Friday, October 26, 2018
Red Rock Canyon Climb
Climbed 5.8 outside on Thursday evening, sending Wake to Wake on my first try! Woot! Didn't lead it, my buddy Mike went up first. He also took a few pictures. The first and third are of me climbing, the middle is of me belaying. A few "oh shit" moments but the climb went pretty well. Hope to get out after work a few more times, but daylight savings is looming and will probably put an end to weeknight climbing for a while.
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
Colfax Traverse
On October 27 a few friends and I will attempt to ride our bikes the entire length of Colfax Ave, the longest and wickedest road in America. A feat so daring it has never been attempted before*.
Saturday and Sunday. Staying at the luxurious Ramada across the street from Sancho's on Saturday night. Starting Sunday morning at 8AM at Nob Hill. Possibly a few pubs along the way. If anyone wants to meet up with us get in touch with me.
Not only do we get to see the Nuns of Brixton, but these guys are opening:
*I have done zero research to support this claim and I can only think that if this hasn't been done it's because most would say it's a dumb idea. I do know this gal has hiked the entire length of Colfax.
Monday, October 22, 2018
week in review
Two weeks, since I think I missed last week. Fitness is coming around, starting to feel good about JFK. Also looking forward to a bunch of shorter races I have coming up.
The groin thing seems to have gone away. Ditched the weight vest on the dog walks, I'll probably take another week away from that just to be safe.
Run - 63
Hike - 16
Bike - 39
Run - 54.2
Hike - 16
Bike - 25
Tim B carried a few dozen pounds of camera gear up Cheyenne Mountain and got this pic:
The groin thing seems to have gone away. Ditched the weight vest on the dog walks, I'll probably take another week away from that just to be safe.
Run - 63
Hike - 16
Bike - 39
Run - 54.2
Hike - 16
Bike - 25
Tim B carried a few dozen pounds of camera gear up Cheyenne Mountain and got this pic:
Sunday, October 21, 2018
Cheyenne Mountain Run
Awesome day to be outside and I took full advantage of it. Early morning 5k Garden hike with the dog, then it was over to Cheyenne Mountain State Park to run up and down Cheyenne Mountain.
Love the new Dixon trail and I think it will become a regular run for me. Just as hard as running up to Barr Camp and back without the zoo that Manitou and the Incline bring (admittedly I'm part of that zoo quite a bit).
Wasn't sure how the race would go. I'm feel fit, but all my work has been on flat stuff with almost no climbing. Started very conservatively, but the day went well and I moved up the entire race. The effort was exactly what I wanted today, definitely sweating a bit but I also had another gear or two in reserve had I wanted to use it.
Made it up in 1:26:04, down in 61 flat for 2:27:04. Spent about two minutes at the top taking in the view, then the first 1.5 miles of the downhill was little more than walking due to me taking the technical terrain very carefully and the mass of people making their way up the trail. A lot of people passed me on that part of the downhill, but I ended up getting most of them back once the trail smoothed out a bit.
Love the new Dixon trail and I think it will become a regular run for me. Just as hard as running up to Barr Camp and back without the zoo that Manitou and the Incline bring (admittedly I'm part of that zoo quite a bit).
Wasn't sure how the race would go. I'm feel fit, but all my work has been on flat stuff with almost no climbing. Started very conservatively, but the day went well and I moved up the entire race. The effort was exactly what I wanted today, definitely sweating a bit but I also had another gear or two in reserve had I wanted to use it.
Made it up in 1:26:04, down in 61 flat for 2:27:04. Spent about two minutes at the top taking in the view, then the first 1.5 miles of the downhill was little more than walking due to me taking the technical terrain very carefully and the mass of people making their way up the trail. A lot of people passed me on that part of the downhill, but I ended up getting most of them back once the trail smoothed out a bit.
Relive 'Morning Run'
Friday, October 19, 2018
bike commute 50
Sunday - Nothing. I was hungover and it was approximately -156F outside. Global warming my ass.
Monday - Two mile hike with the dog, run commute 53, CityRock 113.
Tuesday - 2.4 mile dog hike, CityRock 114, and bike commute 49. The bike day included four rides between the office and home and a downtown meeting I had to attend.
Wednesday - 2.3 mile dog hike, run commute 54, CityRock 115. My old body is failing once again as I tweaked something in the groin area crushing ten minute miles on the run home.
Thursday - Off work. 5k dog hike followed by a 17.6 mile run on local trails. Physical activity is fine on the groin, but I'll be doing something like texting a friend or getting a glass of water and a quick jolt of mild pain will shoot up. Getting old sucks. I did go climbing outside in Red Rock Canyon, and cleaned an anchor for the first time. I am at the point where I believe I have the gear and the knowledge to go climbing with someone who is newer to the sport than me.
Friday - 2.4 mile dog hike, bike commute 50, CityRock 116. Was going to do the Incline after work but I think the body needs some rest.
Monday - Two mile hike with the dog, run commute 53, CityRock 113.
Tuesday - 2.4 mile dog hike, CityRock 114, and bike commute 49. The bike day included four rides between the office and home and a downtown meeting I had to attend.
