I’m officially registered for the 2009 Vermont 100 Endurance Race in July! While it feels great to make the commitment, I am also well-aware of the hard work it takes to prepare for a

100-mile ultra marathon

Keeping things fun and exciting is an essential part of my strategy. That said I’m already planning my peak training weekend in June to include an attempt at running the Pacific Crest Trail from Warner Springs to Campo, a distance of 110 miles in two days. The first day will be 68 miles and include 6,440 feet of elevation gain from Warner Springs to Mt. Laguna and day two will include 43 miles with 2,420 feet of gain. Sounds fun, right? I’ll be looking for folks who are interested in running sections with me or crewing (camping out Saturday night) as details get worked out--stay tuned.

On Saturday, I hit up the Noble Canyon trail for a 26-mile training run with a couple running buddies. We climbed for 13 miles from 3,500 feet up to 5,500 and then headed back down. These long, slow distance runs are great right now but I will wait to add volume in April, as my “A” race is now later in the year. My focus for now is to keep my legs going with the long, slow stuff and stay strong with cross-training as I make decisions on tune-up races.

Sunday was mellow; I dusted off my bike and cruised around SD for a couple hours with my buddies to spin out the legs. It was a beautiful ride and the perfect way to begin

daylight saving time

So if you happened to read my last blog post, Orange Curtain 50K Preview, you would know that I approached the race as a “tune-up,” and the plan was to practice maintaining a conservative pace from start to finish blah, blah, blah… I lied.

I took a risk this weekend in the OC50K and ran sub 8-minute miles to start the 31-mile race. I’m not sure what came over me or what I was thinking. Maybe I was caught up in the energy from toeing the line with running greats like Akos Konya , Eric Clifton and Guillermo Medina. Or perhaps I actually thought I was going to be faster in the third marathon plus distance event I’ve raced in 28 days.

In the spirit of pushing my limits, I threw the hammer down as a test to see how far I could last. Since my pace varied from the fast start and tapered off to a slow finish, my average race pace of 8:37 was actually a little faster than my goal pace of 8:40. This translated to a 4:27 finish; good for 7th place overall and 2nd in my age group.

This is more than an hour and 15 minutes faster than my previous personal record for the distance, and I’m excited to have set this benchmark. I’m even more motivated knowing that I still have so much to learn.

John W. Holt Jr. said it best in his book, Celebrate Your Mistakes:

"If you're not making mistakes, you're not taking risks, and that means you're not going anywhere. The key is to make errors faster than the competition, so you have more chances to learn and win."

The next SoCal Ultra Series race on my calendar is the Leona Divide 50 Mile Run in late April. This means that in March, my focus will shift to increasing my weekly mileage and incorporate more trail running in an effort to simulate the rugged course . I have a couple fun trips planned next month too, so be sure to check back or subscribe to my RSS feed to receive auto-updates when I publish. 

Last weekend I ran the beautiful Sedona Marathon with my brother. Racing together has been in the works for a long time. Our schedules finally aligned, and we met in Arizona to take on a very challenging marathon course together (or at least until the very end).

The race start and finish area was staged at the Sedona Cultural Park, which provided panoramic views of Cockscomb, Chimney Rock and Coffee Pot Rock. The Red Rocks were glowing as the sun rose from the east, while we made our final preparations before the race. This is when I crossed paths with San Diego native, Nick Hollon, a freshman at Northern Arizona University who made the drive down from Flagstaff that morning for the race.     

My brother and I started the race with a comfortable sub 8-minute mile pace, and we both noted that the 4,500 feet of elevation resulted in an heart rate of about 10 bpm higher than at sea level, where we both live and train. The out and back course changed from pavement to dirt road near mile 7 when we entered The Coconino National Forest .

Here were our splits for the first half:

1     00:07:58       

2      00:07:25      

3      00:07:55      

4      00:07:36      

5      00:07:33      

6      00:07:40      

7      00:08:03      

8      00:07:31      

9      00:07:31      

10      00:07:59      

11      00:07:43      

12      00:07:18      

13      00:07:39

1:40:45 half marathon split

We were less than 2 miles out from the turn-around when the race leader passed us going back the other direction so I began counting the runners going by and at the turn around point we were in 21st and 22nd place. 

