Traven Arrives!

On the night of August 26th, the birth mother called to say she was at the hospital in labor, and wanted us there. Lori and I headed up and arrived around 12:30 am. It ended up as a false alarm, and we made it back home, exhausted, around 4:30 am.

On the morning of August 29th, we heard back from her. Her water had broken - this time it was for real. We got up there in the early afternoon, and settled in for a long day and night. She was in labor, but making no progress. She dilated to a 4, and was stuck there for hours.

We decided to go downstairs at the hospital to a Subway and get dinner. We got our sandwiches and headed back up to the waiting room to eat. No sooner were we into our dinner than the birth mother's mother burst into the room. She said the baby was coming NOW! Within just a few minutes, he had arrived. Lori was in the room for the birth. I was pacing nervously outside. Finally I was able to go in and hold him. It was so weird. I had spent months telling myself not to let us get our hopes up. Now here he was, but nothing was official yet. Should I be excited or still guarded?

Friday morning we went up with the kids. They each took a turn holding him, then we left to let the biological family say their goodbyes. This was around 10:30 am. The bio mom could not sign the papers until 7:05 pm. It was the longest day of my life! We went shopping for baby things, went to lunch and did whatever we could to kill the time. It drug by very slowly. Our excitement was building, but we were still so nervous. Would she really go through with it, after having seen this wonderful newborn?

The social worker showed up a little late, and went in to meet with the bio mom. It was a gut wrenching time. Lori and I were so happy to have this baby come into our family. But at the same time, the bio family was there in tears. It was heart breaking for them. It was such a contrast. But finally, we were on our way home with a 1 day old son in the Suburban!

Traven has been very blessed thus far. I feel like our months of prayers and fasting really helped. The bio mom did not take good care of herself, and also smoked the whole pregnancy. But Traven is doing very well. He brings such a sweet spirit into our home. We all have been blessed by his presence. We are kinder and very happy. He is one spoiled baby already.

Two of Lori's friends in the ward gave her a baby shower. There was an impressive turnout. I think we have around 50 thank you cards to put out now!

He is a miracle, and we are so blessed to have him in the family.

The Wasatch Back That Wasn't

My race story will be a bit different than most. You see, this year, I did not even make it to the start of the race. I signed my team up in January, and had been training hard. I even shaved about 1 minute per mile off of my average pace. When I saw the course changes, I was beside myself. This year, the course would pass on the other side of Morgan valley, right by the house where I grew up, past my grandparents’ old house and right through the middle of countless childhood memories. I immediately made sure I had the assigned legs so that I would run that part of the course. I spent a lot of time thinking about how it would feel. Would the farmers be cutting the first crop of alfalfa? I still remember the smell to this day. How would the old Milton Park look? My eagle project as a youth had been to build benches for it. Would the old rodeo grounds still be there? I won my first belt buckle riding a "bull" there. I imagined how it would be to share so many memories with my close running friends. It would be a weekend never to forget.....

The next part of my tale takes us 34 years into the past. My wife's parents were expecting twins. The labor was long, and way too early. One twin, Ryan, died within 24 hours. The other, Bryan, was not expected to make it much longer. The doctors told the family to hold off burying Ryan, as they were sure Bryan would soon be joining him. Despite these odds, Bryan survived. He did not escape without problems, though. He suffered from Cerebral Palsy, and was never able to do anything for himself. He could not walk or talk. He depended on others to do everything for him. Sally, his mother, dedicated her life to caring for Bryan. They were inseparable.

On the Monday before the race this year, I received a call that Bryan had aspirated, stopped breathing and had been rushed to the hospital. Sally, a registered nurse, did everything she could to save him. The ambulance arrived quickly, and the hospital was reached within minutes. Sadly, even with all the efforts, we lost Bryan.

You might think that someone who could not talk might not have much of a personality, or even have much of an impact on others. Nothing could be further from the truth with Bryan. He had a way of sharing his love with everyone. I don't know that I have ever met a kinder, more loving person. The only time he ever became angry was if someone in the family was getting into trouble, or if someone was foolish enough to stand between him and a Utah Jazz game on the television. Other than that, he was the perfect example of unconditional love.

Sally will forever be one of the greatest examples of service I have had the privilege of seeing in action. She gave up 34 years of her life to attend to Bryan's every need. Bryan rarely slept through the night, and she was always there to be with him. She often had to stay behind if the family was going somewhere not accessible for Bryan. If we were on the road for vacation, and hit a restaurant where Bryan could not easily get in, then she ate in the car with him. She did so many selfless acts on her part, for over 34 years. What an amazing lesson she provided for us.

As my team embarks on this year’s race, I am at home to participate in the services for Bryan. As I think of them running, I am left with a feeling of gratitude. How thankful should each of us be for the ability to just walk? Bryan had a sharp mind, yet for 34 years he was left in a prison, unable to do anything for himself. As I think of the things my team will see, I wonder about how many things Bryan would have enjoyed to see, but did not have the capabilities to get to them? As I reflect on the powerful friendships my team members have for each other, I am left to ponder about how many friends Bryan had? How many lives did he influence, and not even know about it? Even as I share these thoughts with you, I am so thankful just for the ability to type, to communicate and to share.

What of Sally? How many hobbies did she give up to take care of her sweet son? She had no time to exercise. The idea of taking off two days to run a relay with 11 of her friends would have been out of the question. We should all be thankful for supportive families and understanding employers who put up with our odd running hours, our tendency to talk about running way too much, our planning of family vacations around races and every other sacrifice we take for granted.

So to each of my Wasatch Back comrades, I would say to be thankful as you run. Take a moment to reflect upon the majestic beauties you will pass through. How blessed you each are to run and to be on a team, to be surrounded by others who share your passion for running.

To my team, I say race on! I would be remiss if I didn't thank my co-captains, Ryan and Gary, for stepping up and making sure the last minute details were taken care of and the team was able to keep racing. I also send a big thanks to my good friend Scott, for not only taking my spot in the relay but for also stepping up and providing the wheels for van number one of our team.

Mike

Fishing trip to the Uintahs

You might question why I chose this picture to use for this posting. The simple truth is I was stressed out of my mind about backing the trailer into a campsite! It was such a huge relief to arrive at camp and back in with no problems. I had Lori, Jason and Braden on two-way radios so they could watch both sides of the back plus the trailer at the hitch! The best idea I had was to take off the sway bars for backing! That made it a lot easier than what I had done in the past - the sway bars don't give much for turning!

We left on Wednesday for a trip camping at Soapstone campground. I was amazed at the time it took to get ready for this adventure. I was tired before we even left. We had to plan the meals, buy the food, load the trailer with clothes, fishing gear, camp chairs, etc. I had to load it up with water. It took some time to get the gas working - turned out the problem was being caused by a spider web in the regulator! Also, I had to get all the antifreeze out and get the hot water hooked back up.

I was also concerned about how the Suburban would do pulling that much weight. It ended up doing fine - it sure ate up the gas, and the transmission got fairly hot climbing up by Jordanelle reservoir. But all in all, the trip went smooth.

We arrived and set up camp. We then enjoyed an evening around the campfire. I had made tin foil dinners before hand to cook up there, and it turned out to taste great. We had smores (of course), then turned in for the evening. The hot water heater worked like a charm, and the furnace kept us nice and toasty.

Thursday morning, I made some sausage and french toast. Next time, I need to cook the sausage outdoors! Kaylee had stayed back home for drivers ed, but Braden, Jason, Alyssa and I drove up to Trial Lake to fish. Lori slept back in the trailer!

The kids and I spent about two hours fishing, and hauled in a BUNCH of fish! It was so much fun. I helped Alyssa, and we caught 10 just as our "team". We let them all go, including the biggest one that I ally let swim off with my rope fish holder!

