A World On A String

[Jericho Mile]

Sounds like quite the learning experience.

I say all of my races have been learning experiences for sure. This one more so because I got taken down and had to find it in myself to fight back off the ground. Also..it was a public take down..as it happened in front of my wife and friends...at a spectator friendly part of the race. Several people were pulled out of the race at this aid station...the decision made for them by the aid station captain. It was upsetting to my wife...I could see that...but it was way more upsetting to me. It's a selfish endeavor. I've never denied that.

I'm up pre dawn once again today. I'm starting the come down crash. I woke up from nightmares (insecurity fueled). That's an indicator that the chemicals are changing up. This is the worst part of the trip....although physically I could run right now. My body is recovering well....now it's just mental. Kind of like a hangover.

* Saw a little documentary on YouTube a couple weeks ago about this kind of thing. Many runners become very depressed after a big event...and start seeking out the next race to fill the dark voids. I wouldn't say I'm depressed...more like....a lost feeling. Getting back to the realities of everyday living. Not wanting to come back. The high is fading....the dragon has gone down another hole.

I understand why the sport attracts seekers, addicts, and people suffering from mental issues. I see them amongst me at every race. Everyone is chasing the high. Everyone. There is no other reason to do it. Even the "Ultra Groupies" are chasing the high. I see the same spectators race after race...the same non racers working the aid stations. They are getting off on watching the runners go through their battles....getting high watching others get high. Getting off on helping it occur. It's a very tight community. Everyone plays their part in the play.

 

[unclefishstick]

so whats next? ultra stage races? tackling the entire PCT running? are you going to go full goran kroop and ride your bike to everest and then climb it?

im pretty blown away by even the idea of running 100 miles,i cant even imagine how painful that must be...and im blown away by the thought of 20000 feet of climbing in a day,even just 5000 feet would leave my legs a cramped ruined mess on a bike...my brain just cant grok what it would take to do it...even transferred to a bike 100 miles and 20000 feet would take some doing....and you get to sit down on a bike!

 

[Jericho Mile]

so whats next? ultra stage races? tackling the entire PCT running? are you going to go full goran kroop and ride your bike to everest and then climb it?

im pretty blown away by even the idea of running 100 miles,i cant even imagine how painful that must be...and im blown away by the thought of 20000 feet of climbing in a day,even just 5000 feet would leave my legs a cramped ruined mess on a bike...my brain just cant grok what it would take to do it...even transferred to a bike 100 miles and 20000 feet would take some doing....and you get to sit down on a bike!

I'll start looking at 100 mile races in southern California and in Arizona this week. Definitely racing the San Diego 100M, The Lost Boys (50M), Noble Canyon 50K, Cuyamaca 100K, Chimera 100M, and some 24hr timed runs.

I'd like to race four 100 mile races in 2016.

The come down off this race isn't bad at all. I'm surprised. I just need to kick the remnants of this virus...but other than that...I'm moving around at 90% and my mental pictures are mellow. Once I'm free of the virus..I'm back to smoking my herbs and training trails.

There are always the 200 mile races. There's one up in Tahoe. I used to think 100 miles was beyond comprehension...but I got my head around that...so who knows? 200 miles? One of our club members did the Tahoe race in 67 hrs 26 min. Never stopped or slept. Sounds crazy..but people are pulling it off. That's some warrior stuff right there. I was thinking about what it would take to go 200 miles while I was running the Chimera...just to mess with my mind.

 

[redlaser]

Really hard to comprehend running a hundred miles and climbing twenty thousand feet doing it. add poor terrain and a virus, it really shows the level of discipline you have for what your doing. The addictive aspect of it must be appealing as well though, highs so high and low lows as well.

 

[Jericho Mile]

Lost another post

Lost another post

What's up IC mag?.....eating my post sucks balls



^ Well forget it. EMT #5 harvested at day 72. Had a post constructed but it got eaten by the site or something...................here's a picture

 

[unclefishstick]

lol,quit going and running a quick 5 miles before you hit the post reply button!

