Our First Press

Willie and I were recently interviewed for a short piece about our run and blog.  It's been picked up by a number of online sources and I've been told that many more will follow.  Pass the word!

A reprint from CBS is below.

320 Days: A Fitness Challenge in the High Rockies

Monday February 14, 2011 - 11:23 AM EST

Online Press release News Distribution - WiredPRNews.com

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News Source: WiredPRNews.com
McKinney, TX (WiredPRNews.com) It began as a challenge between two former college roommates and will end in an event in the Rocky Mountains that tests both endurance and will. William Skinner of Longmont, CO contacted his former Baylor University roommate Brian Moon of McKinney, TX in October with a proposal. Little did Mr. Moon know what he was agreeing to when he enthusiastically responded that he was ready to compete.

Mr. Skinner and Mr. Moon are participating in the 2011 Gore-Tex® TransRockies Run. 200 teams of two will take on the Colorado Rockies for an epic six day running experience as they cover 120 miles in a point-to-point format run. The course includes a mix of singletrack and forest road stages and reaches altitudes of over 12,500 feet.

“Brian and I have always been competitive and considered ourselves athletic, but we’ve never done anything like this before. It’s definitely going to be a tough, even a little scary”, says Mr. Skinner.

Seeing this as an epic adventure, Mr. Moon immediately launched a blog called 320 Days (http://300twentydays.blogspot.com/) to chronicle the 320 days from when Mr. Skinner issued his challenge until the start of the TransRockies Race. It will provide a detailed window into their experiences as they attempt to transform themselves physically and mentally into elite endurance athletes. As Mr. Moon puts it “We’re just normal mid-40’s guys with an abnormal challenge. This will be an adventure of a lifetime and we think it’ll be fun to follow our ups and downs along the way. ”

Contact:
Brian Moon
briansrunblog@gmail.com
http://300twentydays.blogspot.com/

http://finance.bnet.com/bnet/news/read?GUID=17182941

http://www.einpresswire.com/article/317768-320-days-a-fitness-challenge-in-the-high-rockies

http://www.einpresswire.com/article/317768-320-days-a-fitness-challenge-in-the-high-rockies

http://health.einnews.com/news/colorado-mental-health

http://markets.financialcontent.com/mi.charlotte/news/read?GUID=17182941

Training Log - Day 34

320 Days prior to the start of the 2011 Gore-Tex Tran Rockies run Brian and I committed to each other that we would do this run. Since then, we have committed ourselves mentally (no pun intended) and physically to training for this event. Today, we committed ourselves financially. Team 320 is now an official entrant for the Trans Rockies run! YES!!!!

Time of Day - 5pm
Weather - cold and cloudy; mid 20's
Route - St Vrain Greenway to big tree
Distance - no idea
Pace - slow
Duration - 48 minutes
Average HR - 152
Cross training - Core 10 minutes
iPod - Earth, Wind, and Fire
Comments - Legs feeling strong...right knee a little sore. Running on snow packed greenway is quickly getting old. Looking forward to a warm up this weekend.

Run, Willie, Run!

TransRockies Run

An image from the 2010 event.  Just to put things in perspective...

Training

Another day is in the books. It's beautiful and crisp outside, with a temperature of about 46 degrees.  Sometimes it just feels right and today was one of those days. 

My legs felt strong, my lungs were healthy and I actually enjoyed the 43 minutes out on the course. I had a nice finishing kick, lifting my knees and picking up the pace as I covered the last two or three hundred yards as I crossed the finish, with the Eagles playing "The Long Run" in my ears. Victory!

I took a look at the TRR course route and schedule yesterday after Willie tipped me off to a few changes to find that the race has been extended to 119.5 miles.  It's only another 4.5 miles over the original distance, but I'm thinking that every inch is going to matter.  The 6 stages are 20.9, 13.3, 24.2, 14.1, 23.6 and 23.4 miles respectively. Given a marathon is 26.2 miles, we basically get 4 marathons and 2 halves over the stages of the event.  That's a lot to comprehend, but the scariest aspect might be that we gain almost a mile in elevation on the final leg (5,100 feet elevation gain & 20,800 feet in total). It's OK though. We'll still be fresh, right?

The distance made me return again to thinking about maximizing efficiency of motion and getting the most out of each stride.  Form and mental toughness are going to be so important to our performance.  Nutrition and conditioning are also critical to our success.  This race won't be about speed.  It'll be about survival.

