It's the most wonderful time of the year!

August 30, 2007 - 8:00pm - Utah vs. Oregon St.

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It's time for football. Fall has to be the best time of the year. Summer is winding down, the weather gets cooler, baseball is winding towards the fall classic and Utah football is about to begin. Here is hoping for winning games we're supposed to win and competing in games we are not. A warm weather bowl game in January and a great lead into Basketball season.

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GO UTES!

A few more pictures...

The family pre-race.
Averi pre-cannon!Swim start...by this point I'm probably wide left.

Getting ready for the next couple of hours with my butt on the seat.

A few more pictures...

Heading out on the bike
Done with the bike....heading out on the run.Down the mountian...done!

Averi needing to go poop!
Family post-race.

A few pictures...

Here are a couple of the pictures taken by the professionals at the event. Unfortunately I don't know how to make the pictures any bigger so just sit closer to your screen. Also the running picture looks like I finished in 3:77:41 but I assure you the official time was 3 hours. I'll get the camera out and post a couple of the family pictures when I remember to do so. I'll try to get to that tonight.

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As far as the post-tri activity I took the week off last week for an Arizona vacation. I went running Saturday morning which was a little more difficult than expected. My lower back is finally coming around so maybe I need to get back on the bike first. My issue is that if I'm not working towards something I'll tend to just sit around and not exercise cause I really don't have to. Maybe I'll have to start a blog for the 2008 tri so that maybe then I'll have to. That will be fun for all!

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Anyway I've got a few takers for a 2008 triathlon. Lacey has the bug for a 'flat tri' which means no mountain bike as she wants to stick to the pavement. Ryan even said he's looking into it but we'll see about that. Matt says that he can do everything but run (sounds like he's bi). Anyway maybe they'll have to just put a team together and race me next time.

A good day...

Where to start? I guess Tri's usually started with the swim but I started much earlier than that. Beginning at 11:00pm the night before as for the second night I couldn't sleep. I wanted to sleep, I needed to sleep but it wouldn't come. So finally I guess I dozed off but 5:30 came rather quick. The morning we smoothly as I got up to Snowbasin, set up my run stuff and got to Pineview to get the bike ready. After that it was just 1.5 hours of waiting with the family.
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Swim Time - After waiting 30 minutes for the professionals to get going on their swim it was time. As I had watched the professionals I told myself that next year I was going to sign up for the longer distance Tri (1 mile swim, 20 mile bike, 6 mile run). A few deep breaths and into the water. I don't know what it is. Maybe it's the cold water, the adrenaline of the race, the guy behind you punching you in the feet, or the guy on the side of you elbowing your chest with every stroke. Whatever happens I find it impossible to pace myself and start slow and easy. The first couple of minutes start fast and finally I'm able to get into a pace. The other issue is that I took a slight detour. After that first minute or so I rose out of the water only to find myself beginning a circumference swim around the lake. Not only was I not heading towards the buoy I was swimming parallel to the beach. I wondered why I wasn't being kicked, punched elbowed any more. So I got back into the thick of it and started throwing some haymakers myself. After two right-turns we were heading into the beach. It was a good feeling to have my hands hit bottom and be able to stand up. I began the small run to the bike station while ripping off the wetsuit (yes, they were approved after the rainstorm brought the water temp below 70 degrees...the one good thing about the rain that day).
SWIM TIME - 19:30
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After putting on the shirt, socks, shoes, headband, helmet, glasses and camelback I started peddling. I took the first mile very easy as I took a breather. The first mile is paved road until you reach the bike trail. I went into a low gear, peddled quickly to get the blood out of my shoulder and into my legs. As I started the ascent I felt not great, but good enough. The bike portion starts with a pretty steady climb for 2 miles, then crosses over onto a single track trail that has some steep climbs followed by some flat portions. Although I was getting passed by many people during the first 2 miles, I did plenty of passing myself which never happened last time. I wasn't fast or slow, just steady. About 6-7 miles into the climb we got a downhill break although it's not much of a break. Yes you take advantage of gravity, but the bumpy rocks, turns and tight grip on the handle bars aren't as enjoyable after having using those same arms to pull you through the water for a half mile an hour before. After 2 miles of pure hell on the arms, the legs were back at it taking me up the hill. At about 8 miles (of 12) I could hear the music, announcer, crowd at Snowbasin which sucked. It was a tease as you could taste the end of the bike but were still 4 miles away. The last four miles were tough. It has poured the night before and it began to rain creating a muddy trail which isn't so good for momentum. It got slow and slippery. The wooden bridges that crossed the river were slick and while coming around the corner my tires when out from under me and down I went. That 15 seconds off of the bike gave me a breather and I was fine the last four miles. The bike trail climbed nearly 12 miles and 3000 feet from Pineview to Snowbasin. As I came down to the transition there again was the family cheering. The only thing I heard distinctly was Ryan yelling "Pick it up!" BIKE TIME - 1:59:23
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I felt good changing shoes and getting camelback off. Only 4 miles to go. I was almost there. I started through the parking lot...I could taste it...almost there. Then I saw it...the mountain. Unbelievable! This year they had decided not so send us up the switchback trail, but simply straight up the mountain. After a minute or so my calves were on fire and by back was killing me. I made my way up, and up, and up some more. I got a small break in the middle as the trail flattened out and they it was more climbing. After two miles I was at the top and it was all downhill. I was able to run the entire last two miles and make it to the bottom.
Free at last, free at last...thank God almighty I'm free at last. Done. And there again were the people cheering, Allie cheering and Averi crying her eyes out. I thought that she was overjoyed but soon found out she really just wanted me to take her to go poop! Allie had told her to hold it as I was going to finish at any minute.
RUN TIME - 41:45
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TOTAL TIME - 3:00:38
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I know that I said anything over 3:00 would be a disappointment but I'm calling it 3:00 as it never got to 3:01. I thought that 3:00 would be a good time (30 minutes faster than 2005) and 2:48:00 would be the ultimate goal. Overall the day went well. About half way through the bike I wondered why the hell I ever do these things and promised this was the last time (remember my idea to sign up for the longer distance...forget it!). Today I can't wait until next year to try to shave a little more time of of the 3:00 mark. A few people have asked which was harder a marathon or this? While not being an expert on either one by any means I just say that they are different. A marathon is just long and painful. Your muscles never really ache or burn but just hurt. The Tri (Xterra at least) gets to the muscles and they burn. There are easier times and there are times where you don't think your muscels will go anymore. Maybe that sounds like the same thing but it's just different, trust me. I prefer the Tri as today, while a little sore, I can walk, bend, descend stairs and yesterday even mowed the lawn. It's not as much pounding as 26.2 miles. (Now those Ironman people are just nuts!)

