I've Got Something To Brag About

I've got something to brag about. No, not that time at work when I almost, BUT DIDN'T pass out during our annual blood draws. No, not that time when I nearly died of heat stroke while running a half marathon dressed as Nacho Libre.

I had two runs this past week that were worthy of bragging. They both followed the same pattern:

1) Eat a large dinner. Don't stop eating when you're full. Stop eating when you hate yourself.
2) Top that off with a cookie.
3) As soon as you finish your gluttony, strap on the running shoes.
4) Make sure it is 102 degrees outside. No more. No less.
5) I dare you to try and keep that chicken teriyaki in your stomach when it is begging to come out. Good luck with that my friend.

This week I did that! And didn't throw up! I know, I'll wait a minute for the applause to die down. Spoiler alert: running doesn't get more miserable than this. It's good training though. During an ultra you feel extremely blessed if you're only feeling this crappy. I felt like I was going to melt. Not dying is what I have to brag about.

I got in 48 miles of running this past week - a 4, 5, 5, 6, 8, and 20 miler. The 20 miler on Saturday was a jaunt around the bottom of the Little Creek Mesa area. I had fun exploring some new places I had never been before.

There was some flash flooding the day before which made some sections a bit soggy. Usually this river bed is dry as a bone but on Saturday it was flowing with brown mud that looked like a river of melted chocolate.

It was another sweltering run. When I finished it was 88 degrees. I probably should have packed a little more water. I was starting to run low so I had to conserve. Combined with the hot running I was feeling slightly no bueno by the end. Plenty of fun was still had.

On a side note, I got the July issue of UltraRunning Magazine in the mail and saw that they printed a few of my pictures! They ran a few from the Buffalo Run 100 miler. It's cool to be involved in a big publication like this. Running 100 miles may not be the easiest way to get pictures in a magazine.

Nipple's On Fire

Saturday night I ran a 10 miler to the top of Molly's Nipple. I am not a fan of trail running at night. ("Not a fan of" is code word for "hate".) It's something I need to get better at. I started running right in time to witness a stupendously amazing sunset.

It was crazy, crazy windy and there were some storm clouds on the horizon which thankfully brought the temperature under 100.

I kept thinking over and over how lucky I was to be surrounded by this beauty. I am spoiled that this wilderness is only 15 minutes away from my house. I am at home in the desert.

 

 

I was hoping to at least get to the top of Molly's Nipple before it got dark but daylight was fading fast. (Maybe because the light was so great that I had to keep stopping to take pictures.) And then the sky really lit up. It looked like it caught on fire.

 

Not too difficult to tell how Molly's Nipple got it's name.

Only one sign of wildlife the whole time:

I reached the top and saw the lights of my town below. It was cool to think that one of those little pinpricks of light was my house:

I called my wife while I was up at the top. I told her to go outside and see if she could see my light. She could, and told the kids to come outside too. I could hear them yelling in the background. She said they were excited to see my light at the top and wanted me to hear them yelling. Very cool that I could be ten miles away from them in the middle of my run and still be able to have my family see me. I will definitely do this night run again.

The Most Scenic Week Of Running

Last week I ran 25 miles and hiked another 5ish. Every single mile was just amazing. I think if a non-runner had joined me on any of these runs, they would have been converted.

Here are some of the highlights. On Tuesday I did a 5 miler around the Jem Trail at sunrise.

The sunrise was so beautiful that it gave me goosebumps (despite the fact that it was already around 90 degrees).

I got a new camera the day before so I took it on the run with me and tried a few jumping pictures. It worked like a charm.

I was given a sneak preview of what heaven looks like. (Proof that you can run in heaven despite it being hot as hell.)

On Wednesday we were in Salt Lake for a family vacation. Before the family woke up I went for a five mile jaunt around Corner Canyon. The high amount of cookies and Diet Dr. Pepper on the drive to Salt Lake the day before made me run like a slug on Benadryl.

Thursday me and the fam went on a hike in the Wasatch Mountains to a place called Cecret Lake (not a typo).

Friday we took the kids to Timpanogos Cave which includes a serious hour long death march up the mountain. The kids less than loved the 1,000 foot climb in 1.5 miles. The awesome cave made them forget how miserable the hike was.

After we got home Saturday night I headed out on a night run to Molly's Nipple. The experience of this 10 miler deserves its own post. The sunset was one of the best I've seen in a long time. Here is a sneak preview:

I feel so blessed. Running has been giving me so much lately. This was the most scenic week of running I've had in a long time.

"Far away, there in the sunshine, are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they may lead." ~ Louisa May Alcott

Super Moon Pictures

Remember when there was a super moon about a week ago? A super moon is the time of year when the full moon passes closest to the earth. Do you know what a super moon means? Right. Time to grab the camera.

I decided to set up shop near Zion National Park in hopes of shooting the moon rising over Gooseberry Mesa. My brother in law Matt and my son Jackson came along to take pictures. Not bad surroundings to hang out while we waited for the moon.

Finally a glow started to rise behind the mountain and we got to work.

After getting a little higher in the sky:

Forgive me for Photoshopping an ET style jumping picture.

Melting and Molly's Nipple

At the moment I'm digging not having any races coming up in the near future. I love the incentive that an upcoming race provides, but right now it's nice having a little break. This week I ran a 3 miler, 4 miler, 8 miler, and 12 miler.

The three miler was a speed workout. The 4 miler was a jaunt around the neighborhood with my lovely wife Mel.

Mel did something crazy. She did something I thought she would never do. She registered for the St. George Marathon! I have run the St. George Marathon with her twice and they were both miserable experiences for her. The first time she stepped in human poo at the starting line....and it just got worse from there. The second time she had knee pain that brought her to tears. This year will be better. I'll bet you glazed donut. I'm excited to run the marathon with her again this year.

The 8 miler was with Mel also. It was approximately 472 degrees outside. You think I'm joking. Running in this heat was muy loco which is Spanish for "Too hot to be running."

On Saturday morning I ran 12 miles to the top of Molly's Nipple. There was a haze in the sky from a fire that made for a pretty sweet sunrise.

Even before the sun came up it felt like I was running in a sauna. The high temps in our area have been around 113-115 so even in the morning it is sweltering. Still, nowhere I'd rather be. That sunrise.....wow.

I can't count how many times I've done this run, and I love it every single time. There is a fun mix of runnable dirt road, flat stuff, hills, climbing, technical spots, and a steep climb up to the summit.

I found evidence that there was a wild animal out there that eats skinny, wiry animals that had absolutely no muscles. That describes me perfectly. I was petrified.

For the first time ever on a trail run - I made me some cold hard cash! In this remote section I came across $1.30 AND a stretch penny from Virginia. BOOM!

Making some dough calls for a celebratory jump.

After a final steep scramble you get rewarded with an awesome view that feels like you can see forever.

Somewhere out there is my house.

And so it goes. The heat wave continues in our beautiful southern Utah. Plenty more muy loco running. Melt on my friends!