Four Days…

Date: 08.18.2010 | Category: foster, training | Response: 0 |

Good news, my knee is feeling great today. My hobble has lessened and my spirits are up. 26.2 miles, here I come. More good news 10% of the way there for my donation goal. Thanks to all who are chipping-in to the right and donating on my behalf.

To note, the Utah Foster Care Foundation has made arrangements with the Park City Marathon to have a booth available to talk to people about the foundation near the start and finish line of the marathon. They have also made arrangements to have some time during the marathon award ceremony to do a presentation and speech. Guess who they asked to speak. Yep, me, but being the caring husband that I am and thinking ahead, I don’t think I will be too coherent after the race, I volunteered my wife to give the speech.

Come one, come all to see me cross the finish line and hear my beautiful wife speak.

Four days and counting…

Five Days…

Date: 08.17.2010 | Category: foster, training | Response: 1 |

The countdown is on, five days until the big day. Many people ask me now, Am I ready? My answer, yes. Nervous? A bit. Excited? yes! They ask me, what is the longest I have gone so far? My answer, 18 miles and they say, not in a car! I tried for 20 miles a couple of times, but backed out about half way into it as to avoid any serious injury to myself a couple of weeks before the big day. The last attempt caused me a weird knee issue that I am babying along right now so I can get through the marathon.

I did a short treadmill run last night and everything seems to be OK. I find after I have my knee bent for long periods of time it stiffens up. I am going to still try to push through and hobble across the finish line if that is what is going to take. Like the sign said that I saw someone holding along one of the training race routes. “Pain is temporary, Pride is forever.”

Up to this point I was running blind in regards to the marathon path. I was playing on the Park City Marathon site the other day and found a fly-by video of the path. I was concerned about the elevation climbing, but after watching the video, I am more at ease with it. The elevation climbs will still be a challenge, but I am ready for the challenge.

Speaking of challenge, thanks to all of those who participated in the “Help build my playlist” blog contest, I received several good suggestions. For all those who submitted a song, your name was placed in a hat and one lucky winner was randomly selected. CONGRATULATIONS, Desiree! Five days from now I will be enjoying a wide variety of musical selections, thanks to all of you.

I am still working on reaching my goal of $1000.00 to help the 2800 children in foster care. Five days left to reach that goal, which means, I need to get 20 people to donate $5 a day from now until the marathon. Using the widget to the right, chip-in and make a donation today!

Five days and counting…

River Run Two…

Date: 08.09.2010 | Category: Saturdays, training | Response: 0 |

This past weekend, I enjoyed my second river run. This time the commercial jingle was not in my head like it was the last time. To read more about the first time see: River Run… River Run…

This river run was in good company. I finally had the chance to run with my uncle for the first time. The trail we ran was one of his infamous runs, with an eating break somewhere along the way with a 2 mile run back to the car after we ate.

He also coined it a “hot” run, because we were not able to start until 4:30PM. Hot was right! Actually it wasn’t too bad when we started out. There was a slight wind in our face and we had a light sprinkle to keep us cool. But as we ran further the rain disappeared and the sun came out from behind the clouds which just made it humid. The humidity got to me and I was starting to lose the mental game. I was going to bail out on him early, but with a little persuasion, I was able to keep pushing to his first drink break about a 1/2 mile from where I was going to start walking. We took a quick walking break and we were back at again.

We joined up with our families for a bite to eat at a local sandwich shop along the trail. I wasn’t feeling up to eating much, so i just had a few fries and a bunch of water. Then we were off again to finish up the mileage. 2.3 miles back along the Jordan River Parkway, definitely a scenic run. Thanks Kevin for letting me tag along. I can definitely tell you are a seasoned marathoner. Thanks for the tips and tricks as well. I tried them out and they are helping. Definitely some great knowledge to have before the big day, which is less than two weeks away. Excitement is building. Oh, by the way I am still needing help with my marathon playlist.

South Valley Journal Speaks…

Date: 08.07.2010 | Category: foster | Response: 1 |

I woke up today to find the local area paper on the driveway. I opened it up and on the top half of the back main page, what do I see? A story and a picture of me. I found the article in digital format for those that do not get this local area paper.

Riverton dad recognized for his ability to foster love for children

Thanks, SVJ for helping me spread the word.

Running to Help…

Date: 08.04.2010 | Category: foster | Response: 4 |

A few days ago I was contacted by a gentleman named Ali Islami. He posed an idea to me that he is working on and I am so touched that he would like my involvement.

From that conversation things have moved quickly. I was contacted by Jennifer Gustavson, a writer for the Salt Lake Tribune, who was doing an article on Ali and what he is trying to accomplish.

