Winter Has Hit - Cross-Country Skiing

Winter Has Hit - Cross-Country Skiing

Well, this last storm really finally delivered the goods. Everything got pretty covered, with between 8" and 12" on all the trails. We decided to go out and try some cross-country skiing in the new snow. The plan this winter is to try and do a lot of cross-country skiing to keep up the endurance fitness. If one can sustain a good kick-and-glide over a distance, that should help keep a solid endurance fitness level over the winter that will transition nicely back into running. Similarly, it is a good form of cross-training which will be nice. Went up on the Deadhorse climb and skied 7 miles with 1,200' gain. Pretty fun to be out in the woods getting a nice, low impact cardio workout when it is 13 degrees out and dumping.

Deadhorse Hill Climb And Brooks Adrenaline ASR 9

Deadhorse Hill Climb and Brooks Adrenaline ASR 9


The forest service has opened up a couple trails (Creekside, Spruce, Deadhorse) after closing them for a month to allow for logging and fire mitigation. Prior to the closure I was running Deadhorse a bunch because it is a nice hill climb, with ~1,700' of gain in 4.75 miles, and so I was eager to get back and run it again after some time away. My usual time for this 9.5 mile route is 1:18-1:20, and today I pulled in at 1:17:44, which is a tad bit better then before. I was surprised as my legs felt heavy from Sunday's race, but I reached the top in 44:23, which was right on my average. Glad to get back on these trails before the snow hits!

I was also wearing my new Brooks Adrenaline ASR 9 trail shoe. This is my second pair, as I got my first pair back in mid-June. When I first got these shoes, I was really somewhat hesitant that they would hold up as most of the upper is a very light, see-through, breathable mesh with minimal supporting material on the toe or sides. Designated a trail shoe, beyond the tread it looks more like a road shoe. Either way, after 2 trail ultras, 1 mountain marathon, 2 trail half marathons, and a ton of mountain runs over all kinds of terrain the shoes really held up well. Because they have minimal supporting material on the tops and sides, they do widen out a bit in the toe box, which I had to let my feet get used to as my prior shoe was an adidas supernova riot trail shoe with a much more beefy upper. However, the tread held up well and so did the mesh - I only developed one hole on each shoe right where the pinky toe sits. I'm really happy with these shoes - light, very breathable, low heel profile, well draining, and most importantly, durable.

Deadhorse Hill Climb and Neurogenesis

Deadhorse Hill Climb and Neurogenesis


Did the Deadhorse hill climb this morning. Ian Torrence has been posting some great workout articles on iRunFar and I treat the Deadhorse climb sorta like he describes the Mountain Climb workout. 4.5 miles up from 9,000 to 10,700 at a constant, semi-fast pace. Then turn around and try and keep a fast(ish) pace back down. I did the 9.1 mile run in 1:20:43 today.

Yesterday I posted a brief note on how running and exercise can possibly be considered a drug in terms of psychophysiological affects. In another study out today, running also seems to trigger hippocampal synthesis of dihydrotestosterone and increases adult hippocampal neurogenesis via androgenenic mediation. What that means, when you get beyond the scientific jargon, is that running and exercise helps create new neural connections in the hippocampus. The hippocampus plays an important role in the consolidation of information from short-term memory to long-term memory, as well as spatial navigation. Basically, running and exercise helps keep the mind fresh, allows one to incorporate information into their long-term memory, and improves their spatial navigation abilities. So, when you come back from a nice run in the woods or mountains, feeling fresh and clear in your thoughts, perhaps it is because the run helped move memories from your short-term memory to your long-term memory, allowing for that fresh, clear mind sensation. Just a thought, but perhaps there is something to that old saying about how taking a run clears one's head.

Deadhorse Climb and Exercise Induced Dehydration

Deadhorse Climb and Exercise Induced Dehydration


One of the things I've noticed in my short racing experience so far is how fast people run the downhills. Since I've never raced prior to this summer, I have developed a tendency to run in the mountains and simply enjoy the views, unconcerned about my time or pace. However, this spring/summer I've tried to really begin training and working on different techniques in order to prepare for racing. One area that I need to work on are my downhills - not because they blow my quads our, but because I tend to sit back and sorta coast more then actively run and push as I'm descending. This works for fun mountain runs, but in races this strategy has resulted in significant time loss. So today I ran the Deadhorse Climb, which is a nice 9.1 mile out and back with 1,770' of up and another 1,770' of down. Not only did I push on the ups, but I really tried to go fast on the downhill and to keep that pace going for the entire 4.5 miles of downhill. It took me 1:26 minutes today. This will require some more work, but my goal is to be able to push the pace on the entire 8.5 miles of downhill at the Steamboat 50K in 3 weeks.

