I was away from my computer most of the day yesterday so imagine my surprise to see a comment on my blog about a new date for the 2012 USDAA Nationals. I guess people were freaking out about the weather. Or something. Ironically according to a local meteorologist they've moved it to dates that actually have a higher chance of precipitation (14%-18% for the Sept. weekend vs. 12%-14% for the Oct. weekend). Admittedly these statistics are only slightly useful and the difference is probably negligible. However the temps. are likely to be warmer and if nothing else it eases people's fears which is perhaps more important than the reality of the situation because really it's probably 6 half a dozen which weekend they have it on as far as weather goes and if Sept. makes people feel better then I can see why they made the decision. I have to give USDAA credit for starting to listen more to competitors. I like the new kindler, gentler, more responsive USDAA and I'm feeling more likely to do more USDAA these days as a result.
However on a purely personal note they've moved Nationals to 3 days after Xterra Nationals in Utah. No matter how I do the math I can't see myself recovering from Xterra Nat's. in time for USDAA. Plus the 7 1/2 hour drive to and from UT, that will add to my required recovery time. Driving wears me out these days and for me that's a very long trip. Haven't driven that far in years. Plus it's difficult to gear up mentally for 2 such different, big deal events so close together. One of them has to go and I'm leaning towards Xterra Nat's. because USDAA is so close. And it's likely Strum's only opportunity to enter such a big event because I'm not willing to travel for USDAA Nat's. though maybe my mind will change depending on how the Denver event goes. But Strum is going to be 7 in March, hitting his prime really, and this is his time to go.
Before USDAA announced the date change I was already wavering a little on Xterra Nat's. anyway because I'd read some unpleasant things about the race in a couple of race reports, mostly stuff about competitors being rude and outright dangerous. Most triathletes are nice people, especially the folk doing the off-road tri's but apparently Nat's. attracts more of the over competitive assholes and I don't enjoy that sort of atmosphere. The mass start swim was a nightmare with the men in particular being really violent, kicking and punching and not only swimming over the backs of people but pushing and holding them under. Also there was a guy who started screaming at a woman who got off to walk a rocky part of the trail. She moved out of his way at a wide part but he came over to her and elbowed her hard. Then the same woman was elbowed by another woman near the finish line who was trying to prevent the first woman from passing her. I'm sorry but I have no patience for that sort of behavior and I don't want to spend the day racing with people like that. On the other hand the race reports were written by a pro and someone who is way younger and closer to the front of the pack than I would be so it's possible I wouldn't encounter such bad behavior further back in the pack.
Then there was the hoopla over Lance Armstrong which sounds like it was very annoying as I expected. But there's no guarantee he'd return. He didn't do so great for someone with an ego like his (finished 5th and 5 minutes behind the leader, his bike time was 5th as well) and he did even worse at Worlds (finished 23rd, 10 minutes behind the leader and 10th place on the bike, even got beat by some age-groupers, ie non-pro's) so maybe he's done with the Xterra lark. But who can say if he'll return next year? It's not a deal breaker but makes me feel not so bad about missing the race.
I'm a little irritated that USDAA moved Nat's. so close to DOCNA Champs. They're also the weekend before USDAA Nat's. I wish the venues would have a little more respect for each other. DOCNA has had those dates scheduled in Denver for at least 6 months, maybe longer, maybe even since last year. Ironically though this means I may actually enter a few runs of DOCNA Champs. since I won't be at Xterra Nat's. If I enter only the Jumpers/Standard runs and the North America Challenge it might make for a nice warm-up for USDAA. 2 runs on Friday, 3 runs on Sat. and 0-2 runs on Sun. (depending which if any Finals we made) wouldn't be so much that it would wear Strum out for USDAA Nat's. plus it's only 40-45 minutes away so we'd be home every day at a reasonable hour. Heck it would barely take the edge off of him.
The plan for now though is to try to qualify for everything and see what works out the best nearer the events. If Strum gets injured I have Xterra Nat's. to fall back on. If I'm good to go for both then it'll be USDAA. I feel fortunate to have so much fun stuff to choose from. What a great year for agility in the Denver area.
