Blogs Sport Wallpaper

The Nashua Telegraph did a profile on 78-year-old Rich Busa, who is still running strong. He has completed 8 Vermont 100's, finishing the last one at age 72 in 2002. Rich tells a great story about running since 1953, including tidbits like "kids today think plastic has been around forever; if you wanted to run with a bottle (back then), it would be a glass bottle", his days as a minor league baseball player, and hallucinating that firewood is a pack of raccoons in the last miles of a 100.

You can read the full story here. Hope to meet you, Rich!

- SD

Although I was right about Dale Reicheneder being the first repeat winner, my guesses weren't as good on the Ultra side of things. It appears that the 24-Hour Race format was key to winning the Ultra division this year (which would make sense - points are based on miles, and get a multiplier based on finish place, so a 100+ mile win at a 24-Hour race is worth tons). Not so sure about their comment that Dale won by "a handful of points" - looks to me like there was a healthy 100+ point margin.

Plus look at who won the random drawing to be on the La Sportiva Mountain Running Team - our very own Mark Tanaka!

Here's the official announcement:

Trail Runner Announces Final Trophy Series Results- Oct 25

Diane van Deren and Dale Reicheneder dominate North America’s largest trail-running series

OCTOBER 25, 2007, CARBONDALE, COLORADO—Trail Runner magazine, North America’s leading publication for off-road running, announced the winners of the fourth annual La Sportiva Trail Runner Trophy Series this week on www.trailrunnermag.com. After the series wrapped up on September 30, results from 115 races, ranging from 5K to 150 miles, were collected and points for 21,000 Trophy Series participants tabulated to determine the final standings.

Diane van Deren of Sedalia, Colorado, dominates the Ultramarathon Division standings with 1356 points, with no other competitor (male or female) breaking the 1000-point mark. Van Deren capped off a busy summer, including eight ultras, with the 24 Hours of Frisco in Frisco, Colorado, on September 23. There, she logged 114 miles for the women’s victory and 456 Trophy Series points.

Christine Crawford of Whitewater, Wisconsin, is second with 885.8 points after a speedy 4:35:36 second-place performance at the Rock Cut Hobo 50K in Rockford, Illinois, in September. Third overall, and men’s Ultra-Division leader, is Jim Orr of Toronto, Ontario, who tallied 834 points after winning both the Dirty Girl 24 Hour race, where he covered 108.5 miles, and the Sulphur Springs 100-miler, in Ancaster, Ontario, with a time of 17:14:53.

Dale Reicheneder topped the Marathon and Shorter Division once again (he was the 2005 champion), after competing in 19 races and scoring five age-group victories. The 41-year-old litigation attorney from Malibu, California, held off defending champion Hugh Davis and Brian Beckort, both from Tell City, Indiana, by only a handful of points to become the 2007 Series champion.

Canadian Janice MacKay of Sault Sainte Marie, Ontario, capped off her successful racing season, punctuated by three age-group wins at the Keweenaw Trail Running Festival in Copper Harbor, Michigan, with a second-place age-group performance at Mount Hood, Oregon’s Timberline Marathon in 4:20:57. MacKay’s six impressive trail-race performances kept her ahead of second-place Julie Gerke of Basking Ridge, New Jersey, who won her age group at the Odyssey and Running Fit Trail Marathons, and Donna Gering (Ironwood, Michigan), in third place after four Trophy Series events.

Top male and female winners in the Ultramarathon Division and Marathon-and-Under Division’s 10 age group categories will receive prize packages including gifts from Trophy Series sponsors La Sportiva, Injinji, Spenco, Julbo, Mont-Bell, Kahtoola and Petzl.

Mark Tanaka of Castro Valley, California, is winner of the randomly drawn Grand Prize of an honorary position on La Sportiva’s Mountain Running Team. Tanaka will receive four pairs of La Sportiva running shoes plus a team-apparel package including socks, headlamp, singlet, running T-shirt, shorts, warm-up jacket and headwear. La Sportiva will offer this same Grand Prize in the 2008 Trail Runner Trophy Series.

