18 Wheeler

Do you ever feel that the world is against you?  I do.  I get this feeling a lot.  When this feeling gets really bad for me, I often find myself putting on my headphones and hiding behind the wave of music in my ears.  I prefer to run naked (my term for without music) as I enjoy hearing the world and soaking in my surroundings.  Running naked also lets me think.  It frees my mind to think uninhibited.

We all need to escape our minds every now and again.  A lot of you meditate.  I have never learned to meditate I think because I cannot quiet my mind.  I learned as an adult I have severe ADD which explains how I learn, how I function, and lot about why grad school was not a good fit.  My experience with ADD is that is just does not let my mind sit still - EVER regardless of how much Adderall I take.  Sometimes I just want to fucking scream at my mind to shut the hell up.  My mind is famous for negative self-talk so I need a release - music is my therapy.

For those of you that know me well, I will let you in on a little secret about my state of mind at times.  If you ever see me wearing headphones or blaring music, these are my dark times.  These are times when I do not want my mind speaking to me.  I do not want the negative self-talk I am famous for.  I do not want to hear or think about anything but the music in my ears.

Music is a powerful therapy.  Each song has its own affect on me.  One song I really enjoying running hard to as an escape is P!NK's 18 Wheeler.  Although written from a woman's perspective, it still can be powerful for a man.  However you interpret this song, I suggest you listen to it right now.  It can only help your state of mind with whatever you may be dealing with at the moment - from strong emotions about life to simple tasks that you need to get done.  Listen and let the song consume you.

Life knocks us down.  Life gets us down.  Life runs us over with an 18 wheeler.  But as P!NK says: Don't me down.  Don't get me down.

Evening of Sharing

I firmly believe that kids love snakes regardless of where they live in the world.  Fear of snakes is a LEARNED behavior that we get from our parents, grandparents, teachers, or any other adult that has influence over our children.  I have witnessed this in every place I have had an opportunity to educate people about snakes.  This includes Kenya which has a deep rooted belief that snakes contain evil magic and only witch doctors can handle them.

If you don't believe me, just check out the photos below!  It isn't just the kids either.  When adults come to our programs with an open mind, it is amazing to me as an outsider watching their transformation.  They start with hesitancy but eventually get closer and closer as the program continues.  Snakes REALLY are that fucking COOL!  

One of my favorite things to do at a snake talk is a feeding demonstration.  I do these not only to education people about the unique adaptations snakes have to eat their prey whole but to also see the reaction of the parents.  The kids are easy to predict - they love it from start to finish.  The parents on the other hand start out MORTIFIED that I have a dead mouse with me.  They then get even more upset when I have the snake take the mouse from my fingers but then the fun starts.  I typically like to hold the snake the entire time it eats so that I can make sure everyone gets a good view.  This helps me get close to the kids but it is the parents I have to watch out for.  As soon as the snake starts eating, the smartphones pop out and video gets rolling.  By the end, the parents are pushing through the kids to get better video with their phones.  Everyone goes home excited about snakes and their amazing ability to consume large prey items whole.  I go home satisfied that I have reach more people who can spread the word about how cool snakes really are.

Please click on the Evening of Sharing link below to see 289 photos of kids smiling when interacting with snakes.  The photos are from a recent event at an elementary school  Every program, every child we reach has moments like those captured in the photos.  This is why I founded the Center for Snake Conservation - to change human perceptions so we can initiate and implement conservation programs to protect on of our planet's coolest and most integral components of HEALTHY ecosystems.

Click this link for Evening of Sharing Photos and be amazed at the wonder snakes bring children.

Snakes - Why Did It Have To Be Snakes?

Snakes - Why Did It Have To Be Snakes?  Indiana Jones made this line famous in the 1981 movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark.  As the Executive Director of the Center for Snake Conservation, I get this question a lot.  In particular people want know when I became interested in snakes?  It fascinates people to learn that I don't remember when my passion for snakes began but I do know that unlike Indiana Jones, I have never had any fear or anxiety when it comes to snakes.

 

Snakes to me are incredible creatures.  They go through life without arms, hands, legs, or feet yet are very successful across the globe.  They have many adaptations that have help them survive in many different conditions but a discussion about each one of those are separate blogs.  But as a quick example, check out the Spider-tailed Horned Viper's tail that is used to attract prey in the short video below. 

