Seriously messed up...

Today, Caleb and I were going to meet at Eldora to make some turns. It has been really warm up here the last couple of days so we weren't really expecting anything good but we were pretty psyched to get in a few hours of fun and/or games on the recently opened Westwall area.

I was actually on time for once and was about 3 miles south of Nederland when I came across a road closure. Bummer. I assumed that a tree had blown down across the Peak to Peak or something so I headed down to CR97 then up to Magnolia to try to circumvent the closure. Upon getting back on the P2P, I was quickly diverted again. Plus traffic was being allowed to move back on the P2P to the south, the very section I was not allowed to travel. Something was amiss...

So I made my way through Big Springs to Ned and then was turned around at the turn-off to Eldora. Apparently there had been some sort of incident and the area was to be closed for the day. Wondering what was going on, I headed back into Ned to see if I could find Caleb and when that was unsuccessful, bought some groceries and started asking about what was going on.

The details are coming in bit by bit but apparently an employee entered the Pump House at the ski area base, made some threatening proclamations, fatally shot the General Manager, Brian Mahon, then fled. He was pulled over about a mile south of Ned at which point he opened fire on the officer who returned fire. There may have been a second officer involved as well but the suspect was killed. [edit - Reports state now there was only one officer involved in the shooting.] What a total drag.

Rach got a message from Caleb where he mentioned the shooting so needless to say, she was a bit concerned. Cell coverage is crap up here too so there was no way for me to let her know I was okay. I have been following the story pretty closely but details are still a little sketchy. What a horrible way to end the year. My heart goes out to all those touched by this tragedy.

Read the full story.

~stubert.

Day 17...

Pete and Caleb styin' at the Basin.

When in doubt, straighten 'em out. ~ Scary Gary

Rocked the Basin today with Caleb and Pete. They only called in 1" but if that was an inch, I am like 17 feet tall. Lots of blow-in on the Spine, Pali Face and the Rock Garden. Really good times.

Pete tearing it up in the Rock Garden Chutes.

Caleb and I sussed out the rock drop at the top of the Spine and were able to make that go without too much effort, which was pretty cool. All three of us spun Pali laps all day and were rolling into the Bear Trap straight run at speed which was simply awesome. I even saw Pete straighten the planks a couple of times. Even the top of Bear Trap was skiing really well. (Which is a miracle, if you know the Basin at all.)

I bailed after 17 runs as my psoas muscles are still bugging me quite a lot and Pete joined me shortly thereafter. Caleb stayed out for the magic 20 (magic at least for him) and was pretty whooped afterwards. All in all, a great 17th day.

~stubert.

An open letter to the lazy douchebags who left all their crap on their table at A-Basin today...

A+++ for Douchebaggery

Dear A-Basin Trash-Leaving Douchebags,

Was it really too much to ask for you to clear your table and not leave a trail of trash and discarded food products strewn about? Seriously, I measured and the nearest garbage bin was only 15 feet from your table. You do realize that is where food items and other assorted refuse is to be placed when you are done with it, right? Or did you grow up in some sort of Jetson's-esque universe where robotic vacuum devices descend upon your eating station to suck up all your waste when you have finished lunch?

I understand that you were probably trying to conserve your energy since you are deathly ill or incapacitated in some way and couldn't carry your trash all the way over to the garbage bin. On second thought, I suspect you were at the ski area to participate in voluntary outdoor recreation and therefore probably had sufficient energy to accomplish the arduous task of cleaning your table. I also noticed that the mess you made did happen to be on the upper floor of the warming house. Given that there is no elevator in A-Basin's lodge, I am wondering how you managed to get up that flight of stairs in your weakened state? And descending must have taken courage as well. All those stairs... and so very, very steep.

You are also aware that people other than yourselves enjoy using the facilities, correct? Or are you somehow unable to sense the presence of others in any way? If so, what lonely lives you must live. And I wonder how you keep from having auto accidents and the like since there are, in fact, quite a few people out there milling about from time to time. Or are you just so self-centered that you feel the rules of common courtesy don't apply to you? Well guess what... they do. And your lack of concern for others makes you the winner of the December 28, 2008 Gigantic Asshole Award for Outstanding Douchebaggery. Congratulations.

~stubert.

Now give us some attitude...

Just one shot of me not looking like I am about to die.
(Believe it or not, there are more!)

(Burp) Why not? ~ John "Bluto" Blutarsky

Just got a CD of shots of me from the 2008 Las Vegas marathon. Good times. Frankly, I am pretty psyched that I don't look like too much of a lump and like I am about to die or go on a brain eating rampage in these. The Denver marathon was another story entirely.

~stubert.

Mid-teens...

Witness my crazy pow face.

Said the F-word - seven pounds, four ounces - now he says the F-word at the dinner table. ~ Bob's mom

Days 15 and 16 on the slopes crashed through the door, scattered their crap all over the house and then plopped down on the couch with tons of attitude, raging hormones and eardrum shattering music. Or were spent with ample fresh pow turns and some challenging terrain at Crested Butte. Just thought I'd work that mid-teens analogy for a bit.

I drove over in a snowstorm on Wednesday to reports of a lot of fresh and more on the way at my "home" mountain. Traffic was light so I made good time getting over to Gunnison where I picked up my dad and we headed up the hill. Lots more snow greeted us upon arrival then we made a couple of runs then met my cousin, Jayne and her kids Tyler and Tanner for lunch.

Not a lot of new stuff was open so I decided to spend the remainder of the day with Dad and Tyler, spinning laps on Paradise. Fortunately, the snow was awesome and Horseshoe was open so I was able to make some more technical turns up there. I gave Tyler and Dad some pointers then we called it a day around 3:30 and headed to my Aunt and Uncle's for dinner. My other cousin, David, and his family were there as well as Jayne's husband, Gary. It was great to see everyone and hear stories of skiing in the late 50s from my Uncle Dale and Aunt Betty. Good times.

The next morning, Dad and I embarked on our traditional Xmas day ski around 8:30. We jetted back up to the Butte where it was absolutely puking snow. Even more terrain (Westwall) was open so I was fairly content to spin laps from the top of Paradise to Westwall to Horseshoe for most of the day. The conditions were awesome and it dumped all day. In the (roughly) 4 hours we were there it probably snowed 6 inches. Champagne pow. I needed to get home to my sweet Rach so we pulled the plug around 2 and headed back to Gunnison. I then drove back over to the Front Range on marginal roads but the traffic was fairly light so it only took about 4 hours. Not too bad.

Pete and Caleb invited me to go to A-Basin today but the thought of getting up early and driving I-70 again made me opt for sleeping in and maybe heading up to Eldora in the afternoon.

All in all a great few days. I was skiing well, the snow was awesome and I was on my favorite mountain so who's to complain? Not dis guy, that's for sure.

~stubert.

Day fourteen...

A bad day of fishing beats a good day of working. ~ Bumper Sticker (see above)

I must confess that I don't like it when I don't ski well. But you know, I am one lucky bastard to be fortunate enough to live in a place with awesome snow, good friends and killer terrain in which to play. So really, I should just shut the hell up about not feeling on my game today and feeling tired and a little beaten up. My only regret is making Caleb wait around for me while I made my way more slowly down A-Basin's awesome slopes.

What a great day to be out there. Great company, great conditions, awesome fun.

(I just wish I hadn't been skiing like such a spaz.)

~stubert.

Note: For the record, I do not necessarily agree with the bumper sticker displayed above. But I do understand the sentiment.

Lucky thirteen...

Dylan being an under-the-covers kitty.

Thirteen is an unlucky number. If thirteen is unlucky, then so should the letter "B" be. 'Cause "B" looks like a scrunched together "13". Hello, what is your name? Bob. Get the hell away. ~ Mitch Hedberg (link)

Day thirteen on the slopes today at Eldora with Caleb and Pete. Blue skies and actually not-too-frigid temps greeted us with very little wind. So we bombed down to Corona lift to get our non-stoppers on.

Brian Glades opened up after a few cycles down Corona (which featured "variable" snow conditions, to say the least). The far left side of Corona was actually decent but Brian Glades was actually pretty soft with some fresh turns to be had. It got skied out fairly quickly so we went back over to Corona for some more high-speed laps.

No photos from me as I forgot my camera and the lag on the iPhone is so extreme, it makes shooting any action other than straight-on virtually impossible. Pete and Caleb got some shots so hopefully they will share.

