Last Post.

I'M BACK IN SAN DIEGO!

That feels good....

The tour is over for me.  Zach and Shannon are currently back in Seattle with the vehicles preparing to enjoy their Summer as well!  I do miss them.  They're such wonderful spirits and I wish them the best.

It's funny.  I had a little hesitation prior to joining Run Happy Island on the road.  Uplifting my entire livelihood to travel the country wasn't exactly in character for me.  But now that it's over I can't possibly convey how thankful I am that I did, and that the offer was even extended to me.  It really was life-changing, and eased any doubts I may have harbored about being able to be happy and content outside of the social bubble I had fabricated for myself here in San Diego.  I think that's true of a lot of people - we get comfortable in familiarity: routines, places to-go, friends, and become hesitant to believe we'd survive without it all.

I don't have that doubt anymore.  And because of that I feel like I am in an infinitely better position to enjoy life.  And Brooks Running and Event Next I thank you for that the most.

 Brooks Running is an amazing company.  The passion its' employees extoll for running and the community permeates and manifest itself in its' products and the experiences it provides such as Run Happy Island!  Really can't thank them enough for accommodating me.

This weekend I was able to help out at the Rock 'n' Roll San Diego expo.  It felt like a big homecoming party for me! Such an amazing time.  It was great to be back interacting with the San Diego running community plus all my friends who swung by!

In a couple weeks we'll get the word whether there will be a tour this Fall and or whether I'll be involved with it .  Until then, I'll count my blessings for all that has happened so far.  It's been a great a trip :)

Signing off.

#RunHappy

Last Event...

Today was our last event and it was perfect.  A local group run out of Lifetime Fitness-Westminster; steady albeit slow enough to take the time to have genuine conversations with our visitors.  No better way to end the tour.  Like icing on a cake :)

Thank you Halls :)

I have one more blog post coming - as a recap of sorts :) but right now I have some work to do before getting to bed.  Tomorrow evening I'll be back in San Diego!

#RunHappy

Bolder Boulder!

Today was the 37th running of the Bolder Boulder 10k and WHAT AN EVENT!

One of the nation's largest privately-owned events - more than 50,000 runners towed the starting line today while as many as 70,000 individuals passed through the finishing area!  Privately owned - think about that for a second....  In an era when most endurance events fall under large corporate-umbrellas, the BB10K - 37 years later - is still privately owned AND attracts more than 50,000 participants!

Don't mind if I do :)

Not only is it privately owned - it's the only event hosted. There's no series, there's nothing extra.  Every year thousands of volunteers, workers, and tens of thousands of runners come together for a single event...that is privately owned, locally...how amazing is that?

Today I looked at a lot of feet and chatted up a lot of runners.  I am exhausted.

Picture worth a thousand words.

Tomorrow is the final event of the tour.  A smaller activation at a local Lifetime Fitness. A lot to process right now and I'm very tired - sure I'll have more to write tomorrow.  :)

#RunHappy

Memorial Day:

Today is Memorial Day.  It is not about the wars we've fought or the battles won - it transcends politics.  Today we honor those who believed in something greater than themselves and the willingness to sacrifice for it.

 "And I submit to you that if a man has not discovered something that he will die for, he isn’t fit to live.” - Martin Luther King Jr.

Hiccups' (2 & 3) + Flagstaff Mountain

You move to Boulder for the daylife - not the nightlife... - overheard on a street-corner.


Today was eventful.  We needed to deliver the DSD to the BolderBoulder finish line, tidy her up for tomorrow, and then I needed to get in the mountains before another storm moved in!

The finish line for BolderBoulder is on Colorado University's campus in Boulder.  It's a beautiful campus by itself but made more so by the Flat Irons dominating the skyline nearby. After parking the DSD and cleaning her up a bit, hiccup #2 and #3 of the tour occurred!

First, apparently the DSD's generator doesn't like being at altitude....  It took some elbow-grease on Zach's part but he did get it working again.  Zach is awesome.  I've always had such a profound respect for people who are mechanically-inclined plus he's an insanely collected individual, nothing ever riles him...not even pissy, upset generators.

The third hiccup may or may not have been my fault.... :(

One of our iPad's screens was cracked.  Splintered the whole thing.  Far as I know Zach found it like that in the soft-case we carry them all in.  I don't know how it happened but they have been in my possession for the past couple of days so I feel culpable.  Sad day.  :(

After cleaning up the DSD and getting everything ready for tomorrow, I had Zach and Shannon drop me off at Boulder Mountain Park so I could start my ascent up Flagstaff Mountain!  I decided against doing Bear Peak today because it was the harder of the two climbs and another big storm front was scheduled to roll-in around 1pm.

