BLOS [Beyond Line of Sight]

Leadville Marathon

2010-07-06T09:47:00.003-06:00

Total time: ~5:20:00
Distance: 26 miles
Total ascent: 6320 ft

Leadville Marathon

2010-07-01T12:43:00.003-06:00

Here is what is in store for us this weekend...

Seattle Marathon

2010-06-30T10:36:00.004-06:00

Good race! Great times in Seattle seeing my brother!

Data from my GPS:

Total Distance: 26.54 miles
Total Time: 3:12:46
Average Pace: 7:16/mile
Total Ascent: 3936 feet
Total Descent: 3877 feet

Start was south tip of plot (top of picture). End was downtown.

Next up, Leadville...this weekend!

Kansas IronMan 70.3 (DQ)

2010-06-08T10:27:00.007-06:00

This was a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, and 13.1-mile run event held at Clinton Lake and vacinity just outside of Lawrence, KS--home of the KU Jayhawks.

As much as I would love to have a success story to tell, I don't. This weekend I came face-to-face with epic defeat--something I certainly am not used to. Being an acceptable runner and biker--and possessing what I thought were "fair" swimming skills (based on my very limited pool work), I went into my first triathlon experience planning to wing the swim and rock the bike and run. Halfway through the 1.2-mile swim, I came to realization after being passed by the last swimmer that I wasn't ready for this. This was a huge wake-up call for me: I am not an effective swimmer! It was naive of me to believe I could wing a swim of that distance within the time-allotment. About 400 yards from the swim finish, a kayak race official comes up to me and announces I have 10 minutes before the cutoff. I knew it was over at this point. The official said I could either finish the swim segment or jump in a boat for a ride to the end. To that I snickered and kept paddling along to the finish. They would not allow me to continue the official course because of the DQ. After beating myself up mentally in the car for about 20 minutes, I knew this behavior was counterproductive. I quickly threw on my running shoes and took off on a 13-mile run anyway.

Cardio was not the issue for me during the swim. It just became painfully obvious to me that I was putting forth quite a bit more effort than the average swimmer to make forward progress in the water. The best analogy I can come up with is: I tried to race Nascar when I had only been behind the wheel of a car one time in my life!

Despite skipping the bike portion of the race and not getting an official time, I hardly considered this event a "waste of time". I got to experience most of the triathlon experience and, more importantly, learned a lot about the swimming aspect of said event. Swimming (unlike biking or running) is not something the average person inherently knows how to do well (efficiently) without proper coaching and/or spending significant amounts of time in the pool. While fitness level is just as important in swimming as in biking/running, technique in swimming is paramount!

Water temperate was in the upper 70's--one degree below the "no wetsuits allowed" level. I opted to not wear one. In hindsight, I probably should have--not for thermal reasons obviously--but for extra buoyancy. I don't float. At all. The amount of energy I spent trying to keep my head above water was astounding!

The bike course (known as "The Iron Cross" to the locals) was mostly to the south of Clinton Lake and consisted of out-and-backs across an elevation profile ranging from ~850 feet and ~1050 feet (hardly very "hilly" by a Coloradan's definition).

The official run course was, frankly, simply retarded: out-and-backs along paved roads. My impromptu 13-mile course was much better in my opinion! ;)

Humidity was very high--but the temperature wasn't bad (for KS) on Sunday.

Outside of the triathlon itself, I had a simply fantastic weekend! Got to spend some quality time with friends/family, jump on the trampoline with my cousin's little kids, kick up some mud on the 4-wheelers, and visit a handful of Lawrence bars and restaurants! Did a fair amount of running around the KU campus as well.

I don't know if I am sold on triathlons yet--but I certainly don't have enough experience at this point to make a fair assessment. Nonetheless, I have a personal vendetta against the Kansas IronMan 70.3 and I have vowed to myself that I will go back and tackle it next year...after I learn how to swim! ;)

An experimental event I thought it would be--and an experiment it turned out to be. All-in-all, I chalk this one up to a "successful failure". I'll take a DQ over a DNF anyday!

It is a very humbling experience to be disqualified from a race--but ultimately this did me more good than anything else: it lit a fire that will motivate me over the next year!

---

Putting that behind me, I have three weeks before the Seattle Marathon. I really want to run it sub-3:10. Back to speed work on Tuesday's and gotta get a few more 20-mile training runs in.

Bolder Boulder

2010-06-03T16:50:00.007-06:00

Set a new PR at the Bolder Boulder this year (42:26). Surprising given I have done zero speed training this year--so far...

On-on to Lawrence, KS tomorrow for first triathlon...

Jemez Mountains

2010-05-26T16:01:00.024-06:00

The Jemez Mountains Trail Races took place in the scenic Jemez mountains in North-Central New Mexico. The course was on technical trails with a substantial amount of elevation change. The 50K and 50M events included extremely steep climbs and descents on very technical terrain. On the course, runners experienced high altitude (over 10,000 feet above sea level), scree fields, stream crossings, fallen trees, and other obstacles.

Our trip began after an 8 AM breakfast at Purple Castle with Katie Throndsen, Jon Teisher, and Lauren Kennedy. The four of us planned to drive down together in two cars--as some of us were planning on sleeping *in* the car. We ran into Tanya Anderson and Susan Mopper that morning too.

[JT, Katie, Lauren, Tanya, Susan, Matt]

~5 hour drive to Los Alamos with a stop at Colorado's oldest church in Conejos, Colorado. Arrived in Los Alamos, NM late afternoon and found a couple of camping spots around Bandelier. Los Alamos is adjacent to the Santa Fe National Forest and Bandelier National Monument. After getting settled in and paying the camp site fees, JT and I hot-footed it over to the packet pick-up and to take advantage of the free pasta. Caught up with our buddies from Austin, TX (Pete Mehok and Naresh Bhagavatha)--as well as some local yokels: Brooks Williams, James Kaminski, Sean Kute, and Andy Henshaw. Quick stop at the local supermarket for beer and ice and we all headed back to the campground.

I hate pre-race nights! Everybody is always in a great mood and wants to party--but as any runner knows, the act of partying has inevitable side-effects the next morning. Did we get to bed early and wake up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed...no. We stayed up into the early AM drinking booze. Finally Nacheaux (Lauren) gives me the ultimatum to "Go to bed BLOS!"...and so I did. ;) About 3 and 1/2 hours later we're waking up in a hungover frenzy and driving to the starting line. At the start, Katie and Nacheux pull JT out of the back of the truck, brush him off, explain to him that he is running a 50M race, and tell him to get going. I wish the 50-mile guys the best and head back to my car to finish waking up. An hour later I'm ready and out with the 50K group.

The best part of the trail (I thought) was climbing a ladder next to a waterfall in a very lush, shaded area of the trail. After about an hour of trail running at a pretty decent pace, my motivation was fading. A few hours into the trail, I pass some of the 50-mile runners running in the opposite direction. I pass JT and he tells me he is bailing at the next aid station due to injury-related issues. I pass Brooks at another point to hear him say, "Man, I don't think I'm gonna make it!" None of this did well for my motivation. Nonetheless, I was determined to finish this race--especially after my soapbox diatribe the night prior against people that DNF.

For the first time in my running career, I discovered the benefits of salt tablets. Somewhere around 22 miles into this race I noticed my fingers were swollen. Never had that happen before and, frankly, didn't know why. Suspecting it might be a hydration issue or hyponatremic reaction, I started popping those Succeed! caplets at the aid stations. Swelling started to go down and I discovered new-found energy.

Somewhere 24 miles or so into this race my GPS got tired of waiting for me to finish and died. So, I'll post this GPS plot from the race website instead:

The last part of the race was pretty boring as we were going down from higher altitude: hot, windy, dusty desert wasteland...

~8 hours later I'm finally wrapping this thing up. Whew! No finisher medals for this race--but we all got this cool poster:

...and our choice of a hand-crafted figurine made by one of the locals. I selected this:

I don't know what it is. I suppose it is some kind of candle holder--but it looks more like a urinal to me.

Start/End: Posse Shack, North Mesa in Los Alamos, NM. 6 AM start for 50K.
Result: 48th overall, 8:14:14

Group photo after the finish:

[James, Andy, Nick (overall winner of 50-mile), Brooks, Matt, Sean, JT, Pete]

Back to the campground for a short-lived evening before everyone was out for the count. Pete and Naresh needed to hit the road back to Austin so they took off shortly after we got back. Less than an hour later, Pete's car breaks down on the way out of town and Nacheaux went back to pick them up. I spent a good hour gazing at the stars after everyone had turned into pumpkins.

Sunday morning we were off to Taos, NM. After getting Pete and Naresh back on the road, we got lunch and hit Eske's Brewery in Taos. We went slightly out of the way to check out the Taos Gorge Bridge on the way out of town.

Excellent weekend with good friends. Next up, IronMan KS 70.3 in Lawrence, KS in less than 2 weeks!

