So the whole blog thing was lost on me in 2009 so here's a recap of the last 3.5 years:
2009: First 50K Montana De Oro; Grand Canyon R2R2R completed 42 miles in 16.5 hours
2010: Wildflower Olympic, new job, elected President of San Diego Mountain Rescue
2011: Got engaged, Wildflower Olympic, Liz moved back to CA, busy with work and SDMRT
2012: Wildflower Olympic, got married, new old job, back to just a member of SDMRT
2013: Wife's in nursing school so I have lots of time to train again!
So, a preliminary race schedule:
Feb: San Dieguito Half Marathon
May: Wildflower Olympic
June: RnR San Diego
August: Montana de Oro 25K
September: Superfrog Half IM
Yes, folks, I am finally going to do a half IM! I love SuperFrog: location, what its about, and the course. So, immediate goals are:
Stay Healthy (been sick most of 2013 so far)
Get a Tri Bike
Get a Coach
Get a Plan
Mark
Friday, March 01, 2013
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
RSF 17-miler
I completed the Rancho Santa Fe 11-mile course Saturday night. I got home around 7 p.m. after seeing Ariana and decided, with Liz doing the SDIT on Sunday, I needed to run that night. Headed out through the lagoon and got into a good pace. Got to San Dieguito Park around 8 p.m. and headed into RSF.
The course is almost all pedestrian/equestrian trails that follow roads or go through easements between properties. I didn't see another runner the whole time! I guess the RSF crowd doesn't walk their dogs either! It is a great course with rolling hills, stables and ridiculous homes to ponder -- just what do you do with 15,000 square feet?
Ran out of light about 8:30 and got the head lamp out. I expected a sucurity patrol to stop me but never saw them. I'm sure they had other more serious crimes to attend to, like missing golf carts, trampled flowers or the Country Club party getting "out of hand" (I could hear it all the way from the driving range).
Seriously, it was a really good run. I called Liz at 9 to let her know I was OK. I didn't tell her I was still in the middle of RSF -- didn't want to worry her before her big race. I confessed to it later, so karma was hopefully restored. The only bummer was going home on Lomas Santa Fe pavement/concrete. I thought a lot about where I'm at and concluded, I am "livin' it right"!
Adding the 5 miles to get to and from the start (San Dieguito Park) from home, I ended up doing 17 miles in about 3:30. Did some walking but mostly ran at 9:30 to 10:00 pace. Only issue was my feet hurt coming back on the pavement. Legs feel good -- maybe I can do this long distance stuff.
The course is almost all pedestrian/equestrian trails that follow roads or go through easements between properties. I didn't see another runner the whole time! I guess the RSF crowd doesn't walk their dogs either! It is a great course with rolling hills, stables and ridiculous homes to ponder -- just what do you do with 15,000 square feet?
Ran out of light about 8:30 and got the head lamp out. I expected a sucurity patrol to stop me but never saw them. I'm sure they had other more serious crimes to attend to, like missing golf carts, trampled flowers or the Country Club party getting "out of hand" (I could hear it all the way from the driving range).
Seriously, it was a really good run. I called Liz at 9 to let her know I was OK. I didn't tell her I was still in the middle of RSF -- didn't want to worry her before her big race. I confessed to it later, so karma was hopefully restored. The only bummer was going home on Lomas Santa Fe pavement/concrete. I thought a lot about where I'm at and concluded, I am "livin' it right"!
Adding the 5 miles to get to and from the start (San Dieguito Park) from home, I ended up doing 17 miles in about 3:30. Did some walking but mostly ran at 9:30 to 10:00 pace. Only issue was my feet hurt coming back on the pavement. Legs feel good -- maybe I can do this long distance stuff.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Xterra Malibu Creek
So begins my training for R2R2R. What better way to guage your ability then a hard Xterra trail race one week after Wildflower? My friend Cami and I drove up to LA Friday night, had dinner in Topanga then woke early Saturday for the race.
