Fetchin Days

Ten tips for new runners

2012-02-10T17:30:00.000-07:00

My best friend Steve once said: "First off, you shouldn’t enjoy running right away unless you are nuts. The reason being is everyone starts out as not being a runner and running when you’re not in running shape is not fun! It hurts, and your body is wondering what you are trying to do to it. Your lungs burn, heart pounds, flab jiggles, and legs throb it is just brutal. You have to fight through this transition period. That is why so many people say they hate running. What they really mean to say is I hate running unfit. If they ran after this transition period and stuck with it then I am convinced everyone would like it. We often have imaginings of ourselves instantly going out and running like Forest Gump and when we don’t do this it is easy to get discouraged. So don’t expect to be in love with running at first."

I believe there is A LOT of truth about what he said in the above paragraph. Most people have a hate for running because they do not get past the transition stage of not being in running shape, to running in shape. Now I do not profess to being a running expert by any means, and everyone follows a different "path" to being successful in running. However, there are some tips/tricks that will help alleviate this transition as much as possible. Here is what I believe is the ten most important factors for going from couch potato to runner as easily and smoothly as possible.

1. Start slow - Few things are more important for new runners than to take it easy at the beginning. As stated above, many new runners want to be like Forest Gump and run as far as fast as they can. Truth is, doing this early into your running regimen almost guarantees you an early exit from your training, and a lengthy wait while your body heals after suffering a significant injury. Start with a distance or time feasible for your current ability and slowly progress from there.

2. Increase your mileage slowly - The general rule of thumb for increasing mileage is about 10 percent a week. It is quite risky to venture much more than this if you are just starting a running regimen. If you are feeling exceedingly tired or sore, don't be afraid to slow it down if needed. Remember, the trick to getting consistency in the future is to progress slowly at the beginning. There are many places you can go on the internet to create plans to help you increase your mileage no matter your previous level of activity. I prefer the Runnersworld Smart Coach if you are able to run a couple of miles at a time without stopping.

3. Get REAL shoes from the pros - If there is one thing I can plead to you if you are new to running and are looking to stay injury free and actually want to enjoy running. GET A REAL RUNNING SHOE! Don't go to big box store and pickup some store brand shoe, go to a specialty running store (if possible) have them analyze your feet to determine what kind of shoe is needed for you. From there, they should give you about a dozen different options to try on. Go with what feels the most comfortable. Don't worry about how they look, what color they are, or what brand. The goal is to get the most comfortable shoe possible. TRUST ME, you will be grateful you did.

4. Set an achievable goal - No matter your level of fitness, set a goal and work towards it. My favorite way to set a goal, is to register for a particular event, whether it be a 5K, 10K, half-marathon, or even a full marathon and then train for it. One word of advice, give yourself plenty of time to prepare for an event. As stated in tip one and two, slow and steady progression is the key to prevent injury.

5. Mix it up - One of the challenges of running is keeping your runs fresh, something different to look forward to each time you walk out the door. It can get old if you don't change up where you run. There are a couple of ways to "chart" your next course. You can purchase a GPS type watch, Like a Garmin to help you track distances and you can just literally run wherever you want. Another great tool to use is MapMyRun.com where you can create a course with the click of a mouse. You can also run a course in reverse to change up the run. The more you "explore" the more you will enjoy each run.

6. Pay attention to what your body is saying - One of the most important things to do while you are running (besides listening to great music) is to really pay attention to what your body is saying. Everyone is different so you need to figure out "you." Sometimes you will get a twinge in a knee, ankle, hip, etc. A lot of the time it's something that will go away after just a few minutes. It's when they don't go away when you need to be able to REALLY track what your body is saying, sometimes you can continue through your run and finish, however, if something is getting to painful, don't be afraid, ashamed or disappointed you did not complete your required distance and/or time. Chances are likely if you stop before you get really hurt, you can resume running very shortly. If you take it the distance and do serious damage to a body part, your recovery time is significantly longer. Better to catch it early and do more preventative measures than reactive measures and it will equal less time in recovery as well.

7. Rest is important too -Perhaps the most important way to prevent injury is to make sure your body gets rest. Now, there are many definitions of rest depending on your current activity level. For us mere mortals, who have jobs and families to attend to, our version of rest will be different than Ryan Hall's definition of rest. No matter where you on the physical fitness spectrum, your body will need some sort of recovery time. Perhaps the most used method of allowing your body some recovery time is what they refer to as the "three up, one down" approach, meaning you do three weeks of intense training, followed by one week of decreased efforts and distance to allow your body time recuperate.

8. Keep track of your shoes - Sometimes out of the blue while you are out running, you will all of the sudden start to get an achy joint. As noted in number 6 of this blog post, pay attention to your body. If you have been running in the same pair of shoes for awhile, and suddenly you get a sore joint, There is a possibility it's your body saying its time for new shoes. A good pair of running shoes lasts at least 400 miles and usually can last longer. On average my shoes seems to last about 500-700 miles.

9. Avoid cotton like the plague - Well unless you enjoy getting serious chaffing and rashes in all sorts of fun spots to explicit to put on this blog, avoid cotton LIKE THE PLAGUE! Pretty much any synthetic based product (usually made from polyester) will do just fine. Though I do try to buy some nicer gear for the winter than summer as body temperature control is much more important (at least in my neck of the woods) in the winter time. During the summer, as long as I am not wearing cotton, things seem to be okay.

