Redemption?

Maybe.

I ran both Monday and Tuesday. No run today, but only because of the annual run down American Fork Canyon just after midnight. Plus I'm supposed to go snowshoeing tomorrow morning with Mike and Donald.

I'm not really sure I'm up for that--the midnight run.

Call me a pansy.

But it's cold!

Oh well.

If I run tonight, will I have redeemed myself?

What a pathetic end to the year...

At least where my running is concerned.

I last ran on Christmas morning--and only put in 4 1/2 miles.

I have no drive. I have no desire.

I'm pathetic.

I can feel myself atrophy. My arms, my core, my legs. It's all withering. (Not that I really had much to begin with...)

I just need to suck it up and get out and put in the miles. I need to.

But I don't want to.

I'm going to pack for a run tomorrow regardless of my attitude. Mind over mood, right? I know I'll feel better if I actually do it.

I will!

I wonder if I suffer from SAD?

Three days to turn this year around! If I run all three days, everything else in the world will work out, correct?

If I eat one more Hershey's Bell, I think I might puke. But if I eat them all now, there won't be any for me to eat tomorrow...

My dog won't drink out of his water bowl here in the house. And he'll eat very little food. As soon as I put him outside though, he chows down on the snow. I don't understand my dog.

I need a set of Torx keys. Maybe that's what I'll get myself for Christmas this year. Or maybe I should just worry about getting out and running tomorrow and Tuesday and Wednesday.

There's a scheduled run down AF Canyon for the Johnson Bros. just after midnight on New Years. Three of us did it for '08 and it looks as though three of us will do it for '09. What fun. I seem to recall my contacts freezing up...

Haley's car needs some work done on it before she heads back to Logan this weekend. I sure wish to heck that I had a garage to do all of that in. Grumble, grumble, grouse, and whine...

Hyperbole is the BEST thing ever!

I just ate another Hershey's Bell. Extra creamy solid milk chocolate... Mmmm!

Mike and Donald both want to go snowshoeing. I ought to drag them up to the Dell here in the next while before all the good snow is gone. I'll check with 'em tomorrow. Maybe Thursday would work for both of them.

Bed time.

I actually saw this!

Rollover accident...

The SUV, while rolling, flipped probably 10 to 15 feet in the air. Pieces of the vehicle were flying everywhere. Scary. I drove the rest of the way up to my brother's just sick to my stomach.

The fun never ends!

I am getting pretty good at fixing my car's ills though. Well, that's not entirely truthful.

I've really just been working on the one ailment for quite some time now...

However, each thing I've fixed thus far along has actually had problems, so I'm actually fixing smaller parts of a larger problem--or so it would seem.

I guess a crappy economy has had at least one positive result: it's made me do stuff under the hood of my car I don't think I really ever would have done before. I've replaced one sensor, unstuck one valve, and cleaned I don't know how much carbon out of various locations. Neat!

Tomorrow, bright and early (if I get myself to bed so I can get up with the alarm...) I'll replace the ECTS (engine coolant temperature sensor) and check the MAP (manifold absolute pressure) sensor. The ECTS on the car now is an older model that is cracked and needs to be replaced anyways. I'm not entirely sure of the connection between that and the high idle though... Anyone? It's a $10 fix. If it's the MAP sensor, I'm looking at $50. There's also a chance it could be the TPS (throttle position sensor), and that'll run me about $60.

Crimony! I'm supposed to be taking the kids up to Salt Lake tomorrow for the Christmas Carol Sing-a-long at the Energy Solutions Arena along with Cort and Randi. I've got to do the car thing first off, go to work, and then get home in time to head up north by 5:00. I don't know that I'm gonna get everything done I need to get done.

I bought a cake pan today. Triple chocolate brownies for my Addi!

I know...

I ran the Squaw Peak 50-miler in June of this year just so I could say I did it.

And I actually did do it--yay for me!

And when it was over I said I'd never do it again.

But yesterday I sent in my money with the registration form for the 2009 race.

So here's my tentative 2009 racing plan:

• Red Mountain 50K in March
• Ogden Marathon in May
• Squaw Peak in June
• Wasatch Back Ragnar Relay in June
• Top of Utah in September
• St. George in October

So much for another off year. I know, I know--I said that last year. And the year before. Idiot. Me. Yeah.

I wanted to run the Wahsatch Steeplechase too, but it's a June race and I just don't know that I'll be able to finagle it.

Son of a gun--just looking at that list makes me cringe!

A good reason shopping the day after Thanksgiving should be banned!

Wal-Mart worker dies after shoppers knock him down

People are idiots!

A good day...

Yes, it was a good day. A day in which much that needed doing got done.

Relatively speaking.

I took work off today cause I need to go in Friday. Friday would normally be a day off because of Thanksgiving on Thursday. I need to go in on Friday due to the requirements of particular job. Wednesday to Monday is just too long.

So I took the day off and stayed home and took care of a few things.

Big item #1: The yard.

I let the yard go to pot this past year. Not completely, but with the possibility of construction on back-end of the house I wasn't going to get too involved in the upkeep. Who knew if and when a crew of construction workers would just come in and rip it all up? Well, they didn't. Dad came down with his truck and a flat bed trailer and we loaded a grundle of wood that has been laying around the place for a while and he hauled it off to my brother's house to use for firewood. Very charitable of me, don't you think? I suppose I could have used it here in the old fireplace in the living room, but I don't know how safe that would be--the darn thing hasn't been used in at least 5 years--there's probably a house fire waiting to happen in that chimney somewhere...

Item #2: Hay's car.

Hay's down for Thanksgiving--pulled into town at about 5:00. We went to El Pollo Loco and then I did some maintenance stuff to her car. Her check engine light has been going on and off for a while but it's too old a car to plug the check-engine-monitor-thing into it and get an explanation of whatever problems there might be. So, I did what I could based on what I knew--which really isn't much. I can't hurt though. Anyways, I pulled her EGR valve and gave it a good cleaning. The EGR valve on her car wasn't stuck (at least not as badly as mine was) but I cleaned it anyways. I then gave the car the old Seafoam treatment. Holy Crap! That sure smoked up the neighborhood. When that was all done and I was putting things back together, I noticed that I forgot to plug back in the connection to the EGR valve... Doesn't do a bit of good to clean it up nice and then fail to plug it in.

I've got milk, eggs, and socks sitting out in my car I'd better bring in. There's nothing worse than spoiled milk, eggs, and socks.

El Pollo Loco

Mmmmmm.

I had my first anything from the El Pollo Loco tonight.

I picked the Twice Grilled burrito.

Mmmmmm.

But then at $6 it had darn well better be!

It came with a small drink, some tortilla chips, and a tablespoon of salsa for $1.50 more.

