There's nothing but hills around here!!

First blog in quite some time.  Lots has happened, IM Chattanooga '15 was the biggest thing.  This blog isn't about that, it's about today's workout. 

We've recently moved you see.  At the old house, not far from Bob Jones University in my adopted hometown of Greenville, there were plenty of hills.  Tough to find a flat course when running from the house for anything less than 5ish miles.  However, the Swamp Rabbit Trail (SRT) was just 2 miles away and that was great for a longer run.  It was quick to get to the SRT (by car) if we had a specific workout of a shorter duration as well. 

All of that running on relatively flat ground did pay off in September of 2015 when we did IM Chattanooga.  Both my wife and I accomplished our goals and we are very pleased with those results (Thanks Katie!).  A lot of those mid-distance (and many of the longer distance runs) were on the SRT because Katie was asking us to hit specific paces, heart rate and / or perceived effort.  On flat ground it is relatively easy to hold a steady heart rate or pace. 

However, since we've moved, we now live about a mile from the entrance to Paris Mt State Park.  I only thought the previous place was hilly! 

Tonight's workout was intended to be about an hour.  Warm up was to be 1.5ish miles with 4ish miles at a steady effort / heart rate, and then a warm-down of whatever I felt I needed (min 1/2 mile). 

My target heart rate today was 145 - 150bpm.  On flat ground I would have simply said 150, but knowing that I had a lot of hills in front of me and that I haven't done this type of focused workout lately, I decided I would give myself some latitude.  

It must be time to change the battery in the HR strap because it took longer to warm up than it took my body - HR of 190bpm would have me on the ground doing the kickin' chicken!  However, after about 1.5 miles it did settle down to register the correct HR. 

So, it's been a while (since IM Chatt!) since I really have done some strict targeted HR runs.  I've done speed work, and I've done long slow(ish) / steady efforts, but I haven't really incorporated this demand for discipline into my mid-distance runs.  I know it is going to help me in the long run, thus the reason for setting a target for today's run.

Well, if I were to turn my data in for analysis, I'd be a huge failure!!  Running these hills around the house is TOUGH!  Uphill my HR was bouncing off 158 or 160 before I caught it, going downhills (especially the steeper hills) I'd see my HR at 135 or less.  Even on the milder descents I would find myself in the low 140s before I realized it. There is a LOT more work to be done for these workouts around the house. 

So why do I even care about hitting a target?  This is how you train yourself to execute a plan on race day.  It's easy to just go out and go hard from the gun.  Probably survivable for sprint distance triathlons, maybe even up to International distance.  However, especially when the distances start to go into the half Iron distance or more, it's vital that you can plan your race and execute that plan.  Finishing shouldn't be the only goal - finishing strong should be the goal. 

Winter Challenge 2015

Last weekend, for the 5th time, I lined up at the start for the XII Winter Challenge.  This is truly my favorite race.  I absolutely love the multi-sport events, and this one is very special.  Why is it special?  Perhaps many reasons, but one reason is because of the Williams Family and their own love of the race.

I'm not going to say I know each and every one of the Williams family, but I do feel like I know Chris and his wife Lisa as well as his brother Michael.  Along with other Williams brothers and their Father, they open their property to over 100 crazy people each February for 23 miles of racing bliss.  Some may look at the race format and question whether this is really bliss or not.

What is this Winter Challenge? It is a very unique Triathlon (they also offer a Duathlon, but my interest and focus is on the tri).  The tri consists of a 7 mile trail run, a 6 mile paddle and a 10 mile mountain bike.  On the surface nothing about the terrain makes any of these individual events difficult, but as I'll try to convey, this race is never easy.  One thing that makes this race interesting is that it is different every year - and every year I cross that finish line, I cross with a huge smile on my face.  I love this race.

