Week Ending 5/20

My review of Scott Jurek's new book, Eat & Run, due out on June 5, has gotten tremendous interest. If you haven't yet read my review, it's here.

***

My energy wasn't good a the week wore on. I'm not sure what the issue was, but I was cranky (just ask my wife), a bit mentally down and just flat-out tired. The fact that I had 7:30 a.m. meetings on Thursday and Friday, which caused me to get up at 4:15 for my runs, obviously didn't help. Sometimes I'm my own worst enemy. Anyway, I still managed decent volume (72.5 miles) and decent quality with my intervals and tempo run.
 
Here's how the week went:

Monday: super-easy
AM: 4 miles in 32 minutes on my treadmill. Felt good for a Monday.

Tuesday: intervals
AM: 9.05 miles in 1:08--about half at the track and half on the trail loop behind Legend High School. Was a bit late getting out the door because I couldn't find one of my arm sleeves.... After a 1-mile warm-up run to the track from my doorstep, I did 3x100M striders to wake up the legs and then went right into my workout: 1x800 at 2:43 (400M recovery), 2x1200M at 4:13 and 4:15 (400M recoveries) and 2x400M at 1:24 and 1:22 (200M recoverie)s. I continue to see improvement in my times. Felt better than last week--lungs good, leg turnover good. Feet hit the track gently. Nice to have some good company with Scott also there working away.

Wednesday: easy
AM: 9.7 miles in 1:13 on the trails around my neighborhood. Lower back a little achy, probably from tight hamstrings.

Thursday: tempo
AM: Unfortunately, I had limited time due to my early meeting, so I did what I could. 7.4 miles in 51 minutes on Parker streets and the Sulphur Gulch "Trail" (paved). This was a decent, albeit short, tempo run. Splits were: 1) 8:40 (warm-up), 2) 6:23, 3) 5:50, 4) 6:03, 5) 6:11, 6) 7:30 (begin cooldown), 7) 7:34, 7.4) 3:08.

Friday: easy
AM: Once again very limited time because of an early meeting. 7.2 miles in 54 minutes on the trail loop behind Legend High School. (Would have liked an afternoon session but I spent the entire day in meetings.)

Saturday: long/road
AM: 17.2 miles in 2:14. From my doorstep, I basically took East Parker Road all the way to its end, and then turned around and came back, hitting the Legend High School trail loop for a few miles. This is a fairly hilly course. My original plan was a 20-miler but the weather absolutely sucked for running--cold, rainy and windy. My legs got numb and week toward the end because of the cold, wet conditions. My Garmin says the run involved 987 feet of climbing but there's no way that's true. I'd estimate closer to 1,500 feet. I no longer trust my Garmin on climbing--I've seen too many inconsistencies and crazy findings, such as climbing while I'm running intervals around a pancake flat track (WTF?).
 
PM: 4 miles in 33 minutes on the treadmill. Legs a little wobbly from getting frozen earlier in the morning.
 
Total miles for day: 21.2 miles

Sunday: long/trail
AM: 14.05 miles in 2:12 at Mount Falcon. Intended to go for at least 3 hours but my legs were trashed--not sure why. Made it to Walker's Dream in 34:55--a nearly 2,000-foot, 3.5-mile climb up rocky trail. After that, I felt an unusual amount of fatigue on the climbs up to the summit of Falcon. GPS reports 2,700 feet of climbing. That's actually fairly accurate, though I would have guessed closer to 3,000 feet.
 
Weekly totals:

• 72.5 miles run
• ~7,000 feet of climbing (estimated)
• Total training: 9:39
• 8 total runs
• Averaged 8:00/mile
• Less core work than usual because of mild lower back issues

Year to date mileage:

• 1,320 miles run
• 118 miles biked
• 6.55 miles walked

So, overall, not the greatest week ever because of: a) limited time during the week due to meetings, b) general fatigue and c) crappy weather on Saturday that, for some reason, sapped my legs.

