Supercords

Park City Snowshoe Stomp 5K

2012-01-16T19:21:00.000-07:00

I had a lot of fun over the weekend at the Park City Snowshoe Stomp 5K, even if there wasn't enough snow to warrant it's namesake's footwear. I had brought my Yak-Trax, but left them in the car and went with just trail shoes. Mostly locals turning out for this chilly race to benefit The Road Home.

The Rail Trail in the distance behind us

As unlikely as it sounds, I came in first place and received a nice medal. Terrific post race snacks aplenty too. Thanks for putting on a terrific race.

The race director made me do a #1 sign for the camera

Race Gear

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-27T17:19:00.001-07:00

Thanksgiving in Arizona with the family. We had a group of 30+ this year, so we took over the chapel and pushed 6 tables together to form one giant table.

Saturday we went geocaching in the Lost Dutchman State Park. It's a really beautiful patch of desert with nice hiking trails.

Isaac found the first one. Superstition Mountains in the background.

Bit of an uphill climb to Green Rock.

Dave & Seth

Rest stop

Valley view: Seth and Isaac jostled for leader

Another rest stop

Aubrey was proud of being the first to find this cache

Spencer taught the younger kids a lesson about respecting our cactus friends.

Rocky Point Beach

2011-11-17T17:00:00.000-07:00

We had another friend reunion in Rocky Point last week. Since I took a lot of photos back in April, I mostly ignored my camera this trip. I went for a walk along the beach one afternoon and shot these.

Geocaching at Riparian Preserve

2011-11-05T18:53:00.000-06:00

Spent a day with in Mesa on my way to Rocky Point, Mexico with friends. Went out geocaching this morning with my brother David, two of his boys, my friend Lacey, and her two girls. We hiked and searched in the HUGE Riparian Preserve, an urban park in Gilbert, AZ.

Halloween Half Marathon 2011

2011-11-02T14:20:00.000-06:00

Joined the masses in the University Mall parking lot in the dark. Thankfully they had some people there with the bibs that weren’t picked up yesterday. Officially running the Halloween Half Marathon today. Waited over an hour freezing our buns off for a bus to take us to Aspen Grove up Sundance Canyon. No lines at the port-a-potties so I made a quick stop there before we entered the heated tent. Packed to the gills with costumed bodies.

We squeezed our way in and found a small patch of grass to chill for the next hour and a bit. Chatted with runners around us. Most people had gotten past yesterday’s confusion and were ready to race. Stripped layers, sticking with shorts, long sleeve tech T and beanie. Made another pee stop in the woods, as the lines for the toilets now were outrageously long.

Race started on time in two waves. Chris and I were in the 9:00 am wave. We got close to the front to avoid the slower runners in the narrow start chute.

The Aspen Loop road is incredibly steep. I did my best to mitigate the impact on my knees while taking advantage of the downhill pace. I still got passed by the 1:30 pacer before reaching Provo Canyon though. Chris stuck with them and passed me too.

Mile 1 6:26
Mile 2 6:47
Mile 3 6:49
Mile 4 6:43
Mile 5 7:06

Being chased by a pirate

Almost immediately after the race started I realized I should have taken a second trip to the port-a-john. I fought the urge to stop until about mile 6. Lost about 3 minutes there. Curses! Never saw the 1:30 pace flag again. Felt much better after that though.

Ran hard the rest of the race, finishing at a park just outside the mouth of the canyon. Didn’t spot Chris, so I hopped in the massage line. Not the greatest massage, but any massage is better than no massage in my book.

Mile 6 10:03 (pit stop)
Mile 7 7:17
Mile 8 7:24
Mile 9 7:23
Mile 10 7:17
Mile 11 7:23
Mile 12 7:18
Mile 13 7:11
.12 Miles 6:30

I finished in 1:35:52, 172nd overall, 16th in my age group. 7:20 pace. Not great, but not terrible. Burned 1444 calories. Ate a mini Lara bar and a gel during the run. Looks like there were about 3300 finishers.

Medal

Riverton Dash After Dark 5 Miler & Oktoberfest 10K

2011-10-17T14:41:00.000-06:00

Five mile races that take place in the evening don't come up very often, so I took the opportunity to race what is essentially an 8K. Riverton puts on very organized, professional races. I highly recommend them. The 2011 Riverton Dash After Dark followed the Jordan River Trail, with the course lit up from candles in paper bags.

This race attracted a lot of fast 35-39 year olds for some reason. 6 of the top 10 finishers were in my age group. That NEVER happens! Since the 1st and 2nd overall winners were 35-39, I ended up placing 1st in my age group--thus the medal pictured below. I finished in 38:29, 7th overall.

I wasn't so lucky in the Oktoberfest 10K the next morning, where I finished 4th in my age group. Since they only awarded top male and female overall winners, the 35-39 year old guy who took second place overall, was lumped into the age group winners, knocking me off the podium. My time was 44:14. 16th overall.

The Pink Half

2011-10-14T16:39:00.000-06:00

I had the opportunity last weekend to pace in The Pink Half, an all female half marathon with an emphasis on breast cancer awareness. Needless to say it was a chance to run in a race I would normally be locked out of. I was the 2:30 pacer, which meant I got to take it easy and enjoy the company and views.

Chilly day in Park City with a bit of early morning rain. The gals were bundled up.

Great views

We received charms in place of medals

Happy 65th Dad

2011-10-05T15:04:00.000-06:00

My brother and I spent the day with my dad for his 65th birthday. Part of our day involved an 18 hole game of disc golf and geocaching in the scorching desert.

My dad caught air on this throw

David had the best arm of the day

A found cache

Arizona Camping Trip

2011-09-28T16:26:00.000-06:00

Camping last week with my brother and 3 out of 4 of his boys. (The infant stayed home with mom) We were in the Haigler Creek area outside of Payson, AZ. Highlights included:

Lunch at McDonalds (not my pick)

Campfires (Owen pictured)

Shoveling

Hiking

Geocaching

Rope Swinging (Owen)

Seth

River Crossing (Isaac in front)

Views

Picnic lunch on the way home (Seth demonstrating his middle-out sandwich eating technique)

Squirrel Chasing / Feeding (Owen)

The Dirty Dash 2011

2011-09-27T16:35:00.000-06:00

I ran the Dirty Dash for the second year in a row after scoring some free passes. Brought along friends and family to run with me. Tougher course with more obstacles than last time. Close to 4,000 runners competed throughout the day, with some opting for the 5K shortcut. This of course screwed up the results, but my official place was 75th overall. In reality, my time of 48:18 was somewhere in the top 25. This race is more about mud than competition--so on to the photos.

Giant slip & slide towards the finish

Home stretch

Soccer Night

2011-09-26T16:35:00.000-06:00

Took Brayden to a Real soccer game recently for our monthly activity. (Thanks for the tickets Chris!)

Garden Tomatoes

2011-09-22T17:11:00.000-06:00

I scored a ton of ripe tomatoes from Joey's garden, which meant one thing: homemade salsa. This turned out to be one of my best batches yet--sweeter than usual, due to the cherry tomatoes. Step by step instructions on how to make it can be found here.

Jessy Chick

2011-09-06T15:53:00.000-06:00

The last of my photos from Costa Rica. We went to an open mic night at The Lazy Mon for our last night in Puerto Viejo. The talented Jessy Chick was hosting and performing again. We saw her a couple nights ago, and she was fantastic. I plan to purchase some of her music here.

Jessy Chick

Some of the other performers

Aleks from Luxemburg

Hot fire dancer

Fire dancing

Epic Cache-Teton Relay 2011

2011-09-05T14:26:00.000-06:00

I went to Costa Rica right after finishing the Epic Cache-Teton Relay, so I never got a chance to post about it. This is a quick recap with a few photos of my teammates. I know there are photos of me out there, but I haven't received them yet.

