Goal Setting...

I'm not trying to turn the Avocado into a cycling blog, but I've had a lot going on in this area lately and it has given me a lot of growth mentally and physically.

Yesterday I raced in the Beaver Creek Xterra. An XTerra race is the "off road" mountain biking equivalent of an Ironman triathlon. The distances are not nearly as long (not even as long as a half Ironman) but the elevation gain and rough off-road terrain compensates for the difference.

Basically the Race is:
- 1 mile swim in Avon Resrvoir
- 15.5 mile off-road bike ride with a 3000 foot elevation gain and lots of rocks to climb
- 6 mile trail. I call this the "REAL" boulder bolder run with a 1300 foot elevation gain, lots or rocks in the trail. I say "REAL" buolder boulder becuase you are literally climbing huge boulders on part of the run. Absolutely brutal..

All I have to say is this... For the last 5 years I have been working relentlesly with constant "Baby Steps" to improve my physical condition. This initially began with a goal to lose weight for our wedding (I weighed 240 lbs when I proposed to Julie compared to 190 today). I have kept constant goals (Lose 30 lbs, ride 6 miles loop under 40 minutes, lose 10 more lbs, Reduce LDL Cholesterol, reduce blood pressure, 20 mile trail non stop, Keep up with super fast downhill mountain bike guys in Santa Cruz mountains, Keep up with a group of expert Columbian Cyclists in San Jose on training rides, Enter a race, do the "Sea Otter Classic" race, learn nutrition/hydration to ride really long without cramping muscles or fatigue, do a half ironman, ride 100 miles etc.. etc.....

I've constantly worked these goals, reaching levels of fitness I'd never have thought. I can do things I'd have laughed about with sarcasm 5 years ago and I've learned to embrace activities I thought I had no interest in.. With all of this work I'm entitled to show up and kick some butt at a local event. Nobody cranks it harder than me! ...... Uh...... Not this event....

The XTerra showed me that there are a LOT of people who are WAY ahead of me.. While it was humbling and somewhat demoralizing, I'm glad I did it becuase it shows me that the goals and learning can keep going and motivation is NEVER a rare comodity... It shows me how much more I can do and never to show up unprepared...

When I look at these athletes I see that there is a real difference between saying "I could do that IF (I wanted to, I had time, I didn't have kids to take care of etc... ) and actually getting out there and making it real... These people Saturday were the real deal and they whooped my butt! I'm not talking about Lance Armstrong or Carlos Sastre. I'm talking about a guy who lives right here in Englewood.. I girl from Littleton, my friend Kerry from vail (a type 1 diabetic diagnosed at age 11), a 13 year old boy or a 50 year old woman I barely caught on the run and even my own Fraternity buddy that I invited to Mountain bike for his first time ever. People you'd see every day. Or people you've known, but maybe you didn't know everything about them! These people rock and they will haunt and inspire my rides in the upcoming year...

So with that said... Here's some shots of the day...

Warming up for the swim

Lining up for the shotgun start. While we were standing there the guy next to me was having trouble with his footing becuase there were large rocks in the water. I moved over to allow him space and it coincidentaly ended up being a college fraternity brother of mine Brian "Edward Beer Cans" Corff.. We exchanged a couple quick words before the gun went off..

Total mayhem. Kicked in the face, grabbed from behind no visibility, huge handfuls of water scopped into your mouth by other swimers as you try to breath. Brutal.. I wonder if you ever get used to this. Makes it really hard to get in the groove.

2 laps around avon lake - man I was dizzy.. Hard to do this stuff at 8000 feet Elevation!


While you are running to the bike you struggle to strip off the wetsuit. That huge hill in the background was our next destination on the bike.. Thought 8000 feet swim was bad? How about a 3000 foot climb on the bike to follow?

For some reason I was really light-headed after the swim. I almost passed out getting my bike gear on. I think swimming in gereral pulls a lot of blood to your head due to being in a laid out position in the water.
Ok.. Did I forget anything essential? Food, water, socks, shoes, gloves, glasses, helmet, bike wetsuit laid out so it won't get destroyed.. Think I got it..

Boarding the Yeti 575.. My bike is so sweet.. Look at that beaut!
Coming down the ski slopes at Beaver Creek towards the end of the bike. This venue was good for spectators! Here is my family cheering me on! Sorry I made you wait so long guys.. This one is a killer...


Fast downhill takes a toll on your legs.. Trying to find the perfect balance of keeping fast speed while keeping my legs from cramping up for the run ahead of me...

