Blogs Sport Wallpaper

(Bev gives her first hand report of Hawaii's HURT 100 - thanks, Bev!)

“The course is very runnable, just be careful and don’t get caught up in the first 2 laps. A 4:15 to 4:30 first lap is good for guys, then about a 4:30 to 4:45, then 5:00 hours. If you do that, the last two laps should be around 6 to 6:30.”

I don’t honestly know who said that in the early morning hours prior to the start of HURT 100, 2006. I don’t even know if it was one person, or a composite that I put together in my mind. All I know is that I didn’t pay any attention to it!

When the race started at 6am, there was a mass of lights bouncing up the dark trail, feet picking carefully through the roots and rocks of the first hill climb. I started fast hiking/jogging to get up toward the front and see who was where in the field, finally pulling up beside Jim Kerby and Karl Meltzer. Alan (Abbs) was right behind me and a young man named Corey was there with us. The five of us set a fairly stiff pace, me pulling up the hills, then falling back a bit on the technical descents. For most of lap 1, I was with Karl, James, Corey, and Alan just following their footsteps through the technical areas where I am not good. Lap 1 was FAST....I didn't see anything except the feet in front of me or the ground when they put me out in front. Going into Paradise Park aid station, we passed a waterfall and I had no idea it was there until we came back from the aid station and there was this 300' fall right in front of me... talk about focused. Coming out the first aid station, I noticed Darcy Africa coming in to it about 5 minutes or so after. I kept following the feet, scrambling over rocks and picking through masses of roots. We finished lap 1 in 3 hours 52 minutes, much to my surprise.

Lap 2 was still fast...a little slower though, 4:13. I stayed more or less with Jim for lap 2 while Karl kept up that ungodly pace the entire race (he could have completed another lap by the time I finished). I took the time to change socks at Paradise Park, knowing how bad my feet can get if they stay wet. Darcy was staying pretty close, making up some time on me on when I changed socks.


After lap 2, I slowed a bit to look around on lap 3, I was still pretty close to James and enjoyed that contact, and I started to see what I was running in (don’t look down though, the ground is a mass of treacherous roots and rocky sections waiting to catch toes and turn ankles). The forest was quite spectacular, I often saw little critters running across the trail and thought I heard a pig once. I even saw a little orange feral kitten. This lap could have been brutal if it had been really hot. As it was the weather to this point was perfect, no rain, sun dappled through the leaves. Warm enough to take off shirts, but not so warm that you were sweating profusely. I took the time to really look at the waterfall coming out of Paradise Park, but still recognized that the next woman was only minutes behind me. I picked up a head light at Paradise, just in case I didn’t make it to Jackass Ginger before dark. Jim was coming out of Jackass Ginger as I was going in. He had picked up a pacer, a luxury I did not have (nor did I have crew). Once the darkness set in and I was alone, it was hard to keep any kind of decent pace going. I was a little worried about hurting myself or going the wrong way, fortunately Cindy, an angel had shown up at the main intersection to direct traffic. The ground in some areas was just a mass of roots, the downhills were treacherously steep with boulders in some areas you had to crawl over, the climbs were just steep, and everything was slippery and muddy and getting worse as more and more feet passed through.


I had a bright headlight, but not my waist light (it is at the S/F). Big mistake, and not good enough lighting to really make any speed on technical areas and I no longer have the guys to follow foot placement. I got back to the Start/Finish aid station in about 5:13 and looked up to see Darcy coming in about 3 minutes or so behind me. She came over to her bin, next to mine and said "you know I'm only doing the 100k don't you?" I tried to be nonchalant, thanked her, wished her good luck and continued to eat and deal with my stuff while she took off on her final 2 mile loop to finish the 100k. Darcy went on to set the Women’s course record for the 100K.

Laps 4 and 5...ok its dark. These laps were much slower, mostly at a walk. It was carnage out there...it looked like the night of the living dead...at the intersection you could see lights coming from all directions, people looked half catatonic, lights bobbing around through the trees. Very surreal! I finally finished that fourth lap and figured I could run at least some of the next one...


Overall, the race is very well organized and the aid station people were great. On lap 5, I decided to change socks one last time at Jackass Ginger and Greg washed my feet, put powder on them and helps me with my socks while someone else got a cup of soup for me. The trails were great the first couple of laps, until they started to get chewed up by all the feet going over them. A crew and pacer are a must if you want to shoot for a fast time, but the race is easily doable with neither.

