I ran my second Grandeur Fun Run on Saturday. It's a bit of a misnomer, because it hurts too much to really be fun, and much of the course is far too steep to run. But I had a great time this year just like I did last year, even if I was ten minutes slower. I miss my pre-law school fitness. Sigh.
Anyways, Jon carried a camera during the race, and his video is below. Look for me in the yellow shirt at the start. If you miss that, look for the bloody knee at the end. Because apparently I need training wheels.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Sunday, May 1, 2011
It's Over. For Now.
This week was the law review write-on, and at the recommendation of several reliable sources, including my uncle, I decided to participate. Basically, the contest involved two parts: writing a 15-page article based on a series of sources provided by the law review committee, and performing a technical edit on the footnotes of a sample law review article. Both parts were difficult. Both parts were frustrating. And there wasn't really enough time, either (especially since I spent so much time this week taking care of other, more important things, like a death in the family and maternity appointments with Catherine).
But I got everything done by the 5:00 deadline on Friday. And after I read my article, I realized it wasn't awful, which is much better than I had expected as I was writing it.
The best part of the competition was the relief I felt when it was over. It was exactly what I hoped to feel (but didn't) after finals ended last week. Because now, at least for the rest of the summer, I have some breathing room. Sure, I'll be busy--I start my internship next week, and Baby is coming next month--but for the next few months I can leave my work at work. For the last two semesters, I've been living with this feeling that I should be always doing something. I think I did a good job of balancing school with the rest of my life, but I could never truly enjoy my time because there was always a paper that needed to be written, a class that needed to be outlined, a case that needed to be read, or notes that needed to be studied.
After turning in my law review materials, I locked up my carrel, picked up my Nook, walked over to a couch in the library and spent an hour or so reading a novel while I waited for Catherine to come pick me up. I don't think I've ever enjoyed the simple act of reading so much.
But I got everything done by the 5:00 deadline on Friday. And after I read my article, I realized it wasn't awful, which is much better than I had expected as I was writing it.
The best part of the competition was the relief I felt when it was over. It was exactly what I hoped to feel (but didn't) after finals ended last week. Because now, at least for the rest of the summer, I have some breathing room. Sure, I'll be busy--I start my internship next week, and Baby is coming next month--but for the next few months I can leave my work at work. For the last two semesters, I've been living with this feeling that I should be always doing something. I think I did a good job of balancing school with the rest of my life, but I could never truly enjoy my time because there was always a paper that needed to be written, a class that needed to be outlined, a case that needed to be read, or notes that needed to be studied.
After turning in my law review materials, I locked up my carrel, picked up my Nook, walked over to a couch in the library and spent an hour or so reading a novel while I waited for Catherine to come pick me up. I don't think I've ever enjoyed the simple act of reading so much.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
I'm Back ... Again
I can't remember how many times I've tried to keep this blog going over the years. But Catherine asked me to start it up again, so I promised I'd start this one again as soon as finals were over. And as of this morning, finals are over.
Technically, that makes me a 2L. And although I am relieved to be done with the testing, the relief really isn't as great as I would have hoped. Because now I have to wait and worry for two months for grades to come out, because apparently grades are everything in law school, and apparently last semester went well enough that I kind of dread (and expect) that I didn't do as well the second time around.
And besides, being done with finals doesn't really mean much. Tomorrow I have something like 5 hours worth of mandatory meetings. On Saturday, I'm taking the GMAT, cold (the story of why I'm taking the test now instead of two months ago would have made a great post by itself). All of next week belongs to the law review write-on. And the week after that I start my externship. And so on.
So anyways, that's school. As for running, I've been plagued by recurring knee injuries, of which there have been four or five in the past 10 months, depending on how you count. Despite the injuries, and the resulting gaps in my training, I managed to finish the Buffalo Run 50K a few weeks ago, and I even managed to do so only a few minutes slower than last year. But the result seems to be a new and exciting knee injury, which means my training continues to be less than it should. Which is troubling because I'm supposed to run the Squaw Peak 50 in six weeks or so.
Anyways, I'd say I'm starting to feel off topic now, but I don't think I was ever on topic to begin with. And that's pretty much why I've never managed to get this blog to stick--lack of direction. I don't want or need this to be a training blog (I already have one of those), and I don't want this to be a law school blog, because nobody wants to read about that. But this may wind up being a bit of both, or neither. I guess it depends on what I feel like writing on any given day. For now, I'll just say that I'm going to write something once a week. And we'll see where we go from there.
