A little shoe business

Recently, I've decided that it's time to change out my trail shoes. My road shoes are doing fine and I usually have little to no problems with those since most of my mileage is in the trails nowadays anyway. So I've been keeping three pair of active trail shoes. Montrail Hardrocks, Vasque Velocity, and Mizuno Wave Ascends. The hardrocks have the most miles on them. According to the running log I started last Jan 1, I've put in over 540+ miles on them, over 300+ on the Vasque (bought in Feb) and just over 230+ miles on the Mizunos (bought in June) and the Montrails are in the best shape.
I use the following shoes for the following conditions:

Montrail Hardrocks:
- very rocky and technical trails for longer distances >10 miles
- These shoes are indestructable








Vasque Velocity:
- moderate to easy trails but used for long distance runs >12-15 miles
- These shoes are comfortable and never gave my feet problems while they were fresh. I also got these an extra half-size larger than normal and it has worked great!
- no visible signs of wear on the shoes. Foot fatigue becoming evident.






Mizuno Wave Ascend:
- I've used these shoes as my AR shoes and for fast and short (less than 8 miles)
- Very Lightweight and comfortable for short runs.
- not enough forefoot protection from sharp rocks and not enough room to allow for much foot expansion during long runs.

Lately, my Mizuno's have been bothering my feet on ANY run (even the short ones) and so have the Vasques. I think the density foam is done in my Velocity's so I'm not too bummed about that. I'm a little disappointed in the Wave Ascends right now, but I will acknowledge that there have been improvements made in the shoe since my model that I've not yet had the chance to try out. As for my Montrails, I can definitely see why they're so popular with ultra-runners. As I stated above, they're indestructable. Not only that, they're comfortable and consistent. Taller and heavier runners have mentioned that a downside to them is their tendency to "ride high" meaning that they have a thick sole and the foot is not as low to the ground as it is in other shoe models.

Currently, I've ordered a pair of Montrail Oddesy's for my lightweight shoes for fast runs. these may turn out to be used for more than just short runs. We'll see. I'm also considering the Vasque Blur as my longer distance shoes for moderate to technical trails and long distances. Many of the other Trail Nerds run these and like them very much. Last weekend, I tried on a pair of The North Face Arnuva 50 Boa and was VERY impressed with them. I've never been this impressed with shoes before. When I first read about the Boa lacing system on TNF's site, I thought it seemed kinda gimmicky, but after trying it first hand, it seems to be legit. Now keep in mind that I've not run in them, nor have I purchased a pair (yet?) but I did try them on at length and ran around the store and up and down stairs like a little kid in his first pair of sneakers! They are very light and minimalist, but are also very comfortable and built for ultra-distances. These are the shoes that Dean Karnazes is wore and is wearing in his latest endeavors.

does sacrificial service = fulfillment?

Think about the last time you did something good for someone else with no ulterior motives. Perhaps it was volunteer work at a homeless soup kitchen, or participating in some sort of community project for the less fortunate. Maybe you've even donated time or items during the holidays to organizations dedicated to helping the impoverished. How did it feel? Did you enjoy putting your own interests aside for a time to make better the situation of another? Most people experience the pleasure of selflessness at some point in their life, but few practice it on a regular basis. Why is that?
Giving money may be necessary and helpful, but it's so impersonal that it rarely yields any personal satisfaction and thus isn't repeated often. What I'm advocating is giving of yourself, your time and your own personal effort to something for which you'll get nothing in return. Get out and volunteer! It's very liberating! The harder it is to do, the more it's worth it!
I encourage everyone to engage in some form of (sacrificial) service to others. It's not a "good deed" if you get something other than a good feeling in return. In my own life, it seems that once I agree to do something for someone else, something always seems to "come up" that would give me an excuse to back out of my agreement/commitment. When I forgo my own personal wants to fulfill my agreement/commitment, then it always seems to be the most gratifying. When I sacrifice my own desires, time, and resources to benefit others, it's fulfilling.
Whether you equate it to the movie Pay It Forward or consider it your civic duty, everyone should experience being a giver when it is not reciprocated. It's nice to be appreciated for the effort and work you put into something but just because you may not be appreciated or thanked for something doesn't mean that it was any less of a good deed.


