Cerebrate Good Times

I've been meaning to post this since the year ended. But it was the best running year I've ever had, at least in some ways. 1,183 miles—a new personal record, or an average of 3.2 miles per day 23 runs of a half marathon or longer 1 marathon 3 pairs of shoes 126,665 calories burned I also walked a little under 400 miles (as exercise, not just daily steps). I think that means the knee surgery was a huge success. Now I just hope it holds up; I know some people have had improvements only for the scar cartilage to wear out after a year or two. But even if this was my last chance to run as much as I want to, it was really nice.

About a week and a half ago was the Idaho Falls Marathon. I was pretty excited for my first one in four years, and the culmination of the most intense training I've done. As the race approached, I looked more at the information I would need for that day, like the details for getting my bib and more specifics on the course.  I was generally familiar with the course, but there were a couple strange things about it. Most marathons (okay, the two I've done before) are big loops that are pretty simple to follow. This one started way up in the hills east of town and came into the city, as one would expect. But there were a few strange twists and turns once we got there. Here's one such area. A little weird I knew this was a fairly small race, so I thought it might be good to familiarize myself with the course in detail so I knew where to turn if there weren't a lot of supporters. For the last few days beforehand I spent time on Google Maps going over the city porti...

I've started a few posts lately but haven't felt strongly about publishing any of them. So here are a few random updates. James turned three a couple weeks ago, and my parents came for a visit along with my sister and her family. It was nice. The kid's stinkin' cute. Yes, that's Nacho Libre in the background. Sam's been struggling a little bit with teenager-hood. We finally took him to a counselor, and they diagnosed with with some anxiety and OCD tendencies. So we're working to find the best way to treat it so school isn't so overwhelming for him. I think a lot of it has to do with his troubles sleeping, but we'll see how things go. We're going to visit Utah in a couple weeks. My sister recently moved back from DC with her husband and little girl. They're staying with my parents while they look for a place, so we'll go down and spend some time doing family-type things. Last time we took Cinder, but he was just a kitten. Now he...

All right, time for another boring running post. As I'm sure you remember, I had knee surgery last fall. After a couple months I was slowly able to get running again, with good results. The swelling was gone, and the scar cartilage seemed to be coming along nicely. In March I ran my first half marathon post-procedure. Meanwhile, at work we learned that the company would reimburse anyone who wanted to enter the Idaho Falls Marathon in July. So I decided to give it a shot. I still haven't registered, but I started training last month. I'm also training a little differently than I ever have before. I'll try to keep the details minimal, but in the past I've always run a consistent 3 to 5 miles a couple times a week, then increased my long runs on Saturdays until I got to the marathon distance. This time I am following a specific training plan I've been eyeing for years. It involves just three runs per week (most plans have you run 4 to 6 days a week), which ha...

Okay, I'm running out of knee puns to use as titles for posts. Last week I had the arthroscopic knee surgery that I had wanted to get for a while. It turns out I'm really close to my out-of-pocket insurance max this year, so the $10k operation should cost no more than $300. So it made sense. It was interesting. I went to the hospital, they shaved part of my leg (a first for me), and then I was in and out within about an hour. I didn't get to talk to the doctor, so I'll have to wait for the follow-up next week to see what he has to say about how much damage there was. The recovery has been... well, I have nothing to compare it to. I used crutches off and on for the first two days or so, but I was allowed to put weight on it even right after the surgery. It was just removing some damaged cartilage from the knee cap, rather than repairing a tendon or something major. That being said, it's been really swollen and pretty uncomfortable. Not much pain, though, and I ...

I don't think I've posted about this before, but even if I have who cares? I've had some knee issues for the last three years that have limited my running to some extent. When I've tried to increase my mileage to train for a marathon, or just run faster, I've always had to back off. I would get swelling, and sometimes soreness. Last year I went to physical therapy, and they thought it might be related to a lack of range of motion in my ankle. So I worked on it for a couple months, and things got better. But early this year the swelling started to come back. Eventually I decided to go to a doctor, who recommended an MRI. The MRI showed that the cartilage on my kneecap has some damage, though the extent isn't totally clear. The doctor said it doesn't appear to be damage cause by running, but from some other injury. The motion of running can cause inflammation, which explains why it recurs, especially when I change things up or try to increase my load. He...

