Toby Guillette: Athlete, Adventurer, Social Media Expert

San Jacinto Snow Hike

2012-01-19T22:11:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year! 2012 is well underway and here are iPhonography pictures from the hike on Sunday. Enjoy!

Saturday was Austin's birthday. He, Nick and I all raced in the Racers and Chasers Balboa Park marathon mountain bike event.

We did the 4-mile course continuously for 3hours45minutes and covered 45 miles. "Nick the Greek" lapped us and I finished 90 seconds behind the birthday boy, "Austintacous."

Sunday, 13.5 of us met up for breakfast and 7 of the group drove out to Palm Springs, took the tram up to 8,500'and then hiked to the 10,800' summit on Mount San Jacinto.

It snowed lightly the whole time and we finished in the dark. A great weekend made even better with friends!

2011 in Photos

2012-01-11T14:28:00.001-08:00

Another great year has come and gone, as you'll see from the photos in this album. Many new adventures await. Happy New Year!

Click 2011 in Photos, to see full album on Flickr.

Joshua Tree Slideshow

2011-11-30T15:12:00.001-08:00

Our annual Joshua Tree campout was a blast as usual. I took all the pictures you'll see here on my iPhone:

Just click the photo above to launch the slideshow. Enjoy!

Outdoor Outreach: Reach the Peak Race Report

2011-11-12T11:10:00.001-08:00

The San Diego non-profit, Outdoor Outreach, hosted their inaugural fundraising event at Black Mountain last weekend and raised $25,000!!!

This is a cause near and dear to my heart and I wanted to support their efforts, so I launched a fundraising campaign in the months prior and also participated in the trail running event they hosted on Saturday.

This event was much more than a race -- it was an opportunity to help spread the Outdoor Outreach message:

Outdoor Outreach's mission is to empower at-risk and underprivileged youth to make positive lasting changes in their lives through comprehensive outdoor programming. We use outdoor activities to provide youth with the support, resources and opportunities they need to become successful adults.

Thanks to the generous donations from 30 of my friends and family, I raised $1,300 which is just about enough for the organization to fund 3 local group trips for the youth they serve.

The race portion of the event consisted of multiple summit repeats in a 3-hour time period. The winner completes the most repeats in the least amount of time. The trail to the top was ~2mi. with ~900’ of elevation gain.

With rain the day before the event the trail was a muddy mess at the start on Saturday. Check out this video and listen for the mud as we run by:

I showed up with a gameplan to hold a consistent pace and knock out 4 summits. I executed my plan in 2hrs53min which was good for 2nd place overall:

I’ve learned many of life’s greatest lessons in nature’s classroom and hope that the ripple effect from this campaign will impact the lives of our youth in a positive and empowering way. It’s been a pleasure and honor to share this mission and collect donations from my friends, family and colleagues to support this organization. Thank you all for recognizing the importance of Outdoor Outreach.

“Doubly happy, however, is the man whom lofty mountain tops are within reach, for the lights that shine there illumine all that lies below” -John Muir

King of the Hill: El Capitan Race Report

2011-10-29T08:29:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I raced the third and final event of the new King of the Hill trail series: El Capitan. With 3400’+ of climbing/descending and physical challenge stations on one of the hardest local trails, this new race is a total beast!

Check out my race reports from the 2011 series:

Race 1: King of the Hill: Mt. Woodson

Race 2: King of the Hill: Iron Mountain

The race began abruptly with 10 burpees and the super-steep climb up and away from the Wildcat Canyon Rd. trailhead. This thinned-out the field right away so there was less congestion on the trail. With my heart rate thumping, I jumped into top 20 and took on the big climbs, using any free speed from the downhill sections to help with the next climb.

Nicole Decker at her finest ;)

There weren’t any clouds so when the sun came out, it came out strong and it got hot, fast. The next challenge station was 10 tuck jumps and 10 dive-bomber pushups. Then we hit the harder climbs and temps were now 80+ degrees. There was another challenge station with 10 starburst jumping jacks somewhere but its all a blur now. Before I got to the last challenge station at the saddle below the final push to the summit, the race leader passed by on his descent, which is just insane -- that dude tore it up (1:43 finish!)

Thanks for the great shot, Meg!

50 mountain climbers later I was bushwacking the half-track trail to the summit where Meg, a friend and race volunteer, was stationed to photograph us climbing up onto summit block for official turn-around time before beginning our descent.

Uphill both ways!

The descent was sketchy as it was so steep and fatigue was building from the tough terrain, climbs and heat. I pushed hard when I could but it takes a lot of concentration and speed-checking not to get hurt on that descent. The way down also offers challenging climbs to add to the fun.

I was starting to get dizzy with a couple miles left to go, but when I came up over a hill to see the guy that beat me in the last 2 events, I got a burst of energy and decided to go for it and just kept pressing and pressing HARD.

The final section of steep switchbacks before the finish line was a blur and it felt like I was floating out-of-body. I crossed the finish line in 2:19 and crumbled into a pool of sweat, confusion and exhaustion. Moments later my coworker Todd finished and we both just sat there completely spent.

Todd cursing me for convincing him to sign up!

This wasn't the usual post-race hang-out, drink beers and tell war stories scenario: I was a total mess for about 10-15 minutes and it took another good 10 minutes to pull myself together before standing up. I was sort of embarrassed about my state, but also mildly concerned that I did some sort of damage to myself.

All this for 13th place overall and 10th in the 39 and under age group :)

I missed the awards ceremony because I had to make it to my friends surprise birthday party. Thankfully Alicia was with me because on the drive home I felt nauseous and ended up puking when I got to the party. I was out for the count until about 2:45pm when I finally managed to eat and keep down food. After that, I pulled it back together, had a few beers and had a great evening.

Happy Birthday to Luke!

Bravo to Joe and Nicole Decker and their fitness company, Gut Check Fitness, for the courage to host a new local event series on trails and up peaks that no one else has attempted. They lead by example and it’s no wonder they’ve cultivated a healthy and supportive community of great people who are willing to push their limits.

"Are you ready for a Gut Check?"

Register for the 2012 Gut Check Fitness King of the Hill Series

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." -Isaac Newton

The guys in the photo with me are my giants -- they have helped me push beyond my limits and I'm forever grateful for their friendship and our time together on the trail. Here's to many more miles with you guys!

[left to right]: Dax, Jess, Me, Todd

Mt. Williamson in a day

2011-08-19T16:12:00.000-07:00

Before I tell you all about how I hiked 30 miles, to the top of the 2nd highest peak in California and back, in 19 hours, you need to promise me you’ll never try this.

If you do try it, please do it over a couple days, or a few days and enjoy yourself. Just don’t go for it in one day. OK, you’ve been warned, so here's the trip report:

From the ranger station in Lone Pine looking west. No permit necessary for a 1-day effort :)

My “extreme hiking” partner, Burt, and I set off from sea-level in San Diego on Thursday to attempt Mt. Williamson and Tyndall in a day. We were dialed with our ultralight gear set-up, stoked on the forecast and sufficiently satisfied with our fitness.

Truck clearance isn't completely necessary but it really helps gain access to the trail

We set up camp at the hot and buggy Symmes Creek trailhead (6300’) Friday afternoon at sunset and hit the sack at 8:45pm for a 1:30am wake up call.

We were on the trail by 2am and going for it:

My eyes say it all in this pic

It took us 6 hours to gain Shepard Pass (~12000’) in 11 miles (we thought was going to be 9.5 miles).

Like ice in the morning and slush in the afternoon

At the top of the pass, Tyndall is directly to the west and looks goregous.

Tyndall is easier and more fun than Williamson

Our plan was to bag Williamson first and hit Tyndall on the way back, if we were feeling up to it.We headed south for Williamson Bowl and this is where the fun (re. suck) began. Williamson Bowl is so evil: it’s both extremely energy and time consuming. It took what seemed like 2 hours to get to the base of the chute below Williamson.

Epic shot -- thanks Burt!

The bowl is the gnarliest boulder field I’ve ever crossed. It’s boulder upon boulder upon boulder that are far from stable. Many would shift and begin to topple, requiring us to either stabilize with every little muscle in our leg or jump to another boulder quickly before the one we were on rolled over and risked crushing a foot/ankle/leg. It went on forever but we made it across and stopped to make water in a beautiful alpine lake.

Getting across this on the return trip is definitely the crux

I was feeling the altitude by the time we reached the west face chute while we pressed onward and upward in the chute. Every step we took, we would slide back down a half-step. I also had to frequently empty rocks out of my shoes, even while wearing gaiters.

Frankentoby mode

At the top of the chute, my altitude headache was squeezing the fun out of my brain, but when we discovered the 100’ rock-climbing variation, I was stoked to change it up and free-solo climb to the summit plateau.

Nice crack!

Burt recorded video with the GroPro HD Hero in this section and got it all! I can hardly wait to get the footage edited and published. Stay tuned for an amazing POV climb coming at you soon!

In an altitude-induced stupor, we gained the summit plateau, then a false summit:

Followed by the true summit of Mt. Williamson (14,389'), finally at 1:30pm:

Take it to the top!

I could hardly see at this point, but I managed to capture this 360 panoramic video, after calling my girlfriend, from the top:

I was trashed from the altitude and it was pretty obvious that Tyndall was not going to happen and that the new plan centered around getting lower so my headache would subside.

Down-climbing the rock section was fun but the descent through the chute was brutal. I was moving slowly at this point so Burt took off to make us water at the lake while I worked my way across the boulder-filled bowl back towards Sherpard Pass.

Gotta stay positive even when it hurts

At the top of the pass, I took 1 Aleve and 2 ibuprofen and by the bottom of the pass (11,500’) I was totally better! I got my second wind, just in time for the 4.5 hours and 11 miles of hiking that remained.

4 creek crossings a mile out from the trailhead

I was stoked to be feeling better and finished the day strong at 9:20pm, just 19 hours and 20 minutes after we began our day.

Mother Nature in all her beauty. I feel so fortunate to see and do these things.

What a tough day! I was frustrated that altitude sickness prevented us from experiencing Mt. Tyndall but obviously knew going into it that it could potentially be an issue. It's also one of the reasons I'm so drawn to mountaineering in the first place: it's extremely difficult. We still had a blast while pushing our limits -- Burt was amazing during his longest day ever -- and he and I will be putting together another epic soon enough.

Thanks for reading along and I welcome any questions (about the route, gear, etc.) comments or feedback:

Going For It

2011-06-25T11:24:00.000-07:00

After the WAFA certification course in Idyllwild, I shifted focus to a HUGE block of training, trips and adventures. Here’s my recap with photos:

The original plan was to attempt the Williamson/Tyndall route on 6/18 in the Sierra. This 32-mile day would involve about 20 hours of effort from 6200’ to the 14000’, back to 12,000 and then to 14000’ again before returning to 6200’. There were 4 of us training up and planning for this huge day which requires being totally dialed on every level to even attempt. Of course any plan is subject to change, especially when weather conditions and life in general factor in.

The approach
Williamson
Tyndall

To simulate for this extreme altitude, Josh (from the Mt. Whitney trip) and I headed to El Cajon Mountain out in Poway off the 67, one of the hardest trails in SD I can get to in 20 minutes. It’s also home of the Gut Check Fitness King of the Hill: El Cap trail race on October, 22. So I’ve been out there a couple times for recon and the 11-mile trail with 3600’ gain and loss feels like uphill both ways. If you go check this place out, bring a couple liters of water with you.

Next up, Jess (from the Grand Canyon R2R2R run), Josh and I attempted the Cactus-to-Clouds trail on San Jacinto.

After cramps and nausea I pulled the plug at 10.5 miles and 8500’ gain, opting not to complete the 22-mile route with 10,400 gain. This was a good wake up call for me because the rapid elevation changes are what we would see in the Sierra. I began questioning my preparations and adjusting my training plan.

The next weekend I formed a team with my buddies Airey and Nick to tackle the Equinox Adventures Mt. Laguna Adventure Race as a training day. We had an absolute blast on the mountain bikes, trekking of trail and orienteering for 5 hours through the fun and challenging course.

The next weekend I returned to the 28th Annual Bay 2 Bay Regatta, but this year entered in the 5-mile sit inside kayak division. Only having trained in a boat twice and watched a couple instruction DVDs, I went for it. I paddled as strong and efficiently as possible to a first-place finish!

That very same day, after a 2-hour nap in the middle of the day, I drove out to Cuyamaca State Park at midnight and helped pace my friend Rebecca for the final 28 miles of the San Diego 100 Mile Endurance Run, logging a solid 9 hours on my feet.

The week of the big climb finally arrived and our plans for the Sierra fell apart from there being too much snow on the route -- far from ideal conditions for a car-to-car attempt. Having the vacation day already scheduled, I ran an idea by Burt who said, let’s go for it.

Mt. Charleston sits at 11,918’ in Spring Mountains National Recreation Area to the west of Las Vegas and can be easily seen from the Vegas strip when there’s snow on the peak. After a little research we drove out to Lake Mead on Thursday.

Friday we hit up REI in Henderson and picked up a map and chatted with a couple folks at the store who knew the area. With the beta they provided we scouted a 20-mile loop that would let us see a huge chunk of what Spring Mountains National Recreation Area has to offer, if conditions permitted.

Saturday we drove out and parked at Trail Canyon (7,600’) and began the 8.5-mile ascent. The day was beautiful; sunny, blue sky and temps were ideal.

We jammed up the well-maintained trail and finally hit snow on the North Loop Trail at 10,000’. After negotiating a few sketchy traverses, the route opened up to a 1000’ snow ascent to the peak.

It was fun playing in the snow! I used Kahtoolah Microspikes, which worked great for traction and kicking steps in the late spring/early summer snow conditions.

I took a ton of GoPro HD footage during the day that Alicia is going to help edit into another video soon so stayed tuned for that.

On the summit we saw some folks ascending the South Loop trail which looked clear of snow. We waited until they topped out and confirmed snow conditions were clearer than the way we came up.

South Loop trail in the distance below

So we began our descent with 6 miles of rolling alpine meadows and bristle cone pine trees above 10,000’ before a 3000’ snow-patched descent into town. The last mile we walked through town stoked on our day and the beautiful loop we put together. What a great trip!

Burt was an awesome climbing partner and we want to go back in August when the route is clear of snow to do the loop again but add Mummy and Griffith Peaks:

I'm signing off through the July 4th weekend. I wish you all a happy and healthy start to your summer!

~T

This one is for you Tim Ray. You'll always be with me on the trail bro. R.I.P.

Wilderness Advanced First Aid (WAFA)

2011-05-10T16:51:00.000-07:00

After a 6-day stay in Idyllwild, where I attended a 4-day Wilderness Advanced First Aid course, I’m back in San Diego with the mountain view from our cabin still fresh in my mind.

The course was challenging. Long days of lecture and simulations with tons of information to process before the next day where we did it all again. Thankfully, the guy who taught the course was hilarious and not only was he an expert on the material but he knew how to connect with the participants and break the day up with a mix of lectures and simulations both inside and outside.

Here’s a good overview of what the course covered from the Wilderness Medical Associates website:

Day 1: 9 hours - Introduction/Registration; General Concepts; Infection Control; Patient Assessment System; Circulatory & Respiratory Systems; Adult CPR; Basic Life Support

Day 2: 9.5 hours - Quiz/Case Studies; Nervous System, Spine Management; Musculoskeletal Injuries; Lifts, Moves, and Extrications; Splints - Extremities; Patient Assessment Drills

Day 3: 9.5 hours - Quiz/Case Studies; Thermoregulation; Bites and Stings; Lightning; Elective Topics; Wounds and Burns; Allergies and Anaphylaxis; Improvised Patient Carries; Patient Assessment Drills

Day 4: 8 hours - Case Study Review; Elective Topic; Backcountry Medicine; Medical and Legal Issues; Patient Assessment Drills; Simulations; Final Exam; Conclusion

I met some interesting folks who were also taking the course -- military, outdoor educators, fellow weekend warriors -- there were approximately 25 of us. But since I wasn’t staying on site and we were so busy all day long, it was hard to get to know everyone.

This ended up being one of my wisest investments of time and money. Logging off the web for a week was in itself a treat but the knowledge and experience I gained from the WAFA course is invaluable. Who knows when the day will come where I can lend someone in need my assistance. Obviously, I hope the day never comes.. but if it does, I’ll be ready to “Face Any Challenge, Anywhere.”

