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Latest Updates from Birthday Challengers Far and Wide...
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12/15/03
Now Just a Goddammed Minute: Part II
I am going for the ultimate record on fritter pounding--or will die
trying! My will and estate are in order. I refuse to make it any easier with
exercise, pacing, or bulimia. Pray for me, please!
Jacq
p.s. I think Hans would be willing to video the terrible event.
12/5/03
Now Just a Goddammed Minute!
12/4/03
Milk Challenge Outlawed in School!?
Hey, he can always come work for us. We don't have any money but we've plenty of williing students.
12/3/03
Clear, As Mud
Here's a letter to the ed. courtesy of Reed Bartlett
Right. Clear. As mud.
Maybe you could have specified that you were looking for a drinking
scene involving whiskey for your birthday challenge.
There has to be something in one of the Thin Man movies. I'll think
about it and see what I can come up with. But, my guess is that Bob
and Steve might be your best resources.
~The Imbiber
12/2/03
And Now, Mr. Todd Mei
11/25/03
So I was in this bar and...
11/24/03
In the Aftermath...
11/20/03
All Things are Ready if our Minds Be So
"He who hath no stomach for this fight, let him depart..."
11/16/03
Donate Money and Get All the Shark You Can Eat
Chad will be at the Q, along with this sucker, which took an Old-Man-and-The-Sea-esque battle to land. 3 hours brought it along side the boat, then it was 500-pound fish vs homemade harpoon.
11/12/03
Reed Checks In
Kudos, Bubba
He also received a report from Utah, that we'll be posting shortly, about two women that completed a stiff off-the-couch challenge.
11/10/03
"Nothin' or Double, Jack" - Wang
"Good, Steve"
- from the ski flick, License to Thrill
In order to try and create more fervor in the fundraising realm, Stainless has offered to double all contributions if anyone can keep up with him during his challenge. That's a pretty simple fundraiser for anyone that can climb, run, bike, shoot free throws, throw strikes and hold their breath.
Bring it on!
11/6/03
Fundraising Kicks In
Being so last-minute, the fundraising is going to be tight. Both organizations should have donation links up on their sites within the next few days. To read more about why Steve chose these particular organizations, go here.
11/5/03
Nathan Welton Gets Hooked
ahhahahahaa. dude. epic. it kind of evolved as it went, and the crux of the situation was dealing with my intestines... here's what happened:
the official challenge:
260 minute bike ride
26 boulder problems
26 laps on t-crack
26 km run
26 waves caught at the beach
26 minute ocean swim
2 shots and 6 beers
2.6 ginormous burritos
all i really cared about was the 26 laps on t-crack, so... the day started at 5 am with a 2.6 hour bike ride, half of which was in the dark (screw that 260 minute stuff -- the day wasn't long enough) followed by my 26 boulder problems, followed by the 26 laps on t-crack, which took about 4 hours, up and down and up and down and up and down. holy crap. up and down and up and down. gallon of gatorate and four bananas. up and down. liter of water and two granola bars. up and down. big leg cramp at one point, sunburn, up and down. by the time i was done i was wobbling.
then i ate a ginormous burrito i wound up at the beach at 3 to surf, but i could barely move my arms to paddle, so the 26 waves turned into 26 attempts. then i got a crazy case of the farts, because hey, i'd been eating powerbars and stuff all day long. the ocean swim was more of an ocean float, because if i moved my feet my left quad, both calves and my feet would all simultaneously cramp.
i still had to do the run, but because my farts were rapidly turning into the shits, i decided on a 26 minute run on the beach (which would allow me to run into the ocean if i crapped my pants)... word.
the 2 shots and 6 beers turned into 2.6 glasses of wine at the end of the day.
it was so much fun, though. thanks for the idea and inspiration.
the next day i awoke and actually felt refreshed... i stretched and yawned, and then jumped out of bed. ha. oops. my legs gave out immediately and i fell on my face in a crumpled heap. go birthday challenge! it took a week to stop feeling like lead.
i'm going to do this every year till i die.
11/03/03
Steve's Training Log
Here is an excerpt from my training log. When this started, I didn't have a bd challenge in mind yet. Now that I do, I'll post these from time to time in the news. Here is the complete log.
Thur – all I did was bike about an hour and do yoga and I’m STILL sore, especially biceps from Monday’s back and bi workout, which is killer. Hope to do more today, though I can still feel my back and don’t want to take any steps backwards. Did Yoga Booty Ballet—umm, no comment, but I HAVE to do it since we're going to market it and it's definitely an estrogen thing—to warm-up and then did the chest, shoulder, tri for the first time. Really creative and fun and a serious hammering, especially for the shoulders and tri’s.
