alive

24 Hours of Horseshoe Hell 2011

2011-10-12T16:18:00.000-05:00

I’ve seen 24 Hours of Horseshoe Hell grow exponentially each and every year since it’s beginning of 120 climbers in 2006. It’s been a pretty exhilarating endeavor watching the fun multiply each and every year. In 2010 we had around 550 bodies packed onto Horseshoe Canyon Ranch. Little did I know we’d be pushing over 800 people in 2011…

As it does each and every year, the threat of rain infused the minds of everyone as we entered the week of the event. Thursday morning the skies opened up on a dry landscape and dumped multiple inches of rain, even making us push back packet pickup an hour. But the precipitation did finally stop, the breeze started drying things out, and the forecast for Fri and Sat looked SPLITTER! Sponsor banners and tents were up and climbers started arriving to pick up their swag bags, receive the customary haircuts (mullets, mohawks, custom cuts, etc), and get amped for the weekend to come.

After a pretty chill Thursday evening, Friday awoke to cool temps and sunny skies. We finished up the lingering climber packet pickups and prepared for the climber meeting and climber’s creed. As the 10 am shotgun blasted a capacity filled 250 climbers, many decked in ridiculous costumes, galloped across the fields attempting to beat their fellow competitors to the valued crags.

If you’ve ever competed at 24HHH, you know that strategy is very important. But you also know that luck is just as important. Oddly enough this year many of the competitors decided to stay away from the north forty during the day which made it easy to find open routes. The east side, on the other hand, was busy all day long. However, as the sun went down it seemed that every climber on the ranch made their way to the north forty.

The North Forty crag was to be a veritable mass of people, music, and energy. Each and every year “TNF” gains more and more lore as the place to be. This year was no different, and was taken to a whole new level. Patagonia, Petzl and Backwoods had taken their tents up; Bearded Brothers energy bars was there, Elemental Coffee was pouring cold brew, Black Diamond demo lanterns had it looking like Christmas, Evolv chalk bags filled with free shoe cards were strategically hidden, Klean Kanteen stainless steel bottles/pint glasses were everywhere. As one tweet stated, “the north forty resembles Times Square, only the haircuts are more strange @twofourhell”. The 10 pm climber check in was in full effect, and TNF was a mad house of climbers in a hurry to turn in their first half scorecards in return for clean, blank new ones.

As the night wore on, the rumors began to fly. Who already has 100 routes? Team Petzl is trying to break Alex Honnold and Matt Segal’s team record from 2010, has anyone seen them? Who just sent Paying the Rent? How many people have done Cradle of the Deep?

The time period of 4-6 am is the low point for most climbers. It’s a wall. It’s a complete loss of psyche, a struggle to stay awake even while moving, and a time of cramps and many times sickness. By this point, a climber has been vertical for over 18 hours and the body is rejecting everything but closed eyelids. Even the screams that echo off the canyon walls every hour on the hour become weaker and less pronounced. Volunteers are faced with the daunting task of keeping climbers safe, carrying conversations, and reminding them to double and triple check their systems. This is what many call the danger zone. Make it through this period, and when that sun starts to brighten the sky in the east you can bet on an unexplained shot of energy that carries your weary body unknowingly into monster mode again. The last 3 hours of 24HHH is filled with big sends of hard routes, physically unexplainable to all of us.

This year’s new format brought the end of the climbing to Saturday morning at 10 am. As climbers turned in their scorecards, the celebratory beers were cracked by many while others chose instead to retreat to their beds for a long nap before the evening festivities began. Some even chose a cool down yoga class that was offered. It was a nice pause, a recharge of sorts. Everyone was content. All was good.

By 4 pm a large crowd had gathered in the barn for the awards ceremony. Boxes upon boxes of sponsor swag was delivered, and it was time to recognize. Love was shown to those who had just conquered the hardest rock climbing competition in the world. Suffice it to say, everyone who completes 24HHH has won. It’s a test of true guts ; proof of ones desire to push past points of complete fatigue and desperation. To risk it all for a horseshoe.

The night was not over. Pasta dinner. Tallgrass beer. So Ill slideshow. Lucas Marshall slideshow hosted by Jer Collins. Patagonia arm wrestling tourney. Dancing. Music. Afterparty.

Sunday morning awoke to another beautiful day on the ranch. Sore bodies filed into the lodge for one last gathering, a pancake breakfast put on by Horseshoe Canyon Ranch. As climbers lingered, unwilling to get in their cars to drive home, I sat in front of the trading post. It had been another great year of new friends, old friends, and good times.

2011 brought the sustainability initiative to 24HHH. I count it a glowing success. Climbers and spectators were provided the means for sustainability from companies like Patagonia, Klean Kanteen, MSR, Packtowl, Sterling Rope, Nuun and Tallgrass Brewing Company. We are still putting together numbers for the amount of waste saved over the weekend, but I’m very encouraged by the amount of effort put forth by all to live this agenda not only at 24HHH but in our daily lives as well.

24HHH has become so much more than a rock climbing competition. Long lasting friendships have been forged. Passion for this sport has been renewed and rekindled. I could never even begin to thank all the people who make this event possible. My contribution is a mere penny of a dollar’s worth. The behind the scenes work of our sponsors, volunteers, and countless other avenues of workers make 24HHH what it has become. I’m pretty psyched to say that I count you all as my friends, and look forward to the many years to come at 24HHH.

For more images and information on 24 Hours of Horseshoe Hell, visit our website at www.twofourhell.com or like us at https://www.facebook.com/horseshoehell.Many thanks to Lucas Marshall who has been our official photographer since day one in 2006. His iconic images have completely captured the spirit of this event. www.lucasmarshall.com

2010 Oklahoma State Cyclocross Championships

2010-12-12T10:15:00.003-06:00

I've been diving into HD video as of late. "Late" is the keyword, considering many photog's have been in this media for quite sometime now. But nonetheless, it's a great tool and a nice addition to offer clients.

A recent video I put together from the OK State Cyclocross Championships....

Oklahoma State Cyclocross Championship 2010 from Andy Chasteen on Vimeo.

Me and Maverick in the leaves

2010-12-10T09:50:00.000-06:00

I sure do love my time with my little girl.

Day in the Leaves from Andy Chasteen on Vimeo.

24 Hours of Horseshoe Hell 2010

2010-10-28T15:53:00.024-05:00

“How do I keep these people coming back each year?”

That was the thought that shot through my mind as I sat at my computer at 9 am, watching the registration fill up. It was August 3, 2010. With each new year, more routes are added to the Ranch so I’m able to allow additional competitors. This year we had around 15 new routes that had been put up since last 24HHH, so I had the number of competitors set in 240-250 range. Registration was full in a day.

Anyone who has ever put on a large event knows it can be a draining experience. Rules. Logistics. Swag. Sponsors. Money. Logistics. People. Stress. Logistics. Paperwork. Lists. Logistics. Did I mention logistics? I started 24HHH in 2006 with a massive level of psyche and determination to make a successful event. It has grown exponentially in each year since, and continues to pick up steam. My steam, however, has faded a tad with each passing year. My life is a whirlwind of busy-ness, and 24HHH just adds to the mix. In addition, my wife and I had a beautiful little girl named Maverick in early 2010. So I went into 24 Hours of Horseshoe Hell this year carrying mixed emotions. Did I want this event to continue on? Was it worth it? Should I pass the torch to someone else? I had a lot of unanswered questions leading up to Sept 24, 2010.

Packet pick up

Alex Honnold receiving a 24HHH mohawk

Rain was in the extended forecast. What’s new? It always plans to rain during 24HHH. Every year it’s in the forecast. But God seems to smile down on us each and every year, and we always make out like bandits on the weather front. Friday afternoon the party ensued with packet pickup. Free mohawks, mullets and anything else our resident barber, Adam Peters, could think of. Yes, there were lines!! The pasta dinner never disappoints, and as the sun was moving low into the sky everyone flocked to the deceptively large barn loft for the evenings festivities. The slackline comp. Dancing. David Chancellor from SoIll Holds started the tag team slideshow with some fun skits and shorts, followed by Matt Segal showing us how to fall on a rope. Alex Honnold finished the set up with a little slideshow/FAQ on how NOT to fall, without a rope. Last but not least the people were treated to the annual Pimpin N Crimpin/Urban Climber Magazine after party. Kegs, cocktails, basketball, dancing, slacklining, crate stacking, and speleo box action. Shenanigans, I like to call it….

Slackline Comp

Chancellor, Segal, Honnold slideshows

The temps were perfect for sending the next morning as competitors crept out of their tents and made their way down to the trading post for the mandatory meeting at 9 am. Roll call, questions, answers, and the climbers creed were the topics of the day. Team names were at times sensored. Costumes were in full force. Nervous laughter was heard. Masked focus on the next 24 hours. Without warning the shotgun blew off it’s rounds, 10 am was here, and 242 climbers scattered to their planned beginning points.

Climber Meeting

Jer Collins leading the annual Climbers Creed

24 hours is a long time to climb non-stop. The first couple of hours are run on adrenaline, excitement about the event. You’ve been training, planning for this. You are on top of your game. However, at a certain point (which is different for each competitor) it really becomes a game of survival. You have pain everywhere. You typically climb lower rated routes than your usual because you have to pace yourself. This leads to blisters in places on your hands that aren’t used to being overworked. Imagine pulling on and off your climbing shoes 100 times in a 24 hour period. Or even worse, imagine having your climbing shoes on for a 24 hour period. Have you ever belayed for 24 hours? Lowered a partner from the top of a climb 100+ times in a 24 hour period? Can you say “raw hands”? Imagine the amount of fluid and food needed to fuel 24 hours of non-stop climbing. Then imagine having to carry that with you along with your other gear. Oh, and don’t forget your headlamp because you’ll be climbing in the dark for about 11 hours. Did you remember batteries? Ten competitors this year climbed the equivalent of El Capitan twice. Seventy (yes, I said 70) climbed the equivalent of at least once up the Big Stone.

Brittany Griffith early in 24HHH

Sun fading on the east side. 24HHH

Fast forward to 10 pm on Saturday. The competitors have been at it for 12 hours. All are required to check in at one of three checkpoints. At this checkpoint each climber turns in their scorecard and receives a new one to continue recording on. Fireworks shoot off all over the canyon in bright blasts of red, green, purple, and white. The acoustics produce deafening tones as energy is renewed, screams erupt from all corners of the Ranch, and all feel lucky to be witnessing a moment like this. Every hour on the hour throughout the night an uproar of 242 tired but motivated climber voices pierce the canyon walls. It’s the most beautiful sound you’ll ever hear. 242 people competing against each other, unified in one voice of camaraderie.

10 pm fireworks

2 am. Rumors of Alex Honnold and Matt Segal shredding somewhere in the canyon. “Can Alex beat Tommy Caldwell’s record from 2009?” “Some guy from Oklahoma had over 100 routes at the halfway point?” “Are their lines for routes over at the Cliffs of Insanity?”

Night life on the North Forty

Lighting the walls of the North Forty

4 am. I hit the North Forty and am blasted with an overwhelming energetic buzz. Climbers are psyched. Past 24HHH’s have brought numerous exhausted climbers to sleep during this time of the night. 2010 is a different story. I see smiles, I hear energy in voices, I see climbers on 5.12. I’m amazed. I arrive at The North Forty a tired mess. I leave a rejuvenated soul. No caffeine needed.

Planning under the lights

Seth staying awake late

7 am brings the light. It’s a cloudy morning, cool, breezy, with a few sprinkles making their way to the ground. Daybreak brings another natural energy boost, and climbers begin sending hard again. I just hope the rain stays away.

Daybreak

9 am. More rumors of fantastic climbing, records being broken, and people climbing HARD. Set up begins for scorecard turn-in. Volunteers begin sweeping the crags, giving final directions for climbers.

10 am brings the shotgun blast. 24HHH 2010 is in the books. Tired faces begin arriving at the Trading Post. Celebratory beers are opened. Stories are shared. Food is consumed. Scores are tallied.

Clay Frisbie tallying his impressive score

12 pm comes and we find all the climbers back in the loft for the awards ceremony. Swag is flowing like milk and honey. Tunes are blasting on the speakers. Some are energetic, running on fumes. Others are dozing off into zombie-like states. I take the mic. We celebrate another 24HHH success. Awards are handed out. Horseshoes are earned. We thank sponsors. We thank Barry and Amy (owners of the ranch). This is my favorite time of 24HHH. We are all proud. We accomplished our goals. Our best friend is the person sitting next to us. Our best friend is every person in the place.

Waiting on awards to begin

To Every 24HHH 2010 Competitor:
Thank you for renewing my passion for this event. Your energy, psyche, enthusiasm and thankful spirits have brought me back to the roots of this comp. It’s not about winning. It’s not about the numbers. It’s about pushing yourself to the limit. And then pushing past that. It’s about new friendships made. Laughing together. Pushing through the agony together. And sitting in that barn loft on Sunday morning knowing that every other person in the place just went through the same thing you did. You all came out stronger and prouder. I’ll never forget 2010 or the people who made it the best we’ve ever had.
I’ll see you all in 2011,
Andy

For full results go to www.twofourhell.com.

