Ramping Up for the Marathon / Ultrarunner of the Year Thoughts

Now that I've turned the corner in my recovery from a minor surgical procedure I've been putting off for too long, my thoughts are turning to the Rock 'n Roll Arizona Marathon in Pheonix on January 20. I've already registered for the race and booked my hotel room. I still need to get my flight. These are important steps in the mental engagement process.

Of course, the biggest factors in preparing for a race aren't getting a hotel room or even registering (though certainly both are vital). The most important things you can do are dedicate yourself to the goal at hand and do the right training. My goal is to run a 2:55 in Phoenix. I've begun running again, after a full week off as I recovered, and have set October 1 as the official start of my marathon training.

My training is going to be much more strategic than in years past. It used to be that I just ran a bunch of miles, including speedwork, tempo runs and long runs, and showed up at the start hoping for the best. Usually, things worked out well (yeah, those were the good 'ole days). This time around, what most matters to me is peaking on race day and being 100% healthy. I'm re-reading Daniels' Running Formula (which I first read in 2006) and am focusing heavily on the build-up stages I'm going to need to do to get in peak shape. Right now, I'm just trying to re-establish my fitness, as I lost a step or two just from that week off. Plus, I'm still not 100% from the procedure.

Contrary to what Paul Ryan might have us think, breaking three hours in the marathon is a challenge for most of us. I know because I've done it three times (in a row). You have to put in the right kind of training, which includes fast stuff and long stuff. Over the past few years I think I've gotten lazy with my long runs, instead going on lots of outings of 18 or fewer miles and then maybe doing a double later in the day so that I could say, yeah, I did 22 or 23 miles that day. But no matter how you slice it, there's no substitute for a good, quality 20-22-miler when you're training for a marathon--just as 30-35-milers are incredibly important to preparing for a 100-miler. There's no substitute for a focused tempo run. And there's nothing quite like hammering it around a track or doing fast fartleks.

As much as I'm excited about Phoenix, I've had moments where I've felt pulled to do another ultra this year. With my DNF at Leadville, I don't meet the qualification criteria for Western States in 2013. That really sucks because I would have had an extra ticket in the lottery. I thought for a brief moment in time about finding a qualifying 50-miler and gettin' it done, but that would just interfere with my marathon PR goal. So, after doing some soul-searching, I've decided not to do any more ultras this year and instead focus on getting ready for Phoenix, which I think will establish a super-solid base for my Leadville training.

I'm also thinking a little about 2013. I know there's Phoenix on January 20 and the Leadville 100 in August. I'm going to race less and instead use the time to train on the Leadville course and get 100% comfortable with every section, mostly notably the entire Hope Pass section (from Twin Lakes to Winfield and back). But I'd like to do a few races. I'm considering the Lt. JC Stone 50K, a road race in Pittsburgh that's run on the old GNC Ultras course, in March. I did the JC Stone in 2009, finishing fifth overall with a 3:46 despite a hideous upper-respiratory bug, and it's a great race. I'd love to go back to the Mt. Evans Ascent--there's something about that race. Then there's the Leadville Trail Marathon in June. We'll see.

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Final note: I don't know about you, but in my mind 40-year-old Mike Morton is a lock for Ultrarunner of the Year. His record-breaking 172.457-mile performance at the 24-hour World Championship in Poland a few weeks ago just sealed the deal. Averaging 8:21 pace for 24 hours--and that includes refueling and bathroom stops--is just insane (even more insane: Yiannis Kouros' world record 188 miles in 24 hours). This year alone, Mike's had three 100-milers all under 14 hours (winning each), a near record-setting win at Badwater and of course that eye-popping performance at the 24-hour worlds. I do think Tim Olson should get consideration, especially for Performance of the Year (though here again I think Mike is the favorite with his 24-hour result), but Mike has clearly had the best year of any ultrarunner out there.

For the women, I think Connie Gardner, who logged 149.368 miles at the 24-hour worlds to set a new American record, should get Performance of the Year. Of course, the venerable Ellie Greenwood, who may one day best many of Ann Trason's records, gets the women's UROY.

I guess some may say I'm crazy for not thinking Ellie and Tim should get Performance of the Year for their incredible Western States records. Those were great results for sure, but let's not forget that the weather that day was insanely cool compared to the norm. In areas of the course where the temp usually hits 100+ degrees, people were wearing jackets.

