MORF - Front Range Off-road Multisport - FROM

Xterra World Championships 2011

2011-10-29T16:33:00.000-07:00

I just got back from racing in Maui for Xterra World Championships! We enjoyed a wonderful 5 days there and I turned out a good race.
This year Xterra moved the race up North in Kapalua a new venue for the first time in 15 years. There has been alot of hype about this new course and I was excited but not really sure what to expect.
The swim started a little crazy with a mass start of 670 people and the worst part was the chaos at the first bouy! The ocean was very calm on the day of the race without the big swells they had two days prior and were expecting to move back in. I felt like I had a descent swim but found that it was actually pretty slow once I got out on the bike course behind everyone. It seemed from feedback I had gotten from people and then from my pre-ride that this course would suit me a little bit better than the old one. This bike course was a lot of fun with so much variety. Once I got past the bottlenecks in the first 3 miles of the course I was able to start to push the pace and gain some ground on the bike and especially on the long fast descents (a strength of mine). I had no idea what to expect on the run because I was unable to get out and see it. All I knew was that it went up for 3.5 miles with some difficult steep climbs in there and then down through some twisty tight trails. As I came in from the bike I tried to get myself ready and positive for the run. As I got into it I found that I was feeling pretty good and I just kept passing people through the run. This is new for me and it fueled me and helped me to keep pushing through! It was a difficult run course but I really enjoyed it (besides the terrible grassy climb to the finish)! This was the best run performance I have had in an Xterra yet. I actually moved onto the podium during the run portion and gained ground!
This is the short version of my race report, please go read the full race report on my blog.
The day went pretty well! I ended up on the podium taking 3rd in my Age-group, 8th Amatuer woman, and 21st woman overall. Huge improvement!
You can also check out the course in the highlight video.

This is a wrap for my 2011 season and I am so thankful for all the support and encouragement this season.
MORF this year it has been great. Thank you to all our sponsors! Newton, I have loved racing in the shoes this year! Wouldn't trade my Maxxis tires for anything. First Endurance has some great race and recovery fuel! Thanks to Dave at Redstone Cyclery for your help.

Long, hot, slow beach run nearing the finish!

Leadville Trail 100 Run:

2011-09-19T09:53:00.000-07:00

Leadville 100 run:

Acknowledgements:
Where to start? How about with stating that none of this could have been possible without my super supportive and well organized wife Katherine, or without my pacers: Mathew Arnold, Jason Davis, Tim Redmond, and my brother Casey Vaughn. I would also like to say thank you to Annie for being an emotional pillar of strength! I honestly could not have asked for a better support staff!

I feel the need to give a little extra thanks to Katherine before I begin the post. When I say this would not have been possible without my wife, it is an understatement. Katherine put up with my constant training during the week, my lack of duties around the house, spending of fortunes on gear and food, the complaints of constant sunburns, blisters, and soreness. She took control where my ability to plan or pay attention to details was not sufficient. She secured hotel reservations, transportation plans, needed nutrition, race planning, aid station organization, pacer organizer and informer. Katherine does more than expected and never complains (well maybe a couple times). She is truly an unselfish individual, who I adore. Thanks, and I love you!
I am going to organize this gibberish by daily happenings. As I feel with as much rambling and tangential rants as my brain can produce, this will be the only way to maintain some sort of coherent structure:

Thursday (Day 1):
Matt ad I planned to leave the house around 9am, however with as unorganized and busy as we both are, I was hopeful to get out of Golden by noon. We nailed it; we were on the road, caffeinated, and had food on its way to digestion by high noon! We were in no rush anyways, as all I needed to do today was run through medical/race day check-in by 4pm. Once we arrived in Leadville, Matt and I checked in to our one bed studio apartment that would be our home base for the next 3 nights. It was small, and this would make it all the merrier once Tim and Katherine arrived on Friday. We were not too concerned as the hotel was going to be of little use come 2am Saturday. After checking into the hotel, Matt and I headed to the race check in which happened to be right around the corner (Leadville is a smaller town, so fortunately everything is right around the corner). I weighed in, answered some general questions concerning my health and got my race packet. Coming from the usual experience at Ironmans, where it is like getting through National Security to check-in, this experience was rather relaxing to me. The atmosphere was spectacular as well, the people were generally excited and helpful, and there seemed to be no pretentious attitudes. I loved witnessing the wide variety of participants taking part in this race. You look left and you see a 65 year old man rocking some all grey New Balance from the 60s, a first generation tech tee, and a bandana. You look right and you see a 23 year old kid in vibrams, no shirt, and some new Oakley’s. There was one of every kind, and all seemed to understand that this town, this race, and this adventure would be something we all would soon share. It was also crazy to me that out of 850 registrants, that only 700 would show up on race day, and that only 350 would finish. This meant that half the people I was meeting and seeing would not finish. It must be very hard to train like everyone else, invest so much into this undertaking, to ultimately ride back to Leadville in a car!
After race check in and some quick sightseeing, Matt and I decided to have some dinner. Through some minor interrogating of the locals we realized that there were really only a couple of true “dining” options to choose from. I for one am fine with this, as I despise dinner decisions. We huddled for a moment and decided on the local’s favorite, the $10.95 Filet Mignon. Some may say, "A $10 dollar steak"… that is super sketchy? I say, “a $10 dollar steak… what a steal, give me two!” Post our delicious steak dinner Matt and I grabbed some “Gluten Free” Bud Light and headed back to the old Timberline for some sleep.

Friday (Day 2):
After a solid night of sleep, Matt and I decided that today would be a day of eating and enjoying the beautiful town of Leadville. We had a delightful breakfast and headed back to the hotel to catch some quick Jersey Shore (YEA BUDDY!) before we headed out on our bikes for a bit. The 1:30 bike ride was relaxing and beautiful; there are indeed some great trails to enjoy around Leadville. After our bike ride we headed to the race meeting. Very inspiring, and it even got me a little emotional. While watching what this race means to the organizers, town of Leadville and its participants you begin to see that this is more than just another race. The town and people involved truly care about this town, the race, and all the participants. I hope Lifetime carries on the true meaning and spirit behind the Leadville 100 run!!!! Following the meeting we headed over to the solo Mexican establishment and filled up on chips & salsa, tacos, and water. We also devised our plan of attack for the rest of the day, which would be absolutely nothing. We did drive out to Turquoise Lake which was a long drive in the car, and that wasn’t even going to be 1/6th of my RUN the following day. Later that day we headed to the grocery store and stocked up on some essentials for the run. We then sat and waited on the rest of our crew to show. Katherine and Tim finally arrived around 7 and we headed straight to dinner. I had some fish tacos, some bread and then called it sleepy time. I started trying to go to sleep at around 8:30, but knew this was going to be a long night of little sleep and much anticipation. Around 9pm a crazy thunderstorm moved in. This system brought in some torrential rain, much lightning, and some colder weather. The storm also lasted for a better part of 3:30 hours. These circumstances would not have been so alarming, other than the fact that the forecast for Saturday night was supposed to be identical. Oh well, worrying never helps….

Saturday (Day 3/Race Day):
Alarm, ALarm,ALArm,ALARm, ALARM,… It was now 2am and time to get up, shovel as much food down as possible, get some coffee, and take care of the rest of my race morning business. Needless to say, I was anxious, but I was not nervous. I was just ready to start and let this adventure unfold as it may. The way I looked at it, the day was going to have numerous ups and downs, but I just needed to control the things that were controllable. My main concern was nutrients, pace, and energy conservation.I lined up somewhere in the top half. I knew the start was going to be mild, and with many miles of road before the trails began, there will be plenty of time to pass, get passed, and find my pace! The gun went off, followed by some loud cheers, beeps of start button on watches, and the clicks of headlamps being turned on as we headed off into the night. We headed up a good hill as we left town, once I crested the hill I took a second to look back at the lights of Leadville, and the mile of Headlamps bobbing behind me. This is a view I will remember for a very long time! Once we hit the dirt road to head out of town, it got quiet…. Everyone knew we had a long pain filled day ahead. My stomach decided to start a little bit of a party after the initial excitement had ended. It did not bother me too much however, as I knew it had plenty of time to settle down (it took its sweet time, it partied another 50 miles until I hit the turnaround :)). The sun started to rise around the outgoing climb of the Powerline. This was a great part for me as it was the first real test of the run, and you could see the mental games it was playing on people. However, I just kept my slower than normal pace, and trudged on. I wanted to run slower than slow as I knew the last 30 miles of this race could either be “man, this has been a long day” miserable, or the ”I would rather have 1000 paper cuts being filled with salt” miserable. Before I knew it I had reached Twin Lakes aid station, and was starting to suffer a bit. My stomach was still partying, I was developing a headache, and I was about to start the climb up Hope Pass and to 12,500 feet. While at the Twin Lakes my wife counted my caloric/water intake and informed me I was way behind. She gave me the “we have spent way too much money, time, and energy on this for you to blow it due to nutrition” look. I knew at that point I should shut up and shove some food down the old gullet. So… I sat there and ate until Katherine deemed it suitable for me to leave. Though it annoyed me at the time, 15 minutes later while climbing Hope Pass I started to regain my energy and soon to follow my spirit. I would hate to think what would have happened had I not been set straight. Once I got to the top of Hope Pass, I took a second to look around, simply amazing! Epic landscape, that I felt I could truly appreciate due to my current situation. I now only had 5 miles of downhill running before I got to the turn around with my first pacer!!! It brought a smile to my face to know that within the hour I would have a good friend of mine running alongside that was totally dedicated to my perseverance.

