Last night I was able to attend an event hosted by the Boulder Trail Runners at Sherpa's in downtown Boulder. The event was a roundtable question and answer session with four of the best trail ultra-runners in the world, Scott Jurek, Tony Krupicka, Dave Mackey and Geoff Roes.
I won't get into everything they said, I wouldn't be able to do it justice, but I'll cover a few highlights. The nature of the sport seems to keep these guys very grounded and human. They're still very competitive and have healthy egos but the lack of big money in ultrarunning seems to keep them more normal and approachable than you might expect.
One of the best questions of the evening could be summed up in a single word... "Why?" The answers they gave for why they do what they do were simple and fairly straight forward yet still bore a lot of meaning. The endorphin rush, love of nature, ego, because it's there. One of them, Jurek I believe, observed that he had never come back from a run and thought afterwards "I wish I hadn't done that." There were a lot of heads nodding in the room to that comment, mine among them.
At the end of the evening as people dribbled out of the restaurant, the foursome continued chatting with the attendees who had packed the upstairs area almost to bursting, and by the time I left my mind was abuzz with ideas and thoughts so that when I went to bed I lay there almost ninety minutes before finally finding sleep. Those ideas are still churning in my mind, we'll see where they lead to.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Bottling & Mead Update
Between the holidays and having the flu I haven't had a chance to fiddle with any of my mead in a while. Until this weekend, that is.
This weekend I bottled two meads, my traditional and bacon mead #2. The traditional isquite tasty at this point, albeit strong. The bacon mead is interesting, it's extremely dry (SG of 0.986) and the bacon flavor is interesting. I'm curious how some aging will affect it.
I also took the oportunity to transfer the chocolate mead to secondary. Like the bacon mead it's fairly dry, but unlike the bacon mead, which is crystal clear, it's very cloudy. It's going to need to settle and age for a good long time.
Bacon mead #1 should also be ready for bottling and the pumpkin and apricot meads should be ready to transfer to secondary. The fudge mead is still fermenting actively and I haven't checked on the third bacon mead in a while. Perhaps I'll do a bacon mead tasting this weekend before starting my next batch of meads.
This weekend I bottled two meads, my traditional and bacon mead #2. The traditional isquite tasty at this point, albeit strong. The bacon mead is interesting, it's extremely dry (SG of 0.986) and the bacon flavor is interesting. I'm curious how some aging will affect it.
I also took the oportunity to transfer the chocolate mead to secondary. Like the bacon mead it's fairly dry, but unlike the bacon mead, which is crystal clear, it's very cloudy. It's going to need to settle and age for a good long time.
Bacon mead #1 should also be ready for bottling and the pumpkin and apricot meads should be ready to transfer to secondary. The fudge mead is still fermenting actively and I haven't checked on the third bacon mead in a while. Perhaps I'll do a bacon mead tasting this weekend before starting my next batch of meads.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Architecture Design Review
Yesterday I stopped by my Alma Mater, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, to visit my old professors. As it turned out there was a studio exhibition that evening so after catching up with my old teachers and an old classmate I got to review a couple designs.
I take a fairly formulaic approach to start off most presentations. The first step is to just let the student present their work and see what they talk about and what they avoid. Once they've done that I ask "What do you want to get out of this review?" I love this question. It's an important one that they're almost never prepared to answer. It's not that I want to throw them off, it's that they're there to learn and figuring out what it is they need to learn is important.
After that I'll start addressing the design, the presentation, their presentation skills, the overall concept, materiality, etc. When going over this I try to treat the discussion as a sandwich of sorts. Open with some praise for certain things, then move on to the criticisms and wrap up with some encouragement. I close with asking them if they have any questions, whether it's about the design, working professionally or whatever. They always have questions.
The two students I reviewed were in high contrast to each other. The first had a very polished presentation but his design had some very basic problems related to layout, circulation and use. The second student had sketches on trace paper pinned to the wall and only had plans drawn out, but her understanding of space was clearly very good and her layout and approach to the site were great. Both clearly had challenges and strengths and in fact, they would probably learn a lot from doing a collaborative project together.
When the review was over they were both, not surprisingly, very curious about the IDP process and the state of the job market. In this economy I rather envy them, being in undergrad with grad school still ahead of them makes for a nice buffer during these rough economic times.
When it was over I realized how much I miss doing design reviews. When I return home I'll have to make a point of getting in to them again at the local university.
