Devil Mountain 50 Mile Race Report 2012

... long overdue...
The day before the race Bob met me at Alameda and Union in Lakewood as I finished off some pumpkin curry soup (see recipes page). After filling up and picking up Dan we were on our way south to Pagosa Springs. We got there late, picked up our packets, and hit up a local place for grass-fed bacon cheese burgers, mine without a bun and with veggies instead of fries. We got directions to the race start, found it easily and set up camp for the night (good race already!). I really enjoyed setting up my tent in the moonlight without a light. There's a deep spiritual thing that happens when you allow yourself to adapt to nature instead of separating yourself from it.

The morning was cold and I found myself looking around for a view to inspire me. The plan was, after all, to enjoy a fun day in the mountains and run my first fixed-distance 50 miler. But the sun had another hour and a half before it would come up and there were no mountains in sight. For the first time in my life, I woke up in a beautiful place and didn't instantly feel like running, even my caffeine loaded tea did nothing for me.

breakfast:
-half my usual tea (50mg of caffeine) with a little coconut oil but not enough since it was frozen to the inside of my mason jar
-Almond Butter Perfect Foods Bar

The race started and I went through the first 4'ish miles feeling foggy and mentally sluggish, very unusual for me. Around mile 4, the top of the first climb, there was a "T" in the trail and pink flags (marking the course) went both right and left. A few guys were already stopped, looking both ways and asking if anyone had a map. I certainly didn't, and know myself as the type of person who takes every wrong turn possible during races. But I had seen the guy in front of me go right so I started running and they followed. -As long as the people at my speed are running the same course as me I don't care if we run long or short, although I hoped, if anything, I'd add distance since I'd rather screw myself than cheat.
Once the first downhill came I started feeling ready for the day ahead of me. The trail opened up to a jeep road and the downhill was the perfect grade to blast down at sub-7:00. Thankfully I was able to pass most of the people who had passed me while I'd run the extra mile.


The low point (10.5) was around 6800 feet; the high point (15.4) was around 9800 feet

 The 3000 foot net gain from miles 10 to 15 was rolling despite what the chart looks like. Perfect for me: people where slowly passing me on the ups and I was passing them effortlessly on the brief downs. With no placement lost on the largest climb of the race, I was starting to consider how well I might be able to do here. I knew before the race started that last year's course record was doable. I wasn't wearing a watch but I knew we were going fast enough for a sub-10 (hour) finish.
I had already taken an S!Cap or two and drank about 20oz of water since the start and at the top of the first climb I started taking in some plain Generation UCAN (mixed with about 15oz of water) and took about 10oz in before the 3rd aid station where I topped off my bottle with plain water. I started taking my first gel (a Stinger Ginsting) somewhere around mile 20, taking it in slowly with plenty of time between mouthfuls. -Anything to blunt the insulin response a little.
Before I knew it I was at aid station #4/7 where I knew I had an 8 mile section without aid. I downed a cup of half water/half electrolyte drink as the volunteers filled my bottle, which still had some UCAN left in it. This was my longest aid station stop at less than 30 seconds.
The out was beautiful and sparsely marked which, together, threatened to get me lost. The course for much of it was through open, overgrown fields with a small pink marker every tenth of a mile or so. A few times I completely stopped and looked before proceeding. I was consciously allowing myself to be flooded with appreciation for what I was doing every half hour or so and I feel it really helped my performance. I thought of my family memebers and friends who would never experience what I was doing. They would never know what it feels like to be this free and to truly be a part of the natural world. -As much as any other animal on the planet, fighting for my life. I was as saddend as much as elated by this, wishing I could at least be sharing it with Sabrina or my mother.

At the turn-around you took a page out of a book to prove you were there. Can you tell the RD is a Barkley guy?..I think I'm skinny enough for Badwater...