Wednesday - 2.3 mile dog hike, run commute 54, CityRock 115. My old body is failing once again as I tweaked something in the groin area crushing ten minute miles on the run home.
Thursday - Off work. 5k dog hike followed by a 17.6 mile run on local trails. Physical activity is fine on the groin, but I'll be doing something like texting a friend or getting a glass of water and a quick jolt of mild pain will shoot up. Getting old sucks. I did go climbing outside in Red Rock Canyon, and cleaned an anchor for the first time. I am at the point where I believe I have the gear and the knowledge to go climbing with someone who is newer to the sport than me.
Friday - 2.4 mile dog hike, bike commute 50, CityRock 116. Was going to do the Incline after work but I think the body needs some rest.
Wednesday, October 10, 2018
bike commute 47
Mon - two mile dog hike, run commute 51, and CityRock 110. $100, the dog, and I got in another two mile dog hike after work down to the library and back.
Tues - bike commute 47. Dreamer, my fat bike, turned three years old. My Mariachi is Barstool, and the two are named after a Widespread Panic song. My Lorax is named Larry, after my 4th grade teacher and the first person I remember coming across who biked to work. Anyways, went a bit longer on the ride home, and it was the first time this season I thought I was going to lose some toes and/or fingers.
Wed - 32F and snowing when I got up. Damn near bailed and went back to sleep, but I got out for a quick four miler. My cold weather mental fitness is currently lacking, but this was at least a small step in the right direction. Did not bike or run to work as I was supposed to climb in Red Rock Canyon today, but that will likely be cancelled due to the wet weather (not a sissy call, climbing on the RRC sandstone when it's wet is bad).
Tues - bike commute 47. Dreamer, my fat bike, turned three years old. My Mariachi is Barstool, and the two are named after a Widespread Panic song. My Lorax is named Larry, after my 4th grade teacher and the first person I remember coming across who biked to work. Anyways, went a bit longer on the ride home, and it was the first time this season I thought I was going to lose some toes and/or fingers.
Wed - 32F and snowing when I got up. Damn near bailed and went back to sleep, but I got out for a quick four miler. My cold weather mental fitness is currently lacking, but this was at least a small step in the right direction. Did not bike or run to work as I was supposed to climb in Red Rock Canyon today, but that will likely be cancelled due to the wet weather (not a sissy call, climbing on the RRC sandstone when it's wet is bad).
Thursday, October 04, 2018
run commute 50
Mon - morning dog hike followed by bike commute 45, including a good ride through Ute Valley Park after work on the way to garage run. CityRock 108.
Tues - 6.5 mile morning Garden run. Had to go up to the Air Force Academy in the afternoon, so I rode the 13.5 mile Falcon Trail.
Wed - 60 minute morning dog hike followed by run commute 49.
Thurs - 60 minute dog hike followed by run commute 50. We were passing a driveway and the dog barked at a cat who was sleeping there. I thought it was a bit big for a cat and sure enough when I fired up the headlamp it was a bobcat, not five feet from us. The dog is a peaceful animal and left the bobcat alone.
I got this in the mail the other day, so at least I have that going for me:
Tues - 6.5 mile morning Garden run. Had to go up to the Air Force Academy in the afternoon, so I rode the 13.5 mile Falcon Trail.
Wed - 60 minute morning dog hike followed by run commute 49.
Thurs - 60 minute dog hike followed by run commute 50. We were passing a driveway and the dog barked at a cat who was sleeping there. I thought it was a bit big for a cat and sure enough when I fired up the headlamp it was a bobcat, not five feet from us. The dog is a peaceful animal and left the bobcat alone.
I got this in the mail the other day, so at least I have that going for me:
Wednesday, October 03, 2018
Nebraska
First, a little background music for this post.
Made the drive to Scottsbluff/Gehrig, Nebraska, to nab my 20th state marathon. Using this as a long run for JFK, I was planning on a four hour effort. Got in a bit faster than that, running 3:37, and it was a really good 20 miler with a terrible 10k added on. But I'll take it.
The trip was pretty meh. Long drive, mediocre brewery, a local population that is all grumpy because Nebraska football is terrible (one of the few teams in the country that might be worse than Pitt, and folks in NE take college football a lot more serious than folks in the 'burgh). Even the national monument was lackluster - it reminded me of Palmer Park which is a cool place but not quite cool enough to get me to cross I-25 for. Not trying to rip the nice people of western Nebraska. But sometimes when you drive to the middle of nowhere there's not much to do there.
Made the drive to Scottsbluff/Gehrig, Nebraska, to nab my 20th state marathon. Using this as a long run for JFK, I was planning on a four hour effort. Got in a bit faster than that, running 3:37, and it was a really good 20 miler with a terrible 10k added on. But I'll take it.
The trip was pretty meh. Long drive, mediocre brewery, a local population that is all grumpy because Nebraska football is terrible (one of the few teams in the country that might be worse than Pitt, and folks in NE take college football a lot more serious than folks in the 'burgh). Even the national monument was lackluster - it reminded me of Palmer Park which is a cool place but not quite cool enough to get me to cross I-25 for. Not trying to rip the nice people of western Nebraska. But sometimes when you drive to the middle of nowhere there's not much to do there.
