“Izquierda o derecha?” I shrieked, pointing to my color-coded bib. Right or left?

I was at a critical point in my race in Quito, and there were three courses: marathon, half-marathon, and 8-miler – I needed to know which way to turn to complete my chosen half-marathon course.

I have no doubt that the volunteers said something to the effect of “If this is your first lap, turn right. If this is your second, turn left.”  What I heard, however, was “turn…

I’m back east this week and had some spare time so thought I would take an excursion up to Mount Washington.  I really didn’t know a lot about the place other than it’s the Northeast’s highest peak and many of the local elite runners head there at the beginning of June each year to compete in the Mount Washington Road Race.  I now understand why they run up the auto road and not the trails!

Before heading up, I did do a little searching on the web and found some brief descriptions on…

For years on many runs, I’ve asked myself, “WHY?” Why do I spend hours upon hours, miles upon miles working and enduring pain, frequently to come to an injury? (Knock on wood that won't happen again this year!) I started out my Pikes Peak running with that thought – why in the world am I doing this? When I could be peacefully wrapped in a dream? When I wouldn’t have to be trudging after my mom, vowing to myself that after this ‘stupid’ Ascent, I’ll never set foot on this dumb mountain…

     After big races, I've been known to go through a bit of a low spell. It seems I get focused on some event for so long that when it's over, regardless of a positive or negative outcome, doldrums hit. Fortunately, I'm not alone in this as several of my friends have expressed similar feelings of "post-partum depression for ultrarunners."…

Most local runners are familiar with the two XTERRA events down in Cheyenne Mountain State Park, the XTERRA Marathon of Trail Races (42K/21K/5K) in the Fall each year and the XTERRA Cheyenne Mountain Trail Run (24K/12K/5K) in the Spring.  But did you know that XTERRA actually runs a trail run series nationwide?  The two CMSP races are actually part of the Colorado Series. …

Anyone who has ever followed me through a technical section has had the privilege of overhearing my method for cleaning the tricky lines. Even now, I still talk myself through everything - simple reminders to look where I want to go, breath, relax and flow. Might be annoying to everyone else, but it serves me well, especially on a course like yesterday! It doesn't matter how many times I've ridden something - I'm always repeating those phrase.  I know what I was getting into - four laps of…

I never thought in my wildest dreams my training would ever be impacted by allergies. I thought I had a summer cold or hey fever and it felt as bad as when I had pneumonia a few years back. The impact it had on my life was shocking. It really through me for a loop.  I had to miss three days of work...yaaaay! The first sign was a sore throat and I was like wow two days…

For a few tense minutes we weren't sure we would even get to Silverton for the start of Hardrock.  Shortly after leaving Old Colorado City and heading up the pass towards Woodland Park, we were greeted by a three foot wall of mud and water and sticks and rocks and other cars.  Scary stuff.  You can see my award winning documentary on the flood over here.

We were hit by another car but escaped with only minor damage.  Three…

(This is a little later then I wanted and may not be as much use now. I was hoping to get it written and posted Tuesday night but had something come up.)

I am gonna do something a little different for this post. Instead of tips on racing and riding, I want to look over the course. I've heard a lot of people talking about the course and how happy they are that there is no Medicine Wheel in the race. Well, it is true that Medicine Wheel is one of the hardest trails in the park. But we…

The week started off with a solid finish at…

It's bound to happen to every rider at some point in time. The mid race crash that throws you mentally. I know I've had my fair share of them - frequently crossing the line covered in dirt and dust with some blood mixed in for good measure. It doesn't happen as much as it used to, but sometimes I need the wakeup call to ride my bike smart and focus on what I'm doing.

Well, this was the wake-up call race at Palmer Park. With just me and Kelly N on the starting line for the…

Two down, two to go in the Triple Crown. The Summer Roundup on Sunday morning kicked off the week with such a great start. After returning just two days before the race from Alaska and a whooping 22 feet for three weeks, the Roundup was at the back of my mind. Going to bed, I was stressing about getting into medical school (somehow not the race the next morning, for whatever reason).

Piling the family in the car to drive to Bear Creek Park, I was getting more excited…

After two races, we've all had to deal with it - passing. Whether doing the passing or being passed, there's a few things to think about while out on the trail. Any time we're out on the trails, we need to remember there are other users. The interaction you have with that hiker, trail runner or fellow rider can color perspectives. We need all the good publicity we can get, especially on the busy and popular trails all along the front range. So here's some good tips to follow when out on the…

They’re done. Over. Finished.

The second leg of the Triple Crown of Running and my (likely only) practice summit of the Peak are in the 2013 history books.

Both were surprisingly nice. While I put forth a very respectable effort, I didn't exactly “smack down” either the Peak or High Drive, but I had more fun doing both than I thought possible.

They…

     Like Isaac Brock sang, "one hundred miles is a long drive inside a car." Indeed, a hundred miles in a long way, no matter how you cover it. Leadville certainly taught me a lot about ultrarunning but I was eager to learn more about the distance and more importantly, more about myself. How would I stave off dehydration and the nasty sequelae in 100+ degree temperatures?  How would I fare surrounded by the best ultrarunners in the country? And why exactly do I feel compelled to offer…

While most locals are currently worrying about the upcoming Summer Roundup, I've had longer things on my mind.  On July 12th I'll have the pleasure of shooting for my 5th finish at Hardrock.  The pressure is on, as Brandon Stapanowich just crushed it at Western States and I need something to bring up when he starts droning on and on about his stupid cougar belt buckle.

It's a long journey but I won't be making it alone.  A good friend from Boulder, Shad, will be pacing me.  Shad paced…

Well, I finally broke down and revisited the Manitou Incline – the approximate 2,000 foot climb in just under a mile of hellacious wooden steps.  It wasn’t pretty or quick, but it got done. Several people from my civilian workplace have been hiking there every Tuesday morning for a couple of months, but my contracting job doesn’t allow me enough hours off in order to take part in the endeavor.  Since I am on military orders this week at the Air Force Academy, I…

The Summer Roundup is probably the lesser known of the three races that comprise the Triple Crown of Running.  As indicated on my profile for the 2013 PikesPeakSports.us Triple Crown Runners Team page, I consider the Summer Roundup a bonus race sandwiched in between the Garden of the Gods 10-Miler and Pikes Peak.  Although I have run the Summer Roundup course a few times over…