tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82101855163183297442024-03-13T11:01:05.870-07:00BGoody LoseMy goal is to lose 150 lbs!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460202864892035235noreply@blogger.comBlogger165125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8210185516318329744.post-50251132148332543342012-07-22T21:07:00.001-07:002012-07-22T21:07:48.310-07:002nd Annual Goody 10K and Y Hike<br />
Tuesday was our 2nd annual Goody 10K. This years route was changed from last years. Last year, we took off from the house, ran a route down to Provo Canyon and back for the 10K. This year it was suggested that the racers be dropped off up the canyon and run down for the 6.2 miles. I figured out a route that would work, everyone that wanted to go was on board and up we went.<br />
<br />
This year we had three runners and three walkers. Sarah, Rachel and Malinda were our three runners. My wife, Alison and I were the walkers. It was a beautiful morning and the canyon is in shade most of the day so it was fun. We had a good time talking as we tried to make it down as quick as we could. We got a slight start on the runners and it wasn't long before they came running past us. We were pushing one of the grandsons in a stroller but his Mom grabbed the stroller and off the runners went. The came close to their finishing goal and were well under an hour. The walkers finished up a little over an hour and a half. It was fun to cheer each other on and I hope this can continue on as a regular tradition. <br />
<br />
We finished the day's fun by going to a local pool. I was enjoying hanging in the shade and trying to get a nap until my oldest grandson came up to me with a big smile on his face asking if I would go down the tallest slide with him. It was hard to turn him down and I found myself at the top of the slide surrounded by lots of kids who were all at least a foot shorter than me. The things we do for our kids/grandkids. I am just glad I can still do it. My grandson went down before me and when I hit the pool at the bottom of the slide, water went all over and my grandson was stifling a laugh. <br />
<br />
I wrote a while back about hiking to the 'Y' above Brigham Young University. There have been plans to hike it every year but something has always taken precedence and the hike never has happened until this year. Friday night, one of my daughters texted everyone else and said they were going to do it on Saturday morning and wanted to know who else was in. My wife and I were in for sure and there were 10 of us then ended up hiking the 1.2 miles up to the top of the Y. It is steep and gets the heart pounding, but the view is nice and the strain is worth it.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBL1_Iqt4f3nugWZu8jn9bMD23kIuhTVB1Zgf3aE6bNbK5Tn3mejZI7I5NzUpI6K38dRXOgbmSPmi50YP4jtzAxEXkaERRRw9OVklvN5FzBZZRFYFYJ0q3TfME7bgfXyRDpwA-h4uPv5c/s1600/IMG_0195.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBL1_Iqt4f3nugWZu8jn9bMD23kIuhTVB1Zgf3aE6bNbK5Tn3mejZI7I5NzUpI6K38dRXOgbmSPmi50YP4jtzAxEXkaERRRw9OVklvN5FzBZZRFYFYJ0q3TfME7bgfXyRDpwA-h4uPv5c/s320/IMG_0195.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Start of the hike at the trailhead</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEYJ9TmAZrUGDIcuDemyqntDE__wcvVaDv10mCADlqKjNIlQSYRiPxLFuvTFejn_UxvdGILhMnkDyYnji9q0havErT3cq0FNePqQJyNJWSSWaedJimiHYATPPPWerx-xWZBBt_tHhHqBM/s1600/IMG_0198.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEYJ9TmAZrUGDIcuDemyqntDE__wcvVaDv10mCADlqKjNIlQSYRiPxLFuvTFejn_UxvdGILhMnkDyYnji9q0havErT3cq0FNePqQJyNJWSSWaedJimiHYATPPPWerx-xWZBBt_tHhHqBM/s320/IMG_0198.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starts out steep and doesn't let up!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLp9xhuFDoGx6dRuMTKlgqbSOB-xdDEXeXHItDwhY_opx9Df8DgI5qdz_K4XO6phBCAla6OkvkNjWF64Z4JCyUamKUYJMptog9xhIv5AuJJRN9U0W-stX6EcCkThY_SdW8WBUeW3jg0uQ/s1600/IMG_0201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLp9xhuFDoGx6dRuMTKlgqbSOB-xdDEXeXHItDwhY_opx9Df8DgI5qdz_K4XO6phBCAla6OkvkNjWF64Z4JCyUamKUYJMptog9xhIv5AuJJRN9U0W-stX6EcCkThY_SdW8WBUeW3jg0uQ/s320/IMG_0201.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I caught up with the some of the hikers that got a head start. Here I am<br />
telling a granddaughter about an old man who started after the rest and beat<br />
the grandkids to the top. She didn't stop after that!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipoKCsVvD-pi7QeZvpaUsNWuldjH8F-m3KGa1AqxKQzyahh6EZlmmCLJWqpItibrGcj-upueAL2Go0ZCeim2mczWnALfknJkBiV4Bi1kVxBFiO864S8xrLOosgcCNMVN7xmuxJ5BCcX04/s1600/IMG_0205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipoKCsVvD-pi7QeZvpaUsNWuldjH8F-m3KGa1AqxKQzyahh6EZlmmCLJWqpItibrGcj-upueAL2Go0ZCeim2mczWnALfknJkBiV4Bi1kVxBFiO864S8xrLOosgcCNMVN7xmuxJ5BCcX04/s320/IMG_0205.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Off she goes, never to be seen again with the lead hikers.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm38sdb2Noqq_2KQS26a548FkfmB4FaFr-vYQDiLYxRHF-FC_S2SM_zNmBo4XxpSY2sR7dW0gs0fRxlo8eHkNeDtkkigo5e7FbHyiJl-FhufQyqcaA-5a5_RK1ynzeIEHMOA0YfADHyEA/s1600/IMG_0209.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm38sdb2Noqq_2KQS26a548FkfmB4FaFr-vYQDiLYxRHF-FC_S2SM_zNmBo4XxpSY2sR7dW0gs0fRxlo8eHkNeDtkkigo5e7FbHyiJl-FhufQyqcaA-5a5_RK1ynzeIEHMOA0YfADHyEA/s320/IMG_0209.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the top of the Y.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ1Np531tFexvkTP1ClcNHghPaZw57p58G9G7EIgCnpVvNEO5tL0YFNTqZGzZyEB95ipNOdJ0D3a5MK65ci-nO8s90MZkCPqb9uTyMzJXf_BfOyBj0NhfgwE249EQqIsJKDgajXIT5_Fg/s1600/IMG_0216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ1Np531tFexvkTP1ClcNHghPaZw57p58G9G7EIgCnpVvNEO5tL0YFNTqZGzZyEB95ipNOdJ0D3a5MK65ci-nO8s90MZkCPqb9uTyMzJXf_BfOyBj0NhfgwE249EQqIsJKDgajXIT5_Fg/s320/IMG_0216.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joined by the rest!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWD70yMdyCVx9nLHTQs1cGFv1Sv6ZRpI2VeIKiPCpARVZnf3GlL-OuW_8e1vEtp4X4Yr8ArstpupEKdQw_NSw79jUpJgLE-uJkH3wKafKyNrf7ON80hurro2DiRuSU78lYRxEy5QCkiT8/s1600/IMG_0217.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWD70yMdyCVx9nLHTQs1cGFv1Sv6ZRpI2VeIKiPCpARVZnf3GlL-OuW_8e1vEtp4X4Yr8ArstpupEKdQw_NSw79jUpJgLE-uJkH3wKafKyNrf7ON80hurro2DiRuSU78lYRxEy5QCkiT8/s320/IMG_0217.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying the view!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Hope you are staying active and having fun this summer! Hang in there and I will too!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460202864892035235noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8210185516318329744.post-37747555641840668542012-07-16T12:38:00.002-07:002012-07-16T12:38:42.059-07:00Amethyst Lake<br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Some of my out of town kids and their families arrived this week. July will prove to be a fun and busy month. One of our annual traditions has been to do a hike in the Uintah mountains. This mountain range is unique in many ways, but the most interesting thing about them is that they are the only mountain range in the United States that run east to west. I've written about several of my hikes in the Uintahs in the past.</span><br />
I took Thursday off to go hiking with one of my daughters, Rachel, and her husband Troy. Much to my surprise, my wife joined in on the hike as well.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-zlw_YW-jtr4uUfCAj0-X9FZ126Tm7hh2V7FhnKpLJzrYFLNlYFecc13Rj5EeeIvuMUlPDcXgEVZecMy83lFdrZyB-U86VLU48SeHxXM4FZQrggKPXCSJ5qiD80x-UxTy6mLN_sTizzo/s1600/2012-07-12+08.58.20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-zlw_YW-jtr4uUfCAj0-X9FZ126Tm7hh2V7FhnKpLJzrYFLNlYFecc13Rj5EeeIvuMUlPDcXgEVZecMy83lFdrZyB-U86VLU48SeHxXM4FZQrggKPXCSJ5qiD80x-UxTy6mLN_sTizzo/s400/2012-07-12+08.58.20.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
We hiked to a beautiful lake called Amethyst. The hike wasn't excessively hard, but it was over six miles one way and it had a good climb for almost half a mile. It was worth it though as we hiked through pines and meadows to reach the lake. Even the steep section was worth it due to the waterfalls that were right along the trail.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRX4mWsTGkAq-5TQlKMap6FTgA6pEW9zCLm5Ik9D8l7BmvPl9L9RpW84JOElXEPmSkGsIlynDN_ZFnNKbHgMavAZmeg5ToAJbS2JF0qXHb5jk9FCF2H6CWH8p6os_dfKtG3zyo7rZbDEE/s1600/2012-07-12+10.52.43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRX4mWsTGkAq-5TQlKMap6FTgA6pEW9zCLm5Ik9D8l7BmvPl9L9RpW84JOElXEPmSkGsIlynDN_ZFnNKbHgMavAZmeg5ToAJbS2JF0qXHb5jk9FCF2H6CWH8p6os_dfKtG3zyo7rZbDEE/s320/2012-07-12+10.52.43.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
We got up to the lake around noon. As the sun climbed in the sky, we were all getting warmer, but not long after we approached the lake it rained pretty good and cooled things way down. We even had a bit of hail that caused us to find brief shelter underneath some trees.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV4EM_z0e4aRGkO3jqb978Ti1dwU2bK20Md6g5zZ2KbPf9k2ivEeWXOPLanR-8SfcCOA2V9a_7OodXG94HiSQz367dK5hMtj1JpNvXRA74l9SFmAOZHbcgOjClqwxFz0ry-un4z2DQ4DM/s1600/2012-07-12+15.01.26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV4EM_z0e4aRGkO3jqb978Ti1dwU2bK20Md6g5zZ2KbPf9k2ivEeWXOPLanR-8SfcCOA2V9a_7OodXG94HiSQz367dK5hMtj1JpNvXRA74l9SFmAOZHbcgOjClqwxFz0ry-un4z2DQ4DM/s640/2012-07-12+15.01.26.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
My son-in-law packed his fly rod and had a great day of fishing. Amethyst Lake itself didn't yield him any fish, but the water was choppy. On the way back, my wife and I decided to stick to the trail and my daughter and son-in-law did a bit of lake hopping to try fishing at other lakes. They were glad they did as the fishing picked up. We were glad that we stuck to the trail when they told us of the steep boulder hopping they had to do to get from lake to lake.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTFOvJ4oWxXO-Ja_6ycP5BxIGM1L51MEHNMiQXsAGDEBHkh8Yb9xgtiGsx7e7S_ZOl-TUJ26OOg5ixZGbeM5P1v7XHiK6YkDtcJammGfaTlo-36z6Z1JdPoP9Af0MMjoUoBMm2ol3ls6Q/s1600/2012-07-12+15.20.20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTFOvJ4oWxXO-Ja_6ycP5BxIGM1L51MEHNMiQXsAGDEBHkh8Yb9xgtiGsx7e7S_ZOl-TUJ26OOg5ixZGbeM5P1v7XHiK6YkDtcJammGfaTlo-36z6Z1JdPoP9Af0MMjoUoBMm2ol3ls6Q/s320/2012-07-12+15.20.20.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
We ended up hiking close to 13 miles for the day. It made for a long day, but we were all glad we went. <br />
<br />
Last week I told you about another son-in-law who ran the Freedom Festival 10K with my daughter and I without training and beat us both. Rumor has it he was so sore the next day that he said never again! My daughter and I already have talked about future races coming up! :)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrX2egXR1-oETXzoY35dgJH_8_SnhlY_0FjoSgAoqyzXBO3MJ_590xhchWYk2txdR66ScMamIJlGlqpKOSakKAyVQ3KnG__LqR76gGDIX5Itl8oqu67Fb2pK0B1qVE7s7ry-zgkuBdfiA/s1600/2012-07-04+06.57.35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrX2egXR1-oETXzoY35dgJH_8_SnhlY_0FjoSgAoqyzXBO3MJ_590xhchWYk2txdR66ScMamIJlGlqpKOSakKAyVQ3KnG__LqR76gGDIX5Itl8oqu67Fb2pK0B1qVE7s7ry-zgkuBdfiA/s320/2012-07-04+06.57.35.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I logged 7 days out of 7 this week. It is probably one of my best weight management tools. I need to do this for 2 months. So far so good.<br />
<br />
Tuesday is the second BGoody 10K race with the family. I think there will be five or six of us running this year. More to come.<br />
<br />
Hang in there and I will too.<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460202864892035235noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8210185516318329744.post-16306707513246597262012-07-08T13:51:00.002-07:002012-07-08T13:51:47.794-07:00Finding the Other Side of Someday<span style="background-color: white;">For several years now, when our adult children come into town for a reunion, each of us puts together a playlist of songs based on the theme for that year. I was listening to a song off of one of the playlist that Rachel put together called Gonna Get Over You by Sara Bareilles. I like the song because it's great to work out to. It has a good back beat and drive to it that I like. The last time I listened to it, this piece of the lyrics caught my attention.</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'll be alright,<br />Once I find the other side of someday.</span></i></blockquote>
If you want to watch a goofy video and listen to a great song, here you go.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/OUe3oVlxLSA" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
It got me thinking that I have been trying to get to the other side of someday for the past several months. I have done well in my training. I can't remember a training run that I didn't get in and I completed the Ogden Marathon and just on Wednesday ran my third Freedom Festival 10K. But my weight and other aspects of my health suffered. I have made several attempts to get back on track, but none of them sustained for very long as I tried to get to "the other side of someday." I've had too may Monday's come and go without making needed changes. While my running continues to be important and I would still like to complete my 7 peaks challenge, I would be better served by getting back on track on my overall weight and health. The marathon training definitely stressed me out both physically and mentally to the point that my body was reacting negatively to the stress. I need to turn this around. This needs to be my focus for a while.<br />
I've taken some steps in the right direction. Today I started logging my food intake. This always helps. A work health challenge is to log your food intake for two months. I can do this and I will be better off if I do. I also started Bob Harper's latest book, The Skinny Rules. I need to finish what I started there and follow through with his suggestions. <br />
Also my Friday run, I really watched my heart rate. I ran as long as I stayed in "Zone 3" and walked it down if it got too high. I felt great after the run and felt a lot less stress. I am going to back things off a bit on the running and get a good base built back up with heart zone training. If I will do these three things I will be well on my way to the other side of someday.<br />
<br />
<b>Freedom Festival 10K Quick Report</b><br />
I was going to run this race regardless of the circumstances, but my daughter Malinda asked me to run it with her since it was her first 10K. She trained will for the race and her training paid off. She made her goal with a few minutes to spare. My approach to the race was not to push too hard and to finish at about 1h 20 minutes. My slowest time yet, but it seemed like a good pace. My training paid off as well and finished at about 1:18. Malinda's husband entered in on race day, with no training, and beat both of our times! He came in just under an hour. Pretty impressive with no training. Haven't heard how he felt the next day. Maybe he paid the price then. It's hard not to be like a bitter Mr. Miyagi after Daniel catches the flies with his chop sticks and say, "You beginner luck!"<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/J1gAHil89Z4" width="420"></iframe><br />
<br />
Hang in there and I will too!<br />
<div>
<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460202864892035235noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8210185516318329744.post-2461691179733545212012-07-01T19:25:00.001-07:002012-07-01T19:32:00.952-07:00Have I Got a Deal For You!The young men and women at our church with a lot of help from the youth leaders put on a yard sale to help raise funds for our various camps. Even though our scout camp is over, we will benefit from this as well so the parents don't have to pay so much for their share of the expenses. I was overwhelmed by the support we got from our church members in donations for the sale. The lawn was covered with more items than I had ever seen at a yard sale. We helped out Friday night by collecting the larger donations and transporting them to the yard sale and then came back early on Saturday to lend a hand for a few hours. It was a success. Hats off to the young women leaders who went the extra mile in organization and mean negotiating skills.<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">As you may have heard in the news, the west is experiencing a lot of wildfires due to hot and dry conditions. Utah is no exception. I am glad that we went to Scout Camp the week before because this last week at the same camp, they evacuated the scouts as a safety precaution due to a fire in the area that as of last week had burned 70 square miles and was still going strong. Even though we live several miles from most of the fires, the skies have been smoke filled for almost two weeks now. We could use some cool and wet weather. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">I got in my miles this week. I continue to be more tired than usual. Hopefully I will bounce back here soon. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">My daughter Malinda and I went and picked up our packets for the Freedom Festival 10k that is this Wednesday on the 4th. This is her first race. We drove the route and talked a little strategy to make the race a good one for her. This will be a slow race for me, but I am not ready to push in a race right now. I just need to enjoy the race. It is a bit challenging with the hills, but it is a fun atmosphere as you run along the parade route. We will probably head over to the parade after since my son is going to sleep out on the parade route and save us some seats. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">Have a great 4th! Hang in there and I will too!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460202864892035235noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8210185516318329744.post-34677691901139752872012-06-24T14:27:00.000-07:002012-06-24T14:28:28.861-07:00Scout Camp 2012<br />
