streaking...

I just finished a great morning jog, making it six days in a row I've run. That's big for me, I didn't even reach that many days in a row while I was ramping up for Leadville.

I'll catch up on my running posts, including the one hash of the year I count as a workout - the asshole trail - soon. If you just can't want any longer, my runner's world log can be seen here.

stinko de mayo

So who's up for heading to Harrisburg, PA, in early May? Heard stinko is a great time, might check it out this year. Gaylord, you wanna do some kind of "what what" skit?

Details here.

woohoo!

Finished my Bristol mini-tour at OC's last night! The shirt, which Free Bus(c)h will never have, is awesome! I'm at 39 on my tour now, so the next beer I drink gets me the coveted bottle opener.

Hueco Tanks

I really was there. And it was an amazing experience! Report coming soon...

Bristol blitz...

Gagger arrives in Colorado tomorrow night at 9PM. One of her goals is to get a Bristol mini-tour shirt from Old Chicago's. She'll be here for five days, and normally drinking eight beers in that time wouldn't be a big deal, even for a lightweight like her.

However, most of her days will be focused on Manitou Springs, so trips to OC's will be few and far between. She'll hafta man up and down four beers tomorrow (Wednesday) if she wants to claim the prize by the time she leaves.

So, anyone who wants to A) see Gagger; and B) snag a cool t-shirt, should be at the Old Chicago's on Tejon Wed night around 9:30PM.

hot carl

Since there was some confusion earlier on Gagger's blog, here's how Urban Dictionary defines a hot carl:

the act of putting seran-wrap on ones face and proceeding to take a hot steamy shit on the seran-wrap, thus letting them feel the warmth of the poo on their face

Hope you all learned something.

out of the office...

Get to sneak out of the office the rest of the week for the big Colorado Springs addictions symposium. Some of the titles of the lectures I'll be sitting through:

-Methamphetamine: Effects, Treatments, & Recovery Implications
-Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment
-Medications in the Treatment of Addictions: Current Strategies
-From Discovery to Recovery: Neuroscience, Spirituality, and 12-step Facilitated Recovery
-Assessment and Treatment of PTSD
-Alcohol: Disease vs. Will Power or The Reptile Within
-God, Ether, and the Devil: Stages of Change in Recovery

Yup, all this from the guy who is planning a pub crawl Fri night, a Boone's Farm breakfast to kick off Manitou Mardi Gras, and who took the morning off on Monday since I knew I'd have a super bowl hangover.

happy birthday!

It's my brother Eben's birthday today! He's the second coolest of the Teisher siblings, though quite a long way behind me. I'd post a pic of him but I can't find one on my computer. Think I last saw him in 2004, which is the last time I went back to visit the good folks of Sunbury, PA. He lives in the greatest city in the world, Pittsburgh, so I'm sure I'll get back for a visit someday...

state of the union

While I'm very happy tonight will be W's last state of the union address, the drinking games just won't be as much fun anymore. Click here for something to do to brighten a dull Monday night.

taking sexy back!

BLOS took this one of me on Saturday. He was already finished not because he beat me, but because he wussed out and did the short course. You can still see wounds on my knee from the Asshole trail a week before. The guy in the yellow shirt behind me is Larry M, co-founder of the Incline Club. Both times at the winter series he surged past me with one mile to go, only to wither away once I unleased my Prefontaine-esque kick over the last half mile.

fuck ticketmaster!

Not the hasher (but fuck him too!), the ticket company. Just bought two tickets to see Galactic on Feb 15th in Denver. $25 per ticket. But the total order was $72.50!!! Damn near 50% of the face value of the ticket for stupid fees. Pearl Jam, where have you gone?!?!?

PPRR winter series

Post-race at the Pikes Peak Road Runners Club winter series. There were a ton of Quinn's runners there, but par for the course they bailed after the race instead of hanging around afterwards for a few beers. Wussies.

great weekend!

Had a blast this weekend! Friday night had me going to a play at UCCS and then inching ever closer to my Bristol shirt at Old Chicago. Did the PPRR race on Saturday morning, followed by lunch at the Purple Castle, and then off to the Black Sox hash with the P2H4. Great long run this morning, 16 miles on some tough terrain, followed by a quick trip up north for the Boulder hash. And it ain't over yet, I'm now off to the Mariner for acid jazz! Good times!

I'm on the list!

