Oh hey

Oh hey. I guess I'm back. After a two and a half year absence, I'm going to take another stab at this blogging thing. I know it isn't ready by many (probably less than a half-dozen), but I miss writing, and I think I could benefit from a fitness "journal," if you will. So much has happened since running that half marathon in 2013, but I'd drone on all day trying to provide the details. So here's a short-ish recap of events.

Jen and I bought a new home in 2014, and we stayed in Roy. We did it because we wanted more room for a larger family, which came in the form of Russell, our second (and last) child who was born in March 2016.

Meet Russell, born March 1, 2016. Coop is pretty stoked
about being a big brother.

Our not-so-new home, now. It's been a bit of a nightmare.

I'm still working at Weber State, and I still love it. I also spent the better part of 2014 and all of 2015 earning my master's degree from Weber State. I still swim regularly, and I still compete in open water races, although I've stuck to my guns in avoiding monster fitness events that require multiple hours of training per day.

You've graduated with a master's
degree. Don't bother smiling.

Here's the log of the races I've done since my last post.

2014: Great Salt Lake Open Water Swim: 1 mile (27:30)
2014: Wounded Warrior Project Run: 5 miles (52:14)
2015: Great Salt Lake Open Water Swim: 1 mile (27:38)
2015: Bear Lake Open Water Swim: 1 mile (31:34)
2015: Deer Creek Open Water Swim: 1 mile (29:02)
2015: Xterra Off-Road Triathlon Relay: 1/2 mile swim (14:41)

In addition to these formal races, I've competed in an employee wellness competition (12 weeks long) with my colleagues at Weber State, which have become my training parters for all things fitness. We won the team muscled gained category in 2014, won the weight loss category in 2015, and are still awaiting the results for the 2016 competition, which just ended a few weeks ago.

My disappointment face after seeing my time at the finish line of the
2015 Great Salt Lake Open Water marathon. 

Last year, before the GSL race, I was in the best physical shape of my life and was hopeful to finally win that damn thing. I didn't (and probably never will), but I still put up a solid time despite the new race course being closer to 1.1 miles. I've gained a few pounds back since then, but regular swimming, water polo and the occasional racquetball with my colleagues has kept me in better condition than I was at when I last posted to this blog.

Currently, I'm finishing up training for the Ogden Marathon relay, in which I am on a 5-man team and will run a 6-mile leg. I ran six miles on the treadmill this afternoon in 1:00;14, so I'm just looking forward to getting that race out of the way before swim season really amps up.

Till next time...

Total Distance: 6 miles running

Huntsville Half Marathon Race Report

My first half marathon is officially in the books, and it went better than I hoped for.

I rode up to Huntsville with Kelly and Jessica, as Jen, Coop, her brother, Tim and his wife, Nikki, drove up later to wait for me at the finish line. It was very cold (reportedly 28 degrees) when we arrived at about 8 a.m. Fortunately, we had drop bags, so we all bundled up nicely and hung out on the bus until they kicked us off after shuttling us up to the starting point.

When the race started, Kelly hung back with Jessica and I for a few miles. Since he is a much faster runner than both of us -- much to our dismay -- he kind-of pushed us to go a little faster than we originally wanted to. Eventually, he took off and we knew he was going for his goal time of less than two hours. From that point, Jess and I had a pretty smooth run.

Seeing Coop in this goofy outfit at the finish line was a perfect way to cap the race. I ran all 13.1 miles in 2:12:16.

My knee pain arrived about six miles in, which scared the shit out me. Usually, when the pain comes, I'm forced to stop and walk and I knew I wasn't going to reach my goal time of 2:25:00 if I did that. I pushed through it for about a mile and the pain gradually wore off entirely. The course was as beautiful as everyone said it was, and having Jessica there as a running partner was such a blessing. I think we kept each other honest at a solid pace and neither of us wanted to be the one who stopped and walked. It felt like we both hit a wall around the 11-mile mark, but there was a lot of entertainment (bands, cheerleaders, and other various live music) that peppered the final few miles of the course and that kept our minds occupied for the remainder of the race.

I sprinted the final 250 yards or so, even though I told Jess I wasn't going to. ;) Sorry, Jess. My competitive side kicked in a bit at the end. I couldn't find Jen, Coop, Tim and Nikki when I finished, but I located them just after I received my medal and cut the timing chip off my shoe. Kelly was there waiting, too, and he said he finished in 2:01:00, which was just over his goal time. I'm sure he would've gone under it if he didn't hang back with Jess and I for the first two or three miles.

All smiles after the race. Kudos to Jessica, who has always been my favorite running partner.

We snapped a few photos, got our stuff, said goodbye to Kelly and Jess and ate some lunch at the Huntsville Barbecue Company. When I got home, I looked up my finish time online and I clocked 2:12:16, which was almost 13 minutes faster than my goal. That time isn't going to turn any heads in the running community, but I am proud of myself for doing it. Despite fears about cardio and knee pain, I performed much better than expected. I truly don't enjoy running, but now I can say I've completed a half marathon and ran the whole way. And no, I don't have plans to do a full.

