Sempre a Correr

Something Like Summer

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Morrison) — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 13:27:00 +0000

Well you'd never know it from reading my blog, but training has actually been going quite well. The little racing I've done has been good too. In fact, I had a report on McDonald Forest halfway completed but just couldn't seem to find the time to finish it. Long story short, I had a solid run for 4th place a week after the Sunflower Marathon.

So then what have I been up to for last month or so? Well as I said, training has been solid, so that's keeping me fairly busy. I've also been working hard at the new store. Speaking of the new store, things are really going well at Fleet Feet Seattle. The store is looking really sharp, so if you haven't seen it in a while, come check it out.

It's hard for me to believe that it's already June 1st. Yikes! Can I make a confession? I'm going to miss being at Western States at the end of the month. As tough as that race has been for me and, as much as I know I need a break from it, I'm going to miss being there. There's definitely something special about that race. I've found myself out on runs lately daydreaming about States. Guess whose name is going to be back in the lottery next year? Something tells me that the Fat Dog 100 just isn't going to have the same allure.

Speaking of Western States, it should be another barn burner this year. As always it will be an incredibly talented field. I'm putting my money on Hal for the three-peat. Ya, there are definitely guys that could beat him, but I'm betting on Hal's experience and confidence. Oh, watch out for Phil Kochik too. He won the very last Ultra Cup spot into the race, and he's coming in very motivated.

Okay let's hope that this weather can start to resemble something like summer. I need to get out of the foothills and start running up in the cascades. A week ago Friday, I was snowed upon atop Mailbox Peak. That's just not right.

Good Times in the Valley

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Morrison) — Mon, 03 May 2010 02:48:00 +0000

Good friends, beautiful scenery, and a bit of running make for a fantastic weekend in the Methow Valley. Saturday marked the 30th anniversary of the Sunflower Relay and Iron event, and I was there to run it with a team of good friends...and all by myself. Yes, I ran the first leg of the relay for our team and then proceeded to run the iron event. It was a "semi-douche-y" move, thus the team name became Summer's Eve.

The race went quite well for both the team and myself. Summer's Eve finished 13th overall in a time of 3:28, and as a solo runner I was 5th in a time of 3:09. I had hoped to run 3 hours, but an ambitious first half may have cost me late in the race. I went through the halfway point in a time of 1:24 and ran the second half in 1:44. The second half was significantly hillier than the first, but I should have been able to run slightly more even splits. Although the course was very runnable, a couple of the climbs caught me a bit of guard. According to my altimeter the total ascent for the course was 1860 feet and the descent totaled 2300 feet.

After the race, the team gathered for a potato bar feast at the local pub. Upon reaching our fill of baked potatoes and beer we retreated to Eric and Kelly's palatial cabin which sits atop their own private mountaintop. The place literally has an uninterrupted 360 degree view. Incredible! Thnking the day's work was done, I helped myself to some chocolate chip cookies and began to recline. No sooner did I began to settle in than Eric, Danimal, and Jon began discussing plans for an afternoon run. To be fair, they had not just run a marathon. Their legs were each about 4 miles, so they weren't feeling quite the exhaustion that I was. It wasn't long before the inevitable question came. "Brian, you coming?"

Long story short, nearly 2 hours and another 2000 feet of climbing later, I was putting every bit of energy I could muster into grinding my way up Eric and Kelly's seemingly endless driveway. I was thoroughly whooped but psyched to have banged out some bonus mileage. The hard work was rewarded handsomely with laps up and down the driveway in the ATV. Boy, you want to talk about a good time?

The rest of the weekend was spent eating delicious food and socializing in a spectacular setting. That's good times in the Methow Valley any way you wanna' slice it.

You did what?

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Morrison) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 14:28:00 +0000

It's true. My name is Brian and I blew off a day of running to try fruitlessly to attend a rock show. I recognize that I have a problem, and I'm ready to openly share my issues. This was not the first time that I have sacrificed a workout for a show. But this wasn't just any show. I know. I know. It doesn't matter who was playing. It's a problem to be blowing off responsibilities to rock out. But what if I told you that it was the Nude Dragons? Doesn't ring a bell? How are you with word scrambles? It's a clever anagram for none other than SOUNDGARDEN. Yes, I said Soundgarden.

Well if you have been reading closely, you know that I said I tried "fruitlessly," so don't bother asking me how the show was. Well actually it did sound pretty good...from the curb outside the club. It's too painful to rehash all the details, but let's just say that I spent the better part of 12 hours standing in line, and I never saw the inside of the venue. How pathetic am I?

Thankfully I bounced back this last week and cranked out some great workouts. On Thursday morning I ran double Squak repeats for the first time this year. The first was 36 minutes and the second 37 minutes. I felt pretty good about that, although I would have preferred to flip the times. It always feels better to knock that second one out just a bit faster than the first. Then on Friday the Danimal and I ran a 27 mile point to point from Rattlesnake Lake to Highpoint. My legs felt remarkably strong during that run. I ended up finishing this past week with 84 miles. I know that sounds like fairly pedestrian mileage these days, but considering I feel at my strongest between 90-100 miles, I'm pretty happy with that.

This weekend I'll be headed over to the Methow Valley for the Sunflower Marathon.

Long Time, No Write

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Morrison) — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 02:39:00 +0000

What can I say? I've been quite busy. No seriously, I really have been busy. If I told you that I spent all last week in Singapore would you believe me? Well you're right, I was not in Singapore last week. However, I did spend all last week in Nashville, Tennessee. No really, I did. I mean that's practically Southeast Asia, right? Well perhaps not, but it was pretty dang cool AND busy. Thus I have not been actively blogging.

This is pathetic...I started this post last week, and it's now been almost two weeks since I was in Nashville. I can't believe how hard it's been to carve out enough time to jot down a few thoughts here on my blog. Well it is what it is, I guess.

So in order to bang this thing out, I'll get right to it. I've been running consistently, though I'm not logging a ton of miles. I'm racing the Sunflower Marathon on the 1st of May and the following weekend I'll be racing the McDonald Forest 50k. These next couple of weeks should give me a good sense of where my fitness is. I know that I'm probably not in typical mid-April form, but I'm racing a 100 miler a full month later than the past few years, so that's to be expected.

