Sunday, November 23, 2008
kudos...
...to BLOS and Katie for their performances at the Turkey Trot prediction run yesterday. BLOS predicted he'd run 23 flat and finished in 22:55.293, and his difference of 4.707 was good enough for sixth place and a coveted turkey. Katie said she'd run 32:23 and finished in 29:54.915, her first time under half an hour for that distance. The winner of the race predicted she'd run 27:02 and finished in 27:01.306, a difference of 0.694 seconds.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Incline happy hour #6
The crew from the latest Incline happy hour. It sure would be nice to get more women out, but I guess most chicks in this area are afraid of the climb. Same time next Thursday (turkey day) but we will be ending at the Royal Tavern for some Thanksgiving gin and tonics. The bartender there is smokin' hot too (although I was pretty drunk last night when I saw her).Collegiate Peaks
Rego for the Collegiate Peaks 25/50 miler is now up. Check out the fancy new website here. Good times out in Buena Vista! I've finished the 50 miler twice and set my PR there last year. Plus, Eddyline Brewing Company is scheduled to be open in time for the race...
Trinity review
Trinity Brewing was reviewed in the Gazette today. Read it here. You will hear the "Obama is in office. Empower yourself" line from me again. And again, and again, and again...
So far my Trinity paycheck has paid my rego for the Rock Canyon half marathon, the Rescue Run, the Leadville showshoe 20 miler, and the Austin Marathon. My next paycheck will cover the Greenland 50K and Salida marathon. Hope to pick up a few more hours over the holidays to pay for Leadville and my triple century attempt. Not too shabby.
Bongo Love plays tonight at Trinity. The Jack Trades are there on Tuesday. Be there or be square.
So far my Trinity paycheck has paid my rego for the Rock Canyon half marathon, the Rescue Run, the Leadville showshoe 20 miler, and the Austin Marathon. My next paycheck will cover the Greenland 50K and Salida marathon. Hope to pick up a few more hours over the holidays to pay for Leadville and my triple century attempt. Not too shabby.
Bongo Love plays tonight at Trinity. The Jack Trades are there on Tuesday. Be there or be square.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
thank you sir may I have another...
Midnite Stroker is now in for the Austin marathon!
Who will be next...
Who will be next...
21
Picked a great day to forget my climbing gear, for as I pulled into the parking lot I noticed the big yellow school bus, which meant the place was going to be crawling with kids.
So I found a nice empty corner and proceeded to knock out my first ever crossfit workout. Chose a workout called "21" which was the following:
20 push-ups/1 sit-up
19 push-ups/2 sit-ups
18 push-ups/3 sit-ups
17 push-ups/4 sit-ups
...and so on until you did 1 push-up and 20 sit-ups. You end up doing 210 push-ups and 210 sit-ups. I finished in 22:28. Not too shabby, but I hadn't done these kinds of sit-ups since my Army days so they were pretty slow. I don't think it'll take long for me to get under 20 minutes for this workout.
Pushed pretty hard, but it's still not even close to the best workout I've ever got at the rock gym. And it wasn't anywhere near the ballpark of the other two workouts I'll do today, Cheyenne Canyon and the Incline. While doing that many push-ups and sit-ups over lunch sure beats hitting McDonald's, I'm still not sure why people think CF is the end all/be all of hard workouts.
And for the record, I whooped Lulu's ass for this, and she owes me a beer!
So I found a nice empty corner and proceeded to knock out my first ever crossfit workout. Chose a workout called "21" which was the following:
20 push-ups/1 sit-up
19 push-ups/2 sit-ups
18 push-ups/3 sit-ups
17 push-ups/4 sit-ups
...and so on until you did 1 push-up and 20 sit-ups. You end up doing 210 push-ups and 210 sit-ups. I finished in 22:28. Not too shabby, but I hadn't done these kinds of sit-ups since my Army days so they were pretty slow. I don't think it'll take long for me to get under 20 minutes for this workout.