The Turnaround (Miles 50 to the 60.5)
Chapter 1: (Matt NSR and the creek crossings…Yeah Buddy!):
As I reached the turn around, I was running through my mental checklist. What do I need to do here to secure a safe return trip, and ultimately a finish? First, I need to check-in with medical. I weighed in, and had only lost three pounds, very solid. This means my nutrition/hydration is working so far. Secondly, warm clothes and possibly rain gear. Thirdly, make sure my pacer and I are on the same page. After grabbing some warm clothes, Matt NSR took my bag from me and insisted on carrying all my gear. I hadn’t realized the burden of carrying my endurance pack until I had taken it off. It was such a great feeling to be running with no extra weight. It was even a better experience to realize that my support crew had all of this planned out and are way ahead of me in planning. At that moment I quit planning and relinquished all control to my wife and crew. This was another weight that I was relieved to let go, I knew they had the best plan for me. As we headed back up Hope Pass the relentless climbing was wearing me down, but Matt was supportively pushing me, knowing that once we reached the top all the pain would subside. Matt and the crew had obviously devised a plan for my caloric needs. Every ten minutes or so I was being asked had I eaten, what did I eat, and did I need water? At the time I was disgruntled, and not wanting to eat, but I did. This constant monitoring is what got me through the race. Matt had me on about a 3-400 calorie an hour diet. I was having problems swallowing but I would just chew things up a bit and then flush it down with some water. It was also good to have someone there to joke with and be able to take your mind off the fact that you were slightly only further than half way. Matt and I cruised down hope pass and back to Twin Lakes and the 5 river crossings. By the time we hit Twin Lakes it was starting to get dark and I was getting a little colder. So at Twin Lakes aid station, I changed my wet shoes and socks, and gathered some slightly warmer clothing just in case. Thanks so much MATTY!!!!!!!

Twin Lakes to Fish Hatchery (miles 60.5 to 76.5):
Chapter 2 (Bathroom Breaks, Garden Gnomes, and a Rave):
Jason Davis, my next pacer, was more than prepared for the 15 miles of intense JV shuffling that was to come. So Katherine packed up Jason’s backpack with pizza, trail mix, Lara bars, and some honey stinger chews. I was supposed to have it all down by the next aid station, and by this point it was all I could do to eat a jelly bean. We started off slightly uphill, but luckily Jason had secured me a set of hiking poles (which I used for the next 30 miles). They were so great to help take some stress off of your legs, especially on the downhill, where you could plant them before you land. As we started to climb I was feeling great, and I was pumped to have Jason along side. He has paced me before and new exactly how to keep me hydrated, fueled, and most importantly made sure to keep me positive. Jason was pretty much my pack mule as well. He was carrying a camel back, two handhelds, all my food, extra clothing, and a boom box (just kidding, but great idea for next year ). I was carrying a jacket, and what was starting to feel like a 300 pounds of me. We were running the runnable and hiking the questionable, but I felt we were moving at a very good pace. Jason was making sure I swallowed (I say swallowed because chewing wasn’t an option as it would make me gag) as much food as possible. Once we were about to hit the long dirt/paved road section back into Treeline and ultimately Fish Hatchery, I felt a bathroom break coming on. Natured called, I answered, and some magical energy from places I speak not where was unleashed! It would fuel a furious shuffling dash all the way to Treeline. Once Jason and I hit Treeline it was officially dark. My wife being the beautiful brains of the operation had a great idea to give Jason and I glow sticks to hang from our packs to help her separate us from the rest of the pack once at Fish Hatchery. Jason, bless his soul shuffled with me for two of the five sections. It was probably the longest 15 miles of his life, but he hung in there like a trooper and never complained about my blistering 12-13 minute miles. About a 1/2 mile out of Treeline it got real dark, and my glow stick was tied to my pack, and it was swinging back in forth in front of my face. I felt like I was being interrogated by the rave police while…. umph umph umph…biddddda biddda buuuunh… umph umph umph was raging in my ear. Though I hold nothing against raves, 70 miles into a 100 mile run is not the time for me to be raving. So I handed Jason my glow stick and he was inundated with two rave promoting glow sticks swing back in forth in front of his face . Once all that was situated we finally hit the stretch of road into Fish Hatchery where Jason and I decided to sing about promiscuous ladies accidently in front of females and ask the gods above “why we couldn’t have yard gnomes serving us warm apple cider”…”I mean is that too much to ask… is it?” Sorry for this Hunter S. Thompsonish ramblings, but all part of the adventure. With the help of glow stick, raves, gnomes, and a bathroom break we finally made it to the Fish Hatchery and that much closer to the finish line. (Thank you Jason AND KELLY for helping me throughout this year. Your support does not go unnoticed!)

Fish Hatchery to May Queen (Miles 76.5 to 86.5)
Chapter 3 (Tim “the experience”, and the 6 false flats):
My brother and his lovely lady Annie had finally arrived, and were a sight for sore eyes. It made me smile and gave me a little surge. You really realize what great friends and family you have when they are there to support you through something like this. Once we said our hellos, we immediately said our goodbyes, and Tim and I shot off in the dark. It was good to have Tim with me for this leg as he had just finished his first 100 miler and was “experienced.” I let Tim try and set the pace while I shuffled slowly behind him. This next section, by far, proved to be one of the most challenging of the trip home. Up and over Powerline. The worst part was that you would climb for 45 minutes come to a flat section and think phew that was hard. Then you would head straight up again. The funny thing is, I had run this section not 8 hours ago, and you ask yourself “how do I not remember this?”… Oh yeah, I was fresh and going downhill ! Anyhow Tim was a trooper, he kept me constantly engaged and was trying to spark my walk to a shuffle at all times. It felt like false flat after false flat, and it was really dark, the participants were spread out, and this was fairly difficult terrain. However, I knew once I reached the top I would be at mile 80 and would only be a 20 miles from the finish. After a final few curses and personal demons slayed, we finally reached the top and mile 80! Tim and I started the downhill, and by this point it sounded something like this, “ouch, ouch, ew, ah, sh**, ouch, poop, ow.” I tried to keep my grunting and cursing in a somewhat rhythmic fashion as I felt it would aid in my uncoordinated ballet along this rocky steep descent. Tim the whole time would constantly keep an eye out and partially catch me as I would go to stumble. I must say, one of my most proud accomplishments from the LT100, was that I didn’t fall ONCE… nope not once! As Tim and I descended down the Powerline you could see the lights and hear the rumblings of May Queen in the distant. I knew however it would be a while until we reached our destination. So for the next 1:30 or so I stared at Tim’s feet while shuffling close behind. To be honest, I know we talked the whole time but I feel my mind was shutting down slightly. We were going into energy conservation mode. I kind of felt bad for Tim, most of this leg I was either cursing rhythmically or staring at his feet in a partial slumber. This is why I appreciated Tim at this point; he had been there and knew about how I felt. Finally after another hour or so of stumbling we made it into May Queen. Thank ya TIM!!!!!!

May Queen to the Finish Line (miles 86.5 to 100)
Chapter 4 “How can 8mi take 2hrs?":
To give an idea of how great my team was, and how tight a ship my wife was running, I saw a friend of mine Audra from Evergreen while standing at May Queen aid station getting refueled by my support staff. She later told me that they were as precise as the military, she said she could barely even catch my attention due to the strategic nature and focus my support crew had. I was the only thing they were paying attention to. This is what got me to the finish line. Once I was meticulously refueled and my pit stop was over, my brother and I headed out for the last 13.5. Before I start, I cannot tell you how great it was to have my brother run the last bit with me. No one knows me better besides my brother and my wife. We had about 8 miles along Turquoise Lake and another 5.5 or so back into town. It was getting very cold by this time of night and the next 8 miles were all along the shore, which made it even colder. This was proving to be the most difficult section of the race for me by far. My body hurt, but most of all I was just sleepy. I was flat out falling asleep. My brother would clap to wake me up, start a conversation, but within 10 minutes my eyes were crossing and I was having a hard time keeping my eyes open. Casey stuck with it however and made sure I was doing everything to keep myself awake and moving. It was so hard to believe I was moving so slow, but I was super tired, it was a fairly technical section (at least at this point), and my legs were aching a good bit. After about 4 miles we passed a campfire were a gentleman was drinking some adult beverages, but also had some flavored Pellegrino. It was delicious and also had a decent bit of sugar which helped a good bit with my energy levels. We traded names and a handshake, and I headed back out into the cold and quiet night. Quiet at least for 5 minutes, when the gentleman from the campfire decided to start yelling motivational phrases. It was cracking me up, every 5-10 minutes I would hear “GO JOSH” and I would respond with an “AWE YEA”. It was indeed the little things that would pass 45 minutes or so that you truly grew to appreciate. For the next 30 minutes or so I just stared at my brother’s feet and shuffled along, until finally we hit the dirt road that signified 6 miles to the finish. Casey was constant with the “good pace Josh” and the “we’re almost there Josh” just enough to wake me up and confirm that we were still moving forward. He would run beside me, which made me feel fast, but soon thereafter he would decide to eat a snack or drink some water while walking, and he would still be right beside me. This was a good reminder of how slow I was really going. After some ups and downs on the dirt road, we finally hit the concrete which lead us about a mile to the finish line. It is so funny to me how you suffer so much and think you couldn’t run to save your life, but as soon as you see that finish line the legs magically start working again. With about .25 of a mile to go I saw my wife and Annie, who quickly congratulated me and escorted my brother and me through the finish line. IT WAS OVER. The funny thing is how anti-climactic the finish line truly was. The journey, the memories, the heart of the race was out there, not at the finish line. Though it was nice to lie down while knowing you did not have to get back up!