At the turn-around I noticed I was about 5 minutes behind first place! I'm gona win! But after I turned around I saw the trail of people -experienced people- not far behind me. I had taken the last few miles too easy and it was time to start racing if I wanted a chance of keeping my top-3 placement
In total, I took in one plain UCAN and either three or four gels during the race, one Stinger and two or three strawberry Cliff gels. I also took about 150mg of caffeine total. My energy was PERFECT. After the first 4 miles I felt clear and "in the zone" for the rest of the race. By taking the UCAN in so slowly I feel like I gave my body the slow, stable carbs it needed to burn fat to fuel my steady effort for the duration of the race. And by taking in gels I had some sugar to get up the steep hills and through the overly technical sections. If every race I have from now on is this stable I'll be nationally competitive in the next year! I'll need another few races to know for sure if it's my diet or if I just had a good day, but for now I'm very content with myself.

 

 

 

Bob finish DFL (dead f'ing last) and gave me goosebumps when he crossed the finish line in the pitch about five hours after me. Real ultra running is about starting before the sun comes up knowing you won't finish until after it has set.

 I gained a ton of respect for the sport of ultra running from this race. These people truly are my family and the bonfire and camping after the race was amazing.
Great day. I ended up finishing eight minutes behind the winner, in second place. Had I not run an extra mile I would have undoubtedly won. But this race, and this entire weekend, was about much more than running fast or winning.

Brief Thoughts Going Into The Devil Mountain 50 Miler

I'm not allowing myself to think into this race too much. Beyond the plan to enjoy a good day in the mountains and run below last year's Course Record (9:51:09), and preferably run sub-9 hours, I really don't have much of a plan.
It's gona be my last real race until December, so I want an honest effort out of myself. But my right foot has been bothering me since the American Heroes Run earlier this month, so I don't want to push the injury past the breaking point and lose winter training miles. However, I have been training as usual through the pain, but at this point it's been fairly constant -a stinging feeling from the base of my big toe up my arch.
No matter what happens it's looking like it should be a great day in the mountains.

And I've already had some great miles checking out the aspens this year:

Rob Cobb, thanks for the pic -I lost my camera cable and can't get my own up

The American Heroes Run

The weather report for Saturday, September 9th looked perfect, with a high of 82. I had gone a bit harder than planned two days before the race while ascending Green Mountain in Lakewood due to the classic tapered feeling of pain feeling much better..
On race morning my phone was covered by a pillow and my quiet alarm didn't wake me up (I believe that's the third time that's ever happened to me!). Thankfully my internal clock gave me jolt an hour later. Still, since the idea is to start my races with stable blood sugar and low insulin levels, waking up late means a much smaller breakfast.

Breakfast a little over an hour before the start:
-one spoonful of almond butter
-a few raspberries
-the usual Awake Tea and virgin coconut oil
-Vespa about 10 minutes before start

The American Heroes Run course consists of a 1.05 mile loop around Rogers Grove Park in Longmont, CO. The event was great and there was a distance for anyone, from the 5k up to the Ultra -a fixed-time event where runners compete to cover the 1.05 mile loop as many times as possible in 9 hours and 11 minutes. I signed up for the Ultra, which had a course record of 49.xx miles which I fully intended to break.
Sabrina was also there racing the 9.11 miler, and to crew for me once she finished.  

smiling at the start line, loving the energy of the children at the front

At 8:46, the time the first tower was hit on 9-11, the race started. I came through the first loop in 7:48 which didn't overly concern me since my race plan was to run the entire first 50k at a decent pace then do enough to break the course record before kicking back until time ran out.


one of the early laps

The first 15+ miles where gone before I had time to think. At about the two hour mark I took in my first calories, one pack of plain Generation UCAN, and was really enjoying myself despite the fact that the loop was getting lonely as everyone in the shorter races finished. I continued hydrating with plain water and S!Caps and took a UCAN about every other hour, sometimes mixing a little Hammer mix into it for the protein and electrolytes. By the 4:30:00 mark I was finally starting to feel the miles (which I had heard was a bit under 50k still). Around then I started walking part of the gentle hill by where Sabrina had set up, allowing myself to eat pieces of Stinger waffles with some coconut oil on top. I couldn't figure out why I felt so bad: my energy felt fine, my legs weren't too bad, hydration had been perfect, yet my gut felt off and the heat, which was well above predicted, seemed to effect me more than usual. It wasn't until an hour after the race that I would learn why.