***

I think it's getting time to stretch out my tempo runs a bit. I've been keeping my actual tempo mileage (not including warm-up and cooldown miles) to about 6 each session. I want to start ratcheting that up with a goal of eventually getting in a tempo run of 10-12 miles by the time Leadville comes along. I'm fairly happy with my track workouts because, for the most part, I'm seeing improvement. I miss mile repeats, like what I used to do back East, but at 6,200 feet I'm finding that 400s, 800s and 1200s provide a nice workout.

My goal for the coming week is about 80 miles, including some quality trail work. On Memorial Day a few of us are planning to run Mt. Bierstadt, a 14,100-foot mountain that's pretty tame and runner-friendly. To the summit and back is about a 7-mile roundtrip, all between about 10,000-14,000 feet. In addition to a time trial on the Hope Pass double-crossing (would like to do Twin Lakes to Winfield and back to Twin Lakes in 5:30 or faster, which is what I need to break 20 hours at Leadville) and some more work on the Incline, this summer I also really want to run the Bross/Cameron/Democrat/Lincoln loop, which is about 7.25 miles and hits four 14,000-foot mountains. Can't beat that!

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Week Ending May 27

Jumping ahead a bit, on Memorial Day/Monday I got to Mount Bierstadt, a 14,060-foot mountain, with Scott Williams and Bob Sweeney. I'd been wanting to summit Bierstadt for well over a year, but either life circumstances or the weather always seemed to get in the way. Not this time! Scott and I arrived at the Bierstadt trailhead via Guanella Pass at about 7:15 a.m. and met Bob there. The weather was a mixed bag. On the good side, the sun was out in full force and the sky was clear. On the bad side, the wind was quite hostile, with gusts of 30-40+ miles per hour, and the temperature was in the twenties. It was a good thing we bundled up. I had on most of my winter running gear, including my windproof/waterproof North Face gloves.

That said, we went right after it, reaching the summit in about 85 minutes. In most areas, the trail was in excellent shape. However, there were a few icy, but small, snow fields to contend with, and of course the wind added to the adventure. We put on our spikes about halfway up. Spikes were nice to have, but not required.

The views from the summit were incredible. Despite a wind chill in the teens, I marveled at the Sawtooth connecting Mounts Bierstadt and Evans and at the spectacular view of Grays and Torreys peaks, two notable Front Range 14'ers, off in the distance. Even better, I had a good descent, moving smoothly and feeling strong, though my quads were slightly tired. The stats on the adventure were 7.45 miles in 2:04, with 2,800 feet of climbing to an altitude of 14,060 feet.

There are few better feelings than standing atop a 14,000-foot mountain! The perspective you are afforded is almost life-changing. Here are some photos from our adventure.

View from the parking lot. Bierstadt to the right; Evans to the left. The sawtooth is in the middle.
This photo doesn't do the size of those two mountains any justice.

Bob gearing up. He's been on a 14'er kick lately.

Not sure what that pointy peak is. I heard it's a 13'er.

Grays and Torreys are to the right. They're the twin peaks.

A nice view of Grays and Torreys (in the middle).

Kind of a bad view of the Sawtooth, but you get the idea.

Don't know who this is, but this shot was from the summit. Mount Evans is off in the distance.

At the summit.

Yeah, I know--I'm not much of a photographer. Had the weather been better, I'm confident I would have taken some better photos.
 
***

Here's how the week went:
 
Monday: super-easy
AM: 4.5 miles in 37 minutes on my treadmill. Very easy pace. Legs didn't fully wake up until about 3 miles into my run.

Tuesday: easy
AM: 9.75 miles in 1:13 on the trails and a few roads in the Parker hills. Felt much better than yesterday, even as I slept poorly last night.This is usually my interval day but I decided to push my speedwork back a day to allow my legs one more day of recovery.

Wednesday: intervals
AM: 10.5 miles in 1:18. This was an excellent interval workout at the Legend High School track with Scott. After jogging a mile from my doorstep to the track, I did 3x100-meter striders to warm up and "wake up" the legs. Then I went right into my repeats, running 4x800 meters at 2:45, 2:47, 2:47, and 2:47 (400-meter recovery in between) and then 3x400 meters at 1:22, 1:20 and 1:19 (200-meter recovery in between). Very pleased with those last two 400s as they show I got stronger and faster. Cooled down on the trail loop behind the school.