Our team picture at the finish line. The race was 206 miles long, from Logan, Utah to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. We came in 11th out of 82 teams, 4th of the "mixed" teams, meaning we had 6 guys and 6 girls.

Van 2 ladies

Blaine

Not a bitchin' Camaro

Preston

Raylene

Face/Off at the steak house post race.

Puerto Viejo de Talamaca

2011-08-28T19:36:00.000-06:00

Our final destination in Costa Rica is Puerto Viejo, on the southern Caribbean coast, just above Panama. It's a cool little beach town with a laid back vibe. I haven't taken many photos here since we've done a whole lot of nothing--reading, swimming in the warm water, listening to music, eating, and relaxing.

Our shaded reading spot on the beach

So glad I made a last minute decision to pack my iPod docking station. It's provided us a great soundtrack for the trip.

Biggest locust I've ever seen.

Day trip to Manzanillo, last stop to Panama. Pristine beaches as far as the eye can see.

Inside our room at Om, our hostel. Brandon is either attempting to keep cool or drink by way of osmosis.

Mount Chirripó: Part 2

2011-08-28T18:25:00.000-06:00

After a quick lunch at the base camp, we made a final push to the summit of Mount Chirripo. A lot of uphill climbing on already tired legs. Tired, I meant exhausted.

It was cold and rainy for most of the final kilometers, which cause the trail to become a small stream.

View of mountain lakes below

The summit in the cloudy distance. Mostly vertical towards the end.

The Summit!! Just over 12, 500'. Our desired views of both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts were obscured by thick clouds. Next time... yeah right. Oh, and please note my stylish emergency rain poncho. I've been carrying that thing around since I was a boy scout and finally had reason to break the seal.

Mount Chirripó: Part 1

2011-08-28T17:34:00.000-06:00

Hiking to the summit of Mount Chirripó was a center point of our Costa Rican trip. It's the highest mountain between Guatemala and Columbia. We got an early start before sunrise.

Starting point: 5,000'

wildflowers

Above the clouds

Brandon on the trail

We passed through different trail sections, such as this one at 13 km

This lizard kindly obliged my request to sit on a light colored stone atop a log

A very welcome site. Base camp at just over 11,000'

14.5 km in, just outside the base camp

Lunch break of refried beans on crackers

Casa Mariposa

2011-08-28T15:12:00.000-06:00

Casa Mariposa was our base camp for our epic climb up Mount Chirripo, a jungle retreat of sorts that blends itself into the natural surroundings.

Main room

Our bedroom the last 2 nights

Reading nook

kitchen

Stairs to the waterfall where I soaked my aching legs after the hike

Dormitory

Shower with a view

Jungle room

One of many spiders creeping about

San Gerardo 2

2011-08-28T10:28:00.000-06:00

More photos from the San Gerardo area, a beautiful little town at the base of Mount Chirripo.

We hiked to their aguas termales (hot springs) which is accessible by way of a fun trail through the jungle.

The hot springs

The springs are cared for by a family living in this home. Dogs take a lot of naps in Costa Rica.

Stopped at the waterfall on the way back for a photo op. It was tricky going in my flip flops on the mossy rocks.

Another beautiful river

Me levitating downstream

Hardcore mom in "downtown" San Gerardo

Town chapel

San Gerardo

2011-08-27T21:25:00.000-06:00

On our way from Monteverde to San Gerardo. To get anywhere in Costa Rica, you have to go over high mountain passes.

We spent a good portion of our bus rides dual jacked into my iPod, taking turns choosing music.

We slept in the Jungle Room the first night at Casa Mariposa in San Gerardo. It was open air and we had our share of roommates, including this camouflaged critter.

Mosquito nets helped to stay bite free.

The area here is filled with gorgeous jungle rivers, like this one.

More from Monteverde

2011-08-26T22:20:00.000-06:00

Random photos from Monteverde I haven't blogged yet.

Glitters: an inside joke for exactly 4 people. Odds are you're not one of them.

Moths!

Chillin' on the hostel balcony

Dinner at Trio

Sloth!

Hummingbirds!

2011-08-21T16:09:00.000-06:00

There's an area outside the entrance to the Cloud Forest with feeders that attract swarms of hummingbirds. They dart around your head and brush against your cheek. I nearly had a couple new piercings. I took dozens of photos, but these are my favorites.

Cloud Forest: Part 2

2011-08-21T15:44:00.000-06:00

Brandon, Joe, and 2 cute Danish girls on the suspension bridge

The Danish girls inside a massive tree trunk

Cloud Forest: Part 1

2011-08-21T15:28:00.000-06:00

We went to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve this morning, a network of jungle trails. These are some of the better photos I took.

The Continental Divide

Monteverde 2

2011-08-20T22:35:00.000-06:00

Nature shots from today

This is how I felt prior to this afternoon's 4 hour nap

My Costa Rican Cobb salad from dinner.

Monteverde

2011-08-20T22:04:00.000-06:00

We left La Fortuna yesterday for Monteverde, which required two bumpy van rides and a boat trip across Lake Arenal.

We found a terrific place at the end of the dirt road from our hostel serving delicious organic food. This sandwich was divine.

This morning we went on a Canopy Zip-line tour at Selvatura. This is us waiting for instructions before taking off.

Our foursome in Monteverde: Alexis (Australian), Me, Brandon, and Sarah (Canadian)

Sarah on a zip-line

Brandon on the Tarzan Swing

We did their suspension bridge tour as well. The bridges allowed for spectacular views of the jungle.

This is a shot I took from a bridge of the final 1 km zip-line we did. You are literally flying hundreds of feet above the canopy. Words can't describe.

La Fortuna Waterfall

2011-08-18T23:29:00.000-06:00

En route to La Fortuna Falls

The water was very refreshing after hiking through the thick humidity

The hike back: Toucan

This 4 legged companion followed us for miles into town. Brandon named him Two Socks.

Arenal National Park

2011-08-18T22:45:00.000-06:00

Photos from today, in chronological order.

Breakfast juices

We went to Arenal National Park this morning at the base of the volcano. Sights from our hike:

Lunch

La Fortuna Walkabout

2011-08-18T11:42:00.000-06:00

Yesterday afternoon we went out exploring around La Fortuna. Random shots from that walkabout.

Zombie or vampire?

I furious rain storm came through this evening. We enjoyed it from the safety of the back patio.

When they say "Super Burger" in Costa Rica, they mean business.

Canyoning: Part 3

2011-08-17T20:51:00.000-06:00

Another rappel. There were 4-5 of them.

Prepping for the final rappel, which was more of a guided free fall down a waterfall from way up. My stomach was in knots about having to step off that platform backwards.

But then it was all flying down to the bottom and it was awesome.

Brandon and I slurped up some jungle water from the mossy wall which the guides said was fresh. Nobody else in our group followed suit. Neither of us are suffering from jungle fever yet.

This was our first big activity in Costa Rica and we loved it. Even trekking through the river to each rappel and along the trails was fun. They served us a fantastic lunch at the end--it will definitely be one of our favorite meals of the trip.

Canyoning: Part 2

2011-08-17T20:37:00.000-06:00

The guides made two human dams in the river, creating a huge reservoir of water above. Then they stacked us in the waterfall below. I'm in the front--where you want to be in a human centipede...

Once the water was released, we became the waterfall. It was pretty cool.

Canyoning: Part 1

2011-08-17T20:04:00.000-06:00

This morning we did a canyoning trip with Desafio outside La Fortuna. After a 4x4 drive into jungle we geared up and received some instruction on the rappels we would be doing.

We had 3 "couples" in our group

This was my favorite rappel of the day. A short drop followed by a waterfall rappel and then a free fall

Cannonball into a skinny, but deep section of the river.

