Let it Snow

There was talk several weeks ago about a storm front coming in to Salt Lake that was going to be for the record books.  Some called the Katrina of Utah, and others called it the Storm of the Century.  It ended up being a pretty mild storm that left us with 4-6 inches of snow and some big wind gusts.  I ran that night, right as the worst of the storm hit us.  I believe I went 8 miles and the only really tough part was the wind coming north on State Street.  Last night, it started snowing about 3:00 and by the time Dave and I headed out around 6:00, there was already 4 inches on the ground.  I was dying to try out my new CW-X tights, so waiting another day was out of the question.  The tights were awesome.  I'm not sure how much they helped my knees, but they were warm and very comfortable.  Actually, I was way too hot during the run.  There was a pretty stiff breeze, so I wore a long sleeve Under Armor shirt, a polyester mid-layer and a windbreaker, plus my balaclava.  I thought about wearing ski goggles, and wished I would have on the last two miles with the wind pelting snow into my eyes.

We moved along pretty well, especially considering another 2 inches dumped on us during the 40 minutes we were out there.  Dave got these snow traction things for his shoes for Christmas, which can only be used on heavy snow/ice days, but I think they helped him a lot.  I couldn't push off at all without slipping in the areas that were plowed, so I stayed more in the deep powder.  It was like running on sand, but I wasn't sliding all over the place.  As we were running passed a parking lot, I heard a guy tell his buddy, "now that is hard core."  I think a lot of people could have used the weather last night as a reason not to run and that was part of what made it such an intense thing to do.  Running 4 miles at night is not that big of a deal, but doing it in 6+ inches of snow, during a blizzard...pretty sweet.  I need to get some sort of traction device for the next one though to make it a little bit easier.

Shorts

I forgot to wash my cold weather gear from my run last Friday, so I had to improvise last night for a quick 4 mile run.  I wore some soccer socks that came up to my knees and some shorts along with a couple of long sleeve shirts.  I topped it off with my gloves and a balaclava to keep my head and neck warm.  Of course I also wore the reflective suspenders and even discovered that I could carry my phone in the pocket.  It worked out nicely.  I'm almost done with my book.  I'm looking forward to listening to "Born to Run."  My dad and a buddy of mine have both recommended it and I've been looking forward to reading/listening to it for a while.

I tried to really push myself last night, but the cold made it hard to breathe after the first hundred meters or so.  I normally use my first run of the week as more of a recovery run, but I still wanted to stay around 10 minute miles.  I ran the first mile in 9 minutes 25 seconds, then walked for a minute and ran the last 3 miles in about 29 minutes.  It felt good to run, but my legs were on fire when I got back.  It weird how the cold can burn like that.

Christmas Eve

I rested all week to give my body a chance to be ready for the 17 miles last Friday.  I'm glad I did because it was brutal.  Dave ran with me, but Dan couldn't because he was in Wyoming for Christmas.  We ran about 6 miles before we got to Dave's truck and got a quick drink then had sustenance lined up every two miles or so after that.  We learned something pretty interesting about creatine during our run...It is bad to take it before a long run.  Dave's fingers and forearms swelled up like crazy as a result and it made him cramp up really bad.  Lesson learned.

Even though the weather was warm (40 degrees), the cold wind made it feel like another sub-freezing run. I didn't dress quite as warm as usual, meaning I didn't wear a mid-layer and I was still plenty comfortable, but any time we stopped to drink the cold would hurt for a while.  I'm sure we stopped for too long anyway, but the cold makes it that much worse.  Race day might get up into the 60's, so the cold won't be a problem then.

For the first time, 26 miles seemed doable.  I was dog tired after 17, but I think with a few more weeks, I'll be ready for 9 more.  However, 5 hours is starting to seem like a tough mark to hit.

We were already a little late for Christmas Eve dinner at the Peterson's, so I didn't have time to take an ice bath.  My knees and ankles felt the effects of that all day Saturday and Sunday.  When school starts up again next week, it will be really hard to do the long runs after school on Saturdays.  I'm glad the race is almost here.

