Sunday, December 25, 2011

Help Rocky Mountain Outward Bound!

Rocky Mountain Outward Bound needs help!
Some of the fondest and impactful experiences of my life have occured on Outward Bound courses. I was exposed to outdoor education in undergrad, when my roomate signed up for a three credit elective called Outward Bound, and told me I could get credit for going rock climbing. And that first course was the first taste of an entirely new field and view of life. I'd gone from geology, to zoology, to biology majors, and found that I could in fact get a degree from the University of New Hampshire in outdoor education. From there I worked in several educational settings, but leading OB courses in Colorado, Utah, and Arizona for five years has changed me positively like no other experience I can imagine. The remote mountains and deserts I visited were incredible, but what my students learned was vastly deeper than what I could see, as they saw it only once.
Now Colorado Outward Bound, as it used to be known then, needs help. If you can relate to the outdoors, have taken an OB course, or know a student who has been impacted, please consider donating a small amount to the Rocky Mountain Outward Bound School (the names have changed over the years but RMOBS, COBS, and Marble Base Camp are basically interchangable names for what is Rocky Mountain Outward Bound). The national headquarters of OB has struggled for years, as have all the supported branches of OB, and now RMOBS needs to raise funds in these last few days of December to stay afloat.
Please consider helping in a small way before the end of the year.. see below..
HOW TO DONATE: As the Friends of Marble Foundation is still in the process of securing non-profit status, we have established a “holding account” at The Denver Foundation so that donors can receive a tax deduction for their donation. To donate, simply... Donate directly to the FOM fund at The Denver Foundation by mailing a check to The Denver Foundation, 55 Madison Street, Denver, CO 80206. Be sure to “earmark” your donation to the Marble Base Camp Fund. To donate through the Denver Foundation online using a credit card, go to the donate now page on their website, scroll down to the middle of the page and select "Marble Base Camp Fund" from the drop down list.Credit cards are convenient, though 2 to 3 % of your donation goes to card company processing fees. Using either payment method, The Denver Foundation will acknowledge your donation and provide tax documentation. Before the end of 2011, the Friends of Marble Board will “bundle” these donations and make a gift to the Rocky Mountain Outward Bound School Board.IMPORTANT: So that the Friends of Marble Board can track total donations, please send an email to Marlene at llama@rof.net when you’ve made a donation. Please tell us when you donated and how much you gave.WHEN TO DONATE: While donations will always be accepted and appreciated, it is URGENT that we help RMOBS meet its $500,000 fundraising goal by December 31, 2011. Therefore, PLEASE consider making your contribution before year’s end.INTERESTED IN TALKING WITH A Friends Of Marble BOARD MEMBER? If you would like to discuss this situation or have questions about making a donation, please feel free to contact any of the board members listed here. Send an them an email and provide your contact information so we can reach you. Also, let us know when it is best to call you (evening, daytime, etc.). Please remember....ALL donations “count” and help us achieve our goal of preserving the Marble base camp. Give what you can and then celebrate our collective effort to re-establish Outward Bound in Colorado AND save Marble.

Friday, December 9, 2011

2012's coming up quick

Yosemite in October: Yes, it's uphill all the way back from the Sequoia groves. This is 75lbs of child.


The Brood; Ava, Ellen, Dave, Connor

Been having an awesome late fall in California. It feels like we are finally, after two years here, starting to adjust and settle in. Having two little ones and being in school leaves time for little else, but I have somehow been able to squeeze in training and enough races to have had one of my best years. Go figure. Busiest person is the one getting it done, but it isn't without it's price.
I didn' run JFK or TNF 50, which I am pleased about in hindsight. I went out for a three hour run to check the TNF race action and pace Jason Schlarb and felt the adrenaline and itchiness to be out there, but knowing I would not have been ready to mix it up. I didn't take time off from training n October and November: I ran easy hour runs in October and wound things up as November progressed. I think this will pay off, as I feel recharged and ready to go. School has been nutty anyway so the mellow running was a good thing.
Next order of business is Bandera 100k, which will largely be a tune up to get the race year off to a good start. I will not have run more than 3 hours prior, which is fine, but I will be feeling it hour 6 for sure. Since this is a Montrail Cup race I am guessing I will run the series again, which means I will probably be at WS 100. I keep banging my head against that Sierra head wall and one day it will fall over.. or on top of me.
Didn't get into Hard Rock, so I gots either Leadville, UTMB, or the new Steamboat race in September. UROC, Lake Sonoma, TNF 50.. something else here and there not sure what just yet
I will be in clinicals all year so my rotation schedule is still not set.. what is for sure though is that we will be in Colorado for most of it with a few months back here in the Bay Area for more book type stuff. If I can get a few evening or morning runs in I will make he season happen.
All in all it should be a great year!