tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89647754634366380092024-02-19T03:31:43.462-08:00UltradadUltradadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00660196956360870422noreply@blogger.comBlogger118125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964775463436638009.post-58342724084546793642011-11-22T05:54:00.000-08:002011-11-22T05:54:31.884-08:00This Site is MovingI'm still going to keep this site because there is a lot of stuff on here I want to keep. But all new post are on WordPress. At ultradad100.wordpress.com here is the first post <a href="http://wp.me/p1ZONV-1">http://wp.me/p1ZONV-1</a>Ultradadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00660196956360870422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964775463436638009.post-75082612975349275332011-09-04T21:34:00.000-07:002011-09-04T21:34:38.058-07:00The Whole Food Project<a href="http://www.thewholefoodproject.com/#a_aid=4e644af5aa6c8&a_bid=1eb3ab2e" target="_top"><img alt="" height="90" src="http://www.thewholefoodproject.com/affiliate/accounts/default1/banners/Banner-728x90-B.jpg" title="" width="728" /></a><img alt="" height="1" src="http://www.thewholefoodproject.com/affiliate/scripts/imp.php?a_aid=4e644af5aa6c8&a_bid=1eb3ab2e" style="border: 0;" width="1" /><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #202020; font-family: Arial, Tahoma; font-size: 12px; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="http://www.thewholefoodproject.com/#4e644af5aa6c8" style="color: #135fab; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="blank">http://www.thewholefoodproject.com/#4e644af5aa6c8</a></span><br />
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Check out this new site. Just click on the link. This site has some really valuable information! I am a member and a supporter. Tara is a friend of ours, and we have learned a lot from the Whole Food Project. Let me know what you think!Ultradadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00660196956360870422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964775463436638009.post-48513614757218282402011-05-31T21:40:00.000-07:002011-05-31T21:40:00.665-07:00I lead an interesting lifeI lead an interesting life. With 4 children it's never boring. It's never quiet and never boring. What follows is an amalgam of the past 5 weeks or there abouts. At times my head spins so much I lose track of the days. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKozN7V_dbeuDI2xXSNdK-kJ92_ckAzEc3Yszex_66IDvQasZY-8iTLNvmM0AYu9R4hgqLILqw9_XiLMUZNLw4j5W8TBS2fI6yA8c6i7ITKFjThknNVFGyeTjCO7966DF8vNLQkgtIVqg/s1600/IMG00351-20110507-1301.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKozN7V_dbeuDI2xXSNdK-kJ92_ckAzEc3Yszex_66IDvQasZY-8iTLNvmM0AYu9R4hgqLILqw9_XiLMUZNLw4j5W8TBS2fI6yA8c6i7ITKFjThknNVFGyeTjCO7966DF8vNLQkgtIVqg/s320/IMG00351-20110507-1301.jpg" t8="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last month my eldest son took Gold in a speech contest conducted entirely in French. How cool is that? His topic was racsim.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiM10zfaA6XRvB3JQYb9LM5CzxRsAm4vfVsVFondtHhgeXr-fjvzEcVgOvcSk7njyfSEIOKqUJOmIMc2b5LPubrpuxET-eHds6ypnOiAzXHbJoBsAOpY0PQqMLQ9F1I4tbfChlDhWM4NU/s1600/Vancouver-20110513-00009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiM10zfaA6XRvB3JQYb9LM5CzxRsAm4vfVsVFondtHhgeXr-fjvzEcVgOvcSk7njyfSEIOKqUJOmIMc2b5LPubrpuxET-eHds6ypnOiAzXHbJoBsAOpY0PQqMLQ9F1I4tbfChlDhWM4NU/s320/Vancouver-20110513-00009.jpg" t8="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One week later my middle son got some sort of infection and his first severe migraine that laid him up in Childrens Hospital for a weekend. One course of antibiotic, a couple of blood tests a CT scan and a spinal tap and we are all good.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZBwb0NJvb1kC1bchBQZBfObDGB2yvdANV3mUyXP4AfXvUMsbCr7l6iAQEN9d5X9S33d1ugISeDUhcyP2_lJEDq6iu83UZmKNxhNacpq_7N4Dcv1zZRlwaKG7bxCnHWjUmACjeaRdHq3c/s1600/IMG_6080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZBwb0NJvb1kC1bchBQZBfObDGB2yvdANV3mUyXP4AfXvUMsbCr7l6iAQEN9d5X9S33d1ugISeDUhcyP2_lJEDq6iu83UZmKNxhNacpq_7N4Dcv1zZRlwaKG7bxCnHWjUmACjeaRdHq3c/s320/IMG_6080.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The very next weekend we are in a lacrosse tournament in Vancouver where he wins the Gold Medal. Nice recovery my boy!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTzi-g2TgKKDOGWFrmRZfObyOVYMcGZj5bRIryFADXNJS8-yuajGjwUwfbwp5EPkyay3so8v8DWW4hRkeNMThwPuWFT2aH5EFws_A4pUwp2InJ9o41PdbS1xzr4bjQZJmH-oNoMTiQHKk/s1600/IMG-20110527-00035.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTzi-g2TgKKDOGWFrmRZfObyOVYMcGZj5bRIryFADXNJS8-yuajGjwUwfbwp5EPkyay3so8v8DWW4hRkeNMThwPuWFT2aH5EFws_A4pUwp2InJ9o41PdbS1xzr4bjQZJmH-oNoMTiQHKk/s320/IMG-20110527-00035.jpg" t8="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last weekend I was at a structure fire. The person who was transported via this helicopter apparently lit a cigarette in the garage and some fumes ignited. The explosion shook the entire block. I took this pic with my Blackberry and caught the rainbow.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit9tNmvAfw0qk63amaDgVcOwyUBdlhGS1TTLXmsnpd7gubDfRB-YaAu-DdScg5KZFZyonhLuqNs7Lq5lfTJZyZGtK7_P2WZ8gGiBqy9SChQrQL2LhBP7sniqbfrCb-7J1MoLms7WhhIvM/s1600/run1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit9tNmvAfw0qk63amaDgVcOwyUBdlhGS1TTLXmsnpd7gubDfRB-YaAu-DdScg5KZFZyonhLuqNs7Lq5lfTJZyZGtK7_P2WZ8gGiBqy9SChQrQL2LhBP7sniqbfrCb-7J1MoLms7WhhIvM/s320/run1.jpg" t8="true" width="237" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Same weekend I ran the Run for Water Half Marathon. I've never run a half marathon with a running stroller but thought it would be fun. I wasn't wrong. Final time was 1:52.18 which was good for 112th out of 504 runners. Kallie had a blast she loved the candy on the course!<br />
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What you aren't seeing is pictures from the swim meet jammed in there for good measure. My oldest got 5 PRs which was pretty much every single event he swam and my youngest son got 4 PRs. Amazing! We juggled in two lacrosse games during the weekend. did I forget to mention that?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYMk6JvmKxQE8qR-pHicIz0AxfYkeflKKLP8uN0GkRhRWgV6yt_28aMbuUM1_Woq9E4Ki8kBUd7x6x4_qgi7AXwuncT9hgZELiaY0LdFHE_waX2-pC7G3QBoSyJw2CsPDma34wtzStGSM/s1600/Edm1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYMk6JvmKxQE8qR-pHicIz0AxfYkeflKKLP8uN0GkRhRWgV6yt_28aMbuUM1_Woq9E4Ki8kBUd7x6x4_qgi7AXwuncT9hgZELiaY0LdFHE_waX2-pC7G3QBoSyJw2CsPDma34wtzStGSM/s320/Edm1.jpg" t8="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I thought I would add this one in. After a fun filled weekend I am in Edmonton I just get out of the car at the hotel and the SWAT team is taking down something. I don't think I've ever seen assault rifles in real life before.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Ultradadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00660196956360870422noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964775463436638009.post-42335008231657999412011-05-20T15:55:00.000-07:002011-05-20T15:55:31.532-07:00On Any Given MondayI’m not going to lie. I love going to Kelowna because it affords me the opportunity to run my favorite trail, the Greenway. The Greenway is the name given to it by the locals. The name on the sign says Mission Creek Greenway. I’m sure the name Greenway is used in several communities as a descriptive term of the scenery surrounding the trail itself. For the most part the Greenway is kind of boring. Of the 16 km in length about 10 km of it fairly flat, the trail is wide enough for a vehicle to drive and has a long sweeping bend to it where you can see pedestrian traffic for a hundred feet or so. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I don’t like boring. Boring is beautiful because it follows Mission Creek and is far enough removed from urbanization that you can’t hear the cars and for the most part can’t see the city. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYvq5RRGFyvX8hG78rU2rOtHeT-lsIPfbgrLUTGM0fywx4s5by8Y2oarU0Y8CBvIdZPgCwTmsOE3TeS9bykr9I_6bLzbNqPlDYyCICpq_Xr0xH3rBPbB61s1kJ-OWCeKrpfiJzSv8iHiM/s1600/greenway.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="146" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYvq5RRGFyvX8hG78rU2rOtHeT-lsIPfbgrLUTGM0fywx4s5by8Y2oarU0Y8CBvIdZPgCwTmsOE3TeS9bykr9I_6bLzbNqPlDYyCICpq_Xr0xH3rBPbB61s1kJ-OWCeKrpfiJzSv8iHiM/s320/greenway.png" width="320" /></a></div>It’s the east end of the Greenway that I live for. I’ve been coming to Kelowna for 5 years now and only recently have I run the east end of the Greenway. For 5 years, typically the third Monday of any given month you would find me on the Greenway. From about the kilometer 10 marker to the end at kilometer 16 the trail twists and turns leaving the creek’s edge to get up to the top of the bank only to have you taken back down and return to the top once more. It’s hard to believe that this creek could have cut such a profile 300 or so feet deep into the earth. The views at this end are breathtaking. It’s either that or the climb up to the top of the bank leaves you out of breath. <br />
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This end is not for the faint of heart or for cyclists with steps cut into the multitude of switchbacks going up and down the bank. Maybe that’s why I love this end so much because it’s not for everyone but it is for me.<br />
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On this particular Monday I had a couple of rough days leading up to this trip. My son Ethan was admitted to the hospital complaining of vomiting and a severe headache. Shuttling back and forth all weekend and seeing very little of my wife, sleeping on the couch provided in his room we made the best of it. The neurologist was convinced that it was a severe migraine but we had to rule out things like meningitis so he got a spinal tap and a CT scan. Blood tests gave confounding results which ended up keeping us there the whole weekend. After a clearly negative blood culture he was given the clearance to go home and I was clear to resume my work life.<br />
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I don’t know about you but I appreciate my weekend for the small amount of respite it gives me from the stress of my job. To go from one stressful situation to another and then back again left me tightly wound and ready to pop.<br />
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I approached this run like an uncorking of sorts. This was my make or break. I knew going in that my fitness had kind of fallen off a bit. But call it naïveté or just plain stupidity the 10% rule went right out the window. My longest run in the recent weeks had been a 10 miler and I could hit 14 on a really good day.<br />
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I started slow and went even slower going up the switchbacks but one I made the turn from the far end of the Greenway (16KM marker) I still felt good. For a moment I thought I could do 20. Wow 20 miles, the benchmark long run for most marathoners. The thought ruminated in my head for the next few miles. <br />
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My pace thus far was a pedestrian 12 minute miles. After starting the Greenway at the 6 km mark and heading east the steep grades quickly sapped speed from my overall pace. Now back in the flatter portion of the Greenway my pace became more consistent and the overall pace picked up.<br />
