I planned on doing a 2 mile warm up then the tabata workout I read about in trail running, and know about from crossfit, but the 2 miler turned into a little more than a warm up and the tabata kicked my butt!!

2 miles in vibrams, 7:07, 6:49

the tabata workout consists of 20 seconds of sprinting 10 seconds rest, repeated for 4 minutes, a total of 8 20 second sprints. Try it, it's tough. real tough. But according to a study which I can't site off the top of my head it produces tremendous results in a short amount of time (the study was 6 weeks), increasing both aerobic and anerobic capacity.

6.25 miles, 7:04 pace, vibrams

Ran a 10k plus a little today on the dirt track in vibrams, felt strong, working on speeding up my cadence.

Elkhorn 50 mile Race Report (kind of)

Well I started the Elkhorn 50 miler in the Elkhorn mountains outside of Helena, Montana. The first 15 miles went very well I was running strong, going faster than I should have been for a 50 miler with 12,000 feet of gain, but all was going well. Then I took a wrong turn, before I knew it was wondering through cow pastures, jumping over fences, climbing under fences, walking up on an empty cabin in the middle of the woods, getting starred down by large angry cows that were standing in between myself and the road I though I need to go down, climbing hills to get a better look around, then wading through a forest of lodge pole pines and jumping over dead trees while being shot at (only partially joking here) until I final found my way back to the start/finish after 3 hours of wandering off course. An adventure for sure!

Not a big deal though. I realized at about mile 10 that a hilly 50 miler isn't the best training for the flat 100 miler I have coming up anyway.

Spanish Peaks Hiking Report

Sometimes it's the path of mistake and uncertainty that turns out the best. The plan was for Jill and I to go on a two day, 23 mile backpacking loop in the Spanish Peaks, about 45 minutes south of Bozeman. Jill found the hike in a book, we had the directions printed out and hit the trail early Saturday morning. about 45 minutes into our hike we came to a junction which the directions sited as being mile 3, our first clue something was wrong, we surely hadn't already gone 2 miles, but we took the trail to the left, leaving the green Meadows dotted with yellow and purple flowers and were swallowed up by the green forest.



We came to the next junction at 4.5 miles marked with signs indicating the which trail the different paths lead to, but none of them lead to the trail we were supposed to be on, again we chose the path to the left, staying on the same 407 Spanish Peaks trail. We left the flat forest floor and began a climb that would weave in an out of the forest, past lakes and streams for another 4+. With the change in elevation came the change in trail surfaces, from mostly dirt single track to mostly rock single track. Not really notable aside from the fact that I was wearing my VFF's. The plan was to start in VFF's and switch to my cross country flats when my feet start to hurt, but upon arriving at the trailhead I realized I forgot my flats, and I surely wasn't going to wear my hiking boots, so it was VFF's or nothing.

About 4 miles into the climb we reach the next trail junction. By this time we were certain we weren't going to complete our predetermined look, but the mountains were beautiful, and we decided to follow the trail where it leads us. Neither one of us had been in the Spanish Peaks before and didn't know what to expect. With it's green Meadows and tall grey jagged peaks, we both agreed it reminded us of Glacier National Park. The thing I love about hiking in the mountains that I can't get while hiking or running in the forests of the Midwest is the uncertainty of the views that lay ahead. You never know when you're going to pop out into a break in the trees and be greeted with a sprawling view of the mountains and valleys as far as the eye can see, and once you get above tree line, every climb is made with anticipation of what lies beyond.

We again decided to take the trail to the left, which from looking at it seemed to lead over a mountain pass but wasn't clear where it went from there. As I reached eye level to the top of the climb I caught a reflection of the sun in the ground above me. As I took a couple more steps, gaining a couple feet in elevation I could see an alpine lake about 10 feet in front. It was pretty cool to just walk up a mountain and be greeted by a pristine lake with no forewarning.

The lake was just sitting on a break of two mountains about about 7000-8000 feet in elevation the pass was about 100 yards long, and was we followed the trail to the other side of the lake and got our first glimpse of what was beyond, we found our selves staring down into a lush green valley, equipped with a fast network of streams green grass and wildflowers making up the colors of the rainbow. It was such a vast contrast to what we had experienced the last 4+ miles of our hike. We went from rocky mountains to lush green valley in the time it took to butt slide down a 100 yard snowfield.

