no, i didn't dress like a ho

look mom, I'm a scarecrow (and not the ho version!)

Not a terrible costume for $3.55! Okay, so I had the clothes, hat and boots already- I just had to buy the face paint and leaves. (The straw is actually dead tall grass I got right outside my front door so that was free :) ) Originally, I had planned on being something else that required me having a big box but I never got my hands on a big enough box so I'll save that idea for next year.

first snow of the season

Lucy learning that she also loves snow!

We got the first storm of the season yesterday morning and though dark clouds loomed for most of today they didn't really open up. We have about 5" outside at my house but the top of Vail looks like it's about knee deep with a drift or two getting waist deep. Pumped!!! Tomorrow I'm thinking I'll take my snowshoes up the hill and scope out potential hike 'n' ski options :)

snow? yes, please!

This is awesome- we pretty much just skipped Fall :)

deluuuuuuuuge lake

Yay for random cabins next to the Gores!

Food... lots of food. Oh, and not walking 'up' anything. That's really all I wanted when I got back to the car after this hike. Wait, that was a lie: I also really wanted a shower. I looked at the topo map before we headed out; seeing a ton of lines super close together and our trail splicing right through them got me pumped. This trail starts in East Vail and takes you right up into the Gore Range. The Gores are pretty rugged and after seeing them almost every day for the past year from 'down' here I was extra stoked to have the chance to get up close and personal with them.

Vince and Pope are hiking machines... MACHINES. They summit 14ers like they're walking on the beach and, yes, they were the ones I went with. I probably shaved 2 hours off my time going with them and trying to keep up, which of course made it even better. The first mile we switched back through Aspen groves, most were naked but a few were still trying to hold on to early Fall. The trail was narrow and snaked across a steep face that would've chutes-and-ladders-ed you back to the start if you slipped. The next mile, even steeper, was forested and near the top we reached a few patches of snow. The remaining 2 miles to the lake was a nice steady incline that almost seemed downhill compared to the brutality of the first few miles. The forest opened up into a big golden basin of tall grass surrounded by the jagged Gore peaks topped with a dusting of snow. (of course I then started thinking about how cool it'd be to trek up there in the winter with our skis and do some backcountry laps)

The lake was small, more of a pond, and a bright green/teal color: the way you'd hope your water looked at the source. After spending 2 seconds looking at it we checked out the small cabin next to the lake and ate (I wasn't hungry before we left so I did the no-no of not eating breakfast... I was starving!)... and played with the sledge hammer and pick axe :) Why the sledge hammer and pick axe? I dunno, why the cabin?

Definitely a hike I'll do again (hopefully in better shape next time). I'd love to see it in summer with the wildflowers, early fall with fully clothed Aspens and winter.

Distance: 8 miles round trip

Elevation Gain: 3,085 feet

Highest Point: 11,765 feet

Soreness Factor: guessing an 8 (to be confirmed tomorrow :) )

# of other hikers we saw: only 4

Click here for more pictures

2,300 feet of elevation gain in the first 2 miles!

my gear wish list (santa, please take note)

Thanks to the ice axe not only do these gentlemen

look happier but also WAY more awesome. Just

imagine how they'd look with a snowmobile!

+ Snowmobile: Not only can I just ride around for the heck of it but my homies and I can use it to access sweet backcountry skiing before, during and after the lifts are open.

+ Beacon, probe and shovel: I will most likely be getting myself this backcountry skiing essential gear by 2011. It tends to be expensive but I'd like to think my life is worth the ~$300 price tag.

+ Kayak: Do I know how to whitewater kayak? Nope! But what better way to learn than to get a kayak :) Plus, you get to look bad-ass driving around with it on your roof- BONUS!

+ Road Bike: Biking for hours along the seemingly endless paved trails and climbing the multitude of mountain passes around here seems to be pretty popular (stinky! Lucy just farted and ran off! That ruined my train of thought... where was I?) So it'd be fun to get to experience all of that and go on long rides with friends.

+ Bright pink long-johns: Waaaaaait.... I already have some!

+ Ice Axe: It's an ice axe, even if you never use it the awesome factor is high just for owning one! But I'd actually use it to do some winter hiking of 14ers.

+ Crampons: I'd prefer not to slip off a mountain when I'm hiking up it in the winter. AND they also double as a meat tenderizer!

+ A -15 degree sleeping bag: I really want to start doing some winter hiking and you definitely need a warm bag for that.

