I got a new son-in-law and a new grand-daughter--both on the same day.

Guess that makes me special.

It was on Friday--December 17th. 'Twas a good day.

Bradley D. Johnson

Dude--ever wonder why you're not getting any of those emails sent to the email address you created using your name? It's cause it's not your email address.

It belongs to someone else and he's getting your email.

Stop using that email address.

Thank you.

Gettin' up early to go for a run...

Before you start laughing and shouting, "Bull!" why don't you give me the benefit of the doubt and think positive and encouraging thoughts, such as, "You can do it, man!" "Go get 'em big guy!" or "You are the man!"

This shifting back and forth from standard to daylight savings time is getting old. Personally, I'd prefer we were on daylight savings time year round--I like it lighter later in the day--but I'd content myself with standard time year round. I could adjust.

And once I adjusted I wouldn't ever have to worry about switching the clocks--the real clocks and the one in my head that tells me when it's time to go to bed.

Anyways, I've got the alarm set for 6:00 a.m. I'll get up and get dressed to run and pack a bag with my work stuff. Good plan!


And I'm looking for a shoe and apparel company to sponsor me. Preferably Saucony on the shoes. And if they wanted to pay for all my registration fees, that would be cool too! (Yeah, a mid-pack runner can aspire, can't he?)

Those cool necklaces all the baseball players are wearing nowadays...

Just in case you haven't seen them yet, turn on the World Series and there they'll be.

Want to know what they are? Or what they're for?

Well, they are Phiten Titanium Necklaces. You can find out what they're for here.

Runners, golfers, tennis players, football players, as well as all the baseball players are wearing them.

Cause they're cool!

Which is why I have one. But I had mine before most everybody else.

Seriously!

So when you see me with it and you're thinking I'm just trying to be like everybody else, well, I'm not--at least with my super-cool Phiten Titanium Necklace in red and black. I'm one of the legitimate non-famous trend setters.

These aren't the droids we're looking for...

Went to lunch yesterday with my Hay. That makes me special, indeed!

We had a window seat at one of the more popular franchises in the area--there were a lot of people coming in and out.

Two in particular caught my eye. Both were wearing scrubs. One, caught up in the moment and not looking where she was going, plowed right into the rear view mirror of a parked car they were walking by. It had to have hurt--and her pride too a bit. I got a good laugh out of it.

Lunch and a laugh--can't beat that!

Rain + construction = one big A mess!

I've got a 45 foot long trench within feet of my front door--and the dirt that filled the trench is piled up along side it and has served, over the past couple of days, as sponge for all the rain. I now have mud in the house and in the trailer

I'm growing weary.

More than weary.

It's going to be a long winter.

I'm looking for free room and board in the American Fork/Pleasant Grove area for the winter--anybody know of anything?

Me and Imelda Marcos

You remember Imelda Marcos? Wife of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos?

She had 2700 pairs of shoes.

I have, probably, less than 1% of that number. Yes, I have fewer than 27 pairs of shoes. But it's close. I'm probably pushing close to 20 pair.

And most of them are running shoes.

Which really isn't that surprising--at least to me.

What kind of boggles my mind is this: I have probably 7 pairs of running shoes that I currently rotate through. Some are road shoes and others are trail shoes, but still.

There was a time, not so long ago, that I was rotating 1 pair of shoes. Which means there was no rotation. I wore the same pair of running shoes day in and day out until they wore out.

So what happened?

Has less than 1% of me been taken over by the spirit of Imelda?

Caught up in a run...

I went running today after work. I missed running on Saturday on account of me being busy doing other things. And kids.

So I knew that I really ought to get a run in today. So, I packed my running bag and took it to work with me. Shorts, socks, shoes, shirt--check. Garmin/watch--that would be a big negative. Oh well. Ever noticed that shorts, shoes, and shirt all begin with the letters S and H? Add socks to the mix and they all begin with the letter S! How cool is that?

Anyways, I managed to get through the day at the office and donned the 4 S's and drove up to the mouth of Provo Canyon.

