When we were on top we saw some folks heading down this route. Wouldn't recommend that. We ended up taking some easier singletrack down the other side of the mountain, then hitching a ride back to our car.
Monday, October 24, 2016
precipice
Another one of the Acadia classics. This one is known for exposure, but as a guy afraid of heights I wasn't too scared shitless on this hike. You need to be careful though, there are definitely places where a fall could lead to a bad injury or worse.
When we were on top we saw some folks heading down this route. Wouldn't recommend that. We ended up taking some easier singletrack down the other side of the mountain, then hitching a ride back to our car.
When we were on top we saw some folks heading down this route. Wouldn't recommend that. We ended up taking some easier singletrack down the other side of the mountain, then hitching a ride back to our car.
Cheyenne Mountain
On Friday we took the van over to Cheyenne Mountain State Park for night out number ten. Bit pricey, $28 for a tent only spot, plus having to pay another $7 since our state park pass is on a different vehicle, but it was nice to pull out of the driveway at 6PM and be drinking beer around a fire at 6:30.
Pretty good run on Saturday at the Cheyenne Mountain race. Really happy with my up, not really happy with my down. The first 1.5 down was due to being careful not to re-injure the cankle while dealing with a technical trail and two way traffic. The last three down was probably me just being out of shape. It is what it is.
Had a good race with Hessik. I figured if I could beat him to the top I could hold him off. Around mile three (it was 4.5 miles up) I made a move and gapped him pretty good. Had a good minute on him at the top, but he really crushed it on the downhill and not only caught me but put another minute on me by the finish.
The trail to the top of Cheyenne Mountain is going to be another gem for this area. Can't wait until it's finished!
Photo by Nancy Hobbs, who won the 5K and then came back out to cheer on the nine milers.
Pretty good run on Saturday at the Cheyenne Mountain race. Really happy with my up, not really happy with my down. The first 1.5 down was due to being careful not to re-injure the cankle while dealing with a technical trail and two way traffic. The last three down was probably me just being out of shape. It is what it is.
Had a good race with Hessik. I figured if I could beat him to the top I could hold him off. Around mile three (it was 4.5 miles up) I made a move and gapped him pretty good. Had a good minute on him at the top, but he really crushed it on the downhill and not only caught me but put another minute on me by the finish.
The trail to the top of Cheyenne Mountain is going to be another gem for this area. Can't wait until it's finished!
Photo by Nancy Hobbs, who won the 5K and then came back out to cheer on the nine milers.
Friday, October 21, 2016
beehive
Our first hike in Acadia was the park classic Beehive. Good pick to tackle on the day before a marathon. There is definitely some exposure, but as a guy who is afraid of heights I can say this wasn't too bad. Lots of fun though, and the scenery was outstanding.
The hike is only a 1.5 mile lolipop with 500 feet of elevation gain, but it took us 80 minutes due to stopping to goof off and take pictures and drink beer.
The hike is only a 1.5 mile lolipop with 500 feet of elevation gain, but it took us 80 minutes due to stopping to goof off and take pictures and drink beer.
Mt. Desert Island
Pretty decent marathon for the (lack of) work I've been putting in lately. Officially finished in 3:46:55, running the first half in 1:59:59 and coming back with a 1:47:23. My 19th state. Since my goal was to run the first half in two hours and then negative split, I'm pretty happy. And I wasn't sore after the run so I was able to hike the shit out of Acadia Nat'l Park over the next few days.
The MDI race is fantastic. The course is beautiful, skirting between Acadia and the Atlantic (technically it might be a bay) at a time of the season when the leaves are exploding in color. Not really a PR course though - had I been pushing the limit, there were hills at mile 20 and mile 23+ that might have broke me. They have good beer from Atlantic Brewing and food at the finish line, and if you don't want to be among the crowd there are several pubs in the small town of Northeast Harbor. We went to one such place and $100 had a lobster so fresh that it had to have been crawling around happily on the ocean floor around the time I passed the halfway point. I had a hot dog and fries at this place, and that was a damn good lunch!
I've notified Strava, we'll see if I really do get a pair of shoes.