I'm looking for other to join me next year so start preparing. This year I'm really going to make an effort to stay in shape through the winter so I don't have to start from scratch come March. If I can take those 12 minutes off of my time next year that will keep me going to 2009.

As I mentioned before I'm not sure if anyone actually reads this blog anymore. I'm not sure if it'll continue as without the Tri my life isn't much to talk about. Check back for pictures as I'll have them up in a day or so.

3...2...1...

2:48:00

So, here goes. It's here with a few surprises.

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First the weather sucks! Ogden got blasted with a huge thunder shower while I was trying to get marked and pick up my stuff. I hope the rain didn't continue all the way over the mountain because if it did, the trail will be unbelievably muddy and rough.

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Second, NO WETSUITS! That doesn't do me any good as that's the only legal floatation equipment. Also it doesn't do so well with the drag. Although only slightly, I was tempted to stop by the sporting goods store on my way home and look for a biker short speedo/swimsuit (not speedo breifs) but I just couldn't do it. So, it'll be my swimsuit for the swim and hopefully I don't reveal too much as I try to change at T1 with a towel around my waist. One of these days maybe, just maybe I may pull out the greco-roman wrestler outfit that's only one piece. I think that I'd really have to collect some money from all of you to compete with that gear (it would be funny though). Could you imagine that? Yeah, I bet a few of you could...and stop it right now!

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Well, here is to tomorrow and a good nights sleep tonight (which isn't likely). Stay tuned for what may be my final blog with a significant recap of the day.

2 Days, 23 hours....

It's winding down and only a couple of things going badly. Last week we dealt with sick kids and I was washing my hands non-stop. Nothing would be worse than coming down with the flu the week before the race. I thought that I was in the clear until Averi woke up last night puking! So I'm praying that I can get through the next 3 days and stay healthy.

The other thing is that my back is killing me. I've always had lower back issues and it comes and goes. However the Creers are moving into their condo and we've been helping them unload their stuff over the last couple of days. Although it may be helping them, it isn't doing my back any favors. The last night of moving is tonight and I'm just going to have to hang with the women and put sheets on the bed, vacuum, and put things away. I'm done with the heavy stuff unless they don't mind waiting until Saturday afternoon.

If anyone has any quick solutions for lower back pain/tightness I'm all ears.

Meanwhile check out this link. It's a three minute video of last years triathlon. It'll get the juices flowing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mkh7-LyGCaU

4 days, 18 hours...

Time is running down and I'm ready....uhh, I think I'm ready...I should be ready...I better be ready...!

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This past Friday I swam in Pineview for a bit. Open water swimming sure is different than the local pool. But it felt good and went well. It took a couple of minutes to get used to the water (cold) but after that it was smooth. Luckily on Saturday I'll have a wetsuit which decreases drag and helps you float, both of which increase the speed.

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I've biked the complete distance and actual route this time around. This occurred last week. I went a total of 11 miles (I skipped the first 1.5 miles as this is the flat paved road from the beach to the beginning of the trail). It's actually unknown how far the trail actually is. Some sites have 19K (12 miles) but the email I received the other day says 16K (10 miles). Either way I've done both so it's all good (without one fall I might add).

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The run is actually only 3 miles. 1.5 up the hill and 1.5 down the hill. I've been running the road up to Fruit Heights which is about 2 miles up so I'm feeling good here.

Now the only real issue is that I've yet to do all three of these things back to back to back which really makes a little difference. That's where I'm going to have to rely on Gatorade, power gels, and lots of adrenaline. I just need to make sure all the adrenaline doesn't all come out the first 5 minutes of the swim like last time.

Again, here are my expectations:

Swim - 16:00

T1 - 4:00

Bike - 1:40:00

T2 - 3:00

Run - 45:00

Total - 2:48:00

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More than three hours and I'm going to run home. Less than 2:48:00 I'm going to have myself one hell of a party.

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I'm ready.

The countdown continues...

I'm not sure who really still visits this blog. Maybe after some of the funny stories have come and gone it's become a little boring. Actually the training has become a little less fun itself. Well...maybe not less fun but just more serious. Unfortunately their haven't been as many incidents as before so there isn't a whole lot to divulge. I haven't seen Matt's biker shorts for months. I can't talk Eric into any physical exercise. Ryan has a one month old baby so he's not getting up at 6am unless it's for a bottle. I do keep falling off of my bike but that got very old a long time ago. So...I'll just finish these last two weeks and they see what happens.

It's almost time. A very short two weeks away and I'm excited to see how I can do this time around. Sitting here right now my body feels like I'm going to challenge the Pro's to the finish line. Yeah, maybe I can finish in that elite group. The only issue is that their route is twice as long as mine and I'm a realist; I don't have a shot.. However things are looking good. The last time around I felt the same way...pretty confident. Looking back I had no clue what I was in for which I found out about 2 miles into the bike. Today I feel better as I know what to expect. I've trained better and know that I'll at least make it to the third mile before wondering what the hell I'm doing in the mountains, on a bike, water strapped to my back, feet firmly attached to the pedals (which I still suck and removing), with another nine miles to go. Boy, what a great day that will be.

But it's exciting. I think I got the fever while watching Eric run a marathon. It was exciting to see people running, crowd cheering, music blasting while they announced race number and names as people crossed the finish line. There was a little adrenaline flowing that day. I figured I could do that. So I did. The Logan marathon wasn't quite the event as the Salt Lake Marathon but it was an event nonetheless. However after limping around for a couple of weeks I had to steer clear of pounding my knees, ankles, quads etc for 5 hours ever again. Then I thought of a Tri. It was a pretty exciting feeling waiting on the beach, listening to the announcer making the last calls, while the Black Eyed Peas blared in the background..."Let's get it started." Quite the adrenaline rush. That all ended soon enough and it was every man for themselves (including the wo'men' who raced). But after it was all over crossing the finish line brought back some of that adrenaline.

