Day #1 in the Sierras

A day of packing, stretching, and traveling to the east side of the Sierras. I only managed four hours of sleep after my late arrival into Reno. However, I slept pretty well last night at the Lower Lee Vining campground. We arrived just before sunset at Mono Lake, and ate dinner in town.

Packing in the shed

Pulling out crampons, an ice axe, as well as a snow stake and fluke. Maybe a snow slog is in our future, on this road trip.

A 20 hour travel day

Nothing direct about my route … Lake Placid to Albany, then to DC, Dallas, and Reno. The last leg was the drive to Squaw Valley and in bed by 12:45am (local time).

Tough conditions for the next race of UTMB Week … the 140k TDS

The race started about 12 hours ago, but many folks will be out for another dozen hours.  Some snow has fallen at higher elevations, making this very technical course, even tougher.  The enclosed link will inform you, and let you follow racers as they make their way around this course. Stop and watch the three minute video of the 2023 highlights. 

https://montblanc.utmb.world/races/tds

A Change Of Pace

Getting ready to head to the Sierras; if all goes well, after about 18 hours I should arrive in Squaw Valley.  For a change of pace, here is an update on the ballot initiative that Lucy is helping to lead.



https://www.levernews.com/the-campaign-to-keep-electricity-bills-high/

Good Morning, Mont Blanc

Now that UTMB WEEK has started, tune into this daily show - on the FreeTrail YouTube channel, or the FreeTrail Podcast channel. Of course, you also need to go to the UTMB website, and follow along on UTMB Live. 

Bulking up for the Sierras

This past week was an easy one, as I was a bit fatigued coming in, and I didn't want to "shoot my wad" before heading west. (My knees were also bothering more than usual.) In addition, I had an extra day off for the Yankee game, and I also tried to be the dutiful ex-headmaster at the alumni reunion.

Still, I managed to log 12.5 hours, 81k (37k exercise bike, 36k run, 8k ergometer), 4150' of vertical ascent, and three yoga sessions. NOW ITS ALL ABOUT PACKING.

First race of UTMB week is the PTL (LA PETITE TROTTE À LÉON)

At 8am tomorrow morning (Chamonix time), a 100+ teams head out to complete 300k route with over 25,000m of vertical, around the Mont Blanc region within the 151 hour time limit. The link below has all you need to know about the event, links to follow team progress, and a great 12 minute video of the highlights from 2022. 

https://montblanc.utmb.world/races/PTL

The 20th UTMB week starts on Monday

Next year I hope to be back in Chamonix, to soak up all the good vibes, and perhaps even run the short ETC (15k and 1200m vertical). 

A fun day at Yankee Stadium

Well the Bronx Bombers lost again, but I had a great day with Len, a long time college buddy and Best Man at my wedding. 

Two beautiful back to back days …

And I started each with an easy cruise up to the summit of Mount Van Hoevenberg.

Hard winter climbing on the Noire … excellent video





https://youtu.be/6K4CftXlXVw

Another good week of training

I logged 16 hours, 143k (101k bike and 42k run), and just a bit over 5200' vertical.  I also managed a short yoga session, and two strength sessions. I am looking forward to heading to the sierras in eight days. 

Delightful climbing/Murder Mystery

Rainy days continue, and while my training volume is on track, I do find myself grabbing for some page turners off my shelf, to pass the time between thunderstorms. I have read this one before, but memory tells me it's worth another go.

Also, the novel is set around a body which comes out of the snout of theGlacier des Bossons, and of course with climate change, this is an event which becomes ever more frequent.

Interesting article about indoor skiing

https://coloradosun.com/2020/01/09/big-snow-new-jersey-ski-industry-indoor/

Trofeo Kima and Hillary Gerardi

https://www.irunfar.com/hillary-gerardi-trofeo-kima-la-gara-film

Starting to add some spicy workouts

i am still building volume with longer easy workouts, but I am adding a bit of intensity in each week. This is my 45 minute workout from a few days ago when I did a few fast uphill intervals.

