Summit junkie!

I can't believe that another year has passed us by again. They go so fast the older you get. I had an amazing 2009, and I am hoping to have an even better 2010. I did accomplish most of my fitness goals, and I made many great memories hiking and running last year. I climbed 31 peaks, ran my first half and full marathons, and met some incredible people along the way. There were several EARLY mornings, but I loved every one of them, and I can't wait for more adventure this year. Wishing everyone the best in 2010.

Oh yeah, I did manage 4 on the TM today. It's not the way I wanted to start out the new year, but it will have to do.

Had a really fun run this morning with Jun and Aaron K. on the BST. We met at 7:00, and Aaron wasn't feeling all that well, so after a few minutes he had to stop and take care of his issues, and Jun and I kept going. The trail was covered in snow, but it wasn't as slick as the last time we ran it because the snow was fresh. After about a mile I also started having issues with my stomach and I had to stop (I'll spare you all of the details) for a few minutes while Jun moved way ahead. After I resolved my issues it took about 5 minutes to catch up to Jun, who had stopped to wait for me. The mountain was completely enveloped in clouds, and the fantastic view we had for the first 20 minutes was gone.

At about mile 3 my knee started to bother me, and when the snow got deeper I actually had to walk a bit because it was hurting. We turned around at mile 4, and then on our way back we ran into Aaron about 3 miles from the cars. He looked a lot better, and he and Jun motored ahead for the rest of the run, while I was much slower. My knee was really sore, and it was really hurting the last mile. I think it was too much up and down on the sledding hill the other day, so I will take it easy for a few days.

It was a really fun run, and the perfect way to start my Saturday.

Nice and easy 4 to test the knee, and it felt really good. Maybe it was the fact that I wasn't running in snow and uphill/downhill, or it could have been all of the Ibuprofen I've been eating since the run on Sat. Either way I'm good to go.

Went to the gym and lifted for 45 min (upper body/core). Had a very good workout even though I was in a bad mood. Ran 1 mile on the track after I was done. I tried to go fast, but I am not in very good shape right now. (7:25). At least my side wasn't hurting this time.

Updating my profile pic. This is a recent photo with my son. 

I am soooo sick of the TM, but I hate running after dark in the winter, so it will have to do. I think I may run over at the gym just to mix things up a bit. I am also going to go climb something this Friday morning I think. got my new snow shoes and want to try them out.

I couldn't stand the thought of the TM, so I decided to run the track at the gym instead. I did 6 miles (78 laps) in 49 minutes. It was good to do something different, and I got to watch all of the treadmillers through the glass. It felt like I was having more fun. :)

I played basketball at the church tonight (and who was saying sledding is dangerous?). It doesn't count for any miles, but it was a good workout anyway. Lots of guys in aging bodies that still think they have it = entertaining. :) 

I also did 15-20 min of ab work.

Today I am going to climb something. I am thinking about Deaf Smith Peak on the Little Cottonwood ridge. I'm excited to try out my new snowshoes. 

I left work early today to get into the mountains. I wanted to try out my new snowshoes, so my goal was to get to the summit of Deaf Smith Peak, which is on the Little Cottonwood ridge. I have never been up there before, and didn't even know where a trail was. I just planned on finding a good place to start, and head up. I actually found a trailhead in a neighborhood just off of Wasatch Blvd, and it was snow covered right from the start.

There was a packed in trail, so I didn't need the snowshoes, and I tried to move fast because I didn't have a lot of time. By time I reached the ridge I was very sweaty, and having a great workout. I was now above the inversion, and the SL valley looked absolutely disgusting. Luckily, I was above the dirty air. The weather was actually quite nice up there and felt warmer than down in the valley.

The fun really began on the ridge because there was a lot of brush and scrub oak to deal with, and it really slowed me down. I went over a few minor peaks, and I finally could see my goal. The ridge was such a messy bushwhack, and it really was tedious, and I actually ran out of time. I was about 30 minutes from the top, but I didn't have my headlamp, and I had to get home anyway. The views up there were amazing though.

I don't know exactly how far I went, but based on the topo map I am guessing about 5 miles with around 3k elevation gain.

It was a fun workout, and I will definitely be back to hit the summit this year.

No running today. My legs are a little sore from yesterday, so I decided to give them a rest. I did however go to the gym today to lift (upper body/core). It was the 'Fitness Fair' at the AF fitness center today, and it was utter stinky chaos. Wow! Lots of people, and it was so stinky in there. haha. Anyway, I guess the gym will be crowded again for a few months untill all of the resolution people drop off.