So for those who want to feel some of the excitement...check out a marathon/tri sometime. Maybe you'll feel some excitement and soon enough you'll be learning how to swim (properly), falling of your bike, icing your knees/ankles/legs/back, buying a dri-fit wardrobe and having the time of your life while never feeling better.

Might as well have been raining...

Had a bit of a soggy ride this morning. It must have rained pretty good in Bountiful last night

cause I was soaked. Not from actual rain but from the rain soaked foliage busting me in the chops every few seconds. By the time I reached the summit I was wet, cold and looking for the quickest way down the mountain. So instead of taking the 6.5 trail back down I took the shorter North Canyon side down, crossed Btfl Blvd and back up to Mueller Park.

A few things from the morning ride:

• Rear tires don't go easily over wet roots. Instead of rolling over them, they seem to slide across them and that didn't turn out too well a few times this morning. I ended up in some of that wet foliage I spoke of earlier.
• It's been at least 10 years since I took a bike ride/run/walk on Bountiful Blvd. However I'm pretty sure I saw a few of the same people from back when, and people are looking a lot older (except for me...I still feel..and look 21. I just shave my head).
• I haven't golfed Bountiful for a while but need to. That place is always in great shape.
• My new headband works great. Yeah, I look like a poor man's white Allen Iverson but it definitely keeps the sweat from pouring into my eyes.
• To the rock in 39:30....to the top in 1:19:00. Getting better...little by little.

Minor setback this week as well. After a heated basketball game on Matt's concrete pad on the 24th, the surgically repaired left knee isn't feeling so great. Running has been postponed for a week until I stop feeling the tendons (or whatever it is) rub against each other with every bend.

That's all for now.

Heckuva Climb...

Farmington Canyon - not much water in the lake?
Just more stupid wetlands to fight over.

My first memory of Farmington Canyon was when I was about 12 years old driving to a Father's & Sons outing. I remember thinking that it was quite a steep climb. The other thing I remember was that on the curves we were mere inches from falling off of the edge of the mountain and down hundreds of feet.

Next memory of Farmington Canyon was 1994...Senior Sluf day heading to the canyon river to the rope swing as well as a couple of other times that summer (or was it Sr. Sluff day 93' and we just took advantage?). Maybe some of you reading this remember those days. It was a pretty fun little 'damn' pool that you could swing down and drop into. If memory serves me correctly, Marci Wilson let go a little early (gravity) and broke her arm? Maybe that was a different story? I don't know...however I do know that Josh Ludwig fell out of a tree while attempting a dive and just missed hitting his head on a huge rock.

Then there was Matt Webb suffered a compound fracture of his leg while jumping into a pool further up the mountain.

So over the last couple of weeks I have returned to Farmington Canyon to make more memories. I had been driving to Mueller Park for months but I've got a short 8 minute bike ride to the canyon and it's all uphill from there. The first couple of miles are paved and steep (you can see the climb in the picture above). It actually flattens out once the dirt trail begins but it's quite the workout. After just a few minutes of pavement the legs are burning. I haven't been too far up the dirt road due to time constraints...meaning that I've got to ride home, switch shoes and run for a while. Maybe next time I'll drive to the dirt and go from there. I'd like to see how high I can get...or how tired I can get.

The best day from hell ever!

So I haven't really been able to come up with many funny stories so I have slacked on the tri updates lately. It's time for me to get back to what this is all about..it's time to report what's going on as we are a short 4 weeks away from what I like to call, the best day from hell ever. Let's just revisit 2005:

• Friday night visited the hole that is called downtown Ogden to pick up my stuff. They were giving free head shaving for a donation. Sorry I couldn't help there.

Now, a quick note about Ogden. I know that there are nice places there...I just haven't seen them. If fact that day Allie and I went down to pick up the stuff, we must have walked by at least 5 drunks and accidentally parked our car next to a half-way house. As I've heard before, they ought to put a fence around the place and call it prison.

• Saturday morning woke up and make the drive to Pineview
• Got the wetsuit on, swam to the starting beach and waited...

Now, about the waiting. It seems like your bladder is completely empty until you are waiting for something to happen. Then you go....then after 4 more minutes of waiting...you go again...and again. Good thing I had Ogden's largest toilet at my disposal (no, not downtown).

• I started swimming and felt great.

Got kicked a few times until it got spread out. I was a little worried cause the bottom of the lake doesn't have those nice straight lines to follow. However after a while you just follow the bubbles (hoping they are from the mouths of others) and the guy kicking your arms in front of you.

• Hopped out of the water after a surprisingly short time in the lake.
• Started on the bike

Uhh, you mean this is 10 miles up that mountain? After two miles I was gassed. I think my adrenaline was gone. For those who have read earlier posts, I did see one person collapse on the bike so I wasn't feeling completely gone.

• Got done with the bike after feeling like I had ridden to base camp at Everest.
• Put on the shoes and started to run

Uhh, you mean the first two miles of the run is up that mountain? After that it's really a blur. I remember having to run thru a few small rivers.. some guy taking my picture and I remember finally running down the mountain trying not to tumble to the bottom.

Yes it is the best day from hell ever and I can't wait to do it again. I'm much more prepared this time around (which isn't saying much). Also I think I'm a lot less fat this time around which is even better. I'm sure as I sit down on August 19 (my 31st birthday) I'll tell myself 'never again'. Then once I can walk normal and realize that I wasn't dead last...it'll be time to start for next year.

That's the latest. Hopefully I'll have more to share soon.

Poor Bull!

OUCH!

I'll be posting a little more training news soon enough. I know things have gotten a little boring over the past few weeks. I need to get Matt, Eric and/or Ryan out for some exercise and I'm sure I'll have some good stories for you all.

Let's mix things up a little...

Let's talk a little football. Football season is less than two months away and do you know what that means? That means that I have to hear testimony after testimony from Y fans on sports talk radio. I get to hear that 'they' are back. 'They' are again a powerhouse. And finally, I get to hear time after time that they accomplish all of this with 'righteous, fine young men'. In fact Mr. Bronco has even explained that he is bringing discipline to the team and misconduct will not be tolerated. After listening to this for the past year it was quite surprising to me that another player was arrested last week. Let's take a look at byu's off season workout program:

• July 2007 – Manase Tonga arrested after failing to stop at a stop sign, gave fake name to police to avoid being arrested for outstanding warrant.


• June 2007 – Y runner Kyle Perry arrested for assaulting a pedestrian with a mop.


