Grand Teton National Park - Middle Teton (Part 1)

It all started when I looked out the window of the Delta narrowbody jet during landing and saw the Grand Teton staring me in the face.  Whoa!  I was eye-level with an unbelievable chunk of rock.   It made me think twice about trying to scale the beast.  Nevertheless, it was an awakening to the incredible beauty and grandeur of these mountains.  There are bigger and more technical climbs, but the combination of both make these mountains some of the most beautiful and fun in the world.  The beauty of it is that these mountains are still relatively lightly traveled compared to other national parks, so it makes for a nice, peaceful place to visit.

I tried to use my new iPad to chronicle some of these adventures in real time, but the inability to upload photos held me back a bit.  Having just returned, I am busily sorting through photos and video and trying to get all of this documented in a comprehensible fashion.  Here is the first installment of the Tetons, Yellowstone, and Yosemite extravaganza with a little bit of Napa Valley and Muir Woods blended in for good measure.  Hope you enjoy the stories as much as I enjoyed experiencing them!

Tetons - Part 1

After a nice breakfast in town, Goat and I stopped by the Teton Mountaineer to pick up some last minute gear. I bought a pair of Superfeet shoe insoles for my leather mountaineering boots and Goat picked up a pair of strap-on crampons.  Then, after checking out of the hotel, we stopped at Albertson's to provision our party with food.  Afterward, we headed back to the Teton Mountaineer as Goat talked me into a smaller pack. My pack was probably fine, but I did save some weight with the new Osprey Hornet 24 pack and I will be able to move better on the rock with it.  Before I spent more money, we jumped in the rented Ford Escape and escaped to the National Park. The views driving up to the park were just amazing. The Tetons are very much like the Alps in that they are jagged, rocky, snow covered peaks, but they start at a lower elevation. The vertical gain on these climbs is impressive at about 6,000 feet, but the base of the climbs is well below 7,000 feet.  With record snow falls this past winter, it makes the climbing more challenging in many respects.  We needed to carry an ice axe, helmet, crampons, gaitors, gloves, etc. as well as 3 liters of water, food, sunscreen, camera, hat, puffy jacket, shell jacket, and more.  Suddenly, my new 1,400 cubic inch pack was looking very small.

We stopped at the visitor center to purchase a national park pass.  I purchased the annual pass since Char and I will be at Yosemite next week. We watched the tourist video, and then made our way to the American Alpine Club Climber's Ranch.  The ranch is a great deal at $22 per night for non-members and $15 per night for AAC members. The place is great. If you don't mind dorm style living on wooden bunks, pack your air mattress and sleeping bag and chill out with some really cool and diverse people.

There are hot showers here, gas grill, washer/dryer, library, wifi, and unbelievable views.  I have tried to get some decent shots, but my camera can't seem to handle the contrast in lighting very well.

Our CT Climbers friend, Pam, drove up from Boulder, CO to spend a few days with us, and arrived at the ranch shortly after we settled in.  It was good to catch up with her.

We attempted to cook some burritos for dinner, but they left a bit to be desired. We agreed to go out for dinner the next night.  After dinner, it was prep time for our ascent of Middle Teton.  Middle Teton tops out at about 12,800 feet. The Climbers Ranch is located at 6,600 ft. elevation, so it's about 6,000 vertical to do it in a day.  We knew we were biting off a bit, but figured it would familiarize us with the high peaks, so we could plan other climbs such as the Grand Teton.

We attempted to pack light, so we could make good time, but included all the items I mentioned above. We did not pack climbing gear as the Southwest Couloir route was rated a Class 3 rock scramble.  We left the ranch at 6AM with a plan to reach the summit by noon.  Things started well when a kind fellow offered us a ride to the trailhead saving us about a half mile walk.  As it turns out he was an ultra runner from Illlinois who just placed 3rd in a local 50 miler. Of course, we told him to come out to run Traprock.

The trail started off easy enough meandering through meadows.  It took a minute to pick up the trail as it entered the woods, but then we started climbing. The path was easy to follow, but the Mosquitos were the worst I have ever experienced.

We had no bug spray, so suffered mightily.  An Exum Mountaineering guide blew by us on the trail.  I imagine he was probably trying to stay ahead of the bugs.  Once the sun came out in force , the bugs faded away, and we settled down and started to enjoy the views.   This little Marmot seemed to be enjoying the view as well.

Garnett Canyon is amazing!

Before too long, we hit snow (around 9,000 feet elevation), and decided to don the axe and crampons. The crampons were a bit of overkill, and we switched back and forth a couple times which caused us to lose some time.   At the Meadows, the trail splits with the Middle Teton trail going left and the Grand Teton trail going right.