Friday, our big, old kitty, Dylan, died (no, that isn't some morbid shot... he actually liked sleeping like that). He was 17 and a half years old and was the purriest fella you would ever like to meet for all of it. He was adopted as a kitten from the Humane Society as a pet for our other cat at the time, Oliver. After a day or so of establishing that Oliver was going to be top-cat, they got along splendidly. Lately, Dylan had become the favorite pillow of Molly, who spent countless hours a day lounging on Dylan to soak up his over-abundant warmth. He didn't seem to mind. He will be missed by all.

On that light note, I am now getting some work done now then I'll be in Boulder all day tomorrow (probably) for car repair and hopefully a couple of meetings. Tentatively planning to go to Vail again on Tuesday then to Gunnison on Wednesday for at least one day at the Butte then back home on Thursday or Friday. Whew.

Get your shortest day of the year on (or longest, for all you south of the equator-types) and if you have a chance to see Thaïs in the theater (re-broadcast from The Met), I highly recommend it. Rach and I got to see the live broadcast yesterday and it was excellent.

~stubert.

An even dozen...

Stormin'.

A person shall not drive a motor vehicle in the passing lane of a highway if the speed limit is sixty-five miles per hour or more unless such person is passing other motor vehicles that are in a nonpassing lane or turning left, or unless the volume of traffic does not permit the motor vehicle to safely merge into a nonpassing lane. ~ CRS 42-4-1013

Day 12 was the best thus far. Snowing all day. Lots of great, untracked pow. Tomorrow is going to just be fabulous. And no... people still haven't learned how to drive.

~stubert.

Feel the burn...

Bad shot of my in-car thermometer on the way home from Gunny.

One. ~ Neal Page

Days 9 and 10: Back from a couple of good days at the Butte. Skied with my pops on Saturday for a bit until he got tired. Then I hooked up with Rossi tele dude, Max Mancini, for a bunch of fun-filled runs. The day was pretty great, lots of fresh, some fun runs open and, frankly, blast-able due to the soft conditions. Twister was skiing like a dream with giant, bump-smashing GS turns and following Max off some of the cat-walk jumps that aren't usually huck-friendly due to the Volkswagen-sized bumps that form up. I am definitely still recovering from Vegas as my quads were screaming at me towards the end of the day. Definitely not back in top form just yet but that is okay. Post-skiing, Dad and I went to see Quantum Solace (could have used some story-line editing but was okay) then hit my favorite restaurant, Donita's Cantina. Go there immediately if you are anywhere near Crested Butte.

Sunday, CB called in 10 so I was super excited for a big pow day but in my enthusiasm, I mis-interpreted that figure and was a bit bummed to find out they really only got about 2 and the other 8 accumulated the previous day. Oh well. It was really cold and I had to go in for more layers after my first run then spun laps on Twister and Paradise. There was some more terrain open (compared with Saturday) but the coverage was still a bit thin to get anything good opened up. I had to take a break a couple hours in to warm up then managed to meet up with Max, Jen and Drew again for some fun nuker runs. We took a break after a few to warm up then spun a few more before calling it a day as it was about 8 degrees out. Not the coldest day I have had at the Butte by a long shot (I recall a -20 day in High School that was particularly chilly) but definitely not warm.

Jammed back home on snowpacked roads. It never ceases to amaze me how many shitty drivers there are out there. Driving slowly in the fast lane seems to be a bad-weather favorite. Jackasses. In any event, it was an enjoyable weekend but I am very happy to be home with my sweetie. She even baked me more yummy brownies while I was away!

~stubert.

The dreaded snowman...

Obviously, you're not a golfer. ~ Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski

Well, I could wait no longer and hit the Rock today for a few runs. It was absolutely vacant up there so I strapped on the Antis and let 'em run. Test drove the new knee braces too. I think after some adjustments, they are going to be quite nice.

Post Vegas, I was really sore. Sunday, after the race, I dreaded stairs in any form and even stepping down a curb was quite painful. Monday, things were a bit better and by Tuesday, going up stairs was okay but going back down was still a bit of a challenge. I actually felt okay today. A little more thigh burn than normal but overall not too shabby. Recovery is an incredible thing.

So I head over to Gunnison tomorrow to kick it with my dad for a couple nights and will probably try to make a few turns on the way over and some on Saturday at the Butte. They still don't have much open but it will be fun to ski with my dad a bit. He took all last year off to take care of my mom so I am sure he is excited to get back out there on the slopes.

Rach and I are just kicking it. She has been taking good care of me post-race and made some of the yummiest brownies I have ever tasted. Vegan, of course. I think they are for my dad but there may not be any left by the time I make it over to the 'sack. I think they are filled with crack or chocolate chips or chocolate-infused crack or something. I think I'll go eat another one now, in fact. BRB.

Oh man, that is soooooo good.

~stubert.

Vegas race report...

No making it rain. ~ Shana Mac

Ah, Vegas. Home of the $3 Prime Rib special and all-nude review. Gotta love it when 20,000 runner dorks descend on the city of vice.

So what a weekend. Here is the short version:

• Got up too early.
• Slept through my whole flight
• Warm up run
• Wonderful dinner at Nora's
• Wu Tang Clan
• Bed too late
• Up too early
• Lost my gels
• Ran too fast
• Second half was kinda crappy
• Finished strong
• 3:24:35, 231 232 overall, 42 in class (official results)
  
• Pretty whooped after
• Great dinner at Spago
• Way sore on Monday
• Vegan Donuts at Ronald's
• Checked out Vegas
• Back to airport

Now, for those braver souls... here is the full deal.

Saturday:

Apparently, I am no longer able to add as I got up at 4:15 for a 8:55 flight out of DIA. I could have slept another hour but I suppose for flights, it is better to be early than late. So I tried to read a little but was way too tired so I just napped in the airport instead. Other than snapping awake to the panic that my laptop was gone, it was all good. I pretty much slept the whole flight to Vegas which was packed with cowboys and runner dorks who would not shut up. Thank you iPod and Shure ear-pods!

Got to Vegas and met up with Carissa from GroundFloor Media and her husband, Zack. We grabbed a shuttle to the hotel (Mandalay Bay/THEhotel) and then I checked my bag and walked down to the Expo to pick up my race pack. Vegas never disappoints when it comes to an eclectic mix of people and this weekend was host to not only the marathon, but National Finals Rodeo and the De La Hoya/Pacquiao fight. Cowboys, fight fans and runners mixed with the usual Vegas crowd. Great people watching for sure. I had not been seeded (bummer) but I was able to sweet-talk my way into the corral (yes!), which was pretty cool.

We grabbed some lunch with Amy Claire from GFM at the Noodle Shop (not so good) and then I got into my room and went for a quick run. Running on the Strip is interesting to say the least and I occasionally found myself running in the gutter having been cordoned off from the main sidewalk. I quickly figured out this was not the best idea in the whole world and ran east, off the strip then hit the pool for a cool-down. I would say that I felt, okay... not great but given the last couple of weeks, that was pretty much what I expected.

John rolled in from LaQuinta later that day and we met up with the GFM crew for dinner at Nora's. Laura, Ramonna, Amy Claire, Carissa, Zack, John and I were joined by three of Carissa's friends from New York and we had a great time. Nora's accommodated my wacky Vegan-ness without troubles and I wolfed down a pizza with glee.

John and I drove the New york friends back to their hotel then decided it would be a good idea to wander around the casino for a bit. Once we hit the floor, I noticed that the Wu Tang Clan was playing at the House of Blues and so we went over to see if the show was sold out or over. No to each question, so John splurged for tickets and we hit the show. How often do you get the chance to check out the Wu?

So the first act finally came on (a local hip-hop act that wasn't bad at all), then a horrendous rapper named Queen Shalika or something, then a worse group called Ice Cold. At this point, I was really getting tired and needed to get to bed but wanted to at least see a little bit of the Wu Tang Clan. They finally came on at about 10:45 so I stayed for a few songs then hit the sack. John stayed for the remainder of the show which he indicated was pretty good.

Sunday:

I was up early (4:30) for the race and definitely didn't get as much sleep as I would have preferred but whatchagonnado? I stretched a bit, ate a sandwich, and got all my stuff together then headed down to the start line. I had heard that one needed to get there early but since I was seeded, I could have slept for at least another 30 minutes. Live and learn. I followed a HUGE group of Elvi out to the event (yes, people dressed like Elvis) and then headed for the corral. At Denver, we were seeded according to approximate pace but at the Vegas event, it was more of a free-for all (not particularly chaotic in the corral) so I just took my time warming up, stretching, etc. until they started the wheelchair event at which point everyone behind the corral rushed forward. Fortunately, this was about 2 minutes to the start so I was in a really great position for the gun. Unfortunately, I lost two of my Clif Shots, which was a bit disconcerting and annoying but there really wasn't anything I could do at that point so I just went with the flow.

