What kind of runner am I?

I'll often read articles or blog posts about the speedsters vs. the purist trail ultra runners (Max King or Sage Canaday vs. Anton Krupicka or Joe Grant as examples). All of this classifying makes me think that I, as an ultra runner, need to be one or the other (identity crisis?).

A "Speedster" usually comes from a successful marathon career ready to increase distance. Track workouts are enjoyable to them, they savor the taste of lactic acid, use speedometers, monitor mileage, and even wear watches!

The "Beardies" don't do any of those things. They track vertical miles and sometimes time spent training. They feel the rocks and foliage with their finger tips and write deep blog posts about the pine needles on the trail. Every run is a carb depletion run because heaven forbid a minimalist carries the appropriate calories for a 6-7 hr. jaunt in the mountains.

I am a blended runner. I like to know how fast (or slow) I am running, I sometimes run on the road, I even do certain workouts on a treadmill oh..and get this I am now doing strength training. That doesn't mean that I can't relish in drinking sketchy unpurified non glacier stream water, or stop and marvel over fresh bear scat or even poke at it with a stick to see what it had been eating (grateful it wasn't me). I don't wear a watch in fact I don't wear much at all. I have been known to run through the woods scantily dressed hollering like moguli the man cub. I soak up beautiful views like the romantic I'm not even if my Garmin (that I never wear) doesn't auto pause.

Who am I as a runner? Not sure. Maybe I am a unique hybrid and that is why I suck at racing. In nature hybrids are usually inferior to the "pure" species (racing tips are very welcomed!). Or perhaps there are lots of runners like me. Guys who enjoy all aspects of running. I believe in utilizing my mortal tabernacle to the fullest, on a treadmill, track, road, trail, no-trail, mountain bike, or precipice. I think what is important is that there is one thing that brings us together at the starting line, a love for human locomotion.

Week Summary: Spring Break in Mesa

Mon: AM - 60 min on hawes trail in Mesa 15 min strength

Tues: AM - 1:20 on hawes trail

PM - 15 min laps in pool

Wed: AM - 1:30 Mtn biking on saguaro trail

PM - 60 min biking with fam

Thurs: AM - In bed half dead

PM - thinking about how great it is to have enough energy to go out and run any distance my heart desires while I am dying.

Luckily this killer flu only stuck around 24 hrs.

Fri: AM - 30 min run up a few little peaks close by in Mesa. Still energy/motivation deficient from my near death flu yesterday

Sat: 60 min hike to the emerald pools in Zion National Park. Despite the throngs of tourists, Zion is a pretty sweet park.

Sun: 12+ hrs of Leadbutt training. Last day of driving but no actual training.

Not quite what I had hoped for, in terms of training, this week, but probably one of my most memorable spring breaks ever. Family time is priceless (even with screaming babies in a car for 40+ hours. I am sure my wife will post a recap and capture the details in greater depth. Bottom line, I have the best life ever.

Week total: not a lot.

Next week I will push for 14+ hours. Back to business.

Week summary 3/18 - 3/23

Mon: AM - 1:00 hr easy pace 20 min strength

3 x 15 dips
3 x 15 balance lunges
3 x 15 ab extensions

PM - 5 min warm up for a 10k tempo at 5:30 pace. (40 minutes -ish)

Tues: AM - 1:40 Iller creek trails 15 min strength

3 x 15 hip abduction w/band
3 x 15 hip adduction w/band
3 x 15 dorsiflexion w/band

Crazy moose encounter

Wed: AM - 50 min tempo/interval strength, 20 min stair master at 150 steps per minute

3 x 15 pronated grip pull ups
3 x 50 scissors (abs)
3 x 15 push-ups with 45 lb plate on lower back

Thurs: AM - 60 min. Iller creek trails

I heard a wolf howl. Close. Period.

PM - 30 min. Sport climbing

Fri: AM - 60 min easy pace

Sat and Sun off.

This was a whirlwind week. I had 4 finals 3 of which were pretty stinkin tough. Friday afternoon after my last final we got in the car and drove to Mesa, AZ. Yep, a million miles with 2 little ones, cardboard seats (no offense to our little Subaru but it wasn't meant for cross country trips), and a raging case of sciatica. It went much better than predicted. The downside was that I had to sacrifice 2 days of training but I am sure my body was ok with that.

Week total: not a lot.

Week Summary 3/11 - 3/18

Mon: AM - sleep.

