Vanity Warning...Of the 560+ pages on my site, this is the only page about me.If you consider that vain, then as they say, “don’t go there” or “here” as the case may be.
 Running bio
Running & Rambling On occasion I like to write something down. Here are just some of my ramblings.
Yvonne’s and my running weddingYvonne and I met at an Incline Club workout, so it was only logical (to us anyway:-) that we got married at an Incline Club workout. So, during an otherwise normal Sunday long run we, along with 96 others, took a break at the first scenic overlook in Waldo Canyon. To read about the race for the Best Man and Bridesmaid, the 76-piece kazoo band and the great snowball conspiracy just go here.
Games...
One of the best ways to learn html is to use it to write some games.
This is my Trek Y5 mountain bike
They are called Goatheads — look at the one on the lower right to see why — and they are prominent in the late fall/early winter. 2024 update: The Y5 still going strong! It got me to and from the Custard Shop more times than I can count. It also took me on a couple awesome adventures including:
In November 2021, I rode it 767.4 miles to Mesa, AZ in 9 days and managed to keep my hour-a-day running streak alive which was one of the most challenging aspects of the trip other than a very sore butt. Daily milage: 94.4, 66.1, 103.5, 82.4, 123.2, 91.3, 82.5, 53.2 and 70.8.
In November 2022, I rode it 464.1 miles to Mount Rushmore National Memorial in 6 days and once again kept my hour-a-day running streak alive. Daily milage: 78.2, 76.2, 117.9, 73.8, 95.9 and 22.0 (6.1 to Crazy Horse Memorial and 15.9 to Mount Rushmore National Memorial).
One fast Training Partner
One of the fastest ways to improve is to train with someone better than you. My Quinton Q65 Treadmill
with a 645 programmable controller can easily hum along at a 3m20s per mile pace and can even
do so at a 25% grade so needless to say I won’t be
out running it anytime soon. It does not care what the weather is like, what
time of day it is or even how I feel. Without exception my best seasons come
after I spend the winter running with ‘Q’ on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I can’t stand
to run on a treadmill for my easy stuff but for the hard stuff nothing can beat it. Besides, it is
hard to be bored when you are hurting!
To date, I have only “beat” it one time. The victory was short
lived however when I found out I “won” due to user error — after cleaning it I forgot to
attach the controller cable lock and during the workout it worked its way loose.
I am often asked why I got a treadmill that goes so insanely fast.
The answer is the same reason you would not buy a car that only does the speed limit —
you would max it out all the time and it would not last very long. I have tripped circuit
breakers on health club treadmills because I ran at their max speed (often only 6 min pace) for too long.
However, even when I am running at my max ‘Q’ is solid as a rock!
My KickbikeA cross between a skateboard and a bike — a Kickbike. A great way to tool around town or get in an extra workout. The neat thing is that the movement simulates running better than a bike but like a bike there is no impact stress. However, unlike a skateboard it is very easy to ride — I even road mine down Independence Pass! It is fast, quiet and there is no chain or grease to deal with. Here is a story that the Colorado Springs Gazette ran on my Kickbike.
Some of the things I like to collect (besides wins and records)Anything related to Pikes Peak is fair game. However, medals, books, postcards (steam era COG or Incline related) and brochures (again steam era COG or Incline related) make up the bulk of my collections. My Pikes Peak book collection and my Pikes Peak medal collection are both online. Believe it or not the medal collection is for the most part non running related.
Another hobby of mineI am really getting into R/C airplanes! Here are some of the modifications I have made to my RTF (Ready to Fly) planes in preparation for finishing off my kit-built glider. As you can see it is in “skeleton mode” now.
Running the townI once ran (I literally ran to 863 doors in 33 hours spread over 11 days) for and won a 4-year term on the Manitou Springs City Council. Check-out the “minority report” of all the times I voted in the minority which reveals a pattern.
The Custard guy...In January 2012, I bought the Colorado Custard Company. See Dessert of champions: Carpenter takes over. I sold it in January 2024. Those were an amazing 12 years, and it was fun when encountering others on the trails to listen to my transformation from, “Hey, it’s the Pikes Peak guy...” to, “Hey, it’s the Custard guy...”
Just a baby, a tot, a kid growing up
I started out in an incubator because I was born breach — feet first would
figure — and had some problems. The doctor said I fought very hard to survive.
The paint is peeling off the walls of the incubator, but I guess it worked.
Not afraid of cats at age one and a four-year-old Matt working on his baby fat
round out the top row. Sorry, I can’t remember what I was eating but I see some
lettuce — a well-balanced diet is important for a runner! When I was nine
I had a cool mini-bike—I rigged the governor so that it would go
faster than normal. I broke a couple of bones during these years falling off
a bike, a skateboard and a fall out of tree that bent my arm backwards
at the elbow:-( That works out to two broken wrists and an elbow that was bad enough
that it had to get a couple of pins put in after a piece of bone was taken out.
I caught this snake when I was about 11. Now are those pants cool or what? OK, my high-school picture is not that great but whose is?
Fresh out of college and already climbing the ladder of success! If you can stand it
here is a larger version.
Gotta have a cause
Nothing pushed my buttons like the DOJ case against Microsoft. I spend quite a bit of time writing letters to people
that probably don’t read them. Senator Hatch’s office even sent me a generic form letter admitting he would not read my letter
because I was not from his home state! However, this one got published in the Colorado Springs Gazette. To relieve a
little stress one day, I created the “Janet ‘kiss kiss’
Reno” page. Bottom line, this whole nonsense is not about browsers, but about a bunch of jealous people who want to whine their
way to the top. However, just in case you are wondering, here are some of the reasons I prefer Microsoft Internet Explorer.
Want to look at more photos... Poke me in the eye... |
Looks like dirt was the least of my worries because I picked
these up on my first off-road ride. I got 6 in the front tire and 5 made holes! The good folks
at the bike shop tell me that the railroad department plants these evil thorn bushes on purpose and they told me
that before I told them that I was, in fact, riding on a trail next to the railraod tracks by Sinton pond.