Pick up a copy of Trail Runner’s January 2008 issue to read more about the male and female division winners. This special Trophy Series issue will also include the 2008 Trophy Series Race Directory, a special Take Your Mark story highlighting three outstanding races belonging to the series and training and nutrition articles to get you primed for race day.

Plans for the 2008 Trophy Series are already underway. Race directors interested in being a Trophy Series race should apply before November 12, 2007 here.

2007 Trophy Series Standings Highlights

Top Ultramarathon Men
1. Jim Orr, Toronto, Ontario, 834 points
2. Karl Meltzer, Sandy, Utah, 800 points
3. Akos Konya, Oceanside, California, 700 points

Top Ultramarathon Women
1. Diane Van Deren, Sedalia, Colorado, 1356 points
2. Christine Crawford, Whitewater, Wisconsin, 885.8
3. Anita Fromm, Manitou Springs Colorado, 509.6

Marathon and Shorter Age-Group Winners, Men
10-19 years old—Clint Hugie, Salt Lake City, Utah, 107.1 points
20-29 years old—Dan Dehlin, Marquette, Michigan, 285.5 points
30-39 years old—Brian Beckort, Tell City, Indiana, 460.4 points
40-49 years old—Dale Reicheneder, Malibu, California, 683.2 points
50 and over—Heath Hibbard, Montrose, Colorado, 319.1 points

Marathon and Shorter Age-Group Winners, Women
10-19 years old—Alanna Wildman, Milaca, Minnesota, 104.8 points*
20-29 years old—Rachel Post, Plymouth, Michigan, 144.1 points
30-39 years old—Mary White, Kirkwood, Missouri, 166.8 points
40-49 years old—Julie Gerke, Basking Ridge, New Jersey, 209.6 points
50 and over—Janice Mackay, Sault Sainte Marie, Ontario, 346.6 points

*Wildman had the same number of points as several other women in her age group, but was named the winner for logging the fastest marathon time of 4:41:43.

Please click here for full results.

Our Friends in Congress ...........
Are at it again.
Saw this today at View From The Porch

"We're all terrorists now" -
"The House of Representatives has passed H.R.1955, the "Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007". One of the bill's sponsors, Rep. Harman (D-CA), said

"We must intervene before a person crosses the line separating radical views from violent behavior, create an environment that discourages disillusionment and alienation, and instill in young people a sense of belonging and faith in the future."

She poses a few good questions about this bullshit as well.

I'm curious by just what they mean by "Intervene" and by who's definition of what "Radical Views" are.
I've got a bad feeling about that kind of language being used by people who have the power of the state behind them.

Lucky I keep a few cans of this around -











Molon Labe, Asshole.
Come and get some.

Because -

Beer Goggles.......
Denny, The Grouchy Old Cripple has a funny video on this subject. Check it out. Made me laugh.

Friday Night Music .......
Old Deep Purple doing "Highway Star". Listen to the drum work, fabulous. -


For something completely different, how about John Prine doing "Hello in there"? -


Here's The Allman Brothers, doing "In memory of Elizabeth Reed" -


Yes, I like live music. I've enjoyed having the capability to search YouTube and see a lot of this old stuff. I hope you enjoy it too.

Emily Battle of The Free Lance-Star in Fredericksburg wrote an article about folks doing double- and triple-Ironmans. Yowza! Can't imagine what a 78.6 mile run feels like after a 7.2 mile swim and 336 mile bike ride. A couple of ultra runners and doctors chimed in - "ultra-runners often talk about the key to their success being their ability to numb themselves to the pain they feel as the miles build up." Worth a read.

Odd News and Headlines .......
Lots of strange things in the news the last few days.