At some point about 6 hours in my lungs started really hurting. I know that I overuse my chest when running, but by the 7:30:00 mark I was forced to breath entirely with my diaphragm. My upper lungs felt like they'd been beaten with a meat tenderizer from the inside out, like they were bruised, and forcing them open made me wince and cough. Even with the pain present I looked at this as a good thing. Running longer is going to require me to fix my breathing and here was my chance.

the start/finish area that I ran past 51 times

Toward the end I was certain I would break the course record by 4-7 miles even if I completely relaxed and I was more than 3 loops ahead of the nearest competitor. So my real race ended around the 8:00:00 mark. And when I ran in what I figured would be my last lap, I saw that I had 20 minutes left -enough time to get two more loops in, but instead I called it a day. 53.55 miles; a new PR for distance covered in a day and a new course record.

In all, I took in more water than ever before, about 300 mg of caffeine, and averaged about 100 calories per hour. My energy was solid throughout and my head was never foggy. The limiting factors were truly my breathing and my desire to race well in the next month. Add that to the post-race realization that I was sick and there was a lot in the way of a perfect race for me.

To summarize the whole experience..
The good: nutrition, hydration, crew (Sabrina), pacing, ...setting a Course Record, winning money for shoes, blister and chaffing prevention/care
The bad: being sick, leaving with 20 minutes left on the clock -pussying out

I should be back next year as a UROC prep race...

I learned a ton and established my ketogenic diet as a solid performance enhancer.
      -thanks David Clark for the pictures

The Ultra Progression/ Thoughts Going Into The American Heroes Run #1

On the Highline Canal back in March, I ran 45 miles over an 8 hour period, but it was hardly a real race...

On September 8th I'll be running for 9 hours and 11 minutes at The American Heroes Run (in Longmont, CO), with the intent of running more than 55 miles and setting a new course record. This will be my first legit race of 50 miles or more and, according to plenty of ultra runners, my first "real ultra." While a 50k is technically an ultra marathon -since it is longer than the 26.2 miles of a standard marathon- it's run essentially like a trail marathon since it's only five miles longer. Running what amounts to over two marathons back to back is certainly a "real" enough.

Over the last year I've finally gotten to the point where my body can handle running hard for 30 miles through streams, hills, and less-than-optimal weather. After the last couple 50ks I've had enough agility left in my legs to look normal walking around in the days following. Presumably that means I need more distance. -If I can walk the next day I obviously didn't go far enough.

My plan is to continue racing at each distance (50k then 50M and 100k, then finally 100M and beyond) until I've almost mastered it, then move up. The idea is to get the speed first and let the endurance come. Over the next year I'd like to do at least three more 50 milers or 100ks, along with shorter races. With the exception of two fixed-time events (Boulder 12-Hour and Across the Years 24-Hour) I won't allow myself to go past 100k.

I don't expect too much competition, but I'm looking to make a statement of sorts on the 8th. I come from a proud military family, and being a complete hippie doesn't stop me from feeling some deep pride for my country. Runners talk about "giving it your all," but for the people on 9-11 and our active duty service members "giving it all" is a very literal thing... With that in mind, I'm going to run as hard as I can.. If I beat all the relay teams I'll be content. If I run 100k I'll be stoked. If I know without a doubt that I had nothing left to give, I'll be truly happy.

First Two Weeks in Ketosis

I'm taking in less than 50 grams of net carbs (carbs-fiber=net carbs) a day, as well as limiting protein consumption to less than about 150 grams a day, in order to force my body to run entirely on fat. I don't know of any ultra runners who restrict carbs to this extent so its going to be a great experiment.
My only concern is that the lack of cabs could effect my speed since fat requires tons of oxygen to be burned while carb can be burned without oxygen (anaerobically) during hard sessions. As someone who enjoys speedwork and shorter/faster racing, I don't want my diet to limit me.

You can see my recipes page to see what kind of things I've been eating.

Last Monday, on day four of my ketogenic diet I did a 20 mile trail run at Bear Creek Lake Park in Lakewood. The previous day -day three- had been rough, with moodiness, low energy, and a general feeling of fogginess. So going into the 20 miler I wasn't exactly excited, but I was hopeful: since I had been out of blood sugar for a couple days I should already be past "the wall." And it turned out great. There was a definite low point from miles 4 to 6, but it wasn't bad and when it passed I felt strong until I finished.