On a somewhat related note, Del Taco no longer offers the Del's Deal! What the...? That is sooo not cool!

Valley of Fire Marathon...

I had given some thought to driving down to run the Valley of Fire Marathon next weekend (it's on the 22nd), but had pretty much concluded that I wouldn't.

It's 350 miles down and 350 miles back for a grand total of 700 miles. That's two tanks of gas--minimum. At $25-30 a tank, roughly, I'm looking at $50 to $60.

And then there's the registration fee, which, due to the late date, would be $80. Yeah, I could do the half ($70); but that runs contrary to my nature--if there's a full being offered, that's the option I take. And 700 miles to run a half-marathon on a 3 day junket? Probably not.

Throw in food at maybe $20 per day for 2 1/2 to 3 days (Friday to Sunday)--add on another $60.

Lodging has been offered to me at no cost so that's not an issue...

Grand total for the trip: $200.00.

Actually, that's less than I had thought--but it's still a whole lot more than I've got in my discretionary spending account right now.

So, as much as I really would like to get away for the weekend and run another race before year end, I'm gonna have to pass. I really am sorry.

On an unrelated note, it's that time of year again when sitting here at my computer tends to get my toes all nice and iced up. IT'S COLD tonight! I should pajama up and go to bed! But I haven't had dinner yet and dining at The Olive Garden is looming large--30 minutes from now unless something else happens. (We were supposed to be eating at 8:00...)

Oh well. I'd better spell check this thing, format it, and do the publishing thing that needs doing.

Later.

Hi Chan! Love you! ;)

Run

I'm going to run tomorrow.

Really.

I've got my bag packed already.

If I don't, I may just die.

I didn't log one single mile this past week.

60% chance of precipitation tomorrow. Highs near 50°.

I just gotta get out and run...

Friday night!

First off, before I forget: bikes are to be ridden on the side of the road. NOT ON THE SIDEWALK! I recognize the complete and utter futility in my making that declaration here. No offending BYU or Provo High School student is going to read it. Still, that doesn't invalidate it either. The only bikes that should be ridden on the sidewalk are those that are being peddled by young children under the age of 12.

Second. Well, there is no second. At least there isn't any more. I thought I had a few things to blog about, but now I find myself with an empty mind. My mind seems to have emptied itself of those things I thought I'd throw on here tonight. There are those who would argue, and probably correctly, that my mind is empty all of the time. I would tend to agree.

I've got two months to stockpile all the weapons and ammo I can before Obama makes it illegal for me to do so any more. ;) How does the Kimber Custom TLE II sound?

Sweet...

So...

It's Halloween. I thought it would be appropriate to watch Michael Jackson's video, Thriller. After that I watched the Dirty Diana video. It made me remember the days when Michael Jackson was normal. Or more normal. Will we really ever know what goes on in that mind of his? Will we ever know why he became such a peculiar and odd duck?

Lodge Cast Iron has a new dutch oven out there on the market. It's called Lodge Enamel. It's Lodge cast iron dutch ovens with a coat of porcelain enamel. They look very nice. I've been wanting a dutch oven without the legs to use in the house--the legs on the "camp" models tend to be a nuisance with the oven rack. Wal-mart in Pleasant Grove has the red enamel 6 qt. in stock. The Orem Wal-mart has the regular non-enamel 5 qt dutch ovens in stock. the enamel dutch oven is $20 more than the non-enamel.

Watch

I want a nice watch. I've never really had a "nice" watch, mostly because I've never felt I could justify spending more than $50 on one--the exception being my Garmin Forerunner. But for a while now I've been wanting a nice watch. Like a Victorinox. Or a Seiko. I know, I know. Those aren't the really nice watch brands like Tag Heuer or Rolex. I don't have that kind of money, nor do I need that kind of bling. Two hundred bucks, to me, is pushing it. A $212 Seiko titanium watch is about as far as I could ever imagine going.

Still, it's all a pipe dream. I can't afford a $20 Casio from the local Wal-Mart right now...

Saltines

I'm sitting at my computer desk eating saltines and drinking a Dr. Thunder and listening to Billy Idol. Probably not the best combination for a guy with another migraine. I've been on a roll too lately with the migraines. I've had more in the past few weeks than I have in the last couple of years it seems.

My knew knife

I just got it today. Kinda pretty, ain't it? Yup.

But it ain't the one I lost. And it never will be. My pocket will forever have an empty space in it for my old Stars and Stripes. Woe is me.

Something in the back of my head is telling me that the lost one will turn up here in the next little while now that I've got the new one.

Actually, that's not true. Something in the back of my head hopes that it will turn up, but the fact that I've nearly turned this place upside down twice looking for it tells me the chances of it "turning up" are next to nil. Dog-gone-it!

My hands smell like cast iron. I cooked chicken, ribs, and cheesy potatoes in my dutch ovens for the folks in my dept. today. Good times. Good food.

Here's a pic of the old knife, just in case you see it somewhere. Grab it for me.

You'll notice in the pictures here that the lower knife is much more rounded and has a smoother appearance than the upper one. Oh well. No use crying over spilled milk. But I think I will anyways.

Super Chafe!

OK, so I ran the St. George Marathon back on the 4th in the rain. Yeah, the rain. It rained for the hour and a half I was at the start before the horn sounded and it rained for the full 26.2 miles of the race.

And you know what?

Not a bit of chafing.

Zero.

Zip.

Nil.

But when I get home and go out for my first run, a week and a half later in the cool and dry weather, what should occur? Some serious and painful chafing.

I've been packing Aquaphor or A&D ointment with me all day.

And even then it hurts to walk.

It looks as though Jerry will be heading to Baltimore on Sunday for a job opportunity he'll have in Georgia. He'll be in Baltimore for 2 to 4 weeks and then he'll go straight to GA where his family will meet up with him at some point. I'm sad to see them go, but I understand the reasons why and support their decision.

Anyways, Jerry and I decided today was the day to get in a bike ride before he left. We drove up to the top of the Alpine Loop and jumped on the Ridge Line Trail and then down to Tibble Fork. It was a beautiful day to ride--the aspen leaves are a golden yellow. The temperature was just about perfect and the trail couldn't have been better--a little mud but very little dust. Near perfect!

No wipe outs either.

I did, however, ride with my platform peddles rather than my Crank Bros. I thought the freedom from being clipped in would be a good thing, and to some extent it was; but there's a reason they developed peddles that hold on to the shoes. I think I'll put my Smarty's back on and call it a lesson learned.

Breakfast Saturday morning will be the final family get together before Jerry heads back east.

