Random Weekly Update - 2/20

Here's a random snapshot of what I did last week. As you can see, I've been keeping after the weights pretty seriously and balanced in "enough" running. Saturday at Deer Creek was quite enjoyable, my first visit there in many months (July?). Mobility and stretching work can take many months to achieve results, but I feel like things are inching toward positivity. I hope I can keep with this routine for at least 6 months and then I'll re-evaluate where I want to go with things after that.

A New Way: High Intensity and Strength

I have only been blogging intermittently lately because I am somewhat lost. This has been coming for a while now, maybe as much as two years in the making. Some combination of burn out, higher/changing priorities, "settling", and injury has led me to start to consistently wonder if I want to keep training this way. In short, I've optimized almost exclusively to nearly just one way of training (one way of "health") for five years now. It worked. In fact, I'd argue that I've seen results as good as anyone in my community of runners. My results have been good within my age group, a few with high placement, and most importantly, they have been consistent and improving.

So why change? First of all, I am injured. I've been dealing with a nagging groin injury since training for Colorado Marathon last Spring. It has reached a "chronic" state and needs a lot of therapy. It is also "chronic" in the sense that it continues to underscore the lack of balance in my body and my training. If you want to believe that I am just injured and bummed out and that's all that there is to this story, then go ahead and move on with your day and stop reading now, but there is way more to this.

As I eluded to in my intro, I have been fighting this mentality for a while now. In my self-reflecting moments, I have suspected for a while that change was needed. Being injured has allowed me to step away and gain some clarity. I started this journey as a way toward health and became pretty good at it -- addicted to chasing the next race, the next workout, the self-congratulations that came with success. I am finally seeing this as not healthy, but more of an obsession: too much repetitive motion without cross training, too much of a time commitment, too much juggling of regular life and racing.

A few years back a friend told me about Tim Ferris' book the 4 Hour Body. In the book, Ferris details CrossFit Endurance as a way to perform in running (yes, even ultra running!). The book promises to run minimal mileage and get maximal results. I was highly skeptical and still am. I do think that typical long, slow distance (LSD) "80/20" training is the way to go for maximum performance. However, I think I've detailed all the reasons why I don't think that is sustainable for a working/family person. That type of training maybe more suited long-term for someone younger and someone who trains like a full time athlete -- with time to cross train, with professional looking after them to stay healthy and recover properly. It may also be more appropriate for someone less obsessive and with the foresight to take time off during the year. Another fitness expert I trust very much, Ben Greenfield, has written some great content on the how to get fit and gain endurance and compared the two philosophies. The short story is that there is more to endurance than big volume and LSD and more than way to achieve many of the physiological adaptions.

Is this post an announcement that I am going to be doing CrossFit Endurance? Not quite. I thought about going to pure CrossFit Endurance and I was presented with several problems. As I mentioned early, I don't buy into the idea that you can run so little and be a good runner. Another problem, I don't have access to a CrossFit gym and don't want to pay to gain access. Finally, most importantly, the more I read about it, the more worried I became that I'd be trading one obsession for another and possibly induce new problems. Nonetheless, there is a sound philosophy behind the concept: prioritize strength training and intensity training to strengthen the body and "hack" fitness. Broadening the picture, there are other ways to "hack" fitness as well, like sauna training, fasting, slow/low carb dieting. Honestly, I think low-carb has had as much to do with my success the past 3 years as training. I believe that to my core.

What am I getting at? I have about 3 months to the Boston Marathon. I want to get healthy and run that race. And, I have other races that I'd like to run in 2017. I need a new way to go about things. This is honestly a new journey that I plan to take slow, literally a day at a time. Strength and mobility will be my biggest priorities. I am losing both and want to improve that before heading into the Summer. Strength will primarily be typical Olympic movements with high weight and low reps. (This is one area where I find CrossFit scary, using Olympic lifts to exhaustion.)  Next, I will be easing my way back into running as my things improve. But, my tolerance for pain/discomfort are going to be close to zero. No more compromising just to get another workout in. Finally, I will use CrossFit and High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) to help bridge the fitness gap. For now, my plan is to approach training like the following*:

Monday: Strength + 30-45 mins of easy running
Tuesday: Strength + 30 mins HIIT run workout
Wednesday: Strength + 45-60 mins HIIT run workout
Thursday: Strength + 30-45 mins of easy running
Friday: Injury prevention** or rest
Saturday: 60-120 mins running likely with structure/specificity
Sunday: 60-90 mins of running easy

* Mobility is something I will work on daily, so I didn't highlight it
**Injury prevention would be other types of cross training or other movements not covered on my strength days


The one thing I am learning on this is that I have a lot to learn. I've done strength training all my life and thought I knew what I was talking about. It turns out I was wrong! I need to work a lot on technique and mobility to get good at these things and not injure myself. Olympic style lifts require good technique and should not be taken lightly. It is going to be a long road, but I've got time. The goal is to be a stronger, more complete athlete and I don't plan to rush it.

I want to reiterate that I have no timeline on this. My primary goals are to get injury free, strong, and with improved range of motion. As things progress, I will adapt. Honestly, my current weekly workouts look more like CrossFit because I am doing so little running and using HIIT to keep active. I hope to adapt to the above in the next 3-4 weeks as my injury heals and then go almost week-to-week from there. If the results are good enough, I may stay with this all year. I don't know. Boston will not be an A-race, which isn't a problem because I never hoped it would be. It is more of a celebration of the long road to get here. Here is a peek at my last two weeks in Training Peaks.

2013 Year in Review

Where do I start? I could whine and complain about my knee injury, and subsequent surgery, and just write this off as a bad year. But that would be just lazy, there was a lot of good things that happened in 2013. Let's start with the stats:

• I will finish the year with something close to 1275 miles, down nearly 50% from my past two years.
• Vertical gain will be something like 135K for the year, also down about 50% from previous years.
• I completed a PR in the 50 mile distance at Old Pueblo in March, finishing 20th overall
• I set a PR in the mile (6:01)
• My first ever DNF was in April

And now here are few things that are highlights of my year (and things to be thankful for):

• I summited two more 14ers, including the 2nd tallest mountain in the continental US (Mt Elbert)
• Four new runners entered the ultra community because of my influence, two of them are planning to run 100 milers in 2014
• I have am beginning to understand the best way for me to train
• My first experience as a crew member happened in 2013
• I did something that scared the crap out of me and rode in a 50 MTB race
• Both of my kids are regularly running 5Ks and participate in a run club
• I drank a rare beer at the summit of Hope Pass

Old Pueblo 50

In March, I went down to Arizona and ran with my buddy Steve in his first ever 50 miler. I finished 20th overall and set a PR despite being off course and lost for nearly 30 minutes.

