She Could Be a Dancer

25 Saturday Jun 2016

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dancer shoesEllie told me she intends to run Cross Country her freshman year at NHS.  Okay then.  I recall Brit telling me something similar ten years ago.  Long story short, Brit started out the season.  She ran some races.  Then she dropped out to perform in the school play.  The rest is history.  But I recall getting a shot at training Brit in preparation for joining a competitive team.  These high schools around Boulder County invented cross country.  I feel obligated to prepare Ellie this summer to avoid having her embarrass the family name in Colorado running circles.  Because really, this is all about me.

Ironically, I wasn’t in shape myself when I started to take Brit out on runs.  But even in my fattest of days, I could beat Brittany.  She would try out-kicking me at the end of long runs to say she beat me, after I just pushed her to complete 8 miles.  I got her up to 13 miles out on East Boulder Trail.  That water tower hill used to kick her ass.

I plan to start Ellie out with three milers.  We’ll stick to that and work our way up to five or six miles on daily runs.  Hopefully longer on weekends.  I’ll introduce her to the trails NHS will likely run on around Niwot.  I’ll prepare her as best I can.  I might lose a little conditioning myself if I shorten my runs, but I can afford to reduce the miles.  Or I can continue running after she’s done.  We won’t start until next weekend though since Ellie is off all week at Church Camp in Idaho.

I know the chances for Ellie to become a distance runner are as slim as Brit’s two stints in high school cross country.  Ellie started dance this year and has really taken to it.  Her first actual sport that she shows interest in.  Karen is of course happy because Karen was a dancer in both high school and college.  Technically, Karen is a still a dancer, teaching regular aerobics classes.  I’m going to take what this summer gives me though and try to make Ellie a runner.  She doesn’t have a distance runner’s body, but then neither do I.  My bone structure is too big and my legs aren’t very long.  I have decent sized calves, but that doesn’t necessarily contribute to distance running.  Few of us have perfect runner’s bodies, it comes down to what you like to do.  Where your interests lie.  Ellie is going to either be a dancer, or become a runner.  Maybe she’ll do it all.

I finally went for a massage to treat my lower back pain.  It’s been a problem since February.  I expected it to heal but it’s getting worse.  My massage therapist is Shannon Dunlap.  She’s as knowledgeable as any PT.  She confirmed my back is messed up, all wound up like a twisted pine.  As a result, my left leg is shorter than my right.  It’s always been the other way around.  Not that either leg is a different length, but these anomolies are caused by misaligned hips.  Pretty odd that they could reverse in terms of which is longer.  She helped alleviate the pain immensely, but it’s temporary.  Ultimately, I need to see a chiropractor.  That’s next on my list.  Felt really good today on a 12 mile run over the LoBo Trail.  Friday’s massage no doubt contributed.  Not sure what I’ll do Sunday.

Mt. Bierstadt

19 Sunday Jun 2016

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silver valleyBrit and Ellie drove up with me Saturday evening to Silver Plume.  We spent the night in the A-Basin Room of this modest B&B, the Silver Valley Bed & Breakfast.  Surprisingly nice place on Clear Creek, a few miles past Georgetown.  Above is a photo of their backyard, from a wooden porch swing.

creek crossing

The first mile of  our 3.5 mile climb included this creek crossing.  Brit demonstrates here how not to cross the fast flowing snow melt.  She said her feet were numb the rest of the hike.

alpine seating

We took our time hiking up, stopping here about half way, to smell the alpine flowers and eat some grapes.

sisters

We summit the peak in about 3 hours.  Ellie’s first 14er at age 14.  Pretty special.  That’s Grays and Torreys to the right of Brit.

Brit yoga

What is it with girls and yoga poses?  Pretty funny, after our deliberate pace up to the ridge, Ellie nearly sprinted up the final pile of rocks to the peak.

Ellie yoga

I’m not sure which view I like most from Mt. Bierstadt, east or west.  It’s an awesome view of Mt. Evans to the east.  Actually, you can continue on across a knife-edge ridge to Mt. Evans.  I’d like to do that some day.

Bierstadt photo

You can see Mt Evans in the upper left of this photo above.  There are some lakes below, that add to the view.

 

fathers day

The western views contain the most snowcapped peaks.  Brit and Ellie enjoyed sliding down a long snowpack on our descent.  I was impressed by their bravery, they simply thought it was fun.  The link takes you to the video on YouTube.  Overall, I had an awesome Father’s Day.  Got my long run in on Saturday.  Even installed a garbage disposal without having to make additional trips to Lowes.  Great weekend.

 

I Just Want to Run

16 Thursday Jun 2016

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race photo mile 2c

All I want to do for Father’s Day is go for a nice long run.  Doubt though my new InSinkErator garbage disposal will install itself in the kitchen sink.  And Ellie wants me to take her camping.  Why is Father’s Day rarely about Dad?  This photo is two miles into the 2016 Bolder Boulder – Memorial Day where I had an hour in the morning to myself to run a storied 10K.  I recall having to return quickly from the race to grill burgers for Brit’s band, who was performing in the neighborhood.  How much you want to bet, I’ll grill dinner for Father’s Day too?

Bierstadt

I think my plan will be this.  Install the garbage disposal Saturday morning.  Celebrate that victory with a run in the afternoon.  Then travel up to a B&B in Silver Plume for the evening to position us for an early morning climb up Mt. Bierstadt.  I tried to reserve camping spots but they are either taken or not yet open.  I could risk camping at first-come, first served camping spots, but if I’ve learned anything as a father, you don’t take such risks with kids.  So the B&B is booked for a sure thing.

This entire hike is above tree line from the trail head.  It’s 3 miles up to the peak, with the first mile through a wet marsh.  Should be frozen in the morning.  The next two miles are steep.  This will be Ellie’s first 14er.  Brit is going too.  Wish us luck.

From the Depths of Hell

12 Sunday Jun 2016

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girl on the mountaintopRan ten miles in 86° Saturday.  I think the humidity is up because it felt like 100°.  Carried a camelbak for the first time this year.  My pace slowed down to a crawl the final four miles.  I was happy to see the irrigation ditch flowing strong again, allowing me to dip my hat in the cold mountain snowmelt.  A refreshing respite after running through Hell’s kitchen.

snowFrom the depths of hell Saturday, Ellie and I climbed 11,400 foot Twin Sisters on Sunday.  As the photo shows above, the trail is still covered with snow at higher elevations.  Glad we took trekking poles.  This is Ellie’s first real mountain peak hike, if you don’t count the Flat Irons overlooking Boulder.  This is a seven mile roundtrip hike and a real accomplishment.  Our plans this summer are to work ourselves up to a 14er, likely Grays and Torreys.

MudsildeThis photo shows where the trail crosses the massive mudslide from the Great Flood of 2013.  Karen and I hiked up to this point two years ago, and turned around.  Ellie and Brit went further, but the trail was in disrepair and they didn’t make it to the summit.  The trail is still an extremely steep alternate route, but safe and manageable.

charlies angels 2Ellie’s friend, Esme hiked up with us today.  The cool mountain air made for a perfect hike.  You can see the Diamond Face east cliff wall of Longs Peak over Ellie’s head in this photo.  The views were awesome of Mount Meeker and the Mummy Range.  We could see Estes Park and Longmont as well.

yogaIf anyone wants their kids to get in some hiking this summer, let me know.  I’m scouting 12,000 and 13,000 peaks next.  A 14er by end of summer.

