Transvulcania. Estoy listo.

Only one week to go!

My first international ultrarunning race is Transvulcania, May 9th, part of the World SkyRunning series. Held on La Palma in the volcanic Canary Islands (Spain) off the coast of Morocco it is 50 miles with over 14,000ft of climbing. My goal is to participate and be a top contender in both the World and U.S. Skyrunning series this year. The season begins now and preparations have taken months!

To prepare I have spent most of my free time running long each weekend - sometimes both days. Since recovering from Old Pueblo 50 mile race my last few weeks of intense training can be summarized into the following basic stats:

• April 20-26: 92miles/13hrs of running/10,700ft of climbing
• April 13-19: 62miles/8hrs/2,800ft 
• April 6-12: 96miles/14hrs/12,600ft
• March 30-April 5: 63miles/9hrs/1,000ft
• March 23-29: 118miles/18.5hrs/22,000ft
• March 16-22: 72miles/9hrs/4,600ft

These early warm spring days here in Tucson, Arizona have been perfect for mountain training. My training is really just an excuse to thread more mountain trails. Thankfully, I often have friends or group runs to share the views, snake sightings, and swimming hole cliff jumps. And, when the miles get rough training buddies help push me up, keep me honest, and often just help me pause and chat.

This spring has not been all flowers, yet the harder the week – either at work or in life – the stronger I run.  And, in reverse, the tougher the week in training the more resilient and greater clarity I have to be grateful for life’s lemons.  The week of March 23-29 - the most miles I have ever run in a week for training - I nailed my workouts and both long runs. However, equally intensive at the workplace that week I launched a stakeholder advisory group to restore surface water flow to Lower Sabino Creek. And, on a personal level through several difficult conversations I found clarity to work through critical relationship issues in my own life to start the rebuilding process.

This week is just one example of how my running has helped instill balance in my life. Running provides me mental clarity and physical stamina to excel in work and play. However, it has taken a shift in my daily outlook to achieve this level of performance. I now approach work and hard training blocks not as a burden but as a time to shine.

The summer racing season is about to begin and I am in my best shape yet for mountain ultra trail running! I am ready to shine! I eagerly await putting to test my gear and conditioning at Transvulcania.

I am humbly grateful for the support from my family, team, and sponsors, who have helped invest in my dreams. Estoy emocionado. Buena suerte a todos los participantes en Transvulcania.

Mountain mischief mid-run at a swimming hole

Skyrunning at the top of one of Arizona's Sky Islands

Enjoying trails and training with my friend Charlie

Contemplating the meaning of life mid-run creek side

Always in awe of the majesty of ever changing mountain scenes

Enjoying the support from my sponsors post 30mile mountain run
- Run Steep Get High, CarboPro, and Salomon

Dealing with 2015 Jitters

I am like a 5 year old on Christmas Eve ready to tear into the presents piled under the tree. Why? Well...

For the second year I am continuing on the Run Steep Get High Mountain Running Team which has now partnered with Salomon! And also continuing as a CarboPro Elite Athlete. I am very thankful for their support and I am looking forward to a great year of mountain running and racing!

So excited that I even had my race schedule lined up in the first week of January! - a first for me.

Danger! This may entice you to go run the steeps! Here is a preview of the mountains I will be climbing.

Registered:
Jan 10 -- San Tan Scramble, San Tan, AZ, 50K - Placed 2nd and ran 5 minutes faster than last year! A fun low desert fast rolling course with a wicked climb and descent. A great race report was posted my friend Charlie Ware who I ran with for most of the race.
Feb 14 -- Black Canyon 100k, AZ, 100k - A Western States qualifier makes it a top contending race!
March 7 -- Old Pueblo, Sonoita, AZ, 50M - If my legs recover in time this is an ol' time favorite in my backyard.
June 27 -- Mont Blanc 80K, Chamonix, FR (ULTRA World), 50M - oh yeah! Need I say more?
July 19 -- Audi Power of 4, Aspen, CO, 50K - A tough ski resort mountain race that may help be competitive in both the world and U.S. Skyrunning series.
Aug 1 -- Tushar Sky Race (ULTRA US), 50K - Not sure if I am more excited about the amazing mountain course or the fact the race organizers use composting toilets instead of port-a-pots!
Sept 5 -- The Rut, Big Sky, MT (ULTRA US & World), 31M - This was too much fun last year and now more local fast friends will also be competing at this race.
Oct 4 -- Flagstaff Sky Race, AZ (ULTRA US), 55K - A great way to end a long Skyrunning series on Arizona soil.

Pending:
March 28 -- Crown King Scramble, AZ, 50KM - I would love to do this race but need to see how my legs are feeling before committing.
May 9 -- Transvulcania, La Palma, ESP (ULTRA World), 50M - still crossing my fingers hoping I can squeeze in! Please, oh please, oh please...
Dec 6 -- TNF Endurance Challenge, San Francisco, CA, 50M - this was too exciting to follow via IRunFar's twitter feed in 2014 that I figured I need to throw myself into the mix and experience it first hand!

Photo Source: The Rut

Actually, I am starting the year with mostly jitters and a dash of anxiety thrown in. It started in October when I won the 2014 US Skyrunning Ultra series. For the prize - an expense paid trip to a World Series Skyrunning race - I selected Mount Blanc 80k in Chamonix, France which includes intense climbing, the world's best competition, stunning scenery, and a foreign mountain range.

Then to add to my jitters I flushed out a demanding 2015 race calendar which included my 2014 favorites The Rut and Flagstaff Sky Run.

So, to control the jitters I need to focus on tasks at hand and remain in the present.

Making a few specific New Year's running resolutions has seemed to help:

First, I signed up with a coach. I did well in 2014 and remained disciplined and consistent. But, I felt it was time to invest in my ultrarunning career and move from pure determination to a bit more finesse. The assurance and confidence I am gaining with my coach has helped ease the jitters and keeps me focused.

Second, I resolve to take advantage of being a trail runner whenever I can. I learned this from my buddy, Charlie. So, now if I find myself near a trailhead due to work I bring my running gear along and enjoy some extra mid-week mountain trail time. I even have a monthly running check-in meeting with my boss!

Third, I realized it will take more than just running to gain strength. I schedule in a weekly yoga session, a couple of drill/plyos sessions, and even an occasional bike ride or hike.

What has helped you so far this year stay focused and in the present?

Photo source: Vo von Sehlen, The Runner's Edge

 Photo: Ian Sharman.