LEWIS!

Updates and TRT

2012-02-08T19:46:00.000-08:00

Two big pieces of news over the past week: 1) I got into the Wasatch 100 and 2) I committed to a speed record attempt on the 165 mile Tahoe Rim Trail in August. Gary Gellin- the speedster who I met at the Bear 100 this past year- has been organizing an impressive team of ultrarunners to take on this challenge (everyone running as individuals) and was gracious enough to invite my sorry ass along. The current record is 38:32 and is held by the phenom Kilian Jornet. I must say, even mentioning this possibility feels like unrealistic hubris on my part (as far as my abilities alone are concerned.) But what the hell... I'm certainly not one to turn down such a potent opportunity to sublimate death anxiety. I can only hope to be fit enough by that time so as not to embarrass myself too badly.

I've had a good run of healthy, solid training over the last month with over 80,000 vertical gain in January. While little of this training has much likely bearing on my prospects at the mostly graded and nontechnical trails at the upcoming Antelope Island 50m it has certainly been enjoyable and hopefully is money in the bank for later season technical mountain races on the schedule. The past week's highlights include a good threshold effort on Mt. Wire (29:10 to summit in slow, icy conditions), a hard aerobic 26 miler on Antelope Island and then 4 x 5 minute cruise intervals at the end of a 16 miler today- the latter two workouts with Helfer, the Manimal. Nice to see a bunch of local SLC runners out on Antelope Sunday morning.

Remembering in the midst of this Einstein's caveat: 'not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.'

Mill D

Mt. Wire, the old standby

Bonneville overlooking the city

I heart Mt. Wire.

Antelope Island, sunrise.

Helfer, taking a break from hammering.

Antelope island...

Towards Mueller Park...

Existential Reminders

2012-01-28T12:17:00.000-08:00

While winter trail running in SLC can be limiting in terms of possible routes, one nice consequence of traveling the same set of trails on a daily basis is a growing sense of intimacy with the terrain and the ability to appreciate minute changes in trail conditions, lighting, weather, and wildlife. There is a habituation that occurs to place and my presence in it. I know each bend, each rise, the most efficient footstrike patterns to negotiate obstacles, what the temperature means for the snow conditions and expected traction. The strange is made familiar: a state facilitated by the proximity of these trails to my workplace and the city at large, the expectation of being here in the minutes I squeeze out of a lunch break or the early morning hours, the folding of this activity into my routine. At times this can promote a desultory, even complacent attitude towards the surroundings and the daily ritual of weaving to and fro amidst the foothills. And yet there are moments where strangeness returns, where you are reminded in the clearest of terms where you are and what you are: in the natural order of things, an animal of bone and gristle running instinctually during the bright, brief window of time you are alive.

Strangeness. An odd term for what is the truest encapsulation of our existence. It's been nice to have a few daily reminders of this.

The following photos were all taken over the last 3 days in Dry Creek, only minutes from the University Hospital. Mountain lions are alive and well in the foothills judging by the carnage and plentiful surrounding tracks.

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

The Gist

2012-01-22T18:59:00.000-08:00

Helfer heading up Uncle.

I've accumulated some decent vertical over the last 2 weeks (a little over 40,000ft of vertical gain), a good deal of it slogging uphill in snow. This marks a stodgy commitment to my general training plan of running whenever the opportunity arises, doing none to very little fast running, lots of ups, and skimpy overall mileage totals. While controversial and certainly not a plan destined to take one to the Olympic Trials, I justify this approach by fear of injury and facilitate it by not wearing any form of GPS tracking device- the latter allowing for not only gross overestimation of distance traveled but also convenient obscuration of one's true level of fitness. While this would be unthinkable for a candy-assed, obsessive-compulsive, existentially-adrift triathlete, or even my former mileage-obsessed road marathoning self, it nicely fits the bill for me right now.

AM Grandeur, west face.

Slogging up Mt. Wire with the sunrise.

Jason, Mt. Wire. Cold.

A bit of a treacherous descent.

Mom, Ada, and new snowfall.

Trail Running: East and West.

2012-01-10T18:42:00.000-08:00

It's been a dry winter here in Salt Lake. While this has made for consistently runnable lower elevation trails it has definitely limited other winter activities. Luckily, running is a pretty great thing in and of itself. Having done zero snowshoeing this winter I may forgo the 50k snowshoe race at the end of this month and simply focus on building strength for the upcoming spring racing season. In that regard I've been able to accumulate some decent time on my feet over the past 3 weeks- both here as well as back in Maine visiting my folks. I'm also finalizing my race schedule for the spring and summer which will likely look something like this:

March- Antelope Island 50 mile

April- Zane Grey 50 mile

May- Zion 100? vs. June 2nd Pocatello 50

June- San Juan Solstice 50 mile

July- Speedgoat 50k

August- ? possibly Transrockies with Bethany

September- Wasatch 100, lottery pending.

Fall TBD.

Piano lessons with Mimi

Icy trail up Saddleback (Maine)

A bit slick

Bushwhacking

Bethany scrambling up classic Maine trail.

Jason Berry on ridge between Mt. Aire and Grandeur.

Sunrise on Bonneville

Afternoon on Bonneville.

Bethany in the Maine woods.

Why we averaged 18min per mile on this long run.

December Running

2011-12-19T20:04:00.000-08:00

Not too much to report on the running front. December has been a bit of a wash with 2 weeks of sickness along with poor air quality in the valley. Have now had a couple false starts in getting up and going with some real quality training but have managed several threshold efforts on longer climbs as well as a few light fartlek workouts. Thinking of 'running' the Kahtoola snowshoe festival 50k late January but it is looking like my first race in earnest will be the Antelope Island 50 miler in March.

On Grandeur Peak, socked-in valley below.

Black Mtn.

Bethany, somewhere bushwhacky in the snow-free foothills.

Lookout Peak run w Brent.

On Mt. Aire, overlooking the inversion.

Rime covered foothills

Surreal evening run up Mt. Wire, above the inversion.

Ibid.

Temple Square Xmas lights.

Bethany Lewis R2R2R New Female FKT

2011-11-10T20:17:00.000-08:00

While this blog is predominantly devoted to singing my own praises, frank boasting, outright provocation, and general chest beating there are times when mentioning the achievements of other people is also acceptable, namely when I can bask in their reflected glory. Rephrased in existential terms, sometimes one's death anxiety can be mitigated in a profound way by the assumed strength and grandiosity that accompanies close association with another person who you have endowed with God-like powers. One such instance of this phenomenon is when your wife bests the Grand Canyon r2r2r record.

Caravanning down to the North Rim on Saturday morning were myself, Bethany, Ada, my sister Zoe, Jason Thompson, Matt Vukin, Rob Corson, and Alexis Recine. We didn't arrive until mid afternoon at Jacob Lake Inn given the weather conditions in the valley as we were leaving- a nice harbinger of things to come.

We had some good times, had 3 men in a bed (Jason declined to make it 4), ate a nice late lunch of french fries, ate a dinner of french fries, and went to bed reasonably early, consoling ourselves with the additional benefit of daylight savings time the next morning.

Eager to get moving as early as possible, in typical fashion Rob woke everyone up at the crack of dawn with jubilant song and steaming coffee. We drove the 44 miles out to the snow and rime covered North Rim, the temperature gauge in the car reading 14 degrees.

Bethany, Jason, and I started at 7:09 on the dot, at which point I started my stopwatch, intending to have both my running time as well as Bethany's watch time to document the journey. (Yes, waiting another minute till 7:10 would have been just too much time in the cold.) Neither of us having attempted a FKT time before I gotta say I'm amused by the tradition of taking photos of one's watch at the finish as well as significant markers en route, in particular by the assumed legitimacy this is supposed to lend to an endeavor that is entirely driven and monitored by the honor system, as well as the fact that there is no clear gain to be had in being dishonest about such a thing. Nonetheless, photos of watches were on the docket for the day. Matt, Rob, and Alexis started off soon after us, intending a shorter but still burly rim-to-river-to-rim-run.

The footing for the first 1500 vertical descent or so was icy and slow. Within the first 5 minutes of running Bethany had already called off a record attempt. I knew better but didn't say anything, an amazing accomplishment for me in and of itself. Once the trail cleared up we ran a comfortable pace down to Phantom Ranch, the 3 of us hitting it in just under 2 hours I believe (actually forgot the exact time we hit this marker). We stopped to fill our water bladders and then headed across the river and up the South Rim, crossing 2 mule trains on the way up. The pace here was very controlled and Bethany and I hit the top of the South Rim in 3:47 and change (the watch reads a bit slower given the delay in getting my Iphone out to snap a photo). Jason hit the top shortly thereafter in about 4 hours even. I had (mostly arbitrarily) set 3:50-3:55 as a goal time for being on pace (taking into account the longer ascent on the North Rim) and at this point I think Bethany realized that a record could be in the cards for the day.

South Rim time, upper watch is my stopwatch, lower watch is Bethany's time-of-day watch.

We descended at a pretty slow pace, as downhill-pussified Lewises are wont to do, hitting Phantom Ranch in the vicinity of 5:10, again having had to make our way around the 2 mule trains we hit on the way up. From here we pushed hard over the next 7 miles, realizing that the final 7 miles would involve a lot of power hiking on icy trail. In retrospect we pushed a bit too hard here and about a mile from the Cottonwood campgrounds we had to tone it down a bit given an imminent blow-up. At this point we caught and passed our 3 compatriots doing the shorter version who cheered Bethany on and offered encouragement.

The last 7 miles from the campgrounds to the rim went pretty slowly, in part due to our unfamiliarity with the route and mile markers. I was constantly doing math in my head, projecting our finishing time but didn't share this out loud to Bethany. There wouldn't have been much to do about it as we were hiking about as fast as we could go at this point. I watched the watch turn over to 8 hours, to 8:05, to 8:10... I knew we were close but didn't know if this meant 5 minutes or 15. And then, suddenly and unexpectedly, there was the trail head sign and we were done: 8:15:51. The upper watch is hard to read but shows 8:15:54, 3 seconds after summiting when we arranged our watches to snap the pic.

We then sat in the car shivering uncontrollably as we waited for the rest of the crew to arrive. We quickly drove back to the Inn in a growing snowstorm, took frantic showers (some longer than others) and everyone except Bethany and Ada hit the road needing to work the next day. The next 8 hours of driving were by far more difficult, dangerous, and harrowing than any running done earlier given the white-out conditions, slick roads, and poor visibility. I did arrive home with at least a couple hours to spare before I needed to be at work. I learned on the drive home that it had been a busy weekend in the canyon with Dakota Jones setting a new men's FKT the day before at 6:53.

Finishing on the North Rim.

Overall, a fantastic accomplishment for Bethany in low-key fashion and a great weekend with friends.

Everyone made it back alive.

Finished with a hard day.

Grinding it out, about 8 miles left to go. Bethany looks more tired than me, right?

The best time of year

2011-10-18T19:46:00.000-07:00

Nothing too intense over the last several weeks since the Bear 100- just some nice mellow fall running. I did set a PR up Mt. Wire last week (north trail) at 27:32 (2000 vert) but I think this was only the 3rd time I'd timed myself running up to the top. I still bet it's faster than Bethany could do it, although not by much.

Black Mtn

Lookout Peak

Off Great Western Trail

Grandeur

Upper Millcreek w/ Peter, Ada, Zach

Nice Fall Colors

Aspen, enhanced

Bald mtn

On Mt. Olympus

Mt. Olympus

2011 Bear 100 Race Report

2011-09-26T20:08:00.000-07:00

2011 Bear 100 Race Report

"What the hell IS this?" I thought to myself during my increasingly desperate, wincing death march on the long descent towards Fish Haven, finishing the last 5 miles of what would be my first 100 mile run. This no longer seemed like a race. Hell, it didn't even seem like an athletic event. My heart rate was about 100. My quads and feet just were no longer able to withstand the pounding and not having consumed any significant calories since mile 75 had left me weak, reeling, and woozy. In all honesty, I could have been passed by 30 people on this stretch and not really cared: my mental state and whole being (what was left of it anyway) was just focused solely and intently on putting one painful foot in front of the other to simply get this thing done with. On paper it looks pretty decent: 2nd place and a 21:18 finish. The first person perspective of those last 25 miles told a different story however.

I had spent about a good amount of time on this last 15 mile stretch heading the wrong way at several junctures and then backtracking and I was now paranoid about being off course. (This time off course was significantly less than Nick Pedatella, first place finisher, who lost what must have been close to 1 hour in those last miles and still managed to pass me again going about twice as fast as I was). I had left my written course directions at the last aid station accidentally, emptying them out of my waist pack with a bunch of unused GU and Shot blocks that I had no chance of being able to ingest given my compromised GI system. As I hit pavement, in my semi-delirious state I was certain it was only a quarter mile or so to the finish. In reality it was 2 miles on dark, deserted country road. Running along I became increasingly certain that I was off course and doomed to wander around the rest of the night looking for the damned finish line. In retrospect I could have used a pacer just for this reason: my running pace probably wouldn't have been faster but having had a working brain out on the course, even in a different body, would have been nice. I remembered Mindy Campbell describing how in a previous year Jared had finished to find just Leland Barker asleep in a sleeping bag with a sign-in sheet so I wasn't expecting much as far as finish line hoopla. I came across a lodge on Fish Haven Rd with a big sign welcoming "Bear 100 Runners." Thinking it might be the finish line I weaved my way down the long driveway and entered the building. "Hello? I'm finished!" I called out hoarsely. No response. Someone probably turned over in their bed. My neurons fired in sludge, muffled sparks. Turn around, back out the driveway, back down the road, finally to cross highway 89 and find the finish, this time with cheering spectators including my sister Zoe and Billy who had graciously come out to support me that night for those last painful miles.

If I were to have written a race report from mile 65 it would have read something like this: "What's the big deal with these 100 mile races anyway? This isn't bad at all, just a nice mellow jog in the woods."

I'd do a mile marker by mile marker summary but the whole thing can basically be boiled down to this: a relatively quick and easy 70 miles followed by 30 miles of slow death. People say that if a 50 mile race is like 2 marathons then a 100 mile race is like 4 50 mile races back to back but that's inaccurate. It's exactly like running 100 miles, it's just that the 2nd 50 is much harder. This is the same pattern with the marathon, its just that when you extrapolate the existential suffering of the final 6 miles of the marathon to the scale of 100, rather than lasting 35 minutes it lasts 6 hours.

