Brian’s Blog

The BSIM has definitely kicked off a “Big Sur” chain of events for me now lately! After running the 26.2 miles from Big Sur back to Rio Rd in Carmel, the very next weekend I drove down with my friend Ephraim on the 6th of May to do some hiking all day long. We went to Pfeiffer Big Sur at first, then decided we actually wanted to be at Julia Pfeiffer Burns for the famous McWay Falls – one of the most scenic and well known sites in Big Sur! After hiking a bit there, feeding a bird (yes, it’s bad I know) and doing a trail lunch ourselves – we were off to a explore a beach, some sea caves, and Limekiln SP a little further south. See the photoalbum of pics.

Just last night, I spent my first night camping in Andrew Molera State Park… the unique part was this was a Wednesday night and I had class at 8:00am today! I saw it as a challenge and great opportunity, and couldn’t resist as I was taking my 2 French guests from the HospitalityClub down there anyways. We met a couple surfers heading south, camped out together and just had a good time. I packed up camp starting at 5:30am this morning, had a quick breakfast and saw off Eloi and Damien (who were probably going back to sleep)! I remembered to say “Au revoir” as I parted and wished them both luck hitchiking to LA and San Diego. Maybe I’ll meet them in France some day? That’s the beauty of the hospitality club!

This morning I took part in the 21st running of the Big Sur International Marathon (results online), and I did suprisingly well! My final chip time was 3:48 (about 8:45 min/miles) though it took me over 2.5 min just to reach the starting line after the gun shot off! So my official time was 3:51, placing 508 overall out of nearly 3,000. My longest training run had only been 2 hours long for 14 miles, so I had no serious plans to attain a sub 4 hour run, but luckily I was able to! One shocker was that I was just trying to keep up with this 17 yo female runner, while a guy the same age finished in 3:21! Quite impressive for high schoolers. I was actually perhaps in my running prime at this age though, running XC in high school just before I was diagnosed with cancer. For the next time, I’ll train harder (with at least one 20+ mile training run) and be sure to bring a small camera in effort to finish under 3:30 and have my own pictures to remember it by.

Update: Monday morning – it feels like every muscle in my legs took a serious beating yesterday! (mostly quads, hammies, glutes, calves and knees)
Update: Official photos are now online at marathonfoto.com, see mine here.
Update: the Monterey Herald newspaper has a photo slideshow online.

To walk or not to walk? – that is the question! Past Olympic marathoner and present nationally renowned running coach Jeff Galloway recommends taking walking breaks during a long run simply because “If you use a muscle continuously, it fatigues rapidly,” he states. Walking just a minute gives the muscles a chance to “revive” themselves to continue running again. I personally have always thought that walking was “giving in” during a run, and so I’d only ever slow down to a slow jog. During the marathon though, I did do some speedwalking in some of the aid stations and a couple times in the Carmel Highlands to help give me enough energy to start actually “running” again. I had thought I could just “sprint” the last 2.2 miles, but that was an error! Perhaps I might have had more energy if I walked some?

Dean Karnazes, perhaps the fittest man alive, ran a marathon warmup down to the starting line (instead of taking the bus) and then ran the official BSIM in a time of 3:33. I fortunately did get to run along side him from mile 10-11 up Hurricane Point, perhaps the most challenging part of the race! Meeting up with Dean on the course was great. The day before I had heard him speak at the expo, bought his book Ultramarathonman, got it signed and chatted with him a bit. He is really a down-to-earth guy simply living a life that is inspirational.

Our team “I Left My Wallet in San Francisco” finish 5th in our division (open mixed) and in 35th place overall with a time of 28 hrs 23 mins to finish the 199 mile course. The 2006 Race Results are now online to examine for yourself. Once I get my camera back (which I Left in San Francisco) I’ll post my pics online, but here’s some others:

• Hannah’s pics on kodakgallery.com (requires login)
• Nicole’s pics on smugmug.com (I shot a couple of these)
• Thy’s pics on smugmug.com from Van 1
• My Pics (finally) from the camera “I left in San Francisco!”

