Monthly Archives: August 2017

Run the Year Motto:  EVERY day’s a run day, 2017 miles in 2017

 

August 2017 update:  Solar eclipse, Rockies baseball, summer Shakespeare & Sharknado 5 – BIRTHDAY month ❤

BIG hike month too!  Even this month’s marathons were both on TRAIL.  Missed my run miles, no regrets.  Less than 60 days ‘til Ireland, started training on the 24th.  Banged out 50+ miles last week of August.  On target.  Eye on the prize.

Labour Day plans?  Camping/hiking in Telluride.  Nevr been.  Dog-friendly weekend.  SUPER excited!

 

September/October focusCONSISTENCY – run or hike every day, next 60 days

Cooler morning temps making it easier & easier to stay consistent/run longer.  Almost made it thru another summer.  95 marathons complete – 2 in September, 2 in October then finishing #100 on October 29th in Dublin.

 

Race ReCap:  2 tough runs, 8 days apart – each sporting 4,000ft+ vertical gain.  30.5 miles on Echo Summit (south of Lake Tahoe).  Following Sunday, 26.2 miles in Steamboat Springs – Strava stats say I topped 8,200ft elevation.

Marathoning Streak:  45 months

Mileage ReCap:  ended August at 1,548 miles (203 miles ahead of goal)

 

 

The negativity, the curation, the pressure to only share a “perfect you” – social networks have stopped being real. People don’t feel good enough anymore. That’s not us.

 

Strava is a place to be imperfect. It’s a place to put it all out there and forget about what people think. It’s a place to be yourself – a glorious, absurd, incredible, ordinary, flawed, proud athlete – and nothing else.

 

LESS CURATION, MORE PERSPIRATION

We’re rallying athletes to go against the grain by posting your favorite anti-filter photos: Show us the awkward tan lines, the flushed post-workout selfie, the filthy hands, the raw joy of a big day out. There’s no such thing as too real. Maybe that’s not “trending” lately, but your definition of fun has always been a little different.

 

Just be yourself, keep it honest and raw and use #AthletesUnfiltered to join us.

 

 

Master went to Grasshopper.

Too much time on the road Monday in Wyoming.  Wanted to hike this weekend, just didn’t want to drive to get there.  Ash recommended Herman Lake, an alpine hike above tree-line – chock full of wildflower & only an hour-half from home.  Check, done.

Early Saturday start.  Full tank of gas, backpack, Ro in the backseat.  Beautiful Colorado day.

Handful of exits past Georgetown, one away from Grays.  Dirt trailhead parking lot right off exit 218: Herman Gulch Trail.  Steep hike on the CDT (Continental Divide Trail), BESTEST way to celebrate National Dog Day 2017!

Forewarned ‘bout 2 Start complaints: highway noise & a HUGE initial climb.  Check & check.  Butted right against I-70, traffic noisy/distracting/easy-to-hear from Colorado’s east-west thruway.  Drops off quarter to half-mile in.

1000 foot grind UP UP UP from the parking lot.  Think daughter felt vindicated after I shared my elevation stats.  AND no Colorado switchbacks this trek, just a direct push UP.  Settled/caught my breath, sucked down a liter of water, elevation bit shy of 11,000ft.  Trail emptied into high alpine meadow.  AWESOME hike!

Steady gradual UP ‘til our lake destination, never really noticed.  Mountain decorated/dressed in colour.  Lush summer vegetation.  Evergreen: pine, spruce, juniper.  Wildflowers EVERYWHERE, every shade.  Absolutely beautiful.

Good for the head.  Surrounded by sheer MASS, felt small again.  Inner peace.

It’s not Herman Lake’s size, but its location – spongy tundra border, framed-in by Pettingell Peak.  Cold wind blew, snow a short 3 weeks away.  Nature knows.  Backed against a boulder, Ro tethered to my belt, lunched in the Colorado Rockies at 12,000ft.

No other place on Earth ❤

 

UPDATE:  Home by 2pm Saturday.  Grocery shopped, cleaned house/laundry, Sunday church – AND Patsy Cline.  Ok, not THE Patsy Cline (she’s been gone since 1963) but a 2-hour two-Act matinee of the lady’s music at Longmont Community Theatre.

I’m not just ‘marathon man’, I’ve got an artsy side too 🙂

 

 

Today, Tomorrow & Forever‘, a Celebration of Patsy Cline (audio only)

 

 

Voice mails & texts during my 3-day Eclipse weekend in Casper, cards in the box.  More of a BIRTHDAY WEEK than just one day 🙂

Celebrated day-after with Ash & Tom.  Best cake EVER, my first trail-running cake.  Trail itself, malted milk balls.  Icing, Nutella.

Birthday DINNER?  Old Bay shrimp boil (outside cooked on the grill).  Birthday APP?  Deviled eggs.  ALL my favourites!

and a MOVIE.  Not just any movie, Sharknado 5.   Yep, FIVE years of shark tornados.  This year’s serial cast in London.  Sharknados disrupting Big Ben.  Ancient shark cave drawings discovered in Stonehenge.  Appears even our ancestors were plagued with cloud-flying, funnel-spinning Great Whites/makos/hammerheads.  Who knew?  LOL>  Perfect evening!

MOST AWESOME GIFT?  Sis sent a lamp.  Not just any lamp, a Filimin – a long distance touch lamp.  7 minutes set-up.  Plugged-in unit, attached WiFi, added profile to Sis’ group.  Chose a unique color, any shade on the ROYGBIV rainbow.  That’s pretty much it.

My colour: GREEN.  Sis’ colour: PURPLE.

Honestly, my family is not a touchy-feely bunch.  We’re not huggers.  Texting heart emojis: tightest we get ❤

 

What is Filimin For?

Sometimes it’s difficult to tell someone you love them.

 

A text, email or phone call are all nice, but often they’re just not enough. We all desire something more: a hug; a presence; something simple, mindful and “beyond words.”

 

So we created Filimin. Filimins are decorative touch lights that connect you with those you love.

 

How does Filimin work?

 

Imagine you and a loved one each have a Filimin. When you think of her, simply touch your Filimin. Both Filimins will respond to your touch, gently glowing together with one of hundreds of colors to choose from. Knowing you are thinking of her, she can respond by touching her Filimin, and both of your Filimins will together glow a new color.

 

If your Filimin is part of a group, all of the Filimins will glow together! Every member of the group knows that they’re in someone’s special thoughts, and can immediately return the love and good will.

 

I get it – it’s a lamp.  I touch the lamp it glows GREEN.  But telling ya folks, when I see PURPLE – knowing my Sister miles away touched her lamp, that she’s thinking of me?  Whew, emotional.  For the guy who seemingly has everything…

It’s a GREAT gift.  Search it out for your family this Christmas.

 

 

Birthday Filimin

 

How Filimins Are Made

 

Filimins are assembled, tested and packed at Women’s Initiative Network (WIN).

 

WIN is a small non-profit organization in Wichita, Kansas which helps women in their journey from abusive situations to independence and the workforce.  Many are homeless, with children, recovering from addiction, but have already made the brave decision to stop the cycle of abuse for them and for their families. WIN offers these women a full range of services, including job support and training, emotional and educational support, and resource acquisition.

 

The women at WIN assemble Filimins from start to finish. They solder, program and configure printed circuit boards, operate CNC machines, use power tools, test, glue, and run each Filimin through a 9-point quality assurance test before packing and shipping them. In developing this process with us, they have accomplished things they never thought they might and have gained confidence and competence in new skill sets.