tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39632943955170576432024-03-24T02:21:46.904-07:00SchlarBlogJason Schlarbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649845109235484268noreply@blogger.comBlogger87125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3963294395517057643.post-47507033307635578652012-11-11T12:53:00.000-08:002012-11-29T01:54:54.730-08:00New Post @ jasonschlarb.comNew post! <br />
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SchlarBlog =<a href="http://jasonschlarb.com/" target="_blank"> jasonschlarb.com</a><br />
<br />Jason Schlarbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649845109235484268noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3963294395517057643.post-88558684494131494142012-11-04T08:23:00.001-08:002012-11-04T08:23:05.201-08:00Zoic and Reach The Peak<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://zoic.com/" target="_blank">ZOIC</a>-<br />
Maggie and I are extremely excited to now be working with Zoic. I have been wearing Zoic mountain bike shorts all summer... hands down they are the best, coolest, most functional all around biking shorts I have ever worn. Zoic, based out of San Diego, CA makes a wide range of mountain biking apparel that is not only amazingly functional, but extremely fashionable and cool. As we start our bike tour in New Zealand next week, having clothes that can be used both as something to bike in and hangout is invaluable. Zoic is an awesome company to work with and their product is a perfect fit for Maggie and I. I would recommend all of Zoic's product to anyone who bikes, mountain bikes or bike tours. <br />
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<a href="http://www.stayclassy.org/san-diego/events/2nd-annual-reach-peak-trail-race-mountain-festival-fundraise/e18881" target="_blank">Reach The Peak</a>- <br />
Late last week I found out about a race that is literally in my parent's back yard... Black Mountain Open Space Park. <a href="http://www.outdooroutreach.org/reachthepeak/" target="_blank">Reach the Peak</a> is an awesome event that has: an up-hill and down-hill mountain biking time trial that can be combined with a 4 mile trail run for the Mountain Duathlon, a 4 mile Trail Run, an 8 mile Mountain Adventure race (running and orienteering sort of event), a kids 1 mile event that has fun obstacles and finally a 3 hour Endurance Challenge where you see how many laps you can do up Black Mountain in 3 hours. The biking, trail race and endurance challenge goes up a and down Black Mountain on trails for 4 miles with 900 feet to total climbing. What an awesome menu of trail fun! Finally, Reach the Peak is put on by Outdoor Outreach an organization supporting at risk youth with amazing confidence building excursions in the outdoors. Outdoor Outreach managed to raise $30,000 for their programs at this weekends event. <br />
I decided to run the Endurance Challenge but stand at the start line for 5 minutes (yes, the competition would get a head start) after the gun so that I could also run the single loop trail race. <br />
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It was odd to have the competition for the 3 hour endurance challenge leave with out me, but 5 minutes late we were off. A high school guy took the lead at the start with me and a very fit looking dude right behind me. My legs felt very flat and tired going up the steep hill at the start after a solid week of training and quite a bit of bike touring up the southern California coast. I kept in contact and we all 3 went up the first mile together. Shortly after a mile I took the lead and the guy behind me followed. Things were fast and everyone was working hard, there were some fast and talented dudes running this trail race. By the top of Black Mountain at the turn around I had maybe a 20ish second gap on second place. I gained some confidence and was feeling warmed up cruising back down the steep and sometimes technical trail down to the finish. I was drinking my Vitargo in my hand water bottle keeping my energy levels high. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Race Start with my speedy competition on the right</td></tr>
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Then, I looked back with less than a mile to go and I had my competition less than 30 feet back. I sprinted ahead and made a serious surge in hopes of leaving him behind again. With less than a quarter mile to go on the last descent to the finish line I had a 20+ second lead again. I ran 24 minutes for the 4 mile 900 foot climbing run (21 minutes was the fastest bike time trial with a 18 up 2 down split), now it was time to run up and down for another two and a half hours. Just before the summit on the first lap I had caught the leader in the endurance race, but he was impressively not far behind me on the second lap. The day was turning out to be a real challenge of a race. I filled up my bottle with more Vitargo and began the next climb. I ran around a 31 minute split for the second lap, then 34 minute split on the 3rd, I was feeling really good with the pace relatively comfortable and I was able to cheer on the other racers, but the guy behind me was slowly catching me. On the fourth lap, I picked it back up and ran a 31 split again and gained a little more of a lead. On the 5th lap, I was getting tired but not hard race fatigue. My competition was fading and it looked like I was going to easily run 5 laps, with the old course record being 4 laps. I finished with my Dad, Felix and Maggie at the finish line in 2:44 or so minutes. Maybe I could have pushed for 5.5 laps, but I was satisfied with jogging back and running in with the couple guys behind me. <br />
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Overal an awesome race. I had never run a race where you go for laps in a set time and I had certainly never done a 4 mile race that turned into a 3 hour race... fun. This was a great event for a great cause. <br />
<br />Up next.... New Zealand's South Island on Tuesday!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PARADISE</td></tr>
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<br />Jason Schlarbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649845109235484268noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3963294395517057643.post-57159401539725599972012-10-23T15:39:00.003-07:002012-10-23T15:39:37.937-07:00New Zealand Transition<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sweet Dreams of Trail Running</td></tr>
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After my trip to Virginia to race the Grindstone 100 mile and visit Matt and his family, we have been preparing for our trip to New Zealand. Buying bike panniers, fenders, clothes, equipment, storing our stuff (thanks BirdDog!), driving the camper to the San Luis valley on Mike's land for storage (thanks Mike!), etc... has kept us busy and for the most part, out of the mountains. Brian and Renee's house in Boulder was home base for about a week (thanks guys!) while we did all this "stuff". <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Felix and Marcus enjoying a snuggle</td></tr>
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Recovery has been going OK, running 45 minutes to an hour and a half starting Tuesday after the race and then moving to an hour and a half or so a day with some tempo work with Marcus one day and some running around Chautauqua. Also essential, was some body work from Marcus to speed up some lingering muscle funk. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sangre De Cristos</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rainbow Over Twin Lakes</td></tr>
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<b>Sand Diego-</b><br />
With the bikes loaded in bike boxes, gear packed in panniers and backpacks and Felix rolling in the Chariot, BirdDog dropped us off at DIA Saturday where we flew to visit my family in San Diego before flying out of LAX on November 6th for New Zealand. <br />
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<b>Long Run Around Laguna Mountain-</b><br />
The day after we arrived, I went for a 22ish mile long run around Laguna Mountain outside of Alpine which is about an hour out of San Diego. I was utterly surprised by the outstanding mountain trail running in that area. With elevations up to 6,000 feet, huge pines and impressive meadows, ridge lines, vitas and views, I am now certainly considering the <a href="http://www.sandiego100.com/" target="_blank">San Diego 100 Mile</a>, which runs around the mountains surrounding Laguna Mountain. Even better than the trail running was the great company, Scott Crellin (RD for a 100K in SD), Scott Mills (RD for SD 100M and Ultra LEGEND), Russell Nadel (Injinji Man) and two other very cool guys whose names I can't recall at the moment. <br />
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<b><a href="http://www.keplerchallenge.co.nz/" target="_blank">The Kepler Challenge-</a></b><br />
I have started to train in earnest for the Kepler Challenge 60K, which takes place in NZ on December 1st. Besides being an EPIC trail loop course in Fiordland National Park, Kepler has a great history, is very well organized and supported and attracts some high end talent with good prize money and a $5,000 bonus for a new course record. I have now transitioned to a weekly training routine that consists of a tempo, a hard effort up and down hill workout and a 25-30 mile long run with some "up-pace" running in the middle. The weekly tempo run, which will range from 45 minutes (today) to maybe 75 minutes, is essential, as the first 5K of the race is relatively flat and the last 36K is downhill or flat. The average winning time at Kepler is just under 5hrs (with 3,900 feet of climbing), which equates to an average pace of just over 8 minutes/mile and the course record of 4:37, set in 2005, was at a speedy 7:24 minute mile average. It would appear that the Kepler Challenge 60K is very much comparable to the Chuckanut 50K course, but with more climbing, and an extra 10K of running. I am really excited to head to New Zealand and to race Kepler. The training routine change in preparation for Kepler is a big shift from what I have been doing over the last 6+ months, but it is honestly fun to be doing some faster running. <br />
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<b>Hamish-</b><br />
I MUST thank Hamish Travers from New Zealand. Hamish is friends of Cam, who we used to live with in Boulder and he has been a huge, huge help in planning for our trip. Aside from recommending trail races in NZ, Hamish has gone above and beyond linking us up with several people to show us their local trails in NZ AND provide us with a place for us to stay. Having locals show you their trails is hands down priceless and then to be able to have a place to stay after bike touring and sleeping in a tent for weeks... wow, that will be awesome. <br />
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We are going to bust out the bikes and do a trial bike tour somewhere north of Santa Barbara for 3-5 days, then pack up and go to NZ, oh yeah. <br />
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<b><a href="http://jasonschlarb.com/" target="_blank">JASONSCHLARB.COM </a></b><br />
Maggie has been working on getting a web page set up for me to use. It is under construction now, but will eventually replace this blog. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BirdDog Cleaned Taco</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3RJA19RZQLV8NYfCYhyphenhyphenLLpsufgd0sjV6d6Q12cXHTImk3NJP1mR6q2mlJ36xv3-wiPtUAC5u9ukUDuZIuupPnoBWJTiqTD5ff6rME1_W_QjD1avzCB9GyDeKmUCFP5J07I78PumCbSFo/s1600/goodnighttaco.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3RJA19RZQLV8NYfCYhyphenhyphenLLpsufgd0sjV6d6Q12cXHTImk3NJP1mR6q2mlJ36xv3-wiPtUAC5u9ukUDuZIuupPnoBWJTiqTD5ff6rME1_W_QjD1avzCB9GyDeKmUCFP5J07I78PumCbSFo/s400/goodnighttaco.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good Night Taco</td></tr>
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Jason Schlarbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649845109235484268noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3963294395517057643.post-81808395546584749012012-10-09T21:04:00.003-07:002012-10-09T21:28:39.993-07:00Grindstone 101.85 Mile… Did it<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matt and I getting things ready</td></tr>
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Reaction-</div>
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I am so very happy to have completed a 100 mile race. The 100 mile seems to be the
quintessential “Ultra” distance and is often the distance of the most
competitive and famous ultra races.
Goals for this year included running a mountainous trail 100 mile,
qualify for the Hard Rock 100 Mile lottery and Ultra Trail Mount Blanch. My first attempt at accomplishing these
goals took place at the Run Rabbit Run (RRR) 100 in Steamboat Colorado. As many of you probably know, I dropped
out of that race after 50 miles and a wrong turn. The Grindstone 100 mile was my immediate course of action
after my most disappointing race ever at RRR. (See my RRR race report here) </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matt doing Vitargo prep</td></tr>
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Stats-</div>
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Grindstone is a tough 100 mile with 23,000 feet of climbing
on a lot of very narrow challenging single track that at times is very, very
rock and tough to run. I have been
told the course is much slower than Leadville and a bit tougher than Bighorn
100 (Mike Foote has the CR of 18:36)</div>
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I am very happy to place 3<sup>rd</sup> against Karl Meltzer
and Neal Gorman and run 18:35 on this 101.85 mile course, my first 100 mile finish. </div>
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The Race-</div>
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I am pretty lucky that there was a race in early October
that qualified me for Hard Rock, had an awesome course, was in a location where
I had someone to help support me and had some decent competition and
history. </div>
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My best buddy, Matt Lowe, lives in Arlington Virginia and
was able to take a day off work to help aid, crew and pace me through the
race. Also instrumental in my
successful weekend was Tab, a wonderful lady who contacted me through my blog
to help crew. Tab’s crewing
enabled Matt to also be able to pace me at mile 66. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tab and Matt... the ultimate crew and pacer team</td></tr>
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Grindstone is unique in that it starts at 6pm. After only a couple hours of sleep on
Wednesday night before a 5am start to traveling to Virginia, I managed one my
best pre-race sleeps of nearly 7 hours.
In general, I don’t sleep well before races. Karl Meltzer, the winner of RRR and $11,000, my Hoka
teammate and the most winning 100 miler human ever (34 wins I believe) lined up
next to me and we chatted about camping, shoes and other things. Also toeing the line was Neal Gorman,
who has the Grand Slam record time, a top 10 finish at Western States and a 3<sup>rd</sup>
at Leadville last year. I was
happy to have legendary talent and experience with me at the start line. </div>
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I had no defined race strategy for this race. My mission was just to finish this race
with placing and overall time a secondary detail or something I could hope for at
the end of the run. Neal and Karl
set out upfront with Neal taking the lead from the beginning. I ran behind Karl anywhere from 10
meters to 300 meters behind. I
noticed a “1 Mile To Go” sign that I began to imagine how excited I would be to
see. I also had short little
fantasy of hiding, going to sleep then running back. Bad. I stayed relaxed and comfortable and,
as almost always, I was quickly by myself. I had all the mileage between aid stations tattooed with
sharpie on my arms with the aid stations Matt and Tab were crewing
underlined. Aside form knowing it
was out and back, on trails, had 23,000 feet of climbing spread over what I
thought was two bigger climbs repeated on the way back, I had no course
knowledge or experience. Had I
been up front battling Neal and Karl, that could have been a bad thing, but that
wasn’t the case.</div>
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The dark came quick as we ran up to the prominent ridgeline
in Shenandoah. There was a good
amount of power hiking up the steep gravel before I saw Neal coming back down
from punching a hole in his bib and returning back down. After finding the punch with Karl
we were on our way down and onto some technical single track with tons of loose
rock. </div>
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I was at about mile 12-15 when I experienced the most
challenging, mentally grueling and depressing section of running of my
life. It was pitch black, I was by
myself, I felt frustrating flat, slow and miserable and I had 85 miles to go
and it was around the time I would normally be thinking about going to
bed. I entertained myself looking
at the numerous little spiders that shimmered like a green-blue diamond in my
headlamp. I saw deer, I saw a
number of cool frogs standing confused in the trail. Most exciting was seeing a fairly long beige and brown snake
in the middle of the trail… it sure did scare me. Despite all this wonderful entertainment, I was hating
life. I yearned for the each aid
station’s warmth, life and positive energy. Before each aid station I dreamed of sitting down and
relaxing. I loved smelling the
smoke of the large campfires before I quite got there. At aid stations, I did sit down. It sounds like a bad idea but at nearly
every aid station I grabbed a chair and sat in front of the tables. I never got sucked into taking a nap or
lingering but indulged in the bit of a break. I kept the Vitargo intake at a high level hitting about
350-375 calories per hour mixed into my single hand water bottle. I never had much of any “real”
food. Vitargo keeps me full and
fueled indeed. </div>
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After the aid stations, I would leave encouraged along with
a sense of accomplishment of getting to a never check point. The confidence didn’t last long and
overall I was miserable. I had no
particular ache, strain or problem, the body was “ok”, just flat, tired and
mentally in hell. I know, sounds
horrible, but I have to tell it as it is.
At one point around mile 20 something, while fiddling with my bottle I
totally tripped and fell on my face.
I had no shirt on, as it was pretty warm and humid all night and as I
landed my water bottle shot sticky Vitargo all over my chest, arm and
neck. I had no real injury to
report after the fall except some small scratches. As I ran the next 5 miles I grabbed leaves off the bushes
and tried to wipe the stick off with NO success and the leaves stuck to my
hands. Pretty awesome. I lost tons of time on Neal and Karl
and then at the bottom of the bottom I heard footsteps and saw the light of
someone behind me. I couldn’t fathom
how I was going to feel after 50, after 70 after 80. As I strode into the mile 35 aid station, refusing to be
passed before I saw my crew for the last time until mile 66, I told Matt and
Tab that I felt like “poo-poo”. I
sat down and watched 3<sup>rd</sup> place run out of the aid station. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Neal, Karl and company</td></tr>
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Life After Death-</div>
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Some how my stay in the pit of doom was over just past mile
35. I began to see the cup half
full. I knew there were radical
ups and downs in the 100 like that of a chick flick, but the relief was even
more surprising than I could imagine.
It felt like re-birth being on “the positive”. In the dark of a 100 mile lives radical emotional lows that
I never want to visit again. There
wasn’t even a “thing” or even that pulled me out of the misery, it just… happened. </div>
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I was now pretty far behind Karl and Neal, like half an hour
and the third place guy was gapping me by 10+ minutes… I didn’t care all that
much. I was smiling and so happy
to be feeling positive. I was
going to finish a 100 mile. I was
getting close to the turn around.
Unlike RRR, the Grindstone is an out and back, something I thought would
be a negative, but instead it was a wonderful thing. I was so enthusiastic to reach the turn around. As I went through the turnaround aid
station, I told the volunteers “I’m on my way home”. It made me choke up with emotion, it makes me choke up
now. I never again went to the bad
place. It hurt, I was tired, my
body was beat, but I refused to go back.
I wouldn’t let my mind punish me like that again. </div>
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Coming Home-</div>
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On the way home while pushing up a hill I took in too much
water and before I could even think about it, I puked like a cartoon character. 3 huge fountain blasts later I was
done. 15 minutes after puking I
was pounding my water and Vitargo with no problems. Pretty funky.
Another little hitch was that my headlamp suddenly dimmed. I had no crew access for another 20+
miles and I had to slow down to see where I was running. This could have been a game ender, as
seeing your footing on this unbelievably rocky single track with tons of
vegetation, steep ascents and descents is, well, required. I found my savior at a small aid
station when a gentleman graciously saved my race giving me his headlamp. </div>
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I cruised on, never running great pace, but kept
running. The competition was way
ahead, but I wasn’t at all concerned.
I wasn’t thinking about racing, just managing my own pace and survival. I continued with my simple, but
wonderful pleasure of sitting at aid stations and relaxing before heading
out. At 66.5 I had the real treat
of running with amazing company, Matt Lowe. Matt paced like a champ. Matt does pretty much everything in life like a pro and
pacing was no exception. I didn’t
have to tell him what to do or not to do.
He fell into place just behind me, didn’t make me talk, but kept me
entertained and fed me all that I needed.
Matt sprinted ahead at aid stations and had things ready. Having a great pacer certainly is a
plus. </div>
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The sunrise was
spectacular, the clouds on the horizon created a magnificent orange, gold and
pink glow that turned the fall colors forest into a surreal brilliant light
show. The golden canopies and fiery
red ridgeline running was awesome, even with the haze of already running 70
miles. The pace varied, but
overall it was steady with no blow ups or miracles…. Until mile 80. All of a sudden I was more awake than
ever and the legs felt great. I
was running the up-hills and bombing the down hills. At the aid station I learned I had cut 20 minutes off of
third place and that he was only minutes out ahead of me. I had dropped Matt with my up-hill
running revival. Matt is a new
father and has been working serious overtime, which equates to no real running
this last month or two, so 20+ miles was a lot. </div>
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As I took my preverbal sit down at the second to last aid
station with 14 miles to go, I was both pleased and bummed I had closed in on 3<sup>rd</sup>. It was time to get to work…
finally. I ran hard, running the
entire relatively steep single track, peeking my head around each corner to see
3<sup>rd</sup> place. With 11
miles to go I saw my prey and his pacer.
As I approached I actually heard my name, whish was a bit funny. I ran past the pacer and the prey
started to run with me. After
about a quarter mile he stepped aside and we gave positive salutations to each
other. As always, one must pass
convincingly, so I gave a good 5 minute surge to ensure I got out of sight with
gusto. After the surge, I was
still feeling good and kept the pace.
Not long before I had estimated a goal to finish under 20 hours, but things
were rolling now and I began to set my sights on making it in under 18:49,
Karl’s old course record and of course maintain a top 3 podium finish. I pushed and pushed and ran into the
last aid station with Matt and Tab greeting me with big smiles and cheers. It was exciting and I finally skipped
the sit down custom and rallied out of the last aid station with 5,5 miles to
go. Cruising into the last couple
miles I had a sudden stomach freak out.
In my cross-country and road racing days, I would from time to time get
dry heaves at the end of a exceptionally hard race and I was getting that
sensation now. I was forced to
stop and produced some of the loudest dry heave noises I have ever made in my
life. Nothing came out, my eyes
were wet with tears, but that was it.
