The Canyons 100km was a really awesome event and challenge, a challenge I failed to complete.  But there is so much good to take away from my effort that I cant even be mad.  I have a ton more to workout in the glitch department and maybe even the pacing department, but damn I had a great time, felt great and even as my body unraveled I had a great time.   Dont take this like I gave up.  I was suffering, in a world of hurt and I am fairly certain my body was performing some sort of triage as to what parts of my body were getting plasma delivery and what wasnt.  Yup, my body went from cruising to shutting down.  I tried for about 12 to 16 miles to redirect things, hoping things would turn around, but by the time I got down to Rucka Chucky I knew it was over.  I had to earn the drop, with a bonus 2+ mile 2k vert gain hike out to drivers flat.  I guess that is fair.  Wait, did I go right to the end?  I did, so lets back it up

Heading into the Canyons 100km I had a mixed bag of emotions.  I couldnt settle on a goal or strategy.  My wish washy feelings were in large part to a few things.  I have been running “fast” for me for the last 5 months or so, and that “fast” feels so normal.  My climbing has been incredible, I always enjoy a good grind, but when it comes easy and you put some pace to it….that effort becomes euphoric.  But, my endurance was lacking.  Because of my early season race and recovery schedule, I just didnt have a good time frame to build in that time on the feet one most likely needed to be successful past 50km.  So processing those 3 pieces of data in my little head pretty much left me with no agenda.  (I am laughing out loud as I type that)  The week of the race I came to peace with the fact that i was running well, I have had good training, good rest, but my body was a little beat up and talking to me a bit and that this race was going to be an exploration of the 100km distance.

Gear selection

Camping set up was nice

lucky #278?

I guess this is the part where people who have tons of experience shake their heads at me or call me Icarus.  I really have no interest in “just finishing”  a race.  Of course we all sometimes “just finish”  but I cannot go into a race with that midset….just has no appeal to me…so I end up running in the moment and by feel with an overview of the entire race.  Sometimes that works out and sometimes it doesnt.

More head shaking coming…. I know you are not supposed to think this, but the first 50km of my race went great and I enjoyed every step.  I was super comfortable.  Breathing though my nose.  Fueling and Hydrating.  Just really enjoying the course as dawn turned to daylight and the birds started singing.  Seriously I had the 2nd most surreal moment of my life right before dawn listening to the birds in the lush, green undulating section of the Western States Trail.  I Would not trade that moment in for much.  Even though I was extremely comfortable and having a blast, I was questioning my effort, based solely on the fact that I was running in some very fast company..and some of them were already suffering.  I actually spoke with Adam Kimble climbing out of Michigan Bluff about it (he was slow due to a flared up injury)  and I think he was a shocked that I was up at the business end as I was.  Prior to running with Adam, I was with Ryan Weibel, Legend runner and class act human.  We chatted a bit and he told me that I looked good and was crushing, again, I think he was surprised to see my up there too.  I guess I should have slowed my roll with Ryan, because that stud finished 10th overall!

Anyway, down to Foresthill to meet my crew.

Replenish and roll out.  John McGee was my crew and we had the swap over dialed.  I hadnt looked at my watch all day, but I spied the start line clock and saw that I was in the 1/2 way mark at 4:44:xx. Hmmm, that was a lot faster than I had imagined (based on what?  I dont know)  But, like Icarus, I was stoked to be so close to the sun.  Speaking of sun, the cool temps of the morning were creeping higher and higher as we left Foresthill to Cal1.

Off I went, As soon as I got back on the Dirt and heading down my quads were talking to me.  I brushed it off, thought I was stiff form the stop at Foresthill and to back off a bit.  I had plenty of time seeing that the front half was pretty quick.  I never felt any better in the 4 plus miles to Cal1.  In fact my knees started to ache.  Uggg, running downhill with sore quads and aching knees sucks.  When I got to Cal1, the great folks there helped me top off and I got moving, but I was not running normal now.  I was compensating for my leg pains….I thought to myself,  try stretching your quads before you cant (you know, when you go to stretch your quad and your hamstring locks up….) So I stopped to stretch.  At this pause, nausea blanketed my body and I puked violently.  I am sure I woke some people up.  Soldier on I told myself, just a low point, things will improve.  Lets get some water in your stomach and hop in a creek.  All of these things I did before the next aid.  Still nothing improved.  The Donner Party Mountain Runners were operating this station.  These folks were so kind, trying to get me to eat something.  One lady who was dressed like she was in the Donner Party seemed very concerned and really wanted me to eat something…I was not going to eat, and I joked with her asking if you was going to eat me?  (Donner party Joke)

Again, I took off and headed out hoping things would turn around.  I got caught by a runner who was hauling the mail, he asked if I was ok and I said I am fine and to keep trucking ( I was in awe of how fast he was going haha)  Then Ryan Weibel caught me, asked me how things were going and told me to get in a creek.  He even stayed with me to make sure I could get out! haha.  Go man go!  I told him.  This is pretty much how it went all the way to Rucka Chucky.  I kept hoping things would get better…I kept puking and hobbling along and runners kept asking me if I was ok as they whizzed by me.

I had a fear that I would be dropping at the turn around.  No calories in for 16 miles, just water and everything was barfed out.  Legs were done, head was spinning, vision was not its best.  I sat at the turn around for 20 min, but I was only figuring out how to hike out to Drivers Flat.  And hike out with John McGee is what I did.  It was slow and it hurt, but I didnt want to hike 16 miles back to Foresthill in my condition.  I have NO regrets.  I had a blast and I am looking forward to trying the 100km distance again in July.

So now to figure out how to fix the systems that failed.  Maybe back away from the sun a bit…work on nutrition…work on well that next one.

