This year was definitely full of ups and downs. I had
several good training blocks that would essentially be negated by several weeks
of relative inactivity due to injury or race recovery. Most of my races were
quite disappointing, which (in hindsight) isn’t that surprising—most of my
races occurred in Leadville above 10k feet elevation with relatively little altitude
acclimation. However, my totals for the year were an improvement over 2011,
where I ran 1,800 miles and 246k feet of vertical—progress, right? So it seems
that I’m well on my way to building a solid base for some decent racing seasons
in the future. Hopefully 2013 sees more improvement. We’ll see how well
vagabonding around South America and training for mountain running pair
together.
While I hope to compete in a few races around South America
I think just getting back to the simple act of running with no real agenda will
be somewhat blissful. That being said, I do have some lofty aspirations for
while I’m in South America—think tall mountains, big circuits, and deep canyons…
The past year or so has been quite amazing for me. Sometimes
I forget all of the incredible things I’ve seen and done due to the simple act
of running. The “year-end review” may be cliché, but I thoroughly enjoy it. Not
to throw out stats or anything like that. I enjoy the opportunity it presents
to look back through photos and re-live all of the great people, places, and
things I came to know in the last twelve months. It also fills me with
excitement for the coming year.
Without further rambling here are my stats (blah!) for the
year followed by some of my favorite photos from my outings. Enjoy!
Miles: 2,500
Time: 514 hours
40 minutes
Elevation Gain:
524,150 feet
Summits
Flagstaff: 104
Green: 64
Sanitas: 15
Bear: 3
South Boulder: 3
Greys/Torreys: 3
North/South Arapaho
Peaks: 1
Mount Humphreys:1
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| Pass Mountain 50k near Phoenix, AZ (Photo: Nick Coury) |
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| Climbing in Ten Sleep Canyon, Wyoming (Photo: Dave Weidinger) |
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| Chatting with the master before the LT100 (Photo: Rob Timko - I guess he does take photos of things other than Laurie sleeping) |
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| Staying warm before starting the LT100 with Alan and Mike (Photo: Lori Carlson Smith) |
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| Making breakfast after a nice morning run in Ten Sleep Canyon (Photo: Dave Weidinger) |
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| Tasting the rainbow before the Leadville Marathon (Photo: Rob Timko) |
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| All smiles in the LT100 (Photo: Tim Gormley Jr) |
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| Climbing in Ten Sleep (Photo: Tom Seymour) |
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| Just a little roll of the ankle |
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| Sunrise run up Flagstaff and Green |
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| Second roll of the ankle in less than two weeks |
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| Soaking in the creek after a nice, long run |
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| My happy place :) |
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| It's not a run without a little blood or a little mud |
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| The good stuff... |
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| Sometime you just have to relax a little |
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| Manitou Incline...It's a beast... |
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| First trip up Greys and Torreys. JV is somewhere way up ahead... |
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| Swollen foot with a dead nail after the Estes Park Marathon. Getting ready for "surgery" |
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| Some Flatirons scrambling with Alex Vidal |
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| First run in Indian Peaks Wilderness |
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| Flowers in Indian Peaks |
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| Spent a lot of time in Leadville this summer |
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| View from Greys |
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| Heading up Hope Pass |
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| Green Mountain summit shot |
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| Hope Pass access |
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| On top of Hope Pass |
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| Apparently this is what I look like after running ~60 miles above 10k feet (Photo: Rob Timko - I think) |
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| Heading up Hope Pass |
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| Peaceful sunrise over Turquoise Lake |
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| Running around Cloud Peak Wilderness in Wyoming |
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| El Taco Blanco in Ten Sleep Canyon |
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| North and South Arapaho Peaks |
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| Sunset in Indian Creek |
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| My home at Indian Creek |
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| Looking down from the Arapaho Traverse |
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| Pure bliss in Indian Creek |
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| Sunset run in Canyonlands National Park |
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| Get up and get moving! |
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| Heading up to the Inner Basin in Flagstaff, AZ. I have a thing for Aspens |
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| Summit of Mount Humphrey's, the highest point in Arizona |
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| One of my true loves, the Grand Canyon |
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| Climbing in Indian Creek |
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| Heading up Mount Sopras near Carbondale, CO |
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| Confluence Point in Canyonlands National Park |
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| Mount Sopras :) |
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| Hidden Valley trail in Moab, UT |
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| Wild horses as I try to sneak my way into Grand Canyon National Park |
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| View from the Pass Mountain 50k start/finish area |
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| A quad-crushing decent down to the Colorado River via the South Kaibab Trail in the Grand Canyon |
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| Canyonlands National Park run recommended by Jeff Valliere |
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| Canyonlands National Park |
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| Slot canyon in Canyonlands National Park |
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| Canyonlands National Park |
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| How I felt before quitting work and roaming around |
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| When "Big Brother" gets bored watching me this is what happens... |
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| Finishing the Leadville Trail Marathon. Big thanks to Vi for the fuel to get me there! (Photo: Rob Timko) |
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