Climb 17 - Wednesday Aug 28 - Scout(s)

As soon as I was asked by the Stake Venture Scout Director what I do for work, I was promptly asked if I would like to take the boys climbing. I consented and we planned it for September 17. In anticipation for this monumentous event, I asked the boys from my ward if they wanted to climb tonight and give it a shot before there were a bunch of people around. They seemed into the idea. As the day drew closer, we lost a couple of them - they became busy. The problem with this is that there are only three of them total. So if two of them can't come, it is just me and one scout. I was cool with it if he was. He was. Tony and I went up to Iron Curtain Wall in Parley's Canyon. It was a quick trip in the evening so we didn't have time to do a bunch of climbs. The idea was to toprope the 5.9+ then lead the long 5.8 out. People were on the 5.9+ when we arrived. We started to climb another 5.9 on the wall, but cut that short as it was taking me more time than wanted to lead it. We moved our stuff over to the long 5.8 and climbed up and out. We reached the top just as the sun set. It was a very nice evening. Tony totally dug climbing. Perhaps we will get out again sometime. On Rock.

Climb 15/16 - Saturday/Sunday Aug 23/24 - Happy Anniversary

That's right. August 24, 2008 marks the third anniversary of the union of Stacy and I in marriage. To celebrate, we went up to the Uintas this weekend for some climbing, hiking, camping, uno-playing, dog-fun-having, and all-around escaping from the summer heat. We accomplished all these things and more. After a quick breakfast at the house on Saturday morning, we made our way up to the Bald Mountain Trailhead in the Uintas. The hike into Notch Lake is about 2.5 miles. We had to borrow a bunch of camping gear since we just don't have our own yet. The problem with this is that most people don't buy gear that is "light and fast." We each had big packs on our back with a lot of weight. Adding the climbing gear and rope to this did not make this any easier. Luckily, the hike was pretty easy so it was just a matter of dealing with the pack weight. We arrived at the lake around lunch time so we took a few minutes to relax and have our "lunch." We had just packed things like fruit, granola bars, and fruit roll-ups for lunch. After we had just worked super hard on the hike in and we were planning on climbing, this wasn't the most regenerating of lunch options. We then put our camp together in a spot that overlooked the lake, the cliffs, and almost everything else around. It really was a beautiful place. I was a little bummed to see a group headed to the crag just as we were getting ready to go over there, but I figured there were plenty of climbs. Then I saw that they were headed to the exact climb I wanted to get on. Oh, well. I figured. I can go try this 5.10c over here. Due to my lack of energy, the other group's annoying dog, and my fear of heights, I was unable to finish this climb. I was okay with it, though. We spent some time over there then decided to go take a nap. We were in no hurry. We had all night and all day tomorrow. This was supposed to be a relaxing weekend. The nap was nice, although sometimes intermixed with the sounds of the climbers yelling at their dog, and the family on the other side of the lake talking extraordinarily loud. When we awoke we decided to get ready for dinner by starting a fire. This was done with a single successful match which got some kindling to smoke and a whole lot of blowing by myself and Stacy. Eventually, we had a bitchin' fire which led to a bitchin' dinner. Stacy had prepared tinfoil dinners with chicken, potatoes, carrots, onions, etc. They were big and delicious. For dessert we had a myriad of choices consisting of roasted marshmallows and jiffy pop. After dinner the dogs ran around as we read our books. I have decided that I can not be reading such a large book next time I try to go backpacking. Or, at the very least, I should just photocopy the next few chapters so I don't have to carry that textbook sized monstrosity in. Although, I did really enjoy reading it while I was there. As the night began to approach we reeled things in and decided to have a riveting game of Uno. Our first game was over in a matter of minutes with Stacy handily beating me. We both thought that if the game moves that quickly, we can certainly play another hand. So we did. This one took a bit longer. In fact, we had to pause have way through because it had become so dark that we could no longer decipher the colors of the cards, and we had to get the headlamps out. What seemed to be several hours later, Stacy beat me once again only after a healthy exchange of leads back and forth. We retired to the tent for the night and read a bit more before falling asleep. The dogs climbed in the tent with us and just like they are at home, they hogged all the space. This is why we don't let them sleep on the bed with us. Bowie wedged himself between Stacy and I, and then turned perpendicular to our bodies, thus forcing my midsection into the gear at the side of the tent. It was nice to have a pleasant, cool evening. It never did get as cold as I was expecting, but was nice the whole time. In the morning we went back to the crag. We got on the climb we had initially intended to do and enjoyed it. We then enjoyed a nice breakfast of oatmeal and hot chocolate. Seriously, are we at the Ritz? What I really wanted to do today was get the dogs swimming in the lake. They have never swam before. They have been in water so many times, but have had no reason to swim. I wanted to change that today. After breakfast I went down to the lakefront with Bowie and Sam. I threw a ball into the lake. They ran up and down the beach trying to figure out how to get it without swimming. This was unsuccessful. They had to swim, but were not determined enough to try it on their own. They needed some coaxing. I got in the frigid water (which was quite refreshing, actually) and began to slowly swim out to the ball. I called to the dogs assuring them that they could do it. It really didn't take much before Bowie was headed right for me. I was so excited. I felt like a proud father. He was swimming! When he caught up with me I greeted him then we swam to the ball. When I looked back I saw Sam right behind us. They both did it! Bowie got the ball, but they were both swimming. We swam back to shore and then did it again. They were doing so great. I was loving it. Stacy snapped a few shots then changed clothes to get in the water, as well. She was a bit surprised at the temperature of the water. I told her it was cold. It was an enjoyable experience for all of us. Eventually, the ball became so water and mud logged that it sank to the bottom of the lake and Bowie was just confused when he swam out to get it. Oh well. We had a good time. We then packed up all out gear and began the hike back to the car. The hike back was slightly harder since it was uphill instead of down, but for some reason it was easier for me. It took us a while, but we eventually made it. It was such a great weekend. A great way to celebrate three years of marraige. We need to do this more often when the mercury in Salt Lake is rising. Thanks for listening. On Rock, Swim, Hike, Camp, Uno, etc.

