Living in the mountains makes it really tough to drive to work! I used to commute 37 miles one way which would take up to two hours drive time, that’s because Park City, Utah is an over developed mining town. The whole area is being built up with second homes and golf courses, and we have so much water here? I have decided to remove my carbon spewing car off the grid and work from my tough shed! Thanks to the online retailer Backcountry.com they offered me a remote job from my house, sweet!

Now my commute is from the house to the shed ! The shed idea I got from Toko Wax and Skate Ski Olympian Ian Harvey. He and I coach our daughters soccer team and Ian runs the entire North American Division for Toko out of his tough shed, that is some green thinking!

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committed to promoting human powered, sustainable recreation.

Trail running is about to get a first hand view of the suffering and joy the Hardrock 100 hands out! This year I will be running in a Go Pro Head Cam during sections like Virginia’s Pass, Start, Finish and a couple others. This will give you a great perspective of the views we see and the snarly terrain in the San Juan Mountains!

It will be fun to see me unravel as the days moves on until the joy hits with a couple miles to go!

Wasatch Speed Goat

There is a new Ultra/Trail Running team in town! Masters Ultra runner Scott Mason is assembling a team of trail runners from all over the country! This team is a new concept, we are not a shoe company, not a on-line retailer we are just a group of hard core trail runners who dedicate our lives to the sport. We all share the same passion, “running through the mountains”. Most of us are married with families and working full time jobs, even though we may not set a course record we do drive the sport!

The new team is based from the web site Wasatchspeedgoat.com who partnered with sponsors like Nathan Packs, First Endurance, Backcountry.com and Moeben Sleeves.

Stay tuned for further details!

Well it’s that time of year were you need a piece of light weight gear you can use and pack away during your trail run. The Marmot Motion Jacket is new for Spring of 2008 and is perfect for mother nature’s surprises, one minute the weather is raining and cloudy but later it clears up. That’s when all 16 oz. of this coat can be stuffed away in your running pack with ease. The Marmot’s Motion Jacket is new for spring and really caters to the trail runner!

Remember this is a single layer shell that will not wicker moisture away as well as the Marmont Windshirt, but this jacket is perfect for those chilly mornings at your trail race!

Happy Trails!

The North Face is putting down the cash to attract the fastest runners in the sport! Last year was a huge show down between Steidl and Carpenter as Steidl held on for the win. The 2008 Endurance Challenge has a four race series:

1. Bear Mountain, New York April 12

2. Seattle, Washington May 10

3. Madison, Wisconsin October 18

4. San Francisco, California December 6

Its great to see The North Face step it up and create a more competitive atmosphere with some prize money for the runners! The sport needs more recognition and competition with in specific races, this is one way to do so.

Wasatch Speed Goat

Time to get ready for the Silver State 50/50 in Reno, Nevada. I ran this race a couple years ago and what a great event. The course takes you through two states California and Nevada.The first half of the course is real run able until you cross over the highway and you hit some monster climbs and then traverse through some beautiful pine trees which will be full of snow!! In fact with the snow fall this winter the course is going to be slow gong the second half!

C-ya on the trails

Wasatch Speed Goat

Gu Energy Gel is really food on the run! Gu is super easy to digest and gives you immediate energy when racing those long trail races. These gels contain maltodextrin, which is the key for your body to get back all those carbohydrates you have been losing. This carb combined with fructose raises your blood sugar level, allowing you to run fast for 20 to 30 hours. I recommend you train with GU so you know when and how much to consume.

I generally consume one GU every half hour or so along with a occasional boiled potato and peanut butter sandwich. Less food is better for your stomach on those long treks!

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HAPPY TRAILS!

Wasatch Speed Goat

Karl hooks up with Robert Kunz of First Endurance to discuss the advantages of using OPTYGEN and ULTRAGEN in the world of Ultrarunning! Karl is attempting to break the current record for running the entire Appalachian Trail in less then 47 days 13 hours and 31 minutes! He will need all the help he can get, his body must hold together and receive the right nutrition to accomplish this tough goal!

Karl Meltzers interview with First Endurance

Iron is one of the most abundant minerals on earth and is essential to normal human physiology. About 2/3 of the body’s iron is found in hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen to cells. An adequate supply of iron is necessary for the body to produce hemoglobin and red blood cells (RBC). If too little iron is available, fewer and/or smaller RBC’s are produced, leading to decreased oxygen carrying capacity of the blood. This is called iron deficiency anemia and can cause fatigue, poor work capacity, and decreased immunity. It is important to understand there are different levels of iron deficiency. The least severe is when someone has low iron stores (low serum ferritin levels), the next is depleted iron stores (using cut-off values), while the most severe category is iron deficiency anemia.

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Check this out, I paced John Maack at the 2007 Wasatch 100 and this guy really had his drop bags worked out! No they were not bags he used orange 5 gallon buckets with lids! Yea, buckets, what a great ideal! Here are the immediate advantages I noticed;

* Easy to spot your drop bag (bucket) at the aid stations, even if you are tired.
* The bucket seals up and this keeps your gear dry from the weather and your items will not get crushed like your gu packs or lights.
* This can also be a chair if all the seats are taken at the aid station.
* If you are passing a aid station more then once it is nice to have a bucket instead of a ripped up or wet drop bag!
* Easy to find your buckets at the finish line when you are hammered.
* I don’t think the race directors would like to see 300 orange buckets for a to be hauled around!

Wasatch Speed Goat – SM