Tuesday, October 02, 2018
Thursday, September 27, 2018
six years
Six years ago $100 and I got hitched. We still love watching the highlights of that roadtrip.
RRC climbing
Couple 'o hours in Red Rock Canyon after work. Still getting used to using all that climbing equipment, but I'm improving.
And I finally figured out how to coil a rope the cool way.
And I finally figured out how to coil a rope the cool way.
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
run commute 47
Mon - 2.6 mile dog hike, followed by the quickest bike route to and from work. Super productive considering how hung over I was from the Canon pub crawl and Taste of OCC on Sunday.
Tues - run commute 47. Went pretty hard on the way to work, then did some leg blasters, quadzillas, and chassis integrity stuff at CityRock over lunch. Legs were pretty fried, so the run home was pretty slow.
This is the sign at Holmes Middle School, where I sometimes venture to run around the cinder track. Are schools even trying anymore?
Tues - run commute 47. Went pretty hard on the way to work, then did some leg blasters, quadzillas, and chassis integrity stuff at CityRock over lunch. Legs were pretty fried, so the run home was pretty slow.
This is the sign at Holmes Middle School, where I sometimes venture to run around the cinder track. Are schools even trying anymore?
Tuesday, September 25, 2018
royal 50
Went down to Canon City for FAR's Royal 50 mountain bike race on Saturday. I rode about as hard as I could and feel like I had a good ride, but looking at the standings I finished 35th out of 38, including two women I passed in the last ten miles or so (one of whom I had to go all out on the last climb to hold off). Finished in 6:42, well under the cutoff of eight hours. With any running race I can just show up and there are guaranteed to be a ton of slow people, but that's not the case with a MTB race. Or maybe that is the case, and I'm just one of the slow people.
And the section back to the Canon pubs, including Skyline Drive, which I rode to get in 100k:
After the race we ($100 and some Austin friends of mine) toured some of the finer pubs of Canon. My Brothers Place, Lala's, McClure's. We stayed the night down there, and on Sunday morning I took the dog for a 5K hike along the riverwalk. Such a great town. Looking forward to getting back to Canon more often now that the weather is cooling off a bit.
Relive 'Morning Ride'
And the section back to the Canon pubs, including Skyline Drive, which I rode to get in 100k:
Relive 'Afternoon Ride'
After the race we ($100 and some Austin friends of mine) toured some of the finer pubs of Canon. My Brothers Place, Lala's, McClure's. We stayed the night down there, and on Sunday morning I took the dog for a 5K hike along the riverwalk. Such a great town. Looking forward to getting back to Canon more often now that the weather is cooling off a bit.
Wednesday, September 19, 2018
run commute 45
Mon - 2.3 mile dog hike followed by run commute 44. Not sure if I ever mentioned this but my dog hikes are done with a 40 pound weight vest.
Tues - 2.3 mile dog hike, bike commute 43, and CityRock 104. All before 8AM. Had to leave work to go to a meeting at the Academy. Got to watch football practice for a bit.
Took our cadet some supper.
And then sat through a very boring two hour meeting. Did manage to score some sweet USAF coasters though, which I immediately took to Red Leg to try out. The AF is very serious about stopping the sexual assault issues at the Academy, because it looks terribly bad when the daily headline of the Gazette spills your secrets. I doubt the issues at the Academy are any better or worse than any other college (except Pitt, which is perfect) but the PR folks up north definitely work a lot of overtime.
Wed - run commute 45. 5.5 miles with most of those miles sub eight, which is a good effort for me given terrain and traffic on this route.
Tues - 2.3 mile dog hike, bike commute 43, and CityRock 104. All before 8AM. Had to leave work to go to a meeting at the Academy. Got to watch football practice for a bit.
Took our cadet some supper.
And then sat through a very boring two hour meeting. Did manage to score some sweet USAF coasters though, which I immediately took to Red Leg to try out. The AF is very serious about stopping the sexual assault issues at the Academy, because it looks terribly bad when the daily headline of the Gazette spills your secrets. I doubt the issues at the Academy are any better or worse than any other college (except Pitt, which is perfect) but the PR folks up north definitely work a lot of overtime.
Wed - run commute 45. 5.5 miles with most of those miles sub eight, which is a good effort for me given terrain and traffic on this route.
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
weekend
One helluva weekend.
On Friday after running into a bear I headed up to Red Rocks for a night of my favorite band. Gov't Mule. A quick set from Warren, a long set of Mule, and a super long set of Mule doing Pink Floyd. Incredible performance. We now have a shuttle that runs from COS to Red Rocks and let me tell you it's the best feeling ever not to have to worry about driving home after RR shows.
We were watching our other dog, Moose, this weekend. So early Saturday morning $100 and I took them for a long hike in Sondermann Park. Holly is over ten years old now and naps a lot. Moose is two and doesn't sleep at all, but after our hike that changed for a few hours.
Then I was off to the Garden for some climbing. Had a blast, though I still suck at this climbing thing. Did make it up Cowboy Boot Crack since there was a top rope and I didn't have to place any protection. Had a great afternoon playing around in my backyard park.