At about 6:05 we were off, accompanied by a fireworks show and we headed North up the Strip. There were no problems with congestion since I started way up front and we had 4-lanes and a straight course ahead of us. We ran all the way up the Strip, which was actually pretty cool, and I settled into a steady 7:45ish pace that fluctuated a bit (7:15-8:00). I had the idea that I might actually qualify for Boston so I decided to push it to see what I could do. Probably not the best plan but I figured, "What the hell," and just motored along the Strip, checking out the landmarks.

We started at the south end, which is much newer and more populated and worked our way north to the seedier end of the Strip. So the sites became danker and danker as we moved along the first 5-6 miles of the course. Shortly after turning off the Strip, the half-marathon runners took a different route so the full-marathon peeps were on their own. We worked our way into North Vegas which became a bit sketchy and devoid of attractions to draw the eye. It was interesting, to say the least. I kept up a pretty solid pace for the first half (1:39 at the mid-way point) but wasn't really feeling very well. I just tried to keep up the 7:30 pace for as long as possible and eventually was really suffering. I had a few decent miles in the last half, usually when I would latch onto a faster runner and try to hang on for as long as possible.

Towards the end, I started walking through the aid stations to really get some liquids down and was able to pick up three more Shots at about mile 16 which I readily slugged down. Unfortunately, I gobbled one at about mile 16.8, thinking there would actually be water available at mile 17 but that station was non-existent so I was really hurting for liquids by mile 18. Oh well. I had some really bad miles in the last half but was able to finish much more strongly than Denver so that felt pretty good. I came into the final few hundred meters and really just focused on running fast and strong and finished with a chip time of 3:24:35. This beat my top-end goal by about 5:30 and was a full 17-minutes faster than my Denver finish. I finished 42nd in my class and 231st 232nd overall. That puts me in the top 5%! Really, really satisfying.

Immediately afterward, I felt a lot better than Denver but my legs were really sore. I also had to pee like crazy and noticed that I had some blood in my urine. Having not experienced this in the past (but not terribly concerned because I vaguely remembered reading something about this), I headed to the medical tent to be sure and the doc confirmed that due to the muscle breakdown, it is pretty common to have that happen after an event of this type. So I ate some more food, drank lots of water, took a cool-down dip in the pool then headed back to my room for a much-needed soak. I pretty immediately started peeing normally, so that was nice.

I just kicked it for the remainder of the morning then met up with the GFM crew for a Coke. John and I then sought out more Stu-friendly food at the Border Grill. They were friendly and accommodated my wackiness with a tasty chop salad. Good stuff. We didn't do much the rest of the day until later when we headed down the Strip to check out Planet Hollywood to find some food. I was feeling really sore and woozy by the time we finally landed at Spago. They were great and made me a special, off-menu, vegan pizza which was quite tasty. I felt better after eating and getting some more liquids then we headed back to THEhotel and I hit the sack.

Monday:
Today, I woke up really sore. Much more sore than post-Denver but without some of the more long-term ouchiness (toes) that accompanied my Denver experience. My right index toe is pretty tender but everything else seems ok. My quads are most sore and I definitely noticed them tightening up and suffering during the event so that makes sense.

I took a swim in the morning then John and I checked out and headed off the strip for vegan donuts at Ronald's. Definitely yummy but I now know why donuts are not on my list of "missed foods". Just not my bag for a breakfast chow-down. Very tasty, though. John and I then just dinked around Vegas for a bit then he dropped me off at the airport. My flight is now about to start boarding so I'll wrap things up...

Overall, this was a great time and a fun event. I wish they had been a bit more organized, particularly at the start, and wish all the aid stations had been where they said they would be. There were restrooms all along the route, which was nice, but there were a lot of other advertised amenities that did not materialize and overall, I think that they over-sold the event in their marketing materials. Not like that was a big deal to me, but I can see some people being a little pissed.

The accommodations at THEhotel were top-notch and restaurants really went out of their way to try to set me up with food I could eat, so overall, though Vegas is just completely ridiculous, it was great to be there this weekend. Not sure I would do this event again or not but I did have a great time.

I'll probably have more thoughts later but for now, that's all I have.

~stubert.

[edited for creative spelling and overall place adjustment]

3:24 something...

Not sure what my chip time was but my watch said 3:24:58. Super sweet.

~:~:~:~:~:~
via mobile

I'm up...

Maybe, we're asses to elbows back here. Why don't you sit on your
cousin's lap? ~ Tobias Funke

Getting ready to head down to the start. Just whacking down some food
and stretching. It's on.

~ stubert.

~:~:~:~:~:~
via mobile

Protect your neck...

...he put a coat hanger pm the stove for like 40 minutes... ~ Wu Tang
Clan

So John and I were walking by the House of Blues and the Wu Tang Clan
were playing tonite. So of course, we HAD to go in. Gotta love the
randomness of Vegas. RIP ODB.

~:~:~:~:~:~
via mobile

Gettin' ready...

My wrist, it hurt so bad. ~ Jose

Hit the track again today for a quick, fast 3-miler. Warmed up for a mile then blasted for a mile then warmed down. 22:20 or something like that. That is pretty quick for a Stu on a very short track.

Anyway, felt okay. Not super but definitely not too shabby. That is my last "fast" run before the race. Should be in decent shape to give it a serious go.

Post run, I hit the pool for a bit to cool down then fell on my ass on some ice outside as I was going to the car. Stupid exhaust condensation. So now my left palm has a cut on it and my right wrist hurts like a mofo. Oh well. I won't be using them much during the race unless things go REALLY wrong.

Rach and I are heading out tonight to see Faust in an encore Met performance screening at a local theater. Should be a lot of fun and good to get out. I have been working stupid hours and need to be sure I start taking some time to just chill.

Working tomorrow, then Friday is going to suck as I am attending the funeral of a college friend who was killed along with his entire family (wife, two kids) over the Thanksgiving Day break. They were staying in a house in Aspen that apparently had a malfunction in either the snow removal system or the boiler and was leaking carbon monoxide. Just really, really horrible and tragic. Ugh.

I fly to Vegas Saturday morning, will get in a short run then grab my race packet and hang out with friends. Sunday the race starts at 6:07 for whatever reason and I am hoping to be done by about 9:37. As always, I'll keep you posted.

~stubert.

Day 6 on the stix and a weekly summary...

Remain calm. All is well. ~ Chip Diller

Finally getting some snow up in the zone. We got a couple at my house but it pretty much hammered the whole time we were at Eldora today so that was refreshing. In typical Rock fashion it was blowing about 7 billion miles an hour too so that made it extra special. Fun day on the boards, though with Pete, Edy, and Caleb. Pete was feeling super sexy as he donned Edy's underthings for the day and borrowed my goggles because apparently his ski bag isn't big enough or something. Not sure what made him feel sexier, the goggles or the frilly undergarments. I am guessing the goggles.

Ok, so I have flailed on the weekly updates for a bit. My apologies. Things have been a little funky and I have been remiss about updates. Here are the last two weeks in summary:

• Sunday (11/16): Half a good road run in Boulder, 17 miles, 2:13ish. Well, I was awesome for about 13 miles then got stopped by a light and pretty much blew up. I did the first 13 at an 8-minute pace. Up the creek path to the end, back to 4th, over to Kalmia and down to the Foothills path. Good stuff as this isn't very hill-free. Really suffered for the last 4 but overall, I felt pretty good about the effort. Need to work on the "finish strong" thing a bit.
  
• Tuesday (11/18): Sanitas adventure, 6.5 miles, 1:30. Hit the trails with my buddy, Stephen. He showed me a cool, back way to the Sanitas summit. Really steep in spots so I had to walk a little bit but it was nice to be on trails. We descended the west route and my right knee started feeling a bit bunk from the steep drops and lack of miniscus. We then headed back up the valley trail and I called it at the top and ran back down in near darkness down Dakota ridge. Overall a fun run.
• Wednesday (11/19): Abandoned Broomfield run, 6 miles, 00:55. Well, I had every intention to run about 12 miles but did not feel well at all so I bailed about half way through. Super sore from the day before and my knee was bugging me so I thought it would be best if I bailed instead of pushing it.
• Thursday (11/20): Swim, 00:30. Hit the pool to see if that would make my knee feel any better. It didn't really.
  
