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 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.

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.

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.

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

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 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

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

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

Happy trails!

Andy B
twitter.com/outsideallday

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