Gords Fitness Blog

Medicine Ball workout video

2011-08-24T12:59:00.000-07:00

One set of medicine ball work = 15 minutes Here's what I end up doing. Rest about 30 seconds, get a drink and do it all over again, a few times:

Perfect Chest workout for just getting back into it

2011-08-16T20:47:00.000-07:00

I haven't done any consistent weight training in a very long time. After last week's race and not hitting my goal time I decided I needed to do some things outside the water to increase my strength. So today's workout went like this:

Bench Press:

12 x 135, 8 x 155, 8 x 165, 8 x 155, 12 x 135

DB Flys:

5 x 12 x 35

Then I moved to the cardio room and got my 12 pound medicine ball and did 30 minutes of laying on my back and lifting the ball in certain directions that really worked my shoulder joints and my chest. I'll have to video the sets I do. To go through all the different movements takes about 6 minutes and I did 5 sets of those. It was awesome! My entire upper body was shaking and quivering, but the ball is so light it wasn't overly strenuous, but I was definitely getting all those muscle fibers to fire to hold the ball steady. I had such a fun time with it. I left the workout with that exercise high which I haven't felt in a very long time. I'm excited to get back down there and do it again!

Albion To Mt. Harrison Cyclocross

2011-06-27T08:45:00.000-07:00

The annual tradition of Cycling from Albion City Park to Mt. Harrison was again completed! Got up at 5:30am and got everything ready to go up there. I packed snowshoes this time because I knew that the snowpack up there was going to be insane! I was right on, cause they were definitely needed.

I left at 6am exactly from the park and the sun was just coming up as I got to the turn off the highway up to Mt. Harrison. Took several breaks for pictures. When I got about 2 hours into the ride, the smell of the air was extremely refreshing! That alone was worth the trip! If I could can that air I'd be a millionaire. Loved it!

<p>&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt; &amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyfitness.com/routes/view/39020720"&amp;gt;Albion to Mt Harrison Outlook CycloCross (Bike, Hike, Snowshoe) Trip&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt; &amp;lt;br /&amp;gt; &amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyfitness.com/routes/?location=Albion, ID"&amp;gt;Find more Routes in Albion, ID&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt; </p>

Once I got past Pomerelle, I hit my first snowbank on the road that required carrying my bike. Then I got past the gate on the road and crossed over a couple more snow bank patches on the road. Then I got up to Lake Cleveland and from there I stashed my bike and hiked/snowshoed the rest of the way. I did about 3 miles of hiking/snowshoeing.

I was nervous about seeing a bear up there. Then when I get about 1/4 mile from the top. I saw a big hole in the snow with tracks coming from it. Man was that thought enough to pump my blood even faster! I got to the outlook and noticed that this time, they had locked the deck around the building. I took pics, but no vid from that point since my camera battery was dying and wouldn't let me take vid from that point on. It was a perfect day. No clouds, not very windy, and I left early enough in the morning that it wasn't hot. Plus it wasn't that cold despite the snow.

On the way back down I saw a hole in the snow that was filled with ants. It was amazing. Red/Black ants crawling all over the snow and inside this hole. Awesome!

Absolutely perfect ride! The last time my butt sat on that saddle was last year when I did this ride. I've been focusing so much on my swimming that I really had to blow off the dust on my bike and get it oiled up for this ride. I was sure I could make it, but I knew it would take time. It sure did! And most of it was because of the detour in my planned trip. I back country'd a good portion of it. What an adventure!
Here's all the pics/video in Picasa:

I have forgotten

2011-06-08T13:51:00.000-07:00

How good it feels after a really good sweat! This afternoon I watched this interview on KSL Sportsbeat where Rulon Gardner walked off the show:

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

He said his problem came after the Olympics where he was successful and figured he'd take a week off to let his body heal. That week turned to a month, and then into years. Ouch! I don't have a problem taking a week off, but that's it! So that inspired me to get my running shoes on and head downstairs.

I did:
1 mile run/walk. I noticed that when I got to the point where I was considering giving up, that my heart rate was at or above 145. Then I'd slow down to 3.0 mph and walk and monitor my HR. When I felt way comfortable and felt like starting to get back to running was when it dropped down to 120. So my comfortable aerobic HR I figure is about 130-135. It really doesn't take long for my HR to drop or rise from 120-145 at all. So if I can find a pace that allows me to maintain that 130-135 HR range, that would be ideal. Either that, or increase my HR comfort zone. I did the mile in 11 minutes.

Then I did 15 minutes of elliptical. That felt good and I really got up a good sweat. I was maintaining a 130spm pace with my tunes. Then I did:

2 sets of:
Set the stack at around 110 pounds
12 bench press reps
12 close grip pull downs
12 seated cable rows

About 35 minutes of good work. Felt great, lots of sweat and I feel like a million bucks. Even though this is probably one of the wimpiest workouts I've done in a long time! Consistency is the key now. Stay with it!

My wife, the biggest loser

2011-03-12T13:00:00.000-08:00

Cathi called me at work one afternoon a few months ago and told me she spent $50 to join a weight loss competition among 107 other ladies! I wasn't too thrilled with that information, but Cathi worked her butt off.... Literally!

She is a running machine. Over the past several weeks, not only has she been eating like a monk, but she has been running over a hundred miles per week! Last week she set a new personal record of running 120 miles in one week (She NEVER runs on Sunday either).

So on Tuesday this week the 8 week competition ended and this afternoon she was given the results. She won! She lost 21.66% of her body weight over that time. Losing just over 38 pounds. The second place finisher lost 19.38%.

I asked Cathi to bring home from the results meeting some stats if they would give them to her. I'm a total nerd and wanted some data. Much of it is very disturbing....

Out of 107 participants:

54 ladies over 200 pounds

37 out of the 54 dropped out (68% gave up)
Average lost among those who stuck with it in this group was 6.4%

51 ladies over 100 pounds

25 out of this 51 dropped out (49% gave up)
Average lost among this group was 6.8%.

2 ladies over 300 pounds

1 dropped out and the other lost 3.4% total (50% gave up)

I figured at the beginning that there would be some drop out rate, but not that much! And I had no idea that given such a huge field that she would be victorious and win the title, and a $1000 check! She won several things along the way for being the biggest loser for several weeks: a hour long massage, a months pass to a tanning salon (Thanks for giving that to me Cathi!), and a $25 gift certificate to a metal craft shop.

Congratulations Cathi for not only doing so well and inspiring many people, but for ending up looking like a supermodel! That was the best $50 she ever spent!

4.5 miles and feeling great

2011-02-07T18:05:00.000-08:00

Tonight Cathi took me to the Syracuse Community Center where I ran for 45 minutes and felt great! I was able to do a couple laps at a really fast pace, but my normal pace was pretty slow. But I didn't care, I didn't walk and felt like I could keep going once I got to 25 minutes into it. Before 25 minutes though I wasn't feeling so great. It takes a while for my body to get past that rebellious stage I guess.

4.5 miles total

One small step

2011-02-02T12:43:00.000-08:00

Today at noon I went down, stretched and had set a mental goal to go 4 miles. That would be a new PR for this round of "runningness". At mile 2 I couldn't believe I set that goal, I wanted to quit so bad! But I kept plugging away, and taking sips from my water bottle but kept the same pace.

1.0 miles @ 6.0 mph
2.5 miles @ 6.2 mph
.25 miles @ 6.5 mph
.25 miles @ 7.0 mph

4.0 miles total

4 miles is wimpy, but it was a stepping stone to another day and a victory for today!

3 miles of torture

2011-01-31T13:04:00.000-08:00

I promised my team I would run at least three times this week, so at 1pm I reluctantly went downstairs and ran:

1 mile at 6mph
0.125 miles at 4mph
1 miles at 6mph
0.5 miles at 6.5 mph
0.125 miles at 7 mph
0.125 miles at 3.5 mph (warm down)

3.125 miles total

Pure torture today. Not a good attitude. Need to work on that.

Keeping my mind busy while running

2011-01-19T17:57:00.000-08:00

Today I tried a new strategy during my run. I set the pace at 6.5 mph and counted every time my right leg touched the ground. I found out that I do roughly 180 or so paces per quarter mile. So I imagined that each pace was 1 yard. Actually each pace comes to about 2.3 yards. I kept telling myself only 1200 yards left (when actually it was 1.6 miles). Today's run was a little less painful than last run and I went a little further. Joanna was on the Eliptical and Sup was on the other treadmill.

2.75 miles in 25:03

Oh and every run starts and end with a good 5 minutes of stretching and also ends with 50 pushups without stopping.

2 miles in 18:30

2011-01-17T17:52:00.000-08:00

Todays run was tough. I started out at 6.8 mph and had to pull back cause I was just dying. But I did end up doing it all the way without walking. Felt great afterwards, but it was tough today!

Day 2

2011-01-10T16:20:00.000-08:00

I really should have ran last Friday, but I didn't come in to work, so I didn't get access to a treadmill. Today I ran at a faster pace:

13 minutes @ 6.5 mph
1 minute @ 7.0 mph
:30 @ 7.5 mph
:30 @ 8.0 mph

15 minutes total @ 1.66 miles

It was tough, I didn't like it, but it wasn't pure torture. I'm honestly not looking forward to the days where I have to increase to 30 - 40 minutes. But one day at a time right?

Day 1 - 1.5 miles in 15 minutes

2011-01-05T12:41:00.000-08:00

So today I started Day 1 of my Beginner training plan for the Ragnar Relay this June. It went really well. I stretched out good before and after the run, and did 50 pushups afterwards too.

I did 14:30 @ 6mph, then :30 at 8mph. then 1 minute at 4mph

Piece of cake. Sweat a little bit, and didn't run out of breath. Talk about starting out slow! I like it!

Total distance: 1.5 miles in 15 minutes

More Pain relief

2010-10-15T07:58:00.000-07:00

When I got in to work my back was still giving me crap so I went downstairs and lifted:

Feet up Bench press:
4 x 12 @ 135
@80 crunches

Pain was diminished significantly, but still annoying.

Another round of legs up bench

2010-10-14T12:21:00.001-07:00

Did another round of legs up bench press:

4 x 12 @ 135 slow and deliberate

@ 100 crunches

Felt great! I really like this lift! It's much more deliberate and as a result provides more benefits and especially clears out the lower back pain. After lifting today, my back is free of pain. I don't get it.

Just what the Dr. didn't order - feet in the air bench press

2010-10-12T11:58:00.000-07:00

So yesterday I went to see the Chiropractor since I was still having issues with my lower back. I woke up on Sunday morning with a very stiff and painful lower back on the right side. The Chiropractor moved my legs around and tried adjusting things (which seemed really rushed to me and almost completely ineffective). He did show me a couple cool stretches that he suggested I do.

Example of feet up bench press

When I left the office I felt nearly as crappy as when I walked in. This morning's swim was cut way short because of the pain intensity in my back. I did the stretches the Dr. suggested, but still felt pain and stiffness. Decided that in order to reduce the back strains I really should work on my core so I went down at lunchtime (which I haven't done in ages) and did some crunches:

100 crunches
Feet up Bench Press: 4 x 12 @ 135

I know that 135 is light, but given that I haven't lifted at all in the past couple years, plus that it was feet in the air 135 was just right. It forced me to go slow in order to balance the weight. The lift was more deliberate, controlled, and put the pressure all along my back rather than mainly on my shoulder blades. Why didn't I do this earlier? That lift all by itself was a million times more effective than the visit to the chiropractor. The pain is completely gone in my back. I can walk normal, bend over. Now I'm not going to go test it out, but I think feed up bench presses did the trick for me.

So if you have lower back pain, definitely give it a shot. Plus it's a good lift for really isolating the pecs in the bench press. Definitely won't get anywhere near the amount of weight for a normal bench lift, but it's a great drill.

10 Mile hike on Wheeler Creek

2010-08-10T21:00:00.000-07:00

This afternoon I hiked 10 miles with Steve Ross and the scouts. Had a scary hour when five of the boys decided to take off ahead and they were so far ahead we were convinced they took a fork that took them somewhere else.

A biker was coming down and we asked her that if she caught up with five boys to tell them to STOP! Until we get there. So annoying! We finally did catch up to them and reviewed safety while hiking in groups.

Had fun and I took Max (our St. Bernard) who was slobbering all over and panting like crazy, but he did well.

Top 50 Triathlete Blogs

2010-08-04T08:51:00.000-07:00

I was just notified that this blog made the list of top 50 informative and inspiring triathlete blogs by physical therapy assistant schools.