Lincoln Road Race, Arkansas

2010-04-17T13:08:00.002-05:00

I've got a beautiful baby girl sleeping in my arms right now. While it makes for a wonderful daddy moment, it cramps one's typing style in a major way. This race report might be short.

My first couple of category 3 races have been fun, and interesting in a new sensation sort of way. A couple of Wednesday nights ago was my first, a category 1/2/3 criterium here in the good ole Oklahoma City. My goal was to hang on to the pack and not get dropped. Yes, that was my goal.

This was to be a 35-45 minute crit, so I expected the pace to be quick. Almost from the gun we had Erin off the front with Jeremy Miller the behemoth from Team Undiscovered. Either I was in a fog of fatigue or I just wasn't paying enough attention to notice, but Jeremy somehow shook off Erin 1-2 laps into it and was off the front solo. Mark, Phillip and I needed to pull Jer back. After twice on the front I realized that one more pull would pop me off the back, so I sat in and tried to just hold on. Mark did quite a bit of work on his own, and God bless him, he was already hurt from a fall he had taken earlier in the race. In the end, Jeremy soloed for the win while we had approximately an 8-9 man sprint up Fire Hill for the finish. I'm not sure on the exact placing, but I passed a few and did not finish last in the sprint. I settled for satisfied with the top 10 finish.

Unfortunately Mark ended up with a broken collarbone from the earlier crash in the race and finished 4th with that injury, which is pretty amazing.

This past Sunday marked my first road race as a 3 and I wanted to do well. I knew that if I could race smart I figured a top 5 wasn't out of the question. Boy was I wrong. About 3 miles into the race we drop a 56 mph technical descent into a bottom, followed by a 1/2 mile climb that all but popped me for the day. You know when you are in trouble when you are scrambling to catch the field after the first climb. Well, I caught back on. By that time there was a break up the road and DNA wanted to bring it back. We all moved to the front and proceeded to reel it back. We swallowed the break up about 1/4 mile before the second climb of the day. Wow. I was popped again. So was Chad. And if my mind wasn't playing tricks on me, so was Zach. Again, the stragglers form a group on my wheel and we promptly (a mile up the road) catch the pack.

First lap done. I realize that I've done way too much work in the first lap and the second will be reserved to sit in and recover. Here is where I'll sound like a broken record. First climb of the second lap. I get dropped. I take a mile to catch back on. I sit in and recover. Second climb of the second lap. I get dropped. This time it's more serious. The pack is well up the road and has picked up the pace. Looks like someone attacked at the top of the climb. I swallow up Chad and a guy from BOT named Raton Parmain. I yell them to get on my wheel, we're gonna catch them again. I'm burning match after match trying to catch the pack, and Raton is taking pulls with me. We pass through the start/finish and I realize Chad's not on my wheel anymore. Raton and I still have quite a bit of ground to make up and we finally do somewhere 2-3 miles into the 3rd lap. We are back at the huge, technical descent. Then the first climb of the 3rd lap. I'm dropped. Many are dropped. Many quit. Some walk their bikes up the climb.

The lead pack is small, maybe 8 guys. At this point Raton and I are working together just trying to make it through the 3rd lap. We swallow many stragglers who have been dropped in the lead pack. Some suck our wheels, some can't hang on. I "hang on" for 13th on a day when almost half the field DNF'd. Not being satisfied with that finish, I take solace in the fact that I am no climber. I could also use to lose 10 lbs.

All in all it was a good day for DNA Racing. Erin Elliott took on 2 guys working together against him and came in 2nd place. Zach Perkins climbed well, and took home 8th, I nabbed 13th and Chad Hodges right behind me in 15th.

www.dna-racing.com

Northwest Arkansas Classic Road Race

2010-04-06T13:06:00.006-05:00

I had been hearing for a couple weeks from those in the know that this was a good course for me. So even though I'm a new daddy and responsibilities at home are heightened, momma gave me the go ahead to make the 3.5 hour one-way day trip to northwest Arkansas to try my hand at another win.

Erin, Chad and Zach met me at my place at 4:30 am. Yes, 4:30 am. We figured out how to fit 4 bikes, pit wheels, and gear into the FJ Cruiser and we were headed east. I was looking forward to this trip cause I wanted to fellowship with the guys. It's much more fun when you can carpool with the team (or at least part of it) and chat it up on the drive.

The weather in Ark was bad as we headed north from I-40 towards Fayetteville. Rain. Fog. Wind. Cold. Luckily for us all, when go time came around the rain and fog was gone. Only the wind remained.

This was my first race with Aaron. Aaron Highfill had joined the team some time back, however we really hadn't had the chance to ride or race together. Aaron has a triathlon background, and is a strong rider so I was excited to see what we could do together.

We would pedal two laps, giving us a total of around 49 miles on the race. Uneventful would be a good word to describe most of the race. There would be a a few attacks, solo's, and surges as the day went on. The course included two hills, neither of much distance. However the last hill was doozy of a grade. It was steep and seemed to stretch forever, even though it didn't.

Aaron stayed near the front all day. He would sit 3rd to 4th wheel, sometimes sitting on the front, and always keeping the pace high, or helped chase down a break. I sat mostly in the back, relaxing, checking the scene, and plotting my attacks. The first lap unfolded and as we crested that last steep hill I moved my way nearer to the front of the pack. My plan was to try to get away near the end of the lap, hoping that I would have a couple of dudes go with me. With 1-2 miles left in the first lap, I attack. No go. They're on me like stink on dookie. So I sit on the front for a bit keeping the pace high. Not sure of my strategy, I attack again......from the front of the pack. 20 seconds later I look back and I have a 50 yard gap on the group. The bad news is I burned a match getting away and couldn't hold it long enough. I sat up and let the pack swallow me. One more attack near the end of the first lap and I settle back into the pack to recover and lick my wounds.

Second lap sees a couple of attempted breaks with no success. My goal is to do the exact same thing I did the first lap. We near the top of that second brutal hill and the small guys attack. I engage the burners and fire my 220 lb frame up the hill and get into the attack. The lead pack is now around 20 deep. I now fire off a series of 3-4 attacks. One attack gets off, and I find myself with another rider about 50-70 yards off the front. He can't pull through, and I can't hold it solo. We get swallowed again.

A mile from the finish and the pace is high. Riders jockeying for position. I find out later from Aaron that they have all conspired to prevent me from getting off the front the entire race. Looks like it'll be a field sprint. I have no idea if I'm a good sprinter. I've never really had the opportunity to pit my strength against anyone else.

So I find myself in a sprint with a guy named Tanner Culbreath. We have gapped the pack and it's him and I. 200 meters to the finish. I make a move and I'm off in front. He's on my wheel. My mistake. He sits in and with less than 50 meters left he's made a counter move and is gaining my position fast. We cross the line and I am not fully sure who won. I think I edged him, but it was CLOSE!

A quick trip back to the finish line. I win. It will be my last category 4 race.

A huge thanks to Aaron for keeping the pace up, covering for me, and racing huge for the team. He's strong, and will soon be a 3 as well. As for me, I'm excited about joining Erin, Zach, and Chad in the 3's. Race!

Race

2010-03-15T10:14:00.001-05:00

The Cowskin Road Race marked my 5th race as a category 4, and my 6th race ever. I'm still very new to this sport, and each race presents a barrage of new lessons to be learned. I'm lucky to have good friends and a team full of experienced guys who have taught me a lot in my short time of racing.

My first two races in Austin a couple weeks back had not gone according to plan. In all honesty, I had planned to dominate the 4's down in Texas. However, I had recently run a 50 mile ultra marathon, leaving it all out and PR-ing which had left me very tired and my recovery was moving along slower than I had expected. The Walburg and Pace Bend races in Austin had kicked my butt, and scoring a 15th in both of them was far from acceptable for me. So I rested quite a bit in the days coming up to the Cowskin.
I headed out early on Saturday morning for Keystone Lake, as the 4 race blasted off around 9 am. Coming down the road to the parking area I observed that the finishing 3/4 mile of the race was downhill. Score for us big boys, and immediately I felt good about winning a field sprint in the end.
The race itself was fairly low key most of the way, not too fast. 4 races are much less organized by nature, however there were some big teams that showed up and they were trying to get some things going early on. There were quite a few attacks, most of which were solo and reeled back in quickly. No one was willing to let anyone get off the front for a long amount of time. I chomped at the bit most of the race, sitting in the middle of the pack hanging out. I had been talking to Dustin Sallee from Team Undiscovered, trying to talk him into a break together but his recovery week hadn't gone well and he wasn't feeling it.
My initial plan was to win a field sprint with it being conducive to my body type and abilities, however I thought that if I could get a couple guys off the front with me I could attack them at the end for a win. So I conserved. There were attacks, and they would get brought back in. I sat in.
This was a circuit style race in which we did 7 laps on a 5.2 mile loop. 2 hills. One a long easy slog for approximately 3/4 of a mile. One a shorter steep incline on the backside of the course (in a cross wind) that gets the heart rate pumping. At about the 28 mile mark, we hit that hill on the backside of the course. About that time Dustin leans into me and says "go dude". I figure what the heck, if I get caught I'll still have time to set in, recover, and maybe win a field sprint finish.
So I positioned myself at the back of the back, get to the crest of the hill, shift two gears, and drop the hammer. By the time I reach the front of the pack I'm over 40 mph and no one has a chance to immediately bridge. So I'm off the front solo. My first time ever. The next 8 or so miles are a blur of sorts, but I remember looking back frequently to check the scene.

...I see a solo rider trying to bridge. Then I look back again and he's been swallowed by the pack. Then 5-6 guys trying to bridge. Then another solo rider off trying to bridge. Then he's swallowed. I crest the long hill on the last lap, look back, and they are 20 seconds back. A mile later I look back, they are 45-50 seconds back. I hit that last short steep hill in the cross wind. Look back. 20 seconds back. I make the last turn for the finish line 3/4 mile away. The chase group sits at least 40 seconds off me, and I let out a primal scream of joy!! They have no chance of catching me......

I've always been a sucker for adrenaline. Exhilarating experiences are addicting to me. I thrive on excitement in my life. Always have. If you do too, jump off the front of a bicycle race and let a pack of 60 hungry dogs try to chase you down. Be the hunted. Even if they catch you, the experience is highly worth it.

Kids Park CX Fun

2009-11-20T09:50:00.006-06:00

A couple of weeks ago was the last installment of the Oklahoma City Kids Park CX race. The weather turned out being much friendlier to us than the last Kids Park foray. I competed in the first round race at 1 pm, jumped off the steed and snapped a couple of shots for the second race. Turns out I didn't get much time to shoot the thing. I forgot that I have the most beautiful, caring, sweet, and good looking pregnant wife on the globe. .....and she was hungry. Maverick needs her nourishment, I know I know.

So here are the goods. Gander.

Kids Park CX November 2009

...

Hunzicker fun

2009-11-18T10:03:00.005-06:00

I'll say it again. I've neglected this blog for quite sometime.
Life has been fast and fun. But blogging has not been at the top of my list.

So I'm planning on sharing a bit more of my work with everyone. I've been doing a ton of client work lately and hope to post it here with more consistency.

I met with the Hunzicker family early this week on a family project. You know. Christmas cards, family stuff, and fun kiddo frames. I had known Andrew from Rocktown Gym. Him and his wife Nicole are the glue that holds Touchtone Youth Project together here in OKC. It's a wonderful program, check it out.

They got their family together and met me at the Gardens downtown for a quick little sesh in the cold, wet and dark weather of last Sunday. Lighting was rough, and I gave them the option of rescheduling but they said it was on. So I cranked up the ISO, and we had a wonderful time running through the mud, wet grass and urban jungle. Those dudes are Wild, Daring, and Adventurous. Exactly what boys should be.

Here are a couple of frames from our day. Cheers Hunzicker family!!!!

Maverick Rae Chasteen

2009-11-17T11:38:00.003-06:00

Nicki and I will welcome Maverick Rae into our world sometime in March/April of 2010. The amount of emotions that have ran through my body the past couple months have humbled, frightened, excited, and warmed my soul. I don't have the words to speak, and my elated tears cannot reach through the superhighway. Overwhelmed with affection....

Getting ready for Maverick

My Quest for 100 Miles

2009-10-28T09:10:00.013-05:00

A couple of month ago I heard about this ultra marathon being put on in Oklahoma City called 24 The Hard Way. They offered a variety of races in the way of on-road and off-road timed running events. Well my heart lies in the dirt metaphorically speaking, and I've already done a 50 miler, so naturally I decided on the 24 hour trail ultra. The Double Dirty Dozen. The catch? Yes, there's a catch. This 24 hour run was going to be done on a 2 mile loop that you do OVER and OVER and OVER.

I have goals. Dreams. Aspirations. I really want to do some of the harder 100 mile ultra runs in the future, and I figured this would be a great introduction to the discipline. The course was going to be pretty flat, but the mental anguish of seeing the same trail over and over again would be tough. So over the next couple of months I started preparing physically, but mostly mentally for 24 The Hard Way. I cycled a lot, ran a 36 and 26 mile run, and lifted weights about twice a week. I was ready to roll.