As many of you know, I have been a Scoutmaster for a couple of years now. I have been involved with Scouting on and off for many years due to our church's sponsor ship of Scouting, but this has been my first time as Scoutmaster. Saturday, I finished up my third summer camp.<br />
You have three choices when it comes to summer camp.<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">Attend an official BSA Scout Camp</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">Come up with your own idea for a summer camp.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">Pretend like you don't have any idea what a summer camp is and if someone ask you about it, ask them if they could help you by attending camp with you this summer. It will effectively stop the conversation as they now pretend that they know nothing about Scout Camp either plus they also have something important scheduled for that week even though you haven't told them when it is yet.</span></li>
</ol>
<br />
I have done options one and two but haven't tried number three yet.<br />
I will tell you a few things from Scout Camp this year to give you an insight of what is involved in Scout Camp.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI-8H9DW_KT9hQCQrD39_1wTRznvltC8Xg0D3_BNdLuLFh_vHwtvPpuX2QSsXzYLU2-DxZnKqz7t3TXLfk9oTXOuflhRtkCeyAmWeUH1bUzmVQLnF0W5yn8cgNhjoLr7AprU0K99Csml0/s1600/532158+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI-8H9DW_KT9hQCQrD39_1wTRznvltC8Xg0D3_BNdLuLFh_vHwtvPpuX2QSsXzYLU2-DxZnKqz7t3TXLfk9oTXOuflhRtkCeyAmWeUH1bUzmVQLnF0W5yn8cgNhjoLr7AprU0K99Csml0/s320/532158+(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Mike Terry, Deseret News</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
This year we attended Frandsen Ranch BSA Scout Camp at Scofield, Utah. It is about 70 miles away from our city in Orem. We met at 6 am on Monday so we could arrive at camp in time to set up and get checked in. You know you are off to a rough start when one of the mother's rushes back with Dramamine so her little scout doesn't get car sick. On my first trip two years ago, I did have to pull over while one of the scouts puked. Fun way to start a trip. This time however the medicine worked. We traveled for a little over and hour to get to Scofield.<br />
The wind blew hard for at least part of the day, every day we were there. It made setting up the tents a challenge, but due to our staking the tents well and securing guy wires, our tents all stayed up. There were several other tents in the camp that ripped and collapsed that first day. <br />
Due to some mixups, we had to guide ourselves around camp and figure out the logistics of the camp, but we got it figured out. Most of our scouts this year were on their first summer camp and they had a ways to go in rank advancement. We got them on a program that helps them complete almost all of their requirements for Tenderfoot, 2nd and First class requirements. This worked out well and most of them now have almost everything passed of. With a week or two follow up now we are back home, most of our scouts will be at a rank of 1st class which I am really happy about. Our other scout, worked on merit badges and he was able to get several as well.<br />
It takes a lot of work as a scoutmaster at camp. Younger scouts are all over the map as far as confidence and comprehension. Most either doubt their abilities or over estimate what they can do. If you are familiar with the term herding cats, it really applies in this case. It is always interesting that you will spend a couple of minutes with them explaining what they need to do and where they need to be and then immediately ask you what they need to do and where they need to be. It is a scientific fact that their brains are developing so rapidly that all the wiring is not in place. It takes a lot of patience to help them understand. But it pays off eventually.<br />
Here is a picture of three scout leaders towards the end of camp. It runs you ragged!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIwhL8_WA33Y_W2WxIyw87HieFcHCk-IezM3AejJsWxaVZvwSvKoGNG6uSzZlmHREn15AshyLoC_4Na2ciG-ZCsbPqqmXzsVoH1NJMrePMDuwC2SwYlJAhSfAS0VUcD5S84ZJYVxbf0Sw/s1600/Photo+0.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIwhL8_WA33Y_W2WxIyw87HieFcHCk-IezM3AejJsWxaVZvwSvKoGNG6uSzZlmHREn15AshyLoC_4Na2ciG-ZCsbPqqmXzsVoH1NJMrePMDuwC2SwYlJAhSfAS0VUcD5S84ZJYVxbf0Sw/s320/Photo+0.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
One thing I enjoy about an organized camp, is to meet other scouters from all over the place. One of the above leaders (left) is part of a deaf scout troop. I talked with him a couple of times and found out what an amazing person he is. He is over a younger set of scouts. None of his scouts were there. He was there to help out the older scouts. He gave up a week of his time to help out these older, hearing impaired, scouts. He also chose to join the Order of the Arrow, which is a service organization in the Scouts. You can choose to do it as a scout or as a leader. Part of the induction involves "The Ordeal." This requires you to sleep outside, by yourself, with nothing but a pad and a sleeping bag. For 24 hours, you cannot speak to anybody, you get minimal food and you provide service for the whole day. Rusty went through this. The day was hot as we watched Rusty and the others work in the sun, fixing fences and digging trenches in camp. I then found out on the last day, that Rusty earned the mile swim award as well while he was at camp. He swam for 1 mile for over an hour in Scofield Reservoir which was a balmy 56 degrees! This is from a man who is not only hearing impaired, but walks with a pronounced limp when he walks. Rusty was one of my heroes at camp!<br />
My first few days were a bit frustrating as we tried to figure out what was going on, but as we talked to staff, I understood some of the challenges they were under. By the time we left, I had a new friend in Colton, the program director, who is a fellow runner. It was good to get to know him and other scout leaders both on staff and other Scoutmasters who had come up for the week. The other leader who came up with me has been on all three summer camps with me even though he has responsibility with another<br />
I did get one run in on Tuesday. It was a good workout, but challenging to do the extra hills and at a higher altitude. The next scheduled run was the coldest morning. I could talk myself out of the sleeping bag any earlier than I had to be up. I ended up being tired and needing the sleep any way for the rest of the week. I did a ton of walking durning the day to keep track of everything that was going on.<br />
What's up next for me is a lighter week of exercise as I am about 10 days out from the Freedom Festival 10k on the 4th.<br />
Hang in there and I will too!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460202864892035235noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8210185516318329744.post-19903432187725107932012-06-18T22:45:00.000-07:002012-06-18T22:51:30.146-07:00Late and ShortI arrived at Scout Camp this morning with one other leader and five scouts! We are at Scofield Utah. It has been a long day with much to do and worry about but I am hoping for a good week with the boys.
I got all my traing runs in last week and hope to fit in my scheduled training in while I am here.
It's well past lights out so I better get some rest.
Hang in there and I will too!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460202864892035235noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8210185516318329744.post-20062122627835585192012-06-11T15:30:00.000-07:002012-06-11T15:30:19.165-07:00Utah Valley MarathonI know my blog post tend to be a little bit wordy sometimes. This one is no exception. I enjoy processing what running and getting back in shape has brought to my life and recording these events helps me understand what I have gained from all of this. Thanks for following along!<br />
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I run because long after my footprints fade away, maybe I will have inspired a few to reject the easy path, hit the trails, put one foot in front of the other, and come to the same conclusion I did: I run because it always takes me where I want to go.<br /> <i>Dean Karnazes, Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner </i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
"<i>I run because it always takes me where I want to go.</i>" I read this quote after I went running on Friday. This was an rescheduled long run. It was hard to get up, but I knew it was my only shot to get the run in. That run did take me where I wanted to go. Not only did a do one of my favorite routes, but I wanted to see how I would do going the longest I've run since the marathon. I finished the run a bit tired, but really happy that I went and I got a little confidence back. That was where I really wanted to go. To a better state of mind and that run took me there. I feel like I'm slowly on my way back.<br />
Saturday was a great experience for me. I got up early and headed over to the finish line area for the Utah Valley Marathon. We were busy from the time I got there until we left in the afternoon. I drove as close as I could to finish line and headed over. I found a group of volunteers that were unwrapping the finisher medals. There were over 7,000 medals to get ready so I found a chair, seated in the middle of University Avenue and started unwrapping. About the time I started, both the half marathon and marathon had begun, but we wouldn't be seeing anyone for well over an hour. The time went by quickly and all went well except for the minor annoyance of one of the volunteers who took it upon himself to be in charge. He was mostly ignored so it was a little humorous.<br />
The first ones in were the wheelchair and mobility assisted racers. They really flew down the canyon! I was surprised there wasn't much of a fuss made about them. No one from the race other than the announcer even acknowledged that they came through. I talked to one of them when I grabbed a medal and gave it to him. He said that it was not unusual. I guess that everyone is gearing up for the mass of runners and the main event that they get lost in the hustle and bustle.<br />
Next the top half marathoners came through and there was a bit of excitement. There was plenty of attention on them as they came through. Most of us were still unwrapping the last of the medals, but it was fun to see the elite runners come through. It is just amazing how fast some can cover the 13.1 miles in a little over an hour. The top time was:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
KYLE PERRY M 28 PROVO UT 1:06:43 1:06:43</blockquote>
I have yet to run a 10K that fast!<br />
Less than an hour and a half after the first half marathoner came across, the first marathoner crossed the line.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
KEMBOI, PETER 2:28:56 5:41 2:28:56 1:13:12 32 HEBRON KY</blockquote>
Wow!<br />
There were several highlights for me. I saw quite a few of my neighbors finish the half and full marathon. Shout outs to all of them! Wayne Y., Tanya T., Carrie J., Barbara H. Chris D. Bill H. , Skip M. and Nancy H. <br />
Bill and Skip were pacers for the half and full respectively. Pacers are an amazing group who run the marathon, holding a sign the whole way, just to help fellow racers meet there race time. They do these distances several times a year! Thanks to all of the pacers. And a shout out to Michelle B, who had signed up to work the finish line and let me know how to volunteer. She hung in there to the end and it was fun to get to know her a bit better.<br />
One person that I didn't see, ended up breaking my heart when I found out what happened. Super Mom <a href="http://seemomrunfar.blogspot.com/2012/06/dnf.html">Erin</a>, is a blogger who just a few years ago was overweight and not happy with herself. She and her husband Josh have 12 kids! Many of them special needs adoptions. She trained hard for this race and was excited to run hard and fast. The race blew up on her! You just never know when that might happen. Most of us are lucky enough to have it happen on a training run, but she never had any warning what was going to happen. You can read her heartfelt report <a href="http://seemomrunfar.blogspot.com/2012/06/dnf.html">here</a>. I choked up a bit when I read about how at 3:15 in the race that her husband and kids would know she wasn't going to make her goal and her not wanting to disappoint anyone. I felt the same way when I just about didn't make it across the Pineview Dam for the cut-off time at the Ogden Marathon. I thought how much I didn't want to disappoint everyone either. I came within 1 minute of getting a DNF!<br />
<br />
As the focus shifted from the half to the full came on, I hung around for the last of the half-marathoners. who didn't get much attention. I made sure they had someone to congratulate them on making the 13.1 miles and greeting them with the medal that they had earned. The hard work they had put in to be able to finish. I hope it helped them realize what a big deal it was.<br />
<br />
After the last half-marathoner came through, I helped out at the marathon finish. The volunteers were slowly disappearing, but I had fun handing out the medals and as it became hot, some of grabbed water cups and got them to the runners as they finished up. Even though the course was downhill, a lot of runners said how hard it was because they had a stiff wind in their face from about mile 7 on.<br />
<br />
I also heled a lost kid find his parents, one runner that about collapsed on us and we helped her to the medical tent. Several other runners needed help getting their bearings straight, they had given their all physically and mentally to cross the finsh so we made sure they were ok. I kept my eye on one runner who struggled across the line. I got him some water and poured some on him. He found the nearest shade under a table and sat their looking exhausted. I grabbed him some oranges and talked with him on and off as I grabbed water for the runners coming in. In about a half an hour, he looked much improved.<br />
<br />
The last thing I did was to greet the last marathoner in (they closed the finish 6.5 hours after it started). I told her that the last place finisher from Ogden this year, welcomed the last place finisher from this year's Utah Valley Marathon. <br />
<br />
As I walked across the closing down expo, I saw a marathoner who was probably in his late teens or early twenties. I remembered him crossing the finish because he expressed so much appreciation to the volunteers. I asked where he was from. He told me San Diego and his goal was to do 12 marathons this year. This marked his 7th completed! I wished him well and headed for the car.<br />
<br />
As I drove home, I saw a person with a marathon bib on still on the course and walking it in. They were still several miles out, but I'm sure they were proving something to themselves. I had nothing but respect for that!<br />
<br />
Hang in there and I will too!<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460202864892035235noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8210185516318329744.post-39515068537747642722012-06-04T15:13:00.002-07:002012-06-04T15:13:18.128-07:00Starting Over<br />
I had two main fitness goals from last week. I was going to start running again a couple of times and go on a hike. Well, I did go running, but only once on Friday. It wasn't until then that I felt ready to give it a go. The run went well and I really feel that the rest did me a world of good.<br />
Over the weekend, I came up with a plan to prepare for the Provo Freedom Festival 10K on July 4th. This will be my third year running this race. I am on a short training schedule, but I went running this morning on the new plan. It was a bit aggressive after laying off for a couple a weeks, but it wasn't overly hard. If I keep on schedule, it won't be my fastest 10K, but I won't come in last either.<br />
