cheap socks

If any of you athletes want a good pair of cheap socks, check this out. Go to the Koobi website and order a single pair of socks. When it asks you for a coupon code, enter LV100. You end up getting the socks for less than five bucks.

PPRR fall series

Unfortunately I'll be away for these races, but the folks back in Colorado Springs should check out the Pikes Peak Road Runners fall series. Four races, starting at 3.5 miles and ending with a seven miler. Races are run at North Monument Valley Park, Bear Creek Park, Ute Valley Park, and Palmer Park. All are on some serious cross-country courses which have in the past included stream crossings. Might be a good event to get a hash team together, they have a division for teams of four runners. For more info, click here.

adios

Leaving my civilian job at lunch today, off to Peterson to sign in on active duty! No more civilian life for me until December.

saint ralph

Got into a netflix running movie kick shortly before Leadville. Watched two movies about Steve Prefontaine, one of my all time heros. Both movies (Without Limits and Prefontaine) were really good and definitely worth watching.

Ordered Saint Ralph almost as an afterthought, as it came up on the netflix search about running. Finally got a chance to watch it last night, and it was really good. If you're a fan of the marathon, or like movies with kids rubbing one out in a public swimming pool, you should definitely check it out.

rogue - sunmart

Just signed up for this rogue group. Goals will be to finish the Cactus Rose 100 miler in November, and also to come home with a new sub-8 hour PR for 50 miles (I'll get two chances - at Warda and Sunmart). Yes folks, all this on top of the rigorous PT program the Air Force will be putting me through!

support the troops

Should anyone be sitting at home and have the urge to clean on Thursday, my home is open. Between my lease expiring, the mess dealing with the upcoming AF trip, and getting my share of drinking in, I'm pretty squeezed for time. The door is open, go on in and clean away!

welchers!

If you went on the hike to Belford and didn't chip in for gas, you should feel ashamed! You're violating one of the main rules of road trips - which is to thin out the cost for everyone.

This on top of some people stiffing MeatGazer on the El Paso trip last January. Is this the reputation the Kimchi hash wants?

Pay up, deadbeats! Gas, grass, or ass...nobody rides for free!

Aim High!

Course description for the Security Forces Apprentice Course, the actual reason I'll be living in Texas for the next few months:

The Security Forces Apprentice Course trains Security Forces personnel to perform the duties of a Security Forces apprentice. Training includes application of IBD operations, nuclear/nonnuclear security, convoy operations (nuclear/conventional and humanitarian), response force, alarm response, installation entry contril, area/building/vehicle searches, high-threat entry, authority and jurisdiction, advisement of rights, installation patrol, recapture/recovery operations, land navigation (topographical map and grip map), military working dog operations, sentry duties, secure prisoners, interview persons, restricted area security, launch facility response force tactics, expanded weapons use and tactics (M9 Handgun, M4 Carbine, M240B Grenade Launcher, M240B Machine Gun, M249 Squad Automatic Weapon), force protection/participation in homeland defense, individual physical apprehension and restraint techniques, participation in AEF operations, extensive tactical response force in a Mission Rehearsal Area (MRA) and MOUT, career field history, training and supervision, force protection, operations security threats to USAF installations and resources, legal considerations and provisions, general security forces duties, application of force, contingency operations, and security forces operations.

Done most of that stuff with the Infantry before, but in the Air Force I won't have people yelling at me all the time, plus the 9 to 5 workday is gonna be sweet!

Thursday

I will be packed up and vacated from my apartment by Thursday, or else I am a big fat loser.

Figured since I said it on my blog I'd hafta stick to it.

post-Leadville workout #1

I'm actually somewhat disappointed that I wasn't hurt more after Leadville, but I guess I recover pretty quick. Forced myself to take some time off, probably won't run again until at least this weekend, but I did throw the weights around at the YMCA last night. Had to go make sure my card would work in San Antonio, since I was there I figured I'd hit the gym and shoot some hoops. Felt pretty good, my first real physical activity in over a week.

36%

Barely one out of three folks who started Leadville were able to finish. Finish rate for this year's race was 36%.

Mad Cowboys

Mad Cowboys at the Carousel Lounge on Friday, Sept 7th. Be there or be square!

it's all good now...

"Through this situation I've found Jesus."
-Michael Vick

Maybe he'll go to the same church as Paris Hilton. I love how celebrities always find religion after they've been busted. I'm one of those heathens who isn't very religious, but then again I've never electrocuted a dog either.

Jokes aside, I bet Vick ends up playing with the Raiders someday.