October 24, 2009. 9 am. I've just ducked into the trees along with the other runners to begin my 24 hour quest. It's a sunny, but windy and cool morning. The trail is wet from the previous weeks of rain. Spots are muddy. It cakes to my shoes, adding a couple pounds to each foot. In the beginning hours of the event, the loop seems manageable. Flat. Soft ground. It begins in the trees, a technical section of steep, short ups and downs, a conglomeration of roots, small tree stumps and sharp corners. A third of the way through, the course opens into a soft and flat double track road that winds through the park, climbs a very small hill, and at about the two-thirds mark empties back into the trees where the single track picks up again. This last section of the course is flatter, but still packed with roots and stumps, with some windy sections and a small (I mean small) hill climb to the loop finish where the aid station sits. And your next lap awaits.

Mtn Biker on the trail. Roots and stumps abound.

I spend the first couple of laps trying to figure out pace, how I'm feeling, and the areas where I'll need to begin walking soon. I had spent the last week resting and tapering, and at times felt like I was fighting off something. My body was tired. So I wanted to test how I felt in the beginning stages of the race. Surprisingly I felt great. The rest had been beneficial. My heart rate seemed low, legs felt strong. I felt great all around. Every single lap I would grab 2 cups of water and 1 cup of gatorade from the aid station, run 20 yards to to my support crew (My buddy Charlie Brickman from Colorado and my lovely wife Nicki) and grab some sort of food, and then back off into the trees for the next lap.

Midday coming off trail and into aid station

Almost every time I came through, a new friend would be there to greet me with encouraging words. Many stopped by throughout the day to see all the fuss, cheer, and just hang out. By noon I was 16 miles in, feeling great. I had taken it easy, walked a little bit, ate well, hydrated correctly and was on cruise control. My legs were aching a tad bit, but for a 220 lb guy who doesn't belong in ultra distance events it's the name of the game. I knew my weight would factor in the legs as the crux of the event. I had it covered.

Aid station. Shared by both off road and on road races

12:00 pm was the start of the 6 hour race on the trails and so flooded in new faces to mingle with and talk to. My buddy Kyle Griffith who had ran the Rocky Raccoon 50 with me jumped in and I ran into him a couple of times. When you are on the trail for that long, it's good to see people, chat, feed off each other's energy. Obviously I would be passed many times by speedsters gunning for the 6 hour times. It was fun.

Feeling good

6:00 pm marked the 9 hour mark for us 24 Hour runners, and the end of the 6 hour run. And it got lonely on the trail really quick. At this point I was 44 miles in and still feeling pretty good. I was about a half lap behind the leader, but gaining quickly. I had met a very nice Asian man named Kim earlier in the day. He was a fellow 24 hour competitor, but he had opted to walk the entire distance and time. I had lapped him numerous times during the day, each time I would pat him on the back and tell him great job. He would return by saying "Good job Andy, you strong". It was a welcome sight to see him every so often. He was fit, strong legs, good gait, even composure.

My "runner's high" carried me long into the night. I was still eating and drinking well. I had begun to walk more as the night had come. My headlamp was good, but hidden roots and stumps had caught my toes quite a few times since the sun had gone down, and left agonizing pain in their wake. I needed to slow down. For safety, and for energy conservation.

I think at this point I have to admit my obsession: I wanted 100 miles. I had to get it. It's all I thought about during my time on the trail. Every lap I would calculate in my head averages that I had to keep in order to get 100 miles. I was completely obsessed. I wanted a huge cushion for the last 3-4 hours of the race just in case I was wasted to the point I couldn't go on. I was obsessed to the point of unhealthy compulsion. I never even put on my iPod. Ever. If I was listening to music I couldn't figure out these averages of laps and times and numbers and speeds. It became a sickness in me.

By 9:00 pm I was still feeling ok, but my legs were really bothering me. I popped a couple more Ibuprofen. The technical, steep ups and downs of the trail were killing my quads. I was 56 miles in. Ahead of schedule. I wanted 100.

I had various company with me along the way. Sara Haizlip Bell was a part of a 24 hour team with her husband Rob and her brother Ben. She wanted some extra miles, so she ran with me quite a bit. My good friend Maury Birdwell had signed up for the one hour run, but instead decided to bust out 10 miles with me on the trail. Phillip Wilson, my friend and bicycle racing teammate showed up and ran a fun lap with me. I got a good luck kiss from Nicki almost every time through. It was energizing.

By 11:00 pm I was hurting. My hips had begun to ache horribly from all the walking I was doing. When I did walk, it was a fast pace. I wanted to continue on my pace for 100, so my walking gait was long and quick. Unfortunately my body is not used to walking, much less taking large steps in the process. That, compounded with the thrashing my quads were taking on the drops and short steep climbs, and my lower extremities were in a world of hurt. At this point in the game I was only running on the flat double track sections. And that was a struggle. Sara had been running with me for about an hour or so, and the company was good. But I was at a point where talking wasn't much fun. I didn't want to talk to anyone. I passed Kim along the double track. We exchanged pleasantries. It would be the last time I saw him.... 64 miles in.

Around 12:00 am Sara took a break and Charlie jumped in with me. I felt horrible. I didn't want to talk. My pace had slowed tremendously. I had to walk a couple of full laps. I told Charlie, and he was ok with it. So we started on the slow slog through the technical sections of what I had decided to call Bluff Creek Hell Loop. Charlie is a quiet guy by nature. I like to talk. But not many words were spoken in that loop. My thigh muscles literally felt as though they were tearing away from my femur. I don't even know what a hip-pointer is, but I guarantee mine was at a Defcon level 1. My mind was weakening. My pace was slowing dramatically, and my hopes of 100 were slowing starting to slip away. We finished the lap. 68 miles.

For some reason I knew that this next lap would probably be my last. Call it intuition. Call it weak mindedness. Call it premature resignation. I'm embarrassed to sit here and type those words. I've always considered myself a strong minded individual. Stubborn. Willing to endure massive amounts of pain for pursuit. But just before 1:00 am on October 25, 2009, I quit. 70 miles in. I quit. I sat in a chair and buried my face in my palms. I quit. I watched stronger runners on the paved 24 hour race go by. I quit. My energy reserves were still there, but my legs and mind hurt. I quit.

As I limped over to turn in my timing chip, I longed for my bed. But the embarrassment of quitting wasn't worth the comfort of my pillowtop king mattress. Even as I sit here 3 days later, my legs are healing. I feel pretty good actually. I'll go for a spin on the bike today. I don't have any blisters. I have sore ankles. I have a couple of black toenails from those blasted roots. And I have much regret for quitting. Could I have kept going? Probably. I would have had to walk at a snails pace for a while, maybe even slower. Maybe my legs would have rejuvinated? Maybe not. But the problem is I'll never know. I quit. I'll never know if I could have hit 100. I thought it was out of my reach. I still had 8 hours to get 30 miles. But I quit.

Life lessons are awesome. They come in many different forms. This race meant nothing. I had no money to win, no fame to gain. I just wanted 100 miles, and I wanted it horribly bad. When my obsession-filled calculations let me know that it was slipping, my mind weakened and the legs followed suit.

24 The Hard Way was a wake up call for me. A lesson learned. I great experience. I didn't get my 100 miles. I suffered. I learned.

Note to self: Don't quit. Don't obsess. And for God's sake, please lose 10-15 pounds before the next ultra marathon!

24 Hours of Horseshoe Hell Through My Eyes

2009-10-19T11:40:00.018-05:00

Almost 3 weeks have passed since the 4th annual 24 Hours of Horseshoe Hell in Arkansas. I'm still tired, but satisfied. For those who don't climb, or for rock climbers who actually live UNDER a rock, this event is my baby. It's one of, if not the largest and best rock climbing competitions in the nation and I've had the honor of being the "mastermind" and director of the event since it's inception in Sept 2006.

Without going into too much depth, this event was birthed back in early 2006. Quite a few buddies and I had gone to Horseshoe Canyon Ranch for the weekend to climb. This place is a wonderland of sport routes stacked on top of each other, side by side, on steep gritty sandstone cliff lines. It's a dream. So naturally a day of cragging at this location logs quite a few routes; it's not uncommon to get in 10-20 routes in a day without having to move too fast. The idea first came as a "we should see how many routes we could do in 24 hours" kinda scheme. Then it moved to a friendly competition between friends. Then a small event where we invite others. The finality came as a full-on competition with sponsors and climbers and fun. The idea was born, and I met with Barry, the owner of HCR. He gave his blessing. The rest, as they say, is history.

2009 24HHH was a beautiful event in my eyes. Recent weeks of rain had beautified the Ranch to picturesque proportions. My new wife Nicki and I had arrived late on Tuesday evening to rain, fog and high humidity. Many of our good friends from Colorado had already arrived and we were stoked to see them all, spending quite a few hours chatting on the porch. The stage was set. Countdown had begun.

But the next few days raised many unanswered questions: The recent rains had heightened my worries that we'd have a large number of wet routes. The weather forecast also gave a strong chance of rain during the event. What would we do if it rained? Had I let too many climbers into the event this year? What if 20 of the routes were wet? That would result in waiting lines at routes. Bottlenecks. In addition, I was also waiting for certain companies to send the swag (that was supposed to have been mailed 2 weeks earlier). What if it didn't come? How would the scoring go this year? Would there be hiccups? Had we streamlined it effectively? What about climber check in? Had we informed our volunteers adequately on rules? What about injuries? Would climbers be smart this year? Would we make it through without injuries? Did we truly have the right emergency procedures in place? You see, I want every person involved in 24HHH to drive away from the ranch on Sunday afternoon with a sense of satisfaction. I want everyone to have loved the event. I want everyone to be happy. If even one individual leaves the on Sunday saying "That was not very well put on", then in my eyes I have failed. I want perfection.

Fast forward to Friday: Banners hung. Climbers registration packets stuffed. Barn ready for sponsor booths. Swag organized, and here. Rain has stopped, routes drying out. Carabiners hung on high traveled routes. Packet pickup running smoothly. Pasta dinner about to begin. Waves of people arriving in the canyon. Bands setting up. Energy high.

Friday evening is a blast. HCR's chef Nick whips up some killer spaghetti for the dinner and all bellies are filled. Slackline comp is a hit, and tricks are plenty. Vendor booths are great, barn loft is packed. Speleo box time trials are epic, with big Brett being stuck for 25 minutes. They barely finish, as Big Smith is going on stage down in the natural amphitheater. Big Smith is a huge hit as a large crowd gathers for much dancing. As the music winds down, Pimpin and Crimpin winds up the party back in the barn as Lost at Sea makes due with one microphone and rocks the house. I hear the keg floated.

Saturday morning comes. I wake up to an electric buzz in the canyon. People were psyched to get this thing rolling. The sun was out, clouds and rain were gone. The sounds of climbing gear and voice chatter rings in my ear as everyone gathers around the Trading Post for the climber meeting. I look out over the sea of people to see catchy costumes, nervous faces, 24HHH veterans who know their strategies, 115 ropes, onlookers who are just here to watch, faithful volunteers, a man with a shotgun, a scenic backdrop, and 2,299 fingers that will soon be shredded to ground hamburger. A short meeting, climbers creed, volunteer meeting, and a shotgun blast and the 4th annual 24 Hours of Horseshoe Hell is underway.

What do I do for 24 Hours once the event begins? Well, I've thought it over. I could probably run the show with a two way radio from my cabin porch. Trust me, I've thought about it. It'd sure make things easier on me. No. I have to be out there. I want to see everyone. I want to feed energy. I want to talk to the competitors. See how they are feeling. Encourage. Answer questions. Make sure everyone is having fun (remember?). Make sure volunteers have everything they need. Help with check in's. Help with scoring when initial cards are turned in at 10 pm. Keep people awake. Create energy. There is much to do.

As the sun slowly starts to creep into the canyon I breathe a sigh of relief. The night had come and gone with no injuries, no accidents. We had smart climbers this year. Strong climbers this year. Energy was high, and every hour on the hour all night long a deafening chorus of yells and screams could be heard loud across the canyon as energy was renewed and psyche was strengthened. Every time it happened, a shot of electricity shot through my body and I was proud to be a part of this massive event. The camaraderie and community at 24HHH is second to none. Friendships are forged and cultivated. Perseverance is tested and won.

10 am comes and scorecards are turned in. Our scoring people work masterfully in tallying. Smooth. Time to head to the barn for awards.

As I stood in front of the 300 or so people in the barn loft on Sunday morning I saw dirty faces, used tape, exhausted bodies, and 2,299 fingers that had just sent thousands upon thousands of routes at the hardest endurance event in the United States. I was proud to just be a part of this. I handed out horseshoes to the best climbers of the day. I hoped they were proud. They should be.

