Monday, April 29, 2013

4/29 - Hazed and Infused

10K from the house to Red Mountain to The Keg.  Went with the Hazed and Infused from Boulder Beer.  Not my favorite but I'm running out of different beers to drink at that bar.  I had a PBR to wash it down.


weekend

Good times all around this weekend.

Had a solid long run at the Cheyenne Mountain 50K, finishing in 5:19:12.  Wanted to run a steady effort the entire way, and I accomplished that.  Of course, keeping an easy effort on the final eight miles meant slowing down quite a bit.  Everyone was complaining about the heat, rightfully so, but in a few weeks we'll all be longing for the days where it only got into the mid-70s.  My last easy effort at this race was in 2011 and I finished in 6:32.  Feel like I'm a little bit ahead in where I want to be for Hardrock.


Hit Bristol Brewing after the race with Shad, Nick P, and Liz.  Shad and Nick both admitted that Bristol is hands down better than any brewery in Boulder.

Incline Club on Sunday.  Four hours of time on my feet.  Included a slog up Longs Ranch and Incline # 27 on the year.  I think every single person in Colorado Springs did the Incline on Sunday.

Sunday evening we had a group run to show off the Garden loop of our upcoming strava challenge.  Good turnout followed by beers at Trinity.  The loop is 5.8 miles if any of yunz outta towners want to come try your luck.

Had my ass handed to me by arch nemesis Amanda at CM.  And for once I actually have no excuse for the whoopin'.  Good on her, but we do have a showdown at Jemez looming.


Definitely progress though, as at least now I'm losing to girls my own age.  Unlike some people...


Saturday, April 27, 2013

4/27 - Bristol Compass IPA

2010

The greatest 'stache in crossfit and his wife were recently on a road trip that included New Mexico.  They dropped into Eske's and found this:


We (me, $100, Nacheaux, and BLOS) signed that back in 2010 during a Jemez trip.

Looking forward to heading back to that area in less than a month.  We'll definitely hit Eske's again, and are stoked about trying out the new brewery.

Friday, April 26, 2013

Thursday, April 25, 2013

4/25 - Epicenter Amber

Incline #26 with the extra trip up to the summit of Rocky Mountain.  Eight miles in two hours.

Fridge find for today was the Epicenter Amber from SanTan Brewing out of Chandler, AZ.  One of the many fabulous brews I picked up on the wedding road trip.


movie night

Couple 'o short running movies last night at Stargazer's.  Good stuff, a little better than the typical ultra movies with dudes running shirtless to music you've never heard of.  The main flick was a documentary on Joan Benoit-Samuelson.  Hard to believe that it wasn't very long ago that women weren't really allowed in any distance over the 800m, because, you know, nobody wanted their uterus to fall out.  Nowadays I don't worry about whether or not a chick can cover a certain distance, but whether or not a chick will beat me at that distance.

Here's a shot, stolen from Pikes Peak Sports, of all the Boston marathon alum in attendance:


Wednesday, April 24, 2013

4/24 - flavor of the day

Avery IPA and Brooks's wife!

Pikes

I hate snow.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

4/23 - Ska Hibernal Vinifera Stout

Ska never lets me down.  Even with the scary description on the can - "oak aged foreign style stout brewed with malbec grape juice."  Definitely not a favorite but not nearly as horrible as it sounds.


This one time I almost beat Matt C at something...

New blog post up at Pikes Peak Sports.

Fresh snow and crappy roads this morning, so I ditched the truck and ran to work.  I voted to shut down for a snow day and the fat guy in the office called me a wimp.

Monday, April 22, 2013

4/22 - Ranger IPA

At the Townhouse after running Red Mountain, but still in a Fort Collins mood.

Horsetooth Rock

Rob and I went for a nice jog up Horsetooth Rock this morning.  Here I am crushing the final few feet to go sub 21 minutes on the climb:


OK, maybe it was sub 41 to the top.  Here's a better idea of the pace:


Gives me one Horsetooth summit on the year, slightly behind Rob's 47.

We saw Sir Nick waiting at the school bus stop with his kids, completely ruining the image of him as some kind of robot who only eats, sleeps, and runs.  I believe he holds the Horsetooth FKT at 23 minutes.

Horsetooth Marathon


Good times up in Fort Collins at the Horsetooth Marathon this weekend.  Despite the recent fire and the whole Boston thing and the 600 feet of snow over the past few days, the good FoCo peeps put on a fun race.  Completely changed course, my garmin beta is over here.  Basically, we ran from Nick's house over to New Belgium Brewing.  Little short (25.4 miles) due to the course changes but they sure didn't mess up the most important part - the finish line beer garden!  Finished in 3:41 with an easy effort.

Looking forward to going back and running the original course.

Looks like they put my ugly mug in The Coloradoan.

April 21 - Olde English 800


Who the hell goes all the way to Fort Collins, the Napa Valley of brewing, and drinks a shitton of OE?  Don't worry, I drank a ton of quality microbrew as well.


