retirement

Stumbled across a website that lets you know how much your blog is worth.  I've grown this puppy into a $163 empire.  The site is over here.

For comparison:

GZ - $472
Andy W - $163
Tony - $1327
JMock - $163
PG - $234
Wyatt - $1733
Wiley - $163
Slow Aaron - $125

Had to look real hard to find someone under $163.

commute #44/NYC

Easy run to work today, 60 minutes, 6.5 miles.

So far our flight to NYC is still on.  Our classy hotel, The Jane, sits right next to the Hudson and I have no idea what's going on there.  But as long as we can get on a plane, we're going.

Very rough feelings about the marathon.  Part of me wants it to go on to show how quickly NYC can rebound from tough times.  The other part of me realizes it's asking way too much of the police, firefighters, and medical personnel to work a marathon on Sunday.  Sure glad I'm not Mary Wittenberg right now, she has some tough choices to make.

it's on like Donkey Kong!

Thanks to Mike H for the tip on this one.  Turns out those Fort Collins guys aren't completely worthless after all.

I'm planning on checking it out on Nov 17th if anyone wants to hang in Denver.  Event info for this life changing experience is over here.  Also need to scout some stuff out for the post Colfax marathon pub crawl, so it could be a fun afternoon.

Sure hope I get to meet my all-time hero!

I did not ride my bike to work today.

After an easy 30 minutes with the dog, I decided I'd ride the bike to work today.  The singlespeed had a flat front tire, and after pumping it up I somehow tore the presta valve off.  Oops.  No spare tube around so I got the mountain bike off the shelf.  I had been having issues with the rear derailleur, despite TWO trips to CS West to fix it (not that I'm angry about it), and about a block from the house as I was shifting the damn chain broke.  Could have been head and shoulders above the hipsters by riding my new zerospeed, but instead I jumped in the truck and drove to work.

Shit like that never happens to runners.

King's Chef!

quote of the day

"...obsessive training is sort of like excessive masturbation; you'll undoubtedly get better at it.  And?"
    -Will Gadd

Where will you be when the world ends?

I'll be in Keystone.  No, not skiing, but at the Keller Williams show.  The Friday night show is guaranteed.  The Saturday show has a clause on the ticket that says you don't get your money back if the world ends and the show doesn't go on.

commute #43

Easy run to work, 6.1 miles in 60 minutes.  Legs are still sore, good stuff.

track

One mile warm up, 10 x 400m with 200m RBI, .5 mile cool down.  Windy, and my legs were still sore from the weekend, so I took things pretty easy.  90 second first lap, then hit 86-87 the rest of the way.

Newspaper Rock

Stopped here on my way home from Canyonlands.  These rock drawings must be millions of years old!

Or maybe not...

Canyonlands

Couple 'o pics taken with my iPhone while exploring the Needles district of Canyonlands Nat'l Park.

Red Mountain

Easy 3.5 miles up and down Red Mountain last night, see the stats here.  Joined by Andy, Brandon, and Amy.  Making this into a weekly run, starting 6:15PM from Memorial Park, if anyone wants to join me as I try to get my ass ready for Mt. Mitchell.

Took the dog out this morning for a blazing 2.1 miles in half an hour.  As long as the dog keeps it below EIB pace I'm alright.

Hooray Pass

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjacLkjyKM0

one more for the collection

Chesler Park

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZ8UKIWQhYg

Joint Trail

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRm_sNJTn7o

books are cool

Next person to have a kid is getting this as a present.

rest day

Dog didn't feel like running, and I didn't feel like making her.  Just an easy 30 minute walk around the neighborhood.  Still trying to get her to shit in O'Day's yard so I don't have to clean it up, but no dice so far.

Off to Moab after work.  Have a cool course around/through the Needles in Canyonlands I'm looking at for Friday morning, then kicking around some other trails to check out on Saturday.  On Sunday it's The Other Half before heading back to the Springs.  If I can go sub 90 after two 20+ mile trail days, I'll be happy for my chances at NYC.

This came today...

I'm starting to believe I can still go sub three.

Not that you'd guess that from my run home.  6.2 miles, 56:36.

commute #42

Easy five miles to work, 45:33.

Track last night.  One mile warm up, 6 x 800m with 200m RBI, one mile cool down.  Averaged 2:53, with the first one in 2:57 and working down to the final one in 2:48.

I've decided to cut back to one beer per day...

20

Off on Monday, so I took advantage of the good weather and got 20.3 miles in, three hours.  Hilly course through the Garden and Manitou.  Probably my last long road run before NYC.

On Saturday I ran the Mine To Mine Challenge, a 9K up in Cripple Creek.  Hard course, the first two miles are some steep downhill (I hit 5:45 and 5:44) and then suffered after that.  Held things together until mile 4.5 or so, then fell apart.  My garmin had the day at 5.75 miles in 36:14.  Results are here.  I was talking to Adam R after the race and he said he and Levassiur hit the first mile in 4:30.

