Summer 2013: Alpine Loop

Although I had spent several hours ascending and descending American Fork Canyon on foot, I had hardly seen any of it, since I made my trek in the dark. We decided to go for a drive up the Alpine Loop and visit Cascade Springs.



Compared to Provo Canyon, American Fork Canyon is very narrow and creates a more enclosed feeling.



We saw lots of deer along the way and some very impressive views.



When we finally crested the the highest point of the road, we had a great view of the valley behind Mount Timpanogos. My race had not taken me this far, but it was a lovely view all the same.

Summer 2013: Dinner with Great Grandparents

On Sunday we had the chance to visit Great Grandma & Grandpa W in Provo. We were really nervous leading up to the trip because Grandpa Ralph and had been very sick with a very weak immune system, so we were worried about bringing any germs with us. Fortunately, everyone was healthy and we got to bring the kids over and even snap some photos with both grandparents.



It reminded us of the years that we lived in Provo, when we used to get over to their house so often to have a meal, play pool, or celebrate the holidays. As always, a trip to visit them is never complete until Grandma's candy dish has been raided.

Summer 2013: Heber Derby

We did the demolition derby in Heber again this year. As I recall, the 2011 derby was a great time, but the 2013 derby was probably the best one I have ever attended. The weather was great and the action was intense. The highlight was the final round, where it came down to one car that had lost its rear tires against one that had lost its front wheels.

SOGO Bonk 2013

Preface: This account is nearly as long as the race itself, so I will forgive anyone who decides not to read it in its entirety. I could not edit any of it out because it all is part of the experience for me.

Longest run in training was 30 km. That was in late March, I think. Running went well in April and May but the North Carolina trip in June cut into my running routine. I tried to make up for it in July with a flurry of runs and cycling. I did lots of running, but there is more to a marathon than just running.

A work colleague gave me a marathon training program. It said that you should work on your nutrition program during your longer runs. I had never really considered that.

In my first half marathon (Sep 2012) I ate gels, drank water and suffered.
In my second half marathon (Mar 2013) I ate nothing, drank nothing and did awesome.

Since then, whenever I have run to or from work I have avoided drinking anything during the run and have usually eaten very little. Usually, I take little bites from a hot dog bun throughout the run. You probably think that's funny.

The day before the race we drove from Pocatello, ID to Highland, UT. We walked around in 100 degree heat at Thanksgiving Point before I downed a super-sized brownie sundae with hot fudge and cookie dough ice cream. This is clever race prep.

I ate a delicious carb dinner (Thanks Jamie!) and headed off to bed early.



Only 3 hours sleep. Woke up before my 2:45 am alarm feeling a bit ill. It could have been nerves, but that sick feeling stayed with me the whole morning.

The starting point was the high school. The other 100 runners were milling around in the dark, with their headlamps bobbing along as they adjusted their reflective vests and glow-in-the-dark wristbands. I munched on a small PBJ sandwich (on a hot dog bun, of course) and took a few last gulps of water as we assembled near the starting line.



My plan was to take it pretty easy on the way up the canyon and pick it up on the descent. I figured that I could do a 5:50/km pace on the way up and a 4:40/km pace on the way down to hit the target 3h40min mark. The first 10km was pretty flat so I ran a bit faster than the plan, thinking the uphill would be a bit slower.

That first hour was the best part of the whole race. I was running about 5:00/km and just cruising along through the dark. The moon was high above the mountains and the Timpanogos Temple glowed bright white above the rooftops. There was no wind and everything was perfectly still except for the sound of running feet.

And then I got sprayed in the face with a sprinkler.

Eventually, the flat terrain in town gave way to the greater incline of American Fork Canyon, so I dialed back the speed and turned on my audiobook in preparation for the long grind. The book was "Dad is Fat", the parenting experiences of stand-up comedian Jim Gaffigan. It was pretty entertaining and I soon found myself nearing the turnaround point at Tibble Fork just before dawn.

This is Tibble Fork in the daylight

I finished the first half of the marathon in 1h54min, which was just ahead of my target pace and good enough to be #3 in my age group. I felt great as I cruised past the crowd of half-marathoners gathering near their starting point. I let out an enthusiastic whoop before handing in my headlamp and tearing off back down the canyon. That next km was the fastest I ran the whole morning, as the downhill grade gave me a boost in speed.



However, my literal decline represented a figurative decline which would last for the next few hours. I found it difficult to keep a quick pace with the steady downhill, which seemed relentless and punishing. A few people began to trickle past me and I started looking forward to the aid stations so that I could slow to a walk to drink some powerade. After a few km I ducked into the restroom because I felt really uncomfortable.