 

Snakes occur on all continents except for Antarctica.  There is even a species that occurs north of the Arctic Circle in Europe.  If you truly cannot stand snakes there are three places you can go and live snake free - the Antarctic (freezing butt-ass cold), Ireland (I can't understand their English), and New Zealand (the only problem with this island nation is that they don't have snakes).

Let's now talk about some of my early snake experiences and my current position so that we can prepare discussion about what the future is going to bring me.  I am not going to excite you some stories about real snake adventures - you will have to wait for future blogs for that.  This blog is about the impactful events that help fuel my passion and build my relationship with snakes.

I have two early snake memories and unfortunately I don't have any photos to share.  The first was walking in the woods next to a stream in Tennessee with my brother.  All of a sudden he yanks me off the ground and throws me on the other side of him.  I had nearly stepped on a kingsnake.  As the adrenaline spike subsided, he then found a stick, pinned the snake behind the head, and we took it home.  We no longer pin snakes as there is absolutely no need to ever do this to a snake - it is just cruel.  I had that kingsnake for many years and it even stopped my room from being ransacked by a burglar.  Our entire house had been turned upside down except for my room.  I had the snake on my dresser and the top drawer had been opened and emptied - that is when I think he/she saw the snake and got the hell out of my room.  Since I don't have any photos I will spare you the other story but will tell you it involved a gigantic watersnake and some freaked out friends.

Eastern Kingsnake as found in Georgia

My first solo snake capture came when I was 9 years old.  I was able to catch a large Black Ratsnake along the edge of an old field at Earlham College.  I spotted the snake out of the corner of my eye and my heart rate instantly sky-rocketed with the surge of adrenaline released from my adrenal glands.  I did not want the snake to escape (this was before I knew that most ratsnakes freeze to avoid detection and will not flee unless prodded) so I looked around for a stick to pin it with (again with the pinning).  All I could find was a short foot long skinny nothing of a stick.  Better than nothing I thought as I reached down to pin the snake.  The stick broke instantly and I was stuck with a dilemma - go find another stick and risk the snake getting away or picking up the snake freehand.  I chose freehand and with a lot of self talk, grabbed the snake behind its head.  My first SOLO snake capture!!!!

My first solo snake capture

The snake was longer than I was!

Here is my brother's account of the story as he includes my first teaching opportunity to a group of birders.

"When I was a freshman in College I was asked by my Ornithology professor to help lead a bird-watching field trip on “back-campus” around the time of graduation.   My family was in town because my older sister was graduating that year, and they happened to be staying at the Yokefellow Institute, which was situated in the middle of back-campus.  When the group of bird-watchers got out there, I noticed my brother – about 9 at the time – out exploring around the institute.  As the group of birdwatchers headed off on a trail through an old apple orchard, moving quietly to watch and listen for birds, I hear this loud whisper from behind us trying to get my attention.  “David, David – I caught a snake!”  On turning around to look, there was skinny 5-foot Cameron standing in the weeds holding about a 6-foot black-rat snake!  My ornithology professor – the late Jim Cope - also noticed the loud whisper and saw my brother and invited him into the group with his prized catch!  Jim was so impressed and excited with this young boy with the big snake that it became the highlight of the bird-watching tour."

Black ratsnake defensive posture
Not my photo

Although I already had a very strong interest in snakes, my solo capture of that ratsnake in Indiana ignited a passion that is still raging out of control 30 years later.  I went through a lot of phases in my snake passion to get where I am today.  While in high school, I wanted to breed snakes and come up with a new color or pattern morph of a cornsnake.  Cornsnakes are probably the most common snake in the pet trade (a close race with the ball python) and now there are over 100 different color and pattern morphs.  If I had stuck with breeding cornsnakes, I have been able to come up with one of these hundreds but my passion changed to field snake ecology shortly after going to college.  I did however take all my cornsnakes and my entire breeding mouse colony to college with me.

