Crewing Badwater 135 - July 2011

I am not sure if I will ever attempt to run this race. I have to say the $1000 entry fee for minimal support puts me right off. I don’t see the need for it. For sure, the event costs money to host, particularly the medical support. But a grand? And that’s before paying for your own support crew which for most people is a necessity in a race like this. Though you have to give huge credit to the few who actually do the race self-supported. This year a lady pushed a cart the whole way. With only a few towns along the course, she needed to push gallons of water as well as food and other gear.

Yosemite - July 2011

Yes, this post has been a long while coming!! But I did want to record this wonderful weekend where we did our first little bit of exploring in California. For most of 2011, I have been commuting weekly to Los Gatos (just south of San Jose) while Chris (and Cooper) remain in Minneapolis. It's been challenging at times but all of these new places to explore make it fun.

A couple of things...

The following are all in various forms of draft and some will actually get posted before the end of 2011!

• July - Badwater crewing - I would never have believed the desert could be that pretty. Even at 117 degrees.
• July - Wasatch Front Ultra Relay – myself and Chris opted for (created) the 2-person team.
• August - Leadville 100 - the magnificent beauty of the course made up for too much road.
• September to December – training with a coach. A cool new experience. With lots of long runs in the Marin Headlands. Beautiful!
• December – Hellgate 100k - I raced, really raced, for the first time in about 18 months. And it felt awesome.
• December – Tuscobia – we entered a new world of race directing. And we learned fast.
• 2011 recap
• 2012 race plans