woohoo!

I hafta go sit through eight hours of alcohol prevention classes today, and I can't get the stamp from the Hi-Dive bar off my hand. Good times in Denver last night!

on-on to the leap year hash!

my current favorite song...

...is "That Was A Crazy Game of Poker" by O.A.R. Kinda reminds me of my life since I made my midnight bolt from Texas to Colorado. Definitely worth the $.99 to download it, but be sure to get the Madison Square Garden live version.

RIP - Myron Cope

Legandary Pittsburgher Myron Cope died earlier today. Inventor of the Terrible Towel, I'd say Cope was second only to Roberto Clemente in terms of all-time popularity in the 'burgh. CNNSI.com included this nugget in the story:

"With a voice beyond imitation -- a falsetto so shrill it could pierce even the din of a touchdown celebration -- Cope was a man of many words, some not in any dictionary."

And though Twin Peaks probably didn't know this when she suggested my hash name, Cope was the one who began calling cleveland the brownies.

BANFF

This Saturday, bitches! Also, the Taos Mountain Film Festival is March 7 & 8 up in Palmar Lake. Good excuse to hit O'Malleys for some raw meat and brews...

173

Weighed in at 173 pounds last night. Body fat was 11%. I've dropped over ten pounds since New Year's Eve, despite eating more often. Want to get down to 169 for Hardrock, didn't think losing weight would be so easy though, maybe I'll go into that race a bit lighter.

Just doing my part to piss off the ladies...

Leap Year H3

Two weeks ago I said I had finally hashed with every Colorado kennel, but I was mistaken. Apparently the Leap Year H3 is it's own monster. The one on Friday will be #6. Stoked for it too! The hare, Big Bird, is one of the more crazy endurance athletes of Colorado hashing, and he had this to say about the trail: "miserable is memorable!" Sounds like a DIM hash on steroids.

This is the description on harrier.net:

This epic hash was established in 1988 under the less-than-capable direction of Stump F'ker. Despite his best efforts, this hash survives. It is not part of the Denver Hash! It has its own officers, philosophy, and tradition. Leap Year runs are like a porno – long, hard, and uncut. Frozen beer checks, cold wind, snow, and foot-numbing water crossings are some of the features that make a Leap Year hash great. It also makes the hounds grateful that Leap Year only comes around every 4 years. So get thee to the Leap Year HHH and celebrate 6 years of leaping!

Might try to get up to Denver on Sunday after the Pueblo 10 miler. Three hashes in three days, on top of hitting the Irish Snug Pub run in Denver on Thursday. Woohoo!

I hate the snow!

Let's hope for an early spring!

60.6

Hit the 60 mile mark this week, mostly due to the strength of my Saturday long run, but also had some good speed and hill workouts in there too. That's three really good weeks in a row for me.

-My long run on Saturday gave me a huge boost of confidence. Finished the first loop in 2:00:48 (9:43 per mile) in really crappy conditions. Pinned on my race number, wolfed down a powerbar and some gatorade, jogged about half a mile, then ran the second loop in 1:46:27 (8:33 per mile). Though the snow and wind let up on the second lap, it was still icy as fuck out there. Was able to run the entire thing too, no walking besides the quick break I had to take between laps. Have about 2.5 more weeks of good training before Salida, and after this run I think I have a good shot to go sub-4 hours there (4:28:26 is my current PR for that course).

-My Sunday run with the Incline Club was a good one too. Despite the soreness from my 25 miler, I was able to run the entire way up to No Name Creek for the first time this season. Hit the Creek in just under 64 minutes, certainly no speed record but not too shabby either. Could have kept climbing, but didn't want to push the mileage too far this week.

-Good week for lots of other folks too. Congrats to Katie for finishing her first 20 miler on Saturday. She did an eight miler in the shitty weather before finishing the Black Forest 20K. To top off the weekend, she did her virgin run up to No Name Creek on Sunday. $100 only decided to do the Salida marathon about a month and a half ago, she's come a long way since then.

-Kudos to BLOS for finally discovering his manhood and blowing off the fun run for the real distance challenge. He actually did pretty well in the 20K. He's part of a group of us who have been working pretty hard this winter, hitting the track on Tuesdays and doing the Incline on Thursdays, and that seems to be paying off for all of us.