After climbing $100, Nacheaux, and I headed over to Front Range BBQ to see Chauncy Crandall. Then we stopped by another pub to catch the Tejon Street Corner Thieves. Two back to back very late nights for this old man!
On Sunday, perhaps inspired by the new marathon world record, I went up to the track for some 400m repeats. Just did not feel like running long, but the hard effort was good for me. Then it was up to the Air Force Academy for a soccer game. Our cadet is a goalie, though she currently just rides the pine behind the current senior keeper. I know nothing about soccer, so we watched a bunch of chicks kick a ball around without kicking it into the goal, and AF tied Gonzaga 0-0. After two overtimes.
I feel like I crammed a month's worth of stereotypical Colorado stuff into this three day weekend. Good times!
Friday, September 14, 2018
week in review
Mon - 2.5 mile dog hike, bike commute 41, CityRock 101.
Tues - 2.4 mile dog hike, run commute 43, CityRock 102. The morning run included 3 x 1 mile repeats.
Wed - bike commute 42, CityRock 103. The afternoon ride was a 15 miler with a chunk of that in Ute Valley Park. My tech skills on the bike are shittier than usual right now, not boding well for the upcoming Royal 50. Ended at Red Leg to see an old buddy of mine from San Antonio and we drank way too many beers.
Thurs - nothing all day due to a hangover. Did manage to squeak in a lousy four miler in the Garden in the evening.
Fri - 5k dog hike. Then 15 miles to Barr Camp and back. Time was a little slow due to this guy blocking the trail at Bob's.
Tues - 2.4 mile dog hike, run commute 43, CityRock 102. The morning run included 3 x 1 mile repeats.
Wed - bike commute 42, CityRock 103. The afternoon ride was a 15 miler with a chunk of that in Ute Valley Park. My tech skills on the bike are shittier than usual right now, not boding well for the upcoming Royal 50. Ended at Red Leg to see an old buddy of mine from San Antonio and we drank way too many beers.
Thurs - nothing all day due to a hangover. Did manage to squeak in a lousy four miler in the Garden in the evening.
Fri - 5k dog hike. Then 15 miles to Barr Camp and back. Time was a little slow due to this guy blocking the trail at Bob's.
Monday, September 10, 2018
weekend update
After the Incline on Friday some friends showed up to mooch free booze, and then we all went over to Trails End for Woodshed Red. Love that band, though it says a lot about the local COS music scene that the most popular band in town in a cover band. Had a great time and especially enjoyed the $5 pints of Blood Orange IPA from Deuces Wild.
On Saturday I got up to Rampart Res for a loop. Started as a run, turned to a run/hike, and became just a hike the last two miles. Capped off my second consecutive 40 mile week though.
About the worst weekend ever for Pittsburgh football as Pitt got destroyed by PSU on Saturday night and then the Steelers tied the damn cleveland brownies.
Also hit Patty Jewitt Porchfest on Sunday, had a fantastic time over there. Probably need to give my liver a bit of a break after this weekend.
On Saturday I got up to Rampart Res for a loop. Started as a run, turned to a run/hike, and became just a hike the last two miles. Capped off my second consecutive 40 mile week though.
Relive 'Lunch Run'
About the worst weekend ever for Pittsburgh football as Pitt got destroyed by PSU on Saturday night and then the Steelers tied the damn cleveland brownies.
Also hit Patty Jewitt Porchfest on Sunday, had a fantastic time over there. Probably need to give my liver a bit of a break after this weekend.
Saturday, September 08, 2018
incline 15
Third consecutive Friday incline. Was in a hurry to get this done as the Woodshed Red show was beckoning, and it was my quickest incline in a long time. 31:20. Came straight back down.
Relive 'Afternoon Run'
Friday, September 07, 2018
CityRock 100
Big milestone as I had a great climb over lunch today.
Cancelled my accolade membership this morning. Was always a pain in the ass trying to schedule time to get to that gym. And after most workouts there all I would think was, "I would have gotten a better workout by climbing."
Cancelled my accolade membership this morning. Was always a pain in the ass trying to schedule time to get to that gym. And after most workouts there all I would think was, "I would have gotten a better workout by climbing."
Thursday, September 06, 2018
labor day
Busy labor day weekend.
Incline on Friday after work.
On Saturday I did a quick run in the Garden followed by a longer ride over in Cheyenne Canon.
Back in time to watch Pitt crush Albany. So happy college football is back!
Then we got to meet our AF cadet. We had her and her family over for supper.
Early Sunday we left for Estes Park. Had hoped to visit Rocky Mountain NP but hot damn was that place packed. So we bailed and hit up two new breweries (for me) in EP, Lumpy Ridge and Rock Cut.
Sunday afternoon we got to Fort Collins and $100 got her new bike, a New Belgium Cruiser. We immediately broker her in with a pub crawl. O'Dell's, Equinox, Town Pump, Road 34. Plus some brews at a friends house. Despite the late night I still ended up running fairly well at the Fortitude 10k on Monday (see below).
Tuesday - nada. Drove to work, did not work out at lunch, ate a ton of junk food. Hangovers suck.