 

[Crusader Rabbit]

What's up IC mag?.....eating my post sucks balls

With long posts I've finally acquired the habit of copying the post regularly as I get near the end. When windows aren't changing, the system has a time limit for how long it will hold you as being active before it kicks you loose. And when it does this you don't know it. If the system does this and you then hit post without making a backup first, all is lost.

With really long detailed posts it pays to do it in a word processing program then just copy and paste.

 

[Jericho Mile]

With long posts I've finally acquired the habit of copying the post regularly as I get near the end. When windows aren't changing, the system has a time limit for how long it will hold you as being active before it kicks you loose. And when it does this you don't know it. If the system does this and you then hit post without making a backup first, all is lost.

With really long detailed posts it pays to do it in a word processing program then just copy and paste.

Good advice. That last one took me a while. Had a lot to explain...and I not only type slow...but get easily distracted into multi tasking while I'm constructing a post. The site logged me off...and when I logged back on it showed a blank page. That's twice it's happened to me. Kind of frustrating.

Anyways...this EMT #5 is some favorable expression. Much better than her seed run. She's a lot like the EMT #3 expression that failed me in reveg. So really....it looks like I didn't lose that expression..as the #5 is so much like it. I believe it was the Casey Jones f2 pollen that fathered both #3 and #5. Grease flowers...

Still recovering from this flu. It lingers on.

Setting up my 2016 race calendar. Already registered for a rematch with the Chimera 100 mile next Nov 12/13 (the race director got right on it with an early bird special..$225 instead of $250 for those ready to commit)....and have a bunch of other races on the menu. Looks like I'll race 3 100 mile races....a couple 50 milers...and at least one 100K...but I'm still plotting out the logistics...filling in the gaps..and getting all the money together. The timing on race calendar is a key part of setting myself up for success. I'm having to prioritize the races. The 100 mile races take priority over all others....and trail races take priority over timed events. I pretty much have my spring, summer, and fall seasons full already. Now I'm looking at AZ and Baja, Mexico for a winter race.

I can not wait to be free of this virus. I'll tell you that. I'm ready to get back to training. This thing is gnarly.

 

[vta]

What is up P ? Trying to rearrange schedule so I can catch the Tool concert in SD. Been a long time....

On another note...ran 3 miles the other day.

Not bad considering it's been years. Thanks for the inspiration !!

 

[Jericho Mile]

What is up P ? Trying to rearrange schedule so I can catch the Tool concert in SD. Been a long time....

On another note...ran 3 miles the other day.

Not bad considering it's been years. Thanks for the inspiration !!

Howdy, brother. Guess they sold out the Saturday date in 25 minutes..so now I heard they added a Sunday show. Tix went on sale this morning for the Sunday show? I don't know..remember my wife saying something this morning..but I didn't order tix...maybe she did. I saw them a couple years ago at the Sports Arena...but everyone knows...that venue sucks for sound. Give me Tool in good arena....with close up seats..and I'm there. Think these shows are at SDSU?...pretty sure..if so...it's an ok venue...better than Sports Arena but not as good as The Greek. Wish they'd play the House of Blues or somewhere small like that. I'd pay the extra money for a small venue.

Keep waiting for the next album. They keep saying it's in progress but then nothing. Another Pusifer album just came out. Sounds good to me....or at least what I've heard on YouTube..that Grand Canyon song or whatever I'm liking.



^ Keeping busy. Did some cloning and split some wood. This flu has me weakened...but I'm tired of sitting around and sleeping. We're expecting weather this week..so I decided to break out the maul and get some exercise while replenishing my wood pile. Split for a couple hrs. That's good enough for today. My energy level is not all that at the moment. For sure feeling that virus

 

[Jericho Mile]

Haven't had

Haven't had

time or energy to make up batches of hash



^ The Daily Jar is mixed buds of Mox Mox, EMT #5, and J2...a jar that has been seeing the latest of latest action. All kinds of funk...with a touch of bubblegum sweetness..depending on which is chosen. Not a bad jar to have around...in days of physical labor..when things must move..be split or shoveled from here to wherever

the moving of weighty dense matter



^ Rubberband Man. My wife brought me home...a little while back..all these heavy duty stretching bands. I uses these things everyday....have incorporated them into the ever expanding universe that my stretching regimen has come to be. Love the bands. I can push and pull my stretching further out..further in...wrap it around tight.