Just in case you're wondering, I'm only advocating sacrificial service in one's personal life. NOT in a professional life. It's great to take pride in yourself and in the work you do, but please do NOT give more than necessary to a soulless company who will show no loyalty to you as an employee.

updates?

Apparently I suck at keeping up with blogging regularly.
Since the last post, I've been back to the Dr. got an MRI, got a cortisone shot, kept running, (shorter distances and slower) had family visit for Thanksgiving, and worried my way through our company's merger. I guess a lot has been going on, but for the past 2 1/2 months, I've been working nights and it's thrown EVERYTHING off big time! Eating, sleeping, motivation, and several other things are all affected by the vampiric schedule I was keeping. My appetite is returning to normal now, but I actually dropped below 130 lbs for the first time in a few years! Running has been sporadic at best and I've only been biking once in the past 9 weeks! Now that I'm back on a regular schedule, I can get my knee repaired (maybe?) and get back to training for Psycho Wyco in February.














Thanksgiving was good and unseasonably warm. My sister and nieces came up from Pensacola, FL and while they were here, I was able to introduce them to trail running. Of course, as SOON as they left, it turned frigid! We went from above avg temps to below avg temps in 1 DAY! From 70 degrees on Tuesday to 21 degrees on Wednesday and an ice storm. Thursday (today) it's 17 and we're expecting a few inches of snow. What a difference a day makes sometimes!
I'm really looking forward to running in the snow again, but it'll take some RE-adjusting to the weather again. I'm still a warm weather guy!

Diagnosis

Finally got around to seeing the orthopaedic doctor about my knee. I have a torn meniscus on the right side in the back. Pretty common or "classical" of meniscal injuries according to him. :-(


He said that I can keep running on it or get it fixed right away. It's up to me and how much pain I'm willing to put up with. Continuing training and racing, I might make it worse; maybe not. I think I'll try to resume training cautiously and see what I can deal with for the time being. The idea of invasive surgery has never been appealing to me. We'll see...
I'm pretty bummed about it, but at least it's not worse.

Waiting and wondering...

Haven't been running for two full weeks now. I have an appointment to see an orthopedic Dr next week about my knee. Since my knee has been bothering me, I told myself and everyone else that after the last adventure race, I'd take about three weeks off to let it rest and heal and then get back to training. It's been two full weeks now and I'm not seeing (or feeling) much difference in it.
In my restlessness, I've been to the gym several times but only doing upper body. Hopefully, the Dr will give me a good (positive) diagnosis and I can get back to training in another week or two. I miss running with the group, but I also want to get out in the mild fall weather and enjoy the foliage and cooler temps before it gets COLD!
In the meantime, I'm doing my best to help the outdoor activities continue running. I helped out a little at the last Adv Race and will be helping a bit more for the next two weekends at other events. Saturday, I'll be doing course set up, marking, registration, and tear down among other things at a trail run and cyclo cross race in Lawrence, KS. Sunday, Kyle and I will marking the course out at Kill Creek for the run we're hosting on the 21st which is part of the Trail Nerds series races. I'll be helping run it, but won't be running IN it. It's nice to help out and do my part to make these things happen, but I'm really not much of a spectator. I'm more of a competitor!

It is finished.

Well, the last race of the Blue Hills Adventure Race Series has come and gone, but not without leaving it's mark on many AR loving competitors. The field of 50 teams made this race the largest one yet this year with most of the regulars showing up for the finale. Teams Backwoods WildHares, Echelon, Lawrence Fire Dept, Hope to Survive, and many other regular faces came out to enjoy the second annual Eisenhower Challenge at Eisenhower State Park near Melvern, KS.
It was a beautiful day with temps starting in the 60's, but quickly climbing up into the 80s by race end. As teams began their setup in the transition area, race director Clay Meyers-Bowman walked around encouraging and thanking competitors for their participation. Many of the teams were last minute registrants much to the delight of race staff, but due to the larger than expected number of teams, the logistics of the race had to change slightly. During the pre-race meeting, teams were told what to expect during the race. When asked how many teams were first timers, approximately 20+ teams raised their hands. They were listening intently as Clay instructed them how to have the most successful race possible.

