As a freshman in college, my academic advisor, Dr. John Iverson, invited me to join him for an entire semester in the Sandhills of Nebraska.  This meant taking an entire semester off from school without credits and taking more credits each semester in the future to catch up so I could graduate on time.  I of course agreed and was off to Nebraska with him.  In Nebraska I learn more about field ecology than I ever knew I could.  John quickly became my mentor and then an incredible friend that I still take for granted all too often.  Heather and I lived together off campus for our senior year of college and it still makes Heather laugh that a professor would call me on a Friday night to see if I wanted to go out and chase herps across the state.  We were and still are friends.

Photographing a pair of mating bullsnakes

In Nebraska I found bullsnakes - lots and lots of bullsnakes.  We were working on a National Wildlife Refuge and as part of our "rent" we ran a 7 mile drift fence around a lake system that was designed to catch bullsnakes to protect duck eggs from predation.  This fence caught more bullsnakes than I ever imagined possible.  I was in heaven.  I even kept a few bullsnakes in our bunkhouse and in true snake fashion they would escape their cages.  One night I woke up with one of my escaped bullsnakes crawling on my back - what a thrill!  I loved every minute of my time in Nebraska and it was worth the extra work to catch up with the rest of my class to graduate on time.

Really the hair!
It looks like I am afraid of that tiny bullsnake

I continued to work with snakes around the college campus but the real adventures started when I was awarded a contract in 1994 to study Copper-bellied Watersnakes on the Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge near Seymour, Indiana as a sophomore in college.  Who would have thought that I would get a real contract to study snakes!?!  My job was to conduct a reptile and amphibian survey of the refuge and also find out what I could about the status and distribution of the copperbellies.  I spent hours and hours combing what I considered my own private refuge and got to know a species of snake that others rarely ever saw much less catch.  Copper-bellied Watersnakes are very beautiful snake which are an endangered species in parts of its range.  My study helped keep it from being listed in the southern part of its range because I ended up catching so many demonstrating the security of its status on a refuge.  I am proud to be a part of this effort but this is not the real story for today's blog.

Copper-bellied Watersnake

Anyone who has caught or handled watersnakes know two things about them - they bite readily and repeated when grabbed and excrete a strong smelling musk.  Every snake species can excrete musk and they all smell different.  I pride myself on my ability to determine a species of snake by just its smell.  After my first summer of catching copperbellies, I began to crave their bites and musk (strange addiction).  Even to this day the smell of a copperbelly does not disgust me but it turns me on - it reminds me of the pure pleasure I had while catching Copper-bellied Watersnakes for the next 3 years in college.

Catching baby watersnakes out of a bush

While in college I also got the opportunity to go to Kenya for an entire semester.  This program was sponsored by the college and we received credit while there so there was no making up school work for this amazing adventure.  While in Kenya, I did some REALLY STUPID things with snakes.  I mostly found and caught harmless greensnakes which were fun to torment and educate the children with.  The stupid snakes were the bush vipers I caught as well as holding some species I had no business even touching.

Bush vipers are small arboreal snakes found in the lower canopy of understory trees.  During our homestay in Kaimosi, I learned I could find them in the small forest preserve at the top of the largest hill.  One afternoon, Heather (I officially met Heather in Kenya) and I were using the shortcut trail through the forest when I spotted a bush viper about eye level that was catchable.  Heather tried to talk me out of catching it but I wanted to show this incredible little viper to the rest of the group.  I dumped out the water in my Nalgene water bottle, found a stick, and tried to corral the snake into the bottle.  No go - the snake just kept coming out of the bottle and climbing higher into the tree.  I was desperate not to let it get away so I hooked the snake with my stick and flung in to the trail so I could work with it in a (what I thought) safer place.  Well I flung the small venomous snake right at Heather's feet.  She expressed her displeasure with a few choice words despite my assurances that the snake could not bite her.  I then pinned (again!) the snake and put into my water bottle.  Mistake #1 in Africa - handling a venomous snake several hours from adequate medical care.