Despite the hills we climbed on the 13 miles out, my brother and I agree that the return trip was way harder. Check out the elevation profile below and the spikes (yes, walking) in my pace. (aka mile 23).

During the final 5K of the race, my pacing was off from the climbs so my brother pulled away to finish in 3:37: 49, 21st overall and 4th in his age group. He rocked it and finished strong after 4 solid months of training in the cold climates back east. I finished next in 3:39:32 for 22nd overall and 4th in my age group.

Here were my splits for the second half:

14       00:07:54       

15      00:08:26      

16      00:08:31      

17      00:08:19      

18      00:08:11      

19      00:08:56      

20      00:09:27      

21      00:08:41      

22      00:09:19      

23      00:11:32      

24      00:09:33      

25      00:08:51      

26      00:09:42      

It’s hard to explain the silent understanding my brother and I had as we ran together—he would pull ahead on the climbs and I would go ahead on the downhill only to regain our pace together again on the flats. We had such good energy flowing and being surrounded by the majestic beauty of the Red Rocks added an exciting element to the experience.

I’m currently focused on recovery so I can make my 2009 Southern California Ultra Series debut on 2/21 at the Orange Curtain 50K and keep working on my consistency. This incredibly flat (aka boring ) course features a 5K out-and-back on paved bike paths which will enable me to closely track my splits and build a strong foundation before a significant increase in mileage in the months ahead.

Thanks to all of you out there for the encouraging comments and emails during my trip to Sedona for the race. It feels good to know people besides just my Mom are reading about my shenanigans If you want to keep up with my updates, check me out on Twitter @TobyGuillette. Or subscribe to my RSS feed to receive auto-updates (if you haven’t already) on my latest posts.

Last night the Triathlon Club of San Diego kicked off the 25th anniversary year for the club with the January club meeting and a visit from 2008 Ironman World Champion Craig Alexander. Dr. John Martinez hosted over 300 athletes at the Coast Wellness and Sports Center in San Diego for the meeting where Bob Babbitt of Competitor Magazine and John Duke of Triathlete Magazine interviewed "Crowie."

!http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3075/3238590619_151ac53a6e.jpg|height=375|alt=Crowie!|width=500|src=http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3075/3238590619_151ac53a6e.jpg!

Left to right: John Duke, Craig Alexander, Dr. John Martinez

It was a great event and I was impressed by Craig Alexander’s class. When he spoke about the team of people, who are responsible for supporting the daily grind in an endurance athlete’s life, it really hit home. He is the real deal and has worked incredibly hard, “blue collar” style, for many years to earn his place at the top.

Other highlights included a cameo appearance by Active Expert and 6-time Ironman World Champion Dave Scott plus I got to meet and chat with Xterra triathlete and coach, Trevor Glavin , whose blog I’ve been following for the past few months.

Stay tuned for my next post with views from the red carpet at the Endurance Sports Awards this weekend!

I'm back to San Diego after holidays in New England with my family and I'm feeling happy, healthy and ready for another great year. I’ve hit the ground running and the next month is stacked with exciting endurance industry events.

My last long run before the Sedona Marathon on 2/7 is this weekend at the Diamond Valley Lake Marathon. The course is flat as a pancake so I will focus on a proper warm-up and cool down with race pace in between. My good friend Austin, who raced the Silverman 70.3 the same day I did the Silverman 140.6, will also be running so we’re stoked for another fun race and road trip together.

Next week, Dr. John Martinez at Coastal Sports and Wellness Center will host the January TCSD club meeting and the 2008 Ironman World Champion, Craig Alexander. After attending the interview with Chrissie Wellington in October, it’s going to be great to see "Crowie" and something tells me we’ll be seeing him again 2 days later at this year’s Endurance Sports Awards.