Flat Irons as seen from Boulder Mountain Park.

I didn't take many pictures today - partly because I knew the hike was on the shorter side.  I did end up getting rained on, and thunder did sound, but I made it safely to the summit - which unbeknownst to me you can actually drive to...o well...

Flagstaff Summit!  No bikes, no guns, no booze, no fun....

Rocky Mountain cactus?  I had no idea....

After descending, I started walking back toward downtown Boulder to make one final pass through the BoulderBolder expo before heading to the transit center to catch my bus.  En route I stumbled upon another cemetery which I thought was really cool.  Some the graves were as old as some of the ones we saw in Charleston, South Carolina...can you imagine what Boulder was like in the 1850's?!

Boulder Cemetery.

Eventually this happened...

Cappuchino with 4-shots #Nomnomnom

And this...

My Ravenna's have been seeing a lot of action!

Tomorrow is BolderBoulder!  Though I'm not running, I'm excited to be at the finish line with Run Happy Island!  It's really evident that the whole community is behind the event so I'm sure it's going to be an awesome time for runners, vendors, and volunteers alike! :)

Well I just finished my laundry and need to start heading toward bed!  Early day tomorrow!

#RunHappy

Mount Sanista!

Today I paid my $5 again for bus-fare to Boulder with a full day planned!  Yesterday I learned about another nearby peak - Mount Sanitas - I intended to climb plus the BolderBoulder expo!

I knew I should get on the mountain ASAP as a storm was due later that afternoon.  Unbeknownst to me, today Boulder was having its' weekly farmers market.  Farmers market is kind of an understatement if you ask me...I thought it was some sort of celebratory festival judging by it's sheer size.  I love the idea behind farmers markets but the execution is always a bit too convoluted for me.  I checked out some of the stalls but left shortly after toward the BolderBoulder expo on nearby Pearl Street.

Instead of being within a convention center or similar layout, the expo was basically strewn about Pearl Streets' boulevard.  It felt more like a farmers market than the actual farmers market did! 

STRAVA!

I'm not a huge STRAVA fan...but a lot of my friends are.  It was cool to chat with the team about STRAVA's involvement with other brands and their dynamics though - talked a little about Run Happy Island too!  I'm excited to see them again at the BolderBoulder finish line to show off the DSD :)

After wandering around the expo for a bit it was time to head toward Mount Sanista - the trailhead about a 20 minute walk away.  Though the clouds were heavy, it hadn't started raining or thundering yet so I figured I was safe.

BolderBoulder mural I found en route to Mount Sanista.

The ascent up Mount Sanista was MUCH easier than that up Green Mountain.  Trails were very hard-packed, and in spite of heavier traffic and heavy rain the night before were still in really good shape.

Sanista trailhead.

Heavy storm clouds over the Flat Irons.

From the ascent up Sanista.

 About 45 minutes into the ascent the sky opened up...

Rain wasn't that bad...but the temperature dropped a little and that turned into hail.  I only started worrying a little once the thunder started....  Unlike Green Mountain, the ascent up Sanista was very exposed with sporadic tree coverage, I was afraid that by continuing the ascent upward I might be setting myself up to get struck by lightning!  Luckily that didn't happen....

Sanista summit :)

Give you an idea of what was going on around me...

Luckily the hail and thunder abated a bit...but the rain stalked me all the way down...

Overall it was AMAZING!  Though I am thankful I wasn't struck by lightning...the weather made the excursion all that much more memorable.  After getting down I headed back toward Pearl Street to locate a coffee and warm-up!

Picture of the Flat Irons I took while walking back.

Mocha at the Laughing Goat in Boulder.

Well I am exhausted....  Tomorrow we actually have work to do too!

Tomorrow is the day that we deliver the DSD to the finish line area of BolderBoulder.  The race itself is Monday - Memorial Day - so once we clean and freshen-up the DSD I'll have the rest of the day to explore!  I still want to summit Mount Flagstaff and Bear Peak before I leave the area so tomorrow after our Run Happy Island duties are done I'll probably find myself back up in the mountains. :)

Until tomorrow ~

#RunHappy

Boulder!

Today I took the initiative and decided that in spite of the weather I really, REALLY NEEDED to get out of my hotel room!  Having previously studied the Denver RTD - I dressed warm, packed my LSD jacket (they're awesome...if you don't own one, you need to) and paid for a fare to Boulder!