I ran to that much anticipated “one mile to go” sign and finished the
race in 18:35. What a ride. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What I wanted to do all race...</td></tr>
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After the race I was miserable and achy for about an hour or
two, but then after that I was walking relatively well and enjoyed a campfire,
some beer and great company. I am
forever indebted to Matt and Tab for their great work. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hurting</td></tr>
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I have been overwhelmed with support from a number of my
friends over this last month with my RRR race and now Grindstone. I would like to especially thank:</div>
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-Kendrick for his support both at RRR and with Grindstone</div>
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-Brian and Renee for their hospitality and encouragement</div>
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-Walter my buddy from Iraq who now is stationed in Japan</div>
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-Joe Miller, my skating bubb from back in high school</div>
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-Cory from middle school</div>
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-Mark from my days at Regis High</div>
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-Bones</div>
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-Patrick and Ginny, my mother and father in law</div>
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-Gavin and Sara, my brother and sister in law</div>
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-Bird-Dog<br />
-Dave Mackey<br />
-Marcus Allen Hille... probably my biggest fan and the best massage therapist in the world</div>
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-My lovely wife Maggie and wonderful son Felix… of course!</div>
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Your support has been huge!!! </div>
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Background-</div>
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August and September ended up being a relatively frustrating
time for training and racing.
After being in the best mountain trail running shape I have ever been in
back in July, I wasn’t able to get back to that fitness level. Starting with a nasty cold the week of
the Speedgoat 50K (July 28<sup>th</sup>), I struggled to recover, I tried to
force a 50 mile in Squamish Canada 2 weeks later and then only had a little
over a coupe weeks to specialize my training for RRR before tapering. After RRR I had 3 weeks before
Grindstone, which was only long enough to do some relatively light
training. I wasn’t all that fit or
confidant. At the weigh-in for
Grindstone I weighed 151lbs, granted I had been drinking and eating a lot in
preparation for the race, I was nearly 8-10lbs heavier than I was earlier in
the summer. Big lessoned learned
here is to manage and plan my race calendar better. It is far more rewarding to race less, with quality
specialized training, than to run frequently flat and end up loosing general
fitness due to tapering and recovery needs of closely spaced racing. </div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Jason Schlarbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649845109235484268noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3963294395517057643.post-40430560279547676762012-10-01T10:34:00.001-07:002012-10-01T10:34:28.211-07:00Crew Support? <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT60c9dgWp_bRW1gjh4BEaOy9Eni7k7VWDkufi_SN21LYyM-9VG1gatlgQ7A8K76w4kR5RcHx0Ts933jlokYeS48_6N6EhWv1ffT0owbf-PXRe3uM26kg9kWBBGK8KuWhT06Lq7ay1sYw/s1600/grindstone_logo.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT60c9dgWp_bRW1gjh4BEaOy9Eni7k7VWDkufi_SN21LYyM-9VG1gatlgQ7A8K76w4kR5RcHx0Ts933jlokYeS48_6N6EhWv1ffT0owbf-PXRe3uM26kg9kWBBGK8KuWhT06Lq7ay1sYw/s320/grindstone_logo.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
Anyone in the Virginia area interested in helping with some crew support at this Friday's (6pm start) <a href="http://www.eco-xsports.com/events/grindstone/" target="_blank">Grindstone 100 Mile </a>? Of course beer will be provided. Should be a fun race to watch with Karl Meltzer and Neal Gorman racing. Jason Schlarbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649845109235484268noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3963294395517057643.post-63300808400627987682012-09-28T08:57:00.001-07:002012-09-28T08:57:24.762-07:00Another go... The Grindstone 100M
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/262932_286277108152161_1726665347_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/262932_286277108152161_1726665347_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post RRR Recovery Activities @ Dads of Bracebridge "Hoe Down" Dinner and Fundraiser Bracebridge Ontario</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
After a thoroughly humbling experience at the Run Rabbit Run
(RRR) 100 in Steamboat, I am giving the 100 mile another shot. With a deployment to Iraq last year, no
luck at the Western Sates lottery this year and now a DNF at RRR, a 100 mile
finish is well over due. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My body wasn’t all that banged up after the 50 or so miles I
ran at RRR and I am more determined than ever to finish my first 100. More importantly, RRR really taught me
some essential lessons on “running” mountain 100 milers. Had I been told patience is
unbelievably important, did I know walking (not power hiking) for periods of
the race doesn’t mean you are out of the hunt for a win, did I know there would
be low points, of course, but that wasn’t enough. Learning by doing and observing proved much more powerful than being
told. While I only did 50ish miles
at RRR, I feel I learned some huge lessons that will be instrumental in future
100s. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One goal, or rather expectation, I have for this year is to
qualify for both the Hard Rock 100 and UTMB and the RRR was to be the means. Fortunately there is another race that qualifies me for Hard Rock and I believe gives me the points for UTMB I need and lastly, isn’t too close to the December 1<sup>st</sup> Keppler Challenge in
New Zealand… The Grindstone 100 Mile. The Grindstone 100 is October 5<sup>th </sup> in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia. The race boasts 23,000 feet of climbing on an out and back trail route and it just so happes one of my best friends in the world, Matt Lowe,
lives in Virginia and can crew me.
The course record, 18:46, is held by none other than RRR champion and
teammate Karl Meltzer. What I
didn’t know until a few days ago was that Karl will be racing this year as
well. The race looks awesome, I
have support and the body is feeling ready. Time to do it. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Here are a coupe videos from Hoka and the RRR</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hoka Speedgoat 50K Video:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/k6nfxXI0FfA?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pre-Race RRR Interview with Bryon Powell:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/N0Pl-FA55jE?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Jason Schlarbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649845109235484268noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3963294395517057643.post-39626606329836039912012-09-17T11:38:00.001-07:002012-09-17T11:38:23.896-07:00Missing The BoatMissing The Boat<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Run Rabbit Run Race Report </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
**** This is a long report, skip to the "***" for the meat or even just read the last paragraph. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Kendrick Callaway so graciously volunteered to be my crew
for this race and we had a great time hanging out Wednesday through Sunday
morning. Thursday evening and
Friday morning Kendrick and I put together a plan for the race, something I
found to be way more involved that I thought it would be. So involved, that I didn’t have the
finishing touches for the plan or the packing of equipment and nutrition until
12:35pm before the 1pm race start.
While the plan ended up being a great success, I should have mapped
things out earlier for the sake of me and the crew. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Matt Bourquin and his Girlfriend Allison drove all night
Thursday to arrive at 4:00am Friday to watch my race and help crew. It was awesome having them join. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Thursday night I slept in 2ish hour chunks starting at
1:00am. Sleep is never “good” for
me the night before a race and this time was no different. The day or two leading up to the race
my legs were feeling pretty good and I had no real problems to speak of with regards
to my health or my taper. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Toeing the line, I was ready to go. As planned, I power hiked most of the
monster climb up the ski runs to the peak of Steamboat hovering around 5<sup>th</sup>
to 7th place behind Dylan Bowman, Tim Olson, Lara Miguel, Mike Wolf, Karl
Meltzer, some other guy I don’t know and surprisingly, Lizzy Hawker. Things felt fine and I honestly think I
was spending less energy, breathing easier and sweating less that most my
competition up the steep first 5 miles. Once at the top and through the first aid station, I
was in 6<sup>th</sup> with Karl and Dave James behind me by a minute or two at
the most. I felt good, but not
great running down the trail towards Long Lake. Leading up to the race I was very much insecure on how a 100
mile race would go and as we started the downhill running, I felt things were
fast and the pace was not what I expected. I got caught in the moment and kept pace. Not long after the top I caught Miguel
Lara and Dave James caught up to me.
Dave and I then ran into Dylan at the first of a number of less than
well-marked trail intersections.
There was a wooden sign for long lake with a race sign pointing down
hill for the 100 mile. Fortunately,
we realized we needed to go to long lake first… something Nick Padatella didn’t
do. As we arrived at the lake
Miguel, who caught back up to us at the junction, stopped to drink out of the
lake and I didn’t see him again after that. Almost to the aid station, we saw Wolf and Olson just 45
seconds out of the aid station as we arrived. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Down, the three of us continued running pretty aggressively,
more aggressively than we should have.
Just before the road, Dylan stopped to get water out of the creek and
Dave and I kept going where we caught Wolf, Olson and Nick Pedatella. Nick knew he was done, but seemed to be
in good spirits and would end up placing 3<sup>rd</sup> the next day at the 50
mile after a 20+ mile jaunt in the 100 mile. Dave took the lead by 15 seconds and Pedatella, Tim, Mike
and I enjoyed some light conversation to the high school. Catching Mike and Tim, I wasn’t feeling
that great at all, but was happy to be distracted once running with good
company. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My crew was flawless and efficient and I was treated with a
1 mile jog with Matt across the busy roads of Steamboat. Enjoying a little lead on the
rest of the guys due to fast crewing, I jogged on. I hid under the excitement, as I knew I wasn’t feeling as I
should only a quarter into what became a gnarly, carnage filled 100 mile that I
wouldn’t see the second half of. I
felt much worse that I normally do at the 25 mile mark in well executed 50
milers. I quickly transitioned
into a hike up the ski hill across town where the off trail route was only a
few degrees away from hands and knees scrambling. I always feel best on the steeps, it felt like I was taking
a break and I sort of was as it was all hiking. At the top I once again was confused and ended up taking a
round about line that added a minute or two to my time. ALL the trail markings were yellow… at
the height of fall colors in a place that is world famous for it’s golden
Aspens. Dave was close enough
behind to see my route and followed suit.
Once back on route I saw Tim running the correct route a half mile back
and that would be the last I saw him until I was in a car driving down to the
hotel 3 or 4 hours later. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next 30 miles was the strangest 30 miles of my running
life. I wasn’t feeling at all like
I felt I should for the first half of a 100, but not bad, as again, I was
climbing up. I shared the lead
with Dave on much of the up hill, casually climbing and going back and forth
with each other. Likewise Dave was
right on my tail going down to the Cow Creek aid station. I was keeping pace, but I began to know
I wasn’t going to be able to keep this up. Leading still both in and out of Cow Creek, I was encouraged
by my crew and I flew through the aid.
On the dirt road and hitting mile 30 I was just waiting to blow up. Waiting to blow up in the lead at a
race with $10,000 for first, strange.
I was well nourished with nearly 400 calories of Vitargo an hour, s-caps
and more than enough water. Feet
were happy in the Hoka Bondi and Injinji Socks. The equipment, crew and even weather was cooperating, but
the body and mind wasn’t. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
**We were now passing a lot of Tortoises (they started in
the morning) and one lady said to me as I passed “you are the WINNER!”, it was
too much and I told her over my shoulder “I’m the leader, the leader”. On the trail and approaching the 1/3
mark of the race I began to barely run, then finally I pretty much had to
walk. I was in the lead and
walking. I was just waiting for
Dave and wondering what I would say.
He passed, but was also slowing down and encouraged me, even turned
around and told me to look at the cow pie on the trail someone turned into a
smiley face. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Unfortunately the cow pie didn’t work and I continued to
walk. I walked and walked and
walked. For over 30 minutes I
walked and I began to really wonder where the heck Tim and Wolf were, had they
dropped, had they taken a wrong turn, was Dave and I the only ones even in the
running for this race? My complete
ignorance and inexperience in the 100 was at it’s absolute best here. Walking for ages, I was fully committed
in my dropping and having a huge pity party. While yes, everyone slowed here, I was living in a 50 mile
race mindset. I was unbelievably
under equipped to be walking. I
had at least 7 more miles to the next aid, it was nearly dark, I was on single
track, I had no light and I had no shirt.
I enjoyed that I was going to be in the dark, freezing and in the
mountainous forest. I wanted to be
punished, I sucked. I decided to
stop walking and stretch. I
stretched for 3 or so minutes when Dylan rolled up. Instantly I snapped out of my punishment session and made
the excellent choice in running with Dylan. My legs were sore, but moving. Dylan wasn’t having a great time either with a good bit of
moaning and even a little dry heave over some gel. We walked most of the steep and not that steep up-hill. I appreciated the company and magically
my legs, energy and attitude was improving. I was in disbelief.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
**We made our way down in the dark and things weren’t too
bad with Dylan’s light. The last
off-trail 35% slope was ridiculous, I fell on my butt twice. At the aid station, I grabbed some
clothes, drank some water, filled up with Vitargo and was off… in second place
again. After another wrong turn
for a minute or so, we were across town and to the high school where I had just
a little time on Dylan. From the
high school I went straight up the road following the yellow flags… and missed
the right turn to go up Fish Creek Falls.
Apparently people were yelling after me and Fred, the RD even drove
after me. I was running well,
confident and ready to run 100 miles.
For the first time since the first 5 miles, I really believed I could
get this race done. I ran most of
the 5 miles and 1,500 foot climb and was eager to catch up with Dave and surprise
him with a come back from the dead, a dead walk at least. Running into what I thought was mile
49, I was given the news that I was at the mile 62 aid station. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
*It all sunk in that I had taken a wrong turn. I wasn’t furious, I was just bummed and
in disbelief. All sorts of things
flooded the brain… I can’t run all the way back down and then up, I’m done, I
was in second place and pushing, I am feeling good, it is over, I’m done and
then… a guilty satisfaction of stopping.
I finally got the brain to focus and proposed someone drive me to the
bottom and that I’ll re-start the race from there. After what seemed like a long, albeit comfortable, drive
down the dirt road and arriving at the high school, again, Bryon Powell
contacted the RD and I was clear to go.
I was dropped off, running and in shock. 10<sup>th</sup> place was at the aid station. I started running on awkward, but
functioning legs. I was passing
all sorts of people, mostly Tortoises and right away realized I had not been
passing anyone on the other trail, how dumb of me. In the Air Force and military, when you make stupid
decisions under stress and in a wartime environment, that propensity to be
stupid is called the “fog of war”, well I was deep in the fog of war running up
Spring Creek instead of Fish Creek Falls.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
***Still feeling good I made my way up and eventually caught
a seriously hurting and walking Mike Wolf. Mike was unbelievably positive and gave me all sorts of
encouragement after I told him my mistake and how I was all of a sudden behind
him. As I left Mike he said “pass
them all!” I was still doing great
and was optimistic for all of the climb.
As the trail comes to the top and flattens out for the last mile or two
I fell into a deep and dark place once more. I was walking, I was in the dumps and worst of all I was
feeling sorry for myself. “I ran
an extra 5 mile and 1,500 feet of climbing; it is over”, this was my
mantra. It was frosty cold and I
immediately sat down by the fire once at the aid station. I bundled up and began an
uncontrollable shiver that further made me feel sorry for myself. I had hit a low and I was in the wrong
place, a place I could easily quit.
I signed up for a ride down that “is leaving now” and started to stumble
and shiver my way to the vehicle.
Deep inside me the voice of Ultramarathon reason spoke, “you should try
to run”. I tired to run in the
parking area where the ground was rough and uneven with weeds, ruts, dirt and
rock. I couldn’t really “run”. I tired once more and then I quit the
race. I quit, I failed myself, and
those who believed in me. I had
some bad luck, I wasn’t on my A-Game, but nonetheless, I didn’t make the right
decision and completely failed to meet my baseline goal of finishing when I
damn well could have. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
***On my way up Fish Creek Falls I witnessed people walking
up the trail, in pain, alone and five hours longer at it than me. I passed people who aren’t gifted as I
am in endurance running, I passed people who have 9-5 jobs and obviously less
time to train than I do. I passed
Bossic at mile 30, who was on blood thinners and had blood clots in both his
lungs shortly before race day.
They didn’t quit. They
pushed on. They finished what they
started. This wasn’t track, or
cross country, a 10K, a marathon or even a 50 mile, where place, pace and
finishing times are often the focus, this was a mountain 100 mile. The essence of this race, and I’m
confident it is true for all 100 mile races, is to finish no matter what. Being convinced I wasn’t going to place
well in the race and that I couldn’t “run” at the moment, I quit. I completely ignored the spirit of what
it was all about. I’m embarrassed
and utterly disappointed. Despite
knowing the 100 would be different, I didn’t see this coming and this has been
a really tough, emotional lesson to learn. I have the highest level of respect for everyone who
finished the Run Rabbit Run 100 mile. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Jason Schlarbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649845109235484268noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3963294395517057643.post-69651559034709322952012-09-12T13:33:00.001-07:002012-09-12T13:33:13.769-07:00The Mountain Rat-Race & RRR 100 Previews<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
-THE MOUNTAIN RAT-RACE-<br />
<br />
Our travels. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here is a chronological listing of places or areas where we spent a
significant amount of time over the last 4 months of travel: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-Los Alamos, New Mexico</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-Flagstaff, Arizona</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-Durango, Colorado</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-Silverton, Colorado</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-Lake City, Colorado</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-Ouray, Colorado</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-Telluride, Colorado</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-Grand Canyon National Park</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-Banff National Park, Canada</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-Lake Louise, Canada</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-Jasper National Park</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-Bozeman Montana</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-Missoula Montana</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-Flathead Valley Montana</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-Glacier National Park</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-Seattle, Washington</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-Squamish, British Columbia</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-Whistler, British Columbia</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-Grand Teton National Park</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Preparing for our long adventure I thought I would have
formed some definite favorite, or a place that I considered “the best”, but
that “best” was never realized. We
have visited a few places that after we left, we both felt we had seen what we
wanted, but the overwhelming majority of our 4 months has been spent in a
paradise where we felt hungry to spend more time. The details of how nice the weather was, the costs of
visiting, rather the surrounding towns were to our liking, or rather or not we
saw the “best” of the area, were really just part of the adventure and in the
end, being in the mountainous alpine environment always satisfied, entertained
and was all together a fulfilling experience… with challenges. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiipT4j-fz1dqu_oA_tueJX3foJqVl_TzW51ffj6MN1WtY1UKBzc-cE_CvZ4xJt0kdgsrPmKxkGdD1vpbQsr3rMpb7dbYhKLDjJYlaA0aIR5G1vljCG33IqeGJC2mQhB3WCY2DS74EuJtQ/s1600/blog+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiipT4j-fz1dqu_oA_tueJX3foJqVl_TzW51ffj6MN1WtY1UKBzc-cE_CvZ4xJt0kdgsrPmKxkGdD1vpbQsr3rMpb7dbYhKLDjJYlaA0aIR5G1vljCG33IqeGJC2mQhB3WCY2DS74EuJtQ/s400/blog+back.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our time has indeed been spent in the most amazing parts of
North America’s mountains. A wonderful
aspect of North American’s mountains is it’s unbelievable diversity. As I look at Mount Elbert right now, I
truly enjoy looking at it, camping by it and playing around and on it. It doesn’t have to have a massive
glacier, huge cedars, a giant creek with waterfalls, a nearly un-climbable face,
a small town with only the “coolest”, progressive, like minded residence close
by, or any other particular component that other mountains have had that we
have visited before or that we have heard of having. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Instead of coming to a grand conclusion on the “best”
mountains and surrounding community, I believe we have developed a great
appreciation and ability to enjoy the mountain environment that we and
especially I, really didn’t have before. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf7nyd_6qyDdicekAvgnVYv-0c3RKEIjX0rJUgPz3CRXJVn7Cdxm-CYku-OzfLQzY7k5d9Alm1ymAkpfKjyMuhVPpy55QUoNORPy8vNcTDstO4u49Opcl0JAZ1cJ7zuHVuuQHl-UXI4-w/s1600/IMGP2212.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf7nyd_6qyDdicekAvgnVYv-0c3RKEIjX0rJUgPz3CRXJVn7Cdxm-CYku-OzfLQzY7k5d9Alm1ymAkpfKjyMuhVPpy55QUoNORPy8vNcTDstO4u49Opcl0JAZ1cJ7zuHVuuQHl-UXI4-w/s320/IMGP2212.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheesy as can be picture of Mike Devloo and I enjoying a simple mountain view</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have directed
nearly all of my energy, time, passion and money over the last 9 years, outside
of work, towards being in the mountains.
