Whitney 5.0 Was My Fastest

We started at 2:04am and walked in the dark till we got to Trailside Meadow (5.3 mile / 11395 feet). We took it easy until we entered the Whitney Zone and then we picked up the pace a bit.

Our leader Debbie organized this trip and 8 of us started at 2:04am. David lead the way and here he is overlooking the Trailside Meadow.

This section of the hike from Mirror Lake (4.3/10640) is always hard for me going going up and especially descending. Trail Camp (6.3/12039) is only 2 miles away but it is a hard 2 miles. One climbs 1400 feet in 2 miles which is a 13% average grade. Plus the trail is not always clearly defined because it goes over so many rocks.

One of the few easy parts of this section is when you get to walk along side the creek.

Sometime, I would like to stop and enjoy this creek but usually I am in a hurry to get up or in a hurry to get back to my car.

The sun came up as we got to Trail Camp.

Plenty of campers at Trail Camp. In the past, there has been some snow on the way to this camp site and the lake is often frozen. This year it was very dry, in fact last year at this time the switchbacks had a lot of snow on them.

I caught up with David at Trail Camp before he headed up the Switchbacks.

Garrett at Trail Camp.

Shay at Trail Camp.

David heading up the Switchbacks.

The Cables (7.7/12820)

Snowball fight at 13,000 feet.

This trail block was not fun to climb over.

Just realized she was low on water, so it was Bear Gryles time.

Trails Crest

Just completed the JMT in 14 days!

Just completed the JMT in 14 days!

Trails Crest  (8.5/13777)

JMT (9/13480)

David summited in 7:11.

This snow field was not fun to cross.

My Hoka One Ones got the job done!

My third summit was also my fastest (8:22).

Summit (11/14496)

I only stayed about ten minutes at the summit.

Their first summit, 12 hours after they first meet.

Lupe

Debbie

Patty

Finished at 5:08pm (15:02)

Started at 2:04am

Whitney 5.0 - Summit to Outpost Camp

Mt Whitney 5.0 - JMT to Summit

Whitney 5.0 - Trailside Creek to the Cables

Whitney 5.0 - Cables to JMT

Second Heartbeat | Alpine Works

That is where my dearest and brightest dreams have ranged — to hear for the duration of a heartbeat the universe and the totality of life in its mysterious, innate harmony. Hermann Hesse 
After soloing the first flatiron for the first time, TK and I got a quick scramble up the second just before the rain.


Second Heartbeat | Alpine Works

Whitney 5.0 - Trail Camp to the Cables

Your Ultra-Training Bag of Tricks: Speed-Based Workouts

The Importance of Speed
Ultrarunners are tough. We must be in order to fulfill the demands we ask of our bodies and minds during long distance events. Undoubtedly, there comes a time in most races when an ultrarunner’s mental and physical mettle is put to the test. Though short in duration, performing challenging speed-based workouts is a way to simulate pushing through difficult race-day scenarios by learning to overcome the body’s desire to slow or, worse, stop.
The need for speed work has been hotly debated in the ultrarunning community. Geoff Roes and I present our respective cases in Bryon Powell’s book, Relentless Forward Progress.


Your Ultra-Training Bag of Tricks: Speed-Based Workouts

Sharman Ultra: How to train for...Western States 100

This posting continues my irregular articles with tips on how to train for various major world ultras which I've personally run several times. I've been top 10 at Western States in 2010, 2011 and 2012, having run two different snow routes and the official course too (finally!), with a best time of 15:54 and improving my time each year by 46 minutes exactly. So I now feel that I've learned enough about the race to be able to give a few useful pointers for anyone planning on running this iconic event. This isn't a definitive guide and many people are far more experienced with the course than myself, but there are things I've learnt along the way that you may find helpful, as have runners who I've coached for the event.

Sharman Ultra: How to train for...Western States 100

Over the Peak and Through the Pines: Hardrock Impressions

The reason the air feels extra thin isn’t any environmental reason (as a matter of fact, most areas are more humid than traditional dry peaks because there is so much greenery and water flowing everywhere (even in this dry year), the reason the air feels thin is because fear/stress in the human body causes inefficiency: increased blood pressure, headaches, asthma, etc. etc.. So, when they say “you have nothing to fear but fear itself” it’s basically, “you have nothing to fear but fear ruining your race.” Acclimation in this sense can’t be achieved only in an altitude tent; it has to be done in these massive mountains, in a hale storm freezing you to your core, in the middle of confusing cross country navigation, at the base of a gigantic climb, in the moments you hike past your comfort zone with confidence intact. This acclimation allows impossible performances like Kyle Skaggs CR, and Kirk Apt’s 17 finishes.