Slacker

I totally forgot to write about the 16 excruciating miles we ran as a team on Saturday.  Dan showed up in his black tights, looking good, but queer at the same time.  It was warm enough that I could keep my ninja suit on the shelf and just wear my mid layer, which is white.  It doubles as my snow ninja gear if I ever need it to.  I don't really remember what Dave was wearing, but I'm sure basketball shorts were part of it.

We decided to run a four mile loop 4 times.  We parked Dave's truck at Sports Authority and threw some water bottles in the back, so we could hydrate every two miles or so.  My lap times were something like, 40:10, 42:30, 45:30, and 48:00.  I think Dave was about the same, except he killed the final 4 miles in 41 minutes.  Dan hurt his knee, so he stopped after 12 miles.  As a result, he is downgraded to questionable.  Two days later, Dave's feet still hurt, so he is also downgraded.  I'm pretty sure dogging the last 4 miles saved my body from any serious injury...well, that and the fact that ninjas don't get hurt.

16 miles is a long way to run.  I realize that everyone already knows this, but until you experience it, I'm not sure you can appreciate how long it really is.  The worst part though...we still need to go 10 more to finish the race.  It's still seems impossible, which is why this is such a worthy goal.  Dave told me about a brother in law that ran a marathon down in Jamaica.  Every time he was about to quit, a little boy would come out of the crowd and run with him for a while.  I'm pretty sure I'll need more that to finish the race.

Last night I ran a quick 5 miles to finish the recovery process from Saturday.  My watch wasn't charged, so I had to run a familiar 5 mile course and just watch my time on my phone.  My left knee hurts a little, but mostly I feel pretty good.  I hate taking a 5-hour energy that late in the day, so I did the run without any caffeine.  I can tell a huge difference in my breathing and energy levels, but I was able to fall asleep last night, so it was a pretty good tradeoff.  This Saturday is Christmas, so I need to figure out when to run 17 miles.  I'll probably skip do 3 or so miles or CrossFit tomorrow and then run the 17 on Friday.

Breaking The 10-Minute Mile

I think I know how Roger Bannister felt back in 1954 when he broke the world record for one mile and did it in under 4 minutes for the first time.  He strongly believed that running a sub 4-minute mile was possible and that the only thing preventing great runners from accomplishing it was a psychological change.  Whenever I think of running more than 3 miles, my mind automatically goes to 11-12 minute mile pace.  For me, right now, sub 10-minute miles for any distance is impossible...or at least it was.

Since there was about 50" of slushy snow when I woke up yesterday morning (or at least 2.5") I decided to run after work.  Dave normally does his short runs on a treadmill, but decided to join me for the 8 miles.  We decided we were going to push it pretty hard, but just as we got set to go Dave got a call that the walks at the church needed to be shoveled and salted.  So, we spent an hour or so shoveling and salting before our run.  The service must have gained us some extra blessing because I felt really good the entire 8 miles.  We started off a little slowly, but ran about 4 of the miles around a 9 minute 24 second pace and finished the entire 8 miles in 79 minutes 50 seconds.  I didn't beat it by much, but it felt good to break that mental barrier.  Now, if I can only figure a way to run two and a half times faster I can break the 4-minute mile too.  Maybe I'll try 9 minutes first.

I Hate Running

I couldn't think of a good title for today's entry...

I guess I don't actually hate running, but I hate when I am running.  Yesterday was only 5 miles and I use Monday or Tuesday more as a recovery run than anything else.  The 15 miles took a lot out of me on Saturday and my body was trying to tell me not to run on Tuesday.  At least, I think that's what it was trying to tell me.  I'm not really sure though because I rarely listen anyway.  I tried running under a 10 minute pace the entire time and walk if I couldn't go at that pace.  This is a new concept for me.  Typically, I just slow down if I can't keep the faster pace and I end up running slowly for a long time.  I think it helped a little.  Overall, my time still sucks, but I had to walk for about 5 minutes, and I'm ok with a sucky time at 5:00 in the morning when it is 30 degrees outside...So get off my case.

Last week, a black, ninja-dog scared the crap out of me and Dave.  If I didn't have the reflectors on, he never would have seen me.  It would have been ninja against ninja.  I'm sure my ninja senses would have picked up on him before he jumped against the chain link fence and made me pee myself.  No big deal though.  The warmth was pleasant and the adrenaline created from being scared sustained me for at least a mile or so.  Needless to say, I'm heavily considering shelving the reflectors.

