Sunday

Easy 10.2 mile run on the Garden roads to cap off an easy week. Wished I could have gone further on both runs this weekend, but forced myself to take it easy. Hit 50.8 miles this week, following three consecutive 80 mile weeks. Been a good December, sitting at 284.7 miles for the month, my most since June.

For the year I'm at 3145.4. I said I wouldn't do this but I'm wondering if I can get to 3200. I'd hafta average 13.7 miles per day to get there...

Garden

Easy run on the snow covered trails of the Garden. 9.2 miles, 1:49. My Wildcats went over 900 logged miles today. Not only are they still good on the slippery trails, but they're still great for breaking into houses.

no-go on Kansas

Decided to bail on the Kansas trip. Freezing temps and reports of heavy snow, decided to wait until the weather improves a bit. It's only 3.5 hours to Mt. Sunshine, so I'm sure I'll bag it next year. I'll end 2009 with four state highpoints - Colorado, Texas, Pennsylvania, and Oklahoma. Sure wish I woulda been into this when I was in the military, I'd have a bunch more off my list. Should get at least three more in '10 - Kansas, Mass, and Arizona.

I'm a bit farther on my 50 states marathon quest. PA, Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, Oklahoma, New Mexico. Mass and Arizona this year, possibly one or two others.

Hashing is farther still. PA, Texas, North Carolina, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado, Alabama, Georgia, and South Dakota. Plus Canada (Toronto), Juarez, Qatar, and Guantanamo Bay.

Good post on a guy doing the bicentennial (100 beers, 100 miles, 1 week) over here. Maybe I'll take a few days off after Leadville to join this club. I tried 100 beers, 100 miles, 100 hours once but had to DNF very early due to illness (which was not running or drinking related).

26

Just noticed that at the morning run yesterday I crossed the 26 day mark for 2009. I've spent over 26 entire days running the past year. Total time is 626 hours, 15 minutes, and 15 seconds. I've averaged a whopping 12:02 per mile.

Maybe I'll shoot for a whole month in 2010...

Kansas

Been checking the weather to decide on the quick road trip to Kansas tomorrow to bag Mt. Sunflower. If I run into this sign on the way I'm pretty sure which direction I'd go. No, the deciding factor right now is whether or not we can get back in time for the Meinike Car Care Bowl, featuring my beloved Pitt Panthers.

PPRR sunrise striders

Group shot immediately following this morning's workout. We usually have some women in our group but I guess they don't come out when the temp drops below zero.

Thurs AM

Awesome run this morning despite the -8F wind chill. 4.5 mile warm up from Katie's to the main parking lot of the Garden and then to the bottom of Ridge Road. Then 4 x 6 minutes all out up Ridge Road. Really pushed these hard. Another mile or so cool down. 11 miles total, 1:41:13.

So much for ending the double workouts, as I'll still be doing the Incline tonight. Been a down week for the usual crew's lame excuses, as everyone is blaming christmas for bailing. They usually blame their vagina.

According to Runner's World, training for Boston should start next week. I didn't get the memo and started back on November 1st...

Guess some people noticed the good words my friends and I said about Tulsa after our recent road trip. There's now a movement to bring the 2020 summer Olympics to the lovely town. Seriously, I'm not joking, check it out here. Go ahead and pencil me in as an early favorite for the marathon gold medal if Tulsa gets the games, since I know the course pretty well.

healthy living

Just got this from my librarian friend suzy. For some reason it reminds me of BLOS.

Wed

Easy 40 minutes around the Garden, 4.6 miles. Manitou got about two inches of snow last night, made for some comfortable running on the roads this morning.

Taking it easy the rest of 2009, want to enter the new year fresh and ready to roll. Stopped all two-a-days and will even take a few rest days before the 31st. Will still get 300+ for the month though.

Leadville

Leadville rego is now open. Click here to sign up. $250 to enter the run this year, up 50 bones from last year. But at least we're not getting the shaft like the mountain bikers, who have to pay a $15 "application fee" just to get into the lottery. I've also taken the training camp ($200) and the 24 Hours of Leadville (it's a bike race, not a run) off my schedule. Fear not, great city of Leadville, the money I don't spend on your races will be spent in your bars.

I think rego for the Triple Bypass and Buena Vista 100 are open as well, but you'll have to visit some road cycling nerd's blog for that info.

2010 resolutions

Holy crap, it's already a new decade! Been working on this for a few weeks now. Here's what I got so far for 2010 goals.

Running - I had one of my most fun filled years of running in 2009, chasing 3000 miles. It was a perfect balance that allowed me to get into great shape while having time for a social life. I'm gonna shoot for 3,100 miles in 2010. I'm already over that in '09. Have some other goals in mind for certain races, but I'll get to those later.

Yoga - Started dabbling in this in '09 and it has done wonders for my hamstrings and lower back. And I swear the reason I keep returning has nothing to do with all the hottie CC gals. Going to go to at least 100 classes in '10.

Books - In an earlier post I set the number at 10. I've already cheated on this, as I've started "The Last Season" and since I won't finish 'till next year I'm gonna count that as book #1.

Commuting - Every day I drive to work I put 20 miles on my truck. About 14 to and from the office, and another six to and from the gym. That's just short of a gallon of gas. In 2010, I'm either gonna run, pedal, or take the bus to work at least 20 times. That will save me just over a full tank of gas. One less car!

Diet - This area is always a struggle for me, as I loves me the junk food. But as I have slowly improved in this area, I feel worse and worse every time I give in to fast food. So I'm giving it up. Besides, the fact that I make fun of fat people and then think nothing of going to McD's or Burger King makes me somewhat of a hypocrite. This is a very difficult goal for me since the only places open late at night when I'm drunk are fast food joints. Note: this does not include the ocasional frosty from Wendy's or a blizzard from DQ. And it certainly doesn't include King's Chef or any research into the ongoing Burger Wars.

Other lists - Yeah, I keep a lot of lists. I've currently bagged 25 of Colorado's 14ers, and I'd like to get that to 30 in the next year. That's very doable, since there are still some of the Collegiate Peaks I haven't hiked. My 50/50/50 plan? Due to my schedule I'll probably only add Massachuettes and hopefully Arizona. Possibly Wyoming. Maybe more if I get into JFK. One last thing I've notced is that my push up ability has gone to crap since I traded the climbing gym for a normal gym. So I'm gonna go back to my old standby of 100 push ups a day.

5000K

6.2 easy miles this morning, 61:45. Brings me over the 5000 kilometer mark to 3100.8 miles.

Averaged over 80 miles the past three weeks. Will hafta back off this week as holiday drinking and a Saturday road trip to the state highpoint of Kansas mess up my running schedule. Should still hit 300 miles for December though, entering 2010 in much better shape than I did 2009.

Chaffee County

Awesome weekend out in Salida. Stayed in a house right by where the Salida marathon changes from paved to dirt road. Sunday morning I headed up to the half marathon turnaround, then headed another mile out on the ATV trail. Wanted to take that trail the rest of the way back to Salida but there was too much snow. Twelve miles, just over two hours. Awesome effort after yesterday's 21 miler. Finished with some Moonlight pizza and a PBR in the hot tub.

81.5 miles for the week. I already have more miles in this month than I had all of last December.

FYI, the sticker above is on a window at the Eddyline Brewery in Buena Vista. It's less than a quarter mile from the finish line of the Collegiate Peaks 50. The mountains in the pic are actually a reflection of the real mountains.

21

Nice long run this morning. 21 miles, 3:18:21, of the Garden and Santa Fe trail. Legs were hurtin' the final four miles but I pushed through it. Good training for Boston. Looks like another 80 mile week.

Now it's off to Moonlight Pizza and the Hideaway Brewpub in Salida!

fat people need lovin' too...

Got my trophy from Route 66 today. Not sure how I ended up in second place since I whooped the guy who took first place by almost 15 minutes.

FYI, when I left for Oklahoma I weighed in at 171 pounds.

Boston or bust!

Just booked my plane tix! Arriving Friday evening, leaving Tuesday morning.

competition

Meb Keflezighi and Ryan Hall will be at Boston. Read about it here. Can't believe they didn't include me in the article. Those two better watch their backs, I'm planning to make my move on Heartbreak Hill!

Speaking of Boston, I'm getting my plane tix today. What days is everyone going? Anyone interested in nailing Mt. Greylock with me?

and so it ends...

The Streak ends at 22 days. Too hungover to run this morning. Think I'm still a bit tipsy.

7.9 miles last night, up the Incline and then a bonus workout up Red Mountain. Good times!

Getting in a good long run tomorrow and then running the Salida half marathon course on Sunday.

proof

Results from my stunning win at the turkey trot have been ratified by USATF and can be seen here. I'm probably going to get struck by lightning for posting a church website on this blog...

cheyenne canon

8.4 miles at the CRUD Hill Climb up Chenenne Canon this morning. 1:28:28. Very slow to the top, barely breaking 50. Was good to the gate but the frozen snow above there gave me some fits. I brag about how many miles my shoes have on 'em but the tread on the Sportivas are so worn down I can't grip the slippery stuff at all.

800

Forgot to mention that my La Sportiva Wildcats went over 800 logged miles this morning. I swear I'm going to get a new pair once the Colorado Running Company gets with the times and orders the black and gold colored shoes...

drugs are bad, m'kay?

Good article on the harmfulness of certain drugs and how our laws do nothing to reflect that fact can be seen here. The above chart was made with data from Britain and those wackos seem to use different drugs than we do here in the US. If I had to make an educated guess, the top three most destructive drugs here in the Springs are meth, alcohol, and prescription painkillers.

quote of the day

Airing Tuesday on New Zealand's Sky Sport, the segment featured interviewer Murray Deaker posing the question: "Family first and golf second ... always been that way?"

Woods's reply: "Always. Always. It has been great actually. It has been the best thing that ever happened."

From an interview on Nov 17th, Tiger Woods's last interview before his car accident.

And now it looks like he's tied up in a steroid mess as well. How the mighty have fallen. No truth to the rumors that Woods has been getting advice from Ted Haggard.

