Run Like the Wind

State Capitol Half Marathon

2010-05-31T14:24:00.001-07:00

Left to right: Kari Ann, myself, Dave and Lisa at the start of the race. 103 marathons between us :)

Another new race and some wonderful friends to share it with on a very poignant day when we remember those who paid the ultimate price with their sacrifice for the freedoms that we all too often take for granted. Thank you Dad for your service on Sword beach, Normandy when you were only 19 years of age and those left behind on those fateful beaches.

I drove to the park and ride and Thanksgiving Point where I met up with Kari Ann, Dave and Lisa. We drove in my Odyssey up to the start at the Olympus Hills shopping center on Wasatch Boulevard where we picked up our ankle timing chips and parked the vehicle. Leslie was there, volunteering at the race in return for a free entry into the Halloween Half marathon at the end of October at Aspen Grove. We chatted for a few minutes and I saw her again at an aid station in the last half of the race.

So here is the play by play !
The first group of about 20 runners set off. This was supposed to be a wave start but ended up being one small wave, a 20 second break, then the rest of us took off. The roads were wide in the first few miles so the wave start was not really necessary and I will suggest to Michael next year that we just do one mass start.
I went out at a brisk pace, full of youthful energy and enthusiasm.
Mile 1: 6:45
Mile 2: 6:44
Mile 3 : 7:21.... the first hill crossing over the bridge which really sapped my strength a bit
(first 5k... 21:27 )
Mile 4: 7:14
Mile 5: 7:42
Mile 6: 9:02... starting the big hills, baby steps, lean in and dig deep for reserves
Mile 7: 9:28... ok this is really tough now... climbing a narrow steep trail by the "This is the Place' monument. How fitting that we run by that and remember also the pioneers who settled this valley
Mile 8: 8:15... took an extra loop around the parking lot as I was leading a group of ten runners and it was really the blind leading the blind. that cost me :20 of a mile and maybe just under two minutes of wasted time.
Mile 9: 7:56
Mile 10: 7:22... should have taken that endurolyte 10 minutes ago as the right calf is cramping. This is all downhill, I should have been pulling out 6:45's from here on
Mile 11: 7:22... can't get rid of that cramp and others are gaining on me
Mile 12: 7:28 fairly steep downhill, mixture of hobble and run here, passed by 5 runners all of whom were younger than me
Mile 13: 7:51... this is really silly, what a slowpoke I was here.. tried to look good for the spectators but I needed some salt badly

Final time: 1:43 and change.... 21st overall out of 265+

I waited for Lisa to come in... 1:49 well done, then Kari Ann in about 2:05 which is an excellent time on a very tough, hilly course. Kari Ann looked radiant and elated as she crossed the line. I asked one of the volunteers if I could " medal" my friend, so she passed me a finishers medal and I did so. We waited for Dave to come in, then sat around on the grass stretching and chatting for about half an hour before taking the shuttle bus back to the start.

It was a pleasant drive back to Thanksgiving Point where the others hopped in their cars and went home. I ate quickly then sat in an ice bath for 17 minutes after a tepid shower. This really felt good on the legs... did some more stretching and then ate some more.

Next race: Marathon #74.. Utah Valley, June 12th 2010

MOAB marathon 2010 recap.

2010-04-11T14:50:00.000-07:00

April 10th 2010 .....and I just love that fresh clean smell. If you are not a runner you would never know that what I am actually talking about is a brand new pair of running shoes right out of the box. And for me that only means one make and model - Asics Gel Cumulus in size 10. I love these shoes - wide toe box, great cushioning and fit and they look good too.
So I decided a few weeks ago to travel down to Moab and compete in the Moab marathon. Not a big race - in fact the smallest field this year as Curt did not advertise the race due to the bridge construction on Moab and the lateness of obtaining a permit for the race. Hotels are pricey down there and I worked a full 10 hours on Friday so I went to bed at 8:30 pm, arose at 11:30 pm ( yes.. PM) and was out of the door at midnight to drive down to Moab in the dark. I was a little rested but not much. There was still a fair amount of traffic on I-15, but less as I headed out through highway 6 into Spanish Fork and towards Price. I arrived in Moab at 3:45 am, and went into the Aarchway Inn to spend an hour on the lobby couch waiting for the other runners to arrive. There was a fairly even mix of male and female, but not a super competitive bunch. Even a few of the long haired with grey wool socks kind that show up in races such as Leadville.
So at 5:15 am, we boarded three 15 passenger vans to take us up to Dead Horse point from where we had a scenic overlook of the red rocks and the beauty of Moab's nature. I met a graduate student from CA who had driven 16 hours with three female graduate students to run the race. I met up with my friend Ken Cushing who I once split a hotel room with when we ran this race years ago. He is now an ultramarathoner and was planning on running 32 today, starting at DHP and then the full marathon route after that.

So here I am at Dead Horse Point before the race in the dawn.

And the beautiful red rock formations...

One group of about ten mainly slower runners asked to start early and miss out on the overlook at DHP and the bathrooms there. They started about 30 minutes behind us. The rest of us piled out of the vans at 6:55 am, and Curt was eager to start the race. When he said " ready.. go" I tried to say that I was not ready. I was still trying to get warm up clothes off and didn't have time to grab my GU or use the bathroom once again. So I started off dead last which was interesting to say the least. The pace of those at the back was 11+ minute miles. I had decided to stick to 8 minute miles for as long as I could. So I worked my way up the field and by the end of the first mile I was in second place. The first place guy was running about 7:30's and lengthening his lead. At 5 miles I was right on pace but needed a pit stop. That cost at least a minute and didn't show on splits as I had my Garmin on ' auto pause' (whoops).

Splits:

Mile 1.........8:00

Mile 2.........8:04

Mile 3.........7:34

Mile 4.........7:40

Mile 5.........7:40

Mile 6.........7:30

Mile 7.........7:26

Mile8..........8:07

Mile 9.........7:37

Mile 10.......7:40

Mile 5 is where I was overtaken by the next guy. So here I was in third place from mile 5 to mile 16. From 5 onwards there was a lot of downhill, serious stuff that just plain thrashed your legs. I tried to hold back and run 7:40's but I was not having fun. At least I was passing all of the slower runners that started the race early.

Mile 11......8:02

Mile 12......7:44

Mile 13......7:31

By the half, I was at 1:42 and change. I knew I wanted a sub 2 hour last half but was unsure whether I could do it. I clearly was not recovered from last week's 22 miler with Leslie and Karie... and by mile 15 I was walking and dehydrated. At the next aid station I took two huge cups of water and an enduroloyte and tried to resume running. Another runner was gaining on me, and we ran together for the next mile before I began to fade away :) . I cannot remember his name, but he was a guy in his 20's from Spanish Fork who is doing a half Ironman this summer in Idaho. I could see nobody else behind me, so decided to run/walk as best I could and try to hold onto fourth place but did not think that would happen.

Mile 14.........7:39

Mile 15.........8:41

Mile 16.........8:10

Mile 17.........9:30 ( running through the nasty sand)

Mile 18.........8:56

Mile 19.........8:35

Mile 20.........8:43

At 17 miles we hit a nasty sand trail that was just like running on the beach. It wanted to suck you under and then some. Not fun at all.

We were on a trail for another 5 + miles of ups and downhills. My strength was clearly sapped and some of the miles were coming in near 10 minute miles ( 23 to 25). I really wanted to hit somewhere in the low 3;40's so struggled hard to lean in and pick up the pace. By 22 miles I downed two large cups of gatorade then walked about about a hundred yards. The liquid fuel kicked in very quickly and I felt energized. At mile 25 I saw the bridge not too far off. The young guy from Spanish Fork was not far ahead of me. Nobody was behind and I came across the finish line in 3:39 for fourth place overall out of 50 runners.

Mile 21.........8:41

Mile 22.........9:43

Mile 23.........9:49

Mile 24.........9:28

Mile 25.........9:57

Mile 26.........8:24

Fouth place award... 3:39 and change.

Ken Cushing 9th overall but he ran more than the rest.

The guy from Mountainland Rehabilitation. Great six pack dude ! I think he finished in just under 4 hours.

Back home in the tub of very cold water after a three and a half hour drive from Moab :

Now add the ice trying not to drop the camera into the water.... and listen to some music:

( as a tribute to my running partner who posted a similar photo last week :) )

Thirty minutes in the ice bath and I felt good. After eating like a horse I felt even better and went to the park with Kori and the kids. I was really tired though and knew that I would sleep many hours that night, which I did.