I’d like to extend a special thank you to Sunsweet Growers Inc out of California for their incredible support of Alan’s and my racing over the last several years. Not only have they provided us with unlimited quantities of dried fruit (the best food you can eat for endurance events), the members have been personally supportive in many ways. I’d also like to thank Montrail and Petzl for providing great products, without which running an event like HURT would be impossible, and Scott Kremer Chiropractic care (Red Bluff, CA) and Carol Borror massage therapist and friend (Red Bluff, CA). And thanks also to everyone who has followed our adventure racing and running and cheered us on over the years.

- Bev

[Note: Bev went on to crush the HURT 100 course in 27:18, the first female and third overall; on top of HURT and Western States this year, Bev and Alan are organizing a Trail Running Festival in Oakridge, OR in July, 2006]

Tom Siestra, the Outdoor Journalist for the San Francisco Chronicle, did an article on my home park, Huddart Park. I'm glad to see my neighboring deers and squirrels came out to say 'hi'!

Here are some snippets:

"Huddart is above Woodside, spanning to Skyline Ridge on the west face of Kings Mountain, where the canyons and ridges are filled with cathedral redwoods and small creeks, the sun-faced slopes with tanoak and madrone."

"...the final count for the day says it all: 9 deer, 1 hiker, 1 squirrel and 1 amazed runner from Montana."

You can read the full article here. Tom is right - we have it great here in the Bay Area!

- SD

Different Kind of Pinup.................


















Yeah, I like WWII propaganda artwork. I've been collecting these things for awhile now and have 7-8 of them. Don't have this one yet, but I'll buy it when I can get it at a decent price. I picked up a WWI poster last year for only $5.00. It's pretty fragile and needs to be gotten into a frame. ALL of them need to be framed for that matter.
I'll post a few more and some links to places later. Gotta go to work and save lives in the ER now. Later.

What More Can I Say ?????????


















Gonna have to get the T-shirt.

Pin Up Girls 4 U ......................
















Found this here :
http://www.sdharleyriders.com/album/index.html
Love this kind of artwork.

The big buzz among online trail runners today was that Montrail is being acquired by one of the billion dollar shoe brands. Montrail has been one of the pioneering brands of trail and ultra running and has stuck close to the low-key essence of the sport, so it’s no surprise that runners are worried that an acquisition will “corporatize” the company they have come to love. Can you imagine what glitzy Phil Knight from Nike would do to an ultra running brand?!? It’s enough to make you chunk your breakfast.

That being said, my guess is that it isn’t Nike. It’s probably New Balance. Here’s my theory:

Adidas-Salomon and Reebok merged, combining the #2 and #3 players to finally building a solid contender to Nike. Adidas is a marketing powerhouse (and has the adventure-friendly Salomon brand as well), and focusing that energy on expanding Reeboks style brand is going to take 105% of their energy. Big mergers are tough – probably not the best idea to tack on another brand.

Nike’s stock price is stagnant, and they recent canned their CEO. Adidas is whomping their ass in Europe and Japan, two high-growth markets where Nike's swoosh has traditionally dominated. Usually in periods of transition and core market erosion, you don’t take on an acquisition like this. Besides, Nike is doing well with the trail running line, and has a solid cost structure from hiring slaves in third world countries (ha, ha).

But what about New Balance? Great company, great products, but they just became a seriously small #3 to Adidas/Reebok and Nike. They need to bulk up and build out their brands. From a cultural perspective, who better to acquire Montrail? New Balance has their whole “For Love or Money” campaign – if any company is going to fit into the ultra world, it would be these guys.

I can only hope that whomever the acquirer is, they appreciate the time and effort Montrail puts into their race series, their ultra teams, and their support of the trail running community. It would be a massive loss to have this thrown to the wayside in the name of profits.

I’m sure we’ll here more in the next couple of days. My apologies for getting all MBA on you guys, but I found the prospect fascinating. And if I’m right, you heard it hear first!!!!

- SD

[See comments below - it was confirmed late on 1/25/06 that Montrail was being bought, but my guess on acquirer was...DEAD WRONG!!! I'm such a rookie. ;-) It turned out to be Columbia Sportswear, home of Columbia, Mountain Hardwear, Sorel, and more. You can find the press release here.]

Inov-8 is giving some hints to the new product announcements expected at the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market next week. Gore-Tex, gaiters, and Roclites, oh my!

Just in time for Rucky Chucky in March, where warm and dry were hard to come by last year.

SD

Inov-8® Off Road Footwear Granted GORE-TEX® License

Inov-8®, GORE-TEX® XCR® line of shoes to Premier at Outdoor
Retailer Winter Market Booth 5046

Framingham, MA, January 24, 2006

Inov-8 will launch their new GORE-TEX® XCR® shoes and Advanced Gaiter System at Outdoor Retailer Winter Market. Inov-8 will incorporate the GORE-TEX® XCR® waterproof
membrane into three upcoming shoe designs, which will enhance the
effectiveness of Inov-8 shoes in wet, off road conditions. Utilizing
GORE-TEX® XCR®, Inov-8 has also developed a fully integrated detachable
gaiter system providing the runner or walker with a fully waterproof and
breathable system above the ankle joint.