Does this fall under the "Tastes like Chicken" or "Don't F*ck with Darwin" Department? - "I'm not afraid of a panda, I know karate"
You decide.

This one definitely qualifies for "Political Headlines We Should See More Of" - Deputy mayor dies in monkey attack

Politicians ..... Angry, Attack Monkeys. Just makes sense.







And for kinda cool stunt of the day? Man levitates outside the White House

I've seen pictures of this guy before. It's a neat trick. I love crap like this so don't ruin it for me.

And for no good reason, George C. Scott as Patton playing "Smoke on the Water".









*Update/Addendum - This is what I get for having a day off. More crazy shit than I have time for. But, I wouldn't want you to miss out on anything.

Like this -
Aussie barmaid fined for crushing cans with bare breasts
Sadly, no pictures.

From the "Why I Hate People" Files - Hooker Mom Snorts Cocaine Off Baby’s Stomach While Breastfeeding
Charming.

And finally, from the "Just Wrong, But I'm Gonna anyway" Department -

Although the official results haven't been posted, it appears that 41-year-old Dale Reicheneder has won the 2007 Trail Runner Magazine Trophy Series for the Marathon-and-Under division after a hotly contested battle with 2006 winner Hugh Davis from Tell City, IN. This makes Dale the first TRM Trophy Series Champion to repeat, after winning in 2005. Congrats, Dale on Being The Trail Runner Magazine Trail Runner of the Year again!

Janice MacKay from Sault St. Marie, Ontario appears to have won the female division for the Marathon-and-Under Division, while Karl Metzler (Sandy, UT) and Christine Crawford (Whitewater, WI) pick up wins in the Ultra Division.

Atlanta-based trail runner David Shoenberg has switched seats and interviewed me on his blog. It was a lot of fun being on the other side of one of these! If you stop by and read it, be sure to leave David a comment and wish him well on his recovery. I'm hoping to see him at the Santa Barbara 9 Trails at the end of November.

- SD

Still running strong in the tail end of the season? There is still one US Championship left on Nov 16th, 2007 - The Ultra Centric 24-Hour Championship in Grapevine, TX. This year features over $26,000 in prize money for those who can master the rhythm of the two mile loop, plus some longer and shorter formats to tempt others.

This is the 22nd running of the Ultra Centric, and the second year as the US National Championships. New this year are 6-hour, 12-hour races to join the existing 24-hour and 48-hour formats.

Can the American Records be broken? Race Director Robert Tavernini says "yes", particularly if some of the great 100k and 100m US ultra runners give this format a shot, as well as the excellent 24-Hour runners returning from last year. Philip McCarthy has already run 153 miles in this years Drummondville World Championships, in Quebec, Canada. A similar performance could topple the winning result of 146.4 miles from Alex Swenson at the Ultra Centric last year. Get a top finish with 135+ miles, and you might get a spot on the US National 24-Hour Team.

Based on the results of the San Francisco One Day this weekend, there might be a contender nearby!

The Denver Post did an interesting article on the success of 40+ year olds in endurance sports, featuring Marshall Ulrich (multiple winner of Badwater), Bernie Boettcher, Matt Carpenter, and more. My favorite quotes:

"They aren't winning despite their age. They are winning because of their age."

"What we are seeing is a new phenomenon in that we have athletes who are basically athletes their entire lives," says Chris Carmichael, Colorado Springs training maestro to Lance Armstrong and a former pro bike racer who finished his second Leadville 100 this year at the age of 46, this time in less than nine hours. "They just keep on going. They just keep on getting more efficient with their use of oxygen. After years and years of aerobic training and competing, they are, in a sense, smarter athletes."

Take Bernie Boettcher. On his 45th birthday last month, the Silt legend reset his master-class record and logged his fourth overall win at the Imogene Pass race above Telluride. It was his 267th race in 260 consecutive weeks. In those five years of every-weekend racing in sneakers and snowshoes, he's tallied 115 wins and 208 master-class wins."At the end of suffering, there is a reward, and it's a really neat feeling to overcome that suffering," says Boettcher, his blue eyes gleaming beneath his trademark wide-brim straw hat. "After a while, that feeling is irresistible. You plow on through because you know it's so good."