+ AT bindings and skins: I'll likely get these before the new year as well. It'd be fun to get in some moonlit skiing and do some hut trekking.

+ Technical Hardshell Jacket: These tend to be spendy (+$350) but uber-durable and weatherproof. I have my eye on a few and as soon as I can snag one on sale I'll be all over it. Right now I'm rocking a bulkyish snowboard jacket (works great but I've had it for 5 years now and ready for something lighter) and/or a softshell (LOVE my softshell but need something more burly for the middle of winter)

+ Flannel Underwear: Just kidding :) Do they even make those for women?!

+ Pocket-sized camera: Right now I 'only' have a digital SLR. It takes sweet pictures but I can't really take it skiing or running because it's bulky and I'd hate to fall on it or whack it into a tree and be out mucho money.

fall: we welcome you!

lucy loves horse-play!

After an awesome summer (I think I can count the number of clouds I saw in August and September on my hands), Fall has finally decided to grace us with it's presents. Yes, presents- the gift of snow! A few days ago we got our first snowfall (it didn't stick) and the weather has finally come down from the 70s to about the low 50s/high 40s. About half of the Aspens have lost their leaves while the other half look like they'll lose theirs the next time a bird farts (I love that expression- thanks Mom!). Everyone has skiing on their mind while hiking and running in the crisp Fall weather is making the wait for winter a bit more bearable.

Lucy just got her lady-parts removed on Friday and has already shattered all the the rules of recovery (No jumping, climbing stairs or horse-play). Horse-play is a daily part of her routine and she is none too happy about giving that up. Horse-play. (Yup- extremely amused by the use of a word normally only seen in swimming pool rules :) )

new skis!!!

After MUCH deliberation I finally decided on the Volkl Kiku 162s (137/106/122).

If you care why I chose them, please read below. If not, just look at the picture and know I'm going to be having a ridiculously awesome time with them.

So my current everyday ski (pretty much everyone who lives in the mountains has multiple pairs of skis depending on what type of skiing you're planning on doing and/or what the conditions on the mountain are) is a pair of Salomon Pocket Rocket 165s I bought for $100 because it was a good ski to get started on (as you may recall up until last season I was purely a snowboarder). Having moved up the curve with the help of friends who are awesome skiers I decided I needed* to get another pair of skis that allow for better shredding of the gnar.

The Kikus are a fat, rockered ski that adds a bit more stiffness (trait of Volkls in general) than the K2 Gotbacks and Line Pandoras I was looking at. I have the 'unfortunate' issue of being in between ski sizes so the next tough decision was what length to get. My choices were either 162 or 170-172. Since my height is 162 (all these #s are in cm) and I've dropped some weight since moving out here (I'm going to chalk that up to not sitting at a desk all day rather than the beer and burger diet) I decided to go a tad shorter and know that it just means I'll be more agile in the trees and on the bumps. This length is probably more appropriate for my size anyway as I took the usual path of learning something new (make it as challenging as possible and then everything else is cake) so I'm pumped to get out on these bad boys.

As far as bindings go I'm not 1000% committed yet but I'm pretty sure I'm going to get a pair of Marker Barons. Then I can skin up to better pow and for early morning fresh/exercise (yes, I enjoy walking up the mountain too).

Anywayyyyyy... it might be 75 degrees and sunny but I'm stoked for the season and to see how much better I can get on skis. The goal is to be able to charge through trees pretty quickly and ski moguls while looking like I've been skiing my whole life. Oh yeah, and NOT get injured... that'd be nice.

* the same way chicks in NYC and London 'need' another multi-thousand dollar handbag

soooo it's been a while...

Tons and tons of fun has been had this past month. The only reason I didn't share it is that I didn't have my camera cord to download picts (and all posts are much better with picts!).

The short version: tons of hikes, leaves are changing (and crazy yellow!), it's starting to get a bit cooler (temp-wise, though of course awesomeness is always increasing as well), oktoberfest fun, lots and lots of fun with Lucy (click here for a bunch of picts!) and friends!

