2014 Ironman 70.3 St. George Utah

Ironman 70.3 distance triathlons are fun…..I mean really fun.  They are long enough to make them tough, but at the same time you can really push it knowing you won’t be out all day like an Ironman.  Two  weekends ago I competed in my 8^th Half Ironman.  This was the hilliest half ironman course I have raced.   St. George puts on a great race.  First of all, the course is awesome.  Second there are are so many awesome volunteers that make the whole experience what it is.  Last you get to finish in a cool little small town center.  Not to mention that part of Utah is breathtakingly beautiful.

It all began  when we departed San Diego after work on Wednesday.  We didn’t hit a lot of traffic and arrived in Vegas at 11PM.  Went straight to sleep to wake up early and run the strip.  Packed up and hit the road for St. George.   After cruising the 4 corners area and the beautiful Virgin River Gorge we arrived in St. George around noon.  It had already gotten quite hot and the winds were blowing.  I love the dry desert breezes.   After checking into our hotel room we headed over to St. George town square to register for the race and check out the expo.  St. George has an awesome town square where T2 occurs and the race ends.   There are water parks for the kids and plenty of places to chill and watch the race.  As usual, Ironman puts on a well-run show.  Registration was usual.  ID checked, waivers signed, bags filled, timing chips checked, and we were off to shop.  Got my usual work shirt and pint glass.  Expo was cool but it was getting hot and we wanted to explore St. George.    

St. George is a small town located at the south end of Utah.  We had stayed here before but only as a place to crash on the way to either SLC or Colorado.   There is a lot of hills and mountains and little trees in the area which make for some great views.   Later in the day we met up with my buddy, Jeff Lyles.  This was his first triathlon ever.  Man did he pick a tough one for a first race.

Kasia and I had planned on having a chill day before the race to go for a cruise on the bikes and a swim in the lake.  We woke up to a perfectly beautiful Utah morning with little winds so I left my arm warmers at the hotel and headed out toward Snow Canyon where the toughest climb of the race is located.  Ended up right at the base of the big climb but decided to leave it for race day.  We headed back to the hotel to change and grab our wetsuits and then headed out to Sandy Hollow Lake Reservoir for a little practice swim.  The lake is located about 15 miles outside of town.  We would have to head out to the lake later that day to drop our bikes off at T1.  The lake has these cool little islands that you have to swim around during the race.  For the practice swim we swam out to a couple of the islands and got out on them to explore the lake.  The water was clear so you could see the rock disappearing into the depths. 

After a little fun we headed back into town to get Jeff registered.  The expo had a little more people than the previous day.  Listened to the last pre-race briefing at 3PM then got our bikes and headed back out to the lake to drop them off.  Ate an early dinner, packed up all of gear bags, and headed to bed. 

Alarm went off shortly after 3 AM.  Got our breakfast, checked out of our hotel, and headed down to T2 to catch the buses out to the lake.  The bus driver had some country music on as we headed out to the lake in the pre-dawn darkness.  I managed to catch a little shut eye on the 20 minute ride out to the lake.  Got our tires pumped up and our bikes ready then headed over the lake to watch the pros and waves start.  There was a cool quad copter hovering above everything all day filming the race.  Hopefully they release some of the footage.    They had wave starts so the swim was absolutely awesome and gave each wave three minutes to get out to the red buoys (start line).    Overall, my swim was great. 

Swim split – 32:57

Got on my bike stoked.  Now it was early morning, wind was calm, and I felt good. 

The road circles around the lake to the first big climb.  The roads are a bit rougher in Utah but then again they have real winters with snow.  My plan was ride and fuel.  I loaded up with Cytomax, Cytomax drops, salt tabs, Barnanas, and some vanilla wafers. This bike course is by no means flat.  Utah is pretty and this bike course is awesome.  I loved it………especially when I got into town and things started to become familiar.  Before I knew it I was on the same part of the road I was riding the day before during my pre-ride.  The toughest most beautiful part of the course was yet to come and I was ready to take it on.  I was hydrated and fueled and pushing it as much as I could.  As I entered Snow Canyon I was stoked with seeing the awesome cliff wall and white mountains in the back ground.  This part of the course is super sic.  The views inspired me to continue the tough climb.  

It is a continuous tough climb but I knew at the top it would be all downhill to T2.  I crested the top of the climb I shifted down to my heaviest gear and started to let gravity do its job.  The descent felt great.  It was a welcome break after the tough climb up Snow Canyon.   T2 came before I knew it. 

Run time.  Bike Split – 2:43 Averaged 20.61 MPH  (Not bad for 4K of climbing)

Now it was time to run.  I ran in my Hokas due to a lingering foot injury.  Training for the Tahoe 100 this July has its side effects.  Good news is my foot felt great due to some R.I.C.E.  and love from my Hokas.  The run was also hilly but not as tough as the trails I have been training on.  The run went by a lookout place Kasia and I checked out the first night we got into town (Big Rock with Dixie painted on it).  The road is right above town along a ridge line.  The same quad copter that was at the start was out filming here too which made for some fun sightseeing.    I decided to take a hand bottle along for the run and kept filling it with ice and water at each aid station.  That was a good move and I was glad I did since it was heating up by then.  As I was headed back into town I saw Kasia.  She stopped and gave me a kiss.  I am lucky to be able to share in the experience with her.  She continues to amaze me.  She always has a good run and always seems to be in a good mood.  I was happy to see her running.  I knew she would do great.  Now I needed to push it and finish this thing up.  With 4 miles to go and mostly downhill l really started to push it.  To the point of making myself sick.  But I love it.  There is something about this racing thing that has me hooked.  I enjoy suffering in a weird way but then again, so did the other 2000 or so people racing with me. 