Three days later, I still feel like I was hit by a truck. My calves have never been so sore in my life...

Total distance: 13.1 miles running

Re-examining my priorities

I'm alive and well. I promise.

Due to an incredibly busy schedule, I haven't been able to update my fitness blog for about a month. I'm back though, and here's an update. The half marathon is tomorrow and I'm incredibly nervous about it. I haven't been this anxious about an event since my Bear Lake Crossing more than a year ago. Training was going very well until a little over three weeks ago, when my knee started hurting again after a long run with Jessica. Her and Kelly will be running the race, too.

Time for a run? No thanks. I'll watch Star Trek with my son instead. Maybe, if I'm lucky, he'll fall asleep.

I backed off my running a bit and amped up my workouts during swim class. Although I didn't stop exercising entirely, my dryland training came to a screeching halt, and I'm not entirely sure I'm ready for tomorrow morning's race. I never ran more than nine miles at once during my training, and somehow, I'm going to have to muscle through 13. Knowing that I never quite reached my training goal for Bear Lake, and still somehow managed to pull off that event does give me some hope that tomorrow will be OK, though. Even if it's just false confidence.

Work has been incredibly busy and my free time isn't really "free" as I am trying my best to spend that time with my family. Every new father thinks they know what is coming, and no matter how much you read in advance, you are never fully prepared. Despite all the diaper changing, play time, crying and simply trying to give Jen a bit of a break from the duties of motherhood whenever possible, it really has been an enjoyable experience thus far. But it has forced me to re-examine my priorities.

Fitness is very important, and I need to make sure I don't stray from it. However, I don't think intense training -- often sucking up multiple hours per day -- is a great thing for me or for my family right now. Now that Cooper is here, I find it very selfish to spend too much of my free time training for monster fitness events. He and Jen need me far more than I need these selfish "accomplishments." There is always more to every story, and every person has different circumstances in their lives, but I just don't see how people with multiple children can train for and participate in all of these marathon events (for any sport) and still give their families the attention they need and deserve. Somehow, I need to find a balance between staying fit and healthy, but not getting caught up in too many races, which are more of a hobby. Needs vs. wants, if you will.

Anyway, enough of my personal anecdotes. In a perfect world, I will finish tomorrow's half marathon in under 2 hours and 25 minutes with little or no knee pain. That probably won't happen, but who knows. ... maybe I'll get lucky.

Half Marathon Training: Week 2 Report

Last night, Jen gave me the biggest confidence boost I've heard in many years. I was changing after getting out of the shower, and while feeding Cooper on the other side of the room, she said, "Matt, I can see your abs right now." Although I certainly don't have defined abs or a six pack, her unsolicited compliment really lifted my spirits. I guess over time, you may eventually see a small measure of results if you stick to your training and diet.

Jen stroked my ego, complimenting my abs. This is probably what they really look like.

Anyway, I'm more than two weeks into my half marathon training plan, and all is going according to schedule, so far. I haven't missed a single workout and my times continue to improve. For example, in Week 1, I ran a 2-mile speed interval in 18:45. Today (Week 3), I ran it in 17:33. I pulled off my first 5-mile run in 53:54, and on Saturday, I clocked my second one in 50:30.

Swim class ended last week, so for the next two weeks -- until the next swim class begins -- I'm going to have to find an alternate cross training method. It shouldn't be an issue, as there are all sorts of things I can do.

I officially registered for the Huntsville Half Marathon today, so there is no backing out at this point. Even if the knee pain re-emerges, I'll have no choice but to at least walk the entire race. But so far, my knee his holding up OK, although I haven't logged any serious (6-to-11-mile) runs yet. Saturday will be the next test at six miles.

Weekly total distance: 10 miles running, 1,500 yards swimming

New kicks and new training plan

Last week, I officially started my half marathon training. Jen bought me a new pair of running shoes for my birthday, which I badly needed. We went to Striders in Layton and got my feet, positioning and running style checked out, as they fitted me with a pair of shoes that fit me best. Hopefully, that will limit the knee pain I've been plagued with during long runs this past year.

My new kicks. Probably the most money I've spent on a pair of shoes since I was in high school.

I mapped out a nine-week training plan, that involves five workouts per week leading up to race day. I will do two shorter runs (3-5 miler, 2-3 mile speed run) and a long run (starting at 5 miles, working up to 11) on Saturdays. Two days a week will be devoted to swimming and two days are for rest. I think stretching and using my foam roller regularly will be key to not injuring myself in training. That's what I did last time I attempted to train for a half, as I was running too much, too fast. This will be a gradual increase and not actually reaching the full 13-mile run until race day itself.

Anyway, I started training while on a work trip in Boston and tested out the new shoes on the treadmill in the hotel gym. I wanted to go out and about and run around the city, but I was instructed not to run outside in the shoes until I tested them out, or else I wouldn't be able to return/swap them out for different ones. Everywhere I went, people were constantly running up and down the sidewalk streets and through the parks. Running seems to be a big "thing" in Boston, which I suppose makes sense, considering the most popular marathon in the world is held there every year.