Collegiate Peaks

2010-05-02T16:17:00.009-06:00

Fighting a cold on Friday, I took it easy and avoided contact with everyone. Threw down a lot of Airborne and cranberry juice and hit the sack at 9:30 PM. Up at 2:30 AM and on the road to Buena Vista by 3:30 AM for race start at 6:30 AM. By the time I got to BV, I felt pretty good (mostly over the cold)--but not entirely 100%.

This was my fourth big race for 2010: a 25-mile trail run beginning and ending near the Arkansas River and consisting of mostly Jeep and single-track trails--some along part of the historic Midland Railroad.

GPS:

Conditions were better than anticipated: cool and clear skies (forecast was for snow). I learned a hard lesson from my recent (and first) trail marathon in Salida: took plenty of water this time...and glad I did.

Ran pretty strong through mile 21 or so. I started to bonk during the last few miles, consequently losing about 15 slots to other runners. Ultimately finished in ~4:11:30.

Finished off the BV visit drinking at the new Eddyline Brewery with a bunch of hasher and Colorado Springs friends (and, of course, a mandatory stop at the Green Parrot) while waiting for a few of our other buddies to finish the 50-mile.

Excellent day!

www.collegiatepeakstrailrun.org

Next up, Jemez 50K in three weeks and lots of training to do before that!

Time to step it up a knotch...

2010-04-27T21:39:00.003-06:00

Good weather is back, DIM hash season is now upon us, and I've got some serious races coming up...

* Collegiate Peaks 25 miler
* Jemez 50K
* Half Ironman KS 70.3

...all within the next month and a few weeks. Sheesh. How'd I get myself into this one. I'm trying to step up the mileage a bit each day and work in more time on my road bike as well. Tryin' to hit the pool a couple of times a week. The trite expression "sink or swim" couldn't be more appropriate right now.

Salida Marathon Weekend

2010-03-15T13:15:00.004-06:00

Departing from the Springs around 6 PM on Friday, I was expecting a great weekend--and a what a weekend it turned out to be!

Kerry Page, Bill Ewell, Lauren Kennedy, Jon Teisher, Katie Throndson, Rick De Pena, Gordon Barnett and myself all spent two nights at the Salida Simple Hostel and Lodge and participated in the Salida Marathon Weekend. This race was only 40 bones and the hostel was a bargain. The hostel was just around the corner from the start/finish of the marathon--and within stumbling distance of all the cool bars. More friends from the Springs joined us race morning--including Brooks Williams and James Kaminski.

Turned out to be the second worst trail conditions on record for this race (which has been going on for 5 years now). This didn't bother any of us--as we suspected pretty sloppy conditions in the mountains in the spring. The last 8 miles or so was the worst. It was mostly downhill and they at least saved us the trouble of having to posthole through two feet of snow this year by graciously dropping a set of Snowcat tracks for us to follow.

Being my first *trail* marathon, certain obvious things slipped my mind--like bringing water. Yes there were aid stations--but there was probably 8-9 miles between the last aid station and the end--a little longer than I could go without hydration. While slipping and sliding around on slushy/muddy trails, I experienced mild hallucinations. Stopped a few times to eat handful after handful of snow. The mountain views were superb though--so who's complaining!

I was making pretty acceptable time for the first half (~2000 ft net ascent). No more than 3/4 of a mile or so behind JT and Brooks, I was determined to catch up on the downhill part. These guys apparently had much less problems that I did getting through the forthcoming slop. JT finished in just under 4 hours and Brooks in a little over 4 hours. Me, just under 5--plenty of time for the boys to knock out a half dozen PBR's outside of the Salida Steamplant and Events Center. I still managed to take 40 place overall out of 108 or so. Que sera sera. See http://www.salidarec.com/ccrc/results/2010-Run-Through-Time-Results.htm for the official results.

According to my GPS, ~6400 ft of total ascent/descent:

Two epic nights of partying with the crew, plenty of Moonlight Pizza consumption, and a great workout/race experience!

Austin Weekend

2010-02-16T13:56:00.006-07:00

This last weekend I traveled to Austin for the marathon. Did the half last year--and wished ever since that I had run the full. Running this marathon may become an annual thing--I at least need my Austin fix once a year! I'm debating going back for the Austin City Limits Music Festival later this year.

This time around I decided to take Bart Yasso's advice and run negative splits. I ran the first 4-5 miles just under an 8-minute mile--letting people pass me all along the way and resisting temptation to speed up too soon. Around mile 5 I threw off the jacket and gloves and slowly crept towards a 7-minute mile. I took mental note of all the people (who passed me earlier on) that I would pass later on. About three miles from the finish my friend Shelby started cheering me on and running with me alongside the course. I kicked it into overdrive for the last few miles (maybe a 6-minute mile). At no point did I slow down--but I never quite managed to catch up with the 3:10:00 pace group.

This marathon re-assured me that a 3:10 Boston qualifier is definitely attainable in the next "regular" marathon I run--later this year.

Official result: 03:12:26

On-on to Salida next month...

Disney results...

2010-01-19T18:21:00.001-07:00

Goofy Challenge:

Kerry: 1:39:53 (half), 3:50:53 (full)
Karen: 1:45:01 (half), 4:08:34 (full)
Jesus: 1:39:09 (half), 4:32:16 (full)
Matt: 1:30:57 (half), 3:48:59 (full)

Marathon:

Lauren: 4:32:17
Charlie: 3:54:04
Josh: 3:08:56

Disney Marathon Weekend

2010-01-19T17:08:00.022-07:00

Thursday (Jan 7):

It is almost midnight on Wednesday, July 6. I've got to get up in a few hours to begin our journey to Orlando, FL for the 5th Annual Disney Marathon Weekend. 2:45 AM came way too early! At 4 AM I'm pulling up outside Kerry Page's house on the opposite end of town. An hour and a half later we're aboard a plane to Orlando.

We arrive delirious in Florida and, after spending a good 30 minutes trying to find out what we're doing, we jump onto a shuttle taking us to the Walt Disney Pop Century Resort at the far southern edge of the Disney World property. A budget motel it was--with a bit of Disney gusto: different buildings representing different decades from the 50's through the 90's. Each building had oversize icons representing what was popular during that timeframe: large bowling balls, a 60-foot-tall "Hot Wheels Big Wheel", laptop computer, cellphone, Rubik's Cube, et cetera. We'll just call it a spiced-up Motel 6. Good enough for a bunch of runners who plan to do little more there than sleep!

We immediately note that it is not warm in Florida this particular weekend--in fact, Orlando was seeing record lows while an arctic blast is hitting the rest of the nation. So much for those shorts!

Hours later Karen Evers arrives in Orlando with blood-shot eyes. Her first plane out of DIA had mechanical problems and the second flight was delayed.

Acquiring Karen (and with much to take care of), the three of us scurry off to the Disney Marathon Expo to pick up our race packets before the bulk of the crowd arrives.

At the expo we run into another Colorado Springs runner: Todd Norman. Todd joins the three of us as we then displace ourselves to Downtown Disney for dinner and drinks at Captain Jack's Seafood. The meal was rubbery, yet satisfactory (our stomach's were in such knots we really didn't care). While roaming downtown we run into Jesus Jimenez walking with an old friend of his. Jesus plans to meet us later at the hotel.

We then discover a comfy-looking Irish Pub (Raglan Road) and settle ourselves in for the evening.

[debauchery intentionally omitted]

Friday (Jan 8):

At some odd hour of the morning I recall opening my eyes just in time to see Karen and Kerry dash out the door for the 5K race that begins at 7 AM. Jesus and I opt to sleep in. Later that morning the girls awaken us and Kerry announces that she "won the race"! Kerry was the overall female winner! She even got some TV time I think!

Kerry, Karen, Jesus, and I decide that park day 1 of 3 will be spent at Epcot Center (one of four indepedent theme parks that make up Disney World). The park is partitioned into two main sections: Future World and World Showcase.

Future World is full of attractions--as well as inspiring entertainment and shows, all of which focus on technological advancements, innovation and wonder. The Epcot theme park icon, Spaceship Earth (the giant golf ball rising high above the horizon) welcomed us as we entered the park.

The World Showcase is a series of 11 pavilions that surround the central lagoon. Featured countries are Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Italy, United States, Japan, Morocco, France, United Kingdom, and Canada.

The Disney staff (referred to as "cast members" throughout Disney World) that work in each country that make up the World Showcase are actually from that part of the world to add to the overall feeling of authenticity.

We stopped in the U.K. for a beer/fish-and-chips break earlier in the day, a street skit outside of the Campanile of St. Mark's Square in Italy, and finally in Mexico to meet Mexican Donald and drink Tequila flights. Andiamo!

Being the adrenaline-fueled individuals that we are, it should be no surprise that we particularly enjoyed the attractions in Future World--namely "Mission: Space" and "Soarin" (one of Epcot's newest attractions). On "Mission: Space" the four of us took on the roles of Navigator, Commander, Pilot, and Engineer to fly a rocket into Space. We experienced G-forces very close to what real astronauts feel during lauch (~3 G's). The attraction "Soarin" simulates hand-gliding over various terrains simulating the rock of the glider, wind, and even the smell of orange fields.