Every once in a while I like to think about where I was or what I was doing a year ago, two years ago, and so on. Today I realized it has been a LONG freaking time since I was at home on this day... 2009: Indonesia (watching my first water buffalo sacrifice!), 2008: Tokyo (working crazy intense 18+hr days after Lehman filed for bankruptcy), 2007: Paris (I ran my now infamous 20-mile training run through the Bois de Boulogne which resulted in ITB injury and muscle imbalances I'm still fighting to neutralize), 2006: New York City (I got my UK Visa and was getting ready to move to London), 2005: Munich (Oktoberfest!). 2010: Vail (home, playing with Lucy)

eagle-vail trail of awesomeness

i heart this trail... it's beautiful, just the right amount of hilliness and right behind my house!

First of all, I am pumped out of my mind because I just ran the most efficient (i.e. good, relaxed yet strong form) run since... ummm... yeah... I can't even remember when! I was able to crank out about 6 miles and feel fine! My stride felt good (albeit a bit shorter than I can get it once my hip flexors sort themselves out), posture was good, breathing... good! (see, lots of exclamation marks... PUMPED!!!... !)

Now, I know better than to think my form will be like this permanently but man I hope so. At least I hope we're going in the right direction and this wasn't a fluke.

On another note, over the past 2 weeks I've noticed a change in scenery: the wildflowers are starting to disappear and some of the aspen leaves are beginning to turn a golden hew. Fall is definitely right around the corner and after Fall.... SKI SEASON!

some of my favorite photos

Bovec, Slovenia: The view from our guest house room as the clouds break

Those of you with Facebook have likely already seen this little compilation of photos but since not everyone has FB I'm posting the link to the album here too.

click here to see album

I love to take pictures. I've taken a bunch of them in my day but these are a few of them that I'm particularly fond of. Maybe it's the lighting, colors, the place, the sense of awe or the chance to capture another person's thoughts/emotions at the time. They're all different but I like them all and hope you do too!

P.S. This is only a subset of my favorites. I'll add more as I go through more photos (like I said, I've got tons) and take more...

P.P.S. None of these have been Photoshop-ed or edited in any way other than maybe being cropped. I don't believe in altering photos after they've been taken, I feel like it's no longer a photo but computer art (just my personal opinion!). I feel like it also makes you that much more psyched when it comes out well :)

10k @ 10,000 feet

Click on it to make it bigger

This definitely the most scenic race I've ever done. Not that I've done tons but it still counts! My hip flexors have been bugging me a lot lately and since I've become wiser I know I can't just keep running and have them fix themselves (sadly those days are gone :( ). So going into this race I hadn't really run more than a few times in the previous few weeks. I took an extremely nonchalant attitude into the race and ended up finishing in okay time for not really having run at all and having my hips hurt to the point I had to walk when I wanted to be running.

To set the scene for you I didn't even know what time the race started when I left my house to go run it :) Our internet hadn't really been working and I didn't know anyone else running it so I figured I'd just show up at 7:45am because the race shouldn't be starting before that. As I walked to the gondola (you take the gondola to the 'top' of Vail and start up there) I asked a dude who was decked out in hardcore trailing running gear what time the race started. He said you had to be up the gondola by 8:30 because it started at 9am... perfect! He was extremely surprised, yet not so amused, that I didn't even know when the race started (had I been in better form it'd have been my goal to beat him :) ).

The course is really cool yet pretty rough. It goes from the top of the gondola steadily downhill to Mid-Vail then back up next to the top of the gondola then up (and up) to the top of Chair 3. Only then do you actually get to go downhill again back to the top of the gondy. The views are incredible and the weather was ridiculous- literally not ONE cloud in the sky (and this is from the unobstructed view at 10,200 feet!). On the way to Mid-Vail we enjoyed views of the Gore Range and town of Vail. On the way to the top of Chair 3 it was ridiculously clear views of Holy Cross (the closest 14,000+ ft. peak) and wildflowers galore covering Game Creek Bowl.

Oh yeah, the day before I had decided it was a good idea to run up Paulies (I know there's a topo on here somewhere, I've done it before) :) So for the first half of the race I was actually feeling really good and strong (Paulies is a steep hike so compared to that it was cake) and then my muscles decided they were tired from running up a mountain the day before and it was pretty tough going after that. At about mile 4.5 my hip flexors started flaring up pretty badly and I was reduced to walking a section I would have rather run. (Note: Unless you are a super elite runner there is actually a lot of walking that takes place, more so at 10,000+ feet :) )

I managed to finish w/ a pretty good kick which is always leaves me feeling better about the race as a whole. Had the flexors not been bugging me and had I been able to run more the past few weeks I could have been below the 1h mark, but as it was I finished in 1:07:54.