When I got into town I knew I would not break 5 hours but I was close.  My best time on this distance is 4:58 at Oceanside.  I would not beat that time but I knew I raced a better race.  This was by far my best effort at this distance on the toughest half ironman course I have ever raced.  Good times. 

Run Split – 1:43:11

It took a few minutes sitting down on a bench to get my bearings straight after finishing.  Felt good to be done.   The park was packed with people and kids.  The warmth felt good.  Took a quick splash in the water park and sat on a bench for a bit and took in the moment.  It was starting to get hot.  I wondered where Kasia and Jeff were and how they were doing.  One of my teammates on the Nytro Men’s team, Cassio Debiasi,  crushed it and went 4:37.  Way to go Cassio!!

My total time  - 5:06

All in all we loved Ironman St. George.  It is an awesome course and is very beautiful.   I would definitely do this race again. For now I am going to focus on ultras for the next couple months.  This past weekend Kasia and I both ran the PCT50 east of San Diego.  This was  our second time racing that distance.   I ran it on my own and crushed it.   Look for another race report on that one shortly. 

BTW:  On the way home we hit up Bachi Burger in Las Vegas to refuel and were not disappointed.  They make killer burgers and had Sierra Torpedo IPA on tap. 

2014 Xterra West Championship Race Report

Sunday April 13, 2014   Lake Las Vegas, Nevada

Like racing on the moon……that was the text printed on the front of the Xterra race guide we picked up at check in.  Kasia and I were pumped to head to Vegas for the weekend and test our luck at Xterra.  Las Vegas is definitely one of the most amazing cities in the world; like an adult playground with anything you want….including some fun off-road triathlon.  Xterra triathlons are to me the most fun and exciting triathlon type by far.  A swim (1500 meters) mountain bike (30k) and trail run (10k).   The best part is being on the dirt and trails.

Got to Vegas late Friday night and checked into our hotel.  Next morning loaded up the truck for Lake Las Vegas for some course recon.  We have raced here before back in 2011.  The course is slick.  There are no trees, steep climbs, and loose dirt.  Not the sticky kind but the kind that makes you real unsure in the turns.  While pre-riding the course I noticed at about every turn a wheel track heading off trail.  The air was hot and dry and felt good.  The only worry was the water temp.  Saturday they said it was 54 and wetsuits were mandatory.  After checking in and pre-riding the course we opted out of a pre-swim and headed back to our hotel in Las Vegas.  I had swam in cold water before and was prepared thanks to my new Matuse wetsuit.

Last time we raced we stayed out in Lake Las Vegas and really didn’t like it.  It is nice, but dead out there.  Golf courses, hotels, and houses…..that’s about it.  Not a lot of food choices either.  This time we stayed downtown and loved it.  We ate dinner and headed back to the room to prepare and rest for the following day.  Xterra starts after 8AM so there was no need to set the alarm clock too early. 

We woke up to strong winds.  Winds at dawn usually mean it will be a windy day.  After checking out and loading the car we were off to Lake Las Vegas.    It was windy!  At least I would not have to go aero out on the road and get beat up.  After setting up transition and saying hi to Greg and his wife we headed down to the swim start.  This was Greg’s first Xterra and he loved it.  He will definitely be back for more. 

Kasia did the sprint triathlon so she went off right after the pro’s.  I got to watch her get used to the water temp, practice swim, and then head off.  I love that they use a small little cannon like Ironman to start each wave.  After she headed out on her swim I got in the water to warm up.  To my liking the water was not that cold.  The wetsuit felt awesome.  We have swam in much colder.  I bet it was 58 or so.  Swim was good but it was tough to sight due to the rising sun.  I always say the swim is the easy part.  It is not my strongest part but I enjoy it and always feel fresh.   I knew I was nowhere near the front of the swim so I was content to race my race and have a good time.  As I was approaching the beach I was getting excited to get on my bike and hit the dirt.  Before I knew it I was running up stairs to the bike transition.  

Getting on the bike is always a good time, especially in a race.  The feeling of leaving transition still wet and fresh feels amazing.  Something I will always love.   After a short stint of road I was on dirt and loving it.  The wind was strong once we left the protection of the buildings…..blowing gusts of dirt in everyone’s faces.  The first half of the course has the toughest climbs.   Climbing is on ridge lines and everyone was getting blown all over the place.   The wind was sucking all the moisture out of me.  I decided to carry two liters of Cytomax and was I glad I did.  I drank it all and grabbed two water bottles on course.   It was dry and hot, not something I was used to living in San Diego.  But it was fun and I liked it.  After the climbs in the early part of the race you descend into a wash that is filled with sand.  Kasia took a spill here while pre-riding the course the day before.  My 29 inch wheels really helped keep momentum during this part of the course.  Picking the right line was key.  Out of the canyon, a couple more climbs, then some sweet single track next to the lake.  

