relentless forward progress

Fun New Years run around the Riverton area with a great crew. Matt, Mike, Zak, Karl, Chase, Josh, Collin, Fritz, and Jon. The first half was on the uneven crunch trail then we cruised it back on the road. Beautiful day, it turned out really nice. I was really sore last night but I felt great today. 6:39

Slept in and waited until the sun was high before running the golf course loop from my home. Absolutely beautiful day. No smog in Spanish Fork :). 6:48

Easy with Scott and Mike from Scott's home. What a nice morning! 7:15

Progression run on the TM after a long but great day with family. Headed to the gym an hour before close and snuck this one in. 

Awesome ultra workout. 15 hours of puking and other bathroom violence. Lost 7 pounds and strengthened my core. I am definitely faster now :). Tomorrow will be a rest day.

I got really sick Sunday night so I got to take a few days off running. Not ideal but such is life. Positives are that my system is reset. No treats were consumed. I lost a bunch of weight and all the puking had to have strengthened my core lol :). Today I felt fresh and started with an easy warm-up mile and then went into a progression run. 6:40 stepping down every mile to 5:35 on the last one, then an easy cool down mile. I felt very fluid and strong. Thankful to be able run. Happy Thursday to y'all! 6:38

Easy 10 with 6x :30 strides on the last 1.5. Way too icy out so just cruised on the tm with the ipod at the gym. 7:00

I enjoyed a most excellent run after work. Ran four 1/4 mile pickups on the last 2 miles. Super grateful for my health and the ability to run fast and strong. 6:55

Easy eight 

I jumped on the ladder train tonight and had a great workout. The objective was to complete the fast sections. I never felt out of control or that I dipped into "the well" so it was a success for a first time doing something like this. I look forward to making it faster next time.

2 mile easy warmup

• 1 min fast (5:12 pace), 1 min slow (8:30 pace)
• 2 min fast, 2 min slow
• 3 min fast, 3 min slow
• 4 min fast, 4 min slow
• 5 min fast, 4 min slow
• 4 min fast, 3 min slow
• 3 min fast, 2 min slow
• 2 min fast, 1 min slow
• 1 min (4:30 pace)

Easy cooldown. 4.85 miles at 5:09 avg. I am really pleased about it :).6:22 avg for the run.

Drafted off the 8:00 guy for about an hour in the sunshine after a great night of sleep. 

Epic early morning run around Highland with Scott :).

Easy miles around highland with Scott. Legs were tired but it feels good to get a decent week in. I feel ready to begin making a training/fitness push and commit to some races. I am so grateful to start the year healthy.

Provo canyon miles after work in the chilly sunset. It was very nice and silent, just footfalls and breathing. 6:57

Easy hour with 5x :30 strides after work.

After a long day at work and a lengthy sit in the dentist chair today's workout gets to happen in the morning. Easy quickie with strides tonight. 6:36

Fresh legs this morning were great for the workout. 8x 1000 2x 200. 2.5 mile warm up with a couple strides then I got to it. 1k's were 3:12-3:09 for the first 7 then 3:05 on the last one. 200's were 32. 600 recoveries between the 1k's were all at 8:30 pace. The goal was to complete the fast sections strong and I accomplished that. The 200's were during the 1.5 mile cool down and felt smooth. Grateful to run fast and strong today. I got 5.25 miles in at 5:07 avg, successful day. I feel like it's the best workout I've ever had over all. 6:28

Easy joggy mile waiting for Nelson :). Then Ty and I ran 10 up Provo canyon and back. Nice clear morning with plenty o' stars. 7:15

LSD Saturday run up provo canyon with Mike. It was cold on the way up! Great run, great company. We even did a few pickups at the end. 7:25

Easy sunshine shakeout. I was talking about these runs with Mike yesterday. I feel better if I do a short run on an off day rather than take the whole day off. It eliminates that awkward portion of Mondays run where I feel like I'm resetting after the day off. I'm going to do these every week for a while and see what happens. I got moving pretty good on the last one, it was fun :). 6:38

Really nice run tonight after work. I took a new loop from work and it was fun. I felt really good so I just rolled with it and got 6 tempo miles in. It's time to focus up and start to get back at it again. I prepped clean meals for the week yesterday to assist me in losing a bit of winter fluff, I'll do this every Sunday for the next while. I'm excited to ramp it up and go after some goals :). Joggy 1/2 mile cool down. 6:15

I had a very small window to fit a run into so I ran easy for 50 minutes. Thankful to get this one in.

I had a workout on the schedule today but with the tempo on Monday I knew I wasn't ready about half way in to the second rep and shut down the workout. I ran some more miles and then did 8x strides at the end just to break the rust and get some turnover. I had an hour to work with so I'm thankful to get this in. 6:40

Am - Murdock miles with Matt on a snowy morning. Ran in no wind perfection this morning early and the snow made it light enough for no headlamp. The run went by way too fast as it has been far too long since I've ran with Matt. Great run and conversation. Can't beat mornings like this one. 7:15

shakeout. decided to race tomorrow.

Impromptu 10k race I decided to jump in yesterday (after some encouragement from Scott lol). The Hale Center Theater puts this on and they give out tickets to the top 3 for the 5 and 10k. Scott and Matt were running so it only made sense to show up and give it a go to sweep the tickets for some cool date nights with all the wives :). The course is fast on the front half and hilly on the second half. I have been training lightly for and wanted to run a 5k, but wasn't certain I would lock it up for the tickets so I ran the 10. I finished second behind Matt in 35:19. The second half was hard and with a huge gap back to third I backed it off from 5-6 and then blasted the end. I'm going to jump in a 5K soon and see exactly where I'm at so I can start some specific work. I also broke my 5k pr on the front half (16:42) running comfy and even so I'm excited about my fitness at this point in the year and super grateful to be healthy. I believe Matt and Scott both broke course records for the 5 and 10k's :). Lots of Sojourners there today, the girls team dominated too. It was a fun morning. Good things to come.  I ran this course in 2011 in 44:43 which was a PR then so it was very fun to come back and crush my course PR by 9+ minutes :). So grateful to be healthy and for the ability to run. 