Over the Peak and Through the Pines: Hardrock Impressions

Training For a Self-Supported Stage Race

Training to run a multi-day ultra is one thing. Training to run a self-supported ultra over a week is something else entirely. I’m preparing for a 168-mile, seven-day event in September, and I’m either confident or foolish enough to believe I can log enough back-to-back long runs over the next two months, toughen my mental resolve and unlock the keys to nutrition and hydration to go the distance. To date, I have run one 100K and a handful of 50-milers.

Training For a Self-Supported Stage Race

A Trail Runner's Blog: Cruising the Black Hills 100m

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of joining 300+ runners for the second running of the Black Hills 100 Mile Run in Sturgis, SD, on a hot and sunny day. The views and trails were simply stunning, and although the course got the best of me (I dropped at mile 50), I had a great weekend meeting new friends and experiencing these wonderful and mystical mountains.

A Trail Runner's Blog: Cruising the Black Hills 100m

Life to the Utmost: Timothy Olson’s 2012 Western States 100 Race Report

 As I laid awake in my bed, buzzing with anticipation, just hours before the start of Western States I could feel the ground quivering with what was to come. I felt the walls and bed board rattling and it wasn’t my neighbors having a good time, either. There was a tiny earthquake around 8:30 Friday night, and even the mountains were trembling with excitement for the race to begin.

Life to the Utmost: Timothy Olson’s 2012 Western States 100 Race Report

Portrait of the Western States 100 Course Records

 In honor of Timothy Olson’s and Ellie Greenwood’s course record-setting runs at the 2012 Western States 100, here’s a tribute to the history of the Western States course records.

Portrait of the Western States 100 Course Records

7 Ways To Eliminate Foot Pain While Hiking | Erik The Black's Backpacking Blog

7 Ways To Eliminate Foot Pain While Hiking | Erik The Black's Backpacking Blog

Origins of U.S. Olympic Team - ESPNHS

For most of USA Track and Field's recently minted team members for the upcoming Olympics Games, their path to London first traveled through California, whether it be via the high school route, the collegiate path, or both.

Through Friday's finals, former Golden State preps have accounted for more than twice the Olympic Team membership than that of any other state. 


Origins of U.S. Olympic Team - ESPNHS

Hiking Mt Whitney: Tallest Mountain in the Lower 48 States | OPAdventureTeam.com

Hiking Mt Whitney: Tallest Mountain in the Lower 48 States | OPAdventureTeam.com

All-Area candidates: Girls track and field - BakersfieldCalifornian.com

All-Area candidates: Girls track and field - BakersfieldCalifornian.com

All-Area candidates: Boys track and field - BakersfieldCalifornian.com

All-Area candidates: Boys track and field - BakersfieldCalifornian.com

Raw and Uncut 2: Ramblings with Jimmy Dean Freeman | Trail Runner Nation

Raw and Uncut 2: Ramblings with Jimmy Dean Freeman | Trail Runner Nation

Krissy Moehl Post-2012 Western States 100 Interview

Krissy Moehl Post-2012 Western States 100 Interview

Foot strike Patterns of Men and Women at the US Olympic 10K Trials | Runblogger

Foot strike Patterns of Men and Women at the US Olympic 10K Trials | Runblogger

Jorge Maravilla Post-2012 Western States 100 Interview

Jorge Maravilla Post-2012 Western States 100 Interview

Patience: Ellie Greenwood’s 2012 Western States 100 Race Report

 Sometimes running your best is about not running at all, or at least knowing when not to run yet having the faith in the running you have already done in the months leading up to a big race. This could not have been more true for me before this weekend’s Western States 100 miler. I had raced a hard 89km downhill effort on roads just 20 days prior (Comrades), yet for any ultra runner a 20-day taper into a race seems unfathomably long

Patience: Ellie Greenwood’s 2012 Western States 100 Race Report

Tim Noakes on the Serious Problem of Overhydration in Endurance Sports | Outdoor Adventure Blog | OutsideOnline.com

 South African exercise scientist Dr. Tim Noakes wants to change the way endurance athletes think about hydration. He believes that, over the course of the last 30 years, people have been scared into drinking too much fluid while exercising. As a result, he says performance has suffered and people have died. He’s counted a dozen deaths in endurance events caused by exercise-associated hyponatremia, a condition that results when athletes drink too much fluid.