I take a fairly formulaic approach to start off most presentations. The first step is to just let the student present their work and see what they talk about and what they avoid. Once they've done that I ask "What do you want to get out of this review?" I love this question. It's an important one that they're almost never prepared to answer. It's not that I want to throw them off, it's that they're there to learn and figuring out what it is they need to learn is important.
After that I'll start addressing the design, the presentation, their presentation skills, the overall concept, materiality, etc. When going over this I try to treat the discussion as a sandwich of sorts. Open with some praise for certain things, then move on to the criticisms and wrap up with some encouragement. I close with asking them if they have any questions, whether it's about the design, working professionally or whatever. They always have questions.
The two students I reviewed were in high contrast to each other. The first had a very polished presentation but his design had some very basic problems related to layout, circulation and use. The second student had sketches on trace paper pinned to the wall and only had plans drawn out, but her understanding of space was clearly very good and her layout and approach to the site were great. Both clearly had challenges and strengths and in fact, they would probably learn a lot from doing a collaborative project together.
When the review was over they were both, not surprisingly, very curious about the IDP process and the state of the job market. In this economy I rather envy them, being in undergrad with grad school still ahead of them makes for a nice buffer during these rough economic times.
When it was over I realized how much I miss doing design reviews. When I return home I'll have to make a point of getting in to them again at the local university.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Sheer Elegance in its Simplicity!
One of the things that I enjoy most about homebrewing mead is the simplicity of it. Mix some water and some honey, add yeast and presto, mead! The antibacterial nature of honey make sanitation much less of an issue than it is with beer.
The simplicity and foolproof nature of the process makes it open to endless possibilities as far as experimentation as well. Fruit meads, also known as melomels, are common, maybe even more common than traditional meads commercially. Experiments such as chocolate meads are less common because they take longer to age properly but still are popular in the homebrew set. Then you get the real weirdos who will put almost anything in their must (must: mead mixture before fermentation completes) even bacon. It's like a chemistry experiment you can drink!
The simplicity and foolproof nature of the process makes it open to endless possibilities as far as experimentation as well. Fruit meads, also known as melomels, are common, maybe even more common than traditional meads commercially. Experiments such as chocolate meads are less common because they take longer to age properly but still are popular in the homebrew set. Then you get the real weirdos who will put almost anything in their must (must: mead mixture before fermentation completes) even bacon. It's like a chemistry experiment you can drink!
Friday, December 17, 2010
2011 Running Goals
It's getting to be close to the New Year so I thought I would go over some of my running goals for the coming year.
My first goal, at least chronologically, is to win the individual run portion of the USAT Club Challenge. USA Triathlon does an annual event over three months during which members of triathlon clubs log their training mileage. There are multiple facets to the competition and the one that I want to focus on is during February, which is the run focused month. Whichever athlete logs the most miles during February, wins. Last year's winner had 350 miles, I figure that if I shoot for 400, that should be sure to do the job. I'm looking at the whole month of February as one very long endurance event.
My second goal is actually my primary goal for the year. The Leadman. 284.2 miles in 5 events in under two months. The first thought I had when I heard of it was "What kind of idiot would do something like that?" My second thought was, "I've got to try it!" I'm that kind of idiot I suppose.
The third goal is to finish three 100 mile trail races this year. Currently I'm eyeing Moab in late March, Leadville in August (part of the Leadman) and Boulder in October.
There are two or three other races I'm eyeing, but those three goals should keep me pretty busy for most of the year.
My first goal, at least chronologically, is to win the individual run portion of the USAT Club Challenge. USA Triathlon does an annual event over three months during which members of triathlon clubs log their training mileage. There are multiple facets to the competition and the one that I want to focus on is during February, which is the run focused month. Whichever athlete logs the most miles during February, wins. Last year's winner had 350 miles, I figure that if I shoot for 400, that should be sure to do the job. I'm looking at the whole month of February as one very long endurance event.
My second goal is actually my primary goal for the year. The Leadman. 284.2 miles in 5 events in under two months. The first thought I had when I heard of it was "What kind of idiot would do something like that?" My second thought was, "I've got to try it!" I'm that kind of idiot I suppose.
The third goal is to finish three 100 mile trail races this year. Currently I'm eyeing Moab in late March, Leadville in August (part of the Leadman) and Boulder in October.