At the end of the day we return to Pop Century Resort for some quick carb-loading. We then learn that Josh and Lauren Johnson, and Charlie Grumbine (all with the intentions of running only the full marathon) and Ai Lee Kuan (with the intentions of spectating) have just arrived in Orlando. Knowing what kind of partying we would be in for if we tried to track them down and given the amount of partying we had already done, we opted to quickly lock the door and hit the hay!

Saturday (Jan 9):

This marks the first serious race day: a half marathon through various parts of Disney World. Naturally this race has to begin well before the park opens (5:40 AM again), so Karen, Kerry, Jesus, and I are up and stirring at 3 AM--a whole 3-4 hours after we all finally put our heads to rest.

Before you know it we're just outside of Epcot Center listening to loud tech music...at 4 AM in the dark...in humid 31 degree weather. To add to the ambience, throw in some light sleet. We're at Disney World! We're pumped! Break out the white-boy dance moves!

Race begins promptly at 5:40 AM after a stage greeting from Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy--as well as a firework count-down. The four of us are off!

The half marathon took us through the Magic Kingdom and then back to Epcot for the finish. It was barely dawn when we completed--but there is something really cool about running through a fully-engaged theme park devoid of people. Some "cast members" were out greeting us and, in typical Disney style, in a really good mood!

Weather is less than desirable and we shunt the idea of hitting the parks in the afternoon. So the day ends with more exploration of Downtown Disney--along with dinner and drinks at the Rain Forest Cafe with the other Colorado Springer's.

-> 1:30:57 for the half--a PR by 3 seconds.

Sunday (Jan 10):

Serious race day number two is upon us. This time a full marathon through more parts of Disney World. Up again at a God-awful hour, we frantically throw on our apparel in time to catch the shuttle back to Epcot.

We're one person short this morning: Jesus, sporting a rolled ankle, reluctantly decides to skip the race and take on the spectator roll instead. We pick up Josh/Lauren Johnson and Charlie Grumbine for this race. Lauren decides to run with Jesus' time chip in her pocket.

Weather feels colder today (~29 degrees)--but no precipitation. Much of this race felt like Deja Vu for thoseof us that did the half marathon the day prior.

It was nice to run in some daylight for a change. The experience of the theme parks and cast characters along the way helped pass the time. The course took us through all four Walt Disney World Theme Parks starting at Epcot, continuing on to the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios--and finally back to Epcot.

Lauren runs well (for being out of the running circle for a while)--and manages to give Jesus a 1-second-better marathon time that she gave herself. ;) Josh rocks it with another Boston Qualifier, Charlie suffers mild hypothermia, and Kerry/Karen run well (given they ran a strong half the day prior).

The Goofy Challenge runners got three finisher medals and three long-sleeved tech shirts: one for the half, one for the full, and one for completing the challenge.

We wrap up the evening with a trip to Planet Hollywood, back to Raglan Road, and finally Jellyrolls (a piano bar in the Disney Boardwalk area).

[debauchery omitted intentionally]

We've got two days of our trip left and more theme parks to visit!

-> 3:48:59 for the full.

Monday (Jan 11):

Running completed. Today, the eight of us decide to hit the Magic Kingdom (the original of the four theme parks).

The Magic Kingdom is broken down into a series of lands: Fantasyland, Liberty Square, Frontierland, Adventureland, Tomorrowland, and Main Street USA.

We made the most of the day, experiencing as many attractions as we could, including: Swiss Family Treehouse, The Enchanted Tiki Room, Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, The Haunted Mansion, and The Hall of Presidents.

We probably had the most fun on the "Mad Tea Cup" (where we attempted to load 5 adults into one tea cup and spin the thing as fast as we possibly could) and Space Mountain (a 180-foot-high indoor-mountain roller coaster in the dark).

We stuck around for the Electric Light Parade and the nightly fireworks show (synchronized to music played throughout the entire theme park). We end the day with dinner back in Downtown Disney on Fulton's Crab Boat.

Tuesday (Jan 12):

For our last day at Disney, we opt to check out Hollywood Studios (once called MGM Studios): Animal Kingdom and the waterpark will have to wait until next year! Karen checked out yesterday and Kerry, Jesus, and I have to split at ~2 PM to head to the airport.

Our plan: The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Aerosmith's Roller Coaster, and Star Tours.

The Tower of Terror Legend:

Classic stars of the silver screen sought rest and relaxation at the grand Hollywood Tower Hotel during the Golden Age of Hollywood. In the late 30's, during a gloomy Halloween night, 5 unlucky souls were riding down the Hotel's maintenance service elevator when a violent storm struck the building--and they were never seen again. Black scorch marks still scar the Tower of Terror facade where lightning left its autograph.

This "falling elevator" adventure is a ride on the "fright elevator" beyond the eerie boiler room in the hotel basement. The elevator randomly falls and ascends--every experience is different and randomly selected by the Tower itself--so there's no way of knowing which direction you'll go!

The Aerosmith Roller Coaster:

This is an electromagnetically-fueled roller coaster that took us from 0-60 MPH in 2.8 seconds--producing G forces of 4-5. To contrast, Space Shuttle astronauts feel only ~3 G's on liftoff. Each roller coaster car contained 125 speakers and 24 sub-woofers blasting various Aerosmith hits. The ride was indoors in the dark and all that could be seen were illuminated street signs. Word has it, the electrical engineers of Hollywood studios were worried that if two elevators in the Tower of Terror were released at the same time one of the Aerosmith roller coasters was launched, the electrical load would take down the entire theme park electrical grid! So, an independent electrical substation was installed just for the roller coaster.

This ride, needless to say, blew our hair back!

Star Tours:

We boarded a Starspeeder 3000 (a large hydraulic-powered simulator) for a "relaxing" tour of the Moon of Endor. The ride was hardly "relaxing" as our absent-minded droid pilot sends our speeder careening out of control through the solar system--nearly slamming us into the Death Star. Josh is a total Star Wars geek--as he was quick to point out the accuracy of this simulation!

We filled some time checking out the animation studios and Josh and I had a cigar with the "bad people" over in the smoking area.

Eventually time runs out and we have to split for the airport. All good things must come to an end. There is a lot more that we could have done in that theme park given more time. Pop Century took care of getting our bags checked--so all we needed to do was get to the airport.

At DFW we were desperately searching for chicken nachos. We belly up at Chili's, order a few drinks, and then discover they don't have any nachos. Thumbs down to Chili's.

We load up on alternative Chili's food and bring it on the airline to COS. Slightly liquored up, I'm sure we made plenty of friends on the way home...

A trip to remember...

Snuggies...WTF

2009-12-16T14:03:00.003-07:00

We've all seen these stupid blankets with arms. Advertised on late night TV...and I just saw 5 people at Wal-Mart buying them. Somebody somewhere is getting rich on this idea. WTF. I'm planning to market "bed comforters with arm holes" as part of my "get rich quick scheme"--unless the Snuggie Corporation already has a patent on this of course. I'm afraid to say the Snuggie is probably gonna go down in history with the "Post-It" note, pet rock, and "Jump to Conclusions" mat.

I went on a Snuggie pub crawl the other weekend. Seemed like a ridiculous thing to do and a great way to mock the product.

Route 66 Marathon (Tulsa, OK)

2009-11-23T23:11:00.004-07:00

With our sights set on the Route 66 Marathon--but otherwise not knowing exactly what to expect, JT, Lauren, Katie, and I departed to Tulsa, OK. I flew out/back while the others road-tripped it the whole way. I rolled in Friday evening and the others made it Saturday just after noon. Epic weekend full of bar-hopping, hashing, and of course the marathon. I pulled off a ~3:38:00--not nearly as well as I had hoped! However, I am happy to report that I managed to take 10th place in the fat-ass Clydesdale division! ;) The marathon route was surprising nice--with a long out-and-back along the Arkansas River:

Tulsa is full of many cool hangouts and lots of interesting people! We made it a point to drink a PBR in the "Center of the Universe" near the downtown area. Props to the Tulsa H3 for a great hash following the marathon on Sunday! Wrapped up the trip with a stop at Tally's Route 66 "Good Food" Cafe on the historic Route 66 highway:

Goodbye to a good friend...

2009-11-17T12:15:00.004-07:00

A good friend of mine Brittney Brashers was apparently killed in a car accident last night coming back from Denver. Times like this remind us how mortal we all are and how precious life is. We'll miss ya baby!

Upadowna

2009-11-10T12:37:00.003-07:00

Brave the Manitou Incline throughout the winter season every Thursday night! Celebrate your accomplishment with the most enjoyable people on earth!

Be at the top of the incline by 6:30 PM for PBR (maybe food).
Meet at Kinfolks afterwards.
Onwards to Royal Tavern and/or THL.

Nob Hill

2009-11-08T21:52:00.003-07:00

A tear-jerker of an article about The Nob Hill on Colfax by the Westword:

Nob Hill Article

Training resumes

2009-11-08T20:06:00.004-07:00

I've let this blog go silent since about March of this year. I started picking up the distance again with the Denver Marathon last October 18. Without any real distance training, I was able to pull off a PR at ~3:33:00.

