Alaska Mountain Wilderness Classic 2009

SENSE OF ADVENTURE/COMPETITION

     IN THE PAST I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN DRAWN TO COMPETION. AS MY LIFE UNFOLDS AND I GET OLDER I HAVE FOUND THAT THE URGE TO COMPETE HAS NOT EVEN BEGUN TO DIMINISH. HOWEVER, THE TYPE OF COMPETITION THAT I WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN HAS CHANGED AND I FEEL IS CONTINUING TO EVOLVE. IN MY YOUNGER YEARS I RACED MOTOTRCYCLES, CROSS COUNTRY TO BE EXACT. THOSE RACES TOOK PLACE IN ALL CONDITIONS AND OVER ROUGH TERRIAN. THE RACES VARIED IN LENGTH FROM 2 TO 24 HOURS AND FROM 50 TO 350 MILES. ALTHOUGH I VERY MUCH ENJOYED THESE RACES AT THE TIME, I KNOW HAVE COME TO ASPIRE TO WHAT I FEEL IS A BETTER MORE PRIMAL OR PURE FORM OF COMPETITION. IM SPEAKING OF RUNNING, NOT JUST YOUR AVERAGE 5 OR 10K ROAD RACE, IM TALKING ABOUT TRAIL ULTRAMARATHONS. A RUNNING RACE ON ROUGH TRAILS, SOMETIMES AT HIGH ELEVATIONS LASTING FROM 8 TO 35 HOURS, COVERING 50 TO 150 MILES OF TRAIL. WHY AM I DRAWN TO SUCH AN INTENSE AND CHALLENGING EVENT? I THINK IT IS JUST THAT, THE FACT THAT IT IS VERY INTENSE AND CHALLENGING. I REMEMBER AN OLD SAYING THAT STATED " NOTHING GOOD COMES EASY".
     AS I MATURE AND GROW SLIGHTLY OLDER IT BECOMES MORE AND MORE EVIDENT THAT EACH AND EVERY EXPERIENCE WE HAVE IN LIFE SOMEHOW STARTS TO DEFINE WHO WE ARE AND HOW WE FEEL ABOUT DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES. THEREFORE IF YOU STRIVE TO HAVE RICH AND FULFILLING EXPERIENCES YOU WILL IN TURN HAVE A MORE RICH AND FULFILLING LIFE. MY POINT FOR SAYING ALL THIS IS THAT IF YOUR GOAL IS TO RUN A 100 MILE RACE AT 10,500 FT, IT IS GOING TO BE REALLY HARD, NOT IMPOSSIBLE BUT HARD. IF YOU WERE DILLIGENT IN YOUR TRAINING AND DO ANY NUMBER OF OTHER THINGS RIGHT ON RACE DAY, YOU WILL FINISH. I CANNOT BEGIN TO DESCRIBE THE RICHNESS AND PERSONAL FULFILLMENT THAT MUST COME FROM AN ACCOMPLISHMENT SUCH AS THIS BUT IT MUST LEAD TO A MORE SATISFYING AND COMPELLING EXSISTENSE.
     NOW ON TO THE ADVENTURE SIDE OF THIS THOUGHT, AS HARD AND CHALLENGING AS ULTRARUNNING IS I FEEL AS THOUGH THERE IS SOMETHING HARDER AND MORE CHALLENGING. THERE IS NO OFFICIAL NAME FOR THIS SPORT, THERE ARE NO SPONSORS AND THERE ARE ONLY A FEW EVENTS. FOR THE PURPOSE OF THIS WRITING I WILL REFER TO THESE EVENTS FROM NOW ON AS" WILDERNESS RACES". AS FOR THE NATURE OF THERE RACES, THEY TAKE PLACE IN REMOTE WILDERNESS AREAS OF THE WORLD SUCH AS ALASKA, MONTANA. PATAGONIA AND SO ON. THERE IS NO SET COURSE ONLY A STARTING POINT AND AN END POINT. THE ONLY RULES ARE THAT YOU ARE SOLEY RESPONSIBLE FOR YOURSELF, YOU MAY NOT TRAVEL DOWN ANY PAVED ROAD, YOU MUST CARRY EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO COMPLETE THE EVENT FORM THE START(NO RESUPPLY), MUST CARRY A SATTILITE PHONE, FIRST ONE TO THE END POINT IS THE WINNER. THE LACK OF RULES AND REGULATIONS IS VERY APPEALING TO ME, BUT THE MOST COMPELLING PART OF THESE RACES IS THE SENSE OF ADVENTURE AND PRIMAL EXISTENSE WHILE COMPETING. I FEEL AS THOUGH THESE EVENTS ARE EXACTLY WHAT IM LOOKING FOR IN ORDER TO SATISFY MY HUNGER FOR ADVENTURE/COMPETITION, AS WELL AS PROVIDING SOME OF THE MOST SUSTAINING, ENJOYABLE, RICH, AND FULFILLING EXPERIENCES ONE COULD HAVE IN LIFE.
     AS FOR MY FUTURE PLANS ON COMPETING, I AM FOCUSING ON PREPARING FOR A 50 MILER THIS WINTER. BEYOND THAT I HAVE HOPES OF RUNNING THE LEADVILLE 100 AND ALSO POSSIBLY  DOING 2 WILDERNESS RACES, THE ALASKA MOUNTAIN CLASSIC AND THE PARCOUR DE WILD. I ALSO PLAN ON COMPETING IN SOME COLORADO ORIENTEERING SERIES RACES. ILL LEAVE YOU WITH SOME VIDEOS, FYE!