Dry Sweat

09 Thursday Jun 2016

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race photo kick 3

I only run because it gives me a prop to play toward acting lazy around the house.  I can easily back up my laziness, due to some pain, or because I’m too tired after running that marathon this morning.  Like an old friend, I always have that story to tell when I don’t get to something on my list.

I thought I acclimated well to the heat last week, but that was 70° weather.  The 90°s are like an order of magnitude hotter.  I know my Texas friends will laugh, but holy smokes, running in this heat is tough.  This Tuesday, I discovered sweat on my brow.  We sweat in Colorado of course, but normally it’s a dry sweat.

Not that sweating is bad.  Here typically, the sweat forms up on our brow as a dry, white powder.  We can brush it off after we run, into a shaker.

If you’re driving through Colorado on I-25 and you stop at that gas station slash diner slash convenience store thing on the SW corner of exit 235, that’s where you can buy a shaker of Boulder Salt.  Look for it there.  Another interesting thing about driving through Colorado is that you’re not a real town in this state if you don’t have a good story to tell on cannibalism.

I took some days off after Snowmass, then ran 11 miles Tuesday.  I was able to recover by running 8 miles Wednesday in a warm rain.  I could only pound out 7 miles today in 90°.  I lost 4 pounds of sweat in that one hour.  Might take Friday off to regain some weight.

This Bolder Boulder photo is from inside Folsom Field with less than 50 meters remaining.  I forgot to wear my customary racing cap, but escaped without sunburn given the early start.  Summer has arrived.

The Red Loop

05 Sunday Jun 2016

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race photo Pearl Street

The Snowmass Ragnar Relay is an endless stream of runners, racing around trail loops through the hills above Snowmass Village.  Starting Friday evening, I run four loops, green at 6:30 pm, yellow at 10:00 pm, green again at 5:30 am and the red loop for my finale at 12:46 pm.  There are 200 other runners out somewhere along the 15 miles that make up these three loops.  Math suggests there are over 10 runners per mile.  Given the sparse distribution this late in the event, it’s rare that I find myself racing neck and neck against another runner.  There are four runners running in the space of 100 yards in front of me as I start out the red loop.  I pass three of them within the first mile, running on the bike path alongside Brush Creek Road, and just catch the fourth runner before turning onto Sinclair Road.  I fail to pass him though.

We run side by side for the entire second mile, still on the street.  We introduce ourselves, both happy for someone to push us up this steep street.  Dave looks about my age, which I mostly judge based on his conservative dress.  Us older guys show less skin than the couple of kids we passed in the first mile.  Dave is relentless on this climb.  I would not run this fast pace the first two miles of this seven mile loop, were I running by myself.  My plan was to go up slow and try to race down fast.  Half the runners we pass are walking, which is fairly typical of all runners on their third loops.  We’re both breathing loudly, but I make the bigger grunts by far.  I sense Dave is better at altitude than me.

The street ends just after two miles and we turn right onto the Rim Trail North.  Dave sprints ahead of me to take the lead on the single track.  I described the course elevation profile to him, having run this last year, while running up Sinclair.  It helps to know the top of the climb is marked by a park bench at 3.5 miles.  Dave is willing to let me pass him at one point during our ascent, because I’m breathing down his neck.  I tell him that not only can I not pass him, but that I’ve been power walking for the last quarter mile.  When you can walk as fast as someone else can run, you should walk.  It’s an interesting phenomenon actually on steep mountain trails.  It lowers the heart rate but maintains the same speed.  No doubt, this just pissed Dave off.

Dave screams downhill as soon as we begin our descent.  I try to follow his pace but he forms a sizable gap.  Another much younger runner that Dave has passed runs between us for about a mile.  Once I pass that kid, I close the gap with Dave.  This is past where the red loop joins the yellow, after 5 miles.  I finally pass Dave crossing the first wooden foot bridge.  I suspect the 3.5 mile descent was too long for his wicked pace and shredded his legs.  Running downhill provides you with unlimited oxygen, but your legs turn to jello.  It gets a little scary when you lose confidence in your ability to brake around curves.  My slower start to our descent left me with some strength at the end.

These 24 hour relays are all about self preservation.  It takes discipline to maintain the strength to finish three or more runs on seriously steep mountain trails.  I would have loved being able to race each loop with equal intensity, but I couldn’t recover well enough from my first run, and I wouldn’t have had anything left to run so hard on my final loop.  Really happy I chose to run the middle loops slow and easy.  My thighs are still sore the next day, which tells me that running the downhills took more out of my legs than the uphills.  Running uphill makes an impression on your heart and lungs, but it’s the downhills that thrash your muscles.

This photo is from last week’s Bolder Boulder, just before the 6th mile, turning off Folsom.  I like how it shows another mature runner directly behind me.  Several of my teammates commented on how this year’s Snowmass Relay seems younger and more competitive than last year.  I think us old runners hung in there though.

Here Kitty, Kitty

05 Sunday Jun 2016

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Version 2

Our relay team name references an exchange among team members a few years ago about what to say when you see a mountain lion on the trail.  I wasn’t there, but it captures the zaniness of these runners well.  This photo is of Ken running the first leg of the Ragnar Snowmass Mountain Trail Relay this weekend.  Ken runs the green loop which is the easiest of the three trail loops for the relay.  It’s four miles in length and has an elevation gain of over 600 feet.  Most of the climb is in the first two miles while the return is back down hill.  This is my first loop as well and I ran my fastest pace of the event.  I raced it hard knowing my legs wouldn’t recover well enough to run the other loops as hard.  And maybe because I was a little excited for my first run.

Carolyn

Carolyn is next out of the gate and runs the yellow loop, considered tougher than the green because of the more intense elevation gain, although it’s nearly the same distance, going up the first half and returning back down.  Carolyn was a ballet dancer before getting into running.  You can almost tell by her running shorts that look more like a girlie, party dress.  Carolyn is a trail dancer.

Eve

Eve, pictured here, runs our third and final loop – the red loop – the toughest both in terms of distance, 7 miles, and elevation gain, 1,250 feet.  The rest of us repeat the same three loops.  I run my loops in this order, but run an additional green loop for another teammate who couldn’t make the trip.  I ran the yellow loop at night, under the stars.  My red loop pace is a minute per mile slower than my green loop, but involved a great race against another runner named Dave.  This course rises for 3.5 miles before dropping back down for the second half.  Dave remained a step ahead of me the entire climb, then widened his lead over me for the descent.  He ran out of steam though the final mile.