• April 2007 – Terrance Hooks and Vic So’oto arrested on suspicion of burglary after they were accused of breaking into two apartments in search of someone who threw a water balloon.


• March 2007 – Matangi Tonga charged with six counts of burglary, all of them second-degree felonies, and one count of theft, a class B misdemeanor.


• January 2007 – Rashaun Broadus charged with a class B misdemeanor charge of DUI and class C misdemeanors of no driver's license, speeding and a window tint violation.

Interesting side note on Mr. Manase Tonga...supposedly after being released on bail he was able to fly to CA to participate in his Temple marriage.

So, here are a few things to make sure your are in the right frame of mind come late August:

• Utah was the first non-BCS to bust the BCS, finishing 4th in the nation


• I've seen College Game Day live once...at the University of Utah


• Utah owns the overall record of 52-34-4 (keep in mind Utah's record in the 70-80's)


• Since 1990, Utah has won more than they've lost against the BDS


• 1984 was 27 years ago - 2004 was 3 - Utah would win that match-up 10 of 10

If you want to know how good BYU is just ask them. I'm sure they won't have any problem letting you know. Then pay attention to the news because you will hear how good they are. They are great at breaking and entering, making up false names to give police and breaking down doors to protect their women from water balloons and can perform some great 'mop duty'.

Keep in mind that these problems happen at all schools. I know that Utah has their issues. However the difference is that none of these other schools pretend they don't have problems. None of these schools try to pass themselves off as perfect, but leave it to the Y to let everyone know that they are.

So have a nice football season and here is to the 3rd week of November when Utah walks into their home away from home (Rice-Eccles South) and winning again in Provo. Utah winning is key, but next to that there is nothing better than looking at 50,000 zoobies after their team loses.

A weekend break...or not

I figured that I'd better get my training in early this week as I have a pretty full weekend .

First training...then the weekend.
Things are going well, I'm really trying to get on my bike as often as possible. This is good and bad. Good because I'll be able to make it up the mountain, good because I won't have to worry about my second experience in an ambulance, good because they may still be selling lunch by the time I finish. It's bad because the more time of the bike, the less time on the road and in the pool. I don't want the fishes to get me as an early lunch and I don't want to feel my legs to give as I try to run up the mountain. However I do feel like I am way ahead of schedule compared to last time.

This weekend holds another event that is very near to my heart. The Heat Stroker Softball Tourney! Like the triathlon, marathon or any yard landscape project, this always turns out to be more than I bargain for (or more than Allie bargains for). Over the last few years I have suffered some less than comfortable injuries during these tournaments. Last year I tore my ACL and MCL. The year before that I broke my wrist and before that cracked my sternum (remember my earlier post about being retarded?).

During this tournament you play all games from 7pm to 6am and sleep during the day when it's 110 degrees outside. We've always had a pretty good showing with a 6th place best finish (out of 50+ teams). By the time it's Saturday night (Sunday morning) your body really doesn't move as quickly as you want it to. Those 3a.m. games are a real killer. However there is nothing like getting back to the Hotel at 7am, sitting down and having some nice continental breakfast, popping a sleeping aid and retiring for the day.

Here's hoping that I don't take any unnecessary risks and stay on my feet this year.

uhhhh...anyone up for a swim?

Uh, yeah...So if anyone knows exactly where this pool is...please keep it to yourself. I'm thinking somewhere just out of sight is a enormous rainbow flag. In fact, I my be forced to take this site down as too many heterosexual people may find this offensive. If I ever found myself in this 'featured pool' I promise you I'd be the fastest swimmer in there!

Anyway, I'm glad to say that the swim portion of my training is going well. Everything seems to be going well although I have had a rough time keeping up with my training as some of these golf tournaments seem to be pushing exercise to other days. I know...poor me.

I think I may try to head up to the race trail and see how that is looking. I'll time myself and see if I can get done before dark this time.

This picture above actually reminds me of a classic SNL skit....man I miss Mr. Chris Farley. Enjoy the link below...CLASSIC!

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/21815/snl_schmitts_gay_beer_commercial_parody/

Starting to think I may be retarded....

I always knew that something was different...I mean all you have to do is either take a look at my siblings or read a few of my blogs. However I never thought I had received part of the retarded gene. Luckily I received only a small portion and it only relates to my biking skills. I mean Matt's wearing biking shorts for hell's sake!

So I'm still having a hard time staying on my bike. Not going downhill but up! Yeah that's right, I keep falling off my bike going up the hill and it all has to do with these damn clipless pedals. At times on the trail I find myself in a difficult situation, not enough momentum to carry me over some roots, rocks or whatever the case may be. I can never seem to get my feet out of the clips in time and end up tipping over. This morning I happened to fall right through a rock that slit my knee open. Funny thing was there really wasn't much pain, just blood. The problem is by the time I'm at the end of my uphill journey, I'm so freaked out about my shoes that I'm pressing all the way down the hill fearing for my life. It's like the 70 year old blue hair on the freeway. Their so cautious it's dangerous.

I think the problem is that I haven't fully recovered (mentally) from my past mountain bike accidents. Last year I took a switchback to tight and smashed my finger between a tree and the handlebar. Having the doctor insert a needle and Sew my nail bed back to my finger was a real treat, something I'll hold special for the rest of my life. Before that falling on my head and screwing my collarbone ruined one of my rides. And there is always the times that Eric remembers best when each switchback took me into another pine and each time spending a half hour in the shower scrubbing pine sap out of places I never knew I had! Each of these occurrences had now lead my to be completely mental. Maybe I need to really let it go, or maybe I need to find out how to lessen the tension on these stupid shoes!

On the bright side, took it all the way to Rudy's Flat again today. This time by way of the Mueller Park trail. I haven't done that since Jr. year (WX) with Billy Fowler as we rode our forty pound bikes up the trail for 3 hours, stopping along the way to munch some of Billy's famous Beef Jerky. Anyway, I think today gave me a new personal record to the top, and the fastest time of the year to 'The Rock'. I'm way ahead of where I was at this point in 2005. Things are looking good and if I can find my goggles, I'll start working on not drowning come August.

Keep checking your TV Guides, you may be able to catch me on an old "Life Goes On" rerun!

Late

To the top!