I knocked out the first "long" run on Saturday with five miles at Planet Fitness, and the shoes passed with flying colors. My knee was a little bit uncomfortable toward the end, but not painful.

Total distance (for the week): 10 miles running, 1,100 yards swimming

200th Blog Post!

Although I've been backing off with daily updates of mundane workouts, today marks my 200th blog post since starting "Swimming Upstream" in October 2011. It really has been a fun way to keep track of my progress (and regression) throughout the years, even if it comes at the cost of annoying my friends and family on Facebook every time I share a link to a post. To that end, I'm sure I have been "unfollowed" on many people's social media feeds. Oh well ... I use it as an accountability tool. I don't really expect people to read through my musings about my personal health. It's incredibly narcissistic and kind of weird, I know.

A fist pump for 200 blog posts!

Anyway, today was another day of swim class and another day of me sucking wind. Since Cooper was born about six weeks ago, my diet has completely fallen apart and my exercise has mostly been limited to my twice-weekly swim classes. That has resulted in me gaining back 7 of the 12 pounds I lost during my 12-week diet and decreased stamina in the pool. I need to get back on the wagon soon, as the Huntsville Half Marathon is sneaking up on me and I have to take training seriously. At the same time, I need to continue working with the Weber State Masters team to prepare for the SDRC Meet in November.

Jen will get the OK for exercise from the doctor any day now, so we are excited to start setting new goals together and help each other out with our eating habits. It's so much easier when you and your spouse are on the same (or similar) page.

Total distance: 700 yards swimming (butterfly day)

New swim bag

On Sunday I got an unexpected treat. Jen's parents bought me a new swim bag for my birthday and I got to use it for the first time, today. It came just in time as my old one was falling apart at the seams, the zippers were broken, and it was an all-around piece of crap. This new one is actually geared for swimmers, rather than a cheap generic gym bag.

It's the AquaSphere Wet/Dry Swimming Duffel and it has two sides. One is for dry clothes and the other is for wet items. Having that waterproof barrier is fantastic and the "wet" side (wet and dry are labeled on each side) even has a small vent in the bottom of the bag, so the items won't necessarily stay wet and get all stinky inside of the pocket. Within the wet side is a smaller pouch for goggles and other small swim items. The bag is super roomy and I don't even have enough stuff to fill it out, so as I accumulate more swim gear, I will still have extra room.

It opens up much larger than this image show, but you can see the smaller pocket for goggles and what-not within.

Nifty little vent in the bottom corners of the "wet" side.

I took it with me to class today, and could barely fit it in the locker as it was so big. I guess that's a good problem to have. As far as my swim goes, we worked on unconventional strokes, which I'm not a big fan of. Combining dolphin kick with breaststroke pull and whip kick with backstroke pull isn't my idea of a good workout. I can see the merit in mixing it up in order to work on my timing and coordination between my kicks and pulls, but in the end, I just wasn't feeling it. Hopefully, Thursday's class will be better.

Total distance: 500 yards swimming

Jen's ultimate endurance feat

Sorry it's been a while since my last post. A couple of weeks ago (June 8 to be exact), Jen and I finally welcomed our first child. Poor Jen labored for over 17 hours before our son -- who we named Cooper -- arrived during a beautiful Saturday afternoon. I'll tell you what, the endurance Jen exhibited during the labor process trumps any marathon swim I've ever seen, and I know some hardcore open water swimmers. My apologies to Gords, Josh and Goody.

Jen's 17-hour labor process made my Bear Lake crossing look like a stroll in the park.

We had a bit of a scare when Cooper was delivered, as the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck and he came out of the womb completely lifeless. Jen and I watched helplessly as the emergency unit at McKay Dee Hospital revived him on the table a few feet away. They were true pros and had him up and running withing a minute, but it felt like a lifetime. It was probably the most traumatic thing I've ever experienced. Although I briefly considered trying to talk Jen into doing an at-home birth (my hippie granola side), I'm so glad we didn't. After Cooper's birth, I can't imagine not delivering in a hospital as he wouldn't have made it if we weren't in such close proximity of doctors. Despite my massive distrust of doctors and the healthcare system as a whole, when it comes to my child's life, it truly isn't worth the risk, regardless of the benefits of being in your own home.

Cooper has long limbs, and gigantic hands and feat. Already a swimmer in the making. I'm so excited to get him into the water with me.

We spent the weekend in the hospital and I lived off a diet of greasy cafe food. It was tasty, but it took a toll on my body. I literally felt sluggish and gross after eating cheese fries and bacon burgers. Our families brought us dinner every night for a week and I didn't exercise once. It was incredibly generous of them and we are so lucky to have such a wonderful support system, but this week, I'm glad to be back into a routine of preparing my own meals (for the most part).

Anyway, swim class was good this week. I worked on my breaststroke a lot, which is by-far my worst of the four strokes. Already, I feel like I've taken massive strides and I'm moving through the water much faster. I'm still not piling up a ton of yards, but paying special attention to my technique is paying dividends.

