Kids Bowl Free

The dog days of summer are here.  You've done your running before the kids even get out of bed yet you're faced with a whole day ahead of you.

Do you cringe everytime your kids tell you they're bored?
Are you looking for something they can do that's a bit more active than video games?
Are you looking for an activity that is way cheaper than an amusement park or water slide park?

Then try out the Kids Bowl Free program.  Each of your kids gets 2 games per day of free bowling!  They even have a discount card for the adults to be able to play too.

Football and Running

What do football and long distance running have to do with each other?

Fitness and goals.

My son started youth tackle football last year.  After the season ended we needed a way for him to stay somewhat in shape for this year's season.  So ever since last November we've been doing Fit Kids with him and our daughters.  Then ever since school got out last May we've taken them to the track to run and walk a mile.

All our hard work paid off.

Yesterday he started football practice.  He was a little sore today but nothing like he was last year or would've been this year had we not been focused on maintaining his fitness.  His goal is to make the A team of his age group this year.  And, as all runners know, the desire is 90% of the solution.

You Can Do It!

As great as it was to pace my dad in the half marathon last week, it was a bit of a bummer that I didn't run the whole 13.1 miles.  With nagging injuries I haven't even run more than 11 miles in over 18 months.

Until this morning.

When I started out running I was planning on 9-10 miles.  But the more I thought about it the more I wanted to prove to myself that I still have the ability to run a half marathon.

It was slow going but I did it!

Once again I used the ol' trick of running far enough away from home that I had no option but run back home.  I was very tired and foot sore but still able to float on clouds with a smile on my face knowing that I ran 13.1 miles this morning.

Once I got home I started searching for a half marathon or full marathon to race this fall.  So join me in making the commitment to a full or half marathon.  Just remember...YOU CAN DO IT!

Bug Bite Relief

A couple weeks ago I wrote about my kid's bad reactions to mosquito bites.  I'm still advising you that if you go out running, camping, beaching, etc wear bug repellant.  However, if you do get bitten then try out the Therapik.

I first read about it in Better Homes and Gardens, where it says that the Therapik "neutralizes itching or pain with 20-30 seconds of concentrated heat.  Increased temperature to the bite deactivates the venom...and cuts down on swelling."

Sounds like a promising alternative to anti-itch creams that seem to expire before you use even a quarter of the tube.

Bryce Canyon Half Marathon Review

The Bryce Canyon Half Marathon started 9 years ago as an Eagle Scout project and is run every year in mid-July.  It has grown rapidly in numbers of runners and technology.  It's capped at 1200 runners and is chip timed.

The race starts on Highway 63 (about 1/2 mile north of Ruby's Inn) at 6:00am with the firing of a real live 6 shooter.  After the first 1/2 mile on Hwy 63 the route turns East (right) onto Highway 12 where the majority of the race is run.  At mile 12.8 you turn off the highway and into Cannonville for the finish line where a large crowd will cheer you onto the finish.

The elevation at the start is 7,652 feet.  The first mile is slightly uphill but followed by several miles of downhill.  Miles 2-4 are particularly steep with an 8% grade.  Not only are you going downhill but the road is really crowned so your right foot will be lower then your left foot (runners are relegated to only the eastbound lane of traffic since police are shuttling traffic back and forth on the other lane).

There are a couple of hills at about miles 9 and 11.  The overall course is downhill so people come from all over the world to run for their PR.  The finish line elevation in Cannonville is 5,900 feet.

There are several water/Gatorade stations throughout the race.

One misconception people have is that due to the name of the race they think they'll get to see a lot of the beautiful scenery of Bryce Canyon.  However, as the National Park Service map indicates the race only goes through a corner of Bryce Canyon.  Way off in the distance if you look hard you can see some hoodoos.

If you're looking for a PR this is a great race to try - just be prepared to have very sore quads from the several miles of downhill and the high elevation.

Coaching my Dad for a Half Marathon

The day for the Bryce Canyon Half Marathon has finally come.  I don't know who was more nervous: me or my dad.  Neither of us slept much last night.  He was worried that he wouldn't be able to run 13.1 miles, even though he'd had a 12.6 training run just 2 weeks ago.  I was worried that he wouldn't drink enough and I'd have to signal the ambulance. I was also nervous about him having to run the first 4 1/2 miles by himself.

When we dropped him off at the start line it was 5:40 am (20 minutes til starting gun) and it was 38 degrees.  I drove down to our meeting spot (miles 2 through 4 have severe downhill grades - I've run this race before and I didn't think that was wise for me to run down given my knee surgery history) at the water station near the Mossy Cave trailhead.  To ensure he and I both had enough to drink I wore my water belt with 2 bottles full of Gatorade. I met up with my dad 4.4 miles into the 13.1.  He was looking good - enjoying the downhill and the cool temperature.  He listens to books on tape while he runs so it wasn't very easy for me to ask if needed a drink.  Occasionally he'd pop out one earbud so I could ask him how he was doing.  I was really glad I brought my bottle of Gatorade.  It made it way more convenient for him to sip liquids and stay hydrated.