Green Bush Viper
Not my photo

Mistakes #2 and #3 were beyond stupid.  While on vacation with Heather in Diani Beach on the coast of Kenya south of Mombasa, we found a small reptile park tourist attraction.  As a budding herpetologist, I just had to go inside and see what they had.  This reptile park consisted of about 20 homemade cages on stilts filled with a bunch of cool critters in cages including a puff adder (mistake #2) and green mamba (mistake #3).  Well I just could not pass on the opportunity to actually hold these notorious snakes so I asked the caretaker/guide/owner if he minded if I got them out of their cages and held them.  He was very reluctant but then agreed.  I held both of these amazing snakes and even squeezed venom out to see the fangs in action.  The puff adder has long curved fangs that fold into its mouth when not in use and the green mamba has short fixed fangs in the front of its mouth.  Both sets are deadly in their own way as they transfer highly toxic venom deep into their prey.  These mistakes (#2 and #3) could have killed me.  We were a minimum of 8-10 hours from medical care that could have treated a bite from either one of these snakes.  Just Plain Stupid.  When I ask Heather why she allowed me to hold these snakes (she took the pictures below) in Kenya, she responds, "I didn't love you then".  Nice response Honey.

Stupid, stupid, stupid

While I have pinned and held venomous snakes since then, I have also begun to understand (more accept) the risks of handling venomous snakes.  There is a reason most venomous snake bites occur to men between the ages of 18-30.  Hmm.  Makes sense doesn't it (testosterone driven brains)?  I now have an absolutely no pin and grab policy with venomous snakes as there are many other ways to capture and process them without risking injury to the snake and a bite to me.  I also don't ever pin non-venomous snakes anymore.  It is just cruel and you run the risk of really hurting the snake.

One way to safely handle venomous snakes

I am almost to the present and future of my passion and relationship with snakes but you have to bear through a few more short stories.

Grad school - this is where my snake passion helped me and also destroyed me at the same time.  I attempted grad school at two different universities in about a 6-7 year time period.  Both times ended in failure.  Not failure as in failing classes but failure to follow through on research and complete a thesis.  Why?  Because I was chasing snakes.  The first grad school attempt was in Florida.  I should have seen this failure coming from a mile away.  There were tons of snakes that I had read about my whole life but had never seen in the wild.  It was my goal in Florida to learn the habits of each species and be able to target its capture anytime I wanted to.  Well this meant there was no time for research and there really isn't a thesis to be written on how good I was at catching snakes.

Eastern Diamond-backed Rattlesnake
Example of how hard snakes can be to spot but I got good at it.

My second grad school attempt was almost successful (well not quite but let's pretend it was).  I was personally invited to pursue a PhD with one of the world's premier herpetologists, Dr. J. Whitfield Gibbons after acing his herpetology class with a passion that may have surpassed his passion for snakes (Whit is technically a turtle biologist).  I was flattered - beyond flattered that I turned down a master's program that I was already accepted into in the wildlife school  Working with Whit was a dream of mine ever since I had read his book "Their Blood Runs Cold" 12 years earlier.  My dream come true.  Well two years into the program I was still taking classes and had no research completed.  I loved taking classes because it helped me avoid the research.  I probably have more coursework under my belt than any graduate student in history.  I then moved to the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory to try and conduct research after agreeing with Whit that a PhD probably was not best suited for me and I should pursue a master's degree.

I failed again because all I did at SREL was catch snakes, catch more snakes, and catch even more snakes for other people's research.  Sure I tried to do my own research but I was much better at catching snakes.  I was so good that Whit complimented me many times as the "best snake catcher he has ever known".  I even have proof in my personal copy of Whit's book "The Snakes of the Southeast" which he signed for me with that compliment.  Too bad being good at catching snakes doesn't get you a degree - I might have two or three PhDs by now.

However, one good thing about grad school is that you get the opportunity to teach.  I was lucky enough to help teach the Herpetology course at UGA.  This was exceedingly fun and my ability to catch snakes was well received and welcome on our many field trips.  The outcome of all this teaching was that another passion was ignited inside of me - teaching.  This is a whole other blog topic.

Teaching

Well after a long hiatus from the academic world, I have finally found something that being good at catching snakes is a huge benefit - the Center for Snake Conservation! 

It took me over 10 years working as an environmental consultant for the oil and gas industry to make me unhappy enough and push me towards a career that will mean something and make a difference for snakes.  While I still am working as a consultant, I am also working towards my goal of leading the world's most impactful organization for snake conservation.  The CSC has three types of programs - Education, Science, and Conservation.  My skill at being a very good snake catcher benefits my participation in all these programs.  During education programs at any venue for kids and adults, my field experience translates directly into stories about personal encounters with the snakes I am using to change human perceptions.  This is a unique approach that is very different than just telling the facts.  I have lived and breathed snakes since before I can remember and this passion can inspire someone who is fearful of snakes to have a new understanding about their role in our healthy ecosystems.