Why is this race different every year?  In one way, you could say that the year to year differences are due primarily to the weather.  Big ice storm comes through the week before the event?  The Williams family (and MANY supporters) dig it out and salvage as much of the trail system as possible.  Were they able to clear every bit of trail?  No, so they had to make a modification.  Rain soaks the ground for several days before the race - what could have been a smooth trail now turns into a mucky mess that sucks shoes off your feet but provides cohesiveness to the sand and makes for a fast mountain bike.  Race morning dawns clear with no wind, the lake looks like glass - the sun heats up the ground surrounding the lake, causing air currents and the wind picks up just about the time the first competitors are getting into their kayaks.

But it's not just the weather - This year Chris reminded us "...it's a Timber farm - we had to re-route some trail due to harvesting of crops...".  Now there is a new trail which brings in all the challenges of a new trail (soft soil, roots and stumps, perhaps not always smooth).  The distances are always the same (or very close) year to year, but I don't think I've ever raced on exactly the same course in each of the events in which I've participated. 

Then there's the weather on race day.  Since the race is in the middle of the winter in South Carolina, it is a total crap-shoot on what you're going to end up with on race day.  This year the weather was outstanding.  The early morning conditions lulled all of the competitors into thinking the race was not going to be epic.  Of course by the time the race started the wind was beginning to pick up.  What had been glassy conditions on the lake now started showing white caps.  I've done this race with ice on the ground, during a rain storm - seems like almost every weather condition except snow.

But all of that goes into the character of this race - The Williams family and their hospitality, their beautiful farm, the conditions leading up to race day and the conditions on race day.  What it adds up to is 23 miles of racing bliss.

This year was a good year for me at the Winter Challenge.  Jenny and I have signed on with Malone Coaching and in just a few months Katie has brought me to a new level of fitness.  I've PR'd on each of my last two half marathons as well as the Green Valley 10 miler.  I actually did get out and paddle more than once before the Winter Challenge.  And while she has had us doing some bike work, I wasn't sure what to expect from my mountain bike.

When I lined up at the start, I actually lined up right at the front.  I didn't expect to be the fastest runner, but I felt confident in my run fitness and decided there was plenty of time in the first 3/4 mile for anyone to pass me if I wasn't quite fast enough.  Turns out I lined up just about exactly where I needed to be.  While I was passed by a few people in that first 3/4 mile (or so), we all sorted ourselves out in that distance and except for one person, no-one else passed me for the remainder of the run.

My race strategy was to go out hard and do my best to maintain that effort.  I pushed myself on that run, finishing out with a pace just under 8min / mile.  Certainly not the fastest - in fact about 14th fastest (out of 53).  Because I was just on the mend from a cold, I was very pleased with that run.

When you come off the run you go direct to the kayak, bypassing the transition area - in fact the transition area becomes the boat launch.  I threw on my camelback, my PFD, grabbed my paddle and asked a volunteer to help launch me.  I paddled out directly into the wind which had decided to come up as we were running.  THAT WIND SUCKED!!!  It was coming from our 11 o'clock for the first stretch, we got a bit of relief down the back stretch, but it hit us again from about 7 o'clock when we started making the turn at the end of the lap.  IT SUCKED!! 

The kayak course is 3 laps of the lake.  In reality my Garmin only clocked just over 5 miles.  It took me just over an hour to complete the kayak portion of the race.  Each of the three laps were the same - fight that wind on the front straight up to near the end of the lake, relatively calm conditions for about 2/3rds of the lake on the back straight before starting to feel the effects of the wind as you reached the front turn.  Have I said how much that wind sucked??

My 1h2m paddle time was enough for 11th in the paddle.  I passed several people out there on the first lap, so that advanced me some positions. I may have passed more on the 2nd and 3rd laps but it becomes very difficult to know who is actually still in front of you after that first lap. I know that a few people passed me before I finished.

What I need to consider is the impact my boat is having on my paddle time.  Most of the people who finished that paddle faster than me were paddling racing boats.  Here I am in my touring boat.  What might I be able to do in a real racing boat?  Perhaps next year I'll have to see about renting one of those fast boats...

Jenny had completed her duathlon (3rd female!!) and was there to meet me as I landed my boat.  She helped stabilize the boat as I disembarked and she told me that she thought I was in the top 10.  

