1st Place US Skyrunning Championships: Franklin Mountains 27k

Mountains Running in Texas. Yes, you read that right. The US Skyrunning Championships were hosted by TROT (Trail Running Over Texas), sponsored by Altra, and held at the Franklin Mountains State Park near El Paso. The peaks gain 3,000 feet and top out over 7,000 feet elevation. They are rugged with a remote, dry, desert quality, covered in sage brush, barren exposed rock, and sharp stickery cacti.  The trails meander silently, always adulating, and often going straight up or down a hill or crossing a mountain rampart. The footing is uneven, rocky, and sometime full of cactis spine or yucca plant obstacles to gracefully dodge. As wild and demanding and unforgiving as the trails are they offer unobstructed views into sublime environment: harsh and beautiful as it is: one is able to relax and contemplate. 

Such was the scene as the race got underway. Runners eventually separating into smaller groups and eventually running alone with nothing but time, trails, and toughness to take and think and contemplate over in the harsh backdrop. By mile 2 I had a slight lead over speedy and strong Jereme Leafe.

My goal was simple: Run relaxed and consistent for the race. Miles 5 through 6.5 gain 1,000 feet as they scamper up cliff bands called the “caves”. Here it was slow going but I stayed relaxed and enjoyed the easier pace on the technical route. It was important to remember that I was here to race myself and enjoy the process. Racing is challenging. Regardless of the mental and physical strain and effort one should always remember that they came for the challenge, embrace it, and rise to the challenge.

For the harsh terrain I wore the Altra Paradigms. This shoe was amazing. The most difficult terrain was probably a quarter mile section of Flintstone rocks that the shoes ate right up and allowed me to flow over them smoothly and efficiently. These irregular cantaloupe size rocks added to the challenge but were no match for the Altra Paradigms!

The next 4 miles brought the steepest part of the terrain: 2,000 feet gained to the top of the Texas Titan. I embraced the climb trying to break 2 hours to the summit. I hit 2 hours and 30 seconds. Briefly, I took in the views then turned and ran back down. I soon saw Jereme and knew my lead was just over 10 minutes. I cruised the downhill still keeping the speed under control. Finally, 3 miles later at the base of the mountain I was back near the starting line and 1 mile from the finish. The last mile of the race (and the first mile) ramble up a steep hill. What a way to end a race! I slogged up the hill enjoying the trail and running slower and tired from a great course with about 5,500 feet of gained elevation in 18 miles.

I crossed the finish line in first in 2:52 winning with nearly the same time as last year. The course and terrain were mesmerizing. For most of the race I had been lost in contemplation with little conscious awareness of time and effort. The victory earned me my 4 National Skyrunning Series Championship. Special thanks to Altra for sponsoring the race and me. Thank you!

Running to your Potential, Facing Challenges and Overcoming Them: 1st Place at Deep Creek Half

Another beautiful fall weekend had arrived. I was ready to run the Deep Creek Half in Telluride:

and planned on a fun easy and relaxing race. It was my 5^th weekend in a row of racing. I felt good and was ready to relax as I drove over to Telluride. A special thanks to Josh and Heather Blackman who hosted me! Once I arrived, Heather informed me that I would have some good competition, that I would have to race!

Mentally I had to change my race approach and strategy. I knew I would have to race to my potential and face the challenges and overcome them. All runners can race to their potential, but they need to mentally be ready, knowing they can push themselves just a little more. 

Next morning, I was mentally ready when the raced started. Ryan Becker was my competition. He took off at a blistering pace trying to distance himself early from the other contenders. When faced with a challenge like this it is easy to give up early, instead I tried to limit Ryan's lead and raced after him. Sure I was a little slower that day, but I made sure to stay as close as I could without burning too much fuel, and without mentally being setback. I fell about 10 seconds back, but remained in striking distance. After the initial 1.5 miles, the race turned from dirt road onto an uphill single track. I ran to my potential and used the uphill single track to reel in Ryan. I caught him. 