So, I AM doing a bd challenge on my real birthday that comes in the middle of this program. That means more cool testing, since I'll try and have a little peak, then his it back up again after. It will extend the overall program a few weeks. No problem with that. It's a blast.
Fri – My
friend Leigh made a comment something like, “when do you do
any housework or chores with weekend’s like that?” My
answer is that you should see my place right now and you’d
know, I don’t. Okay, so maybe I will tonight.
Sat was
climbing day, except that it was ridiculously hot and got cut
short when my partner got heat stroke. I wasn’t far behind.
We still got in 6 routes—a full day for most people—plus
two-hours of hiking in the heat.
Sun was
sports day and I was up before dawn and loading my van with
apparatus to surf, road bike, mtn bike, run, climb, or
boulder. The morning started with what was supposed to be an
easy to moderate 50-mile group ride but turned into a 70-mile
reasonable hard training ride. The “no drop” policy got
thrown out the window and near the end I found myself off the
front with 3 other people out of a group of 40+ starters.
After nearly two months off, this was much more than I
needed—and riding through the smoke and ash didn’t help.
Pretty worked, I opted for an afternoon surf. My legs were
cramping each time I tried to get up on the board but the
water was by far the most comfortable place to be in
yesterday’s 100-degree smoky weather.
On my drive
home I was hammered (theme for my weekends, it seems), even
though it doesn’t feel like I’ve been doing as much volume
as normal. Blame it on 90X, perhaps (or for sure). Certainly,
this morphing process I’m going through is going to pay
dividends once I’m adapted to it!
10/30/03
From Todd Mei in Wisconsin
10/29/03
Did We Just Say Something About "When it rains..."?
The last post hadn't even hit anyone's in-box yes when this popped up on the Message Boards at Beachbody.com.
One quick question...Is the site still active? It seems
like almost all of the challenges are from 2000 (except 1 I saw from Apr 2003,
the guy's 3rd).
My challenge will take place in June of next year so I have plenty of time to
train. I would like it if you could give me some hints on how to tweak my
workout plans to accomplish me challenge. Here is my current plan, with
modifications to come depending on my progress and what original items I can
come up with.
3.4 mile run
34 mile bike ride (mountain bike on city streets
34 laps in an Olympic pool (currently a lap meaning one-way)
34 minutes of pick-up Ice Hockey (actual on-ice time)
340 crunches
340 pushups
340 chair dips
34,000 lbs of weights (question below)
Jump rope 3400 times
3.4 liters of Gatorade/Powerade
34 homemade chocolate chip cookies
34 baby-back ribs from On The Border (Tex-mex rest., but their sauce is awesome
and there is little fat)
My current known abilities:
TH300 (30 X 10)
all pushups and dips in P90 3/4 and PHH (devil-dogs are a pain in the arse)
60 pushups in 2 minutes
100 situps in 2 minutes
1.5 mile run in 11:45
My current training plans are:
4 weeks of PHH Upper Body
4 weeks of PHH The Last Hurrah
1 round of P90 3/4
1 round of P90X
Now my questions.
1. How much riding per week and days per week would be prudent to be able to do
the ride in less than two hours?
2. Same with the running
3. How are the weights calculated. If you do a curl with a 25lb weight in each
hand, does that count as 50 lbs lifted (therefore, if I theoretically did 680
curls X 25lb each hand =34000 lbs lifted)?
4. Will my current plan let me accomplish everything else?
5. If at all possible, how many calories )+/-500) would I have to consume that
day?
10/28/03
This Week's Beachbody.com Post of the Month is a Birthday Challenge
And here is is: congrats, Philip!
Beach
Body Motivation
Message
Board Post of the Month
This month, our congratulations go out to member Phillip, for his incredible achievement. Here’s a guy that went from someone that couldn’t walk around to block to one of the fitter 49-year-olds in the country in a couple of years! Salut.
Hi Steve,
When I
started to think about doing a Birthday Challenge for my 49th in July, I was
just getting into the SlimSeries and thought that 4.9 hours of Tear It Up
might be fun, but quickly came to my senses and got rid of that idea. Running
4.9 miles wasn't an option since it wasn't a challenge. For me, the person who
could barely walk around my neighborhood without getting out of breath before
starting with P90, the challenge would have to be to run 49k.
