Cold

Happy New Years everyone! 

Cold.  Referring to the noun and not the adjective, as in I have a cold right now.  I've been having some weird symptoms for a week now, sore throat, light ear ache, some congestion and drainage and I thought that I had gotten over it but after yesterday's run it seemed to hit with a vengeance.  I am disapointed as I was going to start piecing together some higher mileage weeks starting this week.   That will have to wait.  Some allergy attacks, colds, and URI's  I can generally push through if I am careful but I am not going to take any chances with this one so for the next few days I will definitely be doing little to nothing and just taking it easy.

But running has been going well.  I haven't been trying to hit any training goals but I do attempt to get close to and hour and half in each day on interesting terrain or trails and while I am not being 100% strict about it, there is still a token focus on MAF and just taking it easy.  Yesterday was the warmest day we have had in Aspen for a bit, I think it got up to 31 degrees Fahrenheit and the first day I was able to run without a jacket or two on as outer layers.  I wore three long sleeved shirts layered and that was plenty enough for yesterday.

For most of the stuff I have been running, Micro Spikes are mandatory.  I don't notice them so much now but at the beginning I could really feel the weight of them on my feet.  I usually leave the house with them in a small pouch which I carry in my hand until I hit the trail and just slip them on real quick.  Pitkin County, or the city of Aspen, I am not sure who exactly does it but they do clear half of one side of the Rio Grand trail which stretches from Aspen all the way to Basalt.  They leave the other half snow covered for cross country skiers or folks snow shoeing.  But the trails here and around Aspen are just as awesome for running in the winter as they are the summer, even if you have to have the extra traction.

2013 reflections.... Probably my best year ever I have to say.  2001 miles of running, 2024 miles of biking.  That comes out to 384 hours of running and 218 hours of cycling and this is with at least one day a week off each week. I finished Leadman, big buckled in the LT100 Run. I pulled off a 50 mile PR in November though it wasn't as strong as I would have liked it was still a PR and I have managed to pretty much stay uninjured and healthy throughout the year. Those are the highlights, I could throw in more, but for now that is enough.  I am leaving 2013 on a good note and without any remorse or "coulda, shoulda, woulda's" lingering back there in the debris of the year.

2014 is completely up in the air.  Part of me has the faint desire to do Leadman again and though it is not part of the plan it is on the board as a last resort if I do not get into the LT100 MTB Lottery. (However a 2015 run at it is quite possible.) I have to also pull of a qualifying 100 in 2014 to stay in the Hardrock Lottery and deciding which one to do has caused me a bit of angst but I am pretty confident to say that I have settled on the Run Rabbit Run race in Steamboat, September 13th. 

I chose that race for a few reasons.  It was either it or the Bighorn 100 in June.  Run Rabbit Run won out because to be honest, I don't want to go into 2014 knowing everything else that will be happening in my life, (the layoff, selling the house, moving, etc.) while also training for and staring down a 100 miler in June.  Also, from Aspen, Steamboat is about 3 hours while the drive to Bighorn is around nine.  I am not a fan of post August big races and that is and was still a factor but the driving aspect swayed me in the end.   Also, the terrain here in Aspen really lends itself to the race in Steamboat in regards to the nature of climbs etc.  Anyway, I plan to register on Jan 4th when it opens up.

So for now, the schedule looks like this.

March 15 America's Uphill

April 19 Desert Rats Marathon

May 2 18 Hours of Fruita MTB 

July 12 Silver Rush 50 MTB - If I get into the 100 MTB

August 9 Leadville Trail 100 MTB - If I get in. 

September 12th Run Rabbit Run 100

There might be some others thrown into the mix like another couple of MTB races in May and the Golden Leaf Half Marathon in late September, but for now those are the ones that I am looking at. 

Melissa and I are going to the Wheeler Opera House tonight for a New Years celebration.  Between now and then I just plan to rest and medicate myself as much as possible. I'll be primed for the party after all of the Nyquil I consume today.   I am looking forward to the fireworks over Aspen Mountain tonight.

Happy New Years Everyone! 

The Grand Slam of Ultrasitting On My Ass is done.

I ran yesterday.  My first run in 19 days but really I have only ran one other time in the past 24 days.  It has been a nice break.  I think.  Two miles... average HR was super low in the 120's.  Super easy effort.  Tonight's run will be about the same just longer.

I am still not overly motivated to run right now as I am not really invested in it anymore past just doing it for fun and to keep from becoming just another fat-ass American.  No racing plans for 2014 as of yet.  Really.

