My Hatred For Running

Running…I’m laughing to myself as I type the word "running." Running was something I did as a punishment in PE class or on the football team. Running was something I did in high school ROTC with a retired colonel yelling these odd, yet funny, rhythmic cadences in my ear. Running was something my brother hated in high school cross country. I’m pretty sure he daydreamed about the slow death of his coach. Running is a chore, a punishment, a task, a school-age negative experience, right?

I am obviously not the biggest fan of running. What is ironic is the fact that my wife is a running freak. Last year she ran 3 marathons, 6 half marathons, many other shorter races and training runs for a whopping near-1,700 total miles for the year. In addition I’m sure we’ll be making a trip to Boston for a marathon soon. Seriously, I just…don’t… get… running!

This winter I’ve been doing a cycling training plan that includes spinning intervals, weight training, and long rides. On the mornings I do weight training sometimes I finish early. So I began RUNNING…EFFING RUNNING! It started benignly enough…a quick jog around the block, a mile here, turned into two, then three. All of this was unbeknownst to my wife and of course under the cover of darkness. I certainly didn’t want her to see me, critique me, or mock me! I also didn’t want anyone to think I may actually be….

Falling in love again

My first mountain bike @ snowbasin

My first love affair with cycling was the mountain bike. I had just moved to Utah and wanted to be one of those tough guys flying all over the Wasatch Mountains. Well, I bought my first mountain bike at what is now Dick’s Sports and I was in love. I explored lots of trails around SLC and even more when I moved to Ogden. Our house was, and still is, less than a mile from multiple trail heads that connect to the Bonneville Shoreline Trail (BST) in Ogden. This trail system is amazing. The trails consist of climbing, descending, technical parts, and winding “flowy” parts. An all-around great trail system. However, my love for my mountain bike subsided when I discovered the road bike….wow! If you’ve read any of my other posts on the blog you understand….now fast-forward to this fall. Just about this time of year I’m sick of looking at my road bike. All the big rides and races are winding down. And to be honest I find myself looking for something else to do. Insert my first love here….A few years ago I had some pretty intense back surgery and cycling was not on the top of my doctors list of activities for me to resume…especially mountain biking. I told him “too bad” on the road bike, but I knew I needed to back off the mountain bike. And I did…for about 3 years. I just focused on my road bike, group rides, canyon climbs and centuries...

Tour of Utah Ultimate Challenge

Top of LCC (Little Cottonwood Canyon) on a scouting ride

The Ultimate Challenge (UC) was something I had been excited to train for all summer. ( To read more about what the UC is, read the "Challenge Myself" post from March on the blog. ) I had spent the summer scouting out different legs of the UC and riding each one. I felt like I needed to not only see, but ride most of the course. Lately, I have put more stock into mental toughness as well as physical training. I think scouting out the route helps prepare me physically and mentally.

RACER Century

All set to go!

This year I was happy to support Roy High School by riding in the Roy Athletic Century Epic Ride (RACER). This was the 2nd year of the ride.  Unfortunately, I was out of town last year and couldn't attend. This year was almost a bust as well because of rain...YES, rain in Utah in the summer. Luckily, the clouds parted for the ride.

BMC Bike Demo

I was lucky enough to hear about this bike demo through my friend Bruce. It's not everyday you get to ride a professionally equipped, top of the line, $6,000 road bike. The specific bike I wanted to ride was the 2012 BMC Team Machine SLR01.  This is the same bike Cadel Evans is riding this year! I was delighted that they had one in my size. It was equipped SRAM Red group set, and weighed in at 14.25 lbs!

It's All About YOU!

When I purchased my new road bike, I got it professionally fitted by my local bike shop. It felt fine for a while, but as time went on I began to reconsider my bike fit. After completing several centuries (100+ miles), I realized that it wasn't my legs or back that hurt...it was my butt! I read a ton about bike fitting. The Lemond method, the 109% method, the plumb bob, the goniometer that measures the angle of your knee, blah, blah, blah!!! For every method I read about, I also read about someone saying, "Adjust your bike for you!" I thought, you know what...let's give it a shot.

High Uintas 10,000 Road Race

The profile of the race.

This past weekend my buddy and I talked ourselves into the High Uintas 10,000 road race. This race starts in Kamas and ends in Evanston, WY. It climbs up to 10,000 feet with 4,500 feet of elevation gain. The profile of the race looked a bit daunting...to say the least. However, I'm always up for a challenge. Once we arrived to the start we quickly got ready: numbers pinned on, I found someone to carry a feed bag to the designated feed zone, final adjustments to the bike, and cramming my jersey pockets with all the essentials......