Snow Canyon Half Marathon

This weekend my wife and I visited my parents in St. George, UT to run the Snow Canyon Half Marathon and 5K. My Dad and I ran the half marathon. It's the first half marathon that either of us has run in years (except for the Jupiter Steeplechase I ran earlier this year).

The course is very pretty. It follows the St. George Marathon course for the first four miles and then splits off to go down Snow Canyon. It is downhill the entire way except for a few tiny rolling hills. It's a bit steep from about mile 2.5 to mile 6, but other than that, it's not too steep. Your knees should be okay.

I heard that this course has some gravel areas so I was planning on wearing shoes, but when driving the course the night before we discovered that it is 100% pavement. So I decided that this would be my first official race to run barefoot. It went well...mostly. For about the last mile, the pavement got really rough with very large aggregate. By this time in the race, my feet were doing well, but certainly not fresh and could not handle the rough pavement. I quickly got some large blisters on my left foot. I could literally feel them expanding within a few minutes. One was on the ball of my foot and was taking a real pounding. It soon burst sending a mist out between two of my toes that I could feel halfway up my shin. Finally I was able to get some relief by running on the sidewalk, but as we neared the finish there were spectators on the sidewalk so I had to return to the pavement. Was it worth it? Totally, but only because if was my first barefoot race. I've never had a barefoot run be that painful and I don't really seek out pain.

My Dad held pace with me for about the first 6.5 miles which was much faster than he had planned. He pulled through all the way and finished at around 2:09. He had some really tight muscles and pains toward the end, but he's got a lot of miles under his belt and knew what he could handle. I came in at 1:44-ish, just behind my Dad's PR. My wife also ran the 5K. She had a baby girl only a few months ago and was pushing a double stroller (a B.O.B. -- they're the best if you're wondering). She ran 9:55's. My Mom also ran and claimed 3rd place in her age category.

This was our first year running and it was totally fun, not too expensive, very well organized and very pretty. The results were ready and announced faster than any race I've done before. It's also an extremely fast race if you're looking to set a PR.

Follow up on 2010 Jupiter Peak Steeple Chase

Yesterday was the 2010 Jupiter Peak Steeple Chase and it was a blast. I finished injury free and enjoyed it thoroughly. I had no idea what my time would be so that wasn't a big deal to me. I just wanted to finish injury free and have fun. Here are some pictures from the race.

Here is my best shot of the starting line, although nobody is actually lined up yet. We started about 50 feet or so up this dirt road. In this race it is important that you find the right spot in the pack near the start because it becomes difficult to pass once you hit the singletrack. About a minute before the start of the race I realized I had forgotten my inhaler. I had to run to my car and I got back to the start about 30 seconds too late. So I had to do a lot of passing in the first 4 miles or so to find people that were at my pace.

At the beginning of the race I recognized a few friends from Pinebrook, the neighborhood in Park City where I grew up. Pictured above is Mike Rasmussen from this group.

Here we are approaching Jupiter Peak, the first of two peaks to be summited during the race.

Jupiter was by far the more strenuous to climb. I found myself crawling up parts of it, mostly because my legs needed some help. In this photo I think you can get a pretty good idea for how steep it was.

At the summit of Jupiter Peak.

There is a pole at the peak.

Here I am with Rob Hanel at the finish. We both had a lot of fun and were in good spirits. Rob orchestrates a lot of adventurous events that Backcountry.com pays for employees to participate in. He's pretty fast and I was very happy to finish close behind him. Backcountry.com was a sponsor for the Jupiter Peak Steeple Chase this year and because of that I got to run for free. What a great deal!

Jupiter Peak Steeplechase

For a couple years, I have been anxious to run a race in Park City, UT called the Jupiter Peak Steeplechase. The race is put on by the Mountain Trails Foundation. It is a 16 mile run from the base of Park City Mountain Resort to Jupiter Peak, the highest peak at the resort. This involves around 3,000 feet of elevation gain.

Two years ago I couldn't run it because I was injured. Last year I couldn't run it because I was injured. Last year I got sick of being injured and decided to do something about it. Most notably, I started barefoot running, but I have made other changes too. I listen to my body a lot more when I run. I am more disciplined about cutting a run short if something doesn't feel right. I have been much more consistent about running and have avoided overtraining. I even started eating a lot healthier.

This year it has all paid off. I wasn't even planning on running this race this year until my employer, Backcountry.com, offered to pay my way. Yay Backcountry.com! Because of my efforts, and perhaps good luck, I found myself ready to run the race and able to accept Backcountry.com's offer. I am very excited.

