Toy store

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Pony ride

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trail running

I was a poser Wednesday night. I ran a trail running race and pretended to look like I knew what was up. Funny stuff. Not really more than about a 5min warm-up (otherwise I might get tired). Started up CR450 from the base of the Lower Flume, left at Forest Hills Rd, then we hopped on the Upper Flume. Cool to be running on singletrack, I have to say, even as inefficient of a runner as I am. Soon the fun turned to frustration as I cramped up pretty good from not really knowing breathing patterns while running. I lost about 6 spots in 60 seconds. Had to slow it down for a bit, then I recovered and I was off again. Running down Mike's and the Lower Flume was not nearly as painful as I thought it would. I had good footing and was able to get some good long downhill strides in. Because all good runners did the longer 10K course, I won my measly 30-39 age group on the 5K course. Free pair of socks, nice. I may even consider running next week's course up on Minnie and X10U8 trails.

June 11th and snowing

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Pre-work ride

Stock run, with some variations.

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teeter-totter bloggers

Below are just a few friends' blogs. They all seem to be like me in their eternal quest for the ultimate, triangular teeter-totter/balancing act of family, work & cycling.

On Your Left
The Wah Report
Mud and Cowbells
My Single Life

#7

#7 for me was over at Vail for the Teva Mountain Games. ouch. 5mi lap with 1,200' of climbing per lap. That equates to a steep grade. I rode a decent race for 2.5 out of 3 laps. The last lap I faded as Darron put in a little surge to pass and I was done. But to feel okay for most of the day was a minor victory compared to last Wednesday at Frisco. Small wins are key for me now. Course was pretty weak. Steep fire road climbs, singletrack that was too rooty and full of switchbacks, so you couldn't keep your speed for any length of time.

Good vibe overall at Teva in Vail. Lots of things to do for Alina. Helen ran the 10K Spring Runoff against some top athletes, including women on the US Mountain Running Team. She again amazed me with a great 5th place showing, besting some members of above said team, beating some very fit people. She was 1 place out of the money, but no worry there. Next year we may try to get some friends together and rent a condo down in Vail for the weekend. Would be a great time.

montana

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1000, and TGIF

I just logged into Blogger and noticed that I have 1000 posts as of yesterday on my blog! Pretty cool milestone.

TGIF today. Monthly statements and other busy work today here. Teva Mountain Games xc tomorrow! Luckily the forecasted 3-5" never materialized down in town. We had some rain and a light ice this morning, but no snow. My co-worker lives on Baldy at 11,000 and he had about 1.5" on his deck this morning. Forecast looks good tomorrow in Vail.

#6

i'll get this over with quickly as I have a busy day here in the office. 2nd to last in pro/elite. my 1hr30min time would have put me only 13th out of 20 in the vet expert, where it looks like I belong. I never really cracked, but I definitely couldn't recover quickly (usually one of my strengths) after intense efforts. My HR was never as high as it normally is in a race. Maybe I was a bit tired, maybe not. The good news is that my new race bike felt awesome, I didn't flat or crash, and I'm still pretty motivated for much better results. Hopefully I have a MUCH improved ride at the Teva Mountain Games xc race on Saturday. After all, it will be hard to do any worse. It was super cool that Filip Meirhaeghe came out to race. Surely he didn't push himself as hard as he normally does (he did 2hrs of intervals the morning of the race), but he held off Brett Morgan to win by about 1min. A full 15min ahead of me. Cool to see the young kids Taylor, Walker and Kevin had good races.

sometimes I miss the south

Besides family, I really don't miss much about the south. I was however reading one of my LSU football sites. Only 87 days til the action starts. But I know I won't miss the 3 months of oppressive summer heat and humidity. Reading about the various LSU alumni chapters across the country (mostly down south) and their fish fry- and crawfish boil-watching parties always sounds awesome.

weather summary for May

from the SDN-

Snowpack
The late-season snows and cool temperatures helped maintain a surplus snowpack in the local mountains. According to the statewide snowpack was at 111 percent of average as of June. The Colorado River Basin was at 146 percent of normal on the same date.

The highest local reading is from the Snowtel site at Copper, with snowpack sitting at 223 percent above average, according to Blue River Basin water commissioner Scott Hummer. The deep snow at the site holds 6.7 inches of water, compared to average three inches for early June.

The Hoosier Pass snowpack is at 195 percent of normal, with 7.8 inches of water (average, 4.0 inches).

The four Snowtel sites above Dillon Reservoir average a snowpack of 140 percent above average.

“It hasn't warmed enough to move anything up high,” Hummer said, anticipating that peak spring runoff is still ahead.