Photos by Heather Blackman 

We ran together for the next mile until a significant uphill where I took the lead. I pushed the pace and pulled ahead by 20 seconds on the uphill. The view was fantastic with colorful vibrant aspens in their peak of fall foliage resting on the mountain sides like a fresh quilt thrown gently onto a chair, ready and inviting have a cold race. Fully enjoying the views was difficult. The freshly fallen leaves lay on the meandering single-track trail hiding roots and disguising uneven footing. The added challenge increased both the difficulty and unique quality of the race. 

I wore the Altra Paradigms which provided the needed traction and stability while also being slightly lighter and faster. Ryan pushed the speed ensuring that he was not dropped. Overall, I knew I needed a smart strategic race. Ryan was fast on the flats and could hold his own on the downhills. I held a 10 to 20 second lead while Ryan I yo-yoed back and forth. The lead was minimal. At mile 8 on an extended downhill Ryan surged to just a few seconds back from me. I was running pushing the pace and Ryan was reciprocating. 

For the next 2 miles we both pushed the pace ran as fast as we could on the ever changing single-track rock-an-root laden terrain. It was here that I mentally had to decide to race to my potential. "What is my potential? What can I do today?" If you want to race at your best then these are the questions that must be answered and can only be answered by you.

I refused to limit myself. I knew I could push the pace just a little more. For the next 2 miles I ran with at first a 10 second lead, then 20 seconds, then 30 seconds... my lead was increasing, ever so gradually, but increasing nonetheless. 

At mile 10 through 11 I faced the last challenge: a steep last uphill. Once again I pushed the pace, I faced the challenge and overcame it. I ran down the last mile over a jeep road and into town averaging close to a 5 flat mile pace and won, breaking the course record by over 10 minutes. 

This is racing: when you race to your potential. It does not mean that you or I will win every race. It does not mean that you will reel perfect in the process. It does not mean that you will be able to race at 100% capacity in every race. 

It does mean you face your challenges head on and give an honest 100% effort. It means that you go out, challenge yourself, and ignore perceived limitations. It means that you push yourself to do more or run faster than you thought you could and then regardless of end results you will have won.

3 Races, 3 weekends, Training Tired, Running Refreshed: 1st at Sangre de Cristo 27k

Overall it has been a busy 3 weeks: I ran Imogene Pass Run, Lead King Loop, and Sangre de Cristo 27k. Sometimes runners get busy schedules where they just have to run on back to back weekends. At times these schedules can be demanding. Below I offer my two-cents on how to stay fit, health, and preform at your best.

Imogene Pass Run was my main goal race for the year. I went into the race healthy, strong, and ready to peak, having done perfect training and proper preparation for the race. I won Imogene Pass, but left feeling not just physical tired, but mentally drained. It takes a lot to prepare and race at your potential: it is both physically and mentally exhausting. Following Imogene, I cut back my runs making sure to get in extra rest. I cut out both time while running and had fewer runs. Most importantly thought: I made it an effort to have fun on my runs. I might do any of the following to help: I’ll run in a new location, don’t take my watch, ignore the time and pace, go for a hike up a mountain instead of a run, or go exploring. The key to mentally and physically getting back into it for an extended season is to enjoy it. Your training is done; it is complete, the hay is in the barn. However, now you can maintain your fitness, nearly at peak, and still run well if you are enjoying the process. This does not mean you stop training altogether. It does mean that you are having more fun than you normally would.

For the Lead King Loop, I took my training easy running about ½ as many miles as I normally would, and at a more relaxed pace. I went into Lead King still feeling tired from Imogene yet also feeling like I could run an honest effort. The race was similar to Imogene in that it started with a major climb. Runners gained 3,000 feet in the first 5 miles. I felt a little slower than normal and tired from Imogene yet the easy time throughout the week meant I was both physically and mentally prepared. The relaxed training paid off and I took a solid 2^nd place at Lead King.

After Lead King I once again took it easy. This is a great time to get in easy runs, fun hikes, hot showers, or relaxing messages. You can use a foam roller or other running accessary. This last weekend (the third hard race weekend in a row) was the US Skyrunning event: Sangre de Cristo 27k near Westcliffe, Colorado. The race consisted of running 4 miles, 2,100 feet up a jeep road and single track trail to Music Pass, then we turned around, ran back down to the start, and then did the whole round trip run a second time. It was 17 miles and 4,400 feet gain, 4,400 feet loss, and one tiring run. One advantage to the double out and back is that everyone got to see and compare their place with anyone else. One disadvantage was you knew what you were getting yourself into for the second round.