10. Stretching? - More and more information is starting to show where static stretching (i.e. bending over and touching your toes and holding for a significant period of time) before your run may actually do more harm than good. Surprised? If you are going to stretch before you run try doing dynamic stretches in lieu of static stretching. Me personally, I do not stretch before I go run, I go out my door and off I go. I do, however, take my first mile slower than the others to allow my body to warm up and get ready for the miles ahead of me. I also stretch after my run, especially after long distances (16 miles or longer) as it seems to help my muscles get less sore than just finishing my run, and plopping my backside on the couch immediately.

I am including a video from one of the most famous people in the running world, Bart Yasso, and his three rules for healthy running.

Hopefully this information will help people who are wanting to start running, but not quite sure where or how to start.If you follow these ten tips, chances are you will succeed in not only picking up the sport of running, but excelling in a short amount of time.

Motivational poster number 5

2012-02-08T17:30:00.000-07:00

I have posted four other motivational posters so far, and here is another poster provided by Runnersworld. This might be the funniest one to date. I have REALLY been enjoying this series they have been doing and I hope they keep continuing them.

Stuff runners say

2012-02-06T17:30:00.000-07:00

I found this funny video about "stuff" runners. I found it very well put together and comical. It is sad I know what they are talking about on all of these. GOOD times!!

Utah Valley Marathon Training - 4 week update

2012-02-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

I am now four weeks into my training, and so far, still no serious issues to report in the training department. My body has adapted surprisingly well despite some of the obstacles I have purposely placed in front of it, to hopefully get up to speed faster, and just to keep things interesting in general.

A few runs have stuck out so far in my training, one being my run on Wednesday morning (February 1) when I was supposed to do a tempo run. Well I forgot to program my Garmin FORERUNNER 405CX to the interval running feature. The other minor detail was it being dark, it was nearly impossible to "pace" myself using my Garmin, so my goal was just to pick up the pace faster than usual. I allowed myself a one-mile warmup as I had just got out of bed, and as always, was quite stiff. I ran the next three miles at my accelerated pace, which at the beginning was a little uncomfortable, however, my body adapted after a good mile and actually finished quite strong. I am proud to report I was able to run my three miles worth of tempo runs at the following paces:

Mile 2 - 7:48
Mile 3 - 7:53
Mile 4 - 7:50

I allowed myself a mile cool down after running three sub eight minute miles. I said in my first training update I have had a few sub eight minute milers, hopefully these can become more common as the training continues.

Last week I was able to have a "down" week, which essentially allows your body to recover by not doing anything to strenuous. Mainly just to keep your base and allows for your muscles and joints to do the necessary building and regrouping needed to get prepared for the next onslaught they are about to face.

My long run on Saturday was alright, I was able to move at a decent pace (8:50) for the duration of my 12 miles, though my left knee was not wanting to go run. It was sore on and off for the duration of my run. I am not sure what the reasoning was behind a sore knee, hopefully it doesn't continue. The other problem I was dealing with was COLD temps (23 degrees at the start) and HIGH winds, gusting from 30-50 miles per hour. In fact when I got back from my run, my garbage can was down at the end of the street, GOOD TIMES! I am hoping the sore knee was just due to the lack of not doing any serious distances for awhile.

I can still happily report my healthy eating habits are where they need to be. It has been fun having someone eat healthy with me, and makes it MUCH easier to accomplish this task. I can now also VERY happily report I have started strength training and have actually enjoyed the change of pace a little bit. I can tell I am in the early stages of this; however, as my muscles (well upper body) are quite sore. It does appear though I am needing to change up my lower body routine as it does not appear the program I used for the half marathon is not going to hack it.

One last thing of note, my heart rate has continued to drop, now averaging just 150 BPM while running. If you recall I was 166 bpm when I started and my last report had me at 153 BPM. How much farther will it go? My heart and lungs both must be getting stronger!

I have attached on the top of this blog my stats since I have started training if you are interested in viewing.

Asics Made of Sport: I am made of blazing trails not following paths

2012-02-03T17:30:00.000-07:00

I am hoping this is me this summer. VERY awesome video and reminds me of my good buddy Steve and his amazing running adventures.

Summer can't come fast enough!

Asics: Made of Sport commercial

2012-02-01T17:30:00.000-07:00

I found this video on Sunday while browsing through YouTube and found it VERY cool!!! The one question I have is......

Have I been saying Asics (A sicks) wrong the whole time???

Motivational poster number 4

2012-01-30T17:30:00.000-07:00

Here is yet another GREAT motivational poster provided by Runnersworld.com/

Asics Gel-Nimbus 13 - Shoe review

2012-01-28T08:30:00.000-07:00

As noticed by the name of the title, my new shoes continue in the Asics brand shoe. I have only logged 24 miles in this marvelous shoe, however, this shoe appears to be the most comfortable shoe I have worn to date (I think I have said that about every shoe I have worn).

