March Update on 2026 Fitness Goals

As you know if you follow this blog, I generally give a monthly update on fitness / Strava goals. I guess we can say that it is another level of accountability to share these publicly.

Plus, I from time to time I'll look at older updates just to see where I was way-back-when.

In previous years, my goals have been mostly around cycling, but starting this year, I've started running as well.

If you're interested, I always track these workouts on Strava. 

As I mentioned in Random Things, a vacation slowed me down in March, but even so, I'm tracking pretty well to my 2026 Fitness goals.

My 2026 Fitness / Activity Goals are:

1. #MetricCenturyEveryMonth
   As of July 2021, I've cycled at least one Metric Century every month, and this month was no exception (see March Metric Century). This is 56 straight months I've done this. 
   
   
2. #7000MilesIn2026
   This is significantly lower than my #8200MilesIn2025 goal, but I figure with the running, 7000 miles is still a big cycling number. As of the end of March, I have logged 1,424 miles for the year. While technically this puts me "behind", I am tracking to my plan.
   
   
3. #13EverestsIn2026
   Also significantly lower than the #16EverestsIn2025 because of the added running goals. My goal is to climb 13 x 29,032 = 377,416 feet on the bike. At the end of last month, I've logged 77,473 feet climbed on my bikes. This is almost 2.8 "Everests".
   
   
4. #Run700Miles2026
   700 miles is just under 100km per month. With my Half Marathon (see #5) training, I'm ahead of this pace with just over 235 miles so far this year.
   
   
5. Run a Half Marathon
   I'm doing a Runna Half Marathon plan and have signed up for the Platte River Half Marathon in mid-April. I'll give myself extra points to finish under 2:20, but honestly my main goal is simply to finish the whole thing. The plan is having me taper-down for the actual event, but I was able to finish my 13.1 mile Half Marathon Hotspot Long Run with Runna, so I appear to be on track to finish the Platte River Half.
   
   
6. VO₂ Max > 44 ml/kg/min
   As measured by my Garmin Watch, I started the year as 42 ml/kg/min. Right now, I'm at 44. For a few weeks, I've bounced between 42 and 44. Every time I do my "long run", it falls to 42, but as soon as I do a tempo run, it jumps back up to 44. I suspect this bounce will continue until I'm done with the Half Marathon, and can concentrate on targetting more VO₂ Max workouts. 
   
   
7. 15 Stone
   At my heaviest, I was over 260lbs. I've been as low as 214 last year and this month, I got to just over 216lbs. 15 Stone is 210 lbs, which would be lighter than I've been since my early college days. The vacation really killed momentum of this goal, but I think I'll recover fine in April. 

I know my Cycling numbers look like I'm falling behind the goals, but my "plan" is always more cycling-heavy in the warmer months, so I'm actually right on track.

Month		Miles		YTD			Elevation		YTD
January		500		500	-94		28,741		28,741		-3,235
February		454		955	-177		23,250		51,991		-9,015
March		470		1,424	-301		25,481		77,472		-15,588
April		...		...	.		...		...		.
May		...		...	.		...		...		.
June		...		...	.		...		...		.
July		...		...	.		...		...		.
August		...		...	.		...		...		.
September		...		...	.		...		...		.
October		...		...	.		...		...		.
November		...		...	.		...		...		.
December		...		...	.		...		...		.

As always, stay tuned on the regular SheppyBrew Channels to see what is happening with beer, barbeque, biking and other things in my life: SheppyBrew's Facebook Page; Sheppy's Twitter Feed; SheppyBrew's Instagram Page; and SheppyBrew's Website.

SheppyBrew Brewery Replaced by AI Brew Master!

LITTLETON, CO – April 1, 2026:

Well, folks… it finally happened.

After years of brewing by hand, experimenting with styles, and occasionally arguing with the Beer Model about whether fruit belongs in beer (it doesn’t), SheppyBrew Brewery has officially entered the age of artificial intelligence.

I am both proud and mildly horrified to announce the newest member — and now sole decision‑maker — of the SheppyBrew team:

BrewBot‑9000™

“Optimizing Beer Since 3:14 AM This Morning”

Random Things

The SheppyBrew Beer Model and I went on a cruise. My first. Her second.

I don't really consider myself a "Cruise Guy", but the drink package and the people we were with made it lots of fun.

I ate too much. Drank too much. Didn't get enough sleep. My Garmin watch health stats said "what the hell are you doing?"

It was a ton of fun, and I'm only now feeling recovered from the trip.