Weekend in the east

     This past weekend i was able to catch a redeye flight to Virginia on Wednesday night. I was going with two very specific goals, first and foremost was to see and spend time with Elizabeth and secondly was to run up Mt Rogers, the highest point in the state. Both of the reasons for this  trip were fulfilled with ease and grace along with an incredible amount of enjoyment!! Ill keep the specifics of of visiting with Elizabeth to myself other than to say that she is just the most amazing girl!! As for the running, we decided that since we were/are suffering from some sinus issues that we would limit our running to just two outings. The first being a short but steep trip right from the campground to the Dickeys Knob overlook. We completed this out and back in 1hr 20 min flat with 1000 ft of vertical. The second was the run up Mt Rogers, a very scenic and engaging run in the highlands! We completed this one in 3hr 21 min 46 sec with 1740 of vertical. All in all a great weekend!!!!

Monotony of work

Monotony: lack of variety or interest,tedious repition and routine(dictionary.com). This is a very interesting and complex idea for me to grasp. I have and suspect i always will have a subconsious dilema regarding this concept. On one hand monotony is good, it is recognized as a steady job a sensible and logical life. Monotony leads to what our modern society suggests is success. My opinion of what is suggested as success today is, for example, owning a home, owning a nice car, owning valuable items such as clothes or jewlery,and having a job or jobs that enable you to purchase these things. I have come to realize that even through my short life, that these are not the things we should view or recognize as success. I currently view success as enjoyment or fullfilment of a goal. I wonder if in this modern day people actually gain enjoyment  or fullfilment from owning or purchasing something. See to me enjoyment means alot of things but it never means the ownership of something. I gain enjoyment through experiences that i have had such as, running just as the sun goes down, this super simple experience affords me so much joy it is almost unbelievable to me. Through this i get to see the sun set behind the foothills of the magestic Rocky Mountains, as the sun dissapears its last rays reflect off of any clouds in the sky forming some beautiful shades of red, orange, yellow, and even green. Beyond what is even seen is what you feel, the cool crisp air colliding with my skin to cause just enough discomfort to really feel alive and present. The smooth and efficient gate of my running, the effortless breathing, just the movment of my body through this place in time. It is an experience that no money can buy and no one with the idea that success is about status or ownership will ever have the luxury to enjoy. Back to my point, monotony can lead us down the wrong path if we are not dilligent in our decisions. However monotony can also lead to a high quality of life, one that cannot be achieved through spontanity and constant change. For example one could never achive a high quality of training for say an ultramarathon without monotony. The day in and day out running is and could be viewed as monotonous, but coupled with the daily experience of running at sunset (described above) this activity becomes a very sustaining part of your life. I feel as though i could go on forever about this, how long do you do something for it to become monotonous? How often can you change things to keep the quality in your life that some monotonous activitys afford you? I was compelled to write this after working today, i cannot stand the monotony of a job. I think it may be because there is nothing compelling or sustaing about the experiences i have there. Therefore i have decided to go back to school, to learn more, to become more educated, to hopefully find a sustainable way of life that includes a healthy dose of monotony.  
      I wish i had more energy and time to write about this compelling subject, but i am headed to the airport, bound for Virginia. I am going to visit Elizabeth and relax in the gorgeous and tree laden Blue Ridge Mountains.We have a summit run planned for Saturday morning to Mt Rogers as well as eating alot of great food cooked around the campfire.

Weekly numbers

This weeks numbers look like this.

     21.75 miles
     3 hours 29 min 14 sec
     1000 vertical feet
     9min 37sec weekly average

It was a good week of runnning for me. Im stil taking it very easy and cautious because i feel like my achilles is still mending and could easily be reinjured. That said i was finally able to buid up the confidence to go for a short but scenic mountain run. Here are some pictures:

FALL HAS BEGUN

     The cool crisp morning air is a sure sign that fall is here. The changing of the aspen leaves from green to extravagant shades of orange and red further pursuade me that fall is now upon us. In past years i have not looked upon this time of year with any sense of optimism at all. It seems that i would have been perfectly content basking in the warm summer sun and sweating all year long. This year is different, i dont really know why but i am not only enjoying the current weather but looking ahead at the cold days of winter with enthusiasum. Dont get me wrong i will be longing for the warm days of summer before this winter has come to a conclusion.
     This morning i rose before the sun and quickly gathered up my shoes, water bottle and a few gels and headed to the mountains. this particular morning i was to drive to Rocky Mountain and complete a loop i have had my eye on for a couple weeks now. The loop was only about 8 miles with a comparitivly moderate elevation gain. As i drove into the park i was greeted with warm sunshine and clean air. On the way to the trailhead i saw a coyote and over 30 elk ( 3 nice bulls among them), what a way to start the morning! As i slowly rolled into the trailhead i found there to be only a few cars. After a couple minutes to shed my jeans, tie my shoes and grab a gel i was off. I found myself running right beside the Big Thompson river for quite a while. As the run progressed i eventually crossed the river at the Big Pool. from there i continued west in search of my turnoff. Shortly thereafter the trail turned east and became progressivly steeper and rockier. I climbed and climbed, it was beautiful with many overlooks. I stopped for a moment of mountain gazing. As i looked to the west up Forest Canyon the woods were spotted with all shades of yellow and red, it was breathtaking. After a moment of pondering the trails i concluded that i somehow had missed my turnoff. This was not in the least disappointing as i would just turn around. I ran the trail back and quickly ran into the crowds, however it was a very inspiring and satisfying run. On the way home i stopped off at an art and crafts show, then to the sustainable living fair!  All in all a good day, just wish Elizabeth was here to share it with me!