I slowed to a walk at one point near the base of the canyon, but I was able to pick it up again before the mouth of the canyon, where I ran past an ambulance that was taking care of someone. Until then it hadn't occurred to me that I might need to be removed from the race by ambulance, but the thought seemed almost comforting.



By this point the sun was up and I could clearly see the surroundings. It was somewhat depressing to notice landmarks from the golf course and think about how much worse I felt going past them this time around. I slowed to a walk again. A lady in her late 60s passed me wearing really high pink socks. I was still ahead of the half-marathoners, but they were going to catch me very soon at this rate.

I was just coming out of a porta-john at mile 22 when the fastest half-marthoners passed by. They didn't take any of the orange wedges that were being handed out either.

The audiobook was still nattering away about babies and diapers and finally I couldn't take it anymore. I mashed on the stop button and almost said aloud, "STOP TALKING TO ME!" The kind voice in my running program still came on my headphones every 500 meteres and reported my progress, although I think even that voice began to show signs of distress... or pity.

I was suffering pretty badly, and struggled to keep my walk at a strong pace. Twice I paused because I thought I might vomit, but I wasn't so lucky. Large groups of half marathoners streamed past me, many of them saying words of encouragement. I had worn my red marathon t-shirt for the race because I thought it would help people identify me as a marathon runner and take some pity on me. As they passed, the other runners would say, "Way to go, full marathon." I would then remove one hand from my waist and give them a wave and a pained, apologetic smile.

My headphones beeped for an incoming call. Instead of the robotic voice, I heard my brother Joel come on the line. I had suggested that they all call me in the morning before rushing out the door at 7am in case I was way off the target pace.

"How's it going?" Asked Joel.

"Man, it's not going very well. I'm really struggling to run right now." My body felt horrible all over, but mostly I felt bad that everyone one was going to wake up so early in the morning just to wait around at the finish line while I strolled along the race course. Joel gave me some words of encouragement and reassured me that they wouldn't rush too quickly to the finish line. I felt better.

At one point I was running east towards the mountains and could see the racers ahead of me had turned back westward and were just to my right, across a field. I started plotting how to cut across the field unnoticed. There were some trees further ahead that I thought might hide my shortcut. Then I considered just hiding in the trees and calling Joel to come rescue me. I thought about just sitting on the ground and weeping.

I had just 3 miles to go. Just 5km. This would be an easy jog on any other day, had I not already come so far. Finally I rounded the corner and started heading eastward. I still couldn't run because it made me sick. Even a brisk walking pace made me feel I was going to retch. Finally, I thought to myself, "why don't I just get this over with?"

I accelerated my walking pace until I was forced to double over on the side of the track to spew blue powerade over the grass. I took a few steps more and heaved again, squeezing every blue drop of liquid from my stomach.

Those passing by shouted more words of encouragement. "I'm right there with you, full marathon!" I was kind of glad that people were there to witness this.

I felt like a weight dropped from me. I broke into a slow run, finding a speed that was barely sustainable. At least I wasn't walking anymore. I felt so much better knowing that I would get to the finish line that much sooner.





I had a big group of fans waiting for me near the finish, and when I finally crossed the line I came face to face with a large cow mascot from Chik-Fil-A which was high-fiving the finishers. I threw my arms around the cow and hugged it. I hugged it for a good long time, swaying back and forth a bit -- until it was probably awkward.



Instead of the endorphinated "runner's high" I was feeling a triptophanic marathoner's low. I felt so humbled, and hugged everyone who had shown up to cheer me on, telling each one, "I love you so much. Thanks for coming to watch me finish." My brain had been been chemically repressing my will to live for over an hour and when I finally stopped I was so relieved to be done and was ready to surrender my running shoes forever (a feeling that later gave way to determination to do it all again and improve my time).



After lying in the grass for a while I was ready to limp to the car and go home. There I laid on a deck chair, wrapped in a blanket, sipping orange juice for an hour until I could finally eat a few bites of breakfast. After a short nap and some lunch I was feeling a lot better -- with only a sore knee as the lingering reminder of the morning's travails.

I will run again.

Summer 2013: Afternoon at Thanskgiving Point

When we arrived in Utah we met up with Jamie and the kids at Thanksgiving Point to see the gardens. It was really, really hot that day, so we hid in the shade or played in the water quite a bit as well. There was this one cave that was particularly dark and cool. I liked hiding in the cave.