Stream flows
All local streams are flowing above historic levels, Hummer said.
The Blue River below its confluence with the Swan was running at 545 cubic feet per second early in the week, compared to historic mean flow of 306 cfs.
Tenmile Creek reached a daily peak flow of about 1,000 cfs on June 4, just after midnight, according to Hummer.
The timing of daily peak flows on local streams depends on daily weather cycles. Tenmile peaks in the middle of the night because it takes several hours for the snow to melt, collect and run down of the mountains. Essentially, the snow that melts during the warm afternoon surges through town about six hours later.
By contrast, peak daily flows in the Colorado River at Dotsero occur each day aroun 12 p.m., Hummer said.

Breckenridge stats
In Breckenridge, weather observer Rick Bly measured 21.7 inches of May snow, double the historic average based on records going back more than a century.

For the year to date, Bly tallied 167.7 inches, still the seventh-snowiest on record. Snowfall for the winter of 2008-2009 reached average way back at the end of March, Bly said.

June is the second-driest month after October. Bly said average precipitation for the month is 1.37 inches, but there have been at least 30 times when June has been without even a trace of measurable precipitation, Bly said.

And snow is not out of the question. As much as 16 inches of the white stuff has fallen during that month in Breckenridge.

my secret weapon hath arrived...

I haven't the time yet to snap a cool, my-tires-are-new-and-shiny picture, so you can take a look at the link at bottom for a good idea. My bike is identical, except I am running Crossmax SLs instead of the Mavic 819s seen here. Size large, complete with pedals and bottle cage is just under 22lbs. It is a rocket ship, no doubt. Tonight's SMC race, the Frisco Roundup, will be a great test.

2006 Scott Scale 10

Fiona Theresa Florio

Congrats to Mickey & Tricia, they had a baby girl, Fiona, last Wednesday, May 28th. cool!

X10U8

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#5, and PERFECT weather

Saturday was race #5 for me. The Burn mtb TT down in Bailey in the Buffalo Creek mtb rec area. Great smooth trails made for a very fast course, even with over 3,000' of climbing. 22mi in 1hr38min. 7th place out of about 25 vet 35+ experts. Of course I had a secret weapon, the Scott Scale 10 from Mark Thompson. I was trying it out for a few days, and it is impressive. 21.5lbs and a freakin' rocket ship out on the trails. I rode it again this morning on the rockier trails of the Frisco peninsula, and it still felt fantastic. Stiff under pedal, but the carbon gives just enough dampening to not make it feel like there's a spear in your back. And the 6lb weight reduction from the 5.5, combined with the rigid frame makes for a great feeling race bike. It is going to be difficult to pass this opportunity.

Since late last week we've had really nice weather. Friday evening was great. Saturday and Sunday were both bluebird, warm days. Highs in the upper 60s/low 70s, a light breeze (that wasn't cold for the first time in like 7 months), and just incredibly warm feeling sunshine. Wow, it very quickly justified the brutally long winter. It was so nice I spent most of Sunday out in the yard digging up some dead sod and patching it up with some new rolls I bought at Wal-Mart. Besides my labor involved, it was pretty reasonable, $2.58 for a 7 sq ft roll. So I only spent about $35 for the new grass. Hopefully it takes soon and Montana doesn't have a field day tearing it all up.

SMC#1 in Frisco Wednesday. I am looking forward to is, as I finally have a decent base.

The RED SWING

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Entering Dragon Park

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Beautiful after work special

Summer? 60 and shorts

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#4

is in the books. We raced in Eagle, which is about 60mi west of Breckenridge. That meant beautiful lush green landscaping, and warmer weather. Not surprisingly, the course was super dusty, but at least I could see. Left before results were posted, but hopefully in the top 1/3rd of vet expert. The singletrack was very flowy, but presented problems when I was stuck behind a couple of strings of slower riders on the 2nd lap. Then again on the steep climb, the guy in front lost his traction, and I had to get off the bike for a bit. That's where Darren and Steve passed me. I latched back on during the final descent, Darren came around Steve, as did I, but I couldn't close on Darren. Fun race, legs felt good, but HR was only 180max. Not sure yet of the AVG, but it was a good,fast 12mi 57min race for early season fitness. Race Saturday down in Bailey, then Wednesday in Frisco, then the following Saturday in Vail.

neighborhood pics

self-portrait

i don't do these too often, that's for sure.

Lakeshore tr

fun to be on dirt almost whenever I want, even if it's early and on the same trails at the peninsula. Short race tomorrow in Eagle, hopefully I'll feel good.

