Some big races this weekend, and a not-so-big 50 miler in Buena Vista.

Good luck to Scott Jaime and Phil Kochik representing CO out in California at the Miwok 100k, a.k.a last chance to qualify for Western States. The field at Miwok is loaded and looks like it will be quite the footrace. My pick in the men's race is Geoff Roes, who seems to have the right combination of speed, patience and endurance for the distance. From his blog, it sounds like he's in great shape too.

Also good luck to Ryan Burch at the Fort Collins Marathon. He's targeting a 2:45, and I'm pretty sure he's good for it.

I've been back and forth on whether to run Collegiate Peaks this weekend, after doing something to my calf last Thursday and further aggravating it by racing a 5k on Saturday. Took Sunday and Monday off, hobbling around and generally thinking it would be stupid to race. However, got out for a 4-mile tester Tuesday where I was able to run, despite hurting on the uphills. Got out again yesterday and felt considerably better. The pain was still there, but was just that, pain. Doesn't feel like a tendon or anything that could go pop! if I push it, so I'm assuming it's a minor muscular issue. The pain is more dull than throbbing now, so I'm hopeful it won't be an issue by Saturday.

I don't recognize too many names on the start list, but I am looking forward to racing Tim Long. From previous results, it looks like we should be pretty closely matched. The women's field looks like it will be dominated by Helen Cospolich, last year's Leadville 100 winner (and winner at Fruita the other weekend).

Dana and Alistair are making the trip to Buena Vista with me. We've got a little cabin booked, so it should be a fun getaway. They've got plans for the hot springs while I slog it out on Saturday. The course looks to be reasonably fast - mainly forest roads from what I can make out, with somewhere close to 5,000 feet of climbing - so I hope to keep my streak of PRing at 50s alive. Anything under my time from Fruita (7:44) would be a result then, I guess.

Did you know Qatar has a population of approx 786,000?
Did you know its primary industry is crude oil production?
Did you know it isn't part of the United Arab Emirates?

Well I didn't.
And why, you may ask, do I know this about Qatar?
I've been doing some research.
A vague conversation with DH a few weeks ago made passing reference to the possibility of a job there. A good job. A job that would leave us mortgage free in a few short years. A job that would provide us to exposure to a totally different culture and tradition.
It's also a job that would rip us from the family and friends we know and love. It would mean taking the kids away from the school they love. A job that would see DH working impossibly long hours, while I raised three kids in an isolated environment.

And unfortunately, it's gone from being an abstract concept to a very real possibility.
I'm pretty sure you can figure out why. DH is still gainfully employed. For now. But like most jobs, nothing is certain. In fact, I'd go so far to say as, things are very uncertain.
We made a deal many years ago, that we are a family, we would stick together. So him getting a job where he works away alot isn't an option for us. If one goes, we all do.
So right now I'm nervous, scared and upset. I need to be supportive and encouraging, but I also need to articulate my concerns clearly. However I don't want to come across as a negative influence either. it's hard to get the balance right.
T.S Eliot my favourite poet wrote: "Nothing is as constant as change."
He's right.
Keep us in your thoughts (and prayers if you say them) I know what I would like to happen, but I also need to be open to the very distinct possibility that this will instead.
I need to see it as an opportunity, an adventure. That's what I will have to tell my kids.
The words are just stuck in my throat tonight.

Today from No Impact Man, is a damning indictment against the "Global Climate Coalition" - a group of businesses tied to the use of fossil fuels. Documents filed during a recent lawsuit show that the coalition knowingly lied about global warming through "an aggressive lobbying and public relations campaign against the idea that emissions of heat-trapping gases could lead to global warming."

The document shows that their own scientists informed them that the science behind global warming was irrefutable as early as 1995.

“The scientific basis for the Greenhouse Effect and the potential impact of human emissions of greenhouse gases such as CO2 on climate is well established and cannot be denied,” the experts wrote in an internal report compiled for the coalition in 1995.

The post references an April 23rd New York Times article by Andrew Revkin.

