Stu = Gigantic Wuss...

How would you like that? Burnt to a crisp or bloody as hell? ~ Buddy Holly

Yesterday: Hike - GGCSP, ~1 hour
Today: Swim - GCRC, 30 minutes
Tomorrow: Ride - Neighborhood, 1 hour

I just received the best email ever. Just after the race, I sent an email to Anton Krupicka, two-time Leadville winner, to congratulate him on his win and ask him if he had any tips regarding how to better protect one's feet while running ultradistance events. Here is his reply:

Hi Stu,

Thanks for your note regarding Leadville. On the whole, it ended up being a pretty decent day for me. Regarding foot issues while running...I'm probably not really the guy to talk to about that! I never wear socks because i don't like the extra weight (they absorb a lot of sweat and stream water) and i like feeling closer to the trail, but this doesn't mean that i don't have some skin issues. in a race, i just make sure to wear a pair of shoes that i now haven't rubbed me the wrong way in training, but this means i often get little hotspots and sometimes draw a fair amount of blood in training. for me, it's not really an issue on the really long runs because once the blister starts bleeding a little it seems to get lubed up and doesn't bother as much. the next day can be pretty rough, though. i know that sounds pretty rough, but it's really not that bad.

good luck, and i hope you garner a finish in the future!

tony

So there you go. I didn't manage to come close to putting my feet through that kind of torture. Man, that was great. You HAVE to love that.

Here's to hamburger feet.

~stubert.

Hikin'...

I got a job makin' money for the man, throwin' chicken in the bucket with the soda pop can. ~ Beck

Yesterday: Swim - GCRC, 30 minutes
Today: Hike - Raccoon Trail, ~1 hour
Tomorrow: Swim - GCRC

I worked my ass off today then treated myself with a fun hike with Rach. My foot is still a bit jacked but not so much that a mellow hike didn't do me some good. It is awesome up here this time of year. Cool temps, afternoon thunderstorms. Good stuff. The mushrooms were out in full effect and the leaves have not yet begun to turn but are showing signs of the upcoming season. Winter is just around the corner.

Yesterday, I went to Shirley for a massage and then to Dr. Dave for a much needed adjustment. I was all jacked up. It is amazing to me what he can do. Shirley too. I left both appointments feeling like a new man. My legs were a bit sore and Shirley found a neat spot on my back that just killed. My lower back was all out of whack making my legs pretty much worthless. Dr. Dave fixed me right up, however. Rocketh on.

Other than that, not much is going on. Still just taking it easy, jonezing for a run, and working like crazy. I trotted a bit on the hike tonight and felt fine but know that I need to give it more time before I really go out and hammer anything. I want to get at least one more good Indian Peaks run in before the snow sets in. I should be able to get in a couple before mid October. I'd like to do Pawnee/Buchanan for sure.

Anyone know a good architect? I am thinking of razing our garage and building a new one but need to talk with someone who specialized in this stuff to see if this is a jackassed idea or not. I really like where we live but wish that we had a larger garage to keep all our crap out of the elements. The weather up here just beats the hell out of cars and whatnot. But I digress...

Movie stuff:
Last night, I watched Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. I really despised this movie when I first saw it but have been reading the books and thought it might be amusing to re-watch it. Ya know, it is still a pretty godawful movie. It was certainly more entertaining having read the books but I am of the opinion that movies should stand on their own merit. This one, really doesn't. And most of the acting is atrocious. And some of the effects are really special, while others are just not. Oh well. I'll keep watching the series now though, if just for laughs. Sometimes bad is good.

l8s

~stubert.

Nothing to see here...

You changed your name to McLovin? ~ Evan

Yesterday: Swim - Gilpin County Rec Center, 30 minutes ~1/2 mile
Today: Nuthin'
Tomorrow: Massage/Chiropractor/Swim (maybe)

Recovering nicely, I think. I am still pretty exhausted, that much I know and my foot still hurts quite a bit, but I am getting better. I have even caught myself wishing I could go for a run. Weird.

Not much new to report, really. I have two toenails with which I am pretty sure I will eventually part company and one other that doesn't look so great. We'll see what happens with those guys. Maybe I can auction them on eBay. If nothing else, they can join Rach's collection of Kingfisher puke and tarantula "skin".

I have a busy day planned for tomorrow with visits to Shirley for some post-race torture and then Doctor Dave for an adjustment to see if I can make my other shin behave. It actually seems to be doing a bit better today but keeps swapping leads with my foot for lingering-est injury. (Yes, I realize this is only a week out so really I should shut my yap.) Really, I expected to be much more crippled than this. Did I do something wrong? Should I not be pining away for the time when I can start running again? I think I broke my brain.

I'll keep you posted on progress.

