Sunday, August 29, 2010

Hiking with the extended crew

We've found a nice 1.5 mile loop that is hiking only that Cooper loves to hit up, and last Saturday we met up with Sarah and her up and coming hiker for a day on the trail. Summer is still hanging on, so we went early and we were out before the crowds. Great day to be out, although you can say that about 90% of the time here.


Pieces gets a ride for now

From Heil Valley Ranch Hike with Sarah and Reese


My boy is a happy boy when he gets out

From Heil Valley Ranch Hike with Sarah and Reese


Didn't take him long to find a stick to carry

From Heil Valley Ranch Hike with Sarah and Reese


Pieces is happy to be out too

From Heil Valley Ranch Hike with Sarah and Reese


Cooper loves to go explore and see new stuff

From Heil Valley Ranch Hike with Sarah and Reese



From Heil Valley Ranch Hike with Sarah and Reese


Taking a closer look at a cactus

From Heil Valley Ranch Hike with Sarah and Reese


Human cloning. Seriously, its scary.

From Heil Valley Ranch Hike with Sarah and Reese


Pieces gets to stretch her legs, and Cooper attempts to "help" by giving her his stick

From Heil Valley Ranch Hike with Sarah and Reese


With Cooper out of the way, Pieces is off to the races

From Heil Valley Ranch Hike with Sarah and Reese



From Heil Valley Ranch Hike with Sarah and Reese



We followed the hike up with some play time at the park and then lunch in Boulder. A great day to be out. By this time next year, the three of us will just be hoping to keep Super and Pieces in our site.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

One kid up past his bed time and a new pal

Cooper gets goofy in a hurry when its past his bed time. The following are a serious of photos of a giggling kid who needs to be in bed...



From Cooper and Tigger


From Cooper and Tigger


From Cooper and Tigger


From Cooper and Tigger



From Cooper and Tigger


From Cooper and Tigger

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Oh to be a kid again...

Youth is wasted on the young. By the time you realize you aren't invincible, you've already started the downhill slide. I have had the great pleasure of being home for several weeks in a row, and despite having to still put in a normal work day I've gotten to be a part of every day life for Cooper.

Today we went and looked at a house that I've always thought "if that house ever goes up for sale...", but ultimately it just isn't really for us right now. It is a place that looks amazing from the road, but despite having 5 acres and a lot of potential, it still needed quite a bit of work and money invested. The money part is easier to come by than the time. As I walked through the house, I just kept thinking to myself "I don't want to spend all my time at home doing home improvement projects". So after we got back and I put in some work, Jill was making dinner and cleaning the house and she asked me to watch Cooper in the backyard, a task I'll take over vacuuming any day.

At first I was finishing up some work on my laptop while sitting on the step in the backyard, but I looked up and just chuckled to myself as Cooper was just being himself. So full of life and just a sponge for everything going on, I decided work would wait and I grabbed my camera.


No idea what he found, but it sure caught his attention
From Cooper in the backyard

These two will surely be getting into trouble together for years

From Cooper in the backyard


From Cooper in the backyard


From Cooper in the backyard


From Cooper in the backyard

Despite looking sad here, he actually picked some sunflowers and took them to Jill. Already learning how to work the ladies...

From Cooper in the backyard

And then quickly back to mischief

From Cooper in the backyard


From Cooper in the backyard


From Cooper in the backyard



From Cooper in the backyard

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Just trying to keep up

Wasn't very long ago that we would go to Heil Ranch to hike the 1.3 mile loop, and we'd make it about 1/2 the way through before Cooper would start asking "ride" insinuating he was tired and wanted in the carrier. Today we thought we'd get out and do a hike to try and let Cooper burn off some of his seemingly never ending energy supply. The kid likes to go.

Per the usual, right out of the parking lot Cooper was off the front. Charging up the hill towards the loop, we have to keep a pretty brisk pace just to keep up with him despite our advantage of longer legs. On occasion he does stop, usually to pick up a stick or to point something out to us.