But it must be tough for the guy. To have to spend all day toiling on a golf course, then have to go home to this:

I'm not sure I could deal with such hardships either.

more miles

Tues PM - easy four miles out and back on the Sinton trail, followed by an hour of C2 yoga.

Wed AM - easy 10.2 miles through the Garden, 1:40:04. Last week's morning run through the Garden had me worried about frostbite, today it was 45F when I left the house at 5AM.

down with fatties!

A small school from Pennsylvania is taking the war against fat people to a new level, requiring them to slim down if they want to graduate. Read about it here. Good stuff, wish Pitt would do this! Somebody has to do something, read here that by 2020 45% of the USA will be obese. Yuk.

That being said, I recently rated King's Chef and the Cherry Cricket as the top two Colorado burger places...

20

Inspired by Tony's recent suggestion on GZ's blog to "really get after it" on the hard days, I crushed this mornings workout. 5 x 5 minutes all out, 2:30 jog in between. 9 miles total, 1:11:09.

The Streak is now at 20...

the rematch

Let it be known that I told Brandon I would gladly accept a rematch. I told him to find a low key (i.e., $20) race in his area and I'd come up, with the bet once again being loser buys lunch at a burger dive. Maybe we'll go to Denver since he's never dined at the Cherry Cricket???

Stocking Shuffle 5K

Quick race report. Was hoping for something better, but a cold day, icy trails, and a long (3.2 miles) course led to a disappointing 19:10.

But at least I defended Colo Springs against those posers up north by whooping this guy!

Started off quickly. Only about three or four of us able to keep pace, though it wasn't very long before Gerald took off. I tried to put the hammer down early to drop Brandon. Figured I'd hit the mile in 5:45. But when we finally got to the mile mark my watch read 6:10. WTF? Sure that was long.

Crossing a bridge at the one mile mark, there was a runner right behind me and I assumed it was Brandon. I decided to see if I could catch up to Gerald, who was probably ten seconds ahead. I knew if I caught him he'd drop me again, but I thought it would be cool to see if I could get up to him. I picked up the pace but couldn't get any closer. As we crossed the bridge near Colorado College, I saw that the guy behind me wasn't Brandon. I assume at this point he was lying on the course in the fetal position way behind me. The free lunch at King's Chef was already mine.

Continued to push back down the Santa Fe trail. Got a little gap on the third place guy. Couldn't see Gerald anymore, but I was still running hard. Then I hit the two mile mark in just under 13. And the two mile mark was the same place as the one mile mark. So I kinda knew the course was off.

Ran hard the last mile but ended up running out of gas just after I passed the CRUD guys. I tried my best to hang on to second place but the guy behind me just had much more speed over the last quarter mile than I did. Doubt I could have beaten him even if I was fresh.

Finished in third place, 19:10. Then I ran home and got a shower, took a nap, and returned in time to see Brandon finish in 20:50-ish. Didn't know the clocks went up that high...

I was horrified at the 19:10, but everyone with a GPS I talked to said the course was 3.2 miles. So my 5K time was probably somewhere near 18:40.

See Brandon's blog for a report on King's Chef and the Incline.

woohoo!!!!

My two favorite local bands, Creating a Newsense and the Jack Trades, are playing new year's eve at the Ancient Mariner!

Mon AM

Easy 40 minute run around Manitou. Explored some parts I've never been to before. 3.8 miles.

mug #2

Tucson marathon

While trying to find online results for Johnny G at Tucson, I noticed that the first 150 runners to rego for the 2010 marathon get $30 bones off the fee. A big marathon for $55, not too shabby, though I hear the course sucks. Go here for details.

Kudos to PPRR President Johnny G for his 3:40:46. Think he was trying for that 3:35 BQ though...

3000

Ran 21.2 miles this morning, and just before halfway I hit my new year's resolution of 3000 miles in 2009.

Nice long run this morning. Warm weather. Was running great until I turned off the Santa Fa trail onto GOTG Road, where the hills and wind made things miserable. Toughed it out though, these are the kinds of runs I need to get ready for Boston.

Will post a report about my Stocking Shuffle race soon. Was disappointed with my time of 19:10, but everyone who had a GPS said the course was 3.2 miles. That's closer to 18:40, so not too shabby for a chilly day and an ice covered course. I'm having trouble coming up with adjectives to describe just how dominating my win over Brandon was. Check out his blog for a good race report and cool stuff about our trip up the Incline.

the taste of victory!

miles

Thurs PM - 6.2 miles, 60 minutes, over to the CRC holiday party.

Fri AM - Four miles to work. Won't give the time, let's just say that drinking a ton of wine doesn't help my training.

Feel good about my chances in tomorrow's "Scuffle at the Shuffle." ESPN arrived this morning to start setting up...

quote of the day

"Discipline isn't that important. If it were, Army and Navy would play for the national championship every year."
-Bobby Bowden

Bandera race report

Seems to be a lot of Colorado interest in the race. Click here to read my report from the 100K a few years back. I sure miss those trails...

can summer be far away?

The Telluride Bluegrass Festival has already announced the lineup. See it here. Would love to go just to see Yonder and Salmon, but I'll be up in Wyoming that weekend...

But you can bet I'll be at the Telluride Blues & Brews festival once again!