My goal for the race was to run consistent and relatively easy. By this I mean that I did not want to have unnecessary energy depleting surges in the race. I started slow, relaxed, and in 5^th or 6^th place. The consistent, almost monotonous, pace allowed for me to have nearly identical ascent times for both the first and second ascent. More importantly I did not waist or use up valuable energy or over extend myself. For both downhills I took it relatively easy allowing myself to run smoothly through my stride, not breaking overly hard, yet also not pushing the pace. Half way I only had a 90 second lead over 2^nd and 3^rd. However, the controlled steady pace paid off so that I had a 10-minute lead by the top of the second climb. I jogged easily down to the finish winning by about 11 minutes. I wore the amazing and versatile Altra Olympus. It provided the needed traction, support, and cushion that I need to run well.

Staying controlled both during training throughout the week and during the race paid off. I was more refreshed and less tired after the race. The win put me in position to win the US Skyrunning Series in November. Train smart, listen to your body, improve, and enjoy the process. 

Imogene Pass Run & Listening to your body!

I ran Imogene Pass Run this last weekend. I won the race for my 5^th time and yet on Monday I was unsure I’d be able to race. Imogene has been a focus race all year. Over the last month I’ve tailored my training specifically for Imogene. 2 weeks ago I ran an 18-mile tempo run at sub 7 minute pace with 2,000 feet of elevation gain and loss to sort of mimic a fast Imogene. After the workout training run I knew I was ready to race. My workouts were in; the proverbial hay was in the barn. I was ready and then Monday prior to the race I woke up sore and tight.

The day before I had unknowingly and accidentally stressed my hamstrings at home on a house project. My training plan of easy runs for the remainder of the week went out the window. I now had to adjust the plan and most importantly not stress out. I took 2 extra days off to recuperate the hamstring and made sure to get lots of warm recuperating showers for the muscles. Hot showers work wonders for me and are just what the doctor ordered. By race morning the tight hamstring was only a memory, the light jogging, rest, and hot showers had worked and I was ready to race!

10 minutes prior to the start the sky looked dark, deep, and foreboding as it spit out a spray of high mountain rain and mist. Runners scrambled for extra clothing and shade from the onslaught prior to the race. I changed from a singlet to a short sleeve shirt. The rain slowed and morphed into a light mist before dissipating entirely. Over 1,250 people toed the line ready for the excitement.

The gun blew and we were off. I took control of the pace and lead and by mile 2 knew I had built up a strong 30+ second lead. The goal of the race was to maintain the pace and hopefully run sub 2:20 pace. The early rain kept the dust down while providing fantastic traction. At miles 4 and 6 I managed to check my lead. All I knew was that I had at least a 30 second lead maybe more, but I could not tell as I could not see 2^nd place. The course followed the nearly unrelenting jeep road. It constantly gained altitude and increased the difficulty as the racers ascended.

Deep down I knew I was racing the clock; that I was racing myself; that I was racing for the joy of pushing myself and seeing what I could do on that given day. My goal time for Upper Camp Bird was 1:04:30. I came through at 1:05:14. The pace was great. A few seconds off goal pace but I knew I was pushing it and giving an honest effort.

At last I made it to the hardest miles: 8, 9, and 10. In these 3 miles you gain 2,000 feet: from 11,000 feet up to 13,114 feet. Here is the crux of the race, the time when racing you have to dig deep and push. I used a combination of power hiking and jogging and although I felt ok, I still felt a little sluggish. Most people do at 13,000 feet. Finally, at 1:40:21 I made it to Imogene Pass: 10 miles done, over 5,000 feet gained and 7 miles to go. This time was about 1 minute back or 1% off from my goal pace. My lead was just under 4 minutes. The mountain and valley vistas were grand, yet off I raced scanning the terrain ahead preparing my feet and staying upright.

