Still here. Little to report but felt the need to check in at the old bloggity blog.
So... September/October harvest parties are kind of a real thing. Maybe there are farmers that actually dec out the barn with pumpkins, hard-cider and hay bales but there's a much more quiet celebration that is probably more common for the rest of us dirt churners. There is this subtle realization that things are slowly winding down with each acre harvested. Suddenly there are days where work is a little more optional and there's just a little bit more freedom in the form of free time. This time is spent reflecting on the season (also known as drinking), being with family and for at least one farmer (yours truly) getting in some adventure runs.
The mornings are crisp again, fall colors are right around the corner, and snow's just flirting with the high country's rocky floor. It's the perfect time of year for some running in it's carefree and woodsy adventuresome form.
I made it up to Silver Falls after a summer of very little trail running for a couple of fun workouts to kick off the season's eventual ending. The place is honestly not the most incredible place on earth but I just love it every time I get up there whether it's Perimeter Trail, Buck Mtn Trail, Lost Creek Trail or whatever. It's twisty and fun and it's all under the canopy of beautiful forest with hardly a soul around.
I had a weekend run that was an outright failure and took a week just sort of recalibrating and relaxing. That week culminated in my first pacing duty with my buddy Gordo (Gordon Freeman) up at Mountain Lakes 100. After third wheeling all afternoon with his super badass and hilarious crew of Emily and Sarah I ran the last 29ish miles through the night with him. It was absolutely mind boggling to me to see his stoke nearly unfettered after 70+ miles and many hours of running when I joined him. This same stoke just sort of carried him on in at an impressive pace and I really didn't have to do much other than tag along and remind him to get some gels and that his calves were quite sexy even after staring at them for nearly 5 hrs. He nabbed a nearly 2 hr. PR on the shores of Oallie Lake under a brilliant moon at 2:30 AM and I got to do my first nighttime shuffle of such time and distance. It was really surreal being out there on the PCT and witnessing such a feat firsthand.
Last weekend I got together with Jeremy Long, arguably the runner king of Tillamook Forest, and Brian Donnelly, adventure king extraordinaire, for a loop on Elk-Kings Traverse. It did to me what it did to me nearly a year and a half ago--I am so beat in the quads I can't walk in an unrobotic manner. I pushed the downhill a bit and got my money's worth. We had unbelievable views on a perfect morning. Scored!
Next up? More strides during the week as I work to find some efficiency again and build speed. And hopefully more weekends that are big on adventure. I'm looking at something like this for the upcoming weekend:
http://caltopo.com/m/7109#
<iframe width="100%" height="500px" src="http://caltopo.com/m/7109"></iframe>
Since my first Sardine summit a couple years ago I've been looking to get something like this pieced together. It would be a long time idea ticked off and I am sure it will lead to more ideas in a favorite area of mine.
There you have it. Quite a boring update without races and such but life's busy and time to race is tough to find at the moment.