• Friday (11/21): Recovery run with strides, 4 miles, 00:31. Hit the track for a bit then swam. Felt okay during but not super afterwards.
• Saturday (11/22): Supposed to do a 6 mile race/run but wasn't feeling it so I skied again.
• Sunday (11/23): Was supposed to do a 17-miler but took the day off instead.
• Monday (11/24): Ski
• Tuesday (11/25): Track run, 7 miles with strides, 00:54. Fast track run. Felt a bit wonky but was able to spin some fast laps. Swam afterwards.
• Wednesday (11/26): Ski
• Thursday (11/27): Ski
• Friday (11/28): Track run, 5 miles, 00:38. Did some strides and kept a steady pace throughout. Actually felt pretty solid, which was nice.
• Saturday (11/29): Ski

Overall, I am feeling pretty beaten up right now but that is getting better. I am going into full taper mode at this point and am even going to bail on some of my scheduled training to see if I can get feeling injury free by next Sunday. The plan for this week is to do a short run tomorrow (probably about 5 miles), a short run with a serious effort on Tuesday (7 miles or so with 3 at super max effort), rest Wednesday-Friday (well, I will probably have to toss in a few laps at the local slopes but rest is relative). I fly to Vegas on Saturday and will probably try to get in a 3 miler then game on Sunday at 6:00 am.

As always, I'll keep you posted.

~stubert.

Day 5...

Badassmofos.

Has anyone actually ever seen a live Cornish Game Hen? ~ Rach

Hit the Basin this morning with Pete after skiing by myself at the Rock yesterday. So that's day 5 which gets me within hucking distance of last year's mark. I would prefer quality over quantity but since that is an impossibility with our current temps and snowlessness, I'll take the latter.

I feel like I am skiing pretty well overall. A few items on which to focus but I was finally able to get my carve on thanks to Larry at Larry's Bootfitting (thanks for the tune, Larry!) which felt pretty solid. Now I just have to get through the next week and a half then hit it for real.

Pete gets his turns on.

~stubert.

Couples' night...

She was licking your neck?!?! ~ me

Couples' night ranks a close second to "date night" as my least favorite of all nights. Even worse than "pork chop night" in my book and you, dear reader, are about to find out why.

Rach and I moved to Boulder in the summer of '91 and I began work shortly thereafter at a local bike shop -- a serious McJob while I interviewed for positions in Med schools around the country. I quickly became somewhat reluctant friends with another salesperson whom we'll call "Phil" for no other reason than I would like to protect his anonymity just in case he would prefer it that way. Phil was dating "Evelyn", a Swedish transplant in the States via a fake green card marriage (to someone non-Phil) that was to be annulled later that week and Phil asked if Rach and I would like to join him and Evelyn for a celebratory evening on the town. Naturally, not knowing what lay ahead, and our dearth of acquaintences at that point, we accepted the offer with enthusiasm. Big mistake.

So the night of Evelyn's annulment started off with introductions, then drinks, then a few more drinks with a serious amount of awkwardness, hilarity and horror thrown in for good measure.

Evelyn was an attractive young woman with some serious, serious unresolved issues. Apparently, she thought of herself as a mystic of sorts with the ability to "read" people and their auras. No more than 7 minutes into the evening, Evelyn grasped Rach's hand, started manically caressing it with her thumb, looked into her eyes and said, "I get a strange vibe from you... did your father molest you?" This was the first of many awkward and fearful glances exchanged between Rach and myself that evening. Seriously? That's your lead in? Maybe they do things a little differently elsewhere, honey, but that is not your typical getting-to-know-you conversation here in the U.S. Evelyn then stated that she would like to paint Rach naked. Her English was actually quite good but we still aren't certain whether she meant the nudity for the painter or the paintee. Given the rest of the evening's events, most likely both.

Another round of drinks was ordered and apparently my number was up next. "Why are you so hateful toward your father?" she questioned me directly. I was trying to figure out if she had read too much Sophocles, Freud or both at this point and an interesting discussion ensued with me trying to explain that my dad is actually a great guy and her telling me otherwise. Phil sat quietly in the corner with a idiot grin on his face. Either he didn't know how to react or was so used to this kind of wackiness that he was unfazed.

Thankfully, it was now time for all the girls to go to the restroom. Phil and I quietly sipped our drinks and exchanged work stories. Good times.

Now Rach isn't sure how they do things over in the old country but we're both pretty sure that Evelyn then made a not-terribly-subtle pass at Rach. Unless of course she was trying to lick chocolate off Rach's neck that had mysteriously appeared during the course of the evening. Or perhaps she was a budding vampiress... or needed salt. In any event, we'll just call it a practice pass because when she and Rach returned to the table, I was next. At least that's what the foreign hand on my upper thigh was telling me. A couple more inches and she would be able to tell my religion... or find out I didn't have a hernia.

It was time for a new bar to see if the crisp, night air would cool the passions of our new companion. It did not. We tried several times to halt the game of sexual-overture-ping-pong without success and as closing-time approached were asked if we wanted to accompany Phil and Evelyn to their apartment for more drinks. Not wanting to spoil the moment (and thinking this might provide the opportunity for a wicked dodge), we agreed and headed back outside.

Shortly after departing the bar, a young man came towards us and Evelyn grabbed him by his jacket and attempted to shove her tongue as far down his throat as humanly possible. He didn't seem to mind too much and gleefully returned the favor. Awkward looks were exchanged and after a short pause, Gentleman Action Stu kicked and gently tried to pry the two new friends apart. "Back off, homeboy," came the lad's sharp retort to my efforts. Apparently, this briefest of pauses was enough for Phil's highly honed boyfriend skills to kick in and he was able to extract Evelyn from the stranger's embrace.

"So... I think we'll call it a night," I quickly stated with an eager nod from Rach. "It's getting late." Objections rang forth from the Evelyn/Phil camp but we were adament that we needed to get home and Rach assured them that we would get together again, SOON, with all the sincerity of Kathy with a "K" saying "We'll have lunch, soon!" too the departing Temp in a Kids in the Hall sketch. We exchanged hugs and were quickly on our way.

This is one of those evenings that you pretend never happened upon next seeing your workmate. Or, if your job is expendable enough, you may never even go back to work at all. But two weeks later, Phil actually invited us out again. We respectfully declined, citing a prior engagement.

So if you have invited us out for a couples' evening, or are planning to, keep in mind that this all comes flooding back into our consciousness upon hearing the offer and we are immediately terrified. Our couples' night PTSD kicks in and we dive for cover under the nearest coffee table.

~stubert.

Day three...

Three days was the morning. My focus three days old. My head, it landed to the sounds of cricket bows... ~ Jane's Addiction

Hit up the Rock with Caleb this morning. One run, variable conditions, but a morning of skiing is better than a morning of not skiing.

My knee has been bugging me for about a week (but skiing didn't seem to bother me at all) so I am heading down to Boulder this afternoon to see Mark Plaatjes and have him check it out. I am sure he will use his 7th sense for pain points and focus all his attention on trying to jam his thumb through my leg at that point. He and his wife, Shirley seem to be the only two people with this unique ability.

I'll keep you posted.

~stubert.

Irony...

With its faltering economy, the U.S. is no longer the land of opportunity it once was for Mexican immigrants. ~ Bruce Finley

Well, that is one campaign promise the leadership of the last 8 years seems to have kept.

~stubert.

Fast. Furious. - Weekly summary...

Yo tengo un pato pedorro. ~ Pete Sabin

What a week. Way WAY too busy with work. Made me grumpy as hell but eager to get my runs in. Spent most of the week indoors but laid down some fast laps and felt pretty solid about it all by week's end.

• Sunday 11/9: Horrendous half, 13 miles, 1:53. This was not the workout I had in mind as I just pretty much suffered through most of it. Felt friggin GREAT on the downhill then things got windy, cold and ugly fast. I find it virtually impossible to run slow enough up hills at altitude to keep my heartrate down. By the end, I couldn't keep it under control on the downhills. Plus I got nipple chafe. How lame is that as the proverbial cherry on top of a miserable run?
• Monday 11/10: Recovery swim, 30 minutes. Good to get in the pool to wash away yesterday's tears.
• Tuesday 11/11: Wash Park runstravaganza, 7+ miles, 00:57. Now THAT's what I'm talking about. Was down in Denver for meetings so decided to head to Wash Park for some laps. Was feeling pretty solid so I decided to step it up and lay down some good times. I have come to the conclusion, however, that I am an ugly runner. Who's that lump plodding down the road over there? Oh THAT? That's stubert.
• Wednesday 11/12: Indoor half, 13.3ish, 1:44. Ok, I felt the need to really put the hammer down and had a 12-miler scheduled so I figured why not turn that into a half marathon and see if I can get my target pace for the full dialed in? So that is what I did. Painful? A bit... but I felt okay afterwards and am now feeling pretty confident about adjusting my raceday target to something below 3:30 since I won't be at altitude. I'll keep you posted on that.
  