We followed the trail throughout the valley about a mile before deciding that there could be no better place than this to camp for the night. So we set up our tent, the only residents in the mountain enclosed valley. Well...there was one other resident. A very curious deer that kept making wide circles around our camp site, always coming back within 20 or so feet of us before eating some grass and making another loop. This went on for a couple hours before he finally went to bed for the night.

the next day we made our way out of the valley, climbing up the fallen rock to the side of the snowfield we had sled down, past the lake, down the mountains, through the woods, into the Meadows and back to civilization. Another successful Montana summer weekend.

3.1 miles, 9:04 pace, roads barefoot.

Not only do I have to worry about the sprinkler systems when I run on the sidewalks around my place, but now I have to deal with the tiny pellets of fertilizer the lawn care companies leave scattered all over the sidewalk. Landminds to tender bare feet. Nice little run today. the feet felt good. Achilles still sore when I start but loosens up after a few minutes.

Jill and I will be going on a two day 20 mile backpacking trip this weekend. Hopefully I'll have some pictures to post.

8.2 miles total RHR:54

4.7 miles, to and from work (took a detour which added a few tenths) VFFs

3.5, trails, XC flats


put in some slow miles today. my legs are a bit weary. I think I'm at the point where I've gone from no training to a moderate amount in a short time, and the training I've done in the past two weeks hasn't had enough time to set in a make me stronger yet, so I'm running out of steam. I should start benefiting from my increased training in the next couple weeks and hopefully things will start continue to progress.

10.6 miles, roads, 6 miles barefoot, 4.6 miles VFFs, RHR: 56

I'm starting to try a new variation of training. Multiple runs per day of short distance. I'm doing this for a few reasons, 1.) it fits nicely into my schedule. I can run before work, run to work, run home from work, then run in the evening. 2.) I'm hoping that forcing the body to get up and go multiple times a day will improve my recovery time when I increase the mileage further. 3.) I'm hoping the short runs will help me transition into barefoot running more safely, allowing me to perfect my form and toughen my soles, instead of trying to go too far too fast. 4.) I'm always looking to change things up and see what works and what doesn't. So I'm going to try to get in at least three runs per day 2 or 3 times a week for a little while and see what happens.

I had a pretty good day of Barefoot running today. 6 miles total, which is the most I've ever run barefoot in a day. On my runs to and from work I noticed a significant reduction in discomfort from last week when running the same path. There were only a few spots that are still a little shaky. my final barefoot run this evening was a little rough, my soles were a bit sore, but it's nice to no the limits, and I still haven't developed any blisters or any other foot damage.

I've been having trouble with the nutrition side of things as I start to increase my miles. Since I haven't been doing much running for a while, I've been eating less and I need to consciously work increase my caloric intake to make up for the extra calories burned.

I've got some tired muscles from my increased mileage but my body feels good. my only ailments are my left achillies which gets sore after I get back from runs, and needs to be stretched and warmed up before the run, then it feels fine, and the balls of my feet which are a bit brusied from barefoot, but are getting stronger.

3.1 miles, 8:49 pace, roads, VFFs

2.2 miles, 10:33 pace, roads, barefoot, run to work.

2.2 miles, 10:40 pace, roads, barefoot, run home from work.

3.1 miles, 8:42 pace, roads, first half VFFs, second half barefoot.

Things to watch: sore left achillies

(monday)

8.2 miles, 8:24 pace, track and road, VFF's RHR: 55

I got in 8.2 miles today, not exactly what I had planed but it will do. My original plan was to run 10 miles on the track after work...well, my real original plan was to get up and run before work, then run after work, but that didn't happen. So I went to the track around 6:30 and ran four miles but stopped because I ate too much before I went running and the food was sloshing in my stomach. I let it settle for a couple hours then went back out on the roads for 4.2 more miles. Decent daily mileage overall. All in VFF's

things to watch: sore left Achilles

3 miles, 22:48, VFF's, dirt track

Back on the track for 3 miles to finish out my first week of training at 40 miles.

mile 1: 8:13
mile 2: 7:57
mile 3: 6:37

Weekly total: 40 miles

Ran 10 miles this morning on a dirt track, in my XC racing flats. I love running in the wilderness as much as the next trail runner, but unlike many trail runners I also enjoy going round and round on a 400 meter track. It makes me feel like I have total control over my pace, and I like knowing exactly how fast I'm going, and seeing how much harder I can push myself. I would say it comes from my roots of running track in high school, but I never ran track in high school, so I don't know where it comes from.