Time: 1:07:54

Elevation (min/max): 10,127 / 10,937 ft

Trail Type: Mostly single-track, some dirt road

Scenery: Ridiculous. Worth making a trip out here to do the race just to check it out!

Swag Bag: WORST one ever! Fruit loops, Oreos, rice crispy treat (did a 6 year old pick out the stuff?!) And the t-shirt? I think everyone is giving it to their mother

How I Felt Overall: We'll give it a 6.5

gearapalooza

This past week I went to the Mecca of summer outdoor gear and, YEP, it was awesome! Every single name in the industry gathered for a week in Salt Lake City to show their wares to retailers, distributors and other gear geeks.

Lucy and I spent the days roaming the expo center checking out the gear, collecting free swag and meeting people. Every day at 4pm happy hour would commence and it seemed like every fifth 'booth' was giving away free beer/food/glasses/mugs.

To save some dinero I decided to sleep in my car. I know exactly what you're thinking... Somewhere along the road, the phrase "sleeping in my car" got a bad rap. If I was taller or my car was a 2-door hatch back then, yes, you should feel sorry for me. But I'm only 5'5" and I've got a car that can comfortably sleep 2 of me in the back when I put the back seat down- it was palatial! Every night I'd lay out my sleeping pad, throw my sleeping bag on top, put Lucy's bed next to me, open my huge sunroof, crack the windows and look up at the stars before falling asleep w/ my puppy cuddling next to me... THAT is what I mean by sleeping in my car. It's easier than setting up/taking down a tent every night and super comfy. So, please, try not to associate all car sleeping with negative thoughts and pity. End of my 2 cents :)

We got back home with tons of swag (water bottles, bamboo cutlery, travel coffee mugs, dog leash/bowl, visor, shirt, sunglasses, etc.), some of it pretty exciting, and having met a bunch of really cool people.

Notable neat things @ OR:

- Nemo Morpho 1p tent (air beams instead of poles- I'm getting it)

- Alite Designs (a fun gear company that's trying to make camping more accessible/affordable)

- Guyot Designs dog bowls (they fold up so are super easy to travel/hike with)

- Native sunglasses (I like their frames and lenses)

- ENO (sweet, packable hammocks)

umm... wow... okay!

25:36! I don't know what I was expecting to run but I went into this thinking I would just get a nice short & flat run in. I haven't run much recently due to sore knees and tight hip flexors but I'd already signed up for the Angels in Action 5k Fun Run so I figured I'd go, take it easy and enjoy the summer morning.

As with most events in The Valley every other person seemed to have their dog so I brought Lucy. Many of the dogs participated (one of which stopped for a long poo session about 1 mile in :) ) but Lucy's too young to be running a 5k (though she probably ran more than that while playing with all the other dogs pre- and post-run). Lucy hung out with a friend of mine who was helping with the event while I ran. As the gun went off I was literally talking to my friend and had to jump into the start and just go... and go... and go...

About a mile in I realized that I hadn't run a timed 5k since high school cross country and that I wasn't sure at all how to pace myself. So I decided to just go at a slightly quicker pace than was probably what I'd have chosen and adjust as I went. My legs felt good, my lungs were hanging in there and though my hip flexors were tight my stride wasn't doing too terribly. With about half a mile to go I got to the point I needed to slow down because I was starting to feel funny in the head and my stomach wasn't helping me out (I didn't have breakfast). I held on until I had only a 1/4 mile left and I had no choice (fainting wasn't an option) so I walked for about 15 seconds. Meanwhile, this being an out and back course I knew I was in 3rd place among women so I wanted to hold on. About 4 chicks passed me while I walked but they weren't kicking and I knew I was going to kick the rest of the way. So I got back on the horse and kicked the last 1/4 mile. It was the worst I'd ever felt finishing a race, I thought I was going to hurl/pass out but it was all worth it realizing I passed all those other chicks and somehow managed to finish 3rd among chicks (Jordan, if you're reading this, now I know how you felt after all those XC races).

So I was pretty pumped about my time/place (certainly not a life-time best, but it was much better than I thought I'd be doing right now, especially at 8,000 feet!). It makes me stoked to think about how well I can run when I get my hip flexor back to normal and get rid of my pesky muscle imbalance left over from my ITB injury a few years ago!

