101 Things

Morning ski laps

2012-01-23T19:36:00.002-07:00

Morning breaking over the Sangre de Cristos

The view putting on my boots in the Pajarito parking lot.

Pink skies greeting me while I was skinning up Pajarito

Corduroy ready for the weekend

Alpine Touring on the Wasatch Crest Trail

2012-01-17T18:59:00.001-07:00

It's all about who you know...or in this case, it's all about who you know knows. My ski trip to Salt Lake City over MLK weekend took an unexpected turn when two days before I departed for Utah my running coach offered that his friend, who lives in Park City, may be willing to take me and a friend for some alpine touring. Never one to turn down an opportunity, I jumped at the chance and contacted Jay in Park City. Jay recommended a ski traverse from Canyons ski area to Park City ski area via the Wasatch Crest Trail and offered himself as tour guide. Kudos to Jay for being will to take a chance on an impromptu adventure with two people he had never met to do something we admitted never having done before on this scale. After I spent two days frantically searching and failing to find avalanche safety gear to rent/borrow, Jay convinced his friends to pitch in their gear for us to borrow for the day. In an unbelievably kind offer to people he didn't know, Jay also hooked us up with his personal half-price lift tickets at the Canyons (a day pass normally runs $96.) Keep in mind, Jay had no idea how this day would go since he had never before met us. And yet, due to bravery, lunacy, or something else just between Jay and his psychologist, he decided it was a perfectly reasonable idea to take us up the lift at Canyons to 9990 ft., then for a hike up some icy rocks to the ridge line at Canyons to start a 10 mile-ish ski across the Wasatch Crest trail to Park City.

Great views under gray skies.

We had a beautiful day...weather was warmish (20s-30s), overcast with some sun peaking through occasionally, and low avalanche conditions. There was this one thing...the wind...that was a bugger on the ridge line (and we were always on the ridge line!)...20-30 mph sustained with gusts well over 50 mph, probably 70-80 mph at times. At one point, I was blown over. Did I mention it was windy!?! That's WINDY...all caps...for 6 hours.

Jay providing running a geography lesson.

Back to the beginning...after Jay explained our new avalanche gear and we practiced on the avalanche beacon course at Canyons (which is like an adult high stakes Easter egg hunt,) we took a few runs in-bounds. Jay said we were warming up our legs, but we knew we were trying out for the team. No way was he going to take us into the backcountry if we skied like the old ladies we are (and I didn't blame him one bit...it helped me have some confidence that he wanted some data to evaluate us before leaving the confines of modern society!) Good news...we must have passed because we were headed to the top. At the ridge line, we ate lunch, posed for pictures, strapped on our skins, and headed for Park City.

The two signs at the exit gate to the backcountry from Canyons.

Being inexperienced, we were slow. (Sorry Jay.) But we were having a great time. The views along the trail were outrageous. Park City was on our left, Big Cottonwood Canyon and Salt Lake City were on the right. After 30 minutes or so, we fell into a groove and started making good progress. We chatted about all sorts of things...religion, prior adventures, future adventures, jobs, family, skiing, you name it. (As Coach Scot raved before the trip, Jay is a really good guy.) As the afternoon passed, the wind speed continued to increase, making forward progress slower, limiting talking and hearing, and generally adding an element of oppression to the whole thing. That's how it goes outside...there was no complaining...it's part of the deal...and it was a fantastic deal overall. Besides the views and the good company, we found a large cornice and with a bit of banging on it (after making sure there was no one below), we caused a little slide that demonstrated perfecting what Jay had been describing all day about avalanches. If I needed any convincing beforehand, I was convinced easily after his demonstration that walking a good distance back from the edge was a prudent plan.

Ski area in Big Cottonwood Canyon.

By the time we reached the boundary of Park City ski area (Pinecone Ridge), it was late afternoon. The original plan had been to traverse further via Jupiter Peak to Pioneer Ridge (which would have been at least another hour of traversing), but we were tired, it was getting dark (with only one headlamp...mental note, take a headlamp even if the plan is to finish during daylight!), and my ski binding was getting more and more difficult to step into so we decided to look for another way down. (Jay showed great patience as he worked with me to try to get my boot back into my binding on the top of Pinecone Ridge after I took it off to remove my skins. The Marker Baron binding inexplicably was failing to accept my boot...no matter how hard I jumped...yes, jumped...onto it. Jay troubleshot the problem expertly, but it was clear that his stress level was rising as he began to consider how I was going to get out of there if skiing was no longer an option. He admitted at dinner that he had planned to strap me butt-to-binding, and pull me out of there if the boot didn't go into the binding. Yikes...I'm glad it didn't come to that! At the ski shop the following day, the boot technician couldn't find anything wrong with the boot or the binding. She adjusted the DIN back to 7 as recommended for my size by Marker...instead of 7.5...and the binding test machine said it was good. The Baron is just hard to step into and with powdery, unpackable snow, it was nearly impossible. In hindsight, we should have turned our shovels upside down to use as a more firm platform. Next time...)

Breaks of blue sky kept the temperatures comfortable.

The low snowfall in Utah this season left the double black runs on Pinecone Ridge (and nearby Scott's and Jupiter Bowls not skiable.) Instead, we followed a narrow snowmobile track, switchbacking down the slope into Thaynes Canyon at the bottom of the Jupiter Lift. With some interesting navigation and crazy quasi-skiing, we found ourselves on Three Kings Drive in Park City, with only a few minutes of dusk remaining, at a bus stop just as the free bus arrived to haul us back to Canyons. (We must have looked a little crazy because the bus driver called ahead for our transfer bus to wait on us, and the bus passengers treated us a little bit like we were disaster survivors...trying to be helpful but not to get too close.)

Great visibility provided awesome views.

The No Name Saloon in Park City provided an awesome venue to rehash our day over well-earned burgers and beer. Thanks to Jay for a fantastic day! It is all about who you know knows...and whether they will share them with you...so thanks Scot.

Early morning turns

2012-01-12T19:47:00.000-07:00

A full moon, a colorful sunrise, and a few early morning turns...I love living here.

Stepping into my gear by moonlight

A beautiful sunrise sky

Ready to go down

Up and Down at Pajarito

2012-01-09T07:47:00.002-07:00

I was AT skinning, but my friend's missing ski
boots forced her into snowshoeing/snowboarding.


The most interesting clouds raced over the mountain. Too bad they didn't leave much snow.

After going up, up, up, we finally found some down...

Deer Trap Mesa

2011-12-26T19:43:00.002-07:00

Piles and piles of snow remain in Los Alamos. Snowshoe or XC ski?

Soothing after the Fire

2011-12-23T16:55:00.002-07:00

Nothing soothes the scars of a town traumatized by a historic summer fire more than 14 inches of sweet POW for Christmas! I was fortunate to have today off from work to enjoy Pajarito blanketed by the storm we had yesterday! Bring on the snow!!!!

Fresh tracks at the Little Bird!

Views...

...views...

...and more views.

Snow play at Pine Flats

2011-12-19T18:14:00.001-07:00

Perfect for a snowshoe hike

There's something down there...I just know it!

Must get it....must get it!

18 inches

2011-12-16T08:50:00.003-07:00

Eighteen inches of new snow and blue bird skies at Taos were too tempting. I skipped work yesterday with powder fever (actually I took annual leave so it's not quite so naughty as it might have been...Santa is watching!)

High Altitude Half Marathon

2011-12-10T14:23:00.001-07:00

After my ankle surgery in May, I was looking for a goal race to spur my running recovery. The 1st Annual YMCA High Altitude Half Marathon fit the right time frame and was basically in my back yard. Three weeks of travel immediately before the race wasn't the ideal way to prepare, but it provided a built-in excuse if things turned out badly. They didn't. I ran the race I had planned and met my goals: get to the finish, increase effort and pace every 4 miles - negative split, don't bonk, finish strong.

As for the race itself, the organizers did a good job for the first iteration. Despite the poor (non-existent) traffic control at some turns, everyone stayed safe as far as I know. A last minute course adjustment made it a bit harder to navigate than it might have been otherwise, but it wasn't a big deal for me. Five water stops were sufficient, particularly since it was only about 20 degrees. (Why were the trashcans at the water stops located at the water table instead of 100 yards or so down the road? Drinking while I stood at the table instead of grabbing a cup as I ran past was an unnecessary delay.) Swag was good, door prizes were plentiful, and everyone was super supportive and friendly. I hope they do this again next year.

Anyone got any ideas for winter/spring races I should add to my calendar?

Easter Egg Trail Hunt

2011-12-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

The snow is making it difficult to follow trails that I don't run regularly. Every once in a while, a clearing reassures me I'm on the right track!

Woohoo...I'm still on the trail

Beautiful vistas in every direction

Oxygen is Underrated

2011-12-03T11:31:00.001-07:00

After spending about a year at 7500 feet, I had forgotten how much easier it is to run at sea level!

Blue Skies and Snowy Landscape

2011-11-30T04:00:00.000-07:00

Frozen lake...already?!?

Yaktrax got me through all but the elk-churned snow

Every view is outrageous

Deer hang out with turkeys?!? And they're the same size?!?

Winter Running Fun

2011-11-26T20:47:00.001-07:00

In addition to the quiet of running in winter, I love the snow gently falling (it actually was blowing sideways at times), crisp breezes (gusts to 45 mph), scenic trails (when I could see anything), and ever changing weather. This 11 mile run had lots and lots of up (2100 ft in 4.5 miles), but it was a sweet trip down. I couldn't have found a better way to spend the day.

Started on switchbacks - clear but windy

The storm blew through about the time I hit the summit

The back side of the mountain had about 12 in.

Back to the river (and clear skies) after exiting the canyon

Let the skiing begin

2011-11-19T10:25:00.001-07:00

I went for my first XC ski of the season last weekend at Enchanted Forest. If you haven't been up to visit Geoff and Ellen at EFXC lately, you should put it on your to-do list. Good workout, great trails, beautiful views, super nice people...and the early season snow is as good or better than anything I saw there last season.

Wheeler Peak from the EFXC trail

Rainy Night in Seattle

2011-11-16T22:47:00.001-07:00

Waterfowl migration and the Rio Grande

2011-10-31T18:45:00.003-06:00

The geese, cranes, and ducks were putting on a concert during my mountain bike ride on the Corrales Bosque on Sunday afternoon.

There seemed to be hundreds of them in the river, flying overhead, and out of sight but certainly not out of earshot. It was a glorious thing to see and hear.