Another belt buckle for my collection.

Leadville Guys Weekend (6/21-6/23)

On Friday, we ran the first half of the Silver Rush course to see it first hand.

On Saturday, we climbed Mt Elbert, the highest peak in Colorado (14,439 feet)

At the top of Colorado -- literally!

On Sunday, Chuck and I ran from Powerline back to May Queen. It would be along the Colorado Trail that I finally realized my season was likely done. By the time we returned for the Leadville Silver Rush weekend, I already had surgery scheduled.

Leadville Silver Rush Weekend (7/12-7/14)

On Friday, we hiked Hope Pass and split a Sixteenth Anniversary Ale by Firestone Walker.

100 milers to be: Chuck (on the left) and Steve (on the right)

On Saturday, I rode in my first MTB race, 50 miles and 8K of vertical gain.  Said my buddy JP: "First thing I did this morning was laugh at u going on a 50 mile bike race, untrained and with a Walmart bike."  I finished!

I wasn't smiling on the inside.  At least I wore a helmet.

On Sunday, I crewed four sub-10 hour finishers in the Silver Rush Run, including the 6th place runner.

Jon, Mike, and Steve all finished in under 10 hours. It was Mike and Jon's first ever 50 miler.

Chuck finished in under 7.5 hours, 6th overall

Mt Bierstadt

Dylan and I summited Mt Bierstadt with some friends on July 20th.  It is his second 14er (Gray's Peak) and my third (Gray's Peak and Mt Elbert).

Dylan climbed Mt Bierstadt once before, but we didn't summit due to weather.

Surgery

On August 7th, I had arthroscopic knee surgery. The doctor removed scar tissue from the medial side of my knee, removed some of the fat pad from the front of my knee, and repaired my lateral meniscus. I was able to start doing some light running 7 weeks later. Overall my knee feels much better know. However, I am still struggling to find the confidence to trust strength of my knee and push it. Every niggle and twinge sends me into dark corners in my mind. Hopefully I can start 2014 with the courage to sign up for some races again.

2 days post surgery, moderate swelling.

What's in store for 2014?

If I have to be honest with myself, 2013 was always going to be a let down. Both 2011 and 2012 were HUGE years for me. Lots of racing and epic adventures. I was lucky to make it through the Leadville 100 and it took me quite a while to get right. My greatest hope is that my knee injury is a thing of the past and that I am something close to 100% by the Spring time. Short of injury, I plan to race two more ultras, including my second 100 -- Bear 100 -- in 2014. As is the case every year, I hope to continue to find more balance in running and life. 2013 really pushed me to "put running into perspective".  Running has given me so much -- family adventures, personal adventures, health, happiness, kids that enjoy being active, etc... But I also need to learn that there is more to life than running. That is a daily struggle for an obsessive guy like me. If I had to pick goals for 2014, they would be to qualify for Western States 100 (again), and to get to the start line 100% trained and healthy of some race, any race, by June.

Weekly Training Wrap - 11/25 - 12/1

My training has tapered off a bit the past few weeks due to a hamstring pull. I was kind of waiting to see what setback I would encounter first and that was it. Between the strength training and mileage build up, I was bound to find a weak spot. It has been a nagging injury, but a good one to remind me that I have to build back up slowly. While I am currently dreaming of 2014 races and goals, the emphasis really has to be on consistency and patience day to day. Anytime you embark on a big race, the sage advice is to start slowly, let your body and mind get comfortable, and then build momentum as you go. That example is surely something I can follow right now.

Probably the best news to report is that I really have not thought much about my knee the past few weeks. I am reasonably confident in saying that it is fixed. In reality, it will probably be another month or two before I am totally recovered, but the early returns are very positive.

Day	Miles	Notes
Monday	2	Gentle Hamstring test Full Body Strength Training
Tuesday	Off	Drove to St George, UT
Wednesday	Off	Rest
Thursday	Off	Skipped St George Gobbler
Friday	5	Easy 5
Saturday	5	Easy 5 before leaving UT
Sunday	4	Recovery Run
Total	16

Training Wrap: September

It was a banner month, I ran 21 miles in eight outings after running a total of 13 miles in July and August combined. Sure, that is nothing close to normal for me. But, it is a start. I am getting out regularly to enjoy some easy Fall running. My knee feels better but not great. I am eight weeks beyond surgery and still in the zone where I have to be careful not to tear my stitches. Each run feels a bit better than the last, but there is some random pain and stiffness that I must work through in order to break up scar tissue. I am told this is all normal, but it sure does test my patience and discipline. In addition to short runs every other day, I am doing a pretty good regimen of cross training to keep my legs strong and help stabilize the quad and knee. And, I have pretty much put the bike away for the year.  It was getting annoying and I rode far more miles (600+) than I ever intended this year. Hopefully October continues to see my progress improve and I am ready to start a decent build up in November!

One last note, I think about a race schedule and training options on a daily basis. But, I really won't have any clue what 2014 looks like until after the Western States 100 lottery in early December. It sure would be nice to make my return to racing in Squaw Valley!

Training Wrap: August

Well, knee surgery is almost four weeks behind me and I am on the mend. Everything thus far has been extremely positive. In fact, the doctor told me on my post-op visit that I am "the best she has ever seen" two weeks after a knee scope. I have about 90% of my range of motion back and about 80% of the strength I had before. However, there are still some kinks and niggles as I erase the remaining inflammation, break up scar tissue and re-adjust to having a biomechanically correct (I hope!) knee again. It takes a while to unwind the compensation and atrophy from months of not using things correctly. I have entered a period where I feel almost myself, but know the last 10-15% will be the hardest to get back.

The doctor's orders aren't super limiting, which is a good sign. I cannot do any squats below 90% and cannot really put any pressure on my knee at a sharp angle. Just about any exercise that is inline and does not go below a 90 degree bend is ok. I'be been hitting the gym about twice a week to lift weights, been riding my bike regularly (nearly 50 miles since surgery), went for a long hike the other day, and even did a short test run today. So far, the weights seem to be upsetting my knee the most. While I certainly consider myself lucky at this point, I am growing eager to put this phase behind me. The doctor encouraged me to ease back into to things. But, for someone that has spent the better part of 2.5 years redefining his own limits, it is really hard to be patient right now.