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As I ran past the point where I entered the Greenway I still felt okay. My nutrition was getting low as I had consumed 2 Clif bars and a Chocolate #9 gel in the 2 ½ hours I had been out there. My stomach was starting to grumble. It’s 6 km (4miles) to the other end of the Greenway. The sun was setting on the horizon and on my legs my fitness was starting to show.<br />
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As my Garmin hit the 3 hour mark, it kind of reminded me that I haven’t run 3 hrs in a long long time. I really wanted to hit the 20 mile mark but I opted to turn for home with 3km to the end of the trail. My legs weren’t thrashed but they were starting to stiffen up.<br />
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The Garmin chimed in at 18.34 miles in 3:16 with an elevation gain of over 1,600 feet. I was pretty happy with that.Ultradadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00660196956360870422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964775463436638009.post-42261488320245367352011-05-03T21:31:00.000-07:002011-05-03T21:35:15.827-07:00Episode 63 The Spare Test Kit<a href="http://three.libsyn.com/producer#publishing">#publishing</a>: "http://ultradad.libsyn.com/u-d-63-the-spare-test-kit"Ultradadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00660196956360870422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964775463436638009.post-40874958084350629532011-05-01T21:21:00.000-07:002011-05-01T21:22:51.627-07:00Random thoughts from the Weekend<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Random thoughts from the weekend. 5 of 7</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1) Do think running style in genetic? After watching two lacrosse games this weekend I have decided that my lacrosse playing son, I only have one child who plays lacrosse, runs identically to me. The picture isn’t pretty but freakishly déjà vu. I have been criticized for my feet barely leaving the ground, stiff legged with no heel kick to my stride and fairly flat footed. I guess the telltale sign that we share the same gene pool is my mother in law’s exasperated comment “Oh my gosh he runs like Rob!” I wasn’t built for speed but I have run a Boston qualifier.</div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnsVSX7vm649bU19AJdaziBG5CTzh0S8e_Gpls6WeyNNJxK0NEGTIv6MerIs7kDhyphenhyphenI18sgRFU7_LvhKwJY7cprG6bIB7BcrPyN2fE9qs_5we-9VSvHyzF5jcGAIXoPfnYuifIvFpkpWuY/s1600/IMG00328-20110501-1906.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnsVSX7vm649bU19AJdaziBG5CTzh0S8e_Gpls6WeyNNJxK0NEGTIv6MerIs7kDhyphenhyphenI18sgRFU7_LvhKwJY7cprG6bIB7BcrPyN2fE9qs_5we-9VSvHyzF5jcGAIXoPfnYuifIvFpkpWuY/s320/IMG00328-20110501-1906.jpg" width="320" /></a>2) Have you ever heard the expression, “This place is like a Rat’s Nest”. After today’s spring clean up I now have a basis for comparison. The garden shed was overrun with either mice or rat’s which were feeding on the leftover grass seed. Over the winter the rats found safe haven in the dormant garden shed. Rat’s nests look like a big ball of litter. It was gross.</div><br />
3) I found a thread sewn into the collar of the shirt that I was wearing today. It made me smile. When we travelled to Ethiopia to bring home our daughter we stayed at this tiny hotel that had a laundry service. In order to indentify the clothes as yours and not anyone else’s they color coded your laundry with single thread sewn into various places on the shirt. That thread has been there for 25 months. I’m also thinking that I need some new shirts.<br />
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4) I’m not sure which news is bigger. The death of Osama bin Laden or the Royal Wedding. you decide<br />
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5) One man’s junk is another man’s treasure. As we cleansed our garage, shed and garden shed of excess junk that has been building up for years. I placed all of it on the curb. Since that time a steady stream of pickup trucks have been driving by and picking through my junk. Go figure.<br />
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6) Lacrosse is a very cool sport. My kids have never played in fast paced team sports. We’ve swum competitively every summer which is exciting for the two possibly three minutes that the race goes on for but then it’s over. Lacrosse is heart stopping action packed for three 20 minute periods. I’m exhausted and I didn’t run a lick this weekend. One win One loss.Ultradadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00660196956360870422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964775463436638009.post-22440999912612356472011-04-30T20:40:00.000-07:002011-04-30T20:40:34.801-07:00Run for Water (One month counting)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6sfrNxWdUcL5ZoW0LotsTbka4EC8vu4tc1NDhWQsRyK9jJdFtXki7uo64cO-QcnkaEzP7Eetm4HTUSfQCouRODAM7UB4HSUM1MXxLZgDLkjgxWkPPd5rO_b0wVsby2DlwJNpU8HXlK5M/s1600/rfw_run_jog_walk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="151" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6sfrNxWdUcL5ZoW0LotsTbka4EC8vu4tc1NDhWQsRyK9jJdFtXki7uo64cO-QcnkaEzP7Eetm4HTUSfQCouRODAM7UB4HSUM1MXxLZgDLkjgxWkPPd5rO_b0wVsby2DlwJNpU8HXlK5M/s320/rfw_run_jog_walk.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The <a href="http://www.runforwater.ca/">Run for Water</a> is a fabulous run. Not so much for the scenic views of Abbotsford or the incredible volunteers but rather the cause. The cause is bringing fresh water to small villages in Ethiopia. Each year for the past 3 years, we’ve run this run as a family. We started strong with all seven (Nana included). It was a tough year I pushed Owen my then 5 year old in the BOB running stroller for the 10K. My oldest went with Nana and Ethan ran with my beautiful running wife. If you could describe running as a bug, an infection perhaps, she got her first taste of it then. She cured her self for awhile but by the following year the infection came back. <br />
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The next year she was serious. We started buying running clothes, outfits! New shoes were a necessity. That year she picked up a running jacket, new shoes, a Nike+ sensor My wallet started to hurt a little. I picked out a beautiful pink Fuel Belt for her one special occasion. From a long time runner it was fun to watch her develop, too watch her infection turn into a full blown disease.<br />
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Unfortunately life gets in the way. As we runners have all discovered the cure for a serious case of the running disease is a busy life. You see my wife is not only married to a serious runner (LOL), mother of 4 children, full-time career but is also working on her degree in Social Work. And you thought I burned the candle at both ends. Needless to say sometimes life just crashes down around you and you can’t run. No time! No energy! You know the tune! But I’ll tell you the biggest turn on in the entire world is commiserating with your beautiful wife when she says, “I missed my run today, damn it!”<br />
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I know things are starting to go my way and she is starting to understand the runner’s mind. Now the runner’s mind is a complex thing far too complex to discuss in just one blog post. But when she was signing up for this run she asked me what event I was going to run. This event has a 5K, a 10K, a half marathon and for the first time this year a marathon. I joked with her that I would run the marathon. <br />
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She said, “You couldn’t run the marathon?” And I responded, “I bet I could!” <br />
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The only catch was this is Jenny’s event, it’s her time. I run with our daughter no matter what. I slept on it that night and thought of every logistical consideration and came to the conclusion that I could probably complete the marathon with a running stroller. No Boston qualifier but still finish. However keeping my daughter trapped in a running stroller for 4 hours seemed almost cruel. Although Kallie loves running with me in the stroller, 4 hours is a bit much.<br />
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In the end I signed up for the half marathon. A daunting task with a 35 lb child and a running stroller but I relish the challenge. I’ve always wanted to be one of those guys who can pop off a marathon in a weekend whenever and wherever they wanted. I am almost positive I could have but not with the circumstance. Maybe one day but not today.<br />
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I’m grateful for the opportunity to run a half marathon and my running future is only getting brighter.Ultradadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00660196956360870422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964775463436638009.post-68287430529956750532011-04-29T14:26:00.000-07:002011-04-29T14:26:00.395-07:00Burden of the Responsible Man<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Dnvj6A-qWUG_lkjcTUT7gseD3lkAg0d_GHfwhIKPOC0d3RJ-6hcMT4oJ9vnC_HfZJKi0_ollaSeLtm4dRZgadDm3_ULZjNkZ5012E0MTJzqm-nPuV8COz_U3_E7SbdO4JzZJiWTs12I/s1600/p_36778111_2049299.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Dnvj6A-qWUG_lkjcTUT7gseD3lkAg0d_GHfwhIKPOC0d3RJ-6hcMT4oJ9vnC_HfZJKi0_ollaSeLtm4dRZgadDm3_ULZjNkZ5012E0MTJzqm-nPuV8COz_U3_E7SbdO4JzZJiWTs12I/s320/p_36778111_2049299.jpg" width="238" /></a>I love the painting Burden of the Responsible Man by James C Christensen. It’s a conceptual painting with the central figure packed down with all his ‘stuff’, all his responsibilities. The painting oozes with symbolism. I have inserted a graphic to show you what I mean and I won’t bore you with what I think it all means. I would much rather share with you his work and let you interpret it yourself. I love the dangling carrot. My brother owns a print of ‘Burden’ that he purchased quite some time ago. I swear I could stare at it for hours every time we see each other.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">When he first bought the print over fifteen years ago, I wasn’t married; I had no children, no mortgage etc. The burden back then was deciding what I would eat for breakfast or how I would pay my bills with the income I had, or are these tires going to make through winter. I smile at how simple life seemed back then by comparison. And yet at the time the burden was real. As we mature and gain experience in life we are able to take on more responsibilities.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I recently read an article by a NY Times columnist Jenna Wortham, she was discussing FOMO the fear of missing out. If you can find it, it is a great read. It goes on to talk about our dependency or our interdependency with social media to hook us up with the best parties and goings on. Anxiety is fueled by social media and it gives us this underlying fear that we may be missing something better elsewhere. In our little running community (all my Tweeps are runners) I too, am inundated with tweets describing their runs or their big marathons coming up. I too, am somewhat anxious that I have missed a chance at a tweet up or a Ragnar or Mojo Loco with some people who have become kindred spirits to me. </div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The FOMO gets worse when I have a streak of non-running days. My anxiety lets me believe that I am getting out of shape, gaining weight. I become bitchy on non-running sunny days and a runner crosses our path. I want to be out there for sure. . . </div><br />
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“You okay Dad?”, she says to me. Her big brown eyes stare back at me and she smiles. <br />