In summary:

• Ultrarunner of the Year/Men: Mike Morton (landslide victory)
• Ultrarunner of the Year/Women: Ellie Greenwood (landslide victory)
• Performance of the Year/Men: Mike Morton, 24-hour worlds (narrowly edges out Tim Olson, Western States)
• Performance of the Year/Women: Connie Gardner, 24-hour worlds (very narrowly edges out Ellie Greenwood, Western States)

I can't end this post without also throwing out props to a runner who I've admired for years and recently collected his 31st career win at the 100-mile distance. At the tender age of 44, he beat out some seriously fast dudes nearly half his age, and in the process he earned a five-figure paycheck for yet another great day at the office. Congratulations to one of my heroes, Karl Meltzer, a.k.a. the Wasatch Speedgoat, on winning the inaugural Run Rabbit Run 100-Mile. Karl's mojo is legendary and, yeah, for him, "100 miles isn't that far."

Final thought: Karl's win at Run Rabbit Run, because of his age, was every bit as surprising to me as Hal Koerner's amazing win at Hardrock this year (Hal lives in Ashland, Oregon, which is at a paltry 1,800 feet, but grew up in Colorado). The smart money was on guys like Joe Grant and Dakota "Young Money" Jones to win Hardrock, but ultimately Hal, being a grizzled veteran, got 'er done, just as Karl brought it at Run Rabbit Run.

Let me know what your thoughts are on who gets UROY and Performance of the Year!

More about → Ramping Up for the Marathon / Ultrarunner of the Year Thoughts

What's Really Wrong with Leadville

I've been thinking a lot about what happened at this year's Leadville 100-Mile Run and the criticism that's been directed at Lifetime Fitness. As we all know, Lifetime, a publicly traded company based in Minnesota, bought the storied Leadville Race Series in 2010. Up until that time, the race had been owned and operated by two Leadville natives, Ken Chlouber and Merilee Maupin.

Before I share some thoughts and observations, I first want to tell a story that I've told only a few people. A few days after the 2010 race, my first Leadville, I realized I'd left behind one of my drop bags. So I called race headquarters and left a message about my bag, not really expecting to ever see it again. A few hours later, I got a call from Ken Chlouber. Ken was standing in front of a huge pile of drop bags that had been left behind and ultimately began fishing through the rubble in search of my belongings, which included an expensive pair of Salomons. Finally, Ken found the bag and he shipped the contents to me. I, of course, paid for the shipping (as I should have). He couldn't have been nicer about it. Mind you--this was Ken Chlouber, founder of the Leadville 100, fishing through a pile of left-behind bags in search of my Salomons--only a few days after the race, when he must have been exhausted. It left a lasting impression on me. Ken cared about every detail.

Now let's fast-forward to a few days after this year's race. With lots of anger swirling among Leadville nation, I chose to call the race director. When he didn't answer, I left a voice mail for him, expressing support for the race and confidence that Lifetime would fix the problems. I kind of expected a return call. To date, I haven't heard back from him, and a few others I know who have reached out to him also haven't heard back. In a sport where virtually everyone knows everyone, I find the lack of response to my inquiry deeply troubling. This never would have happened in the Ken and Merilee years. I am certain about it, because I can personally attest to the dedication that they put into their races. I mean, Ken fished through a pile of crap in search of my Salomons!

In order to understand what's happened to the Leadville 100 over the past few years, we first need to understand Lifetime Fitness, its business model and who it serves. Lifetime operates indoor fitness clubs in cities across the nation. There's one here in Parker. I remember a few years ago visiting the Parker club, when we were interviewing for jobs and trying to figure out if we'd move here, and they wanted me to shell out something like $30 for a day pass. Needless to say, I declined to pay and walked out. (For $5, you can get a day pass at the Parker Recreation Center, which is super nice and has an Olympic-size swimming pool.)

It's important to note that Lifetime is a publicly traded company. That means Lifetime has shareholders and trades on the New York Stock Exchange. Its shareholders are people wanting to make money. Lifetime has a CEO and a board of directors. The board is full of rich guys and gals with companies of their own. The company's mission is: "We�re here to provide an educational, entertaining, friendly and inviting, functional and innovative experience of uncompromising quality that meets the health and fitness needs of the entire family." Lifetime describes itself as "the healthy way of life company."

Here's the cold, hard reality: At the end of the day, Lifetime's goal as a publicly traded company--even if it doesn't say this--is to deliver "shareholder value." In other words, Lifetime wants to make a lot of profit that will then translate into high stock prices and happy shareholders. How do you make a lot of profit? Well, you sell lots of memberships, make people pay through the nose for one-day passes, keep costs as low as possible and invest only in what makes you the most money (this is called return on investment).