Resignation

I'm not exactly happy about it, but I think I'm becoming more and more resigned to the fact that this country is going to be led by Barack Obama. It scares the bejeebers out of me, but I don't know what I can do about it. Truthfully, in my opinion, the alternative, which is my preferred alternative, probably wouldn't be a whole lot better.

And still no pocket knife.

Ouch

Looking in my car for my long lost pocket knife. I took out the front seat. Hurt my leg. I'm an idiot. No, I didn't find the pocket knife.

St. George Marathon

6:45 a.m. tomorrow morning and the gun will sound in Pine Valley, UT. Like lemmings (minus the cliff), we'll trot down the road towards St. George, hopefully arriving in under 4 hours.

3 hours and 20 minutes would be awesome, but I doubt it'll happen.

It'd take a miracle.

Anyways, I'm just about packed and ready to go. I'm wondering if I should wear my Boston Red Sox hat during the run...

A tale of sadness and loss

I noticed it had come up missing about a week or so ago but I assumed it was where it always has been when it turned up missing.

Only this time it wasn't.

I don't know where it's gone off to this time.

And I'm surprisingly distraught over it. I don't know when I've been so sorrowful over the loss of something like this.

Never probably.

For some reason, over the years, I have assigned great personal value to this item. And now it's gone.

Gone, like Frank Sinatra, like Elvis and his mom.

Gone, like Al Pacino's cash, my high school dreams are gone.

I want my pocket knife back!!!

Dutch Oven Ribs and Cheesy Potatoes

I've already thought of a way to improve my already delicious Dutch Oven ribs.

But first, I made Dutch Oven ribs and Cheesy Potatoes for my kids and my parents tonight. And they were delicious!

And Chantal brought up the makings for a peach cobbler, except it was more of a peach/cream cheese cobbler. It was darn tasty! (email me that recipe, Chan)

As for the improvements I've already envisioned? I need to marinate the meat. I looked at a chipotle marinade at the store yesterday and thought about it. Next time, I'll actually do something about it. And I need to sear it at a higher temperature so that the flavors really get locked in much more better.

But the evening ended much too soon and my children either left or needed me to take them to their mother's. And we never got any of the pictures you were hoping to get, Hay! CRAP! Come back down and we'll try it again!

Well, I washed my sheets and blanket tonight and I just heard the buzzer on the dryer notifying me that my blanky is done. I can go to bed now. Night!

One week to St. George!

I remember when October 4th seemed like such a long long ways away, and now here it is at my door step. A week from right this very instant I will have finished running the St. George Marathon and, hopefully, taken a decent nap and enjoyed a triple cheese burger at Wendy's.

This morning I had hoped to get in about 13 miles running down American Fork Canyon from the Dell to my place. Corbin had certain needs and requirements that necessitated my presence with him between the hours of 7:30 and 9:30 a.m. so I had to put off my own interests for his. I went running today just after noon. Decided to run up to Kohler's in Highland, get a cold drink, head up and around by Lone Peak High School, past the Mount Timpanogos Temple and then home. I knew a straight shot up to Kohler's and straight back was about 9 miles--I thought adding the extra would put me at 10. Turned out it put me at 11.

It's all good.

Well, not really.

The distance was good. The actual run was a bit of an unpleasant chore. I did not enjoy myself a lot--no, not a lot at all! My average pace was 9:28. Only 5 of the 11 miles were under 9 minutes! I just wasn't feeling it. I'm feeling a bit discouraged and my outlook on my St. George performance isn't exactly optimistic. We'll see.

Race Sponsors

I like race sponsors. They make it possible for runners like me to get a $120 race experience for only $60. Good sponsors increase the odds of getting a really good technical shirt and a way nice finisher's medal.

When I can, I will give a sponsor my business. They help me out, I help them out. It's kind of a symbiotic relationship the sponsors have with the runners. Everybody benefits.

Generally.

Al's Sporting Goods is a Major Sponsor of the Top of Utah Marathon. Saturday afternoon as my daughter and I were tooling around Logan we went to Al's to get her a pair of compression shorts. She suggested The Sports Authority but I thought it would be nice to support one of the sponsors of the race I had run that morning.

Al's Sporting Goods.

They have a good looking store and the salesman was very nice and directed us to the Under Armour compression shorts rack. I have two pair of Under Armour compression shorts that I use and I've been 98% satisfied with. I'd be 100% satisfied if they were a couple of inches longer. So, we got a pair for Hay.

Well, Wednesday, she was going to wear the shorts to one of her PE classes up at Utah State. She put them on and one of the seams burst--the result of an apparent defect in the shorts. Surely, Al's would quickly and easily swap out the defective shorts for another pair. Surely.

Surely nothing.

The clerk at Al's said they wouldn't take them back--that it's the customer's responsibility to arrange a replacement with the manufacturer, adding who knows how much time and expense to a process that could be--yea, even should be--a very simple exchange at the place of purchase.

But noooooooo.

Or so I thought. I spoke with a manager Thursday morning and she apologized profusely for the employee who errantly gave my Hay some wrong information. Al's is going to exchange the shorts or refund the money. It's all good. See--sponsors really are a good thing!

Top of Utah: the report

I've been mulling over and over in my head what I would report. I've even been debating on whether or not I actually would report. I'm reporting so I guess I made up my mind as to the whether. Now it's just the what...

My only real goal in running this was to come in under 4 hours. I finished in 3:59 so there ought to be some satisfaction felt and maybe even some to be expressed here.

Not so much.

My goal should have been a two-parter: 1) finish in less than 4 hours, and 2) run a fairly evenly paced marathon. Had the second part been a goal I would have failed dismally.

My splits - 8:16, 7:58, 7:48, 8:05, 8:10, 8:25, 8:21, 8:23, 8:22, 8:47, 8:25, 9:10, 8:22, 8:22, 8:25, 9:17, 9:15, 9:14, 11:41, 10:43, 9:21, 10:35, 11:26, 10:03, 9:48, 9:43, and 2:36 for the final 2/10's (or 3/10's as per my Garmin).

Looking at all of those miles below 8:30 up through mile 15, one might think, "Great! Way to go! You were doing good!" Problem was I didn't have it in me to keep all the miles from 16 on at or near the 9-minute mark. Miles 19 and 20 saw me losing hope and desire. Twenty-one was a bit of a boost (albeit a small one), but I lost it in the next three miles—I walked a lot, and to a large extent, had given up on my sub 4-hour goal.

But I didn't give up entirely, and I suppose in that there is some good.

Still, I'm somewhat disappointed in my performance through the last 10 miles. I believe I can attribute some of that to the speed with which I ran the first 9 miles. Had I held myself back and tried to average somewhere in the neighborhood of 8:30... Who knows? The other factor I can attribute it to is my pathetic training. If I'm going to continue to do this marathon thing, I really need to commit to the training necessary to get the results I want or quit my belly-aching!