About 4 weeks have past since my last race up in Washington State. Since then I have had low volume training weeks…sort of recover and taper with a few openers.  To be honest, I was a bit worried about the “lack” of training heading into the FOURmidable 50km on 2/16 but within 2 min of warming up Saturday morning, I knew I was in for a good day.    And to kick things off, my Dad surprised me at the start!  crazy

The race starts at Auburn Overlook Park and the weather was wet and cold.  Conditions wanted to snow as I sat in the van trying to decide what to wear.  The radio repeated flood warnings and swollen creeks for the area… that sort of got me fired up.  I know that when the weather is bad, a good % of the people racing kind of quit before they start.  So I wanted to put the inclement weather on my lists of things to be pumped about.   No joke, it was cold and wet and there were several creek crossings to deal with, so gear choice was super important.  Hypothermia is real.  Burning more calories because you are freezing is real.  But getting too hot can be just as troubling.

What I went with:

shoes: Altra Timps 1.5s.  Pretty much a fresh pair, had about 25 miles on them prior to the start.  They were perfect.  Great traction on a very slippery day and good cushion for all the rocky terrain.

Hydration:  I wore my UltrAspire waist pack and carried 1 300ml soft flask which was full with 250 liquid calories.  (I carried a 2nd flask in hand with the same amount of calories)

Food:  In addition to the 500 calories in my soft flasks I ate GU Chews.

Anti Chafe:  Donkey Label Chamois Balm.  it is just that good.

Shorts: Yes I wore shorts; I went with the RUHN 6″ compression short

Top:  Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship Patagonia Capilene Long sleeve  (and I actually started with my rain shell on which I stuffed in my waist pack within 3 miles.)

Accessories:  Altra Red Team Neck buff like thing.  DeFeet Gloves.  McGovern Cycles floral do anything hat.

The race is held on fairly familiar trails to me as I think I have raced on almost all of the course before in other races before… but the course is Stacked with 4 major climbs.

Check the profile in the starva link, https://www.strava.com/activities/2153925472

The start is always a little faster than you want, and with some wide open steep downhill pavement before you enter single track, everyone is trying to get in good position.  No scrum like a cyclocross race… but pace pretty much self selects .  I have learned not to run above your pay grade in the opening miles.  I was in the top 20, right with the “predicted” winner for my age group.  “interesting” I thought…the guy is right here.  I tried not to think about racing, as we were less than 2 miles in to a 30+ mile race….”just do your thing”  I told myself.

As we entered the first bit of single track, which led to the first climb called Cardiac Hill I noticed the gentleman in my age group wanted to race.  He kept looking around and testing things….. “so early” I thought.  As we hit the first steep pitch he started hiking, I ran by him and put time into him right away.  “huh, I didnt really lift the pace…noted, he might not climb well”  Seeing that it was pretty early I eased off over the top and let the guy come back to me.  He hit out right away down this path to pavement section and he was trucking.  I went after him a bit, but then hesitated and settled into my groove.  I took my jacket off and packed it away (on the run) all the while I could see the age group competitor looking back all the time.  “ok, he is fast on the flats and is trying to drop you, keep him in your sights and stay calm” I said to myself.  And that is what I did.  In the next few miles, we ran apart from each other, but as soon as we hit a single track downhill, I was right back to him.  “hmmmm, I seem to be descending better than him too” .  all the way to no hands bridge I let him waste his energy drilling it in every flatish run section…only to bring him back.  At the aid station at No Hands, he stopped…I turned up Western States to Training hill.  I hit the bottom of Training hill (K2) alone and I ran it.  Then I cruised the rollers up top and the gentleman chased back.  Right as we started the chuncky Descent to Knickerbocker creek I let it fly.  I was having so much fun, I didnt really realize he was gone.  I crossed the creek and put my head down.

From here on out I pushed.  Originally I was going to wait until the 3rd climb to get after it, but things got rolling a little early.  I focused in on myself.  Fueling, good mechanics, positive self talk.  As I climbed out of the Quarry, I started to catch “Open” runners.  this motivated me, but I knew the loop part over in Cool is hard and sloppy so I checked myself.  I topped off at the aid station before we ran what I think is basically the Olmstead Loop, and indeed it was tricky and sloppy.  I caught a few runners in this section and just stayed focused on not flailing.  Exiting that loop, I saw Bob Dickenson, “you are top 15, top 10 is just ahead”  I gave him a high 5 and started my charge.  From here you start running this sloppy double track heading back to Western States Trail.  Once on Western States it gets sort of technical and rocky in spots.  You have to be very agile to run it fast.  I caught a few more dudes and I thought I had to be in the top 10 now….But oddly all I cared about was distancing my age group competitor.  Push push push.  Now is when you really need to be very uncomfortable.

My body was starting to talk to me.  My feet had been numb from all the water crossings and that was weird, but then they starting to thaw and that sucked….It felt like i had pieces of 1/2″ dowel in my shoes.  “dont think about your feet, they are just thawing out…nothing is wrong” I repeated.

Down to no hands bridge quickly and safely. I was essentially in the  final stretch… but I couldnt remember if it was 8 miles or 4?  I couldnt remember…. “who cares how far it is, just keep pushing keep eating, keep grinding”  I actually started thinking about the sort of endurance a guy like Tommy Caldwell must have, and that made me smile.  “there is always more to give” today was my “elective hardship”.  I clawed my way up and over the trail to get to the last climb back to overlook. ” 3/4 of a mile to go” a guy told me.  I hiked hard as this last section was steeeeeep.  some more folks appeared, cheering, wanting more out of me.  I started to run again and I gave it one more push to the line.  I was so satisfied with myself right away…that never happens.  My Dad was there to greet me and the official said, you are the first Master…and top 10, great job.  So satisfied.  My Dads look just said, “wow that is impressive, but you are nuts”  My Dad and I made our way back to the van stopping briefly to talk to Ryan Ghelfi.  I got changed, got some water and some Floyd’s of Leadville Recovery mix in me and assessed what was sore and went to awards. 

Twas a good day.  Now on to recovery. Lots of Sleep and Floyd’s of Leadville CBD #relaxandrecovery product.   50mg CBD capsule before bed and recovery balm all over my hamstrings and quads.