Next marathon is coming up on November 22: The Route 66 Marathon...

Tulsa or bust!

Already looking forward to:

Walt Disney World Marathon and Half Marathon in January
Austin, TX marathon in February
Salida, CO marathon in March
My first half Ironman in Lawrence, KS in June.

Gorilla power

2009-11-08T19:57:00.003-07:00

I was happy to participate in the 2009 Denver Gorilla Run on Halloween this year: a benefit for the Mountain Gorilla Conservation Fund.

www.denvergorillarun.com

In addition to looking simply ridiculous while running around the Lodo area, we managed to set a new Guinness World Record for the "Most People Dressed as Gorillas" at 1061. Previous record was ~640.

Ooo ooo haa haa! :D

Trinity Soul Runners

2009-11-08T19:37:00.003-07:00

Running 8 weeks strong! No whining allowed. Every Monday at 6 PM (rain, sleet, snow).

Rome Marathon

2009-03-08T11:55:00.005-06:00

I'm gettin' ready to depart for Western Europe for 12 days. Leaving the 12th and coming back on the 23rd. Touring England, France, Switzerland, and Italy--ending in Rome on the 22nd for the marathon...

Tucson Marathon

2008-12-08T22:43:00.011-07:00

Despite having a partially-swollen ankle, I tried the Tucson Marathon this weekend (Sunday, December 7). My buddy Josh was a bit unsure about his ankle too. Josh and I (like the geniuses that we are) thought it would be a good idea to do an easy 11-miler in the hills (Phone Line Trail in the Sabino Canyon area) the day prior to "see if we could make it through the full" the next morning. Everything went well--so we both agreed we were good to go. I went into this race the following morning short of sleep (had to get up at 4 AM after going to bed not much earlier than midnight) and without the appropriate nutrition. Partying it up the night prior probably wasn't a good idea either. I broke down shortly over halfway through (~14 miles)--having to walk most of the remaining distance. This put me across the finish line in ~5 hours (too pathetic a time to commit it to memory). Josh suffered a bit--but still managed to rock it with a ~3:15:00 time. I had no preconceived expectations for this race and went into it just to complete it--considering it nothing more than a training run. In hindsight, I learned a few more things about myself by attempting this race under the circumstances. The marathon course (see below) was not that exciting IMHO. I enjoyed our 11-miler of trail running much more the day prior.

The weather was nice (maybe mid 40's in the morning and warming up to ~70 when the sun came up). It was nice to throw on the flip-flops in December! I wasn't ready to come back to Colorado after that!

Next up is the Rome marathon on March 22, 2009 (also my birthday). I'm coming back with a vengeance and gonna rock this one! Hoping to have a Boston Qualifier by the end of 2009 and running Boston with the rest of the crew in 2010.

From the finish line:

The starting line is on the left:

First IC club run of the new season

2008-11-30T16:54:00.003-07:00

11/30/08 - 8 AM - 95 in attendance:

Matt Carpenter in the front. I'm in the back with JT, Christoph Zurcher, Chad Halsten, and others.

San Antonio Marathon

2008-11-19T03:35:00.009-07:00

Picking up race packets (Ken, Matt, Karen, Josh):

Race morning:

The course (according to my GPS):

On the River Walk (Matt, Ben, Karen, and Josh):

At the airport (Matt and Josh):

6-hour layover (Karen and Matt sleeping in a deserted DFW):

~3:41:00. Tucson marathon in 2.5 weeks...

Nuff said...

2008-11-10T12:28:00.002-07:00

Pikes Peak Road Runners Full Moon Run

2008-10-15T11:04:00.005-06:00

Tuesday, 10/14/08:

The Pikes Peak Road Runners Full Moon Run started near Beckers and Manitou by the ball field. JT and I extended the "long route" for ourselves to 5.2 miles. Man, it is gettin' chilly out there--I better get used to it because I'm not letting up!

Bring on the fall...

2008-10-07T00:14:00.016-06:00

Sunday, October 5 - Fall Series Race #1 - finishing time 29:51 - 37th OA:

Saturday, October 4 - Olivia, Christoph, Sean, and Patrick's Housewarming Party:

Oliva and Matt:

Jenn and Olivia:

Gina:
Christoph and Olivia:

O-Face and Sean:

Saturday, October 4 - Pikes Peak Red Dress Hash - A-to-A - Dublin House:

Monday, September 29 - DIM hash:

My buddy Charlie, Bill, and Weasel hared the second-to-the-last DIM hash of the 2008 season. We started at the new Trinity Brewing Company, went through portions of Ute Valley Park, and finally ended at Bill's place.

At the first beer stop (we spent quite a while there drinking PBR--until the sun went down to be exact):

Saturday/Sunday - September 27-28 - Cripple Creek Crawl:

Herb Tanzer and I decided to do this "Muddy Buddy" style taking one mountain bike with us. I started out on foot and Herb started on the bike. The objective: Every 9 miles or so, the biker drops the bike and takes off on foot. The previous runner picks up the bike and leap-frogs the runner and so on. This was working well until the front bike tire went flat. Since we weren't with the rest of the group and I had no spare tire, I ditched the bike and ran the rest of the way to Cripple Creek. Herb and I were the only two to run this event. Due to the bike problem, I ended up running a ridiculous ~32 miles. Herb took the wrong way at one point and ran all the way through Victor and up to Cripple Creek. Man, we have issues!

Patched the tire in Cripple Creek the following morning and rode back with the rest of the gang. Awesome time!

Leaving Cripple Creek on Sunday:

Cripple Creek from up the road:

Dead cow on the way home:

Racing and hiking weekend...

2008-09-24T01:43:00.023-06:00

Friday, September 19:

This was V.I.P. night at the new Fujiyama Restaurant located a few doors north of their old location. Sonterra Grill bought Minji's old location for expansion and she moved to a larger building--win-win for both establishments. Public opening for the new Fujiyama was last Saturday, September 20.

Olivia and Matt (deer in headlights):

Jenny:

Sonny:

Saturday, September 20:

After much partying on Friday night (Fujiyama and V-Bar), I hit the road for Buena Vista--destined to run the half marathon leaving from the city park at 8 AM. I blew into BV at around 3 AM and slept in the back of the 4Runner just outside the city park.

The next morning we were shuttled 13 miles into the mountains. The race ended back in the city park. This course was not too difficult (not much uphill)--but was very scenic! I ran this one in 1:33:00.

Part of the half marathon course:

Near the starting line:

Dude with an orange in his mouth:

JQRC runners:

Homemade baked goods:

Me and Carla. She was the top female runner for this race (time: ~1:35:00):

More JQRC runners:

Look, a "short bus":

Sunday, September 21:

Sunday morning I woke up with a cold. Despite feeling like total crap, I crawled out of bed in the early AM (like 4 AM) and met with a group of friends to hike up to the top of Pikes Peak. We weren't setting any land-speed records on this hike--but we did make it up there shortly after lunch. We arranged to have vans and beers waiting for us at the top.

Trying to keep warm in the van at the top (Sean, Angie, Donovan, Olivia, and Matt):

Close to the top (near the start of the 16 Golden Stairs):

JQRC committee dinner...

2008-09-19T15:58:00.001-06:00

Thursday, September 18:

Some of the JQRC committee met at Jack Quinn's for our committee dinner. Can't beat free Irish food!

Sarah/Charlie's birthday and Kremmling Roadkill Half Marathon...

2008-09-14T18:18:00.000-06:00

Thursday, September 11:

We took Charlie out for his 27th birthday. We went to Landry's Seafood House in Denver, CO. Afterwards, we went to the Baker Street Pub for a few drinks...

Angie and Matt (Baker Street Pub):

Juliet and Matt (Baker Street Pub):

The gang at Landry's:

Saturday, September 13:

Tungsten and I did the Kremmling half marathon. Due to bad trail conditions, they had to make a last minute course change which shaved off 1.1 miles of this half marathon. So, it turned out to only be 12 miles. I ran it in 1:28:00--which is about the same average pace as I did the ADT half marathon in.

...and I did the whole thing in flip-flops:

We hit the hot sulfur springs on the way back to Colorado Springs! Ahhh...good stuff!

Saturday night, September 13 and Sunday, September 14:

Sarah's birthday was the 13th and Charlie's was the 14th--so we did a joint celebration for the two of them starting at Phantom Canyon--eventually moving to Oscar's and Jack Quinn's after that. Some of us met at the new Purple Castle for brunch on Sunday.

The girls at Oscar's:

Oznur and Matt (at Oscar's):

Sarah on the dance floor:

Matt and Sarah (at Oscar's):

Matt and Angie (at Oscar's):

Ryan and Stacey:

Matt, Rolf, and Harold:

Imogene Pass Run

2008-09-08T01:14:00.000-06:00

Friday/Saturday, September 5/6:

I participated in the Imogene Pass Run this year. 17 miles from Ouray to Telluride via Imogene Pass. It was about 10 miles uphill and 7 down. Felt like doing The Incline about 10 times in a row. We camped just south of Ouray on Friday night. I had to split after burgers on Saturday evening.