Peaceful, cold sunrise run. 7:38

Grandview loop after work. Was a really nice run at sunset. I felt a tinge in my left hamstring with about a mile left. Heat, rolling, and tlc. Not major but deserves some care. 6:45

Very easy with some short pickups. Full body circuit work after to address strength. I'll be doing more of these. 8:00

Easy first 5 progressive last 5. I felt really good so I pushed the last mile (5:08) to test the hammy. It's all good :). 6:29

Lots of guys showed up to run the Murdock trail this morning :). That many headlamps must have looked funny. 6:50

Met the crew in Highland for a schnowy outing. So much fun. Some went 8 because of a race tomorrw ;). Some went 10. Hats came in handy. I ran another 10 solo after and put 6 tinman tempo miles on the end (6:10). It was perfect. What a beautiful morning. Feeling invigorated and grateful. 6:52

Easy ten on a peaceful morning. 7:00

Drove to mount pleasant to pick up the kids so i had my wife drop me off outside Fairview and ran the mountainville road in. Hilly 8 in the wind and sleet but it was fun. I'm now sitting in the hot tub. Perfect day. 6:34

I love to run. 6:29

Easy hour on the Carterville loop after work. Purple sunset :). 7:15

3 mile warm-up with strides.

4x 200: 35, 35, 34, 34

12x 400: 74, 74, 74, 74, 73, 73, 73, 73, 72, 72, 72, 72

4x 200: 32, 32, 32, 32

All with equal distance active recovery jogs. Goal was to run smooth and it went very well. 6:28

slept in and ran the golf course loop in a t-shirt! what a beautiful day. 7:15

another awesome run with the crew. Ran the first 10 around Highland with the group. Ran the last 9 with Scott. Laid down a fast final mile. Beautiful morning.

10 around Highland with 3 tinman miles on the end. Absolutely beautiful warm morning. 6:39

Easy down by the lake after work. Grateful for this week. 7:15

Awesome run on the shoreline trail after work. Sunshine, t-shirt, and single track make for some good times. 7:30

Light progression run to the water fountain and back from work. I know my fitness has jumped, I feel amazing. 6:29

Really long day at work and I was going to take the night off but then I just had to go so I did a light workout at the gym. 5 mile warm up with strides and some 200's then I did 6x 600 with equal distance recoveries. I did the first 400 of the 600s in 77 and then dropped a 33 second 200 on the ends, it was fun. I kept the recoveries at 7 minute pace. It went by fast and felt awesome. 1.25 cd. 6:30

Easy early canyon miles with Mike and Matt. Chilly but always fun. 7:40

Slept in and ran in the sunshine. Did the golf course loop from my house after a chiro adjustment in a brand new pair of kicks, which is pretty much a perfect morning. 6:30

 Scott and Mike came down to my house this morning to run long with me. we took Mike on a tour of Spanish Fork and had a great run through the sunrise. Picked it up on the last few miles, they went 5, I went  4 at marathon pace. It was a fun morning. my wife made a yummy breakfast afterwards. 6:45

I found a way to keep my recovery run honest today. I took the boys with and they rode their scooters on the trail while i ran on the grass. It was a blast. We played football and played at the park after. They'll sleep good tonight :). 8:15

Another great morning run with a large crew from Scott's house. 7:15

Early loop from my home. Off to Disneyland with the fam. Have a great week! 6:46

Pm - shake out after a long drive. Jogged back to the restaurant in search of a stuffed bunny my daughter dropped. No luck but I found a gift shop and brought her back a new stuffed friend. Easy 2

Easy 8 in Anaheim from the hotel. Sea level running is fun. 7:05

6 equivalent for the day in the park

Equivalent miles from all day in the park

Equivalent miles from all day in the park

Playing with the kids at Huntington beach. I'm totally counting this :). Feel good after a couple days off, was time after 6 weeks straight. Ready to attack the next block :). Make no mistake though, going gung ho at Disneyland with 4 kids for 10+ hours a day isn't exactly leisure time haha.

Fun 10 miles in Mesquite Nevada. Ran on mesquite heights road out into Lincoln county and back. Rolling uphill out and rolling downhill back. I felt good so I did a 5K tempo on the return. 5:37 (rolling up), 5:40 (big hill), 5:18 (rolling down), :25 (17:00). Cooled down a mile. I could have ran the last part shirtless but didn't want to blind anyone. 6:25

Easy miles with the crew in Highland. 7:23

Legs felt dead today. 7:22

Ten in the grass. After a very slow 7 mile warm up my legs suddenly felt much much better. I think it's from sitting in the car for so long after the tempo on Sunday and then the very early run Monday. I plan on running Easy the rest of the week and then some tempo Saturday. 7:18

Easy miles in the canyon with the ninjas :). 7:30

pm - had 5 planned with a buddy but the wind and rain were NASTY so lopped out back and got 2. Still a nice shake. 8:00

Ten on the treadmill at the gym after a good night's rest. Finished up with 4x 200 to shake the dust off from all the easy running. @1%. 7:00

From my house with Mike, Matt, Chad, Reed, Dave and Chris. By far the biggest crew for a Spanish Fork run. It was fun! We went up to the tempo loop after a long warm-up. I ran 2x 2 mile at mp (5:44 avg). All did varying distances and looked great. The slight uphill action with the wind in the face was a delight :), but it was fun to recover after the turn and get it going again. Confidence booster after vacation lag this week. 7:04

Real rest day. Couch, movies, family time.

