Beer of the Week: Modus Mandarina

Quick post tonight before dinner.  This is for Modus Mandarina.  It's from Durango, Colorado's Ska Brewing.  The side of the can describes it as an IPA dry hopped with Mandarina Bavaria Hops and then brewed with Orange Peels.  If the orange can doesn't make you think of oranges then the aroma definitely will.  This IPA is different.  There's certainly an orange undertone here, and the hops are smoother; there isn't the piney bite that most IPA's possess.  Think honey, oranges and an almost amber ale like finish (you'll still find a bit of bitterness when all is said and done).   A can or two of this one is going into my reserves and I'm inclined to pick up another six pack.  It's a likely candidate for my top beers of 2015.  6.8% ABV.  Drink a couple of 'em at home.

Racing in 2016

Last year, publishing my race schedule was the easiest thing to do.  It essentially boiled down to ONE RACE: Ironman Boulder (I also did the Bolder Boulder, but I could probably do that one in my sleep at this point!).  Having put all of my eggs in one basket, I'm going to take a different approach for the coming year.

Beginning in about 2012, I started focusing more on long course and greater distance events.  The first was HITS Sterling and that year also contained a late spring Marathon. In 2013, I went all out completing a 50 mile ultra in May before setting my sights on IM 70.3 Austin in late October.  That one didn't end too well, but I bounced back in 2014 with the Harvest Moon Half Ironman.  And then in 2015, it was all about Ironman.  Except for the first two years in triathlon, I've added more and more distance each year.  Here's a look at my training totals since 2010 when I started this whole triathlon thing.

The truth is, I love the longer distances.  I love the challenge that being out on the road or the trail hour after hour provides, and I imagine the only way I will ever stop doing endurance events is when I am no longer able to do so.  But after three years, I'm feeling like it's a good time to take a little break from the long stuff.  I'd imagine there's another ultra, multi-day bike ride, or even another Ironman in my future, but not in 2016.  Here's what I have planned instead.

5.14.16: ORDINARY MORTALS TRIATHLON (Sprint Triathlon)
The official start of my season will kick off with this race.  It's our local club's race and it's a reverse order triathlon consisting of a 5k run, a 12 mile ride, and an indoor 300 yd swim to finish.  2016 will be the third time I've raced it.  I've also volunteered in some form or another for the last three years, and I'll probably offer to do something pre-race again this year.

5.30.16: BOLDER BOULDER (10K Race)
Quite simply, I will always do this race.  Did my first one about 30 years ago.

6.5.16: CRESCENT MOON TRIATHLON (Sprint Triathlon)
This one is a maybe.  I'd like to have an early summer triathlon, but I'll have to see.  It would be my third race in about 3 weeks so it might be too much.  I really like the venue however, and I think that the water is perhaps the cleanest in the state.   Another option, one I'm leaning toward, is volunteering at this one.  I believe that would qualify me for a "free" or discounted entry to another event later on in the year.  I am hoping to get a SUP sometime before summer and so it might be kind of cool to volunteer out on the water. UPDATE: THIS ONE IS OFF OF THE LIST.  THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT HAS DENIED PERMITS FOR THE ROADS SURROUNDING THE RESERVOIR.  NO MORE TRIATHLONS AT THIS VENUE.  THAT'S A SHAME!

6.26.16: BOULDER SUNRISE TRIATHLON (Sprint Triathlon)
I've already signed up for this one as part of a "package deal."  It's summertime and so it will be fun to do this race and perhaps make a "date night" out of it later on Sunday.  Nothing quite like Boulder in the summer.  There are a number of restaurants in town that I'd like to visit and it would be fun to hit the Sundown on Pearl Street for a little trip down memory lane!

LATE JULY:  ROCKY MOUNTAIN STATES GAMES (Sprint Triathlon)
This is the only triathlon in Colorado Springs that I know of.  The timing of it has never been quite right, but this might be the year that changes.  They also have an SUP race, so I may have a couple of events during this weekend.  I love the fact that this race is within driving distance of home,.

8.27.16: BOULDER SUNSET TRIATHLON (Sprint Triathlon)
This is the presumed end of the season triathlon for me.  The Boulder Sunset was the second ever triathlon that I did way back in 2010, and I've returned once a couple of years back for the Olympic. The race is under new management this year, but it's the second half of a package deal, so I'm already registered.  Should make a nice bookend to the season.

So as you can see this year it's going to be all about the short course races (somewhere between 4 and 6 of 'em).  This means I won't be spending hours at a time in the pool, on the bike, or out on a run.  I'll have a few longer days here and there, but I'm looking forward to my training taking less of my time.
Of course I'll revisit this schedule as the season gets closer, but this is the "plan" as it stands at the moment.

Beer of the Week: Dunkel

With nothing really new on the training front, here's another tasty submission to the Beer of the Week Series.  This time it's Prost Brewing Co.'s Dunkel.  It's subtlety makes it quite quaffable (say that three times fast!).  The first thing you'll notice is its color, a dark brown that's not typical of most lagers (it's not as dark as a black lager either).  The beer doesn't give off much in the way of aroma so the only way to get at it, is to taste.  Dunkel has a nice, balanced maltiness to it, but there's an underlying bit of earthy wildness as well.  Every now and then a sip reveals a bit of straw in the flavor.  Nothing overpowering or dominating, just a hint in the background.  The mouthfeel on this beer is very light as you'd expect from a lager and the finish is quite smooth. At 5.2% ABV, you could probably get away with drinking a couple of these without any trouble. Prost!