As things go during the indoor season, you have a decent number of options this week.
If you want to stay in the 303/720 area code, you have a Thursday night option with the mad engineers at Colorado School of Mines. In and out in 150 minutes or less. Two hairpins per each 189 meters.
And it's a warm and cozy little atmosphere. At least until the gymnast types open the doors on the west side of the field house to take their poles out to a waiting vehicle. Then the warm part goes away for a little while.
This week's edition of the Mines High School Indoor includes all the field events except triple jump and they will run the mile instead of the 3000 for distance types. Looking ahead, next week gets the triple jump and 3000.
One bonus to attending Thursday's Mines High School Indoor Open meet is that Bobby Reyes, the new Colorado Track XC webmaster, will be on hand doing coverage. This is a great opportunity to get to meet the ship's new captain.
If you were listening to Don Sinclair on the Cadet Field House microphone on Sunday, you already know that this week's USTAF-Colorado meet is running all track events in multiples of 60. You can sign up for the 60 and 60H, the 300, the 600, the 1500, and the 3000. That's it. Field events will be as usual; we're still trying to find a cool way to do field events in multiples of 60. Raising the bar 60 cm at a time is definitely not cool, though it would work through the competitors a whole lot quicker.
Sinclair also said something about a different meet venue, but I think he really meant just a different meet format. I've checked the USATF-Colorado site in a couple different places and everything keeps pointing me at the Cadet Field House as this week's venue.
If you don't like running in multiples of 60, this could be a good weekend to take a breather from competition--or head elsewhere to take on a whole new set of competitors.
If wanderlust has taken over your heart, this week's best out-of-state option is the New Mexico version of the Martin Luther King Indoor. They wait until after the actual birthday in New Mexico. So, it is possible to do two Martin Luther King meets in one indoor season.
Anyhow, it will be held in the usual haunts at the convention center in beautiful downtown Albuquerque, the city that Al Yankovic made famous. Be sure to have $10 in your pocket for parking.
If you plan to spend the night, you can check in at the Albuquerque Holiday Inn where the towels are oh-so-fluffy. I still haven't located the doughnut shop with starving, crazed weasels, though. Let me know if you find it.
By the way, there are already several Colorado athletes signed up for that meet. Durango will be sending a legion of Demons on a three-hour ride to Albuquerque. Watch the speed limit through Cuba, guys.
I'm not seeing any other Colorado entries yet, but I'd be surprised if no more turn up during the week. Surely the banked Mondo oval and a pretty decent collection of talent are calling some names across the state line...