Mt. Greylock

It's 10.5 miles from here:

Jake in front of 184 Longview Terrace

to here:

We only go to the summit 3-4 times a year, sometimes less.  You can bike up like I did on Tuesday night- door to door, it takes about 1 hour 20 minutes to go up and 30 to return.  Sometimes we run  up, which is an 8 mile run taking 75 minutes or so.  We also drive up- we've got a great Labor Day weekend tradition of having dinner at Bascom Lodge   

Dinner with the Collins Family at Bascom Lodge

The views, landscape and weather extremes make you feel like you're in another part of the world.  Each time I'm there I wonder why it's taken so long to return.  That's going to change over the coming months as Mt. Greylock becomes another of the training partners we visit regularly along the way.

Bascom Lodge

The Monument

Composting porta-potties-  note wires to keep them from blowing off the summit!

Together in Scarsdale, NY

With Brooks training out of Williamstown, MA and Chas out of Portland, ME, we welcome every chance to connect with each other and our friends and family.  This past weekend brought us together in Scarsdale, NY to celebrate the Bar Mitzvah of Matthew Bock, son of close friends Tim and Karen Bock.  We've officially entered a new phase of our adult lives- celebrating milestones of our friend's children.  Matthew did a tremendous job- poised and polished, he was a star all day.  Karen Bock orchestrated a celebration befitting the occasion- thanks to the Bock family for including us in the family milestone!

Chas and Sara enjoying a weekend sans kids

Sunday morning broke cool and damp but gave us the chance to get in a good brick workout.  The lovely Sara Mayo joined for the 24 mile bike and Chas, Brooks and Tim added on a 6.4 mile run.  A veteran of multiple marathons, Tim is joining the triathlete ranks at Mooseman on June 4.

The Mooseman Team- Two weeks to go

The Road to 140.6

Over the next three months, Chas and Brooks will share their paths to Iron.  Brooks' began somewhere around here:

April 1992- Maximum Density

Not pretty.  We call these "fat daddy" pictures.  Pushing 210 from a fighting weight of 160 entering Williams eight years earlier.  Here's how that happens over time:  Eat too much + drink too much + minimal physical exertion + slowing metabolism = Need for Change.  (Alison's two comments about the photo "can't believe I'm wearing stockings" and, just to make me feel better, "I don't remember thinking you were that fat when you were that fat".  For better or worse...........)

Having a kid is all the motivation one needs to kick into gear on many fronts.  I had been disappointed with my physical state for a few years and it was time to do something about it.  Amazing what happens when you eat less and exercise more- from September 1992-January 1993, I shed 50 pounds.  The exercise piece started on the bike.  Got the old 10 speed tuned up and started hitting the back roads around New Canaan, CT- beautiful country.  As winter kicked in, I needed another outlet and tried running.  My dad was still putting away the miles at that point so I grabbed a used pair of his running shoes and took the first steps.  They were slow at first, but it wasn't long before I was officially a runner.  Followed the normal progression- 5k's, 10k's over the first few years.  In 1995, the thought of a marathon started creeping into the picture.  Who could I talk into joining me?  Chas, of course, and the marathon years started in 1996- more on those soon.

April 1993- That's more like it.........

Here We Go.............

Chas and Brooks have embarked on a series of adventures in 2011 and we invite you to come along.  We’ve set what is, for now, the most ambitious goal of our lives- to complete an iron distance triathlon.  As we work to accomplish this feat, we hope to accomplish a series of sub-goals.  The most important of these is to engage with friends and family along the way and support others as they accomplish their own personal goals. 

Alison Foehl is a running fool, shooting for the 5 Mile Run The Chop on MV in early July.  Tim Bock is getting ready to swim a mile before settling into the comforts of the bike and run at the Mooseman Triathlon Festival on Saturday, June 4.  Think about your own goals for the season- here is ours:

Iron Day

Saturday, August 27

2.4 Mile Swim, 112 Mile Bike, 26.2 Mile Run

Why?

Because we want to see if we can.

Because we're alive and able to try.

Because now is the time to try.

Because as much as we enjoy and respect an organized race, we don’t need to take part in the Ford sponsored Ironman series to feel the sense of accomplishment that would come with completing 140.6. Because the sharing of the communal experience with 2,000 people we don’t know can’t compare to doing it all with one person we know very well.  Sharing the experience with family and friends is also what the day is about.

We've been working hard for a few months now with three more to go.  We hope you'll follow along as we train, prepare and enjoy time with friends and family on our journey.