painfully slow and included a fair share of power hiking but I am just starting out and don't see any reason why I won't be running the full climb in a week or two. I have battled with injuries, heart issues etc. since September and I know it is from my usual plague of too much too soon. I am trying to actually be wise and build slowly this training phase. After starting my run yesterday a light rain soaked the rocks and cooled me down and the run was quite refreshing. I was surprised to find several other runner's cranking up the same slope at the same time as me. It is nice to come across other lone athletes working toward their higher goals.

Tonight's run started as a clear and crisp evening as the sun dipped down to the horizon. I decided to run up the east side of the Irvine Climb part of the route of the MOUNT DOUG GUTBUSTER series. This route was my favorite last year and I easily summited via the Irvine climb hundreds of times. I haven't really frequented the trail since moving further away from the mountain last June so it was kind of like being reunited with an old friend. It is amazing the amount of detail I remember about this trail and I can basically run the route blindfolded and know where each foot plant goes and where each rocky outcrop is located. After a pretty good first summit I took a breath at the top and enjoyed the setting sun over the Olympic Range in Washington and over down town Victoria. I then bailed off the south face planning to ascend via the previous day's route. The descent went fast but I could feel my legs getting fatigued by the time I reached the point where I was to turn around to run back up the South slope. I gave the second climb a good effort but alas found myself power hiking the last half to the top. This summit was completely different than the previous, apparently some low clouds blew in from the Georgia Straight and were streamlining around the top of Mount Doug. It was nearly dark and the cold fog and wind swirled around me leaving a vacant imprint in the shape of my body as I whizzed through the thick bank. The summit was cold and windy and if I hadn't just been to the top 30 minutes earlier I would have sworn it was a different day. I took a minute to enjoy the grandeur that each summit evokes before finally returning back down the steep south slope.

I love the summits of mountains and I enjoy what being on top of any high prominence represents. Summiting means that you are at the highest point of your little universe there is no possible way you could run up to a higher point. It is a nice thought to know that the extreme effort that comes with propelling the human body up the steep slope of whatever peak has finally come to an end. A summit is a finite point in space, a goal, and a perfect destination. Peaks also give the summiter a strong sense of accomplishment and have the ability to empower. The view is inspiring and refuels the soul and spirit and also gives a boost of moral and energy to power the arduous journey back to wherever it was that you slithered out of the lowlands to reach the mountain at the start of your journey.

Of all the pain and suffering that accompanies long distance and particularly trail running it is the burn in the quads from running hills that I find the most enjoyable, if that makes sense. I love the feeling of the lactic that builds up as your legs are spinning down the mountain. It is like a slow buildup and really begins to burn the lower you descend. I guess I am weird but I love the pain of running hills (as long as it is just the burning associated with lactic and not injured muscles or joints).

The last few days a song by Jonsi (Icelandic musical genius of Sigur Ros) and DJ Tiesto (one of the most popular Dutch trance DJ's) called Kaleidoscope has been playing in my head and i-pod almost on loop. I think this song has a sound that could easily accompany someone on the beginning of an epic journey. I think that the beginning of a journey is always somewhat dreamlike and full of hope, before the reality of the challenge changes the mood of the journey. Since I am embarking on my own journey towards new fitness and strength and setting records for summits up Mount Doug the song has really helped to inspire me and keep me focussed and motivated. Give it a listen, it is a bit slow but that is how I like to start any journey of epic proportions, partly to pace myself but also to enjoy the twitterpation associated with the newness of something not experienced before. Enjoy! Original and High Contrast Mix (Faster).

Down but not Out and Vancouver

2010-01-31T23:55:00.000-08:00

Some of the joy and challenge that comes with being an endurance athlete is that your physical and at times mental fitness ride an undulating roller coaster through peaks of fitness and troughs of injury or weakness. These large meta-cycles can include months of strength and vigor and are absolutely fabulous when you are in the midst of such a peak, but because there is opposition in all things, there is the other side of these cycles where body and mind revolt and spirit is dampened for a time. This month has turned out to be one of those mega trough's for me. Don't get me wrong, I have had some great runs on the weekends and found many clear days to run, but because of my workload at school and the point I am in my degree everything seemed to pile up this month and surpass a critical point where I met a breaking point and found my mental rigor and self motivation plummeting. My running has been anything but consistent and I have struggled to find that extra oomph that forces one out the door and onto the trails day in and day out.