The combination of Inov-8’s high performance, light-weight, sticky sole
technology and GORE-TEX® waterproof technology will raise the bar for
performance in off-road running shoes. GORE-TEX® XCR® will be featured
in the new Roclite 295 GTX, Roclite 320 GTX and Flyroc 360 GTX and
Advanced Gaiter System (AGS), to premier at Outdoor Retailer Winter
Market January 28 – 31, 2006 in Salt Lake City, UT. “This new GTX
product gives the runner a fully waterproof option in our trail running
line,” said Wayne Edy, founder of Inov-8. “To be granted a GORE-TEX®
license is a testament to the exceptional quality of Inov-8 products and
GORE-TEX® confidence in the Inov-8 brand.”

About Inov-8

Based in "England’s last Wilderness", the North Pennines, Inov-8 is a
British company that is passionate about the specialist off-road running
products we make. Since our launch in 2003, we have become the fastest
growing off-road running brand in the United Kingdom. The Inov-8 design
philosophy is to design footwear around the natural function of the
foot. The Inov-8 range of off road shoes follows the precision shape of
the foot providing the wearer with a secure and precise fit that’s
almost like running barefoot. World Mountain running champions
throughout Europe, Australia, New Zealand and the USA wear our shoes. We
are committed to providing high quality, functional, lightweight
products that will enhance performance and enjoyment. All of our
products are extensively tested by enthusiasts and elite international
athletes. We continually strive to make high performance, lightweight
and flexible off road running product. Inov-8® is a registered trademark
of INOVEIGHT LTD. All rights reserved. For more information, please
visit www.inov-8.com.

GORE-TEX® FOOTWEAR

GORE-TEX^® Footwear offers shoes suited for all conditions. The climate
comfort system and durable waterproof protection are the key elements of
all GORE-TEX® shoes. For more than 20 years Gore has been continually
developing membrane technology, shoe components and construction
techniques offered to its brand partners. GORE-TEX® Footwear consists of
two ranges; GORE-TEX® shoes and GORE-TEX® XCR® shoes. GORE-TEX® shoes
are designed to provide ideal climate comfort for all kinds of outdoor
activities even in adverse weather conditions. GORE-TEX® XCR® shoes,
(XCR stands for e*_X_*tended *_C_*omfort *_R_*ange), provides day long
optimum climate comfort in warm temperatures - for the great indoors as
well as the great outdoors.

Shoes designed with the GORE-TEX® lining offer a unique combination of
durable waterproof protection, high breathability and carry Gore’s
unique GORE-TEX® footwear GUARANTEED TO KEEP YOU DRY® promise GORE-TEX®,
GORE-TEX®GUARANTEED TO KEEP YOU DRY®, GORE-TEX®XCR®, GORE and designs
are trademarks of W.L. Gore & Associates.

For media inquiries regarding GORE-TEX® please contact Sally
Ryder-Taylor at Ruse Communications, Gore Footwear UK Press Office via
sally@rusecomm.co.uk or tel. 07793815026.

The Marblehead Reporter (MA) recently interviewed Marcy Schwam, one of the pioneer woman ultrarunners. Marcy set numerous world records in the 70's and 80's, including the 100k (as the first woman to break 8 hours), 100-mile (15:44), 24- and 48-hour races. She was also the first woman to break 6 hours in a 50-mile, complete a 6-day race, and many more.

The article does a good job of going over her European and US triumphs, her head-to-head competition with Sue Ellen Trapp, and Marcys fond recollection of charting new ground.

Last year, Marcy was inducted in the two-year old Ultra-running Hall of Fame (selected by the American Ultrarunning Association). I didn't even know that existed, but there you go.

(Photo of Marcy Schwam with the trophy she won for being the first woman to finish the Cleavland Marathon, courtesy of Marblehead Reporter staff photographer, Robert Branch - be sure to click here for the full story)

Global Warming Continues Here ........
Got close to 60 degrees here yesterday again. Naturally, had to do some riding. Put on about 100 miles on some of the local roads here. It kept looking like it was gonna rain any minute, and being the wimp I am, didn't wanna have to ride to far home in the rain. Yeah, I had my rain gear strapped on the back, but I very seldom take the time to stop and put it on. I generally just keep on riding. No, I don't know why I bother to carry it either.