People talk a lot about mental toughness in 100 mile events as well and I suppose that this has got to be a significant part of it. But it felt like that aspect never really entered the equation. I never thought about dropping out- although I did have moments where I realistically considered the likelihood that it might take me 10 hours to cover the last 25 miles. I never felt particularly tough or weak- rather, I just did what my body was capable of doing at any given moment. At times this was running effortlessly up hill at a quick pace. At other times it was weaving back and forth across the trail in a drunken walk of 2 mph.

I've done a range of different endurance sports and I love the idea of comparing them. I'm always trying to identify what was harder- a 170 mile road bike race with big climbs or a 50 mile running race, a road marathon or a trail 50k, a 1500m track race or a 100 mile mountain race. Before my thoughts turned solely to feeling sorry for myself I did have a productive bit of thinking in the early going and developed a preliminary rating scale for overall difficulty of endurance events which I will have to spell out in more detail in a later post. Suffice it to say, these are not easy questions to answer, nor is there a linear relationship between length of the event and difficulty or level of suffering.

While I'm musing, it seems to be fashionable in writing race reports about never-ending extreme endurance sufferfests to speak at length about insights or personal growth sustained on the run. I've always been a bit dubious. Sure, I've learned plenty of things about myself during athletic events and I learned plenty during this one- it's just that the scope of these insights is pretty circumscribed around a few variables which generally involve some fairly generic and unsurprising observations about what happens to my mind and body when I collectively put them through the wringer. This can be interesting stuff, for sure, but more on the level of frank, clinical appreciation for the kidney rather than an asymptotic approach to some deep underlying metaphysical truth. I will say that I have never felt as raw physically and emotionally during a race as I did both during and after this one. Even several days out I can feel a deep emotional vulnerability and sentimentality and I broke out in tears of gratitude this evening with my family.

So, rather than give a play-by-play I'll do some general impressionistic brush strokes of what I took away from those couple days.

1. An unbelievably beautiful course in remote wilderness. I had multiple transcendent moments in the first 50 miles with some of the most profoundly euphoric moments I have ever experienced while running. I was thinking a lot about Ada (whose 1st birthday party I was planning on attending only hours after finishing back in SLC) and Bethany (who had supported me in doing this race despite the fact that it overlapped with her mother's visit and the logistics of this party), and how spectacularly lucky I was to have them. And how spectacularly lucky I was to be able to do this with my body and get a chance to run having not been able to do Wasatch. The combination of these thoughts, the beautiful fall colors and spectacular terrain, the comraderie of other runners, and the experience of doing this simple activity that has been an intrinsic part of who I am and how I make my way in the world was quite intense for me and I teared up multiple times with goosebumps. (1)

2. The comraderie of other runners.
While I am a competitive moth#rf*$ker and get huge amounts of motivation and pleasure out of just competing with other people, in this event I got the most satisfaction and meaning out of running with other folks and working together. This included a stretch early on with Mick Juryneck that in retrospect I wished lasted longer and then a long 40 mile stretch with Gary Gellin. I can't overstate how helpful running with Gary was. When I caught Gary at mile 40 or so there was the initial sizing each other up, competitive vibe going on. He was peppering me with questions about my PRs and racing experience. Over the next 40 miles however we truly evolved into a team. I would be faster at getting out of aid stations and would walk until Gary caught me. He navigated the course flawlessly and walked for a long stretch after mile 75 when I was on the verge of puking and could not even muster verbal responses to him and his pacer. I felt pangs of guilt and remorse when at around mile 80 I pulled off ahead of him as he walked slowly downhill nursing a hurt knee- particularly as he had clearly been the stronger runner all day to this point. Earlier on we would come into aid stations and I could barely muster shoving my water bottles in the direction of a volunteer with a grunt while Gary would be exuberantly chatting away and cracking jokes. I know I would have finished much slower and likely spent considerably more time lost if not for Gary. I seriously spent a lot of time during the last 5 miles wondering if I should just pull over, plop down, and wait for him to catch up so we could finish together.

3. Zoe and Billy.
I ran this race without pacers and had no crew until seeing Zoe and Billy at Beaver Creek Campground at mile 85 where they were cheering and giving me support. It was a huge boost to see them there and then again at Gibson Basin at mile 92.5. They took care of me at the finish line where all I could do was moan semi-incoherently and then drove me back to SLC in time for Ada's party.

4. Leland Barker.
I got a really good feeling from this guy immediately on meeting him. He gave off a mellow, Zen-like contentment that made me feel really good about doing this race. We exchanged only a few words:

Me: "Hi, I'm number 462, where do I sign in?"
Leland: "No sign-in. You can pick up your bag over there."

In line with this laid back approach, this race gets some flack for minimal marking of the course. It also seemed that vandalism of existing course markings was also at play. This certainly played a factor not only for me but for other runners as well, many with much more significant time lost. But I knew this going in and, truthfully, should have been better prepared with knowledge of the course beforehand. I also continue to love the low-key, low-maintenance, make-your-own-adventure nature of some of these ultrarunning events which just reinforce the basic nature of what we are doing and why. If you want to run PRs, run fast, compete neck in neck with minimal other variables to contend with, and have total control over the race environment there is a way to do it: it is called Track. I did plenty of this equally absurd pastime through highschool and college and have made a concerted effort to never again have anything to do with measuring distance, split times, pace, etc.

5. Pre-race time with Jeff Bertot, Naoki Ouchi, Chris Helfer, Mindy Campbell, and Tetsuro Ogata. It was great to ride down with Jeff and Naoki (eventual 4th place finisher!) and pick their experienced brains for advice on surviving 100 miles. Chris, Mindy, Tetsuro, and I stayed in my friend Peter's Logan home the night before which was perfect and right next to the start. One of the most impressive performances of the day was Chris Helfer who completed 100 miles having just started running this past spring. Over the last several months he has turned himself into a fit endurance athlete who I have trouble keeping up with on daily runs and he persevered in this race to finish despite having bad foot problems from mile 30 on as well as a scary asthma attack in the last 15 miles.

footnotes:

(1) Hard mother-fu*%ckers can still tear up and get goosebumps.

Course Profile:

Stomach of Steel

2011-09-14T20:16:00.000-07:00

Now fully recovered from his recent GI travails LEWIS! gets excited about the upcoming Bear 100 in 1.5 weeks.

"Is that all? This body has been through worms, food poisoning, Hep A, dengue fever, 'poison tree', and lactose intolerance," brags an insouciant, if still burping, hypochloremic, and metabolically alkalotic LEWIS!.

Having switched gears last minute, this race approach has been a study in contrasts. Wasatch planning involved careful scouting of the course, meticulous drop bag planning, exacting time splits, and a full crew with 3 separate pacers. Fully embracing the laid-back atmosphere characteristic of the Bear, LEWIS! enters without crew or pacers and minimal knowledge of the course on a route renowned for limited marking and plentiful opportunity for wandering around in the woods for hours in the middle of the night. From the comfort of the couch, the resulting heightened sense of adventure clearly outweighs the increased likelihood of disaster.

Below are some pics of the highlight from the past week: a nice 4.5 hour run with just under 7000 vert in Big Cottonwood starting with a loop from Mill D to Desolation Lake, back on Great Western and then an ascent up Kessler with some ridge running. Also was happy to set a PR on the west face of Grandeur (47 min and change) which was a testament to fresh legs and a nice change from the fatigue of the last couple weeks.

Ecologist extraordinaire, Dr. Adler, celebrating his recent publication in Science.

Kessler: one of the best peaks of the Wasatch

Storm rolling in...

What the Hell Happened? / Looking ahead to the Bear 100

2011-09-10T18:12:00.000-07:00

Well, it was Monday night, just a little over 3 days before lining up for the Wasatch 100 and I suddenly vomited. Then I vomited again. And then again. And then I had shaking chills and a fever. And then it didn't stop for the next 2.5 days. Hmmm, poor timing. I can get over this thing in time to line up Friday morning, I told myself repeatedly. No big deal. I won't be at 100% but I'll still make a go at it. This strained mentality continued over the next several days where I stayed home from work, didn't leave bed except to make it to the toilet, and ingested 0 calories. Not the ideal carb loading regimen.

Thursday AM I finally felt better enough to go to work, although I was still orthostatic and broke into a cold sweat just climbing up the stairs from the basement. I laced up my running shoes that morning and went out for a lurching 15 minutes in sugarhouse park. Immediately upon returning from 1 loop around the circuit I puked in my driveway. Hmmm...

I didn't see a lot of options so figured I'd just line up and take my chances, as dismal as they currently appeared. I tried to eat all day, maybe getting in about 500 calories or so. Then Bethany texted me and asked why didn't I consider doing the Bear 100 in 2 weeks time just a bit north of here in Logan: similar terrain, similar difficulty, a bit more low key, and beautiful fall scenery. I realized then and there that regardless of whether I did the Bear or not there was little sense in lining up to race the following day given my condition and the fact that I was still having trouble standing up for stretches of time.

I had to do some difficult re-prioritization with some other obligations that weekend but ended up pulling the trigger and signing up for the Bear 100 on Friday, Sept. 23rd. I'm psyched to be able to parlay this fitness at least into a 100 mile race but was definitely a bit bummed to not be able to do the Wasatch which I had been looking forward to all year.

It turned out to be an exciting race this year. I didn't feel well enough to actually spend any time out on the course but watched online from the comfort of my couch. Some great local talent. Will try again next year...

Onward to the Bear!

Taper Tantrums

2011-09-05T10:29:00.000-07:00

Peter on Mt. Raymond

ibid

4 days till race day!

Bakers Pass

Pool buddies.

Bethany's Sat. run up Timpanogos

Tired Pegs and Death Anxiety

2011-08-28T10:07:00.000-07:00

After a planned easy jaunt this evening I'll finish this week with just under 17,000 vert in 6 days to essentially wrap up the hard training for the Wasatch Front 100 Mile Endurance Run in 2 weeks time. Despite cutting back on the mileage and vertical this week, the pegs felt pretty dead and I felt like I was fighting off a cold. I made a couple half-assed attempts at getting some decent turnover in the legs but they were pretty tame affairs. For sure feeling some accumulated fatigue and welcoming the upcoming taper.

I'm definitely having some pre-race jitters and, perhaps as to be expected, am finding myself second guessing my preparation and race plan in fairly neurotic fashion unprecedented by any other races this season (which have been uniformly characterized by no forethought and minimal expectation.) The last time I recall feeling this wound up about a race was prior to my first marathon in 2002: the Cleveland marathon which I travelled to with P. Terrence McGovern and which turned out to be a spectacular display of suffering (although not so spectacular as Mr. McGovern's display.) I went into that race with a calf injury that reared it's head at mile 7 and forced me to finish the last 19 miles with a lurching, antalgic stride, eventually stopping the clock at a desperate 2:59:59 (despite having stubbornly forced a number of sub-6 minute miles around half-way).

That 98% of my already limited mental energy is currently devoted to this endeavor (that only a handful of people in the world care anything about and even a smaller handful of whom care about doing as fast as possible), in the context of residency, fatherhood, spousehood, home-ownership, etc, nicely illustrates the peculiar projection and sublimation characteristic of endurance feats and also provides an immediate and facile answer to the ever-present question of just why in the hell anyone does this: the Sisyphean project of denying death, of course.

With this in mind I will attempt to harness my ever-present death anxiety over the next two weeks to the unlikely project of maintaining a Zen-like complacency.

Mon- 2 hrs with 2300 vert, Bonneville to Black Mtn Ridge.

Tues- 2:05 hrs with 2600 vert from Kaysville out and back, reconaissance on the course. 8x 1 min on 1 min off fartlek

Wed- 2 hrs with 3,200 vert, Lookout Peak with Helfer.

Thurs - off

Fri- 1:45 with 2000 vert up above Alta with 15 min tempo.

Sat- 4:10, approx. 20 miles with 4,700 vert from Brighton out and back on Wasatch 100 course w/ Bethany.

Sun- easy 1.5-2 hours with 1500-2000 vert.

Totals: 6 runs, around 13.5 hours, about 17k vert. LEWIS!

With Auntie Zoe

Above Alta

Indian Paintbrush

Sunset Pass

somewhere around Pole Line Pass

Climbing back up the flip side of Sunset Pass

Brighton Marathon Loop

2011-08-20T20:26:00.000-07:00

Saturday 8/20/11, Brighton Marathon loop with Jason Berry.

Jason picked me up at 4:15am and we drove up to Brighton, starting out for the first 60-90 minutes or so with our headlamps. This course is run as an informal race in July but our goal today was just to accumulate some more miles and vertical before beginning the taper for the Wasatch 100 in 3 short weeks. The loop course initially heads up on Great Western but quickly veers off at Dog Lake to climb first up to Snake Creek Pass then over the rocky top of Clayton Peak (we were greeted here with glimmers of the sunrise). From Clayton you make a slow, bony descent to Guardsman's pass and then traverse the rolling single track along the Crest trail to Mill D which you descend down to eventually cross the road at Jordan Pines. (We has stashed a couple gallons of water here). The route then climbs up Day's Fork to the top of the ridge, traversing across to Twin Lakes Pass and then dropping back down to finish at Brighton. 25 miles, 6,200 vert by my Suunto t6c. 5:12 total time with some time spent early on doing some route finding in the dark.

Felt strong and steady all morning, although not particularly spritely given the approx. 45,000 ft cumulative vertical and 34 hours of running (what I really mean by this term is "running") over the last 2 weeks.

Taking the scamble-route up to the top of Day's Fork

Glad we weren't going down this slope...

Jason topping out.

Beautiful descent back to Brighton from Twin Lakes.

Wildflowers in full force.

On top of Clayton Peak, still pretty dark.

Doggies!