This last week was my worst yet with almost zero runs to report. I did have to go to UBC to use the electron microprobe this week which included a scramble on Sunday and Monday to prepare for Tuesday and Wednesday in Vancouver. I got my samples together and caught the 7:00 am ferry to Vancouver. I then took a bus with a transfer and found my way to campus at about 10:30. I than spent the following 8 hours on the probe analyzing my experiments. It is fun to be involved in my second Winter Olympics and it was cool to see the various workers hastily making their final preparations to welcome the World's winter athletes. The night was rough as nights away from my family usually are and I didn't sleep much. I was up by 6 and working by 7 at UBC. I finished in the afternoon and then made the 4 hour journey back to the Island (I did see my first pod of wild Orcas while coming back on the ferry, unbelievable!). The following Thursday was spent working on my course work and than it was basically the weekend. I just didn't make time to run.

I am going to stop complaining about this pitiful past month and look into a brighter future. I struggled with finding motivation and inspiration this month, but leave it to a blog from Krupicka to get the lead out and inspire me to get back at a consistent running schedule. In his blog he discusses how he is going to run to the summit of Green Mountain in Boulder Co 100 times in 100 days this year. He is now 30 days in and 30 summits into his goal. This isn't a sissy hill either but a 8,000 foot + frozen monolith on the Western skyline of Boulder.

I don't have the opportunity to hit the base of a 3,000 foot vertical climb each morning but I do have several hills near my home with plenty of steep trails and a good 500 feet of elevation gain. So to take inspiration from Krupicka I am going to see how many summit's of Mount Doug I can sack this Month and then try to break the record in March. So starting tomorrow the 1st of February I will start my copycat experiment and start summit repeats on Mt. Doug. I don't quite know what to expect, but I can't see why I can't tackle 60 summits this month. I hope that I can stay motivated and balance my ever increasing workload so that I can run at least an hour each day. It will be a fun experiment and exactly the type of game and motivation I need to pull out of this nosedive I have found myself in, and get my fitness and strength back. I will have to manage time impeccably and sacrifice some sleep but that is the point, to get me excited to make the changes necessary to get back into the game.

A glimpse of spring, Jocelyn Peak at Gowland Tod Park and Zoo York (Lux Aeterna)

2010-01-23T22:52:00.000-08:00

Winter relaxed it's frosty grip today and teased the island with a slight glimpse into the impending spring. The weather was brilliant and temps were in the 50's the sun was blazing and if I didn't know it was January I would swear that it was some time in March or April. Hundreds of bikers and jogger's (fair weather wimps) were out in droves. I seized the opportunity to try a new trail out that I have been wanting to run for some time. This is a trail that begins near McKenzie Bight on the Saanich Peninsula and quickly climbs into the Gowland Tod Range that make up the eastern shore of the Finlayson Arm. I discovered this area last Summer with Vye and the kids and knew it would be perfect to run because of the challenging terrain and steep single track trails stretching along the hilltops and overlooking the inlet. It is surprising that I had not ran it yet up to this point. I finally decided to try it today. I chose a destination that would make about a 15 km out and back and would summit a high point know as Jocelyn Peak.

Shot looking South into the Finlayson Arm taken from the Joselyn Peak by Vancouver Islander - SummitPost.org (I couldn't find a shot without someone in it)

I started out flying down a steep ravine on a wide but muddy trail that hit the ocean at the Bight, I crossed a bridge and quickly climbed up a series of steep stairs, rocks and single track. The trail really didn't level out for almost 35 minutes of running and I found myself pushing with everything I had to run and power hike my way from sea level to over 1450 feet with cumulative elevation near 2000 feet. The trail was well drained and rocky and so mud was not an issue. It was surprisingly lonely on the trail. Once I made the ridge of the Timberman Trail it was smooth sailing to the last climb up Jocelyn peak. I had only passed one small trio hiking back to the Bight along this entire stretch. I felt so secluded I even purposely made noise to ward off any bears that might be out and about. Perhaps it was the jitters that come with running by yourself in the bush with nothing but the clothes on your back and your runners. I am always a little more cautious about animals in the early spring and thought any bear would love the warm weather as much as I was so I wasn't taking chances. The overlook above the Finlayson arm at both Jocelyn Peak and several other lookouts along the way were breathtaking. I wish I had a light camera to run with because today was unreal as far as crisp air and vivid colors are concerned. Once I summited I took 10-15 minutes and enjoyed the seclusion and view.