Pic of me near the finish, courtesy of Pikes Peak Sports.  Kircher is somewhere well behind me at this point:

video

Part two of the wedding trip video.  Thanks to Wiley for putting this together.

commute #41

Unexpectedly got a free day off on Wednesday, so I had to wait 'till the end of the week to continue the streak.  45 minutes, five miles.

Quick NYC update over on Pikes Peak Sports.

From the Triple Crown awards last night, I was second in my age group.  The guy who won, Jesse, is obviously taking PED's.

fresh snow up high

Thursday

Easy AM seven miles, 63 minutes.  Then hopped on the bike to get to work.

Triple Crown awards ceremony tonight, so no Incline happy hour.  Think I got second in my age group.

Stole this pic from Adventure Journal.  Cops caught this guy stealing a bike and arrested his ass.  Enjoy prison rape, bike thief!

wedding trip, part IV

Soon after getting hitched we bolted the bright lights of Vegas for Springdale, UT.  Had dinner at our usual spot, The Flying Monkey.  Then we were almost as lucky as back in Flagstaff when we found out about the beer festival - we found out the Zion Canyon Music Festival was going on right down the road.  And it was free.  $100 and I got up there pretty late, but in time to catch The Brothers Comatose.  $100 loves her some bluegrass so this really made an awesome trip even better.



Early the next morning we were on the Zion shuttle headed to hike the famous Narrows.  We did an out and back, probably nine miles total, and it was incredible.

My buddy Garry H had done this same hike earlier in the week, and I got a map saying he had left a wedding present in the canyon for us.  Yes, we were able to find it.

The seeds for this hike were planted last year when I ran the Zion Traverse.  Pretty sure $100 and I will return to Zion, we got pretty interested in The Subway while we were there...

20

Tues - Found myself up north after work, so no Manitiou track for me.  Had planned on hitting the track at Eagleview Middle School (where Fall Series III starts) but when I got there the trails of Ute Valley were too much to ignore.  Ten minute warm up, 20 minutes hard, ten mile cool down, 4.8 miles.

Wed - Free day off work thanks to utilities shutting down water to the office.  Took full advantage of it, as Josh and I went out and ran a hilly 20 miler (Garden, Manitou, Red Rocks) in three hours.  My first run of more than 15 miles since Hardrock.

weekend miles

Saturday - Ran the Pawtoberfest 5K at Bear Creek Park with $100 and the dog, 29:12.  PR for the dog.  That evening I got out for another ten miles in the Garden.

Sunday - Hungover.  15 miles around the Garden and Manitou, 2:27:46.  Was hoping for 20 but just couldn't make it happen.

Somehow ended up with 65 miles on the week.  Training has been all over the place lately.  Really just hoping to hang on at New York, but that race is now an afterthought as far as fast times go.  Really want to start training for Mt. Mitchell and I'll probably just start getting ready for that instead of doing any kind of taper for NYC.

wedding trip, part III

After hauling our asses out of the ditch, we bolted straight to Vegas.  Wiley and Jes immediately hit the booze, while $100 and I had some legal shit to take care of.  The Clark County government building, walking distance from the strip, is open from 8AM until midnight to process marriage licenses.  Everyone was dressed up, some in their actual wedding dresses.  $100 and I hadn't showered in four days.  Here we are waiting on paperwork:

Then it was off to the romantic Golden Nugget, home base for the few days we'd be in Vegas.  After a quick shower, we hit two of my favorite Vegas hangouts, the Double Down and Dino's.  Good times!

On wedding day, I woke up and headed out for some alone time at Red Rock Canyon.  Headed up Turtlehead Peak.  Great scenery, awesome park, I'll always go here for a run when I'm in Vegas.  Turtlehead Peak is a great five-ish mile run, should have been easy but I clipped a rock on the way down and fell hard.  Lots of blood, and I jacked my shoulder up pretty good.  Still hurts today.

After heading back to the hotel and cleaning up, $100 and I headed off to the Neon Museum for some actual professional pics.  I'll post those when I get 'em.

After that, it was more goofing off and drinking.  We were married by the good folks at A Little White Chapel, because if they've married such good folks as Michael Jordan, Brittney Spears, Darryl Strawberry, Slash, Bruce Willis & Demi Moore, and Silvester Stallone, then damnit they were good enough for us!  We didn't actually go to the chapel, but got a limo/pastor/photographer package to have the ceremony beneath the Vegas sign.  Classy.

I needed a ring for the ceremony, so $100 picked one up for me at a gas station for less than three bucks.  It doubles as a bottle opener.  She is allowing me to go ringless, I told her I can't stand jewelry but we all know a wedding ring ruins my chances to pick up chicks.  $100's ring was much more expensive, picked up in a thrift store next door to Moonlight Pizza in Salida.

The wedding party.  Thanks to all who came out to make it such a memorable experience!

Still going through a ton of pics, and I'll post the good ones as I come to them.