Thursday, October 31, 2013

RATL! - October 2013

RUNNING THE STREETS OF ATLANTA! FIND MORE INFO HERE

STATS:

MONTHLY

Miles: 3.21
Runs:1

CUMULATIVE

Miles: 304.88
Runs: 51


So, this has been a horrible month for getting new streets run. The one run that was counted actually only added a tiny blip at Oakland Cemetery.  I did get some good trail runs in and a race too, but no go on the roads.

Also, I don't know what's up with my images.  They seem to load gray instead of white.  I can't seem to figure it out.  Help?

Monday, October 14, 2013

My Favorite Medals - My Favorite Race


2013 MYSTERY MOUNTAIN MARATHON


Well, it was that time of year gain.  July.  Yep, July,  Mama Kim and I started to talk about these medals in July.  Thank God, I thought, FINALLY I wouldn't have to scramble at the last minute like I have for the past couple of years.  I was wrong.  You could find me the Thursday before the race huffing fumes from polyurethane and black and silver spray paint in my garage workshop.  Oh the fumes.
So high.
I loooooove high VOC things.
Soooo high.
Brain? What brain?  Brain cells are all gone.

Where did the idea for the medals come from this year?
The race, is also known as m³, or m-cubed for the mathematically challenged.  So, being the cheese balls we are, we thought it would be fun to make the medals cube shaped.  Get it?
Why wood?  Because it was extra that I had in my garage that I couldn't wait to get rid of.  We chose to go with maple for the 12-milers and walnut for the Marathoners.  Personally I prefer the marathon medals, but that's not the race I ran.

At the end of the race last year I couldn't help but to think how happy I was to be able to spend half of the day hanging out with my friends.  If I ran the marathon, I would have finished late in the afternoon and most of the runners would have left.   So, this year I decided that if I ran I would do the 12-mile option instead.  AND, honestly, I didn't know if I was even going to do that until a couple of days before the race.  Mama Kim was really struggling for volunteers this year so I thought it would be a great help if I volunteered as opposed to ran.  Ultimately we got just enough people and I was sent out on the trail.


MEDAL MAKING - Back to the interesting stuff.

The medals started as 3 larger boards of 8/4S2S soft maple and 8/4S2S walnut.  8/4 refers to (8) quarters of an inch or approximately 1¾" since it was surfaced on two sides (S2S).

(1) Maple and (2) walnut boards, note that one of the boards isn't S2S. 

Once the boards were ripped down I brought them to their final dimension of 1½"x1½".

Final dimensioned blanks.

These boards were then cut into cubes using a highly specialized process which allowed for maximum yield from the original blanks.

Yes, that is a darkroom tray.


Then the blocks were rough sanded.

My poor sander's pad split in half.  I reckon it tried to commit suicide.

Then the blocks were final sanded.

I have NEVER used this much sandpaper before.

Then the blocks were drilled.  Now, this part was tricky.  Yes, drilling little holes can be tricky.  I quickly discovered, after splitting a dozen or so, that the orientation of the grain, the speed of the plunge and the RPM of the motor all played factors in making perfect holes.  Who would have guessed?  I didn't.  But I figured it out.

Holy Holes!

Now it was time for the clear coat x8 with some more sanding in between.  Also I had to upgrade my painting jig from last year.  This ended up taking up a lot of the floor space in my garage.

Major upgrade.  Any questions?

How the heck was I going to get the logo and the M and 12 on the blocks?  Through the use of some mega stencils.  Yes, hand made, hand cut with an X-ACTO blade stencils.  There was lots of pain and suffering here.  LOTS.  I have saved the stencils just in case we do these again next year.

Getting my stencil on.

And for the final touch, the cording.
It has become somewhat of a tradition that the afternoon before the race Anna, Greg & Tracy, Jim & Delane, and I sit on the grass somewhere drinking beer tying hundreds of knots.  And this year was just like those of the past.  What a fantastic afternoon!

Completed 12 Mile and Marathon medals.