That last race has had a big effect on me. I'm starting back up training tomorrow. I feel more experienced...taken further out...even further absolved of the every day

When your concentration bumps the lid sitting overtop your mind...the limitation..the wall...the silent halt...

I can not explain what I have not overcome. I've been up against the lid many times now . I can picture me as a bubble rising up in my skull..and then...I see the lid (a metal round disk) and it all comes down. Back to scratch....fallen from grace and form..again..under the rules of gravity.

Such a long ways to go to levitate. My focus not pure enough nor strong enough. I lack belief sometimes. I'm unable to just throw the switch.

I dreamed a lot last night. Every dream was run oriented. This is obsession. It's an exclusive world...that demands all time and everything else. There is no bottom or top. run yourself ragged....run yourself until something breaks. revolving around and around...pulling in everything..until everything is one thing and that one thing keeps expanding

 

[Jericho Mile]

Back to Training

Back to Training

Been stretching every day...doing a lot of wood splitting and garden bed work...and have run up and down my front yard trail for 45 minutes or more

* the trail leading down to my house was designed and built by myself to be a training hill. I run it often...like say..if I have 10 minutes to spare I can run up and down it repeatedly or stop and stretch on a boulder. I run it with the 5 lb wrist weights on sometimes ..and also expand the hill into a paved road piece...that goes above my property for another 40-50' of elevation gain.

Today though...I'm heading back out on the forest trails. Weather is windy 10-20 mph....with faster gusts, cold (high of 42 predicted today...feels 10 degrees colder with the wind).....partially sunny..mostly not. Had rain last night. Add the cold damp.

So happy to get back out. The flu is mostly gone now. My body is sore from stretching, shoveling, and splitting wood. Every activity I perform gets involved in the training program...so can't say then...it's my first day back to training. It's just the first day back out to the trails and running miles.

* Perhaps it is:

When I was struggling in the first 35 miles of the Chimera....existing in frustration, anger, madness, sickness, weakness.....I had become a small...wee little bitch. I became the disease.

It's humbling. I have not got past the embarrassment (to myself). It took me until this morning to figure out what was bothering me about the Chimera race.

Dissected Reality:

I used every excuse to melt down into a little bitch. My concentration dissipated into a state of insanity. Nothing was clear except that it was all a failure...all stupid..all meaningless..all pain and all sickness. The Beast ripping in

....the sunshine
** my only saving grace is that I didn't quit the race and managed to run the rest of it in form and with a positive attitude. If I had quit at mile 35...had given in to the little bitch...I don't think I could respect myself. It would have had big repercussions on my game.

Anyways...after another night of dreaming...I got up before 5 this morning..smoked a bowl...did some things (walked around outside looking at the weather)...all the while figuring all this out. Later in morning..over coffee...I told my wife what was bothering me still. My wife is cool though...saying "You were being a little bitch"

Truth hurts sometimes. Being weak sucks...don't let anyone tell you different. It's a mental game. The mind must be overcome. My body is so trained up and strong...but the big battles are in the head. I'm turning 50 in a couple months. I've got the body of skills to overcome the physical path..for another 10 yrs of full tilt...chasing the hound...the shadows..

now is always the time. I've got to push now now now. Then..how can I doubt that it's what it is?..when what it is..is...self indulgent expressways . signs are everywhere. "We Must Push On...there is nothing else"....around the next bend of trail...or over the next ridge..or down in the next hole...it's a relentless compass. A study into mindlessness...senselessness

Training Motto for Winter 2016:

"Don't be a little bitch. ever."

which means:

don't be weak, don't complain even to myself, do not doubt, do not beg the mountains for anything, do not expect respect from anything or anyone, don't make excuses, don't whine (crying is acceptable), commit to every task at all times, don't sell myself short, don't cheat the experience....stay silent

 

[unclefishstick]

riding a bike just seems so much easier...i mean its its own thing of course,it has it pain and sweat and blood and tears as well,but in my case im going about my thing in a much less intense way than you...i dunno,maybe its because cycling is just part of day to day life...i got into it as transport,and theres no reason to go killing yourself doing errands really,not that every ride isnt another opportunity to perfect your pedaling stroke,or work those trackstands,but a lot of my riding is more on the mellow side of the spectrum...not that 40 miles of single and double track is mellow in some books,but im not hauling ass on those days...

that said,i crushed last night on my strava times,6 personal records....so close to getting a bunch of all time top tens....utterly meaningless,but still satisfying enough to do...

