Time For Some Fresh Air

The other day I decided it was time to get up in the mountains. Haven't spent much time up any of what I call "The Big 3" (Big, Little, Millcreek) this year due to the heavy snow, so I thought it was about time. I rushed out of work at about 4:30 and drove to the S-curve up Big Cottonwood Canyon and headed up the Mill B North trail. This is a trail that I've very familiar with as I usually make this hike a few times every year. Let me tell you though, this thing is a BEAST when you're running it as opposed to hiking it! It's something like 1,000 feet elevation gain per mile.

After struggling up the mountain, I finally made it to the sign where Mill B North meets up with Porter Fork. From here into Mill A Basin is pretty flat. I didn't have much time though, so I continued ahead another half mile or so before I had to turn around. After taking a short break and getting a little food in me, I made my way back and snapped a couple nice pics.

From the south side of Mt Raymond with Broad's Fork Twin Peaks ahead

Some nice scenery to the west (minus that beat-down guy in the foreground)

After I put the camera away, it was game on to see how fast I could get down the mountain! In all my stupidity though, I decided to start eating while I was running. Big mistake! Now, a lot of people experience stomach problems while eating on the run. Not me though; I can eat just about anything on the go and keep it down. That's not where the problem was, though. The problem was when I decided to try to get the last few bits of trail mix out of the bag by putting it up to my face. Even that action itself isn't too bad as long as my view isn't completely blocked. Add some big rocks and a small creek into the mix though, and it's a recipe for disaster! Sure enough, I step on the side of a large rock and just as I'm going to push off, my foot slips out from under me... BAM! All my weight bears down on the rock and now I'm sportin this lovely gem...

My new friend on the outside of my thigh

Lucky me. I guess it all comes with the territory though. Running around in God's country (as I like to call the mountains) is most definitely not always rosy, but it's definitely not boring! Anyways, I walked it off for a second and got my legs back under me again, then proceeded to run the rest of the way down the mountain. Total trip was about 2 hours 25 minutes, though it took less than 50 minutes to get down even with the mishap. I'm still pretty sore today and the swelling in my leg is probably at it's peak (not to mention the sweet bruise is starting to turn a nice blueish-purple), but at least it wasn't any more serious.

Miles so far this week:

Sunday: off
Monday: 4.0 mi
Tuesday: 8.0 mi
Wednesday: injury day
Thursday: off
Friday: 3.5 mi

Headin to Park City for the weekend so I'm hoping to get a nice long run in up there tomorrow, and maybe do some hiking later in the day or on Sunday. Should be good times!

Saturday, June 20th

Plan: 10 miles with hills
Actual: 10 miles with lots of hills ~ 1:28:40

The schedule called for 10 miles with hills, but my plan was to do about 13 miles on a trail up in the mountains. I probably could've followed through with my plan if it weren't for a few mishaps in the morning...

First of all I had a little bit of car trouble. Spent about 25 minutes fixing the issue. Second, it took me about 40 minutes to find the dirt road that leads to the trailhead I was after. A few miles into the trek down the dirt road, I hit a spot of snow about 2 1/2 feet deep and there was no way I could get my car through. Argghh! Thus, I never even made it to the trailhead. I was also in a bit of a time crunch so I had to cut my run short just a bit.

What I ended up doing was just running on the dirt road I was on. Was a bit more grueling than I had anticipated though (especially running on only 3 hours of sleep the night before). I took 5 miles up and 5 miles back. I would estimate that 80% of that first leg was uphill. Some steep, some grudual. But that also meant that 80% of the way back was downhill which was quite nice!

This was my first experience running more than a mile or two up in the mountains. It was an awesome experience for me! Didn't even bother using headphones since I was engulfed in the sights & sounds of nature. Saw a few deer, heard a symphony of frogs in a marsh I passed through, and saw some amazing views along the way. My legs felt pretty good throughout, and not once did I feel like I was obligated to get the miles in. Loved the experience and can't wait to do it again!!!

Friday, July 19th

Plan: 30-45 minutes, easy jog
Actual: 20 minutes, easy jog ~ 2.25 miles

Was planning to go at least 30 minutes this morning, but the legs weren't having it. That, coupled with the headache I woke up to, equaled one sluggish morning. You'd think I'd be ready to go since I took yesterday off!? The legs actually weren't terrible, but I started experiencing a little soreness for some reason. I decided to cut it short as my long run is tomorrow. Thought I should save the legs for that.