One of my goals this year has been to work on my abs/core at least twice per week. The last few months I have started to use a workout ball at the gym, but I haven't really been spending enough time there because I am usually focused on lifting, so I finally broke down and spent 10 bucks on a ball. :) I actually think it will be the best 10 bucks I have spent in a while. Today I did a 40 minute ab/core workout with my new ball, and it was my best ab/core workout that I have ever had. I'm excited to see my progress this year, and being able to do this at home will help me spend more time on these areas. I'm not sure if it will help me run faster, but it might make my tummy tighter.

I also did 4 on the TM.

I decided to run the track at the gym and skip the TM tonight. The gym was insane with twice as many cars as usual for a Monday, and when I couldn't find a parking spot I was kind of irritated. There were a few others running the track, but they were pretty slow. I decided to take Smooths advice and I changed directions every 5 laps. Believe it or not it actually did mix things up just enough to keep it from getting too boring, and I didn't have any pains at all.

At first I was irritated with all of the people there, but as I ran I looked at all of the faces, and everyone was trying so hard. There was one heavier lady that walked the whole time I was on the track, and she was pushing herself as hard as I was, and I changed my attitude about all of these folks. They all just want to improve themselves and get better, and I guess that is what all of us are trying to do, so I did get some inspiration from them. I hope most of them reach their goals.

My time was just around 1 hour.

Abs are still sore. Had a bad headache when I got home from work, so no working out tonight. I'm sure my body can use the rest.

Went to the gym and lifted (upper body) for 40 minutes. For some reason I was worked after about 20 minutes, but pushed it a little more. I also did 2 miles because I had time, and I finished in just over 14 minutes. I pushed it harder than normal and I really felt in in my calves. I wanted to run more tonight, but ran out of time.

Church ball-

I love playing sports, and basketball is one of my favorites, so it is very hard to not play when I can find a game. I know that church ball might be one of the more risky endeavers that a person can be engaged in, and I guess I will just keep taking my chances.

I had a guy run into me from behind going almost full speed. He was out of control, and I didn't see him coming, so I couldn't brace myself. He plowed into my back, and now my muscles are very tight and sore. I took 800 mg of Ibuprofen, and that helped some, but I am still very stiff. It's my own fault for playing, and I fully expect that sort of thing. I actually love contact, and playing hard, but when people get out of control it bugs me. Anyway!

Highlights of the game in case you're mildly interested:

Number of swear words said under my breath- I'll admit to two

Number of times the game had to be stopped by the officials (term used rather loosely) to chastise teams for poor sportsmanship- Two

Number of fouls I committed- At least 10, but was only called for one :)

Number of times players complained about a bad call- On every whistle

Number of players that had to go out of the game because of bleeding- one

Yes, we won the game :)

Barely had time to get in 4 on the TM today. Busy week.

Met Jun, Twinkies and Kam at Mueller Park for an early morning run. It was cold and the trail was covered in snow, but it was absolutely beautiful up there, and I loved the trail. It is fairly steep the first mile, but we got into a good groove, and before I knew it we were at Elephant Rock. I didn't have time to keep going because we were having a birthday party for my son who is turning five, and I had a lot to get done. I wanted to at least keep going to mile 4, so that it would give me an even 8 for the day, but the trail after Elephant Rock was not great, and it was a lot more work than I was expecting, so I turned back after about 50 yards.

Running back by myself was fun. I had some great tunes in the iPod, and the views were great. I was in a very good mood the whole time. I got back to the car at 8:53, so it took me about 1:20 to complete the run. I'm not sure how much elevation gain there was up to Elephant Rock, but it was nice and steep the whole way.

What a fun run. I would love to go back and do it again.

30 minute ab workout while I watched the Jets Chargers game. I love my new ball.

Also took the dog on a 3 mile run because she really needed to get some exercise. It was a lot of fun, but I deserve bonus miles because I had to fight her a lot. She gets so excited and tries to chase every dog and cat we come across. She did only run into me once, so she is getting better.

Had the day off, so we took the kids to a movie (Spy Next Door), and then to my parents for a party for my son. I made it to the gym and lifted for 40 minutes (biceps, triceps, chest, shoulders). My abs were so sore and I could only do about half as many pull ups as normal before I got tired. That ball is great.

