DaCrizzow

    It's been two full years now since I put my bikes away and started running. Last year I began two races but bailed in the middle. I just wasn't feeling it. This year was the first year since 2000 that I didn't do a single bike race. The last two years have been taken up with running ultra-marathons. This seems to bother some people.     Just to lay some background info, while living in Nashville, TN, I bought my first adult bike when I was 27years old. just some crappy mountain bike for $60 from a friend and it changed my life. All of a sudden my world got more manageable. Even though I was mainly using it to meet people I was selling drugs too, I looked forward to every one of those little trips. Right away I started commuting to work and it didn't take long before I was taking longer and longer trips away from my house. I still hadn't given over to any sort of "bike culture" though. There really wasn't any at the time in Nashville, TN other than...

    This week marks 25 years of commuting by either foot or bicycle. There were several years before that too but they were kind of on/off so I just start my count from here. Don't see it changing anytime soon either.     Coming into a "working age" while living in the suburbs outside of Nashville, TN isn't the most convenient place to start a working life without a car. I did when I had to and got a lot of rides from my folks and friends but like a lot of places in the U.S. people lived in one town and worked in another with commutes anywhere from thirty minutes to almost two hours. And I covered the whole range.     I was never a "car guy." I was a musician who viewed cars (and jobs) strictly as tools to get from one place to the other. I didn't care what I looked like getting there, only how I performed once I got there. Of course most of my jobs were pretty shitty so my cars were as well. I would buy a car, it would break down, I would miss work, G...

    My second week in on training. I guess you would call it my "pre-2015 winter block." I'm just running my commute to and from work every day but it comes out to about 11 miles a day. By the end of my first week I was pretty much a zombie. Into my second week I could feel myself getting stronger. Well, until my Friday afternoon run home and I had hit a 50 hour work week. I was done but still hadn't bonked or slipped into any dark spaces. I was just ready to call it a week, that's all.     A big part of this "program" is also my diet. I'm not following a strict regimen, mainly lots and lots of veggies, eggs and some almonds and almond butter as snacks. Using olive oil, grass-fed butter and coconut oil to cook with. The almond butter is probably my big downfall but I'm getting such intense cravings for it that I'm assuming there's something in it that my body needs. I call it "plant based paleo."     I can't help but belie...

    Finally done with my eight week "sabbatical" from training. A lot has happened and then again, not much has happened at all. I started dialing my diet back in, which wasn't too dramatic but a little difficult to skip some of my "emotional binging" snacks like chips and salsa. There were some difficult days during my move but didn't stray to far.     After a two year break, I finally set up a place to do some painting again. I've even managed to record a few music pieces, no less. Would say something must be in the air but it's just winter in the pacific northwest. There's nothing like months on end of continuos rain and drizzle to inspire creativity. With a desk by the window and hours upon hours of ambient black metal on hand, I should get plenty of grey landscapes down on canvas.     As far as training goes, I just recently moved across town, a little farther from work so I figured I would just get my training in by commuting by foot. I u...

   I want to be inspired. I NEED to be inspired. I need this to keep me moving. I don't know how most people do it. By "most" I mean people who set goals and go for them. When I was younger, that seed of inspiration seemed have been internal, and while it's still there now, I feel I need more external sources of inspiration and motivation. It doesn't take much and it can come from a lot of places. A book, movie, photograph, painting, music, an interview with someone, or just a really cool conversation can do it.     I don't need much, either. Hearing about someone finally running a full mile can get me going. Even seeing a photo of a really organized "gear closet" works. It doesn't all have to be videos of Killian running to the top of Matterhorn.     I've been lucky enough that I've always managed to surround myself with artists and now endurance athletes. People who feel a spark, wether internal or external, and then proceed to set a ...

First, let me get this out of the way. Calling this a race is being very open minded....and optimistic. This event is a DARE. Running this course will definitely challenge your perception of things. First of all, your perception of running. There's very little running involved. Of course the talented freak of nature elites at the front manage to somehow finish in the 6-7 hour realm but most of us mid-packers and back-of-the-packers who usually finish a 50k somewhere in 5-7 hours end up somewhere between 9-12 hours on this course. Don't get me wrong, there's lots of runnable sections, VERY runnable sections but the rock crawling, boulder hopping sections in between can leave you so drained physically AND mentally that you're just happy for the momentary break. That's actually one of the really cool things about this race too. A lot of times when you end up walking during an ultra, even though everyone does it and it's totally accepted and expected, you would st...

   This is only my second year as an ultra runner. I mean, I've been running for about 10 years or so, a few marathons, a couple ultras but primarily a cyclist doing about 40-45 races a year with just running as a side project from time to time. Usually an injury told me when the "side project" was done.     A couple years ago I started running back and forth to work as my commute during the winter, 4.5 miles each way. I was on a pretty strict diet at the time and between that and the "doubles" I was losing weight, getting faster and feeling like a superhero. I held on to this to do a 25k trail race early in the season then put away the running to focus on cycling. I had an amazing cycling season that year. A lot of things really fell into place and I rode it out. Until I burned out. I was training for a stage race and in ten weeks I had eight 250+ mile weeks. Six of those weeks I would do 3-4 races in a row to get my mind and body used to the idea of racing w...

