2013 Year in Review

2013 was a year of great personal accomplishments.  As the sun rose on January 1, 2013, I reached the 19,341 ft. summit of Mount Kilimanjaro.  This feat was a mountaineering best for me as I had never previously summited a mountain over 14,500 feet nor had I ever been above 16,500 in elevation.  I felt surprisingly strong and am now eager to take on even greater mountaineering challenges.  Closer to home, I was able to reach the summit of six more Colorado 14ers (Snowmass Mountain, North Maroon Peak, Maroon Peak, Wilson Peak, Mount Wilson and El Diente Peak), leaving only Capitol Peak, Sunlight Peak, Windom Peak, Mount Eolus and North Eolus Peak for me to complete all of the state's 14ers.

I trained through the winter of 2014 for my first ultra distance event, the Greenland (CO) 50K Trail Race on May 4. My goal was to break six hours and I did it (barely!) in a time of 5:51:09.  My next big running challenge was the Bear Chase 50 Mile Trail Race on September 29.  This was by far the greatest distance I had ever attempted and had no idea how my body would respond to the last dozen or so miles.  My goal was pretty much just to finish before the 15 hours cutoff and a I happily finished in a time of 12:47.11, leaving plenty of time before the cutoff.  While I wasn't running for time, I also managed to complete the Colfax and Denver marathons to round out my running year.

My first cycling challenge of 2013 was the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic in Durango, Colorado on May 25th. While not terrible long (50 miles), it does have 8,000 feet of climbing along the way and gives a rider the chance to race an old, steam-powered narrow-gauge train from Durango to Silverton through the San Juan Mountains.  I felt great and the weather was perfect and I was able to complete the event in a time of 3:03:31.9.  The next cycling event I rode was the biggest disappointment of the year for me.  On July 4, I rode the Firecracker 50 mile MTB race in Breckenridge.  The was my first ever mountain bike event and I was unaware when I signed up that this is one of the most challenging MTB events in the state.  Not only did this race include 10,000 feet of climbing, but it is also incredible technical.  I had a wreck, a few mechanicals and missed the 37.5 mile/6 hour cut off by 2 MINUTES!!  I was crushed not to have finished.  Fortunately, I did not have long to dwell on it as I rode the Double Triple Bypass less than 10 days later.  This demanding event goes 240 miles over 3 mountain passes and 20,000 vertical feet from Bergen Park to Avon and then back over two days.  I was not riding for time and simple wanted to complete the two legs of the ride.  My next big ride was the Vuelta a Salida on August 17, a 100 mile ride from Salida to the top of  12,126 foot Cottonwood Pass.  The biggest thrill with this ride was the chance to ride the first 30 miles with the riders from Jely Belly Cycling Team, who were preparing for the upcoming USA Pro Challenge.  My last ride of the year was relatively gentle but always spectacular Tour of the Moon on October 5.  It is a nice change from the usual mountain scenery I get to experience, as this ride winds through the spectacular red sandstone canyons of Colorado National Monument.  Watch the the movie American Fliers to get a taste of the terrain.

My final, and perhaps greatest accomplishment of 2013 was the completion of  my first Ironman event.  On September 8, I competed in Ironman Wisconsin held in Madison.  Again, my primary goal was just to finish in the allotted 17 hours.  I can happily saw that I am now an Ironman.  I completed my first ever Ironman in a time of 13:42:18 (Swim 2.4 miles-1:31:41, Bike 112 miles- 6:17:45, Run 26.2 miles- 5:29:29). I was really tired by the end but still managed to run (not walk) the last several miles to the finish.  It was an amazing experience, but I'm not sure when I'll do another.  It takes a lot of time and commitment in three different disciplines, and I think I'll want to do too many other things.  I'm sure I'll do other triathlons, but this may be it for Ironman triathlons.

 I am keeping busy this winter after having joined the Loveland Ski Patrol.  This was also quite a challenge as I had to pass both a ski test and EMT-equivalent certification in outdoor emergency care. It will be tough top 2013 but I will certainly try in 2014.  Not entirely sure what I'll do, but I'll find out soon.

Summer event season warming up

With the Greenland 50K in the rearview mirror, several more events are now on the horizon. The summer event season is now getting into full gear. I will be running the Colfax Marathon this Sunday, will ride the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic next Saturday, and the Longmont Sprint Triathlon the weekend after that.  The events will get progressively more difficult as the summer rolls along. I am excited about the Colfax Marathon. I will be running in a relay with my family but will actually the the whole thing so that I can pace with (I was graciously granted permission from the organizers).  It is a very pleasant event and take you into different parts of Denver than the Denver Marathon in the fall. I really enjoyed this course when I ran it in 2011. I've also run the half marathon twice, but they seem to change that course fairly regularly. We will be embracing our Scottish heritage this year and the would family will be running in Clan Fraser shirts and kilts. Should be sweet.