No more soda!

As of Monday, Sept. 29, I will make a resolute effort to eliminate soda from my diet. I've got to lose some of the girth that is my gut! Somebody, please keep me honest.

But between now and then, it's a get-all-you-can-grab situation.

Also, I reserve the option to indulge in a Pepsi or three following a marathon. Deal?

Top of Utah

I'm off to see my Hay! ...and run the Top of Utah Marathon. I'll be leaving the house shortly. I just need to make sure I got everything.

Running shoes: check!
Shorts: check!
Shirt: check!
Cold weather stuff: check!
Toiletries: check!
Extra clothes: check!
Sleeping bag: check!

I think I'm good. Well, uh, I mean I think I have everything.

My hungry

I din't get no dinner tonight.

Empty...

Sundays. I hate 'em. Dare I say that I abhor them? Grandma's house is empty pretty much every day of the week, but on Sunday it feels much more so. Vacuous even...

Pretty cool friends...

The conversation went something like this as I walked into the office:

"I'm a thigh man myself," said one.

"Me? I'm a breast man," said another.

At that point, thinking I was very funny, I chimed in with, "I'm an a** man!"

Everybody laughed and someone said something to the effect that they couldn't remember ever seeing the a** the last time they got a bucket of chicken from KFC...

~~~

OK, OK. That's me being somewhat disingenuous. We did have that conversation, but not exactly in that context--I didn't walk into it like that. I walked into a discussion of chicken and rice recipe's for a Crock-Pot and/or the oven. I suggested a dutch oven. Still, the conversation did actually happen and it was extremely funny. Three guys and a gal sitting in an office laughing our heads off like we were jr. high school kids. We four do that a lot actually.