Week 12 (Final) Report

Well, the 12 weeks are finally over. After nearly three months of calorie counting and increased exercise, my final results are in.

I made my way to the Human Performance Lab on campus and had my weight and body fat measured in the Bod Pod. The results were very encouraging, but there's still room to improve.

Weight: 167.6 pounds (Down from 179.2 for a loss of 11.6 pounds)
Body Fat %: 20.9 percent (Down from 26.8 for a loss of 5.9 percent)

Overall, I'm on the right track. I didn't quite reach my goal of 165 pounds and under 20 percent, but I came dangerously close on both counts. I certainly can make it within a few more weeks. The folks at the lab were impressed, saying the body fat I dropped in 12 weeks is more than most people in the Wellness Program do in a full year. Or perhaps they were just being nice. Either way, I left their office with a grin on my face.

So, what have I learned from my first-ever diet? Well, the first thing I can say for sure is that I definitely don't plan on counting calories for the rest of my life. While it kept me honest with the types of food I ate, being ultra conscious about everything I put in my mouth is incredibly stressful, not to mention exhausting. That being said, it has taught me a lot about portion control and keeping an eye on food labels. Some "regular" items I eat contained way more fat and calories than I ever imagined, but some others were actually much lower. I can still watch my calories without counting them religiously.

I'm not sure what I'm doing here, but Jen captured the moment anyway.

I haven't had any major revelations regarding exercise. I was fairly educated about it before, although I knew I wasn't doing enough of it. I did my best to maintain a full 2.5 hours of cardio per week throughout my diet. I only wavered in one week and in several others, I did way more than that, sometimes as much as 4.5 per week. However, I did learn that using exercise as a fail safe to "earn" extra calories is a dangerous game, one that I played way too much. I should be exercising regularly and maintaining a balanced diet anyway, not doing one or the other in extremes to balance out the other. I learned that the hard way during a few weeks, with disappointing results on the scale.

Jen and I are still expecting the baby any day now, so I finished this experiment up just in time. She's been incredibly patient with me during all this and my "restrictions," but I think even she learned a thing or two for her own weight-loss goals after the baby is born. I still plan on using MyFitnessPal daily, even though I'm not following a strict diet anymore. It should help me make healthy choices, so I don't completely fall off the wagon and gain everything back.

Week 10 report

Last week sucked. Plain and simple. I completely fell apart on several days, went way over on my calories, and I really have no excuse. I ate out too much, only worked out three times and I paid dearly for it, gaining a pound. I was so pissed off at myself that I didn't even want to blog about it yesterday.

My swollen wrist after this morning's swim session.

It's a new week, though, and I have some serious work to do in order to make up for it. I'm back up to 169.9 pounds with only two weeks left. I probably won't reach my goal of 165 by then, but I'll do my best to put together a big finish. After that, all bets are off. The baby is due any day now and Jen is my No. 1 priority right now. If she needs me to come straight home and help her with anything, forcing me to skip the gym, I'll do it. That being said, these last two weeks may be the toughest yet.

Once the baby is here, a new and greater test will begin. Will I be able to maintain this healthier lifestyle with much less time on my hands? The biggest reason most people have crummy diets is because they are often on the run and "don't have time" to cook and eat right. It's a lame excuse, but I think we've all been there.

Anyway, this morning's swim class wasn't as grueling as Tuesday's, but it was solid and a good way to start the day. I plan on a good session on the stationary bike later, as well. We did a lot of butterfly sets, which I'm not very practiced in. Just like I used to do in high school, I repeatedly smacked my hands and wrists on the lane line, trying not to whack anyone in the head on the other side of our lane. That's the biggest reason it's difficult to circle swim with fly. I saved their heads, but my hand took a beating. I'm gonna have a few bruises tomorrow.

Total distance: 1,650 yards

Week 8 report

I can't believe how fast the weeks are flying by. It's strange, because as I wait for Jen's due date, it feels like time is at a standstill. But, when it comes to my 12-week diet, I am at warp speed.

Three quarters of this regimen are now over and although I don't feel like I'm seeing a huge difference in the mirror, the scale is certainly reflecting it. This week, I weighed in at 168.8, down exactly one pound from last week. That leaves me with less than four pounds to go in the remaining four weeks. It's entirely possible that I may not reach my overall goal before the baby gets here, though, as Jen has reached a point in her pregnancy where she could go into labor at any time. Honestly, I wouldn't mind cutting this experiment a bit short if our baby boy does arrive a tad early. The entire point of this was to get down to a healthy weight and body fat percentage by the time I'm a father, and I feel like I'm certainly on track for that.

A nice blurry photo during the cool down of my one-hour run yesterday.

While I had a difficult Week 7, this week was a little bit better. As always, I had a few bad days, but finished the week strong. It appears to be a microcosm of how I would like to live my life anyway. We can enjoy ourselves and let loose a little bit as long as the majority of the time, we are doing our best to be healthy. I can thank a couple of in-laws for such a good week in the gym. While having dinner at their place on Sunday, Jen's brother, Vaughn, and his wife, Chrissy, were debating if they would like to run the Huntsville Half Marathon with me in September. I still am not entirely convinced I even want to run it, but they seemed receptive to it and it gave me a fresh motivation to start training for it early. That being said, I did an extra long running session yesterday to finish the week. Plus, I didn't get to start swimming in my class yesterday, as we simply discussed the course schedule and don't get in the water until tomorrow. I can't wait!