I feel like I am wedged between a rock and hard place though.  Since I didn't make the cut in the HR100 lottery and since my 2013 LT100 finish will not count anymore for the HR100 lottery, I need to do some qualifying 100 this year if I want to stay in the lottery.  If I don't and take the year off from 100's then I will be starting over again with only one ticket in the HR lottery in two years instead of having a potential 32 tickets. One of my friends got in this year with 64 tickets.  I don't want it to take that long especially if I have to start over, so I feel the need to stay in the game somehow.  I really would like to do Hardrock while still in my 40's and at this rate playing the lottery every year I would have 128 tickets when I am 49.

My only solution to this dilemma is to run the Bighorn 100 next June.  I am thinking of that one because it is in June and after that I can just focus on the bike and the LT100 MTB for the rest of the summer.  Downsides... I have to train for a 100 through the winter months and right now even with six months to go I can't say that I am ready to buckle down and train for a race that my my head and heart aren't exactly enthusiastic about.  Also if I do Bighorn, I won't get to go to Lake City for the San Juan Solstice as it is the same weekend.  This will make the second year of missing the SJS50 then.

The second option is the Run Rabbit Run in September in Steamboat.  I've paced on that course I know what it is about and I also know it is no joke.  And it is in September which means still sorta training and having to stay focused when everyone is traditionally done with the season.  Also I want to bowhunt elk next September and after missing this past season I don't want to sit out another one.  A September Ultra would guarantee no hunting pretty much. 

The Bear is not even on the table as an option.

Whatever I decide it will have to be soon.  Rego for the Bighorn 100 opens on January 5th and I imagine there are others like me who are going to have to hustle to stay in the HR100 lottery game and will be trying to get in as well.  It will fill quickly if I had to guess.

So... that kinda covers my running scene right now.

In other news, I am in Aspen until January 2nd and so glad that I am here and get to stay for such a long duration.  So at least I am in a cool place to get the running thing going again.   The streets here are all completely covered with ice and snow and if I have to guess they will stay that way until late spring which is fine with me.  We are supposed to get another storm later in the week which I am really excited about.  I have been getting my back country skis and everything in order and hope to get out on them some more this weekend.

Melissa bought me some used Black Diamond Cult 167 back country skis which are the old school, non-waxless, kind of skis meaning they don't have scaling on the bottom surface in the kick zone.  I picked up some kicker waxes the other night at Ute Mountaineering and will have to reeducate myself on which wax to use during which temps and conditions to be able to kick and glide without losing grip.  They are fatter skis too so they should have some awesome float if I need it.

I still haven't made it to the top of Aspen Mountain yet on my skis and I hope I can do that this weekend.  I am going to have to get up super early to do that as I think it will take me between three and four hours to get up there and I have to be up at the summit by 9:00 AM per Aspen Mountain Uphill rules.

Now this... this is going to be awesome!

The Weekend: Summit for Life Race

Getting close to the summit.  I had another racer use my camera and snap the photo.  I only took my gloves off to get my camera out, I didn't go up without them on.

I have run a grand total of five races this fall/early winter since Leadville.  This fifth one though was the one that I was looking forward to the most.  I really don't know why, but it just sounded like a lot of fun when I learned about it in September on my first trip to Aspen.

The start at the base of Little Nell. The gondola station would be to the left of the frame.

The Summit for Life is a race put on by the Chris Klug Foundation.  It's a forty dollar entry fee plus a $100 minimum donation collection.  There are two waves to the race.  The recreational division that takes off at 17:00 from the base of Aspen Mountain next to the gondola, and the competitive division which takes off at 18:00 from the same place.  The race is 2.5 miles in distance, and 3200 vertical feet gain.  You can ski up, snowshoe up, run up, hike up, take your pick.  There was a pretty even mix I think between the groups.  Seems the skiers went up faster maybe.  Waiting at the summit at the Sun Deck Lounge were lots of good food, drinks and post race awards and a very festive party. 

My first priority for this entire event was my fundraising efforts and I can't thank all of my friends and family who made donations enough.  Thank you.  My goal was to raise $1000 which I thought was lofty and in the end I raised $1300, even more awesome.  As far as the race goes?  Eh... I wasn't prepared to race it and didn't plan to race it.  Really.

Well, that isn't entirely true.  The weather and whatnot really influenced my decision.  Teens and snow at the base and snowing, and colder at the summit (I think it was two degrees Fahrenheit when I got up there) made me decide to dress for comfort rather than speed.