Shot looking North along the Finlayson Arm taken from the Gowland Tod Range by Vancouver Islander - SummitPost.org

I don't know when I became such a hermit. Anyone who knew me in my late teens and early twenties knows I was anything but an introvert, but in the last 5 years I find I tend to prefer solitary and almost lonely circumstances to social environments, I don't even necessarily prefer to have company while running. I even feel a bit awkward like I don't quite fit in, in any situation that involves more than two people. My passions and intensity in which I pursue them tends to be way out there and that may be why I often find myself alone. I have often thought that perhaps as you make your way further along the educational progression line you begin to find it harder to make the same meaningful connections that were so easy earlier on in life. Perhaps it is just me, and my ideas on education have little to do with it. I know my dad was quite solitary keeping to himself and I often found him lying in the dark listening to music or in his chair reading, and he always hiked by himself. I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Perhaps because I have his genes and observed him when younger, his introverted behavior has taken root in myself. This may be why I find endurance trail running so appealing. It gives me an opportunity to be alone with my often fragmented thoughts and to focus and clarify them while having meaningful and even epic experiences in amazing places. I enjoy the sound of my feet on earth and rock and I have done some of my best research and writing while flying over miles of trails on Vancouver island. All of the extra oxygen associated with respiration and release of various chemicals in the body may help to nurture the thought process as well. Just some thoughts about my case of "Hermititis" I had while on the lonely trails today.

One thing I didn't plan on is dehydration. I quickly became parched in the drier and warmer weather than I was used to. After I had been running for over an hour my thirst level went through the roof. I could tell that I had lost some electrolytes as I began to have some small aches and pains that I usually link with dehydration. The entire run back to the car I was really wishing I had carried 32 ounces of water. The return run was all down hill and so it went fast enough that I ended up being fine, but if I was hydrated and had some fuel I would have ran much quicker on the way back. I will keep this in mind for my future runs in the park.

It was a delightful run and I will definitely incorporate this new trail into my training regime. This type of trail and terrain is perfect for improving my endurance and building my legs and lungs for the future endurance goals I have. This trail is also part of an unofficial race know as the Full Monte and "Half Monte" (50Km and 25 Km respectively). I think I will give one of them a try this year.

As I was running along the ridge a song called "Zoo York" by Paul Oakenfold came to mind. It is a great running song with a fairly fast cadence (about 196 bpm). This song was a theme for the movie Requiem for a Dream and is a remix of the song "Lux Aeterna" by Clint Mansell. This is just a classic trance song and was the perfect accompaniment along the Arbutus strewn and wind blown ridge of the Gowland Tod Range on this faux spring morning. Give it a listen and tell me that is not a beautiful song to run to in the bush of Vancouver Island! I will include Oakenfold's and Mansell's versions.

SEM - Hills - and some Special Needs

2010-01-20T22:13:00.000-08:00

Yesterday found me training on the scanning electron microscope (SEM). This is a great instrument that has the ability to take detailed images with up to 800,000 magnification which is on the scale of nanometers. This is one of the most advanced SEMs in the world, so part of my training allowed me to image some parts of a 1mm long beetle and also a chunk of lung. It was cool because I always have been interested in the very small and I am completely curious about everything. I could probably sit there all day taking images of anything and everything at various magnifications if I could. Unfortunately I am primarily using the device for it's EDX or X-ray to ID elements in the mineral phases I grow, so I won't really be able to take great pictures to show off, but none the less it is a great opportunity to dive into another microcosm. I love playing with 1 million dollar geeky toys.

Beetle's foot magnified about 700 times (the beetle is 1mm long).

This is the ball joint to the same beetle's antennae. This is magnified 1500 times.

Here is a chunk of lung magnified 60 times, showing the air passages and the alveoli.

Since I enjoyed running Mount Work over the weekend so much I decided to run Mount Doug this week. Today I cranked out a 40 minute workout, which was way more fun and playful than it was a tough workout. I ran a combination of trails that I have never spliced together in this combination before and found it to be an absolute blast. I am not in "Mount Doug shape" by any means but hope to improve on my terrible fitness. I fear I have lost a good portion of leg muscle and stamina from this roller coaster of a Fall. I had a bit of a "near faint" and had to sit for a minute and let my heart's pace maker figure out the correct pulse, but not a minute later I was barreling down the south side of Doug. I really love the downhills. They are by far more challenging than the ups because they are so fast and really get the adrenaline pumping. It is amazing how tough the downs are on your quads, they just scream after a few minutes of fast downhill.

