2009 Buffalo Run

Tomorrow morning, at 3:00 a.m., I'll be waking up and driving up to Antelope Island for the 2009 Buffalo Run. I'm participating in the 50k race that begins at 8:00 a.m. I'm hoping to finish in under 8 hours. That puts me finishing at 4:00, right?

I should be sleeping.

I've put together two drop bags as there are only two aid stations I'll be running through--the start/finish area which I'll go through to start and finish (duh!) and at mile 15.5, and a station called Elephant Head at about mile 5.2 and 10.5 and then again on the second loop around the course. It's a two lap deal.

My longest run this month has been just over 7 miles. I think I'm in trouble.

I'm a bit anxious.

But not nearly as anxious as I am about Finley's baby blessing on Sunday. It's at the ex-MIL's place and a whole slew of the ex-IL's are going to be there. Don't know why I'm fretting over it so. It's not like they're going to ostracize me--that's already happened. Still, all the worrying I've been doing over it the last few days is giving me an ulcer.

I thought I was done with the baby blessing thing 10 years ago.

Ten years ago I thought a lot of things...

I need to go to bed. Three o'clock is going to come way too early. I wonder if I could wait til 4...

I brought the mountain bike down from the cabin last weekend. It's set up on the work stand back in the TV room. I really need to upgrade the shifters, chain, and the rear cassette. $180 bucks just for those three items IF the derailleurs are compatible. If they're not, add another $120 or so. More if I have to pay to have someone install the stuff. I'd like to think I'll be fine doing it myself though. I think I'll need to buy a chain whip tool thing though...

OK, I'm going to bed.

Well, I'm gonna try to go to bed...

Awkward Silence...

Haven't blogged in a while cause I really haven't had much to say. Of course by saying that I'm implying that I've had something to say before when we all know that's preposterous. My blog, to date, has been mindless drivel that has, more or less, leaked out of my left ear and made its way onto my blog by way of my finners.

The whole blog thing... Don't know exactly where it started (lie) or why I thought it would be a good idea (true), but here it is. I know it started as a place to bemoan and whine about how unfair life has been. I've thrown in a few posts about my running aspirations, car repairs, bike upgrades, and exploits with the children; but this just hasn't ever really been what I thought it would be.

I think it's my computer's fault. If I had a better computer, maybe the blog thing would be better. Maybe I'd be more inspired.

Maybe.

Back to the bike upgrades, I'd like about $400 to upgrade a few more things on my mountain bike for the 2009 season.

Car repairs? Been busy there too. Thanks to You Tube I've completely cleaned the throttle body and replaced the upper motor mount on my Saturn. It's amazing how much better the car seems to run with just the replacement of the motor mount. One of these days I'm going to actually find out how much money I saved doing that myself.

I've registered to run the Buffalo Run 50K next month. March 28th. Antelope Island. I'm excited although you wouldn't know it by the amount of training I put in today. Zero. Had numerous opportunities too. Let 'em all slide right on by. It's my computer's fault. I bet if I had a better computer I'd be more motivated.

A garden snake snuck into the house recently. I'm thinking February is a bit on the cold side of the year to be finding snakes around; but I guess if they're going to be around, inside the house would be where they'd be. It was kind of funny though. Mom wanted to find an old scrap book and went into the bedroom in which they were stored. As she opened the door, this thing fell from the top of the door frame and bounced off her landing on the floor. Turned out it was a decent sized garden snake. It's a good thing mom didn't realize at first what it was or I may have had to call 911. It all makes me a bit nervous... How many more snakes are calling the inside of this house home?

Went snowshoeing again today.

Alone.

Dad said he was a bit worried about me on account of a mountain lion sighting he and mom had a while back.

He didn't tell me he was worried about that until I got back though.

Lost my camera in the snow.

Found it.

Didn't make it up to the Timpooneke Road as I had planned due to exhaustion, but I was close. Real close.

The snow was so deep where I turned around that, even with snowshoes on, my feet were sinking in the snow up to my knees!


I enjoyed being the first one to traipse through the freshly fallen snow, but it sure was a workout. My legs are going to hurt tomorrow.

I almost didn't go. Glad I did. Probably should have gone to work though. At least for half a day.

Oh well.

Good times.

I need some good pants to wear snowshoeing...

Snowshoeing

I've been wanting to go snowshoeing with the boy for a while but things have just never come together. The weekend rolls around and he's off snowboarding or hanging with his buds, or I've got something going on--there's always something.

So earlier in the week I mentioned to the boy my intent to go snowshoeing on Saturday, and he said OK. So Friday night when I picked him up he had two of his buddies in tow--left me thinking, "so much for snowshoeing...".