The Global Climate Coalition disbanded in 2002, but some of its like the National Association of Manufacturers and the American Petroleum Institute continue to actively lobby against action on climate change. For the record, here's the complete list of coalition members. The bailout ridden auto sector is particularly well represented. If only they had been using those resources to build real products:

• Air Transport Association
• Allegheny Power
• Aluminum Association, Inc.
• American Automobile Manufacturers Association
• American Commercial Barge Line Co.
• American Farm Bureau Federation
• American Forest & Paper Association
• American Highway Users Alliance
• American Iron and Steel Institute
• American Petroleum Institute
• American Portland Cement Alliance
• Amoco
• Association of American Railroads
• Association of International Automobile Manufacturers
• Atlantic Richfield Coal Company
• Baker Refineries
• Bethlehem Steel
• BHP Minerals
• Chamber of Shipping of America
• Chemical Manufacturers Association
• Chevron
• Chrysler Corporation
• Cinergy
• CONRAIL
• Consumers Energy
• Council of Industrial Boiler Owners
• CSX Transportation, Inc.
• Cyprus-Amax
• Dow Chemical Company
• Drummond Company
• Duke Power Company
• DuPont
• Eastman Chemical
• Edison Electric Institute
• ELCON
• ExxonMobil
• Fertilizer Institute
• Ford Motor Company
• General Motors
• Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.
• Greencool
• Hoechst Celanese Chemical Group
• Illinois Power Company
• Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Corp.
• McDonnell-Douglas
• Mobil Corporation
• National Association of Manufacturers
• National Lime Association
• National Mining Association
• National Ocean Industries Association
• National Petrochemical and Refiners Association
• Natural Rural Electric Cooperative Association
• Norfolk Southern
• Northern Indiana Public Serv. Co.
• Ohio Edison
• Parker Drilling Company
• Process Gas Consumers
• Shell
• Society of the Plastic Industry
• Southern Company
• Steel Manufacturers Association
• TECO Energy Inc.
• Texaco
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce
• USX Corporation
• Union Carbide
• Union Pacific
• Virginia Power
• Western Fuels Association

Pass it on.....

Melissa wondered what the photo on the blog had to do with the heading ‘Boring Blog from Paris’. The answer is nothing – it is a photo of the moon rising over Mt Rainier in Washington State. Well – I didn’t have any new photos so recycled an old one.

No photo today – technical difficulties – I have to write the Blog in the bar and there are no photos on my new PC.

My Mexican Swine Flu is getting worse so I stayed in bed this morning and did not venture out until after lunch. I went to the Luxembourg Gardens and took photos of statues and trees. To get close to the statues I had to walk on the grass which had a sort of a small iron fence around it so – as no one else was on it – I assumed that it may be verboten.

I asked a man ‘can I walk on the grass?’ but he looked at me strangely and was non committal. Reflecting later on our brief but unsatisfactory conversation I think I may have asked him ‘can I sneeze on your sheep?’

There were no Bees and no Ducks (has Merisi been here?)

But, generally speaking, my French is holding up and I managed to have lunch without the waiter sneering at me at spitting at me in English. I think my judicious use of a few ‘Dankes’ may have thrown him off the scent.

There is simply nowhere like Paris and I know why Melissa loves it so much. It is just so.....well...Parisienne! The streets, the shops, the mélange of people, the light – it has a certain ´je ne sais quoi’ which is hard to explain – but wonderful to see. The city has a charm of its own and I see more inside it each time I come here.

Melissa and I went to the back of the Butte tonight to try a new Restaurant Japonais that she has been eyeing. Not bad – the first glass of white wine was execrable but of course it improved (funny how that always happens).

We cruised back up Rue des Abbesses and the Patron in one of the bars recognised me a waved – so of course I had to go in for a Mélange and a glass of white wine. He had only met me once before but I had taken the trouble to explain to him that I was Melissa’s father.

I had my coffee and white wine and one of the patrons remarked – that is an unusual combination. The Patron shrugged and said ‘Ah...he is Australian’.

Needless to say my USB Wireless Internet connection does not work here. It should but ‘should’ doesn’t amount to a hill of beans in Internet World. I will go back to the man in 3 in Landstrasser-Hauptstrasse and he will say ‘Ah yes...this one works everywhere except the 6th Arrondissement in Paris!’

Cate arrives home each night at 1-ish and flops into be exhausted. Well....one of has to work and I love her for it.

Cat photography tomorrow. Melissa says that there are no cats at La Cimetiere Montparnasse – I hope to prove her wrong.