Summer Running

2011-08-16T18:34:00.000-07:00

Helfer and Brent 8/13

Gobbler's / Raymond

Red Pine Lake, heading up Pfeifferhon

Night run with Peter and Chris up Mormon Pioneer

Helfer on Sunset Pass

Gotta love summer in the Wasatch

Coming off Lookout Peak

Grandeur Peak

2011 Speedgoat 50k Race Report

2011-08-07T17:42:00.000-07:00

2 hours into the race, about 5,000 feet of vertical completed with about 7,000 still to go, and I find myself in the company of Nick Clark, Scott Jaime, and Joe Grant and we have just spent about 15 minutes climbing an extra 500+ feet of vertical in the wrong direction past 'Larry's Hole' aid station. As it turns out the pestering and increasingly insistent cries from aid station volunteers far below were directed towards us after all and not merely cheers for passing runners. A few expletives muttered, we clamored off the steep scree slope and back towards the aid station to pick up the correct trail, now in about 12th-15th places and with a newly found urgency to a run that had felt downright conversational to this point.

Karl Meltzer's sadistic brainchild, the Speedgoat 50k is a true mountain run that begins at Snowbird and climbs and descends a brutal 11,500 feet over the course of 31 miles over single track, jeep roads, creek beds, scree, talus, and snowfields with ropes placed for safety, all between 8,000 and 11,000 feet.

Bethany and I stayed up at Snowbird the night before with my sister Zoe graciously offering to watch Ada during our race. As we lined up at the start I felt groggy and it slowly dawned on me that I had done very little thinking or mental preparation for what lay ahead. A heavy (relatively speaking) 4 weeks of training had left my legs feeling pretty dead and I figured I would treat this run as a long training effort in the mountains rather than a real race. True to form, this intention lasted all of about 5 minutes until I found myself running all alone in no-mans land in 5th place with Nick, Joe, Scott, and one other dude running about 100 yards ahead. Fuck it. I accelerated to catch up to the back of the lead pack thinking that if I blow up, I'll just have to blow up.

Happily, the running felt smooth and easy all the way over the first ascent of Hidden Peak. I found that I had a lower threshold than the other guys for breaking into a fast hike on the steeper stuff but didn't ever lose any ground in doing so and my breathing and effort felt controlled. At the same time I knew I was in over my head based on the company I was with which gave me a jolt of excitement. All in all it worked out pretty well mentally as I was just pretty damn pleased with myself to be climbing with the likes of these guys in a race like this.

We crested Hidden Peak as a group of four but then quickly spread out on the nasty technical traverse and descent off Baldy. Per usual form I was a wussy on the downhills and got gapped pretty significantly here despite the fact that I was wearing huge, baffoonishly-cushioned, downhill-confidence-inspiring, Meltzer-sanctioned clown shoes. Joe and I were a study in contrasts on this section as he basically floated down the steep loose terrain barely touching ground clad in the Tarahumara-esque New Balance MT 110 prototypes.

I gradually made up the gap on the climb to Larry's Hole where we then proceeded to lose between 20-25 minutes going off on flagged trail that we weren't supposed to be on for another 10 miles or so. Realizing that I wouldn't be in it for the win anyway it wasn't too big a deal to me but it was pretty energy-zapping to rejoin the course now having lost about 8 places or so. Somewhere in rejoining the course Scott Jaime fell back a bit and I didn't see him till the end of the race. I was able to pass a few folks on the long, difficult creek-bed descent to Pacific Mine but this was a tough stretch for me and I quickly lost sight of both Nick and Joe. On this stretch into the aid station I ran and chatted a bit with Andy Dorais, another resident physician at the Univ. of Utah in Emergency Medicine into the aid station.

I caught Nick and Joe at the aid station and headed out shortly after them (in the process learning that Karl had now designated $1000 bucks for the winner given the off-course meanderings.) Nick Pedatella, who had stayed on course, had about an 8 minute lead leaving the aid station. Joe and I traded places for a while, pulling each other up the interminable climb back up to Hidden Peak but about half way up things started going south and I began bonking in earnest: a state unimproved by a 500-700 foot near-vertical grunt off trail up the side of a slope that had me stopping every 5 steps to avoid what felt to be an impending black-out. Vision black around the edges, I finally topped out and took about a minute breather to regroup and get some calories and fluids in (had neglected this domain in my haste after going off course). I stumbled off towards the tunnel and another seemingly unending descent before the final climb up the Peruvian Ridge.

While I felt like shit on the whole descent I began to feel pretty good again climbing the long spine back up to Hidden Peak, due in part to the renewed commitment to nutrition but also because of the spectacular scenery. Despite climbing well I was now pretty far behind the two Nicks and Joe and knew that I didn't stand much of a chance of gaining ground on the 5 mile descent to the finish given my respective downhilling ability over the course of the day. I focused my efforts instead on enjoying the last hour or so of the run and maintaining my 4th place- which I did until the finish. 6:23:25. Without the detour this would have been close to 6:00 by my watch. At the finish I was surprised to learn that Nick Clark had passed Nick P in the final miles to take the win by a few scant minutes and Joe was not far behind for 3rd. Impressive stuff.

I hung out a bit at the finish line drinking some fluids and chatting and then cheered in Bethany, first Nannie to cross the finish line for a prize of 500 smackaroos and a nice new down puffy with a time of 6:44:30. I then spent the rest of the afternoon basking in her reflected glory and congratulating myself for staying ahead of her all day. In what has to be a first, she actually looked worse than I did upon finishing this one: probably something to do with having spent 2 weeks in Ghana with little running and then very minimal running for 2-3 weeks following due to injury. Our recovery for this one was not helped by the fact that later that evening we boarded a red-eye flight to Maine with a squirmy Ada and slept about 7 minutes total.

Chris Helfer, finishing his first ultramarathon ever, placed 32nd in an impressive 7:26, becoming so hypomanically-excited and disinhibited in the process that he then proceeded to immediately sign up for running over 3 times that distance at the Bear 100 in a short 8 weeks time. I like the cut of that man's jib.

A couple photos of the course from Tetsuro Ogato's FaceBook postings:

Course profile from http://karlmeltzer.com:

And check out some recent video of running in the Wasatch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1g1b-ZAKNqY

Millcreek 50k 2011

2011-07-17T13:53:00.000-07:00

It's about 2:00am, I'm all alone, and I come across a single man and his dog with 2 water jugs in the middle of the upper Millcreek wilderness. What a great event.

The Millcreek 50k is a low-key, no-entry fee, informal race that starts at 9pm and runs through the night. This year was an 'up' year so we started at the base of the west route up Grandeur Peak. About 40 or 50 folks started out (? unsure on the numbers here) with a low-key "Go!" and off we went ambling down Wasatch Blvd on the pavement for about 5 minutes or so before the trailhead. On the way up Grandeur I found myself in 3rd place behind Jared Campbell and one other guy who had a decent lead going up the steep grade. I plugged my headphones in my ears and just focused on maintaining an easy, relatively unlabored effort up the climb. About 2/3 up the 3000ft climb I caught up to them and we hiked together conversationally over the summit which we hit in about 56 minutes (estimated 50 minutes from the trailhead?). The sun had fallen below the horizon and we flipped our headlamps on just prior to the descent. Being a weenie on the downs I took my time and quickly lost sight of these guys. (Jared had one week prior finished 75 miles of the Hardrock 100 and certainly wasn't showing any signs of it- pretty damn impressive. I continue to be incredulous at the feats some of these ultrarunning folk pull off).

The descent was fun and I started really enjoying the feel of the evening as it cooled off and the increasing dark shrunk my field of vision to the narrow field of my headlamp. I ran fairly leisurely along pipeline, again reminding myself that this was just to be a relaxed training run and was pleased to finally catch back up to Jared heading up towards Elbow Fork. We ran together through the aid station at mile 9, crossing the road to run the steep up and down over to Terraces. We then began a tough climb up to Baker's Pass, passing the other fellow who'd been running with us in the process. I took the lead here and without really intending to started pulling away. It was a long climb and by the top I couldn't see any lights below me. At this point, under halfway through the race, we had already logged over 7000 vertical. I stopped for a bit, turned off my headlamp, and enjoyed the feeling of being on this ridge between Gobblers and Mt. Raymond in the full moonlight in the middle of the night without another soul around. Spectacular.

The course then followed a long, rolling, and side-hilling traverse over to Dog Lake with views into Big Cottonwood Canyon. The course markings were sparse through here and the trail was pretty overgrown: more than a few times I wondered if I was on the right trail but figured given my estimated whereabouts and direction that I was heading in the right direction anyhow. Took a couple benign diggers on this section but was feeling great. I had filled 2 bottles at mile 9 but was running low at this point and thinking it would be nice to restock with some water at Dog Lake. Coming into Dog Lake I took a mistaken right instead of going straight (no course markings here) and ended up losing some time noisily poking around some tent sites (sorry to the campers who made a couple questioning grunts). Little did they know there was a stinky ultrarunner poking around their site at 1am.

I finally got my bearings and had to backtrack a bit to the aid station, crossing paths with Jared in the process who was just heading towards Blunder Fork and then Desolation. It was one dude, his dog, and 2 jugs of water just hanging out in the middle of the woods all night. Amazing. Thanks to all the volunteers who supported us out there. I drank a full bottle then filled both of them and headed out. In my meandering I started having a bit of a rough patch and suddenly for the first time in the race didn't feel so great. The descent to Blunder Fork felt alright but I felt pretty out of juice on the steep climb towards Desolation. I ate some Shot Bloks, drank some water, and gradually started to feel better. By the time I got on the Wasatch Crest I felt great again and started picking up the pace. Having Jared now in front of me was a great carrot and I started actually feeling the competitive juices flow at this point. It was mainly downhill, much of it on pretty sweet singletrack so I just let it fly and for the first time in the night tried to run fast (which isn't saying much). Felt good on the descent to the Big Water trailhead but never caught sight of Jared- pretty amazing to be able to descend like that 1 week after a long effort at Hardrock. Rolled in to the finish in 6:18, about 7 minutes back from Jared but still over 20 minutes under the old course record. I then immediately ate 2 delicious hot pancakes with syrup. I tell you man, this was probably one of the coolest events I've ever done. Jason Berry was there having been forced to drop out at Dog Lake after taking a nasty fall and hurting his back. He, Jared, and I drove back down to the base of Millcreek together.

Needless to say, didn't get much sleep over the rest of the night but the legs felt pretty damn good the next day regardless. With a quick jaunt up Mt. Wire this AM that put me at over 17,000 vertical for the week and about 35,000 vertical for the last 2 weeks. Definitely wasn't doing that shit when I lived in Iowa...

Here's some photos from the Wasatch in early summer:

Unnamed peak above Neffs Canyon

Lake Blanche

It's July!

Twin Peaks

Mt. Wire

Nice buttery singletrack around Red Butte

2011 Pocatello 50 Race Report

2011-06-04T13:26:00.000-07:00

Stats: 54.4 miles; about 13,000 ft elevation gain, 13,000 ft descending.

Prerace:

Was a bit nervous for this one as I had cut back on my running significantly in the previous 3 weeks for a combination of factors (a lot of traveling and a hurt L. metatarsal). The week prior I had tested out my foot with a 2 hour run with about 3000 vertical and decided to give the race a go with a modified insole with a hole cut out around my 2nd metatarsal head. My dad, my sister, Billy, and GG the dog accompanied us to Pocatello where we wussed out and got a hotel- mainly because we were worried that Ada would keep other campers up with her nightly squeals. After attending the prerace briefing I decided to go with tights for the race given uncertain weather conditions and traumatic memories of last year (severe windchill, white-out conditions, borderline hypothermia). Went to bed around 9:30 and set the alarm for 4:00. Got up, drank some coffee, ate a bagel and a Clif Bar, and headed out to the race start at 6am. Bethany was scheduled to start her race (50k) at 8:30.

1st leg: 17 miles. I believe I hit this in 2:50 but, having the direction sense of an 11 year old girl, I had gotten off course for somewhere in the vicinity of 5-10 minutes having gone straight instead of up the steep off-trail section (which was actually marked quite well.) Was running somewhere around 10th-12th place for most of this section, trading places with Ty Draney a bunch. After going off course I probably pushed too hard up the steep bushwacking section and by the end of that first leg my hamstrings were a bit tighter than I would have liked. Otherwise, energy and spirits were high as I headed out on the 2nd leg.

2nd leg: Felt good initially but started feeling like shit during the 'Barkley section' which involved a long hike up a creek with ample snow and mud. Poles would have been nice here. At the aid station just past the top of the climb I stopped only very briefly to fill up my 1 handheld bottle (prob. should have hydrated more here). Started feeling a bit better but still ran very conservatively back towards Mink Creek.

3rd leg: at the Aid station prior to starting the long climb up to Scout Camp I was cheered on by my dad, Zoe, Billy, and Ada. Switched shoes (into Hokas) which I thought would help my foot which was starting to hurt a bit more. Felt totally awesome after seeing them and took off considerably faster, climbing well all the way up to Scout Camp which involved a seemingly interminable out and back through loose snow and mud. Saw some of the folks in front of me here including Matt Hart, Joelle Vaught, Christian Johnson, Jeremy Humphrey. Just after I left the aid station Mindy Campbell came through running the 50k and we exchanged high-fives. On the way back I saw some of the folks not far behind me including Ty, Greg Norrander, and Bryon Powell. All of these guys looked really strong and seemed to be moving significantly faster than I felt I was going which inspired me to pick up my pace a bit. I tried to push the pace on the downs (energy felt good, aerobically felt good, but was pretty limited by hamstrings that would seize up on me if my stride lengthened out too much). Hit the aid again, said hi to Dad, and headed out for the final 7 miles.

4th leg: This last stretch was pretty rough. I think at this point my dehydration was really starting to catch up to me as it was getting almost impossible to take in any calories without retching. I continued to try to do 1 Gu every 20-30 minutes but over that last couple hours it wasn't happening. Just before the downhill I saw Jeremy 200 yards in front of me but he must have taken off after that as I never saw him again. Fell twice on the slippery, muddy downhill and then tried to push it out as best I could over the last 1.5 miles of road. Finished 11th overall, 10th male. Bethany had apparently finished the 50k as 1st woman, 4th overall, looking fresh as a daisy per my dad.

Aftermath:
Immediately on finishing I knew something was up. I was psyched to hear that Bethany won the women's 50k but I couldn't take in any fluid or food and just felt all around awful. My sister drove me back to the hotel where all I could manage to do was lie in the fetal position wimpering, vomiting when I tried to drink water. This went on for another 4.5 hours until we collectively made the decision to head into the local ED for some IV fluids. By the time the first liter was done I felt 1000x better and after 3L I felt like a new man.