Pushed pretty hard, but it's still not even close to the best workout I've ever got at the rock gym. And it wasn't anywhere near the ballpark of the other two workouts I'll do today, Cheyenne Canyon and the Incline. While doing that many push-ups and sit-ups over lunch sure beats hitting McDonald's, I'm still not sure why people think CF is the end all/be all of hard workouts.
And for the record, I whooped Lulu's ass for this, and she owes me a beer!
Ryan Hall to run Boston!
Just heard that Ryan Hall will be lining up at Boston this year, obviously avoiding me since I've let it be known I'm shooting for 2010. But it'll be nice to have an American with a chance to win in the field.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
He is coming...
Have you noticed how so much of the current news is about pirates?
I think it's a sign that the Flying Spaghetti Monster is planning to return to earth and reward the believers with a beer volcano and a stripper factory! Woohoo!
FSM is coming...look busy!
rocks
No shit, there I was (fantastic, incredible, tell us about it muthafucker!) down at the rock gym. Minding my own business, thinking I’m a total badass because I’m working my way right up through all the rec routes.
Ex-stalkee girl sneaks up behind me and says, “hey, could you come help me with this problem I’m setting?”
I figure she wants me to tighten a fake rock to the wall or hold a ladder or something, so I follow her. She leads me over to the hard part of the gym, which I only visit if I’m cutting through there to get a drink of water, and says, “climb this and let me know what you think.”
So as I’m getting into the sit down start, which is already above my skill level, she tells me the route is a V5. I’ve completed V0 before, but it hasn’t been very pretty. Being an idiot, instead of letting her know I’m in way over my head, I try the route. I actually made it three moves into the problem in my lame attempt to impress her (by far my best three moves ever), but then on the fourth I fell hard to the real rocks below with a thud.
She looks at me pathetically and says, “Oh…well…it’s an easier route for shorter people.”
Ex-stalkee girl sneaks up behind me and says, “hey, could you come help me with this problem I’m setting?”
I figure she wants me to tighten a fake rock to the wall or hold a ladder or something, so I follow her. She leads me over to the hard part of the gym, which I only visit if I’m cutting through there to get a drink of water, and says, “climb this and let me know what you think.”
So as I’m getting into the sit down start, which is already above my skill level, she tells me the route is a V5. I’ve completed V0 before, but it hasn’t been very pretty. Being an idiot, instead of letting her know I’m in way over my head, I try the route. I actually made it three moves into the problem in my lame attempt to impress her (by far my best three moves ever), but then on the fourth I fell hard to the real rocks below with a thud.
She looks at me pathetically and says, “Oh…well…it’s an easier route for shorter people.”
5.15b
For you climbing geeks out there, word at the rock gym was that Chris Sharma knocked off a problem, Jumbo Love, that was rated at 5.15b. For reference, that's slightly more difficult than any route I've ever climbed.
pics
Per Mopper's post, here are two of my favorite running pics. More to follow later today. Of course, if you've ever seen me run, you know I'll never be included in a lecutre on proper running biomechanics. Both are pics from my Hardrock adventure. The top one was taken by Christian (the photographer the Gazette sent to follow me) and the bottom was taken by Melissa.
Rim Rock Write-Up
Here's my monthly submission to the Pikes Peak Road Runners newsletter, a quick write-up about the Rim Rock Run. Overall it was a great experience, though I left out my frustration at being unable to find a throwback Jillian Mesa State hoops jersey.
I’ve lived in Colorado for three years now, and the descriptions I’ve heard about Grand Junction being nothing but desert and oil platforms didn’t really inspire me to make the drive out there. After running the Rim Rock Run, however, I stand corrected. Starting at one end of the Colorado National Monument and finishing at the other end (hence the weird 37K distance), the race is like the Garden of the Gods 10 miler on steroids. The beauty of the park is unreal. At no point of the race do you encounter a view that isn’t worthy of a calendar or post card.
This is no easy run through the park, however. There is only one way to describe the initial climb: BRUTAL! You start climbing as soon as the gun goes off, and there’s no break for the next eight miles, which takes you from 4930 feet to the high point of the course at 6640 feet. If you have any breath left, it’s taken away by the scenery. A narrow and winding road takes you past amazing rock formations and even into tunnels dug right through the rock.