 

🍺 Mud Blood Baltic Porter

Style: Baltic Porter Brewer: SheppyBrew ABV: 6.4% IBU: 27 SRM: 26

Appearance

A deep, opaque mahogany that borders on black, glowing with garnet highlights when caught by a strong light. The pour builds a dense, tan head with fine bubbles and excellent retention, leaving tight rings of lace as it slowly recedes. The beer looks rich and substantial without appearing syrupy — a classic dark lager sheen.

Aroma

Smooth layers of dark chocolate, toasted bread crust, and subtle roast rise first, followed by hints of dried cherry and plum. A clean lager fermentation keeps everything crisp and uncluttered. Beneath the malt depth is a faint whisper of earthy hops and a touch of caramelized sugar. Nothing sharp, nothing burnt — just deep, polished malt complexity.

Y is for Ye Olde 121 Public House

Well ... the SheppyBrew Beer Model (aka my wife) and I are winding down on Round 6 of our A to Z series of posts.

A couple of weeks ago, we posted X is for MaX Taps Colorado, which means we're up to "Y", meaning we only have one more letter to finish up this round of brewery visits.

There are certainly a bunch more Denver-area breweries to visit on the Colorado Brewery Map & List, but there are quire a few letters in the alphabet that will be difficult to fill.

So, I'm not sure there will be a Round 7. We might have to figure some other way to pick new breweries to visit.

Anyway, we still have the letter "Y" of this round to get to....

Y is for Ye Olde 121 Public House

Mud Blood Baltic Porter (Batch 389)

I brewed my first Roll-a-Style beer of 2026 this week.

If I'm counting correctly, I've brewed 91 of the 108 styles in the BJCP Guidelines. My Roll-a-Style list is getting pretty thin.

It's already mid-March and this is only my 3rd batch of beer of 2026, so I'm not really brewing much so far this year.

It is already my third lager of the year and my third new recipe of the year.

If you read Roll-a-Style 4: 9C. Baltic Porter, you probably realized this was coming.

Mud Blood Baltic Porter

Hop-cember Pale Lager

Style: West Coast Pilsner ABV: 5.7% IBU: 35 SRM: 5.0

👀 Appearance

A brilliantly clear pale‑gold body with a touch of deeper winter sunlight from the SRM 5 hue. A dense, white, rocky head forms immediately and lingers with excellent retention, leaving tight lacing down the glass. Effervescence is lively but refined, giving the beer a crisp, sparkling presence.

👃 Aroma

Bright citrus and pine leap out first — grapefruit zest, lemon peel, and a clean resin snap. Beneath that sits a subtle floral note and a faint hint of fresh‑cut grass. The pilsner malt supports everything with a light crackery sweetness, never competing with the hops. Fermentation stays clean and neutral, letting the hops shine with West Coast clarity.

👅 Flavor

A crisp, snappy bitterness leads but never overwhelms. Citrus (grapefruit, orange pith), pine, and a touch of herbal spice define the hop profile. The malt character is lean and crackery, adding just enough backbone to keep the bitterness in balance. The finish is dry, brisk, and refreshing — a classic West Coast bite delivered through a pilsner’s clean, streamlined frame.

I Ran 13.1 Miles Today

I've been training for the Platte River Half Marathon in mid-April. It is one of my Fitness Goals to finish a Half Marathon in 2026.

Other than running while playing and practicing for various sports when I was younger, I've never really been a runner. In fact, my first run on Strava was in April of last year.

So, in about a year, I'm basically going from running zero to running a full Half Marathon.

According to ChatGPT, 0.6% of Americans run a half marathon in a given year. 1-3% of adults have ever run at least one half marathon in their lifetime. About 11% of runners have completed or are training for a half marathon.

I don't care enough to double check ChatGPT's stats on this; I'm just going to trust that they are close. 

So, by finishing a Half Marathon, I'll be an elite group.

February Update on 2026 Fitness Goals

I'm actually pretty active for an decrepit old couch potato. 

With all the BBQ I make and eat, and all the beer I brew and drink, cardio exercise helps keep me somewhat in shape.

In the past, this has been mostly cycling, but starting this year, I've started running as well.

If you're interested, I always track these workouts on Strava. 

Last month, I shared my 2026 Fitness Goals, and although no one else really cares, it is time for me to post an update.

Over the Top Chili with Corn Bread

You may remember that on Super Bowl Sunday I made Over the Top Chili and Poppers.

As I mentioned, I was the only one who actually had more than just a taste, and I enjoyed it enough that I really thought I should make it again so others in my family can give it a try.

I think this is now my favorite way to make chili.

I got out the Dutch Oven on Tuesday and made it again.

For a side, I also made corn bread.