Cool. Too bad my focus isn't on triathlons at the moment and the posts just aren't coming in on a normal basis. Right now the focus is on swimming.

Three sets

2010-08-02T14:08:00.000-07:00

Had several errands at lunch, one of which was going to the Post office on 2nd south. Talk about a government operation! Line had about 12 people in it and took me 25 minutes to get through.

Did the following:

DB Front Raises: 3 x 12 @ 25
Crunches: 3 x 50
Pushups: do as many as you can in one minute (80 total)

Next time I'll have to do more, but I had to cut it short today thanks to the US Postal Service.

Fitness Test

2010-07-20T07:31:00.000-07:00

My work introduced a wellness program last month and I finally got a chance to take the fitness test which involved four exercises:

Pushups: 75 in one minute - Excellent
Crunches: 67 in one minute - Excellent
Three minute Step Test: 79 (my heart rate for one minute after doing three minutes of steps at 96bpm) - Excellent
One mile walk: 13:30 (Good - barely)

The whole family did this test. It was hilarious to watch Oliver try to do crunches and pushups. And the kids all loved doing the step test. They got out stools and did the test several times.

Then we walked over to the school to do the 1 mile walk test. There were some teenage girls doing soccer practice and I'm sure Cathi and I looked like a nice middle aged couple walking there fast. "Look at the older fat people trying to exercise, hee hee!" I wasn't about to speed walk and look even more doofus like.

Shoulders, lats and tris

2010-07-19T12:33:00.000-07:00

Flat bench Tricep Extensions: 3 x 12 @ 75
Pullups: 3 x 4 @ 195
Standing DB Front Raises: 3 x 12 @ 25
Crunches: 3 x 60
Standing Tricep Cable Extensions: 3 x 12 @ 40
Seated Cable Rows: 3 x 12 @ 160

Five minutes on the Rowing machine: 1341 Meters

I pushed it harder on the rower. Last month I did 1291 Meters in five minutes so this is a new PR. I'd like to keep doing these until five minutes just doesn't do anything. But for now, five minutes gets me sweating and breathing pretty good especially when I'm pushing it. Tried to keep my stroke rate to 40pm but ended up going around 35.

Lots of calories to burn

2010-07-12T08:26:00.000-07:00

After last week's scout camp which included lots of good camp food, as well as Friday evening's visit to Golden Corral with the Lows, I had a ton of calories to burn with not so much workouts last week, so today's ride was pretty quick considering I had a little headwind to deal with from 500 S in Bountiful all the way in to Salt Lake.

Distance: 31.6 miles
Time: 1:34
Average Speed: 20.04 mph

Anything above 20 is great for coming/going to work because there is usually some wind to deal with.
------------------------------------
The ride home took the exact same amount of time. I really pushed it the last 2 miles down Gentile and as I turned off Bluff to go up 1000 W. My quads started to cramp up. I've NEVER had that happen before. So I pushed it a little. Need to spend more time on the bike if I expect to do the Pocatello to Syracuse ride this year.

Total miles for the day: 63.2
Time: 3:08
Average Speed: 20.04 mph

Mt. Harrison Ride 2010

2010-06-26T20:47:00.000-07:00

Albion to Mount Harrison 2010 (and back)
Find more Bike Rides in Albion, Idaho

Woke up at 6:30 and started to prep for this year's Mt Harrison Ride. Left at 7:10am. Made a quick stop at the convenience store about .25 miles from the start. Got some batteries. Good thing cause my GPS and MP3 player both went out and I had to load the new batteries on the ride. Would have been stuck without data, or tunes without it.

I felt great on this ride and didn't run out of breath to the point where I had to stop. I didn't stop once on this ride due to taking a break. I had my camelback filled with ice water, and had 3 buzz bites in my pack. I kept on spinning the whole time except for the 4 technical stops I had to make to change batteries, walk over snow that was impassable on a bike, go around a locked gate. I felt wonderful! I was able to reach the summit in 2:20.

Was reaching speeds of 47 miles per hour on the way down. It was a rush! Two hours to go up and less than 30 minutes to come down. Wow. There was alot more snow this year. I had to walk over alot more snow for longer stretches. The lookout was a little ominous with the rain clouds strong wind and lightning in the distance. Didn't feel comfortable up there hanging out.

I must say this ride is my favorite of the year!
Video below:

From Biking

Shoulders, abs and rowing

2010-06-21T12:27:00.000-07:00

Standing over the head presses: 3 x 10 @ 95
Crunches: 3 x 75
Seated Cable Rows: 3 x 12 @ 145
Wide Grip Pull ups: 3 x 3
Standing DB Front Raises: 3 x 10 @ 20
Captains Chair: 3 x 12 straight legs

Did 5:00 on the rowing machine: 1300 meters.

Got a good sweat on the rower. That's a great machine.

Biked in to work

2010-06-18T08:13:00.000-07:00

I was supposed to be driving down to Cedar City for Austin at the Summer Games, but since he is still learning to not procrastinate and to listen to his parents, we aren't going. So instead of taking the day off work for no reason, I biked in to work. According to bodybugg, I burn about 800 calories riding in to work, which seems about right.

Today's ride was nice. No wind and sunny.
Distance: 30.9 miles
Time: 1:37
Average Speed: 19.4 mph

The last 5 miles killed me. I was at a 20.0 mph average, but the rough roads really make a difference. When I'm on smooth pavement it sure is nice. That rough hard gravel crap sure is annoying. It's probably easier to maintain and lay down, but it is a step backwards in road technology in my opinion. Nobody wants to walk or ride on that stuff.

Trying to fit it in

2010-06-17T22:45:00.000-07:00

Today at work I was extremely busy trying to get a certain project done by the end of the day. That meant I didn't take the time in the morning or during lunch to do any exercise so I put it off until I got home. And then Cathi didn't want me going off by myself and taking away from the family. So we put Oliver in the stroller and took Isaac, Sam and Jonas down around Jensen Park and back.

2.5 miles

When we got back it was 9:30 so we put the kids to bed and I went downstairs and got on the stair stepper for 25 minutes. Just enough to get my 10,000 steps for the day. Still pretty crappy as my total calorie burn for the day was 2,790 and my goal was 3,350. I am hoping to make up for it tomorrow when I bike in to work.

More shoulders and abs

2010-06-16T13:29:00.000-07:00

Lateral Cable Extensions: 3 x 10 @ 10
Bent Knee Crunches: 3 x 50
Standing DB Front Raises: 3 x 12 @ 20

Bent over Rows: 3 x 12 @ 90
Captains Chair: 3 x 12
Push ups: 3 x 30

Tomax introduced a wellness program which involves a point program which can be used for a raffle. I suggested the introduction of "buying" a locker for the quarter using points. Hopefully that flies. Otherwise, I'll keep doing what I'm doing.

Shoulders and abs

2010-06-14T13:48:00.000-07:00

I'm so pleased with the level of soreness I'm experiencing right now. I'm only at about a 7 on the scale and I've had several 8 and 9's in my life.

So today I hit the gym in the basement at Tomax. Here's what I did:

Standing DB Lateral Raises: 3 x 12 @ 20 pounds (that's light, but like I said, my entire body is sore still including my upper body)

Barbell Shrugs: 3 x 12 @ 135

with 50 reps of bent knee crunches between sets.

Then followed by:

3 x 12 captain chairs
3 x 12 machine overhead presses @ 50 pounds

also supersetted with 50 bent knee crunches.

Good workout. Not tough at all, but got the muscles to remember what its like to have a little weight to work with rather than propelling just me someplace.

I'm going to include weight training into my swimming routine 3 times a week like this. Especially shoulders, lats, chest and abs.

Results of the Boise 70.3

2010-06-13T15:42:00.000-07:00

This last weekend Cathi and I went up to Boise to participate in the Ironman 70.3 (Half Ironman)

Here's the official results:

Some stats:
There were 1401 total athletes participating. There were 205 people in my division. So just considering my division... After the swim I was 8th (96th percentile), after the bike I was 43rd (79th percentile), and after the run I was 79th (61st percentile). Another reason why I think it's a good decision to hang up the bike, put some air fresheners in my running shoes and stick with swimming. Time to focus on the channel!!!! And nothing but the channel!!!!

Details, details...... if you are bored and have nothing better to read:

I took the bus up to Lucky Peak Res. at 11:00. I got my bike all ready and found out that you had to have all of your stuff in a bag. You couldn't just load up your bike and transition real fast the way you set it up. It just had to be in the bag. Lucky for me I have a very simple transition.

I then spent two hour trying to rest in the shade of a tree as it was a completely clear and hot afternoon. I saw Bryan Child and we chatted for a bit.

Swim: I was in swim wave 7. I started at 2:18. I was behind the first row of swimmers behind the buoys. Within 10 seconds of the start I passed the guy in front of me and could see there were about five guys in front of me. Within a couple minutes I started to see red caps which were from wave 6. Then a few more minutes, the next colored caps. It was exciting. I kind of felt sorry for the slow people from the waves ahead of me.

I was bilateral breathing the first couple minutes, but because I was pushing it so hard I decided it wasn't worth it and did breathing just to the right. I was really pushing it. When I did sight I found that I was right on course so I didn't have any major course corrections to make. When I got out, I stopped my watch right on 29:00 even. Nice. I was hoping for about 30 minutes.

My bike transition went very fast. I didn't use the wetsuit strippers that the event provided. I could get mine off faster than using those people. I got to my bike which was right on the edge of the row. From the time I got out of the water, ran up the ramp, got to my bike changed, and ran with it to the bike out, it took 3 and a half minutes, which was actually pretty fast.

Bike: The ride down from the dam was fun. I was getting up to 39 miles per hour. But the winds were fierce. This route was way more hilly than I anticipated. Boise 70.3 2010 Actual Route
Find more Bike Rides in Boise, IdahoHere's the map of the actual data from my GPS. I was SO glad for the water stations that the event provided. I would have been in HUGE trouble without it. I only had 1 x 6 ounce gatorade and a 12 ounce water bottle. That was it. I don't know what I was thinking assuming that would be good enough. Every 15 miles they provided a station where volunteers held out 16 ounce bottles of gaterade. They were ice cold and delicious. I would have seriously died without those! The wind was brutal, and some of those hils were pretty long climbs! 18.7 mph average. On a flat course with no wind I would have been disappointed with that speed, but I was pleased with how well I did considering those hills and the strong headwinds.

Funny thing that happened while finishing my bike ride: I was going around a corner about 7 miles from the bike finish. We biked through alot of neighborhoods and many people were out on their lawns clapping and cheering. There was a group of college aged guys there clapping and cheering right close to the curb on a corner. As he was clapping and cheering for me just as I got close he yelled out. "Right on, Clydesdale division. Keep on going! Nice job!". At first I was just a tad TO'd. But then I realized, technically I'm right on the borderline of being a "Clydesdale", if there really was such a division for the 70.3 which there isn't. It's just age divisions. After looking at many of the pictures that Cathi took, I realized why he said such a thing.

When I finished the bike it was at the bottom of a hill so it felt good to finish really strong. The dismount was good and the run to locate my transition area went very smooth. I sat on the rocky ground as I applied Vaseline to my feet. Put on socks and shoes and then applied Dr. Hoys to my knees and lower back. My transition for the run took 3:04.

Run: Cathi had a lawn chair and was waiting right there at the turn around point, which was only a block from the run start. She was jumping up and down smiling and cheering and it made me so happy to see her. The first two miles were the worst part of the whole run. I had to walk for about 20 seconds four times during those first two miles, but after that I felt better, got into a groove and made a deal with myself that I would only allow myself to walk during water stations. Which was a fantastic arrangement because it gave me enough time to drench myself with the sponges they handed out, get two glasses of water, one glass of coke, and half a banana. I really took advantage of those aid stations. But once I passed it, I resumed my rather slow run.

When I got to mile 6.5 where the turnaround point was I saw Cathi way up ahead of me standing on the course jumping up and down and cheering for me. I ran up to her and gave her a big kiss on the lips and ran on!

I wanted to get a 10:00/mile pace which for me is really slow. I ended up going 10:36. But that is expected when I walk through the 50 yard long aid station line. So I was actually not disappointed with my run considering that the first 2 miles I wanted to die. I felt like a machine after mile 4. I just kept an even rhythm and pace and kept my breathing down so I didn't get too exhausted. I knew I had a full 13 miles to do and didn't want to stop and stretch, or have to throw up like I saw a ton of people do. I WOULD ONLY WALK WHEN DRINKING OR EATING FOR THE 1 MINUTE OF AID STATIONS every 1.5 miles.