After reaching the high point, runners cover a short section of rolling hills before hitting the final downhill. All that elevation gained over the first climb is given back over the final half-marathon. Sounds like a great time, but the long descent is quite the quad thrasher. Once again, the pain is made a little easier to ignore by checking out the surroundings. The Coke Ovens, Independence Monument, Balanced Rock, lots of cool canyons and mesas, not to mention the awesome views of Fruita and Grand Junction.. There’s a spectacular view just past the visitor’s center where you can see the finish line – and see that the final four miles of the race drop you over 1000 feet with lots of sharp switchbacks. At this point your legs, which have endured the initial monster climb and the rough downhill miles that followed, aren’t very happy with your brain.
The aid station volunteers also make the suffering a little more bearable. There was an aid station challenge, just like the ones they have at the Barr Trail Mountain Race. Runners get to vote for their favorite aid station, which are located about every 2.5 miles. This really adds to the spirit of each station and that energy is passed onto the runners. Although I voted for the local Lions club, the best aid station moment for me came at the final one, when a Grand Junction REI employee informed me that I had less than two miles to go until the finish.
The post race shindig was a blast. You pick up a shuttle to take you the half mile from the finish line to the parking lot of a local adventure guide, where endless amounts of pizza and beer await. So I got to wait my turn at the massage tent eating and drinking and telling everyone who would listen my excuses for not running as fast as I had planned, since I thought it would be a flat course.
Overall, the Rim Rock Run is definitely worth the trip. It’s scheduled during the offseason for many local runners, including myself, but having it out there should keep me from getting too fat and lazy before the Incline Club starts up again. Definitely a road trip to check out to fill up an otherwise boring mid-November weekend.
I’ve lived in Colorado for three years now, and the descriptions I’ve heard about Grand Junction being nothing but desert and oil platforms didn’t really inspire me to make the drive out there. After running the Rim Rock Run, however, I stand corrected. Starting at one end of the Colorado National Monument and finishing at the other end (hence the weird 37K distance), the race is like the Garden of the Gods 10 miler on steroids. The beauty of the park is unreal. At no point of the race do you encounter a view that isn’t worthy of a calendar or post card.
This is no easy run through the park, however. There is only one way to describe the initial climb: BRUTAL! You start climbing as soon as the gun goes off, and there’s no break for the next eight miles, which takes you from 4930 feet to the high point of the course at 6640 feet. If you have any breath left, it’s taken away by the scenery. A narrow and winding road takes you past amazing rock formations and even into tunnels dug right through the rock.
After reaching the high point, runners cover a short section of rolling hills before hitting the final downhill. All that elevation gained over the first climb is given back over the final half-marathon. Sounds like a great time, but the long descent is quite the quad thrasher. Once again, the pain is made a little easier to ignore by checking out the surroundings. The Coke Ovens, Independence Monument, Balanced Rock, lots of cool canyons and mesas, not to mention the awesome views of Fruita and Grand Junction.. There’s a spectacular view just past the visitor’s center where you can see the finish line – and see that the final four miles of the race drop you over 1000 feet with lots of sharp switchbacks. At this point your legs, which have endured the initial monster climb and the rough downhill miles that followed, aren’t very happy with your brain.
The aid station volunteers also make the suffering a little more bearable. There was an aid station challenge, just like the ones they have at the Barr Trail Mountain Race. Runners get to vote for their favorite aid station, which are located about every 2.5 miles. This really adds to the spirit of each station and that energy is passed onto the runners. Although I voted for the local Lions club, the best aid station moment for me came at the final one, when a Grand Junction REI employee informed me that I had less than two miles to go until the finish.
The post race shindig was a blast. You pick up a shuttle to take you the half mile from the finish line to the parking lot of a local adventure guide, where endless amounts of pizza and beer await. So I got to wait my turn at the massage tent eating and drinking and telling everyone who would listen my excuses for not running as fast as I had planned, since I thought it would be a flat course.
