Author: admin

Closing in…

Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity. ~ Henry Van Dyke

Yesterday: Off
Today: Run – GGCSP, 1 hour
Tomorrow: Run – Neighborhood, 30 minutes

Seems I have been a day ahead all week. I think that is a really good sign at this point. Way ahead of the game.

I think I pretty much have everything ready to roll. Just a few more days now until we get this thing going and I can’t wait! I went to Dr. Dave today (North Boulder Chiropractic) and he gave me the green light. My strength has stayed steady since I started regular treatments and I haven’t had any further flair-ups. That is confidence-inspiring, I can assure you. Just a couple more training runs, last-minute food purchases and some prep time up in Leadville and I’ll be good to go.

Rach has been cooking up a storm and helping me get ready to run. She has made me some double-top-secret concoctions for the event that will keep me smiling to the finish. Some yummy soup, tea, black beans and humus that will fuel me throughout the race. Plus, she’ll have her world-famous cookies for the Crüe (and me if they don’t eat them all before I get to the first check-point!).

The Crüe is raring to go. Pete is nursing a rib injury but is test-driving it tonight to see how things go. Luke and Nichole are super jazzed, Brad is going to rock some new shoes on his section and Jess, Bob and Lindsay are taking time off their busy schedules to jam up the hill to help a brotha out. Megan leaves for 2 years in Mexico just days after the event and is burning some valuable packing time to help out. How kickass is that? Rach is planning to head up there on Saturday so I’ll have someone to smooch at a couple of the check-points as well. She has just been killer throughout the past year of preparation, training, and endless talk about the event. If I were her, I’d probably scream the next time anyone mentioned the word “Leadville” but she listens to my endless blathering on the subject with a smile and words of encouragement. How much does that rule?

Ok. I am off to do a short run.

~stubert.

Rain run…

What are you… made of sugar? ~ Rachel

Yesterday: Singlespeed Ride – Caribou/Mud Lake Trails, 1 hour 45 minutes
Today: Run – Neighborhood trails, 1 hour
Tomorrow: Off

Headed out today with rain threatening and then was quickly greeted with a steady downpour. No biggie, I usually dry out eventually. I ran at a leisurely pace for about an hour and felt okay. Not great but just fine for such a short effort. The rain subsided a bit mid-run and then came back in the last 15 minutes or so. With temperatures in the upper 60s, this was no big deal.

Getting organized for the big day. Rach has been helping to get things sorted out and I have a pretty solid pace schedule and crew plan at this juncture. Everything is falling into place and now I am just waiting for Friday when I head up the hill and the countdown really starts. I have some final checks this week, have to buy supplies and food, pack up the rig and get my run on.

Movie review: Last night, I watched Perfume: The Story of a Murderer. This film is set in France in the 1700s and paints a really scary picture of people living in that period. This is a fine adaptation from an equally fine novel. It features some seriously grotesque scenes but is a movie I would recommend if you are into that sort of thing. Really well done.

~stubert.

One week…

…so as the rat’s milk is returned to the sewers, the circle of life is complete. ~ Kent Brockman

Yesterday: Run – Casa del Critters, 45 minutes
Today: Ride – Ned area, 1.5 hours
Tomorrow: Ride – Casa del Critters, 1.5 hours

In one week, I should be somewhere in-between Fish Hatchery and Half Moon. Good stuff.

I can’t believe this thing is only a week away. I started getting my stuff together last night and will continue gathering and organizing over the course of the next five days or so. I think I have everything I need (aside from food) and feel fit and fairly rested. I have been a little sleepy of late and hope to relieve that over the next few days.

Last night I went for a fun little run in the woods around my house. I didn’t feel super snappy until later in the run but that is to be expected. It takes me awhile to warm up, as you might imagine. When I raced bikes, I put on some serious miles one summer and it would take me a couple of hours to start feeling good. I once had a crit in Copper mountain (about an hour-long event) for which I rode to the top of Fremont Pass to warm up. Kinda silly.

Today, I am hoping to go for a bike ride. Trying to cajole some of the Crüe to come up to join me. I also hope to get some things cleaned up and organized around the house so that I can focus on work in the coming weeks. I also need a new chair as my exercise ball on which I normally sit blew up. But I digress.

Movie review: The Black Dahlia is a train wreck. This film – based on the amazing novel of the same name by James Elroy – was simply a mess. Elroy has the ability to weave about 19 seemingly divergent plot-lines together into a coherent narrative that somehow works out in the end. (Not necessarily true for all his books but The Black Dahlia is a fine example of his talent. Also read L.A. Confidential.) It takes an equally skilled craftsperson to massage his work into a film that makes any sense whatsoever. When this is done well, the results are amazing (again, see L.A. Confidential). When not, it gets ugly – fast.

Couple this with inane casting (Hillary Swank as the femme fatale???) and pretty dismal directing by Brian De Palma and you have the recipe for disaster. Avoid this one. Trust me. There are plenty of less painful opportunities to see Mia Kirshner’s boobs.

Get your countdown on.

~stubert.

Leadville or bust…

From the Hudson River out to the Nile, I run the marathon til the very last mile. ~ Beastie Boys

Saturday, Saturday, Saturday: Run, run some more, repeat.

As you can see, I got mobile blogging to work. Good stuff. Typing on the iPhone is still a bit of a pain in the butt so don’t count on long entries for the next few days. Pete said he would post updates during the race on Saturday but I know the coverage out there is spotty, at best, so don’t be disappointed if posts are few and far between, and brief.

I have everything ready to go, thanks to my lovely sweetheart, the Rachinator. She baked about a thousand cookies for the Crüe, made me soup, humus, special race tea and black beans and bought me a ton of snacks for the event. Most awesome. Everything is in the truck and ready to head up the hill.

I jam out of here about 7:30 tomorrow morning then will meet the Crüe at Kermit’s and carpool up to Leadville. I then check in, get updated on rules and whatnot, then we’ll head out to Twin Lakes to the Windspirit Lodge. “Excited” does not fully represent how I am feeling at this point.

Ok. Everyone be good. I’ll get back with race reports ASAP.

~stubert.

Mellow fellow…

One of these days I gotta get myself organizized. ~ Travis Bickle

Yesterday: Hike – Casa del Critters, 30 minutes
Today: Run – GGCSP, 1 hour
Tomorrow: Ride – Ned area, 1.5 hours

Busy with work stuff but staying rested. This is a good thing. With a little over a week to go before the big event, I am feeling great. Just trying to rest up as much as possible, get organized, make some last minute preparations and whatnot. Dan sent me some great documents to look at to help get everyone stoked. I am getting more and more excited every day. Probably should try to tone that down a notch.

Last night I just went for a short hike behind our house. As I headed up the hill, I saw our neighbors, Joe and Steph and their twin critters walking up ahead so I caught up and hiked with them for a bit. Their boys are about 1 and a half and are just adorable. Little blonde monkeys.

I am still on the same basic plan: Eat well, get lots of sleep, keep things moving but not in a way that creates any stress or fatigue, and wait. Lots of wait. Just over a week now. Getting very close.

~stubert.