Costa Rica: Liberia to La Fortuna

2011-08-16T21:23:00.000-06:00

Brandon and I are running wild in Costa Rica for the next two weeks. Our adventure began at the Atlanta airport where we had an overnight layover. No choice but to build a fort and camp out in the E Concourse.

The Liberia International Airport is more of a open air wharehouse with nightclub style security. That's Brandon on the left looking like a bearded terrorist.

We took a taxi to La Fortuna. The drive around Lake Arenal was beautiful.

After checking into our hostel we went straight to dinner. Our first real meal of the day. This is a typical Costa Rican plate: Meat, rice, beans, slaw, mashed potatoes, and fried plantains.

La Fortuna sits at the base of Arenal Volcano, shrouded in clouds below.

Local flora

2011 Jupiter Peak Steeplechase

2011-08-11T18:02:00.000-06:00

My race report from last weekend's Jupiter Peak Steeplechase in Park City.

I got to bed about 1:00 last night and got up at 6:15 this morning. Not bad. Ate a whole bagel with peanut butter and honey. I learned my lesson from not eating enough last week. Covered the nipples with band aids and gathered my gear. Left later than I wanted, about 6:50. Drove really fast until I got to Parley’s Canyon where I caught up to a police escort that lasted all the way to the parking lot at Park City Mountain Resort. Arrived with only 15 minutes till the start.

Course

Picked up my bib and then ran back to my car to get my hydration pack. I had filled my bottles with ice and had to go inside the resort to find some water. Poured a half pack of CytoMax into each one. By the time I got a satellite lock on my watch and a quick pee, it was less than a minute to Ready-Set-Go! I never had time to stress about the race until I was running it.

We followed the Crescent Mine Grade road until connecting to the Mid Mountain Trail. There’s something like 400 runners moving in mass uphill. I didn’t bother jockeying for a position before entering the single-track. I’ve never been a strong uphiller, and today was no exception. I somewhere in the middle of the pack and ok with that. I passed a few people here and there, but got passed by twice as many. I saved a little time by skipping the aid stations since I was carrying my own energy drink with me.

Mile 1 13:44
Mile 2 13:35
Mile 3 13:44

Lots of room for passing on the Comstock Mine Road. I don’t know if I need to mention how gorgeous it is in this area. The mountains above Park City are amazing. We continued running up, up, and up. We started at 7,000 feet and I think I passed the 3rd aid station on Pioneer Ridge at around 9,000 feet. That’s when you get a view of Jupiter Peak, and it’s a bit terrifying. I hope I can find a picture. Off in the distance is a huge line of runners scrambling up one of the steepest ascents I’ve ever seen in a race. It’s insanely steep.

Mile 4 11:30
Mile 5 15:51
Mile 6 15:48

There’s nothing to do but put one foot in front of the other. Or rather, one foot several feet above the other. It’s an endless stairmaster, if the stairs were twice as high as high as normal and made of loose gravel. I know my legs weren’t the only ones burning. But eventually the distant peak comes into view and I gave out a shout as I slapped the flag pole on my way past. 10,400 feet high with epic views in all directions.

View from the summit

Mile 7 21:50

Transitioning into downhill mode, I picked up speed coming off the top, but as a first timer on this race, I hadn’t realized there was a second peak to climb: Tri County Peak. It wasn’t as steep as Jupiter, so my pace didn’t suffer as much. After that, it was truly all downhill to the finish.

Mile 8 12:55
Mile 9 9:09

We followed Scotty’s By Pass to the Shadow Lake area before connecting back onto Comstock Mine Rd. And by road, I mean more of a dirt atv trail. I don’t know where I stood at the halfway point, but I consistently passed people the entire way down. I was hydrating on the run, consumed 2 gels, 2 salt caps, and a handful of gummy bears. Legs were shot as far as uphill was concerned, but they were doing great on the down. No trips or missteps on the many rocks and roots.

Mile 10 7:57
Mile 11 7:32
Mile 12 7:19

Meanwhile, the winner was finishing in a lightning fast 1:51:42, narrowly ahead of the 2nd place guy.

We detoured onto Spiro Trail to take us to the finish at Silver Star Café. The trail is very runnable and not too steep. Mostly shaded too. I really enjoyed this section.

Mile 13 8:07
Mile 14 8:33
Mile 15 8:02

Home stretch

Checking the watch in preparation for crossing the finish line.

And then the finish line appeared. I thought I had another mile to go, but it turns out the race was 15 miles long, not 16. Nobody on my tail so I simply coasted into the finish. Drank lots of water, picked up the nice tech shirt and a bag of snacks. Hit the restroom where I washed all the sweat and grime off with cold water from the sink. Felt so good. Ate my yogurt, banana, and oatmeal bar in the shade while watching other runners come through.

My official time was 2:55:42. The results show me in 87th of the males. 121st overall out of 274 finishers. My pace was 11:43. I burned 1496 calories. Happy to make it in under 3 hours, and without an injury. Next up: Epic Cache-Teton Relay from Logan, UT to Jackson Hole, WY.

Bats & Garden Boxes

2011-08-09T12:50:00.002-06:00

I found this little guy in my garage the other day. I helped him outside and on his way.

I've had mixed results with my first attempt at garden boxes. Tomatoes seem to be doing well, but that's about it.

Timpanogas Half Marathon 2011 Race Report

2011-08-03T12:41:00.000-06:00

Timpanogas Half Marathon Race Report:

I had a hard time getting to sleep last night. Drifted off sometime after 1:00 am. Alarm woke me up at 3:50 am. I’m not a happy camper without enough sleep. Ate an energy bar as I got ready. Drove in the dark to AF High School using my GPS. I left myself zero margin for error and didn’t want to get lost. Cars were backed up trying to park. Boarded a bus about 4:50 with Blaine who was pacing the 1:55 group today. Long, dark ride up to Tibble Fork Reservoir.

Course Map

Satelite view & Elevation chart

Killed time at the top chatting with other runners, prepping my watch and iPod, peeing in the bushes, and waiting for the people on the late busses. We were supposed to start at 5:40 am, but it ended up being 6:00 am. The usual for races that require bussing runners to the start line. Annie and Raylene were also racing today, but I didn’t see them. I didn’t have any big expectations for this race other than to run my best and hope my time was good enough to place.

The Tibble Creek Fork is only 2 ½ miles long and we were out in no time. The trick is finding a pace that you can maintain throughout. I want to go fast, but I don’t want to burn out at the end either. My first mile was quick, 6:25, to get away from the crowd. I slowed down to a 7:10 for mile 2 and a 7:02 for the third. My 5K time was about 20:30—my usual 5K race finish time.

I was hungry before the race even started. I should have eaten more for breakfast. For that reason, I downed a cup of energy drink at the first aid station to try and get some calories in me. That made me have to pee for the rest of the race. I refused to stop though because I didn’t want to lose time. I was feeling good so I sped up a little.

Mile 4 6:53
Mile 5 6:16

The second aid station had GU’s, and I slammed a chocolate one. That really helped and took the edge off my hunger pains. I drank more even though my bladder was already full. Ran a 6:23 for mile 6 despite the aid station, followed by a 6:39 mile 7. Skipped the next aid station to keep my pace up. At this point I’m feeling good and passing a lot of people. Then we exited American Fork Canyon and things leveled out. Much harder to keep a sub 7:00 minute mile pace.

We followed the trail through the golf course and along a stream. It’s a nice trail section through Cedar Hills before kicking us out onto surface streets for the remainder. Mile 8 was 6:48. We hit some rolling hills and I slowed to a 7:17 for mile 9. I squeezed down another GU at 9 mile aid station keeping my hunger at bay. Drank some too. I really had to pee. Mile 10 was 7:39 because I walked through the aid station, and mile 11 was 7:25 because I was getting tired. I had to mentally focus on my legs and feet to make them turn over at the rate I wanted them to. As soon as my mind drifted, I found myself slowing to an 8:00 min pace. Frustrating.