The rules for feather bowling, I got a kick out of reading them. I want to meet the guy that decided that you have to be at least 12 years old to bowl, and the No High Heels Rule. Who in their right mind would wear high heels to anything that has to do with bowling? Make sure you check out the Cadieux Cafe's website.

Cadieux Cafe is proud to be the only place in the United States where you can go Feather Bowling. Let me tell ya, its some kind of fun! I'll post pictures all week of my wonderful time at the Cadieux Cafe, located in the beautiful Detroit area. Check out the website and if you in Detroit its a must see....

With 125 Kakapo Parrots now in existence, and the 2009 breeding season complete, the reserve Kakapo Rangers are heading home, with happy memories of a fantastic year. 34 chicks brought the total up from 91 to 125, a rise of well over 30%! It's been a season we will long remember.

While the kakapo population climbs the 'people' population declines, on the island that is. The current total count for kakapo is 125 while the people on the island have dwindled to 9 and this looks set to decrease to just 6 this week! That said, those of us on the mainland, plus many extra reserves called in, are working almost 24 hours round the clock to hand raise the 26 baby kakapo removed to Invercargill for handrearing. All's not quiet on the island though......

The Kakapo Recovery Programme website has the rest of this latest Ranger Diary.

Context: The Bride: the sweetest creature imaginable. Main concern is walking down the aisle to her intended and living happily ever after with him.
The Groom: besotted with his intended. Main concern is the bride walking down the aisle to him and living the happily ever after.
Mother of the Bride (MONster) has seven children, antagonistic, obstructive, anxious not to lose her chief babysitter/child-minder.
The Wedding Planner: well, that's me.

So this is the letter I would send to MON if I could.

Dear MON

I hope this missive finds you in good health. Can I suggest a little pre-wedding holiday to soothe your frazzled nerves? I hear Mexico is quite lovely this time of year. I think one can get a substantial discount on flights at the moment. Just a thought.
Obviously, you see it as your role to be both supportive and honest with your daughter. However, telling her that her wedding dress is "Immodest and totally inappropriate" isn't going to win any hearts. Telling her that she "needs to wear a shawl or cardigan to cover up" isn't all that nice either. (For the record, it's a perfectly lovely, strapless gown)
And by the way, I'm not wild about the fact that you want the wedding invites to stipulate that female guests MUST wear veils or hats to the Church. (It's a modesty thing apparently) That's just so 1400's!

I know it is important that this is an occasion where you get to be in your favourite place, centre-stage. But, and obviously, this is awkward for me, it's actually not YOUR wedding day. So whilst I will happily arrange a special corsage for you, as well as having your daughter pay for your make up and hair, I do draw the line at her paying for your wedding outfit. Unless of course, you want to do a trade off and pay for hers.

Now I know, that despite the fact the Bride and Groom are funding this wedding themselves, you feel it is important you play a leading role in the affair. Absolutely. I agree. I think that you are VERY important. But denigrating the floral arrangements, the wedding invitations and the bridesmaid dresses and saying you could have done it ALL yourself, and for much less money. Well, no you couldn't. Simple as that.

And finally, the Bride and Groom are working FOUR jobs between them to pay for this wedding. So trying to add "near and dear" friends to the guest list just isn't going to be possible, Especially when at least 70% of the guests are your friends anyway AND they have to fork out the airfare for your brother to fly out here for the occasion.

I think that's it for now. And do think about Mexico won't you?
love
Seraphim.

One last dump, or at least that's what I said last weekend. Planted seeds for our vegetable garden yesterday. Nice timing! The upside of the snow is that it'll help me resist the urge to get out and run before my calf is ready.

Monday - 8 miles (1,600 feet). 1:23. Horsetooth/Audra route. Waded through some deep stuff up top, but a great run with moderate soreness from Fruita. Out for a 3-mile hike to Horsetooth Falls with Alistair in the pm.

Tuesday - 9 miles easy (1,200 feet). 1:26. Horsetooth - Spring Creek - Stout - Sawmill - Loggers - Carey Springs - Towers - Herrington - Spring Creek - Soderburg - Horsetooth - home. Went out for another 3-mile hike to Horestooth Falls with Alistair and Dana in late afternoon.