Climb 14 - Tuesday August 19 - Is Summer Over Yet?

Don't get me wrong. I love summer. I love tri season and the long days. But does it have to be so long? It just seems like it has been super hot outside for the past several years (although, I could be exagerrating that just a bit). I have been okay until this week when I got hit hard with the winter bug. I couldn't help but check telemarktips.com a few times this week as well as watch some ski movie trailers. I am just over the heat. I am happy to have fall right around the corner so I can really do some climbing, but in all seriousness, I would be totally okay with it if we just skipped fall altogether and went right to winter. I love to ski.

Tonight I was reminded of how much I love to climb. Blake and I went up to Narcolepsy Wall in Big Cottonwood Canyon. This wall sits across the street from the Salt Lake Slips. It was the first time either of us had been to this wall so it was our best guess as to how to get there. We arrived at the first few climbs and decided to climb a 5.9 trad route. I have attempted several 5.9 trad routes in the past and have never once made it all the way through on the first try. I just don't have the staying power in my arm strength. I have not climbed trad enough to be super efficient when placing gear so it takes time and energy just to get my protection in. I usually run out of gas pretty quick. The story tonight was no different. I first gave leading a shot. I didn't make it. Blake then gave it a shot. He made it only one placement further. I then tried again and through a series of climbing, taking, and placing gear, I did finally make it to the top. It was a really fun climb and not terribly difficult once we had a toprope fixed. It makes such a difference to have to place gear. Especially since we just haven't done it a ton, yet. By the time Blake climbed it and cleaned the gear, it was beginning to get dark and we had time only to clean up and get out of there. I really enjoyed myself this evening. I love climbing. I love trad climbing. I love the aspect of adventure that trad brings to the table. I can climb 5.9 sport without a hitch, but the problem solving and added stamina necessary in trad climbing is just so much fun. I really want to talk someone into training with me to climb El Capitan in Yosemite. It is over 31 pitches climbed over a matter of 3-5 days (while sleeping out on the rock overnight). This is the ultimate in climbing. You can all look forward to that blog post a couple years down the road. On Rock.