Today, I found the article…
Vegas ragnar runner will benefit kids in foster care
(slight correction in the article, the marathon is on Aug 21st not Aug 22nd)

What an awesome thing to do Ali! I contacted my fellow Wasatch Back Ragnar team runners and after hearing Ali’s story, several of them were ready to go.

In a matter of a week things have change quite a bit. Ali and I were in contact with each other. There was an article written up in the Salt Lake Tribune and he and I have organized a team together to run in the Vegas Ragnar Relay Race in October to raise money for the Utah Foster Care Foundation.

Help build my playlist…

Date: 08.03.2010 | Category: foster, Saturdays, training | Response: 14 |

The verdict is in.

After trying some long runs with and without music, I have decided to have my iPod at the ready for the marathon, just in case I need a bit more motivation to get me through the miles. I have tried a variety of different musical categories and specific artist playlists, ranging from Metallica to Classical music. They all have their pros and they all have their cons, so what I am looking for now are suggestions from you.

Help build my marathon playlist. Post a comment here on my blog with the song title and artist of a song or song(s) you think should be included in my marathon playlist. It can have a theme. It can be funny. It can be in a foreign language. It can be something you listen to while you exercise. It can basically be anything you like or would recommend, that can help motivate me to the finish line.

I will round up the songs and create a playlist of all the suggested items to be used on marathon day. From the list of entries I will randomly select one lucky winner to receive a run2100.com prize. Entry deadline is Friday, August 13th, 2010.

Thanks for your help and suggestions – have fun! Please don’t forget to donate to the Utah Foster Care Foundation.

A Few Numbers…

Date: 07.30.2010 | Category: Saturdays, training | Response: 4 |

One interesting tidbit about me is that I like numbers. Whenever I see a number while driving around I like to add them up as quickly as I can. I multiply them, sort them and try to come up with patterns within the number sequence. There are times when I try to break them down into binary and I try to teach my wife how to as well. When I sing songs I usually count numbers as the words to the beat rather than the actual words. This drives my wife crazy and yes, it is a bit geeky, I know.

To go along with this newly found insight of me, my faithful followers as well as the new ones stopping by, here are a few more numbers to consider. I have been thinking about them this past week and thought I would share.

10k = 6.2 Miles – I participated in my first, the Deseret News 10k on Saturday July 24th. Total time to finish 55:49.5 = 8:59/M Pace.

Finally completed my 18 mile run. Total time to finish 04:01:33.5 = 13:38/M Pace. The first 9 I did in 1:47:57 = 12:28/M Pace.
1 huge blister after my 18 mile run in new shoes, but 0 foot pain. Thank you new shoes.
Sold out crowd at the Rio Tinto Stadium Saturday night for the Real Salt Lake vs. Chivas USA soccer game = 19,624 fans, of which I stood in front of, on the field, to receive honors for the “Heroes Among Us” award.

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Thank you RSL and American Express for the recognition and support.

2,800 = Number of Utah children in foster care.
$1,000 = Bare minimum goal I have set to raise funds for those children from now until my marathon. If I can get 10 people to donate 5 dollars a day from now until my marathon that would be $1060. Using the widget to the right make a donation today!

Thanks!

One Month To Go…

Date: 07.21.2010 | Category: training | Response: 3 |

Yes, you read that right. I only have one month to go until the big day. 26.2 miles of running, up hill and down in and around the beautiful town of Park City.

One month to go, what does that mean? It means really long distance running. Sore feet, knees and blisters. It means, more hill running. It means figuring out how to manage hydration. It means discovering what is good to eat and easy to carry while running.  It means trying to stay focused and getting the word out about my site to raise awareness and financial contributions for the Utah Foster System to help support the children.

So lets see… from that list, what do I need to do?

• Hill running – going well and in progress.
• Hydration – tried a CamelBak, suffered my first mental defeat some time ago. Changed to circling around the neighborhood, using the house as a refill/hydration checkpoint. I am discovering that is becoming a challenge. Next up, water bottle belt and running far, far away from the house.
• Long distance – Well last weekend I was set for an 18 miler – it turned into 12 miles.  Tried a new path to meet up with the family, only to get lost trying to find them at a new neighborhood splash park.  Gave up due to the heat and found myself at the wrong splash park.  This weekend I am preparing for the 18 miles that I owe myself.  Added onto that is the Deseret News 10k.
• Blisters – just living with them – trying out some new wicking socks during the week and they seem to be helping.
• Sore feet and knees -  I finally broke down, and rightly so, I am a proud owner of a new pair of shoes.  Gotta love the Wasatch Running Center.  I have been training in the same pair of shoes that I got from them back in 2005 when I ran my first 5k.  After talking with them I probably should have thrown those out years ago.  I have learned my lesson.  Breaking in my new pair of shoes is going well.  I am also doing some treadmill training again to give my feet a break from the asphalt and pavement for a bit.
• Eating on the run – I got some recommendations to try the Clif Bar Shot Bloks.  I picked up several flavors, I’ll keep you posted on the outcome shortly.
• Raising Awareness – Next major event is this Saturday before the Real Salt Lake soccer game.  I will be receiving the “Heroes Among Us” award – presented by Real Salt Lake and American Express.  Would love to see you come out and support me, enjoy a good game of soccer and fireworks afterward.