We had some sandwiches back at camp, then drove down to Kamas to get some supplies. We then went to see the Provo River falls, Bald Mountain overlook and Mirror Lake. We fished some more at Mirror Lake, and caught a BUNCH more fish. I was really in the zone this time, calling my catch time after time. Man, I love fishing!

I made some burgers for dinner, and was smart enough to cook them outdoors this time. We did note we were almost out of water at this point, which seemed odd since I thought I had topped it off at home. However, I finally came up with a way to use my 6 gallon jug to put water in, and managed to get 24 more gallons in. I did have to let some gray water out, but no harm there. We watched a movie, then played some games. Another great day!

Friday morning was pancakes for breakfast. I had bought a grill before this trip, and this was the 3rd time I used it. It was a good investment. Also, the horseshoes game I picked up was a big hit.

The kids and I hit Trial Lake again, and this time kept 8 fish to take back to Showgrens. We then went back for lunch, where I made some awesome tacos and burritos. We drove up to the Crystal Lake trailhead, and hiked into Wall Lake. It was a short, but rocky climb. It was a lot of fun, though! We then went to Kamas to fill up the Suburban with gas, and had Braden ask where the closest waste station was. It turns out there is one about a mile from Soapstone campground. The park service just doesn't bother publishing anything about it or even putting up signs to say where it is!

We roasted hot dogs around the campfire, then decided to head back late Friday rather than early Saturday. This was a good decision, as it took me about 4 hours to clean up the trailer and Suburban Saturday morning.

All in all, it was a great camping trip. I was exhausted, as I really don't let anyone else do anything while camping! I like to do it all - cook, clean, entertain, etc. I think I need to involve others more next time so I can relax more!

The batteries were at 2/3 when we were done, so I think we can stay longer next time. Also, I'll just fill up the water at the station next time - no sense hauling all that weight when they have fresh water right there at the waste station. I think the only concern then would be dumping the gray water, but I think it's fine to let a bit out when needed.

Oh, the fish were really taking a bit of night crawler topped off with a salmon egg. I think we ended up catching around 60 fish! We ran out of night crawlers and split shot, so I need to bring more fishing supplies next time.

Moving the Showgrens from Houston to Mapleton

I just returned from a grand adventure. I helped Lori's brother and his family move back to Utah from Texas. It has been awesome, full of unexpected twists and turns. They are an awesome family, and it has been nice to spend all this time with them.

I flew down on Wednesday. It took me all of about 30 seconds to clear airport security, the flight left on time and we arrived early. That is what you call a good start to a trip! Glenn and Annie (3 year old daughter) picked me up at the airport. We stopped at a Waffle House for dinner. We arrived at their home, and I was immediately struck by the magnitude of the task at hand. Thursday was going to be a long day!

After a breakfast of Shipley doughnuts, we started packing. Glenn had done a bit on Wednesday, but it took us most of the day to load the truck. It was so humid, and by the time we were done I was soaked from head to foot. We cleaned up and went to The Grand Buffet for dinner.

At dinner, Eric (7 year old son) was sitting by me. All of the sudden, he began waving his arms in the air, and crying out that his mouth was on fire. He took a drink, but it did not help. He jumped up and began running around. He took off for the bathroom, and his Mom (Allison) was right on his heels. When the finally came out, we figured out the the Pepper Shrimp had full jalapenos in it, complete with the seeds, and he had chomped down on one of those. It was pretty funny, once we knew he was ok. And I have to say the mountain of crawfish the Showgrens put down was incredible!

Friday we started the drive. I drove the 26 foot U-haul, and Eric, Elijah (Eric's twin) and Annie took turns riding in the truck with me. One of the highlights of this day was watching a grown man go into the womens bathroom at McDonalds. He failed to notice he was surrounded by women, and went ahead and did his business. He received a lot of angry looks and a few comments, but still didn't figure out what he had done. Finally, as he walked out, he turned back to look at the signs, left, came back again a little closer to look at the signs, then finally figured out what he had done. He left bright red and in a hurry after that.