Midnight Running

I've been reading a book called Ultramarathon Man by Dean Karnazes. It's basically an autobiography about a guy that runs insane mileage, why he does it, how he does it and how it fits into the story of his life. Personally, I think the guy is a nut. I don't think I run the way he runs. He runs for pain and I run for pleasure. However, as I read the book, I find some undeniable similarities in the way we think.

Dean runs a lot at night, or at least he does in the part of the book I am currently reading. It sounds like a fantastic time to run. There is no sun beating on you and that makes a big difference in the middle of summer. So, on Saturday evening, I was in the mood for a run and decided to give it a try. I headed out at around 11:30 and ran for about an hour.

It was cooler than running at mid-day, but I still got quite warm. I have avoided the heat just as well by running early in the morning on shady trails. But it was still pretty fun. I ran across a couple that was smooching as they said goodbye. I think they were a bit surprised by some dude running by and interrupting their moment.

Single Track Above Woods Cross

I planned to get up at 7 this morning for a nice cool run. Going to bed late last night was a bit at odds with that and Ella, my two year old, got up way too early and needed some snuggles.

So I got a late start, but it turned out just fine. A few times I have headed up into the hills directly east of 2600 South in Woods Cross. It is about a 14 mile run if I turn around at the beginning of the single track, so I have never ventured up past that.

Today I drove to the beginning of the singletrack so that I could really check it out. It was gorgeous and well shaded from the sun, which was high at this point. I snapped a few pics, but it was hard to do it justice.

I realized today just how rocky these Rocky Mountains can be. I wore my Vibram Five Fingers today and the terrain just about did my feet in. Next time I visit this trail I'll be sporting some "normal" running shoes.

Good Gift for a Runner

You'll almost always see me wearing a white hat when I run. The first or second year I ran the Wasatch Back, Backcountry.com (my employer who sponsored our teams) got us white Montrail running hats. I don't know how I ever lived without this thing. It keeps me cool, helps prevent sun burns and helps keep the sweat out of my eyes. I have a dark green one just like it and it is horrible. You need a very light colored one because it makes a big difference with the heat.

So, if you're looking for a gift for a runner, or if you're looking to buy something for yourself, get one of these.

Old Ranch Loop

Went for a fast pace run today to see what I could do. I ran the Old Ranch Loop (7.32 miles) in 52 mins for a pace of 7:10 per mile. For a flat road run, that loop is very pretty. That was pushing it for me, but felt good.

Some Interesting Barefoot Resources

I just wanted to share a few websites I've found when poking around the web learning more about barefoot running.

• therunningbarefoot.com - A great resource. There's a huge community here to teach you mostly everything about barefoot running. Some of the articles/comments are a bit over the top in my opinion, so just be prepared to take some of it with a grain of salt.
• Barefoot Ted's Adventures - Ted was one of the people that went down to run with the Raramuri Indians in Christopher McDougall's "Born to Run." He seems to me a bit overly interested in turning a dime on the whole barefoot running thing, but still has lots of good stuff to say.
• www.runningbarefootisbad.com - You've got to read both sides of the issue. Based on my personal experiences, I think there's significant merit to the barefoot running movement. But I realize that I could be wrong. I recommend keeping an open mind all the time.

Also, here's a cool vid about the Raramuri Indians.

Bear Hollow Run

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I just couldn't resist a run today. After a few hours in front of the computer and the sky looking so blue outside, I just had to get some fresh air.

I went barefoot today and this is one of the more difficult runs I've done barefoot given the temperature of the pavement and the grade of road. I'm very happy to report that it felt great and I don't have any blisters. For me the biggest limitation to how far I can run barefoot is blisters.

When I first started running barefoot, I'd get blisters and I assumed that it was because I needed to build up my calluses. However I read on a blog (sorry, I can't find the link right now) that you shouldn't be building up huge calluses and that if you are it probably just means your form is bad. I try pretty hard with my form and I still can only go 4-6 miles, depending on terrain, so I'm not sure what to think. But I am getting better, whether it's due to calluses or better form.

Parrish Creek Trail & Bonneville Shorline Trail

My Dad told me there was going to be a lunar eclipse this morning so I thought it would be really fun to go for an early run and watch it. Unfortunately, I couldn't see it, perhaps because I got up too late or maybe it was just behind a cloud. It ended up being great because it motivated me to get up early and have a great run.

