US Skyrunning 2017 Schedule

The schedule for US Skyrunning has been announced. Here are the VK races coming up. These are my primary interest. I'll share them with you here.

VERTICAL K:

1. CALIFORNIA: Tahoe VK – Lake Tahoe – June 16

2. NEW YORK: Whiteface VK – Wilmington – July 8

3. COLORADO: Audi Power of 4 VK – Aspen Snowmass – August 5

4. MONTANA: Lone Peak VK – Big Sky – September 1 (SWS)

5. ARIZONA: Flagstaff Sky Race VK – Flagstaff – October 7

[LINK] to more info

Training:

So what am I recommending for training?

Right now I'm doing decline treadmill 5K's with a target less than 30:00. Over the next few weeks I'll be evolving into alternating with 25% treadmill 5K's with a target of less than 72:00. That will be tough, I'm sure.

Additionally I'm cross-training with Cycle Commuting, with a general target of about 80 miles per week, with the occasional off-road MTB ride, maybe 15-30 miles total. If the weather isn't cooperating, or just for some power endurance, I'm doing trainer work, trying to get in at least 16 miles in 60:00. That's tough because we have a Kinetic Trainer, so there isn't an "easy" setting.

What's just around the bend? Hang on, come back soon, and I'll share how I'm going to mix this into sport specific training for a VK.

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Frary Peak Raceday

From our results email:

Hey peoples,
First, thanks to everyone who came out today.  Other than the rather large mosquitoes, it was a pretty good day for a hill climb. Hopefully everyone had a reasonably good time, well, except for that little climb. Anyway, results are now posted on https://ultrasignup.com/results_event.aspx?did=33962

Anatoliy set a new course record of 54:51, besting last year's mark by a bit over 30 seconds. Don't forget the half marathon and 50k next month if you're so inclined to run something a bit longer. Buffalo chili, beer, soda, and coffee mugs at the finish line. Hope to see you there.

We arrived at the parking just before the gate and checked in. We drove past the turnoff for Frary Peak, but that allowed us to see buffalo at sunrise, so it was a good thing we did. At the Frary Peak Trail Parking I checked in for a 9:06 start. 

The trail was a blast, and the few runners I talked to were also having fun. I got an official time of 1:24:47, which coincides with Strava pretty well.

I'm totally digging that suffer score. I came in 22nd of 31. It's a great start as I train for my goals next year.

• Pikes Ascent (half marathon)
• Big Sky VK
• Elbrus Race 2016

I'll have to do a half at a 11:00 pace or better to qualify for the ascent. For me that pretty much equates to a very flat trail, or a slightly downhill road half. I was going to attempt a Halloween Half, but I won't be able to peak that quickly after this one.

I also want to do a few more VK's over the year, so I'll have to stay on top of that. You too, stay in the loop.

Frary Info - Night Before The Race

Well, tomorrow [as of last night] is the big day.  Here's the particulars for tomorrow.

Race check in is at the large parking lot near the main entrance to the island.  Check in starts at 7am and will go thru 8:30.  After that, oh well, better hurry out to the start.

Once you check in, drive out to the island, bear left, then turn down the road that goes to the ranch.  Drive south for about 5 miles and you'll see the Frary Peak turnoff.  Go up to the upper parking lot and that's where we'll be.  I'll have a couple of signs out.

The race starts at 9am with the first two runners.  After that, two runners will start every minute until everyone is on the course.  Your starting order is largely based on who shows up first, so basically random.

There will be a couple of people up at the radio repeater to make sure you know where you're going.  You touch the side of the housing and head back down.  Lindsay will be up there taking your picture as well, so suck those guts in and make it look easy.

Trader Joe's is supplying all sorts of goodies for post race, bars, fruit, bagels etc.  I'll bring some sodas along as well as some sort of sports drink and water.

Weather looks pretty good right now but there is a storm rolling in during the afternoon, so hopefully we'll beat it.

There will be race day sign up for your friends that want to pay an unreal amount of money to run a 10K, so bring them along.

Stretching the morning of the Flagstaff VK

Frary Peak Hill Climb

See More: [LINK]

Finish Line for Flagstaff Vertical Kilometer October 2, 2015

Frary Peak Hill Climb

October 17th, 2015

Want to run a ~10K on Antelope Island? Want some serious vert during that ~10K? Want a shirt with a cool logo on it?

Here’s The Scoop

Basically you run up the Frary Peak Trail, touch the radio repeater near the summit, then run back down. But there’s a little twist, it’ll be a time trial type start. We’ll start 2 people every minute. The reason for this is that first, it’s something a little different, and second, the trail is so narrow, that in order to accommodate 50-75 people, we have to do it this way. Plus, there’ll be tourists and hikers on the trail and a huge herd of runners bearing down on them may scare them a bit. Start times are randomly assigned, so you might be paired with the eventual winner. You won’t be sure of your finish place until well towards the end of the race. Adds a bit of interest.

Here’s a link to the route. http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=514500

It’s just under a 10K and I guarantee that you won’t PR unless it’s your first 10K.