A fall photo of Mount Doug (unfortunately not my photo but from a flickr user, but I couldn't find his name to credit the photo - sorry anonymous).

Aerial map with trail overlay of the Mount Doug area taken from a GIS project by Brianne Ranta.

Today as I was cruising down the south side of Mt. Doug "Special Needs" by Placebo popped up and I was happy to have it accompany me to the bottom of the hill and through the waterlogged trail that circumnavigated the base turning me back to the North. This is a great song and has been one of my favorites from the band for years now. It reminds me of some of my early trail runs up Mueler park in Bountiful, and hot dusty workouts on fire break, and also some of my first runs on Mount Doug. It was nice to listen to today and recollect where I have been with my running obsession, and dream big as to where I am taking it in the future. I will include this live version from Germany in '06. The music video disabled the embedding, but is cool as well, albeit steamy. Enjoy!

Mount Work Workout and Kingdom of Welcome Addiction

2010-01-16T17:23:00.000-08:00

I took a small hiatus from blogging for several reasons. First, I had lower leg injuries and so I had to take a small hiatus from running while things healed up. Second, the new semester is fully underway and I am slammed with school. The first week of the semester wasn't too bad but since I have had about 5 assignments in my high-temperature thermodynamic and kinetic class. This is a great class and I am really enjoying all the lectures and assignments. It is nice to finally have enough background education under my belt to finally see how igneous processes really behave in nature and what actually drives them, so many of my questions are becoming so much clearer now. That being said it is the type of course that requires a good chunk of time to fully understand the concepts. I also am TA'ing again even though I didn't think I was supposed to. It is actually good because I love teaching and we could use the cash but it does take another 7-10 hours a week. I will be spending several days training on the SEM (scanning electron microscope) and next week will be in Vancouver analyzing some experiments. This will be busy for sure this semester I really need to find a balance so I can keep running.

Last week I was still running on bad legs and attempted a go at Mount Doug. I started out and within 3 minutes turned around to go home, but by the time I got home my legs were feeling better so I turned around and ran to Mount Doug. I got to the base of the mountain and my legs said "NO MORE". I tried running home but that didn't work either, so I stopped off at a nearby friends home and called Vye for a lift home. That is the first time I have ever had to do that. I decided to take 5 days to let the legs heal and alas today they felt great so I decided to run Mount Work the 450 meter tall mountain in the picture above (Photo by Daniel Fergusen). Work is a fantastic training ground for the rough terrain trail runner. It has rocks, puddles, elevation and roots. It is my idea of the perfect running terrain. You can really feel the legs being worked on the way up and down and the lungs scream the whole time. It is the type of playground that really improves fitness rapidly and was the exact type of change my running regiment needed.

This was a great run and really reinforced the fact that I am built (or just mentally built) for steep rough terrain and not long boring roads and flat trails. I enjoyed the steep rocky ascent so much that I was sad when I ran out mountain to run up. I must admit I am a little out of hill climbing shape but I aim to remedy this right away. My previous few months have been spent taking it easy on fairly flat and boring runs and perhaps these boring runs have killed some of my motivation, but today as I was cruising down this muddy technical trail I fell in love all over again and I am recommitted to focusing on my trail running even if it means driving to some trails to increase my variability and reduce boredom. I can't think of anything I would like more than running for 24 hours in rough (and more importantly mountainous) terrain. I feel that I excel in the mountains and my strong legs and light (albeit wiry) upper body is a good ratio for handling the grinding climbs and thrashing descents. I am now going to focus more on time spent in rough terrain than distance. I feel when I am worried about distance I shy from the technical stuff because I can't cover as much ground in the same period of time, but now I really don't care, running the mountains is what I am passionate about. If you can't tell by this post I had a marvelous time grinding up Mount Work today. A song came on that I have previously discussed this Spring, but since it lit a fire for me as I started a really technical and rocky portion of trail it seemed to be the theme of today's work out. The song is by IAMX and is the song that the album is named for "Kingdom of Welcome Addiction". This is a great song with strong buildups and a powerful melody and beat that seems to propel me over the rocks and through the ankle deep mud. I highly recommend this album and felt it the best of 2009 like I assumed it would be back in Spring.