You
may recall that my first long run to prep for my challenge was in June when I
cramped up from a lack of sodium after 15 miles and had to walk 5 more miles
back to my car. I obviously needed to learn about hydration and electrolyte
replacement before tackling the b-day run. I decided, after reading all that Dr.
Bill Misner has written on the topic, to move my run from mid July to the autumn
to avoid any chance of hyponatremia.
I was set to go on Sat., 9/27 but had to postpone it. I have recently started
riding lessons and to improve my balance I wanted to try riding bareback. I
promptly fell off the horse when she got into a canter and as my glutei are not
so maximus anymore, I got quite banged up and was too sore to run.
I was a bit anxious all last week until I convinced myself to just relax and
have fun with the challenge. Saturday morning I was up at 5:10 and started with PHH
Stretch to warm up. I drove to the hike/bike trail that runs along the
Hudson near my home and began at 6:37. At the 5-mile mark my left knee started
to make itself known. I was slightly concerned because as part of my routine for
the previous 3 weeks I had been doing plies holding two 40lb. dumbbells instead
of the lunges and squats in P90 Sculpt. I don't think my form was perfect
and for the first time I was feeling a little twinge in my knees. By 15 miles my
left knee was really protesting, but no cramps like the last time. At 18 miles
the pain was rather severe. With just 2 miles to get back to my car I started to
feel a little like Scott of the Antarctic trying to get back to One Ton Depot.
My time for 20 miles was 4:20. There was no way that I was going to be able to
do another 10 miles to complete my challenge. Ten minutes later I was home and
rather dejected because I screwed up again. I asked myself "WWJD?"
(What Would Jack [LaLanne] Do?). I got on the Nordic Trac and started skiing.
The skiing motion didn't hurt my knee, but after 70 minutes I was totally played
out. Total time spent in vigorous cardio for the day was 5 hours and 30 minutes
or 4:90 (I had to get the 49 in some way!).
I think that I suffered satisfyingly and sufficiently enough for a
semi-successfully completed, changed on the fly, Birthday Challenge.
Best regards, Philip
10/25/03
So The Challenge Is Out There
And it's been getting a lot of flack on it's initial concept. Check back for reports or go to Steve's page.
10/24/03
Stainless To Raise Money?
It seems like the BD Challenge creator is going to lay it out there and try and raise some fast cash. Rumor has it that it's down to the wire between The Friend's of Joshua Tree and The CONCERN Foundation.
And just what is going to earn all this fundraising?
10/23/03
When It Rains...
And the very same week, this just came in from one Nathan Welton:
I''m doing my birthday challenge this weekend, by the way.
260 minute bike ride
26km run
26 laps on t-crack
26 boulder problems at an average grade of v2.6
26 beers/shots/twinkies/gnarly foods
26 minute ocean swim
10/22/03
Todd Has An Idea
I just had a brilliant idea for my 32nd birthday challenge. Nate Emerson will be helping plan a 32-mile bootleg run where we visit 10-15 bars. For those of you who don't know, a bootleg run is where you can only drink whiskey.
10/21/03
Steve's Training Log
Here is an excerpt from my training log. When this started, I didn't have a bd challenge in mind yet. Now that I do, I'll post these from time to time in the news. Here is the complete log.
Fri –
Sick of protein, I didn’t eat much Thursday and felt better
(and big part of the high-pro phenomenon according to studies
is that you just don't eat as much as normal). Lack energy somewhat but not horribly. Really wanted
pizza Friday night but skipped that and ended up slacking by
eating a bunch of ice cream.
Did a lot
of yoga this week, which is great. I’m have the world’s
tightest hips and they’ve never gotten very loose (and
won’t), but I’ve used this as an excuse not to work them,
causing me to lose some of the little range of motion that I
had. Feel like I’m starting to get it back. Cool.
Too tired
for another road trip so weekend climbing plans have been
altered…
Sat – Had
a ‘sports day,’ in order to burn off the ice cream.
Here’s how it went:
8:30 –
10:30 – surf (don’t know how to surf so this consisted of
lots of paddling and getting thrashed by waves)
11-12:00
– mtn biking. Got shut down on trail because of my dog, so
sesh was shorter than planned.
1 – 3:00
– rockclimbing. Easy day, 3 moderate routes all 5.10 (quite
easy for me).
3:30 –
4:30 – trail run. Loop from Topanga over to Will Rogers and
back.
