Brandon Jessop

NEWTON – Gobble Wobble

“It all began with a shoe on the wall. A shoe on the wall shouldn’t be there at all.” -Dr. Seuss

One shoe, two shoe, old shoe, new shoe. I haven’t tried every shoe on the market, but I’ve gone though my fair share, and I’m currently running in the Newton Distance running shoes. (Pictured above: Fig.1) I don’t want to sound naive in saying that Newtons are the “best” shoe out there, but I will say that the Newton Distance are the best I’ve found. And I bet that if you find yourself in a pair, you’ll agree. You may or may not be familiar with Newton, but in the triathlon world they are widely accepted, dare I say preferred. Newton is know by most do to World Champion Triathlete, Craig Alexander. Craig crushed the Ironman World Championships this year in a record time of 8:03:56, cruising home with a 2:44:03 marathon sporting the Newton Distance S. Recognized by their flashy, bright colors and lugs on the underside of the forefoot, Newton promotes NATURAL RUNNING. To further educate yourself on natural running, read the book Natural Running: The Simple Path to Stronger, Healthier Running by Danny Abshire.

I just received a FREE pair of Newton running shoes from KompetitiveEdge, for winning the 2011 Gobble Wobble held on Thanksgiving Day at Clement Park in Littleton. “Birds of a feather flock together.” There were some odd ducks at the Gobble Wobble this year. Myself being one of those angry birds. Like a cock fight, the cage opened at 8:30 and we all took flight. I made my way to the lead gaggle, gauging the hens in the coop. After a few minutes I began to see the fowl gather. The most “COMIC” of them all was the peacock with neon knockoff Frogskins which matched his getup. “Comic. Real comic.” I believe he placed second. The thing with peacocks, the look pretty, but they pose no threat. If I’m not mistaken, I think he received a pair of awesome Oakley Jawbones for his valiant effort. Don’t get your feathers ruffled. -You’re welcome.

Today wasn’t about who won and who didn’t. In all honesty I didn’t even feel like racing today. Rather, today was about Thanksgiving, and giving back. The proceeds from the 2011 Gobble Wobble benefit the Professionals Miracles Foundation, which provides assistance to Denver Metro area children and families to help improve the lives of children diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, faced with a lifetime medical condition or are involved in tragic accidents. I’m THANKFUL for my health. I’m THANKFUL I was able to participate today. I’m THANKFUL I was able to help give back.

I’ll see you at the next Gobble Wobble.

Where the Sidewalk Ends

Every classic allegory follows the same basic plot: introduction of the main character, incline, climax or multiple climaxes, followed by the resolution. Have you ever heard of Where the Sidewalk Ends? No, not the collection of poetry composed by stud Shel Silverstein. I’m referring about a bike route which starts on the western boundaries of Boulder, CO and takes the rider on an epic apologue.

Where the Sidewalk Ends is a 53mi. course that climbs somewhere in the neighborhood of 9000ft. in elevation, highlighting some of the most famous ascents in Boulder: Magnolia, Sugarloaf, and Flagstaff. (No Garmin, so excuse the estimates, but trust me, this ride isn’t easy.) DESCRIPTION: Ride up Boulder Canyon to the Magnolia Rd junction. Go left (south) on Magnolia and climb until the road turns to dirt, then turn around and carefully descend back to Boulder Canyon. Go left (west) up Boulder Canyon for about 100 yards and then turn right (north) onto Sugarloaf Rd. Climb up Sugarloaf, past the summit, to where the road turns to dirt, then turn around and return to Boulder Canyon. Go left (east) and descend down Boulder Canyon to return to town. Go right (south) on 6th Street and climb all the way up to Baseline Rd. Go right (west) on Baseline and climb past the summit and continue upon where the sidewalk ends. Then turn around and make you way home. Sounds like a real page turner, right? -Leg burner is more like it.

I felt like Cinderella dancing on the pedals, waltzing to and fro, attempting to keep my bike on the road. The wicked stepmother, Mother Nature, wasn’t very cooperative. Mother-something-else rather. 20-30mph winds gusting to FORTY. It might have been a breeze if the weather was fair. -Right. With the three evil stepsisters: Maggie, Suzy and Francey, -I don’t think so. Those are definitely three b!&@#es you don’t want to meet on a poor weather day. Or maybe even on a good day you wouldn’t want to cross their paths. Fairy dust (gravel) sprinkled the descents, making the downs just as difficult as the ups. Fairy dust, because if you go down on a turn you might get a visit from the Tooth Fairy. I hear when she’s not scaring little kids she works as an orthopedic surgeon, and she loves clavicles. Lucky for me I have mad bike handling squabbles and kept it rubber side down. -Easier said than done considering the weather conditions. Usually it’s not a good sign when you come across a “Pavement Ends” marker on a road bike, but in this case it was anticipated and appreciated on each climb. The ride came to a conclusion when I arrived at the pumpkin chariot, the Honda.

Come next Fall, for The Big Dance, I think I’ll use this route to see if Cinderella’s ready for the ball.