Cursed Realm of the Faceless Ghost

December 22, 2024

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Location:

Provo,UT,

Member Since:

Apr 07, 2010

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Other

Running Accomplishments:

5K - 17:11 (Cougar Run)

10K - 34:35 (Deseret News)

15K - 57:33 (Utah Running Club)

1/2 - 1:22:26 (Mountain View Trail)

50K - 4:22:31 (Sapper Joe)

Short-Term Running Goals:

Sub-2:45 at Saint George Marathon

Win the Antelope Island half marathon

Long-Term Running Goals:

I'd like to run the Angeles Crest 100 at some point. And I'd still like to go sub-4 at a trail 50k. Other than that, I'm open to suggestions.

https://www.strava.com/athletes/4808912

Personal:

I was a competitive cyclist for years. In 2009, after racing in the Tour of Utah, I decided I had plateaued as a cyclist--I could continue to improve, but I wouldn't break through to a new level. So, I started looking for a new challenge.

I thought that challenge would be mountain biking, but I'm a terrible bike handler. I married Catherine in January 2010 and a couple of weeks later I entered the SLTC Winter Training Series with her. A couple of weeks after that I decided I'd like to run ultras, so I signed up for a couple of 50Ks to get started.

Those first races came and went, with varying results. I was looking forward to running more and possibly pushing into the longer distances, but I injured my knee in June 2010 and I've never been consistently healthy since.

I started law school in August 2010, which meant less time for training. In June 2011, Baby Elliott was born, which meant even less time for training. But she's worth it.

Baby Nora joined us in October 2013, with the same effect on training as Elliott (who, incidentally, is no longer a baby).

I (finally) finished school in April 2014 and now I'm an evil corporate lawyer in Salt Lake. I have no illusions that I'll ever get back into the shape that I once was, but I'm perfectly at peace with that. I still have many goals to accomplish and many years in which to do it.

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Miles:	This week:	0.00	Month:	0.00	Year:	0.00

Sun, Mar 07, 2010

Total Distance

0.00

Today is a rest day, so I thought I'd reflect on my last six weeks or so as a runner.

As much as I hate to admit it, running is harder than I thought it would be. Cardiovascular system is certainly transferable--all my time on a bike over the past five years counts for something--but my legs are struggling to keep up. It's not that I was never sore as a cyclist (I was), but my body never felt quite as abused after a long ride as it does after a long run.

I'm also having a hard time figuring out the mid-run refueling thing. It's easy to carry plenty of food and water on a bike. For running, I tried using a lumbar pack with a bottle, but I hated the way it bounced around and rode up. I've since picked up a handheld bottle, which I think will be okay, but I miss jersey pockets and frame-mounted bottle cages.

It's easy to eat on a bike, too, and you can eat almost anything you want without stomach problems. In the winter, that usually meant gas-station donuts and hot chocolate. In the summer, Mt. Dew and Snickers. If I ate any of that in the middle of a run, I'm pretty sure it would wind up on the road a mile later.

And any fueling problems are exacerbated when running. Since there's absolutely no coasting, an easy run seems to burn way more calories than an easy ride. After three hours of running, I feel almost as depleted as I do after a six-hour bike ride.

Still, there's plenty to enjoy about running. For one thing, it's new to me, and I enjoy being at the bottom of the learning curve. Down here, improvement comes quickly and in large increments. Also, I enjoy the low-tech aspect. I always hated the time and money that went into maintaining a bicycle, and it seemed that no matter what I did there was always some mysterious noise or poorly adjusted component to drive me crazy. Not much can go wrong when you're running. I guess your shoes could give you blisters or something, but even an expensive pair of running shoes costs less than a set of bicycle tires and lasts at least as long.

Anyways, I'm rambling now. I guess that's what happens on a day off. Back on the trails tomorrow, weather permitting.

Weight: 164.40

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