Mile 12, in 7:47, was the toughest of the race. My body wanted to slow down but I was making myself keep pushing. I got a shooting pain in my right calve and it started to lock up, but I took pressure off that foot until it subsided. I gave it everything I had left the last mile, leaving me without a kick at the end. Mile 13 = 7:28. The last .1 was at a 5:56 pace—not exactly a kick, but all I could muster.

My chip time was 1:31:40, a 7:01 pace. I burned 1443 calories—way more than I had at my disposal. According to the official results I came in 50th overall, 35th out of 461 men, and 7th in the 35-39 age group. There were 1182 runners total.

My calves and knees were killing me so a trip to the massage line was a no brainer. The guy I got was really good. He did a lot of pressure points and helped loosen up my leg muscles. Caught up with Blaine and Raylene and got some more info about our relay coming up in 2 weeks. I’m with them in van 2. Really nice medals and shirts. They did a fantastic job for a first time race. Happy with how I did despite not placing.

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

2011-08-02T14:38:00.000-06:00

Week 3 of the Twilight Concert Series featured Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. I had to go up by myself because friends couldn't go.

Concert goers & tattoos: Daddy daughter night out

These people seemed so bored. I'm not sure why they were there. Also, what's the deal with that guy holding his hand over the red head's mouth in the background?

Our neckerchief wearing friend with the molestache was back this week

The Entrance Band opened

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

Welcome to the Family

2011-07-29T12:14:00.000-06:00

My new Brooks Cascadia 6 trail running shoes

Decemberists

2011-07-25T18:31:00.000-06:00

I had a fantastic time with friends at last week's Decemberists show. Really good performance. Typhoon opened. They were good too. (Week 2 in the Twilight Concert Series.)

Dinner at Ekamai (Thai) and Bruges (Belgian) before the show. (Cali & Joey)

Concertgoers

Pioneer Park was PACKED!

Tattoos

Angie, Cali, and Joe

Explosions in the Sky

2011-07-15T16:25:00.000-06:00

Explosions in the Sky and No Age opened the Twilight Concert Series last night at Pioneer Park in downtown Salt Lake City. I'm not a fan of either band, but the people watching was fantastic. Below are a sampling of the sites.

Baby ear protection

Holly

Morose

No Age

Back

Front

Colorful

Explosions in the Sky

Friday the 13th

There's no going back

Mounted

Slot Canyon Adventure

2011-07-06T13:42:00.000-06:00

Brandon, Chris, and I took a slot canyon backpacking trip down to the Paria Canyon area near Kanab this past weekend. Here are some of my photos:

At Moqui Cave off the 89

Brandon foreshadowing the actual bowel trouble he would be afflicted with for the rest of the trip. This is what happens when you desecrate the sacred Moqui Cave.

Chris at White House campground where we spent the first night.

Brandon & Chris

Brandon & I at dusk.

The wash leading into Paria Canyon

It was REALLY hot. Chris taking a break.

Inside Paria

This was about as much water as we had to hike through. There's a lot more earlier in the year.

The Three Toe-migos: Chris and Brandon wore Five Fingers; I went barefoot.

Brandon becoming one with the canyon.

Our campground in Buckskin Canyon where we spent the 2nd night.

Hiking through Buckskin Canyon the next day

Under and...

Over. Brandon using the chiseled hand holds to get over a blocked passage.

Chris doing some bouldering up top.

Pit stop

It's pretty amazing

I nearly walked right into this rattler. That would have been unfortunate.

Getting closer to Wire Pass

I got too hot and tired to take more pictures after this. I'll try and round some more up from Brandon and Chris.

Wahsatch Steeplechase: Dude Peak

2011-06-14T16:39:00.001-06:00

Race report for the Wahsatch Steeplechase on June 11th

Up at 4:30 after going to bed at 1:00 am. It took 20 minutes for my head to stop reeling. I don’t use Caffeine as a wake-me-up in the morning. Once you start, you are committed for life. Bagel with peanut butter and honey for breakfast. Out by 5:00 am. The start was inside Memory Grove Park in SLC, next to the capital building. I’ve never been before. There are trails that lead up into the mountains above the city.

The Wahsatch Steeplechase is normally a 17 mile race that makes runners climb over “The Crags” at the top of Black Mountain. This year, due to the heavy snow, we had to run an alternate course, said to be 13 miles. Perhaps I’ll run it again to see these infamous Crags. The race is limited to 300 runners. Everyone looked pretty hearty to me.

I didn’t have any race goals other than to finish without breaking anything. Easier said than done. There’s been 2 rescues in the last 3 years, and a life flight helicopter was standing by. Group start at 6:00 am. Some fantastic views as we climbed out of the valley. I carried my hydration pack today with 2 bottles of Gatorade. I figured I was somewhere in the middle of the pack, but getting passed constantly.

Mile 1 9:04
Mile 2 11:13

The trails up 3 successive hills with radio towers were really steep. The first aid station was after the third hill. I crammed a handful of shot blocs into my mouth and washed them down with water and some electrolyte drink. From there we continued to the top of Dude Peak (7200’) The top runners were already heading back at this point, and I started counting to see where I was at, as well as to keep my mind occupied. My Garmin read 7 ½ miles at the turnaround point. By my count, I was sitting in 132nd place. New goal—to try and get into the top 100.

Mile 3 14:31
Mile 4 18:54
Mile 5 12:06
Mile 6 13:53
Mile 7 21:14

We ran back to the aid station and then broke off onto the pipeline trail to get back to City Creek. Almost non-stop downhill, something I normally love. But the trail was so incredibly steep that it was nearly impossible to pick up any speed. To do so would be suicide. Instead it was quad and knee destroying grades that were covered in loose rocks. You have to continually put on the brakes to keep from tumbling downhill. My quads were screaming from all the jarring foot falls.

Mile 8 12:28
Mile 9 10:05
Mile 10 9:55
Mile 11 10:21
Mile 12 9:18
Mile 13 7:51
.92 Miles 7:43

Once we got into the City Creek trail it leveled out some and I was able to get some full strides in as I made my way to the finish. I came in 103rd overall, 90th out of the men. And it was just shy of 14 miles, not 13. My time was 2:48:01. 249 runners. 247 finishers. My average pace was 12:04. Calories burned: 1425.

I hung around for the awards ceremony even though I was way out of the running. I soaked my legs in city creek for as long as I could stand it—less than a minute. The snow runoff is FREEZING cold. The river is running insanely fast and high. I was nervous about getting sucked in.

Thanks to Butch and all the volunteers for putting on a fun race!

Champagne Turkey

2011-06-13T13:13:00.000-06:00

I had some minibar bottles of champagne laying around, so I tried this recipe to cook my first turkey. Heaven.

I've been enjoying turkey sandwiches ever since. Turns out turkey tacos are good too.

Wahsatch Steeplechase Prequel

2011-06-10T00:18:00.000-06:00

I only found out this week that I made it off the waiting list and into the Wahsatch Steeplechase this Saturday. I've been following the drama with the course for awhile though. Record snowfall this year is messing up all the mountain races, including this one. Here's the update I received minutes ago from Butch, the race director.

Howdy,

Welcome to the Dude Peak Derby!

After hearing moderately positive reports from people running the Steeplechase course this past week I decided that I had to check it out one more time before pulling the plug. So, Wednesday evening, several of us headed back up Smugglers Gap Trail to see if there had been some miraculous melting of snow or if collectively we had enough retired climbing ropes to fix the entire snow section. We didn't...

There has been some melt but with the cooler temps the sections that I feel are a bit sketchy are now rock hard and have the potential for serious consequences. I know this group of racers are a pretty hardy bunch. I know many of you personally, and I'm not really concerned about most of you having the ability to get through the course without incident. However, we have had 2 rescues in the past 3 years, so maybe I'm a bit gun shy at this point.