I'm really hoping to get back into a more regular writing routine. As things heat up race wise, I'll have a bit more to share.

Catchin' Up

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Morrison) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 14:01:00 +0000

Since I last checked in, there have been some pretty interesting happenings. First off, I did indeed toe the line at Chuckanut, and I'm so glad I did. It was by no means my best effort there, but considering how I'd felt the two weeks leading up to the race, I was happy with my finish time of 4:40. I'll just chalk it up as a very solid training run. Unbelievably, six men ran under 4 hours and the old female course record was broken. Krissy put on another fantastic and very well attended event.

Returning to work Monday, the real interesting events began to unfold. As many of you probably already know, Seattle Running Company was sold to Fleet Feet Sports. Monday marked the final day of Scott and Leslie's ten year ownership of the store. It was a change that had to happen due to financial circumstances, but sadly it marked the end of an iconic running store, especially in the world of ultra running. Now, let me be clear, I'm still continuing to work at Fleet Feet, as are Phil Kochik and Adam Lint. So I believe that ultra running legacy will always remain part of the store, but it will no doubt be different.

With any big change there's bound to be positives and negatives. Granted, we're still early in this transition, but I'm seeing far more positive aspects than not. Some folks will probably be sad to see the Seattle Running Company go away, but we're still a locally owned specialty running store. The biggest difference now is that the store has quite a bit more buying power, so we're going to be able to stock a much wider range of shoes, apparel, nutrition, etc... There's nothing wrong with that, right?

Okay enough about work. Because I wasn't able to race Chuckanut the way I have the past handful of years, I was less hammered after the race. That allowed me to really bounce back and train hard last week. As I've mentioned already in previous posts, I've been doing a whole lot of road mileage this year, mostly run commuting to and from work. Last week I got out on the trail 3 days and that felt great.

Saturday was the real highlight run of the week. Dan, John, and I decided to head out to Mt. Si early to try and squeeze in two ascents. I say try, because as some of you know, Mt. Si gets packed on weekends. I've heard that it's the most popular hike in Washington. Well Dan slept in and delayed our departure. Something about working nights and helping to care for his infant daughter had worn him out. Pffff...LAME!

Well it's probably a good thing that our start was delayed. We were able to do one time up Si with relatively little foot traffic. However, on our trip back down the Mt. Si pack train had began to take effect. Had we started a half hour earlier, we probably would have started up a second time just as the masses of people were arriving. Instead, we opted to bail on our second trip up Si and set our sights on Mailbox Peak.

Dan was the only one of us who had ever been up Mailbox and he warned us of it's ruggedly steep flanks. I've heard plenty of chatter over the years about the steepness and the unrelenting grade of Mailbox Peak, but it's hard to imagine it without seeing the trail firsthand. I can now say this trail is STEEP. The only trail I've seen that is as steep or maybe a little steeper is the trail up to Lake Constance in the Olympics. To me, both of these trails are un-runnable. I believe the Mailbox Peak trail climbs about 3800 feet in 2.5 miles.

We hiked every step up Mailbox and reached the summit in 1:20. Interestingly and amazingly, I was able to keep my heart rate just beneath my threshold zone while HIKING. Running the entire climb up Mt. Si, my heart rate was in the 163 range. That's right in my threshold training zone. Power hiking our way up MB my heart rate was pretty much right at 160. I didn't think it was possible to hike hard enough to accomplish that. Did I mention that Mailbox is steep? Anyway, we reached the summit in 1:20 and were back down in 41 minutes. We only ran 14 miles on Saturday, but we chalked up 7628 feet of ascent.

Going Viral

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Morrison) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:07:00 +0000

No, unfortunately I don't have any hilarious Youtube clips or song parodies that are being viewed in the hundreds of thousands by internet addicts worldwide. I'm simply referring to my own pathetic immune system. It's gone viral...again.

With Chuckanut just a few short days away, this is not the opportune time to be ill, but I'm feeling better by the day. I'm going on two weeks of virtually no running and just feeling kind of blah. I guess if I do run this weekend I'll be well rested, right?

Two weeks seems like a long time to be sick, but I guess it's going around. My friend Erika, who coaches at SPU, said that a handful of her runners had something similar that lasted about 3 weeks. And yesterday, while speaking to my uncle, my cousin has a very similar bug that just won't go away. It's at least reassuring to know that I have some company.

As it stands right now, I'm planning to run on Saturday. The weather looks like it's going to be fantastic. Plus it's Chuckanut. I DON'T miss Chuckanut. Well, there was that one other time in 2008 when I skipped Chuckanut because I was sick. In all seriousness, Chuckanut was my first ultra and it really does have a special place in my heart. I love Bellingham. I love those trails. I love the Chuckanut 50k.

Ahhh...That's Better

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Morrison) — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 02:59:00 +0000

Well spring is officially here in Seattle, even though it's only February. We've been having some pretty outstanding weather, and I for one have been loving running in it. These past few weeks I've got my training on track. Don't get me wrong, I've been running all winter. However, it would be a real stretch to call it training.

I've sacrificed a little running time on the weekends to go fly fishing instead. The bulk of my mileage has been run to and from work. Then on the weekends I've opted to go fishing versus go out on a long run. I've realized that I'm not a guy who can train all out all year long. I've got to have my down time of year, and I've chosen to spend a lot of that down time fly fishing. Which, by the way, finally paid off a few weeks ago when I landed an 8 or 9 pound steelhead on my spey rod. But that's another story for another time. What I will say though, is that catching that fish after a winter long drought, allowed me to finally hang up my rod for the year and get to training.

It has felt great to get out for some 4+ hour runs on the trails over the past couple of weeks. I've really been digging Tiger Mountain. How lucky are we here in the Northwest to have trails that we can run on year round that provide some much elevation change? It's really something that none of us should take for granted. Last week Dan, Jon, Eric and I did 21 miles or so out at Tiger with 5700 feet of ascent. We had a gorgeous day with Fantastic views of Mt. Rainier and the Olympics. Just phenomenal.