First ultra completed

Greenland 50k

Larkspur, CO

My first ultra marathon is now in the books. It actually was not as difficult as I had expected.  The weather could not have been better.  It started out sunny and in the upper 30's and quickly warmed into the mid-50's.  Despite several inches of snow earlier in the week, the trail was dry and in excellent condition.  

The race started promptly at 7am and headed south on a wide dirt path.  I don't now why, but I had trouble regulating my breathing and had a tight chest for the first mile.  I don't usually get nervous at the start of events, but it sure felt that way this time.  By Mile 2, we reached the point where our looping course would eventually intersect with the path we were on.  I was
feeling good by now and had finally gotten into a rhythm.  Our first aid station (one of only two) was at around Mile 3.  It was also at this point that the course began its 400 climb east to the top of the route's main hill.  From the top, the course turns north and rolls along the ridge line until dropping down a gentle northeast slope.  The trail briefly climbed a smaller hill before skirting along the west side end then dropping down into the wide flat expanse near the turn around.  When I reached the turn around, I was about 8 miles in and felt pretty good.  I now have three more circuits of the course to go. The trail leading south to intersect with the original trail paralleled the original trail before climbing up a small hill which the original trail had skirted to the west.  I now knew that I had a small, medium and large hill to climb as I made my loops and I wanted to be sure I had gas in the tank when I started the last lap.  The next two loops were pretty uneventful.  I continued to feel
strong and never had to stop and walk.  The biggest excitement was a large coyote the crossed

my path about 20 feet ahead of me.  As I started my fourth and final loop of the course, I was starting to feel a bit tired.  Just prior to reaching the aid station at the base of the large hill, I noted that I'd just past the 26.2 mile point (marathon distance) and was now, with each step, was runner further than I had ever run before.  I finally had to walk most of the big hill on this final ascent.  Fortunately, once I began the descent, I was able to runner rather swiftly down the trail, maintaining the pace almost all the way to the finish.  It was a great feeling to cross the finish line.  A personal best in distance and I was able to complete the

50K(31 miles) in less than 6 hours.  You can see my data here.

My next runner event will be the Colfax Marathon.  At this, it should seem like a piece of cake.  The next big challenge will be in September when I attempt my first 50 mile trail run.  Can't wait!

Place	Bib	Name	Hometown	Age	Sex	Time	Pace	Time	In Sex	Division	In Div
85.	127	James S.	Denver CO	37	M	5:51:12	11:19	5:51:09	69th	30 to 39	24th

50K Eve

I'm now on the eve of my first "ultra".  Admittedly a 50K in not much of an ultra, but it is an ultra nonetheless.  I'm not too worried.  I trained well and the weather looks like it is going to be nice.  The Greenland 50K in Larkspur, CO is supposed to be one of the easier, faster 50K races in Colorado.  Ultrarunning Magazine’s annual “Year in Review” has revealed the Greenland 50K as one of the fastest ultras in the nation in 2012.  Hopefully this bodes well for me. The toughest part is that I'll be running four loops and I'm sure that I'm not going to be thrilled at the start of the 4th loop.  Overall, I'm sure it will be fun.  http://www.greenland50k.com/

Snow Climb of Mount Elbert

Peak:	Mt. Elbert - 14,433 feet
Date Climbed:	03/30/2013

Elbert- East ridge
  I hadn't done a climb in a while and had an itch to go up Elbert as a "winter" climb. Elbert was the first 14er I ever did back in 1996 and I hadn't been up it since. I enjoy snow climbs on mountains I've done in summer as it feels very different and is like climbing the mountain for the first time. I also got it in my head that I wanted to try some snow camping, something I've never done before. I headed out of Denver after work on Friday and made it to the 4WD road at the South Elbert Trailhead around 6:30pm. Unfortunately, my Subaru Forester got stuck in some deep slush on a steep portion of the road about 1.5 miles up, which cost me time and made me leary of trying to go any further (most folks seemed to make it almost all the way to the 4WD trailhead without any problem). I backed down the road and parked about 1.25 mile up and then started to hike until I found a spot to pitch my tent before it got dark.

Campsite

It was a surprisingly comfortable and in fact I got going much later than I had planned as I enjoyed sleeping in a bit. I left my campsite just before 7am and snowshoed the 0.3 miles to the 4WD trailhead. There was a well-worn hard packed trail through the snow but I still found the snowshoes helpful, particularly on the steeper stretches.

