DaCrizzow

    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...