Harry

Beth, Keith and Brian complete our team.  I don’t have pictures of everyone running, but have to show this photo of Henry, Kristin’s 13 year old son.  He ran two of her loops with her.  This second run, where he is pictured here about two minutes from the finish, is the 7 mile, 1250 foot, ball-buster, red loop.  Henry’s mom, Kristin, establishes a lead on him after a mile, and never looks back.  Understand, some of the runners I passed on this course were walking, but several others were standing to the side, bent over in some cases, negotiating terms with God for oxygen.  Kids don’t run up mountains like this for fun, because there’s nothing fun about it.  But Henry couldn’t turn around because his mom was running up the hill in front of him.  How can a boy turn from such a challenge?  He finished a full mile behind his mother, but he finished strong.  And that’s my idea of parenting.

Team Photo

I raced two of the loops hard.  My first run over the green loop, and my fourth run on the red loop.  I preserved my leg strength on the middle two runs with a slower pace, when it became clear during the second loop that surviving to my final run was paramount.  Racing three miles downhill on a mountain trail is about as fun as it gets.  It’s also exhausting, as was this entire weekend.  These relays are as much about sleep deprivation as running.  Beth ran it with the expectation the incessant running would be good prep for her TransRockies Run later this summer, where she’ll have to maintain over 20 miles per day, for six days, running from Buena Vista to Beaver Creek.  We completed this relay after 23 hours of non-stop running.  I might take today off.

Bolder Boulder 2016

30 Monday May 2016

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starting wave AB

6 a.m. and I hand a volunteer my $20 parking permit to scan for entry into a CU parking lot on Regent Ave.  This positions me 1.5 miles from the 6:57 a.m. wave AB start of the 2016 Bolder Boulder, and very close to the Folsom Field finish line to facilitate a quick exit.  Always have an exit strategy.  I generally stick around to join my neighbors in the stands and watch the complete race and Memorial Day events, but I want to return home to catch Brittany perform with her band, False Summit, at a concert in the park at noon.  I jog to the start for an initial warmup and join the dawn of what will soon be a moving street party.

race start

My wave feels a bit intimidating, chock full of high school cross country teams.  This photo is from my starting wave.  We launch at 6:57 am and I feel like my pace is good.  Faster than what I’m used to but doable.  I surge per plan as I round the corner from Valmont to 28th Street.  Visually, the street looks flat, but it drops 5 feet or so over a quarter mile.  That counts at altitude.  I don’t hold my surge as long as I hoped to, not quite to the corner of Pine.  It helps me though to record a 6:54 first mile.  Climbing Folsom on the second mile is brutal.  I use the small dip part way up to recover my breathing, about where the Elvis impersonator is singing.  I run mile two in 7:13, 19 seconds slower.  A handful of the speedier runners from the wave after mine pass by me here, apparently running a half minute faster per mile.

Because of how the waves consolidate along the course, their starts separated by one minute, the crowd never thins out running through the neighborhoods west of Folsom.  I do my best to hold my pace, waiting for my next planned surge after cresting Vista Hill.  The down slope is noticeable after turning onto 19th Street and I’m able to gain some momentum.  I start passing other runners, good feedback that I’m running faster myself.  Hard to tell sometimes when I’m so out of breath.  Like my first surge though in mile one, I can’t hold it as long as I’d like.  Man this is a tough course.  I’m not used to running beyond my lactate threshold.  I run the third mile in 7:22.  Not surprising for the third mile to be my slowest, but a bit disappointing that I’ve added another 9 seconds onto my pace.

The next mile is a rollercoaster with two 25 foot hills, the first up Cedar Avenue, the second up 13th Street.  I do my best to surge on the short downhills to improve my pace, and I tap it back down to a 7:15 for mile four.  I know I need to push myself for this fifth mile, it’s either time to race or time to coast.  I actually start to feel stronger running through the s-curve around Pearl Street through downtown Boulder.  The positive effects of some downhill running, no doubt.  The clock supports my senses wth a 7:05 for mile five.  I endeavor to hold my stride to Folsom, then to Canyon, then Arapaho.  I’m trying to run mile six strong, but I can only take it one block at a time.  I run out of gas on the hill  leading into Folsom Field.  Did they make it longer somehow with the recent construction?

post race

I complete mile six in 7:17, I think I was running much better than that but the last quarter mile uphill stopped me in my tracks.  I’m able to unwind my legs a bit inside the stadium but don’t kick very hard.  I’ve had enough racing for one day.  I finish in 44:44 for a 7:12 pace and 4th in my age division.  This is funny considering I finished 6th last year after running 90 seconds faster.  I look at last year’s results and consider correlating them with the obituaries to see how many of the men who beat me last year have since passed.  I didn’t do that but do note that only one guy (Thomas Lund) who beat me last year, did again with a very similar time.  And the two men who took 7th (Jim Moy) and 8th (Chris Muzny) last year, behind my 6th place, took 3rd and 2nd respectively this year.  I’ll have to watch for them next year.  Today’s race was hard but I’m happy with that finish time.  I sip my post race beer sitting next to Ralphie.

False Summit

I rush home afterward because today isn’t really about me and my little morning runs.  Brit performs at noon with her band False Summit in the park at our neighborhood Memorial Day party.  I’m committed to grill burgers for the band before they play.  They end up sounding great.  Brit’s voice student, Anya Chavez sings a couple of songs too.  You would never guess Anya is only 12 years old after watching this music video of her singing Riptide.  Our neighbor Bella sings later in the day, around 4 pm.  She sings mostly original songs and performs great as well.  Many of our friends come out to watch the local girls sing, which is super nice.  Long day of racing, music and IPAs.  Next weekend I’ll be running a trail relay with friends in Snowmass.

My Surge Strategy

27 Friday May 2016

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I talk a good deal about racing.  Honestly though, my idea of racing is nowhere close to what a real, or at least younger, athlete does.  I’m not referencing speed because that is obvious, but the willingness to push oneself beyond reasonable limits.  As we age, most of us become comfortable.  We add weight.  I’m 10 pounds over the medical range for my height.  Older athletes like myself still enjoy races, but we rarely push ourselves beyond our lactate threshold.  We stay within our limits.  We might even chat while racing, I do.  Maybe we put on a good kick, knowing the end is near.  I rarely even do that, afraid of pulling one of my delicate muscles.  More often than not, I tend to cool down the last half mile, I slow down, to ensure I live to run another day.  I maintain that’s what wise old runners should do.  Although this isn’t my plan Monday morning for the 2016 Bolder Boulder.

course map

While I’m not in race shape necessarily, I believe I’m in good enough condition to race sections of this course hard.  Because I’m in decent overall aerobic shape, I should be able to surge for short sections and then recover, sort of like running a fartlek workout.  I’ll take the first mile easy, because starting out in oxygen debt will ruin this entire plan.  Although, I plan to start my first surge just before the one mile marker, and carry the surge around the corner down Pine Street to Folsom.  It’s a short section, likely under a quarter mile.  I’ll run steady up Folsom, there’s a small dip mid way into the second mile where I’ll try to  surge again if I’ve fully recovered.  Otherwise my next surge won’t be until Vista Hill, a little over half way into mile three.  This is where the racing truly starts for the elites, Vista Hill is strategic.  It’s followed by two more rolling hills, ending at Casey Hill just past the fourth mile, all three hills marking the top of the course elevation profile.  I’ll attempt short quarter mile surges on the downhill sections here, and recover on the uphills.  From here is a mile and a half downhill run through downtown Boulder, around Pearl Street.  This is the fastest section of the course.  Anyone racing runs their fastest pace in the fifth mile.  The real trick is to hold this fast pace past the fifth mile onto Folsom.  I couldn’t do that last year.  I’ll try harder this time.

elevation profile

No point in saving anything for the final half mile after the bridge over Boulder Creek.  It’s the steepest climb of the course and very few of the runners that I might have passed on Folsom will be able to pass me back here.  Everyone slows down for the hill that enters the stadium.  I’ll race for 5.75 miles with my surge tactics and cool down the final half mile.  If I can recover at all atop the final hill, I won’t so much as kick to the finish line, but I’ll try to surge again with a strong enough stride that looks good for the cameras.  Chances are though, I’ll just pretend that final hill isn’t there.  I’ll block it from memory, even while running it.  There is no spoon.  It’s nice to finish in Folsom Stadium, but not at the cost of climbing that hill.

