Mileage = 226.50
Time = 34:31:26
Rest Days = 2
Avg. Distance = 8.39 miles
Avg. Duration = 1:16:43
Avg. Pace = 9:09/mile
Vertical = 41,530'
K2 Summits in November = 31
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Pretty satisfied with how November rolled out. Not quite the most mileage I have ever put in for a given month, but definitely the most time I have ever put in by just over two hours. By leaps and bounds the most vertical I have ever put in for one month and I have k2 to thank for that. Speaking of k2, I was pretty pleased to see that I averaged a fraction over 1 summit per day. If I can average 9-10 summits per week, I should reach my goal a little early. If that is the case, I may save summit 100 for a special day in which I will either try to run under 11:27 or attempt to go big and try to break eleven minutes. We'll see how it all plays out. I've gotten so used to a routine on k2 and have witnessed the benefits that I feel as though I've found my holy grail of training. I just hope and pray that I continue to stay healthy, and continue to enjoy running; this incredible gift I've been blessed with.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
November 22nd - 28th
Monday, November 22nd - 12.4 miles in 2:13:11 (4,050') - AR Confluence
PM: 4xk2 in 13:43, 14:22, 14:31, 14:19
Felt good to be back on k2 after a 4-day break (my longest thus far). Put in the most summits of k2 in a single-day ever and held up pretty well energy-wise. Tried something new as well - uphill bounding. As I approached the steepest part of the climb, about half-way, decided to start bounding uphill for this particular section to work my legs a little harder (only did this for the first 3). Boy did they feel it; the rest of the climb was pretty atrocious as I just tried to maintain form and rhythm. I feel as though this newly introduced exercise will pay dividends further down the road for two reasons: 1. Feeling a new level of stress will force my body to respond and therefore get stronger; 2. Because I am stressing my body in such a way during training; while racing, hopefully it will feel easier as I will be lighter and more efficient.
Tuesday, November 23rd - 8 miles in 1:06:14 - AR Confluence/Cool (1100')
AM: Connor and I, on this rainy and foggy-canyon day, ran up k2 (13:40), continued on, and met up with the WS trail. From there, we ran down to the highway 49 crossing in Cool, continued to run the WS trail in reverse and popped out on the quarry trail and ran that back to the confluence. We moved at a pretty decent pace and what impressed me most was - after taking a significant amount of time off - Connor was able to throw down a very respectable clip on k2 and continue to cover ground smoothly as we ran along the flooded trails (not to mention the few swollen streams we had to traverse).
Wednesday, November 24th - 7.75 miles in 1:00:00 - Springview Park, Rocklin
AM: Ran over to Springview and just cruised around the park in my vibrams. Chucked 'em after :30 and ran :20 barefoot on the grass. Legs felt fairly well today.
Thursday, November 25th - 6.7 miles in 38:08 - Maidu Park, Roseville
AM: Roseville Turkey Trot 10k = 34:37, first place, course record (I laugh at this because it's only the second year they've had the RTT and I'm pretty sure my "record" will be demolished by a hot-shot road runner next year).
I pretty much did everything you are told not to do when preparing for a race. I didn't taper (as indicated by the previous three days), ate loads of tri-tip the night before, and "warmed up" for about a half mile prior to the start, but then stood around for twenty minutes waiting for the race to begin, allowing my muscles to cool off significantly. Because I barely warmed up, I used the first mile as a warm up (5:57). From the start, this younger looking kid shot out like a cannon and had about a fifty meter lead on the rest of the field. I didn't pay too much attention to him and just focused on getting my body warm. An older looking guy joined me just before the mile mark and we chatted about whether or not we were going to catch this kid. I suggested, "By looking at his leg turnover, seems he has slowed a bit and I'm pretty sure we'll reel him in shortly."
After I started to warm up from the first mile on, I left my buddy and probably dropped down to around 5:40-ish pace. I noticed however that this kid still had about a 20-30 meter lead and I wasn't pulling him back as quickly as I thought I would. I came through the second mile at 11:44 (5:47 2nd mile) and just continued to cruise. I definitely wasn't racing at 10k pace, it felt more like 10 mile to half-marathon race pace. Nevertheless, around 2.5 miles, the kid began to fatigue a little more and I pulled up right behind him.
We came through the first loop (the 10k consisted of two outer loops of Maidu Park) in 17:18 - 5:34 3rd mile. I knew from here on I had to make a decisive move that would land the final blow tactically. Road racing can be pretty cut-throat competition-wise and having raced the roads most of my running career, I can still flip that switch if need be. I decided that I would surge up this gradual incline section and pull away. When that time came, I went and - I have to hand it to this kid, he definitely had guts - the kid tried to go with me. I noticed that his breathing had increased quite noticeably and I thought uh-oh, he's put himself further into the red zone, not good.
As I was trying to break this kid, up ahead were a lot of the 5k runners/walkers (the 5k began ten minutes after the 10k). This second loop was very interesting because it was apparent that there were way more entrants than suited for the venue we were racing along. Therefore, the last 2.5 miles was devoted to weaving in and out of the hoards of people along the course. I wasn't bothered by this (I was taking part in the event for fun and because it benefited a good cause). I came through the fourth mile in 23:00 (5:42 4th mile) and pretty much continued to zig-zag without much change in pace or feel through the fifth mile - 28:45 (5:45 5th mile).
Looking back, it's funny because I probably felt the best the last mile of the race and almost didn't want it to end (aside from the fact we were running on pavement which I could have gone without). As I made my way back into the park - snaking through other runners - I made a pathetic attempt at a "kick" and came through the finish in 34:37. Technically a pr due to it being my first ever official 10k.
I was excited to see Sara come through shortly after with a new best time by over a minute and a half in 40:59; first place as well. All in all, a good day for the Rydman family.
Friday, November 26th - 6 miles in 46:47 - Springview Park
PM: Enjoyed a nice, easy recovery run with Sara.
Saturday, November 27th - 16 miles in 3:00:00 (5000') - AR Confluence
AM: 5xk2 in 14:27, 14:48, 15:45, 15:30, 14:37
Felt great to be back in the 3-hour range and to put in the most summits of k2 in a single-day. Today was pretty cold and rainy, which I believe zapped a lot of my energy stores, the culprit being k2 and my body burning energy trying to keep itself warm. About 1:15 into it, I noticed my energy levels plummeting. On top of that, I began to feel annoyingly cold from being drenched out there. I had to decide whether I was going to try an endure the next 1:45, or run back down to my truck and throw on some warm clothes. Thankfully, I made the decision to throw on a sweatshirt, eat a bar and immediately I felt back to normal the remainder of the run. Post-run, felt just the right amount of muscular fatigue which gave me great satisfaction.