Today was the real adventure though. Unfortunately Jon opted out of the run today, so it was just the three of us. Jon, being the supportive and loving husband that he is, sucked it up and partied into the wee hours last night in celebration of his wife's 33rd birthday. Needless to say, he wasn't super pumped about an early morning. So the three of us met at High Point at 7:30, and Dan's wife Eva was kind enough to shuttle us out to Rattlesnake Lake. Thanks Eva! The plan was to run from the lake to High Point. We estimated it to be around 27 miles.

Surprisingly the weather this morning was quite nice. Forecasts were calling for rain, but the sun was out and the temperature was really warm. From the get-go I realized, as did Dan, that we had misjudged the weather and really overdressed. Better too warm than too cold I always say, but it was REALLY warm. Thankfully as we reached the summit of Rattlesnake Mountain the temperature dipped a bit and cooled us off. I was really amazed how little snow there is on Rattlesnake. It's hardly worth mentioning it was so insignificant. I've run out there in May when there was much more snow than today.

The entire trip across Rattlesnake was pretty uneventful. The weather was nice and everyone seemed to be feeling quite good. We departed from the main trail as we intersected the powerline, then bee-lined our way toward Highway 18. This route technically goes "off trail" for a bit, although there still seems to be a pretty defined path. We successfully negotiated the super steep and very slippery "death slope" section and were soon at the Raging River ford. Being that we've had very little rain, the river was quite manageable. With feet soaked we slogged our way up to the East Tiger Road. I say slogged, because this section is really not runnable in the least. There are actually two stream crossings followed by an incredibly steep, muddy, brushy kinda' trail.

Once back on the manicured freeway that is the East Tiger Road, we stretched our legs out and began to run again. Eric and I were just running. Dan, on the other hand, was running too AND puking. What happened to the Danimal, you ask. He blamed a S-Cap/Clif Block overload on the bout of nausea. Sounds like a deadly combo. Of course, as Dan's puking and running and Eric and I are just running and winding our way up the never ending grade of the Preston Trail, the rain begins. Really? Now? Talk about kicking us while we're down. By the time we reached the top of East, the fun was starting to seep out of the run. I think we were all wishing that we were at the car instead of being 5 or 6 miles away.

Thankfully we regrouped and pulled it together. Dan's stomach settled down and Eric and I gutted it out. In the end, we were all very satisfied with the run. We finished in just over 5 hrs. The run had 6500 feet of ascent and close to 7000 of descent and we estimated it to be about 27 miles.

If I get out for a recovery run tomorrow, I'll be over 80 miles for the week. I know that's not a lot by some standards, but I never go much beyond that 90-100 mile range, so 80 at this point in the year feels pretty good.

And what would a Brian Morrison blog post be without some Pearl Jam talk? Well tomorrow night Mike McCready is hosting a Hootenanny for Haiti at the Showbox. There will be a whole bunch of local musicians, including Pearl Jam's drummer Matt Cameron. It doesn't get much better than going to a super fun show and supporting a great cause while you're at it. Rock on!

Well That's Fantastic

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Morrison) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 18:09:00 +0000

My sister just called me here at the store. She was laughing as I answered the phone. That's really never a good sign. "Have you checked out your blog recently," she asked. "Uh, not for a couple of days. Why?" Frantically, I began to pull up my blog on the computer in front of me. She was laughing so hard she could barely spit out the punchline. "Your blog has been taken over by Asian porn," she blurted out. What? How? But...

Sure enough, as I pulled up my blog and glanced at the one and only comment on my most recent post, it appeared to be a link to some "non-running" related subject matter. I say appeared to be, because I was at work and opted to not even follow the link. Besides my sister seemed to have already sussed it out for me.

Now I know that I'm not updating with as much regularity as when I'm in the thick of my racing, but now I've got a single comment and it's a link to an adult website. This is just sad. The good news is that Chuckanut will be here before I know it, and racing will begin in full swing. This past week I've felt really good about my training. I'm still doing the bulk of my volume on the road, but I know the trail miles will come shortly.

My Sorta' Schedule

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Morrison) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 03:00:00 +0000

Well I'm about a month into "training," and things are feeling pretty good. My little tendon issue seems to have worked itself out, and I'm healthy *knock on wood* for the time being. Training is on track, but I still haven't completely committed to a set schedule of races. There are a few loose ends that need to get wrapped up before I can finalize my plans. I'm hoping that in the next two or three weeks I'll know for sure where and when I'll be racing. For now, I'm only signed up for Chuckanut, but I've posted my tentative schedule.

On a non-running related note, I would urge folks to go buy Eddie Vedder's rendition of Bruce Springsteen's My City of Ruins. It's available on Pearl Jam's website as well as itunes. The song itself is beautifully sung, and more importantly, proceeds go to help Haitian earthquake victims.

Tiger Mountain Fat Ass

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Morrison) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 14:28:00 +0000

Saturday morning marked the first Tiger Mountain Fat Ass in two years. Last year the event had to be canceled due to massive amounts of snow.

Well, in my case, it was actually just a half ass. That's fitting too, since it seems like I gained about an extra half an ass in Portugal over the holidays. I ran every day while I was there, but life seems to revolve around food there, especially around the holidays. Since it's once every couple of years that I get to experience the delights of Portuguese cuisine, I don't worry too much about what I consume.

The drive out from Seattle to Issaquah was a bit discouraging. Rain was pouring down and showing no signs of letting up. However, as the 8 am start rolled around, the rain subsided and my mood perked up.

The Tiger Mountain Fat Ass, as I'm sure most are, is more a social kick off to the new year than an actual race. This year was no exception. As everyone began to congregate near the start, I was struck by how many people I knew. I guess that I've been at this for 8 or 9 years now. Considering that this is still a relatively small sport, you get to know and recognize a lot of people in that amount of time.

There have been couple instances where I treated the Fat Ass like it was a race. The first time that I became aware of Kyle Skaggs was at this event. At that point, he was just a young friend of James Varner and John Pearch that they dragged up from Olympia. He had an unbelievably beat up pair of Asics road shoes, and some super thick, non Merino wool socks. He may not have totally looked the part of uber-talented ultra runner back then, but he sure ran like it. The course was a bit modified that year, but I think we came in at or just under 2 hours. That was the first and very last time I was able to run with Kyle. Ahhh....those were the days.