Gordon was game to go hiking so we did a 6.75 mile loop close to home. I have done the loop before and it had enough elevation change and distance to be a challenge, but not overwhelming. We got up early but it was already warm and muggy. The sky was lite up as the sun was coming up with splashes of orange all over the clouds. It was all but gone in the 10 minutes it took me to drive to the trail head so no pictures of that.<br />
We did get a few pictures of the hike. It is still early enough in the year that everything is still really green and beautiful. We started off on a fire road for a little over a mile and then took a trail which took us up towards "the altar". As you can see, we had pretty good views as we climbed.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9d-f2EtMC17R7hgorW-16gU5KCKh-o0jMqUDBNAULkRGrMQOYRSErNHxFuS8wyGJhF0wSKbEXQrpr5jqo_SpCZWGkoDu1h5_nvo0Oh00OLp4yvhwFplSiiqo5NHhfZmWeNpE02UiuBBA/s1600/Photo+Jun+02,+7+03+27+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9d-f2EtMC17R7hgorW-16gU5KCKh-o0jMqUDBNAULkRGrMQOYRSErNHxFuS8wyGJhF0wSKbEXQrpr5jqo_SpCZWGkoDu1h5_nvo0Oh00OLp4yvhwFplSiiqo5NHhfZmWeNpE02UiuBBA/s640/Photo+Jun+02,+7+03+27+AM.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLP2r7KWa9hceYhPNFqT3rEJz81G6aB10fRGS1Mo9s8d_oYjxf7iD0pjP8pK5QEaYt4LcEoW8zk06gbvoV8eNO80WSbpTjTXPrtvDO75fJfvPds-vDbShEsYn7R3S0F2Yauausvxx9lUs/s1600/Photo+Jun+02,+7+03+19+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLP2r7KWa9hceYhPNFqT3rEJz81G6aB10fRGS1Mo9s8d_oYjxf7iD0pjP8pK5QEaYt4LcEoW8zk06gbvoV8eNO80WSbpTjTXPrtvDO75fJfvPds-vDbShEsYn7R3S0F2Yauausvxx9lUs/s640/Photo+Jun+02,+7+03+19+AM.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
I even snapped a panorama view. I caught Gordon by surprise when I shot the last few and told him to hold still. I have taken a few panoramas with my iPhone lately and the AutoStitch program does a great job of piecing them together.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6PikpTOX3SZtFF-RIcDrzBmEBnhcPbBCTUIVrni7mbjBmVWidvpZY66BHykU9S6tc1efQe5Brh9GKtoGZWdDt4jnkzV7OnhT391efarVMeSH0vmWPsDVCd-CPUtnW8QokfvenoSWTmFo/s1600/Photo+Jun+02,+7+04+53+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="98" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6PikpTOX3SZtFF-RIcDrzBmEBnhcPbBCTUIVrni7mbjBmVWidvpZY66BHykU9S6tc1efQe5Brh9GKtoGZWdDt4jnkzV7OnhT391efarVMeSH0vmWPsDVCd-CPUtnW8QokfvenoSWTmFo/s640/Photo+Jun+02,+7+04+53+AM.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Here is a picture of "the altar". So named by the rocks that have been stacked up at a trail junction.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiylUhCbVodrYM1xfBjI7lg0XOyRCG7OxIc2Vt8C30nG2QZSyJWg464S65lENdZJay8HVFM4oDq1haDDoDGO0dxIeNRkIKjCL87BTtZgLpOh7RzXt2Y6l1eTT08bSp_1wkRMSA7vE7RRqw/s1600/Photo+Jun+02,+7+16+31+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiylUhCbVodrYM1xfBjI7lg0XOyRCG7OxIc2Vt8C30nG2QZSyJWg464S65lENdZJay8HVFM4oDq1haDDoDGO0dxIeNRkIKjCL87BTtZgLpOh7RzXt2Y6l1eTT08bSp_1wkRMSA7vE7RRqw/s640/Photo+Jun+02,+7+16+31+AM.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
From here we headed up and over and took the adjoining Dry Canyon back down.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZo17SuTUvpuc1BKN0aHkEUVA7JQeiy1gtJnKUpJaDGVfzueFfWWHqkSUmhly8O9OOs1XiL9itTFW2yH9h-Xb2TGKxZO0LLZI0Yk3pY0oIHsnoJImYs6Ffm2rJTQLzzLBlB_JM8onPZo0/s1600/Photo+Jun+02,+7+40+06+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZo17SuTUvpuc1BKN0aHkEUVA7JQeiy1gtJnKUpJaDGVfzueFfWWHqkSUmhly8O9OOs1XiL9itTFW2yH9h-Xb2TGKxZO0LLZI0Yk3pY0oIHsnoJImYs6Ffm2rJTQLzzLBlB_JM8onPZo0/s640/Photo+Jun+02,+7+40+06+AM.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
From that trail head, we took the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, back to the first trail head where we started. <br />
We were both a bit tired. Gordon is in better hiking shape that me so I need to keep after it.<br />
<br />
Right after the marathon, I weighed myself and I was at the highest I have been in some time. I have gone on about how stressed out the training was on me. I think I was right about the stress because after weighing in this morning, I am down 9 pounds in the little over two weeks since the race. I still have a lot to take off, but at least I am headed in the right direction.<br />
<br />
My son-in-law Mike ran a fast half marathon over the weekend. His training and weight loss really paid off as he came in under two hours! Way to go Mike!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgubeIH7xXI-JgZEEpxNwkDNuW_Q7mtfdKt8NWkTmbwgqeC8riMgt37Hd8xZPFwiP1wBOguMqIQpnS3D3dCXq8snJ2LXHbgU6IEmOXq6MgMshbHJg4X-LQa4wfjbjwG98DiN5kUHqz_m7A/s1600/522975_10150930269239568_2004451823_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgubeIH7xXI-JgZEEpxNwkDNuW_Q7mtfdKt8NWkTmbwgqeC8riMgt37Hd8xZPFwiP1wBOguMqIQpnS3D3dCXq8snJ2LXHbgU6IEmOXq6MgMshbHJg4X-LQa4wfjbjwG98DiN5kUHqz_m7A/s400/522975_10150930269239568_2004451823_n.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I was also glad to hear that <a href="http://ruminationsasiuncoverthewomanwithin.blogspot.com/2012/06/finisher-of-tour-de-cure-and-last.html">Michele</a> (one of my blogging friends) completed her 62 mile bike goal at the Tour de Cure. Great milestone for her!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsvYArSsp7ht4Rhj3nkDqFuh76GDHZEEVQr0ouVa8Md6baDDT402DI6vPYg5hpClxeh6dLST1xW-CNbLFENcIl-9shlUbLjVX_toN2H7tG4HEFVGtDtvMQoXtbN70N9MXQL19AqmmrMqM/s1600/logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="83" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsvYArSsp7ht4Rhj3nkDqFuh76GDHZEEVQr0ouVa8Md6baDDT402DI6vPYg5hpClxeh6dLST1xW-CNbLFENcIl-9shlUbLjVX_toN2H7tG4HEFVGtDtvMQoXtbN70N9MXQL19AqmmrMqM/s320/logo.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
I signed up to be a volunteer at the Utah Valley Marathon which is a fairly new race, but has grown quickly to 7000 runners total. This includes the half and the 10K runners. I will be working the finish line. Just a little payback to the running community. I'll report in on that next week.<br />
<br />
Hang in there and I will too!<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460202864892035235noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8210185516318329744.post-20386199107275035072012-05-28T13:26:00.000-07:002012-05-28T13:26:04.585-07:00Left Overs and the Return of Bob<br />
I took a planned week off of running this week. It has been nice and necessary. I was pushing my limits in many ways. I did miss running sometimes though and am ready to ease back in. I had a few random items left over from the marathon.<br />
<br />
I thought this quote from Runner's World reflected a lot of how I am feeling about the experience.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>The biggest reward of marathon training is confidence. A 20- or 22-mile training run cannot be purchased, and it can't be rescinded. You are the owner of that strength, and it is a powerful force when life tries to knock you down. You have evidence of your tenacity, your ability, and your passion. - </i><b>Laura Saladino, Runner's World Challenger of the Week </b></blockquote>
<br />
I am still trying to process all of my thoughts and emotions following last weeks marathon. It affected me in so many different ways that iris hard to describe. I am still getting so much positive feedback on having finished. Thanks to all of you.<br />
<br />
I thanked one person for doing me a favor when he knew I was tired the day after the marathon. He said something to the effect of, "No problem! I'm glad you're still alive!"<br />
<br />
Bill posted this helpful advice the day before I ran. It helped me going into the marathon and getting through it.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Good luck this weekend at the Ogden Marathon! Stick to your plan & enjoy every mile of it!</i></blockquote>
I read a couple of Jeff Galloway's books in preparation for the marathon. He said that there are mind tricks that you can play on your self that sound a little weird, but seem to work. I employed this technique during the marathon when things got rough. I started chanting, "You can do this!", in cadence with my pace and it allowed me to keep going a little longer and faster. It helped me get across the dam! I know what my family thinks about that! <i>Your chanting Ray!</i> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nVThHLqda0&feature=youtube_gdata_player, it's a little long so start at about 1:15 and see why we laugh about chanting.<br />
<br />
Finishing last perspective. Here are the stats from the race:<br />
<br />
Overall:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>2402 out of 2402<br />
Men:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1215 out of 1215<br />
M 55-59:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>69 out of 69<br />
Age/Grade:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> 35.01% Place: 2389<br />
Finish:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>6:57:04 Pace: 15:55<br />
Tag Time:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>6:57:04<br />
Gun Time:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>7:02:45<br />
<br />
Looks pretty dismal until you consider that 3129 people registered. 2402 people finished. That means 729 people for what ever reason didn't finish the race! That's 23%! I'll take the finish!<br />
<br />
<b>Bob Harper Returns</b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://encrypted-tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTPSmfKgfJ3O5_1Y4QvKdLCnW3TvpT74_O8RznNnRsWHd1i4-sn" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTPSmfKgfJ3O5_1Y4QvKdLCnW3TvpT74_O8RznNnRsWHd1i4-sn" /></a>Many of you remember that I am a fan of Biggest Loser. I have purchased and endured many a Biggest Loser / Bob Harper Workout. I like Bob's attitude, work ethic and training style. The only advice I haven't heard a lot about is Bob's nutrition philosophy. He has recently released a book called The Skinny Rules: The Simple, Nonnegotiable Principles for Getting to Thin<br />
<br />
<br />
http://www.amazon.com/The-Skinny-Rules-Nonnegotiable-Principles/dp/0345533127/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1338152817&sr=1-1<br />
I've read the first couple of chapters and started following a few of the rules. So far so good. I will let you know how things go on this.<br />
<br />
Goals for the week. Read more of the book and follow each rule as I finish. Run twice this week and see how it goes. Thinking about throwing in a short hike as well. You in Gordon?<br />
<br />
Hang in there and I will too!<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460202864892035235noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8210185516318329744.post-64794466192256134732012-05-20T17:43:00.000-07:002012-05-20T17:43:23.982-07:00Last Was Best of All the GameI knew when I decided to do a marathon that I was biting off more than I could chew! The half marathons I had run in took all that I had, but for some reason I got the courage to sign up and see what I could do. After four months of training and one long day on Saturday, I found out what I could do. I have written about what I learned during training. Saturday was the day I had done all of this work for. I knew it would be hard, but I didn't know how it would test my limits and how rewarding it would be.<br />
<br />
I am not going to give all of the details, but there is still a lot to report on. I haven't even been able to process all of the experience myself. I am going to give the highs and the lows and let the pictures do most of the talking. Thanks to my brother Gordon and my wonderful sister-in-law Martha, I have several pictures to share. I got very few, but they were taken during extreme conditions. But before the pictures, I gotta say. I DID IT! I finished the marathon!!!!! WHOOOOOOHOOOOOOO!!!!<br />
<br />
Here's a little bit about how it went.<br />
<br />
No pictures from Friday, when Gordon and I drove up to Ogden, got checked in, got my Bib number, ate pasta, went back and did a walk through at the runner's expo. It all went smoothly. The packet pickup was great. I walked right up, got my number, race shirt, check that the timing chip worked and got out of there quickly. I got a good nights sleep with only one brief night terror when I woke up and thought, I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS!!!!. I rolled over and went back to sleep.<br />
<br />
I got up Saturday at 4am. I ate a light breakfast, got ready and headed out the door. Gordon drove me over to the busses by 4:45. This was really well done as they got the busses loaded quickly and we were headed up Ogden Canyon to the starting line.<br />
<br />
As soon as I got off the bus, I headed over to the porta-potties to avoid these lines.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJAkBDSMavZxyQQw_jiVP8XtogdbelTDliK4aEmj6oqaQ_Dk-zS2Y5Cog653suGn0h_8qn-OaVjhnxiCen8O9NR5F00dQfrNAMOwXC3k32fJLCkv167uZA53Y-d4q7LjUyBMPWYS7JwnU/s1600/Photo+May+19,+6+19+02+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJAkBDSMavZxyQQw_jiVP8XtogdbelTDliK4aEmj6oqaQ_Dk-zS2Y5Cog653suGn0h_8qn-OaVjhnxiCen8O9NR5F00dQfrNAMOwXC3k32fJLCkv167uZA53Y-d4q7LjUyBMPWYS7JwnU/s320/Photo+May+19,+6+19+02+AM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We waited at the start of the race for about an hour in 30 degree weather. They had fires going to keep people warm, but it is hard to have enough fires for the 1000 plus runners.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdIwFuL13W4vdLcEZKzf6KJCSnopjUIulAbehd15XXe6wU9uBngx0mvGxl46AFVllHacW0jslEwhElbjIOVBbmnWxCz9pH2CilPCZhbYTwGjY0oEhRUKU1UCZ7aZIdx9T-zuR0HkM7SqU/s1600/Photo+May+19,+6+19+08+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdIwFuL13W4vdLcEZKzf6KJCSnopjUIulAbehd15XXe6wU9uBngx0mvGxl46AFVllHacW0jslEwhElbjIOVBbmnWxCz9pH2CilPCZhbYTwGjY0oEhRUKU1UCZ7aZIdx9T-zuR0HkM7SqU/s320/Photo+May+19,+6+19+08+AM.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The first 7 miles were mostly downhill. I kept on my pace during this time. I talked briefly with a runner. I asked why she decided to run a marathon. She said she was 44 years old, had a son with a disability and wanted to take care of him as he grew older. I thought of my brother and sister-in-law who where there with my nephew Mark who you will see in a picture later on. Already I was inspired by others during the race.<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Miles eight through fourteen were a real challenge. There was a lot of hills, contending with traffic and being out in the sun for long stretches. Thankfully the temps stayed cool. As I was trudging towards mile 10, Gordon pulled up in his truck and asked how I was doing. It lifted me up just seeing him so I could truthfully say ,"OK!" He went on a head to a pull out by the next aid station. Here are a series of pictures of me approaching the mile 10 aid station.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCvIfhWuffOUzmYLpMsZiHpKKlf5IgyK-4Z6qoOQjE_CvonDGysMzDEIKkPGFvr3aa7NDaPedsK7o2YYCpdUFLZMkZn85dvsy0TJIRlo6tekoA8_KDhACnnTGogBgQhmbIZqpPvjVfIKg/s1600/Photo+May+20,+12+24+43+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCvIfhWuffOUzmYLpMsZiHpKKlf5IgyK-4Z6qoOQjE_CvonDGysMzDEIKkPGFvr3aa7NDaPedsK7o2YYCpdUFLZMkZn85dvsy0TJIRlo6tekoA8_KDhACnnTGogBgQhmbIZqpPvjVfIKg/s320/Photo+May+20,+12+24+43+PM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA3QwvjMN-5eIJQq0gQLjm9RDQv5406yEBLnBGWubRIxfw0Ktrw5XbAfXMm8OuRndxIiP4_UG6HX8vySJytowEspLp9NCtsTGFjTA5QXavA5eJAs9UCwFVDOSb5A9Nd5yAGVb01Hq631o/s1600/Photo+May+20,+12+24+56+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA3QwvjMN-5eIJQq0gQLjm9RDQv5406yEBLnBGWubRIxfw0Ktrw5XbAfXMm8OuRndxIiP4_UG6HX8vySJytowEspLp9NCtsTGFjTA5QXavA5eJAs9UCwFVDOSb5A9Nd5yAGVb01Hq631o/s320/Photo+May+20,+12+24+56+PM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii259A4OuksdL5n32nD3pab34DNlBO5DpOmlArqtxar0m5HLq6DMPdXsZuxe_PeKfXJsCj_s4GNX35M8sGnCvZXCB_B8k0VkNNQGyNl8hbnoWj8QDpddPr_0RZQz5nywiAr-azYgHhFbM/s1600/Photo+May+20,+12+24+51+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii259A4OuksdL5n32nD3pab34DNlBO5DpOmlArqtxar0m5HLq6DMPdXsZuxe_PeKfXJsCj_s4GNX35M8sGnCvZXCB_B8k0VkNNQGyNl8hbnoWj8QDpddPr_0RZQz5nywiAr-azYgHhFbM/s320/Photo+May+20,+12+24+51+PM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggpmK_lgtAGzqEfulFWoxa3YIxy2VSDsnzKlRo0ksSMLyMYntVcHh3bFc3FhEqz8rDclNoCdtWHFfxk1hGwU-n_Jjpt16xJvEZ2pMWdBcPerYNLW6eGre2IOepVqCpRxwmaxMPmK70bFk/s1600/Photo+May+20,+12+25+01+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggpmK_lgtAGzqEfulFWoxa3YIxy2VSDsnzKlRo0ksSMLyMYntVcHh3bFc3FhEqz8rDclNoCdtWHFfxk1hGwU-n_Jjpt16xJvEZ2pMWdBcPerYNLW6eGre2IOepVqCpRxwmaxMPmK70bFk/s320/Photo+May+20,+12+25+01+PM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ifm-l-wCVbo6ASW7i-tuQRcaMwpEi5SMBFucfP0fJzBZPZe1-Xjxj0s2G0s96StsMAGTvxIFGRZmFQrclMtEuRYB9Pj6NbWk4exrvrjIVDQ2SeK8vlELa1X12amvOoWMhpf_sjxQ4L4/s1600/Photo+May+20,+12+25+07+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ifm-l-wCVbo6ASW7i-tuQRcaMwpEi5SMBFucfP0fJzBZPZe1-Xjxj0s2G0s96StsMAGTvxIFGRZmFQrclMtEuRYB9Pj6NbWk4exrvrjIVDQ2SeK8vlELa1X12amvOoWMhpf_sjxQ4L4/s320/Photo+May+20,+12+25+07+PM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The pair you see behind me were not a pair for long. In about 2 miles, I ran by as the wife told her husband she couldn't go any further and told him to go on. After a couple of exchanges, he passed me and I didn't see him again.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I was glad that Gordon was able to meet me on this part of the course. Most of it was closed to traffic. I was able to get rid of an overly stuffed fanny pack which made a big difference.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