So now I have 6 days off before the Salt Lake City marathon. Plenty of time to rest, stretch, eat and mentally prepare for a very tough race. Let's hope I can break 4 hours next week. Really not hoping for anything better than that after this killer run today. I have many, many friends who will be there next week. Best of luck to Jen and Janae from my marathon seminar classes as well as the incredible Dave Faires who has dropped his body weight from 362 to 187 pounds in the last year and is excited to run his very first marathon.

Marathon #71 is over and the medal is hung !

First 22 miler of the year....

2010-04-04T07:37:00.000-07:00

We had been steadily building our mileage up over the last two months - Leslie getting ready for Ironman St. George on 1st May this year, and me - a myriad of marathons this year with a goal to requalify for Boston with a time vaguely reminiscent of what I used to run several years ago. By Friday 2nd April, the weather forecast for Saturday looked ominous. Rain, snow and wind were in the forecast along with cold temperatures. The plan was to run with Leslie and a new friend, Karie, whom I met met on Facebook through Leslie. Karie ran a 3:37 at TOU last year so Leslie suggested that we might like to run Ogden together this year as we were both vying for a sub 3:30 marathon at that race.

By 2:30 am Friday night, my 7 year old, Bethany, was coughing so much that I took her downstairs to get some medicine. Relax as I might, I could not get back to sleep, and watched the clock for hours. I must have fallen asleep after 4 am, and awoke with a jolt as my alarm went off at 5:10 am. I had everything laid out the night before so just needed to dress and leave. I didn't quite plan enough time - we were supposed to meet at 6am at 4200West and 134th South, but by then I was just driving around the point of the mountain. Both Karie and I were late, probably 6:10 when we met up with Leslie. It was took dark to hit the planned trail as were were not sure how muddy it was . So instead Leslie had us run East then North and into the Daybreak community which she was very familiar was. I am glad she was as I had no idea which planet I was on by that point. We ran on a paved trail around the Daybreak reservoir which was cool and quite windy. I wore my 2000 Boston marathon jacket which is a great windbreaker but not very breathable. That was ok, since I planned to change my upper body clothing back at the car at 11-12 miles. By the time we had finished that loop I was ready for new clothing so donned new armwarmers, a tech shirt and my blue sleeveless windvest and off we went southbound on the canal trail. It seemed that Karie had been happy to take the lead during the first loop and she did so again for the "out " section of the second part of the run. I had gauged my fluid intake well on the first loop - two 7-8 ounce bottles but mistakenly only packed one on the second part of the run. Big mistake as I was feeling dehydrated by 20 miles and it showed. However from 16-19 I was happy to lead us out and put in an 8:05 mile at 18 with Leslie hollering from behind that I sure didn't look tired. That's the pace I need all the way through the marathon, well actually 7:55's would be perfect. By 20 miles I was struggling to keep up with Leslie, but in the last mile she proved that her ice bath last night after hours on the trainer really worked, and she held a good clip to the 22 mile mark. Karie struggled a little the last few miles but looks in great shape to attack 3:30 with me at Ogden.

Leslie, Karie and myself at the end of the 22 miler. Not good light on this so we''ll try again...

Leslie trying to take a photo with her cellphone at the same time...

We were actually very lucky with the weather. Yes, it was cold and windy at times, but it did not snow nor rain. We crossed paths with Heidi and her friend Dorothy in the second part of our run. They really should have joined us as their pace was not much slower than ours.
Adding cold water...

Back home, it was the cold water bath as soon as I was through the doors. Sit in first and add the cold water while listening to music and pretending that the water is much warmer than it really is.........While painful and shocking to the system at first, the 20 minutes in there is worth every second. I kept my hat on and listened to some good running music to pass the time, then finished off with a warm shower then a cold water cooldown on the legs. And guess what this morning ? - no pain. Absolutely none. I cannot really tell that I did a long run yesterday but I will still take tomorrow off and maybe get out the tri bike on Tuesday for a light ride. There's another long(er) run scheduled for next week out of town....hehe....that should be fun..red dirt and all....

Don't try this run...

2010-03-31T06:32:00.000-07:00

I know this is a bit late but I'm not the best blogger. In early March Leslie and I missed our regular Wednesday afternoon training run so we decided to run on Saturday 13th March. She needed to swim early morning ( 3000 yds or close) so we agreed to meet in Lehi on the Jordan River trail at 9 am. But I needed a longer run and Leslie only wanted 10 miles. So.. I met with the peloton in Highland at 6:30 am and ran 7 miles with them, then went home, showered, ate a bagel and was on the JR trail at 9am. The second photo is from the start of the run in the parking lot...
I didn't feel too good early on in the run. In fact by 3.5 miles my legs were cramping and I was having a tough time. Leslie gave me an endurolyte and after a few minutes that seemed to do the trick. It was cool and a little windy at the turnaround. We headed North, but by 7 miles it was raining quite hard. At the next turnaround it was hammering down to the point that running was uncomfortable. We were drenched when we got back to the cars.

So I think the first photo is from the end of the run. Truth is.. we didn't look as bad as we felt. But I an not going to run 7, wait an hour and run 10 again. The blood pools in your legs and it's tough mentally and physically to do that second run. Plus I much prefer getting out really early for my Saturday run. Still, it is always great to run with somebody who motivates you and makes you stronger. Leslie's quest to finish Ironman St. George has helped immensely with my marathon training this year. I am putting more miles in than I have for several years and I hope that pays off with some better finish times. 3:30 was too elusive last year. I think I have a good shot at breaking it this spring....

Riverton 1/2 Marathon recap.....

2010-03-28T14:59:00.000-07:00

Heidi, me and Leslie at the end of the Riverton half marathon. Saturday March 27th, 2010.

Leslie at the end of the race with her second place overall female trophy.. a PR of 1:35:05, and a $40 gift certificate to Get Fit Athletic Wear in Highland. Way to go Leslie !!!

So, after weeks of waiting and waiting... and training and training... here it was.. the Riverton half marathon. A race that didn't involve getting up at some unearthly hour, driving for hours etc and waiting in line for ever to pick up my race packet. Yet I still managed to sleep in and there was a mad panic to get everything ready and be out the door by 8 am. I did have time for a shower - I don't like to smell bad while I am running. So I mixed up some electrolyte drink, grabbed my gloves, Timex hat and a few other things and off I drove the 18 miles to the Riverton City park from my house.

As it happened I was one of the first ones there. A few runners were milling around and there was no line for picking up race packets. My bib number was # 280.

Leslie, my zippy training partner , showed up 5 minutes later and we chatted for a while then jogged down the street to the gas station to use the restrooms then back to the start. By this time most of the runners were lining up behind the balloons which was both the start and the finish of the race. I met a few more friends, plus some new ones such as Steve and Chuck at the race start. Leslie and I lined up near the front and the plan was to run 7:30 pace all the way for a 1:38:30.

Unfortunately, my adrenalin got the best of me and Leslie reminded me of that as we hit the first mile in 6:50. But what the heck ...I felt great. Three females passed us, and I tried to stay on them for Leslie's benefit ( I really wanted her to place in this race) which meant we hit the three mile mark in 20:52 , about 1 1/2 minutes too fast.

I sure paid for that at the first big hill when the old jelly legs were struggling and Leslie took a 50 yard lead. It was several minutes before I had recovered from the uphill. By then Leslie was 100 yards ahead and it stayed that way for several more miles. At 8-9 miles I stopped for some water as I was becoming a little dehydrated but was still holding sub 8 minute miles.

The real killer was the "s" hill at 10 + miles where I decided to walk, counting the runners who passed me, and then tried to pass all of them back on the other side. For the most part I did that, even putting a good push through mile 11, determined to get as close as possible to 1:38:30.

I ended up with 1:38:34, which, although 38th place out of 390 runners, was clearly not up to par. I chewed it over and over in my mind - If I had held back the first three miles, would I have made up more time later in the race.? .. I think I would. Leslie and I could have pushed each other to a better finish . I really believe that I would have come in around 1:35:30 to 1:36:00 if I had run a more controlled race. After all, I ran TWO 1:34 half marathons last year and have broken 1:30 five times in my racing career.

The good news is that Leslie, who I thought ended up 3rd, actually took the second place female with less than half a mile to go. I passed the girl who was originally third but then was passed by two other females during the course of the race. Leslie was waiting with a big grin for me at the finish line as she told me the story about passing the girl for second place near the end.

This was a pretty well organized race. There were plenty of massage tables at the finish line. I did have to remind the girl giving me a massage than she was NOT kneading bread and to go easy on the soleus muscles. I drank ample fluids and recovery drinks, chowed down on a bagel and a banana and then spent several minutes posing with Heidi and Leslie for photos and waiting for a few others runners to cross the line. The weather was really good, just a bit of a northern breeze that hit you early on and then once again in the last couple of miles. All in all this was a great course, well organized with a reasonable finishers medal to hang on the rack at home. Since I recently found a half marathon medal from the Top of Utah half marathon last year that I had forgotten about, that makes 102 medals on the wall in the home gym now.