Reflections:

Overall I'm really pleased with my effort and performance. Felt like I ran as strong as I could all day and dealt with some significant adversity. Felt better running the downhills than I've ever felt and after the race while I definitely had some hamstring soreness my quads felt totally fine. I felt almost completely recovered 4-5 days after the race. This being said, I definitely have a lot to learn about running trail ultras and was super impressed by the performances of the top male and female finishers. I'm not sure how exactly one runs 8:17 on that course but it definitely involves something pretty special. Notable mistakes I made include carrying only 1 water bottle, not keeping up on salt, not recognizing my dehydration at an early enough stage where I could have done something about it, and probably being overly concerned with racing early in the race after getting off-course when I should have just focused on keeping my effort even and easy instead of pushing the pace to 'catch up.'

The mental aspect of these longer races is interesting. While I was never tempted to drop out, by the end of the race I was totally spent from worrying about whether my body and energy would hold up the whole time. That constant monitoring of my foot, the hamstring cramping, my caloric intake, etc... was pretty mentally draining and it was a relief to cross the finish line and just not have to think about all of it anymore.

I'll definitely be back to this race next year: fantastic course, excellent support, deep field, and a big sense of adventure. Thanks to Jared and Ryan for putting on a great event. Thanks to my dad who came all the way out from Maine (unable to run because of injury and illness) to support us, as well as Billy and Zoe. Without these guys it would have been tough to get myself to the ED when I needed it.

Unofficial Results (taken from iRunFar.com)

50 Mile – Men

Dakota Jones – 8:17:00
Zach Miller – 8:24:39
Mike Foote – 8:40:30
Ryan Burch – 9:01:32
Evan Honeyfeild – 9:04:13
Luke Nelson – 9:09:45
Matt Hart – 9:17:04
Christian Johnson – 9:45:30
Jeremy Humphrey – 9:46:57
Ben Lewis – 9:51:16
Ty Draney – 9:57:48

50k – Women

Bethany Lewis – 6:12:24
Jamie Williams – 7:07:06
Emily Judd – 7:15:02

Rim to Rim to Rim!

2011-04-24T17:16:00.000-07:00

4/18-4/24

Mon- r2r2r Grand Canyon in 12:30. Av. Hr 132. 11,000 ft climbing. Ate Gu and shot blocks the whole way, felt strong. Quads tired.

Tues- off, driving home.

Wed- off, tired.

Thurs- 40 min easy from work. 200 vert.

Fri- 1:30 Bonneville. Easy. 1500 vert.

Sat- 2:00 Bonneville with Peter, north from City Creek. 2000 vert. Easy.

Sun- 1:20 with Rob, pipeline, easy. Then 30 min sugarhouse PM, easy. 1:50 total. 500 vert.

Totals= 18:30 running. 15,200 vert.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GE-_AdJE04w

Upcoming R2R2R

2011-04-14T10:16:00.000-07:00

Played it safe the last 3 weeks with consistent easy running and no faster workouts. Have hit 12 hour of running per week for several weeks in a row here- this past week with 8500+ feet of vertical. Nothing crazy but nice to have some consistent miles. Skipped the Antelope Island 50 miler because of my persistently tight R. calf so as to avoid seriously hurting myself and preventing a rim-to-rim-to-rim run April 18th. However, the smaller and faster LEWIS! not only won the women's 25k (in a final 150m sprint finish) but set a course record in the process and came in 3rd overall! Heading to Moab today for some hiking and running and then making the drive to the Grand Canyon Sunday morning for a R2R2R run the following morning. Planning on starting at S. Kaibob and heading down to Phantom Ranch, up N. Kaibob to the North Rim and then back the same way for a total of 42 miles and 26,000+ feet of vertical change.

Some Weekly Summaries

2011-03-20T14:24:00.000-07:00

Still some lingering tightness in the R. calf but have been able to get in some solid miles, even if no high-intensity workouts. Hit about 80+ miles this past week which is decent. Hopeful about running the 50 mile Buffalo Run this coming weekend but won't do so unless the calf is 100%.

3/14-3/20

Mon: 1:20 easy, Bonneville. 1400 vert.

Tues: AM 40 min. 200 vert. Yoga.

Wed: 2:00 Bonneville 2100 vert.

Thurs: 1:30 total in 2 easy runs. 1200 vert. Got massage.

Fri: 2:00 Bonneville 2000 vert. Hokas.

Sat: 3:15 Long Run, Bonneville. 3500 vert. av hr 144. 1 hour with peter. 1:04 from Univ. to City Creek. Hokas.

Sun: 55 min Sugarhouse Park very easy. Av hr 132. Total vert 300 ft. Yoga.

Totals = 11:40 Running. Total Vert = 10,700 ft.

3/7-3/13

Total 11:20 easy running with 3:10 long run on Bonneville with 3,400 vert. Av hr 142. Total vert for the week about 6000.

Weekly Summaries

2011-03-06T18:55:00.000-08:00

2/21-2/27 Recovery Week
Got in 6:25 running time, easy, minimal vert, plus 3:10 xc skiing for 9:35 total.

2/28-3/6
9:15 Running with intervals on Wed (8 x 800m) and then long run / threshold effort on Friday (2:30 with about 35 min tempo running).
+2:25 xc skiing (skate and classic). about 5,500 vert total (running only). Total time = 11:40.
R. calf tight.

Yellowstone Rendezvous 50k skate ski race: Bethany, about 4 hours, snowy and windy.

2011 MOAB RED HOT 55K RACE REPORT

2011-02-26T10:32:00.000-08:00

Moab Red Hot 55k, February 19th, 2011

Distance: 34 miles
Place: 10th
Time: 4:47:30
average pace: 8:27 per mile
average hr: 166

Traveled down with the Incredible Terry McGovern, Ada, and my mom to meet up with 16 other folks in the condos we had reserved outside of Moab. Had a hard time falling asleep and woke up at 5am to get some food in the belly. This gave me about 3 hours of sleep the night before with a fussy baby and race jitters. Cliff bar, coffee, some Nuun, and half of a peanut butter bagel for breakfast. Got to the start line early to drop off drop bags. Weather was high 40s with spitting rain and strong wind. The field was pretty stacked with Jones, Parr, Callahan, Storheim, Torrence, Burch for the men; Ortiz, Africa, Moehl, Lewis for the women. Had it not been for the head-wind I'm pretty sure there would have been some course records broken.

The early pace felt a bit quick going up from Gemini Bridges and I settled in at about 25th place, trying to draft to get some shelter from the harsh headwind. Despite running what should have been a controlled pace I noticed my hr was pretty high at this point: upper 160s. I also felt tight and like the effort was more than it should have been: maybe leftover fatigue from having the flu the week prior to the race. Headwinds were definitely a factor but rather than run a pace I wasn't comfortable with to draft I just pulled back and ran alone from mile 2 till about mile 7 or so when I caught up to Pete Stevenson and one other guy (?). We ran together till around the mile 17 aid station (hit this in 2:12) when I stopped to fuel up and empty my shoes of some pebbles. Started actually feeling decently here and ran well on the dirt road into strong headwinds. This would be a theme through the day: strong pace on the uphills and flats but getting passed on the technical downhills.

The 2nd half of the course is definitely more difficult with a lot of open slickrock climbs and descents that meander seemingly aimlessly. Definitely prevented hitting any sort of rhythm or steady pace. Around 22 miles (?) Erik Storheim and Stephen Young caught up to me and we ran together for what was probably 4-5 miles, often walking the steeper ups. Felt pretty strong here, the effort was controlled, and I was able to have some nice conversation with these guys. Erik is a dentist in SLC who runs for Wasatch Running and is planning on running the first installment of the Antelope Island 100 miler next month.

At around what must have been mile 27 or so my L. groin/hamstring seized in a big way, probably because I had neglected drinking and eating enough over the preceding 10 miles. I tried running through this but was reduced to stopping and then walking for 5 minutes or so. I started jogging and it seized up again, necessitating another shorter walking break. I downed 2 electrolyte tabs, finished the rest of my bottle, and ate a gel and in a few minutes I was able to gradually get back up to speed. At this point Erik and Stephen were out of sight. I slowly jogged into the mile 28 aid station feeling pretty low on fuel and fluid and thinking this would likely bode poorly for the remaining 6 miles. Spent some time here restocking and left the aid station with 2 gels (1 of which fell out of my pocket however) and a bottle of Heed. I was gradually able to pick up my pace a bit, spent about 1.5 minutes (?) going the wrong way down a wash, but got up to speed when we hit a nice smooth dirt road on top of Poison Spider Mesa. From here I was able to run quite well to the finish without any cramping problems and finished strong in 10th place overall, 4:47:30. Overall felt like this was a solid performance but certainly didn't feel like I was on my A-game all day. I think with better fueling and hydration as well as not still having residual fatigue from illness, running 10 minutes faster would have been a real possibility. Dakota Jones pulled off an impressive win in 4:03 (5 minutes off course record time), several minutes in front of a fading Timmy Parr.

The incredible P. Terrence finished 6th overall in the 33k. He was the first finisher from Brooklyn. Dr. Vukin ran an impressive 3:15 for 21st place overall, again showing his natural talent for trail running events. Paige and Geof, the soon to be newlyweds finished the 55k together looking fresh as daisies in 6:48, and Anne Rich completed her first trail race longer than 17 miles in 7:27 looking strong and determined. Thanks to Lori, Zoe and Billy, Rob and Rina, Chris Rich, and Beth Vukin for their great support over the weekend.

Of our crew Bethany definitely had the race of the day, placing 2nd overall for women in 5:03, beating the likes of Darcy Africa and Krissy Moehl, and storming on to the ultrarunning scene in a big way (and getting shout-outs on www.irunfar.com as well as RunningTimes.) She did this having 13 (yup, 13) bouts of diarrhea en route, consuming only 1 bottle of fluid, and eating 2 Gus the entire day. I'm just happy I was able to hold her off. Her dehydration post-race was so profound that she was unable to produce any breast milk for 2 days. Ada was gracious enough to sacrifice her continued brain development for her mom's athletic performance. Anita Ortiz won the women's race in 4:53 coming off a long hiatus due to injury.

55k Overall Results:

1 Dakota Jones
2 Timmy Parr
3 Ryan Burch
4 Dylan Bowman
5 Duncan Callahan
6 Erik Storheim
7 Sam Malmberg
8 Stephen Young
9 Pete Stevenson
10 Benjamin Lewis
11 Anita Ortiz
12 Todd Gangelhoff
13 Aaron Kennard
14 Jeff Bertot
15 Cody Draper
16 Zach Hermsen
17 Donnie Haubert
18 Bethany Lewis
19 Scott Slusher
20 Darcy Africa
21 shaun christian
22 Sara W agner
23 Ian Torrence
24 Don Helfer
25 Jonathan Daniel
26 Bryce W arren
27 Jason Patton
28 Peter Swank
29 Tressa Breindel
30 Woody Anderson

WEEKLY SUMMARY 1/31-2/6

2011-02-07T14:34:00.000-08:00

Mon- 1:30 easy, Pipeline. 200 vert.
Tues - 1:00 Pinecrest 'adventure' run. 800 vert
Wed - AM 30 min, PM 1:30 total 2000 vert with 5 * 8 min cruise intervals at MP effort. felt strong.
Thurs- AM 35min PM 1:05 total 2000 vert
Fri- 1:20, 200 vert with fartlek of 8 * 1:30 hard. felt strong and smooth.
Sat- AM 3:10 Bonneville. 3200 vert. PM sick.
Sun- off. Flu. Want to die.

totals: 10:40 running. 8400 vertical. Influenza virus 1, Lewis 0.

WEEKLY SUMMARY 1/24-1/30

2011-01-31T06:31:00.000-08:00

3 weeks out from the Moab Red Hot 55k LEWIS is feeling pretty good. He bags his second workout of the week and shortens his long run however due to some lingering tightness in his L. calf. Not much else to say.

Mon- 1:00 easy, 700 ft vertical.
Tues - OFF
Wed - AM 1:15 with 30 min tempo starting at 6:15 pace, working down to 6:00 pace.
PM 45 min easy. 500 vert.

Thurs - AM 55min from UCC, easy. PM 55 min Bonneville. total 1400 vert. Left. calf tight.

Fri- 1:25 with 1200 vert. Included 20 min. moderately hard up Grandeur Peak.

Sat- 1:35 easy, pipeline. 300 vert.

Sun- 2:10 at Jeremy Ranch. 1000 vert. easy. L. calf still a little tight.

Total= 10 hours. 5100 vert total.

LEWIS! still running, eats 10,000 sugar cookies

2011-01-24T07:43:00.000-08:00

LEWIS! gets in another solid week of training and is finally starting to feel like he is getting into shape. He also manages to eat an impressive 10,000 sugar cookies at work this past Thursday.

"I didn't really have any goals or expectations from the outset," boasts LEWIS, his beard still speckled with yellow crumbs, "I just focused on that next cookie and before I knew it 10,000 was actually a realistic goal for me!"

WEEKLY SUMMARY:

1/17-1/23

Mon- AM 25 min elliptical, PM 1:45 on Bonneville with substantial hiking, 2000 vertical. Total 2:10.

Tues- off, stretching

Wed- AM 1:15 with hill cruise intervals. 3 x 5 min hill cruise intervals with 2 min recoveries. hr 165-170. Felt strong. Eccentrics. 1700ft vertical

Thursday- AM 65 min from UCC > City Creek > Memory Grove and back.

PM -45 min at City Creek up North Side. Easy. 4 x 15 sec strides. Total vertical 1500ft.

Total – 1:50.

Friday- AM 30 min elliptical, PM 30 min run Bonneville. 1000 ft vertical.

Sat- 2:50 long run on Bonneville. 1:00 to top of City Creek from U. approx. 3200 ft vertical. Felt good, finished hard. 2 shot blocks, 20 oz fluid. Av hr 146. 3200 ft vertical

Sun- 2:45 Bonneville North then up to Rudy’s Flat/top of Mueller Park. Significant postholing with some hiking. Av hr 136. Vertical = 3000 ft.

Totals: 10:55 Running. 55min elliptical. 11:50 total. 12,400 ft vertical.

LEWIS! makes LEWIS! cookies

2011-01-17T10:31:00.000-08:00

LEWIS! logs another week of consistent mileage and celebrates by making a batch of LEWIS! cookies.