Well, I'm now down 10.4 pounds in eight weeks. Only four more weeks remain with 3.8 pounds to go.

The results are in

OK, I know it's been about two weeks since I last posted, but I wanted to wait until I got my full Wellness results back. I finally did, and now I can move forward. Here's what I took from it.

The good

• My blood lipid profile was excellent. My triglycerides, total cholesterol, HDL and LDL cholesterol, glucose and lipoprotein levels were all in optimal ranges.
• My "risk" factors are low, including not smoking, rare drinking, no diabetes, no signs of osteoporosis and somewhat regular physical activity.
• Upper body strength. I scored well on every category. The aide even said my grip strength score was "through the roof," which shocked me. I never thought I had a very strong grip.

The bad

• Nutrition. This comes as no surprise to me. I sorely need to eat more veggies, less red meat and less high-fat foods. The only area I scored particularly well in was my intake of whole-grain and wheat carbs that are low in high-fructose corn syrup and gluten.
• Flexibility. Although I've vastly improved since I lost weight, I still have a long way to go, scoring a little low on my sit-and-reach test.
• Body fat percentage. This is the big one. I scored a whopping 26.8 percent, which stunned me, even though I knew my percentage was going to be high. The charts map me in the "obese" category here, even though my weight (179 pounds) and waist (34 inches) measurements were only slightly high.

With this information, I have formulated a lofty goal with a tentative plan, aided by Gordon Gridley, a friend and fellow swimmer who has undergone an incredible transformation himself. I'll fill you in on that a little more later.

The goal

• To drastically improve my overall health by the time our baby is born. This gives me about 12 weeks, as he is due in early June. I need to set an example for my family, one that will stick and hopefully encourage a healthy lifestyle for both Jen and my son. I would like to drop my weight down to 165 pounds and my body fat percentage to less than 15 percent (eventually to less than 10 percent).

The plan

• Diet right. I've never actually "dieted" before, but I'm going for it. I started last Wednesday and have been using a very helpful tool on my iPad called MyFitnessPal. It's an incredible app that logs my diet and exercise, keeping track of my calories and nutrition with an exhaustive database of millions of foods. I don't have to drop calories drastically, only a little bit. I mostly need to focus on what calories I consume. I should consume less than 20 percent of my calories from fat (less than 10 percent in a perfect world), with a rough balance of 50 percent carbs (the right kind with less bad sugar) and 30 percent protein. The best part is, I don't have to do any friggin math. MyFitnessPal charts those percentages automatically for me as I enter my food after every meal.
• Exercise more often, but not necessarily for longer. I don't need to log hours upon hours of cardio like the people on The Biggest Loser do, but I need to get cardio sessions in more often and every day if possible. I've pretty much slacked off since last November, rarely working out more than 2-3 times per week. I've been at it for four straight days now (including five of the past six days) and I'm gaining steam. Depending on how fast I shed the fat/pounds, I will eventually start doing more weight-bearing and strengthening workouts to add muscle. I set a reasonable goal of about 1-1.5 pounds of weight loss per week for now. Another fun social media app called FourSquare helps keep me motivated. You "check in" on your iPad or iPhone wherever you are at and can try to become the "Mayor" of certain locations by having the most check ins at that spot. My goal is to be the Mayor of Planet Fitness in Roy by the time my son is born, which will be tough, because there are some regulars there that have logged a lot of check-ins.

So, that's the tentative plan. I will fill in more details as I report back every Wednesday for weekly follow-ups, starting tomorrow.

Weber State Turkey Tri race report

What started out as a crummy day turned out to be a good one. I woke up early so I could get up to campus and set up my transition area for the triathlon, but it there was still a ton of snow on the ground and it was still falling. Sure enough, when I checked in, they announced the bike leg had been canceled. I was very disappointed and my heart kind of sank a bit. I've trained primarily for the bike leg, given my knee and shoulder issues restrict my swimming and running, so that was a blow. Obviously, trying to beat my time from last year was out the window since the race was only a duathlon this time around.

Chatting with Kelly and Jess just after finishing.
They were in the first wave, while I was in the second.

However, the weather cleared up a bit just before the race started and when it was my wave's turn to start the race, I was amped and determined to go all out on my run, regardless of pain, knowing I wouldn't have to follow it with a bike leg. It hurt and I was certainly sucking wind, but I gave it my all and didn't stop despite the cold. The swim was cake. I cruised past people in the short 300-yard pool event and mostly, people were conscious of faster swimmers, letting them pass when needed. I really wish that leg was longer, because it's the only place where I have an edge over most triathletes.


Me at the start of the race (in all black). Note the damn snow, just like last year.

