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GPS stats from the The Aspen Backcountry Marathon

I’m not gonna lie, The Aspen Backcountry Marathon kicked my ass. This is hands down the hardest marathon I’ve ever run.

Highlights:
- Most beautiful single track I’ve ever run.
- Got stung by a bee at 10,000 ft.
- Endless climbs with endless descents
- Amazing weather
- The town of Aspen is UNREAL
- Well organized and marked race course

This isn’t a bucket list race, it’s an every year race. My buddy Mike Porter got 12 overall, I got 94. Very hard day for me and the lat 3 miles were demoralizing, literally. I was actually mad at the last 3 miles of the race. My fitness was average and the only reason I survived was due to Emergent Fitness. Thank you back squats.

You can see my race day photo’s at:
http://www.zazoosh.com/events/searchPhotos/466?bib=202

Can’t wait to do it again next year!

Andy B
twitter.com/outsideallday

Teva Launches the ReForge Multisport Shoe

Teva has been on a tear. Some of their competitors might choose to say terror. We are sorry to loose Simple but are optimistic that Teva will continue to up their game and be our shoe of choice as the seasons progress. We appreciate the multi sport functionality of most of their shoes and the waterability of the rest.

They have been pumping out new shoes all spring and we add another shoe to our – hope to test soon list. These launch in January 2012 and they look awesome.

More than half of Teva’s spring 2012 collection is comprised of new styles that appeal to active and adventurous consumers while staying true to Teva’s commitment to water, which continues to define the brand’s DNA.

The soon to be issued new style is the ReForge ion-mask™ and is beinc called by Teva the next evolution of the classic hiker. The moment you exit a watery environment, water drains through the midsole’s Drain Frame channels and the ion-mask-treated upper shrugs off water droplets. Unlike membrane waterproofing technologies, ion-mask is not a physical barrier to water, rather, it is an invisible nano-coating that makes the fabric totally hydrophobic. Being only nanometers thin, ion-mask does not add any weight and does not wash out or wear off with use.

The ReForge will be available on Teva in January 2012 and will sell for $130.

Teva Mush Frio


Teva has a new shoe this summer and I can’t wait to get my hands on it. The men’s Mush Frio Slip Canvas and Mush Frio Lace Canvas come in brown, grey and black hues accented with pops of orange, red, blue and yellow, feature ultra-light synthetic and canvas uppers with collapsible heels.

These shoes look awesome and they look for traveling, camping, journeying to a backcountry hut or anytime you want to lighten your load. I love light shoes and seek them out with tons of effort. No need here to have a baller watch the size of a iPhone or a pair of heavy shoes. I find them both useless.

The women’s styles are $45, and $50 for the men’s, which, compared to other weight loss solutions, is a steal. They are available now at retailers worldwide and on Teva.

Teva Launches “Pair for a Foot”

Throughout 2011, Teva will continue its commitment to clean water through a new initiative called “Pair for A Foot.” The program will help protect one linear foot of global waterways for every pair of Teva shoes and sandals sold in 2011 through donations to clean water non-profits including the Ocean Conservancy and long-time partner Waterkeeper Alliance. Teva estimates “Pair for a Foot” will help preserve 4.3 million feet of waterways in 2011.

“The Teva brand was born on the water and we feel a strong obligation to help protect our most precious natural resource,” says Joel Heath, Teva Global Marketing Director. “We’re proud to support organizations that do vital work to protect water for the environment.”

Last year, Teva donated $100,000 to the Waterkeeper Alliance’s “Save Our Gulf” initiative, a fundraising and awareness campaign fighting to protect the Gulf Coast’s communities and environment from the long-term devastating impacts of the BP oil disaster. The emergency donation from Teva assisted in the effort to save marine life, wildlife, beaches and waterways that are relied upon for both fishing and recreation.

“Teva has been a terrific corporate partner for Waterkeeper Alliance and we’re thrilled about the Pair for a Foot campaign, both from a fundraising and an awareness standpoint,” states Marc Yaggi, interim Executive Director for Waterkeeper Alliance.