"The only rule with LEWIS! cookies is that there are no rules," states LEWIS! confidently, his mouth full of misshapen walnut-applesauce-peanut butter-oatmeal -almond - flax seed - wheat germ - chocolate-chip cookie.

Weekly Summary 1/10-1/16

Mon- AM 48 min on Bonneville easy.

PM 47 min with 37 min treadmill, 10 min elliptical. Easy. Yoga and core x 20 min.

Tues- OFF

Wed- AM 1:20 with 1 hour at 6:40 pace. Av hr 155-160.

PM :40 min Bonneville Trail easy. Yoga and pilates x 30 min.

Thurs – 1:25 easy run Jeremy Ranch road

Fri – AM 22 min elliptical

PM 1:25 run including ascent of Grandeur in 42 min moderately hard. Yoga. Eccentrics

Sat- 30 min classic ski, 45 min easy run on Pipeline trail. Eccentrics

Sun- 4:00 long run at Round Valley. Av. Hr 146. Approx. 28 miles. 3 Shot Blocks for 540 calories.

Total running time= 11:00. elliptical + xc ski = 1:02.

Total time 12:02.

LEWIS! takes recovery week, takes call.

2011-01-09T18:23:00.000-08:00

WEEKLY SUMMARY: 1/3-1/9 RECOVERY WEEK

LEWIS! has a tough week of supervisory call and uncharacteristically backs off on the training to take a scheduled recovery week.

"Just because I love babies now doesn't mean I'm not a bad-ass still," the whiskered and sleep-deprived LEWIS! states emphatically. Given the limited time to train as well as the PM-2.5 saturated air in the valley, LEWIS! does an inordinate amount of running on the treadmill which does not help support his claims above.

Mon- 50 min easy, Bonneville

Tues- OFF

Wed- 1:20 with fartlek: 3min/2min/1min with equal recovery x 4. Intervals at 6:00/5:46/5:30 pace. Felt smooth and easy. Yoga.

Thurs- 50 min easy. eccentrics.

Fri- 1:20 with 2 x 8 min of increasing incline to 8% on TM

Sat- 1:00 on TM. Eccentrics. Yoga.

Sun- 2:25 at Jeremy Ranch Rd. + 2.5 mi on pavement (approx. 7:30 pace). Crosslites.

Total: 7:45 running.

WEEKLY SUMMARY 12/27 - 1/2

2011-01-02T14:15:00.000-08:00

12/27/10- 1/2/11

Mon- off, yoga x 15 min.

Tues- 1:30. Approx. 700 ft vertical. Easy

Wed-
AM- 1:20 min with 1 hour progression run on TM. Started at 7:00 per mile and steadily increased to 5:58 per mile by the end. Av. hr 154 for workout.

PM: 40 min elliptical easy

Thurs: 1:30 Bonneville 1400 ft vertical

Friday: 1:30 Bonneville 1500 ft vertical

Sat- 30 min skate ski, 30 min easy run, flat. 1 hour hiking with 1000 vertical. Yoga, eccentric calf raises.

Sun- 3:20 with 4200 vertical. Desolation > salt lake overlook in 37 min, then Grandeur peak in 50 min, finished on pipeline. Felt good.

Total:
11:50.
Running time: 9:40. Xtraining: 2:10. total vertical 8,800 ft.

2010-12-29T12:35:00.001-08:00

WEEKLY SUMMARY 12/20-12/26

2010-12-26T14:41:00.000-08:00

Monday: 1:30 easy on snowy trail.

Tuesday: off

Wednesday:
AM - 1 hour with 10 x 1:30 ON / 1:30 OFF fartlek.
PM - 30 min elliptical

Thursday: 1:00 easy, flat.

Friday: 2:30 on Bonneville. 2,800 vertical. Felt great. Last hour fast.

Saturday: 1:50 in Round Valley. approx. 1000 vertical. Legs tired.

Sunday: 1:10 skate skiing, hard. 30 min easy hiking.

Totals:
running - 7:50.
xtraining - 2:10.

Weekly Summary 12/13-12/19

2010-12-19T15:51:00.000-08:00

Mon Dec 13^th- 65 min on Bonneville, easy 1200 feet vertical, approx. 20 min hiking.

Tues Dec 14^th- 1:30 easy on pipeline. 30 min elliptical. 15 min Yoga

Wed Dec 15^th-

AM 1 hour on TM. 15 min w/u then hill progression:

increased by 1% incline each ¼ mile. Up to 9% then back to 0% x ¼ mile. Then started again. Went up to 8%. Heart rate at 6% = 168. At 9% = 178-180.

Thurs- off. 1 hour easy hiking

Fri- 65 min run, easy with stroller. 20 min yoga. Eccentrics.

Sat- 3:00 long run on Bonneville. Univ > city creek > up city creek and back. approx. 3000 vertical. Hr 135-155 generally. Felt good. 20 oz fluid, 2 cliff blocks. About 1 hour with Peter.

Sun- 40 min easy running in sugarhouse. 30 min Yoga.

Totals: 8:20 running. 1:30 xtraining.

LEWIS! takes 4th in Nordic ski relay.

2010-12-12T16:54:00.000-08:00

Weekly summary Dec 6th- Dec 12th.

Mon Dec 6-

AM 40 min elliptical easy. PM 54 min running w stroller, roads. 1 set form drills. 3*strides

Tues Dec 7

AM 30 min elliptical, 30 min Yoga

PM 1 hour with 15 min. @ threshold.

Wed Dec 8

30 min elliptical, 1 hr hike

Thurs Dec 9

1 hour run, yoga

Fri Dec 10

off

Sat

-1:30 skate skiing with 5k relay race: 4th place for Team Therapists Rock! Narrowly edged out by Team Therapists Rule! Only fell once.

Sun

-long run 2:05 at Jeremy ranch. Felt strong.

Total: 9.5 hours.

LEWIS! logs another consistent week, changes diapers.

2010-12-05T15:39:00.001-08:00

Mon- 40 min bike on trainer. 1:15 Run. extras: 40 min Yoga, eccentric calf exercises

Tues- 55 min run, pavement with stroller. Easy. Extras: 30 min Yoga and Core exercises

Wed- 1:15 run with stroller, Easy. 45 minutes elliptical. 30 minutes Yoga and Core.

Thurs- 35 min run AM with stroller. 55 min run pm, in loose snow.

Fri-40 min. elliptical. 30 minutes Yoga. eccentric calf exercises.

Sat- 2:10 min run. Easy. 1/2 on trail on loose snow, 1/2 on rolling dirt road.

Sun - 1:20 skate ski. Heart rate 155-175. 1 hr yoga and core.

Total running time: 7:05, all pretty easy with hr 130-145.
Total cross-training: 3:25

Check out my trail running video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjrDKJBpj5M

LEWIS enjoys fatherhood, begins training buildup.

2010-11-29T12:55:00.000-08:00

Training 11/22-11/28

Monday: 6 miles running. 30 minutes elliptical. Pilates, eccentric calf raises

Tuesday: 4 miles easy.

Wednesday: 8 miles running, roads. Yoga.

Thursday: 8 miles running, Bonneville Trail. 1200 vertical. 1 hour elliptical. Yoga.

Friday: 12 miles running, Bonneville Trail. 1600 vertical. Eccentric calf raises.

Saturday: 4 miles running, easy. Pilates

Sunday: xc ski up Millcreek 1 hour. Run x 1 hour on Pipeline. Yoga.

Total: 9.5 hours. Running 49 miles. Xtraining: 2.5 hours.

LEWIS runs 38 miles, enjoys hyperthermia

2010-06-28T19:35:00.001-07:00

LEWIS! runs an ultra 38 miles along the Wasatch 100 course from Big Mountain to Brighton with a total elevation gain of 9,300 feet. The route itself is 36.5 miles but LEWIS got lost with the Svelte and Surefooted Rob Corson coming into Lambs Canyon and then later on bypassed the trail up to Desolation Lake at Blunder Fork, adding on an approximate 1.5-2 miles that cost him dearly in the end. Feeling OK for the first 19 miles with Corson, LEWIS started feeling pretty beat down by the heat over the last 2 hours of the run.

Spending nearly an hour lying flat on his back at Brighton unable to move, eat, or drink, LEWIS soberly mused on his chances of being able to run an additional 62 miles on top of that come September 10th.

Totals for the week:

Mon 6/21 - OFF, recovery from Steeplechase

Tues 6/22 - OFF, pussied out

Wed 6/23 - 2:45 2,900 vertical

Thurs 6/24 -:50 running with 1,000 vertical, 30 min biking

Fri 6/25 -1:00 running with 1,000 vertical, 45 min biking

Sat 6/26 - 7:30 running, approx. 38 miles, 9,300 feet vertical

Sun 6/27 - :30 running, 2 hours hiking, 1500 feet vertical

Totals- 15 hours 50 minutes. 15,700 vertical.

LEWIS Gets Wasatched

2010-06-20T18:37:00.000-07:00

(view looking down from the race course on Black Mountain)

LEhWIS runs the Wahsatch Steeplechase this past Shaturday but remains unclear on the rathionale behind the extra 'h'. He remained unscathed navigating the summit and its 5.4 technical climbing maneuvers but upon starting the precipitous decent realized that the real key to this race is being able to fly downhill on steep singletrack unperturbed by potential death. LEWIS manages a respectable 5th in 2:24 making this outing the first time in 3 years he has moved his legs faster than a shuffle. Miraculously he is not broken. The Svelte and Surefooted Rob Corson also ran but was slowed by a poorly timed pit stop thanks to his morning smoothie. The winner, Luke Nelson from Pocatello, ran 2:16, narrowly missing out on the course record.

Weekly total:

June 14 1:10 / 1200ft

June 15 1:50 / 1800ft

June 16 3:20 /4000 ft AM + 1:00 hike with 500 ft PM

June 17 :40 / 500ft

June 18 OFF

June 19 2:30 -Wahsatch Steeplechase in 2:24:20, 5th place. 4,500ft vertical. Av. heart rate 171. Summit in 1:21.

June 20 3:00 hiking /2200ft

total: 13:30 / 14,700 feet vertical

LEWIS endorses Bradley Method, prepares for Wahsatch Steeplechase

2010-06-18T10:19:00.000-07:00

Having attended the first of 10 Bradley Method classes with his wife and their gestating brood LEWIS! is a changed man.

"Thanks to Dr. Bradley and the Bradley method I now firmly believe that we can safely and holistically have a Bradley-Baby (copyright) the natural way," LEWIS states as he generously distributes potent, pharmacologically-complex, brain-altering antipsychotic medications.

"What I love about the Bradley method and our 30 page birth-plan is the emphasis on being Bradley-Natural. I see it being the first step towards naturally raising our young mammal, Bradley, to be a strong young spelt-eating woman who doesn't believe in corporations, Western medicine, or artificial sweeteners."

In other news, LEWIS! readies himself for the upcoming Wahsatch Steeplechase by pretty much doing the same thing he has been doing all along: dragging his poorly-conditioned ass over technical terrain at near-glacial paces.

LEWIS!

LEWIS cut short on the Pocatello 50, contemplates fatherhood

2010-06-15T19:41:00.000-07:00

Having entered his first 50 mile race and trained dutifully for a full 6.5 weeks LEWIS! was unfortunately pulled off the course after 34 miles due to inclement weather including a -10 degree windchill, several lost runners, and safety concerns. Stiff, battered, shivering uncontrollably, and unable to remove his own shoes, LEWIS responds:

"I most likely would have won if they continued the race."

Asked to comment on his impending fatherhood his eyes glaze over and he lists his weekly mileage tally, systolic blood pressure creeping into the 170s.

time / vertical feet climbing

6/7 - :32 / 100

6/8- 1:36 / 1,700

6/9- 2:40 / 2,800

6/10- 1:00 / 1,100

6/11- 1:52 / 1,900

6/12- 4:05 / 6,200

6/13- 1:30 / 900

totals: 13:15 / 14,700 feet vertical

LEWIS!

LEWIS is officially accepted into the Wasatch 100, finishes first XC skiing race,

2010-02-15T18:55:00.000-08:00

LEWIS travels to Bryce Canyon with his wife, LEWIS, for a weekend of xc skiing and hiking among the sandstone hoodoos of southern Utah. After spending all day Saturday and Sunday skiing at 8,000 feet the duo decide to enter a skate-skiing race on Monday prior to their departure. Clearly no ultra-marathon, LEWIS is calm and collected prior to what he assumes to be an overpowering victory.

Intent on dominating his first xc ski race ever, LEWIS lines up on the very front line while his more conservative partner starts a more realistic several rows back. Again, he makes no eye-contact or friendly conversation on the start line. The course, 12K total (although billed as a 10k event), is made up of two loops, each one with two long gentle uphills. The gun fires and the pack of spandex-clad racers are off! Incredibly, LEWIS manages to stay upright during the sprint start but within 30 seconds he is already 100 meters behind the leaders! All gangly arms and legs, LEWIS is passed by a steady stream of skiers despite escalating effort and heart rates in the mid 170s. Strangely, these other competitors seem somehow able to glide on the long skinny planks affixed to their feet while LEWIS manages only an awkward and off-balance dancing movement.

Spit congealed across his face he nonetheless manages not to fall- not even a single time!- and focuses solely on crushing his wife, which he does by several seconds.

Stats:

Distance- 12k

Time- 43:50

Average heart rate- 173

Max heart rate- 179

LEWIS!

MYSTERIOUS ASIAN POSTS RESPONSE ON LEWIS!'s BLOG, DOUBLES READERSHIP

2010-02-11T10:10:00.000-08:00

As devoted readers of LEWIS! are already aware, MYSTERIOUS ASIAN posted a response to LEWIS!'s last blog post, warning him 'not to cast the first stone.' LEWIS, pleased to see that MYSTERIOUS ASIAN effectively doubled his blog readership, took comfort in the fact that, being a follower of The Church of Hard Mother-Fuckers, this Christian parable thankfully does not apply to him. And thank goodness, as that would completely deflate LEWIS!'s whole raison d'etre. Notably, the first commandment of The Church of Hard Mother-Fuckers demands that its followers 'cast stones, large ones and lots of them, at neighbors, family members, lovers, friends and enemies alike for purposes of provocation and antagonization."

