Thursday 121814

This is an incredible story by King Ches.  He dominates cross and the track distances.  But dude might kill the ultra distances. 

Today’s listening – the latest ET.

While grumbling over the USATF, I still eyeball their MUT national championships.

Really, I am not sure that MacAskill can do anything on a bike that amazes me anymore.  If he made it fly over the Grand Canyon I’d sort of expect that

This is sort of funny.  The XC course for Club Nats was short.  I get why folks get uptight about that stuff (and I certainly have had my moments where I get pissy with a race director who adverts his race course as measured and accurate and it is way off).  And I probably would still be a bit uptight for road races.  But cross? I sort of had an epiphany on my last trip to Ireland where I jumped into that cross race in Phoenix Park.  They listed the race as an 8k of four 2k loops.  It most certainly WAS NOT an 8k (I finished with it being closer to 8.6k).  But nobody was bitchin’ about it.  And in fact, there was not even a clock posted at the finish.  Why?  Because the spirit of the whole thing was not about some time or an exact difference.  That sort of thing is saved for the track or the road where such exact details matter.  It is the antithesis of cross to have such details matter because you are running over hill and dale, in the mud, in the rain, over heather and through trees and crap. 

That said if I race Boulder XC I want to break 30.  The course better be right.

I am so stoked because I found my Rose Hill Drive Live at the Fox Theatre when I opened the case for The Violent Femmes.  This might be my all time favorite live album ever, even though it is pretty short. 

The eagles are back: 

10.2 miles in the afternoon, mixed paces, but easy.  TZ joined me on the bike.  It was good to jog with her and have a nice extended chat – and to check out the birds.

So I got a package labeled like this in the mail.
And no joke the damn thing was CRUSHED hard into the mailbox.  How about that?  In any case, I think I have my hat for the run this Sunday.
 

Looks like the locals are getting pretty serious about Saint Patrick’s Hill