Also, Catherine and I are expecting a baby girl eight weeks from today. If you're reading this, you probably already knew that, but I thought I'd throw it out there, just in case.
Technically, that makes me a 2L. And although I am relieved to be done with the testing, the relief really isn't as great as I would have hoped. Because now I have to wait and worry for two months for grades to come out, because apparently grades are everything in law school, and apparently last semester went well enough that I kind of dread (and expect) that I didn't do as well the second time around.
And besides, being done with finals doesn't really mean much. Tomorrow I have something like 5 hours worth of mandatory meetings. On Saturday, I'm taking the GMAT, cold (the story of why I'm taking the test now instead of two months ago would have made a great post by itself). All of next week belongs to the law review write-on. And the week after that I start my externship. And so on.
So anyways, that's school. As for running, I've been plagued by recurring knee injuries, of which there have been four or five in the past 10 months, depending on how you count. Despite the injuries, and the resulting gaps in my training, I managed to finish the Buffalo Run 50K a few weeks ago, and I even managed to do so only a few minutes slower than last year. But the result seems to be a new and exciting knee injury, which means my training continues to be less than it should. Which is troubling because I'm supposed to run the Squaw Peak 50 in six weeks or so.
Anyways, I'd say I'm starting to feel off topic now, but I don't think I was ever on topic to begin with. And that's pretty much why I've never managed to get this blog to stick--lack of direction. I don't want or need this to be a training blog (I already have one of those), and I don't want this to be a law school blog, because nobody wants to read about that. But this may wind up being a bit of both, or neither. I guess it depends on what I feel like writing on any given day. For now, I'll just say that I'm going to write something once a week. And we'll see where we go from there.
Also, Catherine and I are expecting a baby girl eight weeks from today. If you're reading this, you probably already knew that, but I thought I'd throw it out there, just in case.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Coming and Going
Catherine dropped me off at work yesterday morning, and I called it a day around 4:00.
It's a strange feeling when something ends after being a major part of your life for a long time (for me, 3 years and 7 months counts as a long time). I'm looking forward to going back to school, but I'll miss going to the office every morning, as strange as that may sound. And I'll miss my coworkers much more.
I've been lucky to work with some great people for the last few years, and I consider all of them my friends. We went to lunch on Thursday and we ate cupcakes and said our goodbyes on Friday, but after that I went home and that was that. They'll be back on Monday, and I won't. I guess that's life.
At about the same time I was leaving one part of my life behind, I decided to revisit another. I renewed my cycling license on Thursday and I raced the Tour de Park City this morning. It went about as well is you'd expect, given my preparation, which means it couldn't have been more different from last year's race. I guess I should be happy I at least managed to finish before the masters pack ran me down, although just barely.
Being back in the pack felt a lot like visiting LA after having been gone for so long--it used to be home, and it could be again, but it definitely isn't right now. And although it's nice to visit, you don't want to stay too long.
I don't know if I ever said so, but I thought I had left cycling behind, at least for this part of my life. And as I rode over Bald Mountain Pass all I was thinking about was the trails and running in the mountains, so maybe I have. Who knows.
For anyone who's interested, I've posted a rambling, yet more detailed report on my FRB page.
Me and my support crew. The day wasn't all bad.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Sapper Joe 50K
Catherine and I both ran the Sapper Joe trail race yesterday morning out at Camp Williams. Catherine ran the 15K, and I ran the 50K. It was a good day for both of us: Catherine finished top 5 in the women's 15K, and I won the 50K and set a course record. For anyone who's interested, I've posted a full report of my race on my training blog.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
After all these years, Landis comes clean
I woke up in the middle of the night and decided to check my email before returning to bed. The first thing I saw was an email from Mark with a link to this article in the Wall Street Journal.
Regarding doping, I became a cynic long ago. I always knew something like this would happen someday, but I'm still surprised now that it's happened.