The MDI race is fantastic. The course is beautiful, skirting between Acadia and the Atlantic (technically it might be a bay) at a time of the season when the leaves are exploding in color. Not really a PR course though - had I been pushing the limit, there were hills at mile 20 and mile 23+ that might have broke me. They have good beer from Atlantic Brewing and food at the finish line, and if you don't want to be among the crowd there are several pubs in the small town of Northeast Harbor. We went to one such place and $100 had a lobster so fresh that it had to have been crawling around happily on the ocean floor around the time I passed the halfway point. I had a hot dog and fries at this place, and that was a damn good lunch!
I've notified Strava, we'll see if I really do get a pair of shoes.
Thursday, October 20, 2016
he's back...
Lots to post about the Maine trip. We had an awesome time and it would have been a lot harder to come back if we weren't missing our dog so much. I'll post about everything in the coming days.
We had a 6AM flight out of Denver on Friday. Normally that would have meant getting a hotel room on Thursday. But since we now have a second home on wheels, we just parked in the Pikes Peak lot and slept there. But not before hitting two new breweries on Colfax.
Both were good, but not good enough to keep me from my usual Colfax hangout, Sancho's.
We checked Argonaut, and they now sell Surly.
We had a 6AM flight out of Denver on Friday. Normally that would have meant getting a hotel room on Thursday. But since we now have a second home on wheels, we just parked in the Pikes Peak lot and slept there. But not before hitting two new breweries on Colfax.
Both were good, but not good enough to keep me from my usual Colfax hangout, Sancho's.
We checked Argonaut, and they now sell Surly.
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Monday, October 17, 2016
Sunday, October 16, 2016
Saturday, October 15, 2016
Thursday, October 13, 2016
Thurs
Still running. But not as much. Going to stay at four days a week for a while, using the extra time to bike or climb or hike with the dog.
Monday - Four mile run on the Garden roads. Bike commute #103. 5K hike with $100 and the dog.
Tuesday - Early morning pre-work hour at CityRock. Then a 2.5 mile hike during lunch.
Wednesday - Five miles on the Garden roads. Bike commute #104. Then a few hours at CityRock for adult bouldering league.
Thurs - Slept in late due to one too many beers the previous evening. Four mile run, two mile hike with the dog. Bike commute #105.
The Icy Bike Winter Commuting Challenge started October 1st, even though temps were in the upper 70s then. We'll see how many times I can bike to work between now and March 31st. First October commute was #101 so it will be easy to track.
Monday - Four mile run on the Garden roads. Bike commute #103. 5K hike with $100 and the dog.
Tuesday - Early morning pre-work hour at CityRock. Then a 2.5 mile hike during lunch.
Wednesday - Five miles on the Garden roads. Bike commute #104. Then a few hours at CityRock for adult bouldering league.
Thurs - Slept in late due to one too many beers the previous evening. Four mile run, two mile hike with the dog. Bike commute #105.
The Icy Bike Winter Commuting Challenge started October 1st, even though temps were in the upper 70s then. We'll see how many times I can bike to work between now and March 31st. First October commute was #101 so it will be easy to track.
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
Big Head Blues Club
$100 and I decided to watch the big debate on Sunday night. Things got kind of heated, and now we have seperate lawyers fighting each others domestic abuse charges...
Just kidding, on Sunday we went down to Pueblo to catch the Big Head Blues Club show. I would certainly never live in Pueblo, but I really like taking day trips down there. We went to Walter's, had supper at The Senate, and desert at Brues Alehouse.
Then it was off to Pueblo Memorial Hall for Big Head Blues Club. That featured one of my favorites, Big Head Todd & The Monsters, teaming up with some other blues artists to play the music of Willie Dixon. Like myself, you might not think you know much about the songs of Willie Dixon, but every song they played had been made famous by other bands like Led Zeppelin, the Stones, and Hendrix. Guess that's just how the blues works - this guy should have been a household name and a billionaire given the success of all the bands that played his music, but he died in obscurity.
Anyways, great show. But no Big Head Todd stuff, and now I'm itching to see those guys in concert.
