I would like to thank everyone at Mammut for getting me onboard as their first trail/mountain ambassador and I hope to showcase the brand, the company, and its absolutely amazing line of equipment, apparel, and shoes! Thank you and let the journey begin!
Look out for me at the June 8th Cayuga Trails Race wearing all the latest Mammut Trail gear for what is going to be an epic race. The goal is to run the best 50 miles of my life and hope to reach the podium. I would be satisfied with a top 10 finish but I think placing higher is totally in the cards for me. Top 3? Well, we will just have to see. 1st? 2nd? On June 8th, all will be settled out on the course. Train hard and see you out there on the trails and I hope everyone runs the best race of their lives come June 8th! See you out on the trails!
Here are some of the newest trail running products courtesy of Mammut online!
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These are all items that are either apart of the MTR line for trail and mountain running and there are a few pieces that are more alpine based that work well with trail running as well. The Mammut MTR line is one that is going to be tough to beat from their shoes such as the Dyneema 201 which should be one of the better trail running flats on the market. Check back for gear reviews and test runs! Go Mammut, Absolute Alpine.
Thank you again for the chance to represent you and I will do the very best I can!
Training has been going very well for this week. I have been able to get in a varying type of running which is always nice. I had a snowshoe run at Limehollow Nature center that went well, numerous uphill runs, some slower paced efforts, as well as some shorter up-tempo running. I put in about 84 miles of work and today for Saturday--March 2nd, went on a nice run in some Smartwool Baselayers I received to try out. Smartwool makes some great stuff. Not only are their products lightweight, but they insulate well and keep you dry through snow and all kinds of gross weather. I was pleasantly surprised with how the baselayers kept me warm during my run out along Kellogg Road to Blodgett Mills and out on Highway 11 towards Marathon, NY. The baselayer pants really performed like a pair of running tights though had more flexibility to them than spandex. It was a lot of fun. i was able to run 82 minutes and 13 miles. I ran nice and relaxed and with the new tights felt like I had a solid stride. I am counting down the days until snowshoe nationals and I cannot wait. Each day, I am out on the roads or trails, I am working hard to ensure my performance at the snowshoe race proves to be a top-notch performance.
So far so good. I am excited for the weekend so much needed R&R can take place. I can also devote a little more time to training, so Sunday should be a fun long-run. I hope to put out a nice 2 hour run under my belt to stress the legs and lungs and hopefully will set me up for another great week.
Check out some of Smartwool's baselayers as many of them can act as outer layers for high intensity activity. Have a wonderful weekend out running!
SNOWSHOE SUNDAY!!!!!------March 3, 2013
Long run at Greek Peak North Country Trail and forest access roads in Kennedy State Forest.--90 minute total run all in snowshoes. Ran up the steep elevation gains about 3k of elevation gain. This run had me set out around 8am to Greek Peak, our local ski resort in Cortland. I headed out there as the trails are the best around and I hoped I could find some groomed xc ski trails. What did I find? Groomed Trails! Finally! For the first time in snowshoes, I was able to run fast uphill and not be sloshing around because of the snow conditions. Every snowshoe race I have done so far, the course has been primarily lightly-packed snow trails meaning (someone in snowshoes took one step on the trail kind of grooming job) which is practically breaking trail. This was great as it was totally snowmobiled out with nice grooved tracks perfect for my shoes to track over it. I hit the first massive 2 mile climb to the summit of Greek Peak or Virgil Peak as it is sometimes called and ran on a wide snowmobile trail. I had my Nathan Lab hydration belt I won at the Highland Forest 10k regional snowshoe race and this thing works great! Keeps liquids from freezing and hugs the body well without any bobble. I then had a choice...Do I continue on the snowmobile trail or get risky and break trail along the Finger Lakes trail that heads up into the woods. I chose the latter. I plotted through 2 feet of snow for another 1200 meters or so rolling up and down the crests of the trail then came out right along the Summit of Virgil Peak. I then trekked downhill along the power line section back to the logging roads. The footing was also fantastic here as well as I picked up my pace envisioning myself making the USA snowshoe team. If I do make the team, it would be my first USA team and would be a truly incredible achievement. I lost track of time in the run and realized that I needed to head back. I turned back for home. I retraced my steps and got a nice tempo going downhill to Tone Road. I hit the snowmobile trail and kids skiing on the slope parallel to me were yelling at me with lovely greetings like "Hey Man, HEY MAN!" or "HI, HI!" It was fun to see the kids skiing down meeting me at the bottom. I headed back to the car and headed home. What I learned from the days workout was that I am not only fit, but I never thought I could run through snow the way I do. It is amazing how snowshoes work. Thank you to all those snowshoe companies out there for making great products. Special shout out to Bob Dion of Dion snowshoes for introducing me to great snowshoes and to Chris Dunn of Acidotic Racing for getting me going in the snowshoe and mountain running scene here in the Northeast.
