Don't Ever Believe Roger

Ok, we all know that Candi is an exercise machine. Of course she is a great cyclist, she has all the body fat of a ferret hyped up on a double cappuccino! But our man Roger he was all like, I can't ride no bike, I suck, I'm a spaz, You'll have to drive a stake in the ground next to me to see if I'm moving, you can leave the watch in the car I'll be timing myself with a calendar, and all that. Hooey, that's what I say!

Roger shows up for our little bike ride (oh, yeah, I'm all about cross training.... now) on a 1980's Trek (it's the genetic twin of mine) with all of 40 pounds of pressure in the tires (if you don't bike, well for a road bike 40 pounds gives a comfortable yet slow ride.) Darn that Candi, she had to point this out to him, so right then I knew I would be riding alone again, naturally.

I was right, they took off and left me to pedal slowly in peace. But you know what? This wasn't at all like my last effort during what Roger described as my 6 week taper for Vermont (yeah, it was about 3 weeks before Western States was supposed to fire off a race.) On that ride I whined, I cried, I hoped for death. Not so this time, by the time I made the turn around (with Candi and Roger long out of sight, thank Gawd!) I had found a little tiny bit of my biking legs and had little trouble making the trip back.

So, I was happy to be out there, and happy to think with some effort I might be able to keep up with Candi, Roger and Star (provided I get to prep their bikes!)

That's all I have to say about that!

Song of the Week #47 Gone at the Haitt of it All!

Yeah, this is my view on the slam.

Like my last paycheck...
Like a 5th of Gin ....
Like my first 46 years ....

This is what it is..

But you know, that doesn't mean the next 46 years won't be even better! Like I said, I'm actually looking forward to going beautiful places and not having to run the whole dern time! I'm actually looking forward to growing some toenails.

Oh, sure I'll still be running WAY too much, even after Arkansas, but because I want too, not because I'm in the Slam!

So, I'm Sitting In the Public Library...

So, I'm sitting in the public library, minding everybody else's business when lo' and behold, I see this staring over at me....Hey Kate, I mean the Jimmy B. Keel Library sure is nice, a great place to bring the twins, but it's a long way from the Springs! Oh, I guess you really did move. Well, welcome the Keel back!

Any way, in my classroom, I have nice new high tech equipment (that I have no idea how to use!), and it turns out that Kate is now training people on how to use said equipment. Hey, I'll be missing out on a lot next week when that hardware comes in that will allow me to use the Internet at home. Of course it will be nice to be able to read Chase's blog again, my school filters just don't cotton to the phrase, Dirty and Thoughts in the same lifetime (we are a fine Catholic institution, yeah, but it's fine to have tit and tu in the same word, I guess as long as shun is in there tu!)

Anyway, just some of the stuff besides running that happens in Tampa...

47? Try Not to Run any on the Way Home!

Like Dante said in the excellent movie Clerks (not Clerks II, there was no inter-species erotica in the original), "47?! You're gonna be 47? Try not to run any miles on the way home!" I think that's what he said, and I think that was the subject matter.

Anywho, On Tuesday, one week from today I'll be turning 47, hence, annual birthday run. Last year I ran 46 with the help of Woody and Becky I think. This year A2, the Professor and I have signed up. The run will be on Monday, why? It's Labor Day and if the run goes anything like the last two, I'll be laboring.

Yall come on out now. We'll be starting at Gulp, 1 AM. Yoikes!

After the run come on over for brew and burgers at the annual Labor Day Croom and Que.

It'll be a hoot!

And Most Importantly, It's Ali's 14th Birthday today. Her Mommy, Mr. Jeff, and I are taking her out for Sushi, yum, yum! On Sunday she got to go see these dudes with the Good Doctor and I, it sure was fun! Er, only slightly less fun than running 47 miles!

Como Se Llama

Como Se Llama! They use these guys to stock the Hope (less) Pass Aid Station.
Pre-race with Robo, Michelle and Alisa. Shoot Alisa ran almost as far as we did because she paced someone to the finish from mile 60. The rest of us, well... er, you know the story.

Hey, I'm stuck at school cause it took me 2 hours just to order some stinking Internet from Verizon on-line. They suck, if can afford another service get it, they have the worst customer service I have ever seen! Mary, you shouldn't have retired, they have gone to Hades in a handbasket, and I don't mean maybe!

Ok, anyway, I promised Leadville pictures, so here you go:

Chaser before the pain. He coulda made it, he coulda been a contender, he just needs to do a better job picking his running mates!
Gee, I sure wish these clouds would clear!

Hey, wait that snow wasn't there yesterday! Isn't this August.

I was feeling pretty good here, but they wanted me to climb that! And I did it! Only I did it about 1 1/2 hours after the time cut-off. Yoikes! Not many of these in FLA!

I met this cool Doctor lady, she was Dutch, from the Netherlands, of course I was thinking from the Netherworld when she wouldn't let me take Oxygen at the Hope Pass aid station! That meant I had to keep going even though making the next cut-off was Hopeless.

Pre-race in Leadville, that is NOT an inviting sky!

After the race I needed several of these to forget.... And the hangover, it wasn't so bad!

The drive back to Denver. You know, we rarely get this much snow in Florida, in August. Very rarely, as a matter of fact August is our 12th snowiest month!

Working for the Man!

Hey, I haven't gotten caught up at work yet, so tough to justify blogging at school.

Also, I still haven't rigged any free Internet yet, so until then I'll be the Dalmation of bloggers, spotty, very spotty.

Later!

Hey, You.... Thanks

I'm not the sentimental type (more just mental :), but thanks.

So many people cheered. So many people prayed. You guys were great. Some of you I don't even know, but you were great too.

I wanted this to end at Arkansas, but sadly, I didn't make that far (this time!)

You'd think I'd be discouraged, but really I'm not. I draw out of this all the positive beautiful things (and I don't have to go to Wasactch!)

To name a few:
As I was going up Hope Pass, obvious to everyone, including me, that I wasn't going to make the time cut-off, nameless people clasping my shoulder or patting my back in a show of understanding and solidarity. "I feel your pain my brother, I've been there, it sucks, but you are going for it. Soldier on!" I can't tell you what that meant to me, but it was a lot.

One gentleman who obviously reads my blog, "Oh no, Andy, I'm so sorry." I'd never met him, but he's been following me and cheering for me.

I met a beautiful lady and her husband from Salt Lake City, and her remarkable crew at breakfast in Twin Lakes on Sunday. We were both too fresh and not sore enough, we knew we a two DNF's at the same place. She was also one of the 18 who had the Grand Slam snatched at Leadville. We talked, she has also been keeping tabs on the blog.

And of course the fabulous Florida Ultra Runners. You guys..... you rock. Advice, money, supplies, but mostly love and support.

I lost the Slam, but I gained..... I gained, if I ever have to pay it back, well, I hope yall take checks :-)

(tomorrow pictures, I swear, gotta draw this out someway, don't I?)