Distance: 5km

Course: Out-and-back, paved, mostly flat with a few rolling hills

Time: 25m36s

Pace: 8m15s per mile

Temp: 75degF and sunny

Misc: Wish I'd have had more water before the run

the big 2 8

Me and Lucy @ Piney Lake mid-birthday hike

"What reasons has he to envy a young person? For the possibilities that a young person has, the future which is in store for him? "No, thank you," he will think. "Instead of possibilities, I have realities in my past..." -Viktor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning

I love that quote. Okay, so maybe 28 is still young but I don't think most people turning 28 are as happy about it as I was. First, I feel like I've lived more in my 28 years of life than a room full of most 80 year olds combined- I'm lucky and I know it. Second, I'm all too aware that not everyone is lucky enough to make it to 28. So, yeah, I'm happy to be 28! I know it'll be another great year of awesome experiences surrounded by friends and family (what's not to be pumped about?!).

P.S. It is astounding how many people I know with birthdays +/- a week of mine! There are a crazy number of people, especially out here in Vail, with nearby birthdays.

climbing rocks

We forgot the camera in the car so pretend their is a pict of me here climbing...

upside-down... with one hand... we're pretending, right? :)

YAY for rock climbing! I've probably gone climbing a total of 3 or 4 times in my life but I really like it nonetheless. It's one of those sports where I found it difficult to get into because I didn't have friends that were super into it so if I wanted to go I'd have to pay a guide every time (it'd be like trying to get into skiing if their was only backcountry and you needed to go with knowledgeable people with the appropriate gear). But lucky enough I now know people who love to climb and are awesome enough to bring me along and put up with my lack of skill :)

Yesterday 3 of us and 2 dogs (I love that dogs are an integral part of the family/community out here and can pretty much do everything except for go into restaurants/bars) went climbing just outside of Carbondale. Pre-climb we took a quick dip into natural hot springs across the road (the water was HOT but flowed directly into a cold river so not really any place to sit and relax hence the quickness factor). In flip flops we made the steep approach to the wall (not the best of ideas but we were fine) with Bode (a big husky/wolf-dog) and Lucy (about the size of Bode's head) blazing the trail. Each of us did one climb before the clouds started rolling in so we headed out. It was a quick trip but of course it was fun nonetheless and we capped it off with some Chinese food (fitting since I hadn't had Chinese food in EXACTLY one year... the day I left China... it was meant to be!).

Oh yeah! About the climb! I'm clearly no expert but I managed to make it to the top taking only one break and my arms/back didn't get too tired/lactic so I must have been doing something right. I love learning new stuff, especially new outdoor sports, so I'm pumped!

running up a mountain is fun

I ran/hiked it, ignore the picture of the bike :)

I live right by the trail head to Paulie's Plunge which takes you up near the top of Beaver Creek. The trail opened up recently (they close the trails that lead up to Vail and Beaver Creek from the end of ski season until July for Elk Calving season) and I hadn't been up it yet so decided it'd be a good idea to run/hike it!

The trail is beautiful! It's all single-track (i.e. if two people want to pass someone has to stop and move aside) and has a nice combo of pitches. You're going up a mountain so, yeah, it's all uphill but the steepness varies and their are some flatter spots where you can actually get a really good rhythm going. The trail crosses Stone Creek (really pretty), goes through a few pockets of Aspens, through a bunch of wild flowers and rewards you with a great view of The Beav once you get to the top.

I somehow managed to run the majority of the way (maybe because I took a rest day the day before?) but definitely hiked parts of it, especially as I was getting near the top. My lower half was toast when I reached the top so I walked most of the way back down to avoid needlessly screwing up my knees (gotta save them when you can!). I'll definitely try to work in more runs on this trail but I'll need to space them out a bit to let my legs recover.

lucy!

tired Lucy

She's finally here! Lucy is a 3.5 month Labrador/Boston Terrier mix. She just moved here after living with my sister and her brother, Cooper, in Little Rock, AR. It's tough to tell how big she is from this photo but she's little! After only one full day here she's already been to her first happy hour (did great, she's definitely a people-dog), slept a full night (though she did wake up a bit early), met and played with a few doggie friends (great around other dogs too), went to lunch at a restaurant (on the porch and sat very patiently) and today I took her for her first mini-hike.

I just found out (thank you!) that puppies shouldn't really be doing strenuous exercises like running or big hikes. So we basically just did our walk but on Vail. She's very curious about everything, was frolicking through the tall grass and the flowers, looked at a little stream (she's not quite adventurous enough... yet... to get in the water), and was just generally happy yet very obedient for her age.