After the meeting, teams received their maps and some instructions for beginning the race. For this race, the field would all do the same course, but the legs would be in different order based on divisions. The Co-ed and Masters divisions started the race on the trail run whereas the rest started a short run to the kayaks. This did a good job of separating the larger than normal cluster of adrenaline junkies. The wind was whipping up pretty well during the paddle section and it was humorous watching the teams battle the elements (and the inflatable kayaks) while zig-zagging all over the place.














Some of the co-ed and masters teams returned from the 4(+) mile trail run to encounter their first special test. They were to solve a word/number puzzle before receiving their next set of instructions. Many racers who may have done triathlons in the past soon learned that there are MANY differences between a tri and an adventure race. Some teams found it difficult to stop (or control) the adrenaline long enough to focus on a mental task so a 5th grade level math puzzle took longer than it otherwise might have in a different environment. Once this was successfully completed, teams were given their next set of instructions.















During this race, teams also had to make their way through a challenging bike course which included single track, horse trails, bush whacking through 7 feet tall thick brush, and some roads. There were several team positions changed during this part of the race due to the varying levels of mountain biking experience. One all female team even had to finish on two flat front tires! Now THAT'S showing some true grit! Good job girls! Some other teams also had to tough their way through flats and other mechanical issues to finish the bike leg.





























At the finish line, amongst the tired and dirty faces, there were lots of smiles, handshakes, and high-fives.
Although I didn't get to race today, it was still fun watching everyone else enjoying themselves while pushing beyond their normal comfort levels. Everyone I spoke with said that they loved the race and would like to do another one. Hopefully, they'll take advantage of the opportunity to do more of the Blue Hills races next year as well as checking out other Adventure Races. Then there will be fewer people calling ME crazy!

Tough Sprint Adventure Race!

This past weekend's Blue Hills Adventure Race was one of the top two toughest if not THE toughest one yet in this series! I decided to make it a little harder on myself by forgoing the necessary rest the night before. Getting a little over 2 hours of very bad quality sleep, I got up at 2:15 to load the car up, drive over to get Shane, and hit the road for the drive up to Kellog, IA for the race. Three quarters of the drive up was in pouring rain and it began to make us a little nervous thinking that we might have to slog it out in the mucky stuff. It's best to mentally prepare yourself for the worst just in case. Thankfully, the course was dry, but definitely not easy. This time, the guys from Blue Hills wanted to make sure we all got out money's worth of racing, so they made the course longer than in races past to ensure a MINIMUM of 3 hours racing for everyone. We ended up doing the events in the following order with approx distances:
1. run ~1 mi
2. kayak ~2 mi
3. run ~ 2.5 mi
4. bike ~10mi
5. kayak ~ 2 mi
6. run ~2.5 mi
7. bike ~10 mi
This course was also much hillier than I expected it to be. Lessons re-learned from this race include getting enough rest the night before and make SURE to eat a good breakfast the morning of a race. Coffee and hammer gel does NOT constitute a good breakfast. During the first bike leg, we met some race course officials on one of the roads that made us stop for a "mystery challenge". They gave us a card with instructions to drop our bikes in the ditch by the road and proceed on foot into a pine grove. In this grove, we were to find hidden checkpoints A, B, and C and punch the card with them. These were cleverly disguised hanging in the trees varying distances apart. Another special test had us collecting random objects from a list and putting them in a plaastic bag for race officials to check off. We had to find a bug, coin, credit card, leaf, rock, hammer gel, piece of litter, and a piece of toilet paper. Most of these things were readily in the transition area, but a few teams had to run back to their cars to complete their tasks. Although the kayak leg(s) seemed to go on and on and on, the biking was definitely the difficult part. A good part of it was cross country on newly mowed brush clearing which bridged some of the singletrack sections. The hills surrounding the lake seemed endless with one right after another and almost no flat areas to catch your breath.
Shane and I ended up taking second place in this race behind the Backwoods WildHares. I think we had a good race since we made no big mistakes and felt ok. I think we could've done better with some solid food in us and with a little more rest beforehand, but the team we lost to has been stronger than us all season thus far. It's a bit of a downer to keep finishing behind them, but it's also good for us to have to keep pushing ourselves to race UP to the level of competition they bring.

