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Still qualifying for Boston: what am I complaining about?
As you might have read in previous posts, I did resume running, training and even racing after a long hiatus due to breaking a meniscus on March 1st. After an arthroscopy on July 1 in Paris, the...
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Fat Ox 24-hour Nationals 2024: building back, many steps at a time!
This was bold: I did run a short ultra training run early January but eased up on a nagging calf injury, ramped up training in February to prep for the 50K Road Nationals in March only to snap and...
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20th Silicon Valley Turkey Trot: sweet sixteen for me!
After running 100K last weekend, my first real ultra of the year after the 6-month hiatus due to the breaking of my meniscus, I was much apprehensive to get back to the speedy format and exigence of a...
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2025 PAUSATF MUT Grand Prix schedule: at last!
I know, I know, this is coming late, especially for ultra runners who need to plan their seasons a year or more in advance, between the time it takes to ramp-up before a 100-miler for instance, and the...
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Palo Alto Double 2024: something new for a change!
This Saturday I did something I've never done yet in my 26-year running journey: two back to back races in the same morning. To be honest, that format didn't exist when I started focusing in road and...
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Running in Panama City: Pacific Ocean Front
What an interesting timing to be visiting Panama when its famous Canal is making the news because of threats from incoming bouffons in the White House who want to play Monopoly...I have to say though...
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Running in Panama City: Amador & Ancon
That was a continuation of my first run in Panama City, please check my previous post for all the context.In the good old days, I would have combined both runs into a marathon but priority to the...
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No Hands Half: K2 fun and more!
It feels so amazing to get back on the trails and my cherished PA MUT Grand Prix. It's hard to put words on how hard it has been to miss an entire season. I started competing with Way Too Cool in 2006,...
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Back on track? Back to the good discipline at least!
8 am on Sunday morning, it felt surreal to be at the track. Not only because of the early hour on a long weekend in memory of Dr Martin Luther King, but because of the fog. When finding the right words...
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You've got mail! More 2024 memorabilia.
For those keeping track of my recent running adventures, this shouldn't come at a surprise. I had mentioned in my DoDouble race report that I would receive an award for getting the best age-grade...
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Ultra recycling: GU Energy partnering with Terracycle
This isn't a scoop, GU Energy has put this program up a few years ago already. Just that, with my missed 2024 season, I still had a 2023 garbage batch to send. Disclaimer: I'm not sponsored by Vespa...
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Jed Smith 50K 2025: not optimal but great to be back!
I used to manage same-day race reports a few years ago but days seem too short nowadays. Despite waking up at 4 am, time flies fast in an ultra day: 4.5 hours of driving, 1.5 hours to prep before the...
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Running in Saint Lucia: doable, at your own risks!
I still have to write about the end of my trip to Panama 6 weeks ago and I'm already back from another exotic destination, Saint Lucia (note, not Santa, it has mostly French and English heritage). Hint...
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Speed work analytics: what about the mind?
The left knee is still sensitive on most of the runs, enough to contain my eagerness to returning to logging 62 miles a week, an average I hold on for 8 consecutive years, before the pandemic. Some...
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365 days later: an Oscar marathon
On the first anniversary of my knee and meniscus tear, I have to admit that I did savor each and every step of a casual and slow 10K training run. Beyond appreciating the blessing of being able to run...
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Cupertino's Big Bunny 5K: the teen ruling the town!
Phew, back to the same-day race report, yeah! The race starts around the block, on a Saturday morning, and is fast and short, perfect setting and much easier to wrap it up on the same day than a 100K...
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Back to Black Mountain for a big change!
That nearby summit of almost 3,000 feet used to be my weekly playground. Between the focus on road and distance training for Spartathlon in 2023, then the meniscus injury 12 months ago, my last run up...
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Knickerbocker Canyon 35K 2025: the epitome of trail running
Single track trails, fire roads, switchbacks, rocks, roots, mud, puddles, creek crossings, creek running, steep uphills, steep downhills, dead leaves, pine needles, fallen tree, tough competition and...
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The track discipline: one or more lap at a time.
What a journey to rebuild after last year's 7-month forced break off running... Without even having to check on past blogs or my running log, I still remember the ease and excitement of running tempo...
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MadCity 50K Road Nationals: way to celebrate ultra race #200!
I'm falling behind again. A week ago I ran in Zion Park then Bryce Canyon and still want to post about these runs, but let's see if I can still do a same-day race report after 777 blog posts, to...
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Zion Park and the Kolob Canyons
Zion National Park spans over two major canyons: the classic and touristic Zion Canyon of course, on the South side, but also the Kolob Canyons on the North West. Without a road linking these two...
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Freezing but wonderful Bryce Canyon: my favorite!
I only visited 30 of the 63 National Parks in the US but, so far, Bryce Canyon remains my favorite. Especially in winter with the rich palette of colors include white snow, contrasting with the red...
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Horseshoe Lake 30K: a great mix of hills and speed!
Can't believe it has only been a week since MadCity's 50K Road Nationals, and it was already time to get back to our Pacific Association Grand Prix with a race this Sunday: Coastal Trail Runs'...
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Silicon Valley serendipity: surprising Turkey Trot connection!
With the past two injuries I fell off my weekly blogging pace. This week I ran every day so more opportunities to share about the experience again. And this Sunday turned to something quite...
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Back to ultra training runs. Some hill but no heat training.
Back in the good ol' days, 10 to 15 years ago, I had run 12 to 14 ultras leading to Quicksilver, every year. Including Miwok 100K for the crazy back to back Miwok-Quicksilver-Ohlone. Granted,...
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