Ran some Timpanogos trails to test out the new Altras. I'm deciding on a shoe for the 25k next weekend and it was a good day to do this. I like the aggressive toe off, and its fun to bomb down rocky trail with no worries because of the cushioning. It's a much heavier shoe than I'm used to but still fun. I got stuck in the scrub brush on some deer trail so that mile slowed the overall pace but otherwise crushed it, felt smooth and easy and good. 1700 vert in the wind. All smiles. Felt good today after the first true off day in 7 weeks. 7:45

Easy hour. 7:32

Track Workout

Warmed up 2 down and around the Spanish Fork track. Then 1x 1000, 4x 800, 4x 400, 4x 200, 4x 100. I still had trail run in my legs so I got to run a bit slower than initial plan but it was still a good stimulus. Started at 5:15 pace and worked on down. Recoveries were half of the interval distance jog. Good times solo. Very easy cool down. Sunny and a tank top! 6:35

10 Easy with a great crew from the soccer park. The stars were magnificent. 7:10

Zen run with Scott :)

am- 15 with the group in Saratoga. Reed and I turned around early. The head wind on the return made the 4 mile push interesting :).

The healing power of grass. 7:20

Easy run today with strides at the end. Workout tomorrow. Race week :)! 7:30

Cold and windy hill workout/tempo run in Provo. 4 mile warmup then 6x hill around the temple and and some short tempo bursts after on some downhill sections to prime the legs for the race on Saturday. Easy cd. Looking forward to a fun and fast day. 6:55

Easy grass and dirt. 7:40

Easy dirt run on the canal road with 4x 1:00 surges. 7:05

Easy in the dirt. I feel like a monster and am ready to race tomorrow :). Excited to see and meet some new friends. It's going to be an awesome day.

I could write a lot about Saturday, and have, but for purposes here I will try and keep the long a bit shorter (still long haha). Such an awesome experience for me. The short of it is that I met and talked with some of my heroes, had an absolute blast with a bunch of great people (which I always manage to do :)..), and ran a race too. I took 2nd behind Seth Wold on a very windy day. It was awesome, I loved it. I hadn't ever been out the island before, and I'll be going back.

I stayed at Spencers the night before in Draper to ease the length of the drive Saturday morning. Didn't get there until late and left early but it was awesome to talk with Spencer and very generous of him to provide a place to crash. Dan ended up coming to Spencers early Saturday morning and drove me out. So awesome to have him there for me and for everyone else. I am so grateful for my friends.

We talked with Seth for a while at packet pickup in the cold, windy, dark morning before driving out to the island to get set up. I told Seth that I had Tonya Harding out there in the bushes :). He is much faster than her though, so I don't thinnk he was too concerned. When we got out to the island we decided to go check out the main tent. Right at the door I got to finally meet Neasts! She was fresh off of pacing the womens 100 winner in, je10. She gave me a hug and wished me luck and I believe left me with some of her magic before she took off. Moving inside there weren't too many people in there. However, seated with a huge grin on his face was Matt Van Horn. He crushed the 100 miler in 16:47 and to me looked fresh and ready to go. Wow. I got to meet him and catch up with some others as well as slap je10 a high five, she had just came in from breaking the course record for the womens 100. Double wow. Got to catch up with Jeremy and some other friends I haven't seen in too long as well. Cool morning.

Something about seeing some of the 100 milers, and knowing that many of them as well as the 50 milers were out there still just totally set me at ease. After all, I'm just here for the baby race haha. I took some time to get loose and make some potty stops and then put in the headphones and ran into the headwind to get in race mode. Based on the direction and force of the wind I figured it was going to be a factor for a good portion of the race, especially the return. Oh well, everyone else has to run in it too :). With 10 minutes to go there was a little pre race meeting with instructions that was most helpful for me directions wise. The race plan remained unchanged from when I decided to sign up and was simply to run very hard and enjoy it.

I couldn't stop giggling as we lined up and soon enough there was a countdown from 10 and we were off. I went out with Seth down the dirt road and we were immediately in front. Downhill with a tailwind lol. Right before the turn glanced at my watch and saw 4:05 pace and laughed, oopsie. After a quick u-turn at the fence we were on the trail, and right into the headwind for the  2.5 mile climb up the hill. Seth had about 5 second gap that increased to 25 seconds at the top of the climb. After the race he said that it would have been better to work together at the start in the wind, I agreed :). After the climb it rolls and then drops before another climb to the aide around mile 6. I felt good after the first climb aerobically but my legs felt tight. A longer warmup next time will be better.

The wind had let up some after turning at the top of the climb and I felt mostly good for the next couple miles. I could still see Seth but I wasn't gaining any. I pushed pretty hard before the climb to the aide and paid for it as the hill got really steep. Through the turns I had saw the third place guy running strong about 45 seconds back or so and he wasn't going anywhere. I realized going up that steep little hill to the aide that it was time to hike for a few. The plan had been to not stop at the aide station. I had all that I needed (a couple gels and a small 10oz bottle tucked in the front pocket of a very light vest). I was feeling like crap though so about half way up the hill I started running really hard and powered in to the aide. I took a GU and some water and just focused breathing. The third place guy passed right by the aide station and one of the volunteers said, "you gotta go, that guy just passed you." "No worries," I told him, "I'll get it all back and then some."

