My Training Year 2007

this is a snapshot of my last 356 days of training (climb is in meters). it's pretty interesting to look at actually. it's my first year logging all my data in one place so i've never had this luxury before. of everyone on the website i logged the 2nd highest training volume for the year. two major injuries, and one major surgery that combined took me out about 3 whole months.

i'm automatically drawn to the big numbers. how many miles did i run this year? i didn't realize i was so close to getting 2,000 miles on the year, just 49.94 miles short. my biggest week was 206 miles (not normal or suggested - unless your name is anton). in looking at this i feel like it was a good year of racing and training. i have to stay focused on my periodization and taking recovery weeks. it's funny because i frequently have to reassure coaching clients that this is a necessary thing to do.. why is it your own advise is so hard to follow?

what i need is a coach. even a coach needs a coach. it's the objective point of view i'm missing for sure. i am still hopeful that lisa smith-batchen will have time to coach me as we have talked about coaching together... but we'll see. i might just have to ask justin to coach me. what i'm scared about is giving up that control of my training and trusting someone else.

i'm very tempted to make goals like "run more than 2,000 miles with over 300,000 feet of gain". both of which i was very close to. however i didn't realize i was close until just now in looking up the data and it doesn't much matter. what does matter is that i periodize my training volume and intensity correctly for the races that are important to me.. and above all else this year listen to my body, not my head and my ego.

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome."-Albert Einstein

Tagged

tagged.. like roger clemens to steriod use. ok that is a bad example but i've been meaning to take a shot at him for a while. the 2007 ultrarunner of the year greg crowther has blog tagged me. it seemed like an appropriate way to remember and round out 2007.

1. Most memorable moment on the trails…
my most memorable moment as a compeditor - mile 25 of big horn wild and scenic 50km. we had just finished the big downhill. i knew i was in 3rd and i hadn't seen 1st in a long long time. the blisters on my feet were bad and 2nd place just seemed to get further and further away as we decended. we came into the trees and the aid station at mile 25 and bam... there is 1st with his hands on his head, shirt off, suffering severely.. and 2nd place right next to him trying to eat and fill bottles looking confused and stumbling around. i filled my bottle and bolted feeling new energy. i was now in first place and 2nd gave chase. i dropped him on the very next climb - adrenaline took over. it went right down to the wire and i thought for a while in that race there was no way of winning. but taking care of myself and patience paid off - and i wasn't even supposed to be fit yet!! sweetness.

close 2nd - smashing my head open on the south sister in oregon on a 45 mile circumnavigation of the three sisters mountains during the "colonel's 100 mile boot camp".

2. Best new trail I discovered in 2007…
my obsession with the olympic national park paid off this year, but i have to give this one to the death canyon trail to static peak (watch the video) in the grand teton national park. june 18, 2007 with sean meissner as my tour guide we hit this after the big horn wild and scenic trail race.

close 2nd - the "the trail of 1,000 waterfalls" meissner and gifford and i ran in the olympics.

3. My best performance of the year was…
the grand teton 100. my first 100 mile ultra. i had two hernias. it was at altitude.. and i pulled out a second place. although handily beaten by andy jones-winkens, i held my own and made him earn it. we both broke the previous course record by hours.

4. I do not know how I previously survived without…
my patagonia 9 trails jacket (no link because i can't find it anywhere). maybe i run with too many patagonia ultrarunners, but this is the most versatile piece in my closet. i've been running all winter in it with just a short sleeve on underneath. through rain and snow, wind and hail the nine trails jacket holds up. it's a composite of wind stopper and light softshell. it was a gift from patagonia ultra runner jamie gifford. i "borrowed" it while pacing him to victory at the cascade crest 100.. after the fact he said "keep it as a thank you". thanks jamie it was unexpected but very much appreciated... and the best gift i received all year. =)

5. The person I would most like to meet on a trail in 2008...
oh i know... matt carpenter, he's a bad ass. and you thought i was going to say dean karnazes!? =)

6. The race I am most excited/scared about in 2008 is…
the hardrock 100 for sure. if i get in, i'll be able to point my OCD lazer focus on this race and it's currently in need of some direction. the course is an ass kicker and with scott jurek, kyle skaggs and justin angle (as well as many others i'm sure) running this one the competition will be fierse... bring it.

now tagging:
hal koerner (i wonder what he'll write for best performance of the year?)
rod bien
wynn davis

Tiger Fat Ass 25k Loop

next week is the tiger fat ass 50km in issaquah, wa. since i'll be headed down to oregon with justin to run with meissner and bien i figured i'd get a taste of the course with kimberly.. above 1,600 feet it was an absolutely beautiful winter wonderland. if you are running it next weekend - here is your preview.

You... want to interview me?

i was contacted by they guys over at the team pr for an interview. yes, i'm as suprised as you are with the list of top athletes they have lined up. they even put together this montage of images...basically you log on to the chat room and you can interactively ask questions and be a part of the interview. it should be interesting.
Chat with Matt Hart on Thursday, December 27th at 8:00 PM EST

---

check out the online chat here.

Happy Holidays

did you know we are actually celebrating the birth of mythra, not jesus? pretty interesting.

The History of Christmas


A look back at how the tradition of Christmas came to be.