Got through the first loop and was ready for the second.  I kept reminding myself to take it easy in the turns and not fall.  I guess I jinxed myself.  Just as I finished the big climb on my second loop I crashed on the downhill.  It happened so fast.  My front tire slipped out in the turn.  It knocked the wind out of me and I was still clipped into the bike as I came to a sliding stop on my right side.  It was a tight race course so immediately I was worried about people running me over.  I was lying in the middle of the trail.  I clipped out and moved over the side.  It took a few minutes to get my wits about me.  Bars and saddle were twisted but bike was ok.  Moved the saddle straight and checked myself out.  My right forearm was bleeding and my right shoulder/back was hurting along with my hip.  I also ripped a hole in my brand new Nytro Breakaway tri kit shorts……grrrrrrrrr.  Got back on the saddle and continued on.  This is the first time I have crashed in a race before.  It sucks. I sprained my left wrist in Utah early this seasons snowboarding and this fall re-injured it a bit.  The second lap was tough but I managed to ride the rest of the course and head into T2.  I drank every bit of liquid I had on me.  This lap was definitely not as good as the first one.

My wife and I have been training for the upcoming PCT 50 and Tahoe Rim 100 mile race so I was stoked to get running.  When I got into T2 Kasia was there taking pictures.  She had already finished her race and was now cheering me on.  I decided to take my water bottle with me since it was so dry, hot and windy.  I was glad since aid stations were spread out by a couple miles.  I felt good starting the run but as I started to climb I could feel my hamstrings tightening up.  At first I thought nothing of it but it quickly changed to a full blown cramp.  First my left hamstring cramped, then my right.  I had to stop running and stretch.  Cramps suck and hurt too.   I definitely did not take enough electrolytes on the bike and was now paying for it.  Standing there watching people run by sucks bad.  After a few minutes they released and I started to walk up the hill.  I like challenges and this was one of them.  I felt good energy wise and the hills were not too hard to run, my body was just not cooperating.  As I reached the top of the first climb I started to run again and thankfully did not have any other cramps.  When I reached mile 3 I really started to feel good.    The rest of the run was great and I had no more cramps. 

Compared to recent events this was over in a blink of an eye.  When I got to the finish line Kasia was there taking pictures.  I was bummed I missed her medal ceremonies.  She got 1^st place in her age group in the sprint race.   Even though she was terrified of the bike, she pushed through and gave it her all and ended up bringing home our only medal.  I am really proud of her and what she has accomplished.  Without her support and determination we wouldn't get half the stuff we do done. 

I ended up 15 of 19 in my age group.  Not my best performance but after the crash and the cramps I was glad I was able to finish and live to race another day.  I gave it my all and never gave up.  This was my first crash in a race and probably won’t be the last. 

Swim :29:29  Bike 1:51:36 Run 1:00:51  Total: 3:21:56

It really makes me want to get better at mountain biking and trail running.  Xterra races are by far my favorite and I look forward to the next one.  For now I have Ironman St. George in little over a week.  Cannot wait to be back racing in the desert.

The North Face Gore Tex 50 Mile Race Report

Saturday December 7^th, 2013 Golden Gate National Recreational Area, California

This past weekend Kasia and I ran our first 50 mile race and it was awesome.  Getting out on the trails in nature is one of my favorite things to do period!!! And getting to do it with my wife makes it even better.  Ultra Marathons are the hardest physical thing I have done so far…..They are off road and not flat.  Very far from flat….in fact they are up then down then up then down and so on for however far they may be.  I felt this week like the first time I ran the marathon.  My quads are shot big time.  It hurts to walk downstairs and all day at work everyone asked me why I was walking funny.  I then had a fun story to tell them.  I ran 50 miles.

This year is special for the both of us because for the first time both of us are sponsored and racing for a men’s and women’s triathlon team.  Kasia is part of the Elite team sponsored by Active Angelz and I am part of the Men’s Nytro Breakaway Training team.  Many thanks to our coaches and sponsors that make this whole dream we live possible.  Nutrition is my fourth sport and Cytomax really hooks our team up.  Energy Drops, Cytomax Sports Drink, Monster Aminos & Protein really helped make our bodies as strong as possible.   And we needed every bit of help we could get.

Over the past couple years my wife and I have been dabbling in ultra-marathons.  We did our first 50K in Big Bear at Endure the Bear in 2011.  We ran that race together and it was brutal.  Kasia was fighting an injury and did not have the best experience.  We ran/hiked the Rae Lake Loop that summer with our friend Christian (45 miles unassisted).  That was awesome and cemented my love for running above the timber line in the sierras.  Something I look forward to every summer.  Then we did Noble Canyon 50K last year.  We tried to get into the NF50 last year but it was already sold out and now I know why.  This course is super sic.  It is located just north of San Francisco in the Marin headlands.  Some place I have always wanted to explore after visiting Muir Woods last year.    This past summer after running from Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite to Mammoth Lakes (35 miles of PCT love) we decided to sign up again and test our bodies at the 50 mile distance

We flew into SF Thursday after our flight was delayed 1.5 hours.  That sucked.  Got our rental car and headed downtown to the Hyatt at the Embarcadero in SF.  One thing we noticed is that it was cold…….way cold.  That brought back nightmares of IM Tahoe this past year.  But at least we didn’t have to swim then hit the bike in 40 degree shade.  Next day headed to the North Face store downtown and checked into the race.  Got our numbers, timing chip, and tech tee (which we gave right back to get printed at the finish line).  Afterwards we spent the afternoon shopping in downtown SF, getting some dinner and relaxing in our room. 

Next morning our alarm went off at 2:30 AM for the 5:00AM start.  I always hate eating food really early in the morning.  The anxiety plus the food does not feel like a normal day.  Kasia has no problems but each bite for me is a struggle.  The excitement for some reason takes away my normal appetite for some reason, but I know I need fuel so I power down a bagel with peanut butter and part of a chocolate croissant.  A couple cups of coffee later and we are headed to the start through an empty downtown SF. 

