On Friday I drove up to the San Bernardino National Forest to take on the San Bernardino Traverse / 9 Peak Challenge as my final peak training weekend for the Vermont 100 Endurance Run . I checked in at the ranger station, cached a jug of water at the Angelus Oaks trailhead (5,960’), set up camp at the Vivian Creek trailhead (6,080’) and prepped my gear. I decided to go with a 2 a.m. start time to try and reach the summit of San Gorgonio for sunrise, so I slept at 7:30 p.m. and set my alarm set for 1 a.m.

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I never sleep well at altitude, and this time was no different. After quickly breaking down my camp, I geared up at my car and was on the trail by 2 a.m. for a 5,400’ ascent up the 8-mile trail to the peak of [Mount San Gorgonio |

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Gorgonio_Mountain], the highest peak in Southern California (11,500’). My pace was fast because I was convinced I was going to be mauled by a mountain lion or bear, so I wanted to reach higher altitude where I know they don’t travel often because there isn’t an abundance of “food.” On the way up, the only wildlife I encountered (thankfully) was a little scorpion and a sizable spider. Besides that, when I got above the tree line, I was greeted with an unreal view of the crescent moon—so big and close, it felt like I could reach out and touch it.

Above the tree line, the wind gusts picked up speed, and I started to get cold. That was when I noticed the distant glow of a headlamp on the trail above. Humans! I overtook the pair of hikers in the final half mile before the summit. One was in really bad shape from the altitude. He was resting his head on his trekking pole when I greeted him. His speech was slurred, and he struggled to complete coherent sentences. His buddy was in better shape and wanted to chat but I was freezing at this point and told him I had to keep moving. Here’s a video of the final stretch to the top:

I thought that watching the sun rise from the highest point in southern California was going to be a treat but it was painfully cold at this point with powerful wind gusts cutting right through my clothes and chilling my sweat. So with one peak down and eight to go, I set off to the west across the ridge of the San Bernardino mountain range.

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Once the sun got high enough, it was comfortable. Well, as comfortable as running at 10,000+ feet above sea level can get :). I ran the flats and downhills, but walked the uphills to keep some energy “in the bank” for the long day ahead.

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San Gorgonio (11,500’)

Jepson (11,205’)

Little Charlton (10,676’)

Charlton (10,806’)

Alto Diablo (10,563’)

Shields Peak (10,701’)

Anderson Peak (10,864’)

San Bernardino East Peak (10,691’)

San Bernardino Peak (10,649’)

This was pretty much the story for the run across the ridge, until I accidentally took a wrong turn and ran a half-mile in the wrong direction. Luckily, I crossed paths with a group of backpackers. Our conversation helped me determine where I went wrong, so I backtracked--only adding an additional mile to my day.

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Aside from this group, I was alone on the ridge until the descent to Angelus Oaks after San Bernardino peak. My knees started to ache on the long and technical descent, so I was excited and relieved to reach the trailhead just after 10 a.m., having just completed the 26-mile San Bernardino Traverse / 9 Peak Challenge in under 8.5 hours (actually traveling 27 miles) and gaining more than 10,000 feet according to my Gamin data.

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Looking back over the peaks

But my day was far from over, so I filled up my hydration reservoir with the water cache I left the day before and ran to highway 38. Most folks who attempt the traverse shuttle their cars, leaving one at each trailhead. But I traveled solo, so 10 miles separated me from my car at the Vivian Creek trailhead. Running this section of the 38 would have been too dangerous because it is a winding mountain road with little to no shoulder, so I hitched a ride with a local and got dropped of 5 miles later at the turnoff for Forest Falls.

With 27 extreme miles and well over 10,000’ of gain already under my legs, I had five more miles of uphill to travel with 1,400’ to gain. My Achilles tendon was inflamed from the 10+ times I rolled my ankle earlier so I walked the whole way, determined to suffer through it. I took a break at the Elkhorn general store and treated myself to a root beer (my favorite ultrarunning beverage) and was back to my car at the trailhead before noon. The 32-mile adventure took roughly 10 hours to complete.