Belford pics

Nappy's pics from the Belford hike can be seen here. Good times! Her pics from the party that night can be seen here.

Mt. Belford

A bunch of hashers and I made it up Mt. Belford yesterday. Played a good game of 3-Man at 14,197 feet! Pics will be posted soon.

Pb-ville race report, miles 50 to 100

When we last left, our hero was at the Winfield aid station, having just completed the first half of the Leadville Trail 1oo.

Winfield to Twin Lakes (10.5 miles)

So I'm about to head out for the second half of Leadville. I've been downing ensure all day (350 calories per bottle - I would down a dozen of them during the run), staying hydrated, and miraculously I felt real strong for having just run 50 miles, most of it well over 10,000 feet. Which came as a pretty big surprise to me, considering how much trouble I had been through in a couple of 50 mile training runs. But, no time to contemplate my good fortune, it was time to start the second half.

Melissa and I leave Winfield and slowly make our way to the opposite side of Hope Pass. This part is a little steeper and a little shorter than the first trip. We hike up, keeping a good pace and passing lots of people. Having Melissa along makes the miles go a bit quicker, and before I know it I'm at the top of the pass. We pause for a photo and head down to the aid station, where I'd have my picture taken with one of the 28 llamas. Eat your food, Tina! Still feeling good after 55 miles. M and I then proceed to blast down the rest of Hope Pass, probably dipping under six minutes per mile at some points. I was never known as a downhill runner in Texas, but living in Colorado has forced me to get better at the skill, and it showed on that decent. Even though most were able to run down the Pass, I was still passing lots of folks. Towards the bottom the mud would slow me down a bit, but overall I ran well and had a ton of fun coming down. Once at the bottom, it was back across the river to the Twin Lakes aid station. I had just met the most formidable challenge of my ultra career, the infamous double crossing of Hope Pass at Leadville, and passed the test with flying colors. I come into Twin Lakes at 7:59PM (the cutoff is 9:45PM), which is just under 16 hours into the race. The Hope Pass section, 21 miles, took me seven and a half hours. FYI, my road marathon PR is 2:55.

Twin Lakes to Halfmoon (9.5 miles)

Going into the race, I knew I needed to get to Halfmoon before it got dark to have any chance of finishing. Getting stuck on Hope Pass in the dark would not have been fun. I make it with about half an hour to spare, so I'm still doing well. Definitely starting to feel the effects of the race, but that's to be expected after running almost 100K. After my usual ensure-powerbar-coke binge at the aid station, I take off, leaving Melissa so she could drive ahead and join me for the night run. Leaving Twin Lakes, there's a big climb, which I don't remember being so steep on the way in. I hike this section, and before I'm at the top it's time to break out the flashlight. So here comes the night, the hills seem a lot bigger on the way back than on the way out, and I've been running for well over 17 hours. I'm definitely starting to feel it. But I trudge on, squinting in the night to find the next chem light marking the course. After what seems like FOREVER I finally hear the voices of the Halfmoon aid station, 69.5 miles into the race. Somewhere during that last section I set a PR for miles run, passing the 62 miles I ran at the Bandera 100K a few years ago. I'm starting to feel pretty crappy here, but at the same time, in a weird way, I expected a lot more pain in the first 70 miles so I'm still in decent spirits. I see Paul Dewitt at this aid station, and he says that a runner could walk it in to the end and still beat the cutoff times from this point. So I got that goin' for me, which is nice. Short break, and it's back out to the trails to hit treeline, where Dani and Melissa are waiting, and then to Fish Hatchery. My time at Halfmoon is 11:45PM (cutoff is 12:45AM), 19:45 into the race. The last 9.5 miles took me 3:46, my worst section yet.

Halfmoon to Fish Hatchery (7.0 miles)

Leaving Halfmoon, I think of my buddy Moogy, who always seems to have issues at 70 miles. It's about three miles to treeline, where my crew is waiting. Somewhere during those three miles, I completely fall apart. I've had to deal with sleep deprivation before, and have always hated doing it. But tonight, it's kicking my ass. Got up at 6AM on Friday to drive out to Leadville, then got a restless four hours of sleep Friday night, got up at 2AM on Saturday, then been put through the rigors of 70+ miles of rough terrain at high altitude, and things were going to shit. I'm starting to see things that aren't there, and my legs are becoming wobbly, at times to the point where I almost fall over. I get to treeline and find Dani, and before she can figure out what's going on I'm climbing into the back of her truck for a nap. I tell her to wake me in half an hour. After what seems like a blink of an eye, she's yelling at me to get going. I look at my watch and sure enough, it's been thirty minutes. I feel a bit refreshed after my cat nap and Melissa and I leave for Fish Hatchery. I run/hike and make somewhat decent time since a lot of this part is on the road. The good vibes from the nap don't last very long, though, and as we hit FH I'm feeling worse than before my slumber. The time at Fish Hatchery is 2:08AM (cutoff is 3AM - slowly creeping up on me) and I'm 22:08 into my race. Usually I'm getting kicked out of a bar at this time on a Saturday night. The seven miles along the easiest part of the course take me 2:23, a whopping 20:25 per mile!

