Post Nationals

So taking the first period of racing off and using that time to stay home and prepare better for Nationals paid off. I had my best results at Nationals in a couple of years. I unfortunately picked the wrong skis for the 30k mass start, but considering the vast difference in ski speed between myself and those in the top 5, i was able to stay in the race for a good portion simply off of how great the body felt. A little frustrating for sure, but overall it was great to finally feel fast and be in the mix.

Taking some time to work on my much needed tan.....

Start of the skate sprint

So now, Mark and I are hanging out in Steamboat Springs, CO preparing for a 5 day min tour in Minneapolis, MN. 4 distance races and a sprint qualifier should make for some exciting finishes.

So many Skis

Nov. 30 2011

First Time Trials on Snow

11.18.2011

Well The start of the actual race season is upon us here. Alaska has been blessed some some great early season snow up in Hatcher Pass and over the last few weeks, here in town. The best part is that we didnt only just get enough to ski, we got dumped on! The skiing has been fantastic in town and has allowed for some great training. The early snow has also allowed for some really quality time trials. We have had 2 really solid distance TT's so far and 1 sprint TT in soft snow.
     Our first classic TT was up in Hatchers on a cold morning (8 degrees). The course has a lot of climbing and the conditions were fairly nice with a little bit of snowfall overnight. As usual for Hatchers, I was the first go on course followed 30 seconds later by my arch nemesis and training partner Mark. Although it was colder than anyone had planned, i was surprised by how well the body was moving for the first TT. I was able to gauge where Mark was in comparison on a few sections of the course, but was otherwise just trying to go as hard as i could to find time anywhere i could. In the end after 12ish kilometers of racing, Mark had the better of me by 5 seconds (and close to 2 minutes up on third). I was pleased with the first TT race of the season and was more motivated to get the season underway.
     Last week we had a double TT with a classic sprint TT and a skate 10k. The sprint TT went well enough and although i was 5 seconds from the winner of the prelim, the rounds went well. My speed is still coming back and improving each week.

     The Skate TT went a little better. The course was a two lap huge climb course. Boding in my favor, i enjoyed the hard climb and definitely went into the red zone. I was unravelling pretty bad over the last kilometer, but managed a win by 3 seconds over Mark. We were 45 seconds up on third. We have some good skiers on our team and Mark and I are looking well. This really gets us fired up for the season coming up.

Start of the Fall.

Hey All,
     Its been a while since my last post and I will be remedying this now that things are gearing towards racing season. Training and work have really taken there toll on my day. I am wishing that there was at least 3 more hours every day when im driving home at 9pm from all the days activities and still having to get some dinner going. It generally doesnt get much easier as you get older in the athlete world, but never stops being rewarding.
     Training has been going very well this summer to say the least. Taking into account the whole "Total Training Load"philosophy, I have felt much less of the typical demotivation that comes with lots of training. Ive been working a lot and trying to train effectively at the same time. This in addition to trying to maintain a fairly non-existant social life, i've had to dial a few things back and as im seeing now, the benefits have been positive. Although I still feel tired on a regular basis, I dont find myself in the "eternal hole of sticky tar" feeling. Ive done quite a few training sessions by myself this summer and for the most part have been on my own schedule. Mark has been pretty consistant with the team schedule with glacier camps and such and makes a good gauge for me to compare my own fitness. Our workouts as of recently have been good for me to see where my body is at compared to the rest of the team as well. My fitness has been in a really good place and although slightly out of sync with the team, im doing better than i thought in the different categories of training.
     My goal this season is to prepare the best i can for US nationals in Rumford, ME in January and wont sidestep the fact that my priority is to be on the podium. Seeming as this is also a year with no major championships such as Olympics or World Championships, I have planned to stay home for most of the early season. This is a significant difference from the typical 6-7 weeks on the road. I am excited to actually be home for some holiday seasons this year! This wil also allow me to maintain a very structured training program preparing me to race at my best for US Nationals. Im excited.
     One new thing I would like to try and incorporate into my blog this season is suggestions for training. I have found myself at work being asked a plethora of training related questions from a variety of customers. These questions allow me to answer and at the same time analyze my own training. So if there are any questions out there from my few extremely bored readers out there in regards to anything training related. I would love to approach the ideas and discuss them.
    In the mean time, everybody get out and be active and have fun.

