Reading

More reading as of late...Running with the Buffaloes by Chris Lear. This is the new book on the plate. Lots of running books recently means lots of excitement for returning to running. This doesn't mean I have forgotten about climbing, but sometimes you need to do other things. I have completed three untimed 5 milers at a steady pace and two timed shorter runs. I am against listening to music and running and against wearing a watch. Well, not so much against the watch but not knowing your pace keeps you listening to you body and not focusing on numbers (I already do that enough in climbing).

This running book makes the fourth in two months, and after the first I made the decision to begin running again. Running is liberating, an investment, and a struggle. Most of all, it is rewarding. I was told once that people are less likely to achieve something if they tell others about small successes en route. However, I chose to begin running again about two months ago with a track workout. Four quarters at a stead pace with a quarter jogged as rest between laps. I could not complete the workout, but the purpose was to measure the current fitness level. Four runs, three books, and two months later, it was time to "check in" again. I managed a 5:55 mile on a treadmill at the gym. Certainly not a glorious time for the masses, but it was a personal best for me. The best part about it was setting the treadmill to a pace to follow and realizing that I've been running sizeable portions of my longer training runs at a higher heartrate. It would be nice to run a sub 5 minute mile sometime this summer, maybe even a 4:30, but the joy of covering ground is enough for now.

The climbing is on the up and up as well, as Target would say. I've been exclusively sport climbing for about three weeks now. Prior to that it was more or less thirty days in a row of weight lifting. It seems the running and sport climbing are working well together for now, and this is a wonderful time of year to be living in the Republic of Boulder.

Once a Runner

I finally received my disposables back. Disposable cameras that are left to the elements for an undetermined amount of time and then placed in the muted bio-system of a car produce visually terrible pictures. However, more than a few had a bit of sentimental value. I suppose it should be that way if it takes a person twelve months to take roughly twelve pictures. So none will make this blog, but you might just get one in the mail!

On a side note from this "weekend," which was really not a calendar weekend but a retail weekend, Greg Mionske and I both acquired our first pairs of Jordans. Needless to say they improved our basketball skills exponentially.

Well, I've been working a ton the past week and a half, turned down a job as a tax claims investigator (who wants to help people figure out how they mismanaged a part of their lives for 40+ hr/wk), and started sport climbing for real this time. I saw the bodies exhibit at the Denver Arts and Sciences Museum, which was too cool and such poignant day that I was nearly reminiscing about everything as it was happening. Crazy. I paid another month of medical bills and finished another book. Once a Runner by John L. Parker Jr. is the best book I have read this year. It is second only to The Little Prince on my all-time list, and this is quite a statement for those who understand. I can't remember the last time I sat in a silent room and laughed so much and felt such an overwhelming since of exhilaration as training regimens were described, practical jokes unfolded, and feelings were illustrated. Beautiful, insightful, hilarious, brilliant, and inspiring. Hope the sequel is somewhere near the same ballpark.

One of these days I will have pictures again. And one of these days I will climb outside again, but I'm in no rush for either at the moment.

Born to Run

I finished yet another book today; Christopher McDougall's Born to Run . To anyone who has known me for some time, you will understand the magnitude of me reading a book for pleasure. This one makes it my fourth in two months. Who knew reading could be so compelling! It's the slow drip IV version of the television. Wonderful entertainment.
Born to Run is a nationally accalimed best seller, but this doesn't always mean a person is going to like it. Take The Kite Runner for example. I couldn't even finish 20 pages before I was wholistically uninterested. Anyway, the book was wonderful. The author tells the story of the development of American ultra running and parallels that with the rich running history of a Mexican tribe known as the Tarahumara. Having read this, I am definitely inclined to question my eating habits, run more, and how Michael Hickman's life story sounded as if it could be my own. Strange how insightful and thought-provoking reading can be.

Disposables

A year ago this month I strained my back in Bishop. Had I not done that I probably would've continued to climb in Bishop until it was miserably hot. I fell head over heels in love with the area as soon as I arrived. It marked the beginning of a special time in my life. Time with myself, time to explore in every sense of the word's meaning; time to take pictures, meet people, read, get strong, and suck every drop of marrow from each day. It was bliss, but the injury made me leave.

I made the trip the "long way" to Yosemite and continued the journey with only a map and a few days supply of food. I had no expectations and lived each day for the day, not knowing where the roads would take me or where I would sleep. One of these paths brought a disposable camera to my possession. It had 12 exposures already taken on it when I found it, and this past Friday I finally took the last one. It is time to get it developed and see the treasures that have been stored away for months. I wish my life was still that concise and simplified, but I'm finding that it's okay to establish dependencies in relationships, places, and even things.