I wore my Vibram Five-Fingers for 4 miles. Probably a bit much, but I actually enjoyed it at the time. Right now my calves are crying foul, but at 5:45 I was having a good time. I ran the first 4 in the Five-Fingers and then changed into my Saucony Kinvaras and ran 4 more.

I was in the zone. I could have run all night if I had the time and the inclination.

Well, actually, I think I did have the inclination and I probably could have made the time--but it was getting close to dark and I didn't have a flashlight. I thought about coming home and hopping on the treadmill, but the house has no power except for a single extension cord that is currently feeding electricity to the fridge and this computer.

Got home and didn't run any more. But I really wish I could have. And then my calves got all tight and cranky. Something about barefoot running and calves... I like it!

Didn't get my laundry done either. Needed to, but I didn't. The laundromat in town closes at 9:00 p.m. The boy and I were both somewhat surprised by that. Laundromats should have late hours or should be open 24 hours.

Yeah, the boy. I was unlocking the door to get in the house, but found it unlocked. Walked in cautiously and found the boy poking his head around the corner. What a turd! I need a little warning.

But anyways, the point of this blog was to mention the fact that I had planned on giving careful and considerate thought to my daughter. She's expecting. Pregnant. Due in early January. But this has been a difficult pregnancy for her. She has what is called a velamentous cord insertion. Google it--I'm not going to explain it. Needless to say, it can be troublesome. I was going to give some thought to this subject and my daughter on this run.

And I spaced it.

It didn't even cross my mind once.

Until I was home.

I'm such a poor father...

So I'm making up for it now, by signing off on this blog and considering what I meant to earlier.

Is this heaven?

I ran through a bit of heaven today.

At least it felt like heaven.

Most of it.

It was, oh, I don't know--awesome?

Totally awesome!

And I live 13 miles away from 24/7/365 access.

And me such a bitter and angry person. Really?

2 miles up the Bear Canyon trail, hop on trail 150 and/or 151--The Great Western Trail--and then it hooks up to the Pine Hollow Trail. 8 miles of heaven. At Salamander Flat there's the option to go up some more and hook into trail 157 before diverting down on the Pine Hollow trail and you've added what I hope turns out to be 2 more miles. I'll let you know for sure when I find out.

Aside from the close proximity of the Alpine Loop road and the fact that motorcycles (of the dirt variety) are allowed on the trail, this really is one of THE best trails I've run on.

I was starting to hurt a bit during the last mile, but it was hurting soooooooo good!

The only bad thing? It's October--there's going to be snow up there perty soon and that's going to severely limit access.

Aw hell!

I read somewhere that having a back bone is a good thing.

I wouldn't know--I don't have one.

As evidenced by the fact that I wasn't going to run any more races this year, but I've already been 94% talked into another one--one that's 360 miles to the southwest.

A tough one.

Really tough.

Almost brutal even.

Cool race though.

Way cool.

What is it?

It's the Valley of Fire Marathon.

Extremely scenic.

I haven't run the new course, but I believe it may be more scenic than the old one.

You should check it out. It's November 20th in the Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada.

Could it?

“Could switching to GEICO really save you money on car insurance?”

I don’t really know for sure—I haven’t called—but I’m tempted.

Really tempted.

Why?

Because a former drill sergeant makes a terrible therapist.

Because the little piggy cried wee-wee-wee all the way home.

Because Abe Lincoln was honest.

Because having a snowball fight with pitching great, Randy Johnson, is a bad idea.

And because a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush!

~

Yeah, it’s kinda been a long night. So many things going through my head right now—and not a darned one of ‘em makes a lick of difference.

~

The St. George Marathon is coming up this Saturday. In the words of Enrico Pollini, “It’s a race!” and, “I’m getting goose pimples!” (Rat Race, 2001, Paramount Pictures)

Lost it

Have you ever come up with the perfect subject to blog on about, but you're at work or driving or something and you can't actually act on it right there and then?

Yeah, me too.

Like today.