The cabin we stayed in was amazing. In the past, we’ve gone with the A-frame in town because its affordable and centrally-located. This time we wanted to kick it up a notch so we treated ourselves.

The view from the deck was perfect and on the last day we discovered a waterfall only a half-mile walk from the front door.

We’ll definitely stay there again some day. Hopefully much sooner than when I will need to go back to take the re-cert course or the WAFA to WFR Bridge course.

If you ever want info about visiting and recreating in Idyllwild, I’d be happy to share my resources. Drop me a comment or email. Stay tuned for my training update coming soon in a separate post.

King of the Hill: Iron Mountain Race Report

2011-03-30T09:37:00.000-07:00

Here's my recap of life leading up to the event and my race report from the inaugural King of the Hill: Iron Mountain trail race.

Recovery from King of the Hill: Mt. Woodson race was great after a chill weekend of camping and hiking in Jtree with friends. Then I shifted my focus to power endurance with ActiveX strength and conditioning workouts during the week and short trail runs every other day. On top of that, I maintained my running with a few really fun outings. The first was on the PCT with a solid crew of friends during a bout of rain. Check out Stephanie McCormack’s blog for a recap.

The following weekend I wanted to preview the King of the Hill: Iron Mountain course so I put together a group run with a bunch of friends and had what could have been the best trail run of 2011 so far. Conditions were incredible -- check out Paul Jesse’s blog post for a recap of our day.

Sycamore Canyon

Next, I telecommuted from the east coast for 2 weeks while helping out my family after my dad’s total knee replacement surgery. Being able to help out was great for the family and he made excellent progress while under my watch. Check out his knee:

28+ staples.. gnarly!

All the struggle will hopefully be worth it when he’s finally moving pain-free. It’s really made me appreciate the crazy advances in technology as well as my own good health. So I hit all my workouts while he was in PT, despite the less-than-ideal weather and conditions there. A special thanks to the Body Shoppe in Greenfield for allowing me to train at their great facility!

SkinFit base layers keeping me warm

So without further ado, here’s my report from race day at King of the Hill: Iron Mountain:

I was feeling super rested and relaxed on race day morning and weather was in the comfortable low-40's. After I took 2 elemental energy and 3 elemental powers at 6:25am, I headed out for a 10 minute road run to get a light sweat on before the start.

In typical Gut Check Fitness fashion, the race started with 10 burpees and we were off and running at 7am. I was immediately running in the top 10 and had crept up to 5th by the top of the 2nd climb. The whole time I was switching from running to power walking on the steep sections to keep my heart from going crazy -- easier said than done -- check out the elevation profile:

1,964' elevation gain in 8.5mi.

The guy in front of me took a wrong turn and being the nice guy that I am I looked up and yelled to him and ended up running into a Spanish Bayonet plant which punctured my quad in 2 spots. It felt like an acupuncture treatment gone wrong!

As Steph said, "the fucca yucca got you, huh?"

So there I was in 4th place when our route connected to the main trial junction challenge station for 10 pushups and 10 jumping knee tucks. As I got closer to the peak, the race leader, #2 and #3 headed down the mountain and I finished my bottle of Vitargo before the summit, where we did 25 mountain climbers before starting the descent.

I absolutely flew down the main trail at a controlled mid-7 pace all the way to the final 10-burpee challenge station before the finish line. The same 4 dudes (me included) finished in the same 4 spots as last race and held our series standings. I took 4th overall, 3rd in age group.

My coworker, Todd, took 3rd in the "Old Foggey" age group

Immediately after finishing I went straight to my car and drank a bottle of premixed Vitargo and a protein shake then got my calves massaged by the free masseuse. Smart recovery makes a world of difference. Since the race my body has been feeling great besides the puncture wounds, which were swollen and discolored for two days.

I'll also note that I was much closer to the guy who beat me last time -- who also beat me this time. With more distance I'm confident I would have caught him because I was gaining on him the whole time. That makes me excited for the next event, which is longer, but doubt it will change the series standings even if I do.

The final series event is October 22nd on El Cap which is arguably one of the hardest trails in San Diego and the race is the longest of the series -- 13 miles -- so I'll be ready to crush dreams that day for sure.

All things considered I feel satisfied with my performance and excited I've found a new nutrition solution that is working so far. Now time to switch gears for the next few months. Got some fun and different plans in the works!

Intro to Trail Running in San Diego

2011-02-28T13:23:00.000-08:00

Over the holidays, I was contacted by REI and asked to present two "Intro to Trail Running" clinics at the San Diego stores in February. I gladly accepted knowing it would be a great way for me to give back to the community while challenging myself professionally and creatively.

I don't have much experience with presenting but I knew that with my knowledge of trail running I'd be set once I learned more about creating Powerpoint slides, public speaking, etc. Plus, I had just finished reading a book that my brother recommended called Eat That Frog! by Brian Tracy (affiliate link) which was just the kick in the ass I need to get started.

So I created my outline in Google Docs, collected my San Diego trail running images and searched for online resources. A special thanks to Alicia for helping me create a customized template so my slides were all branded with www.EnduranceGuy.com

Two articles, in addition to the guidance from a few colleagues, that helped me prepare were Top 20 Reasons Presentations Suck and How To Fix Them and Create a Dynamite Presentation in 6 Easy Steps which are both worth checking out if need to brush up on your skills.

Both presentations went great and I promised the folks in the audience a follow up with links to resources for new trail runners. Let me know in the comments if there is anything else you'd like me to include.

Here's what my slides looked like:

Intro to Trail Running

Follow up with additional resources:

Where to run:
A. San Diego county overview
i. South Bay (Otay County Open Space Preserve)

ii. East County (PCT, Mt. Laguna, Anza Borrego)

iii. Coastal (Torrey Pines, San Elijo Lagoon)

iv. Central (Penasquitos, Tecelote, Marion Bear, Rose Canyon)

vi. North County (Lake Hodges, Elfin Forest, Calavera Hills, Daley Ranch)

B. How to find trails

i. Books at REI (show on display)

a. Jerry Schad’s books:

Afoot and Afield: San Diego County,

Trail Runner’s Guide - San Diego

ii. Maps (show on display)

a. Tom Harrison: Recreation Map of the San Diego Backcountry

b. Print waterproof maps using NatGeo machine instore at REI

C. Websites

i. mapmyrun.com

ii. mountainbikebill.com

iii. gmaps and google earth mapping

iv. trails.com

D. Running Groups

i. SDRI Dirt Devils

ii. TCSD and SDTC

iii. MeetUp Groups: Gut Check Fitness and North County Running Meetup

iv. Team InknBurn

E. Events (Active.com)

i. mudruns, gladiator runs, spartan races

ii. Dirt Devils event series

iii. Xterra trail race series

iv. SoCal Ultra Series

I was so pumped up after my first clinic and felt super confident and relax going into the second clinic. This was definitely an excellent personal and professional development opportunity. Thanks again to all the folks who came out to clinics and thanks to those who couldn't make it but shared it with friends. Feel free to drop me a message any time if you have any questions!

~T

King of the Hill: Mt. Woodson Race Report

2011-02-04T07:50:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I raced the inaugural King of the Hill: Mt. Woodson trail running event. With 2000’ of climbing/descending and multiple physical challenge stations along the way, this new 7.2-mile race was killer!

This new San Diego trail race series is the brainchild of Active Expert and owner of "the hardest workout class in San Diego," Gut Check Fitness, Joe Decker and his wife, Nicole. I’ve known this dynamic-duo for a few years now and with Joe as the winner of the Death Race last year, having an ultra-endurance and strongman resume a mile long, on top of a Guinness world record for fitness, there was no doubt in my mind they would put together a fantastic event that will certainly become a local staple.

Joe, giving the pre-race briefing. Photo by Keshav Dahiya

The race expo area was set up in a pretty little park overlooking Lake Poway and Mt. Woodson with sponsors like Injinji, Muscle Milk, Ultima and a local Irish Pub. The scene was set to attack this little beast of an event:


Courtesy of www.gutcheckfitness.com

We were off and running from Lake Poway (1000’) at 8am tearing off down the trail. I lined up towards the front and watched a few people charge the downhill only to blow up right away on the first climb.

An all-out effort on Mt. Woodson Photo by Keshav Dahiya

We were only .75 miles into it rounding the lake when we hit challenge station #1: 10 burpees. Then the climbing began -- both elevation and heart rate! I was anaerobic immediately but implored a run/walk technique for this next section and started to pull away and solidify my 4th-place position.

Then ~1.5-miles in, we hit challenge station #2: 10 tuck-jumps and 10 pushups. From here on it got steep and I did my best to maintain a rhythm of walking and running that would prevent my heart from exploding but keep charging the climbs.

I got to the top of the major ridge and hit challenge station #3: 10 lunge jumps (or was it 20?.. it’s a blur) and hit the trail again for another steep climb section.

Between this challenge station and the top, the first, second and third placed runners passed by heading down the mountain. There were pretty big gaps between each of us, but I just keep trying to take it to the top.

Finally, at the summit, my GPS read 3.6 miles, 45 minutes of elapsed race time and I hit challenge station #4: 25 mountain climbers and then began my descent.

3rd place was pretty far ahead of me and nearly impossible to catch unless they cramped up bad or took a spill so I just decided to bomb the downhill and give it my best try to catch him. I was glad to be wearing my new Skins calf sleeves to help minimize muscle vibration because I did some serious work on the descent with splits of 7:34, 7:32, 7:04.

Done and done!

There were no challenge stations on the return leg, or so I thought, until the base of the final hill up to the finish line -- challenge station #5: 10 burpees. I crossed the finish line with my heart rate skyrocketing and humbled by how tough a 7.2-mile run can actually be. That was awesome!


‎"I ran until my muscles burned and my veins pumped battery acid. Then I ran some more."	Photo by Keshav Dahiya

The next event is on 3/26 -- King of the Hill: Iron Mountain and is definitely on my schedule, especially since I am on the series points standings for finishing 3rd in my age group. If you’re local, I hope you’ll join me out there as they have a 3, 6.4, and 9-mile event (+ challenges).

Great AG award!

And if you thought the day couldn’t get any better, I also had the opportunity to test and review some new gear in a race setting during this event. I ran in Skins calf and arm compression sleeves (seen in the above photos) and was very pleased with the fit and performance of both products. I went with a size medium calf sleeve so these are super-tight fitting but not too much so.. they’re the perfect amount of compression for me. I’ve had quite a few people ask me about the benefits of wearing compression during/after running and my top reasons are as follows:

1. Keep my legs warm when its cold out during early morning starts
2. Maintains circulation and prevents cramping
3. Reduce muscle vibration from impact that lessens micro-tearing of muscles
4. Prevents cuts and scrapes from flora and fauna on the trail
5. Helps speed recovery

So loads of good stuff already happening in 2011. I’m completely stoked on how strong the year has begun. Next week, I’m giving an Intro to Trail Running clinic at REI San Diego and again on 2/22 at the Encinitas store. Plus, I just confirmed a photo shoot with Performance Bikes in 2 weeks!

Yours in Adventure,
~T

Mt. Whitney: Take it to the Top

2011-01-22T11:08:00.000-08:00

After my late season peak running the Grand Canyon, I switched focus to functional strength and conditioning and maintained endurance while getting stronger through the holidays instead of totally blowing it and setting myself back like I have in recent years.

Well before the holidays began, Josh “Monsoon” Monson and I decided on a weekend in January to attempt a winter ascent of Mt. Whitney’s east face. I’ve been into the Whitney wilderness area 3 times before this trip. Twice were failed attempts to scale the Moutnaineer’s Route (MR) on Mt. Whitney in the winter. Josh had already been to the summit via multiple technical climbing routes in summer conditions. My other visit was my first big climb: Mount Russell, CA (14,086'), via the Fishhook Arête (5.9) in the fall of 2007.

Staying functionally fit over the holidays Rocky style

Mt. Whitney (14,505’) is the highest summit in the contiguous United States and we had to plan for the unmaintained Whitney Portal Rd. that was snowed in to 7000’, according to the ranger we called. The map showed that to be ~2 miles from the trailhead.

Thursday: We left San Diego Friday afternoon and with little traffic, arrived in Lone Pine around 10pm. We parked the car at snow-level which was actually 6,400’ and began the ~3-mile hike into the trailhead.

Friday: We got to the Mt. Whitney Portal parking lot at ~8,400’ via the snow-covered road wearing crampons just after 1am. Temps were comfortable. We set up camp right away and I was asleep by 3:45am. Josh got even less rest than me.

We were up at 8am, chatted with another team heading up the trail before us and then we were on the sun-covered trail by 9am.

We shouldered our 55lb packs and did work up to Lower Boyscout Lake where we made the calculated risk to ditch 22lbs worth of climbing gear in the woods. This decision voided our chances of climbing the East Face and made the MR our only potential summit option, assuming we didn’t need to rope up at any point.

Doing work

We pressed on with 45lb. packs and made it to basecamp (11,800ft.) at sunset.

Our own light show.. see the heart?

After dinner, we prepped for summit day. When melting snow into drinking water we discovered one of our isobutane-propane fuel canisters to be a dud and were left with the only option of asking our neighbors for spare fuel or we’d be forced to bail the next day due to having no water. Miraculously, they hooked us up with a near-full canister, single-handily saving our summit attempt. Problem solved and to sleep by 8pm.

Saturday: “Take it to the top”

We woke up at 7am stoked for summit day and left camp at 9am with day packs on, traversed the gully with crampons and mountain axe, gained the ridge to Iceberg lake and were at the base of the MR in 1hr45min (12,800).

I gave Alicia and my folks a call, posted a quick photo to Facebook and Twitter and then Josh and I started up the chute with temps dropping from 45 to 20 degrees.

The chute got steep quickly and our buddies who hooked us up with the fuel passed us on the way down.

They described the conditions that remained between us and the summit as quite nice and since they carried no axe or trekking poles we figured we made the right decision to ditch the rope the day before.

The abyss below if you screw up.. don't screw up.

My Garmin GPS battery died at 14,200ft and in the final 200ft to the top I got on the the gnarliest winter climbing I've ever done: easily a 60% slope and with axe and crampons, we used a trekking pole shortened without snow basket on as another axe to climb these 200ft of steps like a ladder.

Wind was howling up from below and into my face when looking down for every step and each kick sent a spray of snow up into my face, under my glasses into my eyes and in my hood. So intense!!!!

We reached the 14505-foot summit at 2:15pm and I had tears in my eyes I was so stoked! I got to call Alicia and my folks from the top too which was really special.

One of my favorite photos from the trip

The way down the 200ft snow face was scariest. Down climbing was the safest way to go but my neck cramped up and I became dizzy from the weird angle. Then I got a little sick to my stomach and missed a crucial refueling opportunity before descending the chute, which was freezing cold with blustery wind gusts.

Once we got down to Iceberg Lake, I was totally bonking and pretty much stumbled my way back to camp. Thankfully after Josh took my day pack and we lost elevation rapidly, I felt better by the time we got back to camp. We were both beat but after refueling on couscous with olive oil and some salmon, we were relaxed and were finally super stoked on our accomplishment.

Sunday: We slept in, casually broke down base camp and hiked all the way from 11,800ft down to 6,400ft. It was a tough descent, even with glissading every slope we could. My left foot was rubbed to a blister beyond repair on the outside of the big toe while the outside upper ankle on my left leg became bruised from my boots. Every step was painful for the 5 hours it took to get to the car but the feeling of crushing my dream was far more intense.

After dropping the 55lb pack for good and changing into fresh clothes, we cruised into Lone Pine to refuel and hit the road for San Diego. Mission Accomplished.

A big thank you to: Josh for being such a great climbing partner, Jarod and Andrew for saving our trip with the fuel canister, James for helping me dial-in my training plan I put together for over the holidays, the www.pullharder.org crew for all the alpine inspiration and info, Jake and Austin for loaning me a few crucial pieces of gear, SkinFit for the super-warm base layer, CLIF bar for the delicious nutrition and Camelbak for the winter hydration solution. I’d also like to thank Alicia and my family for supporting my efforts to stay fit over the holidays and helping me reach my goal. And thanks to you for joining me on my first big adventure of 2011!