Well, we didn't go as early as I had planned, but we did make it up to the canyon sometime around 2 or 3. The drive up the canyon had rain falling on the windshield pretty much the whole way, but as soon as we pulled into the Dell the rain turned to snow. We checked in with my folks, donned the snowshoes, and headed up the Bear Canyon trail.

About 3/4ths of the first mile was fairly well traveled with packed snow--could have done without the snowshoes, but the remainder of the trail was mostly unspoilt snow. We got to the fork in the trail, about a 1/4 mile from the Timpooneke Road when the boy had had enough.

On the way down, the boy wanted to go off trail and down the side of the mountain. We did. (Note to self: don't forget to put in the contact lenses and to empty your pockets next time. I didn't lose anything, but I was worried about it the whole time and my glasses were constantly fogged or fogging up. What a pain!) Anyways, we rolled, slid, crashed our way down the side of the mountain to where the trail switched back and then went back to the cabin.

We had a good time. I want to go back and do it again! I'd like some better pants though--denim jeans don't quite cut it. And I can't forget to ditch the glasses and put in the contacts next time either! And empty the pockets!

We saw no wildlife, but we did pass a couple of guys from the granola crowd as they were heading down the trail. They had gone up sans snow shoes and I noticed from their tracks that they both had little feet. Smaller than mine even.

I wonder if people following my footsteps stop and think, "Man! That dude has averaged sized feet!"

Would it be bad for me to go back up there this afternoon by my lonesome and go for a hike?

More snow.

Woke up this morning to a couple inches of fresh snow on the ground. It was wet and heavy snow though. It was so wet and heavy it could almost be considered slush.

I didn't sleep well last night as I was worrying about the talk I had to give this morning. And it wasn't so much the talk that I was anxious about. It was the introduction that kept me up. What should I say? How much lightheartedness and self-deprecating humor is too much? Turns out all the worry was for naught. My turn rolled around and I only had a few minutes to get through my talk--no time for any lightheartedness or self-deprecating humor.

The new mom and baby are home as of today and doing well.

Hay drove up to Logan at about 11. I had some concerns about the weather but she made it safely.

Talk of a "family" trip to Disneyland was discussed briefly tonight. Nothing really was decided but we got a fairly good idea about who was going and what our options are. I know my two youngest really-really want to go, and I'd love to take them. We'll have to see.

Corbin is in the other room listening to some band. Don't know who it is, but it's just wrong. It Just ain't right.

Grandpahood-dom

This is my granddaughter. She was born at 6:16 a.m. on Friday, January 23, 2009. 7 pounds 7 ounces and 19.5 inches long. 10 finners and 10 piggies. She's a keeper.

Moving furniture

The "TV room" is always frigid in winter as it costs too much to heat, and Corbin has been bugging me to move the TV into the front room where the heater is. Today we did just that. We moved the TV and the futon into the living room and moved the treadmill into the TV room. I've got a love seat I need to do something with now. DI?

I have access to the fireplace now though. Maybe I should see if I can get it to hold a fire! That would be nice.

...except I just gave away all my firewood a couple of months ago.

Crap!

One of the boys is tender and I've been eating way too much chocolate as of late. Somebody make me stop!

I need to go to bed. I'm tired and really need the sleep. And church is at 9 in the morning and I need to get Corbin home before that.

Me and Hay are going to see Body Worlds 3 tomorrow. I know it's Sunday but that's the only time we could get it to happen.

I had my teddy bear turned over to me today.


I've had him for I don't know how long, but he's been in a box for the past 5 years. Didn't even realize I had been missing him until he showed up on my pillow this afternoon. I should probably be a little grateful. Probably, but it's so darn hard!

Friday night and severe discomfort...

One word: epididymitis.

Addi came over tonight. Just long enough to call her cousins and arrange for a sleepover at their place. And I'm cool with that. Takes a little bit of pressure off.

Corbin came over too, but he's skating with a friend up the road a bit. Skateboarding. In the friend's basement. Oooh! And I'm cool with that too.

Presently, chicken nuggets are in the oven and cranberry juice has being given a task. And an ice pack.

I need to find some virus protection software for my Hay.

Snowshoeing and a bull moose

If you go back to my January 01, 2008 blog, you'll read about the New Years and Numb Arses run my brothers and I did New Years morning. Well, we did it again. Actually, it was me, Brett, and Russell this year. Jerry is in Georgia.

Later that day, after minimal sleep, Mike and Donald showed up at my place to go snowshoeing. And so we did. And it was awesome! We hiked up the Bear Canyon trail to the Timpooneke Road on trail 179. We then hiked down the Timpooneke Road to trail 178 which hooks back into 179 which we followed back down to the Dell. Just before we hit the last set of switchbacks, a big bull moose came into view and we just sat and stared at it and it looked back, snorted, and continued to look. Finally, we gave up on the staring contest and cautiously finished our trek. What a way to end it though. I wish so bad I had taken my camera! Next time, for sure, I will.