Sunday, November 28th - 3.38 miles in :30 (880') - Treadmill at the Kelly's
PM: Set the treadmill to 5% incline and just ran easy. Legs felt surprisingly well after yesterday. Usually I am not too keen on treadmill running, but it does have its benefits. In this case, it's an easy way to get some artificial vertical in.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Weekly Mileage - 60.23
Weekly Time - 9:14:20
Vertical - 11,030'
K2 Summits - 42/100 in 49 days
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I put my body through the crucible this week. 10 summits of k2 and a 10k road race. Needless to say, I was a little sore by the end of the week. It was mostly my calves (I really only run maybe 2 miles on the roads at most per week, so a 10k on pavement was a not-so-welcoming feeling in my calf muscles. This next week I will continue to build and hopefully maintain a healthy body.
This next week is also an exciting week in the running/ultra world. First off, you have the much anticipated Western States Lottery where folks will either leave Placer High School ecstatic because their name was drawn or downtrodden because they were not for the first or second consecutive time. I hope to be in that first group, so if you feel the urge, jot that prayer request down and give God a holler. :)
Secondly, that same Saturday, the North Face Endurance 50-miler in San Francisco will finally be here. What a showdown that will be. Uli Steidl, Geoff Roes, Anton Krupicka, Erik Skaggs, Dave Mackey, Dakota Jones, Jonathan Wyatt, some top European runners, etc..... There will be many more I haven't named, but you get the picture. This race has been dubbed THE most competitive ultra ever assembled and with a $10,000 paycheck to the winner, it should be a doozy. It's tough to pick a winner amongst these titans of the sport, and I originally had Uli as my pick, but I've thought about it a little more. I'm going to have to pick Geoff Roes as my winner. I chose Geoff because he has the hot hand right now. He finished second here last year, and post-Western States, broke his own course record at Crows Pass; and notched wins at Run Rabbit 50 and TNF 50 in Atlanta recently. I'm also taking into consideration the fact that he has been living up at elevation in Colorado (as opposed to lower elevation in Alaska) which should help. My final reason being that Geoff - based on his Western States performance - is smart, patient, and simply knows what to do to win. \Second and third place I'm picking Tony and Dave Mackey. I chose Tony for obvious reasons which need no rationale, however, with how Mackey has been performing lately (course record at Firetrails 50, not to mention cr holder at Miwok 100k, which I believe will run some of these same trails), I can't count him out of contention. My sleeper pick would have to be Uli Steidl. Yes, he went from my #1 pick to the sleeper, but here's my reasoning: Uli has a road marathon pr of 2:13, but just this past October ran 2:27 in Germany (which is still smokin' fast, but for an elite athlete, a 14 minute difference in the marathon is significant; it would be the equivalent of Usain Bolt running 9.58 and then running 10.2, both world-class times, but indicates where his fitness level is, albeit that was two months ago, so it's kinda hard to judge where he's at). He also hasn't raced an ultra since last years TNF 50, so I just can't make that leap of faith and put all my marbles on him. If Uli is in shape and ready, look out; if not, he'll be up there, just not on the podium.
Lastly, good luck to all my friends running the California International Marathon this Sunday. Hopefully it won't be as cold as it was last year, but with how the weather has been recently, it wouldn't surprise me.
PM: 4xk2 in 13:43, 14:22, 14:31, 14:19
Felt good to be back on k2 after a 4-day break (my longest thus far). Put in the most summits of k2 in a single-day ever and held up pretty well energy-wise. Tried something new as well - uphill bounding. As I approached the steepest part of the climb, about half-way, decided to start bounding uphill for this particular section to work my legs a little harder (only did this for the first 3). Boy did they feel it; the rest of the climb was pretty atrocious as I just tried to maintain form and rhythm. I feel as though this newly introduced exercise will pay dividends further down the road for two reasons: 1. Feeling a new level of stress will force my body to respond and therefore get stronger; 2. Because I am stressing my body in such a way during training; while racing, hopefully it will feel easier as I will be lighter and more efficient.
Tuesday, November 23rd - 8 miles in 1:06:14 - AR Confluence/Cool (1100')
AM: Connor and I, on this rainy and foggy-canyon day, ran up k2 (13:40), continued on, and met up with the WS trail. From there, we ran down to the highway 49 crossing in Cool, continued to run the WS trail in reverse and popped out on the quarry trail and ran that back to the confluence. We moved at a pretty decent pace and what impressed me most was - after taking a significant amount of time off - Connor was able to throw down a very respectable clip on k2 and continue to cover ground smoothly as we ran along the flooded trails (not to mention the few swollen streams we had to traverse).
Wednesday, November 24th - 7.75 miles in 1:00:00 - Springview Park, Rocklin
AM: Ran over to Springview and just cruised around the park in my vibrams. Chucked 'em after :30 and ran :20 barefoot on the grass. Legs felt fairly well today.
Thursday, November 25th - 6.7 miles in 38:08 - Maidu Park, Roseville
AM: Roseville Turkey Trot 10k = 34:37, first place, course record (I laugh at this because it's only the second year they've had the RTT and I'm pretty sure my "record" will be demolished by a hot-shot road runner next year).
I pretty much did everything you are told not to do when preparing for a race. I didn't taper (as indicated by the previous three days), ate loads of tri-tip the night before, and "warmed up" for about a half mile prior to the start, but then stood around for twenty minutes waiting for the race to begin, allowing my muscles to cool off significantly. Because I barely warmed up, I used the first mile as a warm up (5:57). From the start, this younger looking kid shot out like a cannon and had about a fifty meter lead on the rest of the field. I didn't pay too much attention to him and just focused on getting my body warm. An older looking guy joined me just before the mile mark and we chatted about whether or not we were going to catch this kid. I suggested, "By looking at his leg turnover, seems he has slowed a bit and I'm pretty sure we'll reel him in shortly."
After I started to warm up from the first mile on, I left my buddy and probably dropped down to around 5:40-ish pace. I noticed however that this kid still had about a 20-30 meter lead and I wasn't pulling him back as quickly as I thought I would. I came through the second mile at 11:44 (5:47 2nd mile) and just continued to cruise. I definitely wasn't racing at 10k pace, it felt more like 10 mile to half-marathon race pace. Nevertheless, around 2.5 miles, the kid began to fatigue a little more and I pulled up right behind him.
We came through the first loop (the 10k consisted of two outer loops of Maidu Park) in 17:18 - 5:34 3rd mile. I knew from here on I had to make a decisive move that would land the final blow tactically. Road racing can be pretty cut-throat competition-wise and having raced the roads most of my running career, I can still flip that switch if need be. I decided that I would surge up this gradual incline section and pull away. When that time came, I went and - I have to hand it to this kid, he definitely had guts - the kid tried to go with me. I noticed that his breathing had increased quite noticeably and I thought uh-oh, he's put himself further into the red zone, not good.
As I was trying to break this kid, up ahead were a lot of the 5k runners/walkers (the 5k began ten minutes after the 10k). This second loop was very interesting because it was apparent that there were way more entrants than suited for the venue we were racing along. Therefore, the last 2.5 miles was devoted to weaving in and out of the hoards of people along the course. I wasn't bothered by this (I was taking part in the event for fun and because it benefited a good cause). I came through the fourth mile in 23:00 (5:42 4th mile) and pretty much continued to zig-zag without much change in pace or feel through the fifth mile - 28:45 (5:45 5th mile).