Got to the parking lot and hit the shuttles and before we knew it we were at the start.  The race start felt empty compared to triathlons.  Tents felt spread out thin.  I wish they would have had a big tent with lights because we it was cold (30’s) and dark.  We had to use our headlamps to pack up our bags for drop-offs.  There were 4 places you could pick up your bags at.  Two aid stations you went through twice.  We decided to pick ours up right after ascending from Stinson beach up the Dipsea Trail at mile 30.  Dean Karnaze was at the start line giving high five as we left the finish line. It was a surreal experience with all the lights.   

There was a line of headlamps strung out after the start.  It stayed dark for over an hour…..it was cold until we started our first ascent.  When we reached the top the lights of Sausalito were visible below the ridgeline and when we hit a Eucalyptus Forest the lights of SF were visible.  It was awesome to be running through the forest with the city in the background and my wife next to me.  Kasia was the only one I knew at the race and my plans of taking off and running my first 50 miler solo were leaving.  We had trained together for this.  Mile after mile, day after day, hour after hour and now we were in the moment…… racing.  She asked me to stay with her till it got light and I agreed.  I was already thinking I may want to hang with her and experience this together……kind of finish the journey together.  I am a lucky guy because my wife is generally down to try anything.  Just after the forest ended we started the first descent.  My little light on the front on my cap barely lit the way and Kasia always has a tough time descending so I hung behind her and made sure she got down safe.  6 or so miles later we looped back to the first aid station we had already passed.  They had no food, only drinks, so we took a drink and headed back out into the dark trails.  Instead of taking the road or climb we just took up to the forest we took a left and headed north.  This was the start of us moving far far away from the start.  The start of our adventure.  Dawn was breaking on the horizon.

Wrapping your head around running 50 miles for the first time is big.  Really Big.  Neither of us had ever done it.  I would be lying to you if I said I wasn’t a little anxious and nervous about it before…….but something changes after a race starts.  We had trained for this.  We were ready and the miles just start to fly by because everywhere you look is pure beauty.  I love running early morning …..Its pure and only the hardcore people get it.  Once you taste it you want more.  Sunset is spectacular too but night falls shortly after.  Sunrise on the other hand is just as beautiful but follows with brilliant warm sunshine…….the stuff that makes superman strong.

As sun broke we hit the coast and I couldn’t help but take a few pics because it was stunning.   A line of runners spread out down the coast.  You could see the trail zig zagging down closer to the beach.  I kept telling Kasia how awesome this trail was…….it was when the alpine glow sunrise hit her I decided I would stick with her all day and finish what we started together. 

A few miles later at the top of a hill Muir Beach came into view and again I was inspired by nature….it was beautiful.  What an amazing place to do our first 50 miler…..bummer it was cold.  But at least the sun was going to be out and that offered me some comfort. 

I ran in gloves all day…..taking them off for only the climbs where I would warm up for a short period of time.  After Muir beach we climbed a long hill that kept growing turn after turn.  At the top we hit another aid station and I saw one of the leaders about to the hit the 30 mile marker.  Kasia and I were about to head out on the out and back…….the furthest we would go from the start and finish.  Shortly after we left the aid station we went into the forest and I just enjoyed every second of running with Kasia through this lush forest with beams of sunshine penetrating down to our level. 

The out and back of this race is sweet single track with views of Stinson Beach below but it is also the most dangerous because you have runners going both ways and we had runners coming at us head on the whole way.  Out and back we dealt with some not so nice people that thought they had a chance at winning and other very nice people that did not want to die. 

Once we got off the out and back we descended into the sweet little town of Stinson Beach.   Switch back after switchback we descended.  At this point between mile 20 and 30 I started to feel my quads and legs, but I was stoked to be doing this…….I was in the moment enjoying it with Kasia.  We chatted the whole race…..she has come so far since we first met.  She inspires me with her determination and growth.  She just keeps getting better and better and always has a great attitude. 

The climb out of Stinson beach on the Dipsea Trail flew by and before we knew it the views were back.  Once we reached the top we hit the aid station we saw the pro at earlier.   Man that guy was flying.  We munched on some ruffles and M&Ms which tasted so good.  Also drank a cup of chicken broth which was also nice because of the warmth.  A couple cokes later and we entered Muir Woods and the mystical forest I had been looking forward to all day. 

The Redwoods started appearing here and there but when we reached the bottom of the valley where the river made its way down the mountain was where the big Redwoods covered in green moss lived.  It was so fun to be running through such an awesome place.  It felt like Endore in Star Wars.  Last year Kasia and I hiked here and had an awesome grilled cheese sandwich (Marin Melt- Cowgirl Creamery Mt Tam Cheese, Pt Reyes Farmstead Cremery Toma Cheese, and Rustic Bakery Sunflower Loaf Bread) with tomato soup at the Muir Woods Forest Service restaurant.  If you are there check it out……definitely worth it…..soo sooooo yummy. 

From the past visit I knew we would climb out of the forest and into the sun along the ridge.  Before long we found ourselves making the climb.  When we broke out of the sun I got a recharge.   It was later in the day but the sun still provided some warmth.  Muir woods was chilly.  Glad to have that behind us. 

Time to move closer towards the finish.  As they say what goes up has to go down and we hit the end of the sun trail and started our descent down to the next aid station next to the the parking lot for Muir Woods.  The downhill hurt.  Switchback after switchback.  Started to make friends with other runners we had been running with all day.  No matter what we kept running and before long we entered the aid station.