Camping in Chaco

2011-10-24T19:16:00.001-06:00

The muscles and tendons in my foot are finally having to do some work after a five month hiatus following my surgery. My PT has been making good progress in destroying tons of scar tissue, but it results in a pretty sore foot. Since running was off the table this weekend (and my bike has busted front brakes), I decided to take a road trip to Chaco Culture National Historic Park. There are beautiful hikes and magnificent ruins, but they couldn't compete with the ridiculous afternoon light on Chaco canyon or the billions of stars (including dozens of shooting stars) on display in the Chaco sky.

A few pottery shards that someone had piled up

Tsin Kletzin on the South Mesa Trail

View from my campsite

Penasco Blanco

Another view from my campsite

I'm going to jump on my soapbox for a minute - it's absurd that visitors to Chaco have progressively destroyed much of the history that the park was established to protect. Why is it so hard to resist drawing on/over the pictographs? Or climbing onto the walls of the ruins? Or throwing trash on the ground? What is wrong with people?!?!?!?

Riding around La Tierra and running around Los Alamos

2011-10-16T19:50:00.001-06:00

The warm fall weather lured me outside for some mountain biking on the La Tierra trails in Santa Fe on Saturday and some trail running on the 8-mile Rendija/Pajarito/Cabra/Beanfield/Pajarito/Barranca Xing/Bayo Bench/Dot Grant loop in Los Alamos on Sunday. Fall is a glorious time in northern NM!

View from La Tierra - snow and aspen yellow on the Sangres

Cabra Loop trail in Los Alamos with a lots of fall colors

Who knew PowerBar Gel could be so interesting!?!

Weekend in Telluride

2011-10-11T20:18:00.001-06:00

What better place to spend Columbus Day weekend than Telluride?!? I recently started mountain biking and am still trying to find my legs. After a beginner clinic last Sunday, I was anxious to try out my new skills. On the drive to Telluride, I stopped at Phil's World near Cortez, CO. The 35ish miles of singletrack provided a fantastic playground of ledges, cliffs, mesas, and ravines for trying out some new techniques, gaining some confidence on the bike, and having a really-great-like-you-had-when-you-were-a-kid kinda fun.

View from Phil's World trails between Mancos and Cortez

One of the more mellow sections at Phil's

The falls colors against snow-covered peaks in Telluride were more beautiful than any photo I could take. A Sunday hike and some Monday singletrack riding (my first in snow and ice), along with some delicious dinners, tasty beer, and comfy beds produced a weekend I'll have a hard time topping.

Town of Telluride from the gondola

High peaks already covered in heavy snow

Town of Mountain Village

North Sandia Crest trail

2011-10-06T02:00:00.000-06:00

Fall was sporting her colors this past weekend in Albuquerque.

Running with the Balloons

2011-10-03T20:37:00.000-06:00

On Saturday, I headed down to Albuquerque for an easy run on the singletrack trails from the Alameda bridge north through the Corrales Bosque along the Rio Grande. It was a cool, sunny day of running under shady, massive cottonwood trees with colorful balloons floating overhead. It was hard not to love running.

Check out the Creamland cow in the middle!

Balloons so close I could talk to the pilot.

Really nice singletrack under a canopy of trees

Follow the beer bottle back to the car...

Burnt Mesa Trail

2011-09-28T21:00:00.000-06:00

One of the few trails open in Bandalier National Monument after the Las Conchas fire, the Burnt Mesa trail affords a beautiful, mellow 5 mile roundtrip run across the mesa to the rim of Frijoles Canyon. It's wonderful to see how fast the desert is recovering from the fire.

Can You See Us Now?

2011-09-26T19:36:00.001-06:00

Yesterday, in Albuquerque, over 600 rode to remember fallen cyclists; specifically New Mexican’s who have died while cycling as the result of a crash with a motor vehicle. Thanks to Duke City Wheelmen for organizing this important event.

A taste of winter

2011-09-19T18:43:00.001-06:00

I had my fill of winter weather in September last week with sleet on Big Tesuque on Tuesday, sleet and snow on Upper Rio En Medio on Thursday, and a full snow/windstorm on Wheeler Peak on Saturday.

Rio En Medio trail

It's hard to see but it was sleeting when I took this picture.

The weather forecast for Saturday suggested clearing skies and improved temperatures so we decided to climb the new trail up Wheeler Peak. It was sunny in Taos and even in Taos Ski Valley, but it was raining lightly by the time we reached the trailhead near the Bavarian restaurant. Views of the surrounding mountains at Williams Lake did not bode well for good views higher.

Williams Lake and low-lying clouds

The new trail from the Lake to the Peak is fantastic. Kudos to the trail builders for making such a nice path. The recent rains and high traffic, despite the weather, had the trail a bit sloppy but the going was fairly fast until we cleared the tree line.

Nice trail, not much view unless you like being inside of a cloud

Things got only worse the closer we got to the top. The final mile to the ridgeline took us over 45 minutes in cold, snow, rain, and seriously scary winds. (Sadly, there are no photos of this portion of the journey.) We made a group decision to forego the peak and turned back at the ridgeline. On the way down, the clouds finally started to clear, providing some great views.

Some snow already on Wheeler Peak

Williams Lake at the bottom of the picture

By the time we made it back to the Lake, the skies had cleared, teasing us with what could have been if we had slept in instead of rushing to get an early start.

Compare with the same shot taken earlier in the hike

Wheeler Peak

I've taken grief from some not on the hike who criticize our decision to turn back so close to the peak (and so close to the time the weather would break), but I have no regrets. Wheeler isn't going anywhere...I'll have other chances to "bag the peak."

Big Tesuque Trail

2011-09-14T18:24:00.002-06:00

Who would believe that just after I snapped these shots I would get caught in a rain/hailstorm?

These aspens are itching to start their fall transformation.

Fantastic singletrack

Cibola NF/Sandia Ranger District - Cajun Pine Trail

2011-09-12T19:59:00.003-06:00

Good news...I finally made my way back to a 5 mile run. I know, it's not far, I agree, but it's my longest run since coming back to running after my ankle tendon repair in May. I drove to the East Mountain area outside of Albuquerque to run and ride some of the trails. I saw a trail marker for Cajun Pine but don't know the names of the other trails. Another trail user stopped me and asked where he was, but all I could tell him was "I don't know exactly, but I know how to get back to my car!" I don't think he found my answer particularly helpful.

Views were beautiful in every direction.

After my run, I jumped on my brand new (for me) mountain bike for a short ride. (I'm a new mountain biker, but I'm still embarrassed to admit that I run almost as fast as I ride...)

Wide, sweet trail

Biking in Valles Caldera

2011-09-07T07:56:00.003-06:00

Last weekend, the Valles Caldera National Preserve opened the Banco Bonito area to mountain biking. I decided to make the three-day weekend into a four-day weekend and go cycling on Friday. The Caldera is crisscrossed by a network of double track roads, which range in quality from passable by 2-wheel drive vehicles to nearly impassable. The lack of permitted activity in the Caldera has resulted in some of those roads reverting to a fairly primitive state (in some places, the wilderness completely obscures the trail.) It's interesting that the Caldera leadership argues that they are limiting access to develop a trail system when more traffic could help them keep the existing trails from disappearing.

View into Valle Grande - probably the best road I saw

Don't get me wrong...the Caldera is a beautiful place, and there are clear advantages to limiting access. I had thousands of acres to explore and didn't see another human all day. I did see a herd of elk who ran along beside me for a bit before crossing the road in front of me, numerous coyote who didn't seem to know what to make of me, and hundreds of birds and other small mammals.

An afternoon thunderstorm made my ride more epic than it otherwise might have been, but a porta-potty appeared just as the skies opened. (As I mentioned, there was nothing, nothing, nothing developed in the Caldera so seeing a porta-potty in the middle of nowhere was strange but welcomed!) If you mountain bike there, be aware that the map provided by the Caldera only shows mountain bike trails (there are other trails for horses, hikers, and vehicles that are not on the map which makes "keep to the far right trail" not such a good strategy.)

Piedra Lisa hike

2011-09-01T12:00:00.011-06:00

I hiked the Piedra Lisa trail in Albuquerque recently. The trail starts about 2 miles down dirt road FR333/333D off Tramway. The first two miles of trail are well-used and gain about 1300 feet of elevation (11.6% average grade). I dropped over Rincon Ridge onto much tighter, less worn single track for another mile before retracing my tracks. The vistas on the climb up to the ridge are breath-taking, and the run back to the car was a hoot!

Awesome views of the Sandias from the Rincon Ridge

Even Albuquerque looks beautiful from this vantage point.

Pagosa Springs - Racing (sorta) and Waterfalls

2011-08-28T20:58:00.002-06:00

I spent my birthday weekend hanging out in Pagosa Springs. What a great Colorado town! The Mountain Chile Cha Cha race on Saturday morning fit perfectly with my plan after my ankle surgery last May to race (sort of) by my birthday. It was just 5K, but it was a race so it counts towards meeting my goal. It rained hard all night Friday so the trail was a goopy, muddy mess - fun, eh? I love, love, love my Cascadia running shoes, but they are terrible at shedding mud so I got the extra bonus of running "taller and heavier" during the race. Mud is not usually a problem here in New Mexico so the Cascadias will remain my go-to shoe.

Falls Creek Falls

The Four Mile Falls hike was a nice treat after the race. If you haven't done it, do it...it's beautiful.

Fourmile Falls

I finished off the day with some yummy spicy shrimp tacos and a cold beer at Kip's. Pagosa Springs is fantastic in the summer, but it's even better in the winter. Is it ski season yet?

Can you imagine any better place to spend your birthday?

Las Conchas - Revisited

2011-08-14T12:11:00.004-06:00

When I heard that the wildfire started at Las Conchas, I was saddened that perhaps the most beautiful trail in the Jemez was destroyed. The good news is that the trail was untouched by fire (except for some ashy mud along the stream.)

In ankle news, I hiked 10 miles with some scrambling up two box canyons. It's not 100%, but I'm getting there!

Me & B in Pueblo Canyon

2011-08-06T18:34:00.000-06:00

Did I mention how happy I am to be back in the woods again?!?!? Today, I explored Pueblo Canyon via Acid Canyon, Ranch School, and Tent Rocks trails. All in all, 6.8 miles with ~3 miles of running. Three months of rehab on my ankle really took a toll on my aerobic conditioning, but perhaps it's saving my ankle from me doing too much too soon.

I Ran, I Ran, I Ran

2011-08-05T08:07:00.001-06:00

Yep...I ran...2 whole miles!