When I got to mile 12 though I could faintly hear the crowd at the finish line. I picked it up. When I got to Mile 13 which is where they have an aid station. I didn't stop. I picked up my run into a full out sprint. What helped is that some guy next to me was doing the same thing and he was trying to beat me. I really turned on the after burners and he was left in my dust. The crowd was really cheering everyone on. It was great! I felt so good. I stopped my watch and it read: 5:53:39.34.

I was so glad to be done! I saw Cathi at the start of the run, the turnaround point at mile 6.5 and at the finish. She was such a great support! I had such a good time and glad that I did as well as I hoped. I wanted to get a 5:54 and I did it by 20 seconds. How close is that!!? Given a 6 hour race getting with 20 seconds of your goal? How's that for knowing my limitations?

Cathi's Bear Lake Marathon - her 30th marathon

2010-06-11T21:44:00.000-07:00

So Cathi and I spent last night at the cabin with Bill. We got up at 4 am this morning and drove up to Bear Lake. The race started at 6am. It was about 38 degrees air temp. Cathi had bowel issues even before the race, but was able to change and not have any problems the rest of the day. Whew!

I drove to mile 9, 14, 19, 21, 23, 25 and the finish line. Cathi was coming up to the finish at 3:59:30. I yelled out 30 seconds Cathi!!!!! She picked it up and amazingly I saw that she finished right at 4:00:00 even. Nice!

Bugs!

2010-06-07T07:50:00.001-07:00

The bugs in Centerville along the Legacy trail today were abnormally aplenty. I was so glad to have my face shield ready which I take on every ride and use about every other time. Otherwise I would have definitely lived like on survivor and eaten alot of bugs.

Distance: 30.9 miles
Time: 1:36
Average Speed: 19.3 mph

No data as my GPS is officially garbage. My new one will arrive tomorrow via UPS. Glad that I was able to maintain a good pace even without knowing how fast I was going. Had a slight headwind the first half, but it died down to nothing the second half.

Good ride and I pushed it. The ride home will probably be my last ride before the big event on Saturday.

Half Century right after a half marathon

2010-05-31T13:43:00.000-07:00

So this morning's marathon was tough, but I wanted to get similar effect as I'm gonna get in two weeks at the Boise 70.3 so I went out to Garr Ranch and back for a 50 mile bike ride.

The wind was negligible on the causeway going out which was nice. It was tough going up around the visitors center as well as the North Island Hill, but I managed. My GPS totally died. It had new batteries, and it starts up, but even the slightest jolt and it turns off and then takes another minute to lock on to satellites, and then another tiny jolt and its off, so I had to go without data during today's ride which was frustrating.

I felt good though and kept a strong pace. I was able to pair up with a guy for about 8 miles along the Ranch Road until we got to the North Hill coming back. I had in my mind I wasn't going to kill it up this hill. I already asked way too much of my legs today and wasn't about to punish them. They've performed well and I can't abuse them. So by the time I got to the top of the hill, my partner was a good 3/4 mile ahead of me. By the time I got to the end of the causeway on the way back I had gained on him and he only had a few hundred yards.

The rest of the ride home was good and I had a tailwind from the west. I at least got a start and end time so I could figure the average speed. I left at 10:55 and arrived back at 1:45 so I did the 50 mile ride in 2:50 which is a 17.6 mph average. Not very fast, but considering the few decent hills, and the fact that I just ran a half marathon earlier in the morning, I'm not gonna feel guilty in the slightest.

I'll have to give it more thought and review the Boise course, but I'm thinking right now a 6 hour time in the 70.3 is reasonable. I'll have to delve into the details and fine tune that goal. Now I'm off to ebay to get a new Garmin venture etrex to replace the one that has served me so well for the past three years. Can't live without my data. I'm such a nerd.

2010 Memorial Day Striders half marathon results

2010-05-31T08:50:00.000-07:00

Cathi 1:47, I got 1:52:25, and Jacob got 2:02:11 (1st place 11 and under and only person 11 and under to try it).

I didn't half any issues with blisters busting open like last year. I watched my time every mile and was able to hole 8:15 mile pace the first three miles and then got slower by 5 seconds per mile until I got to 8:40 which was my worst and then I picked it back up a bit. I was able to pick up the pace the last mile. I was over 6 minutes slower than last year, but that's not a real surprise as I'm not nearly as practiced in running as last year. But I'm not terribly sore or have any open blisters which is good. I have the Boise 70.3 in two weeks.

Although I'm stiff in my calves and quads, I'm going on a half century ride out to Garr ranch and back so that should be tough. Especially those hills. I should really be hobbling tomorrow. But that'll be good cause I'll swim for a couple days and give the legs a break.

Felt good about today's results. Jacob beat his time from last year by over 15 minutes, and Cathi by about 5 minutes. So I'm the slacker this year who is getting older and fatter. Oh well, at least I'm out there.

Birthday Bike ride

2010-05-26T07:53:00.000-07:00

For my birthday this morning it was overcast with a slight wind, but nothing major. Was able to draft off a guy for about a half mile, but he was just a tad too slow, so I passed him.

Distance: 30.6 miles
Time: 1:34
Avg Speed: 19.5 mph

Not that great, but not terrible.

-----------------------------------------
The ride home I left at 3:15pm had a good tailwind until I got to Bountiful and then it turned completely around and gave me an even stronger headwind. So it cancelled out the effect from the first half.

When I got home I immediately went to the park with the family and we had a picnic followed by a little wiffle ball game. It was fun until Cathi was helping Oliver bat when Jacob pitched it to him she smacked it hard and it hit him in the cheek. He was crying pretty hard and stormed off to the car. The fun was pretty much over at that point. So we went back home.

Went out in front of the house at 7pm as planned to meet with Bremer, Yeates, Frew, Felter, Allred, and Snow. NONE OF THEM SHOWED UP!!! What's up with that!? So I went on a ride anyway. I cut it short thought because I felt guilty as Cathi wanted to go on a little date and I turned her down for the ride. I was pretty mad at those slacker neighbors. But then I thought. "Gord - you already got in over 70 miles today. Isn't that good enough? Don't be selfish, go be with your wife!". So I got home and got cleaned up and we watched the recorded BL finally again.

Fantastic 8.5 mile run

2010-05-24T18:24:00.000-07:00

The pool was closed this morning so I went straight to work and planned on doing an evening run. Man was it nice. I went with Jacob and Cathi on this route:

8 3/4 mile run from House
Find more Runs in Syracuse, Utah

Except instead at the end I cut through the trail at the bottom of Bluff instead of running on Bluff, so that takes it down to about 8.4 Ran it in 1:21:14. So that's about a 9:40 pace. That's slow, I know, but I went at a pace that made the run fun rather than a killer where I was dying. I could have easily kept on going, but we have to have family night tonight.

I registered Cathi, myself and Jacob for the Memorial Day half marathon at Jensen park. I'm excited to do it so I can get an idea of what to expect for the Boise Half. Seriously, the swim and bike will be easy, but to top it off with a half marathon will be tough.

Ride to Buffalo Point

2010-05-22T19:56:00.000-07:00

This morning I rode out to the causeway and bought another year bike pass. The forecast was rain today and so far all I had was nasty south wind. By the time I got to the marina at the end of the causeway I realized that I didn't have time to go to Garr Ranch and back in time for my daughter's piano lesson so I decided to go to Buffalo Point which involves a fairly good climb although not very long.

Buffalo Point and back to my house is only 32 miles, but its better than calling the whole thing off. Here are a couple of pictures from the top in the restaurant parking lot.

This afternoon our family went to Lagoon and that was fun. It was supposed to rain today, but it didn't. At least not where I was. It rained this morning behind me and I was able to out ride the storm. It was sunny in most parts on the Island.

Detour

2010-05-20T08:21:00.000-07:00

About a half mile into my ride to work I realized I didn't have my helmet on so I turned around and went back to get it. So that added an extra mile to my ride. Then when I got to the I-15 overpass on 2200 North and Warm Springs Road, they had the road closed down for an hour so they could get a massive bridge beam put up, so I went back to Redwood Road and went down to 200 North trail to get around. That added another 1.5 miles to my ride.

Stats: 33.2 miles
Time: 1:42
Average Speed: 19.5 mph

Had a pretty good tail wind the first half of the ride and then a slight headwind. I went without a shirt from Layton to Farmington because the sun was out and I need to really start getting a tan built up for the July 3rd swim. But once I got to Farmington it was cloudy, and the rays weren't coming so I put my jersey back on. I don't like going without a shirt cause I'm sure people are thinking that I'm thinking I'm bad, but I'm not. I'm actually quite pudgy and doughy, especially above the waist. Definitely not something the ladies enjoy I'm sure. Hoping that there is plenty of sun on the way home this evening.

6 of 8

2010-05-18T15:09:00.000-07:00

Was planning on running 8 miles today. Ended up doing 6. Not bad considering I haven't run more than 4 since I started training. Need to pick it up some more. Don't wan't to progress too fast though and get so sore that I have to wait a week to run again.

6 miles in 58 minutes (ran first 5 straight at 6.5 mph, then last mile alternating run/walk).

Boise 70.3 stuff

2010-05-13T11:53:00.000-07:00

Race information

So I guess they are making wetsuits a requirement. I can't swim the 60 degree water without it. Lame.

Here is the bike course:
Ironman 70.3 Boise - Bike course
Find more Bike Rides in Boise, Idaho

Here is the run course:
Ironman 70.3 Run
Find more Runs in Boise, Idaho

Will add to this post as I come across more info.

6 mile run

2010-05-10T19:26:00.001-07:00

Tonight it was rainy and I still had to do my scheduled run. I didn't run at lunch today so I could run tonight with Cathi, but she got home just as I was heading out and she didn't want to go.

It was still rainy when I left but not enough that I was soaked. In fact I felt quite dry as I ran in one of Cathi's technical marathon shirts.

Here's the route I took.

Gridley 6 mile
Find more Runs in Syracuse, Utah

Ran it in 54:27. Didn't struggle too much on this. Just kept on going. Felt great at the end. I'm on schedule with my training plan. Nice!

4 mile run after Utah Open

2010-05-08T22:00:00.000-07:00

So I choked at the Utah Open Table Tennis tournament. I was in a bracket with 3 other players. They were all pretty close, but I lost to all of them. I wasn't too disappointed though. What could I expect? I hadn't practiced very much in the past couple years.

So afterwards I came home and relaxed for a bit, but then went for a four mile run. Felt a little better than last time, but wasn't as fast. Did the four miles in 39:10.

Got ready for a birthday dinner with Lows. What a fun evening!

Coach Cathi

2010-05-07T08:28:00.000-07:00

So Cathi has volunteered to be my running coach. So tonight I got home started to record Survivor and went running with Cathi. We did our typical 3.5 mile route. Down to Bluff, around Jensen park up to the roundabout on 2000 and then back to the Stake Center and home. 3.5 miles in 33 minutes.

I felt like giving up at around 1.5 miles. But I kept saying to myself, just think, your almost to the bridge and its almost 2 at that point. Then I thought, Just go to the roundabout then you are as far North as you're gonna go on this run. Then the next milestone and so on and so forth.

It's all mental. My body wasn't totally dead, just it was tiring and I had the urge to give up, but it's all in my head.

The legs must go on

2010-05-05T08:02:00.000-07:00

Monday I ran 3 miles and yesterday I was significantly sore. About a 5. Yesterday I still spent a good 30 minutes on the elliptical as well. Weighed in at 203 this morning. This morning it was cloudless at 6am so I geared up and rode off. What a perfect ride. No wind at all.

My fingers were freezing for the first 30 minutes, but they eventually warmed up. The soreness of my legs had no impact on my performance and I was able to ride all the way to work without pain or fatigue.

I took a new route. I turned left on Angel at 200 N in Kaysville and hooked up to a new bike path that was created on top of some old abandoned railroad tracks. The pavement is smooth, there are no cars and there are no obstacles to watch out for. Granted I have to slow down every time I come to a road and go around some barriers, but its worth it to get a lower MPH average to not have to worry about cars, or new bumps in the road.

It takes me all the way down to the bottom of Shepherd lane. Then I resume my normal route down to the Legacy trail.