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“Of course I am honey” I reply.<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I jammed my thumb putting the wall into place. Her third birthday is next week and I am rushing to get her birthday present finished. It is a beautiful cedar cottage 4’ x 4’ inside. It took me all weekend and a bit more to finish but it was the only time I had to finish it. I passed on two long run opportunities to get it finished. You see I was away all week and we have two lacrosse games this weekend so time management is key. Running just has to take a back seat.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Aj5t3MfV1pzb4juL12Z1b5ZdR3ddkE6ohRt6hjyss8uU06CkurhtgqSZCR5gxKbtgfAP3UPat4KqwJyfRWwpisLJmMOhjD2ZegNfheJboiKqcZgmWpyS8S2uycnIYCdSXft-Jc1wyXg/s1600/IMG_5814.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; height: 136px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 201px;"><img border="0" height="133" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Aj5t3MfV1pzb4juL12Z1b5ZdR3ddkE6ohRt6hjyss8uU06CkurhtgqSZCR5gxKbtgfAP3UPat4KqwJyfRWwpisLJmMOhjD2ZegNfheJboiKqcZgmWpyS8S2uycnIYCdSXft-Jc1wyXg/s200/IMG_5814.JPG" width="200" /></a>She absolutely loves it! I just wish the weather was a little better so that she could use it. I wouldn’t say it was a ‘Burden’ more likely a labor of love. And as far as FOMO . . . well I am 46. I’m not planning on hanging up the shoes anytime soon but my kids are only young once. At this moment in my life I’d rather be there on Saturday morning when my kids wake up and laugh at the cartoons or watch the Wiggles eating peanut butter on a spoon before my wife wakes up. Missing out? Don’t believe for one second that I’m missing out. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Cheers!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div>Ultradadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00660196956360870422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964775463436638009.post-37527106822734484122011-04-28T12:05:00.000-07:002011-04-28T12:05:50.749-07:00The North Face<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCZXGYbMOgrqnzHrV0dkTG08kVsm1KsLj1sSpIXmo3lnrE_2BWuKmD3RTs2pFAaRin9hfhxgqRtczgYeuBe5-p-UV3HQSMH3NOpD__U6x5x18DQ72M1TUbNS_k1vFnNRqkNtNvDb5FZzU/s1600/thenorthfacelogo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCZXGYbMOgrqnzHrV0dkTG08kVsm1KsLj1sSpIXmo3lnrE_2BWuKmD3RTs2pFAaRin9hfhxgqRtczgYeuBe5-p-UV3HQSMH3NOpD__U6x5x18DQ72M1TUbNS_k1vFnNRqkNtNvDb5FZzU/s200/thenorthfacelogo.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Day 2 of 7<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The North Face, what have you started! Okay maybe it wasn’t TNF but certainly they are guilty of the same crime as most high profile sports companies. Whether it is TNF, Lululemon Athletica, and of course, Nike these brands were once singularily identified with their sports origins. Lululemon for its yoga, The North Face for its extreme alpine climbing and Nike for its running. Since its humble beginnings they have all branched out to the mainstream. Capitalizing on their popularity and taking their brand to the average Joe.</div><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I remember in my early running days, I’m thinking 25 years ago. I worked at an outdoors store that manufactured its own line of Gore Tex outdoor gear. The designer shamelessly copied the designs of TNF and produced it as his own ‘sans logo’ at a far more reasonable price. The concept was a hit, only because Gore Tex was a great product. Waterproof and breathable the perfect combination for outdoor enthusiasts and as the fledging salespeople, we were intent on selling it on its benefits and defending it against its shortcomings. I say the concept was a hit because only outdoor enthusiasts flocked to the store. The designs were good, the colors were eye catching yet it lacked that certain identifiable savoir faire that TNF had and my former employer did not. Can you guess? Yup that ‘big ass’ embroidered symbol of Yosemite’s Half Dome on the shoulder. What you didn’t know it was Half Dome? Wise up, Ansel Adams is rolling over in his grave as you read this.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidQJk3G1Fc5cbqnvFj9zaHb1_PNN7yMPBCJUmJ83C7i9eG8gUNwVqqL_iqyng055LITfCBpqswCVM4HmXZqI7r8T9t5eixkjzFOxXoG06Zat8gV4j-ugrgVOIbJRkDpOqf02gHPE4fnBc/s1600/ansel-adams-half-dome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidQJk3G1Fc5cbqnvFj9zaHb1_PNN7yMPBCJUmJ83C7i9eG8gUNwVqqL_iqyng055LITfCBpqswCVM4HmXZqI7r8T9t5eixkjzFOxXoG06Zat8gV4j-ugrgVOIbJRkDpOqf02gHPE4fnBc/s200/ansel-adams-half-dome.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
Still talking about the early days, I had a friend who was going to fashion design school. Who knew higher academia had such an institution fervent on teaching others about something so trivial as clothes. To me clothes had always been something to cover the body and not much else. Much to my wife’s chagrin my shirt often don’t match my pants and I constantly go out on our date night with some worn out Asics 2130’s. So the story goes, I remember vividly having a philosophical discussion about logo’s and branding. “Make it big, make it simple and people will buy it!” (In the background I’m hearing W.P Kinsella “If you build it, they will come!”) She listened to my soapbox rant with slight distain. All the while I was thinking she doesn’t give a F what I think. She went on to having a career with a local very popular clothing company that got swallowed by the leading names in that particular industry, namely: Quicksilver, Dakine, and Roxy just to name a few. Do you see where I’m going with this? Close your eyes for a second and picture the logo of each of the last three names I just mentioned. Simple, big and memorable.<br />
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I weep for my lack of creative entrepreneurial moxie all those years ago. Clearly I had the foresight but not the creative gift nor the intestinal fortitude to carry off such a venture. Since my early days I have watched as many a fledgling clothing company falls by the wayside not for lack of quality goods but yet for the marketable eye catching logo or memorable slogan to go with it “Just Do It” (Nike) or “It’s in You” (Gatorade).<br />
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And for a time I mocked the successes as they sold their birthright to grab a piece of the pie. I chuckled when I saw a less than an athletic looking man sporting The North Face apparel. I thought to myself, this guy doesn’t look like he could climb a flight of stairs let alone scale a mountain. What does he need the hardcore gear for? As I matured and thought more about it, my thinking changed. Maybe these people will never scale the north face of the Eiger but only dream of it. Or maybe they bought the outdoor gear with the intent of wearing it for its designed features or maybe they bought because they just looked ‘hot’ in it. They wanted to be identified as athletic or outdoorsy. If The North Face could design a garment that appeals to the mainstream, that appeals to those who think ultra runners are nuts but yet gets them out the door and on to the trail. Then we all win! Today from its humble beginnings The North Face manufactures all sorts of clothing, shoes and sponsors a number of cool ultrarunning events as well as a bunch of high profile athletes.<br />
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America is getting fatter by the minute. If branding can be identified with athleticism or athletic pursuits and dreams. If it gets people off the couch and around the block if even to show off their new Vibram Five Fingers or Lululemon yoga pants then who am I to scoff at these corporate giants intent on fueling their motivation. Branding becomes the kindling to our spark. If newbie runner feels more like a runner sporting the ‘big ass’ logo on his gear then and it keeps him running then I’m all for ‘big ass’ logos.Ultradadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00660196956360870422noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964775463436638009.post-14263087440973858022011-04-27T19:37:00.000-07:002011-04-27T19:37:22.966-07:007 Posts in 7 Days<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><shapetype adj="10800" coordsize="21600,21600" id="_x0000_t136" o:spt="136" path="m@7,l@8,m@5,21600l@6,21600e"> <formulas><f eqn="sum #0 0 10800"></f><f eqn="prod #0 2 1"></f><f eqn="sum 21600 0 @1"></f><f eqn="sum 0 0 @2"></f><f eqn="sum 21600 0 @3"></f><f eqn="if @0 @3 0"></f><f eqn="if @0 21600 @1"></f><f eqn="if @0 0 @2"></f><f eqn="if @0 @4 21600"></f><f eqn="mid @5 @6"></f><f eqn="mid @8 @5"></f><f eqn="mid @7 @8"></f><f eqn="mid @6 @7"></f><f eqn="sum @6 0 @5"></f></formulas><path o:connectangles="270,180,90,0" o:connectlocs="@9,0;@10,10800;@11,21600;@12,10800" o:connecttype="custom" textpathok="t"></path><textpath fitshape="t" on="t"></textpath><handles><h position="#0,bottomRight" xrange="6629,14971"></h></handles><lock shapetype="t" text="t" v:ext="edit"></lock></shapetype></span>I was thinking about going for 30 posts in 30 days but come on now I have made less than 7 posts for the entire year let alone for the next 7 days. So here I am stuck in an airport once again pondering life, more specifically social media. I remember seeing a tweet by Erin337 a couple of months ago and it stuck in my mind. She asked the question “Does anybody read blogs anymore?” Of course the handful of responses varied from the sarcastic to the avid endorsement of said social media outlet.<br />
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Blogging to me is a step above Facebook and Twitter quite possibly on par with Podcasting or the new Urban Dictionary term, “Blogcasting”. Blogging takes style and a fair bit more thinking than the 140 characters Twitter involves. That being said Twitter is the social media equivalent of a haiku, condense what you have to say in 140 characters or less. Make it meaningful, contrite, and you very well may become a social media darling. Certainly there is power in numbers. Try and try again and become someone’s favorite or certainly build the number of followers. It feeds the fire and you become part of it. In doing so, your every thought is tweeted and you blog less because . . . well you’ve said it before!<br />
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I love reading and responding to Tweets when I can. Once again quoting Twitter I remember Adam Tinkoff, The Zen Runner, comparing a conversation on Twitter to having a conversation on an elevator with a megaphone. Classic Tinkoff indeed. <br />
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I love reading blogs when I can. Blogs on the other hand give insight to the psyche, the emotion, the aura of the writer. Much like podcasting because of there one sidedness, blogs become and expression of the person. In essence the writer (podcaster) and the blog become one.<br />
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I like blogging. The problem is as I said before blogging takes a fair amount of thought. Thought requires time. Thoughts I have in abundance. Time is something I don’t have a lot of. So there is the challenge and I lay it down as a challenge because in doing so I put it down on the line for only myself to beat, a personal challenge. You can call me out on it if you so please. But this is more for me than anything.<br />