Vasque leather hiking boots, micro-spikes, ski pants, gore-tex gaiters, two shirts, insulation layer and my heavy jacket.  I had to be wearing 20 lbs in clothes I bet.  Others, more experienced to this kind of thing were dressed a lot lighter and when I do it again I will probably take that approach too but again conditions will ultimately dictate that.

The race... decided it was going to be a slow and steady hike and try to keep my HR down and not blow up.  And start slow I did...  I swear I was the last person over the top of Little Nell climb or at least it felt that way.  I just figured no big deal, just keep taking steps and get a rhythm going.   I did pick this race to try something totally different than I have ever done before and that was that I used poles on the ascent.  Except for my arms getting really tired at times I think they really made a difference especially after I learned to use the loops as opposed to the handle for pushing down on the poles.  Plus, going up in that snow, besides some added propulsion from my arms and not just my legs, the poles were extremely beneficial in maintaining stability on the way up.  So poles might be something I look into in the future for racing but only in places where they might come in handy and actually be warranted.

I only had my Garmin set to display altitude as I knew that was the real measuring stick of progress on this mountain.  The first 1000 feet gain just sucked pretty much mostly because it was just a shock to my system to be climbing like that.  I wasn't totally efficient yet, and really had no idea where I was going.  But after that first 1K of gain I started feeling better.  I also started passing a lot of people.  It seemed like a lot of people who went out too fast were slowing once they got into Spar Gulch.  Spar Gulch is steep and when it isn't steep it's damned near vertical.  Vertical enough that I was actually kicking steps it seemed a few times.

After passing 1600 in gain I was feeling better just knowing I was halfway there.  We passed the second and last aid station at 2000 in gain and after that is when it really started to get cold.  I had to zip my jacket up, put my face mask on to protect skin and close the vents in my jacket.  Fortunately it wasn't too windy as that would have made it worse but it was definitely cold.  It also seemed much more dark the last 1000 feet to the summit also.  Not sure why but it was.

I finished in 1:48.  I was hoping for something more like 1:30 but for my first time I am okay with it and really I just wanted to have fun and enjoy the trip up.  I would definitely do it again next year.  Also I get to do the same race again pretty much in March when I do the Americas Uphill on March 15.  Video of the Americas Uphill course which is the same as the Summit for life course.

Side note.... I wore my HRM but did not keep an eye on it all and only tried to maintain my level of effort by feel.  When all was said and done and Melissa and I were going down the gondola back to town I told her I bet my average HR was maybe 152.  I was surprised to find out when I downloaded everything that it was only 147 so I did a good job on keeping it damned near in the MAF zone the entire time just by feel.

Past that... a tough, quick, turnaround weekend.  It was my first time up in Aspen since Nov 13 and seemed like forever.  The drive up Friday night was not fun.  Today's drive back was only slightly better but I damned near bought it when a jack ass cut me off on Vail Pass.  I got lucky.  Damned lucky.   So back in the springs for another five days and then to Aspen again on Friday but this time I get to stay for three weeks.  Melissa and I have not spent more than week together at a time since July so it will be nice. 

Coming into the finish.  The 100 yards or so of flat terrain was a nice break.   Melissa rode the gondola up and waited at the top and took this photo as I was finishing.

I am still on my running break.  The "lottery results" of this past weekend have left me feeling even more unfocused, disenchanted, and less motivated than ever before.  The earliest I might run will be Thursday but I doubt I will. 

Not Doing A Damned Thing

I walked Asia today.  That's been about it.  I was going to take advantage of the weather and go for a ride but I decided against it.  While I was walking Asia I started to design the ride thinking about how far/long I should go, what kinds of terrain, what my heart rate should be, if I should just ride at MAF and so on.  I decided that since I was being a dumbass about it and looking at it and trying to formulate it into some kind of a training ride I would just not ride.  When I realized that, I decided I really didn't need to ride as it sort of goes against the whole rest and recovery mode that I am trying to stay in for at least a month.  No running... but more importantly nothing structured and definitely NO TRAINING!

I will share something interesting though for those driven by data and maybe someone can answer this one for me.  This chart was taken from the 5K that I ran on Thanksgiving Day in Maryland.  You can see my heart rate went way up there.  If you see the yellow line on the chart, everything above that is 180 BPM and over.  Now here is my question.  I am 45 years old.  According to the 220 formula for max heart rate, I should top out at 175 beats per minute.  Well, my average heart rate for this race was 176.  AVERAGE! So how in the hell is it my heart rate could go that high and I didn't exactly die?