    I've wanted to do this run for a few years now. Any excuse to hang out in Bend,OR for a couple days, coupled with a full marathon on actual dirt really made it stand out. It seems like most trail races are either 10k or 50k and up. there's a big gap there and "Haulin' Aspen" fills it.     I'm not gonna spend too much space on the race itself but more on the journey to the race. More specifically my friend's journey to the race. lots of blowdown but still beautiful     My friend is a very decidedly non-runner. Nothing whatsoever appealed to her about putting on brightly colored techwear, hydration packs, paying someone for the opportunity to pin on a number and god forbid....wearing a visor. I think we all just seemed like a bunch of dorks running around town carrying water in belts. And of course, we are sometimes. Some of that "image" changed when she saw a Killian Jornet video on my facebook page. I wonder just how many people he HAS ...

California's Mt. Shasta     Two weeks after missing the cut-off at mile 40 at the Mt. Hood 50 mile, I'm either getting an opportunity for "redemption" or just another chance to wreck my body and soul over what many would say is a pointless activity. At the very least it's an excuse to go hang out on some amazing trails, taking in beautiful views, meeting interesting people and hanging out in Ashland, OR. One of my favorite towns.     I did this same race last year, it was my first (and only) 50 mile run. Finishing in 10:40. I probably ran about 43 miles of it with just a couple short breaks of walking until getting a boost in spirits at the mile 45 aid station and running as hard as I could manage all the way to the finish. Things didn't quite go that way this time around.     Any of you who know me or have read this blog know I've been dealing with a lot of set backs this year. Nothing too damaging, just some life stresses and injuries that have lef...

    Heading into the race I knew I wasn't quite prepared. Due to several injuries and a stressful job situation my training runs had come to pretty much a complete stop. My races had become my long runs. I'd built up a good base so I can usually pull out a decent 20 miler off the bat, maybe even a 30 miler but after that, anything can happen. Don't know if it's going to be a gradual fade or just a sheer drop but I know something will happen. Also, due to my unstable training as of late, my pace has slowed quite a bit so the idea of putting some time "in the bank" early in a race might take a lot of energy out of me that might be real real important later in a race.     We had a six hour cut-off at mile 28 which i made with basically no problem. Plenty of room to spare. The only issue so far was some stomach issues that i blame on coconut water I had in a drop bag at mile 15. I'd heard others doing this and thought I'd give it a try. Nope, won't be...

    Not much I can do now but rest, stretch eat right and get my attitude together. Next weekend, July 12, I'll run 50 miles then two weeks later do it again. I had had some hopes of hitting a PR, maybe come in under 9:30 hours. Don't see that happening though. So....this is where getting my attitude right comes in.     I came in to 2014 strong. Several back to back long runs for a few weeks, followed by several weeks of some good 20 mile runs before everything got shifted around. As it turns out, stress and emotions are directly connected with my back, legs and feet. Didn't take long till I had some kind of issue going on with all three. Training all but stopped. I managed a 40 miler that went really well but just recently ran a 35 miler that just about broke me. Now, when I say "broke," it doesn't mean what it used to mean. It used to lie more along the lines of almost being reduced to tears. These days it's more about problem solving, moving forward ...

    The Smith Rock Ascent 50k Trail Run. AKA The 54k 50k. Yeah, there was a surprise 2.5 miles tagged on at the end. Doesn't sound like much but watching my GPS get closer to 31 miles and knowing there was no way it was going to be over then was a little unnerving.     I had been looking at this as an "A" race. I did the 25k course last year. I love this place and this is my kind of trail. Smooth singletrack with some rocky technical sections, a couple of big climbs (and descents, unfortunately) and lots of open scenery to keep me inspired and motivated. BUT....the last couple months have been full of stress, distractions and injury so my "A" race would now be a supported training run. Didn't matter. I love running here and that's all that mattered. the creepy van at skull hollow     I headed down the night before to camp in my van. There's an on-site walk-in campground but they don't allow car camping so I found a campground about eight mi...

    A few years ago someone I knew was going through some incredible health issues. "health issues" being a couple months out from dying. They knew this was happening and I knew it. It really just gave us an opportunity to sit and talk a little more openly than usual. One morning during this time, we were just sitting on the back porch on a late spring morning. Sun was already warming up, dew still on the grass and we're sitting in a screened in porch drinking coffee when they say to me, 'I wish I could run. I wish I could just go run and run and run until I can't take another step. When I was little, I used to love to run and that's all I want to do right now. I think about it all the time.'     This person had never been particularly athletic or anything like that nor really "outdoorsy." no more than the average person anyway, but I understood what was meant with this.     Being a recovering addict who finds a lot of relief and spirituality f...

    This past Wednesday was the 2nd race of  5 race series in Forest Park. The Portland Trail Series ( https://gobeyondracing.com/races/portland-trail-series/ ). While I usually use these races as speed workouts since they're usually pretty short, (4-6 miles) but this week I decided to hang back and run with a friend who's coming back from a knee injury. It's not like it's a big sacrifice for me or anything. My races are really my ultras. Where I can just find my slow-ass pace and hold it for 5-12 hours. check out some amazing scenery, meet some interesting people, eat some food every 5 or 6 miles and if I'm lucky, have some visions and hallucinations. Yeah, those are my kind of races. The Wednesday night series are my "community" thing, they happen just down the street from my apartment and sometimes I can get my "newbie" friends in on the fun.     We started in the back and TRIED to stay in the back but still managed to make a few passes once...