5 – 6:00
– beach volleyball. Hadn’t played in years (though I used
to play a lot). Still will be a little sore from moving in
sand.
Watched
“Bend It Like Beckham”. Can’t finish off a sports day
without a sports movie. Great film, by the way and you'd have
to be one cynical bastard not to think so.
Sun – “ Get the crap kicked out of me day”
Went
“surfing” at Santa Cruz Island on a board that was way too
short and narrow for me to navigate. Also somehow missed the
reef warning orientation and ended up being hurled towards
some rocks and thinking, “I’ve been withheld some critical
need-to-know information!” My “wonder if feet work like
anchors” solution had the right effect on inertia except
that it looked as though I’d been lufa-ing with a cheese
grater, making me the slowest moving bleeding thing in the
water amongst one of the highest concentrations of White
sharks in the world. Switched to a boogey board because 1) it
was far easier to catch waves and avoid rocks, and 2) sharks
apparently don’t like the color yellow, which happened to be
the color of my fins. Trying to learn some technique, I
starting watching Dogtown and Z-Boys but fell asleep on the
couch about 2 sips into a beer and dreamt about sharks biting
my feet.
Second
Training Block
I feel like
I’ve spent the last 4 weeks doing absolutely nothing
within’ my comfort zone. My body is so sore that I’m
can’t even begin to point out any particular sore areas, as
it’s one big numb blob (except for my feet, that look as
though practicing Wu-Tan on Freddy Krueger). For 8 months I
did almost nothing but ride my bike, run, and eat pasta. Now
I’m doing everything but ride my bike, run, and eat pasta.
Can you say “adaptive phase?” You betchya!
It’s
fascinating to observe oneself going through this, especially
since brain power—exacerbated by lack of carbohydrates, the
only proper brain fuel—falters as well. My friend Andrea
summed this up so creatively I’m going to borrow her
comments. She’s been following a similar overtraining
schedule since the surf came up. After spending more time in
the water than sleeping this weekend, comments on our ride
home last night began with, “I’m having delirium,”
progressed to “…becoming defunct, “ when finally she
became “a lump of human flesh melting into the seat” just
before I poured her into her apartment.
10/20/03
The Email That Got Us Off Our Asses
We just got this, which essentially told us it was time to get back on it. Thanks, Keith
Greetings,
This next year I've created a little birthday challenge for myself to celebrate cheating death for 40 years. As a recreational endurance athlete, I committed to the following thus far:
For 40 days prior to my birthday, pick up litter in public places everyday.
On my birthday Wake at 4:40 AM
Do 40 push ups
Swim for 40 minutes in the ocean
Run 40 miles
Enjoy a 40 year old bottle of wine
Dedicate the entire effort to raising money for pediatric cancer research at Memorial Sloan Kettering on the behalf of FRED's Team.
It would be fun to post this event on birthdaychallenge.com and drive some traffic to your site, is it still maintained?
Your site has been a great inspiration, Keith
10/16/03
Mike Reddig Back For More
We've heard no official word, but rumor has it that Mike Reddig has been trolling around for bd challenge ideas. He ticked a nice one last year and seems to be lookin' to up it this year. And here is yet another challenge idea thread.
10/10/03
The Greatest Year Of My Life
We just got word from Bob Makela, who's still out there on his "greatest year," even when it doesn't seem so great. Hey, nothing is really great without a challenge, up Bob's been a bit up against it lately. And Bob's a writer, making his chronical's all that much more fun to read.
10/06/03
Well, We Took A Little Break
And no one did birthday challenges! Bob and Hans, who often do one together or similar, both backed out. Greg Carter, who usually has a summer fundraiser, didn't sign-on which probably is due to his wife, Megan, being preggers--congrats, guys!!! Then Reed, who's done one every year backed out. He did, however, not quietly sit his bd out. In fact, the night before he and Bob Banks got so drunk the "we made complete asses out of ourselves" at a party at Jen and John Fieldhouse's. Then, in fine bd challenge tradition, they got up with ranging hangovers and did a technical 22-mile mtn bike ride.