Looking back, it's funny because I probably felt the best the last mile of the race and almost didn't want it to end (aside from the fact we were running on pavement which I could have gone without). As I made my way back into the park - snaking through other runners - I made a pathetic attempt at a "kick" and came through the finish in 34:37. Technically a pr due to it being my first ever official 10k.
I was excited to see Sara come through shortly after with a new best time by over a minute and a half in 40:59; first place as well. All in all, a good day for the Rydman family.
Friday, November 26th - 6 miles in 46:47 - Springview Park
PM: Enjoyed a nice, easy recovery run with Sara.
Saturday, November 27th - 16 miles in 3:00:00 (5000') - AR Confluence
AM: 5xk2 in 14:27, 14:48, 15:45, 15:30, 14:37
Felt great to be back in the 3-hour range and to put in the most summits of k2 in a single-day. Today was pretty cold and rainy, which I believe zapped a lot of my energy stores, the culprit being k2 and my body burning energy trying to keep itself warm. About 1:15 into it, I noticed my energy levels plummeting. On top of that, I began to feel annoyingly cold from being drenched out there. I had to decide whether I was going to try an endure the next 1:45, or run back down to my truck and throw on some warm clothes. Thankfully, I made the decision to throw on a sweatshirt, eat a bar and immediately I felt back to normal the remainder of the run. Post-run, felt just the right amount of muscular fatigue which gave me great satisfaction.
Sunday, November 28th - 3.38 miles in :30 (880') - Treadmill at the Kelly's
PM: Set the treadmill to 5% incline and just ran easy. Legs felt surprisingly well after yesterday. Usually I am not too keen on treadmill running, but it does have its benefits. In this case, it's an easy way to get some artificial vertical in.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Weekly Mileage - 60.23
Weekly Time - 9:14:20
Vertical - 11,030'
K2 Summits - 42/100 in 49 days
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I put my body through the crucible this week. 10 summits of k2 and a 10k road race. Needless to say, I was a little sore by the end of the week. It was mostly my calves (I really only run maybe 2 miles on the roads at most per week, so a 10k on pavement was a not-so-welcoming feeling in my calf muscles. This next week I will continue to build and hopefully maintain a healthy body.
This next week is also an exciting week in the running/ultra world. First off, you have the much anticipated Western States Lottery where folks will either leave Placer High School ecstatic because their name was drawn or downtrodden because they were not for the first or second consecutive time. I hope to be in that first group, so if you feel the urge, jot that prayer request down and give God a holler. :)
Secondly, that same Saturday, the North Face Endurance 50-miler in San Francisco will finally be here. What a showdown that will be. Uli Steidl, Geoff Roes, Anton Krupicka, Erik Skaggs, Dave Mackey, Dakota Jones, Jonathan Wyatt, some top European runners, etc..... There will be many more I haven't named, but you get the picture. This race has been dubbed THE most competitive ultra ever assembled and with a $10,000 paycheck to the winner, it should be a doozy. It's tough to pick a winner amongst these titans of the sport, and I originally had Uli as my pick, but I've thought about it a little more. I'm going to have to pick Geoff Roes as my winner. I chose Geoff because he has the hot hand right now. He finished second here last year, and post-Western States, broke his own course record at Crows Pass; and notched wins at Run Rabbit 50 and TNF 50 in Atlanta recently. I'm also taking into consideration the fact that he has been living up at elevation in Colorado (as opposed to lower elevation in Alaska) which should help. My final reason being that Geoff - based on his Western States performance - is smart, patient, and simply knows what to do to win. \
Lastly, good luck to all my friends running the California International Marathon this Sunday. Hopefully it won't be as cold as it was last year, but with how the weather has been recently, it wouldn't surprise me.
Monday, November 22, 2010
November 15th - 21st
Monday, November 15th - 3.77 miles in :30 - William Jessup University, Rocklin
PM: Legs felt pretty heavy today as I trotted around the xc course. Got bored after about five minutes and shot over to the soccer field and ran :17 barefoot on the grass, which felt a whole lot better. Threw in 6x100m pick-ups as well. Looking forward to thwarting this bodily fatigue and taking advantage of this down week in order to step it back up next week.
Tuesday, November 16th - 10 miles in 1:33:45 (2000') - William Jessup University & AR Confluence
PM: Ran over to nearby soccer/softball field by Whitney High School with Aaron Cardinio and ran :17 barefoot, followed by 3x20 sec. strides (4.25 miles, 32:30)
PM: After practice, headed up to Auburn with Tim Steele; 2xk2 in 13:38, 13:31.
After the earlier run with the team, my legs felt a little looser, which helped produce some decent efforts on k2. It was getting dark by the time Tim and I got there and I brought my headlamp just in case. Sure enough, that baby was flipped on while descending the pig trail after the first summit. Fumbled around a bit due to limited vision, but was able to come back with a little quicker second summit. It's interesting, even though my peripheral vision was hindered, I was able to "feel" my way up k2 more efficiently the second time. I believe this was due to a heightened sense of my surroundings due to the darker backdrop I was chasing. In the daytime, my perception of the trail sends a signal to my brain which produces either a memory of past experiences or an educated spatial guess of what I will be experiencing and my body reacts accordingly based on my perceived judgement. The difference in running when it is nearly pitch-black is that my sense of vision is hindered, therefore, my perception of reality is almost literally judged step-by-step, enabling my sense of touch or feel to be stimulated. I really enjoy these times because it's almost as if I feel more connected to my body and the trail simultaneously. This symbiotic relationship is important in trail-running because the more fluid one can be with the earth (as opposed to against it), the more natural and free the experience becomes. I know this sounds hippy-ish, but seriously think about it; the more you fight the terrain, the more difficult the run can be and vice-versa.
Wednesday, November 17th - 7 miles in 1:28:33 (3000') - American River Confluence, Auburn
PM: 3xk2 in 15:43, 15:29, 15:22 - Sat in the river after.
Because we're taking the team up to Washington tomorrow and will be gone until Sunday, I knew I needed to get in as many summits as my body would allow. I had the realistic goal of four in mind, but came up just a bit short as my body indicated I was done after three. I fought with my mind a little as I did have time for one more, but wisdom prevailed by saying dude, take it easy on your body this week and come back stronger next week. Thank you wisdom/discernment/logic, you typically are right most of the time.
Thursday, November 18th - Rest day - worked from 4:30am to 11:30am and then drove the team up to Washington; no time to run.
Friday, November 19th - 4 miles in :30 - Fort Vancouver Historic Site, Vancouver, WA
AM: Toured the 2,000 meter loop course with the team. Decided to throw in 6x100m pick-ups and tack on :5 barefoot. Legs felt incredible today and I was really itching to run hard.