The maiden voyage for the Gel-Nimbus 13 was quite the adventure to say the least. It was anticipated a very large snow storm was about to move into Utah on Saturday, January 21. My smart self decided to get up early in hopes of beating the very large snow storm. Well that's precisely what happened! Instead of running in the monster snow storm, I was privileged enough to have my maiden voyage of my Gel-Nimbus 13's done in a monster rain storm.

As I left my house my knees, thanked me for replacing my old worn out Asics Gel Pulse 2 as they did not have any issues for my 10 mile rendezvous. As stated previously, my body will let me know when I have shoes that are done when I have a left knee who gets unhappy after a few short miles. After my 10 miles, though my feet were soaked from the rain, they remained warm, and I did not have any soreness to report anywhere.

The Asics Gel-Nimbus 13 has very many likeable features. First being, weighing in at 11.7 oz, this shoe weighs less than the Asics Gel Pulse 2's by about a half an ounce. The heel and forefoot both have an extreme amount of gel cushioning, which is noticeable, not only when you try the shoe on, but when you are actually running in the shoe. It also has an extremely comfortable upper portion of the shoe, especially what seems to be a very comfortable lacing pattern. The tongue of the shoe has the patented comfort of every Asics made, thick and soft. The forefoot is nice and free, no serious overlays to hinder the movement of your foot. The heel of the shoe has two layers of memory foam, for added comfort as well. No issues with traction for the shoe in the typical road running environment, whether it be rain, snow or sun, the traction will be there as evidenced in my 630 feet of descent in a little over a mile in an extreme downpour of rain.

To sum it up, Runners World put the feeling of the shoe perfectly, stating: "The Nimbus is the down comforter of running shoes. It wraps soft, pliable cushioning around your foot, creating an ultracozy interior." Amen to that, Amen to that.

Asics Gel Pulse 2 - Thanks for the memories

2012-01-26T17:30:00.000-07:00

After a little more than 500 miles on my Asics Gel Pulse 2 shoes, it is time to move on. I have REALLY enjoyed these shoes, and probably have been the best shoes I have bought to date. I was suspecting though they would last slightly longer than they did as my Mizuno Wave Rider 13's gave me 700 strong miles, and probably could have gone a little more if asked.

Right out of the gate I knew this was going to be great shoe, as noted in my first post about this shoe. There were a lot of features I really enjoyed about the shoe including an extremely comfortable cushion and tongue. This never changed from the day I bought this shoe until the day I said au voir. There were many other great things about the shoe, great support from front to back, proper fitting in the toe box, and these shoes never game me sore or tired feet or toes. It did a good job in locking in your foot and holding it in place without a whole lot of movement. Additionally, I never had problems with the laces coming undone, and to date, the shoe almost looks new and has held together extremely well.

I do have to make mention of just one flaw I had with this shoe, and I am not sure if this is do to my running stride, or the design of the shoe, but it bothered me GREATLY during one particular five miler in the very cold, wet rain of late fall or early winter. This was while the roads were wet, the top of the shoe would get showered with cold water, oddly coming off the front of my shoe when my leg would move forward and land on the top of the tox box, quickly drenching my feet. I never had this problem with my Mizuno's and did many many many cold wet runs in them. Perhaps someone with a different stride does not have this problem, but I did.

This shoe will be missed, it has logged hundreds of pain free miles for me and has probably been my favorite shoe I have bought to date. As always though, it is always nice and enjoyable to get new shoes. Striders here I come

Forgotten Favorite

2012-01-24T17:30:00.000-07:00

I was listening to an OLD CD of mine the other day and came across a song I really enjoy, however, had not heard it in sometime. It is one that was listened to frequently in my growing up years, and now it has essentially faded away. Its still a great tune, so it belongs on my list of forgotten favorites. One of the great songs of the late 90's in my opinion

Utah Valley Marathon - First training update

2012-01-22T08:00:00.000-07:00

Well I am two weeks into my training for the Utah Valley Marathon, which is on June 9, 2012. So far the training has been pretty uneventful, which is actually probably a good thing. When training, the more you can go without "issues" or events, the better off you are going to be.

My body has been adapting well, no REALLY sore joints, muscles, etc, which I am grateful for. My Asics Gel Pulse 2's were done though, so I had to go visit quite possibly my favorite store in all of Utah, Striders, to pick me up a new pair of kicks (more about that in another blog). I had logged slightly more than 500 miles on them and really enjoyed them (also more about them in another blog). I have been able to really hone in my personal warning signs for when its time to get new shoes, courtesy of a sore left knee acting up when it is time.

Murphy's law though appears to be working against me as we have had almost no snow this whole winter until this week. Essentially five straight days of snow and rain is what he have been dealt. I know we need the moisture, but I want to avoid running in it as much as possible. It can be quite beautiful and actually quite calming, however, when you can't really go adventure it can make it difficult to keep a positive attitude. My run yesterday was particularly brutal, I had to run 10 miles, which is normally, no big deal, however, the weather did not want to cooperate as it was essentially a down pour for the duration of the run. While I do have AMAZING running gear that at least kept me warm, almost 90 minutes of a pure down pour, my waterproof running gear, ended getting to water logged to fast to dry properly, needless to say. I was SOAKED by the end of my 10 miler.