A got a great reception from the aid station at mile 13. All of the volunteers started chanting my name which they saw on my race bib. "BRUCE, BRUCE. BRUCE!!!" I couldn't help but stop for a second and give them a WOOF WOOF WOOF and then we all cheered. The enthusiasm was repeated at each of the aid station. I can't give thanks enough to all of the volunteers who gave water, sports drinks, Clif Shots, Blocks and Bars, orange slices and even Otter Pops! They took the time to make you feel the race was there just for you!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Here I am leaving the aid station. There was traffic to content with during this part. I had a semi pass really close to me at one point and I was off the road a bit. It came to an abrupt stop behind two runners that were unaware the peril behind them. He then figured out he could go around them instead of running them down!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU52JMLIZP9Divr3hn00F7j9qkQY6T044iV0rFUAjpYWxeWBy2J0AxFiNDDCAuaE1jJJ_wl6YXL0QCa1JCOMA77wY_WHqxbBdi4JacQK2FSAvgW7e9fIDLGamT7OfHsYFXqaRV39EpS-Y/s1600/Photo+May+20,+12+25+29+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU52JMLIZP9Divr3hn00F7j9qkQY6T044iV0rFUAjpYWxeWBy2J0AxFiNDDCAuaE1jJJ_wl6YXL0QCa1JCOMA77wY_WHqxbBdi4JacQK2FSAvgW7e9fIDLGamT7OfHsYFXqaRV39EpS-Y/s320/Photo+May+20,+12+25+29+PM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihm3_93giTqxhHK1FDea9NYLUvDoMWD-pcRfcboJ7S_JnFXNsFz4sPa-lSRn5KhWJOAHqurJ5WJumi4LF4N3wFVzgDSuHw7QEBTMkhmpIVDwvhEgSROUxepAZUj932cFwPMZJD3gakTPE/s1600/Photo+May+20,+12+25+21+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihm3_93giTqxhHK1FDea9NYLUvDoMWD-pcRfcboJ7S_JnFXNsFz4sPa-lSRn5KhWJOAHqurJ5WJumi4LF4N3wFVzgDSuHw7QEBTMkhmpIVDwvhEgSROUxepAZUj932cFwPMZJD3gakTPE/s320/Photo+May+20,+12+25+21+PM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Right before mile 14 was the gut check. It was a half mile climb. There were only a couple of us getting up this hill by the time I got there. It was getting warm, and I had to focus on the near term just to get up. Much to my surprise there was an otter pop waiting at the aid station which really helped cool me down. I also dowsed my head with water at almost every aid station from mile ten on and poured one down my back.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1yR7IBiebJ1mZ_uBunNji-t2wFtCsZgWVfPz0vN0OQChlf9MM1wSwdIBySTRA9TkWaoo1luBwqm9WlEPTmYAwF8m7Lu8PqC527JdPf0ajFlXk1lCimxos__czKaF2r2qAd3-tEcnPpwU/s1600/457513_10151719140160117_1815987297_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1yR7IBiebJ1mZ_uBunNji-t2wFtCsZgWVfPz0vN0OQChlf9MM1wSwdIBySTRA9TkWaoo1luBwqm9WlEPTmYAwF8m7Lu8PqC527JdPf0ajFlXk1lCimxos__czKaF2r2qAd3-tEcnPpwU/s320/457513_10151719140160117_1815987297_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ogden Marathon Facebook Page</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Last week, I wrote about my fear of 17.3 miles and the time cutoff. I was looking good time wise, but the hill took a lot out of me. As I approached the dam, a car drove up and the driver said, "You have three minutes to get across the dam. If you hurry, you can make it." Below is a picture of the dam crossing taken by someone from the marathon. The car drove up where you see the cliff face meet the road. It wasn't a short distance. I started to worry. All I could do is say a quick prayer and move as fast as I could. As I reached the end of the dam, the race official started to approach. Was it good or bad news? He smiled broadly as he told me, "Good job! You beat it by a minute!" I was one minute away before being taken off the course! I waited until I turned down the Ogden Canyon road and gave a quick thank you prayer before I cried a bit. </div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirrmwA6NWwWAJ3k5q5NvEZzwf5wXreKm8I6KpM0bwR2EQMpcnxnj4a5XTBzUYTIyRSrdK_VRpe2Q5DS07xY_Fe823W3V3gaw_bLXJw_04dgA95WeCaYmmQV2kX9TwOGWO8wQa_Jr5i_Ms/s1600/416368_10151719142080117_10150101975780117_24053156_2108491028_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirrmwA6NWwWAJ3k5q5NvEZzwf5wXreKm8I6KpM0bwR2EQMpcnxnj4a5XTBzUYTIyRSrdK_VRpe2Q5DS07xY_Fe823W3V3gaw_bLXJw_04dgA95WeCaYmmQV2kX9TwOGWO8wQa_Jr5i_Ms/s320/416368_10151719142080117_10150101975780117_24053156_2108491028_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ogden Marathon Facebook Page</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Here is a picture of what the course looked like coming down Ogden Canyon during the main part of the race.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifDHbruZDCCt0cDDdNdUESvWvRtVhTMDm_81JJyGMq0ej_v13ETNMeE2QodOK-kQdJUTXDj_I9OwizK2JSyPrXWL-Muquw6Vp4eXabHGyk1WFZjETG9lS16F5SlFtab80kWaVGFftKYgI/s1600/476136_10151719138720117_10150101975780117_24053129_21492732_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifDHbruZDCCt0cDDdNdUESvWvRtVhTMDm_81JJyGMq0ej_v13ETNMeE2QodOK-kQdJUTXDj_I9OwizK2JSyPrXWL-Muquw6Vp4eXabHGyk1WFZjETG9lS16F5SlFtab80kWaVGFftKYgI/s320/476136_10151719138720117_10150101975780117_24053129_21492732_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ogden Marathon Facebook Page</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This is what it looked like when I got on it about a mile down after crossing the dam.<br /><div>
<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgey9-jQm9hzCTnlPZjSnba0zOVNPV_0QwO9ZpgMdWMJLkfy5ptSmEVnEscimcnRqa-2bcuri-bTcQeM7D8HvEA4JkDLkiOFnZwERz_6FRlrglWbFFOQSSVt0Yrak5ykv7MK-CeF3pQje4/s1600/Photo+May+19,+11+38+40+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgey9-jQm9hzCTnlPZjSnba0zOVNPV_0QwO9ZpgMdWMJLkfy5ptSmEVnEscimcnRqa-2bcuri-bTcQeM7D8HvEA4JkDLkiOFnZwERz_6FRlrglWbFFOQSSVt0Yrak5ykv7MK-CeF3pQje4/s320/Photo+May+19,+11+38+40+AM.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
And this is what I looked like. I think I wanted to smile, but forgot how!</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh67jeRPCUti5k4nSsenpbblvs8XcEY9jxqEHVLiQ5TKuyPZtA_Z2nPbn98x_te694yedMIsOWQOsKLwsZ03HBWAG9kZzJgo5s3z4NNCwbuTBztUmSSKIj7rakM1Xa7g54dK9BIk8M-nOA/s1600/Photo+May+19,+11+38+49+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh67jeRPCUti5k4nSsenpbblvs8XcEY9jxqEHVLiQ5TKuyPZtA_Z2nPbn98x_te694yedMIsOWQOsKLwsZ03HBWAG9kZzJgo5s3z4NNCwbuTBztUmSSKIj7rakM1Xa7g54dK9BIk8M-nOA/s320/Photo+May+19,+11+38+49+AM.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">About Mile 18</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I had until 1pm to be out of the canyon. I could see two other runners ahead of me, but wasn't in any condition to try and catch them. I had a van come up to me with a race official asking if I was ok.I was at mile 22 at that point. I am pretty sure I was the last one out of the canyon. I had 5 minutes to spare! :)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
From here, we were on a multi-use path. By the time I got to mile 23, (and another enthusiastic greeting!), I had been on the race course for 6 hours. I was greeted by the Ogden Police on bikes. One of the policeman struck up a conversation with me and said what a great name I had. Of course, his name was Bruce as well. He stuck with me all the way to the end, keeping me company, telling me stories and I felt no pressure at all. I was being treated like the whole race was all about me.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As I turned onto Grant Avenue, I could see the finish line about a mile away. Gordon rode up on a bike and was able to go most of the last mile with me until he took off to grab a camera for the finish. All of the Ogden Police who were on parade duty escorted me in. I didn't feel like a last place loser, but a true marathoner. I was given the hero's welcome as I approached the finish line. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirEZEm4PV_5x_Laix4l_9TWkLj-uE3jLpfrFtNfasaLupkMi-noV8e1Ed91YTc3LrpMy5Y7xWtnKHy6EHR7xXqy9oDnnqgoJL7FHRVTGoS5oyUaqLHNs587FMXMb0b_-OGf776WB2fVP8/s1600/Photo+May+20,+12+25+59+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirEZEm4PV_5x_Laix4l_9TWkLj-uE3jLpfrFtNfasaLupkMi-noV8e1Ed91YTc3LrpMy5Y7xWtnKHy6EHR7xXqy9oDnnqgoJL7FHRVTGoS5oyUaqLHNs587FMXMb0b_-OGf776WB2fVP8/s320/Photo+May+20,+12+25+59+PM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6_T7-LIf7CsOeerLRrz4kWQh2MXOcORyeiAyQ2rspTAJlmnBWKigffMd499iUqYBkSKV1uR_Xe1aI6zMCGb44Gz-rG-gN96YzesK1cVXrZ70mt-V6Fs3Ijao5FBk3WZl-HKDktJYBHC4/s1600/Photo+May+20,+12+26+08+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6_T7-LIf7CsOeerLRrz4kWQh2MXOcORyeiAyQ2rspTAJlmnBWKigffMd499iUqYBkSKV1uR_Xe1aI6zMCGb44Gz-rG-gN96YzesK1cVXrZ70mt-V6Fs3Ijao5FBk3WZl-HKDktJYBHC4/s320/Photo+May+20,+12+26+08+PM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVz4LU7U8zKNQ4mG2P9dv7J15BTnpJ-iHTvjD7iAItfG6gAj5juOlj6R35m0OHZCaaINWcfnbcDv8yT-_VvR0EYvNleUDAYr3KKdf-xDdQR-6SNhHWOABsT7TZg9TwOaeVUsh7jTln9bA/s1600/Photo+May+20,+12+26+22+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVz4LU7U8zKNQ4mG2P9dv7J15BTnpJ-iHTvjD7iAItfG6gAj5juOlj6R35m0OHZCaaINWcfnbcDv8yT-_VvR0EYvNleUDAYr3KKdf-xDdQR-6SNhHWOABsT7TZg9TwOaeVUsh7jTln9bA/s320/Photo+May+20,+12+26+22+PM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Coming down the finisher's shoot, I was amazed how many people had stuck around to see one tired runner coming in. I can't count how many high fives I got. The cowbells being rung just for me were just great!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCaQU80m51VTKfQGw7tvYlNT80AujHEOKK8acbspsB2zLXeNvOxldhikN39qd4_B2PMYDK1NnF1YogIT6s4e3s5Aw_1n668k6RxVbyo3CzAZTutt8Bmgt91kkEcDmYS_yjzwvBDuFA5rM/s1600/Photo+May+19,+3+11+29+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCaQU80m51VTKfQGw7tvYlNT80AujHEOKK8acbspsB2zLXeNvOxldhikN39qd4_B2PMYDK1NnF1YogIT6s4e3s5Aw_1n668k6RxVbyo3CzAZTutt8Bmgt91kkEcDmYS_yjzwvBDuFA5rM/s320/Photo+May+19,+3+11+29+PM.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggOEYHIPDMbFffnJGIs_h-6Cvk5jhvJPGKJaZMOPVZGIDwa4FiOw7PMMl6AadG0lPruD-IUCGmCX0k3LmhB39vDEBpq9jL0E8J3MFtvuQm9CKKfksaUmuR-ThbOeK8aNfMqs0i6hbHYJ8/s1600/Photo+May+20,+12+26+28+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggOEYHIPDMbFffnJGIs_h-6Cvk5jhvJPGKJaZMOPVZGIDwa4FiOw7PMMl6AadG0lPruD-IUCGmCX0k3LmhB39vDEBpq9jL0E8J3MFtvuQm9CKKfksaUmuR-ThbOeK8aNfMqs0i6hbHYJ8/s320/Photo+May+20,+12+26+28+PM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqGnfLVrqRlXooYHjdJ4bIop5fkoWbnaUHXyEBh4PBnTDY10kZSkxtD7ARo4keKyH1m6ddw1EihXSRMhmvUoHFO6j8-phmpmRCUDe-3JTIw5E61ni710CBF_QEJJvuaefVV9P86M0opG4/s1600/Photo+May+19,+3+11+37+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqGnfLVrqRlXooYHjdJ4bIop5fkoWbnaUHXyEBh4PBnTDY10kZSkxtD7ARo4keKyH1m6ddw1EihXSRMhmvUoHFO6j8-phmpmRCUDe-3JTIw5E61ni710CBF_QEJJvuaefVV9P86M0opG4/s320/Photo+May+19,+3+11+37+PM.jpg" width="240" /></a> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
The fist pump I gave may have seemed a little over the top, but it represented a feeling that rose up in me as I had done something that with a lot of hard work, over many years and had seemed impossible was finally coming to pass. It was overwhelming to cross that finish line and hear my name announced over the speaker that I was a marathoner! <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjv1TCUaPcGE5NKj6SuqrzDthBpRKw89jLTaRcVzBh35GDoJ1uvLziyqi6dBZMXVhHrZ-Esj8J7e0UpCQo18lUpjvtXQKvIDalQVgfpiV-59YvCUKHJbY2NMieVklYXYxGuHp10v5_gM4/s1600/Photo+May+20,+12+26+33+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjv1TCUaPcGE5NKj6SuqrzDthBpRKw89jLTaRcVzBh35GDoJ1uvLziyqi6dBZMXVhHrZ-Esj8J7e0UpCQo18lUpjvtXQKvIDalQVgfpiV-59YvCUKHJbY2NMieVklYXYxGuHp10v5_gM4/s320/Photo+May+20,+12+26+33+PM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
These great volunteers gave me such a welcome as they made a tunnel with their arms and gave me a victor's welcome.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFOyjtZwP_ZibYLQdp9Bf-bzZM8Cz2qaOqikLPGymFtdKjfKmA89sXQ_OrbhA_SLhsHihW6qCI1xzo1Yxs-bTgglaO9yAiu92t_LcvAEVKghuQZhGKwiMEGW3H41ybp740Lzqc4yEHoLg/s1600/Photo+May+20,+12+26+44+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFOyjtZwP_ZibYLQdp9Bf-bzZM8Cz2qaOqikLPGymFtdKjfKmA89sXQ_OrbhA_SLhsHihW6qCI1xzo1Yxs-bTgglaO9yAiu92t_LcvAEVKghuQZhGKwiMEGW3H41ybp740Lzqc4yEHoLg/s320/Photo+May+20,+12+26+44+PM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I received my finishers medal and on the other side I was greeted by Gordon, Martha and Mark who I referred to previously. They will never know how much it meant to me to have them there. Then much to my surprise, my cousin Teri greeted me as well and told me how proud she was of me. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2p-PXitQppyON9thZ3yJeJBzlYbXJlav0F0fJscoWlLd9_o9ZNqDUq0-9GBM_WFrtSZE9UspzMHby_m-5WkmOz-8c9LQ9CnVgGU3vRwYryP4K3v1N5sEP3ucaR3bt8coT0LXDkGwV5Wc/s1600/Photo+May+20,+12+26+58+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2p-PXitQppyON9thZ3yJeJBzlYbXJlav0F0fJscoWlLd9_o9ZNqDUq0-9GBM_WFrtSZE9UspzMHby_m-5WkmOz-8c9LQ9CnVgGU3vRwYryP4K3v1N5sEP3ucaR3bt8coT0LXDkGwV5Wc/s320/Photo+May+20,+12+26+58+PM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhksYmgzys3jIT1iq9buRv3buhHU6TH2WxoqGMRJzPcZyU96X-I_BJUnnyeBXaQbg4Kp7FgHNraOyloZiVQrWNisU7ucch5uBp1GiqpTdMbaVmzoExAFJGXaXO4BFAhO9wd_k4OjYaBl60/s1600/Photo+May+20,+12+27+02+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhksYmgzys3jIT1iq9buRv3buhHU6TH2WxoqGMRJzPcZyU96X-I_BJUnnyeBXaQbg4Kp7FgHNraOyloZiVQrWNisU7ucch5uBp1GiqpTdMbaVmzoExAFJGXaXO4BFAhO9wd_k4OjYaBl60/s320/Photo+May+20,+12+27+02+PM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI3ExsucE6p5REs_3366TbOxAUJHFQieeQfML_wy-gw62Cz2OMplBkSKi1lBDkH7P8IFq0QauMiryaTr15gdtXd409PwLxCYBvA-7jAmlyEI-Bd5ICNjzsp42IW-QaT-k7haLFyaJFrtw/s1600/Photo+May+20,+12+27+08+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI3ExsucE6p5REs_3366TbOxAUJHFQieeQfML_wy-gw62Cz2OMplBkSKi1lBDkH7P8IFq0QauMiryaTr15gdtXd409PwLxCYBvA-7jAmlyEI-Bd5ICNjzsp42IW-QaT-k7haLFyaJFrtw/s320/Photo+May+20,+12+27+08+PM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQmRzucCI4QY7Cv_hv0_P7IppZylgYufg0yBHWKXCJc4Im7SUwRDfm6gpkUMKhlgwmzP3vOYGNsL1SzxRTOWpDQjfe63xehoCZ3ExcRpVmyctv4JtOphFUv2U9xL1hTSrkoCeOE3Nu1uI/s1600/Photo+May+20,+12+27+14+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQmRzucCI4QY7Cv_hv0_P7IppZylgYufg0yBHWKXCJc4Im7SUwRDfm6gpkUMKhlgwmzP3vOYGNsL1SzxRTOWpDQjfe63xehoCZ3ExcRpVmyctv4JtOphFUv2U9xL1hTSrkoCeOE3Nu1uI/s320/Photo+May+20,+12+27+14+PM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigwbcnULU0IvKPhWdtobdgVLiLGubuthYKKSfaOSaWjIGB77lEyoGtCgqIUxWBoc1H6Q8AXIpBbcdZMcOK3lfIpQpyQ6GpeDly1yQgnk7Ks_62o5amIRlnLZS23G14zKNAvi2-3xDTPPE/s1600/Photo+May+20,+12+27+21+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigwbcnULU0IvKPhWdtobdgVLiLGubuthYKKSfaOSaWjIGB77lEyoGtCgqIUxWBoc1H6Q8AXIpBbcdZMcOK3lfIpQpyQ6GpeDly1yQgnk7Ks_62o5amIRlnLZS23G14zKNAvi2-3xDTPPE/s320/Photo+May+20,+12+27+21+PM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I knew the marathon would be hard. I also knew it would be a great accomplishment when I finished, but what couldn't have known was how overwhelmed I would be by how much the support of family, friends, the Ogden Police and the great Ogden Marathon crew and volunteers would add to my experience.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
And thanks to all of you who have followed me along! I got a lot of comments, emails, Facebook shout-outs, handshakes, phone calls and hugs the days leading up to the run. Any time that little doubt if I could do it would come in, the thoughts of not letting you all down pushed them out and I dug a little deeper. I have gained a lot of friends both as runners and fellow bloggers. My family has been great and my running advisors have all added to the courage to complete the task.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
What's next? Rest up a bit and easy stuff for a couple of weeks, but there is a summer full of adventure ahead. I will need to gear of for those adventures!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Hang in there and I will too!</div>
<br /></div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460202864892035235noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8210185516318329744.post-39964968665902366072012-05-14T12:22:00.002-07:002012-05-14T12:23:43.842-07:00Taper and Marathon Training ExperienceThis week is a taper week. That is if you don't count Saturday because Saturday is anything but a taper. It is the marathon! I'm glad my brother is willing to go up with me. It should be a good experience for both of us. We will head up to Ogden on Friday afternoon. Friday is the only day you can pick up your packet. Rather than drive the 150 mile round trip twice, I booked a room. I am naturally nervous and excited all at the same time.<br />
<br />
My son-in-law asked me about training for a marathon. He is considering running one and wanted to know what my experiences have been. I will bullet point some of my experiences.<br />
<ul>
<li>It's the hardest thing I have ever tried to do physically.</li>