Next up: I take on the new "King of the Hill" trail run event series, which combines summit running with various fitness tasks along the way. The first event, King of the Hill: Mt. Woodson, is on the last Saturday of this month so my fitness should carry over perfectly once my left foot feels better. I’ll be sure to post a race report from the event so stay tuned!

Take it to the Top in 2011!
~T

Thank You 2010

2011-01-05T08:13:00.000-08:00

I found a true sense of balance in my life this year and never before have I felt this complete or able to give my best in all facets. So I am grateful for the opportunities, lessons and memories that 2010 afforded and ready to begin 2011 with open arms and an open heart.

My Iliotibial Band injury in February may have been the best thing that happened to me in 2010, besides falling in love with Alicia :) The perspective I gained from the sidelines was paramount. It opened my eyes to the bigger picture and helped me focus on what is most important -- having fun!

I had an absolute blast racing mountain bikes, paddle boards, skydiving, ziplining, rock climbing, camping, traveling, progressing in my career, falling in love and creating lasting memories with family and friends. I wouldn’t of had it any other way!

I’m also really proud of the effort and patience I invested in rehabbing my injury which lead to crushing a big dream of mine -- an adventure run across the Grand Canyon in November. Please watch the video Alicia edited:

Thank you all for your continued support, motivation and inspiration. It's a 2-way street and I can't do it without you. So with the same spirit for adventure and sense of balance that was 2010, I’ve begun to set my goals and intentions for 2011. Stay tuned for more on that and in the meantime, I am going to make the very most of every minute. I hope you do the same.

Yours in Adventure,
~Toby

Grand Canyon R2R2R

2010-11-11T10:53:00.000-08:00

After one of the top 5 most challenging days I’ve ever had on the trail, I’m proud to report that my buddies and I successfully completed the elusive Grand Canyon rim-to-rim-to-rim run last weekend. It was no walk in the park, so read on to hear about the punishment and glory:

Planning for this adventure took weeks of collaboration for our group as a whole, so a special thanks goes out to everyone involved. For those who read our reports with plans to take on this challenge, please be sure to do your homework and eliminate as much risk as possible. For the rest of you, the Grand Canyon is an amazing destination you must experience in your lifetime. It can be thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated without running across it twice in a day. :)

Down: South Rim via Bright Angel to North Kaibab trail

Our group of 4 began the adventure via the Bright Angel trail (6860’) at 5 a.m. on Saturday. Descending the switchbacks under the guide of our headlamps, the trail was steep and the steps were unevenly spaced out, requiring an awkward half-step between each stride to time them right. Let the punishment begin!

We refreshed the water in our hydration packs at Indian Gardens campground (3800’) and continued on our way. As the sky began to illuminate, we gained a ridge that looked over the steep switchbacks we would tackle next, but a mule train was slowly making its way down. We lost a good 20-30 minutes waiting until it was safe to pass in the canyon below.

We hit the Colorado River (2400’) next, but wasted little time there knowing the mule train was not far behind. Running parallel with the river and across the suspension bridge to the north side was a definite highlight of the day.

Up: North Kaibab trail to North Rim

We refilled water at Phantom Ranch (mile 9.6) and set off on the North Kaibab trail with quivering quads from the last 2.5 hours of downhill running. The false flats on this next section slowly sucked the life out of my legs as we gradually gained elevation.

Then the trail really began to climb at the pumphouse (mile 17) before Roaring Spring, where we topped off our water. This was our last water source for the climb to the North Rim and the descent back to the pumphouse.

This is when the day started to get hard for me. As we continued to climb steadily, I felt more and more ill. Unfortunately, I was battling severe nausea while the scenery was at its most beautiful.

I tried to take pictures to keep my mind occupied as I slowly march up the never-ending switchbacks, but I just couldn’t help feeling terrible. The only term I could use to describe that moment was “brutiful.”

Our group split up as Dax and Jess attacked the switchbacks and my quads began to cramp. Mike hung back with me. It felt like forever and I was a mess by the time Dax and Jess were heading back down the trail. They looked in good spirits and Dax hooked me up with a ginger chew to help my nausea. That would be the last time we’d see them until the parking lot at the Bright Angel trail head hours later.

When I reached the North Rim I felt defeated. I was ready to puke at any second and both quads, hip flexors and feet were simultaneously cramping. The idea of having the second half of the day in front of me was almost too much for my mental state to process. I wanted to quit, especially when a backpacker, who had just finished his hike, offered me a ride back to the South Rim.

Being the true friend and teammate that he is, Mike was strong when I was weak. He helped me rationalize my thoughts and within minutes, we dropped back into the canyon together, ready for more punishment!

Down: North Rim via North Kaibab trail to Bright Angel trail

As soon as we started descending, my legs started to feel better and the elevation loss helped my stomach begin to feel better, too. I was stoked! We decided to turn up the intensity to try and get back some of the lost time. We cruised into the pumphouse (mile 29) feeling really good, refilled our water and set off again.

This time we were focused on getting to the canteen at Phantom Ranch, where we planned to buy drinks and food as a nice reward. Getting there was tough but runnable, and we did our best running the majority of it and adding in walk breaks where necessary. We enjoyed lemonade and a Snickers bar from Phantom Ranch, then filled our water and hit the trail again.

Up: Bright Angel trail to South Rim

After crossing the suspension bridge over the river again, we calculated we could make it to Indian Gardens by sunset. So we ran the flats along the river and in the bottom canyon section until I got hit by a random bout of nausea (probably the lemonade) and puked at mile 42. Luckily, as soon as I vomited I felt like a million bucks, so we hit the steep switchback single track climb to Indian Gardens racing the sunset.

Mike randomly got cell phone reception at Indian Gardens and called his wife, who was waiting for us at the top, to update her on our progress and book our dinner reservations. So with headlamps on, we set off on the final climb to glory!

Switchback by switchback, rest house to rest house, we slowly pushed through the final 4.8 miles and gained over 3000’ to the Bright Angel trail head parking lot, where Dax and Jess emerged from the warmth of their rental car to greet us. The 4 of us shed our packs at the car and entered the lodge for dinner to celebrate our accomplishment. What a day!

Garmin data: 50.3 miles in 15 hours, 17 minutes with ~11,000’ gain (lost satellite twice so these numbers are estimates).

Those who have been following my career know that I completely stopped running for 3 months after an injury in February. It’s been 15 months since the last time I had to dig this deep to accomplish a goal. So while the effects and affects of this effort are still being realized, I can’t help but smile knowing I left it all out there and finished off my 2010 season on the right note.

Thanks for joining me on another adventure!

Special thanks to SkinFit, Camelbak and Clif.

Here are trip reports from Dax and Jess

Running the Grand Canyon

2010-10-13T16:43:00.000-07:00

After recently booking my holiday travel, I've decided not to run the Coastal Challenge in January. It just wasn't the right fit, so I've decided to ramp up for the Grand Cayon Rim to Rim to Rim run in November. Check out the miles and mountains I've been running to prepare:

The Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim run is a ~46-mile double crossing of the Grand Canyon from the South Rim in Arizona to the North Rim in Colorado and back, in 12-15 hours. I'll be running with Dr. Mike Campian from Team INKnBURN, who has had a stellar year in the SoCal Ultra Series and Dax who is killing it right now, so I've focused my training on growing my long run and simulating the conditions we'll see during the run.

Thanks to Ryan's suggestion, my buddy Wheeler and I ran up and down San Jacinto Peak, the second highest peak in SoCal. This really helped put into perspective the elevation changes we'll see in the Grand Canyon (11,000' gain, 11,000' loss).

2 weeks ago, my brother dropped in for a visit and we hit the trails in Cuyamaca State Park. We ran a section of the 2008 SD100 course. I took him on the nicest portion of the old course that he didn't pace me on back then. He was loving every minute of it and left me in the dust!

My bro is training for a trail marathon the weekend I'm running the Grand Canyon. So we cruised through 20 miles at elevation with solid climbs. I was able to log 40 miles in 3 days that weekend.

Last weekend, Alicia and I were back at Lake Mead and this time our friends from my home town flew out to join us. They are also running the trail marathon with my brother so we hit the trails in and around Bootleg Canyon.

This week begins my peak training week and I couldn't be more ready to throw down and make it happen. I'll catch you on the other side with recap and more info on the Grand Canyon run.

Peace!

So it begins.

2010-09-09T08:20:00.000-07:00

I have embarked upon the journey of preparing my body and mind for the seventh edition of The Coastal Challenge, a six-day 225-kilometer stage race in February 2011 through the remote jungle and beaches of Costa Rica.

Imagine running an off-road marathon every day for six days in a row, with heat, humidity, water, mud, sand and bugs...

Not your idea of fun? Well the good news is that the company that puts on the event, TCC Adventures, just announced new options for you to get involved that require less running, a lower entry fee and way more fun!

The new TCC Relay and the new Coastal Range Hill Race are both excellent additions to this already incredible event. Take a hard look at the logistics and contact your running buddy because now’s your chance to do this! Learn more here.

Since I'm running the Solo Expedition Run it's going to take me months to prepare but the idea of becoming stronger than ever before while pursuing such an exciting goal makes it worthwhile. With the first few weeks of my first build cycle are already in the books, I've realized that training for a stage race is different than training for a 100-mile run. Nonetheless, I'm off to a solid start, averaging 9 workouts per week; 5 of which are running and the other 4 are cross training. I'm absorbing the fitness accordingly and I'm very excited to get my endurance back.

I'm very fortunate to have RunJunk.com supporting me again this season. They have recently launched an elite performance supplement line called Elemental Performance and it's helping me jump right back into heavy training. You should definitely check it out and try a free sample too.

And thank you for your continued support and for all the new readers that are now on board for the ride!

Yours in adventure,
~Toby

Ps. In case you are curious, all the photos in this post (besides the TCC Adventures image) are from my Labor Day Weekend getaway to Lake Mead, NV with my beautiful girlfriend and her family! Check out the full album.

Bucket List: The Coastal Challenge Rain Forest Expedition Run

2010-08-17T06:45:00.000-07:00

If you haven’t already noticed, I like to cross things off my “bucket list” around here. And while I realize that many of you have no interest in actually running ridiculous miles in extreme conditions, I also understand that’s not exactly why you stop by to read my blog.

Skydiving on Alicia’s birthday

You’re here for the stories and photos that connect you with the passion, adventure and struggle and remind you of your own journey and your own dreams. Thus my purpose remains to share, inspire and elevate you towards progress and more powerful life experiences.

Created with Toby's Portfolio on flickr.

Over the next 5 months I’m going to be pursuing a big goal and I’d like you to join me. I’m officially registered for The Coastal Challenge Rainforest Expedition Run in February 2011. This event, or should I say “experience,” has been occupying the focus of my dreams for more than 2 years now.

I can’t take it anymore. I simply must do this...

This is a 6-day stage race of ~140 miles through the jungle and beaches of coastal Costa Rica. Of course this is the hardest event that The Coastal Experiences (TCE) has to offer but they also have a more user friendly version called the Jungle River Run in October if you’re interested in this type of getaway race.

They are currently offering a summer promotional discount for any TCE event, through August 31st, for $300 off any of their events: http://www.tccadventures.com/

“Joining me” counts as any of the following: subscribing to my blog, commenting, sharing with friends, training with me in real life or virtually training together. So stay tuned for more epicness.

Yours in adventure,
~Toby

King Monkey Stage Race Report

2010-08-06T15:23:00.000-07:00

The Surf Monkey Race was super fun! I had a blast and it felt really good to unleash the beast for some multisport fun. Check out my race report:

All the gear it takes for running, swimming and paddling

Special thanks to my sponsor, EXSTA Real Energy, for the opportunity to compete. Please become their fan on Facebook for updates!

Video by AliVega Productions

The video pretty much sums up the race, but I'll provide a few more details here:

Run: My splits were 5:47, 6:34 and 6:04 for a total time of 18:38, which is only 18 seconds away from my PR. Not bad for this early on in my "comeback" and being ~10lbs heavier. Stoked to be running again!

Swim: I swam sans wetsuit and it was kind of cold, but after 5 minutes it didn't matter. I felt sore in my lats from the ActiveX workout on Wednesday (Reps: 20/15/10 - medicine ball squat jumps (24lb), kettlebell swings, V-ups, pushups, pullups) but managed to go 6th in my age group with a 35-minute swim.

Stand up paddle boarding (SUP): While transitioning from swim to SUP, the final stage of the race started without me. I was playing catch up from the start and to make matters worse, I got totally slammed by 3 waves on my paddle out and lost a bunch of time and energy just getting out past the break. Plus, I had never paddled in the open ocean so I kept falling off at the beginning. I went from being so frustrated to laughing at myself so it was all good. I was simply out there to enjoy the day. I found my rhythm on the open water and paddled my way to and from the buoys and back to shore.

King Monkey Stage Race: 3rd in my division and went home with a new pint glass!

Thanks to SkinFit for such a comfortable and high-performance race kit.

Thanks to ActiveX for keeping me physically prepared for any feat.

Thanks to RunJunk.com for keeping me firing on all cylinders with the Elemental Performance stack.

Thanks to Team Compex for helping speed up my recovery time so I can get back at it.

Thanks to you for showing your support by stopping by and reading my race report :)

Monkey Business

2010-07-26T07:15:00.000-07:00

I can feel the endorphins flowing through my body once again now that I’m back to running! I’ve got the itch to race so what better opportunity than The Surf Monkey in Oceanside this Saturday!

The Surf Monkey is a collection of three events: running, swimming and stand up paddle boarding. I’m racing on behalf of my sponsor, EXSTA Real Energy, and will be taking on the “King Monkey Stage Race,” which is a combination of all 3 events.

Surf Monkey 2009 from Molokai2Oahu on Vimeo.

7:00am - 5km Road Run Presented by Newton Running
8:00am - 1 mile rough water open swim Presented by XTERRA Wetsuits
9:00am – 6 mile paddleboard/SUP race

I really like the layout of the race. It’s obviously different than a triathlon because you don’t do all 3 events continuously so there is a break between each. That will be good for recovery and will help for the next event although it would be pretty cool to bust out all 3 in a row without a break until the end.

I'll see you back here after the race. Make it a great week!

Chapter 27

2010-07-25T11:49:00.000-07:00

The first adventure of my 27th year began with rock climbing a historically significant route in Idyllwild, CA with a few of my close friends on my birthday.

When Royal Robbins first climbed Open Book in 1952, it was the hardest free climb in the country and the first 5.9. When I first asked Austin to lead me up the climb as my birthday present, his face lit up and he agreed enthusiastically. In fact, when I asked any of my climbing friends about the route, they all had the most positive things to say. A few even said it was the “perfect” climb.

The climb was nothing short of exhilarating. 490 feet of granite glory. Austin led all 3 pitches and I followed him up each pitch, removing the carefully placed camming devices and returning them to him when I reached him atop each pitch as we advanced towards the top. I was fully engaged. The zone that you are in when only attached by a thin rope and the tops of the tress are hundreds of feet below is hard to describe to those who have never stood on the edge.

When we topped out on Lily Rock and Nick, Gabby and Alicia were there to meet us with lunch; I was mentally and physically exhausted, pumped out, bloody and grateful to be alive.

As we sat on the summit looking out over the valley below, I felt ready for another year to explore the truth and beauty of life. Thank you all for joining me as we turn the page and begin the next chapter!

Yours in adventure,
~Toby

Back East. Back West. Back Running!

2010-07-08T22:07:00.000-07:00

Stoked to be back from a great trip back east to visit my family and now I'm back running too!

A photo from the CT River

I finally graduated from physical therapy for my Iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS) and have been running every other day for the last 3.5 weeks without any lingering issues thanks to a great physical therapist who helped me strengthen and balance key areas of my hips and glutes. I also switched to new running shoes that are better for my gait. It takes a lot of focus and attention to rehab ITBS and it can sneak up on any of us. I’ve recently seen both Tawnee (try the exercises she lists) and Ryan dealing with it too!

Soon I’ll be back doing this:

From the SkinFit website this month. Thanks Trevor!

For now, I'm just enjoying the official start of summer:

Mission Bay Bonfire

Rooftop BBQ before a Padres game with coworkers!

