The Chances We Get

Around 9:30 PM on Friday night Katie and I rolled into a truck stop in Mojave before turning onto 395 to head up to camp near Lone Pine. As I waited to pay for my drink and sandwich I noticed the guy in front of me buying two 30-packs of Coors Light. Besides the obvious fact that he was wasting $15 extra on watered down beer over ten $3.49 six packs of Simpler Times from TJ’s, I noticed he was about my age/height/weight. There we were, a couple of guys in our mid 20’s, getting ready for completely different weekends. I was buying a sandwich and iced tea and he was buying over five and a half gallons of fizzy yellow beer.

The weekend was here, and everyone in the truck stop was excited to get it started. There is nothing wrong with pursuing your unique American Dream with your hard earned cash. In fact, that freedom is what makes this country great. But, that freedom also sometimes overwhelms me with questions and second guessing. Where should I go? What should I do? What’s the best option? The problem is we have a limited amount of chances in our lives to do something exactly how we want to, and we don’t always know what to do with ourselves.

-Shepherd's Pass

On my run up the Shepherd’s Pass Trail, I found some answers to soothe my mind. In searching for answers for this treasured weekly gift of 48 hours of freedom, there doesn’t need to be a perfect answer. Acknowledging the privilege and pursuing it with passion is what’s really important. I get to drive three hours north to some of the most beautiful mountains in the entire world, and almost every trail that pushes up from the valley floor offers a chance to run with boundless passion as the surrounding peaks flood my soul with inspiration. After that, what hairs do I really have to split? After that realization, don’t I also have inspiration to fuel my endeavors everywhere I run?

Sometimes I might get spoiled with high altitude peaks and passes and think that lower trails are lower trails, but they all really play off each other and offer unique benefits that make me feel blessed to be in the cornucopia of trails that California has to offer. My run this morning at Crystal Cove with Eric was a blast as the short climbs and descents were endlessly fun and invigorating. This weekend, the first 30+ miles of the AC course that I plan to run will feature a fun mix of altitude, fast terrain, great views, and fun climbs. As my eyes pass over the various maps and pictures on my wall, my mind wanders through many idyllic runs, and I find myself already excited for my run tonight. 

-Mt. Whitney, just below Iceberg Lake

When it comes down to it, we all get daily chances to do what we want with out time. Whether it’s running, friends, music, teaching, learning, creating, exploring, competition, or whatever, what matters is that we always take advantage of our daily chances with passion and gratitude for them. When the heart is inspired, passion naturally abounds.

-Mt. Williamson

Oct 8-14

Monday: 9mi, 1500ft, 1:17 – tempo run in the 2^nd half, CC

Tuesday: 3mi, 0ft, :25 - roads

               8mi, 1200ft, :69 – easy at CC

Wednesday: 8mi, 1200ft, :59 – tempo at CC

Thursday: 2mi, 300ft, :20 – trail flooded and sandstone turned to mud with an intense thunderstorm

9mi, 400ft, :75 – cruising on roads

Friday: 3mi, 0ft, :20 – tempo in the flat

Sat: 10mi, 1700ft, 1:40 – taper run before racing xterra point mugu

Sun: 11mi, 2500ft, 1:14 – 4^th overall at Xterra Point Mugu. Started a little sluggish heading up La Jolla canyon. Wasn’t sure if I could run the same time I ran a few years before, but eventually warmed up as we left the valley and worked the downhill on Ray Miller really well for a :14 split down 2.7 miles. Overall I was pleased to race hard and have no stomach issues or a significant lack of turnover. Custome NB’s I wore were awesome, so I’m psyched for North face

Sun PM: 9 mi, 100ft, 1:30 – Easy cooldown and then went out looking for Katie on the Ray Miller 50k course

Total: 72mi, 9,000ft, 10:26

Lots of speed work in this week, not much climbing, but the race on Sunday was what I wanted it to be: a workout and confidence building for North Face.

Oct 15-21

Monday: 10mi, 2000ft, 1:40 – easy at CC

Tuesday: 8mi, 1500ft, :66 – tempo with Jesse at CC on two 1.5 mi stretches of technical singletrack at 7:15 pace. Stomach issues count the workout short.

Wednesday: 10mi, 2250ft, 1:35 – Bedford Peak + extra, easy

Thursday: 11mi, 1750ft, 1:36 – Tempo of :10, :10, :20. Sprained ankle in the low light.. No more night workouts

Friday: 3mi, 1500ft, :31 – treadmill at 15%, 10%, 5%

Saturday: 27mi, 8700ft, 7:55 – Started at the lower trailhead for the Shepherd’s Pass Trail. Started late in the morning and knew the long push to the summit might not happen with daylight constraints. I worked hard through the lower miles running 11mi/6300ft to the 12,100ft pass in 3:13. I explored a bit before taking on Tyndall, which looked simple from the pass, but the boulder field/talus was very difficult to navigate/make any headway on. I gained only 1200ft in 90 minutes (mostly due to not knowing my way through the talus) and decided to turn around at 13,100ft due to the waning daylight. It took quite awhile to get down the talus and eventually I was back on dirt and made quick time down the trail. Peaks are a gift, always a privilege.

Sunday: 11mi, 4800ft, 5:30 – These numbers don’t make sense, but I was pretty sore from Saturday and I hung out with Katie on the North Fork trail to the Mountaineer’s Route on Whitney. The weather was getting nasty so we turned around and saved the chute for another day. I enjoyed studying the route and figuring out the great times that have been posted on it.

Total: 80mi, 22,500ft, 19:53 

Some more vert and time on feet due to the outing on Sunday. Definitely productive week as far as speedwork and long runs go.



Tallest Man on Earth with some great acoustic strumming and snarling romantic lines