Saturday, November 05, 2011
Monday, October 31, 2011
Happy Halloween from the worst band ever
I love Halloween. And who doesn't love the The Shaggs? They're often referred to as the worst band of all time. My college roommate actually had their album and after way too many listens it begins to grow on you. Whether you want it to or not. But any band that has a Halloween song is cool in my books. Unfortunately there's no video but you can enjoy the not so melodious mayhem of the music. And when you're done go listen to 'My Pal Foot Foot'. Or something more soothing to get the ringing out of your ears, whichever.
And here are some tips on how to survive the Zombie Apocalypse using science (not be confused with the CDC version). Because you never know.
And here are some tips on how to survive the Zombie Apocalypse using science (not be confused with the CDC version). Because you never know.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
October DOCNA Trial
I'm a bit behind on posting a report for this trial. Was in Chicago last week with no internet except for phone internet and do not even get me started on the frustrations of phone internet. How do people stand it? I could barely answer the emails I had to answer, took me half an hour to type 2 sentences. Anyway all the blogging I had planned went right out the window.
Highlight of the trial for me was Sunday's Standard run. Got called on the dogwalk but still it was fun, 5.32 yps, fastest run in the entire class. And also the North America Challenge at the end of the day, got a Q and took 1st place. I had to do a double take at the yps though since it seemed slow at 4.56 yps but when I watched the video I realized I had some wasted time at an A-frame/tunnel turn and a wide turn somewhere else. Still was a fun run and we're qualified for DOCNA Champs in 2012 in Golden if Xterra Nationals doesn't work out. Nice to have that to fall back on and would be a good warm-up for USDAA Nat's. so I was pleased to get those Q's. We also had a clean run in Saturday's NAC so we've even got an extra Q and it was some kind of NAC title.
NAC and Standard runs
Was happy to discover some new music yesterday, a new album by a band called Banner Pilot. Song on the video is Spanish Reds. Finally some new music for me even if it sounds like Jawbreaker circa the mid-90's. At least I've stepped out of the 80's.
I fell down hard in Saturday's Jumpers at a pinwheel to serpentine section that was identical to something we had in the Finals at Champs that I blundered a little there as well. It's mostly due to not trusting Strum on a lateral send and being too far behind for the serpentine. This time around my timing was worse than at Champs and the poor dog took me out at the knees then he got scared when I fell and started running out of the ring. I called him back though and we finished the course though way over time. I thought we'd had a great run for the second Jumpers run then saw my score and people told me Strum had run past a jump. How did I not notice that? I was so sure I was watching him. Oh well, was otherwise really nice.
Missed dogwalks caused 2 NQ's (one standard, one Snakes and Ladders). Still too many missed weave pole entries. No bars down though, I'm starting to think that footing plays a big part. Teeters were mostly looking good. A-frames were perfect. This is starting to sound like a broken record.
Overall a fun trial. Still a bit bored with DOCNA courses though. I've got DOCNA trials in Dec. and Feb. because they're only 20 mins. from my house and nothing else is going on either month but after Feb. I might not do any DOCNA until the end of next year. Going to focus on qualifying for USDAA Nationals and give myself a break from the pinwheels and serpentines.
Final Stats
Specialist North American Challenge Saturday Q-2nd place (clean run)
Specialist North American Challenge Sunday Q-1st place (clean run)
Specialist Strategic Time Gamble Q - 7th place
Trigility Q - 3rd place
Specialist Gamblers Title
Specialist North America Challenge Title
Qualified for 2012 Champs.
Dogwalks
3/5(60%) Though I think we got a gift on one of them
A-frames
100%, not sure how many we did, at least 6 or 7
Teeters
7/7 - 100%, though some were close
Weave pole entries
4/8 (50%) Approx. Can't remember exactly.
Bars down
No bars down, yee ha.