Team Dean Karnazes with Jim Joe Green of The North Face finished near the end with a total time of nearly 34 hours – but then again, this was only 2 men instead of 12 running the 199 mile relay! Luckily I did get to meet Dean out on the course at one of the exchanges late Saturday night, but unfortunately I didn’t take any pictures. It was a great fun weekend adventure, we had a team full of great runners, and we all got to make a few new friends. Also, I should say that the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company team should have definitely won any “Team Spirit” award for so regularly cheering on all the runners in the race! Giving out free chocolate was a highlight of the event as well!

April 16th: Ultra-marathoner Dean Karnazes story on NPR.org plans to run 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days.

I just saw the movie V for Vendetta tonight with my friend Ephraim, and I must say that even though I never read the comic it is “an incredible film!” (though I’m sure Tsotsi is too – but that will have to wait for another night) The film is incredibly provocative, touching of topics such as 9-11 and the War on Terror but also includes artistic citations to many other influential books and films (1984, Count of Monte Cristo, etc) that certainly help to invoke the same sense of fear and helplessness of living in a totalitarian dysutopian future.

The Wachowski brothers should be given credit for once again so skillfully mastering a juxtaposition of references to so many ideas from philosophy, religion, history, and sci-fi along with a compelling story-line and great action in this film — the exact same combination that made The Matrix such a success. “V” is definitely one of those films that will make you think –which are the ones I love the most — and it is executed especially well, with a good flair for art and suspense. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. To steal a line from the film, “Artists use lies to show the truth” (this movie is full of great quotes too by-the-way) and so the dual question arises about V’s means… do the ends justify the means? is there a time and purpose for “terrorism”? is revolution considered terrorism?

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I just found out that I placed in the top 10 of this years Big Sur Mud Run! Check the April 1st results here. This was my first race in over a year for sure, but even with the rugged terrain, a few muddy obstacles, and wearing 10lb water-logged shoes… I managed to scrounge up a 7:41 min/mile pace for the 5 miles. My friends on Team “Cybercorps” took 11th place in the mixed teams with a 12 min/mile pace. Great job Rafe, Buddy, Mario, Binh and Julia!

One thing I should have posted about sooner, is that I signed up to run The Relay with the team “I Left My Wallet in San Francisco” out of San Mateo. I just found out about the 199 mile relay a couple weeks ago (well past the registration deadline) but found a team that needed a runner, and so I’m in! So today I intended to make the 2hr drive up from Monterey to go meetup and run with some of my teammates — unfortunately I overslept to get there on time. =( So instead, I went on my own along the trail to Ft. Ord for a 14 mile run out-and-back.

I reached 2nd Ave (where the Mud Run took place yesterday) almost exactly 1 hour into my run, and then made it back exactly 1 hour later (within 1-2 minutes) for 8.5 min/miles. The trail only has a few sections of off-pavement opportunities, so I’m a little worn out (right knee tight and right glute still sore for the past few months, but shins and left arch feeling ok). And to think, I’ve only got 4 weeks to go until the Big Sur Marathon! I’m not quite in the condition where I wanted to be training wise (running 7 min/miles like in my half-marathon 2 years ago) since I’ve had to take a few off-days with school/weather, but at a good pace I think my body may be able to hold up for 26 miles… maybe?!

I had quite an adventure back in Feburary when I hiked out to Sykes Hot Springs on the Pine Ridge Trail in the Ventana Wilderness. I started my hike a bit too late in the evening (5:30pm) which only left me with 30 minutes of sunlight. As it got increasingly dark under the forest canopy, I lost track of the main trail and began looking for a place to setup camp before it got too dark to do so comfortably. The first campgrounds are actually 5 miles into the hike (1.5 hrs or so of hiking), so be prepared for this if you go! Even with my little mixup – I did make it out to the springs and back all in 1 day without any problems, and wrote up my trip report in How To Hike Sykes Hot Springs (wiki) as a reference for others planning to make the same hike. If you have the time, I would recommend making this an overnight trip to really enjoy the beautiful surroundings at a relaxed pace.

Select the Read the rest… link for my trail condition report below, as there are a few obstacles and downed trees on the first 5 miles out from the Big Sur Station parking lot.

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Two of my friends recently celebrated their birthdays, Jane on Feb. 16th and Ed on Feb. 20th. For Jane’s suprise dinner we visited **Sapporo’s Japanese Steakhouse** in Monterey on the municipal warf. This is one of those Japanese steakhouses that not only serves great food, but entertains you as it is prepared before your eyes on the grill! The also had sushi orders and I tried a “pineapple boat” desert which was impressive and tasted great.