• Friday 11/14: LT 9-miler with some barefoot then swim, 9 miles, 1:09. Hit the track again because work kept me busy until after dark. Spun the first three miles at a steady 8-minute pace then turned on the heat for 5. Tried to keep a 7-minute pace for these but was redlined after 2.5 and had to back off for a little bit then crank it back up. Ended up finishing the first 8 in 1:00, which for me, is awesome. Then I did 1/4 mile slowish jog then 3/4 mile barefoot. All in all, a great training session. I then swam for a bit to cool down.
• Saturday 11/15: Day two on the planks at the Basin, 1:30. Pete, Edy and I headed up early and made turns until it got crowded -- which didn't take long. The snow was decent and a morning of turns is better than a morning spent sitting in front of the computer.

Total mileage for the week: 42.5
Total time for the week: 8:15ish (including swims and skiing and whatnot)

All in all, a bad start with a solid finish. Starting to feel fast and definitely more able to manage the heartrate at higher speeds. Good stuff.

~stubert.

Holy moly finally a weekly update...

Stay on target. ~ Gold Five

Aw crap. Did I just quote Star Wars?!?!

Ok... the last couple of weeks were just nuts so I am finally getting around to a weekly summary. It is spotty, at best, so bear with me a little.

Anyway, needless to say, I have been pretty stressed. Working the campaign, several client projects, and trying to get back in the groove of training. "Busy" doesn't begin to describe... So here is a feeble attempt to reenact the last couple of weeks -- for your reading pleasure:

• Sunday 10/26: Obama rally in Denver.
  
• Monday 10/27: South Beaver run, 8 miles, 1:08. Felt like hammered crap. Couldn't keep my heartrate down to save my life. Post race, I have really been struggling. I am going to lose the nail on my right index toe and my left index toe appears to have a bit of tissue damage that I am going to have to treat with rest and ice. It'll get better and there is nothing wrong with a little rest.
• Tuesday 10/28: Swim, 00:30. Just getting my low-impact on.
• Wednesday 10/29: SKI DAY #1, 1:30. Toe was killing me but Pete and I had a great time at the Basin. More swimming, 00:42.
• Friday 10/31: Halloween swim, 00:42. Not eaten by any zombie sharks.
• Saturday 11/1: Swim, 00:45. I am getting better at this but am not a huge fan.
  
• Sunday 11/2: Ran on the track, 2 miles then swam for about 30 minutes.
  
• Monday 11/3: Lifted weights and swam a bit, 00:45. Cold and windy up here so I went to the gym for a bit.
  
• Tuesday 11/4: Election day recovery run, 6 miles on the track, 00:48. Felt ok, not great. I was working the election for most of the day then did my run, swam a little, then worked some more and listened for the results. Needless to say, by the end of the day I was exhausted but thrilled to death to have a new President. Rach made phone calls to people all across the country to GOTV. I can't wait until January 20th.
  
• Wednesday 11/5: Aero run on the track with strides and barefoot, 9.5 miles, 1:12. Finally a great post-race run. Took awhile but I felt awesome and kept a solid 8-minute pace throughout. Did strides at every mile and then did 1/2 mile of barefoot. I think this is the fastest 9 miles I have run and running barefoot was actually kinda cool. Swam for a bit afterwards.
  
• Thursday 11/6: Sat in front of the computer. Ugh.
  
• Friday 11/7: Aero run with strides and a couple fast miles, 9+ miles, 1:10. Ran at the track, late in the evening because work took up the rest of my day. I felt great, actually, and was able to keep the HR down even at an 8-minute pace. Started doing strides at every mile then tossed in sub 7 miles at mile 7 and 9. Feeling really solid. Swam for about 15 afterwards to cool down.
  
• Saturday 11/8: Recovery run in the woods, 5 miles, 00:47. Didn't feel so red hot today but given the last couple of efforts, I am okay with that. First time outdoors for awhile and it was nice to get back out to nature.

All in all, I am feeling more and more recovered and am getting back in the swing of things. With the marathon in about 4 weeks, I am feeling fairly confident. I am not really looking forward to the aftermath but am hoping that my second foray onto the tarmac will be a little less painful. Very enthusiastic about laying down solid 8-minute miles without killing myself. Skiing is going to be a real distraction and work has been slaying me of late but I think I can manage to stay focused and do well at Vegas.

The Community Center has been a really awesome resource. Psyched I gave it a whirl. I anticipate spending some time there over the winter staying in good running shape.

~stubert.

44...

This is our moment. This is our time - to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth - that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes We Can. ~ Barack Obama

It goes without saying that today, I am one happy camper. But now the real work begins. We have taken the first step of what will be a long journey. It feels good to be on our way.

Americans stood up yesterday and spoke -- rather loudly in fact. They said "no more" to the politics of fear and hate. A wonderful sentiment that I hope carries on to future elections.

There is still a lot to do and this type of change tends to happen in spurts. I am proud to have been a part of history last night. And proud to have Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States.

Let this inspire others to greatness, encourage all of us to be everything we can be, and mark the moment when we can get back on track and foster compassion for our planet and all its inhabitants.

~stubert.

Election erection...

Can't blog. Geeking out on vote results.

~stubert.

Extreme lunch..

I seem to recognize your face haunting, familiar, yet I can't seem to place it. ~ Pearl Jam

I intended to write about this last night but got distracted making fun of Spartacus with Rage. Man, that is one funny movie. For whatever reason we have seen a couple of Tony Curtis movies recently (Some Like It Hot also). Not sure why he made the Netflix list of late but amusing nonetheless. From the really stilted dialogue, to the way the ruling class was portrayed, to the acting style of some of the actors who were clearly cast simply based on their looks (seemed some were chanelling John Wayne) - just a very unintentionally amusing film. We commented on how blatant the gay themes are in the film and how, at the time, these were considered very subtle (see or read Cellulide Closet for more on this) but were reminded about how this just wasn't on the general public's radar back when Sparticus was released. (And continues to fly under the radar for people of that generation.) Reminds me of a story my buddy told me about his dad...

They were driving along the 1 north of Santa Monica and got in the vicinity of Will Rogers State Beach when his dad commented how cool it was to see "all the fit guys walking around with their dads." "Those guys are gay, Dad," commented my friend. "No way," replied my friend's dad. Really amusing. In any event. The movie is pretty funny when looked at through 21st century eyes.

See, I got distracted again! Anyway...

I rode the dirt bike over to Idaho Springs to meet Cort for lunch yesterday and decided to ride dirt back home. There is a road that goes up through Apex and then drops over the western side to Tolland from where I can jam back to Rollinsville and home pretty easily. It has been awile since I have done this route but it is a fairly major road so I didn't anticipate any problems. Well, that is what I get for anticipating. When I got close to the top, the road was gated with signs warning about trespassing. Apparelty this goes through private land and they have blocked access in the last year or so. Bummer. Well, I didn't really want to just turn around and found another trail that I assumed would by pass the private land (it is all public up at the top). Wrong assumption.

So I ended up on a smaller trail... I think it was 413, can't remember and so I took it. As it wound its way around the contour of the mountainside, it became snow covered in North-facing spots but I trudged on. Soon, I started seeing landmarks that were somewhat familiar so I kept on following the trail until I was in an area that became more and more familiar. One of the benefits to living in an area for 15 years and exploring the territory extensively. The trail eventually dumped out onto Moon Gulch road and I quickly made my way home. A fun adventure at least but definitely a bit more than I had initially planned.

And our site launched yesterday. Check out the new Relish Studio site and tell everyone you know who you think might need design and development services.

Ok, back to work. I think today is the last day for early voting in Colorado so get out there and get 'er done.

~stubert.

Numero Uno...

Day one at the Basin with Pete.

I hunger. ~ Sinistar

Day one on the slopes with good company... Pete and I jammed up to the Basin for some first-chair turns and well, it is early season but it was SO good to get back on the sticks. Mine are in desperate need of a tune as the conditions were firm and thin but that beats the conditions in a cube somewhere.

My index toe on my left foot has been giving me fits since the marathon and it didn't really disappoint today. It felt better as the day progressed and we only skied for about an hour and a half as there was work to be done but it was an hour and a half well-spent.

On a completely different note, the election is a mere 6 days away and I am nervous, excited, hopeful, gassy, thrilled, twitchy, scared, happy and gassy. As you can tell, my emotions on this one are running the gamut. It has been a really, really long time since I have been honestly inspired by a candidate but Barack Obama has crossed that threshold for me. The right-wing has tried to make "hope" and "liberal" naughty words but you know what... it is time to take those back. I have voted and am queuing up to help in other ways over the course of the next 6 days to get this man elected and get down-ticket, progressive candidates elected, and turn a page in the history of this country. Even if I am simply delivering coffee to those standing in line on election day, I will be there and will be a part of history. What are you doing?

