running & fear

a healthy amount of fear can be extremely helpful and entirely necessary to accomplish some goals. after finishing my first marathon in 2003, the fear, trepidation and reverence i held for marathons completely disappeared. throughout the next 4 years i would register for a marathon or 50k and follow a running regimen highlighted by pathetically short runs and half-ass workouts. surprisingly, i consistently placed in the top 10 overall or top 3 in my age group and lost any desire to throw down big training miles. so with a simple click of my mouse and $110, i put some fear back into my life. the Bighorn 'Wild & Scenic' 50 mile Trail Run now looms just 13 weeks away.

so i've been running. and not like, 'lets grab our slick new NIKE tanks and running capris and go for a jog on the Naito Parkway or around the UM campus', but running...like suffering up enormous climbs or pounding the pavement for 2-3 hours on a chilly saturday afternoon or casually running 6-8 one mile intervals in under 6 minutes. running.

with the help of my sister and her ridiculous/impressive knowledge of the human body, i have re-embraced a classic hobby i had long forsaken. stretching. i've also developed specific nutrition regimes depending on what kind of run/workout i complete. i've curbed my frequency of late nights filled with PBR and cloves, and my body has never felt better. no duh, right?

four of the five members living in my house are actively training and preparing for races. triathalons, multi-day bike stage races, time trials, marathons, ultras, or crits. some as soon as tomorrow, some not until july. one guy is the fastest marathoner and triathlete in western MT. another is one of the 10 fastest bike racers in the PNW and consistently won college races while in school (at WWU). we've essentially decided that its pointless to enter a race unless you are gunning to win it...although this often times seems hopeless albeit a miracle, its still our goal.

so i'm training to win Bighorn. on that note, someone grab me a Bridgeport IPA

march, 24, and my truck

first off, thanks everyone for the birthday calls/texts/poems and such. i met my family at Fairmont Hot Springs and we kicked it in the hot pools/water slides and had a birthday meal/cake/singing etc...here is my cake in a croc pot pan.



however...on the way down my truck overheated and spewed smoke out the hood. this left jordyn and i stranded in Gold Creek, population 44 (no services) but we happened to arrive just before church started. the congregation gave us a warm greeting (it reminded me of church on Orcas (davies))..and then as the service was about to start we bounced...as my dad had arrived to save us.



please note the hat rack. rad. seriously.



we got a ride back to missoula from a friend and i returned the following morning to change out the thermostat. the most advanced maneuver i have ever attempted with a car. luckily my buddy simon did most of it. we swapped the piece, i drove one mile and proceeded to overheat again signaling problems far worse then we had imagined...such as cracked head gasket. im not going to even begin telling how much this costs to fix.



...a weekend retreat to Yellowstone National Park...with a stop at world famous Rocker, MT to get some Town Pump coffee...



and finally...here is a sneak peak of the "i regret nothing" v-necks with matching headbands. as you can tell, the response has been wonderful. peace cabrones.