Our bartender at Walter's had told us about Neon Alley, so after the show we went and checked it out. Pretty cool. See, there are cool things to do in Pueblo if you just quit bitching about the place and listen to some of the locals who are trying hard to make it a cooler place.
Just kidding, on Sunday we went down to Pueblo to catch the Big Head Blues Club show. I would certainly never live in Pueblo, but I really like taking day trips down there. We went to Walter's, had supper at The Senate, and desert at Brues Alehouse.
Then it was off to Pueblo Memorial Hall for Big Head Blues Club. That featured one of my favorites, Big Head Todd & The Monsters, teaming up with some other blues artists to play the music of Willie Dixon. Like myself, you might not think you know much about the songs of Willie Dixon, but every song they played had been made famous by other bands like Led Zeppelin, the Stones, and Hendrix. Guess that's just how the blues works - this guy should have been a household name and a billionaire given the success of all the bands that played his music, but he died in obscurity.
Anyways, great show. But no Big Head Todd stuff, and now I'm itching to see those guys in concert.
Our bartender at Walter's had told us about Neon Alley, so after the show we went and checked it out. Pretty cool. See, there are cool things to do in Pueblo if you just quit bitching about the place and listen to some of the locals who are trying hard to make it a cooler place.
Monday, October 10, 2016
van life
We ($100, hollydog, meesha, and I) took out the van for our first two night trip over the weekend. Down to Canon City, an area we have been having quite a bit of fun exploring.
Got in another 100K ride. Gold Belt loop. 68 miles on the fat bike. I did three 100K rides in the three months leading up to Kanza. I did two in four days last week.
As I rode through Victor, I ran into GZ, JMock, Bob, and a few other burro folks. Here was the quick conversation I had with GZ:
Me: How was it out there today?
GZ: It was a real shitshow.
Me: It's burro racing. Isn't it always a shitshow?
GZ: Yeah, but even more so today.
GZ was sporting a 1984 neon yellow specialized rockhopper, the dude has obviously started training for Leadman.
Other than the ride, we just chilled around the van and hiked the dogs. We checked out two new areas: Red Canyon Park and Tunnel Drive. As well as lots of time at Oil Well Flats. The dogs give both of those areas their approval.
We are really digging the Royal Gorge area and will definitely be spending some van time down there.
More random pics from the weekend:
We also dropped by Florence Brewing. If I were on tinder I'd put this as my profile pic and I'd get all the ladies, as everything about this shot is awesome:
Got in another 100K ride. Gold Belt loop. 68 miles on the fat bike. I did three 100K rides in the three months leading up to Kanza. I did two in four days last week.
As I rode through Victor, I ran into GZ, JMock, Bob, and a few other burro folks. Here was the quick conversation I had with GZ:
Me: How was it out there today?
GZ: It was a real shitshow.
Me: It's burro racing. Isn't it always a shitshow?
GZ: Yeah, but even more so today.
GZ was sporting a 1984 neon yellow specialized rockhopper, the dude has obviously started training for Leadman.
Other than the ride, we just chilled around the van and hiked the dogs. We checked out two new areas: Red Canyon Park and Tunnel Drive. As well as lots of time at Oil Well Flats. The dogs give both of those areas their approval.
We are really digging the Royal Gorge area and will definitely be spending some van time down there.
More random pics from the weekend:
Friday, October 07, 2016
Friday!
Fri AM - Five miles on the Garden roads. Then I got to walk two dogs, as Meesha is currently staying with us since her irresponsible parents left her all alone while they went off to get drunk in Vegas.
Colorado Springs is a terrible place to live. It's all churches and fast food joints and traffic, no trails or breweries or anything else positive to speak of. So please ignore this article and move to the Denver/Boulder area. Did you notice the mention of Old Colorado City? All lies, that place is atrocious.
In serious news, reports went around this Thursday morning that folks in clown outfits had attacked some hikers at Garden of the Gods. Scary. But as the true story leaks out, it was actually on Garden of the Gods road near Nevada Ave, which is over five miles from the park. But it did happen on a bike path at a spot that I rode past less than four hours earlier. But still, WTF is up with the whole clown thing?
