I have officially completed my longest distance race. I’m still not sure what to say about it, so…I’m just going to start this Crosscut 25k recap and see what comes out of the keyboard. The race start/finish is at Bridger Bowl ski area, and one of the lodges was open for warm ups/bag check/bathrooms. I […]
Mountain adventures
Backpacking Hyalite Creek trail
Do you need a (relatively) easy overnight backpacking trip in Montana? Yes; if you didn’t know before that you needed it, now you do. So here’s a recap of our trip last weekend, plus some useful things to know for backpacking Hyalite Creek trail. Hyalite Creek trail follows Hyalite Creek for 5.5 miles to Hyalite Lake […]
Traveled trails: one week from 25k
I am one week from 25K of trail running. Looking back over my training, I am not as well-prepared as I could be, but I am sufficiently prepared. Since this will be the longest distance I’ve raced (or run), that was my primary goal. Here’s my final week of training before the taper: Monday: Rest. Still […]
What to expect at your first trail race
Recent news in the trail running world has been all about the Western States, a 100-mile race with over 40,000 feet of elevation change. Ultrarunning’s extreme distances and climbs seem to claim most of the trail running spotlight, but if you’re a trail newbie, rest assured that you needn’t prepare for an ultra in order to […]
Traveled trails: week 7 of 25k training
This week went so much better than last week! Apart from a weird long run, everything went as planned. Here’s the week 7 recap of my 25k training: Monday: 4.1 mile easy run. Tuesday: Lower body strength workout. I finally got smart and went to the gym in the morning, because the gym does not have air […]
Traveled trails: (not) training and weekend misadventures
I’m just going to go ahead and say this was the most off-plan week of 25k training. Sure, there are a few weeks left, but if any of them are further off I’m not sure I should be running a 25k; therefore, this one will be the worst. Fortunately this week is already shaping up […]
Jim Bridger trail race recap
The Jim Bridger trail race is a 10-mile race in the Bridger Mountains. It starts out on private dirt roads, then traverses three trails through the mountains before heading back to the finish. You get to see those views above for a lot of the race. It also climbs way up and then drops all […]
Traveled trails: week five of 25k training
Quick summary of week five of 25k training: lots of climbing. Ran 10 trail miles and didn’t die. Overall very successful. Monday: 3 miles, 950 feet elevation gain. I had planned on 4-5 miles Monday, but: I hadn’t run this trail and it was steeper than expected, thus the ascent took longer than expected; and there […]
Hiking near Rocky Mountain National Park
A couple weeks ago we stayed near Rocky Mountain National Park with my family. In the park itself, we drove Trail Ridge Road and did a couple short hikes along the way. We did a lot more hiking near Rocky Mountain National Park, which offers some equally majestic vistas along with a better chance at solitude during […]
Traveled trails: week four of 25k training
No traveled trails post last week because I was in Colorado and thus not training. So does that make this week three or week four of 25k training? I’m not sure, but I’m sticking with the calendar and calling it week four. You know how sometimes after you return from vacation you need a week […]