Before I go on, I should acknowledge that none of Landis's accusations have been substantiated yet. But I don't doubt them. Cycling is full of rumors and vague accusations, but Landis has been very specific in naming names and describing exactly when and how the doping took place. After his prolonged legal battle, I'm sure Landis learned enough about libel laws to know better than to make stuff like this up. Besides, what he says is much easier to believe than the alternative (that Armstrong et al are clean). You don't have to trust Landis or even like him--it's hard to believe he's making this stuff up.
It's disheartening. If everything Landis says is true, can anyone believe that any ProTour rider (at least, any rider who wins things) is clean? And if not, that means that every developing rider with genuine talent will at some point in his career have to choose between integrity and success. That's sad.
I wonder why Landis chose to come forward now. After all, he still has (had) a career in cycling (although not like he used to, or like the riders he accuses still have). And his emails will no doubt lose him many friends and cause him plenty of trouble. But I'm glad he came forward, because someone needed to do it.
Of course, it's not like riders haven't come forward before, and I doubt this will change anything. The European cycling world will probably use this to discredit American cyclists while celebrating the accomplishments of riders like Contador. And the sporting world in general will probably use this to discredit cycling while celebrating the accomplishments of other "clean" athletes (does anyone know exactly how many soccer player were implicated in Operacion Puerto? Why do we never hear about them?). And life will go on as usual.
Oh well.
Anyways, it's late and I've been typing away without much thought. But I felt like I needed to write something before I went back to sleep, and I stand by everything I've written (except the typos).
Regarding doping, I became a cynic long ago. I always knew something like this would happen someday, but I'm still surprised now that it's happened.
Before I go on, I should acknowledge that none of Landis's accusations have been substantiated yet. But I don't doubt them. Cycling is full of rumors and vague accusations, but Landis has been very specific in naming names and describing exactly when and how the doping took place. After his prolonged legal battle, I'm sure Landis learned enough about libel laws to know better than to make stuff like this up. Besides, what he says is much easier to believe than the alternative (that Armstrong et al are clean). You don't have to trust Landis or even like him--it's hard to believe he's making this stuff up.
It's disheartening. If everything Landis says is true, can anyone believe that any ProTour rider (at least, any rider who wins things) is clean? And if not, that means that every developing rider with genuine talent will at some point in his career have to choose between integrity and success. That's sad.
I wonder why Landis chose to come forward now. After all, he still has (had) a career in cycling (although not like he used to, or like the riders he accuses still have). And his emails will no doubt lose him many friends and cause him plenty of trouble. But I'm glad he came forward, because someone needed to do it.
Of course, it's not like riders haven't come forward before, and I doubt this will change anything. The European cycling world will probably use this to discredit American cyclists while celebrating the accomplishments of riders like Contador. And the sporting world in general will probably use this to discredit cycling while celebrating the accomplishments of other "clean" athletes (does anyone know exactly how many soccer player were implicated in Operacion Puerto? Why do we never hear about them?). And life will go on as usual.
Oh well.
Anyways, it's late and I've been typing away without much thought. But I felt like I needed to write something before I went back to sleep, and I stand by everything I've written (except the typos).
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Red Mountain 30K
It's been too long. But not because I haven't had anything to write about. For example, since my last post I shaved my beard (and my head), Catherine started her new job full time, I committed to law school at BYU, Catherine and I had our body compositions measured at the University of Utah's exercise science lab, and I finally met my brother and sister in law. Any of those could have provided material for a blog post, but I was lazy, so instead all you get is this paragraph. Sorry.
Anyways, Catherine and I went down to St. George this weekend for the Red Mountain 30K. I originally signed up for the 50K, but I decided that I'd rather run the shorter race and train through it than run the longer race and take a week for recovery afterward. Since I'm still new to running, I though this would be better for me overall, and half a week later I stand by my decision.
The race started at 7:00, but because the course was a point to point we had to be at the finish in Ivins by 6:00. From there, the race volunteers shuttled us to the start, just west of Veyo and up the canyon from Gunlock.
The course was not technical, but it was fast and beautiful. From the start, we ran about 12 miles down the canyon to Highway 91, which we then followed back into Ivins. The course ran long (19.1 miles instead of 18.6) and descended 1,500 feet while climbing only 500.
Catherine and I knew this would be a small race, but we were surprised to see that there were only 12 runners at the start (there were about 50 runners in the 50K). Small fields like that don't usually provide fierce competition, but they do make for a friendly, low-key atmosphere, and during the 20 minutes or so we spent waiting for the start I think Catherine and I met all 10 of our fellow racers.
