Catching up and Western States 100

Well it's obvious by now that I have been AWOL for quite some time. The out pouring of emails, text messages, facebook comments and letters (yes old school letters) have been too much to handle. So I am back with a post. Frankly, I really don't ever have too much to write about. I work, I am a father, I am a husband, I am an ass (wait- that's a whole nother blog) and yes I run. Perspective have reared its ugly head lately and I am figuring out where I fit in with running or where running fits in with me. I would love to run 5-6 days a week, I really would. I just can't find the time. Maybe it's a cop out but I really would like to run more. Not necessarily to do better in races but to just be able to run more consistently without nagging issues and a better recovery. I love to hit the trails and explore.I enjoy running solo but I also really enjoy running with all my trail buddies. So I find myself in a great situation. So I am going to try a little something new, even if only for awhile. I am going to try and post regularly even if it is just a line or 2. Besides what I listed above I am very fortunate to be a Race Director of the Northern Utah Trail Series or N.U.T.S. and I am the Team Director for the Pearl Izumi Ultra Running Team. Both of those take a lot more time than I imagined but both are very rewarding. So in not so short- look forward to more posts.....both of you. Now onto Western States...............
Western States in dubbed the "Super Bowl" of Ultra Running. I say- to each his own. Why the race does draw amazing talent and is set in some beautiful country after being there, it's not for me. Too many people and too much hype. Again I say- to each his own. I can see though why people do follow it and fall in love with it. It is a magnificent event. Hell if I paid almost $400 for something I better as hell like it and that doesn't count expenses. Like I say- to each his own. Okay- off my soap box.
I had the pleasure and privilege of staying with some truly inspiring and amazing people while I was at Western. I got to rub elbows with some of the best trail runners in the WORLD- not to mention they are better people than they are runners....sorry but you are. There were PI team members, new friends, their families and existing friends. Let's just say that over the past weekend, I really felt truly blessed! Yes blessed. I have so many quality people around me that I just hope it rubs off one day.
I witnessed some truly amazing things from truly amazing people. Whether it was Nick Clark busting out a 3rd place finish or Timothy Olson killing it in his 2nd 100 ever for 6th place or Scott Jaime showing why he will always be one of the greatest people I will ever know or Jim Skaggs nailing the first of his 4 100- milers for the Grand Slam or the beautiful friends and family that travel from all over to support them. What I got to be apart of was very inspiring and jaw dropping. I met new friends with Nick, Bobby, Jake and Cassie. Thank you to everyone who made the weekend beautiful and help make this world a better place.
Now, I need to go run because I do have some goals of my own......just gotta remember who I am

It's April

April is already here and that means that the race schedule is getting in full swing. I had to drop out and not run the Buffalo Run due to hip and groin injuries. Dealing with them for over 4 months has been pretty discouraging but finding the right PT and going to A.R.T. Massage have proven successful.
To celebrate, this weekend I will be traveling down the do the Grand Canyon R2R2R. This has been on the bucket list ever since I heard about it. I will be going down with 10 other great people I share the trail with from time to time. That is the reason for the picture change on my blog. Krissy Moehl sent it to me this morning to get me ready to go. I am not looking to get it done quick but rather take a little time and as many pictures as I can. After the Grand Canyon I get a few weeks to get ready for Granduer Peak then Timp Trail Marathon then Pocatello (20 miler) the the mighty Squaw Peak. I hope to get to SP50 in better shape than I have ever been. Obviously I have some nice runs the 3 weekends leading up to it so they will not be focused on too much. More less great training with great people on some kick ass trails.
It's April and time to turn the next corner.....
Hope everyone is gearing up for another solid year on the trails.

What am I doing?

So maybe I am not cut out for this long running gig. When I start to get some solid training in and get more confident about my running, bad things happen. For the last 3+ months I have been struggling with a groin and ab injury. Last Saturday I went out for a 18 mile run and the last 3 were very painful. I got into a new Dr and was told I have a "rectus abdominis strain" My first comment was - "no Doc, it hurts in the front not the rear." He said that the strain in my lower ab was causing my groin problem as well. Apparently it is a pretty common injury but if not treated properly, it can become a major issue. He sent me PT so I asked around a found a PT that deals with athletes. The last few I went to are more used to helping older non active people recover from surgery and I am thinking I have a different mindset than that.
 So the Buffalo Run is out for this weekend which is a major blow. I have run it 5 out of 5 years and now my streak will end. The decision came mainly due to the pain and further injury but also because if I can get it fixed I can still focus on June through September.
I guess this is yet another hurdle and hopefully it will not set me back more than a few weeks.
I will be out on the island Saturday so if you see me, say hello.
I will update my progress and hope to not miss much time or any on the trails.