The risk in this plan is that I won’t be able to recover sufficiently after a surge and my overall time will be much slower than if I were to run an even pace.  In fact, if I were in racing shape, I would of course run an even pace, because that’s what you do.  So in a sense, this is a wildly stupid plan, but it will be brilliant if it helps me to break 45 minutes. Odds are, I won’t break 50 minutes and will be running in oxygen debt the entire second half of the course.  But it might provide me some ephemeral moments of racing glory.

Signaling today that I’m going to run hard Monday certainly sets myself up for failure, but I like forecasting because it gives me that extra push.  Running is like golf in the sense you are really just competing with yourself.  Sort of like how betting on sports makes the game more interesting, there’s nothing like putting a little pressure on yourself with a pre-race prediction.  See you at the finish line.

Fast Eddie

21 Saturday May 2016

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CO Marathon 10Kb

I prefer photos with my eyes open, but at least I’m smiling.  At the end of a six mile race no less.  This race was three weeks ago, and I really did enjoy running through the snowfall.  I’ve noticed over the last several weeks, as the days warm up, my best runs are on the cooler days with temps in the 40°s and 50°s, and I slow down considerably on the warmer days.  I’ve yet to acclimate to the heat.  There are two types of Bolder Boulder 10Ks.  Cold, wet ones, and hot ones where I end up sunburned.  Hoping for a colder morning Memorial Day weekend.  I’m not expecting my best performance this year, but I get excited for this race anyway.

Despite my hamstring injuries, I’m still in decent running shape this year.  I just haven’t been running fast.  I hoped to be better positioned for a fast race next weekend but things are what they are.  The reason I strive for fast runs in the Bolder Boulder is that it’s the same race, the same distance, and the same month, on the same course, every year.  So it’s a great yard stick to measure progress.  Weather is the biggest variable.  I expect to run about 20 or 30 seconds slower per mile than last year, but that’s still within a range that I’ll enjoy it as a race.

IMG_8710

I even made the same starting wave as last year.  This will have me starting before 7am, so I can expect a cooler temperature being early morning.  Hoping to avoid running slower than three weeks ago in Fort Collins which I ran in 45:01.  The BB10K is a much tougher course, but then it also has more runners and fans, which will motivate me to run hard.  It’s funny that even though my expectations are diminished, I’m still so excited about this race.  It’s such a celebration of running, a 6 mile long street party.  Below are all my BB10K times:

1990  41:11                    2011  48:17
1991  48:00                   2012  51:32
1995  1:04:43                2013  44:22
2001  1:59:36                2014  1:50:17
2010  49:52                   2015  43:09

 

You can see where I essentially stopped running for 20 years.  The two runs close to 2 hours were actually walks.  My goal is to get back down to that 41 minute run from when I was 28 years old.  It’s within reach.  This is my 7th BB10K in a row.  I see a pattern in these times, starting with my return to running in 2010, of two steps forward and one step back.  But that’s really just a speed statement.  Health-wise, I’ve been steadily improving.  I’ve lost 30 pounds over this time period.  I don’t mind saying that I look like a runner again.  I think I’ll always be happy running any 10K under 45 minutes.  That’s racing speed for me.  I like seeing progress each year too, but I’m patient.  Faster times will come.

I ran the hills of East Boulder Trail this morning.  I barely noticed them.  I remember a time when my legs burned running up some of those hills.  This is just more good feedback letting me know I’m in good aerobic shape.  The bridge is still out over Boulder Creek on this trail.  Anyone have an ETA of when they intend to rebuild it?

Sunshine in my Pocket

14 Saturday May 2016

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duet.png

My girls produced a music video this week and it left me with some sunshine in my pocket into the weekend.  Clicking on the photo will link you to their video on YouTube.  I can’t sing any more than I can dance, the talent comes from their mother.

I ran six miles with Keith this morning in the mountain mist above Lyons on the Bitterbrush Trail through Hall Ranch.  We parked at the Antelope Trailhead, taking one of the last spots.  There are only eight parking spots there, but it’s the best approach if you can snag one.  The clouds were thick and visibility near zero once we reached the Nelson Loop.  Classic Colorado mountain trail running weather.  Despite the gloom, I was so pleased to be back out on the trail, I felt like I was running with sunshine in my pocket.  I think I know what the phrase means now, it’s in the girls’ song.  I was running happy.  The photo below is from my finish at the Colorado Marathon 10K two weeks ago.

CO Marathon 10Ka

 

Of Basements and Back Pain

07 Saturday May 2016

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I can’t really explain this, but having a sports injury leaves me with a sense of accomplishment.  Just ask yourself, when’s the last time you had a sports injury?  Unlike falling off a ladder while changing a lightbulb, this is something I can talk about, unabashedly, at The Well, or at Wibbys, quaffing brews with the guys.  And I have a pretty good story to tell.

I was racing the Boulder High School Boys Cross Country Team up a 2.5 mile, 1000 foot mountain climb in Jamestown.  Those boys were rated 16th in the nation.  And I beat one of them.  I’d have out run two but one of the short little shirtless shits sprinted past me after we crested the hill, with only 10 yards to the finish.  This is good brewpub talk.

The next day, I discovered that I’d strained my hamstrings in both legs.  Further analysis suggested my flat training runs on the LoBo Trail were poor preparation for a hill climb.  And that I’ve been running more on muscle memory than muscle mass.  I’m working on addressing my shortcomings.  That’s what injuries are good for, suggesting future workouts for improvement.

An injury I’ve yet to blog about is my lower back.  I’ve been suffering lower back pain for a month now.  I think I can trace it back to sprinting some strides after a long run.  So yet another sports injury, which makes it okay to talk about.  It’s not like I have a sore back because I’m old or anything like that.  I don’t think this is affecting my running too much. It slows me down at the start, which might be hard to imagine.  I start out so slow already on my runs that I risk toppling over.  But once I warm up, after a mile or two, I’m good.  Hurts again afterward, but that’s what beer and ibuprofen are for.

brittelizabeth_lg

I should perhaps be writing a few nice things about Mother’s Day.  Karen has been mothering these girls for nearly half her life.