We were on the road for 14 hours on Friday. I have never driven that long before. It was very tiring, and I seem to have injured my right foot somehow in the process. It has a sharp pain in it now, if I hit the right angle on it. I think I held it in one position for too long. We stayed in Clovis, New Mexico that night.

Just outside of Lubbock, Texas, I was listening to the radio. They announced a severe thunderstorm warning and tornado watch for the Lubbock area. We were driving right into the heart of the beast! This was a terrifying experience for me. It does not storm like that in Utah! The truck sounded like it was going to fall apart. The wind was absolutely howling, the lightning was non-stop, and the rain was incredible. I didn't dare drive much over 40 mph for most of it. I felt like I was in the movie Twister. The flashes of lightning were creating a strobe light affect in the cab of the truck. The forces of nature can be very incredible. I'm glad I lived through that experience, and didn't put the truck on its side.

I also wanted to mention that Texas is not what I expected. It was green and full of trees all the way across the state. It was not the barren desert I had thought it was. That is New Mexico! From what I've seen of it, it is miles and miles of nothing. A lot like central Utah, but without the mountains. It got somewhat better towards the end of the trip last night, as we climbed to over 7000 feet in elevation.

Saturday we didn't push as hard. We stopped to see Billy the Kid's grave. There actually was not too much to see. We also stopped to see Allison's friend Sonya. She is married to a Navajo indian, and is living on a reservation right now. It just so happened that there was a pow-wow going on that night, so we went to a bit of that. My goodness, they have some elaborate outfits they wear. It was actually pretty neat to see all the work they go to in order to preserve their ancestry. I can't remember the last time I dressed up in my Swedish or Norwegian outfit!

I should mention the other two members of our caravan. Caleb (9 months) has been a very good baby on this trip. He is very sweet and has a good personality. He is very spoiled, but there's nothing wrong with that. We also have the Showgren's pet rabbit Shark Bait with us. He has been a very good bunny, and seems to be enjoying the trip.

Sunday was pretty tame, compared to the other days. We had planned on going to the 4 corners monument, but by the 3rd day we were ready to just push on home. Of course, once we hit Utah we were immediately in road construction, and the roads sucked, but after we hit I-70 it was pretty much smoot sailing the rest of the way in.

Scout Hike to the Hot Pots

Well, they asked me to go on a hike with the 11 year old scout group. It was a 2.5 mile hike each way, and since I'd already done my long run for the week, I figured I might as well go. It sounded like fun, and it was an excuse to buy a new hydration pack!

We were to hike into the hot pots up Diamond Fork canyon. I'd never heard of this, so I did some google research. I found several pages about the hot pots. Most of them cautioned to make sure you went early in the day, as the evenings and nights are a time when the nudists tend to frequent the natural springs. We were leaving at 9:00 am, so we were well within the safe zone.

The hike was nice. The trail was wide for the most part, and did not have any difficult inclines. It pretty much followed Diamond Fork as it gently climbed deeper into the canyon. When we were nearing the pots, we passed a group leaving. They cautioned us that there was a "nude dude" ahead.

The scout leader went ahead to see what was going on. He later summarized his conversation with the nude dude. It was something like "Hey, we have a group of scouts coming up". Nude dude "I don't care". Scout leader - "That shows. I care!". Nude dude "So what?".

As I round the corner with the scouts, there he is. Ugly naked guy isn't even in the hot pools of water. He is sitting on a rock, legs spread wide open, reading a book. His feet are in the water, but that's it. The rest of his 50 - 60 year old body is in full view. Gross! The scouts are pretty good about it. They make several jokes as we pass him, but don't spend any time staring. We head up to the next set of pools. Personally, if we had to run into naked people, I guess an old man was probably the way to go. It's something the boys will run into in the locker room as they go on in life. A pool full of beautiful young women might have made their heads explode!