One of the cool things about being a PT is that you are never ever " off duty". I happily obliged with a left IT band stretch to Leslie who tried to look pain free as I was doing this. Of course, if I had done it properly she would be laying still on her right side, holding the right knee up to her chest to put the pelvis in a better alignment for the stretch but without a treatment table this was the best that I could do on grass. The IT band is really tight by the way so needs a lot more work.

Now I am adducting the left hip to further stretch the IT band.

This was a cool parting snapshot by Heidi and captures in my face the fun morning we all had at this race. Thank you Heidi for being there with your hubby and your Nikon and thank you Leslie for a great run, sorry the rabbit died at 3. I will put the cruise control on 7:30 next time we race.

Back to the training regimen on Monday.

Running with dynamite...

2010-02-06T17:00:00.000-08:00

Looks like quite a while since I have posted. My excuse is that I have been too busy running and training. I really have worked very hard in the first 5 weeks of this year. I have been lifting weights at the Pleasant Grove Recreation Center several times each week as week as cross-training on my spin bike and stairclimber. We invested in a new treadmill which we purchased online at Costco.com on Christmas Day. This beauty is awesome - 20 X 60 belt, 0-12 % incline and 0-12 mph speed. It has a fan which is ok for walking but not powerful enough for fast running - that is the only negative I can find. It has a built in heart rate monitor with a chest strap as well as an Ipod hook up which comes in really handy when spending an hour plus on the treadmill. I spent the first few weeks of the year on the treadmill but have been outside recently as it has been unseasonably warm and outside running has been blissful.

I have completed two half marathons so far this year. The first was the Painter's Half on January 23rd at which I posted a fair 1:40:06, good enough for 146th place overall out of close to 2000 runners. I don't think that many showed up due to the rain that night which finally stopped 30 minutes before we set off. The course was good but challenging, especially the section of hills around 8-10 miles. For an early season race I was very happy with the time, but I did two 1:34 half marathons last year and have 8 career half marathons which are sub 1:30 including a PR of 1:27:37 at Hobble Creek in 1999 as well as a 1:27:50 at Hobble Creek in 2001.

I think that if I did a lot more speedwork I could possibly get back to a 1:30 at a fast summer downhill half marathon.

I have had three great workouts with my new training partner, Leslie, who is training hard for her first full Ironman at St. George in May of this year. We run well together as we both like to train at 7:30 to 8:00 per mile pace. In Moab at the half marathon last year we ran a couple of miles together in the middle of the race until I became severaly dehydrated as I failed to drink before the race started. We hooked up again at the beginning of the Ogden marathon two months later where we ran at least 18 miles together at exactly 8 min. mile pace., and finished only a couple of minutes apart.

So here we are at the end of the run ( taken on Lelsie's camera phone)

Another friend, Mary Anne, had organized an unofficial half marathon yesterday which involved meeting at the new GET FIT running store in Highland, carpooling down to the soccer park in Orem, and running back. Four of us showed up at Get Fit, and seven more in Orem. Leslie and I ran together and added a little bit on at the end to make it exactly a 13.1 mile distance. We clocked 7:40's early on with some sub 7:30's on the downhills and over 8:00's on the long uphill from the Alpine tabernacle past the cemetary up into Highland. We finished in 1:42:20 which was perfect for a training run and gets us some good mileage to get us ready for spring racing. We ran 9 miles late on Wednesday afternoon which was difficult after a long day at work, but when you have a reliable training partner, it is so much easier to get some good miles in even after work.

So Leslie is pure dynamite... yes we ran 13.1 miles yesterday, but GET THIS... the day before , she did 80 miles on a bike trainer. There is NO WAY I could have done that and then run a half the next day, but this, folks, is no ordinary girl. In May, Leslie will swim 2.4 miles at 5 am, then hop on her roadbike and crank out 112 miles, then run a full 26.2 mile marathon probably starting that leg of the triathlon at 3:00 o'clock in the afternoon. And 3 in the afternoon in St. George will not be pleasant at the beginning of May... believe me.

Until then, we are going to make Wednesday afternoon an 8+ mile run with speeedwork and hils, and hopefully a long run on Saturdays. With Lelsie's help, I hope to get close to a 3:30 in may at Ogden, and, failing that, have another whck at it a month later at the Utah Valley Marathon which this year, starts further back in Wallsburg.

So here are a few more photos from the end of the run yesterday where we were posing for Robyn who was behind the lense:

So until who knows when, we will run and run and run. And while she swims, I will run, and while she bikes a lot, I will bike a little, and we will chase our athletic dreams until the end of the rainbow !

RED ROCK RELAY 2009

2009-09-06T14:16:00.000-07:00

A shot of my running downhill on leg 11 in the torrential rain Friday September 4th ,3:30 pm East of Cedar City. I Started at 9200 feet on a dry trail and ended up soaked to the bone running through rain, torrential rain and hail, all for the greater good of the team. Our team van is just to my right.

RED ROCK RELAY 2009

I had been asked my my good friend Larry Marshall a few weeks ago to join his team on the inaugural Red Rock Relay, starting at Zion's National Park and ending in Santa Clara just outside of St. George, Utah , home of the famous October St. George marathon which I run every year.

Van 1 consisted of Larry, his son Jeremy, and four very fast 20 something girls. This was the Sun van.
Van 2 consisted of 6 older guys ( Kevin through two 53 year olds of varying abilities.) This was the Snow van.

Van 1 started the race for us at 9:20 am at Zion's National Park. Van two left Utah county at 8:30 am and met up with van one at the first major exchange.
I was runner #11 and was thus in van 2.

Grant took off first for our van while van 1 "leapfrogged" to the next major exchange. We each ran 12-19 miles total spread out over three legs.

We finished late Saturday morning having had little to no sleep during the Friday night.

End of leg 11 in the torrential rain.

Three members of team 148 that finished just ahead of us in the race. Stacey is on the left and Rex ? in the middle. The third guy was their leg 11 runner but I didn't get his name.

Deeks and Stacey who overtook him on their third leg coming in to Veyo.

Team 148 handing off to Rex who would extend his lead over our runner Kevin on the way to the next exchange at Snow Canyon

Me at the start of Snow Canyon. the main road from Veyo is closed for the full marathon in early October. This is the point where I turn off the main road after Kevin tags me, and run downhill through Snow Canyon.

Start of my final leg. the girl that passed Kevin towards the end of his leg handed off to the next runner 20 seconds before this shot was taken. I passed him 1 minute later during a 5:39 first mile down Snow canyon and a 6:06 second mile, all part of a 4.6 mile searing descent to tag Paul at the next exchange. I finally had a run with no rain or hail.

First shot of me coming down Snow Canyon on Saturday morning. 5th September 2009 during the Red Rock relay.

One hundred yards from the next exchange,

Just about to tag Paul, our anchor runner.

Handing off to Paul who would finish the race for us. Just look at that red dirt . That's why it is the Red Rock relay.

Deeks near the finish line with the Red Rock formations in the background.

Out team at the finish line : 25 hours 16 minutes and 20 seconds for 185 miles. Easily visible in my trademark lime green shorts.

Group photo with team 148 who we came to know and battle against every step of the way.

Out team at the finish: Jeremy, Kari, Lyle, Liesel, Deeks, Jessie, Larry, Jonathan, Grant, Kevin, Paul ( Abby is with her children during this photo)

The full team at the finish : Jeremy, Kari, Lyle, Liesel, Deeks, Jessie, Larry, Jonathan, Grant, Kevin, Abby, Paul

Another team photo...

Red Rock Relay buggy..

Red Rock Relay official Ford van.

Deeks on his way to helping the team to a 25 hour finish...

Deeks with Cedar City behind him in the valley

Looking down a hilly climb that we had just gone up..

9200 feet up and this is the view.

Normally we refer to "roadkill" as any other team you pass on the way. Bu this was the real stuff, a recently deceased squirrel. We had brought plenty of food so decided to leave it there.

Looking downhill on Grant's first leg of the race early afternoon on Saturday.

Jessie ( leg 6) handing off to Grant (leg 7) at the first major exchange.

This was one of Steve Prefontaine's famous quotes... enough said. His other famous one is, " To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift"

Redrock Heads team: Liesel, Abby, Kari, Grant, Jonathan, Larry, Paul, Lynn, Deeks, Kevin . Team van one is on the left and Team Van 2 is on the right as you look at the photo.

Window decoration on the van of the Diablo Divas team.