Posing after the race:

What a lovely team:

Boone's Farm the night before:

Boys to the rescue...PBR anyone? These girls spent forever and a day getting off the mountain. Perhaps the impromptu game of 3-woman didn't help their times:

Sunday, September 7:

I co-captained my company team at the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in the Garden of the Gods. This is the first year I participated in this event. Thousands of people showed up for this--car parking extended all the way to my company's parking lot on Garden of the Gods Rd. Although most people that participate in this event are not runners, it was fun to see so many people from every walk of life there to support breast cancer reasearch:

http://www.komencs.org/

Labor Day Weekend

2008-09-02T23:22:00.000-06:00

Friday, August 29:

The weekend began with a final going-away party for Jesus at Paul's house. He was leaving for Iraq the following morning with the Army. We made a Hawaiian theme out of the party--which then just got weirder as the night went on...

Saturday/Sunday, August 30/31:

I went camping with a group of my friends to a campsite near 11-Mile Lake (closer to Lake George actually). On Saturday we kayaked and biked in the afternoon, boozed the night away in front of the campfire, and participated in a bit of 3-man. Sunday we did some rock climbing in 11-Mile State Park.

Ty, Tungsten, and Matt Kayaking:

Olivia climbing (that little speck left of the tree growing on the rock is her):

Matt and Tungsten on the grill:

Couple of girl behinds:

Bocce ball tournament:

Monday, September 1:

Monday morning I ran the American Discovery Trail Half Marathon in America the Beautiful Park. I ran 1:34:34 (~7:09 per mile pace). That was my goal pace for this race--and I stuck with it--so I was happy with that. I finished 29th overall out of ~470 participants.

Later that day, Sarah put together a BBQ at Jeff's place. We all rode our bikes over there anticipating a bike pub crawl--but the masses ended up not making it back out after the chow. Some of us took off early to do a little bike pub crawling anyway later on.

Dani--just being Dani:

Outside of the liquor store (impromptu beer run):

Lost Lake camping trip...

2008-08-26T00:25:00.000-06:00

August 22-24 - Lost Lake:

Busted out to Lost Lake Friday afternoon. Lost Lake is ~16 miles west of Crested Butte--which is just north of Gunnison, CO. Did some hiking both Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Sunday I hit some random bike trails north of Crested Butte. Absolutely beautiful territory out there. Although it took me ~5 hours to get out there--I somehow made it back in ~3.5 hours. Long drives--but definitely worth it and exactly what the doctor ordered for this weekend.

Dani got wood:

Just a nice shot:

Christy:

Dani striking her pose:

The crew starting the hike Saturday morning:

North of Crested Butte (driving back from bike ride):

Pikes Peak Ascent/Marathon weekend...

2008-08-18T05:28:00.000-06:00

Saturday, August 16 - Pikes Peak Ascent:

JQRC manned the Ruxton aid station again this year. It was pretty wet out there this year! Many of the Ascent runners missed the cutoff time to get to A-Frame and were forced to turn around. By doing so, their ~13 mile run turned into an unexpected ~20 miles.

Later that evening, we all met at Paul Niewinski's place for a post-Ascent/Wild West Relay party. The evening started innocently enough with food and Olympics watching--later evolving into beer pong and water guns...

Sunday was the Pikes Peak Marathon. Most of the crew did the Ascent only. Ryan signed up for the double and successfully summited both days. Meanwhile, JT attempted the Leadville 100-mile foot race. He made it 70/100 miles this year. Valiant effort!

Sunday evening JT held a MOPP hash starting at "The Keg" in Manitou. This "hash" really turned out to be a bar crawl since virtually everyone there was involved with some daunting race over the weekend and wasn't in the mood for any more running.

Last several weeks in a nutshell...

2008-08-07T00:04:00.000-06:00

OK, I'm really behind on updating this thing. Who really has time to blog their life? Nonetheless, I felt I should drop an entry into this blog to attempt to fill in the space...

In a nutshell (only a partial update):

Saturday, July 19 - Moonlight Classic Bike Tour (Denver, CO):

Angie, Tungsten, Olivia, and I did this midnight bike ride through downtown Denver, CO--starting and ending outside of the capitol building. http://www.moonlight-classic.com/

Monday, July 21 - DIM hash:

I co-hared this hash with Allison Plute and Chris Lee. We started at Mill Hill Saloon on 21st, went through various parts of Bear Creek Regional Park, and ended near Gold Camp Road. We actually cheated and pre-layed part of this trail (the last 75% of it). Chris and Allison live-layed the first 25% and lost the pack right off the start. I received no end of flack about this--but the beer stops were good and the on-after was a great success--so I did my job well IMHO.

Sunday, July 27 - Pool Day:

OK, I needed a day to relax. So I went to Angie's posh fitness club and chilled by the pool the better part of the afternoon...

Friday/Saturday, August 1/2 - Wild West Relay:

I participated in the Wild West Relay this year with a team from Jack Quinn's Running Club. We called ourselves the Jack Quinn's Drunken Runners. As a team we ran 195 miles from Ft. Collins, CO to Steamboat Springs, CO. Each runner had 3 legs (average distance about 7 miles). Some serious uphill--some easy downhill. Our team finished in ~27 hours, 36 minutes.

The team consisted of two vans, 12 runners:

Van #1:

Kerry Page
Karen Evers
Charlie Grumbine
Matt Laubhan
Paul Niewinski
Jesus Jimenez

Van #2:

Jeff Owsley
Tim Barry
Karen Barry
Ande Barry
Shawn Finley
Jeff Chowning

And, of course, we appreciated the help of our volunteers Brian Maguire and Paul Niewinski's sister Christine Tomasino!

Some of us stayed the night in Silverthorne Saturday night and boozed it up at Johnny G's in Frisco. We then hit the bluegrass and beer festival in Keystone on Sunday.

Quite an experience! Will definitely do it again next year if I can!

Monday, August 4 - Jerry Garcia DIM hash:

I co-hared my third DIM of the season with JT. We started at Red Rock Lounge in Old Colorado City and ended at Townhouse in Manitou Springs. The trail started down the middle of this creek:

And ended with a turkey/eagle split.

Saturday, August 9 - Woodland Park Mayor's Cup 10K:

Due to other obligations, I couldn't run the Georgetown to Idaho Springs half marathon. Instead I opted for a small 10K in Woodland Park. I ran it in about 44:20 (~7 min miles). Got first in my age group. Good way to wake up! Met some cool people in town from out of state for the Pikes Peak Ascent/Marathon next weekend.

Sunday, August 10 - DeCaLiBro 2008:

JT, Katie, Tungsten, myself, and others decided to hit Mt. Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln, and Bross (just outside Alma near Kite Lake). We met at JT's place at 5:30 AM and got started at the trailhead at about 8:30 AM. Altogether we traversed about 7.7 miles of mountain and approaching 4000 ft worth of ascent. We were moving out to beat the incoming rain--but T and I did manage to hit all 4 of 'em. Then stopped at South Park Saloon (the nation's highest saloon) for some high-altitude cow...

Backpacking Trip - Conundrum Hot Springs

2008-07-16T00:17:00.000-06:00

July 11-14: A group of us went on a multi-day backpacking trip to the Conundrum Hot Springs hiking area (close to Aspen, CO). Friday after work, Allison, Nikki, Sherri, and I drove to the trailhead. We hiked in 2.5 miles and camped Friday night. At the first campsite we met up with Scott, Angie, Ryan, and a couple of Ryan's friends. Just before arriving at our first campsite, we had to cross this river (in the dark)--the bridge was washed out:

The above picture was taken in the day on the way back--when the river was much lower. We crossed this at night when the water levels were much higher. Water was thigh-high at least and moving really fast. Pretty cool!

Spent the evening playing "Catch Phrase" (without the electronics) and boozing (my tequila-induced idea).

Saturday morning we hiked our way up to the next campsite which was not far from the Conundrum Hot Springs. This was probably an additional 6 miles or so. I got there shortly after noon and spent the entire afternoon in the hot springs drinking tequila and socializing with all the visitors. Chris, Charlie, and Ai Lee joined us in the afternoon.

Sunday I attempted to summit Conundrum Peak (14,060 ft) with Ryan and Josh. We didn't get started until after lunch and heavy snow kept us from making it all the way. After Josh bailed, Ryan and I scrambled up rocks--at some points gripping onto the edge of the mountain for dear life! We only could have gone higher with rock-climbing equipment.

Monday morning we started back the way we came towards the trailhead parking lot (~8.5 miles I think). The amounts of snow still up there in mid-July were astounding (generally there is no snow at those altitudes at this time of the year). We walked through snow fields, ice-cold rivers, thick vegetation, mud, you name it.

The flowers were blooming everywhere too (which appealed more to Allison than me)--although I will admit it was beautiful. She filled my camera with pictures of about every flower variety.

Finished off the trip with a stop at Hickory House Ribs in Aspen, CO to get some high-altitude BBQ.

Week off...

2008-07-06T23:37:00.000-06:00

A few pictures from this past week...