MTB ride with Austin and Robb in PQ canyon

Mile swim set in the sun B-)

MTB ride in recently burned Sycamore Canyon with Austin

I just returned from visiting my family on the east coast for the 4th of July weekend and had a blast! Between time with family, the grill, boat, brewing our own beer, enjoying fine craft brews and playing bocce, my brother and I fit in two solid runs. The first was a 5-mile road run through our hometown at an 8:10 pace. The next was an 8-mile trail run in 96 degree heat and humidity that took us nearly 1:30 to finish. Damn that was hot! I also enjoyed paddle down the Connecticut River via kayak. Check out the route.

And now I’m leaving for Idyllwild to celebrate my 27th birthday with my friends and climb a classic called Open Book!

Bay 2 Bay 2 BBQ

2010-06-16T11:30:00.000-07:00

This weekend I participated in my first-ever stand up paddle board race. It was a great event and a killer workout!

The YMCA Bay 2 Bay Regatta 5-mile SUP event started at 9 a.m. Saturday on Shelter Island and finished at Tidelands Park on Coronado Island.

This was my third time on a SUP and I gave it my "all" for an hour and 20 minutes until I crossed the finish line. I rented a Laird 12'1" from Aqua Adventures. Next time I'll use a shorter board because I got smoked by most of the folks on 10-foot boards.

Special thanks to my sponsors: EXSTA, RunJunk.com, SkinFit USA and Team Compex. I am grateful for your support!

A bunch of my friends did the race as well, in the tandem kayak category. So after the event, we all gathered back at my place for a "nautical-themed BBQ" and I unleashed the famous Beer Brats which were a big hit. Be sure to bookmark the recipe and give it a go this summer -- you'll be the hit of the party, guaranteed.

On Sunday, a couple of buddies and I dropped into Penasquitos Canyon for a 12-mile loop on our mountain bikes and then we hit the beach for sun, bocce and Frisbee. Unfortunately I messed up my toe pretty badly while running down a Frisbee on the beach. So again, my "comeback" is plagued by another setback...

I'm nearing the end of my physical therapy sessions and have one solid 25-minute run without pain in the books using a new shoe. I'm excited to build my base back--slowly and steadily--but at this rate it's going to take serious patience to get there.

My next big adventure is an East Coast trip for the July 4th weekend, but until then, stay tuned for more fun times, photos and local adventures! Thanks for joining. :)

Memorial Day Weekend

2010-06-02T10:40:00.000-07:00

Happy Memorial Day weekend and unofficial start to summer! I hope your weekend was full of good times with friends and family, time outdoors, eating good food and drinking good beer. If not, you still have a few weeks to "officially" get your act together ;)

On Thursday night, I made the trek to Boulder City, NV with Alicia and her parents. On Friday, we got breakfast in town and drove to the top of Bootleg Canyon to see all the MTB trails and do recon for our adventure the next day. Then we geared up at REI Henderson, picked up a grill a Dick's Sporting Goods and stocked up on groceries for the weekend.

Check out the big horned sheep in the foreground!

On Saturday, we started our day at BC Flight Lines for an adrenaline-filled morning!

The flight line started atop the canyon at ~3,900 and consisted of four separate lines that made their way down to the base of the mountain.

Check out this video!

What a unique and super-fun experience! If you aren't scared of stuff like this, def book a tour and do it. You will not regret it, seriously.

Later that day we watched an old school Hoover Dam video and then drove over to the Hoover Dam to check it out. What an incredible site! I was so glad I watched the full movie to learn about all that was involved in our country at the time it was built and how we continue to benefit from it today (especially in San Diego).

On Sunday, Alicia's dad took us out to Lake Mead on his boat -- my first time back to the lake since the Silverman 140.6 in 2008.

We cruised over to the Hoover Dam and got to see it from water level, then explored the narrows and found some quiet side canyons and beaches to enjoy. What a great day! It was 98-degree air and mid-60's in the water. :)

We also discovered Boulder Dam Brewery in town which was fun for a quick growler fill but is definitely in need of a lot more hops in their IPA.. just sayin!

On Monday, we stopped by the veteran's memorial to pay tribute before the drive back.

We got back to San Diego early enough to host Tim and Elizabeth for dinner. Tim, if you don't already know, is one of my best friends from high school, who I lived with in SD for 2 years, and now lives in Maui. He is moving back in August, to relocate with Elizabeth to Colorado. I'm so stoked for them! Check out Tim's photos.

So with this post I think my break from blogging could in fact be over… so stay tuned because next weekend is looking fun already!

B-)

Whiskey Off-Road 25-Proof Trip Report

2010-04-28T22:57:00.000-07:00

My first mountain bike race out of retirement was quite the challenge. In the days leading up to the trip, I suffered through a major bout with food poisoning and lost 7 pounds. The trip was fun but I struggled with heavy cramping in my legs during the race. Here's my trip and race report...

My buddy James and I headed out to Scottsdale, AZ on Thursday afternoon and stayed with James' friend, Tom. That night, after the first meal I was able to stomach in over 36 hours, I had a great night's sleep and was feeling good enough for ride in the morning.

We hit up McDowell Mountain Park and rode about 12 miles of super-fun single track. It felt good to stretch the legs after being sick and missing a few of my last workouts.

Then we packed up and headed north to Prescott, AZ to get checked in for our race.

Goregous views on the drive from Scottsdale to Prescott.

After checking in to the race, we met Ryan and Sarah at the rental cottage.

We grilled a bunch of good food and then prepped our gear for the race and turned in early.

Race-day, James and Ryan headed out early for the 50-mile race. I got my final things dialed and headed over to the start of my race.

The race started on the road which helped the field get spread out and let the faster riders pull ahead. After being sick in the days prior, I knew I was in for an adventure more than a race at this point so I just sat in and lead it out comfortably.

Once we hit the single track climb, I began to get my legs, but the elevation definitely was evident. The town itself was at 5,200' so we were up there. We topped out eventually and hit a gnarly descent that seemed to last forever. I checked then mileage and we were at about 12.5 miles when we hit the bottom.

That's when my legs began to cramp. I started with a slight twinge in my hamstring and as I took on the 6-mile climb that topped out at nearly 7,000', my legs just kept getting worse. My hamstrings and quads just kept locking up in spasms. It was an uncomfortable feeling that I've experienced before with some of my early ultra running endeavors. I knew my body was off from being sick, but didn't realize how out-of-balance my system really was until this point.

A view from the top

I held on and finally crest the final big climb and began the long single track descent back into town, while fighting off the muscle spasms and stopping to stretch out whenever the cramps locked up my legs.

It felt like it took forever, which it did, (the 25-mile race was actually 29.8 miles), but I managed to get back to town and finished in 4.5hrs.

I rode back to the cottage to find James chilling after he and Ryan (definitely read their reports) crushed the 50-mile course. They both had great races.

Then we cracked some brews and hit Whiskey Row to check out the scene. If you go anywhere in Prescott, make sure you go to the Raven Cafe. Hands-down, the best spot in town. Check out their roof-top deck too. That place was rad. High-quality healthy food and an impressive beer selection.

A bunch of food and brews later, it was an early night to sleep and the next day we packed up and headed out for one last mtb ride before the 400-mile drive back to San Diego. We hit up the trails at Granite Basin and got in a nice spin. Then made one more stop at the Raven for breakfast.

All in all, the race itself could have gone better if I wasn't still recovering from being sick, but I definetely made the most it and enjoyed a solid trip with great company, three days of riding and really good beers. Cheers!

Cuyamaca Campout

2010-04-21T17:00:00.000-07:00

A few weekends back, I booked a campsite via Reserve America (part of the Active Network) in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park to be used as a basecamp for both Friday and Saturday nights. After growler fills at the Alpine Brewery on Friday evening, I started my weekend of camping, mountain biking and good times with my friends.

Alicia cooked up some delicious backcountry Gnocchi at our camp in Paso Picachu campgound for dinner on Friday night.

Then first thing Saturday, Alicia and her pro photographer friend, Chip Allen, and I were up at 5 a.m. and had coffee in-hand by 5:20 a.m. on our drive to catch sunrise. We got to the Sunrise Highway and hiked out to the Pacific Crest Trail via Penny Pines to take photos just as the sun crested the eastern horizon at 6:15 a.m. and warm sunlight flooded the Anza Borrego Desert valley directly below us.

Chip killed it with his legit camera while I snapped a bunch of photos with my iPhone. I was pleased with the following:

On the drive back to camp, we crossed ways with Ryan Denner on his first of many climbs during the Mt. Laguna Classic. We drove along side him and had a quick chat before he took off to continue his long day on the bike. It was great to see him out there enjoying the peaceful morning and preparing for Ironman St. George.

After breakfast at the restaurant on Lake Cuyamaca (which was quite decent), I geared up at camp and embarked upon a solo epic mountain bike ride. I had all the gear I needed in my pack for a full day on the bike, and Alicia and Chip headed back to the city when I hit the trail.

I was riding for 4 hours and 45 minutes and covered a huge loop in the park. I know the park well from all the miles that went into running the San Diego 100-Mile Endurance Run in 2008, but there still remains many many miles of trail that I've yet to touch. So I got on some new stuff and connected with some familiar sections. It was tough. The park is rocky and it felt like I was climbing for the majority of the day. It was the ride I needed to get ready for the Whiskey 25-Proof MTB race in Prescott, AZ the next weekend.

Back at camp, I took a shower (50 cents for 4 minutes) and cracked into my first brew of the day just as the Dirt Devils arrived. These guys are great. I've had the pleasure of running quite a few miles with them. They were out in Cuyamaca to hit the trails and train for a couple of upcoming socal ultra series races. They had just finished 32 miles of running and stopped by my camp to take a break for lunch before their evening run. After they headed out, my good friend Albert and the members of the internationally know Valley of the Khans Project joined us. They had a field exercise to perform and needed to simulate it on terrain like what they'll see this summer when they return to Mongolia for the next phase of their expedition.

Around the same time, 3 carloads of my colleagues from Active.com arrived. I think all-in-all, I got to see 20 of my friends in Cuyamaca State Park that weekend!

Sunday morning I hit a quick climb straight up Cuyamaca Peak, called my mom from the summit and then headed back to camp to pack up and drive back to SD and meet up with Alicia for a roof-top party at my old housemate Jordan's new place downtown. A well-balanced weekend for sure!

See the yellow meadow in the upper right corner? That's the meadow in the photo above!

Here's my Flickr album from the Cuyamaca Campout.

More blogs are on the way. Thanks for staying tuned while I catch up with a few older posts :)

Idyllwild Style

2010-04-14T19:27:00.000-07:00

Since moving to San Diego in 2005, I've heard only good things about the little mountain town of Idyllwild, CA. Finally my travels lead me to the mountain retreat this month.

My friends and I rented an A-Frame for the weekend and had a blast.

In Idyllwild, we found quality coffee at Cafe Aroma, a hearty burrito and refreshing micheladas from La Casita and gourmet pizza from Idyllwild Pizza Co. The other meals we cooked at the A-Frame, which came equipped with a full kitchen. The rates were very affordable and the accommodations couldn't have been more convenient and comfortable. I definitely recommend staying at Fern Village if you don't end up camping out.

Bocce amongst the pines! Watch out for the water hazard :)

The mountain bike ride on Saturday was solid. I started by climbing the Ernie Maxwell trail and then randomly met four guys at the top who were starting to ride down and they invited me to join them. I followed them down Ernie Maxwell up a crazy-steep climb to South Ridge Road, where we bombed a single track descent off the back down towards Hurkey Creek.

That's where we parted ways and I headed back to town via a long climb up May Valley Fire Road. Killer ride!

So the next day I did the climb and descent again, solo :) After that, my friends and I headed out on a 2.5 hour hike from Humber Park up until the snow turned us back.

Jesse and Emmy on "snack rock"

Only 110 miles from San Diego, Idyllwild has a bunch of shops in town, trails, rock climbing and fresh air to offer. If you're in need of a retreat, treat yourself to "Ideal Wild."

Shifting Gears

2010-04-05T15:17:00.000-07:00

March was such a crazy month! There’s lots to recap so I’ll keep it short and sweet. Hopefully things chill out a bit in April.

Hiking up Stonewall Peak, Cuyamaca State Park

First and foremost, watch this video I put together (with help) from our Joshua Tree NP camp/climb trip. It features music by The Northstar Session:

Not bad, right? Such a great track! Check out more music from The Northstar Session.

Two weeks ago, I hosted my best friend, John, and his wife, Patty, for their visit to San Diego. I took a couple days off work to show them all around the county--from Stone Brewery in Escondido to Cuyamaca State Park in Descanso. We had a blast!

Lunch at Stone World Bistro

The open-air patio is amazing.

On the way up Stonewall Peak

View from Sunrise Highway

On Saturday, the Ironman 70.3 was held Oceanside so I drove up to watch my friends who trained hard through the offseason to throw down in this official season opener. I was so stoked for everyone out there giving it the best they could. There are too many names to list here, but definitely check out Beth’s and Tawnee’s race reports.

James with his Kona-qualifying wife, Beth

After the race, I drove straight home and got primped and ready for Albert and Kara’s wedding. They had a perfect sunny day to get married here in San Diego. Albert is a great friend and a huge source of inspiration for me. He was voted National Geographic Adventure Magazine’s Adventurer of the Year for his expedition in Mongolia to search for the lost tomb of Genghis Khan. Albert’s spirit for adventure and love for his friends runs deep. I’m so stoked for “Kalbert” and their son who is due in August!

Albert and the groomsmen

Jake, officiating the ceremony

Me and Alicia :)

Such a fun wedding!

Congratulations to the love birds!

On the training tip, I absolutely love riding my new mountain bike (MTB). After getting a tune-up, new rear cassette and a pair of MTB shoes from Gordon at B&L; I’ve been riding a bunch lately. I’m feeling stronger with bike handling, (minus the crash into a stream that led to the drowning death of my iPhone a week ago) and excited I’ve been able to channel my energy as I haven’t been able to run in a month.

Bling!

Exploring via MTB

My plan heading into 2010 was to announce my main event for the year as a 135-mile run and fundraiser on the Pacific Crest Trail from the US/Mexico border through all of San Diego County to the Riverside County border. I was going to officially begin training this week, but it’s not going to happen...

I’ve got a brutal case of iliotibial band syndrome, and it’s gotten progressively worse since it first showed itself in February. I thought that with a bit of rest, things would clear up as they’ve always have, and it would be back to normal with long training runs. That couldn’t be further from the truth of where I’m at now -- I can barely run for 20 minutes. So for now, I’ll be gradually rehabbing this injury and spending my training hours exploring San Diego via my new ride.

A little too excited to ride

Injuries are part of the adventure when pushing the limits the way we do. It's up to us how we react to adversity and I've chosen not to let this prevent me from enjoying my journey.

I’ll catch you next week!

Spring Ahead

2010-03-17T17:35:00.001-07:00

Here are some highlights from March thus far. Happy St. Patty's Day!

Sunset on Monday in Encinitas

Gran Fondo San Diego was a wet and wild with chilly temps and lots of rain. I rode with a crew of seven from Active.com. Altogether, we experienced eight flat tires. It was a disappointing day as we had high hopes of enjoying the beautiful course, but all we could do was laugh at how things played out. Here's a little video I put together that illustrates the conditions:

As you know from my blog posts over the past month, I recently relocated to a new neighborhood in San Diego. From this location, I have trail access to Penasquitos Canyon which connects to my office. I'm really excited because this enables me to incorporate trail running and mountain biking (MTB) commutes into my training schedule, as well as road bike and run-commuting. Last week, I commuted via MTB and had a blast!

Last week, the IHRSA Trade Show came to the San Diego Convention Center and I was hired by TRX Suspension Training to be apart of their "Street Team.”. This basically meant getting paid to work out with the TRX in the sunny, 70-degree weather for a couple of hours -- not bad!

I got a pass to cruise around the convention after my shift was up and saw some pretty cool stuff, including the FreeMotion Everest Challenge, a treadmill competition where teams of five race to reach 29,029 feet in elevation gain first for a $10,000 prize.

I spoke with one of the contestants from the team that was in the lead. She said they ended up running about six miles each, but it was broken up into 32. intervals that added up just over an hour of running each and averaging 100 ft. of gain per minute (varying person to person since some were running on a steeper grade). Each team member from the winning team took home $2,000!

