cactus rose updates

Cactus Rose ain't the technological wonder that some races have become nowadays, but @ss Gagger, a member of my elite ultra crew, is gonna try to update her blog via iPhone while she's in Bandera. Her blog can be seen here. No promises, as I'm not sure there's any wireless internet in that part of Tejas, but we'll do what we can...

i love dumpsters!

Some of my finer dumpster moments of the past few years...

midnite stroker

Somehow, Midnite Stroker (that's MeatGazer's mom, FYI) and I ended up in the shitter on the San Antonio H3 halloween pub crawl...

25 hours

I'm going to go out on a 25 hour pace at Bandera and see how long I can keep it. Gives me an hour to get to each aid station. Probably a little too high a goal for me to set, but I want to get as many miles in during the day out there. Figure if I can keep that pace up for the entire daylight portion, when the night comes and I hafta slow down I should be in a good position.

a classic...

What do you call the worthless piece of skin that surrounds a pussy?

A woman!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!

bandera weather

Weather report is lookin' pretty sweet for Cactus Rose. High of 78, low of 47, 10% chance of rain.

austin beer mile

Woohoo! Looks like I'll get another crack at the beer mile while I'm down here! Read all about it here.

good times!

What a weekend! Included a hash pub crawl on Friday (Gagger was in rare form!), finally seeing Into the Wild, two halloween parties that were busted by the fuzz, a nice greenbelt run, and the San Antonio hash to end the weekend on a high note. Unfortunately, there wasn't much time to study for test #3 that I hafta go take in a few minutes. Oops. More details to follow...

holy shit!

It just hit me that I have another hundred miler next weekend! Sheesh, that's gonna be a rough one.

hey jes - kit kat says hello!

woohoo!

Guess who I get to drink with on Thursday!

Texas run #29

Despite a retarded day with the Air Force I got out for a decent run. Nothing like some Panic and a 90 minute run to improve your mood. First run since I got to Texas almost two months ago where I didn't carry any water.

Time - 88:42
Distance - 10.8 miles
TX Mileage - 351.0 miles

Manitou Springs

Started apartment hunting today for my return to Colorado sometime in mid-December. Going to move to Manitou Springs, one of my favorite places in Colorado. Will give me immediate access to the Garden of the Gods, Red Rocks Open Space, Ute Pass/Waldo Canyon, the Incline, and, of course, Barr Trail. Plus, the live music scene of that tiny town is about a hundred times greater than the scene in Colorado Springs. Will be nice to be able to stumble home from the pubs on Manitou Ave.

Manitou even made the NY Times the other day. Read about it here.

Texas run #28 - quarters

Holy friggin' shit - I actually ran today without losing 20 pounds of sweat! Used the current Texas ice age weather (it was about 60 degrees) to continue my recent string of speedwork. Two mile warm up, 6 x 400 meters in: 83, 79, 78, 77, 78, and 75, followed by a two mile cooldown. Not too shabby, besides the chilly weather there was a fierce wind blowing across the track which slowed me down a bit. Good workout though.

Time - 60:00
Distance - 7.0 miles
Challenge - 340.2 miles
Distance behind Lulu - 98.6 miles

world peace through beer

Finally made it to a world peace through beer hash with San Antonio. Instead of the usual $5 hash cash, you bring a six pack of a beer, the thought being that hashers will bring beer from all over the world. So, needless to say, it was a little more than the usual SAH3 fare of Lone Star Light. Good trail and a great pack, stayed out way too late with those wankers on a school night. Good times! Think I may hafta bring the Kimchi hash into the WPTB world next October.

the Scabs!

Yup yup, the Scabs are playing at Antone's on Thanksgiving night! Woohoo!

new CRUD website

Keith finally got off his lazy ass and updated the Team CRUD website. See it here.

Texas run #27 - Combat Medic 10K

Switched gears last Saturday for the Combat Medic 10K. Wasn't expecting much as I figured I had long ago lost any leg speed I ever had once I swithed over to trail running. Ran strong throughout the race, pushing hard but keeping an even pace. Still, I was heartbroken when I turned the corner and unleashed a furious sprint, holding off the first female finisher (who would lose the sprint but jump ahead of me in the standings due to her chip time) but seeing the clock ticking towards 45 minutes. Was bummed that despite the great effort on my part I thought I was unable to keep anywhere near a seven minute mile anymore. To my relief, later on at the awards ceremony I fould out the clock was off, and my chip time was 37:57! A much more respectable 6:07 per mile! Ended up in 6th place overall, 5th male finisher, and first in my age group. 150 finishers. Not too shabby. The course isn't the most difficult thing I've ever done, but it's certainly not considered a fast course. Results are here.

Got some good results when I plugged the time into the runner's world predictor. Gives my five mile guess at 30:10. Would sure be nice to sneak under half an hour at the turkey trot, though I'm sure my pre-holiday drinking binge won't allow for that. Also predicts a 2:54:33 marathon, which would be a PR for me, as well as a Boston qualifier...

