This is the only shot any of the photographers (in this case, Tim) managed to catch of me during the Garden of the Gods 10-Mile Race, as far as I can tell. As you can see, I appear to be having a one-woman party about half a mile into the race while everyone else is focusing on the task at hand.…

Up until now, my blog posts could be collected and aptly titled "How Not to Train for the Triple Crown," but with the Garden 10-mile under my belt, I'm ready to start really preparing for the Summer Roundup and Ascent. First, though, one more Triple Crown Don't: Don't decide the morning of the 10-miler to wear a pair of shoes you've worn twice and have never run in (I'm sure all you runners are wincing at my naivete right now). Black/non-existent toenails are not a great summer…

     As a guy who has had his fair share of bonks, including this one which has earned me the moniker "Zombie," I can tell you that hitting the wall is no laughing matter. Your body fails, your mind soon follows, and your race is almost certainly over. You become overwhelmed with an incredibly helpless feeling and curse yourself for an inadequate, or poorly executed calorie intake plan.

     But what if bonking…

Unlike some of the other sports I've done, mountain biking is one where taking some time prior to the race and checking out the course can make all the difference between winning, finishing and taking a major spill out. Marathons? It's nice to know where the hills are and if there are any sharp turns. But not knowing won't really affect the course. Road triathlons? Same…

Such a fantastic weekend of running!  With all due respect to the winter sports crowd (I hate being cold and don’t even like to get out of bed if there is snow on the ground) this is by far the best time of the year to live on the Front Range.

Friday after work I made the short drive up to Lewis-Palmer high school for an all-comers track meet.  My first track race in over 15 years, I attempted the 1500m/3000m double.  Forgot how painful racing on the track can be, but now…

The Garden of the Gods 10 mile run and 5k(new this year) are truly a celebration of the Community of Colorado Springs.

Think of this before you read on:  In 1879  Charles Elliot Perkins(head of Burlington Railroad at the time) purchased the Gardens 240 acres with the intention of building his home on those acres, next to his rich and famous friend in Glenn Erie,…

I just read Jon's (PikesPeakSports.us Triple Crown Team member) most recent post. This last part really stuck out: "Anyhow, looking forward to the Garden.  I just ended a 30 day period which saw me cover two marathons, two 14ers, a 50K, and two 50 milers, so it will be nice to have a short distance weekend.  I think I have a decent shot at a sub 70.".......... I think I can officially say I am incredibly intimidated by the other runners I'm going to encounter tomorrow. I just ended a 30 day…

Sand Creek Race Series is underway! Bear Creek race #1 is in the books and the suffering has begun, wait I mean the fun has begun. In classic Sand Creek style Andy and Eldon pieced together a circuit in Bear Creek that was super challenging while keeping with some good ol’ MTB riding fun. The crowds looked great last night as I rolled up to the venue, I was stressed…

Okay, so the the hail held off until the racing was done and hopefully everyone got home safely! I know it got really ugly really quickly...

I got to Bear Creek just before the start of the Cat 3 and Juniors race. Always fun to watch those races - there were some fast juniors tearing it up and some true beginners out having a good time. Bikes of all shapes and styles underneath riders of all ages. Then the Cat 2 race started and it was time to think about following my own…

June is when Colorado celebrates National Bike Month, and June 27^th marks bike-to-work day in the Springs. That’s the one day of the year I'll pull my mountain bike out of the garage.  There isn’t much I won’t do for free food, even if it means seeing the mayor in spandex.

A lesser celebrated alternate form of transportation is the run to work method.  Over the past two years I’ve made this my preferred way of travel to and from work at least once a week.  No free…

Ran the entire GOG 10 mile course on Friday, June 1 for the third and final time. A good, former long-distance running friend said “You know you should start tapering two weeks before any race.” Oops, I’m kinda inside that timeframe aren’t I. I’ve taken a couple of runs, just under 5 miles, with the great group of people who meet in the Garden every Tuesday and Thursday morning. For me, that means getting up at 5 a.m. but boy is it worth it to watch the creeping sunrise gradually paint…

Here are a few photos of the miscreants I spend my Tuesday, Thursday, and occasional Saturday mornings with,…

Three of the Ascent Cycling Series races are held at Bear Creek Terrace, right in the shadow of the mountains. This was the traditional location for the Wednesday night races for the last three years, so many COS riders are familiar with the trails. We usually use Bear Creek as a pass through - a bit of single track before continuing up the Regional Trail to destinations further afield. The courses at Bear Creek Terrace don't seem challenging on intial inspection, but I've always found them…

Among the many other reasons, Colorado Mountain Bike racing is great because it happens in the summer. I know this may seem like a Duh, but there are many parts of our fair country that do not race bikes in the summer. It is too hot, the spider webs are too bad, or it rains too much are some of the reasons that force racing into the spring or late fall. But summer is good. …

Kickball! Or... let's not grow up.... and beer!…

The CC class of 2014 (my class) adopted the class motto "Damn, those fourteeners are high!" this year, and though the intended implication doesn't really resonate with me, it did help to inspire a new goal of mine for this summer. I turn 20 in just under a month, and have decided that I want to have climbed 20 of the Colorado fourteeners before then. I'm a little ashamed to say that, in all my years living here, I've only done 10 of them. This summer is fast becoming the most ambitious of my…

     Once upon a time, in a place not so far away from here, there lived Tres Passer and Giant Killer, two elder adventurers. Now there was nothing inherently special about these characters. In fact, they were really just ordinary folk. They had no magic powers. They could not fly, or become invisible, or converse with animals, and they were not rich. They did however, love the mountains where they lived and had a reputation for long, and oftentimes ridiculous journeys.   

      One…