It's January, and we've had 5-6 days of COMFORTABLE riding weather this month. December had, MAYBE 4 days that were fit for riding comfortably. I consider anything above 45 and sunny comfortable. I ride in most anything but snow, just not as much as I used to. I'm getting old and wimpy.

Global Warming? Bring it on. It's about 6am now and it's gotta be close to 60 degrees out there. I have to go check the weather forecast. I may be able to ride to work tonight.

Ann-Margret, Rocker Girl ..........................






















Found this cool pic of the Lovely Ms. Margret on a cool old Brit Bike.
I love Brit Bikes and nice looking wimmems, so here ya go!

Global Warming?????

Who gives a shit? It was 55 degrees here yesterday and I got my ass out and rode the Big Blue Meanie yesterday. Yes, I got it all back together without any problems. Yes, I'm STILL sick with this cold and feel like shit. Yes, sneezing inside a full face helmet when your nose is full of snot is disgusting. I got out and burned some dinosaur bones for awhile anyway. In January. Hah!

Those fuckin' Dinosaurs driving their nasty ass SUV's musta been what caused the ice age anyway, so burning that oil and warming shit up made me feel good today. I guess the Ice Age ended because man learned to use fire and burned Ghia to death or some shit.

Like I said, Who gives a shit? It was nice and I rode in frigging January. I'll take that shit when I can, thank you.

Started Thinking, Music.......
Posting below about Wilson Pickett got me thinking about musical influences. Probably the single biggest person to influence where my musical tastes ended up was my older brother, Chief. Father of Surly@ http://www.surlycamera.blogspot.com/ . Surly's the one to blame for getting me started with this blog thing.

Chief, ordered a build it yourself Crystal Radio kit from the back of a comic book or some magazine once. That's how you did things back then. You sent off a letter through the mail with a check, cash or money order in it and waited for weeks for the Mailman to deliver your goods to you. Comic books had an especially good collection of ads for young knuckleheads. Popular Mechanics, Outdoor Life and Mad Magazine had great ad sections in the back too.

After it arrived, He and the Old Man put it together over a day or two. I think it cost him about $4.75, shipping included. Yeah, sounds cheap, but a new pair of Levis jeans were only $3.25 then.

That Little Radio Rocked. After dark it just got better and better. The later it got, the better the reception became for all the Good Stations. Memphis, Little Rock, N'awlins and a zillion others playing Soul Music.

Chief would buy 45 rpm records from Mrs Blanchard at the local record store and play them on our Montgomery Wards record player too. In the Summer, he and his friends would commandeer the garage and hang out and play records all friggen day and night. This was at least 40 years ago in the pre-FM radio explosion.

I was just a little, Cross Eyed Fucktard at the time, and like all little brothers, I'm sure I was a pain in the ass to have hanging around. Chief was pretty cool about it most of the time though, except when he was doing his, Rico Suave bit with Lumpy Legs, the girl who lived next door. That shit made more sense a few years later, but at the time I didn't get it.

Chief turned me on to WMPP also. WMPP was a Black oriented station out of "East Chicager Heights, Illernois". Great music station with really cool DJ's like "J Cobb, working on the job. Playin' a stack-o-wax, Higher than a Bulls back. Put the needle in the grove and watch me move!". They also had some crazy bastid who went by the moniker of "The Rag Man". The Rag Man was always dispensing bits of advice such as "Driving is like Bowling. You gots to keep it in your own lane". Or "If you Drink and Drive, you gonna end up with the police as a chaser". Funny shit, even for a kid.

I had eye surgery again, when I was 12 or 13 to straighten those fuckin' crossed eyes some more. Chief bought me 2 record albums to listen to while I was lying around the house blind as a bat with the friggen bandages on. Vanilla Fudge and the Beach Boys, Pet Sounds. How cool was that?

Yeah, he pretty much was the driver on where my musical car ended up going. Same thing with motorcycles. He took me to the drive in to see "On Any Sunday", Which is still the definitive motorcycle movie.

Cool shit that made a lasting impression. Now that I'm an Old, Cross Eyed Fucktard, I still like Soul Music and Motorcycles.

Wilson Pickett, RIP .....................




















Died yesterday of a heart attack. He was 64.

Bummer. Pickett was Soul Music. He had it all and will be remembered by those of us who were raised on Soul.

The LA Times has a nice obituary here:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-pickett20jan20,0,246036.story?coll=la-home-headlines

My older brother, Chief, got me started on Soul Music when I was just a little Cross Eyed Fucktard with Wilson Pickett. Can't thank 'em enough.

Over 120,000 people hit the trails to celebrate National Trails Day this June 3rd. You can check out http://www.americanhiking.org/events/ntd/index.html for a list of events in your area (and if you know of a race that weekend, be sure to add it to their list!). Press release is below.

SD

14th Annual National Trails Day
American Hiking Society Event, June 3
by American Hiking Society
January 16th, 2006

Silver Spring, MD—All across the country, people are getting ready to celebrate the great outdoors at this year's National Trails Day—America's largest annual single-day trails and outdoor celebration. Organized by American Hiking Society, the national nonprofit organization serving as the national voice for America's hikers, the 14th annual National Trails Day is set to kick off on Saturday, June 3. Hundreds of thousands of trail enthusiasts are expected to participate in a wide variety of activities on public trails at more than one thousand nationally sanctioned events across the land. National Trails Day, American Hiking Society's signature trail awareness program, encompasses activities for all interests and abilities, in an inclusive, family-friendly manner. Events will include: hikes; paddles; horse and bike rides; outdoor festivals; trail openings and dedications; volunteer trail building and maintenance projects; educational programs; and much more. Besides allowing people to discover, learn about and celebrate our country's public trails system, it also provides Americans a chance to thank the volunteers, land-managing organizations and civic-minded businesses that maintain this irreplaceable national asset. "Our nation's trails offer Americans from all walks of life boundless opportunities to enjoy nature, renew themselves, and establish a lifetime of fitness," notes Gregory Miller, President of American Hiking Society. "From city dwellers and suburban families to rural and country residents, children to senior citizens, recent immigrants to people with deep roots here, trails offer every American a healthy, enjoyable way to spend time outside." Trail events in 2006 will embody this year's theme, "Experience Your Outdoors."

"The 'Experience Your Outdoors' theme personalizes National Trails Day for all Americans, and is meant to encourage everyone to get outside, get active and experience the myriad opportunities for outdoor recreation that trails afford. We hope that attending a National Trails Day event will expose people to the wonders of their community trails, and the variety of ways they can be enjoyed," says Miller.

National Trails Day events are hosted by local and statewide trail clubs, city, state and federal public land and health agencies, community groups and other nonprofit organizations, and outdoor-minded businesses. People interested in attending a local event should visit American Hiking's National Trails Day web site, www.NationalTrailsDay.org. The site includes a map allowing users to search for registered events in their local community and across the country. The web site also includes detailed information on how you or your organization can "Experience Your Outdoors" and host your own National Trails Day activity or get involved with planned events in your area. According to the Outdoor Industry Association, almost 160 million Americans age 16 or older, or two-thirds of the population, participate in trail-oriented outdoor recreational sports, including hiking, backpacking, trail running and cross-country skiing. "The significant increases we've seen in National Trails Day participation each year, coupled with the growing number of Americans who enjoy outdoor recreational activities, indicate the importance of and need for local trails, parks and open spaces. We salute the countless volunteers at clubs nationwide and our valued network of government, corporate and non-profit partners who make our country's outstanding trail network possible. We urge Americans to support this cooperative effort to expand, sustain and preserve our trails and natural areas," says Miller.

Since its debut back in 1993, National Trails Day has grown from 100 registered events attended by 10,000 people, to more than a thousand events attended by an estimated 125,000 outdoor recreationists last year. All 50 states, as well as Washington, DC, Puerto Rico, Guam, Canada and the Virgin Islands have participated in events.

To learn more about National Trails Day 2006, please visit www.NationalTrailsDay.org or contact Ivan Levin, Trail Programs Manager, at 301-565-6704, extension 208.

About American Hiking Society

Founded in 1976, American Hiking Society is the only national conservation-based recreation organization dedicated to establishing, protecting and maintaining the nation's footpaths and promoting the hiking experience. With a strong membership base of individual hikers and hiking clubs, American Hiking represents more than half a million outdoors people and serves as the national voice of the American hiker. To learn more about hiking, the Society and its programs including National Trails Day, please visit www.AmericanHiking.org or call 301-565-6704.

National Trails Day is made possible in part by the generous support of the following business and government leaders. National Sponsors: Adventure Medical Kits, Backpacker magazine, Eastern Mountain Sports, Merrell, REI, Royal Robbins and Thorlos; and Federal Agency Partners: Bureau of Land Management, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Federal Highway Administration, National Park Service, USDA Forest Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Great course conditions at the HURT 100 yielded new course records by Karl Metzler (1st, 22:16), Beverly Anderson-Abbs (1st female, 3rd overall, 27:28), and Monica Scholz (6-time finisher). Alan Abbs finished a strong 5th. Here's a snippet from the HURT blog:

"Utah's Karl Meltzer continued his recent dominace of many of the tough mountain 100's by winning the HURT 100 Trail Endurance Run in the record-breaking time of 22:16. Karl, known for his intense, focused running style and quick aid station transitions, was relaxed, smiling, and even cracked an occasional witty one-liner on the way to being the only person to break the 24 hour barrier. Jim Kirby proved his toughness by running a great race and took the 2nd spot. Excellent trail conditions, beautiful weather and a strong field of 86 talented runners from all over the world produced the most finishers ever, 23 (26%).