Wed - run commute 41. Included 3 x 1 mile with half a mile RBI. Roughly 6:40s. Easy four miles back home.
Thurs - run commute 42.
Incline on Friday after work.
On Saturday I did a quick run in the Garden followed by a longer ride over in Cheyenne Canon.
Relive 'Morning Ride'
Back in time to watch Pitt crush Albany. So happy college football is back!
Then we got to meet our AF cadet. We had her and her family over for supper.
Early Sunday we left for Estes Park. Had hoped to visit Rocky Mountain NP but hot damn was that place packed. So we bailed and hit up two new breweries (for me) in EP, Lumpy Ridge and Rock Cut.
Sunday afternoon we got to Fort Collins and $100 got her new bike, a New Belgium Cruiser. We immediately broker her in with a pub crawl. O'Dell's, Equinox, Town Pump, Road 34. Plus some brews at a friends house. Despite the late night I still ended up running fairly well at the Fortitude 10k on Monday (see below).
Tuesday - nada. Drove to work, did not work out at lunch, ate a ton of junk food. Hangovers suck.
Wed - run commute 41. Included 3 x 1 mile with half a mile RBI. Roughly 6:40s. Easy four miles back home.
Thurs - run commute 42.
Tuesday, September 04, 2018
Fortitude 10k
Despite late nights on Saturday and Sunday the Fortitude 10k went as well as I could hope. 40:52. Would have been nice to slip a sub 40 in but I ran as hard as I could so I'm pretty happy. Really struggled the second half and a few times I thought about giving up but I held it together. Also chugged a mimosa about half a mile into the race.
The mile splits:
1 - 6:35
2 - 6:24
3 - 6:37
4 - 6:40
5 - 6:35
6 - 6:41
Good enough for 171st place overall. And I beat nine other runners from the A wave. Although for a full minute, until the AB wave started, I was in dead last place.
The mile splits:
1 - 6:35
2 - 6:24
3 - 6:37
4 - 6:40
5 - 6:35
6 - 6:41
Good enough for 171st place overall. And I beat nine other runners from the A wave. Although for a full minute, until the AB wave started, I was in dead last place.
Relive 'Morning Sep 3rd'
Saturday, September 01, 2018
incline 14
Trying to fire up the Friday night incline once again (did it last Friday as well). Got over there after work for a nice trip up the hill. Took my sweet time as strava reports 42:13 from first step to last.
Thursday, August 30, 2018
run & bike commute 40/upcoming weekend
Finally feel like I'm getting back into a routine after our hike. Took a while.
Mon - run commute 38. Actually mooched a ride downtown to Kings Chef with Bob, but I did run home.
Tues - run commute 39. The run to work included 3 x one mile with five minutes rest in between. I do these on the roads and I don't really pay attention to the time, I just make sure I'm running hard. They were all well under seven minutes depending on traffic and stoplights and whatnot. CityRock 94 at lunch.
Wed - bike commute 40. Straight to CityRock in the AM to throw some weights around and do some bouldering. On the way home I climbed Cheyenne Canon, which I am not in shape to be doing but with the Royal 50 looming I need to pedal more.
Thurs - run commute 40. Through Sondermann Park. Included 2 x 20 minutes pretty hard.
As much as I can't stand children under the age of 27, the wife and I have done an old college roommate of mine a favor and adopted his niece under the Air Force Academy cadet sponsorship program. We are having her and her parents over on Saturday after the Air Force/Stony Brook football game. I am going to try to get her to transfer to Pitt, or at least Army if she doesn't have the qualifications to get into that prestigious school.
On Sunday we are going to head out early and take a drive (no hiking as we'll have the dog) through Rocky Mountain National Park before heading over to Fort Collins for a brewery tour and the Fortitude 10K on Monday. We are planning on a late lunch Saturday at Lumpy Ridge Brewing and a brewery tour in the Fort on Sat evening if anyone is around.
Mon - run commute 38. Actually mooched a ride downtown to Kings Chef with Bob, but I did run home.
Tues - run commute 39. The run to work included 3 x one mile with five minutes rest in between. I do these on the roads and I don't really pay attention to the time, I just make sure I'm running hard. They were all well under seven minutes depending on traffic and stoplights and whatnot. CityRock 94 at lunch.
Wed - bike commute 40. Straight to CityRock in the AM to throw some weights around and do some bouldering. On the way home I climbed Cheyenne Canon, which I am not in shape to be doing but with the Royal 50 looming I need to pedal more.
Thurs - run commute 40. Through Sondermann Park. Included 2 x 20 minutes pretty hard.
As much as I can't stand children under the age of 27, the wife and I have done an old college roommate of mine a favor and adopted his niece under the Air Force Academy cadet sponsorship program. We are having her and her parents over on Saturday after the Air Force/Stony Brook football game. I am going to try to get her to transfer to Pitt, or at least Army if she doesn't have the qualifications to get into that prestigious school.
On Sunday we are going to head out early and take a drive (no hiking as we'll have the dog) through Rocky Mountain National Park before heading over to Fort Collins for a brewery tour and the Fortitude 10K on Monday. We are planning on a late lunch Saturday at Lumpy Ridge Brewing and a brewery tour in the Fort on Sat evening if anyone is around.