As I write this on Sunday afternoon, I am looking forward to attempting to qualify for the Boston Marathon with a sub 3:30 finish at the Top of Utah marathon, my 69th lifetime marathon, in Logan Utah, on September 19th 2009.

Next week I have decided to run a local 5k with Bethany , my 7 year old who is an aspiring runner !

Top of Utah 1/2 Marathon

2009-08-30T14:06:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I blogged , and I need to do that more often so here goes.

I had long looked forward to the TOU 1/2 marathon. Speaking of per mile pace, I am a much better 1/2 marathoner than a full. I love downhill running and can keep a pretty brisk pace up for 10+ miles on a good gradient so was hoping for a decent time today. Plus , I have trained a lot on hills this summer, especially the Cedar Hills Trails and I felt confident going in to this race.
I had arranged to pick up one of the elite female runners whom I know - Mary Ann Schauerhammer ( who did a 3:00 hr flat marathon at Utah Valley in June to win the ladies division). Bad news.....she lives in Provo, the opposite direction from where we were headed this morning.

I went to bed at 10:30 'ish but was so nervous that I couldn't sleep. So, close to midnight, I hopped on to Facebook to see that one of my friends had said " good luck" . Yes, I need more than luck, I need strong legs, a tailwind and all the 10 min milers NOT to stand on the front row like so many of them seem to do. ! Back to bed, and I just lay there for 2 + hours looking at the clock every 10 mins. Finally at 2;58 I decided to get up, put ice and water in my cryocuff, load everything into the car and head to Provo.

The off ramp was closed at Center St. so I had to go down to University Ave then come up that way to get to Mary Ann's place. She slept in the passenger seat while I drove, and we made good time on the 2 + hr journey to Providence, outside of Logan.

We parked 1/2 mile way from the Zollinger Park and then walked to where the bus loading was taking place. Holy Cow, there were a ton of runners in the race. There must have been 40 + busses in line and a couple thousand runners. This race has really grown in the last few years.

As I walked over to get in line for my race packet, my best friend in High School in England, shouted my name. Yes, Mike had flown in from Vidor, Texas where he is an emergency room M.D.
He was here with his wife, 3 of the four children and a daughter in law who were all doing the race. Mike is flying back here in three weeks with a 23 yr old son to run the full marathon.
After we collected our race packets, I lost them for a while, hopped to the back of the line where several nervous girls asked me lots of questions. - That's what you get for wearing a Boston jacket before the race. You must know all the answers about marathon running - NOT ! They were all great and wanted to know about pacing, qualifying for Boston etc. I was happy to oblige and didn't feel quite so alone as I did earlier, since Mary Ann had joined her elite racing friends and I wouldn't see her again until after the race.

When I took off my sweats and threw them in the bag on the bus I walked up the hill to the start. It was packed, yes there were over 2000 runners in this race. I decided to start on the 10th row - big mistake ......as there were several 10 min milers blocking my way once the gun went off - girls that would keep you warm in the winter and shade you in the summer if you get my drift.

Even after the announcer said that if you are not running 5 min miles do not get ANYWHERE near ther front nobody moved. . I was planning on 7 min miles for as long as I could so figured that close to the front was in my best interest.

The other problem was that we were 30 secs from the gun going off and my Garmin still hadn't found a satellite. It didn't until 1/2 mile into the race and I was then fumbling to reset the darn thing, then start it, all while running down hill and trying to avoid a myriad of plump females who had lined up way closer to the front than they should ever have been allowed to !!

The first mile I hit in 6:40, 20 seconds too fast so I tried to slow it down bit..

Mile 1: 6:40
2 6:59
3 7:06
4 6:51
5 7:00
6: 7:04 with a 15 second break to glug down two cups of gatorade and water
7: 7:14
8 7:18

then we came out of the canyon at the 14 mile point on the full marathon course. I was dehydrated as usual after this many miles in spite of drinking like a racehorse before the gun went off an hour or so earlier . I took 3 cups gatorade and walked for 30 seconds. Focus, focus, get back on track

9 7:54 my slowest mile split due to the rehydration, now I needed to pick up the pace.

10 7:42 going up the first of the hills, but I just picked my knees up a bit and leaned in. This is a half not a full and I can bear the pain for another couple of miles.

11 7:48 almost to the top of the hill. Now I see a few runners I want to pick off on the downhill portion. I lean in and decide to hammer out two decent last miles

12 7: 22. that's more like it. there is still some gas in the tank

13 7:23 About 1/4 mile from the finish I see my good friend Seth Wold ( who finished 4th overall in an astounding 1:08 and change) running back from the finish. I shout at him " Seth, bring me home) Seth runs with me urging me to pick it up and pass another runner as the finish banner is just ahead like a mirage. Seth peels off to the right and I cross the line....

1:34 : 39.9 ..... Not a PR ( I ran a 1:27 at Hobble Creek 8 years ago ) but good enough for 106th place overall out of 1980 finishers. This is top 5%. Not bad for an old man, I think, as I mingle with the pseudo -elites at the finish line rehydration tables. I see Mary Ann - she finished in 1:24, but she has another race this afternoon so she wasn't out to kill herself here.
Mike's son , who is 23 , finishes in 1:42 and congratulates me on a stellar race. Mike comes in much later in 2:24 - pretty hot and humid at sea level in southeast Texas so che an't train well for these altitude races.

So I drove home with a cryocuff on each knee till I couldn't feel anything, then an ice bath, then cottage cheese and french fries, plus fruit and anything I could get my hands on for the next few hours.

I was so tired I slept for 10 hours straight after the half... feeling much better today... 5 days break until the 174 mile Red Rock relay next Friday and Saturday.

Oh, did I mention I ran the Park City marathon with Jill last Saturday ? I will try and post about that this week... bye for now.

This whole race was miles 6 to 19 of the full marathon course. I will be back here in 3 weeks trying to BQ. I need a 3:30:59 or better to get back to Boston for the April 19th party next year with some really cool friends.

Kamee's Master's Degree Graduation....

2009-05-24T13:36:00.000-07:00

Gunnar on the broken statue of David... mythology !

Kori this one's for you !!

On the way from the parking lot to graduation ceremonies... Jaren with Gunnar on his shoulders, Brianna tending to Larkin, Bethany.

Brianna and Larkin

Bethany wearing kamee's graduation cap... a few more years and she will be there !

The commencement exercises at cal. State Fullerton, 23 may 2009

My ticket for Kamee's graduation ceremonies...

Larkin in her stroller at Kamee's Master's graduation

Bethany, Kamee, Brianna and Larkin 23 May 2009

May 23rd 2009 - Fullerton California. Kamee with her son Gunnar on her right and daughter Larkin on her lap on the campus after graduation exercises. Kamee's Master's degree was in Education from California State University at Fullerton.

Jaren, Gunnar, Kamee and Larkin

Gunnar had just thrown his arms around Kamee and I guess she was a little shocked

Bethany, Kamee and Larkin at the lecturn after graduation ceremonies.

All in a day's work.....

2009-05-20T20:10:00.001-07:00

Nurse Amber, one of my favorite nurses. If you are ever sick and homebound this is for sure the nurse you want treating you !

Do you remember what Johnny Carson said about his career and in particular his days hosting

" The Tonight Show' ?? It was ( and i'm paraphrasing) that he was the luckiest man alive because he woke up every morning doing exactly what he wanted to do and enjoyed it immensely.

As many of you know, I am a home health physical therapist. I spend my days treating patients in their home and assisted living facilities. My patients range in age from 34 to 95. I love helping them regain strength, range of motion and endurance. Above is a photo of my 95 year old patient and I , Grace, at her 95th birthday party in December. Have you ever seen a more beautiful lady ? Since then, Grace has sustained a fall with a broken pelvis from which she is recovering. She loves baseball and is a HUGE fan of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

I love going to work on a Monday morning. I am always pleasantly tired by the end of the day and in particular by the end of a Friday. But I love what I do. The intrinsic rewards are immense. I practice what I preach. I exercise constantly and try to set an example for my patients. I hope to still be running marathons when and if I am an octogenarian.

Today I had a patient who was very negative. He complained during the whole treatment session. He is a very negative man. He has made poor choices which have affected his health. He chose not to marry and has no children. He will leave this world a very lonely man.

In contrast I have a young amputee patient with two small boys who loves life. She has had all her fingers and thumbs amputated along with her left leg below the knee and part of her right foot. She is always upbeat and positive, grateful to be alive. She looks forward to the day soon when she will have a prosthesis. Today she started walking on her knees with knee pads on. Just a couple of laps around the room, but a huge step in her rehabilitation. I feel honored and blessed to walk this path with her as her physcial therapist. I am one of the luckiest men alive and I love my calling in life.