15 Down...

Saturday was one of those days that people shouldn't have to experience very often.  I had two tests at school from 8:00 until about 3:30 and a paper due and then, to top it off, I had 15 miles scheduled.  Dave ran with me and at mile 6 I turned to him and said, "just 20 more."  20 more?  Are you kidding?  Who in their right mind decided to run 26 miles in a single shot?  I'll tell you who, some dude that died!  He died!  You can't say, "no one ever died running a marathon" because someone has.  It is going to be really hard.  I'm not sure I fully appreciated how far 26.2 miles is until this weekend.  We finally finished 15 miles and to think there would still be 11.2 more on race day?  Impossible.

There must have been 5 or 6 times that I thought I was done.  Not only was I ready to quit running on Saturday, the thought entered my mind to give up on the race.  Of course, there is no way I will quit.  I just need to get over the enormity of 26 miles.  Dave asked me a couple of times what my symptoms were, what hurt the most.  I was just fatigued.  My knees hurt a little, my ankles hurt, my feet hurt, but mostly I was just really tired and hungry.  I may have been a little dehydrated from all the sugar I ate the day before.  I must have had 10 pounds of almond roca, laced with crack.  I couldn't stop eating it.  I really need to get my diet under control.

Dave finally registered for the race, so I guess I have to upgrade his status.  Also, Dan bought his plane ticket and got the rental car, so I'm thinking about upgrading him to "definite."  Dan also commented on this blog, which means I have at least one reader!  Wow, the pressure to provide stimulating, engaging, worthwhile reading is almost too much.  I guess I'll just have to step up my game.  Look for incremental improvements in my writing from here out.

A Ninja No More

I did 8 miles yesterday morning, starting at about 4:45.  The weather was nice (38 degrees) and I felt good throughout.  My pre-run meal consisted of a tortilla with peanut butter and honey and a banana.  The banana was separate, in case that isn't clear...although it might be more like a crepe if I add some warm, sliced bananas.  I'm still not sure what I'm going to eat before the marathon.  The peanut butter and honey is great for short runs, but not nearly substantial enough for long runs.  However, I can't eat too much or I won't be able to run at all.  A friend of mine recommended eating a quarter of a bagel every 6 or so miles during the race.  I'm going to give that a try this weekend during my long run.  Unfortunately, that doesn't help me much with my pre-run meal problem.  Maybe I'll go for a carb-loaded fettuccine alfredo right before the race...Office fans, you're welcome.

I don't think I've mentioned the reflector I've been wearing lately, but it is sweet.  My buddy Josh brought it over to me last week.  It's like a pair of suspenders that glow neon green in the dark.  You can see me from miles away.  It is kind of killing my ninja-like stealth, but at least cars can see me now.  Sometimes you have to give up on the fun stuff, like ninja vanish and hurling throwing stars at passersby, for the sake of safety.  I just leave my nunchucks at home now too.

Lesson Learned

I normally run on Tuesdays to give my body the extra day to heal after my long runs on Saturday.  However, after consecutive days of 3 and a half hour drives and way too much unhealthy food (mostly homemade caramels and frosted cookies) I decided to give it a shot this morning.  Also, instead of going to mapmyrun.com and figuring out my path, I just headed south on State Street and turned at 5900 south.  It was about the point when I got to 900 east that I realized there was a problem.  I had already gone a little over 3 miles and I still had close to 3 more on my current path.  I quickly figured the fastest route home and turned back to Vine to keep me within a half mile or so.  Unfortunately, my left knee started acting up at about 3.8 miles and was painful enough to stop me for a little while.  It was too cold to stand around feeling bad for myself, so I continued at the fastest pace I could manage.  I ended up going almost three quarters more than I planned.  I'll end the suspense by noting that I did not die, but made it home safely.  I'm sure the knee pain is a result of running today instead of Tuesday, but Charlotte wants Wingers for her birthday dinner and I know I'll eat way too much and not feel like running in the morning.  I'll go to CrossFit instead.  I know what you may be thinking, "Wingers?  For a 4 year old's birthday dinner?"  I had nothing to do with it.  We went there a few weeks ago when they had all-you-can-eat wings and she loved the ice cream sundae.  I can almost taste the asphalt pie.