When I decided to race the shorter distance, I decided to treat the race as a fast training run. Instead of going out too hot from the start, I wanted to force myself to settle into a hard but comfortable pace so that I could still have enough left in my legs to speed up at the end. Based on my times from other races, I thought breaking 2 hours was a reasonable goal--on a true 30K, that would require a pace of
6:27 per mile.
When we finally started, I found myself alone immediately, and I stayed that way for the entire race. The downhill grade and the perfect weather (it was freezing at the start but things heated up quickly) let me push harder than expected. I ended up averaging 6:11 per mile for the entire race and came in comfortably under 2 hours, even with the extra half mile. And I felt good enough at the end to crank out the final mile in 5:55.
I was a little embarrassed when I crossed the finish line, and even more so when the organizer gave me a big trophy. I didn't (and still don't) feel like I deserved any special recognition--I won because there wasn't any competition, not because I'm especially fast. (To drive that point home, the second finished came in nearly 30 minutes behind me, and he missed a turn and cut more than a mile off the course.) Still, my performance does tell me that I'm getting faster.
After eating and drinking a little food, I left my shoes and headed back onto the course to wait for Catherine. When she came along she was looking strong, especially since she had just run farther than she ever had before. She was the second woman across the line, too. As always, I was happy to see her.
We went back to Grandma and Grandpa's house for a shower and a nap, and then we stopped by the Saint George temple (Jeppsen-history enthusiasts will recall that that's where I proposed to Catherine) on our way home. It was a busy weekend, but we had a good time. We'll probably be back next year.
Anyways, Catherine and I went down to St. George this weekend for the Red Mountain 30K. I originally signed up for the 50K, but I decided that I'd rather run the shorter race and train through it than run the longer race and take a week for recovery afterward. Since I'm still new to running, I though this would be better for me overall, and half a week later I stand by my decision.
The race started at 7:00, but because the course was a point to point we had to be at the finish in Ivins by 6:00. From there, the race volunteers shuttled us to the start, just west of Veyo and up the canyon from Gunlock.
The course was not technical, but it was fast and beautiful. From the start, we ran about 12 miles down the canyon to Highway 91, which we then followed back into Ivins. The course ran long (19.1 miles instead of 18.6) and descended 1,500 feet while climbing only 500.
Catherine and I knew this would be a small race, but we were surprised to see that there were only 12 runners at the start (there were about 50 runners in the 50K). Small fields like that don't usually provide fierce competition, but they do make for a friendly, low-key atmosphere, and during the 20 minutes or so we spent waiting for the start I think Catherine and I met all 10 of our fellow racers.
When I decided to race the shorter distance, I decided to treat the race as a fast training run. Instead of going out too hot from the start, I wanted to force myself to settle into a hard but comfortable pace so that I could still have enough left in my legs to speed up at the end. Based on my times from other races, I thought breaking 2 hours was a reasonable goal--on a true 30K, that would require a pace of
6:27 per mile.
When we finally started, I found myself alone immediately, and I stayed that way for the entire race. The downhill grade and the perfect weather (it was freezing at the start but things heated up quickly) let me push harder than expected. I ended up averaging 6:11 per mile for the entire race and came in comfortably under 2 hours, even with the extra half mile. And I felt good enough at the end to crank out the final mile in 5:55.
I was a little embarrassed when I crossed the finish line, and even more so when the organizer gave me a big trophy. I didn't (and still don't) feel like I deserved any special recognition--I won because there wasn't any competition, not because I'm especially fast. (To drive that point home, the second finished came in nearly 30 minutes behind me, and he missed a turn and cut more than a mile off the course.) Still, my performance does tell me that I'm getting faster.
After eating and drinking a little food, I left my shoes and headed back onto the course to wait for Catherine. When she came along she was looking strong, especially since she had just run farther than she ever had before. She was the second woman across the line, too. As always, I was happy to see her.
We went back to Grandma and Grandpa's house for a shower and a nap, and then we stopped by the Saint George temple (Jeppsen-history enthusiasts will recall that that's where I proposed to Catherine) on our way home. It was a busy weekend, but we had a good time. We'll probably be back next year.
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