Conclusion:
The race was over, the sun was up, and I was ready to go to bed. However this was an adventure I hope I never forget. I can never thank the people who aided me during this race: My wife (Katherine) who without being by my side I would NOT HAVE MADE IT. Her undying support, organizational skills, and total dedication to my finishing of the race is something I cannot say enough about. To Matt (NSR) and his constant great attitude and relentless attention to my nutrition, I will always be grateful. To Jason and his year of support, planning, carrying abilities, unspoken understanding of my needs, and $20 dollar headlamp, I owe you big time. Tim and his wealth of knowledge, lack of sleep, motivation, and true interest in my journey, it did not go unnoticed. My brother (Casey), I don’t even know what to say, you are my best friend, and partner through many rough adventures, I love you. And last but not least, Ms. Annie, constant deliverer of positive vibes and happiness, you are a blessing to mankind!

The Leadville 100 Trail Run was one of the best experiences in my life. There were many things that will never be forgotten. I know this is a long rambling blog post, but it could have been 10 pages longer if I had discussed everything I had wanted. The competitors, the prep rally, the volunteers, the crews, the route, the town of Leadville, the string of headlamps bobbing in the night, it is a life changer. It was everything I expected, anticipated, dreamt about and more. It is good for humanity and I hope it never waivers from the founder’s vision!

Thanks again to www.newtonrunning.com AGAIN! Who knew NEWTONS Could even make you shuffle faster and more effecient!!!

XTERRA Lory & King of the Rockies

2011-08-30T17:57:00.000-07:00

MORF had a great weekend racing and volunteering at XTERRA Lory and racing mountain bikes at the Winter Park King of the Rockies race.

At XTERRA Lory, Vanessa finished 1st in her AG and was the 7th for amateur women OA. Natalie raced her first XTERRA tri and did an amazing job -- she placed 6th in her AG, had a ton of fun, and finished smiling! Mike and Aaron represented MORF by volunteering before, during, and after the race.

XTERRA Lory also had some post-race slip-slide races.... Natalie raced to try and win an XTERRA wetsuit and had a lot more energy to do this than you'd expect from someone who'd just raced for a few hours in the heat!
At the final Winter Park race of this year, Debby won overall for the amateur expert women, and also won the series for her AG. After a season of work and international travel, Ryan raced with a few gears on his bike and placed 2nd in his AG for expert men.

Josh also recently raced the Leadville Trail 100 and finishing in just over 27 hours!

Xterra Indian Peaks, Crankworks, Boulder 70.3

2011-08-25T07:06:00.000-07:00

Winter Park Mountain Bike Series - Crankworx

Great race! Had some time off after BC so had some nice rested legs. It was a little weird not starting with the pros I found myself off the front early and setting the pace for the field up Sunken Bridges, not sure how comfortable I was with that. Conserved energy on the lower part of the climb cause I knew I needed for the top rocky part. Took the lead again on the way down and maintained for the most part the rest of the way! First overall Expert win! 9th Overall w/ Pros. - Debby

XTERRA Indian Peaks

Another good day. I love this race it is one of my favs. I was so happy that the wind didn't pick up like last year so that made the swim so much better. I like the TT start. Bike is one of my favorite XTERRA bike courses with some really fun Single track and fast flowy sections. It is actually a mountain bike course :) I put down the 3rd fastest bike split for the women but could not run fast enough to stay in there. Of course this is a fun rough trail run which I am still being conservative on the ankle. I ended up 2nd AG and 6th Overall. Just need to gain some more confidence and speed on the run. - Debby

Also at XTERRA Indian Peaks, Greg placed 2nd in his AG and Josh placed 4th in his AG.

At the Boulder 70.3, Vanessa placed 4th in her AG.

MORF in July

2011-07-19T19:04:00.000-07:00

The MORF team has kept busy racing in July, and we've had lots of time to see each other!

Greg & Debby raced the Winter Park Mountain Series Valley Point to Point, while Jason and Vanessa raced the Boulder Peak Tri. Debby took second at the Valley Point to Point, and Vanessa placed fifth in her age group.

A good MORF contingent raced Xterra Beaver Creek -- Greg, Aaron, Casey, Debby, and Vanessa all raced while Natalie cheered us on and Mike volunteered. Greg was racing very strongly and near the top of his age group until midway through the bike when he tore his derailler off his bike. After several attempts to change his bike into a singlespeed, he ended up running the last 8 miles of the bike course (with his bike!) before beginning the official run portion of the race!

A highlight of this race was seeing our teammates. Although none of us wanted to see Greg running on the bike course, it was great to have fellow MORFers shouting words of encouragement as we saw each other out on the course. Debby and Vanessa came out of the water together and then Debby shot ahead on the climb (as expected!! She is rocking her mountain bike!!). For anyone thinking about racing this next year, take Aaron's postrace advice that "training for that event would probably have proven to be an intelligent move! " And for the team -- next time we get together, we need a group shot in our kits!!

It was great to see everybody... and good to see so many MORF Kits out on the course!

MORF's version of Where's Waldo: Can you spot the MORF kit here?
http://photos.denverpost.com/mediacenter/2011/07/photos-xterra-mountain-championship/#21

Debby @ Xterra Mountain Champs

2011-07-19T19:02:00.001-07:00

This weekend was Mountain Championships in Beaver Creek it is the final race of the championship series before Nationals and is also known to be the most difficult of the series. Going into the race I was feeling excited to race because I know I have made some big improvements this season but also a little apprehensive about trail running on my still healing ankle. I had to keep telling myself I am already qualified for Worlds so the goal here is to still race hard but not re-injure my ankle!

Saturday brought a beautiful race morning as I set up transitions and tried to get my ankle all warm and ready. I got a great spot in transition right next to the pro rack. The race starts in Nottingham lake in Avon. It was a nice 66 degrees for the two lap swim. I tried to start smooth and then get into a good pace. I felt good and actually was able to find some room which I have had trouble doing here in the past. When I stood up out of the water I was excited to see that I was exiting right alongside my teammate, Vanessa, who is a great swimmer. This boosted my confidence because I knew that I had made a big improvement on my swim. I fumbled through transition which was a little slow. I chose to take the time to put on a brace for added support for my ankle. I jumped on my bike and got my legs spinning on the short pavement section before we start climbing. The bike course consists of about 3600 feet of climbing and much of that is right at the beginning. I got into the train of people on the climb which was slightly frustrating but was probably good because it held me to a good pace at the beginning, forcing me to not go out to hard on that climb. I was feeling strong and passed a few ladies on my way up. However, I got passed by one girl near the top. So the chase was on and she is a really great climber. I wasn’t able to catch her and was about a minute and a half behind as I came into T2. Another terrible transition and I was off running trying to get myself psyched for this run course that as always kicked my butt with another 1600 ft of climbing! I had some slight quad cramping on the first big climb but felt that I was able to hold a better pace than in the past. I got to the last single track section and stayed focused on not rolling my ankle. I was still able to cut my run time by 10 minutes.

Success! No rolled ankles and I was able to take 2^nd in my age group. I cut my time from last year by 29 minutes! I am happy with the day and now I am looking forward to some more gains by US Nationals in September and then World in October. I know there is room for improvement and also hopefully a strong and healed ankle.

- Debby

Weekend Wrapup

2011-06-28T16:07:00.000-07:00

MORF had a presence at several races this weekend -- Greg placed 3rd in his age group at the Loveland Lake to Lake tri, and Justin, Ryan, Debby, Erin and I raced the Winter Park mountain bike SuperLoop. It was super indeed -- for the promised 18.1 mile race, Justin had a good position in the pro race, and around mile 16.1 each MORFer dug in deep for the final two miles... except... the race didn't end. Nope! The race had unannounced bonus miles for a total 23.8 mile race with 2,680 feet of climbing! Luckily, that just meant more time to enjoy the sunny warm weather and bike hard. Justin and Ryan raced on fully rigid bikes because they are ridiculous, while Debby, Erin and I enjoyed our more-plush full suspension bikes. Justin also raced without water, but that's another story....

The top 5 things about this race:
1. PERFECT race weather!
2. Awesome mountain biking!
1. Moose tracks on the trail... and I was pretty sure they were new, given that I wasn't exactly in the top 10 (or 100) across the finish.
4. No moose sightings!
5. I was also SUPER impressed by the race etiquette I experienced -- every single person who passed me called their pass and was friendly, nobody was rude or impatient, and nobody called me pumpkin.

See part of my favorite local trails

2011-06-08T21:01:00.000-07:00

Hey folks, hope all is well. This past Saturday I was lucky enough to be able to do a local XC race called the "Flagstaff Frenzy." Then on Sunday there was a Super D race. I didn't get to do the Super D but the XC race the day prior utilized the same trail.