I'm too old to be trendy!

Good Training weekend

I'm tired.

This weekend, had some good training for me. Took third place in my age group at the XTerra 10k on Saturday morning, helped out (didn't have to substitute/ride in) for a 12 hour mtn bike race that afternoon, ran with the group Sunday morning,(NASTY ticks) and then got in some riding with my AR teammate Shane. This week, I'll train a little on Tuesday night, but for the rest of the week, I think I'll just hit the gym for light work on weights and swim a little. I also REALLY NEED to start eating better. I've been reverting back to junk lately. Not sure, why, but it's taking a toll on my body. The next Adventure Race is this coming weekend on Sunday. It's just a little east of Des Moines, IA. I think we'll be ready.

Fun Trail Run!

The Trail Nerds held their second of the series of trail races on Friday night. Before the run, I was wondering (nervously) how I'd do. I was feeling pretty good and wanted to do well, but realized that I was actually WORRYING about it! WHY? Not sure really, but on the way there, instead of the usual pre-race tunes, (Linkin Park, Prodigy, etc...) I put in some pretty chill ambient stuff and it relaxed me a bit. That helped me rearrange my goal for the race from wanting to do as well as I could, to just wanting to make it an enjoyable run. It went great and we had a very good turnout for such a low-key race. Instead of rehashing the whole thing, I'll just let someone else's well-written report suffice. Check out Jake's account of it here.
Dick Ross generously photographed the runners. His pictorial account of the race can be found here!

One thing I REALLY think I need to work on though is the pre-race warm-up. I HATE doing little runs before a race to warm up and I dont' think they've ever helped me. Could be wrong on that, but it's my perception. BUT, I also don't feel warmed up before the race and when I go out too hard, it hurts the lungs, and jacks my heartrate WAY up! Anyone have advice for this?

The post below shows what I have in the way of mtn bikes. I'll be selling those sometime and I think I'll get one of these!

A biking dilemma and AR Training

I've been contemplating getting a new mtn bike for a while. Of the three mtn bike's I've owned, I've only REALLY liked my Gary Fisher Sugar. Even though I still have it, I haven't put any money into it lately and the parts on it are worn out. I have a hard time justifying putting more money into it when I have and am currently racing on my Specialized Stumpjumper FSR. It's newer and rides farily nice, but I just don't like it as well. My Stumpy is a small frame (which is supposedly right for my height) but my Fisher is a medium and feels more right for my style of riding. NOW I'm getting to the point where the components on my Stumpy are getting worn and I'm wondering if I should continue to put any money into it or just get something I like better. Selling a used mountain bike is such a pain though.
Anyway, it's Tuesday again and this is another training night for biking first, then running. Last Saturday I ran with the group and we got in around 8 in the trails. It's been pretty hot lately. Hopefully, the heat won't hurt the training. Last night's run was very inconsistent. Started out strong, but had a side cramp twice during it and had to walk out the first and ran through the second one. Still got in a little over 6 on the roads. While running, my deltoids started tiring. I'll either have to cut back on the fly reps in the gym or increase my mileage so get the arms back where they need to be so I can run efficiently and keep the ribcage/diaphragm open.
During the last race, Shane and I paddled fairly well, but we were both sore in the shoulders afterwards. We both know that kayaking with proper form isn't supposed to use the arms completely, but in the inflatable little rubber duckies, it's almost impossible to maintain proper form. Hopefully, we'll be able to get in some paddling practice before the next race. If not, we'll just punish ourselves more and rely on strength, determination, and experience to help us continue winning.

against the odds

No, not the sappy Phil Collins song.