From the aide you run about a six mile loop and then pass it again before making a turn to run back to the start/finish around the other side of the ridge you climb up at the beginning. -side note- The course is seriously awesome, and the trails are all buttery goodness the whole way -end side note-.

Now rejuvinated, I headed out to catch the guy who passed me (I knew Seth was now long gone, and that was ok) and was blessed with about a mile and a half of prime grade smooth downhill, hooray! I got into a really good rhythm and hit a 5:10 mile 7 and caught right back up to Taha Mahmood. We ran side by side for a few and talked. Guy is a total beast and is 50. I want to be like him when I grow up. I started to feel really good. There is a small hill and and a little flat before the big climb up the switchbacks start and it was there that I pushed ahead. I climbed the switchbacks really well and started to pick off 50k'ers. This would be great the rest of the race.

When I got back to the aide I got a cup of hammer, thanked the volunteers, and smiled at the guy I had told "no worries" to six miles before. I had 5-6 miles left at this point and it was going to be fun just hammering the trail and running around people. The only downside was that for the rest of the race the wind was right in my face, hard. I felt so good though that I just kept it going. I had found that "fun" place where my breathing felt like it was over the red line, my legs were burning some, but I knew I was ok so I wasn't about to slow up.

Every time I thought about letting off, slowing down, or about the wind, I had someone to pass or I'd just look around at how completely beautiful it was out there, and push harder. The whole return is glorious single track. And that's how it went. Half way through mile 12 I took a GU and then I increased the effort every half mile until the finish. The last half mile up that dirt road into the full headwind was nasty but it felt awesome so I just pushed it in to the finish. Dan was there and others and I really couldn't stop smiling. I'm still smiling. The whole experience for me was fantastic.

I got a finsher mug and some buffalo stew and fluids, and then Dan and I hung out for a few hours cheering people in and talking to everyone. It was so fun to chat with je10, MVH, Scott W, Craig, Matt and others.... inspiring adventurers and people. It was a beautiful day all the way around.

This will be my last "post" here for a while. I'll still be checking in and reading, and maybe a weekly or monthly mileage update but not much else. Great community of awesome, inspiring people here as well as many friends that I run with and see anyway. I have a full race schedule the rest of the year and I'll see y'all everywhere :). May you all continue to be blessed in all of your endeavors. Thank you!

Just a check in entry. Everything is going well. I've averaged over 70 for the last 13 weeks which for me is huge to start a year off this way. Last year at this time I was going into Boston with 150 running miles coming off injury and the year before I was coming off of a stress fracture. This year I'm healthy, happy, running well and clear full of gratitude. I've got a decent base laid down and I've had some good workouts. I'll be consistent through Provo City and race that to see where I'm at and then ramp the mileage up after. Right now I'm on a two day easy one day stress rotation and it's working. Hills, tempo, and intervals rotating through the weekly sessions; and some fast during the end of the long runs on the weekends. The rotation shuffles the long run around a little but that's a good thing. Adaptation :).

Fun, patience, consistency, and discipline are a great combo. Running with the Utah County Crew is a great blessing as well.

Sunday and Thursday off and a short Wednesday. Very busy week. 2 solid workouts.

Progressive run in Spanish after work.

Trail Tuesday with Amber and Adam. Perfect weather and good climbs.

11 in the storm around south Spanish Fork through the fields. It got much faster as I got colder. Mud, rain, and wind make for happiness.

10 easy and early with Matt and Reed in Orem. Some seriously funny stories, lots of laughing.

9 with Spencer E. around Springville. So nice to run with the kid again. Strides together at the end.

Funrun with Mike, Spencer, and Toni. We took the pipeline up to bridal veil and then Mike and I went up to south fork park. Attempted 3, 2, 1, on the return and it went great but my legs were cooked on the 1 so I shut it down, not quite recovered from last week plus the climbing. Mike is a beast and ran like one. Fun morning. I think a nice girl briefly saw my bum as i pulled up my shorts after I had to pull a Sasha during the 3, oopsie.

On the home loop after work and saw a bright shirt up ahead. Of course I had to catch whoever it was. Only he wasn't coming back to me as fast as I wanted. As I got closer I realized that I recognized the stride. It was the fastest Tongan in the world :), Toni. He has good taste in running routes. Next time he's in town we'll go together.

Sunny cruise around outer Spanish Fork with Toni.

Little shakeout after work

Big Baldy with Mike. Epic day.

travel day.

Easy miles along the beach and around the little town of Akumal in mexico. Lots of swimming and snorkeling today too. :)

am -10 easy in the humidity around Akumal. There is a dirt road along the freeway that is shaded from the jungle in the morning. To the end of the dirt road and back is exactly 10, it's meant to be :). Grateful for the shade and the headwind on the return.

am2 - snorkeling at Yal Ku for a couple hours. Lots of fish and crytal clear water. Good times. Swimming loosens the whole body, very nice.

easy five plus swimming, snorkeling, and hiking in Mexico

Easy 8 plus swimming, hikinh, and snorkeling :)

Full day again. It's awesome down here.

Spent the day at Xplor adventure park. Zip lines, 4 wheeler riding, cave swimming, and good food. Snorkeling in the PM at turtle bay.

Hiking and biking in the jungle at and around Coba city. Such an awesome place. PM ocean swim. Even though I didn't get a lot of running miles in on this vacation I stayed very active. I believe my body appreciated the rest from running. I feel recharged and ready to go.

10 easy with Matt and Mike from Matt's home. Nice to be back!

Finally made it out a little after 6 last night. Ran the golf course loop. It was a very beautiful day but I wasn't feeling the best and the run felt a little more labored than I thought it would. When I got back I realized it was 95 degrees lol, that may have something to do with it. Mexico messed up my internal temp gauge.... or strengthened it ;).