Woohoo! I'm finally on the list of Hardrock lottery entrants. See it here. Some of the giants of the sport are on there, as well as some good friends, and, believe it or not, even some other hashers. It's an honor just to be on the list. They only take 150 runners, and the way the lottery is weighed a first timer like myself doesn't have a very good chance. I have a feeling I'll end up pacing Moogy down there this year and make my first attempt next year, but you never know...

"God, I hate this series."

That was my exact quote to Runs With Beaver today as he took this picture. Ran shitty for the eight miler, finishing in just under an hour. Haven't been running very well lately. And while it's not yet time to panic, I wish I could figure out why.

Banff Mountain Film Festival

Tix are out for the Colorado Springs showing of the Banff Mountain Film Festival. Pick 'em up at Mountain Chalet for 12 ducats. The show is on March 1 here. It's in Austin on April 6. The USA tour schedule can be seen here. Sorry, Jes, it doesn't hit Korea...

The real Banff Mountain Film Festival is a big outdoor film competition, and the winners of that competition go on the world tour. Saw it last year and it rocked! Most of the folks who read my blog at least pretend to like going outside, so this festival will have something for everyone. As a bonus, they keep the poser ski flicks to a minimum.

high gravity day

Heard someone use this excuse at the rock gym over lunch. After several failed attempts to send a problem, he said, "I'm having a high gravity day." Pretty funny, and if I ever get to the point where all my days aren't high gravity days I'm gonna use that excuse.

As an aside, I'm now in the mood to down a HG800 40oz...

.199

Just had a guy blow .199 on the BA machine (.08 is legally drunk - .01 is illegal if you're on parole). At 8:30 in the morning! And then he said he only had one 40oz the night before. I gotta find some of that shit for the Kimchi hash...

it's gotta be the shoes...

Not that I didn't like my Vasque Blur, which have served me well for several hundred miles, but they just felt too heavy, too much more like a hiking boot than a trail running shoe. So now that I once again have access to the Colorado Running Company I've switched back to La Sportiva (they're sorta local - their north American HQ is up in Boulder). Decided to go with the Imogene, which is a little lighter and more flexible than the Raja (which I loved - they got me through Leadville). Won't have 'em broken in enough for this Saturday's winter series 8 miler, but they should be good to go for the Incline Club this Sunday.

82

That's the current count of CS/Manitou pubs I've been to since I moved here two years ago, after finally getting my ass to Rock Bottom last night. Been slacking, need to hit that century mark. By my estimation, I've probably been to about 1/3 of all the bars in the Springs. Lots of dives here.

Oh yeah, the Colorado Springs Old Chicago restaurants are having their Bristol mini-tour now. Started that last night too. Saw a shirt, if you're a fan of Bristol you're gonna want to finish this one. Sorry, Free Bus(c)h, you won't be finishing this tour. But since you can do four beers per day, @ss Gagger has a chance...

Denver

I'm up in Denver working until tomorrow and computer access has been scarce, hence no stories from Hueco Tanks or TexMex, though they are coming.

Last night Melissa and I did two loops around Washington Park in D-town (5.5 miles) and then hit the Cherry Cricket. May have finally found a place that tops the Crown for best burger. The only thing that may save the Crown's #1 ranking is the fact that the Cricket is more expensive. Great, great burger though, and they also have cheap PBR. After the Cricket it was off to the Broken Arrow (a Dead bar!) and then to the Recovery Room. Good times! So much for staying sober for a while...

ouch...

It's gonna take me at least 'till the weekend to recover fully from TexMex. And not only did I reinjure my bum ankle on the asshole trail, but I also injured my other ankle and my knee. Today I feel like I'm 100 years old.

on-out!

Off to the Purple Castle for a healthy breakfast and then down to El Paso! The high in Manitou today is a whopping 14F, so Tejas will be a nice change of pace. Woohoo! The weekend starts on Wednesday!

El Paso or bust!

Tomorrow morning at 7AM I'll be dining at the Purple Castle if anyone wants to join me. Perfect starting point for the upcoming roadtrip to Hueco Tanks and TexMex! Woohoooo!

"I believe if that if you set out on an adventure, and you're absolutely convinced you are going to be successful, why bother starting?"
-Ed Hillary

bouldering comp results

First, let me give a rundown of my climbing experience. I went to the rock gym over lunch for the three months prior to my San Antonio trip. Didn't climb at all while I was in TX. As soon as I got back to Colorado I renewed my membership and began climbing at lunch once again. So, going into my first bouldering competition, I had been at it for less than four months.