Summer 2013: Overnight in Pocatello

Summer vacation 2013 was a big deal. It stretched 17 days and covered thousands of miles. The first item on the agenda was a marathon in American Fork, Utah, so we headed down there to stay with my older brother and his family. Near the Canada/US border we stopped for a quick break at the Alberta tourism center. I wonder if we really need to visit Drumheller now, since Scott has now seen it all at the welcome center.





On our drive down to Utah we stopped overnight in Pocatello with my parents. Our stay was brief, but we covered some good ground, including their driveway, which is lined with all sorts of interesting flowers, insect life and yummy raspberries. When we were done, Scotty hiked up the hard way.







The kids also got their latest installments in Grandma's Book Club, which included the coveted $5 payout. I think Scott had already spent that money somehow. He has established a bit of history of buying on credit. Katie likes to play with the money more than she really likes dreaming of ways to spend it.

Lego Club Jr Winner

We got a phone call from a functionary stationed at a desk somewhere in the cavernous recesses of Fort Lego, informing us that Scott was a winner in their Lego Club Jr quarterly builder competition. His Chima Racetrack entry photo will be featured in the fall issue of the newsletter along with 2 other winners. A $50 Lego gift card would arrive in the mail as his prize.

To his credit, Scott took a few dollars from his savings and donated it to the Red Cross for flood relief. He is a wealthy young man of means and has the wherewithal to make such contributions. This donation pushed back his acquisition of the Lego Ninjago board game, but now that knew he would be getting the Lego Ninjago Golden Dragon set at no cost, he could certainly handle the extra wait.



He was also kind enough to donate $5 of his winnings to Katie, so that she could get a little Lego treehouse with a cute little squirrel in it. He used the remaining $3 to buy a Lego keychain featuring a Count Dracula minifigure with a head that glows in the dark.

Thank you Lego overlords. You will always have our gratitude and our allegiance.

More Book Reports! Saggy Baggy Elephant

Scott and I found a Lego Ninjago game on clearance at the toy store, but he didn't have the cash to purchase it and there was only one left in stock. We struck a deal that we would buy the game and hold it in our inventory until he could save enough money to buy it. This was motivation for him to sit down at the table and bang out another book report.

Katie still hasn't learned to write letters, although she really likes pracing a few favourites. R held her pen while she wrote the requisite 3 sentences, then Katie rhapsodized in the margins. Katie used the proceeds to purchase a black stuffed dog with a leash at the Stampede.

This is all thanks to their patron, Grandma W, head of Grandma's Book Club. Actually, the club was dubbed "Ready Readers" by my sister. She got a club discount at Disneyland when she and my brother took their kids there, since all the kids happen to be members of Grandma's Book Club. When she was discussing it with Disney she She thought it needed a more official-sounding title, and that's what she came up with on the fly. Membership pays dividends in more ways than one.

Soccer Photos

Happy Gluten-Free Birthday!

Jul 3 2013



For R's birthday we went to our favourite restaurant, Heaven Artisan GF Cuisine on 17th Avenue. This place is 100% gluten free and has a fun "Venezuelan flare".



The baked macaroni & cheese was perhaps a bit exotic for our fussy little crew, but they behaved themselves very well and earned themselves the right to go back another day. R felt it strange that she could eat a few bites off of the kids' plate, since she can't usually do that anywhere else. At this particular restaurant she feels a strange freedom. That's a pleasant thing to feel on your birthday.

Happy Birthday! We love you!

Camping in the Basement

Jul 2 2013

There are just a few summer nights each year that are hot enough that you really wish you had air conditioning. When you get nights like those you sleep in the basement instead ...in a tent.



...or on a trampoline that is disguised as a tent.

The Tooth Fairy Does Not Camp

The Tooth Fairy did not come with us on our Fathers & Sons camp to Fisher Creek Campground in Kananskis. That's a good thing, because the fairy would have been shocked to see us eating milk-soaked mini-Oreos from a mug with a spork for breakfast. Maybe the fairy would have revoked the $1 Scott earned from losing his first tooth.

Originally, this camp was supposed to be at Beaver Flats and Katie was supposed to come along. I planned the whole thing months ago. However, the river decided to wipe out most of the roads in Kananaskis and then Katie got sick -- in that order. I was scrambling for an alternative location that wouldn't be swarming with RVs and dogs and heard that Scott's cousins were going to be doing a Fathers & Sons camp the same weekend. I decided we would crash their party. Sadly, Katie was not well enough to come.

She was sad.

I was at Mountain Equipment Coop getting some sporks and energy gels when I got a video call from home. Scott came on the screen and showed me that his wiggly bottom tooth had finally jumped ship. Similar to the mysterious Lego piece that somehow dove from his nostrils, this tooth simply dropped to the floor unassisted. Scott was pretty excited to leave his tooth for the fairy, but we determined that he should leave it under a pillow at home and retrieve his reward upon his return.