Thursday: easy
AM1: 9.9 miles in 1:18 on the trails and a few roads in the Parker hills. Felt a little beat up; the outside of my left shin was sore. Not too worried, though.

AM2: 4.1 miles in 34 minutes on my treadmill. I had a few extra minutes before having to jet off to work, so I did what I always do when I'm alone and have some time on my hands--I ran.
 
Friday: tempo
AM: 10.25 miles (7 at tempo) in 1:12 on roads in the Parker hills. Still feeling pretty beat up, which translated to slow legs, bad turnover and an overall labored tempo run. Splits were pretty bad: 1) 8:48 (warm up), 2) 6:36, 3) 6:20, 4) 6:24, 5) 6:28, 6) 6:17, 7) 6:26, 8) 6:35, 9) 7:57 (begin cooldown), 10) 8:01, and 10.25) 1:56. My tempo splits were 15 seconds slower than they should have been--a sign that I'm tired and may need an easy week.

Saturday: long/road
AM: 15.25 miles in 2 hours on the Tomahawk and Legend High School trail loops. Besides nasty and annoying winds, my breathing capacity was horrible, and I was also quite tired and flat. Not sure why I couldn't breathe well--smoke from wildfires, allergies, tired? Rather than doing a second workout later, as I usually do on Saturdays, I decided to take the rest of the day off. Exceeded 1,000 feet of gain.

Sunday: long/trail
AM: 15.75 in 2:04 at Hidden Mesa Open Space. The wind from the south/southwest once again sucked. But Hidden Mesa is a fairly enjoyable place to run so I had a good time. I felt much better than yesterday and my breathing capacity was excellent. Unfortunately, I got dehydrated when I ran out of water with about 2 miles to go. Climbed about 1,300 feet.
 
Weekly totals:

• 80 miles
• ~5,000 feet of climbing (estimated)
• Total training: 10:18
• 8 total runs
• Averaged 7:44/mile
• Lots of core work and push-ups. Also incorporated some upper-body weight-training.

Year to date mileage:

• 1,400 miles run
• 118 miles biked
• 6.55 miles walked

***

For this week (week ending June 3), my main goal is to get ready for a solid training run at the Golden Gate Dirty Thirty. I was a late entrant, getting into the Dirty Thirty via the waiting list only two days ago. I'm putting zero pressure on myself for the Dirty Thirty. It's a tough course and my legs are feeling it a bit from some solid training of late, so my goal is to be strong over the distance and on the climbs and descents and have some fun. But most of all, my goal is to put in a solid training run that gets me one step closer to a strong performance at the Leadville 100.

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Week Ending 5/13

Despite a lot going on in my life, I managed a very solid week, hitting nearly 83 miles, good quality on Tuesday and Thursday, and 32 miles over Saturday and Sunday despite time restrictions due to visiting family and, of course, Mother's Day. The only thing missing was a big climb in the mountains, which just wasn't possible because of scheduling issues.

Here's how the week went:

Monday: super-easy
AM: 5.2 miles in 42 minutes on the trail loop behind Legend High School. Enjoyed the light rain. We get so little rain on the Front Range, so I try to enjoy it when the sky opens up a bit.

Tuesday: intervals
AM: 10.3 miles in 1:18 at the Legend High School track, followed by some cooldown miles on the trail, all with Scott. Warmed up with 3x100-meter striders at a comfortably hard and fast pace. Then I went into the meat of my workout: 4x800 at 2:42, 2:50, 2:48 and 2:49, each with a 400-meter recovery at about 2:00. I would have liked to get in a few more 800s, but my breathing was off because of allergies, so I did 2x400 at (a slow) 1:23 and 1:24 with a 400-meter recovery in between. Definitely felt the Cheyenne Mountain 50K in my legs. Finished off with some trail running behind Legend High School. Nice to have some good company.