And now that I'm home and on the computer I don't even remember what it was all about. The only thing I remember is thinking about something incredibly novel to write about.

And now it's gone.

I'll probably remember what it was tomorrow. While I'm at work, or driving, or something.

Top Of Utah Marathon 2010: There’s a right way and a wrong way to do things…

...and once in a great while, going about it the wrong way will get you where you want to go.

But…

There will be consequences.

The Piper will have to be paid.

I knew that going into the Top of Utah Marathon this year.

My longest run since mid June was 13.1 miles and I knew there was a pretty good chance—almost guaranteed—that the second half of TOU would be difficult and painful.

And what do you know.

The week following the Spanish Fork Half, I ran all of 4 miles hoping to recover as best I could from that race and save as much energy as possible for TOU. However, my 4 mile run ended up being about 30 seconds per mile faster than I wanted, and Friday found me with tired legs. I was anxious enough as it was—you don’t jump back into running after a potential stress related injury by running 13 miles one week and 26.2 the next. There’s supposed to be a gradual build up of the miles, right?

But nobody has made a legitimate argument in favor of my intelligence, so…

Nobody has really argued in favor of my rugged good looks either, but still.

I spent Friday night with my daughter (a student at USU) and actually managed to get a good 4 hours of sleep—a rarity for me the night before a race. Saturday morning she took me to the busses. I forgot and left my “breakfast” in the trunk of the car. Fortunately, a friend offered me half of her pop tart, and then I stumbled across a banana that was about to be tossed about 20 minutes before the start of the race. There’s nothing like starting a race on an empty stomach and I’m glad I was able to dodge that bullet.

About 6 of the first 13 miles were sub-9 and only 2 were on the plus side of 10 (courtesy of bathroom stops). I was feeling pretty good about that, but they all felt slow. Really slow. It wasn’t until I got home and looked at the actual splits that I realized I actually fared pretty well.

At mile 14 I was supposed to meet my good friend Smooth, but because of a bit of a mix up we ended up connecting between miles 16 and 17. From there on in to the finish I was pleasantly entertained, encouraged, and motivated by Smooth. What ended up being about a 2:10 second half could very well have been 3:00. My quads and calves were tired and sore. Each step sent an uncomfortable shock through my legs—it was almost as if all the muscle tissue in my legs had turned to glass and each time a foot would come down that glass was going to break. There were quite a few times I had to walk and while Smooth allowed me that, she was quick to get me running again each time.

Can I just say that running with Smooth is a complete hoot! If you haven't had the opportunity yet, schedule some time when you can—it'll be completely worth it!

As we approached the finish line, Smooth broke off to meet her family and I never got the chance to thank her properly. I owe her, at the very least, one big hug!

Finished in 4:15:57. Went and crashed at my daughter’s and then took in the first, and apparently best, half of the Aggies football game before heading home.

The next couple of weeks will be spent trying to recover and rest up the legs enough so that I can, hopefully, pull another sub-4:00 race out of the St. George hat.

Details of a 200 pound man running around in a pair of Kinvara's...

These shoes are actually quite amazing. Light. Very light. Almost like I was running with EVA foam strapped to the bottom of my feet--which, I guess I was.

Not sure how they'll hold up to the 200 pound guy running around in them though. Durability has got to be an issue with these things. Only time will tell, I suppose. Hopefully more than less...

Elevator Etiquette

Yes, there is such a thing and it should be adhered to.

A web search will bring up a plethora of hits, but this one right here is the most important.

There are some gray areas, but there are most definitely some that are black and white.