The women's race record was also shattered by a gutsy performance from Beverly Anderson-Abbs, who spent much of the race with the front-running men. Local favorite Marian Yasuda surprised everyone, including herself, by taking second place (and was the first Hawaii finisher, overall) and the amazing Monica Scholz became the only runner to officially finish all 6 HURT 100 races. A large crowd of locals gathered at the finish line and went wild as Cheryl Loomis crossed the finish line. A party ensued, with a big tub of ice water being poured over Cheryl's head (ala football) and a champagne toast, The day was filled with many emotional moments watching so many tough competitors show so much determination and the ability to handle pain."

Photos will be posted soon.

SD

Kill All the Engineers............

OK, maybe that's a bit rough. Maybe working on the Big Blue Kawasaki when you feel as shitty as I do was a bad idea.

Needed to change the throttle cables on the Concours. The return cable had snapped and I figured it was only a matter of time before I got my ass caught out in the middle of BFE in a rainstorm. So.........

I drug my snot filled self out to the (Newly cleaned and organized) garage early and started after it. Major pain in the ass. Taking all the bodywork off, tank, seat, etc has gotten to be second nature. But to get the cables off you have to pull the entire bank of carbs. Uhhhh!

That's where it became a chore. Thank God I wasn't on the side of the road trying to do this. Never happen. Tow truck time. Labor cost at a shop to do this would be horrendous. Getting the carbs out was difficult (I thought). Getting them back in was way worse.

Enter COG!!! The Concours Owners Group! (See link on sidebar) Went to their web site and hit the Forum Archives. I knew there had to be an easier way. Not easy mind you, but easier anyhow. Getting that bank of four carbs into and lined up with the intake boots on one side and the airbox boots on the other is a real trick. There is not anywhere close to enough room. Not even close. Fortunately, the tips provided helped.

The trick? A hair dryer. By heating up the rubber boots for the air box, you can roll them up and zip tie them to give you ALMOST enough room to get those carbs in there. Almost enough room. It still takes three hands to do it and a fortunately my Brother in Law stopped by right then. Thanks!

I was worn to a nub by then and basically, it's still sitting out there to be finished. Mostly done and that's good. An hour or two more.

I ended up taking a little nap of about six hours after getting things cleaned up and organized. I'm still a Major Snot Rocket and now have a fever to go with it. Crap. I feel like Crap. Gotta get better soon.

There's Something You Don't See Every Day ......

Glow in the dark Pigs! I can see these becoming the next cool pet. Or not.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4605202.stm

I Have Become a Snot Rocket .......

I knew this was gonna happen.
I have been infected with an upper respiratory viral infection. My sinus cavities are bubbling springs of snot. I have a fever as my body works to produce more snot. My world revolves around mucus this morning.

How did I know this was gonna happen? Because some White Trash Trailer Park Zombie coughed directly into my face last Sunday night at work. I felt that aerosol mix of Zombie snot and Viral particles go all in my eyes and face. Even though I immediately stopped what I was doing and washed my face, I knew I was screwed.

I had the presence of mind to say "Thanks a lot for sharing that, Pal". The Zombie wife mumbled something about 'He can't help it". Ever mindful of maintaning my positive customer service attitude, I told her "He could of turned his G** Damn head". I'm sure I'll get a NastyGram about that.

My highly tuned ER Nurse Immune System is valliantly trying to ward off Viral replication as I type this.

I Learned Something Interesting Yesterday.......

I loaded up the BSA and took it to "Rodger the Brit Guy" yesterday. Stopped for gas on the way to fill up the "Redneck Valdez". That's my nasty ass old red truck, the mobile oil spill.

While filling up, I had 2 different guys come up and tell me about people who "Got an old Triumph in the barn". Yes, I took notes. I probably should have went in an bought a Lotto ticket right then, because that's about the only way I'd be able to afford even 1 more bike project.

But I was really surprised that TWO different people would stop me at one gas stop. Of course, I immediately figured out that if I periodically loaded up the BSA and just drove around and bought $2.00 of gas at all the gas stations in a 50 mile radius I'd get leads on HUNDREDS of bikes!

Great. I don't need these kinds of thoughts.

One of the joys of trail running is that body fluids can be discarded almost anywhere. Most of us have perfected our nostril and loogie ejections (ie, snot and spit) to the point it is a subconscious endeavor. But do we leave behind anything that we should be personally recycling to our own bodies? As disgusting as it sounds, would it be better for hydration and electrolyte balance to swallow rather than eject?

Every runner occasionally experiences times when thick saliva seems to build up in the throat or when the nostrils partially block with mucous. It takes little extra physical effort to propel that spittle to the trailside or, by occluding one nostril at a time with the index finger, expel nasal secretions to first one side then the other (as my son, Scott, calls it, the “snot cannon”). We feel better afterwards and air seems to flow more readily into our lungs. Mother Nature absorbs and repossesses our effluents so efficiently that most of us leave little trace in the wilderness. This is exactly as it should be. But I had always wondered if helping Mother Nature hydrate might be at the expense of our own hydration.

A quick tour of the nasal and oral system will help enlighten our internal capabilities. Mucous membranes line the nasal and oral cavities. The amount of mucous production can vary greatly among individuals and is highly influenced by allergies, air-born irritants, and infection. We know from our worst colds that maximum mucous production can be remarkably high. Thanks to pollen, dusts, and other allergies we also know that a thinner, clearer mucous can also be produced in impressive amounts. Mucus membranes work tirelessly, even as we sleep. Ordinarily everything is politely recycled by swallowing, except for the small portion that ends up in handkerchiefs, Kleenexes, or trailside. So here comes the question posed by this article: are we losing anything important when we return spit and snot to the earth instead of to our own stomachs?

Mucous and saliva are composed of protein, water, and electrolytes. Particularly important are the concentrations of potassium (about 30 meq/liter) and bicarbonate (50-70 meq/liters) which run approximately 6 and 3 times their respective concentrations in plasma. Sodium concentration is about l5 meq/liter. Bicarbonate loss increases the work of the kidney to reabsorb and re-form this compound, which is needed to buffer the lactic acidosis resulting from endurance exercise. The importance of maintaining general fluid and electrolyte balance is a well-documented essential for all cramp-free muscle performance, and it appears that there are high concentrations in the mucous and saliva we leave on the trailside. So we just have to figure out if the volume is significant.

The amount of saliva in each expectoration averages between 4cc. and 20cc (it wasn’t much fun but I’ve actually researched and measured this stuff – all in the name of science!). Likewise, when the nose is cleared, approximately 2-6cc. can emanate from each nostril. So the next time you go out running count the number of times you clear your nose or throat back to mother earth. The average sniff and spitter generates about 10cc of fluid with each episode. Clearing the nose or throat every quarter hour during a four-hour trail marathon places some 160cc of product along the race course. You might argue that 500 runners crossing Death Valley were a boon to adjacent plant life with this output! Truth is that, volume-wise, it’s not much. 160cc constitutes less than 6 ounces or the rough equivalent of an old fashioned, non-Starbucks cup of coffee. It would require only 6oz. of Gatoraid to replace the sodium, potassium, and water while the bicarbonate and protein loss is relatively minimal. Is this significant? Not very, at least not for most of us who pay close attention to estimating and replacing our losses during distance events. Yet when it comes to endurance running the less we have to remember to replace the better our outcome is likely to be. Unlike replacement drinks, our spit and snot is “us”. We don’t have to figure out those losses if we don’t loose them in the first place.

So the bottom line is that it is not just good etiquette to avoid spitting and clearing our noses while running, it is also a sound physiological act to swallow those vital body fluids and retain as much personal water, protein, and electrolyte as possible. If it feels better to externally clear your system, be sure to pull in a few extra ounces of fluid to account for it. But if you find it annoying, and there is someone in your training group that annoys you with their constant spitting or nose clearing, send them this article.

(Author Dr. Larry Dunlap is a runner and Emergency Medicine physician; he also happens to be my dad!)

BSA Revival is Getting Set in Motion.......

Between the overtime and the Christmas bonus at work, I've been able to squirrel away enough cash to get the Bezeer project going again. Hopefully (Key Word), I can get it over to "Rodger the Brit Guy" in the next week and get things rolling again.

Knowing how these projects go, I hope the wad of cash I have is sufficient to cover what I need. This thing needs a lot of little shit I'm to ignorant about to do right now on my own. My learning curve is still pretty steep at this point.

I'm hoping that if I start now, by Spring this thing'll be back to road shape. It's been in need of a lot of little shit since I got it. I've been doing a little at a time. Time to get help on sorting out the carbs and the forks.

I've got to figure out my tank dilemma too. The tank leaks. I tried sealing it with POR15. Didn't work. Don't ask me why, 'cause I followed the directions to the letter. It's been brazed in the past and I'll probably have my Brother (Surlys Dad, Chief) have a crack at it. If it can be fixed, he's the guy who can do it.

I've also been looking at a used UK Breadbox tank. It's pretty pricey, but would look good. Solo seat, old style aircleaners and replacement side covers ....... and on, and on and on. That's how this shit goes I guess.

But it's gotta run first. So, that's the priority at this point. This is the funnest Bike to ride. With forks that hold oil and the new springs in them it will be even more fun. I've got the parts already for that. Rodger has the special tool needed to change the fork internals. He's the go to guy at this point. Hoping to get it over there either Friday this week or first thing next week.

We'll keep you updated. Maybe some new pics soon too.
Yeah, this is a motivational text for me as much as anything. Whatever works, right? Later!

Zombies in the Kitchen......
He works in the Food Service industry.













After working in the ER so long, I've run into another Zombie problem. Where to eat when I do leave the Official GrumpyUnk Command and Control Bunker.

The problem you see is this. I know who staffs the kitchens of most every restaurant in town - Zombies.
I know these people. They are NOT who I want making, handling or even looking at my food. The only way I can go eat at a restaurant is to keep my head down and pretend I don't know who's back there in the kitchen. Or I go to a place in another town and pretend there aren't any Zombies back in the kitchen there.

I also try drinking enough alcohol in hopes that it will kill any Zombie germs or virus particles my immune system and good upbringing miss.

Tough Crowd in the ER Lately........











Yep, it's been really strange in the ER lately. The holiday season escalates the Zombie traffic something fierce. This photo gives you an idea of the clientele we've been seeing lately. One of the Nurses mentioned that she "must have dropped a couple of Vicodin in the elevator" as she walked through the waiting area ........ well, you see how it goes.

Seriously, the last few weeks has been a full scale "Attack of the Drug Seekers". Zombies I haven't seen in years have been making appearances. People who I know have moved to points far away, are stopping by for the holidays in hopes of a syringe full of Diluadid and a script of Vicodin. Crazy shit.

I'm guessing here, but this is how I envision a Zombie date night being planned.
Zombie #1 - "How about dinner and then go see a movie?"
Zombie #2 - "Sure, sounds good. Then we can swing by the ER and complain about having a migraine, backpain or some shit and get some drugs."
Zombie #1 - "Cool. We'll get some beer on the way home. After we go to WalMart"

Remember who to thank the next time you find yourself waiting forever to get into see a Doctor in your local ER.

I did get to have a little fun this weekend though. Some of the regular Zombies from my OTHER ER job made the trek over to try and scam us Sunday night. I love squashing Zombie drug scams. They get pissed. You can hear them grinding the nubs of their Meth teeth together and cursing. I love it.

According to the New York Times, Dick Cheney must feel like that when he's oppressing all those little brown people.

No really, it feels good to stymie Zombies who waste your time, take up space needed by actual sick people and demand first class narcotics they have no intention of paying for.

Actually, if you have a job and pay taxes - you're paying for them. No, don't hold your breath waiting to be thanked. Not gonna happen.

Tom Jones, Knight of the Realm ......

AP) Legendary crooner Tom Jones and jazz composer John Dankworth are to receive knighthoods in the Queen's New Year Honors List. Tom Jones's family have said they are delighted that the star is to get a "well deserved" knighthood

The Lovely and Talented SondraK (See Links) brings this bit of joyful news today. Yes, I admit to being a Tom Jones fan. I make no apologies for it either. The Dude can sing. And he was in one of my favorite movies - Mars Attacks.

Shit, you can't beat that.

Things I Never Had to Practice in the Army....
And for that I am so very thankful.


Rodger at Curmudgeonly and Skeptical,
(See sidebar for link) where I lift sooo many cool
pictures from, had this one up this morning.

Very disturbing photo. It never occurred to me that
organized practice and training was involved in this
kinda shit.

I realize it makes sense, in an operational kinda way,
I guess.

Disgusting to think about practicing the technique
of shooting someone in the back of the head. I make
a lot of gross comments and jokes about a lot of pretty
sick shit, but I have to admit that this picture got to me.

I am so glad I was born a United States citizen and was
able to serve in the Armed Forces of the United States.

Soldiers in the United States Military NEVER have to
learn ANYTHING like this. We should all be proud of that.

And relieved.

You can be sure that most Chinese folks wish their
military and government didn't endorse these types
of tactics.

I was gonna make a smart ass remark here about the
New York Times and the rest of the Commie loving leftist,
RatBastards out there .......

But I can't do it right now. It's been a long weekend in
the ER and I need to go to sleep now. I'll think of
something to say about all those nasty sonzabitches later.