~stubert.

Barack, Pete and Stu...

Pete and I met in Denver for the Obama rally and got a great shot of the three of us....

(Click photo for larger version.)

Well... and about 100,000 of our closest friends.

~stubert.

Obama rally...

Lots of peeps out for Barack.

Another week...

Simplicity and repose are the qualities that measure the true value of any work of art. ~ Frank Lloyd Wright

This one restful.

So I was in recovery mode this week so I don't have much to crow about aside from dumping residual soreness from the marathon very quickly. I was a bit sore on Monday and Tuesday, then fine. Really fine. Pretty encouraging, actually.

Here's the week in review:

• Sunday (10/19): Denver Marathon, 26.2 miles, 3:41:31. You already read all about this one.
• Wednesday (10/22): Treadmill recovery then swim, 5 miles, 00:46 (20-minute swim). Just kept the heartrate down and relax. The first mile or so felt like I needed my joints oiled then I loosened up and felt fine. Just did a relaxed swim afterwards.
• Saturday (10/25): Treadmill then indoor track then lift then swim, 5 miles (2 and 3) with strides, 00:40ish. The treadmill was killing me. For whatever reason the HVAC was off so my heartrate was through the roof at an easy 9-minute pace. So I went upstairs to the track and had a hard time running mellow so I just kinda cruised and ended up laying down several 7-ish minute miles. Yikes. I felt great and started working on some new form technique so we'll see how that evolves. Then I lifted and hit the pool for about 15 minutes.

Total mileage for the week: 36 miles
Total time for the week: 4:57 (excluding swimming and whatnot)

Really, I feel pretty solid now. Very nice. Bob called today to see if I wanted to join him in something stupid tomorrow but fortunately we have plans else I might have been tempted. The last time I went out with Bobby T, I ended up with heat exhaustion. Not holding that against him, I'm just saying is all.

So tomorrow I am supposed to do 7 miles and we are going to go to Denver to join in an Obama rally. Very excited for that. Then I'm continuing to ramp back up for a few weeks before I start my taper for Las Vegas.

A-Basin opened up last week so I am guessing the pull of the slopes will start to infringe upon my running. Such is life in the mountains.

~stubert.

Recovering quickly...

All work and no play make Homer something something. ~ Homer Simpson

Aside from spending the last two days chained to my desk, I am recovering fairly well. Not too sore, feeling rested. Good times.

I may get up and go up for some early morning slopeside office action tomorrow. Haven't quite decided. I also need to look at the program to see what is in store training-wise for the coming weeks and figure out how to work in some volunteering. I also signed up for a meditation class on the 2nd. They took my money but I am not sure whether or not I got in. We'll see. That is going to be a long day as Rach and I volunteer at the shelter that morning.

All in all a hectic couple of weeks leading up to the election then hopefully things will settle down a little. Or not. You know how it goes around here.

If you haven't voted, get your butt in gear.

~stubert.

Hug a tree...

So apparently the Bush administration is trying to do an end-around on our forests in the waning days of their influence in order to open up our roadless wilderness to mining and drilling. Fellow Coloradoans, I IMPLORE you to go make your voices heard to stop this mad land grab by submitting your statement before October 24th.

Environment Colorado

Our forests thank you.

~stubert.

The polls are open...

I swear it's Springfield's only choice... throw up your hands and raise your voice! ~ Lyle Lanley

Colorado polls opened today and Rach and I hightailed it to our local votin' spot to cast our (super long) ballots. There were about a 342 Judges that needed to be selected along with 481 ballot initiatives. Whew. I think I went through 4 pens just coloring in all those damned boxes.

So now it is time for you, faithful reader, to do your part. Go vote, help get your neighbors and friends out to vote and let's get Obama a new house.

~stubert.

Marathons really hurt...

Denver Marathon course map.

But Grandpa, what about my asthma? ~ Spaulding Smails


First of all, marathons on pavement are just brutal (as far as I know) and the Denver Marathon was no exception. Now that I have that off my chest, here is a full on race report for all you race report lovin' fools out there.

I am a little too wrecked to provide a Citizen Kane-style non-linear story line right now so we'll just do this the old fashioned way. Work for you guys?

Get up, stand up...

The alarm clock is a wonderful creature. Even though mine has been replaced by my iPhone (another wonderful creature), I have to give some shouts to the little fella that helps a brotha get up at 4:00 in the a.m. So up, eat, drink and out the door to downtown Denver.

I parked at GroundFloor Media Global Headquarters to save the hassle of trying to find parking closer to the event. Changed into my garb (no dolphin shorts, thank you very much) and then walked the three blocks over to the 16th Street Mall to catch the early morning shuttle up to the Capit0l area. Did you know that the johns at the Bus Station don't have doors? True story. So now you know that. Which is nice.

So the official marathon information claimed that shuttles would be running as early as 5:00 but apparently, they were sadly mistaken. So I got an unscheduled warm up by walking the length of the Mall. Not a big deal, probably a mile and a half or two miles.

Got to the event with plenty of time to spare. Watered the bushes in front of the Capitol building (just call me Groundskeeper Stu) then went to get into position with the rest of the wacky people. The corral was completely full by the time I got there but fortunately, the event is chip timed so you officially start when you cross the start/finish, vs. when the gun goes off. Sweet!

And away we go...
The plan for the day was to take it fairly easy for the first 6 miles or so. Since I got stuck way back behind my target time (and my target time for the first 6 miles), I picked up the pace a little bit until I was slightly in front of the Clif Bar 4:00 pace crew and settled into a comfortable pace. The early going was a bit hectic with everyone all piled together (relay people, half marathoners and those doing the full) and we ran past Lodo's landmarks (The Convention Center, The Can 1 and 2, back over by the Capitol) then headed out to City Park. Things got a little tight on the first part of that loop but quickly spread back out again as we made our way to Cheesman Park (about 9.5 miles in).

By this time, my eyeballs were floating and the first batch of Porta Potties had a line a mile long (no racers, I may add) so I kept going and decided that I would have to find a tree and hopefully not frighten any children. Just as we were leaving the park, 5 vacant johns appeared miraculously and lucky me, I only needed one of them!

Shortly thereafter, we said goodbye to the half marathon crew and I set out to start really pushing it in the attempt to run negative splits.
The Second Half...

So into the second half I ran, trying to keep a steady sub-8 pace. Mission accomplished for the most part. I really wanted to have a good segment between miles 17 and 22 and focused on my form during this chunk of miles. Unfortunately, the hammering I was taking running on pavement started to catch up with me after mile 20 and my times really started to suffer. The last 4-5 miles were excruciating with my feet really taking a beating along with my shoulders. I also started to experience some exercise induced asthma, something with which I have not had problems for many years. Weird. So the last several miles were fairly miserable and I lost a lot of positions in the last 20-30 minutes of the race. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. I was just happy to get it done.

Post event...

Wow, hammered crap does not do justice to how I felt immediately post race. I stopped after crossing the finish line to get my chip removed, grab some water and apples then started getting tunnel vision to the point where I had to lie down on the Capitol lawn for a bit. I then made my way very slowly back down the Mall (finally catching a shuttle) and back to my car where I changed and headed home.

My left shoulder was hurting so much I could barely lift my arm, my feet were really quite sore and my legs were tight and sore. Probably pretty standard for pounding pavement for 26 miles. Oh and there is a bobcat in our yard just kicking it on a rock. But I digress. My blistered heels didn't give me any troubles, which was nice and I never really pushed my heartrate to their upper limits. My abdomen hurt a little (and quite a bit afterward) but not so much during the event that I felt like it was hindering my performance. My troubles seemed to be abuse-based which is something I may be able to work on by focusing a lot more on running pavement. I'll get some advice and see. All in all, a great event and a really fun day.



Official results:
Chip time: 3:41:31 (2:30 faster than my goal)
Overall place: 348 out of 1719
Place in class: 37 out of 188
Overall pace: 8:27
Negative splits? Negatory.
Motionbased data

Caleb finished in 3:22:36 for 145th place and 30th in his class. Way to go Caleb!

Ok. Back to feet up, brain off.

~stubert.

Denver marathon mini report...

Finished somewhere around 3:43. Faded HARD at the end. Full report to
come.

~stubert.

~:~:~:~:~:~
via mobile

Tomorrow's the first of two. Weekly wrap-up...