Weds - 12 miles (2,500 feet). 1:53. Mill Creek route. Was pushing a little harder than maybe should have. Legs began feeling pretty heavy towards the end. Mill Creek was a disaster zone with hundreds of downed trees that must have buckled under the weight of the very heavy, wet snow from the weekend. Had to negotiate 30 or 40 trees and tree limbs across Mill Creek. It's going to take a fair bit of time to clean up this mess to the point where the trail is runnable again. There was less damage on Spring Creek, and it looked like maintenance crews had already been up with chainsaws to clear away the worst of it. The upside is that HMP is a very healthy park and there is tons of new pine growth everywhere.

Thurs - 8 miles easy. 60:30. Couple of laps of Pineridge. Did something to my calf/tendons towards the end of the run. Pretty painful.

Fri - Off to rest leg.

Sat - 3 mile warm up, 5k race (17:32), leg very sore. Hobbling after the race. Got some zeros coming up in the log.

Sun - off

Total: 43 miles (5,300 vertical).

Wanted to build some big mileage on the back of the Fruita 50, but probably jumped back in too quickly with three hilly runs Mon, Tues and Weds. It seems we (runners) never learn the simple lessons. When we're feeling good we think we're invincible, but a twist, sprain, pull or fracture always seems to be lurking around the corner. Anyway, another lesson to take to the bank. I just hope this one won't cost me too many days. Feels like it just needs time, but you never know.

Audio

Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry vs Kode9 – Yellow tongue (vox) – On U Sound
Moderat feat. Paul St. Hilaire - Slow match – Bpitch Control
Benga – Loose synths – Tempa
Skream – Trapped in a dark bubble – Tectonic
Toasty - Candyfloss (Loefah remix) – Hot Flush
Starkey – Gutter music (vip) – Keysound Recording
Link2Mark Templeton - At your feet – Anticipate
Swayzak – Evil dub – Swayzak
Echospace / UB313 – Track 6 (Echospace dub mix) – Echospace
New Music Theatre / Life on the Water – In C (25th Anniversary) – New Albion
Philip Glass - Metamorphosis: Metamorphosis One
Electric Wizard - Dunwich
Zomby - Kaliko
Soap & Skin - Spiracle
Tim Exile - Don't Think We're One
Anti-pop Consortium - Human Shield
Crystal Antlers - Dust

First off, a thank you to Simon of RunColo for the comp into this race.

There are a ton of races that fundraise for various different charities and causes, and this one was run in memory of a local girl, Sierra, who died two years ago from meningitis. Not only was it run in her memory, but also as a fundraiser for meningitis charities, and in its second year this race attracted a massive (for Northern Colorado) 1,300 runners. It felt like a lot of hard work went into the organization for this race, and they did a great job ensuring people realized why they were there (today was World Meningitis Day). In addition to conveying their message, the organizers had rounded up an army of volunteers and a ton of sponsors. I am guessing this race raised some serious cash, so good for them.

The nitty-gritty: I got to Crossroads Church, which served as race HQ, by about 7:15, giving myslef a good half hour to test my bum calf, which had been giving me some serious grief for a couple of days. It felt very tight, and after doing a couple of striders I had serious doubts about starting the race, but figured I'd give it a go and pull out if the pain got too intense.

From the gun, I found myself running in first - exactly where I didn't want to be - but nobody seemed too interested in setting the pace, and I felt aerobically comfortable. The calf hurt, but not to the point where I was concerned about doing serious damage. Halfway through the first mile, the eventual winner came cruising by, and I could tell by the smoothness in his stride that there was no way I would keep pace. Steve Folkerts and another guy also passed me by the end of the first mile, which I went through in 5:29. The pace felt good, and I figured I might have a shot at dipping below 17 minutes. The second and third mile, however, were slightly uphill, so I slowed even though I was maintaining a consistent effort.

Steve F went after the lead runner, and I was content to let them both go so I could focus on third, who had a ten meter gap on me half way through the second mile. I was in a pack of three guys at this point, one of whom - Doug Bell - looked to be about twenty years my senior. Doug and I dropped the other guy running with us by the end of the second mile, which I clocked at 5:47. I was pretty disappointed to see this split, but I wasn't going to sweat it with my calf the way it was. Through the third mile, I put a bit of distance between myself and Doug, but was making no ground on third. I felt like I could have pushed harder on this mile, but was dubious about being able to pick up third, so not wanting to chance anything injury-wise, I didn't push particularly hard. Went through three miles in 17:00 flat (5:43), and crossed the finish line in 17:32, with Doug in fifth just two seconds behind me.