• Don't pass gas, fluff, break wind, cut the cheese, or in any way fart in an elevator car. C'mon! Where's that polluted air going to go? And it's especially not cool to cut it and then bail. If you're going to stink it up in the elevator, at least have the brass to stick it out with the unsuspecting innocents that are blindly walking into your foul stench. Same goes for burping. And if you happen to reek of body odor--consider the stairs.
• Don't try talking to strangers on the elevator. The elevator is a place of solitude where one goes to be alone with him or herself for a few moments. Don't make it uncomfortable for them. They'll just get off the elevator thinking you're a complete idiot and mumbling something about how they hope the cables snap before you get off.
• When boarding the elevator, don't get right in the door and throw yourself through the opening as soon as you can fit. Give the people on the elevator a chance to get off. Let me repeat that: Don't get on the elevator until those who are on have a chance to get off.
• Unless you've got an injury or a medical condition that dictates otherwise, take the stairs if you're just going up one or two floors. For crying out loud, no wonder obesity is such an issue!
• Allow people their personal space.
  

2010 Spanish Fork Half Marathon

It's a very fun race held in Spanish Fork in September. The last two years I've run it they had it on the first weekend of September, but this year it was on the second Saturday: 09/11.

I don't recall why I ran this race the first year--I think I was encouraged to join with a bunch of running buddies. Yeah, that was it. And while the course itself, that first year, didn't really impress me; the good time I had with friends and the raffle afterward won me over and I've been back ever since.

Funny thing is, I've never actually had my number drawn in the raffle, but I did benefit from one of the awards the first year--a friend won something but had no use for it.

Back to the course. Last year the course grew on me some, and this year it did even more. It's a mostly flat course--the start is at 4600 feet and the high point at the half is 4800 feet--that runs from the center of town through the river bottoms and then through some farm country at the foot of the mountains south-west of Spanish Fork Canyon.

Like I said, I have really come to like the course and would rate this course above the Provo River Half and the Hobble Creek Half courses. And the organization for this one beats both of those as well. Of course, this is a smaller race (210 or so total Half participants, plus 74 in the 5k).

The technical shirts that come with the registration have always been pretty cool, but this years was probably one of the cooler race shirts I've gotten from any race. It had, on the left sleeve, an American flag with the date, 09/11/10, below it, in recognition of the events that took place 9 years ago. I thought it was very cool!

Here are some of the cool people I had the pleasure and priveledge or running with this year.

Vestigial Muscles

Vestigial: (of certain organs or parts of organisms) having attained a simple structure and reduced size and function during the evolution of the species. (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/vestigial)

On August 09 of this year, on a fairly short and mundane run--only my third after a six week layoff--I was about a quarter of a mile from home when something in my right calf went "doink!" The way it kind of popped, and felt like something was slithering down through my calf muscles, gave me cause for real concern--never mind the pain and the limping I had to suffer.

So I looked things up on the internet, as we are wont to do in this modern age, and made some assumptions. The description of how and what it all felt like drew me to the conclusion that I may have ruptured, or at least injured, my plantaris muscle.

Further internet searches revealed the possibility that, if it was a plantaris muscle related injury, there may actually be no need to do anything about it. Some research suggests that 7 to 20% of folks don't even have that muscle.
(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1978447/)

Well, it's been a month since the "doink!" and I've run a few miles with no apparent impairment. Other than some persistent soreness in that calf that I would normally attribute to normal muscle aches that you might get when significantly bumping up the intensity of, or starting a new, workout. That and some of the same in my ankle.

Could these both be related to my "vestigial muscle" injury? Or is it just that I've been coming off a 6 week running sabbatical due to a stress injury in the other leg?

If it is related to the plantaris, I'm thinking that maybe mine was actually being used for something and now that workload is being picked up by other muscles and it's just taking some time to learn the ropes.

But I don't know. Food for thought though. It's proven to be quite interesting looking these things up and learning how they possibly relate to what I experienced.

Vestigial muscles and/or organs... If they are, in fact, vestigial, I wonder how many the human body has. I know of at least two that I have.

Lake Catherine plus

Made the hike up to Lake Catherine today. Went up to Catherine Pass and then continued on up to Sunset Peak.

Sunset Peak is the highest point in the picture above.

It was a nice hike. Not too difficult. The trail is well maintained but quite rocky in spots. The hike to Lake Mary (just shy of 1 mile) is quite popular, and the next mile up to Lake Catherine still gets quite a few travelers as well.