2 weeks easing back into things before we start the next big build up.  The Canyons Endurance 100km is on tap next, end of April

Dan, Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions.  Thanks for making some of my gear. I hope we get to share some trail soon!

here is a bonus interview about Dan from a few years ago:

https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-live-off-the-grid-debt-free-dan-timmerman-profile-2016-3

Who would drive 12 hours into the wet South Sound area of the Pacific North West in January to run 50kms?  THIS GUY.

Training has been going pretty well, but I have been getting super antsy to race, so making the journey up north was easy and took little to no convincing to drive on up there.  Some other motivational factors….I stopped in Ashland, OR and got to visit with my coach, Brett Horning for a bit.  While in Ashland I also got to drop off a finished frame with my painter, John Slawta, In addition I went by United Bicycle Institute to show them the “Drive Thur”.  To make the pit stop even better, I had a quick early dinner at Standing Stone Brewery before heading further north. My in-laws also live in Olympia, WA and are less than 5 miles from the start line…..sooooooo easy peasy.

After leaving Ashland, I thought I would go to Eugene or Albany, but I ended up driving all the way to Olympia. The miles just were rolling by and I arrived just after midnight.  I figured, I could sleep in, get a nice run in and just chill for a whole day before the Capitol Peak 50km. Things totally went to plan, I even connected with Bernard at LBA park for a quick hello and stroll.  All day was just chill, 2 things I got accomplished were, getting a discovery pass and a burrito from the west side taco truck.  WEST SIDE! At the risk of being rude, I turned in pretty early, about 7 P.M.

The 7 P.M. bed time made great sense, because of the 5 am wake up.  Coffee was made, and egg was fried and out the door I went to the start.  Massive drive…haha 4.4 miles to the start.  I was there pretty early and grabbed a good spot to park…then I sat in my van and selected my gear.  It was cold, about 30 deg and high humidity.  So, I figured it WAS going to rain and very well MIGHT snow.  So,  I went Boy Scout with my gear selection

Shoes: Altra Timp 1.5s.  I had with my the Lone Peak 4s and also the MT king 1.5s.  I have been enjoying all of these shoes in training, but decided to go with the Timps.  Glad I did, they were great and I never thought about my feet all day.

Altra Timp 1.5s, such a wonderful shoe

Hat:  The McGovern Cycles floral hat, it was awesome and I got many comments during the race, “cool hat”. http://www.mcgoverncycles.com/shop/  they should see me at the grocery store….it’s a do everything hat

clothes:  Altra 2.0 trail short. TNF Flash Dry long sleeve shirt.  Socks, swiftwick Vision 5

Hydration:  Carried an UltrAspire 300ml soft flask in hand and one in my UltrAspire waits pack with another 300ml soft flask tucked.  the waist band was awesome.  I was also able to roll up and carry my jacket that I started in and lash it to the waist pack.  It stayed put and I never had any issues with it.  Really happy about it.

I also ran with DeFeet gloves.  i never took them off and I was happy I had them.  I also had a neck “buff” on around my neck and one on my wrist.  The pic below shows the set up

I call this look, “trail kook”

The Race.  If you have not run in the Capitol Forest I highly recommend it.  The trails are super fun and varied.  For a place that is so wet, I was really surprised what great shape the trails were in.  The route essentially goes up for the first half of the race and essentially down for the second half, this is over simplified…so check the strava link

https://www.strava.com/activities/2089974857

quick shout out to the Friends of the Capitol Forest, https://www.friendsofcapitolforest.org/ the trails were so rad, I will be back with a bike!

The Oly Trail Runners for putting on this awesome event. 16th year?  is that right? http://www.olytrailrunners.com/

The start line was a mix of 25 km and 50km folks, so of course we took off really fast.  About 3 miles in, I started to think, “you know, you should slow down a bit…no one around you has any water bottles with them”  I figured that if you were running the 50km, you had to have started with some source of water….with this logic, I backed off a touch and just settled in.  My assumption was correct, as I did the head count of turn arounds at the first aid station (25km turn around) and I figured out I was leading the 50km.  Having a blast, I stopped, filled up a flask and proceeded up.  The legs were totally happy grinding away and rolling hard off the top of everything.  This is the groove I found and stuck to.  It was really cool to be running through this dense dark forest on these really cool trails and then pop out into a clear cut and have all this light and this interesting line twisting across it before disappearing back into the heavy woods.  The miles just clicked off.  As I neared the summit, I was looking for the 2nd aid station,  it wasnt there, and I thought, maybe it was on top of the peak (there was a small loop at the top of the course) so I continued on, looking for, but not needing the aid station.  I topped out but still no aid station.  Weird!  ok, keep on running.  after topping out, I also Lapped out and there was the aid station.  I just beat it to the top. Ha! All good though, like I said, I didnt need it.  The folks manning the station apologized and made sure I was all good…..”all good, Thanks!”  and I started running hard back down.  The down was soooo fun, in between greeting every runner on their way up, I was making moto noises…it was that much fun.  Again these miles just ticked off.  I got the last aid station and again topped off the flasks.  Everyone was really shocked I was there so soon.  To be honest, I had not looked at the watch all day and it was at this point I realized I could go under 4 hours.  That got me super excited.   I was roughly about 12km from the finish.  The trail was getting muddy and slick and it was the first time all day I started to worry about a time, or not going fast enough.  I tried to keep these thoughts at bay and just run.  move your feet, look for tacky ground move and smile.  I was having so much fun all day, why let time or pace ruin that?  In fact a thought struck me……. why would I or anyone want to exchange a present moment for the possible outcome in the future.  meaning stay right where you are mentally and enjoy,  dont fret over the future.  That thought just lightened me.  As I got closer to the campground for the finish I saw my buddy Bernard. He ran the 25km and waited for me to finish.  I was so happy to see him, and I couldnt wait to share stories from the trail with him…I was also lucky enough to go grab a killer lunch with him afterwards…we were lounging hard in that restaurant, haha.