Overall, the Rim Rock Run is definitely worth the trip. It’s scheduled during the offseason for many local runners, including myself, but having it out there should keep me from getting too fat and lazy before the Incline Club starts up again. Definitely a road trip to check out to fill up an otherwise boring mid-November weekend.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Leadville Snowshoe 20 miler
home gym
Ever since I moved to Manitou I've found it harder and harder to get to the YMCA to hit the weights. I'm usually pretty good on Tuesday nights after a track workout at CC, but one night a week just doesn't cut it. Every week I say I'm going to stop for an extra workout after the Wednesday CRC happy hour run, but I drink too much beer there and usually end up at the Red Rock Lounge, which is a great place but doesn't do much for my health and fitness. So I splurged on the pile below, should be more than enough to get in some bonus workouts now that it's time to get my fat ass back into shape.
actually, it's because I don't like kids...
Great pic, taken by Pete, of a sign taken at the Ourayle House out in Ouray. One of my biggest pet peeves is when people take kids into a bar. woohoo!
Got the first Incline newsletter of the season! Time to start training hard again! It's actually been rough keeping things under 50 miles a week. First run is November 3oth, Ute Pass/Waldo. With a post-run breakfast at King's Chef, of course.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
more deer
Must be something about my yard today, these guys were chillin' out when I got back from the fall series.BLOS
Kudos to BLOS for finishing his first marathon! 3:41 and change. Recover quick, Tuscon is just three weeks away...
hell yeah!
Barring a late race collapse, looks like Josh is gonna qualify for Boston! Not sure what the hell BLOS is doing, bad day or what, he's averaging just under eight per mile. Thought he'd be in front of Josh. I'm sure he'll make up for it at Tuscon.
Friday, November 14, 2008
it's official...
Just signed up for the Austin marathon! Should be a great trip - get to see a lot of friends, get to hang in a super cool town, get to qualify for Boston, and get to celebrate my 10 year hashiversary with my mother hash! I do expect a beer check around mile 25!
Katie thinks she won the argument because I told her I'd sign her up for the half marathon...
Katie thinks she won the argument because I told her I'd sign her up for the half marathon...
austin marathon
incline happy hour #5
Good times at the Incline happy hour last night! Took me damn near 37 minutes to get to the top, super slow for me, but I like to think I was taking my time to enjoy the great weather...
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Fall Series - Ute Valley
Bunch of action shots of hashers taken off the Pikes Peak Road Runners website. Final race in the fall series is this Sunday. It's the grandaddy of 'em all, the Palmer Park run. Woohoo!
my kind of town!
Colorado Springs, fresh off being named the fittest city in America, was recently named the third drunkest city in America.
Now if I could just figure out how to get the crazy religious people to leave...
Now if I could just figure out how to get the crazy religious people to leave...
ain't no party like a Scabs party!
My ex-stalkee was playing The Scabs at the rock gym today! I think she's trying to win me back, but I'm not that easy.
The Jack Trades
Got to listen to a CD by these guys while drinking last night. Real good local stuff, kinda reminded me of the Black Keys a bit, with a little John Spencer Blues Explosion thrown in. They'll be playing at Trinity on Tuesday, November 26th. Blues/Rock and Awaken Stout (with a run through the Garden first, of course), sounds like a good night!
Corral Bluffs
Hooray for Corral Bluffs, Colorado Springs's newest open space! 522 acres to go explore!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
happy veterans day!
Celebrated the day by donning my old Army PT uniform for my early morning run through Red Rock Canyon. Even knocked out 50 push ups afterwards. Hooah!
It's politically incorrect to say anything bad about vets, but I think the Spankers really sum up the "I support the troops as long as it doesn't inconvienience me in any way whatsoever" attitude of the majority of America. See it here.
It's politically incorrect to say anything bad about vets, but I think the Spankers really sum up the "I support the troops as long as it doesn't inconvienience me in any way whatsoever" attitude of the majority of America. See it here.
Monday, November 10, 2008
hell yeah!