I have been trying diligently to make every run a little different. I have essentially five months of training ahead of me and want to keep it as fresh as possible. It is hard though during this time of year to venture to far from my house as it is quite cold, wet, icy and dark. I think it is wise for me to continue doing my mile loops in the early morning runs until I start getting a little assistance from the sun. I will be the first to admit it does get boring the more I do the loop and am anxious to really change it up come spring and summer time. However, it is extremely safe as there is a retirement community just down the road with very few vehicles, and is very well lit just about everywhere.

I can slowly see my body responding to the consistency of my running now. I have had multiple runs of where I have ran sub eight minute miles at some point of each run. My average hear rate has slowly gone down to from when I started to where I am at now. My average heart rate just prior to starting my training was 166 beats per minute. My average heart rate has dropped to 153 beats per minute. It will be interesting to see where my heart rate plateau's at. I must admit, it has been quite a joy to be able to track my heart rates, and despite my claim of the hear rate monitor being uncomfortable in a Previous Post, I have gotten used to it, and only on occasion does it get bothersome.

I am also proud to report I have been eating quite healthy since the start of the training period. I have limited my sugar and junk intake significantly, and have been having my share of fruits and veggies just daily. I have also cut down on my meat consumption, and am now eating essentially appropriate amounts daily, not only in meat, but in every food group as directed by the food pyramid.

There are some areas I am struggling with in my training however. Mostly, my strength training. I was having motivational issues in the first week of training with getting up at 5:00 a.m. every morning to either run or do strength training, so I have been getting up to run, but not for the strength training. This second week of training, the motivation has been there, however, do to some other commitments, i.e. work, I have been getting home REALLY late and getting very little sleep. I am hoping to change this in the coming weeks as I believe this will be essential in my quest for a sub four hour marathon.

I will continue to update at least bi-weekly on my progress as I continue to venture towards my third marathon. It has gone well so far, and I am hoping it will continue to get better as time goes on.

I am just out smoking a cigarette

2012-01-20T17:30:00.000-07:00

On January 13, 2012, I was out working late, checking on my individuals I supervise on probation to ensure they are complying with probation when I went to the residence of one of my offenders. Upon arriving at my offenders house, his roommate, and owner of the residence answered the door and stated my guy was home and had us wait on the porch while he put his dogs in the backyard. After waiting for a good two to three minutes, possibly longer, we noticed his roommate just sitting on the computer. We knocked again and asked where my offender was. His roommate acted surprised that my guy had not come to the door, despite sitting in the front room on his computer and having let the dogs out into the backyard. We informed him he had not come to the door yet, and asked if we could search the residence in an attempt to locate Mr. Marshall. The roommate consented.

A search of the entire house was conducted; both main floor and basement, and we were unable to locate my offender. After not locating him in his house, and his roommate stating he was just here and has no idea where he went, we vacated the residence and started walking towards our car. As we were leaving, we decided to look over the back fence to see if my guy was in the back yard. As we looked over the fence we noticed my guy sitting behind a wooden deck in an attempt to conceal himself from us. He was directed to meet us around front, which he did.

Upon making contact with him, his behavior seemed abnormal. We asked him what he was doing hiding out in the backyard he stated "I am just out smoking a cigarette." Further questioning revealed he had used methamphetamine earlier in the day and was still under the influence of the drug. Due to the actions of trying to hide from me, and his drug use, we booked him into the Davis County Jail. Its amazing some of the stuff people do in an attempt to hide from the law. Whats more amazing is some of the excuses they give you when questioned about their actions. This is what makes the job so fun.

Motivational poster number three

2012-01-18T17:30:00.000-07:00

Yet another AWESOME motivational poster from Runners World. ENJOY!!!

Motivational Poster number two

2012-01-16T17:30:00.000-07:00

Yet another purely awesome motivational poster from Runners World. This one I can relate to REALLY well!

Motivational poster number one

2012-01-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

I found this on Runners World the other day and thought it was pure AWESOMENESS and wanted to share with everyone.

Running schedule - 2012

2012-01-12T17:30:00.000-07:00

Well this is going to be an exciting year in the running department. I continue to work towards my goal of running every USATF sanctioned marathon in this state, with two more marathons planned for the year. Additionally, I have a few other races I am going to participate in to mix things up a bit to keep my training and running fresh and motivating. Lastly, I have a few other goals which will be discussed in this post.

The first event on the agenda for the year actually does not occur until the second Saturday in June. The Utah Valley Marathon.

This course looks great, starting at a little known place called Wallsburg Utah, then makes its way down Provo Canyon, passing Bridal Veil Falls, mountains, beautiful canyon scenery and finishes up in historic downtown Provo (whatever that is), near where the old Provo Tabernacle once resided before it was destroyed by fire.

The second marathon I am going to run this year is the Top of Utah Marathon on September 15, 2012. This is appears to be another beautiful course as it starts you at Hardware Ranch and work your way down Blacksmith Fork Canyon and end in downtown Logan Utah. This will put me at four marathons under my belt during my running career. I hope to have MANY more when it is all said and done.

I am also already signed up for round two of the famous Ragnar Relay Wasatch Back race. I participated in this event last year and REALLY enjoyed myself. This year, it appears I get the privilege of conquering Ragnar Hill! The steepest part of the whole event, a 1678 foot elevation gain in four miles. I am already excited for this event and can't wait to conquer Ragnar Hill. As a little side note, our Ragnar team last year finished 448 out of 823. Middle of the road...............SWEET!!!

