SB completing the second leg of "The Double" : The Pikes Peak Marathon

Yesterday I ran "The Ascent", today I ran the roundtrip to the summit (14,110') and back.

SB and John after running the Pikes Peak Ascent today

Global Warming: George W. Bush vs. Godzilla

Boston Review: Why are so many Americans in Prison?

"...the United States—with five percent of the world’s population—houses 25 percent of the world’s inmates. Our incarceration rate (714 per 100,000 residents) is almost 40 percent greater than those of our nearest competitors (the Bahamas, Belarus, and Russia)."

Runners training today high on Pikes Peak

Looking down to the 16 Golden Stairs sign from near the summit of Pikes Peak

Lots of runners training today on the summit of Pikes Peak for next weekend's Ascent and Marathon... I just ran a hard 2-miles-to-go sign to 1-mile-to-go sign in 12:50, then a hard 1-mile-to-go sign to the summit in 16:17. Both PR's for me.

The bluffer's guide to life, the universe and everything

Physicist Paul Callaghan explains why a few key scientific concepts can change your life.

Steve B., John G., John C. and Jason at the summit of Pikes Peak prior to running a 3-2-1. Use your imagination to come up with what a 3-2-1 from the summit of Pikes Peak would mean for runners training to run the Pikes Peak Marathon, Ascent or Leadville 100.

Bought a solid wood kitchen table and chairs crafted in Mexico today to round out the "kitchen project".

Dawn's Rosy Fingers, from near the summit of Pikes Peak, Friday morning

Orion Magazine: Bye, Bye, Miss American Empire: or, the sweet smell of session

DailyKos: Crossroads of Inner Asia (travelogue with photos)

Mike Gravel on CAMBODIA

Newsweek: Unbelievable horror in the Congo. Rare Mountain Gorillas murdered last week. Why? No one knows. The worst gorilla massacre in 25 years. The population of mountain gorillas is only 700 total in the world.

Amy Goodman talked about Rorschach and Awe, in today's DemocracyNow! segment, an on-line piece from Vanity Fair about just how depraved the CIA has become in promoting torture by its agents.

Jeffrey Tobin reports in next month's New Yorker on a murdered Seattle assistant U.S. Attorney and questions if it might be related to the firing of John McKay, the U.S. Attorney of Washington state. I shudder to think that my sister was in the running for U.S. Attorney for Washington under Bush...

The Diane Rehm Show's Susan Page has a good discussion today on the ramifications of a crippled Attorney General. I have enjoyed listening to Diane Rehm's autobiography, "Finding my Voice".

Dick Cheney, President? The Now Show's Mitch Benn with a ditty that is destined for the top 10.

FBI, IRS Search home of Alaska Senator Ted Stevens.

Malawi youth builds windmill to power village.

Lake Superior, Munising, Michigan, Upper Peninsula

The Pictured Rocks Seashore Cruise, 7-29-07

SB finishing Grand Island Trail Marathon; SB eating a pasty; SB and Bekka and Muldoons famous Pasties

Trip to the U.P. of Michigan: Father Bagari, the snowshoe priest; high point on Mt Arvon; and SB at the start of the Grand Island Trail Marathon.

BREAKING: JEWS: Christianity a Fiction Fashioned by Semites!

One Smart Dog

Rapture Ready

You gotta see this to believe it. Truly scary people.

Max Blumenthal video on HuffPost: Rapture Ready :The unauthorized Christians United for Israel Tour

Crestone Needle to the right, Broken Hand Peak to the left.

Rebekka, on my land near Westcliffe. We car camped Saturday night then Sunday morning we hiked to the South Colony Lakes in the basin below Crestone Needle and Crestone Peak--the most spectacular setting in the state of Colorado.

Keith Olbermann tells the prez to go fight in Iraq.

Market Shock: AAA rating may be junk.

Really cool presentation on black holes: The anatomy of a blackhole.

Jesus' General presents GOP Theme Songs

Wiser has compiled a database of over 100,000 environmental groups worldwide.

Robert Fisk on Iraq and T.E. Lawrence (of Arabia)

T. E. Lawrence's entry in the Encyclopedia Britannica on Guerrilla

Strengthening the Dollar

Huffington Post: Andy Worthington asks: "Who are the16 Saudis Released From Guantánamo?"


The Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve north of Fairbanks, Alaska looks like a place I'll have to visit.

Plastic trash vortex shows extent of ocean pollution northeast of Hawaii: A trash carpet that has reached the size of the state of Texas.

Barr Trail Race Report, July 15th, 2007

Before the race I was nervous, but quietly confident. I had put in the time at altitude with six ascents of Pikes Peak already this year, and with a 100-mile race a month ago under my belt I had the endurance. My main competition in the 50-54 age group for the 12-mile Barr Trail Race to Barr Camp and back would be the formidable Eddie Baxter. Eddie had won the 50-54 age group in the Pikes Peak Ascent last year in a jaw-dropping time of 2:44. But it wasn’t until I rechecked the entries on-line the morning of the race that I saw Senovio Torres from New Mexico had also entered. Senovio holds the records for the Pikes Peak Marathon for the age groups 45-49 and 50-54, and for the Pikes Peak Ascent, age group 50-54. Two years ago he set the record (beaten last year by John Victoria) for the Barr Trail Race (I also set the record that year, but finished 2^nd to Senovio).

In the early going, keeping track of my competition, I reached the top of the W’s ahead of both Eddie and Senovio at 22 minutes and change—about where I needed to be. Rebekka handed me a bottle of Cytomax, which I sipped before dropping it empty at No-Name Creek. With the day’s forecast of blistering heat the extra hydration was critical, but I didn’t want to carry any extra weight such as a camelback. My legs felt a little tight. Had I left my race at the top of the W’s? Eddie caught up to me in the flat stretch before the arch and smoothly passed me. Before I knew it he was out of sight! Man! —he must have hit the glide path!

In the easier portions of the trail near the 7.8 mile sign and beyond I fell in with Buzz Burrell. I didn’t know him but he looked like an old fart so I asked him for his age group. He started laughing. Thinking he must have misunderstood me I asked him again. He said he was laughing at my question. Finally I told him I was 52 and he realized that I was also an old fart and told me he was 55. He ended up finishing just behind me, setting the course record for the 55-59 age group.

When I reached the ½ mile-to-go sign to Barr Camp a glance at my watch showed 1:07. Damn! Too slow for an age group record. I knew I had to reach Barr Camp in 1:11 to have a good shot at the age group record. That was not going to happen as the fastest I had run that last half mile recently was seven minutes. As I approached Barr Camp the next question was where would I see Eddie? Through the meadow, past the bench, I finally saw him coming down right at the fence next to Barr Camp. He had about 100 feet on me. I made the turn and coming down, right at about the same place on the fence up came Senovio. At the turn-around I was about 100 feet behind Eddie and 100 feet ahead of Senovio.

I caught back up to Buzz Burrell, and fell in behind him. We moved across the bridge and up to lightning point--then down to the slight up-hill leading to the 7.8 mile sign--I surged past Buzz—now it was time to turn on the “crazy legs” and see if I could make Eddie come back to me. I flew down the down-hills and pushed the up-hills until finally I saw Eddie ahead of me. He was coming back steadily. No need to push too hard—just let him come back. When I passed him I put on a hard surge. I looked back on the switchbacks above No-Name Creek, saw that he was a couple switchbacks behind, and relaxed the pace. Cruising down towards the top of the W’s someone was breathing down my neck—I asked him if he was ready to pass and the youngster blew by quickly and was soon out of sight – young fresh legs. About here I thought, “What about Senovio?” Maybe he was gunning for me! Senovio was a formidable down-hill runner—maybe he was closing on me! I couldn’t relax. The rest of the way I ran scared, which is a good way to run! Finally reaching the final stretch of pavement near my house I looked back but only saw Buzz Burrell about 50 yards back--no one else in sight. I could coast. I finished in 1hr56min. Eddie finished 31 seconds back and Senovio close on his heels, another 7 seconds behind Eddie. But I would get the nice new pair of La Sportiva Trail Running shoes for finishing first in the age group!

Lance is going to do the Leadville 100-mile Mountain Bike race after all... Last I heard, Floyd Landis is doing it too... Should be interesting...

