burro racing & pre-wedding snow

Published May 27, 2017

Last week of 2 Hagas in the office. Ash said her goodbyes Wednesday, the future in-laws were first to arrive [from New Jersey]. PS gifted the couple a [Sprout] integrated amplifier & set of [ELAC] speakers. Very nice. Many thanks!

Sunday wedding. Family arrived on multiple flights mid-day Friday/Friday nite/early Saturday/Saturday afternoon. Hit the highway Saturday morning, easy 2 hour drive – destination: Silverthorne CO, elevation 9,035ft. BIG smile ❤

Stopped at ‘The Happy Cooker’ in Georgetown for late breakfast/early lunch. Window seat. During the meal, saw an unusual number of pack mules. As luck would have it, BEST LOCATION to watch today’s Burro Race. Finish Line literally across the street. Promptly paid my tab & watched the day’s first finishers. LOVE LOVED it – start of what’s undoubtedly gonna be a SUPER FUN weekend!

13th Annual Historic Georgetown Railroad & Mining Days Pack Burro Race

Georgetown, Colorado

The Western Pack Burro Ass-ociation seeks to continue a great sport begun by Colorado’s miners.

Approximately 8-9 miles from Georgetown to Empire and back. Remember to follow traffic pattern around the roundabout, yield to downhill runners, and stick around after you’re done to check for ticks. And, there will be a prize at the end of the race for the runner who picks up the most trash on the course!

Entry fee: $50

Weigh-in time: 9:00 am

Start time: 11:00 am

Race Director: Bill Lee (Red Tail) – 720-234-8200 – laughingvalleyranchco@gmail.com

Back on I-70, cold drizzle turned to SNOW. 4 days ‘til June – more importantly, 30 hours before the OUTDOOR Wilpiszeski wedding begins. Snow is good luck, right?

Hotel check-in, afternoon altitude run (’cause every day’s a run day). Met up with Ash & Tom at ‘Wilp Manor’, the in-laws’ Airbnb mansion rental. Rehearsal dinner followed soon after at Dam Brewery in nearby Dillon.

FAM-FEST tomorrow – hanging with Mom, my siblings & their families first-half Sunday.

3pm pictures, 5pm WEDDING! Weather Forecast: SUNSHINE ☀

: PS product gifting — super nice 🙂

: last work day as a Haga

: Team Wilpiszeski

: sport begun by Colorado’s miners

: rehearsal dinner ‘Pigeon Shirt’

Georgetown Burro Race

Memorial Day weekend SNOW

Posted in Continental Divide, Family | Tagged horses, weather, wedding-bells | Leave a comment

Gate City Marathon, NH

Published May 21, 2017

Crazy cold in Toronto 2 weeks ago, today’s forecast in New Hampshire: low 80’s.

Main Street FINISH

7am marathon start. Mid-50’s, sunny skies, pretty much perfect. Would go out fast, try to log as many miles as possible before temps started heating up.

My first cloverleaf course. Little confusing initially – overall, HUGE fan. Generally NOT excited ‘bout running loops…but when 4 of those 5 loops are unique, hardly seemed like lap running. Loved the ole New England feel of Nashua’s historic Main Street, [ran] out-n-back 4 times.

Started UPHILL past Nashua City Hall, on the right: Church of the Good Shepherd (circa 1871), [ran] by the Telegraph (city’s newspaper home), over the Nashua River, long trek down Manchester/Hill’s Ferry/Concord streets, east ‘round Atherton Park, back over the River, THEN Main Street-returned via my favourite chunk of local architecture – St. Mary & Archangel Michael’s Coptic Orthodox Church, built in 1898 (previously Roman Catholic)…beautiful old building, Nashua’s tallest church.

17 miles in, sun blazed warm. Avoided the day’s strongest rays for another 3 miles. Ran those miles alongside water-gorged canals in Mine Falls Park. Dirt path, BEAUTIFUL treed property – LOVED.

21-mile aid station. Stopped/regrouped, slow jogged back to Main. Loop 5: shortest of the cloverleafs. Seemed like a looooong 4.3 miles. Walk/jogged, water-doused my head at both aid stations.

Finish line. Came in hot, unsteady. Main Street never looked so good.

Southern New Hampshire Medical Center provided support in the Finish area. Blood pressure 80 over 40, body temp just over 93. Disoriented, not my best. Hour later, good to go ❤

Beautiful course, well run event – with friend support at both Start & Finish. Not a great finish (20 minutes slower than my past 2 marathons) but…a finish is a finish. #90 in the books.

3rd Annual Gate City Marathon, Half Marathon, and Relay – FULL

#1095 KR HAGA

Place: 138

Net Time: 4:39:30.5

3 week run break. Next Sunday surrounded by Colorado mountains, I’m walking the bride. Nothing better.

: tried to log as many miles as possible before temps started heating up

: my first cloverleaf course

: 5th in 6 weeks, 12th of 2017

Posted in Marathons/Ultras, Northeast | Leave a comment

Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Published May 20, 2017

pic-perfect day

Promised months ago, would not marathon Memorial Day weekend. No race conflicts permitted during Ash & Tom’s Colorado wedding [or 2 weeks following – dog-sitting my grandpup during their Iceland honeymoon].

Week before? No such promise. Targeting run #90, 5^th in 6 weeks, 12^th of 2017.

Flight delay in Chicago, +2 hour time difference, arrived in Manchester 2:30am Saturday morning. Six hours sleep, short 2 mile pre-marathon run (‘cause every day’s a run day), hit the highway – destination: Portsmouth, New Hampshire. 2 cars: Stephen, Sheila, daughter-in-law Ashley & two toddlers. Beautiful sunshiny day.

Portsmouth’s right on the water – New Hampshire’s only port city. Public parking off Market, street-scanned for grub. Irish pub, outdoor seating. Check, done 🙂

Post-lunch walk in Prescott Park, along the Piscataqua River. Picture perfect New England. Alarm sounded. Watched Memorial Bridge lift, allowing a passing ship to clear its mast. History-trekk’d thru Portsmouth Navy Yard while Ashley’s kids climbed atop the Park’s whaling memorial. AND there was ice cream ❤

More of Stephen’s family – Patricia, Noreen & Maggie – joined before his concert start at Christ Episcopal Church. Second year singing, my first time attending. Gotta get back for Christmas — hear the conductor wears jingle bells & a tree. SUPER FUN day!