Boulder is AMAZING.  It's very much like New Orleans in that it seems to have an energy and culture all its own - completely alien from the surrounding area.  I would not necessarily consider it a 'mountain town' as like Denver it rests atop a high plain, not in the mountains.  Unlike Denver however, Boulder has an eclectic, commune-esque energy to it; backed right up against the Rockies, in the shadow of the Flat Irons a mere stones' throw away.  It is both sedating and energizing.  One day I have no doubt I will call it home.

Upon arriving I didn't have a real plan.  The weather wasn't as bad as I was expecting either.  Boulder Running Company, a run-specialty shop I had long heard about and wanted to visit wasn't too far away so I decided to head in that direction to start my adventuring!

Memorial Day sale in full swing!

Upon arriving I could tell their Memorial Day sale was in full swing!  Though the Brooks rep wasn't there, many other brands were present.  The store itself was really nice, a lot bigger than I imagined.  Investigating the tent-sale I did find a few gems:

Apparently after being discontinued years ago...all the PureDrifts in the world were exiled to Colorado :)  No.  I didn't buy them, but they had LOTS!

Only $20!  Did buy this.

Boulder Running Company is ready for BolderBoulder!

After getting my fill I started walking again, this time back toward the boutiques and coffee shops on Pearl Street.

Wasn't long before I found something else that caught my eye...a bike shop!  Not just any bike shop though - a bike shop full of vintage steel-steads and wool jerseys!  Yeah, I get excited about this kind of stuff...

Omg omg omg...

'The Cannibal'

I was in there for quite a bit actually.  Turned out one of the employees - an older gentleman - use to live in San Diego and was very familiar with a bike shop I frequent there.  We chatted for a good 25 minutes about the cycling communities in both San Diego and Boulder, different events, and even my travels with Run Happy Island.  I liked him :)

After leaving the bike shop I encountered this....

You're intrigued...admit it...

Being an athlete - particularly an endurance athlete - of course I had to walk inside.  Turned out it was a t-shirt/apparel shop :) REALLY COOL THOUGH and all designed on site.  Guy inside at the register was really cool too.  Obviously an athlete, I spent another 25 minutes or so chatting to him - particularly about STRAVA but also about other trails and peaks in the area I could ascend.

Shortly thereafter this occurred...

I swear there's a coffee shop every 1/4 mile here...not that I'm complaining.

And I headed back to the transit station to catch my bus back home.

Today was AWESOME!  I got out of my hotel room, was able to explore an amazing city, learned about some trails nearby, and got back to my hotel all before it started raining again!  It's pouring right now if you're curious.

I'm excited for tomorrow :) Tentatively the plan is to wake-up early and board the bus to Boulder - this time with Zach's bike in tow to expedite my exploring!  I also want to summit Senista Peak from a mountain trail that I learned about today from talking to the guy at Endurance Conspiracy.  Tomorrow is also the first day of the BolderBoulder expo - I was mistaken in thinking it was today - so there's that to check-out too!

Time to foamroll now :)

#RunHappy

Rest Day ~

While in bed last night I immediately regretted not taking an ice bath after my Green Mountain excursion.  Once situated my calves and ankles began to pulsate keeping me awake most of the night. :(  Between that and very uncooperative weather I decided to use today to rest up for going out later in the week.

Couple of things happened today though!

Sarah Swiss landed in the area so I'm excited about meeting up with her later in the week plus I got the OK to help out at the Rock 'n' Roll San Diego expo May 29-30 once I get back!  I do enjoy the big activations - hardly feels like work to me - and Rock 'n' Roll San Diego shares a special place in my heart.  Not only did I use to handle the grassroot-promotions for Rock 'n' Roll San Diego but as the first Rock 'n' Roll it has such an awesome vibe and energy to it.  And the San Diego running community is AWESOME!!!

Rest day or not I did end up getting in a solid workout :) I love movement....  

And I think it's fair to say my collarbone (broken on Christmas eve) is 100% healed!

Honestly I don't know what we're doing tomorrow.  We still have a couple days off before we need to set up for BolderBoulder this Memorial Day.  I still want to try to ascend another peak before I leave the area but will probably hold-off until the weather improves.  The expo for BolderBoulder begins tomorrow so I'm thinking of heading up there to check it out and see what I'm (we're) missing!

Until tomorrow ya'll ~

#RunHappy

Green Mountain!

Today was AWESOME!

Bear with me as I know I can sound like a broken-record saying that :)

Today Zach, Shannon, and myself decided to head up towards Boulder and ascend Green Mountain!  Green Mountain has been on my bucket-list ever since seeing this and because we had a few hours to kill before we could check-in at our hotel we decided to do it!