Over the weekend the rock gym had a comp, meaning there were tons of new bouldering routes waiting for me today. On a whim, I started on the beginner routes and went on as many as I could without any rest in between. Ended up sending the first nine routes there, then moved up to the intermediate routes and nailed the first five! Woohoo! Last time I was in a comp I think I got the first seven beginner routes, so it's nice to see some improvement.
beer
Good conversation on local beer going on over at the Out There blog, read it here. Even got this nugget from another PA'er:
"And we had to buy them PBRs by the case cause they don’t sell em’ any other way in Western PA. When times get tough out there we cling to our guns, our religion and our 24-pack of PBR….oh, and our duckies."
"And we had to buy them PBRs by the case cause they don’t sell em’ any other way in Western PA. When times get tough out there we cling to our guns, our religion and our 24-pack of PBR….oh, and our duckies."
hot springs
Less than half a mile off I-70 up near Glenwood Springs there's a tiny swimming hole that's about four feet deep and roughly 112F. A few improvements have been made over the years, such as a piece of wood that serves as an entrance platform and a couple of chairs that have been donated to the cause, but other than that this is a totally natural hot springs. Well worth the trip if you're ever in the area!
Sunday, November 09, 2008
weekend
Was able to squeeze one last killer weekend in before the shitty weather comes. Ran hard on Saturday, finishing in 19th place (164 finishers) in 2:49:24. Sererely miscalculated how hard the first eight miles would be, I attacked that section but it took a lot out of me. Still, not a bad effort for how sporadic my training has been. $100 got the stoner award for finishing in 4:20.
Hung out with a few Grand Junction hashers on Sat night and had a blast. Visited a brewery and a few dive bars in GJ and then went to a comedy show in Fruita. Good times! Also found a new brand of sweat tea vodka, very yummy.
Sunday was back for more exploring at the Colorado National Monument and then some hot tub action at my very first natural hot springs. Hit the Prime Time pub in Leadville on the way home.
Now it's off to acid jazz. Pics and a more detailed wrap up will follow shortly.
Hung out with a few Grand Junction hashers on Sat night and had a blast. Visited a brewery and a few dive bars in GJ and then went to a comedy show in Fruita. Good times! Also found a new brand of sweat tea vodka, very yummy.
Sunday was back for more exploring at the Colorado National Monument and then some hot tub action at my very first natural hot springs. Hit the Prime Time pub in Leadville on the way home.
Now it's off to acid jazz. Pics and a more detailed wrap up will follow shortly.
Friday, November 07, 2008
new policy
Got this nugget from $100's sister quite some time ago, I thought it was one of the best ideas ever but kinda forgot about it 'till lately, since I've had wedding invites pouring in.
Concerning wedding gifts, I am going to politely postpone giving any until that couple celebrates their 5th wedding anniversary. Shouldn't be much of a big deal, since marriage is such a sacred institution and five years out of an entire life spent together is but an eyeblink.
Concerning wedding gifts, I am going to politely postpone giving any until that couple celebrates their 5th wedding anniversary. Shouldn't be much of a big deal, since marriage is such a sacred institution and five years out of an entire life spent together is but an eyeblink.
2500
Decided this morning that I wanna hit 2500 miles for the year. Taking out the four days over x-mas where I'll be attempting the triple century (100 beers and 100 miles in 100 hours), I'll hafta average ten miles a day to hit that magic number. Shouldn't be too bad with a 23 miler coming up on Saturday and the Incline Club about to kick off. After this morning's 5K, I currently stand at 2012.0 miles (I've run for 399 hours, 27 minutes, and 58 seconds so far in 2008, in case you were wondering).
Thursday, November 06, 2008
netflix
I really shouldn't build up my netflix queue when I'm drunk. For tonight's entertainment, I get to watch "Killer Klowns From Outer Space." The beta:
"An alien band of killer clowns descends from the cosmos to harvest scores of small-town victims, cocooning their prey in cotton candy to save for later. With the extraterrestrials disguised as harmless circus employees, the authorities don't suspect a thing. But the joke is on the clowns when two street-wise teens (Grant Kramer and Suzanne Snyder), armed with an ice-cream truck, do battle to save their friends in this cult favorite."
Luckily I have a lot of booze in the house...
