Sitting once again at the local coffee shop, reflecting on another year gone by...and as usual, feeling rightly nostalgic. This morning I went out for my last run of 2024, and as I logged my final numbers I came to a rather satisfying realization. Even with several week-long breaks in my running this year, I somehow managed to log more miles (~1700) than I have since leaving Vermont in 2018. I put together about 50 more total miles than last year (which included the Hardrock/WS Double), and I even eked out about 20 more miles than in 2019. Of course these numbers don't include the several hundred miles of dog walks, or hundreds of miles of cycling. I'm not sure if 2000-mile years are still in my future, but at my age, and with my full-time commitments, I am quite content to have been relatively healthy this year, and with many new, unique, and/or thrilling experiences to add to my life collection. I did a bit less "racing" this year as compared to last, but definitely made up for it with daily runs and weekend long efforts. As I sit here and write this, I find myself more fit and in shape than I've been in many years....and it feels good (especially given that the big "Five-Oh" is right around the corner in a few years).
Annual miles for the past 7 years
So without any further rambling, let's get into the 2024 recap:
January/February
The first two months of 2024 were marked by heavy snows, and a rapid increase in training. I generally take December easy, and then motivate myself to get back into shape with a January "streak" - where I run at least 3 miles every day. As a way to further motivate myself, I registered for a trail race series here in Arizona that featured a mid-length (20-30 mile) trail run every few weeks. I also had my first goal race of the year at the annual Black Canyon 100k just down the road here in AZ. I wrote about "slowly coming back to life" in my first post of the year:
LINK: COMING BACK TO LIFE
I ultimately cranked out 245 miles during my January streak, and sprinkled in my first two races: The San Tan Scramble (26k), and the Coldwater Rumble (40k). At both events I ran relatively well, considering my fitness was only just starting to come back. I continued the streak into February, cranking out another 225 miles, and running the Elephant Mountain 35k, as well as my goal race the Black Canyon 100k.
January Snow
More January Snow
San Tan Scramble (26k)
Coldwater Rumble (40k)
Elephant Mountain (35k)
March/April
As March rolled in, so did my University Spring Break. This year I had plans to travel back to Denver and to the National Science Foundation's Ice Core Facility to work on some new ice samples. I was ultimately successful and able to prep several new samples for my research.
Getting frosty in the lab freezer
A newly prepped ice thin section showing a distinct z-fold
Beautiful annual layering in an ice sample from Greenland.
In late-March, after returning home, I ran one last race of the Spring season at the Mesquite Canyon 30k. I did well, but then made the classic mistake of "taking some time off from running." A few days turned into a few weeks, which turned into a month-and-a-half. I didn't run a single step in the month of April, which I knew would cost me fitness going into my next goal race in June: The San Juan Solstice 50 Miler.
Finishing the Mesquite Canyon 30k
During this time in April, I did manage to embark on an incredible adventure to rural Arkansas in order to experience my second full total eclipse in the past seven years. You may recall I wrote a very detailed post about my experience in 2017...and how the entire ordeal left me feeling unsettled. A total eclipse somehow feels unnatural, as though the Earth divides by zero. I ended up including an entire chapter about this experience in my Treks to Nowhere text. When I learned of the 2024 eclipse, I knew that we'd once again do whatever we could to find clear skies along the totality path. This year again proved to be ridiculously challenging in that regard, and it almost all fell apart. Thankfully, after countless hours on planes and in cars, we found success in the small town of Oden, Arkansas....where everything came together perfectly for us. I wrote a detailed log of this experience in my April post:
LINK: 2024 ECLIPSE
Setting up for the eclipse - hoping the clouds stay away
Eclipse Success!
When I returned from the eclipse, I began what became a several-months-long quest to reach the precise geographic center of Arizona. It turns out that this location is incredibly difficult to reach in a single day, and it required four attempts, along with fording rivers, riding 50+ miles on my dirt bike, and hike over 22 round-trip miles. It also resulted in countless cactus injuries, partial dehydration, and at least one wipeout on the motorcycle. I am glad that I tackled this odyssey, but I'm also glad that it is behind me now. One interesting note is that I also happened to complete this arduous trek, while I was sick with Covid...and didn't know it....oops. I wrote a detailed post about this trek as well.
At the Geographic Center of AZ!
Video journal of my trek to the center of AZ
May/June
In mid-May I finally started picking up my running again...definitely a bit too late for the looming 50-miler I had coming up in less than a month. The San Juan Solstice is a notoriously difficult 50 miler in the mountains of Colorado, that tops out at 13,000 feet. I knew I was going to struggle at it with my diminished training, but I hoped I could at least "gut it out". It turns out, that the SJS50 is not a race you can easily "wing". I came within minutes of timing out at the race and only finished due to some last minute surging over the last 10 miles (which was incredibly painful).