Two miles might not seem such a big deal to most people, but considering that my peroneal tendon blew itself into two pieces only 12 weeks ago and was repaired only 10 weeks ago, it's remarkable.

My doctor released me on Wednesday for full activities. Apparently, I'm about one month ahead of schedule in my rehabilitation process. I've been hiking, cycling, rowing, and using the elliptical at the gym for the past few weeks. Yesterday, I ran/hiked the Bear Wallow/Windsor/Borrego trail outside of Santa Fe.

I won't even pretend that I ran fast or well, but I did run...and I am happy, happy, happy to be back!

Don't forget to buy your Pajarito ski area season passes!

The Forests are Re-opening!

2011-07-28T18:54:00.013-06:00

Yippee. Finally, we can get back to playing in the woods (Santa Fe, Carson, Cibola National Forests, BLM Farmington/Taos district, Pajarito ski area, NM State Forests, Santa Fe city trails, Los Alamos county trails.) But perhaps more importantly, the reduction of restrictions across the state suggests that our fire danger finally has dropped. What a relief! It's been a tough year...first no snow, then the world was on fire. Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain (but not too much at once since we don't need to add flooding to this year's list.)

Los Alamos County trail status (as of 7/29):
All trails on the Los Alamos County Trail Network on County land are open as of 6 AM on July 20, 2011. At Bandelier National Monument, the Tsankawi area. the Overlook Trail at Juniper Campground, and the Burnt Mesa Trail are open. All other trails are closed. The Las Conchas Fire area, in the Jemez Mountains will also be closed indefinitely. New Mexico Highway 4 is open for through vehicle traffic through the fire area. Also open for vehicle traffic will be Forest Road 144. Although these roads are open for through traffic, being off the road in the fire area will not be permitted. Both sides of the road through the fire areas are closed. In an effort to provide some recreation opportunities to the urban interface of the city of Los Alamos, limited trails in the area will remain open in non-burned areas. The trails are open for all legal uses, However, the areas around the trails remain closed. Please remain on the trails. After the monsoon season, we will try to open more trails.
The open trails include:
TR 287 – Quemazon Trail to Pipeline Road to trail intersection with Los Alamos County lands
TR 290 – Perimeter Trail from Quemazon Trail north around Los Alamos
TR69 – Mitchell Trail to Guaje Ridge Trail
TR285 – Guaje Ridge Trail east from the intersection with Mitchell Trail

All trails east of Mitchell Trail and south of Guaje Ridge Trail:
TR 279 – Cabra Loop Trails
TR 286 - Pajarito Trail to south rim of Guaje Canyon
TR 297 – Rendija Canyon Trail
Trail 299
Pipeline Road (179) will be open to non-motorized use
The trail on south rim of Guaje Canyon from Pajarito Trail to Cabra Loop trails.

All other Forest roads and trails in Los Alamos County are closed to all use.

Rock formation in Bandalier - from March

View into Valles Caldera from the top of Pipeline - from Oct.

Las Conchas trail - from April

Longing for a Routine

2011-07-25T19:09:00.005-06:00

Between my ankle injury, the Las Conchas fire evacuations, and some work travel, I don't feel like I've had a steady routine all summer. I'm really looking forward to August when I can spend some days trying to re-find some semblance of a schedule. It's funny...you spend a good amount of time complaining about being in a rut until you get what you ask for and then you find yourself longing for that rut. Humans are weird animals!

Cris on our hike on the Billy Goat Trail near Wash., DC

The Fs - Fire, Fish, Friends, Fireworks, Fun, and Feet

2011-07-06T20:51:00.002-06:00

About 10 days ago, the Las Conchas fire, now over 130,000 acres and easily the largest wildfire in NM history, started about 15 miles west of Los Alamos. Within 24 hours, I joined the 10,000ish person evacuation. The experience was surreal - frightening, fascinating, focusing. After a week of extraordinary effort by hundreds/thousands of firefighters against a seemingly supernatural fire that was spotting up to 5 miles, running downhill, and burning old burn scars (all things that dogma says do not happen), Los Alamos residents were allowed to return to town where we found NO structures burned. Thanks so, so very much to all of the men and women who saved our town and are continuing to put themselves into harm's way to save people and property as the fire rages north and west.

View coming up the Hill yesterday. Everything white is smoke.

Over the July 4th weekend and since I was stuck in a hotel anyway, I decided to take a quick trip to San Diego to hook up with an old running partner. I did some kayaking, saw some dolphins and whales (which I realize are mammals and not fish, but mammal doesn't start with an "F"), saw the symphony and fireworks, and went to the zoo. Add some yummy fish tacos, a margarita or three (ok maybe four), and time with an old friend, and it was a super fun weekend.

Dolphins (porpoises) just off the side of the boat

Sailboat and Navy helicopters at North Island

This guy at the SD zoo knew how to strike a pose.

Finally, in the continuing saga of my ruptured/repaired peroneal tendon, I had my six week follow-up with the doctor today. Apparently when he told me three weeks ago that I could do anything so long as I wore my walking boot, he didn't mean cycling, rowing, and kayaking. Whoops. He was pleasantly surprised (nay, shocked) that I was healing so quickly. The best news of the day was that I'm now free of the walking boot. For the next month, my instructions are to wear a brace except when I'm at home, where walking barefoot will help strengthen my foot. I asked for more clear instructions regarding prohibited activities but was told that pain should be my guide - if it hurts, don't do it. Of course, the next obvious question from me was "what exactly do you mean by hurt?" The bottom line is that if an activity causes swelling and soreness the next day, I should scale back....otherwise, carry on. Woohoo!

My new brace...shout out to Drymax, the best socks ever!

The Wicked Witch is Dead

2011-06-19T16:30:00.005-06:00

....or "The Doc Says I Can Lose My Crutches!!!!"

I have three more weeks in the walking boot before I can start physical therapy, but my recovery is coming along well. I have some good strength in the new tendon configuration. I'm holding onto the possibility that I'll be nearly back to normal by Labor Day!

I volunteered at the Jemez Mountain Trail races a few weeks ago, Run the Caldera last weekend, and officiated at the Tour de Los Alamos cycling road race today. I'm happy that I'm able to use my recovery time to give back a bit to sports that I love, but it's bittersweet....I WANT TO BE OUT THERE COMPETING AGAIN - NOW!

Patience as a Virtue?

2011-06-06T08:24:00.004-06:00

I had my first surgical followup last week. The doctor was quick to tell me that he had done darn good work on me. (A little cocky, perhaps, but who doesn't love a cocky surgeon, right?) Since I was coming out of anesthesia when he previously explained my procedure, I asked the doc to start from the top and tell me what happened.

It turns out that I understand and retain fairly well when half-asleep. The official story is that I had a rogue bone (os peroneum) inside my peroneus longus tendon that had been aggravating and destroying my tendon. The pop I heard on that fateful run in VA was that bone bursting and my tendon blowing itself three inches apart. During surgery, the doctor removed the bone and ends of the damaged tendon, which left a 1.5 inch gap in the tendon. The two options to close the gap were 1) use a cadaver donor tendon as a graft or 2) attach each end to the adjacent peroneus brevis tendon. The doc explained that recovery is much longer with the cadaver tendon graft and the outcome is less good (not to mention I can't imagine he just happened to have a cadaver tendon handy since he was thinking I had broken a bony process off my calcaneus...which I had not, by the way). My stitches were removed so taking a real bath/shower is now an option. Hooray! I switched from the cast to a boot, which I have to wear even when I sleep. I'm still non-weight bearing (read, on crutches) until at least my appointment on June 15. My patience waiting on my body to mend itself is wearing thin!!!!!

Let the Recovery Begin

2011-05-25T10:49:00.006-06:00

Surgery yesterday went well but revealed that the damage was worse than originally believed. I had
completely ruptured my peroneus longus tendon. According to the doctor, the two ends of the tendon were three inches apart! The doctor tied (my word, not his) the two ends back together and joined it to my peroneus brevis tendon, but recovery will be far harder and longer than expected. I'll be in an immobilizing split and non-weight bearing (crutches...ugh!) for three weeks followed by confinement to a walking boot for an additional three weeks. Then I can start trying to rehabilitate my leg and foot, which will be an atrophied mess by then. The good news is that the problem has been identified and fixed, and the recovery clock started yesterday.

Anyone got any ideas regarding how I should keep myself entertained for the next six weeks? This injury has highlighted how much of my life involves being active outdoors. I'm going to miss being outside and spending time with friends, as well as the personal peace that I find through running and cycling. I'm just glad I only have to "suffer" for six weeks...for as much as I'm feeling sorry for myself right now I do appreciate that my sense of loss is a drop in the bucket compared with those who experience far more serious injuries and illnesses.

Ankle Implosion

2011-05-11T12:00:00.007-06:00

Bad news for me. I twisted my ankle during a run on Saturday and had the sick feeling from the moment it happened that something was really wrong. By today's doctor visit, I nearly had convinced myself that it was nothing more than a sprain. The doctor had less trouble with delusions and more focus with my x-rays.

The official word is that when my ankle rolled over, I broke the fibular trochlea process off my calcaneus. I understand that the bony process normally separates the peroneus longus tendon from peroneus brevis tendon. It doesn't take a medical degree to see the bone fragment and the absence of the process in my x-ray. Apparently it's not an optional part since surgery will be required to fix it.

I think the doctor's exact words were "forget about the summer." All I can do now is try to get the surgery as soon as possible so I can start the recovery process. The good news is that I can be cleared for some limited running in as few as three weeks post-surgery. The doctor predicts full recovery in three months.

I did get a couple of pictures of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains and the Appalachian Trail before my unfortunate misstep.

Atalaya Mountain - Ponderosa Ridge Trail

2011-05-10T22:12:00.001-06:00

I moved to the area last fall but still hadn't made the trek up Atalaya Mountain...until last week. The trail rises from 7540 feet to the peak at 9121 feet in about 2.5 miles. It's a well-marked and heavily used trail on the edge of Santa Fe, but, nonetheless, the trail affords spectacular views and a fantastic workout. I'll be back.