I am including an album version of the song and also a little gem I found on youtube. The Secret & Dark acoustic set in Berlin is great but in this version of the song there is a (presumably drunk) fan who gets so carried away in the music that her singing actually overpowers Chris Corner and finally at 4:45 Janine from the band tells the girl to "shut up" after several previous failed polite attempts to quiet the crazed fan. I think this was hilarious to watch. Don't get me wrong, I love people who get into their music, and even I (with my horrible voice) have found myself singing at the top of my voice in various venues, but the point here is to use tact when choosing the volume of your singing at each show. If you are in a large arena or stadium venue, then by all means belt it out, you can't even hear your own voice, but in an intimate acoustic venue perhaps a smaller voice that the band can out-sing is perhaps better than trying to outperform the artists. Just a funny side note to a great song and band -- I wished I could have seen this show live.

Sore Legs and Le Voyage Dans La Lune

2010-01-04T19:31:00.000-08:00

Today started yet another semester, and I am taking yet another course. It is a great course and fantastic instructor. I will definitely enjoy it but I am scrambling to review and re-learn calculus, thermodynamics and kinetics. After this course is through in early April, I will only need 1 more course (unless I can convince my committee to drop it) and I will be finished with course work (forever??). I have attended University for so long and for so many semester's it sometimes feels like it is going to never end, but like any long run I know it will have to eventually come to an end. I do enjoy it and will likely be sad when it is over. Good thing there is always a Post Doctorate degree!

Tonight's run was less than fantastic. My lower legs are still quite sore, from originally being sore and than running a marathon. I just ran for 30 minutes as a result. Once again mother nature was working against me, and I was running through 10 cm deep puddles in freezing horizontal rain. My shins and calves were crying but I actually had an alright time, up until a new student asked me for directions. It is funny that there was 40 people around, and she decides to stopthe runner who is nervously checking his splits, for directions. I am only kidding, I didn't mind helping a fellow student, after all it wasn't that long ago that I was a freshman in University worrying about where to find my next class and looking extra nerdy and extra nervous. Perhaps tomorrow my run will feel better but maybe my legs will just keep getting worse. I hope they get better, I am trying to take it easy but still running.

A song that played tonight and caught my attention, which I know everyone is aware of was "Tonight Tonight" by the Smashing Pumpkins. This is a great song and I love the video. It was a nice piece to listen to as I was being battered by wind and rain and I almost forgot I was soaking wet and cold. When I first saw this video I had no idea what the video was about and thought it a little weird (but keep in mind I like weird things so I liked it), but later I found that it was a remake of an early (1902) French silent film called " A Trip to the Moon" or "Le Voyage Dans La Lune" and then I liked it even more. The director thought the artwork on the Melancholy album had that Victorian feel and noticed that it was similar to aspects of this early film. To make me like the video and song even more I found out the lead actor in the video is Spongebob! This is always a nice listen and I like to connect with my mid-90's musical roots now and again. I am including a link to the S.P. video and then the embedded silent film. Enjoy!