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I sit hear in the Edmonton Airport waiting for a flight home. Time is something I have, for now. My next challenge is the next 7 days. Life at home is hectic. Life on the road slightly less. For all the runner’s out there I had an absolutely fabulous run one week ago and have been on the go ever since ergo no running since. Hopefully tomorrows post will be a celebration of tomorrow’s run.<br />
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Wish me luck. See ya tomorrow!Ultradadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00660196956360870422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964775463436638009.post-59136789503244831342011-02-03T20:48:00.000-08:002011-02-03T20:48:35.247-08:00uD 59 It's not about the job<script src="http://player.wizzard.tv/player/o/j/x/129679435006/config/k-a626a09d72112afb/uuid/root/height/360/width/640/episode/k-296739459163d23e.m4v" type="text/javascript">
</script>Ultradadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00660196956360870422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964775463436638009.post-7164210769412803182011-01-26T04:53:00.000-08:002011-01-26T04:53:55.523-08:00Planning My Self Supported Ultra<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">This is fun! More fun than actually signing up for a race because when you plan your own you get to do all the course planning and timing. The route planning can be a lot of fun.</div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>FACTS:</strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1) I travel at least once a month for work and the night times are long. So these times are the most probable time to hold a self supported ultra.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>2) I can run as fast as 8 minute miles on roads. It goes slower from there depending on the steepness and technical difficulty of the trail. <br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">3) The amount of available sun increases until June 21st, the summer solstice, then the days get shorter. The highest the sun gets is 9:20 pm for Vancouver. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">So taking these factors into account, I can run about 4 hours maybe 5 hours in complete sunlight. Even at dusk there is still a significant amount of sunlight. A 50K takes about 6 hours. A 50 mile takes almost double that. I'm leaning towards 50K first</div><br />
<strong>My Route:</strong><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The start is the backdoor of my hotel which is typically the Holiday Inn Express in Kelowna (elevation 1150’ or 350m). After a quick right and right again down some back streets into Mission Creek, ‘The Greenway’. The Greenway is flat and follows the creek for about 5 miles but I’m turning after about 2 ½ miles at Casorso Road taking a left. At the roundabout stay left and keep left. Casorso Road turns goes up steeply to Bedford Road. The elevation tapers off a bit but Bedford then turns into Stewart Road East. At the end of Stewart Road East is the parking lot for Myra-Bellevue Regional Park. The elevation at the parking lot is 1750’ or 533m. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRCreqzccmJ1l5mOt73ARWREwIHEuolwL0HqG2v5gg1ZQaht_O2ayZor0wYZb-4Q0d4RzRC660h-gsKAUuweSV7EZFWjNoZPLHYmwqI8k8Iyir3ZvmjIUabxMpRVVqz5WtM7luLh2BGI4/s1600/Okanagan+Mountain+Fire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="195" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRCreqzccmJ1l5mOt73ARWREwIHEuolwL0HqG2v5gg1ZQaht_O2ayZor0wYZb-4Q0d4RzRC660h-gsKAUuweSV7EZFWjNoZPLHYmwqI8k8Iyir3ZvmjIUabxMpRVVqz5WtM7luLh2BGI4/s320/Okanagan+Mountain+Fire.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Believe it or not the trail has recovered from this devastation</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Inside the park my route follows the Scorched Sole 25K course from 2010. I say that very specifically because the Scorched Sole course changes almost annually either due in part to snow, fires or some other unforeseen circumstance. (True enough at this posting the Scorched Sole 2011 course has changed again) The 2010 course follows the Lost Lake Trail to the end where it picks up the Kettle Valley Railway trail. The Kettle Valley Railway or KVR was this old defunct railway built after the turn of the 20th century. It’s famous for these gigantic trestle bridges which spanned these beautiful canyons. Even today these trestles are considered quite a feat of engineering. In 2003, the Okanagan Mountain fire (hence the name Scorched Sole) many of these trestles mostly wood burned to the ground. It was only through the efforts of interest groups that these marvels were restored to their original splendor. (wow that sounds like it should be in a brochure).</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The bottom line is I’m truly excited about this. It doesn’t impede on family business. Although there is no pomp and circumstance, I’m thinking there won’t be as much of the low that follows a grand event either. I’m already ruminating about a second and third ultra closer to home. The mojo is back! </div>Ultradadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00660196956360870422noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964775463436638009.post-6106679497153456012011-01-10T22:39:00.000-08:002011-01-10T22:39:11.276-08:00Where did the Mojo go?<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNYIaS0qlkM4nKgwTPxNrZk98_4uSmelV6Lvtdm0cDkwctOPSaPCrvUJM-YHHkpFyW-FNTdnPwQmXsrk2SngtWbaK6POf5LhD01-1jBW1PIFb1n2lzMFRrIKjgIF0iVbbApyGOW1GjZPs/s1600/lost_mojo_ad_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; height: 204px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 224px;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNYIaS0qlkM4nKgwTPxNrZk98_4uSmelV6Lvtdm0cDkwctOPSaPCrvUJM-YHHkpFyW-FNTdnPwQmXsrk2SngtWbaK6POf5LhD01-1jBW1PIFb1n2lzMFRrIKjgIF0iVbbApyGOW1GjZPs/s200/lost_mojo_ad_b.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I’m having a bit of a crisis getting my mojo going for 2011. Maybe it’s the fact that there was so many people who I follow were doing the Goofy Challenge and my vicarious life has been satiated through there accomplishments. Or that some of these same people have yet another marathon or big race planned less than 16 weeks out. Or maybe it’s the fact that after working my ass off qualifying for Boston I came up short in the funding and was a no go for this year and most likely next year as well. The fact of the matter is these races cost a lot of money, hell, shoes cost a lot of money. But my passion is running and therefore to keep my sanity I must run.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I was listening to the DDRD, that would be <a href="http://dirtdawg.podbean.com/">Dirt Dawg’s Running Diatribe </a>Podcast last week and I had a bit of an epiphany. His guest interviewer was a fellow blogger/runner who made the comment that she could not run without a goal, without a purpose. It brought to mind all the books on motivation and drive that I have read. Side Note: Why is it that people who lack it always seem to gravitate towards books about the subject matter? No matter, my research tells me they all seem to break it down into three things and depending on whose book you’re reading it comes down to:</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1) Autonomy-that self driven, master of your own domain facet that must be met to keep the wheel turning.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">2) Mastery – the sense that you are accomplishing your goal through endless repetition. Positive feedback loops, 10,000 hours of practice. No lie! Ask <a href="http://www.gladwell.com/outliers/index.html">Malcolm Gladwell</a>. A good coach doesn’t hurt either.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">3) Purpose – the Why! Or better said the WHY? A lot has been written about this and I’m going to boil it down to <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Mindset-Psychology-Success-Carol-Dweck/dp/1400062756">Intrinsic and Extrinsic </a>goals. Your goals have to be intrinsic if they are going to get you through the rough spots. They have to fulfill some need within you.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I need races to fulfill the why. A race that I had been eyeing was the <a href="http://web.me.com/krissymoehl/Chuckanut_50k/Welcome.html">Chuckanut Mtn 50K</a>. Not to say that fate is playing against me but this year’s race sold out in 2 hours. Although the start line is about an hour from my house it filled up with the likes of Krupicka, Roes, and Jurek. Wow Ultrarunning celebs in my neck of the woods.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">So I enter the spring season with no definitive goal and in essence a serious mojo problem. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Here is what I have for ideas so far:</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1) Self supported Ultra. Probably a 50 miler or 12 hour. No bells no whistles, no fees . . .no problem</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">2) <a href="http://www.clubfatass.com/join">Join Club Fat Ass </a>and enter a few of their races.</div>3) Find a <a href="http://www.bcuts.ca/">cheap Ultra </a>and just sign on the dotted line and open up those purse strings.<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">4) Get faster! Train for a 5K, 10K or a mile.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">5) Take up another sport. . . Naaah! </div>Ultradadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00660196956360870422noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964775463436638009.post-77833792815683659702011-01-02T09:41:00.000-08:002011-01-02T09:41:34.805-08:00Welcome to 2011Like most people I’ve been reflecting on the past year, trying to sum up my highlights and accomplishments of 2010 from which to learn from. To be honest there wasn’t a lot going on. Two races in all, one of them a marathon. I want to share the highlight with you, here goes:<br />
Run for Water – Once again I was able to do this charity run with my family or at least the abbreviated version. My wife and one son ran the 5K while I ran the 10K with my daughter in the BOB stroller.<br />
BQ at the Okanagan Marathon – I’d be lying if I didn’t put this near the top of the list. But to be honest it was more about the journey than the destination. The race was just the execution of the plan. A 3 ½ hour blast of nirvana for sure but compare that to the hundreds of hours or prep and planning it’s a toss up to what I enjoyed more.<br />
Social Media – I resuscitated my podcast this year after a long hiatus. I joined Twitter and the Daily Mile. I have a tough time explaining Social Media to my wife and friends. Not so much how it works but rather the group of friends I have acquired through the different avenues. It’s hard to explain how a person can empathize the sorrows and celebrate the joys of events, running related or not with people you have never met. But in my life I have very few running partners, I don’t belong to a club and yet running is a big part of what makes me tick. Social Media completes the loop. You work through a tough set of intervals or a set of hill repeats or even a killer long run and you want to share it with friends. I think everybody wants a little validation and if you are reading this blog I think you understand? <br />
GOALS<br />
For 2011 my goal is to communicate more. I plan to open up the relationships I’ve squandered. I plan to talk more. I’m going to blog more, tweet more,phone more friends. In a nutshell I am going to share my life more. Although they are just numbers I’m a numbers guy. I made 17 blog posts in 2010 down from the all time high of 34 in 2009. This year the goal is 52 which of course is a weekly average of 1. I think this is an achievable goal.<br />