Let's get it on. ~ Marvin Gaye

Well, tomorrow's the big day. Or at least the first of two scheduled big days. Though I am very excited and psyched to see what I can do, I am treating tomorrow's event as a training race/test drive of sorts. After talking with Caleb today, I plan to take things really easy for the first 6 miles or so, then pick things up and see how it goes.

Here's the weekly summary for October 12-18:

• Sunday (10/12): Treadmill and swim, 11 miles, 1:32 (if memory serves). I let the day get away from me and the weather was shitty so I just hit the treadmill to run a portion of the scheduled 15 (12 at pace). Actually, I felt pretty great. So that was nice. Swam for about 1/2 hour afterwards.
• Monday (10/13): Lift and row, 1 hour. Hit the gym for a bit. I was going to swim too but the pool was full of racer kids and I didn't feel like schooling them (read: getting my ass handed to me by an 8 year old). Also went to another doc who said my abdominal problems were muscular vs. organ-based. So two weeks blown on anti-biotics. Good for me.
  
• Tuesday (10/14): Recovery run in Boulder, 5 miles, 00:42. Had to squeeze in a run between appointments so just hit the Boulder Creek Trail then did some 400 repeats on the High School track. Did 3 repeats which felt pretty awful, really but I am not a fast man. Otherwise, felt okay. Stomach bugging me a bit but my second appointment was with Mark at In Motion Rehab who diagnosed my problem located in my psoas muscles. So he crammed his fingers through my stomach and, after several minutes of excruciating pain, told me that things would be better soon. Ya know, he was right.
• Wednesday (10/15): Test-drive, 7 miles, 00:56. Had to be in Denver for meetings so I jammed down to City Park to do my pre-race test run on the race course. Felt a little crappy for the first couple of miles then got into a groove and logged several sub 8s in a row. Overall, feeling pretty solid, which is a good way to feel.
• Friday (10/17): Recovery trail run, 5-miles with strides, 00:47. Just hit the trails around the house. Didn't feel great but was still working out some of the kinks from some fast running this week so with some stretching and the post-run ice-bath, think I'll be in good shape come Sunday.
• Saturday: Was supposed to do a 4-miler today but had to jam down to Denver to pick up my race pack and ended up with blisters on both heels. Ha. How much does that rule? I rode the motorbike down and honestly am not sure what happened that resulted in blisters. I have had these motorbike boots for at least 3 years and have never had problems in the past. So Rach picked up some blister stuff and we'll give it the old college try tomorrow. This will be great practice for Leadville.

Total mileage for the week: 28 miles
Total time for the week: 5:15 ish

So I have been eating carbs like there is no tomorrow and resting, watching movies, etc. Have to be in Denver by 6:15 tomorrow so I'll be getting up very early to whack down some breakfast and get my run on. Though the event is chipped, there apparently is not any real-time tracking but I'll let you know how it goes ASAP.

~stubert.

T-Minus 4 days...

Tick, tick, tick. ~ Mark McKinney

The Denver Marathon is this Sunday (October 19) and I am finalizing my preparations. Today I did a "Practice Run" as Advanced Marathoning calls it... 7 miles with 5 at pace on part of the course (City Park). Well, in typical Stu fashion I did the 5 at my Las Vegas pace (actually faster). I guess I am getting pretty fired up. I didn't feel great for the first 2-3 miles but then really established a rhythm and laid down several 7:30s in a row. Again, not blazing by any stretch of the imagination but pretty good for a Stu.

So three days of "training" to go then we see what I am made of in a practice-run capacity. I am targeting 3:45 or so and would be really happy with a 3:40-3:50 finish. We'll see how things go.

Tonight is the last Presidential debate and I encourage everyone to watch. Early voting starts Monday for Coloradoans so go do that too.

More to come...

~stubert.

Good times at the mall...

That kid is on the escalator again! ~ Brodie

Rach needed some new glasses in the worst way (they were scratched by a bunny, then finally just snapped in two) so we headed down to Flatiron Mall yesterday to get her set up. It is good to know that neither of us has matured past the age of about 14. The Dick's Sporting Goods signage made for several hours of hilarity.

We saw several hideous babies, and the world's biggest stroller as well as the dude from the cell phone kiosk unabashedly hitting on the Falafel girl. Ah young love... in the food court.

Pottery Barn Kids had a selection of $80 Halloween costumes - a far cry from the plastic smock with the Incredible Hulk's face plastered on the chest of my youth. Seriously, did we really need a Pottery Barn just for kids? But I digress...

In any event, given that we were at the friggin' mall, we had a pretty good time and managed to get out of the glasses shop without succumbing to the recommended frames pushed by the glasses shop fraus. Seriously, the checkerboard temples just weren't going to fly and I forbade even looking in the case that contained the Sarah Palin frames. Anything in there was tainted by her very mention.

We got out alive and relatively unscathed. And without purchasing any Mammoth Crocs or "Fuggs" as Rach dubbed them and I managed to not throw up when passing the candle store. That place tosses a serious reek.

~stubert.

First flakes...

A watched pot never boils. ~ Some doofus who apparently never watched water boil

Turn your back for a few minutes and POW -- the snow starts to fly. After several near misses, it is finally coming down at the Casa. I'm sure it will be gone by Monday but the fact that it is there now is enough to make me even more excited about ski season.

~stubert.

Weak-ly summary...

The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses - behind the lines, in the gym and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights. ~ Muhammad Ali

This wasn't much of a training week but sometimes rest does a body good. (Please don't sue me, National Dairy Council). I am still having my abdomen issues but the tendonitis seems to have healed, so I guess I am back to where I was two weeks ago. And that will have to be okay.

October 5-11, 2008

• Monday (10/6): Gym - lift and swim, 1:30. Since the doc said I wasn't supposed to run for a few days, I hit the gym to lift some weights and swim (albeit briefly). I am not much of a swimmer and though I went through a bit of a lifting phase a few years back, am really just working on high reps at this point. No need to bulk back up to super-sized Stu.
• Wednesday (10/8): Gym - lift and row, 1:15. Went to the gym intending to run on the treadmill but I forgot my shoes and Crocks are not only fugly but are not particularly awesome when it comes to running. So I lifted for a bit then used the rowing machine. Then I went home. I think the going home part was the most fun.
• Thursday (10/9): Treadmill and swim, 5 miles/20 lengths, 1:15. Lost track of time due to work stuff (again) and had to jam down to the community center to run on the treadmill for a bit. Just mixed up the speed and decided 5 miles would suffice for the day as I just wasn't feeling the love on the hamster wheel today. I did manage to keep a 9:00 pace, so that wasn't too bad. How the crap did Dean Karnazes run on this stupid thing for 48 hours? He logged 211.7 miles. And that is just silly.
  After my run, I swam for a bit. Actually getting better and did something like 20 lengths in about 20 minutes. I told you I was slow.
• Saturday (10/11): Peak-to-Peak popsicle, 7 miles, 00:57. Supposedly a recovery run but since I couldn't really figure out from what I was supposedly recovering (too many to choose from), I just kinda went with what felt right. Did about 6, 100-meter strides and felt okay for the most part. I was not really able to keep my heartrate down so just focused on having fun. My calves were fine, my abdomen hurt a bit but overall it was a good run in the very cool, misty October weather. Had to break out the gloves even.

Total mileage for the week: 12 miles
Total time for the week: 5 hours

The Denver Marathon is next Sunday so I have a week to go. Right now I am planning to just generally stick to my schedule the first half of the week then take it easy leading into the race. This is just a training race for me (shooting for 3:45-3:52) but my main goal is to run negative splits or to at least get a better feel for pacing and holding back the first half of the race. I have a tendency to go out a little hard and definitely can get swept up in the emotion of the event so I will really be practicing keeping my cool in hope that I learn something to apply to Vegas.

It is looking like it actually might snow for reals this time (currently 32 degrees, light drizzle and super foggy at my house). I'll keep you posted.

~stubert.

Nader just called...

Both parties have gone crazy. Vote for Nader. ~ Ralph Nader Robocall

I do like his position on linking himself to "crazy". At least he's honest. And honesty is always the best policy... unless you are caught drinking from the milk carton. Then I say - deny, deny, deny.

~stubert.

[PS]: If any of you faithful readers actually DO vote for Nader. I'll personally come over and give you such a beating...

Bring it...

Let it snow. Let it snow. Let it snow. ~ Sammy Chan and Jule Styne

Current temp: 25.7 degrees
Visibility: 100 meters and falling

This could be the day snow finally falls at the Casa.

~stubert.

[Edit] I spoke too soon. Typical Colorado style, it is now bluebird out. Less than an hour later. Gotta love it.