Within 30 minutes Horseshoe Canyon Ranch went from a population of 500 to around 20. It was ghostly. I cleaned and gathered up, said some goodbyes, thanked many, and walked up the hill to my cabin to collapse. But I didn't. I sat on the porch with good friends talking about the weekend. I was exhausted but I couldn't sleep. I was proud.

There are countless individuals who have had a part in this past year's 24HHH success. Way too many for me to list here. It doesn't happen on this scale without you. I give a huge thanks, a deep bow, and a 10 minute standing ovation to you all.

An event of this size is a full year in the making. It's a revolving door of cycles that begin again immediately after each 24HHH has ended. Sponsors, paperwork, emails, $$$, volunteers, Facebook, www.twofourhell.com, blogs, marketing, advertising, photos, more paperwork, and logistics. I've already begun for 2010. It's gonna be bigger, no doubt. And better. With new surprises.

Do you mountain bike? What about trail run? If so, keep your ears to the ground. It's coming in 2010....

Thanks to Lucas for the photos: www.lucasmarshall.com

I've been gone

2009-08-28T10:34:00.015-05:00

I've really been slacking on the blog front over the last two months. I realize it. I know it. So let's catch up:

Weddings.

Portrait.

Freelance action/adventure.

Unique product client work.

I have a mullet.

A week in Iowa for Ragbrai.

Got Engaged to my love.

Two weeks in Colorado.

Ran Pikes Peak double marathon.

Family Time.

Wedding soon.

More pedaling.

Lotsa playing.

Mucho getting ready for www.twofourhell.com coming on Sept 25.

This afternoon I leave for Hotter N Hell 100 mile race in Wichita Falls, TX. Syked to ride in my first Cat 4 race.

I have tons of images from the last couple of months and hopefully they'll eventually find their way to this blog for viewing pleasure. Maybe even a full review of the Pikes Peak brutality...

Cheers....

A break

2009-08-02T22:20:00.002-05:00

Wow it's been a long time since I've blogged. It's not that I've even been super busy. Just enjoying the freedom of snapping photos and living. Cheers. I'll check back in soon.....

If I feel like it.

Oklahoma State Championship Road Race

2009-07-15T17:05:00.003-05:00

My boy from Bicycle Alley Racing, Ryan Lenhart, hammering the Cat 1,2,3 pack up the hilly hill

Horseshoe Canyon Ranch - No climb

2009-07-09T18:06:00.003-05:00

Well, I've finally made it back to the big town of Oklahoma City after about a week on the road playing. If you follow, you know that I made a first stop at Horseshoe Canyon Ranch on the way out last week for a little climbing with the boys. I also shot some work for the Ranch one evening. Then on to Lake of the Ozarks for some fun with friends and family. And back to the Ranch on Monday with Nicki for some climbing and a little bit of work.

As I said previously, the Ranch is in the process of revamping their website and decided that Tuesday morning we would bring out the guns (not real guns) and produce some visual candy for potential clients and visitors to this place. You and I mostly know of HCR as a climbing destination for the region, however this is one impressive dude ranch that offers full value family vacations. If you haven't been here to climb AND vacation, you are sorely missing out.

Click on the link to see what this place offers. Do it. You'll not be disappointed.

Horseshoe Canyon Ranch

5 little studs

2009-07-08T11:28:00.005-05:00

I spent 4 days at Lake of the Ozarks over the 4th of July holiday. More on that to come (and more photos on the entire road trip as well). But I got the chance to shoot some wild stud boys over the weekend. It was hard to keep them all straight..... let's see, they are the son's of two moms who are sisters and twins. So some are brothers, and some are cousins. I'm confused. Regardless, they are gonna drive the ladies crazy when they grow up.

Take a look

Back to Horseshoe Canyon Ranch (my second home)

2009-07-03T15:47:00.004-05:00

Admittedly, I've slacked back quite a bit on the blog front over the last couple of weeks. Many things on the mind, but lacking the desire to put them to the keyboard.

I'm relaxing at Lake of the Ozarks here in Missouri on the 3rd of July at my sister's place on the lake. The past couple of weeks have been good. Good business. Staying busy. Enjoying the freedom that comes along with working for myself.

But it's time to start writing and posting a bit more.

Wednesday evening I met Jeremy Collins and Jesse Gross, two buddies from Kansas City, at Horseshoe Canyon Ranch for a bit of climbing on the steep sandstone in the canyon. This is where I put on my annual 24 Hours of Horseshoe Hell event, and it was nice to get back to visit the place and to see Barry and all the people at the ranch.

Although the trip was short, we had a killer time and I even found some time to shoot some portrait work, some climbing, and even some ranch photos for Barry, who is working on revamping the Ranch's website.

The next couple of days holds wakeboarding, eating, hanging, and some pedaling. I'll check in later.

Take a gander at the photos of OUR RANCH TIME

Crazy Bachelor Party!!!

2009-06-15T10:28:00.008-05:00

Bet you clicked, hoping to see different photos....

Brandon Melott is getting married. Brandon is an avid cyclist, has been since he was a kid. That means he can do quite a bit with the bike. He can crush on the road. He's got a massive motor and a wicked front wheel on the trail. And he can dirt jump with the best of them.

He had a little bachelor party on Saturday night, in his back yard. No strippers. Just a dirt jump track. And good fun. I had never had the opportunity to take snaps like this before, so I was psyched to have some good riders to shoot.

Click on the link for more, and congratulations Brandon....

Jump Track Photos

Snapping for a living

2009-06-10T19:24:00.004-05:00

It's Wednesday June 10th, 2009. I'm sitting outside my apartment in my car bumming off my own wireless internet. Temporarily locked out of my place (but that's another story for another time). It's been 3 days.

3 days since I became a full time photographer.

If you didn't already know, I held a day job as a recruiter and snapped pictures in my spare time for spare cash. The job was lucrative, afforded me plenty of money to buy toys and go on great trips quite often. The work life balance was nice too, rarely working more than 40 hours a week with tons of vacation time and a very flexible schedule. Ask my friends....

But things weren't right. I was ready for a change. I'm not going to get into the specifics, and as a matter of fact I'm going to go ahead and end this post very quickly cause I don't feel like spilling my guts all over the web.

Suffice it to say that I've jumped headlong into the view finder of my Nikon D300 and the frame is looking pretty sweet.......

Momma!

2009-06-02T17:58:00.002-05:00

My mom decided to step into the ring this last Memorial Day with her first 8K race. She's been running for a while, but has never done a race of this distance. I'm so pumped that she did it, finished strong and could have kept going. Half Marathon next. Then the full monty. Then she's gonna dig an ultra with me!!

Congratulations Momma....

OKC Boathouse International Triathlon - Elite Men Images

2009-05-31T12:11:00.002-05:00

As is with last weekend, I just got back in from a long day all over Oklahoma yesterday shooting photos with my good friend Tony Mayse. Tony has a new guidebook coming out in the coming months and we were short on some climbing photos for it, so we planned a jet-set day of driving, climbing and sweating. It had been a while since Tony and I had hung out so it was great to catch up on life and other good stuff.

90 degrees at Quartz Mountain and the Refuge didn't bode well for sending, and the sun beat us down like step children, but we got what we wanted, jumped in the car, cranked the air conditioning on high, and headed back to OKC. Like all the commas?

I've been holding out on the men's shots from the OKC Boathouse Triathlon due to talks with publications and getting some of them published, but the time has come and I'm syked to show them.

Go here for the sweetness.

OKC Boathouse International Triathon Photos - elite women

2009-05-25T19:34:00.003-05:00

Ok, so I'm back in town after a long weekend in Arkansas. We got just enough good weather to shoot some nice photos on the steep sandstone in Dardanelle Rock, Sams Throne, and Cave Creek. I'm psyched.

I'm behind in the game. I finally got around to editing the "elite women division" photos from the OKC Boathouse International Triathlon a couple of weekends ago-Or was that last weekend? It's all running together in my mind. Regardless, I'm done with them and I gotta say I was very satisfied with the results.

Go check them out and let me know what you think. Elite Men are still to come, and I saved the best for last.

ELITE WOMEN BOATHOUSE PHOTOS

OKC Boathouse International Triathlon

2009-05-21T21:03:00.005-05:00

It's Thursday evening. I'm pressed for time. I leave in the morning to shoot photos in Arkansas for a new rock climbing guidebook that is coming out in September. But I want to post a couple of photos.

Last weekend elite athletes from all over the hemisphere gathered in OKC for this event called the OKC Boathouse International Triathlon. I'll post more pics and words later, I have so much to say. But for now I'll leave you with the worst photos of the bunch.

These are the junior elite men. It was morning. Light was bad. Stay tuned for the "good" stuff.....

Sick Six mtb race

2009-05-19T20:53:00.008-05:00

This past Sunday I had some good buddies from Kansas City come into town to visit, and do the Sick Six mountain bike race at Clearbay Trail in Norman, OK.

Now I'm no stranger to endurance events, but this was to be my first 6 hour race on dirt, riding my single speed mountain bike. The rains we had been getting the past week had led many of us to believe that the event would be cancelled. Alas, we received a call at 1 pm on Saturday confirming that the Sick Six was still on. I was syked, tired from the week of busyness, but syked nonetheless.

Cameron, Travis and Jesse rolled into OKC about 11:30 on Saturday night and crashed out in the living room. My sleep had been scarce over the past week due to busy photo schedule and some friends from Switzerland and Brazil, who were in for the Boathouse Triathlon on Saturday (photos to come on that later). But I was still ready to ride and felt plenty recovered from the marathon a couple weeks back.

Sunday morning we roll into the trailhead. Red Bull banner. Loud music. Registration. Prepare. Lemans start. The rains had left the trail muddy and sloppy for the first hour or so. Fortunately the course began to dry out as the warm weather settled in on us.

My first lap (approx 6.6 miles) I took it easy trying to adjust to the wet trail and keep my reserves for the remainder of the race. My buddy Jesse and I had both decided on riding our single speeds with rigid forks, mostly because that is all we have. So Jesse and I stay on pace pretty closely in the first lap and I finish a minute or two behind him, and start out on the second lap. A couple miles or so into the second lap I pass Jesse and wonder if he is feeling ok. He had slowed considerably.

Thunderbird is a singletrack trail with a good amount of climbs, technical sections and fast track roller coasters. Most of the technical sections were cut out of the loop we rode for the race. But the climbs beat me up.

Four laps in and I'm hurting a bit. I still feel Jesse's breath down the back of my neck so I keep pushing. The climbs are killing me. I have to walk a 15 foot section of "huffy hill". Jesse's humping my back wheel, not really, but it feels like it. Peanut butter sandwich, banana, gel, gatorade. I feel better. A little.

I finish lap 7 and stop quickly, but I have no food left. I'm offered a Powerbar and scarf it along with some water. Bad idea. Hadn't had a Powerbar in years. My tummy don't likey. Knots in the stomach. I push on. 5 minutes into the 8th lap I really feel Jesse on my crack. I let him pass. He's gone.

Jesse had played his cards right. He kept me in sight the entire race. Saw me faulter, and went for my jugular. He saw I was hurting. Saw the climbs were beating me up. Passed me on a climb. And I never saw him again.

The race ended at the end of Jesse and my 9th laps, and I was a full two minutes behind him. He toughed out a gutsy race and kicked it in, very nicely done. Second in the single speed category. Fourth for me.

No matter. It was a great experience, and I'm ready for the next step into the ring, a 12 hour ride like our boy Lucas just handled. Still gonna be on my single speed though.

Randy relaxing after his technical break on lap three.

Cameron and Travis killed the team division by more than 30 minutes, which isn't a surprise in the least. They were burning the track. Randy Banning had some technical difficulties with his bike on lap 3 and had to throw in the towel.

Thanks to Nicki for helping us out and taking all the good photos!!!!!!!

OKC Memorial Marathon 2009 = Misery

2009-04-26T14:50:00.012-05:00

The showing of the 2009 Memorial Marathon here in Oklahoma City was today. 19,000 runners poised at the starting line at 6:30 for what promised to be a big day of running, good time and remembering the bombing of the Murrah Building in 1995. I have taken a liking to ultra marathons so I am trying to get into a couple marathons here and there, in an attempt to keep my fitness for the 50 and 100 (next year) mile runs that I hope to occasionally do. So obviously the Memorial is a great choice; the starting line is 1/4 mile from my place. It's the hometown marathon. It's big. Fun. And not horribly difficult in terms of the course.

Little did I know what we were all in store for on this April 26, 2009.

I knew we were in a bit of trouble when, at the 6:30 start, it was already over 70 degrees and hovering in the 80% humidity. I also knew when we turned south at mile 14 that the trip back to the finish line was going to be pure misery. You see, the runners of this year's full marathon endured sustained 30 mph head winds gusting to 45 mph for the last 12 miles heading south. 8 minute per mile effort got you about 11 minute mile pace. Suffering was widespread. Many walked in. Many didn't finish. I have vowed to never run a marathon again in those conditions.

