2013

2012 is finally over and its time to focus on the new year. Since this is a running blog, that's what I will focus on. 2012 racing didn't pan out like I had hoped. There were definitely some solid races and some PR's but we all have that ONE focus race. My 2012 focus race was Wasatch. Ironically that was also my last post. After the disappointing run in September it took some time to recover both physically and mentally. The physical part seems good (hamstring feels pretty nice) the mental part is still a little bruised. I did run the Zion Traverse and the Antelope 50k but they were both with little expectations. The Zion run was definitely a great time. No times, no pressure and lots of fun and friends. Antelope 50k went much better than I expected. A great race send off and may have lifted the spirits just a little.
 For 2013, I obviously have some goals in running. The race schedule is filling up quickly and my calendar is looking good! No luck with Western or Hardrock lotteries but I am holding out hope for Wasatch. To the right I have posted my 2013 schedule and I am very excited. I will be returning to some of my favorite familiar races and trying a few new ones. There are a few 100's and the spotlight run is not even a race. It is Softrock- 3 days 100 miles on the Hardrock 100 course with Scott Jaime as the tour guide.
In the "off-season" I have focused on strength training a bit with friends at Bomber Athlete. Tried to slow down the running to let the hammy heal properly all the while nervous I was losing my fitness.
For the new year I really want to do a much better job of focusing on consistency and even blogging. Why blogging? It makes me more accountable and helps me track and see what works and what doesn't.
My secret weapon- HUMR's! The Happy Utah Mountain Runners are the key. The keep everything fun and keep me accountable. I enjoy them and they help me just enjoy it when I may not.
The PI Ultra Team has gone through some changes for 2013 and I will be stepping away and no longer be the Team Director. 6 years ago the team was an idea and I had no idea what it would become. I am very proud of what we did and enjoyed it very much.
In 2013 I will be running under the HUMR Ultra Team banner. A small group of like-minded people who love the trails. We collected some great sponsors and some help. We got some great kits and we will be having an amazing time this year so keep your eyes open people.
So 2013, I am gonna push it. See what i am capable of but focusing on the journey.
I look forward to seeing some familiar faces in Moab this February and seeing some sweet single track all year!
For 2013- If your Dreams don't scare you, they are not BIG enough!- Dream Big!

Ultra Runner vs. Ironman

http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/8279147/

It's been awhile now...

Just catching up. Been off for quite some time to deal with injuries and life. Back in the swing with a different mind set. Really missed running and missed training partners more. I am hoping to be ready to go for the Grand Teton Races in September. I should at least be able to do the Trail Marathon but would really like to tackle the 50. I had hopes of doing El Vaquero Loco in mid August but it doesn't seem realistic but they do have a 25k.

How sweet it is.

This post has more to do with my daughter Sami than anything else. I am so proud of her! She sometimes is reluctant to try new things are is very timid. She decided last week to try out for soccer all-stars. She gets nervous with soccer because she thinks its "my thing" and says she doesn't want to "embarrass" me. I let her make her own choices on soccer and try to encourage her to do what she wants to do instead of push her along the way. After try-outs she felt she didn't make it. Well- I got a call from the coach and said Sami had indeed made the all-star team! YES! I was so excited to tell her. When I finally let her know, she shrieked and jumped around like a little girl (wait, she is a little girl) I was pretty emotional too. Watching my kids succeed is the ultimate feeling. Congratulations Sami, I am so very proud of you. Looks like there will be a couple races I may miss due to some tournaments but hey- its worth it!

On a side note, I ran with a group and we went up to Ben Lomond Peak. LOTS of snow and lots of throbbing legs. Got up to 9700' and 16 miles. Probably my last climb until Squaw. Epic run being in the clouds and glissading one last time this year.

CONGRATS SAMI!

It's April...right?

April 15th- Tax Day. What a better way to celebrate paying our beloved government than SKIING. I gave some money to Uncle Sam to pass on to the unfortunate MULTI BILLION DOLLAR companies that are struggling and threw a little bit toward Earl Holding too. I took off work and played hookie with my wife and we headed up to Snowbasin to what will most likely be the last time I ski for awhile. To our surprise it was AMAZING! The snow was soft and there was fresh powder everywhere. Throw in the fact that there was no one on the mountain and you have yourself a little piece of heaven. Every run was making fresh tracks. There were a couple spots that were deeper than knee powder! There was a slight snowfall and the sun played peak-a-boo most of the day. 2 days ago I was running in the mountains with 65 degree temps and today I was skiing mid-season snow. Here in Utah we take our knocks but we got a good thing going here. Hell- add the recent change to liquor laws and poof, here we go!

I will count today as quad burning cross training and tomorrow I will throw on the trail shoes for some single track. What a week!

Fingers Crossed

I may not be able to walk and chew gum at the same time but I found out I can run and cross my fingers at the same time. Got in some quality running this weekend! The Achilles felt alright and no more swelling. I could feel it after my second run at 7 miles but no sharp pains. Just a dull little ache letting me know it is still there. I still don't have great hope for Buffalo in 2 weeks but got a little more confidence which I have been lacking. Really looking forward to Squaw Peak this year. I have only been doing this for a few years and haven't run all the great races but SP50 so far is my favorite. I will keep up the swimming twice a week and running four days a week with one day off for a bit longer.
Today is a very special day. My Little girl turned 4. Is that possible? For her birthday she asked me for running shoes, running shorts and a running shirt. So proud....

Proud Daddy!

Well, it's not everyday you get a first. Not just any first but one that brings tears to your eyes. My family went up to Wolf Mountain over the weekend so my daughters could ski for the first time. It has taken a little time to talk them into it but Saturday night they agreed to go.