TRI 3 - Saturday August 9 - The Utah Half Ironman

I had been on the bike for about 1.5 hours when I thought to myself, "I still have to run 13 miles after this. This could be the worst decision I have ever made in my life."

Ryan, Stacy, and I rushed after work on Friday night to make it to Provo in time for the "mandatory" packet pick-up that ended at 8:00. We arrived at 8:10 only to find that they were nearly finished cleaning everything up. We were told that we could no longer sign in tonight and we should simply do so in the morning. Why did they call it a "mandatory" packet pick-up again? We treated ourselves to a quick carbo-loading pasta dinner at Guru's, then to the grocery store to pick up a few last minute items, and finally to Stacy's mom, Deena's, Provo apartment. It didn't take me long to get to sleep. I knew what was ahead in the morning.

We awoke at 4:30am, quickly packed up our gear, ate breakfast, then made our way to Utah Lake. As we pulled up, I was delighted to have "Damn, It Feels Good To Be A Gangsta" come up on Ryan's iPod. We cranked it up and got out of the car. Immediately we were overrun by swarms of mosquitos. In the midst of fighting them off, Stacy decided we should change songs as this one may be a bit too offensive for those around us. Whatever. We got our gear together, borrowed some bug spray from the nice women next to us, then headed for the check-in/transition area. It seemed as if there were even more bugs over here. At times, they almost rendered our headlamps useless as there were so many it was difficult to see. We quickly signed in, got our bodies marked, and put our wetsuits on so as to help protect ourselves from the bloodsucking monsters.

The swim was our first obstacle. 1.2 miles in Utah Lake with 397 others thrashing around us. The gun fired at about 6:50am. The course consisted of two loops within a harbor cove of Utah Lake. It was not the most well-planned out course and proved difficult to navigate (we also later were informed by the race directors that it was 200 meters too long). I had a good swim, but had a couple issues. One: I had put some gummy snacks in the pocket of my shirt before I put my wetsuit on so I could have them during the bike. Underneath the wetsuit, the package came out of my pocket and slowly made its way up to my armpit. I had to continually push it back down thus losing momentum and speed. I also had issues of my goggles leaking. These are supposed to be guaranteed not to leak! There is a slight irregularity in the left eye that allows it to leak just a little over time. However, it was just enough to make me keep taking time to eliminate the excess water. The course took us through weeds, moss, sticks, etc., and it was impossible to see anything underwater since Utah Lake is absolutely disgusting. I still had a decent swim time - 44:41. I was hoping to have it under 40 minutes, but what can you do?

Ryan - 41:50

Stacy - 59:36

Jer - 52:02

Mallory - 34:12

The transition from swim to bike was a little slower than normal as I wanted to have everything just right knowing that I had 56 miles to go before I would have a chance to adjust anything. I got off to a good start. I was feeling good. I was feeling strong. I had seen that Ryan's bike was already gone back at the transition station, but at this point I felt like I could catch him. I was passing people at this point in the race and was only being passed by people who were obviously strong bikers and probably not terribly strong swimmers. I bought a bike computer super cheap off the internet a little while ago and, big surprise, it now doesn't work. It does tell time. I tried to come up with a general timeline of where I should be at certain times, but the bike course was not well marked so I couldn't really gage my progress. I did reach the turn around a little earlier than I was thinking. This was positive for me to see. However, I really began to tire soon thereafter. Even on the flats, I was having difficulty really pushing it. More and more racers began passing me. I wasn't going super slow, but definitely not as fast as I would have liked to. Jer passed me up around this time. Due to my fatigue and his speed, I kind of figured I had no chance of catching him... or Ryan for that matter. I had been on the bike for about 1.5 hours when I thought to myself, "I still have to run 13 miles after this. This could be the worst decision I have ever made in my life." I did my best to eradicate these thoughts from my mind and focus on the task at hand. I finished the bike as strong as I could in 2:57:09.