Coming out of the boat is the best part of this race.  Consider what you've just put your legs through;  Seven miles of all-out running followed by something close to an hour where your legs have been nearly immobile.  They don't really want to work all that well when you come out of your boat.  For a spectator, watching the competitors come out of their boats is probably very funny.  I know my legs weren't fully cooperating until I had reached the transition area.

I'm pretty sure I lost a couple of spots coming off the boat and during that transition to the bike.  I really need to work on that.  Having to pass someone, or worse yet, missing out on the opportunity to pass someone because I'm slow in transition just makes it harder to advance position.  However, I know that I have a pretty good bike, so I just got to the business of riding my bike and taking as many positions as I could. 

I chased down Batman for the first two miles and passed him just about the time we crossed the mats at the start / finish line before riding on to the 2nd part of the course.  I tracked down and passed several people in the next few miles before crossing the road.  Shortly after crossing the road I had Chris Williams himself in my crosshairs and checked him off my list as I continued my climb up the overall rankings.

After Chris, I battled another competitor for a while.  He was strong in the double track or non-technical sections, I was much faster in the singletrack or technical sections.  Eventually he just let me pass.  For me it was now up to how much time I can put into him before that last mile plus (on non-technical terrain) to the finish.  All I could do was what I had been doing - push hard and ride smooth.

I was surprised when a couple of guys ( I think they were Relay teams) passed me rather late in that section on the other side of the road.  They were flying!!  I did my best to keep them in sight, but they were wicked strong and I was left to worry about those who might be behind me.  My right calf was and had been cramping a bit, so I was trying to treat it nicely....whatever that really means.

I crossed the road and I knew I only had something less than a mile.  I had just passed another guy so I shifted up to my big ring and pushed hard into the wind for the final stretch.  I managed to hold off that guy I was most worried about (he was stronger on the non technical) by about 20 seconds to finish in 2h48m06s.

That finish put me into 8th place overall.  That is my best finish for this race.  I'm already thinking about how I'm going to trim the 12 minutes that will bump me up to a podium position...

So you want to ride a bike? First step: Find the right fit.

A friend has asked me to put together some information that would be helpful to someone who is interested in getting into cycling but doesn't really know where to start.  I have been riding bikes for quite some time - really it started in 1985, however there have been periods that I have not really been cycling much.

That being said, I've been consistently cycling since returning to Greenville in 2005.  Started with my mountain bike, then more recently onto a road bike.  Between my wife and I we have 9 bikes.  Some are ridden more than others of course, but they span the range from a vintage Schwinn Tandem to a high end full carbon road bike and includes various other road and mountain bikes.

So, how's that help you, maybe not much right now, but my experience with bikes is what I hope to share with you so you can make some sense out of the whole bicycling scene.  You see, selecting a bike (new or used) starts with finding the right fit.  The right fit is really about three things:

• Your lifestyle and the type of riding you want to do.
• How much money you wish to spend (how does the purchase fit your wallet)
• Your physical size and fitting the proper frame size to you.  

The very first thing I want to encourage is for you to find all of the local bike shops in your area.  Forget about bikes from big box stores (especially from places like Wal-Mart, Target, KMart, etc.) and steer away from even the big box sporting good stores (locally we have Academy Sports, Dick's, etc.).  The key point here is you want to find a place where the people are VERY knowledgeable about bikes.  The local bike shop is your very best source of information and for quality bikes.

1.  Your Lifestyle and type of riding
So, let's get started on fitting you to a bike.  First you need to consider what type of riding you wish to do.  There are a TON of different types or styles of bikes out there, just check out this page from Bicycling Magazine.  I count 28 different styles of bikes on that page!!

However, even with 28 styles of bikes, you can still create a smaller number of groupings.  Clearly, even Bicycling Magazine has broken it down to a certain extent.  Just within the Road and Mountain categories are a total of 18 specific styles.