Another important part of delivering shareholder value is avoiding public relations crises that might threaten your brand and cause your stock value to go down. What happened with this year's Leadville 100 likely won't cause Lifetime's stock value to go down, mostly because A) very few people in the non-ultrarunning world know about it, and B) the media isn't onto the story (yet). Hell, I doubt even the Lifetime board of directors knows what went down in Leadville a few weeks ago.

Despite the town of Leadville's well-documented economic struggles (it was these struggles that led to the creation of the Leadville 100 in the first place), Lifetime bought the Leadville Race Series in 2010 because it obviously saw a cash cow with tons of profit potential. Some of that was because of The Book. But let's be honest here--the big cash cow was/is the 100-mile mountain bike race. We're talking about a race that guys like Lance Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer and Dave Wiens have won.

With the mountain bike race being king, it's no wonder that one event continues to get rave reviews by entrants, while the 100-mile run has continued to deteriorate in quality and, I would add, runner safety and experience. To be sure, this year's run race was dangerously overcrowded with many novices on the course who had no business out there. I was nearly killed by an idiot who almost caused me to fall down Mount Hope! And many of these novices fell behind and found themselves facing aid stations without water and other essentials.

But, one might ask, why are so many novices out there in the first place, especially given that Leadville is hardly a race you want to do without some solid experience? The answer to that question lies in who Lifetime is marketing to. They aren't marketing to you and me, save the occasional ad in Ultrarunning Magazine. No, they're marketing to their club members--a very big and cheap audience to reach. And that's a major problem. You see, Lifetime has for years operated indoor fitness clubs. By contrast, ultrarunning is an outdoor sport with participants who, for the most part, don't find much enjoyment in a gym. Ah, a cultural clash!

There is a place in ultrarunning for corporations. Consider the Western States/Montrail model. Montrail has a major stake in the Western States 100, but Montrail is an outdoor sports company. It gets the outdoor way of life and it understands ultrarunning. So it makes sense for Montrail to be involved in Western States and have a qualifying series. It makes sense for The North Face to be involved in its own ultrarunning series. It doesn't make sense for a chain of gyms to get involved in ultrarunning and try to run one of the world's most storied 100-milers, especially when a small mountain town's very livelihood is at stake.

As many of us know, there's a huge cultural difference between trail runners and, say, folks who drive to the gym a few days a week to burn some calories on the elliptical trainer. I have nothing against the elliptical folks--I think it's great that they work out. What concerns me is that Lifetime is getting them to sign up for a race that they have no business--from a fitness and experience standpoint--participating in.

So what we've been increasingly seeing in recent years--especially this year--is a sea of novices who've signed up after being aggressively marketed to in their local Lifetime club. And that has created a bloated field and led to catastrophic failures in meeting the basic raceday needs of the runners and their crews.

As for whether or not Lifetime fixes the problems that undermined runner safety and caused all kinds of problems for crews this year, we'll see. Lifetime has been mum so far. But this we do know:

• Lifetime is a publicly traded company that wants to deliver shareholder value.
• It bought the Leadville Race Series because it obviously saw a huge cash cow.
• It's making a boatload of money on the race series.
• It holds huge power over the town of Leadville, which depends on the dollars that the race series brings in every year in the form of money spent on food, lodging, etc.
• The quality of the 100-mile run has gotten worse every year, even as Lifetime's profits have most likely gone up.
• It has yet to acknowledge what happened this year, which leads one to believe that Lifetime simply doesn't care.

Among the many things Lifetime can do to help rescue the Leadville 100:

• Hire a race director and team that understand how to execute 100-mile foot races. Lifetime is asking too much of its current team, which has to manage a full range of races and two major events on back-to-back weekends. As it stands, the current team may understand bike races, but it doesn't understand 100-mile foot races.
• Stop marketing the race to rank-and-file Lifetime club members and start marketing the race to athletes who are prepared for the challenge.
• Engage the Leadville nation in getting the race back to where it needs to be. Lifetime needs to admit that it can't do it alone--it needs help. I'm glad to lend a hand!
• Figure out a way to make the field smaller. Maybe consider a qualifier. Definitely forewarn aspiring entrants of the monster they're going to take on. I think too many entrants don't understand what they've gotten themselves into and are caught off-guard on raceday.
• Ban crew access at Winfield and shuttle pacers into and out of the area. This will make that critical section of the race more manageable.
• Ban crew access at Mayqueen outbound (mile 13.5). The congestion at Mayqueen outbound sets a bad tone for the rest of the day.
• Establish a new aid station--without crew access due to limited parking--at Tabor Boat Ramp inbound (mile 93). This will enhance runner safety.
• Do everything you can to thank and show appreciation for the wonderful volunteers who man the Hopeless aid station. This year they were set up for failure. As I hear, they knew they'd run out of supplies and, sure enough, they did. Having to transport supplies up a mountain via llamas, they can only do so much. Take care of them because, short of a helicopter drop, there's no other way to get supplies up there.
• Get the aid station volunteers into the race by having a contest to see who has the coolest aid station. Let the aid station volunteers create their own themes. Of course, we'd want all of the aid stations to have some basic stuff, like tent cover, water, sports drink, PB&Js, soup, heaters, cots, etc., but allow the volunteers to get creative and have fun. Admittedly, this idea came to me via Footfeathers.