You can read the full article here.

SD

Friday Night Music ........
Here's Van Morrison doing "Wavelength" for ya.


Howzabout, "Domino"?

Here's a favorite of mine from James Taylor.

Enjoy.

Cool Weapons/GunPorn Linkage ......
Who the hell wouldn't want one of these?






A magazine fed 20MM rifle! WooHoo!!

Brought to you via Anzio Ironworks Corp.

Look at the size of the round this thing shoots -


No, I have no idea what the hell you'd do with thing, but who gives a shit. Some things are just worth it for their cool points alone.





Maybe you need something for the wife and /or children?
This is the place - GlamGun.com

Here's a little something special for that young lady in your household -









"The Glambo Signature Series "My Little Pony" M4A1 carbine with forward handgrip and AN-PVS4 night vision sight. The perfect way to introduce your little princess to the wonders of nocturnal wet-work!
A bargain at only $859.95!"

It even has a Nightvision scope! My Daughter would love one of these. Shit, I'd buy one of these for myself and never hesitate to take it to the range.

A Blow Up Doll ????????
Not what you think.

Denny at Grouchy Old Cripple has a

- Not Safe for Work -

example of same.

Something to Consider ......
As the election cycle of 2008 starts to heat up.



Saw this over at Absolute Moral Authority today.

A Couple More Pictures .......
The other day, Jerry from Back Home Again remarked in the comments, on my bemoaning Indiana's lack of mountains.

"Indiana doesn't have mountains? I've been so misinformed. At least the hilly part of the state starts near your neck of the woods."

As I told him, there's hills and then there's HILLS -

8,347 feet of elevation. And it's only a Hill?


Just for comparison, the highest elevation in Indiana is a paltry 1,257 feet.

The link has a nice picture that I am unable to show you right now as Blogger is acting up again. Bah!

Last Saturday, I had the pleasure of joining 60 trail runners for the 4th annual Lake of The Sky 33-Miler in Tahoe City, CA (LOTS). This challenging and scenic out-and-back is one of only two trail races on the Tahoe Rim Trail (TRT) each year, providing one last opportunity to enjoy the TRT before it is buried in snow for the next five months. Cool weather and hearty volunteers combined for a perfect day, and at least one course record would fall before we enjoyed the feast at the finish.

Race Directors Extraordinaire Robert and Linda Mathis had warm coffee ready to go as we all gathered inside to wait for the sun to warm up the 35-40 degree pre-race temperature. The volunteers were all smiles, and unless you asked, you wouldn’t know that they braved all kinds of rain and wind in the last 24 hours to get everything ready. The forecast today was for sunny skies by noon, which should lift the temperature to the mid-50’s.

I packed far too much clothes, prompting Beverly Anderson Abbs (2-time winner and Women’s course record holder for LOTS) to nominate me as a finalist for the “too much gear” award. Joking aside, she was probably right. I had a Sugoi t-shirt, sleeves, vest, hat, gloves, and shorts, as well as a Nathan lightweight shoulder pack stuffed with Clif Bloks and Jelly Bellies, and twin big gun water bottles (26 oz each). Compared to her and Alan (t-shirt, tunes, water bottle and that’s it), I looked like I was going on a camping trip! Plus with my silver gaiters and shoes, I was becoming Eric Clifton-esque in my color selection. Alas. I guess I was still a bit nervous that I might be reduced to walking at some point and wanted to be safe (and seen?).