I finished in 36:38 minutes, good enough for 5th out of 10 in my age group and 48th out of 112 overall. In the end, I'm still bummed I didn't get to use the bike I went through the trouble of borrowing, but with the time I logged on the other two legs, I'm still confident I would have finished in under an hour this year and possibly finished higher up. However, I did have one of the top 10 fastest swim legs in the whole race. To counter that, I also had one of the top 10 slowest transitions. I probably could have shaved a minute off my race if I didn't take my sweet effing time getting to the pool.

Jess, Kelly and I hanging out during the post-race raffle with our new bling.

Jessica and Kelly each won prizes in the raffle and Jess was given a medal for finishing first in her age group which was kind of cool. She acted very surprised and with good reason, because when the official results were posted today, she actually took fourth in her age group. What a fraud! Haha! Also, ran into some old friends and some acquaintances I work out with at the Roy Rec Center. After the race, I joined Jon McBride and Gentry Reinhart, -- my old pals from The Signpost -- for some lunch at the Shooting Star Saloon in Huntsville and we followed that up with a Weber State football game (also in the snow). The day still didn't end, as I took Jen to an Ogden Mustangs hockey game later that night (also in a cold ice rink).

The famous Shooting Star. My stomach
 didn't sit right for the rest of
 the day, though. Worth it...

What a day... A cold one.

Total distance: 3.1 miles running, 300 yards swimming

Wedding anniversary triathlon

I didn't have the intention of doing anything special today, but when I got to the gym, I was feeling ambitious. I started out on the treadmill and went a full 3.1 miles and was feeling OK, so I thought, "What the hell?" and hopped right on the bike. I was still feeling good, so after about 10 minutes I decided to go the distance and complete the full 6.2-mile leg of what the Turkey Tri will be.

I immediately jumped off, started my watch and timed myself as I ran down to the locker room, threw on my suit and dove into the pool. I went through the 300-yards as fast as I could before turning off the timer. Adding it all up, including transitions, I did the full triathlon in 59:33, which is VERY fast by my standards. However, realistically, the actual tri is much more difficult with big hills and such. I finished in about 1:08.00 last year and based off how I ran the run leg of the course yesterday, I can't imagine I'm going to crush my time. Hopefully, I'll be able to knock a few minutes off, though. Getting under 1:05.00 would be an accomplishment for me.

It's been a good day, other than upsetting Jen for taking longer than expected at the gym. Today is our third wedding anniversary.

Total distance: 3.1 miles running, 6.2 miles cycling, 300 yards swimming

Locked out of house = Long run

So, I'm a dumb ass.

Yesterday, I was supposed to meet Kelly so we could run the Turkey Tri course for the first time this year. I was running late and was in a hurry to get out of the house, so the second I closed the front door when I left, I realized I didn't have my keys or phone on me. I had nothing but my wallet and iPod on me. I was in my running clothes, so I walked up to the gas station near my house, called Jen and lefter her a message, asking her to tell Kelly I wasn't going to make it, because I'm a screw up and locked myself out.

I had over two hours until Jen would be home from work, so I said screw it and just went for a run around the neighborhood. I took a completely random route, simply trying to kill time, while still getting a decent run in. I swear I ran all over Roy city before I finally made my way back to that same gas station about 45 minutes later. I called Jen from their phone again and this time, she answered, saying she'd be there in a few minutes to pick me up and take my dumb ass to Home Depot so we can make a copy of the house key.

I'm shamed to say, this is the second time of done this, not including the few times she had to rescue me when I locked my keys in my car while in college. I'm glad she has so much patience with my scattered brain. In the end, though, I got a good sweat and sucked down a cold drink at that gas station after, because after all, I did still have my wallet. Haha!

Total distance: 4.2 miles running (after looking up my run online)

Market fresh every day: Runnin' to Smith's

I slept in today, but it didn't keep me from working out. The cool weather is making it possible to run outside even in the middle of the afternoon without getting too hot. I ran from my house all the way to Smith's in Sunset before turning back. I had to stop at a handful of stop lights, which slowed me down a bit, but I just ran in place while I waited.

Just finished my run and Jen captured the moment.

I made it back in 43 minutes and MapMyFitness says I ran almost exactly four miles. That Smith's all the way up there is a nice benchmark for a four-mile run, I guess. Anyway, right when I got back, Jen was waiting outside for me so we could run over to Costco to grab a few things. She snapped a quick picture of me in all my sweaty glory and we left. I enjoyed a tasty hot dog and washed it down with a Diet Coke as a reward.

My knee feels great and hasn't been bothering me, although my hamstring has been giving me a little bit of trouble. My confidence heading into the Turkey Tri is growing every workout. I just need to get some more bike, and hopefully pool time, too.

Total distance: 4 miles running

Race report: Bear Lake crossing

What a 24 hours it has been. The Bear Lake swim turned out to be a success, although at times I felt like a total failure. Anyway, here's a breakdown of the day.

The best smile I could muster after the race.

