Tuesday, December 23, 2014

A Crew's Top 3 Picks 2014 {in Photos}

We are all getting a feel for how Cody views the trails. Basically he eats, sleeps and bleeds it. This morning, we watched Cody's video that Google + compiles based on photos he has uploaded in the past year. I bet you can guess what the entire 60 second montage consisted of. In addition to me vowing to make him take a few more pics of himself and his family, the video also got me thinking back on the past year. The good, the bad and the hospitals. So, I thought I would share with you all some of my favorite highlights from the trails. These are in chronological order.

                                                                     Zion 100k. 

The first family excursion of the year. To a race. (You will notice a pattern in our family travels. I'm sure some of you can relate.)







The weather was not sweltering, which is better than....well,  sweltering. There were numerous crew "accessible" locations. (minimal walking required- bonus with kids in tow), amazing views from a top the plateaus, below the plateaus and then ...a top the plateau again. Really, the waiting was so much more bearable with Zion and a sprawling Virgin valley to look at. 

HardRock 100 2014

I believe we have covered this whole trip in sufficient detail. If you feel it hasn't Cody and I are more than happy to recap. It is just as fun in hindsight as it was when it was occurring. 
This wasn't a race for Cody, but he left a significant part of himself there in the San Juans. (We are grateful that part wasn't his spleen...). Hightlight Photos- just in case you are considering this race. Go. Just Go. Hike, walk, drive, whatever. This place is fantastic. 











After this, other trail runs start to pale. But we happen to be fortunate enough to live in a trail mecca, so I wasn't jaded for long. Cody dropped from Speedgoat, but we still attended the race as spectators (a job Cody does not relish. In fact, I am pretty sure I saw some tears shed as runners approached,  sped by then dwindled in the fresh mountain air.)

Speedgoat 2014







Speedgoat is another spectator friendly race. I am pretty sure I have raved on it before, but it bears repeating. I could come every year just to cheer on these trail hungry athletes. Rain or shine, alone or with a sad and melancholy husband, hiking or waiting for runners, this race satisfies. Even for the non running, camera wielding, person that I am.  Or should I say, especially for the non running, camera wielding person that I am. 

Sunday, December 7, 2014

Hardrock 2015 ??

No Hardrock 100 for me in 2015

Stony Pass
photo courtesy of Matt Trappe (my hero)

No, I wasn't one of the lucky 152 runners who were picked in the lottery for the coolest 100 mile race around (from my biased opinion).  Really, I didn't have much of a chance.  About 2.5% chance actually.  So, after crying for a bit I went to break the news to Bethany.  She nearly cried too..for joy.  "Oh good, no hospital visit this year!"  
You never know...I might still find a way to make that happen... 

Actually, we are planning a trip back to pace/crew!  That's the new plan!  I left Tim hanging last year and need to redeem myself.  And lucky for us all, he got in again.  

Now that Hardrock is out, better figure out my schedule for 2015....
So far, its looking like this.  Some gaps might be/will be filled.  Any suggestions?

-Bighorn 50 (June)
-Pacing at Western States (June)
-Pacing at Hardrock (July)
-Tushars 93K (Aug)
-Wasatch 100 or Bear 100 (Sept)

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

The North Face 50 - Park City (Race Report)

Oops, I guess I didn't post an actual race report.  I have been busy spending any extra time I have hiking up and down the local peaks before the snow flies.  So here goes a shortened belated version.

I signed up for this race on a whim when I found out my friend Fan was going to run it (and I had a 40% off coupon).  Two days later, I got injured.  Why does that always happen?  I tried to train (last minute) but things didn't work out with my new injury so I just ran the race best I could, far from peak form, merely hoping for a finish.