There are two or three other races I'm eyeing, but those three goals should keep me pretty busy for most of the year.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Mead Madness
Not long ago I began home brewing mead. Mead, for those who don't know, is a honey wine, though considering that mead likely predates wine it might be better to say that wine is a grape mead.
The highly flexible nature of this beverage has lent itself to a lot of experimentation on my part including forays with fruits, chocolate and... bacon. So far as I can tell I'm the only person I can find who is experimenting with bacon meads, which is rather exciting.
As this is something I've become quite enthused about I've decided to do a status update here on the nine batches of mead that I've produced thus far. Each batch is numbered, followed by the type of mead, it's current phase and a few short thoughts. There are three phases in the mead making procees. Primary is where most of the fermenting happens. Secondary is for aging and settling of yeast and sediment. Bottled is for additional aging and distribution.
#1 - Traditional - Secondary - This is a strong traditional mead, lots of honey with a high alcohol content. Currently sitting in a glass carboy (big glass jug) I tried a sample the other day and found that the strong alcohol kick that had been present has lost some of its edge. It's still a bit cloudy and I'm unsure if it will ever really clear completely due to the high OG (Original Gravity - density of the mead compared to water from the addition of honey).
#2 - Maple Bacon - Secondary - This is a bacon and maple syrup mead with a taste like a christmas ham. Delicious. Like #1, it had a high OG and is not clearing as well as I would like.
#3 - Maple Bacon - Secondary - My second batch of bacon and maple syrup mead has cleared beautifully. The flavor at last tasting was more subtle and was slightly smokey as opposed to sweet. I'm looking forward to bottling this after christmas.
#4 - Apricot - Failed - The nozzle on the fermenter somehow managed to break, resulting in the whole batch dripping steadily out of the fermenter. This was a birthday apricot mead for a friend of mine, but it shall rise again.
#5 - Pumpkin Spice - Primary - I made this pumpkin spice mead from homemade pumpkin pie filling. Sampled last night, it's quite delicious and clear and should be ready for bottling after Christmas.
#6 - Bacon - Primary - Has a very subtle bacon flavor to it. In fact, I can't taste it, but knowing that I don't have the most sensitive palette I had some friends sample it and they enjoyed the subtle bacon taste.
#7 - Chocolate - Primary - Chocolate meads take at least a year to be palettable... so far I agree. Having sampled last night, it was the opposite of delicious.
#8 - Fudge - Primary - This mead is too fresh for a tasting or testing but it is by far the most active mead I've made through fermentation. It's been bubling like mad. I'm sure it will need a lot of aging like the chocolate, but I'm equally sure it will be worth it.
#9 - Apricot - Primary - Brewed last night, this is our second go at the apricot birthday mead. It should be a slightly sweet melomel (melomel: a mead made with fruit) with a distinct apricot flavor.
The highly flexible nature of this beverage has lent itself to a lot of experimentation on my part including forays with fruits, chocolate and... bacon. So far as I can tell I'm the only person I can find who is experimenting with bacon meads, which is rather exciting.
As this is something I've become quite enthused about I've decided to do a status update here on the nine batches of mead that I've produced thus far. Each batch is numbered, followed by the type of mead, it's current phase and a few short thoughts. There are three phases in the mead making procees. Primary is where most of the fermenting happens. Secondary is for aging and settling of yeast and sediment. Bottled is for additional aging and distribution.
#1 - Traditional - Secondary - This is a strong traditional mead, lots of honey with a high alcohol content. Currently sitting in a glass carboy (big glass jug) I tried a sample the other day and found that the strong alcohol kick that had been present has lost some of its edge. It's still a bit cloudy and I'm unsure if it will ever really clear completely due to the high OG (Original Gravity - density of the mead compared to water from the addition of honey).
#2 - Maple Bacon - Secondary - This is a bacon and maple syrup mead with a taste like a christmas ham. Delicious. Like #1, it had a high OG and is not clearing as well as I would like.
#3 - Maple Bacon - Secondary - My second batch of bacon and maple syrup mead has cleared beautifully. The flavor at last tasting was more subtle and was slightly smokey as opposed to sweet. I'm looking forward to bottling this after christmas.
#4 - Apricot - Failed - The nozzle on the fermenter somehow managed to break, resulting in the whole batch dripping steadily out of the fermenter. This was a birthday apricot mead for a friend of mine, but it shall rise again.