I had a come to the run with a few reasonable expectations. The first was to wear a goofy outfit and laugh and play and joke with people along the way. The former came through. The latter did not. I was in no mood to talk to anyone, nor did I have the lungs to do so. I used my headphones to drown out the crowd and my heavy breathing. My mindset was negative to the point of, when a funny song came on the iPod I hit "next". I also had hopes of a 3:30 marathon time and felt like it might happen at the 13.1 mile split where I turned in a 1:46. But alas, it did not happen and I hobbled through the finish line at 3:47 feeling lucky to even have finished. Highly disappointed and exhausted, I soon learned that I earned the top spot in the heaviest clydesdale division(215-230 lbs) - read "fat boys club" - with the next closest runner a full 43 minutes behind me. Trophy's in the mail and I can't wait. I like to break things so it'll serve a purpose I guess.

My buddy Steve and brother Jon rode their bikes all over the course and hung out with me a bit at times, occasionally being yelled at by course marshalls. I'm glad they did. I suffered. Thanks to Steve for taking some photos of me.

OKC Zoo Criterium Part 2

2009-04-25T15:51:00.003-05:00

Wednesday marked the second edition of the OKC Zoo Criterium in the month of April. I didn't get to ride in the first one cause I was psyched to shoot it. The photos turned out nicely but I vowed to ride in the next one. Well, last Wednesday came around and I was feeling quite tired, and with the Memorial Marathon coming up in a couple of days I felt that the rest was going to do me some good. Not to mention I just picked up a Nikon 70-200mm 2.8 VR glass that I was amped to use on some pedalers.

I'm always so torn between racing and shooting. Oh well, it all works out.

Enjoy the visual located right HERE

Summit

2009-04-24T15:33:00.003-05:00

Got to shoot some photos of a little stud named Summit the other day. This guy gets to run around the grounds of Rocktown Climbing Gym everyday cause his mom and dad run the show there. He's another wild one, and very happy. Me and Summit had some fun running around downtown. As usual, it's hard to keep up with these kiddos but I'm trying...

You can see more of this big guy right HERE

Lu Lu

2009-04-16T15:47:00.002-05:00

Lu Lu, Elle, Andi. Those are my favorite names for a girl. I want a boy. Which means that someday, when the day comes, that I have a child (God forbid, I'm not fit to be a parent) I'm definitely going to get stuck with a girl. So I'm trying to mentally prepare myself for it.

Well, I got to hang out with one cool little girl the other day. Lu Lu is Freddy and Dawn Harth's "experiment" and she is turning out to be a success. She's a wild one, and hard to photograph that is for sure. She is always moving and running and laughing and playing. That made my job hard, but every now and then I'd just decide to sit down the camera and play with her. It was good times.

Maybe I could learn to love having a girl someday!

Click for some photos of my new friend Lu Lu.

Free fall fun at Holdistic

2009-04-11T20:16:00.010-05:00

Holdistic Climbing Gym is about a month away from opening in Edmond Oklahoma. This past Thursday, my friends Emily Harrington and Andrew Tower (from www.pimpinandcrimpin.com) went up with me to check the place and see how everything was going. Freddy Harth is the owner of Holdistic, and has been working hard to get the place ready to roll for the May 1st opening. He has also put together some sweet walls and boulders, including an ingenius design that includes a 28 foot bouldering wall that gives the climber a free fall into a pit of foam. It's still in the works, and the foam will be updated eventually, but this thing is AWESOME!!!!

I shot a sequence of Emily on the wall. Peep.

Climb time - Refuge style with the ARI

2009-04-05T18:30:00.004-05:00

Last weekend a couple of friends of mine came through Oklahoma. Kevin and his girlfriend Meredith are on a 2-3 month road trip across the United States climbing areas with the Anchor Replacement Initiative, in cooperation with Climbing Magazine and The North Face. Kevin works for Climbing and Urban Climber Magazines, and we've worked together for years on my annual climbing competition, 24 Hours of Horseshoe Hell.

Last Thursday they escaped the bad weather in Arkansas, only to be batted down here in Oklahoma during our little spring snow episode. We hung out for a couple days, then got stir crazy and headed to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge for a couple of days on the granite stone. We got lucky, and the weather was spectacular.

So I shot some photos for them and their blog, not to mention for my own selfish gratification. It was good to hang with both of them, catch up, and send them on their way west into New Mexico and Arizona. Then Cali and back into Colorado. You can keep up with their ultimate trip on the Urban Climber website.

Time for the VISUAL

Race Bicycles and the Visual

2009-04-02T22:55:00.003-05:00

Last night I had the opportunity to race bicycles.

I've been racing my mountain bike this season and having a stellar time at it. My boys at Bicycle Alley invited me to race on the team - possibly cause they feel sorry for me, or because I took photos of them - and I've taken them up on it. I'm psyched.

So last night I was supposed to road race in the OKC Zoo Criterium. I think that is what it was called anyway. Well, unfortunately I got snagged at an appointment and couldn't make it in time to blast the field with my turbo legs. I did, however, have the chance to pedal over there on my fixed with the camera in my backpack and snap off some shots. Take special notice of my Bicycle Alley Boys. They are fast.

The photos are good. LOOK AT THEM.

Analytical Research Labs

2009-03-28T16:37:00.002-05:00

My fellow photog Lucas Marshall introduced me to a new tool in photo sharing called Autoviewer.

I figured I would take the chance to mess with it and show off some commercial work that I did a while back with a research company called Analytical Research Laboratories/DNA Solutions.

Click Away

snow snow

2009-03-27T11:16:00.002-05:00

Looks like snow is in our future here in Oklahoma. Have a buddy in town from Climbing/Urban Climber Magazine and we had planned on heading down to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge this weekend. The weather is telling us no, but I think it's still gonna happen! We'll see how it all shakes out, but hopefully I'll have some climbing eye candy once the first of next week rolls around.

Cheers.

Andy

Bike safely

2009-03-22T16:34:00.002-05:00

If you ride a bike on our Oklahoma roads you need to watch this.

It's very sad that our police do not know the laws of the road, especially when it comes to cyclist safety.

And back to London

2009-03-17T11:20:00.008-05:00

This adventure is nearing to an end. Bo and I have just landed back in the good ole US of A and are at the airport waiting for a connection. The customs agent gave a warm welcome to us which lightened my heart and made me glad to be back home.

I'm going to keep this post fairly short because I have taken a lot of photos the past couple of days in London and I want to post them here. So I'll keep the words scarce.

Suffice it to say we had a great time across the pond, and the last couple of days in Londy were delightful. I'll have more thoughts at some point and I may or may not post them here. Life will soon be back to it's busy pace with more events and adventures that will most likely be shared here on this wonderful tool we call a blog.

It's good to be home.

See photos...

We spent a good deal of time one afternoon strolling in the area near Buckingham Palace, House of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. We were tourons, no doubt, in a crowd of them but it was good stuff to see nonetheless.

Buckingham Palace and the throngs of tourons, including us

Buckingham guard

Horse police

Some sort of guard patrol near Buckingham

Hangin in the sun in front of Buckingham

Self port in front of Westminster Abbey

Big Ben

Oliver Cromwell Statue

We also spent a pretty fun evening running around the Tower of London castle and bridge. This is a must to visit if you are in London.

The old English Castle dating back to as early as 1078

Tower bridge pano. I didn't bring a tripod, so it had to be done handheld.

Tower Bridge

Tower bridge

More Photos....

Trafalgar Square where the National Gallery holds Picasso, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Van Gogh, Monet, and Rembrandt pieces of art

Evening view of Tower Bridge

Serpentine Bridge

Lucas Arms Pub

St Pauls Cathedral

The double decker

View from our hostel in London. Notice two people trying to cross the street in traffic.

Double decker

Bo in a tunnel

London Underground subway

Hangin in the hostel

Bo is ready for the all you can eat Indian, Thai and Chinese buffet.

Brussels

2009-03-15T11:13:00.020-05:00

I’m sitting on a crowded Eurostar high speed train looking out the window as Brussels slowly vanishes into the hazy landscape. It began to drizzle as we made the walk from the hostel to the train station. Now, approaching speeds of 170 miles per hour on the train, the sky begins to clear a bit with spotty rays of sun. In an hour we’ll be under the English Channel. I reflect on the past two days in the city of Brussels.

Stark in contrast to Amsterdam in many ways. Similar to Amsterdam in many ways. Heck, it’s all Greek to me right? Brussels is fast moving, moving fast. Less bicycles. More cars. Many languages. Much history. Less debauchery. Wealth. Less personality.

Did you know that ketchup costs an extra .50 euro? Bathroom use runs at least .30 euro. Plastic bags at the grocery cost. Free wi-fi costs 5 euro an hour. Free wi-fi?

Quite honestly, I find myself more and more out of place the longer we are on this journey. This place is a world away. It's cold and uninviting. We do not belong. The culture here is dark and mysterious. Humans from all across the globe walk the streets speaking in their select tongues, praying to their own gods, consuming their niche cuisine and gathering in their ordained districts. Bo and I stick out like sore thumbs. We are American through and through…

Nevertheless we are here and taking it in. Most of our days are again spent on our feet combing the cobble streets taking in the sights and history that is Belgium. We have grown weary of the food and have been posting up in establishments like MacDonalds, Pizza Hut and Burger King.

All the while our time is spent in good fun, laughing and playing in the Belgian streets with smiles on our faces. Saying hello to strangers. Giving change to the poor. Tipping servers as is customary in the States but not here.

The monuments of history are out of this world. Civilization is old. Humanity is ancient. We get to see the proof in these European cities. It’s a wonder that my eyes enjoy and relish.

Still taking a few photos here and there. Sometimes I'll well up with inspiration, and at other times I could care less. It's an odd opposition within me a times, but it seems to work. Enjoy - or as everyone says over here - Cheers!

Belgian waffles from a street vendor are ridiculously good, and addicting

Cathedral of St Michael and St Gudula

Remember? Bathrooms cost

Our hostel had a crazy small elevator, and a ridiculous view of the street below

Some things ARE the same in Europe

Early morning coffee in O'Reilly's Irish Pub

The shining wet cobble streets of downtown Brussels

Random snaps..

Amsterdam

2009-03-13T09:59:00.015-05:00

Sodom and Gomorrah.

Bo and I have spent the last couple of days in what I would describe as a city in which you can do whatever you please. I'm not even sure I know how to describe the place any other way. Prostitution is rampant, and legal. Drugs are on every corner, and legal. The party is always on.

But Amsterdam is also a beautiful city rich in culture, with history and character. Crowded cobble streets, great restaurants, and bicycle commuters everywhere you turn. This self proclaimed "most bicycle friendly city in the world" lives up to it's name. Thousands of bikes line each street. Everyone rides a bike. Men in business suits, women in dresses, young gents on the way to the club, mom pulling the trailer of kiddos to the grocery store. Being a bicycle commuter myself, this was a beautiful and much appreciated sight.

Staying true to our plans, or lack there of, Bo and I mostly wondered the city streets looking for cool sights and just taking in the culture. Streets in Amsterdam are very confusing and we routinely found ourselves lost.

I have so many things running around in my mind that I want to share, but it'll have to wait for later. We have made our way to Brussels, Belgium and have found many new places to see. I'll check in again soon, but I'll leave you with some Amsty photos and captions to go with them. Cheers....

Here is a crazy little contraption on the street corner. Well, I'll let you look for yourself.

Bo and alleys, they just go together

Coffee shops in Amsterdam are also drug shops where you can pick up your favorite mind alterer. This "coffee shop" had a bit of an American twist to it's name.

Amsterdam Architecture

London

2009-03-10T04:34:00.023-05:00

London.

Let me preface this post by saying if you have been there I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know.

Crammed, wet streets bustling with double decker buses and Euro looking four wheeled diesel machines. Tall, ancient buildings framing each avenue. Eclectic nationalities making their domain in this European melting pot of Urban Culture.

I’m from the friendly “big town” of Oklahoma City. Londonites are rude. I digress.

Bo and I rolled into the London Metro late on Monday evening. We spent 12 hours in the car – see photos below, squatted in an airport overnight, and endured a long “technical problem” on the plane just before it took off for Londy. We were lacking in sleep, water, and patience, but were psyched that we had made it in one piece.

We jump the subway system for a 25 minute ride to the stop where we’ll walk to our hostel. St Paul’s Cathedral was lit up in the evening light. It was the first thing we saw as we rode the escalator to street level. Cannon Street was dark, wet (as usual) from the drizzle, and pretty empty. It was midnight. After some minor trouble finding our Youth Hostel down what looked like an abandoned alley, we finally coast into our single bunk beds for what will amount to 4 hours of sleep.

5 am comes early. Our “roommates” were in bed when we came in and are still in bed as we walk out the door to head for the Liverpool Train Station. The dark, wet (still) streets of London are not yet moving. The 10 minute walk to the station is pleasant. I’m in awe of the oldness of the city. I’m a sheltered Midwesterner. This is a new, and intriguing experience for these eyes.

We are on the train heading out of the city. London is huge. I’m surprised to see what looks like massive amounts of construction going on in different districts. Cranes scatter the cityscape and prove my theory of rapid expansion. The world is still growing.