Saturday, November 20th - 7.23 miles in 45:20 - For Vancouver Historic Site, Vancouver, WA
AM: Ran with Ben and Joe from our hotel over to the xc course (10:44). Ben and I decided to "race" the course and just see how we would fare along this wet, muddy, and semi-uneven course. We started out somewhat conservative and quickly found out how unfriendly this course was in terms of footing and being able to consistently hold a pace. We also had to add extra distance as there were NAIA course officials near the finish line and we didn't want to get kicked off the course, so we just dodged them by looping around the finish line back to the start line. Ben wanted to stop after 3 loops (with our added distance, I figure it came out to 4 miles, which I did in 23:48). Considering the conditions, was pretty happy with this threshold-type run. Jogged back to the hotel (:10) and got the men and women ready for their race.
Sunday, November 21st - Rest - drove the team back home.
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Weekly Mileage - 32
Weekly Time - 4:47:38
Vertical - 5000'
K2 Summits - 33/100 in 42 days
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This week was more of a down week than I thought it would be. Although, it seems as though the rest has done my body good as I feel ready to step it back up this week.
The 2010 cross-country season at WJU is officially over and I am pleased with how the season unfolded overall. There were definite pr's across the board throughout the season, but above all, my hope is that the athletes would reflect not only on their performances, but ways they were challenged in their character and areas they could become more Christ-like.
Before we headed home, we attended Imago Dei Community church in downtown Portland. From my perception, Imago Dei (which, in Latin means Image of God) seems to be a unique vessel in the Portland community which seeks to be the hands of Jesus by loving on the most poor, broken, and needy around them. I was really challenged and convicted by the particular passage preached: Matthew 7:13-14. Anyone who is familiar with the Sermon on the Mount is aware of the "high bar" teaching that is communicated. It has been said that the Sermon on the Mount is the most studied, yet the least obeyed. Matthew 7:13-14 states:
"Enter through the narrow gate, because the gate is wide and the way is spacious that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. But the gate is narrow and the way is difficult that leads to life, and there are few who find it."
It posed a sobering question in my mind Am I entering through the narrow (difficult) or wide (easy) gate?
From a glance at the book of John, Jesus himself tells everyone plainly that he is the gate (John 10:7-9) and also in chapter 14:6 I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.
I typically favor the wide gate because then it becomes a self-help, religious-type, works-based formula for a better life. But, the truth of the matter I am continually faced with is that Jesus isn't out to give us a better life, he pursues our hearts in order to show us real life, himself. This is what I discovered at the age of 19, but can quickly forget. Real life isn't necessarily the most common way, the easiest way, the favorable way, the most pleasurable way, etc... Real life confronts the real issues in our hearts that you and I attempt to avoid through other means. I believe the narrow gate (Jesus) comes through relationship (God reaching down to man), not religion (man working to reach God).
To sum it up, I was confronted with not trying to be a better Jacob (the wide gate), but being more in a heart-to-heart, intimate, communication-based relationship with Jesus (the narrow gate).
If you're reading this, thank you for taking the time to peek into my life. I try to be real and honest, not hyper-religious because it sounds cool or "holy". There's absolutely nothing you or I can do to make God love us any more or any less, honestly. Grace, is a mind-blowing reality that I simply can't fathom, but accept as a free gift and enjoy the freedom that comes with it.
Not sure what this next week will bring, but I am excited and eager to see what new adventures God and I venture out on.
PM: Legs felt pretty heavy today as I trotted around the xc course. Got bored after about five minutes and shot over to the soccer field and ran :17 barefoot on the grass, which felt a whole lot better. Threw in 6x100m pick-ups as well. Looking forward to thwarting this bodily fatigue and taking advantage of this down week in order to step it back up next week.
Tuesday, November 16th - 10 miles in 1:33:45 (2000') - William Jessup University & AR Confluence
PM: Ran over to nearby soccer/softball field by Whitney High School with Aaron Cardinio and ran :17 barefoot, followed by 3x20 sec. strides (4.25 miles, 32:30)
PM: After practice, headed up to Auburn with Tim Steele; 2xk2 in 13:38, 13:31.
After the earlier run with the team, my legs felt a little looser, which helped produce some decent efforts on k2. It was getting dark by the time Tim and I got there and I brought my headlamp just in case. Sure enough, that baby was flipped on while descending the pig trail after the first summit. Fumbled around a bit due to limited vision, but was able to come back with a little quicker second summit. It's interesting, even though my peripheral vision was hindered, I was able to "feel" my way up k2 more efficiently the second time. I believe this was due to a heightened sense of my surroundings due to the darker backdrop I was chasing. In the daytime, my perception of the trail sends a signal to my brain which produces either a memory of past experiences or an educated spatial guess of what I will be experiencing and my body reacts accordingly based on my perceived judgement. The difference in running when it is nearly pitch-black is that my sense of vision is hindered, therefore, my perception of reality is almost literally judged step-by-step, enabling my sense of touch or feel to be stimulated. I really enjoy these times because it's almost as if I feel more connected to my body and the trail simultaneously. This symbiotic relationship is important in trail-running because the more fluid one can be with the earth (as opposed to against it), the more natural and free the experience becomes. I know this sounds hippy-ish, but seriously think about it; the more you fight the terrain, the more difficult the run can be and vice-versa.
Wednesday, November 17th - 7 miles in 1:28:33 (3000') - American River Confluence, Auburn
PM: 3xk2 in 15:43, 15:29, 15:22 - Sat in the river after.
Because we're taking the team up to Washington tomorrow and will be gone until Sunday, I knew I needed to get in as many summits as my body would allow. I had the realistic goal of four in mind, but came up just a bit short as my body indicated I was done after three. I fought with my mind a little as I did have time for one more, but wisdom prevailed by saying dude, take it easy on your body this week and come back stronger next week. Thank you wisdom/discernment/logic, you typically are right most of the time.
Thursday, November 18th - Rest day - worked from 4:30am to 11:30am and then drove the team up to Washington; no time to run.
Friday, November 19th - 4 miles in :30 - Fort Vancouver Historic Site, Vancouver, WA
AM: Toured the 2,000 meter loop course with the team. Decided to throw in 6x100m pick-ups and tack on :5 barefoot. Legs felt incredible today and I was really itching to run hard.
Saturday, November 20th - 7.23 miles in 45:20 - For Vancouver Historic Site, Vancouver, WA
AM: Ran with Ben and Joe from our hotel over to the xc course (10:44). Ben and I decided to "race" the course and just see how we would fare along this wet, muddy, and semi-uneven course. We started out somewhat conservative and quickly found out how unfriendly this course was in terms of footing and being able to consistently hold a pace. We also had to add extra distance as there were NAIA course officials near the finish line and we didn't want to get kicked off the course, so we just dodged them by looping around the finish line back to the start line. Ben wanted to stop after 3 loops (with our added distance, I figure it came out to 4 miles, which I did in 23:48). Considering the conditions, was pretty happy with this threshold-type run. Jogged back to the hotel (:10) and got the men and women ready for their race.
