Monday, December 31, 2012

Resolving to Make a Difference in 2013: www.peakchallengeforacause.com

Training and racing are, in many ways, selfish endeavors.  I'm looking forward to a new project in 2013, Peak Challenge for a Cause, that seeks to raise funds for important causes while simultaneously empowering athletes at all levels to set and achieve significant goals.

In conjunction with the project, I pledge to summit Bergen Peak, Evergreen Mountain, and Elephant Butte (the highest peaks in my 'hood) a total of 156 times this year.  The purpose is to raise money for The Ryan Haebe Fund, and I'm looking for individuals and organizations who would like to pledge at least 25 cents for each summit.  It's an all-or-nothing deal, and sponsors only pay if athletes like me hit their goals.  My parents and VITARGO North America have already signed on at $1 per summit, and I'd love to connect with others who would like to support the cause!

Info is below and at www.peakchallengeforacause.com, and I would love to receive an email from you soon (travis.macy@gmail.com) about being involved as an athlete or supporter!

Happy New Year!


Saturday, December 22, 2012

Pedal Power Snowshoe Race: Great Start to the Season on an Epic Course!

The snowshoe season started off with a fun and challenging course at Bruce Kelly's Pedal Power Pazzo's Eagle-Vail 10k. Josiah Middaugh and I ran together for most of the race, and he pulled away on the final downhill. We had a good time and got a great workout, and it was good to get a 1-2 finish for Northern Lites.

 Vitargo provided some excellent fuel, and I'm excited for more!

Conor Drumm ran strong for third!

My cousin, Ethan Pence, won the 5k, and his dad Eric, was third.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Just in Case the Mayans were Right...

Cheers to many more years of good life on earth!



 Oxygen-deprived ruminations on the beauty of life, the end of the world, and good things to come with Vitargo and others.

 Vitargo is at www.genr8speed.com, and I hope to look like the guy on the left of that home page after a few more months of training!

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Life's a Blur at The North Face Endurance Challenge Championship in San Francisco

Given that I began thinking about the race two weeks beforehand, signed up one week beforehand, and specified my training four days beforehand (I took three of them off and biked on the other one, figuring that 50 miles in one day would be pretty much enough, which it was), I probably should have expected a total blur on race day.
The fast and furious burst onto a mile or so of flat pavement--I have successfully avoided flat pavement for most of the last decade--was still more than I anticipated, however, and the top men and women at The North Face Endurance Challenge finally in San Francisco this weekend really put the hammer down from the start. Amy and I enjoyed a nice journey to the Bay Area, and it was good to catch up with friends Dave Mackey and Brandy Erholtz, who's offhand comments had notified me of the race's existence a couple of weeks ago. Based on their solid performances, I think they had both been planning longer than I did. To make a long story short, I enjoyed the crazy rain and wind, and was glad to be running and not crewing (thanks again, Amy, Laura, and Julian!). The uphills went well, and so did nutrition and energy. I learned that I need to get faster on downhills, and I hope a running-focused training program will do that. Hoka One Ones are even better for racing than they are for training, and I can't imagine how sore my legs would be right now if I had not worn them! The top women were amazing, and I wished at many points for a camera to film the way their race unfolded since I was there for most of it--until they crushed me on the final descents, that is! Although 30th place does not exactly sound impressive to me, I'm encouraged by running 6:46 in my first (almost) 50-miler. In anticipation of a move towards ultra running next year, I'm stoked to get back on the trails! As soon as I can walk down the stairs again, that is.