The train

It’s not long before we are out into the countryside, zipping past sheep and cattle grazing in their fields. 45 minutes later we find ourselves on a new train heading towards Harwich town where we’ll board the ferry for the Netherlands, and eventually Amsterdam. Lakes, green fields, manors, and livestock speed by in a blur aboard our fast moving train. I’m soaking it up.

All this time I’m wanting to snap photos of everything in sight. I want proof. Visual mementos of time spent here. Pride sucks. I pass on many opportunities for fear that I’ll look like an American Tourist. I guess I look like an American Tourist regardless huh? Ignorant.

The Stena Line is a large ferry the size of a cruise ship. This monstrosity is going to take us to Holland. Aside: Purchasing tickets here is always an event. The attendant always begins by asking “Do you have reservations?” followed by us saying “No” followed by a smug look by the attendant and speed typing on the keyboard followed by us saying “Sorry” followed by them not replying followed by us paying by VISA followed by us saying “Thank you” followed by no reply from the attendant. Unpleasant exchanges.

Before boarding, Bo and I scarf the “swift five” breakfast at a place called the Quayside Café. An egg laid over a bed of baked beans, fried bread, an odd shaped slab of bacon and a bland sausage link wrapped in what looked like wax paper. It was a decent filler, and at 8:30 am our second of the day (we pigged a MacDonalds value meal right before 6 am).

We are sitting in the open bar area with a sweet view of the channel, sipping coffee, and hogging bandwidth on the first wi fi access of the trip. It costs. The curious case of Benjamin Button is about to play on the big screen. My seat is cushioned and comfy. I have my lappy – yes I brought it. In 7 hours we’ll be in The Netherlands.

We are fat and happy.

Stena Ferry bar lounge

Bo journaling on the ferry

View from Stena's bow

IN THE CAR SHINANIGANS - the road to Chicago O'Hare Airport

Across the Pond

2009-03-07T10:18:00.004-06:00

Tomorrow morning I embark a journey that will take me across the pond to the big state of Europe. Or is it a city?

Regardless, I'll be spending a good week and a half in Europe and can't wait. The plans include: no plans. My buddy Bo and I are flying into London with a backpack on our backs and will be released into the "wild" with no plans or ideas of what we are gonna do. Keyword: Adventure.

So I post this to say that I'm contemplating bringing my laptop to stay connected, and to blog. I still haven't made the decision, but I have done enough research to know that most hostels have free wi fi so I'd be good to go. Right now I'm leaning towards YES.

Keep checking back.....

Refuge Rock

2009-03-04T14:07:00.006-06:00

Saturday was planned. My friends Jarod from Branson and Jesse from Kansas City were coming down to Okie-ville for the weekend for some granite gripping in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. These guys can pull, so I'm siked to have them down. The WMWR is my home crag, so I'm the guide for the weekend.

So Jesse gets in on Friday afternoon. He has brought his bike so without even speaking we jump in the car and head out to the Clearbay mtn trail in Norman to get into some dirt before the sun goes down. Now Jesse is a pretty solid biker, and got me into the single speed mountain biking kick. We keep a good pace for 16 or so miles, but the sun leaves us and we forgot to bring our lights so we hightail it to the car.

Fast forward to Saturday morning. Cold and Windy in the refuge. I have a mountain bike race the next day, so I take it easy. But here and there I get the opportunity to shoot a bit. I brought gear to hang from a line and photo but unfortunately I was much too lazy for that. Anyway, get the camera out from time to time and snap off a few.

Lost Dome was the locale. Jesse. Jarod. Jarod's wife Brooke. Zeus. Me.

As the daylight came to an end, we made the 40 minute hike out, drove to the world famous Meers restaurant for some grub, then retreated to Camp Doris for an open bivy in mid-teen's temps. What a beautiful night.....

note: I'm an idiot. I shot the entire day on ISO 1000. For those of you who understand, you'll agree I'm an idiot. I realize it as we are pulling into the Meers parking lot at the end of the day. I'm an idiot.

This goes out to all the mushy momma's

2009-02-19T15:11:00.011-06:00

Mushy momma's and true photogy's: dig this little ditty.

Bradyn McGowen is a wild man! This good looking kiddo spent the entire photo sesh running around yelling, fighting with sticks, and getting into everything he could. He's gonna be a handful when he grows up but definitely a dude people will want to get into trouble with! He'll be fun..

So Bradyn took a little time to break in to me, but by the end of the shoot he was warm. He probably just remembers me as the tool with a weird black thing attached to his face, snapping his fingers in the air and saying "Hey Bradyn".

This little guy has some striking good looks and bright blue eyes. Breaking the ladies hearts someday....

rocky raccoon training - for those who care

2009-02-19T08:45:00.008-06:00

I posted sometime ago about keeping people updated about my training for the Rocky Raccoon Ultra. I've actually had some people ask what type of work I did to prepare for it. Well, for those of you who actually care I'm posting a full report on my training for this endeavor. For those of you who don't, click command + Q (mac users only).

On this topic, I'll preface the information by telling you that I'm not a "dedicate my life" trainer for events. I see most of my workouts over lunch breaks Monday thru Friday, with some other various cross training mixed in. These other disciplines involve hobbies that I am passionate about doing anyway such as climbing and cycling, so they are gravy activities for me.

I'm not fast. But I can go forever. I have a strong mind which is essential for success in an endurance event. It's mandatory.

As you'll see, I spent most of my time on short workouts at medium to high intensity. My longest run was a 11-12 mile trail run. A lot of high intensity rock climbing strengthened my legs, which I later learned would be beneficial on the trail. You'll also see that I take rest days A LOT.

Andy's 10 Week Rocky Raccoon Training

where have you been, google reader?

2009-02-17T14:39:00.003-06:00

I was in Bicycle Alley on Saturday finishing up with the shoot, and getting insanely wired on coffee, when my friend Sam Duregger walked in the door. I hadn't seen him in quite some time and we got to talking about life and stuff.
Sam is on the cusp of technology, current events, and life (Lifechurch.tv), and he turned me on to Google Reader. Yes, I'm behind. This action is sweet! It's a free application that is set up just like an email inbox. You tell it which blogs/news you follow and it keeps up with them for you. When someone that you follow posts a new blog it essentially comes in to your box as an unread email. If you have a gmail account you can set it up from that. If not, well, I'm not sure what you do.
This may mean nothing to you, but I follow over 20 blogs and it's hard to keep up sometimes.

Ok. There you have it. Run wild.

bicycle alley racing

2009-02-16T15:13:00.008-06:00

Bicycle Alley is a rad bike shop located here in Downtown Oklahoma City. It sits in a busy district called Automobile Alley, on Broadway just south of 10th Street.

BA, as I affectionately like to call it, is bar none the best bike shop in town and I'm regularly in their doors chatting with the guys, looking at the rides, or having them tweak up my steeds. It's a regular social occasion...

Recently I was asked to do some photography work for their racing team over at "BA." The Saturday morning we had planned turned into bum weather, so we took a couple snaps out in the cold and headed indoors for some studio action.

anatomy of the first ultra

2009-02-11T16:07:00.036-06:00

Saturday morning, the 7th of February, started off almost like any other morning...

Wait, no it didn't. Back up.

The iPhone alarm buzzed me out at the crack of 5:30am and it was time to get up. Instantly awake, no drousiness, no eye boogers. I'm ready to run.

Let me preface this post by saying that I'm not a runner. I hate running. I'd rather go to a Celin Dion concert. But my oh my do I like endurance. I like to push it. How far can I go? How much can I hurt? What's the next level of endurance for me?

The night before we had readied ourselves, filling running packs, setting out clothes and pinning on our bib numbers. Tape, Bodyglide, Ibuprofen, socks, shoes, hats and energy gel was strown about the room and I stepped all over it when getting up in the morning darkness. I popped on the light and in 2 minutes I was dressed and ready to roll. Now the waiting game for Lucas, Charlie and Kyle to get jivin.

We arrive at Huntsville State Park, just down the road, around 6:25 and it's a busy-bee hub of ultra runners preparing for the day. People are toting coolers and duffle bags to be dropped off at aid stations, taping and lubricating feet, and standing outside the port-a-john's waiting to drop the "nervous kids" off at the pool. I realize that all I have is my clothing and 3 packets of energy gel. Am I not prepared enough or is all this overkill? I shrug it off, stretch for a second and wait for the start.

30 minutes later 200 hundred runners huddle the starting line as the announcer says "go". We're off. Start my watch. I'm running along side Kyle and we take it major easy to the first aid station about 3 miles up the trail; time 34 minutes. Water, gatorade, and a handful of M&M's and we are off, decending a bit into the trees and down to the water's edge of a lake. I mention to Kyle that if we are running downhill, at some point we'll have to run back up. I thought this was going to be a flat course?

At the 3 mile mark I decided that the slower pace was hurting my knees a bit. Time to speed up to normal gait, and save the legs uneeded pounding. Short hills were becoming quite common and I noticed a lot of people walking them. I'm too proud to walk hills, so I proceed to hammer away at them. I overhear a guy saying to his buddy "Seems to be a lot of newbies this year. Make sure you walk all the hills, you'll thank me at the end." I feel like punching his face but instead keep on going.

The course was an approximate 16.66 mile loop that included a couple of out and backs. Very contrived. But it also gave you the chance to see a lot of people during the day. Wooded single track filled with dirt, sand and the occasional rock garden were intermitten with stumps and tree roots. The occasional straight lined fire/logging road. Quite a fun trail nonetheless and bounding between root and stumps was a fun affair.

By mile 7 I'm keeping the pace and Kyle is right on my heels. We feel good. We open out into a dirt fire road and here comes Lucas running towards us. He's flying fast, looking smooth in his 1970's headband and sunglasses getup. He's soaking with sweat, but looking strong and happy. I look at my watch. I find myself running Lucas' stretch of terrain 25 minutes later and realize just how far ahead he is.....already.

At a certain point, I believe at the 9 mile aid station, I take off and leave Kyle behind eating or drinking or stretching. I'm not sure which. I vaguely spot Charlie's black compression socks and pirate blue shirt in the distance. He has a good pace and I want to catch him for company. 2 miles later at the 13 mile aid station I slap him on the back and we take off together. Good pace.

I'm feeling ok when we finish the first lap. My legs are aching a tad bit, but not bad. Feeling good enough to joke with the volunteers. Something about not knowing I had to run 3 laps, I only thought it was one lap and I was done. Whatever. They didn't get it. Water, gatorade, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, banana, stay away from the Heed, quick stretch. We are ready to take off.

It's an odd, and almost sickening feeling when you are almost 17 miles into a race and realize you still have 33 miles to go. 2 more laps. I feel that pit in my stomach as we roll out into the wooded trail for lap 2.

At this point I'm tight on Charlie's heels. He's keeping pace. We are running well, good timing, and feeling ok. Mile 20. I begin to hurt. Leaving the aid station I walk about 20 yards and choke down a banana with gatorade. I turn around to Charlie (who is right behind me at this point) and blurt "let's make it to the next aid station." We're off. Getting to the 23 mile aid station was a test. My stomach began to upset and my legs were aching. In a bit of a daze at times. STILL NOT WALKING THE HILLS! I pop 4 Ibuprofen at the aid and keep going. At some point I see Lucas running. He's not as chipper, but he's still hauling and I realize that I'm probably over an hour behind him at this point. Lucas the Gazelle.

Somewhere between mile 24 and 30 my mind begins playing games. The first rule was DO NOT THINK OF HOW FAR YOU HAVE TO GO. It becomes a test of making it to the next station. I'm breaking down a 50 mile race into 3 mile legs in between aid stations. I hurt. Pain. Despair is not there, but it's close. I begin thinking about work, my photography and things that I need to get done in the coming months. Take your mind away. That doesn't work. I move on to the traditional/cliche "if I won $50 million what would I do with it". I can't really say how long I played that game, but let's just say I had 4 houses, some killer vehicles and a rock climbing trip planned every week for a year. Last resort, an almost drunken stupor. A zone out. Dazed.

Second lap was a beast, all in all it would be the hardest of the day. But it's done. I eat another sandwich, banana, M&M's, water, gatorade. STAY AWAY FROM THE HEED! ...I see Lucas. But instead of running towards me at 7 minute mile pace, he's standing in the finish area smiling at me. "Are you already finished?" - He was not finished. His legs had locked up on him and he could barely walk, much less run. 34 miles was his day. A very fast 34 miles it was, so no shame. Lucas the Gazelle. Also, somewhere along the second lap I lost Charlie . I can't even remember where he dropped off, but I remember turning around at some point and not seeing him anywhere. I'll see him again.

There is a straight stretch of trail that goes for about 100 yards to the finish of each lap. It's eventually the finish line. It's a beautiful thing to run down that flat stretch of wonderfulness with people cheering you and clapping and waiving... until you realize that you have to go back out for one more lap before you are done. A 50 mile loop course is mentally tough. Everytime you go back out you know exactly what is in front of you. You know the hills you still have to climb, the mentally challenging portions of the trail, and worst of all you feel like you are starting over. I had 33.33 miles down, and was still a full 16.66 more away from the goal. I change from my trail shoes to my comfy road runners with cushy soles. My feet hurt. I hurt. 4 more Ibuprofen? Can't remember. Maybe I took em, maybe I didn't.