I decided to check out the Parrish Creek Trail in Centerville, UT. You can check out this and other trails in the area at the Davis County website. This is a nice area of trails because there's about a dozen trails that are all connected by the Bonneville Shorline Trail. So you can head up there, connect into the trail system and explore all you want.

I was well up the mountain as the sun crested the ridge which created some pretty colors. It also permitted me a good deal of much appreciated shade.

My intent was to run about 10 miles this morning and boy was it a tough 10 miles. This was my first time running these trails and the Parrish Creek Trail was a LOT more steep than I expected. It was more of a hike than a run. But it was beautiful and I'm not racing so that's just fine.

At about 2 miles up it has some intermittent flats and downhills so you can cruise a bit which feels good. I ended up running into the largest colony of caterpillars I've ever seen. I think they were caterpillars. They looked kind of strange and they were hanging from trees. Up in the trees you could see these huge web looking things. I'm guessing this is where they were coming from. There were so many of them suspended from these, hanging in the middle of the trail that eventually I just couldn't stand running through them anymore and I turned around.

On my way down I stopped at a lookout point over the creek. The trail is maybe a couple hundred feet above the creek, looking down from above so you get a pretty good view. I was in the shade, but the sun was shining below, making it easy to see hundreds of dragonflies swarming all around. Maybe I just don't get out much, but I've never seen more than a few of these at once. It was very pretty and it did my heart good to know that they were probably devouring mosquitoes!

Once I got to the bottom I ran along the shorline trail for a bit to pick up some more miles. This trail has some rolling hills, but is fairly mild. It was a perfect way to end the run. I'm looking forward to exploring some more trails in that area.

Mid Mountain Marathon

Utah is a fantastic place to live. There's only so many places where you can put together a 26.2 mile race on mountain trails. That's what the Mid Mountain Marathon is. I'm not sure if it will be this year or next, but that's the next goal.

Ragnar Relay - Wasatch Back

This weekend is the Wasatch Back Relay, put on by Ragnar. It's a relay race starting in Logan, UT and ending in Park City, UT. There's an insane amount of runners and it's way fun. The course stays on beautiful rural roads roads for nearly all 188 miles. Here's a video to help you get a sense of what the race is like:

This will be my third year running the race. My employer, Backcountry.com, pays almost everything for 5 teams to run (12 runners per team) so that is pretty awesome. It's a fairly expensive race.

Each team is split up into two vans. One van will rest while the six runners in the other van run their legs. Then they switch. Each runner runs three legs for a total of about 13-18 miles.

Each year, one of the Backcountry teams will run with gear. It's kind of weird and crazy, but we have a blast doing it. I ran on this team in 2008. Here's a video of that team in 2009.

I'm getting very excited! My team starts tomorrow at noon.

Protein on a Vegan Diet

Protein comes from meat and dairy so you need to eat plenty of that, especially if you are an athlete, right? This is what many people think about protein, but it is not true. You're not totally off base if you think this though because animal products are an excellent source of protein. However, let's look at the rest of the story.

Protein comes from plants. Animals consume that protein and it becomes part of them, thus making them a source of protein. Therefore, plants are the real source of protein, even if you consume it as part of a cow. Animals are often considered a better source of protein, not because of quantity, but because of quality. To better understand the quality of protein, we need to understand what protein is.

From Wikipedia: "Proteins (also known as polypeptides) are organic compounds made of amino acids arranged in a linear chain and folded into a globular form" (read more). Plants can generally synthesize all of the standard 20 amino acids, but humans are unable to synthesize 8 of them and must therefore consume them from some source.

Think of amino acids as the ingredients in a recipe. If you have copious amounts of most of the ingredients, but are missing just one, you can't make the recipe. Amino acids work similarly in your body. You need to make sure the protein you consume contains sufficient amounts of each of these essential amino acids. Therefore, high quality protein is protein that contains all of the essential amino acids. Animals generally contain all of these amino acids because they need them too.

By this definition, plants are a "low quality" source of protein. But wait, most animals had to get their essential amino acids from plants! So how are they producing high quality output with low quality input? Because all of these animo acids are plants. Just not necessarily all together in one plant. Plants have tons of protein and if you eat a moderate variety of plants, you will get all the amino acids you need.

Is "high quality" protein better for you that "low quality" protein? No. Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables and you will be fine without any animal products.

PS - Most Americans get way too much protein. Even still, many athletes believe they need to consume extra protein supplements since they are building muscle. This is absurd. First of all, natural sources of protein are better than supplements anyway. Second, most people taking protein supplements already have way more protein in their diet than they need anyway. The supplements are pointless excess and a waste of money. I'm not saying protein isn't important. It is very important. But nature's got you covered on this one.

