Long Tiny Loops
During COVID lockdowns, people around the world have completed varying degrees of crazy activities in very limited spaces. From parking lot marathons to single-story stair climbing Everestings, it seems we…Read more
Adventures
Mapping Possibilities
Maps are an important part of my life. As a former graphic designer, I have a special place in my heart for a good map. Metro maps, letter press world…Read more
The Marathon Protagonists
Sunday, December 8, 2019 was one of the most fulfilling days of my athletic career. Instead of chasing my own goal, I was a pacer at the California International Marathon…Read more
Cerro Noroeste and Quatal Canyon Summer and Winter Exploration
File this one under "things to do on the way to L.A.". I've eyed the taller peaks in Los Padres for many years, but few people have documented their visits,…Read more
Dirty Kanza – It Doesn’t Get Any Easier
Observations from a day spent clinging to the lead group in the Dirty Kanza 200. What I ate, what I would have done differently, and will I be back? I…Read more
Costa Rica and Nicaragua in Spandex 2016
For most international bike racing adventurers, one lap around a country lacking first world comforts is adequate to acquire the experience. Not so for Blake. In October 2016, he returned…Read more
The Hardest Hundred
Hands down, no question, without a doubt the most ridiculous bike ride I have ever done in a single day, full stop. Two months off the bike, then one hundred…Read more
Kern River to Mt Whitney
A story about buying cheap boots, mostly sitting in an office (or on a saddle) and never going hiking, and deciding to summit Mount Whitney at the end of a…Read more
A Tale of a 10k and a Pie Eating Contest
The last 10k run I raced, I was unmarried, thirty pounds lighter, and ten years younger. I also considered myself a runner then. But when an injury prevented me from…Read more
Unexpected Alpine Trails of SoCal, Part 1: Transverse Ranges
Growing up in NorCal, I always pictured the region south of Monterey as one big desert wasteland. The Mojave and San Joaquin Valley are certainly two vast areas I try…Read more
Stoker, Engage!
The engagement wasn’t a surprise, but it is a good story, which, in the end, seems more appropriate for us. Biking to the top of the Santa Barbara front range…Read more
How to Lose a Girl in 5,280 Vertical Feet
The Grand Canyon is a mile deep from the rim to the Colorado River far below, and that's how deep of a hole I dug for myself in a day…Read more