365 Day Heartbeat

Well, another day of weight training is in the books. Though, it wasn't much of a question today since I was awake at 4:30. For the record, weight training is mind-numbingly boring. I'm not sure how I ever worked out for 2-3 hours a day for a whole summer. Too much free time. Anyway, it will hopefully have some benefits and maybe even give my heart that extra fitness to get below 40 beats/minute.

So, I watched 7 Pounds with Will Smith this morning before the sunrise. An absolutely wonderful movie. I also watched the sunrise for the first time in many months. This is sad mostly because this time last year I was watching the sun rise each morning and taking hundreds of pictures every day. "Well, some things change, awe but some things stay the same." I also used to draw, climb outside, and send lots of snail mail. Wish some things didn't change. However, I am still sleeping in my sleeping bag, which is more than less a year and a half strong. That said, it's time for some famous Mionske flap jacks, a movie, and that sleeping bag.

Side note: Greg Mionske finally bench pressed over 100lbs. and Rob Gonazales dunked a regulation basketball on a regulation goal twice this afternoon. Watch out ladies or else BOOM!

"The Freakin Weekend..."

Well, the weekend is over and I didn't have to work for once. First weekend off in 3 months and first time to have two days off since I can't remember when. Anyway, lots of fun has been had. I managed to get my first sunburn in Boulder today and play some basketball outside for the first time in 2010. Did the Pearl Street shuffle with Greg and Rob, and watched some basketball at the Lazy Dog. Slept past 8am two days in a row and have my workout streak up to 5 days. Stinks to take time off from climbing, but working can be a little amusing. Went out Friday night with Pierre and Jasmine from Fayetteville. Lots of fun! Got to visit Verve yesterday, which was nice. Got some new clothes from them which means I no longer have to weat the same pair of shorts and underwear. Now if Verve only made basketball jerseys. Not that jerseys are the most performance oriented, but LeBron seems to perform just fine in them. Well, at least I have more options for the upcomming summer bouldering season in the alpine country and don't have to do laundry twice a week.

Spring Break

"Pack your bags; we're going places."

As spring sluggishly awakens, this was all I could think of last year. Unfortunately, we're all a year older and everyone seems to be where I was last year: Bishop, CA. So no SB10 for me. No party barges, no tropical drinks, no desert heat, and no open road unless you count an 11 mile stretch of Hwy 36 to and from work. No adventures to be had with one day off a week, only the few spare hours allowing for the tying of loose ends that form my life. However, hard work does pay off sometimes. All the work over the past three months has earned me a promotion, which I took but still would rather be doing something else. As for climbing, the results of "hard work" are often bittersweet and gray. Hard work in athletics is ambiguous to say the least, since it's all relative to the individual. It feels like I've been "working hard," but it's hard to quantify these results when I haven't tested myself outside in months and I'm always on the verge of being seriously injured. Well, no time for "time off" as long as I can still do something, but with so many people leaving town for the week it does feel like a break of sorts. Happy Spring Break (if you have one)!

Giving It Away A Piece At A Time

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4p0M8Xl938k
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21HdOz5YYsg

Here is a post with two songs. I like them. So listen, and if you haven't heard them maybe you will like them as well.

Let There be Light

Over the past month, Greg and I have talked at great length over many meals and drinks about the future of our photography over the next months and year to come, as we will be living together. As a pair, we were chosen to shoot a fund-raising 5K race for the University of Colorado Triathalon Team. It was a great experience, and certainly an achievement. Our website has existed for 24 hours and we're already making a profit! Hopefully, there will be many wonderful and exciting things to come from Sundown Studios. Check out the photos from the race on our photoshelter account here... http://www.photoshelter.com/c/sundownstudios

This might not be the most politically correct, but this is how it went...

David: "How did the creation of light go in Genesis?"
Greg: "God said let there be light, so we took some f***** photos."
David: "Great, Greg. You're gonna make the national team."

Between the Trees

Finally! My climbing life has blossomed. My brother, Jason (or John if you prefer), sent me Keith Bradbury's (unclesomebody.com) video of him and Ty Landman crushing in the magical forest of Fontainebleau. My climbing received a Ronnie Coleman-sized shot in the arm after I watched the film 8 times in two days and back to back the first time. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWubJ5OrmjE

This is going to sound stupid of me, but I will try to explain. The film is not state-of-the-art, but it does feature a place which I would love to visit. This is the first and only extended piece of footage that I've seen of the "Forest," as it's called. I am fascinated by how people imagine or perceive things and how this changes upon the initial interaction and subsequent ones. Absolutely fascinating! Anyway, that's another post. The point is, this movie allowed my mind the freedom to inform my body. I believe the mind is the strongest/weakest muscle in climbing; depending on who you are. If the mind and the body operate seemlessly, then the possibilites are endless. I have already experienced this new connection and my eyes are wide with eyebrows raised. Michael Jordan, Ted Williams, Usain Bolt, and Michael Phelps have all performed under a state of hyper awareness. When the mind and body can understand quickly enough to slow down reality, reaction times plummet and the realm of possible becomes a suggestion. Most people would call it " the zone." Jordan would say the basket felt as big as the ocean and Williams would confess that it looked like a beach ball en route to home plate. However, to put it universally, hyper awareness during performance feels effortless and is the epitome of beauty.

