My NEW girl

My Leadman bike arrived today. I'll be up late building her and up early riding. I'm super psyched for Paketa having a bit of faith in me.

My old girl Olivia

Olivia has been coming around our house, almost daily, for the past ~3 years now. She's been in our house in fact. Last year I was sitting at my computer with the front door open and she boldly walked in. She gave me a smug look and stole a shoe. I followed her out and she dropped the shoe, sat down and looked at me like 'what do you think?' When Olivia had a litter of pups last year she brought them to our house. Me and the boys stood on the deck and watched as 4 pups played in my back yard. Olivia sat just a few feet from me and looked at me like a proud mamma showing off her kids. I've walked out to my shed with Olivia at my heel and as I worked on my bike (my shed is my bike shop) she sat at the door and watched me work. I don't know what the life expectancy is of a wild fox, but I call Olivia my 'old girl'. She's a sweetheart. We have an entire wall of family photos in our house, our best photos of our kids. And there in the middle is my old girl Olivia. She came around today and walked up and sniffed my fingers... just made me think how much I truly enjoy seeing her. I don't want to take her for granted. I don't know how long she'll be around, and I doubt she'll read this blog post (ha) but she's made my life better.

The king of all workouts

  The King of All Workouts.
I woke up Saturday to snow and as I so brilliantly waited for it to stop... it turned to rain. So I opted to drive down to a trail out of the altitude (5500ft) where it was still spitting but a balmy 40. The long tempo run, the best workout in the World... maybe even in the whole county. The goal was to just run relaxed and strong, but I did this same run before Leadville in 2010 and averaged 6:48 pace working quite hard so I did have that in the back of my mind. The first 13 felt like MAF but the last 5 required a bit of brain work which I feel is why the long tempo is the best workout. Zero calories in the 16 hours before and zero during, no water during. I sort of wanted a fuel test (ala Canova) to see how my MAF/AeT fitness are. No low energy at all during this which shows I didn't really go deep in to my glycogen stores. Had I bonked or wilted then I would have obviously been burning more glycogen than fat. This 'test' loosely shows my metabolic economy. This was my fastest long tempo run in probably 5 years.
2 mile warm-up, then 18 miles averaging 6:24 pace. The Garmin says 1700ft of gain but I would guess it closer to less.

Signs of fatigue.
 Sunday was 12 miles with 2400ft of gain/ bike 1:45 with 2 X 3 mile tempo climbs.
 Monday was 6 miles recovery jogging/ bike 1:30 with muscle endurance (big gear) intervals.
This morning I ran 12 miles with 2400ft of gain up to 9200ft altitude. My legs  didn't feel tired but I didn't feel good. I averaged 7:45 pace which is quite solid up here and my average HR was 140. Gordo Byrn once told me "You're either really fit or really tired" in response to my HR and pace during a lactate test he was giving me. Fatigue and very high fitness sometimes show similar data. Just looking at my average HR VS pace you could assume I'm super fit. Or my HR is depressed and I'm very fatigued. My PE this morning felt OK, I was definitely working just to hold my HR above 140 on the climbs though. I'm fatigued for sure but I'm not on the edge yet. No lingering muscle soreness (the amino acid supplement I'm taking for recovery is brilliant), my sleep is OK. My appetite is gone which is part fatigue and part altitude.
 6 weeks to the start of Leadman.

Hoka shoe review

Yep, two posts in two days. I've left the mountains and was in an actual city 3 times in the last 3 weeks. Maybe I'm getting cabin fever, I doubt it though because my friend the log, we talk all the time, told me I'm doing just fine.
 I put 20 miles on the Hokas since yesterday and my initial thoughts are that I like the shoe. The most noticeable difference is on severe downhills. I liken it very much to the difference between riding a fully rigid mountain bike versus a full sus. You really don't have to try to be gentle as the shoes just absorb everything. You can just let your legs go and the impact is a non-issue. I can absolutely see a huge value in the Hokas in regards to cumulative leg fatigue and damage from high mileage, particularly if you're running a ton of negative vertical. I completely understand the idea behind the minimalist shoes and the biomechanical/ strength benefits and I like/ agree with it. But if you're going to get hit with a sledge hammer I suggest wearing some padding. No issues at all with heel rub yet. Once I got the feel for the shoes they were more stable than I expected. No feeling of rolling my ankle but I wasn't on loose rock single track either.
 If there was a downside, and this is possibly a bit premature to say, it was that my feet got very hot. Almost like 'hot spots' on the bottoms of my feet similar to cycling shoes. It was a minor annoyance but this morning it was only ~35 degrees so I have to wonder what they would be like if it were actually hot like 80 or 90 degrees?
  I think they're going to be perfect for the shoe change at Twin Lakes at Leadville. Wyatt gave me these (even paid for the shipping) and I'm very grateful for his generosity!