I'm not sure why, but the next day -day five- I slept until noon and woke up feeling like I hadn't slept in three days. The entire day was spent in a heavy fog, similar to a bad fever. After an easy run my energy was back enough to feel like I could make it through the rest of the day without passing out. Day six was slightly better but I still didn't feel very coherent until after some miles. Day seven brought 24.5 miles over two runs and I felt great for both of them.

On day eight I wrote "no more fog" in my running log and I felt like I was back. Day nine and ten were both above 20 miles each and no crash followed like after day four.

It's now day 13 and I can feel the affects of running 100 miles last week while also forcing my metabolism to undergo a major change. However, my running pace has quickened over the the last three days with no additional effort on my part and I think most of the fatigue I have is mental.

As a side-note, I think my brain operates better on ketones than on glucose: my attention span seems longer and I feel like I could read an entire book in one sitting -and actually retain 100% of it. I'm starting to feel like Bradley Cooper in Limitless. I need to do some research to find out if students anywhere have tried this.

The true test will come next month, when I race a 55'ish mile race, then an 8.6 miler the following weekend, then a 50k two weeks after that.

Back Online

At Tahosa High Adventure Base, our internet was incredibly limited and stopped me from posting about the mountaineering dream that this summer was.

Training has been less than mediocre, but the personal transformation has been huge. Before July, I would have never considered myself a mountaineer -despite having climbed a few of the Indian Peaks. During the first few weeks at camp, during June, I even told someone that "peak-bagging and real mountaineering didn't really do anything for me."
While I still plan to never do the Hardrock 100 -or any races that mountainous or technical, I now identify as a mountaineer. This summer, I climbed or bouldered every chance I got and bagged Longs Peak (the Keyhole route, and the easier class 5 climbing route) and the first Flatiron. I also hit the major peaks visible from Tumblesome Reservoir, including Mount Audubon(13,223) and Sawtooth(12,304).

Before leaving for Tahosa in June I went out with three solid wins: first was the Bluffs 5k, with 1500 feet of elevation change; then came the Mt. Carbon Half Marathon, a competitive and roughly rolling race that I went into having already run more than 80 miles in the five days leading up to it; last was 50s For Yo Momma 50k, where I made Ultrarunner magazine for devastating the previous course record.
 Basically I left while I was on fire. Summer gave me a break from serious running, but also got me even more excited to keep winning, PR'ing, and setting course records(CR's).
The American Heroes Run (9 hours and 11 minutes solo run) has a CR of about 50 miles, but this year will have a much more competitive field coming out -being its third year and since the race will be held on the weekend instead of on the 11th. Either way I'll be well above 50 miles when the day ends, so we'll see who's with me on the 8th.

Check back later this week to see what I've been up to since I've been home to ensure that I win on September 8th...

The Spring Spree 10k and 20 Miler #1

I suppose the 10k went as well as you could expect. I wasn't fully recovered from the 45 miles the previous Saturday.
I started with the top 10 guys and got sucked in to there pace for the first quarter mile before slowing to my own pace and coming through the first mile around 5:40. At this point I realized that holding that pace and PR'ing wasn't looking good. The next two miles were right around 6:00 pace but I could feel my pace fluctuating from about 5:30 to 6:30. Obviously some runs at race pace would have helped immensely. During those miles I was able to catch and pass three people who had started out way to fast, putting me somewhere near 8th place.
The forth mile is the toughest one for pretty much everyone and I ran it in 6:30 -what should be marathon pace not 10k pace. Even with the slow down, I was gaining ground on everyone I could see and knew that I'd pass another two or three people in the last two miles. But by that point I was ready for it to be over. 38:00 finish time on a flat, pretty fast course. Not a good day, but moving on.