This time, the meat I picked for the chili was a combination of ground chorizo and some ground beef I had left over from burgers I made over the weekend.

X is for MaX Taps Colorado

If you follow this blog at all you know that the SheppyBrew Beer Model (aka my wife) and I have been working through Round 6 of our A to Z Series of Posts.

We are, in fact, very close to the end of the alphabet.

In November of 2024, we started Round 6 with A is for Arms, Call To Brewing Company.

And just a couple of weeks ago we posted W is for Wild Sky Brewery.

X, Y, and Z are the only letters left. And here we are checking "X" off the list.

As we mentioned last time, according to the Colorado Brewery Map & List there are not really any obvious "X" breweries for us to use, so we had to be creative.

X is for MaX Taps Colorado

 

Roll-a-Style 4: 9C. Baltic Porter

It has been awhile since I've mentioned Roll-a-Style on this blog. 

So, it is probably worth a quick reminder ... I created a list of BJCP beer styles that I've never brewed. When I want to decide which beer style to brew next, I roll a virtual 20-sided online die, and brew the style that corresponds with the number that comes up.

Pretty simple, right?

The last style I "rolled" was Roll-a-Style 16: 26C. Belgian Tripel back in October, and I didn't brew it until November with Yoker Belgian Tripel (Batch 385).

Recently, I brewed Whisper of the Tengu Rice Lager (Batch 388), which is a lager. I thought I'd harvest the Tengu yeast and brew a lager on my Roll-a-Style list.

So ... I pretended to roll a 4:

La Chouffe vs Yoker Belgian Tripel

So ... for Christmas, my wife (aka the SheppyBrew Beer Model) got me a "Chouffe Discovery Pack".

Chouffe, of course is a world-famous Belgian brewery. If I were to visit Belgium someday, it would certainly be on my list to visit.

As luck would have it, I have a SheppyBrew "Belgian Triple" on tap, "Yoker". While brewing Whisper of the Tengu Rice Lager (Batch 388), I decided to try La Chouffe Belgian Blond Beer and Yoker Belgian Tripel together.

Yoker is significantly lighter in color and much more clear. It is also drier and (in my opinion) more "drinkable".

Whisper of the Tengu Rice Lager (Batch 388)

For whatever reason, "Japanese" Rice Lagers seem to have become fairly popular lately in craft beer circles. At least I see a bunch more of them recently than in the past.

It is sort of funny that when I first started getting into craft beer, one of the criticisms of "Big Beer" was that "they" used cheap ingredients like rice and corn. "Real" craft beer used all quality ingredients, which generally meant all-malt beers.

While the sentiment is still sort of there, it was relaxed quite a bit, which I think is a good thing.

Anyway, I've been seeing more Rice Lagers at breweries and have wanted to brew one for quite some time.

And ... I've had a recipe out on the SheppyBrew website for months.

"Whisper of the Tengu" Japanese Rice Lager

 

🍶 Whisper of the Tengu Rice Lager

Style: Rice Lager
Brewer: SheppyBrew
ABV: 5%
IBU: 22
SRM: 3.5

👀 Appearance

Pale straw with a faint golden shimmer, crystal clear and effervescent. A delicate white head forms on the pour, then settles into a thin halo, leaving faint lacing on the glass. The clarity invites contemplation—like moonlight through mist.

👃 Aroma

Soft and restrained. Notes of steamed jasmine rice and fresh-cut hay drift gently upward, joined by a whisper of floral hops. There’s a subtle minerality, like spring water over stone, and a clean fermentation profile that keeps the nose crisp and quiet.

Over the Top Chili and Poppers

So ... on Super Bowl Sunday, after my famous Super Sunday Fun Run B-Race I made some food for us to eat while watching the game.

Of course, you know I had to make it outside on one (or more) of my grills.

It's become a tradition that I make Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers, and of course my wife (aka the SheppyBrew Beer Model) demanded that I do it again.

So, that was a no-brainer. Happy Wife. Happy Life. (nothing rhymes with husband)

Lately, I've seen various posts on online BBQ forums of people doing "Over the Top" Chili.

And ... until this recent trend, I had never heard of such a thing.

But, it is pretty simple, and I thought I'd give that a try as well.

W is for Wild Sky Brewery

Sadly, a bunch of Denver area breweries have closed. Many are continuing to struggle and I'm sure others will continue to close.

Many of the A to Z breweries no longer exist.

Last Friday, my wife (aka the SheppyBrew Beer Model) suggested we visit a closed brewery. I figured she knew it was no longer open, but apparently she missed it closing.

Usually, it happens the other way ... she notices things like that when I miss them.