Running goals are as yet undecided. I have got a few that I’m still thinking about but have to discuss with the better half. After all when you come from a family of six, everything has to be a concerted effort. I’ll share that with you next post. Thanks for coming along!Ultradadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00660196956360870422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964775463436638009.post-17118301410572588392010-11-26T06:47:00.000-08:002010-11-26T06:47:32.331-08:00You know your a runner when . . .The only good thing about business travel with crappy weather in the forecast is the ability to check out and compare the fitness facilities. On my recent trip to Edmonton I was shut out of my usual haunts due to not booking early and the Grey Cup being held on the weekend. As such I checked out the Ramada in the not so downtown core. The rates were cheap due to its less than desirable location.<br />
<br />
You know you’re a runner when you choose a hotel based on the treadmill you see in the photos of the fitness room or the proximity to a good trail or a track. This year alone I have chosen a hotel because:<br />
1) It was on the marathon course I was running in the fall and I could preview the course this way.<br />
2) It was about a mile from the only track in town and I had an interval workout scheduled.<br />
3) It was less than a mile from a well known trail I had heard or read about. <br />
<br />
All sad and yet all true. Yes I have an addiction!<br />
<br />
So the Ramada Inn in Edmonton not only had a great rate but a great treadmill. Typically I prefer to run outdoors no matter what the conditions but this hotel was in a bad part of town AND it was -25C with snow on the ground. I know when to stay inside (most times).<br />
<br />
The treadmill au jour was a sweet LifeFitness commercial grade model. After my workout I pondered purchasing just such a beast to replace the Sears/Walmart residential strength model I have in the basement. The comparison of the two makes you lean toward the LifeFitness brand for sure. The LifeFitness treadmill has a wide deck probably about 20” or so. The length of which I could probably lie down on (okay it was 60" but it felt longer). The decking itself was a thick rubber. And I could actually hear myself think or listen to Oprah, not like my home jobby that is more akin to a Harley Davidson Fat Boy idling with 88 cubic inches of pure thunder. This beauty also inclines to 15% whereas my home model goes to 6%. The differences clearly favored the LifeFitness right up until the price tag. LifeFitness treadmills start at about $2500. Yup that’s right I didn’t add an extra zero by mistake. Ah well, I’ll stick to my bought and paid for Sears special (gratis by my Mom who was gonna throw it away after her exercise New Year’s resolution failed).<br />
<br />
I was inspired to run the treadmill after watching a Youtube video of Tony ”Naked Guy” Krupicka, the superhuman ultrarunner having a treadmill race against James Bonnett , another ultrarunner sponsored by The North Face. Check it out, It is pretty nuts! If you notice they start the race at 15% grade. I’m guessing the pace is like 8 mph. I tried 15% and made it up to about 5mph but had to stop because I feared getting shot off the back if I stumbled. Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/eCS3SlAhX8U?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/eCS3SlAhX8U?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Ultradadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00660196956360870422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964775463436638009.post-68455927510826324392010-11-11T07:45:00.000-08:002010-11-11T07:48:37.516-08:00Sleep deprived for no good reasonIt doesn’t help that I’m suffering from Post Marathon Blues and I lack a little bit of motivation right now. But this shoulder thing is really starting to bug me. It started as a small minor twinge that I felt occasionally when I ran and never any time other than that. Now four weeks post marathon it has built itself to a nice little crescendo. (That is music talk, folks) <br />
<br />
<br />
I can lift my arm albeit slowly. I can crawl on all fours into a burning building (simulated), search for victims and drag a 180 lb dummy out a hundred feet through stacks of tires on one hand (attached to the same shoulder) and not even wince. I did that on Tuesday. I can throw a ball side arm and underhand did that Thursday<br />
<br />
But throw a ball over the top has me screaming like a little girl. Okay I didn’t really scream but I wanted too. Trying to sleep can be a problem too. I never realized how much I move in my sleep until you get woken up because you’ve lifted you arm a certain way and the pain sends high voltage down my left side. It’s like an alarm clock for some sadomasochistic Spanish Inquisition torture freak.<br />
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx6Zo-5qfqyc6NCxeWF_omuVY3HXU-or6Mf2XFpx9RUCcEXepQ4aLKh8FvUguBhNKNwDk_dBJrvJjbBsIYlhIU6LH6aD2_6tY9dG5gHovcUy_h6hBLtSwP6IOvbQwjqdbYlgFRVeAYz7I/s1600/baby-crying.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx6Zo-5qfqyc6NCxeWF_omuVY3HXU-or6Mf2XFpx9RUCcEXepQ4aLKh8FvUguBhNKNwDk_dBJrvJjbBsIYlhIU6LH6aD2_6tY9dG5gHovcUy_h6hBLtSwP6IOvbQwjqdbYlgFRVeAYz7I/s200/baby-crying.jpg" width="200" /></a>I don’t mean to whine. I hate whiners. I’m from the School of Suck It Up. Although I am only at high school level, I haven’t graduated to the university level, the infamous U Suck. It is just a distraction that keeps me up at night and deprives me of rest. I mean I could be worse off. I’ve been following a few blogs. <a href="http://resurrectedrunner.blogspot.com/2010/11/mri-results.html">Colin</a> has a heel problem that has dogged him forever but he managed a marathon though his problems. He’s now on the long road to recovery with a surgery option if need be, whatever the case he can’t run. I wish him well. <a href="http://www.gary-robbins.com/2010/11/to-operate-or-not-to-operate.html">Gary</a> broke his 5th metatarsal in his right foot. Once again out for 8 weeks and no running. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I can still run. The twinge is still there and Jen says I shouldn’t aggravate it. I’m not so sure. I always take a layoff after an event: marathon, ultra or whatever. I race so infrequently that the event becomes the pinnacle of the year. So 4 weeks of little training I’m not sure if it is a coincidence this shoulder thing flared up, was it due to lack of exercise or is there something else. I could try and get my ass off the couch and run for a solid week and see if the pain goes down. But I keep waking up at 2 or 3 in the morning for a few painful minutes falling back asleep so when the alarm goes off at 5 a.m. I am beat.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>In the mean time I’ve been to the doctor who sent me for an X-ray for which I await the result. The doc was skeptical the X-ray would show anything. He said an MRI would be better but in this province it takes about 15 months of waiting before you get an appointment. Unless you have $800 and can do it privately. For $800 I’d rather do something frivolous . . . like eat.Ultradadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00660196956360870422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964775463436638009.post-12014815178235818822010-10-17T14:50:00.000-07:002010-10-17T14:50:00.312-07:00BMO Okanagan Marathon<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRTryoFkN4kiNcaEJUzzQRK6PZ_Q4n_Xycqe0JnCMPZSq3JP77N3P6pOCIO5DZn_tnxMcvUzmH_BmXAXsWqTdKaluC7PxrzKlc3f5sh9V-wHTLHBEn5m1pRAMrJzIbiPlQW1D7f3MNG6E/s1600/mail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRTryoFkN4kiNcaEJUzzQRK6PZ_Q4n_Xycqe0JnCMPZSq3JP77N3P6pOCIO5DZn_tnxMcvUzmH_BmXAXsWqTdKaluC7PxrzKlc3f5sh9V-wHTLHBEn5m1pRAMrJzIbiPlQW1D7f3MNG6E/s1600/mail.jpg" /></a>It’s been a week since I ran the marathon. I think a week is long enough to mull over the events of the day, the past 18 weeks, or the past lifetime. At any point, I just jump back and forth and reflect.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">THE DAY</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">It started out nice. Temperatures were in the 50’s which by all account is perfect running weather. I got a good night’s sleep and woke up at 5 a.m. raring to go. Although the race didn’t start until 7:15 and my hotel was only 10 minutes from the start line and parking was abundant, I wanted to make sure certain bodily functions had run their course before I ran my course (Enough said).</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I got to the starting area with a half an hour to spare. It was your typical starting area for a big city race port-a-potties, people wearing garbage bags, old sweatshirts mulling about doing stretches, sprints and running on the spot same old stuff just a different race. A casual observation had me notice the sparseness of the area, I guess because the marathon started first and the half marathon was a half hour later with 15 minutes to the start the layout of the start area left room for 10 times the people that were there.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>THE PODCAST<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>I knew from the beginning of the 18 weeks of training that I would be podcasting whilst I ran. You can listen to <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/ultradad/uD_53_-_The_BMO_Okanagan_Marathon.mp3">my production hear</a>. I made it into a Rocky Balboa prizefighter type fight because those thoughts played in my head, a 26 round prizefight with only one winner. In marathons and in prizefights some people get the shit kicked out of them and get knocked out, hit the wall, bonk, or whatever term you want to use something inside them say “No Mas, No Mas”. Some are lucky enough to survive to the end only to be struck down by their time goal, a split decision if you will. Completing a marathon is a victory in itself but if you set a time goal like I did then you can win and lose when you cross the line. Which one you dwell on is up to the person. And then there is the win, the time goal complete. I guess you can knock it out by smashing your goal time by minutes or you can eek one out with a few ticks of the clock to spare. Win, lose or draw I was prepared to podcast.<br />
<br />
In my head I was conscious of the fact that there were people around me so the stream of verbal diarrhea that explodes out of my mouth was for the most part corked. That’s okay though, I got to talk to actual people on the run (probably annoyed the Hell out of them) <br />
<br />
THE PEOPLE<br />
<br />
The people along the course and on the course were amazing. As the weather got worse the people that volunteered stuck it out. I mean runners are like furnaces, boilers chugging out a constant heat so once they get going a drop in temperature or a cold blowing wind only fazes them slightly. The volunteers are standing around for hours and when it starts to rain or a cold wind blows off the lake they certainly feel it. I take my hat off to the “vollies” they are my heroes of the race.<br />
<br />
I saw a woman running in Newton Running shoes. It was the first time I had ever seen Newton’s so I had to ask. She pulled the earbuds out of her head as I proceeded to ask questions. She quickly told me about her supination problem. She was from Calgary and the stores there have them. A typical on the run meeting and it was over and done in a minute.<br />
<br />