Monday---March 4----Simple hill run up along Albany street along my favorite loop here in Cortland. Got in the vertical, picked it up and the flats, and flew on the downhill sections. It was cold out there. A steep wind chill made it feel in the teens and single digits. I think it is supposed to warm up this week into the 40 and 50 degree range. Only a matter of time. Overall, a nice 11 mile run or so with about 800-1500 ft in vertical gain and about 70-73 minutes out and about.
Tuesday March 5---- A easy run out on 222 to Kinney Gulf Road and then back home. I ran about 10.5 miles today at around 65 minutes and ran nice and easy with one climb the whole run. I am trying to rest up so that I can get in a nice 80 minute run tomorrow morning. The temperature around Cortland is supposed to warm-up into the mid-40's so we will see and it will be nice to run in a long sleeve t instead of a jacket or midlayer zip.
Wednesday---45 minute dark Ithaca Run along 6 mile trail. It was dark and scary. I ran just to get some work in as my school work was taking the cake with my 20 page trail running in wilderness areas project based in the Adirondack region. It was a great day at the Finger Lakes Running store and had a nice run with hills and ran very relaxed. I also recieved a free pair of Asics Gel 33 Lytes which are low-profile and fast. With my orthotics, I can fly in those shoes.
Thursday---March 7th---Morning run out along the uphill Route 11 Mcgraw route. I ran up the steep uphills with my Asics Gel Lytes and ran nice and smooth. My legs were feeling a little sore from the 6mm heel to toe differential but the shoe is fast and lite which is a nice change. The weather was not too cold and I ran really well today getting in the mileage and I look forward to a long run tomorrow to make up for Wednesday.
Friday---March 8th----Ran through Homer onto 281 and then back. Got in a nice 90 minutes and made it to the town of Little York. It was very windy and the wind chill was cold though on the way back, things had warmed up which was nice. Less than a week away until I leave for snowshoe nationals so all of the hard work is done. Now I can sit back and enjoy the ride or run rather. I ran in my Karhu Strong Motion control shoes without my orthotics which proved to have the same feel. Had a nice solid long run and ready for another tomorrow in Ithaca!
Saturday March 9---Fun run in Ithaca. Ran some trails and even Buttermilk Falls which is where the Cayuga Trails race will be in June. I ran with a buddy I met from the shop and we ran a nice 80 minute run real chill and fun. As a local Ithacan, he showed me some amazing trail sections that I absolutely loved. Running through gorges and seeing water cascading down slopes and seeing even real waterfalls everywhere was quite a sight. The weather has warmed up to around 50 and it was a glorious day out there. My Asics Lyte 33 2's are awesome shoes. So light and with my orthotic, I get that stability in a light package.
Sunday March 10---Nice 10 mile run with Chris out along the fancy homes and the hills of Cortland/Homer. ANother wonderful day in terms of the weather and I was testing out my Sketchers Go Runs. More of a neutral cushion shoe, the shoe performed well out there and will be my main trainer I feel. It has the softness under-foot to take me on 20 mile long runs but fast enough to get the leg turnover.
Monday--March 11---Fast uptempo long run out along Page Green Road to Greek Peak. I had about 3k of vertical throughout the run and slugged through the first half of the run with a nasty 30mph headwind. Having a headwind like that plus steep climbs made me remember those runs out in Oklahoma. The weather was mild near 50 though the wind cooled things off. I hit the ground running hard on the way back with my new Sketchers shoes I had the chance to demo. So far, so good with these buggers. Overall, a total day of 84 minutes and 14-15 miles.
So far so good. I am excited for the weekend so much needed R&R can take place. I can also devote a little more time to training, so Sunday should be a fun long-run. I hope to put out a nice 2 hour run under my belt to stress the legs and lungs and hopefully will set me up for another great week.
Check out some of Smartwool's baselayers as many of them can act as outer layers for high intensity activity. Have a wonderful weekend out running!