I got in a good eleven miles today in the rain.  I won’t be running Sunday.  Instead, I’ll be cleaning out the basement, this is what Karen wants for Mother’s Day.  She’s not concerned about my lower back pain.  My friends and family in Texas don’t have this problem, you don’t have basements.  You do have scorpions however.  If you’re having trouble picturing a basement, think of a 1000 square foot closet.  A place to put things you don’t want to look at.  Which, if true, doesn’t explain ever needing to clean it out.  But I don’t make the decisions around here.  I just do what I’m told on Mother’s Day.

Fort Collins

01 Sunday May 2016

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Imagine running through snow in May.  The forecast this morning seemed questionable for racing, but at 36°, no wind and softly falling snow, running the Colorado Marathon 10K in Fort Collins could not be more pleasant.  Chris is running the full marathon distance and started 30 minutes before me.  He might have been miserable waiting for the start, but I suspect this is perfect marathon weather too.  He later reports that running through Poudre Canyon in the snow was ideal.

This is my first race in five months.  I scheduled it to qualify for a fast Bolder Boulder starting wave.  I’ve given up on that plan since I didn’t get into racing shape but this event will still be really good to see where I’m at.  I’ve been running my workouts in an 8:30 minute per mile pace.  I figure I should be able to break 8 minutes per mile today, and am hoping to run 7:30.  I’ll be embarrassed if Chris runs a faster mile pace in his marathon.

The 10K is not the main event and so only has maybe 500 runners.  It starts in front of the Rio Grande, which opens their restaurant doors for the runners to stay warm.  The field thins out after a mile.  I’m running by myself after two miles.  I warmed up with a mile run and feel really good from the start.  I’m super surprised to be running near a 7 minute pace.  I don’t believe I’m anywhere near exceeding my lactate threshold but I feel like I’m running fast.  Feels great.  The course winds through gorgeous Fort Collins neighborhoods for 3 miles before returning along the Big Thompson River, flowing fast from three days of non-stop snow and rain.  This run is postcard perfect.

I’m able to pass another runner the final mile, 52 year old Bradley Wood from Ludlow, Nebraska.  I beat him by 4 seconds to finish second in my 50-59 year age division in 45:01.  I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this run, because I’d lost sense of my pace not having raced for half a year.  This helps set my expectations for the Bolder Boulder in four weeks.

Chris 26-4Chris ran a spectacular marathon.  He finished third in his age division with a 3:19 finish.  He ran an extraordinarily even pace of 1:40 for both the first and second halves.  His 7:37 pace qualifies him for Boston by over 5 minutes.  This of course leaves me wanting to qualify for Boston too.  I wasn’t planning to run a marathon this year, but now I’m considering one.  The top photo is of me eating breakfast at Snooze waiting for Chris to finish running after my 10K.  Next time, I plan to be a marathon participant rather than the spectator.

 

54

23 Saturday Apr 2016

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Keith pinged Steve and me last night to get together this morning for a hill run.  Keith is training for a mountain trail run and so he is working the trails in the foothills above Boulder into his training regimen.  We didn’t synch up because we all have different perspectives on time and what constitutes a morning run.  For me, 10am would be the earliest, after I’ve read the paper and drank a pot of coffee.  Good thing because Keith ran Betasso.  That climb is clearly beyond my current capabilities.  I have the cardio but my legs are much too weak.  I don’t want to risk re-injury of my hamstrings.  Lest you think I’m a wimp, the start to Betasso is an extremely steep mile rise.  The Empire State building is a quarter mile high, so you just think about starting your run by climbing four Empire State buildings.  At altitude.  The free fall back down on the return is another adventure my legs don’t need.

Instead, I ran the East Boulder Trail.  This trail is no picnic, but the hills are much more gentle than the start to Betasso Trail.  The bridge over Boulder Creek is still out so I only got in five miles.  Good run though, all the hills are contained in that stretch between Boulder Creek and the water tower.  Even though I ran slow, I could tell my cardio was strong on the hills.  Good to know.

I set goals for this year around increasing my speed at the 10K distance.  So far, my injuries have set my training regimen.  Every injury is a learning opportunity.  This time around, I determined I need more strength in my hamstrings.  I’ve been running more off muscle memory than muscle mass.  After my runs, I dedicated time to leg weights.  I have since turned that more into calisthenics.  They feel more natural than weights.  More recently, I am doing less calisthenics and instead am dedicating more post-run time to stretching.  Sure, this pattern will soon have me on the couch drinking beer after my runs.  I’m evolving.

I run the Colorado Marathon 10K next weekend.  This will be my first race in five months.  I initially planned it to be a warmup to the Bolder Boulder.  Possibly a time trial to qualify me for a fast starting wave.  Those plans have changed.  I’ll probably only push myself the final 3 miles of the 10K, after a good 3 mile warmup.  This will still be good to condition me for the Bolder Boulder, although I’ve given up on running any speedy times the first half of this year.

The photo of Ellie in her new dress signifies a big birthday weekend.  I’ll complete my 54th trip around the sun tomorrow and Ellie turns 14 Tuesday.  The story on the dress is she wanted to buy it a few weeks ago from a dress shop in the neighborhood.  She went to coffee this morning with her friend Lindsey and walked by the shop to look at the dress.  Ellie was utterly destroyed when she saw it was no longer for sale in the window.  She coveted that dress.  An hour later, our neighbors Wendy and Chase stopped by to present it to her as a birthday gift.  I expect the smile currently beaming on Ellie’s face to be there all day.

Good Running Weather

16 Saturday Apr 2016

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I waited today for the rain to turn to snow before running.  I don’t know if I ended up any less wet in the end, but it got me out the door.  Helped too to start with the wind behind my back.  After two and a half miles, I remove my gloves and stop here on the bridge to stretch out my hamstring.  It’s become tight and sore on me again.  This is a tough injury to shake.  I’m warmed up good for this run though.  I aim for 12.

lobo trail

The wind hits me in the face on my turn-around like a wake up call from dreams of winter.  My face grows cold but the rest of my body has built up enough heat to take me home.  Felt more cozy with the wind at my back, but this is actually good running weather, even running into the wind, now that I’m warmed up.  The snow blinds my eyes for a half mile, until I reach these Cottonwoods along the creek.  At the same time these trees screen the wind, the snow turns from hard, in my face, to big fat, fluffy flakes, big enough to bury me if I stop moving.

tulips

Looks to be snow and rain, back and forth today.  Blizzard maybe tomorrow.  My tulips are living each moment like it might be their last.  That’s how I like to take my weekends.  Karen is brewing some Texas Chili.  Ellie and I have tickets for the Jungle Book later tonight.  I remember my sister Sandy taking me to the movie theater in Marion, Iowa, to see The Jungle Book.  First movie I ever saw.

Snowboard Sisters

09 Saturday Apr 2016

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whiteout

Ellie’s spring break was a big week of snowboarding.  She starts the week out in Winter Park with Chase and Wendy.  She finishes the week in Vail with her sister.  The first day is a whiteout snowfall.  Ellie said the powder was so deep, it didn’t hurt to fall.

Ellie n Chase 2

Chase skis but Ellie is able to keep up with him on her board.  Ellie took off day two to recover her legs and do some shopping.  The three of them watch movies every night and eat huge breakfasts that Wendy cooks each morning.  Ellie’s favorite is Custard French Toast with Pecan Crust.