Tuesday, August 28, 2018
Red Rock Canyon climbing
Took a class on lead climbing from the Colorado Mountain Club and it went well. My two biggest days of outdoor climbing yet. And I didn't fall to my death. I can't wait to climb something that isn't slab. Everyone on the ground yelling, "trust your feet," but I don't trust my feet (which will stick) and I don't yet trust the gear to keep me from falling (which is bombproof) so it's just a constant raging fear of impending painful death for me.
Friday, August 24, 2018
accolade 31
Mon - bike commute 37, including a longer ride home to stop by Garage Run. CityRock 91 at lunch.
Tues - bike commute 38. CityRock 92.
Wed - run commute 37. Legs still sore from the Double, mostly from running down the mountain.
Thurs - bike commute 39, CityRock 93.
Fri - drank a few too many beers at Fossil on Thursday night but I still forced myself out of bed for a 1:15 dog hike in the Garden and a trip to Accolade.
Going climbing this weekend. Red Rock Canyon on Saturday, and then possibly Shelf Road on Sunday.
Tues - bike commute 38. CityRock 92.
Wed - run commute 37. Legs still sore from the Double, mostly from running down the mountain.
Thurs - bike commute 39, CityRock 93.
Fri - drank a few too many beers at Fossil on Thursday night but I still forced myself out of bed for a 1:15 dog hike in the Garden and a trip to Accolade.
Going climbing this weekend. Red Rock Canyon on Saturday, and then possibly Shelf Road on Sunday.
Thursday, August 23, 2018
so how much did it all cost?
First off, I want to point out that this is what we spent and it is not at all a guide to what it costs to do the Colorado Trail, or any thru-hike. I counted the price of gear as brand new, even though I had most of the stuff already and continue to use almost everything. The high costs of zero days were often two or three nights in a nice hotel, eating at restaurants three or four times a day, often footing the bill for friends who had helped us out. And the bars, well, we drank a lot at times.
The approximate breakdown:
big four - $756
base weight - $287.99
mail - $117.05 + $28.85 (Salida box) = $145.90
trail food - $1036.91. About six thousand calories per day for the two of us.
Total for that, which is all you'd need to do the hike, is $2226.80. $4.45 per mile. Probably not a whole lot a normal hiker could do to get this cost significantly lower. Big four and base weight was for me, mail and trail food was for the two of us.
Of course there were the zero days.
Breck - $818.18.
Leadville - $760.98
Salida - $1165.01
Creede - $169.83 (no hotel costs as we stayed with a friend)
Silverton - $406.26
Durango - $664.62
And $119 for a rental car to get back to COS.
The zero day total comes to $4103.88. Obviously there might be some ways to trim this part of the budget down a bit. Not going to every town, not spending multiple nights at every town, not trying to drink all the beers and eat all the pizzas and cheeseburgers at every town, I could see this number drop to under $500 pretty easily. I'm sure some spend much less that that.
The grand total comes to $6330.68. $186.19 per day. Approximately $12.66 per mile. Livin' large, even though most of it was living in a tent and reeking of BO.
The approximate breakdown:
big four - $756
base weight - $287.99
mail - $117.05 + $28.85 (Salida box) = $145.90
trail food - $1036.91. About six thousand calories per day for the two of us.
Total for that, which is all you'd need to do the hike, is $2226.80. $4.45 per mile. Probably not a whole lot a normal hiker could do to get this cost significantly lower. Big four and base weight was for me, mail and trail food was for the two of us.
Of course there were the zero days.
Breck - $818.18.
Leadville - $760.98
Salida - $1165.01
Creede - $169.83 (no hotel costs as we stayed with a friend)
Silverton - $406.26
Durango - $664.62
And $119 for a rental car to get back to COS.
The zero day total comes to $4103.88. Obviously there might be some ways to trim this part of the budget down a bit. Not going to every town, not spending multiple nights at every town, not trying to drink all the beers and eat all the pizzas and cheeseburgers at every town, I could see this number drop to under $500 pretty easily. I'm sure some spend much less that that.
The grand total comes to $6330.68. $186.19 per day. Approximately $12.66 per mile. Livin' large, even though most of it was living in a tent and reeking of BO.
Monday, August 20, 2018
Pikes
Pretty good weekend for me and much better than I expected it would be.
Still in shape from the Colorado Trail so I knew finishing wouldn't be an issue, I just thought it would be slower than usual. Told $100 to plan on four hours on Saturday, then another four hour ascent followed by a three hour descent on Sunday.
Saturday, of course, was a wash as they ended the race at Barr Camp. I was pleasantly surprised at how my day went though. I was able to run around 70% of the course, much more than I thought I'd do. I ran 1:49:55, though that includes a ten minute break when I stopped about 100 meters from the finish line to have a beer.
On Sunday things went well once again. Got to the summit in 3:47. The downhill hurt like hell as I have not done any downhill running in a long time, but my down split of 2:17 was not my worst ever. Finished in 6:03. For some reason I'm already excited for next year.
Still in shape from the Colorado Trail so I knew finishing wouldn't be an issue, I just thought it would be slower than usual. Told $100 to plan on four hours on Saturday, then another four hour ascent followed by a three hour descent on Sunday.