Being good at catching snakes is easily translated into our science programs.  The CSC conducts snake inventories across the country (a little exaggeration but we are growing to fill this need) and if you aren't good at finding snakes you are wasting your time conducting inventories.  Easy fit.  The CSC's conservation programs benefit from my being good at catching snakes because I can evaluate habitat quickly based on my experience with snakes in the field as to where and what we should focus conservation efforts on.

So in the end - being good at catching snakes does have its benefits even if it does mean I failed out of two graduate programs.

Marking a rattlesnake safely contained in a tube

There, I laid it out there.  This blog explains part of my history of "why did it have to be snakes?".  I have many, many more snake stories to tell you but I wanted to start in the beginning with the facts about the who, what, when, and where of my development as a snake person. 

Snakes are my passion.

Snakes are a HUGE part of who I am.

I have been blessed by amazing people encouraging my passion and incredible experiences which have made me good at what I do.  I plan on continuing pursuing my passion for snakes even when I am on my death bed.  I have gone so far as to joke with my boys that after I die, they had better feed me to an anaconda.  If you don't like it - tough!

Harsh 10K - North

Extreme running.  In my opinion there is nothing better than extreme running.  Extreme running can be a variety of things ranges from simple trail running to all-out off trail adventures.  Whatever it is though, it is HARD.  If your heart rate isn't in zone 4 and 5 for at least part of your run - you cannot call your run an extreme run.

There are extremes to extreme running that are just plain fucking crazy.  Take for instance, The Barkley Marathons.  This is a 100 mile race in the woods of Tennessee that consists of a 20 mile loop run five times alternating directions each time. The race has a 60 hour cut-off time which may seem generous until you hear about the course.  The course itself really isn't a course at all.  It is a cross-country trek during which you must find a series of books from which you rip out the page corresponding your race number.  This is to prove you actually did the course.  The Barkley Marathons has almost 60,000 feet of climbing which is more that any other endurance race in the world.  Here is the kicker - only 14 people out of around 1,000 who have started the race has ever finished.  This is only 1 finisher every two years since The Barkley Marathons started in 1986.  Here is a flyover of where the race takes place - good luck seeing the trail.

I WANT TO RACE THE BARKLEY MARATHONS!

Okay - The Barkley Marathons is extreme but there are many other types of running that can be considered extreme running.  These include 24 hour - 200 mile team relay races, Hash House Harriers events, trail endurance races, and just plain old fun runs.  I promise to write blogs about relay races and the hash in the future since these events helped drive my passion for extreme running.  But I wanted to start from the beginning talking about my career in extreme running and end with a new event called the Harsh 10K - North.

I started extreme running as a kid racing through the woods as fast as I could.  Nothing was a barrier - logs, briar patches, creeks, and rocks were just obstacles to jump, duck, splash, or push through.  This was just pure fun at its all time best.  No cares - I just ran through the woods clearing the obstacles as they attempted to slow me down.

Finishing a leg of the Colorado Relay

Next came the boy scouts.  Whenever we went camping somewhere, my buddies and I would find the steepest hill around and climb to the top.  We then would race to the bottom but with a catch.  We had to find, climb, and bring down as many dead trees as we could before we reached the bottom.  We were maniacs because the faster you came down the hill the higher you could jump up to grab the dead tree increasing the odds it came down on the first try.  At the bottom we would compare, exaggerate, and argue about out successes coming down the hill.  What did we do next?  Hiked back up the hill and repeated the adventure.

I then took a long hiatus from extreme running - girls, soccer, girls, school, girls, and girls took me away from my extreme running passion.  I found it again in college and it has never left me since.  In college, I joined the hash.  No - not a hash smoking group but the Hash House Harriers or drinkers with a running problem.  The hash would set a trail through the woods to a stash of beer using flour.  Hashing became a part of my life even after college which even included me founding and serving as Grand Master of the Hog Mountain Hash House Harriers in Georgia. I am proud to say that even today after I have been gone from Georgia 6 years, the HMHHH is still running extreme trails through the deepest shiggy and beaver ponds in the Atlanta area.  The HMHHH was famous for running through beaver ponds so much we earned the motto - "our beavers are always wet!".