Dust and haze obscuring the mountains

Mitchell/Guaje Ridge/Pipeline/Perimeter

2011-05-02T08:10:00.000-06:00

Fearing that forecasts for snow on Sunday were accurate, I moved my run to Saturday, which was sunny and cool. I'm am so grateful to live in a place where tremendous trail running literally is right outside my door. With a few gals from my running club, we tackled the Mitchell/Guaje Ridge/Pipeline/Perimeter trails loop. It's almost exactly 4.5 miles with 2420 feet of elevation (-121 feet down) from the Mitchell trailhead to the top of Pipeline. The next 4.5 miles down Pipeline loses 2100 feet of elevation (36 ft up) to the intersection with Perimeter. Final numbers were 10.3 miles with 2490 feet of total elevation. It was a great day on the trails!

Running and Rambling: Merrell Barefoot Women's Pace Glove Review and Giveaway

2011-04-28T21:58:00.000-06:00

Running and Rambling: Merrell Barefoot Women's Pace Glove Review and Giveaway

Las Conchas Trail

2011-04-23T13:54:00.001-06:00

Today I went with about 10 other women from my running group into the Jemez Mountains to run from the Las Conchas trailhead to the East Fork trailhead. In contrast to my recent runs, there was only 1594 feet of elevation gain over the 10 miles, making it fully runnable for me.

The route starts along a fairly flat, well-worn single-track trail beside a beautiful stream. I'm told there are small trout begging to be caught in the stream, but I didn't have my gear today so I left them for another day.

After about 1.5 miles, the trail turns for a steep, switchback 1/2 mile climb, then slopes gently downhill (about 4-5%) to the trailhead at East Fork. Views of the surrounding mountains are common through both pine and aspen forests.

By the turn-around, it was snowing. Huh?!? It was 55 degrees! Nonetheless, it snowed most of the way back. At the 5.5 mile point, we decided to take a 1/2 mile detour down to the East Fork box. As you might imagine, the trip down the 15% grade seemed like a much better idea than the trip back. The views at the bottom were spectacular. We skipped the trail extension to get to the falls, but it's definitely on my list of things to do next time.

Snow falling into the stream?!?

Stone Lions and Electrolytes

2011-04-22T19:23:00.001-06:00

I ran with some gals from Ponderosa Campground to Stone Lions in Bandalier National Park - about 15 miles with 3873 feet of elevation through three canyons on a cool, clear, sunny day.

Stone Lions Shrine

Early morning moon over the ridge

I decided to try Gu Brew Electrolyte tablets in my hydration pack. I normally use Hammer Endurolytes to supplement sodium, but the Endurolytes only add 40 mg each. The Gu tablets have 320 mg of sodium each and dissolve in water. An unfortunate feature of the Gu tablets is that they are effervescent so they needed to be added to my hydration bag hours before my run...I wasn't interested in carrying around a bag of air. In taste-testing before the run, I discovered that I'm not a big fan of the lemon-lime flavor but really like the peach tea. The orange flavor is ok, but not great. My experiment worked from the electrolyte replacement perspective, and it was an easy solution. At times, however, particularly when trying to wash down a gel, I really missed having plain water, but that's just a personal preference, not Gu's fault. I also don't think I like effervescence in my water on the run. I might try it again next weekend but for now, I'll stick with the Gu Brew Electrolytes pre- and post-run only. The search continues...

Southern-looking view from Bandalier

One of many amazing rock formations

Caballo Mountain

2011-04-17T18:06:00.005-06:00

I ran with a few women (and a token brave guy willing to run with the chicks) up Caballo Mountain this morning. My running pals intend to run the Jemez 50K in a few weeks - Caballo is the big hump on that course's elevation chart. I'm running the half marathon which is Caballo-free and have no excuse for my decision to run Caballo this morning except that I'd never been up there and didn't know any better!

We started at the Pajarito ski area and made our way to Canada Bonita. No matter how many times I go there, I'm always impressed with the beauty of that meadow.


Canada Bonita

Once to the top of Canada Bonita, we wound our way up and down through a forest with ridiculous views.

Our intended destination - Caballo Mtn

The Caballo trail turn-off is located in the bottom of a canyon. The beauty of that canyon almost hid the reality of the two mile, 20% grade slog up to the top of Caballo. It's a nice, unrelenting climb with great views through a fantastic forest that you come to believe will never, ever end. One might argue that it's too much of a "good" thing. The payoff at the top, however, immediately erased the grumbling inside my head (and legs). The views are outrageous and definitely worth the work to get there.

Valles Caldera

Pajarito ski area - where we started (and had to return)

The top of Caballo was just over 7 miles from the ski area. After a few minutes sitting on Caballo where the wind eventually convinced us that shivering was less pleasant than running, we started our trip home.

After about 4 hours of running (and hiking), we made it back to our cars. If you're thinking that 14 miles in 4 hours is kinda lame, here's my running cap to prove that, although it might have been slow, it was hard work!

Dook Still Sux

2011-04-14T08:18:00.002-06:00

My mom was diagnosed last summer with pulmonary fibrosis and immediately placed on a path towards a lung transplant at Duke University Medical Center. After months of tests, physical strengthening, learning to live attached to an oxygen tank, moving to Durham, and worry, she was notified on March 27 that a donor lung may be available. She had been called three previous times in the preceding 10 days, but all of those opportunities had fallen through for a variety of reasons. By the morning of March 28, however, she was on her way to the operating room. Miraculously, she was out of surgery by 3PM and awake and talking by 8PM. I was fortunate to be on the east coast for work training on the 28th so I was able to make it to Durham in only a few hours.

I can't say enough positive things about the medical team responsible for my mom's transplant. Lung transplants at Duke are accomplished by a finely tuned machine with many cogs that pleasantly, efficiently, and effectively work together. How can it be that they can pull out an organ - a really important one - and give you a new one and have you at home in 4 days?!? Remarkable. My mom is so happy to be free of her oxygen tank and able to realistically look forward to Christmas, my nephews starting school, and that trip to Alaska she's always wanted to take.

As for me, I spent two weeks playing caregiver to my mom...which was far more of a responsibility than I expected. I'm happy I could help. Although most of my time revolved around making sure my mom got to her dozens of appointments and took her medications on time, I did find time to run almost every day. It was great to enjoy the extra oxygen at sea level, but the humidity (and often torrential rains) took some of the joy from the experience. Duke University owns Duke Forest, which is a research forest managed by their environmental studies program. There are gravel roads and trails that crisscross the forest...and my mom's apartment was only 1/4 mile from a trailhead.

Sign identifying the management of the forest

A sure sign of spring in the Southeast is the blooming of the dogwood trees...I miss those in NM.

My mom suggested that perhaps I would have to stop trash-talking Dook now that they have given her a second-chance at life. (Disclosure...I graduated from the University of North Carolina where a no-holds-barred hatred of Dook arrives with your Welcome to Campus packet. Add that I grew up as a Carolina fan in rabid basketball-as-a-religion NC and have cheered against Dook since I was in elementary school, and trust me, I don't say/feel/think anything good about Dook. I hate them. Yep, hate.) I took a deep breath and explained to my mom that I didn't deny that Dook occasionally does good things...I don't doubt their expertise, excellence, or even rare brilliance...but it doesn't mean that they don't SUCK! ;-) Aren't college rivalries grand?!?!?

Taos - Spring Skiing and Dynastar Skis

2011-03-19T21:10:00.002-06:00

The snow didn't hold up well during the previous week of spring temperatures and started the day slushy (or rock hard in the shade.) Nonetheless, the skies were blue, the sun was warm, and skiing was great fun.

Another beautiful NM day

Bare spots - this is about the worst I saw

Slushy goodness - snow cone anyone?

I demo-ed the Dynastar Exclusive Legend Eden (158) and Paradise (161) women's skis today. The Paradise is 100 mm underfoot and utilizes rocker technology. The ski made amazing turns that permitted screaming down steep blacks seem far less intimidating than some other skis I've tried. The rebound energy out of the turn launched you (ready or not) into the next turn. They also seemed reasonably forgiving, permitting last second course corrections (even after turn initiation) and recovery from occasionally getting tossed in the back seat in the variable snow conditions. I was not impressed with Paradise in the bumps, but to be fair, that's not their forte. The Eden was a much different ski than the Paradise. At only 85 mm underfoot, the Eden worked much better making tight turns in the bumps. Eden utilizes more traditional camber technology and seemed to ski more true to length than the Paradise. If I have another chance to ski on Paradise, I'll definitely choose the 169 cm length since a good portion of the tip and tail are not in contact with the snow on a flat ski and gave me at least the sensation of less stability. Eden was far less forgiving than Paradise - it was a dogfight to get back on top of the ski if I found myself towards the back and the quick response of the skis made inadvertent/extra movements a good way to find myself on the snow. I appreciate a ski that does what you tell it when you tell it, even if it was a stupid idea that lands you face-first in the snow. Eden also was rock-solid stable; whereas, Paradise seemed much less so (possibly, in part, due to the fact that I was skiing it too short.) Both Paradise and Eden demand an aggressive skier to get the most out of them. Obviously, I didn't get to try either in the powder but suspect I might have enjoyed the Paradise more. I'm not a believer in the concept of "one-ski quiver" and these skis, both advertised by Dynastar as such, proved my point since they clearly had their pros and cons in different terrain. I was in "like" with Eden but definitely not "love" - not enough to leave my current ski since they are very similar. Paradise and I just didn't click, but I can understand how others might.

The perigean moon tonight gave quite a show (when it wasn't behind the clouds). Welcome spring!!!!!

I missed moon rise - this was about 9PM MDT

Soft, Forgiving Bumps of Fun

2011-03-15T18:35:00.002-06:00

Despite the warm temperatures, I decided to try to squeeze another day out of the downhill ski season on Sunday. The snow started hard and fast but quickly surrendered under the hot sun and became soft and sweet (full disclosure: there were a few ice patches in the shade and some mashed potato snow near the bottom but that was the exception.) I skied some of the bowls and chutes in the morning and then spent the afternoon in the moguls. The only downside was the crowds from Texas spring break...many of those skiers seemed out-of-control and didn't seem to understand how lift lines work. It was the most crowded I've seen at Taos this season, but I never waited more than a couple of minutes in lift lines. Maybe I'll be as lucky next weekend....

Near the top of Hunziker Bowl

Twin Trees Chute

Moonrise over the surrounding mountain

More Hunziker Bowl

Running with History

2011-03-12T14:04:00.008-07:00

We were incredibly lucky to have Lynn Bjorklund join our running group today. For those not in the know, Lynn is the women's record holder for the Pike's Peak Ascent and Marathon. She's won that race 3 times, finished in the top 10 five times, and won her age group 7 times in her 9 races. High Desert Dirt has a good summary of her impressive running accomplishments, including a national high school 3000m record that still stands and a couple of cross-country national championships. When not running, she's found time to work as a train engineer (is that cool or what?) and for the Forest Service (another ridiculously cool job.) She also ran out of the wilderness for something like 20 miles in less than 3 hours to notify authorities of a plane crash near her campsite. I spent the day marveling at how easily she ran up hills that I thought were a tough hike. She's an amazing athlete and a great resource.