Saturday, of course, was a wash as they ended the race at Barr Camp. I was pleasantly surprised at how my day went though. I was able to run around 70% of the course, much more than I thought I'd do. I ran 1:49:55, though that includes a ten minute break when I stopped about 100 meters from the finish line to have a beer.
On Sunday things went well once again. Got to the summit in 3:47. The downhill hurt like hell as I have not done any downhill running in a long time, but my down split of 2:17 was not my worst ever. Finished in 6:03. For some reason I'm already excited for next year.
Relive 'Morning Run'
Wednesday, August 15, 2018
accolade 30
Still trying to transition back to a runner from a hiker. Been spending a lot of time in the gym, whether Accolade or CityRock. Plus the usual running/biking to work.
$100 and I caught David Lowery and Johnny Hickman (half of the band Cracker) at Bristol on Sunday. Great show.
Hit the DIM hash on Monday. It had been quite a while since my last hash. Short but fun trail through Red Rock Canyon, beginning and ending at Fossil.
$100 and I caught David Lowery and Johnny Hickman (half of the band Cracker) at Bristol on Sunday. Great show.
Hit the DIM hash on Monday. It had been quite a while since my last hash. Short but fun trail through Red Rock Canyon, beginning and ending at Fossil.
Monday, August 13, 2018
beard
At some point I will post some more stuff about our Colorado Trail shindig.
I went about seven weeks without shaving. Here's the final result. My selfie game is only slightly stronger than my beard game.
Still took a while to shave it all off.
Being summer I was not able to achieve a life goal of posting a pic on the ice beard runners FB page. But I did get to drink a few beers with the king of bearded runners, who wasn't very impressed with my facial hair.
I went about seven weeks without shaving. Here's the final result. My selfie game is only slightly stronger than my beard game.
Still took a while to shave it all off.
Being summer I was not able to achieve a life goal of posting a pic on the ice beard runners FB page. But I did get to drink a few beers with the king of bearded runners, who wasn't very impressed with my facial hair.
Sunday, August 12, 2018
Crestone Peak
Hit the road in the van with $100 and the dog on Friday and we headed back down to Westcliffe (night outside #34). We met Kircher down there, and he and I were going to hit a 14er or two on Saturday.
Saw a bunch of mountain goats on our way up to Broken Hand Pass. Another 14er, Humbolt Peak, in the background.
The top. Helluva climb to get here. Really pushed the line between steep scrambling and actual rock climbing.
Another view from the top.
On the way down.
You can see a red streak going up the mountain, that's what we went up and down. Crestone Peak just to the left as you look at this pic.
Broken Hand Pass. Sketchiest part of this hike, of which there were many sketchy parts, was the climb just to the east of this pass. Lots of potential to get skulled by falling rocks.
We decided to do Crestone Peak and Crestone Needle. Crestone Peak ended up kicking our ass pretty good and we ended up doing just that peak. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday though, getting your ass kicked in the mountains. My watch ended up clocking out at 19 miles and eleven hours, and we still had at least another mile to go. Other than a 45 minute break at the top, we were moving the entire time. My 34th Colorado 14er.
The long approach. That's Kircher leading the way with Crestone Needle in the background.
Saw a bunch of mountain goats on our way up to Broken Hand Pass. Another 14er, Humbolt Peak, in the background.
The top. Helluva climb to get here. Really pushed the line between steep scrambling and actual rock climbing.
Another view from the top.
On the way down.
You can see a red streak going up the mountain, that's what we went up and down. Crestone Peak just to the left as you look at this pic.
Broken Hand Pass. Sketchiest part of this hike, of which there were many sketchy parts, was the climb just to the east of this pass. Lots of potential to get skulled by falling rocks.
Thursday, August 09, 2018
run commute 35
Not that I had a choice, but I dove headfirst back into the real world and am slowly getting back into a routine.
Sunday - very hungover, but did get outside. 2.2 mile dog walk, 7.3 mile run on the Garden roads, accolade 28 and an hour of hot yoga with $100. Also did some meal prep for the upcoming week and was around normal food for the first time in eight weeks.
Monday - bike commute 33, narrowly missing the hail storm that crushed certain spots around town, including our zoo and O'Day's new Tacoma. CityRock 86 at lunch.
Tuesday - 2.3 mile dog walk followed by run commute 34. The run to work included 2 x 2 miles with a five minute jog in the middle. CityRock 87 at lunch. More hail today, though not as devastating. Note that the westside didn't get any of the damaging weather that has been reported on around Colorado.
Wednesday - bike commute 34, including 14 miles home. Was hoping to hit Red Rock Canyon but the trails are pretty muddy. CityRock 88 at lunch.
Thursday - run commute 35. Threw in some two minutes on/two minutes off.
With the help of a friend we are hoping the van is back up and running and plan on heading to Westcliffe this weekend. Then Pikes. Then I have a class through the CMC on lead climbing, including placing the gear required to stop a fall. So I'm keeping busy.