As we made our way to the 7am start, I caught up with some familiar faces. Peter Lubbers was fresh off winning the Tahoe Super Triple (two marathons, one 72-mile loop around Tahoe) for a second time, and I had no idea how he could even stay upright, let alone run. Gretchen Brugman was ready to roll, and probably longing for her canine companion who has joined her many times on this trail. Rory Borio, who won the Silver State 50k earlier this year, was ready to give Bev Abbs some competition, as was Julie Young and Claire Gilles. Jack Driver was resting this year, but would be running the first aid station. Tony Overbay and Bruce Eisner were going for their first ultra, getting many pats on the back for fully embracing the ultra-insanity with a 7,000’ vertical run on their first try. As 7am arrived and the sun peeked over the mountains, Robert sent us off!


The first four miles are up, up, up, quickly sorting out the “acclimated” from the rest of us. Bev Abbs and Rory Bosio set the pace right out of the gate, and were joined a mile later by Chris Grauth, a marathoner and Leadville 100 veteran from Boulder, CO. All were stepping cautiously since this was the most technical section of trail, enhanced by the frost that had built a slippery layer on most of the rocks. As we hit the first aid station (mile 2.5), Bev, Rory, and Chris (already bleeding apparently) shifted into a higher gear and disappeared into the distance. A chase pack of myself, Alan Abbs, Jason Horne, Julie Young, Tom Wion, Ken Reid, and a triathlete went after them two by two.


As we broke through the cloud layer, the sun melted the frost and lit the trail in fresh sparkling dew. The mountains and clouds on both sides engulfed us in a dramatic naturescape (yes, I’m inventing words, but it was that awesome!). It was still brisk (high 30’s) but that prompted us to keep the pace up. We all got off balance at some point, whether trying to sneak a peak at the view on a highly technical trail, hitting a snow patch, or just the usual trail trolls grabbing a shoelace here and there. As we descended down to the second aid station (mile 7.5), the trail was more frozen dirt than rocks and easier to navigate. Norm Klein was happy to hand out soup, and probably needing a bunch himself to stay warm. I filled the water bottles and went chasing after the five in front of me.


The frozen ground made for a fast surface, but a bit harder on the heels. I was trying out the new Inov-8 320’s on this race, which have more heel support than their 315 brethren, and was happy to have some extra cushion. I ran along with Tom and Ken, who were setting a fast pace in the descent. Tom knew the trail well, and was happy to dish out tips and let us know what was coming.


The Greg Kihn Band (“I love you jeopardy, baby”) summoned us into the Watson Lake aid station (mile 12) where Dave Cotter and Kevin Bigley had a turkey feast waiting, complete with sweet potato pie. I wasn’t hungry for solids yet, but promised I would take a sample on the way back. I recharged the water bottles (intake was 36 oz/hour) and hit the trail with Tom. We quickly found we were a good match, since he was much faster on the downhills and I wanted to run the flats and smaller uphills (the steepest climbs had us both walking). In fact, the steeper the downhill got, the faster Tom would go! He said it was because the training ground near the Fleet Feet Sports he managed in Carson City was super-technical and steep. I dubbed him “the mountain goat”, and tried my best to keep him in sight.


After two miles of fast running, we tackled the last climb the turnaround. Chris Grauch went by so fast I couldn’t get my camera out. Bev Abbs followed about four minutes back, then Rory Bosio, Alan Abbs, and Jason Horne all within 10 minutes. That put Tom and me in 6th and 7th, and we were quite pleased to hit the turnaround in 2 hours 45 minutes. I grabbed a PB&J square, refilled the bottles, and let Tom lead the way back down. In less than three minutes, I lost the mountain goat completely. ;-)


One great thing about an out-and-back is you are rarely alone. There were lots of smiling faces on the trail, and everyone said they were feeling good. Ray Sanchez, Rebecca Duffy, George Ruiz, Tony Overbay, Paul Charteris - all were smiling away and moving fast. About a dozen high fives later, I caught up to Tom and we entered the Watson Lake aid station (mile 21) again where I gorged on sweet potato pie and Coke. Sooooo good!