All in all, the hike was a lot of fun. I was surprised by how tired it made me. A 5 mile hike was harder on me than a 5 mile run would be!

Wong rules!

We had a first this Saturday! One of our group finished in the top 3 for a division. Terry is now the proud holder of a 3rd place ribbon from the Canyon Elementary Ice Breaker 5k!

We started out at Canyon Elementary heading east. We looped over to 2300 East and started heading south. Terry and I could see the front of the pack at this point, since for some odd reason we were running a sub 8 minute mile at this point. I could see the leaders as they took a wrong turn and started heading the wrong way. If I had been able to catch my breath, I would have yelled at them. As it was, Terry and I sounded like a twin pair of steam engines, and raising my voice beyond a whisper was out of the question.

Only about 4 runners go the wrong way, and the rest of the pack is heading south still. We round the corner to turn west. About 100 yards from the 1.5 mile turnaround, the 4 wrong way runners pass us like we were standing still - I guess they noticed they were all alone and were trying to make up some lost time. Also at this point, the leaders pass us heading back.

Terry and I slow down a bit, but still are sub 9 minute miles. We coast in, finishing 22nd and 23rd overall. It was a cold day, but a lot of fun. My youngest daughter and nephew ran the 1 mile race. We hung around for the awards and drawings. They had a number of great prizes, and we walked out with a couple of them.

All in all, running in a smaller 5k race turned out to be a great time. And now Terry has a ribbon!

Weekend long running schedule

March 31 - Terry - 6 miles - Provo river trail 8.5 to 11.5 and back
April 7 - Scott S. - 7 miles - American Fork, up by the temple, north on the trail by the golf course
April 14 - Mike - 6 miles - Spanish Fork clinic, south to new Spanish Fork river trail
April 21 - On your own - 8 miles - Spring Break
April 28 - Jason - 6 miles - Provo river trail 8.5 to 11.5 and back
May 4 - Mike - 5 miles on Friday morning
May 12 - Gary - 6 miles - this weeks run kind of fell apart!
May 18 - Ryan - 7 miles - Provo river trail, 9.5 to 13 and back
May 25 - Terry - 8 miles
June 2 - Scott S. - 8 miles
June 8 - Jason - 6 miles
June 15 - Gary - 6 miles, dusk to night run
June 22 - 23 - WBR!!!

Latest Update

Man, it has been a long time since I posted. Lately, I've been trying to drop a few pounds and pick up the pace on my runs. This resulted in a new PR for 10k races at the Rex Lee run in March. My time was around 56 minutes, which is over 4 minutes under my previous best.

Lessons Learned

After having completed the Top of Utah marathon yesterday, I have come to several conclusions:

1. Something magical happened on my first marathon, which allowed to be over 20 minutes faster on it than the other two. I think it is due to the fact that the 5 of us worked so hard, not missing a single day in the 18 week program. Also, we had no illnesses, injuries or even bad weather. It was truly a once in a lifetime event.

2. I simply am not meant to run marathons. I can run hard for around 15 miles, fight my way to do 4 - 5 more, then that's it. I hit the wall, and I simply have no more to give.

3. I look forward to doing more half marathons. There are so many available to try out. Plus, the training demand is not as high as preparing for a marathon.

4. For those of you who wish to run a marathon, I suggest following an 18 week program to the letter. There is wisdom in full preparation.

5. The elevation chart for Top of Utah has to be wrong. I swear we ran uphill for almost the last 12.2 miles. It was a hard course for me.

School is back in session!

Ah, school is back! That means it's time to start tracking Braden's clothes again.

9/14 - Braden - Brown monkey shirt, silver shorts

Bryce Canyon Half Marathon

This was my fastest half marathon ever. It was an awesome course. We basically ran from Bryce down into Cannonville. It was mainly downhill, and I loved it! The scenery was awesome, the race was well done, and the weather was perfect. I'd definitely like to run this one again.