Looked for M&Ms but they only had skittles.  Bummer….They did have potato chips and coke so took some down and headed back out with Kasia.  There were a couple runners sitting down in blankets looking not so good.  They probably didn’t make it.  Next section to Muir Beach was flat and very welcomed.  That was just what we needed.  Kasia got in front of me and set the pace.  We didn’t say much for a while until we got closer to the town.  We crushed a couple miles at a descent pace.  The race up until this point had been really hilly (This is not a flat course).  It is a very hilly course but not very technical except for the out and back.  Muir beach aid station welcomed us in with cow bells.

At this aid station one of the race directors was getting headlamps ready for the upcoming runners.  He said to us “You guys will make it right before it gets dark”.  That was comforting as the sun was starting to set in the west.  Right out of this aid station is a big climb.  It is a fire road cut in some places straight up the hill.  A couple mountain bikers passed us.  I thought to myself how fast I could crush miles on the wheels…..and then I thought how fast I could crush these hills if I was fresh.  I started to day dream about what my legs felt like at the start.  I was trying to think of anything but being tired and feeling the pain in my quads and legs……but we pushed on.  Past 35 miles was new to us this year.  The summer run was less than 35 by a mile or two.  In training we went up to 35.  So when we hit 35.1 I was a little excited.

Now we could count the rest of the race in aid stations.  Two left.  We strategized what we would eat at the next aid station hoping they had ruffles and M&Ms.  The descent to the second to the last aid station really hurt but we did it.  This was a big aid station with everything we wanted.  We filled up and hit the road.  We didn’t spend very much time in any aid station.  Only what it took to fill my camelback and eat what we wanted.  At this point we were not liking the hills anymore.  We wanted to be done but less than five miles to go.  The last hill went on for what seemed like forever.  Bend after bend, more and more, but as we crested the top I recognized we would go through the eucalyptus forest we went through right after the start.  We were almost done.  The end was in sight.  When we ran through the forest I could see the city lights once again and was energized.  One more descent and a little climb and we are done.  During the final descent the sun set and when we hit the bottom it was dark.  We had run all day.  I mean we ran during every second of light.  Run, eat, drink, run, eat, drink, etc…..all day. 

We approached the finish line with one guy in front of us so before we got into the light I congratulated Kasia on an amazing effort and had her wait up a sec so the guy could have his own moment.  We then ran across the finish line together holding hands in a time of 12 hours 39 minutes.  It was awesome to experience our first 50 mile running race together and what an amazing place to do it.

I never saw the start/finish area in the light.  Only in the dark.  There was no food and no beer (bummer), but we did find some coffee which was awesome.  The coffee was warm and it was super cold now that we had stopped moving.  We got our finish line bags and changed into some warm clothes and headed to our car.  The heat and the seat on the bus/shuttle felt so good.  When they dropped us off at the car I ran over to the rental car and started it up and revved the engine to about 4K.   The heat started pouring out of the vents minutes later.  We sat there as the car warmed up reflecting on what we had done that day.   After we got comfy we drove back into the city back to our hotel in Embarcadero.  We parked the car and hobbled through the lobby to our room.  We dropped off our stuff and turned right around back to the hotel restaurant.  The food tasted so good.  The beer even better.  We grubbed pretty quickly and headed back to our room.  We were beat big time!  Kasia fell asleep sitting up.  I tucked her in and hit the sack.  I was out immediately!!

We both slept like crap.  Tossing and turning with pain in the legs.  Dawn came what seemed quickly.    

We got up the next morning and hit up a SF favorite of ours…….Ike’s Place (sandwiches).  We ate them in the car where it was warm.  They were so good!!!  I love that place.  They have killer GF bread that Kasia loves. 

Afterwards we hit up twin peaks for killer views of SF.  I have always wanted to check that place up and the views were worth it. 

After chilling for a few we headed back to the SF airport to drop the rental car off and catch our flight.  One thing that is awesome about living in San Diego is coming home.  I thought it would be warmer and feel great but when we landed we found it chilly as can be.   But it felt good to be home.

Like most endurance events you do for the first time it takes a little for the whole experience to soak in.  It has soaked in and we want to try that distance again.   We are thinking about signing up for the PCT50 for 2014.  Registration opens January 1^st    This time I will run solo and see what time I can post.  It occurs the weekend after Ironman St. George 70.3.

Who’s in?????  

Rae Lakes Loop - In one day

Kings Canyon National Park, California, Roads End Hwy 180
9.24.2011 Saturday

We’ll never know our full potential unless we push ourselves to find it – Travis Rice Professional Snowboarder “The Art of Flight”

We went big. Bigger than we have ever gone before! And it was amazing.

This was a dream of mine for the past couple of years and last weekend we made it happen. My wife Kasia and my friend Christian Eggert made the choice to head up to King Canyon National Park with me and hike/run the Rae Lakes Loop. We backpacked this 43 mile loop a couple years ago in 5 days/4 nights and it was amazing. It truly is one of the classic Sierra Nevada Loops. If you have never heard of it or done it I highly recommend it.

We left Thursday night after work on my birthday. I know…….what a way to spend my bday. We got up to Tulare and crashed out in a motel. We woke up the next day and headed up into Kings Canyon. Giant Sequoias greeted us into the park. We stayed at Sentinel Campground. It was a ghost town. We got to pick from too many sites but eventually settled into spot 26. Had a chill day and car camped. Crashed around 8:30PM. It’s getting darker earlier and lighter later. I love fall.