Sunday, November 21st - Rest - drove the team back home.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Weekly Mileage - 32
Weekly Time - 4:47:38
Vertical - 5000'
K2 Summits - 33/100 in 42 days
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This week was more of a down week than I thought it would be. Although, it seems as though the rest has done my body good as I feel ready to step it back up this week.
The 2010 cross-country season at WJU is officially over and I am pleased with how the season unfolded overall. There were definite pr's across the board throughout the season, but above all, my hope is that the athletes would reflect not only on their performances, but ways they were challenged in their character and areas they could become more Christ-like.
Before we headed home, we attended Imago Dei Community church in downtown Portland. From my perception, Imago Dei (which, in Latin means Image of God) seems to be a unique vessel in the Portland community which seeks to be the hands of Jesus by loving on the most poor, broken, and needy around them. I was really challenged and convicted by the particular passage preached: Matthew 7:13-14. Anyone who is familiar with the Sermon on the Mount is aware of the "high bar" teaching that is communicated. It has been said that the Sermon on the Mount is the most studied, yet the least obeyed. Matthew 7:13-14 states:
"Enter through the narrow gate, because the gate is wide and the way is spacious that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. But the gate is narrow and the way is difficult that leads to life, and there are few who find it."
It posed a sobering question in my mind Am I entering through the narrow (difficult) or wide (easy) gate?
From a glance at the book of John, Jesus himself tells everyone plainly that he is the gate (John 10:7-9) and also in chapter 14:6 I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.
I typically favor the wide gate because then it becomes a self-help, religious-type, works-based formula for a better life. But, the truth of the matter I am continually faced with is that Jesus isn't out to give us a better life, he pursues our hearts in order to show us real life, himself. This is what I discovered at the age of 19, but can quickly forget. Real life isn't necessarily the most common way, the easiest way, the favorable way, the most pleasurable way, etc... Real life confronts the real issues in our hearts that you and I attempt to avoid through other means. I believe the narrow gate (Jesus) comes through relationship (God reaching down to man), not religion (man working to reach God).
To sum it up, I was confronted with not trying to be a better Jacob (the wide gate), but being more in a heart-to-heart, intimate, communication-based relationship with Jesus (the narrow gate).
If you're reading this, thank you for taking the time to peek into my life. I try to be real and honest, not hyper-religious because it sounds cool or "holy". There's absolutely nothing you or I can do to make God love us any more or any less, honestly. Grace, is a mind-blowing reality that I simply can't fathom, but accept as a free gift and enjoy the freedom that comes with it.
Not sure what this next week will bring, but I am excited and eager to see what new adventures God and I venture out on.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
November 8th - 14th
Monday, November 8th - 9 miles in 1:00:50 - Springview Park, Rocklin
PM: ran from our house over to Springview Park and cruised around the park feeling pretty fresh. I continue to enjoy more and more the New Balance MT 101's as well; incredible shoe. Also ran :20 barefoot on the grass, with 6x100m pick-ups. Not used to it getting dark by 5:30pm yet, but enjoyed watching various shades of pinks and purples that lit up the sky as I roamed around the park. Sometimes, it just feels good to put your body on auto-pilot and let 'er roll.
Tuesday, November 9th - 9.25 miles in 1:42:44 (3000') - American River Confluence, Auburn
PM: 3xk2 in 13:38, 12:20, 15:30. Sat in the river after.
It was encouraging to see that with not-so-recovered legs, I can still throw down a sub-12:30 split on k2. There was, however, some positive motivation which fueled this effort. Just before I began my second repeat, a family of four (mom, dad, and two boys - who couldn't have been older than 5 or 6) were just about to the bottom. Keep in mind, I had passed them previously as they were coming down and I was going up on my first attempt. Within seconds of beginning my second, one of the boys turned to his dad and said, "Why is he putting himself through that again?" I chuckled and replied, "Because this is how you get strong!" Streams of thoughts were running through my mind at such an innocent comment. One of which was man, in his concrete, limited worldview, this hill must seem 10x steeper and longer than it actually is and seeing me running up it again must have blown his little mind. The other thought was I sure hope his dad looked him straight into the eye and said, "Son, because doing hard things, even if maybe you don't feel like doing it, helps you grow up to be a better man." I will likely never see this little boy again, but I hope and pray that - in my time of very limited interaction with him - I modeled for him (and hopefully his dad explained with words) that doing hard things, going against the grain of the culture or against the McDonald's slogan which says, "You need a break today," is the right path to choose. I don't remember the author of this quote, but it states, "Everyone dies, but very few truly live." We don't find life by going with the current, which may be the easier route; we discover it by swimming upstream against the currents of life, never giving in and continually reaffirming to ourselves, "This is why I am putting myself through this again." So...... it was this little boy who motivated me to push myself harder up k2 than I have in a while and it's interesting to think that while he will probably never remember our encounter, interestingly enough, for twelve minutes and twenty seconds, he positively influenced my life and I will never forget it.
Wednesday, November 10th - 6.62 miles in :38 - Del Oro High School Track, Loomis
PM: Don't know what provoked me after yesterdays bout on k2, but decided to join the Jessup guys in a 20x400 workout (1 min rest in between each one and about 2 min rest after every four repeats). I felt incredible throughout the whole workout. Began at 80's and after a few, dropped down into the 75-76 range for most of the intervals. Definitely held back for most of this workout as I didn't want to overdue it. Felt really comfortable and decided to have fun and throw down a 66 the last one. Weird to think I probably could have done 20 more, maybe; but I am nowhere near Emil Zatopek status. Did 16 of the 400's in my Vibrams and last 4 were barefoot.
Thursday, November 11th - 6.5 miles in 1:08:06 (2000') - American River Confluence, Auburn
PM: 2xk2 in 14:33, 14:20
Definite fatigue and soreness in my calves, but felt surprisingly better than I thought I would going up k2 and, overall. Just took it very easy today and enjoyed soaking in the river afterward.
Friday, November 12th - 9.25 miles in 1:46:13 (3000')
PM: 3xk2 in 15:20, 15:05, 15:55
Felt decent today, took it very easy. Put vibrams on for second repeat and while descending along the pig trail, hit my pinky toe on a rock and split my toe & toe-nail open. Had a nice pool of blood going in my shoe.
Saturday, November 13th - 20.8 miles in 2:47:40
Met up with Erik Skaden and Mark Lantz. Beginning at Twin Rocks, we headed out toward Rattlesnake Bar, looped around Avery Pond, and came back along the sandy, beach trail. Beautiful weather and pristine lakeside views today. Felt privileged to run with such veterans of the sport (seriously, Erik and Mark have some impressive credentials accumulated over the years). Legs felt pretty crappy today, but it was nice to share the trails with good company.