Highlight of the trial for me was Sunday's Standard run. Got called on the dogwalk but still it was fun, 5.32 yps, fastest run in the entire class. And also the North America Challenge at the end of the day, got a Q and took 1st place. I had to do a double take at the yps though since it seemed slow at 4.56 yps but when I watched the video I realized I had some wasted time at an A-frame/tunnel turn and a wide turn somewhere else. Still was a fun run and we're qualified for DOCNA Champs in 2012 in Golden if Xterra Nationals doesn't work out. Nice to have that to fall back on and would be a good warm-up for USDAA Nat's. so I was pleased to get those Q's. We also had a clean run in Saturday's NAC so we've even got an extra Q and it was some kind of NAC title.
NAC and Standard runs
Was happy to discover some new music yesterday, a new album by a band called Banner Pilot. Song on the video is Spanish Reds. Finally some new music for me even if it sounds like Jawbreaker circa the mid-90's. At least I've stepped out of the 80's.
I fell down hard in Saturday's Jumpers at a pinwheel to serpentine section that was identical to something we had in the Finals at Champs that I blundered a little there as well. It's mostly due to not trusting Strum on a lateral send and being too far behind for the serpentine. This time around my timing was worse than at Champs and the poor dog took me out at the knees then he got scared when I fell and started running out of the ring. I called him back though and we finished the course though way over time. I thought we'd had a great run for the second Jumpers run then saw my score and people told me Strum had run past a jump. How did I not notice that? I was so sure I was watching him. Oh well, was otherwise really nice.
Missed dogwalks caused 2 NQ's (one standard, one Snakes and Ladders). Still too many missed weave pole entries. No bars down though, I'm starting to think that footing plays a big part. Teeters were mostly looking good. A-frames were perfect. This is starting to sound like a broken record.
Overall a fun trial. Still a bit bored with DOCNA courses though. I've got DOCNA trials in Dec. and Feb. because they're only 20 mins. from my house and nothing else is going on either month but after Feb. I might not do any DOCNA until the end of next year. Going to focus on qualifying for USDAA Nationals and give myself a break from the pinwheels and serpentines.
Final Stats
Specialist North American Challenge Saturday Q-2nd place (clean run)
Specialist North American Challenge Sunday Q-1st place (clean run)
Specialist Strategic Time Gamble Q - 7th place
Trigility Q - 3rd place
Specialist Gamblers Title
Specialist North America Challenge Title
Qualified for 2012 Champs.
Dogwalks
3/5(60%) Though I think we got a gift on one of them
A-frames
100%, not sure how many we did, at least 6 or 7
Teeters
7/7 - 100%, though some were close
Weave pole entries
4/8 (50%) Approx. Can't remember exactly.
Bars down
No bars down, yee ha.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
USDAA Nationals 2012 Site in Colorado
I was driving home from the airport on Tuesday just before the snow storm hit and decided to check out the USDAA Nationals site since it was right on my way home. I have a photo album set up here on my Facebook account so I won't re-post all the photos here. The album is public so you shouldn't have to join Facebook or be my friend to see it. You can see an overhead site map here. USDAA is reserving fields 7-12 which are the middle set of fields south of the main stadium.
Looking west from the south-eastern edge of the fields. You can see the storm blowing in.
Looking north from the south edge of the fields
Looking southwest from the north end of the fancy turf fields.
Looking north from the fancy turf field shown above. There are restrooms in this building as well as a water spigot/hose/drinking fountain (but I wouldn't use it, see why below).
Bar adjacent to the main stadium. Looking north at main stadium (main stadium field is behind the building).
Overall the site is really nice. It was built 4 years ago for Denver's professional soccer team. There are lots of little parking lots surrounding the fields as well as bigger lots that are farther away. Not sure how USDAA will make use of those lots. Lots G and H were a fairly good hike from the site, probably not practical to crate in the car if you run multiple dogs. I didn't see RV hookups but I didn't drive into every single parking lot. The grass is beautiful-lush and green and there are 2 fields of fancy short turf that felt natural (Edited to add: According to the site's website these fields are artificial turf. The turf in the main stadium is grass though). All the footing looked really good in general though I didn't go out into the middle of the fields for a detailed look.
