Runner's Feet

I’ve always had gross feet and toe nails from running. I know all of you fellow runners reading this can relate. But lately I’ve taken it to a whole new level! I think I have all possible phases of a toe nails’ life on my left foot alone:  healthy, injured/about to fall off, re-growing, and freshly fallen off. Pretty impressive, huh?

Fortunately my toe nails, or the recent snow, haven't really affected my running. I got out to Green Mountain in Lakewood this past Friday for some hill training. There was about a foot of fresh snow which made for a fun hill workout. After 12 hill repeats up I had a pretty nice trench. 

.4 miles, 400 feet gain x 12

On a side note, I’m really liking the new Pearl Izumi Syncrofuel shoes. I loved the upper of the old version, but the outsole was more like a road/hybrid trail shoe. Luckily the new version addressed this problem with a move aggressive tread pattern. Adding some Kahtoola micro spikes also added some extra traction in the snow.

Chubby Cheeks 50k

Date: 12/10/11

Stats: 32 miles; ~7,500’ elevation gain

Results: 6:25:00

 
The Chubby Cheeks was one of a handful of "Fat Ass" runs held in the Front Range area this winter. They are really laid back and more of a casual run than a race. Being fairly new to the trail running scene, I was excited to run on some new trails and meet some new people.

Nick Clark hosted this one (yes, that Nick Clark). He laid out a tough 50k course (with 7,500 ft gain) around Horsetooth and Lory State Park near Ft. Collins. There was still a decent amount of snow on the trails which added to the challenge. I opted for the 8am start with about a dozen other runners. The fastest guys were planning to start at 9, so our goal was to not get caught.

The first 24ish miles were pretty laid back. We pushed the hills pretty good, but for the most part we ran casually enough to chat. During the the final climb I was definitely starting to feel a bit lethargic.This was by far the longest I've run since the Bear Chase 50 back in September, both in terms of time and miles. I made it back to Nick's house in about 6:25 for some much needed food and beer. I got to meet a bunch of cool people who I look forward to running with in the future.

And on a side note, I found out earlier this week that I got in to Hardrock! I had an 8% chance of making it in the lottery, so I was a bit lucky, to say the least. I'm also going for round 2 at Leadville in August. My summer race schedule is starting to take shape nicely.

pics from Chubby Cheeks (mostly from Brandon S.):

8 AM wave

about to summit Horsetooth

top of Horsetooth

beautiful with the snow

top of Arthur's Rock with Pete S.

Drew and Andy on Horsetooth

Horsetooth reservoir from Arthur's Rock

some great trails. technical and snowy

the aid station at mile 22 with all the essentials...soda, pop tarts and PBR. thanks to aaron for the support.