I'm off into the last lap and my stomach is churning. I come to a dizzy conclusion: I've ate AND drank too much. 5 bathroom stops in the woods (all number 1, in case you are wondering), and the sugars are stirring the pot in my belly. I decide that water and pretzels will carry me to the finish line. It turns out to be a good choice. First aid station. Water and pretzels. 13 miles out. I'm a half marathon away from the finish line. My legs are aching. Do I have three pound rocks in each shoe? The temperature has reached 80 degrees and I'm baking. I walk for a couple of minutes to recover. I start running. Second aid station. Water and pretzels. Third aid station. Repeat. I'm wasted. Did I black out for the part where someone beats down my quads with a meat hammer? 7 miles out and I'm sniffing the finish line. I speed my pace, then see Kyle coming at me. He's looking good. We stop and chat for a second. He tells me that Charlie's knee acted up on him and he had to stop after the second lap. Bummed that Charlie didn't make it. Psyched that Kyle is looking good. He's mentally strong and although he's still a ways from the end he's determined to finish. I'm confident he will, and we part ways.

It's during this last stretch where you follow a rolling logging road that is straight as an arrow. You can see for a good mile in front of you. It was a trying leg of the race. I'm tired. Mentally defeating. To see a hill in front of you that you are definitely going to have to walk. Yes, I AM NOW WALKING THE HILLS.

Last aid station. Water and pretzels. I'm 4.4 miles from heaven. My pace quickens. I feel energy. Rolling hills and some technical trail cover this last stretch and I'm bookin it. Lifting feet high to miss stumps and roots. Hip flexors on fire. In my adrenaline filled last leg, I pass a good 7-8 walkers as I zero in on 2 miles to go. I've ran this section twice already today. I see signs that lead me to believe I'm close. Remember back to my description of the last 100 yards to the finish line? This time it's applicable.

I cross that line. My timing chip beeps with the sensor. My run becomes walk. Stop my watch. My first 50 is in the books. 9 hours 12 minutes. I'm excited, tired. Hungry. Take my medal. Stretch. Zone out. My shoes come off. Only 3 blisters. I got out good.

The following days bring a barrage of sore muscles. They quickly fade. I'm left with a much more lasting feeling. Emotions: Pride. Confidence. Disappointment that it's over. Psych for the next big thing.

photos by lucas the gazelle

9 hours 11 minutes

2009-02-09T09:32:00.002-06:00

9 hours 11 minutes

I have details on this highly enlightening experience, but they are still in my head.

More to come very soon....

50 Eve

2009-02-06T20:38:00.002-06:00

Sitting in a Huntsville hotel.

Tomorrow at 7 am I'll embark on a new journey into the unknown. I've ran marathons, many 100+ mile road races, and 24 endeavors. But I've never ran 50 miles. Not sure how the ole body will hold up to that.

I gotta say I'm super excited to see what happens. It's so enlightening to see how far you can push the human body and mind till it completely breaks down.

We spent Friday night at Charlie's in Dallas. Slept in. Walked down to Victory Plaza for a cup-a-joe, hit up a glorious running store named Luke's, then lunch at Burger Bar and a drive by into West Village Bicycles......then a quick jet down I-45 into the tall pines of Huntsville.

So I'm sitting here in the hotel room with Lucas, Kyle and Charlie. Psyched to run this thing in the morning.

I'll keep you posted.....

Mountain Khakis

2009-02-05T11:02:00.002-06:00

I was lucky enough to receive an invitation about a year ago to become an ambassador for the Mountain Khakis brand. I had done some photography work for them in the past and had developed a good working relationship with the company through that avenue.

What does an ambassador do? Basically I go out and do some adventure stuff during my life, report on it, and show up to Mountain Khaki sponsored events when they are in my area. And a lot of free pants are involved. Easy decision to say yes...

MK recently asked me to do a blog for them and although I didn't have any super exciting info to share, I figured something out.

You can read my MK ramblings at Built For The Mountain Life.

take a light : go fast

2009-02-02T19:50:00.005-06:00

I had an experience last night......

Intense. Adrenaline. Whipping in and out of the trees in the dark, missing dislocations and broken bones by inches. Sounds in the woods spike heart rate. Lungs grasping for air in the cold night. Brain focusing, and every bit of being is fixed on pure concentration. Tunnel vision follows the light onto dirt, stumps, rocks and blurred trees.

I know there are a select few of you who know what I'm talking about; have experienced and felt the above.
For those who have not, go mountain biking on a crisp cold night.
Take a light.
Go fast.

Pedaling bliss with Nic

2009-02-01T17:00:00.012-06:00

Oklahoma City spent the entirety of last week in a cold, white wonderland of beautiful wintery goodness. Now I know a lot of you would disagree with me, but I loved every bit of it. I relish the difficult elements and the change it brings our lives. Keeps us on our toes, if you will...

It also makes you appreciate days like Saturday. That morning, Chris Marks and I made the short trip up to Lake McMurtry near Stillwater for a little mountain bike action with some guys. Gave me the chance to measure up my skills on my new single speed trail blazer. The dirt was in great shape and it gave way for fast riding.

The cool brisk morning gave way to a warm mid 60's afternoon, so when I scooted back into OKC Nicki and I decided to get out and go for a fun filled bike ride through some different districts of Oklahoma City. It was going to be an afternoon-long outing for us, eating and riding and stopping and hanging and riding and taking in the nice weather.

We decided to start by pedaling down into the shaded streets of the city scape and then heading north, through Mid Town and into Heritage Hills gandering at the upscale historic neighborhoods as we went. Then through the Paseo arts district and on north to the Sushi Neko area on Western. Nicki closes on her new house near Sushi Neko in about a week so we rode by her new place, took a celebratory snap shot on her new porch and made up ideas for her to make the place "hers". We hit Neko, then decided to book it back to the Paseo where we stopped in on the patio of Sauced and had a piece of their classic New York pizza. They had a sweet Motherbike bike rack that caught my eye, so I snapped off a couple frames on it and we were on our way back towards the big city buildings. Nicki fiercely braved the south wind beating me in a sprint to the 4th street light, and into downtown where we stopped and messed around with the camera in front of One Leadership Square.

All in all, a great day of pedaling. We laughed and sang (I sang) and ate, and Nicki even snapped some nice shots of me for a blog that I have been meaning to do for Mountain Khaki for their ambassador program. Score.

Words don't do enough justice (especially when they are coming from me), here's the visual...

i love snow

2009-01-27T16:56:00.004-06:00

Oklahoma City is in the midst of it's first winter storm. Yesterday morning the ice came and coated trees, sidewalks and the streets. Overnight last night, the sleet and snow started to fall and is coming down as I type. It's beautiful.

I love snow. I love cold. I love inclement weather. I love to get outside and enjoy the elements. We as humans were made for adventure; unfortunately we have become domesticated and civilized, refusing to get out in "bad weather" because of the dangers or risk involved.

Stir-craziness got the best of me this afternoon and I decided to get out in the weather for a little snow run. I threw on my Yaktrax and headed out into the snowy urban scape. It was nice, a run full of solitude that a person rarely gets in the city. It was also a great escape into the wild, an adventure.

Thanks Nicki, for taking some shots of me in the snow!

the world is flat

2009-01-14T15:53:00.003-06:00

I have been debating for quite some time about the validity of me posting on topics other than trip reports and photography. Is there really anyone out there that cares about my day to day life? Does anyone care about what I think? Who am I to write about politics or religion and expect someone to take time out of their day to come read about it? I originially only intended to share to "the world" my journeys and photos, however something within me wants to talk more regardless of how many are listening.

I had a good email conversation with my father yesterday regarding my thoughts. Dad is a strong writer, has thousands of followers to his site, and obviously is a big believer in the movement of blogging. I also respect the heck out of him, more than anyone I've ever known. So naturally I listen to what he says.

His written words from an email cut me deep: "You are writing well, keep it up. Isn't the Internet a great tool to express yourself to the whole wide world? I think so. Just 10 or 12 years ago it was virtually impossible to publish your thoughts without a book contract or some sort of publishing outlet, not so any more! That's why I say.....Keep blogging! Just write about life. Somebody's out there listening."

He's right. The World is Flat. We can reach people like never before through our wonderful digital world. So I'm gonna start talkin.

you are lazy

2009-01-13T09:03:00.009-06:00

I had this long, detailed rant typed up about how lazy we are as a people. I had statistics to show, reasons why we should get off our tailbones and do something, and catchy "green" phrases to help motivate us into pedaling somewhere instead of gas guzzling.

But I deleted it all and started over. Sometimes it's just best to get to the point.

Ride your bike somewhere. Stop plopping your growing backside into the plush seats of your car and ride your bike. To the neighbor's house down the street. To the grocery store. To work. To lunch. To church. To the gym. To the game.

Do it once. See how it feels.

In rhythm

2009-01-05T15:30:00.004-06:00

2009 has kicked me into gear.

Thanks to all who attended my little gallery this past Friday night. It was a HUGE success with over 300 people throughout the night coming through to browse my snaps. I was psyched to see a lot of familiar faces of family and friends, and many unknowns as well. Barry and Amy Johnson, owners of Horseshoe Canyon Ranch, even drove the long 5 hours from Arkansas to walk through the gallery and surprise the heck out of me. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw them walking in the door!

So unfortunately I did not bring my camera to the event, so no photos. However, my work will be on dispay until the 29th so stop by if you are in the area.

2008 wasn't the greatest year in the life of Andy Chasteen, but I see 09 as a rebound year. I'm psyched about getting outside, pushing the limits of physical endurance, taking a lot of photos of life, and living for the moment. Cheesy? Maybe. Who cares.

Cheers to 2009!

Breathe

2008-12-29T16:14:00.005-06:00

Christmas is over. I won't bore you with the great time I had with my family, only tell you that I had a great time with my family.

The Christmas/New Year season is full of emotions. Hopefully all of them are good, but I'm not naive to the fact that the holidays can be a tough time for some. Regardless, the season wears us all out. I'm pooped. It's been a busy past couple of months in this life of mine, and I feel pretty dang run down. The good news is there is light at the end of the tunnel. The show on Friday night marks a time of rest for me. I am caught up on client portraits, printing, unprocessed photos, website updating and anything else that gobbles up my free evenings.

I can't wait to breathe.

Christ-mas

2008-12-21T21:44:00.006-06:00

It's been a beautiful couple of days.

I've been in Missouri visiting family for an early Christmas. If I haven't said it already, I relish the moments spent with my family. You can pretty much bet that a fly on the wall would observe ample amounts of laughing, playing, talking, eating and more laughing at a typical Chasteen family gathering.

Yesterday we spent the day in frigid temperatures enduring the cold for a fun time in Branson at the ole' Silver Dollar City park. It was cold. It was windy. It was still busy. Silver Dollar City is beautiful this time of year with neatly placed Christmas lights numbering over 4,000,000 strong lining the entire park. I was in awe. However, the moment that sticks out in my mind from the day was the train ride at 8:30 pm in the dark and cold and wind. During the ride the train stopped in the middle of the woods, lights came on, and an old man with a white beard sitting in a rocking chair starts chatting with us about his wife up the hill in the cabin making some soup. But then he wants to tell us a story before heading into the cabin for dinner. So this old man who actually looks like Santa bursts out into the Christmas story from the Bible.

Now I don't talk much on here about political, religious, moral, or fiscal issues. This is not my soap box. But that train ride was the most refreshing bit of nutrition my soul has had in quite some time. In this day of corporate and social correctness we've lost it all. I'm so sick of hearing "Happy Holidays" I want to puke in my mouth. As cliche as it sounds, Jesus is the reason for the season. Sadly, last night on that cold train was the first time I had heard His name in the whole month of December.

I say Cheers to Silver Dollar City. What a gorgeous display of a large corporation who hasn't given in to the temptation of correctness in this day and age!

I herby declare a ban on the phrase "Happy Holidays".

MERRY CHRIST-MAS

Kansas City

2008-12-17T16:43:00.011-06:00

This past weekend I had the opportunity to make a trip up to Kansas City to attend the book signing for the most gifted artist I've ever known. Jeremy Collins, a great friend of mine, has more talent in his nose hairs than I do in my entire being. His studio is a mess....with geniusnous. Hey, it's a word to me and it explains what I'm feeling so whatever. Anyway, before I go any further go out and take a look at Jer's site and be prepared to puke excellence after seeing his work. www.jercollins.com

So Nicki and I make the trip up to visit Jer and the many other close friends who have convened in his house for the weekend visit.