We woke up at 2AM….early! The few campers around us were all crashed. Kasia had to remind me to use my inside voice, I don’t know how many times. I was excited. Had some breakfast that we prepped the day before, made some coffee, and hopped in Christian’s car. At the trailhead my Garmin took a while to sync up with satellites since we were so deep. We started at 3:15AM. It was pitch black and each of us had headlamps and poles. This was earlier than I have ever gotten up for any kind of endurance event ever. It was cool to be walking out in the woods so early. It had begun.



















An hour or so in, we were walking and we all saw a set of eyes glaring back at us from the reflection of our headlamps. We paused and our hearts started to race. Was this a bear? We could not make out what it was. We yelled, made sounds, even blew a whistle but it would not budge. It just stared at us. It wasn’t charging us so I inched forward ever so close. Christian had an awesome head lamp and I could barely make out a pair of deer ears so I crept closer and could eventually see that it was a male deer just staring us down about 20 feet off the trail. We had to continue so we just made our way ever so smoothly by it and started to hike uphill again. The entire morning was climbing and before we knew it we were starting to see the sun crack the darkness out east. It was starting to be morning around 6AM and we had already traveled over 10 miles. As the sun started to rise we could start to see the marvelous glaciated valley that we were in. It was amazing to already be this deep this early. I was loving it. I also noticed that there were clouds out very early. Usually I don’t see clouds like this on days when it will turn out to be perfect. I had a hunch we were in for some weather. Little did I know at this point the extent……

The forecast called for a 10% chance of thunderstorms today, Saturday September 24th. We continued to climb as the sun came up and the morning moved on. We all felt really good and loved the changing terrain. As we were getting higher the views were getting better. The plants started to change. The forests gave way to little meadows filled with deer and some bugs. We got bit a couple times by mosquitoes. Crazy that they made it this late in the season due to snow pack.

Kasia and Christian both noticed the sprinkles before me but you could feel something in the air. It was only 8AM. An hour later I could feel that it was right around the corner so we stopped and filtered water for the first time. Just as I was putting away the filter the rain started.





















We continued on the trail. Rain turned into hail accompanied by lightning and thunder. Since we were still below the tree line we continued to climb towards Glenn Pass.












As we reached the 4 way junction for Kearsage Pass the weather broke and the hail stopped. We had our window so we started to push the pace. We passed a group of backpackers that asked us what we were doing and we told them. Their response “You’re crazy”. I loved it. As we approached a ¼ mile from the pass it started to snow. No thunder and lighning but snow. I felt like I was up in the mountains snowboarding except there wasn’t a lot of it. It was barely sticking to the ground but it was snowing. Our hands were cold but the rest of our bodies were warm. We reached the summit at 12 noon, 8 hours and 45 minutes after we started. We had traveled 18 miles and were 7000 feet above where we started.



After a brief stop at the pass we continued on towards the Rae Lakes.



As we descended from the pass the lightning and thunder started back up again and it was close. We would see a flash and immediately hear some loud thunder. Loud as air show thunder. It was a bit nerving to say. Our pace was as fast as we could handle but was slowed down due to the wet rocks. It was slippery and we had to be careful. As we descended we ran into two other guys doing the loop in one day except they were headed clockwise. We said hi and wished each other luck and headed on. Shortly later we were at upper Rae Lake and decided to stop for some lunch and a break.



















Our turkey sandwiches and potato chips tasted so good. I have always stayed at the middle Rae Lake so it was nice to spend some time at the upper lake with its two cool little islands and Painted Lady Peak right behind it. After almost an hour we were back on the trail. This time, Christian and I collapsed our poles. Kasia’s style of trail running includes the use of poles. So after we passed the middle lake we started to jog and it felt so good. We were so far out in the backcountry and we were running. It was everything I had dreamed. 20 or so miles into a hike and we started to move twice as fast.





We continued this for about 6 or so miles and then it turned to hike/running since the terrain got rockier and steeper and Kasia’s ankles were hurting her. We were at Dollar Lake before we knew it and shortly after almost at the Woods Creek Crossing. Before we reached the crossing we met the Rae Lake Ranger. He asked us what we were doing. We replied the loop in one day. He too thought we were crazy but he said we all looked good and we have about 16 miles to go. He wished us luck and we parted ways. The backcountry rangers in the Sierras are a special breed. The next book I want to read “The Last Season” is about a ranger from Bench Creek R.S. just a short day hike north of where we were. Don’t want to spoil it if anyone else is interested but it looks good.

16 miles left. That’s not so bad. That is what I thought. We continued to pass such beautiful scenery that I forgot it was almost 4PM and the sun would be setting in a couple hours. I told Christian that the valleys in the sierras seem to go on forever. Later that night he agreed with me. We spent the next couple hours heading west towards Paradise Valley. When we reached the bridge over to Upper Paradise valley the sun was setting and we had our last Almond Butter and Jelly sandwich. We were tired and saw some campers at their campsite. It looked so nice but reality sunk back in and we sucked it up and started to move again. It got dark quick and we had to use our headlamps again.

We had spent the entire day, every second of daylight out in some of the most beautiful terrain I have ever been in and it was now dark. We started in the dark and we would end in the dark. We had used our headlamps so much that our lights started to dim and it was hard to make out all the nooks and crannies of the trail. The last 6 miles felt like they took forever. I kept thinking of how fast I could run that distance at track on Thursday nights. We reached the car at 10PM totally shelled. We had to dig deep. We had moments when we didn’t speak and I am sure each of us had to rally inside to get ‘er done. We were headed back to camp and the car felt so good. I couldn’t imagine having to hike it back to camp. Modern society has it so easy but that is another story. We got back to camp and had some celebratory beers along with chili dogs, corn chips and veggie burgers. They tasted so good next to the campfire at 11:15PM or so. Christian and I sat by the fire until midnight discussing the amazing experience we had just undertaken. It was amazing and it has changed me forever. What’s next you say??? PCT 50 miler next May. Who’s in????