We enrolled them in some lessons which ended up being private lessons (bonus). You could see the excitement but it was over shadowed by nervousness for sure. Aspen (my 3 year old) was first. I took her to her instructor-who was amazing, and Aspen needed about 5 or 6 hugs and some kisses and I love yous to get her going.

Next up was Sami (12 year old daughter), I took her to her instructor who was equally amazing and she was off!

As I peaked at them and saw them from the lift, I am not sure I could have been more proud. They were skiing! Lots of emotions filled their old man that's for sure. Melony and I hit the slopes until lunch and went back to collect our kids. They were having a blast. After lunch, they wanted more. Melony and I took turns skiing with them down the hill by the "magic carpet".

When we were about to leave, they both were disappointed and wanted to stay. That's my girls!

A proud day I will never forget!

As for me, the training is very slow and go. Swimming twice a week and trying to start running again. The Achilles isn't healed but it is tolerating under 5 miles. So my Buffalo plans are changing. Every year i have improved my time by 41 minutes, then 24 minutes and this year I will be hoping to run just to be out with friends and family. The year isn't going anywhere to what I planned so we will see whats next.

Back and bummed.

Alright, it has been awhile since Wasatch and I have been taking it pretty easy. I have had a pretty uncomfortable Achilles issue in my right leg and I was hoping a few weeks off would make it go away. Wrong! I just got back from the Dr and was told it was Achilles Tendinitis and also have calcium build up. So I am looking for a PT to help get me back on the trails. I had a good year and still had 2 races this year but doing those may not be worth it. I want to better and stronger next year so I need to shut it down a bit until my Achilles feels better. So with that being said-help! Any info would be great to hear. Hopefully I can start PT this week...

No one said it would be easy.......

What a day! It was Sami's 11th birthday and we had a hula party at our house. Fun, fun , fun - eleven 11 year old girls together. After that we had my father-in-laws b-day to celebrate and then took him to dinner. While at dinner my cell phone began to ring. Caller ID says.....Eddy home. I didnt hesitate and answered the phone. Apparently a guy Scott knows, Christian, went to the lottery drawing for the Wasatch 100. Christian apologized in the email stating that neither himself or Eddy were drawn for the race but Aric Manning was. WHAT!? HUH? Oh $HIT! I was silent. I couldnt decide if I should be happy, scared or just plain psyched. Problem. I am no real ultra runner. Jaime is. I felt I took the slot of a seasoned runner who could finish top 5.
Well, whatever thoughts I go through for the next 7-8 months...I AM IN. My first attempt at a 100 mile race. What am I doing? I remember back in the mid-90's looking at Eddy come back from a marathon and that is 26.2 miles. I thought he was nuts and basically swore I would never run that much.
So here we are. What once started out as a blog for more training purposes will turn into a daily diary of a guy who is preparing for his first 100 miler. There will be posts on training, races, thoughts, work and whatever else happens. It could be lame, funny or possible insightful. No matter how it turns out, it will be real. So all you people who have time to kill by reading a few lines from someone you know, now is your chance. You can stay tuned, suggest comments or lose the link and not lose anymore minutes off your life.
NO ONE SAID IT WOULD BE EASY, THEY JUST SAID IT WOULD BE WORTH IT!

Diagnosis.....Good.

Well, I had my Dr. appt. this morning and it went well. The Doc did X-rays and had his Sports Medicine PT look at them and then sent them to SLC for a look over. X-rays show everything looks good. He said "I would go ahead and run and see if you can run through it", I really liked that answer. He said ice and NSAID's. He thought it was a really odd situation. We decided to do an MRI on Saturday just to ease my mind. 2008 is big for ol' number 8 so that's good. He recommended not to increase mileage. Tonight I will get on the treadmill and go for 5 miles- "nice and easy". I am not going to push to much. Sure, I wont do as well as I wanted to in Moab but its a training run and a good chance to see my friends and jump start the year.
So anyone who reads this crap....now you know.

Now What?

Alright, this is getting old or maybe I am getting old. I have had to take the last 2 days off and there is a good chance it will be through the weekend. I have had some issues with my right knee. It is not the same problem I had last year either. This is a very sharp pain that runs on the inside of my right knee. I have played soccer and put on many miles and it seems fine but everyday use doesn't work too well. I have tried to get into an Orthopedic but good luck with that. I have a Dr appt on Monday with my main Dr to see what he can find out. I have a appointment scheduled with 2 different Ortho's. One on Jan. 23rd with Dr. Byck and one on Jan. 29th with Dr Baranko. I will see Dr Byck first and go from there. I am really hoping it is just a simple case of a strain. I have been on every knee website I can find to self diagnose myself but nothing really fits. I really, really hope this isn't serious. I have gottten a great jump on the year and my race schedule looks stellar. I will keep you posted (with my fingers crossed).

White Rim Trail Moab Invitation

Well, today I took another step forward in the game of life. My good friend Scott Jaime and a new friend Brian Fisher are going to run the White Rim Trail in Moab in September. They were gracious enough to invite me and after a month or so considering it, I accepted. This is a trail primarily done via mountain bike but Scott and Brian are running it. It is over 100 miles and the plan is to do it in 3 days. Stay tuned for more info but this looks like yet another EPIC adventure......
Thanks again to my friends for the invitation.

Welcome

Welcome to my blog. This is a way for friends and family to check out my year. Coming in January I will post my Race schedule. Lets keep our fingers crossed.
Races I am in.
Red Hot 50k February 16th (33K)
Antelpoe Island Buffalo Run March 22nd (25k)
Squaw Peak 50 miler June 7th

Hopefuls:
Wasatch Steeplechase
Wasatch Speedgoat Get High 50k
Bair Gutsman
Ultimate Xc Moab
Shop to the Top
Grand Teton Trail Marathon