UTMB Week … August 28 - September 3

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GWvPi1G6hwc&feature=youtu.be

8 days after finishing second in the Norwegian Lyseboten rollerski race Sophia Laukli crushes Sierra-Zinal

It's clear that this American nordic skier is super fit, and on a roll.  Sierra-Zinal is possibly the most competitive mountain trail race, outside of the UTMB races.   Now that she is leading the Golden Trail Series, how will this impact her nordic World Cup season? Will she be tired and rusty for Period I races?  Will she skip some of those races to recharge, and do a solid training block?  Is she pointing towards the Tour de Ski like last year?

https://fasterskier.com/2023/08/laukli-wins-again-on-golden-trail-marathon-series/

As per usual this summer, lots of rain

So, you have to grab the dry moments when you can. Despite this, it was another good week of training … heading west instead of the alps.

The picture is from a 9k - out and back - run to Lake Awosting in the Catskills. There is one section of the run, known locally as the cardiac hill. This also happens to be a Strava segment, which I rank 586 out of 873, and am on the leaderboard for the over 70 crowd.

The totals I logged this week: 12.5 hours, 88k (46k bike and 42k run), 4725' vertical, one yoga and one strength session, as well as a skimo session.

Walls Are Meant For Climbing

A great 27 second video.

https://youtu.be/jYBVINzxpdk

Skimo laps at Big Snow before it opens

David Hochschartner (Hock)

A great 30 hours down state!

I packed a bunch into those hours: skinning laps, riding indoor lifts with Skimo gear, a great trail run, some yoga, and a bit of biking.
The Hockmobile was loaded with all the necessary tools. Oh, and some great food, great conversation, and great whiskey with college buddies.

Ski industry trends of the future

An interesting article, especially the sections on sustainability, indoor venues, as well as uphilling and backcountry developments.  (In an hour, I'll be heading down state to Big Snow for two hours of indoor skiing, and a chat with their group sales people about using off hours for skimo workshops, and training.)

https://www.forbes.com/sites/michellebruton/2022/04/27/how-the-ski-and-snowboard-industry-is-changing-in-2022-and-what-comes-next/?sh=3bb9d2b71fe5

The case for using trekking poles

https://www.outsideonline.com/health/training-performance/trekking-pole-research-2023/

Needless to say I am not at the front of this pack!

Ben Ogden out in front, who eventually finished on the podium in third.  However in the Q & A afterwards, Jessie Diggins reminded everyone that he won the green jersey last year, as the best overall U23 skier on the World Cup.

As for me, it was good to get back in racing mode, as I look forward to The Race To The Top Of Vermont at the end of August. Last week, with a bit of a taper, I logged just under 11 hours, with 66k (35k run and 31k bike), but almost 6000' vertical.

Another long, mind blowing day in the mountains with Kilian Jornet

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3G29Xr6rBVI&feature=youtu.be

No aches or pains after Stratton Uphill Race

Top females from SMS team left to right: Kendall Kramer, Jessie Diggins, Alayna Sonnensyn, Julia Kern, Lauren Jortberg, Lina Sutro.

Stratton Mountain Uphill Race

Well I lost some ground to Jessie Diggins this year, as I speed hiked with poles and was slower than last year. Still, I was just under 42 minutes, so a credible effort; I certainly outdistanced a good handful of 60 year olds. I did have a tweak in my right hamstring, as I may have added to much running and vertical too quickly after the Prouty, thus no running except the last flat 100 meters (picture).

First of many videos, articles, and alerts getting trail community psyched for the upcoming 2023 UTMB

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PL0tScbaCHI&feature=youtu.be

Banff Festival book award winner …Native Air

Riveting; a page turner; mostly set in the Sierras with so much climbing history laced through the gripping fiction. 

https://www.climbing.com/news/novel-native-air-looks-at-bond-of-climbing-and-disaster/

Terrific early morning hike

Stash and I started hoofing it uphill, just after sunrise, and enjoyed the start of a spectacular summer day on the summit of Mount Van Hoevenberg.

Prepping your skimo skins

 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=L3gmgrCylRk&feature=youtu.be



Transition back to trail running seems complete

A good week of training, with 14.5 hours in the books, 128k (89k bike and 39k run), and just over 5000' vertical ascent. This seems to be a good volume level for me to sustain through August, and maybe juice up some of the slow kilometers with a bit more intensity. 

