Trekking In Nepal

Over the last few weeks I have be traveling in Nepal trekking and trail running. The trip has been an amazing adventure and I feel very lucky to have been able to do it.

On the way to Nepal I had a stop in the UAE and was able to see a bit of country and some amazing sights. Highlights included seeing the Grand Mosque and going in the Persian Gulf. I only wish I had more time there.

After landing in Katmandu I spent some time in the city seeing the sights and bringing some supplies over for a charity I am involved with, the Basa Village Foundation (www.basavillagefoundationusa.org). After that I flew to the Lukla airport and began my trek.

I was able to go through some of the most beautiful parts of Nepal and the Himalayas. I trekked through Namche Bazar, Dola, Monchermo, Goyko, over the Cho La Pass, through Gorka Shep to Kalapatter and Everest base camp. I then headed back south through Penrechie, Tengobeche, and am now headed back to Lukla and Katmandu.

Some of the most interesting parts of the trek included delivering the supplies for the Basa Village Foundation, experiencing my first ever earth quake, climbing Kalapatter, Gokyo RI, and several other peaks, meeting the local people of Nepal, and pushing my physical limits.

When I get back to the US and have a faster internet connection I hope to post some photos from the trek as well.

Until then, Namaste!

The Black Hills Ultra

At the end of June I traveled to the Black Hills to race in the Black Hills Ultra.  The race has a 50 Miler, 100k, 100 Mile, and a 100 Mile mountain bike race.  I was racing in the 50 Miler.  The race starts in Sturgis and ran along the Centennial trail south along the out and back and course.    

Photo of the race start 

The race was very well organized, with easy check in, a delicious pre race dinner, well stocked aid stations, and a great and well marked course. 

 A typical scene along the race course

As the race started I lead the field out of the track stadium and onto the centennial trail.  Another runner ran with me for the first few miles of the race until we hit the first aid station where I was able to sail right on through with my still nearly full Nathon hydration pack.  From that point on I lead the race. 

One of my crew members, my cousin Max 

As the race progressed, the heat started to climb with temperatures reaching the mid 90's by the end.  Coming into the last few aid stations I was more than happy to see my awesome crew with water and ice!  At the turn around point I had a roughly 5 minute lead on the second place 50 Mile runner. 

Another of my crew members, my friend Anne.  Possibly concerned about the heat? 

I crossed the line in first place in 8:32:30, and had expanded my lead to nearly an hour.  It was a great race, and an especially strong second half performance for me.  At the awards ceremony I received one of the coolest winners awards I have seen, a Buffalo skull with Native American paintings on it.  

A big thanks to my crew, the race directors and volunteers, and congratulations to all the runners who were racing at the Black Hills Ultras and the other races that weekend - like Western States.

Miles and Miles at the FANS 12 Hour

Last week I joined a few other crazy, and by that I mean crazy cool, ultra runners for the FANS 12 Hour race at Lake Nakomis in the Twin Cities.  The race is in it's 23rd year and is a fundraiser for the FANS association, which is an academic support program for Twin Cities students.  Last year I had a great race in tough conditions with temps over 90 degrees!  I was hoping for better weather this year.

Crew area at FANS about 45 min before the start

As the race started I went out with the leaders, but after about 2 hours I decided to slow down just a bit.  Some of the other runners in the lead pack were shooting for PR times and distances in the 50 Mile and 100k to try to earn a spot on the US National 100K team.  I ran for about 4:00 with Carolyn Smith and we ended up closing the gap with some of the early race leaders as their strong pace started to ware on them. 

Just after the 50 Mile mark of the race, almost 7 Hours in

The weather was much better this year, with highs of about 72 degrees.  I felt much stronger this year and was able to run a much more even pace throughout the race.  During the course of the race I was running in second and third, and ended in third place with 75.2 miles - a New 12 Hour PR for me.  I also got a new 50 Mile Road PR at 6:50:00.  I know that my coach Jason, as well as my former teammates Tyler and Anne's visits and pacing during the race really helped me and pushed me to both my new PR's - so a big thanks to them and my always awesome crew!  

Listening to "Stuff You Should Know" Podcasts

 After the race, I felt much better then I did last year.  I felt like my race pacing, nutrition, and post race recovery was dialed in really well.  A big thanks goes out to all of the volunteers and the massage therapists who helped me after the race too.  Congrats to all of the runners at FANS and who raced at other weekend races, including my friends and teammates at the Minneapolis Marathon and Half Marathon. 