Overall Stats:
• 43 miles total.
• 19,500 feet total elevation gain and loss.
• Total time of almost 19 hours
• On our feet either running or walking 16 hours.
• Rae Lakes Loop in one day DONE!!!!!!

Going Big Part II

Going Big Part II in Idyllwild
August 13th, 2011



















This past weekend I did something that I always dreamt of. I have always dreamt of running through the big mountains, not just little mountains around San Diego but mountains that have 5 digits (10,000Ft +) There is something that draws me to the big mountains. No camera shot can do it justice. Just large amounts of earth!

Kasia and I plan on running the Rae Lake Loop this September 24th. This loop is no joke and this past hike/run showed me that. So we planned to kick it up a notch from our last hike in the Idyllwild area and loop a couple of trails to make something 20 miles + in order to prep for Rae Lake.

http://joshuadinen.blogspot.com/2011/07/getting-ready-to-go-big.html

I busted out my Tom Harrison map of the Idyllwild area and decided on parking in Idyllwild early style
6:30AM



















We walked over to the Deer Springs Trail and headed up towards the summit of San Jacinto. We figured we had around 5800 vertical feet of climbing and almost 11 miles. We hiked along the road and found the trailhead easily because of the signs on the side of the road.

I love early mornings on the trail. It is amazing since most people don’t plan and decide to do it. So it was a couple hours before we saw a person. But we were bugged the whole time by annoying flies that would not leave us alone. We passed a bunch of places that we could filter water but I had planned on filtering at Deer Springs so I waited. Info to anyone hiking the west side of San Jacinto from Idyllwild – there is a lot of water and plenty of places to filter.

We got in a groove and busted out a bunch of miles and vertical feet. I love climbing higher and higher. The views get better and better and knowing I was headed to the 2nd highest peak in all of Southern California made me push.

We then hit a trail junction and were on the PCT. I love hiking parts of it and hope to do the entire through hike with Kasia someday. Next we came up on a backcountry camp at Deer Springs. We saw a bunch of campsites with people and a fire. We used the SteriPen to filter a couple liters but we had only drunk about a liter and a half so were done quickly and back on the trail.

Next was little Round Valley. We had hiked and camped there a couple years ago prepping for an assault of Mt. Whitney. It was good to be back in the valley. It is a sweet place with water and a porta potty. That’s right a port potty out in the middle of nowhere. I bet they flew it in with a helicopter.

We started to feel hungry but pushed up to the summit to eat lunch. We figured it would be better to hike down after a full stomach than hike up a hill. There is a cool rock hut built up near the summit so we sat right next to it and enjoyed the views of Palm Springs and ate a couple turkey sandies and potato chips.



















Back on the trail pretty quickly knowing we have over 10+ miles to get back to the car. Our pace was quick after lunch feeling the fuel. We hit the Wellman Cienega and refilled our water reservoirs for the last time using our SteriPen. I then collapsed my poles and talked Kasia into running back to our car. It felt amazing to start running. My legs actually started to feel better when the blood really started to travel to my legs.



We then got stopped by some rangers and had to show them the permit we got earlier that morning. They kind of looked at us funny having to stop us from our running out in the middle of nowhere. After this we got into a groove and got off the trails before we knew it. We then had to run 3 or 4 miles back to our car on the roads but roads felt super easy after running down the trails. We ran for a total of about 8 or 9 miles and traveled 22 miles total. We had gone up and down almost 12,000 vertical feet and it took just shy of 8 hours on the go.

It felt good to be back at our car but I thought wow that was not even half of Rae Lake Loop. What have I gotten us into? We shall see…….

Next is a weeklong backpacking trip on the High Sierra Trail in Sequoia. We plan on doing 150 miles in 8 days.

After that we plan on attempting our first 50K race in Big Bear - http://endurebear.wordpress.com/

After that it is Rae Lake Loop on September 24th.

Xterra Snow Valley Anyone?

This upcoming Sunday August 7th, 2011 is Xterra Snow Valley.
http://www.xterrasnowvalley.com/

If you don’t already know, Xterra Triathlons are my favorite triathlons. They are very challenging and lots of fun. They are still small grass roots style and you can still sign up the morning of the race. People are super cool and are more laid back than the crowd at some of the road tri’s. They are more fun, trust me!! If you have ever thought about trying an Xterra, the Snow Valley race is a great one. The bike is hilly and challenging but nothing too technical, so great for all of you roadies.

Kasia and I have done two out of our three planned Xterra Races this summer.

We first did the Xterra West Championship in Las Vegas. It was so much fun to race in the desert in early spring. We had beautiful weather and super fun courses. Desert style!
http://joshuadinen.blogspot.com/2011/04/xterra-west-championship-race-2011.html

Next it was Xterra Tahoe City in Lake Tahoe. I love Tahoe and to race there is even better. I want to ride my road bike around that lake some day. Kasia is definitely getting better at Mountain Biking. The crew at B&L San Diego set her up with the Specialized “Command Post”. It totally changed mountain biking for her. Snow was still on the course and the water was 52 degrees. Fun times!
http://joshuadinen.blogspot.com/2011/07/xterra-tahoe-city.html

Last, we have Xterra Snow Valley in the San Bernardino Mountains. If you have ever thought of doing an Xterra this is the one. It is the closest Xterra Race to San Diego this year. The race is located on the ski resort of Snow Valley. Where else in So Cal can you race on a ski resort? Big Bear Resorts or Snow Valley will not allow you to ride on the ski runs anymore. Closest other place is Mammoth and that is sort of a downhill course. Not that you could not race on it but there is no Xterra in Mammoth.