ESA 2008 left to right: Mike Reilly, Toby Guillette (Me), Gale Bernhardt, Jesse Hammond

The morning after the ESAs, I’ve volunteered to help with the Xterra Mission Gorge 15K. I ran the course on Sunday and for a 15K, this course is legit. There are always pros in town for the ESAs so it will be cool to see who shows up to throw down.

Then I’m off to run the Sedona Marathon with my brother. He’s super-fit right now so I’m hoping I can hang with him for the 26.2. I also got a call from the young ultra running prodigy, Nick Hollon, letting me know he’ll be toeing the line as well. But after the 26.2, I’ll still be thinking about Jimmy from the MCM community and my x-girlfriend who are both running the Rocky Raccoon 100 in Texas that day.

Then it's right off the plane from Sedona to this year’s Running USA Conference here in San Diego. That weekend, we have a group ride planned to preview the Palomar Mountain climb in Stage 8 of the Tour de California, the weekend before the TdC comes to town for its final stage!

As you can see, the next month is action-packed and I’ll do my best to keep you updated along the way. To better serve you, my daily posts can be found on Twitter @TobyGuillette and/or you can subscribe to my RSS feed for auto-updates when I publish a blog here. Thanks for joining me for another great year of adventure!

Overview: Reaching my 2008 goal of completing both a 100-mile ultra marathon and an iron-distance triathlon has left me searching for an answer to the question everyone (including myself) keeps asking: “What’s next?”

2008 Review: Before sharing my intentions for 2009, let’s take a look back at the 2008 season. The year started with the Avalon 50 Mile Benefit Run in January where I learned important lessons about footwear and hyponatremia. During my recovery it was announced that the SD100 was bumped up from October to June, so I designed a periodized training plan to peak in both the spring and fall with a rest in the summer.

Just as I kicked off training in February, I was hit by car while riding my bike. As I recovered from the accident, I became more focused on my goal and after getting cleared to resume activity, I raced the Ironman 70.3 California in March. Then I went on to log serious mileage to prepare for the San Diego 100 Mile Endurance Run in June. Successfully completing the SD100 remains my proudest moment as an endurance athlete.

After a short break in the summer, I started in with triathlon training and used the Accenture Chicago Triathlon in August as a tune-up race, put in serious work on the bike and then finished off the season with the Silverman 140.6 in November.

2009 Preview: My intention is to continue to explore my potential and redefine my limits in 2009 as an individual and endurance athlete. I am registering for the 2009 Southern California Ultra Runners Grand Prix Series which features races of 50K, 50M, 100K and 100M in various state park and national forest systems in Southern California. There are typically 20 races throughout the year and the Gran Prix points are awarded for one’s top 6 performances. In addition to racing 6 of these events, there are a few other events that have caught my eye but you’ll have to stay tuned to learn more about these

Recap: It’s hard to believe I have been keeping the Active Toby's Adventure Blog for well over a year now. Looking back on previous entries is a helpful reminder of what progress looks like. I have learned so many valuable lessons from these experiences, met incredible people, visited amazing places and took in absolutely beautiful scenery. I cannot thank you enough for believing in me and joining me as I pursue my dreams.

Yours in adventure,

Toby Guillette

!http://widget-e7.slide.com/p1/1369094286742184167/ms_t025_v000_s0un_f00/images/xslide1.gif|ismap=ismap|src=http://widget-e7.slide.com/p1/1369094286742184167/ms_t025_v000_s0un_f00/images/xslide1.gif|border=0! !http://widget-e7.slide.com/p2/1369094286742184167/ms_t025_v000_s0un_f00/images/xslide2.gif|ismap=ismap|src=http://widget-e7.slide.com/p2/1369094286742184167/ms_t025_v000_s0un_f00/images/xslide2.gif|border=0! !http://widget-e7.slide.com/p4/1369094286742184167/ms_t025_v000_s0un_f00/images/xslide42.gif|ismap=ismap|src=http://widget-e7.slide.com/p4/1369094286742184167/ms_t025_v000_s0un_f00/images/xslide42.gif|border=0!</p></p>

Read my 2007 Review - 2008 Preview

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

Overview: The ‘toughest’ 140.6-mile triathlon in North America: 2.4-mile swim in Lake Mead, 112-mile bike ride through Nevada desert with over 9,500 feet of climbing followed by a 26.2-mile run through Henderson with 2,500 feet of elevation gain. The extreme weather conditions made this brutal course even more difficult.