I was disappointed to fall so far short of 16:5x, but considering I still had the Fruita 50 in my legs and a bum calf, it was a decent result on balance. I wish I could have given it 100% to see exactly where the top-end speed is right now after a winter of 9- to 10-minute mountain miles, but no big deal.

The plan for the upcoming week is to take it very easy, and not run a step until this pain in my calf is gone, which may well mean that I won't run until the Collegiate 50 next Saturday. Considering the work and miles I have put in through the winter, it would be a real shame to not get to the Big Horn start line in June, which remains the main goal for the season. If I have to take a goose egg through the week, then so be it.

The week in review:

The tooth fairy came TWICE.
We went to Scitech, the Zoo, the park and on a playdate.
I had an endoscopy
I had a mani-pedi. (Guess which was more fun?)
I bought a new low fat cookbook. I need new recipes. I need "Thinspiration" and my other books just aren't cutting it.
Now that the death threat has been lifted I've got back into planning in a BIG way.

1. The Wedding (which is turning out to be a nightmare, as the bride's Mother who is an Absolute MONSTER henceforth to be referred to as MON has taken to organising parallel events whenever the current arrangements don't suit her) Please note the Bride and Groom are paying for this wedding themselves. I really need to devote an entire post to venting about her. But an example of her monstrousness? She was upset that despite the fact that 60 of her nearest and dearest have been invited to the wedding, her 150 or so other "closest friends" have not. So she set about hosting a "special tea party" after the service BUT before the reception. She had the Bride printing out a separate set of invites for these guests. Except I found out about it. And cancelled it. She's not happy. More to come.....

2. THE holiday. I haven't had an actual holiday for over three years now (cue violins) Yeah, I feel sorry for me too. My sister in law who works in travel found airfares and accomodation for us for a great price, and we decided to just book it. Life is precious to worry too much about costs. And we need a break. We stupidly told the children though and now of course, it's all they can talk about. Miss Medium had laid her clothes out already. We don't go till mid-June.

3. Segue into HEALTH kick. Now being sick, miserable etc has done little for my fitness, eating habits etc. Hence the new cookbook and the need to recommit to get fit , again. I live in the hope one day, DH will turn to me and say. "Princess, I'll mind the kids, you go out and have some time for yourself."
But it isn't going to happen. I stand in wonderment at the ease with which he will call and say he will be late because he is off kitesurfing and the wind is up. Now I'm not being a submissive wife, truly. I encourage him to do that because he works hard, he is a great husband and daddy, and it makes him happy. But I need to be a little more, let's say, pro-active in making time for me. Because if I sit here waiting for someone to say it, well it won't happen.
And more importantly I want to look and feel great in a bathing costume in mid June!

4. The Service. Can I talk about it Carly? I need to check and get her permission. Seriously. But I'm thrilled to be involved in helping out with this one.

And finally, this week has been a toughie in some ways, but I have been moved beyond words at the support given to this lady. Somebody wrote some unspeakably cruel things on her blog this week. I wrote to some of you and contacted Lost and Found about it too. The support garnered was tremendous. It really reinforced for me how respectful we are of the disparity in our beliefs and choices. And I think that's wonderful.

My first time getting stung on a bug safari tour, and by a carpenter bee, no less. It wasn't bad, really. I'd heard that it's not as painful as a honeybee, and in this case, that was true. The stinger did not remain embedded in my finger (with a small chunk of the bee's abdomen) pumping venom into me, as it would have with the honeybee.

It did smart, and my finger was swelling a little bit, but as luck would have it, there was a vendor in a booth at our plant sale who had aloe vera products. He was happy to give me a little squirt of lotion from one of his sample bottles. Within minutes, the pain was subsiding. On the way back to the children's garden, I bummed an ice cube from the Shave Ice people. By the time it had melted away, the pain and swelling was basically gone.

At the arboretum, on this plant...


These eggs. True bugs of some kind?



Then there were these on a dandelion bud. I took it home to see what hatches.

They're not actually crickets, but katydids. And they're getting ready to march through the deserts of Nevada. I heard the tail end of a radio story about them, and later sought more information online. Here's the story.