New kicks.

I'm going to like these. Thanks Wyatt!

Monday bike 4500ft gain with tempo work

 The roads up high are still icy in spots but I didn't crash. I thought I would once, but I didn't. 3 X 1200ft gain/ 2.5 mile long climbs to 9400ft altitude with the Powertap on my cross bike at a tempo effort. HR was depressed but wattage was right where it was the last time I did this right before Leadville, good sign since it's November. I've lost nothing from August.
 Tomorrow I'll enter Leadman...

Sunday long run in pictures

  It was a balmy 30 degrees and a beautiful night/ morning.

The sun finally starting to come up.

30 miles away Broomfield is still asleep.

 Epic shot. This guy was actually posing for me I think. 

Random tree shots

My shed. We've had some wind

I'm wondering if the icicles will reach the shed. 

Wednesday 3 hour snowshoe in pictures

About 3 hours. I left at close to 11:00am and walked back in at 2:00. This was 50% backwoods off trail and 50% jeep roads up in Arapaho National Forest. Over a foot of snow... exhausting.

Picasso? 

Big animal tracks. I'm about 99% sure it was a small puma or a lynx or bobcat and since it was snowing fairly hard and the tracks were not buried, I would guess it passed by less that 15:00 before me. And since I was following... I went through there. 

This looked cooler in person

Big cat tracks...here he jumped about 8 feet. I followed the tracks for quite a while. No belly drag marks in ~12" of snow. 

1000ft climb

Looking down at where I went off the jeep road in to Arapaho National Forest

Two sets of tracks. Mine from 3 hours before turn left off the jeep track and mine again finishing the loop

A balmy 20 at the finish

Response to yesterday's podcast...

This comes from Art in an e-mail. I'm posting it because everything he says I agree with and it adds to my podcast answers. Although this is cycling specific there are some good concepts. I used to add car tire balance weights to my bicycle rims to increase rotational weight. I also would hose clamp a 3 pound dive weight to my seatpost.


My top pro rider uses a 50 lb weight vest to run stairs (two at a time) and also to hop them....100 feet verticle in about 35-37 sec's for running....he can hop 'em as fast as I can fast walk them....by the time he gets to the top he almost has the dry heaves.....he can do 6 of those babies before he gets light headed and wants to puke....all his workouts are based on my ancient ones I used to do back in the early 80's....he has also ridden back and forth to his work site, about 2 1/2 hours (one way) while wearing a 50 lb backpack....

When I ride with extra weight I use a fanny pack that holds 4 small water bottles and put two bottles on the bike itself....in addition I add a camelbak 72-oz to my back....I do this a lot at Leadville during the summer when I'm leading rides out of the local bike shop there....

The big mistake that many athletes make with gels is that they just don't realize how much extra water needs to be ingested with the gel so their liquid and cal intake gets messed up, and their intestinal tracts are playing see-saw with trying to regulate cell water content....that ol' stomach totally shuts down for a lot of weekend warriors when their VO2max shoots above 65% 'cause they don't train hard enough and they try to eat solid food....long chain carbs, electrolytes, and water mixed at the same ratio and ingested at specific intervals throughout the race gets those "joe's " to the finish....

I've also found that the "sweet spot" while running changes with the specificity of training in long distance runners and with a change in their body weight but not with a change in their leg strength....the "sweet spot" is also more reactive to eccentric vs. concentric contractions with cross country runners vs. track runners.

Monday

  I did podcast #2 for Endurance Planet today. It's already up and running. 8 solid questions with a little minimalist shoe talk which is probably going to get me in to trouble. I feel pressed when answering the questions and I don't think I convey my thoughts perfectly. I don't think quickly on my feet. I also talk too much about myself rather than answering the question. Rookie.
 We're supposed to get 12 inches of snow tomorrow with another 6 on Wednesday!!! Finally! I'm super excited for some weather to make things interesting.