#5 - Pumpkin Spice - Primary - I made this pumpkin spice mead from homemade pumpkin pie filling. Sampled last night, it's quite delicious and clear and should be ready for bottling after Christmas.
#6 - Bacon - Primary - Has a very subtle bacon flavor to it. In fact, I can't taste it, but knowing that I don't have the most sensitive palette I had some friends sample it and they enjoyed the subtle bacon taste.
#7 - Chocolate - Primary - Chocolate meads take at least a year to be palettable... so far I agree. Having sampled last night, it was the opposite of delicious.
#8 - Fudge - Primary - This mead is too fresh for a tasting or testing but it is by far the most active mead I've made through fermentation. It's been bubling like mad. I'm sure it will need a lot of aging like the chocolate, but I'm equally sure it will be worth it.
#9 - Apricot - Primary - Brewed last night, this is our second go at the apricot birthday mead. It should be a slightly sweet melomel (melomel: a mead made with fruit) with a distinct apricot flavor.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
n+1
As you can see, there have been some significant changes to my blog. I've changed the layout, the name and I'm changing the direction.
Until now this blog has been focused on running and triathlon. Recently I decided to diversify the direction so that instead of just running, the blog will also discuss architecture, sustainability, technology and n+1.
n+1 is the range of topics I hope to discuss in this space where n is equal to the range of topics I have already covered. In other words, it's a way of saying that I'm not going to limit what I will write about just because I haven't covered it before.
Running will still be a major theme of n+1 as it's something I enjoy and something that holds a lot of value. The difference is that now it won't be the only thing.
Until now this blog has been focused on running and triathlon. Recently I decided to diversify the direction so that instead of just running, the blog will also discuss architecture, sustainability, technology and n+1.
n+1 is the range of topics I hope to discuss in this space where n is equal to the range of topics I have already covered. In other words, it's a way of saying that I'm not going to limit what I will write about just because I haven't covered it before.
Running will still be a major theme of n+1 as it's something I enjoy and something that holds a lot of value. The difference is that now it won't be the only thing.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Cycling Awareness and public Art
A friend of mine from grad school passed the following on to me and it sounds like something a lot of us cycling-minded types might be into. Give it a read and, if you can, give them a little support or pass along the information to other cycling/triathlon nuts.
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Two of my friends in Brooklyn have invented this great accessory for bicycles that creates a sort of trail/path/public artwork from the routes that your bicycle takes. They call it Contrail. They have started a Kickstart page in order to raise the funds to get their product into production. As of this writing, they have a little under $3,600 left to raise and just 9 days to do it, or they will not receive any of the $6,400 that's already been pleged to them. I'm writing to you because I think many of you may be interested in purchasing this product at some point in the future, or at least may be eager to support a device that not only would help distinguish high-traveled bike lanes, but would be a useful and necessary tool in group rides. In fact, they plan on donating most of their first batch to charities and non-profit organizations for just that purpose!
In the inventors' words:
Contrail is a public art project that celebrates shared spaces, helps make bicycling safer and more fun. Contrail attaches to your bicycles and, as you ride, the device leaves a colorful chalk trail behind you. Contrail uses washable, non-toxic chalking fluid made from eco-friendly pigments. Like a jet’s contrail, the lines on the road will fade with time and rain.
If they get the $10,000 goal, their funds will go to:
$5,700 A down payment on the tooling to make the housing and the gears.
$2,800 To pay for the first 2000 pieces, half of which will be donated to non-profits.
$1,000 To visit the factory in order to ensure that everything is built to our standards.
$1,500 To help coordinate and promote our first non-profit partnership event.
Please visit their site to get a better idea of the design and how it works. If you feel compelled, consider donating at least $5. More would help of course, but the price of a Happy Meal could make these two creative minds VERY happy!
http://www.bikecontrail.com/
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/pepin/contrail-bicycle-community-tool
Please also pass this along to anyone you may think would be interested in supporting. Blog, tweet, post, whatever. Time's running out!
---------
Two of my friends in Brooklyn have invented this great accessory for bicycles that creates a sort of trail/path/public artwork from the routes that your bicycle takes. They call it Contrail. They have started a Kickstart page in order to raise the funds to get their product into production. As of this writing, they have a little under $3,600 left to raise and just 9 days to do it, or they will not receive any of the $6,400 that's already been pleged to them. I'm writing to you because I think many of you may be interested in purchasing this product at some point in the future, or at least may be eager to support a device that not only would help distinguish high-traveled bike lanes, but would be a useful and necessary tool in group rides. In fact, they plan on donating most of their first batch to charities and non-profit organizations for just that purpose!