PM - 60 min tempo at 5:30-40 pace. 30 min strength

3x20 pull ups (supinated grip - biceps/lats and more. Pull ups rock)
3x12 chest press (175lbs on cable machine)
3x12 1 legged squats (much harder after a tempo run)
3x15 cable crunches

Tues: AM - sleep.

PM - 30 min. sport climbing, 45 min. Shake out

Shake out = 20 min easy pace on the track followed by 25 min run on the treadmill @ 15% incline (156 bpm)

I thought I would get an F for the day for not getting out this morning but it was for a good cause (a 3 yr old who needed her dad to "snuggle her" at 3:45 am). Can't say no to that ever. *Chant* Running gods bless me for putting family first. *End chant* Usually Tuesdays are a no go for PM training but different scheduling allowed for it today. Also to keep my sanity while studying I do a 20 min on (studying), 15 min off (distraction). That allows me to get a few bouldering routes in while I distract my information flooded mind.

Wed: AM - 1:40 easy pace 20 min strength.

I WORE SHORTS! First time in a long time I have been able to wear shorts on a 5:00er.

3 x 15 hip abduction with band
3 x 15 dorsiflexion (tib anterior)

AM 2 - 30 min sport climbing

My new secret weapon for effective studying and actually recommended by a mental health counselor genius friend of mind (neurotherapy northwest). No, I am not seeing a shrink but I probably should.

Thurs: AM - 30 min run moderate pace 30 min bike

This is a "rest" day. For those who say I need a rest day, take a look. This is what they will look like from now on. A light shortish run with a bit of cross training. I don't enjoy the "true" rest day so I am not going to do it (jury is out still as to which is better, true rest or active recovery, I think it is situational). Plus the momentum is pushing me and I like it.

Fri: AM - 60 min Iller Creek trails

This was a bit of a test run. We have had a few days of nice/warmer weather so I wanted to check on my fav trail system conditions. Still icy in a few areas and obviously moose infested. The guy I met this morning wasn't too happy to see me. It was definitely a nerve racking encounter.

PM - 60 min - mile repeats and interval strength training

4 x 1 mile @ 5:15 pace on a 180m track (lots of tight turns)

Between miles I did this (while hyperventilating):

3 x 40 push-ups (chest/triceps)
3 x 12 upright row on cable machine (traps/biceps)
3 x :30 stab ball roll outs (core/delts)


Sat: AM - 2 hrs on the bluff easy pace 10 min hip abduction (3 x 15)


Sun: AM - 1:50 on the bluff awesome pace

Opened the throttle a bit in this run and it felt great. I feel like my speed training is paying off.

AM 2 - 60 min hike with the family on Iller Creek trails.

The pace wasn't super speedy but I was carrying baby June in the carrier so it counts:)

Week total: 13.25 hrs.

2 more hours this week!

No pics but trust me I could have had some good ones. The bluff has been pretty awesome and Iller Creek is quickly becoming snow/ice free. I am pretty lucky to have quick access to some great trail systems.

Week summary 3/4-3/10

3/4/2013

Mon.- AM: 1.5 hrs moderate pace

I think my body doesn't actually warm up until about mile 8 on my morning runs...waking up is hard to do.

Tues.- AM: 1 hr. easy pace

I have been conquering the Tuesday beast lately which has been a tough battle. It is the hardest day to train because waking up at 4:30 is the only option if I want to get a run in and 1 hr is all the time I have. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger right?

Wed.- AM: 55 min. moderate pace; 25 min. strength

3 x 40 traditional pushups (chest/triceps)
3 x 15 abdominal extensions on Mia's swing (who needs gym equipment, wait I work at a gym...)
3 x 15 1 legged squats (quads/hamstrings)

A very simple strength workout.

PM: 40 min. speed

10 min warm up run at marathonish pace followed by this:
4x400 at 58± sec per
4x200 at 26± sec per
(200 meter rest jog between intervals)

I got a sub-par grade on a Chemistry test so I stood up and walked out of class for a venting speed session...it felt really good. If a sucky test grade allows me such a great workout maybe it isn't such a bad thing??

Thurs.- Rest Day

Rest days are nice but tough. I feel like I am gaining some good momentum with my training during a crappy season of the year (which is a tough thing for me) and rest days seem to interrupt this but I know they are necessary. I thought I would be more sore today from yesterday's interval session but I am not...good sign.

PM: 20 min. easy pace to get the niggles out.