~~~

And yes, I really am.

~~~

Tonight I took Addi and Chan out to dinner. Since it was Addi's b-day yesterday, she got to choose. She chose Chili's. She likes Chili's. A lot. She is always suggesting Chili's. But I don't think it's really the food that she likes. I mean it is, but there has to be something else. Every time I take Addi to Chili's (which really isn't often--once or twice a year maybe) she orders the Mac and Cheese off the kids menu. Something just isn't adding up here. She wants to go to Chili's for their Kraft Macaroni & Cheese? Doesn't she realize I could make 4 or 5 boxes of the stuff at home for the same amount of money? It must be the atmosphere. Or the fries that come with the mac & cheese. Or maybe it was the chocolate milk she ordered this time. Oh well.

It was great to have Chan along too--thanks for coming! Every Friday night, right? We just swap who's treat it is? Dutch oven on the 28th too! Don't forget!

Happy Birthday to my Addi!!

You're the big 10 today! Yay!
Sorry I wasn't there. You know how it is...
Love you sweetie!

Better late than never?

I don't know if it's too late in the year but I cut the dogs hair tonight. I finally got the clippers last week and then this week I got the blade that leaves 1/2 inch of fur. Not to bad for my first go even if I do say so myself!

I should have done it earlier but it was just one of those things that kept getting put off. Hopefully he won't freeze this winter...

Poor dog. Doesn't know what being a real Chocolate Lab feels like what with that darn recessive inbred gene that gave him long hair. It's such a pain in the butt! I'm thinking in the spring when I cut his hair, maybe I'll leave the front alone and just cut his back end--make him look like a brown lion! How cool would that be?

Spanish Fork Half Marathon: the report

This is the first time I've run the Spanish Fork 1/2, but I like it. They put on a good half marathon down there at the southern end of the valley. It's not like the Provo River Half or the Hobble Creek Half--all, or mostly, downhill coming out of their respective canyons. This one is generally flat--about 200 feet of net elevation gain in the first 6.5 miles--on an out and back course. You can't let gravity pull you across the finish here; you have to work on this course. It's well supported and the raffle at the end is icing on the cake (there were some really nice prizes given out). Anyways, I'm happy to say I finished in under 2 hours--1:54:44 actually--and I ran the entire thing (the exception being the Honey Bucket stop at mile 5.5).

I need to make mention of Leigh's recent spur-of-the-moment decision and accomplishment. She went up to the Teton's last week to help and provide support for the Grand Teton Races, but ended up being lulled by the medal that was being awarded and, on a whim, decided to run the 100 mile race. And she finished! What a nut! Way to go Leigh!

Spanish Fork Half Marathon

This is me going to bed the night before the Spanish Fork Half Marathon. The race starts at 7:00 a.m. near Center St on 1st East. It's an out and back course and Pancakes, sausage, milk and juice will be available at the finish. Sounds good. And the clincher (for me) is the technical t-shirt given to the runners. I'm getting up at 5 so I'd better hit the hay.

Head hurts...

And the remedy would be to go to sleep. I need to get some Tylenol PM, or some Advil PM. Something that has PM at the tail end of it. Went and picked up a Del's Deal at 10:45 pm and then watched the final episode, season one, of Burn Notice. Gotta love www.hulu.com! I really ought to go to bed.

I changed the oil in my car last night. It was way overdue. Next time I'm going to try and remember to do it after the engine has cooled a bit.

I'm running the Spanish Fork Half on Saturday.

OK, OK, I'm going. Night.

Efforts in Futility

Sunday, August 31, 2008: check

New Blog Address

From now on, my awesome blog, Efforts in Futility, can be reached at:

www.effortsinfutility.com

No need to type in the blogspot thing any more. Please update your records and links and favorites and your Rolodex and your day planner and your handheld and your address book as necessary.

Swiss Days 10k

Jerry and I ran the Swiss Days 10k this morning. Jerry finished 12 seconds ahead of me in spite of the fact that he ran the first 5 miles behind me. Youth. Crazy kids. And me an old fart...

Actually, I didn't do that poorly. The first three miles came off like this--

Mile 1 - 8:51
Mile 2 - 8:44
Mile 3 - 8:24

And then things really started looking good.

Mile 4 - 7:46
Mile 5 - 7:45
Mile 6 - 7:48
The final .09 - 6:09 (that's my pace, not the actual time it took to finish the .09)

Jerry finished in 49:48 and I came in at 50:00.01

Katie's grandparents own a cabin up in Midway and graciously allowed me to spend the night. After the race, I thanked everybody and headed home. Got home, had a headache and tried to get rid of it. Didn't get much of a nap or rid of the headache. Oh well.

Going camping tomorrow night with family up at the Dell. Fun! No new tent though. And that's probably a good thing. Someday though. When I'm rich (efforts in futility).

CCW

Looks like it's time to renew. Renewal application is to be filled out, a current passport quality photo and the renewal fee is to be included, and ba-da-boom! I'll continue to be legal. I wonder where I can get some passport quality photo's taken?

New Tent?

Barack Obama is addressing the Democratic delegates in Denver and I couldn't give a flying fig!

And my big tent is coming up on 17 years of age. I think I'm due for a new one. I'm liking this one: Cabela's Alaskan Guide 6-man. What do you think? Think it's worth $500?

Ha! In my dreams maybe.

Park City Marathon: the report

With some apprehension, I ran the Park City marathon yesterday--August 23, 2008. As you may have already deduced, I survived the event as well. It's always good to survive or finish. It's better to have finished and survived.

My original plans had me driving up to the race the morning of. A couple weeks back, however, the boy talked me into booking a room--he even volunteered to pay for it. So, I booked a room at the new Newpark Hotel. Nice place. The room was tiny, but it was very nice. The bed was dreamy. The bathroom... Well, now that I think about it, the bathroom was probably just a hair smaller than the main room. I liked the room so much so that I wish I had booked another night just so I could have laid in that bed yesterday afternoon after the race for a few hours. Anyways, the boy forgot he had offered to chip in on expenses. Oh well, I don't know that I would have held him to it anyways.

The race: My training the last couple of months has been abysmal. Or worse. I don't know that I expected much out of myself yesterday or not--and it's a good thing too, cause I didn't get much. Other than the finish. A better than expected finish. Maybe I did get something.

Anyways...

I met some friends at the start, all of whom commented on my short hair. I told them I was looking for babes!

The course runs in a clock-wise direction beginning and ending at the Fieldhouse at Kimball Junction. The run started cold but it got comfortable pretty quick. I tried running 9 minute miles, and did a pretty good job of it through mile 10. From there on in to the finish I did a bit of walking here and there. Still, I finished with an average pace of 9:49. I made one potty stop of significance at mile 13.33 (which is pretty good for me). I trudged along finishing, finally, in 4:17:06--more than 3 minutes faster than I did last year! Pleasant surprise!

At the finish I hung around visiting with others and mostly having fun reviewing the race. About 20 minutes after I finished, Smooth (Susanna) came through the chute. She's been struggling with cramps in her legs and she looked to be in quite a bit of pain. As she made the turn towards the finish line she had a difficult time and crashed right into the barrier. Her husband jumped right over it and helped her across the finish where she was treated to 5 star treatment.

Overall, it was a good weekend. My anxieties and perceived health issues, I'm thinking, were all psychological. I went to bed last night with a killer headache--standard for me post marathon when I don't hydrate afterwards like I should--but I got up this morning feeling pretty good.

Next up: Top of Utah Marathon on the 20th of September. Makes a nice excuse to drive up to Logan to visit my Hay!

Feeling a smidgen better. Maybe.

I was talking to my Hay earlier and told her how I just didn't feel "right" somehow. She asked for specifics. I couldn't give her any.

Imagine the way you feel runs along a continuum of sorts and somewhere along that line is the level of good. To the left of that is poor and to the right is great.

For the past week I've been off to the left a bit. Not a lot, but enough. And it hasn't seemed to vacillate any. It's just been a constant parallel on the poor side of good.

Nevertheless, I am feeling a smidgen better today. However, I'm not sure if it's a physical thing or a mental thing. Regardless, I hope to finish my marathon in the morning. I'm leaving here shortly.