Since this post is intended for a new rider who's interested in getting fit, I'm going to try to keep it  relatively simple and break it down into only three Categories:  Road, Mountain and Hybrid.

Road Bikes:
Road bikes are generally a skinny tire bike that obviously goes best on the road (and generally quite fast).  Think of Le Tour de France.  While those bikes are true race bikes, most 'roadies' are riding bikes quite similar to what those Pros are riding.  Generally these bikes have a total of 20-22 speeds (gears) and a body forward riding position.  Depending on where you are with your fitness, this body forward riding position may be difficult for you. 

Here's my personal road bike.  While it doesn't fit into Bicycling Magazine's category "Road - Dream", it really is just about my dream bike (Pinarello ROKH):

Bicycling Magazine actually puts that bike in the Road - Plush category.  Why it falls into this category is a good reason for you to go visit your local bike shop - they can help you sort out the many different styles of Road Bikes.  If you are interested in a road bike, read the reviews of the bikes in the "Road - New Rider" category.

The bikes found in this 'New Rider' category are going to have frames mostly of aluminum, but there may be a lower end carbon frame in this bunch.  Component group (see your local bike shop... ;) will be lower to mid range as will wheels, saddle, handlebars etc. 

Getting involved in road riding is pretty easy.  Every local bike shop here in Greenville offers an opportunity for group rides - it's pretty much common everywhere.  They'll have a group ride for just about every level of rider available.  You should also support your local Bicycling club - they are working to make roads safe and to promote bicycling as a mode of transportation, not just for kids.  If you don't know how to find out about a local club.....yes, go talk to the folks at your local bike shop.  They'll point you in the right direction.  

Mountain Bikes:
Another category to consider are the Mountain bikes.  These are 'fat tire' bikes generally with gearing.  Some of these are fully rigid (no suspension) while others may have just a front suspension and then there is a crop of full suspension bikes.  They'll weigh more than a road bike and they won't be near as fast (on the road) but you get that back in comfort.  Of course, these bikes are made to handle off road terrain, so this opens up a whole new experience that Road riding can't touch.  The riding position is generally more upright and the bike will feel quite plush (as compared to a skinny tire road bike) - especially a full suspension bike. 

The variations on mountain bikes are massive.  Today you can get a mountain bike with 26" wheels, 27.5" wheels or 29" wheels.  There are plenty of people who will tell you one is better than another, but read up on the reviews a little and talk to the folks at the bike shop.  They'll help point you in the right direction.  I have three mountain bikes in my personal stable.  Single speed rigid, a front suspension multi geared bike and a full suspension multi-geared bike.  Here's my Surly 1x1 (single speed, rigid) and my full suspension Kona. 

Each bike has it's purpose, and for me it's all just for fun.  For you, the bikes in the mountain bike category (look again for the "Mountain - New Rider" category) will provide a comfortable mount for you to get around town or out on your local trails.  

Take note:  Mountain biking requires a level of skill beyond that needed for riding on the road.  If you choose to buy a mountain bike and wish to take it off road, please check into meeting up with a local IMBA chapter - see this information for a local chapter.  Folks in these organizations frequently offer up group rides and may cater to beginners.  If you don't have a local chapter, well, go talk to the folks at the local bike shop from which you purchased your bike - they'll be able to help you find opportunities to get off road in a location that best matches your ability. 

Hybrid Bikes:

Hybrid bikes are generally more oriented towards the road with skinny(ish) tires, but offer the comfort of an upright seating position.  From the Bicycling Magazine link above, check out the "Commuter and City" bike category. 

These bikes will move quite well on the road and handle some minor dirt or gravel conditions.  Generally these bikes have gears which make getting around much easier.  They'll be easy to attach a rack or a basket and in fact may come with some of this stuff.  Not much more to say about this category except - go see your local bike shop!

2.  How does this bike purchase fit your wallet?

This is a tough question.  Clearly if you go to Walmart or one of those types of stores you can find bikes for extremely cheap.  YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!!  Please do a little research and purchase a quality bike - the kind that you find at a local bike shop.  You can buy new or used, but the value of quality groupset (shifters, derailleurs, brakes) makes a HUGE difference in how much time (or money) you'll spend on maintenance.  