We went left and headed up a steep snowfield. This is the first place you really could use the crampons.  At the top of the pitch, Pam decided to rest and abort the summit attempt. Her heavy plastic mountaineering boots were uncomfortable and slowed her down considerably.  She seemed in good spirits, and urged us to push on ahead as she would take her time and meet us at Icefloe lake.  Kevin and I pressed on for another hour or so, but then the weather got nasty.  It was raining and hailing, and the skies looked really bad.  We were concerned about Pam, and decided to turn back at 11AM and 11,000 ft.  Kevin was moving well at that point, but the altitude and fatigue were getting to me. We estimated at least another 1.5 hours to the summit at that point and there was no way we could leave Pam alone in a storm for that long.  We retreated quickly, and luckily saw Pam taking shelter in a spot just above where we had parted ways.  She didn't recognize me at first, but was happy to see us as we got closer.  Note: After reading this entry again, I realized we were probably at least 3 hours from the summit given our pace. It was a wise move to turn back given the technical nature of the rock leading to the summit.

We regrouped, the sun came out, and we descended the snowfield back down to the Meadow. Due to the warm temps, snow was balling up on my crampons, giving me great difficulty.  Luckily, the slope was not too steep, but I made a mental note to get some anti-balling plates when we went back into town.

Once we arrived back at the Meadow, we removed crampons and started heading for home. We chatted with folks doing the Grand as they retreated as well.  Some made the summit by leaving from the Exum guide hut at 11,000 feet at 4AM.  The guides have provisioned everything for their clients.  They don't even need to carry a sleeping bag or climbing gear.  For me, i can't see that as a true adventure.  It's great for some people, but just not for me.  We have our bivy gear, so bivying at a higher camp is an option, but I prefer moving fast and light and banging it out in a day if at all possible.

On the descent, we made a wrong turn which probably added 1-2 miles to our trek.  We were worn out when we got back to the ranch, and decided to soak our legs in the frigid river near camp before heading into town for some dinner.

We found a nice organic food restaurant in Jackson, and I enjoyed fish tacos while we licked our wounds.  We discussed options for the coming days, and all agreed we needed an easy day to recover and further acclimatize before making another summit attempt.

All in all it was a good day.  I knew the likelihood of reaching the summit on day 1 was a longshot.  The climb allowed us to get familiar with the area, acclimatize, understand our timing/pace, and work out our gear systems.  It was a chance for Goat and Pam to learn some mountaineering skills as well.  For me, I realized my fitness was still not 100%, but I thought it would be sufficient to get me through the week.  I decided to give up on the heavy leather mountaineering boots, and use my new goretex Salomen trail running shoes for the next attempt.  Goat had a similar set-up, and the crampons worked fine with them.  This would enable me to move faster and save energy.  I also needed to get a water bladder as stopping to pull out water bottles was too time consuming, and I was not drinking enough as a result.

We were tired after day 1, but it allowed me to quickly get my mind and body adjusted to vacation mode.  I did not have a cell signal to check email, and was pleased to fall asleep listening to the sound of the guitar player strumming away at the cabin next door.  Life is good.

Almost home

Great workout tonight!

I was really bummed last night after trying to run to the end of my road and back.  It's less than a mile round trip and I was really hurting every step of the way.  The downhill tore me up and I hobbled for the full distance.  The uphill wasn't too bad, but I never felt in synch.  After finishing, I started thinking about Terry Laughlin's "Total Immersion Swimming" philosophy and the process they use to perfect technique.  They don't worry about piling on the laps or miles.  They work on the technique.  Once the technique is right, the speed and miles come with less effort.  This is what I have been attempting to do with my 1 mile runs a couple times each week.  I'm getting stronger and faster, but my stride is still way out of wack.  Only doing a mile helps me concentrate a bit on form, but I needed to break it down further.   I decided to run "sprints" (for me these days this is 7:30 - 8:30 min/mile pace with the afterburners on full throttle) up my driveway a few times, and really focus on my stride.  It seemed to help some as I started to feel more like a runner and less like a gimpy old man.   It gave me a little hope after a lousy run down the road.

Tonight was another story.  After doing a 15 minute warm-up on the bike and doing all my pre-run warm-up exercises and stretches, I gave the dreadmill another shot.  I was determined to take a crack at the 8 minute/mile barrier.  OK, I'm no Roger Bannister, but 8 min/mile is a challenge at this point in my recovery.  I used to think I could run 8 min miles forever.  It was effortless for me and it almost seemed harder to go slower.  I used to run marathons at sub 7 min pace, and it's a daily mental mind game wondering if I can ever get back to that form.  I figured if I could get a couple steps of a good, pain-free stride, I could duplicate it over and over.  If I could do an 8 minute mile with a reasonable stride, there would be hope....I think I can, I think I can...