Park City Marathon

~big whoop~

I can't even really pretend to be excited about running this race on Saturday. My training has been non-existent and I feel "off" for some reason.

I've dreaded a lot of races but never quite like I am this one.

Chantilly lace and a pretty face...

Love you Chan! I really do. Thanks for your texts today.

I know I've done a pretty poor job of letting you know over the years, but I really don't know what I'd have done without you in my life. Thank you.

An American Carol

An American Carol

Here's a movie, set to be released in October, that I really hope does well. And honestly, it's the first blatant parody that I am really looking forward to watching. The article the link takes you to is rather long, but I found it entertaining.

Russia has lost its credibility

Russia claims pullback but forces move other way

Tanks move, but still no sign of Russian pullout

"They are destroying everything and then pulling out of these places," [Spokesman Shota Utiashvili] said. "If they call this a pullout, then I do not understand the meaning of the word."

My Hay is off to college!

I dropped my Hay off at USU yesterday. It was a rather hard thing to do. It was particularly hard driving away knowing she was probably laying on her bed with tears literally drenching her pillow.

In the moments before the final farewell she hugged both her little sister and brother--all of them with their water works unabashedly turned to full-on! I walked her back to her dorm room assuring her that she would be fine--that she would soon forget her anxieties and begin to wonder what all the fuss was for. In her dorm room I said my goodbye and hugged her tightly while she cried on my shoulder.

Walking down the stairs I knew that she would be fine and that she may well prove to be more of a resource to the school than it would be to her. I also came to recognize that of the two of us, I would end up being the one missing the other the most! Without question I will be suffering withdrawal due to her absence! It's only been within the last few years that I've really come to depend on my Hay. I'm the dad and I depend om my daughter? Heck yeah!! And then some.

So, there she is and here I am. I miss her. I'm confident though that she'll excel up there at Utah State. My Hay--a college student hanging out at USU on a full-ride scholarship--kinda makes a father proud!

I think the other kids will miss their sister a lot too. Corbin and Addi were both wiping away tears as we drove home. Hay has a strong tie and connection with each of her siblings beyond that of being family. She's a strength to them all in one way or another.

The Cold War is over?

I remember as a child, growing up in the early eighties, a sense of fear brought on by the uncertain relationship that existed between the United States and the USSR. The Cold War. The threat of nuclear attack hung in the air—not so much that in consumed my life, but enough so that I experienced a fair amount of anxiety over it. The United States emerged from the Cold War as the victor (I suppose) with the dissolution of the USSR. The new Russia was going to give Democracy a try it seemed.

Fast forward twenty-somewhat odd years where Russia is being led by a behind-the-curtains-leader, former Russian president Vladimir Putin. Putin was a former member of the KGB—an organization of the former Soviet government akin to the CIA. Within the past week, Russian troops invaded the state of Georgia. I don’t really understand all that precipitated the move—it involved two Georgian separatist provinces, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which (if I understand things correctly) have loyalties to Russia, but Georgia wants to hold on to.

Anyways, here we go again it seems with the two “Super Powers” up in each other’s faces, as it were, talking smack and waiting for the other to do something stupid.

Why do I feel a bit anxious all of a sudden?

And where's that fallout shelter?

Fuzz!

Blah blah blah blah, blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah--blah blah! Blah blah blah. Blah, blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.

Blah blah blah blah blah? "Blah blah blah blah blah, blah, blah blah blah." Blah blah blah blah? Blah. Blah!! Blah blah blah.

Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah, blah blah. Blah blah blah; blah blah, blah blah, blah blah blah. Blah bl-blah-blah!

FUZZ!

Raise your hand if you've done this...

Raise your hand if you've rolled out of bed at 11:43 p.m., wandered into the kitchen and prepared a delicious meal consisting of fettuccine alfredo w/ chicken.

How many of you were there?

Just me?

I suppose my next question won't get much of a response out of anyone either then: How will that late night meal affect my intended 6:00 a.m. 6-mile run first thing in the morning?

Blithering...

After yesterday's debacle, I'm rather anxious about running the marathons noted above. Yesterday's debacle you ask? Well, I went back out to run the 12 miles later in the day like I wanted to. I really did--you can ask Jerry. But a mile and a half into the first 6-mile loop my wheels came off. I don't know what it was--probably poor choices in food after the first 6 miles--but I crashed and I crashed hard! Not pretty. And the fact that Jerry had come all the way over to go "running" with me made me feel even worse! He was very gracious about it all though, being the kind and thoughtful brother that he is. Still, I'm concerned. And that's somewhat funny too seeing as how I've run races significantly less prepared than I am now--this time it just "feels" like there's more riding on it. I don't know.

I woke up this morning feeling a bit under the weather. Maybe therein lies some justification for tanking and bailing on the last 12 miles of my run yesterday.

Leigh ran the Mt. Disappointment 50-miler yesterday, finishing in 14 hours and 9 minutes. Way to go Leigh!!

On a sad note, I seem to have lost a few of my marathon bibs from a few races. I thought for sure I had saved them all. Dang! I'd be willing to bet, however, that if I ever decided to clean up this mess of a bedroom, I might find them somewhere...

My a pansy...

There's an article in the September Runner's World about dealing with pain. I'm not currently in any real pain after finishing 6 miles of running in the noon heat and sun, but I don't feel like finishing what I started. It was only around 85°, but it was enough to bring the pansy out in me. I need to run 12 more--at least--in a last ditch effort to get ready for Park City in two weeks. I'm thinking I'll wait until later this evening and do the last 12. Problem with that line of thought is that the pansy has already been let out of the bag--I will probably find some reason not to go later.

I've developed something of a gut. I mean really! I could make faces with my stomach and make my belly-button talk! "Help me! Somebody get me out of here!"

I'm tired. A Pepsi sounds really good.

Bike ride with my Addi

I've got Addi tonight. She's been chomping at the bit to come over for days now--and finally, she made it. Shouldn't have to be such a struggle but it is.

We went for a bike ride.

I love my Addi!

She's a good kid and she loves her daddy.

Apparently she wants me to sing Tim McGraw's "My Little Girl" at her wedding... I'd better start practicing.

Going running again.

Not right now though.

In the morning.

Early.

5:30 a.m. early.

With Brook.

Again.

Going running.

Not right now though.

In the morning.

Early.

5:30 a.m. early.

With Brook.

Muddy or bloody

Make sure you know where your leg is in relation to the crank on your bike while navigating tricky downhill switchbacks...

Ouch! You should have seen the blood gushing out of that thing!

Happy Birthday Hay!

Family...

While I generally have had the attitude that it's family that'll stab you in the back, I don't really believe it. Not entirely.

My aunt Joanne died last week and her funeral was on Tuesday, and Friday through this morning was the Jensen Family reunion. Both events have caused me to pause and feel some real gratitude for my family.

I am an Amazing Person, take II

Remember my claim to AMAZINGNESS? Well, not to toot my own horn or anything, but I kinda am. Just ask Jonah. Right Katie? Anyways, I installed the disc brake on the front of my bike back on Wednesday which was documented here on this blog. As I mentioned then, the V-brake arrived at my doorstep on Thursday and I put it on last night. So, here's the photographic evidence:

The most amazing thing to me is the relative ease by which I managed to install both the new front and rear brakes. The rear brakes feel a bit loose and squishy, but I'll get them firmed up tomorrow I think. I hope.

I N S O M N I A

On the down side, I can't sleep. On the up side, I cleaned half my room!

I am an amazing person!

Problem is, I'm one of two people in the world who think that--and I only think that on the third Wednesday of July when the year is an even number. The other person probably thinks it even less regularly than me...