Happy and headed to the finsih

3:53:22 was my official time.  New course record and my fastest 50km to date.  I am very happy with how I felt, I was able to push the whole race, I never got ahead of myself and never had to back way off.  I just kept the governor right where it needed to be…I kept fueling, stayed warm ad stayed positive.

So now the hard part, I have to recover.  (12 hour drive home Sunday sucked) I will have FOMO while not logging big training this week ad next.  Then I will will worry about my fitness for my next race 2/16, the FOURmidable 50km.  I have to believe it will all be ok.    Because win, lose or draw it will be ok.  Especially with my #relaxandrecover strategy from Floyd’s of Leadville

Super grateful for having the ability to move through the Capitol Forest and share all that energy with everyone out there.  Thanks!

be sure to check out

http://www.altrarunning.com

http://www.ultraspire.com

http://www.floydsofleadville.com

http://www.timmermade.com

http://www.sierratrails.org

http://www.mcgoverncycles.com/shop/

Continue reading →

I had the opportunity to talk with the good People at Floyd’s of Leadville.  Excited to work with this company.  I think that their CBD products will be a great tool in my recovery as I continue to chase my goals.  Thankful for their support.  Click the link to read the conversation

https://floydsofleadville.com/meet-former-pro-cyclist-turned-ultrarunner-chris-mcgovern

Heads up 2019 I am coming at you like a McGovern crossing a creek! 

BAM!  (is that still a thing?)  2018 is all wrapped up and we are into the New Year.  Some newness comes with 2019 for me, but I wont be setting any resolutions.  I will just be going hard at every moment of every day all year, nothing new there.  Here is some News though, My  support network has grown and for that I am truly grateful.  Not only am I grateful, but extremely lucky.  All of the companies I am associating with are exceptional at what they do and it is a pleasure to be on their teams.  So Who are they?

First and Foremost has got to be Altra.  This will be my 5th year using Altra gear and my 4th year on their team.  The story of this company is simply inspiring but the shoes are top notch and will change you.  Yes, your feet will change, your proprioception will change and your whole chain will change.  Pretty much everything Altra makes is awesome so if you need a pair of shorts or a top…dont be affraid they are MAGIC.  check them out, http://www.altrarunning.com

Next up, Ultraspire.  Ultraspire makes packs, hydration and lighting solutions for adventure.  What is really cool to me is that I have been buying and using their products for about 4 years.  And now I get to be a part of their team.  I love the design, the materials, the construction, the fit just about everything about their products.  You just cant go wrong with Ultraspire.  Truth.  http://www.ultraspire.com  The folks that work their are just so dang nice too!

Another new relationship I have for 2019 is with Floyd’s of Leadville.  I have been using 4 or 5 different CBD based products from Floyd’s and really happy with the results.  Relax and Recover is their motto and I would say that is spot on.  Using the CBD capsules, recovery mix and balm for recovery has been really good.  My sleep has improved as well…there is also a Hydration mix I have been using.  I enjoy the taste, I dont get the sugar sweaters on my teeth and it doesnt upset my stomach. win win.  Very pleased to be adding Floyd’s of Leadville product to my arsenal.  http://www.floydsofleadville.com  be sure to read up about CBDs.  this isnt THC and CBD is really good for inflammation and recovery.

Another new company I get to share with you is Timmermade.  Dan Timmerman is a retired professional cyclist making jackets and sleep systems (and some other things) by hand, from a yurt, off the grid.  I absolutely love supporting Timmermade.  The gear is top notch, custom fit and designed for specific purpose.  I am all kitted up with ultra light weight stuff for some fastpacking and staying warm.  http://www.timmermade.com  .  Custom, quality, quick turn, environmentally sound and you talk to the 1 guy making your piece.  SO proud to support Dan and his efforts.  check out the website.  http://www.timmermade.com

The last new partner is sort of still coming together, but is with an organization I have worked on several project with in the past, am a member and respect the bejubus out of,  The Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship.  My first trail race I ever did was pretty much an off the couch 50km SBTS put on in the Lost Sierra.  I just did it to support the Stewardship.  It was one of the hardest experiences of my life but also one of the best!  The effort SBTS and their volunteers put forth for that event was incredible.  It was that effort that got my butt in gear for running, and also finding creative ways to help SBTS grow.  I brought the concept of the Lost and Found gravel race to Greg Williams and along with some other amazing folks, we hashed out a course, got a permit and put on a beautiful race…which is now one of the premier gravel events in the world.  After that I enlisted a band of brothers ( a group of frame builders and a communications magician) and we started #buildersforbuilders. where each builder built and raffled a custom Lost and Found themed bikes.  with the Help of SRAM, ENVE, WTB and the Pro’s Closet, we raised over $50,000.00 for the SBTS.  that was awesome.  So what will can I do now?  I am going to try to represent the Stewardship and their mission to the trail running community.  Encourage membership and participation from this awesome and growing user group.  Like I said, this is just starting to brew and I should have a better idea soon of what I am officially,  but whatever it is that Greg has me do,  I am excited to be doing it.  Check out the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship.  see what they are all about.  Join.  You might be surprised to see all they do.  Downieville Classic, Lost and Found, Grinduro (and the tripple crown) not to mention build and maintain a vast expanse of multi user trails, create jobs, save old logging towns with recreation, they also have a really good time doing it(I am missing a bunch stuff they do here….)  just  JOIN!  http://www.sierratrails.org

Okay, Those are the intros of my team for this coming year.  I plan to stay healthy and happy in 2019 and push my mind and body past what I once thought possible.  I try to keep things up to date here, so follow along or on the social media.  Its going to be a great season.. Thanks for all the love!

