World Mountain Running Championships & Estes Park Trail Running Conference & The Incline FKT...

2015 is coming to a close pretty quick here. As in 2014 I headed into the final quarter of the year by trying something long and new+something old. Lets start with the old! For the last 8 years I have represented Team USA @ The World Mountain Running Championships. Nothing new right? Well this year I placed 5th which is my highest finish and the second highest finish for an American since the Mountain Running has become an IAAF Sanctioned World Championship! Upon arriving in Wales I was amazed at the number of sheep along the country side and the green hills sloped across the landscape. Wales had caught me off guard. I figured it would look similar to Manchester. I couldn't have been more wrong. The minute you cross the border the land changes instantly!

I was interviewed by a local television station leading up to the event and was asked "what I wanted to accomplish at the World Champs". Simply, I wanted to run how my team needed me to run. Not being stupid and running for myself, not being a chump and placing last, but what my team needed. I knew I was a top 10 in the World caliber athlete so I ran with the group I felt I needed to be in. I knew I needed to lead my team for us to have a shot at a podium team finish. I know I could have run better and I know our team could have. The conditions were a bit tricky with the slick terrain. I made a mistake of not having the right shoe for the occasion so honestly, I hurt my chances at an individual medal. It hurt a little to finish 4th as a team yet again, so close to a Bronze. Regardless, I had an amazing time with my teammates, some of which I had never really traveled with before so in the end it was a great experience nonetheless. Making National Teams are such a blessing. You get to enjoy the company of fellow countrymen along with gaining the opportunity to blend in with a new culture abroad. You get that once in a lifetime chance to learn something about a new part of the World whether it be a language, unique foods and/or interesting folks!!

 Of course like all my travels I had to end the trip with a splurge of local Welsh goodies along with some of my other favorites from the UK! For USATF update on the race checkout>> http://www.usatf.org/News/Junior-men-s-Mountain-Running-Team-ends-medal-drou.aspx

Some more new stuff, I needed to complete my final race of the USA Sky series with a 39k event that took over 4 hours!! I ended the series by not losing to any Americans in the Sky distance and winning the Vertical Kilometer Series with 3 consecutive victories (No Losses). I followed my sky series and World Champs with a nice little vacation in beautiful Steamboat Springs to reset the mind and body as I prepare to tackle training head on for the Olympic Trials in 2016.

After vacating a bit I headed to the Estes Park Trail Running Conference as an athlete representative. I took part in a few panel discussions as well as lead a group run introducing runners to the awesomeness of Spenco Medical 2nd Skin Product known as Aqua Heal. If you are a mountain goat and like me, get some cuts and scrapes from time to time, make sure to grab some of these. The slogan "Beyond a Bandage" is complete truth.

Some of the panels I took part in were Footwear Development, Nutrition, and FKT's!!! For video coverage of a few of the panel discussions alongside some other top trail runners in the country checkout the link>>https://youtu.be/cYVfFqhImdc

Speaking of FKT's...Yeah I know..I have never been a fan of them for many reasons. However, the Manitou Incline is more than just an FKT. Thousands of people have attempted it so its not just some random trail that only 5 people have run. For quite some time I had thought about going after the record held by none other than Matt Carpenter. I had come close a few times but never really gave it a true go. Since the season was dwindling down I said what the heck, I will go and at least try to get my KOM back on Strava hahaha. About half way up I felt really good and decided to push harder than I had before. I used my Mio Global Alpha 2 to regulate my effort to assure I didn't go too hard too soon. I ended up feeling super strong by avoiding my redline point for most of the effort then really blazing the last part of the incline. Keep in mind this is 9/10ths of a mile with 2,000 feet gain! The old record was 18:30 and I cruised to a 17:45.... I have data to prove it. My theory is, if you don't have the data then you didn't do it!

 

 

If you want to read a little more on this checkout these articles below:

 

http://gazette.com/colorado-springs-athlete-sets-speed-record-on-manitou-incline/article/1560211

 

http://running.competitor.com/2015/09/news/joseph-gray-breaks-matt-carpenters-manitou-incline-fkt_136066

 

 

 

 

NEXT UP:

Some fun on a different continent and a few races in a new country!! Stay Tuned