Cursed Realm of the Faceless Ghost

SDRC Sweetheart 5K

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Location:

Provo,UT,

Member Since:

Apr 07, 2010

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Other

Running Accomplishments:

5K - 17:11 (Cougar Run)

10K - 34:35 (Deseret News)

15K - 57:33 (Utah Running Club)

1/2 - 1:22:26 (Mountain View Trail)

50K - 4:22:31 (Sapper Joe)

Short-Term Running Goals:

Sub-2:45 at Saint George Marathon

Win the Antelope Island half marathon

Long-Term Running Goals:

I'd like to run the Angeles Crest 100 at some point. And I'd still like to go sub-4 at a trail 50k. Other than that, I'm open to suggestions.

https://www.strava.com/athletes/4808912

Personal:

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<iframe height='454' width='300' frameborder='0' allowtransparency='true' scrolling='no' src='https://www.strava.com/athletes/4808912/latest-rides/184689bbf831149f2053e60709730c07651232d3'></iframe>

I was a competitive cyclist for years. In 2009, after racing in the Tour of Utah, I decided I had plateaued as a cyclist--I could continue to improve, but I wouldn't break through to a new level. So, I started looking for a new challenge.


I thought that challenge would be mountain biking, but I'm a terrible bike handler. I married Catherine in January 2010 and a couple of weeks later I entered the SLTC Winter Training Series with her. A couple of weeks after that I decided I'd like to run ultras, so I signed up for a couple of 50Ks to get started.

Those first races came and went, with varying results. I was looking forward to running more and possibly pushing into the longer distances, but I injured my knee in June 2010 and I've never been consistently healthy since.

I started law school in August 2010, which meant less time for training. In June 2011, Baby Elliott was born, which meant even less time for training. But she's worth it. 

Baby Nora joined us in October 2013, with the same effect on training as Elliott (who, incidentally, is no longer a baby). 

I (finally) finished school in April 2014 and now I'm an evil corporate lawyer in Salt Lake. I have no illusions that I'll ever get back into the shape that I once was, but I'm perfectly at peace with that. I still have many goals to accomplish and many years in which to do it. 

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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
Race: SDRC Sweetheart 5K (3.1 Miles) 00:23:07, Place overall: 999, Place in age division: 9
Total Distance
8.40

Three reasons I chose to push the stroller rather than putting in an honest 5K effort:

  1. Elliott needed a new PR
  2. My leg still hurts and I don't want to make things worse
  3. I'm an out of shape wimp and I don't want to push myself 

Some reasons are better than others, but they are what they are. Ultimately, I'm happy with my decision to run the race with Catherine and Elliott, as the family approach is much more enjoyable and there's no way I was going to PR (or come close) even if I tried. I'm absolutely certain I would have taken second overall, though, so I would have won a giant Valentine teddy bear. I can live with that sacrifice. 

The race was fun. It's hard to maneuver through a large starting crowd with a stroller, but Elliott and I managed and we caught up with Catherine after a quarter mile or so. From there on the crowd was pretty thin, so we had no trouble. Elliott got cranky a couple of times, probably because she wanted me to go faster (or maybe because here face was cold), but she was in good enough spirits at the finish line to pop a wheelie as she crossed, almost taking Catherine out in the process (sorry, Catherine). We finished in 23:07, a huge PR for Elliott (her first race was 26:44), and Catherine's fastest since the baby. 

 

In the evening I made it out for another run at the gym. I was at the Gold's in Orem, so I decided to take advantage of the mega-incline treadmills. After a twenty minute jog, I cranked it up to 24 percent and hiked at about 20:00/mile for forty minutes, with the last four or five at 30 percent. According to the computer I climbed a little more than 1900 feet. I didn't feel great, but that's life.

Also, Sprint may have just proven itself at least as dirty and underhanded as our last wireless provider. Sigh. If anyone's interested in buying a two-month-old Galaxy S2, let me know.

MR10 (1) Miles: 4.70MT110 Miles: 3.70
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From jun on Mon, Feb 13, 2012 at 00:05:55 from 174.23.163.223

Nice race fella. How's this semester turning out? You guys have time for dinner some night?

From slightlycoolermom on Mon, Feb 13, 2012 at 11:57:50 from 174.23.220.170

Great job Elliott! She is getting a great start on her running career.

And think of those uphill jogs as prep for another great hike to Cleo's bath. 'Course you don't need the prep, and I could never hope to keep up with you on that hike, but maybe I could try to keep up with Elliott? I hope you guys make it up there this year!

From Faceless Ghost on Tue, Feb 14, 2012 at 02:02:01 from 98.202.112.38

Mindy, I think the hike to Cleo's Bath will be a very different experience this summer. Elliott's looking forward to it.

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