BK

Lost Lake

8/29/2011

This was my first time running in the Lost Lake race in Seward, AK. I have always wanted to run it, but there have been numerous things that have kept me from it. This grueling, but beautiful 15.5 miler was simply unreal. The weather was warm and cloudy at the start of the race. There had been some recent rains, so the majority of the first climbing 5 miles was interspersed with thick mud and general wetness. I was confident that i could stay with the lead through the climbing section of this race, but very quickly after the start I found myself running a little hot, and i dont mean good looking. Knowing that i havent done as much running as these other guys in front of me (Jerry Ross (2:24 Marathon), Brandon Newbould (2:25 marathon) and Eric Strabel (2 time Crow pass champion)) I had to make sure i had some legs for the running sections. I held back just enough to keep my effort in that comfortable hard feeling. At the top of the climb, I had found myself pulling back Brandon and Eric who had run away from me a couple miles earlier. I pressed the first part of the rolling ridgeline right after the climb and i brought Brandon to within 15 seconds. I held that for about a mile.... until Brandon found his legs again. Each mile after the climb was faster for me and i was feeling better and stronger as the miles clicked away, but unfortunately i also watched the more seasoned runners gain valuable seconds on me with each mile. Apart from the start, I only saw Jerry just before the descent on a very long gradual climb... well out in front. I was running just over 5 minute pace for the last four descent miles, but still managed to lose some time on those guys. I finished in 4th about 1.5 minutes behind Eric and about 5 minutes behind Jerry. I felt like a hero and couldnt have raced better for where my fitness is at for running. My hat goes off to the three in front of me for really throwing down some great times in what ended up being an extremely wet and muddy race. I have no more races for the summer season and from here on out its going to focused on preparing for Nationals.

Brent

More than just a race

August 7, 2011

     I cant help it at this time of year now to think about last years endeavor at the Trans-Alpine run. I am asked quite frequently if i am planning on going back this year or if I have other grand races of equal magnitude coming up. I want to go back. This year though, I will leave it to Patrick and Harlow.
    Harlow Robinson and Patrick Conway will be Alaskas new tough guys at the TAR this year and I will watch and read with great anticipation on the sidelines here at home. They are keeping up a blog to describe their approach and race so as to provide insight as to the mental and physical strain they will be put through. I enjoy rereading the stage summaries that Brandon wrote last year and comparing it to Pat and Harlow's pre race posts, they seem to be in the same mindset we were at this time. Although i will venture to say that between Brandon and I, Harlow and Patrick are well informed about what to expect. I still laugh a bit at how ignorant i was beforehand.
     What i like best about reading these pre-race post from Patrick and Harlow is the sense of understanding between the two. This isn't the type of race that you can do with just anyone. In this race, you are only as good as your teammate. You have to function as one, and to do that you must trust each other. Harlow apparently gave Patrick the option of choosing another teammate when Harlow's knee went off the deep end, but Patrick was seemingly unwilling to do the race with anyone else. This to me is the sign of a team that will prosper in this race.
     I grew up with Brandon and spent a lot of miles getting to know him. He has been one of my greatest friends, but i was surprised at the end of the TAR how much more i learned about him. I am not talking about the simple things like how he likes his hamburger layered, Im talking about the will power within. The TAR is one of the most grueling and tough races i will ever do. I learned a lot about myself too.
      By the tail end of the race, I found myself pulling adrenaline and guts out of somewhere within that i didnt know existed. My mind would shut off and pure determination would take over. It was as if the world around me disappeared and all that was left was the thin band of packed down gravel in front of me. Its a surreal feeling to be at, but i think that it the the feeling that the best athletes in the world learn to embrace. Perhaps Ive only skimmed the outside of that realm, but it was having my teammate there that I was able to find that determination. Your teammate in a race like this the most important choice you can make in my opinion. Unless you are able to work as one unit, the race is unlikely to go in your favor. I have a feeling that Patrick and Harlow will experience something similar to Brandon and I, an awakening within.
   