But I was fearless heading into the comp. Yeah, there were people there who had been climbing since before I was born. There were young kids who were obviously more into the sport than I was. I was definitely the rookie of the night, but I didn't let that stop me.

In the rec division, there were ten different problems, we had three hours to try 'em all. I nailed the first seven in a row! So for a bit, I thought I might be able to win the division. However, problem #8 gave me fits. So I skipped it and nailed #9. Off to #10, which also kicked my ass. I continued to try 8 and 10 the rest of the night, but the more I tried the more tired I got, and I could get less and less along in the problem. Continuing to try like this ruined my score, as you lose points every time you fall off. They were hard falls too, especially on #10 which had a killer overhang. I should have quit a lot earlier, but I was there to climb and I wanted to keep trying. Just after two and a half hours, I couldn't close my hands anymore, so I turned in my score sheet and hit the keg (Bristol Red Rocket!).

Ended up in 4th place in my division. Yeah, there were only six of us, but I'm still pretty happy I wasn't last place. Had a great time, and it was nice to try something completely new. Learned a lot, and I think I'll be in the running to win the rec division at the next comp.

good times!

hell yeah!

Pitt, even with two starters out due to injury, dismantled #6 Georgetown last night!

woohoo!

The Jerry Garcia Band is coming to Colorado Springs on Feb 10!

traitor whore!

I just saw this pic for the first time. I swear, Gagger has no loyalty towards anything. A&M loses one game and she's back on the longhorn bandwagon.

hair of the dog

Ugh. Stayed out until 2:30AM last night drinking with Jason, the bartender at Townhouse. I'm paying for that right now.

run #9 - Incline Club

Melissa, Katie, and I woke up early enough on Sunday to join the Incline Club. Once upon a time I wouldn't dream of walking on the Barr Trail before Barr Camp, but on this day the trail tore me to shreads (though I still whooped M's ass!). Was out of gas by the time I got to the top of the W's, and was only able to climb as high as No Name Creek. Pretty pathetic. Nice to know I'll be dropping a few thousand feet in altitude to run this weekend, might give me some of my confidence back.

Start time: 8AM
Distance: 8.5 miles
Time: 2:00:47
Pace: 14:41 minutes per mile
Weather: 27F

HAIL TO PITT!

Pitt/Georgetown is on ESPN today at 5PM! Woohoo! GO PITT!

congrats!

Kudos to Closet Freak for joining the ranks of marathoners with her finish yesterday at the Houston marathon. She's still a wanker for bailing out of TexMex, though.

run #8 - PPRR winter series 10K

Sheesh, over 56 minutes for a 10K? Well, before yunz Texans start shaking your heads, remember that winter running in Colorado can be quite the adventure. A snow and ice covered course that had me running by snowshoers and cross-country skiiers slowed times down, though I had a blast running the trails of Fox Run regional park. Felt like I was back in my days as a Shikellamy cross-country runner.

Start time: 10:15AM

Distance: 6.2 miles

Time: 56:14

Pace: 9:02 minutes per mile

Weather: 18F

upcoming weekend

Have a pretty good weekend coming up.

Of course tonight it's the boulder comp. Pretty excited about that. Don't think I'll fare real well against competition but it'll be a great learning experience.

Saturday it's the Pikes Peak Road Runners winter series 10K. I probably won't drink to heavily on Friday night, so hopefully I do better than I did at the Rescue Run. Saturday afternoon I'll be hanging with the Pikes Peak H3, then later in the evening I'm gonna check out the Dewey Cox movie.

Sunday morning's IC run heads up to Barr Camp. Hope I can make it up there, it's been a while since I've seen Theresa and Neil. Post IC grub at the purple castle, and then I'm just gonna chill out until acid jazz at the Mariner. Was hoping to hash on Sunday afternoon, but there's no trail along the front range. Sure wish Denver and either Fart Collins or Boulder would do the alternating Sunday thing like the CKH3/P2H4 does.

Should be a fun, laid back weekend. Give my liver some time to prepare itself for TexMex...

incline 1/10/08

Since I dedicated this climb to Mr. Hillary I felt I should really push it up the hill, and I managed to take over 2.5 minutes off last weeks time despite much worse conditions. Finished in 38:02, and that time includes twice dropping my can of PRB and having to downclimb for the rescue. Must say, this was the first time I ever used yaktrax and I was very impressed.