Apparently I can't embed "Tonight Tonight" here's the link. Tonight Tonight

26.2 mile New Year's Day run and some Mew

2010-01-02T10:43:00.000-08:00

I decided to bring in the New Year with a bang and run 26.2 miles just for fun. I wanted to start at 6 AM and finish by 10 but Vye and I stayed up talking the night before way late. So I decided I would run it in the afternoon. I had about a 500 calorie breakfast and hung out with the family and then it was time to hit the trails. I got all geared up and it took a minute to psych myself into running because it was cold and rainy. I slowly urged my body into the first 4.3 Km loop of the chip trail. Surprisingly, my body was revolting and I had absolutely zero motivation and my legs hurt. I took the 31st off from running in anticipation for this marathon and still just wasn't feeling it. Lap 1 came and went and same with lap two with little change. Both legs were sore and I just was barely tromping along. Lap 3 felt good and my legs loosened up and finally I was running along without any issues. Perhaps the first two laps were so poor due to my own knowledge that this was going to be a long cold rainy day. After my rocky start the next 8 miles flew by and were quite effortless and enjoyable. I took a breather at the 13 mile mark and ran home to get a drink and eat another couple 100 calories. I surprisingly can eat about anything during long runs with zero repercussions. Perhaps having no large intestine is a blessing when it comes to fueling on long runs. I started my second leg of my marathon in a full downpour. It was now only 45 minutes before sunset and there was still a long ways to go. Up to the 18 mile mark things felt good and were not to difficult. After 18 miles I began to feel the muscles in the legs and core breaking down from fatigue. The sun set and it began to really rain. I was now completely soaked to the bone and after almost 2 and a half hours of running in the rain my body was chilled. I knew that the next 8 miles were going to be tough. I sucked it up and just took the run a little at a time. Up to 21 miles I felt OK but could tell I was getting knackered. From mile 21 on I only was able to keep my body moving with pure will power because I was tired and cold. I feel if it wasn't so wet and cold I would be fine. Some of the puddles I was running through were now ankle deep and cold water came pouring over the top of my shoes with every step. Then the fog came in and made it really challenging to see the trail or the puddles and made everything that much colder. I finally rounded the last corner and hobbled to the end of the 10th loop to mark 26.2 miles. I was super stoked I finished under the circumstances and it was a nice shining moment to kick off the New Year. I hope my next 26 miler will be a little bit easier. We will see. This morning finds my knees a little sore and some slight discomfort in my hamstrings and calves but other than that I am just a little more tired than usual. I may take today off to recover but should be back at it tomorrow. I really didn't have a particular song stick out in my mind other than the first one that came up on my playlist. I have really been digging a Danish Indie band named Mew. The song is called "Comforting Sounds". It is a really chill song but kind of pretty and nice to start a marathon to. It is so easy to start running too fast early on and so it is nice to run to something slower to force your pace to slow down. If I am trying to crank out a really fast lap I like a song by Mew called "Am I Wry? No". I will include both so you can get a feel for both the slow and the faster stuff. Tell me what you think.

Full Moon - Waiting for the Night - and Spirit Lake

2009-12-30T17:37:00.000-08:00

Tonight I started my run a bit later than usual. It was almost dark by the time I started. Because I have been running on a nice smooth trail that I know well lately I didn't have to worry about a light so I just used the light of the moon to guide me. I really like running by moonlight. The moon casts everything in shades of blue, gray and lavender. The first 4K was a bit rough but I really pushed again and came up with a time comparable to last nights splits. Lap 2 went down the tube and I wasn't able to keep up my pace. It is OK though it is important not to run hard every single run and so I will take a real easy run tomorrow.

I have been in the lab a lot since the 20th and it has been quite nice. The entire campus is devoid of life and I feel like I can really focus on my experiments. I am starting to see some results and I am happy with the direction I am heading even though I have had to alter my goals a bit.

Tonight as I was running one of my favorite songs came on and it fit perfect with the atmosphere I found myself running in. "Waiting for the Night" by Depeche Mode has always been in my top 5 from the group ever since I first heard the song. I can't actually recall when I first fell in love with this song nor can I even recall hearing it for the first time, but it just seems to always be one of my favs. It is actually a really dark song, perhaps moody is a better term, but it is also a very beautiful song.

The remix of 'Waiting for the Night" by Dominatrix that popped up as I was running through the Douglas Firs in the moonlight was awesome. Instantly a flood of memories from past explorations with my brother and friends came to me. Perhaps the trips that match the mood of this song the most were a series of expeditions we lead into the North Slope of the Uintas in the late 90's. The goal of these expeditions was varied. We had multiple leads on several treasures in this corner of the fantastic alpine backbone of the Uinta Mountains. We were following a lead from my Dad's old partner near Tamarack lake and also several from books we had read that placed various mines and treasures within a few miles of the same spot.

These trips were marathons, and involved us loading the truck the night before so we could start our drive at midnight. The four hour drive through Wyoming and Utah would sometimes be downright painful due to lack of sleep, but we kept our music blaring and snacked on all types of sugar laden treats (that could kill you in large doses) that we would pick up along the way. Once we turned south into the Uinta's in the early morning the mood would always change. The excitement of the expedition that waited ahead was only sharpened by the long drive on the dirt road that was bordered by lodgepole pines only glimpsed in the glow of the moon. After arriving at the Spirit Lake lodge we would park at the trail head and begin our journey under the stars.

Particular memories of these expeditions include a huge bull moose laying in front of the bridge that wouldn't move. We almost climbed on it like it was a boulder because it was so black and we couldn't see it. We ended up having to try and circumnavigate the 2000 lb mass of black furry. We couldn't find a way around and had to wait for him to leave.