New Record

I may have set a new world record today for longest distance run at one time...14 miles.  Of course it is just a personal world record, but world record nonetheless.  We were driving up to Afton to visit my parents and get a christmas tree today, so I had to go early.  I woke up at 4:45 and got out by about 5:15.  I was a tepid 31 degrees today.  Thinking that was still really cold, I wore the same thing as I did on Monday when it was only 6 degrees.  Needless to say I was a little warm, but once you sweat a bunch, you are kind of locked in to what you are wearing.  Everything was so wet after 3 miles that I had to keep all the layers on or I would have frozen.  Even unzipping my pullover made me too cold.  Next time I'm shedding a layer up top before I even go out.

I remembered a sports drink today.  I diluted it with an extra 8 oz. of water, so it wasn't too sweet.  I used 2 gu's and 2 full bananas along with 24 oz. of sports drink and 16 oz. of water.  I felt pretty good until mile 11.  I pushed through to almost mile 13, but I had to walk a quarter mile before I could finish.  My left knee was really sore when I finished, but nothing an ice bath couldn't fix.

We left for Wyoming about 30 minutes after I got home.  Lizzy drove so I could work on my paper.  3 hours in the car is tough after running 14 miles.  We drove up to Grover Park to cut down our tree.  It is very normal to see a lot of snow up the canyon, but today the plow apparently didn't want anyone going up the canyon because they had built a snow barrier right in the road.  I told my Dad, who came along in his Grand Cherokee, that if he could make it I knew I could too.  He gunned it right over/through the barrier so i had to follow.  No one had been up where we were, so we just drove in about 2 feet of snow.  It was awesome.  I just threw the M-Class in low range and never had an issue.


Lizzy picked a tree about 100 feet up a sheer cliff.  She couldn't quite make it up to where the tree was, so up I went.  It turned out the tree was a little taller than I thought from down below.  I cut down the 18 foot monster and took it down the hill.  It was about 30 degrees, so the kids had a great time playing in the snow without getting too cold.  We had a great time and got an awesome tree.

So my mom tells Lizzy and me that my uncle just had surgery.  Lizzy asked what kind of surgery it was.  My mom says, "Prostate surgery."  I say, "Ouch."  Lizzy asks, "Where did they do the surgery?"  I respond quickly, "Up his butt."  My mom thought it was hilarious.  That of course has very little to do with my training, but I thought it was the funniest thing, so I had to capture it here...you're welcome.

Warming Up

It warmed all the way up to 25 degrees this morning.  I felt strong the entire run.  I didn't have to stop for water at all.  I took a tortilla with me and ate it while jogging slowly.  It was a little dry, but perfect for energy at miles 4 and 6.  I had half a banana and a peanut butter and honey tortilla before the run, which is a good amount of food for a semi-long run.  The snow on the sidewalks is still a problem, so I spent most of the run in the street, which is no big deal since only 3 other people in the entire world are up at 5:00 am.

On an equipment note, my awesome new Saucony running shoes have a hole in the top of the shoe.  I'm not talking about the one you put your foot in either.  (That reminds me of the underwear joke...Do you have holes in your underwear?  No?  Then how do you get them over your feet?  I never said it was a funny joke.)  I guess my toenail somehow wore through my sock and through my shoe only a week or so after I got them.  I've got to take them back or just live with the hole.

Slowest Runner Ever

It was 7 degrees out during my personal record setting 5k last week.  Granted, it was only my second 5k and in the first one I pushed Charlotte in a jogging stroller.  Nonetheless, I pretty much kept a 9 minute mile pace the entire time.  I set a new record this morning, one with which I'm not quite as pleased...It took me almost 48 minutes to run 4 miles this morning.  12 minute miles?  Don't toddlers, just barely learning to walk, go faster than that?  It's lucky that there were no old people out for a casual stroll this morning with their canes and bad hips.  They would probably felt sorry for the guy who ran so slowly.  "I wonder if he had both legs replaced recently."  I'd like to say there are good excuses for this poor performance, but really there are none.  Well, I take that back.  Is being fat and lazy a good excuse?  Ok, maybe there are one or two.