Oh well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My mountain bike has a disc brake on the front wheel now!

I put it there!

By myself!

And it works!


Tomorrow I'll get the V-brake for the rear and install it. Such fun!

The latest on the mountain bike...

I’ve been struggling off and on for the last couple of years with my mountain bike—wishing I had a full suspension but not being able to afford it and so on… Anyways, as you may recall, I got a new front fork and crank for my old GT over the winter to at least upgrade what I have. I took it up on the Timpooneke road last week and I really like the new fork even though it makes the bike stand a little taller—I have to watch myself when I come off of the pedals so I don’t hurt anything. Still, I’ve found myself wanting again for “more” bike. Or at least “better.”

My bike is old enough that the rear triangle doesn’t have the mount for disc brakes, but the new fork does; so, I’ve gone and ordered a mechanical disc brake set-up for the front and a new V-brake set-up for the back—both of which are significant upgrades from what I’ve had for the past 7 years. The disc brake is the ’08 Avid BB7 (it’s mechanical, not hydraulic, but it’s supposed to be really-really good-if I've been duped, let me know) and the V-brake is the ’08 Avid Single Digit 7. I also got some new brake levers: the ’08 Avid Speed Dial 7. I don’t really know why I did it. I was just going to look and wish and dream a bit, but I managed to get a good deal on everything and, like my Dad, I have a hard time saying no when it comes to bikes or bike stuff (he just bought himself a Specialized Roubaix).

Also, as a bit of an aside (as it has nothing whatsoever to do with the latest on the mountain bike), I went running today at lunch. Didn't expect much out of myself as the heat the last few weeks has been something of a factor causing me to walk more than I'd like. Ended up running the full 6.15 miles non-stop with an average 8:02 pace! Just when I start to think there's something wrong with me, I'll pull a good run out of the hat and it makes me feel a bit better.

Random ramblings of the clinically insane...

I'm watering my lawn tonight.

I need to find a product that will wash the stink out of my running clothes. Somebody said something about anything oxygenated--like Oxyclean. I've tried Penguin Wash before.

I haven't been sleeping well the last few nights. The last two nights I've ended up taking a sleep aid.

My birthday is getting closer, and all I really want is...

My Haley loves me (she just sent me a text saying so!).

My Addi is playing soccer this summer and I might give being her coach a go. Maybe.

The mid-80's David Lee Roth ROCKS! Eat 'Em and Smile is an awesome album.

It's hot. I mean the temperature.

The distance from pitcher's rubber to home plate for the Pony League is 54 feet. For the Colt League it's 60 feet 6 inches.

Jesse Jackson wants to cut Barack Obama's n*ts off.

I've run (ran?) 2 marathons so far this year: Utah Valley and Ogden. I've also run the Squaw Peak 50 and was on a team for the Ragnar Relay Wasatch Back. Why is my head telling me I've run 3 marathons?

The cut-way-too-short TV series Firefly and the subsequent movie Serenity are pretty cool. It's too bad the series didn't get enough traction to keep on keeping on.

CamelBak has a new product out: the Podium Bottle. I think they're pretty cool! They don't make the water taste toxic. And they're BPA free!

What does the Extra Care function on a clothes dryer really do?

I'm going to bed.

Proposed Family Reunion Mtn Bike Ride Route

I think this will be doable for most. The road is a bit rocky and rough, but it's not steep or treacherous.

It's July 05 and...

...I have not--I repeat, NOT--had my mountain bike up on any trails yet. I disgust myself!

In an effort to redeem myself (because I disgust myself) I think I'm going to try and replace the brake rotors on my car all by my lonesome! If I can do that, maybe--just maybe--I'll feel a little better about not putting my mountain bike to better use. The question now though, is--do I go with your basic rotor from AutoZone or do I go with something better? (I'll probably go with the AutoZone rotors.)

Ragnar Relay: Wasatch Back 2008

Here's team Citizen Warriors. I'm the dork on the back row, in the middle, with my head thrown back and my mouth wide open. We had fun. I was one of 3 civilians on a Utah National Guard Team. We finished in 26:52:58.8, 125th overall and 1st in our division. They even timed the Ragnar leg--the last leg I ran. I ran it in 52:28.5 and placed 285th. I suck! There's talk about some of us from the team doing the relay again next year as an ultra team.

I've run Monday and Tuesday this week out in the heat--both times packing some nuun in my handheld. Don't like the kona cola flavor all that much but I think I've benefited from taking it along. I bought the nuun online from nuun.com--the nuun sampler kit that has 4 tubes of nuun; one each of lemon-lime, tri-berry, citrus fruit, and kona cola. So far all I've tried is the kona cola.

SWEET!!!

You know it, baby! Way to trounce the Lakers!!!

Squaw Peak 50

It's been one week and two days since I completed the Squaw Peak 50-mile Trail Run. Maybe I'd better report.

While it was one of the single most difficult things I've done, it was also very rewarding, quite fun, and the scenery was fantastic!

The whole thing got started on Friday with me going in to work trying out a new sock configuration. I had planned on running in my new Injinji socks but LEIGH suggested I wear a thinner sock on the outside. I actually tried it Thursday night but the only socks I had were too thick. Friday I ran over to Runner's Corner in Orem and got a pair of Smart Wool PhD socks--really thin socks. So I wore a pair of Injinji's and the Smart Wool socks all day at work and got comfortable with the set up. I decided that if it became an issue along the trail I could pull off the outer pair and continue on as I had originally planned. After work, I had to run home cause I had forgotten some of my stuff. Got everything taken care of there and ran over to the host hotel for the packet pick-up, the dinner (which I, in and of myself, chose not to eat), and the pre-race briefing. Visited with LEIGH quite a bit, met a young lady from NY named Sherry and some nice folks from Ridgecrest, CA. It was here that I picked up the sliver helping John Bozung unload his truck of all the goods. The son of a gun hurt! Made me very nervous--I didn't want to get on the trail the following morning and have infected finger issues. I managed to pull it out and all was well.

After the hotel thing, LEIGH and I went to Target and got some stuff and then headed over to her daughter and son-in-law's place to get our drop bags ready and to spend the night. Thanks to Shea and Cameron for putting up with me! They kinda have to deal with LEIGH cause she's family, but I'm just an extra that they happened to have room for. Again, thanks! The whole drop bag thing, for me, was probably more of an issue than it should have been. Still, it all worked out in the end. Didn't use probably half the stuff I packed. Oh well.

We got up early and got to the start early. Way early. We beat John there even. Anyways, we got ourselves put together and headed over to the start. At 4:00 a.m. we were off. LEIGH, Sherry, and I stayed together for the first couple miles. We lost Sherry somewhere around mile 3 and then I lost LEIGH soon thereafter. I got to the first aid station and felt guilty for going so fast. But I remember that she had predicted I'd leave her in the dust and didn't feel so bad. And there wasn't any dust either. It was raining pretty hard by the time I got there. A guy we had been talking to during the first couple of miles caught me at that aid station and we left together. I kept mentioning to him that I was worried about LEIGH. The rain that soon turned to snow was sure to have an impact. And it did but not to the extent I was afraid it might. She made it through the blizzard just fine in typical TURBOCORBIN fashion.

Between miles 15 and 20 I kept saying to myself, "I feel really good! When are the wheels gonna drop off?" Fortunately they never did. When I came out onto the pavement at Hobble Creek, I took it really easy up to the aid station at mile 26. Really easy. And from there to the aid station at Sheep Creek--I took it really easy again. I arrived at the Little Valley aid station with plenty of time to spare. I felt a bit light headed as I stood there getting my shiz together for the last leg. I saw a lot of runners sitting down taking a load off before heading out--and I was so tempted to follow suit, but I'm glad I didn't. If I would have I'm afraid I'd never have gotten up. I left LEIGH the blue long-sleeved shirt she asked me to leave and headed out.