Everything above the yellow line is 180 BPM +.  How did I do that?

But resting is weird.  Nice but weird.  It is hard to believe it was just a year ago tomorrow that Lucho and I started working towards Leadman.  And even after August it really didn't stop as I still had the JFK on the table.  I know I like to race but I also know that deep down I really get into the process of training maybe for no other reason as it lends some purpose to my life.  But I also know right now that I am waaay burned out and need the break more than anything else.  I need to learn to do other things and or just do the things I love just for the simple act of enjoyment if for no other reason.  I also think I need to remaster the art of just sitting still.  Well, at least until the next lofty goal or set of goals comes down the pike but until then, chill.

I am still doing the Summit for Life next weekend and my goals for that are modest.  Just get to the top of the mountain.  It's a hike and it will be fun.  Actually I have been looking forward to this event more than just about anything else this fall.  Start up Aspen Mountain at 6:00 P.M.  get the top where there is dinner and a party waiting at the Sundeck and then ride the gondola back down.  It will be fun.

That being said I am still taking donations for this race.  My goal is to raise $1000 and as of right now I am at $850.  Please think about supporting this event put on by the Chris Klug Foundation which works to raise awareness for tissue and organ donation.  You can make a donation by going to my personal racing page here. Thank you!

The Great Petrucci - Wooten Turkey Trot Throwdown

David, Mom, Myself and Melissa

On Sunday, the day after the JFK 50, if I had to do a 5K I would have probably done 90 minutes.  On Monday I felt a little better and may have pulled 60.  Tuesday I felt like I could do 30 minutes if really pushed.  Come Wednesday though I felt 95% less sore and was definitely feeling better as that was the day I began talking smack to my stepdad David.

David married my mom in 1997 and he wasn't the most active person.  He started playing tennis and doing other things with mom and after a few years he finally began running which before he claimed to always hate.  Now he does pretty good often placing or winning in AG in distances of a half marathon or under.  For today's race he wanted to get a new 5K PR which would require him to beat his time from last year which was 22:59.

My family did something different this year for the holiday.  We actually had our Thanksgiving dinner on Wednesday night so that everyone who needed to be here could be here.  Actually it worked out quite well except for when David and I were starting on our second plates of food I told him that the race the next morning would not have anything to do with speed, fitness or leg turnover speed... it would depend on who could digest their food the fastest.  To keep things fair we even both had two slices of pumpkin pie for dessert.

Anyway, I had no idea how this morning would turn out.  I really wanted to help David to get a PR anyway I could as I knew that me getting one was really out of the question just days after a 50 mile run.  Really I just wanted to keep up with him and urge him on if possible.  Or maybe just get slightly in front and pull him with me.  But really I didn't know if I could keep up but that did not deter me from still talking shit.

The Frederick Way Station Turkey Trot is sort of a part of our family Thanksgiving tradition really anymore so everyone ran it including Mom and Melissa.  After we all were downtown David and I started running a bit to warm up.  I didn't feel bad but I didn't feel great either.  I still had some lingering aches and pains which really made me doubt if I could keep up with him or not.  After running some more and doing some speedier pick ups I did start to feel better and things warmed up.  After about 20 minutes of this we went to the start line with a minute or two before the race start.

Once the gun went off David was GONE!  Now I really did not know if I could keep up or not.  I caught up with him though and felt good enough.  I decided to take a different tactic and keep going.  Hopefully pull him with me but I sensed after a while (though I didn't look back) that I had opened quite the gap.  I figured I could still help him by not slowing down and hopefully he was back there trying catch up, chasing me.

As for me the first mile went great, the second mile still good but there is a half mile incline in there that can take it out of you.  Between miles two and two and half another little climb. I was losing speed on the climb but my heart rate was staying the same so I knew my level of effort was still consistent.

About a half a mile from the finish the same guy that placed 2nd in our AG two years ago when I came in third passed me.  I just let him go as I knew I was pretty maxed out and considering everything else I really didn't care as I was running WAY better than I had ever expected.

I crossed the finish line in 21:13 (fourth in my AG) and once I was done bending over determining if I were going to puke or not I stood up and started looking for David.

He wasn't that far behind really.  22:57 was his time and he beat last years time by two seconds.  Mission accomplished. A new PR for David.  He also came in second in his age group.  Mom came in first in her AG so at least two of the four of us brought hardware home.