-Despite having every Incline Club piece of schwag available, and having a self-made profile on the IC website, Susan finally got her ass out to run with the club. This moves her up from "poser extrodinare" to "poser." So congrats to her! To move up from poser, one has to do either the Pikes Peak Ascent, Pikes Peak Marathon, or Leadville (their rules, not mine).

-Lots of hashers out on the dirt roads of Black Forest on Saturday:

full moon run

Two group pics from the Pikes Peak Road Runners first ever full moon run. This will be a monthly event with the PPRR, next one will be at the end of March sometime.

25.2 miles!

Real good long run today! Woohoo!

happy birthday julia goulia

BATT turns 50 today! Happy birthday, old fart!

RIP

My last remaining grandparent, Gram, passed away last night. It was kinda obvious she was on her way out, and for the past several years I had been saying that I needed to get back to PA to see her one last time, but I never did. I don't view death like most people so I'm not too bummed out or anything, though I am kicking myself for not taking that trip home.

Jes, sorry I missed your call, I was out at the Garden and didn't have my phone. Good to hear your voice, it dawned on me while listening to your message that I hadn't talked to you in about two years. I wouldn't even have recoginzed your voice had you not said who you were! Sheesh.

the slack is back!

One of the most fun races I've ever done, the Slacker Half Marathon, is gonna be held on June 28th this year. Details are here. This is a point to point downhill course that runs from Loveland to Idaho Springs. It's so fast that despite almost being killed at the San Juan Solstice last year, just one week later I was able to give a minimal effort at this race and still run 1:27. And, most importantly, they have a Tommyknocker Brewing tent at the finish! My goal this year is to win one of those solar powered garden gnomes...

Oh yeah, this is also the same weekend as the Colorado Brewer's Festival in Fart Collins. A plan is in the works to do the Slacker and then head up north to partake in the festivities. Thanks to Free Bu(s)ch for already volunteering to put us up! Hopefully the FCH3 will do something for this...

aid station

Since Austin has become such a low crime city, the police were able to turn their attention to all the minors who happened to be running the Austin Marathon and thus banned the tradition that was the AH3 beer check. Luckily, the guys from the HCTR picked up the slack...

full moon run

The Pikes Peak Road Runners will be having a full moon run on Thursday, February 21, at 7PM. Starts at the Garden of the Gods trading post. Should be pretty fun, think it's gonna be more geared towards the social aspect than getting in a hard run; though, with all the rolling hills in the Garden, it's tough not to get a good workout in. Not sure what the tailgate afterwards will have, but I'm bringing some PBR just in case.

Also gonna hit the Garden for some bouldering around 5PM that day if anyone wants to join me.

I need a life...

5AM - Garden of the Gods loop (8 miles)
11:45AM - 45 minutes of climbing, including the usual 101 push-ups, 101 crunches, and 30 pull-ups
5:30PM - 4 x 800 meters with 400 meters recovery
6:30PM - 75 minutes pumping iron at the Y

Yeah, that sounds like Lulu's workout schedule for an entire week, but it was just a Tuesday for me. Making up for it now by gorging on pierogies and Pabst while watching Animal House.

sloganize your hash name

I'm Cuckoo For Brownie.

Enter a word for your own slogan:

Generated by the Advertising Slogan Generator, for all your slogan needs. Get more brownie slogans.

Swiped this off the LVH3 e-mail list. Good way to waste time at work. Not that I would ever waste time at work, of course...

1:09:27

Hammered the last two miles of my Garden loop this morning and was rewarded with a PR on the course. Took a whopping five seconds off my previous time. Beautiful morning to be out running around the Garden though, the only ones who get up that early are me and the deer. Not a bad way to start the day.

ben harper

Woohooo! Just scored tix for Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals at Spring Back to Vail! April 12th should be pretty wild - Sunsation at Copper Mountain in the afternoon and Ben Harper in the evening...

Flatlander pics

Pics from Saturday's Boulder Flatlander hash can be seen here. Great group of people up there, put on a nice trail and an awesome circle. Perfect day on Saturday - a long run with good friends on new trails, lunch and beers at a yummy brewery, and then the hash! Woohoo!

56.8

Second consecutive 50 mile week, hitting just shy of 57 miles. Highlights were running the Mesa Trail (12 miles) up in Boulder with Katie, Melissa, and Ryan on Saturday; and my near-epic Ute Pass/Waldo Canyon/Incline/Barr Trail slog through the snow on Sunday (19 miles).

weekend

Should be a helluva weekend coming up, starting tonight with Galactic!