Once I started the treadmill, I knew I had a shot!  My stride was significantly improved, and I quickly cranked the pace down below 8:30/mile.  To make an 8 minute story very short, I did about a 7:52ish mile and finished the last 200 yards at a 7:35 pace.  Wooohoo!  I am feeling better now!  The nice kicker was that my knee pain was not as bad and the stride felt much improved.  I'm still wobbly, but I'm able to push off more with the left leg.  The stride did get sloppy at times, but I only needed a couple good strides to tell me what is possible....I can do the work to make it repeatable.

After doing my PT, I decided to celebrate and pay homage to Mr.  Laughlin by doing a few laps in the pool.  I tried to focus on my technique and noticed a little improvement.  It was actually enjoyable.  I have a long way to go, but I'll get to that triathlon one of these days.

I know I can, I know I can....

Now, off to finalize plans for the Tetons and Yosemite!  Looking forward to a great trip!

Peace!

Steve

Adirondacks Report: Mt. Colden and summer fun!

Every year the Connecticut Climbers and Mountaineers hosts a trip to the Adirondacks on July 4th weekend.  We camp at Whispering Pines Campground located halfway between Keene and Lake Placid in the heart of the high peaks region.  There is a lot of tradition associated with the events of the weekend, so there is usually very few surprises for those who have attended in the past.  It's a great time, and I have attended almost every year for the past 8 years.  Last year I missed the trip, so Charlotte and I could spend some time together as we had just started dating.  This year, Charlotte and her younger son, Christopher, joined me for a great adventure.

Since there were 3 of us going, I needed to figure out sleeping arrangements for us.  My tent will only hold 2 people comfortably.  No worries though as I was anxious to try out sleeping in the Honda Element, so I started building a sleeping platform.  I got some ideas on the Honda Elements Club Owners Forum, and came up with some embelishments of my own.  I barely finished the construction before packing all the gear on Thursday night, so didn't have much time to check out the system.  I removed one of the Element rear seats for added room, and was glad I did.  This would be the maiden voyage for car camping in the E!

We drove up Friday afternoon, set up a tent for Christopher, and greeted CCM members as they arrived at camp.  It was great to see my friend, Paul (a.k.a. EuroMan) as I haven't seen him in approximately 6 months.  We drove into Lake Placid for dinner and ran into the Goat, Jessica, and Batboy at a local Greek restaurant.  The food was excellent.  I highly recommend the Greek Salad with beans.  Yum!  After dinner, we headed back to camp, prepped the Element for sleeping mode, and caught up with many friends at the campfire.  The typical question is, "What are you climbing tomorrow?" and "Who are you climbing with...?"  For us, we were planning a big hike and had our eyes set on summiting Algonquin.  As it turns out, Goat, Jessica, Batboy, and Euroman (and Grover) had similar plans, so we all agreed to go together.

After a hearty breakfast in Keene, we headed for the ADK Loj trailhead only to find the parking lot full. No worries...we went to the trailhead on Meadow Road.  This is the cheaper option since it is free, but adds a couple miles to the round trip.  It's a pleasant, relatively flat walk to Marcy Dam, so the added mileage is no big deal.

With Euroman and Grover taking the point, we set off for Marcy Dam.

I was pleased that I was able to keep up with everyone with minimal discomfort.  I figured I would be the weakest link on this hike, so was paying close attention to my aches and pains to ensure I did not put us in a situation that would slow us down too much or create a potential rescue situation.  Here's a shot of the crew taking a break at Marcy Dam.

The plan was to hike through Avalanche Pass to Lake Colden and then decide whether to conquer Algonquin (2nd highest peak in NY) or Mt. Colden (still a big peak at 4,700+ feet elevation).    The hike around Avalanche and Colden Lakes is so much fun and the views are amazing.

After covering more than 5.5 miles, we decided to take a left and save a little time by hiking Mt. Colden.  It only saves about 1-2 miles on the round trip, but it was a wise decision nonetheless.  Once we started the climb up to the ridge, it became obvious that Charlotte's son, Chris, was slowing down.  I hung back with Chris and did my best to coax him along.  Goat, Euroman, and I took turns trying to keep him moving along.  Chris hung in there and we finally made it to the summit and collapsed for a short break.

Goat and Euroman were a bit restless and wanted to get back in time for happy hour while Char and I hung back with Chris.  Chris was having trouble on the descent, and it seemed he was bonking and possibly not getting enough electrolytes.  I put some endurolyte powder in his water bottle, and after awhile he seemed to get back to normal.

We chugged along and finally made it back to Marcy Dam where the faithful and trusty Euroman was waiting for us.  The four of us hiked back to the E while being attacked by mosquitos.  It was a long 9.5 hours covering about 15 miles and Chris asked that we never do that again!  After realizing I may have traumatized him again (1st time was the climbing accident where I dropped 100 feet to land right next to him), I figured I better come up with something to make up for it.