Jason Horne was also at the aid station, taking his time and suffering a bit from the altitude. I had a few altitude moments in the last couple of miles as well, prompting me to institute the “tunnel vision equals walking” rule on the uphills. I took off ahead of Tom and Jason, but they hollered me back after missing a turn. Whew! Thanks, guys!


Although the course was supposedly less vertical on the way back, it sure felt like a lot more uphill. I had always wondered what my Dad meant when he said “when I was your age, we walked to school every day, uphill both ways, in the snow!”, and apparently there are trails like that. ;-) With all the uphill, I put some distance between me and Tom, but knew it would only take a few sections of downhill for him to catch up.


At mile 22, the runners high kicked in big time. Oh, how I long for this moment in every race! My heart rate slowed, the rhythm took over, and my strides felt long and natural. The trail became an extension of my body, and with every step, every breath, I was connected to the earth. I was in awe of my surroundings, this tapestry of million-year-old stone, hundred-year-old trees, and this-years-plants curling up for the winter, and the glorious insignificance of one runner making his way through. It made me wonder – Could anything ever feel this good forever? Would anything ever feel this good again? All I ask of you, Mother Nature, is to promise not to stop if I say “when”.

Wait a minute – that’s a Foo Fighters song! Usually if the insight rhymes, it’s a sure sign it’s stolen. ;-)


The smiling face of Norm Klein at the next aid station (mile 25) pulled me from my daze, and he helped fill my water bottles one last time. Norm was a great sport for being out here in the cold all day, and was happy to pour soup for some local hikers as well. He mentioned I was in 4th – hmmm. That means someone could be off course.

The last hill was a grind, but I gave it my all hoping I could build a big enough gap for the inevitable Tom the Mountain Goat. The runners high kept me company, as did the Foo Fighters song now running through my head. When I hit the last four miles of technical trail, my legs had enough to blast through it, but my technique wasn’t up to snuff. A mile into it, I heard “THERE HE IS! I’M COMING FOR YOU!” as Tom chuckled and went by me in a flash. It was helpful to follow him for a while and watch his technique – he picks a line like a downhill mountain bike with 7” of travel and throws his weight forward with ease. As he shared with me, he has solid leg strength so he can “have faith” in charging down. Although I couldn’t keep his pace, I did notice I was running the technical downhill faster than usual after running with him, simply by being more aware of my center of gravity. I crossed the finish line a few minutes behind him in 5:51:49, good enough for 5th place.


Chris Grauth had won the race in 5:16:12, despite taking a fall early in the race. Bev Abbs took 18 minutes (!) off her course record to place second in 5:21:22, while Rory Bosio battled stomach issues in the second half but still finished strong for third overall (5:45:22). Alan Abbs had been the one to take the wrong turn (the same spot I did), and came in about 6:15 while being a great sport about the wrong turn. One thing I noticed about Alan and most finishers – there was plenty of blood and dirt showing! That technical section claimed shins on both the way out and back. I think Julie Young should get the award for best battle scar.


We feasted on homemade vegetarian chili, pork roast, scalloped potatoes, and pie, and shared stories of a great day on the trails. Everyone commented that this race has a wonderful layout for a 50k-ish distance, with a few easy stretches, a few really difficult sections, and a finish challenging enough to be proud of. I was so impressed with the course markings and aid stations too – really a top effort by all. My thanks to the RDE’s and volunteers for braving the cold and putting on a fantastic race! I will certainly be back.

A bit More About the Trip............
Here's a few more pictures from my 'Ernest Goes to Montana" trip.
Chimney Rock. In Northwest Nebraska. I figured if it was good enough for all the pioneers on the Oregon Trail to use as a landmark, it should work for me.











I give you CARHENGE
I made a slight (150 mile) detour out of my way to check this goofy shit out. This is one of those "Because We Can" type of things and I can't say much more about it.