My Race Schedule:

1/19/19 Capitol Forest 25km Olympia, Wa

2/16/19 Fourmidable 50km Auburn, Ca

4/27/19 The Canyons 100km Foresthill, Ca

7/13/19 Siskiyou Out and Back (S.O.B.) Ashland, Or

8/24/19 Castle Peak 100km Truckee, Ca

I also plan on some other adventures here and there which I will update as well.

OK, lets get after 2019.  No time like right now!  GO!

I have not been very good about updating the blog during the Fall…which isnt all too strange as I travel a ton as a coach / mechanic for the Santa Cruz / Donkey Label cyclocross team.  I have done a really good job of staying consistent with my running while out on the road.  No matter how bad the running was, I got it in and knocked off a bunch of 60 mile weeks.   Sad news is, the star rider of the program, Tobin Ortenblad , http://www.tobinortenblad.com crashed and broke his clavicle about 10 days ago…so the season came to an abrupt stop.  No traveling and running at home is nice, but one of my jobs is to be out there on the road this time of year.  These things happen of course, I am actually surprised I wasnt better prepared for such a scenario, but we live and we learn.  I have made the most of being home though.

One thing I have been able to nail down is my race schedule for 2019.  Last year, I made gains, raced longer races, but never really walked away from a race really satisfied.  I have spend a lot of time thinking about this…from a lot of different angles and at the end of the day, I have no answer.  So what the hell, I will up the ante for 2019. Here is my proposed (registered for) schedule

1/19/19 Capitol Forest 25km Olympia, Wa

2/16/19 Fourmidable 50km Auburn, Ca

4/27/19 The Canyons 100km Foresthill, Ca

7/13/19 Siskiyou Out and Back (S.O.B.) Ashland, Or

8/24/19 Castle Peak 100km Truckee, Ca

Its a packed calendar with 3, 100kms. Some may submit that there isnt enough time in between S.O.B. and Castle Peak…but I think I have a plan for that.  which will consist of recovery, hiking and sleeping with some running sprinkled  on top.  We shall see if I can carry the fitness from the season and float it to Castle Peak.  The biggest challenge will be to remain balance with family, work and play all the while staying healthy.  I like it on paper.  I feel good about it.  I am going with it….curious to hear what coach Brett says.

Also, new for 2019 I will have a some product support from UltraSpire. http://www.ultraspire.com .  This is pretty awesome to me, because I already exclusively use their products.  Excited to be on board with them.  Check them out.

Altra,  I will find out around the 1st of the year if I will be asked back to the Altra Red Team.  I sure hope so.  http://www.altrarunning.com their shoes and now clothing are second to none in my opinion.

Ok, that is about it from me…get out there…there is snow up the hill and great trails all around

oh, if you are on Strava, give me a follow and I will follow back…love to see what everyone is up to

https://www.strava.com/athletes/466396

Back to the blog and back to running after Tahoe Rim Trail .

I only took 4 days off after TRT because I felt so good and I wanted to go get up in the high country and enjoy the mountain trails.  With my coach / manager / wrench duties for the fall and winter fast approaching I really wanted to get some good fun runs in.

So for this post I thought I would Revisit 2 pieces of gear that I reviewed earlier.  I want to give my initial impressions of the new Altra Lone Peak 4.0 (I have about 150 miles on a pair) and share some pics from my fun runs and talk about what I am doing with training and nutrition heading towards my goals of next year.

Shall We revisit some gear first?

A few blog posts back I did a big short review which included, https://www.altrarunning.com/men/trail-short-20

I gave the short pretty high marks, but for 2 reasons gave the other new Altra running short, https://www.altrarunning.com/men/performance-short-20 slightly higher marks.

after many many miles and some racing , I have to flip flop and promote the trail short to my new favorite….but it took a little tweaking. Out of the box I wanted 2 things different.  The leg stitch on the liner was a bit too tight for me, and the “split” seemed too short if not just down right cosmetic.  so…..I noticed that the split actually had a stitched tack in the middle of the split seam, so I removed the tack and opened it up, now its awesome!

The 

The next item was the liner leg stitch was really tight on my thigh…it worked itself out…and I think its going to be ok.  you can see that the stitching has popped…i guess I have big thighs?  at any rate, they feel better now, as long as they dont fall apart.  I still prefer a brief but this short is awesome

Next Item that, with a heavy heart I gave a poor review.  The UltrAspire fitted race belt, https://ultraspire.com/products/fitted-waist-belt/

you can scroll back a few posts to read that review

I most likely would have just written this item off for my kit, but Tina from UltrAspire emailed me to follow up with my poor review.  After a little back and forth, Tina was convinced I just had the wrong size, and she sent me a different one.  Upon receiving the new size, I loaded it up and took it out for a run.  The thing freaking worked like a charm! Now I can say that UltrAspire products are batting 1000 with me.  ( I have 4 packs, waist belt, and 3 handhelds)

I use a 350ml flask in the back.  Keys, cell phone up front and the gear loops work awesome if you need to shed and carry layers.  Jackpot!

Now this waist belt is on me pretty much every run under 90 min.  So pumped on it.  A big thanks for the awesome customer service.  I love this thing!

Ok, on to the new Altra Lone Peak 4.0,  https://www.altrarunning.com/men/lone-peak-4

I am a big Lone Peak from from the 2.5 forward….I have always been able to make these shoes work really well for me.  Whether its getting the leather punch out and changing the lacing pattern, sizing down to prevent too much upper stretch or coming up with some unique lacing, the Lone Peaks have always been super reliable for me.  My only small beef with the LPs have been the mileage.  I cant get over 300 miles on them before the out sole breaks down enough (because of my poor mechanics) for me to have to retire them. You can see in the following pics the wear from my supination (transverse tib/fib fracture when I was young…) and I feel like the traction is not that great laterally.  Fore and aft is acceptable, but nothing super special. But running down, bounding into a loose apex of a switchback…?  no way I would do it without looking for something like a rock or root to create traction, Just dont have confidence in dynamic situations in the the older versions

So I am eager to see how the Lone Peak 4.0s wear in comparison with the new out sole compound…so far so good at 150 miles

Let me just say this, the Lone Peak 4.0 out of the box is good to go for me.  The fit, the lacing are on point, no alterations required.  my feet are sooooooo happy!   The new upper fits like a glove and is way cooler than the 3 and 3.5.  havent had any sweat stains on the long hot runs on the 4.0s.  The out sole on the 4.0 has a new compound and the “Trail Claw”  The combo of the 2 have made up for the lack luster traction in all directions / conditions so far for me…..i have been running on mostly dry trails, but there has been some mud.  big thumbs up so far for me!  Like I said, I only have 150 miles on them, so I will report back with a more long term review.  But so far, they are the best shoe I have ever run in.