Over this past week I have tried to create another loop course that would actually mirror the Steeplechase course. I failed. Let me qualify that, I didn't completely fail, I've connected this route but it's not ready for an event like this.

So, I know many of you will moan and groan, but we will try to make this as fun as possible while keeping the suffering as high as possible.

Course Description:

Start in Memory Grove Park 6:00 am

Up the road to the hairpin.

Go through the gate in City Creek and up the road for 1/3 mile

Slight left to the City Creek Canyon Trail

3/4 mile up canyon Turn LEFT on the Shoreline Trail intersection. (Mt. Bike Route)

Follow the Shoreline Trail (west) for approximately 1 mile to a single track trail, turn right.

Follow this to the third/single Radio Tower. That is your first Aid Station

From here you will follow a Double Track due East on the Ridge to the Top of Dude Peak (7200 ft) Total from start 7 miles

From the Summit of Dude Peak you get to turn around and run back for about 3 miles

Turn left on the pipeline trail that will take you 1.10 mile into City Creek Canyon

Turn Right on the City Creek Canyon Trail Run 2.5 miles to the finish

Total 13 miles, 3800 vertical gain.

There will be NO AID at Dude Peak.

YOU MUST CARRY AT LEAST 1 BOTTLE. I RECOMMEND 2!

See you all Saturday

Butch

It sounds like we will be getting off easy, as the original course is 17 miles and higher elevation. That means I'll probably have to run it again in the future, to get the full experience.

Reel Big Fish

2011-06-08T16:58:00.001-06:00

I went fishing with Cort today. Check out this monster I pulled in.

Draper Challenge 15 Mile Trail Run

2011-06-01T11:27:00.000-06:00

Race report for the Draper Days 15 mile trail race on May 28th

Up at 7:00 am. Ate a banana for breakfast and geared up. Out by 7:30. Feeling ok. It was a challenge to get through my Thursday run. I’ve been doing consecutive tough runs every Saturday lately. I’m hoping I’m building strength instead of heading towards an injury. The weather is partly cloudy and mild. Trails are
mostly dry with patches of mud.

A bike race started at 8:00. Runners had a group start from the equestrian park parking lot at 8:30. There are 4 race distances: 4, 7, 10, and 15 miles. The trails are in Corner Canyon around and behind the Draper Temple—where I ran 15 miles a few weeks ago. That took me 3 hours and resulted in a nice sun burn.
Knowing the trail climbs for the first 3 miles, I started off slow. Impossible to know how you’re fairing with everyone running different distances. I didn’t want to get caught up with the 4 milers going out too fast.

Mile 1 9:59
Mile 2 11:23

I didn’t carry hydration with me since they had plenty of water stations. Long climb up Lower Canyon, Ghost Falls, and Brock’s Point trails. I was able to run the entire way up on fresh legs.

Mile 3 11:28
Mile 4 8:51

I knew that Clark’s Trail was a long stretch of downhill into Bonneville Shoreline Trail, and that it was full of rocks, roots, sharp turns, and patches of mud. Exactly what I love, but early in the race. I decided to take it as fast as possible since I wouldn’t be able to make up the time later in the race, even though it would mean trashing my legs earlier than I prefer. I had a great time blazing down the trail passing quite a few people.

Mile 5 7:27

The 10 and 15 milers continued on the rolling BST behind the temple, heading SW along the mountainside. The 10 milers had a turnaround point up ahead, so there was a lot of two way traffic on a narrow single track trail for awhile. A lot of the people I thought I was racing against passed me going the other way.

Mile 6 9:29
Mile 7 9:31

The 15 mile course continued on BST until I think we broke off onto Hollow or Oak Creek. This had some nice downhill sections, and I caught the pretty girl I’d been following for several miles. We got kicked out onto a surface street for about a mile to complete a loop. Not fun running in trail shoes on asphalt.

Mile 8 8:32
Mile 9 7:37

We took a small trail from the road that led us back up to the BST—more climbing. I had 2 guys on my tail that I had passed earlier, plus the cute girl. My legs had reached their breaking point by then, and I was struggling on the uphill. I kept them at bay until about mile 11 when they both passed me. Stupid uphill.

Mile 10 10:07
Mile 11 11:17
Mile 12 10:48

We had a short but nice downhill section that took us across the Lower Corner Canyon Trail to an out and back section along the northern section of the BST I think. There was more climbing here which I pushed through as best I could. I had managed to get within site of the 2 guys who passed me earlier and I didn’t
want to lose them again. I shadowed them through the turnaround and all the way back to the main trail down the canyon.

Mile 13 9:19
Mile 14 8:49

One of the guys stopped to get a drink at the last aid station. I skipped it and passed him by. Only about a mile of downhill left. Pushed as hard as I could to catch up to the other guy who had passed me at mile 11. It took until the tunnel under Highland Dr. where we were running through darkness side by side at full speed. I rounded the corner just ahead of him and powered up the steep hill to the parking lot for the final 100 yards into the finish line. I think I broke his spirit, because I finished 13 seconds ahead of him. Sorry 27 year old Tim Thorley of Washington, Utah. He was a good sport about it though.

Mile 15 6:48

Cooled down while they awarded medals for the other races. Chatted with some of the other runners and snacked on bread and pastries. Turns out the top 2 finishers in our race were a couple girls from Park City who destroyed the competition. They finished the out and back section before we even got there. I guess there was some debate as to whether they had completed the entire course, but in the end they were awarded 1st and 2nd. (Their times were 1:49 and 1:55. The fastest male was 2:13)

My time was 2:20:59.3, a 9:23 overall pace. I burned 1620 calories and consumed 3 gels during the race. The aid stations only had water. That banana lasted me the whole race. My fastest pace was 4:37—during the last mile, as usual. I came in 6th overall, 4th out of the men, and 1st in my 36-49 age group. I lucked out,
because the age group below me was 19-35. Hooray for being old! They gave me a ribbon and gift card to Applebees for $20.

Really fun race and it was awesome that the weather coorperated with us. If you haven't run the trails in Corner Canyon, you should schedule a visit soon. They are great.

I also want to give a special shout out to Don, Mark and the Fleet Feet Running Group for helping me train these last couple years. Come join us for some Saturday runs.

Timp Trail Half Marathon

2011-05-23T13:58:00.001-06:00

While everyone else was preparing to be rapturized on Saturday, I was up Provo Canyon with some hardcore athletes running the Timp Trail 1/2 Marathon. Here is my race report along with some stolen photos.

Drove to Timpanogas Park in Provo Canyon for the Timp Trail Half Marathon. Really fortunate to have a break in our week long stretch of rain for the race. The marathon started at 6:00 am. 26 miles on these trails requires a good deal of training. I wasn’t there yet.

The half started at 8:00. This is at least the 3rd race I’ve begun at this park. I was just here for the Operation Smile 5K. There’s a tough climb right off the bat. We started at 4,900’ and slowly make our way up to the mid ridgeline road at 5200’. My strategy for this race was to treat it like a training run for the first 7-8 miles, then do whatever it took to get up Dry Creek Canyon before giving it everything I had left into the finish line.

Course Map

Mile 1 10:00

101 runners out for the half marathon. 61 guys, 40 girls. 90% of them are wearing hydrations packs around their waist, strapped to their back, or in their hand. I brought my hydration pack, but wasn’t sure whether I wanted to wear it. I found out there were only 2 aid stations—somewhere around mile 7 and another close to 10. It was a warm, sunny day. I drank like crazy on my training run here last Saturday. However it’s so much nicer to run without the extra weight and misbalance caused by the pack.