Thurs AM

Bailed on the CRUD hill climb for the Sunrise Striders, as their workout was much closer to home. Very comical trying to run in Red Rock Canyon with all the snow. It was 6F when we started, which felt quite warm what with the sub zero temps recently. Hill repeats, 4.3 miles in 61 minutes.

the run home

Much warmer this evening as the temp was 1F when I left the office. Ran into Sean on the Santa Fe trail, so got in a nice tempo workout for a few miles. No truth to the rumor that I ran the Stocking Shuffle 5K course with one of the areas fastest guys to get some tips for the race this weekend. 10 miles, 1:33:10.

19 miles on the coldest day of the year!

books

Finally finished reading this book. Bet it took me most of 2009. Awesome read, but I would always finish a few chapters and then get busy with life and forget about it.

Wanna read ten books in 2010. Here's what's on my list so far:

-Stones Into Schools (the sequel to Three Cups of Tea)
-Where Men Win Glory (yeah, I'm a big Krakauer fan)
-The Last Season (my sister sent me this book a while ago, looks pretty good)
-The Greatest: the Haile Gebrselassie Story
-Running With The Buffaloes (if I read it quick enough I can gank it from the CRC bookshelf and return it before anyone knows it's missing)
-Endurance (got this for $2 when I still lived in Austin, but haven't gotten around to reading it yet)
-Again to Carthage (sequel to Once a Runner)
-Atlas Shrugged (just kidding, no way I'll ever read more than the first two pages of that)

Any other suggestions?

bad shirt

I posted the rules for race shirts yesterday, and I damn near violated rule #17 today. The finisher's shirt for the Route 66 marathon has 39 sponsors listed on the back. Horrible shirt. Do they really need one sponsor per mile of both the marathon and half marathon? The so-called technical t-shirt is already falling apart, so it'll probably soon end up on one of the homeless guys downtown. Give me regular cotton any day!

woohooo!

Los Lonely Boys at the Pikes Peak Center on March 2nd!

And don't forget Tim Reynolds at Stargazer's on January 22nd. Advance tix are only 15 bones.

cold

Possibly the coldest weather I've ever run in this morning. After ten seconds outside I couldn't breathe out of my nose anymore. Nine miles through the Garden to work, 1:27:54. Warmed up to -7F by the time I got to the office. Run home should be better, it'll be warmer and I won't be carrying a backpack full of clothes.

Tried to take some pics of Pikes Peak, which I hadn't seen since Sunday afternoon, but the camera wouldn't turn on.

I love it when it sucks!

Weather Channel currently reporting -16F, "feels like" -32F in Manitou. If I had kids I'd tell 'em to go shovel the walks because it builds character. Time to head out for day 14...

8 Yellow Snow

8 Yellow Snow, a banditio hasher who is always very kind to us when we travel through Ouray, now has a blog. Check it out here. I've drank a PBR with this guy during Hardrock both times I've run it!

t-shirt etiquette

Awesome post on the proper wearing of race t-shirts over here. Mom, take note of #10.

cold

"There is no such thing as bad weather. Just soft people."
-Bill Bowerman

Not sure Coach Bowerman ever endured a stretch of shitty Colorado winter weather. Still getting out, though for slow and low mileage. 3.3 miles at Trinity last night 30:03, and another 5.3 miles in just over an hour this morning. My mouth freezes immediately as soon as I go outside and things don't get any better from there. Ugh. Supposed to remain crappy until Thursday.

The streak is up to 13. That's the only thing that got me out of bed this morning, when the temp in Manitou was 1F.

Pueblo

Shot of me getting ready to enjoy a PBR at mile 12.9 of the Rock Canyon half. Hashers set up a beer check at the top of the race's only hill.

Monday AM

Short run, knew I'd need some extra time to get to work today. 4.2 miles through the Garden, 43:57. Lots of snow and ice. My 12th straight day of running.

11/30 to 12/6

Pretty decent week, notching 80 miles. My first 80 mile week (not counting HR, Pb, or OC) since the beginning of June.

Sitting at 2934.6 miles for 2009. If things go alright this week, I should hit 3000 at the Incline Club next Sunday.

Forgot to mention the bet I won at Pueblo. Told Nacheaux that if she broke the two hour barrier I would eat an entire sweet potato (no small feat for me, as I hate vegetables). She didn't even come close, so now she has to make me what is quite possibly the most delicious thing ever invented!

New goal for Bolder Boulder. I'm gonna beat the gorilla! Of course, first I gotta get into the A wave. Then, I need to work on the impulse to stop at every keg along the course. And I also have to survive the impending heart attack after I eat my bacon explosion. But consider the gauntlet thrown...

Incline Club

Much lower turnout for the Incline Club this morning. Freezing cold, 4-5 inches of fresh snow, and no group picture made for a lot of folks to bail. Which is OK with me because, as Matt C said, "These are great days to train, because your competition is at home in bed."

I did an easy out and back to Trinity through the Garden. Little sore from yesterday, but a slow pace and the fresh snow to cushion the landing made for a great recovery run. 14.8 miles, 2:20.