We had a fantastic potluck dinner at camp that evening with a cello suite solo by the burgeoning Batboy!   If you haven't heard the Batboy play the cello, you are missing something special.  He's got talent!  The nice thing is that he makes it cool to play the cello.  All the young kids sat quietly and listened intently while he played.

During the potluck, I quizzed the families for ideas fun kid activities for Sunday.  I've spend at lot of time in the DAKS, but most of it was climbing or hiking.  Piton Paul and Jen Reed both advised me to take Char and Chris to a gorge with cliff jumping.  It sounded like fun, but I was a little nervous about jumping off another cliff despite the fact that water was down below.  Nevertheless, after a big breakfast in Lake Placid (huge pancakes at the diner next to Mr. Mike's Pizza), we headed off for some swimming.

This swimming spot is on the right side of the road 1/2 mile past the KOA in Wilmington Notch.  It's free and about 100 feet from the pull out parking spot.  There are 3 tiers on the cliff where you can jump into the water below the waterfalls.  Here is  someone jumping from the middle tier.  The upper tier is about 30 feet up!  Yikes!  Chris and I both jumped from the middle tier and Jessica (Goat's girlfriend) jumped from the upper tier.  Yeah!   Chris had a blast playing in the water.  The current is really strong in spots, so be careful if you go there.  We hung out there for a bit and then went to find some lunch.

We decided to have a picnic at Cascade Pass next to the lake just below the cascade.  Chris, Char, and I had fun thumb wrestling, and enjoying the views.  Life was good!  After a bit, we headed back to camp and Char and I decided to try a run together.  We stayed on the gravel road going through camp and I experimented with the shim in my shoe.  It hurt like heck to run downhill, so my run was more like a controlled limp.  Either way, we covered a little over 2 miles in about 22 minutes, and I followed it up with a full set of physical therapy exercises and stretches.

It's always fun to hear the stories of the day from all the climbers and hikers as they filter back into camp.  The best stories are the late arrivals of the hardmen as they arrive late for pizza at Mr. Mike's in Lake Placid.  At Mr. Mike's, we always have big bowls of family style salad, pizza, and Sammies.  We toast the Chief, Dennis, and Ken, take the traditional group photo, and make our way to the ice skating rink for the traditional snow ball fight courtesy of the zamboni shavings.

Chris was really into the snowball fight, and snow kept flying as we made our way down to Ben & Jerry's for the traditional ice cream stop.  All good fun and it was great to share it with Char and Chris for the first time.

We packed everything back into the Element on Monday morning, and set off down the road.  We stopped by the new Cedar Run bakery for breakfast and then said goodbye to Euroman who was setting off to save lives in Tennessee.  Grover wanted to stay with the CCM, but Euroman told him they had a higher calling.

All in all it was a good Adirondacks trip with some of the best weather I've seen on a July trip to the DAKS.  I'd like to get back on the rock at some point, but it didn't feel like the right time on this trip.

Running update:

Monday, July 4th

After returning home, I went over to the Plainville HS track and attempted another mile.  I ran without the shim and it seemed to be worse without it.  My time was 8:37 which was a bit slower than my last attempt.

Wednesday, July 6

15 minutes warm-up on the bike, and about 15 minutes of prescribed pre-run warm-up exercises (they seem to help)

2 miles on the treadmill - YEAH!

1st mile - 8:30
2nd mile - 9:15
Total - 17:45

Not bad, about equal to my old 5K time, but making progress.  Stride is feeling more natural, but still run a bit lop-sided.  Finished up with all my PT exercises, core work, and chin-ups.  Big workout!

Friday, July 8

Early morning PT session.  They beat me up good.  Eric gave me a real shim to put in my shoe.  It's about 1/8' -1/4" thick.  I had to remove it around lunchtime due to pain, but then got used to it later in the day.

Sunday, July 10

Goat and I went for the record for the Pinnacle to Rt. 6 and back 4.5 mile course.  I ran almost the entire way.  Our goal was to break one hour.  Last time I did the route with Char, it took 1:10, so I thought 1 hour was doable.  I worked my tail off, but we could only manage 1:01:30.  A new record, but a little short of the 1 hour mark.  Nevertheless, it is sub 14 minute pace on difficult single-track with some good elevation gain.  I'll take it for now!   Just need to keep getting stronger.

Post-Script -

Goat and I leave for the Tetons and Yellowstone on Saturday.  We'll be there for a week, and then I fly to San Francisco to meet Char for a few days in Yosemite.  We'll have plenty to report on when I return!

Be safe everyone!

Let the Endorphins flow!