The “Pair for a Foot” program (www.teva.com/cleanwater) extends Teva’s commitment to clean water and its partnership with Waterkeeper through 2011 and beyond. “Over the years, we have participated in numerous community river clean-ups with local Waterkeeper chapters. We are excited to be making a deeper, long-term commitment to water with this initiative,” says Heath.

“We look forward to working with Teva to promote the healthy oceans and waterways that are the heart of our mission,” says Vikki Spruill, President of Ocean Conservancy.

Nice going Teva.

My not so good run yesterday at Bobcat Ridge

Not the greatest trail run of my life. The weather was hot, I got lost, hot spot’s on my feet and overall average energy. The trail composition at Bobcat Ridge is rocky and loose. Every step requires you to plant on unstable terrain which wears you down over time. Good to get a long run in but I’m hoping for better performance next time out.

Looking forward to getting SHELLED at Emergent Fitness tomorrow, just kidding.

Strength:
Power Cleans

Conditioning:
21-15-9

Deadlifts (185/135)
One Arm Thrusters (40/30)

Rest 60 sec

4 rounds
Run 400m
10 Knees to Elbows

Ouch!

Andy B
twitter.com/outsideallday

Let’s do this thing mang!

The last 3 weeks have been hectic. Eating like crap, no training, lot’s of airports hectic.

Kicked off Sunday on trail with Jobe. Hot and dusty run requiring lot’s of Cytomax consumption.

This week’s plan:
Monday – CrossFit at Emergent Fitness
Tuesday – Short trail run
Thursday – CrossFit at Emergent Fitness
Friday – Short Mountain Bike ride at Bobcat
Sunday – Long run, location TBA

Also starting a food log again with a Whole 9 eating mindset. Need to jump start accountability.

Let’s do this thing mang!

Andy B
twitter.com/outsideallday

Next trail race: The Aspen Backcountry Marathon

Next up for me is The Aspen Backcountry Marathon on Saturday, August 27.

Click below for an interactive map of the course:
http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/30226514

Looking forward to EVERY part of this experience. Being in Aspen, racing in Aspen, stopping in Vail, Glenwood Hot Springs, etc. It will be such a fun trip with the family, Aunt Ali and Baby Grant to one of the most beautiful locations I personally know of. Also looking forward to racing this course for the first time, really love discovering new trails. 3,400 ft of climbing and descending will be a challenge in the heat of the summer.

Plus, you never know, maybe Lance Armstrong will be in town :)

More info at: www.aspenbackcountrymarathon.com

After that, the Run Rabbit Run Steamboat 50 in September. Lot’s of CrossFit in the next 2 months at Emerfit will be needed to make this all happen.

Andy B
twitter.com/outsideallday

UltraSignUp.com is very cool

Just discovered UltraSignUp.com. So far, it’s the best site I’ve found to discover new trail races…

They also have a massive database that captures race results from some of the larger trail races in the country, it’s doesn’t get all race results, but it gets some.

You can see my personal results page at:
http://ultrasignup.com/results_participant.aspx?fname=Andy&lname=Brazelton&age=0

What a great site for finding new races and keeping track of results!

Andy B
twitter.com/outsideallday

3 generations of dirty Brooks Cascadia’s

A few year’s back I discovered the Brooks Cascadia. I don’t often review things, but these shoes deserve all of the accolades they receive. I’ve wore many different brands of trail running shoes, these destroy them all. Not a knock on other trail shoes, these shoes simply fit my feet perfectly.

The photo’s represent 3 different generations of the Cascadia. I usually go thru 3 or 4 pair per generation. I’m now on the Cascadia 6 and ran it yesterday, it’s perfect. The pair in the middle was raced in the mud, rivers and snow at the Big Horn 50k 2 weeks ago. May they rest in peace.

If you’re struggling to find the perfect trail shoe, the Cascadia is worth a shot.