If you look on Mapquest you can see that the site is fairly isolated. The Rocky Mountain Arsenal 'Wildlife Refuge' is to the north and west and my advice to you is to stay the heck out of it. It was a chemical weapons plant and then a pesticide manufacturing plant in a previous life and was one of the largest, most contaminated Superfund sites in the country. Supposedly it was cleaned up but some years ago there was some controversy about that with toxic muck showing up in loose topsoil. Parts of the arsenal are open to visitors for hiking and Dick's Sporting Goods Park is constructed on land that was previously part of the Arsenal. Personally I won't go hiking on the arsenal land or drink any water on the site (there was also controversy about the toxic waste leaking into the groundwater). But I'm particular like that. I'm not trying to scare people and I am planning to go to Nationals but I do think it's important to be aware of these things.
Commerce City itself is largely industrial and economically depressed. I drove around the residential neighborhood to the northwest of the site and it's run down. There were some interesting characters wandering around. This doesn't bother me but I wouldn't send tourists there for a wander in their down time. There are some hotels/motels along Hwy. 2 between 64th and 72nd and unless you're a fan of dives I would avoid them. The Denver Renaissance Hotel is on Quebec just south of I-70 and it's a nice place that I believe allows dogs though I don't know their particular policies/fees. I've never been in the rooms but I've been there for my professional engineering group's meetings and it's very nice. There are some other hotels in that area too and I'd guess it's a 10-15 minute drive from the site. USDAA is reserving rooms but I have no idea where. I'm not familiar with anything else about the surrounding area. I didn't notice many restaurants when I was driving around but I didn't explore the entire area, just got a general idea.
One other thing to keep in mind when booking hotels is the oil refinery. It's at the Vasquez/Hwy 2 exit of Hwy. 270 which is also the exit for the site. The smell from that place is something special so I'd avoid any hotels downwind of that area.
Again I'm not trying to scare anybody or put them off of going to Nationals but these are things I'd want to know ahead of time so I could avoid them. Commerce City is very small, drive for 5-10 minutes and you're out of it. Downtown Denver is about 15-20 minutes away. Nice hiking areas in the foothills outside of Golden or Lakewood are 30-40 minutes away. Boulder is 40-45 minutes away, lots of nice off leash open space trails up here if you're done with your runs at 10 a.m. and looking for something to do.
If anybody local has more useful info. about the site or area please feel free to post to the comments. I'm not from around that area and I've shared all I know though if anything else occurs to me I'll leave it in the comments.
Looking west from the south-eastern edge of the fields. You can see the storm blowing in.
Looking north from the south edge of the fields
Looking southwest from the north end of the fancy turf fields.
Looking north from the fancy turf field shown above. There are restrooms in this building as well as a water spigot/hose/drinking fountain (but I wouldn't use it, see why below).
Bar adjacent to the main stadium. Looking north at main stadium (main stadium field is behind the building).
Overall the site is really nice. It was built 4 years ago for Denver's professional soccer team. There are lots of little parking lots surrounding the fields as well as bigger lots that are farther away. Not sure how USDAA will make use of those lots. Lots G and H were a fairly good hike from the site, probably not practical to crate in the car if you run multiple dogs. I didn't see RV hookups but I didn't drive into every single parking lot. The grass is beautiful-lush and green and there are 2 fields of fancy short turf that felt natural (Edited to add: According to the site's website these fields are artificial turf. The turf in the main stadium is grass though). All the footing looked really good in general though I didn't go out into the middle of the fields for a detailed look.