Another adventure/goal I have for this year is to run another half-marathon. I am excited for running a half because my body will be conditioned for running a full marathon. I am excited to be able to open it up a bit and see what I can do for a half-marathon time wise. I ran a 1:54 in my only half-marathon event, and would like to improve that time.

Anyways, the half-marathon I am going to sign up for this year is called the Legacy Midnight Run. It is an extremely unique event, as the goal of the race is to beat the midnight hour. So the half marathon starts at 10:00 p.m. and you run the Legacy Parkway Trail from Salt Lake City to Farmington Utah. It sounds like a great time and a great adventure to be a part of. This could potentially be an annual tradition if it is as fun as it sounds.

Lastly, due to a few runs I did in 2011, 2012 I am hoping to do a lot more of these. Trail runs! I have a goal of taking my training to the trails this summer after seeing the absolute beauty of running trails. I will have to invest in some trail shoes, and HOPEFULLY I don't get eaten by a bear, cougar, snake, etc. Should be a good time and I am hoping this will take my training and running adventures to a new level.

So these are my goals/races/aspirations for this new year. I am excited for each phase and event of running I will be pursuing this year. Many new and exciting adventures and challenges await.

Blink 182 - After midnight music video

2012-01-09T07:00:00.000-07:00

Blink 182 has released their fourth music video off their new album, Neighborhoods. I am VERY grateful they did a music video to this song as it is my second favorite song off their new album. Its a very well done song and video. Here it is for all to enjoy After midnight = pure awesomeness.

Back to training

2012-01-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

After not really doing any serious running since my marathon the first of October, it is time to get back to the grind as I prepare for my next marathon, which is about six months away. I must say I have REALLY enjoyed my down time, just running where, when or what I may. No worries about certain mileage being met, just running wherever for fun.

I am, however, also excited to get back into a routine increasing my fitness level, increasing in mileage, and working towards running a sub four hour marathon come June. As part of my preparation, I am hoping to work on a few things while preparing for my next marathon.

First thing I am hoping to work on is I want to do some strength training at least twice a week. I am hoping with a little bit of strength training, my legs will last just a little bit longer on marathon day, and propel me to a sub four hour marathon. I did lots of strength training while preparing for my first half-marathon, however, since my half marathon, my training has been essentially non-existent.

Secondly, my eating habits, This too is something I was very diligent with in preparing for my half-marathon, however, wavered after the half-marathon. I am hoping to remove all unnecessary toxins from my body by eating as healthy as possible. When training for the half marathon I was able to get down to about five percent body fat. It is my hope I can work my way down there again (I am currently about 6.5%).

I am hoping to update this here blog of mine at least bi-weekly to report my labors until race day. I am excited and nervous about working to prepare for a marathon. Training starts January 9, 2011.

Thanks for the memories

2012-01-04T17:00:00.000-07:00

One of the GREAT Dolphins of all time has decided to move on with his life, as he played his last game on new years day. In fitting fashion the beloved Jason Taylor, played in front of a boistrous Dolphins crowd in Dolphin Stadium.

To make the ending even grander, the final game of his career was played against the hated Jets with the chance of eliminating them from the playoffs with the loss.

The Dolphins started slow and struggled to get anything going offensively the entire first half of the game. However, the defense of the Dolphins kept them in the game with good defense and prevented the Jets from really doing anything offensively as well. The Dolphins went into halftime trailing 10-6.

The second half was a very different story however, as the Dolphins scored on the longest drive in the NFL all season, a 21 play, 94 yard drive, which consumed nerly a whole quarter of the game capped off with a touchdown.

The Dolphins defense continued to play great, led by number 99, whose sack and relentless pressure on the Jets quarterback, Mark Sanchez, led to a multiple of turnovers, clinched a Dolphins wiin in fitting fashion for a Dolphin great, and hall of fame career.

The Dolphins started slow and struggled to get anything going offensively the entire first half of the game. However, the defense of the Dolphins kept them in the game and prevented the Jets from really doing anything offensively as well. The Dolphins went into halftime trailing 10-6.

The second half was a very different story however, as the Dolphins scored on the longest drive in the NFL all season, a 21 play, 94 yard drive, which consumed nearly a whole quarter of the game capped off with a touchdown.

The Dolphins defense continued to play great, led by number 99, whose sack and relentless pressure on the Jets quarterback, Mark Sanchez, led to a multiple of turnovers, clinched a Dolphins win in fitting fashion for a Dolphin great, and hall of fame career.

His teammates after the game carried the Dolphin great off the field he dominated for over a decade. His passion, desire and determination will be missed, most of all, however, is the class he brought to this team and the NFL. Good luck #99, Jason Taylor.

2011 - Running year in review (Part 2)

2012-01-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

October 8, 2011, the Layton Marathon, what a crazy, exciting, much different race than any others I had done to date. All other races had been in the heat of summer, or unseasonably warm temperatures for that time of year. This race? high 30's to low 40's for the duration of the race. I remember seeing an Antelope run across the road just a few yards behind me, feeling the cool kiss of the winter air coming across the water, smacking me on my left side while working my way across the causeway that connects Antelope Island to the mainland.