You can see that bikes in the categories I've linked to above range from about $400 for the lower end bikes in Commuter / City and Mountain Bike new rider categories (about $600 in Road New rider)

and up to about $1400 for Mountain bike new rider, $1900 for Road New Rider and almost $5000 in the commuter / City category. 

Once you find the type of bike you want to ride, look into finding used.  Your local bike shop may have a bulletin board, online bike Forums, Craigslist, e-bay, etc.  All are good sources to find quality used bikes.  If you're not comfortable looking at a bike to asses it's condition, check with your local bike shop to see if they offer a service where they would check the bike out for you.  If someone is selling a quality bike, they should understand if you'd like to have a professional check it out for you.  Always check first with the bike shop, then suggest that the seller meet you there so you can look at and ride the bike. 

3.  Find the right bike frame size for your body. 
I can't stress how important this is.  There are some very detailed measurements that are taken when one goes to a professional bike fitting.  These measurements are intended to help the pro adjust your bike to fit you.  However, I don't recommend paying for a professional bike fitting at this stage, wait until you've found your inner cyclist and have decided that you really want to upgrade to a higher end bike.  That's the time to pay for a fitting (these can cost $200 or more and take several hours). 

However, since you're just getting into cycling, you'll have to do the best you can following the advice you'll receive from your local bike shop or from friends who are into cycling.  MOST IMPORTANTLY, ride a bike before you buy it.  Adjust the seat height and have a quick lesson on how to use the shifters.  Try to ride for more than just a few minutes.  If you're buying from a bike shop, they'll be able to set the right seat height. 

A couple of things to watch out for: 

• Don't 'reach' too far to the handlebars.  This can cause strain on your lower back and it indicates that the frame is too big for you.  Even in a body forward style road bike, you need to watch out for this.  Your core has to support your body when you are riding - you don't want too much weight on your hands (regardless of type of bike).  
• Seat height - your leg should not be fully extended but you don't want too much bend when the pedal is at the bottom of the stroke and the ball of your foot is on the pedal.  Just a little bit of bend is what you want.  Watch out for a seat tube that is extended all the way out or conversely seems to be all the way in.  All the way out could indicate that the frame is a little small, all the way in could indicate the frame is a little big.  If your knees are hitting the handlebar it's pretty likely the frame is too small.

Hopefully this information is helpful in getting you started on finding a bike.  Cycling is a fun, low impact exercise that you can enjoy with friends and family.  Additionally, cycling gives a great mental boost - it can really make you feel like a kid again. 

Of course, once you choose a bike, you'll have to outfit yourself with appropriate equipment and clothing.  I will say that you should purchase a helmet when you get the bike.  Nothing more important than protecting your head.  Next time we'll talk about other stuff you'll need to make your ride more enjoyable and safe. 

Wildlife sighting!!

Back out on the Dale Ball trail systems today.  Today we started from yet another trailhead, this one called Sierra Del Norte.

These trails, like those from yesterday, are very runnable.  That being said, there was a couple times where Jenny and / or I did some walking.  Probably still a function of the altitude despite the fact we've been at altitude for nearly a week.

 The map above labels the intersections.  Our route went from 1 to 2 to 3, although we took the big loop around to get to intersection 3.  Just after starting on that big loop and barely a mile in - Jenny trips on a rock.  She is fine, although likely her pride was as skinned up as her chin / hands / knee are.  She bumped her chin and her knee pretty hard.  I felt so bad for her.  She being the trooper she is, she kept running.

Shortly after that, I finally get a wildlife sighting!!  Coming around a bend I see a pretty big Coyote trotting up the trail in front of me.  He / She turned around and gave me a look, but turned left off the trail pretty quickly.  Jenny came up and we looked for a minute but the Coyote was gone.  The loop around from 2 to 3 is a beautiful trail with some very nice views out over Santa Fe.