I guess I usually do a year-end post of some kind, but it's been a little hard to figure out what kind of year 2017 was. And yet for some reason I don't feel like I should post anything else until 2017 is put to rest. So what you get is stream of consciousness! Recency bias means things toward the end of the year are on my mind. I had a bit of an unusual health situation happen, and as a result I learned that I can give myself shots, at least when it's a pen-style syringe. Depending on what happens over the next few months I may post more about this, but for now this will do. But it has altered my perspective on things a bit. I traveled to Dallas and Las Vegas for work conventions. I dislike being away from the family for five days at a time, but the change in schedule can be fun. I work with good people, and they make things run smoothly. As far as running, the year was okay. I got in 800 miles (the goal was 1,000). I got a lot better at running up hills, and did cli...

It's been a long time since I've posted anything about running, so I figure I can indulge myself a bit. It's been a difficult summer, with one illness or injury after another, and I feel like I'm barely maintaining basic conditioning, let alone improving. This year marks a decade since I started, though, and I've learned a few things over that time that might have been nice to know earlier. Here are a few random tidbits I've figured out over the last ten years that may be of interest to anyone just getting started. The single most crucial aspect of running is consistency. If you don't set a schedule you won't be consistent. If you're not consistent, you will never progress. You can do more than you think you can. It's all about incremental improvement. When I first started, a 10k seemed intimidating, never mind a half marathon or more. Now half marathons are routine, and I just need to conquer the idea of marathons being routine. I've ru...

A few general observations before I begin: Huntsville is a gorgeous little town. I would totally live there. I'm glad I grew the beard before the race instead of after, given the cold and rainy conditions. This guy was apparently trying to draft behind other runners, getting right behind them uncomfortably close. Not sure that did anything besides make people feel awkward. Run your own race, dude. I left home at 5 to get there in time to board the bus. It was dark and rainy, and there was thunder and lightning at home. I worried that if that continued up in Huntsville the race would possibly by cancelled, but there was no way to know without showing up. So I make the hour and a half drive without incident. (It helped that I had done it the day before to pick up my race packet.) I arrived at about 6:30, and it was raining in Huntsville as well. They had staff members directing us where to park. So I got my stuff together, which consisted of my belt with water and ener...

All of a sudden last week I decided to run the Provo City Half Marathon. I had been a little tired lately of running the same places every week and wanted a little variety. I also felt like I had improved my time a lot since 2011 when I ran that distance for the first time, and I wanted to see if a race would improve it more. It started when I awoke at 4 a.m. and headed down to Provo, where the organizers shuttled us up Provo Canyon to the starting line. We got there by about 5:30, which means we had 90 minutes to hang around in the freezing cold before we started. They had some raffles and such, and there were some bonfires for warmth, but that wait was definitely my least favorite part. And then at 7:00 we were off. I could immediately tell this was going to be interesting, because I was just flying down the canyon. My GPS later told me that I ran one of the miles at a 5:59 pace, which is insane for me. Eventually we got out of the canyon and things more or less leveled out. I ...

It lurked in the corner of the room, largely escaping notice. Well, if something taking up that much space could really escape notice. Nevertheless, it sat there watching. Patiently waiting for its chance to strike. The day began like any other. I sat in a chair for several hours, and went home. But then I had the chance to literally stretch my legs and run. The fates had conspired, however, and the wind outside was gusting up to 30 mph. Until a few weeks ago, there would have been no choice—I run outside, or not at all. But now there was the evil machine in the corner calling to me. “There’s no wind here,” it gently hissed. “Look, there’s even a place to put a tablet so you can watch TV and run at the same time…” And so, to my everlasting regret, I succumbed to the siren song. Then it began. To keep from disturbing the family beyond the noise the machine itself makes, I put in earphones, but with my arms moving my hands accidentally caught the cord and ripped them from my ea...

Empathy is a funny thing. And if by “funny” I mean “awful.” I like to think I can appreciate the misfortunes of others without having to experience them directly. No, really, Universe. I’m good. Well, okay. There are some situations I have been less than empathetic about because I don’t have personal perspective. Like whatever brain parasite causes people to wear skinny jeans. I will never empathize with that. Anyway, this post isn’t about those situations, but one I have actually now experienced firsthand. Generally speaking, I’ve been extremely fortunate throughout my life in terms of my health. I mean, I’ve experienced lesser issues like horrible acne, comical near-sightedness, braces, and that nasty bout with Crohn’s disease which has fortunately remained in check for the most part. But I didn’t inherit any kind of “fat” genes (skinny genes don’t demand skinny jeans), and I even still have a decent head of hair (knock on wood). I am used to going throughout my daily life ...