Over those 9 years I was driven to conquer, to see, to find and do the
“best”. Not always, but often, I
was rushed, frantic and a model weekend warrior. Without thinking about it, I was often competing with both
myself and others, to reach some upper echelon of mountainous
accomplishment. Highest peaks
climbed, most and best Class V paddled, most international mountains visited,
deepest and steepest powder skied and cliffs sent, best mountain photos and now
in the last year and a half, running on the “best”, wildest, steepest and
scenic mountains was a serious underlying motive. Can one overcome this as a weekend warrior, absolutely, but
I struggled to diverge from the mountain rat race. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I can’t honestly say I no longer play in the mountain rat
race, in fact, I know I will get caught up in it at times, but these last 4 months have really been a much-needed therapy. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdb1U_2At75d_q_mlQLAf1MD7DGXp4ul_dIRFjzFvVSYj8yISZL5xIkknOA05C1J6BEdg7Y2KMami8IdVkbFPLYzDU_g_62vlhPAgemP0rQlPossW7htGiV8N4TlPEiSjJmUXbrccnrS0/s1600/schlarb+waterfall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdb1U_2At75d_q_mlQLAf1MD7DGXp4ul_dIRFjzFvVSYj8yISZL5xIkknOA05C1J6BEdg7Y2KMami8IdVkbFPLYzDU_g_62vlhPAgemP0rQlPossW7htGiV8N4TlPEiSjJmUXbrccnrS0/s400/schlarb+waterfall.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking a 30 footer... OK, 25 footer </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
-RUN RABBIT RUN 100-<br />
<br />
Here are a few previews for the Run Rabbit Run 100 that takes place this Friday at 1pm in Steamboat... my first 100 miler (yeah, I'm scared):<br />
<br />
Karl Meltzer's Preview<br />
http://karlmeltzer.com/2012/09/the-big-money-run-has-arrived/<br />
<br />
Irunfar.com / Bryon Powell's Preview<br />
http://www.irunfar.com/2012/09/2012-run-rabbit-run-100-preview.html<br />
<br />
I would be extremely happy to live up to these predictions. As I told Karl, I feel like I'm signed up for a Nordic Skiing race or some other event I have no clue about. The 100 is certainly a new frontier that I am anxious to explore. 1st goal is to finish the race. </div>
<!--EndFragment-->Jason Schlarbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649845109235484268noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3963294395517057643.post-66456793370018908802012-09-11T12:39:00.004-07:002012-09-11T12:39:57.327-07:00Alone
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<br />
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We are a week shy of 4 months on the road. For the first time in those nearly 4
months I am traveling alone without Felix and Maggie for more than a few days. As can be imagined, traveling for such
a long time can be challenging on relationships and we both are looking forward
to some therapeutic “away time”. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On my first day away from Felix and Maggie I was excited for a little
change and did enjoy the freedoms of moving at my very own pace and selecting
activity with no one else in mind.
In the early evening on this first day alone, I was driving from Copper
Ski area to Leadville and was beside myself admiring the splendid golden and
orange aspens painting the mountainsides.
After the initial awe of the beauty I immediately was disappointed
Maggie and Felix weren’t there to enjoy the fleeting splendor of the fall
colors. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Later on in the grocery store, I realized that I could
debate over my salad dressing selection for however long I wanted (way to long
for most people) and I relished this freedom. Then, as the sun began to set over Twin Lakes, I found that
I wasn’t really enjoying how lonely it felt without my travel companions, my
son, my wife… my best friends. I
drove 5 miles back to the first place I could get cell reception to tell my
family how much they were missed, with no regard to leaving my clothes, food
and everything else sitting next to a stream. I miss them. I acknowledge
how fruitful a little break is, but I am also experiencing some painful withdrawals. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Wonderful, Missed, Family</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Jason Schlarbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649845109235484268noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3963294395517057643.post-10787838699402322932012-09-03T10:15:00.004-07:002012-09-03T10:15:51.676-07:00Glacier N.P, Whister B.C, Seattle WA, Teton N.P.!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2kEtu8hKmAqEBiPqjID9A3hs0-GioY8Oo-Ej6ORtVYHxxxZ2OnsvR3SjmsUGfP8UDACEA6uLprGY3UE5r7635sqZ24aPLnjhyqz5C8BROYLR6A7HAt7-L53kAgQa9G5CyS2l4mOIfUqM/s1600/P1020389.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2kEtu8hKmAqEBiPqjID9A3hs0-GioY8Oo-Ej6ORtVYHxxxZ2OnsvR3SjmsUGfP8UDACEA6uLprGY3UE5r7635sqZ24aPLnjhyqz5C8BROYLR6A7HAt7-L53kAgQa9G5CyS2l4mOIfUqM/s640/P1020389.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joffre Lakes, BC</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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It has been a while since my last written post. The month of August has had some high
points and low point for running, but overall my running has been productive. Our travels have taken us through
Missoula Montana where we spent a week with Jeremy, Tiffany and Autumn touring around
the Flathead Valley and Glacier. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjni45-s_6tMKyqA8tgGpvPxnyLWGil-nftqRVZz9ejXvCXUvet1NG4UgbFrkCqHuM3FpV-Tyf5yBMpOdZ73nNzsd82GDFgsknVTOz3bDXcqfM2Qs3wXwVa8TrqQeUn396GTQ3tn7ZR7s/s1600/P1020362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjni45-s_6tMKyqA8tgGpvPxnyLWGil-nftqRVZz9ejXvCXUvet1NG4UgbFrkCqHuM3FpV-Tyf5yBMpOdZ73nNzsd82GDFgsknVTOz3bDXcqfM2Qs3wXwVa8TrqQeUn396GTQ3tn7ZR7s/s640/P1020362.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wolfs, Schlarbs and Schwitau in Glacier NP</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We were also fortunate enough to have Mark Schwitau travel with us for
over two weeks. After Montana we
traveled to Seatlle and British Columbia.
We spent two one weeklong stays in Whistler and Squamish between two
visits in Seattle. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael Frianti, Yoga at Wanderlust in Whistler BC</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In
Seattle we stayed with our generous friends the Murphs, the Feists, Ben Brown
and his girlfriend Annica and the Masons.
After the Pacific Northwest we headed to Teton National Park in
Wyoming. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-PowuZgjIUUOnWXYpYiGE3cV53NMgX-7b1MGUe79qbcCgCS-qbqdnG2cPY99KOh_ujg3Qljkm2T1ckrsEv0QTlIIK2mHcrvDegON91tGJ2UslIghmFLenzjJgxOmDb3EQeTXwuV0qsmM/s1600/P1020518.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-PowuZgjIUUOnWXYpYiGE3cV53NMgX-7b1MGUe79qbcCgCS-qbqdnG2cPY99KOh_ujg3Qljkm2T1ckrsEv0QTlIIK2mHcrvDegON91tGJ2UslIghmFLenzjJgxOmDb3EQeTXwuV0qsmM/s640/P1020518.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Death Canyon in Teton NP</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Visiting the Teton has
been on the top of my list for years after seeing pictures and skiing Jackson
Hole. Exploring the Tetons has
really lived up to our expectations boasting numerous large lakes at the base
of massive mountains climbing nearly 7,000 feet up from the valley. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5faoHhh93EN4ISh2BxxQAP2fpoHOYdypHrTgaYd4xDhOe68kqMvKcrVg-gmh_dfiblQP1hDziRS9FBL06poarJOBlrpLyiIiZo6ftuvjnjOP2G8A5jpN48TxcwYavu3DA2qthNqFAAxo/s1600/100_0017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5faoHhh93EN4ISh2BxxQAP2fpoHOYdypHrTgaYd4xDhOe68kqMvKcrVg-gmh_dfiblQP1hDziRS9FBL06poarJOBlrpLyiIiZo6ftuvjnjOP2G8A5jpN48TxcwYavu3DA2qthNqFAAxo/s640/100_0017.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our travels have been overwhelmingly successful and full of
fun. We have stayed in a cabin on
Whitefish lake in Montana, rafted around the lake and swam. We have hiked and run through Glacier
National Park, to include a one way hike for Maggie and Mark from the pass to the
Loop. I have whitewater kayaked
the Cheakamus, a class IV/V river in Whistler. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzvv5_QEzujqaRrhQSDLFHzRvOEYKCs8ae30Q1skVi-EbhUbb2lUXke_9_YG92BNfwU2PD4W9pqdkSlHFk3VjtiTwx_E8R00owMvueOx-6IKJ7FMZ-FXczIWJXm6FOapVVbMVBZBBKfQ/s1600/cheakamus+waterfall+maxi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzvv5_QEzujqaRrhQSDLFHzRvOEYKCs8ae30Q1skVi-EbhUbb2lUXke_9_YG92BNfwU2PD4W9pqdkSlHFk3VjtiTwx_E8R00owMvueOx-6IKJ7FMZ-FXczIWJXm6FOapVVbMVBZBBKfQ/s400/cheakamus+waterfall+maxi.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waterfall on the Cheakamus run I did (not me though)</td></tr>
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Mark, Maggie and our friends have mountain biked the world
famous biking trails of Whistler to include watching a bit of Crankworks, a
huge downhill biking festival.
Maggie and I enjoyed watching Michael Frianti while doing Yoga at
Wunderulust in the Whistler Village.
We left the camper in Seattle and tent camped by a creek for 4 nights in
Whistler. In Seattle Mike Feist
biked with me for a 31 mile long run on the never ending trails of Anacortes,
which is an impressive feat considering the up and down technical trails of the
area. Felix continues to grow into
an outdoor boy, hiking, swimming, playing and exploring the amazing outdoor
places we continue to travel through. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHbfWFv0a1jJaarMXyYvbXak3RWdoBFaYUBAH3-sbLkUhtdyXUOYK8fLtyfqmdu7Eh6Y8IycbtpRGc_yWwtOSIkg6bMWtkKKMX6SPjR9J_8ydHB9C5nXjKjkBROLwWQJI56qk7t0Y-6jY/s1600/P1020520.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHbfWFv0a1jJaarMXyYvbXak3RWdoBFaYUBAH3-sbLkUhtdyXUOYK8fLtyfqmdu7Eh6Y8IycbtpRGc_yWwtOSIkg6bMWtkKKMX6SPjR9J_8ydHB9C5nXjKjkBROLwWQJI56qk7t0Y-6jY/s640/P1020520.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teton NP picture from my long run</td></tr>
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Running Highlights-</div>
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-One way 24 mile with over 5,000 feet of climbing rom
Girabalidi Lake near Whistler to the Black Tusk and down the backside</div>
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-27 mile, 4,500 feet of climbing one way run on the Sea to
Sky trail and other trails surrounding Whistler</div>
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-1<sup>st</sup> Place, course record, in front of last
year’s series overall winner, at Canada’s most well known running series, 5
Peaks, on the top of Blackcomb Mountain. </div>
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<a href="http://www.piquenewsmagazine.com/whistler/ultra-distance-trail-running-champ-takes-5-peaks/Content?oid=2318803" target="_blank">Anotherarticle on the race</a></div>
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-31 Mile run in Anacortes WA with Mike Feist (Mtn biking) </div>
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-27 Mile run in Anacortes WA the next day</div>
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-One way 29
mile run with 6,200 feet of climbing (up to 10,800 feet) around the
Tetons in Teton National Park. Ran
up Death Canyon, the Teton Traverse, down Cascade Canyon and around Jenny Lake</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqxMl-9CjVaTrFEzdlHCMpq6vOmVMzQJeTblUotSbdONLBCBCqqEIU2cXLnWTzHLERRcrBifVwe8iFFyIjCo49gfuwQZ8iGFcGtTMYHuJZIp1VxaXF_sogCyXX-rdbd7dBZKktW6b1IuI/s1600/P1020525.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqxMl-9CjVaTrFEzdlHCMpq6vOmVMzQJeTblUotSbdONLBCBCqqEIU2cXLnWTzHLERRcrBifVwe8iFFyIjCo49gfuwQZ8iGFcGtTMYHuJZIp1VxaXF_sogCyXX-rdbd7dBZKktW6b1IuI/s640/P1020525.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Copper Lake Teton NP</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Finally, I finished my training for Run Rabbit Run 100
(before my taper) with possible my best week ever:</div>
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-Sunday, 31 Miles, 5,000 Feet Climbing</div>
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-Monday, 27 Miles, 5,000 Feet Climbing</div>
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-Tuesday, 11 Miles 2,000 Feet Climbing</div>
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-Wednesday, 10.5 Miles 1,500 Feet Climbing</div>
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-Thursday, 8.5 Miles, 2,000 Feet Climbing </div>
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-Friday, 12 Miles, 2,000 Feet Climbing</div>
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-Saturday, 29 Miles, 6,200 Feet Climbing</div>
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126 Miles Running</div>
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23,000 Feet Climbing</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black Bear I saw on my run in Teton NP</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vitargo Re-Fill</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">School House Glacier Teton NP</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moose I saw on my Long Run in Teton NP</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First Golden Aspen of the season!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glacial Lake Swimming in BC</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Felix is a Star!</td></tr>
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Jason Schlarbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649845109235484268noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3963294395517057643.post-14150629428549246372012-08-27T13:42:00.003-07:002012-09-08T15:46:35.471-07:005 Peaks Whistler Canada 10.6K<br />
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We just returned from Whistler, B.C. where I ran the 10.6 km race in the 5 Peaks Challenge. I came away with the win and beat last year's course record of 56:40 coming in at 54:50. Check out the articles in the <a href="http://www.piquenewsmagazine.com/whistler/ultra-distance-trail-running-champ-takes-5-peaks/Content?oid=2318803" target="_blank">Pique</a> and <a href="http://www.whistlerquestion.com/article/20120826/WHISTLER02/120829980/-1/whistler02/colorados-schlarb-first-at-5-peaks" target="_blank">Whistler Question</a>. <br />
This race was a blast... taking a gondola up the mountain to over 6,000 feet where we ran an awesome loop with over 2,000 feet of climbing through beautiful alpine = amazing. <br />
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<br />Jason Schlarbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649845109235484268noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3963294395517057643.post-87961829826167382252012-08-14T12:39:00.003-07:002012-08-14T12:39:48.316-07:00Squamish 50 Mile Race Report<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oG43PggEreU&feature=channel&list=UL" target="_blank">Race Report Video</a></div>
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<br />Jason Schlarbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649845109235484268noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3963294395517057643.post-3840395260012952192012-08-07T15:57:00.001-07:002012-08-07T15:57:47.811-07:00Interview with Mark Schwitau<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="text-align: center;">Travels in Montana, recovery and preparation for the Squamish 50 Mile</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/CtgNEXmRL7c?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Jason Schlarbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649845109235484268noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3963294395517057643.post-89483260004886754072012-07-30T01:35:00.002-07:002012-07-30T01:35:58.270-07:00Race Report for Speedgoat 50K<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mile 8</td></tr>
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My training leading up to Speedgoat was stellar. For the last two months we have been in
the San Juan mountains of Colorado and my training has been exclusively in the
high alpine. My race at the San
Juan Solstice 50 was a great stepping-stone to getting into great mountain
running shape and I was very happy with my fitness going into the race. </div>
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Tuesday night of the week of the race I woke up with a sore
throat and by Wednesday I had a full on head cold. Wednesday, I wasn’t optimistic that I would be racing, but
still thought it wasn’t impossible to recover before the race. Thursday I felt pretty weak but not
terrible, so I decided to head to the race and see how it would work out. Thursday night I didn’t sleep well and
only got maybe 3 hours of sleep and my head cold was still there Friday
morning, but my legs and energy levels felt reasonable and so I decided to give
it a go. </div>
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Hydration, Nutrition, Gear:</div>
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I raced with <a href="http://www.ryderseyewear.com/" target="_blank">Ryder sunglasses</a>, a visor, <a href="http://injinji.com/" target="_blank">Injinji</a> socks and
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/HOKAONEONE" target="_blank">Hoka Bondis.</a> For hydration I used
my trusty 20oz Amphipod hand water bottle. For nutrition I used <a href="http://www.genr8speed.com/endurance/endurance.php" target="_blank">Vitrago</a>. This race I further increased my
calorie intake to nearly 400 calories per hour, which is double what I was able
to do with EFS or GU. My stomach
felt fine the whole race and I never felt I was “bonking”. I know taking in double the calories
and furthermore, taking in double the calories of anyone else I know or race
against, is a HUGE advantage. </div>
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The pre-race was a serious social event. We all sort of hung out and chatted for
quite a bit before the race started, which wasn’t bad, but different. Karl gave the go and we began up the
mountain. Just a few minutes into
the race Ricky Gates and Killian were ahead, but had made a wrong turn and
Anton and I directed them back the right way. Over the next few miles Thomas Lorblanchet, Jason Loutit,
Anton, James Bonnet, Jorge Maravillia, Dylan Bowman and Max King shuffled back
and forth and stayed within visual range, but Ricky and Killian were out of
site up front. My body felt pretty
good and I didn’t notice any terrible flatness, but I also didn’t feel
outstanding either. I kept things
under control, but tried to make sure to keep the effort harder than a 50 mile
effort, as most of my races are 50 miles, not 50k, in distance. </div>
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I forgot my racing watch (women’s basic running timex), so I
was a little lost a few times on where I was in the race. I did know the mileage at most of
the aid stations. Getting to the
mile 8 summit seemed to take a long time and I’m not sure if that was a sign of
me not feeling great or if it was just not having a watch. At the summit, Ricky and Killian were
long gone and James, Loutitt, Anton and Max were out of site. I was running just behind Dylan and
Lorblanchet coming to the summit in around 8<sup>th</sup> place. I felt confident and was full of smiles
for all the awesome fans at the peak.
It was really cool having some people out to watch the race supporting,
cheering and just watching the athletes.
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The next few miles down from the summit were OK, but from
about mile 10-14 I pretty much had a disaster. The whole day I struggled on the down hills and on this down
hill I was passed by close to 10 people.
I had no energy and I just wasn’t able to turn it on at all. The wheels had come off and the fatigue
from being sick was unavoidable. Before the turn around for the out and back I made the
decision that I was A) Going to just take it easy and jog and walk the rest of
the course as a training run or B)Drop when I got back to the other side of the
mountain. I was 100% decided on
this decision for at least 2 or 3 miles headed to the aid station at mile
15. </div>
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At the turn around we started back up-hill and within just a
few minutes I began to gain on the runners ahead of me. All of a sudden, in just a couple miles,
I was back in the top 10 and dropping or giving up on racing was out of my
mind. I was shocked. About a thousand feet below the ridge I
moved into 9<sup>th</sup> place with Bonnet just ahead of me and Dylan not far
ahead either. I passed Bonnet and
then Dylan. Dylan made the
comment, “I suck at climbing” and I replied back that he absolutely does not
and that we are just racing with the best climbers in the world today. </div>
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Less than a mile from the summit I caught up to Anton where
we caught and passed Lorblanchet and moved into 4<sup>th</sup> and 5<sup>th</sup>
place. I was feeling really good
at this point, but shortly after passing Lorblanchet, Anton put a minute or two
on me over the next few miles that I couldn’t cover (at around mile 20). </div>
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I was very happy to be in 5<sup>th</sup> place and had
certainly re-focused on racing after my earlier decision to totally
give-up. I have never had such a
huge change of heart during a race before and have only once before ever
decided to pretty much quit (DNF at Bandera this January). Heading back downhill I lost a lot of
ground to Lorblanchet, which was the trend the whole race. My downhill running was just
horrible. On the way down to the
final climb of the race, around mile 23 I think, I was passed by Lorblanchet
and moved into sixth place. On the
last climb I really, really slowed and was moving at a crawl. A kilometer from the top, Phillip
Reiter passed me and gave me some words of encouragement, as it was obvious I
was dying. </div>
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I probably lost around 4-8 minutes in the last climb over a
few miles. I was miserable and the
only thing that mattered to me was getting to the top and then finishing without
being passed. At the aid station
at the summit I took the longest break I have ever taken during a race. I drank two cups of water, filled my
hand water bottle and nearly fell down in exhaustion. I proceeded to use wet towels to soak my body with cold
water and then finally started down the trail. I needed a re-charge and break. Needless to say the last 5 miles were rough. I was dead set on not being passed on
the finish descent. I gave
everything I had getting down. I
was grunting, hugging and puffing the whole way. I played mind games where I would reward myself for getting
down the trail. My first rewards
were drinks of water, then it was pouring water on my head, then pouring the
remainder on my head and putting the bottle in my shorts and then finally taking
off my shirt. </div>
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My rewards were over and I still had another solid mile of
endless back and forth switchbacks.
The grade was really mellow for the last few miles, which was in one way
nice, but made the finish descent take forever. </div>
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I finished 7<sup>th</sup> in 5:44 and change (less than a minute
from the old course record) and accomplished my goal of not being passed on the
final descent. My legs are now
ridiculously sore from the final descent, but it was worth it. At the finish I was more exhausted than
I have been at any other ultra race.
