Jamie Donaldson from Colorado ran in the Leadville 100 this summer, and I had the privilege of watching her finish the Burro Race at Boom Days a couple weeks prior. Not just a fast (really fast!) runner, she seems like a nice person I'd like to meet someday.
Anyway, last weekend she set an American record at the 200 km distance while competing in a 24-hour race:
http://www.usatf.org/news/view.aspx?duid=USATF_2009_09_30_12_28_54
My favorite part of this, beyond her amazing achievement, is how the USA Track & Field listed the distance she ran: 200,000 meters. I think I'll adopt a meter-based system for my training and race recording.
Go Jamie!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Sprouts
Dave told us about a new store in Austin called Sprouts - not exactly Whole Foods or Trader Joes, but similar. I stopped by yesterday to check it out.
The large selection of produce was tempting, especially with some really good prices on much of it. It all looked good, but nothing too different from HEB where I went next. I was expecting more "Farmers Market" but didn't really see that.
Then I got home and made a salad - and I discovered some of the best-tasting grocery store vegetables we've had outside of Europe! Tomatoes, green beans, carrots, and three flavors of bell pepper, all delicious. OK, I'm sold!
The large selection of produce was tempting, especially with some really good prices on much of it. It all looked good, but nothing too different from HEB where I went next. I was expecting more "Farmers Market" but didn't really see that.
Then I got home and made a salad - and I discovered some of the best-tasting grocery store vegetables we've had outside of Europe! Tomatoes, green beans, carrots, and three flavors of bell pepper, all delicious. OK, I'm sold!
Renewable Energy Round-up
Last weekend John and I went to Fredericksburg for a renewable energy expo. We enjoyed checking out all the booths and brainstorming on what we can do specifically to/in our travel trailer to improve efficiency and reduce energy consumption and waste.
The best part of the weekend was the plethora of interesting and informative talks. Some highlights included:
* Learning about biodiesel and how we can use it right now in our truck without any modifications to it
* A talk about permaculture as a vast improvement to agriculture (but good luck with any sweeping changes anytime soon)
* Hearing about international projects in Latin America and Afghanistan that bring solar power and water to developing countries
* Different approaches to rainwater collection systems, including a cheap manual way to capture rainwater for drinking
* One talk that tried to promote the benefits of living in a smaller space/smaller footprint, which didn't come anywhere close to our floorplan in Howie (150 ft2), so I mostly just laughed at this one
* Good info on photovoltaic (PV) solar systems that we might be able to adapt for our use
* An amazing, inspiration talk by the mayor of Greensburg, KS. His town was mostly wiped out by a tornado in 2007; the town decided to rebuild as "green" as possible, included LEED-rated municipal buildings, bike and walking lanes, energy efficient homes, solar and wind power, and LED streetlights. Would be an interesting place to visit!
All-in-all, an excellent weekend for us.
A solar powered bubble-blower: :)
The best part of the weekend was the plethora of interesting and informative talks. Some highlights included:
* Learning about biodiesel and how we can use it right now in our truck without any modifications to it
* A talk about permaculture as a vast improvement to agriculture (but good luck with any sweeping changes anytime soon)
* Hearing about international projects in Latin America and Afghanistan that bring solar power and water to developing countries
* Different approaches to rainwater collection systems, including a cheap manual way to capture rainwater for drinking
* One talk that tried to promote the benefits of living in a smaller space/smaller footprint, which didn't come anywhere close to our floorplan in Howie (150 ft2), so I mostly just laughed at this one
* Good info on photovoltaic (PV) solar systems that we might be able to adapt for our use
* An amazing, inspiration talk by the mayor of Greensburg, KS. His town was mostly wiped out by a tornado in 2007; the town decided to rebuild as "green" as possible, included LEED-rated municipal buildings, bike and walking lanes, energy efficient homes, solar and wind power, and LED streetlights. Would be an interesting place to visit!
All-in-all, an excellent weekend for us.
A solar powered bubble-blower: :)
Thursday, September 24, 2009
GTA 2010 - race announcement
We raced last year in the Grande Traversee des Alpes, a 14-day stage race in the French Alps from Lac Leman to the Mediterranean Sea. It was an incredible experience, on beautiful trails, and it's hard to imagine running that far but somehow we did it. The race is happening again in 2010, and we highly recommend it for anyone looking for an interesting challenge in an amazing place. I *love* the French Alps!
Details:
http://www.couriretdecouvrir.com/
August 16-29, 2010
Starting in Thonon-les-Bains, finishing in Menton (or Nice)
640 kilometers in 14 stages (approximately a mountain marathon each day)
34,000 meters elevation gain/loss
1300 Euros (or 700 Euros for either Week 1 or Week 2)
Includes lodging, breakfast and dinner, one aid station per day, bag transport, medical and massage support, and course maps
Deadline for registration is December 31, 2009 (so they can set up lodging in the alpine B&B's)
If anyone is considering going but would like some help with French translation, let me know.
Some photos from the GTA in 2008:
My race report from last year with many more photos:
http://www.kipley.com/marcy/gta/index.html
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
SodaStream
I've discovered a way to reduce our plastic recycling AND have fizzy water whenever I want. I love seltzer water, mixing it with juice and even (as I recently discovered) drinking it straight. Instead of buying lots of bottles of it, we bought a SodaStream fizz-maker.
It's pretty cool - one big CO2 cartridge, instant bubbles :)
Yep, I've moved from travel blogging to marketing... I need to do some races or something
It's pretty cool - one big CO2 cartridge, instant bubbles :)
Yep, I've moved from travel blogging to marketing... I need to do some races or something
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