Easy with the early crew. Matt did a monster workout, inspiring :). I missed a run yesterday but my boys are 3-peat pinewood derby champs so it's all good.

In the sunshine after a long sleep. I finally feel back to my old self after vacation and travel. Fast and easy on the sf loop.

With the gang.

Very busy week at work. I did what I could running wise keeping in "balance" and 58 miles was what I was given :). Finished the week out with a win at the Cupcake Charity 5k in Eagle mountian. It was a fun race with over half ran trying not to have an accident :). Despite the major discomfort I finished in 17:05, won the race, and pocketed $75. Splts were 5:08, 5:22, 6:06. I ran through the finish and straight into the port o' potty. A little frustrating because aerobically I was completely fine and would have smashed my PR, but it's all good but I will have other opportunities this season. Grateful for good health. I did a 10 mile workout after the race that went well.

On the cooldown after the race Ari convinced me to do the Cryce Canyon 50k next weekend. I know I'm undertrained but I am so grateful and happy about running it.

Taper week lol.
 

"Still round the corner there may wait, a new road or a secret gate."

Opportunity. All around us. All the time.

It's been fun for me to recognize or get a glimpse into the way opportunities manifest themselves into my life after a pure of heart desire, and when an "I think I can" idea ignites within. You see, I love to run. The simple act of placing one foot in front of the other.. the rhythm of the footfalls.. the beating of the heart.. armswing.. breathing.. pushoff.. a symphony of syncronicity. For me a switch turns on somewhere inside, a light, an energy, and for a period of time something very special is happening. I read somewhere that the doors to the spirit swing wide open through physical exertion. I have found this to be true for me.

Add running buddies to the "energy field" is magnified that much more. The group is now a nucleus of moving creative energy. I have the opportunity of running with a awesome nucleus. I learn so much from the Utah county crew. I'm grateful to continue to meet and run with and experience new people all the time as well. The connections and friendships I've made through running are as fantastic as they are diverse. What a cool vehichle that brings people together.

I read a lot of race reports. I love the stories. The adventure. The pursuit of goals. The successes. The learnings associated with a miss. All of the different perspectives. What goes through peoples minds as they move toward a goal or finish line. The life lessons that manifest themselves through these relatively short experiences are powerful.

I've found that I really like to push myself. I've been working toward some goals I set 4 years ago when I started this thing. I'm grateful to have surpassed all of them. I'm now working to achieve the "pie in the sky" goals I set, that I thought were completely unrealistic at the time, but obviously are not. This shift in self belief and awareness is a process. I recognize when old self limiting thoughts come in, and now I know how to clear them out, and I realize I am capable of amazing things. That check in, step to the side, and step foward again is so fun for me. Keep moving forward... I love those three words. New goals will be set. Experience, shift, learn, repeat.

I love to run period but when I step on the trail something else takes place. There is a connection. My candence quickens. My stride changes. My form shifts. I am aware of something "else". I love the time I get to connect with and in nature.

A few months ago I had the opportunity to run the Antelope Island 25k. Truth be told I did want to perform well there but the main purpose of going out on the island that day was to witness the 50k, 50 mile, and 100 mile runners. I read their tales. I follow their stories. I wanted to see what it looked like finishing 50 and 100 miles. The experience did not disappoint. It was then that the little spark that said maybe turned into a small flame that said "I think I can".

Many of the people I talked to were wearing a hoodie from Bryce Canyon 100 from the year before. I asked about the race and was told it was beautiful, magnificent and the like and was intrigued by the possibility of running there. I added it to the mental bucket list and thought "I'll have to hit that one eventually".

Fast forward to early June. I had experienced good training and a fun half marathon the first week of May full of learnings to apply down the road. I had an awesome vacation to Mexico and came back on memorial day recharged and ready to wisely build up for St. George. I was going to run the Art City Days 5k as a fitness gauge and go from there. The week of the race I felt like I should look around at what else was going on. A small race, the Cupcake Charity 5k in Eagle Mountain caught my eye. Maybe it was the word cupcake lol, I don't know. Surely there would be more friends and people at Art City Days, and it's just a few minutes from my house. But I decided not to ignore the pull to go out and run a small race I knew nothing about instead.

That race was fun. I experienced some intense GI issues that prevented me from running to the best of my ability but still ran a good time, won the race, and pocketed some cash. I met a few new people too. The fun part is my friend Arianne was there at the start. It was good to see and catch up with her. She was first female in the race and had a good day too. We got to run a short cool down together where an opportunity presented itself.

She asked me what I had going the following weekend and if I was running Utah Valley. I told her I had nothing going and was thinking about running AF half in a couple weeks. She smiled and said "you should do the 50k at Bryce next weekend". Initially my response was laughter and the flood of thoughts that came in "undertrained", "not ready", "short notice", etc. were very noisy in my mind. I declined at first, but being the good friend that she is she was insistent and reassuring. She told me that she had an extra entry and if I would like it, that it would be mine. Plus she was going to go down and likely crush it being the incredible runner she is. I finally told her that I'd let her know the following day, thinking that I would likely register for AF. Well when I got home AF was full haha. I silenced the unsure thoughts, embraced the opportunity, and messaged Ari that I would be there for Bryce. I really can't thank her enough. She's amazing.

So 6 days later I have a room (which is a story in itself), my family in tow, and we're in Bryce canyon for a fun filled weekend. The race was sandwiched in between hiking, swimming, shopping, exploring, jumping on beds, detours, and an all around great time with my wife and kids.