Tim Noakes on the Serious Problem of Overhydration in Endurance Sports | Outdoor Adventure Blog | OutsideOnline.com

2012 Western States 100 - a set on Flickr

2012 Western States 100 - a set on Flickr

2012 Badwater Race Zine

It's here! The 2012 Badwater Ultramarathon Race Magazine:
Note that we decreased the Race Magazine size a few years ago in order to save trees. If you print a copy, PLEASE be sure to set it to print two pages to a page (since the pages are half of a normal page size). Thanks to Kevin Fung for the design and layout, and to 508 veteran Bob Corman of Team Spike the Wonder Dog who will publish the printed version!

Ryan Sandes Post-2012 Western States 100 Interview

Ryan Sandes Post-2012 Western States 100 Interview

Rory Bosio Post-2012 Western States 100 Interview

Rory Bosio Post-2012 Western States 100 Interview

Footfeathers: How to be an Ultra Pacer - Part 3 "Case Study"

 Ok, now that we all have a grasp of how unglamorous pacing truly is (travel on your own dime, taking time off work, telling a grown person when to eat, often moving at a pace that makes you feel as though time is actually going backwards, and watching your runner cross the line to loud applause, hugs, medal, buckle, and other accolades while you stand alone off to the side, soup broth stains on your shirt, picking burrs out of your socks, and wondering where you can get a beer at 4 o'clock in the morning), we can now look at a case study in the form of one's pacing duties at Western States 100 from last weekend.

Footfeathers: How to be an Ultra Pacer - Part 3 "Case Study"

Ellie Greenwood 2012 Western States 100 Champ Interview

Ellie Greenwood 2012 Western States 100 Champ Interview

Timothy Olson 2012 Western States 100 Champ Interview

Timothy Olson 2012 Western States 100 Champ Interview

AJW’s Post-2012 Western States 100 Commentary

AJW’s Post-2012 Western States 100 Commentary

Hardrock Qualifying Standards

 Each year, we are faced with the difficult problem of how to choose 140 starters from nearly six times that many applicants, while still respecting the values that make Hardrock Hardrock. The Board feels that our ideal mix of runners would be 25% first-time Hardrockers, 25% veterans (i.e. >= 5-time finishers), and 50% everyone else. To preserve this mix, we are replacing our single weighted lottery with three weighted lottery pools, each with its own wait list:

Hardrock Qualifying Standards

Chase is on again for Billy Nelson - BakersfieldCalifornian.com

 Billy Nelson got a taste of the Olympics in Beijing four years ago, and that's made him more motivated as the 2012 London Games approach. Nelson, a 2002 graduate of Taft High School, will enter the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials as top-rated in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

Chase is on again for Billy Nelson - BakersfieldCalifornian.com

Weissenbach at Oly Trials - ESPNHS

Harvard-Westlake High's Amy Weissenbach, the 2011 and 2012 California state high school champion in the two-lap event, came up short in her bid to advance to the next round of the Olympic Trials.

Weissenbach, who was coming off the final curve and was readying to unleash a final burst of speed, had her momentum trampled while trying to avoid a late-race spill in first-round action of the 800-meter run.

Weissenbach at Oly Trials - ESPNHS

Fast Times to Placer High: 2012 Western States 100 Results

 Ellie Greenwood summed up the 2012 Western States 100 well when she said to fellow champion, Timothy Olson at the finish, “It wasn’t good weather, it was fast weather.” Indeed, it was downright miserable for the first 40 or more miles with temperatures barely cracking 40F (4C), winds, and rain mixing with hail. Downright miserable.