Malibu Creek State Park is where M*A*S*H was filmed and a really pretty area. Even though I lived in LA, I'd never been. The race is a 14 mile trail run wtih 2,500+ feet of climbing and descending, including "Bulldog" which is 1,500' up over a couple of miles.
We ran through along and across the creek then headed up. My heartrate was maxed trying to run and I found power walking to be more effective. I passed a number of "runners" this way. At the top were treated to a beautiful view of the fog covered valleys with the peaks sticking out.
You reach the highest point at mile 6 and the rest is rollers with a big downhill at mile 10. Traversing around the rim of the canyon was great with views on both sides. I hit the big descent and let my legs go to see what I had. I felt this would give me an idea of how I'd feel during the descents in the Grand Canyon on R2R2R. I felt good going down and was surprised to find I had no soreness in the hips, knees or ankles after.
I caught Cami in the flats around mile 12 and we ran in together for a time of 2:27. We had a great time after with Brent, Rachel, Mark and the other SD folks who showed up.
Great location...great event...great confidence boost. Now to find a 50K in August that isnt' super hot!
Malibu Creek State Park is where M*A*S*H was filmed and a really pretty area. Even though I lived in LA, I'd never been. The race is a 14 mile trail run wtih 2,500+ feet of climbing and descending, including "Bulldog" which is 1,500' up over a couple of miles.
We ran through along and across the creek then headed up. My heartrate was maxed trying to run and I found power walking to be more effective. I passed a number of "runners" this way. At the top were treated to a beautiful view of the fog covered valleys with the peaks sticking out.
You reach the highest point at mile 6 and the rest is rollers with a big downhill at mile 10. Traversing around the rim of the canyon was great with views on both sides. I hit the big descent and let my legs go to see what I had. I felt this would give me an idea of how I'd feel during the descents in the Grand Canyon on R2R2R. I felt good going down and was surprised to find I had no soreness in the hips, knees or ankles after.
I caught Cami in the flats around mile 12 and we ran in together for a time of 2:27. We had a great time after with Brent, Rachel, Mark and the other SD folks who showed up.
Great location...great event...great confidence boost. Now to find a 50K in August that isnt' super hot!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
R2R2R
So my so-called friends Paul and Mykl decided to do the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim without me, eh? Hmmm...nothing like being left off the list to motivate me to match or better their accomplishment...
Seriously, running the Grand Canyon has been on my list for awhile. Why? I could say "because it's there" but that would be inadequate. I've been to the GC several times and, however perverse this may sound, running it seems to be the best way to experience it. You avoid the mules, tourists and expense of riding, hiking or rafting it. You get serious exposure to the geography and you get it done in a day.
BTW, the "run" is 48 miles with 10,000+ feet of gain and 10,000+ feet of loss. Ouch!!!!
I had talked with my friend Shannon last Fall and we both had interest. So, when I saw Paul's trip report, I emailed her about doing it and the answer was "yes"! She added her friend Megan so now we have a team of a surgeon, an ER doc and a Wilderness First Responder, so we should have the medical taken care of! So, onto the training...
Oh, I haven't even done a marathon yet...what am I thinking?!? Well, I've done some pretty long runs/hikes/climbs at elevation, so I think putting in the miles + some serious elevation is the main thing training wise. So, now I'm planning on running up some of the local mountains I usually hike up like San Jacinto (10,834'), San Gorgonio (11/060') and doing lots of hill repeats!
I'll mix in some Xterra races, a 50K and some crazy long bike rides as well.
Can you say "ultra"?
Seriously, running the Grand Canyon has been on my list for awhile. Why? I could say "because it's there" but that would be inadequate. I've been to the GC several times and, however perverse this may sound, running it seems to be the best way to experience it. You avoid the mules, tourists and expense of riding, hiking or rafting it. You get serious exposure to the geography and you get it done in a day.
BTW, the "run" is 48 miles with 10,000+ feet of gain and 10,000+ feet of loss. Ouch!!!!