6/06/03
Binky Greene Saddles Up
Now remember, things look bad and it looks like you're not gonna make it, then you gotta get mean. I mean plumb, mad-dog mean. 'Cause if you lose your head and you give up then you neither live nor win. That's just the way it is. - The Outlaw Josey Wales
I've never done a traditional birthday challenge: Planning, number driven tasks related to age, etc. It's not my style. Maybe I'm a lazy bastard. Of late, I've been working on my kitchen (with the aid of the now absent Mike Brown.) I've been breaking new ground in terms of skills needed and used.The counter is already in, as are the sink and two cabinets. I've hit a mental wall, working all day and coming home to face the chaos. Since I can't stop now, seeing as the kitchen is ripped to shreds, I've decided to up the ante. Done by the weekend (minus special order items.) It's my challenge. -Complete electrical refurbishment -Dishwasher install -2 high, 1 base cabinet install -Stove install -Drywall repair -Cabinet trim -Paint Pictures to follow. Bink
5/24/03
Success!
Neuman and Company pulled into Santa Barbara last night, with only a handfull of problems remaining which Neuman ticked without incident. The gang was looking blurry-eyed and weary, but fiesta'd late into the night nonetheless at Chez Request. For a closer look at how the trip went, make sure and check out the Trip Reports.
5/19/03
Just When It Seemed Like Nothing Could Stop Them...
The gang ran into some car trouble. Apparently, a routine tire rotation has led to a scary situation with our heroes being sidelined in bum-frig Oregon awaiting repairs. When last they checked in, they were 2 days ahead of schedule with 4 to go. Certainly, nothing could go wrong...
5/12/03
Runnin' From the Devil
Our hereos head west, chasing by hoodlums, rain, tornados, and hillbillies. Despite an injured ankle, Neuman has succeeded each day and they currently drive through the night completely on schedule.
5/06/03
This just in from Team Leader Todd Mei:
Neuman sprained his ankle in the Gunks but was still able to get his 24 problems in. The next day, in Delaware, he pulled off a granite block on his head (apparently we'll have good video of this). Still undaunted, the team headed to Maryland that afternoon but torrential rains turned their bouldering session into a 4-hour drinking session as they were stranded while their local guide drove back to Delaware to fetch his crash pad, which he'd forgotten in the wake of the accident.
After dispatching 24 problems in Kentucky during a downpour (without breaking a single sandstone hold), they are now speeding towards Missouri in hopes of outracing the storm that's been following them for the last few days.
4/28/03
From the Nacirema Drinking Society
Dear Fellow Naciremans,
|
State |
Distance To |
Est. Hrs.^ |
Notes |
|
|
Day 1 |
WI |
* |
* |
|
|
IL |
432 |
7.5 |
||
|
IN |
278 |
4.75 |
||
|
12.25 |
||||
|
Day 2 |
IN |
* |
* |
|
|
OH |
297 |
5 |
est from Bloomington to Ironton |
|
|
PA |
393 |
6.5 |
some problems; to Clarion |
|
|
PA |
260 |
4.5 |
to Allentown |
|
|
16 |
||||
|
Day 3 |
PA |
* |
* |
rest of the problems |
|
RI |
277 |
4.75 |
to Providence |
|
|
MA |
50 |
1 |
to Boston |
|
|
NH |
57 |
1.25 |
to Portsmouth |
|
|
7 |
||||
|
Day 4 |
NH |
* |
* |
|
|
NY |
258 |
4.5 |
to Kingston |
|
|
4.5 |
||||
|
Day 5 |
NY |
* |
* |
|
|
Day 6 |
NY |
* |
* |
|
|
MD |
343 |
6 |
to Fredderick |
|
|
WV |
161 |
3 |
to Morgantown |
|
|
9 |
||||
|
Day 7 |
WV |
* |
* |
|
|
KY |
329 |
5.5 |
to Slade |
|
|
TN |
205 |
3.5 |
to Knoxsville |
|
|
9 |
||||
|
Day 8 |
TN |
* |
* |
|
|
AR |
708 |
12 |
to Fayetteville |
|
|
OK |
268 |
4.5 |
to Chandler Park |
|
|
16.5 |
||||
|
Day 9 |
OK |
* |
* |
|
|
NM |
581 |
9.75 |
to Albuquerque |
|
|
Day 10 |
NM |
* |
* |
|
|
Day 11 |
NM |
* |
* |
|
|
Day 12 |
NM |
* |
* |
|
|
AZ |
322 |
5.5 |
to Flagstaff |
|
|
UT |
519 |
8.75 |
to Salt Lake City |
|
|
14.25 |
||||
|
Day 13 |
UT |
* |
* |
|
|
Day 14 |
UT |
* |
* |
|
|
CO |
525 |
9 |
to Boulder |
|
|
9 |
||||
|
Day 15 |
CO |
* |
* |
|
|
Day 16 |
CO |
* |
* |
|
|
WY |
506 |
8.5 |
to New Castle |
|
|
8.5 |
||||
|