BecomingHuman.org: Compelling Flash movie on your evolutionary origins.

Here it is... The Iraq War's answer to the Viet Nam War's "Winter Soldier". U.S. soldiers bear witness to atrocities brought to bear on Iraqi civilians. War is hell.

The Nation: The Other War: Iraq Vets Bear Witness

Ecotality has clips from Live Earth

Charley Rose interviewed Guenter Grass Monday night. He came off very well... John Irving gives a well-deserved gushing review of "Peeling the Onion" in today's NY Times Book Review.

I did a 3-2-1 from the summit of Pikes Peak today. What is a 3-2-1? Run from the summit down to the 3-miles-to-go sign, run to the summit, run back down to the 2-miles-to-go sign, run to the summit, run back down to the 1-mile-to-go sign, run to the summit. I took a pratfall near the summit on my way down to the last segment from the 1-mile-to-go sign. It must have looked pretty bad because I heard someone say "Are you all right?" to which I responded "I'm OK". They continued "Are you sure?" I was in no mood to continue the conversation so from my prone position, face down on the rocks I yelled, "I'm all right. Don't ask me again!!" I had pain on both knees, shoulder, and hand. As of this writing I have pain on my finger, shoulder and one knee. Not sure about the finger as it is swollen and kind of "hamburgerized" at the joint. Shoulder and knee are fine.

Sixth time to the summit of Pikes Peak (14,110') in 2007. Estimated 50th life time summit run.

4th of July bar-b-que on my deck this evening. We climbed Sheep mountain this morning, cooked up a feast this afternoon and evening, then watched the fireworks off Red Mountain from my deck in Manitou Springs.

The Idiot in Chief likes to compare himself as Winston Churchill. Today's WaPost likens The Prez to Churchill's polar opposite: Neville Chamberlain.

I'm watching "Why We Fight" right now on Encore On Demand. Why do we keep getting fooled and hoodwinked into futile wars? What will it take? Last night I recorded "Winter Soldier" on another quagmire and watched part of it this morning as I got ready for work. All I can say is "wow". I remember how the pundits were pooh-poohing it during campaign 2004 and snarking John Kerry for taking part in it in 1972, but it is filled with TRUTH. They need to make another "Winter Soldier" on Iraq. Hardly surprising that it earns a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Threats, Policy, Challenges.

From the Gazette's Dave Phillips: an Amazing story of Go-Devils racing down the Cog Railway on skateboard-like contraptions back in the old days...

Gen Wesley Clark interviewed by the NYT Magazine.

NPR: Laura Bush kept in bubble, too.

Trivia: reading test

A-Frame

A-Frame shelter at timberline, three miles below the summit of Pikes Peak. Photo taken this morning on my 3rd ascent of Pikes Peak in a week.

SB yesterday morning about 5 A.M. at the 2-miles-to-go sign to Pikes Peak's summit on the Barr Trail. Afterwards, I ran to the top and back to Barr Camp in time for Theresa's "best in the world" pancakes at 7 A.M. then ran back to my house at the base of the Barr Trail, showered and went to work--approximately 18 miles all together. (I stayed at Barr Camp, 6.5 miles up the Barr Trail the night before)

Sheridan Wyoming, June 17th -- the day after the 100-mile Bighorn Trail run.

JibJab: Star Spangled Banner

RMI: A Conversation with Amory Lovins

Rwanda: Where are the Doctors?

Sam Harris: In Defense of Witchcraft

Orion Magazine: Bye, Bye Miss American Empire

The Nation: Cheney and the Constitution

Bighorn Trail 100-mile run Race Report

I failed in my attempts to enter this year’s Western States 100 and Hardrock 100 mile races—turned down flat because I had not yet completed a 100-mile race. Though three years ago I ran the 87-mile version of the Leadville 100, I was forced to drop out after my knees refused to carry me any further. Bottom line: I needed to run a hundred miles and the Bighorn 100 in the Bighorn National Forest near Sheridan Wyoming with no set criteria for entry met the bill. The race did eventually fill up, but that took a couple of months. I was in from the start.