Kudos to Katie, Allison, and BLOS for braving the crappy conditions and chilly weather, and for hitting Kinfolk's and the Townhouse afterwards. Unipalmer, also pictured above, arrived late from Wyoming but I look forward to the competition he'll bring to the Thurs night incline crowd.

RIP

"Adventuring can be for the ordinary person with ordinary qualities, such as I regard myself."
-Ed Hillary

Tonight's hike up the Incline and post-workout happy hour at Kinfolk's will be dedicated to Sir Edmund Hillary, the first person to climb Mt. Everest, the world's highest peak. He passed away today.

Good article on the guy can be seen here.

run #7 - CRUD hill climb

Still hating this run. And it was friggin' cold this morning. Only went up to the gate today. I'd like to say it was because I have the comp tomorrow and a 10K on Saturday and I wanted to save my legs, but in reality it was because I didn't want to deal with an uphill mile with deep snow covering a slick layer of ice. Damn, I'm a pussy sometimes.

Start time: 5:50AM
Distance: 3.2 miles
Time: 37:21
Pace: 10:41 minutes per mile
Weather: 17F

run #6 - Goose Gossage memorial run

In honor of Colorado Springs native Goose Gossage finally getting in to the baseball hall of fame, I added a little extra to this run. Went from the Colorado Running Company up the Sante Fe trail to Goose Gossage Park and back again. Chilly night, but there was no wind so it was quite a pleasant run.

Hung around for some beer and wine with the crew afterwards. Then it was off to 15C for a cigar and some Fat Tire. Good times!

Start time: 5:30PM
Distance: 7.0 miles
Time: 58:57
Pace: 8:26 minutes per mile
Weather: 21F

happy birthday!

One of the greatest guitarists of all time, Jimmy Page, celebrates his birthday today. Still crossing my fingers that Zep includes the Black Sheep on their upcoming world tour...

run #5 - back to the track

Went down to the Colorado College track for some speedwork. Did 6 x 400 meters averaging just under 90 seconds each. Would have been a lot faster but the track was covered in snow and ice. Had a good crowd show up with BLOS, BLOS's brother, Allison, and Katie braving the elements for a good workout.

Next group workout is this Thursday, 5:45PM, at the Incline. You'll need screw shoes or yaktrax. It took me 40 minutes last week, I figure it might take me 50 minutes this week due to the shitty conditions.

Start time: 5:30PM
Distance: mile warmup, 6 x 400 meters with 400m rest, mile cooldown
Time: averaged just under 90 seconds per quarter
Pace: 5:59 minutes per mile
Weather: 21F

bouldering comp this Friday!

Yesterday I was talked into signing up for my very first bouldering comp at the rock gym. I really have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to rock climbing, but it's a lot of fun and they'll have beer and schwag there. I'm in the "beginner" (i.e., lowest) level, and I know there are eight year olds that will beat me, and I'm fairly sure I'll take last place in the entire event. Oh well, I'm still gonna go anyways, and if those kids talk any shit I'll tell 'em to show up on Saturday to the PPRR winter series 10K if they're so tough.

For the record, both Susan and Sarah have chickened out, so even if I do finish in last place I still reserve smack talking rights over those two sissies.

Oh yeah, the new issue of Rock and Ice has a great article about Austin! It's no Colorado, but Austin has quite a climbing scene down there.

PSA for the wisconsin fans...

FYI, the Colorado College hockey team just swept a three game series with wisconsin. Go Tigers!

the checks in the mail...

Just gave my Hardrock application to the mailman. Wish me luck in the lottery. Should know by early February if I'm in.

I won't be crying as much as Lulu after her Bandera adventure, but as you can see, the Hardrock course has a few hills:

Including this one, the high point of the course, Handies Peak:

IRR

My request to switch over to the inactive ready reserve has been approved. So no more Air Force weekends. In 1.5 years I'll receive my honorable discharge from the Air Force Reserve, but I'm fairly certain I won't hear from them until then. Might have dodged a bullet, literally, as rumor has it the squadron might be deploying to Iraq in that time.

run #4 - Inteman trail

Took advantage of the awesome weather for a nice long run on Friday. Just ran around the Inteman trail which runs near my house. Lots and lots of great trails lead off that one. Can go all the way to Red Rocks Open Space on that one.