Chase n Wendy

I wonder if Wendy cooks like this when it’s just Chase at home?  I’m considering buying a 2016-2017 season ski pass to Winter Park for Ellie, just so she can have a hot breakfast.

Ellie n Chase

Thursday is full sunshine.  I drive up to join them, my skin smothered in zinc, but get sunburned anyway.  This is my first time to snowboard in Winter Park.  Gorgeous mountain.  Maybe age has diminished my sense of balance, but the lifts at Winter Park eject me like catapults.  I fall getting off over half the time.

Ed n Wendy

I’m serious about Winter Park ski passes.  Boarding with Wendy and Chase was a blast and it’s a great mountain.  Coming back for sure.

Ed n Brit 3

Ellie and I hook up later with Karen and Brit in Vail.  Turns out, this is Brit’s first time snowboarding in four years.  She’s still faster than me.

Ed Vail

I show off my toe side here.  And I master hopping off the lifts – not pictured.

Brit Vail 1

Brittany boards with some style.  Brit got me to try snowboarding about 10 years ago.  I finally bought a $40 board off Craigslist last year to hit the slopes with Ellie.  Glad I did.

Brit Vail 3

Is Brit sticking her tongue out at me?  Millennials!  She’s riding Ellie’s board here and struggles a bit because she doesn’t like the parallel position of the bindings.  She falls getting off the lifts more than I did at Winter Park.

Brit Vail 2

The difference between boarding with Ellie and Brit is that Brit drinks beer with me in between runs. I believe we both improved our form after each can of liquid courage.

Ed n Brit

Snowboarding with Brit on Friday, after a four or five year gap, brought back great memories. So good to know we can still shred the slopes. I expect many more years of this.

condo

Brit and Ellie gear up Saturday morning to snowboard before the forecast rain begins.  Another day too warm to snow.  They get in some runs though.  Brit feels better on her own board with the bindings turned out.

slope

Hail begins to fall on the mountain shortly after noon so the girls quit early to do some shopping.  Ellie finds a new, black GLCR 686 ski jacket, an early birthday present to herself.  Brit assumes this means she inherits Ellie’s green GLCR 686 jacket.  That’s how sisters think.

Ed n Ellie WP

They catch the bus home just as it begins to rain.  Vacation is winding down as Ellie entertains us with her ukulele.  Another good spring break.

Spring Training

02 Saturday Apr 2016

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standish white

I wasn’t able to run everyday this week, but it was my best running week of the year nonetheless.  I’ve had a slow start to the year, recovering from injury.  My distance returned to par a few weeks ago, and this week, my legs found their speed.  Too late now to run the Bolder Boulder in dramatic fashion, but I’m able to train again.  My initial expectations for racing this spring have been muted but I’m excited anyway.  I have the coming week off and intend to get in some quality runs.

I think it was Tuesday when I felt the speed return to my legs.  The weather lady said to expect snow but the air was too warm during my run.  I’m not sure if it actually rained, or if I was running through the rain clouds.  Colorado clouds make the trail so cozy when they drop across the landscape like reverse fog.  Somehow the reduced visibility dampens outdoor sounds.  I could hear my breathing in the silence.  It was one of those surreal moments, like running through misty Oregon in a Nike commercial where there is no finish line.  My legs fell into their old form after four miles and I maintained a fast pace for the remaining four.  I noticed immediately and held onto my pace and form like a lucid dream.

It did snow on my run Thursday.  Small, hard flakes that, combined with the wind, stung my eyes.  Still, another fast run.  I’m so excited that I can run well again that I ran 12 miles Friday after work.  Thank goodness for daylight savings time.  That’s a distance I generally only have time for on the weekends.  Not sure if I’ll focus more on distance or speed for Spring Break.  I’ll be snowboarding in Vail at the end of the week, so I have between now and Thursday to run and train hard.  I also have my taxes to complete and a living room to paint, but naturally running will be my priority.

I have a 10K scheduled for May 1st.  It will be my first race in five months.  I don’t know my pace any more so I won’t make projections.  I do hope to be able to run the 7 minute per mile pace I generally average for a 10K.  I shouldn’t be too far over.  The Bolder Boulder will be four weeks later so it will be good prep.  But this week comes first.  I won’t be pressured by my full agenda.  The runs will be serendipitous with no clock scheduling my returns.  Spring showers or blizzards won’t keep me off the trail.  Chinook winds might, those are different.  But I expect to be out there logging some miles.  Hope to see you on El LoBo.

Lion Runner

26 Saturday Mar 2016

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LoBo Bridge

In like a lion, out like a lamb.  That phrase doesn’t really apply to Colorado.  I know some parts of the country are planting their gardens.  I ran today in four inches of fresh snow, piled on top of what’s left to melt from the previous two feet of powder, wearing gaiters, gloves and ski hat.  And shoes still wet from this week’s previous runs.

Let me tell you something about winter running.  Avoiding shallow puddles of water for what looks like snow on the edge of the trail, but is really mostly slush, is a mistake.  Slush is quite literally standing water.  In my experience, it’s typically much deeper than the puddle I’ve rounded.  It’s most certainly colder, that’s why it’s still slush and not yet water.  The best advice I can give you is to run straight through any puddles and avoid slush at all cost.  Should you forget this advice and errantly choose the deeper standing slush over puddles on the trail, weep for yourself, my lion runner.  You’ll never have a dry pair of shoes.

Cyber Terrorism

24 Thursday Mar 2016

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iStock cyber warfare

The Department of Justice announced charges against seven Iranian hackers today for launching cyber attacks against the U.S. financial system and a dam in New York.  There is no question, these events were malicious cyber attacks.  But when is it cyber crime and when is it cyber war?  Apparently, sometimes never.  Loretta Lynch is calling this cyber terrorism, because also this week the Justice Department announced they have changed their approach and now treat nation-state affiliated hacking attacks like terrorism threats.

Lest you think everything is now clear, in the same statement, Loretta said, “In unsealing this indictment, the Department of Justice is sending a powerful message: that we will not allow any individual, group, or nation to sabotage American financial institutions or undermine the integrity of fair competition in the operation of the free market,”  Really?  How powerful!  I imagine then the State Department, in coordination with the Department of Justice, will now approve travel visas for these seven terrorists so that we might possibly arrest them after stepping onto U.S. soil.

Here’s my disconnect.  I understand terrorism to be used to classify harmful acts that are attributed to stateless warriors.  The circumstances around terrorism differ from crime and war such that we have this third category of aggression.  Hence, we have tribunals in Gitmo.  I sort of understand it.  Cyber Security experts have coined unique terms for hacking to categorize attacks as militaristic or criminal.  Fairly intuitive.  War is when we’re attacked by a government-attached army and crime is when we’re attacked by a civilian.  I would then think that cyber terrorism is when we’re attacked by a stateless army, but I’m wrong.  It means when we are attacked by real countries, namely China and Iran, but electronically rather than by arms.  Maybe there is additional criteria, such as the attack is against a corporation or citizen rather than against our military?