Fish Hatchery to Mayqueen (10 miles)

Sitting in the Fish Hatchery aid station, I'm finished. There are cots all around, and I want to lie down on one for about thirty hours of sleep. Somehow, Melissa and Dani convince me to get my lame ass moving. Melissa and I head out of Fish Hatchery, where somehow I'm able to run a good chunk of the road leading to Sugarloaf pass. Then the climb begins. And I have nothing to respond with. The events of the past day and a half have left me physically worthless. I feel like I'm trying to summit Everest without oxygen, not make it up and over Sugarloaf pass, which earlier today I crossed with no problem. My legs are buckling, I fall over several times, and each decent sized rock I see is registered in my brain as a mountain lion ready to bite me. And I'm so afraid I'm actually jumping out of the way. Not the strongest moment of my life. I keep telling Melissa to let me take a 15 minute break, but she'll have nothing of it and somehow keeps me moving forward. Every twenty or thirty seconds I ask her again if I can take a nap, and she continues to tell me no. I actually get to the point where I want to choke her out because she's pissed me off so much. And not in a kidding way, I actually want to knock her out so I can rest for a bit. Anyone who knows Melissa knows how psychologically wacked out one would have to be want to bring her physical harm, she's about the nicest person in the world. But after what seemed like an ETERNITY of climbing, we finally reach the top of the pass. I'm too out of it to even care, and the downhill seems just as hard as the uphill. And it only gets worse when we can actually see the Mayqueen aid station, it felt like I was on a treadmill - it never seemed to get any closer. I'm certain I'm gonna get to the final aid station over the cutoff, and I'm glad. And I decide out there that even if I squeeze in, I'm dropping. No friggin' way I can cover another half marathon. I hit Mayqueen at 5:47AM (cutoff is 6:30AM), race time is 25:47. The last ten miles have taken me 3:39.

Mayqueen to Leadville (13.5 miles)

I seriously thought about dropping at Mayqueen. I even had an Incline Club shirt in my bag, which I would have changed into in case of a DNF, so as not to embarass Team CRUD. I know a lot of folks would ask here, "how could you have run 87 miles and not have been able to tough it up for 13 more?" but until you've been in this position you just can't understand. I've done training runs where I've been lost for over 13 miles, but at that point it might as well have been running to the end of the universe for me. 13 miles seemed like forever. But there are actually a few CRUD crew members who have waited around for me, and I can't bring myself to quit in front of them. I keep a bright face on in the tent, but I figure I can just drop at the Tabor boat ramp a short distance down the trail. Melissa and I leave the tent and I see the most beautiful sight of all time - sunrise. And suddenly, somehow, I feel fresher than I did when I started the race. Pain? None. Sleepiness? Not me. The overwhelming urge to kill Melissa? Gone. I have four hours to cover the final 13 miles around Turquoise Lake and into the finish line in Leadville, and instead of not wanting to continue I panic and think I won't make the cutoff. I inform Melissa of a plan to run for ten minutes and walk for two minutes, and tell her to keep track of time. We leave on the first ten minute interval and I hammer. Uphill, downhill, doesn't matter to me, I'm running like it's the last quarter mile of the race. Melissa, who has been pacing ahead of me for the last thirteen miles, is now struggling to keep up. No way to tell, but I'm fairly certain I covered more than 1.25 miles during that ten minute burst. The two minute hike comes and goes, and I hammer again. Still running like a madman, Melissa can't keep up and tells me to press on. Yes folks, I've just dropped my pacer! I feel like Carl Lewis, but I'm actually probably running about eight minutes a mile. Which is pretty amazing for having run almost 90 miles and hitting such a low point just a few miles earlier. Melissa is able to catch up to me during the two minute hike intervals, but I continue to drop her during the running. All the time, I'm passing tons of runners, many of whom are walking in the final miles, too smoked for anything else. I continue running incredibly strong, ten minutes on/two minutes off, and finally I turn off Turquoise Lake and start heading into town. Shortly after turning onto the Boulevard, the final long stretch of dirt road that takes you to the Leadville city limits, I catch up to Paul Dewitt, who is finishing with his dad. I realize at this point that I'm well under the cutoff, and I stop to walk for a bit. It's a pretty amazing feeling, going through hell to get to the point where you realize you're gonna finish. Still, when we pass a tree and Paul says, "this marks 5K to the finish line" I shake my head and pause for a bit and say, "FUCK that's a long way to go." But I drive on, and get some distance between Paul and I, as I realize this is probably my last chance to ever beat a former Leadville winner. I pass runners who are limping horribly, runners who are crying out in pain with each step, but yet they're pushing on to the finish. I feel bad for some of the runners in the same shape who I passed shortly out of Mayqueen, they'll cover the distance but won't make the cutoff. Soon, the end of the dirt road comes, the 99 mile mark. The last mile is run through the streets of Leadville, very quiet when I passed by over 28 hours before but alive with cheering spectators now. From about half a mile out you can see the finish line, and I'm really glad this is about to be over. I run the last mile, not wanting to look like a wus in front of all the folks watching. The last 15 feet of the race are on a red carpet, and you get to break a ribbon like you won the race. I'm happy to finish, but so tired and whiped out from the last 28+ hours that I just don't feel any emotion. Dani is waiting there at the finish with a chair and a cold PBR, and I collapse. It's 8:37AM on Sunday. Official time is 28:37:32.

