Rocky Mountain Rambling

I couldn't stop asking myself, "What am I thinking" while standing out front of my bosses house at 11:45pm on Friday night. I've finally stopped feeling sore following the Leadville 100 (all of 5 days ago) and here I am, gearing up for an insanely long hike in Rocky Mountain National Park. Then I think of Josh, Josh is my boss who works and works and works. He's also a father of two and rarely gets a day off let alone a day to play up high. So just past midnight we pulled away from his place and headed for the hills. Once in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) we placed the company van at Bear Lake trailhead, ready to roll upon our return from the ridge we were about to hike. We then drove up and over Trail Ridge Road and park my car at Milner Pass. Our adventure would begin here, right on the Continental Divide at an elevation of 10,700'.

RR: 2011 Leadville Trail 100

2011 Leadville Trail 100
August 20-21, 2011
Leadville, CO
29:38:14
(View The Video HERE)
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Pre-Race
I think all that needs to be said about my thoughts heading into this race have been said in previous posts on this blog. To recap, I ran in the 2010 Leadville 100 as part of the Grand Slam of Ultra-Running. After running in the Western States 100 and the Vermont 100; after a season of lackluster training.. I showed up in Leadville, terrified and tired. From there, the wheels feel off around every turn and after 61 miles of running, I was pulled from the course for missing an aid station cut-off by 15 minutes. My quest for the Grand Slam wear over.. and for the next year Id live with the personal pain and torment of my first DNF via. Time Reaper.

This years race was all about Redemption. I trained hard for the last 4 months, awaiting my shot at Leadville once again. I had many omens heading into this years race. A night of horrendous Thunderstorms heading into the morning of the race. Meeting up with a runner who was actually at the finish line of my first 100, cheering me on (though he doesn't remember). Wearing bib number 495, the same number of the Interstate highway I'd travelled so many times back East. There were a number of great omens and at this years starting line.. I was prepared mentally and physically. This.. is my story of redemption and how I sought it out, fought it out, and walked away from Leadville Colorado with a new belt buckle in hand.

Video: 2011 Leadville Trail 100

The 2011 Leadville Trail 100, hosted by Lifetime Fitness, was this past weekend in Leadville, CO. Runners had 30 hours to complete the arduous task of running "100 Miles Across The Sky" at elevations topping out at nearly 12,600'. After timing out in the 2010 Edition of this race, this years theme for Team Sherpa was Redemption. The below video chronicles how redemption played out. Enjoy!

For more videos, visit Sherpa John Human Potential's YouTube Page!

Redemption

 REDEEMED

After 29 Hours and 38 Minutes. I sprinted across the finish line, on the corner of 6th and Harrison, in the 2011 Leadville Trail 100. After a painful year thinking of how last years run fell apart, I finally had my day in the sun, finally conquering one of America's toughest 100's! I have an amazing crew and the support of the many friends who were cheering me on through the entire event to thank. You're as much a part of this success as Left, Right, Repeat.

A full race report and video to come throughout this week. Stay tuned!

Race Preview: 2011 Leadville Trail 100

"Keep doing what you're doing SJ. There's a lot of us out there that follow you and are routing for you. Keep your head high and you'll continue to do great things." - Shawn McTaggart

2010

It was pouring buckets outside as the sun had set on the 2010 McNaughton in Vermont races put on by Peak.com and Andy Weinberg. With a westerly wind blowing hard into the barn doors, I knew snow was eminent. I wanted nothing to do with it and for the first time in a race this long, I failed to make it to at least 100 miles. I'd run 60 and was milling about the barn, trying to get all of my things together so I could pack up, shower and get a goods night rest. I saw in a camp chair, shivering, wrapped up in a sleeping bag and talking to a fellow runner about perhaps quitting doing this ultra thing. That's when Shawn McTaggart came in and told me the quote above.

LT100 Interview: Laura Bleakley

I met Laura Bleakley back in 2005 during the Damn Wakely Dam Ultra-Marathon. I vividly remember an amazing female running blowing by me on the trail about 7 miles into the run. She dropped a gel as she ran by me. I picked it up and tried chasing her down to give it back. Eight Hours later when I crossed the finish line, I found out she smoked me and ended up coming in 1st Female. This woman is the real deal; one of the best female runners in the country who I feel goes virtually un-noticed. But beyond her results, is an incredible story of a runner who has come back from the brink of an injury related termination.

Name: Laura Bleakley
Age: 41
Location: Bedford, NH
Years Running: 40

SJ: Laura, thanks for taking the time to talk to us as you prepare for the Leadville Trail 100.
LB: No problem....I owe you since you found me a pacer for Leadville.