Are you addicted to the endorphin high?  So many runners, including me, get that wonderfully euphoric feeling after a run.  There is nothing like it!  Believe me...I've tried many different things in the past 9 months, but nothing really duplicates that feeling.  Don't get me wrong...I love the feeling I get after a good yoga session, a gym session, or bike ride.  I'm not a great swimmer, but always feel better after a good swim.  Climbing...well, what can I say?...my second passion...always feel at peace with the world after a good climbing day.  OK, climbing is up there on the list, but the endorphin high from running is irreplaceable.

Unfortunately, I haven't had that feeling for quite some time...until tonight!

I can tell I'm healing because I get that fidgety feeling when I get anywhere near a treadmill or even glance at my running shoes.  My running shoes have the same affect on my as the magnetic pull the ring on Gollum....my Precious!!!

One or two times each week, I have been "running" a mile on the tread to see if I could get a pain-free stride worked out.  I'd like to be able to run with my Reach the Beach team in September, and I figure I need to cover 3 legs of 3-5 miles each at a sub 10 min/mile pace or thereabouts.  I'm not too worried about pace, but would like to run smoothly, efficiently, and with minimal discomfort.

Anyway, I managed to work my way down to a sub 9:30 mile, and then yesterday attempted my first timed mile outdoors at a nearby high school track.  After diligently doing my prescribed warm-up exercises, I set off with a skip.  My knee hurt pretty significantly which was weird because my hip was the incumbent ache going into the trot.  At any rate, I huffed and puffed and gutted out an 8:27 mile.   If you told me 4 weeks ago that I would do an 8:27 mile, I would have jumped for joy.  I was pleased and relieved, but somehow felt like I still had a lot of work ahead of me.  My gate was not even close to normal as it was more like a controlled limp.  I was bummed with my relative level of aerobic fitness, and the knee pain worried me a bit.

Tonight, I did my physical therapy session diligently, but the magnetic pull of the treadmill just would not let me be.  I told myself it was a dumb idea...my knee was still sore from yesterday.  I negotiated with the little runner on my left shoulder and ignored the warnings from the sane couch potato on my right shoulder.  The little runner promised it would be OK, so I went for it and shoved a handful of potato chips in the other guys mouth so I couldn't hear his warnings and gloomy predictions.  My plan was to go slow and just work on technique.  I managed to do a mile in a bit over 11 minutes.  It was fine with me.  I was happy just to be moving 2 days in a row.   Another check in the box...first back-to-back days of running since October 2.  Nice!  But here's the kicker...

I did a little cool down walk, drove home, and then it hit me.  There it was....that feeling...the feeling you get after a solid 20 mile training run with your buds...Call it what you want: a runner's high, nervana, heaven, a peaceful state of bliss.  Whatever you want to call it is fine with me.  I just got a little of my mojo back.  The endorphins were flowing, and it felt "oh so good!"

Ahhhhh!!!  Wishing you all the endless runner's high!

Enjoy!

Steve

Happy Father's Day and then some...

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads in the world!  I hope you all had a fantastic day...I had a wonderful day, thank you very much!  In fact, I had a wonderful weekend!  A special Happy Father's Day to my Dad, the superhero named Ron Nelson.   I've never seen a man with more drive, determination, and resourcefulness.  Given enough time, I think he could fix the world...he sure has the tools for it ;-)

When I was in grade school we had to write a story about what our Dad's did for work.  Most Dad's had jobs like police officer, doctor, salesman, etc.  You could get your head around those professions.  My Dad had his own business as a mechanical contractor.  Now, Mechanical Contractor is hard enough to understand conceptually as a third grader, and I sure as heck didn't know how to spell it.  So, I wrote an essay titled, "My Dad can do anything".  My Mom still has it filed somewhere and pulls it out to remind my Dad once in awhile.  I guess my love of writing took root early.

Anyway, it was a beautiful weekend with wonderful dry weather.  Now, to catch up on the recovery effort....

First, many thanks to all of you who read this blog.  I am regularly humbled when I look at the stats of the viewing audience.  I know I don't know all of you, so please drop me a line sometime to say "Hi".  I write this for myself primarily, but very glad people enjoy the material.

This week was a tough week for fitness, but we still managed to make some progress.   Since the last report, I improved my one mile time to 11:06.  I only time myself about once per week and that was almost a week ago, so I'm looking forward to shooting for a 10 minute mile soon.  Woohoo!

On Wednesday, I visited my Physical Therapist, Eric.  He routinely asks me, "What kind of crazy stuff did you do this week?".   He has given up on asking me not to run.  Now, he just asks how far I am running.  He also gave me some exercises to do before I run, so I'm pretty psyched about it.  Eric is awesome, and I know I will owe him a huge thanks when I'm back to real running again.