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I went straight into the mountain stream and soaked my throbbing feet in the crystal-clear, cold mountain slow melt while lying on a warm rock in the sun. After that, I was feeling good to go, so I packed up my car and drove back to San Diego. I treated myself to a huge fish burrito and downed a few tasty beers for dinner

The hardest of the work is done, so now it’s time to recover, maintain, taper, and get super organized mentally and logistically for the VT100 on 7/18 – 7/19! My trip back east starts in a little over two weeks, and I feel like I’m on target for a solid performance on race day!

On Saturday, my buddy Bryan and I met at Daley Ranch , where he took me on a hilly 12-mile loop. We had a solid run and then ate some quality Mexican food in Escondido before I went home.

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After I washed my car, did laundry and fell asleep reading a book in my backyard, I ate some pizza leftovers and geared up for a night run with my friend Meg at Mission Trails . Meg, a local ultra-runner and super-cool mother of three, is running the SD100 next weekend. She needed to dial in one last long night run before her taper, so we ran around the perimeter of the park twice and then added a few more to make it an even 20 miles. It was 10:30 p.m. when we finished, and I was still wired from my day of running 32 miles, so I met up with friends for a hot tub and beers to finish off the day.

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Sleeping in on Sunday provided the rest I needed before I met up with my buddy Nick for an easy 10-mile trail run at Los Penasquitos Canyon to put the finishing touch on my 70-mile training week. The run was fun except for running through a swarm of bees! No stings reported, but that was definitely an unexpected first and hopefully a last!

This week I planned on logging another 70 miles for training and finishing with the San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon on Sunday, but my hip hurts so I need to play it safe and step my mileage back a notch. I’m going to introduce more of this hip and girdle exercise routine called the myrtle routine I learned about from reading James Walsh’s blog :

Overview: The Thanksgiving holiday afforded my friend and I the opportunity to explore southeast Utah where we logged over 1800 miles on the road, backpacked amongst ancient ruins, mountain biked 2 famous trails, slept in a solar-powered yurt and only showered once!

Kane Gulch: The 12-hour, 750-mile drive from San Diego to Utah finished atop of the Mokey Dugway just outside of Mexican Hat, UT at 4:30am. We parked the truck off the road, pitched the tent and got 5 hours of much needed sleep. We awoke to a grey sky and a breath-taking view of the Monument Valley and the Valley of the Gods.

With rain in the forecast we knew our backpacking trip through Kane Gulch and into Grand Gulch was risky since flash flooding can occur from .2 to .5 inches of rainfall. This route is best known for the well-preserved collection of Anasazi aka Ancient Pueblo People ruins in this canyon from 1200 BC. Tim and I really wanted to explore this area so we decided to give it a shot despite the eminent danger. To safeguard, we shared our itinerary with our emergency contacts, registered with the Kane Gulch ranger station and designated an escape route through a side canyon 11 miles into the loop.

Here's the trip plan:

The scenery was beautiful as we made our way through the flat and into the wash which led way into the canyon. Our pack weight was a reasonable 40 pounds which made for a pace of roughly 3mph. At mile 7, we came across the first set of ruins. It was fascinating to see the small little dwellings, the petroglyphs and the pot shards. It was like an outdoor and interactive museum. After a few more miles of trekking, we set up camp and ate dinner just as the rain started at 6:30pm.

Thanksgiving Day: By morning, the rain hadn't let up and was only getting worse. The tent was beginning to leak and water was flowing down the trail like a stream. Our camp site was at the junction of the side canyon we designated as our escape route so we made the logical decision and called off the rest of the trek. Our escape route was by no means a walk in the park. This was rugged third-class scrambling over boulders, through streams and up steep and slippery cliffs. By the time we reached the highway and started trekking alongside the road, we were cold and wet but knew we made the right to get out. A mile later, 2 cars stopped and gave us a ride back to our truck at the ranger station which was a much needed morale boosted. The group was from Arizona and they were planning to do the same route we were until our story convinced them otherwise.