Upcoming Event

Sherpa John : Human Potential is proud to be bringing quality events to our new friends in the great state of Colorado! We have two great presentations coming up. One to entertain you runners and the other to entertain the hikers. please join us! Both events are FREE FREE FREE and open to the public.

UNLEASH THE ULTRA IN YOU!

Presented by Sherpa John : Human Potential

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

6-7pm Fun Run : 7:15pm Presentation

Boulder Running Company - Littleton, CO Location

8116 W. Bowles Avenue

Have you ever entertained the thought of taking your running to the next level in running an ultra-marathon? Join us as “Sherpa” John Lacroix shares his more than 6 years of experience in running ultras and helps unleash the beginner ultra-runner in you! Sherpa John has completed over a dozen 100 mile ultras and nearly 40 races of ultra-distance since his first in 2005. He’s completed classics such as The Western States 100, Vermont 100, Massanutten 100, a loop at the legendary Barkley Marathons and even a 125 mile non-stop run across his home state of New Hampshire. Join us at the Boulder Running Company as Sherpa John shares tales of his ultra journey and provides you with keys to success in becoming an ultra-runner yourself. Product Demo's By NATHAN SPORTS! Other prizes from PowerBar and HeadSweats courtesy of SJ:HP.

They Paved The Way

When I run here in Colorado I pass an awful lot of Aspen tree's. When I run by these tree's I think about a few things. They certainly are beautiful and strong, resilient even, and yet they have one of the most incredible root structures of any plant on the planet. Aspen Trees grow into a huge colony, after having started from a single seedling and spreading by means of root suckers. Aspen are also know to clone themselves. Basically if you cut a tree down and leave a stump, the damaged Aspen will send a message down to the root system to send up a new sprout which is a clone of the sprout that was just cut. Where the hell am I going with this?? Lets back up to the part where I mentioned a colony that started from a single seed.. and apply this to ultra-running.

Interview: David Salvas

Name: David Salvas
Age: 62
Town: Amherst
Years Running: 33

A few days ago I received an e-mail from a man named David Salvas. This e-mail was to inform me that I could "add another name to the list of those who've run across New Hampshire." I wasn't shocked but I was certainly surprised to receive a e-mail on this subject.. what shocked me was the distance he did. So.. welcome David Salvas to Human Potential as we interview him in regards to his Run Across NH adventure.

Adventure 30

Every October since 2006, I've set out on an incredible journey to celebrate the climax of another year of adventuring, another year of life and another year of endurance racing. This year, I intend to be no different then the rest except that I'm celebrating my 30th Birthday. Typically I'm not too into birthday celebrations but 30 is one of those milestones. It's also marking my leaving the 20-29 age bracket I've been in since I started running and entering the 30-39 crowd.

Previous Adventures:
2006: Three 50 Mile Races in 3 Months - VT50, Breakers Nifty 50 Miler and JFK50. (150 Miles Total)
2007: NH's Sandwich Range Traverse (17.5 Miles)
2008: Run Across New Hampshire (125 Miles)
2009: Run Across New Hampshire (120 Miles)
2010: RANH - Sullivan Expedition (63 Miles)
2011: ????? (YOU DECIDE) ????

Minimal-Malpractice

A few weeks ago while in a local running store, I watched as the store associate placed a runner onto one of their many treadmills. From here I watched as this store associate instructed the runner to run "normal" all the while they tinkered with buttons and observed the runner. While this was going on, a small camera had been placed on the back of the treadmill and it video taped the runners feet. This entire process is called a gait/stride analysis. The store associate gathered information about the runners stride, how they landed on their feet, if the pronated or supinated.. and then a secondary machine measured the bottoms of the runners feet to determine how "in balance" they were.

Hope Pass

I met Tim Urbine during the Silver Rush 50 Miler. If you watched that video, you met his son Luke and later watched the two of them cross the finish line together. Tim is gearing up for his first 100 Miler ever and it's this years Leadville Trail 100. It does;t sound like Tim has much interest to run 100 milers beyond this one, with a wife, kids, a job that requires him to travel and his love for Ironman.. he's a bit tied up as it is. Regardless, I was able to get him to agree to go on a little training run with me this weekend and I let him choose where we went. After presenting 3 options to him, he chose the obvious... Hope Pass.

GR: Nathan Endurance Vest

Today on the Human Potential Video Blog (also available on Our YouTube Channel), we are providing you with a gear review of the Nathan Sports "Endurance" Hydration Vest. For this review we talk about this great piece of gear and then take it out for a little run. We'll wrap it up with a bit about how it performed.

Product Information
To learn more about Nathan Sports you can visit their website HERE
To learn more about Nathan's Endurance Vest visit HERE