Sunday, March 31, 2013

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Rainier!

They were out of Olympia.

Boom!

Friday, March 29, 2013

Incline #20/Commute #21

Thurs PM - Incline plus 20 minutes up Barr from Memorial Park.  End of an era as it was Diane's last day bartending at Kinfolk's.  Not sure if Incline Happy Hour will survive as her replacement isn't a real big fan of people or fun.

Fri - Rode the mountain bike to work.  Gears are awesome!

Went ahead and signed up for my first bike race.  Elephant Rock.  Doing the 27 mile fat tire ride.  It's not really a race, you can start anywhere between 8AM and 9:30AM as long as you finish by 5PM, but I guess in the cycling world you still have to dope for shit like that.  I love making fun of cyclists and doping, but is there anyone who doesn't this same stuff is going on in running?  Or any sport, for that matter?  Hell, the article mentions drug testing in ballroom dancing.

Got tix to see Primus.  They're playing City Auditorium in the Springs!  Suck it, Denver/Boulder!

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Post #5000

AM - 60 minutes at Accolade.  I might have to visit the local vet soon since my pythons are getting SICK!

Last time I picked up my bike from a bike shop, CS West Bikes, I was able to ride almost a quarter mile before parts started falling off.  Hopefully I have better luck this time.  I got some new parts that should help the chain move around those cog things that end up propelling the bike forward.  Yeah, I know a lot about bikes.

Of course, it's probably more due to not using gatorade's three part hydration system for my bike commute that makes me such a shitty biker.


Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Commute #21

AM - Easy 5.2 miles to work.

Lunch - Three mile hike around Prospect Lake.

PM - 11 miles home.  Two mile warm up, 60 minute hard tempo run, 1.5 mile cool down.  Tempo was through Bear Creek Park and Section 16, good stuff.

Got to try some Surly beer the other day.  Good stuff!  Think you can only get it in Minnesota though.


Just found this on FB.  From the PPRR winter series awards.  Good times!


Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Garden Roads

AM - hour at the gym working on the guns.

PM - easy 8.6 on the Garden roads after work.  Just past the two mile mark, near the main parking lot, I was forced to take a break by a huge group of bighorn sheep.  Damn sheep ruined my Strava KOM attempt!  There were a dozen of the sheep in the road and a lot more off in the field.

Courtesy of letsrun.  I hope and pray that someday one of my friends has a finishers pic like this:


Incline #19/Red Mountain

From the house, up the Incline, back down, then over to Red Mountain.  Then I ran out of gas so I mooched a ride home.

Took my mountain bike into the shop yesterday.  Hope to have her up and running by Friday's commute.  Even thinking of growing a fake moustache and riding this.

Speaking of moustaches, I saw this bumper sticker in the parking lot of The Arc yesterday.  The Arc also had Dean Karnazes's book and "Born To Run" on sale.  Gots to be the best ultra book section of any thrift store ever.


Monday, March 25, 2013

weekend

Had big plans for a high mileage weekend but this damn Colorado weather put the kebash on that.  Did get out for two hours on Saturday through Red Rock Canyon/Intemann/Sec 16.  On Sunday morning it was 7 friggin' degrees in Memorial Park for the Incline Club run.  Just about signed in and went back to bed but since I burned the gas to get to Manitou I figured I'd do something.  Incline #18 but I gots to say I did not enjoy it at all.

Hopefully this is winter's last stand.

Thinking of throwing this race onto the schedule to knock out Nebraska on the 50 state list.  Plus I could use it as an excuse to finally visit Carhenge.  And since I'm visiting Austin this summer and flying into San Antonio, I could pull off the double and visit the toilet seat museum.  I know you're jealous.

Friday, March 22, 2013

Incline #17/Commute #20

Me and the dog last night on the Incline.  Good times.

Rode the bike to work this morning.

Got tix to both nights of DMB and Snoop!  Boom!  Going to get a room on Colfax and spend the entire weekend either at Sancho's or the show.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

commute #19

6.7 miles in 58 minutes to work today.