Then there was the 2007 Tiger Mountain Fat Ass, when I felt I had something to prove. I didn't necessarily feel like I had anything to prove at the fat ass, but after the disaster at States, I wanted to dismiss any thoughts that I was just a one hit wonder. So at the 2007 event, I blasted from the start and ran away from the beginning. I ran a pretty good time for the loop, especially considering it was blanketed in a lot of snow, but I didn't enjoy it. I may have said "hi" to a few folks at the start, but I ran completely alone all day. Plus I was so frozen at the finish that I just hopped in my car and drove home. I realized that was pretty pathetic and goes against the spirit of the fat ass tradition.

Now I'm all about easing into to the new season. There's plenty of hard racing ahead, and racing that actually means something. There are very few opportunities to get so many runner friends gathered in one place. You've got to soak it all up.

Looking Forward

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Morrison) — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 13:53:00 +0000

I don't know about you, but I'm sure looking forward to 2010. It's not that 2009 was a terrible year, but it had some difficult moments. My best four-legged friend and primary training partner, Kiwi, had some pretty serious health issues that plagued her from Last February through most of the summer. Seeing her in so much discomfort and shelling out more money than I want to think about in vet bills, added some major stress to the better part of the year. That stress definitely affected my running performance, and not for the better.

But that was 2009. Kiwi's health is much better now, almost a year later. She's running again, although not quite as much as she once was, and getting better each month. She may not ever be out running 20+ mile runs again, but she's certainly able to go out and do 5-8 without issue.

My biggest concern, looking forward to 2010, is keeping all the dates and deadlines for races straight in my head. Getting a spot at popular ultras these days is nearly as hard as procuring Pearl Jam tickets to an intimate venue. It's exciting to see the sport gaining in popularity, but it's frustrating to be on the outside looking in on so many of these races.

For example, Andrea and I were just in Portugal. I knew that Way To Cool had gone to a lottery this year, and I knew that lottery opened on Dec. 13. Unfortunately amidst all the excitement of being abroad during the holidays, I neglected to get my name in the lottery by Dec. 19th. Thus, another year goes by without me running Way Too Cool. That means I really can't miss the January 9th registration opening for the Chuckanut 50k, just one week after Cool.

I've realized that I just need to block out two hours in order to line up my 2010 race schedule set. Those 2 hours have just been hard to come by. Don't get me wrong, I've got my plans more or less set, but I can't afford to miss any of these all too crucial sign up dates.

Anyway, I'm really looking forward to 2010. Last year I started to feel a little burnt out on racing. I thought that maybe I'd just lost some of the desire to compete. However, now, as 2009 comes to a close, I'm itching to get back out and race hard in the new year.

Happy New Year!

Whew!

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Morrison) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:34:00 +0000

I did it. I made the cut for Inov 8's 2010 team. I'm pretty sure it was a decision based on my career resume, and not so much on what I did in 2009. Outside of a mediocre race at Chuckanut and a win at the Sun Mountain 50k, my season was pretty lackluster.

Ahhh, but that was 2009. I've got some new tricks up my sleeve for 2010. First and foremost, as I've already stated, I'm taking a break from Western States. That just feels good to say. Anyway, I'm going to focus on 1 or 2 other hundred milers. Bighorn fits nicely into the mix, because it's only a week before Western States, and my last few years of training have been geared toward a June 100 miler. And it sounds like Hal, Ian, and the Rogue Valley Runner's crew may have a hundred happening down their way in September. That will hopefully be the second of my 100's. Then, of course, I'll sprinkle in a handful of 50k's and 50 milers to round out the year.

I'll be wrapping up my running for 2009 in Portugal. There won't be any racing, unless I stumble upon a local road race, but it'll be fun to log some miles abroad. Andrea's family is from Porto, so we're spending Christmas with them. It's not completely new running terrain for me, as this will be my fourth time there, but it's still a whole lot more novel than my daily run-commute to and from work.

Enjoy the holidays!

I Almost Forgot

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Morrison) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:44:00 +0000

This coming Saturday is a very big day for many of my fellow ultra runners. For myself it'll be just another Saturday in Seattle. I have nothing at stake in the most anticipated lottery in the sport of ultra running, the Western States 100 drawing. I can certainly appreciate the nervous anticipation and excitement around the lottery. I have been a bundle of nerves myself on lottery day. However, I must admit that I almost forgot that this Saturday was the WS lottery. I've got nothing at stake in this year's random selection, and I'm quite happy about it.

Don't get me wrong. I do love the Western States 100, yet I harbor a lot of ill feelings (I won't say hatred) about it at the same time. As many of you know, Western States hasn't been exactly kind to me. I'm talking purely about the race itself, not the people involved. The canyons, the saw briars, and the heat, oh the scorching heat, all have gotten the best of me. And lets not forget the rubber. Yes, the perfectly smooth rubberized track of Placer High, that got me too.

I've decided that I need at least a year off from beating my head against the Western States wall. I'm not admitting defeat, I'm just recognizing the need to channel some energy elsewhere for a year or two. I like the timing of a June hundred miler though, so I'm thinking about running Bighorn. I've decided I just need to get a little confidence back in running that distance.

Good luck to all those who are eagerly awaiting their lucky draw on Saturday!

Wintumn

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Morrison) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:39:00 +0000

Alright, I admit it! I've been suffering a bit from PPJTD. You suspected as much, right? What do you mean you've never heard of PPJTD? You know-Post Pearl Jam Tour Depression. Well I won't call it a full blown depression, but it qualifies as a legitimate bummer. Now they're off gallivanting around Australia and New Zealand while I'm stuck in the gray Seattle drizzle. Ahhh...to be independently wealthy.

Well, my leg is mending nicely, and my mileage is steadily climbing back up. As soggy and dark as Seattle becomes this time of year, it's a wonder anyone runs at all. Yet for some strange reason, I love running in this weather. It makes you feel like you're really accomplishing something, something more than JUST a run. There's an element of being hardcore, and maybe a little crazy, when you're out logging miles in the wind and driving, sideways rain. I love it. Yes, spoken like a true Northwest kid, I know.