See also:

• Protein (Wikipedia)
• Essential Amino Acids (Wikipedia)
• Protein - What You Should Eat (Harvard School of Public Health)
• Learning About Proteins (KidsHealth.org)
• The Benefits of Protein (WebMD)

Boise 70.3 Ironman

A couple of my friends competed in the Boise 70.3 Ironman Triathalon this weekend. Josh & Natalie Braegger, Dave Richards, Greer Hitch and Chris Dunn fought through dehydrating winds and all completed the race. I am very impressed. Extra props to Joel Brazle for finishing in 88th place. Way to represent Backcountry fellas! You can read more about the Boise 70.3 Ironman or see the race results.

Supplements and Vitamin B12

This morning on my way to work I decided to finish reading the China Study. Don't worry, I was in a carpool, not driving. I have learned so much from that book and it has changed the way I eat drastically. However, I have always naievely thought that the book focused only on data and findings and not enough on summarizing everything with some simple and sound nutritional guidance. It turns out that the only reason I thought that is because I hadn't read the end of the book yet. LOL, what a dork.

The last third of the book is titled "The Good Nutrition Guide" and the portion I read this morning focused on how lame vitamin supplements are. I have long preferred to get my nutrients from food instead of a pill and people give me a hard time about it sometimes, especially now that I am not eating any animal products. Campbell supports me 100%. Basically what it comes down to is that the nutrients found in foods are vast and all of the interactions that occur between them and our bodies are impossible to fully comprehend. Our bodies have evolved to be able to use raw foods optimally. Supplements attempt to dumb this down and pick out a tiny representation of these nutrients that are the important ones, but the net result in your body is not the same. Sure you need Vitamin C, but not just that one vitamin. You need it with the myriad of other things found in an Orange or Red Pepper. Some will advise that you need a "balanced supplement" to avoid such problems, but please understand that a blanced supplement is nothing like raw foods.

With all this in mind, I had one remaining question. I had heard that Vitamin B12 was the only essential nutrient that is only found in meat and that I needed a nutrient for that at least. Campbell addresses this and I did a bit of Googling as well and here is what I found. Vitamin B12 can be derived from plant sources if the plant was grown in soil rich in vitamin B12, especially if you don't wash the food before you eat it. In Americal, nearly all of our food is grown in soil that is void of B12 and even if you grow your own veges, you'll likely wash them off pretty well and lose a lot of the B12. I'm not proposing that we don't wash our veges. I'm just saying there is a consequence to doing so that I didn't know about before now. So really what it boils down to, at least for me, is that I do need some supplement to get Vitamin B12.

Vitamin B12 is literally the only essential nutrient that you can't get in a plant based whole foods diet (unless you grow your own veges and don't wash them). Everything else is plentifully available without any animal products.

A warning to vegan newbies: When I first stopped eating animal based foods, I tracked my nutrition for a few days and I was deficient in quite a few. Just because these nutrients are available in a plant based diet doesn't mean you're actually consuming them. It's worth the time to track what you eat until you have a good understanding of what you need to eat to make sure you are getting the essential nutrients for your body.

Follow up on Springville 5K

The race this morning was beautiful. The weather was perfect. The course was different this year from previous years, but the new course was quite enjoyable. Let's be honest, it just goes through the Springville streets. Choosing a few different streets isn't going to be much better or worse no matter what streets you choose.

his year there were over 2,300 participants. They gave out tons of prizes including a Little Giant ladder, $200 gift certificate and probably 50 or so others. Two of us won prizes so we must have had good luck (although our prizes were some food and a hose -- not quite as good as a $200 gift certificate).

5k Family Race in Springville

The Nestle Art City Days Family Run is just around the corner. While I was going to college, my wife and I lived in Springville, UT. While we were there we found out about a fun little 5k. It's very casual, extremely cheap, gets a great turnout, has some fantastic prizes and is an all round good time. Because it gets a good turnout, there usually ends up being some decent competition there too. Last year there were just shy of 2000 participants, which is a lot for a community race like this.

This year I'm going to be in the stroller division pushing my daughter Ella and my nephew Riley. My wife Jill is going to walk it since she's very pregnant. I'm really looking forward to the race, as I do every year. If you're interested, you should check it out. Race day registration is still only $15. Learn more at Nestle Art City Days Family Fun Run.