With all the gear stuff out of the way…..what have I been up to?  And where am I headed with this running thing?

With my racing season closing after the Tahoe Rim Trail at the end of July I spent the month filling up my soul running up in the mountains, getting a bunch of work done and dreaming up my goals for next year.

While running around the foothills and the mountains of the Sierra Nevada I have had a lot of time to reflect on this past year.  All in all I am super happy. I have had a great year and really enjoyed all the work we (Brett Horning) and I have accomplished.  I am so excited to set goals for next year that are a bit bigger than what I experienced this year.

I am not 100% sure of all my racing next year, but 100km distance is going to be my next bump and The Canyons 100km is going to be my primary spring objective.  What will we do between now and then training and racing wise is really up to Brett, but I have some thoughts on what I need to expand on and be better at.  One thing I never nailed was fueling in the 50 mile distance.  Late this summer I decided to take a serious crack at getting into Ketosis and striving for figuring out the LCHF training and racing plan.  I have dabbled with OFM and the such before, but in a pretty non disciplined way…I know it works, but now I am on it in a big way and really doing the field work to refine it and see if this is going to work for me in the longer races.  I have had a ton of help from Peter Defty of Vespa Power, and learned a lot from Jeff Browning and his experiences. But this go round, I have my chief accountability officer, Tiana Rockwell of http://www.trirealfood.com/ .  things have been pretty good, been a rough patch here and there…and now out on the road has been really tricky.  But I am committed to the experiment.

What else?  Well, I will be traveling a ton between now and middle December which means I have to go find places to run “out on the road”  Right now I am out in Rochester NY enjoying short runs in the area, Mendon Pond Park is my favorite

That is about all I have for now.  I think for the next time I will compile a bit of travel trail and report back!

Thanks for reading.

I had a great time at #TRT50 and learned a lot.  Not only did I learn a ton, but I was able to manage myself and make positive adjustments all day.  That aspect of my day is not  reflected in a time or placing… But I will give myself an B+, always room to improve.  Ok, before I go into the race report I need to do some thanking

A big thanks to my friends Todd Hennings and Erica Sonnenberg.  They let me crash at their house and we car pooled to the race.  Did I mention Todd and Erica both raced the 50 miler too…..?  Yup, they did.  Power family.

Then my Crew!  I was lucky enough to have my wife Hollie and our dear friend Kate Flore crew for me as you can tell from the pictures, they were amazing

the spread

yes, Hollie was using Jedi mind tricks on me

Hollie and Kate

As if my support crew wasnt perfect enough, much to my surprise Tiana Rockwell and Jim Pelton were at the finish line to say hey.  They got a little more than they bargained for as I was a little barfy after the race and a little spun…I must say that was super cool to see them.  Sorry for the barfing……

I also need to thank the good folks at Altra Running for not only the amazing shoes but the perfect singlet and running short…I will recap my gear in a bit

Last but not least, Brett Horning of Trails and Tarmac.   I feel like I keep this guy on his toes as a coach…sorry for that, I try not to be high maintenance but I most likely am a pain in the ass…I feel grateful for Brett’s help with my training, accountability to the training, but also his experience and knowledge.  I dont think I tell him thank you enough…

Ok, on to the stats and gear:

The TRT 50 is:

50 miles, roughly 9000′ vert on some really nice decomposed granite trails (mostly Tahoe Rim Trail) and most of the course is over looking Lake Tahoe.  Its pretty amazing.

Gear:

Altra Lone Peak 3.5 shoes, Altra Red Team singlet, Altra Performance 2.0 short.  Drymax thin crew, Ultraspire Momentum race vest.  everything worked out really well.

To the race recap:

Race day !  We woke up about 3:45 am and I was happy to be greeted by Todd and Erica…..and Coffee!  I ate some sweet potato hash brows and a fried egg, loaded the van and we blasted off by 4:30.  The drive over to Spooner pass was easy and we found a great spot to park.  No Stress morning.  Check in was easy, number pinned, vest loaded and secured on my torso and we were off.

The opening miles of this race were the only miles I wanted to “position” myself well for because you head into single track really soon and are on it for about 4 miles.  Mission accomplished and I settled in with a good little group of runners (some where doing the 55km) so I had to remind myself that I was running the 50 mile and not to “race” anyone.  The next 18 miles went great: Hobart, Tunnel Creek, Red House and Bull wheel Aid stations just flew by.  I made sure to be eating and drinking and not to be in a big hurry at aid stations.  finish the bottles, top off and head out.  That was working  great for me.  Miles were flying by and I was enjoying myself and the other runners.

Heading out of Red House the group I was with thinned as we went back up to Tunnel Creek, I was now just with one of the original single track posse.  We were in the top 6 of the 50 milers and running well together. As we started over towards the Tyrolean village section, I started to notice that my new buddy was running strong and he kept testing things.  Carrying more momentum up and over little hills or letting it go a bit more on the downhills….I started to get “race brain”  and was concerned about matching his efforts…and it didnt feel awesome.  Instead of running myslef into the ground, I just backed off and let him do his thing and I stuck to my plan.  Eat, drink and move forward in a stable manner and get down to the crew at mile 30 and re evaluate things.  So down to Diamond Peak I went

Mile 30 arrived and I was so happy to see Hollie and Kate.  I knew what I had packed for resupply, but I had no idea the level of positivity and service I was about to receive.