<li>It is just as much a mental challenge as it is a physical one.</li>
<li>It is HARD work!</li>
<li>You face your doubts every time on every long run. This is important training to finish a long race.</li>
<li>Every time on the long run, the last few miles is sooooo hard.</li>
<li>Every long run I go in nervous and come out grateful that I got the mileage in. They keep me humble</li>
<li>I have learned a lot about myself. I can do more than I think I can.</li>
<li>Training is just more instructive and character building than the actual race is. The race is the official payoff.</li>
</ul>
My biggest fear for the marathon is this statement:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i> For safety reasons, runners that have not entered Ogden Canyon by 11:30am will be required to board the bus and be transported to the finish line - No Exceptions!</i></blockquote>
If I can make the 11:30 cut off, I should be able to get it done. It is 17.3 miles. The race starts at 7am. You think I should be able to make it, but there are two big problems. Even though the race starts at 7, I need to be at the back of the pack since I am doing a run/walk approach. I can keep up between a 13- 15 min per mile pace. I'm not sure when I will actually hit the starting gate. Being towards the back will delay the start and eat into the 4.5 hour time limit. But at the same time, if I do the math and based on my longer runs I should be still be fine. It's just a nagging doubt.<br />
<br />
The forecast looks good. 75 degrees for the high. Just a bit warm at my projected finish, but it could be a lot worse as we are scheduled for 80's the next couple of days.<br />
<br />
Hope you all had a great mother's day. We had a good time with family at our place. I enjoyed cooking fajitas for both my Mom and my wife. They are both great mom's.<br />
<br />
Hang in there and I will too!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460202864892035235noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8210185516318329744.post-21518300404045509252012-05-07T11:10:00.000-07:002012-05-07T11:10:45.239-07:00The Bandit and Coach BGoody<br />
I ended up having a great week but for different reasons that I would have thought. One of my son-in-laws was registered to run the Columbus Half Marathon on Saturday, but a death in his family had him fly out west to attend the funeral and spend some time with his family. He asked his sister-in-law, my daughter Rachel, who lives close to Columbus, if there was anyone that she knew who would want to use the registration. After several unsuccessful calls and a comment from her husband, she decided that she would take the registration and run it herself. She has been running and is in great shape, but she has not specifically been training for a half. I believe her longest run lately has been somewhere in the 4-6 mile range. Normally when training for a half, you would at least work up to 10-12 miles on your long runs.<br />
I caught wind of this as part of a Facebook conversation. I thought I might have some good suggestions for her from what I have learned in my couple of years of training, but at the same time, I struggle with getting better and I am not that fast. But I have read, trained and seen what others have done so I thought I had an idea of how she could pull this off.<br />
When I called, she was very open to my suggestions. I asked how fast she could run a mile and how some of here recent runs have gone. I was impressed by her running speed distances so I knew she had a shot at being successful. So I went to Jeff Galloway's site, plugged in her mile rate and it calculated that she could run a 10 minute mile during a half. I then looked up what her run/walk ratio should be and it turned out to be 3 minutes of running and 1 minute of walking.<br />
Like I said she was very open to the idea. I told her to start at the back of the pack, keep to the side so when she stopped and walked that she would be out of the way. I also told her to not go out too fast. It is better to be a bit slow at first and if you still have extra energy at the end, to finish strong. I told her how I do my nutrition during a longer run.<br />
She did great! She followed my advice to the letter and she finished at about 2:11 which was about 20 minutes better than her previous half. She was exited and now knows that she can do well at the longer distances with the training she is now doing. I was very happy myself. I was glad to be a part of her great race!<br />
So now you know where Coach BGoody fits in. What about the bandit? In racing jargon a bandit is someone who runs in a race without paying. Guess who became an unintentional bandit on Saturday? Your's truly. Let me explain. I was scheduled for my last long run which was a 14 miler. As I explained before, it is good to not only practice your nutrition and pace during your long run, but anything you can do to simulate the course is of great benefit as well. All three of my half marathons as well as the upcoming Ogden Marathon are downhill races. To get used to the pounding, it is good to run a lot of downhill to get ready for what is coming. A good standby for me is to get dropped of up Provo Canyon somewhere and run down to home. I had a good route all planned out to go down South Fork and then catch the trail down from Vivian Park. I woke my son up and we drove up the canyon but found that South Fork was closed due to the Provo City Marathon. I knew the race was Saturday, but forgot that the route started up South Fork. Runners were just pouring down the road! I decided to just start running from Vivian Park where the top of the Provo River Trail is and run down, but that meant running with the half and full marathon runners. Holy cow! The trail was so crowded with runners that I had to carefully merge onto the trail. I tried to keep out of people's way and didn't take any water/sports drinks at the stops. I had my own water and after a couple of miles the crowd thinned out as the faster runners got ahead. So here I am both the bandit and the coach!<br />
I had to readjust my route after I got out of the canyon. I parted ways with the runners when they funneled them all onto the road as I stayed on the trail. As I paralleled the runners before turning and heading west. I saw an older runner plugging along. He couldn't even stand up straight. It was inspiring to see him just keep on going despite an ailment that would be an excuse for most of us to throw in the towel. It was about this time that my daughter texted me and said she had about 1.5 miles left to go and was going strong. It gave me a surge of strength and I got a little teary eyed knowing how happy she was going to be crossing that finish line.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqwxzv-ZQtN-nm9foBo2NlEUFy9Gt60P3nePt50dSYhac9S5UpQPdqhpeFIeAEGqhyphenhyphenQZBEdADiQDpNwHEriebfbUwOEkx14A6_5P3rQBCij5OX-fAcND4axEg7kDGahkud6n01oFTm4U0/s1600/Photo+May+05,+9+18+47+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqwxzv-ZQtN-nm9foBo2NlEUFy9Gt60P3nePt50dSYhac9S5UpQPdqhpeFIeAEGqhyphenhyphenQZBEdADiQDpNwHEriebfbUwOEkx14A6_5P3rQBCij5OX-fAcND4axEg7kDGahkud6n01oFTm4U0/s320/Photo+May+05,+9+18+47+AM.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You'll have to squint really hard to see the older runner up ahead.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Long post, I know, but one last story. As I was running along I saw two young runners with shirts on that said, "We're expecting.... and expecting to finish." I couldn't help but catch up to them and tell them that I had one daughter who just had a baby, another who is expecting twins and a daughter who was running a half marathon in Columbus. There were smiles all around!<br />
Hang in there and I will too!<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460202864892035235noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8210185516318329744.post-83956734098718992872012-04-30T09:30:00.000-07:002012-04-30T09:30:00.457-07:00Recovery WeekLast week was a low mileage week. Thank goodness because I really needed it! The Monday and Wednesday run were the usual time, but I didn't push it at all because I was sore and tired all week. I made sure I got my stretching in as it was really needed.<br />
I was scheduled for a 6 miler on Saturday. I had a scout campout planned so if I was going to get it done, Friday would have been better. As things turned out, Friday morning was stormy and I still had things left to get done and I was exhausted. I had to settle for the 5 mile hike with the Scouts as my exercise for Saturday. It was fun to get out and hike. It was really my first hike of the year other than snow shoeing. After we broke camp down on Saturday, we headed back home and hiked up in the foothills close to home. It was fun to let the Scouts read a map and let them make some choices on which way we would go. With the elevation gain, it ended up being a pretty good workout, but yet gave me some rest of the running muscles so it was a good situation to end up in.<br />
Sunday, I ended up getting a rare opportunity to take a nap and I also got to bed early which was great since I have been so tired and beat up since last week's run.<br />
I am hoping to get some more rest during the week leading up to a 14 miler on Saturday.<br />
On a personal note, I am really proud of my family. I am seeing a lot of mileage run and walked and pounds being dropped as we are in the middle of a family Biggest Loser contest. Keep up the great work everyone!<br />
Hang in there and I will too!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460202864892035235noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8210185516318329744.post-81782378930733993162012-04-23T09:46:00.001-07:002012-04-23T09:46:24.650-07:00Man That Was Hard!<br />
I always worry before either a race or an extra long run. This week was my last extra long run before the marathon next month. I thought it would be best to simulate the conditions of the marathon course the best I could from past experience with the other substantial downhill half marathons in the past. In order to do this, I got up early Saturday and took my son with me to drive up Provo Canyon about 13 miles and then turned left and drove 3 miles into Wallsburg. Why did I have my son drop me off up the canyon 16 miles off? Because it would give me over 16 miles of descent as I made my way down the canyon. The Ogden Marathon is similar at the beginning as well. You are bused up to a drop off point and almost the entire course descends down to the city of Ogden. The are uphill sections, but it is mostly downhill. You may think this makes for an easy run and to some extent it does, but it also pounds the legs a lot more. All three of the half marathons that I have run are similar runs as well and it is surprising how beat up you get if you don't prepare for a down hill race.<br />
<br />
The first three miles were on a lightly traveled road. I enjoyed the rural community and had several cows look at me as I passed. They seemed to be saying, "What on earth are you doing!?!" I had similar thoughts myself. When we left Orem that morning, the temperature was 50 degress, but by the time we ascended to Wallsburg, it was 30 degrees. I didn't bring a coat, but I did bring gloves and a headband that covered the ears. I thought I had made a mistake by dressing so lightly, but I was fine the whole time.<br />
<br />
The next stretch was really a different experience. Provo Canyon is a heavily used road. Not only do outdoor enthusiast head up the canyon to go to reserviors and numerous other recreational activities, but the canyon is also a major roadway for interstate travel as well. At the top of the road, you can turn either left or right on Highway 40 which is another main highway in the state that ties into I-80 on one end or you can go the other way and head towards Colorado. Even though Provo Canyon is not a freeway, it is a four lane highway for most of it and I ran on the shoulder for the next eight miles. I felt like I needed to be on the alert for the oncoming traffic. All went well, but every once in a while, I could hear an approaching car cutting the corner a little too much and hitting the rumble strip which a ran along in the shoulder. I was happy at about mile 11 to make it to Vivian Park because I knew I could then catch the Provo River trail for many miles. I was keeping the pace well and was happy with my progress up to this point.<br />
<br />
One of my goals on this run was to be sure I hit the time constraints of the Ogden Marathon. Part of the Ogden Canyon road is blocked off for the marathon so you need to be at mile 17.3 in 4.5 hours. For a lot of marathoners, this isn't a problem, but this being my first marathon and just trying to finish the race as my only goal. I know that it might be close. Once you are Ogden Canyon, you have another 5 miles to run down the canyon and you have to be out of the canyon by 6 hours. This is much more doable. I hit both time goals with time to spare, so I know that if all goes well, I will be able to make the time constraints at the actual race.<br />
<br />
I was still hitting my pace well when I came out of the canyon at mile 17. I knew the rest of the course would be more of a challenge. I had about 2 more miles of gradual downhill, but from there, there was really no other option than to finish up with some uphill climbing. I also knew there wasn't going to be a lot of shade and the temperature was climbing up towards 80. Going from 30 degrees to almost 80 is quite a change and I know from past experience that I don't do well when it warms up. By the time I hit mile 18, I had been in the sun for a bit and the uphill was starting. My run/walk was turning into more of a waaaaaaallllllk/rn, waaaaaaallllllk/rn. At mile 21, I reached LaVelle Edwards Stadium not feeling super but glad I was turning west and heading back towards home. I did get a bit of a downhill heading down University Parkway, but there was one last hard climb to get up into Orem. I had to walk that long mile up. I was glad I had brought a light-weight Camel Back with me to help keep me hydrated. It didn't cause much discomfort to wear it that many miles either. so that was a plus.<br />
<br />
By the time I got close to home, I knew I had a little over a mile to go. I could make a small loop around the the neighborhood, but I decided to finish up the last mile on the treadmill in the basement where I could cool down. I'm glad I did because it would have been a long hot mile if I would have stayed out.<br />
<br />
As hard as it was, there was a lot of positives from the run. I now know that I can do a marathon because I did that distance almost exactly. I know I can make the time constraints on the course. I know what I need to take with me as far as nutrition. It got to the point where nothing sounded good, but early on during the run, I was able to keep hydrated and kept getting nutrition in me at good intervals.<br />
<br />
I now have a easy week this week to recover. The following week has a long run of 14 miler. Funny to think of that as being relatively easy, but in comparison, it won't be bad. I then have a two week taper before the big race. Time to heal up and tune up for the event.<br />
<br />
Hang in there and I will too.<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460202864892035235noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8210185516318329744.post-69085467878146537172012-04-16T15:53:00.000-07:002012-04-16T15:53:37.643-07:00Short and SweetI have had a tough time finding time to get my blog written this week. I need to keep it short and sweet.<br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<b>Last Week's Training</b><br />
It was an easier week for training. My main training run was Saturday. I ran a little over 6 total and one of them was a Miracle Mile which I have written about before. I ran the mile at about 10 minutes so it means I am on track for my planned pace. I am happy about that. The run this Saturday will help me see if I can go the distance in the time indicated.<br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<b>Danger Rough Road Ahead</b><br />
Saturday looms ahead as my last long, long run. It is scheduled for 29 miles, but since my last long, long run came up a bit short at 24 instead of 26, I will be happy if I go at least 26. Each successive run, I have been able to go a few more miles that the last one, so we will see. I am going to have a long down hill section to start off. That will take up about 15 miles of it. I need to figure out the rest of the route from there.<br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<b>Biggest Loser Contest</b><br />
In preparation for the wedding last week, my kids decided to do a Biggest Loser contest. Even though I didn't really add to the totals, I am proud of the fact that collectively the family lost 144 lbs. We have already started a second season since the family will all be back out here in July for several weeks. I hope to be more competitive this go around.<br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<b>CrossFit</b><br />