"I'm going to find this MYSTERIOUS ASIAN at my next ultra," states LEWIS, rubbing his hands together gleefully, "and I'm going to take several of my innumerable small plastic grenade-like energy gel cannisters that I wear around the clock (for electrolyte replacement) and squirt overly-priced, neon-colored, electrolyte-rich, and artificially-flavored goo all over his head." (making sure to save enough electrolytes to fuel the remainder of the race).

LEWIS!

LEWIS(es) run fifty ultra kilometers

2009-11-18T18:38:00.000-08:00

LEWIS! ran fifty kilometers (* see footnote) along the mountainous coastline of Marin County with his wife, LEWIS. Running together at a snail's pace for 33k they were surprised to learn that they were actually in 4th place at that point. While this did not increase their pace appreciably, the sight of the #2 woman coming down the trail certainly did as the quicker and better looking LEWIS took off down the plush single track trail. They then caught the runner in 3rd place who responded by surging past them on a downhill. An ultra competition ensued, the intensity of which required time lapse photography to fully appreciate. So brutal was the competition that the three runners simply ran past the final aid station and its full battery of nutritional sustenance including baked potatoes, bowls of salt, and avocado (all completely untouched in favor of the plethora of monosyllabic and manufactured supplements). By increasing his stride length to more than 1 foot LEWIS! managed to dust the fierce competition up the final climb to finish in 3rd place overall, his notably more nimble and sure footed wife finishing smoothly in fifth place as the first woman overall.

"Ultrarunning on trails is just so primal," states the emphatic LEWIS!, gnawing on heavily packaged, overly priced, and artificially flavored gummy electrolyte replacement chews.

He goes on, simultaneously uploading the data from his heart rate monitor / GPS foot pod/ submersible amphipod MP3 player with altimeter capabilities: "Out here in nature, free from distraction, I can really experience the purity of running, as long as I keep my heart rate between 143 and 147 beats per minute."

LEWIS!

(*) actually more like fifty five kilometers as they took a wrong turn.

LEWIS! updates blog, enjoys electrolytes

2009-11-10T06:47:00.000-08:00

After a long hiatus LEWIS! returns to his blog a changed man. In anticipation of his upcoming ultramarathon in California his once smooth cyclist legs are now covered with a thick mat of hair and he has returned to running over mixed terrain at paces that approach the speed of plate tectonics, all the while fueled by electrolytes.

"Cyclists are a bunch of spandexed, functional threshold power obsessed, aerobically underdeveloped candy asses," states LEWIS, clad in a hydration suit and visor and tending to his stirfry of electrolytes, "ultramarathoning is the only true challenge, you really have to keep up on your electrolytes."

Hypertensive and grossly edematous he goes on: "Thanks to my new electrolyte diet and running barefoot my performance has simply taken off. I'm able to shuffle further than ever before!"

LEWIS!

LEWIS! SURVIVES LAST RACE OF SEASON, CONTINUED...

2009-09-04T12:11:00.001-07:00

LEWIS! placed 2nd in his last bike race of the season on August 22nd at the 1000 Warriors event. The 95 mile race started in Park City, climbed up American Fork Canyon the over Suncrest, finally finishing at the top of the brutally steep Little Cottonwood Canyon.

Suffice it to say, it was a hard day- made significantly harder by not only the 100 degree temps but the fact that LEWIS had no support vehicle and, as such, only had 4 water bottles total until he blew up in the last 8 miles going up Little Cottonwood and was forced to stop and guzzle as much fluid from a neutral aid station as he could.

Despite his spectacular suffering and dehydration on the final climb, LEWIS was extremely lucky in comparison to the 5 riders who, earlier in the ride while descending the tight turns of the narrow American Fork Canyon, ran into the back of a stopped SUV and suffered severe injuries. LEWIS and his breakaway group of Cat 4 riders arrived on the horrific scene maybe 15 minutes after the accident and it is still something that LEWIS would rather not think about, let alone write about. Thankfully, all the riders lived. The most seriously injured was airlifted out of the canyon (effectively shutting down the race for about an hour) and underwent a number of surgeries over the ensuing days but should be heading back to Arizona shortly if all goes well.

Continuing the race after such an event felt wrong and LEWIS had a hard time getting his head back in the game. Nonetheless he and 2 other riders managed to build a breakaway again (having lost the 5 minute lead they had previously built up to that point). Early on the final climb Will from Spin Cycles launched a vicious attack which broke the group of 3 into individuals at which point several things happened to LEWIS in close succession: first he noticed he had entirely stopped sweating and, in fact, had goosebumps despite the high temps, then he began to dry heave and feel quite peculiar and, finally, he began weaving on the road in speeds that soon approached the infinitely slow. Realizing that he was in trouble he stopped at a neutral aid station, sat down, and drank as much water as he could fit in his belly. Several minutes later he was rejuvenated enough to get back on the bike and managed to catch and pass the suffering Spin Cycles rider who, despite his strong efforts over the day, had succumbed to the heat as well. LEWIS finished 2nd overall and has spent much of the past 2 weeks re-evaluating the relative intelligence of continuing to race bicycles on roads.

LEWIS survives last race of season

2009-08-24T17:12:00.001-07:00

The Cyclethymics climb Little Cottonwood, reintegrate partial-objects

2009-08-12T18:19:00.000-07:00

The Cyclethymics pedal out to Little Cottonwood in the AM for one of the final hard workouts of the season: 2 x 20 minute repeats as follows:

1. 20 minutes at lactate threshold pace (heart rate 170-175) with 30 second bursts at 100% effort every 5 minutes.

2. 5 minutes recovery.

3. Repeat step 1.

Attempting to simulate a tough hillclimb race situation with attacks the duo suffered up the steep grades, sprinting it out over the last 200m to Snowbird.

Fighting a cold, LEWIS felt pretty rough for this one, surely in part due to the concurrent dissolution of his internal objects and subsequent regression to the Kleinian Paranoid/Schizoid position, as witnessed by his primitive defenses of splitting and projective identification.

LEWIS!

LEWIS rides 170+ miles, experiences numbness, outwits Death

2009-08-04T17:56:00.000-07:00

Given that LEWIS!'s bedtime has been 5am while working nightshifts he simply stayed up all night before riding the Tour de Park City: the famously difficult 170+ mile race through the High Uintas which started at 6am

98 riders toed the line along with LEWIS (himself positioned 2 feet in front of everyone else on the start line) at Kimball Junction and the large pack soon took off towards Coalville. The pace was mild to moderate for these early miles which was reassuring for the legs but made for some tricky maneuvering given the large, closely-packed, and adrenaline-charged peloton. Winding along Chalk Creek Gap towards Evanston the riders encountered an approx 6 mile section of dirt road where the racing really began in earnest with several attacks off of an already fast pace. LEWIS stayed near the front so as to respond quickly and was pleased to see the group dwindling as riders fell off from the effort.

Coming through Evanston the pace slowed considerably as the riders seemed to collectively realize that the real separating of the field would occur on the upcoming 20 mile climb to the summit of Bald Mtn at 10,700 feet. About 15 miles from the summit LEWIS charged to the front and increased the pace seeing who would follow. This established a group of about 15 riders apart from the rest and several other riders came to the front to help with the pacing duties. About 6 miles from the top 2 riders accelerated off the front and LEWIS, his hamstring starting to cramp badly, simply fell off the pace and despondently resigned himself to finishing the climb with the tail end of the now shattered and dispersed pack. Summiting some time later, LEWIS realized he needed some fluids badly and rolled to a stop at the aid station, downing one bottle and grabbing another 3 to take down the mtn with him. He caught up to a chase group and descended with them while trying to take in as much fluid and food as he could.

Coming back towards Kamas the riders were rudely greeted with tough headwinds and extended rolling climbs. Each taking 30-45 second pulls in a pace line made this significantly easier but given the accumulated miles it still felt rough. LEWIS inadvertently gapped his group on the first of these climbs and noted from the top that he could see the lead group off in the distance. Timing himself by landmarks he estimated 4-5 minutes away. With 40 miles left in the race LEWIS was faced with the tough decision of either slowing to continue with his pace group and thus not have to fight the wind on his own, or head out on a solo break attempting to catch the lead group of about 12 riders. Unreflectively choosing the latter, LEWIS put his head down and started grinding it out the only way he knows how: like a hard mother-fucker. After the next climb the gap was down to 3:00. Now 2:30. Another tough climb into the wind and LEWIS was a mere 1:15 back! But with only 5 miles remaining on the course LEWIS was quickly running out of room to make his move. Pedalling as hard as he could he inched up on the pack who were executing a smooth pace line into the wind. 30 seconds now and 3 miles to go. Down in the drops and furiously spinning the pedals LEWIS shot past the group of riders with 1 mile remaining, thinking that if he could only keep his momentum the startled pack would be late to respond and he might be able to maintain a gap. It was not to be however and LEWIS was quickly subsumed by the swarm of surprised racers. At this point, realizing that all chips would have to be played in the final sprint, the pack slowed down to save their collective remaining energy for the last 200m into Kimball Junction. LEWIS learned at this point that there had, in fact, been 2 riders that broke away earlier and thus the race was for 3rd place.

Mustering the two fast twitch muscle fibers in his whole body, LEWIS managed a respectable sprint despite having chased for the last 2 hours into the wind and finished a close third in the group, 5th overall, in the process check-mating Death.

Finishing time: 8:26
Total distance: 173 miles
Water bottles drunk: 14

LEWIS eats turkey sandwich/wrap, denies Death

2009-07-30T15:34:00.000-07:00

LEWIS looks forward in eager anticipation to finishing his month of night-float as well as towards the upcoming weekend of bike racing. Clearly continuing to sublimate his underlying existential anxiety, LEWIS has signed up for the famously difficult 170 mile Tour de Park City this Saturday.

"If I can just continue to be a hard-mother-fucker there's no way I could ever grow weak and die," states LEWIS unconvincingly, a slight waver in his voice as he looks around frantically for distraction. "Not that I'm scared of that!" He adds, laughing slightly too loudly.

LEWIS!

LEWIS develops Intermittent Explosive Disorder, enjoys music by Sunset Rubdown

2009-07-28T13:43:00.000-07:00

After another hellish night of night-float with 6, count them, 6 admissions LEWIS's once placid and forgiving demeanor has been fully transformed. Waking up today at 2:30pm he becomes infuriated when he pours a large bowl of his staple food- cereal- only to find that there was no milk left. He continues to spew forth expletives upon discovering that the LEWIS household is also out of toilet paper at an inopportune moment. Some other stuff happened too which also made LEWIS uncharacteristically irate.

Feeling more himself after a self-administration of thorazine he prepares for an interval workout on the bike while listening to the jauntily sharp-edged fits and starts of Sunset Rubdown- one of Spencer Krug's musical side projects.

A dense and musically-loaded album, Random Spirit Lover will draw immediate comparisons to Krug's more well known repertoire with Wolf Parade, but the differences- both stylistically and structurally- between these groups are more salient than the similarities. While Sunset Rubdown employs the same off-kilter guitars and jangly synths, the level of nuance and complexity set this Montreal-based group musically apart. The album is difficult to map out- not only do the tracks bleed almost seemlessly into each other but each one is a world onto itself- baroque, knotted compositions that twist back on themselves in surprising ways.

The fourth track of the album, "The Courtesan has Sung" opens with spare repetitive vocals, a single drum, and tambourine. The simple melody is fleshed out and developed into an unexpectedly rich counterpoint structured on two scales superimposed- one ascending and one descending. Having receded, a similar figure is again traced in the final moments of next track, "Wicked/Winged Things"- but this time the effect is more dissonant, evoking a carnivalesque waltz. This trope of modifying and re-evaluating scraps and pieces that have come before is what makes the album feel undeniably cohesive, if not cramped at moments. Krug's lyrical predilection for the mythological complements the timeless character of these pieces without becoming overly precious. Overall, one of the best albums of 2009.

LEWIS continues night shifts, gets stung by bee

2009-07-20T11:28:00.000-07:00

LEWIS puts in another 17.5 hours on the bike in 6 days including a 5.5 hour ride with approx. 8,000 feet of climbing in 100 degree heat. Given that LEWIS continues to sleep into the afternoon given his increasingly draining and mundane night shifts, all rides are done in the brutal heat of the day under the blazing Utah sun. Lucky for LEWIS, his wife's budding dermatology acumen will, in all likelihood, help identify his imminent and fulminating melanomas.

With the 170 mile Tour de Park City in less than 2 weeks LEWIS readies himself mentally for another hard week of training. His left flank is still erythematous, edematous, and tender given the bee sting he rudely received 3 days ago when, having partially unzipped his jersey on a climb so as to attempt to cool off in the intense sun, an intrusive bee flew in and stung him repeatedly. With a history of moderate allergy to stings and no available epipen LEWIS stopped for a moment and then judiciously spun his bike around and circled back towards the hospital. When he had determined that his throat wasn't closing up he continued his ride and swung up Emigration Canyon.

LEWIS!

LEWIS and the Cyclethymics ride Porcupine Hill Climb

2009-07-14T14:32:00.000-07:00

The Cyclethymics, made up of the Quick Mickener, Kurt "my bottom bracket won't stop clicking", and LEWIS, simply dominated the Porcupine Hill Climb. With 14.7 miles of climbing and almost 4,000 feet of elevation gain the stakes were high for the scrappy trio as they rode

out to Big Cottonwood Canyon as a warm-up. The Quick Mick and Bottom Bracket raced in the Masters B category while LEWIS took his chances in the Cat 4s. A stiff head wind rolled out of the canyon and it was clear that the key to the race would be making sure to be in good position to draft for the flatter 3 mile section in the middle of the climb.

Despite being troubled by hamstring difficulty, the Mickener took 3rd in the Masters followed closely by a fast finishing Bottom Bracket in 5th. LEWIS, in the first race of the season where he has not been overcome with existential despair, finished a respectable 5th in the Cat 4s in 1:07:33, beating his time last year by about a minute. Their plans of riding home were complicated by Mickener's protesting hamstrings and his escalating and increasingly desperate pleas for sympathy. After distributing the growler of beer that the Mick won for 3rd place among their watterbottles, spirits were lifted all around and they began the slow spin homeward.

The next day LEWIS hiked Timpanogos in what was one of the best days of hiking in his young life. After the long ascent the quartet of hikers were rewarded with about 1000 feet of sliding down steep glaciers on their behinds, the only casualty being a lost I-phone by Adam.