Fast Times to Placer High: 2012 Western States 100 Results

Timothy Olson & Ellie Greenwood 2012 WS100 Finish Line Interviews

Timothy Olson & Ellie Greenwood 2012 WS100 Finish Line Interviews

2012-13 Montrail Ultra Cup Schedule

2012-13 Montrail Ultra Cup Schedule

New Sandbag Rule's Results

2012 Sandbaggers after second race (301 runners):

http://www.bakersfieldtrackclub.com/2012ss2.pdf

Footnote on Sandbag enforcement, by rule they are placed back to 31:00 Clock time.
(1) Runner exceeded their 5:00 min. improvement limit by 5:33, subsequent improvement will result in further penalty.
(2) Runner exceeded their 5:00 min. improvement limit by 2:26, subsequent improvement will result in further penalty.
(3) Runner exceeded their 5:00 min. improvement limit by 0:45, subsequent improvement will result in further penalty.
(4) Runner exceeded their 5:00 min. improvement limit by 2:19, subsequent improvement will result in further penalty.
(5) Runner exceeded their 5:00 min. improvement limit by 1:22, subsequent improvement will result in further penalty.
(6) Runner exceeded their 5:00 min. improvement limit by 3:10, subsequent improvement will result in further penalty.
(7) Runner exceeded their 5:00 min. improvement limit by 0:12, subsequent improvement will result in further penalty.
(8) Runner exceeded their 5:00 min. improvement limit by 0:07, subsequent improvement will result in further penalty.

2011 Sandbaggers after second race (280 runners):

http://www.bakersfieldtrackclub.com/2011ss2.pdf

Footnote on Sandbag enforcement, by rule they are placed back to 31:00 Clock time.
(1) Runner exceeded their 20% improvement limit by 11:24, subsequent improvement will result in further penalty.
(2) Runner exceeded their 20% improvement limit by 4:48, subsequent improvement will result in further penalty.
(3) Runner exceeded their 20% improvement limit by 1:51, subsequent improvement will result in further penalty.

2012 San Diego 100 Mile Endurance Run

A Trail Runner's Blog: 2012 US Olympic Trial TV Schedule

Friday, June 22 — TV COVERAGE: 6-8 PM PST on NBCSN

3:10 PM Men’s 400m First Round
3:35 PM Women’s 400m First Round
5:00 PM Women’s 800m First Round
5:20 PM Men’s 800m First Round
5:40 PM Women’s 100m Hurdles First Round
6:00 PM Women’s 100m Qualifying
6:45 PM Men’s 10,000m Final
7:20 PM Women’s 10,000m Final
A Trail Runner's Blog: 2012 US Olympic Trial TV Schedule

Footfeathers: How to be an Ultra Pacer - Part 2

 Before you meet up with your runner it helps if you've been crewing for him over the first sections of the race, so you can see the gradual transformation from happy, clean, likable person, to filthy, hobbling, scratchy-voiced, grouchy shell of a human.  With any luck, you will grow a tiny seed of pity for the poor slob, which will hopefully give you at least a touch of patience. 

Footfeathers: How to be an Ultra Pacer - Part 2

2012 Western States 100 Live Coverage

Saturday morning at 5 am local time (PDT), the ultrarunning world’s eyes turn to the Sierra Nevada where runners will embark upon the Western States 100. iRunFar team members Bryon Powell, Meghan Hicks, and Andy Jones-Wilkins, as well as a squad of adjunct reporters will be livecasting the event on iRunFar’s Twitter feed. We’ll be combining our twitter feed with other news sources in the below CoverItLive window, which also allows you to join in a discussion of the WS100.
Tell your friends. Join the discussion. Enjoy.

2012 Western States 100 Live Coverage

Disabled man with no legs climbs Mount Kilimanjaro: Spencer West scales mountain using his HANDS | Mail Online

Disabled man with no legs climbs Mount Kilimanjaro: Spencer West scales mountain using his HANDS | Mail Online

Killa Hilla Summer Challenge 2.0 - Track & Field Meet

Killa Hilla Summer Challenge 2.0 - Results

Review: HB Tune Hand-Held iPhone Case | Runblogger

 I generally don’t run with my iPhone (unless I forget my Garmin), but lately I’ve been trying out a few running apps for reviews I’m working on, and I’ve come to realize that not only do I hate carrying my iPhone on my arm, it’s also really difficult to see and manipulate an iPhone that is not held in-hand. I’ve long been a fan of hand-held water bottles, so the idea of holding my phone in hand when I run seemed like a no-brainer, but doing so without something to secure it in place was always an issue.