I had talked with my friend Shannon last Fall and we both had interest. So, when I saw Paul's trip report, I emailed her about doing it and the answer was "yes"! She added her friend Megan so now we have a team of a surgeon, an ER doc and a Wilderness First Responder, so we should have the medical taken care of! So, onto the training...
Oh, I haven't even done a marathon yet...what am I thinking?!? Well, I've done some pretty long runs/hikes/climbs at elevation, so I think putting in the miles + some serious elevation is the main thing training wise. So, now I'm planning on running up some of the local mountains I usually hike up like San Jacinto (10,834'), San Gorgonio (11/060') and doing lots of hill repeats!
I'll mix in some Xterra races, a 50K and some crazy long bike rides as well.
Can you say "ultra"?
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
MtW
So our adventure this month was climbing Mount Whitney the hard way...the fabled Mountaineers Route. This is the most direct route to the summit and presents 3rd and 4th class rock in the summer. A winter ascent presents steep snow and ice -- true alpine adventure!
We were expecting ice in the gully that leads up to summit block but a freak storm the weekend before dumped 2-3 feet of snow on the mountain. This led to winter climbing in summer conditions. So we prepared for all conditions -- rock, ice, snow.
My climbing companions were Matt and Marie Sparks (from the TriClub) and Rich Dow ( from the Search and Rescue team). Rich and I left San Clemente Wednesday afternoon followed by Matt and Marie. We were at Whitney Portal by midnight.
Thursday found us ready to go after a quick breakfast. We followed the main trail to the branch that takes you up the canyon to the Boyscout Lakes. We contoured up canyon to the Ebersbacher Ledges. The ledges present a slight technical challenge with 3rd class rock scrambles made harder by full packs. Some exposure here but not bad. Once on the plateau, we ascended to Lower Boyscout Lake for a well-deserved break. The clouds were clearing, giving us glimpses of the mountain above.
After our break we followed the trail up through a gap to Upper Boyscout Lake, our camp for the evening. This is where the snow started. We encounter deep snow pockets and alternated between following others tracks and postholing. Upper Boyscout is exposed but the conditions were amazingly calm and warm so we just set up on the ledges south of the lake. After an early dinner was shared, we holed up for the night.
Friday morning was glorious -- clear and calm. We broke camp and headed up the slope above Upper Boyscout to the next canyon. This got a little technical with hard ice in the morning. We alternated using crampons where necessary. We followed the canyon to the cliffs that lead up to Iceberg Lake. This got a little technical with rock, ice and exposure. After ascending to the Iceberg plateau, we made camp near the lake and spent the afternoon practicing self arrests and taking in the scenery.
Saturday -- Summit Day -- found Rich and I up by 5:30 a.m. with Matt and Marie ready by 6:30 a.m. We set off up the gully and found the going slow by soft snow. The lack of progress was offset by the incredible views.
We continued up the gully to the gap and assessed the summit blocks. The normal summit route is up the 4th class rock from the gap but today there was too much snow and ice to safely climb this route. The alternative is to contour the north side of the summit block until the ridge leading up the summit can be reached. We decided this would be the best route. The only downside to this route is the exposure. There is a gentle slope for 30 meters below the summit blocks, then a 60+ degree slope about 3,000 feet all the way down the mountain! So we were careful when we had to negotiate around rocky sections. The only real technical challenge was a little corner that had a chockstone that we had to climb over. We accomplished this by sticking our axes in behind the rock and pulling ourselves up and over it. This stone would factor into our climb again with more dramatic effect.
Once we gained the ridge the hard part was over. Just a slow walk (above 14,000 feet now) to the summit and we had done it! We hung out in glorious sunlight for 30 minutes enjoying the 360 degree view, eating and drinking. There was a 30 mph wind the entire time so we hung out in the lee of the USGS hut until we were ready to descend.