That's just how I feel about our performance after we won our most recent adv race despite making several mistakes that I thought WOULD have cost us the race.
Thankfully, we didn't have to travel too far for this one. The next race in the Blue Hills adventure Race series took us to Smithville Lake which us Trail Nerds have trained on before and I've raced this park last year. It was projected to be about 93 degrees with a heat index of around 110. In reality, the temp got up to 102 ACTUAL temperature later that day, but it didn't hurt anyone too badly. We had a puker, and someone stopped sweating halfway through her race, but other than that, most everyone hydrated pretty well and I didn't even notice the heat. The rude locals were harder to deal with than the heat, but that's just another part of the challenge in an adventure race.
After the pre-race meeting, everyone started off running down a short road toward an open grassy area strewn with ziplock bags with race numbers on them. These contained maps and the directions we were to follow for the race. After getting these we returned to the Transition Area and got on our bikes. We were warned/advised to take our running shoes with us on the bike leg. Of course I listened to this part due to some past mistakes. Certainly I wouldn't make it again...
We got about a minute and a half into the trails when I realized that in our transition rush, I in fact DID NOT strap my running shoes to my camelback! Not wanting to risk it this time, we turned around and headed back to the transition area to retrieve my running shoes and then continued on the first mountain biking section. We lost what seemed like about 3 or 4 minutes on this mental error, but it was probably only maybe 2 mins. Still, it wasn't good for our mental state so early in the race.
We hammered pretty hard on these trails passing what was a mostly courteous field, but once we got to the front few teams we had a little harder time passing them and their egoes. We did about 4-5 miles in the trails on the bike punching checkpoints along the way when the map brought us to a second Transition Area (TA2).
From here, we were instructed to drop the bikes and proceed on foot through the next four checkpoints. This portion was approximately 4 miles. The heat didn't really bother me, but for some reason, I was having a hard time catching my breath on this part and consequently, was running much slower than I wanted. Still, we didn't get caught by any other teams and we also caught the final (lead) team back at the Transition Area as we got back on the bikes. They took off a little before us, but we eventually caught them in the trails and left them behind. From here, we rode another 3 or 4 miles back to the start/Transition Area 1 for our next set of instructions. We received a special test telling us to run the half-mile down the road out of the park to a "General Store". Here we were to use 4 quarters that was in our ziplock bag to purchase an item (less than a dollar) and bring that item, the receipt, and any change back to the race officials. Shane picked up some sunflower seeds and we were out and on our way. This was a quick mile run and we were in the store for just at a minute.














Once back in the Transition Area, we had to get a kayak 2 paddles and 2 PFDs and head down to the kayak put in point on the lake. There were 3 check points to hit during this leg and although we saw several teams enter the water after us, we were well enough ahead that was never any threat of getting caught. After having raced together in several of these, Shane and I work well together in the inflatable boats and as long as it stays inflated, we normally gain ground of the rest of the field while paddling.
After exiting the water, we had to portage the boat, paddles and PFDs back to the TA and get our next special test.
This test was a word/number game with a set of 10 instructions for doing simple addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division to get certain letters from their corresponding numbers. If you followed the directions carefully, it was very easy and we blew through it quickly spelling our words (appropriately enough) "the winner".
After this we were handed another set of instructions stating that the FINAL mountain bike leg would take us east in the park along some paved trail approximately 3 miles to the last checkpoint. Thankfully, Shane had a functional computer on his bike and he clocked the mileage. During this ride, my legs began to tire. When we hit the three mile mark, Shane let me know so we both started to keep an eye out for the checkpoint. After passing it and turning around, we saw it lying on the ground. I thought this to be odd since they're normally hanging securely from a tree in plain sight. We approached it and Shane grabbed the punch to punch our control card. I mentioned that we should probably hang it back up in the tree since I assumed it had fallen by accident when we both smelled this horrible stench of feces! After asking my teammate if he was feeling alright, we noticed that someone had intentionally ripped the checkpoint down and then did their own business on it! HOW RUDE! We were able to avoid the mess and still got the CP hung back up in the tree so that other teams didn't pass it like we did.
I don't mind helping out other teams, but I'm glad that others benefitting from our misfortune didn't cost us any placement in the race.
After this last punch on the control card, we rode the final three miles back to the Finish line with huge smiles on our faces. This race was a great win for us as we had to overcome several obstacles and some mental errors. This really helps build confidence.
Tonight, I think I'll do a recovery run of about 6-7 easy miles with the KC Track club. Then it's back to training as usual.

shaking off the vacation cob webs...