Anyway, on to the point of this post. I want to show you some of the great trail we get to ride here in Flag. While perusing the web I came across a couple of videos that a guy shot with a helmet cam during his Super D run. I think the short section of trail is captured pretty well. Those helmet cams have really improved and produce some cool video that makes me want to get on my bike! The guy in this video got a flat but seems to have otherwise had a fun ride

Xterra Moab

2011-06-05T16:36:00.000-07:00

Here is my recap of Xterra Moab (a little late!)

3 Grand County Triathletes Perform Well in Moab | SkyHiDailyNews.com

2011-06-02T11:09:00.000-07:00

I was recently featured in an article in the local paper.

3 Grand County Triathletes Perform Well in Moab | SkyHiDailyNews.com

Original Growler IV

2011-05-31T12:48:00.000-07:00

Damnit I love mountain bike racing. The growler took place this past memorial day weekend. It's a 64 mile mountain bike race, aptly named for 64 ounces of fluid goodness. The race basically beats the snot out of you by throwing rock, after rock, after rock, after rock at you. One alone doesn't hurt, but the 64 miles of cumulative effect adds up, resulting in just about everyone crossing the finish line with that good old fashioned full body hurt. Head, shoulders, knees and toes. And ass cheek, if you are like me, and fell into a cactus. With any good mountain bike race, there are really three main parts. Camping. Beer. And Bikes. This race combined them ease. I camped at the hartman rocks trails themselves, right beside the last hamstring/calve/glute/quad cramp inducing hill before the end of each 30 mile lap. Aside from the wind, it was an awesome area to throw down a tent. Mark Lonac, my roomie in Fort Collins ran the sage burner the previous day placing second overall, and then dawned his gorilla suit on Sunday to sweat his balls off and cheer on the racers on that aforementioned hill, occasionally hiding behind a rock and then jumping out to scare racers up the hill. The course itself had everything. Some smooth single track. Some fire road to allow for passing and connecting of more sweet single track, some technical, twisty, turning, rocky, loose, trail, and then rocks. Yeah, they must have named the place after these. What you could ride with some effort on the first lap looked quite a bit harder on the second lap. I saw some blood on others and on myself, shed while you were trying to maintain your rhythm and just get over one more big rock obstacle, and then finding out you didn't quite have it in you. The race wore you down. It was awesome. I rode my new Tomac Flint 29 set up Single Speed with all kinds of sweet parts I hand picked with the help of Dave Chase at Redstone Cyclery in Lyons. The bike feels like MY bike, cause Dave listens to what you want and helps build what suits you. I personally don't like the lightest possible bike, I like to race bikes I'd take out on the trail and beat the shit out of. So my tomac flint 29 race bike has a Reba 29 Maxle 20 mm thru axle fork attached, with a 185mm rotor up front, ergon grips, and for this race, was outfitted with Maxxis Ikon 29s. They are fast rolling and held up to the punishment of a ton of sharp, loose rocks. I was impressed. Upon getting the the finish line, you were greated by Dave Wiens himself. Hell yeah. If that wasn't enough, you were handed a custom growler, full of your favorite New Belgium beer (Ranger IPA for me), and a plate of food.

If this doesn't sound appealing, you probably don't like endurance racing. Or gorillas. My guess is you just tried to sign up for the race next year.

Ironman Texas

2011-05-30T13:12:00.000-07:00

Well Ironman Texas is in the books. I finished, not what I wanted, but I finished. Another day that ended with "WHAT IS GOING ON WITH MY RUN"!

Besides my sub-par effort, the event was top notch. The course was absolutely beautiful, the spectators and volunteers were more than friendly and helpful, and the finish line was one of a kind. I also was blessed enough to have the best support crew that one could possibly ask for. Big time thanks to my wife Katherine (The planner, itinerary guru, and queen of much needed emotional support), Alex (The Local, Host, Driver, and laugh instigator), and last but not least Anthony (Motivator, and Keeper of all Positive Mojo) WHO IS RACING 70.3 HAWAII this weekend, Good Luck!!!!!

The course was absolutely amazing, the WTC nailed it on this one. If the event could be moved forward 3 weeks or so to late April or early May I believe it would be one of the fastest and sought out IM's on WTC's schedule.

The Swim was the swim, but at least it was an interesting course. A point to point swim that ended with the last 1/2 mile down a canal lined with cheering spectators. The well designed course made for mentally appeasing swim that felt as if it flew by. The floating start was fairly hectic with all the usual happenings: kicking, slapping, and jockeying for position. It took a while for me to settle in the swim, as I must have put myself in the "I can’t swim a straight line to save my life corral". After about ten minutes; however, it was pretty smooth sailing.

The Bike, my highlight of the event, was spectacular minus some of the worst DRAFTING I HAVE EVER SEEN. It was a one looper which I love. On the way out, the course stayed fairly flat, we were blessed with a slight tail wind and the silky smooth, fast rolling roads weaved through some beautiful forested areas. As we hit the turn around, about 2:25 in, we were headed back into the wind. However, it was a mild wind and coming from CO where the wind has been non-stop, it did not bother me too much. The roads at the turn around deteriorated a bit, but I knew if I kept a smooth consistent pace I would be fine. At about mile 90 a gentleman I had been riding around came up with a puncture and had no tools. (Don’t ask me?) I decided it would be good for my Karma to stop and give him my saddle bag and all that was within minus my one extra tube. I'm sure it took a couple of minutes but I felt it was a must. The rest of the bike ride I tried to fuel up and get ready for what was sure to be a Hot, Humid, and Tough RUN.

On to the run, ughhhh! After transition I was feeling fine, not great but fine. So, as in planning I told myself to grow into the run if I was not feeling it right away. During training I did many longer brick runs after a hard bike effort at 7:30's. I knew they were in me. However, on this day the 3:30 marathon was not to be had. I started a little over 8 and the pace was not looking like it would speed up. After around mile 10 I knew my legs were not going to be able to pick up the pace, so I conceded the KONA dream and relaxed into a slower more mentally appealing pace to the finish line. The finish line was bitter sweet. I was excited for it to be over and to finish another Ironman, but was more than disappointed by the end result. This has been a hard race to emotionally put behind me, but the disappointment will fade in time.

Overall fun event and spectacular race course!

I also realized that I do not have time to dwell on Texas being that my first Ultra is right around the corner (San Juan Solstice 50). So in 3 weeks time me and my funky fresh NEWTON TRAIL SHOES will be headed out for our first 50 Mile stroll through the San Juan's.

I could not even get to the start line if it were not for my sponsors and some of the people who have aided in my efforts. Thank you for everything you do for me and most of all for our sport!!!!

NEWTON (www.newtonrunning.com)
Maxxis (www.maxis.com)
Zeal Optics (www.zealoptics.com)
Redstone Cyclery (www.redstonecyclery.com)
Verge (www.vergesport.com)
Tomac (www.tomac.com)
TriBella (tribellas.com)

Xterra West Champs

2011-05-28T16:56:00.000-07:00

Here are some quick pics of Jason and Josh at Xterra West Championships -
Josh placed 8th overall in the championship race, and was 2nd in his age group.
Jason took 4th overall in the sport race and placed 1st in his age group.

Great job guys!

Without Limits Summer Open ..or: 5 Great things about racing close to home ..or: The disadvantage of aero wheels

2011-05-25T19:11:00.000-07:00

5 Great things about racing close to home
1. Waking up at 5:45 for an 8 a.m. start time
2. Starting to get ready at 9p.m. the night before*
3. Eating the food that you already own, no grocery store runs
4. No packing!
5. Racing with friends and teammates** to cheer you on!

AND....

The disadvantage of racing close to home and aero wheels
1. I thought I knew what I was doing. *I didn’t look at the course beforehand. Apparently it has loops.
2. I missed a turn and headed back to T2 after 2 of 3 loops
4. Everyone I passed seemed to accept I was the first female... **even my own teammate volunteering :-)
3. LUCKILY I realized my mistake (thanks to the athlete who helped me out!) and turned around before I got to T2 cause that would have been embarrassing.... or funny. or both. :)
5. Either my sweet 5 year old Cervelo Dual looks fast with a borrowed front wheel, disc covers, and my aero helmet or it’s those fancy MORF kits!

In summary: I rode 3 extra miles on a beautiful Sunday morning, had a great post-race massage and enjoyed tasty food!

Early season races

2011-05-20T13:04:00.001-07:00

Hey folks, I did a couple of early season races and blogged about them here.

Xterra Pacific Championships

2011-05-18T19:11:00.000-07:00

Xterra Pacific Championships was held in one of the prettiest race venues I've been to -- the ocean swim is next to the pier and the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, the bike has frequent views of the ocean and includes sections of singletrack through redwoods. The run offers almost continuous ocean views and a little bit of beach running.

I placed first my in my age group and qualified for Maui, which was my goal. I felt strong during my race, but I also identified some areas I want to improve on. I started training late this year due to other commitments and a snowy Colorado winter, and then promptly injured myself by trying to start training too aggressively, so I hadn’t run much in the past few months. This was also my first race of the season, so being in peak shape wasn’t my goal -- that’s what later is for!

Heading out to the race was a little hectic -- I decided to bring my own bike (instead of borrowing one) about a week before the race, and decided to change my tires the night before flying out. I used a Maxxis Ignitor on my front tire and and a rear Maxxis Crossmark, which worked well for both the sand on the course during the pre-ride and the muddy sections on Sunday. However, this last minute adjustment led to a bit of a Stan's ordeal... and on Saturday afternoon, after 3 attempts and some adjustments to the tape I use for Stan's, I was good to go!