I have been reading up on cross fit training and think I will give it a go after the marathon. I plan on doing a lot of hiking, but still want to run a race or two. This might fit the bill all the way around. More on that later.<br />
Hang in there and I will too!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460202864892035235noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8210185516318329744.post-20391085245372985262012-04-09T09:23:00.002-07:002012-04-09T09:23:46.103-07:00Two a Days<br />
Even though it wasn't in my training schedule, I did a two a day workout on Saturday. I know that it is best to stick to training. If you do more that it outlines, you are at risk for overtraining and injury. Too little and you will likely pay the price on race day. So why did I deviate from my schedule? My daughter got married.<br />
I was scheduled for a 12 miler in the morning. If I have something big and taxing on Saturday, I will sometimes move the long run to Friday morning instead. I had thought about doing it, but a storm came rolling through overnight and we awoke to a lot of wet snow and it was still coming down. Besides I would have been out the door by 5 am to get the run done in time to get to work at a decent time. I decided to bank a little rest and hope for the best on Saturday.<br />
I never would have thought that a 12 miler would seem like an easier long run, but after the 24 miler a couple of weeks back, it wasn't too bad. I headed to LES like I have in the past but took a little different route back home. I knew the road climbed a bit, but I've always taken it in a car. It turned out to be a steady climb but it was worth it. I ended up on top of a bench that overlooked Utah Valley. then I got the payoff as I headed down a road that had a nice running path to the side. I had several more miles to go, so I headed towards Provo Canyon and then did a loop back to home and finished up at 12 miles almost on the dot.<br />
Then came the real workout as we had those few last errands to run before the afternoon wedding and reception. We got everything picked up, packed up and we all headed over to the reception center. Considering all the snow we had had the day before and how cold it had been on the run in the morning, it was a beautiful afternoon with all of the snow melted and the temperatures in the 60's. Everything went well. It was one of the first weddings that we have had with all of our children that actually started pretty close to on time. The pictures afterwards went quickly (thanks Melissa!), and we even got the reception started pretty close to on time. Like a running nerd, I work my compression sleeves underneath my sparkling tux and they did wonders to help keep the legs fresh throughout the night. The only pain I really had to endure were the very unsupportive rental shoes that I wore. For some reason they were killing the bottom of my feet. But all in all, it was a great wedding and everyone seemed happy!<br />
I even had a rare Sunday workout with helping get things ready for having a lot of family over for Easter dinner. After this weekend was over, I had an even greater appreciation for the one who doesn't like me to even mention her in my blog significant other better half person who I love with all my heart!<br />
Hang in there and I will too!<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460202864892035235noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8210185516318329744.post-41951113593192890032012-04-02T09:56:00.000-07:002012-04-02T09:56:03.364-07:00WeaknessesI was glad that this week was a light week on the training. I wrote last week about my 24 miler. My previous long runs left me a bit tired and sore, but this one had a big effect on me. I have been sore all week and I could feel some problem areas returning. I started worrying that this was going to be an injury that would plague me. After a week of recovery I am feeling much better and my run this morning went well.<br />
<br />
I think the biggest difference between now and last year is that I know what my weakness is. It was a long process to get it healed up last year. At first I didn't even know what the problem was but I knew I wasn't getting better and my hip area was sore and would get worse the further I ran. I went to physical therapy and got chiropractic help at the same time. From both of those, I learned how to strengthen my core better. I found out that running alone wouldn't get the job done. I had some weak areas that I needed to work on. One of my daughters is a message therapist. After a few weeks of physical therapy, she offered to help me out. In one session she identified what my weak point was. It was the piriformus muscle. It literally causes a pain in the rear. It just happens to be a weak point in my body. As she worked the muscle, it loosened up and I got better quickly after that. <br />
<br />
I knew that the 24 miler had caused the problem to flair up again. Based on the knowledge I gained from those experiences I knew I needed to be careful. I subscribe to Runner's World and as I was going through one of the issues, the had a whole page dedicated to strengthening and stretching this muscle. I think it was more than good fortune to have picked up that issue and found exactly what I needed to help alleviate the pain. Most of the exercises and stretches were new for me and they really helped loosen the muscle back up. They also suggested a way to roll the muscle using a tennis ball. What a difference that all made!<br />
<br />
So why all the details about one of the glute muscles? It got me thinking about weaknesses that we have. It is our weaknesses that get us into trouble. It can be physical, emotional and/or spiritual weaknesses. But we don't have to be permanently incapacitated by them. Just like the steps I went through to understand the weakness with my piriformus, we need to go through the same steps for most of our weaknesses to overcome them.<br />
<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Realize that you have a weakness.</li>
<li>Get help to identify what that weakness is.</li>
<li>Along with getting help, accept and follow that help.</li>
<li>Learn all you can about the weakness.</li>
<li>Learn how to strengthen your weak point.</li>
<li>Learn how to stretch yourself to overcome the weakness.</li>
<li>Don't give up if success doesn't happen all at once. </li>
<li>Patience and persistence will pay off in the long run.</li>
</ol>
<div>
I have a lot to work on in my life. But if I look back, I have overcome a lot as well and as a result some of my weaknesses have become my strengths.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
How about you? What weaknesses have you overcome and are now your strengths?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hang in there and I will too.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460202864892035235noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8210185516318329744.post-20548205342592750382012-03-24T18:03:00.000-07:002012-03-24T18:03:50.454-07:00An Attempt at the Marathon DistanceSaturday was another training run for my upcoming marathon. Every third of fourth weeks are extra long runs. This week I was scheduled for a 26 miler. I always worry about these longer runs because I know it will be a tough one! The run did end up being tough (and shorter than planned) but it was also a fun adventure in many ways.<br />
<br />
<b>The Flying W</b><br />
The first few miles were fairly uneventful. I have covered this part of the course before many times over the last few years. As I climbed a hill and turned west, I saw a several friends guys that I know heading for the hills on their mountain bikes. I haven't seen them out for a while so it was good to see them. My next memorable event was as I was approaching a busy intersection a couple of miles later. I was running on the sidewalk during this part and my toe caught a part of the sidewalk that was raised up just a bit. I then proceeded to do a running Flying W. What is a Flying W? I first heard of the term from mountain biking. It happens when you a tearing down a trail when suddenly your bike stops but you don't. As you sail over the handlebars, both arms extend flailing over your head giving you a brief similarity to the letter W as you fly through the air. I did the running version of this as both of my arms naturally flew up and out as my body lunged forward. The flailed around frantically as I tried to keep my balance. I'm glad I didn't go down, but I am sure as cars went by they enjoyed the sight!<br />
<br />
<b>Down to Utah Lake</b><br />
I talked to a neighbor who is a runner who has done "The Tour de Orem" before. It is a 20 mile loop around my city so I followed his general directions. It took me further west than I would usually run and I'm glad I did. Even though I didn't see them, my daughter and her husband saw me running down by the dump (which is not as bad as it sounds). It's always fun to either see someone you know or have them see you.<br />
<br />
As I turned south, it wasn't long before I was down by Utah Lake. It is Utah's second biggest lake after The Great Salt Lake. The temperature was perfect and there were plenty of beautiful sights and wildlife around.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMBP6vyhtkR95l5oo3NXh0b_5Q0RSBl1jgFiJDH-RDrECvdJO7TRJbxjQXj4FjeJUo8r4I1-FMNfH_O-VDsvdQ-_1_z_dqToPUni-DcMxQRKA9VOyvdJOLvniMvUHxvGSthLhvNxqmobg/s1600/Photo+Mar+24,+8+22+59+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMBP6vyhtkR95l5oo3NXh0b_5Q0RSBl1jgFiJDH-RDrECvdJO7TRJbxjQXj4FjeJUo8r4I1-FMNfH_O-VDsvdQ-_1_z_dqToPUni-DcMxQRKA9VOyvdJOLvniMvUHxvGSthLhvNxqmobg/s320/Photo+Mar+24,+8+22+59+AM.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saw lots of water fowl including Canada Geese. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnHid_zrWi5f-dP06USwRf2wRqWRgNphqZhdePm-5OfE-CDfw5BzFK1uf6oJFBH3AJYJIFAinHmD5b_KDvAaEvx1WI1Ajv07muuFreWRbNiyA4-0I1NlwcAWC_PpfR-at3PaXKzD22cZw/s1600/Photo+Mar+24,+8+32+14+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnHid_zrWi5f-dP06USwRf2wRqWRgNphqZhdePm-5OfE-CDfw5BzFK1uf6oJFBH3AJYJIFAinHmD5b_KDvAaEvx1WI1Ajv07muuFreWRbNiyA4-0I1NlwcAWC_PpfR-at3PaXKzD22cZw/s320/Photo+Mar+24,+8+32+14+AM.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Utah Lake</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuoN97EzzDuL22O9IEVjIhTAZJwchc7flUMPTPSTQ1nmEMpIxwVo0GKRaBenBgaGe7Xeoh-qcjrCnq7Lc-DieJOSVmHwSyu3vmDwbP3ijRCsIcZjoAxA7AgjUtHm3mWmf2CJ_dghrloXA/s1600/Photo+Mar+24,+8+34+40+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuoN97EzzDuL22O9IEVjIhTAZJwchc7flUMPTPSTQ1nmEMpIxwVo0GKRaBenBgaGe7Xeoh-qcjrCnq7Lc-DieJOSVmHwSyu3vmDwbP3ijRCsIcZjoAxA7AgjUtHm3mWmf2CJ_dghrloXA/s320/Photo+Mar+24,+8+34+40+AM.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even though Spring has started, it will be a bit before things green up.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvS0qaTd-P2I00btk_ACdKhw_4IADO4jIPL0IuahfIrgkziCAFuVIGFjutnrkekCozTTKg1Iha9IlgRnUIbZn1eN-Juux-SnXhKEDhiBvkoBm8r-upJeP7QTDIJqmVnegHw7RqOGDGo0I/s1600/Photo+Mar+24,+8+52+03+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvS0qaTd-P2I00btk_ACdKhw_4IADO4jIPL0IuahfIrgkziCAFuVIGFjutnrkekCozTTKg1Iha9IlgRnUIbZn1eN-Juux-SnXhKEDhiBvkoBm8r-upJeP7QTDIJqmVnegHw7RqOGDGo0I/s320/Photo+Mar+24,+8+52+03+AM.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As I headed back East, this pasture was full of horses.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><br /></b><br />
<b>UVU</b><br />
<br />
Just before heading east, a truck stopped and asked me for directions. The freeway in Utah County is undergoing a big change and a lot of road and on ramps are closed or restricted. I think I set him off in the right direction, but it is really confusing. Hope he didn't end up in Idaho!<br />
<br />
As I headed east, I crossed a busy street and then got a bit confused myself. I wound through an unfamiliar subdivision, but finally found a way out of it and ran over to UVU. BYU gets a lot of attention in Utah County, but Utah Valley University has grown to be a good sized university that can stand on it's own merits over the last ten year. This was the lowest elevation in the run and I knew I needed to get back up on the top of the Orem bench sooner or later. As I cut up through the campus, I found this to be the best route. I wasn't planning on stairs! I thought of both <a href="http://www.poundsoffplayoff.com/">Alan</a> and <a href="http://ruminationsasiuncoverthewomanwithin.blogspot.com/">Michele</a> when I saw the stairs. No going fast up the stairs. My heart rate climbed just fine walking them.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBbo7b_BzHCYFz8NV9lfodbaMkp2HHpObGpGPdKTajl4O6eySRDZwRKDN5vp8yGAIW9rFKZX4rozUSZvcXnMOZ3sdGhdTZ7B_r5xUsbn80twPsaAvfqOp3FoH1CVry92JhebBgAj1SdWE/s1600/Photo+Mar+24,+10+03+43+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBbo7b_BzHCYFz8NV9lfodbaMkp2HHpObGpGPdKTajl4O6eySRDZwRKDN5vp8yGAIW9rFKZX4rozUSZvcXnMOZ3sdGhdTZ7B_r5xUsbn80twPsaAvfqOp3FoH1CVry92JhebBgAj1SdWE/s320/Photo+Mar+24,+10+03+43+AM.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feel the burn!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>A Stop At the Gas Station</b><br />
After a little more hill climbing, I was close to University Mall. I was running out of water and knew there was a gas station on the east side of the mall. I had brought some money with me and bought a bottle of water. It was kind of weird standing in line in my sweaty running gear but nobody passed out. I was glad for a restroom as well.<br />
<br />
<b>Lavell Edwards Stadium</b><br />
I still had several more miles to put in, so I made a decision to drop down University Parkway and go by Levell Edwards Stadium. I had forgotten that the football team was playing their annual spring football scrimmage. I made a detour to take a peek at the playing field and hopefully top off my water bottle. No luck with the water, but it was fun to see the field all nice and green. I wish I could have gotten a picture, but my phone died while I was there.<br />
<b><br /></b><br />
I then headed back North and went worked my way over to University Avenue and took the Provo River Trail all the way to the canyon. During this stretch, my GPS died. I knew I was close to 20 miles completed, so I tried to figure out a route that would add six more miles. I was starting to run out of water so I thought I would have to hit another gas station but to my surprise, my neighbor came running toward me in the opposite direction. Without me saying anything, he said if I need water, his wife was in a car about 30 yards away and I could get some from her. What great timing! I topped off again and ran the last stretch to the canyon and then headed west. I thought I was getting pretty close on mileage. It is hard for me to calculate stuff when I am running a long distance because I am putting all my resources into "right foot then left foot." It was getting harder to maintain my pace and ended up walking most of the last couple of miles. After I got home and recovered, I went out to Map My Run and measured the rest of the run and found out I was a two miles short. It was hard to find out I was a couple of miles short. Hard to be too down though. I was able to get 24 miles under my belt. I was able to maintain my pace for at least 20 miles and build up my endurance. All in all it was a good training run.<br />
<br />
I now get a few lower mileage weeks and then my last long, long run is 29 miles! For now, some much needed recovery runs for a few weeks.<br />
<br />
<b>The Long, Long Post</b><br />
If you have read this far I am impressed. Part of my reason for the blog is to document my progress through the process and I know I will forget a lot of this if I don't get it down somewhere. But I hope that you enjoy it too. Once again, I really appreciate the support!<br />
<br />
Hang in there and I will too!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460202864892035235noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8210185516318329744.post-64224765445905057752012-03-19T20:17:00.000-07:002012-03-19T20:17:50.148-07:00Time Flies By<strong>2 Month Warning</strong><br />
<strong><br /></strong><br />
This warning is actually just for myself. I am two months away from the Ogden Marathon which is set for May 19th this year. I have put in a lot of miles training for this and it will be here faster than I think.<br />
<br />
This week has been fairly mellow as far as training goes. A couple of 45 minute runs and then a 6 Miracle Mile run. No, it's not a new religious fad. It is Jeff Galloway's method of determining if you are on course for any common distance run of your chosing. After going through a warmup - which for me consist of running about a mile over to the high school track and then doing some sprint warm ups - you then run a mile at a sustainable pace. In Jeff Galloway's own terms that means no puking! I can run that mile in about 10 minutes. He gives you a formula which tells you how what you project pace is for a marathon and also what pace you should train at. For me, I should be able to run a 13 minute pace and should train at a 15 mile pace. My last super long run, I tried to stick to the training pace and it helped. There are other opportunities during training to run and marathon pace. <br />
