Thru Endurance We Conquer!

It's become the Growler tradition for Nick and I - he races Saturday in the Half Growler and I take on the full Growler Sunday. That way we can be out at Hartmans to provide support for each other. The first year, I could only meet Nick in one place, since I was also babysitting Matt and Lonna's little boy. But since then - especially as my comfort driving the van has increased, I've been able to get to a few more places on course. The first year I drove the van out into Hartman, I didn't wear my running shoes - after missing a handoff and having to sprint across the sage to meet Nick, I've worn my running shoes ever since. I've been able to move along the course quickly and get a short little run in as well. Sure, a bike ride might be a little better for opening the legs, but it's easier for me to move around on foot and then I don't have to worry about my bike. View from my run across Rocky Ridge - those clouds would become something later... ...

Last year was the year of distance - I finally ran my first ultra and finished my 50 mile race. This year? Because of my eye, any distance plans I might have had for the year quickly evaporated. Something about not running for three weeks and then having to build back up while trying to avoid jarring... So that leaves one option! If I can't go long, I'm gonna seriously focus on my speed. And focusing on my speed means short and hard - the two things I struggle with and have struggled with even more since my 50. The furthest I've been able to run since March has been 5 miles. I started with a mere two miles - just to test things out. Then it was three miles, three times a week for a few weeks. Since that's all I was doing, I figured that I might as make it quality. Which meant running a little faster then I usually do and really pushing the pace during the intervals. Even the intervals were shorter then what I would normally run - five minutes or less. When you're on...

Chase Adventure. That phrase invokes dreams of big mountains, winding singletrack and epic days in the woods. We tend to picture adventure as being solo explorers, seeking out new trails and destinations. But that picture paints a narrow and limiting view of what adventure really is - and maybe holding some people back from going out on their terms and defining their own adventure.  Where does that long, winding road lead to? Adventure is calling Adventure can be found in the city park you never explore. The one only a few minutes from home, but not as convenient as the go-trails just around the block. Who knows what you'll find. It might be a seldom used but well designed section of trail that challenges new skills and sharpens old ones. There might be a new little hill or loop that is perfect for some hot laps. It might not be far, but the adventure is in the exploration. The brain can go on autopilot on the same route day in and day out. Shake it up. Take your morning run...

Whoops... Amber and I had a plan. It was a good plan - a chance to do some easier riding, get away from the Canon for a bit and generally ride something new. We'd pathalete from ProCycling up to the AFA, then do Falcon trail, make our way to Blodgett Peak and then meander through Ute to get back to the path for the return to Pro. A solid day of pedaling, some trails that I haven't ridden in a while and some new trails in Blodgett Peak. Since a lot of the ride was on path, I decided to ride my Fate - just change things up a little. I knew we'd be able to stop and get water if we wanted since we weren't really heading off the grid, but for some reason I still decided to nearly fill the bladder in my Osprey. I also tossed the spot tracker into the pack, just because. Not sure why, but... The first part of the plan when as anticipated. Some nice flattish pedaling up to Ice Lake, then the cut off to the Falcon Trail. We jumped on the trail at the Fire Station, meandered t...

I did something different this past April - while I didn't raise any money doing it, I challenged myself to partipate and complete the #30daysofbiking during April. Why? After all, I usually have my well throughout out balance between running, cycling and rest days. I've never done a streak and have really never had the desire to do a streak of anything. But with my eye, I wasn't going to be running for the first half of the month at least - so I would need to do something to maintain the fitness that I would loose without running. Riding a little more sounded like just the plan. That meant it couldn't just be spin around the block or a jaunt to the bar. It had to be a worthwhile, meaningful ride that would actually develop fitness and strength. And there was another kicker - I was also still on limited mountain biking or riding outside when I started this. I would be doing many of the rides inside, on the trainer. And out of the 30 days of biking, 12 were inside. My sh...