Course Elevation

In the end I decided to risk it and not bring any liquid with me. I slipped two GU’s in my pockets though. We followed the fire road north up Provo Canyon with views of the narrow valley below. It was 2 miles of rolling terrain. I’d guess I was about 30 back from the front. Past Nunns Park below, 2 ½ miles in, we turned onto a single track trail climbing higher up the ridge. We went from 5200’ up to 5800’ in less than a half mile. Legs burning. Got onto another rolling fire road that hovered around 5700’ running south back the way we came.

Mile 2 9:12
Mile 3 11:54

There must have been snow up here recently, because it was extremely muddy. I passed several people on this 3 mile stretch because of my strategy of running through the weeds on the edge of the road. There was a drop off on my left, but most of the time I had a couple feet to work with. I stayed relatively un-muddy with only minimal buildup on the bottoms of my shoes.

Mile 4 9:02
Mile 5 9:08

After exiting Provo Canyon the road dropped down to 5100’ over the course of about a mile. I’ve run this section on several training runs. We hooked onto the Shoreline Trail that runs above Provo, Orem, and then Lindon. I made the right decision not to bring my hydration pack, because I was fine as I arrived at the first aid station. I drank some Heed and continued on my way.

Mile 6 7:39
Mile 7 10:21

It was warm out and I was sweating like a mad man. I had guzzled a lot of Gatorade before the race to make up for not bringing anything with me, but the heat still sucks my energy. Reached Dry Creek trailhead in good shape with the 3 mile climb to the top of the mountain ahead of me. I slammed a 2X Caffeine tangerine gel. (nasty) A lot of power hiking during this stretch. It’s straight up.

Mile 8 13:47
Mile 9 20:38

Plenty of day hikers and campers out. I got passed a lot on the way up. I’m not a strong climber. Maybe 10 people went by me. ¾ of the way up I reached the second aid station run by some youths. They were energetic and seemed to be having a fun time. Perhaps because of the gels and Red Bowl they had been sampling from the table. I drank some water and then downed 2 cups of Red Bull myself. It really helps during a race like this.

There was a cameraman stationed midway up. These are from him.

Mile 10 8:55

Trudged my way up the mountain until finally reaching the high point of 6500’, 10 ½ miles in. It was all downhill from there. 1600 feet straight down a muddy, rocky, root filled, twisting single track trail. As terrible as I am at climbing up mountainsides, I am exceptional at coming down them. It’s always been my strength in trail races. I let myself fly down and trust my eyes to communicate what my feet need to do to stay upright. I hate to jinx myself, but I’ve yet to fall while doing a descent.

Mile 11 7:03

I blew by every single person who passed me on the climb up, plus a few more. I spent a lot of time in the grass and weeds along the side of the trail to avoid slick mud. You can have thousands of perfect steps, but it only takes one wrong one to send you headlong into a 6 month recovery from a broken bone. My eyes almost never leave the trail. I know where every single rock and root is located in front of me for a split second before it’s replaced with another split second of trail obstacles further ahead.

Mile 12 7:46

Anyway, I love running downhill on difficult trails. The last 100 yards into the finish line are really steep. I had just passed another runner and was in a dead sprint—faster than I should have been going on that slope. I felt two mini pulls in my left calve and had to take most of my weight off of that foot as I finished the last 50 yards. It was a close call, but ended up being fine. Gave me a little scare.

Mile 13 7:32

.41 Miles 5:37 (reminder: this is my pace, not how long it took to go .41 miles)

Drank a bunch of water and cooled down in the shade. Stretched out my calves. I ended up doing better than I anticipated. I finished in 2:15:01. 17th overall, 12th male, and 5th in my 30-39 age group. My Garmin measured the distance at 13.41 miles, a bit longer than a half marathon. Average pace was 10:05. My fastest pace held at some point during the race, according to my Garmin, was 3:43. (it was in that last .41 miles—which is what led to the calve pain.) Calories burned = 1,414. I never felt at want for more than the 2 drinks I had and the 1 gel.

They had to massive pots of chili cooking for the runners. 20 minutes after I finished the hunger hit me. I had two big bowls, some chips and a roll. So good. A 10 minute ice bath after I got home helped my aching legs to recover. Great race. I'd love to try the marathon next year.

This photo is from the start of the Hope For Sarah 5K on April 30th. That's me in the middle.

Rocky Point Food & Fun

2011-05-05T15:07:00.000-06:00

More fun from Rocky Point...

Surf lessons

Shade oasis

Tide pools

Communal meals: the fixin's for tortilla soup

Aaron's famous shrimp boil--no utensils required

Aftermath

The ride home

Beach Bocce

2011-04-14T19:14:00.000-06:00

We had so much fun playing beach bocce in Mazatlan a few years ago, we made sure to bring down another set for this trip. We use acres of sand and tide pools as our game board. It's awesome.

Cort, Joey, Aaron, and Jeff

Cort lining up his shot

It's more impressive when you see how far away we are from the target ball.

The Measurement

We play until we literally can't see our balls...

Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point)

2011-04-14T01:34:00.000-06:00

I'm in Rocky Point this week with friends. Aaron generously offered up their beach house to us Utah folk trying to escape our chilly spring. It was a long drive down but totally worth it.

Driving down in the Emig van: This is Jack, their second oldest boy

Grace and Carolina getting their wiggles out after lunch at Taco Bell.

This accident delayed us a bit.

My sweet digs at Casa Alahaja

Banho de Shane

Views from the balcony

Looking back at the house from the beach

Joe and Cali walking back to the house

Cort taking much better photos than I

Ragnar Del Sol 2011

2011-03-27T17:40:00.000-06:00

I took advantage of a work trip to Arizona to run the Ragnar Del Sol Relay with my oldest sister Jenny and her team. 197 miles from Wickenburg to Tempe. It was a fun experience and my 5th Ragnar Relay. Out time was 31:21:03. We were 200th overall and 95th in the Open Mixed Regular division.

Tons of pictures were taken, but I've been unable to track any of them down except for these 4. I'll post them later if they ever surface.

Our team of 12

Our team name was an homage to the movie Elf

My final exchange to Jake

The medal

Katniss Everdeen

2011-03-10T01:19:00.000-07:00

I feel very invested in which young actress will be selected to play Katniss Everdeen in the film adaptation of the Hunger Games trilogy. It's a role of a lifetime in a potentially awesome movie trilogy. In the wrong hands, played by the wrong girl, it could be a disaster. I've been campaigning hard for it to me Chloe Morentz from "Kick Ass" and "Let Me In". She's my first pick by far.

Chloe is the next Natalie Portman. It's a lock. She's crazy talented, smart, and has the looks to boot. She is going to be a major superstar. I have no doubt in my mind. Natalie got her start in a similar fashion; playing the role of a hit girl in a very mature movie, "Leon" (The Professional). It happens to be one of my favorite films of all time. Easily top 3.

Others have mentioned Hailee Steinfeld from True Grit. She's not a terrible choice, but I don't feel it's good fit. She's not blood thirsty enough. Tonight I found my alternate pick: Kaitlyn Dever. She's currently playing a 14 year old on the fantastic FX show Justified. She also had small parts on Curb Your Enthusiasm, Modern Family, and Party Down. Talk about resume builders...

Believe me when I say that this girl has it. She's the real deal, and I like to think I'm one of the first people to say she's going all the way. There's no chance she will be considered for such a high profile role as Katniss, but she should. Hopefully the casting director will come across my blog.

When Hale Freezes Over 5K

2011-01-29T17:16:00.005-07:00

Annie and I ran in the Hale Freezes Over 5K this morning. I've run in their 10K's twice before and haven't managed to crack the top 3 in my age division. These races always bring out some of the best local runners. I hoped my luck would change in the 5K, and it did. I got FIRST in my age group. Woohoo!

VICTORY!

Time: 20:37 (7th overall)

Great race organization and prizes as usual. They always do a fantastic job.

