What People See

The North Face Endurance Challenge San Francisco 50 Mile

THE NORTH FACE ENDURANCE CHALLENGE

GORE-TEX 50 MILE on 12/5/2015 at Marin Headlands

I've thought about returning to the Golden Gate National Recreational Area ever since my first endurance challenge.  There is something about experiencing a park that was set aside as San Francisco was built that resonates with me.  What's magical is coming upon the Golden Gate Bridge from a single track trail, experiencing what feels like a light rain but is really just drops from the coastal redwoods drinking the fog, or the clean pacific ocean air on your lungs.  Those heightened senses when enduring a 50 mile run create memory impressions that run deep and I'm stoked to be going back for more!
In my life, running has transformed my perspective to live a life filled with limitless possibilities for growth.  With running you can narrow your focus to control the controllables and set goals you yourself make individual progress on.  You can choose something you care about with passion then apply energy to do something about it to improve.  The accumulation of hard work adds up and on race day you bring the best version of yourself forward for the challenge.
While running, you can surrender your mind to focus all of your energy on this very moment and the struggle sharpens your body and your mind instead of avoiding it with modern day conveniences. If you've read my previous blogs, I put words into action and love a good mantra to think about as I chase my goals.  My legs only take me so far and when they get tired its my mind that challenges me to believe in myself and my ability, do my very best and accomplish anything I set my mind to do.
At the starting line, the anticipation of what is going to happen is magical.  Everyone here is seeking adventure and enjoying some of the best experiences life has to offer.  This is not the part of society that plays a video game but rather steps into that video game character within themselves to seek adventure in real life.  We are about to race through the Muir Woods, one of the most beautiful places on earth and when the struggle gets real the energy in those surroundings is something surreal to tap into.
So I'm lined up at the starting line and to my right is no other the author of the Field Guide to Ultrarunning, Hal Koerner.  My friend Tyler who just did Pine to Palm 100 had a crazy idea for me to carry a GoPro for 50 miles today so as luck would have it, the opportunity just presented itself for an interview with Hal on the starting line.  In this sport, I get to follow in the footsteps of my idols and see eye to eye at the very moment they look into the eye's of competition.  Very real.  So Hal says, "the wolves are coming out today".  To hear the alpha wolf relay that mindset as the pack lines up put me right there in the moment.  To witness what is humanly possible from the greats in our sport gives me perspective to push my own boundaries.  I love the fact that I'll be running in Hal's foot steps on the trail today.
The race starts off fast and the momentum of the group carries me up the first hill effortlessly.  I take a few moments to point the GoPro to the incredible views along the way.  One of the views was a river of headlamps lighting up the trail behind me.  The trail felt alive.
My day was going just like any long run out to Mt Tam, the half way point.  I used Tailwind exclusively as my fuel.  Arriving at each aid station was like clock work where I opened my handheld prior to arriving, handed it over to the volunteer to fill with water then pulled out a zip lock back of tailwind to refill and go.  I felt perfect all day with this approach.
Arriving at the last aid station with drop bags, I had placed a Red Bull and iPod in my special needs bag to give me a boost to bring it home.  This was a pivotal moment for my day to attempt digging deep for a sub 10 finish.  I had assessed fellow runners I was next to at this point of the race and picked one runner to follow for dear life.  He was fast on the down hills and picking people off so I jumped on his heels.  What I can describe happened next was just like downhill skiing.  I took risk, jumped over stairs, tried skipping & jumping on the tops of rocks, leaned into it and went crazy fast downhill.  I took an epic fall going all out on tired legs and landed flat on my chest.  Fortunately, I landed on good dirt and avoided falling on any rocks.  I got right back up and kept on his heels.  We ran on the flats, continuing to pick people off.  It was the best part of the race, having the reserves to pace a fast runner home.
I finished with a 9:45, a one hour PR from last year.  It felt amazing to tap into a state of all out 100% that has grown from my all out capabilities just one year ago.  Its always an emotional finish to put it out there on the line and see what your body's capable of.  Its a validation point for me to keep going with the momentum and see where this path will lead.
Strava Results
http://www.strava.com/running-races/2015-the-north-face-endurance-challenge-san-francisco-50-mile-championships

Surf City 26.2 Training Plan

Week One

Sunday: long run finish with 3 mile cutdown

Workout 1: 4x mile 3 mins rest 

Workout 2: 1.5 mile LTR (or race)

Week Two

Sunday: long run finish with 3 mile cutdown

Workout 1: 2x 2 mile 3 mins rest

Workout 2: LTR  (or race)

Week Three

Sunday: long run finish with 4 mile cutdown

Workout 1: 5x mile 3 mins rest 

Workout 2: LTR (or race)