Post race

So that's it, the story of my first hundred miler. Very happy with my race, I was running to finish and didn't care about my time. Gained a ton of valuable experience, and someday I'll return to this race for a sub-24 hour finish. Little bit of post-race depression, as Leadville has dominated everything I've done for the past ten months and now it's over. Physically, I feel fine. Had a rough time driving home, had to stop for an hour to sleep. Of course, the next day I was super sore, but just a few days later I felt fine. Forcing myself to take at least ten days off from running, but soon I'll start training to finish Cactus Rose in November and to run my first ultra for a time goal at Sunmart with the Rogues.

Can't say enough about my crew, Dani and Melissa. They were awesome. I hate to admit that I might not have been able to do it without them, but during the rough times when that cutoff was creeping up on me it was those two who made me keep going. And yes, I have apologized to Melissa for wanting to kill her.

on call...

Really looking forward to tomorrow, I always like hiking with newbys up the tall peaks. But with so many virgins and rookies and out-of-shapers going along, I'm sure I'm gonna need to call in...

the benefits of a UTexas education

This line was taken from an e-mail that Lulu sent me earlier:

"Then I'm afraid k cant help you"

She is the first person I've ever seen to misspell the word "I."

hashing and HAZMAT

Hashing is in the news again, unfortunately for the wrong reasons. Read about it here. I hate terrorists as much as anyone, but I can't say I'd shed a whole lot of tears if they were to fuck up an Ikea.

for the Pikes Peak racers...

If anyone is an expert on the Pikes Peak races, it's Matt Carpenter. And he said last night that both races had horrible conditions, the Ascent having a low pressure system move in during the race (I guess this makes you run slower?) and the Marathon having the heat to deal with. He said those conditions were the big reason for all the slow times. Nice jackets yunz guys got for finishing the races. Not nearly as cool as the Leadville schwag, but good job anyways!

oxford/belford

The hike list keeps getting smaller and smaller. Here's who is now in:

Melissa
Net
Nappy
Susan
Lincoln
Knees Up
BLOS

Weather is actually looking decent for Saturday. But we can't wait for over-sleepers, gotta get up and down those peaks before the Colorado afternoon thunderstorms roll in.

more pics

Nappy's Leadville pics can be seen here.

Oxford/Belford

The following peeps have said they're gonna join me for the hike up two 14ers this Saturday:

Melissa
Net
Nappy
Susan
Ryan
Lauren
Knees Up
BLOS
Happy Sock

We'll be starting at the Missouri Gulch trailhead around 6AM. 4 miles to the top of Belford, another 2 miles to the top of Oxford. Counting time spent chilling on the peaks, this is gonna be about a ten hour hump.

While that would be the largest group I've ever hiked up a 14er with, all those people have told me, many times, that they'll hike and then they bail out. We'll see who shows up come Saturday morning.

I feel so old

Boobs asked me at the DIM hash, "why would you want to run 100 miles?"

I told him I wanted to know what it feels like to be his age.