Today's ride was 1:36. Got to work at 8:35. Good stuff.

----------------------------------------
The ride home was completely different. It was very windy all from the North, so I had a headwind almost the whole way. It took me 1:55 to get home. I told myself that I wasn't going to just coast home, but not kill myself trying to fight the wind.

I was going along Legacy trail when I saw a skunk cross the trail about 50 yards up. It went up to the fence on the left side and couldn't go under, so it started heading along the fence in my direction. I slowed down. It stopped, I stopped. Then I wondered if I should move forward or what. I did so and it immediately put its tail up towards me and exposed its bum. I didn't know what to do so I just kept going muttering "Please don't shoot me, please don't shoot me." going about 3 miles an hour. I was waiting for a massive spray to hit me at 10 feet away, but I was lucky. It didn't and I was able to move on. My heart was beating fast and I was shaking. I've heard that getting sprayed by a skunk is about as fun as having your head shoved up someone's butt.

11th hour

2010-05-03T12:48:00.001-07:00

So I only have 5 weeks before the Boise Half. Setup a training plan today. Today run 3.0 miles and increase .25 every other day. Will be up to 6.5 the week before the triathlon. Will really need to stick with it!

Lifted 4 sets of bench press (12@135, 3x8@155)

First time biking outside this year

2010-04-20T19:35:00.001-07:00

So today is supposed to be that last sunny day this week, so I decided to start today with biking to work. Left at 6:45am and was hoping to get around 1:40, but ended up with 1:45. Had a pretty strong headwind from Bountiful thru to downtown Salt Lake. My average speed dropped from around 21mph to 18 by the time I got there. I took me 1:46. I was getting some cramps in my gut, but wasn't in too much pain.

The ride home however the cramping was way worse. But had a fantastic tail wind. I was able to go between 26-30 mph whenever I was going north. Once I got to Centerville the cramp in my gut got really bad and my speed dropped down to 19-21 mph.

Will go for a 50 mile Garr Ranch ride this Saturday afternoon if it isn't raining.

Total daily miles: 61.8 miles
Time: 191 minutes = 3 hours 11 minutes
Average speed: 19.4 mph

So tired. Going to bed early!

Get over it!

2010-03-30T14:31:00.000-07:00

Worked past lunch and at 2:30pm even though I didn't want to run, I knew I had to. It was the plan when I got up. When it comes to running, it's really easy for my mind to talk myself out of it. Not today. Although I didn't really push it, at least I got down there.

3 x (.75mile @ 6.0 mph, .25 mile @ 3.0 mph)

3 miles total

Knee had hint of pain only a couple times, but nothing major. But I wanted my first go to be nice and easy and not overwhelming.

Back to it

2010-03-29T12:23:00.000-07:00

With the spring Masters swim meet over, I now need to switch gears to prepare for the Boise Half Ironman in Early June. Plus I need to lose about 15 pounds which I believe will come with a few habit changes, increased aerobic exercise that will come with the biking and running that I will be doing more of. Some habits that I will get back to doing:

Always take the stairs at work instead of the elevator

NO SWEETS - I've been allowing myself a bite or two now and then, that has to stop

Drink more water

Be more careful about how many calories I'm taking in

Today I slept in. I had a stomach flu yesterday, so today I'm still in recovery mode from that so I didn't swim. I ended up lifting during my lunch break:

Seated Quad Extension - 6 x 15 @ 55
Lying Ham Curls - 6 x 12 @ 55
Standing BB Curls, Rows, Overhead Presses: 2 x 12 @ 75
Leg Press: 6 x 12 @ 120

The tendon below my right knee was really complaining with the Leg Presses at the end. Same tendon that hates it when I run. Got to get that guy to grow up and shut up!

Short run and 1000M row

2010-01-11T12:31:00.000-08:00

Did 25 minutes (2.65 m run) on the treadmill and 1000 M rowing (4:00). Need to have this as a base this week and slowly build it up.

Back on the trainer

2010-01-09T12:30:00.000-08:00

Did 40 minutes while watching Coach Troy walk around and harass athletes in the Spinervals 100 DVD.

Castaway Cay 5K

2010-01-02T12:26:00.000-08:00

Today Cathi and I did a 5k fun run with other cruise travelers. It was very windy. I just stayed with Cathi. My pace was slow, but it was nice going with Cathi and she was very encouraging. We did it in just over 30 minutes. The cruise people gave us each a very nice water bottle as a thank you for participating.

From DisneyWorld2009

I'll have to figure things out pretty soon.

Attempted to run again on Disney Magic, but was foiled

2010-01-01T12:23:00.000-08:00

Went to run with Cathi again, but noticed that some runners were running the wrong way around deck 4. Once we got 3/4 around found out why. They had closed off a portion of the deck to do some painting. So people were running back around. That is dangerous around the stern where there is only room for one person and it curves fast. You could have a pretty serious head on collision with other runners. So I went biking and lifting instead.

Today was a full day at sea so I didn't get to swim. The pools on Disney Magic suck (for laps)

3.5 miles on Deck 4 of Disney Magic

2009-12-31T12:20:00.000-08:00

This morning I got up with Cathi and we ran around the deck of Deck 4 which is 1/3 mile. I planned on 9-12 laps and did 12. Had a pretty good headwind on the starboard side, but a tailwind on the port side. Only about 4 other runners. Afterwards I went to the weightroom and did some biking and lifting.

Good day

5 mile run in the fog

2009-12-19T06:18:00.000-08:00

This morning Cathi got up at 5 to go run with Carly and Tiffany. The phone rang at 5:10. Carly said it's way too foggy and they weren't going. So I got up, got my running stuff on and went out looking for Cathi knowing she wouldn't feel the same way about cancelling. She was parked in Tiffany's driveway waiting. I told her and she was bugged, but I also told her I was prepared to run with her so we went out and stayed on the trail where we wouldn't get hit by a car.

It was foggy. About 30 feet visibility. I had my flashlight with me. We had a good talk and Cathi was glad to be up and running this morning. It was probably 30 degrees. Ran from our house around Jensen Park and up to the turn around point and then back. About 5 miles, but Cathi had to keep going.

Thanksgiving Run

2009-11-26T20:00:00.000-08:00

This morning Cathi and I got up and went on a 10 mile run with Korey, Ele, Eric and Kristen Buchi. When I got to mile 6 my knee started acting up and at mile 7 I got the stabbing pain.

From now on, I need to wear the pat band no matter what. I ended up walking the rest of the way while Cathi ran on up ahead with Eric. I didn't mind cause I had Flight of the Concords on my mp3 and they were new to me and I was cracking up hearing their songs. Cathi drove back and picked me up. Then we drove back further to get Kristen who also had knee issues. Need to pick up the running training (and figure out what to do to get my knee to play nice).

Had a great Thanksgiving evening at the Lows.

Feeling awesome - 5 mile run @ 45 min

2009-11-18T15:24:00.000-08:00

This morning I did other miscellaneous stuff at home rather than go swim. So I had to do something at lunch and something tough. So my goal was to run for either 5 miles, or 45 minutes which ever came first.

Well I had paced it so that they both came within just a few seconds of being at the same time:

5 miles @ 45:06

Felt so good throughout this run. I didn't have any joint issues, or pain which caused me to wish to quit early. I'm sure I'll get to the point one day where I wish I had an unlimited amount of time and then I could try running for 15 miles at lunch just to see if I can run that long. Thing is I only get like an hour or so. Will have to save that kind of activity for a weekend, or super early like Cathi and her masochist running friends.

4 mile run at lunch

2009-11-16T15:03:00.001-08:00

Goal was to run 35 minutes straight at 6.5 mph. Which I did, but added a little extra to get to 4.0 miles.

4 miles @ 36:20

Not giving up

2009-11-10T15:19:00.000-08:00

Today I worked through lunch and didn't get a good time to break away until 2pm. At that point I went downstairs initially aiming for a 45 minute run. I started out at 6.5 mph and at 15 took it up to 7.0 mph. Did fine with that until 20 and then started to get more tired than normal, so I brought it back down to 6.5 mph. That made things better and I was able to catch my breath and maintain that pace.

Then when I got to 30 I thought to myself, "Hey you did 30 minutes last week. If you quit now, you'd still be doing just fine." But then I had a vision:

I'm halfway through the French side shipping lane, when my body hits a wall and starts to use fat as an energy source. Do I give up or keep on going?!

That gave me the mental sharpness I needed to hit my goal that I started out with of going 45 minutes.

Total time: 45 minutes
Distance: 5.11 miles

cooled down and went 5.25 total.

Boot Camp

2009-11-06T07:30:00.000-08:00

So last night Cathi begged me to go to this Boot Camp workout in Clearfield. This morning got up at 5:30 and got ready to go over. It was a tiny little gym with about 6 treadmills and about 15 different weight machines including a Jacob's ladder (with a broken stat meter).

We started the workout with a 1 mile run around the neighborhood. When we got back they had us rotating in two stations. The first station was doing 14 reps using 20 pound dumbells on the following:

Overhead Press, Curls, Kickbacks, Rows, Lat Raises, Squats, Lunges, Floor Press, Flys, Crunches and then get up on your feet without hands touching the ground. The weights weren't supposed to ever touch the ground.

Next station: 4 minutes on the treadmill at 6-10% incline and 4.0 mph. Rotated three times. Pretty good, but that was just the warmup. This next thing kicked my butt.

20 sets of Squat jumps and crunches with 20 pound dumbells. First set 20 squats, 1 crunch and then next set 19 squats, 2 crunches. Last set... 1 squat 20 crunches.

The first 4-5 reps were tough with the number of squats, and then it got easy in the middle, but then at the end the crunches were tough.

Very nice workout. But not something I'm willing to pay money for. I'd rather swim.

The two "drill sargents" were getting on other people slacking. I don't get why someone would come to a workout and then slack. With anything that's tough. You have to deal with it for about two weeks and then your body adjusts and adapts to it and you get way stronger.

This made me think about my running this week. I've really come a long way in one week on the running. I've run four days in a row(even though today was only 1 mile)1 now and if I can keep it going (except Sunday's), then my body should be totally used to it by the time I do the Ogden Marathon next spring.

New PR - run three days in a row

2009-11-05T16:21:00.001-08:00

I'm feeling great about this running thing. I've now three days in a row during my lunch break. Today I did 4 miles. I was planning on running 35 minutes and stopping, but I only had a little further to go to get the 4 miles, so I actually went 35:40 today. Started out at 6.5 mph and moved it up to 7.0 the last few minutes, and then 7.5 the last 30 seconds.

Then walked a half lap to cool down. All at a 2.5% grade.

My knee didn't even ache at all. I'm liking this even though its hard as ....

4.125 miles total

Another 5k, this time faster

2009-11-04T13:06:00.000-08:00

Stretched for 3 minutes, then ran 3 miles @ 6.5 mph/2.5% grade. What I did mentally was once I got to 3 minutes into the run is envisioned running the Columbia River Half and every minute represented a mile. So when I looked at the clock and saw that I was at 5 minutes into the start of the run I was at mile 5 (which is the turn going south down the big hill before going back on to the bridge).

Then once I got to 28 minutes put the speed at 7.0 miles, and then at 29 minutes 7.5. Once I got to 30 minutes I was at 3.25 miles. Then I put it at 3.0 mph and walked a half lap (0.125 m), took my pulse (160 bpm) then put it on 8.5 and ran a half lap.

Got off and stretched real good.

Total distance: 3.5 miles @ 32:30

Nice 5K run

2009-11-03T12:47:00.000-08:00

At lunchtime today I went down and ran a 5k straight on the treadmill at a 2.5% grade. First 2 miles at 6.0 mph, third mile at 6.5 mph, Then at 29 minutes ran 7.0 mph, 29:30 @ 7.5 mph. Stop at 30 minutes. Ended up being 5K. Sweat alot and didn't have any water with me.

Forgot to stretch beforehand so I stretched really good afterwards (about 10 minutes). Then did 10 minutes of abs.

Need to swim tonight. Oh yeah, It's official. I'm registered for the Ogden Marathon on May 15th, 2010. No backing out now!