I traveled for business on Thursday and Friday.   I always enjoy traveling as it gives me time to do some self-reflection and meet new people.  I was a little nervous because it was my first trip since the accident, and I wasn't sure what to expect at the airport.  Luckily, the metal detector did not notice the rod and giant screw in my leg.  Yeah!  No need for body frisking.  I picked up a book called "The Happiness Project".  It's one of those self-help books written by a very energetic young woman(Apologies - I don't remember the author's name and am too tired to go find the book at the moment).  Anywhoo, when they were passing out beverages on the plane, I happened to glance at my napkin which read "open happiness".  Well, there you have it!  It was an advertisement for Coke.   I guess I just need to open a coke to find happiness. Thank you very much Mr. Buffett and all the Coke stockholders.  Too funny!

Anyway, the first chapter of the book was focused on increasing your energy level which is something I think we all can use.  The two primary tools she uses to increase energy are getting adequate, quality sleep and de-cluttering.  So, I decided to try it out this weekend.  I used an eye shade to improve my sleep since I have two skylights without shades in my bedroom.  Second, I attacked some of the clutter in my house.  It's not that my house has a lot of clutter (I don't own enough stuff to characterize it as clutter), but I certainly have room for improvement.  As luck would have it, my friend Bob was coming to pick up my 98 Honda Civic Friday night.  Cool!  Step 1 in de-cluttering.  While Bob was there, I convinced him to take a few other items I no longer needed.  Excellent!  Thanks Bob!  On Saturday, I cleaned the garage, made a trip to Goodwill, turned in the plates for the Civic at DMV and filled 2 garbage pails.  Yeah!  I even did some weeding!

Give it a try!  I had more energy this weekend than I've had in a long time.

Charlotte came over in the afternoon and we decided to go for a hike.  Char is very competitive, and was still bumming that Goat and I broke my record for Pinnacle to Rt. 6 and back without her.  The route is another benchmark for me to see how my fitness is improving.  Actually, my fitness is fine...it's my darn leg that's the issue!  Anyway, it's 4.5 miles round trip of fairly technical single track with a lot of ups and downs (crosses over Rattlesnake Mountain and other high points along the ridge).  Char and I did it in about 1:30 about 1 month ago, and Goat and I did it in 1:20 a couple weeks ago.  Since hearing about 1:20, Char wanted to be a part of a new record attempt, so off we went.

I thought we had a reasonable shot at 1:10, but it was very warm out (upper 80's?).  Char started off moving quickly up the first hill and I was concerned I would slow her down.  After jumping onto the single-track blue-blazed trail at the top of the ridge, Char was shocked that I was "running".  I still don't think of it as running, but she said it looked good.  It feels like a limp still.  Eric, my PT, asked me to try a shim in my left shoe for a few days, and I agreed to give it a shot.  I knew from my own experiments that the shim took some pressure off my back and it seemed to even out my gate.  This was the first time I was "running" with a shim.  I used the insole from an old pair of Asics, so I basically had 2 insoles in my left shoe and 1 in my right.  If any of you wonder what it feels like to have one leg shorter than the other, just add another insole to one of your shoes and try to walk normally.  YEAH!  That's how it feels :-)

Anyway, we were moving along pretty well and reached the halfway mark in 33 minutes.  I knew it would take longer heading back as it was warm, my hip was hurting a lot, and Char was really suffering from the heat.  I was actually moving a bit quicker than Char on the uphills, but she was still doing well on the downhills as I could not put much force on my leg.  We walked a bit more on the way back, but Char was determined to break the record.  She hung in there, and then opened it up on the last downhill to the trailhead.  I poked along behind her, and hit the watch at 1:10 when we got to the road.  She was ecstatic and exhausted.  I was pleased, but concerned about my hip pain and lack of a decent running stride.   We walked back to the car tired, but happy with our effort.  I noticed that I was walking much better after the run than when I had previously covered that route with the Goat.  Hmmm...maybe I am making progress.

I've kept the shim in all weekend.  It seems to help, but it's annoying moving it around with each pair of shoes, and other shims aren't quite the same thickness.  I don't know what I'll do tomorrow with my work shoes :-)

After doing my PT and other exercises (I was pleasantly surprised to be back up to 40+ push-ups, 7 chin ups, and lots of other good stuff), I showered and threw some salmon on the grill for Char and me.  While eating, we saw the most beautiful sunset from the deck.  It made for the end of a wonderful day!

Today, Tara, Jamie, and Maliyah had breakfast at the house with me and Char for Father's Day.  It was great to sit there and listen to all the gals chat.  They gave me some aqua-training accessories, so I can start pool running as well as a Boston Red Sox BBQ apron and mitts.  Sweet!  Go Sox!  Isn't life awesome?  What a great Father's Day!

