5 Days and Counting

Today is Labor Day, and thankfully, also a day off from work, so I have a bit of time to create this post I have been procrastinating to do.  Two weeks ago I went on my longest run to prepare for the up coming marathon.  To stray from my ubiquitous route I decided to make this run special, so I ran a loop that climaxed at the Utah State Capital. 

As usual, I began my venture about 6:00 am because I knew it would take awhile, and I did not want to spend too much time in the heat/sun.  Heading toward the capital I perused Highland Drive down to South Temple, and then over to State Street.  I reached the capital near 8:00 am and to my surprise there were probably fifty Japanese tourists already roaming the grounds.  After pausing for the picture above, I continued my jaunt through the Avenues and on to the University of Utah....my alma mater. 

While I had been by/to the stadium many times in the past, today I decided to take a pictures; as this is the first year that the "U" will be part of the PAC 12.  Next, I continued south onto 1300 E for approximately five miles, and in the process I passed East High, which, as many of you know, is the site much of the movie "A High School Musical" was filmed.  I have also passed this area many times in the past, but, there is something about running that causes one to think about one's surroundings more than one does while driving.  I figured this would be something interesting to read about sometime later in life, even though I have never watched any portion of the series. 

The remainder of the run was quite mundane, and the sun was beaming on me, so I was more focused on just ending the run.  When I finally reached home I had ran 21.38 miles, and now had the confidence that I would be ready to tackle 26.2.  So, now, the only thing that I can really hope for on race day is for the weather to be nice and cool, so I will expend less energy and hopefully finish under 4:15.  Wish me luck!!

Lube please...

So, I began my first pseudo long run (14 miles) to initiate my training for Western States, coupled with preparing for The Little Grand Canyon Marathon in September. For hydration I was sporting my brand new Nathan pack that holds 70 ounces of liquid, which should be more than sufficient for a run this duration. Anyway, during the run I thought I was consuming sufficient fluid, since I required a stop by my favorite port-o-potty located on Wasatch Blvd. However, when I finished running, and urinated again, I had a sharp burning sensation, which was not a normal post-run experience. Well, the next day it still burned somewhat, so I went to see a doctor. My regular doctor was on vacation, so I saw one of his collegues for the first time. This doctor went over the usual questions, such as asking if I had been sleeping around, and could have contracted an STD. I of course said "NO," since I had been with my wife for almost ten years, and then began explaining the predicament.   Being a doctor, I am sure he is somewhat skeptical to what he hears, so he thought he would conduct his own battery of tests; with one said tests being the abuse of my prostate. I use the term abuse because this was just the second time I have received the dreaded finger, and while IT was up there he pressed quite hard and asked "is that the discomfort you have been feeling?" I emphatically said, "No!!, but it sure is uncomfortable now." By this point our relationship had blossomed, and I think I may have gotten a smile out of him. Then, when he finally removed the probing device he dropped a large gob of lube into my underwear.  There's a precurser to the lube story as well.

When he initially began the insertion process he had to start over and stated "you can never have too much lube." I of course agreed with that statement, since this orifice is not accustomed to receiving. Anyway, back to the removal of the finger. When that large glob of gue hit my briefs he modified his original position and commented, "well, maybe you can have too much lube." I chuckled, and informed him that I will live with the slime in my trousers sooner than I will allow a frictional pointer to investigate, and thus preferred the extra sauce. He slyly retorted, "that's what I thought"...and then hands me a box of tissues.  Next, what seemed like forty five minutes later I was finally done cleaning the gallon of residue still covering my cheeks, mind you, he is in the room within close proximity, and my pants are still around my ankles.

Finally, once all the tests check out ok, he sends me for an urinalysis. The results come back favorable, however, there was a little blood in my urine, which could be a sign of an infection, so he provided me with an Rx of antibiotics. He then states that while he does not think I would have any STD that only presents in extreme situations, he cannot rule it out 100% without poking a swab into the tip of my penis. By this point I am thinking to myself, all I did was go for a run, why does this guy want to use my naughty parts for a science experiment. I decided to pass on the wonderful opportunity of getting violated for a second time, and we began conversing about what his theory actually is. 

Ultimately, his final theory was...during the run my penis was rubbing back and forth on my underwear, thus rubbing the tip raw.  This, coupled with not drinking enough fluid made my non-diluted urine saltier than normal, thus leading to the lovely burning sensation.  While I was not sure this theory was correct, I was willing to give it a try in order to avoid any further testing.  Thankfully, it is now three weeks later, and I am pleased to say that all is/has been normal in that region since. So, you may asking yourself, what is the purpose of this story? It was not to embarrass myself by sharing this intimate tale, but instead, to remind the running community to remember to stay hydrated, and apply lubricant to those parts that may bounce, sway, or rub against something else - otherwise you may go through a series of unnecessary and unpleasant tests. 