Jen and I stayed at a campground the night before on the Idaho (east) side of the lake. There was nothing else available in the camping department, even though I checked six weeks in advance. We both slept like crap, due to noisy neighbors and a windy night. We both probably got less than two hours of sleep. Not a good start. In the morning, before the sun was even up, we drove around the lake to the marina in Garden City to get shuttled to the start, which was at Cisco Beach, close to where we were camping, but we wanted our car to be on the other side and ready for us when the race was over. On the bus, we chatted with Chad, Goody and his support kayaker, Lang while we drove back around the lake to the starting point. It's always fun to see those guys and I hope to see them more often this winter in some polar bear plunges.

The start of the race at Cisco Beach. I pilfered this photo from Goody's blog.

Jen and I got the kayak loaded up at the start, I did some light stretching and waded around in the water waiting for the start. A wet suit swimmer next to me was complaining about the cold water and it made me laugh, because I thought it was really warm. I looked over at Goody when she said that and he just grinned. I didn't crack any jokes about her finger paddles and flippers she had on for the swim either.

All is well and progress is good about halfway across.

The race started and we were off. I felt very good early, even though I fell to the back of the pack within the first mile or two. I was only in front of one other swimmer at that point. The water was calm, and Jen had me going at a nice pace. It wasn't until about Mile 4 or so that I started to have trouble. There were supposed to be buoys marking every mile across the lake, but some were nowhere in sight, except way off to the left and right of us. We probably followed the wrong one for a good 40 minutes before realizing the buoys had drifted and I wasted some very valuable "shoulder time" as I called it. Because not long after that, the pain started and my left arm deteriorated quickly after that. It got really bad, so I immediately went into breaststroke. For most of the remainder of the race, I alternated breaststroke and freestyle, but for a while, I couldn't get more than 20-30 strokes at a time before going back to breast. I had fallen into last place and the nearest swimmer was beyond sight, so I knew I was very far back.

Plugging away with my breaststroke

At that point, after another feed, I really wanted to stop. The race organizers were in a speedboat and were constantly zipping around me causing a strong wake and it made progress very slow. I was pissed off, in a lot of pain, but Jen wouldn't let me quit, even though I probably took a lot of my anger out on her. She pointed out a buoy to me after talking with the guys on that boat, claiming it was the Mile 5 mark, even though I probably had already done at least six. I could see the marina way off in the distance and those last "two" miles were torture. Every time I looked up, it didn't appear any closer. Later, Jen said I was pretty much swimming in place because there was a heavy current coming out of the marina due to a constant stream of boats exiting the docks. It didn't help that the same organizers were turning up the water all around me. I was beat down, both physically and emotionally.

After what seemingly took forever, my shoulder went completely numb, which probably isn't good, but the pain went away, so I said screw it and went back to freestyle for good. I finally saw another swimmer about 300 yards ahead as I finally approached the marina and Jen just looked at me with a stone face and said, "If you have anything left in the tank, now is the time. You can catch him." That got me amped and I really poured it on with my strokes, even though I was still moving slow. I caught the guy and passed him with ease as we rounded the rocks on the corner of the marina for the final stretch to the beach. I thought I was crawling at a slow pace, but when I passed the guy, I felt like a missile in the water, because he was BARELY moving, making progress in inches, so I cruised past him.

The final stretch.

Jen and I at the finish. Note the guy and his kayer I barely beat behind me.

Zonked. I couldn't hear very well for a while after. My sinuses are still messed up this morning.

I could hear Tim and Jen's parents cheering me on during the final few hundred yards which was awesome. They made the trip up just to watch me finish, which I can't thank them enough for. I stumbled out of the water and gave Jen a big hug. My watch read 4:21.34, which was well ahead of my goal of finishing under five hours. I didn't finish last either, which would have been a huge disappointment to me. Apparently, I also passed one of the relay teams during that two-mile torture stretch, which was kind of cool. I did the whole thing myself and still beat them. That boosted my ego a bit. Jen claims I probably ended up swimming around 10 miles, although I think that might be a bit of an exaggeration. It was probably closer to eight, or maybe nine at the most, but it was still more than I initially planned or trained for. The race was supposed to be a seven-mile crossing.

I'm so glad to have such a supportive wife. Jen was also hurting from paddling that whole way, fighting the same current and wake that I was and the whole time, she stayed patient with my childish complaints and didn't let me stop, no matter how much I whined. Finishing was quite an accomplishment for her, too and I'm glad we did it together. I'm super proud of her.

Jen is the best wife and support paddler I
could ever ask for.

Overall, I'm glad I did the swim, but it was very poorly organized. I had a hard time getting info leading up to the race, the shirts were cheap, there was ZERO food, water, medals or anything for that matter at the finish. The "marked" course was non-existant, due to the drifting buoys, which in a race that long, is a pretty big thing to screw up. Not to mention the damn race organizers buzzing around me in that boat like a fly throughout the last half of the race. I heard similar complaints from many other swimmers at the beach after the finish. The only real praise I have for the first annual Bear Lake Swim, was the shuttle service before the start. That was nice, I guess.

We went to lunch with Tim, Greg and Anita and we both were pretty much zombies until finally getting home at about 9 p.m.. We immediately fell asleep after showering and twelve hours later, we both feel like we got hit by a truck, but it was totally worth it. Now, it's off to the doctor to see a specialist about my shoulder on Tuesday...