Wednesday: easy
AM: 9.7 miles in 1:13 out on Buffaloberry and then on the Legend High School trail loop. Legs felt good.

Thursday: tempo
AM: 10.5 miles in 1:15 on city streets. My allergies were still affecting my breathing but I still managed a decent run and decent splits. Splits were: 1) 8:27 (warm-up), 2) 6:25, 3) 6:06, 4) 6:15, 5) 6:09, 6) 6:15, 7) 7:33 (begin cooldown), 8) 8:24, 9) 7:32, 10) 7:53, 10.5) 3:54. I would have liked to get another 1-2 miles at tempo pace, but my allergies made breathing a little difficult for such intensity.

Friday: easy
AM: 10.8 miles in 1:22 out on the Tomahawk loop followed by the Legend High School trail. Skies were gray and the air cold. Otherwise felt good, especially a day after my tempo run.
 
PM: 4.2 miles in 35 minutes on the Cherry Creek Trail single-track during my lunch hour. Legs felt super fresh.

Total miles for day: 15

Saturday: long
AM: 15.3 miles in 1:53 on the Forest Hills loop followed by the trail loop behind my house. Legs felt incredible. Would have liked to run several more miles but needed to get home, seeing as how we had family visiting over the weekend. The weather was more cold and more gray.

PM: 4 miles walking at a brisk pace with family. 58 minutes.

Total miles for day: 15.3 running, 4 walking

Sunday: long
AM: 13.5 miles in 1:43 on the Tomahawk loop and Legend High School trail. Legs a little fatigued. Needed to get back so we could get to breakfast for Mother's Day. Cold, gray and very foggy. I haven't seen the mountains since Thursday--it's that overcast on the Front Range.

PM: 3.5 miles on the treadmill.

Total miles for day: 17
 
Weekly totals:

• 82.9 miles run
• ~5,000 feet of climbing
• 4 miles walked
• Total training: 11:31
• 9 total runs
• Averaged 7:58 (includes walking)
• Push-ups and core work

Year to date mileage:

• 1,243 miles run
• 118 miles biked
• 6.55 miles walked

Next week I'll continue with the good quality and definitely get to the mountains for a nice climb of a few thousand feet--maybe the Incline followed by the Barr Trail.

I've added Udo's Oil to the mix, taking the recommended tablespoon each day, and I've begun to notice even speedier recovery between workouts. I already knew Hammer Recoverite, which I take after every workout, speeds up recovery, but it's nice to boost things even further with some Udo's Oil in my oatmeal, salads, eggs, sandwiches, etc. Udo's should be used cold and should never be heated. Maybe something to try?

***

I rarely comment on race results, but I have to say I was pretty amazed by Dakoka Jones' performance at the Transvulcania Ultra in the Canary Islands this past weekend. Dakota, who hails from Colorado, beat out Kilian Jornet and a very stout field of international talent, besting the previous course record by 33 minutes. At just 21 years of age, Dakota, who goes by "Young Money," has a hell of a bright future in this sport and will certainly be in major contention at this year's Hardrock 100. And, he also happens to be a really nice kid (being that I'm almost twice his age and he just hit the tender age of 21, I consider him a kid). Click here for an interview Dakota did with Bryon over at irunfar.com after the race.

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Week Ending 5/6

This week I decided to ease off the quality, while still getting in some decent volume, in order to recover from the Cheyenne Mountain 50K on 4/28.

Turns out my recovery from Cheyenne has been much faster than I anticipated, maybe as a result of my vigilance in taking a full serving of Hammer Recoverite after every single workout. Or maybe my calf sleeves are really paying off, as I haven't felt much of any muscle soreness in my shins or calves in weeks. Or maybe I'm just really getting into good shape. Actually, it's probably a combination of factors. At any rate, there used to be a time when I recovered pretty well from races, and maybe now--after two years of struggles--I'm back to that place in my fitness?

Here's how the week went:

Monday: super-easy/recovery

AM: 4 miles in a little more than 34 minutes on the treadmill. I was surprised how decent my legs felt only two days after a 50K trail race.