In this case, I had also recently seen a Facebook post from the same brewery at its other location announcing that their other location regrettably was closing too.

As luck would have it, we're on "W" for our A to Z series of posts, AND this closing brewery starts with the letter "W".

W is for Wild Sky Brewery

 

Super Sunday Fun Run B-Race

As you know if you read 2026 Fitness Goals, I'm training for a Half Marathon in April, the "Platte River Half Marathon". 

I'm following Runna's Half Marathon plan, and one of the options in the Runna app is including "B-Races" as part of the plan. 

In case you're unfamiliar, a "B‑Race" is a race you do during training to help you prepare for your main race, which is called your "A‑Race". 

Fairly obvious if you think about it in context, but it was not a term I knew about until I started with Runna.

Coincidently, there was a 5k Race planned that starts and ends at the same spot as my "Platte River Half Marathon" that took place last Sunday.

Super Sunday Fun Run

2026 Fitness Goals

So ... as you know if you follow this blog, I'm actually pretty physically active for an old decrepit couch potato. 

Quite often, usually about once a month, I've posted updates on my on Strava cycling goals. The last time I reported on this was December Update on 2025 Cycling Goals.

Towards the end of last year, I started running, so in 2026 I decided to add a couple of running goals as well. 

I thought I'd share my 2026 "Fitness" Goals today ...

 

V is for Living the Dream Brewing Company

Last Saturday, I was viciously attacked by an animal. 

Not a dog. Not some wild animal. Not a hungry or threatened reptile. Not a stinging or biting insect. Not an aggressive rodent.

I was attacked by a HOUSE CAT!

In a freaking brewery!

Depending on the individual city / local ordinances, many of the Denver-area breweries advertise that they are "dog friendly" ... ie ... as long as your dog is well-behaved, you can bring your dog.

I've never seen a brewery communicate in any way that pet cats are welcome.

 But ... when we packed up a lunch, went on a short hike, and visited ...

V is for LiVing the Dream Brewing Company

 

"Dry January" Beers

I don't really believe in "Dry January" in the same way I don't really believe in New Year resolutions.

I don't understand why if you want to make a change on yourself you would wait until January. If you want to make a change, do it when you identify the change you want to make.

 

U is for LŪki Brewery

HA! Three A to Z Brewery Posts in a row!

If you follow this blog at all, you probably have a pretty good idea what this A to Z series is all about ... but just in case you're wondering ...

Back in February of 2015, I was embarrassed by the number of Denver Breweries that I had never visited.

I decided to make an effort to hit more of them.

As I started to look at the list, it struck me that I could go down the list alphabetically and find Denver-area breweries that started with just about every letter.

So, I did. And ... we've gone through 5 whole rounds. Now we're on our 6th time through the alphabet.

After T is for The Post Chicken & Beer (Rosedale), we are up to the letter "U".

U is for LŪki Brewery

T is for The Post Chicken & Beer (Rosedale)

We're still working through Round 6 of the A to Z Series of posts.

If you've been following the blog, you know we hit S is for Second Dawn Brewing Company just a couple of days ago.

And ... of course that means it was time to pick a "T" brewery.

According to the Colorado Brewery Map & List, we did have a couple of "T" breweries to pick from.

Honestly, though one of the breweries on the list is one I really don't like. And a few others I was considering were a little farther than I wanted to travel.

I ended up picking a restaurant close to our house that isn't technically a brewery ....

T is for The Post Chicken & Beer (Rosedale)

S is for Second Dawn Brewing Company

So ... yes ... we are chugging away on Round 6 of the A to Z Series of posts.

We had a long 6 month delay between N is for North River Brewery (RiNo) and O is for Odell Brewing 5 Points, but our more recent posts have come fairly fast.

This is our 4th A to Z posts in December and January, and we're up to "S".

According to the Colorado Brewery Map & List, we had a couple good choices for "S" breweries.

And ... a couple of Saturdays ago, based on the hours of operation, we packed a lunch and picked .... Big S. Little S. What begins with S?

S is for Second Dawn Brewing Company

2024 #Strava #YearInSport

If you've been following along on this blog for awhile, you may remember that I have been sharing my Strava YearInSport stats over the past couple of years.

I pay more attention to my cycling goals and totals on Strava, but the YearInSport stats cover all activities.

Sort of interesting to me. Not sure if any blog readers care, but I'll share regardless. To be honest, this just helps me compare year-to-year how I do.

It is also interesting to see what Strava reports in it's YearInSport stats from year to year.

Anyway ...

 

Hop-cember Pale Ale (Batch 387)

I brewed for the first time in 2025 this past Sunday.