Arms

2009-11-02T12:52:00.000-08:00

Hit the weightroom today at lunch. Did arms:

Seated Preacher Curls: 15 @ 75, 3 x 12 @ 95
Standing Alternating DB Curls: 12 @ 35, 2 x 8 @ 40, 8 @ 45
Wrist Curls: 12 @ 35, 2 x 8 @ 40, 6 @ 45
Standing Reverse Curls w/Armblaster: 12 @ 75, 3 x 8 @ 80

My hands are so city. Don't have any callouses any more and my hands are burning with the rough part of the bar turning in my hand. Good lift. Was actually fun. Just wish I had more time to really get in a 10 lift day.

Results of the 2009 Columbia River Power Marathon

2009-10-25T17:14:00.000-07:00

We left on Thursday after work and drove for 9 hours to Hilgard Junction State park, about an hour before Hermiston, OR. I was so tired and I promised Cathi that I'd stop when I got sleepy. Trying to sleep in the van with 9 people all scrunched up was tough. It was cold outside and every 10-15 seconds someone would whine and then go back to sleep. It was extremely uncomfortable. Never again.

Got up around 5 am and drove the rest of the way to Umatilla. Got to the Umatilla Marina and got a tent site. We set up camp and I then slept for another three hours while Cathi took the kids out with the van to explore. When they got back we went to get the packets. It was a very rainy day. We went to go see "Where the Wild Things Are". Not the best movie ever, but it was pretty fun. Sam and Oliver laughed out loud several times throughout the movie. Definitely a kid movie.

Then we went to Pizza Hut. The kids loved it. I had a salad bar and all the crusts the kids didn't want. Sleeping that night was so much better than the night before even though the wind for most of the night was extremely violent. It broke one of the side poles and I got up in the middle of the night to tie it up to a nearby tree. Then Isaac had some sort of stomach flu and threw up all over inside his sleeping bag. He had vomit all over his pajamas, his face, in his bag. Thank goodness the campsite had showers. So I carried him over to the bathrooms and got him showered up and in some extra pajamas we had that were way too small for him. Then carried him back and he slept with Sam in his sleeping bag. It was great after that. The wind died down and I slept for another several hours.

Cathi, Jacob and I woke up at 6:30 and got ready. I told Austin the computer password so he could sign in and play movies for the kids while we were gone. It was a chilly morning. Probably low 50s. Here's the route:
2009 Columbia River Power Marathon Half Marathon
Find more Runs in Umatilla, Oregon

This route was fun because we got to Cross McNary Dam and run the next several miles in Washington State. The hardest part was miles 9 - 11 where it was uphill. Mile 2.5 - 4 was also hard, but since it was so close to the start not that big of a deal. I was very pleased with my pace on this race. At mile 5 I started to feel a little discomfort in my left knee. I said a prayer that it wouldn't get worse and that I would have a good race. I sure got an answer to that prayer! It didn't get worse (it didn't get better though) and it was a constant ache, but nothing that really prevented me from running my normal pace. At mile 6.5 we start across the McNary Highway Bridge. On the switchback up to the bridge I saw Cathi was only about 200 yards behind me. I yelled out for her and gave her a wave. She smiled and waved back.

When I got to mile 10.3 that is where the Full Marathoners keep going down a trail while the half marathoners loop back and finish their last few miles. At that point where I looped back, I saw Cathi and hooted for her and she ran a great first 10 miles.

There was a guy who passed me at mile 3 who stayed ahead of me up to a quarter mile. But after the hills at mile 11 I was able to gain on him and ended up passing him on the last stretch of the race on Willamette Ave just after mile 12 and he fought the pass, but couldn't keep up. I gave this race my all and my legs are making me pay today. I'm hobbling around like an old man. Anyway, my time was 1:54:49. I waited for Jacob to finish and that poor kid had a tough race. He came in at 2:27:28. He took first place for the 17 and Under division (too bad there weren't any other kids in that division at all).

We hurried back to camp. The kids just finished a movie and we loaded up the van. We got back about 10 minutes before Cathi got there. Because of the hills, I thought her time would at best be 4:00. She ended up getting 3:51:19. That's a fantastic time considering the two good sized hills to climb. She took first place overall for females! There were 16 female marathon runners and she took first! Here are the official results. Way to go Cathi!

We had such a great time on this "vacation". The kids got along great considering the close quarters. Thank goodness for the movie setup I have in the van. It helped keep the kids minds off the very long drive.

Chest workout

2009-10-20T15:20:00.000-07:00

Since doing cardio so much the last year, I haven't spent as much time in the weight room and man I miss it. Today I did chest:

DB Flys: 4 x 8,10,12,14 @ 40
Decline Press: 12 @ 135, 10 @ 155, 8 @ 175, 12 @ 135
Pushups: 4 x 20 slow ones

Not much I know, but should be enough to get the pecs a little tender.

Six mile run with Cathi again

2009-10-19T08:12:00.000-07:00

Ran six miles with Cathi this morning. Felt like giving up several times. Not because I had any specific joint pain, just felt lazy. I didn't end up giving up though. My pace wasn't the fastest, but I did run the whole time (except once when Cathi had to make a quick pit stop).

It wasn't cold this morning. It was starting to sprinkle a little, so we had plenty of cloud cover. What a good morning.

Six mile run with Cathi

2009-10-16T07:17:00.000-07:00

This morning I got up with Cathi and we ran for an hour (just under an hour). Here's the route:

Six Mile Route From Home
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6 miles in 57:13 (9:54) That's really slow. My right calf is a little sore. No knee issues. Tried to take it easy and not walk at all. When I stopped at the end my heart rate was 140.

A little worried about next weekend's half marathon.

Ragnar Tragedy

2009-10-14T07:58:00.000-07:00

From an email to Ragnar Relay Participants....

Most of you are aware that there was a tragic accident during last weekend's Ragnar Relay Las Vegas. The level of concern that Ragnar participants and members of the community have expressed has been overwhelming. We appreciate your patience with us as we've worked to release information in the most appropriate fashion. Our first priority at this time is to be sensitive to the needs and wishes of our participant's family.

Details about the accident are somewhat limited, but we want to share with you what we can confirm at this time.

In the early morning hours of Saturday, October 10 Jeremy Kunz was struck by a suspected drunk driver while providing support to a runner on his team. Police and Rescue responded quickly, as did several Ragnar teams. Unfortunately Jeremy could not be resuscitated. Special thanks goes out to team 184, "The Dog Pound," which was first on the scene and provided immediate aid to Jeremy. Jeremy's family has asked us to thank team 184 and other teams who were there. Thank you!

The driver was apprehended and arrested for DUI and other charges. He is currently in custody. Police have released very few other details. We expect a full incident report to be released sometime today (Monday, October 12).

This was Jeremy's 3rd Ragnar Relay. He has participated with his family in two Wasatch Back Ragnar Relays in addition to the Las Vegas Ragnar. He was participating as a member of team Wanabees. His family wanted teams to know how much he loved these relays. They are finding some comfort in the fact that he died doing something he loved.

We at Ragnar Relay feel tremendous sorrow for the family's loss. The level of concern and sorrow that other Ragnar participants have expressed has been very moving. Laurie Pratt (a Ragnar participant) expressed our feelings and those of other Ragnar participants well in a comment on our Facebook fan page: "On the course we all look out for each other and feel a kinship that few may understand if they haven't personally experienced it." Never have we seen that support and kinship more evident than at this time. Thank you all for your concern.

Many of you expressed interest in making a contribution to the family. A family friend will be setting up a fund that will benefit Jeremy's young family and children. We will provide information to participants when details are available. Until then you may email dan@ragnarrelay.com if you are interested in donating. Please include "donate" in the subject line.

Our hearts and deepest sympathy go out to the family. We ask that you keep them in your thoughts and prayers. Many teams have been expressing their grief on our facebook fan page. It has been incredibly touching. You may read comments and post your own here. http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Ragnar-Relay-Series/46637589402?ref=ts

Las Vegas Ragnar Relay, 2009

2009-10-11T19:15:00.000-07:00

On Thursday morning 10/8 Cathi and I got up and drove with John and Kristen Buchi and Kyle Hamblin to Las Vegas for the Ragnar Relay run to start on Friday.

Basically a team of 12 runners. 2 vans of 6 people each run a relay over 170 miles taking about 24 hours to complete. You can check out the website for details on that if you want. Here are the complete stats of our run. Click the image to see the details:

I was nervous about this relay as I had runners knee issues the past few weeks. This run was great for me because I didn't have any issues whatsoever with my knee. I didn't wear the band I bought because I wasn't having problems. I had it in my pocket in case I did. I was the second runner in Van 1. I got my hand off from Cathi. She ran so strong.

My first leg: I started my run at 10:04 am and ran 3.8 miles. It was relatively flat. I ran it in 32:04 which was exactly what I had projected it would take me. I really pushed it on this first leg and was sweating like a pig. It was pretty hot and I sprinted at the end.

I handed off to Kyle who ran great. He was the speed demon in our van. Kyle was fun to get to know. He had a good sense of humor, had a very laid back and humble way about him. I was very impressed with his endurance and speed. Overall he was the fastest person in our van.

Kyle handed off to Stacy. She had run I believe the San Diego Marathon and was a good distance runner. Her first leg was brutal. It was uphill and it was hot! Her other two runs were faster cause it was dark (cooler temperature), flatter and shorter. Her experience with running was a great asset to the team.

Stacy handed off to Kristen. Kristen's goal was to get faster than 10 min miles on her run. She did well under that on the first two legs. The last one had a fairly good headwind. Plus the worst leg for everyone as far as running under fatigue was the last leg. We had to run that one at 3:00 am after only getting a couple hours sleep at a park with boy scouts running and shouting. Not the best conditions for a speedy run. Regardless she did well and didn't end up walking on her portions. She was great!

Kristen handed off to John. John had the hardest 3 sections in our van. The first two were considered "Hard" with the last one "Easy". He really endured through all of them and the numbers don't really give him credit. The runs he did were truly hard and he was brave to take that leg on.

John then handed off to Ele who was in Van 2. Once they had the handoff we would then move to our next station which was about 26-40 miles up ahead on the course.

In between our first and second runs we waited at Lake Mead. I went for a 2 mile swim.

My second leg was run in the dark. It was my hardest run. It had some good rolling hills and it was 4.8 miles. I saw a light way up ahead of me and I was determined to pass that runner. The van kept going ahead and waiting with water. I was convinced that I could pass that runner and turned down any water until I had accomplished that goal. I could tell that I was gaining and ended up passing him within 2 miles. I then was glad take a good drink while running. At the hand off I had to go up a hill and then handoff to Kyle who cruised right ahead.

In between our second and third sets we tried to get some sleep at the last exchange for us. Kyle, John and Kristen and I all slept in sleeping bags over on the grass next to a baseball diamond at the last exchange. Cathi and Stacy stayed in the van and slept on the benches. Kyle woke me up around 2:30 and said that the van 2 just texted them and that we needed to get moving. I woke up Cathi and helped her get ready as she was the most crucial runner to be ready for Van 2 at the hand off.

On my last run I had to run a straight path the whole time. I was on a paved bike trail along a major road. It was flat and dark. I was glad to have the headlamp. I could see a runner about a half mile up ahead and nobody behind me. I was hoping to catch the runner, but only was able to close the gap just a little. Passing someone on a race like this is called earning a "roadkill". I collected six roadkills on this race and was not a roadkill victim to anyone on this race. So that is a first for me in a running race at least.

Kyle was able to pick up my slack and was able to pass that team within the first half of his run.

I was so glad to be done. The last leg our team really worked together and cheered at the early hour of the morning. We helped Kristen with her run as it seemed to take a toll on her. What a great experience to do a race like this! In other races I've been in, it's all about yourself. You either achieve or fail by yourself. In a relay, you really help each other and support each other in a way you just don't get in any other kind of race. It really builds lasting friendships and I'm so glad that I did this. I will definitely do this again next year and preferably with the same group of people we went with this year. It was a true pleasure!

Here are all the pictures.

Tour de St. George

2009-10-02T20:52:00.000-07:00

This morning I got up and started this ride at 8:30am. I took 5 quarts of water and only needed 3.

St George to Tocquerville 100K
Find more Bike Rides in St. George, Utah

My plan was to do the full St. George Century, but ended up just doing the right side of the Tour de St. George. Well, this ride was hilly! 65 miles was well and good enough. I was beat. It took me 3:40 to do this ride. It sure was pretty. What a beautiful ride! I'll put together a video tomorrow and post it here.