 

[Crusader Rabbit]

that said,i crushed last night on my strava times,6 personal records....so close to getting a bunch of all time top tens....utterly meaningless,but still satisfying enough to do...

Even if you win the biggest belt buckle of an event, you were still racing against yourself.

 

[unclefishstick]

i think thats partly why the racing bug didnt bite me,after the first .7 miles i was already out in front,and after 5 minutes i was riding by myself...plus training sort of sucks the fun out of riding...its one thing to identify a weakness,like hill climbing,and set out to get better...but the whole racing thing...keeping it dialed up into the pain zone...i really got onto mountain biking as a way to explore the backcountry...so im not generally in any tearing hurry to get anywhere...indeed on a 30+ mile ride im far better off relaxing and not burning too much energy....theres a lot of hills around here,gotta climb the first one at the same pace that you will be able to do the last...

 

[Crusader Rabbit]

....theres a lot of hills around here,gotta climb the first one at the same pace that you will be able to do the last...

Damn. That's worth printing and posting on the wall.

 

[Jericho Mile]

Ran Strong

Ran Strong

Yesterday's introduction back to trails went well. I'm able to recover off the 100 mile races faster than I would have believed a year ago. Recovering off 50 or 100 mile races is no different. Said that before...and I'll continue to hold that view. It's the same. I can be running capably within the week following the race. The flu lasted 2wks...more the recovery than the race. That flu was meaner than mean

Running. Hit it hard for 8.6 miles...legs responding strongly..flu recovered lungs coughing little..feet only a little sore as they went

up and down hills. back to the hills. hills all the time. Able to reach an intense concentration..so everything was flowing.

Back out again today. No turkey for me.

 

[Jericho Mile]

6 Footers and Bubblegums

6 Footers and Bubblegums

Frigid for here. After some days of precipitation and cold days..last night dropped through the..clear sky...bringing temps down into the mid 20's

Sun this morning...bright yellows and whites. Wind has not picked up the inverted cold air to rise and get drafted off. Hopefully soon.



^ Easy Mox Trilogy "Plenty" on the left and Moxie (Mox Mox) on the right. These were plants I used for moms for 3 rounds of cloning...and then...put into flower at the same time. Think they are into their 3rd week...finishing stretch soon...at over 6' tall with multiple tops. My most "vine" expressions. Really are too big for my studio...but I've been here many times with vines/heavy sativa dominants..so I'll wing my way through

Interesting duel going on. I'm going to be a happy camper..loaded up with my favorite buds when they are done. These plants kick ass.



^ How unoriginal pablos. Growing Bubblegum expressions...less the Chem DD expressions in these Jaundice f2 plants.

Jaundice = Bogbubble X Chem DD

Shown are J3 on the left (1st clone run..and didn't keep another clone) and J1 on the right (2nd clone run...clone kept again). These plants went in at the same time...around 43 days ago...and are identical in flower/finish...but J1 is a faster vegger...which was why I chose her over J3.

This is about as indica(?) as I go. I still want to go back in and work the Jaundice cross...so I've decided to keep both J1 and J2 with a grand design of using the two different expressions in further breeding. J2 is my choice Jaundice..but I like the J1 as well. J2 and J1 are different..and from what I saw in the f2 round...represent the splits in genetic make up. I think that J2 got more of the Chem DD into her...even though she is still a Bubblegum based plant. Both are fruity sweet with a bit of grapefruit...J1 smelling more like a Bubblegum and J2 with that Bubblegum undertone..but with a feline piss aroma over top. Aroma transitions to flavor. High is real mellow...

* I used to grow Bubblegum and Bubbleberry way back when. I can't even remember what happened to those clones either. They had been gifts from somebody or another. Then I started growing Bogbubble around 2007..along with Lifesaver and Bogglegum. Older BOG brands.