If you look on Mapquest you can see that the site is fairly isolated. The Rocky Mountain Arsenal 'Wildlife Refuge' is to the north and west and my advice to you is to stay the heck out of it. It was a chemical weapons plant and then a pesticide manufacturing plant in a previous life and was one of the largest, most contaminated Superfund sites in the country. Supposedly it was cleaned up but some years ago there was some controversy about that with toxic muck showing up in loose topsoil. Parts of the arsenal are open to visitors for hiking and Dick's Sporting Goods Park is constructed on land that was previously part of the Arsenal. Personally I won't go hiking on the arsenal land or drink any water on the site (there was also controversy about the toxic waste leaking into the groundwater). But I'm particular like that. I'm not trying to scare people and I am planning to go to Nationals but I do think it's important to be aware of these things.
Commerce City itself is largely industrial and economically depressed. I drove around the residential neighborhood to the northwest of the site and it's run down. There were some interesting characters wandering around. This doesn't bother me but I wouldn't send tourists there for a wander in their down time. There are some hotels/motels along Hwy. 2 between 64th and 72nd and unless you're a fan of dives I would avoid them. The Denver Renaissance Hotel is on Quebec just south of I-70 and it's a nice place that I believe allows dogs though I don't know their particular policies/fees. I've never been in the rooms but I've been there for my professional engineering group's meetings and it's very nice. There are some other hotels in that area too and I'd guess it's a 10-15 minute drive from the site. USDAA is reserving rooms but I have no idea where. I'm not familiar with anything else about the surrounding area. I didn't notice many restaurants when I was driving around but I didn't explore the entire area, just got a general idea.
One other thing to keep in mind when booking hotels is the oil refinery. It's at the Vasquez/Hwy 2 exit of Hwy. 270 which is also the exit for the site. The smell from that place is something special so I'd avoid any hotels downwind of that area.
Again I'm not trying to scare anybody or put them off of going to Nationals but these are things I'd want to know ahead of time so I could avoid them. Commerce City is very small, drive for 5-10 minutes and you're out of it. Downtown Denver is about 15-20 minutes away. Nice hiking areas in the foothills outside of Golden or Lakewood are 30-40 minutes away. Boulder is 40-45 minutes away, lots of nice off leash open space trails up here if you're done with your runs at 10 a.m. and looking for something to do.
If anybody local has more useful info. about the site or area please feel free to post to the comments. I'm not from around that area and I've shared all I know though if anything else occurs to me I'll leave it in the comments.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Monday, October 17, 2011
Weather for USDAA Nationals 2012 in Colorado
I thought I'd keep a week's long journal of the weather we had this past week since it's the same week as USDAA Nationals next year to give people an idea of what the weather is like.
In general the weather is incredibly nice this time of year. A snapshot of a day in October is sunny, blue skies, 70's, low humidity. It's a fairly dry month as far as snow/rain goes, more or less tied with Sept. as the 6th driest month. However Oct. 15 is the average day for our first snowfall. Denver is not desert like Scottsdale, it's semi-arid so while we do enjoy low humidity most days, we also have occasional snow or rain in October. USDAA is definitely playing a game of Russian Roulette with the weather. Now I'm not complaining, I've long wished we could have more outdoor trials in October. If it does snow or rain it's only likely to do so for a day or even half a day. Multiple days of bad weather are possible but not likely. It's only rained once so far this month and maybe once or twice last month but it's not at impossibility that the rare bad day of weather could come during Nationals. And after a week of perfect weather today is cloudy and damp, 53 degrees and 49% humidity in Commerce City at 2:00 p.m. I didn't check the temps/humidity this morning but it wasn't a pleasant day to be hanging around outside. On the other hand the sun is coming out as I type. Bad weather doesn't typically last all that long here.
One thing to bear in mind when reading these temperatures is that sun, wind and humidity levels have a big effect on comfort. If the sun is shining and humidity is down in the 20's and winds are calm then it can feel up to 10 degrees warmer than it actually is. When I go home to Chicago I always have to remember to dress for 5-10 degrees colder than what the temperature is or I'm too cold. Another thing to keep in mind is that we are having a La Nina weather pattern this year so in general it's been warmer and drier than usual (though not this past week). Who knows what next year brings? If Nationals had been here this year the conditions would have been perfect all week except maybe even too hot on Saturday, let's hope for the same in 2012.