So the month of August was one of my worst since I began running regularly in 2011 -- 8 hours, 64 miles of biking, 4 miles of running, and 8 miles of hiking. I am off to a pretty good start to September and hope to be near 100% by the end of the month. I did back out of the Lead King Loop race for this year -- I just need to remain patient with things. And I plan to acquire some Hokas soon, in preparation for future ultras.

Plans for 2013 continue to evolve, but here is what I think I know now:

• I will very likely run a 100 miler
• Western States 100 is the race if I get in
• If not, Leadville is likely out
• Hardrock is in a dark corner of my mind

That is about all I really know! There are several other hundreds I am thinking about and even a few 50 milers depending on what time of year my hundred lands. I know that I have fallen in love with ultra running. I think it suits me and goals to live a healthy, full life. And I think I have some untapped potential to be brought out.

Silver Linings

There is a lot to say and this could be a long, rambling post. Sorry, but I hope it is worth it.

The first thing to say is that my knee is a wreck. Things I used to be take for granted -- like easy hikes and long dog walks -- now cause me pain. Sometimes intense pain. It hurts more or less all the time right now, just in varying degrees. I am convinced something is structurally wrong and not just a case of ITB. The bad news is that an MRI was mostly inconclusive. The major components appear to be in good condition (all the major ligaments, cartilage, etc...) other than some significant bruising at my source of pain. Given that I have been patient with this injury since March, I have decided for a more aggressive plan and will have it scoped on August 7th. The surgeon's theory is that my lateral meniscus is partially torn, allowing my knee to move laterally and causing the bruising. If he is right and surgery goes smoothly, I will be pretty limited for the 6 weeks following surgery and won't realistically be 100% for at least 12 weeks. In other words, 2013 has been a bust other than my great run at Old Pueblo back in March.

One thing the PT pointed out is that my left calf is smaller than my right and my muscles in the front of my left leg along the shin appear to be showing signs of atrophy. The implication is that I have likely been favoring that leg for sometime. Certainly that gives me something to work on as I rehabilitate from surgery and rebuild. It seems that things likely aren't "firing" right on my left side -- quads, glutes, etc... I will certainly have to work with her on a plan to get those things back in order.

After that introduction, are wondering why I titled this "Silver Linings"? The reason is that I am seeing more clearly now than I have in some time. I can no longer just push through this injury. There is no option other than to stop and take inventory of things and where I want to go next. How motivated am I to rehab? Does running mean enough to me to have surgery? Why do I let my outlook hang on the balance on how I am running? Some hard questions to face.

The good news is that I am already looking ahead to 2014. And with all this time off and watching my friends kick butt last weekend, I am starting to get rejuvenated. There are some hard days ahead, but I can plug away. It is pretty clear now that I have let running occupy too much space in my life and, in doing so, have lost the edge I once had. Going back to training for LT100 last year, the training has really started to feel like work and like it is taking over my life. Hundred milers are brutal and I have seen quite a few runners get spit out by them. As a consequence, I started to rethink the way I train. I honestly believe I can run 20-25% fewer miles during the course of a year without dropping any performance. And I can find more balance and hopefully get re-engaged with a love of running. I enjoy weight training, bike riding, walking with my wife, and even just sleeping in once in a while! All of those things suffer when I am "training". I am tired of worrying about the weekend weather forecast starting on Wednesday.

Probably the most honest thing I can say, I sleep better right now than I have for at least a year. Some of that I attribute to no longer stressing about training. Some of that is attributable to keeping normal hours, waking up when my body is ready and not to an alarm clock. There have been signs of fatigue that I have been ignoring for several months now. Duncan Callahan writes of this topic in a recent blog, culminating in a great quote: "The ego satisfaction of going all-out, all of the time, will only last until you can’t do it anymore." His blog is great because it touches on some many of the topics I blog about and kick around in my own mind all the time -- getting enough sleep, the use of caffeine, low carb dieting, etc....

Once I am healthy enough to run some, hopefully by late-September, my first priority will be to regain some consistency to my training. If things come together quickly enough, I'd like to race a 5K and maybe a 10K over the winter to try and regain some speed and power in my running. Both of my PRs at those distances are pretty soft anyway. Training in this timeframe should be dominated by form work, hills sprints, strides, and lots of short but hard workouts.

I will save 2014 plans for a future post, particularly because it is likely to change a lot over the next 6 months. But I would say there is a strong chance I run a hundred, which one depends on lotteries (Western States mainly). I am starting to entertain a few things that I never thought I would consider (Hard Rock). At this point, I am not feeling super motivated to return to Leadville.  There are too many quality ultras out there, each of them different. But, maybe? The Pacific Northwest has a strong appeal to me right now. If I don't do a hundred miler, then I will almost certainly do a destination fifty miler to some place fun. And, if I come up bankrupt in lotteries, then I might consider a shot at a BQ at Colorado Marathon. That seems like a long shot and I wouldn't know for sure until after lottery season (December). I think the only significant thing I said in that babbling above is that I am likely to do a hundred miler next year. Other than that, most everything else remains on the table.

I am in a good place. The grind of four months of fighting injury has pushed me to a point where I am at peace with things. And I genuinely think it is for the best, even if it isn't what I wanted.

Weekly Training Wrap - 6/10 - 6/16

This goes in the books as a cut-back week since I dropped 12 miles from last week. But, I managed to increase the intensity with some hill repeats, MP miles, and race specific trail run (as part of a B2B). My overall trimp (training stress score) went up even with fewer miles. I started having some symptoms of ITB again on Tuesday and Wednesday, so I took two days off and started seeing a PT for some dry needling. The weekend went really well and I am hopeful I got in front of the injury this time.

This weekend we have 40 miles planned over 3 days in Leadville as we finalize our training for the Silver Rush 50.

Day	Miles	Notes
Monday	Off	Biking
Tuesday	7	Easy/MAF
Wednesday	7	Hill Repeats
Thursday	Off	PT
Friday	Off	PT and Strength Training
Saturday	16	MP miles
Sunday	14	Trail Run
Total	45	About 4800 Feet Vertical

Weekly Training Wrap - 5/13 - 5/19

Lot to say this week, so let's get to it. First of all, the obligatory injury update. I finally broke down and got a cortisone shot in my left knee. I probably did this two weeks too late. There is good reason to believe this will relieve at least some of my symptoms. And, in fact, I had a decent week of training. However, this injury has been up and down for two and a half months now, so I will not claim victory quite yet.