After a frustrating work week (day) I decided to hit the trail and let some of the frustration out. It worked. I went up until I couldn't go up anymore. For those of you who can't read a book without pictures, here are some for your enjoyment! (click on the picture for a larger view)

Saw this deer, then looked closer and it was foaming at the mouth! Got out of there quick.
(Have you seen the commercial when the guy gets attacked by a deer).



OK Eagle Scouts: What kind of flower is this?
Who cares! All I know is that it's a blue one!












Nice view from the top looking down Mueller Park into Bountiful.



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View looking down the north canyon side...(wish my camera lens would have opened all the way!)











Went up until I couldn't go up anymore. This is Rudy's flat...it's all downhill from here.




On my way down I ran into about 70 kids on a summer PE class heading out for a hike. The kids leading the pack looked like their mom's signed them up cause they were bored on days without baseball. Towards the end of the pack I ran into a different set of kids. Most of them looked like they could kick my butt and any playstation game of my choosing, blindfolded with the controller upside-down. I think their moms signed them up for a different reason!

Good week. More to come soon.

a quick update and brief thank you...

Things continue to improve as we get closer to the dreaded day! Sometimes I wonder why in the world I sign up for things. Now that the training log is calling for morning/evening sessions I'm getting a bit more tired but I'm sure feeling a little more in shape. Tuesday called for a Brick workout and it felt good...at the same time I realized I'm not in the shape I'd hoped for. For those wondering what I brick is...it is when you bike and run/swim, bike/swim, bike, run during the same workout. Basically it's to simulate the triathlon. I like to think it's what I'm going to drop in the toilet when I think about having to do it!

I know that a lot of people support me and to them I give thanks. However there are 5 people that really seem to carry me day after day. I'm not sure if these 5 people really know who they are but at this time I need to express my appreciation for their hard work and motivation.

1) Eminem - while I think that you are probably nuts and I'm not a huge fan of all of your music, there's nothing better than my Ipod randomly selecting 'Lose Yourself' or 'Slim Shady' to get me over those last few miles.

2,3,4,5) Red Hot Chili Peppers - There are four of you and to each of you I say thanks. What can I say...While Eminem only has a couple of classics you've put out more than your share. 'Scar Tissue', 'Dani California', and the ultimate...'Can't Stop'.

Honorable Mention - Linkin Park, The Killers, Beastie Boys

I'm thinking that if I can get Eminem, Chili Peppers together for an album I may actually try to pull an Ironman!

I'm going to start dragging the camera around on my bike so start checking for pictures. Mueller Park riding is coming up so maybe I'll get a good shot of a moose, deer or even better...Matt in his bike shorts!

Going well...

Seems like everyone has a blog now days. Well anyone who is anyone at least. Hopefully this blog may help some other people get one so I can have something interesting to read now and then. I mean I think I'm pretty funny but maybe someone else can entertain for a while.

So I've changed my blog address so people can actually remember it. Shortdogblog.blogspot.com should do it. If you can't remember that you not smart.

Swimming was great yesterday. I don't know what my problem was last week but I don't thing I would have placed in the special Olympics. At least yesterday I would have received a 'Good Effort' medal. Slow and easy is the key. Fast and wild means your goggles leak, you get water in your eyes and you may have to call the 75 year old lady in the next lane over for mouth to mouth.

Right now I'm drawing a line. I can't be this fat anymore. I mean I'm not that fat but come on...since training I haven't dropped many lbs. So the line I've drawn is actually between me and the refrigerator. Between me and the food closet. Between me and the Double cheese, super sized fry and large Coke with lard mixed in for flavor. That's enough! Last year at this time I ate well and dropped a dozen pounds. Now days the only thing I'm dropping is the 3rd patty on my lap after digging into the Triple Big Mac! I'm hauling my fat ass all over the outfield chasing fly balls that back in the day were routine. I'm hitting the ball into the gap and making a close play at 2nd. At least the other team scoots back when seeing me apoproach the plate. I mean who invites the fat guy to play unless he can really mash the ball (boy do I suprise them by dropping in singles...of coarse there is always a chance I get thrown out at 1st. I have to remind the batter not to run me off third (while I'm on second!) Yeah..enough is enough. My closet almost called the abuse hot line cause if felt bad for my shoes.

A dozen pounds by mid August. I've done it before and I'll do it again. The only think hurting at that time will be McDonald's pocketbooks!

LATE

Sweatin' to the Oldies....Bike Style!

First of all let me go over this week and then we'll get to the Sweatin to the Oldies reference.
This week went pretty well. I've got this stupid throat/nose issue so unfortunately for those of you who live downstream, there will be some serious snot/flem/lung-chunks coming your way due to me having to hock these out during my exercise. I didn't hit the pool this week due to this sickness but ran, biked and lifted some weights.

I lifted weights on Wednesday and I'm still sore today. I may have overdone it. I read in my Tri-Bible afterwards and realized that I had overdone it based off of their strength training recommendations. So, next week I'll tone it down.
Running was a little difficult as my knee didn't fully cooperate. Went 2 miles (walk/run) but had to end a little early.
Biking went well this morning. Made it to 'The Rock' for the first time in years. Took me 43:00 minutes and at the 45:00 mark had gone 3.32 miles compared to the 3.1 last week. Felt good! That first 15 minutes on Mueller Park sucks it out of me. I don't know what it is but after that I'm able to get into a little 'zone' and keep a decent pace (decent pace for me at least).

I feel like I'm making some good progress especially with 11 weeks still to go until race day. I've got some work to do on the run but the biking feels good. Swimming should be fine but we'll see tomorrow as I enter the pool for the first time in several weeks.

Now what you've all been waiting for:
I know that I'm a little out of shape, maybe a little heavier than I once was, but I didn't expect Richard Simmons to show up to help me get back into shape! It was quite the suprise when out of nowhere a certain unnamed individual appeared from his car with some nice spandex on. Keep in mind I only bike with two people...Matt & Ryan (and it wasn't Ryan). I've seen these shorts in the stores and have even thought about buying a pair but I just couldn't do it. These particular shorts are nice as they have an excellent pad in the butt for more relaxed riding. For me, a little discomfort in the butt is worth the comfort of the mind. For others, there is no mind and it's all about butt comfort. Anyway, quite the site and believe me I made sure I wasn't bringing up the rear in that train of riders.

I'm going to try to take my camera on some of the bike sessions and post some pictures to make things a little more enjoyable for the reader. I know that I'm now sounding a little like my new biking partner but there are some really nice views from the top of the mountain and I'm now in enough shape to get there.