Those are just a few suggestions. I would encourage Lifetime to focus on the big problems and don't worry yet about the little things, such as "goody bags." Focus on the big things: runner safety, runner experience, crew experience, aid stations and traffic control.

At this point, it's hard to be hopeful about the future of the Leadville 100-Mile Run. And that's really sad, because ultimately more than a great race is at stake. It could be the town that pays the highest price of all.

More about → What's Really Wrong with Leadville

Stoutest Records in Ultrarunning / Training Update

First off, a word on my poll (which is still open!). The question is, what's the stoutest record in ultrarunning? The choices are:

• Bruce Fordyce - 4:50/50 miles
• Yiannis Kouros - 188 miles/24 hrs.
• Timothy Olson - 14:46/2012 WS100
• Don Ritchie - 6:10/100K
• Ann Trason - 14 WS100 wins
• Matt Carpenter - 15:42/Leadville 100
• Karl Meltzer - 35 career 100M wins

I realize that we could add quite a bit to that list (e.g., Kyle Skaggs� Hardrock record, Scott Jurek�s seven consecutive Western States wins, Oleg Kharitonov's 100-mile record, etc.). In the interest of simplicity, I selected the records that most stood out to me.

To me, the most impressive record is Kouros� 188 miles, followed by Don Ritchie�s 100K mark. Let me explain why by first eliminating the others.

Olson: I believe Tim Olson's 2012 Western States record, how ever amazing it is (and one could argue Ellie Greenwood�s 2012 record is even more impressive), will fall if the weather cooperates (a big if) and/or a world-class runner like Olson himself, Max King, Kilian Jornet, etc. has a very good day (entirely possible). The Western States record has fallen two times in the past three years. Who's to say 14:46 is the lowest it's going to get? Disclaimer: One might ask why I didn�t include Ellie Greenwood�s 2012 Western States record on the list. My reason: I believe it�s an indication of more to come from Greenwood. I also think Lizzy Hawker could make a run at it.

Fordyce: A few runners have come close to Fordyce�s nearly 30-year-old record, in which he averaged a blistering 5 minutes, 48 seconds per mile for 50 miles (equating to nearly two consecutive 2:33 marathons). There are world-class marathoners who could probably make a run at that pace for 50 miles if they trained specifically for it. Right now, there�s just not much interest in going hard and fast for 50 miles on the road. A prize purse could change that. Someone (Josh Cox? Sage Cannady? Max King?) needs to give it a go!

Trason: Ann Trason�s 14 Western States wins is an incredible record and I think it's in the conversation with the most ridiculous records of all time, but I think many of us agree that there are runners today, such as the Queen herself (Ellie Greenwood), who are perhaps capable of even more. Pound for pound, Ellie Greenwood is in my opinion the best overall ultrarunner in the world (how many runners out there can finish second at Comrades and then break the record at Western States?). She�s smart and, if she stays healthy, she�s going to break most, if not all, of Trason�s records. Of course, that would require her to remain a world-class talent into her mid-40s�a tough, though doable, proposition (see Nikki Kimball, Connie Gardner et al) if she wants it. And it would require a conscience, sustained effort to break Trason's records.

Carpenter: Carpenter�s Leadville record, which I would elevate above Kyle Skaggs� Hardrock record (which I think Kilian Jornet or a healthy Anton Krupicka will eventually break) and maybe even above Olson�s Western States record, hasn�t been seriously threatened yet, though Anton Krupicka certainly went after it a few years ago. I think many of us would agree that a guy like Kilian Jornet could make a run at it, but it will require a perfect day. Running at that pace at 10,000+ feet for 100 miles, with the Hope Pass double crossing, is crazy stupid. In his prime, Carpenter could have beaten anyone on any day and should have bagged the course records at Hardrock, Wasatch and maybe Western States, but he never did those races. The guy was super human and a downright freak in terms of mountain running skills. His 2:01 ascent of Pikes Peak is--well--freakish.