But seriously, at work I listen to KKFM, a good classic rock station. Today they've played Nirvana and Soundgarden, two bands I listened to in high school. Talk about feeling old, hearing the anthems of your youth on a classic rock station....

rogue - sunmart

Since I'll be down in Texas during this period, I'm gonna sign up for the Rogue - Sunmart group. Gonna shoot for a sub-8 hour 50 miler. Not too much of a stretch, as I ran 8:47 there two years ago. Always have a great time hanging out with the Rogues, really looking forward to doing it once again.

crew report

Lots of runners lurking on this due to the Leadville stuff, you can read a report from one of my crew members here. Maybe someday Dani will even download all the pics she took.

Hope to have part two of my race report posted on Friday afternoon.

Pb-ville race report, miles 0 to 50

Damn, where to start? Had this one in my sights since last November, after taking a month completely off of running. Trained hard, had some real rough times along the way, but I was rewarded with a finish of a helluva tough race.


Pre-race:

Left Colorado Springs early Friday morning for the beautiful drive to Leadville. Had to make the medical check in by 11AM. The scene at Leadville was phonemonal, I felt proud of being part of the ultra community. After the pre-race briefing and bag drop I went to check in at the local Super-8 motel and then hung out in town for a bit. Before too long Melissa arrived and we headed to Rosie's (America's highest brewpub) for my final meal. Had a pint of Mt. Massive (a homebrewed malt liquor) and a dozen wings. Dani arrived shortly, and after she wolfed down a cheeseburger it was back to the hotel.


Race morning:

Too nervous for a good night's sleep, I ended up getting up at 2AM. Showered, dressed, and then it was off to the start. Standing at the start, I reached into my pocket and found a ten dollar bill that had been through the wash. I took this as a good luck sign.


Start to Mayqueen (13.5 miles)

Let the fun begin. 600 runners toed the line, ready to take on the challenge. The most important thing here was to not let my adrenaline get the best of me. Too fast a start here would doom me later on. At the same time, I knew I couldn't go too slow, I needed to get some time in the bank that I would need later on for the hills. Did my first mile in 8:47. I was happy with that, I was afraid I'd screw up and run 5:45 or something. The first leg is run on a wide dirt road which narrows after about five miles for some technical singletrack around Turquoise Lake. Just before we turned onto the singletrack, I could hear the beat of a drummer off in the woods. A surreal scene, a very peaceful night, 600 trailrunners with their headlamps, with the steady drumbeat in the background. It's difficult to pass on the singletrack, so I just settled in with a group of runners and kept the pace to the Mayqueen aid station. Was quite the sight, you could see a line of runners with their flashlights all around the lake. Came into Mayqueen feeling good. Took me 2:28 to get there, 47 minutes under the cutoff. It was 6:28AM.


Mayqueen to Fish Hatchery (10.0 miles)

Never ran with an iPod before, but decided to do it here so some of the early miles could pass quickly. Had to be careful not to let the music push me too hard, it was still way too early for fast running. This section had the first major climb, up and over Sugarloaf Pass. Felt strong, could have easily ran the whole thing, but I let common sense win out and I hiked up the hill. Got to do a good chunk of the climb with 1SGT Sowers, a buddy of mine who I've had the pleasure of running with several times during my Leadville training. Let myself go on the downhill, wasn't crazy but I did pick up the pace a lot. The iPod really helped, this section went by pretty quick and I still felt strong as I came into the next aid station. Took me 2:08 to do the ten miles from Mayqueen to Fish Hatchery. It was 8:36AM and I was 4:36 into the race.


Fish Hatchery to Halfmoon (7.0 miles)

One of the easier sections of the course. Gotta give props to my crew, Melissa and Dani, they were teriffic the entire time and I would have had a much harder time completing the race had it not been for them. Along with the crew from Team CRUD, I felt like a professional nascar driver, I'd just come in to an aid station and sit down, and a swarm of people would descend upon me, filling my camelbak, giving me food, asking if I needed anything. The first part of this leg was on a road, which I would have hated, but there were amazing views of Colorado's two highest peaks, Mt. Elbert and Mt. Massive, to take my mind off the boring road. Ironically, my iPod rang up "Mountains Win Again" by Blues Traveler during this part. After the paved road the course turns onto a dirt road that runs back to the Halfmoon aid station. I come into Halfmoon, just over 30 miles into the race, feeling good. I arrive at 10:04AM (the cutoff is noon), 6:04 into the race. Takes me just under 90 minutes to cover the leg.