I'm a little behind with this, but here's a summary. The week after we got back from our Colorado trip was hectic preparing for going to Orlando and catching up on work, getting a sick cat back to health, and a few other things. Then we headed down South to our previous home in Orlando, FL where WE are now the tourists! :-D The trip went ok but we spent way too much money. :-( I got in 2 runs and 2 light workouts while there so maybe that prevented me from gaining a full 20 pounds. My sister ran with me once and during that, I realized how much I'd missed the heat and the humidity. Of course you all think it sounds crazy, but I really do like the humidity! It's comforting and I LOVE to sweat. The heat is comforting and feels good to me. No insanity comments necessary: I think that's already been established, but I'm just different.
Anyway, tonight, I'm going to run with the road running group and then hit the trails tomorrow night for a full session of biking and then running with the group. Looking forward to that. I've missed it for a while!
A little off topic, but still something I find interesting... a few weeks ago, I was riding with some local mtn bikers and afterwards we were all discussing some of the things that make us different with regard to how we feel about the equipment we use. One of the guys said that he orders stuff often, but keeps it on the shelves. He's neurotic about using it and doesn't want to wear it out so he keeps brand new stuff around often without even using it. One of the other guys said that he can't race on something unless it's been ridden on hard for at least several months. He doesn't wash his bike and rarely lubes it. He does MINIMAL maintanence on it and is afraid to race on new parts for fear of the unknown. I, on the other hand, am still different from the former two. Often I obsess that my components are worn out, broken, mal-adjusted (freudian slip?) or otherwise just not right. Consequently, I am constantly tweaking/adjusting my bike and am psyching myself out during a race that I'm not as fast as my mind wants me to be because my bike isn't operating at peak performance! This is probably a lot more common than we all realize, but I thought it was interesting how two guys/riders/fellow racers that I admire and respect also have somewhat irrational (neurotically motivational?) fears just as I do. One other difference is that they win often and I'm usually finishing in the top 5 so MY fears are probably justified! ;-)

Forgot to add...

During our trip to CO, I forgot to mention what a great time we all had going white water rafting on the Arkansas River. Our guide was great and since it was the first time for Allison and myself, it was quite an adventure for us.