Running 100 Miles

For the last couple of years I have mentioned to Stacy that I have as odd desire to run a 100 miles race, and not just any race; the most famous of them all....The Western States Endurance Run. The race is a trail run in California that goes from Squaw Valley to Auburn. The race began in 1955 as a horse race to prove that a horse could cover the 100 miles within a 24 hour period. Not as if it was not already difficult to cover the 100 miles, but the course also has an elevation gain of over 15,000 feet and a decent near 22,000. Well, as one could expect, the event lost its luster, until in 1974 a man named Gordy Ainsleigh was inspired to see if man could cover the same distance in the allotted time. He was in fact successful and completed the run in 23 hours and 42 minutes. Needless to say, this caught on, and 1977 was the 1st official year of the WSER. Anyway, over the years there have been slight modifications to the event, and today there are qualification requirements to meet just so one can apply. The requirements are running an approved race of at least 50 miles, and doing so in less than 11 hours. Additionally, in order to get credit for completing the WSER, one must complete the course in under 30 hours. I am sure many of you are asking, what is the prize for running such an insane distance, the answer is....a belt buckle. Below is a photo of the silver belt buckle, which is awarded to those that finish the race within the original allotted time of 24 hours.

Nevertheless, enough of the history. As of tomorrow, I will begin my quest of not only qualifying, but running the WSER in the 30 hour time limit, so I can receive that coveted belt buckle. Of course this is not a short term goal due to the amount of time and sacrifice that is required, so my intent is to run a 50 mile qualifier next year, and hopefully win a spot in the raffle to be able to run in 2013. So, if I look a little skinnier and bedraggled the next time you see me, you will know why.

Burning Car

So, this morning I got up early, so I coul knock off 8 miles before Stacy went to work. As I was climbing 4500 S. toward Wasatch Blvd. I noticed smoke that appeared to be coming from the freeway. When I crested the hill I in fact saw a burning vehicle, which subsequently expoded somewhat about 2 minutes after this photo. This photo got me thinking....maybe I should start blogging about some of the odd things I encounter while running; to give me more subject matter. I have had encounters with entire herds of does, many snakes, and other various live or dead animals. As for this photo, I would suspect you may see this on the news tonight as part of an investigation because there was no one near the vehicle, and it does not appear it was in an accident. So, do I sense intentional act? I guess we may see.

Seinfeld and pants

So, today I had a thought that could have shown up on a Seinfeld episode. While I was in the process of "ringing out my wet sock," as my grandfather would say, I had a thought. Why do we refer to pants in the plural form? We wear socks and shoes, which, there are two of each, and we wear a shirt. So, why do we not wear pant? True, you could say because there are two legs, but, would not the same be true for shirt? Hence, my question to you all is, why are pants so special to get the extra "s?" I am interested in your thoughts, but please try to resist researching the idea and shoot for something original first. Then look it up to see if you are correct. I have not looked it up, so I am not sure there is a right answer.

Choices

This time of year I often reflect about life and choices. As some of you know, I originally went to undergrad with the intent of becoming a psychologist. The reason being is that I love analyzing people and their thoughts and behaviors. Well, recently there have been a few events in my life that help me analyze life and what is really important; two of which actually occured today. First, I would like to relive Christmas. The family and I were visiting my mother and step-father, and a lady came to the door holding her insurance card as her hand trembled and apologized because she had backed into our vehicle. This lady had not been in an accident before, and thought that she was going to get yelled at. Well, as you all know, I deal with accidents that involve serious injuries to others, and sometimes death, so I peacefully explained things to her and gave her a hug. A few days later she told the gentleman that inspected her vehicle that she was so pleased because she too is insured with Allstate, and the process was painless (I think she may now be a customer for life). The interesting thing about that day is that it was not too different from many claims that I have dealt with in the past. However, in many instances people chose to get mad at the other person and scream profanities. This is what I find interesting. Now, what does this say about the one who is doing the screaming? Does this mean they value cars over people, or that they are not capable of controling their emotions? I will let you decide. I feel people have choices to make in life and one can either choose to be mad and upset about a meaningless object, or one can see it for what it is, which is just a car, and forget and move on.

Next, today, I got to work and found out that my co-worker's husband was fixing the fireplace on the 30th when he stood up, became dizzy, fell over and struck his head on a slate table. He subsequently went into a coma and later died. Now, this event put my car incident into perspective even more than before. Do you think that my co-worker thought when she woke up on Thursday that it was going to be the last day she saw her husband alive? I, and I am sure you, know she did not expect this, especially considering they had only been married for six months. Do you think she and her deceased husband would have done things differently that day if they would have known this was going to happen? Of course we cannot anticipate fluke accidents like this. However, we can choose how we spend our time and who we spend it with. Think about it next time you are considering watching countless hours of TV, or tending to your yard. Was it worth it?

Lastly, this final event is not so much an event as a moment that triggered a synapse to fire. I was in Riteaid tonight picking up an Rx for Stacy. While I was waiting I perused the aisles, and stumbled upon a lady reading the prices of vitamins. At first I thought she was schizophrenic because it appeared she was carrying on a conversation with herself. Then, I realized she was on her blue-tooth. Anyhow, what struck me is that she was complaining because she had to spend $7 on vitamins. However, minutes later, the same lady purchased a pack of cigarettes for approximately $5. Now, I say to myself, where do her priorities lie, and is she going to regret sacrificing her health for a temporary fix? You could imagine all of the judgmental thoughts that ran through my head.

Anyway, the gist of my post is to remind you to please evaluate your life and determine what is really important to you. If you had to give up your house in exchange for good health for your family, would you do it? Additionally, when you are in your later years of life, are you going to look back and think, boy am I glad I owned that house or car I could not afford, which prevented me from taking vacations with my family? I sure hope you choose the former over the latter. Remember, only you can choose which path to take, so please be cognizant of your decisions because you may not get a second chance to make the correct one.