There was also the young kid which ran by my side for a good five to seven miles with little training for a marathon and him using my pace to keep him going until his mind and body forced him to stop. The feeling of looking down at my watch and seeing the four hour mark slip away from me and the feeling of having let myself down because I wasn't able to reach my goal of running a sub four hour marathon. Followed up by having one of the funnest experiences of my running "career" by having my two oldest children accompany me across the finish line.

I also had the opportunity to dabble slightly in the trail running department, I was quite clumsy and felt quite awkward early into my first trail run as I had to focus a lot more where my feet were going and just in general pay a lot more attention to what I was doing. After a good few miles of just trying to survive, I finely felt somewhat comfortable and somewhat fluid with my movements.

My first trail running attempt was on the 4th of July weekend, when my best friend Steve, who is currently living in Canada, however, was down visiting family and enjoying the festivities of the 4th of July weekend. Steve is also a SERIOUS trail runner, together we decided to see if we could venture to the top of Ben Lomond mountain, located in Weber County Utah.

The weather was perfect for a day on the trails, though due to record snowfall in Utah that winter we quickly were engulfed in snow, we decided after about 3 miles of trudging through significant snow, lets cut our losses turn around and get back for some Jamba Juice. If it wasn't for my road racing slicks, and maybe if I had adequate trail shoes, we may have been ok. Steve and I each made a video of the event, though his is superior in every form, both videos you can see the grand time we had!

Approximately one week later, my family and I had the opportunity to follow Steve and his family back up to Canada and spend a week with them. It was TRULY a great vacation and adventure.

While we were up there, Steve showed me some of the most beautiful trails I have ever been on. The first full day we were there, he took me to his "training grounds," called Mt. Doug. What a perfect place to be able to trail run so close to home. We spent a good hour and a half running many different trails of Mt. Doug and THOROUGHLY enjoyed my time.

Here is a short video Steve put together of Mt. Doug. I was proud of myself in that I only ate it hard just one time :)

Lastly, here is the video proof of me eating it on the trail that day.

The next day, Steve took me on another run he does on occasion called the chip trail. This is a beautiful course around the school Steve is attending. It was an amazing trail and there were only a few moments during the entire run where you could actually tell you were in a city, let alone running around a campus. We had a good time and it was a nice run to shake the cobwebs off after the previous run on Mt. Doug. Here is another video Steve made, though this is running the chip trail.

Lastly, on the last full day of being up in Victoria Canada, Steve and I embarked on one last trail run, a run in which I will NEVER forget. The scenery at this place is impossible to put into words. Everything detail of this place was perfection. Our goal was to reach Jocelyn Hill, in the Gowland Todd range of Victoria. It was an amazing run, temps in the 50's foggy, just an extremely memorable run. I have attached a few pics to help you see just a small glimpse of the beauty this place held.

I am grateful for the many AMAZING runs I have been able to do this year. I am even more grateful I have a VERY supportive family, especially my wife, who allows me to feed my addiction of running. I am also grateful I have been essentially injury free (knock on wood) since I started running 18 months ago. I am looking towards even more exciting things come 2012, and will post those events in the coming days.

2011 - Running year in review (Part 1)

2011-12-30T19:39:00.000-07:00

1,392 miles (Salt Lake City to Chicago)

207 hours of running (8.5 days)

170 workouts

160,500 calories burned (45 pounds of fat)

2 Marathons

1 Ragnar Relay Race

Amazing how the miles pile up so quickly when you train for two marathons in one year. I remember summer and fall of 2010, when I started my running life I was amazed I could run three, four, five, ten miles without stopping. I remember running ten to twenty miles a week and thought I was running SO far. I know you need to start somewhere and build up, however, its amazing how many runs I did this year that were 20 miles or longer. peaking at 48 miles of running in one week.

I remember the feeling of completing my first marathon. Lots of joy, not only because of my time, but because I was done! My legs have never been so sore, tired, fatigued before in my life. I remember being in the finisher's circle after the marathon and thinking, "I am NEVER going to do this again." The thought quickly faded away, and by the time I was done eating lunch, I vividly remember thinking, I ran a great race, almost flawless to how I wanted to run, however, knowing I had a goal of a four hour marathon slip just through the grasp of my hands, made me extremely motivated and somewhat angry . This is what motivated me to train for another.

I also have EXTREMELY fond memories of participating in my first ever Ragnar Relay Race, which occurred roughly a month after my first marathon. I LOVED the excitement, suspense, nervousness of this event.

I remember getting prepared for my first leg, up Trappers Loop in Huntsville Utah, when driving to the checkpoint where I meet my team mate, seeing a runner down. We had a nurse in our car, so we stopped, and she rendered aid as our runner who I am supposed to meet at the checkpoint comes running by. The ambulance arrived just a few short minutes after we saw the runner down (seizure by the way), we hopped in our van and scrambled to the checkpoint.

