It’s looking like a September trip to the Tetons

On my agenda will be: running the Painbrush-Cascade Canyon Loop, bouldering at Jenny Lake, hiking up Prospectors Mountain, and climbing the easy routes on Cube Point, South and Middle Teton.

BLAST FROM THE PAST … classic 1970s mountain boots

Browsing through an old Ken Wilson, Mountain magazine, I saw this ad for the famous French climbing boots. I suffered through two pair of super guides, and one pair of the hivernale double boots. And my college buddy climbed in the blue suede yosemite shoes. While El Presidente was always a fan of the peutereys. They were not comfy or light, but we did manage to climb some serious routes.

Stephanie Case, Free To Run helping Afghani women, and the Tor des Glaciers

https://treelinejournal.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7d7e66e5ecd3df13e1ce387ed&id=0733a12aa6&e=23177b1d37

Another strong training week in the log

I logged 18+ hours, 5325' vertical, and 185k (145k on the exercise bike and 40k on foot). This also included two interval sessions, as well as two strength sessions. Twelve more days until the Stratton Mountain uphill run (pictured below).

Chris Landry … extreme skiing from November 1981 POWDER magazine



Running in the Alps

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fMqJ-pboY7o&feature=emb_title

Checking out Stratton Mountain uphill race course

I kept it under control - mostly 130-140 bpm, so a solid level 4 workout. Nice day, and hung out with college buddies afterwards. Hoping I can get my race time closer to 40 minutes flat.

BLAST FROM THE PAST … a Zermatt ski mountaineering trip

In the early 1990s I spent a fantastic two weeks with Gary, Ben, and Susie skiing some great routes during the March NCS spring break.

We took a couple of lifts up with two rucksacks each, and booted up to the unheated "winter room" of a closed hut. We had planned on climbing the Matterhorn, but we got so much fantastic snow, that except for a mixed climb up the Riffelhorn all we did was ski. And, all of our skiing was on relatively narrow three pin, tele-gear, and leather boots!

The three best memories:

- skiing the Breithorn 

- skiing the Schwarztor (and climbing Castor)

- skiing Monte Rosa (all the way to Zermatt … 10,000' vertical descent)

https://alpsinsight.com/trip/schwarztor-zermatt-ski-tour/

Three easy 4000 meter peaks in the Alps

https://alpsinsight.com/trip/climbing-4000-meter-introduction-peaks-breithorn-allalinhorn-and-strahlhorn/

Physiology of uphill running and hiking

https://www.outsideonline.com/health/training-performance/uphill-trail-running-research-2022/

Beautiful, warm and sunny weather, as well as a good training week

Selden is on the mend, I turned 70, and I logged 18 hours, 6000' vertical and 145k (101k exercise bike and 44k on foot).

Interview with a Sierra artists

https://sierratrailruns.com/interview-with-artist-ann-piersall-logan/

Great rendition of the view of Lone Pine Peak, Day and Keeler Needle, as well as Mount Whitney.

Hardrock 2022 … what a race!

The top three finishers are in … Kilian, Francois, and Dakota. Kilian broke the course record again. Courtney is running in sixth place overall, and has a big lead on all the other women.

The Beauty of the Irrational … spectacular scenery on this ultrarunner

Ryan Sandes running the Fish River Canyon.

https://vimeo.com/47355798

The Hardrock 100 starts tomorrow at 8am eastern time

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ku4dYpW6MG0&feature=youtu.be

Alex Hutchinson’s Guide to the best sweat science books of 2022

https://www.outsideonline.com/health/training-performance/sweat-science-summer-book-list-2022/

YAHOO … selden is home from the hospital

It has been eight brutal days since her emergency appendectomy; we are keeping close tabs on her to make sure no infections develop. She will be off barn chores for several weeks to come, so I am on duty, thankfully she will be around so I don't mess up!

She ate two full pieces of toast and jelly tonight … the most she has eaten in over a week.

Changing focus

Well Selden is still in the hospital recovering from her appendectomy. Obviously my 50 mile gravel ride with buddies is out. With the exception of the Whiteface VK, the past 3-4 weeks I have focused almost exclusively on the exercise bike and MTB rides.