For Ed’s dinner, he definitely wanted some steak so we went decided to check out AJ Spurs in Marina after Monterey Joe’s was unable to confirm my reservations (they were in fact closed). I had seen advertisements for Monterey Joe’s but never heard any reviews, then I had never of AJ Spurs but people started saying how great it was. Apparently the lesson here is: if the don’t advertise, perhaps they don’t need to and just let their food and word of mouth speak for itself! I ordered the top sirloin with grilled calamari for $24,99, and then found out what all is included in the meal: a house soup and bbq beans, cesar salad, galric bread, and a root beer or liquor for desert! Definitely a great dinner at a great value. I would highly recommend both of these restaurants.

I’ve been meaning to write about a couple of my recent activities and adventures lately, but just haven’t had the time to sit down and write it all up (even though I’ve gotten pretty good at using the Dvorak keyboard layout now)! Unfortunately, I’m not any faster than I was at using the Qwerty yet – but it has only been about a month, and I’ve gotten quite proficient (need to run a speed test sometime) but have not been practicing any more than my regular necessary typing.

I’ll admit, it is very difficult going back to the Qwerty layout now – I have to look for every key I type! For the first 2 weeks, I could “switch on/switch off” between Dvorak and Qwerty, because I was still thinking for a split second “where” the key is located on Dvorak. Now it is all intuitive – a natural response – but every so often a nerve will still think Qwerty on me and go astray!

So, a quick summary of latest activities that I haven’t had time to write about, but could add a full page or blog post about each:

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My friend Alex and I spent the weekend sailing and got our Basic Keelboat Certification (BKB) though Monterey Sailing and the NPS Sailing Association. Our “Capt. Dan” was very experienced sailor and helpful instructor as we learned to maneuver our 22′ boat around the Monterey bay through wind, fog and the most tricky – no wind. =)

Just in time for Halloween, I found an awesome sailor jacket at the Goodwill — which I thought was perfect now that I can finally call myself a “sailor” (even though I’m just a civilian at the Naval Postgraduate School). Thanks to Rachel and Ken for the great parties this weekend! Among the Halloween Pics check out the Bannana, Criss Cross and Sailor roommates…

Tibetan monks from the Gaden Shartse monestary came to visit Monterey the weekend of Oct. 22nd, giving translated lectures on their teachings, spiritual blessings, and astrological readings. This 18 month tour of theirs takes them around the United States in a fundraising drive to support their 5,000 fellow monks in the monestary back in southern India. (post added Feb 2006)

Renowned environmentalist and author (End of Nature, The Age of Missing Information) Bill McKibben spoke at MIIS earlier this week on Oct. 13th. I wish I had taken notes, because what he had to say was quite profound and tended to invoke some self reflection, but he also did it with a sense of humor in an easy going conversational manner. Some of the key points I remember taking away from his talk include:

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On Oct 11th, my friend Kyle Hoback emails me his Chicago Marathon time of 3:43:00 and pictures to prove it! My last serious long run was a half-marathon in May 2004… over a year-and-a-half ago. Back then, it was Kyle too who incited me to run this race, as I trained for the full marathon. I followed Kyle over to Norway to study abroad and now I’ll follow up with a full marathon – a lifetime plan of mine that I had put on the back burner recently.

Now I’m training for the Big Sur International Marathon in April 2006 along Hwy 1 – considered one of the best and most scenic marathons in the world. As I’ve just started training, I’ll only assist with the Big Sur Half-Marathon next month, but will be running in the Big Sur River Run this weekend – Oct 22nd. Just today, my friend Mario joined me out in Pfeiffer Big Sur SP on his bike as I went for a 45min run around the park. The race this weekend will be my first since my TNT half-marathon! I’m a bit nervous and just working to keep myself injury-free and strong for the upcoming run.

It’s been almost one month since I last posted and a lot has happened! I had just prepared a final Norway presentation at school to encourage students to study abroad, was packing up for the drive out to California on Sept 10th, had a long drive and met my Aunt Grace and her new husband Russ in Pismo Beach, visited San Jose briefly to see my mother fly home as I flew down to San Diego for Toorcon that weekend, started school, finally got moved into my room, and have started graduate school in Monterey. =) So now that that is over, I went kayaking today!!!