Sunday, November 14th - 11 miles biked in :55
PM: To give my legs a rest, just biked to and from work today.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Weekly Mileage - 52.1
Weekly Time - 9:03:33
Vertical - 8000'
K2 Summits - 28/100 in 35 days
This week proved to be one of the hardest weeks of training I have endured thus far and my battered body is testimony to that fact. Battered in a good way I should say. I was fortunate enough to put in 8 summits of k2 this week, jump in a quality and quantity 400m workout with the WJU guys, and enjoy a nice long run with some ultra-studs. In retrospect, I think I needed a week like this to gauge exactly what my body can endure. The mileage wasn't impressive, but I'm really satisfied with the time on my feet which is actually more important. Some other really exciting news - as most of you are well aware - I threw my name into the 2011 Western States Lottery, hoping in good faith that I will be chosen. More importantly, today I was able to enjoy watching my wife cruise to a new pr in her half-marathon, en route to a first place finish in her age group. I am a proud husband of my baby. It was also a pleasure to catch up with Anthony Brantley - as he ran very well in the 20-miler as he prepares for CIM come December. Also got a chance to chat with Chikara Omine (after he finished the half marathon in a very respectable time) to see how his legs were holding up after an impressive 2nd place finish at Firetrails 50 and a quality showing at the World 100k Championships. All in all, today was a great end to a quality week of training; catching up with friends and seeing familiar faces, along with watching former collegiate competitors perform extremely well which is always a real treat. This next week, I am stoked about taking a down week and allowing my body to rest, but more so, I am anticipating a great time up in Vancouver, Washington as the select few WJU men and women compete in the NAIA National Cross-Country Championships. I just praise God for what he has allowed me to experience, it's been a more than enjoyable ride and adventure.
PM: ran from our house over to Springview Park and cruised around the park feeling pretty fresh. I continue to enjoy more and more the New Balance MT 101's as well; incredible shoe. Also ran :20 barefoot on the grass, with 6x100m pick-ups. Not used to it getting dark by 5:30pm yet, but enjoyed watching various shades of pinks and purples that lit up the sky as I roamed around the park. Sometimes, it just feels good to put your body on auto-pilot and let 'er roll.
Tuesday, November 9th - 9.25 miles in 1:42:44 (3000') - American River Confluence, Auburn
PM: 3xk2 in 13:38, 12:20, 15:30. Sat in the river after.
It was encouraging to see that with not-so-recovered legs, I can still throw down a sub-12:30 split on k2. There was, however, some positive motivation which fueled this effort. Just before I began my second repeat, a family of four (mom, dad, and two boys - who couldn't have been older than 5 or 6) were just about to the bottom. Keep in mind, I had passed them previously as they were coming down and I was going up on my first attempt. Within seconds of beginning my second, one of the boys turned to his dad and said, "Why is he putting himself through that again?" I chuckled and replied, "Because this is how you get strong!" Streams of thoughts were running through my mind at such an innocent comment. One of which was man, in his concrete, limited worldview, this hill must seem 10x steeper and longer than it actually is and seeing me running up it again must have blown his little mind. The other thought was I sure hope his dad looked him straight into the eye and said, "Son, because doing hard things, even if maybe you don't feel like doing it, helps you grow up to be a better man." I will likely never see this little boy again, but I hope and pray that - in my time of very limited interaction with him - I modeled for him (and hopefully his dad explained with words) that doing hard things, going against the grain of the culture or against the McDonald's slogan which says, "You need a break today," is the right path to choose. I don't remember the author of this quote, but it states, "Everyone dies, but very few truly live." We don't find life by going with the current, which may be the easier route; we discover it by swimming upstream against the currents of life, never giving in and continually reaffirming to ourselves, "This is why I am putting myself through this again." So...... it was this little boy who motivated me to push myself harder up k2 than I have in a while and it's interesting to think that while he will probably never remember our encounter, interestingly enough, for twelve minutes and twenty seconds, he positively influenced my life and I will never forget it.
Wednesday, November 10th - 6.62 miles in :38 - Del Oro High School Track, Loomis
PM: Don't know what provoked me after yesterdays bout on k2, but decided to join the Jessup guys in a 20x400 workout (1 min rest in between each one and about 2 min rest after every four repeats). I felt incredible throughout the whole workout. Began at 80's and after a few, dropped down into the 75-76 range for most of the intervals. Definitely held back for most of this workout as I didn't want to overdue it. Felt really comfortable and decided to have fun and throw down a 66 the last one. Weird to think I probably could have done 20 more, maybe; but I am nowhere near Emil Zatopek status. Did 16 of the 400's in my Vibrams and last 4 were barefoot.
Thursday, November 11th - 6.5 miles in 1:08:06 (2000') - American River Confluence, Auburn
PM: 2xk2 in 14:33, 14:20
Definite fatigue and soreness in my calves, but felt surprisingly better than I thought I would going up k2 and, overall. Just took it very easy today and enjoyed soaking in the river afterward.
Friday, November 12th - 9.25 miles in 1:46:13 (3000')
PM: 3xk2 in 15:20, 15:05, 15:55
Felt decent today, took it very easy. Put vibrams on for second repeat and while descending along the pig trail, hit my pinky toe on a rock and split my toe & toe-nail open. Had a nice pool of blood going in my shoe.
Saturday, November 13th - 20.8 miles in 2:47:40
Met up with Erik Skaden and Mark Lantz. Beginning at Twin Rocks, we headed out toward Rattlesnake Bar, looped around Avery Pond, and came back along the sandy, beach trail. Beautiful weather and pristine lakeside views today. Felt privileged to run with such veterans of the sport (seriously, Erik and Mark have some impressive credentials accumulated over the years). Legs felt pretty crappy today, but it was nice to share the trails with good company.
Sunday, November 14th - 11 miles biked in :55
PM: To give my legs a rest, just biked to and from work today.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Weekly Mileage - 52.1
Weekly Time - 9:03:33
Vertical - 8000'
K2 Summits - 28/100 in 35 days
This week proved to be one of the hardest weeks of training I have endured thus far and my battered body is testimony to that fact. Battered in a good way I should say. I was fortunate enough to put in 8 summits of k2 this week, jump in a quality and quantity 400m workout with the WJU guys, and enjoy a nice long run with some ultra-studs. In retrospect, I think I needed a week like this to gauge exactly what my body can endure. The mileage wasn't impressive, but I'm really satisfied with the time on my feet which is actually more important. Some other really exciting news - as most of you are well aware - I threw my name into the 2011 Western States Lottery, hoping in good faith that I will be chosen. More importantly, today I was able to enjoy watching my wife cruise to a new pr in her half-marathon, en route to a first place finish in her age group. I am a proud husband of my baby. It was also a pleasure to catch up with Anthony Brantley - as he ran very well in the 20-miler as he prepares for CIM come December. Also got a chance to chat with Chikara Omine (after he finished the half marathon in a very respectable time) to see how his legs were holding up after an impressive 2nd place finish at Firetrails 50 and a quality showing at the World 100k Championships. All in all, today was a great end to a quality week of training; catching up with friends and seeing familiar faces, along with watching former collegiate competitors perform extremely well which is always a real treat. This next week, I am stoked about taking a down week and allowing my body to rest, but more so, I am anticipating a great time up in Vancouver, Washington as the select few WJU men and women compete in the NAIA National Cross-Country Championships. I just praise God for what he has allowed me to experience, it's been a more than enjoyable ride and adventure.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
November 1st - 7th
Monday, November 1st - 8.5 miles in 1:05
PM: Mostly ran along the William Jessup University Cross-Country course and after a few repetitive loops (I hated racing this course while at WJU), cut over to the nearby soccer field and ran :15 barefoot on the grass. Did six, 100m pickups and ran back over to WJU to finish up. Tacked on another half-mile or so with the team during their warm-up. Felt really good overall.