I am skipping ahead a bit here. Before I journeyed up to Lake City, Colorado for this event, I first had other big travel plans. In late May, C and I packed up two small suitcases, and flew across the Atlantic to spend 8 days traipsing around southern Spain (and northern Morocco). We had some family over in Malaga, Spain (working on a Fulbright appointment)....that are also fluent in Spanish, so we figured this was a perfect chance to experience what is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful areas of the Iberian Peninsula. In addition, I knew this would potentially give me the opportunity to hike the famous El Caminito del Ray trail, and to visit my last continent (Africa) just across the Strait of Gibraltar. There are a few highlight photos below, but I also wrote a very detailed post about our time in Spain and Morocco, with a much larger collection of imagery and videos...
LINK: SPAIN AND MOROCCO
On top of the Rock of Gibraltar
The Mediterranean Steps
A Gibraltar Macaque
The "Rock" seen from the Spain border
A walkway separating the Atlantic and the Mediterranean
A Spanish Castle in Tarifa
Africa!
Rooftop view in Tangier, Morocco
Ronda, Spain
El Caminito del Ray Trail
Beach View in Spain
El Caminito del Ray video footage
Turning briefly back to the San Juan Solstice, my experience was quite difficult. I was dealing with some intestinal bug at the time of the race which of course only compounded my situation. I left the 35-mile aid station with just 3 minutes on the time cut-off, and with an 8 mile stretch to the next aid station (also on a tight cut-off). I truly believed this would be my first "time out" at a race, but somehow managed to put my head down and hammer out a pace that just barely kept me afloat. I left the following aid station with about 10 minutes to spare, and thankfully the final 6+ miles are all downhill. I eked across the finish line about 13 minutes shy of the cut off....and was completely wrecked. The course was absolutely stunning however, and I would love to go back in better shape. It really does feel like a mini-Hardrock of sorts.
Random image from high atop the SJS50 course
July/August
For most of July and August, my focus was on my week-long moto-camping trip up to Colorado. Just as I have done in years past, I blocked off about 8 days to ride my adventure motorcycle up to Colorado with the goal of trying to tag a few more 14er summits. Before my trip, I had just four peaks remaining...all notably difficult. Back in February I managed to secure two overnight passes for the Maroon Bells parking area, which I would need if I wanted to ride into the park to make attempts at North Maroon Peak and/or Pyramid Peak. I didn't write a post here on this trip, but did compile several video clips that I'll link below. The short summary is that I was successful in tagging both of these peaks, and both proved to be incredibly difficult and technical summits. Of the now 56 summits I've completed (of 58), Pyramid now ranks as the most difficult I've ever done (with North Maroon definitely also in the top 5). Just as I was a few years ago on Crestone Needle, my time on Pyramid Peak was legitimately fear-inducing, and required all of my concentration and skill to stay focused and safe. I now have two peaks remaining: Snowmass and Capitol Peaks - Often ranked as the two most difficult of all 58. Needless to say, these peaks will take significant planning, logistics, and training. I will also likely hike Capitol with a partner to remain as safe as possible. One other important note about this trip is that I took my 4-year old Royal Enfield motorcycle (with over 12,000 miles on it) and it performed beautifully with no issues! The ol' girl truly has turned out to be a great little bike (if perhaps a bit underpowered)
Here are a few highlight photos from the trip:
Parked at the "Elephant's Feet" located in Navajo Nation
In the San Juans of Colorado
On the Pyramid Peak Summit (Maroon Bells in background)
On the N. Maroon Summit (Pyramid Peak in background)
View of Maroon Peak from North Maroon Summit
Crater Lake, Maroon Bells, CO
On the Continental Divide
Shiprock, NM
In late August as I was beginning to prepare for the Fall semester at the University, I also decided it was time to finally get my butt back into proper running shape. This new conviction would begin with a 6-hour run in circles down in Phoenix at the Jackrabbit Jubilee event. The two things to note here about this event is that the loop is only 500 meters...which was a bit short for my taste. The other is that despite the race starting after sunset, the temps were still floating around 100 degrees. I don't do well in these types of conditions, so after the marathon mark, I bowed out about 90 minutes early. I still got in a nice long run, and it served as the necessary reality check I needed to get into proper shape.
Timelapse of runners at the Jackrabbit loop race (I'm in there somewhere)
September / October
For most of September and October I once again focused most of my efforts on running. I had a few big races on the calendar that I wanted to be in proper shape for. In September, I would once again run the local Stagecoach 55k race here in Flagstaff (my 3rd time), and then in October, I would be running the Canyon de Chelly 55k run. This race was one I was really excited about as I had been trying to gain entry for over 5 years through the lottery. The Canyon de Chelly is closed to non-natives (without a native guide), except for this one event. In other words, I would get to experience the awe of this beautiful place, entirely on my own during this event. The short summary was that the entire experience was incredible and I hope one day I can return to run it again. It truly is a magical place. For both races I ran well, and was pleased with the fitness level slowly increasing. I ended up finishing first Masters (men) at the Stagecoach (right at 6 hours), and 9 overall (men) at the Canyon de Chelly (also at 6 hours).