Photo: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks

Down the jeep trail I ran at a near blistering pace of about 5:30 per mile. I tried to roll through the rocks bee lining it down the jeep trail. This takes a lot of practice but runners do get better. It helps to roll through your stride and not break with your quads so much. Just the same the quads do take a beating. It also helps to have a shoe you can trust like the Altra Olympus pair I was wearing. It handled the rough terrain, large boulders, and short creek crossing keeping my feet dry and happy. 

Overall, I knew my pace was solid and that my lead was safe yet I still pushed myself trying to give an honest effort. The aid station workers cheered me on as I ran through. Indeed, I utilized 2 aid stations during the race for water and electrolytes. Thank you all you amazing volunteers!

At last after over 4,000 feet of descent I arrived and finished in Telluride winning in 2:18:04. The race marked my 5^th win at the Imogene Pass Run. I’m blessed to have run the Imogene Pass Run 9 times now. In preparation for a goal race it is imperative that you train properly and listen to your body. I train a little less now than a decade ago running 40- 60 miles per week instead of 60-80. I also get injured less and feel stronger. I listen when my body says to take an extra day off, or modify and change that long run or workout. If you listen properly then your body will respond and run more consistently giving you great results.

Success vs. Failure

Success vs. Failure

Lets talk about success and failure. What does it mean to fail or succeed at something? To understand success first we have to understand failure. Our society often has a love affair akin to romanticism with failure. They say phrases like, "We learned from it and got stronger." Failure is part of the learning process and we improve from it." and "Failure is part of life and a good thing." Many see failure as not meeting perfection. They say that unless one sets the course record on a course then they are a failure. Unless they win the competition they are a failure. What a pessimistic depressing way to think and live. No, people should rarely fail.

Let me offer a different view on this subject. What is failure? Failure is when one does not act or try. Often people may not act out of fear of failure. However, my thesis here is lack of acting is the failure. Let me give an example to show my point. Imagine a 12 year old who wants to learn to ride a bike. However they are too afraid to fail and refuse to even get on the bike. They refuse to even try, that is failing. Now imagine the kid tries and got on the bike and does not learn to ride the bike. That is success. They TRIED! They put forth and honest effort and improved.

Now imagine the Super Bowl. Did the losing team fail? Let me ask did they put forth an honest effort and try? Did the victors succeed? Once again, ask, did they put forth an honest effort and give it their all? If the losing team put forth an honest effort they they were successful. If the victors were cheating, lazy, or just did not care, then they failed!

How should we apply this to running and be successful at running a race? Easy, give it an honest effort and run to your potential. Will there be races where you run at 75% because you have an "A" race in 2 weeks, you don't feel emotionally, mentally or physically as vested, or you are just having an off day? Sure. But if you give an honest effort where you actually try and run to your potential for that day then you are successful. I have a friend who coaches 5 and 6 year old kids. He tells them,
"Quitters never win. Winners never quit." This should be your goal. You might not set the course record but if you run to your potential and give an honest effort then you are abundantly successful.

When running an "A" race I try to run right on the edge of my abilities where any faster and I'd falter and bonk; and slower and I'd not be running within my potential. Finding this sweet spot is difficult and takes a lot of practice, and even then depends upon what the day and race throw your way. Does this mean you need to run at the edge of your abilities to be successful? No. Once again to be successful you need to try and give an honest effort and enjoy the experience. Some days this will be a greater effort than others. Regardless of the finishing result if you run within your potential giving an honest effort then you will be a phenomenal running success! Go out there and work towards your goals. Enjoy the process and journey and you will be successful having all ready won before the race even starts!

Timmy

1st Place: Kendall Mountain Run

I've been looking forward to Kendall Mountain all year. The race runs up jeep roads, with some high scrambling, from the quintessential Colorado town of Silverton up to 13,000. This year would mark my 5th year in a row of racing and I was determined to better my previous finishes from the last 4 years of 2nd, 3rd, 3rd, and 2nd place respectively. This year I knew I was fit and I was gunning for both the joy and the victory.

After camping out near by and waking up in near paradise I was ready.

By mile one I had a few second lead and knew I had to keep racing. The run gains 3,700 feet in about 5.5 miles. I pushed on up the steep rocky jeep road which was more wet even a little sloppy in a few places: a direct result of the the extensive winter and all the high mountain snow. Around 1 mile into the race I even had to run through a stream that was loudly flowing across the dirt road.