I weigh myself after every workout and for the last 3 months I have been within 1-2 lbs every time. Tonight I was 4 lbs higher than I have been in the last 3 months. I'm not sure if it was all of the pizza, Cafe Rio, cake and ice cream over the weekend, but it is just odd that it would spike by 4 lbs after 3 months of being the same weight no matter how much I exercised or ate. I'm very interested to see what the scale says next time.

Went to the dentist on Tuesday and had some major work done. It was a lot more serious than I had hoped, but I did get a heavy dose of nitrous to make me forget about all of my pain. Not a great day, and felt terrible, so no working out.

Yesterday I still had a terrible headache and the Lortab the dentist gave me knocked me out after work, so no working out for the second day in a row. I can't remember the last time that happened.

Hopefully the rest of the week will be better. I plan on hitting the gym tonight for some lifting and running. I'll update later.

PM- Did 4.5 on the TM. It felt good to actually sweat again. I think I'll hit the gym in the AM to lift. My mouth, jaw and head are killing me. I'm debating Lortab or Ibuprofen.

Woke up early and hot the gym before work. Lifted for 45 minutes (chest, arms, core) and had a great workout. I love starting off my Fridays at the gym. My mouth is still hurting, but 3 Ibuprofen for breakfast knocked out the pain.

I weighed myself and I lost the 4 lbs that I mysteriously gained a few days ago. I'm not sure how that happened.  I'm going to try and run some on the TM later if I can. Good luck to everyone running races this weekend.

My wife has a project due for school, so I spent most of the day watching, wrestling, chasing, and otherwise playing with my kids. It was a loooong day, and I was exhausted. All I can say is you stay at home moms work your butts off, and definitely work a lot harder than I do.

My wife was sweet enough to allow me time to get in a good workout, so I did 8 on the TM in 1:11. I was sweating all over and was starving after I finished, so I rewarded myself with a bowl of Crunch Berries.

My wife also picked me up some new trail runners (Asics Kahana's). They aren't Gor-tex like my Montrails, but I think they are more comfortable. I am excited to run in them. She is an angel.

I had a terrible night sleep. My mouth was still hurting, and I woke up to take some ibuprofen around 3:00 AM, then my calf got a knot and woke me up around 4:00 AM, and finally my son got in bed with me and accidentally punched me in the nose around 5:00. Ugh! It was one of those nights.

I did manage to get a 4 mile run in even though I was tired and felt crappy most of the day. I need to have a good week this week because last week was horrible.

50 minutes at the gym lifting (biceps, triceps, chest, lats). Also did 30 minute core workout while watching TV. I was really tired today, but felt really good at the gym.

I had another busy day today, and I barely found time to fit in 4 on the TM after the kids were in bed. I really need to get out and climb something or get on a trail. I am supposed to climb Lone Peak this Saturday, so that should add some excitement to my life. I climbed it last winter, and it was one of the scarier adventures of 2009. I'll post a link to some pictures from last years climb.

Lone Peak 2009

I just wasn't feeling it at all, but I made myself go to the gym anyway. I ran laps on the track instead of the TM tonight. 6 miles with an average pace of 9:20.

Church ball tonight. I had a great workout, but paid for it with a knee to my thigh from a rather large man on the other team. Hopefully it won't bother me to much.

We had to cancel our Lone Peak climb for Saturday because the avalanche danger is just too high right now. We have tentatively moved it to next Friday, so hopefully the conditions will improve.

Now I need something to do on Sat. I'm looking to get out for at least 10 miles in the morning. If anyone wants to get out let me know.

I woke up early this morning to get in my workout before work. I love getting up early on Fridays to lift because it allows me to spend more time with my family on Friday night, and I always feel better when I can get my workout in. I think I will add this to my routine every week.

I was really tired because I stayed up late watching a show on the Discovery channel. I only got 5 hours of sleep, so it was hard getting out of bed, but I am glad I did. the gym was so crowded this morning. I lifted (upper body/core) for 45 minutes and I must have worked hard because I was sweating bad when I quit.

Have a great weekend everyone!

I wanted to get out and do something big today, but I just didn't have time. I spent most of the day playing with my kids while my wife studied. Played some indoor baseball and Rockband on the Wii. The kids kicked my butt.

Got outside for a run at 9:30 and did 5 miles. I hate running in the dark, so I stopped after 5. My pace wasn't very fast. I just wasn't feeling like pushing it at all.

30 minutes of ab work with my ball while watching TV.

Also did 4 TM miles. 8:50 pace. I wanted to do something big this weekend, but it just didn't work out. Hopefully this week.