Leadville Marathon

Most of my friends who understand what I do for fun think I'm crazy. My family, who doesn't understand what I do for fun, just thinks that I like to run 5k or 10k races. They have a hard time grasping the adventure part of the races that I do. I don't find a whole lot of adventure in your average 5k or 10k road run. That's why I take most of my running and biking off road and in the trails whenever possible.
Since moving to Kansas, I have enjoyed being part of a trail running group that has inspired me and motivated me to run distances that I've never considered before. Earlier this year I took part in two 50k (31+ miles) trail runs and enjoyed them immensely. Running on the roads, I had never done more than a ½ marathon (13.1 miles) at one time before. In trail running we reguarly do fun runs over 12 miles and it's easier on the body than doing 7 or 8 miles on the road. Even though I had already done the 50k runs, I had never just done a marathon. So I decided to go ahead and do one and get that under my belt.
Considering my love for adventure and trail running, a road marathon just didn't seem like a fun option. So when looking for a trail marathon, the options are a bit fewer since most organized trail runs are set up for ultra (50k and higher) distances. Being the tech weenie that I am, I immediately began using the internet to help me search for a trail marathon. When I discovered the one in Leadville, CO, I thought that sounded like a good idea because I've heard of Leadville before with regard to the Leadville Trail 100. I thought to myself, “how hard could it be? I've already done longer runs”. I guess I have a knack for underestimating things or over estimating myself.
Allison and I arrived in Leadville a day and half before the race started to try and get acclimated to the altitude. Please bear in mind that living in Kansas City (800 feet above sea level) doesn't afford me the opportunity to do much altitude training. My adventure race teammate, Shane also decided to this marathon. He and I decided to do a short warm up run on Friday while exploring part of the course. We quickly realized the race was going to hurt more than we thought, but hey, I love challenging adventures right? So instead of fearing the potential pain, I embraced it and was looking forward to it.
Leadville is at 10,000 feet elevation and this marathon course would take us up to the top of Mosquito Pass at 13,200 feet elevation, with lots more big ups and downs in between. This was a very well organized and supported race and about 360 people participated in it or the Heavy Half Marathon. We began promptly at 8 am on the road leading up into the mountains. The first and last ¾ of a mile contains the only asphalt that you encounter during this run. The rest is all dirt and rock with much of it being gravel roads and some of it being single track. Getting into a regular rhythm is almost impossible during this race due to the constantly changing incline. The first 3.2 miles is all up hill with only a short respite of downhill after the first aide station. After the short downhill, we resumed climbing which lead us above the timberline, through some snow patches, and around Ball Mountain. Coming down from Ball Mountain there was quite a bit of downhill, (approximately 4.3 miles) and even though this gave your hamstrings and calves some rest, the downhill exhaust your quads. After another aide station, we began the long and torturous climb up Mosiqito Pass. At the base of Mosiqito Pass, a fellow runner told me his Garmin was reading 11,100 feet elevation. This meant that over the next 3.1 miles, we would be gaining about 2,100 feet of elevation, it felt like 5,000. Although the scenery was breathtaking, the switchbacks up the side of the mountain seemed endless and the footing on the trail was not entirely stable. The higher we got, the temperture kept dropping causing me to put on gloves and a hat. I had also brought a light weight Go-Lite top just in case the weather got really bad. Near the summit of Mosiqito Pass to say that breathing was labored would be an understatement. I couldn't get enough air to keep my brain happy much less my screaming and exhausted muscles. The peak of Mosiqito Pass was the halfway/turnaround point of the marathon, so I knew what I had to look forward to for the rest of the run. More climbing for a downhill finish. A few times during the run I actually got very lightheaded but I never got dizzy so I was able to push through it. After downing three gels already, I decided my body needed somethimg more substantial to get me through this run, so at the aide station at the base of Mosiqito Pass, I shoved down a half of a banana and continued on. It was right after this (between mile 16 & 17) that I started really hurting. The balls of my feet were getting tenderized from all the sharp rocks on the downhills and turning my legs over step after step was getting harder and harder due to the lack of oxygen to use whatever energy I may have had in my body. Between miles 18 and 22, I just wanted to sit down or lie down and wait for some other runners to come along and encourage me. I never did though because I knew that stopping would probably end up being more than just temporary. During the run, I was able to slow down enough several times to take some pictures of the beautiful scenery. After reaching the last aid station, I knew that I just had a 3.4 mile downhill run remaining to the finish. Even though I love the fun downhill stuff, every step of this last part was painful. Although I am going to loose the toenail on my second toe of my right foot (again), I didn't get any blisters. The last ¾ of a mile on the pavement to the finish hurt worse than the trails (stupid asphalt) but no matter how bad I wanted to, I couldn't walk it, I had to finish strong. So to the cheers of my favorite cheerleader (my wife), I strided across the finish line full of pride. Mentally, this was very challenging and physically it was one of the hardest things I've ever done, but I'm glad I did it and would recommend it to anyone.
While out there, Shane and I got the chance to do some biking. That was a lot of fun. Dinner at Wynkoop's brewery was excellent as was their beer. We also took the families to see a Colorado Rockies Game on July 4th. It had an hour and a half rain delay but after the rain, the Rockies finished beating the SF Giants and then we got to see one of the best fireworks shows I've ever been to! All in all, it was a very fun trip.