Superior Trail Spring Races and Training Weekend

Last weekend I had the opportunity to volunteer and crew for the Superior Trail Spring 50k and 25k races.  The races are held at Lutsen resort along Lake Superior's north shore.  I camped Friday night at Temperance River State Park, just south of the aid station that I was volunteering at the next day - the Oberg Mt. aid station.  

Oberg Mt. Aid Station - Pre Runners

I arrived at 7AM to help set things up and meet the people I would be working with in runner tracking.  As the day heated up runners started to come through.  Oberg Mt. is the turn around point for the 25k runners and the 1/4 point and 3/4 point for 50k runners.  The heat took it's toll on runners and in my hours working at the aid station more than a half dozen runners dropped out of the race.  I saw a lot of strong runners from the DRC team and the TCRC team from the Twin Cities too.    

Some runners starting to come into the Oberg Mt. aid station

After the race I went to Lutsen to do my run on the SHT, and I also found my self doing some challenging hill climbs on the down hill ski runs.  Later that evening I camped at Cascade River State Park with Eric and Tony. 

Running along the Cascade River

On Sunday the three of us ran from Cascade State Park to Grand Marais.  The weather was a bit windy and rainy, but we powered through the run.  It was a great weekend of training, camping, and volunteering.  Kudos to everyone who raced all around the region last weekend!

Ice Age 50 Mile

Camping the night before the Ice Age Trail races

On May 11th I traveled down to southern Wisconsin for the Ice Age Trail races.  I made the trip with some fellow Duluth ultra runners who were also running in the 26th annual race.  The race is now part of the Montrail Ultra Cup, so it has now become one of the most competitive ultras in the mid west.  I was running the 50 Mile, my first of the year.  We camped at a near by unit of the Kettle Moraine State forest the night before the race.  The weather held for us and would provide not only good camping but good racing too.   



Racers starting to come to the start area.  Over 800 runners raced at this year's Ice Age races

The 50 Mile race started bright and early at 6 AM.  The race attracted some of the best ultra runners the country including Zach Gingrich, Tim Olson, and the current US 50 Mile trail record holder.  I was excited to test myself against this great competition.  The race started at a fast clip, and I went out with a chase pack of 4 runners.  The lead pack had about 8 to 10 runners, and I knew that some of those runners would be falling back as the race progressed.  That would leave an opportunity for strong second half runners like me to move up in the field.  

Nearing the half way point

At the half way point I was in about 15th place and still feeling strong.  I was moving up in the field taking by advantage of some of the longer climbs between the aid station at Horse Riders Camp and the far turn around.  My nutrition proved well balanced.  I again used Honey Stinger gels but also used Honey Stinger chews as my stomach began to get tired of the sweetness and consistency of gels later in the race.  I also used Mountain Dew at a few of the aid stations in the second half.  Mountain Dew is one example of a food that I don't ever use in normal life, but in an ultra the sugar and caffeine can really bring you back from the edge.   


Top of a climb at about the 40 mile mark

With 10 miles to go I was still feeling strong and did my best to put as much of a gap on the runners behind me as I could.  I was pleased with how little of the race were "dark times" for me, and how even my energy level stayed through out the race.  I finished in 7:14 and 12 place, only 15 minuets behind some of the biggest ultra runners in the country.  7:14 is also a new 50 Mile trail PR for me by almost 27 minutes.  This result showed me that by the end of the season I think I can run a sub 7:00 trail 50 Mile.  Next up for me: the FANS 12 Hour.  I had a great race there last year with a gutsy finish, and I am looking forward to using my experience from last year to see if I can get a second PR this season. 

Congrats to all the runners at the Ice Age trail races and any other races out there this past weekend! 

Chippewa Moraine 50k


For many trail runners in the Midwest the ultra season got into full swing last Saturday at the Chippewa Moraine 50k in New Aburn WI.  The race runs on the Ice Age trail and is challenging but runnable course.  it features many remnants of the last Ice Age including glacial kettles and drumlins.

The race started in slightly chilly 40 degree weather at the Ice Age State Park visitors center.  On the line were many great trail and ultra guys from the region and some of my training partners and fellow Duluth Running Company team mates and Duluth training partners.  This race has really become an early season fitness test in the region.
  

At the starting line

 The race started with out a hitch and we were off and running.  You could tell we were excited to be starting the racing season by the pace.  I lead the lead pack for most of the first half of the out and back course, and we crossed the half way point in under course record time.  My goal for the race was to start off strong in the low end of my threshold zone and then push through the second half to get used to running strong in the difficult second half of a race. I hit that goal well, keeping my heart rate in the mid 160's for the first half and at 161 BPM for my overall average.
 