I asked Matt before the run, "What's with Uli taking your money?" but all he would talk about was the course change. I couldn't get him to say whether or not he thinks he would have won the race.

Rock Canyon half marathon

Kinda blah about the run. Really thought I had a chance at a PR. Had visions of a 1:25 in my mind. And the race started perfectly. 6:30 at mile one. 12:56 through two miles. Five miles at 32 flat. But for some reason I couldn't find that extra gear. I wanted the PR bad, but I couldn't get my legs to play along. Still on PR pace through mile 8, but I could tell it was slipping away. Between miles 8 and 11.5 I slowed up greatly. Allowed two runners to pass me and leave me in the dust. Hit ten miles in 67:30-ish. Around mile 10.5 a runner in stars & stripes parachute pants and no shirt (it was cold down in Pueblo yesterday) interrupted my pity party and I decided to have some pride and hold the guy off. I did (guess I broke him with my surge, as I beat him by 43 seconds), and even made up a lot of ground on the two guys who passed me earlier. Finished in 1:27:31.

I consider it a crappy run, as I never really got warmed up and just wasn't into it mentally. That being said, I must be slowly getting into shape as despite the lousy day I believe this was my second fastest half marathon. Look for my PR to fall at Platte River later in 2010.

Results are here. Incredible job by Justin, who basically ran a solo 1:09 on a slow course. O'Day also had a PR, his first time under 1:20.

I would also like to point out that my time was faster than Fast Eddy's recent 1:27:47. Rock Canyon was supposed to be a head to head match up but someone couldn't find the cojones to show up...

Making the pain going away...

Mt. Lemmon

Holy crap, think I found my Arizona marathon as well. Screw the Tucson marathon, check this one out! In my mind I don't need an AZ marathon, since I've done the Grand Canyon R2R2R, but if I ever want to play by the rules of the official 50/50 club, I gotta do an organized marathon.

Exeter Marathon

Think I've found my marathon to cover Rhode Island in my 50/50 quest. Just got some info on the Exeter Marathon. Tougher standards than Boston, and they don't allow posers to buy their way into the race via fund raising. I'll put it on the extended schedule for 2012.

Garden

Early morning in the Garden. Reading -5F, but it felt colder. Even swift moving Fountain Creek is freezing over. Didn't stop me from getting in a nice 10.5 miles on the Garden roads, 1:34:15. Sitting at 2904.7 for 2009.

My Sportiva Wildcats now have 706.0 miles on 'em. And they're still in pretty good shape, should easily eclipse the old record of my original Imogenes (737 miles). In fact, I bet I might be able to get 1000 logged miles out of these Wildcats (if I counted hashing I'm sure the shoes are well over that number already).

Oh yeah, I'm also streaking - nine days straight. Haven't missed a day since thanksgiving.

Incline happy hour

Only Katie and I showed. Lots of lame excuses. Like a lot of Colorado miserable weather runs, once I actually got out the door the run wasn't that bad. It was nice and calm, though very cold, on the Incline. Hit the 5.5 mile loop in 1:33, not too much slower than I've been doing it lately. Yaktrax are now needed, however.

Thought I'd share this, which I found on youtube after looking for footage of Jenny Barringer's recent collapse (John O told me to check it out because of JB's sweet ass).

Durango

Got a few good runs in down here in Durango. Also drank some great beer. Might go over 2900 miles at the Incline happy hour tonight, and if I wear my Sportiva Wildcats they'll go over 700 logged miles.

Tues - 7.2 miles out and back on the Animas River trail, 66:08

Wed AM - 8 miles, 1:33:14, on the Colorado Trail up to Gudy's Rest.
Wed PM - 7.1 miles, 1:10:03, Animas River trail.

Thurs - 5.8 miles, 50:47

2010 Race Schedule

Very preliminary list. Lots of it depend on my luck in various lotteries. If I don't get into Hardrock or get into Trans Rockies (and hence have to bail on Leadville), I probably won't do the Bear. JFK will be a balls out all-or-nothing attempt at a sub eight hour 50. Also looking forward to finally getting to run the Leadville marathon!

I am open to wagers on all of these races. First up is the Stocking Shuffle. Team Shart, loser buys lunch at King's Chef!

Woohoo! Could be a heck of a year!

Dec 5 - Rock Canyon Half Marathon
Dec 12 - Stocking Shuffle 5K
Jan 1 - Rescue Run 10K
Jan 9 - Winter Series I
Jan 23 - Winter Series II
Feb 13 - Winter Series III
Feb 27 - Winter Series IV
Mar TBA - Salida Marathon
April 11 - Platte River Half Marathon
April 19 - Boston Marathon
May 1 - Collegiate Peaks or Greenland 50K
May 8 - Grand Canyon R2R2R
May 22 - Jemez Mountain
May 31 - Bolder Boulder 10K
June 13 - Garden of the Gods 10 miler
June 17 - Bighorn 100 miler
June 26 to 28 - Leadville Training Camp
July 3 - Leadville Marathon
July 4 - Leadville 5K
July 12 - Hardrock
July 31 - 24 Hours of Leadville
Aug TBA - either TransRockies or Leadville 100
Sept 24 - Bear 100
Nov 20 - JFK 50 miler
Feb 2011 - NOLA Marathon
May 2011 - Eugene Marathon

Animas River trail

Nice out and back along the Animas River trail. 7.2 miles, 66:08. Finally rid of my horrific hangover, guess it's time to go drink some yummy Durango beer.

woohooo!