Hog Mountain where Beavers are ALWAYS Wet! The best and deepest shiggy in the area that prides themselves on trails that are always dog friendly but never stroller friendly. You'll get wet and best of all drink your down down with the Hogs.

After leaving Georgia and the HMHHH behind, extreme running took a new direction for me.  I began to foster my love of trail running.  I often have lost my way and quit running for months or even a year at a time but what always brings me back is a good trail run.  I am BLESSED to have excellent trails right in my backyard but also have some serious trails just a few miles away in the foothills and even more extreme trails in the Rocky Mountains.  No matter what my mood, I can find solace and comfort during a long trail run.  No matter what my pace or fitness level, a good trail offers extreme running conditions that will test my legs and heart.

View from the high point of the Harsh 10K - North

This brings me to the Harsh 10K - North.  First off you should know that I name all my running routes according to their personalities.  This makes it easy for me to remember what the route is and where is goes.  So the Harsh 10K - North got its name just as it sounds:  6.2 very hard miles north of where I live.  The majority of this run occurs in the North Open Space in Louisville, CO.  It starts at my house and ends on a trail just around the corner.  The 6.2 miles between these two points will KICK YOUR ASS.  The run comprises of mostly single track trails that go up and down the northern ridge of Davidson Mesa.  Just brutal in places.  There are also bridges to cross, fences to jump, prairie dog mounds to avoid, rocks to trip on, and steep, steep slopes to climb up and down.  Extreme running at its finest right in my backyard.

Runner's ladder on the Harsh 10K - North trail 

Bridge and Prairie Dog Hill #2 on the Harsh 10K - North trail

Now some of you may be saying that you have harder trails that you run every day but are they literally out your front door?  Yes - I agree that I can head to the mountains and attempt to injure myself on the Mesa Trail as I do once a year on my friend Trevor's birthday just to feel alive.  I can also head to any trail in the Rocky Mountains for a high altitude extreme adventure.  But these runs and any other extreme run adventures involve driving and much more preparation than putting on my shoes and heading out the door for an incredibly challenging Harsh 10K.

South Boulder Homestretch Harsh 10K - North

Harsh 10K - North Finish Line

I ran the Harsh 10K yesterday and began thinking about how much I loved the course.  This is great but I just wasn't satisfied because I couldn't share this fun and challenging course with others.  Sure - there are lots of people who walk and run the trails in the North Open Space but have any of them put together a 10K course as challenging as the Harsh 10K.  Maybe they have and chances are I will probably never know.  Well tonight I went for a night run to clear my mind in the10 degree weather and snow from today.  Even though we had roughly 3-4 inches of new snow I could still see the single tracks of the North Open Space.  I quickly found myself running the easy sections of the Harsh 10K before angling off to come home with just a 4 mile run.  An idea grew in my head during this run that cannot be ignored.  Why not make a race out of the Harsh 10K - North route?

Harsh 10K - North Route

A race on a trail such as the Harsh 10K - North route would be an incredible challenge.  As we all know every runner has their own abilities and pace.  This is especially true when it comes to single track trail running.  A mass start for racing the Harsh 10K would leave no doubt as to who the winner is going to be within the first 1/2 mile.  This is no fun for anyone.  But what if we used a non-traditional start that would increase the competition and pressure on all runners - this would even the playing field and make the Harsh 10K - North a SERIOUS lung busting and leg crushing event.

Harsh 10K - North Run Profile

Cameron - what are you talking about?  A non-traditional start?  What does that even mean?  Well, I will tell you my idea and when I am going to test it out.  In most large races, runners are seeded based on their respective running paces.  In order to be seeded at the front of the race you have to submit a certified time from a race of similar distance.  This ensures that you are with runners of similar ability at the start of the race.  While this approach may work well at major running events, the Harsh 10K - North is really not designed for seeding since is really is just a backyard extreme trail fun run.

