Getting over the Broken Arrow Ascent, traveling for 26 hours, adjusting time zones, and putting a persistent cough behind me, were all the key goals for the past week. That said, I logged 11 hours, on 146k (134k bike and 12k run), with 2700’ vertical gain, and three stretching sessions. On a different note, I saw this picture of Jessie Diggins on the Stairway to Heaven at the Broken Arrow … not surprisingly she was a lot faster, and more composed than I was.
In 2002, Lewy, Hock, Callie, and Mark climbed the Dana Couloir.
The lead pack of men went over the pass just 40+ minutes into the race. With unusually cool weather, no snow on the course, and a deep elite field … breaking the course record seems likely!
Planning on ten days of hiking and possibly an alpine snow climb on Pollux. (I will also test my endurance level on the Matterhorn Fitness Trail.)
Well, nobody loves a red-eye, but the older I get, the more brutal it gets. Wonderful to hug Selden, scratch the dogs, sit on the deck, looking out at our pastures, as well as Street and Nye in the distance.
A long travel day! Next up: The Prouty 50 miler, afterwards ten days in Zermatt, followed by knee surgery on August 31st.
Excellent day; stretch, hike with Mark, nice trail run, and a cruise on the bike. GREAT TRIP.
It will be sad to leave the Sierras, but delightful to be back with Selden, our dogs, and the view from the farm! As per last week, I was tapering/recovering for the Broken Arrow, so totals were modest. However, I did log just a bit over nine hours, on 72k (52k bike and 20k run), with just under 5000’ vertical, as well as five stretching sessions.
So, in the recent uphill trail races I have run in the Sierras I am four for four podiums.
I am feeling pretty decent after the Broken Arrow Ascent. I spent most of the day watching the 46k - livestream and at the finish - as well as doing some stretching, biking, and an easy jog.
With big drops into the void on both sides, scrambling, hauling on fixed lines, trying to get up a bolted ladder - the stairway to heaven - with heart rate at maximum, this race does not disappoint. The Broken Arrow is the epitome of a sky race!
The weather was perfect; it was an incredible international field, and despite being several minutes slower than 2024, I finished on the podium. The Nike livestream coverage - available of YouTube - was phenomenal.
This three day race series, brings in an international field, and hundreds of racers. The uphill race is approximately 5.5k with just over 2800’ vertical gain. A couple of years ago I did it in 1:45. Given the state of my knees, I expect to be slower, but hopefully still under two hours.
A beautiful last night on the east side with a slim crescent moon sinking behind the mountains, and Venus beaming brightly. I did an easy morning bike ride, and an easy jog for a late afternoon shakeout.
The Broken Arrow Ascent is three days away. I did a 61 minute run this morning. It included 3x5minute uphill intervals on technical terrain, with a rough accumulation of 1.2k and 500’ vertical, at a Level 4 pace. I took the descent recovery quite easily to save my knees. The remainder of the week will be short and easy shakeout jogs and cycling.
Reading, washing up, root beer floats, and emailing with wifi … probably a little stretching and easy cycling when it cools off. Tomorrow, hoping to go up to Tioga Pass, and do a little snow climbing.
Having a wonderful time in the Sierras, and the weather continues to be excellent, although a bit hot for my taste. I logged just under 13 hours, on 82k (43k bike and 39k run), with 3874’ vertical, and two stretching sessions.
Another hot day, with two trail runs, but also an unusual heart rate spike as I had two weeks ago. DISTURBING.
Camping at Crags - elevation 2168m - just off Twin Lakes outside of Bridgeport. We had a relaxed morning. I was up reading at 5:30, then some stretching, and over to the store for tea, a breakfast burrito, and some wifi. Finished the morning with biking, reading, a short warmup walk with Mark, as well as a jog to the store and back for a root beer float. (Oh, and using the solar charger for my iPhone.)
Yesterday was a long travel day, but I managed a 40 minute jog when I got to Olympic Valley, and I managed to stay up with Mark - shooting the breeze - until 9:30.
