Photo stolen from Pikes Peak Sports.
Monday, October 31, 2016
Palmer Park
Despite the very late night on Saturday, I had a good day over at Palmer Park on Sunday for the Fall Series. 7.5 miles of technical trails in 62 minutes. Physically the cankle is 100%, but mentally I'm just not ready to push on technical downhill trails yet. Might have been able to crack an hour if I hadn't been such a pussy on the downhills.
Photo stolen from Pikes Peak Sports.
Photo stolen from Pikes Peak Sports.
Friday, October 28, 2016
Barr Island
Some good time spent over on Bar Island while visiting Bar Harbor. Most of the time, getting to the island would require a swim. However, you can walk there 90 minutes before and after low tide. $100 and I hiked over to spend an evening, then the next morning I got up early and went for a run to the high point of the island, 175 feet above sea level. On Strava it looks like you run across the water. And it really confused google maps when we were on the island trying to figure out which route we were going to use to drive to Portland.
Thursday, October 27, 2016
Thunder Hole
One of the more famous places in Acadia. It's not really a hike, as the parking lot is less than 100 feet from Thunder Hole. And folks show up here by the bus load, literally, as every tour bus makes a stop. Do a longer hike, then grab a beer and check this place out.
Wednesday, October 26, 2016
Jordan Pond
Another great loop hike in Acadia. 5K around Jordan Pond. Crowded at the main trail head, but we didn't see very many folks away from that. Shows you the difference water makes in the west vs. the east. This would be a huge lake by Colorado standards, in Maine it's just an overlooked pond.
There is a restaurant, the Jordan Pond House, at the trail head. Mediocre food at high prices, I would recommend skipping this place and heading back to Bar Harbor to eat.
There is a restaurant, the Jordan Pond House, at the trail head. Mediocre food at high prices, I would recommend skipping this place and heading back to Bar Harbor to eat.
humpday update
Monday - Five miles in the morning over on the Garden roads. Bike commute 107. Was going to do hot yoga after work but the weather was nice and the dog talked me into doing our 5K trail loop in the Garden instead.
Tuesday - Commute 108, including a stop at morning climb at CityRock.
Wednesday AM - Five mile run down to Cerberus and back, two mile hike with the dog, commute 109.
Going to stick with running every other day at least until the Incline club starts back up in December. And instead of my usual 60 minutes, I've been getting out for 40-45. Good time of the year to back off and enjoy some other stuff.
I dropped almost $900 on a new phone, mostly so I could take better pics of my dog and whatever beer I happen to be drinking. I'll be sending out info on the new number to folks soon, but if I happen to miss someone and you want the new number, get in touch with me.
Tuesday - Commute 108, including a stop at morning climb at CityRock.
Wednesday AM - Five mile run down to Cerberus and back, two mile hike with the dog, commute 109.
Going to stick with running every other day at least until the Incline club starts back up in December. And instead of my usual 60 minutes, I've been getting out for 40-45. Good time of the year to back off and enjoy some other stuff.
I dropped almost $900 on a new phone, mostly so I could take better pics of my dog and whatever beer I happen to be drinking. I'll be sending out info on the new number to folks soon, but if I happen to miss someone and you want the new number, get in touch with me.
Monday, October 24, 2016
precipice
Another one of the Acadia classics. This one is known for exposure, but as a guy afraid of heights I wasn't too scared shitless on this hike. You need to be careful though, there are definitely places where a fall could lead to a bad injury or worse.
When we were on top we saw some folks heading down this route. Wouldn't recommend that. We ended up taking some easier singletrack down the other side of the mountain, then hitching a ride back to our car.
When we were on top we saw some folks heading down this route. Wouldn't recommend that. We ended up taking some easier singletrack down the other side of the mountain, then hitching a ride back to our car.
Cheyenne Mountain
On Friday we took the van over to Cheyenne Mountain State Park for night out number ten. Bit pricey, $28 for a tent only spot, plus having to pay another $7 since our state park pass is on a different vehicle, but it was nice to pull out of the driveway at 6PM and be drinking beer around a fire at 6:30.