I was slightly concerned with the cold ocean water, so I attempted to acclimate to the cold temperatures just before the swim, but was still a little concerned with how the swim would feel. Luckily, once the horn went off and everyone was into the water, I felt comfortable, and settled into a steady pace. I was honestly enjoying the chill of the water and the calm of the ocean (welllll... relative calm. it was a little choppy). Then, after a quick run up the beach to the transition area, the bike started with several miles of road riding (along the ocean) before reaching the trails of Wilder Ranch. Santa Cruz had a bit of rain Saturday night, so I was a little concerned about the course, but it ended up beng perfect -- there were some muddy sections, but overall the course was in great shape! The run was very flat for an Xterra course, but was right along the ocean -- I settled into a steady (read: not fast) pace for most of the run, but with about 2 miles to go I saw some girls about a half mile behind me so I picked up the pace and really started to test my running legs (and they worked! yay!).

I stuck around for the awards ceremony and got to catch up with Xterra friends, including a group of us who had traveled from Colorado for this race, then ran to catch a flight back to Colorado!

I have lots of people/companies/forcesbeyondmycontrol who helped me out with this race --

Big thanks to Newton Running! I am loving both their trail runners - every time I wear them I get people telling me they like my shoes - and the racers, which are my go-to race shoe. Thanks to Zeal Optics for making some fantastic sunglasses! This would’ve been the perfect course to try out their new photochromatic lenses, with the bright, sunny climbs and dark redwood singletrack... but I brought my Airstreams with dark lenses, and they ended up working out fine. Thanks also to Verge Clothing for our new kits and my awesome arm warmers, which allowed me to both stay warm and rock the race in prom-dress fashion. Thanks to Mark Rise, who worked with me on short notice a week before the race to help me figure out what was going on with some injuries I was having and gave me some exercises to work on to fix muscle imbalances I was having (the good news: I can run again!).

And thanks to a few others who made this weekend possible!
Thanks to L for volunteering S for the Stan’s help :-)
BIG thanks to Lauren & Matt for hosting us and lending us a car!
Thanks to ABS - Another Bike Shop - in Santa Cruz - for being both convenient and helpful in my quest to buy [more] stan’s, and for the free brake inserts for traveling home :)
Thank you to mva for sherpa duties and thanks to cliffy for being my personal gear-lender and letting me borrow a race belt, CO2, and a floor pump :-)

A big thanks to THE WEATHER! It started raining Saturday night but by Sunday morning the clouds lifted and the temperature warmed. The ocean was cold but not frigid and with my sweet new arm warmers, I was the perfect temperature all day.

AND - thanks to Xterra for putting on a great race!

Xterra South Central Championships

2011-05-10T12:22:00.000-07:00

I decided to do an early season championship event this year for two reasons. I wanted an early season race to get me going and also I wanted a championship race to have the opportunity to qualify for world championships earlier in the season. South Central Championships in Waco, TX made sense for my choice race.

Being from Winter Park it has been a long winter and I had only been on my bike about 3 times. So, the week before Waco I decided to do one of the Mountain States Cup bike races just to get into race mode and actually get on my bike! I won my category which helped me feel a little more in race mode.

I arrived in Waco on Friday before the race so I could pre-ride some of the course. I was pretty excited after getting on the course. It was all single-track with tight twisty turns through the forest short steep climbs, perfect. But, I knew I would have to swim hard to get out on this course early since passing would be slightly difficult.

Saturday morning I was feeling good a little nervous but excited. I headed out for a short run and that is when things turned. Things like my ankle! I rolled it out on the trail I was on. I was really upset at this point as I tried to make my way back to the race venue. I made it back and found ice and the medical person for Xterra. He was very friendly and helpful. He told what to do for the evening and said to give it an extra stretch in the morning that was going to hurt like crazy and then said as long as I won it wouldn’t hurt.

Needless to say, I was feeling a little down.

Race morning I arose early went and set-up transition and tried to get my ankle as stretched and loose as possible. Then we began. Swimming was feeling pretty good but it was in the river which was new to me. I found myself way inside everyone on the upstream part which meant that I was in the current. So, although I felt pretty good I think this slowed my swim. I went through transition smooth and jumped on my bike for my favorite portion! I only had a few of what I call “stupids” including a quick trip over my bars. This being only my 5 ride on trails this season it is bound to happen. I had passed some people but felt like I was kind of alone on the last half so I had no idea where I was in the field. Turned out I had the 9^th fasted female bike split of the day. As I slipped on my Newtons I tried to prepare for what is normally my weakness but I knew would be even more challenging today. As I ran I felt surprisingly strong for how I normally feel and only wished my ankle wasn’t killing me. I limped through the finish and headed straight for the med tent for some ice. I had a nice surprise when I saw my time card. I had finished 2^nd in my age group which means I qualified for worlds! I ended up 12^th Overall and 4^th amateur.

Big thanks to everyone who helped.

Newton, the shoes felt great even with a sprained ankle, light and fast.
Marie, my reflexologist who helped with oils on my ankle.
Jared, my coach, obviously all the run training has paid off so far.
Dave, at Redstone Cyclery, thanks for the new bike parts it felt great!
My support crew, my mom and niece Alyssa who not only take care of my crazy two-year-old but help me out a lot.

Tomac Supermatic

2011-05-02T14:09:00.001-07:00

Rocky Mountain Endurance Series Starts this weekend

2011-04-18T21:16:00.000-07:00

I hesitate to say that mountain biking season is upon us, as I believe mtb season is 12 months long, however, I guess the racing season is here. With several MORFers already displaying their midseason form, we're hitting the time of year where you'll see at least one MORF jersey at a local event every weekend, and some weeknights too. I'm planning on racing the Rocky Mountain Endurance Series this year, with five endurance mountain biking events this season. http://www.warriorscycling.com/home/home.php
I believe the races range from 60 to 100 miles, with the grand daddy being the Breck 100 in July. The first of this series is coming up this weekend down in Pueblo, CO, with 35 and 70 mile options. It's called the Voodoo Fire and the trails have been dubbed the Fruita of the east. If you're free this weekend, head down there. Should be a good early season test.

Xterra South Central Champs (the quick version)

2011-04-17T18:03:00.001-07:00

MORF-er Debby got 2nd in her age group at Xterra South Centra Champsl today and qualified for Xterra Worlds today!

Xterra West Champs - Vegas

2011-04-11T10:16:00.000-07:00

Big props to MORF's Josh Vaughn for a strong performance at Xterra's early season opener in Vegas yesterday. Josh has apparently been logging some quality training over the cold months. He's also been working his tail off to get all the other MORFers set-up with a new kit for 2011. Hard work has been much appreciated. Although the kit hasn't yet arrived, some early season form apparently has... and Josh made it into Xterra's photo coverage of Vegas:
2011 Xterra West Championship Photos

Looks like fun!

Is it Summer Yet?

2011-04-10T14:39:00.000-07:00

Before my 2011 season starts... a look back on 2010:

MORF opened it’s season this weekend with fantastic performances at Xterra Las Vegas and the Mead-Roubaix race. However, I’m not racing for a few more weeks -- so I thought it’d be a great time to give a quick 2010 recap! The race reports I never got around to writing! I raced A TON last summer, at least for me -- almost every weekend found me packing, driving, and racing. Needless to say, I had a ton of fun, and raced fast!

I raced the Boulder Stroke and Stride Series, the Boulder Tri Series, several XTERRAS, I filled in as a last minute replacement for an injured friend in a relay at the Firecracker 50, and I raced as much as I could at the Winter Park Series. I was super pleased by my performances -- this was my second season working with Jamie Whitmore and all of our hard work showed! I started the season with a 2nd place age group finish at Xterra REAL in Califonia, and then ran a 1:35:59 in the Colfax Half Marathon -- just meeting my goal time of 1:35! The weekly Stroke and Strides were great -- I found my run getting faster and faster, and I learned how to push myself during these races. I had a lot of fun racing each Thursday night and trying to run faster than I had the last week.

As I prepared for my first road tri in over a year, I was not sure how I would do going into the Boulder Sprint and I was ecstatic when I placed 2nd in my age group at both the Boulder Sprint and Boulder Peak. I had a long-time goal of breaking 5 hours in a 70.3, but leading up to the Boulder 70.3 I decided I really wanted to break 4:50 and podium. That lead to an initial disappointment in my 4:50:32 performance and 4th place finish -- but then I learned that 4th place was a podium! YAY! The girls who placed ahead of me were both great people and fast racers -- I raced against most of them at each of the Boulder Tri Series and we really pushed each other to do our best. It’s thanks to them that I was able to race so fast! I also couldn’t be too disappointed in my time because I had been focusing on XTERRA and mountain biking and hadn’t exactly been training for this distance. My longest ride on my tri bike that summer had been a 50 mile bike two weeks before the race. And, I achieved a 19 minute PR for this distance... So it was a finish of “YAY! .... but I could’ve...”. As I guess many races are.

I also competed at the XTERRA Mountain Championships at Beaver Creek, and for the first time podiumed at an XTERRA Regional Championship!! I was so pleased! I had some great competition this day, and was really pleased with the outcome!