Snowshoeing through the aspens

I was surprised how warm it was that early in the morning and soon had to remove several layer before continuing on. The weather was perfect and the views of the surrounding mountains were beautiful as a got my first glimpse near the top of the aspen forest.

Apart from a few spots that had melted down to the dirt and rocks, I was able to keep my snowshoes on well past treeline. The summit and East Ridge soon came into view as I got a little higher into the evergreen forest.

First view of the ridge and summit

I was lucky that the snow had frozen over as I approached treeline for there were several areas that were quite deep. I could see that some folks without snowshoes had postholed pretty deep.

Deep snow near treeline

My wife wasn't overly pleased that I had chosen to climb alone and I was glad to see several tents near treeline, so I clearly was not alone on the mountain. I reached treeline at about 8:30 and had to start battling a bit of a headwind as I climbed higher up the ridge. The ridge was easy climbing for the most part. The route could clearly be seen and snow was hardpacked and smooth. It wasn't until I was about 2/3 of the way up the ridge that it became bare enough for me to cache my snowshoes. About a quarter mile later, the route became snow covered again and I wished I still had my shoes.

East ridge and Summit

Upper slopes

I had to wind my way up through the areas where I could still see rock poking though and thus figured I could get reasonable traction. It really wasn't too bad and I only broke through the crust a handful of times. The last 250 vertical feet to the summit were clear of snow and soon I was at the top. I made it to the summit at 10:40am. It was nice to have the summit to myself. The last time I had climbed Elbert was a 4th of July weekend and I got to share to summit with 30 or so other climbers. This time it was all mine. I had great visibility in every direction and the views were stunning!

View of Massive from summit

Chilly on top

I would have spent more time at the top, but the cold wind finally forced me to retreat down the mountain. My hands got so cold that I couldn't feel my finger and had zip up my jacket by sight. Even worse was the agonizing pain as the feeling returned to my fingers on the way down. While I'd had the summit to myself, I certainly didn't have the mountain to myself. I passed at least 10-15 people also on their way up the mountain. Coming down was fast but the snow was starting to soften making the footing a bit trickly in spots. The weather held the entire way down and I was able to continue enjoying the beatiful scenery.

Returning down the ridge

I made it back to my campsite at 1pm and was back to my car soon after that. As I drove past the mountain on the highway to Leadville at around 2pm, I could see that weather was rolling in and I could no longer see the summit. It had been a great climb. Just what I needed. It was actually a lot easier that I was expecting. A December climb of La Plata a year back felt twice as hard.

14ers.com Trip Report

Big benefits and buzz kill

Not all sponsorships are created equal. I have been a sponsored member of Team Refuel for a little more than a year and had benefited tremendously.  I've been give cash to support my athletic pursuits, free gear, and free entries into marathons and IRONMAN events.  This has been a fantastic sponsorship and I've been happy to spread the word on chocolate milk, a great recovery drink at a fraction of the cost of most others.  I have just recently received sponsorship from Honey Stinger's The Hive but have yet to realize much benefit.  I get a product discount but would have to order huge quantities to get a deal that is significantly better than what I can get elsewhere on line for their product, once shipping is figured in. But that's it.  I wanted to compete in the trail running and mountain bike event that they hold in Steamboat in August but they provided no benefit at all for its sponsored members.  I would have thought that they could throw in a free t-shirt or perhaps a 10% event discount.  I love their products too but I'm not so impressed with The Hive.

Garmin needs to step it up

I wish I could say that I’ve had an overwhelmingly positive experience with Garmin products, but this has not been the case.  I have an eTrex H which works well but which has a weak anchor for the wrist strap (it broke off when I pulled it out of my pocket and had to climb down into a ravine to retrieve it).  I have a Forerunner 405 which worked well when it worked but had to be replaced 3 times in just over a year.  Since the third replacement was going to cost me a lot of money, I purchased a Forerunner 305 hoping it would be more reliable.  It seemed to be ok but unfortunately the Quick Release wrist strap is a piece of crap and decide to quickly release the watch two weeks after I bought it after I gently brushed snow off of it while on a chairlift. It is gone.  I’ve spent a lot of money on Garmin products and so far one works but is broken, another doesn’t work, and the third is gone because of a poor mounting design.  My wife has a Timex Global Trainer which she got for less but which has longer battery life and is solid as a rock (I’ve had 4 Garmin devices over the same period of time).  I am mad as hell to be out another watch in such a short period of time.  Garmin needs to seriously step up its quality control before I’ll ever purchase another one of their products.