August 16, 2008 |

One year (give or take)

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I have incredible amounts of hope that things can change. It takes people who believe. ~ Morgan Spurlock


I can lead off with the simple statement, “I am really, REALLY glad I am not racing the Leadville 100 this year.” Crap weather has settled into the state this year and it is like Portland in December out there right now. Only colder.


The race started today at 4:00 and I am guessing the leaders are about at Fish Hatchery now. The forecast is for highs in the low 50s with rain mixed with snow and lows in the low 30s. Not stellar conditions for a long run. Call me a wuss but, well… I am not quite sure how to finish that sentence.


My training has been usurped by work the past few days but I plan to get out there today regardless of the drizzle and low cloud ceiling. Our road is like some sort of sick sports bar event (slippery, wet, muddy and not warm at all) so I may head for the tarmac in Boulder or somewhere to get in some flat, fast and less dirty miles. We’ll see how the day progresses. I still plan to launch John Shors’ new site today. At least for private viewing.


So I have started working on preparation for the Las Vegas marathon and am still fine-tuning my training regimen. Shooting for faster pacing and more fluid form that I am hoping will translate into improved results in eventual ultras. This week I did a longer run on Monday with extended tempo, hill repeats on Tuesday (really a short session with 6 200-yard hills) and then a slow run at ~10-minute pace from the cycle shop in Rollinsville back to my place on Wednesday. I intended to do about 12 yesterday but that just didn’t happen so I may shoot for a hard workout today then a longer run tomorrow to finish off the week.


I have been reading a great book that Caleb recommended called Advanced Marathoning by Pete Pfitzinger and Scott Douglas. It is helping me figure out strategy, training ideas, how to keep from getting overtrained, and much more. Good stuff.

Incidentally, Pandora pretty much kicks ass. Check it out if you haven’t already. Works on the iPhone too, which is super cool.


Have I mentioned that Rach makes the best granola ever?


If you haven’t seen this blog, check it out. A woman in England is trying to go a month without using plastic. She hasn’t succeeded but it is an interesting read and highlights ways in which we can be better, more conscious consumers. I was actually thinking that one could do a Morgan Spurlock sort of thing with plastic but someone beat me to it.



And I have to say that though I have tried to not pay too much attention to the Olympics due to China’s appalling human rights and pollution records (yes, I know our’s sucks too… I would have to boycott a US hosted Olympics too), the Michael Phelps story has been quite exciting to follow.

Have a good, soggy Saturday.


Thoughtful strategy. Practical execution.

Clear thinking, honest perspectives, and experience shaped by years of doing the work. No shortcuts, no borrowed opinions, just lessons learned by showing up, solving problems, and following ideas all the way through.

Four hikers with backpacks walking along a rocky mountain ridge under a blue sky
May 8, 2026
We are each our own greatest inhibitor. People don’t want to do new things if they think they’re going to be bad at them or people are going to laugh at them. You have to be willing to subject yourself to failure, to be bad, to fall on your head and do it again, and try stuff that you’ve never done in order to be the best you can be. ~ Laird Hamilton Yesterday: Hit Range Balls/Hike – Casa del Critters, 1:15 Today: Run – GGCSP, ~2 hours Tomorrow: Ride – Somewhere singlespeedy, ~2 hours Yesterday, Rach and I took a nice stroll in the woods around our house. The songbirds were going crazy-nuts and surprisingly, we only saw one other person walking his dog. I love where we live – close proximity to fun trails and the ability to get away from it all in just a short walk from our house. During lunch yesterday, I went to the driving range to get a few cuts in before playing a round of golf with my dad next week. I don’t get to play very often so need to brush up on my skills (or lack thereof) whenever I can. I am looking forward to playing with my pops and hope to break 100. I shot a 102 the last time I played so I am within striking distance of the sub-triple-digit score. We’ll see how things go. I usually do okay for most of the round and then fall apart on a couple of holes pushing my score way up. Dad shoots in the low 80s usually (I think). I am not sure I will ever play enough to be that good but it is fun to get out on the course now and again. I also went to see Dr. Paul yesterday for my ankle problem (which seems to have been resolved) and my knee (which is still a bit swollen but has decreased in size markedly over the past several days). The knee stems from my unscheduled nose-dive back in May (see this post for details). The shot some pictures and believe that everything is a-ok so that was good news. I just need to select better places for splashdowns in the future. And today is Luke’s birthday. Age is one place where I will always beat him but visit his blog to congratulate him on trying to catch up. Until next time…
Runner silhouetted at sunset on a rocky trail, mid-stride between hills.
May 8, 2026
Progress comes from the intelligent use of experience. ~ Elbert Hubbard Yesterday: Run – Casa del Critters/Flume, 1 hour 15 minutes Today: Ride/Hike/Relax Tomorrow: Run/Hike – Pawnee/Buchanan Passes, 6 hours? Yesterday I ran around the house. Not literally, mind you, but in the neighborhood. It was a gorgeous evening – calm, cool. Perfect. The wildflowers are really starting to take off up here and I was treated with a bold display of color throughout my run. Tons of Columbine lined the trailside as I ran on old mining roads and singletrack trails. It is really fun to see how much differently I am able to handle familiar terrain. I used to have difficulties running this loop and would have to walk major sections. Last night, I ran the entire loop without trouble and was able to moderate my speed to maintain a steady cadence through the run. Good times. Contracting is staying steady. A bit of a drop-off this week given the holiday but I am still managing to put in a decent number of hours. I picked up another new project today and will need to get started immediately to ensure that it gets completed on time.  Tomorrow, we are going to head up Pawnee Pass and loop back around to Buchanan Pass in the northern Indian Peaks Wilderness. This should be a fun challenge as we’ll get up pretty high, have to navigate some snow (most likely) and will be out for quite awhile. I am looking forward to it for sure . Movie time: I forgot to mention Shopgirl, a Steve Martin vehicle, we watched the other night. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect but found this to be a charming film about loneliness. It was well acted and would recommend it for sure. The pacing is steady throughout and some might find it a little on the slow side but it was an engaging film that had a lot to say without being overly sappy.
Hands holding a tablet displaying a video player interface. The video is paused.
February 20, 2026
In case you hadn’t seen these (and also for my friends at Adventure Film ), here are a couple of must-see running movies from Joel Wolpert:  Geoff Roes: Slogging to the Top