I forced my body to perform in a compromised state and I am proud of how
well it did. I certainly know
being healthy for the race would have made a significant difference, but as it
is with endurance athletics, there is always (or almost always) something, some
factor, some excuse, some injury, change in training, a wrong turn, whatever, that
isn’t as we wanted or planned. I
had a few firsts this race and it overall it was a magnificent journey. I am
very happy with my result and more encouraged than ever on what I can do as a
trail runner.</div>
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Karl really put on an awesome race. Hanging out with friends, meeting new
people and of course racing against many of the best in the world made for a
fantastic weekend. </div>
<!--EndFragment-->Jason Schlarbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649845109235484268noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3963294395517057643.post-67092397562907459522012-07-26T11:32:00.000-07:002012-07-26T11:47:11.803-07:00Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper Canada<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maggie and Felix Climbing the Largest Glacier South of the Arctic</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Driving through Montana coming from Idaho we decided to
drive through Missoula and make a quick visit to our good friends Tiffany and
Jeremy Wolf.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">On our stop I noticed
our tire was going flat and that I could hear the hiss of the air coming out. </span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">Too long a story, but we had the spare
tire on as the other tire had a flat as well. The tire wasn’t patchable and we
had to purchase new tires.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">We
ended up staying at the Wolf’s place and enjoying the comforts of a house for
an evening and morning. It was great to visit the Wolf's and get acquainted with our future home city. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPWPvvWBPzTt_0fAIXDIjsRUwpKnk9abxqgnmdmQnoxIgffbrMysqyX1EJBeSSDo30KygKnLp7YdI7kAARdNQD6fTx3ISRhOb3O3PDelTeMCd8qe5WZ0rjKb5Yq9WE_XWVlxWkwE7yAwY/s1600/P1020323.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPWPvvWBPzTt_0fAIXDIjsRUwpKnk9abxqgnmdmQnoxIgffbrMysqyX1EJBeSSDo30KygKnLp7YdI7kAARdNQD6fTx3ISRhOb3O3PDelTeMCd8qe5WZ0rjKb5Yq9WE_XWVlxWkwE7yAwY/s640/P1020323.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz-9m93N5NqRbfKsRBtwJhQf8TdhVudfape_yz8TwMZEiyU4RmkBjP7VQ1tX2KBgHlufp9hFzBdfqFpxdrBtTkGBSA31yVx2GN8pq6Zzg_3f-2pWGo0_ss56KDBVSBFste3Nk0J6ASB-Q/s1600/P1020233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz-9m93N5NqRbfKsRBtwJhQf8TdhVudfape_yz8TwMZEiyU4RmkBjP7VQ1tX2KBgHlufp9hFzBdfqFpxdrBtTkGBSA31yVx2GN8pq6Zzg_3f-2pWGo0_ss56KDBVSBFste3Nk0J6ASB-Q/s640/P1020233.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_OcqZEkA2qT4Cde_6LHrJzLJ0HhRupRhlyq6d1Q8kuCGpyJ6-NB_oDbbglg44DST1gbxj7jqqQl5RdIwj6vQw60jmmrchtWu9irxl86RnkQoclOUnhXnK0j3CakkeCUvcONPS93IrGgM/s1600/P1020237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_OcqZEkA2qT4Cde_6LHrJzLJ0HhRupRhlyq6d1Q8kuCGpyJ6-NB_oDbbglg44DST1gbxj7jqqQl5RdIwj6vQw60jmmrchtWu9irxl86RnkQoclOUnhXnK0j3CakkeCUvcONPS93IrGgM/s640/P1020237.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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On
the way to Banff National Park we stayed at a Provincial Park southwest of
Banff on Premier Lake. The
mosquitoes were unbelievably thick, but the lake was unbelievably clear (you
could see the bottom clearly 20’ below the dock) and beautiful. I went for a rare evening run not sure
if the trails would do much climbing or go for very long. Ends up I found a trail that went by a
few lakes then up to the ridge.
The geology in the Canadian Rockies and NW Montana is such that the base
elevation in the mountains is relatively low ranging from 3,000-4,000 feet at
the base of the peaks, but the mountains rise dramatically out of the earth to
elevations as high as 12,000 feet.
The mountains of the Canadian Rockies are phenomenally beautiful, rocky,
raw and sheer, making trails up the mountains crazy steep. The trail I took, which simply lead to
“saddle back” pass was the lowest point on the fairly mellow ridge line (in comparison to the surrounding
mountains). I ended up climbing
over 5,000 feet in 11 miles, boasting a climb of 4,300 feet in 4 miles. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyKfYEbxnBuTB8ajSfXYmWiwWiUCBenT5ntb1npn5aqCOnl3kQsGQyif6DrBoskg9tMYtkAMGprVwPdVRD7Mnooodrz9j5k-rpdcWXpHnW_jHYUkacLkut20Ua5w8vSeIG_8rhivdU1l4/s1600/P1020248.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyKfYEbxnBuTB8ajSfXYmWiwWiUCBenT5ntb1npn5aqCOnl3kQsGQyif6DrBoskg9tMYtkAMGprVwPdVRD7Mnooodrz9j5k-rpdcWXpHnW_jHYUkacLkut20Ua5w8vSeIG_8rhivdU1l4/s640/P1020248.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">4,300 Feet in 4 Miles</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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On the way back, I nearly ran into a
mother black bear coming within 10 feet before noticing and backing up. The bear had a baby cub the size of a
raccoon that sprinted up a tree.
The mother bear stood up on her hind legs and made some snorting noises
before turning around, calling her cub down the tree and then running off. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCZjVZqH30d6Phy485wjzU4FC-6fwpjNR80I1MIEJrD_irleIgUCjhgmWptSHxSJNM4uqpnS7cIxmG_YV2WkAtRF_eSWjmhH9s8z_79pkWPYOhyrnxMpjn7KQXWhTfwz1X3cy1FUSo7YY/s1600/P1020291.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCZjVZqH30d6Phy485wjzU4FC-6fwpjNR80I1MIEJrD_irleIgUCjhgmWptSHxSJNM4uqpnS7cIxmG_YV2WkAtRF_eSWjmhH9s8z_79pkWPYOhyrnxMpjn7KQXWhTfwz1X3cy1FUSo7YY/s640/P1020291.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake Louise</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUc5Wcbe0XrV1gTBrpx1hQnr2OCI7vVnHG0AyQGonWvqNGjQ6bJovn5-Xmr12Qi_EZBzviYp2PPef1sWvZfH8htU5RAryBFDY8222QC2CqmvaKgDM4BjVh2NOty3GoreYexMv-i0xeEMk/s1600/P1020341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUc5Wcbe0XrV1gTBrpx1hQnr2OCI7vVnHG0AyQGonWvqNGjQ6bJovn5-Xmr12Qi_EZBzviYp2PPef1sWvZfH8htU5RAryBFDY8222QC2CqmvaKgDM4BjVh2NOty3GoreYexMv-i0xeEMk/s640/P1020341.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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Banff and Lake Louise was phenomenal
to see, but a bit too crowded and touristy. Jasper National Park, further north and off the huge divided
highway was more impressive and far less of a motor home and Asian tour buss
bonanza. The Canadian Rockies
were/are experiencing flood stage level runoff, which made some of the hiking
and running a little challenging, but also the rivers, creeks and waterfalls
were that much more spectacular. The
Canadian Rockies are so amazingly raw and new. The river beds
are starkly flat, dramatic and harsh.
The waterfalls often go down and over the most rugged, rocky terrain creating
beautiful spectacles. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi433jSed_7iFUksRvjBJlVXWzl4C885AlUBufDB5K0dCdgwYSiQjwot5rNH1ubA4f495P_WHLzJYtRuIp5qJj6RI8hvF8pZF7cFzdQMa72V8SEJcEH6vuzOvx32KrAb2njCt-Pc5a5hfM/s1600/P1020335.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi433jSed_7iFUksRvjBJlVXWzl4C885AlUBufDB5K0dCdgwYSiQjwot5rNH1ubA4f495P_WHLzJYtRuIp5qJj6RI8hvF8pZF7cFzdQMa72V8SEJcEH6vuzOvx32KrAb2njCt-Pc5a5hfM/s640/P1020335.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Athabasca Glacier and Columbia Icefield</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgftfk420k_AG2c-zDPGaN5JDtTgys2hcX44WxhOYK7N44z2pphC290vkOPomtROTvyz9QvyP-IHVWZrn8oMVR2IwO64tmz-60-_DniB-9eGP1W9wHHDtjWixzd0JgiYuKnDp42bxp-pok/s1600/P1020337.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgftfk420k_AG2c-zDPGaN5JDtTgys2hcX44WxhOYK7N44z2pphC290vkOPomtROTvyz9QvyP-IHVWZrn8oMVR2IwO64tmz-60-_DniB-9eGP1W9wHHDtjWixzd0JgiYuKnDp42bxp-pok/s640/P1020337.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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We spent a number of days camped just two miles down from
the Athabasca Glacier and Columbia Icefield, the largest glacier and icefield
outside the Artic Circle. Seeing
and hiking on the glaciers was a life experience. Jasper has some of the most amazing mountains, rivers and
glaciers I have ever seen, to include travels to the high alpine of Europe, and
the mountains of Bolivia and Peru in South America. </div>
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I’ve included a lot of pictures and they tell a much better
story than words can. This was a
tough time to be attempting a taper for the Speedgoat 50k, but we are going to
return to the area in August and I plan on doing a better job exploring this
magic place. </div>
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</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9tMvjIYzNIM8TlJNyrutyYhkgmW0ZRE2hgY__D2KPVnzzm7zvXmr4_zllTZzK8QOuVBTepiaTrvd0NioayIJgA8kD0yghb4guQOWHJJWtLo-B3XGBb3M2tefp6G4u2EKvdld6PnyYfo0/s1600/P1020310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9tMvjIYzNIM8TlJNyrutyYhkgmW0ZRE2hgY__D2KPVnzzm7zvXmr4_zllTZzK8QOuVBTepiaTrvd0NioayIJgA8kD0yghb4guQOWHJJWtLo-B3XGBb3M2tefp6G4u2EKvdld6PnyYfo0/s640/P1020310.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvLx-TWXPKUR1ILE5MUF3foxv9zxzFtmu8ulDnzUOwG9Gkg4it8tzbNpl1XQHceKoV6pPVflLhDAUeRYo38zGXpTzdw8pOxWXme0plyZUgv9FL0QUUvYcQqb3QxS8Hzo1ShKymiNEP1RQ/s1600/P1020311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvLx-TWXPKUR1ILE5MUF3foxv9zxzFtmu8ulDnzUOwG9Gkg4it8tzbNpl1XQHceKoV6pPVflLhDAUeRYo38zGXpTzdw8pOxWXme0plyZUgv9FL0QUUvYcQqb3QxS8Hzo1ShKymiNEP1RQ/s640/P1020311.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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On the flip side, this area of Alberta and British Columbia
have different ways of managing their public lands than the way Rocky Mountain
States do. Visiting Provincial
Parks (sort of a state park and national forest combo) and National Parks in Canada is
very expensive. Entrance fees were
$19 to the National Parks… per day.
The fee for camping in the NP was $27 in Banff and $19-25 in Jasper in
addition to daily park fees.
Having a fire required a permit costing $8.80 per day. Provincial Parks in BC and
Alberta cost $21-$30 per night.
There were no “Forest Service Roads” in the Canadian Rockies, or at least
on any of the roads we traveled.
The authorities were also very good at marking any possible public land
access with “no camping” signs.
Bottom line, in addition to very limited access to public lands, free
camping does not exist. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjxQ0DAzmLgBWMpVlVED3G93tNWl0C-veRSNUoo3wkF9E1npN7hpCeqYIWUFN0sebMg09XdRFqkMitCee8QvwaSJKfybj-20Q0Yi4QiEAsXpbKTLikPL05OzYmiLt82RgndxUWYu3B_oY/s1600/P1020314.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjxQ0DAzmLgBWMpVlVED3G93tNWl0C-veRSNUoo3wkF9E1npN7hpCeqYIWUFN0sebMg09XdRFqkMitCee8QvwaSJKfybj-20Q0Yi4QiEAsXpbKTLikPL05OzYmiLt82RgndxUWYu3B_oY/s640/P1020314.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Canadian Ground Squirrel </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIsffsNUaZdBuHs3lriTKP5hyphenhyphenILuVeg3Kn0CVBZfN5zqV8Ba2xl6lJ_ThUTK_M5TWPVnhi1ZfN0nhcN7RL_hl7qtfQENQ7pUtiyzcEVilyhurBf86hAj1H5P03EUT15ifcysVzsIwnOaQ/s1600/P1020347.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIsffsNUaZdBuHs3lriTKP5hyphenhyphenILuVeg3Kn0CVBZfN5zqV8Ba2xl6lJ_ThUTK_M5TWPVnhi1ZfN0nhcN7RL_hl7qtfQENQ7pUtiyzcEVilyhurBf86hAj1H5P03EUT15ifcysVzsIwnOaQ/s640/P1020347.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqESFKB0BhY40n9ZhIzfuUEDHpi94TDFMUCHCAZIZ7Z9g8ZCAHnkMH2ta8M4l5unH79AOXilQiZx0gXPCCl37Enxag-lV7R-65flnAqxTXoHsxuw9GpuZKHJBAh4BCMb1JABCgsjt9v4Y/s1600/P1020351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqESFKB0BhY40n9ZhIzfuUEDHpi94TDFMUCHCAZIZ7Z9g8ZCAHnkMH2ta8M4l5unH79AOXilQiZx0gXPCCl37Enxag-lV7R-65flnAqxTXoHsxuw9GpuZKHJBAh4BCMb1JABCgsjt9v4Y/s640/P1020351.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cattle Guard in Canada... Funny</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The other
discouraging thing about our visit in the National Parks in BC and Alberta was
the deterioration of the trails and their access. We spent nearly 4 hours one day in Jasper trying to find a
hike and run longer than 2 kilometers.
Three trailheads marked on two different maps given to us at the visitor
center no longer existed. The next
day I asked about the several trails that no longer existed and was told that
they are no longer maintained due
to a lack of use. This
disappearing trail phenomena was just an instance at Jasper National Park, a
place where the terrain is crazy steep, snowy and glaciated and remote, but still,
something I don’t think would happen in the US Rockies. I don't mean to assume trail access or the cost of being on public lands in the rest of the Canadian Rockies or Canada is like Jasper. Regardless, we had a spectacular time and will return soon!</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDklQb1EUcCZPR4yBQIJUqwsXlmPqnVlKmXfW_2l_Fr3z6Z4_I13Dlc16r87SrojInGbPVLqMNEX_eA2SDVRf-ZhrV76UjTjMIfhIyMX1MCcLV4awgyiP9LhG8V3nvVeMHVtoGroF6bmU/s1600/P1020343.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDklQb1EUcCZPR4yBQIJUqwsXlmPqnVlKmXfW_2l_Fr3z6Z4_I13Dlc16r87SrojInGbPVLqMNEX_eA2SDVRf-ZhrV76UjTjMIfhIyMX1MCcLV4awgyiP9LhG8V3nvVeMHVtoGroF6bmU/s640/P1020343.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cousin It Plants</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMfKVataZtNIu608dqi7DuI4t91et3HBu7jxvysiBxanYFQr8f5Zazc2FgYmFNNTmNLfGv_Syi-nRDbBOVs49twmkNADXLYlnMaTRTVuRSxDs13eiK01ARNOlRhaYfLk7LIonWdZiHywc/s1600/P1020333.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMfKVataZtNIu608dqi7DuI4t91et3HBu7jxvysiBxanYFQr8f5Zazc2FgYmFNNTmNLfGv_Syi-nRDbBOVs49twmkNADXLYlnMaTRTVuRSxDs13eiK01ARNOlRhaYfLk7LIonWdZiHywc/s640/P1020333.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinKFpkl2IBmL_d4xFjM3erRhc8SMf4BkDTrBR8jpmnonISVvC40X2xd6zBSqawWDC5gRTkteGnNItip0hvUuNg8Wy7dNKleAVBAol3kfL5kP4K67EcxTjobEMUzxuAbuWZD6pcydOJ-CU/s1600/P1020316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinKFpkl2IBmL_d4xFjM3erRhc8SMf4BkDTrBR8jpmnonISVvC40X2xd6zBSqawWDC5gRTkteGnNItip0hvUuNg8Wy7dNKleAVBAol3kfL5kP4K67EcxTjobEMUzxuAbuWZD6pcydOJ-CU/s640/P1020316.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI2Y5G3tNTiRsuVJe4iYZYVS8wP38T1l4FHE4w9BdA4-YsonONOpslcoNiJhPKxCoGto-bIo1ery6Cnc9uWHHhJ0sijli3DgCM-peEHebaYZJ13ghsq6P-uZOAQx3fvmhc0GNDFL7O07E/s1600/P1020312.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI2Y5G3tNTiRsuVJe4iYZYVS8wP38T1l4FHE4w9BdA4-YsonONOpslcoNiJhPKxCoGto-bIo1ery6Cnc9uWHHhJ0sijli3DgCM-peEHebaYZJ13ghsq6P-uZOAQx3fvmhc0GNDFL7O07E/s640/P1020312.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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We are in Bozeman Montana now and I unfortunately have a cold for the first time in over a year. Hoping I feel better by race day Saturday. </div>
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<br /></div>Jason Schlarbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649845109235484268noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3963294395517057643.post-76554182917166624362012-07-17T22:27:00.001-07:002012-07-17T22:27:21.688-07:00A New Mountain Fitness<br />
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Over the last few weeks we have been enjoying life in the
mountains around Telluride since we <a href="http://maggieschlarb.wordpress.com/2012/07/07/san-juan-win-and-an-elk-mountain-adventure/" target="_blank">left Crested Butte</a>. Fully recovered from the San Juan
Solstice 50 Mile, I have been getting into the mountains for longer adventurous
runs. The bear sighting count for
the family continues to grow:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.wildnatureimages.com/images%202/050612-100..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://www.wildnatureimages.com/images%202/050612-100..jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-2 bear sightings while driving</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-driving
down Engineer Pass</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-on
a dirt road 1/4 mile from our camp site in Teluride</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-2 bear sightings while I have been running</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-just
outside Silverton on a trail</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-coming
down Dexter Creek outside of Ouray</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-1 bear sighting hiking by Maggie also around Dexter Creek</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some of the best longer mountain runs I have ever done have
taken place in the last few weeks:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-Point to Point 20ish mile run up Deep Creek trail by the
Telluride airport, to Sneffels Highline trail, Mount Emma (13K), Virginia’s (on
HR100 Course) to Kroger’s Canteen (13K) and down Tomboy Road into Telluride.