As we get to the checkpoint, I grab the slap bracelet, which acts like the baton and start up trappers loop. There were two other runners next to me and also one in front of me. You could feel the competition in the air. It was so thick, you could nearly cut it with a knife, almost like an ooze, to see who could make it up Trappers Loop the fastest. I remember falling behind all the runners early, however, I was not to concerned about it, knowing fully FEW people run the type of hills and terrain I am used to. After a good mile or so of just watching the others in front of me, my body adjusted, and off I went. I remember the distance was so great between myself and the next closest runner, you could not see the nearest runner anywhere behind me. I wish I had a watch that day, for I would have been VERY curious to see how fast I climbed this five mile stretch, and 1,300 feet vertical feet. I suspect I was in the 8 minute mile range.

Shortly after I finished my first leg, I hand the slap bracelet off to the runner after me, thinking all is well. Well, she finishes her leg and discloses she rolled her ankle and it is KILLING her, she goes and visits the Doctor and they say she has a severe sprain, maybe broken foot. She said she felt like she could keep running. They told her to try to leave her shoe on as it would help keep the swelling down. We each complete our second leg of the journey with no problems.

We get to our last legs now, all of us are extremely tired, fatigued and ready to go home, when the last runner who had the swollen ankle, state she wasn't sure she could complete her last leg. Her ankle had swollen so much, she could no longer even walk on it. Her foot had swollen to the point, she was having a hard time putting on her shoe. It was at this point when we knew it would be wise if we had her not attempt to run anymore as we did not want to further damage whatever was wrong with her foot. The question then came, who is going to run the last leg???

We all talked about it for a minute when I said, "well, I will already be running, I could just run the last two legs and no one will have to worry about it." We all agreed this was probably the best route, and the decision was made, off we went.

Standing at the check point waiting for my teammate to meet me there, I felt confident, though somewhat nervous knowing I had exerted my body significantly due to the lack of sleep, and how hard I pushed during my first two legs.

I started my last leg at the top of Guardsman Pass and started the steep descent down into Deer Valley Ski Resort, with each step I thundered down some excruciatingly steep hills, I thought to myself, I have NO idea how my legs are going to hold up for 14 miles of this, they were quite sore and very tired.

I finished my descent into Deer Valley Ski Resort and glanced ahead and saw a very large hill I had to run back up. At this point I remember thinking, well the only way I am going to get through this is not to stop. Thats what I did.

The soreness in my legs started to fade the further I got into the run. Soon enough my pace was starting to quicken and before I knew it, leg one was complete, 7.3 miles down. As I ran through the checkpoint I received a loud ovation as people realized I not only finished my third and what was supposed to be my last leg, but was picking up the extra slack for the rest of the team. The five other runner's in my van were my loudest supporters. It was a VERY motivating moment.

Shortly after passing the final checkpoint, and as I started wandering towards the finish line, the trail suddenly wandered off the road and down a old very overgrown, steep dirt path (maybe road?). It dropped a good 1,000 feet vertical in a little over a mile and landed you on the old union pacific trail.

It was very interesting to me to watch most of the other runners struggling to even run, yet I was feeling stronger the longer further I went. I was passing gobs of people with little effort, I knew all the months of hard training were paying off.

Finally, I near the finish line and now see swarms of people, the anticipation begins building not quite knowing what to expect or really how far I really was from the finish line. Just knowing you were close after running over a half marathon in distance, on two hours of sleep, and having already run 8.7 miles the previous day, I was ready to be done. Shortly thereafter, I make the final turn and see Park City High School, I now new the finish line was right in front of me. Moments later I am swarmed by my eleven other teammates who are cheering me on, and as I run past they follow just behind me and all together cross the finish line.

If you have never ran Ragnar before, you NEED to try it once, it is by far the MOST gratifying race I have ever done! The finish was absolutely amazing!

Favorite Song of the Week

2011-12-29T17:18:00.000-07:00

Angels and Airwaves, thanks again for making another outstanding album, Love Part II. Few albums compare to the most coveted album I believe they have produced, I-Empire. Though this album is not nearly as good as I-Empire, and may actually be their weakest album to date. Still, it has MANY good songs on it, and true to their tradition, this album has many great introductions and climaxes weaved throughout the album. This song, might have the best climax on the whole album. Very inspiring and uplifting. Anyways without further adieu.

Garmin FORERUNNER 405CX - First run review

2011-12-26T17:49:00.002-07:00

WOW and AMAZING were the first words I thought when I used this product today for the first time. I have always wondered what the big deal was about these devices when I first started running a year and a half ago. The more I read about them though, the more I wanted one. I have always been hesitant on getting one though do to the price of the Garmin. I can already tell it will get its money worth here as it is just an absolute joy to run with.

Lets start out with the basics, first off it is VERY easy setup and use. It has directions on the display which direct you to the options you want (i.e. English or Spanish). It took just seconds to acquire a satellite signal and is VERY easy to charge. Simply connect the charging clip to the two contacts on the back, plug in to your wall, or computer, and it starts charging. Your display will tell you the battery life and when it is full.

One question I had, was how accurate is this device? After running 20 miles or more, for those who have done it, this is essential as you do not want to have to run anymore than needed after these kind of distances. Truth is, the Garmin FORERUNNER 405CX is VERY accurate, I am sitting in my house at the computer desk now (obviously) and it says it is accurate within 20 feet. That's pretty darn close, probably closer than any map website I have used to date to track my runs.