Tough Guys Finish Last

Probably the most important thing to enjoying running throughout your life, or to being an excellent competitive runner (if that's your goal) is to have as few injuries as possible. Injuries are ridiculously common among runners. You might as well classify it as an extreme sport. Running injuries often take you out of the game for weeks or months. I have discovered a secret for remaining injury free that was hidden in plain sight from me. Don't be tough.

About a year ago, I was going for a very short run in my neighborhood. I was only running for maybe a mile or two and I wasn't pushing too hard. I started to feel a pain in my knee. I thought to myself that I'd better be cautious so I'll just finish this run and then take the next day off. Wrong answer. I couldn't get the pain to go away for quite some time. I can't tell you how many times I've told myself "I'll just finish this run." In my experience, backing off right away or even walking home if necessary can save you from being out for a week or more.

The moral of the story is to listen to your body. This is a fantastic opportunity to plug barefoot running, so I can't resist. Shoes do a fantastic job of blocking pain, but not such a fantastic job of preventing injury. That pain is our body trying to tell us what to do to remain injury free and when we wear shoes we don't get that communication. If I had to summarize what barefoot running is all about, that is it. Barefoot running enables you to hear what your feet are telling you.

If you don't want to run barefoot (and I assume that's most people), don't miss the message. You can still listen to your body when something hurts. Work on your discipline to slow down or stop when your body is telling you to. You'll gain a lot more miles by being injury free than you'll lose by cutting a few runs short.

Barefoot Running = P90X for you Calves

When you start running barefoot, you will feel it in your calves. If I understand correctly, this is because you get a lot more motion in your stride. Your toes will actually bend back, you'll flex your arch, you elastic achilles will stretch (and in doing so preserve energy from one step to the next) and, finally, your calves will be totally destroyed...at least until they get used to it.

I've read in many places that a great way to get in some good barefoot running (especially as a beginner, but not limited to that) is to run on grass. I don't have much grass to run on nearby to my office or my house so I've never really done that much. Surprisingly I usually run barefoot on sidewalks and roads. I'd run barefoot on trails, but I just can't handle it. Maybe one day my feet will get used to it, but at least for now, it's just not fun and I run for fun so you do the math. Anyway, I finally did a long run on grass today and WOW, that reminded me of what it was like to first start running barefoot. It is really exhausting for your calves. What a good workout.

So, I took a long time to make my point, but if you want a killer calf workout, run barefoot on grass.

Running at Work

Like many people, my job can be a bit stressful sometimes. Eight or so hours a day completely focused can be enough to make me go crazy. This has made me appreciate running even more. Going for a run during my lunch hour is a great opportunity to let my mind relax and get the blood flowing. It makes for a much more productive last-half-of-the-day.

My work is located in Park City, Utah. For those who don't know, this is a mountainous area. There are endless beautiful trails, at least when they're not covered in snow. A few trails are accessible by just running directly from my office. Others are just a short drive. I couldn't be more lucky. I don't live in Park City. It's about a 40 minute commute to get there and I used to dread it. But over the years I have come to appreciate working in such a beautiful place.

I went on a run last week that was a fantastic example. I generally like to keep my running gear at work because I don't always know when I'll get a chance to go. When my schedule is open for a run, I can be on the trail in just a few minutes. I chose to run the Glen Wild loop. It's a beautiful single track on fairly dry terrain that is graciously maintained by the private neighborhood which contains it (called Glen Wild, in case you couldn't guess). Only, on this day it wasn't so dry. I was slipping a sliding in places, but managed to keep my feet under me. I like to run in this area because there is a whole spiderweb of trails there, providing lots of different distance options, plus it's close to work. You can just head out with no idea how far you want to go and just figure out a route as you go.

After going on a run like this, I come back to work and I literally have to think for a second to remember what I was working on. Just another reason to love running.

What is this blog?

About a year ago, I read a book called "Born to Run" which encourages barefoot running, among other things. I have loved running for almost my whole life and it sounded fun to give it a try. I have had my share of running injuries. It seems that some part of me breaks at least once a year. In fact, at the time I read "Born to Run" I was unable to run because of a small tear in my left meniscus. So, natrually, I hoped to have some fantastic results, but that wasn't the only reason to try barefoot running. I just love running and I thought it would be fun to try it barefoot.

Over the past year I have had a fantastic time barefoot running. I have been injury free and having fun. I'm not claiming that barefoot running will keep you injury free. There could be other factors in play. But, I do know that I feel good for one reason or another and that I've had a blast feeling the earth beneath my feet.

I really don't want to write some big long post trying to convert everyone to barefoot running. I just wanted to introduce the blog a bit. So, with that, I'm done.