Immediately following the convention, I hit the road with friends and made it to Joshua Tree National Park for our bi-annual group camping and climbing trip just as the sun set. The weekend was a blast, as usual, with perfect weather all day Saturday. My friends and I scrambled, bouldered and got on a few top ropes, too. On Sunday, we hiked the highest peak in the park, Ryan Mountain, before heading back to San Diego. We're going to make a video from the trip so stay tuned!

Snow-capped Mount San Jacinto (left) and San Gorgonio (right) from Ryan Mountain Summit

This week, it’s training as usual minus the running. My knee started to act up on the hike. But when I say knee, I actually mean where the IT band connects to the knee. The knee issue is a result of my IT band being too tight. I have scheduled a couple massage and PT sessions to take rehab more seriously, but cross-training is going great. I hit 12.5 hours of training last week!

I'm excited to host my best friend, John, and his wife, Patty, for their visit to San Diego beginning this weekend. We've got some fun activities planned and I'll be taking a few days off of work to show them around. Glad the sun is out!

Happy St. Patty’s Day -- Be safe and enjoy!

March Madness

2010-03-04T14:05:00.000-08:00

The Gran Fondo is this weekend and I’m super excited to ride over the Coronado Bridge! Unfortunately, rain is in the forecast, but with nearly 3,000 cyclists and water bottles full of Prosecco wine (kidding, sort of) it should be a good time regardless.

A pic from Sunday's trail run on the PCT (see below)

It was raining cats and dogs on Saturday (very pleased with my decision to tackle my move early in the week) and Airey had food poisoning so we bagged the bike ride and I spent the day unpacking and organizing at my new house. I was able to get most of the garage done (priorities) and some of my room. No photos yet. I’m now officially out of the old and into the new place. So the next chapter begins!

A view from my new commute

Sunday turned into a beautiful day and I ran another section of the PCT with Paul, Mike and Steve. We got dropped off at Scissors Crossing on highway 78 by Andrea and Beth and ran up and over the San Felipe hills to Barrel Springs. This was a 23-mile section where the first 18 miles was all climbing, but very runnable, and the last 5 miles were downhill to the cars.

When my ITB locked up at mile 13, it pulled my knee out of alignment. We were in the middle of nowhere with literally no option to bail (check the map) so I had no choice but to continue for another 10 miles. My knee took quite a beating so I’m going to chill out with the long run miles until that clears up. Despite the discomfort, the views were amazing and reminded me of why I love what I do:

This week, two companies I recently modeled for published photos from the shoots!

http://www.underarmour.com/shop/us/en/mens

My jump from the photo shoot totally made the homepage!

And the front of the catalog!

Too bad my head got cut off… oh well :)

In other endurance news, I got word from my climbing partner, Kam, that our permits for Mount Williamson and Mount Tyndall were processed and accepted so we’ve got two new California 14er’s on the event calendar for late May!

There's so much on my plate this month so you'll have to stay tuned for the updates. Thanks for reading!
~T

Moving and Moving

2010-02-24T09:07:00.000-08:00

Training continues to progress, and I’m finishing up my move this week while trying not to miss a beat.

The highlight of this blog post is definitely Sunday’s run, when I took on the first stage of the PCT -- 20 miles from the US/Mexico border to Lake Morena with my friends, Paul and Mike.

We checked in at the border patrol station in Campo, CA so the authorities knew we were out there and then got dropped off at the monument at the trail’s southern most terminus by Carrie and Andrea. It was raining the whole time. The first 1100’ climb was runnable but the last one was brutal and we were forced to walk as the fog rolled in and the sun set. We finished off the last hour in the dark with our headlamps and were stoked to meet Carrie and Andrea at the car to get warm and dry for the ride back to SD.

These pics and vids are from my new camera!

I hit 40 miles of running last week which was a big jump up, and it might have been a little too much too soon because my knee is swollen. I just can’t help it because I enjoy trail running so much it’s hard for me to pass up the opportunities to run new trails with cool people. Check out this funny video Dr. Runco from SDRI shot before our run on Tuesday about the benefits of “bearfoot running”:

The Grand Fondo San Diego is now three weeks away and I’ve finally got my bike fit dialed enough to get off the trainer and hit the road this weekend with a long ride. Plus I lent my stationary trainer to my buddy Nick (from my Thanksgiving road trip) who dislocated his elbow snowboarding at Mammoth last weekend trying to be like Shaun White. Now all he can do is ride indoors for a while and he’s going to miss Grand Fondo too.

New grip tape courtesy of Airey

If you’ve been following my blog or Twitter updates, then you’ve probably read about ActiveX, our corporate strength and conditioning workouts at the Active Network. If you’ve ever wondered how to get involved with the type of workouts we do and you live in the San Diego area, then look no further! Rehab United offers an amazing functional strength and conditioning workout on Mondays and Thursdays that you’ve got to try! They really know their stuff and the classes never disappoint. It’s important to incorporate strength and conditioning sessions in addition to your swim, bike and runs so let me know if you want to try it out or meet me there for a workout.

Back in the day I used to be way into mountain biking -- check out these results from 1998 :) and after a hiatus of more than a decade, I registered for a mountain bike race! My buddy, James, told me about the Whiskey Off Road 50-Mile ride in Prescott, AZ on 4/23. We’re going to head out there with a few others, rent a cabin and have some fun taking on the 7,100’ of climbing. Check out the course.

In other news, I read the book Viral Loop by Adam L. Peneberg in three days and my brain is about to explode! There were lots of really interesting stories about small ideas that went viral and totally took off – some are still on top and others that failed or were bought out. He told the story of Tupperware and compared it to the success of Hotmail and how current sites like Facebook, Twitter and Ning fit the similar viral design. After finishing both this book and reading Chris Anderson’s “Free” last month, I have a much better understanding of the history of the internet in general as well as how the sites we so commonly use today were created. If you’re into social media, technology or marketing, I definitely recommend both of these reads. I’m looking for the next book to read, so send any suggestions my way!

Catch you next week if I survive all the training and moving :) Have a great week!

San Diego Snow Run

2010-02-11T14:56:00.000-08:00

After a great weekend and a solid week of training in the books, I feel like things are back on track.

A winter wonderland in the mountains of San Diego

On Friday night, my friend’s band, The Northstar Session, performed here in San Diego. The venue was small and the sound was great. I really liked their new songs and I’m stoked they are cool with me using their music in some of the videos I’ll be making this year! Check them out on their site or on Pandora.

I enjoyed quite a few tasty brews that night which made for a challenging indoor trainer session on Saturday. Tatiana came over and we watched Pulp Fiction while riding. (If you ever need a 2.5-hour movie to watch while doing an indoor workout, Pulp Fiction is exactly 2.5 hours.) It was a solid spin and I discovered some adjustments I need to make to my bike fit as I continue to transition from tri to road setup for Grand Fondo San Diego next month.

On Sunday I woke up at 4:45 a.m. and Paul picked me up at 5:30 a.m. to head to east county and meet Stephen and Carl for a run. It started raining pretty hard during our drive. We parked next to Boulder Oaks campground on Old Highway 80 where the Pacific Crest Trail crosses the road. The rain let up a bit right at the start and we set off on the PCT heading north. The trail climbs steadily all the way up to Mount Laguna and we ran a 12-minute mile pace average (auto-stop was turned off) as we climbed. The rain started coming down and when we got higher in elevation (4000’), the rain turned to snow!!!

The snow was beautiful and the trail conditions were really good for running. The plan was to turn around when we hit 7 miles but we could have easily kept on running because we were having so much fun. The way down was fast and it felt good to open up the stride. We dropped our overall pace for the day to a 10:58 average. For the first run of the year that I’ve hit double-digit mileage, I can tell the strength and conditioning work I’ve been focusing on is going to pay major dividends this season when I begin to increase my miles.

I’m really looking forward to my new waterproof camera that is scheduled to arrive late next week because I used my iPhone on our run and got it soaking wet. There’s a new SD card-reader for the iPhone coming out in April and I just signed up for an account with Animoto so I’m pretty excited about being more mobile with my photos, video and slideshows.

Besides all that, not much more to report other than getting organized and packing for my move that starts next week!

~T

Moving Forward

2010-02-05T14:02:00.000-08:00

It’s been a huge week with lots of events, updates and news. Check it out!

A pic from the trail at Lake Hodges in Escondido, CA

My friend, Natalie Spilger, is an amazing athlete and founder of GreenLaces, a non-profit that asks athletes to make promises to the planet and show their commitment by wearing green laces in their sporting shoes. Check out her video:

Last week I fulfilled my promise (#134) and recycled my old running shoes at Road Runner Sports. They use old shoes and turn them into the material used for playground surfaces. Please make your promise to the planet, support GreenLaces and our environment.

On Thursday I was out east in the Lake Morena area for a Performance Bicycles mountain bike photo shoot. I got to model some apparel and a 29er while riding singletrack trails. They shot photos of me and a two other athletes spraying through puddles, bombing around turns and launching off jumps. I hope they send me some proofs to share because the couple shots they showed me came out great.

After the shoot, I stopped by the Alpine Beer Company and picked up a growler of their Duet IPA -- a tasty reward for a “challenging” afternoon of getting paid to play ;)

Then I headed straight to the Triathlon Club of San Diego (TCSD) monthly meeting where Bob Babbitt from Competitor Radio interviewed the defending Ironman Champion, Craig Alexander, and runner up, Chris Lieto. I met up with Trevor and the rest of the SkinFit team during the interview. I’m stoked to be a part of the SkinFit SoCal racing team this season and also excited they are a new TCSD sponsor.

On Saturday morning, I marked the beautiful Sun Strides Foundation Lake Hodges 5K course and then raced.

I was able to cruise in at 18:24 (5:57 pace), good for 8th place overall and 1st in my age group!

After a much needed nap, I had a fun Skype call with my nieces, who are getting noticeably bigger. Then I headed over to the Endurance Sports Awards (ESAs) with a great group from the Active Network.

The ESAs are one of my favorite industry events and this year was no exception. I was like a kid in a candy store, rubbing shoulders with the top endurance athletes all night. My favorite parts are the athlete highlight videos they show before the athletes go on stage to accept their award. So inspirational!

I woke up on Sunday and went out to ride my mountain bike at Mission Trails and preview the Xterra Mission Gorge 15K course I was supposed to race this Sunday with Brandon, Beth, Tawnee and Tatiana. The trails were really torn up from the recent rains and with rain in the forecast for this weekend, they postponed the event. Oh and carrying my bike up the “steps” on South Fortuna was a blast….

On Monday, the online community that I manage on Active.com was successfully clustered. This means that instead of our data living on one server, we now spread the load between three servers. As a result, we are benefitting from increased speed and stability for our site. It’s something we’ve been working towards for a while now, and I’m stoked our team got a win.

The Monday and Wednesday ActiveX workouts were great. I also hit the climbing gym on Tuesday and Rehab United for a functional agility workout on Thursday. Check out our workouts on the ActiveX Facebook fan page.

I got a call from my brother who said he got the “go-ahead” from his better half to enter the NYC Marathon lottery, so I entered too. It would be really cool to do another race with my bro. It was this time last year we both ran the Sedona Marathon.

And it was this time two years ago that I got hit by a car while riding my bike home from the office. The damage I took to my shoulder prevented me from racing triathlon in 2009 and made my season running specific. After hours of painful rehabilitation I can confidently say I’m back to 100% strength and mobility, and have made the decision not to press charges. A huge weight has been lifted from my mind.

Another huge stress reliever this week was finding a new place to move into at the end of the month. I originally wanted to live along the coast in Del Mar, but my climbing buddy has a place available in his house in Mira Mesa. The house is great and it will be make for a smooth transition. I’m excited to living right next to Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve and to have the option to commute via mountain bike or trail running to my office!

So this weekend I start packing and getting organized for the move. Have a great weekend! ~T

Kicking the Tires

2010-01-27T15:15:00.000-08:00

2010 is underway and the last few weeks flew by with all sorts of things happening. I’ll start by recapping this past weekend and then go back and share my adventures during the past month. Enjoy!

Last weekend was a blast! My friend and I traveled up to Julian to play in the snow that recently hit the mountains in San Diego County following the massive rain storm. We stayed at the Pine Hills Lodge and went sledding, hiking and enjoyed the good home-style food and famous apple pie.

January Recap:

I raced the Sun Strides Foundation San Diego Resolution Run 5K on 1/9. I got there at 3:45 a.m. to help mark the course. I drove and ran around Mission Bay and Fiesta Island laying down gypsum arrows on the paths, sidewalks and roads before the sun came up. Then I switched into race mode for the 5K event. I ran a personal best of 18:27 (5:57 pace) and finished 9th overall, 5th in my age group.

I dedicated my run to Michael de Sosa, who I met last year course marking the Sun Strides events. He lost his battle to depression and took his own life on Christmas Eve this year. All runners wore an orange ribbon on our race bibs for him.

The next day I met my buddies, Austin, Jim and Jessi, at Mission Trails for a couple hours of mountain biking to spin out my legs. On Monday night, I hosted the High Voltage workout and then ran 7 miles the next morning with a MeetUp trail running group hosted by my buddy, Paul, and Dr. Runco from the San Diego Running Institute.

The run was great, but afterward I was super dizzy and had a headache while my chest and stomach were in knots. I ended up puking for the next couple days from a nasty stomach bug. I couldn’t eat, lost a bunch of weight, and was miserable. I was bummed I had to bail on the trip to Bishop, CA for Austin’s birthday. I was down and out until the end of the weekend, so I rested, studied for the CSCS exam and tried out my new camera:

I also exchanged my Sanyo Xacti camera for the Pentax Optio W80 this week because the still-image quality from the Pentax is far superior (12.1mpx) to the Sanyo (9mpx). They both shoot the same HD video quality and are the same price, so it was a “no brainer” for the adventure photos I shoot. This is also important as I recently worked out an agreement with an art shop in my hometown to sell prints and greeting cards of my photos! I’m so thrilled to have this opportunity. :) Now I’m looking into printing and shipping details to make it happen.

The rest of the month has been mellow with training. I’ve done mostly strength and conditioning workouts and a 30 minute interval session with Airey on the indoor trainer. I’m switching my bike from tri back to road setup for the Grand Fondo San Diego in March.

This weekend I am course marking and racing the Lake Hodges 5K and attending the Endurance Sports Awards. Stoked! Stay tuned for an event recap next week – in February. :)

2009 Review – 2010 Preview

2010-01-07T20:00:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Thank you all for joining me in 2009. My year would not have been a success without your support, and I can promise you an exciting 2010 with new challenges, higher peaks, epic runs, beautiful photos, video and, of course, blogs!

2009 Review

I crushed my “A” race and had fun doing it. How? I strategically designed a periodized training schedule to peak with a sub 24-hour attempt at The Vermont 100 Endurance Run (VT100) in July, rest in late summer/early fall and then peak again late in the season with a back-to-back race weekend.

I got things started with a base training phase, where I worked on pacing at The Diamond Valley Lake Marathon in January. Two weeks later, I ran the Sedona Marathon with my brother. It was a tough course, but absolutely beautiful area! Two weeks after that, I grinded out a PR at the Orange Curtain 50K with a 4:27 finish.

Next I launched the build phase for the VT100 training in April with the Carlsbad 5000 followed by a 26-mile run home from the race. Then I kicked off May with back-to-back races at the Black Mountain Summit 7K Trail Run and a PR at the OC Marathon (3:28) the very next day. After rehabilitating an overuse hip injury (go figure?), I ran the San Diego Rock & Roll Marathon and peaked in my training with the San Bernardino Traverse and a weekend at altitude in the Sierra Nevada.

The Vermont 100 Endurance Run in mid-July was flawless; I had the best race of my career and finished in 21:57, well under my sub 24-hour goal. Better than that was sharing the experience with my family.

After some much needed rest, I ramped my training back up and raced the Noble Canyon 50K while raising $1000 for Outdoor Outreach. Then I switched gears to focus on strength and conditioning, rock climbing and enjoyed an epic Thanksgiving road trip.

The season ended with an “endurance challenge” weekend of back-to-back races in December: the North Face Endurance Challenge 50K in San Francisco on Saturday and the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon – Las Vegas on Sunday.