Movie stuff:
The other day, I went to see the new movie, Superbad. This was a vile, profanity-laced, disgusting portrayal of life as a highschool goober. Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Take your mom.

This time last week...

The moments of the past do not remain still; they retain in our memory the motion which drew them towards the future, towards a future which has itself become the past, and draw us on in their train. ~ Marcel Proust

Yesterday: Swim - Gilpin County Community Center, 30 minutes
Today: Walk
Tomorrow: Ride or swim

This time last week, I was tromping through Aspen groves somewhere between Half Moon and Twin Lakes. If memory serves, I was trying to time my arrival in Twin Lakes to be somewhere around 12:15 (race report says 12:21, sweet!) and I was starting to experience some strange goings on in the physical realm. I remember that my skin had become sore to the touch, my nerves would fire if shaken or tapped (not unlike hitting your funny bone but requiring far less trauma to initiate) and blisters on my right foot had begun to create enough problems that I was unconsciously adjusting my gate to the point that I was over-pronating. This would be the first step to my overall downfall at Leadville.

Despite all of these problems, I was somehow calm and relatively collected as I alternated running with walking on the beautiful singletrack just north of Twin Lakes. I felt at peace. I had a task on which to focus and I kept moving - steadily making my way to mile 40 and beyond. As I approached uncharted territory (+8 hours and +35 miles), I felt a certain satisfaction in that which I had achieved and knew I had more in me. Many of you have heard me talk about the Horrible/Wonderful. I was certainly in it 7 days ago. And you know what? I loved it.

It is interesting how different parts of me hurt on different days. I must admit, I actually feel remarkably well considering what I put my body through last week. I wasn't nearly as sore as I thought and expected fairly extreme localized pain coupled with more general soreness. Frankly, I was more sore on a general level after several training runs. I am not sure if this is a good sign or a bad sign. Either it means I didn't push hard enough, or I conditioned and trained my body to accept the beating and therefore, I didn't suffer as much after the fact. I'll go with the latter.

My feet definitely took the brunt of it. I still expect to lose a couple of toenails (they are going through some interesting color-shifts currently) and the outside of my right foot is still giving me troubles. Yesterday, my right shin was the worst of it but today things seem to have settled back down in my foot and the toes of my right foot. Good times. It is just interesting to watch and feel how I am healing up.

Yesterday was spent getting paperwork organized and work completed for the new business. Luke and I have started Forty105, a consulting/design/development firm specializing in internet/electronic marketing solutions. At least that's what our letterhead says. Exciting times, to be sure. Currently, it seems that everyone wants their job completed by October 1. So September is going to be a bit hectic. I was able to make it over to the Rec Center to swim for a bit. As a kid, I used to swim all the time but haven't been in a pool in a non-recreational way since about '95. Needless to say, I am a bit out of practice. I really don't enjoy pool swimming. I have problems with the chemicals - but it is a great workout. I had forgotten how difficult it is. Especially when you tend to sink.

So today I am hoping to go see Superbad. Gotta rally here and see if we can go catch out George Michael in that goodness. Also have some errands to run and other general stuff to take care of. Today is as good as any for that type of stuff.

Hope everyone is having a fun, relaxing weekend.

~stubert.

Four days out...

That was not my cocaine, nor were those my pants. ~ Lindsay Lohan (paraphrased)

I will forgo the "Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow" action until I actually have something going on "Yesterday, Today or Tomorrow". Soon, I hope.

Things have been super busy with work and client management stuff over the past few days. This is a good thing though I occasionally want to just settle down and get some work done. Met with a couple of clients today and there are some exciting things on the horizon. Great stuff.

I walked a bit more today than perhaps advised (15 blocks, maybe?) and my right shin is really sore. Same problem I had before with the left one. Fortunately I know how to nurse this one and don't have a hundred mile race staring me in the face only 4 weeks or so away. So significantly less stress this time around. I'll probably give it a week or so and then go see Dr. Dave if it doesn't seem to be improving.

My buddy Nat Ross is a pro cyclist who specializes in 24-hour solo mountain bike racing. He is a super-stud and wins races on a regular basis. I think he has had podium finishes for the last three years at least in the World Championships and won last year's US National title. He recently sent me an email letting me know that it takes him about 5 weeks to recover from a bike event so I am not really planning any long runs in the foreseeable future. I'll keep trying to get to the pool and will probably break out the bike soon but am really planning to take it easy for some time to come. Rest is the key word and I will make it my bitch. Wait... that doesn't really work, does it?

So tomorrow I'll be up early, cranking out some work stuff and getting a couple of bids out the door to prospective clients. If you know any good developers who also can build Facebook apps, send them my direction.

Peace, geese and chicken grease.

~stubert.