Checking in From Boulder

Well, the drive is over, and finally, I’m here in Boulder. I’m not settled in enough to pass along anything valuable, but suffice to say, it’s pretty sweet here! I’ve been running along the amazing trail network (with a view of the foothills), hiking up in the mountains, and just enjoying the wide open, vibrant feel of the city. I’ll certainly pass along more as I know it, and I’ll pass along a couple pictures when I get my camera back out, but for now, just one of me out walking up around 7000 feet:

The Athlete's Drive

I’ve been driving across the country these past three days – Vermont to Colorado. While it sounds fun, and is certainly adventurous, anyone who has done it knows that it’s also a tough task. It’s not about taking in the scenery, or driving to a destination... It’s about just driving. That’s the activity. For days on end.

And in some ways, it’s a lot like training (though I far prefer the latter). Training’s not about equipment, and not about eating, drinking, or sleeping well. These things are only important because they enable you to absorb more work... to get more done. And that’s what it’s about - that’s what makes you faster. Consistent, focused work. It’s rarely about epic days, and it’s never about shortcuts. It’s just about putting in the time. For days on end.

Me, right before leaving (and a lot less fatigued):

I'm Moving to Boulder (Part 3) - The Future

I’ve given the ‘big picture’ answer to what the Boulder move means to me, and to the company. But now, a little more specifics about the future: Even though I’m moving away, the information for Vermont, as planned, will be up on multisportmaps.com next spring – all the best places to swim, bike, and run across this great state. Really, anywhere you want to go, and anywhere you want to train, I’ll tell you where to do it. Nice, right? And of course, as the time for this information to go up gets closer, I’ll write plenty more on how it will look, and how it will work… so stay tuned for that. After the full-site launches, and it’s running smoothly, I’ll turn my attention back to the mapping – to expanding on what’s already there. Since I’ll be living in Boulder, it seems like covering Colorado is the natural next choice. But at the same time, I’d like to continue to expand coverage across the northeast too.

So, I’ve got some good plans brewing, and when I know exactly where I’ll be heading next, I’ll certainly share it here. For the time being though, I hope this gives you a good enough idea of the future – that we’re launching off with Vermont, but really, this isn’t just a regional project. It’s gonna be big(er), and it’s gonna be good.

I’m Moving to Boulder (Part 2) – The Adventure

In my last post here, I gave a quick explanation of why I was moving. While I covered some of the logistical pieces, I left out a significant chunk – sort of the underlying, big picture motivation to go. Namely, the adventure of it all. Of course, I’m psyched about seeing my friends again, about a cool social scene, and about the epic training. But beyond that, I’m just excited to get out to the wide-open spaces. I’m excited to pack up the car, and drive toward a new city, a new house, and a lot of fun times. I’m excited, as a pretty young guy, to fully set off for the first time. It won’t always be pretty, but I guarantee, it’ll be an adventure.

And really, by the nature of the company, and the nature of my influence in it, Multisport Maps will be along for the ride. Though there’ll be some growing pains I’m sure, in the end, the move will help - not only will Multisport Maps get to operate amongst (arguably) the countries’ most concentrated multisport population, but now, it’ll be infused with this same sense of adventure. From the beginning, Multisport Maps has been about more than the information. The information will be solid and helpful, no doubt, but it’s about delivering the information with a slice of multisport culture – to deliver it with pictures, stories, and experiences, seen through the eyes of a fellow athlete. So while the location is changing, and I’m moving out to Colorado, the concept stays the same – it’s still about the culture; it’s still about the sports we love; and even more so now, it’s about the adventures we can have, whether it’s in the saddle, out on a run, or in my case, just moving.

Even in Colorado, I’ll continue to do here, as I’ve always done – let you in on (nearly) everything I know about the business, and more generally, my life in multisport. In the next few days, I’ll write another part in the “I’m Moving” series, to explain more-logistically how Multisport Maps will run in Colorado, and where it’ll go from here. That one will probably be shorter.

I’m moving to Boulder (Part 1) – The News

I am, as the title says, moving to Boulder, Colorado. I love Vermont, and I’ll likely be back here at some point, but for the time being, it was almost a no-brainer. The weather is great in Boulder, my few best friends live there, there are tons of other young, active people in a vibrant social scene, and no doubt, it’s a triathlon mecca… great for my own training, and great for the growth of Multisport Maps. Pretty sweet, right?

So right now, I’m pretty occupied with the logistics, let alone the physical and emotional fatigue involved with moving across the country. When the fog lifts a little bit, I’ll write some more about the move – about what it means for me, and mostly what it means for the company. But for now, just a pic of me, last time I was in the Rocky Mountains:

Vermont (Part 4) – Adaptation

No matter where you live and train, there are going to be some difficult days… days where conditions out-of-your-control make it difficult to get out the door. Depending on where you are, it may be constant rain, bad air quality, or even earthquakes or wildfires. Here in Vermont though, it’s the winter. The snow and cold temps can keep you off your bike, make running that much more painful, and sometimes, even make it difficult to get out the pool. Chris advocates one option here – basically HTFU and do the workout anyway. But more sane people learn to adjust. Take today, for instance; I planned on a short run and an evening swim, but a snowstorm last night makes the running precarious, and the drive to the pool harrowing. So, it was on to plan B – 45 minutes of snow shoveling, and a little later on, a cross-country ski. I would have liked to get to the pool, but this way, I get to be outside, do something different, and even help a couple neighbors unearth their cars again.

Some of my handiwork:

The Swim

My 2008 training season has yet to start in earnest (at least for a couple more days), but I’ve been in the pool a lot lately. The volume will come at some point, but for now, it’s all about technique – about balance, hand-entry, hip snap, and kick-timing (to name a few). I’ve felt some improvement, and this morning, I got some video of my stroke. For your viewing (and perhaps comedic) pleasure, here it is; all helpful hints, comments, compliments, and light-hearted insults are welcome:



Oh, and of course, I had some more fun with my underwater camera. These are some of my good buddy and swimming partner, Toby:

Striking a pose:

Doing a cannonball into the deep end:


And clowning Around: