Category: singlespeed

Keep climbing…

People do not decide to become extraordinary. They decide to accomplish extraordinary things. ~ Edmund Hillary

Yesterday: Singlespeed ride – South Boulder, ~ 1 hour
Today: Run – Golden Gate Canyon State Park, ~ 2 hours
Tomorrow: Ride – Commute to work, ~ 1 hour

Yesterday, Luke and I went for a short ride around South Boulder and then watched Brad race. I now remember why I no longer race bikes. It looks kindof fun but in a massively painful sort of way. Brad was killin’ it in the Singlespeed class however and would consistently put the hammer down whenever he came around to where Luke and I were standing. Plus he was sporting some sweet new socks so I am sure that made him even faster.

Things are crazy right now with switching up my work stuff. I am sure that everything will settle into a nice smooth workflow soon but these last few days have been hectic. I am looking forward to being able to focus more solidly on one set of goals starting next week. Having a flexible schedule will be most welcomed.

Okay… this is pretty cool in a “because we can” kind of way. I read about the planned attempt to scale Everest using 1924 technology the other day and apparently they actually made it! I am not sure I am convinced that this proves that Mallory and Irvine were the first to summit or even if it is an apples to apples test (my opinion, it’s not) but it is still an interesting endeavor. Those knickers are pretty spiffy too. (Yikes!)

See you out there.

~stubert

And some brightness…

Too many people miss the silver lining because they are expecting gold. ~ Maurice Setter

In an effort to counteract my last post. I ran across the story of an 18-year-old who recently summited Mt. Everest. Hopefully without the use of banned substances. She has climbed to the top of the each continent’s highest peak and her little sister (age 10) is following in her footsteps. Good stuff.

And in my EPO-fueled rage (others use, not my own), I forgot to mention yesterday’s Singlespeed ride with Luke. We did a quick spin around Heil Ranch, north of Boulder. Afterwards, I was ready to get back on my Dual Sus as this full-rigid stuff will shake the fillings out of your teeth. Or teeth out of your head. Fun stuff though. Heil is a blast.

Tomorrow, I am hoping to get in a long backcountry trek to log some Spring turns near Brainard and may do a run or ride near my house in the afternoon. More of the same Sunday and Monday. Comment if you are interested in joining in the fun and/or games.

~stubert

Wetter is better…

Open the sky and let her come down. ~ The Cult

Yesterday I was the Singlespeed commuter extrordinaire. I rode the bus in from Ned and then rode from the station to work – about 40 minutes. I was in dire need of a haircut and Shannon at Al’s Barber Shop had a 1:30 available and was going to be on vacation for a couple of weeks, so I took it. Luke joined me on my trek back to Boulder and showed me some fun bike-path trails out in the Gunbarrel area. We grubbed some burritos, Luke goofed around while Shannon went to work on my melon, and we rode back to his house via 4th Street/Wonderland Lakes.

Shortly after parting company with Luke, the clouds broke open – drenching me completely. It was a warm day so I wasn’t really bothered by it. Sometimes it is fun to ride in the rain. I made it back to work safely and then grabbed the bus back to Boulder/Ned since my clothes were soaked. There are few things worse than having to put on wet gear so I opted out of riding back to the station.

I somehow squeezed in an appointment with Mark at In Motion for this afternoon and will probably try to ride this evening at home depending upon his diagnosis and recommendations for activity-levels over the next few days. I am feeling really fit right now and don’t want to lose it but maybe a rest is in order. Gotta take these things in stride.

Log some miles for me.

~stubert

Edit: Oh yeah, if anyone wants to bring me a replacement Jamba Juice (Protein Berry with Immunity, please) I’d be most grateful. I dropped mine on the way in to work and it exploded all over the foyer. Good times.

Why…

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go. ~ T.S. Eliot

Yesterday, I was asked on at least two separate occasions why I planned to run 100 miles. The quote above sums it up best. I see this as a challenge of mind, body and spirit and want to see if I am up to it.

I have had many break-throughs and let-downs during the course of my training. I have come out of 2-hour runs feeling like this was going to be impossible and have finished 4+ hour treks feeling confident and inspired. I am sure there will be more of each as I get closer and closer to the event and that I will go through a whole range of emotions during the race itself. I am excited to know how I will deal with the challenges during that long day in August.

My main goal is to finish – that much I know. I am still trying to establish intermediate goals and will know better what to expect of myself as I continue to log longer and harder training runs. I have always thought of 25 hours as the ultimate goal. After listening to Dean Karnazes’ book Ultramarathon Man, I am starting to think that I should really push myself, to better understand what I am really capable of achieving. Depending upon how training is going, I may push for a sub 24-hour finish – 100 miles in a day. I’ll keep you posted on that.

Yesterday, Luke, Brad and I went for a Singlespeed ride. We left Brad’s house for a quick jaunt up to Betasso. We pushed pretty hard the whole time. I had a hard time keeping up on the descents but was able to hang on the climbs pretty well. My Singlespeeder is fully rigid right now, making descents high on the excitement scale. I may have to put a shock on there but for now, I’m going to run it old-school.

Today, I am not quite certain of the plan. I may go for a run at lunch and may do a hike post work. Tomorrow, the weather is supposed to be crummy but I am sure I’ll be out there doing something. Just have to keep moving.

~stubert

Healing…

How poor are they that have not patience! What wound did ever heal but by degrees? ~ William Shakespeare

I am healing up nicely. Yesterday morning I was still hobbling around a bit but I went to the driving range at lunch with Bret and then went for a Singlespeed ride after work with Luke and felt a lot better this morning. I am a pretty bad golfer. That much hasn’t really changed. Good to know some things are consistent.

Luke and I headed out towards Heil Ranch north of Boulder but time constraints (mine) forced us back through on trails west of the Res. Luke showed off his Singlespeed skills by riding all the way up the Foothills Trail climb. I was thwarted by the steps at the top and my brain. Must avoid caving into the urge to stop.

Samantha is hanging in there. Rage is doing a great job of keeping up with her meds and fluids and whatnot. They went in for a doctor’s visit this morning and we now get to wait to hear about test results. Hope it is good news. She is being a trooper and is spending lots of time getting pets from Rage.

Tomorrow, I plan to spin a few laps up at A-Basin before they close. I think they are trying to stay open until June 3rd but don’t know if they will make it. Depending upon what skiing gets done, I may do a run in the afternoon. The Boulder Adventure Film Festival is this weekend too so we will probably try to catch some of that. Seems like there is never enough time to do everything on one’s list.

Today, I plan to do a whole lot of nothing. May take a short hike when I get home but other than that, I just plan to kick it. Let me know if you have other activities in mind.

I leave you with a photo of a goat in a tree:


~stubert