---

my running is back on track. i put in a 70 mile week last week and felt great. saturday i had my biggest day in a long time with 27 miles; 15 trail miles in the morning with justin and jurek, 4 tempo miles waiting for car toys to figure things out and 8 more running to and from my friends matthew/chantrelle's house for dinner. yesterday we skied 14 inches of freshies at steven's pass. this morning justin and i snuck off for a quick christmas morning 10 miler. then i spent the day with my close friends the copsons and frasers in issaquah. i had a great day.. hope you all did too!

The Story of Stuff

please take a second and watch the story of stuff - it's good.

My Wednesday and Friday

another wed night ride put on by dart-nuun and our sponsor light & motion. the first two were at towers of power in renton. this last one we hit seatac.

me, dan and aaron

the crew!.. notice the prominece of my nuun logos

friday i got together once again with the patagonia green runner justin angle and tom ederer for a 20 miler on the chuckanut 50k course. so nice to be out there running distance again. this was my longest run in months and only my 3rd of any real distance since my double hernia surgery. 20 miles and 4,500 feet of gain. great day out.. but it's pretty obvious the massive amounts of fitness i have lost. my uphill running is a joke! every climb these guys would slowly (or not so slowly actually) pull away. but i'm back and feeling healthy - so it's just a matter of time.

Training Through the Winter

big packs, big day = good times.

train through the winter? yep you can do it pretty easy here in seattle. yesterday i headed out with a coaching client who is preparing for the 2008 primal quest. our goal was a long day out of base miles. 10 hours of training with heavy packs!

1:18 kayak - yes december 9th and we are paddling!
4:30 trek - awesome mountainous trek with a bit of trail navigation
4:11 road ride - we rode from seattle to the mountains and back again - it was cold



notice the nuun bottles! gotta stay hydrated.

Flirting With Being Completely Healthy

i am just a couple days from two months post double hernia surgery. i've had a scare or 10 along the way. the latest scare came after ski touring two weekends ago. let's just say things didn't feel right during or after. i decided to take the following week off from skiing and running and i spoke with my surgeon. he assured me this could be normal because the mesh has to reassimilate with the abdomin. so again, i rested.

i tried the abs out again yesterday, 14 miles of awesome pacnw trail running at the middle fork of snoqualmie with the patagonia green runner justin angle and his buddy tom. beautiful snowy trails had me euphoric for the first 45 min or so. for the first time in over a year i didn't feel the abs/hips during a run! i was thinking "so this is what it feels like to run with a healthy body. i can get used to this... it's a lot easier!" however after a few slips on the snow and wet roots the pain reared it's ugly head, but this time with considerable less discomfort than ever. today i feel great and i can do leg lifts with less pain than i can remember in recent memory... it's still there, but it's obviously getting better. needless to say this has me very excited and all fired up about this season.

when i think back to how i ran at the hurt 100k in january of 2007 i recall my strategy to get around the right side abdominal pain i had yet to diagnose as a hernia. it was to make every big step up a log or root with my left leg.. because lifting the right side hurt. sounds ridiculous for 62 miles of constant up or down terrain right? yeah. so the prospect of running without issues slowing me down has me all giddy inside. now i just need to put in the work - but that is the fun part!... and planning my season, that is fun too.

2008 Western States 100 Endurance Run Lottery

i will not be getting one of these buckles this year. the western states 100 lottery was saturday and i did not get in. i have mixed emotions about this. for years as an adventure racer i used to dream of focusing on running and seeing how i could do in the biggest ultras, against the best out there. in my observations of the ultra scene the biggest stage seems to be western states 100 and the hardest race seems to be the hardrock 100 (with it's 32,000 feet of gain). they start accepting applications for hardrock on january 1... and i want in!

honestly the terrain and rediculousness of hardrock is more suited to my current skills.. and i know i'll enjoy the training for this more than i would for training for western states. now if the lottery gods will allow me entry! wish me luck.. i'll need it.

BEAST Adventure Race Dec 2, 2007

today i volunteered at the beast adventure race - good fun.

Reasons for Wrecks

This was posted on the Hammer Nutrition Message Board - thought it was interesting enough to share. Please stay safe out there.

"Reasons for Wrecks
Bob Mionske is a two-time U.S. Olympic cycling team member (4th in the
1988 road race) who now specializes in bicycle law in Portland, Oregon.
He writes the "Legally Speaking" column for velonews.com, has a book called
"Bicycling and the Law," and runs a website at http://www.bicyclelaw.com. In short,
he's an expert on cyclists' rights and how laws affect them.

His legal work also makes Mionske, 45, savvy about crashes.
According to his research, there are about 500,000
cycling accidents each year that
result in an emergency room visit. Here's how they happen (numbers
are rounded):

---59% involve no object or other person
---14% involve a fixed object
---11% involve a moving motor vehicle
---9% involve another bicycle
---3% involve an animal
---3% involve a pedestrian
---1% involve a stationary motor vehicle
---1% other

Considering only accidents involving a
moving motor vehicle (11%), here's where they happen:

---45% in an intersection
---25% entering a roadway
---14% riding with flow of traffic
---8% riding against traffic
---9% other

The lessons are obvious: Never
stop working on your bike-handling skills, and be extra cautious where there
can be cross traffic -- in intersections or when riding onto busier roads"