I came across this story about a gal on instagram. Caught my attention, since almost all of my pics, and almost all of my friends' pics, have alcohol in their social media posts. I followed her, because she's hot and seems to drink a lot.
Taking the van, and the dogs, down to Canon City this weekend. Then Big Head Todd on Sunday. Woot woot!
Colorado Springs is a terrible place to live. It's all churches and fast food joints and traffic, no trails or breweries or anything else positive to speak of. So please ignore this article and move to the Denver/Boulder area. Did you notice the mention of Old Colorado City? All lies, that place is atrocious.
In serious news, reports went around this Thursday morning that folks in clown outfits had attacked some hikers at Garden of the Gods. Scary. But as the true story leaks out, it was actually on Garden of the Gods road near Nevada Ave, which is over five miles from the park. But it did happen on a bike path at a spot that I rode past less than four hours earlier. But still, WTF is up with the whole clown thing?
I came across this story about a gal on instagram. Caught my attention, since almost all of my pics, and almost all of my friends' pics, have alcohol in their social media posts. I followed her, because she's hot and seems to drink a lot.
Taking the van, and the dogs, down to Canon City this weekend. Then Big Head Todd on Sunday. Woot woot!
Thursday, October 06, 2016
Thursday
The bike tourers we hosted recently, Megan and Hector, have posted about their Colorado Springs stay.
Rare mid-week day off yesterday, so I took advantage of the good weather and rode up to Greenland Open Space and back. 65 miles, ride number eight on the Cup 'O Dirt Challenge. I'm going to need the weather to hold out if I'm going to get twelve rides in this year. Which doesn't look promising, considering Pikes got a good bit of snow this morning.
It looks like GZ and I are going to throw down at a 5K in Westminster on October 30. Given how quickly our blogs have gone from running blogs to injury blogs, we both might have died of old age by that time. Since he is already making lame excuses in case of a poor performance, here's mine: this is the morning after the Widespread Panic concert.
Saw Semi-Rad last night. Dude is a great speaker. And you should all go read his newest book (and his older books). I had him sign my Ace & The Desert Dog hat and bought a copy of his book for one of those free libraries that opened down the street from me. He is considering a 100 miler, which I tried to talk him out of...
Rare mid-week day off yesterday, so I took advantage of the good weather and rode up to Greenland Open Space and back. 65 miles, ride number eight on the Cup 'O Dirt Challenge. I'm going to need the weather to hold out if I'm going to get twelve rides in this year. Which doesn't look promising, considering Pikes got a good bit of snow this morning.
It looks like GZ and I are going to throw down at a 5K in Westminster on October 30. Given how quickly our blogs have gone from running blogs to injury blogs, we both might have died of old age by that time. Since he is already making lame excuses in case of a poor performance, here's mine: this is the morning after the Widespread Panic concert.
Saw Semi-Rad last night. Dude is a great speaker. And you should all go read his newest book (and his older books). I had him sign my Ace & The Desert Dog hat and bought a copy of his book for one of those free libraries that opened down the street from me. He is considering a 100 miler, which I tried to talk him out of...
Monday, October 03, 2016
weekend
Good 16 miler on Saturday, finishing with the Nielsen Challenge.
Got the dog out for a good hike in Red Rock Canyon after the long run. Love that place.
Fall Series I over at Bear Creek Park on Sunday. 4.5 miles from the house to the start, then another 4.5 miles for the run. Drank way too much beer on Saturday which contributed to a very pedestrian time.
On Sunday night we went to Roman Villa to hang with Amber and The Todd, who got hitched recently. Good times.
Got the dog out for a good hike in Red Rock Canyon after the long run. Love that place.
Fall Series I over at Bear Creek Park on Sunday. 4.5 miles from the house to the start, then another 4.5 miles for the run. Drank way too much beer on Saturday which contributed to a very pedestrian time.
Friday, September 30, 2016
September
Worst month, mileage wise, in forever. I was probably in high school last time I logged only 79 miles in a month. Over half the month was spent injured and not running at all, then some travel came up to throw a wrench into any comeback. It's now the offseason here, and the goal is to run 30 mile weeks from here until the new year.