LEWIS!

LEWIS crashes bike yet again, does 18 pull-ups

2009-07-08T11:24:00.000-07:00

Like a cat with 9 lives LEWIS continues to flirt with death unfazed, this time flipping over his mtn bike handlebars on the Bonneville trail and tumbling head over heels down a steep, rocky ravine. Dazedly checking himself over at the bottom LEWIS was pleased to see that he did not appear to have any broken limbs and that his skull was intact- yet he could not shake the sick feeling in his stomach that something was amiss. Indeed, as he jumped back on his bike he noticed that the tip of the middle finger of his right hand was sticking out at an odd angle and he was unable to move it. LEWIS knew that this meant that something was wrong; he also knew that his hypotheses about the injury had various probabilities of reflecting reality. What he did not know was which of these hypotheses was true. Put more succinctly, LEWIS is an ontological realist, a semantic realist, but an epistemological antirealist about fingers.

He quickly dialed Doc. Corson (in the midst of performing a cholecystectomy in the comforts of his own living room) who, without a moment's hesitation, made the diagnosis over the phone without even looking at the finger: mallet finger, the rupture of the DIP extensor tendons.

It was 8 hours later that the bustling and inflated hand surgeons told him the very same thing.

Undeterred, LEWIS does 18 pull-ups despite the limited function of his R. hand, not quite but almost going down to nearly straight arms at the bottom of each repetition.

Last week:
Biking - 16.5 hours in 5 days
Pullups - 18

LEWIS rides High Uintas Classic, suffers mild hypothermia

2009-06-22T13:37:00.000-07:00

To celebrate his final week of intern year LEWIS sets out to ride the High Uintas Classic- a time-honored 80 mile point to point bike race from Kamas, Utah to Evanston, Wyoming along the scenic Mirror Lake Highway. Climbing for the first 30 miles over the summit of Bald Mtn at over 10,700 feet, the course then decends steeply for approx. 15 miles and then peters out with gradual downhills and flats before pulling into Evanston. Having placed 3rd here last year, taking King of the Mountain in the process, LEWIS returned this year with high hopes despite his mediocre showings in his prior two races and compromised conditioning.

Arriving in Kamas an hour prior to the 10:50 start time LEWIS was unfazed by the chilly temperatures and spitting rain. He wisely decided that today would be a three-sock day: 2 for the feet and one extra-large tube sock for the gonads et al. For extra measure, LEWIS also poked arm and head holes in a trash bag and wore it under his thin jersey. Per his usual fashion he warmed up in a zone of intense concentration and spoke to no one on the start line.

The course began climbing almost immediately after leaving Kamas but with mild grades. There were a few cursory attacks in the first 20 miles, each chased down without much fuss with the pack remaining intact. The rain began to pick up, now at a steady downpour. The climb abruptly steepened at mile 23 and, given the increasing altitude and descending temperatures, the now-labored breathing of surrounding riders condensced in white puffs around them. A lead pack broke off at around 24 miles and, tube-sock and all, LEWIS simply could not match the effort! Heart rates soaring, he labored over the top and decided to stop here to put on the windbreaker he had stuffed into his jersey, getting passed by 2 other riders while doing so. Having stopped for less than a minute, already he could not feel his hands or feet and had started shivering with increasing violence. A support vehicle parked beside the 4 foot snowbanks announced to the riders that the temps were hovering in the mid 30s and to be careful on the descent.

The course immediately veered and descended steeply, the road awash in an inch of water. Traveling at 45 miles per hour, LEWIS felt his rear wheel begin to slide out from under him on the tight turns. With numb hands slowing himself was difficult but LEWIS managed to reduce his speed and finished the first descent with speeds in the mid 30s, all the while shaking so violently that he felt at all moments about to lurch off his bike. The remainder of the descent was lost in the cognitive haze of the early stages of hypothermia. LEWIS consoled himself only with the repeated, chattering refrain "fucking mother fucker" and the thought that at mile 47 there was a pull-off for the citizen's race finish with a shuttle back to the start.

For no good reason, LEWIS simply rode straight on past the pull-off, continuing his sing-song refrain and peculiar, choreaform shivering.

Although the temperatures rose with the descent his core temperature remained at an approximate 34 degrees centigrade. Nonetheless he managed to pass the two riders who had passed him while stopped at the summit and continued to ride on solo. Miles 45-80 were done entirely solo with no riders in sight either in front or behind. (LEWIS would later learn that out of the 45 starters in the Cat 4 division 25 dropped out or were pulled out by officials because of hypothermia.) Without the ability to draft and share the work, any hopes of chasing the lead pack vanished and LEWIS resigned himself to deliriously spinning his lonely, wet, and miserable wheels to the finish line where he was then rewarded with 2 hours of sitting around in the rain in his wet clothes freezing cold and mildly hypothermic before riding a school bus back to Kamas where he arrived, finally, at 5:30.

"The only other time I've been that cold was during the March of '94 Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race with Craig Lewis when we dumped 4 times," states LEWIS, massaging his now blackened and friable toes.

LEWIS!

LEWIS updates blog, eagerly anticipates end of intern year

2009-06-07T06:24:00.000-07:00

After not posting for a month, LEWIS decides on a whim to satiate his voracious readers. "I may even post again later this week, if I feel like it," LEWIS remarks with insouciance.

After being convincingly gapped at the Garden Creek Gap Road Race in Pocatello last week to finish a mediocre 13th in the Cat 4 field over the 50 mile race, LEWIS returned to action yesterday in the Draper Challenge Hillclimb with his team: the Cyclethymics. The two man duo, LEWIS and the Quick Mickener, had drafted a complex team plan prior to the 15 mile hill climb with 2,800 feet of vertical climbing involving, essentially, overwhelming domination of the field. Although the steep grades of Suncrest complicated these efforts, the Cyclethymics finished with LEWIS in 5th place and the Quick Mick in a respectable 8th overall: a reasonable showing for the first team appearance of the season.

"Everyone knows that kid is on EPO," snaps LEWIS indignantly when questioned about the 90 lb prepubescent who handily beat him, "this sport is just so dirty it's hard for an honest athlete to compete." The Mickener nods in agreement as he crawls back into his altitude tent for the day.

LEWIS bikes home after the race, taking a detour to ride up Little Cottonwood Canyon. He then returns home to sip protein smoothies and do some light gardening and yard work before starting his call shift and a resulting sleepless night at 8pm.

LEWIS!

LEWIS continues pedalling, enjoys the symphony

2009-05-11T19:59:00.000-07:00

LEWIS puts down another week of just under 20 hours on the bike, including 2 hours at lactate threshold. On Saturday he rides 4 hours with approx. 6500 feet of climbing accompanied by the Mikkener after a mere 3.5 hours of sleep given his call shift on the night prior. As if that were not enough, he then does some light yard work and attends the Utah Symphony with his wife.

"Prokofiev is not as good as And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead, but he's still not that bad, all things considered," LEWIS muses as he shaves his calves.

Weekly total:

Biking:
19 hours

16 hours road, 3 hours mountain

Running:

0 hours

LEWIS bikes Porcupine Rim, demolishes basement

2009-05-05T10:56:00.000-07:00

LEWIS returns from a successful trip to Moab where he and the Fleet Footed Wonder partook in a weekend of mountain biking. After a relatively sedate day of hiking and riding in Arches National Park the two set off at 8:30 AM to ride to the trailhead 10 miles up the road in a light rain. They then made their way down the 15 mile rim with jaw-dropping exposure and tricky technical drops. Passed by everyone on the trail, including LEWIS's grandmother Claire Meuse, the incredible duo were unfazed and continued to alternate slow, halting, and anxious biking with plentiful walking as well as stopping for snacks. 7 hours later, covered in red sand and with several new scrapes and bruises, they pulled back into downtown Moab and subsequently enjoyed large smoothies.

"What I love best about mountain biking is simply shredding the shit out whatever trail I'm on," remarks the Fleet Footed Wonder, in the midst of overhauling her bottom bracket after her second mountain bike ride.

In other news LEWIS straight up demolishes his basement with the use of only a simple hammer.

Total for last week:

Biking:

20.5 hours - 9 hours mountain biking, 11.5 hours road biking.

Long ride: 72 miles with 55 minutes at threshold.

Running: 0

LEWIS continues neurology marathon, has existential crisis

2009-04-23T14:00:00.000-07:00

Worn down from consecutive 13 to 14 hour days on the neurology service, LEWIS's steady and even-keeled temperament is further challenged by lingering pain in his left achilles. Likely very much related to LEWIS's colored and traumatic past of 120 mile weeks on injured connective tissue, the persistent pain despite rest has LEWIS feeling antsy and skeptical about his chances of continued running.

As such he has been eyeing his bicycles with increasing interest and has even contemplated shaving all the hair off his legs in a fit of smooth-legged tight-pants wearing carbon and titanium-obsessed, metrosexual-appearing cyclist pleasure: a significant task given LEWIS's testosterone-fueled fuzziness and the lack of a clear endpoint thereof.

"I don't care what the sport is," blurts a bleary-eyed LEWIS, his facial features and bodily contours obscured by thick, dark hairs, "I'm just interested in kicking ass."

LEWIS!

LEWIS visits with his mother, comments on Susan Boyle and the human capacity for cruelty

2009-04-19T10:19:00.000-07:00

A frumpy, overweight woman shuffles onto the stage. She is met with exaggerated skeptical looks on the part of the judges and giggling and twittering in the crowd. Awkward and eager to please, Ms. Boyle attempts to ingratiate herself to the judges and audience, responding to the hostile and cruel questioning with a bizarre gyration that, although admittedly cringe-evoking, speaks only to her underdeveloped social graces and the pressures of being onstage in front of millions of viewers. The camera flashes backstage to show the guffawing stage hands, mimicking her in ridicule. Ms. Boyle stands there, hands awkwardly at her sides, as the familiar backing music of the Les Miserables tune begins.

And then (and hence prompting the deluge of media attention) Ms. Boyle erupts into a gorgeous alto. She is all confidence, her movements smooth, her vibrato assertive and controlled. Within three seconds the crowd is on their feet cheering in astonishment. The camera focuses in on the faces of the judges, their jaws on the floor in an exaggerated gesture. The crowd remains standing and cheering in adulation through her piece.

This has been hailed as a Cinderella story: the fat, ugly, and unemployed Susan Boyle winning over the world. Various commentators have summoned such tired phrases as "the inability to judge a book by its cover" or the nearly meaningless notion of "inner beauty" to describe the phenomenon. Even Ms. Boyle's choice of song, "I dreamed a dream," provides a handy encapsulation for this seductive rags to riches narrative.

But let's take a closer look.

When the crowd jumps to their feet to cheer and applaud they are not applauding Ms. Boyle or her singing. Rather, this is what they are really saying: "We are completely surprised that someone as ugly and fat and pitifully awkward as you could actually hold a tune!" Her voice is decent, to be sure, but it is not of the caliber that would have provoked this response if it had been packaged, say, in a younger more voluptuous body. The applause and immediate adoration is simply an extension of their earlier cruelty because its function is solely to comment on their previously held judgments. Furthermore, in a twisted version of their earlier aggression, their cheers selfishly drown out the very song they are allegedly praising. The disguised mean-spiritedness is also mirrored on the judges' faces, now changed from their earlier snide cynical expressions to visages of overly-emphasized shock that they feel forced to maintain for the entire 4 minute duration of the performance.

One could argue that the only proper response on the part of Ms. Boyle is this: "Fuck you. Fuck all of you."

LEWIS enjoys Synecdoche, New York

2009-04-12T16:11:00.000-07:00

Despite his ridiculous workload, LEWIS manages to watch not only one movie this week, but two. Included in this ambitious endeavor is Charlie Kaufman's Synecdoche, New York. "I do enjoy a good movie with some chocolate-peanut-butter-treat every now and then," states LEWIS, massaging his achilles.

While the critical reception to Charlie Kaufman’s recent film Synecdoche, New York has been united in acknowledging the project’s ambition, it has been divided as to the net worth of that ambition. Manohla Dargis of the NY Times: “to say that [it] is one of the best films of the year or even one closest to my heart is such a pathetic response to its soaring ambition that I might as well pack it in right now.” Conversely, film critic Ben Lyons declared it “the worst movie of the year.” Clearly, the questions of how good or to what end? are relevant ones for a film as sprawling, difficult, and self-indulgent as this. Yet perhaps a more interesting question is as follows: does Kaufman’s hyper-aware and obsessive self-referential bent meaningfully contribute to the already existing (and some would say fatigued) array of explorations in this vein?

Caden Cotard (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is assembling the play of his lifetime. With the unlimited funds of a MacArthur Genius grant he builds a replica of the Manhatten theatre district within a warehouse, itself in the theatre district. (The set soon becomes impossibly elaborate, involving, yes, wait for it, a replica of the replica: the warehouse itself is modeled within the warehouse. Ad infinitum.) In an attempt to be, as Caden puts it, “honest” the cast plays an ever escalating set of characters from his own life, compulsively repeating the traumas and interpersonal slights of Caden’s own past. Caden casts a doppelganger of himself and, striving for full accuracy of the representation, this doppelganger has a doppelganger. You get the point.

Caden Cotard is consumed with the sickness onto death. His symptoms are scrutinized, his complexion analyzed, his poop picked through (its color and the possible harbingers of doom thereof). His moniker derived from Cotard’s syndrome, a neuropsychiatric disorder where the sufferer is consumed with delusions that range from believing they are missing discrete body parts (their heart or brain…), that their innards are rotting, or that they do not exist (*see footnote), Caden has indeed ceased living in the present. As his play reaches extravagant proportions, any action in the present moment becomes impossible given the oppressive layers of self-reflection and the astronomical complexity of the attempted concurrent representation: Caden is paralyzed and, in accordance with his appellation, recedes from the film itself, his every action controlled by a stand-in director who reads stage directions to him through an ear piece. It is a well-worn motif, as any reader of Doestoevsky will surely point out.

What’s interesting is that, in the wake of postmodernism, literature has tired of this algorithm- its tropes played out, its themes explored ad nauseum by scores of overly- intellectualized self-congratulatory writers well-versed in all modes of fashionable critical theory. Modern literature, in a tired shrug, has turned back to story-telling in a sense (not without the knowing nod here and there to acknowledge that, even though we can acknowledge these thorny thematics, we need not be bogged down in them.) Film is no stranger to this form of investigation. One might ask what point, if any, there is in getting so thoroughly entrenched in this mode of inquiry after Fellini’s 8 ½. We return again to the opening question of this response: that is, does Kaufman’s film advance this set of self-generating questions in any meaningful way. The only appropriate response at this time is that the question is misguided.