The holidays with my family were wonderful. Meeting and spending quality time with my new twin nieces was amazing. The downtime also afforded me the opportunity to set goals for 2010. So without further ado…

2010 Preview

My calendar isn’t as racing focused this year, but rest assured that I have a couple EPIC events in the works. My big event for the year is staged for early summer (June/July) and will require months of training and logistics. It will also incorporate a fundraising campaign. I will unveil my official plans as forces align and a few more details are worked out.

The mountains are calling my name, so I plan to climb California 14ers this year. As you may remember, I struggled with route-finding and acclimating last year so I’m going to attempt to conquer my nemesis--Palisades Traverse--again, and try to tick a few others off the list too.

I’m also actively pursuing a credential from the National Strength and Conditioning Association to become a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. I want to help athletes achieve their goals while I increase my value in the industry and grow in my own training.

2010 is here and it will be what we make of it. So let’s make it the best year possible!

Yours in Adventure,
~Toby

Double or Nothing

2009-12-14T20:00:00.000-08:00

I wrapped up my 2009 racing season with The North Face Endurance Challenge 50K on Dec. 5 in San Francisco and the Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon on Dec. 6.

Some shots from Thursday and Friday in SF.

The North Face Endurance Challenge championship event hosted a competitive field that battled it out for the $10,000 cash prize -- the largest in all of ultra running. The 50-mile championship race started two hours before we started the 50K race. The winner would go on to finish in a course record of 6 hours, 33 minutes (a 7:53/mile average) which--for basis of comparison--is almost as long as it took me to run 31 miles. For a complete run down of the main event, visit Bryon Powell’s site.

My goal for the 50K race was to finish with enough left in the tank to enjoy the Vegas marathon the next morning. Despite my efforts to hold back for Sunday, the course elevation profile of 6,600 feet of gain and another 6,600 feet of loss still managed to thoroughly trash my legs.

The highlight of this race was the beautiful course. I was so impressed with the terrain, the views and the route that I had to take these photos with my iPhone to share with you:

Six hours and 18 minutes later, I finished my slowest 50K to date and just 30 minutes after finishing the race I was in a car to the airport for my flight to Vegas! I made it to my gate with 15 minutes to spare--just enough time to clean up and change out of my running gear in the airport bathroom.

I ate for what seemed like the entire flight and arrived in Vegas at 6 p.m. on Saturday. After checking in, showering and washing my gear, I was eating again by 8 p.m. and in bed by 10 p.m.

I was plenty tired, but never dosed off for longer than an hour that night before the alarm sounded at 4:15 a.m. on Sunday. After a hot shower, food and some stretching, I geared up and headed down to tackle the inaugural Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon.

This had to be the most extravagant race start I have ever seen. The sun was rising over the mountains on the horizon with a grand fireworks display overhead. A Blues Brothers tribute band performed live music on the stage set up over the start line while showgirls danced across the top and to both the right and left sides of the stage in front of caged white tigers. Yes, showgirls and tigers. No joke.

All the sensory overload, along with the 30-degree temperature, still couldn’t distract my legs from feeling dead. I suffered through the first 10K, stopping to stretch every few miles until the half marathon mark. My split at 13.1 was 2:08, which was when my legs started to feel better. I picked up the pace through the mile 20 turnaround and ran the final 10K at my fastest pace of the weekend for a 1:55 negative spilt and a 4:08 finish.

The back-to-back long distance races made the weekend a definite endurance challenge and the physiological effects were interesting. Most notably were:

•    How I subconsciously governed my output during Saturday’s race in order to leave enough for Sunday’s race

•    The uneasy sleep the night between races which was enough to still perform

•    The way my body, which had started to go into repair/recovery mode, came out of recovery mode after 13 miles to go back into race mode and finish strong

With that, my 2009 season has come to an end and I fly to the east coast on Thursday for Christmas with my family. I have so many people to thank for making this year so amazing. I plan to recap the season in another post before the end of the year, but I want to start by thanking you all for joining me on this adventure!

Happy Holidays!
~Toby

Thanksgiving Road Trip

2009-12-02T17:54:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving 2009 was nothing short of an adventure. Our 1400+ mile route took us from San Diego to Joshua Tree National Park, Mojave National Preserve, Red Rock Canyon, Las Vegas, Death Valley, Bishop, New Jack City and back to San Diego in 8 days.

After a couple months of planning the basics with my friends, Nick and Jake, our general route was plotted but the details of our stops and activities were left loosely decided to see where the road would lead us.

Nick, buried in our gear-filled car

San Diego to Joshua Tree National Park

Our adventure started with a weekend in Joshua Tree National Park for a group camp/climb trip. I’ve been joining this core group for the last 4 years and this year’s gathering was the perfect send off for our road trip. While in Joshua Tree, I ran a solid 16 miles on the Boy Scout Trail with my friend, Fran, and then climbed a few routes with Jake, Nick and Austin. The highlight of this group trip is always gathering around the campfire for food, drinks and stories with friends after everyone returns from their respective day in the park.

Joshua Tree National Park to Mojave National Preserve

After climbing hard on Monday, we left the park and ate at Crossroads Café. After a couple more stops to replenish our supplies, we continued on to Providence Mountains State Recreation Area in Mojave National Preserve. The drive was easy and we arrived after dark to set up our bivouac shelters for some much-needed sleep.

Mojave National Preserve to Red Rock Canyon

I was up at dawn to shoot sunrise photos while the guys slept in. The view from our mountain-side campsite was amazing and we were right next to the entrance of Mitchell Cavern for the ranger guided cave tour at 1:30. The tour was totally worth checking out!

After that, we continued on to see the Kelso sand dunes before sunset.

Our original plan was to continue on to Death Valley that night, but our route didn’t pass by anywhere we could stock up on supplies--food, beer and water--for multiple days in Death Valley. Instead we decided to head east and camp at Red Rock Canyon in Nevada.

Red Rock Canyon to Vegas

We climbed a few sport routes in Red Rock Canyon and then explored the beautiful rock formations.

That evening, we gave into the allure of Las Vegas, just 15 miles away, and decided to go get our first shower of the trip :) We had gone 5 days strong! We found a decent room for $30, an $11 all-you-can-eat buffet and beers on draft for $1.50 :) Vegas baby, Vegas!!

Vegas through Death Valley National Park to Bishop

Thanksgiving Day began with an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet before we loaded up with supplies at a supermarket and hit the road to Death Valley National Park. Our destination was set for the Thanksgiving potluck at the hot springs of Saline Valley, but our lack of 4WD and our fully loaded suspension made the 50-mile dirt road impassable. So we changed our plan and continued on to Bishop, CA at the base of the Sierra Nevada, where we got another hotel room after dinner.

Bishop to New Jack City

We climbed all day in Owens River Gorge, and Nick and I took a 40-minute trail run along the river to warm up. After the sun left the gorge and the temperatures dropped, we headed back into town for dinner before hitting the 395 south to the New Jack City climbing area outside of Barstow, CA.

New Jack City to San Diego

Our decision to head to New Jack City was based on the forecasted snow in the Sierra, and it’s proximity to San Diego for the final drive of our trip. This turned out to be the right choice as the Sierra got a foot of snow but unfortunately, we got rained out from climbing on our final day and decided to head back to San Diego where it was also raining (first recorded rain in 164 days!).

This year’s road trip was packed with fun, beauty and a chance to unplug for a week and enjoy living simply. This trip made me realize how much there is to see and experience in our world and how little time we have. But instead of feeling overwhelmed with urgency to tackle it all, I feel calm and ready to focus on what is most important. 2010 is just weeks away and I look forward to the adventures that await :) Until then, enjoy the slideshow from our trip and stay tuned for updates this weekend as I take on a 31-mile ultramarathon in San Francisco on Saturday and then the Las Vegas Marathon on Sunday!

Yours in Adventure,

~Toby

Click here to launch the full slideshow

Valley of the Moon

2009-11-19T17:00:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I joined the Allied Climbers of San Diego for their annual Valley of the Moon Thanksgiving campout. We had a blast camping, running, climbing and turkey-eating. Next up is a week-long road trip with friends for Thanksgiving!

“The Allied Climbers of San Diego is a local, environmentally responsible, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and maintaining access to climbing and outdoor recreation.”

It was a pleasure to join this group and learn about their passion for the outdoors, climbing and preserving the areas at which they climb. To respect the privacy of club members and those that have given so much to make climbing in this area possible, I will keep the details of our trip to a minimum and let the beautiful photos do the talking. If you are interested in visiting this area, contact The Allied Climbers of San Diego for additional beta.

Launch Full Flickr Slideshow

Today, I hit the road with two friends for a week-long road trip. Our adventure is loosely planned to accommodate any side adventures that ensue, but our general plan is to begin with a group camping and climbing trip in Joshua Tree National Park this weekend, then on to explore Mojave National Preserve, celebrate Thanksgiving in Death Valley National Park and then climb in Bishop, CA before returning to San Diego the following weekend. We’ll be car camping at night and exploring these beautiful areas during the day!

I wish you all a very happy and healthy Thanksgiving holiday and hope to catch you back here in two weeks for a recap of our adventure. We'll be checking in a couple times along the way here: http://twitter.com/TobyGuillette

Yours in Adventure,

~Toby

Check out this week's High Voltage Fitness workout!

The Home Stretch

2009-11-11T11:36:00.000-08:00

My calendar is packed with events for the final weeks of the year and things are about to get really exciting!

Finding time to prepare for the back-to-back races in December was a challenge, so I’ve decided to switch from the 50M race to the 50K distance for The North Face Endurance Challenge Championship in San Francisco. This not only accommodates my travel schedule better, but it enhances the social aspects of this trip. I’m beyond stoked to meet up with folks in SF and at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon in Las Vegas. It’ll be great to see people I haven’t seen in a while and to finally meet those I’ve known for a couple years through the online endurance community.

Kam atop Staley Peak in Daley Ranch park

Training is going very well. I’ve been growing my weekly mileage and feeling smooth. I’ve noticed a significant increase in power from the strength and conditioning training I’ve done with the ActiveX and High Voltage Fitness crews.

Arch setting up our ActiveX beach workout

I’m heading out to the Valley of the Moon this weekend for some camping, climbing and running. I’ve yet to explore this remote area of San Diego County so I’m excited for this weekend’s adventure.

Next weekend, my buddies and I depart on our 10-day Thanksgiving road trip so stay tuned for the Valley of the Moon recap and our road trip preview next week!

Yours in Adventure,
~Toby

ROCKtober

2009-10-28T22:44:00.000-07:00

Summer in SoCal must have gotten an extension because the weather has been amazing this month. From training and climbing to photo shoots and charity events, I’ve been taking full advantage and enjoying every minute!

Joshua Tree Sunset

For training, I’ve been conditioning with the ActiveX crew and my High Voltage Fitness crew. I’ve also been climbing harder than ever and getting in some shorter, faster runs. To support my buddy Austin for the Austin 70.3, I joined in his peak training session with a solid multisport day consisting of a 1-mile open water swim, a 42-mile bike and a 6-mile run at a 7:45 pace.

Photo by James Michelfelder

A couple weeks ago I was auctioned off at the Cheers for Charity Date Auction and Raffle, a fundraising event hosted by my colleague, Kevin Beatty, and his friend in their effort to raise funds for the ING NYC Marathon charity, Run For Something Better. Kevin was kind enough to donate to Outdoor Outreach in September, so when he asked me to help with his event, it was the least I could do. Even though I was only auctioned off for a ridiculously low price of $110 (must be the economy ;) it was seriously an awesome event and I had a blast. The event brought in nearly $2,600 which met Kevin’s fund raising goal. My date package includes a night downtown with the lucky lady. We'll enjoy drinks at Sidebar, dinner at Monsoon and tickets to a comedy show. Not bad at all!

This weekend, I enjoyed a big group camp/climb trip to Joshua Tree National Park for the 3rd Annual BBQ on Intersection Rock. We had a blast, climbed hard, rocked out in costumes and enjoyed the perfect weather.

On Monday, I had the unique opportunity to do some fitness modeling for Under Armour here in San Diego. I met a group of athletes, including Chris “Macca” McCormack, for a photo shoot out in Julian at dawn to model their new running clothes. The folks from Under Armour were great and fun to work with. We had photos taken of us running uphill, downhill, through a field and on a trail. It was a really cool experience, plus hanging out and running with Macca for half the day was a real treat.

Now it’s time to train for my final event(s) of the season and I’ll be building my long run mileage to peak at 40-60 miles in 2-3 days, three weeks before I run the North Face Endurance 50M and the Rock ‘n’ Roll Vegas Marathon back-to-back. I’ll keep you posted on the progress.

Photo by James Michelfelder

Have a Happy Halloween!

SoCal Soup

2009-10-21T09:22:00.001-07:00

This Quinoa Soup with Avocado and Corn recipe is quick and super-easy to follow. The quinoa together with protein from the chicken and fat from the avocado packs this meal with tasty nutrients. For under $20, give it a go and let me know how it turns out.

(A photo from Joshua Tree National Park, where I'll be this weekend)

Start to finish - 20 minutes (that's what I like!)

Servings: 4 (so they say... more like 3)

Ingredients:
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth (get the boxed Swanson stuff or canned)
1 cup quinoa
1 cup corn kernels (frozen, canned, real)
1/3 cup chunky salsa, to taste
1 ripe but firm Hass avocado, diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Lime wedges, for serving

In a large saucepan over high heat, bring the broth to a boil.

Stir in the quinoa, reduce heat to medium-high, and continue boiling or simmering, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

Stir in the corn and salsa, ( you could throw in the chicken here as well if you have some) then return to a simmer.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the avocado.

Ladle into large bowls, stir in the cilantro and accompany with lime wedges.

If you have any leftover cooked chicken, you could throw it in the pot and warm it up as well.

Enjoy!

Recipe originally from http://www.recorder.com

Multiplicity

2009-10-14T13:17:00.001-07:00

Last week was monumental for my family, so I want to start by sharing the exciting news: my brother and his wife became proud parents of beautiful twin girls! I’m so excited to be an uncle and to visit my nieces in December to officially welcome them into the family. My parents are stoked to be grandparents, and it’s just an exciting time for all our friends and family.

Prior to traveling back east for the holidays, I’m racing the North Face 50 Mile Endurance Challenge Championship in San Francisco on Saturday, Dec. 5 and after the race, immediately flying to Vegas to run the Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon the next morning on Sunday, Dec. 6.

Before the heavy run training begins, I’m rock climbing, functional training, running (low mileage/intensity) and cycling. It feels really good to climb again, and I’m excited for the camp/climb trips on the calendar this fall.

I started hosting a once-a-week, group workout series called High Voltage Fitness last month. Most of my inspiration came from ActiveX, the Wreck Yourself Wednesday crew and the Gut Check Fitness bootcamp workouts. This kind of training really gets me stoked because the results of going hard directly benefit all aspects of strength and conditioning. Designing workouts that target my weaknesses is key, but sharing the fun with a group of friends for 30 to 40 minutes is a huge bonus!

Last weekend I attended the Allied Climbers of San Diego Annual Celebration. ACSD is a local non-profit--kind of like the Access Fund--and are, “dedicated to promoting and maintaining access to climbing and outdoor recreation.” They put on a beautiful event at the Water Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca College in El Cajon with a silent auction, dinner, drinks, and presentations.

On Saturday, I had the pleasure of watching Rodrigo y Gabriela play here in San Diego. I’ve been a huge fan of their music for a couple years now and seeing them live was hands-down worth the $17 Ticketmaster convenience fee. If you want to hear how they sound and know more about them, read this article.

October has already been a great month, and I still have fun events on tap like the Cheers For Charity Date Auction and Raffle tomorrow night, the Chancellor's Challenge 5K Run/Walk for Scholars next Friday and a Joshua Tree climbing trip in a week. Stay tuned for more updates!

Harvest Moon

2009-10-05T10:19:00.000-07:00

Last weekend marked the official end of the summer season so I celebrated by racing the Noble Canyon 50K and attending the Outdoor Outreach Joshua Tree Experience.

The weekend started with the 3rd annual Noble Canyon 50K in Pine Valley, CA. The race sold out with more than 180 ultra runners who took on the blistering heat of the Santa Ana winds and a course that had more than 10,000’ of climbing. I showed up with the intention of going hard and slashing as much time off my 2007 finish of 5:49 as my body would allow. I maintained an aggressive pace through mile 16, but blew up in the back half because of the heat. My calves cramped up like crazy but I held on to finish in 5:42; good for 21st place overall and 2nd in my age group. Here are the results.

