2012 Xterra Trail Running World Championship

Here are some views from the 2012 Xterra Trail Running World Championship.  I finished among all the blood and guts on trail without much incident.  Lots of falls, sprains and some screams of pain up on the ridge line (didn't sound good at all)   This was my first trail run and needless to say lots going on during this kind of run.  Especially with all these excellent views to check out.  Heck I may do it again!!

The Furley

My daily commuter

Been doing a "little" hiking but not much for my prep for the AT.  I've got into commuting big time since my last post.  I'm riding about 13 miles a day to work.  It's been a great trip so far as I sold a road bike and picked up a cyclocross/urban setup to deal with the terrain I ride every day.  For some reason the people in Hawaii feel the need to smash glass on the pavement.  That combined with thorns and sharp rocks resulted in five flats in 16 trips.  Not fun or economical for someone trying to just get to work!  So far only one flat in my first 100 miles which is good compared to my previous milage.  My goal here is to get my daily exercise in during the week.  I'm still doing some running on weekends, but I'd like to use this as my weight control effort.  I did a physical assessment the other day and I ended up smoking it with no practice in the previous six months.  The bike must be doing its job.   I run a eXterra 1/2 in about a month so we'll see how this conditions me for it. I'll keep ya posted!

Site moving to Wordpress Platform

Blogger has been good, but Wordpress allows me to work from mobile platforms.  Visit the new site at http://rc4f.wordpress.com/.

Wordpress was junk..we're back!!!  I'll bring the content over soon!

Coleman 4D CPX6 High-Tech LED Lantern

Picked up the Coleman 4D CPX6 High-Tech LED Lantern to add to my camping and home emergency gear.  I was looking to upgrade to a LED based light source to replace my aging and nearly broken florescent lantern.

Here are some of the features of the CPX6:

• CPX™ system means you can operate on included battery cartridge and 4D batteries, or the rechargeable power cartridge (sold separately)
• Up to 300 hours of runtime on low
• Rubberized light adjustment dial on lantern
• 190 lumen output on Coleman® LED Duo battery lantern
• Twin reflectors maximize lighting output and coverage
• Tough polycarbonate globe
• Steel bale with rubber overmold
• Great for camping, emergencies, adding to outdoor decor!
• Light includes 4 D battery pack
• Optional 6V rechargeable battery pack available
• Safe, flameless light for fun, camping, blackouts, or emergencies.
• Cutting edge Cree Xlamp® technology with the XR-E LED lights
• Product weighs up to 44.9 oz with power source
• Product weighs up to 24.4 oz without power source

LED lantern has a normal in Hi-Lo switch. This lantern can be adjusted steplessly to the strongest light OFF. This lantern can be illuminating because it built large reflector. XPS power supply is optional rechargeable battery can be used. It's pricing is what sold me and it does a great job for a battery powered lantern.  

Trail Tuna Noodle Casserole Recipe

Ever since I was a kid I've loved tuna noodle casserole.  It's that home cooked meal you need every once in a while...especially my moms.  She use to make it "perfect" every time and I try to achieve that about once a month on my own at the house.  As a follower of the YouTube channel UrbanPrepper I saw he was having a "Bug Out Cook Out" contest.  I wondered if I could make tuna noodle (aka tuna nooda as my son calls it) on my backpacking pot and stove.  So I generated a recipe and gave it a shot.  Here is the end result:

I'm very surprised how it came out.  I'm sure I could tweak the ingredients and make it very close to "my" homemade version, but this was darn near perfect on the first shot.  I searched the web to see if another folks were cooking this dish on trail (after my first attempt) and found a few variants, but they were nowhere near my version with a creamy mushroom base.  Total success as far as I'm concerned.

So now I can basically cook a home cooked meal on the trail.  Perfect way to prepare for a chilly night on the mountain.  Thanks for the motivation UrbanPrepper!

DIY Alcohol Backpacking Stove Test Burn

So this weekend I got into building some lightweight alcohol burning stoves for backpacking.  I've been watching Tinny and WoodenArrows on YouTube and they've got me thinking of how I can build some stoves and pots for myself.  

I started with some Dollar Store aluminum water bottles and some Miller Light aluminum bottles.  The video below is the first "useable" stove I made.  I pretty much crushed the first one (on left) when I was trying to fit the two parts together and the third (on right) I changed the jet arraignment to see if I could make it more efficient.  I used the beer bottles to make some lightweight versions that are still being finished.  I plan on testing those soon.  As you can see these stoves can heat water quickly.  This one is the stove in the middle.  I still need to build a windscreen and do some actual field testing before taking these little guys with me.  

 

10th Annual Rock and Roll Half Marathon Virginia Beach

Today was the 10th Rock and Roll 1/2 Marathon in Virginia Beach.  I ran the first one and several others since, but unfortunately today I was a spectator.  This race will always be special because it was my first distance race, but the "draw" has faded for this old timer.  Two main reasons really - first the course seems so limited especially for what Virginia Beach can offer in terms of routes and scenery.  I love the bands and live music, but running a good chunk on one road and a military base is "BORING"!!  That plus the price of this race is absolutely insane at around $9 dollars a mile.  Those two items were really turn-offs for me.  I'd would much rather run the Williamsburg Half for 1/3 of the price.

Regardless I will always support the local runners that use this as the springboard to longer distances and events!  Rock ON!