2013 U.S. Ski Mountaineering National Championships

For the first time in a few years I missed the national skimo race in Jackson. I mainly did because I dreaded the idea of racing hard at 10,000 feet while coming from sea level. I know some of the Montana and Canadian boys do something close to that but they're tougher than me. 

Through the years I've never been comfortable racing "off the couch" or being unprepared for an event. If I'm going to put myself out there competitively, I want to do so with all guns blazing. No excuses on the line. With the kind of winter we've had here in AK, proper preparation has been impossible. 

So, I sat this one out but I was there in spirit getting the play by play on the website. It was an awesome event. The field just keeps getting deeper. 

Andy Dorais posted his take on the race here and I encourage you guys to check it out for the blow by blow. 

BTW, his brother Jason is going to win that race in the next couple of years. He nearly did last weekend. But his plate has been full lately with getting married (wahoo!), moving and doing the usual no-sleep thing pulling overnight shifts in the E.R. as a resident in training. Not exactly optimal lead up to the big event. But when he can dial it in for the day, he's going to be unstoppable. Mark my words.

Anyway, great job to everyone who got out there and suffered through a tough course and 8K vert. 

Christmas Presents

Santa was good to me. For all the missteps I’ve had in Alaska with the rainy summer and dry winter, last week’s trip to the Tetons made the world right. Once again, emotions got the better of me staring out the window of the United flight as I descended into the valley on Christmas morning. Perfect blue bird skies and nearly two feet of fresh snow greeted me when I debarked. I pinched myself.

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Autumn Teton Running - The Video

The previous post high lighted a great day in the Tetons last week with frequent partners Andy Dorais and Nate Brown. In spite of his insane schedule and general sleep-deprived state, Andy always seems to kick out a great little video of his adventures. This one is no different. I'm glad I was along so I can relive the day whenever I want. Enjoy!

Autumn Running in the Tetons from andy dorais on Vimeo. 

White Grass to Cascade Canyon

I’ve been trying to make the most of my time in the sun visiting Jackson from the rainy north of Alaska. The weather has been perfect and the smoke of the summer cleared out for me. With several different partners I’ve spent the week exploring familiar and unfamiliar terrain while logging 24 hours of training time over the first 7 days. That’s about twice my best week this summer in Anchorage.

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Alyeska Climbathon Race Report

Looking down the tram line to the hotel and start.That’s a wrap, folks. My first competitive mountain running season is officially over. I went big at the end, too. As you know, if you read my previous post on the race, the Alyeska Climbathon took place last weekend - up the North Face trail and down the tram as many times in 10 hours. I was dreading it. Mainly because I knew there was going to be unpleasantness at some point during the day. Not the usual anaerobic discomfort but the kind of pain that comes only on long outings. This one didn’t disappoint.

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