The first Xterra that Kasia and I did was Xterra Snow Valley on August 5th, 2007. We spent the night in Big Bear and headed down to Snow Valley the morning of the race.



















You park at the bottom of the resort race morning then ride your bike up to a small lake located about half way up the mountain. You set up T2 at the bottom of the resort before riding up to the start. You setup T1 mid-mountain at the lake.

The water was low in the lake this year so the water was not clear and it was tough to see anything in the water. The swim was two loops and we ran on the sand between the loops. Getting in and out of the water your feet sank in the mud so it was tough to walk….but it was true Xterra style! After the swim, you get on the bike and head up the mountain to the very top then go all the way back down. After you hit the bottom you go back up to the top and do it again. Then into T2 for some fun hills on the run. The run is up and down the mountain a few times which makes for a great challenging run. So much fun!




















It was a great race and we are back again for another year! This year the course is: Swim 1000 yards, Bike is 10 miles and Run is 4 miles. It’s shorter than the normal Xterra Championship course length and great for anyone wanting to try an Xterra. So if you want to have some serious fun, challenge yourself and try something new. Kasia and I will be up there next weekend representing. Hope to see some familiar faces in the mountains this upcoming weekend. It is going to be epic!!!!!

Getting ready to go Big!!

San Jacinto Peak
July 9th 2011



















This year at the beginning of Fall Kasia and I are going big. I have had this dream of doing the Rae Lake Loop in Kings Canyon National Park in one day for some years now. Kasia and I did this loop a couple years back but 5 days backpacking. This year we will attempt to cover 46 miles and 6943 vertical feet in one day on our feet. We plan on hiking parts and running parts of this amazing loop. It is such a small portion of the amazing beautiful Kings Canyon NP. We will hike 19 miles up and over Glenn Pass then a marathon back to our cars.

I had forgot how big mountains can be. Living in Southern California at the beach can do that. Just north of San Diego there are the mountains named the “Three Saints”. The three tallest mountains is Southern California make up this trio. The tallest is San Gorgonio and that is a beast of a climb up the Vivian Creek Trail. The next is San Jacinto Peak most famous for the Tram up from Palm Springs. The third is San Antonio or Mt. Baldy.

Kasia and I decided to get out in the mountains to prep for our upcoming adventures in the Sierras and because it is summer we feel this need to get into the mountains. We had wanted to hike out of Idyllwild CA for some time so we planned to head up there and hike to the summit of San Jacinto. We decided on the Devil’s Slide Trail out of Humber Park. We headed up early from San Diego and go to the wilderness office and got a permit and a parking pass. We then headed up to Humber Part and got ready for an elevation assault.




















Mountains are rarely flat and we knew we would be headed up in order to reach the peak. The trail length was 8.1 miles and it included 4324 feet of elevation. We decided on an out and back so total would be 16.2 miles for the day. We thought to ourselves no problem. Kasia was tired from lack of sleep the night before. I also felt pretty tired after getting up at 5AM on a Saturday after working all week. But once we felt the mountain air we got inspired and we were off starting at 10AM. We packed some lunches and knew there would be water on the trail for us to use our SteriPen with.



















The trail is all uphill with lots of switchbacks. We saw lots of people up till Saddle Junction where we hopped on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) and headed towards the peak. We never saw any of the people we saw at Saddle Junction after that. I have another dream of doing the PCT so hiking any part of it gets me excited. It is a tough thing to plan because of our careers but one day we will do the entire PCT. I cannot wait for that 6 month adventure. After 1.9 miles of the PCT we veered off towards the summit and entered the San Jacinto Wilderness. The views were starting to get really amazing the higher we got.




















We stopped at the Wellman Cinega and ate lunch and filtered two liters of water. It is always nice to eat near water. The water tasted real good and was really cold. Everything around the water at the Cinega was green compared to the surroundings. There were no traces of snow left from this year’s snow fall but we knew all that water was from the snow somewhere trapped inside the mountains.

As we hit the Wellman Divide the trail became familiar. We have taken the tram up to San Jacinto numerous times. But we had never hiked up from Idyllwild. I now like hiking up from Idyllwild more because its free and it takes less time to drive there than Palm Springs. I also like the fact you get to hike way more vertical feet. I know I am a sicko but I love going up.




















Before we knew it we were at the summit of San Jacinto Peak. Naturalist John Muir wrote of San Jacinto Peak, "The view from San Jacinto is the most sublime spectacle to be found anywhere on this earth!" It is a pretty awesome place to chill and take in some views. You can see 360 degrees in all directions.




























After a while we decided to head down. We were the only ones on the trail at this time. It was a magical time late in the day to be up in the mountains. It was perfect weather and a perfect day.




As the trail continued to descend we started to feel our legs more and more. We just did Ironman Texas and Xterra Tahoe City and I trail run all the time and man was I sore after this hike. As we reached the car we could really feel our bodies. We were sore.


What this trip did was remind me that we have to prepare for Kings Canyon in September. 46 miles in the Sierra is no joke. I know it will be painful, I anticipate that. I know it will suck at times. But at other times it will be amazing and when I look back on it, it will be the start……The start of something big!!!

Who knows what will be next? Maybe the PCT 50 mile trail run next year? All I know is it is going to be amazing. I never thought I would do an Ultra Marathon but we will see……