<br />
These aren't very fast paces for experienced runner, but for me to even finish a marathon will be a great accomplishment. The interesting thing about the Galloway method is had has you run one of your training runs for 26 miles (which is what I will do this Saturday) and 29 miles (four weeks after the 26 miler), you back off in between the super long runs to give your body a chance to recover. These runs are always scary for me, but I so far I have been able to get them done. Each of these recent super long runs have all been a personal best distance for me.<br />
<strong><br /></strong><br />
<strong>Another Scout weekend</strong><br />
<br />
I did my Saturday Miracle Mile training run on Friday so I could go camping with the Scouts this weekend. We rented out a couple of Yerts at a Girl's Camp. A Scout's dream to go to girl's camp perhaps. Maybe, but they use the facilities for girl's camp in the summer and rent out the yerts and cabins during fall - spring to whomever wants to come up. It is well taken care of by volunteers year around and it ended up being a good experience for us all.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj73uhabOWYhphY82W034zaREYTx5Jr5RYwh4zeev1Sh8cajGVuOjm8syd6A2ZXngxxPvLBFl2CuSyATzFSMC3dhH8C3zTWN0A8-zaf6l5dJ_GE3uy2e740H_XKA4tr6zltdDJwiZlMl7I/s1600/Photo+Mar+16,+6+14+56+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj73uhabOWYhphY82W034zaREYTx5Jr5RYwh4zeev1Sh8cajGVuOjm8syd6A2ZXngxxPvLBFl2CuSyATzFSMC3dhH8C3zTWN0A8-zaf6l5dJ_GE3uy2e740H_XKA4tr6zltdDJwiZlMl7I/s320/Photo+Mar+16,+6+14+56+PM.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting some grub ready</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxIvqB9UP9hd1uCG9boCqNWvUjZay6ik4lds3EujYF_cIj81JZ0ewRvGHwnybOROlUC7KyPJ_k9JYaOIzTsnsGT0uFjXQhvLu-JwhPmAMeglIpn-jpnAa2-p6I_1AKE01FfngWrmWKqYw/s1600/Photo+Mar+17,+11+24+16+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxIvqB9UP9hd1uCG9boCqNWvUjZay6ik4lds3EujYF_cIj81JZ0ewRvGHwnybOROlUC7KyPJ_k9JYaOIzTsnsGT0uFjXQhvLu-JwhPmAMeglIpn-jpnAa2-p6I_1AKE01FfngWrmWKqYw/s320/Photo+Mar+17,+11+24+16+AM.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plenty of chances for sledding</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
What kind of things do you do in your "spare time?" Does work, family and getting fit take up all of your time or are you able to eek out some time for other activities as well?<br />
Hang in there and I will too!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460202864892035235noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8210185516318329744.post-20324669928854171312012-03-11T20:09:00.000-07:002012-03-11T20:09:06.924-07:00StressSeveral years ago, I got involved with a side project. It kept me working late into the night quite often. I was also under a lot of pressure at my regular job. Then in the middle of all of this, I switched jobs which required me to get up quite early to commute into work. During those few months, I gained a lot of weight. In less than a year, I think I gained more than 50 pounds! Looking back, it was amazing we were able to put in as many hours as we did on such little sleep. My health really took a dive and I was at high risk for all sorts of problems. I felt that I messed up my metabolism during that time but couldn't figure out what to do. I ended up going into the doctor's for some help on being so wiped out. They found my thyroid levels were low and got me on some medication. That did help turn things around and not too long after, I started getting serious about getting my health back.<br />
<br />
I talked with my older brother tonight about being tested for stress levels. The doctor was surprised at the high levels of cortisol through out the day. Cortisol is a hormone that our body produces as a reaction to stress. His doctor told him not to exercise more than 45 mintes at a time and to do interval type training.<br />
<br />
I have recently been feeling some of the stress feelings coming back and have had trouble losing weight. I wonder if all of this training that I have been doing over the last year has been stressing me body too much and is causing some of the problems that I have been having. I did some reading up on cortisol and stress and think I may be onto why I have been experiencing some set back lately. No doubt about it, training for a marathon stresses the body. We've had a lot of upheaval at work as well. Nobody is losing a job, but things are moving around a bit in our department. <br />
<br />
Am I going to quit training? No, but I am going to see what I can do to be better about getting a better night's sleep, reducing stress in other parts of my life and just being aware that I need to be healthier.<br />
How do you react to stress? Maybe those urges to eat something is not just a lapse in will-power but a natural response to your bodies response to stress. Raised levels of cortisol increases appetite. Dang hormones! :)<br />
<br />
Stress comes in many forms, emotional and physical. Make sure you are aware that excessive stress can be detrimental to your best intensions to be more healthy.<br />
<br />
<strong><br /></strong><br />
<strong>Long run report</strong> <br />
I never thought I would say this, but my 10 miler long run was pretty short compared to last week's 23 miler. Winter weather still comes and goes, but we are getting warmer temperatures more often. Saturday was a beautiful day. I didn't go very far up the canyon on this run, but I made it two miles up before I turned back around. I liked this view of Cascade which is one of the seven peaks that Gordon and I will be climbing in our adventure starting this summer.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ZjFnNC2FpxN1Klxb4YyTbasOEDP9-2SVorZ9ORILDE8TkhGmsbSwE9YYcCv9Gza-nD2tanWJzElnS-WaMvubSkDF-x0iul8Cb8S4iSzU6qpKRxDTE1mFxBhrB_4Nm8NZh9UyK-tqf70/s1600/photo+%25285%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ZjFnNC2FpxN1Klxb4YyTbasOEDP9-2SVorZ9ORILDE8TkhGmsbSwE9YYcCv9Gza-nD2tanWJzElnS-WaMvubSkDF-x0iul8Cb8S4iSzU6qpKRxDTE1mFxBhrB_4Nm8NZh9UyK-tqf70/s320/photo+%25285%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Glad to see Big Clyde getting back after it. <br />
<br />
<span id="goog_2147110737"></span><span id="goog_2147110738"></span>Hang in there and I will too!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460202864892035235noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8210185516318329744.post-88018791467815479162012-03-05T10:43:00.003-08:002012-03-05T10:43:35.532-08:00The Long and Winding Road<br />
I anticipated my Saturday run with some excitement with a dash of fear mixed in. My last long/long run was 20 miles and it was a tough one. I cramped up, tanked the last few miles and really had to gut it out to finish. I just wasn't confident that this scheduled 23 miler would go well.<br />
<br />
<br />
It wasn't without it's pain. It wasn't without it’s moments of doubt and questioning myself. I was better prepared for what was ahead though. I learned some lessons from that tough run and I was hopeful that this one would go better.<br />
<br />
<br />
I mapped out a course that wouldn't be a steady climb for the first part. It would be hard for me to run this far with out elevation unless I wanted to do the whole 23 on the treadmill. That wasn’t going to happen! I was able though to map out a course that would mix in the elevation change in doses rather than all at once.<br />
<br />
<br />
The first nine miles consisted of running from my place to Lavell Edwards Stadium where the BYU Cougars play football. I ran up (and down) to the stadium and then cam back along University Avenue and headed back home. It was nice to be able to make a quick stop, dump off my gloves and then head right back out. Probably no more than a minute to do that. It was nice to have other options if needed.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL_ctDrxFSJ-AtJ1uznhPTijUSHsQNS49ZdejrUoeBN0mBflzJ0gKkM2TqdVLiAiseBrMxDrCWcdo-WvK4y3E4fvQEDbn5yeqdn9exqCflIx7ihrVKeLLtAveYjd34xmPqzQreZpJMCm4/s1600/Lavell_Edwards_Stadium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL_ctDrxFSJ-AtJ1uznhPTijUSHsQNS49ZdejrUoeBN0mBflzJ0gKkM2TqdVLiAiseBrMxDrCWcdo-WvK4y3E4fvQEDbn5yeqdn9exqCflIx7ihrVKeLLtAveYjd34xmPqzQreZpJMCm4/s320/Lavell_Edwards_Stadium.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #eeffee; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"> </span><a class="external free" href="http://flickr.com/photos/75683070@N00/1118963639" rel="nofollow" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #eeffee; background-image: url(data:image/png; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #663366; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19px; padding-right: 13px; text-align: left;">http://flickr.com/photos/75683070@N00/1118963639</a> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
I then headed out in a different direction and started another big loop that had a lot of ups and downs but it was all manageable. I was surprised by how cold it stayed. I took off about 6am and expected it to be cold, but even after the sun was up, it remained cloudy, damp and cold. I was glad I had dressed right for the conditions.<br />
<br />
<br />
Probably the hardest part was when I had reached the low point elevation wise and had to trudge up a big hill. By this time, my Garmin had quit. Must have been too cold to hold the charge for that long. I was hoping my phone would keep me company, but within three miles it suffered the same fate. I pretty much knew what I need to do to get the run finished, but I did have to estimate. The Garmin quit at 16 miles and the phone quit at 20. I didn’t quite though and was glad to get the final stretch back home.<br />
<br />
<br />
Even though these long runs are hard, I know that it the only way to give myself a chance of finishing the marathon. I learned early on to find a training plan for whatever race you want to finish, stick to it the best you can, learn from your mistakes, trust yourself and trust the plan. If you put the time in, you have a good chance of succeeding.<br />
<br />
<br />
Sounds a lot like goals in general doesn’t it?<br />
<br />
<br />
When have you been most successful in your life? What did it take to get you there? Have you tried to apply those lessons you learned to your weight loss and getting fit plans? We’d like to hear from you. Leave a comment and tell us what works for you.<br />
<br />
<br />
Hang in there and I will too!<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460202864892035235noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8210185516318329744.post-3700985820605745072012-02-26T21:08:00.001-08:002012-02-26T21:08:21.354-08:00Ice Shoeing<b>Snow/Ice/Mud Shoeing</b><br />
Since next week I have a super far long run (23 miler!), we went out snowshoeing again on Saturday. Our second week of snowshoeing was a completely different experience. We went to a place where we have been several times and have had great hikes. We took off a bit later in the day because I had to work with the scouts in the morning.<br />
<br />
We arrived at Big Springs park a bit after noon. We had to park at the bottom of the park and hike up to the trailhead. When we got there, people were coming down carrying their snowshoes and walking down the trail. They told us that the trail was icy. Ice and I don't get along very well, and me slipping on the ice is even worse. I had never snowshoed in icy conditions. It was slow going for me most of the time, not only because of the ice, but my legs were dogging me and I felt like I had been to the local buffet. I was just sluggish all around.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrV9qHoGrbR7UWQ1-I1YYzoB983YnKIcMwsggPARGqvRT7sPTVhvdMtMsAdQWLMNttt-0-dx5SOF4n_0a0fXLeif1W6bHXgRX3PTMRMHbeYT7rr9RgUeBd6-hMTiaKKxrMyU7vdnzbuyk/s1600/Photo+Feb+25,+3+40+18+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrV9qHoGrbR7UWQ1-I1YYzoB983YnKIcMwsggPARGqvRT7sPTVhvdMtMsAdQWLMNttt-0-dx5SOF4n_0a0fXLeif1W6bHXgRX3PTMRMHbeYT7rr9RgUeBd6-hMTiaKKxrMyU7vdnzbuyk/s320/Photo+Feb+25,+3+40+18+PM.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The brown part was icy. In some places it covered most of the trail.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We were able to navigate around the ice for the most part and when we got a bit higher, the snow was in a bit better shape but there were some bare spots and we broke through the crusty snow in others.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgndyx_mqIVQHNZdAAchxHI1SzlKY1b2QMBdkDuBQ7K4yDZcff_CiZLSE08Rp6dZr4XRGCu8bJ-Jruy_uF-h5lA0fSw48rlhDriPjfim3_wRxxKFZF3EByut-neBsZqeHg5otL7x4lZSCQ/s1600/Photo+Feb+25,+2+34+47+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgndyx_mqIVQHNZdAAchxHI1SzlKY1b2QMBdkDuBQ7K4yDZcff_CiZLSE08Rp6dZr4XRGCu8bJ-Jruy_uF-h5lA0fSw48rlhDriPjfim3_wRxxKFZF3EByut-neBsZqeHg5otL7x4lZSCQ/s320/Photo+Feb+25,+2+34+47+PM.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mud Shoeing</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Sorry for all the complaining, but it was a rough day for me. I was way behind most of the hike. We did get a good workout and it is always good to be with my son and my brother. They are both great guys.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7uCNsNhyphenhyphenKEftde1LHKF9LoGynBFiA4ocBPGEEJAGN6PopA0ALkNlaUm6wTnnEN4SiY9R71BjmL1xWep2jjy1VCD2rcT1daLY1DLeugMwzaTG3Lg7FZy5eCMmOBtyBUg21BN0GuBLceSM/s1600/Photo+Feb+25,+2+57+59+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7uCNsNhyphenhyphenKEftde1LHKF9LoGynBFiA4ocBPGEEJAGN6PopA0ALkNlaUm6wTnnEN4SiY9R71BjmL1xWep2jjy1VCD2rcT1daLY1DLeugMwzaTG3Lg7FZy5eCMmOBtyBUg21BN0GuBLceSM/s320/Photo+Feb+25,+2+57+59+PM.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Corey and Gordon.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>The Rest of the Story</b><br />
The rest of my training during the week went well. Friday was my long day. The schedule called for another "Miracle Mile" run. I ran easy over to the high school track. Did some short intervals and then ran a fast mile (for me) to gauge my readiness for the marathon. It showed me that I am still on track for a 13:30 min/mile pace for the marathon. I would be really happy if that ends up being the case. After doing the quick mile, I did some cool down intervals and then ran easy until I had 7 miles total under my belt.<br />
<br />
I got caught up on my blog reading and you all seen to be doing great!<br />
<br />
Hang in there and I will too!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460202864892035235noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8210185516318329744.post-25018107790719444902012-02-20T12:38:00.000-08:002012-02-20T12:38:10.289-08:00There No Business Like Snow BusinessI posted quite a bit last year about my snowshoeing adventures. Snowshoeing was a blessing for me last year because even though I couldn't run in the first part of 2011, for some reason, snowshoeing didn't aggravate my injury at all. It helped keep my level of fitness up and it was a lot of fun as well. My son and my brother also enjoyed getting out as well.<br />
<br />
This year has been a different story. I have been training for a marathon and it has been a lean snow year so far. If I hadn't gone winter camping in the snow with the Scouts a few weeks back, I would have had doubts about there being enough snow to go to our usual spots. Snowshoeing had dropped off my radar for some reason.<br />
<br />
But as my wife and I were driving around, she mentioned something about snowshoeing and it hit me that in spite my good intentions, I hadn't been out this year. I knew that I could probably do my long run on Friday since it was shorter week this week. Things worked out, I got the long run in as planned and lined up Corey and Gordon and off we went to a familiar place up American Fork Canyon.<br />
<br />