"An alien band of killer clowns descends from the cosmos to harvest scores of small-town victims, cocooning their prey in cotton candy to save for later. With the extraterrestrials disguised as harmless circus employees, the authorities don't suspect a thing. But the joke is on the clowns when two street-wise teens (Grant Kramer and Suzanne Snyder), armed with an ice-cream truck, do battle to save their friends in this cult favorite."
Luckily I have a lot of booze in the house...
CRUD hill climb
First CRUD hill climb of the season this morning. Starting at 5:45AM, I slowly made my way up Cheyenne Canyon, 4.2 miles to the top at an average grade of 7.5%. It was cold, but the weather wasn't too bad, especially once I got moving. However, as the ice and snow and cold temperatures come, this becomes about the most miserable run I ever do. Sometimes I actually hope the crazy snow plow driver takes me out.
Start time - 5:45 AM
Distance - 8.4 miles
Time - 1:22:15 (47:59 to the top)
Pace - 9:48 minutes per mile
Weather - clear skies, upper 20s, beautiful sunrise over CSCO
Weight - 173 pounds
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
election thoughts
-Good election day for me. Ended up drinking a ton of PBR while watching the results roll in on Comedy Central, which included nuggets such as, "this doe's mother was shot by Sarah Palin by bow and arrow while hang gliding. A dick move, but a helluva shot." John Stewart and Steven Colbert were much more entertaining than Wolf Blitzer and Anderson Cooper, not that that'll surprise anyone.
-It's no secret that I voted for Obama, and it was good to see him win by a lot more than I thought he would. He sure as hell has a lot of work ahead of him though. Hopefully W got the message loud and clear and doesn't fuck anything else up during the final months of his term.
-I was appalled that amendment 48 was able to get onto the ballot here in Colorado, and that was before I saw some early polls that showed the vote actually might be close. For the non-Colorado peeps, 48 was just another trick by the religious freaks in this area (and there's a lot of 'em) to criminalize abortion. This would have defined life at the moment of fertilization. Though I am a supporter of mandatory abortion I don't really see why the gov't has any say in it. There was talk that had this passed, it would have led to the outlaw of birth control for women (the main reason I followed this so closely). Anywho, this was resoundly defeated, even right here in El Paso County. Hopefully the Focus on the Family peeps will go back to bashing gays and quit trying to ruin my sex life.
-Good news for gamblers, as you'll soon be able to have a Vegas-like experience just up the road in Cripple Creek (and Blackhawk and Central City, up closer to Denver) as Amendment 50 passed, allowing casinos in those towns to play for much higher stakes. Good news for community college fans, as most of the extra money spent on gambling will find it's way back to those schools. I keep telling myself that someday I'm gonna take a class or two at Pikes Peak Community College, hopefully this'll make it a bit more affordable.
-It's somewhat bittersweet for me that the county 1% sales tax increase failed here in El Paso county. Colorado Springs is the least safe city I've ever lived in (though Killeen, TX would have taken this honor had I ever bothered to hang out there). This tax hike would have funded a few extra police patrols throughout the city and some other law enforcement perks. On the other hand, the huge majority of that money would have been used to build yet another prison, which, despite the arguments of the Sheriff's department, I don't believe we need. Still, next time I'm running down the Sante Fe trail and have to take a dump, and the sign on the outhouse says, "closed due to lack of funding," I'm gonna be cursing the voters.
-Whoever the PR guy for voting is has sure earned his paycheck. Nothing but talk of how important voting is over this entire cycle. Rock the Vote! If you don't vote, you don't count! It's your duty as an American! I just don't see the big deal. Personally, I think my recent binge on using public transportation and riding my bike to work has made a much more positive change for the country than my ballot yesterday. It's good for foreign policy, it's good for the environment, it's good for the healthcare system, I could go on and on. Of course, doing that requires personal sacrifice and physical effort, and you don't see commercials for that anywhere. Now that the election is over, how about "lose ten pounds for America" or "if you don't volunteer for (insert your favorite non-profit here) then the terrorists have won" or something a little more productive than touching a computer screen become a mantra?
-For me personally, the most important vote comes Monday. Read about it here. Hooray for open space!