At the last minute I decided I would join the Rocky Mountain Road Runners for their Marathon Training Series 20 miler. So I checked online how far the race was from home and set my alarm.
My body didn't seem to feel the previous day's race when I woke up and that got me excited. I got in the car and started driving toward the race. After about 15 minutes, I realized that I missed a turn somewhere, so I turned on my GPS and tried to get directions -I still had more than half an hour until the race would start. My Magellan had no idea what I wanted based on "Twin Lakes Park" and all I knew was the park's name. But I knew I had to be close, so I went into a gas station to ask for directions. The manager called a woman who "would know if anyone would" where the park was. She had no clue either. So I went elsewhere and eventually went into a small, local diner figuring that was my last hope. The owner greeted me began to take me to a table while I explained my situation. He then walked me around to just about every person in the building trying to find someone who could offer me directions. A bit awkward, but the race was due to start in less than 20 minutes and I wasn't going to miss it.
The only problem was the park didn't seem to exist. Atleast no one knew anything about it. So that was that.

I then figured I would just run my own 20, since I wasn't planning to eat or drink anything during the race, it would make little difference. But with the letdown and stress of missing the planned race I didn't make it far before I called it. I'd just have to get back out later to get my miles.

I did just that. At around 4:00 I left the house and took off up Alameda toward Green Mountain, summitting Green about an hour later: 6'ish miles away and 1300 net feet up. I then followed the trails to the false-summit to the north and tagged it as well before dropping down the steep west side of Green Mountain.

A shot of the Front Range from Green, pictures from Fun With Gravity

With a decline that must be more than 20% average for half a mile, the descent was fun after all the slow climbing of the first 7 miles. Crossing over highway 470 at around mile 8 I realized that this was looking like one of the best training runs of my life and I'd be hitting 20 for sure.
The path I followed  to the next two mini-peaks is a classic Front Range trail, called "Zorro" due to the switchbacks. The trail lead to the top of two Hogbacks. The accent was short and steep and brought me to my turn-around point of 10 miles. Already at the half-way point this was possibly the most elevation change I'd ever done in a training run.

Green Mountain from Zorro Trail

 My favorite thing about Zorro is the smell: the Rocky Mountains have an extremely distinct smell and Zorro reeks of it. It's a dry, sandy, smell, that's earthy without smelling green. Being the strongest sense tied to memory, I get goosebumps and think about my first trail runs here in Colorado every time I smell it.. just a side-note.

Heading back down the switchbacks toward Green

The way back was almost as incredible as the way out. The accent up the west slope of Green was fun in a five-minutes-of-hell way. But knowing that it was literally all downhill from the peak was enough to make me push hard up it.
After the hitting the peak for a second time it was 1300 feet net loss and about 6 miles to home, with the last 4.5'ish on road. The moment I got home I became self-aware of my own bona fide mountain-runner-ness, and it felt right. I've been in Colorado for 9 months, and I'm starting to really feel like a Colorado runner.
Although I was more sore the next day then I was after the 45 miles the previous Saturday..

Thoughts Going Into The Spring Spree 10k and 20 Miler #1

After a distance-covered PR of 45 miles last weekend, and a few easy'ish days to recover, I should be more than ready to race hard at the 10k Saturday then turn around and have a great 20 miler on Sunday. My recovery is noticeably better than ever.

The 10k will definitely take more out of me than the 20 miler, since I'll be going for a PR. The course is easy and flat along the Platte River, so my "A goal" is to run a low 35 minute 10k -about 5:40 per mile. It should be possible if I can fully recover in time. Still, as long as I feel strong and run some 6:00, or better, miles I'll be content.
I've been having tons of fun at shorter races since I've moved my focus to ultras, so I'm really excited for this one.

From now until May 12th (50's For Yo Momma) I'm going to run three to four more 20 milers to prep for summer. On Sunday, I'm running the first 20 miler around Lakewood with some good, long climbs. If I manage to recover for Saturday's race, I'll be dead again Sunday for the 20, so the goal is just to finish strong.

Thoughts Going Into The Highline Canal Fatass

Two days and four and a half hours left until I start running. Once I start I won't stop for at least 10 hours.

Just had to put that in writing for myself.

Since December 2010 I've been focusing on trail marathons and 50k's, as well as some shorter trail races now that I've been in Colorado. I didn't think I was going to do anything this long until I was thoroughly ready to race the entire time, but I think this will be a great way to cap off my winter training.