Lynn leading the way

Add in a sunny, warm day and about 10 other avid Los Alamos women runners, and it was a fantastic day on the trails.

One of the many hills on the 10 mile run

XC Skiing on a School Day!

2011-03-07T19:32:00.002-07:00

Who can pass up the Rio Grande Gorge on the drive?

Since my friend is still in town, I played hooky from work, and we went XC skiing at Enchanted Forest. We had almost every snow condition with 35 degrees falling to 30, ice, bare spots, 1" new snow falling during the day, some sun, some areas groomed, some not. It was certainly a test of balance. As the saying goes, even a bad day skiing is better than a good day at work!

Lots of bare spots

After the 1 inch snowfall

Some sun near the end

A Rare Gray Day

2011-03-06T18:06:00.001-07:00

I drove up to Abiquiu and Chama today despite the gray skies. The rock formations are spectacular under sunny skies and not so bad when it's cloudy either.

Sunny Days and Smiles at Taos

2011-03-06T09:03:00.001-07:00

Sunny, warm, 4 inches of new snow, my best friend visiting...what more could I ask?!?

Still some snow on the surrounding peaks

Melissa working the slopes

Some high clouds rolling in during the afternoon

Late afternoon soft bumps

Welcome to Northern New Mexico Weather

2011-03-04T20:21:00.001-07:00

I have a friend in town this weekend so I thought I'd do my longer run (only 9.5 miles) today. I left my house wearing shorts and a long sleeve shirt in sunny skies and 50 degree temperatures. Before I finished, the temperature had dropped 12 degrees, and it had snowed on me four times. I'm so glad I decided to toss a hat and gloves in my hydration pack. The run was beautiful even if the weather was weird.

Running and Rambling: New Balance Minimus Trail Review and Giveaway Contest

2011-02-24T08:31:00.000-07:00

Running and Rambling: New Balance Minimus Trail Review and Giveaway Contest

Just Another Weekend in February

2011-02-14T20:21:00.002-07:00

Weird weather these days. 42" of snow and single digits followed by 60 degree temperatures. What to do? How about downhill skiing on Friday and trail runs in t-shirts and shorts on Saturday and Sunday! Heehaw...as we say in the South.

Skiing on Friday:

Trail running on Saturday:

Trail running on Sunday:

3 Days of Skiing - Taos, SWNSC, and Angel Fire

2011-02-06T20:26:00.002-07:00

The snow earlier this week lured me out for some downhill skiing. I skied at Taos on Friday. It was a bluebird, sunny, warm day. The snow was far better than when I was there two weeks ago. Crowds were light because most of the Taos area had no gas service and, consequently, no heat. All in all, it was a fantastic day.

Sunday at Angel Fire was surprisingly really great. A six inch snowfall Saturday night provided a fantastic soft, fluffy surface. After some additional early morning snow and wind, the skies cleared for a bright, blue morning. By mid-afternoon, the snow and wind had returned, giving me a great excuse to head back home for some Super Bowl watching. Go Packers!!!

On Saturday, I switched out my downhill skis for my classic XC skis and headed for the SWNSC Canada Bonita trails. The snow on the multi-use trail was patchy, icy, and generally in pretty bad shape - but considering the weather, any snow at all is amazing. The interior trails, however, were a treat. It was really fun, and a great workout.

Running in Los Alamos

2011-01-09T11:59:00.000-07:00

Valles Caldera Snowshoeing

2011-01-09T11:55:00.000-07:00

Snowshoe at Cerro Grande

2011-01-03T12:48:00.000-07:00

Running and Rambling: VIVOBAREFOOT Neo Running Shoe Review ... And Giveaway (Maybe)

2010-12-31T07:47:00.000-07:00

Running and Rambling: VIVOBAREFOOT Neo Running Shoe Review ... And Giveaway (Maybe)

Trail Run (um, trudge?) at Canada Bonita

2010-12-26T17:24:00.000-07:00

Snowshoe at Enchanted Forest

2010-12-26T17:18:00.000-07:00

Farolito Walk

2010-12-26T17:14:00.000-07:00

Running and Rambling: New Balance MT101 Giveaway

2010-12-16T22:54:00.000-07:00

Running and Rambling: New Balance MT101 Giveaway

Running and Rambling: VIVOBAREFOOT Functional/Waterproof Boots Review and Giveaway; VIVOBAREFOOT Boots Coupon Code

2010-12-13T18:41:00.000-07:00

Running and Rambling: VIVOBAREFOOT Functional/Waterproof Boots Review and Giveaway; VIVOBAREFOOT Boots Coupon Code

Running and Rambling: Soft Star RunAmoc Giveaway

2010-12-10T09:46:00.000-07:00

Running and Rambling: Soft Star RunAmoc Giveaway

Running and Rambling: Salomon Trail III Running Tights Review and Giveaway; Wilderness Running Company Gift Card Giveaway

2010-12-08T22:08:00.000-07:00

Running and Rambling: Salomon Trail III Running Tights Review and Giveaway; Wilderness Running Company Gift Card Giveaway

Running and Rambling: VIVOBAREFOOT Dharma, Oak, or Kali Work Shoe Giveaway and Coupon Code

2010-12-05T19:54:00.000-07:00

Running and Rambling: VIVOBAREFOOT Dharma, Oak, or Kali Work Shoe Giveaway and Coupon Code

VivoBarefoot Evo II Review and Giveaway

2010-11-29T05:08:00.001-07:00

Check out the giveaway and 20% off coupon for the new VivoBarefoot Evo II at Running and Rambling: http://www.runningandrambling.com/2010/11/vivobarefoot-evo-ii-review-and-giveaway.html

Arrival of Winter

2010-11-21T19:33:00.002-07:00

Pumpkin Glow

2010-10-30T21:32:00.000-06:00

Guaje Ridge Trail

2010-10-30T21:22:00.000-06:00

High Road to Taos

2010-10-30T21:17:00.000-06:00

Balloon Fiesta

2010-10-11T15:08:00.000-06:00

Cerro Grande Hike

2010-10-11T14:58:00.001-06:00

Fall Colors

2010-10-04T08:28:00.000-06:00

Pajarito Mountain

2010-09-27T22:26:00.001-06:00

I ran the Trail Fest 10K course on Sunday with the race coordinator. The course starts at the ski area at around 9300 feet before winding across the mountain. The course then heads uphill fairly steadily until reaching 10,440 feet.

The trail then pitches at a toe-jamming angle until mellowing out on some technical switchbacks to the finish.

Canada Bonita/Guaje Canyon Trail

2010-09-19T20:06:00.005-06:00

After a spirited run with the Los Alamos Women's Running Meetup group yesterday, I was looking forward to some long, slow miles today. I decided to test my acclimation by running the Guaje Canyon trail. The trailhead is located just beyond the Pajarito Ski Area at 9200 feet.

The trail rises from the start but provides a great pay-off at the Canada Bonita in about 1.5 miles (1 mile if you run up the Guaje but 1.5 if you take the cross-country ski trails like I did). The Canada Bonita is a beautiful meadow that also affords great views back into the Los Alamos Town Site and across towards Santa Fe.

The trail makes a hard right at a fence, which is the Los Alamos county line and the boundary for the Valles Caldera National Preserve, and heads uphill another mile to an elevation of 9650 ft. There are ridiculously great views of the Caldera from here.

A Y-intersection caused me a few moments of confusion since I didn't have a map, but a trail sign directed me to stay left for the Canyon trail. Going right would have put me on Pipeline. The trail dropped about 150 feet in the next 1/2 mile before climbing almost 150 feet in the following 1/2 mile. Thankfully, the trail leveled off for a bit before I had to turn around at mile 4. I really, really wanted to go another mile to reach the canyon, but Coach Scot had already given me some leash by agreeing to 8 miles today so I dutifully turned around.

What a fantastic day on a fantastic trail! As I told my friend, God may have been in church this morning, but He was certainly out in the woods in New Mexico this afternoon.

Totals for today's run - 7.53 miles, 1273 feet elevation gain

Kwage Mesa Trail

2010-09-13T21:57:00.004-06:00

I've been exploring some of the trails here in Los Alamos. The Kwage Mesa Trail starts near my house.

The trail dead-ends in about 2.5 miles at the end of the mesa. The views are unbelievable...

A loop trail takes you back to my house in 5 miles. Tonight, the sunset provided the icing on the cake with gorgeous pink skies.

On a separate topic, the rules of the road here in Los Alamos demand a 5 foot passing distance for cars when overtaking bikes. If only everywhere was as concerned with cyclist safety!!!

Women's College World Series

2010-06-08T20:52:00.001-06:00

As I sit here in front of my television watching Game 2 of the Championship Series, I decided I should post about my trip last week to see some of the earlier games in the World Series. After two successful marathons, Oklahoma City has a special place in my heart so when I had a chance to go back to OKC and attend the WCWS, I couldn't resist. I arrived in OKC in time for Thursday's four games. The ASA Hall of Fame complex is impressive. All of the seats are good ones.

Spectators were a mix of family and friends of the players and local softball aficionados. Everyone had a great time...despite the heat. It was in the 90s with sunny skies. In the softball complex, there was no wind (where were the gale force winds I've experienced during my marathons?) I used more sunscreen than I think I've ever used in a single day. Everyone was scrambling for a few shaded spots between games.

The concessions were tasty and affordable - I had a Indian taco, a hot dog, some M&Ms, and some pizza. I drank about 3 gallons of water and another gallon of soda. I think I spent $20 (did I mention the tickets were only $13 for 2 games?) I even did some star-gazing of the ESPN commentators.

I saw some great softball played by some amazing young women and had a fantastic time as a result of Oklahoma hospitality. Thanks to the NCAA, the ASA Hall of Fame Softball Complex, and Oklahoma City for a great event! Congrats to UCLA!

Joshua Tree or the Moon?