-It's no secret that I voted for Obama, and it was good to see him win by a lot more than I thought he would. He sure as hell has a lot of work ahead of him though. Hopefully W got the message loud and clear and doesn't fuck anything else up during the final months of his term.
-I was appalled that amendment 48 was able to get onto the ballot here in Colorado, and that was before I saw some early polls that showed the vote actually might be close. For the non-Colorado peeps, 48 was just another trick by the religious freaks in this area (and there's a lot of 'em) to criminalize abortion. This would have defined life at the moment of fertilization. Though I am a supporter of mandatory abortion I don't really see why the gov't has any say in it. There was talk that had this passed, it would have led to the outlaw of birth control for women (the main reason I followed this so closely). Anywho, this was resoundly defeated, even right here in El Paso County. Hopefully the Focus on the Family peeps will go back to bashing gays and quit trying to ruin my sex life.
-Good news for gamblers, as you'll soon be able to have a Vegas-like experience just up the road in Cripple Creek (and Blackhawk and Central City, up closer to Denver) as Amendment 50 passed, allowing casinos in those towns to play for much higher stakes. Good news for community college fans, as most of the extra money spent on gambling will find it's way back to those schools. I keep telling myself that someday I'm gonna take a class or two at Pikes Peak Community College, hopefully this'll make it a bit more affordable.
-It's somewhat bittersweet for me that the county 1% sales tax increase failed here in El Paso county. Colorado Springs is the least safe city I've ever lived in (though Killeen, TX would have taken this honor had I ever bothered to hang out there). This tax hike would have funded a few extra police patrols throughout the city and some other law enforcement perks. On the other hand, the huge majority of that money would have been used to build yet another prison, which, despite the arguments of the Sheriff's department, I don't believe we need. Still, next time I'm running down the Sante Fe trail and have to take a dump, and the sign on the outhouse says, "closed due to lack of funding," I'm gonna be cursing the voters.
-Whoever the PR guy for voting is has sure earned his paycheck. Nothing but talk of how important voting is over this entire cycle. Rock the Vote! If you don't vote, you don't count! It's your duty as an American! I just don't see the big deal. Personally, I think my recent binge on using public transportation and riding my bike to work has made a much more positive change for the country than my ballot yesterday. It's good for foreign policy, it's good for the environment, it's good for the healthcare system, I could go on and on. Of course, doing that requires personal sacrifice and physical effort, and you don't see commercials for that anywhere. Now that the election is over, how about "lose ten pounds for America" or "if you don't volunteer for (insert your favorite non-profit here) then the terrorists have won" or something a little more productive than touching a computer screen become a mantra?
-For me personally, the most important vote comes Monday. Read about it here. Hooray for open space!
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Obama wins Pennsylvania!
Looks like Obama is gonna take my home state of Pennsylvania! I knew things weren't right back there when my mom said she wasn't gonna vote Republican, probably the first time in her life she didn't vote straight elephant across the board.
election day run
Whew, that was close. As much as I hate going to the biggest poser club of the area, jack quinn's running club, a friend asked me if I'd help her out so I felt kinda obliged. But, just before I left she called and bailed, freeing me to use the great weather and extra voting time off work for a decent trail run. Did the Intemann loop from my house, which heads down Manitou Ave to Crystal Park Road, curls around through the cemetary, and follows the Intemann trail back over to Iron Springs. Ends at the American Legion flagpole, an even five miles. Took it super easy, felt real good.
Start time - 4:30 PM
Distance - 5.0 miles
Time - 51:49
Pace - 10:22 minutes per mile
Weather - clear, unseasonably warm, upper 50s
Weight - 175.0 pounds
Start time - 4:30 PM
Distance - 5.0 miles
Time - 51:49
Pace - 10:22 minutes per mile
Weather - clear, unseasonably warm, upper 50s
Weight - 175.0 pounds
GO STEELERS!
(CNN) – John McCain may have gotten a bad sign about his White House chances only hours before voters weighed in at the polls.
The Washington Redskins, whose pre-Election Day match-ups have a long history of correctly predicting the presidential race, seemed to forecast a victory for Barack Obama Monday night.