Monday AM

Easy hour in the Garden, 6.1 miles. Plan on doing a run in Durango this evening, that'll take me over 250 miles for the month.

IC run

135 peeps at the Incline Club run this morning, a new record. I went out along Ute Pass to I-24 and back. Felt like I was going super slow, but made it out in under 48 minutes. When I was in Hardrock shape last summer I'd do it in 45, so I'm starting the season in decent shape.

45.3 miles for the week, 2854 for 2009.

next A wave attempt...

...will be at the Stocking Shuffle 5K on December 12th. Katie did this last year and got a sweet long sleeve shirt for the $20 entry fee. If any of you Denver/Boulder readers want to race, we could hit King's Chef afterwards and then do the Incline to make it worth the drive.

King's Chef

Cool documentary on the King's Chef Diner, the guys who give me the bacon cheeseburgers to fuel me through Hardrock, can be seen here. Includes the best description I've ever heard about the place - "It's like a social club for alcoholics."

Incline happy hour

Good turnout at the turkey day edition of Incline happy hour.

Cottonwood Creek 5K

Won the Cottonwood Creek 5K this morning. Not the finest field ever assembled in the Springs. I ran with two guys in high top basketball sneakers and one guy in jean shorts for about 200 meters before dropping them. Hit the first mile in 6:15 and the race was over. Just worked on turnover and form for the rest of the run. Mile two in 12:39 and then I really slowed things down as I could feel the effects of Route 66 and yesterdays CRUD hill climb and Incline workout. Crossed the finish line in 20:17, at least three minutes ahead of second place. About 50 people total for the race. The shirts were cool, they had a turkey running across Africa on the front.

Route 66 marathon

The idea for this race was hatched a few months ago when I realized I could cross off Oklahoma on my hash/highpoint/marathon list during the off season. No expectations going in, other than the fact that I had to finish so I would never have to go back to Oklahoma again.

To my surprise a few other people signed up, including BLOS. So my race plan became to pace him to a Boston qualifying 3:09, as the race didn't have a 3:10 pace group. I figured I'd be able to keep that pace for 20 miles or so, suffer horribly over the last 10K, finish in 3:30, and use the race as a good training run.

Even that bright plan was called into question on Saturday, as BLOS, $100, Nacheaux, and I attempted to visit every dive bar in Tulsa. My saving grace was that I stuck to beer, ignoring my thirst for gin, and drank one glass of water for every beer I consumed. But by midnight I was good and drunk, and figured just breaking four hours would be alright.

The alarm clock went off way too early and I fell out of bed and began my frantic attempt to rehydrate. Lots of gatorade. The others in the group weren't feeling much better, but I don't think any of us were quite as bad as BLOS, who had not been able to hold off the call for gin.

Hopped on the hotel shuttle and headed to the start line. Lines for the port-o-shitters were too long so I had to skip 'em. I told BLOS I thought we should start with the 3:20 pace group and stay with them for two miles to warm up before breaking off in search of his 3:10.

The gun started and that plan went right out the window. BLOS took off and I couldn't keep up. I got a little behind the 3:20 pace group and hung in there. The pace felt good, though I still had a ton of gatorade sloshing around in my gut. Felt like my body was just letting it sit in my stomach.

For two miles I sat with the 3:20 group, which we passed in 16 minutes. Then, despite still feeling like shit, I decided to pick up the pace a bit. I dropped that group quickly, but just after three miles I had to duck into a shitter to take a leak, and when I came out I was once again behind. Didn't take too long to catch up and pass the crew, and soon I was clicking off sub seven miles and passing lots of people.

Lots of interesting stuff to see on the course, and the miles clicked away quickly. Caught up to BLOS at six miles, and he seemed settled into a big group of people running 3:10 pace, so I kept going. Hit 10K in 42:04. Lots of bands and lots of other runners (the half marathon peeps were still with us) to take my mind off things. 15K in 1:06:50 and 10 miles at 70 flat. Hit the half marathon at 1:31:52, feeling great.

At the halfway point I decided to give it everything I had and run sub three. Felt I could nail a second half 1:28. Even thought I'd go under 1:27:47, just so I could talk some smack on Fast Eddy.

I ran mile 13-14 in 6:40, and followed that up with a few sub 6:45 miles. Had to work hard here though, as the course was filled with half marathon runners. Soon we were on the big out and back portion of the course, which runs along the Arkansas River. There was a headwind here and it was starting to take it's toll. But I was still running hard and lots of other marathoners were starting to drop off the pace.

Around mile 17 I saw the lead runner on his way back (he would have been at 23 miles). He seemed to have an insurmountable lead - I didn't check my watch but it was a good two or three minutes before the next guy came by. And that next guy was pushing a stroller! Maybe another 60 seconds or so and I watched another guy pushing a stroller pass someone and move into third place. Something would eventually happen to the leader, as at the end of the day the top two finishers were the stroller guys.