Good week..

Good week of running/riding this week. I feel like I'm getting in better shape although the endurance still needs to improve. My knee is really starting to feel better. I've noticed that I'm not having as much pain during everyday activities (kneeling, walking, bending etc.).

Trying to keep my heart rate within the Zone 1 is tough. If I run it jumps above 150 and as I walk it drops below 130. Maybe in time the endurance will improve and I'll be able to keep in within the range (or maybe as I get closer to the Tri the training will call for me to be in Zone 2 for the duration of the exercise).

Biking is great. This is the Tri leg that is most worrisome. Although I completed it last time, it was slow...very slow. So I'm a bit encouraged at my progress so far. However, I found that the bike leg this year is 2 miles longer than in 2005. The last race was in June and the tail wasn't completely dry so they cut it short. Now that it's in August, no luck. PRAY FOR RAIN!

This week Mtn Bike stats: Mueller Park - 45 Minutes - 3.1 Miles
We'll see how this stands up versus the next 12 weeks.

Nothing much to say...

I haven't spent a lot of time with Matt so there aren't any funny tales to share. I'll try to get him out so for everyone's future enjoyment.

Last week was the first official week of training. It went well though I skipped the swimming portion. Since I know what to expect this time I'm not spending too much energy there. Especially since it now costs me $5 for 20 minutes in the pool. I figure I'll do an extra bike session for the next couple of weeks until Oakridge opens and I can swim there for free (and it's only 2 minutes from my house).

This week I've got a 30 minute swim (bike substitute), 30 minute run and 45 minute bike scheduled. Ryan will be joining me on the bike and I'll round up Matt for a day that I'm sure will be full of suprises.

Enjoy the new pictures...I'm hoping that I'll drop some 'lbs' so I'm wont have to peddle all of that fat up the mountain for 12 miles this year. Somehow I can't find the pictures of me at the finish line...so you'll have to take my word, I did finish in 2005.

Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Out of Shape...

Well, it's been a little while. Turns out something has happened with my work computer and it's not posting my blog. I had a funny one that I will try to recount now but I'm sure it won't be as good as the original. I'm getting a new laptop at work next week so hopefully I'll be able to post from there which makes it easier to post regularly.

Mtn Biking with Matt = expect the unexpected
Mtn Biking with Ryan = at least your car won't be stolen

I went mtn. biking with Matt and Ryan over a week ago. What an experience! We started up the trail and we all needed a brief rest about 5 minutes into it. After that I started up the mtn and didn't look back. About 10 minutes later I stopped to wait for the others. Matt soon arrived and we had a break. Then Matt wanted to go...I said we should wait for Ryan but Matt said he was already down the mountain. Turns out he was a little tired. So we continued.

After 30 minutes I started down the mountain and met Matt climbing the trail. We turned and started down. I decided to stop and wait for Matt a few minutes later to make sure he hadn't flew off the side of the mountain. NO MATT! Where is he? After 15 minutes and afraid he'd been 'jumped' by a Mountain Lion I started UP the hill for the second time. Soon enough Matt rounds the corner and exclaims "Flat Tire!" Neither of us has a pump but we know that Ryan does...who happens to be providing Auto Security and the bottom of the hill. I decide to head down and get the pump. At the bottom I find Ryan on lookout for Polynesian carjackers. Then I start up the hill for the THIRD time! Ryan notices that this time it's easier as he's now warmed up (adrenaline from the Polynesian possibilities).

Anyway we find Matt...Ryan and I fix his tire and we're done for the day with no other incidents.

I start official training for August 18th on May 14th (Monday). I think that I've got a solid plan and just need to keep to the schedule and start to eat a little better to lose the excess lb's.

I'll do a better job updating. A little more than three months until race day.

The Pipeline!! (well, half of it)...

Went yesterday and rode the Pipeline trail which is located up Millcreek Canyon. I told Matt that I'd never been up Millcreek Canyon but he reminded me that we had spent a few days there 22 years ago when we were Cubs & Webloes. Those were the days...spent panning for gold in the river. Thinking back the gold was actually a silver color and looked a lot like a rock soaked in glue and rolled in sparkles. But '49er Jack' insisted the stuff was real. I should have offered to sell him some of my loot. The other thing I remember about those camps is that at one point they took us on a hike and during the hike they were piping Indian chants from some speakers in the trees. They told us we had to be quiet or the Indians would hear us and come get us. That was enough for me to hold all bodily noises til later. Matt says that there aren't any engines now days but it's more of a Harry Potters Magical Cub Wizard day. Too bad, everyone needs to be chased by engines sometime in their life.

Anyway back to the Pipeline. Unfortunately the gate was closed to cars so we had to park and bike up the canyon or about 1.5 miles. Matt didn't look too pleased about that detour. We slowly peddled up the canyon and finally made it to the trail. I had one flashback to 6/25/05 . As Matt and I were walking up the canyon during a portion some 80 lb lady comes flying up the canyon. I recognized her as the same lady who we drove past 2 miles earlier. Uhh, I guess I've still got a ways to go.

We started the trail...things were pretty good. Matt took a awkward fall into some tall grass while trying to avoid a dog. Pretty funny from behind. I went down trying to make a switchback turn. I've never really been too good at those turns as Eric and 1/2 the pine trees in Mueller Park Canyon can attest to. Every once in a while I still get that smell of pine tar that comes out of nowhere.

We were going smooth until we came to a fork in the road. Matt pointed out that if we went to the right, there was a great view of the valley. He then decided to take the one less traveled and we soon found out why. It lead to the street where our car wasn't parked. So we biked back up the hill and continued. 15 minutes later we reached another fork. I joked that if we went to the right there was a lovely view of the Valley. Matt laughed...and went left. Around the bend I found Matt standing next to the river as he almost went off the bridge for a swim. He almost missed the bridge! He then mentioned that he didn't remember the bridge ever being there. Do you know why? Because we were on the other road less traveled. We soon found ourselves on the street where our car wasn't parked. I wasn't biking back up the hill so we rode down the pavement to our car. Maybe next time we'll do then entire trail and I'll go first.

Overall a pretty nice trail. I don't know how I ever rode Mueller Park with no suspension. My arms/hands take a beating now. Anyway I'd like to do the complete trail sometime. Just a word of advice, STAY RIGHT!