Cool as a...

Mmmmmmmmmm. Sacrilicious. ~ Homer Simpson

Rach makes the best food in the world. Tonight, she built an entire meal around a cucumber. And it was muy yummy!

I am so glad she puts up with all my bs.

~stubert.

Stupid filters. Doing their job...

Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler. ~ Albert Einstein

So you may recall my detailing some motorcycle woes awhile back. At that point, I attributed the stalling problems to heat. Well, yesterday I was heading down to Boulder for an Adventure Film get together and it happened again. And let me tell you... it wasn't heat related since the weather was quite cool.

So I abandoned my efforts to get to Boulder and ran by my local cycle shop/mechanic (Earl at Earl's Motor Sports) to see if he had any thoughts. Not really, so I scheduled to bring the bike in to him today and limped the beast home.

I tried one last, hail Mary and called Jesse at Kientech Engineering who is an expert on all things Suzuki DR related. Voicemail. Damn. Nearly 2 hours later (8:45 our time), he calls me back and recommends that I try popping the secondary fuel filter out since it usually doesn't do much as the first filter gets the majority of the gook out. All I can say is that these guys are super nice and I couldn't believe he called me back that late at night. Just awesome service.

So I ordered a couple of parts to make the call worth his while then decided I couldn't wait to check and headed out to the garage to inspect the pre-carb filter. When I popped that sucker out, I found it to be completely gunked up. Full of sediment and other gross, black stuff. WOW! So instead of taking Jesse's advice completely and tossing the little guy, I cleaned it out and crammed it back in place. I figure if it is that full of goop, it is probably serving a purpose at this point, ya know? I will put that on my list of regular maintenance/things to check.

So I am guessing this is going to help my bike out A LOT! Gotta love simple fixes and people willing to take the time to call you back.

~stubert.

Weekly summary (early this week)...

Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something. ~ Westley/Dread Pirate Roberts

It's that time again... time for your favorite feature: The Weekly Summary! I wish worked. Maybe in HTML 5.0.

Anway, this week was interesting, to say the least. Here are the details:

September 28-October 4, 2008

• Sunday (9/28): Misery run in GGCSP, 15 miles, 2:55. Well, I felt great for about 8 but then everything fell apart and the last 7 miles were an exercise in tedium. I have been having a few pain issues and they definitely kicked into high gear during the course of the run. Not cool.
• Monday (9/29): Went to the doctor to see about the pain stuff and got on some meds to try to get it all resolved.
• Tuesday (9/30): Recovery run on the Peak2Peak, 7 miles, 00:59. Tried to keep the heartrate down and do some strides but it is tough running hills at any reasonable pace with a low heartrate. Generally felt good though.
• Wednesday (10/1): Fast run on South Beaver, 7.5 miles, 1:02. Felt really great on this run and logged my best time on this route. Even while stopping to pet some dogs who were wandering around down by the creek. Pretty much hammered down and then pushed it all the way back up to beat my previous best by at least 6 minutes. Started having some weird pain in my right calf on the way down that wouldn't stretch out.
• Thursday (10/2): Weights at the gym. Went to the local Community Center to lift and maybe swim for a bit. The pool was closed due to lightning but I did a couple circuits in the weight room and then rowed for a little while.
  
• Friday (10/3): LT run in Boulder, 11 miles, 1:30. Good road run with 6 miles of very fast pace. Did 3 miles warm up, 6 miles at 1/3 marathon pace, then 2 miles warm down. Felt great except for now both calves were hurting. Not cool. Pretty much seized up with about 2 miles to go. When I got home, I checked out side effects to the meds I am taking and one is tendonitis (with the potential for tendon rupture). Seriously not good. So Rach helped massage which made things a bit better. Definitely getting in touch with the doc to get on something different that doesn't have such wacked side effects.
• Saturday (10/4): Off or the gym. Taking today off to consult with the doc and maybe lift weights.

Total mileage for the week: 40.5 miles
Total time for the week: 6:25

Aside from the debacle on Sunday and the pain problems, I felt great. Able to spin faster speeds than ever. Need to just get some of these other issues resolved.

~stubert.

The long-awaited weekly summary...

Better late than never. ~ Anon

Ok... Work has been so nuts I just haven't had time to think much less write up my summary of last week's fun and/or games. So, without further ado... *drumroll* LAST WEEK's SUMMARY!!!

September 21-27, 2008

• Sunday (9/21): The Dreaded Hills of Ned Circuit, 13.5 miles, 2:10. Well, it was a good idea in theory and I actually didn't feel too badly until I got lost in the maze of roads above Hurricane Hill. Then it just got ugly. This was not exactly what I had hoped to experience but I have found that even a bad day out and about can be productive.
• Tuesday (9/23): Boulder Creek LT Extravaganza, 10 miles, 1:21. What a difference a couple of days makes. Really a great LT run. Did a 3 mile warm up then put the hammer down for 5 (the first two of which were uphill) then coasted for another 2. Felt great all around and was able to really motor for the full 5 miles. Good stuff.
• Wednesday (9/24): Reservoir Recovery Run with Rete (er... Pete. Got into it there a bit.), 5.25 miles, 00:52. Hit the res loop with Pete which is always a good time. We just took it really easy and enjoyed the scenery and company. At least I enjoyed the company... I can't speak for Pete.
• Saturday (9/27): Hammer Run in the 'Sack, 11.5 miles, 1:37. I was over in Gunnison to visit my pops and help him around the house so we played some golf on Friday (amazing how well one can score when one's dad gives them Mulligans every fourth shot), went to Donita's, then I went for a good run on Saturday morning. Stuck to my usual Cirque de Gunny loop for the most part with the obligatory Signal Peak climb then really put it in high gear on the way back to Dad's. Felt pretty solid, actually. That's what I'm talkin' about.

Total mileage for the week: ~40 miles
Total time for the week: 6 hours

So the week started out pretty poorly (two days hard in a row) then ended up quite well. Gotta love that. I think I was off a bit for mileage for the week but generally feel okay about where I am right now. The Denver Marathon is in three weeks or so and I feel like I can do 4 hours or less there and then keep focused until Vegas. Well... ski season starts up here soon so maybe I won't be so focused but I will be out there!

2:03:59...

Just a quick one before bed. The world record for the marathon was broken over the weekend. First time anyone has run under 2:04. Simply amazing.

And speaking of amazing. Rach made me TWO KINDS of cookies while I was on my run today. Made the leaden run somehow way better.

She rules.

~stubert.

Gunny recap...

Obviously you're not a golfer. ~ Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski

Jammed over to Gunnison yesterday to hang out with my pops. I rolled into town around noon, grabbed some grub then Dad got us a tee time at the local links. it is amazing how well one can score when Dad gives them Mulligans every third shot. Yeah. In case you were wondering, I still suck at golf.

Afterwards, we headed up to Crested Butte to dine at one of my favorite restaurants, Donita's Cantina. Awesome Mexican food. Go there immediately if you can. We then listened to/watched the debate. I'll reserve my comments for another time.

By the way, the trees are just AMAZING right now so if you are wanting to get out and annoy some people who are actually trying to get somewhere, tomorrow may be your day. Seriously, the aspen are just going off right now. It won't last long, kids so hit the high country ASAP.

Today, I went for a run then Dad and I made like rednecks and mended the fence in front of his place. It went really well once we pulled out the big guns and got the chainsaw out after the friggin' thing. Sometimes, you just have to use the right tool to get the job done right.

So I am supposed to do a week recap today but will have to catch you guys up tomorrow on this week's running activities. I have a long run planned but ran pretty hard today so we'll see what happens.

Ok. That's it for now.

~stubert.

R.I.P Paul...

Lindsay Crouse and Paul Newman in Slap Shot.

That's the dog that saved Charleston from the 1938 flood. ~ Reggie Dunlop

Paul Newman died today. He will be missed.

~stubert.

Mach V...

Okay, here we go. Focus. Speed. I am speed. One winner, forty-two losers. I eat losers for breakfast. Breakfast? Maybe I should have had breakfast? Brekkie could be good for me. No, no, no, focus. Speed. Faster than fast, quicker than quick. I am Lightning. ~ Lightning McQueen

DSL, I must say, is the friggin' BOMB! So fast, especially up. Loving it.

Also, I had a kickass run yesterday. 10 miles with 5 at mega-fast (probably like 10K) pace. I am still slow but 5 miles in 37 minutes with about half of that being uphill is not too shabby for a Stu.

And Rach made me cookies (and you know Rach makes the world's BEST cookies). All in all a good day.

I am off to Boulder to run with Pete and watch some adventure film.

~stubert.