Photos By Andy K

I honestly thought I’d have run much faster than I did, but once the heat got to me, I was just happy to finish feeling well enough to make the trip out to Joshua Tree.

From the race, I drove straight to Joshua Tree National Park to join the group for the Outdoor Outreach fundraising campaign. Thanks to those who donated to my fundraising efforts. I was able to contribute $1,000 to the campaign, which reached a grand total of $75,000!!! Although I missed most of the fun clinics that took place while I was racing, I was happy to celebrate that night with the group of individuals who came together to support such a noble cause. Become a fan of Outdoor Outreach on Facebook and follow their updates.

I’m also really excited to announce my latest sponsor: Exsta Energy. They make a sports drink powder that’s full of antioxidants, electrolytes, vitamins and amino acids. This formula will keep me healthy and energized between and during workouts. I’m stoked to be teaming up with these guys!

Realizing that summer is officially over, I’m look back and smiling, ear-to-ear, knowing I gave it my all. So now autumn is here and weather and daylight will begin to wane, but I still plan to get the most out of what remains in 2009, and I hope you plan to do the same. Thanks again for joining me on this adventure called life.

Until next time,
~Toby

A Noble Canyon and A Noble Cause

2009-09-18T14:33:00.000-07:00

September is flying by as I’m getting race ready for another ultra marathon and raising funds for the non-profit, Outdoor Outreach.

September is the month of sunsets in San Diego.

A week from Saturday, I’ll be running the Noble Canyon 50K with a goal of slashing my course PR of 5:49 down to the 5-hour mark. I first raced NC50K in 2007, its inaugural year. You can find my race report here. This year, I’ll toe the line with the intention of pushing myself towards a competitive finish against a full-field of 175 runners. View the course details here and beta here.

For training, I logged a 20-mile, 13-hour day above 10,000 feet and a 20-mile run with 4,700’ of climbing up and down Palomar Mountain. On the other end of the spectrum, I hit my high gear on Tuesday at the TCSD track workout with two rounds of 1600m, 800m, 400m, at a 5:45 average pace.

A View From Nate Harrison Grade Rd.

For cross-training, I’ve been bouldering at the indoor rock climbing gym and practicing yoga. For strength and conditioning, I’ve been training hard at the office with the ActiveX crew. Our group was just featured in the Union Tribune! Check out the article and video.

I’ve also been experimenting with my nutrition lately. I read Mark’s Daily Apple about living and eating “paleo” and my friend, Ryan Denner, began a blog post series that prompted my conscious effort to fuel my lifestyle more efficiently. The difference I’ve felt thus far is evidence enough to continue educating myself on the topic. I encourage you to continue investigating your own nutrition -- chances are we all have areas that can use improvement. I’m definitely excited to continue learning and feeling stronger and healthier along the way.

My friend, Nick, strikes a pose on my roof!

The 3rd Annual Outdoor Outreach Joshua Tree Experience Fundraiser is actually taking place during the same time as the NC50K, so I will be missing out on the fun climbing clinics and yoga classes. After the race, I plan to drive to the park and join the group for dinner and campfire festivities. It’s been a pleasure and honor to collect donations from my friends, family and colleagues to support this organization. Thank you all for recognizing the importance of outdoor education.

Yours in Adventure,
~Toby

CA 14ers: Palisades Traverse (Fail #3)

2009-09-09T11:03:00.000-07:00

From hiking and climbing in the mountains to backyard barbecues and sun on beach, Labor Day weekend was full of great times, amazing people and beautiful scenery.

On Friday afternoon my climbing partner, Kam, and I drove from San Diego to South Lake in Bishop, CA for another go at the Palisades Traverse. The drive took about 7 hours; we got in at 10 p.m. and were asleep by 11 p.m. By 4:45 a.m., we were on the trail and reached Bishop Pass in 2 hours, traveling with only daypacks for our car-to-car attempt.

We charged through the 3-mile boulder field between Bishop Pass and Thunderbolt Pass and were ascending SW Chute #1 an hour later. We cruised up a steep gully filled with talus and scree until we hit the ledge system and solo climbed a Class 5 section to bypass more technical climb and rejoin the chute above it. From here, it was more talus and scree until a Class 4 climb to the 13,850’ ridge below Thunderbolt peak.

It was during this final section before the top that my head began to pound painfully with every heartbeat. It hurt so bad it made me nauseous, and I felt as if I was going to puke. Once I got to the ridge, I sat with my back against a boulder and rested my head while looking out over the tops of the mountains below. I must have dozed off for a bit because I sat up startled and confused and took a second to make sense of the beautiful view below. Was this heaven?

No; I was experiencing the worst altitude sickness I’d ever had just 10 miles into the day. I tried to wait it out and it only got worse, so we made the responsible decision to turn back. I was a mess for the down climb and the descent to the car but started to feel good enough at around 11,000’ to run for a mile. We totaled 20 miles and 13 hours for the day.

This is a difficult multi-day route so attempting it in one day without acclimating made it impossible for me this time around. To properly attempt this route, I’m going to set up a camp above Bishop Pass and spend the night before the ridge traverse the next day. I may give it another try in October or just hold off until next year so it doesn’t get old.

Speaking of getting old, Kam has had to turn back the last two attempts because of someone else getting sick from the altitude. These experiences sure can be frustrating, but we are both running Noble Canyon 50K on 9/26 in Pine Valley, CA and still count the miles, time, altitude and suffering as great training for the race. I’m really excited to see how much faster I can run this year. Here’s my 2007 NC50K Race Report.

I got back to San Diego on Sunday just in time for a BBQ that my friend hosted to raise funds for this year’s Outdoor Outreach Joshua Tree Experience (now accepting online donations). I met a bunch of really cool people and the food was amazing, as usual. He grilled shark, beer brats, burgers and tons of sides and salads. I ate like someone who had just returned from the mountains. And looked like one too!

The next day was Labor Day, and after sleeping in to catch up on rest, I was at the beach all afternoon with a bunch of good friends--many of whom were at the BBQ the night before. We ate leftovers from the BBQ and got in hours of body surfing and hanging in the hot sun.

I’m feeling recharged after a yoga class with Reegan at Sorrento Valley Yoga yesterday and now I’m dialing in my training with a mix of ActiveX and trail running for the next 2.5 weeks before Noble Canyon 50K. I hope you all had a great Labor Day Weekend!

View the Flickr Photos Slideshow

Read my first and second trip report:
CA 14ers: Palisades Traverse (Fail #1)
CA 14ers: Palisades Traverse (Fail #2)

Beer Brat Recipe

2009-09-03T08:35:00.001-07:00

The perfect Labor Day Weekend recipe!

Boil them in a pot of water for 15 on the stove while chopping up (the long way) 1 red and 1 green pepper, 1 white onion and 2 green apples.

Once the brats are done boiling, add them to one of those large aluminum trays (make sure it will fit on your grill). Next, add the chopped veggies, cover them with 2 bags of sauerkraut and then pour in the German (pilsner) beer to top it off.

Then put the whole tray on the grill and cook for 30 minutes of med/high heat.

Toast the bun (whole wheat of course) and serve with a little of every ingredient. Top with a spicy mustard and wash it down with more beer.

Enjoy!

4 Seasons in San Diego

2009-09-01T20:20:00.000-07:00

Four years ago today was my first day in San Diego. I originally moved here with the goal of working in the outdoor industry while awaiting my assignment in the Peace Corps. My intentions shifted when I began to explore and discover my potential through the truth and beauty of the outdoors and endurance sports.

Needless to say, I didn’t serve in the Peace Corps. And in fact, I never mailed in my application. Instead, I worked at REI and took up rock climbing and peak bagging in the great outdoors of southern California.

This developed my network, led to my current job at Active and laid the foundation for running ultra marathons.

Since I started running three years ago, I have raced at nearly every competitive distance and completed seven ultra marathons, including two 100-mile ultra marathons and a full iron-distance triathlon.

The knowledge acquired through these experiences and my role as the online community specialist on Active.com, enables me to connect, educate and motivate new athletes across the globe. In doing so, I found a way to utilize my degree in sociology while helping people live healthier and more productive lives.

Today I begin my fifth year in San Diego and I do so passionately because I love what I’m doing and I’m truly happy. I’m especially grateful for my family, friends and all the incredible individuals I continue to connect with. Thank you all for your trust, for your support and for inspiring me to be the best version of myself.

I’m setting some big goals for the next year, but first thing is first. I’m excited to really get after it this weekend in the Sierra Nevada Mountains for the Palisades Traverse. We postponed the trip two weeks ago due to inclement weather. Since then, my climbing partner and I fine-tuned our strategy: we’re attempting a “car-to-car” light and fast effort on Saturday. This means we’re climbing five 14,000’ peaks in one day with only the following gear:

Personal gear:
Daypack, headlamp, harness, belay device, hydration reservoir, snacks, TP

Clothing:
Hat, sunglasses, shirt, shorts, trail running shoes, climbing shoes

Shared:
Camera, SteriPen, First-Aid Kit, 30-meter rope

Here’s another shot of the Palisades Traverse:

From right to left: Thunderbolt, Starlight, North Palisade, Polemonium and Sill.

Yours in Adventure,
~Toby

Fresh Fruit "Risotto"

2009-08-27T19:42:00.000-07:00

Today I was reading Men's Health Magazine at the beach and found this super-healthy and tasty quinoa recipe I just had to try. It turned out great, so I wanted to share it with you. Give it a try and let me know how you liked it!

Paired nicely with a pint of New Belgium Trippel

What you'll need:
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 cups apple juice
1/4 cup walnuts, crushed
1 cup fresh berries
Dash of cinnamon
3 torn mint leaves

How to make it:
Bring the quinoa and apple juice to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 15 minutes until the quinoa is translucent. Remove from the heat and let the quinoa rest, covered, for 2 minutes before dumping it into a bowl, stirring in nuts, berries, cinnamon, and mint.. Makes 2 servings.

Per serving:
370 calories, 7g protein, 62g carbs, 6g fiber, 12g fat, 15mg sodium.

Recipe from September issue of Men's Health Magazine:

Blog Re-Launch

2009-08-19T12:41:00.000-07:00

I started blogging two years ago in an effort to document and share my adventures with my family, friends and the online community on Active.com. Since then, the focus of my blog has evolved from outdoor adventures to showcase my life of training and racing as an endurance athlete.

My new blog home acts as an aggregation of my life on the social web with links/feeds to/from all my content: Twitter updates, event calendar, blog archives, Flickr photos, YouTube videos, race results, sponsors and links to other cool stuff on the web.

My friends Bryan Pavin and Mike McDonald helped me create this site, and I am very thankful for their willingness to help and their patience while teaching me a thing or two along the way. It was a pleasure working with these guys and I couldn't have done it without them. I'd also like to thank my editor, Giselle, for her tireless effort to make my writing worth reading.

It’s been a month since my last post, where I shared my race report from the VT100. In that time I’ve managed to recover properly and maintain my fitness base by training with the ActiveX group on M/W/F and running the canyon trails with James on T/TH. I’ve also incorporated yoga practice at Sorrento Valley Yoga and stayed super busy with work and some fun side projects.

This weekend, I’m heading back up to the Sierra Nevada for my third attempt at the Palisades Traverse. I’ve got a good feeling about this trip so stay tuned for my report next week.

From right to left: Thunderbolt Peak, Starlight Peak, North Palisade, Polemonium Peak, Mt Sill

Thanks for stopping by to check out my new blog. Please feel free to fan, "follow," or subscribe to receive updates and/or share with your family and friends.

Yours in Adventure,
~Toby

Vermont 100 Mile Endurance Run: Race Report

2009-07-24T10:05:00.000-07:00

My goal for the Vermont 100 Mile Endurance Run was to unite my family and friends who crewed for me during my attempt at a sub-24 hour finish. If you’ve been following along, you know that I’ve been training all season for this event. If you’re just joining in, this is my second attempt at the 100-mile distance, having run 24 hours 32 minutes at the 2008 San Diego 100 Mile Endurance Run. The adventure was a total success! Here’s how it went down:

Never stop exploring your limits!

It was raining when my dad, brother and I made our way from the bed and breakfast to the start/finish area at 3 a.m. for the pre-race check-in, so I started with my headlamp, rain shell and hydration pack. We were off and running at 4 a.m. toward the first crew-accessible aid station, 21 miles into the race, where my parents; my brother, Steve; my best friend, John; his wife, Patty; and my friend, Pete, were waiting for me.

The best crew ever!

The first section was dark in the forest on muddy trail a where I met and chatted with Cheryl, a runner from New York attempting her first 100. We had connected on Twitter the week before. The rain was forecasted to stop in the early afternoon, but actually let up just as daylight broke and we switched off our headlamps.

It took awhile for me to wake up and warm up, but once I did, I took off the rain shell and arm warmers and settled into a comfortable pace. About this time, The Vermont 100 and Moonlight 50/75 Endurance Ride horses and their riders began to overtake the runners. It turns out, the Vermont 100 is the only ultramarathon that continues to combine horses and runners. They had a later start for their 100-mile trek, and it was really cool to share the trail with them.

According to my crew, John apparently said, “I love your horse!” to every horse/rider that went by that day.

I cruised into the first aid station, mile 21, at 8:30 a.m. averaging a mid-12-minute mile and was greeted by my amazing support crew. They had everything set up under our own tent so I sat down, changed my shoes and socks, ate and drank a little, and set off feeling fresh for the next section.

NASCAR pit crews would be jealous of our speed and efficiency

Nine miles later I came through the check point at Stage Road and was again greeted by my rockstar crew. It was getting hotter out and the next section was 17 miles, so I decided to skip the shoe/sock change and just get back on the trail with a full hydration pack. I quickly saw this was a good call because as soon as we exited the aid station, we crossed a marsh and my feet were instantly soaked.

This 17-mile section was hot with some seriously steep climbs. During this time, my watch battery died. I also discovered I was in 98th place overall at mile 43.5, so I just put my head down and did work. I power walked the steep stuff and actually passed a bunch of folks before rolling into the next aid station, Camp 10 Bear, at mile 47.2 for medical weigh-ins. I had dropped 5 pounds but wasn’t worried about it because I was feeling fine and knew I was nearly halfway done with the race.

I calculated my pace and projected finish time when I reached the 50-mile mark at 10 hours 40 minutes. It was then that I first realized a sub-22 hour finish was possible. I didn’t actually believe it at first, so I did the math again. That’s when I kicked a stick on the trail and the sharp end lifted my big toenail off. I felt it go with a sharp pain, but there wasn’t any pain after it happened. I was upset that I let myself get distracted over the numbers, so I decided not to worry about my pace anymore and just do work.

I caught up with a runner named Drew from the Lake Placid area, and we cruised at a similar pace for the next big chunk of the race. This section was difficult with steep climbs and long quad-quivering descents—one after the next. My pace slowed from the mid-12 minute range to a 13-minute-mile pace. We reached Tracer Brook (mile 57) at 4:10 p.m. and passed through Margaritaville (mile 62) at 5:30 p.m. My crew was at each stop with all my gear and food set up perfectly. They got me in-and-out of each stop with fresh shoes/socks, ice cold drink in my hydration pack and a big smile on my face :)

It's all about staying positive in a race this long. And drinking rootbeer ;)

Next I caught up to a 52-year-old runner from Pennsylvania named Marc, who had run a sub-10 hour split on the first half of the race. His quick start had caught up to him in the form of stomach nausea, but he was still strong enough to run with me for the next portion of the race. We shared some quality conversation and navigated one of the longest and most painful descents before reaching Camp 10 Bear at mile 70.1 for medical weigh-ins.

I had gained a pound during the previous 30 miles which was a sign I was drinking more. I felt really good at this point because I knew the hardest of the work was done and I was going to be in the company of my pacers for the final 30 miles.

left to right: Steve, me, John

John joined me from mile 70.1 to mile 77. We ran as the sun was setting, passed by some beautiful homes, and ran a series of perfectly groomed trails as we passed runner after runner. Soon, the thick forest canopy blocked all the remaining daylight, and we switched on our headlamps. I had John run two to three steps ahead of me so I could watch his footwork and follow his line, because my reaction time was slower than his from the fatigue and my eyes were adjusting to the night running.