Halfmoon to Twin Lakes (9.0 miles)

Six hours into the race and I'm still feeling good. Almost too good. The iPod has really helped me and the miles have passed quickly. I'm hydrated, as I've been stopping to piss about twice an hour. Also crapping all over the woods, but it's not the horrible issues I had at San Juan. There are some decent climbs during this section, but I'm running smart and making good time on all of them. This section takes me on some familiar trails, it's part of the climb up Mt. Elbert I did last year. I bomb the final downhill and hit Twin Lakes at 12:34PM, 8:34 into my race. The cutoff at Twin Lakes is 2:30PM. Did that nine mile leg in two and a half hours.


Twin Lakes to Winfield (10.5 miles)

I realize the next twenty miles will be one of the most physically challenging events of my life. I'm starting to show signs of having just run 40 miles, and Hope Pass is staring down at me. I leave Twin Lakes, eager to begin the defining section of the race. Finally get my shoes wet, as getting over to Hope Pass required crossing a very wet field as well as a thigh deep river. And then the climb began. Hope Pass was as tough as advertised, the climb seemed to go on forever. It climbs over 3000 feet in about 3 miles. I latched on to a Hardrock veteran and kept a good pace all the way to the top. Passed quite a few folks on this section. It was a real hard climb, but since November I've been doing nothing but mountain runs, so I was able to survive. In fact, I told myself that sometime next year I'd drive out here to see if I could run the whole pass without stopping. I think I can do it. Anyways, there's a small aid station near the top of the pass, the "hopeless" aid station as it's called, and it's great to finally arrive. They hump all the supplies up here on llamas. At the aid station I see fellow CRUDer Harry Harcrow, on his way back. He's looking very strong in 5th place (he would end up second overall). I grab a bite to eat and head out, only a half mile from the top now. The top comes, and what an amazing view I'm treated to! You can see all the way back to Leadville, and I'm amazed at how far I've run. And I try not to think that I hafta run it all again. I fly down the other side of the pass and before I know it, I'm halfway there. Arrive at Winfield at 4:26PM, 12:26 into the race. The last ten miles took me 3:52 to cover. I feel surprisingly well for having covered 50 miles over rough terrain. See lots of familiar faces at Winfield, including my awesome crew, and I'm looking forward to beginning the second half of the race. Melissa is going to tag along the next section, and I'm glad to have the company.

1SGT Sowers

Got to know 1SGT Sowers pretty well during my Leadville training. We ran together at Greenland, Wyoming, and a good chunk of Leadville. He was at NTC, flew back the day before Leadville, and flew back to NTC the day after. He's doing some crazy miles to garner attention for troops wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. The pic is of us at the pre-race breifing on Friday.

Pb profile

Course profile of Leadville. Notice how horribly painful the Hope Pass crossing is. Took me 7:25 to do the twenty miles from the Twin Lakes aid station to Winfield and back. Ouch. Someone out there told me that the double crossing is "the hardest twenty miles of ultrarunning." I believe him.

The climb that gave me the most trouble was coming back over Sugarloaf Pass. I had already run 80 miles, the Hope Pass double crossing had taken a good chunk out of me, I was suffering horribly from sleep deprivation, and I just didn't want to go on. This section, Fish Hatchery to Mayqueen, would bring me closer to the cutoff, 43 minutes, than any other leg.

finish

That's me finishing up Leadville. You run on the red carpet the last 15 feet or so. I smiled for all the people watching, but I was so wasted from the past 100 miles that I really didn't feel any emotion.

Melissa's Pb pics

Thanks for the well-wishes from all over, really appreciate it. I'll try to get a race report out later today, until then you can see the pics Melissa took here.

600 starters, 210 finishers, so barely a third of the folks who started were able to finish. My official time was 28:37:32.

Congrats too all the hashers (Z, Knees Up, Chinwacker, Boobs, and NASCOCK) who took on Pikes Peak this weekend!

the buckle is mine!

28:38:39!

last run

About to head over to Manitou for my final run before Leadville. Easy run with the Incline Club, running from the Manizoo up to Hydro Street and back.

Net's childhood story, now in print...

Wow, who woulda thunk Net's childhood would have ever been made into a children's book?

Yes, I'll drink for ripping that off of the Austin hash list.

lightning

A hiker got struck by lightning while coming down from Mt. Elbert. And lived. Read about it here. FYI, the Leadville course runs right by the trailhead for Elbert.

just in time for Leadville...

Liquor City, on Academy, has 30 packs of Pabst on sale for $12.99!