Training update: I am way behind. I have a 50 miler in 8 weeks and I am way undertrained. Below is a graph of Joel Friel's Advanced Trimp from my training this year:

Trimp is a mesure of how much aerobic work you are doing. You get higher numbers by either spending more time aerobic training or by spending more time in higher zones. Weeks 1 - 7 of this year were training for my Old Pueblo 50. As you can see, a solid week for me around 600. A peak week is more like 800 - 900. Before my Cheyenne Mtn DNF, I managed to start putting together some good weeks again, including three runs of 2.5 hours or more. But my choice to shutdown after Cheyenne sent me close to zero. What's this all mean? Not a total loss. But, I am behind.

This week I managed a Trimp number of 730, my fourth highest of the year. However, I achieved that number with the use of some biking. I rode 45 miles this week, mostly in Zones 1 and 2. I realize this is not specific training, but it may be a tool I have to lean on for the remaining 8 weeks. If I can do some riding, a few midweek runs, and one long trail run each week, then I should be able to race at a reasonably high level. I have also been pushing the strength training hard, way harder than most recreational endurance athletes. I will continue to aim for 3-4 hours a week of that kind of work. (Note that strength training is more than weights).

Anyway, one day at a time, but I am satisfied with training for at least one week.

Day	Miles	Notes
Monday	Off	PT and Core Training
Tuesday	Off	PT and Core Training
Wednesday	Off	PT and Core Training
Thursday	5	Easy Miles
Friday	Off	PT and Strength Training
Saturday	5	Easy Miles
Sunday	17	Trail Long
Total	27	About 4200 Feet Vertical

Weekly Training Wrap - 4/29 - 5/5

Lots of things to cover this week. First, an April recap. It was a dud. OK, not a total loss, I ran 143 miles in 22 hours with about 13K of elevation. As a comparison, last year I ran 230 miles in April with nearly 20K of vertical. Clearly I am behind at this point.

If you caught up on my ITB update earlier this week, then you know that I don't plan to run for at least one week. At this point, I am leaning toward two weeks off and then starting back slowly. I bought a bike and will attempt to ride to work (about 10 miles each way) a few days a week to get some aerobic exercise and get things going in the right direction. Then I will attempt to start running every other day the week of the 13th. There is no cure for ITB; no anti-inflammatory, no PT exercise that singularly fixes it. There are lots of things I can do to improve as a runner and hopefully prevent it, but once its got its claws in you, rest is your best friend.

I have started a really focused PT and strength training program from my favorite book, Anatomy for Runners. There is plenty here keep me busy for a while. I am pretty certain that most of my overuse injuries stem from the hips -- lack of flexibility, strength, and rotation. It is somewhat embarrassing how weak I am in the legs. But I am working hard to correct that. I have a goal to squat 300 pounds in by the end of the year.

Day	Miles	Notes
Monday	Off	Rest
Tuesday	Off	PT and Strength Training
Wednesday	Off	PT and Core Training
Thursday	Off	PT and Core Training
Friday	Off	PT and Strength Training
Saturday	Off	PT and Core Training
Sunday	Off	PT and Core Training
Total	0

ITB - Training and Injury Update

It was bound to happen, I DNF'd my first race last weekend as a result of my now two-month-battle with ITB Syndrome. The looming question is where do I go from here? Unfortunately, I have two constraints pulling at me from both ends -- this injury seems to really need time and I have a race to prepare for in eleven weeks.

A quick little recap: I realized I was injured during the Old Pueblo 50 mile run in March. At the time, it was more of a dull ache/tingle in my upper hip/thigh area (sort of the tensor fasciae latae and upper portion of the ITB). I wouldn't describe it as pain, but I knew it wasn't "right". A few days after OP50, I tried to run again and that is when the knee kicked in -- extremely painful, particularly on downhills and stairs, classic ITB. My initial response was to approach it with relative rest (see below) and I did well for awhile. Along with rest, I did some active release and started doing even more cross training. I had not had any knee discomfort in several weeks, but the hip discomfort remained. My patience went out the door and I pushed things a little the week of April 15th, running three days in a row for the first time and running five days total for the first time. I had a flare up the following week, then my DNF, both severe knee pain. The odd thing is that my knee typically goes back to normal within 12-24 hours and I am unlimited until it flares up again.

I have researched ITB tirelessly for the past two days and have come to only two solid conclusions: 1) for all the great medical research and advances out there, there isn't much conclusively known about it and 2) the only thing that appears to be a sure fire cure is time. If you Google ITB, you will get answers all over the map -- stretch it, strengthen your hips, ice, etc... But the truth is that there is very little that supports any of those things as "cures". Many of those cures are found after relentlessly trying to rid of the injury, but time is likely the greatest cause to healing.

Time is the enemy of the training runner. How much time? All indications are that mild cases could be a few weeks and more complicated cases could be several months. Chronic cases may take surgery. My inclination is to believe (hope maybe a better word) that I have a pretty mild case. After all, I've run for 2.5 - 3 hours four times in the past month with only one flare up. The other difficult question is whether I need to give it full rest or "relative rest". Full rest being no running at all and avoiding any activities that irritate either my hip or my knee (nothing seems to bother it other than running). Relative rest is what I was doing most of the month of April -- running every other day, about 50% of my normal weekly miles, and shutting down at any sign of pain. Of course, the risk with relative rest is that it prolongs the injury even if you can train through it.

There are lots of turns that this post could take, like discussions about the potential "root" cause or whether I am "meant to be a runner", but I'll just leave you with some details of my plan for now. Here is my plan:

Rest

I aim to have full rest for at least one week and maybe as much as three weeks. With eleven weeks to go before my race, I think I can recover from a two week layoff and still train enough to run at high level.

Cross Training

As long as it doesn't bother either my knee or my hip, I will cross train 4-6 days per week during my rest period, and then 3-4 days per week once I resume training. While there is relatively little evidence to suggest that it cures ITB, it is still good work for me to be doing. Plus, I enjoy lifting weights. I have consolidated the overwhelming amount of cross training stuff that I've discovered into three things:

The exercises in my favorite book, Anatomy for Runners. I discovered a convenient and structured workout designed using the exercises from this book. This stuff is great because it distills things down to relatively few exercises to cover a broad spectrum of total body health: posture, stabilization, power and strength.

Another group of exercises that I plan to mix in are from the book Run With No Pain. The exercises in here are very similar in nature, but add a circuit component and just a little more flavor to mix things up.