The 6 miles uphill are unrelenting. They are steep, rocky, steep, with thin air, and did I mention steep! Miles 2 through 4 were painful! I simultaneously ignored the pain and welcomed it. I ignored the hurt and welcomed the challenge. My lead was a minor 15 seconds over Tate Lagasca. Finally we reached 12,000 feet. Normally this is a great place to open up and run faster and smoother as the terrain (although higher) is not as steep. However, this year there were 10 snowfield crossings going up. Aravaipa Running did a great job shoveling in steps into the snow crossings for the runners.

                                          Photo by Meghan Hicks/IRunFar 


At 12,700 feet the jeep road running ends and the run heads straight up Kenadall mountain. Runners must power hike and pull themselves up using both hands and feet, until they summit and are treated to the amazing views in the heart of the San Juan's and Weminuchi. But Alas, upon touching the summit rock I immediately turned for the decent. My lead was a scant 20 seconds. I carefully bombed down the scramble climb back to the road and then tried to maintain about a 5:30 downhill pace which of course was intermittently interrupted by the snowfields crossings.

The downhill was fast, yet controlled and allowed my lead to grow. I wore the trusty Altra Olympus for traction and support. And honestly I can't complain about excessive soreness. I crossed the finish line in 1:44:19 a little more than 2 minutes over 2nd place. The run was a little slower with the snow crossings. I figure they slowed everyone down by 2-3 minutes. Overall, the day was fantastic: the snow crossings and blue bird skies and mountain snow interlaced with tendrils of mountain meadows, and smooth mountain peaks.

Praise God I can breath and run in such a pristine ethereal venue!

1st Place: CR at Run the Wolf

Schweitzer Mountain Resort: Sandpoint, Idaho: July 6th: Inaugural Run the Wolf 25k: US Skyrunning Race

The race started out with a short 100 yard warm up followed direct with the first hill of the day. The course ran straight up the blue ski run for 400 feet. I took the lead and maintained a consistent yet easily controlled cantor, not full on running around a controlled jog. At the top I turned and ran down a serpentine single track back near the start and then headed off in a general counter clockwise loop of the main course. There was good competition and we ran along on the skiing roads and catwalks of the resorts in a pact of about 4-5 runners. After 2 miles of mixed catwalks and single tracks the front pack that I was leading had dwindled down to one other runner Peter Butler who was matching my pace stride for stride. 

Around mile 3 we got on a wide service road with even, smooth, mostly flat footing. We picked up the pace now running sub 6 minute miles. Neither of us were willing to relax the pace. The road started a slow yet ever increasing decent. Peter and I picked it up. We were now running sub 5:30 miles. This was too fast... yet I could do, surely Peter would slow down. Peter thought the same; that surely I would slow down from the incredible pace. There was only one thing to do: Run Faster! I increased the pace to hover at 5:00 minute mile pace. This was fast! But it was "sea level" and we were running downhill. Peter reciprocated and kept within a yard of me. My mile splits were the following: 5:46, 5:07, 5:21, 5:15. This included clocking a 16:14 5k. Wow! 

Finally with 4 speedy miles in a row Peter subsided his pace. I now had the lead just in time to start the 2 mile and 2000 foot climb up the ski slope. At this point I slowed dramatically to a steady, consistent hike focusing on just continuously putting one foot in front of the other over the incredibly steep terrain. My next 2 miles were a 12:34 mile with a gain of about 600 feet, then a 20:34 mile with an outrageous gain of 1,316 feet! Whoa! I estimated my lead had now grown to about 2 to 3 minutes. I ran on feeling confident and strong. 

The next 8 miles consisted of double track, single track, another crazy steep mile long 1,400 foot climb up a steep mountain wall and a 1,600 foot decent down a single track with 40 or more switchbacks. 

I crossed the finish line in 1st place setting the Course Record in 2:31 about 8 minutes ahead of Peter. The Altra Olympus is amazing! They held up to the brutally fast sub 5:00 minute pace, the continuous pounding of mountain running, and provided the support and grip need for the trail and off trail running!