Week Four

Sunday: long run finish with 4 mile cutdown

Workout 1: 3x 2 mile 3 mins rest

Workout 2: LTR  (or race)

Week Five

Sunday: long run finish with 4 mile cutdown

Workout 1: 6x mile 3 mins rest

Workout 2: LTR  (or race)

Week Six

Sunday: long run cut down last 5 miles

Workout 1: 2x3 mile 

Workout 2: LTR  (or race)

Week Seven

Sunday: long run finish with 5 mile cutdown

Workout 1: 7x mile 3 mins rest

Workout 2:  LTR

Week Eight

Sunday: long run finish with 5 mile cutdown

Workout 1: 3 mile, 2 mile, 1 mile [3 mins rest between each]

Workout 2: LTR

Week Nine

Sunday: long run finish with 6 mile cutdown

Workout 1: 10x 1K 3 mins rest

Workout 2: LTR

Week Ten

Sunday: long run finish with 6 mile cutdown

Workout 1: 2 mile, 20 mins active rest, 3x mile 3 mins rest

Workout 2: 4x400, 30 min tempo @ your long run cutdown pace that you usually hit, 4x400.

*take 2 mins rest between the 400s

Week Eleven

Sunday: long run finish with 6 mile cutdown

Workout 1: 2 mile, 20 mins active rest, 2x mile 3 mins rest

Workout 2: Same as last week

Week Twelve

Sunday: Long run no cutdown

Workout 1: 2 mile, 20 mins active rest, 1 mile in 4:50

*do this workout as early in the week as you can, preferably Monday.

Workout 2: 10x 1 min ON 1 min OFF, nothing crazy just enough to keep you legs from getting stiff, make it a feel good workout.

Malibu 13.1

It was a normal Saturday and I’m at home when I receive a text from Justin.  “Well the sickness has cut me down and out.  If you want to drive down south you can have my bib.  You’ll probably be home by 3:00 tomorrow.  Let me know if you’re interested.”  My reply, “I’m in”.  

That evening, I drive down south on the 99, 5 and 101 to Malibu.  The race is held next to the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreational Area on the ocean front of Hwy 1.  When I look at a map, my eyes are always drawn to the green recreational areas, regional & national parks as key destinations where I wish to spend my free time.  This location did not disappoint and with the road closed to cars we’ve magically make Hwy1 our playground.

I paced a 7:22, 1:37 race.  I felt really good using this race as long run practice pacing for my full as I normally do my long runs on Sunday.  My worst mile was a hill at 7:58 but my last mile was 7:08 so my endurance is good and I’ll need to work on strength.  I tried something new at this race and went exclusively on water.  This was in part due to the aid stations only carrying water so participants don’t litter gel wrappers next to the Great Pacific Ocean.  It’s sometimes refreshing to learn to go minimalistic weather that is with gear, weight or nutrition and with this season focused on simply running, I feel like I want to run in that direction.

The Lost Boys of Yokohl Valley

The alarm is buzzing and I'm headed out to meet Tyler and Matt.  Were going running.  Tyler shows up in his white Ford pickup to carpool and we take his truck since it doesn't stand out on the country roads where cars break in's are common.  In terms of friends to run with to get faster, I'm in good company.  Tyler is a young buck who just completed the 100 mile foot race Pine to Palm.  Matt's got a real race resume taking a podium spot at half marathons.  So I'm 42 and staying young by hanging with these kids. Today we get to play in Yohohl Valley for our long run like a pack of lost boys.



In many ways, Yokohl Valley is our base camp where we have to earn it first before it gets repeated on race day.  The more time I spend out here, the more I become part of this landscape and adapt to the brutal training on sublime country roads.  Out on the road, there is peace in disconnecting from the everyday world.  If you take worries out on the road with you, you can leave them there when you return all content, exhausted and happy.



I've learned the act of running is far less difficult that the act of saying no to all those tasks that prevent you from your run.  In a way, it's a very minimalistic approach to happiness where you decide to do less things and re-allocate time to master your craft.  Running is an approach to finding happiness where it's not about what you own but what you experience that makes you feel rich.  Less stuff, more life. When I carve out time to go for a run its hard to say no but its all part of the process of unbecoming those parts of society that arn't really you.  



As Michelangelo once said “Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it”. 


Train your Athletic Mindset to think the following:

• “I believed I could so I did”.
• “Choose between what you want now and what you want most”.   
• “Qualifying for Boston demands and defines the person I want to be”.
• “You’ve got what it takes but it will take everything you’ve got”.
• "Starve your distractions to feed your focus"
• "Take a hold of the present day"
• "You always have another gear so when your legs give out run with your heart".