Pretty good run on Saturday at the Cheyenne Mountain race. Really happy with my up, not really happy with my down. The first 1.5 down was due to being careful not to re-injure the cankle while dealing with a technical trail and two way traffic. The last three down was probably me just being out of shape. It is what it is.
Had a good race with Hessik. I figured if I could beat him to the top I could hold him off. Around mile three (it was 4.5 miles up) I made a move and gapped him pretty good. Had a good minute on him at the top, but he really crushed it on the downhill and not only caught me but put another minute on me by the finish.
The trail to the top of Cheyenne Mountain is going to be another gem for this area. Can't wait until it's finished!
Photo by Nancy Hobbs, who won the 5K and then came back out to cheer on the nine milers.
Pretty good run on Saturday at the Cheyenne Mountain race. Really happy with my up, not really happy with my down. The first 1.5 down was due to being careful not to re-injure the cankle while dealing with a technical trail and two way traffic. The last three down was probably me just being out of shape. It is what it is.
Had a good race with Hessik. I figured if I could beat him to the top I could hold him off. Around mile three (it was 4.5 miles up) I made a move and gapped him pretty good. Had a good minute on him at the top, but he really crushed it on the downhill and not only caught me but put another minute on me by the finish.
The trail to the top of Cheyenne Mountain is going to be another gem for this area. Can't wait until it's finished!
Photo by Nancy Hobbs, who won the 5K and then came back out to cheer on the nine milers.
Friday, October 21, 2016
beehive
Our first hike in Acadia was the park classic Beehive. Good pick to tackle on the day before a marathon. There is definitely some exposure, but as a guy who is afraid of heights I can say this wasn't too bad. Lots of fun though, and the scenery was outstanding.
The hike is only a 1.5 mile lolipop with 500 feet of elevation gain, but it took us 80 minutes due to stopping to goof off and take pictures and drink beer.
The hike is only a 1.5 mile lolipop with 500 feet of elevation gain, but it took us 80 minutes due to stopping to goof off and take pictures and drink beer.
Mt. Desert Island
Pretty decent marathon for the (lack of) work I've been putting in lately. Officially finished in 3:46:55, running the first half in 1:59:59 and coming back with a 1:47:23. My 19th state. Since my goal was to run the first half in two hours and then negative split, I'm pretty happy. And I wasn't sore after the run so I was able to hike the shit out of Acadia Nat'l Park over the next few days.
The MDI race is fantastic. The course is beautiful, skirting between Acadia and the Atlantic (technically it might be a bay) at a time of the season when the leaves are exploding in color. Not really a PR course though - had I been pushing the limit, there were hills at mile 20 and mile 23+ that might have broke me. They have good beer from Atlantic Brewing and food at the finish line, and if you don't want to be among the crowd there are several pubs in the small town of Northeast Harbor. We went to one such place and $100 had a lobster so fresh that it had to have been crawling around happily on the ocean floor around the time I passed the halfway point. I had a hot dog and fries at this place, and that was a damn good lunch!
I've notified Strava, we'll see if I really do get a pair of shoes.
The MDI race is fantastic. The course is beautiful, skirting between Acadia and the Atlantic (technically it might be a bay) at a time of the season when the leaves are exploding in color. Not really a PR course though - had I been pushing the limit, there were hills at mile 20 and mile 23+ that might have broke me. They have good beer from Atlantic Brewing and food at the finish line, and if you don't want to be among the crowd there are several pubs in the small town of Northeast Harbor. We went to one such place and $100 had a lobster so fresh that it had to have been crawling around happily on the ocean floor around the time I passed the halfway point. I had a hot dog and fries at this place, and that was a damn good lunch!
I've notified Strava, we'll see if I really do get a pair of shoes.
Thursday, October 20, 2016
he's back...
Lots to post about the Maine trip. We had an awesome time and it would have been a lot harder to come back if we weren't missing our dog so much. I'll post about everything in the coming days.
We had a 6AM flight out of Denver on Friday. Normally that would have meant getting a hotel room on Thursday. But since we now have a second home on wheels, we just parked in the Pikes Peak lot and slept there. But not before hitting two new breweries on Colfax.
Both were good, but not good enough to keep me from my usual Colfax hangout, Sancho's.