Here's a boring running post that I'm mostly writing because this is my current version of a journal. So read at your own risk of boredom. On Saturday I ran 20 miles for the first time, which is 76 percent of a full marathon. It went well, and I'm getting the hang of taking in calories during the run. Most marathon training plans have 20 miles as the longest you do before the full thing, but I am planning a couple longer runs so I'm not in unfamiliar territory on May 5, which is the date of the Provo City Marathon. It feels weird to be so close to this goal that I have been working toward for several years.

This afternoon I went out to a certain section of the trail I run on, carrying a pair of snips. With these I cut the piece of barbed wire that caused this yesterday: The end

Total miles run in 2011: 764 Total calories burned: 91,756 (or about 45 days' worth of food)

Creepy: Being out alone in the woods at night. Creepier: Being out along in the woods at night, and seeing sets of glowing eyes. So I hesitate to do another running post so soon, since I know how exciting you all find it, but this is more about the environment than the running itself. For the most part I use the Jordan River Parkway that runs behind our house, but in the winter it’s dark on the weekdays when I go. So most of the time I go around the neighborhood, but last night I decided to brave the creepy darkness of the parkway. Most of the area where I run has no houses bordering the trail, so it’s trees and wetlands. And, while there aren’t exactly bears and cougars roaming around the area, I still hear plenty of rustling in the bushes. And then there are the eyes, shining out of the darkness where my headlamp lights the way, and it ratchets up the creepiness another notch. Usually they are just cats, but last night I saw several deer walking around a campground. While deer are fa...

I posted not long ago about dreams and the point of diminishing returns. In fact, I mentioned the specific “dream” I am now looking at. I finally decided (again) that I want to run a marathon, specifically the Provo City Marathon next May. I chose it because you can register up to the day of the race, so if I get injured while training I won’t have to waste the registration money. Anyway, I have been running longer runs in preparation, and last Saturday I did 15 miles for the first time. I’ve always loved running, even though it’s exercise, but now I find myself in the difficult position of not entirely looking forward to these really long runs. So what is it worth to accomplish my goal? What if it costs me my enjoyment of running? If you get so deeply involved into something that it loses its fun, you are basically going from a hobby to a career. Ha! I think I will stick with my plan for a few more weeks, at least. Maybe last week was just a fluke, and I’ll be all good to go from her...

While I was running on Saturday, I noticed a group of people gathered in a parking lot, but I didn't think much of it. Then a few minutes later I passed a guy sitting at a table with water, and a sign identifying the turnaround point for a 5k. So I ran on, figuring the race would happen while I was further down the trail. A few miles later I turned around and headed back toward the table. When I passed it again, the guy was still sitting there, and it didn't look like any of the water was gone. A couple minutes later I finally started to see the racers coming the other direction, which meant that I was technically in the lead of their race. As I approached the finish line, a teenager quickly whipped out a big timer, showing me that I was finishing the 5k in about 15 minutes. Not too shabby. Unfortunately, there was no tape for me to break.

Last night I was running when I felt something hit my ear. I reached up to touch it, and it was ... Any guesses?

After a few days offline, my site is back! So if anybody actually comes here again, thanks. Well, my 31st birthday has now come and gone, and it was a good one. A few weeks ago I had decided to run a half marathon for my birthday (not a registered one, just by myself), because for some reason I thought the 13 and 31 would be cool. And then, a couple days before, I decided that in order to prove that I'm not getting old, I decided I had to beat my best time at that distance, set all of three months ago. I managed to do it in 1:38, taking a little more than a minute off my previous time. Not too much, but I felt good because you generally run slower on your own anyway. I did manage to score some pretty sore toenails, though. Anyway, enough with the boring running stuff. Now on to the boring family stuff! Katie bought me a bunch of shirts (I think I ended up with 13, so I really mean "a bunch"), and I got to go see Cowboys and Aliens (spoiler: it has cowboys in it, and also...