Rebekka and I drove up from the Springs Thursday morning, the day before the race. After picking up my race packet in Sheridan we headed up Highway 14 to scout out the first crew access point (Dry Fork Headwaters Aide Station) and to find a camp site. We settled on a National Forest Campground a couple miles before Burgess Junction called Prune Creek. I had just about got the tent set up when a one-armed lady motored up in an ATV and unceremoniously told me we would have to move. “They were going to have to cut down trees due to the recent heavy rains and it would be unsafe for us to stay there.” I thought, well okay, assuming they would be working over a period of a couple of days. Just when I had dragged the tent over to a new site the workmen came up in a truck to start cleaning up the trees. One of them came over and said they would be finished in fifteen minutes and we could move back to our original site, which we did.

The race advertises itself as “Wild and Scenic” which is an understatement. The scenery is spectacular. The rock formations on the canyon walls date back to the Permian extinction with all subsequent geological eras represented. Know-nothing creationist bible thumpers eat your hearts out. The spectrum of our geological heritage is on display in the layers along these gorgeous canyons.

The race began along the Tongue River Canyon, then turned sharply uphill. My training partner Harry Harcrow and I ran together. Starting off conservatively we let a dozen or so runners take off ahead of us. On the uphill portion above Tongue River we steadily overtook 6 or 7 of them. Harry remarked, "This is a heckuva lot easier than the Incline", referring to our staple training ladder of the old Incline tracks that climb steeply for 1.06 miles above Manitou Springs. Once you have done the Incline everything else pales in comparison. I pulled in to Dry Fork, 13.4 miles, a few minutes ahead of Harry in 2 hours 28 minutes. Over the next stretch we mostly ran together all the way to Foot Bridge at 30 miles (5:30). I wasted too much time there changing shoes, losing and finding my watch, and general dilly dallying. The first woman pulled in to the aide station and left before I did. I finally left after 14 minutes, but Harry and Darcy Africa were long gone.

Along the three and a half miles to the next aide station, The Narrows, it was wet where the trail hugged the Little Bighorn River... I had little hope of catching Harry again, so I settled into a slower pace, but hopefully fast enough to reach the turn-around at 48 miles before it got too dark... After the Narrows the next aide station would be Spring Marsh. About halfway to Spring Marsh Jamie Gifford caught up and passed me. He later finished 5th overall. I kept him in sight and I think he was surprised when I caught up to him again at Spring Marsh. A lady at Spring Marsh told me I was in seventh place, but I had been keeping count and by my reckoning I would be in 11th at that point unless some people had dropped out. After the next aide station, Elk Camp, came the snow. There were about 8 or so patches of 25-50 yards of snow to plunge through over about a mile. The first and second place runners came by about this time separated by about 3 minutes. 30 minutes later and about five minutes before I reached Devil's Canyon Road (where Rebekka would meet me) Harry Harcrow was in solid third. At Devil's Canyon Road (47 miles) I dropped off everything with Rebekka, including my flashlight! It was getting dark... fortunately it was light enough that I was able to run the mile out and mile back to the turnaround at Porcupine Ranger Station. Back with Rebekka at Devil's Canyon Road again I put on jacket and gloves in anticipation of the long night ahead. It was a beautiful night--full starlit night, no moon--no wind, no rain. But it was a long night. I reached the Narrows just before 3 A.M. and Footbridge about 20 minutes to five. I forgot my flashlight at Footbridge and had to backtrack 100 yards to retrieve it. It was still too dark! The next three and a half miles to Bear Creek is the infamous "Wall", a steep uphill. Though it was hard, it was actually a resting time, because of the slower pace--I walked it.