Leadville weather

High of 66, low of 40. Scattered t-storms. Snow was reported last night as some of the higher elevations around Pb-ville. Internet reports from folks already out at Leadville say to expect quite an adventure at the water crossings.

Hope Pass

Supposidly the toughest part of Leadville is the trip over and back Hope Pass. It's the biggest hill that takes you to the highest point of the course. Melissa will be with me on the way back to keep me moving, the way over is up to me. Here are some pics of that section of the course I ripped off of this website. I have a feeling that if I'm able to get through this part of the course before nightfall, I should be OK.

Cactus Rose

Have my rego for the Cactus Rose ready to drop in the mail. Gonna wait 'till Friday to do it, so it has the Leadville post-mark on it for good luck. All my loyal Texas readers should join me for this. Do the 25 miler if you're not an ultra guy. And there's a 36 hour time limit, so no whining about the distance. Bandera is still one of my favorite places to run and I can't wait to return!

expensive habit

Just talked to a guy who recently got out of prison. You wanna smoke while you're in jail? A pack of cigarrettes runs you $400 in the joint. Marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and meth are all a lot cheaper and a lot easier to get on the inside. Also got a good recipie for prison hooch, might hafta whip up a batch for a Kimchi hash sometime.

barf!

Guess who got so tanked that he threw up on the Humpty Dumpty statue outside of Tony's last night?

pricing the 14ers

Grabbed this article off the Gazette Out There blog, says the average hiker spends about $220 for every 14er. Really not sure how the good folks at CU came up with that number, I know that even with gas prices sky high I don't spend nearly that much. Six pack of PBR is about $3.50, pack of Philly blunts runs about four bucks, and post-climb grub and beers at a local bar might go around fifteen bucks. In fact, it would be pretty tough to spend over $200 on a trip since I always camp out instead of hotel it.

the DeCaLiBron

Melissa's pics of the DeCaLiBron can be seen here. Five 14ers in two days, plus supper at the country's highest saloon and a night spent at 12,000 feet! Great way to spend a weekend!

Mt. Princeton

Melissa and I headed out EARLY to bag Mt. Princeton on Saturday. Princeton is the one that dominates the view on your way into Buena Vista on Hwy. 24. Great hike, we also bagged 13,300ft Tigger Peak, which happened to be my 30th named peak, along the way. After Princeton (my 17th 14er; it was Melissa's 20th), we grabbed a long lunch at the South Park Saloon and then headed out to Kite Lake to set up camp. My camera battery ran out shortly after we got the tent up, but my pics can be seen here.

Set up camp at 12,000 feet, had a few beers, then it was up early on Sunday to do the DeCaLiBron. Hit the trail pretty hard, did the entire loop in 4:23. That included our lengthy stays on all the peaks, so M & I could probably do this loop in well under 3:30, if not under three hours. I invited a lot of newbys on this hike, and I think most of them were scared of doing four 14ers in one hike, but there was a seven year old who did the loop today. And I doubt he's the youngest ever to do it.

Great weekend of altitude training right before Leadville! Woohoo!

Leadville strategy

For anyone interested, I've basically been memorizing this description of the course. Melissa and I will be finalizing the entire race plan this weekend.

hope

Did the Incline yesterday with this chick (and Mosey) yesterday. Talking a lot about Leadville, she said that two years ago she bombed at San Juan, finishing a scant six minutes before the cutoff (I was 12 mikes under this year). Yet she still finished Pb-ville that season, well under the cutoff.

HAIL TO PITT!

Pretty good pic I saw on CNNSI.com. Funny, since we've had Georgetown's number the past few years.

Leadville weather

First peak at the race day forecast for Leadville: high of 68, low of 39, 60% chance of showers.

woohoo!

Final plans for this weekend. Nothing about this schedule will ever change. For at least 20 minutes, anyways.

Sat AM - Depart Colorado Springs at 4AM for Mt. Princeton, near Buena Vista. Details on the Mt. Princeton Road trailhead can be seen here:

http://www.14ers.com/routemain.php?route=prin1&peak=Mt.%20Princeton

I hope to drive up to the radio towers to begin the trek.

Sat PM - head up to Alma and out to Kite Lake to set up camp. The beta on Kite Lake, as well as a description of the next day's DeCaLiBro hike, can be found here:

http://www.14ers.com/routemain.php?route=bros6&peak=Democrat,%20Lincoln,%20Bross

I'll actually set up camp just outside the boundary of Kite Lake so I can avoid the $7 fee. Screw the man! But if you're driving up the road you'll see me. I'll probably already be drunk, boozing it up at 12,000 feet rocks! Just be sure to save four cans of beer for the hike. And bring firewood, campfires are still allowed.