I was pleased with my time on the track today. I started of slowly the first mile, then kept a pretty good pace through the next 4 miles, then reigned it back in so I could finish the 10 mile run, then let it fly the last mile. I was happy an surprised that I was able to bust our the last mile in 6:39. This was an excellent workout conisdering my lack of training over the last 6+ months.

splits:

mile 1: 8:43
mile 2: 8:11
mile 3: 8:08
mile 4: 7:52
mile 5: 7:34
mile 6: 8:26
mile 7: 8:24
mile 8: 8:21
mile 9: 8:26
mile 10: 6:39

Total time: 1:20:49
overall pace: 8:05
dirt track, XC flats

7 miles, 8:30 pace, roads, VFF's

felt good, bottoms of feet a bit sore, but no blisters. Felt better than yesterday, probably because I had more sleep.

7.5 miles, VFF's, road, 8:56 pace

I am in Billings today for work, it's a little over 2 hours east of where I live in Bozeman. Billings is the antithesis of Western Montana, Big city, no mountains, both things I would rather avoid. They do of the Rimrocks, which in essence is a rim of rock that goes along the city, other than that it's got nothing for me. I got out for a 7.5 mile run this morning in my Vibrams. It was the longest continual run I've done in months, I felt good, though i was definitely getting tight at the end.

3 miles, 30 minutes, barefoot

nice and easy. tender feet, but no blisters...yet. I'm learning to relax more which helps ease the pain of stepping on tiny things on the sidewalk, relaxed feet are more absorbent than stiff feet.

This afternoon my feet were still tender from my barefoot run to work so I decided to start my run home with my homemade huarache running sandals . These are nice sandals to walk around in but I had never tried running in them, after a few minutes a realized that A.) they were heavy (heavier than anything i've run in in a long time anyway) This is because I used the bottom of an old rubber boot to create my sandals, and B.) they were effecting my foot strike, and causing some foreign stretching in my Achilles, so I ditched the sandals and went barefoot, instantly I felt better. The feet were still tender but I'm learning more and more how to lessen the impact of those tiny pebbles and debris.

A few hours later I went back out for another short run, I started in my VFF's because of tender feet but ditched them for bare feet after about 3/4 mile. I am really starting to realize the difference between minimalist footwear, like the VFF's and barefoot, there's a big difference! VFF's are great for improving running form, but nothing is as good for your form as running in bare feet. With VFF's you're still blocking a lot of the feedback your bare soles get from the ground. You're still able to be a little sloppy with foot placement and dragging your feet off the ground. If you really want to perfect your form, eliminate blisters and injury skip the VFF's and go barefoot. build up short and slow until you reteach your feet how to run. That being said I'm still going to wear my VFF's because I need to step up my training and put in the miles, and right now I can't put in the miles I need to get ready for a 100 miler with bare feet alone. If you need to wear something on your feet VFF's are the way to go!

so I ended up running another 3+ miles bringing my daily total to 7.5 miles. All around 10 minute pace, due to being barefoot and generally just taking it easy. This week I'm not focusing on speed. I'm just putting in some miles to remind my body what it's like to run consistent mileage, something I haven't done in a long time!

I ran to work this morning barefoot. it's about 2.2 miles. The pace was slow (about 10:30) due to teeny tiny pebbles on the sidewalks which can be a pain to a tender foot. I've come a long way in my minimalist running. My lower legs and feet muscle are strong enough to handle barefooting for long distances, but the soles of my feet are still tender, so that's what I'm working on now. I'd like to be able to run a marathon barefoot sometime in the near future.

