What a year!

Well I know that I missed a week with an entry and sorry for that. Since I last wrote, some of you may have seen the news and the weather we’ve had here in Denver. A small storm called a Blizzard! I must say that it was pretty cool and crazy to see first hand. Cool since I know how to dive in snow compared to what seemed to be 90% of the population here.



I was actually stuck in Boulder the day of the storm due to the highways being closed and so many accidents on the back roads. So I spent the night with my boss and his cousin who goes to CU. We slept on the floor and went to work the next day, only to find out that the office was closed! Sort of, we had a key so we worked a little while,with a few other diehards in the office. Once the highways (route 36) opened up again I headed home around 2:30pm. The road was a mess. Abandoned cars littered all over the road. I counted 60 cars in a 15 miles stretch of road. The snowplows actually drove around the cars on both sides of the road and even the middle too. The drive home to say the least was interesting. Due to the storm I had changed my travel plans home to leave a day later, on the 24th. Good idea to make sure I got on the plane, but a very profitable one for the airlines…lol. No matter it was great to be in Maine with the whole family and Kate and Aron who came from Florida too.


Yes while in Maine, I stayed true to my goal and my workouts, running every other day while there. The weather was great. Temperatures around the mid 40’s with very little wind. Even my run on Christmas day was very peaceful and relaxing as many people where not on the roads in the Sebago Lake area.

Then the trip home, just as I was getting ready to leave, the Weather Channel and National News was watching Colorado again for a possible 2nd Blizzard! Seriously, what’s up with all the snow? It snows in the mountains NOT in the Denver Metro area, not like this at least. The forecast for Denver and this storm on the 27th of December predicted another 18” of snow in a total of 2-3 days. The start of the storm was to hit its peak in the early afternoon hours. Of-course, just as I’m scheduled to land (1pm) at DIA…come one..give me a break and let the snow hold off so that I may land is all that I was thinking. I was able to land, and as soon as I did, the snow started to fall heavily. This time around it was wet and heavy snow. Great snowball, snowman snow! Compared to the light fully snow we had a week ago.

Since I’ve been back in Denver, I’ve been bitten by the cold bug. Not sure what I have and I feel that since a lot of my friends have been sick or walking around with colds, that I’ve become the pea-tree dish for all that they have/had. Yesterday I lost my voice and felt like I was hit by a semi. With a lot of rest and some good comfort food, I feel better today but about 80% not the 100% that I would love to be at.



No matter how I feel I still need to keep on track and work out. So my goal is to do what my competitors are NOT doing. That would be using their brain it seems. Today I rode up Lookout Mountain today twice on my cycle-cross bike due to patches of snow and ice still on shadow side of the road. I can say that it was a great ride and I was happy that I rode. It was very tranquil being on the road with very few cars and knowing that I was the only stupid one out on the last day of 06! The temperature was perfect around 33, but coming down was a lot different, the wind blowing on my face and hands hurt! More then skiing has. So once I hit the base of the mountain I was happy to start climbing again to warm up.


Well over all today was a great day to end 06 on. A great bike ride on my own, enjoying the views of Denver from above at my own pace with nothing by music in my ears and a goal in my heart to work hard and finish this race in June.

To all my friends who have read all these entries to-date, thanks and I wish you all the best in 07! Enjoy the photos from Lookout Mountain too. Jennifer, I hope these are good for you! I’m looking forward to starting new in 07 and getting the training in full swing.

Take care and keep in touch ya’ll

Another Week In Natures Playground

Well I must say that adjusting to life in Denver/Boulder is going seamlessly. Work is still trucking along and being able to contribute a ton to new projects and think outside the box has been so enjoyable.