Sunday - very hungover, but did get outside. 2.2 mile dog walk, 7.3 mile run on the Garden roads, accolade 28 and an hour of hot yoga with $100. Also did some meal prep for the upcoming week and was around normal food for the first time in eight weeks.
Monday - bike commute 33, narrowly missing the hail storm that crushed certain spots around town, including our zoo and O'Day's new Tacoma. CityRock 86 at lunch.
Tuesday - 2.3 mile dog walk followed by run commute 34. The run to work included 2 x 2 miles with a five minute jog in the middle. CityRock 87 at lunch. More hail today, though not as devastating. Note that the westside didn't get any of the damaging weather that has been reported on around Colorado.
Wednesday - bike commute 34, including 14 miles home. Was hoping to hit Red Rock Canyon but the trails are pretty muddy. CityRock 88 at lunch.
Thursday - run commute 35. Threw in some two minutes on/two minutes off.
With the help of a friend we are hoping the van is back up and running and plan on heading to Westcliffe this weekend. Then Pikes. Then I have a class through the CMC on lead climbing, including placing the gear required to stop a fall. So I'm keeping busy.
Sunday, August 05, 2018
back to the grind
It's been a fantastic six-ish weeks but I return to work on Monday.
The week off was a blast, but I spent it eating junkfood and drinking way too much. So it will be good for me to get back into the routine of hour long workouts before and after work and climbing over lunch.
I did get up Pikes on Saturday, via Elk Park. It wasn't pretty. I'll get the double done but it's going to take a while.
The focus now is to get ready for the JFK 50 in November. 23 miles running last week.
The week off was a blast, but I spent it eating junkfood and drinking way too much. So it will be good for me to get back into the routine of hour long workouts before and after work and climbing over lunch.
I did get up Pikes on Saturday, via Elk Park. It wasn't pretty. I'll get the double done but it's going to take a while.
The focus now is to get ready for the JFK 50 in November. 23 miles running last week.
Saturday, July 28, 2018
done!
Bucket list item completed, $100 and I completed the Colorado Trail after 34 days of hiking and visiting mountain towns.
More updates later. Rented a car in Durango, drove to COS, and it's back to DGO with the subaru and dog today. Staying at Pagosa Hot Springs tonight, then doing a brewery tour back home.
More updates later. Rented a car in Durango, drove to COS, and it's back to DGO with the subaru and dog today. Staying at Pagosa Hot Springs tonight, then doing a brewery tour back home.
Friday, July 13, 2018
Salida
Probably my last update while still on trail. We are over halfway and taking two zero days in Salida. Things are going great, we are having a blast, and we got word yesterday that the entire trail is open so it's Durango or bust! Sunday we leave for Creede, then Silverton, then Durango.
For some reason, this has become the official song of our hike.
For some reason, this has become the official song of our hike.
Saturday, July 07, 2018
update
Quick update from out zero day in Leadville.
First off, we had to make the rough decision to send the dog home in Breck. I thought about dropping with her, grabbing the jeep, and crewing for $100 but she talked me out of it. Dog is living the life with my sister or Amanda. She is currently here in Leadville and we miss her terribly, but believe we made the best decision. The dog wasn't injured, but we knew with another day or two of big mountain miles she would have gotten hurt. The brightside to this is that I feel my pack weight has been cut in half now that I don't have to carry food and water for the pooch.
Other than the dog issue, $100 and I are loving the trail life. The simplicity is awesome. Get up, eat, pack up, hike ten to twelve miles, eat, hike another few miles to a great campsite, eat, sleep. Repeat. We are still on somewhat of a schedule due to Salida, but after that we will probably start to crank out some bigger mile days.
Meeting all kinds of characters on the trail and it's been great. We are currently on a 200ish mile stretch that is part of the Continental Divide trail and we love seeing and chatting with those guys.
We are coming to terms with the fact that our hike will more than likely end at Molas Pass near Silverton, as the CO trail is currently closed south of that due to fires. Doutbful it will open by the time we get there. We will be content with a 400 mile thru-hike and will return to finish the trail in the future when the trail is open.
First off, we had to make the rough decision to send the dog home in Breck. I thought about dropping with her, grabbing the jeep, and crewing for $100 but she talked me out of it. Dog is living the life with my sister or Amanda. She is currently here in Leadville and we miss her terribly, but believe we made the best decision. The dog wasn't injured, but we knew with another day or two of big mountain miles she would have gotten hurt. The brightside to this is that I feel my pack weight has been cut in half now that I don't have to carry food and water for the pooch.
Other than the dog issue, $100 and I are loving the trail life. The simplicity is awesome. Get up, eat, pack up, hike ten to twelve miles, eat, hike another few miles to a great campsite, eat, sleep. Repeat. We are still on somewhat of a schedule due to Salida, but after that we will probably start to crank out some bigger mile days.
Meeting all kinds of characters on the trail and it's been great. We are currently on a 200ish mile stretch that is part of the Continental Divide trail and we love seeing and chatting with those guys.
We are coming to terms with the fact that our hike will more than likely end at Molas Pass near Silverton, as the CO trail is currently closed south of that due to fires. Doutbful it will open by the time we get there. We will be content with a 400 mile thru-hike and will return to finish the trail in the future when the trail is open.
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