Tuesday: easy
AM: 7.65 miles in 1 hour on the trails near my neighborhood. My legs and hips, which are usually sore after a long race, felt fantastic. Unfortunately, I'm still having some lingering posterior-tibial issues in my right leg. Will continue to ice and wear calf sleeves as a precaution.

Wednesday: mid-level effort
AM: 9.1 miles miles in 1:08, taking Buffaloberry out and back and then hitting the trails for a few miles.

Thursday: mid-level effort
AM: 9.35 miles in 1:10, mostly on the nearby trails. My legs were a bit tired. I was also labored in my breathing toward the end--maybe allergies?

Friday: mid-level effort
AM: 9.25 miles 1:10 on the trails. I felt much better than yesterday.

Saturday: long

AM: 16.05 miles in 2:05 on the Tomahawk loop and dirt trails in Parker. 1,000�. Not a very good run; I was winded and labored on the trail--maybe because of allergies?

PM: 4 miles in 33 minutes on the treadmill

Total: 20.05 miles
 

Sunday: long/trail

AM: 12.8 miles in 2 hours at Castelwood Canyon State Park. Did 2.5 loops around the canyon, hitting the Rim Rock Trail twice, and discovered a few new trails, as well. Enjoyed this outing and felt good--much better than yesterday. Felt like I ran well on the technical sections. 1524'.

PM: 3.1 miles on the treadmill.

Total: 15.9 miles

Weekly totals:

• 75,2 miles run
• ~5,000 feet of climbing
• Total training: 10:08
• 9 total runs
• Averaged 8:06/mile
• Push-ups and core work

April totals:

• 301.6 miles run
• 40 hours, 37 minutes
• Averaged 8:05/mile
• Several hundred push-ups and core work reps

Year to date mileage:

• 1,160.1 miles run
• 118 miles biked
• 2.6 miles walked

This week I'll be getting back into quality, with intervals on Tuesday and a tempo run on Thursday, and will gun for about 80-85 miles. I'm also giving myself until Friday to make a decision about the Colfax Marathon on May 20. That would allow a one-week taper for the marathon. My hesitance is that I'm still fighting some lingering effects from poster tibial tendonitis in my right inner calf. The lingering effects aren't bad by any stretch. But the injury sidelined me for two weeks over Christmas, and sometimes too much road work can inflame the situation--so I'm inclined to be cautious. At this point, I'd say Colfax is 50/50.

I'm excited about the spring and summer and am planning some big outings in the next few weeks, including a Memorial Day weekend run up to the summit of Mount Bierstadt, a 14'er that sits right next to Mount Evans. Alternatively, I may do Greys and Torreys. Such limited time....

The plan still stands--keep my weekly mileage in the 80s in May, and then jump up to the 90s in June and the 100s in July, with some recovery sprinkled in. Because of work stuff, I'm going to have to do a two-week taper for Leadville instead of a three-week taper. I'll go into more detail on that later. For now, I think I'll go for a little run....

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Week Ending 6/3 (Golden Gate Dirty Thirty)

Monday: mountains
AM: 7.45 miles in 2:06 at Mount Bierstadt, a 14,060-foot peak outside of Denver. Very cold and windy. Had a great time with Bob and Scott. A few snow fields here and there but nothing bad. Pretty strong on my descent (wore my Salomon Crossmaxes), though my quads did tire just a little about halfway down. Awesome adventure and the views from the top were spectacular. 2742'.

Tuesday: easy
AM: 7.8 miles in 1:02 on the local trails. Legs a little tired.

Wednesday: easy
AM: 7.1 miles in 55 minutes on the local trails. Legs still tired.

Thursday: easy
AM: 7 miles in 55 minutes. Legs a little better, but still not 100%.

Friday: very easy
AM: 4.85 miles in 40 minutes on the local trails. Legs much better.