Review: HB Tune Hand-Held iPhone Case | Runblogger

To Be Chicked

 ‘To be chicked,’ I’ve looked it up. It’s not in the Oxford English Dictionary. It is, however, pretty prevalent on Google, though that may say more about the relevancy of Google compared to the OED in 2012 than anything else. It also seems to indicate that numerous male runners (and, I discovered, cyclists) have had women finish ahead of them in races and felt the need to coin a phrase for this. Or, shock and horror, female runners have happily used the term themselves when they are fairly content to have finished ahead of certain men in a race.

To Be Chicked

Study links childhood obesity to poorer math performance - BakersfieldCalifornian.com

Obese children face risks to their emotional and social well-being that can harm their academic performance, new research suggests.
The study, published Thursday in the journal Child Development, found obese elementary school children performed worse on math tests than their peers without weight problems.


Study links childhood obesity to poorer math performance - BakersfieldCalifornian.com

ESPN closing its high school business unit

ESPN is closing its high school business unit, reports SportsBusiness Daily, which includes its ESPNHS.com website, two magazines and its event management service, which staged all-star events and high school games at Disney World. With the closing in mid-September, about 75 staffers will lose their jobs.

ESPN closing its high school business unit

2012 Western States 100 Men’s Preview

 It’s become trite, but once again, one of, if not the best 100 mile field of all time will be lining up in Squaw Valley the morning of Saturday, June 23rd. Start with the fact that every single man from last year’s Top 10 reentered this year, throw in a wicked talent infusion by way of Montrail Ultra Cup entries, and cap that off with a pair of stellar international additions and we’re talking a historic race. We’ll preview these natural groupings before sharing a few other notable entries.

2012 Western States 100 Men’s Preview

2012 Western States 100 Women’s Preview

 As good as the men’s field will be at this year’s Western States, the women’s field might very well represent a larger percentage of the world’s top trail ultra talent. Eight of last year’s Top 10 are scheduled to come back, a ton of talent was added via the Montrail Ultra Cup, and Lizzy Hawker comes to America via the the international entry option. That’s not to mention the many other great runners racing this year. It’s almost easier to note who’s missing from the field than who’ll be there. Actually, it would be easier, but that’s not how we do things here at iRunFar. So, without further ado, the women of the 2012 Western States 100!

2012 Western States 100 Women’s Preview

2012 adidas Grand Prix - ESPNHS

 In the boys mile race, Stockdale of Bakersfield sophomore Blake Haney, who placed third at last weekend's California state championships, enjoyed a lifetime-best performance by clocking 4:09.43 while placing 13th in the 15-runner field. The time was not far off of Elias Gedyon's sophomore state record 4:08.69 set at the 2009 Arcadia meet.

2012 adidas Grand Prix - ESPNHS

San Diego 100 Race Report: Course Record Run « Jeff Browning Ultrarunning Blog – Ultramarathons – Endurance Trail Running – Running 50K, 50 Miles, 100k, 100 Miles

The course is held 40 miles inland in the mountains east of San Diego. There is 15,800 feet of elevation gain. The course is known for being pretty technical, exposed (no trees) and windy. June is usually hot, typically in the 80s and windy on the ridge and 90s in the canyons. The hardest part is that, after mile 15, you NEVER, ever have shade until 72 miles into the race. The course starts and finishes at Al Bahr Campground on Sunset Highway and does a loop SW and then connects to the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail) and runs north hovering on a ridgeline between 4,500 and 6,000 feet overlooking the Anza Borrego desert to the east. The course then heads west and down into Noble Canyon (the hot part of the course) for a figure eight loop and back up Green Valley to the ridgeline and the PCT. Then a northern loop along the shore of Lake Cuyamaca, over Stonewall Peak and then down the drainage paralleling Hwy 79 as it descends toward San Diego, then back up to gain the ridge (at mile 51/80) and take the PCT back 20 miles south to finish at Al Bahr.

San Diego 100 Race Report: Course Record Run « Jeff Browning Ultrarunning Blog – Ultramarathons – Endurance Trail Running – Running 50K, 50 Miles, 100k, 100 Miles

the COYOTE BUSHIDO - "Way of the Trail Runner" | A Running Commentary on Life

1. Your Physical Health is Ground Zero

Running should enhance your health, not tear you apart. Recovery is key. Always keep in mind the point of doing this is to maximize your health/fitness/well-being. If you are constantly pushing, never taking time for recovery (especially if you’re prepping for “an ultra”) you will soon break down or burn out. Keep an eye on your energy levels, your health, and your physical aches-n-pains. Either we make time to self-maintain or soon we’ll be doing all the things we should have been doing all along while injured.