If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you might have seen the brew-day post.

This is my first time brewing since I got the Skadoosh Blond Ale (Batch 386) batch done.

As I mentioned in SheppyBrew 2025 Year End Brewing Stats, I only brewed 95 gallons last year. I was actually planning on brewing this batch before the end of the year, but the timing just never really worked out.

So, I finally brewed it last Sunday. 

If I'm counting correct, this is my 387th batch of beer in my brewing career and my 101st batch of beer in my Anvil Foundry ...

Hop-cember Pale Ale

SheppyBrew 2025 Year End Brewing Stats

Here it is, 2026 already. It is crazy how fast the year flew by.

If you follow along on this blog at all, you probably know that after each quarter, I "report" my SheppyBrew Brewing Stats.

And, now it is time for me to report on the SheppyBrew 2025 Year End Brewing Stats.

So ... in the 4th quarter of 2025, I brewed 5 batches of beer:

• Gnomeberry Hollow Cherry Porter
• Tafel Mystère Belgian Single
• X-Mas Ale 2025
• Yoker Belgian Tripel 
• Skadoosh Blond Ale

This puts me exactly where I was last year. I brewed 19 batches of beer for 95 gallons for the year. Another year at less than 100 gallons of beer.

Gnomeberry Hollow Cherry Porter

December Update on 2025 Cycling Goals

I do quite a bit of cycling for a middle-aged couch potato.

With all the BBQ I make and eat, and all the beer I brew and drink, biking a ridiculous amount helps keep me somewhat in shape.

So ... I spend lots of time cycling around the foothills of Denver.

If you're interested, I always track on Strava. (even if you're not interested)

Anyway ... as you may remember from 2025 Cycling Goals, I had 5 cycling goals in 2025:

#MetricCenturyEveryMonth / #8200MilesIn2025 / #16EverestsIn2025 / Triple Bypass Ride / #GCCUSA

2025 is now over ... and ...

Here is an update for these goals as of the end of December, 2025: 

Finished the 12 Days of 5k's

As I mentioned in 12 5k's of December, I signed up for the American Cancer Society's 12 Days of 5ks on Facebook virtual challenge advertised in my Facebook feed.

I'm not much of a runner, but I've been following some Runna running plans since April or so.

I was going to be doing 8 5k's on the Runna plan anyway, so I thought "how hard can it be" to run 4 more runs during the month.

Q is For Brad's Pit BBQ

If you follow along on this blog, you probably know about the A to Z Series of posts, and that we are quite a ways through "Round 6".

In case you don't know ... back in February of 2015, I was embarrassed by the number of Denver Breweries that I had never visited.

I decided to make an effort to hit more of them.

As I started to look at the list, it struck me that I could go down the list alphabetically and find Denver-area breweries that started with just about every letter.

So, I did. And ... we've gone through 5 whole rounds. Now we're on our 6th time through the alphabet.

"Q" is a tough letter. One that we've had to take "artistic license" on the "breweries" we picked.

This time, I didn't really pick a brewery at all ...

Q is For Brad's Pitt BBQ

R is for Resolute Brewing Company Centennial Brewery

As I mentioned in P is for Platt Park Brewing Co, we are re-engaging our A to Z Series of posts project.

My wife (aka the SheppyBrew Beer Model) and I are working our way through he alphabet to pick local area breweries to visit.

We were paused for quite awhile, but we're now back at round 6 of this little journey.

Of course after "P" comes "Q", and as I mentioned, I think I have a plan for "Q", but on Saturday after Christmas, we decided to skip ahead to "R". 

Don't worry, we'll come back.

But for now ...

R is for Resolute Brewing Company Centennial Brewery

2025 "Seasonals"

If you've followed this blog at all this year, you know that I wanted to concentrate more on my BJCP Goal and my Roll-a-Style list in 2025.

As a side-effect, I purposely ignored most of my "SheppyBrew Seasonals". 

After brewing Mardi Blonde (Batch 370) Birthday Brew and Oisin Owl Irish Stout (Batch 371), I thought to myself that those could be considered February and March "Seasonals".

The Mardi Blonde fit right into the "Mardi Gras / Lent" season in place of  Mardi Bock, and of course Oisin Owl being an "Irish Stout", it was perfect for St. Patrick's Day in March.

At that point, I started thinking that maybe with a little planning, I could come up with replacement "Seasonals" for most months even while brewing new beers based on the Roll-a-Style list.

So ... like I had done with 2024 Seasonals, 2023 Seasonals, and 2022 Seasonals, I started tracking how I could slot 2025 beers into the monthly "Seasonal" matrix.

2025 Mardi Blonde