Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Frickin' Lent...

Every year at this time the vestiges of my childhood surface as I try to commit to giving up something for Lent. I have failed for as long as I can remember. But this was going to be THE year. The year that I did something drastic, something heretofore unheard of. I was going to quit drinking until Easter.

To which Grom said something like "you're an idiot." And he has a point. To poach a great line from Roger Dodger: "You drink that drink! Alcohol has been a social lubricant for thousands of years. What do you think, you're going to sit here tonight and reinvent the wheel?"

So, as Grom suggested, rather than giving something up, I'm taking something on. 100 push ups a day until April 4th. Simple, boring -- but at least I'll be able to enjoy a few bottles of pinot along the way.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Looking forward.

I've been in an athletic slump lately. I'm coming to the realization that my skis are too stiff for me, and I've been spotty at best in terms of working out. In an effort to re-energize, here is a list of upcoming events for which I've registered -- or repeatedly shot my mouth off about doing.



Wasatch Powderkeg: Dr. Off the Couch guilted me into this. I was looking for a way to bag it, but then The Wee One said she would do it with me -- in costume. Now I'm psyched.


Skiing Mt. Adams: Supposedly the second best ski line in the continental U.S., after the Hotlum-Winton, the Southwest Chutes on Mt. Adams are becoming an obsession.

The SW Chutes are the lines spilling off the false summit on the right side of the photo . . . I think.



Wahsatch Steeplechase: This year's goal is the same as last year's -- run across the line.


Speedgoat 50k: 32 miles and 10,000 feet each of ascent and descent. It's basically two Wahsatch Steeplechases, back to back, at elevation. What could go wrong?





Mid Mountain Marathon: I expect my rematch with this mofo to be the hardest of them all, but it's worth it for the downhill finish -- and the two free Heinekens.