These shoes are made for running....

2009-05-20T19:58:00.000-07:00

I have made no secret of the fact that I like Asics Gel Cumulus ... In fact this is the shoe that I have worn for most of my marathons over the last few years. These are my Asics Gel Cumulus Mark 8 in size 10. I have worn these shoes in 3 marathons this year - Diamond Valley Lake in January, Salt Lake City in April and Ogden last week as well as the Canyonlands 1/2 Marathon in Moab. I LOVE these shoes. I paid $45 brand new for them on Ebay, my favorite shopping site. They have superb cushioning, a large toe box and are very light. I will wear them next Monday in the Los Angeles Marathon and all other marathons this year. Since Feb 2007 I have a metal pin and 3 small screws in my left foot and I would never know it when wearing these shoes. I hope they will power me to a sub-3:30 finish this year and a sweet reunion at the 2010 Boston Marathon next April.

2009 Ogden Marathon Recap.

2009-05-16T16:29:00.001-07:00

2009 Ogden Marathon - Lifetime Marathon #65

Today was the Ogden Marathon which was located about 30 miles North of Salt Lake City. I have run this race 5 times previously with finishing times ranging from 3:39 to 3:50.
My goal this year was firstly to run sub 3:40, and hopefully to run sub 3:30:59 to ensure an early season qualifying time for the 2010 Boston Marathon and take some of the pressure off the rest of the marathon running season.
This event and others like to is not possible without the enormous sacrifice of hundreds of volunteers including the amazing bus drivers who get up in the middle of the night to take us to the race start. So here is a picture of our smiling and helpful bus driver whose name I forgot to ask. But thank you for taking the time early on a Saturday morning to drive the runners up the canyon to the race start. You are sincerely appreciated my friend.

This is the scene at the starting area as the sun starts to come up. The race start was 7 am.

My good friend Leon Dietlaf, aged 50, veteran of more than 130 marathons and a recent SLC marathon finisher last month with a time of 3:25. Leon offered at the last minute to pace me through the first half of the course as close to 1:43 as possible. ( which he did.. exactly 1:43 at the half ....thanks Leon)

Ellie my "seatmate" on the bus. Ellie kindly agreed to pick up my race packet at next year's expo so I don't have to make two trips to Ogden and can just drive up early on the Saturday morning and meet her at the bus loading area.

The several thousand runners converging at the start of the race. Note the endless line of porta-potties in the field at the back.

The Race begins:

Perhaps I should give my mile splits and a brief narrative here :

Mile 1 7:31 downhill start, a little too fast

Mile 2 7:42 put the brakes on, a little too slow

Mile 3 7:29 next 3 miles felt just right

Mile 4 7:39

Mile 5 7:38

Mile 6 7:59 need to pick it up a bit here

Mile 7 7:38

Mile 8 7:47
Mile 9 7:52

MIle 10 7:57 took my first pain pill here

Mile 11 8:22 stopped to pee at portapotty.. clear and well hydrated ...took an endurolyte salt tablet here

Mile 12 7:56

Mile 13 7:53

First half : 1:43 right on schedule with a 2 minute cushion for a 3:30 finish

The first half was nice and easy downhills, with a tendency to go out too fast as I have done in other years. Having a pacer helped immensely this year.

Second half of the race:

Mile 14 8:04

Mile 15 8:12 in spite of the big hill, I dug deep to keep the pace

Mile 16 7:56

Mile 17 8:16

Mile 18 7:46 steep downhill and the pain pill was working here. Caught up with Leslie, a good female runner from the Sojourners Running Club in Orem who toasted me at the Moab Half marathon the other month !

Mile 19 9:10 Took in a lot of fluids at the aid station to avoid dedydration as it was starting to get warmer now.. mid 60's I believe.

Mile 20 7:49 Leslie faded away behind me

Mile 21 8:19

Mile 22 8:23

Mile 23 7:57 At this point I was exactly on pace for a 3:30. If only I had taken another salt tablet at mile 15 as the calf cramps were starting to hamper my running now and I allowed myself brief periods of walking and stretching

Mile 24 8:52 Lost valuable time with calf cramps. This is not looking good. Behind schedule by 1 minute

Mile 25 9:02 Starting to become very emotional as I realized my dream of a 3:30 was fading and 3:32 was looking inevitable

Mile 26 8:24 Tried desperately to pick up the pace but the calf cramps were severe and I just could not get on an 8 min/mile pace. This part of the race I don't like as we are away from the trail and on the road for the first time heading South to the finish line which is looming in the distance.

Last 0.34 miles.... 2:41 ......yes the race was indeed long and added about 1 minute to my total finish time. Perhaps if the course had been correct I could have made up that 16 seconds somewhere in the last mile and reached my main goal.

Final finish time : 3:32:16 This is actually my best time in the last 2 1/2 years of marathon racing bettered by a 3:30:57 at Park City 2006 and a 3:30:19 at St George 2006

I was very emotional at the finish. I called home to give the finish time to Brianna then put the cryocuff on my knees and started driving home after a visit to the Wasatch Running Club 's "Grand Slam" tent to pick up some schwag which included a race cap and a cool water bottle.

Now I have 8 days to rest and recover before I tackle the Los Angeles Marathon which will be held Monday May 25th - Memorial day 2009

Mother's Day 2009

2009-05-10T20:29:00.000-07:00

This is the day when we honor our Mothers for all that they have done and continue to do for our families. So, in our home we try and make Mom feel very special on Mother's day.
The breakfast that we had planned for breakfast time took place for lunch instead as we all slept in later than expected this morning. We had scrambled eggs, hashbrowns and low fat turkey sausage. What a yummy meal !
Last night I had stayed up late making cards from he girls. Very simple but thoughtful - take a colored sheet or card 8 X 11 size - fold in half. Then a cute photo picture of each girl 5 x7 size affixed with school glue to the front of the card . The inside message was typed on the computer, printed out and then affixed to the inside of the card. This means so much more to Mom than simply buying a generic card at the store and the photos look so cute on the front of a card.
For dinner we had the in-laws over and a menu of chicken, roasted potatoes, green beans, lima beans and brown gravy with homemade peach pie and cool whip for dessert. Then the two guys did all the dishes while the ladies visited in the family room.
An hour or two of visiting and this was a perfect Mother's Day !

Springtime at the Cramptons !

2009-05-08T20:52:00.000-07:00

Sadie (3) at the front of the house.. the sun was in her eyes !

Bethany (6). Oh that girl loves to ride her bike FAST !

The front of the house with the globe willow tree on the left and the double wood doors that took me SO LONg to stain and varnish. That's Bethany riding her bike again.

The front of the house taken from across the street. I love that globe willow.

Above is a view looking North from the West side of our house from in front of the soon to be completed waterfall, once I get a zillion other jobs around here finished.

I just had to put this in as it was on the XD Card. This is Sadie's first ride with me on the Suzuki. It was actually taken in March -as you can see from the snow in the background. She loved her first ride and we went very slowly around the neighborhood. Sadie was not scared at all. Her legs are not quite long enough to reach the rear pedals yet !

A beautiful plant in bloom in the yard. I have know idea what variety this is but I like the yellow color !

A view from the front of the house looking East with our semicircular driveway to the right.

The rear of the house from the SouthWest corner of the property.

Looking down into the rear yard from the deck towards the Southwest corner from where the last photograph was taken. I am grateful for a riding lawnmower ! But I cannot use it as Kori always wants to mow the grass. The landscaping is all her work !

The path which leads to the apartment on the back of the house.

Looking North from the East side of the house.

Sadie on the trampoline waving at me !

If I can't figure out how to rotate this shot 90 degrees to the left you will have to turn your head 90 degrees to the right. Sorry ! I love the colors of the blossom on this tree in the back yard.

That's it except for shots of the house from the front which I may take and post tomorrow.

My favorite Running Trails in photographs....

2009-05-04T19:20:00.000-07:00

Above is the point on the trail where I cut down on my way back to the house after a " short' run, to rejoin the road.

Looking South, this is the uphill part of the trail that has the best view and is the least muddy when it rains.

The same part of the trail looking North towards the Alpine Mountains.

High Country Road that I go up to reach the trailhead. The trail is to the right of the road at this point.

A view looking Northwest from the trail at the mid point.

So here is Mount Timpanogos which is great fun to climb in the summertime after most of the snow has melted on the lower trails. The mountain is about 12,000 feet and takes about 4 1/2 hours to climb from the Aspen Trailhead. Alternatively you can run it in about 2 1/2 hours with a few rest breaks along the way. It is beautiful this time of the year with clear blue skies in the background.

