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.

Climb 13 - Saturday July 19 - Yes, Climbing

After the race this morning I took a bit of nap, then mowed the lawn, then I was ready for some more recreation. Mark came over at about 4:45 and we drove up Little Cottonwood Canyon then hiked a bit to the Pentapitch Buttress. The idea was to climb all five pitches of Pentapitch, but this didn't work out for us. First we started climbing the wrong crack. We were about 15 meters up canyon for actual Pentapitch climbing something completely different. The climb seemed really hard for a 5.6 and I just wasn't figuring it out. Then I did. You have to realize that the one time I have been to Pentapitch before was with Jer and there was a massive snow field at the bottom of the climb, so I didn't know what it looked like. Once we figured it out, we made our way down to the actual Pentapitch crack. Some people were just getting off the climb, so we probably would not have been able to climb it before this time, anyway. It took me a little while to lead the first pitch as I just haven't been trad climbing much lately and it takes time figuring out which gear to place and where. Mark quickly climbed up to me cleaning the gear. I lead the second and third pitches next (I skipped the second pitch belay station on the way up). These were fun pitches. 5.8 and some fun climbing moves. Mark came to meet me after struggling to get a nut out, but eventually succeeding. We then had a quick rappelling lesson (as it was already beginning to get dark and we had three pitches to rappel - not to mention the hike back out), and then we were on our way. We had to rappel off the second belay station on the way down since we were only on half of the rope. By the time we reached the first belay station it was getting pretty dark out. Mark went first so he would have a little light to get his stuff together at the base. I followed and arrived at the bottom in the dark. Good thing I had my trusty Petzl headlamp. We quickly cleaned up and then began the hike back to the car. This includes a walk across a large talus/boulder field which we had to take slowly so we could both take advantage of the headlamp. We didn't get back to the car until nearly 10:30. It had been a long outing. It had been a fun outing. I think Mark dug the multipitch action. I know I did. I love tris and all, but I am looking forward to the end of the tri season so I can focus a little more on climbing. On Rock.

Saturday July 19 - The "Sprint" To The Summit

I may have stopped working at Voile a couple of months ago, but I really like the people I worked with so I wanted to keep in touch. This weekend was a perfect opportunity to do so as it was the weekend of the now annual "Sprint to the Summit" Trail run 10K put on by Mark and his wife, G. When I signed up, Stacy was a bit leary about her knee issues so she volunteered to help G with the signing in process as well as the finish line duties. We met Mark and G at the old firehouse in Summit Park around 8 so Stacy could magnify her calling. I knew a few people there and there were others I just knew of. I prepped for the race as usual. The race began at about 9 o'clock. This is not your average 10K (in fact, it ended up being about 7 miles, so a little further than a 10K). No, this race was basically straight up to the summit, then straight down back to town. I looked around as the race began and tried to figure out who I was going to pace myself with. As we got a bit further I found that Andrew McLean and myself were going similar speeds... so I tried to keep up with him. For the first half of the race, he and I basically traded off pacing one another. I figured if I could keep up with the world premier ski mountaineer then I did alright for myself. When we finally reached the top we were greeted by another local skiing celebrity, Bob Athey, in Bob's usual way. We all chatted for a second and then I took a second to have a Gu. Before I knew it, Andrew was headed down the trail for the finish line. I tried to catch up, but was never able to do so as I just don't quite know how to run down hill. I was more worried about not breaking my ankle than I was about being speedy. I ran the last quarter of the race with a dude from my ward, Adam Hunt (sorry, but I don't think he has a website). I finished in 1hr and 26min. I felt pretty good about this. The winners only came in 26 minutes earlier. I took second in my age division (men 20-29), but this was easy since there were only two of us that did the race. There was a potluck lunch afterwards and Stacy and I hung out and chatted with the many people we had met over the course of the morning. I won some sweet cycling socks and a water bottle in the raffle then we thanked Mark and G and made our way home. It was a fun race. It was a good day of training. I was able to meet and chat with people I have wanted to for a long time. I had a good time. On Run.

TRI 2 - Saturday July 12 - ECHO...Echo...echo...

It had been a while since we had raced. There remains another month before the Half. We wanted to do an olympic distance race with the time we had. The Xango Echo Tri proved to be the best fit. I was feeling good about this race since we have been able to get out in the water a few times recently to mentally prepare. I have been pretty busy lately with just a lot of different stuff going on, so I haven't been able to train as much as I would like, but I was ready nonetheless. Stacy and I woke up this morning at 4:30. We packed up our stuff and were out of the house by 5. We arrived in Coalville, UT around 6. Due to limited parking at the lake, we had to park in town and ride our bikes down to the race site. This was a good way to get blood flowing and everything, but the problem was that it was COLD outside. I had brought a jacket, but I was sporting shorts and flip-flops at this point. My feet were freezing. We signed in, got our transition areas ready, met up with Jer and Mallory, then headed down to the water. We stood on the beach for a while before we got in thinking that would be even colder. We were wrong. When we finally did get in the water we found that it was much warmer than the air outside. We did a little warming up and we were ready for the race. My wave start was second only to the elite men's division. We started five minutes after they did. I had a great swim. I cut like seven minutes off my last olympic distance time at Pumpkinman. I only got lost on the swim once, but that's okay because that was probably another 2 minutes or so I can easily shed off my time in the future. I came out of the water in a little over 28 minutes. I struggled a bit in transition, but not too bad. I just haven't had the chance to really work on these yet this year. Here was another minute I can cut. The bike felt good. It took me a little while before I passed Mallory (who started her swim 10 minutes later than me, but came out of the water a good amount of time before me). I kept expecting to see Jer. I could have sworn I saw him at the transition area when I came out of the water. I finally saw him after I had turned around on the bike and he was still heading out. It wasn't much longer before he passed me. I tried to keep up for a while, but couldn't do it for long. I passed Stacy a little while later on her way out. She had a great swim for her and was busy pushing hard on the bike. I don't think she would have even noticed me had I not cheered. I was able to pass a number of people on the final couple of hills on the bike. Hill climbing has always been my strongest point in biking simply because of all the hill climbing I do on my skis in the winter. My second transition was a bit faster, but I almost bit the dust while running my bike in. Running out is always a weird feeling. Your body just is not prepped to start running. It is in bike mode. You usually have to just push through the awkwardness for the first mile, then you can start to get into a groove. I paced myself on the run as I wanted to be able to run the whole thing. With the exception of a couple of times walking to take a drink of water, this was the case. As I was nearing the turn around point, Jer passed me on his way back. He was going strong, and I knew I had no chance of catching up. I turned around and passed Mallory at about the same point Jer had passed me. A little while later, I passed Stacy on her way out on the run. It was nice to keep seeing her. I had paced myself a bit too much since I had a lot left in me for the last mile. I cranked it that last mile, but I need to figure out my ideal speed for that distance so I don't waste as much time. Oh, well. I crossed the finish line 2hr and 46min after I had started. Stacy's time was: 3:32:01. Jer: 2:34:47. And Mallory: 2:49:10. It was a great race. We all had a great time. The race was well put together and there was a lot of good competition. I think I will try to do this race again next year. I must apologize for the lack of photos. It wasn't until we were past Park City on the drive up that I realized I had forgotten a camera. I will try to post any photos I can find as time goes on, but I don't know if I will be able to find any. Thanks for reading. On Tri.