It's not quite winter nor fall. I'll call it wintumn

The Board Room

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Morrison) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:41:00 +0000

The beautiful thing about laptops is that you can blog from just about anywhere. Like right now I'm sitting in the Alaska Airlines Board Room, awaiting a flight to Newark, NJ. The Board Room is a new place for me, and I must say I could get used to it. I believe that it's typically reserved for First Class passengers and frequent flyer types. Andrea managed to get her paws on a couple of complimentary passes, so now I'm sipping a complimentary Bloody Mary and blogging away in a very comfy leather chair. I'm not a big fan of flying, thus me sipping a Bloody Mary, but I could get used to this.

Anyhoo, why are we going to Newark, NJ? Alaska had a direct flight available to Newark from Seattle. We're actually headed to Philadelphia to see Pearl Jam, and Newark's only an hour and a half away. We're going to catch the final two shows ever at the Spectrum as Pearl Jam closes it down for good. Oh, I can't wait. Rumor has it that the 11pm venue curfew has been lifted for Saturday night's show, and there's talk that the show could push into the wee hours of Sunday morning with special guests galore. I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much, but it's so dang hard.

Let's get back on track. This is a running blog after all. My foot is feeling much better and allowing me to run. Last week and this week will be in the 40+ range. My foot is like 95% healed, but those last 5% are sure taking there sweet time to get right. Nonetheless, it's no longer slowing me down and it feels good to be upping the mileage.

You've Got To Be Kidding Me

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Morrison) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 02:02:00 +0000

Right now as I type, my foot is immersed in a bucket of ice water. I know what you're thinking. Is Brian even running enough right now to be hampered with an injury? Sadly my friends the answer is NO, not even close. But the point is that I want to be running that much.

Unfortunately I have been set back these past two weeks by some bizarre ailments. So the week leading up to our Nicaraguan vacation and the whole time we were gone, I hardly ran. Typically I take a break in October or early November, but the way our vacation was timed and the fact that I had no upcoming races, I opted for a slightly earlier break. My intention of course was to be back running strong by the time I'm normally cutting back for a little r&r.

The problem is that two weeks ago, after running moderately hard a couple of back to back days, I was struck by an incredible pain in my big toe. After a quick inspection and a self diagnosis I pegged it to be an ingrown toenail. Having never had an ingrown toenail, I had to turn to the internet and friends' experiences for advice. For two days, I hobbled around on it and even tried to run through about the most excruciating pain I've ever felt. I thought for sure that a trip to the doctor was in order, that is until I finally was able to drain it. Without going through the gory details, I'll just say that once the pressure under the nail was alleviated the pain went away immediately. I felt like I'd really dodged a bullet and got back to running, making up for lost time.

So now cut to this week. I was steadily building mileage up through Thursday, when on my way home I was suddenly aware of a tenderness on the outside of my foot. Ahhh, what now? I took Friday off from running and spoke to our in store doc as soon as I arrived to work. Turns out that because I was overcompensating for my toe injury, I've now aggravated my peroneal tendon by running and walking on the outside of my foot.

I'm only 31. I'm not old enough to be dealing with such setbacks, or am I? Without bragging about it, I've always taken great pride in my ability to run injury free. Hopefully this is just a little stretch of tough luck and I'll be back to training in no time. In the meantime, I'll keep my foot numbed in ice and my fingers crossed.

Vacation Nicaraguan Style

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Morrison) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:34:00 +0000

Well I've got some good news and bad news. Good news first, right? Well our two week vacation in Nicaragua was splendid, completely fantastic. And the bad news? Surfing, or at least attempting to surf, was so much fun that I may just give up running and focus wholeheartedly on waves. I'm just kidding of course, but it's a kick in the pants as well as a great workout.

We arrived in Managua on August 30th and headed straight to San Juan Del Sur, where we spent the whole first week. We rented a "casita" at Rancho Cecilia, and our lovely hosts Scott and Liz picked us up at the airport and drove us the four hours back to their wonderful piece of property in San Juan. Scott and Liz are from California, but having sailed to Nicaragua 3 years ago, they fell in love with it and moved there. Now they rent out the "casita" and teach surf lessons. Not a bad way to make a living, eh? Their property is 7 kilometers outside the town of San Juan Del Sur, and literally carved out of the jungle. They even have a troop of howler monkeys on their lot. It's just beautiful and so incredibly relaxing. They are literally "off the grid" as well. Their larger home and the casita are powered entirely off of solar power.

During our first week in Nicaragua life was pretty simple. We'd typically head down to the beach at 9:30 or 10am and begin surfing. Usually by 1:30 or so we were taxed enough to take a short break from the waves and dine on fresh fish tacos. Now let me make it clear that there is no restaurant or hotel or any such thing on this beach. There's simply an open air tent with a grill and two folks fixing up the most delicious tacos I've ever sampled. Lunch was followed up by yet more surfing, and usually around 5:00 we'd wrap things up and make the 40 minute trek back to the casita. Like I said, life was pretty simple, but that's exactly the vacation we were seeking.

We stayed exactly one week in San Juan Del Sur and loved it. It was actually quite tempting, since we had no reservations, to stay the duration of our trip in San Juan. We were however lured away by the temptation of Ometepe, a volcanic island in Lake Nicaragua. For about ten bucks we were able to catch a taxi (If you can call it that. Cars in Nicaragua are serious pieces of S#*t!) to the ferry terminal in San Jorge, 40 minutes away. From the terminal it's about an hour by boat to Ometepe. And boy if I thought the cars were crummy, don't even get me started on that rust-bucket of a boat. The cruise across Lake Nicaragua was a little unsettling, but once back on terra firma, I was struck by the lush, green beauty of Ometepe. The island is shaped like a dumbbell with a larger, active volcano at the north end and a slightly smaller, dormant volcano on the south end. If memory serves, the island is approximately 78 kilometers around.

We spent 4 nights on Ometepe and enjoyed it immensely. We hiked a bunch, biked a bunch, and even rode horses. As much as I enjoyed trying to surf, Andrea and I both agree that Ometepe was our favorite spot on the trip. The highlights were hiking to San Ramon, a magnificent 40 meter waterfall and summiting Maderas, the slightly shorter of the island's two volcanos.