P.S.: I didn't realize it until this morning, but I also passed the 200-mile mark with this race. Kind of a cool coincidence.

UPDATE: The results are posted and the "relay" I thought I beat, was actually another individual swimmer, so I finished third from last, instead of second from last. 14th out of 16 swimmers in my division. Sweet!

Total distance: 8-9 miles. Not really sure, exactly.

Here's a few more photos from the race.

We were all smiles the night before.

Bear Lake at sunset. I was ready to cross that sucker in the morning.

Chad and Goody on the shuttle to the start. They both are first-class
 swimmers and a lot of fun to be around. Utah open water swimmers really
have a great support system.

More stairs with Wes and Kelly

Today's blog isn't actually for today. I'm not working out until Saturday, but I went into work early yesterday, so I didn't have time to update with a new post.

Yesterday, Wes and Kelly came over and we went to Roy High's track to run and do some stairs. All in all, it was a good little workout. Wes is coming with Jen and I to Bear Lake tomorrow and he's going to kayak with Jen during my swim. Kelly was going to, but he got stuck working through the weekend. Still glad someone is coming to keep Jen company while I'm in the water. Four to five hours is a long time to sit in a kayak by yourself for.

Anyway, we leave tomorrow afternoon and are staying overnight in a campground at Cisco Beach, right where the race is starting. You won't hear from me until after the race. BRING THE PAIN!!

Total distance: About two miles running

Morning run with Jen

I've been so proud of Jen lately. I talked her into training for her first 5k run and she's been working diligently at it for about a week now. She's doing a couch-to-5k program and she hasn't missed a training day yet. She even woke me up this morning to go run with her at the Roy High track.

My knee hasn't been hurting, but then again, I haven't been running. The thought has been in the back of my mind though, ever since my last attempt at running and it gave me problems. I hoped all the hiking and cycling I've been doing has helped strengthen it and today was a nice little test.

While Jen did her own thing, I ran a short two miles, stopping every quarter mile to do stairs on the bleachers. For the second mile, I stopped every 1/8 mile and did push-ups. There was no pain or discomfort, so it was a nice little workout on a Saturday, and I rarely exercise on weekends.

Tomorrow, Pineview Reservoir for a long swim ... if the weather holds up.

Total distance: 2 miles running

Race report: Great Salt Lake swim 2012

It's strange when you train for something for so long. The event comes and then goes just like that. You spend so many hours preparing for something that seems to last for only a few minutes. That's how today's race was.

The waves didn't really seem so bad until you got out in the open.

The weather at the Great Salt Lake marina wasn't as rough as originally expected, although there were decent-sized waves from the wind. Apparently, a few support boat volunteers ditched Josh, so he had to square that away, forcing us to get off to a bit of a late start. 

By the time the race started, I was already a bit psyched out. Just swimming out to the starting buoy proved to be a challenge in the 3-to-4 foot swells. The first 700 yards or so were the toughest. Although I wasn't having as difficult of a time sighting as last year, the waves made it very hard to see Black Rock and the finish line. However, a giant red arch above the finish line in the distance saved me from getting too far off the course. The same waves kept me from getting any real rhythm and breathing was hellish with waves crashing into your face with the stinging salt. At the pace, I was going, I thought for sure I'd have a disappointing finish time.

Heading out to the starting buoy

However, something clicked a little over half-way through and I started getting into a nice groove. I passed a handful of swimmers that darted out ahead of me earlier, and for once, it seemed like my few ounces of open water experience paid off. By the time I reached the beach (which seemed to appear in front of me out of nowhere) , I took my time standing up and trotting to the finish line. Last year I almost vomited from getting up too fast, and fortunately, all was well this time. 

Just before the start. BRING THE PAIN!

Jen was waiting there for me with some mouthwash after I received my medal. Then, I realized I forgot to stop my timer. I'm not sure how much time ticked off after I finished, but when I stopped it, the clock read 31:10. I'm almost certain the real time was at least 15-20 seconds faster, but either way, I still topped last year's time by over 2 1/2 minutes despite much more challenging conditions. I didn't get under 30 minutes, like I wanted to, but I'm certain if the weather was better, I certainly would have. I haven't seen the official results, but Jen says I was the sixth swimmer out of the water and the fourth male. I'll certainly take that considering there were about 35 swimmers.

We took off pretty fast after the race, and I didn't get to see Rachel finish, but I'm sure she did just fine. She was a bit nervous about the swim, even though she did the same route earlier this week in 8-FOOT swells. I also got to chat with Chad for a few minutes, which was nice. He finished just before me. Blast!

I'm the dude on the far left.

P.S: Here's a shout out to Josh, who once again, organized a heckuva race, despite having to adjust to a few speed bumps. Nice work!

Total distance: Around 2,250 yards

UPDATE: I just got the official results and I finished 10th out of 28 swimmers (4th out of 11 males) with a time of 31:01.

8-mile swim next year?

Josh is all smiles after organizing another successful swim