At intersection 4 our garmins showed around 2 miles.  Jenny was worried about her knee so she headed back to the car while I continued to intersections 5, 10, 7, 6, then I started backtracking to intersection 5, 4, 3 - long way around to 2, then back to the car.

That put me a little over 5.5 miles on the day.  Amazing how the altitude affects one out here.  My heart rate was pretty high at times when I wasn't really moving that fast.  Beautiful place, great running conditions.  I only wish Jenny hadn't had her spill so we could have run together.  

Post Jemez trail run

Great day today.  We started with a fine breakfast, enjoyed coffee on the porch then headed up to the foothills for another trail run.  We managed to find information about the Santa Fe Foothills trails systems and even better we found that we could get a free map of the area!  Love having maps when running in unfamiliar territory.

Today we chose to run trails associated with the Dale Ball trail system.  From our little condo it took less than 15 minutes to arrive at the trailhead on upper canyon road (that was after stopping at the visitors center for the free map).  The terrain was mostly runable for us although there were a few spots where one or both of us walked up (or down) a section.

We started with the Nature Conservancy Interpretive trail that goes around a small pond.  A quick stop at the Audobon Center and we were back on the trails.

It was a great day for running and the foliage in the area provided for some shade along the way.  The route we took seems to be at an elevation between about 7000' and 7600' (not clear on the map).  That being said, the elevation definitely played a part in our effort.

Despite the difficulty my calf gave me on the Jemez half marathon last weekend, it felt great today.  Crazy!  Very glad there is no more trouble, but bummed it had to happen for the half.

The trails were well marked and at each intersection was a permanent copy of the map I had in my pocket.  Distances between intersections are indicated and the intersections are numbered.  Even better, the map is properly oriented so the intersection is easy to figure out which way to go for the different trails.

We saw a few mountain bikers out there.  No wonder, the trails were technical but totally rideable.  A great resource for the folks in Santa Fe.  If you come out this way, definitely pick up a map at the Santa Fe Convention and Visitors Center at 201 W. Marcy Street (not far from the plaza) and give these trails a shot.

The most difficult trail run yet

Was the Jemez Mountain Trail heavy Half.  14 miles through some very rugged but very beautiful mountains surrounding Los Alamos, New Mexico.  A number of factors lead me to the title statement, but let's start a bit further back.

Jenny and I made the choice to do this trail half marathon several months ago.  With our nephew graduating High School in Clovis (New Mexico), it seemed a great opportunity to work in a nice event and wouldn't you know it, an excellent opportunity presented itself with the Jemez Mt Trail Runs.

These runs include the heavy half, a 50km and a 50 mile run.  Neither of us are prepared for the longer distances, but we both felt we were prepared for the half.  After all, we'd just finished the Smoky Mountain Relay where my last leg was one of the harder legs on the relay (certainly not the hardest, but among the most difficult).  That last leg was 9.5 miles with about 3000' of elevation gain over about 5 miles.  Furthermore, just a couple of weeks before the Jemez, we did a little less than 11 miles with plenty of climbing at Paris Mt State Park.  Because we weren't looking to set any records at Jemez, we felt we were well prepared.

We flew into Albuquerque on Wednesday prior to the event date (event date was May 24).  Dinner with family (in Clovis) Wednesday night and in bed early to try to work out the kinks from a long day of travel.  Thursday morning we got up to do a little run just to keep the legs fresh.

In Clovis there are really no hills, but the altitude is somewhere near 5000'.  We saw this as an opportunity to begin our acclimatization.  We left direct from the hotel and within 3/4 mile I suspected I might be in a little trouble with my right calf.  My lower leg was sending me some signals that I didn't like, but I thought I'd be ok, I'd felt this same feeling before.  Unfortunately by the time we hit a mile my calf was near full lockdown.  I told Jenny about it and decided I needed to stop running.  Because she was feeling fine, she was doing laps out and back to me as I walked, then ran back towards the hotel.