Canyon de Chelly course
Top 10 Men at Canyon de Chelly (I'm on the far left)
The other large commitment I was presented with in September was that of completing my comprehensive promotion package for consideration for "Associate Professor" rank at the University. When it was all said and done, the completed package took me several weeks and topped out just under 200 pages. Of all of the jobs I've held up to this point, this was definitely the most work I've had to do to document all of my professional accomplishments in hopes that I might convince the "higher ups" that I'm worthy of promotion. I won't hear the final decision on this package until April, 2025, but regardless of what happens, I'm happy that it is complete and submitted. One thing I came to realize upon preparing this document was just how much I've done both on the Research side, and the Student/Teaching side of my position. For me, I suppose what is most important, is that I am adequately advising and teaching my students.
One other noteworthy experience from early October was that I took my class of 25 students out to an old wildfire burn scar here in Northern Arizona for a large reforestation project. We spent the entire day planting over 300 trees, installing weather stations, and collecting various data sets.
Getting set up with our 300 saplings
Out planting
Group photo
In late October I spent several weekend summiting some local peaks in the area including Kendrick Peak and Woody Mountain (often with the doggo). I also made a trip down to the Phoenix area to test ride some new motorcycles including the new Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 and a CFMoto Ibex 450
Doggo on Woody Mountain
CFMoto 450 Ibex
Royal Enfield Himalayan 450
November / December
November and December culminated with some final peak running races on the year starting with my annual pilgrimage to Virginia to run the 50-mile Mountain Masochist with my Barkley friends. This year would be my 8th running and I was determined to show up to that start line in proper shape. The day went perfectly and Travis and I ran together the entire day, finishing with almost 30 minutes of cushion. There was no stress and no real struggle for me all day, which simply meant I was in adequate shape to run comfortably. It was good seeing Trav and catching up on all the latest happenings in his neck of the woods.
Just a few short weeks later I made a ridiculously impulsive decision and signed up for the 24-hour looped race at the annual Fat Ox race in Phoenix. I've run the 6-hour version several times, but wanted to see if I could may hit the 112 mile qualifying standard for the Spartathlon Race. I have wanted to go back to Greece since my running several years ago, but the qualifying standards are incredibly difficult to reach. I knew trying to run 112 miles would be a tall order for me, but I wanted to try. The good news is that I had an absolutely brilliant day running in circles, with almost no issues at all, and finished 1st place overall!
The bad news is, that I came up short by 3 miles (completing 109 total miles). I was disappointed, but also thrilled with my effort.
The bad news is, that I came up short by 3 miles (completing 109 total miles). I was disappointed, but also thrilled with my effort.
Just a week later, I raced a local Turkey Trot here in Flagstaff on the appropriately named "Turkey Hill". We had a nice dusting of the white stuff, certainly adding to the ambiance.
Finally, in early December, I made one last race outing down in Phoenix for the McDowell Mountain Frenzy 50k. I ended up absolutely crushing this race and far exceeding my expectation. I finished just a few minutes over 5 hours (had I paid more attention I might have actually come in under 5). I was truly ecstatic with my final race performance of 2024 and settled back into a more casual routine to finish out December.
A Virgina Sunset
Visiting with Barkley Ed Furtaw
Mile 38 along the Masochist Course (me and Travis)
Me and Travis at an aid station
Finishing my 8th Mountain Masochist (Travis's 25th finish!)
Running circles at the Fat Ox 24hr
First Place!
Running at the McDowell Mtn. Frenzy
Group Turkey Trot photo (I'm in the back with my arm raised)
As the year came to an end I attended the graduation ceremony for the 8 new climate science MS graduates. It always makes me super proud to see them all walk along the commencement stage and receive their degrees. I also picked up a new drone and have been having some fun flying it around the woods and getting some incredible aerial shots with it. The entire experience has also re-lit the aviation fire within me and has me thinking about getting current again with my private pilot's license (which I earned all the way back in 2002!). One thing I did accomplish in this regard was that I studied for the drone pilot exam and passed...making me a licensed drone pilot under the FAA's part 107 designation.
Some "Active Tracking" drone footage
More "active tracking"
The new grads! (with your's truly in the back)
As usual, I rounded out the year with some quality family time over the holidays. We traveled back East to see everyone and it was simply nice to "turn things off" for a bit. So what do I have in store for 2025?....well I'm not entirely sure yet, but I have quite a few ideas brewin' in the ol' noggin. One things for sure, I have no plans to slow down. A few teasers: I am working on a new book, I have a few big runs planned, another big moto-adventure, and countless other treks penciled in. I may even finally have another field season on the horizon related to my research....
Stay tuned...
As for now...I'm going to keep moving, keep adventuring, and will make my way into 2025 eager and full of possibilities....
Onward...
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