Fri.- AM: 1:30 hrs easy pace; 25 min. strength

3 x 10 handstand pushups (traps/delts)
3 x 15 (per side) balance lunges (dorsal side of one foot on a chair)(quads/hamstrings)
3 x 20 dips (triceps/chest/shoulders)
3 x 30 oblique sway crunches (I made up that name because it is like a sit up but you follow a u pattern instead of up and down)

It is embarrassing how much of my upper body has atrophied. I guess running long has that effect, oh well. I am just happy to be able to see my toes and tie my shoes.

PM: 40 min. -- 15 min. uphill treadmill challenge (15 min @ 15% incline for as far as you can go) with 15 min warm up and 10 min. cool down. Total distance 1.62 miles (having stepped to the side 4 times for 15 seconds each to check my heart rate (176 bpm at the end).

Give this one a try if you want your heart to burst out of your chest and your legs to incinerate. It will be perfect if those are your goals.

PM 2: 30 min on stationary bike- high intensity

Totally unproductive day at work. 2 of my clients cancelled, 2 just didn't show up. The positive side is that I still got paid and got to get a rare third workout in.

Sat.- AM: 2 hrs. on the bluff

My last morning run in the daylight for a month or so...dang daylight savings! I am so blessed to be able get myself out of bed and have a body that will allow me to run in such beautiful places. It is something that I take for granted everyday.

Sun.- AM: 1:20 hike in Iller Creek

My slowest pace of the week yet the most productive outing. I took my three year old hiking with me thinking she would probably want a piggy back ride and it would be a decent workout. We started off painfully slow and I was feeling like just tossing her on my back and getting up the climb. She wasn't interested, she was having a blast. We kept plugging along and at an intersection in the trail where we would normally go right and switchback up about 800' in 2/3 mile, she wanted to go left, no switchbacks, 900' climb, ok! Maybe I would get my workout in after all. (Note: the trail was still 90% snow/ice covered.) we started up the climb and she was hands and feet bear-crawling like a 3 yr. old and I was really impressed, but the most impressive thing was she did it almost the entire climb! I was feeling way outsmarted by now. Here my three year old taught me an awesome lesson in pacing. Slow and steady until the final climb and then pedal to the metal. We got to the top and she wanted to climb every rock on that mountain. She was equally impressive on the descent bombing down without a care. I think I may have a child mountain running prodigy on my hands. Also a go to plan for a much calmer Sunday.

Week Total: 11:15 hrs.

2 hrs more than last week!! I am not sure about where my mileage is at (not concerned) but I am really happy with my consistency and increased volume. I also feel like there is a really nice balance between different paces, speed/hill training and strength workouts. My caloric intake is right on as well to match my level of training and to feed whatever lives in my gut that is needing the balance (avg. 4500 calories per day). 12 + hours next week?

Week summary 2/25-3/3

2/25/2013
Mon- rest/recovery from Ragnar del sol ultra.

IT band is pretty dang tight but manageable.

2/26/2013
Tues- AM: 1:00 hr easy pace

2/27/2013
Wed- AM: 8 miles @ 5:45 pace

Track tempo run, not my favorite running surface but IT band was solid today and pace was easily sustainable for a "tempo". Time to pick it up.

Thurs- AM: 1 hr. easy pace

PM: 30 min. easy pace

IT band got angry so my easy pace was all I could give. Foam rolled following the PM run and that seemed to help quite a bit.

Fri- AM: extra 1.5 hrs of sleep.

I am thinking of counting that time as training...

PM: Treadmill- 30 min @ 15% incline followed by 3 x 4:1 intervals @ 15% (4 min. 4.5 mph and 1 min 10 mph) 16 min on stairmaster at full capacity (162 stairs per min).

This was pretty intense.

Sat- AM: 1:45 hrs on the bluff

Left at 6:00 which meant no headlamp! Sweet glorious single track. It has been too long my dear friend. I carried 16 oz of a carb/electrolyte blend from the local Complete Nutrition that seemed to keep my metabolic monster at ease.

PM: 1:45 hrs. Mtn. bike on the bluff with the girls

So towing 60 lbs of babies in the 40+ lbs bike trailer down and back up around 1000' vert on sandy trails was killer. What the heck was I thinking.

Sun- AM: 1:30 hrs hike to Big Rock w/Mom.

I almost lost a few appendages to frostbite and probably could have been quicker in ice skates due to icy trail conditions but regardless, the views made it worth it.

Week total: 9.25 hrs

Recap- consistency! Now start inching up total time (quite a ways off of Killian's 30+ hr weeks :) but I have a life. I also have an incredible family that supports my ultra antics and puts up with me when I am grumpy because I missed a run.