Ryan - 2:48:05
Stacy - 3:16:08

Jer - 2:33:51
Mallory - 3:15:34

The run consisted of 3 out-n-back sections, the first of which taking us a total of 4 miles in the sun out by the Provo airport. The benefit of the out-n-back legs was that I continually got to see how far others were ahead of me or I was of others. It wasn't until I had gone the first couple of miles that I began to realize that I was running way too slow and that my body could handle a faster pace. So I picked it up. Upon doing so I would find that I was fine cardiovascularly, but my legs just got super heavy and it became a matter of strength to keep picking them up. I did so the best I could. I did not see Stacy during my entire first 4 miles. I was really hoping she was close and that nothing had gone wrong. The second out-n-back was a shorter one taking us a total of 2 miles mostly in the shade. When I passed Jer he said he just saw Stacy and he was confused as to how she got ahead of me. I told him he must be mistaken as I hadn't yet seen Stacy. Soon after, I passed Ryan who said Stacy was just in front of me and he guessed that she had started the run in the wrong direction. He was right. I caught up to her and she was, indeed, on her first out-n-back. We finished that leg together then took a second to talk to the dude at the aid station who informed her that she could just run that same leg twice more to catch up in distance with the rest of us. We parted ways and I wished her good luck. The last leg was deceiving. The race volunteers told us as we started up that we had 3 miles each way. They neglected to mention they were the longest six miles on earth. I was tired, hungry, and not having the best of times at this point. Upon turning around, I knew how long I had left... and I knew it was a long way. I slowed down at the aid station at mile 11 and had a fig newton. I don't even like those things, but it was the one thing on the table that looked the closest to real food. I never thought I would say this, but that particular fig newton could very well have been the best tasting thing I have ever had in my entire life. Maybe it was the fact that I had only consumed Gu, Gatorade, Heed, and water for the preceding 6 hours. Maybe it was delerium brought on by the race. Or maybe, just maybe, it actually was the best tasting food ever made by the hand of man. I suppose we will never know. This gave me a bit of a boost going into the last couple of miles. When I reached the next and final aid station I though I would have two more fig newtons since I had received such a positive experience the last time. This was a mistake. They were gross. Just like fig newtons are supposed to taste. Evidently, I had eaten the one magical fig newton on the earth. I ran the last bit with a woman who had crashed pretty big on the bike section of the course, but continued the race. Once I could see the finish I ramped things up a bit and tried to finish the race strong. I felt like I was sprinting, but I am sure it looked more like a brisk walk to those watching. After all that, the run took me 2:36:57. Between this and the bike, there is definitely room for improvement.

Ryan - 2:36:56
Stacy - 3:27:45

Jer - 2:31:16

Mallory - 2:56:19

Jer and Ryan were there to cheer me on as I passed the finish line. It seemed like I had been out there forever. All I wanted was to eat some food and sit down... so I did. The slice of pizza I ate was not worth it, but the fruit was. Mallory came in a shortly thereafter followed by Stacy a little later. I finished in 6:21:38.

Ryan - 6:10:28
Stacy - 7:49:02

Jer - 6:01:15
Mallory - 6:50:36

It was a hard race. I am writing this a few days later and it is a good thing. Had I tried to write this the day of it would have all be very negative. But now I can look back and not focus on the difficulty, the poor race design, the exhaustion, the hunger, etc. Instead, I look back and see something that was really hard and challenging... that we accomplished. I could have been quoted on the way to the car to say that it would take a lot to get me to do that again. Now, I am considering looking into a full Ironman. Oh, how a couple days will change your perspective. I am so stoked we did it. We did something that very few people have done. I pushed myself beyond anything I have done before. And I feel good about that. On Tri.