Time - 37:57.9
Distance - 6.2 miles
Challenge - 333.2 miles
Distance behind Lulu - 95.6 miles

combat medic 10K

37:57!!!

ben harper

I have countered Nappy's JBT tix with scoring tickets to see Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals here in San Antonio. So on Sunday, November 4th, I plan on finishing my second 100 miler in the morning, chilling in Bandera for the afternoon, and seeing Ben Harper in the evening. Not a bad day...

Texas run #26

Another good one today. Ran a decent pace for over 80 minutes, with four hard repeats of five minutes each, with five minutes rest in between, thrown in for good measure. Will rest tomorrow in anticipation of the ass kicking I'm gonna deliver to the Army guys in Saturday's Combat Medic 10K and also to Lulu on our long run on Sunday.

Time - 82:21
Distance - 10.0 miles
Challenge - 327.0 miles
Distance behind Lulu - 79.8 miles

one song...

Got this question in an e-mail from Dani, and I wondered what my faithful readers would answer with. It's a really tough question for me, a very big music fan, and it greatly depends on what mood I would be in when asked the question.

If you would say that one song represents you what is it and who is it by?

I narrowed it down to three. "Climb to Safety" and "Chilly Water" by Widespread Panic, and "Alive" by Pearl Jam. But that could change at any moment...

Texas run #25

Got a nice treat at Air Force PT this afternoon when the instructor just set us free on the track for 30 minutes. Running in lane two, I did twelve laps in just under 20 minutes and finished with 4.5 miles in the alloted 30 mikes. Not too shabby. Workout gives me hope I can stay under seven minute miles at this Saturday's Combat Medic 1oK.


Time - 30:27
Distance - 4.5 miles
Challenge - 317.0 miles
Distance behind Lulu - 84.8 miles

long road home

Less than two months 'till I'll be returning to Colorado, taking up residence in Manitou Springs. But I'll have a few days to kill along the way, so I'm thinking of heading out to West Texas to visit Hueco Tanks and Guadalupe Peak. Hell, might be able to hash with El Paso along the way, maybe warn them of the impending Kimchi invasion.

Texas run #24

Back to the track today! Been wanting to start hitting the track again, it's such a great workout. Went to the local basic training loop for some quarters, one of the staples of my running diet back when I was fast at the short distances. Did six decent quarters - in order, ran 84, 83, 80, 80, 79, and 76. Would liked to have been a bit more consistent, but it's been a while since I've run on the track. And considering my goal was to average somewhere around 90 seconds, I'm not too disappointed. Felt I could've done a few more laps, but didn't want to risk anything. Also did a 1.5 mile warm up and 1.5 mile cool down.

Time - 60:00
Distance - 6.0 miles
Challenge - 312.5 miles
Distance behind Lulu - 84.3 miles

Texas run #23

Just a nice, easy workout to begin breaking in the new shoes. Once again, plugged in the iPod (it was all String Cheese Incident today) and ran around Lackland, watching the new airman get yelled at by their drill sergeants. Making a conscious effort to pick up the pace on my slow runs, think my trailrunning has caused my roadrunning to suffer way too much.

Time - 55:09
Distance - 6.5 miles
Challenge - 306.5 miles
Distance behind Lulu - 90.3 miles

new shoes

Didn't take long to realize that my Asics trailrunners weren't going to be able to handle the rigors of Bandera, so I decided to go back to a brand that has done me very well in the past. After being horribly disappointed with the staff at RunTex, I hit up the downtown REI for a pair of Vasque Blur, which luckily were on sale. The shoes seem to be a lot like the Velocity, so I'm sure I'll have no problem putting the miles onto these.

the next Kimchi challenge?

Never too early to start planning. I thought the Platte Road Challenge was a great time, but there has been talk of having the next Challenge down Fillmore Road, which in true Kimchi fashion wouldn't end on Fillmore Road, but Nevada Ave. What are the thoughts of the pack?

Also gonna continue on the Manitou Challenge, which will be held on July 13th, and consist of the Barr Trail Mountain Race followed by the pub crawl down Manitou Avenue. Finisher awards will again be given out, and there even might be a few more surprises thrown in...

what a weekend...

Jeez-louise, I sure put a pounding on my liver this weekend. From the BRC on Friday, a tour de Austin and the Gourds on Saturday, I may need to take some time off, like at least 'till Monday.

Gagger's BRC pics can be seen here. Her Gourds pics can be seen here.

Good times!

triple century mark...

FYI, the BRC stop at Ginny's Little Longhorn will mark the 300th mile I've run since coming to Texas. So everyone buy me a can of Schlitz to celebrate!

texas run #22

Almost bailed on this run today as it was a LONG day at the firing range, but wanted to get one last run in to loosen up for the BRC. Real easy run, with a couple of sprints up some short hills thrown in for good measure.