I have been known to occasionally spew way too many words when it could have been said so much easier with less words than I have used but for some reason I feel like I need to explain myself so much more than I should, so with that I'll Cliff Note this post with the following so I can post some photos:
Kansas City is such a sweet place and one of the top places I'd like to live. Thanks to Jesse Gross for taking Lucas and I on a great trail run and tour (on our bikes) through all the cool districts and sights of KC. Thanks to my sis for making the short drive into the city on Sat morning to run the Kris Kringle run with me. Much thanks to Dick Dower for opening his house and massive bouldering wall to us all on Saturday afternoon for a killer climbing sesh. And the most thanks goes to Jer and his wife Trish for putting up with me, Nicki, Jarod, Lucas, Jason and Eric at their house all weekend. Such a great time!

And now the visual:

Jer's book signing and art gallery premier

Jer sellin it

Lucas snappin

The big day of work at Dick Dower's bouldering heaven:

Kappy giving Dick a kiss, huh?

Jarod

Big Lucas

Jer

Sunday morning I went out to watch Eric compete in the 2008 Cyclocross National Championships and completely got caught up with my camera. I'm psyched about the photos, and am currently processing them. I'll post them soon. Here is a sneak peek:

Art of Yoga

2008-12-16T09:00:00.002-06:00

My work will be on gallery display for the full month of January at the Art of Yoga Studio and Gallery, located at 2920 Paseo Drive in the arts district of Oklahoma City.
Friday, January 2, will be the opening reception and premier beginning at 6 pm. Be there.

Keep the kids coming

2008-12-11T16:12:00.004-06:00

So I've been doing a lot of photos of kids recently. Although I don't feel like this is my specialty, I do love kids and hanging out with them so I have fun doing it. And the more I do it the better I get.

Me and Carter had a good time the other day taking some photos. He's a very well behaved (and well dressed) youngster who laughs a lot and has some big ole blue eyes that bounce back at ya.

Check out this future heart throb to the ladies.

Chas and Karli

2008-12-10T16:07:00.011-06:00

A while back I posted some photos of my niece Corey, who comes from my brother's side. Well, I evidently have a good looking family (no jokes about me) and wanted to show off some more of my bloodlines.

My sister and her husband have a couple of good looking kiddo's that love their uncle Andy. Chas is a football star and Karli is a model student with a tomboy personality that often has her out adventuring with her older brother. I love them both tremendously, and always look forward to playing catch with Chas and hoisting Karli up on my shoulders for a ride.

We spent some time downtown over the Thanksgiving holiday and did some portraiture work. Momma wanted some photos for Christmas cards!

I'm swamped right now with Christmas card requests, but just might be able to fit one or two more in. Just contact me.

Enjoy!

Rocky Raccoon 50

2008-12-05T09:45:00.009-06:00

"Now somewhere in the black mountain hills of Dakota, there lived a young boy named Rocky Raccoon. And one day his woman ran off with another guy; Hit young Rocky in the eye. Rocky didn't like that he said I'm gonna get that boy"
Back in the day (which I heard was a Wednesday), the Beatles sang a cool little Western style honky-tonk song named Rocky Raccoon. It'a about a guy who tries to kill the man who stole his girl, but instead is wounded.

The Rocky Raccoon 50 however, is a 50 mile trail ultramarathon through Huntsville State Park and around Lake Raven in southeast Texas. And on February 7th, 2009, registration confirmation tells me that the RR50 will be my first go at something of that distance.

I have talked a friend and next door neighbor, Kyle Griffith, into participating in this feat of self mutilation with me. So over the next two months I'll be doing everything but running in order to get in shape. I'll be sharing some of my training with you along the way, if you don't mind, because I plan on doing a lot of cycling, weight training, crossfit and believe it or not, rock climbing. I think it will work. We shall see.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T21:56:00.004-06:00

I'm fat.

Thanksgiving is always a great time. I have the best family anyone could ask for. But our Turkey Day is always spent feeding our faces and watching football (and napping during). Well this day was no different.
Except this year the Oklahoma City Turkey Trot was added to the mix. A nice little 8k run with thousands of other families hoping to make themselves feel a little bit better about the meat, dressing, and pumpkin pie soon to be consumed throughout the day.
I decided the run was not for me and instead decided to watch, with coffee in hand, as my sister in law, brother in law, sister, and nephew got after it on the trail.

I hope all had a stellar day with family and friends. Happy Thanksgiving!

Me and Mom at the finish line

My two beautiful nieces, Corey and Karli

My niece Karli in a sprint for the finish line

Chas and Charlie celebrating the finish

The Runners

One for Two

2008-11-17T18:10:00.012-06:00

50% is pretty good when you are batting in baseball but not so hot in grade school.

I was unable to knock off a deer this past weekend, nor was I even able to see one for that matter. I think I might have been too busy text messaging my brother Jon to see if he had seen anything. Regardless, it was a great time of family fellowship. The weather was cold, windy and flurried the entire time. Perfect. Jon got a fat 8-pointer and my dad snagged a trim and fit 6 pointer that actually looked like the better eating. So I'm putting in on the processing costs so I'll have some meat for the year.

Saturday night Nicki and I took off for Tulsa. I was wasted tired so we decided to stop at the McDonalds over the Will Rogers Turnpike to crash in the car for the evening. Up early Sunday morning to finish the trip into T-Town where we met up with some great friends, one of whom was running in the marathon as well. The good news is I killed the marathon in 3:49:42. I had purposefully not ran in a month for a little experiment to see if I could even finish. I know, very foolish. But it worked and I live to tell another story.

This really ended up being more of a trip report, so I'll go ahead and post pics.... Thanks to Nicki for snapping a good deal of these shots.

The Farm

Grandpa and I

In my stand

Dad with the kill

Trusty farm truck transportation

Tulsa Marathon

Kill things, then run.

2008-11-13T13:17:00.012-06:00

I leave this afternoon for a long weekend trip up to Missouri. Every year in November the "fellas" in the family convene at the 500 acre Chasteen farm in southwest Missouri, just east of Springfield. Gramp's place is beautiful rolling hills with thick wooded countryside; and filled with DEER. It's a blasty blast of a time with Grandpa, Dad, Uncle Bobby and my brother. Early morning coffee, brisk country air, and the thrill of the hunt. The problem is, I can't shoot to save my life. My four shots unloaded last year yielded zero deer carcasses. I'd say my chances for 2008 aren't much better.

The Tulsa Marathon happens on Sunday at 8 am sharp. Following the deer massacre (lighten up, they are overpopulated anyway), I'll be jetting to Tulsa on Saturday evening in hopes of finding a spot close to the starting line to squat for the evening. I haven't ran even one mile in approximately a month so I'm wondering what my chances are of finishing???

Wish me luck.

I hate Lucas Marshall

2008-11-07T16:12:00.009-06:00

It's a play on words. You know the movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall? It had the advertisements "www.ihatesarahmarshall.com"? Forget it.

Ok, I don't hate Lucas. I actually consider him a great friend. But I do hold insecurities and self doubt in my relationship with him. You see, I also consider him a dynamite photographer and artist. Photographers are constantly measuring themselves and their work to others. We scour the internet viewing websites of "competitors" with awe, envy and blatant jealousy! I do. Ask anyone who considers themselves a photographer and they'll vehemently deny it, in essence making it very true. Just trust me on this.

So with the weirdest introduction ever, I present to you the genius work of my friend Lucas Marshall. See much, much more of him at www.lucasmarshall.com.

Epic at Thunder/Celtics Game!

2008-11-06T19:26:00.007-06:00

Last night I was the fortunate recipient of an invite to dine in a suite at the Oklahoma City Thunder/Boston Celtics game. Luckily I live about 2 blocks from the Ford Center so Nicki and I walked over through the post-storm wet streets of downtown. If you read my last post you know that I have an addictive personality and you also know that I'm stuck on tilt-shift photography. In the spirit of both, I decided to sneak my D300 and Fisheye lens into the game to try and get some shots of the court......to tilt-shift. Go figure. I buried the gear as deep into Nicki's purse as possible and we successfully made it through the gates (I felt like I had just gotten away with stealing!).

We get into the suite and I start taking photos trying to get the right angle, lighting and formations of the players on the court. Suddenly a security guard comes through the door asking what I'm doing. I freeze! Time stands still and then converts into slow motion like in the movies. I'm at a loss. So I do the first thing that comes to my mind. I run. I get past him and out into the hall, down the stairs, out the Ford Center and into the streets. I don't stop till I'm home with my camera safe in it's F-Stop bag. All the while Nicki has been calling me trying to find out where I've gone. She is stuck in the suite with a bunch of strangers and is ready to leave. I make my way back over to the Ford Center but I can't get in so she has to come out to meet me.

So needless to say I screwed up a beautiful night in a corporate suite at an NBA game so I could feed my tilt-shift fetish.
The photos didn't even turn out....

Ok, the second part of the story was a lie. I had no good, exciting material and I wanted to post this crappy photo.

Tilt and then Shift

2008-11-04T09:00:00.009-06:00

I have an addictive personality. I'm not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing. I tend to overdo whatever I'm doing. At times. Sometimes. It's a good thing I don't smoke crack...
So I've have been stuck on a photography technique called Tilt Shift which uses a special lens to create a very shallow depth of field. Basically, there are two different types of movement in it: rotation of the lens, called tilt, and movement of the lens parallel to the image plane, called shift.
Well, I don't have an expensive tilt shift lens nor will I probably ever buy one but I've been working on different techniques to achieve the same effect, essentially "miniature faking" to make the photo look like a miniature model of the real thing.

Have a look.

Tony Mayse on Lost My Religion 12b, Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge

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Jer Collins on Ra 11d, Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge

Downtown Oklahoma City on a stormy fall evening, 2008

Aaron Gibson on his chipped 120 ft route Xodus on the southwest corner of Rocktown Gym, Oklahoma City

Crossfit

2008-10-30T09:00:00.008-05:00

I am very late in doing so, but have slowly bought into the Crossfit thing. Its been a busy summer of events and my right arch has been bothering me during the run. Turns out that I am running the Tulsa Marathon in less than 3 weeks with only a couple of 5 milers under my belt. I need to be doing something other than eating potato chips on my couch.
Last week I did my first workout, which was pretty weak. It consisted of rounds of 20 push ups, 5 pull ups and 20 sit ups in a period of 20 minutes. All in all, I got in 160 pushups, 40 pull ups, and 160 sit ups. Yesterday I did another, my second; 10 pushups on gymnastic rings, 20 body weight squats and 20 sit ups in 20 minutes. That equalled 80, 160 and 160 respectively.
We will soon see if my committment level is in it. These 20 minute slash fests are making me pretty sore (kind of ashamed to admit), but I hope to reach the fitness level of my boy Jer soon. The good news is it does seem to be working.
Before and after....

2008-10-28T08:31:00.006-05:00

Day Trip Report

Sunday a small group of us decided to make the short drive down to the Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge for some backcountry climbing at Lost Dome. LD is a south facing formation in the Charon's Wilderness Garden area that is a great destination for cold winter climbing due to catching sunlight all day long.

At 5:30 am me, Andrew, Shane, Steven and Nicki packed into my rig and we booked it down in the dark, pulling into the parking lot just in time for the refuge light. 40 minutes later we were standing under Lost Dome in the chilly morning air, looking up at the imposing wall and getting psyched for a day of pulling.

Being that I am massively out of shape I opted for warm up laps with Andrew on Come Get Your Love (10a) while Steven and Shane started up Larry's Folly (8+) to get the top rope set up for Steven's proj, the refuge benchmark 12a Rap Bolters From Hell. Four laps later, my aching muscles, gasping lungs and raw finger tips signal that my climbing day is almost over. What?

I'm licking my wounds about the time Steven redpoints Rap Bolters and we are hootin and screaming. Spirits are high when Tony and Lori Mayse show up. Tony sets up some TR's on classic routes for us to work (Thanks Tony!).

Fast forward to 4 pm and we are hiking out of the Gardens. The climbing day is done.

We get back to the city in just enough time to grab a shower and a bite to eat before walking over to the Kings of Leon show at the Coca Cola Event Center. Stellar show!!!

Corey

2008-10-25T09:59:00.025-05:00

I have the most beautiful niece in the world. No, I'm not biassed. My view point is not skewed by bloodlines. Corey has some massive blue eyes and a big bright smile that knocks ya down. She is outgoing, laughs constantly, and loves everyday of her early and inexperienced world.
Ok, so I might be a little biassed...

I dig taking photos of Corey, and this past Tuesday was was no different. We took her out downtown in some spots around my apartment and did some shoot shoot shoot.

You agree with me.

I BLOG

2008-10-24T14:48:00.005-05:00

I'm not new to the blog world. I've been reading many friends and colleagues "rants" and "opinions" for years. Shoot, my father is the master blogger. He actually sports I BLOG on his personalized Oklahoma license plate.

But I've been reluctant to begin this little endeavor in my own life. Maybe I don't want others to see into my life? Maybe I have a hard time with reflection? Maybe I'm afraid that my blog will suck and no one will read it? Who knows why...

I'm stepping into the unknown here. This might be my first, and last, post but I'm at least going to try it out.

In this new endeavor I'll mostly likely spew about my adventures, thoughts (maybe not so much), photos, and maybe even some political or social views (ok, I'll probably leave that alone too).

Add me to your favorites and check back in from time to time. This could possibly get good.

I'm in.