After Bear Creek with the sun in the sky and 8 long miles to Cow Camp...lapsing into small hallucinations and in and out of consciousness I talked myself into allowing just stopping on the side of the trail for one second and closing my eyes for one second. I stopped, sat down, closed my eyes for one second--I am pretty sure it was only one second, got up and continued... I was not going fast... Where was everyone? Someone should surely have caught me by now. Only two runners had passed me from the turnaround until here... Then I saw three runners a couple hundred yards back...one would turn out to be a pacer, one was a woman, and the other was Paul Schoenlaub, who Harry had introduced me to very early in the race... They caught up and passed me before Cow Camp. When I reached Cow Camp they were all still there--I grabbed some food and left fast--they wouldn't catch back up to me for a couple of miles... then the long slog in the hot sun to Dry Fork and the next meeting point with Rebekka. Turns out she had not gone back to our camp site, but had driven straight to Dry Fork and slept in the car waiting for me. I think she expected me earlier, because she had run down to meet what she thought would be me 2 or 3 times already... My feet were a mess of blisters and hot spots... My ankle had started hurting the instant I had put on my second pair of shoes at Footbridge (mile 65) -- it was now red and swollen... 17.5 miles to go... I knew I would finish, but it would be hell... The sun was hot... I forgot to put on sunscreen... Rebekka ran back to get some... I was going slow enough that it was no problem... Now the 30K runners came from behind--they would run the same course to the finish... On the trail they would come behind me and say "excuse me", to which I would reply "which side", , I politely taught quite a few of them proper runner's etiquette -- simply say "on your left", and the runner can adjust and let you by. If you say "behind you" or "excuse me" that is not enough information... I was not moving very fast. Next up was "The Haul", a steep climb prior to the four-mile downhill to the Tongue River. Paul had told me about it and that it would only be about 20 minutes--I timed myself in 15 minutes--uphill was a lot easier than downhill at this stage...Oh the downhill... was excruciating...The Lower Sheep Creek Aide station would be at the bottom-- I hallucinated turning a big rock into an aide station tent--later a 30K woman came behind me and told me the aide station was just ahead--I didn't believe her even though she pointed out the tent--I thought it was another hallucination...

Rebekka met me again at the trailhead to pace me the final 5.3 miles to the finish line. 5.3 miles of flat gravel road. I had to walk. My left knee was shooting pain every time I tried to run. Where was the 1 mile to go sign? Was it around that bend? No. How much farther than that bend? Long ways. Rebekka kept me going at 15 minute walking miles. I wanted to get the deed done! She kept look out for any 100 milers coming up behind, though it didn't do any good when one did pass me. Nothing I could do about it. Finally with about half a mile to go the gravel road turned paved and when I tried running the pain was gone and I was able to run in to the finish... in 27 hours 34 minutes. My first 100-mile race.

Upper Sheep Creek 1:42:35 1:42:35

Dry Fork Headwaters 46:00 2:28:35

Out 2:32 2:31:08

Cow Camp 58:14 3:29:22

Bear Creek 1:25:57 4:55

Footbridge 25:00 5:30

Out 13:52 5:43:52

The Narrows 47:09 6:31:01

Spring Marsh 1:41:33 8:12

Elk Camp 59:35 9:12:10

Devil’s Canyon Road 1:29:04

Spring Marsh 2:48:47 13:30:02

The Narrows 2:11:41 15:41:43

Footbridge 1:09:35 16:51:19

Cow Camp 3:46:18 20:37:37

Dry Fork Headwaters 1:59:40 22:37:18

Upper Sheep Creek 1:35:08 24:12:27

Lower Sheep Creek 1:18:26 25:30:53

Out 2:54 25:33:47

Trailhead 39:22 26:13:09

Finish 1:21:21 27:34:31

SB, Harry, and Paul at the start of the Bighorn 100-mile race in Wyoming, 11 days ago.

1000 feet below the surface in the Molly Kathleen Gold Mine, Cripple Creek, Colorado... This tour was well worth the money!

Beautiful Jane Goodall, ageless beauty.

Repug Senator Richard Lugar comes out for reducing troops in Iraq.

Antilimit.com

Lights flashing in my canyon as I relaxed in the hot tub--no thunder--just far away lightning flashing as the last vestiges of sunlight faded away...dark clouds gathering overhead...bats flitting in the twilight...

Netscape founder Marc Andreesen highlights the top ten Sci Fi writers of today.

Boulder High student calmly exposes Bill O'Reilly's hypocrisy.

Sci-Fi writer Charley Stross has a blog.

So does David Brin.

Charles Stross's Missile Gap novella is on online in full.

Bill Moyer's Journal covers K-Street lobbyists this week.

Scuba Photography

Video: nano-battery promises breakthrough.

The meaning of American Pie