It's only been a day but I'm really glad to have a dog again. Can't wait until she can come for runs and more demanding hikes with me!

a little rap about... awesome

Spose- "I'm Awesome"

rated-PG and funny!

28 miles...

Eagle-Vail to Wolcott... I need to get a road bike...

Don't worry, I was on a bike! Before breakfast I met a friend with intention of biking to Edwards (about half way to where we actually turned around). She does a lot of road biking and is appropriately equipped (with a road bike!). Me... not so much. Mountain biking is actually pretty different than road biking. And if you're going on a long road bike ride it's not usually recommended to use a mountain bike (takes a lot more work).

We ended up biking all the way out to Wolcott (slightly downhill with a few flat areas) before turning around. I got home and my legs were so exhausted I couldn't even dance-party in the car* (I know! It takes a lot to make my legs too tired to dance!).

*We were on our way to this super elite private club where you have to be a member to get in. Where we then proceeded to tell the doorman "we're here to join your club". He pointed us to membership and, apparently, just by looking at us, the woman decided we were cool enough to join. So now... I don't want to brag or anything... but yeah, I'm a Costco member.

Chair 10- the summer edition!

Cat-walks: yawn-inducing in the winter, lung-burning in the summer

Nothing like running up a trail in the summer that you practically fell asleep on coming down in the winter. Aside from the first 3/4 of a mile (steep-ish), the route to the bottom of Chair 10 is a slight uphill that never really seems to end. It's a great run with beautiful scenery and consistent terrain which I'll definitely do again. I definitely walked a bit but I actually ran a good chunk of the way. My lungs were the limiting factor of the day, which I actually feel pretty good about (maybe that means I'm getting stronger).

As I was thinking how I wish I could have run a bit better I thought back to the 10k and realized I've actually gotten a lot better (and it was only a month ago) so can't be too bummed about it.

a little fam reunion action

Me, my sister, my uncle, my cousin, my bro... I may or may not be doing the chicken dance...

My brother, sister and I flew to LA for the weekend to catch up with family that we hadn't seen in years... some 6 years, some 18ish years... It was a blast getting to hang out with everyone as 'adults' since most of us hadn't really spent time together unsupervised by our parents. We met new 2nd cousins (is that what you call your cousin's kids?) and enjoyed catching up with everyone else. In any case, we had a great time with everyone and hope to visit more frequently!

pict for today

storm rolls in, storm rolls out, storm leaves a rainbow

pict for today

looking up at the Aspens

new trail, new shoes

Davos Trail Map

I decided to take my new trail running shoes out to a new trail yesterday. Erika does this trail all the time so I figured it must be good! This trail is more of a dirt service road as opposed to the single-track (about as wide as a person) stuff behind my place. It's a steady 2.5-mile climb and I actually managed to run most of it (which is probably why my legs are pretty wasted today). I'm getting stronger and adjusting to doing cardio at this altitude which is pretty sweet because that means I can play longer :) Maybe by the end of summer I'll actually be able to run the entire thing!

The views are absolutely awesome. You can see Vail Mountain, the Gore Range, Holy Cross (a close 14er), down the valley to Avon and even my house! On the micro-scale (yes, I just said micro), the wild flowers are out in full force and really pretty. Most of them I've never seen before so it's also fun exploring all of the new flora in the hood.

I am in love with my new shoes. I got New Balance 876's and they are magical. Shoe technology has come a long way in 3 years. I like to buy my running shoes Costco-style, so when I find a pair I love I wait for them to go on sale and buy a good 1/2 dozen of them :) Running shoes are very person specific but I'd recommend at least trying on a pair of these if you're in the market for a light day hiking shoe or trail running shoe.

10 lessons of an mit education...

10 Lessons of an MIT Education by MIT Professor Gian-Carlo Rota

... one of which I certainly never learned and disagree with (guess which one?!). They should reword it so that it says you learn how to work at a desk for crazy hours, but not that it's necessary!

I think my favorite is "you're never going to catch up, and neither is anyone else"

Would love to hear thoughts on this

i missed colorado

Erika and I in Savannah, Georgia

You know you found the best home possible when you miss home on your vacation :) Erika (my awesome roomie and very good friend) and I spent a little over a week near Jacksonville Beach, Florida swimming, biking and hanging w/ her parents. We had a great time, but I'm glad to be home. OH, and we visited Savannah, Georgia- cool place- I'd never been to the South before but that overnight trip definitely piqued my interest in exploring more of it!