I met a guy doing his second marathon. His goal was 3:30 like mine and he had his eye on the pace bunny. It was late in the race and he was hanging on. He told me he couldn’t run after his first marathon. That just after the finish he felt nauseous and his legs started to spasm which sent him into a long post marathon recovery. But he was back one year later with his eye on the prize, 3:30. And then he took a walk break. . . gone in 60 seconds.<br />
<br />
I talked to a women who was also running her second marathon. Vancouver was her first which she thought was very hilly compared to this one. To that I would have to agree. This one had no bridges, no hills and I think the announcer said 5 meters of elevation gain/loss. The woman told me that she had already qualified for Boston at Vancouver. She said her time was 3:40:59, which if you know Boston qualifying standards she used the full 59 seconds allowed for that age bracket. I was impressed. She too was aiming for a 3:30 finish. I never saw her after my break.<br />
<br />
MY BREAK<br />
<br />
After the first loop of 13.1 miles and well into the industrial park the urge to pee overwhelmed me. The course is a two looper, which you could almost call a four looper. You start in City Park and go north into the industrial park, loop back to City Park and go south into a residential area for another loop. You do that twice, hence four loops. On the second time into the industrial park I could not hold it and I detoured behind one of the many buildings on the course. I figured if I didn’t do it now I couldn’t do it on the south loop unless I peed in someone’s hedges. (A marathon faux pas).<br />
<br />
I lost 22 seconds but saved a bladder. To that point I was probably right on 8 minute pace with maybe a few seconds to spare. The stupidity of trying to get it all back at once was a grave mistake but a calculated one. Psychologically, running with a crowd is easier than running alone. There was a small pack of about 20 runners on the 3:30 bunny. So after dropping 22 seconds they were that much more ahead of me and I was literally alone. I couldn’t see anyone behind me and only the 3:30’s ahead of me. I ran an 8:22 mile with a break and followed it up with a 7:40 mile. This was about mile seventeen. My legs really felt the energy drain after the catch up mile.<br />
<br />
THE WALL<br />
<br />
The wall came on the south loop in the residential area. To this point I was well hydrated (I drank at every aid station and had a bottle of Gatorade with me) and I was well fed (I had 3 Clif Shots). The legs felt okay and psychologically I was still in the game. But I could see myself folding . . . slowly. Mile after mile the time slipped and I couldn’t respond to it. I was whipped. The irony of being an ultramarathoner trying to run fast enough for Boston was comical. The farthest I’ve ever run is 100K, 62 miles so you would think a race of less than half that distance would be a walk in the park? Not so! <br />
<br />
THE FINISH<br />
<br />
The Garmin 305 on my wrist said 26.2 miles and yet the finish line was still a long kick away. Mentally that was tough. I remember being out on the course and there were cones at nearly every corner and course marshals telling you to go around the cones, “Go ‘round the cones!” So I did . . . religiously, I stuck to the course. Deep inside I didn’t want to cheat myself. If my Garmin read anything less than 26.2 miles at the end of the race I would have felt guilty or been guilty of not running a full marathon. So being the ethical runner I stuck to the course. When I hit the 26.2 mile mark on my Garmin I was kicking mentally kicking myself.<br />
<br />
I approached the final turn and there was less than 100 meters to go. The clock read 3:29:55 or so I sprinted and bore down on the timing mats. In my head I was thinking about how far back from the starting line I started and I was cursing myself. Who knew I was going to cut it that close. I crossed the line with a gun time of 3:30:05 and a chip time of 3:29:38. The gun time is what counts to Boston so I still had 54 seconds to spare. The Garmin said I ran 26.38 miles which is 950 feet beyond 26.2. The chip time is what counts to me because now I’m a sub 3:30 marathoner!Ultradadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00660196956360870422noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964775463436638009.post-56068143382885233642010-06-24T20:26:00.000-07:002010-06-24T20:26:59.260-07:00Week 3 Day 19: Intervals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaZ2ytjyKKjDqCllObM4t6N7i28tFB48aiCWwyEXYgSZRlpW8U46io2_S9ZYi4oe8uEwjKxJJ2WCNtQdtXgPJTcxau7he5TgEFNMGUa0hkeW8gUAxV-1Brw_uVQL7cay8VgpnmLH-iYW8/s1600/IMG_2656.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaZ2ytjyKKjDqCllObM4t6N7i28tFB48aiCWwyEXYgSZRlpW8U46io2_S9ZYi4oe8uEwjKxJJ2WCNtQdtXgPJTcxau7he5TgEFNMGUa0hkeW8gUAxV-1Brw_uVQL7cay8VgpnmLH-iYW8/s320/IMG_2656.JPG" /></a></div><br />
I can still remember the chapter entitled Intervals in the book Once a Runner by John L Parker. Quenton Cassidy doing endless intervals pushing himself to his ultimate limit lap after lap and just when you think he can’t do anymore he resigns himself to another set. In the end he goes home after his ‘make or break’ workout and collapses into a deep sleep on his bed. Awesome!<br />
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My own experience wasn’t quite as dramatic as the fictional Mr. Cassidy’s but it was a new experience for me. I am on Week 3 of Hal Higdon’s Advanced I Marathon Training Program. This is the weekly ‘Quality’ workout which rotates from Hill Repeats to Tempo to Intervals and back to Hill Repeats. Since Week One I have been kind of looking at this workout as my biggest challenge. My trail running told me I would be able to do Hill Repeats and Tempo is just a slow build to pace and back down again. What’s so hard about that? Intervals are done on the track, this is speed work! What have I done? I’ve given up my beloved trails for a 400 meter oval. Jen said to me the other day, “You don’t run trails anymore do you?” I didn’t answer. I couldn’t answer. Definitely I have resigned myself to the roads, the pounding pavement all for the single minded purpose of qualifying for Boston.<br />
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My work schedule took me to Kelowna, BC, a beautiful place, which is no secret to anyone in the know. That being the case hotel rates sky rocket during the summer months. I couldn’t justify paying an extra $70 for the room I stayed in a month ago. So in searching for a place I chose my hotel based on proximity to a track. Using Google Earth I noted that there is only one ‘local’ track. What gives? Kelowna has a population probably double maybe triple that of Mission and only has one track, or at least that’s what I could find via Google Earth. The Apple Bowl sits in the heart of the city and is close to several hotels but it mystifies me as to why the city has just one track. This track is where I did my infamous barefoot run a few months ago and is a beautiful rubberized track. So if you are going to have one track it should be a good one.<br />
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My warm up was a direct route one mile straight to the track. Perfect! Lap 1 with a target of 3:30 was a little shaky. I wasn’t used to the faster pace and I felt like I was speeding up then slowing down but I ended up with a 3:22. A little fast but I was looking more for consistency rather than being bang on 3:30.<br />
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After a one lap rest in 2:24 (Hal says to keep rest between 2 and 3 minutes) I sped off again. This time I was a little more controlled and finished the 800 with a time of 3:24. Not bad!<br />
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Another rest lap and my third 800 was another 3:24. Now I thought I was getting the hang of this.<br />
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The final 800 was also a consistent 3:23. So taking into account hundredths of second the total range of values was within 1.5 seconds. I stepped off the track totally satisfied. Intervals were not as daunting as I had thought. I felt like I could have done more but I wanted to stick to the plan. I can hardly wait another three weeks before I get to do 5 x 800.<br />
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I ran back to the hotel and stepped into Starbucks for a Grande Dark Roast and it was barely 6 am.Ultradadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00660196956360870422noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964775463436638009.post-22032151086879162402010-06-17T16:25:00.000-07:002010-06-17T16:25:18.049-07:00Welcome to Las Vegas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCvxidKV4IcAQViTZgp32vH_UeYZVwYo0RxSrH5Y5OKXpAEhtktbdGpFKovifQRs1WgL5kH3B4Xsm65aQWo3BiOaoQd5VdHuousPJcDFeKh6YPZEC_vx3oWnd5ih6qbEXsHXPbicUgEj0/s1600/las_vegas_welcome_sign_large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCvxidKV4IcAQViTZgp32vH_UeYZVwYo0RxSrH5Y5OKXpAEhtktbdGpFKovifQRs1WgL5kH3B4Xsm65aQWo3BiOaoQd5VdHuousPJcDFeKh6YPZEC_vx3oWnd5ih6qbEXsHXPbicUgEj0/s320/las_vegas_welcome_sign_large.jpg" /></a></div>I used to love coming to Las Vegas. So many lights, the casinos, the all day party atmosphere it was continuous fun. “Was” is the key word in this sentence. I am just returning from 3 days in a desert town that I think was Las Vegas at least that is what they told me when I landed at McCarran International Airport. Of course I was there on business and I’ve been there before on business but this time was in a class all by itself.<br />
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I’ve heard it said that if you go a block or two off the Las Vegas Strip you can’t tell it’s the same place. Try 5 miles away and it could very well be Anytown, USA. I was there for meetings all day so it really didn’t matter but still the excitement from travelling to Sin City was gone. The hotel didn’t even have a slot machine in the lobby.<br />
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RUNNING IN LAS VEGAS<br />
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The last time I ran in Vegas was last summer. We went with my kids and we even took the running stroller. I ran off Strip from the MGM Grand and I explored the areas in and around the UNLV campus. By doing so I was also able to scope out places to buy groceries, bottled water, and of course diapers. In August the temperature hovered in the high nineties and one day broke a hundred for one of my runs. It was fun, I imagined myself running the Badwater and it was only beginning to warm up.<br />
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I run before in Vegas up and down the Strip which from a tourist perspective is kind of fun because at 6 in the morning the streets are empty and you get an unobstructed view of the city. I can only imagine what the Rock n Roll Las Vegas Marathon would be like. I think you actually get to run down the middle of the Strip. Just imagine it no sidewalks, no escalators and walkways, that sounds like fun. Bucket list are you listening?<br />
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On this trip I was down to business, I am in week 2 on my marathon program and I had to get in 3 miles, 5 miles and then another 3 miles.<br />
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The first run I had to squeeze in between meeting end and dinner plans. Three miles, the prescribed distance fit in perfectly to the allotted time. At this point in the program I didn’t want to skip any workouts for any reason. I found a park right across the street from the hotel. What strikes me as odd is talking about going for a run in a park in Las Vegas. I saw trees and plants I even saw a rabbit scurrying into the sagebrush. <br />