Seems like a lot to do, but I am focused after struggling a bit since Ragnar. For some strange reason after completing that race, it’s been difficult trying to stay focused on the marathon and training. I have been running, but haven’t really been in it. I think today’s 5 mile treadmill run with new shoes has put the motivation back into me. Good thing, because did you hear, I only have one month to go?!

7 Miles Per Hour…

Date: 07.13.2010 | Category: Saturdays | Response: 0 |

No real big accomplishments this week regarding distance or some great tasting food.  Never mind – this is a big accomplishment, I am still sticking with the training.  Training equals marathon, training equals good for me.  Hill training however, is beating me up.

This week was a 12 mile run.  Which I turned into a 12 mile hill run.  OK, maybe not exactly 12 miles up a hill, but a loop up a hill and down a couple of times that ended up being 12 miles.  Where I live, the main loop around the neighborhood consists of a pretty steep hill to climb and then a relatively gradual decent down on the other side.  This was the pathway I had chosen to face.

First loop around full of energy, no music this time back to the basics, overcast clouds and a positive attitude.  Finished the first 6 relatively quickly.  Stopped off at the house for a quick energy boost (peanut butter) and cold drink of water. Second loop around energy lower, still no music, overcast clouds gone, heat setting in fast, attitude decreasing.  Hill much harder, but still made it to the top without stopping.

On the way up the second time, I passed a man going in the opposite direction.  I gave my usual friendly wave and morning greeting.  Which was returned in the same manner and, “This way is easier” was added.  We had a good laugh about it and I agreed.  It looked like he had just set out and he was going down so of course it was easier, but I got the last laugh.  I passed him on my way down as he was going up on the other side and said, “look who’s got it easier now?”  All he could say was, “It is hot!”  Again I chuckled and agreed.

Along this route I discovered a new game I could play while running.  No, not air guitar and air drumming.  It was see how fast you could go, within reason of course.  I came across one of those radar speed limit signs that post the maximum speed limit and then so kindly provides you an indication as to how fast you are going via radar right below the posted limit.  I find these to be quite enjoyable while driving in the car, but running gave me even a little bit more enjoyment.

Having encountered this the first loop around, it gave me motivation to finish the second loop just to see how fast I was going.  The first loop around I posted a mighty 7 miles per hour, second time around I was either way too fast or way too slow for it to clock me.  Next time I will try to break the sound barrier and post up 8 miles per hour.  12 miles complete, next up 18.  Yikes!

For Coach Bill…

Date: 07.06.2010 | Category: Saturdays | Response: 2 |

My last post was all about the delicious food my wife and I shared as part of the final celebration for our 10th anniversary.  It turns out that having skipped my 15 mile run to partake in the bounty of food, that my new found coach did not like it too much.   However, Coach Bill is wise in his words.  So as you said, I am back on or off the wagon, either way I did not skip my long run this week.

Yes Coach Bill, that is right.  I did Go Run.  I ran 16 miles in 3:24:00:48, breaks down to 12.75 minutes per mile.  Not too shabby, considering this was my longest run yet.

It started out on the same pathway of 10 miles, that is now easy.  This time however I ventured out on my long run with music.  I thought to myself that I may need a little company to keep me going.  Turns out it was a good decision, a little too good.  I found myself running to the beat and it was a nice distraction to keep me going.  However, if you recall the Friends episode way back when, The One where Phoebe runs, well if anyone could have seen me running they would have had a good laugh or thought I had some strange disease.  Running with Metallica equals air drumming, air guitar and lip syncing.  Yes, that is right,  I rock!

The final four miles of my run was a hill climb around the neighborhood, this was by design and it was rough.  The Park City Marathon, you know the one I am training for, to run with my Uncle who is running his 100th, has a bit of an elevation climb.

Park City Marathon Elevation

I need to add a bit more hill running to my training plans.  I was going to run the hill portion of my 16 miles at first when I was fresh, but decided otherwise and made it my last 4 miles.  Yikes!  Metallica was no help either.

After a long 16 mile run, Coach Bill, you were right.  Food does taste better and no I did not feel bad about the amount I ate, I was starving.