I don't suppose I have to tell you what this is -








I stayed here in a nice little motel (1 of 3 businesses in town) my first night in Wyoming.










I stopped for a break in the afternoon at a city park in Powell, WY and met an elderly gentleman and his wife out walking their dog. 84 years old and a motorcycle rider up until only a few years ago. Really neat guy. His best line was - "I wish I were 70 again so I could go with you". Kinda puts a different perspective on aging. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of them.

Well, Blogger is messing up and won't let me post any more pictures. So that's it for now.

My House is Getting Smaller.....
As my wife continues to fill it with dogs.

I came home from work late Saturday night and found this big ass, red Doberman taking up space -

Long story as to how he came to be here, but both the wife and youngest son, appropriately nicknamed, Dogboy, had already decided that this mutt was gonna be a part of the household.

He's HUGE. Pete the Gay Boxer Dog on the left there weighs in at around 75 lbs. This Doberman just dwarfs him. The poor thing is skinny as a rail and you can tell he's not been eating to well as of late. G-d knows how big he'll be once he gets his feed back on.

Do I sound like I've already accepted this as inevitable? That'd be correct. It was a done deal between the 2 of them and that's the way it was gonna be. Being that I like dogs ......... Oh hell, why fight it.

He doesn't appear to be very old. He's very trainable and EXTREMELY well mannered and calm. Just wants to sit with/near you and hang out. Friendly as hell. He looks about half retarded, as somebody did a terrible job on his ears and his tail is way to long for a Dobe. But between him and Pete the Gay Boxer, I don't have to worry about home security and the wife being alone while I'm at work till late at night.

This is gonna be Dogboys buddy. So all of you can join with me in hoping that the kid gets a good job and finds a place to live where he can take that big bastard with him.

Soon.

Friday Music .......
With the new internet connection, I've been able to cruise through YouTube and have found a bunch of old videos of one of my favorite players, Rory Gallagher. Rory was a fantastic musician, but never achieved the fame he deserved. To bad as he could tear up a guitar.

Here's one for today -




Oh hell, here's another - This one's an acoustic tune by Tony Joe White.



As I'm surfing through Rory vids I keep finding cool shit. Like this one -



What the hell. I doubt many of you know who the hell Rory was anyway. Be good for you to check him out.

Hi Honey, I'm Home!!!!!
Well, I'm back from the Wild Wild West Trip of '07.

Devils Tower is awesome in the morning. A great way to start a day. See the Moon in there?






Approximately 6000 miles in 19 days. 6 of which were non riding days. Mileage got screwed up when I erased the trip odometer in Kansas and lost around 700 miles. Oops.

Weather sucked for the most part. Cold, rain, wind gusts of 60+ mph and snow.

Great trip anyway.

Random thoughts -
*Nebraska is to damn long. It should have been 2 states. When riding West to East, you feel like you're never gonna get out of it. Even when you're averaging 85-90 mph. If it were 2 states, you'd at least feel like you were accomplishing something while driving 500+ miles.

*Indiana needs a couple of mountains. It'd be nice to look out the window and see a few of these.
Yep. That'd be nice. That was taken from the motel in Utah.





*If I had a shitload of money, I'd go to Idaho and buy old cars and sell them back East.

*You can't swing a dead cat without hitting a Hippie in Idaho.

*One of every 4 TV stations in Utah is produced by the Mormons.

*People drive better out West and are way more considerate to motorcycles.

That's enough random thoughts for the time being. Things went pretty well overall. Had a few weird electrical quirks on the bike, but they fixed themselves. Except for the clock. It crapped out some where in Kansas and never did get it to work consistently.

Maybe when your hit 4 time zones in a week that's what happens. Freaks the friggin' clock out.


Saw way more snow than a guy should when riding a motorcycle.




The riding and roads are incredible. This is somewhere on the Chief Joesph Highway in Wyoming.


Ok. More later.
I gotta go play
with the Baby's Mom.