After the turn around with about 10 miles to go

I finished in 5th place, 3rd in the age group, and in 4:00:21.  I felt good at the end, with enough in the tank to do a cool down with Sundari who also made the trip down to the race.  I felt confident that I could have gone the extra 18 miles to finish a 50 Miler.  I'm looking forward to my next few big weekend long runs and to my next race, the Ice Age 50 Miler in May.  See you all out on the trails and at the NMTC Wednesday night series which starts this week at Park Point at 6 PM!

Fitgers 5K

This past weekend I joined over 1800 runners for the Fitgers 5K.  The wind and light rain and snow shower did little to deter the mood of us on the starting line.  Not even a 10 minute delay could reduce the energy of the record crowd. 

When the gun went off we took off on the slight down hill towards canal park.  Aided by the down hill I went through the first mile 5:12 but still felt relaxed and in control, even exchanging words and encouragement with my fellow DRC team member Eric Nordgren and a racer from Thunder Bay, Canada. 

As we approached the second mile the wind picked up and met us head on, and we would have a slight up hill and head wind for the remainder of the race, and the slower conditions showed in my 5:28 last mile split.  I finished in 6th place in a gun time of 16:44 - my fastest certified 5k time for several years. 

I have not yet started doing a lot of speed work, and have been focusing on base work recently, so I did not have high expectations in terms of time or place at Fitgers.  I was really happy with the race and surprised myself with my turn over and higher end capacity.  I think this is a good sign for my first ultra of the season this weekend at the Chippewa Moraine 50k and for the rest of the season. 

Best of luck to everyone racing this coming weekend and in any of the great spring races coming up.  Enjoy the great spring weather we have been having!

Listen to the Bees!

A few days ago I watched a documentary about bees and colony collapse disorder called Vanishing of the Bees. It is a great documentary about some of the recent problems that bees have been experiencing, and as someone with experience as a bee keeper I was especially interested.

With some of my bees

Bees are an indicator species because they are especially vulnerable to small changes in their environment. In addition, more than 1/3 of our food is pollinated by bees and they contribute 10's of billions of dollars to the agricultural industry in the USA alone. A decline in the bee population can and will be felt up and down the food chain.

Right now bees are in decline around the world, and scientists don't know why. Some of the main culprits for the so called colony collapse disorder include over feeding and poor nutritional quality in the commercial feed large scale bee keepers feed their bees, Queen supplementation and replacement some large bee keeping operations undertake to increase hive production, and the mono culture agricultural system that currently dominates world food production.

A brood box on my hive

This information is interesting and provides a scary outlook for the future of bees and our food system, but it should not altogether be unexpected. When I look at those three possible root causes of colony collapse disorder I can see parallels to human life and athletic training. (And I know what you are thinking - you can connect any two random ideas if you try hard enough, but just hear me out)

Colony collapse disorder cause one - over feeding/poor nutrition. Without proper nutrition humans are shortening their lives and becoming susceptible to diseases like heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and more. In the athletic world poor nutrition can hinder performance and or recovery. Without proper nutrition humans - and bees - become weaker over time.

Colony collapse disorder cause two - Queen supplementation and forced over production. By neglecting recovery or forcing our bodies to adapt to training too quickly we can sometimes see short term gains, but in the long run we almost always bottom out. Our bodies fail to continue to perform at the level we desire and force us to rest and recover. This is classic over training. Bees too many be experiencing this after generations of breading to produce more honey, faster pollination, and faster colony expansion is their "over training" catching up with them?

Colony collapse disorder cause three - mono culture food systems. When we get into a rut with our training our bodies take notice. They adapt to running that one favorite loop really well, but are not always fit to take on the challenge of other roads or trails or even different weather conditions. This is part of the benefit of mixing in new stresses to your training. You keep the body adapting to new situations and progressing. Like wise, bees may be suffering from a mono culture slump due to the human system of producing lots of the same kinds of food in close geographic relation to each other. Although this might be efficient for an "industrial food complex", this is not good for the environment. It makes it easy for pests and diseases to wipe out entire crops (think Irish potato famine!)and makes important pollinators, like bees, unable to quickly adapt to new threats. Don't fall into the mono culture training rut!

Bees getting ready to move into their new home

I hope that when thinking about the complex issue of colony collapse disorder in terms of these three basic principals you might be able to understand the issue more clearly and avoid some common pit falls of endurance training.

Happy training, and next time you see a bee out on a pollen finding mission give it a little thanks. or better yet, join me in becoming a bee keeper/steward of our food system!

Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Death Valley Vacation

Recently, I had the chance to take a great trip out to California and do some camping and training in Sequoia, Kings Canyon, and Death Valley National Parks, and Manizilla National Historical Site. The trip was a great opportunity to see some really unique parks with an extreme range of environments and eco systems.

Inside a burn scar on the Michigan Tree

The first night in Sequoia/Kings Canyon national parks my travel partner and I arrived to almost 4 feet of snow on the ground! It was a real shock to go on a spring trip to a place with more snow then Minnesota. We snowshoed around the Grant Grove, the largest concentration of old growth of Sequoia trees in the world. We were able to get up close to some of the largest trees in the world including the Grant Tree, the third largest living thing on earth!

The tent set up in a Sequoia grove the morning after the snow storm

My first night camping in Kings Canyon National Park a snow storm came through and dumped 15 inches of heavy wet snow in the Sierra Nevada Mts. It was cool to wake up to that much snow on the ground - and the top of the tent. My REI Arete 2 Mountaineering tent held up great.

Death Valley National Park

Next we drove a few hours east to Death Valley National Park, home to Badwater Basin the lowest point in the western hemisphere at -282 feet. The 90 degree heat and below sea level desert basin was a real contrast to the snow drifts, Sequoias, and 9000 feet elevation of Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Park. The park is ringed by mountains and has really cool sand dunes, salt flats, and salt water creeks the provide a home to some very hearty plants and animals.

A Salt Flat In Death Valley

While on the trip I was able to do some long workouts in the parks I visited. I did a long (and tough) snowshoe workout in Kings Canyon and also did several runs on the Badwater Ultra Marathon course. A few weeks ago I would not have said that I have any interest in running Badwater (a race from Death Valley to Mt. Whitney in July!) but after seeing the course and the national park I can see how it would be an alluring challenge. During my workouts I also tested a new energy gel called Ignite. The difference between this gel and others is the source of the simple sugar. In Ignite these simple sugars come from fig paste. The taste is good, slightly sweet but not overwhelming. The texture is very similar to the center of a fig newton, slightly gritty. I liked the consistency and taste and found that it worked well for delivering and keeping my energy level consistent.

At Badwater Basin, -282 feet. The lowest point in the western hemisphere.

Think gas prices are high? Try almost $6 a gallon in Death Vally National Park!

Recent Happenings

Recently, preparations and training for the upcoming ultra season have really picked up. My training has been solid with many great threshold workouts and some solid weekend long runs. My weekly volume has continued to climb hitting 19 hours, my highest so far this year. I have been connecting with lots of training partners for workouts too. I have been training with Dave H, Dave S, Tony, Eric, Craig, and of course Sundari recently. I have really enjoyed having other people to train with and to push each other.

This past week, Feb 27 through March 4, was my 19 hour training week with 6:30 of that volume coming in my back to back weekend workouts. I also did a cross training workout as well as some strength and a threshold workout with 15 minute reps. So far my build up is looking good and I am feeling great. My resting heart rate is showing that I am recovering well and getting even more fit.

I have been having lots of adventures in other areas of my life as well. A few weeks ago the Duluth Running Company had their 2011 team party across the bridge at the Thirsty Pagan. It was a great chance to meet up with lots of team members that I don't see very often. I was also honored to be named the 2011 Duluth Running Company Team Runner of the Year and Team Points Champion. It was a great cap to one of my best ultra seasons yet and the celebration with the team.

Some of the DRC team at the 2011 team party

Another bit of excitement came with the snow that we received this past week. I got a 4 season tent (the REI Arete 2) back in December of last year, and with no snow was not all that motivated to test it out. But the blizzard provided a great opportunity to see how it performed in snow, cold, and high winds.

My 4 Season Tent

I was really happy with the way it performed. The first night I noticed some dampness on my sleeping bag and some condensation on the upper inside walls near the top vent. The following night I changed the position of the vent and unzipped part of the side door vent and woke up to almost no condensation. The tent was really warm, even becoming too hot for my zero degree bag, and it felt rock solid under the weight of the fresh snow and the high wind gusts. The floor stood up to Sundari's nails and it was a flash to set up - even the first time in high winds and blowing snow/blizzard conditions. If you are in the market for a good all season tent the REI Arete 2 is a good option.

Under The Fresh Snow

Keep on keeping on, and have a great week!