I came home and had an awesome smoothie for breakfast.  1 cup carrot juice, 3/4 cup plain yogurt, 1/2 banana, 1/2 cup frozen strawberries.  It was so good.  Lizzy says there is too much yogurt in it, but I like it. It was plenty filling.  I came home for lunch and had spaghetti noodles with cheese, a little ketchup and some mayo.  That is my all-time favorite mission recipe.  I ate it twice a day for almost a year and a half.  Lizzy hates how it smells and I can never get all of the cheese off the bowl, but it tastes so good.  I barely use a tablespoon of ketchup and mayo and a 1/4 cup of cheese.  It tastes way better with more ketchup, mayo and cheese, but I'm in training so I've got to go easy on that stuff.

11/29/10 - WOD

There was close to 4 feet of snow on the ground this morning, but we somehow made it to CrossFit.  I shoveled for about 20 minutes before Dave came and picked me up, so I was already a little worn out.  I just wanted to get my excuses in early to help explain my poor performance at the gym.  Also, I was really tired from a 13 mile run on Saturday, I shoveled for two hours on Sunday, I think I may be coming down with a cold, my hands still have blisters all over them, I didn't sleep very well, I forgot to eat anything before going to the gym, and at least 10 others that I can't think of right now.  Considering all I overcame this morning, I actually think I kicked some serious butt on today's WOD.  We did max reps for 3 minutes of 6 exercises.  Pull ups, double unders, Sumo Dead-lift High-pull, push ups, knees to elbows, and 24" box jumps.  I did somewhere between 5 and a million of each exercise.  Did I mention that I felt a little dehydrated?  Add that to the list.

During the run on Saturday, at about mile 3, there was an old lady who was stuck in the middle of the road and her car wouldn't start.  Being the good Samaritans that we are, Dave and I pushed her into a parking lot and were just about to ask if we could call her a tow truck when her truck started and she took off without as much as a wave.  I figure the energy required to push her truck was worth at least another mile or so.  Pushing that truck kind of hurt my back, now that I think about it and that made today's workout even more difficult.  OK, I'm done now.

13.1

13 miles is such a freaking long way to run.  I seriously wonder what I am thinking.  I thought I would die, on the spot today...and that was just the half way point of a full marathon.  On the brighter side, I didn't die.  We really took it easy for the first 6.5 miles.  We were almost 11 minute miles the entire time.  The second half was lots better, as we kept our pace under 10 minutes for all but the last mile or so.  It was about 25 degrees when we started and it felt like it got colder as we went.  I may have dressed too warm because I sweat a ton and then got real cold every time we stopped or walked to drink or eat some gu.  Dave still hasn't registered, but I upgraded him to questionable because he did the entire run today.  

It was ice bath time after the run.  There is no better way to recover.  The ice didn't feel that cold after the 2 hours spent out in the cold already.  I'm still working on what to eat before, during and after the race.  Today I went with a protein shake with oats, a banana and peanut butter about 2 hours before the run and a spoonful of peanut butter right before the race, along with a 5-hour energy.  During the race, I had some power bar gummies every 3 miles and 2 gu's as needed.  I also had a banana throughout the run.  I really like the gummies.  I just put them in the side of my mouth and that helped keep my mouth from drying out. I didn't drink any Gatorade this time, which was a mistake, but otherwise I kind of liked my food during the run.

In a side note.  I played my first game of Pokemon today.  I watched the BYU-Utah game over at my buddy Daniel's house and his 4 year old son comes up to me and throws down a Pokemon card and says, "Slowpoke, I chose you.  Chose your Pokemon."  He hands me this deck of cards.  I have no idea what to do, so I take one out of the pile and put it down next to his.  He then says, "I go first and I use smash slam and kill your Pokemon.  I win, give me all your cards."  I was in total shock.  He completely dominated me.  When he returned a few minutes later, declaring the game was on again and I could tell he was going to "smash slam" me again, no matter what.  So, I did what every other adult would do in this situation...I selected a new Pokemon and read the card to him, "smash slams do not hurt this Pokemon."  Of course the card said nothing like that, but he's four, so I felt pretty safe in my lie.  I threw the Pokemon card down this time, imitating him as best I could and said, "your turn Slowpoke."  He still chose to use the smash slam, but when I told him my Pokemon laughed at him and thought it tickled he said, "oh, your turn then."  I used a triple kick to take away almost all of Slowpoke's life and then he tried to use some sort of flame to kill me.  I, of course, told him my Pokemon eats fire and it had no effect.  "It says it right here on the card."  He was sorely disappointed, but would never question what the card says.  My next triple kick finished him off and I took all of his cards away.  He started getting pretty mad at this bold move, so I gave them back with a warning not to mess with me and my Pokemon again.  I decided to retire a winner, but who knows what will happen next time Slowpoke brings his smash slam my way.  I think my Pokemon's name was Hitmontop or something.