Thanks Annie for snapping this shot. And congrats on your 2nd place age group finish!

The Mocktail

2011-01-17T23:22:00.005-07:00

Annie invited me to accompany her to the 2011 Mocktail, a masquerade ball held annually up in Sandy. It's an excuse to dress up, drink pretend cocktails, and practice one's dance moves.

Annie, Me, Kassidy, Jared, & Rayelene
That mask is growing on me. I'm one step away from donning a cape and fighting crime.

Group photo with a bunch of people who's names I can no longer remember. Ok, let's be honest. I never remembered them in the first place.

Blaine & his wife getting their groove on.

Couple's were encouraged to show off their stuff in succession across the dance floor as Justin Timberlake serenaded us. This is Kassidy & I attempting to "bring sexy back".

Aerial shot

Please don't steal our soap!

2011-01-14T16:57:00.003-07:00

I'm not sure what's funnier. Tying down your soap or thinking that flimsy string is going to stop a determined suds thief.

Tica bus station restroom. Tapachula, Mexico

New Year's Day in Antigua

2011-01-03T07:56:00.016-07:00

Explored Antigua on New Year's Day.

Inside the Parqueo del Santuario

Father Tuck

This cross appears to have some conflicting symbols. Either that, or I missed the chapter in the Bible where Jesus plays a mean game of dice.

Martha, June, and Steve taking in some sun

Is this Full Service or Self Service?

Chicken Buses

I sampled various street foods in the plaza for dinner

Lake Atitlán to Antigua

2011-01-01T09:34:00.006-07:00

We took a boat tour around Lake Atitlán yesterday, a large volcanic lake--the deepest in Central America, although there are parts that have not yet been sounded. It's surrounded by 3 volcanoes.

From the docks of Panajachel.

June

New construction on the old church in San Pedro de Laguna across the lake

On the steps of the main church in Santiago. Steve in the background.

Olivia & June on the dance floor. New Year's Eve in Antigua, Guatemala.

Olivia & Jessica + the requisite creepy old dude who keeps trying to squirm his way into our dance circle.
[Note: In this scenario, I'm not the creepy old dude]

Panajachel & Chichicastenango

2010-12-30T21:32:00.013-07:00

Sorry it's taken me this long to get a group shot up. Out for sushi in San Cristobal with the 7 of us: Martha, Danielle, Me, Steve, Jessica, Jun, and Olivia

Jun applying her face mask on the go

Chichicastenango Market

Kids fishing for wishes in the fountain.

Indian weavers on the sidewalk in Panajachel

"More chicken blood please"

We ate an Argentine steak house tonight. I got a large one.

San Cristóbal de las Casas

2010-12-28T17:27:00.007-07:00

I've been enjoying a few days in the beautiful city of San Cristóbal de las Casas.

Freshly squeezed orange juice for breakfast. It's the perfect street beverage.

The first missionaries I've seen in Mexico. Elder Norman from Provo on the right. He said San Cristobal is the city everyone wants to get transferred to in his mission.

San Cristobal below from the vantage point of Templo de Guadalupe

Yes, I was an uninvited guest at the wedding inside. It was a beautiful ceremony and I even teared up a little when the bride was giving her vows.

Most of the colonial homes have huge doors that face the street, many with these old school locks.

An ill advised pass. Traffic was backed up for a mile.

Today's lunch. Pozole and tacos.

One of the hundreds of Indian ladies who walk the streets selling their wares. No, not those wares.

Getting Handsy at the Beach

2010-12-27T18:20:00.006-07:00

Getting Handsy at the Beach

Final day in Playa Escondida. Took a stroll along the beach at dusk with Olivia--the only time I can venture out of the shadows and not get burned to a crisp. (dawn doesn't count because I'm in bed)

We passed this sculpture of hands coming out of the rocks.

Another angle

And further away

Fishing boats mingled with beach goers.

Olivia

Christmas on the Beach

2010-12-26T13:35:00.003-07:00

Utah snow is more manageable when you take a break over the holidays. Christmas this year was spent on the beach in Playa Escondida.

View left

View right

Breakfast

Monte Albán y Noche de Rábanos

2010-12-23T21:31:00.022-07:00

Natalie, a girl from the other tour group, and I went to see the Monte Albán ruins this morning. We really enjoyed these and I took a ton of pictures. Some of my better ones are below. Sorry if this is boring.

These flowering trees were all over the grounds and attracted enormous bumblebees.

These ruins are handi-capable. Emphasis on capable.

We were lucky enough to be in Oaxaca on Dec 23rd: Noche de Rábanos (Night of the Radishes) People display ornate sculptures in the main square made from radishes. It's one of their biggest festivals of the year. Again, I took LOADS of photos, but these are the best.

I spotted Master Chef Rick Bayless down for the festivities.

This lady's look intrigued me.

Puebla to Oaxaca

2010-12-22T22:15:00.007-07:00

Wandered around Puebla this morning enjoying the pretty colonial architecture.

We arrived in Oaxaca this afternoon. Dinner was at this street stand--sort of a quesadilla grilled over a coal fire.

Lots of stuff going on in the main Zocolo for the holidays. This little girl used the tree to get a better view.

Mexico City Winter Fun

2010-12-21T18:09:00.005-07:00

We walked through the Mariachi Square last night. These dudes set up full bars with just crates and barrels.

This morning I walked to the Zocolo where a winter festival was in full swing. Historic buildings surround the square.

Children were making snowmen using compacted fake snow in molds.

First snowmobiling rink I've seen.

Not your average sledding backdrop.

Pyramids of Teotihuacán

2010-12-20T17:17:00.013-07:00

I took a day tour to a couple different places, including the Pyramids of Teotihuacán.

Our first stop was at the Tenochtitlán ruins within the city.

We went inside that cathedral in the photo above, which is where I found this dude taking a snooze.

Some candles

I can't figure out if this Pope is wearing the Virgin Mary as a dress or simply invading her personal space from behind.

Obligatory stop at a tequila making place where they fill you with shots in hopes you'll get drunk enough to buy their overpriced bottles.

I tried this unknown fruit. It wasn't very good.

I asked what kind of dog this was. The answer: Mexican Dog.

Pyramids of Teotihuacán

Fresh from snowy Utah, my milky white skin got a little color today.

Mexican archeologists?

Standing in front of The Pyramid of the Sun before heading up

Mid way up. Pyramid of the Moon in the distance.

It's a steep climb.

Remember Datsons?

Mexican Support Bra

Mexico City Day 1

2010-12-19T17:17:00.006-07:00

I'm south of the border until Jan 4th, starting in Mexico City. Nothing says Bien Viendo like a pounding altitude headache and a suicide cab ride through gridlocked traffic. Snapped a few photos this afternoon.

Mexican Ear Drums

Mexican Dentist

Mexican Santa

Mexican Tacos
(Adding slivers of pineapple is pure genius)

Mexican Condiments
(lime wedges, roasted onions, cucumbers, and guacamole. In sum, they kick ass over our condiments)

Sorry about the poor quality of the food photos. People were staring. I'll do better.

Chubby Chaser

2010-12-05T00:28:00.007-07:00

I turned 37 today and celebrated by getting together with friends for a casual dinner at Chubby's in Pleasant Grove. It's a classic American joint that serves up delicious burgers, fries, and other greasy staples.

Chubby's

Outside Looking In

The Chubby Challenge Wall. We didn't attempt it.

(Left to Right) Aaron, Mary, Cali, Joey, Deanna, Lauren(?), Katie, Brandon, Me, & Annie

Cali & Joe

Deanna & her cousin(?) Lauren(?) -- I'm terrible with names.

Brandon and I posing with my birthday present from Chubby's--a $10 gift card. Yes, Brandon is holding my hand. We are both very comfortable with our sexuality.