As far as the race goes I knew I was undertrained so conservative start was key. I came up with 3 bullet points. Enjoy the experience, be gratitude was #1. Be smart with nutrition and hydration was #2. See #1 and #2 was #3. Very last on the list was the word compete.

I nailed #1. In short, it was amazing. I got so far past what I thought I was physically capable of that day. I ran through some of the most beautiful country in Utah. It was hard. The course, coupled with my lack of specific training, was a real beast. I enjoyed all of it. Attitude of gratitude. I got part of #2 right. The hydration part. The nutrition part I learned again to not take anything new before or during the race and to stick with what works. I also learned that just because I have a hydration vest doesn't mean that I need to wear it and pack it with things. A handheld and shorts with pockets would be plenty next time. I referred to #3 several times throughout the experience :). It was a good #3.

About that last word. Compete. When I compete I am in a race with myself first. Has what I've been doing training wise enabled me to compete and surpass the me who lined up at the last race? After assessing that question each time I race there are times when it lines up that there will be an opportunity to finish well amongst the assembled group. I started well back of the line this time. There is a couple mile stretch of dirt road before turning on the single track that would serve to not only warmup, but to see who would be the group getting after it for the day. On to the race.

A beautiful little girl named Olive started the race and within a mile there were a group of 5 guys who had separated themselves out front. They all moved very well but of the 5 there were 2 that stood out. One was an awesome man from Germany who would go on to finish 3rd and the other was a man named Jed who just moved to Salt Lake from Montana. I sat back for the first mile and decided to move up with the leaders and see. Jed and I soon separated from everyone and chatted a little about who, what, backgrounds, and concerns while the first 4 miles ticked away.

At the top of the first little climb there just after mile 4 Jed took off on the downhill. My initial response was to go with him, I'm a fairly strong downhill guy on the trail but something told me not to. And I actually listened. Mile 4 there is so much race left. I'm undertrained. This will get tough. I've never gone beyond 26.2. These are thoughts I had. Also, you are faster on the downs so go. It's only 5 miles longer than a marathon. Don't wuss out. Throwing in the towell already. Haha, oh what fun it is to momentarily listen to the noise. I quickly silenced all of it and decided there that my three words for the day were keep moving forward. I then let Jed go, let it all go, and tuned in to my surroundings and body.

I drank 20 ounces of Tailwind with my breakfast that morning. It wasn't the best idea as I had never had it before and it had made me sick. My uneasy stomach felt strange so I adjusted the nutrition/hydration plan to accomodate for a sour stomach and was confident that it would come back around later in the race. My legs felt fine and I just enjoyed the views and I got into my happy place. It wasn't until mile 7 that I began to catch the 100 milers. It was energizing to give and recieve encouragement at each passing and made the miles click by into the first aide at 10 miles.

I rolled into the rather busy aide station, there were quite a few 100 and 50 milers there, and got two things. Ice for my bladder and ginger ale for my queasy stomach. The gel I took at the 1 hour mark had increased the queasiness. Not sure if it was still the lingering breakfast or that it was a new gel with added protien that I had never used before that did it but I was otherwise fine so I pressed on. I was in and out quick.

The next 6 miles are lightly rolling before climbing and then descending into aide 2. I was excited to run some flat and get into a rhythm but found that idea adjusted. There were these ditches or ravines caused by the runoff that were too wide to jump. Making them obstacles in their own right. Not bad just not ideal. My stomach was full on angry at this point and I felt like I was going to puke but I continued to take my nutrition at the intervals I had set. Strange because I have an iron stomach. I don't throw up. The sensation wasn't letting up so I just continued to move forward at a good pace. A highlight during this stretch was rounding a corner and seeing Ed the Jester :). Ed is well on his way to breaking the world record for most 100 milers in a year. I didn't know he would be at Bryce so I took a moment and talked to him to wish him the best not only for the day, but in his quest as well. It was really cool.

I really can't do the country we ran though justice in words so I will just say that it was incredible and if you haven't been to Bryce then pack up and go see it. Just before mile 16 the climbs begin and although my stomach was preventing me from running as fast as I wanted, I was still moving at a good clip and my legs felt great. In hindsight the stomach was definitely a blessing as I would have likely pushed harder and slammed into the wall. So thank you stomach and whatever made me sick.

The trails through this section were congested on the climbs and it was difficult to pass due to the narrow trail. There were stretches where I had to be patient and hike slow until the trail provided a place to run around the pack in front. Again, a blessing in disguise as I was losing minutes and seconds to save much time at the end :). Keep moving forward.

The dowhill into the second aide at mile 18 was fun and the first place I was able to really open up and turn over for a bit. This aide was VERY busy. I had a drop bag here with a change of shoes and shorts (not needed), additional nutrition (I quickly switched the nasty protien gels for ole' reliable), and spray sunblock that I quickly applied as the sun was now blaring. I was out of water in my bladder and if it wouldn't have been a crucial point before the big climbs I would have gone right through the aide to not have to wait. Instead I was in aide 2 for 8 minutes. Another cup of ginger ale. My stomach was beginning to come out of it.

I finally got out of the aide and pressed on. I saw Jim Skaggs and thanked him for such an awesome experience at Antelope and told him to have a great race. He's a great guy. The climbing was going well and I was running most all of it, with the exception of the stretches being stuck behind people running the longer races. Finally I made it to the 50k turn off. I knew that the rest of the race would be all alone so I pulled out my headphones and settled in to a good mix.

Climbing and climbing and my legs were starting to feel the fatigue. I hadn't put a full study into the course but from the course profile I knew where the downhills were and was prepared to fly. The problem was that many of the stretches were too turny or technical to really let it go so the descents weren't the spectacular bombfest I was expecting. Again, likely saved my legs so thank you technical rocky turny descents :).