After a heavy season of racing I was a little burnt out by the time XTERRA Nationals came along and did not feel as strong as I hoped going into the race, and I was not as excited by my 4th place finish.... I had really hoped to podium. But the competition was good, and my good friend and new-MORFer Debby placed 3rd with an incredibly strong bike, so I was happy with the overall outcome!

I have a new plan for next year with lots of fun racing but a bit more rest, so I can be as strong at the end of the season as I am the rest of the summer!

A BIG thanks to Jamie Whitmore, who coached me last summer, to Newton Running, whose shoes I have been running in for YEARS, to Gu for their tasty and energy-providing nutrition,and to Dave at Redstone Cyclery, who is super helpful and has a great shop in Lyons, CO.

2011 Race Schedule

2011-02-25T09:09:00.000-08:00

The 2011 season is fast approaching. Below is a snapshot of races MORF will be competing.

March 27 Xterra REAL, Granite Bay, CA
April XTERRA West Championship
April Boulder-Roubaix Road Race
April Groove Subaru Spring Criterium
May Wheels of Thunder Circuit Race
May 14 XTERRA Moab
May 15 XTERRA Pacific
May 22 Summer Open, Boulder, CO
May 28 Pelican Fest, Boulder, CO
May 30 Boulder Bolder, Boulder, CO
June Loveland Lake to Lake, Loveland, CO
June City Park Criterium
June Winter Park Hill Climb
June Boulder Stroke & Stride Series
June XTERRA Pipestem Creek
June 19 5430 Sprint Tri, Boulder, CO
June Winter Park XC Super Loop, WP, CO
July Winter Park Valley Point-to-Point
July Winter Park Crankworx XC
July 10 5430 Boulder Peak Tri, Boulder, CO
July 17 Xterra Mountain Championship, Beaver Creek, CO
August 6 XTERRA Indian Peaks
August 7 Boulder 70.3, Boulder, CO
August XTERRA Bolt
August 20 Leadville 100 Run
August 27 XTERRA Lory
September Harvest Moon 70.3
September XTERRA National Championship, Ogden, UT
October XTERRA World Championship, Maui, HI

Updated website with some new sponsors!

2010-10-24T21:27:00.000-07:00

In the year 2010 MORF put some fresh new equipment through the wringer called training and racing. It came out clean.

MORF Racing would like to announce its continued partnership with Tomac Mountain Bikes, Newton Running and Crank Brothers.
http://www.morfracing.com

Glad to affiliate.

2010 Season Opener

2010-04-11T20:04:00.001-07:00

Xterra REAL was the first race of the season for MORF Racing. This was the third time I’ve raced here and it’s always a well organized event. Winter has been long, snowy and cold in Colorado and I’ve had too many days on my trainer. I really needed an early season race to get me back into Xterra mode!

I didn’t have much time to spend in California so I got a Saturday morning flight to Sacramento and got picked up at the airport by my friend Cliffy. We headed straight out to Granite Bay to pre-ride the course. It was the first time I had biked outside on trails in months. We also took a quick swim in the lake and much to my relief the water was not 45 degrees like it had been earlier in the week! In Denver it snowed a foot the week before the race, but in California it was warm, sunny and the weekend had great weather.

Sunday morning I headed out to the race site to set up my transition and warm up. Xterra races generally have a mass start, and I started near the front of the group and exited the water near the top 3 women. The 16 mile mountain bike had a great two lap course - the trails are very flowy, with only a few technical spots. I borrowed a bike from Cliffy that fit me great (thanks Cliff!, arrrrgh airline bike fees!) but the lack of biking I’ve done this winter showed as I got passed by several women on the bike. However, on the run I felt much stronger and very happy with my pace and my time. I ended up the 6th woman overall and 2nd in my age group. Overall it was great to get out and get an early season race in, and collect some Xterra points.

THANK YOU!!!! to Cliff and Janet for hosting me for the weekend!! Congrats to Cliff who won his age group!

The team will be participating in a few races coming up, including the Colfax Half, Battle at the Bear Mountain bike race, and then it’s tri season for real!

Pics of my new Tomac

2010-04-04T19:38:00.000-07:00

I'll will be racing a Tomac Type X for the upcoming Xterra and MTB bike season along w/ a few other MORF racers. I've had it for the a few weeks now but the trails have been too muddy to ride until recently a few days ago. I took it for it's first ride this weekend at the Front Range Mtb. Series in Lakewood... OUCH! Not the best way to break in a new bike, but it rode flawlessly. I really like the carbon frame and the geometry on it.

I built it up w/ parts from Redstone Cyclery - thanks Dave! I put a Fox fork upfront w/ American Classics wheels, Ritchey bar/stem combo and a SRAM drivetrain. It tipped the scales right at 21 lbs incl. pedals. Not bad at all. I dropped over 5 lbs. from my race bike from last season.

Bling bling

New bike means obligatory blog post

2010-03-10T13:42:00.000-08:00

I recently built up the Tomac Type X with some parts I had lying around. Last night I finally took her out to break her in on city trail in Boulder.

The verdict -- I really like this bike and the build. It fits me perfectly and I dig the aesthetics. At a bit over 20 lbs, sans pedals, there will be no excuses with this chasis and drive train.Not a bad view for "city trail," and during the quick ride I was reminded of what a unique place is Boulder. For reasons beyond the Flatirons, it is with mixed emotions that we say goodbye. But don't feel sorry for me. We're headed south to be closer to family... within the mountain bike friendly state of AZ. Once settled, assuming good health and good fortune, I'll continue working on this new bike's engine for years to come. It's the stuff dreams are made of.

You Might Be Good Enough For A Tomac

2010-02-05T13:43:00.000-08:00

Thought this was pretty funny. Fresh out of Mountain Bike Action's March issue. Kudos to Joel and crew for the creativity, not to mention reportedly sweet bikes. A few MORFers are building up a Type X carbon hardtail... oh yeah.

Greg takes the win at Hardwater

2010-01-09T17:02:00.000-08:00

MORF's very own Greg Abrahamson, who also moonlights on the Redfeather Snowshoe race team, took the win at Hardwater this morning. Way to go Greg!

Boulder Cross Race #4 - Xilinx

2009-11-15T18:52:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty sure not too many people rode their bikes for fun today, unless they were one of the 500 or so weirdos at Xilinx that love cross! I'm still not really sure what the course looked like other than a black strip of mud meandering through a nice field of snow. Mother nature made it fun, somewhere around 30°F and slop that was up yer bottom bracket. Here's Greg making his way through one of the trickier sections on the course.

The conditions made for a foot race in some sections, as the course detiorated throughout the day.

Some racers had two bikes, and pulled into the pit area to swap out every lap or so. I had one bike that weighed as much as two bikes by the end of the day.

It's been a good year

2009-10-23T17:58:00.000-07:00

There's always some way to bust your butt outside here in Colorado, even once temperatures are way down and there's snow. And most of us are active year round. But I think the MORF Majority would agree that, even if we're not collectively in the off-season yet, we're rapidly approaching that time of year. Almost time to place Year One of MORF in the Annals. Two "n's" in that word, ya jokesters.

Yeah, sure, we've got Mike in Maui right now, getting ready to race at Xterra Worlds on Sunday, making his run at a bunch of the World's other fast 35-39ers in off-road triathlon. Represent, Mike. We're all jealous of the next week you've got planned. Well, I am anyway.

So while Mike's been getting ready to throw down, the rest of us have opted this year to stay a little closer to home and simply drink more beer these last few months. Some of us are getting in a little CX now and then, but for the most part it's been down time.

Since it already seems like a long time ago, I thought it would be fun to go through the photo album, recollect, and be inspired a bit. Yes, it takes inspiration to get up and go to the fridge. Here are some shots we've compiled of MORF in kit:

Big thanks this year to the following supporters:
- Redstone Cyclery
- Curve
- Ritchey
- GU
- Rudy Project

These folks helped make Year One a MORFing good time.

Mountain Biking Access Boulder

2009-10-16T11:01:00.000-07:00

Dave at Redstone had this message on his blog - http://www.redstonecyclery.blogspot.com/

We've got 3 MORFers in Boulder who will get to vote on this, read Dave's Blog exerpt below:

Bike Access to Your Mountain BackdropDepends on YOU!Ever dreamed of riding from your front door instead of driving to a trailhead? The chance for change is now as the city begins the planning process for our Boulder mountain backdrop. Bikes have been banned here for 25 years, so getting reasonable and responsible access to that land for mountain cyclists will not be an easy fight. There is something you can do right now. When you receive your mail ballot, vote for the BMA slate of city council candidates. Do not wait until later - VOTE NOW!!! The mailed ballots are sent out October 13-16. If you voted in the 2008 presidential elections, you'll get a ballot. If you don't get one, call the county at 303-413-7740 and they'll send one out. This city council will decide if bikes have any rights to the public open space land west of Broadway. Vote Suzy Ageton, KC Becker, Macon Cowles, George Karakehian, and Barry Siff.Thought you were done? Nope. We need you to do one more thing. Forward this email to anyone that you know who cares about mountain biking in Boulder. Get your friends to vote too! The Boulder Mountainbike Alliance endorsed candidates we felt would give mountain bike access a fair shake. Help us help them get elected. VOTE NOW!!!

And remember to thank Dave for his advocacy for Mountain Biking!