Finally, I will continue to incoporate some of the work done by Jay Johnson. In addition to the general strength stuff, I really like using his Myrtl routine for dynamic stretching before both running and weight training.


That is pretty much it. During this next few weeks, I will continue to re-evaluate and see if I can find reasons to change my strategy. And I will likely continue to formulate other plans in case my body doesn't respond to several weeks of rest. But, I sure hope it does because the will to fight through more injuries is really starting to wane. My absolute nightmare scenario is either showing up with more half-assed training or with a worry that I might DNF again. I need to get by this thing for good.

Cheyenne Mtn Race Report

Last Saturday was the Cheyenne Mountain 50K run. Since I have been struggling with an ITB injury for nearly 2 months now, I didn't really do much training or thought-preparation work for this race. Nonetheless, I managed to put in 2-3 weeks of half-assed training and figured I would have a shot at finishing the race and maybe even a top-20 finish. But, the possibility of a DNF was a very real concern before the race.

On Saturday morning, I met up with some friends and we drove down together. Unfortunately, only one of us had been training consistently. Nonetheless, we had some good talk about possibilities, strategy, etc.... All the usual pre-race stuff. Once we arrived in Colorado Springs, we picked up our bibs, put on our gear and then waited. One thing that was obvious was that it was going to be hot. Now seventy degrees isn't that hot under most circumstances, but April has been an abysmal month and I would say most of us were acclimated to about fifty degrees as the high temperatures. In fact, I think there it is a pretty safe bet that Saturday was the hottest day of the year so far. Somehow I wind up with above average temperature races more often than not, so I am pretty used to it. And while I am sure it slows me, I haven't had any catastrophic outcomes.

Anyway, after about forty-five minutes of standing around and chatting with friends like Wyatt, they sent us off. My buddies and I had planned to hang together for the first of two loops and go easy. The trouble is that the trail is mostly single track-like and there are several parts of the course that are two-way traffic. We were sort of running alone, but in view of one another. Things went really well for me the first loop. We ran a conservative pace, and I felt pretty good. I had cobbled together a last minute nutrition plan with more carbs than normal figuring that my effort and the heat wouldn't allow me to eat much solid food. That plan worked out pretty well -- basically 1 serving of GU Roctane Brew per hour and 1 Vi Gel, totaling almost 350 Kcals an hour. At aid stations, I would take plain water to help stay hydrated.

Toward the end of the second loop things still felt pretty good. We kept the pace reasonable on the big climbs from mile 8 - 11. While it was certainly getting hot, I felt like I was still in control of my race. Once we started heading downhill it became apparent that one of my buddies (Jon) was not doing so well.  (Really, I could tell earlier as he was pretty discouraged when he compared his heart rate to our pace). Jon had planned to run 8:00 - 8:30 downhill and he was leading us at more like 9:30 to 10:00. It must have been about mile 13 when our other buddy, Mike, took off and started running his own race. I stopped briefly to urinate and then resumed. Jon told me to "just go" and he was having a bad day. At the halfway mark, I refilled my water bottles in my race vest with Roctane and took off, hoping to catch Mike. I knew Jon had to go about a tenth of a mile off course to get his drop bag and he would be lagging for a while.

Unfortunately, a little less than a mile into the second loop (mile 16.5 or so), my knee began acting up. The dreaded ITB flare. The trouble is that once it sets in, it isn't something you can easily undo in the middle of a race. And the build up to the pain happens pretty quickly. There is no doubt that the downhill running in miles 11-15 and the relatively slow pace (slow leg turnover) combined to aid in my knee flare up. I knew then my day was done. Before heading in, I found an intersection in the Blackmer trail and stopped to wait for Jon and Mike. After 10 minutes, neither of them came through. I was pretty certain Mike was ahead of me (he was) and Jon had probably dropped (he had). I proceeded on the slow return to the start, took off my bib so the course announcer wouldn't read it, and went around the finish line. That was it, my first DNF.

Jon and I hung out for a few minutes to see Mike pass by the start line on his way to his last loop and wish him luck. Then we headed back to Castle Rock. I am humbled and frankly not entirely sure where things are headed from here.

Weekly Training Wrap - 3/19 - 3/31

I can't tell if this week was a step forward, but I'd like to think it was. I started seeing a chiropractor certified in ART to deal with my ITB soreness. At first, I questioned whether it was doing anything, but now I am more sore than I was before I started seeing him. Hopefully that is just the healing taking place.  In any case, I put in a few more miles and remain hopeful that each week will improve. The trails are going to be clear with the up coming weather and I am dying to get on them!

Day	Miles	Notes
Monday	Off	PT and Strength Training
Tuesday	5	Easy/MAF Miles
Wednesday	Off	PT
Thursday	5	Recovery Miles
Friday	Off	Strength Training
Saturday	10	Open Space Trails
Sunday	5	Easy
Total	25	About 1800 vertical feet

Weekly Training Wrap - 3/18 - 3/24

Trying to stay active as I work through and ITB injury. Though, is inflammation really an injury? I am treating this with a bunch of physical therapy exercises and stretching, and neither is likely to cure a case of inflammation and aggravated tissue. I am going to try some different tissue therapies and see if they work. I cannot process how this kind of thing can keep a runner down for months -- like many experience. Should I continue to include the PT type stuff and stretching into my routine, possibly even more of it? Yes. But I think that is more to prevent getting injured than cure it.

Until I am back on track with injuries, I am going to mess around with training schedules. The plan will be to do 3 days a week of running and 3-4 days a week of cross training. The cross training will be divided much like I have in my previous blog posts. I will likely do 2 days a week of strength training, one day a week of running specific training, and then a bunch of shorter workouts comprised of things like core and running PT stuff. We'll see how it goes and where my motivation is at after a few weeks.

With only a month to the race and coming off a three week layoff (and counting), it is looking doubtful I can compete at the Cheyenne Mtn 50K. More likely, I will see if I can drop down to the 25K distance. Hopefully I can run that far a month from now.

