I hiked the historic Quiksilver Trail in Almaden Quiksilver Park in San José on Saturday. Boy Scout Troop 2xx compiled the historical information about this hike as an Eagle project. The highlighted trail takes you past the ruins of the first economic boom of San José—the New Almaden Quiksilver Mine.
The New Almaden Mine, named by its Spanish founders for the Almaden mine in Spain, pumped out millions of tons of quicksilver (mercury) in the 1800s, a critical component of gold production during the gold rush. During its heydey, the town of New Alamden at the base of the mountains housed 1800 residents. It was a bustling manufacturing town, much more so than the farming center of San José twelve miles to the north.
Last Sunday I had a fantastic twelve mile hike staying just ahead of the fog through the urban/rural environment of San Francisco.
I met with 18 other members of the Sierra Club Black Mountain Hiking group, plus a couple of people from the San Jose Hiking Meetup group at the (free!) parking lot at Fort Mason. Most of us had come from the South Bay where temperatures were expected to reach 95, so we happily donned light jackets in the fog-threatened air. We headed west along Marina Boulevard, ogling the gorgeous homes fronting the yacht harbor. Of course, we all pulled out our PDAs to Zillow the prices of such desirable real estate (FYI, 3–4 mil).
I've finished the Full Vineman triathlon, the second of my three events for this year and my first full Ironman-distance triathlon. Nearly 550 participants completed the race, which is billed as the oldest Ironman-distance race in the continental United States. Surprisingly, it turned out as expected: I'd projected a 14-hour race, and I did it in 13:54. I wasn't too concerned about doing the distance. My training had gone well, I was injury-free before the race, and I felt no soreness after it. My greatest concern was nutrition and hydration, which did take its toll by mile 10 of the run. More on that later, but it did make the run—typically my strongest event—very tough. But before getting into the details, I'd like to thank my wife Julie for all her support during the training and for cheering me on at these races. It means a lot to me to have her there! And to my friend Doug Bloyd, who trained and raced with me. What a great guy! And finally to my brother Chris and my sister Maria, also endurance athletes who have encouraged me over the years.
I just finished the first of my three events for this year, the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon. Just over 1,600 participants completed the race, representing over 40 countries. There were the thousands of spectators cheering us on, which is a great motivation to give it your best. Other great motivations were the beautiful day, and the world class field of elite triathletes, including Andy Potts (Olympian), Becky Lavelle (international star and Los Gatos resident) Victor Plata (Olympian and Santa Cruz resident), Leanda Cave (from Britain), and Michellie Jones (Australian Olympian, and a particular favorite since meeting her at the Big Kahuna 1/2 Ironman a couple of years ago).
I hiked the historic Quiksilver Trail in Almaden Quiksilver Park in San José on Saturday. Boy Scout Troop 2xx compiled the historical information about this hike as an Eagle project. The highlighted trail takes you past the ruins of the first economic boom of San José—the New Almaden Quiksilver Mine.
Last Sunday I had a fantastic twelve mile hike staying just ahead of the fog through the urban/rural environment of San Francisco.
I've finished the Full Vineman triathlon, the second of my three events for this year and my first full Ironman-distance triathlon. Nearly 550 participants completed the race, which is billed as the oldest Ironman-distance race in the continental United States. Surprisingly, it turned out as expected: I'd projected a 14-hour race, and I did it in 13:54. I wasn't too concerned about doing the distance. My training had gone well, I was injury-free before the race, and I felt no soreness after it. My greatest concern was nutrition and hydration, which did take its toll by mile 10 of the run. More on that later, but it did make the run—typically my strongest event—very tough. But before getting into the details, I'd like to thank my wife Julie for all her support during the training and for cheering me on at these races. It means a lot to me to have her there! And to my friend Doug Bloyd, who trained and raced with me. What a great guy! And finally to my brother Chris and my sister Maria, also endurance athletes who have encouraged me over the years.
I just finished the first of my three events for this year, the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon. Just over 1,600 participants completed the race, representing over 40 countries. There were the thousands of spectators cheering us on, which is a great motivation to give it your best. Other great motivations were the beautiful day, and the world class field of elite triathletes, including Andy Potts (Olympian), Becky Lavelle (international star and Los Gatos resident) Victor Plata (Olympian and Santa Cruz resident), Leanda Cave (from Britain), and Michellie Jones (Australian Olympian, and a particular favorite since meeting her at the Big Kahuna 1/2 Ironman a couple of years ago).