187 miles on the bike. Also pretty low for me since I took up biking a few years ago. Most of those were to/from work, though I did get into Cheyenne Canon a few times. And there was that ride on 401 and the tour of Pittsburgh $100 and I did.
The dog pointed out that all this free time has led to a huge increase in hiking, usually with said dog, so she has been super happy about that. 75 miles on that front. Our pace tends to be slow, I'm often stopping so she can sniff stuff or having to clean up her poop, so I've started carrying a pretty heavy pack when we hike. Never know when that surprise opportunity to hike the AT will come up, but I'll be ready.
Updated my brewery list, Cerberus was my 131st Colorado brewery. Shad has been inching closer and closer to that number and I might have to make some trips up to the bubble to pad my stats. Did drink a helluva lot of good beer this month, what with all the beer Bob left here, the trip back to PA, the opening of Cerberus, and the Manitou beer festival.
187 miles on the bike. Also pretty low for me since I took up biking a few years ago. Most of those were to/from work, though I did get into Cheyenne Canon a few times. And there was that ride on 401 and the tour of Pittsburgh $100 and I did.
The dog pointed out that all this free time has led to a huge increase in hiking, usually with said dog, so she has been super happy about that. 75 miles on that front. Our pace tends to be slow, I'm often stopping so she can sniff stuff or having to clean up her poop, so I've started carrying a pretty heavy pack when we hike. Never know when that surprise opportunity to hike the AT will come up, but I'll be ready.
Updated my brewery list, Cerberus was my 131st Colorado brewery. Shad has been inching closer and closer to that number and I might have to make some trips up to the bubble to pad my stats. Did drink a helluva lot of good beer this month, what with all the beer Bob left here, the trip back to PA, the opening of Cerberus, and the Manitou beer festival.
commute 100
Bike commute number 100 for 2016 on Thursday. That's about 1000 miles for me. Roughly $540 according to the IRS.
Been hitting the gym quite a bit, and lifting weights has finally paid off. I was at my lunch gym and I started talking to someone about the old Bristol Brewing shirt I was wearing. As he was leaving later on, he introduced himself as a microbiologist for Bristol, and gave me cards for two free pints at the brewery!
I've also started going back to the rock gym again, mostly due to the Wednesday night adult bouldering league. Flashed all the V2 problems through the first two weeks, a surprise for me. Think I might dedicate some time to CityRock these next few months to see if I can make the jump from V2 climber to V3 guy. FYI, the bouldering league considers V3 and below to be the beginner level.
Been hitting the gym quite a bit, and lifting weights has finally paid off. I was at my lunch gym and I started talking to someone about the old Bristol Brewing shirt I was wearing. As he was leaving later on, he introduced himself as a microbiologist for Bristol, and gave me cards for two free pints at the brewery!
I've also started going back to the rock gym again, mostly due to the Wednesday night adult bouldering league. Flashed all the V2 problems through the first two weeks, a surprise for me. Think I might dedicate some time to CityRock these next few months to see if I can make the jump from V2 climber to V3 guy. FYI, the bouldering league considers V3 and below to be the beginner level.
Wednesday, September 28, 2016
new goal for MDI
I'm not expecting much when I run the Mt. Desert Island marathon in mid October. I had to take three weeks completely off after Pikes, and I've been very slow to get back at it. The plan was to finish feeling fresh enough to do some serious hiking and biking in Acadia Nat'l Park after the race.
But Strava has thrown this out there. Ballsy move by New Balance since two of the biggest marathons - Chicago and New York - fall within the time limit. But they do have the stats to show that most people fail to negative split. But anyhow, I think I'm now going to hang for the first half of the race with the four hour pace group, then drop a blazing 1:59 second half so I can get a free pair of NB Fresh Foam 1080 (the most expensive running shoe on their site at 150 bones).
But Strava has thrown this out there. Ballsy move by New Balance since two of the biggest marathons - Chicago and New York - fall within the time limit. But they do have the stats to show that most people fail to negative split. But anyhow, I think I'm now going to hang for the first half of the race with the four hour pace group, then drop a blazing 1:59 second half so I can get a free pair of NB Fresh Foam 1080 (the most expensive running shoe on their site at 150 bones).
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