Slacker Half Marathon (Loveland Ski Area to Georgetown, CO) - 1:32:47:

Immediate fam (BBQ with cousins in Lawrence, KS):

Me and my cousin Quinn Miller:

Me, my brothers, and little cousins:

My old college buddies (Brian Riedel and Chad Lyons) and girlfriends (Jenn and Lauren):

Manitou DIM...

2008-06-26T23:16:00.000-06:00

Monday, June 23:

DIM hash hared by NIPS. I made the mistake of washing my old, worn-out hashing shoes--making them "look" new. Given ILYBs was doing circle, the rest was inevitable. Drink it down down down down...

Starlight Spectacular...

2008-06-23T00:34:00.000-06:00

Last Saturday at midnight I participated in the 2008 Starlight Spectacular bike ride. Hundreds of people assembled at the Garden of the Gods visitor/nature center to ride their bikes either 13.4 or 20 miles. The route took us down Garden of the Gods Road and ultimately down Cascade in downtown CS. We worked back towards the garden and Manitou along Colorado Ave. The longer ride (which I did) took us through Garden of the Gods as well (IMHO: the best part of the bike ride--lots of hills!)

I participated with a team that consisted of Dani (Nappy), Allison (Cherry), Alyssa, Chris (Pork), Nikki, Lauren's cousin Ben, Ryan (Bungholio), Stacey, and Mike (PIMP).

Me and Ben after finishing the long route (while others opted for the shorter):

Without a doubt the most "fabulous" bike at the ride. I think these guys took home the award for best-dressed bike. This thing had computer-controlled lights all over it and nostalgic, easy-going music playing out the speakers on both sides of the bike. The riders sported lighted-earrings and other lighted apparel. These guys also did the entire route (the long route) and maintained a good 8 mph pace throughout--uphill or downhill. This picture really doesn't do the bike justice. I'm envious...maybe next year I'll deck out my ride!

Panoramic 4-mile...

2008-06-20T20:56:00.000-06:00

Last Saturday (June 14), I did the Panoramic 4-mile run. I was first in my age group and 5th overall. 00:28:10--7-min mile average. Small turnout--but nice day for a race and good place to have it (Bear Creek).

Pearl Street Running Club

2008-06-18T22:15:00.000-06:00

My friend Ryan Shininger (founder of Jack Quinn's Running Club in Colorado Springs - http://www.jackquinnsrunners.com) is trying to start up a new running club in Boulder, CO. It, like JQRC, meets every Tuesday at the Lazy Dog on Pearl Street. I attended the inaugural run last Tuesday.

Kathy's MS fundraiser (on June 15)...

2008-06-18T21:37:00.000-06:00

My friend Kathy held an MS fundraiser last Sunday (June 15). She is also planning to ride her bike 150 miles at the end of the month to raise more funds. We assembled at Old Chicago on Tejon and then did a small pub crawl that included McCabe's Tavern, The Rocket Room, The Triple Nickel, and then back to Old Chicago. We raised close to $400 by selling raffle tickets and playing cards (best and worst 5-card poker hands were awarded prizes that Kathy got donated from various local businesses).

Some of the group at Rocket Room:

Sarah looking for the winning raffle ticket:

Charlie re-hydrating:

Chris with the sumo-wrestler biking helmet:

Amy and Kathy:

Me and the celebratory cigar:

GoG 10-Miler pictures...

2008-06-13T14:12:00.000-06:00

After:
During:

Tina's birthday...

2008-06-10T15:11:00.000-06:00

Friday, June 6: We hung out at Dani, Tina, and Jules' house last Friday to celebrate Tina's birthday. Ate ribs and played lots of outdoor flippy cup. Dani and Matt's team dominated this again:

Rylan was also in town visiting. We said goodbye on Sunday at Navajo Hogan's. What a lush:

DIM hash...

2008-06-10T12:33:00.000-06:00

Monday, June 9: Dani and I hared the DIM hash starting at One Sports Bar and Grill (near Constitution and Academy) and ending in a ditch (rather a landfill) behind Porky's (near Powers and Palmer Park). ;) Trail was about 5 miles with shiggy, playground and boob checks, food, and of course PBR...

After circle many of us went over to Porky's to play sand volleyball. Awesome time!

Garden of the Gods 10-Miler

2008-06-08T22:14:00.000-06:00

Sunday, June 8: Today was my first Garden of the Gods 10-Miler race:

http://www.gardentenmile.com

Great turnout and great day for a race! I ran 1:13:04. I was pleased with this time. I only did this well because I was trying hard to beat Charlie (my lightweight runner buddy). I kept a few hundred feet behind him the entire race planning to pass him during the last half mile or so. Unfortunately I didn't have it in me to make the final push and he also stepped it up a knotch. I ended up finishing about 40 seconds or so behind him. I've either got to quit smoking or lose 25 pounds to beat him.

JT won 4th place in his age group with a time of 1:07:59. JT kicked butt in his training for this as well--attending quite a few of the early AM training runs. Good work dude!

Many, many, many other friends were at this race too! Fun seeing so many people at one event like that...

Whitewater Rafting

2008-06-08T22:03:00.001-06:00

Saturday, June 7: John, Jesse, Dan, Avi, Charlie, Ai Lee, JT, Katie, Harold, Alyssa, and myself did a little whitewater rafting through the Royal Gorge on the Arkansas River. The river was flowing at 2980 CFS (or something like that). Commerical rafters aren't allowed through the Gorge when the river is over 3200. The Gorge had been closed virtually all week--but luckily opened up for us Saturday morning.

One commerical raft flipped spilling people, oars, and other equipment everywhere...and some of our group came pretty close to taking a swim. Pretty exciting ride!

John, Will (raft guide), me, Jesse, and Dan:

The entire crew (less Harold and Alyssa):

Law Day 10K

2008-06-03T10:31:00.001-06:00

Crossin' the finish (Friday, May 30):

Weekend at Steamboat Springs (5/30-6/1)

2008-06-02T15:06:00.000-06:00

Friday (May 30) I did the "Law Day 10K" race with brownie. Susan Mopper was nice enough to come down and chill with us afterwards. This race was messed up (much like our legal system I suppose). Arrows were provided to indicate the race route only on straightaways (like there is any ambiguity there)--at places where the trail forked off in two or three directions, no arrows, no course marshals! I really didn't care--but it added a good three minutes to my time while I was screwing around trying to find the right way. Eventually I came to the 6 mile marker--while my GPS said ~5.5. So, I quickly made up the distance by running down the street and back before crossing the finish line. Gee whiz...but the PBR and Ruby's burger made it all better! ;)

After all that I took off for our condo in Steamboat Springs and caught up with Allison, Tara, Ryan, and Stacey. After that lovely 3.5 hour drive I was pulling into the condo at about midnight. We still stayed up until at least 3 AM drinking and playing cards...

Harold, Alyssa, Chris, and Nikki showed up Saturday. Sunday morning we were all up around 5 AM and Ryan and I were on the half marathon bus by ~6 AM. Of all the people that signed up for the Steamboat half or 10K--only Ryan, Harold, and myself actually ran. Others (with the exception of Allison) had a bunch of lame excuses! ;) Poor Allison got some weird food poisoning or something (we aren't sure) on Friday that lasted all weekend--but she was a champ and hung with us for the duration.

I kicked butt on this race (granted it was mostly level and downhill): 01:36:58 (52nd place out of the ~1000 half marathon runners):

Finished off the weekend soaking in the hot springs near Steamboat...

Bolder Boulder 10K

2008-06-02T14:56:00.000-06:00

Couple of pictures from the Bolder Boulder. I'm pretty sure my official time is lost. Perhaps bad timing chip. I'm providing these as proof that I did this race--note the timing chip on the shoelace and the timing mat that I just crossed! ;)

Digest of last week...

2008-05-27T01:21:00.001-06:00

"The Cure" at Red Rocks Amphitheatre (Wednesday, May 21):

Jenny Greenstreet, Avi Knoll, myself and others attended this concert. They did 3 encores! Amazing how long these guys have been around! Lead singer Robert Smith is the only member to stay with the group since their inception.

Thursday, May 22 was Dani Davis' birthday. A group of us met at Porky's to play sand volleyball and horseshoes.

Saturday, May 24: We did some whitewater rafting on the Arkansas River from Buena Vista. Damn that water was cold. We had to stop half way and do jumping jacks on the shore to keep the hypothermia from setting in...

Sunday, May 25: Susan Mopper and I went up to Boulder, CO to party with the rest of the crew running the Bolder Boulder the following day. As we do each year, we all crashed at Ryan Shininger's place...

Monday, May 26: Ran the Bolder Boulder 10K in approximately 0:44:15. Can't find my official time online yet. I'll post a picture or two when these come through online as well. Weather was perfect for running--but when the race was done, it started raining, my core temperature dropped, and I was not a happy camper. Nonetheless, I still took the time to pick up a bunch of free shwag at the expo outside of Folsom Stadium before getting a ride back to Ryan's with Bloody Z...

Busy week. I could barely stay awake in the car on the way back from Boulder. Good times!

Indy 500 Half Marathon

2008-05-11T11:24:00.000-06:00

Couple of pics from the half...