In the inventors' words:
Contrail is a public art project that celebrates shared spaces, helps make bicycling safer and more fun. Contrail attaches to your bicycles and, as you ride, the device leaves a colorful chalk trail behind you. Contrail uses washable, non-toxic chalking fluid made from eco-friendly pigments. Like a jet’s contrail, the lines on the road will fade with time and rain.
If they get the $10,000 goal, their funds will go to:
$5,700 A down payment on the tooling to make the housing and the gears.
$2,800 To pay for the first 2000 pieces, half of which will be donated to non-profits.
$1,000 To visit the factory in order to ensure that everything is built to our standards.
$1,500 To help coordinate and promote our first non-profit partnership event.
Please visit their site to get a better idea of the design and how it works. If you feel compelled, consider donating at least $5. More would help of course, but the price of a Happy Meal could make these two creative minds VERY happy!
http://www.bikecontrail.com/
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/pepin/contrail-bicycle-community-tool
Please also pass this along to anyone you may think would be interested in supporting. Blog, tweet, post, whatever. Time's running out!
Monday, November 08, 2010
Shoefree Running
Since I started running seriously (for me) eight years ago I have off and on tried my hand, or rather my feet, at barefoot running. I can't say for sure what first prompted it, it may have been a suggestion in one of the many running books I owned to do sprints barefoot. Or it may have been a nostalgic novelty of my childhood summers when the only time I wore shoes was when I went into a store. In either case during my preparation for the 2004 NYC Marathon I would occasionally find myself stepping out for a run unshod. As I was living in Boston at the time, running the streets and sidewalks sans-soles was not terribly appealing since the sidewalks often had glass or other less pleasnat material on them. In fact, it was a disgusting idea. So I would trot over to a nearby track and do laps on the grass. The onset of cold weather followed by an extended break from running after the mearathon meant I didn't pick it up again for some time.
At graduate school running was my great escape and I would slip back into barefoot running whenever it rained. A lap around campus on wet concrete and grass was both more exhilirating and relaxing than any other escape I could conceive.
When I moved to Boulder I continue my shoeless jaunts in the rain, though these were fewer in Boulder's dry climate. They were also still almost always quite short, largely because I was self-conscious about it. It attracted odd looks, even in Boulder.
Lately, though, I've been doing it more. In part because I started running in Vibrams and in part because I miss the sensation of the earth/grass/road on my feet. I enjoy feeling more connected to the environment around me and the sensation of nimble-footedness that you cannot get in any pair of running shoes. And really, isn't enjoying it what it's all about?
Saturday, November 06, 2010
New Challenge: Leadman
The Leadman. Five events. Two hundred and eighty-two point four miles spread over five events in Leadville Colorado. Starting elevation, 10,000+ feet above sea level.
7/2/11 Leadville Marathon, 26.2 miles reaching an elevation over 13,000 feet.
7/16/11 Leadville Silver Rush 50-miler. I have a choice here, 50 miles of mountain biking or 50 miles of trail running. Oh joy.
8/13/11 Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike Race. Low point 9,200 feet; High point 12,424 feet.
8/14/11 LT100 10k. The next morning after the LT 100 MtB Race I've got to get up and run a 10k. It will be my last run before...
8/20/11 Leadville Trail 100-mile Run. The original Race Across the Sky. The type of race that when you sign up for it, you ask yourself "What the heck is wrong with me?" and I'll be doing it just one week after doing a 100 mile mountain bike race.
What the heck is wrong with me?
7/2/11 Leadville Marathon, 26.2 miles reaching an elevation over 13,000 feet.
7/16/11 Leadville Silver Rush 50-miler. I have a choice here, 50 miles of mountain biking or 50 miles of trail running. Oh joy.
8/13/11 Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike Race. Low point 9,200 feet; High point 12,424 feet.
8/14/11 LT100 10k. The next morning after the LT 100 MtB Race I've got to get up and run a 10k. It will be my last run before...
8/20/11 Leadville Trail 100-mile Run. The original Race Across the Sky. The type of race that when you sign up for it, you ask yourself "What the heck is wrong with me?" and I'll be doing it just one week after doing a 100 mile mountain bike race.
What the heck is wrong with me?
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