Shoe/sock change after 7 miles with John

John and I finished up together at the Spirit of 76 aid station (mile 77) at 8:45 p.m. and his wife, Patty, took over for the next section. It was now much darker out so I had Patty run in front of me, like John did, for the trail sections but we primarily ran dirt roads together. In fact, this section was the flattest section of the day so we capitalized on it by running faster. We actually recorded a few sub-9 minute miles and a few sub-10 minute miles during our run together while passing runner after runner. We reached Bill’s aid station at 11:15 p.m. (mile 88.6) where I weighed in again. Then my brother took over as pacer for the final section.

Heading out to run with Patty

Steve and I headed out and covered some ground before I started inquiring about our pace and projected finishing time. My brain was too fried to do the math so I handed over my pace chart that I had been carrying all day. Steve calculated that a sub-22 hour finish was possible, if we pushed hard. My legs felt fine, and I still had plenty left in the tank to burn. So we set the intention to empty the tank and make it happen. We actually recorded my fastest mile split of the day, an 8:17 mile at mile 92, while passing runners and making our way closer and closer to the finish line in Silver Hill Meadow. This final section definitely felt like forever, but once we heard the voices and sounds from the finish area with minutes to spare before the sub-22 hour mark, we knew we made it.

I crossed the finish line unofficially at 21:55:23 and officially at 21:57:08 which was just before 2 a.m. on Sunday, July 19. According to the results, my effort was good for 30th place overall and 5th in my age group. I smashed my PR by 2.5 hours and I'm thrilled that my months of hard work came together and brought my family and friends together to share such a unique and exciting experience.

We made it just in time!

Thank you all for the messages, comments, emails, phone calls and positive vibes you sent my way. With only eight toenails remaining, soon to be seven, I'm already being asked what's next. For now, it’s recovery, but next up is another attempt at the Palisades Traverse in August. Thanks for joining me for another of life’s great adventures!

Post-race celebration on the CT River. I'm on a boat!

Click to View Slideshow

VT100 Race Info

2009-07-16T10:12:00.000-07:00

This taper week has been super relaxing so I’ve caught up on all the rest and nutrition I need before throwing down for real this weekend!

Cruising on the CT River

Tomorrow my crew and I go to Vermont, check in to the bed and breakfast and then to the start/finish area of the *Vermont 100 Mile Endurance Run* for the medical check, weigh-in and pre-race meeting. After that, we’ll get an early dinner and go to sleep as early as possible.

Saturday the alarm goes off at 2 a.m. and the day begins. The forecast is calling for a 70% chance of rain with 75% humidity in early morning but letting up later in the day. The race starts at 4 a.m. There are 9 aid stations that are crew accessible and since the race website doesn’t offer a race tracking option, my crew will post updates to http://twitter.com/TobyGuilltte when there is cell service.

Thank you all for the positive energy you've been sending my way. I'm feeling it! I'll be sure to publish the results on Sunday :)

Yours in Adventure,
~Toby

CA 14ers: Palisades Traverse (Fail #2)

2009-07-08T10:07:00.000-07:00

The Palisades Traverse is a classic alpine ridge traverse that connects the summits of five of California's fourteen thousand foot peaks. My old climbing partner Gil and I attempted the route in October of 2007 and were snowed out during the night at the base of (what we thought was) Thunderbolt Peak (14,003').

Over the holiday weekend, me and my friends Jake and Kam were eager to give it a shot. We hit the road on Thursday around 2 p.m. and made the long drive up to Bishop. We tried to leave early enough but ended up hitting the holiday weekend traffic and arriving at South Lake trail head parking lot around 10 p.m. We set up our bivy in the parking lot and were asleep by 11 p.m. and two hours later, the alarm sounded and we were gearing up to hit the trail.

Alpenglow

We were on the trail by 2:30 a.m. on Friday morning for the ~8-mile approach via Bishop Pass trail. We moved quickly through the darkness guided by the light of our headlamps, only making quick stops to shed/add layers and eat snacks. We hit some snow patches above 11,000’ and reached Bishop Pass and topped off our water from a mountain stream in Dusy Basin before the ascent of what we thought was Thunderbolt Peak…

Jake, kicking steps for us

On the way up, we negotiated some fourth/fifth-class scrambling/climbing while one of our team members started to suffer from the altitude. We reached the first peak behind schedule, only to discover we were on the summit of Mount Agassiz (13,899’), one of the twenty highest peaks of California. From there, we could see across to Thunderbolt Peak, where we were supposed to be. Yes folks, we climbed the wrong mountain.

From right to left: Thunderbolt Peak, Starlight Peak, North Palisade, Polemonium Peak, Mt Sill

So behind schedule and off-route, we decided to pull the plug and head back to San Diego. Our down-climb was a blast, as we glissaded a 1000’ patch of snow which boosted our morale while saving time and energy which we really needed. We got back to the car at 6:30 p.m. making for a 16-hour day on our feet and then took on the 6-hour drive home after dinner in Bishop to arrive back in San Diego at 3 a.m. on Saturday. ~36 hours from sea level to 13,899’ and back--what a trip!

Jake and Kam

Kam, finishing her glissade

I think its pretty funny that we climbed the wrong mountain and in all honesty, I’m glad we did. When I saw with my own eyes the magnitude of this route, I think it would have taken too much out of me to this close to the Vermont 100, my “A” race for the season. So with that, I had a great time with my friends and got a killer workout at altitude amongst some of the most beautiful scenery my eyes have ever seen. Kam and I are already planning our next attempt for August and this time, we plan to bivy at the base of the real Thunderbolt Peak on Day 1 and then take on the full route and the descent on Day 2. More details on that in late July.

Next up, the *Vermont 100 Mile Endurance Run* on 7/18 – 7/19 :) I fly out Thursday to celebrate my 26th birthday with family and friends this weekend and then make my way up north to get ready to race. I’ll post updates on the go and a recap here following the event. Thanks again for joining me on all these adventures! Watch the Slideshow

9 Peak Challenge

2009-06-24T14:43:00.000-07:00

On Friday I drove up to the +San Bernardino National Forest+ to take on the San Bernardino Traverse / 9 Peak Challenge as my final peak training weekend for the Vermont 100 Endurance Run. I checked in at the ranger station, cached a jug of water at the +Angelus Oaks+ trailhead (5,960’), set up camp at the +Vivian Creek+ trailhead (6,080’) and prepped my gear. I decided to go with a 2 a.m. start time to try and reach the summit of +San Gorgonio+ for sunrise, so I slept at 7:30 p.m. and set my alarm set for 1 a.m.

I never sleep well at altitude, and this time was no different. After quickly breaking down my camp, I geared up at my car and was on the trail by 2 a.m. for a 5,400’ ascent up the 8-mile trail to the peak of Mount San Gorgonio, the highest peak in Southern California (11,500’). My pace was fast because I was convinced I was going to be mauled by a mountain lion or bear, so I wanted to reach higher altitude where I know they don’t travel often because there isn’t an abundance of “food.” On the way up, the only wildlife I encountered (thankfully) was a little scorpion and a sizable spider. Besides that, when I got above the tree line, I was greeted with an unreal view of the crescent moon—so big and close, it felt like I could reach out and touch it.

Above the tree line, the wind gusts picked up speed, and I started to get cold. That was when I noticed the distant glow of a headlamp on the trail above. Humans! I overtook the pair of hikers in the final half mile before the summit. One was in really bad shape from the altitude. He was resting his head on his trekking pole when I greeted him. His speech was slurred, and he struggled to complete coherent sentences. His buddy was in better shape and wanted to chat but I was freezing at this point and told him I had to keep moving. Here’s a video of the final stretch to the top:

I thought that watching the sun rise from the highest point in southern California was going to be a treat but it was painfully cold at this point with powerful wind gusts cutting right through my clothes and chilling my sweat. So with one peak down and eight to go, I set off to the west across the ridge of the San Bernardino mountain range.

Once the sun got high enough, it was comfortable. Well, as comfortable as running at 10,000+ feet above sea level can get :). I ran the flats and downhills, but walked the uphills to keep some energy “in the bank” for the long day ahead.

*San Gorgonio* (11,500’)
*Jepson* (11,205’)
*Little Charlton* (10,676’)
*Charlton* (10,806’)
*Alto Diablo* (10,563’)
*Shields Peak* (10,701’)
*Anderson Peak* (10,864’)
*San Bernardino East Peak* (10,691’)
*San Bernardino Peak* (10,649’)

This was pretty much the story for the run across the ridge, until I accidentally took a wrong turn and ran a half-mile in the wrong direction. Luckily, I crossed paths with a group of backpackers. Our conversation helped me determine where I went wrong, so I backtracked--only adding an additional mile to my day.

Aside from this group, I was alone on the ridge until the descent to Angelus Oaks after San Bernardino peak. My knees started to ache on the long and technical descent, so I was excited and relieved to reach the trailhead just after 10 a.m., having just completed the 26-mile San Bernardino Traverse / 9 Peak Challenge in under 8.5 hours (actually traveling 27 miles) and gaining more than 10,000 feet according to my Gamin data.

Looking back over the peaks

But my day was far from over, so I filled up my hydration reservoir with the water cache I left the day before and ran to highway 38. Most folks who attempt the traverse shuttle their cars, leaving one at each trailhead. But I traveled solo, so 10 miles separated me from my car at the Vivian Creek trailhead. Running this section of the 38 would have been too dangerous because it is a winding mountain road with little to no shoulder, so I hitched a ride with a local and got dropped of 5 miles later at the turnoff for Forest Falls.

With 27 extreme miles and well over 10,000’ of gain already under my legs, I had five more miles of uphill to travel with 1,400’ to gain. My Achilles tendon was inflamed from the 10+ times I rolled my ankle earlier so I walked the whole way, determined to suffer through it. I took a break at the Elkhorn general store and treated myself to a root beer (my favorite ultrarunning beverage) and was back to my car at the trailhead before noon. The 32-mile adventure took roughly 10 hours to complete.

I went straight into the mountain stream and soaked my throbbing feet in the crystal-clear, cold mountain slow melt while lying on a warm rock in the sun. After that, I was feeling good to go, so I packed up my car and drove back to San Diego. I treated myself to a huge fish burrito and downed a few tasty beers for dinner :)

The hardest of the work is done, so now it’s time to recover, maintain, taper, and get super organized mentally and logistically for the VT100 on 7/18 – 7/19! My trip back east starts in a little over two weeks, and I feel like I’m on target for a solid performance on race day!

I'm Freakin Peakin

2009-06-18T14:45:00.000-07:00

Last week I focused on cross-training to give my hip rest while maintaining fitness leading up to my peak in training. On Friday morning, I went for a 3-mile test run to see if my hip was good to go for the weekend. My hip and legs felt great so I geared up for a big training weekend in Warner Springs and hit the road with my buddy, Austin.

We checked into Warner Springs Ranch, then Austin dropped me off at the Pacific Crest Trail trailhead on the north side of town at 4 p.m. I took off running north toward Indian Flats campground with the intention of turning around 8 miles in. I passed a group of hikers who were heading down when I was on my way up. The run was beautiful and the trail was in great condition. It climbed 1,500 feet up to 4,444 feet above sea level, where I actually reconnected with a portion of the trail that I ran in March.

Naturally, the descent was faster but I ran out of daylight by the time I caught up to the group of hikers. I chatted with these guys for a bit, and they were a fun bunch. It turns out they are all school teachers who hike together and are attempting to do the whole PCT in sections gradually over the years!

With my headlamp guiding the way, I finished up the last 1.5 miles along the dark road back to the ranch for 17.5 miles—a total of 20.5 miles for the day. After my recovery routine, I prepped my gear for an early wake up and another long run the next day.

On Saturday morning I was running by 6:30 a.m. and headed south to the PCT intersection on the 79. From there, I set off into the woods along a stream and climbed up to a clearing where I entered a wide-open rolling meadow that spanned as far as the eye could see. I was averaging a comfortable 5 miles per hour with a plan to turn around after four hours or 20 miles. At mile 6.5, I crossed paths with the same group of hikers from the evening before! They were completing the Barrel Springs to Warner Springs section of the PCT. Here’s a picture of their group:

I continued on and reached Barrel Springs in two hours. I noted the six jugs of water in the shade under a tree and planned to refill my hydration pack on my return trip. From here the trail climbed for the next hour and then continued above San Felipe Road until my turn around point, four hours in. Click here to see where I was.

I bring my iPhone along on these outings because of its lightweight camera, the GPS functionality and, of course, the phone in case of emergencies--but I seldom ever get service in the remote areas I run. So it was interesting when at the turn around point in my run, I randomly got a text from my brother! I took a photo of the amazing view of the valley below me and sent it to him with the subject line, “Wish you were here: mile 20 of 40!”

Next I called my parents, who were boating on the river in our home town. After checking in with them, I was excited to begin the 20-mile run back to Warner Springs and set off on my way. The next two hours were uneventful and I comfortably cruised into Barrel Springs a little ahead of schedule because of the major descent out of the San Felipe Hills. I topped of my hydration reservoir and set out in the heat of the day for the final two hours.

My legs stayed strong for the entire eight hours, and my hip was fine too. It’s only a little sore now after the fact, but I got back to Warner Springs right on schedule and was very pleased with my first of two peak training weekends.

This weekend I’m off to the mountains for my final peak training weekend and a solo car-to-car attempt at the San Bernardino Traverse. The traditional route is a challenging day-hike with a car at both the start and finish, but I will only have one car and want to run as much as possible.

I’ll be going in reverse order, starting with San Gorgonio via Vivian Creek trail to get the monster 8-mile climb up to 11,500 feet done as my warm up, then run all nine peaks along the ridge above 10,000 feet, down from San Bernardino peak to Angelus Oaks, where I’ll have cached water the day before. Then I’ll finish off the final 10 miles on the road (between yellow markers on map) back to my car at the Vivian Creek trailhead. Here’s a map for a better idea.

The journey IS the destination

2009-06-10T14:48:00.000-07:00

I ran the San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon while wearing a POV (point-of-view) camera to film the race and somehow managed to run the race in under 4 hours, with a negative split of 10 minutes. This was my first “major marathon,” so I had never run with so many people before. It was like the entire San Diego endurance sports community was either out running the race or cheering from somewhere along the way. It was powerful stuff, and I had a blast out there. Here's a shot of my buddies in their post-race pose-down (three no-longer-marathon virgins in this picture):

+(Giselle, Noelle, Austin and Jake)+

The 230+ miles I logged in May--which included a couple road marathons and tons of hilly run-commutes with a backpack on--fatigued my legs and compromised my biomechanics. I’m now nursing an overuse injury in my hip area that was inflamed all of last week. After soliciting some advice, I got ART and massage work done and was also prescribed cross-training. I’m going at full tilt with two sessions per day and a rotation of yoga classes (heated to 90 degrees), pool swimming (kick board work too), 1-hour elliptical sessions (with sweatsuit for heat training), lower-body resistance training, myrtl routine, cycling, ActiveX, and LSD runs (long slow distance). I'm happy to report that inflammation and tightness are already gone, so I'll be attempting to get some quality miles in the weekend on the PCT out of Warner Springs.

Last Saturday, I went on a mellow 30-mile ride along the 101 with my buddy Nick and then drove out east to Cuyamaca State Park with my friend Kam to volunteer at the SD100. We hung glowsticks along the trail between miles 58 to 70. We ran the whole way, but stopped often (80 times!) to hang the glowsticks. This completed my trail work required to participate at the VT100. It was pretty cool to be at the event as a volunteer and see how much work goes in to putting on an ultra marathon. I respect all that volunteers, crews, pacers and event directors do for us athletes. It was also a treat to run along the beautiful PCT and encourage the passing runners and their pacers (some solo). They all thanked us for hanging the glow sticks. It was a really cool experience.

Visit my photo site to see the album. Here is my favorite shot from the day:

I’m going to attempt to run long this weekend, but I have no idea how peak training is going to play out because of my hip. I’ll be sure to post a report next week once I’m back from the ActiveX Charity Challenge Endurance Camp. Also, check in next week for more on my "peak training" (And yes, pun intended—you’ll see).