I made it by mostly walking back to the hotel.  By that time my calf was VERY sore.  I did my best to stretch it out after arriving at the hotel.  I wasn't pleased.

The rest of the day Thursday and all day Friday I didn't do any running and stretched as best I could.  Friday was a lot of hanging out with family before our Nephew's graduation which started at 6pm Friday.  We didn't get out of Clovis until around 8pm.  Thankfully we have a great friend in Los Alamos who put us up for the night (we arrived at midnight) and had some nice hot coffee ready when we woke at 530am Saturday morning before the race.

DeWayne and Valeria led us over to the start line where we were greeted by the awesome volunteers at packet pickup.  All went smoothly as expected and we lined up for the start.  Both of us were equipped with 50 oz camelbak packs with three or four Gu packs each. 

We started off like many other races do, we were passing people, people were passing us.  No complaints here, it made for a nice warmup.  Downhill on the road with plenty of room to maneuver around other folks.  I was trying to get a feel for my calf and I didn't really like what I was feeling. 

I'm a natural fore-foot runner so of course my calf plays a very important part in my stride.  I could tell it was not going to cooperate with me this day.  It was still early but I could feel the soreness and I had to compensate for it in my stride.  This put me into a heel strike mode.  I've run plenty of miles using a heel strike stride but they never turn out as well for me. 

Part of my compensation was to relax into the run and forget any competitive thoughts.  While I'm not a guy who is generally looking to win any races, I am a guy who sets goals and pushes myself to meet or exceed them.  My competition is with myself.  I had to really work to put these thoughts aside.  I knew I would end up with real issues somewhere along the way if I didn't take this relaxed approach. 

Off the road and onto the trails was great.  There were a lot of people out there but all were very cordial when passing or being passed.  At times I just sat in behind a group and at others I worked my way past them.  I'm a big proponent of giving the person in front of me the opportunity to find the right place (read 'safe' place) for me to pass so I talk to them when I am ready to pass.  Others who passed me treated me with similar respect.  I like that. 

My calf was feeling well enough as we ran through some beautiful terrain and up on the lower slopes leading to Mitchell Aid Station.  Except for maybe a rare occasion when traffic caused me to have to walk for a couple of steps, I was able to run all of that terrain.  Not bad considering we come from a town whose elevation is something around 1000'.  I could feel the altitude though.  I knew it was going to play a factor in my day. 

After Mitchell AS of course the trails turns up.  It was here that the terrain combined with the altitude really could be felt.  While my calf was forcing me to run differently than my natural stride, I was able to run / walk well enough.  As with many others on the climb to Guaje Ridge I was walking the steeper parts and running when I could.  I thought it was very cool that I could look back on the trail and see Jenny coming up behind me.

At the AS at the top of Guaje Ridge, the folks were super nice.  Because I knew Jenny wasn't far behind me I decided to wait.  Of course as I waited I chatted with some of the volunteers.  THANK YOU so much to these folks who give up their day to help us out.  I hope I was able to communicate my thanks to them. 

Within a few minutes Jenny arrived at the summit.  I was glad to see her and while I could tell she was feeling the effects of the effort and the altitude, she looked to be in fine condition.  We ran for a while together, then I started to open a gap. 

Here's where my calf really started talking to me.  Normally when I am not nursing an injured calf, I can move quite quickly down a trail.  Of course I do this by bouncing from rock to rock on the ball of my feet.  My calf was having none of this so I was in short stride, heel strike mode.  Add to this the VERY narrow trail which forced me to take slightly longer strides than I would have liked and I found myself moving quite slowly down the mountian. 

It wasn't too long before I was being passed by a lot of people.  I knew that Jen wasn't too far behind so I would look back to see her occasionally.  We would run together at times where the terrain caused our paces to match and at times I would open a small gap when the terrain leveled out or the trail became wider to allow me a more natural stride length. 

We ran briefly on a fire road before turning right onto more single track.  This brought us to the top of a very beautiful canyon.  I can't find the name for this canyon, but running down through this canyon was one of the highlights of the run for me.  I was starting to feel some fatigue now and I was a little worried that my heel strike stride was causing a blister on my right foot.  Just what I needed. 

