A Quick Update

It was tough. Tougher than any marathon. Here are a couple of pics:

More detail to follow. Needing sleep now....

Taking My Leave (for a Couple Days)

I'm just about packed up and ready to go. As I suspected, I was running around until the late evening hours gathering and purchasing equipment for my trip this weekend, so the run had to be 86'ed. But, I think I'm adequately equipped at this point. Among some of my last minute purchases:

* An ultralight tent: I have a 2 person backpacking tent, but it weighs in at 7 pounds. If there are two people sharing the weight (one person carries the tent, the other the rain fly and poles), the weight is bearable. But for one person, 7 pounds in tent is HUGE. I purchased an REI ultralight 2 person tent. Total weight: 4 pounds 2 ounces:

* Bear canister: One of the problems that we get to face in parts of California are bears. No grizzlies or anything dangerous, but pain in the ass brown bears. All California brown bears do are forage around campgrounds and steal food and damage cars. *Never* leave a *trace* of food in your car if you are in bear country. What? You left a Clif Bar wrapper on the floor of your car?



The way we deal with this is by storing all food, toiletries, and basically anything with a scent in an approved bear canister. The cost of renting for three days was over half the cost of purchasing one, so I sprung for a canister:


Since bears don't have opposable thumbs, they can't open the container, and they go look for easier pickings.

* Food: Yeah - just like running, you can't operate without fuel. There are a few other challenges though. First off, we will be walking most of the day. Not just running for 2 hours. So, figure a calorie burn easily in the 3,000 to 4,000 per day range. The second thing to factor in is elevation. We will be up high enough that hypoxia (lack of oxygen) becomes an issue. One of the ways that the lack of O2 affects me is loss of appetite. So fueling becomes a real issue. I've learned that if it doesn't taste good, I'm not going to eat it. And that includes most dehydrated or freeze dried food, used by a lot of backpackers to save weight. So I headed to Trader Joe's last night to pick up some pre-packaged meals that can be immersed in boiling water to heat up. At least it will taste better than re hydrated spaghetti and meatballs.

I'm not sure the damage yet, but I'm hoping my pack comes in somewhere around 35 pounds. When I was younger and used to backpack a lot, I would often be able to get away with a week's worth of stuff in a 50 pound pack. I'm going a lot lighter than I would normally because the weather is still nice, but I do need to pack a couple of layers - there is a dry storm blowing through Friday and Saturday that should bring winds (20 -30 mph) and cooler temperatures (30's at night). And if you've spent any time in the mountains - you know what happens when the sun goes down behind the ridges - it gets COLD quick!

Speaking of hypoxia, this is the only part of these trips I really don't like. There will be about 20% less oxygen where we are camping Friday night (12,000 feet), and almost 30% less on the summit of Whitney (14,495 feet). Each person reacts a little differently to the lack of O2. I react with loss of appetite, elevated heart rate (usually around 90 - 110 at rest) and sleeplessness (I will fitfully nap at night instead of getting a good night's sleep). By the end of the second day I am usually pretty tired and miserable. Kind of like post marathon. Ugh.

So, I'll be signing off today for a couple or three days. I'm planning on getting out of here in the early afternoon. We'll hit the trail early tomorrow AM, and if all goes right (fingers crossed - this involves a tricky intersection of mind, body, and Mother Nature) we'll be on the top of Mt. Whitney about midday Saturday! I should be back on Saturday night, so I'll post something short and sweet/sour then. Cya!

Back to the Real Fun

Mini taper is over. I ran for the first time in five days yesterday. Hit the track for a "quality" workout. The heat seems to be abating here near the coast, but the humidity was pretty oppressive. It was only 80 degrees out when I started at 6:30 PM, it felt more like Orlando instead of Newport Beach.

The plan was 5X800 intervals, with 400 a yard rest. I tempered my pace a bit because of the heat and humidity:

Interval 1: 4:20 (8:45 pace)
Interval 2: 4:19 (8:42 pace)
Interval 3: 4:25 (8:53 pace)
Interval 4: 4:23 (8:46 pace)
Interval 5: 4:21 (8:46 pace)

Add to it 3.25 mile warm up and a 1 mile warm down, and I ended up putting in 8 miles. 8 sweaty, soggy miles. In fact, I went to look for quarters on the ground after my last interval (you know, put your hands on your knees and double over) and my hands actually slipped off my knees. That how wet my legs were.

So, these intervals were a little slower than my last set of 800s, but I felt pretty good. It was tiring for sure, but I think a lot of that was the heat and humidity doing their thing.

Today's run is up in the air. I have 11 miles on the plan, but I need to get packed for my trip this weekend and I haven't had a chance to do so. My concern is finding all my backpacking gear, as it's been several years since I last used it. And that really means that I need to pack with enough time to make sure I can hit up REI for any last minute stuff I can't find. It's the little things (e.g., waterproof matches, clothing layers, etc.) that can be a problem if they are forgotten. There is a low pressure system blowing through this weekend, which means temperatures potentially in the 30s. If I don't have "it" with me, I'll have to do without. Warm clothing layers is not one of those things that I want to do without. Jeez - I still need to think about a menu for three days. We'll have to see how work progresses today. But now that I think of it, the run is probably in jeopardy.

The mountains is calling!