This race is probably my favorite 5K of all time.  Every year it grows more and more and I think this year they had over 4,000 people running it.  If it were a touch warmer today without the wind, times might have been faster but who knows.

This was the one planned deviation from my running break.  I just couldn't miss this run no matter how long it took me to finish it.  I thought earlier in the week I would have to run with mom and again just hoped to keep up.

Next up is the Summit For Life on December 7th which won't be a run but a hard hike up Aspen mountain.  I am still taking donations and I am 75% to my goal of raising $1000 for the Chris Klug Foundation which raises awareness about the importance of organ and tissue donation. Please consider making a donation and help me to reach my goal of raising $1000 for this great cause. I have 9 days left to reach my goal. You can make a donation by clicking HERE. Thank you!

JFK 50 - It's Done!

Yesterday's JFK 50 didn't go exactly as I planned or had hoped.  But it was at least consistent with the rest of my running this fall which means it was ultimately inconsistent.  In a nutshell I had a great run until mile 30.  About mile 34 through mile 38 I hit that often encountered low spot which happens in most ultra's.  I just could not pull myself out of it so I did the best I could until things finally turned about mile 45.  I finished in 9:52:58 which isn't what I wanted but still a new 50 mile PR.

The course... the first 2.5 miles are on hard road going east from Boonsboro, Md to the top of South Mountain where it hooks up with the Appalachian trail.  That 13.5 mile section of the A-Trail is really one of my favorite running trails and I always try to run at least once when I come out to Maryland to visit.  The trail is not technical but it definitely tricky with many rocks jutting out of the trail and many roots which require constant attention to footing.  Getting to the towpath by the Potomac River is a relief allowing the mind and eyes a break.  I felt really good through this section and was enjoying the trail as always.

Next is the C&O Canal towpath.  25 miles of it!  Nothing hard here except it is a grind and after awhile the river and trees are no longer visually stimulating.  At all.  I hung in here okay for maybe ten miles then it just got old.  At mile 34 I thought I was at 37 and realizing that mistake sort of let the air of my ambitions.  By mile 38 I was really in the hurt locker.  Not wanting to drop but definitely not wanting it to go on anymore and surely just wanting it all to be over.  At this point I was no longer invested in the outcome and only wanted to finish.

Finally at mile 42 the course leaves the C&O Canal towpath and joins the hardtop road with a pretty serious and abrupt climb.  The last seven miles are typical rolling Maryland farmland two lane roads.  Before I rallied towards the end I was walking the ups and running the flats and downs.   Around mile 45 things turned around and I had a really nice run to the finish.

We really got lucky during the race as the winds which were in the forecast never really materialized until about the last mile and even then we were not running into it for that long.

I finished feeling okay and I was met at the finish line by my parents and of of my best friends Hugh and his wife Angie. Our other friend Bruce was busy working at one of the aid stations that day.   After the race we went to dinner and had a really great time.

The race... I was AMAZED!  Over 1000 runners were in it which is pretty big for an ultra, right?  I have to say that I have never seen a race managed as well as this one, EVER!  There were at least ten very well stocked aid stations along the course.   Course volunteers just looking out for runners on the A-Trail as well as on the C&O Towpath.  Every major road crossing has either local, county or State law enforcement directing traffic and looking out for the runners.  They even went as far as supplying reflective vests (which we had to give back) at mile 42 to all runners who went through there after 15:00.  That's foresight!

I think that every race director out there could learn a lot about how this race is managed from an ultra standpoint.  It was an eye opening experience.

The JFK is America's oldest ultra and this was the 51st running.  I don't know if I will ever run it again but I highly recommended that it should be experienced at least once.  I met a guy who is friends with my family this weekend and was going for his 37th finish this year.  37th!  Now that's something.

Now I am taking a long and overdue break with nothing structured or planned until I figure out the next year which might not be until the end of February.    It was a real challenge this fall having the JFK 50 still on the radar after Leadman but I am still glad that I did it.  But yeah.... now it is time for a break. I can't wait to do some ( a lot) of back country skiing in Aspen in December and more time on the bike when I can fit it in.

The Weekend

It was good.  Watched a lot of movies.  Caught up with a lot of friends.  Ran on Saturday, rode on Sunday.  Slept A LOT!

The End

Beaufort.... about the last days in occupied Lebanon at Castle Beaufort.  Great movie.