Hey a new post

So many happenings and no time so the blog takes the hit. After Moab things just got busier and busier. I took off a few days after the race to Colorado for the Pearl Izumi Ultra Team Summit. The weekend was a blast, spending time with some great people. PI is really gung ho on the trail scene right now and being able to sit with their product managers to see some new gear and hear their visions was exciting! The team is loaded with talent and quality individuals. Me, well I just soaked it all in!
I have been running as well believe it or not- swimming too. Problem is the groin and ab injury that slowed me down in December is back. Not sure what to think about it. I can get out on runs from 8-10 miles and feel pretty decent but anything longer right now is a little painful. So heading into the Buffalo Run it looks like I will drop from the 50 mile to the 50k.  This really bums me out since I was looking forward to running 50. I have done the 25k all 5 years and have resisted running the 50k because I just do not like looped courses. I guess I will have to wait and see though.
Until then I will continue to get some quality running in as well as hitting the pool a bit.
Looking forward to some sunny weather and I am tossing around running the Grand Mesa 100 miler in July.

Moab Red Hot 55k Race Report

Me crossing finish line: Video by Jim Skaggs

Took awhile to write a report for this one. Not that I didn't want to but rather I hadn't wrapped my brain about what I really wanted to say. I guess the first thing that comes to mind is that I did not meet my goal. I wanted to run a sub 6:30 but not on this day. I ran a 7:00.56- 30 minutes longer than hoped. So now- to the race.
Woke up nice and early to make sure I was all stretched out and ready to go. I have fallen into a ritual stretching routine that helps me feel pretty loose and ready to roll from the start. I made my way down the hall to meet Jim Skaggs and his wife who graciously hauled me to the start so my wife and kids could sleep in. At the start the old race juices started flowing. The wind was really blowing and I could tell it was going to be one of those unpredictable weather days. As I meandered around at the start to see some faces and give some - "good lucks" I started to remember how I was probably not quite ready for 34 miles. Once we took off I fell into a nice comfortable pace and knew that the first 17ish miles were pretty runnable and I wanted to make sure I kept a good pace. After all my longest run to this point was 18 miles so at about 20 anything could happen. I felt pretty solid up to about miles 19-20 at that point my groin and hip flexor really started to stiffen up. As we rolled through aid stations I could see a group of runners that I would most likely flip flop with the rest of the day. I decided to take it easy over all  the red rock up and downs and try not to aggravate the groin anymore more and then try to push to the end.
At one of the aid stations while I was fumbling with some gels I hit a button on my watch and essentially turned of my chrono. A few miles later I realized it wasn't on so I had no idea what my time was. Once I hit the last little climb on the course I decided to go for broke. I knew I had about 4-5 miles until the finish and I knew it was runnable so I told myself to go for it. I went through the first mile basically getting a stride going and finding the best way to run with a stiff groin. Once I figured it our I picked it up even more. I actually felt good and got my breathing in synch so the last couple miles were really enjoyable. If it wasn't for the head wind all day long I know the times would have been much better across the board- mine included. So after I crossed the line there was definitely a few moments of disappointment  but after seeing my family I realized it was time for a much needed family vacation in Moab.
Overall I realize where I am for the year and though my time was slow, I really can't expect too much more unless I want to put a heck of a lot more into it. The first 19 were great and the last 4 felt solid. So that in between part needs to go. One thing for sure is I love the trails. They may not love me as much but they will.
One special thing about race day that stayed in my thoughts- my dad. He passed away 6 years ago to the day of the race. I really felt I was spending some quality time with him and my thoughts. He never got to see me run the trails (he passed before I even started) but I know he would have loved the stories of the places I have been. Although I was slow and missed my goal, the time with him was priceless.
Miss ya pops!

Pre- Moab Red Hot 55k

I will be traveling down to Moab tomorrow for the Moab Red Hot 55k on Saturday. I will be going with some mixed emotions. I am very excited to get out of town with the family and see some familiar faces as well....that's the good news. The other side is pretty nervous. I have been building up nicely for a decent run through the red rocks when I got sick a week ago. I lost not only some training and fitness but some confidence as well. I have been able to get out on a couple small trail runs and boy did I not feel the goods. So now I am shifting my mind set for a good "day on my feet". Makes it rough to know I felt good about my training leading in only to get side tracked by a darn bug.  Needless to say this will be my longest run of the year and I am going to try and keep my mind right and not get to "into" it where I end up pushing to hard and suffering for along time. I was looking forward to this race for some time but I may need to go play out my hand and re group for the Buffalo Run 50 next month.
Should be an interesting day to say the least!

Come on man!

Well after a great week (Wasatch 100 lottery) and solid 18 mile run I fell victim to the nasty bug going around. I woke up last Sunday after feeling great about my 18 miler and started feeling sick. Little did I know it would last an entire week! It is now 8 days later and I still feel a bit of it hanging on but definitely feel like I am out of the woods. So with just over 5 days until the Moab Red Hot 55k I feel less than ready. I don't know how losing an entire week will play out but I can tell it hit my confidence. I will most certainly get out on the trails over the next few days to try and get some legs back but I am not sure how much it will help. I guess I just will need to slug it out on the red rocks. The weather looks to be wet and cold too. Perfect!
On a side note and a positive one at that- Saturday the 12th was my 7 year wedding anniversary!!! I did manage to drag my sorry ass out of bed in order to take my wife out and even got some skiing in with her the next day. Happy Anniversary Melony! Thank you for your patience!!!!!