Yesterday - knowing I would not ride the Prouty - I metaphorically changed it up, and squeezed in some easy hill repeats on the MVH competition loop (picture).

So, the next 3 items on the agenda are:
1) The August 6th uphill race at Stratton Mountain.
2) Some significant September mountain climbs in either the Sierras, Tetons, Cascades, or Alps.
3) A trail race at whichever mountain area I am climbing at in September.

All of which means, I put strength workouts back in the routine, start bouldering again, pedal for recovery/warmups/cool downs, and crank up the vertical.

On The Brink … testing mountaineering products

https://m.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=395&v=U3rPYvO7gQQ&feature=emb_title

Or, the best - and only real job - Kelly Cordes has ever had. A nicely done six minute video. 

Mount Marathon Race in Alaska

While I don't have any great footage of this year's July Fourth race, when the course record was crushed; we do have some great footage of Allie Ostrander's previous win, with her voice-over commentary.

Clearly, it's a beast of a race!  (It makes the Whiteface VK look like a warmup.)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=985&v=Gu11ILt2_Ks&feature=emb_title

A MUST SEE … for anyone that has climbed in Alaska or dreamed of it

The Sanctity of Space is one part a daring and outrageous climb of the Tooth Traverse; one part a celebration of Brad Washburn; one part the history of aerial photography; and one part some of the most spectacular mountain vistas you'll ever see. You can stream in on Amazon for $5.99. 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0NT1vfXKy5g

Historical footage of Ron Kauk …

This video has footage from the late 1970s-early 80s, with Kauk training, and free climbing the Rostrum. A six minute video that brings you back to the days in Yosemite of EB rock shoes, hexes, and Camp Four. (I have a fond memory of Kauk and Bachar soloing up to us on Reed Pinnacle Direct. Mark and I had a nice chat with them before they downclimbed the route, needless to say we rappelled to the ground.)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qPRC_DydfSk&feature=emb_title

Seventy is the foothills of old age …

Reading an article about the new Leonard Cohen documentary, he dropped this metaphor into the conversation about his return to music stage.  Of course, this quote helped me zone in on this article, about losing muscle mass as we age.

https://peterattiamd.com/why-do-we-lose-muscle-strength-with-age/?mc_cid=e71d3fa6d4&mc_eid=83cc8331e1

 

Whiteface Vertical Kilometer and the different types of fun

Yesterday I ran the Whiteface VK, most of which for me was not running, power-hiking was more the norm. At 3,300' vertical gain in just four kilometers, it was obviously very steep, but also the rocky footing precluded running for even the super-human race leaders. My pulse was above 155-160 for all 80 minutes, which for a 70 year-old is maximum. This … was a perfect example of TYPE 2 FUN.

The fun scale was first coined by a geology professor Rainer Newberry in the 1980s, however is most often linked to the writing of climber Kelly Cordes. There are three types of "fun" proposed on this scale:

TYPE 1 … it's totally fun and enjoyable while you are doing it. This is what most people mean, when they use the word fun.
TYPE 2 … it's miserable while you are doing it, but "fun" when you look back on it in retrospect
TYPE 3 … it's miserable while you are doing it, but you thought in retrospect it would be considered "fun." However, in reality, even in the rear view mirror, all you can say is "what the hell were we thinking of; never again!

The Whiteface VK today was clearly TYPE 2 fun. It was a robust field. Some of the best American mountain runners, who raced an 11k USATF sanctioned championship event in the morning, doubled back in the afternoon! I still have been unable to confirm if I was the oldest, and perhaps craziest participant.

It was a gut buster, quite hot, STEEP, and with technical sections near the end. Beautiful views, chocolate chip cookies at the finish, and thankfully after a short descent, you get to ride the gondola down. TODAY, in retrospect, it was a heck of a lot of "fun."

It’s been a year since I put a race bid on …


Today there is 7 mile race for the USATF Mountain Running Championships, and this will be followed by a Vertical Kilometer uphill race which I will run in.

How Salomon Grew The Trail Running Community

Some great footage, even if you are not a Salomon fan. 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zicu9ES1cxQ