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.