Sunday long run in the neighborhood in pics

 I didn't carry my handgun for this run unlike most "stupid yankees" who "are obsessed with guns." Sweet comments from someone on yesterday's post which originally was about a handgun I want.
  I ran from home today with a weighted pack. 4 bags of sand and a liter of water got me to ~10 pounds. For Leadville next year I need to be accustomed to the weight, not that I'll carry 10 pounds in the race though.

Heading up Crescent Mountain. About 900ft of gain in the first mile.  

My house is just left of center in this pic

Starr Peak to the left

Pikes Peak and the front range foothills

Looking down my canyon. Not hard to find hills here. 

My neighborhood

Blue Mountain. I did a point to point "run" up this from my house a couple years ago. Since then I've found trails to the top. This is in the Coal Creek (or Jeffco) Mountain Park. 

Thursday nada

And I'll find strength in pain
And I will change my ways
I'll know my name as it's called again
Cause I have other things to fill my time
You take what is yours and I'll take mine
Now let me at the truth
Which will refresh my broken mind

 The day (bedroom remodel) got away from me. I decided to put another coat of plaster on the drywall and then I finished trimming the new window. Then I primed the entire room. NOW it's on to the floor... maybe.
 I realized after my podcast with ultrarunnerpodcast.com that I totally misspoke at one point. The discussion was on beer and somehow a question as to what triathletes drink, or something like that, came up. I said triathletes are more 'snooty' and they prefer mixed drinks. The word I was trying to think of was 'refined'. Not sure why I said snooty. Just a preemptive clarification... people who know me know I'm really a triathlete that doesn't swim.
 I have $900 in my checking account ready for Leadman registration. I saved a couple hundred more expecting the entry fee to go up. That's what it does right? I remember my first Ironman in Kona I think I paid $250... now it's $650. 5k's used to $10.00. I even remember buying a pack of smokes for $1.50. Errr, never mind.

Update and Leadman thoughts

 I start to lay the cork flooring tomorrow and then I'll be done with the remodel. Bob came up and we ran 8 miles easy and chatting with 1500ft of climbing. Tomorrow I'm debating between running up and over Rollins Pass on the Continental Divide or doing a ~8k climb day on the bike. With Leadman so far out I think biking is best right now. Bob called me a hybrid athlete today... I like it. Not sure I have been this fit in October in a couple years. My strength is there, my run is solid and my biking is bad ass.
 And Leadman entry opens in 13 days. I had originally planned on waiting until January to enter but there's little doubt where I want to place my energy next year, it's all I can think about. And with that I have become extremely motivated to give everything to the 100 run, sandbagging the 100 bike and going super easy and just dipping under 9:00. An 18:00 at the 100 run will put the Leadman record WAY out there, so that will be the goal. I'm super motivated right now which is dangerous... I need snow to distract me with back country skiing for a while.
 And while waiting at Starbucks for an athlete of mine, I doodled this. It's a rough draft of how I'll approach Leadman.

Friday stuff and junk and crap and things.

 I finished the drywall in the spare bedroom tonight. Hanging drywall is tough by yourself. You start the first wall piece against the ceiling running length wise so you have to pin a 50 pound sheet against the wall, line it up perfectly, and then magically shoot a screw with one hand. Good stuff. No serious injuries to report which makes it a successful day. Next up is finishing the plaster and then laying the flooring. Then a platform bed with Ben's bed underneath 'like a cave'. I want to do chicken wire on the outside covered in paper mache painted to look like stone. That's what he wants anyway... and I'm always a sucker for for the loves of my life.
 The new i-phone looks pretty awesome. I've only gotten to play around with it after Ben went to bed last night. He loves it and I had to have him show me how to get to Angry Birds. He also figured out how to use the camera and I heard him flipping through i-tunes earlier. This is a good thing to me. Rather than have to hang drywall I would prefer he used his head.
 Last night the podcast was cancelled a few minutes in due to a crappy phone connection. And the weekly podcast with Endurance Planet is set up and we may give it a go next week. Ben Greenfield will ask people to "Ask an ultrarunner" on facebook. You post your questions and then we go over them during the podcast. Could be pretty fun.

 Tomorrow GZ runs his first 100. I'm heading down after my wife comes home from work to maybe catch a lap or two with the digitally challenged old man.

And here's a little Leadman quote I found.
In 1999 Scott Hirst came to Leadville on a mission; in a blistering 30:03 he completed both 100 events with a 21:36 run and an 8:27 bike, simply amazing.  Humm, if someone could equal Scott’s times would it be
possible to break the 40 hour barrier for the series?  Here’s one way:
Mara+SR+100MTB+10K+100RUN
4:40 + 4:35 + 8:30 + :45 + 21:30 = 40:00

 Apparently no one has ever broken 30:00 for the combined Leadville 100 bike and run. Granted mine were a year apart but I combined a 27:5x. A week apart next year? Something to shoot for.