I'm organising something quite exciting
but must be circumspect in what I'm writing.
Consider me a go between
or maybe a spy?
No that's just not going to fly!
If you'd like a more detailed report,
or wish to utter some witty retort
then email me at Whispered Support!

(whisperedsupport@gmail.com)

and is it ok to be really excited
that someone is following me on twitter?
Thank you Barb,
I'm just delighted!

( zet ze ook even hier neer Metin, was dit blog een beetje aan het vergeten....dank voor de schop onder de kont op smf )

So you thought you used to play 2D games. If you had taken a look inside your monitor, then you'd have seen this.

The featured game is Donkey Kong from Nintendo, a classic 8-bit game for the arcades, released in 1983.

Would be great to see a series of these scenes released as tangible designer gadgets. If anyone is interested to realize that, just get in touch with me. I can deliver the 3D scenes ready for rapid prototyping.

I'm planning to create more scenes like this, derived from other 8-bit classics, so stay tuned. Here's Impossible Mission.

More at Sevensheaven.nl

I did this short story for a comic about Legends of Brussels.
Scenario is from Hec Leemans, color is done by Els Verlaak.
In this comic-book about 14 Legends has been 'stripped' by 14 teams.

Interview of our team:
http://www.stripelmagazine.be/pivot/entry.php?id=3128#body

I'm still sleepy from yesterday, thank you Mr (incredibly hot) Anesthetist.
My memories from yesterday include being hungry (I ended up fasting for about 20 hours prior, even though you only have to fast for 6)
My parents chatting and distracting me for ages while I waited to be admitted.
DH arriving and holding my hand.
Mr (incredibly hot) Anesthetist.
Have I mentioned him already?
Sorry, must be the after effects of the drugs.
I was very calm being wheeled into theatre.
Then, a combination of hunger, fatigue and anxiety saw me practically leap a mile when I saw the anaesthetist advancing with what looked like a HUGE needle.
I remember the Doctor immediately taking my other hand and distracting me by admiring my ring. I will always be grateful to her. She didn't belittle me for being scared, she was kindness itself.
Then
NOTHING.
My first memory post op is crying out: "Nuf, where is my Nuf?" and the nurse saying in a bemused tone
"What's a Nuf?"
It's my nickname I have for my husband.
He meanwhile, had sat down in the lounge to enjoy a cup of tea, safe in the knowledge I would be out for the next hour.
Scuppered that plan didn't I?
They bought him in to settle me.
Then I drowsed.
And drowsed.
I kept doing so all afternoon.
I was greeted by three overjoyed offspring when we got home later in the day. (I think the biscuits the nurses gave us, that we saved for them were really the cause of the joy)
Then I drowsed again.
Slept like a log last night.
Still drowsy this am.
It's lovely.
I'd like to lay on the sofa and enjoy it, but my children don't seem to be on board with my plan.
Oh and the problem?
Duodenal ulcer(s) most likely.
So the course of treatment I have been on has been the right one. Thank goodness for having the best GP EVER!
It's NOT stomach cancer. (I spent long hours worrying about this, as it was a possibility, albeit a small one)
Deo Gratias (and I really mean it!)
Sweet Danielle will most likely have the same procedure next week so I sent her a pic DH took of me straight after (don't worry, I asked him to!) As an aside, she has a blog makeover to celebrate her 40,000th visitor, and guess who that was?????

A posterillustration for the community festival of the town I live in. Have a closer look on Flickr.

I've just returned from vacation, so normal service will resume shortly.

I found myself whooping it up at Horsetooth on Monday to the unfamiliar sounds of flowing water. Northern Colorado has a scarcity of water and Horsetooth Mountain Park has next to none, so I was excited to get out for a run to see if I could work some of the soreness from Fruita out of my legs and to see what was going on after the weekend's big snow dump.

I hit one of my regular eight-mile routes and was surprised to find the lower trails pretty much snow free. However, when I turned into the Spring Creek drainage I was shocked to hear the sounds of fast-flowing water. I've run up here almost every day for the last 12 months and have become accustomed to silence, so I really was shocked to hear that water, so shocked in fact that I let out one of those "I'm happy to be alive" yells.

I was psyched to get to the waterfall - which I never detour for - and was even more psyched to hear it long before I got there. For the first time ever, I saw the falls in all their glory - with a pool at the bottom and everything.