Here's the slideshow:

Once we were back on the road, the rain turned to snow as we climbed in altitude. Our friend's yurt in Monticello, UT sits at 7,500 feet and already had a couple inches of accumulation. It was a relief to take refuge in the warm and dry yurt and to eat our backpackers Thanksgiving feast.

The next day we met the rest of the folks staying at the yurt. The snow let up so we cleaned our gear, helped out with projects around the newly constructed yurt, made a run into town for supplies and feasted on real Thanksgiving leftovers with our friends.

Slickrock: The rest of the group went to rock climb at Indian Creek while we made the drive into Moab to ride the famous Slickrock trail. On the drive to the trail, we dropped off the recycling from the yurt at the Canyonlands Community Recycling Center. I couldn't believe how beautiful the terrain was with the La Sal Mountains to the east.

Our ride at Slickrock was a real eye-opener. I was pretty nervous when we first got going because the rock was still wet in places from precipitation the day before which made for some sketchy climbs and descents. My wheels were literally slipping and spinning out at times. I stayed in my easiest gearing for the majority of the ride because when we weren't climbing straight up, we were dropping into a freakishly steep descent met by another steep climb. I was exhausted by the time we completed the main loop but back at the mountain bike shop I purchased a 5-minute shower which really lifted my sprits (and 4 days worth of dirt). Where to get a shower in Moab

Here's the slideshow:

Porcupine Rim: On our final day, we decided to kick it up a notch and attempt the point-to-point mountain bike route known as the Porcupine Rim Trail. The four of us dropped a car off at the end point and shuttled to the top. The ride started with a few miles of very technical climbing before reaching the ridge and beginning the descent back into Moab. The entire ride took us four hours and was the highlight of our trip. The views from the top were incredible, the terrain was technical and fun and our group enjoyed the whole experience. We finished the day off with a great meal and a few pints at the Moab Brewery.

Here's the slideshow:

Recap: This experience was just what I needed to celebrate my passion for adventure, the outdoors and our beautiful country although it does seem unconventional in the traditional sense of Thanksgiving in America. I did have the chance to speak with my family back east while they were together for the holiday and continued the family tradition of finding the family Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. I am very much looking forward to joining them in two weeks to finish the year together, celebrate all that was 2008 and get excited for another year of adventure in 2009. Happy Holidays!

Visit Yurtcation.com for rental info

Preview: Successful speed building sessions, a quality long run and brutal cross-training before a rest week next week (see vacation below).

Tuesday: Cycle-commute, TCSD track workout, mixed intervals:

400, 800, 1200, 1600 (6:04), 800 (2:45) Minute and a half recovery after each interval.

Thursday: Aquathlon (1000 meter swim, 5K run (on beach) 34:17, 17th of 70.

Saturday: Oriflamme Canyon, 20-mile trail run with Marie and Mindy who are racing Headlands 50 on 8/9. 10-mile descent, 10-mile climb in 90-degree desert heat. First long run since SD100. Went really well, felt solid.

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Monday: ActiveX and a Sledgehammer workout:

Tuesday: Cycle-commute, committed to pacing friend/fellow ultra runner [Eric Lee |

http://ericjlee.com/Race%20Resume/index.php] at AC100 on 9/13 – 9/14 for up to 48 miles!