It was a great day to snowshoe! <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO4-yS6BEpw61yLMrvxMijSTXa2RqcGZmiEwa5Sbip1dNw-1VxYxdkTES1-st1x8SeW7nc-08qq0pghj_gYsUjEAl1rHkvDgCcSEWigfrSGFnJvS5iKKoO5DXE2E82MVasHLAWpms3m40/s1600/Photo+Feb+18,+9+01+04+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO4-yS6BEpw61yLMrvxMijSTXa2RqcGZmiEwa5Sbip1dNw-1VxYxdkTES1-st1x8SeW7nc-08qq0pghj_gYsUjEAl1rHkvDgCcSEWigfrSGFnJvS5iKKoO5DXE2E82MVasHLAWpms3m40/s320/Photo+Feb+18,+9+01+04+AM.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gordon ready to get after it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyDpRQ9flpI4PrCjVxFqQFEoEbv9eLExs7pnsCGEeljX7DJv2ecFKA4dpl42cUxohXd_renFl7nK8Dq03GbkN8xOvtA9kUHKFqmcR_R10PDirUlRogmViUfds2ns5wMYRNIF73WHsiSIo/s1600/Photo+Feb+18,+10+17+48+AM+(HDR).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyDpRQ9flpI4PrCjVxFqQFEoEbv9eLExs7pnsCGEeljX7DJv2ecFKA4dpl42cUxohXd_renFl7nK8Dq03GbkN8xOvtA9kUHKFqmcR_R10PDirUlRogmViUfds2ns5wMYRNIF73WHsiSIo/s320/Photo+Feb+18,+10+17+48+AM+(HDR).jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">We kept up a good pace from Tibble Fork up to Granite Flats campground. Once in the campground, there was a trail head to Box Elder Peak. We decided to go up just a little ways and then we cut over to another trail and dropped back down into the campground.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYp3MNcMO1aj-NrIc7SIHoG_0uiK9aWH1s7bIdpiXiyx7tmatLYsPzR7VeR4ZjSJ4SUkznZXxVPGEAuIGITCTktgGzMFsVz3BqY7380VloiU0PYXsAowBeU9W94_-TqH1nkgGU71qK18s/s1600/Photo+Feb+18,+9+47+10+AM+(HDR).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYp3MNcMO1aj-NrIc7SIHoG_0uiK9aWH1s7bIdpiXiyx7tmatLYsPzR7VeR4ZjSJ4SUkznZXxVPGEAuIGITCTktgGzMFsVz3BqY7380VloiU0PYXsAowBeU9W94_-TqH1nkgGU71qK18s/s320/Photo+Feb+18,+9+47+10+AM+(HDR).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gordon and Corey</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUS0vBN6GR8jDgqbZGaLN1ZahsboPLJF5o1JwXtmTz5uBU8hVCPoozOdakiX-QovSwBQnuS4B0q6vrc1O30-7g7hhAeiZdwxP0SFiIH3ZDDtL_MaTFu6HtOBpSGmOmI8_YFWg78sTGkHs/s1600/Photo+Feb+18,+9+49+16+AM+(HDR).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUS0vBN6GR8jDgqbZGaLN1ZahsboPLJF5o1JwXtmTz5uBU8hVCPoozOdakiX-QovSwBQnuS4B0q6vrc1O30-7g7hhAeiZdwxP0SFiIH3ZDDtL_MaTFu6HtOBpSGmOmI8_YFWg78sTGkHs/s320/Photo+Feb+18,+9+49+16+AM+(HDR).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and my "little boy."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkiFDZQcd14GyDFxsZc-sdhKwFnF15n7_hkKisQmfUC7YAQRRJ_iRT0a8PUmPRKp-WMmcU5v7XCLPO2Ai7V_esw2UPswKCPqsg7ZLU7Of96T4UtmHi87nUTeqMq-L6vCity9-wYROQpJY/s1600/Photo+Feb+18,+9+54+37+AM+(HDR).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkiFDZQcd14GyDFxsZc-sdhKwFnF15n7_hkKisQmfUC7YAQRRJ_iRT0a8PUmPRKp-WMmcU5v7XCLPO2Ai7V_esw2UPswKCPqsg7ZLU7Of96T4UtmHi87nUTeqMq-L6vCity9-wYROQpJY/s320/Photo+Feb+18,+9+54+37+AM+(HDR).jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cutting across to the other trail.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCoxGXtIIk52HCSdg-P5R-jMEogn0b7PbPaOVAbK30b_RbS06wE56JP8SRh4PBpdVWu7q4PAO14i63wSSHLrRmnMAvWQ0pUKzlDPvYiTO3HeckDdZIRnoadZZ3_5j1o9BdradebSuz_08/s1600/Photo+Feb+18,+9+54+57+AM+(HDR).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCoxGXtIIk52HCSdg-P5R-jMEogn0b7PbPaOVAbK30b_RbS06wE56JP8SRh4PBpdVWu7q4PAO14i63wSSHLrRmnMAvWQ0pUKzlDPvYiTO3HeckDdZIRnoadZZ3_5j1o9BdradebSuz_08/s320/Photo+Feb+18,+9+54+57+AM+(HDR).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nice views heading back down to the campground.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXUmYqZu4QDt7eFOi-Fz-N49PQ_g7j8erUv6vAqMqhbpIwRRmLuKBFELNKjoEn9vrJ3RhV3nqo4GonDt5h9Oz7Pvbi_uH22tlKKHMqiYrSRzyaC_MbB4iRbM3sh3kZQlGYiYIZBlOulOc/s1600/Photo+Feb+18,+9+56+08+AM+(HDR).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXUmYqZu4QDt7eFOi-Fz-N49PQ_g7j8erUv6vAqMqhbpIwRRmLuKBFELNKjoEn9vrJ3RhV3nqo4GonDt5h9Oz7Pvbi_uH22tlKKHMqiYrSRzyaC_MbB4iRbM3sh3kZQlGYiYIZBlOulOc/s320/Photo+Feb+18,+9+56+08+AM+(HDR).jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Box Elder Creek<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq0kc97ef9oyvZkag0htO8OdXSXaAwceSOTPnIYpA_W-shxVe3aJuNxus_OnQv3gdvzaONli_sstAEnNhX6S78S1Xq8Tw2eMel65jnPI0Mn6_pCS1SPNqVUSRTHagk2_UF_wUQbOSi6NY/s1600/Photo+Feb+18,+9+56+16+AM+(HDR).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq0kc97ef9oyvZkag0htO8OdXSXaAwceSOTPnIYpA_W-shxVe3aJuNxus_OnQv3gdvzaONli_sstAEnNhX6S78S1Xq8Tw2eMel65jnPI0Mn6_pCS1SPNqVUSRTHagk2_UF_wUQbOSi6NY/s320/Photo+Feb+18,+9+56+16+AM+(HDR).jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snow on the Pines</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
As we went down through the campground, the Scoutmaster in me couldn't help but think that the picnic tables would make a nice single snow cave that wouldn't have much of a chance of collapsing. If I could talk the scouts into the mile hike up, I think they would have a blast.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3XkZkFUDynzCe8372BKZcfYtNSEBssbPEamF1EiisHdo0pwVeYCrxpnVV8zvWtsEjCgxj5wXgDZrF4POF5_f4I2mF7vcW399eJoIMnoYAwskC452Gc-iUefluX4bOT6_wrlU1nCkES90/s1600/Photo+Feb+18,+10+17+09+AM+(HDR).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3XkZkFUDynzCe8372BKZcfYtNSEBssbPEamF1EiisHdo0pwVeYCrxpnVV8zvWtsEjCgxj5wXgDZrF4POF5_f4I2mF7vcW399eJoIMnoYAwskC452Gc-iUefluX4bOT6_wrlU1nCkES90/s320/Photo+Feb+18,+10+17+09+AM+(HDR).jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picnic Table Covered with Snow</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
We headed to the bottom of the campground and then followed a trail down that followed the creek all the way back down the the parking lot. We hadn't been this way before and we all really enjoyed it.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivhrkmjlR8fEh-eW3o1MEkMqmgvdgZwDr4NIqcTj3vA5xHJZRD2KdtHztPaNGascFCT9bnK2ZfY4z8TFzjP4oeDizxCPuqX6xtyRql9mrgoXbOGCcObeAv7zP5nhekzUG8XPMSMs64TKU/s1600/Photo+Feb+18,+10+38+13+AM+(HDR).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivhrkmjlR8fEh-eW3o1MEkMqmgvdgZwDr4NIqcTj3vA5xHJZRD2KdtHztPaNGascFCT9bnK2ZfY4z8TFzjP4oeDizxCPuqX6xtyRql9mrgoXbOGCcObeAv7zP5nhekzUG8XPMSMs64TKU/s320/Photo+Feb+18,+10+38+13+AM+(HDR).jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Almost to the parking lot.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
It was fun to get out and do something that was not only a great workout, but full of fun for all of us as well. I hope this isn't the one and only trip of the season.<br />
<br />
A big payoff was yesterday when my son and I were sitting at the table and he said that he noticed a big difference this year. He has been working out on the treadmill quite faithfully and he said that it made the trip much more enjoyable!<br />
<br />
Hang in there and I will too!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460202864892035235noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8210185516318329744.post-43513695046841990972012-02-12T15:29:00.000-08:002012-02-12T15:29:31.526-08:00Sherry Arnold Virtual Race<em style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Sherry Arnold - runner, mother, wife, daughter, and teacher- went for an early morning run on January 7, 2012, and never came home. Sherry's goodness, courage and strength prevail and she is not defined by the tragic way in which she died. </em><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrPIquRrW-hwHWZPlloPtFNmoEAemUr1vICw55kQdWmXmchvhT3KA291davzpTaZelzgTp8vnPs-7trR3Qc-SlMIqh-Qju0EkBRjv8kENbjVDk8fzq9KzE1jo0ZJvkpormV4JWwowiRj0/s1600/image_thumb1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrPIquRrW-hwHWZPlloPtFNmoEAemUr1vICw55kQdWmXmchvhT3KA291davzpTaZelzgTp8vnPs-7trR3Qc-SlMIqh-Qju0EkBRjv8kENbjVDk8fzq9KzE1jo0ZJvkpormV4JWwowiRj0/s320/image_thumb1.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 16px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Yesterday was a day to honor someone I didn't know personally. Sherry Arnold left her home to go running on January 7th and didn't come back. Beth at </span><a href="http://www.shutupandrun.net/" style="line-height: 16px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Shut Up and Run</a></span> knew Sherry though, Sherry was her cousin! She organized a virtual race to honor her cousin. Yesterday was the day of the virtual race which worked out well for me since I had my longest training run to date. I read on Beth's blog that there were a lot of participants throughout the world that donned a bib and dedicated their run to Sherry. If you want more details, head on over to <a href="http://www.shutupandrun.net/">Beth's blog</a> to find out more. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Yesterday's run was a 20 miler. As I mentioned before, I have been using Jeff Galloway's approach to running. Which is a good thing because I don't think I could have finished this long run any other way. Based on previous "Miracle Mile" runs, my run to walk ratio is 1 min run / 1 min walk. I was able to do this for most of the run until about mile 17. I had a big problem with cramps. I had to stop quite often and stretch our my calves especially. Three things contributed to the cramping I think. First of all, on Thursday, I tried to get up two flights of stairs quickly and took the steps two at a time. I don't normally do this and it probably strained my calves a bit. <a href="http://www.poundsoffplayoff.com/">Alan</a> and <a href="http://ruminationsasiuncoverthewomanwithin.blogspot.com/">Michele</a> are both probably laughing at this point since both are stair trainers and two flights is nothing to them. Usually it isn't for me either but taking them two at a time was not a good thing. Second, I started my run later than I usually do and this usually turns out to not be good as far as having a good run. Three, maybe my long run shouldn't include Provo Canyon because my elevation gain was over 3,000 feet. I should probably save the uphill for interval training. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I didn't make it up the canyon as far as I would have liked. When I reached one of the highest points in the run, I ran into some ice. It doesn't look all that bad, but it would have taken extra energy to watch where I was stepping among all of that ice.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJoF8za-KE1i8LEln3fadJ5uhA-h3t6kCbqHU0BEqxa2v0LRMInel_jAy9gt2oMaIgJTgWk-sAF4gZHDc_aH2Y49SfJdloihAyePcwbRMwvI32wRI2SasYwy2rKbIH4yYFibCAQQ0PZv8/s1600/photo+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJoF8za-KE1i8LEln3fadJ5uhA-h3t6kCbqHU0BEqxa2v0LRMInel_jAy9gt2oMaIgJTgWk-sAF4gZHDc_aH2Y49SfJdloihAyePcwbRMwvI32wRI2SasYwy2rKbIH4yYFibCAQQ0PZv8/s320/photo+(1).JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
I have posted pictures of Bridal Veil falls before, here is what they looked like yesterday before I headed back down.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKSMBna8tpLiRVges2CaU_a2yh2a0TyadoYkYMGyQcqTvmPw9wMiDLSPWQ9rB7jcYPySDF9D5Ct3YpDZKONccVfmydJ0L9P6k2WnlhU1EKDaIHgXFW0bS7wQt5SzY76grLLn5Xcewwzhk/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKSMBna8tpLiRVges2CaU_a2yh2a0TyadoYkYMGyQcqTvmPw9wMiDLSPWQ9rB7jcYPySDF9D5Ct3YpDZKONccVfmydJ0L9P6k2WnlhU1EKDaIHgXFW0bS7wQt5SzY76grLLn5Xcewwzhk/s320/photo.JPG" width="174" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 16px;">I always hate it when I have to refigure my run. Since I had to turn back early, I had to make sure that I picked up the extra mileage before I got back home. Sometimes, my brain doesn't think straight when I have been running for a while, but I got it figured out and finished up a 20 miles on the dot.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 16px;"><b>Biggest Loser Contest</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 16px;">I mentioned that our family was having a Biggest Loser contest. I lost 1.6 lbs. I have gotten off caffeine for over a week now, and finished off the week of not having much refined sugar. I think cutting back on the sugar was much harder. My brain is addicted to the stuff! The rest of the family is doing great, everyone that reported in had lost weight. One of them lost 8 pounds! Nicely done!</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 16px;">Hang in there and I will too!</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><i><br /></i></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460202864892035235noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8210185516318329744.post-67430543461869227472012-01-31T22:06:00.001-08:002012-02-05T15:02:17.798-08:00Focus<blockquote class="webkit-indent-blockquote" style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;"><p><font originaltag="yes">Whatever we are working on, mulling over, avoiding, contemplating facing, or rehearsing in our minds becomes literal. It's you and the thing and the thing becomes the hill and there you are — taking it on. There is a certain amount of clarity that oxygen deprivation provides. Couple that with pain and you get the inner hum that becomes white noise and suddenly you can think.</font> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-b2sc9nPNyE4/Ty8GRf32WsI/AAAAAAAAAxA/ecm0z-7-bFU/Photo%252520Feb%2525205%25252C%2525202012%2525203%25253A42%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-b2sc9nPNyE4/Ty8GRf32WsI/AAAAAAAAAxA/ecm0z-7-bFU/s500/Photo%252520Feb%2525205%25252C%2525202012%2525203%25253A42%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1328482865510.1318" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="193" height="261"></a></div><font originaltag="yes">Kristin Armstrong, Stones, Mile Markers blog, Runner's <a href="http://World.com/" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-result="0">World.com</a></font></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><p>I don't know about you, but I tend to be like the Dug, the dog in "Up". Squirrel! ---> I tend to be thinking about several things while I am attending to one or more task. Sometimes I go to start something and before I realize it, it is quite a bit later and I didn't get around to starting what I supposed to. Squirrel ----></p><p> </p><p>I work in the software industry. It is not unusual to put in late nights. Most software engineers have terrible memories when they were on a project where you were in the "death march." The product was nearing a deadline and there was too much left to do. It was time to put in long hours, little sleep and dinners that consisted of pizza and Coke to keep you going.</p><p> </p><p>A study I read about said that sometimes late night hours were helpful in some cases. Your reasoning power diminishes, but there reaches a point where your body can only focus on one thing at a time. It just doesn't have the energy to pay attention to the ... Squirrel ----->. What you lose in mental capacity is made up somewhat by your focus in on one task at a time.</p><p> </p><p>One thing that I really like about running, is that it puts you into a state where you can't focus on too many things at once. It takes an effort both mentally and physically to get the run in. I think that what the quote above is talking about. When you put the time in to a longer run, a lot of things melt away. The continual padding of your feet keeping a harmonic time with your breathe can get you into a zone that allows you to focus in on something that your mind thinks is important. I have a lot of introspective moments when I have been out running. I have learned a lot about myself in these moments and have also had a few epiphanies where I finally understood something in a new way. </p><p> </p><p><b>Lastest Long Run</b></p><p>I have been attending a tech conference in Salt Lake City the latter part of the week. Salt Lake is about 30 or so miles north of my place and our work was putting on the conference so the cost was minimal for me to attend. It did make for a challenge to get the workout in before I had to leave. Saturday, I was supposed to put in a 1X6 mile run. The goal was to run one mile at marathon race pace and then walk a mile to recover. Then repeat 5 more times in this case. I really enjoyed the run. I had to cut the last mile short since I had to get back and get ready. I wish I could have gone further I felt so good. It was the best run I have had in a long time.</p><p> </p><p><b>A Geeky Conference</b></p><p>This isn't running or weight loss related, but I had a couple of chuckles at the conference. Usually, if given a choice, men tend to spread out if chairs are close together. There was a group of young developers who wore the same t-shirts and if they were attending the same class would sit right next to each other. I don't know why I found it funny but I did. Here is a picture of three of them.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-AOqhx9CiYbM/Ty8DNB-yK9I/AAAAAAAAAw0/qQBLWZCvcF0/Photo%252520Feb%2525203%25252C%2525202012%2525202%25253A13%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title=""><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-AOqhx9CiYbM/Ty8DNB-yK9I/AAAAAAAAAw0/qQBLWZCvcF0/s500/Photo%252520Feb%2525203%25252C%2525202012%2525202%25253A13%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1328482865525.4612" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="375" height="500"></a></div><p> </p><p> Later in the day, as we were headed back to parking, there was a guy sitting at a piano in the back of a truck with his dog sitting on top. The picture is not that great, but hopefully you get a feel of how it looked to us as we crossed the street. Fun time had by all!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-QAMYK055hPs/Ty8GTsy0-NI/AAAAAAAAAxI/S5aLsqp8nVk/Photo%252520Feb%2525203%25252C%2525202012%2525203%25253A03%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-QAMYK055hPs/Ty8GTsy0-NI/AAAAAAAAAxI/S5aLsqp8nVk/s500/Photo%252520Feb%2525203%25252C%2525202012%2525203%25253A03%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1328482865590.2085" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> What about you? Does exercise give you the added bonus of contemplation and focus? Seen anything that made you chuckle just a bit lately?</p><p>Hang in there and I will too!</p><p> </p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460202864892035235noreply@blogger.com2