From Ometepe we headed back to the mainland and the city of Granada. Granada is a beautiful colonial city right on the west shore of Lake Nicaragua. Although the city itself lacked the adventurous atmosphere of Ometepe, we found the most exciting activity of the trip just outside of Granada. Right on the flank of Mombacho, the volcano rising above the southern end of Granada, we zip-lined our way through the jungle canopy. The zip lines crisscrossed their way through the treetops on a total of 13 platforms. And unlike the cars and the ferries, the zip line tour equipment was remarkably well kept. Andrea and I both agreed that the zip lining was the single most enjoyable activity of the entire trip.

We expected to have a great time in Nicaragua, but having never been there ourselves and not knowing anyone who'd been there, we really didn't know what it would be like. Now speaking from experience, it was probably the coolest place I've ever been, and I would go back in a heartbeat. Neither one of us ever felt even slightly unsafe, especially after we realized the machete wielding locals are just going about their day-to-day work, and the locals could not have been more friendly. And the beauty of the country is completely breathtaking. Go to Nicaragua and do it now before it really becomes a more touristy locale.

*I'll get some photos up as soon as we get them all organized*

A Nice Reprieve

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Morrison) — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 16:44:00 +0000

Today Andrea and I are taking off for a two week vacation in Nicaragua. Yes, it is safe there, or so they tell me. Everyone seems to think that Nicaragua is still a nation in the midst of a revolution. When we tell people that we're going to Nicaragua, we're usually asked if it's safe there. Supposedly, we've never been, it's very much like Costa Rica, just slightly less touristy. I'm just looking forward to getting a way for a bit.

Hopefully I'll come back itching to run. This season really hasn't gone to plan, and I've been feeling a bit burnt out on racing. Of course, Western States has become a huge thorn in my side these past 3 years. Knowing that I'm not running there next year feels so liberating. Also, I think that Kiwi's health issues have really worn on my ability to race to my capabilities this year. That sounds like a bit of a cop out, but she's like our child. Seeing her struggle with her illness has really stressed me out and zapped some of my motivation to race and train as hard as I'd like. But there's nothing like a good vacation to recharge. I plan to come back in two weeks with a little better outlook on things.

Obsess Much?

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Morrison) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 03:14:00 +0000

Am I totally crazy to be going to 5, yes I said 5, Pearl Jam shows in a span slightly longer than a month? I know it sounds crazy, but hear me out. They will play a completely different set each one of those nights, in fact, they'll play a different set every night of the whole tour. Plus, they only tour about once every 3-4 years, so if you're a fan, you've got to make the most of it when they do. So beginning September 21st I'll be attending 2 Seattle shows, 1 Vancouver, BC show, 1 Portland show, and one very special show on Halloween in Philadelphia, PA. It is a bit obsessive isn't it?

Well I know I've been blogging a lot about non-running things, but there's still been plenty of running happening as well. Lately I've done most of my running to and from work. It's such a great way to energize yourself before work and unwind after. The weather has been fabulous here in Seattle, so run commuting has been a real treat recently.

Speaking of real treats, on Sunday evening Andrea and I were fortunate enough to attend the wedding of my old runnin' partner the "Alabama Hammer." It was a beautiful ceremony, and even though I despise him for no longer running with me (only kidding), I couldn't be happier for him.

Like Sophie's Choice

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Morrison) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 04:45:00 +0000

I realize this is in poor taste, but I just couldn't resist the comparison. To be honest, I've never even seen Sophie's Choice. I know the basic premise of the story though. I understand that Meryl Streep is fantastic in it, but I digress. My point here is that I'm faced with a terribly tough choice. Since I have no children and only one border collie, I can't relate to having to choose one of my children over the other. What I CAN relate to is having to choose between Pearl Jam shows. (I warned you that this was in poor taste didn't I?)

So I've already got tickets to see Pearl Jam in September at Key arena on the 21st and 22nd. That's great. Since then I've kept hearing rumors of a Halloween show at the Spectrum in Philadelphia. I guess I've become caught up in that hype, because now I feel like I can't miss that show. It will be the last concert ever at the Spectrum, by the way.

Andrea and I decided that if that show was announced that we'd go. But here comes the Sophie's Choice part. On Monday they did officially announce the Halloween show, but along with that, they also announced shows in Portland and Vancouver, BC. We can't justify going to all of these shows, so Andrea has laid it out for me. We can either go to the one Philadelphia show, which has the potential to be spectacular, or we can go to both the Vancouver and Portland shows. A practical person would realize that two shows is better than one, but like I said, I've become entangled in the excitement surrounding this final show at the Spectrum.

Oh, having to choose between these events is agonizing. Maybe it'll come to me in my sleep, because by 9am, when tickets go on sale for Philadelphia, I have to make a decision one way or the other.

Too Many Decisions!

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Morrison) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:14:00 +0000

What's a guy to do? Pearl Jam just announced the Philadelphia show on Halloween that I'd been waiting for. Great news, right? Well they also decided to add Vancouver, BC and Portland. Andrea and I are going to have to sit down and check out the finances. This could get pricey. Yikes!

More Tour Dates Added

08.10.09

We've got some great news ... Pearl Jam has added some dates onto their North American tour, on both coasts.

DATE	CITY	VENUE	10C PRESALE
Oct 31	Philadelphia, PA	Spectrum Arena*	Aug-12 @9am PDT
Oct 27	Philadelphia, PA	Spectrum Arena*	Aug-12 @11am PDT
Sep 28	Salt Lake, UT	E Center	Aug-12 @1pm PDT
Sep 26	Portland, OR	Amphitheater	Aug-12 @3pm PDT
Sep 25	Vancouver, BC	GM Place	Aug-12 @5pm PDT

General sale tickets for the Philly shows will start August 14th through www.comcasttix.com. The Portland and Vancouver general ticket sales will also start August 14th through www.ticketmaster.com. The remaining west coast dates will go on-sale to the general public through www.ticketmaster.com on August 15th.