He was fine with that plan.

We saw a huge moose cross our path on the way to the campsite, which was the only thing to distract Scott from watching Farzzle videos on the DVD player. Once there, we selected a wonderful spot well back in the trees complete with a firepit and a picnic table. Luke & Hayden were already there, so they jumped in the truck with us and we went out "four-digging", as they say in some parts. Apparently, this has been a bit of a lifelong dream for Luke.

Luke & Hayden had already explored a jeep trail on their bikes but the truck made easy work of the hills and ruts. Luke was pretty shocked at the smooth easiness of it. It got a little more exciting when we pitched down a really steep grade, but there still wasn't anything too dangerous about it -- except maybe that a really big dog was sniffing at Scott's window.

On the other side of the camp we found another dirt road with some big puddles in the ruts. I saw obvious signs of a previous struggle. Broken logs jutted from muddy scars at angles that suggested several vehicles had narrowly escaped from this place. However, the mud was drying and it seemed that we should have an easier time of it. I was a bit apprehensive, but I thought we could make it. Luke agreed.

The dried roadbed was a lie. A facade. Only the top few inches had dried, while nearly a foot of mud lay in wait for us. Our front tires dove downward into the mud but we continued to move forward until our rear tires left the dry earth and we felt the whole vehicle sink downward 6 inches. And then we stopped, unable to move in any direction.



The boys took it well. Scott lamented his early demise, clearly of the the opinion that we would never be able to leave this place again. I appreciated his optimism, and eventually released him and Hayden to go build a bridge in the mud while we tried to free the truck.





We dug around a lot with sticks, but nothing was of any use. After at least half an hour, we capitulated and Luke walked back about 3 minutes to the campground to get help. He arrived a few minutes later leading a big Dodge Ram pickup, flanked by a co-ed phalanx of twenty-somethings in various stages of intoxication.

Apparently, they selected a fairly nervous young man to drive the truck because he was the most recent to arrive and was the most sober. The truck itself had been borrowed from someone else who was not on the camp, and the owner probably hadn't counted on it being driven off-road. Once the boy had gingerly brought the truck in position, I hooked my tow-ccable to both vehicles and we commenced the tug-of-war.



The rest of the rescue squad took up positions at my front bumper, helping to push us out. One poor fellow got a wave of mud up his front as thanks for his efforts. Hayden had taken off his sandals and eventually ended up stepping in 6 inches of mud with his bare feet. He looked like he was wearing a black pair of socks until we cleaned him off at the pump.



At this point it was after 8pm so we retired to our campsite to build a fire and roast all sorts of bizarre experimental dishes. I brought croissant dough to roast in combination with things such as hot dogs, cinnamon sugar, cheese sticks, and marshmallows & chocolate chips. Most of these combinations were lacking in some respect. I think the sheese stick is the most promising combination, although the hot dog could work if you minimized the overlap in your wrapping (the inner layer of dough stays raw when you roast it).



The fireside snacking came to an abrupt end with a sudden downpour and we went to bed. In the morning, Scott entertained himself with some more Farzzle videos while I dozed some more. I was prepared with my own set of headphones in case I was the one to wake up early - staring at the cold ceiling of a tent early in the morning when you can't get back to sleep is honestly the worst part about camping, in my opinion, so it's best to be prepared.



I discovered that I had brought everything we needed for our breakfast except for the box of cereal itself. We had mugs, milk, sporks, but no cereal. I improvised with the next-best thing: Nasty Cookies. I had a bag of mini-Oreos, so I poured a few of those in each mug and we put our sporks to work. Just so you don't judge me too harshly, let me say that we also had juice boxes, an apple and granola bars.



We had to get back to town by noon, but we had enough time for Scott & Hayden to fortify their bridge, rub charcoal all over themselves, and play around on a huge tree that had been cut down.





Then Luke took the wheel to live his 4x4 dream for a few minutes. Sadly, the time was cut short and I was a bit apprehensive about getting stuck again and ruining our schedule, but we will likely do a 4x4 camping trip some time in the future, where we will be prepared with better equipment than just a bunch of sticks. Scott begged to go back out camping as soon as possible. He was really concerned about the bridge they had built.



At home Scott discovered a $1 coin under his pillow. He told me that he wants to get another Lego Ninjago set and that he has been saving up his money. I asked him how much money he has saved. He said "one dollar." I guess he hasn't been saving very long. But he has a mouth full of teeth so he has a lot of earning potential still ahead of him.