While Jacques Derrida can be derided in regards to many things (memorably, at his death several years ago The Onion ran a piece titled Jacques Derrida “Dies”) one of his insights stands strong: that the reflexivity of literature, its ability to both say something and show something (often in such a way that contradicts the saying) is not a quality of a certain sort of writing, it is a quality of writing in general: that is to say, there are extra-textual (if that descriptor even means anything in this day and age) meanings to a text regardless of authorial intent, its structural or psychoanalytic concerns. Texts are reflexive in a peculiarly self-defeating and yet self-sustaining way prior to any smart-assed critical theorist’s reception of them. Hence, the notion of advancing the problematics of self-referentiality is flawed: they are always already advancing/advanced on their own. If anything is said to be advanced in this case, it is our own appreciation for the boundless depths of depressive narcissism.

As such we will close with one additional question: 1) to what extent is an obsession with the infinite nesting dolls of self-reflexivity itself simply a representation of the vicious circle of a certain psychopathology? As any iterated representation is necessarily incomplete, the writer (or director, playwright, or viewer for that matter) is reminded at each turn of a congenital inadequacy that, even if preceding the investigation to begin with, rises to the level of paralyzing obsession. 1A) Does the depressive narcissist generate their own psychopathological tendencies through their predisposition to this type of thought or are they simply drawn to it as an expression of their own desperate psychodynamics?

(*) Eager young psychiatrists may note that Capgras syndrome is also evoked at one point in the film. This neuropsychiatric disorder (** see footnote) is characterized by the delusion that individuals close to the patient him or herself have been replaced by identical-appearing doubles that, despite their exact resemblance, are nonethless imposters.

(**) Thought to be, in many cases, secondary to orbitofrontal lobe damage and the resultant inability to initiate appropriate autonomic bodily responses to the presentation of an emotionally salient individual.

LEWIS continues rehab, enjoys neurology

2009-04-12T13:50:00.000-07:00

Fickle and cyclothymic by nature, LEWIS's mood takes a turn for the worse as his left achilles continues to hobble him. "I'm still a hard mother fucker though," states LEWIS unconvincingly, an anxious look on his face.

As if this were not enough, LEWIS is forced to string together repeated 13 hour days on the inpatient neurology service: a fate worse than death! Amazingly LEWIS himself has not yet had a stroke- although yesterday morning he felt kind of dizzy for about 30 minutes and had to sit down but then he felt better after he ate half a bagel and some nuts and rested for a little while. Later that day he again felt weird for, like, 3 or 4 minutes but it was probably nothing.

LEWIS!

Total for the week:
7 hours total
6 hours running
1.5 hours biking

LEWIS cleans house, listens to Animal Collective

2009-04-04T07:10:00.000-07:00

It is snowing again in Salt Lake City and, taking advantage of a rare day off, LEWIS decides to do some house cleaning while listening to the latest project by the Brooklyn/Baltimore trio Animal Collective: Merriweather Post Pavilion.

His tiny speakers soon fill the dirtied house with the ninth album composed by vocalist/guitarist Avey Tare, percussionist and vocalist Panda Bear, and manipulator of all things electronic, Geologist: an ecstatic yet deliberate offering of gorgeous psych-pop composed of 11 songs that churn and gurgle with major key tonalities and ebullient sonic complexity. While certainly the most accessible of the trio's musical endeavors Merriweather Post Pavilion is anything but straightforward and repeatedly rewards the attentive listener with each play.

The album opens with a rush of sound that brings to mind underwater locomotives and quickly evolves into the first track, "In the Flowers," whose expansive tones, hand claps, and squeaks pull the listener through meandering streams of sound that culminate in driving bass, high synthetic strings, and tambourine mid-song, then to trickle away. The evocation of evolution is perhaps the most fitting descriptor for this album: a concatenation of electronic effects that manages to be more organic than any other music you have heard in the last 10 years.

LEWIS comments, a look of intent concentration on his face: "Animal Collective is almost as good as And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead. And I haven't even gotten through the A's yet!"

LEWIS!

LEWIS praises Mormonism, struts new running duds

2009-04-03T07:17:00.000-07:00

Despite his cynical nature, LEWIS has become an outspoken advocate for the church of Mormanormanism, taken in particular with the sheer undergarments. "What is so striking about the faith of Mordornormity is its committment to philosophical rigor", LEWIS muses, clad only in a surprisingly light and versatile synthetic jumpsuit. Doing some gentle stretching he goes on: "Joseph Smith's treatise is elegant not only for the logical consistency of its metaphysics but also for the soundness of its epistemological methods. But what really stands out about the church of Mauritania are these great light-weight all-weather naturally-wicking running suits."

In other news, LEWIS's exploits of the past weekend have left his L. achilles quite sore and, in an uncharacteristic display of moderation and self-control, he devotes himself to 3 days of riding on the bike trainer rather than running so as to heal his tender connective tissue.

LEWIS!

LEWIS celebrates April Fool's Day, divulges chocolate peanut butter treat recipe

2009-04-01T09:55:00.000-07:00

As devoted followers of LEWIS! will remember, in 2004 April 1st was declared "A Day for New Beginnings, a Day for Chocolate Peanut Butter Treat." Fast forward 5 years and Chocolate Peanut Butter Treat is the only dessert that can satisfy the poor hungry LEWIS. Even after eating out at a nice restaurant and having a healthy-sized dessert, he returns home to cook up a batch. "I do enjoy a bit of chocolate peanut butter treat every once in a while," states LEWIS, his mouth full with his second serving of the day. In a brief moment of uncharacteristic generosity he then divulges his secret recipe:

1. Take a glob of peanut butter and put it in a pan with a generous handful of chocolate chips.
2. Turn on the heat and melt the chocolate while stirring.
3. Add a handful of oats, continue stirring.
4. Let cool and enjoy!

In other news, this morning LEWIS puts down 2 hours of running in yet another snowstorm.

LEWIS brings home the bacon, buys flower for wife

2009-03-30T17:29:00.000-07:00

LEWIS returns home late Sunday night after a productive weekend in Southern Utah. With the Svelte and Surefooted Rob Corson, team Billy Goat Scrotums logged just under 80 miles in the 12 hour time limit for 2nd place, doing laps through the loose sand and slickrock of the Monitor and Merrimac trails. We find LEWIS in his kitchen massaging his tired quads and sipping Ensure: "I'm one step closer to realizing my dream of becoming an ultra-runner," states LEWIS, his sand-covered face beaming proudly, "not only did I run at near-glacial paces for an ungodly amount of time in loose sand in size 13 trail shoes that weigh 32 oz each, but I did so fueled on Ensure, Heed energy drink, Red Bull, gummy bears, and uncountable overly priced and heavily packaged electrolyte replacement gimmicks!"

One would think that the gruff Billy Goats would be content to rest on their laurels after such an endeavor, but they decided that rather than shower and relax in the comforts of a motel room, they would camp out again in their own filth and get up the next morning for a 3 hour mountain bike ride in a sandstorm.

Race Stats:

14 laps total for the team, 7 laps each- 77 miles in 11:50.

LEWIS!'S laps:

lap 1: 44:20 av hr 143, max 163
lap 2: 43:50 av hr 151, max 170
lap 3: 41:52 av hr 157, max 173
lap 4: 47:50 av hr 151, max 167
lap 5: 46:38 av hr 151, max 166
lap 6: 45:21 av hr 154, max 167
lap 7: 46:27 av hr 154, max 174

LEWIS!

LEWIS ready for 12 hour race, enjoys The Darjeeling Limited

2009-03-26T08:35:00.000-07:00

Having finished his run in a snowstorm this morning, we find LEWIS in the midst of packing his bags for an upcoming 12 hour race in Moab this weekend. LEWIS, along with the Svelte and Surefooted Rob Corson, has signed on with the prestigious team 'I dreamed a dream of billy goat scrotums' and, despite only a meager month of training, exudes a calm confidence as he thoughtfully muses on their chances: "I didn't train my fucking ass off in snowstorms for a whole month to do anything other than fucking dominate."

He pauses briefly and then continues, "Wes Anderson is striving to develop the cinematic equivalent of the late and brilliant David Foster Wallace in the development of an aesthetic that manages to maintain the hesitancies and complicities of postmodernism while simultaneously allowing for the immediacy of emotional experience and the possibility of genuine human bonds. However in his most recent rendition, The Darjeeling Limited, the effort feels labored, the characters merely sketched out as a hastily compiled set of primitive psychological predispositions based on their profound inaccessibility to themselves. Moreover, and this is the kicker, even to the viewer who can readily identify the pathology, the dynamics fail to rise above caricatured two-dimensionality.

Take, for instance, the moment when Francis, the eldest sibling, asks aloud as to source of the difficulties in the brothers' relationship. Peter-- the middle son, who, in an example of just the sort of overly-self-aware and heavy-handed symbolism that Anderson employs, wears oversized spectacles that blurrily obscure rather than clarify, thus necessitating them being pushed up on his forehead for Peter to see anything (a nice representation of the permeating self-deception and willing blindness at play in the film)-- responds with a shrug, "Maybe it has to do with the way we were raised." The potential weight of this offhand rejoinder in light of the evident lack of insight, emotional decrepitude, and propagated dysfunction on an intended spiritual journey is striking in its ability to say nothing and everything about these people, who they are, and who they are to each other- and yet, given the lack of our investment in the characters themselves, it falls flat and tinny."

LEWIS!

LEWIS returns from the UK, moves his bowels.

2009-03-23T07:35:00.000-07:00

After spending 24 hours in Canvey and 36 hours traveling to and from Canvey, LEWIS re-enters his life in the U.S. dramatically changed. "The English have it bloody well figured out. Grab a pint?" LEWIS remarks, still unshaven and unshowered. "Cheers, mate- I do love a spot of fox-hunting- grab a pint?" He then posts photos of the varied sights from his trip on his blog and gives his weekly total:

With 3 days off for travel:

Running - 7 hours

Mtn Biking - x1 - 3 hours

LEWIS gets 4 hours of sleep, prepares for trip to London

2009-03-19T07:02:00.000-07:00

The shit hits the fan for poor LEWIS and he is up the majority of the night tending to stroke victims. The next morning we find him at his plush mahogany desk, trading high risk futures options online; in front of him are plane tickets to London for the weekend to attend his brother-in-law's wedding.

When asked about the wisdom of flying across the world for the weekend, LEWIS, phone to his ear, checking his Blackberry, and fastening a cuff link, shrugs: "this is how I roll." He is interrupted by his maid bringing him a breakfast of sliced fruit and french toast.

LEWIS!

LEWIS AND THE STATE OF AFFAIRS

2009-03-18T06:45:00.000-07:00

On neurology call for the millionth time, LEWIS returns to his familiar turf and again repetitively circles Sugarhouse Park in the early morning hours with his headlamp and his beeper. His eyes downcast, he trots along the familiar path which is slowly being worn into the earth. With each circle the tread on his shoes digs the narrow path deeper until, finally, he is running in a 6 foot trench with no entrance and no exit.

LEWIS!

2009-03-16T17:47:00.000-07:00

LEWIS GETS UP AT 4:30AM, TAKES A SPILL

2009-03-16T16:56:00.000-07:00

Still on call, LEWIS wakes up at 4:30am so as to run with his wife. Through the sheer force of his indomitable will he somehow manages to keep up with the fleet footed wonder as they circle Sugarhouse park with head lamps on. He then proceeds to add on some loops after she peels off for 1.5 hours total.

A short day of clinic then leaves LEWIS with a surfeit of time on his hands and he subsequently heads out on his NEW MOUNTAIN BIKE along the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. Descending a particularly curvy section of singletrack he flies off the trail and tumbles over his handlebars, doing a full airborne flip and landing flat on his back down a ravine. Breathless and bleeding but otherwise unfazed, he immediately jumps back on the bike to finish up the 3 hour ride.

Last Week's Total:
9.5 hours running
1 weight workout.

LEWIS runs laps in Sugarhouse Park, breaks into his own home

2009-03-12T18:31:00.000-07:00

After yet another productive day seeing neurological patients and avidly debating the treatment options for neuromyelitis opticans, LEWIS lays down some miles in SugarHouse Park. Leashed to the 1.8 mile grassy perimeter out of necessity given that he is on call tonight, LEWIS mixes it up by running it as a progression run, increasing his pace with each lap for 1.5 hours. He then returns home to find he has once again locked himself out and is forced to crawl in a window.
LEWIS!

LEWIS POSTS TENTATIVE RACE SCHEDULE, SLEEPS THROUGH HIS ALARM

2009-03-11T05:59:00.000-07:00

Poor LEWIS sleeps straight through his alarm, missing out on a run with his more motivated and responsible wife. Coffee in hand, he begins to scheme of skipping out of his neurology rotation for a mid-day jaunt.

April 25th – Bonneville shoreline marathon

May 16th- Grandeur Peak Fun Run

May 23rd – Sapper Joe 50K

June 13th – Wahsatch Steeplechase

June 27th – Logan Peak Trail Run

July 18th – Speedgoat 50k

Aug 8th – Jupiter Peak Steeplechase

Aug 15th – El Vaquero Loco 50k

Sept 19th – Alpine to Slickrock 50 miler

Oct 24th – Goblin Valley 50k

Nov 14th – Ultimate XC Moab edition

LEWIS!

2009-03-10T10:03:00.000-07:00

LEWIS RETURNS TO RUNNING, PERFORMS NEUROLOGICAL EXAMINATIONS

After a 2 year hiatus from running to try his hand at bike racing, LEWIS begins the slow process of regaining his prior running form with a new objective: the ultramarathon. At nearly 31 years old he is no longer a spring chicken: as such, the ultramarathon and its cadre of peculiar, molasses-paced, and mentally-unbalanced riff-raff who can no longer compete over shorter distances is fitting. With his characteristic modesty and self-insight LEWIS, reflex hammer in hand, comments: "I'm going to fucking dominate those slow-ass jog-walkers."

2009-03-05T05:24:00.001-08:00

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