Time - 60:24
Distance - 7.0 miles
Challenge - 295 miles
Distance behind Lulu - 87.3 miles

texas run #21

Real good run today. Went pretty hard for the first half hour, much faster than usual. For the second half, I did repeats of three minutes hard, three minutes easy. Ended up doing four repeats, and I gander I was pretty close to half a mile for all of 'em. Need to add one or two quality workouts to my weekday schedule, this was a good start to that. Should also give me some confidence should the BRC come down to a spring finish, I don't see anyone in the field who could hang with me if that circumstance arises. Though, as per my usual drinking strategy, I plan to lead from the front and not let anyone get close to me...

Time - 62:47
Distance - 8.0 miles
Challenge - 288 miles
Distance behind Lulu - 94.3 miles

how's it goin', eisenhower?

Shot 38 out of 40 at the M-4 range today, earning the title of "expert" and, believe it or not, getting my very first ribbon for my Air Force dress blues uniform. It's only the second time I've ever shot expert in 7+ years in the military. I guess I thrive when awards are on the line, as the last time I shot that well was during EIB testing.

new ultra blogs

Two new CRUD blogs to report. While I can honestly say I've ran with both these guys before, it was never for very long. Though I did whoop Paul's ass at Leadville this past year.

Paul D

Tony

smut, are you missing something?

tour de fat

Woohoo! Not only will I get to do a short run at the Combat Medic 10K on October 20, but I'll have pleanty of time to get up to Austin to do the Tour de Fat! And the Asylum Street Spankers are playing there too!

"Yellow Ribbon"

Pitt/Navy on ESPN!

Hell yeah! Sure wish I were back in Colorado to talk some smack, since most of the Kimchi hash is either navy or semen lovers (actually, most are both). Anywho, the game is on ESPN this Wed night. My prediction: Pitt - 69, Navy - 2.

what a weekend!

Sure made the most of my three day Columbus weekend! Friday after work it was off to join the Rogues for their Bandera weekend. Joe obtained the use of a cabin, which I assumed was some tiny shack in the middle of the woods. Turns out the cabin was some multi-million dollar hunting lodge, a great place to crash. Did 30 miles at Bandera on Saturday, then went to the Bandera Saloon to watch UT get beat. While sitting in the bar, some guy came in with a baby buffalo on a leash. Typical Bandera Saturday afternoon, I guess. Ran another ten miles on Sunday morning at Lost Maples, what an awesome trail that was! Wasn't able to get back to Austin in time to hash, but I joined them at the circle and proceeded to get super drunk with them at the Hideout. Even puked in Gagger's underwear drawer, can't wait 'till she finds that mess. Monday it was a nice, easy, super slow trail run with Lulu at Walnut Creek park followed by lunch at the Crown. Good times!

let's go pens!

Woohoo! USA Today picked the Pittsburgh Penguins to win the Stanley Cup this season!

tejas run #17

Been having some ankle problems lately, so I decided to take it easy today and rest tomorrow before the big distance weekend coming up. Believe it or not, I think the problem stems from some kind of insect bite and not from a running injury. But if I am reduced to one leg, the challenge might actually get somewhat exciting, though I'd still win.

Time - 41:37
Distance - 5.0 miles
Challenge - 231 miles
Distance behind Lulu - 106.8 miles

columbus day

We have a three day weekend coming up, so after my trail runs at Bandera (40 miles) and Lost Maples (10 or 20 miles) I plan to have an epic drunkard hash Sunday in Austin. Thanks to Gagger for offering to drive!

Texas run #16

Felt good today, so went a bit longer. Using the iPod definitely takes some of the sting out of running around Lackland all the time. But truth be told, I have a good route that passes all the old bombers and fighters they have on base, and then cuts through AF basic training country, it's actually a pretty decent course.

Time - 90:33
Distance - 11.0 miles
Challenge - 226 miles
Distance behind Lulu - 97.8 miles

quote of the day

"I drink a fair amount of beer and I think it helps with recovery. The night before Western States I had four beers, and then at [the finish line] I pretty much emptied Graham Cooper's cooler of Foster's because he beat me."

-Andy Jones-Wilkins, 39, of Ketchum, Idaho, on his fourth-place finish at the 2007 Western States 100

Texas run #15

Just another jaunt around Lackland, exploring some new sections of the base. Good hour run, followed by another hour at the gym. Had a bit of a stiff achillies at the start, which scared me, but it went away once I got warmed up.

Time - 60:01
Distance - 7.0 miles
Challenge - 215 miles
Distance behind Lulu - 78.8 miles

new marathon world record

Haile Gebrselassie won the Berlin Marathon over the weekend, running a world record 2:04:26. That's averaging 4:44 per mile.