Weather conditions for Commerce City, October 10-16, 2011
Oct. 10, Monday
7:00 a.m.: 39 degrees, sun coming up, clear, light
8:45 a.m.: sporadic patches of frost on ground in shady places, no frost in sunny places
9:15 a.m.: 47 degrees, sunny, clear
10:00 a.m.: 51 degrees, sunny, clear
12:30 p.m.: 60 degrees, sunny, clear
2:00 p.m.: 63 degrees, sunny, clear, 23% humidity (compare to Scottsdale, 84 degrees/13%
humidity)
4:00 p.m.: 64 degrees, sunny, clear, 21% humidity
5:00 p.m.: 65 degrees, sunny, clear, 21% humidity
7:00 p.m.: 51 degrees, dark, 54% humidity
Oct. 11, Tuesday
7:00 a.m.: 55 degrees, cloudy, 34% humidity, light
Was at the agility training field at 7:30 a.m. for a practice session. Started out in cotton/poly running pants and a t-shirt under a medium weight long sleeved technical running top under a fleece pullover. Also had a fleece hat. Gradually peeled off the layers and was down to a t-shirt by around 8:45 a.m., maybe earlier. Dogs were hot by the end of practice.
9:00 a.m.: 55 degrees, 40% humidity, clear
10:30 a.m.: 61 degrees, 27% humidity, winds 10 mph gusting to 19 mph, clear
Noon: 65 degrees, 28% humidity, winds 5-10 mph, clear
1:30 p.m.: 67 degrees, 24% humidity, partly cloudy
Out walking dogs at 3:30 p.m. in shorts and t-shirt, warm in sun, cool when sun went behind clouds, slight wind
4:00 p.m.: 68 degrees, 24% humidity, partly cloudy
6:35 p.m.: 62 degrees, 30% humidity, cloudy, 14 mph winds, starting to get dark
7:00 p.m.: 61 degrees, 30% humidity, winds 10-15 mph, dark
Oct. 12, Wednesday
7:15 a.m.: 48 degrees, 48% humidity, sunny, clear, light
8:05 a.m.: 47 degrees, 46% humidity, sunny, clear
8:30 a.m., running with dogs, lycra tights with medium weight long sleeved running top, sunny and
clear, breezy, feels warm in sun, good in shade, no frost on ground.
1:00 p.m.: 61 degrees, 23% humidity, sunny, clear blue skies, glorious day (compare to Scottsdale,
91 degrees, 17% humidity)
2:25 pm.m: 65 degrees, 20% humidity, sunny, clear
4:05 p.m.: 67 degrees, 17% humidity, sunny, clear
6:25 p.m.: 59 degrees, 28% humidity, clear
6:40 p.m.: Getting dark
Oct. 13, Thursday
6:45 a.m.: 38 degrees, 68% humidity, clear (mostly light by 6:50 a.m.)
7:25 a.m.: 40 degrees, 59% humidity, sunny, clear
8:05 a.m.: 42 degrees, 58% humidity, sunny, clear
8:35 a.m.: 44 degrees, 55% humidity, sunny, clear
9:05 a.m.: 51 degrees, 40% humidity, sunny clear
10:25 a.m.: 60 degrees, 23% humidity, sunny, clear
12:45 p.m.: 74 degrees, 13% humidity, sunny, clear (compare to Scottsdale, AZ at 93 degrees,
10% humidity)
2:45 p.m.: 76 degrees, 12% humidity, sunny, clear, 21 mph winds
6:05 p.m.: 67 degrees, 23% humidity, sunny, clear
Oct. 14, Friday
7:05 a.m.: 39 degrees, 68% humidity, sunny, partly cloudy
7:45 a.m.: 38 degrees, 73% humidity, sunny, partly cloudy
8:25 a.m.: 43 degrees, 63% humidity, sunny, clear
9:05 a.m.: 47 degrees, 49% humidity, sunny, clear
9:45 a.m.: 53 degrees, 39% humidity, sunny, clear
10:45 a.m.: 57 degrees, 32% humidity, sunny, clear
11:45 a.m.: 62 degrees, 29% humidity, sunny, clear
12:45 p.m.: 66 degrees, 26% humidity, sunny, clear
2:05 p.m.: 69 degrees, 23% humidity, sunny, clear (compare to Scottsdale at 93 degrees, 12%
humidity)
4:05 p.m.: 71 degrees, 23% humidity, sunny, clear
5:25 p.m.: 67 degrees, 27% humidity, sunny, clear
6:05 p.m.: 63 degrees, 33% humidity, sunny, clear
7:25 p.m.: 57 degrees, 43% humidity, dark
Oct. 15, Saturday
5:25 p.m.: 79 degrees, 11% humidity, sunny, clear
I was at a trial all day (indoors) so only one measurement but at about 2:00 or so I noticed it was pretty freakin' hot outside. Too hot for Oct., probably 80's, probably record breaking heat, and where I was was probably a few degrees cooler than Commerce City.