Saturday, April 20, 2013

Pre marathon nutrition

4/20 - Lagunitas Waldos' Special

April 19 - Ascent Pale Ale

AM - Easy 5K with the dog in Red Rock Canyon.

PM - Big loop around Greenland Open Space, eight miles in 76 minutes.  Lots of snow and mud up there.

Also biked to and from work, commute #26

Quote of the day" "Retaaad tried to escape in a schoonaaa that wasn't even in wataaa."

On the way home from Greenland I dropped by Pikes Peak Brewing for a few pints, including the Ascent Pale Ale.  This is the stuff they had at the finish line of Pikes.  Nice to just get to drink the beer without doing all that hard work first.

Friday, April 19, 2013

April 18 - Buffalo Gold Golden Ale


Incline #25 with the dog and then a few pints of Buffalo Gold Golden Ale at the Keg.  Good stuff.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

beautiful day in the neighborhood



Stole these off FB, they were taken by Gazette photographer Bryan Oller.  They will probably be left out of the Gazette to save space for an editorial about how Obama is ruining life as we know it.

The Incline is going to suck tonight.  I hate the cold.

April 17 - Ole 59'er Amber Ale

$100 had a work function at Colorado Mountain Brewing so I tagged along.  I really, really want to like this brewery, as it's the closest one to my house.  But I always get the feeling it's 95% restaurant and 5% brewery.  I almost feel like I'm at chili's or applebee's when I go here.  FYI, their Panther IPA is horrible.


Wednesday, April 17, 2013

they see me rollin'...they hatin'

New wheels, courtesy of craigslist.  It folds up!  She will make her debut in Fort Collins this Sunday, carting my drunk ass to and from Road 34.


And, as always, remember:




Commute #25

AM - Eight miler to work (first 5K was with the dog over in Red Rock Canyon), 78 minutes.

PM - Five miles home.  Got out of work early due to snow.  Unfortunately, this meant my clothes didn't have time to dry.  Wanted to go longer but thought better of it.

Haven't gotten any official word yet, but rumor has it the Horsetooth Marathon scheduled for Sunday will be cancelled.  Too much snow on the trails.  Confirms what I've always said about the Fort Collins trail runners, that they're a bunch of panzees.  The half marathon will go on as scheduled, so either way I'll be up in the Fort on Sunday.

Good interview with Matt C over at Pikes Peak Sports.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

April 16 - Lugene Chocolate Milk Stout

Mon PM - Incline #24.  For some reason I just wasn't into running yesterday.

Tues AM - 60 minutes at the gym.

Tues PM - Easy ten miles on the Garden roads, 86 minutes.  As I was coming down a steep hill around mile nine of my run, I saw a runner up ahead, coming towards me.  I noticed his odd form, almost like he was hopping.  As I got closer I saw he was missing a leg.  And not a below the knee amputee, I mean his whole damn leg, from the hip down.  He had a blade attached to a metal pole attached to his hip.  And he was charging up that hill.  Awesome to see him out there getting after it.

Beer for today was the Lugene Choc Milk Stout from Odell Brewing.  I love chocolate milk, and obviously I love beer, but this brew didn't really capture the magic I was expecting from combining the two.

Team Shart

Looks like they opened a franchise in Austin.

Ribbons are out, so Boston jokes are fair game.

Monday, April 15, 2013

April 15 - Boston Lager

What else would you drink today?


Sunday, April 14, 2013

April 14 - Elevated IPA

Beer for today was the Elevated IPA from La Cumbre Brewing down in the Duke City (Albuquerque, NM).



Really good stuff!  How did I acquire such a fine brew?  Because PG damn well knows that when he passes through South CRUD territory he better bring a gift!  Found a growler and a couple ounces of blue meth on my porch last night...

April 13 - Left Hand Good JuJu

Went to Jake & Telly's for supper and this was on special.  Good JuJu from Left Hand Brewing up in Schlongmont.  A ginger beer (it has no soul), so I was worried but actually this stuff wasn't half bad.


I remember drinking a few beers with my arch nemesis at this brewery way back when he was still a productive member of society, not the jobless bum he now is.  Such a shame to see how far he's fallen since I crushed him at Leadville a few years ago.


Saturday, April 13, 2013

Tortoise & Hare


Blazed a 21:46 at the Tortoise & Hare 5K this morning.  Boom.  Great to see Simon G get his ass handed to him by a 53 year old chick!

Biked to and from the race, then took the dog to Bear Creek Canyon for another four miles.

Friday, April 12, 2013

April 12 - Surly Coffee Bender

Hooray beer and coffee!

Commute #25

Easy hike with the dog in the AM and then hopped on the bike to get to work.  Hope to hit the Canon on the way home.  The new cyclist supplement/nutrition program I'm on has been working wonders.