Xterra National Champs 2009

2009-10-01T21:06:00.000-07:00

Team MORF didn't turn out in full force, but Vanessa and Mike toed the start line (aka boat ramp) and let it rip. This late in the season, the sun is not up yet for setup in transition and the temps are cold. Headlamps were must haves in your tri bag. The sun came up revealing a swim course in perfect water temps for a race, around 66F. The race would unfold on a flawless day with summer temperatures against the backdrop of fall colors. Watching from the sidelines due to school/work induced out-shape-ness, I watched Mike and then Vanessa hit the water along with a rabid pack of athletes racing like there was a prim for the first 50 racers to the first buoy. The only prim some got has a cold kick in the face, and in Luna Bar pro Danelle Kabush's case, 5/6th of the swim course minus her goggles. Karate Chop! Mike and then Vanessa came out of the swim in quick succession, high up in their age group rankings.

After exiting Pineview reservoir, the climb was steady, the kind of steady that sees you climb 3500 ft. before descending into T2. The bike course was defined by a quick 2 mile fire road filled with loose rock, before funneling down to sweet uphill singletrack. Mike came into T2 and I thought he had to be right up with the leaders. Vanessa followed in the front group of women, apparently the 25 to 29 year olds were faster than the women in their 30's this year...crazy. Both Vanessa and Mike were in the most competitive age groups, and both were in contention the whole time.

If you've raced Ogden, you know the run course is straight up, flat, and then straight down. Well, apparently, they added some elevation in the middle this time, in order to get the run to a 10k. More climbing...ouch. By the time the athletes hit the run, temps on the cloudless day had to be pushing 85, which felt unseasonably warm having come from CO where we had snow the last day of summer. Watching the athletes come down into the finish, I didn't envy the downhill sprint, but by this time of the year, everyone (except me) was in prime shape, and finished in fine form. Mike and Vanessa finished strong for 5th and 6th place finishes against a tough field. Nice job to all the MORFers that busted out this year, we had some great races!!!

MORF at Xterra Mountain Cup, Beaver Creek

2009-07-23T11:08:00.000-07:00

Photos courtesy Erin.

Teva Games

2009-06-12T14:17:00.000-07:00

3,2,1 blast-off... no, stop... OK, wait for riders to pick their bikes back up, OK GO!

Greg shifting his new derailleur, mid-race:

Ryan thinks you sing the national anthem after the race.

Was a nice day for the 5k Fun Run for Jamie Whitmore

2009-04-20T14:50:00.000-07:00

MORF Racing participated in the fundraiser to help out Jamie. All in all had a good time, but I've said it before and I'll say it again... geesh, running races hurt. You can see some MORFers in the video below, courtesy everymantri.com:

Fun Run to Benefit Jamie Whitmore April 19th 9:00am

2009-04-11T17:40:00.001-07:00

Hey y'all,
Just checked into http://www.jamiewhitmore.com/ a couple of days ago and saw that Zeal Optics is having a 5k benefit run for Xterra athelete Jamie Whitmore. The cost is only $10, and you get a free burrito and 2 raffle tickets with the price of admission. More importantly, you get to help out Jamie a bit.
By the way, Vanessa and I got to talk a bit with Jamie while at Xterra Real, she seemed to be doing really well! Sounds like she'll be back on a bike soon.

Friends of MORF - Horsecow Hot Racing

2009-04-03T09:10:00.000-07:00

Check out the Xterra press release for Tim Helms, a really gifted Veterinary School Student who somehow finds time to occasionally race and beat Xterra Champions. As you'll see in the following paragraphs, it was a good month of racing for Horsecow Hot Racing. To find out more about HorseCow, go to www.naymoo.com. The following is courtesy of Xterra News:

HORSECOW "ACE" WINS XTERRA REALTim Helms, a 26-year-old in his third year of veterinary school at UC Davis, ran down a trio of XTERRA National Champions (Joshua Olmstead-2009, Damian Gonzalez-2007, and David Cloninger-2005) to win the XTERRA REAL Off-Road Triathlon in Granite Bay, California on Sunday. Josh, Damian, and David finished 2nd, 3rd, and 4th respectively.While a relative unknown in XTERRA circles - it was just his third ever XTERRA - Helms (pictured here courtesy James Pratt) was a Track and Field All-American in his junior year at UCD when he placed 4th in the 3,000-meter steeplechaise.“He passed Cloninger at mile two, where he was about 70 seconds behind race leader Joshua Olmstead at the time, and he caught and passed Joshua a mile and a half later with just a half mile to the finish line,” said Mark Shaw, one of the race directors from Total Body Fitness.In digging around to find out just who Helms was, we uncovered the Horsecow track club (his nickname is “Ace”) and their uncanny success in XTERRA races in the month of March. Fellow Horsecow members Justin Hurd and Mark “Hot Karl” Lonac based out of Fort Collins, CO won the XTERRA Dash4Cash Snowboard race and the XTERRA Snowshoe 10km race, respectively, at Snowbasin Resort in Utah earlier in March. Not bad for a bunch of “shamblers”. “HORSECOW is just a collection of friends and old teammates from Davis that we’ve raced with over the years,” explained Helms.

Xterra Real - Really Really Fun

2009-03-31T09:30:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

Two MORF'ers headed out to Sacramento for a great early season race - Xterra REAL. Why is called Xterra Real? Because back in the day, 7 years ago, it was the only REAL mountain bike triathlon around the area (or so the story goes). By "real", they mean, real trails. The single track is great, a nice narrow ribbon of brown dirt surround by green foliage (inlcuding Poison Oak, Tecnu is a great thing to lather in after the race). I had my camera mounted on my handlebars hoping to get some great video, alas, it is harder to work than I anticipated with my heart rate at 180 bpm trying to catch up after the swim. I did manage to take a photo, which is very representative of the whole course:

Race Recap: I've done this race three years straight, and everyone is always worried in the weeks leading up to it..."Will there be water in the lake?????". Oh there was water in the lake. Clean, crisp, cold water. So much it managed to rise high enough to cut off a 1.5 mile portion of the bike loop. The swim went off without a hitch, right at 9 am. (Side note: TBF Racing in Sacramento puts on first class events. This may not be a major "Cup Race", but it's the best organized race I've been to. If you are in Sacramento for business or pleasure, go to tbfracing.com and see if they are having a swim, trail run, or triathlon while you're in town and go to it). During the swim, the two MORFs in the crowd ended swimming side by side, and came out of the water together, despite someone unzipping my wetsuit COMPLETELY while basically dry humping me during the first 50 yards of the swim. Graphic I know, but you get the idea, because it's happened to you. We exchanged phone numbers at the first buoy and went on our way. I finished the swim with the velcro around my neck holding my wetsiut on, 55F water sloshing into the open zipper. The beach run was about a minute and a half run to T1. Early season triathlon = crappy transition. I managed to leave T1 with no water, my camelback lying under my discarded wetsiut. Crap.

The bike leg is sweet right off the bat. T1 is set up directly next to the single track you'll ride for the next 13 miles, and includes a nice little 5 foot steep drop to get your speed going for you right off the bat. You're off like a shot, and unless the swim went well for you, you have a bit of work to do to pass on a series of curvy short climbs. The bike is an all out balls to the wall fast course. The very short climbs are generally followed by drawn out long portions of windy trail, where a pre-riding the course and knowing the turns will benefit you in carrying massive amounts of speed through the turns. It's a two lap course, so I picked up my water as I rode by T1 to head out on my second bike lap, thank goodness. As you roll into T2, you wonder what it will be like to head out on the run not yet having incorporated brick workouts into your training. Brick workout number one for the season, here I come.

The run is flat for the first mile and a half, then descends to the beach along Folsom Lake. Wow, I can't believe this area is so close to Sacramento, that section of the beach is beautiful with granite rock formations providing good obstacles to run over the top of on the run course. The meat and potatoes of the course is in the middle mile and half, where a series of STEEP climbs push your legs into full blown hurt. Descending down the other side of the steep climbs, you get to let it ride to the finish. The two MORFers in the crowd had a great start to the season, claiming age group second places, with the men's and women's overall champions taking the first place spots in their division. More importantly, we're stoked and motivated for the season to come, and were reminded just how fun XTERRA is!

MORF at Xterra Real - quick update

2009-03-29T15:24:00.000-07:00

Just got off the tele and got a quick update from Ryan. He and Vanessa each took second in their age group. Friend of MORF Racing Tim took the overall. Hoping to hear more of the story directly from R & V... stay tuned.

MORF Fun

2009-03-25T21:12:00.000-07:00

One of the most aerobically and technically challenging trails in Fruita is called "MORF Fun." That's how we spell it anyway. FYI, actual spelling is "Moore Fun."

Ryan spoke with Dave a while back to get some recommendations. Basically, the answer is to do everything. But he also recommended we do MORF Fun first. Good call Dave... it's not mountain biking unless you're hiking, right? Actually, this trail is more suited to a longer travel, slacker trail bike than our cross country rockets. But we still made it without breaking anything.

Here's a snapshot from the top, courtesy Pete's camera and a small desert tree/tripod (L to R, Erik, Ryan, Greg, Pete):

Runnin' of the Green 7k.. Getting Stronger!

2009-03-16T09:51:00.000-07:00

Had a great turnout at Sunday's Runnin' of the Green! Greg, Natalie, Jason and Erik showed up to race in the event at LoDo. Erin, Heather and Ryan were there in support mode.