Weekend in Indiana...

2008-05-06T02:11:00.000-06:00

Flew out to Indiana with Ryan Shininger and Stacey Spence to participate in the 2008 Indy 500 half marathon. We flew out of DIA to Chicago and then rented a car to travel from Chicago to West Lafayette, IN. Stacey dropped us at Ryan's brother's (Keith's) house and she traveled on down to Bloomington, IN for her sister's college graduation from IU. We partied Thursday night in West Lafayette and hit the road Friday for Indianapolis--but first we took a trip over to Purdue University (Ryan's alma mater) for a little site seeing. When we got to Indianapolis, we met with the rest of Ryan's immediate family. We picked up our race packets from the convention center and started the carb loading. Took it easy Friday night and played Nintendo Wii. Saturday morning was the 13.1 mile race. I ran it in 1:44:38 (a new PR for me I guess). The total attendance for the race was 35,000 runners. Sunday we went back to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to check out the hall of fame, watch the rookie training, and listen to the bands. The Indy 500 is Sunday, 5-25-08.

Me and Neil Armstrong at Purdue University (no, I'm not trying to break his neck!):

Ryan and Matt after finishing the half marathon:

Crowd after the marathon and 5K:

Mary, Ben, Lori, Mom and Dad Shininger, Matt, Ryan, and Keith at a pizza joint the evening after the race:

Ryan and Matt at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (opening day, rookie training):

Spring Massive (Breckenridge, CO)

2008-04-21T00:04:00.000-06:00

I delegated Saturday (4/19/08) as my "day off" from doing anything active or work related and spent the day at Spring Massive (the end-of-the-ski-season blowout) in Breckenridge, CO. On Saturday, the "Johnny O Band" and "Robert Randolph and The Family Band" played free on Ridge Street (a few blocks from Main Street). Good way to waste a day! Sunshine, beer, whiskey, and good food! I ran into many people I knew up there--including Charlie Grumbine, Ai Lee Kuan, Jesus Jimenez, John Glisson, and Eric McLeod.

Me, Charles Suh, and some Coors Light Beer Chicks (we did shots with them at "Downstairs at Eric's" before we went to the concert):

At the end of the day, I handed the keys off to Charles and had him drive me home. After recovering from passing out in the car on the way home, we stopped at Meadow Muffins in Old Colorado City for a burger and beer (and McDonald's afterwards for ice cream):

First DIM hash of 2008

2008-04-16T01:14:00.001-06:00

Last Monday (4/14/08) was the first DIM hash of the season. Wong Wey (John Seeley) was the hare. We started at CJ's sports bar (just off Carefree and Academy) and ended at Wong Wey's place. The weather was truely unbelievable and, in true hash tradition, the trail was really shitty!

BLOS and (Just) Karen:

Brownie and his beer:

IDH:

Dumpster shot (couldn't resist posting this one):

ILYB (we'll miss ya):

Just Karen and Cherry Picker:

Weasel and Pee Wee:

Bolder Boulder and San Antonio Marathon

2008-04-14T10:23:00.000-06:00

Early this AM I decided on doing the Inaugural San Antonio Rock n' Roll Marathon (November 16, 2008). This will be my first *full* marathon.

I'm also committed to doing a half marathon in Indianapolis with Ryan at the beginning of May, the Bolder Boulder 10K on Memorial Day, and the Steamboat half marathon at the beginning of June. Man, what have I gotten myself into...

How brownie gets $ for PBR

2008-04-14T10:20:00.001-06:00

Lacking elegance--but it pays the bills...

Pastime Club

2008-04-14T10:13:00.000-06:00

I ripped these photos off of brownie. They were taken at the Pastime Club (dive bar) on our way back from Sunsation. Good times!

Rolf, Oznur, Katie, JT, and Matt:

Sunsation...

2008-04-14T02:29:00.000-06:00

4/12-4/13: Sunsation (Copper Mountain):

Saturday morning I ran the Tortoise and Hare 5K Handicap race in South Monument Valley Park with Susan Mopper and Steve Wolf. My run time was ~00:21:00 (just OK IMHO--still want to break 20 min). I didn't run this quite as fast as I had hoped--but I did pass Susan and Steve along the way! ;)

Afterwards, Josh, Lauren, and myself took off for Sunsation in Copper Mountain. Despite the copious amounts of snow many of the resorts are still getting, Copper, Vail, and others are shutting down for the season. The end-of-the-season blowout featured acts included George Clinton (Saturday) and Matisyahu (Sunday). Over the weekend we met up with JT and Katie--as well as Ryan, Allison, Harold, Rolf, and Oznur. We got super ham-digity at Sunsation and then stopped at Quincy's in Leadville for prime rib. Afterwards we got our second wind and then partied and crashed at a condo in Leadville (belonging to a friend of Rolf and Oznur). Sunday we went back to Sunsation and then topped off the day with a PBR at a dive bar in Leadville and some high-altitude cow in Buena Vista.

Josh, JT, me, and Ryan at Sunsation:

Matt and Ryan pounding "Old Chub" (no, they weren't selling it there):

Lauren and Matt tastefully double-fisting shots at the Incline Bar in Copper:

Simply fabulous...

2008-04-09T10:12:00.001-06:00

Matt, Susan, and Tina at McCabe's for Harold's birthday party:

Parkinson's Awareness 5K Race

2008-04-06T15:53:00.001-06:00

4/6/08: Tungsten Alcazar, Karen Evers, Kent Nelsestuen (not pictured), and Bryan Kantack (not pictured) participated in the 2008 Parkinson's Awareness 5K Race in the America the Beautiful Park. Steve Warmingham (pictured) showed up to show support.

Tungsten: 0:19:46
Matt: 0:21:00
Bryan: 0:21:32
Kent: 0:21:33
Karen: 0:23:52

Dumpster shot

2008-04-06T15:50:00.000-06:00

4/5/08: Brownie and BLOS at the hash (traditional dumpster shot):

St. Baldrick's

2008-04-06T15:43:00.000-06:00

I participated in the St. Baldrick's fundraiser this year as a shavee. This foundation raises money to fund childhood cancer research. As a team, we raised over $11,000 (as of 4/6/08).

Another brief update...

2008-03-31T00:32:00.000-06:00

Sunday, March 9, 2008 - Chris Rock concert in Denver at Wells Fargo Theatre (Charlie, Ai Lee, Matt, Allison, and Avi):

March 13-18, 2008 (Pensacola, FL) - Ryan Shininger, Allison Plute, and I went down to Pensacola, FL for the McGuire's 5K Prediction Race (largest in the nation). While down there, Ryan and I got open water SCUBA certified. Met a lot of Ryan's old friends from when he lived there. We stayed with his friend Bruce and borrowed a van from Clint.

My contribution to the "borrowed" van:

Nice sunset:

Karaoke at the "gay bar":

Crowd after the 5K (outside of McGuire's Irish Pub). All you could drink beer and Irish Wakes until about 11:30 AM:

Getting SCUBA certified (welcome to the gun show):

Some pretty girls at McGuire's:

Easter Sunday, March 23, 2008 - We had our traditional Easter dinner at Angie Johnson's place in Denver. Made the usual "bunny" cake and this year we insisted on coloring easter eggs.

My Easter egg contribution (on the left), Charlie's on the right:

Saturday, March 29, 2008 - Our old friend Brian Kerrigan got married to Amanda McMillion. The boys:

The bride and groom's car (after we were through with it):

Last few weeks in a nutshell...

2008-03-05T02:24:00.000-07:00

I've been silent on this blog for a few weeks now...so I thought I should throw some pics on here and report in.

A few weeks ago (2-18-08), Angie and I went to Las Vegas to see Phantom of the Opera. While there we saw Tara and Derrick (friends of Angie from way back and pictured below). We gambled, clubed, rode roller coasters, saw an IMAX film, ...

Ryan Shininger had a birthday gettogether in Boulder, CO on 2-23-08. I got to see my buddy Brian Braeckel (going to school at CU) while we were clubbing. He got a job with Microsoft in Redmond, WA--so he'll be making some cash one of these days...

The Jack Quinn's Running Club Steering Committee met in Frisco, CO at a condo for the weekend of 2-29-08 through 3-3-08. About 11 of us were present. We all did different things throughout the weekend. I hit Breckenridge with Charlie on Saturday (an absolutely beautiful day). We met Avi and his friend Zack there as well.

Sunday was somewhat miserable weather-wise. Ryan, Stacey, Allison, and I did some snowshoeing Sunday afternoon:

Josh, Matt, and Ryan showing off our stupid "temp tattoos":

Sunday afternoon/evening, most people tried to brave the bad weather and drive back to Colorado Springs. Ryan, Harold, Allison, and I had better judgement. We decided to stay up one more night and finish off the keg:

After recovering from an absolutely crazy Sunday night, I decided to skip the entire day of work on Monday and go skiing with the crew at Vail. The snow was awesomely deep!

Stay tuned for what comes next in the life of Matt/BLOS... ;)

Visiting college buddy...