Was going to pass on the annual Blues Traveler show on July 4th this year do to tons of other shit going down this summer.  But when it was announced Moe. was going to open I had to commit.



$100's folks are in town this weekend, on top of George the dog crashing with us while Amy P rocks Boston.  Probably not much running.  I will be at the Tortoise & Hare 5K making fun of people for how much they weigh on Saturday...


April 11 - 90 Shilling Ale

AM - easy 60 minutes on the Garden roads, 6.4 miles.

PM - from the house up to Rocky Mountain via the Incline and back down to The Keg.  10.3 miles, 2:18.

Beer for today was the 90 Shilling from Odell Brewing out of the Fort.  I'll be visiting Fort Collins next weekend, hopefully I'll be able to find some other beer to keep the streak alive.


Wednesday, April 10, 2013

April 10 - Smokebrush Porter

One of the Community Ales from my favorite local brewery, Bristol.  This one benefits the Uncle Wilber fountain down in Junkie Park.  Good stuff!


rest day

9F when I got out of bed this morning, thought it would be a good day for a break.

Thanks to Amy P for this wonderful pic from the St. Pat's Day 5K.


Tuesday, April 09, 2013

April 9 - Lone Star

Thanks to a recent visit by some friends from Austin, we won't be hurting for this beer any time soon.  I'm known for drinking PBR here in Colorado, but during my Texas days I was all about Lone Star.


Commute #24

Hot damn it sure is cold around here.  We didn't get the 36 feet of snow they were calling for but it was still some crappy weather.

AM - 45 minutes, 4.8 miles to work.
PM - 60 minutes, 6.5 miles home.

I mentioned outkicking the female masters champ at Platte River, then this post shows up at letsrun.com.  Yeah, not only do you crush the chicks at the end of the race, but then you brag about it!


Monday, April 08, 2013

April 8 - Alaskan Amber

So I was like, "holy shit, I haven't had a different beer today!"  Luckily, I was in The Keg when I had that thought.  Beer for today was the well known Alaskan Amber.


AM - Easy 4.5 miles through Red Rock Canyon with some of the neighbors.
Lunch - Four mile hike with the dog out and back through Bear Creek Canyon/666.
PM - Incline #22.

New flood map for Camp Creek posted.  Let's just say I'm glad we live on the east side of the ditch.  As with all Colorado Springs natural disasters, we will be having a party on the roof once the big flood comes.

Primus!

Sunday, April 07, 2013

April 7 - Downtown Littleton Brown

AM - Platte River Half Marathon, 1:27:42.
PM - Four miles with the dog in Red Rock Canyon, 50 minutes.

Real happy with my run at Platte River.  After hitting mile two in just over 14 minutes, I settled in around 6:45 pace.  Very hard, but not crushing myself.  At mile nine I started to race, hitting 6:34, 6:25, and 6:12 miles.  Hurtin' real bad at that point, but I held it together for a decent finish.  My last mile of 6:34 looks like it sucks, but there's a soul crushing hill in there.  You can see me in the pic below, and the pack led by the gal in pink and trailed by the dude in green were all in front of me at mile 12.


Another shot of me about 50 meters from the finish.  Digging deep to hold off local gal Connilee W.


Thanks to Rachel G for the pics.  If you're not going to Jemez you should go run her race.  I will buy anyone who beats PG at that race a beer.

$100 and I skipped the post-race beer garden since they were serving michelob ultra.  Instead, we went to the Old Mill Brewery located near the start of the race.  I started off with the Downtown Littleton Brown.


Also had the Rapp Street Lager.  I don't like to rip on local breweries, so I'll just say the beers here were almost as uninspiring as a half marathon finisher medal.

April 6 - Tank 7

Marc, Amanda, $100, and I met up at Front Range to watch some college hoops.  Tried a Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale from Boulevard Brewing in Kansas City, MO.  Not the worst beer I've ever had, but a bit fru fru for me.


Friday, April 05, 2013

April 5 - Valhalla Red IPA

Commute #23

AM - Quick five miles to work on the bike.

Lunch - 3.4 mile hike with two loops around Prospect Lake.  I saw a bald eagle flying over the lake looking for lunch.  I'm sure it was a bald eagle.  Are there birds that can be mistaken for a bald eagle?  I only ask because even though I saw it with my own eyes, I just can't believe there was a bald eagle flying around what is basically downtown Colorado Springs.

PM - Nice ride home via Cheyenne Canon.  One of the iconic rides of this area.  Guys named Lance and Levi have had the CR on this climb, which I didn't really time but probably fell a bit short of their speed.  17.3 miles on the fat tires, my longest ride ever.

Beer for today was the Valhalla Red IPA from Elysian Brewing in Seattle.  Wife had this waiting in the fridge for me after my ride.  I said I'm slowly becoming a fan of IPA's but this one didn't do it for me.  At $7 for a bomber, I doubt I'll go out of my way to drink it again.