I was 23 miles in and started the nasty steep sandy climb to the final aide. It was a beast at that time. I actually began laughing at the sand about half way up. Keep moving forward. Fatigue was now setting in. I finally reached to top and saw the aide. They had a nice spread and my stomach was finally back and wanted food. I had some boiled potato chunks with salt. It was divine. I also had some banana pieces and had them put some more ice in my pack. I was so grateful to have that climb done and shared my enthusiasm with my newfound aide station friends. The man there just smiled at me and said, "I hate to burst your bubble but you're not done climbing yet." I laughed pretty hard and so did they, it was funny. I talked way too much here and again was in for too long at almost 14 minutes. The people were so nice and I thanked them. They told me the guy in first was quite a while ahead which I expected so I told them to be sure to tell the next guy the same thing :).

Heading out my stomach now felt amazing and was back. The problem was my legs were done lol. That big climb at that point in the course coupled with my training had done them in. Keep moving forward. I was now climbing dirt road and watching the miles tick toward marathon distance on my watch. I knew from the course profile that once I hit close to 27 it was all downhill to the valley where Tropic reservoir was and then a short uphill/downhill to the finish. The interesting part was that I could see Jed's foot prints and noticed that his footfalls were shroter than mine. I told myself that there was a chance that I could catch him. I didn't know that he was very far ahead so this fueled some fire for sure. Sure enough I crested right at 27 and there was a sign pointing down a very runnable dirt road that read 50k finish! Hooray!

Even though my legs were shot I knew I had enough to run 4 miles of downhill dirt road hard. So off I went. I just knew I was gaining ground on Jed and focused on that. I was now seeing people on 4-wheelers so I knew I must be getting close but still couldn't see the reservoir, mile 28, 29. I was running under 6:30-7 minute pace and that was about all I had left but I kept at it. A guy in a big black suburban did not see me on the road so I had to jump out of the way and into a tree. I scraped my arm pretty bad and it scared me but I was otherwise fine. I thanked him for the adrenaline boost and pressed on.

Mile 30 and still no reservoir. Strange. I was still moving well but very tired and then saw a big yellow sign up ahead, I was sure that on the other side of the sign was a downhill into the finish area at the reservoir. This was not the case :). Mile 31. On the sign it did say 50k finish and the aarow was pointed hard left through a gate... and right up switchbacks of another steep ridge. Oh please no :). 5k is 3.1 so 50k is 31 and my watch says 31 and there is no finish line and man that sucker is steep, as I round the turn and head up. This was where it got ugly haha.

I had used up most everything left on the downhill push so there was no running up this ridge. Legs done. I could still see Jed's short footfalls too and saw that he was also hiking here. Encouraged. Keep moving forward. It was a long hike up that ridge and at the crest my watch ticked off mile 32. I could now see the beautiful reservoir in the distance. Downhill to the finish. I could muster 8:30 pace and not much more but I was still moving and other than extreme fatigue I felt great. My feet were awesome and I had no trouble spots anywhere in my body. I was still running through some of the most amazing country and I was almost finished. Gratitude filled me once more. I love that place of exhaustion, it's a strange feeling when one can distinguish for certain that there is something else behind the flesh. The pilot. ;).

A woman and her son up on the trail cheering put a big smile on my face. You're almost there they told me. Mile 33 ticks off. Up ahead the trail comes out into a campground and there is a woman smiling. She tells me to take the left, run to the end of the road and the take a right into the pavillion for the finish. I managed a smile and a thank you and hit the left. As the road slightly rounds and the final turn comes into view I see a little boy sitting on a rock. He's not climbing or playing but patiently waiting. The boy turns and the sun hits him and his red hair. He's immediately off the rock with a leap. This boy is running toward me with a smile. This boy is my son Lincoln. He shouts "Dad!" and I get goosebumps all over my body in a wave that almost knocks me over. As we meet together on that road and I'm doing my best not to cry so I can still take in air he gets a pretty funny look on his face as his assesses my condition. Then a more serious "ok Dad, just follow me." I ran the last half mile behind my boy and it was all I could do to keep up as he lead me to the finish. Mason and Nora jumped in too as I got really close. My wife was also standing there at the finish waiting for me. I was very happy to see them.

No microphone, no announcer to yell a name, no big fancy clock or chute. A few people clapping and the ones that matter most cheering you in. Perfect. Absolutely perfect. I had finished 2nd about 28 minutes behind Jed and 14 minutes in front of 3rd. The "I think I can" was now something else. I'm so grateful for a strong healthy body and the ability to run. I'm grateful to recognize the places it takes me, both physically and mentally. For the connections it opens up. Most of all though I'm thankful to have recognized an opportunity. One that was placed perfectly as most opportunities are; and to have siezed it and expanded my comfort zone. There's a good lesson in that for me. Opportunites are abundant and it's up to me to recognize them and keep moving forward. Big, small, for others or for myself. I'll be doing more of this. I'll be doing road races too. They are both awesome experiences worth the time and effort. Cheers to opportunity.

After finishing as I was looking at the total on my watch I decided that I could see running 50 miles, it's "only" 17 more :). Even 100k (62 miles). Then the thought came in about some of those people whose stories I would be reading the following week, the ones who were going to run 67 more miles that I did. and climb and descend another 13000 feet. They will run the rest of the day in the heat and into the night alone, and for some into the next day. That's an overwhelming thought, expecially at the time. Not sure about that one. But with the seed planted and the spark in there somewhere, it's likely just a matter of time before opportunity steps in again...