Wednesday: ActiveX: 70 sumo squats, 400m run, 60 pushups, 400, 50 situps, 400, 40 jump-thrusts, 400, 30 thrusters, 400, 20 romanian leg lifts, 400, 10 burpees, 400 (all runs done while carrying 20-lb medicine ball, squat-thrusters with 25lb weights, leg lifts with 20lb)

Friday, 7/25 – Sunday, 8/3 Vacation

At 6am on Saturday, 81 runners began the 100-mile journey through a trail network consisting of a 20-mile loop that returned to the start/finish area, followed by a 30-mile loop back to the start/finish. These loops were repeated for the second 50 miles of the race. Each 50-mile segment had an elevation gain/loss of 6,000 feet for a total of 12,000 feet gain/loss and runners had a maximum of 31 hours to complete the race.

Our plan was to begin relaxed and super conservative towards the back of the pack. I took my time getting into a groove and chatted it up with a fellow TCSD member named Jeff who was also attempting his first 100. I was determined to run my own race so I stuck to what was comfortable for me and eventually was off on my own cruising and feeling solid.

The temperature climbed into 80’s quickly and my crew team kept me on liquid calories, fresh fruit and gels for the entire day. We had six insulated coolers packed with ice to keep the assortment of fuels cooled off. We went through over 100 pounds of ice during the race. This was paramount for regulating my core temperature which is something many runners struggled with because of the intense heat.

I buzzed through the first 20-loop in a little over four hours and began the next loop of 30 miles in the heat of the day. My crew continued to execute our aid station routine with NASCAR-like efficiency: sock change, shoe change, clothing change, wipe sunglasses, apply sunscreen, fill bottles, food, GO! But it was more than that; it was the level of excitement and enthusiasm I could feel from each member of the team.

My brother was so into it and so were Marie and her dad. The three of them held it down all day and were joined by Rebekah and Mindy at 3pm when I was just finishing 43 miles. The staggered arrival of additional crew support was planned--the girls arrived with more ice to replenish the supply and they also brought with them fresh energy and excitement.

This is funny, watch how much food I stuff in my mouth:

My 50-mile split was right on track at 11 hours, 45 minutes. Arch had arrived wearing his ActiveX shirt and had a chance to meet my support crew. Marie’s father was first to run with me as my pacer from the half-way point to the next aid station. It was a steep climb and we walked most of the way. My legs were still going strong but my core temperature was raised and this was the worst I felt all day. I remained positive and enjoyed the opportunity to run with Marie’s dad. We were greeted by our crew along with Arch, Airey, Jesse and Emmy who drove all the way out to support. It was a grand arrival and they made me feel like a rock star. I was still not myself internally as my insides felt like they were boiling but I knew the sun was about to set and things were going to cool off. (Check out Jesse's impressive mustache--only took a week to grow!)

Rebekah joined me for this stretch along the PCT which was the most beautiful portion of the race. With the Anza-Borrego desert vista to the east and the sun setting over the mountains to the west, I was beginning to cool off and could feel my core temperature leveling out. Soon we ran out of daylight and switch on our headlamps and hand-held flashlights. From somewhere deep within, I felt my energy surge and soon Rebekah and I were kicking fast. We passed a whole bunch of runners during this stage and surprised our support crew at the next aid station by our prompt arrival.

This is when the tempo changed for me--62 miles and 15 hours into the run and I felt better than I did when I started that morning. I also ran this section faster the second time through. This is when I realized that I had prepared for this race correctly. I still didn’t want to push too hard but I could see the relief and the excitement in the eyes of my support crew. They were supporting a runner who was still very much in the race and gaining strength

Mindy and I cruised through this section because there was a long climb out of the next aid station and I wanted to run while we had the chance. We passed more runners and entered the camp at mile 70 and were greeted by the support crew. I stretched out for the first time that day on a mat that we brought along. My housemate and his girlfriend had arrived and joined the support crew. It was fun to see everyone and see how pumped up my big brother was to finally get the chance to run with me. We didn’t get to run much on this section as it climbed significantly to the next aid station but it was still a pleasure to run in my first official race with Steve under such unique circumstances.

The rest my legs got from walking so much during this climb was perfect for the next flat section that Marie and I ran. We passed a couple runners during this short but fast section and arrived back for hot soup before the final big push of the race. It was also brought to my attention that I was now in 15th place!