Saturday: Golden Gate Dirty Thirty
What else to say except this was an off day for me, even as my intent was to cover the 31 miles as a training run and not a race. I finished 34th overall with a 6:06. Not good; I really wanted a time under 6 hours (by comparison, the winning time was 4:47). This course is no joke; you're at over 9,000 feet for much of the way and are constantly climbing or descending, often on rocky trail. The total climb is about 7,000 feet--not exactly a walk in the park.

From the moment the gun went off my mind just wasn't into it; I actually wanted to DNF when I got to the first aid station, having taken a nasty fall that took a chunk out of my left palm, but I stuck it out in the name of finishing what I start. My legs were tired and flat and lacked speed. I didn't feel motivated to attack any of the climbs or bomb any of the descents. Descents were a major problem for me--not because of skill, but rather because my Hoka Stinson Evos just didn't work well for me on rocky downs (good to find that out now versus at the Leadville 100). They're too high profile for a tall dude like me (6'2") and I found that my ankles were very unstable on the downs, causing me to hit the breaks and run the descents like an amateur. Yeah, I was really missing my Salomon Crossmaxes, which I wore at the Cheyenne Mountain 50K, where I ran the downs very, very well and finished 5th overall with a time I was/still am proud of. You live and learn.

On the good side, I finished pretty strong and never felt really that tired, though the altitude did get to me in a few areas, like the climb up to Windy Peak. More thoughts below.

Sunday: off
Took the day off completely. The most I did was walk to and from the pool with my family and wash both of the cars.

Totals for the week:

• 65.1 miles
• 11 hours, 45 minutes
• 11,500 feet of vertical
• Average pace: 10:50
• 7 total runs
• Lots of core work, push-ups and upper body weight training

Totals for the year:

• 1,460.7 miles run
• 118 miles biked
• 6.55 miles walked

***

The Golden Gate Dirty Thirty left a bad taste in my mouth. It was a mistake to even enter that race. The course is hard enough to totally kick your ass if you're not feeling into it. I entered via the waiting list four days before the race, which means I had no time to mentally prepare. I more or less just showed up with tired legs and struggled mentally and physically for the entire 31 miles. Not very often are the letters D-N-F floating around in my mind five miles into a race, but on Saturday they were. Two-thirds of the way through I was dehydrated, unmotivated and pissed off, but I put my head down and got through it all, somehow managing to finish strong. Oh well....

Taking Sunday off was a good decision. I didn't miss running and instead had a great time hanging out with my family and doing stuff I rarely have time to do, like wash our cars and sit on the front porch with Anne sipping lemonade. We also went to our neighborhood pool and had a nice time together.

For whatever reason, my ability to recovery after workouts has diminished. I saw this with my bad tempo run last Thursday. I saw this in my tired legs after the Bierstadt summit on Monday. And, of course, I saw this at Saturday's (shitty) 50K. Bierstadt should never have done to my legs what it did--it's just 7.5 miles and 2,700 feet of climbing. So what does this tell me? It tells me that I'm flirting with over-training, which is why I took Sunday off completely and will kind of go easy this week with more emphasis on cross training over the next few days (cycling and walking) to get myself back in good shape and ready for the next nine weeks of training.

As for my Hoka Stinson Evos, they're great on smooth trail. But when I'm descending rocky trails, like what you have at the Golden Gate Dirty Thirty, they're freaking awful (for me, at least). I've now had two bad rocky trail experiences with Hokas. Never again will I wear them at a hardcore trail race. Do I still love Hokas? Yes, they're great on smooth trail and road. But for me they suck on technical downs. With my height, I need low-profile shoes for technical descents. Period.

Now, I'll quit my bitching and move on, with my goal still being to crush it at the Leadville 100. It's good I had this opportunity to vent. Thanks for "listening," and please feel free to offer feedback if you'd like.

More about → Week Ending 6/3 (Golden Gate Dirty Thirty)

The Final Four Weeks before Leadville

At right about this time in the training process--four weeks before the big event--I'm usually reminded of how tough it is to train for a 100-mile race, especially the Leadville Trail 100. I love running, but at this stage it can often become a mentally and physically exhausting grind that can reduce you to the walking dead.