Silverman: All 50 states and 12 countries were represented at this years race. The pre-race events, event management, support from volunteers and energy from participants was world-class.

Swim: The swim was great because the water was close to 70 degrees which is 10 degrees warmer than the ocean in San Diego where I train. It was a nice change to swim in fresh water, but when the 35 mph wind gusts started up on our final approach to land, the conditions closely resembled a choppy ocean swim. The swell plus the rain made sighting a challenge too so I was relieved when I finally got to shore in 1:25.

T1: I transitioned to the bike in less than 5 minutes. I wore a pair of cycling shorts over my tri shorts for extra cushioning thanks to Airey’s suggestion. This made all the difference on my long bike ride. Note that my swim gear bag didn’t show up at the finish line so I’m still missing my wetsuit.

Bike: It was raining and wind was gusting when I got on the bike. My legs were cold but responded to fast spinning in an easy gear. I maintained this technique for all of the climbs and took full advantage the free speed on each descent that carried me into the next climb.

56: It rained for the first few hours of the ride while winds were steady from 20 to 30mph all day. The scenery during the ride was a treat and was even nicer when the rain let up. I did my best to take in the bulk of my calories during the ride, rotating between liquid calories in the bottle and gels as my primary source and had a clif bar at mile 95. It was great to see Paul and Carrie at mile 30ish but it was a long day out there and I didn’t see many people in front or behind me until the lead pack hit the turn around and were headed back the way we came. 

112: My neck and shoulders were tight from the 7.5 hours of riding and my sit area was sore from the bike seat so I was excited to start my run and be done riding.

T2: Paul and Carrie were at the transition where I handed off my bike and left the tent to begin the run. I also saw Eric who was already done with the half-distance race that started 2.5 hours after the full-distance race. That was a good sign for him to be done that early as he ended up 2nd in his age group! 

Run: The run for me remains my strength and the cycling training has helped my legs get even stronger and better balanced for running. I felt great to start the run at my goal pace but I could have been more conservative and remained stronger longer.

13.1: I maintained an 8:37 pace for the first half of the two-loop run course for a 1:53 half-marathon split. I crossed paths with Austin who was on the final quarter mile of his run and about to finish his race. It was great to see him but I knew I still had a couple hours left.

26.2: The final loop had me digging deeper for energy because the sun had gone down, I slowed my pace so a sub-4 hour marathon was out of reach and a sub-13 hour finish was gone too. The bright yellow shirts of race volunteers stationed at each mile of the run were a welcoming sight. I was very impressed with the amount of support the city contributed to the event.

140.6: I crossed the finish line in 13:10:49 as the 36th overall finisher. It was an exciting finish under the lights with the final run through a corral with flags from the 12 countries represented at the race. I met Paul, Carrie and Austin at the finish line, snapped some pics and then headed for the massage tent. During this time the lactic acids flooded my bloodstream and I got pretty nauseas. It only took 30 minutes on the massage table for this to pass thanks to the volunteer masseuse. Next we had to claim all of our gear bags and this is when I discovered my swim bag was missing. I was too tired to deal with it at the time so we decided to head back to the hotel/casino and sort things out with the race staff after the event.

(Not feeling so good in this shot)

Recap: This race was the final step in reaching my 2008 season goal of training for and completing both a 100-mile ultra marathon and a 140.6-mile triathlon. It is still hard for me to fathom how far I’ve come in such a sort time and what possibilities this will bring for the future. For now it’s back to the drawing board to dream up another year of goals and finish this year off in the company of my friends and family who have been there for me every mile of the way. Thank you for joining me on this adventure!