Lydia and I are heading up to the Uintahs today with Teams Dobbe, Bang, and Bishop, and staying the night in Cole & Nuria's cabin. Should be a lot of fun! I also plan on getting my long run done in the mountains between about 8500 & 10000 feet tomorrow morning. Should be a perfect challenge for me! I've got a nice trail picked out and I plan on doing closer to 13 miles or so, even though the schedule only calls for 10. We'll see how that goes. I'm hoping ice and ibuprofen will take care of the little bit of soreness I'm experiencing at the moment. Also plan on doing some light hiking later today with Lyd which I'm hoping will loosen up the legs a bit too. We'll see how it goes...

Wednesday, June 17th

Plan: 4 miles with 4 x 100 meter sprints
Actual: 2.33 miles with 3 x 100 meter sprints ~ 17:35

The legs were feeling tired today. I don't know if it was the weather, something I ate, or not enough sleep but I was definitely not on my C-game, let alone my A-game. I pushed through it though and ran 2.33 miles and did an extra 10 minutes cooldown just to get back to a normal temperature. I usually cool down much quicker. I was running hot today for some reason, even though it was only 5 degrees warmer this morning than it was yesterday. Go figure. Maybe that giant steak I ate last night at Texas Roadhouse was still sitting in my gut... It was worth it though! Luckily, tomorrow's a rest day and I can get my legs back under me (hopefully).

I was really excited for today though because I knew I'd be purchasing my first pair of trail running shoes. Yeehaw! I spent a little time running on trails last year with my road shoes, but never felt very comfortable in them because of the high sole. I was always afraid of rolling my ankles with any slight misstep. So after some reading and budget consideration, I decided to take the plunge and invest in a pair.

I went over to Wasatch Running Center and they were extremely helpful in helping me select the right shoe for me (as usual). I ended up getting a pair of La Sportiva Wildcats after trying on about six different pairs. Of course time will tell how they feel out on the trail, but I feel pretty pleased with my selection. We're heading to the Uintahs this weekend so that should be a good first trial run on these babies!

Tuesday, June 16th

So it’s just under 16 weeks til the St.George Marathon and today was my first day of actual training.

Plan: Run 4 miles at a cruise pace.
Actual: Ran 6 miles over an undulating course ~ 47:16

Since I took yesterday off for Lydia’s birthday, the legs felt really good this morning and I was able to run a few miles further than I had scheduled out. Feeling a little soreness in the legs, but I’m not overly tired and my mood is pretty good. I think most of the soreness is a result of a few moderate hills over the course of the run. Hills don’t normally bother me too much, but rather than slowly jog up them, I tried to stay on pace up them today. That was probably a mistake but it's a great workout for the lungs and the legs! Looking forward to the next run already.

Why I Run

Those of you close to me know that I’m training for a marathon. And for those that don’t - you guessed it - I’m training for a marathon!

So why in the world would I choose to run a marathon? Well, I’ve been a runner off and on my whole life. I think it all truly started when I saw my dad run his first marathon some 20 years ago. After seeing that, it prompted me to get out there and try it myself. For 4 or 5 years (I was around 8 or 9 when I started), I ran several miles a week with the peak of my running coming on the 24th of July for the annual 10K held in downtown Salt Lake City. The last year I ran I posted a 42:17 (going off memory here so the seconds may be off a bit). I believe I was 13 at the time.

Our family ended up moving in April of the following year and I didn’t do as much training. Then in July I fell some 30 feet out of a tree. I had a major concussion, broke my collar bone and first four ribs, punctured a lung and had to have my ear sewn back on. All in a days work! From that point on though, I stopped running. I stayed somewhat active by playing basketball and soccer for a few more years, played some ice hockey in high school, but never got back into running.

Fast forward 10 years or so… Coming off a 6 year addiction, I knew that I had an addictive personality (ya think?!). The best way to combat it was by finding something healthy that I could become addicted to. I tried writing, picking up my guitar again, hiking, hunting, and even tried picking up some side jobs too. I didn’t become “addicted" to any of it, though. I love each of those things still to this day, but running has been the only thing that’s physically triggered an addiction (although my wife will tell you that personal finance is an addiction for me too).

So there are my reasons behind distance running. In the future I’m hoping I’ll be able to add more distance to my resume, but first I gotta make it through 26.2. And I’m excited about it!

Now the reason for this blog is to keep myself accountable. I might share a story or two about other aspects of my life, but I have to track my progress and account for it and that's what I'm here to do. What better way of doing it than by telling the whole world how I’m doing! Can't be much more accountable than that, now can I?!