Happy Halloween!

Today we spent spooooky Halloween doing something very scary: indoor rock climbing! ooooooooo....
It was A LOT of fun. Well, it was a lot of fun after I kinda got over the fear of falling to my death. I'm a little afraid of heights, so the first few climbs were kinda hairy, but then I got more comfortable with it. It was a great workout, but a bit tough. I definitely want to go back and do it again!!!
Here's what the gym looks like from one of the climbing towers inside and from the outside:
It's an old grain silo, and all the rooms inside are circular and really tall (they are silos, after all). It's about the same temp. inside the building as it is outside. It was pretty cold yesterday. We didn't take any pictures inside (oops- forgot), but I don't really know that I want a picture of my butt in a harness climbing up a wall anyway. Not exactly a great rear shot if you know what I'm saying...

No falls, no broken bones, no ER visits. Overall I'd say it was a very successful day!

It's almost Halloween?!?!

I can't believe that Halloween is only a few days away. October went by so quickly, it just doesn't seem fair. November will be here this weekend, taking us further into that dreaded winter season. Oh well- the further we go into winter- the closer we get to spring. ;)

So I did this little 6 hour run last Saturday at Bluff Creek trails. It was called the Double Dirty Dozen. I managed to get in 16.5 miles- which is the longest I've run since March of '07. Not too bad I guess. Here is Jane and I:
I didn't even know Jane would be running, but when I saw her out there, I was pleasantly surprised. I knew I'd have company for the next 6 hours. We walked a lot, ran a lot, and talked a lot. It was good. Went back at midnight to work at the aid station for the 24 hour runners.
The best part? I didn't even want to die when I was done. I felt pretty good. Sunday my quads were a little sore and the blister on the ball of my foot was hurty- but that's nothing. Woo hoo!!! Next time I should train a little, I guess...

The next morning I got up early and went back out to the race site to watch my friend, Katharine, finish her 24 hour run. It was chilly and I was all bundled up. Here is Jane and I again. Rian says I look like I rode in a motorcycle side car to get there (the funky hat and the sunglasses on my head that look like goggles). You know- he's kinda right. hee hee

Then while I'm just standing there posing for yet another picture- Bret comes up and plants one on my cheek. I'm a little surprised... and maybe a little horrified. ;0

The event was a ton of fun! Next year I'm definitely going to do it again. I think I'll train a little, tho. Might make it a little more enjoyable. And I'm doing the pavement instead of the trail. Those roots sure do take a toll after a while- but it sure is a lot prettier out there. Viva le trails!

It begins...

Today the training begins (the Grand Canyon training). I went to the gym with my loaded backpack and "hiked" on the treadmill at 15% incline for about 30 minutes. Got some strange looks... but then again that's not too unusual for me when I enter the gym. The card reader almost exploded when I signed in. It hadn't seen me for some time and thought I had died. You can imagine the computer's surprise when I show up to work out. Return from the dead...

So, OK- the "hike" wasn't too bad. Then I walked on the stairclimber for only 4 minutes (and that about killed me) and then ran for about 15 minutes. I forgot how easy running on the treadmill was compared to outside- man that was awesome!!! All in all about a 50 minute cardio session. It was pretty great. I think I did too much for my first time out, but what else is new (I always overdo it). Knees are are little sore already- but that's to be expected.

No cool pictures today. I have commuted twice this week (didn't today because of the deluge of rain all day). Hopefully I'll get a commute in tomorrow. Only a 30% chance of thunderstorms (and in reality land that means almost no rain).
Oh, and in case I haven't mentioned it- I just LOVE commuting to work. I look forward to it every night before I go to bed. I wake up like a little kid ready to get on my bike.

Peace out... until the next boring post.
(this is the bagpiper who played at the Redman triathlon a few weeks ago)

Just call me Johnny Switchblade

Found a box cutter on the way home from work by bike. Turned around to pick it up. Gonna keep it on my bike and pull it out to cut anyone who messes with me on my commute.

I'm only partially kidding...

Saw another bike commuter on my way home. He was riding home with a messenger bag- and helmet. Bonus! We exchanged cool guy waves (very similar to the motorcycle wave). Yup- we're pretty awesome.

I'm SO glad it's Friday. It's been a long week.
Tomorrow I'm riding with a couple friends for a couple hours. Should be pretty fun (but not pretty if you know what I mean).

Later-

Hellllloooooo October!

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! I LOVE FALL!!!! When October arrives, I always know that the worst of summer is over and that it will be cool for a couple months (hopefully it'll be a couple months). October is also my birthday month, and although I'm in my late thirties- I still enjoy a good birthday. Sadly- when my boss sent out her weekly newsletter and neglected to mention my birthday, I was just a teensy bit sad. Got over it in about a nano-second.


In other good news:
Whoop whoop. I didn't get in an accident today. Which is actually really good since I drove the car instead of riding my bike... I'm hilarious and quite a delight, aren't I?



I'm planning on riding tomorrow. Should be a good day, and since I can use my hand again to hang onto the handlebars, I might as well get in a second commute this week. I love these cool mornings and the onset of Fall! I wish we could freeze these days and have them year-round.

Oh, and by the way- I just downloaded a WHOLE crapload of smiley face clip art. Be prepared for tons o'smileys in future posts. Ha!