Oct. 16, Sunday
I was at the trial again today but was outside a lot throughout the day and it was gorgeous, typical blue skies, probably got up to the 70's, sunny, similar to the past week.
In general the weather is incredibly nice this time of year. A snapshot of a day in October is sunny, blue skies, 70's, low humidity. It's a fairly dry month as far as snow/rain goes, more or less tied with Sept. as the 6th driest month. However Oct. 15 is the average day for our first snowfall. Denver is not desert like Scottsdale, it's semi-arid so while we do enjoy low humidity most days, we also have occasional snow or rain in October. USDAA is definitely playing a game of Russian Roulette with the weather. Now I'm not complaining, I've long wished we could have more outdoor trials in October. If it does snow or rain it's only likely to do so for a day or even half a day. Multiple days of bad weather are possible but not likely. It's only rained once so far this month and maybe once or twice last month but it's not at impossibility that the rare bad day of weather could come during Nationals. And after a week of perfect weather today is cloudy and damp, 53 degrees and 49% humidity in Commerce City at 2:00 p.m. I didn't check the temps/humidity this morning but it wasn't a pleasant day to be hanging around outside. On the other hand the sun is coming out as I type. Bad weather doesn't typically last all that long here.
One thing to bear in mind when reading these temperatures is that sun, wind and humidity levels have a big effect on comfort. If the sun is shining and humidity is down in the 20's and winds are calm then it can feel up to 10 degrees warmer than it actually is. When I go home to Chicago I always have to remember to dress for 5-10 degrees colder than what the temperature is or I'm too cold. Another thing to keep in mind is that we are having a La Nina weather pattern this year so in general it's been warmer and drier than usual (though not this past week). Who knows what next year brings? If Nationals had been here this year the conditions would have been perfect all week except maybe even too hot on Saturday, let's hope for the same in 2012.
Weather conditions for Commerce City, October 10-16, 2011
Oct. 10, Monday
7:00 a.m.: 39 degrees, sun coming up, clear, light
8:45 a.m.: sporadic patches of frost on ground in shady places, no frost in sunny places
9:15 a.m.: 47 degrees, sunny, clear
10:00 a.m.: 51 degrees, sunny, clear
12:30 p.m.: 60 degrees, sunny, clear
2:00 p.m.: 63 degrees, sunny, clear, 23% humidity (compare to Scottsdale, 84 degrees/13%
humidity)
4:00 p.m.: 64 degrees, sunny, clear, 21% humidity
5:00 p.m.: 65 degrees, sunny, clear, 21% humidity
7:00 p.m.: 51 degrees, dark, 54% humidity
Oct. 11, Tuesday
7:00 a.m.: 55 degrees, cloudy, 34% humidity, light
Was at the agility training field at 7:30 a.m. for a practice session. Started out in cotton/poly running pants and a t-shirt under a medium weight long sleeved technical running top under a fleece pullover. Also had a fleece hat. Gradually peeled off the layers and was down to a t-shirt by around 8:45 a.m., maybe earlier. Dogs were hot by the end of practice.
