Bigfoot 200 - Training by Vacation

On August 9th, I’ll line up to run a 200-mile race in Washington state.  For some reason.

How do you train for a 200-miler?  I have no idea - my guess is you probably can’t really train for it.  But since Julie and I tend to take all our yearly vacation days in the summer (always heading to the cooler mountains), I weaved some “training” into that.

First was a trip to the San Juan National Forest.  Julie and I joined some good Texas trail-running friends and we spent our time between 8500-13,500 feet, doing some amazing hikes and runs.

Julie and I on Devils Bridge trail (PC: Joe Prusaitis)


Some ridge between Horsethief and Bear Creek

My “long run” that week was a 23-mile, 8.5 hour, 3-peak / 6200’ vertical gain journey from Ironton to Silverton.


After a long, arduous week at work (actually only 4 days, thanks to Independence Day), it was time for another vacation.  This time we took the kids to Glacier National Park; it was my first visit and it will definitely not be the last.  Amazing, almost make-believe scenery, with endless places to explore.  The kids were also amazing!  Both of them were knocking out 10-15 mile hikes left and right.


Keira on Swiftcurrent Pass (15 miles total)


Grinnell Glacier was a 13-14 mile hike

I usually woke up early for a quick pre-hike run, sometimes added on bonus post-hike runs/climbs while everyone was resting, and had an incredible solo “long run” day as well (while Julie and the kids enjoyed an easier day).

Cataract Mountain was one of four peaks in my 26-mile playday

While 2018 was one of the best years of my life, it was kind of a lost year, running-wise.  I ran about half my normal volume.  But I turned 40 in December 2018, and my version of a mid-life crisis (I use “crisis” pretty lightly here) ensued - in the 7 months since then, I’ve averaged 10+ miles/day.  Weekly volumes below:


Can’t let a post go by without an updated chart

The two most recent up-spikes in the blue line are actually the two vacations (with one work week in between).  Those two vacation weeks combined for 200+ miles, 70+ hours on my feet, and 50,000+ feet of elevation gain.  

So, I feel as ready as I could be to run a 200-mile race. I can always try to figure out the reasons why I entered the race another time.

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