The simple act of arriving in Yokohl Valley for my weekly long run sets the stoke meter clearly off the chart, as Tyler would say.  We escape out here to wide open spaces that have escaped urban sprawl.  Its our backyard where nature is within reach.  Our little sanctuary where through the eyes of a runner we find our lost Eden.   Out in the country, a sunrise looks different than suburbia.  A sunrise happens every day out here and you can choose to put yourself in the way of beauty. 



To be continued...

20 Habits

1.   Eat foods that grow.
2.   Go to sleep early so you can wake up early.
3.   Sit in silence for 5 minutes to breathe deep and visualize what your about to accomplish.
4.   Make time for activities.
5.   Go for a run to bring in the sunrise.  Go for a walk to bring in the sunset.
6.   Stay present in the moment giving it the time and attention it deserves.
7.   Get rid of anything that isn’t useful or beautiful.
8.   Follow your dreams with action and hard work.
9.   Take the next small step and don’t give up.
10. Wear a smile that makes others smile.

11. Don't wait for others to change, start by pushing yourself.

12. You must expect great things of yourself before you can do them.

13. Imagine how you will feel performing at your best.

14. Learn self discipline so you can say No so that time and energy can be allocated to what's important.

15. Align with inspiring content.

16. Detach from the negatives.

17. There is a lot to master, practice you craft.

18. Find a way.

19. Make it a story worth telling.

20. Repeat because consistency is key to growth.

Scott Tinley’s Triathlon

Scott Tinley’s Triathlon October 3, 2015

I decided to do one last Triathlon this season before shifting gears into my 18 week Marathon training plan for Surf City.  Two weeks ago was Tahoe 70.3 and I was bit by the racing bug to do one last tri this season.  This weekend’s event calendar presented two long course options, Silverman or Scott Tinsley’s and I opted to race locally at Tinley’s.

I took the day off on Friday and after sending the kids off to school I packed for the road trip.  The combination of packing triathlon gear plus camping gear can be a bit overwhelming but through experience I have learned to go as minimalistic as possible.  I raided the fridge, threw together an ice chest for the road trip and headed out.

After arriving at Lake Lopez, I checked in, set up camp and went for a short ride to preview the course.  The bike course is absolutely stunning.  The start is similar to Wildflower where right out of the water is a climb from the lake bed then after leaving the lake the course looks similar to Vineman where you ride through some beautiful vineyards.  Possibly my top criteria for choosing future events will be a stunning bike course and this is quite possibly one of the best. 

After the bike course preview, I sat down in my outdoor recliner chair and fell asleep for a nap.  I woke up from my nap and to my surprise, I was surrounded by deer.  A mother and her 3 kids.  They just sat down right next to me only an arms distance away.  It was very peaceful and I just opened up my book and read while in the company of nature.  Part of racing is an acute focus on the present and looking right in the deer’s eyes I can appreciate the animal instinct where their attention is hypersensitive to their surroundings.  I strive for that same animal instinct on the bike when trying to stay aero or on the run feeling the slightest change in my heart race on a sunny hill.  It’s very meditating to observe nature and appreciate the natural animal instinct I probably seek myself when checking out from societies comforts to race.

That night, I made a fire and ate a P&J sandwich and beet juice mix I prepared at home.  I settled into my REI tent on a very cozy aerobed.  Totally stoked on just how simple life can be if you make it that way.  Race morning I ate two yogurts, a banana and orange juice and was ready to roll.

The 6 am morning DJ I can hear from the campsite gets me pumped to race.  After laying out my transition, I head off to the lake for the start.  3, 2, 1 and we are off.  The swim consisted of 3 laps on a half mile course.  For the first two laps, I was neck and neck with another competitor when the craziest thing happened.  Going into my 3^rd lap I arrived at exactly the same time as the International swim start and literally was the pace guy right in front of the mass wave start.  I did a quick siting to look behind and all I could see is a herd of swimmers & massive splashes so I braced myself to expect to be overtaken by the front of the pack.  I can imagine the announcer saying to the collegiate swimmers racing the international tri from Cal Poly, Santa Barbara, Stanford, Berkeley, etc. “go get him”!  When the first guys came through, I pick up on some feet and was able to draft that third lap around the course.

Exiting the swim is quite the climb to T1 and my oxygen deprived heart rate spike.  I’ll have to rehearse this for training next year, practice running a hill repeat after swimming.  T1 almost feels like slow motion while you get your senses back from the vertical swimming position in water to the horizontal position while catching your breath and changing out of the wetsuit.  I am getting good at transition because I know it has to be scripted as a hat trick because it is difficult to make decisions in a somewhat disoriented state.

Playing on the bike course was spectacular.  There were 3 guys in particular that I raced head to head with through the day.  3 bottles of tailwind along with 3 diluted gels in my hydro flask was the perfect nutrition.  Picture racing next to vineyards with oak trees cresting the road to provide shade from the Central California sun.  I fell in love with this bike course to say the least. 