Day 16 |
WY |
* |
* |
|
|
Day 17 |
WY |
* |
* |
|
|
ID |
262 |
4.5 |
to Almo |
|
|
4.5 |
||||
|
Day 18 |
ID |
* |
* |
|
|
OR |
529 |
9 |
to Terrebonne |
|
|
Day 19 |
OR |
* |
* |
|
|
NV |
465 |
7.75 |
to Tahoe |
|
|
7.75 |
||||
|
Day 20 |
NV |
* |
* |
|
|
CA |
204 |
4.5 |
San Francisco / Motel |
|
|
4.5 |
||||
|
Day 21 |
CA |
48 |
1.5 |
Castle Rock |
|
CA |
292 |
5 |
Santa Barbara |
|
|
6.5 |
||||
|
Day 22 |
CA |
* |
* |
Lizard's Mouth |
|
Total Miles |
8569 |
4/27/03
D-Day Approaches
the party was a successful fund raiser: just over $1K. Allergies have been hell. Drinking makes them worse. But Tim and I had the best day of bouldering possibly ever at the Lake. Did a circuit of the Lake of almost every classic problem, went on foot. 51 problems, started at 8am, ended with a V8 that Tim got his first go. Then had Oly by the south shore. Also met with Neuman and his brother Mike to go over the itinerary. We're getting set to go. Hope good weather holds out. Feels like I'm planning DDAY or something.
4/26/03
Learn the Ropes
4/25/03
Change of Itinerary; Note from COTA
Got this from the
President of COTA. Hooking up with the Newenglandbouldering guys to do
some bouldering in NH, RI and either MA or VT. Taking out VA and NC and
hopefully fucking TX.
"Why would I tell anyone about Lavik? Jesus!"
Todd Mei
I'll let you know how the party went.
Neuman
Patrick,
It was great to speak with you this morning...and thanks for all the work
you and Lisa are doing for us and the CF Foundation! This is a wonderful
alternative to boring golf outings and black tie events with rubber chicken
dinners!
I have to admit I am not a climber myself, but both my 13-year-old son and
9-year-old daughter love to climb the wall at our local Galyan's stores in
the Indianapolis area. My son, Josh, likes to brag to his friends that he
has conquered the wall there and would love to try what you are doing at
some point in the future.
We do alot of work with CF patients, and in fact have five people right now
at either Duke or UNC-Chapel Hill (within 15 minutes of each other) that
have formed a great support group that keeps everyone on task and provides a
network that has been helpful with all the issues they each face with CF.
I
hope you and Lisa had a similar group to rely on at the UW.
Please let me know if you need anything and I will get right on it!
Have a great time tomorrow evening at the kick-off event!
Rick Lofgren, President
Children's Organ Transplant Association
www.cota.org
4/24/03
Perhaps a great era has come to an end. Perhaps not.
Patrick Neuman and myself will be closing out our tenure in the back office of Boulders. Also, we're throwing a fund raising party for the start of Neuman's birthday challenge: climb 24 boulder problems, in 24 states, in 24 days. He's trying to raise $24k for cystic fibrosis and the Children's Organ Transplant Association. So far he's somewhere around $17k. If you never heard Lisa, his wife, had a successful double-lung transplant over a year ago. She's doing great and they now want to give back for the gift of life. For more info check out www.climbforcure.com and www.birthdaychallenge.com.
So the going-away / fund raising party will be this Saturday, the 26th. It's at Boulders, in Madison, WI, from 8PM onwards. Free food, free "beverages", and a phenomenal gear auction sponsored by Five Ten, Petzl, Gregory, Vasque, Metolius, Kreig, Zealot, Boulders, and Speefnarkle.
Donations will be taken at the door; otherwise, it's free bouldering.
Send Magazine will be there to cover it all. Yeah bro!
So spread the word. The more the merrier!
Allez, Allez, Allez...
Evil Pod Todd
4/23/03
Hellooo Neuman
Hey Steve,
Looks like the birthday challenge is going to be in the next issue of R&I, featuring a picture taken by our own Tim Halbakken of some Devil's Lake bouldering. Www.birthdaychallenge.com will be in bold print so I'm told. Thanks for your sweet connections. I am buying a van today for $1000 bucks. The back bench turns into a bed and the walls and ceiling are covered with light blue shag carpeting. Of course each window has it's own venitian blind.