I brought my camera and just tried to keep moving the first half of the race.  I was running around 30th place enjoying the views and taking a ton of grainy pictures.  I realized I can't take shots with my iphone until the sun comes up.  Horrible quality.  2 Tylenol's and a few hours later I was still moving and still felt relatively strong!  Time to put the camera away and chase some people down.  I was able to pick up the pace a bit and pick them off one at a time until... I won the race!  Just kidding, I took 17th place.  I was a solid 2 hours behind the winner.  Good enough for an injured, out of shape guy!  I was super happy to do so well and actually run all 50 miles.  I decided I didn't like the course and am now officially allergic to switchbacks.  The course had 20 zillion of them and I am not exaggerating.  The scenery was sweet though and that made up for the switchbacks.  There are some seriously sweet trails to run in Park City!

Here are some shots I took during the race -













Time: 9:34:09
9250' vertical climbing
17th overall

For those interested, I did beat Fan.  And as you all know, that is all that matters (for me).  Beat all my friends until they are no longer my friends!

Sunday, August 3, 2014

Speedgoat 2014

Cody will not be writing a race report on Speedgoat 2014. Sadly. He is still sidelined and none too happy about it. He decided that we should go spectate and live vicariously through the "lucky" men and women who had the chance to run this year. I took along my camera. And was obnoxious. Cody rarely gets the chance to sit with me during an actual race. I think he forgot just how many pictures I take, how often I stop and how quickly I get distracted from what we are talking about.
So, a quick (forever long) plug for Speedgoat in pictures.


Early morning ride up the Tram. Snowbird is awesome this way- a quick ride to the top while all the runners are slogging their way up the mountain. 


The sun coming up over the course as everyone sets up their spectating spots.





 A lighter view of the second half of the course with Larry's Hole Aid Station down there in the bottom.




 Sunrise touching the top of the Twin Peaks. No runners are expected for a bit still, so Cody and I decided to work our way down to the lower grounds. We spent a good amount of time on a ridge between a turning in the course, so we just had to walk a bit from one side to the other to see the front runners and still see the later runners as well. Convenient? I think, yes.




 This part of the course is visually awesome. The runners come up the switchbacks on the gravel rock slide. A zoomed out shot.

A flowery shot. 


Oh, and the first runner (Sage Canaday) coming in to the switchbacks. He has his eye on the $1000 for the first man to the top of Hidden  Peak. 



And a zoom in on the rocks. There is a runner in there. I promise.



Then a quick turn around to see the spectators, um, spectating on hidden peak. Lots of cowbells here.




Down the other side of the ridge after a quick sprint down Hidden Peak.




I kept seeing the "Regulator" sign and thought how appropriate it was for this race. 





Looking down in to Larry's hole. Spot the runner and it gives you a sense of scale.



This is the climb up out of Larry's Hole and on the way to Baldy. Grueling to watch, I can't even imagine doing it. Or paying for it.





Cody cursing his mono and counting the days, hours and minutes until he can run this race again.






Climbing Baldy and looking back at Hidden Peak and the Tram Station where the spectators still spectate.
I tried to convince Cody to go on and hike ahead of me. I pretended that I was taking pictures but I was really trying to catch my breath. This part of the hike gets my heart rate up. Cody insisted (quite chivalrously) that he would stay by me. My racing heart sank a little at the fact that my mono ridden, spleen enlarge-ed husband was still more spry up the mountain than I. 



But my slow tread up the peak was not without it's benefits. This is the back of Timp and just to the left of Twin Peak.


 Perhaps this is why so many people love to hate this race. So worth the agony to the top.


Cody climbing up the ascent to Baldy. I am pretty sure he just wanted to prove he can do it, mono and all.


Then resting. I only saw one actual racer sit, and even then for just a minute as the hecklers (racer wannabe's) spectating here gave him a hard time. He quickly got back on his feet and out of the line of fire. 
We only stayed through until around noon, being that our children were performing manual labor, meant for us, at Grandma's house. Don't worry, they were paid handsomely. By Grandma.

And there you have a peek at Speedgoat. The Karl Meltzer Test of Endurance and Sanity. Or, more acurately, "Proof of Endurance but not Sanity." For a look at my other photos of this race, have a virtual walk on over to my flickr page. Link is to the right, over there ------>