6,000ft Climbing</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBpopxvKNdlu1p1Jzt3-yrUaG4XWIpkw6Xx_wXT28W0KE94neQDTmtLPn0qJ5TwfQ9qb6zR8sjdjvG-7zLqhkzbP3-cs7XDiDwOlDMdxLnJCkD2Lqsufm6dgB0Z8uW00ZCpHIJLg0CCIY/s1600/P1020130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBpopxvKNdlu1p1Jzt3-yrUaG4XWIpkw6Xx_wXT28W0KE94neQDTmtLPn0qJ5TwfQ9qb6zR8sjdjvG-7zLqhkzbP3-cs7XDiDwOlDMdxLnJCkD2Lqsufm6dgB0Z8uW00ZCpHIJLg0CCIY/s400/P1020130.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikSH6tpoHNejOZwgJGv1xIjYEOWCg4sfTNo36-zOK65UxSAVyOAQy9i_wm35rhbHzrOfJ1dzBSmXxbff_OQRJu0QSseERim1lC-eOf3Uo1Swc8PoZsslmKWsivpVBec-WTuuiv5JY8IDQ/s1600/P1020144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikSH6tpoHNejOZwgJGv1xIjYEOWCg4sfTNo36-zOK65UxSAVyOAQy9i_wm35rhbHzrOfJ1dzBSmXxbff_OQRJu0QSseERim1lC-eOf3Uo1Swc8PoZsslmKWsivpVBec-WTuuiv5JY8IDQ/s400/P1020144.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWc5eL4j2f-mq8TkQ8cddpAWPWY2NZmOJrxH-CqxfSGfx6ju3sMHsU-o72MxQJ1fOBLhARlbq65fW-FBElkPyytixiKckPqe6xUOz5xSBaMkw5CqynkneE9KT7E71zuWc_6EyxoYFU2no/s1600/P1020147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWc5eL4j2f-mq8TkQ8cddpAWPWY2NZmOJrxH-CqxfSGfx6ju3sMHsU-o72MxQJ1fOBLhARlbq65fW-FBElkPyytixiKckPqe6xUOz5xSBaMkw5CqynkneE9KT7E71zuWc_6EyxoYFU2no/s400/P1020147.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mount Emma</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5OhfmwHTTi7_zUSvv2UTjfWrRrjrbDGkbD0mz7K9mLp_ic7Cm_I0ep0haCjAOy3_sZOQ3pifgvsVHnJrJt8kKZ0BNBLa9hIKDm7rk7XCQn7auPDGU8TKFytpPxjhfX7Rf9afI333OuXI/s1600/P1020152.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5OhfmwHTTi7_zUSvv2UTjfWrRrjrbDGkbD0mz7K9mLp_ic7Cm_I0ep0haCjAOy3_sZOQ3pifgvsVHnJrJt8kKZ0BNBLa9hIKDm7rk7XCQn7auPDGU8TKFytpPxjhfX7Rf9afI333OuXI/s400/P1020152.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Virginias'</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo7VPV336hCDEZKE2wR4Xe28xED6Ld-0Umaw1lGaO8jF9G8neJMi0gOx2iAe52eoU4Nk8EAEmWZvbgtnoCn6D4C-pK-n_E6kpjn9bAxAqic6FCgzsJOr38gu5QRIfl02gHpaRFv_ptdO4/s1600/P1020153.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo7VPV336hCDEZKE2wR4Xe28xED6Ld-0Umaw1lGaO8jF9G8neJMi0gOx2iAe52eoU4Nk8EAEmWZvbgtnoCn6D4C-pK-n_E6kpjn9bAxAqic6FCgzsJOr38gu5QRIfl02gHpaRFv_ptdO4/s400/P1020153.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top O' Virginia's</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvYiZ7LuiqFbngGhvCJdANrl65KEuZdbbCQwf3AJjxYiYDSCG-3pVn4LadSg5ZEbPKr-FIEFy78FNUhwgxcW43hjnHcLtZJY3HXcJEHXY8ZXaWuZJ0nu8e1zRrlg-iB-H4lQdoI9UMcSk/s1600/P1020155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvYiZ7LuiqFbngGhvCJdANrl65KEuZdbbCQwf3AJjxYiYDSCG-3pVn4LadSg5ZEbPKr-FIEFy78FNUhwgxcW43hjnHcLtZJY3HXcJEHXY8ZXaWuZJ0nu8e1zRrlg-iB-H4lQdoI9UMcSk/s400/P1020155.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking down to Tom Boy Road</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6vBroiGYdEY7jEfNG6r36rR-013hS-AAg4-pPnHp7B4uUYKkQE46068pp6RKLBpV9GZibGw2Dr-dvUAOMAcICsbgHk74dwdnwNI0IQTFCJ3Jh78xbQkQwU1vRdlMuIY1xXLHv3HzCU14/s1600/P1020157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6vBroiGYdEY7jEfNG6r36rR-013hS-AAg4-pPnHp7B4uUYKkQE46068pp6RKLBpV9GZibGw2Dr-dvUAOMAcICsbgHk74dwdnwNI0IQTFCJ3Jh78xbQkQwU1vRdlMuIY1xXLHv3HzCU14/s640/P1020157.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kroger's Canteen</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL5_EKcfbE6ERVD2VDaf1YsvOkCztSKBszGIqlqNuaBTdeNVdHjTG73rjcMzfcfrp3zGH2m_sKTZI8ZgXNwYAhmFnw0cvmHXHYL2w2tmCdQDTyDPR77V_CLqK_n9aaUx1i1l4ylNGv_Vk/s1600/P1020159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL5_EKcfbE6ERVD2VDaf1YsvOkCztSKBszGIqlqNuaBTdeNVdHjTG73rjcMzfcfrp3zGH2m_sKTZI8ZgXNwYAhmFnw0cvmHXHYL2w2tmCdQDTyDPR77V_CLqK_n9aaUx1i1l4ylNGv_Vk/s640/P1020159.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Korger's</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJHFsjAa9YKb53G43PuHE36-nlDDOLb3PIhjexqmuFVFu3PYmJV7uBxxksMD3FvoRYiQOHX21c2VbA369-egE0mHNrQJ9AzUOnmFtGbB2t4j5xdEktPic-iiTfV4JAdQhBxZPljOlVAzk/s1600/P1020160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJHFsjAa9YKb53G43PuHE36-nlDDOLb3PIhjexqmuFVFu3PYmJV7uBxxksMD3FvoRYiQOHX21c2VbA369-egE0mHNrQJ9AzUOnmFtGbB2t4j5xdEktPic-iiTfV4JAdQhBxZPljOlVAzk/s400/P1020160.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-23 mile point to point run starting with a ride, aka cheat,
up the free Gondola to See Forever trail to Wasatch Trail, Oscar’s Pass (on the
HR100 course and where I left a message fro Joe and Dakota in the snow), down
Bridal Veil basin, to Blue and Mud Lakes, off trail to a 13K ridge, to Black
Bear Pass and down Black Bear to town. 6,500ft Climbing</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbZ0rOZ14_DzMSjQT1Kg09IzrK5Sy9YoZtco8_cP5I_41Pcp_WZUAI2Z9j5fVXVy8RbUYSxIADRajU70z5Z7Sqg0VUzhpJIjodbMVmbxnQW29V0Wivh4kgYxKA1Y84_Xhyphenhyphen7FfecTuLWzg/s1600/P1020184.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbZ0rOZ14_DzMSjQT1Kg09IzrK5Sy9YoZtco8_cP5I_41Pcp_WZUAI2Z9j5fVXVy8RbUYSxIADRajU70z5Z7Sqg0VUzhpJIjodbMVmbxnQW29V0Wivh4kgYxKA1Y84_Xhyphenhyphen7FfecTuLWzg/s400/P1020184.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwzatA6bvW_rCbu0SjwYghGr0xejMyd-PB09fAmDe0ollKJqlYdsVwwNJHyWIwaK3iWy_wfR_CrhW3_5QNKOjijniKdWysq-sApNO9kLbvIaeOIDlEsPi_tofVKbJR24WvhzLxwQugpZI/s1600/P1020187.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwzatA6bvW_rCbu0SjwYghGr0xejMyd-PB09fAmDe0ollKJqlYdsVwwNJHyWIwaK3iWy_wfR_CrhW3_5QNKOjijniKdWysq-sApNO9kLbvIaeOIDlEsPi_tofVKbJR24WvhzLxwQugpZI/s400/P1020187.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLDiABH-P-VynAc20CbaabIqzG4qMPzBhLAjk4M1rm1qR8QToW8qj4grEq4jx7azVCjL_DZbk0KNgxRQAmxBwK9PkGkcXmrMt8OtDf0nnjG0t-4PpP1urGuUqIHrO2tAXSEnVn74MpuGU/s1600/P1020188.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLDiABH-P-VynAc20CbaabIqzG4qMPzBhLAjk4M1rm1qR8QToW8qj4grEq4jx7azVCjL_DZbk0KNgxRQAmxBwK9PkGkcXmrMt8OtDf0nnjG0t-4PpP1urGuUqIHrO2tAXSEnVn74MpuGU/s400/P1020188.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBNFebSVOpND5GHWaCBe6ACibaETKHgo1gqPmWLWp9ZNHO2Tw7UbW_8mD59-wCXaR4u58zQmB1hLwwuxvJ1WiSDXxesFznt4pI_cCl1MD6sxTjUYuLjxMnnDPylsZIZpbk2J82QzFkrQ4/s1600/P1020192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBNFebSVOpND5GHWaCBe6ACibaETKHgo1gqPmWLWp9ZNHO2Tw7UbW_8mD59-wCXaR4u58zQmB1hLwwuxvJ1WiSDXxesFznt4pI_cCl1MD6sxTjUYuLjxMnnDPylsZIZpbk2J82QzFkrQ4/s640/P1020192.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Message in the snow to Dakota and Joe for HR100</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaOg0nfhB2P_DYxlC3uoMCmfMUHLCmPp5cVk0gy3xiFyRGFV0i9OwmpkgJogYbXfuGAKVrVlxeyYg_Efhew_V91ERc7asm24rKn5JAqDz7NmaD_jMISDOiO7C3n6vwg6aNz54eggmf_30/s1600/P1020203.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaOg0nfhB2P_DYxlC3uoMCmfMUHLCmPp5cVk0gy3xiFyRGFV0i9OwmpkgJogYbXfuGAKVrVlxeyYg_Efhew_V91ERc7asm24rKn5JAqDz7NmaD_jMISDOiO7C3n6vwg6aNz54eggmf_30/s640/P1020203.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a ridge (visible from town) I have wanted to run for a while.... awesome. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
-16 mile run up Cross Mountain trail to Lizard Head trail,
to a lake and scramble up Mount Wilson (14,246) in 1:59, down the same way in
3:42 with a 3 mile run to the camper on Galloping Goose after a hitch hike.
5,500ft Climbing </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-19 mile run up Logan Peak via the trails of Snowbasin Ski
Resort in UT. 4,600ft Climbing</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have done some of the most enjoyable mountain running of
my life in the last couple weeks.
I’ve really converted over to slow mountain running/hiking in
preparations for both Speedgoat and the Run Rabbit Run 100. It feels good to have my body use to
3-6 hours of massive climbing above 9,000ft 3 to 4 times a week. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Watching the Hard Rock 100, doing two days of trail work
with Hard Rockers and then to volunteer at the Telluride aid station was an
awesome opportunity. Hard Rock is unbelievably impressive and scary. I want to do the race as soon as
possible, but I am also very much scared.
I was so impressed by EVERY racer and honestly, more so for the back of
the pack racers who kept going and finished in nearly two full days. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As far as the top runners go, I was really expecting <a href="http://thatdakotajones.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Dakota</a>
to run away with both the win but possibly the course record. I haven’t gotten the scoop as far as
Dakota’s take/race report. By no
means do I mean to take away from Hal’s and <a href="http://www.alpine-works.com/" target="_blank">Joe’s</a> phenomenal performances and 3<sup>rd</sup>
and 4<sup>th</sup> fastest times ever.
Both Hal and Joe are amazing athletes and runners that really came up
with amazing performances. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We left the San Juan’s Saturday with a stop in Moab, UT and
we are now in MT headed to Alberta/BC to visit Banff and Jasper National Parks
before I race Speedgoat on the 28<sup>th</sup> of July. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>Jason Schlarbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649845109235484268noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3963294395517057643.post-41739257757050566362012-07-11T13:31:00.000-07:002012-07-11T13:33:49.579-07:00Vitargo<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7wZ3pBekfW1A4dOri0WQRE1ilxmjrEHXhKTRBgyG_YmZdnZV1ud_L9K6j7eTBmlyN2eI2BhpPjO3WBoORqpUmeRJXMzRY9r4hmO-RPJWGaemPydjdpjBp9A0IM942whGJNLurPzWYIOA/s1600/P1020154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7wZ3pBekfW1A4dOri0WQRE1ilxmjrEHXhKTRBgyG_YmZdnZV1ud_L9K6j7eTBmlyN2eI2BhpPjO3WBoORqpUmeRJXMzRY9r4hmO-RPJWGaemPydjdpjBp9A0IM942whGJNLurPzWYIOA/s640/P1020154.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running Through the Mountains Around Telluride</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Here is a video of me talking about <a href="http://www.genr8speed.com/endurance/endurance.php" target="_blank">Vitrago</a>. Vitargo has honestly been a huge enabler and improvement over any other fueling product I have used in the past. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy93pKL0OL0se9VmD4pqGSGkwVPS2mqU38CjTHHhgPEgVw4zYBJCCZT3gk1Up4h6cRIEcQEKn48PyvuA04JQA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />Jason Schlarbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649845109235484268noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3963294395517057643.post-84764583999480541922012-07-07T14:20:00.001-07:002012-07-07T14:20:33.284-07:00Interview VideoHere is a little video my great friend Mike Devloo put together:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/tmgY8XW2tGM?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Mike is world traveler, engineer, adventurer and author. Check out his <a href="http://mikedevloo.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">blog</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Riding-Guerrilla-Highway-adventure-Venezuela/dp/1453811273" target="_blank">books</a>.Jason Schlarbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649845109235484268noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3963294395517057643.post-86414949880962243732012-06-27T13:33:00.000-07:002012-06-27T13:33:05.619-07:00San Juan Solstice 50 Mile Race Report<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIEkggUMxXP4GaMIurTJCctfw7ghLVnyGaTI3vTcYhpBqHqeK0R-xyjrlicO4IpzvC57DTDnepemMLHaXYxeVOgGuKuMI9-BzGqkJRYIgkx_nw3be3BAJyrP-JLVaBkDSLf3MvgktVUFI/s1600/P1010962.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIEkggUMxXP4GaMIurTJCctfw7ghLVnyGaTI3vTcYhpBqHqeK0R-xyjrlicO4IpzvC57DTDnepemMLHaXYxeVOgGuKuMI9-BzGqkJRYIgkx_nw3be3BAJyrP-JLVaBkDSLf3MvgktVUFI/s640/P1010962.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The RD, Jerry, and I</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Lead Up-</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After signing up last year for the <a href="http://san%20juan%20solstice%2050%20mile%20race%20report/" target="_blank">SJS 50</a> and missing the
race due to my deployment to Iraq, I was more than excited this year to run the
race. The SJS 50 is the race I was
most looking forward to this year.
The SJS 50 is obviously located in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado,
my absolute favorite mountains in the state and starts and finishes in Lake
City. The race has just short of
13,000 feet of climbing with nearly the entire race above 9,000 feet and two
sections above 13,000 feet. The
course is a loop course with numerous stream crossings, pretty much no pavement
and very little gravel road. The course spends a significant amount of time on
the continental divide, which affords unbelievable views of the majestic
mountains surrounding Lake City. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Maggie, Felix and I have been in the San Juans camping,
hiking, biking and running, for the last three weeks. Having the opportunity to get three weeks above 9,000 feet
certainly helps prepare me for a race like the SJS 50. I managed quite a bit of climbing the
first week or two I was in the San Juans, albeit it was very slow running. I believe I logged 20,000 feet of
climbing my first week. With all
the climbing at altitude, I was struggling to recover and was feeling
relatively tired, flat and slow.
During the taper leading up to the race, I had to fight some pretty
serious demons in my mind telling me that I was over exhausted and that I would
face another Bandera 100K DNF…. Thankfully that wasn’t the case. This was also my first race where I
wasn’t working in the time leading up to the race. Not working was an absolutely wonderful opportunity, but it
is also can be very challenging mentally.
I spent a lot of time thinking about the race, talking to other people
in the local area about the race and I was at the race site much earlier than
normal. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was lucky enough to have a great crew for the SJS in addition to Jason Olive and his wife, Megan and little girl Rachel who was with us to race. Maggie and Felix were able to be at the
race along with my long time great friend, Tony Prichard, aka “Bird Dog” who
I’ve known since High School. <a href="http://mikedevloo.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">MikeDevloo</a> was also able to make it out for the end of the race. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmTTP9ROdaVgzl5OVIpn6dLigHL_m1ZNIxUe7Soo8X2nZ-3RVX11dhfQQXeJv2eIuoYI_ca-3WajQGHovm68dtUk0nMWQWUouSrL18YeXY8UzbF2fbxnmEwHbxx211Jxj0GmMQm1gcq-c/s1600/P1010945.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmTTP9ROdaVgzl5OVIpn6dLigHL_m1ZNIxUe7Soo8X2nZ-3RVX11dhfQQXeJv2eIuoYI_ca-3WajQGHovm68dtUk0nMWQWUouSrL18YeXY8UzbF2fbxnmEwHbxx211Jxj0GmMQm1gcq-c/s400/P1010945.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Figuring out my nutrition/hydration plan</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
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The Race-</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The night before the race Bird Dog lead me through an
awesome visualization using NLP.
This visualization was very much a help in helping with relaxation,
mental confidence and being prepared for the race. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At 5am at the Lake City town park I was ready to roll. It was just light enough for me to be
confident enough to run without a headlamp, which isn’t much, as many had headlamps. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My go in strategy for the race:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-run the first 2.7 “flatter” miles to alpine gulch at
tempoish pace</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-only run around 30% of the first and second 4,000 foot
climbs (in around 4 miles)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-run the down hills, the divide (9ish miles), and any other
flats pretty fast</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-run as much of the last climb at Slumgulion (around 1,800
feet)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-keep track of my splits in comparison to Matt Carpenter’s</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My nutrition and hydration plan:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-Two 20pz Amphipod hand water bottles</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-Orange, Tropical and Grape <a href="http://www.genr8speed.com/endurance/endurance.php" target="_blank">Vitargo Gener8</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-I drank around 40 oz of water/300-500 calories of Vitargo
between most aid stations</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-Where
I had crew access (2 aid stations), I had Maggie fill my bottles with pre-mixed
Vitargo</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-At
aid stations with no crew access I carried baggies of Vitargo I put into my
bottles at the aid station when filling with water</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSVGRYvvaWMh34TdZnCpO_tnaoVDFME82bRPJ2TiN_xgd6820YMzBQZp_6Gyl8jniy8NJLu5SK2inseTGtm9_dZhdUtmqLO0keqw1tvP8MZTgemLM_L2rl2iNOGQcCIvVTwWqLIK23lkM/s1600/P1010960.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSVGRYvvaWMh34TdZnCpO_tnaoVDFME82bRPJ2TiN_xgd6820YMzBQZp_6Gyl8jniy8NJLu5SK2inseTGtm9_dZhdUtmqLO0keqw1tvP8MZTgemLM_L2rl2iNOGQcCIvVTwWqLIK23lkM/s400/P1010960.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hoka One One Bondis... my favorite shoe</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Gear:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-<a href="http://hokaoneone-na.com/" target="_blank">Hoka Bondi</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-<a href="http://injinji.com/" target="_blank">Injinji Socks</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-<a href="http://www.ryderseyewear.com/" target="_blank">Ryders Eyewear Polarized and Photochromatic glasses</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-White running hat</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxM_jAn648k8MTYLpnXPQRgILtDV_eyI0P8ehAVQY9VJ2_8D67Invl9X3i6Ssr9AJxuM_DYbr67jF7A_CR_sCeJHZSN_aZ6qY4yj3HGxMeEb9o-RLJa9-pCGqZ5jBRjbpk54S9ZgR9CfI/s1600/P1010948.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxM_jAn648k8MTYLpnXPQRgILtDV_eyI0P8ehAVQY9VJ2_8D67Invl9X3i6Ssr9AJxuM_DYbr67jF7A_CR_sCeJHZSN_aZ6qY4yj3HGxMeEb9o-RLJa9-pCGqZ5jBRjbpk54S9ZgR9CfI/s400/P1010948.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fuel, Vitargo Gener8 and my hydration</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I took the lead right at the start and lead right up to the
last bit of the flats where Jason Wolf (4<sup>th</sup> at Leona Divide and top
ten at TNF SF 50) passed me and Josh Arthur (from Crested Butte) got right on
my tail. The three of us started
the climb up Alpine Gulch close together.
The climb started pretty gently and began to cross the stream, via challenging
log crossings, the first few times of a total of seven times. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpm_5yutXA2Rylm6eV_a1jizfsHNyF1oa_X64WjRwCSGKwQgq0U6BOiSUwf8uLswSJG51950ecSrhXhv1tft2hXA6yXyw_sGA50ij7xE0UsB2kK0QoRGaU3vSeyAvTdX504xickPikmlU/s1600/P1010929.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpm_5yutXA2Rylm6eV_a1jizfsHNyF1oa_X64WjRwCSGKwQgq0U6BOiSUwf8uLswSJG51950ecSrhXhv1tft2hXA6yXyw_sGA50ij7xE0UsB2kK0QoRGaU3vSeyAvTdX504xickPikmlU/s400/P1010929.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Felix showing me where the course goes around Lake San Cristobar</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jason gapped Josh and I and I encouraged Josh that he can
and should pass, but Josh was fine in letting Jason go and staying right with
me. It was challenging to let
Jason go, but I was confident that he was pushing a bit to hard, but
unfortunately I deviated from my race strategy as I didn’t want Josh to pass
and we continued to run much of Alpine Gulch. Josh and I stayed together ran probably 80% of the climb to
13,000 feet. This mistake of
running most of Alpine didn’t seem to be an issue at all while climbing, but it
would come back to bite me later.
Above tree line Josh and I could see Jason a few minutes ahead. Josh passed me up high as well and I
entered a section of mentally challenging running. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I couldn’t see Jason and assume he was around 2-4 minutes
ahead on our way to the mile 17.5 aid stations at Williams Creek Campground
(where we camped the night before).
Josh gapped me by as much as maybe two minutes, but by Williams Creek we
were running next to each other. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoOrKJBuWDumWw58q3PlhEaJbO6drVQmxIVuAdEjsGUT6mRWH9Cjx4KG_lj2GV1hqFJMkPMgBpQsPPDrEQk5DevhFi5aGAQ7K2P4cUDmI4s56KOMfSOa9TSTLQCBzXvQxOp7KIGtzlMLM/s1600/P1010955.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoOrKJBuWDumWw58q3PlhEaJbO6drVQmxIVuAdEjsGUT6mRWH9Cjx4KG_lj2GV1hqFJMkPMgBpQsPPDrEQk5DevhFi5aGAQ7K2P4cUDmI4s56KOMfSOa9TSTLQCBzXvQxOp7KIGtzlMLM/s400/P1010955.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Felix waiting for me at the William's Creek Aid Station with my Vitargo </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At the aid station Bird Dog was decked out in his Alligator
costume and Felix and Maggie were there to help. I came through the aid station at 2:38, about 6 minutes
behind Matt’s time. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On the road to the next climb we did a gentle climb for a
couple miles on a dirt road. I
lost a little time on Josh at the aid station but the three of us were all within a minute or so. Just before the turn to begin the next
big climb Jason Wolf suddenly stopped running and just stood on the side of the
road. Josh gave Jason a pat on the
back and as I approached I asked if he was OK and he told me he was going back
to the last aid station. I felt
bad for Jason, but the last climb and descent was pretty harsh and if you
aren’t on your game, the rest of the day certainly isn’t short. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Shortly into the climb I was stride for stride with Josh
power hiking with a little running here and there up the steep jeep road. After a mile of some chatting and
running together I pulled away from Josh.