Reeses in Wonderland

View of the mother mountain from Indian Henry's Meadow

After a spring/summer of relatively intense training (several 100 mile weeks) and a compilation of a sub-par marathon and a few failed race attempts, I was ready to finally see the fruits of my labors. Sanctioned racing obviously wasn't going well for me, so my brother John and I went outside the norm of organized events and sought after an FKT (fastest known time).

The Wonderland trail circumnavigates Mt. Rainier, totals around 96 miles, and has a pretty good history of speed attempts. We left Spokane on Thursday, September 13th and drove about five hours to the White River Campground where we promptly pitched our tent and called it a night. In the morning we fine-tuned our packs as this was going to be an unsupported attempt (we would each carry our own food, water and extra gear and not lend any assistance to each other), started the GPS tracking (which didn't last long due to lack of battery life) and took off on a counter-clockwise loop around the mother mountain at 9:07 am. It was soon evident that all the buzz about this trail being, perhaps, the most scenic in the country was well founded.

One of the many waterfalls along the trail

The off-white specks (right side of glacier) are mountain goats

Rotate your screen 90 degrees clockwise for the full effect

 We traveled like a well-oiled machine (which was kind of surprising because we had actually never run together).  Our cadence and trekking pole strikes were like a metronome. We consumed our calories like clockwork and kept our hydration packs filled as we crossed the countless streams and rivers on the course. With the combination of good planning and our well-matched abilities, we were on pace to finish much quicker than we had planned and about six hours faster then the previous record.

Longmire: our only encounter with civilization along the route

As the daylight hours faded and night came we put on our headlamps and continued through the darkness. We both worked our way through minor rough patches (mostly hypoglycemia) but soon fell victim to more debilitating setbacks. John developed some pain in his shin and my left knee began to ache. When the sun finally came out we were thrilled to be able to strip our brain bruising headlamps (any good headlamp recommendations?) and see the actual size of the rocks and roots we were navigating as well as the enormity of the climbs we had been tackling. At about mile 70ish the unknown pain in my knee had intensified and was starting to slow my descents. By the time we reached Ipsut Campground and started our way up to Mystic Lake via Carbon Glacier, I had slowed to a pain-wrenching crawl up the steepest and most technical climb yet. I had come to terms with resetting my goal pace, but was feeling bad about slowing my brother down. Finally we just stopped and analyzed the true predicament. I was moving, at best, a whopping one mph and and had twelve or so miles left to go...that meant at least twelve more hours and 2400 more calories (which I didn't have). We realized that for me to continue was not wise or safe since there would have been no other opportunity for me to pull out from that point on. So I humbly bowed out. I urged my brother to continue, and he did with a determination in his eyes I have never before witnessed in any other human. As for myself, I hobbled about 3.5 miles in about 3.5 hours back down the grueling trail I had just ascended.

 In my Abnormal Psychology class I had written an abstract on an article discussing the correlation between hallucinations and ultra-marathon running. I had wondered why I hadn't experienced anything like that before having participated in similar events as the subjects who had hallucinated in the article. I realized in these 3.5 hours why I hadn't. Never in my life had I entered such a state of mind. I can honestly say that this was physically the most strenuous task of my life. Having been awake for over 30 hours, traveled 82 miles at an aggressive pace, and dealt with a severe pain in my knee was a perfect recipe for hallucinations. Rocks turned to people, fallen trees became giant human eating worms (watch the movie Tremors for an example), and then there were voices. My advice to anyone who has ever wondered what it would be like to hallucinate sans drugs, forget it. 

I finally reached the campground where, after a couple hours, I was met by a park ranger... who had been summoned by a kind hiker... who reported my condition... and was subsequently escorted to the ranger station. Upon reaching the station I called John and he answered (which meant that he had made it). Not only did he make it but he still managed to shave well over an hour off of the previous record. We met up (which is another story) and miraculously returned to Spokane without succumbing to sleep deprivation.  

I feel a little bummed to not be attached to that record, but I don't regret any part of the trip. Pulling out pre-maturely was a hard choice to make considering its addition to my stack of unsuccessful running quests for the year, but it was the best choice. That realization was solidified when I returned home to my little family that I had been missing (and that I think missed me), tucked my girls into bed, exchanged "I love you's," kisses, and balance was restored. Overall I would consider the trip a huge success. Plus, 82 miles, a bear sighting, and probably around 16-17,000 ft of elevation gain isn't too shabby.

This guy was lounging in a huckleberry bush 15 ft off the trail
when he was rudely interrupted by an obnoxious duo of passer-bys.