Goals for this one (in order of importance):
1) Finish the entire 100k
2) Run the first 50k in less than 4:50
3) See Sabrina through her first ultra (the second 50k of my race) and witness the birth of a new ultra runner. This one could be hard since she's gona have to run her own race, and I'm not sure how her pace is gona feel after running a 50k beforehand.
4) Perfect my nutrition/hydration game for 50k, and mess around with real, solid food in the second half
5) Have an obscene amount of fun. Always a huge priority, it's last on the list only because if I do pretty much any of the above goals it'll happen.



Gota love living in Denver! Picture stolen from denvermetrotrails.com.

 Check out the complete course map here.

Last week was training as usual, completing my 15th week in a row at 80 miles and doing a few core/hip sessions. This week I cut back:
Mon: biked about 10 miles easy -just to get around, and some core/hip work
Tues: 13 miles, over to Green Mountain, up it, then back home
Wed: 6 miles on trails with water crossings at Bear Creek, soaked in Bear Creek afterward
Thur: Belmar Run Club, about 7 miles easy
Fri: off
Sat: 100K
Sun: whatever I feel like, but definitely something

I'm as ready for this as I ever have been, and I'm getting more excited by the day.

Camp Tahosa #2

I have good news, then bad news, then good news.

First, my interview for Camp Tahosa went fine. It felt great to get back in the scouting environment and be able to wear my uniform again. This year's camp director at Tahosa is Collin and he is the guy who interviewed me. He wasn't much older than me, and, while he has loads more experience than I do in Denver council, I'm confident that I could take his job in the next few years. I'm not saying he isn't good for the job -I'm saying I'm encouraged by how young he was. If anyone my near my age is qualified to run a camp, I am. And after my life-changing experience running Thunderbird NYLT (a leadership camp for scouts in Illinois), I'd love to get to the top of another totem pole and be able to run another camp.

When I'm in front of a large group people, and I can inspire and energize them with what I say, I get one of the best highs I've ever had. The only other time that I get that feeling is when I run: the moment you take over a race and move from second to first place, or realize that you're going to finish a new ultra distance, for example. There isn't much else in my life has come close to the feelings running and scouting have both given me. And nothing else could compare to what the two things have done for my developement as a person.

Second is the bad news. A counselor job (the job I expected to work) at Tahosa only pays $75 per week, although they do house and feed you. Thats only $600 saved after working all day, six days a week, all summer -and that's assuming I could save it all. I guess that's the price you pay for working at a primier scout camp -probly second only to Philmont Scout Ranch. As I sat on the numbers for a few days I realized that it wouldn't work. It's just not responsable for me to only bring in $300 a month. If I send my earnings to my girlfriend to pay half rent then I won't save anything all summer long. That's not something I can do right now with an 800+ dollar insurance bill coming at the end of the summer and a car that's gona need a new engine soon.

Thankfully, a bit of good news came a few days ago. I got a call from Collin asking if I'd like to be the Archery Director -a job that would pay at least double the original $75 per week. Suddenly, Tahosa is a option again.

God, watching this video makes me realize how ready I am for the simplicity of summer running. There's something magical about throwing on shorts and leaving, without the need to suite up.

thank you topozone.com for the map

Real mountains are back on my summer menu.
More to come as it unfolds

Camp Tahosa #1

I've applied to be a camp counselor at the Camp Tahosa High Adventure Base near Ward, Colorado.
When I was 17, I achieved the rank of Eagle Scout (Boy Scouting's highest honor), something that 3% (or less) of scouts ever do. I've had the honor of leading a National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) course. And  I was sent out to Philmont Scout Ranch by my home council to go through the National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience (NAYLE), which is essentially scouting's ceiling as far as youth leadership training. So, by applying for the position, I can plan on being at Camp Tahosa all summer.

I have an interview on February 18th with the new director of the camp and should be leaving with the formal offer for the job.

