Showing posts with label Oklahoma. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Oklahoma. Show all posts

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Virgil Crest Ultra---"50 miles of trail-mountainish goodness"

The Virgil Crest Ultra is a Monster of a race! With 10,000 feet of gain and loss, slow rocky, rooty single-track Finger Lakes Trail, this race is a punisher of a course.  Oh yeah, and you summit Greek Peak at 2,189 feet from 1,180 feet in about a mile and a half (That is running up a ski slope!).  The course record is 8:34 or so which is a smoking fast time for the course and I hope to be able to run right around that time on the slow end though my real goal is to run a super fast course record time that will stand for many years to come.  Looking at my race at the Cayuga Trails 50, I did not race to my ability with my badly twisted ankle and I still managed a 7:45 effort though wound up off course for a 8:00 on the dot finish.  That type of performance with the similar amount of vertical would place me 30 minutes above record pace.  Now all I need is to be able to run to my potential and hope for dry conditions so I can run the downhills fast and not get slowed down by the mud.  If all the stars align, I think that a 7 hour performance is in the cards.  I have been running tons of vertical both up and down and though I have been on the tired-side of running, when I taper in the next 2 weeks, I should be primed to handle the course the best I can. 
Wearing my Mammut MTR longsleeve zip on a nice cool morning--46 degrees
(Best quality apparel around!!!)

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Waiting for La Nina

Since Autumn, I have been patiently waiting for the ski season to start. Due to the mild temps and lack of precipitation, skiing wasn't really an option so I did what any reasonable person would do, I went rock climbing.
Crag near Mt Hood.  Fun climbing on thin holds
Recently bolted line, RIP Kurt Albert.  Thanks to Walter Burkhardt for his tireless new routing and STOKE! 

 In early Dec, I found myself doing rope access work on a wind farm outside of Lawton, Oklahoma.  The Wichita Mountains have loads of granite and lots of gigantic animals roaming around.  Hiking to the crags is more dangerous than the climbing itself.  The climbing there was really good.  Super spicy run-out sport climbs.  The area has lots of short steep splitters (20-40ft) atop long slabs, so adventure cruising with a small rack is the thing to do.

Larry Longhorn staring contest, I lost

At what elevation do deer turn to elk?

Buffalo are everywhere.

Don't even think about rappelling here, climbing is ok though.

Scenic and unique little joint where longhorns, elk and buff will walk right past you as you are belaying. The skiing in the PNW did get good for a while, right now its bad, still waiting for the powder.