The first few miles out of Little Valley are beautiful but the distance drags on and on. We were coming around a small hill and onto another and as I looked up I felt sure that that's where the high point was. I couldn't have been more wrong. In fact, we descended for a bit until we came around the hill and then, off in the distance was a narrow strip of snow that had a very distinguishable line going up the middle of it. The closer we got the easier we could see that that's where our path was taking us. And sure enough. HOLY CRAP! That was one tough bugger to get up too! I made it but was passed by numerous others. I had been running along this section with Eric Kajiwara, one of the folks from CA that I had met the night before, but on the ridge of snow, he just blew right by and I didn't see him til the finish.

The thing that surprised me the most was that the snowy ridge wasn't the end of the climbing. We still had a bit of hiking to go! The altitude was getting to me so I just kind of petered along. After cresting the highest point of the race I had to stop and get some food in me. There's a big gap in aid stations in this section, but it can't be helped because of the remoteness of this section. Aid station #9 has to be hiked into by those who staff it-5 miles each way! That aid station was heaven sent too (except for the PowerAde was gross!). I loaded up on some chips and other munchies and began the final decent. Lots of snow here but I managed to get through it without incident. Lots of mud too.

I figure the last 8 miles or so of the course I ran. I ran and I ran at a pretty good clip. At least it felt like a pretty good clip. LEIGH's daughter Shea and son-in-law Cameron were at the park 3 miles from the finish. They're the ones that took most of the pictures I've posted of me (the one with the sliver though was taken by LEIGH).

I'm cruising down South Fork and finally I get to an area where there's cell phone reception. I have a message and a few texts from my kids. They had been waiting at the finish line for me for 2 hours! I told them I was 5 minutes away and off I went.

I finished in 15 hours, 38 minutes and 55 seconds according to my watch. Given the rain and the snow, I'm going to count that as a very good time. But then there really wasn't much heat either so maybe the two balance each other out. Maybe.

Nevertheless, it was a great experience. I'm glad I did it. I'm not so sure I'll do it again though. Windy Pass is a bugger!!! But thanks LEIGH for "making" me do it this year. I promise I'll give next year some serious thought.

Stuff

Corbin batting.

Corbin pitchingMy new MP3 player. 4 gig and so small!

This one's for you, Chan...

June 22 was supposed to be the date, but I bumped it up a bit. I just got kinda sick of it and did it before I let myself change my mind.

Good lookin' haircut, eh? Dang straight! Good work, Chan.

If you really must know why, here's the biggest reason:

Finished!

Completing the Squaw Peak 50 Mile Trail Run is now in my rear-view window. It's been done. What next?

Above is a sliver I picked up the night before the race helping the RD unload a bunch of the race stuff. Yes, it hurt going in, but it hurt even more coming out.

Here are Leigh and I just prior to the start of the race. No rain or snow at this point, but the rain would start soon and the snow would begin to fall before we got 10 miles into the race. Nice. Leigh's blog has a nice picture of her in the snow.

The pic above was taken at about 38 or so miles looking across to the big climb. See the sliver of snow in the left/center? Straight up that. What you can't see is the highest point of the course that lies behind that mountain.

Here I am with 3 miles left.

Squaw Peak 50 next Saturday

This pic really has nothing to do with the Squaw Peak 50 other than it's the route I ran 3 times last week in my final preparations for Squaw Peak. It's a nice 8 mile trail run. It starts and ends at the lowest point in the pic where the red lines are. It goes up Battle Creek (angles up and to the right in the pic) and then goes over Little Mountain, down Grove Creek, and then along the base of Little Mountain to the start. The first 3 miles is a hike and the rest is a blur of a downhill run. Yesterday (Friday), Jerry, Brett, and I ran it in 1:53 cutting almost 12 minutes off my best time.

Graduation Day

Today my Hay graduated with the Pleasant Grove High School Class of 2008. She was wearing gold cords and everything! She totally rocks!

She says she left the building (it was held at the Marriott Center at BYU) and was immediately told to turn in her gown. How stupid is that? I think she could have told them to hold their horses a bit--she needed to get some family pics with it--but she didn't. Her head was probably going a million miles an hour in a million different directions and pictures in her gown probably didn't even cross her mind. Oh well.

No, I didn't dress the boy...

Whaddaya think?

I'm not too keen on the white, but it'll do.

My mind says "blog"

But from there to the fingers on the keyboard, it's a complete disconnect. There they are--all my fingers on the correct "home" keys--and nothing but what I forcefully send down is showing up on the screen. If the mind says "blog," you'd think it would have something specific in mind to "blog" about. No such luck. Still, I have managed to go on for 4 or 5 sentences about nothing much. And that's something.

My Hay came over a bit ago. She was supposed to be coming over to use my computer for her article assignment. She ended up doing the assignment at her grandmother's and didn't need me, but she brought the boy over and ended up staying for quite a while. Seriously, I am just so proud of her and what she's done with her life thus far. If only I could claim to be even partly responsible for a fraction of any of it... I started out changing the windshield wiper blades on her car, but ended up having to go to the store to get new ones--I busted the refills I was trying to force on.

I watched Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace last night and this morning. I need to watch different movies. I need to get the original version of episodes IV through VI--the ones that have Han Solo shooting first!

Tomorrow is Monday. Back to work I guess. Yippee. What fun. Yay. Woo-hoo. Let's all have a party.

Long run in the morning...

The team I'm running the Wasatch Back Ragnar Relay with in June has a 13-mile run planned for 0700 in the morning. After that, I'd like to go for a run up Battle Creek canyon and down Grove Creek. We'll see. Gotta get up at six so I'll be ready at 6:30. Maybe I ought to go to bed.

This is Corbin pitching yesterday in what ended up a losing effort. My boy did good though.

Hump Day

Jason Castro is gone. And thank Gary for that! Holy Crap! The kid just gave me the willies! I’ve heard him referred to as the Gelfling on the show, and I’m inclined to agree. I’m sure he’s a really nice kid though. (That's American Idol chat just in case I lost you somewhere along the way.)

My wicked-awesome 2001 GT Aggressor 1.0 is back in the shop. I dropped it off just after work tonight. I’m having the new fork and headset put on. I’m feeling rather apprehensive about the whole thing though. Don’t know why. Actually I do, but I don’t know why I’m feeling it to the degree I am. Here’s the deal: I bought the fork online and thought about doing the work myself for about 34 seconds. Decided it would be best to have someone with the proper tools and know-how do it for me. So I took the bike, the fork, and the headset down to the shop and left it. And now I’m all up and worried that I’m going to get my bike back with a used and/or deficient fork on it. For some reason I envision my brand new and (hopefully) kicking new fork ending up on one of the wrench’s bikes.

Which is silly really.

They wouldn’t do that would they?

No…

Maybe.

I hope not.

But still.

Before I took it in I made sure and got the serial number off the fork so I can verify that it is in fact the same one that comes back on my bike. But I won’t get it back ‘til next Wednesday. I guess everybody and their uncle’s monkey has their bikes at the shop getting them ready for the summer biking season. Oh well.

I’m actually quite excited about mountain biking this summer. Road biking not so much. I think it’s the new fork.

Went for a nice 9-mile run today. Felt good. Another run tomorrow. Should I go for an hour or an hour and a half?

My brother James is now in Afghanistan. Bagram Air Base to be exact. He describes his status there as “transient” as they won’t/shouldn’t be there for long. He explains it like this: “We are transient here, meaning instead of being in huts with 8 personnel we are in a huge circus tent with about 100 cots. No, there aren't 100 men in the tent, but darn near. Luckily every 5th cot or so is empty to allow for additional storage as there is but 16 inches between cots.” Sometimes I consider myself wise for not joining the National Guard… Other times I really wish I had.

I’ve got a scratchy throat. Two nights in a row now. I wonder if it’s allergy related or if I’m coming down with something? And my nose just started to bleed. I wonder if it’s allergy related or if I’ve been picking my nose too much?