Hiking to Lake Catherine, just to get to Lake Catherine, in my opinion, really wouldn't be worth the trip. To get your money's worth you've got to go up, at a minimum, to Catherine Pass--and preferably all the way up to Sunset Peak. Most of the images I've seen on the internet of Lakes Catherine, Martha, and Mary are taken from there. Like this one:



Here's one with me in it--just so you know I was really there:



Nice hair, eh?

To get there: I-215 East to the 6200 S (#6) Exit. Follow the signs for Big Cottonwood Canyon, Solitude and Brighton ski resorts. Drive all the way up to Brighton and at the top of the one-way loop that is Brighton, park in the resort parking lot and look for the trail head--about 4/10ths of a mile beyond the visitors center.

I have no sink

Kitchen or bathroom. Or utility.

The water to the tub/shower still works, but there's no hot water--the gas has been turned off.

The stove and the clothes washer and dryer have been hauled off.

Splintered wood litters the kitchen, and the door leading from there into the laundry room has been pulled off its hinges.

But I've still got power and my internet connection--and there's Pepsi in the fridge. The fridge just happens to be in the living room.

I'd really like to wash my hands in some nice soapy, warm water; but that hand sanitizer stuff is going to have to cut it tonight.

I need someplace cheap to stay.

Or lots of patience.

Until the remodel is complete.

Please let it get done quick!

For the love of Pete!

Compression shorts DO NOT a pair of biking shorts make!

I recently took a run up the Provo River Trail from the mouth of Provo Canyon, up three miles and back.

The trail attracts all sorts.

Long boarders who, after being banned and then allowed back on with restrictions, continue to board any damn way they please! Idiots.

Bikers--road and dirt.

Walkers--and isn't it the most special when the couples hold hands...

Roller bladers.

And dummies like me--runners.

This trip was special. The bikers (the ones on road bikes) are always getting all dressed up in some professional biking team get-up. The spandex shorts or bib and the jersey--all professing their dedication to a certain pro biker or team. I'm on Team Generic. Plain black shorts, but I do have a faux Giro d'Italia and an Empire Strikes Back jersey. And I look good in the pink jersey, let me tell you. My gut doesn't, but the rest of me does.

Anyways, biker shorts--you know, the tight spandex shorts--are to a biker what football pads are to a football player. They pad and cushion the butt.

More or less.

I rode a century bike ride (100+ miles) a few years back and from about mile 40 to the finish, I couldn't feel a thing from my waist down. And maybe that's the benefit the padding in the shorts provides.

So I'm running up the Provo River Trail and I get passed by a lady on a bike. And because most all the bike riders are wearing a kit that advertises something or someone, I was checking it out.

She, apparently, takes the Team Generic to the extreme in that she won't even buy no-name bike shorts. But she will go to Wal-Mart and pick up a pair of compression shorts.

And wear them over the top of her white undies that had flowers or polka-dots in every color of the rainbow. I know this because compression shorts are generally pretty thin. And very often sheer.

Where's my camera when I need it?!

BPA

No, not the stuff in plastic bottles that's caused quite a stir, bisphenol A.

It's a new self-help group I'm going to create.

Bitter Persons Anonymous.

I don't think we'll work on helping folks overcome bitterness. No, I think we'll focus on encouraging, harboring, even propagating feelings of bitterness and resentment.

If you'd like to become a pioneer member of this new self-help (help?) group, send an email to BPA@effortsinfutility.com and we'll get you hooked up. It'll be fun.

~

Actually, I was just browsing through my Abnormal Psychology book and came across a little blurb about self-help groups and it was asking the question: Too much of a good thing?