Tuesday, November 2nd - 5.75 miles in 1:05:49
PM: 2xk2 in 14:02; 14:37 (2000'). Felt significantly tight (especially in my calves and left achilles) on the first summit. The next summit however, completely loosened up and although a little slower, felt effortless the whole way up. After the second repeat, just ran down K2. Felt decent today, nothing superb.
Wednesday, November 3rd - 6.5 miles in 1:02:32
PM: 2xk2 in 13:37; 14:16 (2000'). Felt pretty well on both. Glad to see that even though my perceived effort felt the same as yesterday, the cumulative time on both ascents was faster than yesterday. Also decided to shake things up a bit, ran the brief uphill section of the pig trail pretty hard (1 min duration each time) and once I got back on the WS trail, booked it down the hill back to the bottom of K2 (back down to No-Hands bridge on the second go-around). Felt really fast while descending. Did some form-work on No-Hands bridge and then called it a day.
Thursday, November 4th - 2.5 miles in :20
PM: Ran really easy along the WJU course with the team as they gear up for Cal-Pac Conference Championships tomorrow at Mills College in Oakland. My quads were particularly sore from yesterdays downhill free-for-all, but my legs overall felt fine.
Friday, November 5th - 5.5 miles total in 39:30
AM: ran around Mills College campus cheering on the WJU athletes. (3-ish miles total, 19:30).
PM: strapped on Vibrams and ran over to Springview Park to do some drills/form-work on the grass just for fun. (2.5 miles, :20).
Legs felt exceptionally well today, which I am stoked about due to my date with Devil's Thumb and the climb back up from El Dorado creek.
Saturday, November 6th - 15 miles in 2:24:15 (4500-5000')
PM: Beginning at Deadwood Cemetery, down to El Dorado Creek (26:39) and back up (38:21); over to Devil's Thumb, down the Thumb (17:02) and back up (26:45); and back to Deadwood.
Felt great to hit a big, ten minute pr on the 3.5 mile climb up from the creek and to only be two minutes off my Devil's Thumb pr after such a quality climb prior. Legs were in their element today, very thankful.
Sunday, November 7th - 6.5 miles in 1:13:26 (2000')
AM: 2xk2 in 15:15; 15:33
Legs were definitely feeling the brunt of yesterdays excursion. Not surprised I recorded my two slowest times ever on k2. Just happy to get in two summits and be drenched in the continual rainfall of this morning.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Weekly Mileage - 50.35
Total Time - 7:50:32
Vertical - 11,000'
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Total Mileage + Time for 2010 - 1,514.31 miles in 203:30:50 (51 rest days, 6.61 avg miles per day, 53:19 avg. time run per day, 8:04/mile avg pace).
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Was hoping to get in at least 8 summits of k2 this week, but my outing to Devil's Thumb and Deadwood put a hindrance in that plan. I'm not complaining though, to get in some quality climbing out on the Western States Trail is a sure treat. As of today, I have completed 20 summits of k2 in 28 days. In addition, I believe I put in more vertical this week than I ever have in a given week. It sure wouldn't be impressive to the likes of Tony Krupicka or Geoff Roes (who put in 20,000-30,000'+ each week), but I'm content where I'm at and the results of recent speak for itself. My philosophy is quality over quantity and it has worked pretty well for me thus far. Or a better way to put it would be, I attempt to put quality into the quantity I'm given. I continue to thank God for this gift and passion he's blessed me with. I pray that it wouldn't just be for my benefit, but that my running and personal life would be a pleasant aroma to those around me.
 |
| (Sara and I enjoying our time together over the Summer in Cannon Beach, Oregon) |
Monday, November 1st - 8.5 miles in 1:05
PM: Mostly ran along the William Jessup University Cross-Country course and after a few repetitive loops (I hated racing this course while at WJU), cut over to the nearby soccer field and ran :15 barefoot on the grass. Did six, 100m pickups and ran back over to WJU to finish up. Tacked on another half-mile or so with the team during their warm-up. Felt really good overall.
Tuesday, November 2nd - 5.75 miles in 1:05:49
PM: 2xk2 in 14:02; 14:37 (2000'). Felt significantly tight (especially in my calves and left achilles) on the first summit. The next summit however, completely loosened up and although a little slower, felt effortless the whole way up. After the second repeat, just ran down K2. Felt decent today, nothing superb.
Wednesday, November 3rd - 6.5 miles in 1:02:32
PM: 2xk2 in 13:37; 14:16 (2000'). Felt pretty well on both. Glad to see that even though my perceived effort felt the same as yesterday, the cumulative time on both ascents was faster than yesterday. Also decided to shake things up a bit, ran the brief uphill section of the pig trail pretty hard (1 min duration each time) and once I got back on the WS trail, booked it down the hill back to the bottom of K2 (back down to No-Hands bridge on the second go-around). Felt really fast while descending. Did some form-work on No-Hands bridge and then called it a day.
Thursday, November 4th - 2.5 miles in :20
PM: Ran really easy along the WJU course with the team as they gear up for Cal-Pac Conference Championships tomorrow at Mills College in Oakland. My quads were particularly sore from yesterdays downhill free-for-all, but my legs overall felt fine.
Friday, November 5th - 5.5 miles total in 39:30
AM: ran around Mills College campus cheering on the WJU athletes. (3-ish miles total, 19:30).
PM: strapped on Vibrams and ran over to Springview Park to do some drills/form-work on the grass just for fun. (2.5 miles, :20).
Legs felt exceptionally well today, which I am stoked about due to my date with Devil's Thumb and the climb back up from El Dorado creek.
Saturday, November 6th - 15 miles in 2:24:15 (4500-5000')
PM: Beginning at Deadwood Cemetery, down to El Dorado Creek (26:39) and back up (38:21); over to Devil's Thumb, down the Thumb (17:02) and back up (26:45); and back to Deadwood.
Felt great to hit a big, ten minute pr on the 3.5 mile climb up from the creek and to only be two minutes off my Devil's Thumb pr after such a quality climb prior. Legs were in their element today, very thankful.
Sunday, November 7th - 6.5 miles in 1:13:26 (2000')
AM: 2xk2 in 15:15; 15:33
Legs were definitely feeling the brunt of yesterdays excursion. Not surprised I recorded my two slowest times ever on k2. Just happy to get in two summits and be drenched in the continual rainfall of this morning.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Weekly Mileage - 50.35
Total Time - 7:50:32
Vertical - 11,000'
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Total Mileage + Time for 2010 - 1,514.31 miles in 203:30:50 (51 rest days, 6.61 avg miles per day, 53:19 avg. time run per day, 8:04/mile avg pace).