My official training plan started today for Pony Express. I'm not one for following plans, but I am one for creating them anyway. It's not really a plan yet, as much as it is a vague outline. The only thing I have planned so far is starting at a 40 mile week and adding 5-10 miles per week to peak at 80 miles for a few weeks. the structure of those miles is to be determined, I'll take suggestions. I plan to do some track speed work (because for some reason I'm convinced speed work translates into strong 100 milers) a lot of barefoot road running, mountain running in my XC flats, some biking, and other odds and ends. The barefoot running is going to be my key for toughening up my feet in hopes of avoiding the bruised soles I've received in all my other attempts of 100 miles. I plan to run the race in my XC flats, the same shoes I ran Old Gabe 50k in. I love those shoes, very minimalist, 6 0z each, no support no heel raise, just a little bit of rubber and a mesh upper, perfect! Right now I'd like to think I'll be aiming for a sub 24 hour finish, but I'll judge those chances when the time comes.

Today I ran 3.3 miles barefoot on smooth cement sidewalk at 8 minute pace (some at 9 minute pace, some at 7 minute pace)

Friday morning I ran 4 miles in my VFF's at 8:30 pace on roads, and a gravel path around a lake in Helena. Friday afternoon Jill, Liz and I hiked into the Bob Marshall wilderness and camped at an alpine like at a decent elevation, 7,000 or 8,000 feet, the hike is 6 miles in, but we did at least 7 due to navigational blunders. The lake was beautiful, and COLD! The snow all around the lake was fair warning of the frigid temps but we jumped in anyway. We hiked out Saturday morning, no wrong turns, for 6 more miles. Hopefully I'll get some pictures from Jill to add here later.

Pony Express 100

If there's one thing I know about myself, it's that if I'm not working towards something I won't work at all. So I've come up with my latest race goal: the Pony Express Trail 100 in Utah. This is a very low key run, no entry fee, no aid, no markings, no cuttoffs just a dirt road, a hand full of runners and the Utah desert. My girlfriend, Jill will be crewing for me, and there may be another runner from the Midwest that joins me in the fun, although I will keep his name concealed for now. The race is October 16, so I've got 3 1/2 months to get ready, plenty of time. It's one of those "easy" 100 milers with only 7000 feet of gain, run on a dirt road, 50 miles out, 50 miles back, in the middle of nowhere. anybody else wanna come??

Check it out here: Ponyexpress100.org

I still haven't run since my race on Saturday, but I feel good. I wasn't very sore at all due to the slow pace. The only thing I sustained, besides very tired muscles, were a few nasty blisters on my toes which have kept me to a walk for the last few days, but that's a small price to pay. I'll take the tape of my feet tomorrow and see how they look and hopefully go for a stroll.

Old Gabe 50k Race report

(My return to the ultra scene)

Endurance fades, but experience lasts. I pulled into the parking lot got my bag and started walking to packet pickup. I passed a woman sitting on the tailgate of her truck, shoes and socks off, applying body-glide, I had never been here before but it instantly felt like home. I hadn't run a race since the Tecumseh Trail marathon in December, so was excited to get back into the racing scene. But I also hadn't been training since December, with a long run of 5 miles (once a couple months ago) a hike/run of 8 miles (last week) and a couple hikes of 9 miles (a few weeks ago) I didn't have many expectations. It may not be the smartest move to have made my first race in 6 months a 50K with around 12,000 feet of elevations gain, mile for mile it has a similar elevation gain to hardrock, but how can you resist a race that calls it's self "one of the most difficult 50k's in the country" when it's 15 minutes from your front door?

I started out in the back of the pack. I thought I was last but I was actually second to last. The first 4 miles is a climb from the middle cottonwood trail head (start/finish) to the south Bostwick at Saddle Pass. It starts out as a slight incline for 1.5 miles (this portion of the course is the out and back that leads to the different trails we would be running, so we covered that 1.5 miles 4 times throughout the day. At Saddle you descend down the pass and onto the next aid station another four miles away (the distance between aid stations is approximated, the first "half" of the race is actually a mile or two longer than the second "half") in late summer the first mile down from Truman Gulch would be a steep descent, but still definitely runnable. But in late June in Montana at 8,000 feet snowfields still remain. It had been really cold the night before and the snow was extremely hard making it very treacherous to run down. I fell a couple times before deciding to go out of the way and find more solid ground on the side of the snowfield. Once you get past the snowfield the trail turned into a creek and made the rest of the decent very muddy. Once you get past that, the next 3 miles to Truman Gulch is a nice downhill stretch. Then it's back the same trails from Truman Gulch, over Saddle Pass, back to Middle cottonwood. As I was making the climb back up the snowfield at Saddle Pass I had decided that I would bag it at the Start finish and drop to the 25K. But I was breaking one of the golden rules of Ultrarunning: making a decision on an up hill. I started running downhill my energy came back and I was feeling pretty good. Early on I was running up all kinds of debts: Energy, hydration and electrolytes. so around mile 12 I rededicated myself to keeping on the nutrition maintenance side of things.