Boobs, Katie, Melissa, and I are gonna hit the show after visiting a few of the finer establishments along Colfax avenue. Pre-concert burgers and Pabst at the Cherry Cricket, mmmm....

Tomorrow Melissa and I are heading up to Boulder for a long run on the Mesa trail. After that it's time to finally visit the Boulder Flatlanders hash, the only Colorado kennel I haven't hashed with.

Coming back Saturday evening to hang out in Manitou. Sunday morning it's fun with the Incline Club. Sunday afternoon I wanna do some outdoor bouldering, either gonna hit Garden of the Gods or, more likely, head up to Morrison. The Morrison trip would allow me to hit the Denver hash as well, which sounds like it'll be exploring the area around my favorite concert venue, Red Rocks Amphitheater.

And, of course, no better place to end the weekend than the acid jazz jam at the Ancient Mariner!

Rambo

Preacher dude to Rambo: "I know there's been a civil war up there for the last 60 years. But it's cool, we've got bibles. Can you take us in there?"

Then it's an hour of the beach scene from Saving Private Ryan.

The end.

The movie was AWESOME!

sheesh...

I remember back in my college days, when the most dangerous thing I had to worry about was whether all the different chicks I was sleeping with would find out about each other...

happy valentines day!

rock star!

shut the fuck up!

Roger Clemems, will you just go away? I'm sick of reading about you. I'm convinced that everyone in major league baseball, excluding the Pittsburgh Pirates (how else can one explain 15 straight losing seasons?) is juiced. That whole "I thought it was vitamin B12 he was injecting into my ass" just doesn't hold weight anymore. He's denying everything now, and soon proof will come out that he did do 'roids, and he'll have some other lame excuse. How pathetic is it that the only baseball player with any credibility is now Jose Canseco?

And can someone tell me why he is testifying before congress? Doesn't congress have more important things to do? We're a nation at war and congress is worrying about whether some fat guy took steroids a decade ago? Sheesh...

broken toe?

I think I broke my toe last night. Ran on it this morning, at 4:29AM, and it hurt like a bitch. And I know the rock gym is gonna be real painful over lunch. But it's cool, I don't think I'll miss any training and the extra pain willl hopefully pay off at Hardrock. Plus, instead of ankle posts, I can now do toe posts. I'm sure my sister is super excited.

Hueco Tanks

When I went to Hueco Tanks just before TexMex, the climbing group I was with included these guys. They were from Norway, and had taken three weeks vacation, every day of which was spent bouldering at Hueco. I asked 'em, "Aren't there any good climbing places in Europe?" And one of 'em said, "Plenty, but there's nowhere in the world like this."

The guide we had for the trip was pretty inspiring. He had quit his normal job over two years before, and started living out of his van just so he could climb every day. He was a guide at Hueco during the winter months, and during the summer months (when the heat gets unbearable in El Paso) he drives his house/van to northern California where he's a cook for some kind of outdoor lodge. Sometimes I wish I had the guts to do something like that. He told me he gets $5 for every person he guides in the park, so on this day he made $20 for eight hours of "work." Though the owner of the tour group also gives him food and a place to park.

1:09:32

Out the door at 5AM this morning for a loop around the Garden. Set my current PR for that course, 1:09:32. Just over eight miles of rolling hills.

rock out with your cock out!

in memory of G

On this day in 1942 Albert Stephen Ignatius Gispert, Second Lieutenant, 2nd Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, was killed by invading Japanese troops on Dairy Farm Road, Singapore.

Raise a cold one in tribute to our departed founding father.

police blotter

The Pikes Peak Bulletin is a local newspaper that comes out once a week and serves Manitou, Old Colorado City, and the lower Ute Pass. The police blotter usually consists of DUI arrests, public intoxication, and marijuana busts. But the latest issue had this nugget:

"Sunday, the police report says Feb. 3, officers were dispatched to a bar in the 900 block of Manitou Avenue at 10:17 p.m. due to a fight. The number of people involved prompted officers to seek the assistance of the Colorado Springs Police Department. One person was arrested for failing to comply with an officer's order to leave the area."

51.4

That's right, bitches! Topped 50 miles this week for the first time in a while. Feel great, though I am gonna take a rest day tomorrow. Still more than a month to go before the first race of the season, the Salida marathon, and I'm in much better shape at this point than I've been for the past two. Pace is still retardedly slow due to all the ice and snow, but at least I'm getting the miles in. Can't wait 'till the weather improves.