After hanging out for a while I got back on with the task at hand and made my way around Spring Creek to Soderburg and then up the Rock trail to find heavy, wet accumulation at the top that was still drifted to waist high in places - nice. My feet were soaked by the time I made it around on Audra Culver, but I was having such a good time I didn't care, and even better, the soreness in my legs was nothing but background noise. Best recovery run ever!

I was so stoked by the whole scenario that I took my son and neighbors' dog out later in the day for another look. Spring is a great time to run trails.

So you thought you were playing 2D games. If you had taken a look inside your monitor, then you'd have seen this.

The featured game is Impossible Mission from Epyx, a classic 8-bit game for the Commodore 64, released in 1983.

More at Sevensheaven.nl

After driving five hours through some real crud on Friday, it was great to finally arrive in Fruita and stretch my legs. I hadn't run for two days before the race so I was raring to go.

I bumped into Alene and her husband Dennis at the packet pick-up. I had originally planned on parking up near the race start and sleeping in the back of the truck, but Alene's friends, Keith and Kirk, were kind enough to offer me their floor for the night (plus a fantastic pasta feed). Thanks, guys!

Turns out Kirk is quite the ultra legend, having run every iteration of the Hardrock 100, winning once and finishing 14 out of 15 times! He is also a former winner of Leadville (in a record slow winning time, he was modest and quick to point out - never mind that the trails were essentially rivers that year.) His wife Keith is also a great masters runner who has a marathon PR of 3:03 and aspirations of sub-3 territory.

The inclement weather on Friday left quite a few others stranded east of The Divide, with the authorities closing down I-70 between Denver and Vail sometime in the late afternoon, although a few brave souls apparently got around on route 285. I got a call from Ryan Burch saying he wasn't going to make it, which was too bad as I think we would have run each other pretty close in the race this year. However, the competition was still strong with Tony Krupicka, Andy Skurka and Bryan Goding all running the 50. On the women's side of things Keri Nelson and last year's Leadville 100 winner, Helen Cospolich, looked to be the main contenders. In the 25, Duncan Callahan and 2:30 marathoner, Anna Pichrtova, looked like favorites.

I lined up with Bryan at the start and we chatted, easing our way into the race through the opening few miles of dirt road and singletrack climbing to the top of Moore Fun. The race started right at dawn, so by the time we were hitting the top, the sun was just beginning to hit the south wall of the canyon lighting it up in glorious shades of orange. Tony was obviously happy to be out racing as he was whooping it up at the sight of the sun's early rays. I stretched it out a bit once we got to the top, pacing off Keri for a while and focused on keeping Tony, Andy and another guy in sight.

From here, the course dropped off a good 800 feet through some sweet switchbacks to the first aid station (5.9), by which time I had squeezed past Keri and pretty much caught up with the others. I topped off my water bottle and focused on keeping pace with the pack.

As I had set off at a fairly casual pace through the first few miles, I didn't really know how many runners were ahead, but figured Tony and Andy were leading the 50.

The three of us paced through the next few miles maintaining a solid pace, chatting and soaking up the views from the rim, high above the Colorado. The second aid station (9.2 miles) came on quick and we all shot through without stopping. The third aid was another short three miles (12.5) and we all stopped to top off before a seven-mile undulating stretch curving in and out of several canyons. The sun had pretty much burnt off any hint of cloud at this point and it would bake us for the rest of the race.

Tony was first through the aid station. I followed 10 to 20 seconds back with Andy a similar distance behind me. I was happy to have the three of us stretched out a bit here so I could focus on getting into a good rhythm. The gap of 20 - 30 meters was pretty constant to the last aid station before the turnaround (19.2) from which there was a significant (and steep) jeep-track climb. Tony was quick out again and built a solid lead through the two- to three-mile climb. Andy was hiking just about as fast as I was running, which is testament to his fast-packing skills (or my weak climbing). Once to the top of the climb there was a nice one- to two-mile stretch of singletrack high atop the canyon followed by a sharp, somewhat scrambly drop down to the dirt road back to the start/finish.

With longer vistas on the road, it looked like Tony had a minute or two on Andy and I, and we were all a bit surprised to see a young 50 miler pull back out from the turnaround. He looked strong and fresh, and certainly had me wondering if he would hold his pace or drift back to us as the miles took their toll. He was through the turn in 3:21, with Tony a minute ahead of us in 3:27.