      We had a classic time trial a little over a week ago now that happened to go better than expected. I have been staying very consistant with my training here in town, but cant help but feel like I should be up on the glacier putting in the 25-30 hours of on snow time and having the in depth technique work. I occasionally feel like my fitness is not as fine tuned as the others. I think this is only natural. So when it came time to time trial, I was unsure as to how it would go. Apparently I had missed out on the conversation the day before when the mens team had decided to take the pace out hot and push the double pole section (the race consisting of a 8k rolling double pole section followed by a 3k uphill climb). The first part of the double pole section was pancake flat and I fell in line and was relaxed. That feeling was very short lived as the paced ramped up and I found myself at my breaking point trying to hang on. With about half a kilometer to go before the climb, the pace seemed to ease just enough for me to catch my breathe. Lars and I had done some killer intervals up this hill about a month earlier and I was really psyched after words. I thought about this as we started into the climb. My legs felt strong enough and i decided to set a solid L4 pace up the hill. I went to the front and Mark immediately latched on. Just past the 1k mark on the hill, the  Marks pole plants behind me seem to fade. I kept the tempo high and by the 2k mark, I glanced back and saw nobody there. The pace i set was a little faster than i should have gone as the last kilometer saw me unravel. I dialed back just enough to keep my form together, but im not sure there was any part of me that wasn't loaded with lactic acid. I crossed the finish line and immediately fell into my poles gasping for air. Mark came charging in about 25 seconds behind me and soon after him Erik Bjornsen, one of our new juniors to the team. My goal was to be sub 29 minutes on the course and i felt the effort was worthy of that at the vary least, but my concept of time when working out has never been fantastic. Marks first word to me were surprising. "I think that a new record dude". Last year, Mark set a blistering pace on the time trial to win in 28:13. Unknown to me, but apparently to others, Lars Flora skied to a sub 28 minute a few years back. My first inclination was that he was talking about my personal best, which was 28:33. I would have been stoked with that. Marks next words were even more surprising; "That was like 27:30 or something". I couldn't wrap my head around that. The effort was a huge personal best. I just went hard. Shut off my brain and attempted a pace i wasn't comfortable with. FUN






 You can read it at http://teamchugach.blogspot.com/.

The Real Season Start..... Mt. Marathon

7-8-2011

Ok, so it has definitely been a while since my last post and i hope to remedy the situation with more updates on what going on in my training and racing world. Lets start with a brief synopsis of what has happened over the last couple of months.
     After a fairly mediocre end of the ski season in Sun Valley, my focus and motivation were lost. I took a couple of weeks off to simply try and get rested and feel ready to train again.  I started my training again full time about week before the Heart run.  I raced the Heart run and ran a solid 15:26 or so. Not too bad. I came back a week later for another road 5k in Palmer and raced to a second place finish in 15:36, which also garnered me about 300 bucks in cash. I just beat out my training partner Mark. Next was Brian Gregg's wedding (one of my former UAA teammates and very good friend on the race circuit). On a dare by the great Rob Whitney, myself and a few others from the wedding party found ourselves at an ultramarathon race nearby the day after the wedding (not a great time to choose to race by the way). We all signed up for the 25k race which is considered the whoosy event in the ultra races, but whatever. I was able to fend off a formidable ski and trail racer by about a minute and a half for the win, although i wont mention that the first female was not far off... oh crap. I had a good week of training and finished it off with my first ever Ski To Sea race. What a blast that was! Because it was early in the season, this was one of the harder 6k races i have done. I finished a solid third in the nordic leg (first leg) and set a good momentum for our team which eventually finished 9th.
     This brings us to about a month ago. At this point in the year here in Alaska, Mt. Marathon is what is on everybody's minds. Bird Ridge is usually the first race to gauge the mountain runners fitness for the upcoming Mt. Marathon race and notably the most prestigious race in Alaska. I get swallowed up in this because i love mountain running and like most others in the mountain races, I want to win. This typically takes my mind away from ski training just a bit to focus on getting faster in the mountains. I also use these races for motivation as well. A good time and effort up either Bird or Mt. Marathon can keep me fired up for a while.
     The race up Bird was solid with the formidable Rob Whitney coming back onto the scene and setting the third fastest time ever up the hill. I finished in third about a minute back and about thirty behind Mark. It was a slightly disappointing and really good race at the same time. It was my second fastest time up the mountain, but was still a minute back. Oh well. Mt. Marathon is a different race.
     Mt Marathon was a good day for me. I had a really solid uphill time and downhill time. Eric Strabel was the man of the day at the end as he surpassed me just before the bottom of the mountain and held his small margin to the finish. I broke 45 minutes on the course which is a huge PR for me. I felt good about the race and I am now motivated for next year.
     So here we are up to speed. For now the mountain running scene goes on the back burner. I am ready to do some good ski training now and see if I can find my way back onto the podium this year!