I know that doing four 14ers in one day might seem a bit much for some of yunz, but it's actually a somewhat easy hike. Most of the single 14ers I've done were much harder than doing all four around Kite Lake. Last year I took a sea level Austinite on the hike, and she did just fine. Details of that hike are on my blog at:

http://pittbrownie.blogspot.com/2006/08/decalibro.html

Plan to start the Sunday hike at 6:30AM.

Let me know if you plan on joining me for any or all of the weekend. And let me know by Friday, I'm not sure my cell phone will work out in the mountains.

PS - also plan a summit of Rocky Mountain on Thursday. RM is about a half hour hike from the top of the Incline. Probably start the Incline around 5:30PM. Again, let me know if you wanna join me.

Mount Rosa

Took a sick day today, bit hungover after hitting Tony's last night, and used the free time to bag Mt. Rosa with Ritz. Great hike with outstanding views in every direction. Also saw about a million ladybugs, they were everywhere up there. Took a few pics, they can be seen here.

Morrisson

Had to hit Denver for work last Thursday and Friday, took advantage of that time to head out to Morrisson for some bouldering. Most of the stuff was a bit too difficult for me, though I did manage to scale this rock:
Looks easy enough, but I was alone and had I taken a fall, it woulda been a long time before anyone came by to find me. After that I goofed off on this rock for a bit:

Definitely getting better at the sport, enough so that I'll probably find a rock gym in San Antonio to go so I don't lose everything I've gained.

new hash blogger!!!

Everyone go tell Happy Sock how much her blog sucks!

next season

Pretty booked up for the rest of this year, with Leadville and Cactus Rose fast approaching. Next year my plan was to do some shorter events, like the Pikes Peak marathon, which would give me more time to finish climbing all the 14ers. But now I'm leaning towards doing the Nolans 14er route. 100 miles, 14 14ers! Woohoo!

DIM 122

Maybe I'm just a little biased, but last night's DIM rocked!

happy anniversary!

14er article

Decent article about climbing 14ers in today's Austin American Statesman. Read it here. A guy on the hike, Richard Viktorin, and I hiked Mt. Bierstadt together last year.

first of many...

As a Pittsburgh fan, for the last decade and a half baseball season has basically ended when football season starts. And last night the Steelers kicked the crap out of the New Orleans Saints in the Hall of Fame game, the first win for new coach Mike Tomlin and their first win on their way to the Super Bowl this season.



Just a reminder, I know it's still politically incorrect to say anything bad about New Orleans, but the Saints suck ass. Same with Virginia Tech, I hope their football team goes 0-12 this year.

*

Fuck Barry Bonds.

give me tapers!

Did my last long run before Leadville today, putting in four and a half house over Ute Pass, around Waldo Canyon, and up the Incline. Raining for most of the run, and I had some way-too-close calls with lightening on the Barr Trail, but overall I felt really strong. Not it'll be short but faster runs every other day, with some 14er hikes this weekend to get some altitude training. Bring on Leadville!

RIP

Raise a pint at your hash this weekend for Palmer Princess, who was killed this week when he was hit on his motorcycle. Kinda spooky, I saw him at Kinfolk's on Tuesday and had a few pints with him, then I come back on Friday to check e-mail and find out he's dead. Good guy, huge fan of outdoor activities involving beer, he'll be missed.

18

Tonight's CRC happy hour will mark my 18th anniversary of running. Started on August 1, 1989, the first day of Shikellamy High School cross-country practice. Made it about 200 meters before I had to stop and sit on the curb to catch my breath. Something made me go back the next day, and it's been pretty much non-stop since then. I still remember my first real pair of running shoes, the Nike Air Max (back in 1989 they were a HUGE deal), and the arguments I had to go through with my dad, he didn't want to pay $100 for running shoes for me because he said it was just a fad I was going through. FYI, my dad, who started running several years after me, somehow claims he has been running for 22 years. Go figure.

Anywho, since that day I've run races from 400 meters (PR of 55.0!) to 100K, and of course am about to tackle my first 100 miler. Finished 9 marathons (first one was the Chambersburg Marathon during my junior year of high school), and 13 races over the marathon distance. And I'm still undefeated in international competition, winning the Guantanamo Bay 5K while I was over there.

Didn't have a digital camera for the early years, but below are some of my more recent running pics.