So if Iran blows up Wall Street, that’s war.  If Iran only electronically implodes Wall Street, then that is terrorism by the individuals working for the Iranian government.  Not sure how to classify the dam attack.  We need to stop pussy-footing around and call it what it is.  Cyber War!

Antelope Trail

19 Saturday Mar 2016

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Rafe 2

Rafe came up from from Albuquerque to watch some March Madness games this weekend with his buddy Brian.  This prompted Eve to host a Here Kitty Kitty relay team reunion, which culminated this morning in a trail run at Hall Ranch.

Brian Summit

Eve skipped the run, but her husband Brian, pictured here on the Nelson Loop Trail, braved the elements.  Actually the weather could not have been more perfect.  I started out in three shirts, tights and gloves.  I shed the gloves after a mile, tied my long sleeved shirt around my waist at the summit, and didn’t really need the tights.  20° in full Colorado sun and snow can be quite pleasant.  With zero wind, the conditions were unreal.

Beth Summit 2

Thursday dropped a half foot of fresh snow and running through Hall Ranch felt like being painted into a scene alongside Burl Ives in the 1964 movie Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.  The snow crystals glistened like diamonds.  This is Beth pictured above in her own personal post card.

Beth and Brian Bridge

This was my first time running Hall Ranch.  We started on the Antelope Trail, intersected with Bitterbrush Trail after the first uphill mile, and circled around Nelson Loop before returning.  My nano spikes came in handy on the initial climb but things warmed up quickly.  Fat tire bikes cut the lower trail for us but not even rabbit tracks disturbed the powder higher up.  This was my first challenging hill run since my hamstring injury and I felt pretty good.  I credit squats for my leg strength.  My lungs were spewing exhaust like a steaming locomotive, but it felt great to be back out on a mountain trail.

Farm Roads

12 Saturday Mar 2016

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6 miles 2

In honor of the political campaign season, this photo above is a lie.  I didn’t run Moab today.  This photo is from 2011.  But I wanted to be there with my friends, oh so bad.  Running that half marathon alongside the Colorado River through the canyon is one of this country’s best experiences ever.  Hope my friends enjoyed themselves this weekend.  Wish I were there.

family

Instead, I ran my own half marathon on the Boulder backroads.  My week was too busy for travel as I just returned, close to midnight Monday, from my Niece Christi’s wedding in New Braunfels, Texas.  This is Christi, pictured above, with her father Mike, sister Mindi and mother, my sister Nancy.  Christi is a school teacher in San Antonio.  Mindi is an officer with the Hays County Sheriff’s Department.

bride and grandma

It was a happy day for my mother too.  While she’s appreciative of her ten grandchildren, only three great grandchildren aren’t enough and she’d like to have more of those.

tres hermanas

I was pleased to see my sisters as well.  They all live a thousand miles from me and we don’t get together often enough.  I hope they were surprised to discover that my bangs are longer than all of theirs’.  I also saw some nieces whom I haven’t seen in decades.  Such a great trip.

mom and daughter

Clearly though, my little sister was the happiest of us all.  Mother and daughter were beautiful walking down the aisle.  The wedding was held outside and the Central Texas skies held back the flood waters just long enough to pull off this wedding Sunday evening.

dance

Okay, maybe the bride and groom were the happiest.  Kevin is also a teacher at the same elementary school as Christi.  They coordinated their wedding date with spring break.  But enough about all these shiny, happy people.  This is a running blog.

Today’s run may have equalled Moab in awesomeness.  I run so often on the little LoBo Trail outside my door and I don’t get out to the Boulder backroads enough.  The hard-packed clay, with streaks of rich brown and slate, is ideal for long runs.  I eschewed my Hokas for my old running shoes and felt like myself again.  My hamstring injuries are fading.  My old Salomon trail shoes have over 2000 miles on them, but give me a responsiveness on the dirt that I’ve missed.  My overly-cushioned Hokas are deaf by comparison.

North of the Boulder Res, I ran past fields of hops ready to grow for the local brewpubs, equine facilities, polo ranches, and over quaint bridges arched across Left Hand Creek.  It was 50° around noon with late winter sunlight filtering down through leafless Cottonwood.  An absolute runners dream for thirteen miles.  I came up behind another runner, over-dressed in tights and jacket, as we both left the road for a section of trail.  A garbage truck was nearly blocking the opening in the fence to the trail.  He took a less confrontational route around the far side.  I was enjoying my downhill stride too much to be bothered and darted between the busy sanitation worker and his monster truck, threading the needle to reach the trail.  I didn’t slow down or go wide.  Every run is a race.  I couldn’t be in Moab this weekend, but I had a good run.

 

Weekend in Texas

05 Saturday Mar 2016

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BCRT mile marker

I arrived at ATX last night a little before midnight.  The car rental desk at Budget was unmanned.  There were no signs with instructions but I got lucky somehow by asking the staff at the Avis desk for help.  I seem to recall those firms merging a few years back.  Not sure but Avis did indeed have my rental.  Got a Jeep Patriot for $12 a day.  First they upgraded me for free.  Then they pitched about $70 dollars in various options for insurance coverage, which I suspect was more expensive for my upgrade.  I declined everything.  I was too tired to understand anything being said and it felt like such a scam.  Not happy with the Patriot.  Big box with low visibility.  Handles speed bumps well though.

Got in 13 miles on the Brushy Creek Regional Trail this morning.  Weather Channel called for a 10% chance of rain.  That would be an all out rain shower in Colorado but it translates to clear skies in Central Texas.  After a half mile, mold spores began to form under the brim of my cap.  Before a full mile, the mold dropped from my hat and dammed up on my eyebrows.  By two miles, sweat was streaming across my face like the river over the spillway at Perdernales Falls.  I don’t know how people live here.  Many other runners were shirtless.  Not me.  A 53 year old running shirtless is like Trump referencing his penis at a GOP Debate.  People aren’t asking to see my white belly.  I suspect when we do see Trump’s tax returns, we’ll find out he’s been exaggerating the size of all his assets.

BCRT Sign

A half marathon is as much as I get from the BCRT.  6.75 miles one way but I run out and back from the east end along Harry Man Road.  I’m down here for my niece’s wedding tomorrow.  Thought I could squeeze in another run but I’ve since been tasked with some Uncle duties driving people around.  That’s fine.  The wedding is in New Braunfels and I’ve already set plans for lunch at the Faust Brewpub.  The day will be full of reuniting with sisters and family whom I don’t often see.  Looking forward to it.

Running Bums

01 Tuesday Mar 2016

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dirtbag runnersYou’ve heard of ski bums.  Maybe you were one.  It never ceases to amaze me how many people I meet in Colorado who tell me they originally moved here as a ski bum.  This photo captures running bums.  I grabbed it from Vanessa Run‘s FB site, hope she doesn’t mind.  Vanessa refers to such runners as dirtbag runners.  She actually co-hosts a site for dirtbag runners, so I’m not making this up.  Their Instagram site has some awesome running photos.  Vanessa is a classic running bum herself.  She lives out of an RV, runs trail races all over the continent, and writes the occasional running book like The Summit Seeker or Daughter’s of Distance.  She’s wearing the sunglasses.