2010-04-03T08:58:00.005-06:00

Joshua Tree National Park has to be one of the strangest and most beautiful (not to mention fun) places I've ever been. Since I was already in Los Angeles for work, I couldn't resist making a day trip to Joshua Tree. Perhaps the most interesting feature of Joshua Tree is its geology. The park literature explains:

The monzogranite developed a system of rectangular joints. One set, oriented roughly horizontally, resulted from the removal—by erosion—of the miles of overlying rock, called gniess (pronounced “nice”). Another set of joints is oriented vertically, roughly paralleling the contact of the monzogranite with its surrounding rocks. The third set is also vertical but cuts the second set at high angles. The resulting system of joints tended to develop rectangular blocks.  

As ground water percolated down through the monzogranite’s joint fractures, it began to transform some hard mineral grains along its path into soft clay, while it loosened and freed grains resistant to solution. Rectangular stones slowly weathered to spheres of hard rock surrounded by soft clay containing loose mineral grains. The cube rounds away at the corners first, because that is the part most exposed to the force of the water. A similar thing happened here but over millions of years, on a grand scale, and during a much wetter climate.  

After the arrival of the arid climate of recent times, flash floods began washing away the protective ground surface. As they were exposed, the huge eroded boulders settled one on top of another, creating those impressive rock piles we see today.  Visitors also wonder about the “broken terrace walls” laced throughout the boulders. These are naturally occurring formations called dikes. Younger than the surrounding monzogranite, dikes were formed when molten rock was pushed into existing joint fractures. Light-colored aplite, pegmatite, and andesite dikes formed as a mixture of quartz and potassium minerals cooled in these tight spaces. Suggesting the work of a stonemason, they broke into uniform blocks when they were exposed to the surface.

I did two short hikes while I was in the park. The first was up and down Ryan Mountain. It's about 1.5 miles up to about 5100 feet. The initial half of the hike is virtually a stair-step, but it levels out to a more manageable grade for the final 1/2 mile or so to the summit. The views are pretty spectacular...it felt a little like I was on the moon:

I then hiked to the Lost Horse Mountain and Mine. It was a 4 mile round trip to the site of a "ten-stamp" gold mill at about 5300 feet. There was a significant fire in this area last year which rendered the landscape even more alien than normal.

A short drive from the Lost Mine trail head put me at Keys View on the crest of the Little San Bernardino Mountains, which promised views of the Coachella Valley. On clear days, you can see to Mexico, but, as you can see, this was not a clear day.

Finally, I wanted to spend some time bounding through the boulder fields. So, as sunset rapidly approached and temperatures quickly dipped, I made my way over to the Hidden Valley area and the Lost Horse Wall. I walked up a dry creek bed and climbed around on boulders much larger than me. I felt like a kid again...what a great way to end the day!

I can't end this post without at least one picture of a Joshua Tree, right?

The Big Dig

2010-02-11T13:04:00.001-07:00

After 39 inches of snow in 5 days, I'm over it. Completely! My neighborhood has been working hard to dig out. I don't think any of us are interested in being in our houses for even a few more minutes!

My neighbors decided to dig out only the car nearest the street. I overachieved and dug out both cars, the entire driveway, and part of my roof (no, I didn't climb on top of it).

The snow almost completely buried my grill. I suppose there won't be any grilling again until summer.

The Day After...

2010-02-10T15:15:00.000-07:00

...Snowmageddon - The Day Before Snowgasm!

It snowed here about 26-28 inches. Great for skiing, sucks for shoveling.

I'm wondering how much weight my chairs (and deck, for that matter) can hold.

A few moments of sunshine before the Snowgasm...

Snowgasm 2010

2010-02-09T19:04:00.002-07:00

Are you kidding me?!?!?! More snow? Really? Why? I admit it's pretty, but pretty doesn't make up for the complete mess it had made and is making....

Oddly, all of this being-stuck-in-my-house has me begging to go to work!

Snowmageddon and Yaktrak Pro

2010-02-07T17:55:00.000-07:00

I am so sick of snow - about 28 inches at my house (not to be confused with the 24 inches 6 weeks ago and 3 inches last weekend) and predictions for 5-7 inches more by Wednesday. I've lived in the Washington, DC area since 1995 and this winter is rivaled only by 1996 in snow totals. I lived in an apartment then so my parking lot was magically plowed for me. No such magic occurs in my driveway. The ache in my shoulders and back remind me that I'm not in adequate shoveling shape. Shoveling, however, provided a nice excuse to get out of my house for a few hours. It's funny - I happily spend many weekends alone at home but the knowledge that I can't go anywhere has me stir crazy.

Perhaps it was that craziness that convinced me that going for a run today was a good idea. I've spent months trying to get a nerve in my leg to heal after taking a really bad step into a hole back in September. My leg is better, but it's certainly not well. I've done a few 2 mile runs on the treadmill since getting a cortisone shot a few weeks ago. It hurt...but not too badly and with little residual pain once I stopped. Today, I remembered I got some Yaktrak Pros for Christmas and couldn't resist giving them a try.

Yaktrak Pro is a "heavy duty traction device for running, light hiking, and walking on packed snow and ice." Basically, it's a piece of rubber holding some steels coils that fits around the bottom of your shoe. I pulled them out of the box and went about putting them on the shoe. It would probably be easier to do it with your foot in your shoe, but it was fairly simple even with the shoe in my hand. The toe end goes on the toe of the shoe, and you stretch the rest of it until you hook the heel. No problem. Make sure to put them on such that the loose end of the velcro strap is to your outside...otherwise, it might flap against the other shoe. I ran on plowed streets that were mostly packed snow and ice with an occasional spot of bare asphalt. I started gently but quickly gained confidence in my grip. On uphill and downhill, I could run exactly like I was on a dirt road. I found a steep icy hill to run up and down but was unable to find anything that could beat the Yaktrak. The occasional bare pavement also gave me a chance to learn that the Yaktrak are comfortable enough for a few steps on asphalt, but I don't think I want to run far on it with them. A few intersections were covered in loose snow, but Yaktrak didn't help in those condition.

All in all, I was surprised at how well the Yaktrak performed. They are light, easy to put on, and rock solid on packed snow and ice. I didn't notice any slipping of the Yaktrak on my shoe or of my shoe on the snow. After a couple of miles, I became as confident on icy downhills as I would have been running down a dirt trail. The Yaktrak Pro is available for about $25. It's money well spent!

Do I Help Him or Did He Help Me?

2010-01-31T18:10:00.001-07:00

I got a cortisone shot at L5 last week to try to resolve my pinched nerve. Sadly, it wasn't the miracle I had hoped and I've been depressed and feeling sorry for myself lately. I decided on Friday to run 2 miles after not running since Thanksgiving. It was an act of defiance...I mean, why stop running if it's going to hurt either way, right? Of course, I realize intellectually that the approach really is stupid. I did it anyway, and although I had some burning, tingling, and pain, it wasn't too bad and psychologically I felt much better. After procrastinating today's workout into early evening, I had the same feeling of defiance and self-pity. I chose a treadmill next to a older guy (maybe 70 years old, dressed in khaki pants, button down shirt, and casual leather shoes). After a minute or two, I noticed that he was looking at me and talking. I pulled out my earphone, apologized and asked him to repeat himself. He said "I can't do this." I replied, "of course you can." He explained that he used to be able to walk for an hour but had stopped doing it and now couldn't do it anymore. I asked him if he could walk 5 min. He said, "of course." I said, "do that then." He considered it a second and restarted the machine. Throughout his 5 minutes, he kept talking to me. I reminded him that if he walked 5 min today, it would be 5 min more than any day the past year...not too bad. I encouraged him to focus on what he could do and improve from there instead of focusing on what was lost. (I added that treadmills suck and that he should find a nice walk in the woods, borrow a neighbor's dog, walk with a friend for coffee, etc.) He promised he would shoot for 6 minutes tomorrow and perhaps make it 30 min in a few weeks.

It didn't escape my notice that I should take my own advice. In those first few moments on my own treadmill I was feeling sorry for myself. After giving a pep talk to the stranger beside me, I was energized and newly excited to get the opportunity to run 2 miles tonight. Yes, this process has been frustrating...but 2 miles is not nothing...and except for my achy leg, 2 miles was hardly a sweat.

Thanks to the nice man who decided to talk to the crazy lady on the neighboring treadmill. He made my day!

On Injuries, Skiing, and Basketball...

2010-01-10T16:08:00.003-07:00

Injury update - my back remains sore off and on, and my leg tingles and aches far more often than I'd like to admit. My MRI showed part of my disc at L5/S1 bulging out onto the left side, which my doctor believes explains my symptoms. She recommends a steroid injection (scheduled for Jan 20) and predicts I'll feel markedly better in three days and be nearly back to normal within three weeks. At this point, I vote for anything that fixes it. I stepped into that d@mn hole in September! I am completely out of patience with the slowness of the medical establishment. (Can you believe I've had to struggle through the medical process since September to finally get a treatment that will cure me in 3 days?!?!?) The bright side is that this "break" has given me a chance to focus on my core strength and do some cross-training. I'm getting much better with swimming, have a much stronger core, have figured out how to entertain myself while aqua-jogging, am a beast on a rowing machine, and have learned to read magazines on an elliptical machine. Who says I wasted my time?!!?

Anyone interested in skiing? Colorado is having quite the snowy season already!

(Photo credit - my.steamboat.com)

UNC basketball had a not-so-good week. The #9 ranked men and #7 women both lost this week. Inexplicably, the men lost in OT after blowing a huge lead late in 2nd half to the College of Charleston. Perhaps there are some explanations but it's still hard to swallow. The women lost yesterday to #1 UConn. The loss wasn't nearly so surprising as the final score - 88 to 47. Yep, you read that right...no typo...UNC women's basketball lost by 41 points!!! Wait, you say, they usually BEAT teams by 40, not lose by 40. I wonder if they have a better appreciation for the other side of the coin now. In any case, hopefully the two coaching staffs can find enough teaching moments from the losses that both teams can grow from the experience. ACC season has arrived!

What to do on a Snow Day?

2009-12-21T19:09:00.001-07:00

In the holiday spirit and because I love running in the snow, particularly during the holiday season with all of the decorations and lights, but can't with my injured leg....an oldie but a goodie....

This video cracked me up; although, I think I've seen his attitude more often among male cyclists than runners. I'm not male-bashing but offer that most comedy, including this the video, is funny in part because it hits some aspect of truth!

Will it ever stop snowing?

2009-12-19T17:17:00.000-07:00

It started snowing about 8:30 last night. It's 11 hours and 18 inches later and it hasn't even slowed. The weatherman promises it should stop soon, but I'm skeptical. I understand that we already have as much snow in this storm as we usually get in a season. I find myself fascinated by the traffic cameras which show a remarkable amount of traffic despite reports of 100s of accidents and stories of cars stuck in the snow. Where are those people going? There's not even anything open! Perhaps it's an example of natural selection in action....