at the half way point at Middle Cotton would I was feeling pretty good. I knew the second half of the race, Middle Cottonwood to Sypes Canyon and back would be a little bit shorter, and 2,000 feet less elevation gain than the first half. I reached the halfway point right around 6 hours (the cutoff was 12 hours) so I knew I had to keep my pacing going if I wanted to finish. Middle Cottonwood to Sypes canyon is 4 miles up then 4 miles down (roughly). I like that about mountain ultras, there may be quite a bit more elevation, but there are stretch of consistency, and your not going up then down small hills over and over which can break up your rhythm. The second half of the race was pretty routine. I felt good from mile 12 to the finish. I made good time on the second half and stayed well within the cuttoffs. At this point I was still in the back of the pack but there were two people very close to me. As we reached the final two miles we were all right together. about two miles from the finish there was some snow and downed trees from a avalanche that happened in the winter, it went right over the trail so we had to climb over it. the guy that was right with me knew the course so when I started to take one route around the trees, and he took another, he neglected to mention that I was going the wrong way, by the time I got back on the trail he was gone. At that time I decided I was going run as fast as I had to to catch up and pass him before we finished, which I did. It was cool to be at the very back of the pack but still be with two other runners that were pushing me to the finish, we were fighting to first, second and third...to last. But i'd rather be the last finisher than the first to DNF. I won the battle and crossed the line in 11:00:16, despite my best effort to come in under 11 hours in the last 1.5 miles.

That's quite a long time for a 50K, but to put things in perspective the winner finished just under 6 hours, which was only the 4th time in the history of the race that anyone has finished under 6 hours. The second placed guy finished in over 7 hours. Old Gabe consists of rugged tough trails, lung busting elevation gain, panoramic views, and beautiful wild flowers, just some of the constant reminders I get of why I picked up and moved 1700 miles away to serve with Americorps and live at the poverty level. Old Gabe was a wonderful reminder of why I love ultrarunning, and I look forward to stepping up my training and getting back in the game.

I hiked/ran up to Mt. Baldy then ran back down. Total time was 1:57 total distance is around 8 miles. It's about a 3000 foot gain in 4 miles.

From bottom to "m" (2 miles) : 20:38
M to first peak : 22:56
first peak to Mt. Baldy: 32:00
Mt. Baldy to M: 23:32
M to bottom (2 miles) :11:49

Mt. Baldy is part of the Bridger Mountain range, which is a few mile north of downtown Bozeman. The Bridgers contain 8 peaks the highest being Sacagawea peak at 9665 feet. The range spans 20 miles and has trails all the way from one side to the other, including other trails that go troughout the range. It's a trail runners dream to have something like that in your back yard. I plan on getting to know it very well this summer.

I felt much better about todays trip up this trail than the one I did last week. I felt stronger, and had a lot more confidence on the down hill sections, although I did take a pretty hard spill on the last two mile section while running around a 6 minute pace. But I executed a nice tuck and roll and came away with only a few flesh wounds. I'm looking forward to Old Gabe 50k next weekend. It might be more than I can handle right now, but it will be fun, plus there's a 12 hour cut off.

Just got back from Glacier. The weather was beautiful, as was the park. It was the first time I'd ever been there. It's a great place for backcountry hiking and camping. I plan to take another trip back this summer when snow is totally melted for a longer trip. We got there friday night and camped at a regular campsite. Saturday we hiked 6 miles into Cracker lake and spent the night there. It was the best backcountry campsite I've ever stayed at. The lake was fed 100% by snow melt which flowed infrom two streams on either side of the lake. It was a crazy aqua blue color. Hopefully I'll be able to put some pictures up later. Sunday we hiked out and headed home. I don't do any running but it was a nice steady hike both days with good sized pack.