A few mile after passing Josh I couldn’t see him behind me. On this second climb I stuck with the
initial race plan and hiked a majority of the 4,000 foot ascent. It was exciting to pull away from Jason
and Josh and I was confident I had the win in my grasps, now I was focused on
getting close to<a href="http://www.skyrunner.com/" target="_blank"> Matt Carpenter’s </a>course record. Into the next aid station I was running 10 minutes behind
Matt’s time, but feeling great.
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0wkQqXPPBPet9bkQYxYIDrZdvjtL77r4JQRNX8Emgi-kdi7kLU6SHowZz6p54qqgCDYp3x4cU6e1R2lHtc89CLGDJnkZCQ6wog3X0tjsBQwlII4cSbS3mfYR35s6kMIo5KOCFriIIek0/s1600/P1010979.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0wkQqXPPBPet9bkQYxYIDrZdvjtL77r4JQRNX8Emgi-kdi7kLU6SHowZz6p54qqgCDYp3x4cU6e1R2lHtc89CLGDJnkZCQ6wog3X0tjsBQwlII4cSbS3mfYR35s6kMIo5KOCFriIIek0/s400/P1010979.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ryders Eyewear</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
From the aid station the trail climbed above treeline to the
continental divide trail and to the 13,300 foot high point in the course. I was feeling great and really enjoying
the views. From 13,300 feet the
trail gradually rolls down to the yurt aid station. This section of trail was good running but I was starting to
get anxious to get there. At the
yurt aid station I was about 12 minutes off of Matt’s time, but I was still
optimistic on a shot at breaking 8 hours and the course record as Matt slowed
significantly on the last 10 miles.
If I could get to the mile 40 Slumgulion aid station in around 6:30 I
would have a shot. The 9 miles
from the yurt to Slugulion started as gradual down hill with an occasional up,
which at this point was a serious challenge, then dropped steeply and was
rocky. Things were getting long
and I was becoming impatient to see Maggie, Felix and Bird Dog to do the last
climb and final 10 miles. At
Slumgulion I was at 6:35. I
grabbed my drinks from Maggie and was mentally battling rather I should push
hard or just survive to the finish.
I was 17 minutes off of Matt’s split for Slugulion, but around 4 or so
minutes, I believe, faster than Dakota’s split here. I didn’t shut it down, but the last climb was brutal. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY2Wcmv5r1j5hjNedJdGWdYuQExmqFq0cmTTOAZoP39Vj0cU2_u0F9IATkOmSzubYpHFDbBYymTzfM237PkMlQMe6OCtPZId_yrG-AIARHw5di5orLEr0e2w1_yJB4dLbNkFsecAds1MI/s1600/P1010973.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY2Wcmv5r1j5hjNedJdGWdYuQExmqFq0cmTTOAZoP39Vj0cU2_u0F9IATkOmSzubYpHFDbBYymTzfM237PkMlQMe6OCtPZId_yrG-AIARHw5di5orLEr0e2w1_yJB4dLbNkFsecAds1MI/s400/P1010973.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Had I taken the first climb way back at
the beginning of the race easier, I think I would have been able to run a good
portion of this lower altitude not terribly steep climb, but instead I was
forced to hike with only a little running mixed in. In the delirium of this brutal high altitude, climbing
intensive ultra, I wasn’t certain of my mental math or able to know for sure
what sort of finishing time I was going to be able to pull out in the closing
miles. At the final aid station
and with only 4 miles to go, reality set in that I wasn’t going to break 8
hours and I focused on a time faster than <a href="http://thatdakotajones.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Dakota’s</a>. I didn’t know what Dakota’s time exactly was, just that it
was 8:13 or 8:14 something.
Running into town the legs were very tight and I wasn’t able to stride
it out at all down the final descent and then on the roads through town the
legs were non-responsive. I was
more than excited and proud to be finishing with a win, but the stress of
getting under Dakota’s time was
making things go by to slow and I opted to stop looking at my watch and just
focus on the run to the park. I
would have really benefited from a pacer for the last 5 miles. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3pDgww1iz9TrqA4BwymmrcDNF_gRLI9yO81schwYk6ZTyRvOejH9V8EQYfzeemNDljlILA4y3f1dyRjAGV1NL9915Tu6Qln6lFMgvyVFMM57kfCpM3YHkPK4Nenj8z2ON2cdAxChEh-E/s1600/P1010986.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3pDgww1iz9TrqA4BwymmrcDNF_gRLI9yO81schwYk6ZTyRvOejH9V8EQYfzeemNDljlILA4y3f1dyRjAGV1NL9915Tu6Qln6lFMgvyVFMM57kfCpM3YHkPK4Nenj8z2ON2cdAxChEh-E/s400/P1010986.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am certain that passing the pace
setting responsibilities over to another person who could also of done some
cheer leading, would have bought me a few extra minutes off my time. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Rolling through town I pulled out my small American Flag I
brought with me from Iraq. I have
run every race with this Iraqi sand stained flag in my shorts, but only don the
flag for a win. This flag reminds
me of all the amazing Americans making unbelievable sacrifices for our country
while deployed in foreign countries.
Their sacrifices have given me all the freedoms I enjoy. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A quarter mile from the finish, I could see Maggie and Felix
in the road waving me on, I was overwhelmed with joy. As I got closer, she told me to go fast that “I only have 30
seconds”… I then realized she probably meant only 30 seconds to get under
Dakota’s time. I picked it up a
bit, but really didn’t grasp that I needed to sprint until I saw a number of
people waving me in telling me to hurry.
I sprinted, or what felt like a sprint, the last 50 feet and heard the
announcer state that I had tied the second fastest time on the course with
Dakota Jones with 8:13:00, no kidding the exact same time. I was wonderfully happy to be done and
the irony of running the same second fastest time at this long standing 50 mile
race as my friend and fellow runner Dakota started to sink in. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnmknnJGVrCY-7_0tY2FZlGhfZDlZItgg60cIc8gapBDjRDv0laVcGzXps6AlXhm2SvnghsTL5JYO5DZfOmeTT6mwSHfbM4Wsl47WIlF_ZPV0BRWVB3lPQBFmVNTSmV2n4WEXwrWS4jFE/s1600/P1010984.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnmknnJGVrCY-7_0tY2FZlGhfZDlZItgg60cIc8gapBDjRDv0laVcGzXps6AlXhm2SvnghsTL5JYO5DZfOmeTT6mwSHfbM4Wsl47WIlF_ZPV0BRWVB3lPQBFmVNTSmV2n4WEXwrWS4jFE/s400/P1010984.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post Race Dinner</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I had an awesome time and this race was one of the best
trail races in North America without a doubt. The course, the mountains on and around the course, Lake
City and the many other quality aspects of the race makes it an outstanding
event. Maggie, Felix, Bird Dog and
Mike all enjoyed the rest of the day and then the wonderful free breakfast
awards ceremony the next morning in the park. I was asked to say a few words and then everyone who
finished the race was recognized, it was hands down the best awards ceremony I
have ever been a part of. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Next up, <a href="http://karlmeltzer.com/speedgoat-50k/" target="_blank">Speedgoat 50K</a> July 28<sup>th</sup>: 11,000 feet of climbing over 50
kilometers with a world class line up of runners.
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-picasa-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsvhexXAM77L8bfnTW0Cno1fWS3JlCW7QFNJ6tu6GENSN2SnAXi319FLN_vbmJYH5PCZYeymXTK6lbJAz1qygBDeTSr6B1OFo9Kdsq_iFWIK6CxbYTufBVVldADEusmc2cdNa1O5aVjGM/s1600/VID00003.MP4"><param name="movie" value="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?videoUrl=http://redirector.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?id%3D54ee7877d12cd487%26itag%3D5%26source%3Dpicasa%26cmo%3Dsensitive_content%253Dyes%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1343420961%26sparams%3Did,itag,source,ip,ipbits,expire%26signature%3D374A970B56C60EFBA17D0E2D5233DEB7097BE706.155E1CDCAB375E32719B9A908C4AC228B9573F50%26key%3Dlh1" />
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> Here is a clip of the "ugly foot" judging... just another example how cool SJS 50M is!</o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Jason Schlarbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649845109235484268noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3963294395517057643.post-29321486345253128622012-06-24T11:56:00.000-07:002012-06-24T12:53:50.125-07:00SJS50 1st place FINISH!Join me in congratulating Jason in his 2nd FIRST PLCE finish in an ultra marathon in 1 month. My name is 'Bird-Dog' aka; 'Gator-Aid'! Jason agreed to let me co-author this blog post with him because he is still soaking his legs in the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4BXtr1qctfJR7uUCxzHXskdp7g_OuIJzd2t9BF5KJOTXe4BFmigvYmQP177R09TvnPeiFOrCM9dcsoJHj_eKsEFui1EJu591HpVPQAAoLtRR16Jk01lUvLCiaPLiAJLfZnPbdjIUwe78/s1600/P1010968.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4BXtr1qctfJR7uUCxzHXskdp7g_OuIJzd2t9BF5KJOTXe4BFmigvYmQP177R09TvnPeiFOrCM9dcsoJHj_eKsEFui1EJu591HpVPQAAoLtRR16Jk01lUvLCiaPLiAJLfZnPbdjIUwe78/s320/P1010968.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Jason finished "The San Juan Solstice 50 Mile Run" in 8 hours 13 minutes. This is the all time 2nd best time for this amazing run and is also held by <a href="http://thatdakotajones.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Dakota Jones.</a> Hosted out of Lake City, CO. at an elevation of 8,671, the race course takes the ultra-runners to climb almost 13,000 vertical feet.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc-qFrTgrerx03NUWFCQApxRy5r4mRfjLeEwaH-kXdA6V6Ngg6gz5PoIRtG3SgUrCk4berbDjUaMmiMBlS2rxuHO3yuG2WYqbGiXwWGd9tsqToihg4RSDTs6CgFckGG544808ks-hiDFs/s1600/SJS50Altitude.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc-qFrTgrerx03NUWFCQApxRy5r4mRfjLeEwaH-kXdA6V6Ngg6gz5PoIRtG3SgUrCk4berbDjUaMmiMBlS2rxuHO3yuG2WYqbGiXwWGd9tsqToihg4RSDTs6CgFckGG544808ks-hiDFs/s320/SJS50Altitude.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
In this post we'll go over pre-race preparations, Jason's course strategy and his post race rituals. Ultra marathon running pushes the human body to its ultimate limit of stamina and endurance. Ultra marathon running at altitude on mountain wildwood trails is an entirely different animal! And, that's why jason takes extra measures to prepare himself for these massive challenges.<br />
<br />
Trail running can become confusing and loosing your direction is easy when fatigue and exhaustion set in. Jason showed me the race course on his topo map and he had already been to all of the intersections where the trail crossed automobile roads. Secondly Jason cross referenced the altitude changes and set goals for every aid station.<br />
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When it comes to calorie intake Jason knows it's important to consume at least 200 calories per hour. His preferred method of transportation is 2 hand-held water bottles vs. belts or backpacks. Among his long distance trail running friends they find this is the fastest easiest way to transport their liquid and sports mix drinks. Jason's newest discovery in endurance racing technology is <a href="http://genr8speed.com/" target="_blank">Vitargo. </a>He says that this powder water mix is so far superior because of it's fast delivery engineering, without any chemical taste. The other trend in endurance racing that is going well for Jason is his <a href="http://www.hokaoneone.com/" target="_blank">Hoka One's! </a><br />
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These are not attractive looking shoes. . . In fact, Jason let me borrow a pair to wear around town and a 16 yr. old high school girl told me I looked like I was wearing 'Clown - Cruisers'! Ha!! ~ I had to laugh, but if you want my opinion, I'm not trying to impress anyone out on the trail and the comfort that Hoka One One provides helps me conserve energy on long runs. Jason completed his course running technical outfitting with <a href="http://www.ryderseyewear.com/" target="_blank">polarized photo-chromatic</a> sun glasses and <a href="http://www.injinji.com/" target="_blank">Injinji</a> socks which promote natural toe movement.<br />
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After every run 12 miles or longer Jason makes it a point to soak his leg muscles in cold water for 12 minutes. He calls it the 12/12 rule and he thinks it can cut your recovery time in half. . Living on the road the most readily available cold water is any natural stream or creek. Although filling up the bath tub with cold water and ice is even more effective at cleansing sore muscles of lactic acid and reducing inflammation in connective tissue. Although, Jason stays away from alcoholic beverages in between races, his post race ritual always includes a frosty cold one! I saw Jason talking to a lot of the other runners, race officials and local media people.<br />
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The day after a race is the only day that Jason doesn't run at all. Swimming and hanging out with 'the fam" is what he's all about anyway and it was good to see him celebrate with relaxation. Jason tells me he will post a 'race-report' shortly, once he has some time to de-compress from the race.Jason Schlarbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649845109235484268noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3963294395517057643.post-47838995863879743812012-06-19T15:30:00.001-07:002012-06-19T15:30:11.006-07:00Silverton Running and Preparation for the San Juan Solstice 50M<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Como Lake</td></tr>
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We have now been playing in Silverton for 2 weeks, with a short two day trip over to Lake City last week. <br />
We have enjoyed this last two weeks the most. The high alpine lakes, creeks, rivers, forests and awesome mountains towns of the San Juans are really what we love the most. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some Snow </td></tr>
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I have done a handfull of GREAT runs in the last few weeks. <a href="http://www.solarweasel.com/">Brendan Trimboli</a> came up from Durango and camped with us for a night and we did a great run from just a few miles up the road from our camp on Cement Creek. We dropped over a pass down to where highway 550 runs and tried our best to find a non-road route to Red Mountain Pass where we were going cross back into the drainage we were camped and parked. Unfortunately we got a little confused, couldn't find a good trail up to the pass and we made our way back via pipeline trail and up Corks Screw pass. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Going Up</td></tr>
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After the run with Brendan, we hit Velocity Basin and the lake at the foot of the awesome chute "The Great One" at Silverton Ski Area. The lake is at just over 11,000 feet, the water perfect for soaking and an impressive place, just miles up from our camp.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Velocity Basin with "The Great One" in view<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hanging out at Velocity Basin</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brendan attempting to kick his anemia...</td></tr>
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Sunday after the run with Brendan, I did a nice run up Maggie's Gulch (great name!), to the continental divide and then on the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_Divide_Trail" target="_blank">Continental Divide Trail</a> for some mileage at altitude. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Had to both run and drive this one! The toilet wasn't that impressive though. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;">Falls in Maggie's Gulch </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Taco does it all</td></tr>
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Another great run wasn't even on trails but instead on a jeep road. I ran from Hwy 550 up Ophir pass, down to Ophir for 6 miles and back. The start was at about 10,000 feet with the pass at 11,750 feet and Ophir at 10,000 feet for 3,500 feet of climbing. The views from the pass down to Ophir were phenomenal and again I had to share this one with Maggie and Felix via our truck. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The frequent Marmot</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking down Ophir Pass</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;">The road down to Ophir </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ophir</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My wonderful wife!</td></tr>
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<div>
We are really having a blast. We went to the "Taste of Silverton" where we enjoyed some food, music, dancing and fun out on Blair Street in Silverton. We have been hanging out with <a href="http://thatdakotajones.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Dakota Jones</a> along with some running. I am in taper mode for my race this weekend in Lake City, the <a href="http://web.me.com/grayj923/San_Juan_Solstice_50_Mile_Race/Welcome.html" target="_blank">San Juan Solstice 50 Mile</a>. I am really, really excited for this race. First off, the loop race will be amazingly fun, beautiful, challenging (12,000+ feet of climbing) and I can't wait. </div>Jason Schlarbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649845109235484268noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3963294395517057643.post-53354783168553685632012-06-13T13:54:00.002-07:002012-06-13T14:10:52.339-07:00The San Juan Mountains and Silverton<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsKcZ3YiB1RpC-cWC5My0kvn1yoImthaylPlHSyXc2LfHtjPukdiIxLBZxpKEI56QOHVxjUX0JcLfYT1fx9jqMbSAdLSgDJjADOLcoOUm36Wd14hMpH-GS2tk8Q-DJnBejeMLGco9LIH8/s1600/P1010783.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsKcZ3YiB1RpC-cWC5My0kvn1yoImthaylPlHSyXc2LfHtjPukdiIxLBZxpKEI56QOHVxjUX0JcLfYT1fx9jqMbSAdLSgDJjADOLcoOUm36Wd14hMpH-GS2tk8Q-DJnBejeMLGco9LIH8/s400/P1010783.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Felix's First Backpacking Trip</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yoga at Camp </td></tr>
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We have been in the Durango and Silverton area now for 12 days. Without a doubt, the San Juan mountains are my favorite place in the Colorado, if not, all of the US. I love hanging out in the cool towns, running, biking, white water kayaking, backpacking, etc...<br />
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We stayed 6 nights on Cascade Creek about 25 miles out of Durango towards Silverton. We landed a great camp spot by the creek with trail access just up the dirt road. I did a number of great runs up to the amazing cascades and waterfalls. Camp was at about 9,500ft and my running went up to 11,000ft everyday. <br />
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Half way through our stay we backpacked up the creek about 4 miles and stayed for two nights. The views were epic, the creek was close and we were on the edge of a beautiful meadow. Felix did well sleeping in the 3 man tent with us and we had some great hikes up to the falls. One of the nights we had a good rain that soaked and froze us pretty good. Overall, our first backpack camping trip was a success. <br />
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I did one run up to a pass at 12,500ft before heading to Silverton. I ran up Cascade Creek to Engine Creek up to the Colorado Trail. I ran across a bit of snow, but it was early and the snow was firm enough to run across. I really enjoyed the great views on the Colorado Trail.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kendall Mtn From Silverton</td></tr>
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On Saturday I did a long run from Silverton. Plans sort of fell through to join some people and I was in a position where I would make up and long run route. I ran from Kendall Mountain ski area up along a jeep trail for a while climbing about 750 feet before the jeep road ended. I tried to find another trail but ended up running back down to the ski area where I eventually found a single track trail. 45 minutes later I was cruising out of town and on the trail of Dakota Jones. I saw Dakota earlier before I began my run and there was not doubt that the fresh Montrail track's were his. The trail led to a steep jeep road. Above the jeep road was a sort of
mining bucket chair lift, for a lack of a better way to describe it, going to
some mine along a creek. As my run
continued I had a number of turns where I had to make a decision on which way
to go, at these crossroads, I would walk around each turn searching for
Dakota’s foot prints. Because of
regular wet dirt or mud or dry dusty sand, I was able to figure out each
turn. The only problem with my
investigative running route approach, was that it added about 5 minutes at
every juncture.<br />
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The road climbed above tree line and then some pretty ponds
that were followed by some decent sized snowfields on the road. I did more investigating and some good
guessing on best routes to make the 12,500ft pass. The jeep road was now a trail and at the pass I had to make
a tough decision, to randomly follow into a different valley and drainage where
I had no idea where I was going, or to turn back… easy, down the new
drainage. I was comforted by
Dakota’s tracks and made a very steep descent to some views of waterfalls and a
road where some people were camped.
A quick creek crossing and I was asking the campers about a blond runner
with a hand water bottle. Up the road to Highlands Marry Lake
trail I went following Dakota’s ghost.
Up a few thousand feet along a muddy trail I went to the lakes. I signed the wilderness check in sheet,
just in case, and was comforted by an over simple map showing a trail off the
lakes that lead to a road to Silverton.
Once up to the lakes I lost Dakota’s trail with 3 options for trails at
a number of lakes.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Views from the Weminuche Wilderness around Mary lakes</td></tr>
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I spent nearly
45 minutes going two different wrong ways. The body was getting tired with not much to eat and the
stress of being alone and not knowing where to go at 12,000 feet was getting
very heavy on the body and mind.
After getting back on Dakota’s trail I was further challenged with some
off trail explorations to get over a ridge I was sure led to where I wanted to
be. Next up would be some serious
snow and hail to make things extra fun.