After hanging out with the gals for a while, Char went home, and I drove to New York to see my Dad.  Oh yeah, I should mention that Char gave me a haircut on Saturday with the clippers.  It was a first time experience for Char, but it came out pretty good.  We really wanted to get our "trail run" in, and didn't feel like waiting for my haircut appt.  In the end, it didn't save us much time, but it was a fun adventure.
Anyway, I thought my Dad would be happy to see my crewcut as he always wanted me to get my haircut short as a kid.  Today, he said, "What is it with all you guys getting your heads shaved these days?"  Oh well!

After hanging out, BBQing with the family and watching my nieces and nephew play in the pool, it was time for the long ride home.  I considered going for a bike ride when I got back, but I opted to rest the leg.  I'm still quite sore from yesterday's effort, and I really want the hip pain to improve.

If I can get the hip pain to subside, I think I have a good shot at doing some decent running.  We'll see what happens....time will tell.

Post-script:

My Dad asked me what a blog was today.  I told him it was like an on-line diary where I told stories.  I told him some people even like my stories.  Go figure!

Have a great week everyone!

Steve

The First Mile

I've been waiting for this day for a long time...funny thing is that I didn't expect it so soon.  OK, it's been 8 months and 9 days, but my progress did not indicate that I was ready to run.  Sure, I've been cheating and squeezing in a little shuffling on my hikes.  I've been testing myself with 1/2 mile runs each week, and religiously doing my physical therapy.  My walking has improved considerably, and I no longer think about every step I take...

Before the accident, I could run like a gazelle.  Running was part of my life since I started running track in 7th grade.  I've been a long distance runner for 35 years.  The past few years I started wondering what life would be like if a day came when I couldn't run.  So many friends have lost the gift of running through injury, and I often stated to anyone who would listen that I could not live without running.   I couldn't imagine it!   I loved climbing, skiing, cycling, hiking, and other adventure sports, but running was the life blood in my veins.  I savored hill repeats like a kid eyeing a hot fudge sundae.  After a good workout, I felt like I was in a zen-like state.  A good yoga workout could not even compete.  So much of my mental, emotional, and physical being revolved around running that I couldn't imagine it not being there for me.  I've run in nearly every country or state I have visited, run 100 miles at a time...running pulled me through divorce and so many other challenges in life.   We were best friends: running and me.  Running was my faithful companion...so when that day came over 8.5 months ago...the day I fell 100 feet to the ground...the only thing I could think about was "Please fix my leg so I can run again!"

The Doc said I could start physical therapy 6 weeks later.........6 long months later I was finally starting physical therapy.  The rehab has been a nightmare at times, but it's also been a blessing in many ways.  Having time off from training gave me time to enjoy other things in life.  It's given me more time with family and friends, and helped me focus on the really important things in life.   Life is good...

Nevertheless, something has been missing.

Yesterday, I went to the gym and did a 20 minute warm-up on the bike, but before starting my therapy, I walked over to the treadmill.  I knew I probably should not run, but the pull was irresistible.  I wanted to try to do a half mile at 12 minute/mile pace.  I figured I needed to be able to run 12 minute miles by August 1st if I wanted to run with my Reach the Beach team in September.  Many people think this is a crazy goal, so I just tell them it helps keep me focused on getting better.  Secretly, I have a plan.

Today, I started off at nearly a 12 minute pace from the start.  My stride was a bit gimpy, but felt better than previous attempts.  I gradually sped up the pace, and was through the 1/2 mile mark right around 6 minutes.  Wow!  Funny thing was that I still felt OK.  I decided to try for another 1/4 mile, but I secretly wanted to go for the full mile.  I envisioned the celebration we would have if I covered a mile in under 12 minutes.  I picked up the pace, and was running the last quarter in at sub-11min/mile pace....blazing speed for this one-legged wonderboy!  I had to focus on every step to make sure I didn't slip and fall.  Tears started streaming down my face as I approached the finish.  I wondered what my time would be, and watched each second tick off.  There is was...finally....I ran my first mile in 11min, 34 seconds.  How sweet it is....11:34!  I was so excited I could hardly contain myself!   I stepped off the treadmill and looked around...no one other than me realized the significance of what just transpired.  I wandered over to do my physical therapy work and wondered what would be next....

When will I run my first 5K?
When can I start training regularly?
When can I run with Charlotte?  Goat?  All of my friends and family?
Trail racing?  Marathon?  Ultra?  100 miler?

Who knows where this is going...

Maliyah saw me try to chase her ball down the driveway Friday night and she laughed uncontrollably.  It was the first time she saw her Grandpa run, and I'm sure it looked pretty funny.  I had to smile just thinking about what it must have looked like to her.  Glad she got a good chuckle!  When she was born, I promised I would be ready to run a marathon with her when the time came, and I'd like to keep that promise.