Lots of local violence over the past 24 hours.  I work with the DOC, so this came as pretty shocking news today.  And then there's this, which happened about halfway between Brooks' house and my place.  I gots to admit it was much cooler having a machete robber running around the neighborhood last year than having a shooter.

In lighter news, I'm hoping to help with the aid station at the upcoming Greenland 50k.  Definitely taking some notes from this:

Incline #16

Tues PM - On the way over to Barr Trail I remembered it had been a while since I did the Incline.  So I bailed on the plan to run up to No Name and got to stepping instead.  Me and the dog, and tons of other traffic now that daylight lasts longer and the temps are going up.

Hopefully the new Bristol Brewery will be open soon.  This joint is only about a 5K from the house.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

cougar awareness/shocker preparation

Feel like I'm 13 years old again.

Beware the cougars!


No, not that kind.  I mean the kind that will eat your weiner dog right off the leash!  There are some places around here I won't take the dog this time of year, namely the very south end of Red Rock Canyon, Intemann, and Sec 16.

And I've been hearing a lot about shockers lately.  Can't wait for Pitt to crush Wichita State on Thursday.  Once again I've picked Pitt to win the whole damn thing, this is our year!  Not sure if Jenna Bush disagrees with me, or if it just takes too much brain power to do the hook 'em horns thing.


letsrun

Some good ultra chatter over on the letsrun message boards.

"Ultrarunners are in the same category as cross-fitters and tough mudders.  Complete hasks who can't handle real running events.  Track, XC, and road racing are the only races that matter."

And since letsrun has us all in a cynical mood, here's a good article from Outside Magazine about drugs in mountaineering.

Found out Snoop Dogg (Snoop Lion?) is opening for Dave Matthews in Commerce City.  Tix on sale this Friday!  Notice how Snoop rocks the Pens jersey in the video.  Dude is a big Steeler fan as well.

Barr Trail

Mon AM - Slept in.

Mon PM - After sleeping in and grabbing the goose egg on Monday
morning, I had to work late. Was able to take the dog up to the top
of the W's though. Easy half hour up, 25 minutes down, four miles
overall.

Ever get one of those Nielsen Ratings envelopes? I usually throw the
shit out, being that we don't have cable. But for some weird reason I
opened the big envelope yesterday. And five bucks was inside. So I
wrote in Breaking Bad into every category and funded my Quijote's
breakfast burrito binge for the next two days.

Tues AM - 60 minutes at the gym. Ever since my snow shoveling
incident I've been pretty regular about my twice per week goal at the
gym. The guy who works the early shift had Whitesnake turned up way
too loud for 6AM.

Sunday, March 17, 2013

19:21


19:21 at the St. Pat's 5K.  About where I thought I'd be.  Slow as hell, but I just haven't been putting in any kind of speed work in months.

Photo stolen from Pikes Peak Sports.

Thursday, March 14, 2013

bikers are retarded

Had to run (drive) home over lunch and there was a cyclist taking up an entire lane on Colorado Ave.  Of course he didn't care that he was causing traffic issues.  Whether or not it's legal, it once again raises my hatred of cyclists since, like I have said many times before, why the hell are you riding on busy Colorado Ave when there is a bike lane one block to the south and an empty Pikes Peak Ave one block to the north!  Grrrrr!  Which is why I'm not going to shed a tear when you get your bike stolen while out celebrating your KOM.  For the record, when I ride to work I use a combination of Pikes Peak and Bijou (bike lane), then ride home via the hike-and-bike path that is always empty.

Saw Ryan Hall dropped out of Boston.  Been a while since the guy has had anything go well for him.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Commute #18/Double

4.8 miles to work this morning, 43 minutes.  Also got in a nice 2.5 mile hike around Prospect Lake over lunch in 30 minutes.  Beautiful day out there.

Signed up for the Pikes Double.  The only goal remains a sub three up.  Was still planning on pacing Fuller that weekend, but is that guy even alive?

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Monday triple

Monday AM - Easy 7.4 miles on the Garden trails, 72 minutes.  Still hungover from Salida.

Monday lunch - 60 minute hard hike with the dog in Red Rock Canyon, 4.17 miles.

