Adventures in Onionism

As I mentioned, my 2015 racing season is (probably) over. I completed the following: Jan 11: Tilden Orienteering ( BAOC ) Jan 31: Ordnance 100K Feb 21: Montara Mountain 50K March 7: Way Too Cool 50K March 21: 4MPH Challenge April 10-11: Zion 100M May 2: MeOw! Marathons June 6: Bone Tempest June 20: SF Solstice 24 Hour July 26: Big Basin 50K Aug 1: Tushar 93K Sep 12: Tahoe 200 Sep 19: IMTUF 100 Sep 25-26: The Bear 100 Most results are on Ultrasignup.com . All in all a great year, since I set a 50K PR (Way Too Cool, finally going under 5 hours), a 100K PR, a 100-Mile PR (finally going under 24 hours, after 16 tries!) and winning my first race (the 4MPH Challenge). Granted, the 100-Mile PR was on a completely flat course during the fixed time 24 hour event, but I'm still pretty happy about it. On to 2016! April 1, Barkley Marathons (application, lottery Dec 25) April 9, Lake Sonoma 50 (lottery Dec 1-10) April 23, Zane Grey 50 (lottery, right now!) June 25-26, ...

What have I done since wrapping up the Onion Slam? Not much in the way of running. I rode a brakeless fixed gear bike around a velodrome for the first time. Skinny teens were way faster than me, as expected. I went to a conference in Washington. The setting was beautiful. I caught a cold on the plane, however, so the next weekend I did not participate in my favorite race of the year, the Euchre Bar Massacre. My friend Caveman completed the 50-mile version of the race (only the second finisher in three years) despite suffering a nasty arm wound in a fall. Read his report here . (Scott Martin, "Massacring the Massacre?!") Then I went to Florida and suffered in the field with gf. I'm the only unpaid person who has been willing to go to her research site more than once. Don't be fooled by the pretty photos. The camera only comes out when you're in a good mood; it's actually quite hellish. The only way in which Florida is better than ...

The sunsets earlier this week were incredible thanks to ideal clouds. (Leor explained the science on fb .)  I only caught it on Wednesday, the last day. In reverse chronological order: Some days, the terrible price of housing in the Bay Area and my lack of a tenure-track academic position bothers me a little less.

Well, I'm done with the salsa, and I sent my co-authors the final draft of that paper, so I guess I have a few minutes to write about the final leg of my 400-mile Onion Slam. (Thanks to Nano for the name.) But first, more salsa photos. Thanks for forcing your garden on me, Jason. I put it to good use. Anyway, as you may be aware, I ran the Tahoe 200 ( race report ), IMTUF 100 ( race report , photos ), and then finished off my vacation with the Bear 100. These races are on three consecutive weekends, so I had less than five days of recovery between each of them. You can read my previous reports about the first two. After IMTUF, I soaked a bit in Bergdorf Hot Springs, and then returned to my friend's amazing cabin in Donnelly, ID, where I took two heavenly zero days finishing season one of Mr. Robot (great start, weak finish) and taking a chunk out of Infinite Jest . Probably the most relaxing two days of my life in recent memory. Wednesday I drove down to Ogd...

Here are a few photos from IMTUF 100. I spent Sunday evening after the race and all of Monday and Tuesday at my friend's adorable cabin in Donnelly, Idaho. It was amazing. The only bummer was that the road to the fire lookout was way on the other side of the mountain. Otherwise, it was completely dreamy and a great way to relax before heading to Utah for the Bear 100. Day before Morning of, ice in the beard Snow up high Top of the first big climb Box Lake, I think More Box Lake Loon Lake Someday, ICT, someday. I died and went to my friend's cabin. Where I didn't leave the breakfast nook for two straight days. Heaven.

I got a grant to do research on food stamps. This is my second from UKCPR. I'm pretty happy about it. I also ran 400 miles in three races in two weeks, but I'm sure you already knew that. I'll post photos and a race report from the Bear when I get a chance. I am busy with work and more running and making salsa. Thanks, Jason.

So what's it like to run 100-mile races on consecutive weekends? I don't know, because I ran 200 miles last weekend. But let me tell you about that. After fun at Tahoe hanging out with the other runners, I had a lame (birth)day evening trying to find Altras or Hokas in Reno that ended with a splitting headache (the lack of sleep chickens coming home to roost), and then I drove through the Black Rock / High Rock National Conservation Area in NW Nevada Wednesday. I took route 34 and honestly, it was pretty disappointing scenery-wise. Thursday I arrived in Idaho at my friend's amazing, amazing cabin. Friday I went to the pre-race meeting and camped out near the start. I met AD, the econ prof married to a triple crown backpacker running (and winning!) the race--she had offered to watch George for me while I ran. I also talked some final smack with Jeremy, who I beat at both the 4MPH Challenge and the SF 24 this year. Tongue in cheek we had agreed that it was double or nothing o...