SNOWSHOE SUNDAY!!!!!------March 3, 2013
Long run at Greek Peak North Country Trail and forest access roads in Kennedy State Forest.--90 minute total run all in snowshoes. Ran up the steep elevation gains about 3k of elevation gain. This run had me set out around 8am to Greek Peak, our local ski resort in Cortland. I headed out there as the trails are the best around and I hoped I could find some groomed xc ski trails. What did I find? Groomed Trails! Finally! For the first time in snowshoes, I was able to run fast uphill and not be sloshing around because of the snow conditions. Every snowshoe race I have done so far, the course has been primarily lightly-packed snow trails meaning (someone in snowshoes took one step on the trail kind of grooming job) which is practically breaking trail. This was great as it was totally snowmobiled out with nice grooved tracks perfect for my shoes to track over it. I hit the first massive 2 mile climb to the summit of Greek Peak or Virgil Peak as it is sometimes called and ran on a wide snowmobile trail. I had my Nathan Lab hydration belt I won at the Highland Forest 10k regional snowshoe race and this thing works great! Keeps liquids from freezing and hugs the body well without any bobble. I then had a choice...Do I continue on the snowmobile trail or get risky and break trail along the Finger Lakes trail that heads up into the woods. I chose the latter. I plotted through 2 feet of snow for another 1200 meters or so rolling up and down the crests of the trail then came out right along the Summit of Virgil Peak. I then trekked downhill along the power line section back to the logging roads. The footing was also fantastic here as well as I picked up my pace envisioning myself making the USA snowshoe team. If I do make the team, it would be my first USA team and would be a truly incredible achievement. I lost track of time in the run and realized that I needed to head back. I turned back for home. I retraced my steps and got a nice tempo going downhill to Tone Road. I hit the snowmobile trail and kids skiing on the slope parallel to me were yelling at me with lovely greetings like "Hey Man, HEY MAN!" or "HI, HI!" It was fun to see the kids skiing down meeting me at the bottom. I headed back to the car and headed home. What I learned from the days workout was that I am not only fit, but I never thought I could run through snow the way I do. It is amazing how snowshoes work. Thank you to all those snowshoe companies out there for making great products. Special shout out to Bob Dion of Dion snowshoes for introducing me to great snowshoes and to Chris Dunn of Acidotic Racing for getting me going in the snowshoe and mountain running scene here in the Northeast.
Monday---March 4----Simple hill run up along Albany street along my favorite loop here in Cortland. Got in the vertical, picked it up and the flats, and flew on the downhill sections. It was cold out there. A steep wind chill made it feel in the teens and single digits. I think it is supposed to warm up this week into the 40 and 50 degree range. Only a matter of time. Overall, a nice 11 mile run or so with about 800-1500 ft in vertical gain and about 70-73 minutes out and about.
Tuesday March 5---- A easy run out on 222 to Kinney Gulf Road and then back home. I ran about 10.5 miles today at around 65 minutes and ran nice and easy with one climb the whole run. I am trying to rest up so that I can get in a nice 80 minute run tomorrow morning. The temperature around Cortland is supposed to warm-up into the mid-40's so we will see and it will be nice to run in a long sleeve t instead of a jacket or midlayer zip.
Wednesday---45 minute dark Ithaca Run along 6 mile trail. It was dark and scary. I ran just to get some work in as my school work was taking the cake with my 20 page trail running in wilderness areas project based in the Adirondack region. It was a great day at the Finger Lakes Running store and had a nice run with hills and ran very relaxed. I also recieved a free pair of Asics Gel 33 Lytes which are low-profile and fast. With my orthotics, I can fly in those shoes.
Thursday---March 7th---Morning run out along the uphill Route 11 Mcgraw route. I ran up the steep uphills with my Asics Gel Lytes and ran nice and smooth. My legs were feeling a little sore from the 6mm heel to toe differential but the shoe is fast and lite which is a nice change. The weather was not too cold and I ran really well today getting in the mileage and I look forward to a long run tomorrow to make up for Wednesday.
Friday---March 8th----Ran through Homer onto 281 and then back. Got in a nice 90 minutes and made it to the town of Little York. It was very windy and the wind chill was cold though on the way back, things had warmed up which was nice. Less than a week away until I leave for snowshoe nationals so all of the hard work is done. Now I can sit back and enjoy the ride or run rather. I ran in my Karhu Strong Motion control shoes without my orthotics which proved to have the same feel. Had a nice solid long run and ready for another tomorrow in Ithaca!
Saturday March 9---Fun run in Ithaca. Ran some trails and even Buttermilk Falls which is where the Cayuga Trails race will be in June. I ran with a buddy I met from the shop and we ran a nice 80 minute run real chill and fun. As a local Ithacan, he showed me some amazing trail sections that I absolutely loved. Running through gorges and seeing water cascading down slopes and seeing even real waterfalls everywhere was quite a sight. The weather has warmed up to around 50 and it was a glorious day out there. My Asics Lyte 33 2's are awesome shoes. So light and with my orthotic, I get that stability in a light package.
Sunday March 10---Nice 10 mile run with Chris out along the fancy homes and the hills of Cortland/Homer. ANother wonderful day in terms of the weather and I was testing out my Sketchers Go Runs. More of a neutral cushion shoe, the shoe performed well out there and will be my main trainer I feel. It has the softness under-foot to take me on 20 mile long runs but fast enough to get the leg turnover.
Monday--March 11---Fast uptempo long run out along Page Green Road to Greek Peak. I had about 3k of vertical throughout the run and slugged through the first half of the run with a nasty 30mph headwind. Having a headwind like that plus steep climbs made me remember those runs out in Oklahoma. The weather was mild near 50 though the wind cooled things off. I hit the ground running hard on the way back with my new Sketchers shoes I had the chance to demo. So far, so good with these buggers. Overall, a total day of 84 minutes and 14-15 miles.
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