Unfortunately upon arriving the storms and conditions over the past few days had really taken a toll on the lower trails rendering them to a soupy, muddy mess....  Mud so deep and thick each step almost stole my shoe! :(

The beginning was beyond gross...storms had rendered the trails to a soupy mess.

Thankfully once we started up the mountain and into the treeline the trails firmed up which made the ascent infinitely more enjoyable!  Heading up the mountain we identified a noticeable change in temperature too - something visually apparent when little pieces of ice started dropping from the trees around us!

Found a little chipmunk friend :)

The ascent took us about two hours.  I use to do quite a bit of climbing and hiking back in the Eastern Sierras but I had forgotten how strenuous ascending peaks at altitude can be!  I wore my Ravenna 6's this time and though they held up perfectly fine my ankles did take a bit of a beating from a few twists and slips...

Me!

Zach and Shannon!

This was bolted to the cairn at the top of the peak, on a clear day you could identify these various peaks in the distance from the summit!

The hike down was infinitely easier and quicker than the ascent up.  It did start snowing on us a little bit which I thought was really cool as I hadn't 'seen it snow' in well...before I can remember....  Though our ascent was pretty lonely, on the way down we did start seeing quite a few runners which was awesome - especially those rockin' new Cascadias!

Heading back to the truck....

 After getting back to the truck we all headed to SINK - one of the oldest restaurants in Boulder - to warm-up and replenish the lost calories!

Fried chicken and waffles?  #Nomnomnom

I decided to forgo the group run tonight at Boulder Running Company.  Between my run this morning and Green Mountain my legs and ankles are thoroughly shot.  It was great to be scrambling up a peak again though!  Now that Green Mountain has been conquered I'm looking into tagging another before my stay is over - Bear Mountain perhaps?

Today I also learned some ROCKIN although bittersweet news....  With the tour coming to an end, it was brought up that perhaps it'd be best if I flew out of Denver to San Diego on May 27th after our last event in lieu of riding with Zach and Shannon back to Seattle.  While Zach and Shannon have family back in Seattle and the DSD has to be returned there, I have no reason.  I'm STOKED to be getting back into San Diego in time for Bike To Work Day and Rock 'n' Roll San Diego but I am a little sad it's all coming to an end!  The past three months have literally flown by.  I'm really thankful now though that I kept this blog :) as it'll be cool to revisit and look back on such a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Even if nothing else amounts from this experience, I am so thankful to Brooks Running for allowing me to be part of it.  Right now I'm hoping for one last hurrah by helping out the other Run Happy Island (Ray!  Remember Ray?!) at Rock 'n' Roll San Diego!

Until tomorrow ya'll :)

#RunHappy

Colorado!

Today we're finishing the drive to Colorado for BolderBoulder next Monday!  Less than 5 hours on the road today!

I'm really excited!  Once there I definitely want to find my way to Green Mountain and do some running and even look into the possibility of bagging a nearby 14k'er :) a trip to REI may be in order....

I'm hoping we have fair weather for the duration of our stay.  It'll be cool to just explore downtown for a day and scout out local coffee shops!

Today before hitting the road I was able to get in a little run along the path adjacent to our hotel.  Beautiful little path!  It feels good to be consistently running again but can definitely tell my legs are still getting use to it. 

Path near our hotel in Nebraska.

That evening...

We're here!  Denver, Colorado!  While we were originally going to stay in the Westminster-area the hotel we were scheduled for was overbooked so they moved us to another property in downtown Denver.  We did manage to get 30,000 Hilton Points out of the deal plus a free-night which will be GREAT in keeping our per-diem down so it's a win-win situation :) We'll be back in Westminster tomorrow.

I'm SO EXCITED FOR TOMORROW!  I'm familiarizing myself with Denver-RTD right now as there's a station right next to our Westminster hotel.  I'll be able to take the bus directly into Boulder to do some exploring!  Think I'll even take Zach's bike along :)  Also I found a group run at Boulder Running Company I'm going to try to attend tomorrow evening!  Zach and Shannon seem to have some plans of their own so it'll work out perfectly.  One of my good friends - Sarah Swiss - who use to work for Brooks Running (and was on a previous tour...) will be in the area Thursday-Monday for BolderBoulder too!

Well it's time to wrap this up and start a foamrolling session.  Super stoked to be in Colorado and can't wait to make the most out of the next couple of days :)

#RunHappy

All we do is drive, drive, drive (the sequel)...

Today is day two of our three day drive westward to Colorado!  We should be somewhere in Nebraska by sundown!  Today should be a little bit of a shorter day than yesterday.

Had a great run this morning and ready to get on the road!

Later that day...