Top 10 Reasons to Run Frary Peak

I mean, have you ever seen the sunrise on that side of Antelope Island before? No?! What the heck is wrong with you?! It’s stunning. The light is golden. Seriously. The trail is epic. Narrow, winding ridgeline trail that serpentines its way to the peak and gives you a glimpse of the back of the island you’ve probably never seen before. It’s pretty cool. Plus, it’s short. I mean, don’t get me wrong—it’s freaking steep. But, the payoff is worth it, if you like the downhill.

Anyways. I know you’re doing that thing you do, where you’re like, “yeah, but I don’t know. What if I’m kinda lame, and I want to chicken out and not do it, and sit at home instead?” I gotcha. Don’t worry. I’m waaaaaay ahead of you. Here’s a quick list of the top 10 reasons the Frary Peak Hill Climb is your must do Fall race:

Read the rest HERE

Stretching after camping and before the Flagstaff VK October 2

Frary Peak Teaser

Description

So, the Frary Peak Hill climb is a new race on the island.  Basically you run up the Frary Peak Trail, touch the radio repeater near the summit, then run back down.  But there’s a little twist, it’ll be a time trial type start.  We’ll start 1-2 people every minute.  The reason for this is that first, it’s something a little different, and second, the trail is so narrow, that in order to accommodate 50-75 people, we have to do it this way.  Plus, there’ll be tourists and hikers on the trail and a huge herd of runners bearing down on them may scare them a bit.   Here’s a link to the route. http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=514500

It’s just under a 10K and I guarantee that you won’t PR unless it’s your first 10K.

MORE INFO

Training Run - BST near Provo, UT

Preparation and Schedule Trivia for the Arizona Sky Race Vertical K

Event Schedule Friday, October 2
10:30 AM – Vertical Kilometer Start at Sunset Lift
1:00 PM – Vertical Kilometer Course Closed
2:00 PM – Awards

VK Race Day Packet Pickup
Will be available at the start line at Sunset Chairlift starting at 9:30 AM. Please have your summit drop bag ready to go at 10:00 AM.

VK Drop Bags
Vertical K runners may have a finish line drop bag for the top of the mountain. These must be given to us at the start line by 10:00 AM to be transported to the top of the mountain.

Race Website LINK

View of Utah Lake from Bonneville Shoreline Trail

Getting ready?
Friday, Sept 25, trim fingernails
Sunday, Sept 27, trim head and beard
Monday, Sept 28, trim toenails

Stats on the Incline Treadmill Monday

Training?
Monday, Sept 28 - Treadmill 1500' at 30% and Glute-Ham Raises
Tuesday, Sept 29 - Stairmaster 20:00 @ 75 spm
Wednesday, Sept 30 - planned: Elliptical actual: Rest Day!
Thursday, October 1, Rest Day!

Goals?

1. Finish under cutoff: 2:30
2. Beat Quandary Vertical K Winter Route PR 1:43
3. Beat Quandary Vertical K Summer Route PR 1:35
4. Beat Olympus Saddle Vertical K PR 1:23

Note in screenshot from Strava that I beat my old minute increment bests by a good 10 minutes and maintained a 644 VAM. My recent training runs on the foothills of Timpanogos indicate that I should be able to sustain about 660 VAM now. I would love to achieve that.

Olympus Saddle PR

My Olympus Saddle Vertical K PR of 780 VAM. A worthy goal, but not in line with recent efforts. Looking to see if my training and resting protocol pulls me through this race in Arizona.

Logistics?
Driving down Thursday, Camping in Coconino National Forest Primitive Camping. Heading over to Ski Area Friday morning. Racing. Leaving after awards to return to Provo, UT.

Weather for camping near Arizona Snow Bowl

Camping Thursday

Location: Off Snowbowl Road on the southern flank of the San Francisco Peaks, north of Flagstaff, AZ. LINK
GPS (Map): 35°17'36.8"N 111°42'10.6"W

Access: From Flagstaff drive north on US 180 for about 7 miles to FR 516 (Snowbowl Road). Drive approximately 2.25 miles on this paved road to a dirt road, FR 522, and turn right. The Dispersed Camping area begins about a quarter mile from Snowbowl Road.

Afterwards?
Saturday I will be cheering for my 14 year old at his CX (Cyclocross) Race in Draper, UT.

Link to last Saturday CX Race in Ogden, UT HERE

Hill Repeats on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail near Provo Utah

Running on Mount Olympus at Dawn

One of my other upcoming goals, in addition to the Vertical K in Arizona on October 2nd, is another mountain running event in Utah on October 19 that is quite close in character to the run on Mount Olympus up to the creek and back from the parking on Wasatch Blvd.

There was a great opportunity to head in to work early and run on Mount Olympus. The office I work at is near the trailhead, so it was fairly simple to pack a bag of work clothes (casual is the norm at work) and drive in the dark at 5:30 AM to the trailhead parking.