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am singletrack

Tacky trails...

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feeling old

yeah 6yr wedding anniversary and I am really happy. I thought today after work, provided it's not raining/sleeting/snowing, Helen, Alina & I could all go out for a nice walk around our neighborhood. Then it dawned on me - ONLY OLD PEOPLE GO FOR WALKS AROUND THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS! oh well, we enjoy our walks!

Olympic mtb course in Laoshan

all I hear from the riders is that the course is lame and the air is full of pollution. Probably true, but this link shows some cool features.

hours in the saddle, and Filip

Just over 2.5hrs on the mtb on Saturday out at Frisco peninsula. It was awesome to finally be riding dry singletrack out there. Sure it's not the great trails Summit County is known for, but still dry dirt trails just a 15min drive from my house. Bike felt good, and wearing a HR monitor for the first time in a while (thanks Helen and Nike), it was cool to see that on some steeper climbs I could still get my HR up to 188. I prob rode around or above LT for good chunks of time, in the 165-175 range. Sunday I got up early and rode Vail Pass and back to the house to shed some layers.

Then I met up with Filip Meirhaeghe for another couple hours. Filip has been coming to Breck every May or June for several years now. Coincidentally he stayed in a condo my office managed, and ever since we've tried to get him a good deal when here training. His career has been a shooting star, going from overall mountain bike xc World champion to a banned rider due to a failed drug test due to EPO use. In this article, Filip states "I took EPO for the first time in my career seven weeks ago during a training camp in Austria. I absolutely did not want to fail at the Olympics, which was my ultimate goal," he continued. "As soon as I heard the positive result I knew it was the end of my career."

He admitted the pressure was overwhelming for him to be the best in the world. Now after his 2 year ban ended, he was back with a different sponsor racing most of the World Cups, including a few top 10s and a final 10th overall for the 2007 series. Surely there are riders who still hate him for what he's done. But he seems sincere in his approach now, and says he served his ban and is back training. He and his wife Kelly had a baby boy 11 weeks ago. Between his new family, his ongoing work restoring his old house, Filip tells me his motivation is changing. He is fortunately an auto-qualifier for the Belgian Olympic mtb team, so that is his final carrot if you ask me. The world championships in early June (Olympic year), a few World Cups for training, and then the Olympics. After that, who knows for him.

Six Years

Today is Helen and I's 6th wedding anniversary. Wow, 6 fantastic years with the woman I love. And with Alina in the picture for the last 2.5 years, I definitely feel like there is a great balance in my life. Sure I sometimes wish I had more time for this or that, but ultimately I appreciate every ounce of every thing in my life. Now that's balance.

Vail Pass

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another house pic

this time Alina wasn't in the picture, and I think I nailed the lighting this time, though my white balance is a hair on the pink side!

lighting:
SB80 CL bounced into wall/ceiling
SB80 CR bounced into wall/ceiling
SB80 in far room by entry door, bounced into opposite wall
580EX on cam w/ diffuser for fill

Breck singletrack

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Gulf Shores trip

was great. warmth, sunshine and great company. much needed rest from the snow. although our yard is now fully melted and looking nice around, they are calling for up to a few inches by tomorrow night. uggh!

For those interested, here are about 80 pics from Gulf Shores in a WebAlbum-

May 2008 Gulf Shores

Alina at the beach

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IMG00021.jpg

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Finally...on the sunny beach

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multiple strobe interior

Alina was napping and this was the short window of time I had! My new Nikon SB80s are incredible. Manual power adjustment down to 1/128 in 1/3rd stop increments.

on-camera 580ex 1/8
SB80 camera left, bounced up into wall/ceiling joint at 1/4 (should have reduced, a bit hot)
SB80 camera right, handheld up high bounced into wall/ceiling joint at 1/8
SB80 in far entry hallway, bounced back at 1/4 power (this is bit too hot)

keep pedaling kid

I copied this from Greg Keller of Mud and Cowbells fame. He of course is an avid cyclist like myself. How funny is this clip?! ENJOY

well a break is here

leaving for N.O. and Gulf Shores tomorrow. Couldn't come at a better time, as AGAIN it is puking snow outside, and it's mid-May! They're calling for 5-10" by tomorrow evening. Hopefully the roads won't be too bad when we drive down to DIA tomorrow. It isn't too often one has to worry about icy roads in mid-May, but this has been an unusually and consistently brutal winter. And it just won't quit. I wonder how many locals have snapped and are moving? The rollers just aren't the same as riding outside. Ah well...the miles will come thick and fast. For now, I just want to relax with my extended family in a warm place. More from the road, including some crappy pics from my phone.