I celebrated my first day back home by watching the US lose to Ghana and then going for an exploratory mountain bike ride. We decided to try a new trail and quickly found it out was wayyyy beyond our skill level (crazy narrow, rocky and lots of suspect shrubbery on each side hiding snakes and rocks). After 15 mins on the trail we turned back and I almost fell into a creek :) Instead I managed to fall into spiny weeds and give myself some sweet bruises/scratches (do dudes dig battle wounds?).

We biked the Stone Creek trail instead and rode a new part of it that connects to Beaver Creek. The trail was tons of fun but had a few sketchy narrow parts where if you slid out or fell you'd end up falling off a steep face and getting stopped by a tree or rock.

It's cool to see how the trail has changed over the last month. All of the leaves on the trees/bushes are in and a full green (vs. light green and growing in), the wild flowers are sprouting up all over the place, the trail is getting dustier and I find myself sliding out on some of the tighter turns.

Welcome summer!

will bike for sweet views

Looking out over the tiny town of Avon from 1/2 way up Beaver Creek

Let's see here... 20+ horses, 6ish deer, 3 beavers, 2 baby ponies, 1 fox and 1 baby elk. Who needs to go to the zoo?! Today I decided I needed to explore a new trail so I put the mountain bike in the back of my car (yay for cars!) and drove to the base of Beaver Creek (the sister ski resort to Vail and only 5 miles from my house). I found a trail map at the base and picked my route. It was an awesome day and my main motivation was to get as high (in elevation!) as possible so I could enjoy some sweet views. I ended up taking the route in the topo below and it ended up being a bike/hike :) I saw a ton of wildlife (thankfully no battle with a bear) and only 2 other people. The brutal thing about this ride is that it's all uphill followed by all downhill (nothing to mix it up along the way) so I definitely hopped off and walked (and took picts) a fair bit.

When I reached the top of the trail the views opened up and you could see for miles across to the Gore Range and another northern range that I've yet to learn the name of. It was exactly what I was looking for- SWEET VIEWS. But the views were even sweeter than I'd imagined because the higher peaks were all dusted with snow! AWESOME!!!

A few picts I took today

hot route! hot route! (topo maps are awesome)

minus 10 mins!

the view from my kitchen table

The weather this weekend was very Seattle winter (dark clouds everywhere and rained for a few hours) which was fine since it gave me a good excuse to watch the World Cup. I took a few days of rest after climbing Elbert (gotta rest those muscles) and ran the Stone Creek loop today. I was pumped, I did it in 38 mins. (knocked off 10 minutes from my previous time) and felt good while doing it! I think it's fair to say it was mostly because after running the 10k last weekend I knew what it felt like to really push so I knew I could kick it up a few more notches and be fine.

It's oddly exciting because that means I had an average pace of 10min/mile. When I was running in London (during and after my marathon training) I'd sometimes run at that pace but my legs would be moving quicker and, of course, it was flat ground. Which must mean... maybe my old (back in the more athletic, pre-desk sitting days) running stride is coming back?!?!?! WOW, that'd be awesome... I liked my old running stride :) Guess only time and more running will tell!

a few neat things...

- Vail/Beaver Creek were awarded the FIS World Alpine Ski Championships for 2015 (the Super Bowl/World Series of shredding)

- The CU Buffs (Univ. of Colo. Buffaloes) have joined their cooler friends to the West in the Pac-10 (does that mean it's now the Pac-11?)

- My two home countries will duke it out on the pitch tomorrow at noon-thirty (MST). Not sure whether I'm cheering for USA or England yet... probably just a good game :)

- Awesome dance parties still happen while completely sober

on top of colorado

stoked to be at the summit... higher than Rainier!

Growing up with views of Mt. Rainier (when it wasn't cloudy...) I was always in awe of the fact that people climbed to the 14,411 ft. peak (it looks especially huge from sea-level). Today I hiked my first 14er, Mt. Elbert, and had the chance to stand on top of Colorado (it's the highest peak in the state and 2nd highest in the lower 48 states) at 14,433 ft... even higher than Rainier!