 

the COYOTE BUSHIDO - "Way of the Trail Runner" | A Running Commentary on Life

The Yin-n-Yang of Distance Running & Life: Patience VS Passion | A Running Commentary on Life

 What I'd love to leave you with is this: you are part flesh and part machinery and all heart + soul.  One needs both passion coupled with patience to maximize your potential in order to achieve all you are capable of accomplishing.  What area do you need to work on?  The work will reap many benefits.  Get after it, yo.

"Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in."

The Yin-n-Yang of Distance Running & Life: Patience VS Passion | A Running Commentary on Life

Dear Race Director | Trail And Ultra Running

Dear Race Director,
I hope this letter finds you well. I wanted to take a moment to share a few thoughts and feelings with you in the hopes that you can continue to foster our sport in the right direction. I’m sure you can understand an ultra-runner like myself, finding great need in attempting to protect something I hold so dear to my heart. It’s just natural seeing as I’ve noticed some changes you’ve made since I started running these things back in 2005. Please hear me out, I beg of you, so that together we can maintain a community that is fair, just, and which protects the valued sanctity and history of our sport.

Dear Race Director | Trail And Ultra Running

Surviving Your First Hundred – Part 2: Execution

 Happy June! The true meat of the racing season is here – it’s hundred-mile time. Earlier this spring, with the sterling silver still barely cooled in my Western States buckle, I highlighted several lessons that helped me survive my first hundred-mile race. Taken from “Deep Survival” – a resource on survival situations, I discussed the elements of preparation necessary for successful survival of a hundred mile event.
In this column, we’ll go over how to survive the event, itself. In the book’s conclusion, author Laurence Gonzales outlines the salient points of “how to act when in mortal danger.” And since everyone struggles in a hundred, these points apply to us all:

Surviving Your First Hundred – Part 2: Execution

Footfeathers: San Diego 100 - Race Report

My new Garmin 310XT died at 18 hours (they lie when they say it has a 20 hour battery life), so I didn't really have anything to push me. I crossed the line in 19:01, took a quick, cold shower, and crawled in my sleeping bag for a couple hours.

I wore my La Sportiva C-Lite 2.0s every step of the race.  I changed socks at mile 72.  I used one hand held bottle for miles 1-14, two hand held bottles (one with water, the other with electrolyte) from 14-72, then my 35 ounce Hydrapak vest to the finish.  I wore my Rudy Project photochromatic sunglasses.  I'd also like to thank Udo's Oil for their support and amazing product.  I use it every day and am constantly stunned by how well I recover since I started using it 9 months ago.

Footfeathers: San Diego 100 - Race Report

Longs Peak FKT (Keyhole Route) — Anton Krupicka

Longs Peak FKT (Keyhole Route) — Anton Krupicka

7 Trail Run Recovery Tips | Active.com

Icing and massage are just two ways runners can help themselves bounce back from tough runs and ensure they're ready to hit the trail again the next day. Here, Josh Shadle, the owner of AllSports Recovery Club in Boulder, Colorado, demonstrates the best stretches and products to ease post-run soreness, while Stacy Sims, a Stanford University exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist, provides advice on what to eat after a run.

7 Trail Run Recovery Tips | Active.com

Cottonwood Lakes to Mt. Whitney on Vimeo

Cottonwood Lakes to Mt. Whitney on Vimeo

ultraRUNNING Online - A Refresher Nutrition Course for Ultrarunners

How Nutrition Helps Increase Metabolism/Fat Burning

• Breakfast revs up metabolism by recovering liver glycogen from “overnight fasting” (sleeping).
• Eating one - two hours before exercise increases your body’s ability to burn fat.
• Consuming lower glycemic index (GI) foods post-exercise will help to burn fat longer. Or you can add protein, fiber and/or unsaturated fat to your high GI foods. Good snacks include small nut butter and fruit spread sandwiches on whole wheat bread, low-fat or non-fat yogurt, complex cookies like plain or wheat Fig Newton’s™, whole fruits, less-processed grains and cereals, a few nuts or fat-free chocolate milk. Try to keep the ratio about one part protein to four parts carbohydrate.
• Eating fiber (and water) with higher GI foods. Try to get three grams of fiber per serving. This will keep your blood sugar from “spiking”.