Two thirds of the way through my Bacon Bleu Burger. They don't skimp on the bacon or the bleu cheese.

November Geocaching

2010-11-28T18:18:00.005-07:00

I took Brayden out on another geocaching hike--this time further north around the Jordan River Trail. We found a total of 9 caches. These are some of the photos I took of our finds.

While down in AZ for Thanksgiving, I took some of the family out to the Power & Thomas area for a little geocache adventure.

On the way there. My dad in the back with my nieces.

My sister Amy was the first to find this one hidden inside a dead tree trunk.

My oldest sister Jenny holding a cache with Red Mountain in the background. My dad and 4 nieces also pictured.

Rawwwrrrrrr!

2010-11-19T23:43:00.004-07:00

I had to steal this one from my sister Mary's blog. It's my nephew James scowling in his Halloween costume. I love it. I couldn't decide on just one caption, so here are a couple I just came up with. Feel free to add your own.

"Touch this sucker and it's go time"

"Happy Halloween dirt bags!"

"Got a light?"

"Do you really want to find out if these claws are real?"

"I'm King of the Jungle, biatch"

"Pet me again and I'll take the hand off at the wrist"

"This lion needs a diaper change"

"Hand over the candy--and your jewelry too!"

Las Vegas Ragnar Relay 2010

2010-10-30T15:09:00.013-06:00

Finally getting around to publishing my Vegas Ragnar Relay photos. No race report here--My journal list already received it--plus others on my team have posted some on their blogs.

Van 1: Blaine, Aaron, Cami, Raylene, Annie, and Me.

And we're off! Aaron starts our first leg.

Annie demonstrating proper safety protocol. Crossing the street without a flag was a no-no.

Hydration was critical. Aaron filling up on his first leg.

Our van (Aaron & Blaine)

Other, less appropriate vans

Annie with Lake Mead in the background. Raylene giving liquid & moral support.

Raylene with her signature bandanna.

Blaine leaving The Valley of Fire behind him.

Me on my first leg (#6) with Aaron in tow providing GU & water

Nobody took pictures during our second leg in the middle of the night, so here are some from leg 3.

Raylene showing excellent form and stretching technique.

Cami passing off to me for our van's final leg of the race.

Batman.

Me & the cactus

And with a blistering welt to my brother's wrist, our van was finished. I can't tell you how happy these next two photos make me. My dad and I have been the only two runners in our family for some time. Then a few years back, a couple of my sisters and in-laws took up the call. My brother Dave is the newest recruit, and I couldn't be happier. We don't have a ton of things in common, so it's nice to have a newfound shared interest in running. I hope it lasts for decades.

Look at him go!

Sorry Dave, we took a team photo while you suffered through your 10 mile leg.

Running as a team to the finish line at the Red Rock Resort in Vegas. This is what pure joy looks like.

Jule, Blaine, Dave

Blaine, Annie, & Dave

The Finish Line

A final team photo

The sweet medal

We ended up 112th out of 257 overall, and 98th out of 220 in the Coed Division. Not too shabby.

The 2 vans finally got a chance to mix n mingle afterward.

Raylene & Annie with Albert, our flamboyant waiter at Denny's later that night.

Dirty Dash 10K Race Report

2010-10-02T19:28:00.008-06:00

Up early to drive to Midway for The Dirty Dash, a 10K trail race with obstacles and lots of mud. This turned out to be the biggest inaugural race in Utah’s history.

Many people dressed in costumes--these folks took it one step further.

They had multiple waves of runners going all day. I was in the first wave of individual competitors starting at 9:00 am.

My mud gear consists of a Park City Marathon technical T, running shorts, technical socks, and my Adidas trail shoes, which are made of mesh to allow the mud to flow back out, as well as having the deepest lugs of my 3 pair.

This is not an accurate map of the course by any means. Obstacles were in a different order and we certainly didn't run in a circle. Still, it gives you an idea.

I lined up at the front. Many runners had on crazy costumes and were running it for fun. Races for me are serious business, so I was going for time and place.

That's me in the "lead" for about 2 seconds.

The race starts up a steep, muddy hill. They had a big sprinkler going. That quickly separated the dudes in full suits from the relative handful of us actually trying to compete.

We continued to climb for about a mile. Pretty exhausting. We passed through a snow making machine that blew freezing cold water on us. We headed down another trail after reaching the top. They had 3 foot high hay bails across the trail in about 6-8 spots.

I didn't pull any 360's myself

My strategy was to leap off with my right foot, land on top with the left, and then land with my right. Most of the trails were mud free, so it was very runnable and therefore very tiring.

Thank goodness for kilt undergarments.

The next obstacles were two sets of pipes that you had to crouch down and scramble through on all fours.

The course had a ton of hills, which was the toughest obstacle of all. I’ve run a lot of trail races, and this was up there in difficulty.

One of the tougher challenges were the walls. They had about 20 yards of deep mud leading up to wooden walls that we had to climb over, after having already run about 3-4 miles.

I used the old plant the hands, throw up a foot, and hurdle the rest of my body over method. It was sploosh on the other side into more mud.

Someone's about to get real muddy.

I think the tires came next—a lot of them. Maybe a hundred feet of tires you had to step through football training style. Raising the knees that high to get in and out of those tires was tiring.

I hung the entire race with a 7th and 9th grader. One runs cross country and the other goes to a private school and runs marathons. We took a wrong turn at a fence, not realizing we had to go through it, losing a little time. That led to a mud bog out by Deer Creek Reservoir. The course went an entire mile through deep mud and water. It was a mess.

My trail shoes really came in handy there. I know most of the racers today were wearing regular running shoes without any traction. Plus, there’s no way for these to come off, no matter how sticky and deep the mud.

We were breathing really heavy by the time we left the mud fields behind us. We followed a parallel trail to the one we came out on, passing all the other runners, most of them walking. I don’t think they realized how tough it was going to be today. The last half mile featured the steepest climb of the race. I had to dig deep to make it to the top without walking.

However, at the top, they had waiting a custom built, massive slip ‘n slide going downhill 150 yards.

They said it was the largest in the world, but who knows. There were 4-5 lanes. I chose the middle one where the water from a fire hose was strongest. The cross country kid had launched himself down the first lane just before I got there.

I took a running start and threw myself onto the slide, flying down until the last 50 yards where I had to use my arms to keep moving. I exited before the kid and flew downhill towards the finish. The last 100 yards was an army boot camp style mud crawl under ropes.

A 5 member team of Greek gods heads for the final plunge.

It was deep, dirty, and cold. Deep enough that I went under once and had to struggle to keep moving forward.

Pool of mud

Face plant

I had muddy water drooling from my mouth at this point

Crawling to the finish

One more steep dirt mound to climb over after exiting the mud and then across the finish line.

Got my photo taken and then I found my way to the showers. I had mud everywhere.

Awesome race!!! If there were any negatives, it's that they didn't have any drinking water at the end and the result tracking was sketchy at best. Finishing times are posted here, but they are organized by bib number and start times on a PDF form.

I tried to figure out the top 10 overall finishers for the day, but my guess is that some of the people who were supposed to start in the second wave actually started in the first, so their times were 14 minutes fast. We had about 550 runners in wave 1, and I came in 10th overall in that group, with a time of 54:20. Drew Linton came in first with 50:06.

I came across this guy on a blog. He got mud in his eye and scratched his cornea, earning him a trip to the insta-care.

Good times!!!

Bedroom of Versailles

2010-09-19T18:01:00.004-06:00

I'm 36 years old and have never owned a new bed or dresser before. It was time. Cory over at Knight's Mattress & Furniture was my kind of salesman. Informative without any pressure.

I went with the New Classic Versailles Sleigh queen bed and a new pillow-top mattress set

With a matching lift-top dresser

I'm a fan of the secret compartment top