My brother and I took on the arduous climb up Middle Peak and then the taxing descent down the other side. This portion isn’t accessible to support crews but there is an aid station out there. We were in and out of the station within 1 minute and on our way to the next point. We ran this section 10 minutes faster than I did earlier that day and jumped in rank to 13th place!

By the time we arrived at the last aid station, mile 92.4, I had the sub-24 hour fire in my eyes. Marie and I took off for the final section and within minutes, I began to realize I was less concerned with a sub-24 hour finish and more interested in reflecting on the experience with Marie. We walked, talked, held hands, ran the downhill sections and some of the flats. When the glow of daylight from the east was enough to switch off our headlamps and flashlights, we were running the final descent into the finish area. We were welcomed by the race director and our entire support crew.

I crossed the finish line at 6:32am on Sunday and shook hands with Scott Mills, the race director, as he presented me with a bronze belt buckle for completing the race in 24 hours, 32 minutes. The months of disciplined training and a well-organized race plan enabled me to enjoy every minute and every mile of my 100-mile ultra marathon debut.

Results:

24 hours, 32 minutes

2nd AG (20-29) Youngest finisher

13th overall (53% finish rate)

My support was simply amazing: my brother, Marie, her dad, Rebekah, Mindy, Tim, Elizabeth. Plus my other friends who stopped by to show their support: Quinn, Mike, Arch, Airey, Steve, Jesse and Emmy. And at an even deeper level, it was all of you sending us good vibes all weekend. Check out how my friends in the Marine Corp Marathon online community tracked my progress throughout the entire race. Thank you all for joining me in this memorable and exciting journey and I assure you that this is only the beginning. Stay tuned for the next adventure...

PS. Congrats to Jill and Jeff for running a great race, finishing strong and making TCSD proud!

The half-ironman workout last weekend and recovering to run 28 miles on Saturday was crucialI've broke through a mental/physical barrier. I've dialed in the remaining 60 days of my training and I no longer have any lingering doubt about my abilities. My level of preparedness was more so evident when I started and finished Sunday's 8-mile recovery hill run with no soreness. Monday was a rest day and I was strong and ready for an extended cycle-commute totaling 3 hours yesterday, run-commute today, Friday and then back to the mountains Saturday for a 43-mile training run at altitude. I'm going to couple that with a 9-mile recovery run on Sunday for a grand total of 66 miles in 3 days and 80 for the weekmy most ever.

Sunday night, Marie and I sat down and sketched out what weekend training distances need to look like for the next two months. I’ve included 14 miles of running each Friday so I start Saturday long runs on semi-fatigued legs. This way, I’ll be even stronger on fresh legs at the start of the SD100. The following schedule the basic weekend mileage until June.

4/11: 14M

4/12: 24+19= 43M Cuyamaca State Park

4/13: 9M Mission Trails Regional Park

4/18: 14M

4/19: 30M Pacific Crest Trail

4/20: 9M Mission Trails Regional Park

4/25: 14M

4/26: 26+24= 50M Cuyamaca State Park

4/27: 4M (Marie--La Jolla 13.1)

5/2: 14M

5/3: 33M Noble Canyon Trail

5/4: 20M Lake Hodges

5/9: 14M

5/10: 52M Peñasquitos Canyon (PCT?)

5/11: 18M Mission Trails Regional Park

5/16: 14M

5/17: 30M Cuyamaca State Park

5/18: 20M Lake Hodges

5/23: 14M

5/24: 24M Pacific Crest Trail

5/25: 13M Peñasquitos Canyon

5/30: 14M

5/31: 9M

6/1: 0! (Marie--Rock 'n' Roll Marathon)

6/2: Memorial Day

6/5: Steve arrives

6/7: SD100

6/8: SD100

Here are a couple snaps from Saturday in Cuyamaca State Park, home of the SD100:

Weekend:

I met my friends Carrie and Jesse, who were my teammates in the La Jolla 10-Mile Relay Swim, for a 2-mile open-water swim on Saturday. It was our first of the season because temps are still below 60 degrees. I thought it was going to feel colder than it did which was a nice surprise. The swim went well and I'm glad we got out there at least once before the Ford Ironman California 70.3 on March 29, in Oceanside, CA.