Hollie and Kate sprung into action.  I drank a cold bottle of water right away, emptied my trash, re filled my my vest with calories and swapped out the bottles for ice cold fluids.  Hollie rubbed some anti inflammatory gel on my knees and quads as a “just in case”, Kate prepped the icekerchief and got it on me…then as I was getting ready to roll out I got some knuckles from Kate, 2 big sniffs of peppermint oil and a kiss from Hollie and away I went

The long 2 mile Haul out of Diamond Peak back up to the ridge line.  Was I in direct  heat for 45 min climbing a super steep sandy climb?  Yes, but I actually enjoyed it.  I hiked it and drank 1 liter of water and just took inventory of how the body was feeling. I also marveled at the 2 amazing people and their energy that I just left.  LUCKY DUDE.

Once I topped out it was 2 miles to Bull Wheel again, so I focused on finishing my fluids before then and eating some calories.  Bam bam, I was in and out of there really well and actually felt amazing.  I ran happy for the next 6 to 8 miles. “lets close this thing out!”  At Tunnel creek my Icekerchief got refilled and more cold fluids were added to my bottles…on to Hobart…things are going great!  about a mile outside of Hobart, I decided to get the GU rolling, you know, the rocket fuel for the next 10 miles.

The instant that GU hit my tongue I threw up.  You know the kind of barfing where every muscle in your body contracts and your eyes water as if you had been crying with no control.  Uh oh…. “Ok Dude, get to the next aid station, Hobart and sort things out, just keep moving”  that is what I did.   I had to hike a lot of stuff I should have ran, but I was in a bit of triage mode.  “just keep moving and stay positive, you can fix this” I stayed positive, topped off and ate some water melon and  with just a little slow down in pace, I headed off to Snow Peak, the next aid.

There I was greeted by some very enthusiastic Boy Scouts.  Right on, I thought…they put a smile on my face.  I drank some water and filled my bottles and got moving….something was wrong though.  I puked again.  The water tasted so bad, as if it was 3:1 chlorine to water.  The Boy Scouts, in wanting to “be Prepared” might have over done it on the Chlorine….At any rate, with most of the miles remaining to be at a vertical loss, I committed to moving to the final aid station, 5.3 miles away.  I had most certainly slowed down, and my stomach was unsettled.  I did manage to eat some food, I think I had a pack of honey stinger chews and just kept pressing on.  I really couldnt run how I wanted, I just had to keep backing off and that would be how it was until the end.

Once I arrived at the last aid station I was so happy to get some crisp cold water.  The best water I have ever had.  From there I got myself down to the finish….it was slow going, but going.  Right before The line, I saw Tiana and Jim, that put a smile on my face.  I never expected to see them.

I crossed the line into the finish tent and sat down.  I got a little dizzy and felt a touch sick, but could easily converse with the folks in the tent.  They told me I was 2nd in my age group and 7th over all (actually 8th).  I sat there for a moment…in a daze.  Reflective. Happy.  TRT 50 was in the books and it went pretty well

I have a lot to be happy about.  Great prep and training block.  Healthy mind and body and I felt that I was really able to stay right there mentally every step of the way.  I was not letting past experience map my reactions to feelings, nor did I let the future over ride the present.  I was just right there, moving.  So simple.

I will take a break from racing for a bit now, but I am looking forward to continued growth with my training and I also am going to get a little more serious about my nutrition.  It should be fun!  Rest and relaxation GO!

Thanks for reading.

Shorts Review.  A couple things, I have no idea why the photos wont post correctly. No matter what I do…this is their orientation.  Sorry.

Second, These are my opinions and experiences with these shorts and I might have the most sensitive skin on the face of the planet, so take what I say with that in mind.  In the photos below are the shorts tested,  I will talk about my “GO TO” short and I will talk about the new shorts I found at greater length (not much greater) than the shorts that just went in the “nope” pile….maybe

Altra Performance 2.0

Altra Trail

Patagonia Pro Strider 5″

RaidLight

North Face Barely Naked 5″

Ruhn 6″

La Sportiva Auster

My “GO TO” trail short is the Patagonia Strider pro 5″  Link: https://www.patagonia.com/product/mens-strider-pro-running-shorts-5-inch/24632.html?dwvar_24632_color=VIK&cgid=mens#tile-12=&prefn1=sport&prefv1=trail-running&start=1&sz=36

I like the cut, I like the fit, I like the outside drawstring….the pockets are well thought out and I have used them for running and back packing for about 4 years now.  The fabric does get wet and clingy, when I sweat and I would say they dont really dry out on the run.  But if I have put on the correct amount of anti chafe in the right spots, the wetness isnt a problem.  These shorts have been really good to me.  I have even grown fond of their wacky color options.  I am just tired of black shorts.  That being said, warning….I didnt pee my shorts if you see me out there running in non dark colored shorts… my crotch just sweats that much.  I apologize in advance.  thumbs up, love these, own a lot of them.

Next  I will give you the “Nope” Pile

RaidLight

North Face Barely Naked 5″

Ruhn 6″

La Sportiva Auster

From left to right, top to bottom

The Raid Light Ultralight short,  https://us.raidlight.com/shorts/4896-ultralight-short.html#/

When I first got these I was so hopeful, but a little worried that the length would bug me.  I tend to like a shorter split short, but I wanted to try this 2 in 1 longer short,  in an attempt to see if maybe I was wrong and should abandon the short split trail short style.  I was really stoked at first, these shorts are incredibly light weight and very soft to the touch.  The pockets are good, 2  of the 5 pockets are a little clumsy, but not a deal breaker.  When I put them on I didnt love them, but committed to a 10 mile run in them.  2 things I didnt like:  the draw string is on the inside of the short, this will wear a hole in my stomach for sure.  And second, the outer short is stitched to the longer, inner short down the outside of the leg…so you cant adjust the length of the inner short without bunching up the outer short.  <<< that I dont like.     Out the door I went in these, and they felt good.  Well supported, comfy….huh, maybe I was wrong about the longer shorts…..  but within a couple of miles I realized there was no way I wanted to put these in the “Yes” pile.  The inner short was so hot (it was not a hot day)  my boys were cooking!  I started to sweat like a beast in the nether region and before too long I was wearing a 2 piece soggy short system that was no longer soft or light weight. Soggy diaper came to mind. To the “Nope” pile for me.  I also got some pretty major chafing despite my best efforts and application of anti chafe product.