I never bred Bogglegum or Lifesaver...but obviously bred out my keeper Bogbubble more than once. Never had a male Bogbubble...even though I grew my plants out from seed.

** I haven't grown any BOG strains since back then. My belief though...is...that when BOG was working his Bubblegum line (becoming Bogbubble) that he came up and bred with some nice Bubblegum expressions. He had some passion for Bubblegum? Hell...I don't know that...but I...myself...have always liked a sweet smelling/tasting plant. I'm a fan of Bubblegums. I really like them...in all regards...cultivation and finished product.

*** J1/J3 represent my Bogbubble mother plant. I can see her easily. J2 is something I haven't seen in my limited experiences with Bubblegum/Bogbubble....so again...leads to me to believe that the Chem DD I added is showing through in the f2 generation of Jaundice.

**** Those who have been following my threads of the past or present...know that I've been questing on Bubblegums for quite a while now. On and off....working into a direction suited to my own tastes or desires.
<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Sum up my winter pool:

2 Easy Mox Trilogy : #5 and Plenty expression

1 Mox Mox : Queen Moxie

3 Jaundice f2 : expressions #1 (J1), #2 (J2), and a J2s1 (so a selfed Jaundice f2 expression #2)

Mox Mox = Chem DD (Deliah) X TFlux

TFlux = Original Flo X Chem DD


Easy Mox Trilogy = Mox Mox (Easy expression) X Blended Pollen

Blended Pollen = Casey Jones f2, Purple Bastard Haze f2, or Triesel


Jaundice f2 = Bogbubble X Chem DD

Imagine Reversing and Expanding within this pool

 

[Jericho Mile]

For the last couple months..

For the last couple months..

...I've been training my form into a new stride. Whenever I'm training trails I spend time working on it. Ever since I watched those documentaries on Wolverines..studying the way they maneuver over mountain terrain..I've attempted to take some of those movements and convert them into my own even though I don't have four legs.

It's more about keeping crouched down lower and back over the power of the hamstrings and hips....lifting the feet just enough to clear obstacles..and holding them tight into a narrow line. There is no jumping or bouncing from side to side...rock to rock. I don't avoid the terrain..I take it as it comes..and go over it as if I were on tracks.

It's tough work. I'm having to train my muscles into a different form. I practiced today for several miles straight...really had to focus off the cramps that were developing in my hamstrings and hip flexors. At the end of the session I swear my the entire backside from heels to ass felt like it was one slab of muscle. Got kind of numb overtop deep soreness. It's a stride I couldn't have done a year ago...or not for as many miles as I can do it presently...

which brings me to...

the truth that my 49 almost 50 yr old body is still building. Every 6 months or a year..I start noticing different things I do that I couldn't do before. Things that my body has gotten strong enough to pull off. I know that it's generally accepted that after 40 yrs of age..the body starts to go through changes and doesn't hold or build muscle like it did when it was more youthful....but

I'm telling you. I've not hit the summit. I feel like I'm still ascending. Granted I spend a lot of time training my body...but still...I'm saying that...I slimmed down to little body fat and continue to layer muscle steadily. My recovery time (which to me indicates the truth about overall conditioning) kind of blows my mind. I recover quick.

well...I recover quick...but I'm always sore and always at least semi hobbled. The first 10-15 steps in the morning are not fun ones. I constantly...everyday...have to work on my feet. My hips? Too funny. It would be strange if they didn't ache....or if I could sit in a single position for more than 10 minutes without an IT band or knee or the sciatic nerve flaring up...shoulders pop loudly...knees sound like they have broken glass in them....hamstrings send ping pong ball sized knots rolling up and down between my knee and ass often enough that I know how to bend my legs to make it happen....neck...ankles..yes...those too

I'm good...and I'm fucked up. I get by

I swear by my herbs. My herbs ease my mind into longevity.

 

[unclefishstick]

50 is the new 40 you know...i know what you mean though,i just finished another climbing challenge,only 6000m this month...but 6 months ago i would have been thinking of that as an easy month...heck,i took most of last week off,only 63 miles which is less than half of my average...for me progress on the bike is measured in getting up the numerous loose rocky climbs...figuring out what i can actually ride the bike over...