Jenny was still with me or just behind me as we ran through this canyon.  She looked like she was beginning to feel the effort as well, but as normal, she soldiered on.  We came upon the Oasis which was the last chance saloon after running past a number of signs that made me laugh.  These folks really went all out to make for a great aid station. 

Of course the route then took us up one last slap in the face of a climb.  We managed to pass a couple of folks going up this climb, then into the home stretch.  Again, some great running on some wonderful trails.  Jenny and I stuck together through this last part, although I opened a small gap before our final climb through the rocks to the finish chute. 

I waited for her at the top, and we ran through the finish chute together.  I love that we can share these events. 

In the end, I have to rate this as my most difficult trail run to date.  Combine the altitude with the elevation gain and some extremely rugged terrain with the fact I was running injured and it all adds up to a very tough day for me.  That said, I really enjoyed spending that 3 hours out on the trails in the Jemez Mountains.  Maybe next time I can do it without the injury and just battle the course.

A final note - We had it easy with the weather.  We were back at DeWayne's house, showered and having lunch by the time the skies opened up.  The folks on the 50k and 50 miler have my enduring respect for the conditions in which they had to race.  Congrats to all of you who ran in those conditions, bummed that some were not able to complete the course. 

JD's Blacksheep - 1997 Jeep Wrangler

1997 Jeep Wrangler Sport

Auto, AC, tilt wheel, 75,000 miles


I have taken the Jeep off the market so please don't contact me about selling it.  Since I had all of the specs listed, I thought I would leave it up.  

Body and interior:

. Hard Top
. . I still have the half soft cab and tonneau cover that used to be on the rig.  it’s yours if you buy

. Full Hard Doors

. Neoprene front seat covers

. rear seat and seatbelts included but not currently installed

. CB radio with external speaker

. factory center console



. Cab cover for when you have the hard top removed
. Paint is in overall good condition.



Tires and Wheels:

. 35x12.5R15 BFG Mud Terrain (all new last fall, including new spare)

. 15x10 Black wagon wheels (including spare)



Lift:

. Rubicon Express Long arm kit with one wheeling trip on rebuilt joints

. . Pro-comp 3.5" springs

. . 1" budget lift (spring spacers)

. . 1" Body lift

. Front adjustable trac bar
 - new Heim joint June 2013
. JKS quick disconnects

. 1" motor mount lift

. New Skyjacker Nitro shocks and steering damper (not yet installed as of 9/16/13 but is on the honey do list)


Engine and drivetrain:

. 4.0 L inline 6

. . Fresh valve job Jan 2007 (less than 5000 miles since)

. . New Water pump, hoses, thermostat (2007)
. . New Aluminum Radiator (2013)

. Banks header and complete exhaust system w/ new cat (replaced complete system Jan 2007)

. Champion tri-core aluminum radiator (new July 2013)

. AEM Brute force intake system with throttle body spacer

. Factory automatic transmission

. . Aftermarket transmission cooler

. . Skyjacker deep tranny pan

. NP231 transfer case

. . Aftermarket slip yoke eliminator kit

. Dana 30 (F) and 35 (R) axles

. . Detroit lockers and 4.10 gearing (Front and rear)

. . Superior axles Super 35 axle kit (rear)



Protection and recovery
:
. Toys by Troy sport cage (replaces the factory roll bar to windshield bars - connects to the firewall)
. Toys by Troy front and rear bumper with tire carrier

. Poison spyder customs rock sliders

. Skyjacker steering box skid plate

. Kilby gas tank skid

. Warn 9000# winch with remote

. . fitted with winch rope

. . will include original steel cable

. . various recovery items in recovery kit (turnbuckle, shackles, tow ropes, tree saver)

. Hi-lift 48" jack

. . Hi-lift jack base (the plastic base for soft surfaces)

Here's some photos:  http://1997wranglerforsale.shutterfly.com/pictures/8