First run on treadmill in several months

2009-09-29T13:51:00.000-07:00

Today at lunch I hit the treadmill:

1.0 miles (.25 @ 6.0mph, .25 @ 6.2, .25 @ 6.4, .25 @ 6.6)
.25 miles walk @ 3.5 mph
1.0 miles (.25 @ 6.4, .25 @ 6.6, .25 @ 6.8, .25 @ 7.0)
.25 miles walk @ 3.5 mph
.5 miles (.25 @ 6.2, .25 @ 6.4)
.125 miles walk @ 3.5
.125 miles @ 8.0 mph
.06 miles @ 3.5 mph

3.3 miles in 35 minutes

Didn't feel knee discomfort until 2.8 miles. I was going to do 4 miles today, but cut it short. Hopefully the knee gets a clue and doesn't start it's whining until later in the run.

Lifted deadlifts: 3 x 6,8,10 @ 185
upright rows: 3 x 6,8,10 @ 100

Annual Pocatello to Syracuse ride

2009-09-28T09:20:00.001-07:00

I got a ride to Pocatello with Leslie and Garth. I spent the evening with Grandma and Grandpa. Grandma made a delicious three course meal. The salad was awesome. She sure was fun to visit with. Grandpa was in good spirits too. We talked about old times and books that Grandma read. What a fun evening.

I rode up to Anderson's house to go to bed. That's quite a ride in itself. I checked out the weather station and no chance of a storm. The plan was Dale would get there sometime before 7am. I put a note on the door for him to go downstairs. He arrived at 5am. Rested for another two hours and I got up at 6:30, showered and got ready to go. Dale had a flat on his tire so we had to fix that and make last minute preparations. We didn't end up leaving until 7:45 am.

On the way down Satterfield I noticed my GPS quit working. So I changed the batteries. Nothing. Then I looked at the corroded battery terminal. It had completely corroded through the metal so it wasn't completing the connection. When I took the battery out the metal piece connecting to the battery fell out. Great! Now I have no way to power the GPS on this trip and I was only 1 mile into it. I was so mad! I am a data geek and now I won't know where I'm sitting.

It was just as well cause the ride was very slow going. Our average speed to start was probably about 14 mph. Then after Inkom it got even worse. It was around 12 mph avg by the time we got to Downey. Poor Dale was having a hard time. His legs were on fire and his first mention of it was only at around 5 miles before Arimo.

By the time we got to Preston which is a little less than half way, it was already 2pm. We were in serious jeopardy of not even making it home before dark. So he gave me the OK to go ahead. He would keep plugging along and see if he could get a ride further ahead and meet me.

So I picked up the pace and left from Preston. I was going at a good pace, probably 20 mph. When I got to the base of the hill after Logan heading into Brigham City I was tired. My legs at this point were tired. I applied some Dr. Hoy's magic rub on my legs and that felt good. The thing that really hurt was my neck. Going into the aerobars and looking forward was putting a strain on my neck. I applied several coats of that throughout the remainder of the ride. I stopped at three places on the way up to the top of the pass. Coming down was a little scary. The road was good and there wasn't much debris on the side of the road. But going over 40 mph on a freeway is scary. One wrong move and my skin is all over the road and I could roll into the road and get ran over too. So I was very alert and cautious.

When I turned at the base of the hill in Brigham City I stopped and got some fuel. I was low on sugar and was hurting for energy. I got a 16 oz Mtn Dew and some Zingers. Hit the spot! Not the most nutritious, but I needed sugar! I already had power bars and gatorades previously, but I needed some serious sugar, and that worked out great. I continued on and called Cathi to whine for a second. When I got to Perry, I saw Dale on the side of the road flagging me down. Sure enough he got a ride. We rode together at a 12 - 13mph pace until it got dark at Farr West.

The sun was going down and neither of us had headlights. So after 11 hours of riding, we stopped at the Front Runner Station and got a group pass so he could get to Salt Lake and I could get to Clearfield. I took my light off and I wasn't about to ride in the dark. After I bought the pass and headed towards the platform, a sign said that the service doesn't run on Saturday. Duh, why did the machine just sell me the pass then? I was ticked.

I called home. Cathi was at the Women's Conference at the Stake Center. I called Aaron Cunningham, not home. Duane Ralphs, he came through. He came by in a truck and gave us a ride the rest of the 15 - 20 miles home. What a good friend! He saved us in our time of need.

I was sad that I didn't get to finish. I don't doubt that I could have made it had the pace been about 3 mph faster earlier in the day. It was fun though and I got to talk with Dale quite a bit. He's quite the entrepreneur and I'm proud to know him.

Two days later and looking back. I'm not sore at all, just a tad stiff, but nothing major at all. Next year, I'll try going solo again, and then see if I can break my record and get under 9 hours. I want to do Lotoja next year and will need to step up the distance training in order to do that. 140 - 160 miles is quite a bit easier than over 200 miles I'm sure. Then again, getting some drafting would also help too.

What's up with my knee?!

2009-09-15T08:23:00.001-07:00

OK so maybe the Pocatello Marathon did some damage to my knee. It was hurting, but not that bad. Saturday's evening run wasn't good on my knee and I was hoping that with a little more stretching that this morning's run with Cathi would be better. I ended up going about 1.25 miles before having an issue with my knee. Then I ended up walking a good portion with Cathi. She was kind enough to walk with me and we would talk.

But I'm worried about the next half marathon if I'm having issues with me knee like this. It's been fine all this year up until now. I'm gonna have to wear a brace now until I'm confident it won't give me problems.

Distance: 3.5 miles
Time: @ 45 minutes

I may have to cut my time with Cathi at this Saturday's TOU Marathon to the last three miles instead of 10K. Need to hit the treadmill more to show that knee who's boss!

Salvaging a crappy weekend

2009-09-12T20:08:00.000-07:00

Crappy in the sense that I wasn't making good decisions on what to put in my mouth. Yesterday I went to the Greek Festival in Downtown SLC for lunch. The Greeks sure love their meat. And I was willing to submit. Lots of calories consumed.

Then I took Lucy camping at the Daddy Daughter camp. Which was fun, but on the way up there I took her out for dinner which is tradition. We went to Steph's Drive in. This was the last choice for dinner as we've already been everywhere else in Morgan in previous years. I ordered a Chicken Salad which was good, but then Lucy wasn't eating her fries with her corn dog, so I helped her out. Bad choice!

Then today when we got back I made pancakes and hash browns for the kids for brunch. Nobody was eating the hash browns, so I ate all of them. What's up doofus!

So by this point I was so depressed about my lack of food selections. Cathi arrived from her out of town marathon. So she relieved me of duty and let me go out to Garr Ranch and back. It was so hot outside! I didn't wear a jersey, just my bib and singlet top.

Stats:

50 miles
2:31
Average speed: 19.7 mph

Then I went on a run down to Smiths to rent "Race to Witch Mountain" from the redbox. So I got in about 1.25 miles in run. Not fast and in fact when I got there my knee was killing me so I only ran back about 100 yards and then walked the rest of the way. I need to wear a brace when I run, unless I really load up on the heat lotion.

1.25 miles
@ 15 minutes

School Bus Curse

2009-09-10T08:42:00.000-07:00

Today while going down Angel I was passed by a school bus, which stopped ahead of me and loaded up kids. I had to stop for it. Then it went up ahead another 1/2 mile or so and stopped and I had to stop again. Next time it stopped I passed over on the other side of the road and stayed ahead of it. Then I hit just about every stop light on the way so today was not a great non-stop ride. It was annoying.

When I got to Legacy Bike Trail though I saw a couple of other bikers just as I got on. I caught up to them and led them from Glover Lane to 500 South in Bountiful where they turned off. It was nice cause my average speed up to that point was a measly 20.2 mph, but then I was holding a 24 mph average leading them. It sure makes a difference when you're with a group, you push it more. Makes me excited for Pocatello. I sure hope Dale and at least one other person comes through.

Distance 30.6 miles
Time: 1:31
Average speed: 20.2 mph

Cathi is having her birthday dinner tonight down in Draper so I'll be getting a ride back tonight, so today's ride is just a one way. :(

Results of the 2009 Pocatello Half Marathon

2009-09-07T16:16:00.000-07:00

I had three goals for this race:

Don't walk the entire race

Get under 2:00

If you're feeling like a stud, go for a new PR (Under 1:47)

Jacob and I took the bus to the starting line for the half up the canyon from Inkom. When we started we were right near the front. My first mile split was like 7:38, but after that it slowed. There only about 10 people who passed me, and many of those I passed again later on in the race.

I was feeling great up until mile 9.5 when I started to feel a blister forming. Other than that I was still feeling fine. By Mile 11 it was starting to hurt, but I was able to push through the pain and finish. I was keeping an eye on the clock at each mile marker and noticed that I wasn't quite keeping pace to get a new PR, but well under pace for getting under 2:00.

I crossed the line and ended up with 1:53:24. I took 8th out of 21 in my age group. I also was very proud to not walk one single step in this race. Even when I was at an aid station I kept on running through it and drank while I ran. That's a first for me. Usually I'll walk when I drink. Not this time.

Jacob crossed the finish line only 9 minutes later. 2:02:47 He took first in the 14 and Under Men division (he was the only one).

Cathi surprised us all and got a new PR! 3:44:09 She took third out of ten for her age group (given that the first place person also placed in the overall category and no longer applicable to win the age group division). By getting this time she qualified again for Boston.

What a wonderful race for all of us. It was so fun to have all of us do so well. Thanks to Andersons for letting us stay at their house and for Grandma and Grandpa for watching Isaac while we ran. It was fun visiting with Andersons and Richins on Friday night. Sure makes for an extra fun trip!

Life must go on

2009-08-31T07:57:00.000-07:00

Since doing the Bear Lake Classic Olympic Triathlon two days ago, my quads are sore a 7 out of 10. Today is my only day this week where I could possibly ride to work (given that I need to start to taper Thursday for the Pocatello Half Marathon this Saturday). When I woke up I was even more sore than yesterday, but was determined to go with my plan of riding to work today. Plus riding the bike will probably do my soreness some good since the soreness is due to running at the tri, and not the biking.

No wind this morning and the sun didn't pop over the mountains until 7:45 am. Temperature is a little cooler in the morning. I was slightly chilled the first minute. But didn't take long to warm up.

Distance: 30.6 miles
Time: 1:29
Average Speed: 20.63 mph

Good ride considering the soreness.
----------------------------------------------
The ride home included a small headwind breeze, enough to be annoying.
Distance: 30.6 miles
Time: 1:31
Average Speed: 20.1 mph

My results of the Bear Lake Classic Olympic Distance Triathlon

2009-08-29T18:34:00.000-07:00

Lucy, Jonas and I spent the night up at the cabin and woke up early to drive the remaining 25 miles to the event at Rendezvous Beach. We set up our transition areas and went down to the water. I was pleased with the temperature. 68 degrees. Perfect even without a wetsuit.

When they started the race, there was no countdown. Just one minute to go and then next thing I knew there was a blast on the horn. Everyone ran like crazy to the buoy. It was a good 100 yards before I got deep enough to swim. I only saw one other person without a wetsuit and it was a girl. I was passing people left and right. I was wearing my "goofy goggles" so I could see great! One thing that bothered me though, is that I start out so fast that I don't concentrate on my breathing, or rather I'm going so fast that I need more air so even when I do concentrate and breathe bilaterally, that it doesn't give me enough air so I had to breathe on one side about 65% of the time. I went very straight this time and the swim performance was great! I was 5th out of the water. One guy quit about 1/3 way into it and ran across the mat at 20 minutes, but I'm not counting his time.

On the bike transition it could have been better. My jersey got stuck again behind my wet back and it was a struggle to get it on all the way. Plus when I started on the peddles, I had a hard time getting my feet into the shoes. But it wasn't too bad. I only had 4 people pass me on the 25 mile bike course. There was a couple fairly good hills, but nothing terrible. The transition to run went smoothly. I knew the run I would get passed by a ton, but I only got passed by 11 racers(not counting Relay and Sprint racers)

I liked how the run was two laps rather than an out and back type thing. I don't like seeing people come towards me who are ahead of me. It's a little shameful, but if it's a lap distance then I don't ever have to see the people ahead of me. When I started I started to feel some good tightness in my right calf muscle. Not cramping, but close. I just kept on going and after the first mile it was gone. At around mile 5 I started feeling some serious burning in my left foot's arch. A blister. I put vaseline on the inside of my socks before the race, but didn't put it in the arch area, just the toes. By the time I finished it was serious painful. It's a good inch long blister on my arch. I'll need to heal that up completely for next week's half marathon and vaseline it real good.