Around mile 18 I felt the start of some cramps sneaking into my quads and hamstrings. I knew this was the end of my sub three pipe dreams. I realized that if I kept pushing this hard I would cramp up and have to walk in. I tried to find that perfect spot where I could run as fast as possible and yet not trash myself.

Just after 19 miles I caught the second place female. I passed her but she latched on right behind me. We hit 20 miles in 2:19. I was really struggling now, just taking it mile by mile, not worrying about the finish. Felt like complete ass, but got a huge confidence boost by maintaining a sub seven minute pace for so long.

Right before 21 miles we caught the first place female. We passed her right at the 21 mile mark. The gal who had been running behind me dropped the hammer. I'm pretty sure she ran her next two miles in under 12 minutes. It was the only time in the race I got passed.

I had to stop at the 22 mile medical tent to grab some vaseoline. I had developed a fat chick rash over the course of the day, and it was burning like hell. My legs were hurting so bad at this point I figured I'd be walking in, so I didn't see any point in continuing to rub my thighs raw.

The last couple of miles were uneventful other than how bad my legs were feeling. They're just not used to turning over like that anymore. I felt like I was struggling to keep 15 minute miles, though I managed to pass a few people and the computer would tell me that I was still maintaining 7:15 pace.

Before long I was making the final turn of the race and I finally saw the finish line. I had to sprint to sneak under 3:04 on the clock, and my final chip time was 3:03:07. 21st overall. I would end up 2nd in the clydesdale division, despite beating the "winner" by 14 minutes (they use some age graded calculator).

Overall a fantastic race. Despite not devoting any specific training to this race, I came away with my third fastest marathon ever. It really gave me some new ideas as to what I'm gonna shoot for at Boston...

Beaver, OK

Early on Saturday morning we drove 30 miles out of our way to visit the town of Beaver, OK, the cow chip throwing capital of the world. We were greated by a giant statue of a beaver holding a cow patty. Totally worth the trip!

CRUD hill climb

Great day over at Cheyenne Canon! Beautiful weather and legs that are starting to feel normal again. Up in 43:43, crushing Rich M with my Usain Bolt-esque finishing sprint. Then Steve B and I ran the chutes and columbine trail for some extra mileage. 10 miles, 1:45.

Just got some new live stuff from Umphrey's and John Butler Trio, so looking forward to tonight's Incline happy hour. May hafta do it twice to listen to all that music.

journey to the center of the universe...

Our hotel in Tulsa was less than a quarter mile from the center of the universe, so of course we had to visit and drink a few beers there. Really cool place. If you stand in the middle, you can hear yourself echo but nobody else can. My recovery run on Monday morning was to place a Clean Plate Club sticker on the exact center, and I'll post those pics once I get ahold of Katie's camera.

Black Mesa

Proof of our summit of Oklahoma's state highpoint, somewhere in the Black Mesa. A whopping 4,975 feet above sea level. A very easy hike, 4.2 miles each way with not much elevation gain. At the marker you're only 1200 feet from the New Mexico border and less than 13 miles from Colorado. On the Colorado side of the monument we placed a Clean Plate Club sticker...

go pens!

First of many pics to come. This was taken just outside the race expo.

splits

For going into this race not expecting much, I was pleasantly surprised with the results. I'll post a race report soon, but here are my splits.

10K - 42:04 (53rd place)
15K - 1:06:50 (39th place)
Half - 1:31:52 (33rd place)
27K - 1:56:48 (30th place)
32K - 2:17:48
Finish - 3:03:37

Finished 21st overall. 20th out of 752 men. 5th out of 80 in the 30-34 age group. Hit the second half in 1:32:05, not too shabby. I'm now listed as second place in the clydesdale division, though the guy their listing in first place ran 3:17:08.

I'd also like to note that I had to hit the port-o-shitter at the 5K mark to take a piss. I would say this stop cost me exactly 32 seconds, so that woulda put me across the line at 3:03:05.

You can see the race pics of me here. Ladies, feel free to order a life size poster for your bedroom, but an autograph is gonna cost extra.

don't drink and drive

I believe this is the Denver Post account of the crash that killed my friend.

ouch!

Planned on a decent run this morning but my quads are still sore as hell. Every time my foot struck the ground I could feel a shot of pain shoot up through the front of my legs. So I bagged the run after 22 minutes and 2.2 miles. I see lots of yoga in my future this week.

For the year, I'm at 2813 miles.

great weekend!

Wow, who woulda expected this from a trip to Tulsa? Checked off the OK state highpoint (my fourth state HP), a marathon in OK (my 6th state), and a great hash with the Tulsa H3. Long drive ahead, but we'll be stopping to see the world's biggest hairball and grabbing lunch at the Purgatory brewpub.

3:03

Just threw down a 3:03 at the Tulsa marathon. Had dreams of a sub three, but fell apart after mile 19. Not bad for being with the 3:20 group at the 5K mark. Oh yeah, I'm undefeated in clydesdale competition, as I won that division!

More good news on the running front: I was voted in as a board member at large with the Pikes Peak Road Runners last night!