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The second run was a five miler. The park was small and doing loop after loop in the park didn’t seem to inviting so I ventured into the industrial park right next to the hotel. Like I said this was an atypical visit to Las Vegas, industries, warehouses, and parks. <br />
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Run three I went back to the park for three. I don’t know if it was the heat or the elevation (2000’ above sea level) but my easy pace went from a typical 10 minute pace to just over 9 minutes for all three runs. I never focused on pace. I never focused on anything. I recorded my thoughts on one run but for the most part I ran by feel and ended up too fast. My HR was too high for all three runs. The saving grace was they were shorter runs. I recovered well but I’m going to have to pay better attention to the HR zones.<br />
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Tomorrow is my Tempo run. A 40 minute run of increasing effort to a tempo just below 10K pace and then back down again for the final minutes. Question is “What is my 10K pace if you haven’t run one without a running stroller in front of you?”Ultradadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00660196956360870422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964775463436638009.post-46021033233135636182010-06-15T17:38:00.000-07:002010-06-15T17:38:35.074-07:00Week OneWeek 1 In the books<br />
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Monday – 3 mile easy run. Week 1 Day 1 and he starts it with an easy 3 mile run. The temptation for me was not to go farther or harder. Koda, my Golden Retriever with the onset of hip dysplasia appreciated the pace.<br />
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</div>Tuesday- 5 mile “Sort Of” long run. I think I’ll call these SO Long runs because I can’t type fast and holding the shift key down twice to make the term “Sort Of” is annoying. So a 5 mile SO long run was okay! A no event, I know I can run farther, faster but I stick with the plan.<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Wednesday- easy run for recovery from the SO long run left me wanting more. A 3 mile run but I wanted to stick to plan.</div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDf6dIUNarSSPoMnPCp-uvMaMQROO_cEveYH-PxFPdnGHCfuSHa1rFakf4w1g9y6HB7uB0UK9qr-5ztO2agt4NUbz-4-el8-Ojpfy8bAb9Uxxu4QS859_NCOr1Cp-VrrOft-KUhoT2_3k/s1600/heart+rate+graph.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDf6dIUNarSSPoMnPCp-uvMaMQROO_cEveYH-PxFPdnGHCfuSHa1rFakf4w1g9y6HB7uB0UK9qr-5ztO2agt4NUbz-4-el8-Ojpfy8bAb9Uxxu4QS859_NCOr1Cp-VrrOft-KUhoT2_3k/s320/heart+rate+graph.png" /></a>Thursday – I woke up with a little fatigue in the legs. I’m usually not a streaker. I define being a streaker as running consecutive days anything longer than 3 days. So usually by the fourth day if I wake up and before my feet hit the ground I’ll decide whether or not I’ll run or not. Today I had no choice. In sticking with the plan I knew that today was a hill workout. Hal says to find a hill, any pitch will do about a quarter mile long. I have just the hill just outside my house. I started with a warm up of 2 miles and hit my hill. The hill is exactly a quarter mile from bottom to top so cresting it each time was the plan. It rises about 140 feet in the quarter, it is fairly punishing it is steep to begin with the grade lessens for about the middle third and the final third is the steepest grade. This is the type of hill the city closes down during snow events. I’m going to call it “the Horn” not only because the name of the street is actually Horne Street but because I know this horn will actually prod me to improvement.</div><br />
I’ve attached a graph from my Garmin Training center. As you can see at mile 2 is where the hill repeats began. After a quarter mile I came close to maxing out on my heart rate, something I’ve always had questions about. My speed is kind all over but never drops to zero. It’s neat to see how my heart rate recovers on the downhills. I wish my speed could have been a little more consistent on the downhills..<br />
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By the third repeat I was spend I did everything I could to hold my pace to the top and was reduce to a walk once I crested the hill. My heart rate was 98% of maximum but I felt victorious. I completed the hardest workout of the week thus far and I didn’t die.<br />
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Friday –rest day. Remarkably I felt good when I woke up and I resisted the urge to do anything but rest. Hal has been around a lot longer than I have so I trusted his wisdom.<br />
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Saturday – 5 miles at Goal Marathon Pace. The 8 minutes I knew would not be hard for 5 miles. What would prove to be hard was finding a relatively flat course like the marathon course where I could test the pacing. My hometown is not flat. It is built on the side of a river bank so anything north to south gains a lot of elevation. East to west is flatter but still rolls a lot more than wanted so I picked the flat city block I could find close to home and ran in circles. Unfortunately, I’ve kind of lost touch with pace and my pace ended up being closer to 7:49 than 8:00. For 5 miles at 8 minute pace I expected to be around 40 minutes exactly. I ended off the day at 38 and change.<br />
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Sunday - The long runs may prove to be my undoing. Not so much the distance but fitting the distance into a specified time slot. With my ultra training I always scheduled long runs for Saturday early am. Although Hal says you can switch them up he has a preference for the GMP run to precede the long run. Sundays for my family usually involve early morning commutes to a swim meet in some far off locale. The more kids involved the more time is needed to embark. This year we have four kids. I woke up at 5 am and we planned to leave the house by 7:30. So fitting in a easy 10 mile run in between was going to be tight. I did it but I had to increase my pace in the back half to get the job done. <br />
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WEEK SUMMARY<br />
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It wasn’t too bad! It was definitely a full week and I feel like I’ve accomplished something big. Confucious says “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. Week one down, 17 more to go.Ultradadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00660196956360870422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964775463436638009.post-31342064728705995772010-06-14T20:48:00.000-07:002010-06-14T20:56:20.326-07:00And so it begins . . .<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisZq5pCZF_lK1y0ZwDhj3sKKAw_6KrwdIpxq_sTmR4dA1cvgHHS8nA91TbI3oO_ceFgUvbDk0h9bzj-qmY3p20LT-md8hhCNjHByawXThkEwW_eO3b71sC9vUl1nbOZbddVYBJ2IPZ6lY/s1600/Olympic%2520Runner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisZq5pCZF_lK1y0ZwDhj3sKKAw_6KrwdIpxq_sTmR4dA1cvgHHS8nA91TbI3oO_ceFgUvbDk0h9bzj-qmY3p20LT-md8hhCNjHByawXThkEwW_eO3b71sC9vUl1nbOZbddVYBJ2IPZ6lY/s200/Olympic%2520Runner.jpg" width="146" /></a></div><br />
I have embarked on a journey that is ground breaking for me. I have started following someone else’s marathon training plan. The final destination is as yet to be determined but I have a few places on my bucket list that are definite possibilities. The date is confirmed as 10-10-10 that is October 10th 2010 and there are two marathons to choose from one is the <a href="http://www.events.runningroom.com/site/?raceId=5171">Okanagan International Marathon</a> the other is the<a href="http://www.runvictoriamarathon.com/"> Good Life Fitness Victoria Marathon</a>. It is a bit of a mystery as to why race organizers would schedule identical dates when perhaps if they separated the two by a week or more you might increase participation from a few Marathon Maniacs out there.<br />
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THE PLAN<br />
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This time around I’m following <a href="http://www.halhigdon.com/marathon/advancedint.htm">Hal Higdon’s Advanced I Marathon Plan</a>. Mr. Higdon is a well known guru of sorts and his training programs have been around for years. I’ve actually tried one of his plans before. Actually let me clarify that, I’ve looked at his plans before and I thought to myself “ Are you serious?” because even the <a href="http://www.halhigdon.com/marathon/Mar00novice.htm">Novice plans</a> aren’t exactly novice. They are definitely serious plans for serious committed athletes and for the longest time since first looking at them I’ve wanted to re-visit them and actually see if I could commit myself to following one of the plans.<br />
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THE HISTORY<br />
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I’ve done three marathons, all spring marathons and all of them Vancouver, 1999, 2000, and 2005. My personal best is 3:31. Since then I’ve moved up to ultras. I figured if couldn’t get faster then go farther. I’ve run two ultras to date, a 50 miler in 2008 and the longest ultra I’ve run is 100K which was last year’s <a href="http://www.bcathletics.org/h2h/">Haney to Harrison 100K Ultra</a>. That definitely pushed my limit for distance. With 4 kids, a wife, a job, and also being part-time firefighter I don’t know if I have the time to train any longer than 4-hour training runs, something that it is a requirement for longer ultras. Now that I can’t go farther let’s go faster, I was inspired by the many stories of people trying to qualify for Boston and it too has been on my bucket list for a long time.<br />
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CHOOSING THE PLAN<br />
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With three plans to choose from: Novice, Intermediate, and Advanced and two levels for each. The Novice plan was for lack of a better term too novice. The Advanced Plans looked serious enough but lacked the speed work that I felt I needed to achieve my goal of a <a href="http://www.bostonmarathon.org/bostonmarathon/qualifying.asp">Boston qualifier</a>. At 45 years old the BQ time must be better than 3:30 which is not too far off of my personal best but that was 5 years ago and there is a lot of miles on these legs since then. One thing ultra running does is sap a lot of speed from you. Whether it’s the shifting focus on endurance, the lack of speed work in your training regime or the cumulative miles I don’t feel like I could pound out 8-minute miles like I did 5 years ago. Hence my choice for the Advanced I program.<br />
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THE PROGRAM<br />
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For the next 18 weeks I’m going to review the program week by week. Hopefully my schedule will permit me to keep up with the program and to keep up with the blog posts. The program runs 6 out 7 days. Monday is an easy recovery run from the weekend duo. Tuesday is what Hal describes as a “Sort of” long run it starts at 5 miles and builds up to 11 miles over the 18 weeks. Wednesday is a recovery run from the “Sort of” the day before. Thursday is the quality speed/power workout alternating between Hills, Tempo, and Intervals. To be honest I’ve always hated this regimented type workout which is probably why I abandoned marathoning all those years ago. I knew if I wanted the <a href="http://www.bostonmarathon.org/bostonmarathon/qualifying.asp">BQ</a> this is what I needed to do, this would define me, this is where it would start. Friday is the only rest day of the whole week, something tells me I’m going to look forward to Fridays . . . TGIF. Saturday is a shorter distance (starts at 5 miles and builds) at GMP, Goal Marathon Pace. A run to make you feel the pace you want to run at, in my case 8 minutes per mile. And of course Sunday is the long run. The Advance I program builds its long runs to 20 miles and does it 3 times prior to race day. I think my ultra experience made this program seem less daunting than in the past. In fact, last year during my 100K build up my 20 milers were the most enjoyable part of the whole program.<br />