Going into this race, I had set my sights on Duncan Callahan's course record of 7:41 thinking it was within reach. I had his splits from '07 taped to my bottle and saw that I had a 12-minute buffer to work with as we set out for the loop in reverse. Andy and I ran a pretty hard pace back up to the trail, seeing Keri and Bryan 10-15 minutes back on us. Keri, it turned out, was happy with 25 miles and called it a day there.

The quick early going was beginning to catch up with me a bit on the climb back up, and Andy built a decent gap. I was happy to settle into an easier pace that would get me to the finish without blowing up, figuring that one or two of the others might succumb to the sun. Meanwhile, I was just about keeping my crampy hamstrings alive, although felt that I was constantly one step behind with my electrolytes. Any high stepping over rocks would bring on a temporary set of quivers and force me to ease off a bit.

Coming back down the jeep track to the 30-mile aid I was surprised to see Tony walking. He was obviously in trouble. I offered salt thinking he was cramping, but he said his hip flexor was giving him grief. He ended up walking it in and getting a ride back to the start at 30 miles, leaving me in third. A wise move considering his bigger goals for June.

Dropping back down into the 30-mile aid station, I got a visual on Andy and he looked to have two or three minutes on me. No sight of the lead runner. After being told that he was showing no signs of slowing, I figured he was gone for the day. I was also pretty confident that Andy, with his multi-thousand-mile hikes around America, wasn't going to slow too much, so concentrated on forward momentum in an effort to keep a lock on third.

I had meant to slug a good amount of liquids at the 30-mile aid, but just filled up my water bottle while taking some Gu Blocks for the seven miles ahead. I had taken four or five gels to this point and was already tired of the sickly sweet taste. The blocks were no better and caused me to consume a lot of my 20 ounces of water early into this section just to get them down. With the legs tiring and a nasty side stitch cramping my style, I thought I could be in for a spot of bother until the next aid. I took almost 70 minutes to cover the seven miles to the 37.5-mile aid, with the last half an hour empty on fluids. When I did finally get there, I slugged a full 20 ounces before filling up again and taking off. The two volunteers told me that I was 5 and 12 minutes back on first and second, although they said both guys were starting to look a bit sketchy and had both asked for electrolytes. I figured maybe one of them would come back to me.

Three miles on to the next aid, I had lost the stitch and my legs had found a bit of life. The guys there told me that the lead runner was in trouble and was cramping. Sure enough, no more than five minutes out from the aid station and he was bent over massaging his hamstrings. We exchanged a couple of words, and I sympathised with his plight as I went by, figuring then that I had a lock on second with less than ten miles to go.

By the final aid station (44 miles), however, I was really beginning to hurt and was dreading the final climb. I still had a five- to six-minute buffer on Duncan's time from '07, but immediately made a wrong turn which I figured cost me the buffer.

The climb was as nasty as I was expecting, and I was beginning to feel pretty nauseous. The best I could do for 75 percent of this was a reasonably strong hike. The top finally came and it was a mile or two descent to the final mile of dirt road. I pulled into the finish in a time 0f 7:44, just three minutes back on the old course record, but 16 minutes back on Andy's new mark. The long-time leader, Sean, showed guts to get it finished in his first 50 miler coming in in 7:59. Bryan was fourth in about 8:10.

Splits

5.9 ....... 47:53
9.2 ....... 27:22 (1:15:15)
12.5 ...... 26:04 (1:41:19)
19.2 ...... 56:02 (2:37:21)
25.4 ...... 51:32 (3:28:53)
-----------------------------
31.6 ...... 53:12 (4:22:05)
38.3 ... 1:08:26 (5:30:31)
41.6 ...... 33:33 (6:04:04)
44.9 ...... 31:05 (6:35:09)
50.8 ... 1:07:25 (7:40:34)

Total climb (according to website) ~ 8,000 feet

The trails around Fruita are pretty special, and the Gemini Adventures team do a great job putting this race on for a very reasonable price. Andy Skurka had a great day, running strong for the win while also scooping the $100 premium for the first two miles and another $100 for the win. His talk and slide show at the awards were great, too.

I had a blast, and it was made all the better for the great company of Alene, Dennis, Kirk, Keith and their tribe of dogs.