2008-02-10T18:33:00.000-07:00

Went to Breckenridge Saturday night to meet my old friend Riedel from college days. We stayed with a dozen or so other people at a very posh, 5-bedroom condo up Boreas Pass. We then hit the slopes Sunday early morning. Best snowboarding I've experienced yet this season.

Fujiyama and Reggae...

2008-02-06T21:28:00.000-07:00

After Jack Quinn's Running Club on Tuesday, we went to Fujiyama for some sushi, sake bombs, and martinis. This was Allison's "real" birthday. Company included Bloody Z, Allison, Chris, Nikki, Crazy Karl, Tara, Oznur, and myself.

Pay no attention to the pictures on the wall...

Step two was going to Jose Muldoon's to watch Basil Reid (a Bob Marley tribute band) and continue the partying. We joined up with other Quinn's runners and hashers there. We closed the joint!

Mardi Gras and Keller Williams...

2008-02-05T00:17:00.000-07:00

Hashers and friends alike assembled down in Manitou Springs Friday night and Saturday morning to celebrate Mardi Gras and Allison Plute's birthday week! Saturday night we hit the Keller Williams concert at the Fillmore in Denver.

Jack Quinn's Running Club Tradition...

2008-01-23T10:30:00.000-07:00

After-run snack...

Week in Vancouver, BC...

2008-01-19T18:55:00.000-07:00

I spent a week in Vancouver, BC, Canada at a company conference. Below is a picture out of the 26th floor of the Rogers building (where we attended the conference). This was taken on one of the days that the fog lifted and the sun was actually shining (pretty kick-butt view). The Vancouver/Burnaby area is really pretty interesting--but I couldn't imagine living there where most days are rainy (would get depressing I would think). We hit Cypress mountain after work on Wednesday to do a little snowboarding/drinking (but I didn't get any good pictures). Other nights were spent exploring the city and eating at good restaurants.

Another incline down...

2008-01-10T23:44:00.000-07:00

Brownie, Katie, Allison, and I continued our 2008 race training with another trip up the incline. Yes, Eric is pictured--but the wanker had sand in his ... or something like that and didn't go up with us (just kidding Uni). We stopped at Kinfolks for a little PBR in the bottle and ultimately a greasy burger at Townhouse Lounge in Manitou (pictured below).

As Brownie pointed out to us, Ed Hillary passed away today. He was the first person to hike up Mt. Everest--the highest peak in the world. We dedicated our incline hike with a PBR at the top of the incline.

Brother visiting...

2008-01-08T02:20:00.000-07:00

My little bro came out to see me before school cranks back up again for him. We hit the town, I took him to the hash on Saturday, up the incline, and skiing on Monday:

Rescue Run 10K

2008-01-02T13:02:00.000-07:00

Brownie, ILYB, Kirk Bigger, Katie Throndsen, Mike Carmody, Kerry Page, Steve Warmingham, myself and others did the 2008 El Paso County Rescue Run 10K on New Years Day *morning* in Palmer Park, C/S, CO. I was not operating on all cylinders that morning. But great way to get that gin out of the bloodstream...

New Years Eve...

2008-01-01T22:31:00.000-07:00

Dani striking a pose:

Matt and Angie:

Matt and Josh hitchin' a ride in the back of Wycinsky's truck:

Lauren in her prime and Matt:

Random running...

2007-12-28T00:58:00.000-07:00

Damn it was cold...but I felt the need to get out over the holidays while visiting my immediate family. This picture was taken somewhere outside of Pratt, KS. Insanity...

Kimchi Red Dress 2007

2007-12-24T23:59:00.000-07:00

Brownie and MILF hared the Kimchi Red Dress 2007 hash through Garden of the Gods Park and Manitou Springs:

Jingle Bell Run at JQRC

2007-12-12T21:04:00.001-07:00

Brownie is back in town! We hung out at Old Chicago across from Boulder Running Company following the Jingle Bell Run with Jack Quinn's Running Club.

Thanksgiving w/ the Fam

2007-11-25T02:24:00.000-07:00

Spent a couple of days at home for Thanksgiving. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever gone back home for TG since I moved out to Colorado 6 years ago--guess I was overdue. Here is a picture of my little bro and myself (no resemblance at all I know):

Hiking Mt. Princeton

2007-11-12T13:04:00.000-07:00

Charlie, Dani, Diana, Espen, and myself hiked Mt. Princeton (another 14'er). Weather forecast was ominous--but it turned out to be a beautiful day! We got some high-altitude cow (burgers) and hit the hot springs afterwards.

Costume Run at JQRC

2007-10-31T04:01:00.001-06:00

See http://www.jackquinnsrunners.com/ for more pictures from the annual Jack Quinn's Running Club's Costume Run.

DIM

2007-10-31T03:52:00.001-06:00

The last DIM hash on Oct. 29 was a great success. About 25 hashers were present for a 6-mile hash starting at the Walkabout Pub (Union and Boulder) and ending at The Finish Line (Union and Monument). Many dressed in costume.

Saturday night in Boulder, CO...

2007-10-28T15:38:00.001-06:00

Kerry Page, Sarah Altonen, Ryan Shininger, Stacey Spence, Angie Johnson, Lauren and Josh Johnson, Matt Wycinsky, Mike Carmody, Charlie Grumbine, Ai Lee Kuan, and myself spent Saturday night partying in Boulder (in costume). Here are a few pics:

Friend's (and Hashers) Assemble

2007-10-21T18:42:00.000-06:00

Friends and hashers alike met at Southside Johnny's last Friday night to party it up and watch Martini Shot play:

Denver Marathon Pictures

2007-10-21T18:26:00.000-06:00

Here are a few pictures from the Denver Marathon...

Pre-race smoke (:):

People assembling before the marathon:

BLOS kickin' ass:

Bryan and Matt at Finish Line:

Last DIM Hash of the Season, Monday, Oct. 29

2007-10-18T20:26:00.000-06:00

The DIM (Damn It's Monday) hashes only run throughout daylight savings time each year. The last DIM will be Monday, October 29 at 6 PM. I'll be haring it with IDH and Just Kathy. On-before will be at the "Walkabout Pub & Grill" in Colorado Springs (1919 E. Boulder St.). Call 866-RUN-4-BEER, visit www.harrier.net, or check the hashing Yahoo Groups for more information.

Denver Marathon

2007-10-18T20:14:00.001-06:00

I ran my first half-marathon last Sunday in Denver. I left CS Saturday afternoon to head up to Denver--not expecting the temperature to dip about 20 degrees. When I got to Denver, it was cold. I didn't bring warmer clothes so I had to stop at NikeTown in downtown Denver to get some last-minute apparel. I met with my friend Bryan Kantack (who also ran in the half)--along with his sister Trishia, her fiance Ben, one of Trishia's friends (can't remember her name), and Angie. We hung out at Illegal Pete's for a little "carb loading" (i.e. beer drinking) and then went next door to Gumbo's for some pasta/wine. Went back to Bryan's hotel room (Adam's Mark) to watch my alma mater (KSU) beat the University of Colorado (47-20). It started raining Saturday night. No surprise, it was still raining Sunday morning and it was 40 degrees. Got up at 5:30 AM and started getting ready. I ended up running in my warm-up outfit and completed the half in 1 hour 54 minutes (could have done better--but what the hay, good enough). Very satisfying experience. I'll post a picture or two when I get a chance...

Night on the Town

2007-10-03T22:59:00.001-06:00

On Saturday (9/29/07) Ang and I hit downtown Denver. This picture was taken at Sing Sing--a dueling piano bar in LODO. On Sunday we caught the Colorado Rockies/Arizona Diamondbacks baseball game at Coors Field. The Rockies squeeked by with a 4-3 win.

Charlie's Birthday

2007-09-18T12:50:00.000-06:00

So my buddy Charlie had a birthday last Friday (9/14/07). We gave him a surprise b-day party a few weeks prior to that when his parents and sister were visiting from Michigan.

Mt. Rushmore

2007-09-18T12:46:00.000-06:00

Went to Mt. Rushmore over Labor Day weekend (9/2/2007). This picture turned out really good don't you think?

Hiking Mt. Democrat (14'er)

2007-09-18T12:42:00.000-06:00

Last Sunday (9/16/07), Dani, Diana, Tina, Sarah, Eric, Angie, and I hiked Mt. Democrat. Some went on to Mt. Lincoln and Mt. Bross too.

Skydiving Last August

2007-09-12T13:54:00.000-06:00

Last month I went skydiving with some friends and co-workers. We did tandem jumps with an outfit called "Skydive the Rockies" just outside of Canon City, CO. The dropzone was at Fremont County Airport. This was an awesome experience! Going AFF next time!

My new car

2007-09-12T13:15:00.001-06:00

I got this in June. 2004 Pontiac GTO. 5.7L V8 6-speed manual. I want a supercharger for it now to bump up the horses to 525+...

2007 Pikes Peak Red Dress

2007-09-09T23:11:00.000-06:00

Some pictures from this year's Pikes Peak Red Dress Hash:

Test

2007-08-26T21:20:00.000-06:00

Just testing this thing...