As I finished running today, I heard the lyrics "Well, we're scared, but we ain't shakin'.  Kinda bent, but we ain't breakin'." The Eagles had it right.  As long as we stay healthy, we've got this.

TransRockies Run Route and Stages

The latest from the TRR organizers:

http://transrockies.com/transrockiesrun/transrockies/race_route.htm

Route and Stages

With extensive experience in creating dynamic and challenging courses that run the gamut of mountain environments and conditions, the 2011 GORE-TEX® TransRockies Run organizers have once again designed a course that will, in every definition, leave you breathless.

The route and stages listed below are offered as inspiration, and a guide of what to expect. The actual route will remain secret until just before the event so that all competitors can maximize the adventure experience of entering something totally brand new.

Note: The route information provided is preliminary only, and is subject to change pending final route planning and U.S. Forest Service permit approval.

Stages

2011 Stages

Stage 1: Buena Vista to Railroad Bridge (15 min. shuttle to camp)
Stage 2: Vicksburg to Twin Lakes (30 min. shuttle to Leadville)
Stage 3: Leadville to Nova Guides at Camp Hale
Stage 4: Nova Guides at Camp Hale to Red Cliff (2 nights at Camp Hale)
Stage 5: Red Cliff to Vail

Stage 6: Vail to Beaver Creek

RUN 3 Stages

The RUN3 route covers the first three stages of the overall TransRockies Run, and runs concurrently with stages 1-3. The total RUN3 distance is 58.4 miles with 8,600 feet of elevation gain. See the profiles below for details.

Route Overview (Click for full size PDF)

Running Elevations and Surface Types

The route of the 2011 GORE-TEX® TransRockies Run will take place at elevations between 7,400 and 12,600 feet above sea level. Based on the preliminary route proposal (subject to change and approval by the U.S. Forest Service), the percent of distance at various elevations is as follows:

• 7,000' to 8,000' - 3%
• 8,000' to 9,000' - 31%
• 9,000' to 10,000' - 28%
• 10,000' to 11,000' - 27%
• 11,000' to 12,000' - 10%
• 12,000' to 13,000' - 1%

The following numbers are preliminary estimates and are also subject to final approval. In the event of extreme weather during the event and any subsequent re-routing, running surface types would also be subject to change.

• Dirt and Gravel Roads - 37%
• Non-Motorized Single and Double Trails - 33%
• 4-Wheel Drive and Motorized Trails - 18%
• Paved Roads and Pathways - 12%

The following Stage Elevation Profiles are based the proposed route plans presented to the U.S. Forest Service and are subject to change. They are provided here for illustration purposes only. All route plans are subject to U.S. Forest Service approval. We have updated these profiles as of November 17, 2010.

Stage 1 (TRR & RUN3): 20.9 miles, 2,550 feet elevation gain

Stage 2 (TRR & RUN3): 13.3 miles, 3,250 feet elevation gain

Stage 3 (TRR & RUN3): 24.2 miles, 2,800 feet elevation gain

Stage 4 (TRR): 14.1 miles, 2,900 feet elevation gain

Stage 5 (TRR): 23.6 miles, 4,200 feet elevation gain

Stage 6 (TRR): 23.4 miles, 5,100 feet elevation gain

Totals:
RUN3 - 58.4 miles, 8,600 feet elevation gain
TRR - 119.5 miles, 20,800 feet elevation gain

Camp Locations

All camp locations will be passenger vehicle and truck accessible, although most will have no services beyond those provided by the organization. Driving directions for support crews 
will be provided with camping passes.

GORE-TEX® TransRockies Run

Willie and I received some participant email today from the Run with some information and pictures.  This looks pretty intimidating, but I'm sure it'll be a great time. 

As a reminder, in 2011, we're going to be heading from south to north through some of the highest and most spectacular country in North America. The initial field limits are 200 teams for the GORE-TEX® TransRockies Run and 100 runners for the second edition of the three-day solo RUN3.  Unless I'm missing something here, each team member runs the full distance each of the six days of the event.  On that basis, the RUN3 solo folks are getting off light!  That being said, finishing the RUN3 sounds pretty darn impressive to me.

Here are some pictures they emailed our way:

http://tinyurl.com/28b397t