I wanted to take a shot of the Spring flowers in front of American Heritage School where Brianna goes to school. It is a private school in NorthEast American Fork about a mile from our home. the Alpine Mountains are clearly visible in the background. This is a beautiful place to live.

This is the scene from the trail on the East bench of Cedar Hills. This is where I live to train. This is where I find my soul in the clear air where few runners go. There is a two mile climb up Bear Canyon Road after crossing the Canyon Road. It is a hard climb but great to strengthen your legs for a marathon. This view looks West with Utah Lake in the distance.

Another view from the trail looking South West with Utah Lake in the background.

I didn't want to devote a blog page to this so here it is mixed in with running. The rolls that I made FROM SCRATCH the other week to take to the Larsens for dinner. Quite delicious even if I say so myself !

2 weeks and change until Ogden

2009-04-29T20:47:00.001-07:00

I am really starting to stress about the Ogden marathon. The course is a great one to BQ. It starts high up with gentle downhill until the half way point then flat until 15 where there is a nasty uphill - that's ok since I can take some Gu and plenty of fluids before I go up the hill. Once you cross over the bottom end of the reservoir the downhill starts all over again for several miles and it is very tranquil to run through the canyon with the spring river and waterfalls on your right as you descend. I don't like the last few miles along the park trail. It is uneven and since that is where I usually hurt, it is an unpleasant experience especially the last mile in which you run into town through a bunch of traffic lights. I have done this race several times, with the following times:

2000 3:49:39

2003 3:39:36

2005 3:42:45

2006 3:50:24

2008 3:53:04

I am pretty certain that I can break 3:45 assuming that it is not too hot the last 6 miles. I am confident that I can hit 3:40 as well but that last 10 minutes is the big concern. I wish that Bill could pace me but the race was full before he attempted to sign up. This race has become much more popular and far more organized that it was at the beginning of the decade.

So why am I stressing ? Because this is a realistic chance for me to BQ - I need a 3:30, and have done a lot of trails and hills the last few weeks. My legs feel strong and I can hold sub 8's during the first half of this race without too much problem. The big concern is the hill at 15 and my hydration levels . I have my endurolytes ready for miles 10 and 15. I have my Asics Gel Cumulus 8's that have seen one marathon and one half marathon this season. I will carry two GU's - I have found I do not need as many since I started taking endurolytes.

I am also going to eat some canned peaches before the race - very high in potassium and should work ok if I take an immodium with them. My friend in Woods Cross swears by them before a marathon.

If I don't BQ there are other races this season but I don't want to wait until the end of July or September or October to qualify. I want to run those races without a lot of pressure. This is my year. This is my year to work hard and achieve my goals. I can do it. My core is stronger than last year. I have more miles under my belt than last year at this point in the season.

And I will not fail. That barrier is there to be broken. BELIEVE !!

Well worth the wait...

2009-04-25T19:09:00.000-07:00

I was looking forward to my solo trail run this morning. However, the rain set those plans aside temporarily. I had slept well for the first time in several weeks and was eager to put in some solid miles. The run would have to wait until the rain stopped.
At mid morning I took my 12 year old daughter, Brianna with me to see my multiple amputee patient, Sarah ( not her real name). Brianna is planning on becoming a physician so this would be a great experience for her. When we arrived, the nurse Toni had just arrived to change the dressing on Sarah's right foot. All the toes had been amputated as well as some of the tarsal bones and a skin flap was not doing well so more debridement would be needed next week. Changing the dressing was to take over an hour and a half including removal and replacement of the wound-vac and I was pleased to don sterile gloves to assist Toni with changing the dressings. Sarah was tired from yesterday's therapy session and wanted to go a little lighter today. We did 3 X 10 reps of resisted abduction, adduction, hamstring curls and full arc quads as well as abdominal curls and back extensions in the wheelchair then moved on to supine straight leg raises, crunches and obliques followed by prone thoracic extension and hip extension for gluteals. Sarah worked hard and is quickly regaining strength to prepare her for the long road ahead and future prosthetic limb training. It is an honor to work with a girl who is so full of gratitude merely to be alive, and works as hard as any patient that I have ever had in therapy.

The rain persisted through the afternoon, preventing any work at the rental house that we own. I had planned to dig a post hole, sink a sonotube, mix the concrete and put a new 4 X 4 fence post in but that will have to wait until next week.

Towards 4:30 pm the rain subsisted so I changed into my running gear and headed up to the high trail East of Cedar Hills. The trail was soft as first, but after two miles became quite muddy. I found my shoes becoming heavier as the mud adhered to the soles and subsequently flew off in big chunks as I ran through an area of more gravel. In places I was sliding so badly that I had to walk for 20 yards or so.
I took the trail south to the Grove Creek trailhead, used the bathroom there and dropped down a very steep 1 mile section to the canal and turned North. The rain, which had abated earlier, began in earnest. I looked at my Garmin. I had covered 6 miles and had planned on 4 more. I was nowhere near home and the rain was starting to descend harder. My 10 mile easy run turned into a 6 mile easy run followed by a tempo run to get home before I was soaked. The next mile was covered in 7:18, the next one 7:36 and I quickly tired. I figured I could drop down from the canal to the canyon road and be home faster though losing some planned miles. When I descended the hill to my home I found that I had covered 8.46 miles and was cold and wet .
A quick hot shower was followed by a plate of chicken , wild rice, broccoli and spaghetti squash while I watched my DVR of the recent Ford Ironman 70.3 triathlon World Championships held in Clearwater Beach, Florida.
It has been a good week. I have worked hard at my regular job and had some great patients. I rested from last weeks marathon and began my training for the next one. As always I appreciate the support of family and friends. I am more motivated than ever to update my blog regularly.
The wild run was well worth the wait today !

Salt Lake City Marathon 2009

2009-04-21T19:26:00.000-07:00

This was to be marathon #64 and a pleasant one because I could sleep in my own bed for a few hours and drive only an hour up to the finish. My friend Bill met me at 4:30 at my home in Pleasant Grove and we drove up to the Gateway where we parked my Camry and then took the TRAX up to the Olympic Legacy bridge where the races were to start. I say " races " as 1300 roadbikers were to ride the route an hour before the half marathon and marathon runners. There were about 1100 marathon finishers and 4500 half marathon finishers all lined up together. While Bill and I were sat on a bench waiting patiently, my training partner, Laura, showed up with her husband. He was running the half and she the full. They had just spent the week at Disneyland, which alas, had cold weather just like Utah. In fact we had 10 inches of snow just three days before the race !
I waited too long to take off my warmups, put them in my bag and throw it in the truck to be taken to the finish. As we clambered up the hill I realized that there were at least 4000 runners ahead of me and the start line was nowhere in sight. Yes, it took over three minutes to cross the start line and then having to negotiate through a yakking herd of 11 minute/mile half marathoners was not exactly what I had envisioned.
I duly threaded my way through the crowd trying to at least get past the 1 mile marker in under 9 minutes. No such luck. It didn't help that I had decided to carry a fuel belt with 5 flasks - a total of 30 ounces of liquid around my waist. What on earth was I thinking ? Never again will I run with a fuel belt.
I had taken in 2 Thermotabs and 16 oz gatorade right before the gun went off so I knew that I would be well hydrated for the first few miles which I indeed was. In spite of the weight of the belt I was able to pick up the pace and, after a 5 minute pit stop at mile 10 ( gotta love those esp. when the girl in the porta potty you want to use is totally oblivious to the time she is wasting for both you and her by reading the Runners World in there right in the middle of a race. get out of the portapotty right now please !!!!)
After that I decided to see how many people I could pass per mile while holding an 8 min mile. 13 in the next mile, then 12, all without being overtaken. At 12 1/2 miles we went right past Uncle Steven's house and there he was waiting and saw me before I saw him. That made me feel good. I have at least one fan in the world. Though I think I have one more just outside Denver :).
I passed the half way point in 1:50, so a 3:45-3:50 seemed quite doable as I was not starting to feel tired until about mile 21. This was the point just past my longest training run of the year. That's why you are supposed to do more than 20 in training.. hello.. so you can finish the marathon without walking.
At 23 miles I was trying to hold sub 9 minute miles and realized that sub 3:45 was not only possible but probable. Just then, Bill came around the corner to find me and run in to the finish. He had just completed a 1:25 half marathon for 5th place in his age group. Good job Bill .
So we turned the corner, and there was the 1.3 mile long hill that I had been warned about. Try as I did, I just could not get up that thing without doing the walk/run. I still managed to pass most of the people on the hill. At the top, we had just over a mile to go, and even though I was sore, Bill kept urging me on, told me not to walk and so I complied and came across in a time of 3:43:26. This was 207th overall out of 1100 finishers ( top 20% and 10th in my age group)

We gathered some meager food rations - Devine Racing is not the best at feeding you after one of their races, headed back to the car and drove out of the under ground parking garage. Then the black lady at the kiosk wanted $7 for parking. What ? I just ran your marathon !!!!! " Sorry Sir, we are not associated with the marathon" You have got to be kidding. You didn't charge us last year. And when I called my friend who ran the half, he was not charged for parking this year either. A small price to pay for notching up #64 on the 100 marathon list !