If referenced a notice that was posted in a Colorado church way back in 1990 (Muskowitz, 2001). It listed a weeks worth of support groups that would be using the building during the week. The schedule looked something like this:

Sunday
12:00 noon Cocaine Anonymous, main floor
5:30 p.m. Survivors of Incest, main floor
6:00 p.m. Al-Anon, 2nd floor
6:00 p.m. Alcoholics Anonymous, basement

Monday
5:30 p.m. Debtors Anonymous, basement
6:30 p.m. Codependents of Sex Addicts Anonymous, 2nd floor
7:00 p.m. Adult Children of Alcoholics, 2nd floor
8:00 p.m. Alcoholics Anonymous, basement
8:00 p.m. Al-Anon, 2nd floor
8:00 p.m. Alateen, basement
8:00 p.m. Cocaine Anonymous, main floor

Tuesday
8:00 p.m. Survivors of Incest Anonymous, basement

Wednesday
5:30 p.m. Sex & Love Addicts Anonymous, basement
7:30 p.m. Adult Children of Alcoholics, 2nd floor
8:00 p.m. Cocaine Anonymous, main floor

Thursday
7:00 p.m. Codependents of Sex Addicts Anonymous, 2nd floor
7:00 p.m. Women's Cocaine Anonymous, main floor

Friday
5:30 p.m. Sex & Love Addicts Anonymous, basement
5:45 p.m. Adult Overeaters Anonymous, 2nd floor
7:30 p.m. Codependents Anonymous, basement
7:30 p.m. Adult Children of Alcoholics, 2nd floor
8:00 p.m. Cocaine Anonymous, main floor

Saturday
10:00 a.m. Adult Children of Alcoholics, main floor
12:00 p.m. Self-Abusers Anonymous, 2nd floor

Think about it for a minute. If that was the schedule way back in the late 1900's, imagine what it would be now!

BPA would probably meet two or three nights a week and have a packed house.

AB negative

Blood. I have AB negative. Only 1/2% of the population share my blood type (the Red Cross says 1% of the US population has AB negative).

That makes me special.

I'm also a universal platelet donor. Me and the rest of the AB negative and AB positive blood types.

I donate platelets.

Does that make me even more cool in your book? Well, it should. And if you've got any cute, female friends in the neighborhood of 30 to 40, you should hook us up!

Just kidding.

I donated today. Today it was a breeze.

But it isn't always.

In my left arm I have one really good vein. It's a beauty. It's a vein that never fails to perform. My right arm, however, is wanting in the vein category. Or at least the folks at the Red Cross struggle with it. I've gone in three times over the past few months and they've poked and prodded and apologized, and poked and prodded some more only to hang their heads and beg for my forgiveness. Which I always give. I must--I keep coming back. They even sent me a card this last time expressing their true and sincere sorrow.

Anyways, I went in today expecting them to go the one vein route. Normally, with platelet donations, you've got a needle in one arm with the tube taking your blood out, processing and separating the stuff, and then pumping it back in via another tube and needle in the other arm. Well, they had just about given up on the in and out method and were going to use the in and out of the same vein thing that they really don't like to use unless they have to. I'm glad they (Bonnie) opted to give the two arm option the go ahead.

And I watched The Losers while the blood flowed. And the itch up on the outer edge of my right eyebrow? Couldn't do a thing about it. And the itch everywhere else I had an itch--couldn't do a thing. It might be a good idea for them to strap my arms down cause there were a couple of times I almost made the move. Something tells me doing that would hurt a bit.

Oh well.

I was gonna reward myself with a stop at the In-N-Out Burger that's right there, but I didn't. I took two packs of Nutter-Butters, a water, and two cranberry juices and fled the scene.

And I stopped off to pick up a lesson book at the distribution center. Pulling up to the LDS Distribution Center with Mötley Crüe blaring probably doesn't make the best impression, eh?

Does Vince Neil look like crap, or is just me? Who am I kidding... the whole band has gone to pot.

4.01

Alrighty then. Let's get this done!

Mid- to fore-foot strike, mid- to fore-foot strike. Proper form!

Hey, good song!

I wonder how long til the freeway construction eliminates this road as a running option? They've cut down a lot of the trees! If they've been doing all the road work at night, they sure have been quiet.

This song bites--skip. Remember to just delete the song when you get back.

Proper form!