To celebrate the half century mark, I went to purple castle today. For some reason I had to get that sticker (I didn't make it last time I was in) and ate so much I felt like I was gonna throw up for the next two hours. The sticker was mine though!

Few pics from today's run. Went from my place, along the Intemann trail, over to Red Rocks Canyon and back. Basically all of these trails are now in my backyard.

hell yeah!

miles from nowhere

TAF recently turned me on to this band. Definitely the best thing to ever come out of Paris, TX. Equal parts Gov't Mule, Black Crowes, alternative country, and Jack Daniels. Check 'em out sometime. They're available on iTunes, or shoot me a line and I'll mail out a copy of their most recent CD.

good news!

The San Juan Solstice race committee is gonna try to allow entry to 200 runners. Hopefully this goes through. Means I'll move up from 57th on the wait list (really on the wrong side of the fence) to 7th (almost guaranteed to run). The SJS will be my last hard effort before Hardrock.

11,186

11,186 feet above sea level. That's the AVERAGE evevation for Hardrock. Slightly below treeline here in Colorado. I've spent this whole week trying to come up with a training plan that I think will get me through the ordeal, but I haven't found the magic formula just yet...

fittest city in the US!

Colorado Springs was named the fittest city in the U.S. by Men's Fitness magazine! See the article here. Denver was #3. Can't find the whole list to see if Austin made it, but Texas cities usually don't fare too well in these polls. Las Vegas was #1 for fattest city, FYI.

Lehigh Valley H3

My favorite hash that I've never hashed with, Lehigh Valley, has a brand spankin' new website. See it here. My sister, Beggin' For It, is one of the co-founders of that hash. Though I heard she didn't really do any of the work and just wanted to be in the Hash Founders Club like her brother.

fucking snow!

Like the run itself wasn't gonna be a big enough challenge, the Hardrock area has been dumped on this winter. This pic was taken in Silverton on the day of the HR lottery. Might hafta have my pacer, Melissa, bring a shovel...

good quote

"In my parents' day and age, they were sent away, they were shunned, they were called what they are. There was at least a sense of shame," Liston said of unmarried teen parents. "There's no sense of shame today. Society condones it. I think it's wrong. They're sluts. And I don't mean just the women. I mean the men, too."

-Rep Larry Liston (State Rep, Colorado Springs)

Liston is gonna get hemmed up in the press for calling pregnant teens "sluts," but it was nice to see someone address the problem. Colorado has serious issues with this, hopefully the comments push folks to start coming up with a solution. I e-mailed Liston the Kimchi solution (always cum in the girl's face) but he has yet to get back to me...

manitou mardi gras

Since @ss Gagger won't post her pics, I had to steal this one off BLOS. This is from the pub crawl on Friday night. Great time, but not quite up to the standards we set at the hash/parade on Sat morning or the total drunkardfest we pulled off on Sat night. Gagger and I even managed to tie one on again on Sunday night. Damn, almost felt like I was back at TexMex with all the booze going around.

Think I'm gonna coordinate with our P2H4 friends and make this one an annual event. Hopefully it won't fall on Snowdown weekend in the future, though the only difference between the two events was the lack of a $69 rego for mardi gras.

Also, might have yet another Manitou weekend for the annual coffin races! This year's race will be held on October 25...

race schedule

Here it is, hopefully this'll get me to the starting line at Hardrock with a fighting chance...

Feb 23 - Winter Series IV (double)
Mar 15 - Salida Marathon
April 6 - Platte River Half Marathon
April 19 - Greenland 50K
May 3 - Collegiate Peaks 50 miler
June 1 - Steamboat Marathon
June 8 - Garden of the Gods 10 miler
June 21 - San Juan Solstice
July 11 - Hardrock!

happy birthday!

Today is MeatGazer's birthday!

holy shit!

gagger, katie, and I just watched a fight at the ancient mariner! good times!

I'm in!!!!!

Woohoo! I'm doing Hardrock this year! See the list here.

wish me luck!

The Hardrock lottery is today. 367 entries for 140 slots. As a first time applicant the chances are stacked against me, and more than likely I'll be down there pacing Moogy. But you never know...

7AM

Net and I started drinking at 7AM! Happy Mardi Gras! Net says happy gerbil day! We're going to take a shit on gagger's face!

it's official...

The first person to throw up in my new apartment is... @ss Gagger! And she did it while taking a dump too, very classy.