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Was hoping to get in at least 8 summits of k2 this week, but my outing to Devil's Thumb and Deadwood put a hindrance in that plan. I'm not complaining though, to get in some quality climbing out on the Western States Trail is a sure treat. As of today, I have completed 20 summits of k2 in 28 days. In addition, I believe I put in more vertical this week than I ever have in a given week. It sure wouldn't be impressive to the likes of Tony Krupicka or Geoff Roes (who put in 20,000-30,000'+ each week), but I'm content where I'm at and the results of recent speak for itself. My philosophy is quality over quantity and it has worked pretty well for me thus far. Or a better way to put it would be, I attempt to put quality into the quantity I'm given. I continue to thank God for this gift and passion he's blessed me with. I pray that it wouldn't just be for my benefit, but that my running and personal life would be a pleasant aroma to those around me.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Double-Canyon Days
It seems strange to me that I was once a "hater" of running any degree of incline whatsoever. I suppose growing up as a "flat-lander" from Yuba City, hills or mountains seemed to be the enemy in a sense. I'm positive the root of this grudge was due to a love affair with running fast that I held for most of my running career. Hills posed an immediate threat to my quick pace, therefore, I held a distaste for my vertical adversary. On top of that, I lacked sufficient strength to ascend with confidence and would get punked almost every time.
I don't remember the exact moment, but I actually began to be romanticized by propelling vertically when Brian Priddin got me involved in cycling. I found that my power-to-weight ratio allowed me to climb on the bike pretty well, in fact, I toyed with the idea of becoming a domestique for a professional cycling team just so my talents could be best utilized in the mountain stages of the Tour De France (the desire was also largely due to watching countless hours of Lance Armstrong). However, as I've stated before, while I will always love the bike, running is where my passion lies.
Furthermore, I've found that due to my faith, enemies - no matter how hateful they or I can be - can most definitely be won over with love. Jesus said it, taught it, and lived it; and I've witnessed the positive effects of loving ones' enemies in my own personal life (I'm not implying it's easy in any right!). I propose that this is what happened with running hills. My heart and attitude toward mountain running began to change as I invested more time getting to know my seemingly foe. After a while, my enemy became my friend and now we really enjoy being with one another (*tear* *tear*).
Today, I had a date with Devil's Thumb and the climb back up from El Dorado Creek. This would be my third time out there and hopefully it was to be the most enjoyable (as my first and second rendezvous were both strikingly different).
Driving up Foresthill Rd., as you get past the town of Foresthill, I was taken aback at the vibrant amalgams of red's and orange's amidst the surrounding trees. It is more evident up there that fall is in full swing and it was nice to see that California can have somewhat of a fall season.
I decided to park my truck at Deadwood Cemetery and run the 3.5 miles down to El Dorado Creek. You never know how your legs are going to perform initially as everything feels tight and not yet warmed up. About ten minutes into the descent however, my lower limbs began to loosen up and I cruised pretty well down into the canyon.
As I was arriving at the creek, all of a sudden there appeared to be swarms of gnats on steroids. As I plowed through these pesky insects, I began to notice that they were lady bugs. I'm not kidding, there were millions of them flying around and covering the trail (if anyone is educated in entomology, I would love to know why this was so). As I bobbed and weaved through them and stopped on the bridge, I noticed they were all over me. I kept thinking thankfully they are just lady bugs and not mosquitoes, bees, or spiders. Apparently, I was moving downhill at a fairly decent clip as I arrived at El Dorado Creek in 26:39 (2 minutes faster than last time).
 |
| (Looking at the bridge over El Dorado Creek, aka where I was covered by lady bugs) |
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| (About the half-way point between Deadwood Cemetery and El Dorado Creek) |
Sure enough, as I rounded the last switchback in :33, with about a half-mile to go, I maintained a pretty consistent tempo. The gradient does not let up this last stretch and after three miles of already quality climbing, you have to grit your teeth for one final push. I made it back to my truck in 38:21, a new pr by ten minutes! I was thrilled to see that my fitness and strength continue to increase and that continual summits of k2 are paying off as well.
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| (about a mile from Deadwood Cemetery) |
I knew D.T. would surely test me physically, especially after an already quality climb. I descended the thumb and its 36 switchbacks in 17:02, stopped and watched the flowing middle north fork of the American River briefly. Now it was a consistent two-mile climb back up. And by consistent, I mean that Devil's Thumb does not break at all. It's consistently steep the whole way and pitches slightly steeper it seems toward the top.
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| (At the bottom of Devil's Thumb, the bridge which hangs over the Middle North Fork of the American River) |
As I locked in, I could feel some gradual fatigue, but I also noticed a comfort in this climb as well. I honestly believe k2 has been such a blessing. I just kept a steady rhythm the whole way and was curious to see if my 24:39 would be threatened at all today. To keep my mind entertained as well, I counted every switchback to see if there were actually thirty-six total. I felt significantly better than I had anticipated, that is, until the remaining 1/4 mile. As I just mentioned, whether it does or it's just a pigment of my imagination, but the trail seems to increase in gradient toward the top. Well, that jump in incline put a hurt in my legs and my pace dramatically plummeted. I simply swallowed my pride and tip-toed up the remaining portion. I finished the climb in 26:45, pretty respectable overall, but if you asked my body how he felt about it, he would contend otherwise. (Side note: yes, there are 36 switchbacks).
The hardest part was over and now it was a simple, mostly downhill two-mile jaunt back to my truck. Thankfully this run came out just right time-wise because with about five minutes to go, my body began to indicate that I was getting close to bonking. I made it back to my truck in an overall time of 2:24:15, with 15 miles run and about 7 miles of those climbing; not to mention 4500'-5000' of total vertical gained.
I am extremely grateful that I am once again beginning to gravitate toward longer runs. Today was a definite confidence booster as my climbing legs undoubtedly showed up (pr's in any form are always nice). I'm still curious as to what the other sections of the WS trail look like, specifically, the Escarpment to Last Chance. With snow on its way, it appears as though I most likely won't get an opportunity to venture out that way as the road will be closed. I am pretty familiar with most of the course from Devil's Thumb and on, and will likely spend much time on Michigan Bluff, Cal St., Bath Rd, Green Gate, and on.
Speaking of Western States, The WS lottery entry is less than one week away and it hasn't sunk in that the moment of truth is right around the corner. I don't think I am as excited as maybe I should be due to the belief I have that I am not likely going to make it in by the lottery process. Realistically speaking, I'm thinking I may have a better chance qualifying through the AR 50, but we'll see. Prayer is always much appreciated, and we shall see whatever God's will is; I accept whatever comes about. Nevertheless, the most important thing is I am running joyfully and hopefully being a blessing to others along the way.
(*photos are courtesy of ws100.com)
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