Yep--the shoe is rubbing my instep the wrong way. I bet I could duct tape a solution. Tape under the arch on the insole and have it extend up a couple inches further--that ought to do the trick!

I think I'll do my double loop and get 5.5 miles out of this run.

Where does all this garbage come from? Do people just drive out here and unload it all in the ditch? Wouldn't it be just as easy to dump it in the garbage can at home?

Dog! It's barking and heading my way--is it gonna come after me? Probably not. Phew!

How far off the road would you like me to be, you moron?!

Two miles--and they're both sub-9!

How am I going to get the training and mileage in before Top of Utah? It's less than a month away! Holy Crap! Maybe I should walk on the treadmill for a couple of hours later tonight.

Wow! That's a lot of gravel in those rail cars. I wonder when FrontRunner is going to be done?

Seriously, you've got the whole road--why do you have to move all the way over to the side I'm on?

Am I heel striking? Mid-foot, mid-foot.

I wonder if the boy is looking for me? How many times will he have called before I get back? I bet he'll expect me to accommodate him tomorrow. Well, he's out of luck if that's what he's thinking.

I think I'd better head back to the house rather than picking up the extra 1.5 miles. Four is good. And that stitching rubbing my foot is really getting to be bothersome. Hurry home and fix the shoe.

Three miles! Yay me!

Is that a hawk? Sure is small if it is. Will it feel threatened if I look at it? If I look away will it come after me?

Hey look, it's Steve's house!

I'm going to have a nice blister when I get home, I just know it!

Ooooh--a snake! Dead snake.

Almost done. Should I go across the road and run on the trail? Nah--I've got to go a tenth of a mile or so to get my 4 in.

Holy Crap! This has got to be the longest tenth of a mile I've EVER run in my life!

Done. Finally. 4.01 miles. 8:58 average pace. I am the man!

Hurry and cross the road. Helloooooo-oooooooo. Dude! Can't you see me? I'm walking here.

Dang! And here comes another good song just as I finish! Oh well--it'll just have to wait 'til my next run to play.

I'm sitting at home, alone, sporting a migraine, again.

I am truly blessed.

Or cursed.

It's one of the two.

And American Fork Canyon is closed for a bit tomorrow on account of the Tour Of Utah but I can't find a time listed anywhere. I know it's posted on a sign at the mouth of the canyon, but I'd really like to know before I head up that way so's I don't get stuck waiting for an hour.

Given the alone and migraine stuff, I'm leaning towards cursed.

Further proof?

Went camping last night with my Addi. Setting up the tent I realized the tent fly is MIA. And then, about an hour into the sleepy-sleepy time, the mattress decided to develop a gaping hole.

That's OK, or so I tell myself. Both are due to be replaced anyways. Especially the tent.

Went to an Orem Owlz game tonight

Me and Addi with Mike. Thanks for the invite, Michael!

We left in the middle of the 7th. The Owlz were up 6 to 5 thanks to 6 runs in the 6th inning.

And just like that, when the game was getting good, we bailed.

And so it is in life--often times, when things start getting good, we bail. And miss out on all the good stuff.

New shoes!

I had the enviable opportunity tonight to purchase my youngest daughter a pair of school shoes. She wanted some DC shoes; and while I wasn't necessarily opposed to them, I wasn't really rooting for them either. I've already got one skater kid. All I need is for my baby to get pulled into all that.

We both ended up coming back from the shoe store with a pair of low-cut Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars. She is officially "way cool!" in my book. Always was, actually.

Mt. Timpanogos--via the Aspen Grove trail

The hike to the top of Mount Timpanogos, which towers above the cities of Pleasant Grove, Lindon and Orem, UT, is arguably the most popular hike in the state. On Friday, 08/14/10, I went up the mountain for the first time by way of the Aspen Grove trail. Our plan was to spend the night at Emerald Lake so we packed accordingly--funny how a backpack packed for a single overnight trip weighs almost as much as one does for a two or three day hike...