winter still comes and goes

Friday night and into Saturday we had 6" of snow. High temp yesterday was in the mid 30s. I went to the Basin with Dave and had one of my better powder days of the year, on May 10th! That is unheard of for me, as I'm usually entirely in bike mode in May. And then today it was sunny and 60. Just when I think the bulk of big snows must be over for the season, 9 News is saying we're expecting a stronger storm tomorrow night and into Tuesday, with up to 12" of snow forecasted for Summit County. Are you kidding me?! Winters like this wear thin on us. Gulf Shores couldn't come at a better time!

happy mom day

Helen, you are the best. Alina and I couldn't be any luckier. Hopefully soon you can enjoy a real vacation!

a few more

plenty of green
 

checking out the stream with Granddaddy
 

really big tree
 

more from San Francisco

postcard view
 

Two happy tree huggers
 

Alina's endorsement of Muir Woods
 

pics from Helen's trip to SF last wknd

Alina distracted...
 

WOW, look at the size of that carousel!
 

Alina still spellbound. Grandma naturally is watching her back!
 

pics from Helen's trip to SF last wknd

 
 
 

Miwok 100K

Helen did an amazing run in an amazing place last weekend. The Miwok 100K, located just north of San Francisco in the Marin County headlands. A coastal area with usually perfect weather. And last weekend was no exception as it was in the upper 60s and a hazy sunshine. Helen was up against a stellar field, racing an unproven distance of 100k/66mi. She has done many 50s and 100s, but never a 100K. Well she didn't disappoint and finished a super strong 7th place! I posted some pics below, courtesy of Smug Mug and some other local photogs. Bill & Mary took some pics, as did Helen before and after the race. If I can find some time this wknd, I will post those as well.

May 8th, winter still here

this time last year I had ridden my mtb on the Frisco peninsula trails 3-4x already, and I was only 8 days away from my first ride on the lower flume trails here in Breck. Not so this year.

Below is an excerpt from the CAIC website-

Mountain Weather and Avalanche Forecast for the Vail and Summit County Zone
Forecast Issued on 5/7/2008 2:37:32 PM
Forecaster: Spencer Logan
Weather Synopsis

Will winter ever give up in the northern mountains? They are in for another round of spring snow tonight and Thursday. With total snow accumulations of more than 6 inches possible, it's more than dust on crust. Mashed potatoes? Cream cheese frosting?

Wednesday afternoon the warm temperatures will drive another round of convective storms. The showers will get a boost this evening as a shallow trough pushes in from the west. There will be snow along a cold front associated with the trough. The San Juans will see a dusting of snow, the central mountains a good period of snow overnight, and the northern mountains over 12 hours of light snow. Light snow continues in the north until mid-afternoon Thursday, when convection kicks off another round of showers statewide. Temperatures will be 10 to 15 degrees cooler Thursday than on Wednesday, and mostly cloudy skies will reduce the impact of the sun on the snow. A weak ridge forms late Thursday night, but it only lasts through Friday. A pair of fronts mean another round of snow Friday night into Saturday.

Chad

this is what my boss is doing pretty much the whole month of May. must be nice, huh?

bath time

Chalk Creek Stampede

No. 3 is in the books courtesy of the MSC race in Nathrop. Same course as last weekend's practice race in the Yeti Spring Series. Big difference was the 4th lap, 28miles total. But the perfect weather made up for the extra 7miles. It was sunny, and in the low 60s. But more importantly, there was NO WIND. Sweet! Last time there was a serious sustained wind. So we were maintaining a higher average speed. THe race started and I missed the initial selection almost right away. I think 4-5 guys were about 200yds in front, and they crushed it on the first climb and that was it. I rode 5th-10th. First lap I fell off, 2nd lap I rode better, third was even faster as I hooked up with the speed train of Mark & David. Held on to their train for about a lap, only to fall off and ride the fourth lap a bit cracked. 28mi in just under 2hr16min. 8th place out of 26. I was hoping for a top 7, so not far off. Going to pile on the miles this week as weather allows, then shoot up Sunshine Canyon in the HC this Saturday down in Boulder. Soon, I will be in the warm weather on the beach!

May 2, 2nd day of snow

2nd morning in a row wearing my Sorrels to take Montana out for a walk in the morning. Luckily the 5-10" they called for was more like 5" than 10". It's about 9:30 now and luckily it is a bit brighter out. Hopefully it won't be super windy tomorrow for the Nathrop race. Boy it's going to hurt!

Lunchtime dog walk

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