Day	Miles	Notes
Monday	4	Easy with short intervals
Tuesday	Rest	PT and Yoga for the core
Wednesday	Rest	Sick
Thursday	Rest	Sick
Friday	Rest	Strength Training
Saturday	7	Easy
Sunday	3	ITB shut me down
Total	14	About 0 vertical feet

IT Band Injury

I once again find myself injured. This time is an IT Band that is bugging me. It started hurting about half way through Old Pueblo 50 and has only gotten worse since then. The nature of this injury is a little tricky to figure out because where it hurts is not where I feel injured. As I run, I can feel the whole side of my thigh feels "off", calling it tight might be the best description. Eventually, my knee starts hurting. The pain continues to build until it is so severe I cannot continue. (I walked the final mile home from my run Saturday.) The odd thing is that my knee feels totally normal unless I run. I feel the injury in my hip/glute. It doesn't hurt per se, but it sort of tingles and just feels strained/stressed/unhappy.

Anyway, the thing that is driving me most crazy is understanding how to move forward. Overuse injuries are very tricky injuries because there are several components. First, there is always an inflammation piece, this is usually what causes pain. How do we best deal with inflammation? The usual prescription is ice and NSAID. The second component of these injuries is rest. How much is enough? The answer there is usually "it depends". That is the worst thing to hear and the hardest thing to deal with mentally. It depends on your age. It depends on your fitness level. It depends on how bad you are actually hurt. This particular injury is hard because I don't feel pain unless I run? But certain types of strength training make me more aware that my glute muscle isn't right. I assume that is bad even though I wouldn't describe it as pain. And finally, most of these injuries arise from some sort of underlying muscle imbalance or weakness. Then it becomes a matter of physical therapy and integrating proper routines into future training. You have to put together the right mixture of those components and you get a recipe for getting healthy.

I have discovered a few resources for helping to get better. The first two are articles to help understand all of the above components.  This article is from StrengthRunning.com. Another good article is the one written by Runner's World. Both do a good job discussing the injury, the recovery, and the physical therapy.

I also found a few YouTube videos to help. This first one is a really good generic routines that all runners would benefit from doing several times a week:

The other is a good video on IT Band and specific recommendations for getting better.

The summary version is that I am back to where I was 7 months ago. I need some rest, some physical therapy, some specific strength training, and a ton of patience. Hopefully I will be able to beat this thing and get back to training in a few weeks.

Here are a few other helpful videos:
http://strengthrunning.com/2012/01/the-standard-core-routine-video-demonstration/

http://strengthrunning.com/2011/02/the-itb-rehab-routine-video-demonstration/

http://strengthrunning.com/2011/07/the-standard-warm-up-video-demonstration/

Weekly Training Wrap - 3/11 - 3/17

Trying to stay active as I work through and ITB injury.

Day	Miles	Notes
Monday	Rest	P90x Chest and Back
Tuesday	Rest	Strength Training
Wednesday	5	Easy Run
Thursday	5	Easy Run
Friday	Rest	Strength Training
Saturday	10	Aborted Long Run
Sunday	Rest	ITB Physical Therapy
Total	20	About 1600 vertical feet

Weekly Training Wrap - 3/4 - 3/10

Not a ton to say regarding training this week. I didn't do much running. After OP50, I followed with three full rest days. There was lots of sleeping and eating in those three days. I joked that I was eating and sleeping like a teenager again. It was very reminiscent of my recovery from my first 50 mile race. Perhaps the thing that kicked my butt the most might have been a case of heat exhaustion. I was really thirsty and had really chapped lips for two to three days after the race. And, I have something going on in my left hip and knee. I think it is a sore IT Band, but I am not too concerned at the moment. If it doesn't improve in another 5 - 7 days, I will probably become a bit uneasy about it.

My plan right now is to take one more week to transition from OP and start building back up for Leadville Silver Rush. I hope to put in 4 - 6 weeks of pretty intense strength training to continue rebuilding my body to handle big miles and ultras. During that time period, I will do almost entirely "base building" when I run.

Day	Miles	Notes
Monday	Rest
Tuesday	Rest
Wednesday	Rest	Strength Training
Thursday	Rest	Yoga for the Core
Friday	7	Easy
Saturday	8	Easy
Sunday	Rest	Strength Training
Total	15	About 1300 vertical feet

Cross Training In Action

Previously.

The first thing to do is figure out the best course of action based on where you are in training. If you have come to this blog post in the middle of a training plan, then I would introduce the cross training slowly. If you are injured, then I would start searching like mad for exercises you can do to improve the imbalances you are facing. Anatomy for Runners by Jay Dicharry is the place to start that search. Finally, if you are either in the early stages of a training plan or in the off season, then I would start cross training now. I would intentionally plan specific workouts for each week, just like you do a training plan for running.

Earlier I discussed the need to Cross Train (and core train) and mentioned that it would be best to do these things in categories/target workouts.  Here are some key/critical running specific workouts that can be done in each of the previously mentioned categories:

Strength Training

• Squat (make sure to use good form and go low to engage glutes)
• Deadlift
• Leg Press
• Pull-Ups
• Push-Ups
• Seated Row
• Bench Press

Pick two to four of the above exercises for a complete workout and, once you are comfortable with form, don't be afraid to do big weight with low reps. These are strength training exercises, so sets of three to five reps is good, particularly earlier in training. Once you reach maintenance, later in training, you may consider sets of eight to ten reps. Try to do the harder stuff early in your workout (like Squat). And you can do two of the above for a single body area/part, I would't go beyond two exercises of hard, heavy weights for one area.

Core/Coordination Training

• Single Leg Squat (Decline and Regular)
• Single Leg Deadlift
• Side Leg Lift
• Single Leg Sit to Stand
• Reverse Lunges
• Monster Walk
• Balance Lunges
• Split Squat
• Single Leg Bridge
• Step-Ups
• Lunges
• P90x - Legs and Back
• P90x - Plyometrics
• Most Yoga Workouts

I would select somewhere between four and six of the above to make a workout. But make sure to the harder stuff first, like single leg squat, or your fatigue will make proper form difficult. Do relatively high reps of each of these, twelve to twenty. As you get stronger, make sure to do more sets, maybe start with one and work up to three. If you have access to the P90x workouts, the "Legs and Back" and "Plyometric" workouts are great workouts to fit into this category.

Stretch/PT

• Foam Roller
• Clams
• Donkey Kicks
• Hip Extension
• Variety of Other Stuff

Generally I try to keep these workouts in the 15 min to 30 minute range. I can easily spend ten minutes just foam rolling.  Most of the individual items here are the same as the Core/Coordination work, try to get in twelve to twenty reps and then add additional sets. There are two complete workouts if you follow the 'Variety' link. Lots of good stuff appears on the Kinetic Revolution WOD here as well.