Jill gets Cooper to stop long enough to take a quick pic to show off his new shades

From Heil Ranch Hike

Today was a big victory for us in that Cooper asked to put his sunglasses on. He has fought them most of the time, but the other day he saw me put on my sunglasses and hat and then decided he wanted his on too. Whatever his logic is, we'll take it as the Colorado sun can really be rough on eyes and skin so we're big fans of lots of sunscreen and sunglasses.


Cooper sporting his new Snoopy glasses with a stick and a pine cone he found along the way
From Heil Ranch Hike


From Heil Ranch Hike


As mentioned, normally about the 1/2 way point Cooper gives in and takes the carrier option for the second part of the journey. Today was different though. We took the "climb first" option today, and as we rounded the switchback that marks the high point, Cooper was still going strong. How quickly they change and grow up. It provides a really interesting contrast to see my niece Reese turning 1 and then Cooper turning 2 and seeing how incredible the development is in a single year. Even in the last couple weeks Cooper's vocabulary and word skills have grown in leaps and bounds.

Today's new word that we taught him on the trail was "timber" or maybe I should phrase that "TIMBER!" as in what one yells when a tree is falling. Cooper spent the 2nd half of the hike today yelling "TIMBER!" at every tree that had either fallen or been cut to the ground.

The other thing that is amazing is how much of a climber this kid is already. Its strange as he has never crawled out of his crib, but I think that is just because he feels at home there. I think he could climb out if he wanted, as he demonstrated his rock climbing and scrambling skills for us on every trail side boulder he could find. He always has at least one, usually two, cautious spotters helping him along too so grandmothers sleep easy.


Approaching the summit

From Heil Ranch Hike


On top of the world, for a 2 year old...

From Heil Ranch Hike


Despite all his trail side activities, Cooper made quick work of the 2nd part of the trail and completed the loop for the first time ever. A proud moment for parents who thrive on the outdoors and a good hike. The weather in Boulder has been nothing short of remarkable lately (sorry Oklahoma readers, but its true), and as we hiked today we just kept talking about how wonderful it is to live in this great place.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Cooper's new buddy - Uncle Tony...

In an attempt to get acclimated to the elevation of the Laramie Enduro, Tony came up early in the week to hang out with us for a bit. Cooper instantly latched on to him, as lets face it Tony is just a (very) big kid himself. Aunt Denise flew up a couple days later (she works too hard) and snapped some pics that I've stolen for the blog here...



 
Tony couldn't even get his luggage in without Cooper "helping"


From Denise's Pics


Cooper taking the big boy route up to the slide, Tony assists


From Denise's Pics


Two buddies playing in the park


From Denise's Pics




From Denise's Pics

Cooper just absolutely loves the park. We try to get him to a park as often as possible.





Cooper wasn't the only one happy to see Tony though. He and I got in several good rides around (I obviously don't work as hard as Denise). Here are a couple pics that Tony grabbed that I've again blatantly stolen for my own personal use.


Tony and I at the Picture Rock / Wild Turkey junction



Posing on The Great Wall of Heil





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Sunday, August 08, 2010

Laramie Enduro 2010 - My white whale

After 3 years of eyeing the Laramie Enduro and then not actually riding in it, this year I entered despite the fact that I was in a sling from a recent shoulder surgery. Back on April 1st when I entered, I was needing some sort of goal. The shoulder surgery and subsequent physical therapy and recovery was quite painful and a very long (and still on going) process. I thought the 111 km (72 mile) Enduro was just the motivation I needed. My orthopedic surgeon didn't necessarily agree, but he also didn't tell me no, he just noted that he thought my goal was "a bit ambitious".

When I finally got cleared to ride the bike on June 1st, I had 7 weeks to train. I really expected to fully utilize those 7 weeks, but life doesn't always go as planned. Lots of factors such as work, weather, travel, wanting to spend time with my family, etc all added up to diminishing training time. Even when I allocated the time do big days things just didn't seem to go right. One Saturday I went out, only to get caught in a collapsing storm that created 45 mph winds during a microburst. The very next day I set out to put in a big ride on the road bike, only to suffer 3 flats and a blown out sidewall on my rear tire after only 25 miles.