And this is from Mr Beth Walsh...

Quick update

 I'm still here. Just busy doing a full remodel of our spare bedroom in prep for moving the boys in to it. Our house was built in 1951 and it has issues. I pinched the tip of my finger off and it lit my world up, stars and endorphins and I was almost high from it. When I was roofing in the Virgin Islands I hit my thumb with a hammer and the pressure and swelling under my thumb nail built up for two days... on the third, I hit it again and my thumb exploded like a grape and I remember tears squirting out of my eyes. This was close today. I had two ER visits this year... so some gauze, tape and a glove will prevent another. Really really really intense pain is like a drug. A really painful one.
 I have a write up on my athletes coming. I'm behind on this.
 Trainingpeaks is going downhill at the same rate that they are trying hard to get better. It was perfect a couple of years ago. Simple and very effective. Now it's just tedious and complicated.
 I should be getting my (free) i-phone in the next couple days. No cellular plan, I hate cell phones, but I will be far more mobile with just the wifi thingy. Plus it will have Angry Birds.
 Tomorrow is my podcast with ultrarunnerpodcast.com
 And hopefully I will be doing a weekly podcast with Ben Greenfield at Endurance Plant.
 I've never listened to a single podcast and I'm not sure what it/they is/are. I think it's for people who are bored at work. Like my blog.

Hawaii Ironman snow day

 We have 3" of new snow and it's still coming down, I'm psyched! A friend of mine is borrowing me an AT ski (randonee) set-up to try out. This means I can ski anywhere that I can run up here. I suck on the downhills with cross country skis but this set-up uses alpine like boots with a lockable heel which is what I'm used to. I'm excited to expand to another sport. Killian Jornet does this over the winters, can't be a bad thing then.

 And today is Ironman Hawaii.

Ultimate Direction video shoot

 The Ultimate Direction video shoot lasted 8 hours. And it was a blast! TONS of video shot with gazillion dollar (to me) equipment in an awesome location by awesome photographers. The interview lasted over an hour and Eric Larsen asked some killer questions that really challenged me. From fear and my childhood to 'my legacy' and my ego. He had some great ones but coming from someone with his polar expedition bad-assedness I should expect that. Total blast. I have no idea when the video will be done but I will get all the raw footage for myself, which will include my off camera remarks which can't be shown on a family blog.

It's THAT week again...

October... the week before Kona and I'm already pissy and on edge and keyed up. I love this week... too much! It will only get worse as the week goes on. And my athletes racing Kona only compound the stress... but that's a good thing. Michelle and Josh are both in the shapes of their lives and I am extremely nervous and anxious for them. Saturday will be ~10 hours straight in front of the computer as the online coverage of Ironman Hawaii is amazing.

Sunday week review

 The week was 'meh'. Not great but definitely adequate for October and no race plans on the horizon. This coming week has a few things lined up for me though.
 A Tuesday podcast for an ultrarunning site. I'm afraid I will be a disappointment as I'm not an ultrarunner.
 And Wednesday is a video shoot for Ultimate Direction. One of the guys behind the shoot is famed polar explorer Eric Larsen. I have a huge amount of respect for who he is and what he has done. As a closet Everest and mountaineering fan he is one of the very few people in the world who I look at and think 'balls'. I have very little fear of the world and the things in it, but when it comes to shit like K2 and Everest I get nervous. He loves MY story so I am flattered and nervous.
 New territory for me this week. I don't deserve this attention but if they want it then I'll give them classic Lucho... and the people who really know me are at this moment cringing.

Saturday bike in pictures

Cross bike 

Cross dressed

I'm dorking out on the self shots. GZ watched me 'surf' down this hill holding back the double jogger. 

Looking down at my hood

Looking through Eldorado Cyn, one of my favorite views on this route

Green... Bear

Pretty typical climb.This is about a ~15% grade at times and about 1.5 miles long

Dork

The top of Starr Peak and the American Tower antenna building

Starr Peak and Sheepshead

Looking down a descent (all told this is a 12 mile drop from 9000ft down to 5500ft) with Green and Bear in the background. Tons of super tight switchbacks and 50mph straights. A shot of adrenaline is a hell of a way to wake up in the morning.