Transition 2: Bike To Run.. Did I forget anything? new glasses without sweat, sun-blocking hat, shoes, food, slam a gatorade in 3 seconds, race number on.. I think I'm good to go..

yes that is a ski lift and yes we are running -UP- a ski run...



Julie patiently waiting at the finish..

Josh and Dad..


Finally.. After a 1300 foot climb on the run.. I'm done!

"One of the hardest things I've done Josh!"

Thanks for supporting me family! Making me PBJ for the run transition, waking up at 5 AM for drive to vail, taking photos, cheering super loud and patiently waiting for the newby XTerra guy... Packing up and heading home with my best friend ;)

My race was really a lot slower than I expected but I'm still glad I got out there and did it.. Not every event can be my best one and now I have a frame of reference! Maybe save that for next year with some re-calibrated goals!

Never seen anything like it...

I spent the day working with an amazing photographer, Rob Hammer. We're trading services - I'm helping him with website development and he's helping me with photography for the web project I'm working on.

Take a look at what we put together today. Was a really great time brainstorming with him, learning each other's areas enough to put this together. I've never seen anything quite like it. It is so much fun to work with people who are the excellent at what they do:

http://robhammerphotography.blogspot.com/2009/07/not-bad-wednesday.html

If you have time check out some of his other work in his blog. Really an idea-inspiring guy....

May and June news from Greg and Amy

Hello loved ones!

Amy and I were planning on posting a blog after we got back from France/Spain....but June (and now July) have been so busy.....and time just got away from us. Sooo......here's a quick update from our household.

We spent about 10 days in southern France in late May (starting in Aix en Provence and ending in Perpignan). We had a car and we wound our way through southern France enjoying the beautiful country-side and its many old castles, ruins, and small villages along with some canoeing, hiking, exploring village markets, and eating lots of GREAT food!!!!

Amy standing in front of the Abbaye de Fontfroide
One of the many outdoor markets in Provence
Canoeing the Sorgue river near L'isle sur la Sorgue
Bullfighting "french style" in the arena at Nimes


Just clearing the fence ahead of the bull !!!

On the 10th day of our trip we caught a train at the French/Spanish border to Barcelona where we met up with Amy's sister and husband (Barbara and Lance). We spent our first three days in Spain enjoying the sights of Barcelona (architecture, art, culture, and GREAT food).... then rented a car and drove north about 60 miles where we had a house rented in the small coastal town of San Feliu de Guixois. Once at the house, we spent each day taking excursions to nearby villages, museums, castles, ruins, and the seashore. We especially enjoyed the architecture of Barcelona and the art work of Salvador Dali including touring his house in Cadaques (one of our favorite spots we visited).

The first of many tappas meals in Barcelona with Barbara and Lance !

Visiting the unique buildings designed by Gaudi !

Enjoying the beautiful Spanish city of Girona
and the Spanish coast north of Barcelona

Amy and Barbara standing by the Ava Gardner statue in Tossa de Mar

The old cannon guarding the fort at Tossa de Mar

When we got home June 8th.....we faced about a week of weeding (all that rain in May).....plus getting all Amy's patio flower pots planted and trying to get our garden in shape for the summer. The end result was about two weeks of sweat and sour backs...but...it was worth it.

During the middle of this work we managed to sneak off to Salida for three days for the annual FibArk Festival (lots of music combined with all kinds of kayak-canoe-and rafting competition on the Arkansas River). The best part of this trip was that Julie and Joe found time to come down and join us for a couple of days of fun.

Watching the races along the Arkansas

Racers "hitting the hole."

Julie and Joe catching some local music at the coffee house. When you see Joe, ask him about the all female Led Zepplin band in the park....pretty cool!!!

Over the 4th of July weekend..........we had a few scary moments as my mom was hospitalized for three days with chest pains and shortness of breath. There is a long version and short version of this story. The short version is that my mom is home now....everything is OK. ....and the doctors tell her she can do/eat whatever she wants with no restrictions!

Well, that's all (and enough) for now from the Colorado Front Range version of Lake Wobegone (locally referred to as........... Parker, Colorado).

Love to everyone in our families!

Greg and Amy

Home to Heaven and back..

Yesterday I had planned to get up and go for a smaller mountain bike ride, return and work on my project.. This was the plan until I watched lance Armstrong win stage 4 of the Tour de France and the day suddenly changed.. Man those guys were so awesome yesterday. So my mind started thinking..... Hmmmm......

.... There is a ride event in CO called the "Triple Bypass". It is a 120 mile road bike ride that climbs 10,000 feet vertical. It's big.. They sell out every year really fast but I saw some available entries on Craigslist for the ride -THIS WEEKEND. I thought I might want to do it and I had some inspiration so I did a small *TEST* yesterday to see if I was in the right condition for it. This posting is about my test..