In my final tune up ride before the Enudro, I got up at 6:30 and headed on a meandering route to Boulder and back. 18 miles into my ride, I broke the seat rails. While I still got in 55 miles that day, it was more about nursing it home than setting a good pace and working myself one last time. Heck even three days before the Enduro when Tony and I were doing a little light climb up Picture Rock (a relatively non-technical trail), we both crashed on the downhills. Things just weren't going my way (on a cycling front that is).

But after some coercing from friends and talks with Jill, I decided I would line up at the start of the Enduro. Tony was coming out anyway, I was going up with him regardless so I might as well go out and see what happened. I was fully convinced that I couldn't finish it, but I was going to go have fun and enjoy a long ride on some new trails.

The night of the race preparations were going well. I was relaxed, the bike was ready and I was in bed by 10pm. But I just could not get my brain to shut off....I tossed and turned and flipped and rolled, and caught glances at the clock as late as 3am, which didn't leave much time until our 5am wake up call. The more I tried to shut my brain off, the worse it was. So on what was to be my longest mountain bike ride ever, I doubled down with a combination of no training and no sleep. That is just how I roll...



Up and out in good time, we headed back up I-80 to the top of the pass. I should have know when you start a race at the top of a long, grinding mountain pass it aint gonna be easy. At the start, didn't take us long to run into David Stokes, a buddy of mine I ride with who is a multiple time Laramie finisher (and getting faster and faster every year). We chatted with David and then watched the Open class roll out. Without really meaning to, we had put ourselves at the very back of the starting group of 300 people. That was fine by me, but I could tell Tony was chomping at the bit to flex his fitness a bit.

3...2...1...GO!



And that would be the last I saw of Tony for the day, which was by design. I wanted him to go out and crush it and not wait for it to crush me. It took a couple miles to get all the people of varies skill and fitness sorted out, but it wasn't long before I felt like I was on a solo ride. No one in front of me, no one behind me. Weird, but good in a way.

I've done lots of hard rides where I've failed to eat or drink enough, and I was determined to not make that mistake again. I started eating early and often. I was downing Cliff Gel Blocks routinely, sucking down GU packets when I could and taking Hammer Gel electrolyte tablets at a rate of 3 per hour. For the first 20 - 25 miles things were going well. My legs didn't feel great, I was off the back from all the competitive racers but I was enjoying my ride.

About the time I hit aid station #2, things were going starting to go south. Stomach was not liking the onslaught of liquid food too much, but thankfully just as I was in need there was a porta potty on the course. Probably the first and last time in my life that I'll be thankful to see a porta potty. My legs were still going along well, I was really watching and controlling my effort via my heart rate monitor and despite going slow I was feeling OK.


While the forecast called for mid 80s with 70% cloud cover and a chance of rain, the reality was low 90s and blue skies that featured very few clouds. The open exposed nature of the middle of the course really had me baking. I was suffering in the heat, and the sweat was really starting to pour off me. While I had done some long rides, they'd all either been at 6am to accommodate family schedules or they had been up high at 10,000 feet in the cover of the national forest. Slowly I was melting...

Over the 70 mile course, there were 5 aid stations. I had made station 3 and was doing OK. By station 4, I had done 45 miles and was getting pretty cooked. My legs were cramping like crazy despite my enormous intake of calories and electrolytes. At aid station 4, I sent Jill a text that said:

"45 miles in, suffering quite a bit. Eating like crazy but starting to cramp. Gonna try to nurse it in."

In all reality, at that point I was just wondering if I could make aid station 5 before pulling the plug.Despite riding alone for a large majority of the time, I kept running into the same people at each aid station. One of the people who was riding a similar pace to me was a guy from Laramie who's wife and kid were meeting him at each checkpoint to encourage him. I kept seeing his son, who was probably within a couple months of Cooper, and with his baseball cap and sunglasses on could have passed for Cooper's twin. Seeing him was both comforting and heart breaking all at the same time. I can't really explain why it made me sad to see something that reminded me of Cooper, but it did. It kept my mind churning as I went between stations thinking about Jill and Cooper.