My finish time came in at 2:37:10.

My Swim time was 27:01 (1.15 miles = 1:20 pace)

Bike time was 1:11:32 (25 miles = 20.9 avg) Not too good, but it was rolling hills for probably half of it.

Run time was 55:46 (10K) which isn't good at all. But what can I expect, I'm not doing ANY running training! I really need to step up on the running.

Every turn was very well marked and there were a ton of volunteers throughout the entire course guiding you where to go. I would say this would be the best organized triathlon I've been to. Except for when noon came and the kids were all at the waters edge waiting to start, freezing in the wind and overcast sky, nobody showed. At 12:15 I started walking up to the transition area to see what was going on. Someone finally came and started the kids event off.

The marked was out about 50 yards from the beach. Just about every kid could run the whole thing, which is exactly what Jonas did. I kept trying to encourage him to swim, but he just wouldn't. I was splashing him telling him to get his face in the water, but he would just try to outrun me. Lucy on the other hand swam probably half the time. When she did swim it was backstroke.

They ran to transition and were off. Lucy was way ahead so I stayed with Jonas. His little spider man bike needs some gears cause he was peddling like mad and only going about 12 mph. When we got back from the bike Lucy was just starting her run. Jonas was funny. Instead of going all the way back to his assigned post to put his bike, as soon as he go to transition he just dumped his bike and helmet and chased after Lucy. He was about 100 yards behind her. When they finished Lucy only beat him by about 50 yards. He's quite the little runner.

The both had a ball and it was fun hearing the crowd at the finish line cheer like mad for the little kids. They slept the whole way home. They were beat. Lucy said something thoughtful when we were loading the bikes on the car to come home. She said, "Gee Dad, if I'm this tired after doing my little triathlon, you must be REALLY tired!". What a cutie.

Actually I wasn't tired at all. In fact if it weren't for that dang run I would be totally ready for a half ironman.

I'm done doing triathlons this year. But I have two half marathons coming up. One next week! So I really need to step up the running. That's where I'm really hurting! Click below for video clip.

First time lifting in a LONG time

2009-08-25T18:36:00.000-07:00

Bench: 12 @ 135, 8 @ 145, 8 @ 155, 8 @ 165, 8 @ 175, 8 @ 185
Dips: 3 x 12 @ 195 (body weight)
Alternating DB Curls: 3 x 12 @ 35
Crunches: 50, 100, 60
Armblaster Curls: 3 x 12 @ 75

Only 45 minutes, but should be enough to make me sore tomorrow.

I'm taking a ride with my best friend

2009-08-25T08:05:00.000-07:00

Referring to my Felt of course.....

Depeche Mode tonight, so I won't be riding home. Will be going with Cathi, Jen and Duane Ralphs.

Stats: 30.6 miles
Time: 1:27
Average Speed: 21.1 mph

Good ride, no wind.

Smooth as snot!

2009-08-20T07:49:00.000-07:00

On Monday I brought my bike in to work and dropped it off at the conveniently located SLC Bicycle Company on 200 E and 200 S. I talked with Troy and left my bike with him to get a full service. The next day I came in and picked it up and I couldn't hold back smiles when I saw it come out of the storage room. It was shiny and looked brand spanking new! There wasn't a speck of dirt on it and I could see that it was very nicely packed with new grease.

In comparing the customer service between SLC Bicycle company and my home location's local bike shop is night and day. SLC Bicycle staff is more professional and service oriented, and the quality of work is superior. I'm very impressed and they've earned my business.

Today's ride was so smooth and the bike didn't make a single noise. I was in heaven. Definitely worth the money to get it serviced. He gave me new brakes and cables and made sure the wheels were true. I'm so looking forward to my Pocatello to Syracuse ride!

Here's today's stats:

Distance: 30.6 miles
Time: 1:29
Average Speed: 20.6 mph

How to win - guest post by Adrienne Carlson

2009-08-16T22:03:00.000-07:00

How to Win When You Play a Sport

I’m sure there are better ways to exercise, but I prefer to play a sport; to be more specific, racquetball is my poison, one I cannot do with and am addicted to. I enjoy thrashing out my daily stresses and tensions on the court, I love the rush it gives me when I play my best game, and I get high on the energy I am filled with long after the session of play is over.

Now, the problem comes when there are people around you who are competitive, those who play only to win. When this happens, most of the fun is sucked out of the game and it becomes a question of one-upmanship to see who wins. While I am fairly competitive, I am not a fanatic who absolutely has to win every single game in order to satiate and feed my ego. But once in a while I do come across people who must win if they are to leave the court in a good mood. What they fail to realize is that sports is a finicky mistress – you need a huge amount of luck to score (read win) on a regular and continuous basis.

I reserve my strategies and game plans for the few minor tournaments I take part in; only then do I feel right for my competitive nature has to take over. The way I see it, in order to win, you must:

Be physically fit: No amount of game-playing skill is enough to help you win a game or match if you are not physically fit. Endurance and stamina are key aspects to any sportsperson’s repertoire of skills. You must train according to your sport and develop your muscles and keep them strong so that you avoid injury.

Be good at the game: This goes without saying – you must be good and have the right skills in order to play well and win. But, as your opponent is also going to be as good as or even better than you, this alone is not enough. So you need to do much more than just play well.

Know how to out-think your opponent: The team or player that wins is not always the strongest and most skilled in the field or on the court. In fact, those who are master strategists enjoy a larger number of victories than the ones who play well. You must be one step ahead of your opponent, mentally and physically if you want to win. Think with your head rather than just reacting to your opponent’s play; make them play your game instead of you playing theirs.

Play with your mind: Victory is more in the mind than in your game. Even if you are down match point or if the situation is so bleak that victory seems really elusive, don’t give up. Keep fighting till the last second is done or the last point scored. Miracles happen when your mind wills it to.

By-line:

This guest article was written by Adrienne Carlson, who regularly writes on the topic of nurse practitioner schools. Adrienne welcomes your comments and questions at her email address: adrienne.carlson1@gmail.com

Biking in a bad mood

2009-08-15T17:05:00.000-07:00

I was in a bad mood when I got home from the swim race this morning. I was robbed. I didn't get to finish thanks to bad weather and a couple sensitive park rangers. When I got home there wasn't a cloud in the sky and really sunny. How ironic! So I rode out to Garr Ranch and back. Still feel like ripping someones head off though.

Distance: 50.0 miles
Time: 2:32
Average Speed: 19.74 mph

Slow cause of the wind coming from the west.

First ride in to work in a month

2009-08-11T08:03:00.001-07:00

It's been a long time since I last rode to work. I love when I get to Warm Springs Road. It reminds me of Yellowstone park with the smell of sulfer.

Distance: 30.6
Time: 1:30

I'll have to take the train from SL to Layton instead of ride home since I need to put in a decent day at work and still have to make it back in time for Scouts. This will be my last ride this week. Need to taper for the Deer Creek event this weekend.

First ride in a month

2009-08-08T17:41:00.000-07:00

The last time I rode my bike was at the Echo Triathlon. It's been swimming and running ever since. This morning I got up at 5:30am to go swim at Layton. I got halfway there when I remembered that they don't open until 8:00 am on Saturdays. That's retarded!

So I turned around and went back home. I then left at 7:45 to go there and was hoping that they would have some of the good TYR goggles in stock at the desk since Cathi had my swimming gear in her car and spent the night with Lucy at Grandmas. But my luck for the day would continue and they were out of stock. So I went back home and started getting ready to go pick up Austin at Scout Camp. The plan the evolved to go out to Garr Ranch in the late afternoon.

So I left at 4:00pm and it was partly cloudy with a slight breeze from the west. Held a pretty good pace, in fact this is a new record for going out to Garr Ranch (along with the extra visitors center loop to get the full 50) and back.

Distance: 50.0 miles
Time: 2:29
Average Speed: 20.1 mph
Max Speed: 41.1 mph

Very good ride considering the extended break. I better pick it up. I have the Bear Lake Tri in two weeks and the ride from Pocatello in 7 weeks.

Results of the 2009 Bair Gutsman

2009-08-01T11:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I carbed up like crazy! I ate a whole loaf of whole wheat bread from Vozens, then had dinner at Archibald's down at Gardner Village for Kris' birthday.

This morning got up at 4:30. Got to our old Fruit Heights Meetinghouse at 5:20. Some people we knew who also did it: Dale Majors, Ladd Morrell and Jane Jensen and her boys, and Jamie Moore. The race started up Mountain road at 6:00 am. Ran up the trailhead and ended up stuck behind clusters of people. I passed at every available moment, which wasn't often since the trail is so narrow going up. About 4-5 spurts of sprinting past slow pokes walking up the mountain. I loved the breeze at the top. I was also glad we started so early as there was no sunlight on the west side of the mountain at that time.

Once I got to the top on the dirt road it was running the rest of the way. I looked at my watch and noticed that my time was just over 2 hours. I had 6 miles left and I thought to myself, "Hey you can get under 3 hours if you hustle". So I put in two Buzz Bites and ran the rest of the way which was downhill on a gravel road. I stopped to take video and pictures a few times.

When I crossed the finish line it read 2:54:38. I was very pleased with that time. I was hoping for around 3:30. I did more running and pushing it up the hill than I thought I would. At the end my ankles weren't achy and I wasn't completely exhausted. I felt great! It must have been the goat cheese I ate!

Here are the official results.

Click the image below for a video.

From Triathlons

Climbing Aura

2009-07-30T11:25:00.000-07:00

I'm also either romantic, superstitious, silly, or a fool. Whenever I have a big swimming event coming up, the night before I'll eat a fish. Well this Saturday is the Bairgutsman race up Baer Canyon. I'm a little nervous because it's very steep. As you can see from this image, there are parts where its a 20% grade up a rocky trail.

So I thought of an animal that's a great rock/mountain climber. Mountain goats! But no restaurant serves up goats. So I ordered a Goat Cheese salad from Redrock. Man was it good! Goat cheese rocks. Hopefully the essence of goat enters my body and remains for a few days so I can climb like an expert up that trail! If only I had hoofed feet!

10 Mile hike with the scouts

2009-07-28T19:30:00.000-07:00

This afternoon our troop did this hike:

10 Mile Hike From Church
Find more Hikes in Syracuse, Utah

Here are the stats:

Distance: 10.1 miles
Time: 2:45
Average Speed: 3.67 MPH

It was nice visiting with Tom and getting to know him a little better. Poor Kyler got hit by a bicyclist. Not too bad, but enough to make him limp a little. It was hot out there. My thermostat read 97 when we started and 91 when we finished at 7:45. My ankles are a little stiff. Hopefully I'll be fully recovered for this weekend's Bairgutsman race.

Steep Hills with Cathi

2009-07-21T07:04:00.000-07:00

This morning Cathi and I got up early and ran this route:
Nichols to Bair Canyon Trailhead
Find more Runs in Kaysville, Utah

We are doing the Bairgutsman in a couple weeks and wanted to get at least one pre-race training run in. Cathi ran the whole time, but I had to walk at the top of Mountain road and then on the way down on East Oaks Drive. It was a tough workout. I think I'm gonna be sore. Sad thing is, it's just a portion of the route in two weeks so I'm gonna be dead on August 1-2nd.

Results of the 2009 Echo Olympic Triathlon - 2:33:50

2009-07-11T14:12:00.000-07:00

Last night our family went to camp at the Holiday Hill RV Park in Echo. We got there at 4:00 pm and found a good camp site. We started up a fire and had tinfoil dinners, raspberry lemonade, and fig newtons. We played games and had a fun time. We all fit in the tent and had a good nights sleep.

I got to bed around 9:45 and got up at 5:30 am. Everyone was still asleep. I told Cathi to just stay at camp and have a fun time with the kids. They didn't allow cars on that road and there was no way she would be able to walk to the venue with the kids. So I biked to the venue, got the transition area all setup and got my body marking. I went to the waterfront and the water was so warm! I mean it was like swimming in a lap pool. So I decided not to use a wetsuit at all.

Man was I glad because after the first 10 seconds I could tell it would have been way too warm with a wetsuit. I had put some baby oil in my goggles per a recommendation by Teri Child. Problem was the fogginess wasn't any beter in fact it was worse! I coulden't see more than 10 feet in front of me. I stayed behind a couple of guys in the swim so that I could just look at their feet underwater to make sure I was going the right way. But soon I was passing them and I didn't have a way to see if I was heading the right way. When I lifted my head out of the water to look for the buoy up ahead I couldn't see it. My goggles were too foggy. After the second buoy I gave up using goggles and flipped them off my head. Now when I lifted my head out I could see clearly up ahead. I should have done that from the start. I was spending too much time correcting myself on the swim. I will have to research some decent goggles that don't fog or get some defogger or something.