The run was awesome.  I had observed a competitor during the turn around on the bike who was my targeted to catch.  I did not catch him on the bike, he was in fact a better swimmer and cyclist than me.  But I know it’s all 3 sports coming together so I had it in me to run strong and set out of T2 to catch him.  I think it was about mile 3 when I passed him and recognized by his calf he was the top guy in my age group I had just passed for the 1^st place AG position.  This inspired me greatly to feel the competition neck and neck and especially on the run. 

The run course consisted of 2 loops at 4.5 miles each.  The run felt just like Wildflower with hills, trails, campgrounds, downhills, etc.  The weather got pretty hot too but this is what I am used to so I just dumped water on my head at every aid station to keep cool.  I changed it up this time and did not carry a water bottle but used the on course aid stations and actually liked the natural running gate using my arms without the burden of carrying something.  It was very cute, many families from the campsites had kids everywhere at the aid stations passing out water and I had fun giving them positive vibes, high fives and thank you to these awesome little dudes.  This event is very much about families and I like supporting a family oriented event.  In one section of the course, kids were flying overhead on a zip line while their parents hung out on a sunny deck drinking beer & rocking out to some classic tunes while they cheered on the race.   

I finished the race 4:50, 1^st place age group and 5^th overall.  This was a great event & I look forward to coming back to next year. 

Ironman Tahoe 70.3

Yesterday, the announcement went out that after careful consideration Ironman Lake Tahoe will not be continued.  So as I sit back and reflect on my post-race analysis, I’ve got to put it all in perspective that I am thankful to have been part of this amazing event. 

And what an epic venue it was.  The weather lined up perfectly.  The difficult course was amazing.   Staying at the Village at Squaw with a balcony above the run course finish was the perfect spectator setting filled with good shopping, good food and good people.

Leading up to the race my training has been rock solid including a weekday routine at 5 am plus some weekends for the longer sessions leading up to the race.  My only concern has been for the last 2 months I have had a lingering breathing issue with a couch I attribute to the Rough fire causing poor valley air.  I shifted my training to indoors to help kick my cough but unfortunately I took it with me to Tahoe.  I can tell in my training this was impacting my run so I reset my run expectations accordingly and registered for the Surf City Marathon 20 weeks after Tahoe in order to defer my running goals to a future race. 

The plan for Tahoe was to swim & bike as hard as I can at elevation so that when I am on the run I’m so oxygen depleted that the voice in my head can’t event talk.  My friends joke that I bike the run out of my legs but how could I resist racing head to head, all out, on a course like this.  Go big then go home.

I used the self-seeding start to line up with the 30 min wave and I landed a 33 min swim.  This is the same exact time I did at Vineman.  I like aggressively lining up toward the front where I can follow the heels of the fastest group.  The podium finishers in my age group are doing 30 min so I have 3 minutes to improve to par and will change up my training next year to close this gap.  Currently, I swim about a mile 2-3 times per week whenever I can fit it in and without any structure.  I know adding the structured intervals and technique drills next year is where the improvements will come.  3 minutes on the swim is not much on the overall time gap I need to close, however, it would put me in at the front to start the bike race with that competitive lead group taking the race experience to the next level.

I nailed a fast T1 transition at 4:33.  I made the call ahead of time to go minimal and did not put on arm warmers, gloves, etc. because on my temp check swim/ride on Friday I knew I would only be cold until I hit dollar hill and that was worth it.

I landed a fast 2:49 bike leg.  This included spinning it out on the climbs to conserve.  This bike course was the most fun I have ever had on a bike.  When I arrived in transition I felt almost alone and only 15 minutes back from the 3^rd place front end of the race.  No doubt there is still a big 12 min bike gap to close but all it takes is hope and having the winners in sight running when I rode into transition is not something I have experienced.  Ironman is a world class field, not a local race where you’re a big fish in a small pond.  I will take this image of seeing the eyes of the 3^rd place AG podium finisher into next year’s training for sure.

I nailed a fast T2 transition at 2:06.  My legs felt strong coming off the bike as I had conserved on the bike hills and spun it out the last few miles.

As anticipated, I lost it on the run.  I couldn’t cough it out to get my full breath.  As my friend Teresa likes to say, suck it up buttercup, so I just finished with a slow 2:16 half.  The scenery on the run course was beautiful and I was happy to be out there living life to its fullest after riding the highs and running the lows of this amazing experience. 

Although my breathing was impaired, the fresh air I did take in on the run smelt clean, the water I gulped swimming all out tasted pure and the mountains I saw on that bike peaked my senses with a memory that only gets imprinted through rich life experiences.

Thanks for the memories Ironman Tahoe!