We headed back down to the north face and followed our tracks down. Upon reaching the corner, I placed my axe behind the chockstone and testing the hold. To my great surprise the stone moved about 4 inches. The heat of the day must have melted the ice holding the stone in place. Lucky for us earlier it was still frozen in place. The stone was 8-10 cubic feet and weight 200-300 pounds. Not good if we had pulled that out on top of ourselves on the way up!
We re-assessed our situation and decided to try to negotiate the slope around the rocky corner. This proved dangerous as the slope was frozen solid and we were staring at the 3,000 drop off. So we went back to the corner. We decided to pull the chockstone out since it was going to come out sooner or later. We gave it a nudge with an axe and the stone shot out of the corner, rocketed down the slope and came to rest about 60 feet down in the soft snow. Now the corner was a simple down climb!
We made the gap and rested. Then descended the gully in easy conditions. We spent the rest of the afternoon watching other groups ascend and descend the gully in various stages of exhaustion. After an early dinner, I hiked out on the Iceberg plateau and made phone calls to friends and family.
Sunday found us anxious to complete the trip and return home. I didn't eat well Saturday night or Sunday morning and bonked at the ledges. Not a good place to run out of energy. After some sugar from Rich and Matt, I found my legs and we competed the hike out to the portal. After a well-earned hamburger at the portal, we were on our way home.
Climbing Whitney in alpine style has been goal ever since I started climbing way back in college. I couldn't have picked a better group to climb Whitney with. The conditions were challenging but not extreme. The weather was amazing. As usual the scenery was spectacular. Can't wait to return with Matt and do the East Face or Buttress!
Mark
We were expecting ice in the gully that leads up to summit block but a freak storm the weekend before dumped 2-3 feet of snow on the mountain. This led to winter climbing in summer conditions. So we prepared for all conditions -- rock, ice, snow.
My climbing companions were Matt and Marie Sparks (from the TriClub) and Rich Dow ( from the Search and Rescue team). Rich and I left San Clemente Wednesday afternoon followed by Matt and Marie. We were at Whitney Portal by midnight.
Thursday found us ready to go after a quick breakfast. We followed the main trail to the branch that takes you up the canyon to the Boyscout Lakes. We contoured up canyon to the Ebersbacher Ledges. The ledges present a slight technical challenge with 3rd class rock scrambles made harder by full packs. Some exposure here but not bad. Once on the plateau, we ascended to Lower Boyscout Lake for a well-deserved break. The clouds were clearing, giving us glimpses of the mountain above.
After our break we followed the trail up through a gap to Upper Boyscout Lake, our camp for the evening. This is where the snow started. We encounter deep snow pockets and alternated between following others tracks and postholing. Upper Boyscout is exposed but the conditions were amazingly calm and warm so we just set up on the ledges south of the lake. After an early dinner was shared, we holed up for the night.
Friday morning was glorious -- clear and calm. We broke camp and headed up the slope above Upper Boyscout to the next canyon. This got a little technical with hard ice in the morning. We alternated using crampons where necessary. We followed the canyon to the cliffs that lead up to Iceberg Lake. This got a little technical with rock, ice and exposure. After ascending to the Iceberg plateau, we made camp near the lake and spent the afternoon practicing self arrests and taking in the scenery.
Saturday -- Summit Day -- found Rich and I up by 5:30 a.m. with Matt and Marie ready by 6:30 a.m. We set off up the gully and found the going slow by soft snow. The lack of progress was offset by the incredible views.
We continued up the gully to the gap and assessed the summit blocks. The normal summit route is up the 4th class rock from the gap but today there was too much snow and ice to safely climb this route. The alternative is to contour the north side of the summit block until the ridge leading up the summit can be reached. We decided this would be the best route. The only downside to this route is the exposure. There is a gentle slope for 30 meters below the summit blocks, then a 60+ degree slope about 3,000 feet all the way down the mountain! So we were careful when we had to negotiate around rocky sections. The only real technical challenge was a little corner that had a chockstone that we had to climb over. We accomplished this by sticking our axes in behind the rock and pulling ourselves up and over it. This stone would factor into our climb again with more dramatic effect.