Wasatch Back Relay

Wasatch Back Relay

I put together a team for this race, and we had an awesome time! In Suburban #1, we had me, Gary Gillilan, Erik Gillilan, Terry Wong, Scott Shepherd and Jason Neuwirth. In Suburban #2, we had Nate Jensen, Allen Frost, Peter Maughan, Ryan Cluff, Jason Harmon and Kory Child.

Since we had to be at Hardware Ranch at 9:00 am, the members in #1 went up Thursday night and stayed at the Super 8 hotel. We were so excited and nervous. We were all up early, and got up to the start line at 8:30 am.

At 9:00 am, Terry started us off. He was like a rocket at first. I had leg #2, down Blacksmiths Fork canyon. Man, I felt great! 3.65 miles in 33:57, for a 9:17 mile pace. I handed off to Neuwirth, and off he went. We all had great first runs, and handed off to #2 ahead of our projected pace.

We had lunch at Subway, then drove up to Huntsville. We tried to get some rest, but basically we just waited nervously. It was hot, and we were worried about the guys in #2. They came in ahead of pace as well! Kory didn't look too good from running in the heat, but he did it. Terry took off, smiling from ear to ear again.

Terry had no idea what lay in wait. He had the climb from Huntsville to the top of Trappers Loop. What a climb! He battled up it, and kept us on pace. He was a stud!

I had the run from the top down into Morgan valley. It was hot, and I was cramping up, but I just kept after it. My knees hurt from the sharp downhill. I did 5.33 miles in 47:25, for an 8:53 pace.

Neuwirth had a long, hot run through the valley, as did Scott. I tell you, Scott was one strong runner. He was impressive. Gary did a great job starting us up to East Canyon. Erik was like a caged animal, waiting to finish the climb to the top. He cruised up the hill, and we arrived about on schedule.

We had a pasta dinner at East Canyon, then drove down to Rockport to try to sleep. We got about two hours before #2 called saying they were on their way in. I quickly woke up the team, then walked Terry up the exchange. We got there late, and in the confusion Terry took off the wrong way! He ended up running close to an extra half mile!

I started running at 5:20 am. I had the run from Kamas to Oakley. It was basically a straight road from point to point. I could see the finish from miles out. It was mentally hard, and I thought I would break. It had some long climbs and some downhill. Pretty much an even split between flat, up and down. I did 6.5 miles in 1:05:30, for a 10:05 pace. I was happy to have battled through it and kept a good pace.

Scott had the climb up Jordanelle. Man, he was awesome! He trimmed 4 minutes off his projected time. Gary was like a gray rocket bringing us into Heber, and Erik was a bolt of lightning. Finally, we were done with our part!

We showered, got some breakfast, met up with Terry, Gary and Erik's families, then split up for a bit. Scott, Jason and I went to the finish line to watch the other teams come in.

And finally, after close to 29 hours, we were done! It was one of the most funs things I've ever done. We are planning on being back next year!

Things to do differently:
1. Get a hotel room in Coalville for Friday night, and get it early on before they sell out! That would cut down on the amount of clutter in the Suburban.

2. Budget things more evenly. Have one or two people buy all the supplies, gas, etc., then split the costs when done.

3. Get some cool, matching running shirts for the team.

4. Decorate the Suburbans.

5. Come up with a new team name.

Provo River 10 mile race

13 days after the San Diego marathon, I ran in the Provo River 10 mile race, along with Gary and Terry. It was a great course, from about 3.5 miles up South Fork down to the Shops at Riverwoods. I felt great. I set a PR for 10 miles, coming in at 1 hour, 35 minutes. Gary and Terry both had PR marks for that distance as well.

San Diego Marathon

It's been a few weeks, but the memories are still fresh. The San Diego Marathon was such a hard run for me. I think several things contributed to this disaster.

1. We went down to California on Tuesday. We spent two days at Universal Studios, and Saturday we spent at Sea World. It was so hot that day. I went into the marathon tired and not well rested.