We woke up at 4:30am and drove to the trailhead just southwest of Leadville. We set-off amidst some morning cloud cover just before 7am. We climbed switch-backs and long steeper-grade stuff in the trees for about 2 hours before hitting the tree line. The climb was tough (still a little sore from the 10k) but definitely doable with breaks and water. As we hiked we passed two separate men (guestimating they were in their 50s) who were trail running... that's not a typo... the mountain. Nothing like seeing 2 dudes 20+ years older than you running the trail you're working hard to climb!

The section above the tree line had a bunch of scree and was pretty exposed to the wind (luckily the clouds had disappeared though) which made the climb sluggish. I'd count my steps (50-60) before giving my legs a short stop and taking off again. Aside from the legs and gluts getting tired quicker than normal I didn't feel much more of an altitude effect (no shortness of breath, air didn't seem super thin, but living and playing at 8,000 ft. definitely helps with that!). With the super warm temps we'd been having the past 5 days (mid80s+) there wasn't too much snow up there and a green lake had formed in the bowl. Nearing the top my stops became a little more frequent but it was actually pretty nice because the views were ridiculous- you could see for hundreds of miles across the top of the Rockies! (note: this hike was not technical- no crampons, harnesses, rope, etc)

Around 11am we arrived at the windy summit (it sounds more hardcore than top or peak :) ). We hung out there for a while eating, taking pictures and dancing/playing harmonica (guess which one I was doing? :) ) before heading back down in the afternoon sun. We all ended up getting a lot of sun (note, always wear a lot of sunscreen at 10,000+ feet) and arrived back at the car exhausted and starving. We stopped in Leadville at the Silver Dollar Saloon for food and beer and as a bonus got to see a few classic small-town bar shenanigans.

My photos

You can get more info (including topo maps and pictures) on Mt. Elbert by clicking here

teva mountain games 10k

course map... note the elevation chart!

Isn't it awesome how endorphins make even the most brutal of physical challenges seem like the best thing ever?! I love endorphins... I think it's safe to say I'm addicted.

Seriously, the only way you could have been ready for this race was if you ran straight up and down mountains at 8,500+ feet every day. So it was nice to see that the incremental benefit of practical additional training would've meant only an extra few minutes.

Since I had no real clue what to expect I wasn't sure how to ration my energy and just kind of ran the way I normally would. We hit a short steep climb about 5mins into the race and there was literally a single-file line walking up it. I thought that was a bit ridiculous and ran up the face next to the line... rookie mistake! After that steep face was a long slow incline and I was pretty much dead from running up the face and most people I passed on the face passed me on that next stretch. The middle of my race was pretty strong... and by strong I ran steadily on the flat/down hill areas and survived the steep hikes (grown, fit men were stopping on them!). I felt really, really good the last mile and a half (not good as in fresh, my legs were wasted, but good as in tired but still pushing and going at a good clip) and was able to finish looking pretty strong.

Overall winner's time: 45m48s

Me: 1h23m33s (raw time, so probably subtract another 45s for the time it took me to get to the start line)

Lessons:

- I learned how to run quickly down hill!!! I realized I was previously standing up too straight which wasn't letting me use my momentum (making me slower and more tired). I got my butt lower, almost like I was skiing, and that made a world of difference. All of a sudden I was flying down hill while expending much less effort, not having as much impact on the knees and not slipping on the dirt/rocks as much. Yay for skiing!

- I need to get better at pacing myself section by section. I got better as the race went on but I need to learn to be more efficient in each section of the race. Unlike the flatter races you can't expect to pace evenly, you need to adjust to each section and run/hike optimally so you're not over-expending energy on some of the uphills and not under-expending on the downhills.

Taking a day-off to recover today but can't wait to get back on the trails tomorrow!

what on earth did i sign up for?!

I saw the trail map for the race tomorrow..... ummmm... yeah. The elevation chart looks like a silhouette of the Alps!

"This course will truly test your fitness with its constant elevation changes and mountainous terrain. No matter how hard you train, this remains one of the most challenging 10k races in the nation."

It sounds like I'm signed up for the MIT of 10k trail running... and I feel pretty much the same way I felt as I did showing up at MIT :) I have no clue what to expect except for relentless toughness. I know everyone else is probably more qualified to be there than I am. I'm determined to do well enough that people actually think I'm supposed to be there... while having good time. And, I'm curious and excited to see how I end up doing!

Goal: to finish and feel like I put up a good fight

Wishful thinking: finish with a respectable time (I don't even know what that is for this type of thing!)