I don't know what the future holds...don't know if I'll be racing anytime soon...don't know much about anything....but I do know this....

I AM A RUNNER....AGAIN!

I am so very thankful!

Have a great week everyone!

Peace,

Steve

What a weekend!

Life has been busy lately...to the point that it's hard to even find the time to do my physical therapy.  I think I need to get focused on my fitness if I ever want to get back to peak performance.  It's great to see so many people enjoying endurance and adventure sports.  I enjoy cheering for you all, and want to be back out there with all of you!

My PT, Eric, says I'm really close.  He has me doing single leg exercises to simulate running.  When I tell him about my hiking and psuedo running, he doesn't know what to say.  He knows if he tells me not to do it, I will ignore him.  We have a good relationship.  I asked him to watch me do my thing, and he said it is definitely running.  I call it "slide stepping" or hobbling, but he said I am definitely running.  Then, he told me to stop it.  I call it "hiking" since it is on the trails...

Goat and I haven't done anything together in about a month, so I asked him if he wanted to join me for my "Pinnacle to Route 6 and back" trek on the Metacomet trail.  We did this route over a month ago, so Goat was really surprised to see my progress.  I did my little shuffle whenever the terrain permitted (flats and gentle slopes).  My goal was to break 2 hours since Char and I had set that mark a couple weeks ago.

We cleared Rattlesnake Mountain in about 20 minutes, skipped across Greenwall and Porcupine Hole, and then started down toward Rt. 6.  As I did my hitch down the sloping single track, I saw someone coming towards us with a camelbak.  It looked like a trail runner, so I perked up.  As fate would have it, it was Jerry Turk, Mr. Bimble, in the flesh.  I yelled out his name and he was just as surprised to see us.  I asked him what he was doing so far from his corner of the state, and he indicated that he was attempting the entire Metacomet Trail in one day.  Matt Estes had told me he did the trail in 11.5 hours, but he reported it as 61 miles.  Jerry, on the other hand, said he was attempting a 91 mile jaunt.  Wow!  He said he was scouting it as a potential ultramarathon and asked if we were interested in helping to promote it.  Indeed, Goat and I had talked about making the route into a race several years ago after Matt told us about it, but I had no idea it was 91 miles long.  Wow!  Jerry, ever the gentleman, was pleased to see me back on the trail.  We both finished Top 10 at Vermont in 2006 I believe, and I still have a picture of us together at the award ceremony with the other Top 10 runners.  I hope we can get back there someday.  After a couple minutes with Jerry, we were back on our way.  We tagged Route 6 in about 40 minutes and made the turn for home.  We made good progress, but my leg was getting sore.  Goat was in disbelief when he watched me run and said it made his day.  I was happy to be out there working up a sweat, but my leg was getting sore.

After cresting Rattlesnake Mtn on the return, I asked Goat to predict the finishing time.  I knew we were on track to finish in under 1.5 hours.  Goat called 1:25, and I went with 1:20.  Despite the pain, I pushed hard to cover the 4.5 miles as quickly as possible.  Goat took off on the final downhill, and I did all I could to keep him in sight.  We got back to the trailhead and I hit my watch: 1:20:29.  Damn, it felt like a new world record!  It was something!  Back in the day, I wouldn't even consider it a warm up...and Goat was scheduled to go for another hour run later in the day...but it was a great progress check for me.  If I can get that time down to 1:15 or less, it would be very cool.  Maybe next week :-)

While progress has been great, it's still hard adjusting to having a leg length discrepancy, etc.  I wobble when I walk, and still have a hitch in my stride.  It's frustrating at times.  Nevertheless, I cling to the fact that Bill Rogers won Boston 4 times and many other marathons with a leg length discrepancy of more than 1/2".  If Bill can manage to run a 2:10 marathon with a bigger discrepancy than me, I think I can get back in the groove.  If I stay focused, I think I can still pull off Reach the Beach in September.  We'll see...

Char and I were out late last night having a wonderful dinner with her brother, Jesper, and his wonderful wife, Michelle, so today was a rest day.  Char and I took the kids to Winding Trails for a picnic/BBQ.  It was a great day to be outside, and Maliyah, my granddaughter, had a blast playing on the beach.  I was thinking that today would have been a perfect Gunks day.  There was a time when climbing was everything.  I'd watch the weather and plan my weekend based on climbing potential.  Today, I was exactly where I wanted to be, and loved every minute of it.  I threw a few lobster tails on the grill, and played in the sand with my granddaughter.  Life is good!

Have a great week everybody!  Hope to see you on the trails and at the crag soon!

PEACE!

Steve