Easy in the grass

It was rain/snowing and since it's easy week anyway I met Randy at golds and we did the treadmill chat thing. It was fun

In the dirt with the sun on my smiley face

Easy 8 around Spanish

With Scott and Kyle around highland

Big baldy easy with friends. A perfect day, the mountain was perfect, and 4500 vert. A great week coming off the 50k.

#buildthemachine starts today for me. A focused effort to create a sub 2:30 marathon this fall and/or take a shot at the fkt for Kings Peak. I'm enthusiastic about the process and am filled with gratitude for a strong healthy body, a great support network, and inspiring people to share the roads and trails with.

I read Paul's report this morning and it really strengthened my resolve. Although my aspirations are different I find his determination, longevity, and strength to endure for so long incredibly inspiring and beautiful. Gratitude in every moment!

track work in the heat of the day. short controlled intervals. felt good considering the heat

grass loops at the park easy

Diamond fork loop. Bonked hard at mile 3 :), which made for some character building for the next 13 miles. Felt great about working through it. Working lots of hours and not much sleep.

off

Easy with strides. took the day off yesterday and enjoyed the father and sons campout with my boys, such a great time. got out after getting home and just ran an easy one instead of forcing a longer effort.

easy shake

8.2 on the pipeline after work. very hot. didn't feel the best today so I cut it short.

Track work. Had one of the best workouts ever. I felt incredible strong and didn't get taxed, even in the heat. Ran all the intervals progressive and finished each strong but in control. 5x 1000 in ~3:06, 5x 200 in ~32. Equal time floats.

...

Woke up with a very sore hip flexor. So strange. I rolled and stretched and soaked last night and felt great. No indicators that anything was amiss. Off day

Off again. Being careful and probably won't race on the 4th
 

Jogged a mile before the race and decided to pull the plug. Bummed because I would have won this small one but it's not worth it. Taking the rest of the week off.

Well, I couldn't pass this up and the hip felt fine so I decided to do it.

Such an awesome time today. Small group got together in Heber to run and chat with Ryan Hall and his Dad. They are out here celebrating his Dads retirement after 37 years of coaching. A nice morning chat about stretching warmup and drills then a 20 minute warmup. Did some speed drills with Ryan that most of the elites do before racing and then a workout in the grass. 200 hard with 200 float continuous for 20 minutes. Danny Moody and I ran together. Didn't push hard and ran the 200's in 36-37, and the floats at 1:10, it was fun. Then a 20 minute cool down, lunch at the Zermatt, and lots of chatting. Hung out with Ryan until about 3 and then went in to work for a couple hours. Grateful for the experience. Soak, roll, stretch, and ice for the hip.

off just to be careful until Thursday with the guys

Well, not sure what to think.

Met the guys at the soccer park at 5. Hip felt totally fine. Did some good easy warmup drills and jogging before we even started the group run.

I felt like a rockstar on the way up to bridal veil. We got talking about Hardrock 100 and I got excited and pushed a mile and felt great. Standard pee stop at the turn around and then started to head back. My hip flexor absolutely freaked out on the downhill after about a half mile. High up just around where the quad attaches to the hip in the front. I stopped and stretched and had to let the guys go. On the downhill! Started running again very slowly at ~8:00 pace and felt alright but it was apparent that something was wrong. I shuffled to 7.5 with the intention of at least running to the parking lot at the gas station and just couldn't make it.

I walked from before Timp park to the parking lot at the mouth and Jacob came and picked me up just after the gas station (so thankful). I have never walked it in before. Grateful to see the guys at the park and I was sure I'd be ok but by the time I drove home and tried to get out of the car I couldn't walk.

So I'm switching to strength and nutrition mode and will be there until healed up. This doesn't feel as concerning as the other side did over a year ago so I believe I know what to do. Positive attitude and plenty of things to stay busy while healing up. Any good energy sent this way will be much appreciated.

Des News is off and STG is up in the air. I have no interest in going down to fun run it. I'm thinking 3-4 weeks and I'll be back running. I'll make the right call though as to prepare and be ready for what gets to happen next as far as racign goes. Healing mode engaged :).

I've been doing plenty of ancillary work daily and working with weights. Mobility, flexibility, as week as core and leg strength. I have a few good routines I'll stick to and switch them up every few weeks to keep it fresh. I did an hour on the cybex machine on max incline and 75% resistance with no hands. HR stayed around 150. Felt good to get a solid effort in. Cool down, stretch and roll and light massage. Thankful to Fritz for showing that fitness can be attained and maintained through diligent X-training.

It's funny how now that I'm actually passing attention how the better nutrition choices are are much more evident.

1 hour cross plus weights/plyo

5 days off. My daughter had an emergency appendectomy last Wednesday so it was a busy week. Feeling fat, lazy, but better.

1 hour cross plus weights/plyo

Stairmaster alternating hands and no hands on hard level plus weights/plyo

Cyber max incline no hands 75% resistance plus plyo

Short cross session then.... Leg day. Beast circuit.

I took 9 weeks off running for an angry hip flexor/hip. Strength building. PT. Some cardio. Pretty much all the same stuff I did last time I was injured on the other side, with some modifications and minus the medical expenses.

I feel mostly great and strong and have been able to get in some trail shuffling/hiking. Loafer, Nebo, Squaw, Y mountain, etc. It's beautiful out right now, my favorite time of year.

The hip is still sore. Especially on downhill or pretty much any time I crack 10 minute pace. I went to the best Dr. in all the land last week and we're zeroing in on what to do.

MRI on Thursday. Positive energy this way will be so appreciated. Best of luck to all you guys running STG and other fall races. See you soon!
 

Stress fracture of the femoral neck. I'm grateful to have a solid answer and a no surgery option. I'll see you guys soon. Live well :)!