Start time: 3PM
Distance: 14.0 miles
Time: 2:03:31
Pace: 8:50 minutes per mile
Weather: 45F, real tropical for Colorado this time of year

incline

Actually did it on Thursday evening. Took me 40:28. Conditions weren't too bad for January, but it was fairly slippery. Not too shabby a time for the first ascent of my season. The trip down a snow/ice covered Barr Trail without a flashlight was a ton of fun. So were post-climb beers at Kinfolk's.

HAIL TO PITT!

SI.com is doing a piece on the greatest players ever to wear a certain number, from 1 thru 99. Numbers 1 to 33 were released today, and two Pitt Panthers made the list!

Thursday night Incline

Starting up a group tonight dedicated to doing the Incline every Thursday evening. Would eventually like to make it a handicapped workout like the CRUD hill climb, though the Colorado winter and early sunsets right now will cause a bit of havoc with that plan. A few of us are doing it tonight, anyone is welcome to join. I'll be leaving my house at 5:30PM and starting the Incline about 5:45PM. With the conditions on the Incline and my poor physical shape I should hit the top around 6:30PM. So take a good guess as to what you'll do and try to hit the top at that time. Post-workout refreshments at Kinfolk's. Lulu, please tell your hot nieces about this.

run #3 - CRUD hill climb

Ugh. I really hate this run. First, getting up at 4:45AM sucks. Of course there's the crappy Colorado winter weather to worry about. Then the actual workout itself really sucks. But I show up nonetheless, knowing that paying the price now will bring about benefits when the warmer weather arrives.

Thought I was having a shitty run today, stupid peanut butter bagel I had for breakfast was messing with my system (and I apologize to all those who had to start behind me and fight through the stench) but it turns out I set my season PR, taking 18 seconds off last week's time. I still harbor dreams of breaking 40 minutes on this course when the weather warms up.

Start time: 5:57AM
Distance: 4.2 miles
Time: 46:30
Pace: 11:05 minutes per mile
Weather: 25F, chilly with clear skies

run #2 - CRC happy hour

Easy run at the Colorado Running Company tonight. Put some String Cheese on the iPod and ran 21 minutes down the Sante Fe trail (enough time for almost one full Cheese song) and turned around. Little sore from yesterday's 10K, but nothing too bad. Enjoyed beer and wine at the end while making fun of the CRUD guys and listening to Tony say he had "only run about 35 miles today."

Start time: 5:30PM
Distance: 5 miles
Time: 43:45
Pace: 8:45 minutes per mile
Weather: 25F, nice night besides the cold weather

run #1 - Rescue Run 10K

I guess I'm getting older, I can't run hungover like I used to. Felt like HELL after my new year's eve in Manitou, and I gave a lot of thought to just staying in bed through the race (like that wanker Weasel did!). But that wouldn't have been the right way to begin Hardrock training, so somehow I drug myself to the start line.

The race was fairly uneventful. I gave a hard effort that I was pleased with, but due to my hangover that effort was not rewarded with a good time. Finished in 43:32, good for 31st place out of 619 finishers. Not sure of the temp, but it was well below zero. I know that because my face had a layer of ice on it from the sweat. Couldn't even yell encouragement or talk shit on the out and back portion, I couldn't move my mouth.

The pussy award of the day goes to Boobs, who bailed on the 10K and ran the 5K instead. Not a good way to start the year, being physically outdone by NASCOCK. Of course, even he did better than Weasel and Z, who were no-shows.

Kudos to all the named hashers who finished: BLOS, Runs With Beaver, NASCOCK, $100 buck, Boobs, and All Nighter (not pictured, sorry guys):

San Juan waiting list...

I fudged the date of entry for the San Juan Solstice, and now I'm 62nd on the waiting list. Fuck. I'm not too worried though, both years I did this race the field was "full" and yet they would have allowed some race day registration. So I'll definitely be in Lake City prepared to run that weekend. Worse comes to worse I'll be turned away, pace for one of the CRUD guys, and bag some nearby 14ers on Sunday.

new year's resolution

I asked Lulu what her resolution was. She told me she doesn't make resolutions, then added this nugget:

"I want to do a 50 miler I think. And ultimately 100 miler. Oh wow. I just realized that. Shit! I am in trouble!!"

Just wanted to put that out there for all her friends to see...

Full report of New Years Eve in Manitou and the hangover killer Rescue Run (I ran 43:31) will follow shortly.

I saw a gal at Quinn's last night with this shirt on. From Reedsburg high school in Wisconsin. She promised that next week she'd wear her "Beaver Fever" shirt.