Let It Snow, Snow, Snow

I awoke this morning to a hearty dose of snow...the wet, heavy kind that creates havoc on the roads but makes the trees and mountains look like a winter wonderland. My flight for Phoenix is supposed to depart at 5:00 pm. I might need to borrow Santa's sleigh to get to the airport!

With a solid block of training under my legs I'm stoked to wrap things up for 2006 at the Soma Half IM this weekend in Tempe, AZ. My friends Erin, Kristin and Pete are racing as well and we've put in place a bit of a competition to spice up the race a bit...should be fun.

More to come upon my return to Boulder early next week.

Keep it smooth...

Kona

Jeesh, I almost forgot to send a shout out to my friends racing Kona tomorrow. I wish them and all the other competitors, volunteers, sherpas and others a safe and healthy day of racing on the Big Island!

I will be sending positive thoughts throughout the day to Joanna Z., Michael S., Mitch G., Michael L., Lars F. & Emily! Be your best!!

Keep it smooth...

Taste of Winter

Earlier this week we had our first snowfall here in Boulder. The colder weather has forced me to ride on my CompuTrainer a few times this week, but it's all good. The Soma Half IM is next weekend and I'm stoked for it...I've been feeling quite sharp in training in all three disciplines and ready to lay down a solid effort in Tempe. My friends Erin, Kristin and Pete are racing as well so it promises to be a fun way to end the season :) After Soma I have to travel to Michigan the first week in November for some speaking engagements and will enjoy a nice break from training. It will be fun to do some other things like skate skiing, ice skating, sleep in a bit, etc.

With my speaking, people often ask, "Are you Christian?" This has prompted some thoughts while riding indoors this week. Whenever I give a talk, I'm never in the position or mindset of imposing my thoughts on dating, love and relationships. Rather, I like to think I'm proposing some ideas on how to live a healthy lifestyle. This is done out of a genuine care for the health and well-being of others, specifically our young people.

Keep it smooth...

Rolling Along

The last 10-12 days of training have been quite good. I seem to be getting out of my IM Wisconsin "funk" and finding a bit of snap with things. Of course, completing some sessions with the likes of Michael, Simon, Dave, Colleen (Olympic runner), her husband Daren and others certainly lends itself to upping the effort. After completing so much training on my own in preparation for IMWI, it's been fun to train more with others and share some laughs.

Outside of training and getting ready for the Soma Half IM in a few weeks, my focus has been on sponsorship for 2007 and finding a new place to live. ML has been huge in helping with sponsorship. His insight has been invaluable. I just may have found a new condo...trying to sort out the finances, etc. Off to bed for tomorrow morning brings another brisk 15 miler with the guys.

Keep it smooth...

Running With the Devil

OK, so Simon isn't really the devil, but he can be evil in training sessions! Friday morning I met up with Simon, Michael and Tim for what was supposed to be an easy to moderate 15 mile hill run. "Easy" quickly transformed itself to brisk within the first mile as "competitive" reared its ugly head. It was a beautiful morning for a run and Simon threw out a couple of options...the Teller Farm run or a new route to east Niwot. Michael's response was simply, "Whatever will slow us down." The challenging Teller Farm trail it would be. By mile 2 Michael decided he really didn't need to be running the set pace, so he wisely dropped back. Tim joined him at mile 3 and I found myself running shoulder to shoulder with the lanky South African. When we hit the turnaround Simon commented we were running a bit faster than what he typically runs over this portion of the route. I thought to myself, "Greaaat" knowing the next few miles were the toughest with steep hills. We hit these pretty hard but I didn't lose my vision. Simon gapped me a bit at the 13.5 mile mark and I opted not to kill myself in an effort to go with him. Upon returning to his house Simon noted we had just ran this route the fastest he ever has...not sure if that is good or bad. At any rate it was a hearty effort!

Yesterday I rode my favorite long climbing route which had close to 4500 feet of climbing. It was a magnificant day to ride in the mountains and I was loving it. I rode from Boulder north to Big Thompson Canyon up through Glen Haven and on to Estes Park. This climb is stunning with its views leading into Estes Park and not much vehicle traffic. The final portion has a nasty bite with a 10-12% grade. It's well worth it though as the view upon cresting is simply stellar...as a hand painted sign reads "A slice of heaven". The descent down 36 into Lyons was awesome riding 35-45 MPH. I completed the 104 mile loop faster than I thought I would given Friday's run the day before and my legs felt pretty good running off the bike. The day was topped off having dinner & dessert on Pearl with a couple of friends.

Keep it smooth...