Ten Club will be hosting a swift pre-sale for these shows beginning August 12th and ending August 13th at 5pm PDT. Coordinated dates and times are listed above.

You must be an active member as of August 9, 2009 to qualify for the ticket pre-sale. Tickets will be sold online only at https://www.pearljam.com/max with a Visa or Mastercard only. Two (2) tickets per show. No single tickets.

For wheelchair accessible or disabled seating, please contact the Ten Club at 1-800-724-8038 before making a ticket purchase.

*The Philly Spectrum has graciously provided Ten Club with a more-than-usual allotment of tickets for our eligible members. However, after our usual allotment, seat allocation (for these additional shows only) will be comparable to general public sale tickets, but still assigned by membership seniority.

Ten Club tickets are sold on a first come, first serve basis and available only while supplies last. Seat allocation for the additional west coast shows will be distributed by membership seniority, with the exception of rows 1-2 and 9-10 which are randomly assigned regardless of seniority.

Tickets are not mailed in advance. Tickets are distributed at the venue on the day of the show. The Ten Club member must collect the tickets with a valid photo identification.

By opting to purchase tickets, you agree to all Ten Club policies. All ticket sales are final. No refunds, exchanges or transfers. Please visit here http://www.pearljam.com/ten-club/tickets for a full description of the Ten Club ticketing policy and procedure.

More Speed Scramblin'

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Morrison) — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 01:51:00 +0000

I've just been craving time in the mountains lately, and today was no different. I had the day off, so I decided I'd make the most of it by heading to the east slope of the Cascades. The objective of the day was to climb Mt. Daniel, a peak that I've wanted to get up for some time, and to do it as quickly as possible.

I was up by 4:30am, but everything seemed to take much longer than it should have, and I didn't get on the road until 5:30 or so. I arrived at the Tucquala Meadows trailhead at around 8am. Not really knowing how long the climb would take, I wasted no time getting started. I was solo today, so I slung my pack on and cranked up the tunes as I briskly started up the trail.

Unlike Sloan Peak, I was on a well established trail for the first 5 miles of the climb. Jim Nelson's book said that it should take about 3 hours to reach Peggy's Pond. From there the route was all off trail. Given that I was setting out to do this climb quickly, I knew that it wouldn't possibly take 3 hours to get to Peggy's Pond. I have run from this same trailhead a handful of times, so I was somewhat familiar with the terrain. Of course, I was carrying a little bit more gear than I would for just a run. After one brief wrong turn, I arrived at the end of the trail in less than an hour and a half.

The temperature was actually quite cool and there were some foggy clouds shrouding the view of most everything above. However, it seemed to be a very thin layer, and it was only a matter of minutes before everything was bright blue and sunny. The route up Mt. Daniel is really straightforward, and there are few technical difficulties. In uneventful fashion, I reached the summit in 3:02 from the car.

Although it was clear and sunny, the wind was howling up high, so I didn't get to savor much downtime on the summit proper. I wrote an entry in the summit log, ate a bar, refilled my water, and made my way back down to a more protected position. The descent was simply a return down the same route. However, it was a little more eventful than the ascent.

There was one section of the ascent that was a little dicey. For those of you that have climbed or do climb, you probably realize that downclimbing is significantly trickier than ascending. I thought that I could take a more direct line down the mountain and avoid downclimbing some semi-technical terrain. Unfortunately my plan backfired. 100 feet or so above the last snowfield, I came head to head with some pretty sketchy terrain. All of a sudden the rock became quite rotten and loose. The pitch was steep enough that if I were to slip, I probably wouldn't be able to stop until I reached the snowfield. It wouldn't have been a fall off a sheer cliff, but I didn't want to find out what damage could be sustained by such a tumble. I climbed part way back up the face and traversed toward the direction I had originally come up. In hindsight, I should have just climbed all the way back up and descended the exact route of the ascent, but I was being stubborn and just wanted to get onto the snowfield as quickly as possible. There was another line with some more solid looking rock that I had picked out from a distance. Following that path to it's terminus I was now only 50 feet above the snowfield. Again I traversed across the fall line to another promising looking rib of solid rock. This one looked like it led down all the way to the snowfield, but it was really steep. Rather than face the down sloping angle, I spun 180 degrees and began to very carefully downclimb. Every hold that I grabbed hold of or stepped on had to be carefully inspected for structural integrity. Many of the solid looking hand and footholds broke off without so much as a good tug. With about 20 feet left to descend to the snow, I spun back around and sat on my butt. There were no solid holds left to downclimb. Everything that I put any weight on was just crumbling and sliding down onto the snow. At least at this point, I knew that a fall would not be costly. If I did start to go, I may even have been able to run it out onto the snow. Thankfully I didn't have to find out. Without losing control, I was able to negotiate the final 2o feet and exit onto the snow.

The rest of the trip was without incident, and I arrived back at the car in 5:32. It was another fantastic day in the mountains. In the last few weeks, I've been able to get out to climb two peaks that I have wanted to do for some time. Now let's see what kind of shape this climbing has me in when I race Waldo in two weeks.

White River Report

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Morrison) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 04:39:00 +0000

Feeling a little bit downtrodden after another disappointing attempt at Western States, I thought that helping a first-timer through White River would be the perfect remedy to add a little fun back into running. My uncle, Bill Ames, has been contemplating running 50 miles for some time now, but he's had a great deal of trepidation about the distance. I proposed to him, that if he would sign up to run White River, I'd run the race at his pace to help him through.

Needless to say, he signed up, and I was committed to helping him through it. Uncle Bill kept assuring me that I could back out on our deal and run my own race. However, I was dead set on running with him. In all honesty, it was for both non-selfish and very selfish reasons. Obviously sacrificing my own race, to get him through his, was a selfless decision. On the flip side, I was really relieved to have a good reason not to have to go out and race. Feeling so drained after another Western States debacle, I just really needed to go out and run with no pressure.

And run with no pressure I did.

At 6:30 am the race got underway. It was strange not to be lined up at the front of the pack, but it didn't take long for me to start really enjoying a more casual pace. I couldn't believe how many more people are on the trail when you're in the middle to back of the pack. For the first 3 miles it was like a conga line of runners. However, as the grade steepened, people started to spread out a bit more. Bill was really moving well up the unrelenting climb. In fact, I was a little taken aback by the clip that he maintained.

