Leona Divide 50 Mile Trail Race

leonadivide5050.com

4/31/2011

Leona Divide 50 mile course map.
Photo from the Leona Divide Race website.

Elevation profile. 8900' elevation gain.
From the Leona Divide Race website.

4:30 AM arrival

Stretching out in the cold 10 minutes before the start.

And they're off! Only 50 miles to go.

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Up into the hills.

8.5 miles into the race.

Leaving aid station #3, 16.4 miles.

16.5 miles into the race. The next 10 miles are all uphill.  

A horse of course. Melissa found a friend while waiting for me.

Four legged trail runner.

42.6 miles. Aid station 9.

Aid station 9

Drinking some cold Coke to help my upset stomach.

I finished! 50 miles in 9 hrs 24 min. 

Tired.

Picking the sand out of my shorts. 

Time to go home.

Snacks for the ride home. :)

4th place in 20-29 age group. Those first three guys are FAST!

All photos taken by Melissa unless otherwise noted.

Weekly Training Report (Week 3)

I ran Bishop High Sierra 50 miler on Saturday (5/21/2011). The days leading up to the race were intentionally kept light  because I was still dealing with an injured foot and I wanted to be as healthy as possible for the race.  

5/16/11—5/22/11          Running                              Cycling

M:                                    05.91 mi                             039.45 mi

T:                                      --                                       033.20 mi

W:                                    06.35 mi                             054.30 mi

Th:                                   --                                         --

F:                                     --                                        019.80 mi

Sa:                                  50.00 mi                              --        

Su:                                  --                                         --

Totals:                            62.26 mi                             146.75 mi

White Horse #1

2011 Trek Madone 5.5

White Horses #2

"It is impossible for a man not to be a part of Nature..." Spinoza

From Adbusters # 95

Weekly Training Report (Week 2)

Last week I wanted to get several solid days of running in before beginning to taper for the Bishop High Sierra 100k. Unfortunately, due to an injured foot and a hurt back, that didn’t happen.

Monday morning I went out for a little run. I felt great during the run, but later that afternoon I started feeling a sharp pain on the top, outer edge of my right foot. 

Initially I thought I had a stress fracture, but, after doing a little online research, I think it may actually be a dislocated cuboid bone (or this). Whatever the cause, the pain was serious enough to prevent me from running all week.

Then, by midweek had hurt my back commuting to and from work (40 miles) with a messenger bag full of heavy books. The pain prevented me from doing anything, even riding my bike, for several days.

By the end of the week, after a few completely sedentary days, both my foot and my back were beginning to feel much better. I think my body was trying to tell me that I needed some rest. Hopefully next week is better.

5/9/11—5/15/11            Running                    Cycling

M:                                  5.17 mi                        43.90 mi

T:                                   --                                 39.33 mi

W:                                  --                                 --

Th:                                 --                                 20.98 mi

F:                                   --                                 --

Sa:                                 --                                 --

Su:                                 --                                 --

Totals:                         5.17 mi                        104.21 mi

Weekly Training Report (Week 1)

This year I am competing in the Southern California Ultra Series. To compete seriously and earn enough points to do well, I figure I’ll need to finish at least six ultramarathons this year. That’s not an easy task—at least not for me—and it’s not one that I can accomplish without becoming a better, stronger runner. In an effort to make that transformation I've been following a structured training plan for the last couple months, and I fully intend to keep working at it in future.

One of my plans for this blog is to post weekly reports on my training. I hope by knowing that others can see what I’m doing I will feel more pressure to stay productive and on track to accomplish my goals. And perhaps it will even be educational and/or amusing to watch my progress (or lack thereof) as I attempt to run hundreds of miles through the Southern California wilderness.

I try to focus on three things when making my running schedule: cross training, having fun, and improving upon my weaknesses. I have found that when I structure a training program with these in mind I see bigger improvements in my overall performance and I am a happier person. Since I spend a lot of time doing drills to improve my speed (a weakness), lifting weights, and playing around on my bike, my weekly mileage is not what you might expect to see from a person training for ultras. I’m not sure if my strategy is the best one out there, but it helps me stay sane and injury free. 

Finally, I would like to say a few things about last week. April 30^th I ran the 50-mile Leona Divide Trail Race. Normally I take it easy on race week to make sure my legs are well rested. I also try to do as little running as possible the week after a race so that my legs can fully recover before I start running again. For that reason, the fact that I didn’t run many miles this week wasn’t a surprise. Tuesday I did an easy jog on the treadmill at the gym. I attempted an easy run on Wednesday but my left iliotibial band was tight and causing me some pain, so I decided it would be best to take the rest of the week off from running and focus on stretching and cycling instead.

5/2/11—5/8/11            Running (recovery week)         Cycling

M:                               --                                                  --

T:                                02.50 mi                                      51.05 mi 

W:                               04.00 mi (ITB pain)                    40.20 mi 

Th:                               --                                                50.53 mi 

F:                                 --                                                 --

Sa:                               --                                                 89.30 mi

Su:                               --                                                 --

Totals:                        06.50 mi                                     231.08 mi

I'm a blogger!

Since my legs are sore from my run yesterday and I haven't felt like leaving my apartment, I decided today would be the perfect day to finally start a blog. What else are you supposed to do when you’re stuck on the couch all day?

Many of my posts will be about random things that interest me: philosophy, running, food, books, bikes and more. After all, it is my blog. I want it to be fun. Other posts will be updates on my life and adventures. Since I’m not good at picking up the phone and talking to family and friends, I’m hoping this blog will be a great way to keep those who are interested informed about what I’m doing.

The first thing worth writing about is yesterday’s Leona Divide 50 mile trail run. Did I mention that my legs are a little sore today? That’s why. It's worth it, though. I had a blast yesterday. The weather was almost perfect for running and the trails were scenic and challenging. I wouldn’t have been able to do as well as I did without my friend Melissa there taking pictures and handing me food and supplies at the aid stations. I’ll post some of her pictures and a full write-up on the race soon. Until then, here is a picture of me with my finisher’s medal after the race.