I ran 2.5 miles yesterday and 2 miles today all in Vibrams. Yesterdays run was a mix of road and sidewalk, while today was a dirt track. Both runs were at around 8 minute mile pace. My calves are sore, mostly I think from the run up Mt. Helena on Wednesday, but my quads feel good as does the rest of the body. I feel optimistic about my upcoming ultra training. I feel fresh, not to be mistaken for in shape or trained, but fresh and new. I don't think it will help me much in my up coming race, but after that I think things will start to roll along.

I'm going to Glacier National Park this weekend for some hiking and camping, and hopefully I'll do some running also. My camera doesn't really work anymore, but I'm sure someone else will take pictures, so hopefully I can post some of them.

Today I did a short bike ride around town about four miles, then a 3.2 mile run up then down Mt. Helena, 22:30 up 11:50 down. Then a 2.5 mile road run in my Vibrams at about a 9 minute pace.

Hello.

I would start by saying that I'm going to get back on top of this whole blogging thing, but I've said that before and it didn't happen, so who knows. I have a race coming up in a few weeks, Old Gabe 50k. I haven't been doing any running, only some hiking and biking, but I'm going to start the race anyway. I think I'm going to start some training now in order to get in shape for some later summer ultras. I ran/hiked up and down mt. Baldy yesterday, about 4 miles, then ran about 3.5 miles barefoot (my first completely barefoot run.) Then biked around town about 15 miles. I just moved from Livingston to Bozeman, which has a pretty good bike route system. I went on a 4 day 3 night 30 mile solo backpacking trip in yellowstone a couple weeks ago, which was a blast. The weather is finally good for the most part now, and there is so much stuff to do outdoors. I love it.

I think I will post more soon and frequently, but no promises.

Luc said he want to see some more pictures, so I took a camera on the regular afternoon jaunt to Sacagawea park. I did a quick overnight camping trip in the backcountry of Yellowstone yesterday, but I didn't think I brought my camera, so I don't have any pictures of that. As it turned out, my camera was in my pack the whole time :) Spring is slowly coming to Montana! But the snow isn't done quite yet.

As most of you know I'm in Montana now doing a year of Service with Americorps working with Big Brothers Big Sisters in Livingston, Montana. We are getting ready for our largest annual fundraiser Bowl For Kids' Sake, which is this Saturday. We get 15%+ of our annual revenue from this event. I've started a fundraising page and would love it if you would consider making a contribution. Help me raise more money than some of my co-workers!

Firstgiving.com/joshdillingham

also check out the new BBBS of Park County website I've been creating.

more running stories later.

Oh yeah, I have a blog....that I'm supposed to write in.

We'll it's March so I think I'll strat doing some running now. I've been doing some snowshoweing, hiking and exploring around the area which has been really great, but I really haven't been running, which hasn't really bothered me much, but I think I'll start running a little more now. I still won't be able to get on the trails to run for a while because of snow but I'll run around the streets for now. I went out this evening in the vibrams and ran down to the river to make sure the mountains were still there...they are.

Here are some pictures from some of my recent explorations:

Eliza and I went on a nice hike this afternoon. I'll let the pictures say the rest. Just another day in Montana...

5.5 miles 7:50 pace

Snow and ice are covering most of the roads to the trail heads around here this time of year, so I'll have to wait for the weekends to go down to Yellowstone and do some snowshoeing on trails. For now the roads will do for my running. You don't have to step off the city sidewalks to see some great views of the Absaroka/Baretooth range or the Yellowstone river. I'll bring my camera and snap some shots from my normal run around town. I tired out a 5.5 mile loop around town today that will probably become my normal run, I might stretch it to 6 miles. It runs for a small stretch in Sacajawea park, right along the Yellowstone river with great views of the mountains in the background. I'll be in Helena for the next few days, hopefully I'll find somewhere to run there.

I went into Yellowstone today with Chuck to check out some of the wildlife. Chuck has lived here in Montana for about 4 years, and knows just about anything about the park, especially the wildlife, He was a fantastic guide. We saw tons of elk and bison, which move down closer to the road in the winter because of all the snow up in the higher elevations. We also saw some wolves, which follow the elk down low as their food source. It is an overcast day here, so the pictures aren't great, but I can asure you the scenery is! It's a real winter wonderland this time of year.