Monday:

The Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour is making a stop at the San Diego Natural History Museum in Balboa Park this week. I scored Marie and I tickets for tonight’s showing. Check out this epic preview:

Tuesday:

TCSD track workout

Wednesday:

TCSD master’s swim workout

Thursday:

I’m meeting Tara Coleman, CCN for a Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) test. Tara has been a long-time Active Community moderator with an extensive nutrition knowledge-base. Check out  and be sure to ask her any of your sports nutrition related questions.

Tara is going to help me devise a nutrition strategy for my 100-mile run in June. The RMR test will provide a baseline to help us determine how many calories I will need to ingest during the 31-hour race. Tara is going to analyze the foods that I use during training to determine how much I will need to have prepared for the race. It is critical that I relay this information to my crew team so they can monitor my food intake throughout the race. I’m really excited to gain this knowledge because it’s going to make me that much more prepared to step into the unknown.

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Inspiration

A few weeks back, I randomly met a local endurance athlete who is also training for the SD100. Jill Childers joined me and my SD100 crew team out in Cuyamaca State Park for a 20-mile trail run. We chatted with her during the run and Jill was really cool and super fit. I asked her about her experience in Kona in 2007 but it wasn’t until reading this interview from Competitor called Bouncing Back, when we learned of her truly inspirational story. Check out how Jill recovered from a life-threatening bike accident to compete in the 2007 Ford Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii.

Make it a great week!

Before things get too crazy around here with holiday travel, I’ve decided now would be the best time to check in with you all and let you know what I’ve been up to and what the next few weeks have in store.

That said, I want to introduce the latest addition to the team: Active Expert, Joe Decker Joe is a fitness expert who lives and breathes endurance. He lives here in San Diego and I’ve been training with him and his Gut Check Workout Group on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Joe holds class every day of the week, twice a day and his workouts are always challenging and offer a diverse combination of speed work, calisthenics, plyometrics and strength training—all outdoors from 6 a.m. until 7:15 a.m. I leave these group workouts feeling fulfilled because I pushed it to the max and started my day off as well as I possibly could. I feel that this style of workout has been missing until now. I encourage you to get in touch with Joe to learn more.

Then there is ActiveX Training which you may or may not have caught glimpse of here in the community. ActiveX is very similar to Joe Decker’s workouts but it’s even more concentrated, rarely lasting more than 40 minutes. These workouts are held Tuesday and Friday mornings at 11:30 a.m. I’ve been doing both Joe’s workouts and ActiveX Tuesday workouts all month.

I’ve also been quite consistent with my Friday morning yoga class which helps me recover from the high intensity, back-to-back workouts throughout the week. Yoga has been my sanctuary and has kept me balanced and injury free. I encourage you all to give yoga a try for your first time. I’m still usually one of the only guys in the class and often the least flexible out of everyone but that never discourages me because I can feel the benefits of each class and seem to learn more and take more away from each session.

This new level of training was put to the test on Sunday when I successfully ran four, 13-mile loops through Los Penasquitos Canyon. The double marathon distance run lasted just over 12 hours which breaks down to a 14-minute mile pace. This is right on par with where I need to be for the Avalon 50 on Catalina Island, January 12. The run was smooth and I felt strong from sunrise to sunset. My nutrition plan was spot-on and my recovery has been quick and with minimal soreness. I'm excited to end the year on such a positive note!

I’ll be training on the east coast for the remainder of the year. They have two feet of snow where I’ll be and I can’t stop picturing the Rocky IV training montage from the barn in Russia.