So during my run tonight, I brainstormed a way to make a real extreme race out of the Harsh 10K - North and I came up with a brilliant idea that has been used before during equalizer challenges.  A reverse-seeded time trial start!  What this means is that the slowest runners start first and the fastest runners start last.  All the other runners start at a pre-determined time interval in-between the fast and slow runners based on their running ability.  If this system works (and it should work), the staggered time trial start will create a collision at the finish line with a mad dash consisting of the slow, fast, and middle pace runners.  A reverse-seeded race isn't judged on time but about who crosses the finish line first.  Talk about an exciting race that increases pressure on all runners to go all out for the glory of finishing first.  Even a walker could win the race if we handicap the fastest runners with the correct time.

A better view of the Prairie Dog Hill #2 climb

So when will the first Harsh 10K - North extreme race occur?  I have decided that the first race will occur on January 1, 2014 at noon.  What a perfect way to start off the new year - racing with friends on a very challenging 10K course in our backyard.  Of course we will have a party afterwards to celebrate all the finishers and compare, exaggerate, and argue about the results, who falsified their start time, and when we passed each other on the course.

I also decided that there should be two versions of this race - a winter and a summer race.  This will allow runners to test their will in potentially extreme cold and hot weather.  The summer version will occur sometime in July or maybe August so it is guaranteed to be hot.

Sometimes the Harsh 10K - North can be flooded

How do you enter the Harsh 10K - North?  Well, all  you have to do is show up to the race start with a previous and recent 5K or 10K result to assist us in seeding your start time.  Simple!  No fees, no t-shirts, just running.

How do runners find out about the Harsh 10K - North?  I have started a Facebook page for the race which will allow us an avenue to find and recruit runners.  I am also going to have to start running with the meet-up group here in Louisville that I discussed in my blog Southern Fried Chicken.  This is going to push me out of my comfort zone and meet people.  I will also have to develop flyers to hand out at the schools, gym, and any other place I can find.  Even if I can only get 2 or 3 new runners to try the Harsh 10K - North on January 1, 2014 - my quest to share this extreme running adventure will be a success.

I am going to part with this blog with a video I found on youtube that really captures the feel and energy of extreme running.  I hope you will watch it and get excited about your next run and how you can make it extreme.

Southern Fried Chicken

I am not quite sure why I feel compelled to write about southern fried chicken but I have to.  I think my subconscious brain has a craving for fried chicken and I just need to tell the world.  Since this is my blog, let's see where this goes and what the impact southern fried chicken may just have on me.

I rarely have fried chicken.  It is a dish that I do not make that often.  I will make fried chicken strips about once every two weeks which the boys absolutely devour (except for Ashton - he just isn't a fan) but I just don't typically jump right into the oil with fried chicken.  Making southern fried chicken is a long and steady process that requires careful preparation.  Only if you have ever had it before you would understand that good southern fried chicken needs to have a crisp exterior but still be mysteriously juicy and delicious on the inside.

I can't share all my secrets here but I will try to give enough hints for some folks to understand.  Here are the four steps to making southern fried chicken.

Chicken - head to the nearest Costo or Sam's Club and buy a huge pack of legs and thighs with the skin on.  Forget the healthy breasts - while they be tempting there is nothing better than the thighs and legs.  I guess you can just call me a leg and butt man but don't get me wrong - I love breasts too.

Batter - Most chefs keep their fried chicken batters a secret and won't tell anyone for fear of losing control of the best thing they have.  You would need a sledge hammer to crack the nut they bury this secret in and a compass like Captain Jack Sparrow's just to find the nut.  Impossible.  All that said - I will give you a hint to my batter.  I like to make a tempora batter using beer instead of water (maybe I should switch to water - see Goodbye My Friend).  This batter is light yet sufficiently crispy and can be flavored any way you want it. There are other tips that help make the perfect fried chicken such as dredging your chicken in flour before coating it in batter.

Oil - To make southern fried chicken correctly you will need to have a huge vat of peanut oil with a way to heat it to 325 degrees.  Actually I like to heat it to 350 degrees because when you put the cold chicken in the temperature of the oil will drop.  I use my turkey fryer for this step.