BTW, I bought a heart rate monitor yesterday and spent 3 hours I finally figured out how it works. As I've read, there are some major benefits to keeping your heart rate in certain zones during workouts (increased weight loss, more efficiant workouts etc.) Anyway you wear a small chests strap and a watch. The strap sends a signal to your watch which tells you about everyting you want to know. Before I knew it it was telling me I had to go to the bathroom again. More about the monitor in the next issue.

At least there was no puke...

A rough weekend followed by a rough night. I started the weekend at 3:45 am Saturday morning in the parking lot of the Davis Applied Technology Center. Turns out that in order to get your child into the Knowlton Elementary preschool program, you have to sacrifice your sleep. Allie got home at 12:00 from the dance competition so I volunteered to sit outside with the moms to try to get the kids in. Upon arrival and seeing tents pitched, it didn't look so good. Finally at 8:00 we found out that I was #29 and they only let in 26. As you can imagine no exercise that day...just rest!

Sunday...just very tired.

Monday I woke up feeling ok but that soon changed. My body started to hurt and it went downhill after that. I went to bed at 7:00. No exercise, no puke.

Today I'm feeling a little better...still a little sore. I think I'll lay off one more day and see how tomorrow is. Matt and I are supposed to Mtn. Bike tomorrow afternoon.

I've put my training schedule together and official training begins May 14th. It's a 14 week program. I remember there were a couple of people who said they were going to do the tri themselves. I haven't heard any updates but if you want a copy of the schedule let me know. I can 't seem to figure out how to post it here.

Run Forest, Run...

Good night last night. I stretched out my knee, put a brace on to keep it warm, and went for a run. The only discomfort was the stiffness of the knee but no stabbing pain like before. I think coming to the realization that I'm not 21 anymore may do the trick. It'll just take a little time to get it warm and ready before jumping onto the pavement.

One concern is that I still have this stupid limp. I'm sure as I was running it didn't look very smooth. The PT told me that walking backwards would help get rid of the limp. How? I don't know but I'm up for anything.

So I ran 1/2 mile down to K-mart and started walking backwards home. I got some great stares from people driving by. I guess they've never seen a retard walk backwards before. I thought about letting some drool leak out of my mouth and maybe someone would bring me a Coke. Anyway I made it back to my street and ran home. I iced it and then walked backwards on the treadmill for a while. Try that sometime while watching TV, you'll be all over the place. I almost had to clip the safety strap to me after the 4th near miss (fall).

Anyway, a good night last night. I'll still only run maybe twice a week as I'm sure I need to ease my knee back into taking the pounding. But at least I know I'm clear. 1/2 mile last night, 4 miles in 4 months.

Swim gets better, weather gets worse...

You all may get an email from now on telling you when there is a new post to the blog. I don't want any of you to miss out on the action. If I'm missing someone or you have other emails you'd like the notice to go to, let me know.

The wedding of Eric & Heather took most of Monday and all of Tuesday. Not much training taking place on Tuesday. If for some reason I finish at 2:59:00 I'm blaming them. However I'm thinking that as I tore it up on the dance floor it wasn't a total waste. I worked on some moves that will certainly be displayed the afternoon of August 18th as I break the 2:59:00 mark. I also got a great ab workout as I saw the most unbelievable golf shot on Monday (well, more like shots!)

I did get to the pool on Monday morning to give it another shot. Things went well as I swam 700 yards which is 50 yds short of the Tri distance. Again, right now I need to use the swim to get my wind where it needs to be. Otherwise I'm not too worried about the swim. Biking has been put on hold because of the damn snow. I need to get my butt in gear with the bike pretty soon or it'll be too late. So, you may see me out there with my winter gear on trying to pedal. I may look like Randy from The Christmas Story but not be able to bend my knees. Anyone know if they make chains for bike wheels?

It speaking with some people about my knee there may be one issue I didn't take into consideration, I'm not 21 years old anymore. Yeah, I know what your thinking, "but he still has the physique". Unfortunately the physique doesn't translate to bones and joints. As I attempted my first run of the year I simply ran out the door and onto the pavement at 6:30 am which didn't turn out so good. Maybe...just maybe I need to warm up a little bit? Maybe my knee needs a better transition between the bed and the road? I notice as the day goes on my knee gets less stiff. So, I'm going to attempt to run in the evenings and see how that goes. I will start slow and see if I can get 1/2 mile and go from there.

I'm still not in the habit of getting things done every day. I'm in the 2-3 days a week mode which I need to get out of. I need to buck up, get on my cold weather gear and 'bust a move'! Maybe I can get Plime to follow me around with some hot chocolate, water, gel, hot pad etc. He displayed some unbelievable efforts on Mon & Tuesday. I'll just make sure not to trust him with the key to my bike lock!

I'm 'screwed'...

I show to the doctor this morning and check in. It turns out that they scheduled me for the wrong doctor and my surgeon is three weeks out. Great! So I call Landon and he say's to come on over to TOSH and he'll have someone look at me.

The therapist yanked my knee around and said that it could be a couple of things:
- It could be some scar tissue that has built up however it's questionable becuase it doesn't hurt when pressing on the sore part of the knee (the only paid is when I extend the knee or lock it out).
- It could be the screw in the bone that is causing some pain. This is a possibility because where the knee hurts is right where the screw would have been placed. The bad news is that they usually wait a year out from surgery to go in to remove the screw to make sure the tendon is fully healed.
- It just could be sore and need a little more exercise and time to heal.

She recommended a Dr. appointment so they could do some x-rays/mri to see if it is scar tissue or if the screw has come out at all.

The good news is that whether it's scar tissue or the screw, both are simple in and out procedures with a 1-2 week full recovery. I may have to wait until October if it's the screw.

Maybe it's the gills?

I jumped into the pool this morning for the first time since last July. It felt great. The new Bountiful Rec complex is nice although it now costs me $5 for 30 minutes in the pool. It may be worth it though because now as I swim I don't get sidetracked. At the old pool mind would wonder to the bottom of the pool where I tried to figure what was growing down there. Every so often you'd pass a old piece of Big League Chew and wonder if it was a fish. Because of these distractions sometimes you'd forget to breath, making your workout that much more difficult.