Yesterday was summery weather with clear skies and temperatures in the low 80s. Klink and I hiked up Baxter Mountain and then Owls Head in the morning. Afterwards, I packed feverishly for several hours, then dinner, goodbyes, and a drive to Albany to catch five hours of sleep at Klink’s house.
Yesterday, was the day - over a century ago - that Mallory and Irvine were last seen high on the slopes going for the summit.
While the New Hampshire AMC White Mountain Huts are still supplied by human power, not so in the Alps … helicopters.
On a different note, this functioned as a sort of recovery week, in that the gel injections added two rest days (to my normal Monday rest day) and so the total were modest. However, the gel injections are enabling me to workout virtual pain free and with greater mobility. Not sure how long it will last though, 6-8 weeks has been my experience.
That said, I logged just over 10 hours, on 105k (87k bike and 18k run), with just under 3200’ vertical gain, and I also managed two PT stretching sessions.
I have little or no skill, but I do enjoy it. So hopefully, I will make time for some sketching, and maybe even a little watercolor painting.
The good news is that after the gel/cortisone injections my knees feel much better. Even better, Dr Byrne says that with an early September knee surgery I could ski in January. So, I am all in for that as well as scheduling a late July August trip to Zermatt.
The bad news is that on Thursday afternoon my pulse sort of sky-rocketed on my warmup, and needless to say I cancelled the main afternoon event which was a 20k bike ride. Not much exercise since then because of knee injections, but my pulse remains to be somewhat elevated (as you can see below). More tomorrow when I resume training.
Selden had book group on June 3rd, so we celebrated yesterday. We opened a bottle of bubbly, then headed to town for a nice dinner. As per usual, her birthday list was books and tools.
A consultant who retires at 60, decides to pick up where he left off decades ago … climbing in the Andes, Antarctica, Alaska, New England, and the Himalayas. I am a decade older than the author, however, unknowingly our paths have crossed. It’s well written, and quite engaging; highly recommended.
On a different note, as I try to stay connected to an adult lifetime of training, racing, climbing and skiing, I am dealing with the inevitable deterioration … tomorrow morning gel injections in both knees.
I couldn’t make it last night. I have never been, but it’s on my hit list for this summer!
In late July of 1978 I was camped on a pasture high above Zermatt. After a long approach and climb of the Triftigrat on the Breithorn, I was begrudging the final hike to my bivy site. But, then I saw this sight, a grandma lugging a huge load over to the hayrick, and realized that maybe I was a wimp!
I found this while perusing The Alps on Anna’s Archive, published in 1904, described by Sir Martin Conway and painted by A.D. McCormick.
Needless to say, you don’t see this type of scene anymore … alpine pastures are still grazed, but small tractors working on ski trails take the back-breaking work out of the task.
Despite significant knee pain, and an increase in daily ibuprofen consummation, I had a good week of training. I logged 15 hours, on 151 kilometers (124 k bike, 23k run, 4k row), with 4225’ vertical gain, as well as two strength and stretching sessions. Starting to use my burly mountaineering boots for some sessions to be sure I won’t get blisters in the Sierras.
In the winter of 1979, after a couple of wonderful climbs in Scotland, Jonathan Waterman and I got fed up with days of torrential rain and made an epic train journey to Chamonix.
Not having planned on the alps, we were under equipped - no skis or snowshoes and no heavy duty winter sleeping bags - which meant floundering in deep snow and cold night bivies in cable car stations, at well over 12,000’.
However, after lowering Waterman off the crux pitch from a Mjolnar ice tool (he had a broken crampon) I managed to lead us to the top. The route is direct and goes right through the black ice in the narrow part of the hourglass.
Klink - a college buddy - came up from Saratoga to stretch his legs and chat about a trip to Switzerland. Clouds were moving in, but he got some nice pictures. Fond memories of climbs on the north face of Gothics.
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