What I didn't know at that point was that the section of trail between aid stations 4 and 5 would be the toughest section of the entire race. On paper, it didn't look that bad but it was a life sucker. Already depleted muscles were really tested during this stretch. I would have to alternate between riding and walking on the climbs to give certain muscles in my legs rest they needed to keep from cramping. Several times I stopped and sat under shade trees and consumed calories trying to get my legs back, but it was pretty futile.


I gutted it out and finally showed up at aid station 5. I was well ahead of the time cutoffs (about an hour at each stop), but I was hurting. At aid station 5 I asked how many miles I had left, to which the response was "about 10 miles". I talked at length with the aid station workers about my options. What would happen if I quit now? If I kept going but then couldn't go any further, would I get a ride back from the course sweep?

Despite my inquiries at the aid station, I really, really did not want to quit. I sent Jill another text at this aid station:

"Mile 60. Really hurting but don't want to quit."

And off I went. There were few people behind me on the course, but that didn't matter. This was my first endurance race and I had only had 7 weeks to train, but I just knew that if I quit that I would be angry about it for a year. So off I went on my way to what would be the hardest climb of the day, the climb up the Headquarters Trail.

I breezed down the dirt road connector between aid station 5 and the minor station at the base of Headquarters Trail. I breezed through the final checkpoint an hour before the cutoff and started up. The initial portion of the climb was brutal on my cramping legs, so I walked about the first 1/2 mile. After a bit, I was able to get on and ride some but ultimately succumbed and walked the upper portion too.

Despite being the hardest climb of the day, the Headquarters Climb was shaded which was such a welcome relief to me. The cooling nature of the shade put some new life into my legs and I started to feel better. The trail from the top of the big climb to the finish was generally down, and I was still descending really well. I started pulling people back on the descent, and I was powering towards the finish line. I was going to finish the race.

My time goals had been sub 9 hours and that had long passed. I was looking at my clock and realizing I would really have to power to break 10 hours, but as I railed the ribbon of singletrack benchcut into the side of the hill I really didn't care. I was 3 miles from the finish and had a huge smile on my face. As I hit the end of the singletrack and made the left turn onto the dirt road to the finish I felt elated. Despite being on the course for 10 hours, there were still people on the side of the road cheering on the finishers. I high fived everyone in site, gave the thumbs up to others and felt like I had just won the race.

I made the right turn to the finish line and rolled across 10 hours and 3 minutes after I had left it. Tony & Denise were there cheering me on, and so was David Stokes who had smoked his previous record and finished in 6:30. I was almost as anxious to find out how Tony had done as I was to finish myself, as I know how hard he had been working for many months to get ready. He had ridden strong all day and finish in 8:45, which was really impressive coming from Oklahoma to 8,000 feet of altitude.

Here is Tony rocking it across the line sub 9 hours.

Sunday, August 01, 2010

Let the Terrible 2's Begin!


Hard to believe Cooper is 2 already. Its hard to even remember what life was like without him around. While the big celebration will be next weekend in conjunction with Reese, Sarah and Jill's bdays (all in August), we went ahead and had a mini celebration today.

Cooper got to be "The Birthday Boy" today and pretty much got his way all day long. He got a super sweet train set with table that Sarah & Jill put together. This morning as we got him out of the crib he was saying "Choo Choo. Choo Choo" and played with his train set quite a bit today.

We took Cooper to the park this morning for some play time and to make sure the birthday boy to "Slide" as he requests about 50 times a day. After the park, we headed to lunch where he sampled at his will from everyone's plates. No birthday lunch would be complete without some dessert, so then we stopped by Dairy Queen where Cooper got his own cup of ice cream, but still sampled ice cream from everyone else too.

After a good nap, Cooper got up to play with his train set some more. We grabbed some dinner and then we presented Cooper with a birthday cupcake. He tore into it and then we sang "Happy Birthday" to him, which he seems to love. Grabbed a quick video of that, please excuse our terrible singing....