On this side of Kendall Mountain on what I would later find out to be
Whitehead Trail, there was a lot of snow still and sinking through, post hole
style, was common. At this point I
was over 5 hours into a long run adventure and ready to be home. Just before making the jeep road that
wraps back to Silverton, I slipped running off a snowfield on a very slippery
snow, slush, hail, water, and mud mixture surface. I wacked my knee very hard bruising it for over a week and
sustaining a few cuts. My knee was
swollen and tender every day when I ran.</div>
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Finally back to the car in under 6hrs with about 8,000feet
of climbing and 28 miles all above 9,300 feet, I bought Maggie a Chai to try
and make it up to her a little bit for being late back to the camp. </div>
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Since my adventure long run in Silverton, we moved our base
camp to Cement Creek. Just a
mile out of Silverton, we are enjoy biking in and out of town where we enjoy
the funky little city of Silverton and all the wonderful mountains, rivers,
passes and creeks of this magic valley.
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Next post, my first whitewater kayaking outing, running with
Brendan Trimboli and a few great runs around Silverton. </div>
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</div>Jason Schlarbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649845109235484268noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3963294395517057643.post-48543751206132828312012-06-08T13:53:00.002-07:002012-06-08T13:58:59.809-07:00Grand Canyon Fun<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After our stay in Flagstaff, we headed north for a short 70
mile drive to the Grand Canyon.
Immediately I realized my preconceptions of what the Grand Canyon was
like was actually incorrect. I envisioned the rim of the canyon to be a
treeless arid desert similar to Canyonlands National Park. </div>
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Instead, we were pleasantly surprised
with Ponderosa forests. The Monday
night we arrived we were also surprised to find that a national park annual
pass is free to military (I am still technically active duty until mid July)
and secondly that all the camping was full. Luckily, there was free camping just a few miles outside the
entrance and we avoided our first pay to camp situation. </div>
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I did an hour of research that night on doing a run to the
bottom of the canyon. Pecking away
on my phone and looking at the free map from the park that refuses to show
trails details any further than a few miles down into the canyon (hiking to the
Colorado river from the rim is absolutely not recommended. </div>
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I managed to figure out that running
down the South Kaibab trail then crossing the Colorado river via a bridge and
then back on a different bridge (not sure why they have two bridges within a
mile) and up Bright Angel trail would be the best run option. This horseshoe shaped route is around
16 miles with around 4,800 feet of climbing (South Rim is 7,200ft and the river
is at 2,400 feet). </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz6eotPsdeRoEThazT8EcVIAXForKO7PbHeJigaAaAK2kATCDDzmaNBLjRqArjEJXZCRlp5qWguOvWn02gCFAIGGHsG0nBxrgEaYsoVpzgWuJ-w83FFM5th4KfoXccpqJqMNXXWxeHlAI/s1600/P1010682.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz6eotPsdeRoEThazT8EcVIAXForKO7PbHeJigaAaAK2kATCDDzmaNBLjRqArjEJXZCRlp5qWguOvWn02gCFAIGGHsG0nBxrgEaYsoVpzgWuJ-w83FFM5th4KfoXccpqJqMNXXWxeHlAI/s400/P1010682.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Start</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The end of May is reasonable time of year to run this route,
but an early start is necessary. I
didn’t exactly get an early start, but it didn’t ruin the run either. Maggie dropped me off at the road
leading to the South Kaibab trail head, you have to take a shuttle to get the
extra ¾ of a mile down the road, at about 9:15. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjexYLhtZw_uxASd8U87kCGmmTY013fM75XEEXIHlTcZ2_impWksjj6smrnMqUpn6K1QxqAjvo_SFLpr9-G9J3YizryJxMCSUkfJ2uVxQSw63S1pwRBNblNqiD2XsQ-T06wPlFv686iVhY/s1600/P1010683.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjexYLhtZw_uxASd8U87kCGmmTY013fM75XEEXIHlTcZ2_impWksjj6smrnMqUpn6K1QxqAjvo_SFLpr9-G9J3YizryJxMCSUkfJ2uVxQSw63S1pwRBNblNqiD2XsQ-T06wPlFv686iVhY/s400/P1010683.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Canyon Kitty</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After taking a picture with a random house cat on the edge
of the canyon rim I was off. The
trail down is wonderful. The Grand
Canyon was a unique run in many ways, one of which is that the trail is
consistently either down or up, where mountain trail running most always has up
and down on both the ascent and decent.
The trail was impressively built with great switchbacks, widths and
consistent grade. The views were,
of course, outstanding and I was thankful for the relatively wide and smooth
trail otherwise I might have fallen to my death gaping at the canyon. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Ui40BuGY7EOKZdt7neKbQdqSHnBpMQVXWup6sPCi7Fr4ThK7zwj832v0CQMUcxbWMMq1SgkEtDDRF6J31dajcCxbi74QGP9RiyDUp629P8o3Ly5bOlUocL4xcVw7B-xryweGpal08PY/s1600/P1010685.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Ui40BuGY7EOKZdt7neKbQdqSHnBpMQVXWup6sPCi7Fr4ThK7zwj832v0CQMUcxbWMMq1SgkEtDDRF6J31dajcCxbi74QGP9RiyDUp629P8o3Ly5bOlUocL4xcVw7B-xryweGpal08PY/s400/P1010685.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinCmFCTL4fzVl5WnPH13E6IMVzDsqjvVs4svJCcfvUAezbHkdNNbuqv8pGWFN_WzgSrB21ji3g06B9gkn0EKUsHBOUG_M6Bo-C-goIFZdeUiLJ8AxGbv8_V15mZFBkiGKPvsMe0YdPZTw/s1600/P1010691.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinCmFCTL4fzVl5WnPH13E6IMVzDsqjvVs4svJCcfvUAezbHkdNNbuqv8pGWFN_WzgSrB21ji3g06B9gkn0EKUsHBOUG_M6Bo-C-goIFZdeUiLJ8AxGbv8_V15mZFBkiGKPvsMe0YdPZTw/s400/P1010691.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNB4d-eBCH6dyzIGf1KXdxO_Po94C0joMYcMNFNZYlHe7CToP2e5PPbERIbU_i0GsxVDTcmau6zHLBNIwO_o7EuoUmOyhEVydvI5Bhnat8uAHWLMv8twmesTrDv-7JlnrS6Yula9nk-8I/s1600/P1010692.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNB4d-eBCH6dyzIGf1KXdxO_Po94C0joMYcMNFNZYlHe7CToP2e5PPbERIbU_i0GsxVDTcmau6zHLBNIwO_o7EuoUmOyhEVydvI5Bhnat8uAHWLMv8twmesTrDv-7JlnrS6Yula9nk-8I/s400/P1010692.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLvT0JBRHVxuYCghviypWsMp20NdTRAlxSJBbIrjQSqFbWK01-b8-NahtznTmMopvON8lXP6EYSkIeuwaj3PX4U6QtkdJhsPEJqAiQUDs4D7Efe4UG0vgvtT0uPlQs5_CTAchB2hSuuSI/s1600/P1010697.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLvT0JBRHVxuYCghviypWsMp20NdTRAlxSJBbIrjQSqFbWK01-b8-NahtznTmMopvON8lXP6EYSkIeuwaj3PX4U6QtkdJhsPEJqAiQUDs4D7Efe4UG0vgvtT0uPlQs5_CTAchB2hSuuSI/s400/P1010697.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After numerous mule trains and a 4 or so miles, all the day
hikers were gone leaving only a small splattering of permitted
backpackers. The canyon was
relatively quiet and empty from miles 4 to 10. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Down at the bottom of the canyon I could tell my legs had
taken a beating in the hour straight of down hill running with zero
breaks. As I stared at the
beautiful green water contrasting so well with the canyon walls, I decided
since running rim to rim or rim to rim to rim was totally out of the question
today, I would challenge myself by swimming across the Colorado river and
back. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0hZMDzbM8v83VQawdD4mpwFsS67VKf4jl8uu2dOexP780FFJH7eIZhJCzk0TyuicmFGpTCej6K314MplQIsuGVFxPdbsvbLjR4EcttZXu5JLDnXulHVpdbAZ-pVbSu9pS-WXhPiTFZGE/s1600/P1010698.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0hZMDzbM8v83VQawdD4mpwFsS67VKf4jl8uu2dOexP780FFJH7eIZhJCzk0TyuicmFGpTCej6K314MplQIsuGVFxPdbsvbLjR4EcttZXu5JLDnXulHVpdbAZ-pVbSu9pS-WXhPiTFZGE/s400/P1010698.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlCZzEvvHdB7q6oamF52zdrlNonGjvHMoY_6lncYpUyMOxig1Q74dE96Hv-L4Qfyq-KIo1gcnL3Y5tAVmMs-XpVJ6zwjdWdnc9o21OYzzAS5TXQ62LLtBkpIRe7ZLbUAr_Gj5R5H0MKhw/s1600/P1010701.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlCZzEvvHdB7q6oamF52zdrlNonGjvHMoY_6lncYpUyMOxig1Q74dE96Hv-L4Qfyq-KIo1gcnL3Y5tAVmMs-XpVJ6zwjdWdnc9o21OYzzAS5TXQ62LLtBkpIRe7ZLbUAr_Gj5R5H0MKhw/s640/P1010701.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tell me the bridge doesn't look to be a huge upside down "V"... it isn't!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxR9L7CwIsFbIfeeC7ExsEAQuYBoIjF7eqtSVFMjmxheY8SQnZluhKJAmlshKOOpb8YgtzAYJyh7F1IOcCzw0JnQm42zRtO2gtBvWArenm8UEedXCpdj4ITbuFw9vlpNCiXtzAUWuA9tw/s1600/P1010706.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxR9L7CwIsFbIfeeC7ExsEAQuYBoIjF7eqtSVFMjmxheY8SQnZluhKJAmlshKOOpb8YgtzAYJyh7F1IOcCzw0JnQm42zRtO2gtBvWArenm8UEedXCpdj4ITbuFw9vlpNCiXtzAUWuA9tw/s400/P1010706.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bridge is FLAT</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As I have kayaked/rafted the
Colorado up stream in the Cataract Canyon (awesome 5 day trip!), West Water
Canyon and Glenwood Canyon, I know the water is brutally cold, even when it is
blazing hot in mid summer. Stupid
or not, I was determined to swim the Colorado. I made my way safely up stream to avoid getting swept into
the more rapid flowing water below the bridge, ignored the “no swimming” signs
and stripped to just my running shorts. Yeah, it was cold, half way across I experienced that numb,
strange exhausted feeling that honestly scared me a bit. I changed strokes, as I suck at
swimming and pushed on. On
the other side of the river with no way to get back to the bridge due to the
rock cliffs, I did aerobic exercise in the sun and nervously prepared to make
my way back. Needless to say, I
made it across again, but it wasn’t exactly pleasant or easy. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Refreshed and stupidly proud, I ran past the rafters and
raft guides at the raft beach who were shaking their heads as they thought they
were going to have to save me.
Down the canyon I went for the few miles until making my way up Bright
Angel trail. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiznsZiQSspq-zoHcJ5x92StN7cGwrn49egLC2C_NvZLh7O0Nsc4f4jshngQXiyJYVOg8i60PyfNlvRO-fO2pISXnCdpN5q8_8q4yPQtyQjM9_nN142lIIz8nJOcymnfFW73cjoZ7P5moY/s1600/P1010707.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiznsZiQSspq-zoHcJ5x92StN7cGwrn49egLC2C_NvZLh7O0Nsc4f4jshngQXiyJYVOg8i60PyfNlvRO-fO2pISXnCdpN5q8_8q4yPQtyQjM9_nN142lIIz8nJOcymnfFW73cjoZ7P5moY/s400/P1010707.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Safe.... and cold despite how it looks. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was impressed by
Bright Angel Canyon as it spans both sides of the Grand Canyon. The creek running up the canyon is
certainly a wonderful oasis for the hiker and runner making their way up in the
hot sun. I found also that I was exhausted... from the swim. Once a few miles up the trail the crowds were heavy, as drinking water
and bathrooms are available numerous time up this route. I filled my hand water bottle and
enjoyed more Vitargo. Vitargo goes
down so well, I truly crave the stuff while I run, unlike other race fuel I’ve
used in the past. I had about 500
calories worth of Vitargo, which is two packets worth. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpnWH_3tRQzvNmq3QeVG5_IXLcpQx6FHKt5RRQb9irQ_SERcmiU_7pUSlZZmm-MShDyBTkoxMUHPTBU16CQIuf2-BEpqZfrTNucHCOe_iYJ78RdraGokYjqOyteG5nzUvXtpSM6tQ1rZ0/s1600/P1010709.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpnWH_3tRQzvNmq3QeVG5_IXLcpQx6FHKt5RRQb9irQ_SERcmiU_7pUSlZZmm-MShDyBTkoxMUHPTBU16CQIuf2-BEpqZfrTNucHCOe_iYJ78RdraGokYjqOyteG5nzUvXtpSM6tQ1rZ0/s400/P1010709.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Creek in Bright Angel Canyon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Passing all the hikers was both entertaining and at times
frustrating. Lots of tourists hike
the canyon everyday with many of them foreigners, many of them totally lacking
trail etiquette, and many of them are totally out of shape. I also found in interesting that
in general, Europeans had the most pleasant reaction to my running up the
canyon. One set of male and female
middle aged Europeans gave me all sorts of complements and one guy said
“respect... respect”. Europeans sure
do “respect” endurance athletics. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqoS-M1OI_7QW2l_Z-9hSWXm1W17pN_XU65b0r_DSxeDwnuRMAKPFTqrnJBS-pc7zka4DS08hu6FfuzAazawWf6CTXhd3gywD2ZqFEOZdzTqVfkFVvwq3RQSgvtPEyv7xeU05m3gBoeeY/s1600/P1010711.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqoS-M1OI_7QW2l_Z-9hSWXm1W17pN_XU65b0r_DSxeDwnuRMAKPFTqrnJBS-pc7zka4DS08hu6FfuzAazawWf6CTXhd3gywD2ZqFEOZdzTqVfkFVvwq3RQSgvtPEyv7xeU05m3gBoeeY/s400/P1010711.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DONE</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA9CrhIOAAZbYTv14BIJLAUm488pDV4Nz29f-vRC6MPoyxbAkKszSYXbcnKCdpafn11wpqiJctB2SCP1Wq7JgvJ70BREo5OYtpli1vqg027WbGLYGC44FJnynJ3t9LT-A5b-aL_t9FZ-Y/s1600/P1010718.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA9CrhIOAAZbYTv14BIJLAUm488pDV4Nz29f-vRC6MPoyxbAkKszSYXbcnKCdpafn11wpqiJctB2SCP1Wq7JgvJ70BREo5OYtpli1vqg027WbGLYGC44FJnynJ3t9LT-A5b-aL_t9FZ-Y/s400/P1010718.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Shower!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyZo_cPM2FPTMH8D0VbBjl836yn8CAtbV710uusdDMlTC-Ds0pnwUkn7i_P3Klv7WiKqkznUTs8N3zdXkKOlGhF-IbKCC-5psV97h566nUx1nNGw7snThwCofbLCULhQWPHDhHsqBvx7I/s1600/P1010716.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyZo_cPM2FPTMH8D0VbBjl836yn8CAtbV710uusdDMlTC-Ds0pnwUkn7i_P3Klv7WiKqkznUTs8N3zdXkKOlGhF-IbKCC-5psV97h566nUx1nNGw7snThwCofbLCULhQWPHDhHsqBvx7I/s640/P1010716.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Future Star!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I made the top without walking, which was a temptation that
last few miles, for a round trip in 2:39 minutes. The following morning Maggie, intrigued by my experience,
tackled the same loop, but hiked it.
I am so impressed she hiked this monster as 4,800ft vertical over 16
miles with temps at 100 degrees at the river is no joke. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL77EoGrN5sVl0tsqIm6NCH70zy4t_vmP6ZUt57xabqhF-E1QYQUW3eg1bxV0zci1dwTYpHqFLudMRbujm5wm4Bp1Y1RVV3UWZCtTaUXLmrEX8F5Z_YveEihSD3bWGSZbpex38MN7NNpQ/s1600/P1010754.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL77EoGrN5sVl0tsqIm6NCH70zy4t_vmP6ZUt57xabqhF-E1QYQUW3eg1bxV0zci1dwTYpHqFLudMRbujm5wm4Bp1Y1RVV3UWZCtTaUXLmrEX8F5Z_YveEihSD3bWGSZbpex38MN7NNpQ/s640/P1010754.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maggie, the real star, after her 16 mile near 5K foot up and down romp in the heat!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We had a blast
and I plan on doing a rim to rim to rim run in early October, want to
join? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGBq72KVlW2dmgqbylMHZjOP_PEC7NMSjMicR-ribf7atUQY2ZkB5aMLXHg0LNZEB3FNUOaZjuAEe2srBLZIz1gfJBAQhz5jQzhBVIJ-I1D2Fzm_Wqy1zgGGk0N-7P8Xk35hwwB1WhMX8/s1600/P1010724.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGBq72KVlW2dmgqbylMHZjOP_PEC7NMSjMicR-ribf7atUQY2ZkB5aMLXHg0LNZEB3FNUOaZjuAEe2srBLZIz1gfJBAQhz5jQzhBVIJ-I1D2Fzm_Wqy1zgGGk0N-7P8Xk35hwwB1WhMX8/s640/P1010724.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maggie's pic... check out her site for better stuff: www.maggieschlarb.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiooHoxb8YQidAWhOzf0zjCdPzSdJ7MP3tHWzE8Z5b1FEOoFtFto9W2slLwkoskmsD3BVXNOWX40vdviIlFkid7ZAXdxjlf-PrMFoYCMua_U3fZccK1HGLfHjWhT3_LtSssvkqXdwjxWw4/s1600/P1010751.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiooHoxb8YQidAWhOzf0zjCdPzSdJ7MP3tHWzE8Z5b1FEOoFtFto9W2slLwkoskmsD3BVXNOWX40vdviIlFkid7ZAXdxjlf-PrMFoYCMua_U3fZccK1HGLfHjWhT3_LtSssvkqXdwjxWw4/s400/P1010751.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another Maggie Pic</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>Jason Schlarbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649845109235484268noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3963294395517057643.post-3453033216623422022012-06-01T13:36:00.003-07:002012-06-01T13:36:42.511-07:00Mount Humpherey Arizona and Flagstaff Camping<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidBuonhgi9-OvBO43utGpExu479RggcFevY8_vWVmVhDVDLQX6wXKoMvOFdIZK1MLZ6MqefPtwIzQxuMIVrCFrhaIIBEBpQTjbcAjtndWzqa9D3o1dGbbjEVmHna_JjK2X5tsR6uJtrYo/s1600/P1010599.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidBuonhgi9-OvBO43utGpExu479RggcFevY8_vWVmVhDVDLQX6wXKoMvOFdIZK1MLZ6MqefPtwIzQxuMIVrCFrhaIIBEBpQTjbcAjtndWzqa9D3o1dGbbjEVmHna_JjK2X5tsR6uJtrYo/s400/P1010599.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Box Canyon in NM (outside of Los Alamos)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGOic24vxBCb-mS4a2pzMNbuJHe-KKifM3EZwFeNgQ5VvP3UA-QPnRhIEDrJFaN8TMXpdhtRm6B-mHmM3ErPSFdd3-ILTMpW0vUUacucNZKtrUidxyjgMGi-hSEK68ZUkqNDtPp_IRiUk/s1600/P1010601.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGOic24vxBCb-mS4a2pzMNbuJHe-KKifM3EZwFeNgQ5VvP3UA-QPnRhIEDrJFaN8TMXpdhtRm6B-mHmM3ErPSFdd3-ILTMpW0vUUacucNZKtrUidxyjgMGi-hSEK68ZUkqNDtPp_IRiUk/s400/P1010601.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Horny Toad</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOVitbK0wQaaV1jHAL3rlpvKXPwgz1xaUmK6sdlStqt2AIXCE3RSbv0vBX6txN_aeCX_pKA7_rEivj3nhAt746tX7ouRBhRrbESRx0sVfiAgdSSgziqtDlRLrmwxHeWZMvK9SuoaRkQXY/s1600/P1010615.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOVitbK0wQaaV1jHAL3rlpvKXPwgz1xaUmK6sdlStqt2AIXCE3RSbv0vBX6txN_aeCX_pKA7_rEivj3nhAt746tX7ouRBhRrbESRx0sVfiAgdSSgziqtDlRLrmwxHeWZMvK9SuoaRkQXY/s640/P1010615.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tree Hugger</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jemez Creek Fun</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On Thursday we drove over to Arizona Snowbowl, just 7 miles
outside of Flagstaff. At the base
of the ski area is the trailhead to Mount Humphery, Arizona’s highest peak at
over 12,637ft. The trail is about 5
miles to the peak and starts at an elevation of 9,000ft. Recently I have been running on the
trails around Shultz Pass where we have been camped maybe 5 miles outside
town. The trails are at 7,500-8,500
feet and roll and climb through beautiful Pondersoa pine forests with scrub
oak. At higher elevations the
forest turns to spruce, pondersoa and aspens. I haven’t been doing huge climbs, but have been doing decent
climbing on the trails everyday. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFwr5XLfw-BIa0v2fiVbHIyWVVgJrZfIraEjrqaLbakvYvFTBus6S6tFc46nTb7m7VcOeeb_HzABCu5u2gA5j-9bFcgyYj9RFNjEZJhTd8zzucnvwBpIyiW8hsft9UHArr5ztRnRN7gX8/s1600/P1010658.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFwr5XLfw-BIa0v2fiVbHIyWVVgJrZfIraEjrqaLbakvYvFTBus6S6tFc46nTb7m7VcOeeb_HzABCu5u2gA5j-9bFcgyYj9RFNjEZJhTd8zzucnvwBpIyiW8hsft9UHArr5ztRnRN7gX8/s320/P1010658.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The legs felt decent at the start of the climb up
Humpherey. The trail starts wit a
lot of back and forth climbing
through thick Pine and Aspen forest with a lot of technical rocky
running. At around 2 miles the
impossible happens… there is snow on the side of the trail. While Flagstaff has amazing Ponderosa
forests, trails, cool weather (for AZ!), mountains close to town, there is a
serious lack of water in the form of creeks, streams, alpine lakes and
certainly no rivers. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXAhx0iV8BV_TnK_we_kFc63eEBpp65j2uuCNUKHYS8Bds3vAHuldu0gZ6gHxHtOx9b9lRG2v6ZAQm3yef8_MFBT3fR0_yYcX_UXZWUdvMtzasmBrTTEjtgWWbMwlY4-n8pjIkxaFsnOg/s1600/P1010644.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXAhx0iV8BV_TnK_we_kFc63eEBpp65j2uuCNUKHYS8Bds3vAHuldu0gZ6gHxHtOx9b9lRG2v6ZAQm3yef8_MFBT3fR0_yYcX_UXZWUdvMtzasmBrTTEjtgWWbMwlY4-n8pjIkxaFsnOg/s400/P1010644.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dense Forest and Technical Trail Running</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am blown
away by how the forest has such amazingly huge trees with zero creeks. Anyways, the snow is nice to see. 3.5K of climbing in just under 5 miles
is significant, but for the most part the trail climbs in such a way that most
of the trip up is very runable.