 

PUMPKIN CARVING

I really didn't carve the pumpkins, but I did scoop out their GUTS and helped to make the stencils.  Here I can be pictured telling a story of the evolution of something and how fantastic whatever I was talking about was.

Punkin Carvin while sipping on some water.

RACE DAY

I took it easy.  Really easy.  I love these trails and just wanted to spend some time on them.  I had no intention of racing this race.  I really just wanted to get out there and run for 12 miles at a pace that would allow me to chat with people and take in the scenery.  
I stopped at every overlook.

Getting my overlook on.

I stopped at every waterfall.
I stopped at every aid station and thanked the volunteers and my friends.
I had a good leisurely time.

At the intersection of the Gahuti and 301 trails.

Anna?  
She ran the MARATHON, and CRUSHED her previous year's time!  I am so proud of her for what she is able to do.  I once teased her about having talent and luck, and got yelled at.  Rightfully so!
She works and tries really really hard to do what she does.  It's inspiring to know this.  She's freaking awesome!

Anna, at the same place, an hour ahead of me.

How did I do?  I took my time.  I did 12 miles in 3:38:40.  Man-oh-man I really did take my time.  But you know what?  I just wanted to spend some time on the trails, not racing, just doing whatever.  And I did.

Monday, September 30, 2013

RATL! - September 2013

RUNNING THE STREETS OF ATLANTA! FIND MORE INFO HERE

STATS:

MONTHLY

Miles: 23.85
Runs:4

CUMULATIVE

Miles:301.67
Runs: 50




Saturday, August 31, 2013

RATL! - August 2013

RUNNING THE STREETS OF ATLANTA! FIND MORE INFO HERE

STATS:

MONTHLY

Miles: 27.31
Runs: 5

CUMULATIVE

Miles: 277.82
Runs: 46

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

RATL! - July 2013

RUNNING THE STREETS OF ATLANTA! FIND MORE INFO HERE

STATS:

MONTHLY

Miles: 15.24
Runs: 3

CUMULATIVE

Miles: 250.51
Runs: 41

Monday, July 29, 2013

H9 2013 - Hard Time on the Dragon's Spine

FAVORITE QUOTES / CONVERSATIONS FROM THIS YEAR'S EVENT

  • Perry: "I wanted him to leave the edges sharp, but he finished them."
    Me: "So that every time you picked it up you got cut?"
    Perry: "Pretty much."
    Me: "That would have been so awesome."
  • Jason: "Holy crap!  Do you think y'all have enough camping gear?"
  • Me: "Franco and I are going to run the DRT 50K."
    Perry: "Baaaaahahahahahahahaha...ha ha ha ha ha ha ha."
    Me: "What the hell?"
    Perry: "Ha ha ha ha ha ha."
    Me: "Seriously?"
    Perry: "Ha ha ha ha ha ha."
  • Me: "Did you come to arrest me again?"
  • Franco: "Hey...hey, you better not melt my fan."
  • Dave: "Alicia and I have been married for 24 years, and we just wanted to say congratulations on your new life together.  We were so happy when we saw your picture on Facebook."
  • Tom: "You're a perfect candidate for a chainsaw accident.  You've been drinking beer, you don't have on safety Glasses, you're wearing shorts, hell, why don't you borrow John's flip flops.'
  • Franco: "Aaron, get the chainsaw, come this way."
    John: "No, Aaron, put the chainsaw down and come this way."
    Franco: "No, Aaron, listen to me."
    John: "No, put the chainsaw down."
    Franco: "I'm not walking down the trail a mile for John's little stump.  Come up here."
    Me: "Fuck, will y'all stop fighting?  I'm going to follow Franco, his log is closer."
  • Tom: "Are there more ants in the Powerade?  I thought I got them all out."
  • Franco: "Do you think we should cut up the watermelon?"
    Me: "Sure, why not?"
    Franco: "I was just asking."
    Tom: "What?  Look at that!"
    Franco: "What the hell kind of watermelon is this?"
  • Me: "Mother time, this is Black Cobra, do you copy?  Over."
    Greg: "Black Mamba, Mother time has stepped away for a moment, what's up?"
    Me: "It's Black COBRA, damnit!"
    Me: "Over."
  • John: "No, you two are NOT cutting down a 50 foot tree."
  • Franco: "Why the hell are you putting more leaves on the fire?  You're going to burn your tent down. I try to tell him yesterday."
  • Franco: "Who the hell does John think he is telling us to cut down that tree.  I just want to take a whack at at it."
    Tom: "Yeah, he has no jurisdiction here.  This isn't the City of Atlanta, or Lenox Mall."
    Me: "Damn."
  • Tom: "Is your cellphone charged yet?"
    Me: "No, it's at 29%."
    Franco: "You need to throw that piece of shit in the fire."
    (2 minutes later.)
    Franco: "Is it charged yet?"
    Me: "No, Frank it's still charging."
    Tom: "How charged is it?"
    Me: "It's still at 29%."
    Franco: "Mine has been on for 3 days and is charged."
    Tom: "What are you at now?"
    Me: "30%."
    (5 minutes later.)
    Tom: "You should check on your phone."
    Me: "You're probably right."
    Tom: "Well, is it charged? What's it at?"
    Me: "32%."
    (20 minutes later, Franco has fallen asleep in his chair.)
    Me: "Hey, look, he's fallen asleep in his chair."
    Tom: "Ha, ha, ha."
    Franco: "I'm awake."
    (10 minutes later, Franco wakes up from nap number 2.)
    Franco: "You know, you better check on your phone.  That generator could super charge it and blow it up."
    Tom: "Yeah, you should check it.  What's it at now?"
    Me: "Really?  Seriously?  I am guessing 42%." (I check the phone)  "Holy shit!  It's at 49%!"
    Franco: "I'm going to bed."
    (30 minutes later.)
    Me: "Hey, you reckon we should move the generator?  It's blowing exhaust right into Franco's tent.  It would suck if he never woke up from his nap."
    Tom: "Yeah, that's probably a good idea, that would be terrible."
    (I move the generator across the camp site.)
    Tom: "Hey, what's your phone at now?"
    Me: "46%."
    Tom: "Wait, it went down?"
    Me: "Ha, no.  It's really at 57%."
    (Runner comes in and we tend to her.)
    (Franco unzips his tent and rises from the dead.)

    Franco: "Y'all are so damn loud, I couldn't sleep."
    Me: "Shut up, and go back to sleep!"
    Tom: "Hey what's your phone at?"
    Me: "You know what?  I'm done charging.  I don't care any more."
  • Me: "Do you want me to make you a new PB&J sandwich?  There are flies all over that one."
    Deborah: "Nope, flies don't bother me."
  • Franco: "Fish Gap, this is Uncle Si.  Do you hear me? I have three questions for Perry.  Where is our water and what the kind of water melon is this?"
  • Jason: "Holy shit that was loud!"
  • Jason: "You can tell Perry that I am going to punch Kena as well!"
  • Franco: "Shit! Hey, Aaron, we're turning around here."
    (I look down this insanely steep trail leading into Mulkey Gap and then at my watch.)
    Me: "Holy fuck!  Yep, we're right at an hour.  This is the perfect place to turn around."
  • Kena: "Thank you so much!  You have no idea how much we really appreciate you two." 

SOME PICTURES FROM THIS YEAR'S EVENT

Penne Rigate with homemade sauce.

Campsite / Aid Station in the early morning.

Tackling Coosa for the first time today.

Awesome surprise. Awesome card.

Awesome logs.

 

Sunday, June 30, 2013

RATL! - June 2013

RUNNING THE STREETS OF ATLANTA! FIND MORE INFO HERE

STATS:

MONTHLY

Miles: 60.83
Runs: 10

CUMULATIVE

Miles: 235.27
Runs: 38