On a particularly dry year the cougars were crawling all over the place, and Ben was with us, and as he lead the way an adult cat darted across the trail within 6 feet of his path, he never even saw it, but my brother and I did, and screamed like little girls for a couple of minutes. A while later we spotted another cougar crouched down on a ledge above the trail waiting to pounce. We yelled and screamed and it finally took off.

On another occasion Rich Ben and I were exploring the back side of the giant spur that comes down from the backbone of the Uintas and Rich went on ahead around the corner while I munched on some food in a boulder field next to Ben. Ten minutes later we saw a small bull moose running like mad around the corner. Then to our amazement we saw Rich running 10 yards behind it. Rich's eyes were the size of golf balls and he looked scared. Ben and I couldn't figure why Rich was chasing a moose. We then saw the biggest bull moose I have ever observed come around the corner, and he was mad! He was chasing Rich who was chasing the little moose. Rich finally made it to the boulder field which the Bull moose couldn't navigate.

Perhaps the most memorable trip was made a few days before Ben's wedding and Rich, Matt, me, Tim, Ben, Jason, and James decided that we were going to finally nail this thing and find it. We pulled the usual all nighter and stopped in the Fort Bridger gas station and bought some of the nastiest food ever concocted by man, including Tim's infamous "red hot sausage". We began our long hike in and Jason and Matt showed early signs of fatigue and were complaining before we even got a mile or two into the hike. We split up their gear, and I think Tim took an extra pack. Soon we reached the boulder field and began to scour the many cliffs and ledges tucked away in this 2000 foot scree slope. We paused for a break at one spot where Tim and I fell asleep on the side of a 400 foot cliff with one arm hanging over the edge! We continued to scramble towards the top, and Rich took off to scout ahead. Tim and I soon found ourselves in quite a predicament. We were trapped on a slippery scree shoot that had a 400 foot cliff underneath the shoot. We were clinging to the loose gravel with our nails and then I saw Tim begin to slip. I can only remember how darn scared he was as he slowly slid down to his demise. I think I have never heard him say so many prayers in such a short period of time in my life. Slowly we clawed and slipped and fought our way up the shoot. We all made it on top of the 11,000 footer in one piece but found ourselves in intense sun and insane wind. It was so windy and so constant that I remember standing on the edge of a huge cliff and leaning over the edge with the wind blowing straight at me and fully supporting me as I was literally hanging in empty space (man I was stupid!!!). The wind began to take it's toll and the sun and wind began to burn our unprotected faces and lips. Come to find out while Rich was scouting he was chased by 4 dark figures on horse back with guns (old west style) and had to bale off the side of the mountain for protection. After a long and eventful day of tempting fate we all made our way back home. Ben's knee wasn't having it though, and Jason and Matt were completely toast. I still remember Ben crawling down the trail completely knackered saying "just leave me guys, tell Amy I love her". It was so hilarious and sad at the same time. About that time Matt caught a wiff of the pancakes cooking over at the Spirit lake lodge and he transformed into some sort of endurance trail runner and was gone. When next we saw Matt he was finishing his second tall stack of pancakes at the lodge. We dragged our tired burned and beaten bodies into the lodge where we ate every kind of breakfast food on the menu. We then piled into Matt's truck, exhausted and stinky and made our way back home. I think Matt drove over 100 miles an hour most of the way. I can't believe we all lived to tell the tale. The story doesn't end here because a few day's later Ben was to get married. Little did we know that the second degree wind burns on all our faces and lips would start peeling the morning of the wedding. Whenever I look at Ben's wedding pictures I crack a huge grin as I see 6 lepers smiling at the camera and one poor Amy wondering what those Fellows boys did to her husband. I wouldn't trade the treasures I gained from that trip for all the gold in the world.

The song "Waiting for the Night" always conjures up images of long road trips, navigating eerie dirt roads in the moonlight, dodgy night hikes under a blanket of stars, sprawled out on a 40 foot boulder in the middle of a boulder field at four in the morning with my brother as we stared up at the starry skies with our smashed Fort Bridger sub sandwich, clinging to cliffs and scaling scree, marauding packs of bull moose, two beams of light in the darkness made from cougar's eyes staring back at us, and amazing adventures set to the mood of this dark but beautiful song. I hope you like it. I am including several versions including a live and two by my favorite DM remixer dominatrix!