Currently relaxing with some 180 orange energy drink (it was free after the race) mixed with sweat tea vodka. In a few minutes I'm off to hash with the Tulsa H3. Good times!

El Guapo!

McNellie's!

1232

Beaver, OK

PARAB

Not too much interesting at tonight's meeting. Big thing worth mentioning is the thumbs up to a community garden at Higginbotham Flats. Read about the issue here. The board (all two of us) gave our approval for PARAB to back the rezoning of the flats to parks and rec, instead of the current commercial zone the flats have. I'm not a big fan of vegetables, but I thought a garden would be a lot nicer for Manitou than more storage units or another gas station. Plus, there would be some new trails built up there...

Route 66 tracking

Since the marathon will cause me to be away from my beloved new G1 phone for a few hours, peeps wondering how I'm running can sign up to track me here. I'll post my race number when I pick it up on Saturday.

vote for me!

Forgot to mention here that I'm running for a board member at large position with the Pikes Peak Road Runners. I'd beg for votes, but I think there only six people running for six positions, and I'm sure I'll get at least one vote. I can't be there to vote, as I'll be running Route 66. Should be a great year for the club, gonna be some super cool peeps on the board. And look for the newsletter to improve drastically.

G1

Recently entered the smartphone world with the purchase of a G1. Pretty friggin' awesome. Katie is super jealous, so much so that she immediately went out and bought a cliq phone in a lame attempt to one up me.

drinking with the buffaloes

Went to the local American Legion meeting last night. What a blast! Lots of beer, lots of shots, lots of BS-ing.

The guy chain smoking and drinking hard sitting next to me noticed I had a running shirt on. So he started telling me old stories of his running days. Turns out he was the former school record holder for the mile at the University of Colorado. He ran 4:00.04 way back in 1959, only five years after Roger Bannister first broke the four minute barrier. He said that during that race he had outkicked Wes Santee. He joined the Marines once he graduated and headed up the physical fitness department at Quantico. But once Vietnam kicked off, he gave up running and went over to do what jarheads do. And the guy never gives up, as someone at the meeting told me he had punched someone in the mouth at the last meeting who called him a "chickenshit Marine." The punchee required stitches.

fear the 'stache!

Tues/Wed

Hit Red Rock Canyon for a few miles last night. Just the rabbits, the deer, and me. Lots of snow and ice on the trails. Contemplative trail, Round Up trail, and the Quarry. 5 miles, 65 minutes.

Hit the Red Rock Lounge afterwards. Lots of entertainment. Thought I was gonna get to see a bar fight until the bartender threw a few people out.

This morning was a brisk 22F at 5:30AM for my easy run through the Garden. 5 miles, just under 49 minutes. Woulda been a little faster but I had to stop to drop a deuce. No sharting for this runner.

RIP

A very good friend of mine was killed in a car crash last night. Kinda stunned right now.

Mon/Tues

Taking it somewhat easy this week so I'll feel good for Route 66. Very easy 4.6 miles with the Soul Runners last night, 41 minutes. Then another five this morning in 45 flat. Out the door before 5AM this morning to catch the leonoid meteor shower, but despite the darkness of the Garden and the clear skies, I only saw two shooting stars.

After basically taking October off (I took 15 rest days that month), I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things. I've run 15 of the 17 days of November.

fall series 4

I think that's Dathan Ritzenhein behind me...

Hooker

Gonna drive through Hooker on the upcoming road trip. Here's the write up. I'll definitely be stopping at the Legion for a brew!

Hooker is tiny, but their civic good sense is big. Signs welcoming you at the town borders feature paintings of 19th century prostitutes. The town's American Legion baseball team is named the Horny Toads. Bumper stickers and T-shirts for sale boast slogans such as "Not your typical Hooker" and "I could've been a prince, but it's more fun being a Horny Toad." And as you leave, a sign encourages "Why don't you come back and see us sometime?" Well done Hooker! Our only suggestion: add the word "Kwikee" to the sign in front of the "Klean Kar Wash."

Oklahoma

Looking at the info for Saturday's hike to Black Mesa, the state highpoint of Oklahoma. Turns out the Mesa is located in Cimarron County, which, as everyone knows, is the only county in the USA to touch four different states (Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, and Kansas). Can't wait to drink some PBR there!

fall series #4

Despite the crappy weather I had a real good race in Palmer Park. Lots of snow, lots of mud, lots of fun. Made a tactical error in the final half mile that allowed a few guys to pass me (I thought we had another 1.5 miles left), but other than that not a bad effort following Saturday's hard 20 miler. 5 miles, 39:43. 28th overall. My team, the Big Hairy Mammals, ended up in second place.

Pretty decent week, got in 73.1 miles. Sitting at 2749 miles for the year, probably hit 2800 at some point during the Route 66 marathon.

HAIL TO PITT!

How 'bout them 9-1 Pitt Panthers!

a witness to running history?

Looks like those of us running the Route 66 marathon next weekend might get to see a world record. Read about it here.

Boston is closed!

Holy crap, no more worrying about nabbing a BQ this year, as rego for the 2010 Boston marathon has filled! I believe it's the earliest ever. Sure glad I didn't wait 'till after Tulsa to sign up.