Here are some of my favorite features I instantly loved as soon as I started using it.

1. The bezel on the 405CX works A LOT better than I expected. I had read numerous reviews where people had issues with the touch bezel, I did not have those issues on my first run. The bezel does not compare with the IPODS or expensive tablets that are out there, however, I am not sure you would want that kind of sensitivity for a product that will have a lot of contact with clothing during the winter months (at least for me here in the VERY cold state of Utah). I was impressed with its ease of use despite the gobs of information which is tracked on this device.

2. I enjoyed being able to choose which information was going to be displayed to me while I was running. There are 35 different data fields you can choose from. You can have anywhere from one to three data fields displayed on your screen at one time. It gets better, you can have three different displays screens with up to three data fields per screen (9 total) while you are running. The frosting on the cake though comes from a auto scroll function where, like the name says, automatically scrolls between the three display screens while you are running, so you can view all nine data fields while you are running.

3. Perhaps my favorite tool on this device is a tool called virtual partner. Its a unique tool designed to help you meet certain training goals, or just want to "race" a fake person which runs at a certain pace (i.e. a 8 minute miler). This was a FUN tool and yet made my run more adventurous as I had set my virtual partner to run at an 8:30 mile pace. At one point I was about one minute behind after climbing 180 feet in just over a half mile. I was able to overcome my deficit and actually finish 25 seconds ahead of the virtual trainer. The other cool feature about the virtual trainer is it will show you the distance behind and graph it on a set lap basis (my "laps" were every mile) as seen on the attached photo.

4. This leads into my next function I really enjoyed about the Garmin 405CX, which is the lap function. You can set this function to any distance you want and it will track your "laps" and display a time it took you to complete the lap. I am trying to figure out if I can make it chime each time I finish a "lap" however, as that would be ideal.

5. The downloading method on the 405CX might be the most brilliant part of this device. Simply go to the Garmin website, download the proper software and plug in your ANT stick to the USB port on your computer. If you are within approximately 10 feet of your computer and ANT stick and it will automatically send the information to the ANT stick (I just placed my 405CX on my computer desk and it did the rest). PRETTY amazing if you ask me.

6. Auto Pause - What is this you ask? Well, what it does is it will automatically stop all your information during your run when you have to stop and wait for stop lights, crossing streets or any other places where you would need to slow or stop. I had to use this function once while waiting to cross a busy road, and it worked flawlessly. GENIUS idea.

7. Need a back light while out running in the dark? place two fingers on the bezel and the light turns on. No buttons to push.

8. As part of my Garmin FORERUNNER 405CX bundle sent to me was a heart rate monitor. I was VERY excited to use this as I could FINALLY see what my resting heart rate was before my run (approximately 70 beats per minute) and while I was running (my average heart rate was 166 beats per minute while running.) The 405CX also tracked your max heart rate as well (mine was 178) VERY cool information, and something I am going to watch closely down the road to see if this number drops the more I get into shape as I prepare for marathon season.

There is one downfall to the heart rate monitor, it is not the most comfortable piece of hardware to wear on the planet. This maybe something that gets more comfortable the more I use it, however, having the direct contact on your skin was not the most enjoyable thing on the planet.

9. The Garmin website is ABSOLUTELY awesome in what it stores and can do for you. Also, MapMyRun.com also loads a good amount of information from the product. The 405CX, does it all wirelessly. Here is a snap shot of my information after my first run with the Garmin FORERUNNER 405CX:

The crazy thing about this, despite all of the MANY amazing things I have learned about this device, is actually how little of this device I have used so far. There are other MANY cool functions I haven't used yet, though will as my training ramps here in about two weeks for my next marathon.

Some of the ones I am most excited to use are:

Heart rate workouts - You can use the FORERUNNER 405CX to train using specific heart rate zone or custom range of beats per minute. The minimum and maximum heart rate rate values are automatically set based on your heart rate zones.

Interval workouts - You can use the 405CX for interval training. The intervals can be based on time or distance for the run and rest portions of the workout.

So if I had to give this a rating after my first use. I would rate it extremely high! 9.5 out of ten would probably be a proper rating for my experience with this device so far. If they could just get a more comfortable heart rate monitor strap, this would be a masterpiece in my opinion. Nonetheless, VERY well designed, and GREAT functionality! Can I have another????

Favorite Song of the week

2011-12-21T22:45:00.000-07:00

The Song of the Week this week is an absolutely amazing song!!! Possibly my favorite song of theirs to date. It is SO well written and this band you can tell is one of the few bands who write music about how they feel about things, not like my friend Steve puts it "bubble gum pop music" filth that the music industry spits out on such a frequent basis. Its absolutely amazing to me that this band is not more well known, and maybe its is a good thing. All I can say is this band gets better with each album, with three REALLY strong songs on the new album, compared to just one on the last album. Anyways, I have posted a few different versions on this post, with the bottom video being the most like the original song from the album. An absolutely AMAZING SONG!!!!!

Favorite Song of the week

2011-12-08T19:56:00.001-07:00

Well this song is one I have enjoyed for a good couple of months now, however, I am just getting onto my blog. This is one of the best songs Airborne Toxic Event has done yet to date, and in general I like their new album a lot more than their first album. Anyways check it out.