Core

• Bridges
• Back Extension
• Knee to Chest Bridge
• Bridge March
• JackKnife
• V-Up Rollup
• Air Squats

Similar to the Stretch/PT workouts, I usually aim for workouts of 15 to 30 minutes. Ab Ripper X (from P90x series) is a great one-stop workout. I also like Core Yoga from Rodnee Yee.

Cross Training and Core Training

This might be a misunderstood topic for recreational/non-elite runners. I commonly here runners say to one another that we should "listen to our bodies". But what does that really mean? I generally find that means to know when to run or to rest for most runners. But there is a third option -- the need to include core and strength training into our training plans. Most runners I know don't want to include that stuff into a plan until they are hurt and have too. Cross training requires hard work and discipline and is not associated with the same level of euphoria as running. Failure to do these things should bring pause to the effectiveness of our training the same way that inability to hit a key run does. Many times rest is not the answer to injury, at least not after a period of dealing with the symptoms of injury (pain).

Why We Need It

There are lots of reasons that we need to cross train and strength train. Some of them are very obvious. Other are not quite as obvious. The biggest reason to do these things is to fix/moderate and prevent imbalances. Running moderate to high volume miles will definitely show you where your imbalances lie. Sometimes imbalances are a result of, or compounded by, poor form, but that is a whole other conversation. No matter where they originate, training the body can keep them at bay. The most common imbalance in runners is weak hips and glutes (core). That has a catastrophic impact in our postures, stride, and form, usually manifesting as knee, IT Band, or ankle injuries. Another common imbalance is muscle that are too stiff (particularly in the plantar fascia, hips, and hamstrings). With proper maintenance, these things can be corrected.

The second best reason to do cross and core training is to increase strength. I commonly hear the response (excuse) that runners don't need "big muscles", but that is a pretty naive response to the true benefit of strength training. Athletically, lean muscle mass is always superior to fat, even if it means adding a few pounds. Unless you purposefully do so, you are unlikely to gain more than a few pounds from some targeted strength training. Strength training and body building are two different disciplines. Strength training becomes increasingly important as we age -- our muscle atrophy and shrink -- and with high amounts of training. The need to strength train early in cycles or in the "off season" is probably under appreciated. Hard training cycles can cannibalize and tear down our muscles. Another thing to remember is that strength training your whole body -- not just your legs -- benefits you. For example, your upper back and chest play an important role in good posture. Of course, as I mentioned above, your hips and glutes are the most important muscles to train.

How We Can Implement It

I am sure most runners agree that more cross training is needed. If you are like me, you find the whole topic a little bit intimidating because it feels like there is so much to do in so little time. Much of that is the need for publications and other media sources that need to drive hits to their site or subscribers to their magazines, so they are always looking for the new "it" thing to do. The truth is that most runners could benefit substantially from about two hours a week of cross training built into a few short workouts chosen from two dozen exercises. Two dozen sounds like a lot, but that includes core, strength, stretching, physical therapy, etc...

Planning for these cross training workouts can be hard because there is so much to do and we often don't understand the specific need we are targeting. When we plan training runs, there is a specific purpose to each run. Cross training should be the same way. I am finding that is best to put each exercise into a different category: Core, Strength, Stretch/PT, and Core/Coordination. These categories are somewhat arbitrary, but it helps to break things down. Note that the word "core" encompasses a huge array of muscles from below your chest to your upper things, be careful with that term. The Core category I have defined is mostly abs with maybe a little bit of hips and upper thighs (Ab Ripper X for example). Strength refers to true weight lifting, particularly Olympic movements like squat, bench, and dead lift. Stretch/PT is a category that encompasses a broad spectrum of things like foam rolling, light strength training like clams, etc... And Core/Coordination are strength training exercises, but they are generally more body-weight oriented like Yoga, P90x, etc... These exercises are often done on one leg and require core stability and balance. That makes them extremely useful in running. In a separate post, I will put the exercises that I classify in each category.

There is no category that is superior to another. They each have designed place in training. Some need to take precedence if we are injured or depending on where we are in the training cycle. As a general rule, I try to aim for one workout (30 - 60 minutes) each week focused on Strength training and one focused on Core/Coordination. Early in a cycle or in the off season it would probably be best to push the Strength category a bit harder, possibly doing that twice a week. And later in a training cycle it might be advisable to back off of Strength in favor of more Core/Coordination work. This is a term often used in training called Periodization. Don't ever quit doing one category over another, just be sure to change the emphasis where it makes sense in your plans.

The workouts in the Core and Stretch/PT categories can be thought of as more "maintenance". I aim to do these workouts frequently, but in shorter workouts (15 - 30 mins). For example, I like to do these maintenance workouts about three times a week, but I put a heavy emphasis on foam rolling and stretching after a hard workout. To "find time" for these, I generally just grab a Yoga mat and a foam roller while I am watching TV. If we can find time to post on Facebook 12 times a day, then we can find time for a 15 minute foam rolling and stretching session.

The last bit of advice that I will leave you with is somewhat specific and I find difficult to implement. Technically, it would be best to keep with a hard/easy pattern in all of your training. We are very familiar with this when it comes to running. But the only way I can see to incorporate this into cross training would be to do double workouts on hard days. For example, do a tempo workout in the morning and a Strength session in the afternoon. What I tend to do instead is do Strength and Core/Coordination on my "off days" from running. I think this violates the hard/easy rule to a degree, but it is one compromise that I have made to squeeze it all in.

Here is what I do now:

Day	Run	Cross Train
Monday	Off	Five or Six Strength Exercises, Core or Stretch/PT in the afternoon
Tuesday	Light Quality (Progression)	Off
Wednesday	Recovery	Core or Stretch/PT
Thursday	Speedwork	Off
Friday	Off	Five or Six Core/Coordination Exercises, Core or Stretch/PT in the afternoon
Saturday	Long	Off
Sunday	Long or Easy	Core or Stretch/PT

This is probably more ideal:

Day	Run	Cross Train
Monday	Off	Core or Stretch/PT
Tuesday	Light Quality (Progression)	Five or Six Strength Exercises
Wednesday	Recovery	Core or Stretch/PT
Thursday	Speedwork	Five or Six Core/Coordination Exercises
Friday	Off	Core or Stretch/PT
Saturday	Long	Off
Sunday	Long or Easy	Core or Stretch/PT

And now you can move on and read Cross Training in Action, part two of this blog post.