When I got out my watch said 27:28. Then the transition to bike could have been better. I put my bike number on the front of my equmen shirt which was a mistake. It's already tight fitting, but with it going on wet it was rolling up behind my shoulders and I probably looked like a fat dude getting into a small shirt. I got it on in about 1 minute. The bike ride went well. It was hilly as expected. Here's the route and you can see there's a 600 foot climb between mile 6 and 10.
Echo Triathlon Bike Leg
Find more Bike Rides in Echo, Utah I passed more people than was passed so I had a net gain of two.

The transition to run was pretty quick and I started off. I'm sure any gains I got in the bike and swim were lost during the run. I was passed left and right, even though the passing was done by alot of sprint athletes. I did the 10K in 51:56. My overall time was 2:33:50. Taking 16th out of 35 in my age division. Pretty mediocre job. Oh well. I felt good about my effort and learned on my swim. Next time. Better goggles. The water temperature was awesome and it was overcast with no rain or wind. Couldn't ask for better weather conditions.

Here's my official results and as you can see my times aren't embarrasingly bad from the leader, except for the run.

Nice ride for the first half

2009-07-06T08:58:00.001-07:00

The ride to Bountiful went really well, got my average speed up to 21.3, but then I hit a pretty strong headwind in Bountiful and it went way down from there.

Distance: 30.6 miles
Time: 1:34
Average Speed:19.5 mph
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Run up to Bridge on Trail from Cabin

2009-07-03T10:00:00.000-07:00

This morning got up with Cathi and ran up Right Hand Fork Canyon Road up past the trailhead and to the first bridge about 1/4 mile up the trail. Then we ran back to the cabin and then down the canyon about a half mile or so. We planned it so that we would be gone one hour. So we figured it was close to a 10K. Here's the map which is pretty rough.

Cabin to Trail Bridge and back (with a bit extra to get 10K)
Find more Runs in Logan, Utah

Drained

2009-07-01T11:02:00.001-07:00

Man today's energy level was about 25% of normal and my ride was sure slower than normal. Probably doesn't help that I only got 6 hours of sleep last night. Stayed up a little to watch Letterman and didn't turn off the TV till 11. Got up at 5:40 am and got ready. My legs just didn't have the drive they normally do. I didn't get depressed over it cause I realize I need to better fuel my body as well as allow for more time to recover.

Distance: 30.6 miles
Time: 1:42
Average Speed: a pathetic 18.2 mph
--------------------------------------------

The ride home was completely different. I loaded up on stuff from Vosen's and got some good carbs loaded. Had a very delicious peach nectar on ice that was fantastic. I'm going to have to remember that next week when I taper for Echo. Here's the ride home stats:

Distance: 30.6 miles
Time: 1:29
Average Speed: 20.6 mph

Just can't win

2009-06-30T07:55:00.000-07:00

Today I came to a four way stop intersection in west Farmington. There was only one other car on my left. I was about 20 yards from the stop sign and the car was already stopped. I slowed dramatically to show my intention to let them go as they were already stopped and could just go ahead. Instead he waited for me to come to nearly a complete stop and then wave me on. C'mon people! Just go! I waved at them to go since they were the ones that were in the right of way to go and momentum was already shot to hell. They still waited.

Road rage was setting in. I ended up turning left on the wrong side of the road cause I wasn't about to get in front of this doofus and have him second guess me. I know he was trying to be nice, but c'mon, many people don't give a crap about bikers and I'm used to no having people break their back for them. And they shouldn't. After last week's incident I'm not assuming people are going to give me the right of way.

Today's ride was typical:

Distance: 30.6 miles
Time: 1:30
Average Speed: 20.4
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The ride home was a tad faster:
Distance: 30.6 miles
Time: 1:26
Average Speed: 21.4 mph

Albion to Snowville

2009-06-27T20:26:00.000-07:00

We had such a fun time in Albion at the family reunion. We did the camping, playing games, performed in skits, tasted some great cooking, and had fun visiting with relatives. After "Deal or No Deal" game they started the Auction. It was 1:15 pm and I figured I should leave in order to get my ride done before Cathi would leave two hours later to meet me.

Here's the route I took:
Albion to Snowville
Find more Bike Rides in Albion, Idaho

The first six miles were uphill going up to the Mt Harrison turnoff, but after that it was pretty much downhill after that. In fact it was a good grade down right after the Mt Harrison turnoff. My max speed was 48 mph. Once I got to mile 26 my GPS ran out of batteries, and the backup batteries I had weren't very good and they died within a few minutes. So I was without GPS data the last half of my ride. It sucked. So I tried my best to just go as hard as I could so I could keep my goal of getting this done in just over 3 hours.

Here's video of me getting to the Utah/Idaho border:

From Biking

Cathi caught me about six miles before I got to Snowville. She said she was OK with just waiting at the end of the road. So I kept it going and met her about 20 minutes later. It was a long hot ride and it was fun. I wish I would have had someone with me to trade drafting with. I noticed the road turned to Nevada. That would be a very cool ride to go from Snowville to Elko Nevada. What a ride that would be!

Anyhow here are the stats (based on the distance and time elapsed):
Distance: 63.32 Miles
Time: 3:11
Average Speed: 19.89 mph

Here's the end of my ride:

From Biking

Mt Harrison Ride

2009-06-26T19:00:00.000-07:00

I didn't ride up in the morning as planned because Robby (my Aunt Patricia's husband) said he would go up with me. He was going to ride his Mountain Bike and would be up there after lunch so I waited until he got to the park in Albion.

When he got there I was napping in the tent and hurried into my biking gear. We started up there and it was slow going. His bike had bike fat knobby tires with good suspension, but not very fast. Our first six miles we were going probably 11 mph average. Once we turned off the main highway and started up we went about 500 feet higher in elevation and then switched bikes. Robby seemed to like it and we went for another 1000 ft in elevation and then Rob switched back. After we were 11 miles into the ride he said I should go ahead. I did and went to the top and my GPS read 17.1 miles.

Mt Harrison
Find more Bike Rides in Albion, Idaho
Coming back was crazy fast. Made it back to the park in less than 45 minutes. Very fun ride! I'm going to do it again next year when we come up. Looking forward to tomorrow's ride to Snowville too.

Near Death Experience

2009-06-23T08:57:00.000-07:00

I'm a big believer in the power of prayer and today was a perfect example. While I'm glad to be alive right now, I'm disappointed that I'm so dumb. I'm sharing this to record that miracles do happen as well as a warning to myself and to other bikers to be more careful and not to assume obstacles don't exist. Cathi if you read this please know I've learned my lesson!

View Larger Map
Today when I got to the T intersection at end of weaver going onto Angel Street in Kaysville, I looked left before turning right going South onto Angel. Problem was, I didn't look right at all since I wasn't turning into traffic, but staying on the right side. I didn't look right at all and totally missed that here coming at me at about 20 mph was a huge double axle tractor, with a row of "middlebusters" (a ripper/plow) attachment on the back. The row of these plows was about 3-4 feet wider than the tractor itself. It took up nearly the whole road including my side!

When I turned I was going about 12 mph and turned into the middle of the right side of the road. I missed the tractor, but coming at me was the plow on the end of the attachment. I had less than a second to get out of the way. I thought, Oh crap (sadly not the tame version of the word), I'm going to die, or lose a leg. I also thought I should instantly intentionally spill to the right and crash to avoid getting hit and let the plow go over me as it was lifted up about 2 feet above the ground.

But somehow I managed to twist to the right enough to miss it entirely. I don't know how it happened. It was coming so fast and was so far into my lane that I should have been hit, but managed to escape with my life.

Now the blame rests entirely on me. There was a stop sign there and I don't typically come to a complete stop on those. I don't know any biker who actually does. But the thing I get from this is to go slower through intersections and to not assume that turning right doesn't mean there won't be something coming at you in the lane your turning into. I need to look BOTH ways at every intersection.

Just because I said a prayer for protection that morning, and was wearing temple garments doesn't turn me into superman and give me a warrant to be stupid and put my life in danger and expect to leave unharmed like I did. I have no doubt had I hit that plow, I would have either died, or lost a leg and been put in critical condition. Getting a higher average mph is NOT worth dying over, or even crashing over!

Lesson learned - slow down and look both ways. Intersections are dangerous! I've broke my arm and thumb before falling off a bike and both times, at intersections.

Distance: 30.6 miles
Time: 1:30
Average Speed: 20.4 mph
-----------------------------------------
The ride home was much less eventful which was good. Slower though. Its the first time I have run out of water this year and had to refill at a park.

Distance: 30.6 miles
Time: 1:32
Average Speed: 19.9 mph

You get wetter biking in the rain, than running in the rain.

2009-06-17T08:07:00.001-07:00

With biking, you get the rain from on top, and the puddles coming up in your face and backside. This morning's ride was wet to say the least. It started from the get go and was on and off about 50% of the ride.

Distance: 30.6 miles
Time: 1:31
Average Speed: 20.18 mph

I got a flat half way down Warm Springs Road so I had to stop and change that real quick. Added about 6 minutes to my ride. Other than that it wasn't bad. I wasn't cold, just wet and it went by fast.
--------------------------------------------------------
The ride home was good until I got to the turn in Centerville. Slowed down considerably after that. My average speed at that point was 22.7 mph, but by the time I got home I dropped down to 21.1

Distance: 30.6 miles
Time: 1:26
Average Speed:21.1

Much anticipated ride

2009-06-16T07:31:00.000-07:00

Haven't been on the bike for 4 days and I'm antsy to get back on! This morning's ride was fine. I have three bibs and one of them is blue. It was worn enough that it was like a speedo that is getting old and you can almost see through it in some spots, so I threw it away.

Distance: 30.6 miles
Time: 1:27
Average Speed: 21.1 mph

-----------------------------------------------------------

Cathi's Utah Valley Marathon

2009-06-13T19:00:00.000-07:00

I'm putting this post together mainly as a placeholder for Cathi for when she gets around to posting the details of her race.

Cathi spent the night down in Orem at her sister Kristen's. She got up early and ran the Utah Valley Marathon. Gordon went camping with Jacob at a scout camp so Cathi was all alone this time.

She found a good running partner during the race, Martine Louis. He kept encouraging Cathi even when she felt overwhelmed and drained. This was a hard race for Cathi and she struggled more than she normally does. She did end up with a pretty good time. She saw the clock at the finish and wanted to get under 4:00, but she didn't quite make it. She got a 4:00:16.

Good job Cathi!

Need a double backup system

2009-06-08T08:53:00.000-07:00

This morning I got to the end of Warm Springs Road in NSL when I came to a construction zone and the guy was holding up a Stop sign in the middle of the road. As soon as I came to a complete stop, I hit something and immediately my front tire had air explode out of it. I said "Dang it" like Kip and the guy looked over and said sorry. I replaced the tube and blew it up with the CO2 I had. Took off and made it another 3 miles when I noticed my air in the front tire was going out again. I must have hit something else. This time on the side. I walked from the train tracks by the Gateway Mall the rest of the way (about 1.2 miles)

I only have one extra tube and should consider a second one. Better yet, I'm going to see if I can get some decent tires from Dale with some significant rubber on the sides, which is where I'm getting these punctures.

I'll have to take Frontrunner home tonight. Here's today's numbers:

Distance: 29.8 miles
Time: 1:22
Average Speed: 21.8 miles

Resistance Training

2009-06-06T20:00:00.000-07:00

Last night I spent the night at Mom and Dad's. We got up early and headed North for a good bike ride. Had a nice wind from the south so it was kind. I pulled Austin with a trailer so that was some pretty good resistance. It wasn't too tough. Kept my average speed down. Still held back though so I could stay with Mom and Dad.

Distance: 30.1 miles
Time: 2:10
Average Speed: 13.89

When I got home I then picked up Jonas and took him to Garr Ranch and back. Less resistance than Austin, but still pretty good especially pulling him up the hills:

Distance 50.7 miles
Time: 3:40
Average Speed: 13.8 mph

Total Distance: 80.8 miles

That's half the distance to Pocatello, pulling a kid in a trailer. Felt great!