By the time I write again, I'll have probably watched it twice as much and may have learned to levitate.

Photos

A close friend of mine (gregmionske.com) is taking a journalism class at the moment which allows him acess to a wide variety of professional level Nikon lens and cameras. This is perfect for Greg, as he is interning for the Fort Collins Colorodoan and inherently the rest of the Associated Press since his photos are so good. He covers the athlete of the week for high school athletics, general sporting events, and random local assignments. Needless to say, he's taking advantage of all the new equipment at his disposal. Here are some links to some of his online galleries for the paper and a few shots from our trip to Eldorado Canyon yesterday.

http://www.coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=G2&Dato=20100208&Kategori=CONNECTIONS&Lopenr=2080801&Ref=PH

http://www.coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=G2&Dato=20100204&Kategori=SPORTS&Lopenr=2040801&Ref=PH

http://www.coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=G2&Dato=20100127&Kategori=CONNECTIONS&Lopenr=1270801&Ref=PH

Someone had to be the stand-in while learning how to use a flash.

Patience

What does this word mean and why is it so hard to achieve? Wow! Tough questions to answer and even harder to put into action; however, sometimes the best action is none at all. Waiting happens to be exactly what it means to be patient. Sleeping, marinating, ignoring, and diverting attention are all forms of waiting, though discipline serves as the best solution to the "waiting game." As it turns out, everyone is always waiting for something or someone: buses, food, loved ones, or even people to hurry. Fortunately, a desire is granted each time you are done waiting. When put that way, it sounds as if the "game" is little more than a microwave dinner. Well, sometimes it can be that simple. Though sometimes waiting can be loaded with strife, anxiety, and despair.
So when you first realize that you will no longer be waiting and your desire is a reality, what do you do? Elation has many different forms. Enough ranting. I am finished with waiting, at least for this year, and I am smiling from ear to ear.

"a dream came to me silently in the night..."

The Last Lecture

Randy Pausch has a wonderful story to tell. I just read his book and can honestly say that it's the first book I haven't been able to put down since The Little Prince. Touching, inspiring, and encouraging. To live a life in-line with this book's message would certainly not be one wasted. This is an adendum to my New Year's resolutions.

On an unrelated note, here's a line from a favourtie song of mine.
"Then the snow started falling. We were stuck out in your car. You were rubbing both my hands, chewing on a candy bar. You said, "Ain't this just like the present to be showing up like this." As a moon waned to crescent we started to kiss... and I said I know it well.

First Day of School

Unfortunately I am no longer in school, as I have graduated. So today was another day and not one loaded with firsts. The update since the last post goes like this in an truncated fashion. Drive all night to El Paso. Touch but don't climb. Go to the emergency room because I'm dying, or so I think. Parent come to the hospital on Christmas. Have surgery. Drive back to Denver and stay with them in a hotel for a week to recover. Spend time with friends. Quit being a nanny. Go back to selling shoes full-time. Begin climbing again. Move out. Move in. First day of class, but no more school.

Now, a moment for some New Year's Resolutions, as they are much needed and should finally be documented in an attempt to force adherence.
1. I've heard this from several people already, but drink more water. This especially applies to me as it relates to my surgery.
4. Get a new job.
5. Take 3 pictures that I completely love.
6. Climb something that would impress me.
7. Climb 8B and not v13, because it sounds wonderful that way.
8. Sell out for someone I love.
9. Allow myself to be comfortable with commitment.

Winter Break

Since I began my nannying job in May of this past year, I have yet to take a single day of vacation. Therefore, a trip to Hueco Tanks for some climbing over the next week is much overdue. Everyone will be there, and I do mean everyone. Well not really, because not everyone really can and the brother won't be there. Anyway, lots of people from Colorado and lots who are in the friend department. I cannot wait to roadtrip again. I love it so much, even if it's for a week. Hueco was my first trip that lasted more than 2 days, and 2 years ago was the last time I was really there. This means I will be envoking the Graduation album from Kanye as the background music to my life over the next week. Lots to see, an overwhelming amount to climb, not enough skin or muscles to get it all done, and literally thousands of photos to take. It's going to be a great trip. I'll be back in a week. Hopefully there will be photos to post, stories to tell, and some finely knitted garmets to display.