Well, we got started just after 2:00 p.m. Friday afternoon. Due to my superior hiking skills, I left the other three in my dust within the first mile and arrived at Emerald Lake well ahead of them. I had also developed two blisters (that popped) well before arriving at the lake. Fortunately for me I forgot to bring extra socks so I had to wear the wet ones that were causing me grief both Friday and Saturday. (Note to self: buy a good pair of liner socks and don't forget a 2nd pair on the next hike!)

Anyways, the hike was a good one. The night at Emerald Lake was interesting. Biting bugs were aplenty, but really weren't a problem as long as the wind was blowing. I slept under the stars and don't have any bites as a result. I win. Didn't see any fireworks from the Perseid Meteor Shower either. I lose.

At 4:00 a.m. I was awakened by hikers working their way to the summit for the sunrise. Their flashlights along the trail up to the saddle reminded me of a string of Christmas lights. Later, when they had arrived at the peak, flashes from their cameras lit up the morning--it was quite the visual spectacle. I was astonished at the sheer numbers of people though. Looking up at the summit when the sun came up revealed more than a hundred persons lining the ridge.

We began our climb to the top at 7:30, reached the tin house by 9:30, and back at camp before 10:30. The broken blisters on both heels were barking at me the entire morning. I had plenty of ibuprofen, but left it at camp and didn't benefit from it at all until I remembered to take some about half way back to the car. One other thing I didn't benefit from was sunscreen. I'm a habitual sun-burner. I never fail to forget the sunscreen. Where is my mother when I need her?

Anyways, the thing that stood out to me from this hike was the number of mountain goats I saw. I think I probably saw more on this trip alone than on all the others combined! They were everywhere. There was one that was coming up the trail to the saddle as I was going down it. I pressed myself up against the rock to give it as much space as possible--it had sharp, pointy horns!--but it passed and looked at me like I was the threatening one.

Does anybody even read this?

I'm not suggesting that you should, but I am curious if, on the odd chance, somebody does peruse these mostly pointless ramblings.

The cool blogs are generally well written and draw the reader into the subject matter no matter how boring it might normally be. How do I get there? How do I do that?

I've written interesting blurbs before. Entertaining blurbs even.

~

Well, let's start with the most recent and interesting thing I've done. I hiked Mt. Timpanogos. 11,749 feet. Went up this time on the Aspen Grove trail and spent the night at Emerald Lake. Rather than taking a tent, I opted for a simple nylon tarp--and I didn't even really need it except for maybe a ground cover. No moon so the stars were very bright.

I was asked if I saw much of the Perseid meteor shower, to which I replied no. I recall waking up to a bright flash at some point during the night, but I can't really say that it was a meteor or maybe a dream. I did have some weird dreams that night before I actually got to sleep.

At about 4:00 a.m. I was again awakened by what seemed like a mass exodus. From my sleeping bag I had a clear view of the trail leading up to the saddle and what I was was actually rather cool--except for the racket: a steady stream of flashlights heading up the trail. They were making their way up to the summit for the sunrise. Just before sunrise we could look up to the summit and see what appeared to be hundreds of legs dangling over the edge.

Yeah, I'm bored telling this story. If I'm bored telling a story it's not going to work. I'll end now. Sorry folks.

Silver Glance

Silver Glance Lake sits at 9,902 feet above sea level. You get to Silver Glance by driving up American Fork Canyon, taking the left fork up to Tibble Fork Reservoir and then taking the dirt road up to Silver Lake Flat (Reservoir). From there you find the Silver Lake trail head, hike the 2.2 miles to Silver Lake and then north along the spur (just east of the stream bed) approximately 1 mile to Silver Glance (no established trail to Silver Glance exists).

The trail to Silver Lake is a popular one and on most weekends you'll find it fairly crowded. Silver Lake is a pretty but heavily used area and the short but steep hike to Silver Glance is a welcome escape to solitude--and often isolation.

On my next hike up to Silver Glance, I intend to hike up to Red Baldy and get a view of the surroundings from there--I hear they're rather spectacular. Having said that, the views from Silver Glance really aren't anything to shake a stick at.

Cool new socks