The weather too has been very enjoyable and spoiling. Temperatures in the mid 50’s and 60’s all last week was great. Then this weekend approached and reality arrived with it. Temps hovered around the 30’s and snow in the forecast. So with that being know, my long bike ride was put on hold and the first trip to the slopes was planned with some old and new friends. We woke early and drove up to Breckenridge for a Sunday retreat to the slopes and the snow. However the snow wasn’t bad in the city after all, nor was the day as a whole. The wind was out as normal at Breckenridge and the snow was floating like a feather from the heavens. As we took a break and enjoyed our lunch the blue skies arrived and the winds calmed to a breeze. It was a great first day in the end on the slopes and a great cross-training workout. My quads felt the burn towards the end with a few tree runs, Karie and Jody’s idea…I was great with a few moguls, but NO they wanted trees. So once we hit the open grooms it was time to tuck and go! That’s when I really felt those quads burn. What a great feeling.

The week leading up to the weekend was good too. A few late nights at the office, decent runs, early morning rides on the trainer while watching some new movies from netfix.

The start of the week was great too with the company holiday party for AMG. It was held at the Sculpted House. It was in a Bond movie and Woody Allen’s the “Sleeper”. The house has also been on the Travel Channel. It’s a must see. One of the coolest houses I’ve had the chance to be in and enjoy. It’s an architectural marvel. The photos don’t do the house any justice, sorry. I must say too that I wouldn’t change a thing and feel that this company is a great “family” and the size/atmosphere makes living in Colorado that much more enjoyable.



So with that said, enjoy the images (Jen I’ll be sure to include as many photos as can at your request. Lookout Mountain will be added soon). And have a great week everyone. I’m off to bed after a nice run on the treadmill…early to rise!

This is Home!

Well I can’t believe that I’ve been in Denver now for over a week and it’s not just to fly in for work and fly back to Chicago to go home. This is home now!

I must say that I probably have one of the prettiest commutes to work that one can have. Unless you live in California and ride on the Pacific Coast Highway. I drive away from the city and head to Boulder and all I see is snow-capped mountain tops. The traffic is ok, not like Chicago but it has it moments. That’s expected.

The last week I have been getting my feet wet in my new surroundings and work environment. I love my new Job and all the employees/co-works are great and friendly. The best part is that I was able to hit the ground running in the job and add to our promotion ASAP which has been great.

Yesterday my friend Karen Sing from Zoot was in-town pimping out the new supper sleek/fast Zenith wetsuit at Bicycle Village where a Triathlon Clinic was taking place. So I swung by to say hi and see what the shop was like. I must say that the store is pretty sweet and easy on the eyes, but hard on the wallet. I had to force myself NOT to buy anything. I didn’t need anything but the store is so nice that it make you want to buy something! While there with Karen (salt of the earth person with a heart of gold if you are lucky to meet her, you’ll see it right away) she was introducing me to all these great locals to ride and train with for my IM Race. One of the folks I met was Cody Waite. He invited me to ride with him and a few other big locals, (normal Sunday rides) today. So I accepted his invite to get outside and ride.

Today I rode outside, first since moving here and pretty much since August and my last race and ride with Heather J in Chicago. I was surprised how good I felt. We didn’t just go for a ride. You can’t do that in Denver or CO really. We did a ride with Mountains, not Hills. We rode for three hours which felt great. We rode up and down a place called Lookout Mountain (over 8,000+ feet high and a 4.7 mile non-stop climb) located in Golden, CO (home of the Coors Brewery), where you can smell the hops and barley being cooked as you pass through town up to the mountain. I must say that I surprised myself on the climbs and I do know that I started out to hard and felt that towards the end of the climb. My legs felt good, but lungs started to hurt and my HR was climbing fast. Towards the top I was in the lead pack with Jim (stud pro rider) and every five minute interval we’d start together and then he’d be gone…I tried to stay with him once and I swear I thought my heart had leapt out of my chest and hit the sidewalk. I couldn’t keep up at all. I felt like my breakfast was going to say hi to me! It was great to push myself to try and catch him, but I knew that I didn’t have it in the tank and I can’t wait to keep riding this Mountain during the winter and spring and see the improvements!

So with the help and introductions from Karen, I’ve found a great group of guys to ride with on the weekend and a new Bike shop. Nothing will or be able to replace Mitch and the guys at Vintess, in Normal, IL. I owe all I have on the bike to those guys and the help they have given me.

