In my circle of friends, it's a common occurence for inanimate, yet cherished objects to warrant a name. And before you start judging, this phenomemon is apparently fairly rampant in our culture. Ships have been named for presidents from the U.S.S. Washington to the U.S.S. George H.W. Bush. Herby and Kitt were both beloved automobiles. Even a healthy dose of the entertainment I enjoyed as a kid including The Brave Little Toaster, The Velveteen Rabbit, and Winnie the Pooh were all…

     Sometime during a 6.5 hour Leadville scouting run Saturday, I convinced myself that taking care of the monthly Pikes trip the following day was a good idea. With the goal of more time on feet and Charlie Brown by my side, in actuality, it wasn't bad at all.  There were a handful of moments early on though that I began thinking about my training plans (or lack thereof) that got me into situations like this, oftentimes with little forewarning or…