High alpine peaks are a rare thing in AZ, so Humpherey sees a lot of
tourists and people who are less than experienced in the mountains and have a
tendency to share their shock and awe of being at high altitudes with me,
furthermore giving desperate warnings of how “extreme” things are just
ahead. People are just excited and
impressed by the mountains and so am I, just thought I’d share. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCqQPLRt8QXOhXTNU6krsvYwn6SbcjBGpqrRWoP1Y_ZHlfUvfhgaZDs9c2aOZeSHHyrDFjNfknapxMwVlCo7Pjg_C0bK9a5Z5ujuVzY_nzn9Iw4ljOpNGuDjyQ4PvtdJqpfPfZX66JdME/s1600/P1010643.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCqQPLRt8QXOhXTNU6krsvYwn6SbcjBGpqrRWoP1Y_ZHlfUvfhgaZDs9c2aOZeSHHyrDFjNfknapxMwVlCo7Pjg_C0bK9a5Z5ujuVzY_nzn9Iw4ljOpNGuDjyQ4PvtdJqpfPfZX66JdME/s400/P1010643.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Start</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At around 11,300, the trails affords
some views of the ski area, which has some pretty decent steep terrain
considering how close to town it is. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Z0bktYQ-0hnWMLwvh7wcTu9wGgjJVrzAPAgpOJcJVTEjB26fumKHB_1CbDMEjDpjtIpYrODzRscEnVnjWkAnkb4eAaM3C5Yeqtvjxb3R7lHD4KBuc6TDUpbGHWou105PYeAmChwmOjk/s1600/P1010647.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Z0bktYQ-0hnWMLwvh7wcTu9wGgjJVrzAPAgpOJcJVTEjB26fumKHB_1CbDMEjDpjtIpYrODzRscEnVnjWkAnkb4eAaM3C5Yeqtvjxb3R7lHD4KBuc6TDUpbGHWou105PYeAmChwmOjk/s400/P1010647.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ridge to Humphrey</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Also in view is Humpherey’s neighbor Agassiz Pk at 12,300 feet. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg2uSoicZcSDmFasKaCH6AKAkyjHvZA1J994-oxt4nC6Sl_vGpbNH7_nfLrrj4YOVaZid9wRSYrTNqqFzlLwOcVkQI2CveE8C0ZZlRjDWN7Rm5RrUGgu7xhiWfHPG-O8JYd2EaHNBWH-E/s1600/P1010654.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg2uSoicZcSDmFasKaCH6AKAkyjHvZA1J994-oxt4nC6Sl_vGpbNH7_nfLrrj4YOVaZid9wRSYrTNqqFzlLwOcVkQI2CveE8C0ZZlRjDWN7Rm5RrUGgu7xhiWfHPG-O8JYd2EaHNBWH-E/s400/P1010654.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Agassiz Peak, 12,300feet (and AZ Snowbowl)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After a few hundred feet more climbing,
the trail hits a saddle where you can take a left and climb Agassiz or take a right
to continue up to Humpherey. It is
at this juncture where there is about an eighth of a mile of real steep climbing
that I power hiked. The wind
kicked up just above this climb at treeline. The last mile is obviously rocky, but on the ridge and
runnable. The heart pumps while at
a slow jog at 12K feet, the views are awesome atop this relatively lone peak in
northern Arizona. I arrived at the summit, enjoy
the view and head down. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBQFRqrlx6DVQquQ5Uu7Ppecr5xN1Fl5RFY61oEQ6dZ85Nt0nWWxbiV1w4PLJ_LnmqFumS0iZAevAEml71seNZ3IeMAHNbYWGy5ObjicgtN0QrQlSAYKB1lDLX8bkgN2RLw4bnLyUb_EQ/s1600/P1010653.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBQFRqrlx6DVQquQ5Uu7Ppecr5xN1Fl5RFY61oEQ6dZ85Nt0nWWxbiV1w4PLJ_LnmqFumS0iZAevAEml71seNZ3IeMAHNbYWGy5ObjicgtN0QrQlSAYKB1lDLX8bkgN2RLw4bnLyUb_EQ/s400/P1010653.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Summit with my Ryders</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Just below
the summit, I get a “wow, amazing… you know Badwater is that way”, I responded
with a “too hot for me”. It took
me 69 minutes to reach the summit.
I had more fun on this run than I have in a long time. The descent was great and I felt fast
and strong. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVAOSJMZu_0HRsrkL9EAOOBdq7JONuCrwR3UB0i8-lx_Xhzbne8iWBfH-4a7roaTIsrW8hYQ2-xJkObLiPL6r9HmOh5XDxRCZEzXzIftAkY-YS2dv4dpl5GM9o3dOxiEsEX5MM5bX1WFE/s1600/P1010648.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVAOSJMZu_0HRsrkL9EAOOBdq7JONuCrwR3UB0i8-lx_Xhzbne8iWBfH-4a7roaTIsrW8hYQ2-xJkObLiPL6r9HmOh5XDxRCZEzXzIftAkY-YS2dv4dpl5GM9o3dOxiEsEX5MM5bX1WFE/s640/P1010648.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Ridge to the Summit</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The following day Maggie, Felix and I hiked up
Humpherey. The wind was
unbelievably strong especially above tree line. We had a very hard time just standing up. Felix was not too happy with the wind
either and after some serious yelling and crying… then fell asleep. The following day after our hike a 53
year old runner died just below the peak.
Here is the <a href="http://azdailysun.com/news/local/runner-dies-at-humphreys-summit/article_8e0a9bea-a9d6-11e1-bd31-0019bb2963f4.html">article</a>.
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimBuaXuiYXSAj7r4uBlpIxYdmN2RD96pkUBbEOR2yGFjjMqIH7yUSPDoNmUsHVw19rgcmPp_iGLUbZXtU7NzaPjUYv5fqu2Xr61JFIIHgB0wvrSEHA_CRtFNGDLqt08krEhde4FcMeDPM/s1600/P1010662.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimBuaXuiYXSAj7r4uBlpIxYdmN2RD96pkUBbEOR2yGFjjMqIH7yUSPDoNmUsHVw19rgcmPp_iGLUbZXtU7NzaPjUYv5fqu2Xr61JFIIHgB0wvrSEHA_CRtFNGDLqt08krEhde4FcMeDPM/s400/P1010662.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Family on Mt. Humphrey</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We had a great week in Flagstaff. We rode our bikes with Felix in the Chariot down to town and
explored the area. I played a
round of Frisbee golf on the nice 18 hole course in Thorpe Park. We went to the Aqua Plex one day where we
played on the water slides, fountains, lazy river and of course enjoyed a nice
shower. I enjoyed and furthermore,
we, as a family, really like Flagstaff. “Flag” has great trails, a smaller, fun
community, great mountain biking, it is close to Phoenix (flying), the Grand
Canyon, has a decent University (NAU) with a good Physical Therapy program,
something I am considering when we return next year from New Zealand. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The family is doing
well. We are, at the time I’m
writing this, over two weeks into our trip. We are keeping are costs very low only spending money really
on gas and food. We have used our
outdoor shower, we cook everyday on our 3 burner stove, we use the furnace when
it is cold, things are going well with camper living . We have managed to find forest service
roads where we can camp and hang out free, hit the trails and bik</span><!--EndFragment-->Jason Schlarbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649845109235484268noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3963294395517057643.post-74521761092813932942012-05-23T18:11:00.003-07:002012-05-23T18:13:57.130-07:00Jemez 50K Race Report<style>
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Race Report for <a href="http://www.highaltitudeathletics.org/results.htm">Jemez Mountain 50K </a>& the Beginning of
our Grand Adventure</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLaqJHmvo3Pdp-wf504rDp0hMHHZwFLz_5Rl8K2FXtMK9M7gJh-6wze_N5nj_N7JUQex6fnEkhVLhC6zI-l37DVLABCaGO9jzR_9D37rHEl33DOzOaVuFbXLExHkyHBQt86ReVDEsfH2A/s1600/JMTR_logo_white+%281%29.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLaqJHmvo3Pdp-wf504rDp0hMHHZwFLz_5Rl8K2FXtMK9M7gJh-6wze_N5nj_N7JUQex6fnEkhVLhC6zI-l37DVLABCaGO9jzR_9D37rHEl33DOzOaVuFbXLExHkyHBQt86ReVDEsfH2A/s320/JMTR_logo_white+%281%29.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Lead up to Jemez-</div>
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For the three weeks following the Leona Divide 50M, I ran a
lot of easy runs, and no real long runs.
I really needed a good recovery from the training leading up to Leona
Divide and the race itself. The
one area I did focus a bit on was running faster on down hills. The last week and a half I started to
feel stronger and more comfortable than I have in a long while going up and
down the trails. My splits for a
number of my common easy run routes were faster than ever and I felt
particularly strong on the down hill ascents.</div>
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The last week and a half before Jemez was particularly
stressful and busy. Separating
from the Air Force requires a lot of appointments and work, especially if you
are an hour from the nearest AF base.
Secondly, I had to prepare a final for my classes and then do final
grades and attend the graduation and commissioning of this year’s senior AFROTC
cadets. Lastly, Maggie and I were scrambling to pack up all of our belongings
for storage, pack all we needed for the next year into the truck and
camper. </div>
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We departed Boulder on Thursday afternoon and began our year
plus adventure abroad, it felt wonderful.
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Our first stop out of Boulder was Buena Vista to see our
friends Len and Amy. We met up
with Len and Amy at <a href="http://deerhammer.com/">DeerhammerDistillery</a>. Their distillery as a
fantastic place, fun, comfortable, while still capturing the fact that you are
at a distillery. We enjoyed a few
delicious beverages made with their own Whitewater Whiskey and then headed to
their beautiful house just a few miles away. Thank you Amy and Len for an awesome time and having us
over. </div>
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Friday we made
our way to Los Alamos New Mexico.
Los Alamos is surprisingly forested and beautiful. Thanks to Bill, the Jemez RD, we were
graciously provided accommodations just a few miles from the start at Henry and
Suzzy’s house. They had a
wonderfully beautiful house in the
forest. We were taking care of
like royalty, to include attending a pre-race party/get together just down the
street where we met all sorts of great people and enjoyed a great dinner. </div>
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Quite a start to our trip… now I just needed to race
well. </div>
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The Race-</div>
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Everything went smooth before the race, I slept relatively
well for a pre-race night, felt good and was ready to roll. I think the temps were in the low 50s
at the start, which was fortunately early at 6AM. I opted to race shirtless with my visor, hand water bottle
with <a href="http://www.genr8speed.com/endurance/endurance.php">Vitargo</a> along with some flasks of Vitargo concentrate and of course <a href="http://hokaoneone-na.com/">Hokas</a>
(Bondi) and <a href="http://injinji.com/">Injinji</a> Socks. At the
start line I was surprised Michael Dominquez from Boulder wasn’t on the
line. Mike was going to be my only
real competition. Honestly, I was
happy to be able to run my own race today. All my races this year have been unbelievably stacked and I
quite enjoyed a race where I could just focus on my game and the watch. </div>
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Right off the bat, I was moving at a quick pace maybe in the
low 7s or high 6s. This race has
great trails that wind through Ponderosa, Aspen and Scrub Oak forest. The trail stays “interesting” with a
lot of funky soft volcanic rock, dusty sand, soot and dirt. A few miles into the run I was at least a few minutes ahead
of anyone and running solo. </div>
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The trail wound around the foot hills of Los Alamos making
its way gradually up to the base of the local ski area where things get very
steep. The trail leading up to the
base of the ski area was scant at best and was a bit challenging to follow, but
the constant flags along the course kept things relatively sane. Once on the actually ski area, I
tackled the steepest climb I’ve ever raced. The footing on this super steep ski hill was pretty
rough. The “trail” was grown over
with weeds, there were all sorts of lose rocks and wood as well from last
year’s fire. Up one false summit
followed by a descent straight down the ski run that was truly just weeds and
not a trail. Back at it again to
the true 10,400 summit of the ski area, the trail was mostly a real trail this
time. I was passing a lot of 50
mile guys and galls on the way up this section, but this was the one section of
the race where I know I could have done a bit better. From the top of the ski area I could see down to the
beautiful Caldera meadow… I hope to come back one year and run through this
amazing treeless meadow formed from where the volcano collapsed. </div>
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I was grossly under prepared with the course, where aid
stations were and what mileage I would have left at the aid stations. Things leading up to the race were just
too hectic. </div>
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At the pipeline aid station I knew from the pre-race brief I
had to go a different direction than the 50M runners, so I made sure I went the
correct way to a short out and back before making my way back via a number of
ridgelines to the finish. At
Pipeline I began to regret not know the mileage and the aid station volunteers
didn’t know either. I was feeling
great pretty much all day up to this mid point in the race and things continued
to go well as I began the mostly down hill descent. It was nice to be able to really change gears and have fun
during the second half of a race, albeit a 50K race. The heat wasn’t much of an issue for me, event though it was
in the 70s I would imagine, there was a bit of a breeze and overall, I was well
recovered from Leona and ready to race today. Halfway down the ridges I ran into, literally, my biggest
challenge of the day: joggers from the half marathon going the same direction
and route to the finish. Running
fast down hill on technical single track is challenging during the last 8 miles
of an Ultra, but passing tons of people running significantly slower is really
challenging. I would say maybe 70%
of the runners on this stretch of trail followed trail/trail racing courtesy
and at least moved a little bit over.
Only about 25% totally moved over for me to pass, but no less than 30%
did nothing at all and were usually annoyed that I was passing totally off
trail. I actually bumped the foot
or shoulder of 3 ladies that were stubbornly not going to even move an inch to
accommodate my passing. I would
have run a few minutes faster if it wasn’t for this “challenge”, but then
again, I assume every fast 50K guy will have to deal with this each year so I
consider it part of the race. </div>
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Just before last chance aid station, I would really have
appreciated doing my homework on this race as I for some reason thought the
course record was either 4:12 or 4:19 and had been gauging myself off that
benchmark since the top of the ski area, which had me thinking I was almost
done at around 4hrs. The course
record was 4:55. When I went
through the last aid station and was told I had 2 miles to go, I cursed at
myself for not running faster and then I cursed the RD as surely the course was
long. I kept pushing, but I was a
little bummed at the same time. On
the final steep ascent to the finish, I fell for the first time and cut my
knee, got up and rounded the corner where Felix and Maggie were ecstatic to see
me. Their emotion and cheering was
wonderful and I proceeded to pull out the small sand stained American Flag I
have raced with ever race since I’ve returned from Iraq. The Jemez 50K was the first time I have
removed the American Flag I brought back from Iraq. I carry the flag as a reminder of my time in Iraq, but more
importantly, I carry the flag to remember and honor all the Americans who are
still deployed in hostile environments. </div>
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Maggie caught up to me and congratulated me on my win and
new course record of 4:28, I quickly corrected her that I hadn’t set a course
record. Then, the announcer
congratulated me as well for a new course record. I still didn’t believe I had a new course record until they
showed me the old listing. Kyle
Skaggs had run 4:55 at the Jemez 50k, but he ran that time on a course that was
different than the one I ran. Kyle
ran quite a bit more vertical than I did.
The race director, told me that he is pretty sure that I would have ran
a new course record had I ran the old course that day. Changes in the course are a reality of
ultra trail running and I’ll never really know for sure if I ran a better race,
but I do know that I ran well, felt great and did my best. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPtEHKSWM_LTY9L0fYZ1NBYIxshYvM3UHLVCmwjh_kE8A4MypZdCN2vUZbUvyiaQRxVwI26uIM1469NSTayUVvomNUq2Sy-f4faybsz5ZuA44kEbt3D_wr0Oqe8mNBsqPVJvS_mOlNyjg/s1600/jemez+50k+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPtEHKSWM_LTY9L0fYZ1NBYIxshYvM3UHLVCmwjh_kE8A4MypZdCN2vUZbUvyiaQRxVwI26uIM1469NSTayUVvomNUq2Sy-f4faybsz5ZuA44kEbt3D_wr0Oqe8mNBsqPVJvS_mOlNyjg/s400/jemez+50k+pic.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sporting the winners pottery, the Hokas, Injinjis and the new Ryders Glasses (love them)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I felt better after this 50K than any other ultra race I
have done to date. I attribute the
total lack of soreness and overall good
recovery on really recovering the last 3 weeks, running in Hokas and
good nutrition: Vitargo during the race, <a href="http://oilthemachine.com/">Udos</a> and Ultragen during my
training. </div>
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We are in Flagstaff AZ (camping by Shultz Pass) and
then heading to the San Juan Mountains of Colorado to train and then race the
San Juan Solstice June 23<sup>rd</sup>.
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<br /></div>
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After the race, we camped and had a fun time with our
friends Bones (Chris) and Treva Morath. </div>
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Leona Divide 50 Mile Blurb-</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP8mAax_NaU8Z8it9jj9Bo731KKFmTrRhY4IWHdzFUp90v4PVEaQK_yjtqsa6ZtTTUomZHborU0vHKebLxjVoZRE73yxOjpnZurFL1Ew9ibHkfBkaaSbJJ-ulq8tmkk1qJEmxenHFQel8/s1600/2012-Leona-Divide-50-Mile-Mens-Top-5-Maravilla-Wolfe-Olson-Schlarb-Bowman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP8mAax_NaU8Z8it9jj9Bo731KKFmTrRhY4IWHdzFUp90v4PVEaQK_yjtqsa6ZtTTUomZHborU0vHKebLxjVoZRE73yxOjpnZurFL1Ew9ibHkfBkaaSbJJ-ulq8tmkk1qJEmxenHFQel8/s400/2012-Leona-Divide-50-Mile-Mens-Top-5-Maravilla-Wolfe-Olson-Schlarb-Bowman.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top 5</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Long story short, I had a great time at <a href="http://leonadivide5050.com/">Leona Divide</a>. Maggie, Felix, my parents and brother Jaxon all came out. The race was cool, fun, well put together, etc... my 6:22 was fast but I never felt "on" or "good". I did manage to put in my best training leading up to this race and that training will pay dividends down the road. How I felt last weekend at Jemez is further evidence that I wasn't ready to run that weekend in California. It was disappointing for me to miss this opportunity, but there will be more races in the future! </div>Jason Schlarbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649845109235484268noreply@blogger.com5