Last Week Training and New Shoes

So far this year's training is off to a good start for me. Things have been coming together much better with sleep, nutrition, and recovery, and my workouts have been showing it. Last week my total volume was the highest since the end of last season at over 15 hours and about 100 miles. In addition to my regular runs and a great long run I did two excellent ANT workouts and saw just how well my anaerobic threshold is developing. This week will pail in comparison to the weeks to come this spring and summer, but for this time of year it was great!

Sundari and I post long run at Bagley. It was a great long run with Erik Nordgren.

The trail conditions at Bagley were still sad for skiing and snowshoeing, but great for trail running. Even the single track was not too icy!

My new road Minimus's

I also got some new road shoes at the beginning of this week, and I decided to try something new and go with the New Balance Road Minimus. I have really liked my New Balance trail shoes including the 101's and my new 110's, so I thought these might be a good fit too. The heal to toe drop is much lower than the Mizuno Precision and it is lighter weight as well. The fit and feel of the shoe is very similar to the 110 trail shoes. So far I have no complaints about this shoe, or my 110's. New Balance has really been doing some good things with their shoes lately! I think I am becoming a New Balance running shoe guy!

I hope training and life goes as well for us all this week as mine went last week!

Lightspeed Workout

Reduced weight treadmills, such as under water or air pressure systems, have become popular training tools for many elite runners. I have seen the systems before, but had never had access to one to train on. But recently the Duluth Y, where I do my strength and indoor speed workouts, purchased Lightspeed treadmill system.

The view looking at the treadmill screen

The Lightspeed works on the same theory that other reduced body weight treadmills do. That by running at a lighter weight you can train the body to have a faster turnover and run at a higher speed, while reducing the impact on your body and making recovery from a workout or injury easier. The Lightspeed system has the user put on a pair of thick spandex shorts (you have to purchase these - they get sweaty) which clips onto a bungee and frame system set up around the treadmill. You can raise or lower the harness to control how much lighter you become in the harness.

The frame of the Lightspeed around a treadmill

I ran a test workout on the system last week and, even with everything I have read about these systems, I was impressed. I normally weigh about 138 to 140 lbs, but while on this system I was down to 120 lbs. I began running at my normal easy run pace of 6:45 to 6:50. I quickly began to push the pace and see how I felt. Soon I was clipping off 6:35 miles, then 6:25. The Lightspeed allowed me to run :20 to :25 seconds per mile faster than my normal easy run pace while keeping my heart rate at 146 BPM which is well within my BE 1-2 training zone.

The shorts that hook into the Lightspeed system

I am really excited that I now have access to a Lightspeed treadmill for training. I think it will be a great tool for recovery runs after especially hard workouts and races or in the unfortunate situation I get injured (knock on wood).

Hope 2012 training is going well for all of you. Keep exploring the limits!

Weekend Workouts

This weekend I had some really great workouts on and off the snow. On Saturday Sundari and I went over the Hartley and meet up with Gregg, Tony, and Erik Nordgren. I know I am spoiled when I head out the door and am dissappointed that it is ONLY 25 degrees. What great weather for a JANUARY long run. We headed out for a long run - I was going for a bit more than 3:00. We did a loop in Hartley before swinging back to the parking lot to refuel and then continue on to Hawk's Ridge and the Lester snowmobile trails.

Sundari and I going to Hartley for a long run

When we got to Hawk's Ridge we met up with Dave S. and did a nice loop in Lester. The trails were great for running, but I think skiing or snowshoeing would be a bad idea. There was a a little coating of ice in some places, and all of us took some awkward dives at some point, but we all came out unharmed!

We then headed back up the Lester Amity trails to Hartley and Erik and I finished up at 3:15, with Tony going on for a bit more. He is doing the Cold Water 50K in Arizona in a few weeks so he is getting ready for that. Good luck Tony! It was a great run!

The trail head at Hartley. This is the most snow we ran on all day

Then on Sunday I went down to the North End trail head in Cable WI for a snowshoe workout...on real snow! What a concept! I did a workout with 10 minute ANT reps and a long warm up and cool down. I started the workout on the dedicated snowshoe trails, but most of them are more tree covered and so the snow is a bit thin. I headed onto the Birkie trail and the snow was perfect. I had a great workout and was again the beneficary of great weather in the low 30's! I just hope this snow sticks around for the Boulder ski and snowshoe race this weekend.

This week I will have one mid-long run and two speed workouts, one mid week and one at the Boulder Snowshoe race and USSSA qualifer. My only real goal for the race is to qualify for the USSSA National Championships and get a good ANT workout. All the best to the other racers and anyone racing someone else this coming weekend.

Keep exploring the limits!