"I'm just thankful to be alive"

2009-04-21T18:43:00.001-07:00

I'm a physical therapist. Not just any physical therapist but a home health physical therapist. I see patients in their homes. They have to be homebound so most of them are elderly but that's ok because wisdom = age + experience and I learn as much from my patients as they learn from me.
Today, however was one of those days where I learned so much about life from one of my patients. We'll call her Sarah, but that is not her real name. Sarah is only 34 years old - long flowing red hair and slim like a runner. Several weeks ago, Sarah had her left leg amputated below the knee, and at the same time in a 13 hour surgery had the toes amputated from her right foot. Both are heavily bandaged and Sarah is temporarily in a wheelchair. Prior to this, Sarah had ALL of her fingers and both thumbs amputated. Those wounds have healed now. As I worked with Sarah during her first home health physical therapy evaluation, I was impressed by her zeal for life. She was supposed to have died from the infection that spread through her body. Not once did she complain about anything today. She glowed. She exuded happiness and worked so hard at all the strengthening exercises that we did. Her husband Tony is a rock, very supportive and strong. Today, as always, I really enjoyed being a physical therapist. I love helping patients regain strength, mobility and range of motion. I enjoy the one on one care. I come home tired but satisfied that I have given my all and no less.
How thankful are you to be alive ?
Do you still have 10 toes, 8 fingers and 2 thumbs ? Then don't ever complain again !

It's a beautiful day....

2008-11-04T06:59:00.000-08:00

November is usually a down time for me. I don't have any marathons planned for this month and I am recovering from my 5 in 7 week binge from August to October. I always tell runners that you need to record and write down your mileage. I purchased a big new calendar last week and started filling it in with all the marathons listed on the RW calendar. I would like to do 18 next year, which is just over double my 2008 total. That means I will have to start early - like January 3rd the Running from an Angel Marathon outisde of Las Vegas. I have heard a lot of good things about Joyce and Calico racing so I am going to take the plunge and enter some of her races. It's about a 6 hour drive from here which isn't too bad as long as we don't get a ton of new snow around the beginning of the year. The race looks well organized, and hopefully I can either take the whole family ( neg. is no sleep before the race) or find another runner or two to carpool with from central or northern Utah.

So I started my November training with a 10.81 mile run Saturday morning with a new group that was being organized at the local Fleet Feet store. There were about 9 who showed up. After a mile we separated into a lead group of 4 of us that ran about 8:15-8:30 per mile and a second group. We waited periodically for the others to catch up. Adam and Kent seem about my pace so I think I will go again and try to keep some longer runs going this winter. I may even do Death Valley in December if I decide to stay on 30+ miles per week for November.

Then last night I did a 5 miler at 9pm . It wasn't too cold but rained after the first mile or so. I ran about 42 mins which was a little slower than normal but I took it very easy the first half then picked the pace up coming south to the Manila chapel.This morning I went to vote at 7am but there were already 250 people in line at the school so decided to come home and try later on . Time to work on the blog and do my situps.

It is a beautiful day... I have already decided that before I do anything.

And Paula Radcliffe is still the best femaile marathoner in the world. 2:15:25 is the record at London. I just wish NBC would show more than 1 hour of the NYC marathon and include footage of the mere mortals in the race.

Part 3 of St George Marathon 2008

2008-10-05T16:25:00.001-07:00

The brightest white teeth at the start !

Jodie the Ironwoman triathlete at the start

Most of the field with their bin liners on and ready to run

Here's how a few of my friends did in the 2008 St George Marathon:

Scott Nelson 3:00:00
Bronson Dameron 3:07:16
Andy Jacobs 3:09:54
Paul Thomas 3:11:18
Bill Hiatt 3:15:09
Derek Butters 3:35:53
Dan Coles 3:35:54
Bill Mitchell 3:36:42
Mark Nelson 3:42:03
Laura Gardanier 3:43:20
Lynette Borup 3:44:43
Mike Shelton 3:46:43
Rike Mitchell 3:50:31
Dave Hilmo 3:55:25
Larry Marshall 3:55:36
Kevin Jessop 3:57: 00
Tammy Miller 4:06:06
Cory Borup 4:12:05
Carmen Shelton 4:29:56
Doug Larsen 6:01:37

Part 2 of the 2008 St George Marathon

2008-10-05T12:21:00.000-07:00

Here's a shot of my friend ,Laura, and I at the start - her 5th marathon this year and tenth overall. Laura's time was 3:43:20. Great job !

Here is a shot of my friend Cory Borup (4:12:05) His wife Lynette finished in 3:44:43

On the bus up to the start at Central. Not sure what medicine the lady behind me took this morning.

If you have been to Boston this year, well, hey, wear the jacket as much as you can. Great bragging rights here. And a nice pony tail.

I even saw Satan in the portapotty line. If this guy tries to pass you, just say " Get thee behind me, Satan" and the race is yours !

The Start:

A group of us met at 5 am at the southeast corner of the tennis courts by Worthen Park to catch the bus up to the start at Central. As we arrived at Central, the flags were blowing towards the start indicating a 12-15mph headwind. It was raining as we descended from the bus. We pulled out our black lawn and leaf bags, and fortunately I had white running gloves and a black knitted hat, both of which I wore for the duration of the race.

I made a decision on the bus to run with Laura and the 3:40 pace group. The pacer, Andy , was quite a way back in the start pack, and it took several minutes to cross the start line and then we were bogged down with 10 min mile runners in a brick wall ahead of us. Starting with this pace group was looking like a bad decision.... it took 9:30 to get to mile 1, and 9 more minutes to get to mile 2. At that point , I took off on my own, but realized that valuable time was already lost and 3:30 would be nowhere in sight.

Miles 7-8

Going up Veyo, I met a 6'5" BYU student who graciously shielded me from the wind. We ran 8:15's after Veyo and tried to make it to the half by 1:50. After a potty break at 11, I had lost ground, and made it to the half in 1:53, which would have been 3:46 had I run the second half at the same pace.

Nothing can compare to water sloshing around in your shoes, wet socks and cold legs half way through a marathon. With very little body fat, I was cold and miserable. At Snow canyon, I was cheered on by Nick Stewart and his wife sat huddled up in chairs to my right. Many brave souls were helping us to get through a tough race. it took more to be out there sitting than to be running in this nasty weather.

Miles 16-18

The downhills sections from 16-18 felt better, I was able to run close to 8 min miles. I stopped briefly for a kind volunteer to put "icy hot" on both patella tendons at the 17 mile aid station. The hill looming at 18 sapped my strength 2/3 of the way up, and I allowed myself a brief walk for 50 yards. When I resumed running I crested the hill knowing that it really was "all downhill from here".

Miles 21-16.2

A third potty break at mile 21 took another valuable minute away. I realized that I was overhydrated and did not need any more fluid for the rest of the race. As I scrambled back onto the course, the 3:50 pacer came sailing past, much to my chagrin. "Oh no you don't" I said to myself, and frantically caught up to his group which I then decided to stick with to the end of the race. I found myself from that point overtaking more runners than were passing me, which was very gratifying so late in the race. As we came into town, I passed my good friend Dave Hilmo, who was now walking and looked very weary. ( Dave would finish in 3:55:25)

The pacer was now saying, " Nice and easy, nice and easy". As I looked around, he must have bee talking to me as the 3:50 pace group had completely disintegrated. and I was the only runner with this pacer. I looked at my GPS and decided that I WAS going to break 3:50 to at least get 4 sub 3:50 marathons in the last 5 weeks. The bad news was they were all slower - 3:40 then 3:43 then 3:45 two weeks ago then 3:49:21 today.

As I came across the line , my Dad was waiting at the right side of the finish area with his coat and umbrella. Yes, it was still raining. the other runners int he finish area were frozen, wet and tired. The 6'5" BYU student found me and thanked me for pacing me for several miles and giving him solid encouragement - he finished in 3:55

I stayed long enough to devour a Blue Bunny ice cream cone with 300+ calories and joked with other runners that if we ate 10 of those we could replenish all of the calories that we had burned up in the marathon. I couldn't wait to get back to the hotel, shower and eat a big guilt-free meal at Denny's down the street from the hotel.