9:00 a.m.: 55 degrees, 40% humidity, clear
10:30 a.m.: 61 degrees, 27% humidity, winds 10 mph gusting to 19 mph, clear
Noon: 65 degrees, 28% humidity, winds 5-10 mph, clear
1:30 p.m.: 67 degrees, 24% humidity, partly cloudy
Out walking dogs at 3:30 p.m. in shorts and t-shirt, warm in sun, cool when sun went behind clouds, slight wind
4:00 p.m.: 68 degrees, 24% humidity, partly cloudy
6:35 p.m.: 62 degrees, 30% humidity, cloudy, 14 mph winds, starting to get dark
7:00 p.m.: 61 degrees, 30% humidity, winds 10-15 mph, dark
Oct. 12, Wednesday
7:15 a.m.: 48 degrees, 48% humidity, sunny, clear, light
8:05 a.m.: 47 degrees, 46% humidity, sunny, clear
8:30 a.m., running with dogs, lycra tights with medium weight long sleeved running top, sunny and
clear, breezy, feels warm in sun, good in shade, no frost on ground.
1:00 p.m.: 61 degrees, 23% humidity, sunny, clear blue skies, glorious day (compare to Scottsdale,
91 degrees, 17% humidity)
2:25 pm.m: 65 degrees, 20% humidity, sunny, clear
4:05 p.m.: 67 degrees, 17% humidity, sunny, clear
6:25 p.m.: 59 degrees, 28% humidity, clear
6:40 p.m.: Getting dark
Oct. 13, Thursday
6:45 a.m.: 38 degrees, 68% humidity, clear (mostly light by 6:50 a.m.)
7:25 a.m.: 40 degrees, 59% humidity, sunny, clear
8:05 a.m.: 42 degrees, 58% humidity, sunny, clear
8:35 a.m.: 44 degrees, 55% humidity, sunny, clear
9:05 a.m.: 51 degrees, 40% humidity, sunny clear
10:25 a.m.: 60 degrees, 23% humidity, sunny, clear
12:45 p.m.: 74 degrees, 13% humidity, sunny, clear (compare to Scottsdale, AZ at 93 degrees,
10% humidity)
2:45 p.m.: 76 degrees, 12% humidity, sunny, clear, 21 mph winds
6:05 p.m.: 67 degrees, 23% humidity, sunny, clear
Oct. 14, Friday
7:05 a.m.: 39 degrees, 68% humidity, sunny, partly cloudy
7:45 a.m.: 38 degrees, 73% humidity, sunny, partly cloudy
8:25 a.m.: 43 degrees, 63% humidity, sunny, clear
9:05 a.m.: 47 degrees, 49% humidity, sunny, clear
9:45 a.m.: 53 degrees, 39% humidity, sunny, clear
10:45 a.m.: 57 degrees, 32% humidity, sunny, clear
11:45 a.m.: 62 degrees, 29% humidity, sunny, clear
12:45 p.m.: 66 degrees, 26% humidity, sunny, clear
2:05 p.m.: 69 degrees, 23% humidity, sunny, clear (compare to Scottsdale at 93 degrees, 12%
humidity)
4:05 p.m.: 71 degrees, 23% humidity, sunny, clear
5:25 p.m.: 67 degrees, 27% humidity, sunny, clear
6:05 p.m.: 63 degrees, 33% humidity, sunny, clear
7:25 p.m.: 57 degrees, 43% humidity, dark
Oct. 15, Saturday
5:25 p.m.: 79 degrees, 11% humidity, sunny, clear
I was at a trial all day (indoors) so only one measurement but at about 2:00 or so I noticed it was pretty freakin' hot outside. Too hot for Oct., probably 80's, probably record breaking heat, and where I was was probably a few degrees cooler than Commerce City.
Oct. 16, Sunday
I was at the trial again today but was outside a lot throughout the day and it was gorgeous, typical blue skies, probably got up to the 70's, sunny, similar to the past week.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
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