July has been a very busy month at work. We also just recently got a puppy. Amid of all of this, I've kept banging out the miles every day, including long tempo runs twice a week. Despite the busy month, things have been different than in previous years (at least so far). I have great strength in my legs. Yesterday I went a little over 25 miles up section one of the Colorado Trail, climbing over 3,000 feet. My long tempo runs have been super solid. I'm getting in very high-quality 90-plus-mile weeks, versus daily junk miles like what so many runners log (and don't get better from). I've been very vigilant about taking daily doses of Hammer Recoverite and also taking Udo's Oil and my green protein shakes.

No doubt about it: The long tempo runs I incorporated a few weeks ago seem to be paying off both physically and mentally. My leg strength has improved dramatically and I seem to move more efficiently. My mental toughness and focus have sharpened. When you run hard for 10+ miles, you have to be focused, especially in the final few miles. Basically, I feel like the tempo runs are getting me in good shape. Case in point: a few Sundays ago I went for a 2.5-hour run at Deer Creek Canyon. I ran 16 miles, climbed 3,000 feet, didn't walk a step and took in zero calories (just water). And when I got done, I felt fresh as a daisy.

I'm also working on upper body conditioning. I use dumbells and am doing push-ups and all kinds of core work. In 100s, the upper body and core play a big role. After a mountain race, I'm usually sore through my back and abs and sometimes in my arms. It's important for me to have well-conditioned arms since I may be carrying a water bottle for long periods of time.

I've also come to really focus on key workouts. Last week included three key works. The first was a 10-mile tempo run on Wednesday. Check. The second was an 8-mile tempo run on Friday. Check. The third was that that 25-mile trail run on Sunday, which came on the heels of a 19-mile Saturday. Check (and check). Today I'm recovering to allow my body to strengthen from the long run (very critical), and then on Tuesday I start a 7-day cycle that will take me right into a three-week taper. On Saturday I'm planning a 15-mile tempo run.

The cycle will end with a Hope Pass double-crossing run on July 30. I'd like to do the run in 5 hours--easier said than done. The double-crossing involves 21 grueling miles, a high point of 12,600 feet, and 12,000 feet of total elevation change.

One area of my training that might be lacking is high-altitude climbing. But lately I've been strong on the climbs I've done, which makes me think the tempo runs are giving me extra strength. As far as altitude, I'll be spending six of the next 25 night at above 9,000 feet. That includes a few nights in Leadville right before the race, when it really counts. Also, hey, it doesn't hurt that we live at 6,200 feet.

I do think most people who train for Leadville focus way too much on climbing and not enough on just running and quality workouts. They obsess over Hope Pass (and Powerline) and then make those sections the focus on their training, rather than bearing in mind that Leadville is a runner's race with just one fairly hardcore mountain section that most people hike. With that said, why over-focus on climbing? I mean, this isn't Hardrock.

All that said, I'm one of a thousand people signed up for Leadville. Of that, about 900 will show up. And of the 900, about 450 will finish. And of the 450 finishers, maybe 150 will go sub-25 hours. So basically 1 in 6 runners will be in pretty good shape and ready to rock 'n roll from start to finish. Like me, those 150 will have trained hard for months, making sacrifices in the process. I'm no one special; I'll be out there putting it on the line like most everyone else. Only about 10 runners out there will be true contenders, and maybe a handful, like this guy, that guy, maybe the great one himself, and a few others, will be in play for the win. I'm definitely not among that special class (far from it, as I don't have the time or talent), but I will surely be giving it my all, running my own race and showing patience in those first 50 miles. Because if you're not patient at Leadville, the chickens will come home to roost on Powerline and certainly around Mayqueen inbound.

Yeah, if this is your first Leadville, do yourself a favor and be patient. Almost anyone can run 50 miles fast. Not everyone can turn around and do it again, especially at 10,000+ feet and especially when you have to go back over Hope Pass again and do that grueling return trip that will surely make you puke (and crash and burn?). The good news is that if you are patient, Leadville is runnable--you just have to let it come to you....

More about → The Final Four Weeks before Leadville