All in all it was a great event. Beautiful mid-March weather, Irish festivities and the spectacle of 5500+ runners clad in green. MORFers agreed that it was a fun course, but that short road running races are brutal! It capped off a great weekend of training, and getting tired legs up to speed from a long Saturday on the bike was just what the doctor ordered for this time of year. And the corned beef bagel sandwiches taste pretty good! Who would have thought?

Results. Short summary... Greg spanked the other MORFs with a respectable pace coming off his "Fire and Ice" victory; Jason and Natalie flew across the line. Erik learned how not to start a road race (went out way too hard, cracked and walked).

MORF Racing in Green, foreshadowing the MORF kit:

Runnin' of the Green - this Sunday - for Good Cause

2009-03-12T14:17:00.000-07:00

Are you Irish? Ever wanted to just pretend? Neither applies to me, really. But here's a fun fact for you -- Erin was born on Saint Patty's day. So I am sort of married into the whole hubbub. And while I'm pretty sure the real pub livin' Irish don't run unless they have to, I'm gonna "be Irish for a day" my way by participating in the Runnin' of the Green... a race that benefits Meals on Wheels. Will be painful to open it up on tired legs for the first time in many months. I think it's a great opportunity to sweat real good in something green and recover with corned beef and cabbage and a beer. And it benefits Meals on Wheels. Does this appeal to you at all?

MORF Racing Results from Xterra Winter Worlds

2009-03-08T15:10:00.000-07:00

Just got off the phone with Greg. He called to give us a quick report as he and Natalie were driving back to the Front Range from Ogden. Quick results bulletin:

Greg is the Men's Amateur Fire and Ice Champ!
Justin finished 7th Overall!
Natalie killed it at the Snowshoe 5k... she won her age group and got second overall!

Way to go MORF!

Justin, you Two Timer!

2009-03-07T21:42:00.000-08:00

MORF Racing crew member Justin Hurd is now officially the reigning two-time Xterra Snowboard Dash-for-Cash Champ! Way to go Justin! Check out the news here.

2009-02-21T10:01:00.000-08:00

XTERRA's Fire and Ice

In just a few weeks when the second running of the XTERRA Winter World Championship takes place at Snowbasin Resort, a special Fire and Ice Award will be presented to the men’s and women’s pro and amateur racers with the fastest combined times from the 2008 XTERRA World Championship off-road triathlon in Maui and the 2009 XTERRA Winter Worlds race in Utah.

This year there's even more competition for the Fire and Ice honors, with at least 16 racers in the mix including the top three American finishers in this years Maui World Champs - Josiah Middaugh, Brian Smith, and Seth Wealing (and they are seperated by less than five minutes). The forever young Jenny Tobin, coming off a 7th place finish in Maui, leads the women's pro division while Colorado native Greg Abrahamson has nearly 10 minutes on Minnesota's Peter Hanson in the men's amateur race. In the women's amateur race Caroline Colonna will look to defend her crown, she has a little less than four minutes on 35-39 XTERRA World Champ Sarah McMahan.

Day to Night Ride - Wednesday Night

2009-02-19T16:48:00.000-08:00

Well, we've got an almost weekly night ride going on. Although, with the days getting longer, it's easy to start in the sunshine which is always nice. Come out and join us next week. We've been riding some of the new trails open in South Boulder. Prairie Vista, Flat Irons Vista, Doudy Draw, and North/South Brook trails are excellent trails to ride at night. Not very technical, but fun easily accessible single track.

Bike Baggage Fees - Southwest

2009-02-17T17:36:00.001-08:00

Hey teamers,
So I've had a couple of discussions on bike baggage policies with people on our team, spurring me to investigate my claim that southwest is still $50 each way, as opposed to $100 to $175 each way like other carriers (Delta, United, you should be ashamed of yourselves. I mean, seriously? You're gonna let some richy rich a-hole golfer check clubs or some punk skier check skis for free, and then charge $175 each way for a bike?) Upon further review, Southwest is still $50 each way! See text directly from their website below. In case they've change their policy but haven't updated their site, I recommend bringing a printed copy of their policy to the airport if you are paranoid. Which you should be. They'll be charging you to $1 to take a leak on flights pretty soon, and $50 to take a dump (they know they've got you).

Weight and Size Allowance: Maximum weight is 50 pounds and maximum size is 62 inches (length + width + height) per checked piece of luggage. Effective March 1, 2005, overweight items from 51 to 70 pounds will be accepted for a charge of $25.00 per item. Items weighing from 71 to 100 pounds and oversized items in excess of 62 inches but not more than 80 inches (i.e., surfboards, bicycles, vaulting poles) will be accepted for a charge of $50.00 per item. Any item weighing more than 100 pounds must be shipped as Air Cargo. However, Customers cannot use SWA Cargo unless classified as a Known Shipper as defined by the TSA or TSA approved Indirect Air Carriers (IAC). For full details about shipping cargo, visit swacargo.com.

President's Day Long Ride Anyone?

2009-02-15T10:29:00.000-08:00

Not sure if anyone else has tomorrow off from work, but I do so I'm going to get in a longer ride. Probably head up to Ward from my house if the weather cooperates. Lemme know if you wanna ride along.

Team at Hall ranch

2009-01-26T07:55:00.000-08:00

Morf in Action at Hall ranch! Nothing like a break at the top of the hill...

Team Training: Eldora Randonee

2009-01-25T12:08:00.000-08:00

Vanessa, Greg, and Ryan headed up to Eldora on Saturday for a little ski mountaineering training in preparation for Xterra Winter Worlds (and just for fun). Suprise! It was actually snowing with no wind...crazy! The only catch, it was about 31.95°F, and the snow was heavier than usual in Colorado. Made me feel like I was back in California. By the end, we had clumps of snow sticking to the bottoms of our climbing skins. Perhaps it's time to try waxing the skins for better glide and to avoid the snow clumps? We also practiced taking the skins off and putting them on quickly. Ogden here we come!

Team Night Ride Week of Jan. 26th???

2009-01-22T14:35:00.000-08:00

Hey team,
I think Erik's in town next week, so I figured I'd plant the seed a week in advance in hopes that we can have as many people who are dumb enough to ride mountain bikes at night show up. Greg and I headed out to some new trails in South Boulder that you can access out of the Dowdry Draw trail head called Flat Irons Vista and Spring Brook loops. We even found a trail not on the map, and proceeded to get lost on it for a while (completely by accident). Anyways, if the trails are dry enough, we should go there. It's great riding during the day, making it pretty spectacular at night. Look at your work/famliy schedules and see what day you can carve out to meet between 5:30 and 6:00 pm in South Boulder and let's ride!

As always, don't rule out riding in Fort Collins out of Justin's house. It's not as far away as you think the trail is freak'in awesome.

The New Mexico Board Of Tourism Invites YOU

2009-01-22T07:57:00.000-08:00

It took me a second to put my finger on it, but I know this guy. I swear. The first 3 times I looked at it, I thought it was my buddy Cliffy from Davis. Not having seen Erik without the beard, it was tough, but it is definitely Erik. No doubt about it. This month's Outside Magazine in a tourism ad for New Mexico. Number 176 in Xterra Four Corners. Looks like we found a new sponsor. ..And we'll have to add "Male Model" to Erik's role on the team.

Team Ride - Hall Ranch

2009-01-18T18:54:00.000-08:00

MORF hit the trails today... a 65F day in January! Great turnout: Greg, Natalie, Vanessa, Ryan, Erik, Erin (for lunch, can't ride currently), Justin, and Erin O., and Mike. Here's a quick video of the action:)

Team Ride This Weekend

2009-01-15T08:01:00.000-08:00

Does anyone want to arrange a team ride this weekend. Right off the bat, I know Justin isn't available Saturday, so maybe Sunday would work? What is everyone else's availability. I was thinking we could meet in Lyons and either do Hall Ranch via the easier entry, or do Picture Rock out of Lyons towards Heil Ranch. Let me know!

Maybe we could hit a quick trail run afterwards too. Lunch/Dinner/Linner/beer at Oskar Blues? If the lakes weren't frozen, we could swim. We'll have to wait until they're partially thawed for that though.

Night Ride this Week?

2009-01-11T08:44:00.001-08:00

Anybody up for a night ride this week? I can do Boulder or Fort Collins.

MORF UN-OFFICIAL OFFICIAL TEAM PICTURE

2009-01-07T16:23:00.000-08:00

Teamers and friends (I think 11 people in all) shredded some gnar on the Sourdough trail new years day. It was good practice for Xterra Winter Worlds! Here's the first official picture of the complete (at the time) MORF Team.

Thursday Night Ride 1/8

2009-01-07T16:09:00.000-08:00

Hey all. I talked to Dave at Redstone tonight and he gave me the rules and regs on riding at night in Boulder. Boulder County Trails are closed at night. Good news is, City of Boulder Trails are OPEN, meaning we can ride the Marshall Mesa Trails (Including a brand new trail called Spring Brook) as well as the North Boulder Trail System. Greg and I talked about riding Thursday night, I vote we head to Marshall Mesa, those trails are pretty fun. Can anybody make it, say around 6:00-6:30 pm??

Greg, do you know what the trail cond'ish is like up there?

Test Post

2009-01-03T18:39:00.001-08:00

test post