My blog is about running though, not scouting, so I'll get to the point. Camp Tahosa is at about 9,000 feet elevation and sits next to the Indian Peaks Wilderness south of Rocky Mountain National Park. The location has miles upon miles of trail and 12,000 foot peaks are as convenient and plentiful as you could ask for. Other just a great opportunity to develop myself as a runner and a human being, it will be a great chance for me to refill my savings account which has dwindled to nothing over the past months. I don't ever plan to be rich, but when my finances are stopping me from racing I know I'm too poor.

http://anodynerunning.blogspot.com/2010/08/pawnee-buchanan-pass-loop-27-miles.html -there's a ton of pictures of the trails I'll be calling home on Jim's page here, thanks for carrying a camera man!

Part two to come after my interview on the 18th

Moving Closer to the Mountians

Thankfully, February marks the end of my lease at The Golden Nugget Apartments. When we (my girlfriend Sabrina and I) moved from Illinois to Colorado six months ago, the only two solid requirements for our place to live were a cheap price and an immediate opening. So Golden Nugget, at Broadway and Belleview Avenue in Englewood, it was. At $555/month and less than two miles from Arapahoe Community College (ACC), it seemed close to perfect.

In May, two months before I eventually moved out to Colorado, I had visited the property and meet the manager. She offered to waive my application fee since I was going to be a student at ACC, which seemed nice but also gave me a pretty sales'y vibe. When I came back in July, she told me that they "can't do that anymore." Ah, sharky sales at its finest.
But I had the money so I payed it. Sleeping in my backpacking tent was getting old for Sabrina. And a place other than the car to keep food was necessary so we could stop eating all of our meals out.
We moved in on July 20th.
By August 20th, we had seen just about every person in our building intoxicated -including our landlady Suzanne. By September 20th, I had seen two people get arrested on our complex.
None of that bothered me in the slightest, but getting bit every night by mystery bugs got a little annoying -they turned out to be bed bugs in case you haven't read my other post about my living conditions. Other than those funny, living-with-the-under-class events, there were dozens of random events that happened almost too quickly to notice how strange they were.
One night a hideous, leather skinned, 40'ish year old woman that we were somewhat familiar with (we'd seen her most nights drinking and smoking in the courtyard) knocked on our door at around 7:00 pm. She stared at me for about five seconds before telling me that she must be at the wrong apartment. Yeah. Sorry. no drugs here.
One of the most quintessential fixtures of the Golden Nugget is the people who sit on the steps all day and night (smoking) and try to make you feel bad for asking for a way past them. There's the woman that came to our door, but also another woman who wears exclusively black pajama pants and a hoodie and sits on the staircase we use most often. Worse even than the smoke, is her backside. Presented to every person bold enough to walk down the stairs past her is her dark, dirty, cellulite clinging, ass crack.
Unfortunately, not all the people are totally benign. Take a minute to read this article, as sad as it is: http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_19073450 -Deer Creek, where the body was found, is my favorite place to run. And I've been living here for six months without knowing any of this. I suppose the area turned around a bit after the Englewood Police "established a presence" at the Golden Nugget. -Score one for the good guys.
The worst thing I've had to put up with since moving here has been Suzanne's (my landlady's) male "friends." Just this morning I had a 30-some year old intoxicated man, he said his name was Bull, wanting to come into my apartment to show me where I must be leaking water into the room below me. As it turns out, it wasn't even his room, and he doesn't even live here. He was just there visiting a friend while Suzanne got some work done, and in his drunken mind he felt the need to show me the water dripping into the room below me instead of talking to maintenence about it.
The water was coming from a busted pipe -not my place. And, in my assumtion, the reason his friend, the one who was living in the drippy room, hadn't complained about it earlier is because he couldn't speak english. ...

Anyway, despite all the antics the reason where moving is mostly to get a better location. We're too far from the mountains, too far from work, and too far from our grocery store, and they're all in the same direction. So we're moving to Lakewood, Colorado in a month and I couldn't be more excited.