(Matt, if you're reading this, I'd love to interview you for my blog!)

Meltzer: Melter has won 35 100-milers and there�s every indication he�s going to keep adding to that number. Some people accuse Meltzer, who is a runner I very much respect, of cherry-picking races. That may be true in a few instances, but what about his many victories at top races like Hardrock, Wasatch, Massanutten, Run Rabbit Run, San Diego and Bear? That said, there are guys like Hal Koener who could beat Meltzer�s mark if they stay healthy. Yes, that would require some cherry-picking. And while on the topic of Speedgoat Karl, I truly think he's going to kill it at this year's Western States. The guy may be in his mid-40s, but he's running very well right now and it wouldn't surprise me if he finishes on the podium especially if it's a hot race and there's lots of carnage at the front. Yep, I just said that.

The GOAT (Greatest of All Time): Yiannis Kouros

In the end, I give the nod to "the Great Greek," Yiannis Kouros, with honorable mention to Ritchie. When Yiannis Kouros ran 188 miles in 24 hours in 1997, he said his record would stand for generations. The man has never been one to overstate things, which is to say he knew at the time that what he'd just done was even crazier than a one-in-a-lifetime feat. No one has come close to his 24-hour record since then. The current American record is a stout 172 miles, set by Mike Morton�that�s a full 16 miles short of Kouros� mark. Kouros, like Carpenter, is from a different planet.

As for Ritchie, he average 5 minutes, 57 seconds per mile for 62 miles. While I can see a world-class marathoner making a run at Fordyce�s record, I�m struggling to see how they could hold a similar pace for an additional 12 miles. I see Ritchie�s mark standing for a while longer. If road ultras ever go big money, it might fall.

So there you have it! Please chime in with your thoughts!

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Last week (Apr. 8-14) was dedicated to recovery and that meant about a 25% drop in my mileage. On the week, I logged 57 miles, a full 20 fewer miles than the previous week�s 77. I ran six of the seven days and finished off the recovery week with a 15-miler on the hilly Highlands Ranch backcountry trails, fighting vicious gusts.

I�m still trying to figure out what proactive recovery means. Does it mean a reduction in miles while still running the same number of days as usual? Or does it mean extra days off from the normal routine? Or does it mean some of both? The good news is that I�m still early enough in my Leadville 100 training to experiment a bit with recovery and see what my body and mind need.

These past few months have been interesting, to say the least. I�m starting to see the value in simplicity. Rather than do lots of crazy, elaborate stuff with my training, I think I just want to run a bunch. I often daydream about long runs in the mountains (shirtless, of course) and big excursions to Leadville to train on the course. I know that, when winter finally blows through here and the snow recedes, those opportunities will come. I plan to take full advantage of the summer! But I don�t plan to make my summer all about Leadville, as I�ve done in the past. At this point, what�s most important to me is enjoying the summer and having good times with family and friends.

I�m dedicated to my Leadville training but I�m allowing myself to feel any pressure. Pressure is what takes the fun out of training and racing. And why even feel pressure when it�s all self-inflicted and not at all coming from anyone or anything else? Without pressure, you�re left to enjoy the simple act of running. If that simple act involves 100 miles a week, that�s great. If it involves 70 miles a week, that�s great, too.

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Next Saturday I'll be lining up for my third consecutive Cheyenne Mountain 50K. Last year's race went pretty well, as I finished fifth overall with a 4:50, though I weakened a bit in the end. The year before that (2011), I ran the race mostly as a training run and finished strong as an ox. This year, I'm not sure what I'll be looking for. But right now I'm in decent shape and I look forward to upping the volume a bit more and gradually adding in some quality starting in May. The Cheyenne course plays to my strengths--it's mostly below 7,000 feet of elevation and it's hilly terrain with no big climbs. In the past, I've raced well on such terrain. The one big X factor is that Cheyenne has some technical spots and I haven't done much technical trail running yet this year.

For this week (Apr. 15-21), I'm putting in between 75-80 miles and on Sunday will go 22-25 miles on the trail. It's entirely possible I'll train right through Cheyenne, skipping any kind of taper. I'll make a decision on Sunday night!

More about → Stoutest Records in Ultrarunning / Training Update