The Human Race

7 degrees this morning and 3200 crazy people participated in the 5k and 10k out at the Draper Outlets benefitting the Utah Food Bank. My brother Dan and I were among the first to start the 5k. I totally dominated this race, leading for the majority of the first 200 feet or so. I was sprinting, the guys that passed me were jogging. Needless to say, my lead didn't last very long.  I saw Dan pass me about a half mile in and I spent the rest of the race trying to pass any old or large women. When it became obvious I wasn't going to catch any of them I focued on my one true goal of every race I have ever been in...finish before collapsing. I think the sub 10-second 100 yards at the beginning of the race really did me in. The cold made it tough to breathe, but who needs air when you run? I made an interesting discovery during the race though. High amounts of adrenaline negate the effects of 5-hour energy. I wonder if there is any money in this discovery?  I was so pumped to start strong and my adrenaline was really going, but when that faded, it took me more than a mile to get any energy back.  I really need to remember to stay on my normal pace at the beginning of the marathon or I'm in big trouble.  I was on pace at the halfway point to finish under 27 minutes, but I came up 26 seconds short.  There is another 5k around New Years that Dan and I are going to do.  These races are fun and usually for a good cause.

It was so cold outside that the helium filled balloons all shrank.  Dan astutely observed that the balloons were not the only thing shrinking on a cold morning.

11/24/10 - WOD

Today's WOD is called Jackie.  For some reason, CrossFit names a lot of their hardest workouts after women.  Jackie consists of a 1000 meter row, followed by 50 thrusters (45 lbs) and 30 pull ups.  You do each exercise to completion before moving on to the next exercise.  For anyone that hasn't ever participated in a workout like this, rowing 1000 meters really takes all your energy away for the rest of the workout.  I spent the 50 thrusters "recovering" so I could do the pull ups.  My hands got thrashed again today.  I tried to tape them up, but that just got in the way.  I guess I have to add gloves to my list too.  By the way, is anyone keeping track of this list I keep adding to?  If so, please send me an itemized list with pricing and delivery dates as soon as possible.

Let It Snow

The storm of the century was coming on fast, so I decided to make my Wednesday morning run a Tuesday night run.  I left about 5:00 tonight with darkening skies, a stiff wind and clear roads.  It was 41 degrees when I left, but the forecast was saying this storm was bringing some serious cold with it, so I bundled up pretty good.  I skipped the compression shorts and went with tights and my warmup pants along with the standard compression shirt, long underwear top and pullover.  I also wore my hat and gloves, but they were overkill at first.  I always worry most about my hands and feet.  There isn't a whole lot I can do for my feet once the roads are wet, so I was glad to have clear roads heading out.  The wind was pretty rough the entire trip, but the snow didn't start until about one and a half miles in.  There was one point where I was running directly into the storm, with the wind and snow beating against my face.  It was so hard to run that I had to alter my course so I didn't have to run directly into the storm.  I kind of zig zagged my way home, trying not to go blind in the process.  I'm adding some running goggles to my list and maybe a ski mask.  

Running on the snow was kind of cool for the last 3 miles or so.  I was worried about slipping the entire 7 miles, but it never really got slick.  I didn't stop for water or gu, which is kind of a first for me on a run that long.  I got a little hungry about 5 miles in, but otherwise felt real strong.  There is no way I could have finished this run tomorrow morning.  For one, the snow will be too deep.  It is also supposed to drop below 10 degrees tomorrow morning.  I'm not sure I can handle that yet.  One nice thing about the snow is it covers my ninja suit with white so people can see me.  Of course they really can't see me in a storm like tonight because visibility was about 3 feet for everyone.