Monday PM - Red Mountain with BLOS, Vega, and James.  Even had a Peter sighting up top.  Sub 24 going up, pretty good for me.

Some good friends from Austin are visiting all week, so we'll see how much I get done.  Hoping for a decent weekend though - two hours plus the St. Pat's 5K on Saturday followed by Barr Camp on Sunday.

Monday, March 11, 2013

Salida

Another Salida Marathon in the books, my eighth finish at that race.  4:16:59.  Little slower than I was hoping for, but still a pretty solid training run.  Forgot the watch at home and I'm pretty sure I started way too slow to have any chance to run around four hours.  I guess running with Slow Aaron for the first few miles should have been a hint.


Good second half of the race, didn't get my ass handed to me on the downhills like I usually do.  Stopped twice for beer, and even in this area I wasn't my usual self - at the mile 20 aid station, they told me I was only the third guy to crack a brew there.

Nick ran as fast as he ever has on the new course and out leaned me at the tape by a scant 1:09:01.  He now owes me beer!  And I paid my rego for Quad Rock, so don't be trying to count the finish line Pateros Creek brew as settlement of the bet!

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Friday, March 08, 2013

1:15

All the meetings with lawyers and bookies are finally over, Sir Nick is giving me an hour and a quarter in our annual battle in Salida.  On the line is one boot of beer from Moonlight Pizza.  I've been on the losing end of this bet for a while now, I feel confident in saying this is the year the streak ends!




fire

Good article on Pikes Peak Sports about the burn areas and if/when they'll open back up.  Maybe in June we can get a group run for a lap or two around Rampart Res and then a tour of the Woodland Park breweries...

Not looking good for Waldo opening anytime soon, including next January for the Fat Ass.

Four easy miles this morning with the dog.

Thursday, March 07, 2013

Commute #17

Pulled off a double brick today.  3.5 mile dog jog followed by a bike ride to work this morning.  Then I rode home and ran the 7.5 mile trail loop in the Garden.  Does this make me the current Ironman favorite?

dog jog

40 minutes with a difficult dog this morning.  3.5 miles.  Also got a 30 minute hike in around Prospect Lake over lunch, 2.2 miles.

Tickets for three days of Widespread Panic go on sale Saturday during the Salida marathon.  Last time Panic played three days at Red Rocks, they sold out in seven minutes.  So I guess I won't be able to see them this year.  I told $100 that I wanted to see one of my big three (Dave Matthews Band, Phish, Panic) this year, and I'm definitely hoping to get DMB tix for both nights in Commerce City.  Hopefully by the time the boss forgets how much the Dave show costs, Phish will announce some Colorado dates.

Wednesday, March 06, 2013

Commute #16

Easy 10K to work this morning, 51 minutes.

By the way, I was around 73 minutes for the Pueblo 10 miler on Saturday.  Not too shabby for being sore from a road 20 the day before as well as nursing a hangover.

Saturday, March 02, 2013

20

Solid 20 miler today in 2:43:46, including 12:59 at the Nielsen Challenge.  Most of this was on pavement, probably going to be a bit sore for the Pueblo ten miler tomorrow.

Good luck to everyone running Little Rock tomorrow!  Brad P and Justin R will be down there.

Friday, March 01, 2013

February

231 miles on 29 runs.  44:04:49.  34,091 feet.

23.7 miles on 9 hikes.  7:26:31.  3,886 feet.

And of course, 31.6 miles on the bike on 6 rides.  3:21:51.

Not quite what I wanted on the month, but the back thing had me pretty scared and I stayed off my feet for as much as I could after that.

Looking to pick things up in March.

Umphrey's @ Red Rocks!

Just got my first tix of the season for Red Rocks!

Mitchell report

Write up of the recent Carolina trip is over on Pikes Peak Sports.

Brick

Easy 6.3 miles on the Garden roads this morning, 53:08.  Included there is a 6:44 mile so I wouldn't look like a choad posting a ten minute mile to the March Mile Madness FB page.

Then I hopped on the bike and threw down a 23 flat to work (commute #18), a PR by almost seven minutes.  The huge improvement is due to rampant PED use and not stopping for bagels along the way.