Nice job. Speedgoat is a rude introduction into mountain running, for sure. One stat that I use to gauge how tough the course will be is to take the total elevation gain and divide by the length of the course so you get an average gain/mile. Speedgoat has 14,866 feet of gain and the website says the 50k is 33.95 miles. That works out to 431 feet/mile, which is insane. I think the toughest races I've ever done were 180-200 feet/mile.

So far this year I have 101,056 ft gain over 477 miles. Thats an average of 211 ft/mi.

Checking back in after a 4 month hiatus from Trails.

7 trail miles today and an embarrassingly slow pace. There were a bunch of new guys and it was pretty humiliating.

Covid freed up a lot of time for people but it actually took away all my running times so I just haven't been able get back out there like I wanted. Trying to make a concerted effort to lace back up 4 times a week in August.

I Just signed up for the rocky raccoon 50 miler that is in February. Needed to go ahead and sign up to keep motivation up. I did this race as a 20 year old with training consisting of about 2 miles a week and struggled through a 11:10 finish. Looking back it's kind of funny...I didn't even wear a watch, have a light in case it got dark, or carry a water bottle of any kind.
I'm confident my 37 year old self can beat my 20 year old self with some training and if I stay injury free. I haven't run over 15 miles yet for a long run, but plan on stepping that up once the heat comes down a little.

Hit the tallest peak in Utah yesterday - Kings Peak 13,534 ft.

The route is 25.5 miles round trip, mostly flat on rocky trail. You start high in the Uintas so total climbing was 4,300 ft. Very frustrating on the way back because the rocky trail makes it hard to run. The actual climb wasn't all that difficult, but a bit of climbing over rocks.

Nice. Any issues with the altitude?

Welcome back, c-jags!

No issues with altitude. But the sun hot and water was getting scarce toward the end.

If you aren't already, be sure to get on the Wasatch Mountain Wrangler facebook group.

just got a friendly email reminder that I'm registered for Cocodona 250.

1) What the **** am i thinking?
2) I hope I can run (pain-free) by then.

Sponge said:

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If you aren't already, be sure to get on the Wasatch Mountain Wrangler facebook group.

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Member since 2015 and friends with Craig, Aaron and Francesco who started/admin it. I was in one of Craigs recent TAUR videos too.

Signed up for the 25-mile cactus rose late October in Bandera. I'm sure some of y'all have run out there...what's the trail like?

never done cactus rose, but done Bandera 100K four times. From my understanding, they basically take out any flat sections (and there aren't many) and that's the cactus rose course. Its rocky as hell and obviously LOTS of up and down. Super technical running for much of the course. And plenty of sotol to cut you up, assuming it hasn't been trimmed...seems like some years it is trimmed, some it is in full force.

Its gorgeous out there though.

Sounds...challenging. Have you been on the trail out at doeskin ranch (I think that's what it's called) between liberty hill and marble falls? If so, is that similar?

i thought i replied already...sorry for the delay.

not going to be much help, as I've never run out at doeskin.

You been on Hill of Life? add a bunch more loose rock. there are couple climbs like that.

I'm signed up for the 25 mile Cactus Rose, too. It was my backup choice after they cancelled the Kap'n Karls Pedernales Falls race. Have you picked a starting day/time slot?

They just opened a lot of new time slots and was able to get a 7am start on Saturday

Heading in for another MRI later this week. Hip specialist doesn't think the torn labrum is causing my pain. Just ready for this to be behind me. I don't even care what it is at this point.

That's really tough news, sorry to hear it. Had you started running again at all or is the recurrence of pain from things outside of running?

i was running for a while, but very, very slowly. Got up to an hour, but it wasn't "normal." There was almost always a level of discomfort in the run. Tolerable, but it didn't feel "right" and I definitely didn't feel like I could pick put the pace at all. And then there would be days where even a 20 min run was just flat out uncomfortable.

I'm mostly ok in every day life, but occasionally, something lights up the pain. Could be mowing the lawn, could be picking up my kid. Nothing consistently causes it though.

I was mountain biking pretty regularly with no issues, but the specialist asked me to stop everything until he reviews a more detailed MRI.

That's a bummer. Good luck, man.

Diagnosis is in. After all this crap over the past almost 10 months, its what I originally thought and went to see the doc about. Sports Hernia.

Happy to know what's going on, but pissed that this was missed on the previous MRI and by the first doctor. The second MRI was a more detailed image and on my entire pelvis, so likely didn't show on first image. The hip specialist reviewed my first MRI and didn't see it on there either. Still frustrating.

Now I have to go see another specialist in dallas to see if i'm a candidate for surgery.

All things considered, that's not a terrible diagnosis. I've known runners to recover from those very well. At least you know what it is now, and can start on a path to recovery.

Congrats! It's a tough course out there.

I got selected for the Barkely Fall Classic, so i've got about 10 months to figure out this injury thing and get back to running.

that's awesome. i'd love to have the time to just go hike the course, nonetheless run it.

c-jags said:

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that's awesome. i'd love to have the time to just go hike the course, nonetheless run it.

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the course record for the 50K is 7:37. It is pretty much a hike.

Just bought my first pair of skis. Now that snow is here, my running will become ski touring.

AggieOO said:

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I got selected for the Barkely Fall Classic, so i've got about 10 months to figure out this injury thing and get back to running.

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Barkely marathons next?

Congrats on getting into BFC. That should be pretty awesome.

I'm entered in the Canyons 100k again, after having it cancelled this April. I really hope we get to run it in 2021. They altered the course so there are no out and back sections anymore. It's point to point, in the uphill direction

https://ultrasignup.com/entrants_event.aspx?did=79426#id1264763

i guess i'm retiring from running. Just saw my third specialist and they all claim they can't do anything for me. 3 specialists, 3 physical therapists, 7 months of PT, basically no running for almost a year at this point. And no progress. I'm tired of trying. /pity party

Damn that sucks. What is the injury?

Dang, sorry to hear that. That's basically my worst nightmare.

Ragoo said:

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Damn that sucks. What is the injury?

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Hip specialist tells me its a sports hernia.

one "hernia specialist" tells me to put ice on it, literally. b/c michael jordan iced his knees when he played basketball. Not being ok with that answer, i saw a another specialist for the hernia. he tells me that its my hip.

basically they are both pointing fingers at each other and both say they can't do anything.