I got out on the trail about 6:20 AM in the dark. Slowly the sky lit up and the city lights dimmed. Going felt slower than normal up the trail. I've been doing splits the past few weeks. That's a protocol in which you do two workouts a day. I've also been cutting, or trying to burn off some fat to be lighter for the Vertical K. My legs felt really dead. At the creek crossing, about 1.7 miles up the trail I paused to shoot a short video and then returned to the car. I did feel really fast on the descent. It felt really good. I got to work at 8 AM and spent the rest of the day burning fat. Great fun run.

Later I was able to check my Strava feed and while I didn't come anywhere close to a top personal finish for the ascent, I did get a PR for the descent. The Vertical K has quite a bit of descent to it to make up for the relatively short vertical of the Arizona Snow Bowl ski resort at which it's being held. I've been training a lot of descent for this. That felt really encouraging.

Video From Mount Olympus at the Creek Crossing

Mount Olympus at Dawn
Running in the dark, just as the sun rises, along the steep trail to the creek crossing on Mount Olympus. Training for vertical. Skyrunning. Article with pics: http://elbrusraceteam.blogspot.com/2015/09/running-on-mount-olympus-at-dawn.html
Posted by Seven Summits Body on Friday, September 25, 2015

be sure to register and stay in the loop

Hill Repeats On the Bonneville Shoreline Trail in Utah County

Short Video on Facebook:

Hill Repeats
Getting some hill repeats in on the mountain outside American Fork UT. The Bonneville Shoreline trail on the benches above the Utah Lake valley. Training for Skyrunning event October 2 near Flagstaff, AZ. Stay in the loop and learn about training for such an adventure.
Posted by Seven Summits Body on Thursday, September 24, 2015

I did about a mile to warm up, then at the base of a short but steep hill on the dirt road I did some hill repeats.

• Pick a hill to run up. 
• Go up as fast as you can. 
• Walk down. 
• Repeat.

Hill Repeats sound simple, right?

My hill today was pretty short, about 80' of elevation gain in a little over a hundred yards. I was able to get in just under 8:00 pace running up it. I did 10 laps of the hill, walking gently down. I also train running down, but that would be another article.

I've got another hill near me that is about 200' high over a little less than a half mile and I normally do only 5 or 6 repeats on that one. It just depends on your goals and your training programming. Mix it up a bit and see what works for your own circumstances.

Vertical K Race Event Training

I have a Vertical K race coming up October 2nd near Flagstaff AZ. I've been working hard on my vertical speed and endurance and have had to shift some of my goals around to accommodate it.

The Vertical K, as you might recall, involves an ascent of 1000 meters, 1 kilometer, roughly 3,300' of elevation gain with a  maximum distance of around 5k or less. That's only 3.1 miles. Quandary is approximately a Vertical K trail.

I've been working training here in Utah, and a little in Colorado over the past few months. This requires a little less overall distance over the course of the week. Sadly there is a half marathon coming up that is a must-do with a time goal. So that training has to stay in the mix with a long run each week adequate for a half in 6 or so weeks.

More details are coming, so be sure to register at the end of the video for the newsletter so I can share my training with you. If you are a trail runner, skier, mountaineer, or a hiker or trekker, you'll want to come along for the ride and try some of my training tips.

Hill Training Day
Posted by Seven Summits Body on Saturday, September 19, 2015

This week I'm cutting down on weights quite a bit and working on trying to keep my legs refilling with essential nutrients and chemicals to be fresh and ready. It's only 2 weeks to go.

Quandary PR's - Skyrunning Vertical K Training

I've commented before that Quandary, with 3400' of gain in 3.2 miles is essentially a Vertical K and I've been working hard to make some progress on blasting past my PR's. I posted some articles about how I was working that during the winter and now I have made a summer attempt.

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Quandary Skyrunning Vertical K Video

Video report on my Quandary PR's last Saturday. Fun times making it. Don't forget to click the "Sign Up" button at the end to qualify for a super freebie coming your way soon. I can hardly wait for this one.
Posted by Seven Summits Body on Saturday, July 11, 2015

Be sure to click the "Sign Up" link at the end of the video to qualify for a super sweet freebie deal coming up quick that I know you'll love.

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I was able to knock 9 minutes off my previous summer best ascent, and nearly 30 minutes off my summer round trip best time. It was really difficult and I feel great. Can I knock off another 6 minutes and come in under 1:30:00? Time will tell. I do know a few spots that added up would be about 2 minutes. Another 4 beyond that would be dang tough.

Summit of Mount Rainier, Columbia Crest, with Liberty Cap behind

I did a road 10k PR on June 6, and a Quandary Vertical K PR on July 4. It's been a week of recovery and some intense alternated with light training to get the recovery process in motion. Next week I get to get back into a more intense longer stretch of training.

BTW: a few weeks ago I also did the Emmons Glacier Route as a group co-leader on Mount Rainier. With all the pro and gear I think my pack was over 50 lb. on the way up, and since one of our group had to be evacuated with HAPE we ended up splitting their gear up on the way down. That was pretty heavy. I could feel that all the way down on Quandary.

Just below the 14,265' summit of Quandary in Colorado

So I'll keep you in the loop for all the training news if you stay tuned right here. Thanks.