Kirk
4/22/03
We don't need no stinking challenge...
Birthday greetings to bd challenge alumnus Kenji Haroutunian. While he has no plans for this year, rumor has it that he won't exceed doing 42 minutes of work today at the office. Look for him this evening somewhere in the vacinity of Manny's El Matador, a nefarious Culver City watering hole.
4/20/03
Finally, Kt'K joins in the madness
Former rockclimbing hardwomen turned
supermom, Karen t'Kint, of Detroit (friend
of TJ and Dex?), has decided to get in the arena. But not before
first testing the waters by proxy of her 7-year-old daughter,
Lauren, who could become our youngest challenger to actually realize
she's doing a challenge (certainly Marianna Florine and Parker
Thompson will find out about theirs through legend leeked through
their pre-school ranks). Here
's what Karen has to say. Maybe you can help her out.
I've been hearing about this challenge since before it had a name.
Now I'm
approaching 40 and think it's about time to see if I have the guts to
create
and face a challenge for myself. My b-day is on August 26th. It
's not an
ideal time for a challenge since it will be my kid's first week back
at
school (Michigan) and I
'll probably be dealing with jet lag. On top of that
I really don't deal well with the heat. Nevertheless, here are some
goals
I'm considering:
40 miles running in one week (this would be huge).
400 push-ups in a week - easy, but don't think I can do in a day.
4 White Castle sliders (they're sold by the dozen, so I'd need help).
I need more suggestions. Ideas anyone???
karen
P.S. My daughter Lauren, whose been looking over my shoulder, thinks
it
might be fun to do a challenge too. Has a 7 year old ever done this?
Her
birthday is at the end of May. She
's thinking that a 7 mile bike ride and 7
scoops of ice cream could be a fun 1st challenge. Obviously the ice
cream
would be the incentive for the ride.
ed note: sounds a little light for someone that bolted and cleaned
most of the Holiday Wall. I say we up the ante just a bit.
4/19/03
In a "challenge" that's more like a dream vacation to most people, LA-based (until now) writer Bob Makela is hitting the road for a year-long odyssey. He quit his job, broke up with his girlfriend of 7 years, sold most everything that couldn't fit into his 70-something VW Bus, and took off with no itinerary except to keep moving and record everything he does with journals and photos... and write a book along the way too! You can track his progress at www.thegreatestyearofmylife.com. Since he has no itinerary, he's probably available for bd challenge support if he happens to be in your area. He'll even help you report on yours, probably in exchange for a couple of beers and a shower. You can drop him a line on his site or get to him through ours also.
4/17/03
In any given week, I'd say I do about 20 minutes of real work...
And more news from Wisconsin, via Todd Mei:
Found this in my files. It is my training schedule for last year's birthday challenge (the 30 mile trail run). Brings back some good memories. Guess I'll spend this year in a bar somewhere drinking beer and doing shots of Jagermeister.
| 10-Feb-02 | 10 Mile Loop | 10.0 | 79.07 | 7.91 | 0:07:55 | Slushy conditions; slow first half |
| 12-Feb-02 | Gym Run | 7.4 | 51.09 | 6.90 | 0:07:05 | 30 secs waiting for traffic; strong head wind .5 miles on Monona Bay |
| 17-Feb-02 | Arb | 6.8 | 45.50 | 6.69 | 0:06:41 | Day after Barn Burner |
| 19-Feb-02 | Capitol East | 10.5 | 83.00 | 7.90 | 0:07:54 | Rain and heart burn |
| 21-Feb-02 | Misc. | 3.5 | * | * | * | Mileage make-up |
| 26-Feb-02 | 10 Mile Loop | 10.0 | 82.23 | 8.22 | 0:08:13 | Strong westerly; light snow |
| 28-Feb-02 | Arb | 6.8 | 46.25 | 6.80 | 0:06:48 | Tired legs; 18 degrees |
| 03-Mar-02 | Wrestler's Hill | 4.5 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 8 times (after 12" of snow) |
| 05-Mar-02 | Paterson Loop | 6.5 | 48.14 | 7.41 | 0:07:25 | Snow on ground for most of run; 1 minute waiting for traffic |
| 05-Mar-02 | Gym Run | 7.4 | 60.00 | 8.11 | 0:08:07 | Snow on ground for most of run; very tired |