I reserved the hotel today, so my commitment level went up another notch.  Dave is still unregistered and I would guess doubtful for the marathon.  Dan rented a car for us to go from Vegas to Death Valley, so he is probable.  Dan and I also signed up for a 5k on Thanksgiving morning.  Hopefully the forecast of 6 degrees is wrong.  Just in case I'm buying enough hand warmers to cover my whole body.

11/22/10 - WOD

For those not yet acquainted with Crossfit, check out the national website.  They have FAQs and videos of some of their workouts.  I attend one of their affiliates, UteCrossFit and absolutely love it.  For today's workout (called WOD for Workout Of the Day) we did power cleans and pull ups.  5 power cleans, 10 pull ups, 10 power cleans, 20 pull ups, 10 power cleans, 20 pull ups, 5 power cleans, 10 pull ups.  The prescribed weight for guys was 135 pounds on the power cleans.  Most of the CrossFit workouts are done for time.  Today's workout took me 12 minutes 49 seconds.  I couldn't do that many pull ups continuously, so I had to drop and reset a bunch of times.  The pull ups typically used at CrossFit are called Kipping pull ups.  Check out the links to see some demonstrations of the two exercises.  Also, if you want to see a couple other CrossFit workouts, check out Fran (95 lb. thrusters and pull ups 21-15-9) and the Bear Complex.

Brrrrrrr

It was 31 degrees this morning when I left home on a quick (or not so quick) 4 mile run.  The sidewalks were mostly ice and unshoveled snow.  (Apparently "unshoveled" is not a word?  Should be.)  I guess not everyone has a Superwoman wife like I do.  Anyway, I spent most of the run on the street.  The best part about running at 5:00 in the morning is that no one is on the roads to bother you.  The down side is that it is 5:00 in the morning.  I guess I could add to the down-side list that if I get hit by a car, no one will be around to witness it or get help when the driver flees the scene.  I recently heard that it is only a class-B misdemeanor to flee the scene of an accident.  Great incentive for a drunk driver to hang around and take a sobriety test.  Weird tangent.  I stayed plenty warm this morning.  I even had to unzip my pullover at about mile 2 because I was overheating a bit.  I opted for the compression shorts and the tights today.  I think it was a bit of an overkill.  Before anyone throws up from the thought of me in tights, I also wear warmup pants over the tights.  Once I get down to about 170 though, I'll be showing off those tights every chance I get.  I might even wear them to church.

Mental note, I need to add a reflective vest to my list of items to buy.  The all black attire makes me look more like a ninja than someone who is trying not to get hit by a potential scene fleeing drunk driver.  However, there are plenty of perks to being a ninja that I don't think I need to explain here.  Maybe I'll just get a flashing light or something that I can turn on and off depending on the situation.  I purposely ran 11-minute miles almost the entire way.  Purposely in the sense that I couldn't run any faster.  How in the world am I going to make it 26 freaking miles?  And don't forget the hardest .2 miles in existence.  I'm in big trouble.

Isabel "enjoying" the snow

The First Snow Fall

I knew this day was coming.  When you live in Utah and run a marathon in February, you can be sure there will be training runs in the snow.  I got home for school last night around 5:30 and got ready to brave the storm.  I was scheduled to run 11 miles, which is a daunting task even with the best conditions.  About 2 blocks from my house I stepped in my first ice cold puddle, completely soaking my right foot up to my ankle.  I wish that was the end of the puddles, but by mile 5 every step brought water into my shoes.  I even tried running in the middle of the road, where I thought the water and snow would be the most shallow, but even there the accumulation was too much to overcome.  At 8 miles I decided to head for home.  I finished 9 miles total in just over an hour and a half.  I felt good after the run.  I usually take an ice bath for about 20 minutes after my long runs, but I was already plenty cold.  I think my clothes weighed an extra 15 pounds because of all the water.  I'll post some pictures of my yard taken this morning to give you an idea of how bad it was last night.  I may need to get a waterproof layer for days like this.  I'm not sure what to do for my feet.  I guess I could start running in my Sorels or something.  It will be difficult to run on Monday morning with all the Snow and ice still around.  I think I'll wait and go after work.  It's only 4 miles, so it shouldn't be a big deal.