We checked Argonaut, and they now sell Surly.
We had a 6AM flight out of Denver on Friday. Normally that would have meant getting a hotel room on Thursday. But since we now have a second home on wheels, we just parked in the Pikes Peak lot and slept there. But not before hitting two new breweries on Colfax.
Both were good, but not good enough to keep me from my usual Colfax hangout, Sancho's.
We checked Argonaut, and they now sell Surly.
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Monday, October 17, 2016
Sunday, October 16, 2016
Saturday, October 15, 2016
Thursday, October 13, 2016
Thurs
Still running. But not as much. Going to stay at four days a week for a while, using the extra time to bike or climb or hike with the dog.
Monday - Four mile run on the Garden roads. Bike commute #103. 5K hike with $100 and the dog.
Tuesday - Early morning pre-work hour at CityRock. Then a 2.5 mile hike during lunch.
Wednesday - Five miles on the Garden roads. Bike commute #104. Then a few hours at CityRock for adult bouldering league.
Thurs - Slept in late due to one too many beers the previous evening. Four mile run, two mile hike with the dog. Bike commute #105.
The Icy Bike Winter Commuting Challenge started October 1st, even though temps were in the upper 70s then. We'll see how many times I can bike to work between now and March 31st. First October commute was #101 so it will be easy to track.
Monday - Four mile run on the Garden roads. Bike commute #103. 5K hike with $100 and the dog.
Tuesday - Early morning pre-work hour at CityRock. Then a 2.5 mile hike during lunch.
Wednesday - Five miles on the Garden roads. Bike commute #104. Then a few hours at CityRock for adult bouldering league.
Thurs - Slept in late due to one too many beers the previous evening. Four mile run, two mile hike with the dog. Bike commute #105.
The Icy Bike Winter Commuting Challenge started October 1st, even though temps were in the upper 70s then. We'll see how many times I can bike to work between now and March 31st. First October commute was #101 so it will be easy to track.
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
Big Head Blues Club
$100 and I decided to watch the big debate on Sunday night. Things got kind of heated, and now we have seperate lawyers fighting each others domestic abuse charges...
Just kidding, on Sunday we went down to Pueblo to catch the Big Head Blues Club show. I would certainly never live in Pueblo, but I really like taking day trips down there. We went to Walter's, had supper at The Senate, and desert at Brues Alehouse.
Then it was off to Pueblo Memorial Hall for Big Head Blues Club. That featured one of my favorites, Big Head Todd & The Monsters, teaming up with some other blues artists to play the music of Willie Dixon. Like myself, you might not think you know much about the songs of Willie Dixon, but every song they played had been made famous by other bands like Led Zeppelin, the Stones, and Hendrix. Guess that's just how the blues works - this guy should have been a household name and a billionaire given the success of all the bands that played his music, but he died in obscurity.
Anyways, great show. But no Big Head Todd stuff, and now I'm itching to see those guys in concert.
Our bartender at Walter's had told us about Neon Alley, so after the show we went and checked it out. Pretty cool. See, there are cool things to do in Pueblo if you just quit bitching about the place and listen to some of the locals who are trying hard to make it a cooler place.
Just kidding, on Sunday we went down to Pueblo to catch the Big Head Blues Club show. I would certainly never live in Pueblo, but I really like taking day trips down there. We went to Walter's, had supper at The Senate, and desert at Brues Alehouse.
Then it was off to Pueblo Memorial Hall for Big Head Blues Club. That featured one of my favorites, Big Head Todd & The Monsters, teaming up with some other blues artists to play the music of Willie Dixon. Like myself, you might not think you know much about the songs of Willie Dixon, but every song they played had been made famous by other bands like Led Zeppelin, the Stones, and Hendrix. Guess that's just how the blues works - this guy should have been a household name and a billionaire given the success of all the bands that played his music, but he died in obscurity.
Anyways, great show. But no Big Head Todd stuff, and now I'm itching to see those guys in concert.
Our bartender at Walter's had told us about Neon Alley, so after the show we went and checked it out. Pretty cool. See, there are cool things to do in Pueblo if you just quit bitching about the place and listen to some of the locals who are trying hard to make it a cooler place.
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