| 07-Mar-02 | Hospital Loop | 4.8 | 35.33 | 7.44 | 0:07:26 | Patches of snow; tired legs |
| 09-Mar-02 | Middleton Loop | 17.0 | 137.21 | 8.07 | 0:08:04 | Strong westerly; up to 18mph; flurries |
| 12-Mar-02 | Arb | 6.8 | 45.13 | 6.64 | 0:06:38 | Perfect conditions (50 deg); tired calves |
| 14-Mar-02 | 10 Mile Loop | 10.0 | 78.58 | 7.86 | 0:07:35 | Felt good 1st qtr; hit wall; light to strong winds |
| 16-Mar-02 | Speed | 5.0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 440 (1:09) x 4; 220 x 6; 1 lap |
| 18-Mar-02 | Capitol East | 10.5 | 78.18 | 7.45 | 0:07:27 | Perfect conditions |
| 20-Mar-02 | Gym Run + | 7.5 | 56.30 | 7.51 | 0:07:37 | Very tired legs |
| 27-Mar-02 | 8 Mile Loop | 8.0 | 67.44 | 8.43 | 0:08:26 | After road trip to Southern and Red River |
| 28-Mar-02 | 6 Mile Loop | 6.0 | 47.00 | 7.83 | 0:07:50 | Time approximate |
| 29-Mar-02 | 10 Mile Loop | 10.0 | 87.00 | 8.70 | 0:08:42 | Tired and slow |
4/16/03
Gentle Giant Come Up Big
And more news from Wisconsin, via Todd Mei:
And now as I sit here inside my apartment in Wisconsin, the winter will not leave. Today, it is April 7th, Spring in most places. Today in Wisconsin, it is winter with wind, 5 inches of snow, and a sunless sea above. More cheap whiskey.
Congratulations to Nate Emerson who took 2nd in a recent 50 mile race (on his way to train for a 100 mile race in June). Congratulations to Tim Halbakken who successfully completed every aspect of his birthday challenge save the pull-ups. Tim cycled unsupported to Devil's Lake (43 miles each way), climbed a classic John Gill boulder problem 25 times (The Flat Iron V4), cycled back, held his breath for 2:45, and got as far as 18 pull ups after feeding on a large barbeque plate from Famous Dave's. You can read more on Neuman's Challenge at:
4/14/03
Youngest Transcontinental Trip in the Works
Parker Thompson will depart on a cycling journey across the US, commencing on his 6 month birthday, May 25, 2003! His parents will be joining him and trying to raise some money for trail access in the process. We'll have an update and a link to raise some money available soon.
4/11/03
Anyone Have an RV Neuman Can Borrow?
Hi Steve,
I was corresponding with Alison Osius from R&I. She says hi. Anyways she put the birthday challenge under "inside the magazine" under events on R&I's website. Pretty cool. She is also willing to possibly put a picture with www.climbforcure.com in the "scenes" section of the next Mag. Also cool. We are up to about $16,000.00 so far and I may (emphasis on may) have lined up an RV. Also looks like I'll have links to bday challenge on climxmedia.com and newenglandbouldering.com.
Neuman
4/9/03
Enzo Releases New Bouldering Guide
Bd challenge's Bob Banks has released his long awaited guidebook to the bouldering areas in and around Santa Barbara, fittingly called Ocean's 11. I suggest you buy it, and read it.
Professor Arthur Ayers, PhD, author of The Truth and Logic Of Urns and the underground classic, Urn Of Death
4/07/03
Doniel and Traci Get Married
Congratulations to bd challenge alumnus Doniel Drazin and Traci Marx. They tied the knot this weekend in Florida. Rumor has it they moved the wedding back east to avoid some sadistic type of wedding challenge that may have occurred had they stuck to their original west coast ceremony.
3/25/03
Neuman Still Going Full Force
Hi Steve,
Lots of stuff going on. I've raised close to $13,000 so far for the challenge, thanks in large part to Alison Patricelli and Tom Norrdin, who donated $10,000 through a family foundation. I can give you more details on that as they arrive. More letters have just been sent out to a bunch of climbing companies and others. Things are looking good and I'm starting to get in a really good training rythym.
Scott G. from Zealot is helping out a ton, getting me alot of guides for some different areas and involving the New England Bouldering guys. He is also going to be my personal guide to the gunks. I'll keep you posted.
Neuman.
Winter 2003
On Vacation
Birthdaychallenge.com has taken a break in order to go to war with Iraq. We should be back shortly, with plenty of oil.