Dehydration is a big concern for runners, and especially ultra or trail runners. Getting caught out in the mountains dehydrated is not something you want to experience. But how much does being dehydrated impact one's running performance? A new study looked at just this question, and came away with an interesting answer: if you lose greater then 2% of your bodyweight to water dehydration, then it is likely that your performance will suffer. Anything less and most likely it will not impact your race performance. So, drinking enough fluids is of primary concern during any race or run, but you will not really notice any performance impacts until you have lost at least 2% of your bodyweight, if not more (this study indicated possibly up to 4% or greater). How much liquids one needs to drink to prevent this type of water loss depends on numerous factors: individual perspiration levels, ambient temperature and humidity, pre-race/run hydration, fitness level of the runner, and so forth. Other then being tested in a lab, I don't think you can create a formula that will work for everyone. Rather, what this study implies is that making sure you drink enough fluids during a run/race is important, but even more important is to realize that unless you become severely dehydrated (the human body starts to shut down at around 5% dehydration of bodyweight), you will not experience a significant impact on your actual performance. So, drink, drink, and drink, and then don't stress too much about it - more then likely you will be fine and the worry and stress could have a bigger impact on your race then the actual dehydration.

Byers Peak - Full

Byers - Full


This morning I ran the full version of Byers Peak (12,804). Byers is the dominate peak in the valley, and I love running this peak. However, this time I did the "full" version, in that I started and ended at Creekside, which adds a significant amount of miles and vert to the peak. I ran up Creekside, then jumped over to Deadhorse and up the secret trail to the Byers trail, and from there up the standard north ridge. Once on top, I got to enjoy another solo summit in the Byers Peak Wilderness (combined with the Vasquez Wilderness and the Williams Fork Wilderness, this is a vast area that sees little in the way of people). Then it was time to head down and make my way all the way back to Creekside. I wanted to get in a semi-long day as the North Fork 50K is in a week and a half, and I am still working on my fueling after my disaster bonk at the Sage Burner. I tried to eat every 30 minutes or so, and that seemed to work. It was really hot, and although I had two hand-helds and a hip belt with 20 ounces, I drank all of it and sure could have enjoyed some more. The full version of Byers Peak is 20.9 miles with 5,159 feet of climbing. It took me 3:48 today, and I did take a few pictures and do several hat dips in the streams.

A nice elevation profile

 

The ptarmigan just hung out on the rock as I went by...

 

Looking south at Summit County and beyond....

 

Looking northwest towards Steamboat...

 

The fun Byers Ridge part of the run...

Medium Long Run

Medium Long Run

We did a medium long run today as our last one before our attempt at the Sage Burner on Monday. I'm not too sure how smart it was, as most people tend to tapper a little bit more, but we wanted to get in one more semi-long day to see how we were feeling. We did a nice ~16.5 mile loop with a really good climb in it. Start at Northwest, then up the road, up Tippery, along Spruce, then up the old Deadhorse to the top. From here, down Deadhorse and then back along Creekside. High point is 10,453 feet at the top of Deadhorse, with a low point of 8,771 at Nothwest/Creekside, making it a loop with 3,364 feet of elevation. Felt pretty good on the climbs, and only a little tired on the final Deadhorse climb. It was on the run down that I got tired - could have used some energy drink or something at the bottom of Deadhorse for a little extra fuel. On this day it took me 3:02. Not good, but not bad I guess???

Deadhorse Hill Climb

Deadhorse Hill Climb

We ran the Deadhorse Hill Climb yesterday afternoon, trying to start adding in the hills now that things are melting out. The Deadhorse loop is awesome: after climbing for 4+ miles and ~1,200 feet or so, you get some spectacular views of the valley, Byers, and the surrounding area. Coming off of the previous day's 13 miler my legs felt good, but a little heavy. This was the fourth day on in a row, trying to get ready as fast as possible for the season. The loop goes up old, closed FS roads to a high point right around 10,275 before descending back to 8,800 on a secret trail that connects with Spruce Creek for a total of around 7.5 miles. I did it in 1:18 on this attempt - I think if you are fresh and really haul, you might be able to get it under an hour. Pulled the plug on the Sage Burner 50K - will see what happens as this is my first official race.

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