I woke up this morning lamenting that I might not get a workout done today. Was I naive?!?!?! I spent over 3 hours shoveling today. I am almost too tired to type and nervous that someone might have to help me get out of bed tomorrow. The snow is relatively dry, but 18 inches is freaking heavy. And there's no where to push it! It's scoop, lift, throw, scoop, lift, throw, scoop, lift, throw.... Did I mention I'm exhausted!!?!?!?!

To everyone who was wishing for a white Christmas....YOU SUCK!

One Bad Step....

2009-12-15T06:32:00.000-07:00

During a trail run in late September, I took a bad step into a depression (ditch) that jammed my ankle, hip, and back and hyperextended my knee. My initial impression was that something really bad had just happened. After a few steps, however, everything seemed ok so I continued my run. My knee was stiff and my ankle sore later in the day, but I thought I had dodged a bullet. An easy bike ride the next day also seemed to go well except for the dismount when I was shocked to find that my knee was really painful and nearly buckled when I stepped onto the ground. The next few weeks saw an increase in types and severity of symptoms. Primarily, I had pain in my lateral upper calf and lateral lower shin, particularly on foot strike. Occasionally during a run, I had the sensation that my foot wasn't working well and might not make it back into position in time for the next foot strike. A few walking steps seemed to resolve the feeling. I also had a very strange pain inside my knee, particularly on the up-stroke with cycling. After a few weeks, I made a trip to my orthopedic surgeon, who after exam and MRI, reported that my knee was fine. My symptoms continued to expand - I developed a tingling toe and a sore back. I was referred to physical therapy. My PT immediately deduced that I had some nerve impingement/injury that was driving my symptoms. Knee nerve glides and lumbar traction resolved my shin pain fairly rapidly. Core strengthening and patience resolved my back pain. Sadly, the pain in my upper calf/behind my knee and inside my knee were untouched by my rehab efforts. I'm not a patient patient and am rarely talked into taking time off from exercise, but, with no other options obvious, I took 7 days off from exercise completely. I've been easing back into workouts over the last week. Weekend workouts included swimming, pool running, elliptical, and rowing. My symptoms are not completely gone but I am much better than 2 weeks ago. Tomorrow I have an appointment with a Physical Medicine specialist. I am hopeful that she can clear up the last few remnants of my unfortunate bad step....

Charlie and the Gang

2009-11-25T05:10:00.002-07:00

Some cartoons do have value....Happy Thanksgiving!

Laurel Hill Park - Fairfax County, VA

2009-11-22T16:42:00.005-07:00

I came across information on the MORE website last week about a new mountain bike trail system on the old grounds of the Lorton Federal Prison. The prison was closed about 2002, and the land was transferred to Fairfax County. For anyone unfamiliar with the area...Fairfax County is a suburb of Washington, DC and has almost no undeveloped land so this area represents a significant opportunity for development of new recreation opportunities. The County has an extensive development plan and documents from 2007 reported:

The Fairfax County Park Authority will officially mark the opening of more than 153 acres of recreational areas, preserved open space and amenities at the southern end of the sprawling 1,200-acre Laurel Hill Park complex in Lorton, VA. This land, which came to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in 2002 under the Lorton Technical Corrections Act, passed by Congress in 1998, already includes $18.5 million of site and park improvements including a championship 18-hole golf course and clubhouse, the Laurel Hill Greenway Trail which is a portion of the 41-mile Cross County Trail, and ball fields. This is the initial phase of the transformation of the former D.C. Department of Corrections Lorton Correctional facility and represents an area that has not been accessible to the public for over 100 years.

The MORE forum provided a trail map, promises of a "flowing" trail system, and views of guard towers and work farms. I was sold.

I started in the parking lot of the old prison and headed out the Giles Run Meadow trail. The singletrack trail took me around a meadow and through the woods. There were a few hikers, a pair of runners, and a few cyclists. With few leaves on the trees, it was fairly easy to see the trail switching back and forth through the forest.

The Giles Meadow trail connected to the grassy Meadow Loop via the Cross County Trail (CCT). The short trail has the best views in the park, but the trail was lined with head-high dense briars that occasionally invaded the trail. Beware the thorns!

A short stretch on the CCT takes you to the largest area of the park with primarily gravel-covered singletrack. A short jog on the Workhouse trail took me to the Slaughterhouse loop (and the mountain bike skills loop). This area was by far the most fun for me. The trail (in a counterclockwise direction) flows up a switchback and rolled up and down in such a way that the uphills were effortless. Switchback turns up and down were heavily banked permitting the downhill sections to be extremely fast without the usual jarring of direction changing. Thank you mountain bikers for designing this section.

Another short section along the gravel road of the Workhouse trail took me to the Dairy Barn Loop, which started as a paved road before turning back to gravel singletrack. Quickly the trail intersection for the Pasture Loop appeared. The Pasture Loops headed across a generally open, flat area that is packed full of 6-7 ft high briars. I laughed when I saw several signs encouraging me to stay on the trail since taking one step off the trail would have put me squarely in a briar patch. No worries...I was happy to follow the rule this day!!!

A quick cross of Furnace Road took me to the 3rd area of the park and the Apple Orchard Loop. The trail wound through a pine forest and back into an open area with more briars. There was plenty of up and down in this area but it was clearly designed for mountain bikes since both uphills and downhills were designed with never-ending short up and down, up and down, up and down.

In 2 miles, the loop circled back to the Pasture trail which connected to the Power Station loop, another technical mountain bike area. This area was my second favorite in the park. The trail wound through the forest on packed clay trails with several obstacles, steep curves, and hills.

The Power Station loop reconnected to the Pasture Loop, which connected back to the Dairy Barn Loop. The Dairy Barn loop wound through the forest and terminated at the Dairy Barn and the Workhouse trail. The Workhouse trail followed a mostly flat open area back to the CCT. (Check out this video for a good overview of the trail system.)

The total trail area was 10.5 miles. I highly recommend this area, which is ridiculously close to the city without the feel of the city. I'm not a mountain biker, but I suspect this area would be a great place to learn. I'll certainly be back!

NCR Rail Trail

2009-11-09T18:37:00.002-07:00

On Sunday, I drove north of Baltimore for a trail run on the NCR. The official website describes that "Maryland's Northern Central Railroad Trail (NCRT) extends 20 miles, stretching from Ashland Road in the Hunt Valley area to the state line. The trail is 10 feet wide with a stone dust surface." The NCR connects at the Mason-Dixon line with the PA York County Heritage trail, which runs an additional 20 miles.

I decided to start in Parkton, MD and run north towards PA. The parking area is a small area off a rural road.

According to my Forerunnner 305, there was about 250 feet of elevation gain over the five mile northbound stretch, with most of it in the final 2.5 miles. The five miles downhill back to the car were a nice reward for the uphill. Along the way there were picture-perfect views of several streams...

...and strangely, a few trail chickens (really?!?! what the heck?)

Susquehanna State Park - HAT Run Preview

2009-10-26T19:06:00.007-06:00

Last week I impulsively decided that a 50K next spring would be a good idea. Since 50K isn't hard enough (kidding), I decided that I'd look for a course with lots and lots of hills. I picked the 22nd Annual HAT run scheduled for Susquehanna State Park on March 20, 2010. The August 2008 online edition of Trailrunner Magazine described the HAT run this way:

an event that is “both accessible to first-time ultrarunner and a challenging early season training run for veterans,” the HAT course is deceptively runable early on. There are no huge climbs, no massive descents, no supertechnical sections. With the exception of a two-mile stretch of bitumen/gravel road the middle of the big loop, though, there's always something going on. The winding singletrack is some of Maryland’s most popular for mountain bikers, and it serves up challenging roller-coaster-like running, with continuous one- to three- hundred-foot losses and gains.

The HAT website describes the course like this:

The course is mostly single track trail with a mix of open fields, dirt road and some paved road. The course features nearly 9,800 feet of climbing. There is a starting loop of 3.6 miles followed by two identical loops of 13.7 miles. There are 4 stream crossings that can be challenging depending on the water level - there is always the chance of getting wet feet.

Coach Scot immediately asked why I chose HAT as my first ultra. I provided the following response which apparently was satisfactory since he gave the go-ahead for me to participate:
1. It's well-established and reportedly well-coordinated
2. It's one of the biggest 50Ks in the East so I'll have some company
3. The course is 2 loops which makes logistics a little easier but doesn't reach the point of "running around in circles"
4. It's a decent drive from my house but not so far as to preclude a few practice runs pre-race
5. Several trail-running websites reported it as being a good "first" despite the elevation
6. It's cheap-ish and reportedly has pretty good swag.

On Sunday (after yet another rainy Saturday), I decided to make the drive up to Maryland to see what I've gotten myself into. The HAT website provides maps for the race course, as well as recommendations for two shorter training loops. As it turned out, the maps only bore a passing resemblance with the actual trails so I spent a fair amount of time staring at the map at trail junctions trying to decide where I was and where I should be. On the other hand, the weather was gorgeous, the views of the Susquehanna outrageous, the trail soft, and the leaves perfect colors of gold, red, and green.

I ran a fairly easy 8.5 miles. The terrain roller-coastered up and down through wooded singletrack and wide open fields.

Footing was a bit uneven with rocks, roots, and ruts hidden under newly fallen leaves. Horses on the wet trail had made it a mess in a few places. Despite Saturday's rain, the streams remained passable with dry feet with some nifty rock/tree hopping and there were only a few patches of mud.

The counterclockwise course I ran meant the last part of the run was mostly downhill (with beautiful views of the Susquehanna river.)

I strongly recommend Susquehanna State Park for anyone looking for a nice day out - running, hiking, mountain biking, simply sightseeing. I look forward to many more runs there between now and March.

Accotink Wildlife Refuge

2009-10-13T19:37:00.002-06:00

If there is a map online of the trail system at Accotink on Fort Belvoir, it continues to elude me. To reduce the change I'd get lost, I drew a map freestyle based on the big map posted at the trailhead. Today was the first day of the season that required a long-sleeved running shirt (55F and overcast.) For an hour, I saw nothing except a baby mole, four deer, and more squirrels than I could count. The McCarty Farm Trail headed down towards the wetlands along the river.

Most of the trail was deep in the woods but it occasionally tossed me out at the edge of the marsh. Where were all of the birds today?