I was reading the Paddling Big Sur article in September’s National Geographic Adventure magazine before coming out to Cali, and told myself I really wanted to try this! So, today I heard of a 50% off deal on used kayaking equipment at Monterey Bay Kayaks downtown and checked it out. As I started talking with the gentleman there, explaining that I’ve never kayaked before but am looking to get involved after reading said article… he says, ‘Yeah, that’s me in the article. They sure took a lot of pictures though.’ Yes, it was Bryan Jones – the guide to Big Sur kayaking in the NG article. I got my copy signed too! Sweet.

I tried out some of their used kayaks on sale for 50% off (new price) including: a river kayak ($325) without a skirt though-so it filled with water quickly, an open-top surfing kayak ($350) that was pretty fun in the waves and self draining, and finally one touring kayak ($450) that was a bit big… but comfortable and probably good for open water kayaking and keeping dry with a neoprene skirt. I have my eye on that one, but I just bought textbooks, a mp3/video toy to gamma test, and lots of travel expenses lately. Waiting for my first paycheck! Also need a bike for commuting to school.

Since I’m starting orientation at a new school on Sept. 19th and have not even been to a con this calendar year (21C3 was just before new years) I thought I’d check out Toorcon (Sept. 16-18th) for the first time. My major incentive to go was that my main hacker-con buddy of mine was going… but then she bailed out (something about a new job – how lame is that? -j/k).

So, anyone want to join me in beautiful San Diego? Allow me to assist the decision making process for you:

1. Cheap Flights on Southwest.com (and kayak too)
2. Cheap Stay at Downtown San Diego or USA hostels just blocks from the con!
3. Great Lineup of speakers including Dan Kaminsky (whose presentations always rock) so you’re sure to enjoy!
4. It’s in S a n   D i e g o

Check it out and register now online by the 7th for only $70! (and a free T-shirt!) Drop me a line if you plan to be out there!

I now have less than 1 week left of my summer out in Maryland. Just this week we had the farewall lunch at the Silver Diner (I thought the burgers were great!) and I gave my presentations of my work for the summer. I’ve enjoyed my summer, but alas, it always seems to go so fast… perhaps that’s how we know it was great!? I have got to spend some time with old friends, make new ones, explored some of the east coast, and now it’s time yet again to return home to family and activities in Nebraska. I’ll get back just in time to prepare for my brother’s wedding! Just another time marker for new beginnings as I give closure to my summer here, and also a new beginning with graduate school classes to begin in September.

In brevity, just a few of the things I’ve gotten to experience this summer include (each a story in itself): trip to NYC (cheap bus to chinatown, great hostel, bad hostel), white water rafting, hiking the Appalachian trail and biking DC with Eric (photos), hiking Sugarloaf Mtn. with Dan, took in an Orioles game with John, the DC United vs. Chelsea game with Eric and Mark, 4th of July fireworks on the mall, some practice dancing, hike to Calvert Cliffs, memorial day in DC, young adult church group meetings and activities – including sailing!, discovered Theology of the Body, read 1984 and Boy Meets Girl, and learned a lot about working in research (yeah to gnuplot!). Photo links updated

Just got back this evening from my first MLS game, and it was actually with last seasons champions DC United vs. Chelsea – last years champions of the English premier. DC united got the first goal in the 31st minute, matched shortly thereafter by a goal from Chelsea. Chelsea kept the pace up, with the only goal in the 2nd half for a 1-2 final score I don’t really follow sports, but I do enjoy soccer/football – and this was a great game to see… even though my roomate Mark and I had to pay $30, $35, $45, $65 just for tickets! I did get to meetup with my good friend Eric at the game though, and we made some plans for camping out this weekend. (will have some pics soon)

I’ve finally uploaded my pictures from the 4th of July. Some friends and I spent that afternoon and evening out in Washington D.C. for the national fireworks display. We laid out a spot on the grass next to the Lincoln Memorial around the middle of the afternoon, without any shade on a hot day… yet I managed to get some reading done. When evening fell though, it cooled off and we had one of the best seats in the house for the fireworks! I will try to upload some videos I made with my camera online soon!