When we got to mile 11 I could tell he was on tap to a great finish time for his first half marathon.  We both quickened our pace just a smidge when we could see the turnoff to the finish line.  When we got to 13.0 I asked how much he had left in the tank.  He said "a little" so we took off.  I kept asking him how much he had left, he didn't answer he just ran faster.  We got down to a 7:39 pace once we passed my husband and daughter ringing a cowbell and cheering us on.

My 65 year old dad who has only been running for a year finished his first half marathon in 2:14:44!

Success for him and relief for me.  Makes me want to have someone pace me - I'm itching for a sub-2 hour half marathon time.

Smartwool PhD Ultra Light Product Review

When I ran in the Ragnar Relay I needed some new socks with a little more padding then the super thin running socks I had been using.  At our local running store (whose employees run in the Ragnar Relay too) I was introduced to Smartwool PhD socks. 

At first I was against it thinking how hot does wool running socks make my feet?!  But I was told that wool, being a natural fiber, is great at absorbing odors and gives a little more padding.  The socks are a bit expensive ($10-$15 a pair) so I bought one pair and decided to prove the odor resistance of Smartwool socks.  They were the only pair of socks I wore on the 2 day long race.  After I'd run my scheduled leg of the race I'd take off the socks to let them air dry before my next run.  After 3 legs of running in 80+ temperatures the socks did NOT smell!

For an odor resistant running sock that provides padding and quick drying you've got to try Smartwool PhD Ultra Light socks.

Beware of Mosquitos

With all the rain/snow we received this year the mosquitoes are rampant.  In this area we're fortunate to not usually have a mosquito problem but this year's crop is abundant and vicious.

My son and daughter have had some really bad reactions to their mosquito bites.  This is my son's arm after a visit to the doctor (who outlined the then red/swollen area with marker) and a day of antibiotic ointment.

My advice to all runners this year is to try not to be outside at dusk when these nasty critters are at their worst or at least wear long sleeves/pants or use bug repellant.  As the doctor warned us, mosquitos can carry several different diseases, one of which is West Nile Virus. 

Keep running but please be careful out there.

Timpanogos Cave Hike

The photo is a little small but the sign up on the rocks reads: "Welcome to the Timpanogos Caves.  Elevation 6730."  The starting elevation for the hike to the caves was 5650 feet.  That's an elevation change of 1080 feet in 1.04 miles.  Yet my brother and nephew from southern California (elevation 1100' at their house) still lived through the hike and cave tour.

This summer hiking has definately been a great cross training exercise.  This is our family's 4th hike in 5 weeks and I'm still discovering "new" muscles - or rather muscles that aren't used for running but get discovered due to soreness after various other exercises.

Death Crawl

Whether you're a football fan or not you gotta watch this inspirational video.

100 Push Ups Challenge: I DID IT!

Right on schedule. It's been 6 weeks since I started the 100 push up and 200 sit ups challenges.  And this morning I DID IT!  What a great sense of accomplishment.  It's really paid off too.  When I ran the 11 miler a few days ago I never developed that nagging muscle soreness in between my shoulder blades that I used to always have when running more then 7-8 miles.

Working on both the push ups and sit ups at the same time coordinated the core muscle strength.  The stronger my abs got the better form I had on my push ups and vice versa.

How is your progress coming along?  Post your comment and let me know how many of you have met the challenge.

Freedom to Run

Happy Independence Day!

There are many ways one can enjoy freedom.  I'm so grateful for the freedom I have to run.  Last year I had arthroscopic knee surgery.  The first few post-surgery months were pretty discouraging and I frequently asked myself what I had done to myself.  But when I found myself running WITHOUT ANY pain I was so glad I had endured.

This year I am running injury free and loving it.  The possibilites seem endless when you're blessed with health.

Milestone Long Run

Motivation can come in many ways.  As a self-appointed half marathon coach to my dad I gave him instructions to run an 11 miler today.  I also counciled him to run in the cool of the early morning and to drink lots of fluids.  He did run 11 miles starting at 6 am but he never drank anything before or during his run.  At least he did 2 out of 3.

Since I'd coached him to run 11 which is 2 miles further than he'd ever run before I felt the pressure to join him in running the distance.  He lives 4 hours away from me but we both ran 11 miles during the same time period. 

I haven't run longer then 10 miles since I started having knee troubles in October 2010.  The only way I did it was to purposely run 5 1/2 miles away from my house thus having no options but to run the 5 1/2 back home.

It just goes to show that you can do anything if you have the right motivation.