The trail was well-marked and great for running for the most part but was overgrown by grass and briars in places and barely runnable. After a few miles, I came across a sign for "Cemetery Loop," which was no where to be found on my hand-made map. Ah well, might as well see where it goes. There were multiple views of the river and marsh along this trail to the old McCarty Cemetery where a sign explained that the graves were removed in the early 1900s. All in all, the trail was about 5.5 miles round-trip.

I added a bit of the Wetland Trail to make sure I went more than 6 miles on the day. Most importantly, no snakes challenged my trail passage (unlike my last trip to this trail) so the day was a raging success!!!!

Seagull Century -- An Epic Event (for some)

2009-10-12T08:50:00.000-06:00

The Seagull Century in Salisbury, MD has become an unofficial end-of-season event for racers and recreational riders in the DelMarVA. Over 7000 riders were registered this year and included riders of all ages and experience. For some, 100 miles was just another day in the saddle. For others, it was an epic ride of a lifetime. Interestingly, the Seagull is cursed by the weather gods. It seems like it's always raining (or at least threatening to rain), cold, and windy. Despite the consistently bad weather and a ridiculously expensive entry fee ($55/$75/$95), thousands come back year after year.

My goal on this day was to ride the 100K. I hadn't spent four hours in the saddle on any ride this season. Since my multi-sport season ended in July, I've only been riding 2-3 hours per week in favor of more running. My friend MG, on the other hand, has been riding her legs off (or on actually since she's developed quite the cyclist's legs in the process.) She missed this ride last season after being diagnosed with multiple pulmonary emboli. She was determined to ride this year to close the door on that dramatic, frightening medical challenge. She agreed to be patient and drag me around the course. I promised her pie and ice cream at the final rest stop followed by hot dogs and beer at the finish.

I have a question - where in the heck do these 7000 people normally ride? I never see many recreational riders out on my training rides. Yet, here they all were...and with very interesting bike handling skills. Few thought the "ride right, pass left" convention was appropriate. Some seemed to go the exact opposite way and ride the yellow line regardless of traffic to their left. Others rode 3-4 abreast and covered the entire road. Notification of "on your left" caused no change in their riding patterns and often we were forced to move into the on-coming lane to get around them. Can they possibly ride this way normally? If so, how do they not get themselves killed? (Heck, I have a hard time with impatient drivers even when I'm riding as far towards the right side of the road as possible.) Are there enough bike trails devoid of traffic that these riders don't appreciate the normal riding convention of staying right? And even on bike trails, don't they find that people want to pass them on their left? And why were there so many crashes in a fun ride? I saw at least a dozen people on the ground - some had interaction with other riders and went down, some stopped and failed to remove their feet from the pedals, some tried to turn around in too tight a space and caught their foot on the front wheel. How can they ride such a long distance with so little apparent time on their bikes?

Onto the highlight of my day (even better than the cherry pie)...I was in the bathroom at the finish when I encountered a woman who was crying. I sheepishly asked if she was ok. She answered in a stream of consciousness way something like "I just can't believe I did it, it took me 7 hours and people kept passing me and it made me feel really terrible but I did it, I just can't believe it, my friends all backed out on me so I decided to do it alone and it was really hard but I did it, 7 hours but I made it, I can't believe I'm crying, I didn't expect to be so emotional." Wow. I know exactly what she means...maybe riding 62 (or 100 miles) isn't such a big deal for me anymore, but golly, do I know what she means! Good for her!!! And thanks to her for reminding me of what I was a part of -- someone's biggest athletic accomplishment. I told her she should be proud....that it was a big deal and she should cry all she wants. I added that I'd see her next year...she said, "hell yes and next year I'm gonna do it in 6 hours!" Isn't that why we all do what we do? To push our limits, regardless of what they are?

Ben Moore 10K (08/01/2009)

2009-10-06T07:09:00.002-06:00

Finished 12th overall, 1st in women 40-49 AG

My training for a few weeks before this race had me transitioning from multi-sport to running as I ramped up for a half marathon trail race in September. My race prep schedule for the half marathon included a 10K (this race), a 5K XC race, and a 12K road race. For some reason, when I registered for this race I had in my mind that the course would be mostly flat. As it turned out, there was not one flat step on the entire thing.

The field was small so I was lucky to have found myself between two women running about my same pace in the first mile. I learned early in the race that I needed to work on leg strength since getting up those hills more easily would have made a huge time difference. My speed on the downhills confirmed that my recent speedwork was paying off. It was brutally hot which contributed to my really high HR. (I saw 193 bpm which was easily a personal high HR by about 7 bpm.) The final few uphills (which I learned are affectionately called baby, mama, and papa bear by the locals) were a brutal combination of long and steep. It was a serious battle of will.

Skyline and the CCT

2009-10-05T16:17:00.003-06:00

On Saturday I went to Skyline Drive for a "nice fall bike ride." The leaves are not turning yet, but fall definitely was in the air. After 3 hours, my legs were thrashed.

The plan Sunday was to ride/run on the C&O Canal from Riley's Lock. The DC traffic changed that plan and I ended up on the Fairfax County CCT starting at Wakefield Park. It was one of the first opportunities for me to spend some time on my cyclocross bike. Once again, it was a perfect fall day. The CCT has had significant improvement since my last visit about 18 months ago. The entire distance from Accotink to Old Keene Mill road is now paved. Eighteen months ago it was hard-to-follow singletrack trail. I would have preferred an unpaved trail, but it was good to see that my tax dollars are being well spent! After 90 minutes on the bike practicing clipping/unclipping, mounting/dismounting, sand, roots, and rocks, it was onto a 2 hr run (half paved, half trail). The only thing on my mind the last hour was that I was hungry enough to eat my arm! Now I get a rest day followed by a recovery day...thankfully.

Is Running Good for Your Health?

2009-10-01T06:19:00.003-06:00

(Jarrett Baker/Getty Images)

Knees, Heart, and Brain
It seems that every day there is a new report about the effects of running on the body. In good news, a recent study suggests that running might protect your knees. Researchers have found that the knees of runners show less arthritic damage than those of age-matched non-runners. They conclude that a natural groove from repetitive motion forms in the runner's knees and that the cartilege becomes conditioned to the pounding. Apparently, the greatest predictor of degenerative conditions is not the number of miles run but a previous injury, particularly ACL rupture (although in that particular study, the misalignment and cartilege damage may have contributed to the ACL rupture as opposed to have been caused by it.) In any case, the article gives me something to show all of those nay-sayers who are have long claimed that I'll regret my decision to run and applaud their decision to sit on couch when I'm old and unable to walk after my knees are destroyed. We'll see who is clapping for whom in 25-30 more years.

In bad news, another study suggests that, after a marathon, runners demonstrate levels of proteins typically indicitive of a heart attack, suggesting damage to runner's hearts. One explanation is that the heart muscle is responding similarly to skeletal muscle which also shows signs of damage following long efforts such as marathon but that the damage is not harmful or permanent. The bottom line is that the benefits of running on heart health likely outweigh any temporary damage done in a single run, but more studies are needed.

A third study provides good news about the effects of running on the brain. Researchers in Taiwan demonstrated that rats allowed to run as much as they wanted got smarter (better at negotiating a water maze). When they were forced to run more, they got even smarter! The Taiwanese study builds on previous studies that showed that exercise increases the number of some brain cells. A separate study found that improved cognitive performance in humans was noted only after aerobic exercise and was not seen following weight training or stretching.

(Maisie Paterson/Getty Images)

The Mind
Another NY Times article explores the benefits of running with a group versus running alone. The article notes that there is no scientific evidence that supports the concept that running with a group improves performance but notes that many, from amateur to elite athlete, believe that it does. Unfortunately, we may never have empirical data since there likely are too many variables - coaches, location, training regimen - that change when a person starts training with a group. It certainly seems worth a try...and qualitatively, most would agree that they work harder and are more disciplined when training with their peers.

I've long been a proponent (just because it feels consistent with my own experience and I buy the explanation of those who study such things) that a big part of training is teaching your mind to tolerate the discomfort...to teach it that nothing bad will happen if you continue. Not surprisingly then, this study appealed to me. Cyclists rode stationary bikes and were provided various liquids to swish (not swallow) in their mouth during the ride. Researchers discovered that the cyclists who swished a carbohydrate drink out performed (based on power measurements) those who swished water alone but reported the same perceived effort. MRIs of the cyclist's brains identified that "areas within the brain that are associated with reward, motivation and emotion were activated when subjects swished a carbohydrate drink." The study supports the scientific camp that argues that the brain, not muscles, is responsible for fatigue. Numerous studies that measure calcium, lactate, and a variety of other biochemicals in muscle have failed to identify an explanation for muscle fatigue. In fact, in one study that exercised frogs to fatigue found that the muscle worked perfectly when externally stimulated, suggesting that the observed fatigue must be explained by something outside of the muscle itself. Anecdotally, it is common to see fatigued runners speed up at the end of a race...something not possible if the fatigue was the result of a physiological/biochemical effect at the muscle. Data from one study identified that during long, hard exercise, the brain becomes "de-aroused." It is at that moment of "de-arousal" that athletes experience something akin to depression - they wonder why they are exercising and why they are working so hard. In my own experience with this moment, it's when the demons arrive to torment me, to question my motivation, desire, training, even right to be participating. I often see a performance dip as I struggle to fight off those "demons" and get back on track. My performance returns to pre-"demon" levels as soon as I win the fight with my own head. Only by practicing my demon-fighting skills by pushing farther and harder do I get better at it. Interesting, eh?

(Lumilon.com/Getty Images)

Seneca Greenway Trail

2009-09-27T18:13:00.006-06:00

I decided to check out the Seneca Greenway Trail between Rt 28 and the Potomac River in Montgomery County on Saturday. I ran the trail a few times training for a marathon in the spring of 2008 but had not been back since then. The trail runs along Seneca Creek and includes some roots and rocks, grassy areas, and enough hills to keep the heart rate up. The plan was to run casually and increase the pace only on the last few miles.

Views of the creek are almost a constant fixture. In most places the trail is obvious (in others, it's more overgrown.)

There also are nice views of the countryside and local flora and fauna. I saw a large fox but unfortunately couldn't get to my camera before he scampered away.

And finally, about 6.5 miles after the start, you make it to the Potomac River and the C&O Canal. The trip back to the car is slightly uphill but the trail moves up and down making the net elevation gain less noticeable.

I'll definitely be back for this trail. I'm lucky to have such amazing running so close to a major metropolitan area.