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So there you have it. There is the goal, the history, the plan. All I have to do is commit to the plan and carry it out. I still have to choose a marathon, sign on the dotted line and ‘git R dun’. Wish me luck!Ultradadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00660196956360870422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964775463436638009.post-61930151464267555112010-06-06T06:43:00.000-07:002010-06-06T06:43:29.458-07:00Episode 45: Run for Water Race ReportOn today’s show two thirds of our family compete at the Run for Water in Abbotsford. I give my 10K report for which I run with the BOB stroller with my daughter. Jenny and Ethan give their 5K reports.<br />
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Check out the links<br />
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Run for Water<br />
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http://media.libsyn.com/media/ultradad/uD045_Run4Water.mp3Ultradadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00660196956360870422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964775463436638009.post-5938091418838778202010-05-28T14:04:00.000-07:002010-05-28T14:04:03.505-07:00Episode 44: Our Not So Secret Smoothie<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On this show we share our favorite smoothie recipe that you can find here at Canadian Running Magazine.</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div><br />
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http://runningmagazine.ca/2010/04/sections/health-nutrition/nutrition-get-real-whole-foods-for-runners/<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://ultradad.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=619372</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Blueberry Ultra Power Smoothie</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil9yOM7IJP8EgwlX3mvyzz8LkdZRNXR1z7XdBJXDNEx8qOZK9TGcIpVwyeapnoxkSKRwLIVOpupeMdEJjiekRg68LHWjWeCCjBXIlBmctF6aFuieUvq1Zc1h0vKAbv9xM-BdbotE74qEg/s1600/protein_smoothie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil9yOM7IJP8EgwlX3mvyzz8LkdZRNXR1z7XdBJXDNEx8qOZK9TGcIpVwyeapnoxkSKRwLIVOpupeMdEJjiekRg68LHWjWeCCjBXIlBmctF6aFuieUvq1Zc1h0vKAbv9xM-BdbotE74qEg/s320/protein_smoothie.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 banana fresh or frozen (peeled, break off into 2″ pieces, and freeze overnight)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 cup pre-soaked almonds (soak 1/4 cup almonds in water 3 to 4 hours or overnight)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 1/2-3 cups of water</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3 tablespoons Green Foods Vegan Protein Powder</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6 dates or 2-3 tablespoons natural sweetener</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3 tablespoons Udo’s Oil DHA 3-6-9 Blend</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 tablespoons raw maca powder</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 teaspoon sea salt</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or raw vanilla powder </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Add water if a more liquid consistency is desired. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Makes 3-4 servings. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nutritional info per serving </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Calories: 312 </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fat: 19.5 g </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Carbohydrates: 30.3 g </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Protein: 7.9 g </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fibre: 5.5 g </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sodium: 317 mg </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Ultradadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00660196956360870422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964775463436638009.post-19779815414448796352010-05-28T09:33:00.000-07:002010-05-28T09:33:34.243-07:00Anonymity and the Podcaster<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD4i0oE6TY4ddRvnW91aVJKAc01WtIE3NpCY7RBBVB5uWgjHI9WeLEXRObDUmCo-7fzKZQ9QdmozXZB8IYNE4rHPIpO_4cNkr2BXWGGzGgMdNWc2I24yZzQQcTIXz36bjeaMa8d4SXupE/s1600/criminal_minds_internet_forever_6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD4i0oE6TY4ddRvnW91aVJKAc01WtIE3NpCY7RBBVB5uWgjHI9WeLEXRObDUmCo-7fzKZQ9QdmozXZB8IYNE4rHPIpO_4cNkr2BXWGGzGgMdNWc2I24yZzQQcTIXz36bjeaMa8d4SXupE/s320/criminal_minds_internet_forever_6.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Anonymity and podcasting make strange bedfellows. On one side you have the security and privacy issues while one the other side you can be autobiographical while sharing your views to the podcast world. I am a podcaster, every episode I tell you my name is Rob and I am the host of the Ultradad Podcast. In the past I’ve told you about the races I’ve run H2H 100K and STORMY 50 mile. I’ve told you I’m married with 4 kids and at various times I’ve told you their names. While not being completely transparent, in today’s information overloaded web world it wouldn’t take Sherlock Holmes to figure out what my last name is or where my house is.<br />
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There was a recent episode of Criminal Minds, a TV show I watch, where the killer stalked his victims via Facebook and Twitter. Of course this is an extreme case and was sensationalized by some very good writers but the point was made. I had to smile when in the opening moments of the show Joe Mantegna’s character David Rossi was going through some of the Tweets of the victims like “Had dinner at such and such”, “Going to shower now” while those weren’t the exact Tweets they were very similar. Rossi was mystified as to why anybody would post this information and why anybody would want to read this was just as mind boggling. And yet still we all do it. <br />
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Whether we like it or not information about us is out there. I live in a small, very blue collar town and a lot of my friends don’t own computers, some don’t carry their cell phones when they go out. That being the case they aren’t on Facebook or Twitter. So I was curious what kind of information was out there for these 1970’s throwbacks. Amazingly there was quite a bit of information to pick up enough information to write a small biography with pictures. Have you ever Googled your name?<br />
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Podcasters are a weird breed. We run the gamut from being completely anonymous using only a pseudonym or a web identity to being completely open with our first and last name. While I consider myself stuck in the middle I can see myself leaning more to the openly transparent podcasters. Like I said before there is more than enough information out there to figure out who I am.<br />
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I guess we leave it to the discretion of our listeners if they want to be cyber-sleuths and figure it out I’m okay with it just so long as they don’t show up at my front door. Look me up on Facebook! I kind of like those podcasts that share their daily lives with us. Not just the peaks but the valleys too. We can both celebrate and sympathize. <br />
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I guess where I’m going with this is the boys formerly of Trilogy Running have a new podcast called <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/those-guys-running/id365375610">Those Guys Running</a>. It’s basically the same format as before but they don’t ever mention their names. But through word of mouth, past history and clearly identifiable voices it won’t take long to figure out who they are. I can respect their need for privacy but who are they kidding. It’s out there. It’s like Rossi from the Criminal Minds episode later explained. Once you put something up there on the internet it’s up there forever.Ultradadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00660196956360870422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964775463436638009.post-25518811819036236402010-05-14T06:14:00.000-07:002010-05-14T06:14:05.265-07:00Episode 43: The Barefoot Debatehttp://media.libsyn.com/media/ultradad/uD43_Barefoot.mp3<br />
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Well folks we've switched to Libsyn. I guess when you compare Podbean and Libsyn the two are very similar but I just liked the look of Libsyn. In the brief time that I've used it I've got to say Libsyn is by far a lot easier to use. My uploads are so much faster and user friendly because I don't have to use a ftp server to upload. On the downside I couldn't figure the whole iTunes feed thing so there is a new feed on iTunes. It is identical to the Podbean feed so the show hasn't changed much. <br />
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On today's show I wanted to put my two cents into the Barefoot Debate. I want to start by saying that I'm firmly sitting on the fence on this one. But I bring up something to think about. For example, if barefoot is suppose to be good for you by strengthening your foot because there is less support for it. You are forced to land on your forefoot etc. Then why aren't worn out running shoes just as good. The argument that a shoe wears out after so many miles baffles me now. The compression of the foam rubber cushioning is a slow transition. And doesn't the foot adapt to the changing conditions of the shoe? <br />
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Do you remember the article mentioned in Born to Run about the foot strike impact of barefoot runners and shod runners? That the impact was actually less with the barefoot guys and the adaptation of shod to barefoot was immediate. Based on this information I would think if a shoe wears out in 500 miles the foot strike, impact force and stride would slowly adapt over the 500 miles so that at mile zero you may be a heel striker but at mile 500 you transition to forefoot more to balance out the loss of cushioning. Does that make sense? I don't know it's just food for thought. Give it a listen at the above link and thanks for dropping by.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFNzieWEW9ALProoqRbkVmD6lkSS_ny-vRAEN2oxJ-huEh_zf5POl0WADvzPG9AnpHUkXelM6OtQS7lzXWslBH1anrcQ-7Da5QEiZGLbiU9-bz1lrQmCB8r4Hu1fbsHfzEWGhA3jzZhkw/s1600/IMG_1369.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFNzieWEW9ALProoqRbkVmD6lkSS_ny-vRAEN2oxJ-huEh_zf5POl0WADvzPG9AnpHUkXelM6OtQS7lzXWslBH1anrcQ-7Da5QEiZGLbiU9-bz1lrQmCB8r4Hu1fbsHfzEWGhA3jzZhkw/s320/IMG_1369.JPG" wt="true" /></a></div>PS the feet I use in my id tag are my daughters. We are on the beach at La Jolla in California. Aren't they cute?Ultradadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00660196956360870422noreply@blogger.com1