2. I was unable to eat correctly, while vacationing with the family.

3. The humidity was a killer. The morning of the marathon it was 85 percent.

I ran a great first 16 miles. I was even ahead of my St. George pace. Then, I bonked like I had never bonked before. I ran/walked for a bit, then walked a lot. It was miserable. I just had nothing left to give. I ended up finishing in 5 hours 20 minutes, just glad to be alive.

The interesting thing is that my recovery has been faster than from St. George. You'll need to read the next two postings for the details.

Wong ran a great race, although he cramped up at the end. I think his time was better than St. George, but not what he had hoped for.

Running Status

The 18 miler went well. My time was close to last years, but I felt like I finished strong.

The 20 miler started well. Gary ran with me for about the first 9 miles, which really helped. He and Jason Neuwirth really went out of their way to help Terry and I in our training for the day.

I ran well for 17.5, then hit a wall. I walked for a half mile, then finished running. I'm excited for San Diego, but nervous as well. Will the change in altitude offset the change in humidity?

I've been using Gu for my gel, which seems to work ok. I'm also taking orange slices to help the Gu settle in and not make me sick.

This weeks running has been very hard. I don't think I've fully recovered from the 20 miler.

16 miles of agony

First off, I'd just like to say that following the Hal Higdon 18 week program with complete devotion has its benefits. After today's run, I know for sure I am not nearly as prepared at this stage of training as I was leading up to St. George last fall.

I started my run about 1:00 pm. Afternoon running has always been a weak spot for me, so I was very nervous.

A little over a half mile in, I meet up with Terry running the opposite direction. He says something about the trail being out at the tracks. I do not remember what tracks he speaks of, and figure I'll just deal with it when I get there. Two miles in, and I check my watch. I'm at 19:52, which is a bit faster than I wanted for this long of a run. Terry has caught me again, which as me confused. How did he catch up so quickly? I thought he was running from 8 down to 0 and back. Turns out he was running 8.5 to .5, which explains how me got back so quickly. Of course, I haven't figured this out until after the run. He says he'll run with me to the tracks. What tracks, dang it?

Oh, those tracks. We go around a fence, up a dirt hill, cross some tracks. I look back, and notice that the trail is not closed here! I'm questioning Wong's sanity at this point. Then I look ahead. There is another set of tracks, and the trail is gone. Not closed, but actually gone. We have to squeeze through a gap in the fence and a concrete wall. Terry goes through, then looks at me. Of course, he's wondering if something so wide can fit through such a small gap. I suck it in, and make it through. This is one muddy, rocky pass right here. I decide to stop my watch until we make it over. Once we are back on the trail, it's getting hot, and I stop to take off my long sleeve shirt. I decide to leave it there. Dumb idea it turns out.

Now I'm running again. I hit mile #3 at 31:01, #4 at 39:16 and #5 at 49:39. I just can't seem to slow down to where I want to be. #6 at 59:19. I hit what I'd call a mini-wall, and take a short walking break. #7 at 1:10:54. 2nd mini-wall, #8 at 1:21:53. It's now cold and blowing, and my long sleeve shirt is about 5 miles away. Crap!

Somewhat larger wall.....#9 at 1:34:14. Decide to run again, #10 at 1:44:55. #11 at 1:55:17. 4th wall, #12 at 2:06:59. I'm out of water, which sucks. But then I see a drinking fountain right by the trail. Sweet! I'm filling up! Phone call from wife, telling me Braden's team has made it to the championship game, and it is at 4, rather than 6 like I had been told. She is thinking I should be finishing up by now, and is amazed that I am over 3 miles from my car. I try explaining to her that I'm doing the best I can, but it's going to be a while before I'm done. #13 at 2:19:40. Crap, that's about 2 hours, 20 minutes for a half marathon. And I have 3 miles to go? I'm stopping my watch while I clear the obstacle course again. I have to crawl through one part of the fence. In my mind, I'm wondering what will happen if I can't get back up? Do I just crawl to the nearest park and call for help? But I stumble back up and manage to get back on the trail.