Next was the North Face Better than Naked 5″, they dont make it anymore, so no link.  This short was very comfortable but very fragile. ( I got an inch long cut from a sticker bush, just running by) The fit and feel are incredible in these shorts minus the fact that the drawstring is on the inside of the waist band.  So why in the “nope” pile.  The fabric and the elastic in the inner brief chafed me horribly.  ***despite my best efforts

The next short is from Ruhn, a Salt Lake City company, a place I hold dear to my heart. Compression style shorts have never appealed to me because I have spent enough of my life wearing tight cycling shorts, I just dont need that anymore….but their claims of Zero Chafing kept me curious.  I ordered a pair of the original short (9″)….they were so long, down to my knee caps….I just never ever ran in them.  I cant handle that for some odd reason, so those just got put in the back of the drawer, not even the “nope” Pile.  I even raced bikes in short shorts

But a few weeks later, they launched a pre order for a 6″ version.  Even though I worried that these might be too revealing for the local trails….I ordered some.  https://www.ruhn.co/mens/ruhn-base-compression-short-20-pc9ma

Ruhn claims a chafe free experience… They go so far as to say  no more anti chafe required products required..sounds promising, count me in on that.  The day they arrived, I put them on and ran out in the living room and asked my wife if it was ok for me to go in public with these shorts….she gave me her blessing and to the trails I went.  Here we go, Chafe free….ready!  Long story short, I went for 18 miles.  There was chafing.  In fact some of the worst I have ever experienced and in some spots I had never had an issue before.  If that werent bad enough, these things got hot and again my boys were cooking!  With the heat, came the sweat and these things got super soggy and heavy.  so….”nope”

OK, the last “nope” for this review makes me a little sad.  I really really like this short.  The cut, the fit, the pockets, the brief, the ventilation..they felt wonderful on in the living room.  Unfortunately the fabrics and the elastic in the brief chafe me badly and incredibly quickly *** regardless of my best efforts.  I want this short to work so bad, I ran in them a week straight (washing them of course) to see if I needed to just toughen up the chafed areas….no luck.  I will keep my eyes out on La Sportiva shorts…I think they are on it with the cut and design, just need to select different fabrics

Last category, the new “yes” pile of my review come from the same company, 2 new shorts from Altra.  Now, I know…  how can I  give a fair review because I am on Altra Red team…But I will tell you this, their shorts I tried last year…….were sooooo bad that I retired them for good and committed to my “Go To” patagonia shorts.  So when these 2 latest versions came out….I figured I would stay true to form and give them a try, but had zero expectations.    I ordered a pair of each, the Performance 2.0 and the Trail 2.0.  Upon receiving the shorts, the “test” was almost over.  I ordered a medium, same in all of the shorts in this review…and the fit on the mediums was confusing.  The shorts were so big, I think Hollie could have jumped in them with me.  She refused… But I tried to get her to.  Disheartened I emailed and requested a return.  Reflecting on the fact that at least the patagonia shorts work pretty good for me and I should just be happy with those.  Within a couple minutes, I had an email back from Altra saying that they could process a refund or exchange sizes.  The fabric, the pockets and the outside drawstring convinced me to try the smalls.  SO I went for the exchange.

Smalls it is for me!

The Trail short was the first model I took out for a spin.  This short is $10 less than the performance short. I cant tell why but I can tell you this:  The trail short has well thought out pockets and a unique “double” pocket thing that is really cool on the back of the waist.  Instead of a brief liner it has a longer liner that has 2 different materials built in it.  One for support and compression and one for ventilation.  Here is my only problem with this short.  The stitch where the 2 materials meet, chafe me.  The outer fabric is very nice, its light and has a small “split” on the outside of the leg,  Which I  like and could ask for more split.  Pretty happy with these and the reason why the chafing doesnt relegate them to the “nope” pile, is because the chafing is minor and doesnt happen until 3 + hours are run.  So I think this could be preventable with diligent anti chafe procedure or even a smoother joining process.  These are pretty cool shorts, but did stay wet after I started to sweat. Maybe there is no true “fast drying” short.      here is a link:

https://www.altrarunning.com/men/trail-short-20

OK, Last but not least this short is in the “yes” and “go to” pile, in fact I will be racing the TRT 50m in them this weekend.  The Altra Performance 2.0.  Link:

https://www.altrarunning.com/apparel/men?series=Bottoms#Tops

These shorts are actually (without being race tested yet) better than the current “go to” short.  Fit is great (although I had to size down)  the fabric is awesome and the brief is perfect for me.  No chafing….and I have even done some runs with zero anti chafe just to really test that out.  I cant believe it!   Pretty pumped!

Its not all rainbows though.  There are 3 things I would change.  (besides only offereing dark colors) 1st, this shorts pannel isnt split.  I wish it were and I wish it was split much higher than the Trail 2.0.

2nd, I wish the short was a touch shorter, like a 5″split short.  I would guess its 6 to 6.5″

3rd there is a pocket on the right butt cheek, like a wallet pocket that I just dont see as necessary and in fact it gets a little hot on the cheek…..I would say if the purpose of that pocket is for packing a light weight jacket…get rid of it and use the double pocket thing from the trail 2.0 maybe for stashing.

weird pocket

That is all I got on that!  If there is a short you dig that you think I should try..let me know. I buy all these, no gives me these shorts for review.  Feel free to comment.