Spring Season (Pre-Western)

Western States is just around the corner and I have finally decided to update my blog . . .

Races:

I ran Desert Rats 50M down in the Grand Junction area over spring break and had a good time running in relative heat for the first time this season (It was only around 70 degrees, but considering SLC had been barely able to break 50 prior to the end of April it felt warm) . . . I ran the first 25M way conservative trying to make sure my legs could handle the whole 50 since I had run back-to-back 30 milers the weekend before. On the back half (or 2nd loop in this case) I was able to move into the top 10 and felt pretty good about the race considering that despite the small field it seemed pretty competitive (a lot of people from the front range) . . . would be fun to do the 25 mile race on Saturday and then the half marathon on Sunday some year . . . would probably be more productive than all the drinking I decided to do on Sunday instead. Some props to Grand Junction as being a nice little western town with some decent bars and beautiful trails along the Colorado Plateau.

Squaw Peak 50M was a bit of a strange day and that's not even counting the fact that over half of the top 50 runners got lost for a good mile despite knowing the turn was coming. My intentions were to keep the day slow (a time on feet training day 3 weeks out from Western States) and I certainly pulled this strategy off during the first 25 miles, but given the fact that I finished 10th in a field of about 200 runners I suspect I may have gotten a bit caught up in passing people during the second half (it may not have helped that I knew a lot of the people I was passing and certainly wasn't going to let them pass me back later training run or not). In all honesty I am still not sure how hard I pushed it at SP -- I only felt like I was "racing" a couple of times during the day. Once during a short section around mile 35 when I made myself run with a small group of faster runners for a while instead of dropping off the pace; however, this was more of a decision to stave off boredom during the shoreline section of trail than a concern about pace. And then a couple of times during the last 7/8 miles I kind of got caught up with the idea of the end being near, but even here I remember consciously backing off the pace once or twice when I would have typically pushed it a bit harder to gain one or two additional spots. It may be that my finishing results/place had to do more with even running the whole day than having worked harder than I intended (makes me think that learning how to properly pace myself at the 100 mile distance might be wise). In either case, I was happy with the race from both a personal and competitive standpoint. NOT sure I am in love with the snow route, but I definitely enjoyed going over the Squaw Peak Overlook section of the course twice. I still consider this part of the traditional course to be pretty special (one of the coolest mountain views to be had anywhere) and it was nice to get to see it from both directions this year. Since we saw so little of the course this year, I am even considering adding Kacina Mosa to my schedule . . .

Training:

I have gone through some really good spells of running this spring and have also had a couple periods of somewhat painful and/or sluggish running. Especially towards the end of ski season a few aches and pains bothered me more than normal including some generally sore feet -- especially along the midsole -- and some stiffness in my knees from pushing it a couple of weekends in terms of skiing hard and running hard. There has also been a general tendency on my part to hurt a bit too much for a couple of days after speed work, which may I suspect be a sign of old age creeping up on me. YIKES! At least it should be a good excuse to minimize my time at either the gym (treadmill) or track in the future . . .

The best part of running this spring has definitely been the time spent running in the foothills while winter slowly worked its way up the mountains. All the snow forced me to refocus my running on the trails right behind the University instead of heading to higher trails and I rediscovered/discovered an even greater appreciation for the foothill trails. I also loved the fact that dry fork (dry creek) ran pretty much the entire spring giving me that sense of being in the high country despite being just a quick jaunt out of town . . .

Western States (preview):

I hope I am ready for this thing . . . don't know that I feel as healthy as I did last June heading into Big Horn, but I feel like my training has been pretty similar in terms of overall mileage and vertical -- I have raced a little more this spring than last year, but hopefully I have raced smart. Perhaps most importantly, I feel more experienced than a year ago. Despite what is happening with the elites at the front of the sport, I continue to be in awe of the distance itself and am hopefully becoming better at knowing my own pace. I certainly pushed my personal envelope last year at Wasatch in terms of pushing hard (too hard, too early) and it should be interesting to see how my mind/body react this time around. I am still waiting for that first 100 mile race where everything just clicks: strong/fresh legs, good mental mindset, quick/efficient aid station fueling, and a healthy stomach . . . I can't wait to get this thing on! 100 miles of totally new terrain!