Once we gained the ridge the hard part was over. Just a slow walk (above 14,000 feet now) to the summit and we had done it! We hung out in glorious sunlight for 30 minutes enjoying the 360 degree view, eating and drinking. There was a 30 mph wind the entire time so we hung out in the lee of the USGS hut until we were ready to descend.
We headed back down to the north face and followed our tracks down. Upon reaching the corner, I placed my axe behind the chockstone and testing the hold. To my great surprise the stone moved about 4 inches. The heat of the day must have melted the ice holding the stone in place. Lucky for us earlier it was still frozen in place. The stone was 8-10 cubic feet and weight 200-300 pounds. Not good if we had pulled that out on top of ourselves on the way up!
We re-assessed our situation and decided to try to negotiate the slope around the rocky corner. This proved dangerous as the slope was frozen solid and we were staring at the 3,000 drop off. So we went back to the corner. We decided to pull the chockstone out since it was going to come out sooner or later. We gave it a nudge with an axe and the stone shot out of the corner, rocketed down the slope and came to rest about 60 feet down in the soft snow. Now the corner was a simple down climb!
We made the gap and rested. Then descended the gully in easy conditions. We spent the rest of the afternoon watching other groups ascend and descend the gully in various stages of exhaustion. After an early dinner, I hiked out on the Iceberg plateau and made phone calls to friends and family.
Sunday found us anxious to complete the trip and return home. I didn't eat well Saturday night or Sunday morning and bonked at the ledges. Not a good place to run out of energy. After some sugar from Rich and Matt, I found my legs and we competed the hike out to the portal. After a well-earned hamburger at the portal, we were on our way home.
Climbing Whitney in alpine style has been goal ever since I started climbing way back in college. I couldn't have picked a better group to climb Whitney with. The conditions were challenging but not extreme. The weather was amazing. As usual the scenery was spectacular. Can't wait to return with Matt and do the East Face or Buttress!
Mark
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Baldy
No, not me...Mount Baldy, or to be accurate, Mount San Antonio. My off-season goals were to do more SAR-related activities. So when the opportunity to climb Baldy with Matt Sparks came up, I jumped.
Baldy rises 10,064 feet above sea level, so we drove up Saturday and hiked up the Sierra Club Ski Hut (8,300') to acclimate. The ski hut has been around since 1930 and is a great day hike. The hut sits below Baldy Bowl, a great place for backcountry skiers.
After practicing glissading and arresting, we retired to the hut for a nice evening of food and music from our new Sierra Club friends. Great company and vibe. Thank you Matt for supplying the "official" pre-climb beverage!
We got a reasonable start Sunday up the bowl and practiced anchors and belays on 35-40 degree snow slopes. We then topped out of the bowl through one of the steeper chutes and progressed to the summit and tea. Thanks again Matt!
Back to the car by 4:30 p.m and then to Matt and Marie's home for a great meal. Thanks guys!
Well, its almost Spring and I have no events on my calendar...gotta get moving on that!
Baldy rises 10,064 feet above sea level, so we drove up Saturday and hiked up the Sierra Club Ski Hut (8,300') to acclimate. The ski hut has been around since 1930 and is a great day hike. The hut sits below Baldy Bowl, a great place for backcountry skiers.
After practicing glissading and arresting, we retired to the hut for a nice evening of food and music from our new Sierra Club friends. Great company and vibe. Thank you Matt for supplying the "official" pre-climb beverage!
We got a reasonable start Sunday up the bowl and practiced anchors and belays on 35-40 degree snow slopes. We then topped out of the bowl through one of the steeper chutes and progressed to the summit and tea. Thanks again Matt!
Back to the car by 4:30 p.m and then to Matt and Marie's home for a great meal. Thanks guys!
Well, its almost Spring and I have no events on my calendar...gotta get moving on that!
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