I started thinking of running bums when my Austin running buddy Ken used the term to describe Jon as he caught me up-to-date on some guys we both used to run with back in the day.  Jon was one of my college cross country coaches at Texas State.  One of those coaches who runs with his charges.  He was only a few years older than the rest of us.  He was such a running bum.  He ate grass-fed smoothies decades before they were in vogue.  I never, ever saw him wear anything other than running sweats. To his credit, they were fashionable and not some Chariots of Fire gray cotton sweats.  To our dismay, he never washed them.  Jon smelled so bad, the entire team would have tears in our eyes when trapped in a van with him.  We drove once together from Central Texas all the way to Kansas.  Brutal.

Still, Jon was such a pleasant person.  He could talk about anything.  I imagine he still can. He became a letter carrier in Austin.  Ken brought him up to let me know Jon recently received a hip replacement and can no longer run.  Nightmare scenario for me.  I can’t imagine the impact on Jon.  He was such a running bum.  I don’t know that he ever won any of the big races but he was an elite athlete.  Running with him was an honor.  Bummer.

I wouldn’t mind becoming a running bum.  Not now, too many bills and commitments.  But in retirement.  I’ve been working on Karen to warm her up to the idea of moving to somewhere like Buena Vista.  That would put the Colorado Trail and the Collegiates at my doorstep.  Some of the finest trail running to be found anywhere in the world.  I could retire there.  Karen points out the tough winters and lack of nearby medical facilities at a time in our lives we might visit doctors more regularly.  I don’t know.  Fairly certain old people live there.  Old running bums.

Running with Angels

27 Saturday Feb 2016

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two plates

I was quaffing beers with a buddy the other night down at the Well.  The conversation turned to addiction.  I can speak to addiction.  My running is over the top.  Clearly.  This is my 360th running story out of a little over 500 posts in this blog.  But my problem is much worse than what my writing diversion indicates.  The massive miles I ran last summer put me past the point of no return.  I’m not happy now with anything less than 10 miles.  I avoid meeting up for happy hour with friends.  I leave cooking dinner to Karen.  I live for each work day to end so I can disconnect that VPN and head out onto the LoBo Trail.  I think of little else.

This photo of me glaring at Brittany captures me trying to ignore my kids while I extend my narcissism from a long run to dining alone on a steak and potato.  If anything is more excessive than the two plates, it’s that pile of kosher sea salt next to my ribeye.

The hardest part of my hamstring injuries was not running in December.  Then only mostly running for short 3 milers in January.  I’m back now though.  My right leg is about 95% and my left is maybe 65% healed.  I can’t run fast yet but I can run long again.  I went out with the thought of running 12 today but couldn’t stop and completed 15 miles.

I know I’m addicted.  I consciously feel the emotional pull.  There’s no better feeling.  It’s like a two hour orgasm.  Who could resist that?  Quitting my addiction would be like trying to step off this planet’s orbit.  Even if I had a rocket, I don’t want to quit.  I don’t know if that makes me a bad person or really much different from half my friends and neighbors.  I have friends with serious injuries and illness.  Knee surgeries.  Arthritis.  Some should be bed ridden quite frankly but that’s now how they think.

I’m no different.  I hope God allows me to run forever.  I wouldn’t mind leaving this world on a trail run.  I’ve watched slow death.  I’ve cradled sudden death in my arms.  Take me out after cresting a hill.  Leave my eyes open to watch the Colorado sun set over the Indian Peaks.  Leave my corpse in the middle of the trail to force mountain bikers to dismount.  One last spiteful moment.  And let my soul continue to run forever with angels through fields of alpine Buttercups.  I’d be happy with that.

Going Dark

25 Thursday Feb 2016

Posted by in cyber war, Geek Horror, Running

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scytale 2

FBI Director James Comey testified to Congress today that encryption will end law enforcement’s ability to perform their job.  He suggests that the FBI’s primary tool is court orders to search for information, and he makes the general assumption that data is never accessible once encrypted.  To paraphrase, encryption leads to information “going dark” for the purpose of public safety.  As if encryption is game over for the FBI.  This reminds me of a famous quote (famous misquote actually as I don’t believe this is true) attributed to the Commissioner of U.S. Patent and Trademark office Charles Duell when he purportedly quipped, “Everything that can be invented has been invented.”  Comey seems like a decent guy but suggesting that the FBI requires clear text access to American’s data because the court order process is predicated on this is disingenuous.  The FBI has an obligation to keep up with technology.

I stated in my previous blog on this topic that cryptography and cryptanalysis have been playing a cat and mouse game throughout world history.  So let’s review that, because I believe government is obligated to defeat encryption technologically rather than by  eroding America’s privacy laws.  To be fair, I recognize they are currently playing catch-up.  Consider that cyber crime is nearly a half trillion dollar market.  Security products and services are well under $100B market.  Meaning we are applying $100B to the good side and cyber criminals are making $500B.  So I can sympathize with Comey.  The bad guys are winning.

Understand the etymology of these terms.  We began by covering up secrets.  For example, Histaiaeus, in the 5th century BC, wrote his message for Miletus to revolt against the Persian King on his messenger’s shaven head.  He then waited for his messenger’s hair to grow back before sending him on his way.  This was before instant messaging.  A similar technique was used in the latest version of Mad Max.  “Steganos” is Greek for “covered” while “graphein” is the Greek term “to write”, hence steganography means “covered writing.”  So steganography was the art of covering up a message.  It goes without saying, one didn’t necessarily have to be a rocket scientist to be a code breaker back in the day.

The art of secrecy evolved to hiding the meaning of the message, rather than simply covering up the message itself – with the understanding the message will likely be discovered eventually.  The Greek term for “hidden” is “kryptos”; hence we use the term “cryptography” which we now practice with encryption.  The picture above is of a 5th century Spartan Scytale that transposed the position of letters to hide the meaning of the otherwise open message.

Technology advanced and today one does have to be a rocket scientist to be a code breaker.  Bill Gates was quoted by Representative Bob Goodlatte (wonder if he owns shares in Starbucks?) in today’s Congressional Hearing as suggesting Quantum Computing will soon be powerful enough to break any encryption.  I don’t know about that but point is technology does eventually catch up in this cat and mouse game.  Consider the plight of Mary, Queen of Scots.

On trial for treason, her prosecutor, Sir Francis Walsingham was also England’s Spymaster.  Sir Walsingham first captured Mary’s correspondance, which she hid inside the hollow bungs that sealed barrels of beer.  This was steganography.  But Mary was clever and further used a cypher to hide the meaning of her correspondence.  Sir Walsingham engaged Thomas Phelippes to perform the requisite cryptanalysis and ultimately succeeded in proving Mary’s guilt.  The rest is history.  Point being, Cryptanalysis was on par with the cryptography of the time.  Fast forward to WWII where the British successfully decoded the German’s Enigma with the use of early computing technology.  So Bill Gates might actually know what he’s talking about.

I’m in the cyber security industry and agree with Comey that the bad guys are winning.  For now.  Still, I’m not willing to surrender any more rights to privacy than have already been suspended post 9-11.  Technology will catch up.