ultraRUNNING Online - A Refresher Nutrition Course for Ultrarunners

Countywide bike plan ready for public comment - BakersfieldCalifornian.com

Imagine being able to bike your way around Isabella Lake protected by painted bicycle lanes, or better yet, a paved path separated from the highway.
Or visualize new bike lanes in Oildale and east Bakersfield designed to help make commuting by pedal-power more feasible for everyday people.

Countywide bike plan ready for public comment - BakersfieldCalifornian.com

Sharman Ultra: Do Ultra Beards Make You Run Faster?

At the end of last year I made a few light-hearted predictions about ultrarunning in 2012, including that ultra beards would go out of fashion. From what I've seen so far this year the men with beards still have beards. But for anyone trying to emulate their achievements, the important question is...do beards make you run faster in the mountains?


Sharman Ultra: Do Ultra Beards Make You Run Faster?

ultraRUNNING Online - Browning, Tompkins Win at San Diego 100

Mount Laguna, California, June 10. Jeff Browning and Shawna Tompkins were winners of the 12th annual San Diego 100, held in the mountains about an hour east of the city center. Both runners led throughout most of the race. Tompkins, who finished sixth overall, cruised to a four-hour win over the second woman, Ronda Sundermeier.

The race features about 21,000 feet of vertical and is mostly run between the Pacific Crest and Lake Cuyamaca at 4000-6000 feet above sea level. Runners were treated to ideal weather, with starting temperatures in the mid-40s, warming to the mid-70s on the lower part of the course. Sunday proved warmer, but most of the runners were on the higher part of the course as the last 20 miles is mostly on the Pacific Crest Trail. Of the 191 starters, 131 finished within the 32-hour time limit.

ultraRUNNING Online - Browning, Tompkins Win at San Diego 100

Footfeathers: Race Preview - San Diego 100

 The course has also seen changes and is now quite a bit more difficult than it was a couple years ago.  Karl Meltzer owns the course record on the older, easier course with a time of 15:48 in 2006, when he ran uncontested (as usual) with a speedy Josh Brimhall coming in over an hour later.  For comparison, last year's winning time was 18:00, in a run by Dylan Bowman who fought off late charges by Yassine Diboun and Rod Bien in a tie for 2nd in 18:12.  I scampered in after suffering a poorly run race in 22:46 for 15th overall.  Dylan had already showered, had breakfast, and was planning his next race by the time I crossed the finish line.

Footfeathers: Race Preview - San Diego 100

6 Experts Share Their Weight-Loss Tips for Runners | Active.com

Matt Fitzgerald's Tip: Eat a Big Breakfast

Research shows that individuals who eat the most calories before noon actually eat the fewest total calories over the course of the day. It seems that eating a hearty breakfast reduces appetite in the afternoon and evening. In a recent Brazilian study, obese women who ate a large, 610-calorie breakfast every morning lost 21 percent of their body weight over an eight-month period, while obese women on a low-carb small breakfast diet lost only 4.5 percent of their body weight. The women on the big breakfast diet reported less hunger and fewer cravings throughout the day.
As a general rule, try to consume eat least 25 percent of your total calories for the day within an hour of waking up.

6 Experts Share Their Weight-Loss Tips for Runners | Active.com

How to Make the Most of Your Marathon Speed Workouts | Active.com

 Speed workouts are important for all runners, regardless of the distances they’re training for–even the marathon distance. The base of marathon training is long, steady-state running, but to maximize overall speed, even marathoners need to include interval or speed training in their routine.
But what does a marathoner speed workout look like? How often should you include them in your overall training? And how close to race-day should you back off doing speed workouts?

How to Make the Most of Your Marathon Speed Workouts | Active.com

8 Tips for Running in Hot Weather | Active.com

 Summer is a great time for being active and training for fall races. Whether you have more time on your hands, more daylight, or just the desire to get out and run, summer is a great season for training.
However, with summer comes high heat and you want to take precaution when doing your runs. Here are some tips for staying cool while running in hot weather.

8 Tips for Running in Hot Weather | Active.com