As if we had not had enough rain , it poured down all the way back, 4 1/2 hours of rain. Hats off to my Dad who drove the 216 miles from Cedar City to Pleasant Grove.

Let's hope for a dryer and warmer St. George marathon next year !

St. George Marathon 2008 !!

2008-10-05T11:21:00.000-07:00

St George Marathon ..... 4 October 2008

Most of us were happy and smiling before this year's St. George marathon. After all, there was a weather forecast of 48 at the start and a 40% chance of rain. hmm.... make that 100% rain from start to finish. I always carry a black lawn and leaf bag in my bag in case it is cold, wet, or windy, and today it was all three of those...

This was the finish line at Worthen park at 4:45 am. Quiet and dark...

I ran into (pardon the pun) a lot of my friends at the bus loading area. ...

Above is Alan Nybo, a fellow physical therapist and long time friend, with his wife Joy.

Alan finished in 5:56:38 and Joy in 5:56:36. Good job guys !

Above is a fast Masters runner Hal Amos who I also met up with at the bus loading area.

Hal finished in 3:16:31.... presumably he opened the other eye before the start of the race

Here is my good friend Bill Hiatt who didn't open either eye before the gun went off as he was trying to save energy for the race. After a 3:17:52 last year, Bill needed a 3:15:59 or better to qualify for Boston. He did it ! Well done Bill..... a 3:15:09. Now open those deep pockets and go buy a plane ticket to Boston !! This is one race you don't want to bandit.

Since I cannot seem to upload ay more photos in one blog, I will close this now and create a second blog with more photos.....

Top Of Utah Marathon Summary 20 September 2008

2008-09-30T18:55:00.000-07:00

The Top of Utah Marathon 2008

I love this race ! The course is fantastic. We start at Hardware Ranch and run through the Canyon downhill for 13 miles then see the first spectators at 14 miles. Over the years I have had some fun races on this course. One year it snowed the entire way to Logan and I wore a black bin liner for 12 miles.

This year was very very special. Why ? Because my big sister Julie, whom I had not seen for almost 4 years was here on vacation and she was there at mile 14 as I came out of the canyon. So was my brother-in-law, Norman, my father , Phil , and my 3 year old, Sadie.

I also had my good friend Bill Hiatt pacing me today. Bill is in the best shape of his life and getting ready to break 3:10 at the St. George marathon this next week. We started off running 7:28's and it felt good. The plan was to run a 1:40 first half and a 1:50 second half, for a 3:30 finish. last year I had run a negative split - 1:50 first half and 1:45 second half for a 3:40. The first half felt too slow and so I thought I could do better this year running faster on the downhill first half.

At the half, we were at 1:44 and I was not feeling too good. It doesn't help that this was my 3rd marathon in 3 weeks and my 4th marathon in 5 weeks.

We held 8 min miles until 16. By 19 miles the wheels were really starting to fall off the bus. I was getting dehydrated and mixing running with walking. 3:30 was gone and so was 3;40. Last week I ran a 3:43 and the week before a 3:40. This was to be a 3:45. That's ok, not bad. To put it in perspective, I was 299th out of 2219 finishers or something like that.

The best part was the finish line. I had promised my sister that she could put the finisher's medallion around my neck. The volunteer passed me the medal, and Julie leaned over the fence and this is the result:

I had waited a long time for this moment, and it was well worth it. The volunteer did a pretty good job with the camera. Thank you TOU !

And thank you Julie for being there at my 60th marathon. If it wasn't for your bad knee, I would want you running one of these with me.

I love you big sister !

Also here at the TOU party was my high school friend, Dr. Mike Crossley who had flown in from Houston to run the race with his son Keith and his fiancee. they all broke 6 hours and the whole family plans to complete the course next year.

It was great to see Mike again. last year was his first marathon. well done Mike I am proud of you.

Now I have a two week rest until the St. George marathon. The biggest marathon in Utah at 4500+ finishers. I am not sure of strategy at this point. Maybe I will run with my neighbor Mike who wants to break 3:30 and go to Boston. maybe I will run the entire race with the 3:30 pace group. I won't make my mind up until 30 mins before the race starts on Saturday October 4th !

I am happy for Mike and his wife Carmen. They were planning on running last year but each was in a bad bicycle accident and had to recover and wait until 2008. Good luck Carmen on your first marathon and good luck Mike - I hope you can qualify for Boston.

I saw many friends who seem to run the same marathons each year - John Bozung - who runs one per month year after year and is a great inspiration to me - was there along with runners from Sojourners.

I met up this weekend with my great friend Laura who stayed in the same hotel and had shared the course with me this year at Boston, Ogden and Park City. Laura had run 5 marathons before this year and now was running 5 in a year. After St. George she will have 10 full marathons under her belt. Laura ended up with a 3:55. Way to go Laura, see you at St. George next week.

After the race we put back the calories with a hearty meal at Wendy's and then drove back home. What a great day !

Little Grand Canyon Marathon

2008-09-14T20:40:00.000-07:00

THE LITTLE GRAND CANYON MARATHON:

This was to be my third marathon in four weeks which most of my neighbors consider to be insane. My previous best was four in eight weeks which wasn't really that bad in the end, but since I am trying to get my numbers up to 100 marathons as quickly as possible needed spicing up a little. Of couse when I thumbed a ride to the start of the Deseret News Marathon on July 24th, little did I know that my driver and soon to be friend would be none other than Dane Raushenberg who a couple of years ago ran 52 in 52 weeks. Having chatted with him that day about the feat, I decided that 5 in 7 weeks was definitely " doable " for me.

So, at 3:00 am I arose, dressed and hopped in the Honday Odyssey minvan for the 2 hour drive down to Huntington City Park to catch the bus two miles to the start of this brand new marathon put on by the intrepid Duane and Jared from Mammoth marathons - don't you just love their name and logo ?

I collected my goody bag and bib number and waited in line to be driven out in very comfortable non-school buses to the starting line. The poor bus driver didn't know where she was going either, but duly followed the other two buses and off we went into the darkness. Soon we were on a country road with about 70-80 runners and three portapotties for last minute pitstops before we started the race. I met Dane at the start and he seemed really pleased to meet me again - I was too. I met his friend from Virginia and then a tall young BYU student who informed me that this was his first marathon. "What time are you looking for?', I asked.

"Sub 3 hours" was his reply. He looked pretty fast and said that he had trained. I pointed to Dane, and said, " there's your winner - he has a 2:51 PR" I found out later that this BYU student was Bronson Dameron - we are now officially "friends" on FACEBOOK.

Well, this fellow ran well until 20 miles then hit the wall and finshed in fourth overall. Dane had a comfy victory in 3:05.

I ran carefully at first, finding myself in 16th place after a couple of hundred yards. I tried to keep the two girls ahead of me in sight and maintain an 8 min/mile pace. I had a salt tablet at the start and took two after 7 miles, as they really helped me at the marathon last week when I ran a 3:40 and change.

After two miles we turned onto a hard packed trail that was easy on the legs and didn't really kick up much dust. I kept my position for most of the race. At 13 I had to lose some fluid if you get my drift. While I was doing that two other girls came past me. I caught up with them after a mile, then at the next aid station, one dropped back and the other one (Chrissie from Heber), and I ran the next 9 miles side by side. We passed the two girls ahead of us, and several more guys who were slowing down. At 23 miles, she needed a pit stop and we didn't look back to see who was behind us. Bad mistake - the girl that was with us at 13 had a second wind and came past the portapotty. When my friend came out, the other girl was 100 yards ahead and stayed that way for the last two miles.

I was feeling a little tired at 23 and decided to just limp in at a slow pace, checking behind to make sure that nobody was going to pass me. After all, I have another marathon next Saturday, so I have to keep some juice in the tank.

So, my opinion on the race ? Exellent first time race, great course, pretty good people. The really bad thing was the timing and results. We had to wait forever for the men's age group results at the City Park. Oh, and the bus ride back from the finish to the city park would have been better had the driver been willing to put on the A/C. She kept opening the door to let air in, but that was the best we had.

Two unique postive things about this race

1) the mile signs went backwards ...26 to go,...25 miles to go etc. What a brilliant idea. Why didn't I think of that ?

2) A warm meal with pulled pork, boiled rice and fruit salad

back at the park ( after fruit drinks etc at the finish)

3:43:43 was my finish time, ok.. 3rd place in my age group. I have done a lot worse.

I think that I was in the top 20 overall. But I came home with two medals - a finsher's medal and an engrave dage group medal. That means 82 medals are hanging on the wall in my gym now.

I really want to do this race again next year. Hopefully I can carpool with somebody and avoid the lone and dreary ride in the wee hours of the morning.

Jonathan