Lots of walking now, but my pace is actually not so bad. My feet feel like they are blistering. Cursed Asics shoes and non-blister socks! I'm going back to Mizunos and my cheap socks!

#14 at 2:31:11. Major wall, #15 at 2:44:39. I've decided I might just be seeing the last quarter of Braden's game. Ah, but in a bit of inspiration, I cheat! If you go onto the road around mile marker #1, you can make that last mile go quite a bit quicker - no big old loop, just a straight shot to the car! Hey, no ones there, I'm doing it! Reach the car at 2:53:39. With my cheat and watch stops, my pace was probably closer to 3 hours.

10.2 more after that? I think not!

Rex Lee Run 10k story

I thought you all might appreciate my racing duel with someone's Grandpa....here's how it went down.

I'm running well Saturday. I'm running under 10 minute miles, even with the two big hills that we started with. I'm happy with myself. Then, at mile #4, I notice someone passing me on the right. He's hunched over, looks more like he's about to fall over, and appears to be 80 to me. He says something to me like "it sure is a long way", then off he goes.

Of course, I'm stunned. The fact that I'm running way back in the pack didn't matter - I was the man up to that point! But now, Grandpa is kicking my butt. I decide to be patient, rather than try to run him down now. But in my mind, I've decided it's a matter of life and to beat the old man.

He never pulls too far away. Grandpa and I are at about the same pace now. He's slightly ahead at mile #5. Yes, I'm watching him closely now. He doesn't know it, but I own him!

As we near the track, we mingle in with the slower, 5k racers. For some reason, everyone is running slowly on the sidewalk. I blow by them on the road. Grandpa is on the sidewalk, and once again I am the man! At least in my mind, anyway.

I'm on the track now, feeling good to be about done. As I round the last corner, Grandpa is kicking it into high gear and trying to pass me! I'll have none of that. I go into sprint mode, and reach the finish line before Grandpa! My first instinct is to talk some smack with the old man, but then I come to my senses.

Running is truly an interesting sport. Where else can you feel a sense of victory, when you narrowly avoid getting beat by a 69 year old man and finish 2nd to last in your age group?

Just for the record, I did set a PR, with a time of 1:00:18 on my watch! That's a sub 10 minute per mile average, which is a good pace for me!

Anyway, I hope my adventure at least puts a smile on your face for the day!

The marathon is over!

I can't believe it. After close to one year of training, the marathon has come and gone. I finished in under 5 hours, which was my goal, but I really struggled towards the end. Now, I've signed up for the San Diego marathon in June, and plan on doing St. George again in the fall, if I can get in. I seem to have been bitten by the running bug. I'd like to get leaner and faster. We will see how it goes.

Wow, a month has gone by!

It's been a month since the last posting to the most boring blog on the net. However, the kids are now back in school, and I will probably need to start tracking my son's clothes again!

I'm still running. I've already passed the 100 mile mark for this month, and am on course to put in 145 miles for the month of August. I ran in the Spanish Fork 10k race and in the Provo Canyon half marathon. I'm excited for the marathon in October!

I look forward also to next year, when I can spend more time fishing and camping and less time running. This year, the marathon preparation has pretty much consumed all of my spare time.

I have at least been able to grow a garden this year, and learned some valuable lessons. For instance, planting 10 squash plants might have been a bit much. I must have 20 squash on the kitchen counter right now. Also, I need to plant more peas. As fast as I can grow them, my wife eats them!

Worlds most boring blog

Sheesh, it's been a month since I updated this thing. Running has been going well - I've even had some sub 9 minute miles lately. We are deep into the 18 week program at this point, and the miles are adding up. I wore out my latest pair of shoes already, and went with the Mizuno Waves this time. They are sweet! My main problem at this point is pain in my feet. Hopefully the new shoes will help.