Why do this?

One of the reasons I love biking is because there is no better way to see a place than on a bike. There is no car roof obstructing your view.

You are out in the open, powered by yourself, learning more about your capabilities, knocking down your limitations, smelling pine needles and listening to your favorite music...

Because you have no absolute destination you can make direction changes on the fly and it's all good.. You'll still see the amazing things you'd never have seen in transit on the beaten path..


There are chemical bonuses that really enrich the experience when your body reaches sustained target heart rates etc. Your body releases endorphins (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endorphin) which calm you and make you feel remarkably competent and stronger than ever.

The excitement of the fast moving ride itself causes your body to release adrenaline which gives the buzz of a fine glass of wine paired with the best mental focus your body has to offer.

This combination, in my opinion, appraches some tangible form of explanation as to our purpose on Earth. It is not our only purpose and the activity is not necesarily biking. Whether our creator is spontaneous primordial soup followed by years of evolution, or a single God, this creator is communicating, using a language that engages all of our senses at once, that if we want to live well we have to live full...

This happens in a lot of activities but for me it is not as easy to percieve as on the bicycle. For example - your body will release endorphins while running - but since you are beating the crap out of yourself with pounding you don't percieve it as clearly as on the smooth bike (noise vs. signal). The result? The best ideas I've had ever have originated on the bike and it is always accompanied by a deep belief than I can accomplish them.. There is nothing like it.


So here is the ride I did with some photos from my iPhone: My goal: to do something that stacked up to the triple bypass. I was still deciding what this would be as I pedaled away from our house:

- I started at my front porch and set off for Mt. Evans. I got a flat tire literally 100 meters from our house which was not a good sign! Good thing I brought two spares!

- I took the platte river trail/Bear Creek trail up to Morrison

- From morrison I continued on 11 mile climb to Evergreen.

- Filled up on water in Evergreen at the Gas station. Talk about a gas station with a view!

Highway 74 turn off to 103 - destination: Mt. Evans

Temperature drops with altitude (probably 8500 feet at this point), snow capped mountains popping up all over the place.

Approaching Echo Mountain ski resort

Non-stop, relentless UP UP UP.... No breaks for 18 miles of climbing up to 11,500 feet.

I pedaled here?

Stopped to send this photo to Julie from my iPhone.. "Honey I'm (much more than) ok!"

Echo Lake and Mt. Evans Lodge
Heading down for Idaho Springs
Oh Crap! I forgot I'd have to climb Floyd Hill :( Ouch! 75 miles down, 35 to go!

All said and done I clocked 108 miles and climbed 8300 feet of vertical. I'd need another 12 miles and 2000 feet elevation to do the Triple Bypass.. I think I could manage - but may save that for next year..... I already got what I needed from this ride and I have an Xterra Triathlon to save up for next week..

Here is more info about the ride: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/8219615

July 4th Weekend

Hey Guys,

Hope everybody had a good 4th of July.. Julie and I were out of town in LA for a wedding of Julie's friend Jeni which was Friday afternoon. We made the trip out to LA Friday morning.

We got in with several hours to spare so Julie and I headed to Manhattan Beach for burgers and beers... Major California town!

Julie on the Pier

Beach Bums

Between Huntington Beach and Manahttan and 4th of July weekend we saw more beach cruisers this weekend than the rest of my life put together.. They know how to relax down there! Unfortunately we totally forgot the camera for the wedding itself but we had a fun time there too... Beautiful outdoor ceremony and reception and good to see friends...

When we got back Sunday we saw the aftermath of all the rain in Denver.. We planted our first garden this year and everything exploded while we were gone! Prettty exciting!

We have three raised garden beds in our front yard. This is bed # 2 with peppers and tomatoes

Bed 1 with bell peppers (red and green, jalas, habaneros, annehiems)

Bed 3 is just a few spices (oregano, basil, lemon basil, mint, cilantro)

Bell peppers are kicking butt! I can't believe WE'RE growing that thing! Tomatoes looking good too!

Jalas are now visible!! They were just dots when we left...

We've been putting up a fence in the back yard the last few weeks. While doing so we found a lot of stray respeberrys randomly growing in the back yard (and also some Rhubarb).. We've preserved them in a berry patch and they are thriving too!

It's our first garden so had to share the excitement.. Unfortunately the rain also brought us a lot of weeds in our un-finished landscaping - but worth the excitement of the veggies..

Joe and Julie..