We're here!  Not Boulder, but Kearney, Nebraska where we're staying!  Beautiful little trail path back behind our hotel :) can't wait for tomorrow!  Time to foamroll and stretch before bedtime...goodnight ya'll!

#RunHappy

West Coast Best Coast

I always wait until the very last moment before settling in the truck for a long day on the road....

Today we start the drive to Colorado!  Tentatively we're aiming to kill about 550 miles today; arriving in in Boulder Tuesday evening.  IM SO EXCITED!  I'm ecstatic to explore Boulder but just as excited to head westward and closer to CALIFORNIA!

Goodbye Cleveland!  Hmmm...tasty...

Before starting the drive today I did manage to get in a little morning run, taking it to a cemetery just down the road from our hotel.  Definitely a little humid; 4 miles at about a 6:40/pace, I was soaked.  Gotta admit, I was feeling bad for those people out there running the Cleveland Marathon today!

Well then....

Later that day...

We're here!  Iowa!  Tomorrow is a little bit of a shorter day on the road and one-step closer to Colorado!  Looks like the hotel we're staying at is near a quarry.  Think tomorrow morning I'll do some exploring before breakfast :)

#RunHappy

Cleveland Marathon Expo Day 2

Today was good.  I am exhausted and thankful.  Tomorrow we start the lonnngggg drive to Colorado!  550ish miles planned or 8 hours of driving...BRING IT! 

Down for the count!  Just two more events before the 2015 Run Happy Island Spring tour concludes! 

Hoping to get in about 4 miles before we take off tomorrow :)

#RunHappy 

Cleveland Marathon Expo Day 1

Today was the first day of the Cleveland Marathon expo!  Once again, we had Blaize and his fiancee - Shannon - in town to assist us as well as Fleet Feet Cleveland!  Anyone who has ever worked a major marathon expo knows that the first day is always substantially slower than the last - today was no exception.  Though a bit on the slow side, we still managed to stay fairly busy and had lots of visitors come through our prize-table and gait-analysis!  :)

We just got back to the hotel and are about to grab dinner and a drink at the Winking Lizard Tavern (what a name...right?).  Looking forward to tomorrow!  Sometimes I think these events wear on me a little differently than most....  I love to interact with the visitors and even when my throat is scratchy from talking for 8 hours straight I still derive so much satisfaction from each engagement.  Maybe I'm just lonely?  Or crazy?  Who knows.

Until tomorrow...

#RunHappy

O-H-I-O!

Today was AWESOME!  So many things to say and write about but then again pictures are worth a thousand words and I have plenty of those!

This morning was the day we were to deliver the DSD to the expo-hall for the Cleveland Marathon expo tomorrow!  Downtown Cleveland is quite the character....  Narrow roads, looping pathways, and  drawbridges seem to be the most ubiquitous characteristics of the city.  One thing I do love about the older cities (St. Louis, Detroit, Cleveland, etc) we've visited is the presence of all the old brick and ironwork; it really gives the urban landscape a unique charm.  Once abandoned - unlike modern buildings that would undoubtedly fall into disrepair rapidly - such structures simply stand derelict like remnants of a forgone greatness.

Approaching downtown Cleveland through the Tremont neighborhood...DSD AHOY!

C'mon...you're smiling too...

We took about two hours to unload and clean-up the DSD for the expo tomorrow.  I was very thankful to discover it wasn't as gross as I was expecting!  Everything was still a little damp and musty from the rain we've been having but nothing a good wipe-down and some Febreeze couldn't fix! :)  After unloading and exploring downtown Cleveland for a bit we all went and grabbed some of the most delicious, gut-busting, grilled-cheese sandwiches for lunch you could possibly imagine (no pictures)!

Key topper?  Knife guard?  You decide.

As I mentioned yesterday, there is a national park/nature preserve just about a mile from where we're staying outside of Cleveland.  Today I was determined to do some exploring  after my lunch settled down.  

After napping for about an hour I laced up my Glycerin 12's and started my run to Cuyahoga National Park!  The whole area was BEAUTIFUL!  Lush greenery, hard-packed dirt trails, and a river cutting through the entirety of it.  Not quite as technical as I was hoping but an awesome experience nonetheless.  

Mmmmm.... :)

I'm trying to think of a clever caption for this but I'm at a loss.

Ombre' Glycerin 12's - my mileage shoe 

10k at about a 6:20/pace.  Feeling GOOD!

Tomorrow is the first day of the Cleveland Marathon expo!  I'm excited to get back to work - I love my job and I love staying busy plus Blaize and his fiance' will be back with us!  

Next week at this time we'll be in Colorado...imagine that....

#RunHappy