Last Sunday I had the pleasure of joining about 400 runners for the Running of the Bulls 5k in Palo Alto, CA.


<-- One of the bulls, former Olympian Doug Consiglio

This race/walk has a fun format to go with the Pamplona-style theme – about 2 minutes after the start, five elite runners dressed in bull/cow costumes come chasing after the pack. Everyone wondered – could we finish before they caught us?!?

In the spirit of the event, I donned a Spanish matador costume. I figured if the bulls caught me, I could whip out my cape and let them charge me before pulling it away (Ole!). This was a fun run after all, and I always enjoy goofing around in costume just before Halloween. But I definitely wouldn’t want to be the next person to rent this costume. ;-)

Before the race, some local coaches and elite athletes put on a kids track clinic. Joy Upshaw-Margerum, a coach for the Jack Rabbit Track Club for kids, performed the orientation before turning it over to some of the elites such as 3-time Olympian Robert Weir, Masters Champion Tim Dempsey, and Pole Vault Gold Medalist Kris Mack.


Grace Upshaw, the 2007 National Long Jump Champion and a 2004 USA Olympic athlete, showed a bunch of kids the basic balancing and strength skills of long jumping, while Robert Weir and others showed a group how to do high kick drills. It was fun to watch (see videos below), and the kids were having a great time!





I ran into fellow ultrarunner Jean Pommier, who was fitting in one more quick warm up run before the International 20k in Paris next weekend. He lined up at the start with about a dozen serious-looking runners hoping to cash in on some of the prize money. The race announcers introduced the bulls and cows – 7-time All-American and Canadian Olympian Doug Consiglio, 5-time NCAA Champion Brand Houser, Olympian Kate O’Neill, and more. I got the feeling we were going to need more than 2 minutes!





At 9am, we were off and running down the streets of Palo Alto. The field quickly spread out, with the track junkies up front, joggers and strollers in the middle, walkers in the back, and kids everywhere in between. Some of the kids were putting their newly acquired track skills to work, and having no trouble keeping a fast pace. Within a couple of minutes, we were all turning our heads to look for the bulls.




I hit the first mile in about six minutes, and could see the front runners already a good two blocks ahead. So far, no bulls. I was beginning to wonder if “matador” was Spanish for “master of chafing”, since this costume was already starting to rub me raw. No worries though – at only 5k in distance, this race would be over before the coffee I left at the starting line got cold.


Mile two came in about 12 minutes even, I had heard the shouting behind me saying “bulls are coming!”. Before I could whip off my cape, a brown streak went charging by at full speed. That was Bolata Asmeron, a top-ranked 5k runner who just ran a 13:40 last Saturday, so I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised! I stopped to get some pics of the next set of bulls, but they were a ways back, so I got back in the race.


I picked up the pace along with two stroller-pushing dads duking it out for “first stroller” division. Before we knew it, the finish line was in site. I crossed in 20:22, about 34th place. My matador costume had seen better days (and smelled oh-so-peachy), but was much improved when they presented me with the cowbell finishers medal. What a great idea! The park sounded like a barnyard and everyone clanked their way through chutes to the root beer float stand.


It was 9:20am and my race was already done! That went by fast. Some of the runners had finished fast enough to cool down already, such as winner Tommy Schmitz (15:30), Women’s winner Kris Passo (17:45), and Jean Pommier who got 5th (16:47). It seemed odd to be finished so early in the day - such a change from the all-day affairs of most ultras! But this gave us all plenty of time to get to know the neighbors, have some snacks, and meander on down to the Palo Alto Farmers Market for breakfast. I guess that’s what “fun runs” are all about – short and pleasant enough that fun is guaranteed! Throw in a costume, and you’ll end up with smiles that last all day.


Sophie enjoyed the cowbell tremendously, and we spent the rest of the day checking out the pumpkin patch. All good fun! My thanks to the Race Director and volunteers for putting on a great race!

- SD