The Lake Arbor 5k, a brief race report

Breakfast:
>half a BumbleBar w/peanut butter and virgin coconut oil
>Tazo Awake Tea with 5 drops of Grapefruit Seed Extract and a piece of ginger

The race started with me remembering what it felt like to go fast. We came through the first mile in 5:45. -I never race with a watch but the guy next to me told me. That seemed perfect for me, not as fast as I'm used to, but about where the pace should be considering my training for the last few weeks.
I passed around four people in the second mile but none in the third and got passed by no one after the first mile. So it was a pretty uneventful race. Apparently there was a course map at the sign-up table which would have helped some since I wasn't real sure where we'd be running and, more importantly, where the finish line was. That made for a long last mile.
18:29 and 8th place is a bit embarrassing, but I finished ahead of the people I knew I should have and right behind a guy I figured I'd finish right behind, so I'm not sure to make of it. And being sick this week left me a little less confident than I'm used to, so who knows how much faster I could have run. On top that, I've been overreaching with my training for sure (six weeks straight at 80) so anything sub-6:00 is good enough for now. Next month's five miler should be at almost the same pace with decent conditions.
For now, back to training. I'm going to inject 10-15 miles at sub-6:00 into random runs over the next month which should help me get my heart used to the harder effort and put me around 32:XX for the five miler.

Pictures if I find some

Stapleton XC CMRA Colorado State Championship

As usual the CMRA put on another great race.
I've been excited for this one. Everything I found and everyone I talked to said it would have a 'true cross country' feel. So I've been anxiously waiting to be able to wear spikes and get dirty.

-Breakfast
>BumbleBar with peanut butter and coconut oil
>a small chunk of a caffeine pill (~25 mg)

I got to Stapleton Central Park at around 9:15. The sun was shining by then but it was still below 40 so I kept all my layers on for my warmup. Before heading out of the car, I drank my last mouthful of water and took about 100 mg of caffeine (half of a pill).
The race started in an open field, which backed up their 'true cross country' claim. As everyone jostled for positions I stayed relaxed and focused on keeping my form perfect and not stumbling or wasting energy in the 5" of snow that covered this stretch. -That move paid off more than anything else during this race. At the half mile mark I was in about tenth place.
Once we got to the first hill the snow thinned out and I started my race. After a few more small, rolling hills we hit the mile mark and I had moved up to 8th place. Miles two through three were on packed snow over single track trail which made passing much harder, and after almost getting hip-checked off a boulder during the back stretch while trying to pass someone I decided to wait it out again. Once we hit the end of the first loop (6k; half way done), we headed back into the powder and I passed another three people in the next half mile and started feeling like a real competitor. Over the rolling hills of the next mile I caught the guy in fifth and passed him on a turn, then the guys in third and forth shortly after in the powdery back-stretch.
As I came around the final turn I saw the second place guy ahead of me but it was way too late to catch him. Still, I kicked as hard as I could thinking maybe he'd trip or run off the course alowing me to make up the ground. Obviously that didn't happen.
But a 3rd place finish is good enough for now, and I was only 50 seconds behind the guy in first -a guy who's 5k PR is probly more than a minute faster than mine.
Can't wait to hit the training for a few weeks before the (road) 5k on January 7th.

Thoughts Going Into The Lake Arbor 5k

Well, I'm not exactly fast right now -after not taking a single fast stride in over a month. And to add to it I've been sick for a few days now and today has been the worst so far. Thinking about running hard when standing up makes me dizzy is rough. I rarely get sick: running generally helps the immune system, but 27 miles in a day will turn the tables a bit.
Despite all that, I'm really excited for this one. I've run 80 miles a week for six weeks in a row now and I'm starting to get hungry for a race. Also, recently my running dreams have been reaching further than ever. I'm feeling the need get out a see how I do against runners that I've idolized. I'm slowly getting ready to take my heroes off their pedestals and put them in my dust (at least at the 50k distance). Also 2012 is gona see a new 5k PR for me.
Since junior year of high school I've been running almost the same pace at every 5k I've run and I'm sick of it. Since chasing the 50k more seriously, my mental game has gotten exponentially stronger. When I race my self-talk is always positive: in my mind every difficulty the course throws at me hurts everyone else more. When I'm hurting, the guy next to me must be ready to quit. So this year it's about time to see myself running sub-16:10 for the 5k... even if I never do short speedwork again.
As far as this race however, I'm just looking to place well (there're going to be plenty of people faster than me here) and have fun.