For 16 of the past 17 elections, the incumbent party holds on to the White House when the Redskins win their last game before Election Day. When they lose the game, the opposition party has gone on to win the presidential race.
The Pittsburgh Steelers crushed the Redskins Monday night, 23-6, suggesting Barack Obama is poised for a win.
The Washington Redskins, whose pre-Election Day match-ups have a long history of correctly predicting the presidential race, seemed to forecast a victory for Barack Obama Monday night.
For 16 of the past 17 elections, the incumbent party holds on to the White House when the Redskins win their last game before Election Day. When they lose the game, the opposition party has gone on to win the presidential race.
The Pittsburgh Steelers crushed the Redskins Monday night, 23-6, suggesting Barack Obama is poised for a win.
the results are in!
For the past two days I've listened to the "new" 103.9 KRXP since they plugged 'em during the entire CC game. 103.9 used to be the Eagle, a much lamer classic rock station than KKFM. KRXP is just the old Eagle with some 80's crap thrown in. Which takes it from lame status to absolute suck status.
Back to 91.5 KRCC for me!
So the first song they played as I switched back to NPR? "The Times They Are 'A Changin'" by Bob Dylan! A sign of things to come...
Back to 91.5 KRCC for me!
So the first song they played as I switched back to NPR? "The Times They Are 'A Changin'" by Bob Dylan! A sign of things to come...
Cactus Rose
1 22:54:53 David Johnston M
2 24:22:28 Mason Parker M
3 24:27:01 Melissa Heggen F
4 25:08:08 George Hitzfeld M
5 26:05:28 Eric Moortgat M
Kudos to Melissa and Moogy for kick ass efforts this past weekend at Cactus Rose in Bandera (though Moogy did get beat by a girl!).
One year ago I was supposed to do this race but ended up injuring my ankle the day before. One year later and my right ankle is still bigger than my left ankle, and the toes on my right foot still look like sausages. Still have quite a bit of discomfort in the ankle when I run, luckily the kind of runs I usually do give me other problems to think about.
2 24:22:28 Mason Parker M
3 24:27:01 Melissa Heggen F
4 25:08:08 George Hitzfeld M
5 26:05:28 Eric Moortgat M
Kudos to Melissa and Moogy for kick ass efforts this past weekend at Cactus Rose in Bandera (though Moogy did get beat by a girl!).
One year ago I was supposed to do this race but ended up injuring my ankle the day before. One year later and my right ankle is still bigger than my left ankle, and the toes on my right foot still look like sausages. Still have quite a bit of discomfort in the ankle when I run, luckily the kind of runs I usually do give me other problems to think about.
Monday, November 03, 2008
new running blog
Rim Rock Run
I'm woefully unprepared for this Saturday's Rim Rock Run. I've run more than ten miles once since Leadville (August 16), and that was Imogene Pass on September 6. Imogene was actually 50% of my mileage for the entire month of September. Rim Rock is a 37K, or right at 23 miles. But, being that I'm too stupid to realize I'm out of shape, I still plan to finish under 2:45, roughly Boston qualifier pace, just to piss off all my friends who have been bustin' their ass to keep that 7:10 pace.
Slowly starting to take training a bit seriously again. Hit 50 miles last week. The CRUD hill climbs start this Thursday. Have a several week string of the Incline under my belt. Not really supposed to start the hard stuff 'till November 30th - when the Incline Club quits slacking - but I figure a few extra weeks of decent effort after such a long layoff may pay off this summer.
weekend update
Couldn't have gotten much better over the weekend. Saw Low Down Hi at the Mariner on Friday night. Great 2+ hour long trail run on Saturday morning, hard to believe it's still shirtless weather in Colorado in November. Got hammered drunk at the Pikes Peak hash on Saturday night. Watched Pitt beat Notre Dame. Used the extra hour to sober up to put in a good effort at the Fall Series #3. Watched the Colorado College hockey win. And it continues tonight, with my Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football. Woohooo!
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Incline happy hour
Another good showing at the Incline happy hour on Thursday. I hit 32:47 up the hill, my fastest time of the season. We begin to separate the men from the boys next week, as the time change means the entire hike up is in the dark.
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