Frying the chicken - Be extremely careful here - I am sure you all have seen the videos of people burning down their houses while attempting to fry a turkey for Thanksgiving (see video below).  You should time your frying by feel.  This is the only way to get it right.  There are recipes out there that call for a specific frying time but this does not always work.  What if your chicken legs and thighs are smaller or larger than the recipe calls for?  I will tell you that you will be serving raw chicken to your guests which leaves everyone bitter.  Take your time and watch your chicken until it is a golden brown.  Once golden brown remove your chicken from the fryer and put it on a cooling rack to let all the oil drain off.  Do not pile the chicken pieces on top of each other.  Each one needs its own space to cool and develop that crispy nut colored outside with the perfectly cooked meat on the inside.

So why would I spend all this time talking about how to make southern fried chicken?  Well this is my blog and I just went with it. However, I think the real reason is I feel the process of making great fried chicken is a great analogy to building a good relationship.  It takes the right people (legs and thighs), the right personal investments (the secret batter), the right environment (the oil), and time (don't follow the recipe).  

Why relationship building?  I guess am in the midst of a mid-life realization that I need more friends. Historically throughout my life, I have hung out on the periphery of groups and while I had a lot of friends, I had very few, if any, friends that I truly confided in.  I have kept my emotions bottled up without any real outlets.  As I am learning more about the needs of a healthy mind (old age and the reason for this blog), the one conclusion that I am absolutely sure of is that the human mind needs many different outlets of all different sorts - in other words: friends.  Well this is certainly a hard nut to crack at the ripe old age of 39 but it is possible.

So how does a 39 year old male find friends without being viewed as creepy? This can be a very delicate matter especially in today's digital age.  As I wrote previously, I am reaching out online for help with maintaining momentum with my fitness goals (see MyFitnessPal) which is a start.  My online friends are just that though - motivational and inspirational people that help hold me accountable to my fitness goals.  I really cannot count them as true friends.

There are all sorts of meet-ups for all sorts of reasons.  I am currently looking into a running group right here in Louisville. Maybe that will work.  The part that I am going to need the most work with is to not use my head but to let my feelings guide me.  In the past my head has come up with all sorts of excuses to not make friends.  Let's use running as an example since that is a potential avenue currently.  I haven't gone to this running group because my head says I am too slow.  Bingo - my head blocks any chance of ever making a friend.  I MUST learn to use my feelings to get outside of my head's comfort zone. That is how I will be successful.  Wish me luck!

Whatever happens, relationships are like cooking.  You can use all the logic you want, follow the recipe, and still ruin the chicken. Or you can trust fate, follow your instincts, and create perfection.  They are also a lot like hard nuts.  It takes forever to crack them but once you do, all your effort is worth every second, minute, and hour you put into it.  At the same time friendships are like a boomerang - in order to make and keep friends, you have throw your feelings out into the wind and hope they come back to hit you in the head.  This is what true relationships and friendships are all about.  Respect, trust, compassion, companionship, and understanding - if you have those, your friendships will last forever growing tall and green through all the seasons, good and bad, lost and lonely - your friends will be there.

Me, Ryan, and Trevor - my best friends

Monday Sunrise

There are many days where I think we all want to turn off the alarm clock, roll over, and sleep until noon.  Mondays are probably the most common day for the human mind to attempt to trick our bodies into staying in bed.  However, please remember that no matter what you have to face that morning or week, the sunrise is a daily reminder that the world is an amazing place. 

This photo, although grainy, was taken out a bus window with my phone on the way to work.  It shows Denver basking in the morning's sunrise with a RTD shuttle speeding away from the city.  To me, this represents how most of us live our lives - always in a hurry going away from what is really important.  Please slow down and see the beauty that is around you regardless of your current situation and where you live.  I promise - you will be better for it.


Monday Sunrise.

Blank

My mind is blank - completely blank.  I was at a reptile expo educating people about the amazing and fascinating lives of snakes with 3 volunteers and their children all day yesterday.  After that I went straight into a FearFactor theme night for young teens at a lower income recreation center from 7-10pm.  To make it through the theme night, I had a cup of coffee at 6pm (MISTAKE!).  I was unable to fall asleep until well after midnight.  Of course all the above inevitably means that the dogs and boys would wake me up at 6:30am to go outside to pee and look for their handheld gaming systems (those things are supposed to allow parents the chance to sleep in - right?).  Well, now I am awake so I thought I would write a new blog. 

My mind is blank - completely blank.

Blank Mind