Ok, so now the ride from this morning is catching up with me and I need to pass out since I have to run tomorrow am before work.

Have a great one ya’ll and keep those comments coming!

I'll be sure to post a few more photos soon and some for points on Lookout Mountain so you can see the views!

All Moved In!

Well folks the move to Denver was all that it could have been. It seemed as if Devin and I had the pleasure of enjoying all four season in the span of 15 hours. We left Chicago Monday night after he closed the store (Running Away Multisport) and the temp was around 60. We drove until 3:30am and landed in Lincoln NE, where the temp was 36. No major happenings to report on this leg of the trip, just heavy rain at times and good stories when Devin wasn’t passed out. He did stay up for a lot of the drive. If I wasn’t driving and had the adrenaline rush in me, I would have slept too. Once we hit Lincoln, we napped for a couple hours, 5, and then left around 9am for Denver.

Leg two was great. The sun was out on our face all day. The temps kept dropping the further west we went however. Me being me, I drove and wore shorts the whole trip. It’s great in the truck, but once you got out and filled up for gas, it hits you! We filled up a couple times in Nebraska and the last time, the temp was a mild 25! As we kept going into Denver the day seemed to good. The roads where clear with no traffic and we where making great time! We actually pulled into Denver 2 hours ahead of my projected time. By the last leg of the trip I was averaging close to 75! I wanted to get to my new HOME (Denver!). So being early we dropped off the car dolly and headed to the new digs. We had to weight for my neighbor who had my keys. So being early didn’t really benefit.

So what does one do? Take Devin on a sight seeing trip of Denver and some of the hot spots to see, such as Wash Park, Cherry Creek and a little of Downtown. By then it was time to head back and meet the neighbor and my boy Jeff Ayotte (former co-worker who lives in town too). Now the snow is starting to fall and it’s pretty cold out! Cold being 20 degrees. Yes I’m still in shorts. We planned on just getting a few of the larger items out such as the bed, a dresser and boxes in the back of the truck. So mission accomplished after about one hour. Of course the Bed was the pain, but it was so much easier this time around with an elevator and not having to go down two flights of narrow stairs.

Like I promised in the previous entry, once we completed some of the move we’d head over to “My Brothers Bar” for a JCB burger. So I sprung for the gang for helping me move and I think that Devin enjoyed the burger. For those of you in Chicago you’ll have to ask him again once I’m not around to confirm that.

Wednesday consisted of Devin and I starting our day with a good breakfast at the Denver Dinner. Great food and prices if you’re ever in town, we’ll go! My first time there too, and I give it the thumbs up.
Once we finished that it was 9:30am and we banged out the rest of the truck. However this time it was snowing like mad out. So two days in a row I unloaded the truck in snow. Funny as I loaded the truck in Chicago and it was 60+! We finished by 11am and unpacked a few boxes here and there making the place a little like home and not a cave.

Sorry, but as I sit here writing this, I’m looking out my porch window and seeing the snow come down into the city and I still have to pinch myself that I’m here living in Denver and it’s so pretty and peaceful.

We have one funny and or sad story from the road. About 16 miles from the city limits of Denver we stopped to top off gas. While there I had bought a drink which was 80 cents. The lady behind the register hit the pay button to soon and the draw opened with out doing the math for her. So she actually had to take a calculator and find out that she owed me 20 cents change from paying her 1 dollar for an 80 cent purchase. At first Devin and I didn’t know what she was doing, but once we headed to the truck our disbelief surreal. It’s scary to see how dependant people are on computers and items that they can’t even do simple math to give someone 20 cents change….ahhhh. I’m not perfect in anyway, but that was a first for me in all my travels.

Ok, I’m going to stop rambling now and let you all enjoy your weekend as I get ready to feel the burn in my lungs again for the second day with a nice run (on the treadmill). Don’t feel like running in the snow when it’s 25 out, just yet.

Have a great one and thanks again for Devin for making the trip, glad you got a chance to meet up with your relative and cousin. Jeff, thanks for offering a hand in moving in too.