Brooks Cascadia 6 Trail-Running Shoe

Brooks Cascadia 6 Trail-Running Shoes - Men's

Happy trails!

Andy B
twitter.com/outsideallday

Trail Running star Kilian Jornet on Mount Olympus

Kilian Jornet new record on Mount Olympus from sebastien montaz-rosset on Vimeo.

Here is the first episode of Kilian’s Quest on Mount Olympus, Greece.

Kilian is amazing, he just won the 2011 Western States 100. Stud…

HT Brandon Groza for the video.

Andy B
www.twitter.com/outsideallday

Race report: Bighorn Mountain Wild and Scenic 50K

Race info at: http://www.bighorntrailrun.com/50K/index.html

Quick race report…
- Most beautiful race I’ve ever done.
- Running downhill for 6,729 ft was harder than I ever expected.
- The weather was beautiful.
- Interesting dynamic to have 100 mile, 50 mile, 50k and 30k racers on the course all at the same time. Makes you feel like the low man on the totem pole.
- Feet/shoes were SOAKED for the entire race. 25 streams, mud, 5 snow sections, crazy WET! Could not avoid water.
- Cytomax is an amazing electrolyte.
- Due to life, I really wasn’t ready for this race and paid the price. I blew up miles 21 – 24. Lost 30 minutes from this.
- My wife doesn’t want to me do this race again due to how far away it is from Fort Collins, but I REALLY liked it.
- So fun to have my wife, kids and mom with me on the trip.

Overall, raced as well as I could have, the blow up hurt but I was happy in general.

Final time: 6:30:43

Photo gallery at: http://thebrazeltonfamily.shutterfly.com/3707

Back to CrossFit at Emergent Fitness this week, enough eating like crap and being lazy :)

Next up:
Bent Rock Trail Race – 15 miles – July 17
Aspen Backcountry Trail Marathon – 26.2 miles – August 27
Run Rabbit Run – 50 miles – September 17

Andy B
twitter.com/outsideallday

Unbreakable: The Western States 100 – Journeyfilm Official Trailer

More info on the film at: www.ws100film.com

More info on the Western States 100: www.ws100.com


The Race:

(Description From Wikipedia) The Western States Endurance Run, known commonly as the Western States 100, is a 100-mile long (161 km) ultramarathon that takes place on trails in California’s Sierra Nevada annually, on the last weekend of June. The race starts at the base of the Squaw Valley ski resort and finishes at the Placer High School track in Auburn, California. Runners climb a cumulative total of 18000 feet (5500 m) and descend a total of 23000 feet (7000 m) on mountain trails before reaching the finish. Because of the length of the race, the race begins at 5:00 A.M. and continues through the day and into the night. Runners finishing before the 30 hour overall time limit for the race receive a bronze belt buckle, while runners finishing in under 24 hours receive a silver belt buckle.

According to the website, the movie will be available this fall. Geoff Roes calls this race the Superbowl of ultrarunning…

I’m in,

Andy B
outsideallday.com

The Big Horn 50k Course Profile

9 days until my next race (June 17). This time it’s a 50k in Sheridan, WY. The Bighorn Mountain Wild and Scenic Trail Run is an up and down course taking place on a blend of fire road and single track. Looks rough and starts at elevation. 2218 ft of climbing over 31.22 miles.

A link to a pretty dang good photo gallery of the course:
https://picasaweb.google.com/tony.mick.photos/BigHornTrailRun50MilerJune2010

More info on the Bighorn Mountain Wild and Scenic Trail Run:
http://www.bighorntrailrun.com/50K/index.html

Not feeling totally prepared but I think I’ll be fine. The wife, kids and my mom will all be joining me for the adventure. Hopefully the base from Emergent Fitness can carry me thru. One long run planned this week but other than that it’s small stuff and stretching.

Looks like the Leadville 50 in July is off the calendar due to finances. These races are expense. Next year.

Andy B
outsideallday.com

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