Heat wave impact on Swiss glacier



https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/melting-swiss-glacier-uncovers-missing-1986-climber/ar-AA1etF76?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=65bfc9c3b41c4385ac7377350b084363&ei=21#image=1

Skiing 8000m peaks

 Andrzej Bargiel has now skied K2, Gasherbrum II and just a few days ago, he climbed and skied Gasherbrum I … all 8000m peaks. Notice he is using skimo bindings. 



https://youtube.com/watch?v=kv7ziIxWtWM&feature=share

Kilian Jornet and his NNormal



https://youtu.be/XOmCLl1z7c0

Graphing changes in my training

Both graphs cover the same time period, and you can see that as I was prepping for a four hour mountain run toward the end of May biking dropped substantially.  Then after I came back from skiing in the Sierras in June, biking picked up substantially asK got ready for the Prouty ride. Now that I am preparing for August/September uphill mountain races, you see the slopes starting to flip again … running on the rise and biking on the decline. 

Great gear tips for next skimo race season

https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.google.com/url?q%3Dhttps://tinyurl.com/SkimoRaceGearGuide%26amp;sa%3DD%26amp;source%3Deditors%26amp;ust%3D1690253363411027%26amp;usg%3DAOvVaw3M43oMl_VIV-i2ZZRRwjjB&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1690253363456605&usg=AOvVaw1gGBZ6JGb2FXCiCw3X0Pyv

BLAST FROM THE PAST … june 1981 on denali

An article from the Berkshire Eagle, however the summit temperature was -25 Fahrenheit! The picture was taken by my partner Mark Ewing.

Summer in the Adirondacks

Despite heat, humidity, thunderstorms, too many tourists and bugs, it's still a wonderful time of year. (Of course, it's not as wonderful as winter in the Adirondacks.)

I had a good week of training, logging 16 hours, 124k (87k bike and 37k run), with 5000' vertical ascent, as well as three yoga sessions and a couple of strength workouts. The highlight was the hike up Moxham Mountain with Ted.

New lift connecting Zermatt to Cervinia opened yesterday

https://www.zermatt.ch/en/Media/Article/Matterhorn-Alpine-Crossing

Starting to think about winter?

Take a peek at this four minute video of a World Cup skimo race in Val Martello last winter.

https://youtu.be/SploOZSp-X8

Uphill running … to do or not to do?



Heading uphill forces you to slow down and alters the ideal run-walk transition. For most people, walking is more efficient than running at slopes greater than about 15 degrees (equivalent to a 27 percent grade). For elite runners, running might still be more efficient at somewhat steeper slopes, but eventually everyone reaches a point where walking is the most efficient option. Note that "efficient" and "fast" aren't the same thing: if you're just climbing a short hill, you might still choose to sprint up it even though walking would be more efficient. But if you've got a long race ahead of you, efficiency matters—and most mountain runners have had the demoralizing experience of grinding up a steep incline then noticing that the person beside them is climbing at roughly the same pace even though they're walking.

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

Beautiful hike up Moxham Mountain

Just outside Minerva and North Creek, an out and back 8.6k trail (1400') with several overlooks and a bald summit with superb views. 

I haven’t given up biking but …

I am starting to shift towards more running and hiking to get ready for some August races, and a September mountain trip to the Alps.

The Perfect Race For Me

An all uphill race, riding chairlifts to the bottom of Sunday River after every lap (1,200' vertical ascent) … if the weather looks good, I am in for 12 hours, if not I'll sign up for the six hour gig.

Fewer hours last week as I tapered for the Prouty …

But quite a good week, as I had fresh legs for the big ride, and was able to keep my heart rate in zone 3-4 for 2.5 hours. So, I logged "only" 11 hours, and 184k (166k bike and 8k run), with 4125' ascent; however the intensity was high and my body handled that intensity easily.  All these Union alumni brought different instruments to the event from my klunker to a $12,000  colnalgo. 

Attempting to run the Via Alpina in less than a month

Pretty mind blowing … https://www.planetmountain.com/en/news/trail-running/paul-bonhomme-starts-via-alpina-zero-to-zero-run-across-the-alps-28-days.html

Longest MTB ride yet

Yesterday, a bunch of college buddies and I rode various distances for this fundraiser (the Prouty) for the Dartmouth Cancer Center. (The picture is missing Dick, who was the only one of our crew to ride the 100 miler, and he is still out on the course.)

I was the only guy on a MTB and rode the 35 miler (really just 50k) and managed to stay on the wheel of the road bikes for the first ten miles, and eventually finished in just over 2:20 averaging 21.3kph.