Summit junkie!

Another easy 4 on the TM. I also went on a hard run with my dog, and really pushed it. No pain at all in the knee.

Went to the gym and lifted for 40 minutes. Had a great workout. No running today. I will be climbing something in the Wasatch on Wednesday. Can't wait.

I finally got back into the mountains today, climbing the Obelisk, which is the highest point on the Hogum Divide, in Little Cottonwood Canyon. There was a lot of snow too deal with, but we didn't use crampons or snowshoes. We started up a steep gully on the North East side, but the snow had a weak layer covering some rock hard snow, so we moved over to the rocks and scrambled up to the summit. The summit has a realy cool pinnacle that is about 10 feet high, and we climbed up to the top, which is only about 2X2 feet. I stood up, but the wind was blowing hard, so I quickly sat down. The views up there were fantastic, and the round trip hiking time was about 6 hours. My knee didn't hurt at all, so I am really excited about that. It has been a perfect day.

4 miles up (3,200 feet of elevation gain)

I was out at the Jazz game until 11:30 for work, and I ate so much bad food, so I wanted to get up early for a workout. I got up an hour early and hit the gym. Lifted for 45 minutes, and felt really good. Maybe it was the Red Bull for breakfast. That stuff is SICK!!

4 easy miles on the TM. I also took the dog out for a mile.

4 easy miles on the TM again. Everything feels really good, so I will probably get out and test my knee this week on something more difficult.

Went to the gym and lifted for an hour. Did upper body and core, and had a great workout.

I played basketball tonight for the first time in months. I played full court for two hours, and my knee felt great. I am pretty confident that it is 100% or close to it, so I am very happy about that. The only thing left to do is try a long run and see how it holds up.

5 miles on the TM after the kids went to bed. What a busy day.

Had to work off the Olive garden so I did 4 easy miles on the TM. I'm gonna try to get out into the mountains this weekend, but the weather isn't looking good right now.

Went to the gym and lifted for 45 minutes (upper body and core). I had some pain in my lower back, so I took it easy the rest of the day.

We had a very busy weekend with two birthday parties for my daughter, so I didn't have much time to do anything but the TM. Had a great workout though.

Easy miles on the TM.

This week has been crazy busy, and I barely had time to fit in some miles on the TM. I was in the office for 11 hours today, so I feel good about just getting a workout.

Went to the gym and lifted for 45 minutes (upper body/core) and had a great workout. Then I decided to run the track instead of the treadmill. I got in 2 miles, and everything felt great. I was VERY slow, but at least I got off of that dang TM. Now I just need a good run outside.

I took two days off from working out for the first time since I ran the marathon in September. I really pushed my body this week, and had a lot less sleep than normal, and I was really dragging, so it probably did me some good. I went on a two mile hike with the fam, and then later I did 3 on the TM.

I did 3 miles today, and I'm not sure what is worse, the treadmill or running in the cold. It is almost too cold to run out there right now. I don't mind the temps, and I heat up quickly, but the cold air really makes my lungs hurt.

I will be getting out to climb somehting big on Friday. We're looking at White or Red Baldy in the Wasatch right now. If anyone wants to join let me know.

Went to the gym and lifted for 45 minutes (upper body/core). I had a great workout, and I wasn’t planning on running, but when I saw my old nemesis running the track my competitive juices started flowing, and I couldn’t resist. I’m sure nobody remembers, but my nemesis is a guy that runs the track at the gym a lot, and he used to pass me all the time, but it made me mad, so no matter how hard he tried I wouldn’t let him, and I think I almost killed myself a few times in the process. Anyway, so he was there running the track, and since I know I am in terrible shape, I wanted to see if I could keep him from passing me. I formulated a plan that I could start right behind him, and then the pressure would be on him and not me. This really seemed to work, and it was funny because after I started running behind him I could tell he immediately picked up the speed, and started to turn around to get a look at where I was. I was hoping that he had been running for a long time, so he would already be tired, but after a few laps we were both almost sprinting. HAHA. I don’t even know this guy. Anyway, after a little over a mile I was completely spent, so I decided to call it a night, satisfied that my nemesis didn’t pass me, and not wanting to give him any satisfaction for passing me, I stopped while I could still breathe. Wow, that almost killed me, and I was still a little shaky 20 minutes later. HA.

3 easy miles on the TM.

4 miles on the TM. I just don't feel like running in the cold.

I have been planning on getting back into the mountains all week, and this was the perfect opportunity to burn off some Thanksgiving calories on a fantastic day. Climbed Upper Bells (Bighorn) peak from Alpine, and had an incredible day. The peak climbs over 5K ft in 5 miles, and it is a great workout. The weather was really good all day, but the last 6-800 feet were cold and windy, and when we got to the top it was just COLD! The wind was strong, and it was bitter up there. I took my glove off to snap a few pictures and my hand went numb in about a minute. We didn't stay long. The views of the Wasatch were fantastic. We could see into Salt Lake, and Utah counties, and most of the major Wasatch peaks. What a view. It was a lot more fun than fighting crowds at Wal Mart :) Hope everyone had a good holiday.  

My mom had my kids last night, so I had a great morning with my wife, and we both went to the gym together, something we don't get to do often. We lifted for 45 minutes (upper body/core) and both had a good workout. My legs are pretty sore from yesterday, so no running today.

*** Later entry***

I decided to run 3 miles on the TM because my quads are so sore, and I wanted to see if I could loosen them up some. It seemed to work, and they are definitely not as sore.

Nothing exciting today. Did 3 easy miles and that's about it. I'm adding a video from my Upper Bells trip from Friday. The views were incredible, but it was so windy and COLD and we didn't stay long.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3IDjgEnS9U

What a day! Got home late from work, and my wife is in the middle of her final project for school, so my kids were running wild, and the house was a disaster! Took two hours to clean it up and I was exhausted. After a brief nap I did manage 3 miles on my usual route. When I finally did get to bed at 1:00 AM I couldn't sleep. Ahhhhhhhh!