2012 Year In Review

Before writing this post, I read my 2011 Year In Review again. What a year that was! I had breakout performances all over the place and raced like crazy. This year was an attempt to build on that and take on the new challenge of running 100 miles. While I would never call 2012 a failure, I would say that it was a struggle to build on the success of 2011. The one thing that I did right was enjoying some adventures that I would not have attempted 2 or 3 years ago. As I began discussing in my posts after Leadville, I think the one thing I did wrong was allowing my mind to focus solely on mileage and vertical totals. As a result, I don't think I am as fit right now as I was in 2011. I plan to race a little bit more in 2013.

Before sharing my memories of 2012, I will throw out some stats to wow you (ok, maybe not):

• About 2400 miles run (a small step back from 2011, mostly from missing half of August and all of September to injury)
• 270K of vertical, about a 40% increase year over year
• A PR in the 100 mile distance (26:45, my first attempt), marathon (3:13), and half marathon (1:31). 
• I "only" competed in 4 races (Leadville 100, San Juan Solstice 50, Colorado Marathon, and Platte River Half Marathon)
• I ran 20 miles or more twenty-four times, 30miles or more seven times, and 50 miles or more three times. Lots and lots of long slow runs.

Nothing that really blows an "elite" ultrarunner away, but I am proud of it. I am constantly toying with the limits of *my* body and the limits of the tolerance of my family. And frankly, I am not a huge believer that big miles equals big success. The amount of miles you run should be appropriate for the length of the race, your natural ability, and your running history. Can anything really prepare your for 100 miles? But, I digress...

Frozen Front Range Marathon

Running with the Boulder Peaks behind me

I kicked off the year right with a great Fat Ass run with Sherpa John in January. This was an attempt to hit 6 of the biggest peaks in the Boulder, CO area. It was one of the biggest vertical days I had ever done (almost 7K of vertical) and I was sore for days. It was an awesome time and I hope to go back for the event again this year.

Colorado Marathon

Unfinished Business

Anyone that follows this blog knows that I had a horrendous experience at the Las Vegas RnR Marathon in December of 2011. Frankly, I wasn't really sure I wanted to do the Colorado Marathon all the way up until race week. I signed up shortly before it filled mostly because I was hoping to make things right from Vegas. It turned out to be an incredible race and I more than erased any lingering doubts about my speed. I will contend that I probably left a BQ on the table that day. Instead, I chose to run a conservative first half, allowing me to finish incredibly strong and have a positive memory of the race. My five fastest miles in that race where miles 19 (up hill), 23, 24, 25, and 26. The last four are after the course "flattens out". Someday I will attempt to BQ, but I don't know when that day will be.

Grand Canyon Rim2Rim2Rim

Descending the North Kaibib Trail of the Grand Canyon

Ascending the South Kaibib Trail of the Grand Canyon in 100+ degrees

Sherpa John on top of a giant rock pillar along the North Kaibib Trail

In February, I reached out to Sherpa John after discovering that a R2R2R adventure was in his thoughts. He immediately took me up on the offer to tag along and just like that a plan was hatched. This remains the most incredible adventure that I have done to date (with the LT100 a close second). I had been to the Grand Canyon before and, like most people, I simply stood on the rim and took photos. It is indescribable how awesome it was to see the canyon from within. I learned a ton about ultra running and taking care of my body that day. The day did not go exactly as I had hoped, but we still had an amazing time. I want to return and do at least a R2R with my kids someday.

San Juan Solstice 50

An early summit during the SJS50, elevation 13,000 feet

Joining my family at the 40 mile aid station of SJS50

Feeling happy after a massive rally from a major bonk

San Juan was supposed to be a 50 mile training run for Leadville. Accordingly, we planned to take it easy. Instead, I wound up experiencing the most amazing bonk of my life. Man did that rattle my confidence in the notion that I understood the ultra distance. Wow. I simply don't train enough at altitude to seriously race an event like this (about one third of this race is run close 13,000 feet). Instead of a race, it probably more appropriately called a mountain adventure. Lake City is simply amazing and the San Juan mountains are widely regarded as some of the prettiest in all of Colorado. Honestly, the race was stinking hard. So hard that I doubted I would ever do it again. Unexplainably, this new race in the San Juans has recently started creeping into my imagination... Maybe!

Leadville 100

The top of Hope Pass (12,600'), mile 45 of the Leadville Trail 100

Descending Hope Pass... just wow! 

Photo taken by my pacer on the return climb up Hope Pass

Coming into Twin Lake at mile 64 after a double crossing of Hope Pass

Refueling at May Queen (mile 88) at 3:15 in the morning of day 2

Ah, the finish line. I was too tired to be emotional.

This photo sums up what I will best remember about that day.

Tony and his cousin JD after a long, tough night.

The Leadville Trail 100 was all I hoped for and more. Sure I wish I had run faster. And, yeah I was a bit disappointed to be injured the week of the race. But this was my inaugural 100. And I like to believe that the memories made that day will be life long for everyone that contributed to making it happen for me. One of the best moments was talking with my sister (and crew chief) on Sunday after the race, both of us extremely sleep deprived after being awake for nearly 40 hours. I was totally captivated hearing how the race unfolded from her perspective: where she was during the day, who she was with, the things they thought and felt at those moments, etc... And I will always remember how she got choked up trying to talk with me at May Queen (mile 88, pictured above). That must have been the point when she allowed herself to believe that I was going to finish. I probably would have started crying had I not been so delirious and high on Red Bull. Words cannot express how much I appreciate the sacrifices that everyone made for me that day.

The second to last picture above is one of my favorites: me and my crew. Almost my whole crew -- Jen had returned to Denver, Jon was outside the frame, and my wife was taking the picture. I was truly amazed at how much my kids enjoyed the experience. They got up at 2:30 in the morning to watch me at the start line!!! Wow.

And I have to say a few words about my buddy Tony (last photo). I don't think he trained as hard as he would have liked. And he had his share of struggles that day. But it was so impressive to see him finish. His determination and unwillingness to quit is what makes ultra running a great sport -- an example of people dreaming big and pushing themselves to the limit.

What's in store for 2013? 

I have published a tentative list of events for 2013. The only thing written in ink at this point is the Old Pueblo 50 in March. There is too much momentum behind the Leadville Silver Rush 50 to imagine that not happening. Beyond that, I am not sure what is in-store quite yet. I have a couple of thing hanging out there that could change the entire course of the year for me. In general terms, I am likely to continue mountain and ultra running. It is unlikely I will do a 100 miler. Beyond that, there a lots of options still in play. I expect a plan will come together quite quickly in the first few weeks of 2013.