Uncle Bll arrived at Corral Pass looking very strong and in seemingly good spirits. We were 17 miles in and everything was going quite smoothly. We seemed to make good time on the out and back, and it wasn't long until we were filling up at Ranger Creek and preparing for the 6 mile descnt to the midway point of the course. The section from Ranger Creek back to Buck Creek is a quad-burning downhill. Bill looked very strong initially, but as we neared the bottom, I could tell things weren't going well.

Our pace had slowed a bit, although we were still passing people. When I asked how he was doing, his responses became a bit more curt. I wasn't too concerned at that point. More people than not are pretty wiped by the bottom of that windy plunge down the creek drainage. We were very close to the Buck Creek aid station, and I figured a little change of terrain and some food would change things in a hurry.

Buck Creek provided an incredible reprieve from the monotony of the previous six miles. The aid station was bustling with people. We were greeted by many familiar faces, and I heard from numerous people that I appeared to be having a lot of fun. Unfortunately Uncle Bill was not having quite so much fun. His legs were pretty hammered, and he took a moment to sit down in a chair while he ate. I was a little concerned about his race, but having run this distance before, I knew that things can turn around quickly.

With food in our bellies, we struck out on the trail again. I explained to Bill that I always enjoy the second half more than the first. It was true, but mostly I was trying to remain upbeat, because it was becoming more and more clear to me that he was mentally and physically waning.

About a half mile up the second climb, Uncle Bill sat down on a log and told me that his day was probably over. "No, this can't be," I thought. UB has climbed El Cap, traversed the Bailey Range solo, run 17 5ok's, and survived numberous other harrowing climbing adventures. He couldn't possibly be derailed by 50 miles. I saddled up next to him on the log and tried to get a picture of what was going on. He explained to me that his legs were just shot and that even hiking was feeling like too much work. I convinced him to eat a couple of gels, and to his credit, he stood up and pressed onward.

Ultimately though, he stopped again, this time for good. He decided that it just wasn't his day. Again, I tried to keep him going, but I also respected his decision. It's not as though I've never dropped out of a race, obviously. So with UB out of the picture, what was I to do? I thought about just walking back to the start with him, but I didn't need another DNF. I was then reminded of my two friends Dan and Eric. They were somewhere in front of me, by how much I didn't know. Maybe, just maybe, I could catch them.

Having taken it pretty easy through the first half, I had some legs, so I began to run hard up the climb. As I rolled into the next aid station at Fawn Ridge I was disheartened to learn that Dan and Eric had arrived 25 minutes earlier. I had hoped to catch them by the Sun Top aid station, but that was seeming pretty far fetched with only 5 miles to go. Nonetheless I put my head down and continued to hammer upward.

Just before the summit aid station, there were two women taking numbers. I asked when Dan and Eric had come through. I was ecstatic to learn that just 3 minutes earlier they had checked in. I was going to catch them. To my surprise, as I crested the hill and the aid station came into view, I saw Dan and Eric. I filled them in on Bill's race and asked how they were doing. Both of them were in great spirits and we all set off down the road together.

Dan had run 50 miles once before, at the San Juan Solstice this past June, but Eric was running his first 50 miler. In fact, Eric had never even run a 50k, so he was in uncharted territory. Both of them seemed to be moving well as we chatted our way down the Sun Top road. By the bottom of the road though, Eric showed that he was indeed human. His IT band had tightened up on him. Not being in any hurry, I was content just to stick with Eric and Dan and do whatever I could to keep Eric upbeat and moving forward.

We hiked most of the final six miles, but I enjoyed every minute of it. I was so impressed with Eric's determination. Clearly he was in discomfort, yet he remained so seemingly upbeat. We crossed the finish line in 10:30 or so. It was about 3 hours longer than I would have been out if I was racing, but it was really enjoyable. Of course, I was disappointed that I wasn't able to finish with Uncle Bill, but I was glad to play at least a small role in Eric's first 50 mile finish.

So Much to Write

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Morrison) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 16:42:00 +0000

I have every intention of sitting down to write up a report from White River, but it's been hard to find the time of late. Just to give a quick overview, I set out to run the race with my uncle. Unfortunately he hit about the 50k mark and called it a day. I finished with two other friends and really had a great time. I even have some more photos to post from the day.

On the Pearl Jam front, there are some crazy rumors flying around about a Halloween show at the Spectrum in Philly. They are scheduled to play there October 28th and 30th, as it stands now. The Halloween show would be the final concert ever performed at the Spectrum before it's torn down. I've become engulfed in the hype, and now I'm hoping to attend this show. I know it sounds crazy, but I love me some Pearl Jam. Have you heard the Fixer yet? That's the first single from their forthcoming album. It's taken a few listens, but it's really growing on me now. Good stuff.

I'll be gone most of the weekend, but hopefully I'll have a White River report with photos early next week. And maybe I'll have some more definitive news on this Halloween show. I think my fingers will be crossed all weekend in anticipation of a Monday announcement.

That's Better

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Morrison) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 15:47:00 +0000

Three years ago I did a VO2 max test. The results of which left me feeling a little discouraged. Considering that I'm at least a somewhat competitive endurance athlete, I figured I'd have a decent VO2 max. Well, in reality, my score was pedestrian, measuring about 54. Clearly it didn't mean that I wasn't going to be able to continue to run well, but I left the clinic feeling a bit inadequate.

Well, just this morning, I was given the opportunity to be tested at the Seattle Athletic Club. They have just begun to offer the service and, in order to promote it, I was offered a free test. I had a bit of trepidation going into it. I mean what if my VO2 max had declined? Would my fragile ego be able to handle an even more paltry score?

Thankfully, my numbers did not decline. In fact, my max today was measured at 64.8. That's still not in the elite range, but I feel much better about being over 60. Maybe this means that I can go back and run well at Western States next year. Let's see if I can sell Andrea on that argument. "C'mon Andrea. I finally have a VO2 max over 60. Can't I go back next year?" Ya, that'll go over really well I'm sure.