This morning was much easier with one exception. They have the Viewmont High swimming records posted on the wall. I was making pretty good time. I made it 100 yards in just over 2:00 minutes. I glanced at the record only to see some 17 year old girl had done it twice as fast as me. Oh yeah, wait until I get some more reps in the pool!

I think of the 3 phases of the Tri swimming is the best part. I am convinced that people that say swimming is hard just don't know how to swim properly. I had thought swimming sucked until I starting reading some books on proper technique. I found that kicking doesn't propel you like you think so your wasting your time by kicking up a storm. Also simply moving your arms like a windmill doesn't work either. Slow and steady keeps your wind. Meanwhile 100 mph gets you to the other side quicker but your sucking wind (and water) half way there. I jumped in this morning and went 450 yards. The Tri is 750 so I'm pretty much there. I'll need to use this however to build my endurance as running hasn't gone to well.

I do have a Dr. appointment on Friday to discuss the knee issue. I'm hoping it's only still bruised and it's a matter of time.

Average first week...

The week started off positive but slipped off at the end. The kids have been a little sick so putting them in the stroller behind my bike wasn't an option. The stroller has a flat tire so that wasn't an option any way.

I'm waiting for the weather to warm a little bit so that I can get out in the morning. The mornings are a little nippy and I don't want my fingers to freeze or my nose to fall off. In fact even when riding at night I get home with a headache from my frozen ears. This week doesn't look good as the weather is turning colder with rain. I may just have to buck up and throw on the layers and get my butt out there.

Here's to a new week and an increased effort.

I hadn't planned on that...

Yesterday was the day...the day I began my training towards 2:48. I woke up feeling good, put on my shorts, shirt and running shoes. I had my ipod all set to my running play list and was focused on getting to the mile mark (you've got to start somewhere).

I started out the door and on came 'U2, Beautiful Day', things were looking good already. Down the driveway, past the mailbox and onto the street. Yep, looks like my neighbors still haven't cleaned out their garage, still have all 15 cars jammed onto their driveway.

Then something didn't' feel so good. OUCH! My knee! Yeah sure I had ACL surgery but that was 6 months ago. So I stopped, recouped and tried again. No luck. I had made it about 300 feet and I'm done for the day. What's up with that? Just below the knee cap on the inside there's a pain that shoots every time I plant my foot. I don't know if it's still due to the bruising of surgery or what. The good news is that I didn't have to put any of my clothes in the laundry. I was able to put them right back on the hanger.

So, it looks like it will be the bike for a while until I figure this out. I need to get into the pool as well. If I can focus on that for a couple of months I don't think there will be an issue only having 2 months or so to train for the run, especially if I'm already in shape at that time. Hopefully my knee issue goes away by then. I called the Doc yesterday to get an appt to find out what's going on. I had an appt scheduled with him a couple months ago but missed it. So, I'd better get in and see what's up.

First day, first setback. I did get on the bike last night and pulled Averi to Smiths to rent Cinderella 3. Pulled her around the neighborhood for 2.5 miles. Interesting thing is that Averi likes to go fast and Lili is a little hesitant with the situation...go figure.

Let's see what tomorrow brings (not a run I can tell you that).

What I expect...

So, the title of my blog is 'Tri II, My Chance to Break 3 Hours'. Because last time I just wanted to finish, this time I need to do everything a little bit quicker. Here goes:

Swim: I don't think that I need to go any faster than last time. Last time wore me out. I actually think I need to do this part a little slower. 2 minutes slower in the swim fine if it saves me 15 minutes on the bike. Last time I think the quick swim cost me about 20 minutes on the bike. I'm looking form about 16 minutes for the 750 m. swim (last time it was 1000 m. so this should be a piece of cake).

Bike: Now that I know this is the leg that will break a person, I'm dedicating most training to this portion. I'm giving myself 1hr 40 minutes to cover the 10 miles.

Run: 2 Miles up, 2 miles down. I should be able to do about 9 min. miles down the mountian and I'm hoping for 11-12 minute miles up the mountain (probably more like 13) - 45 minutes for this leg.

2005 Results
Swim - 15:57
Transition 1 - 5:05
Bike - 2:10:00
Transition 2 - 4:25
Run - 56:06
Total - 3:31:35

2007 Expectations
Swim - 16:00
T1 - 4:00
Bike - 1:40:00
T2 - 3:00
Run - 45:00
Total - 2:48:00

Well, here goes.....

So I was reading in the running magazine an article called '101 kicks in the butt' which gave 101 suggestions to get off your butt and start exercising. One of the suggestions was to start a blog, give out the address and have others follow your progress. I suppose the motivation is that if others are checking up on you, it would be bad to not have something for them to read. Also, because I'm forced to 'blog' I guess I need somthing to blog about...(or bitch about).

So, today I'll begin and track my progress as I get closer to the Xterra Mountain Triathlon on August 18, 2007. http://www.xterraplanet.com/races/race.cfm?race_id=543

2005 time was a bit of a suprise. Yeah, I knew that I would have to swim, bike and run. However I wasn't prepared for the 10 mile uphill bike ride, followed by a 4 mile run up a mountian. At least the swim part of it all was level! Of coarse I finished the race but I pretty much brought up the rear of the race. In fact I think they had given all of the awards and people were heading to their cars when I crossed the finish line. I guess these races don't have a last place award.

The swim that day was actually the easiest part of the day. I had trained hard for the swim and it paid off. Unfortunately I think I let my adrenaline take over and I went a little too fast. I was a little tired as I ripped off the wetsuit and got started on the bike. The bike was rough. Slowly but surely I peddled up, and up, and up and up. Then there was about a mile stretch after 6 grueling miles that was downhill. The only bad part of the downhill was remembering not to run into a tree as I went from turn to turn (I've had too many tree sap experiences). After that breif breather, it was up and up and up. The good news is that as I was finishing up the bike portion (last mile or so), I saw a biker 100 yards in front of me collapse. A minute later the police, ambulence etc. zoomed by me and by the time I got there they had the shade tarp up and were working on rehydration etc. That gave me a little bit of a boost as I new at that point I wouldn't finish dead last. The run wasn't too bad as at this time I was just focused on finishing. However the first 1/2 mile up the mountain my calves were on fire. When I reached the peak two miles later it was literally all down hill. Allie said that as I was running she had the finish line check my GPS chip to see if I was still moving (alive). Maybe she thought I was eaten by a bear.

So, the race is a little over 4 months away...time to get started.