New Baby, New Desire

For the last three weeks in anticipation for the arrival of our new son and for the St. George Marathon (STG), I feel that I have a new and advanced desire to excel. When it comes to running, I have a goal to go under 2:30 in the marathon and top 10 at STG. My big marathon this year is STG. I haven't run this one before, but I know that many of my friends have run it. It has always been a fast one for them. I am really looking forward to that race. I have resolved to be better at documenting my running and my life in general. I have been able to hit 70 miles the last two weeks and I can really feel that it is helping my over

Grant Todd was born 7/22/2015 at 5:09 AM at 8 lbs. 12 oz. and 20 1/12". It was an awesome experience and one that I really respect Jamie for. She delivered naturally and without any drugs besides some ibuprofen afterward. I believe she is in better shape right after than she was weeks after Miles. She handled it better than what all the books described. I knew she could do it, I just didn't realize how well she was prepared for it.

I am also really excited to represent two companies that have already shown some love. UtahRunning.com and VooRay. With VooRay just starting in the last week and is an awesome lifestyle brand out of Logan, Utah. UtahRunning.com is my first sponsor that has allowed me to race more and has gotten me to be more committed to my training.

I ran from the hospital today and at about 10 AM for 10 miles. Went down through South Ogden. Weather has been awesome all of July. If I were to run at 10 AM any other year it would probably already be 90+ degrees but it was well below 90 today.

Home to Rainbow Gardens

Easter celebrations and mowing lawns in the morning set my normal Saturday run back a few hours. I wasn't sure how I would feel with having eaten dinner before, but about 6:30 I got out on my run. I have been dreaming about a long run that I don't have to run on the road. At the end of this run, I ran on the road for about 2-5 minutes. I found a road/trail that can start right behind our house and will wrap around the base of Ben Lomond toward North Ogden divide. The road was rocky and was up and down the whole way, but it was beautiful! Looking out over the valley while running in a place I had never been before gave me an experience I don't very often get. Crossing the divide was the first trail-marker. Being on the trail up above the North Ogden divide road looking down on the cars coming up was a feeling of accomplishment. I don't think that too many runners have ever gotten to run what I have just run. From the divide I came down onto mountain road that met up the canal road. This little bit of road was the only road that I had to run on, besides crossing the divide. Hopping onto the canal road was where I felt comfortable enough to slide in my earplugs and listen to some tunes. For about the next hour was filled with looking down at mountain road and looking back at Ben Lomond. I saw that my time had almost ran out. I told Jamie that I would meet her at Weber State in an hour and a half. I knew I wouldn't make that. After only having passed one running about 67 minutes into the run, I needed to find someone with a phone to let Jamie know that I wasn't going to make it that far. After a few walkers said they didn't have a phone on them (liars) I got to Raindow Gardens at the mouth of Ogden Canyon (Sweet place to start or finish a run). From there I still needed a phone, walking up to the doors to the gift shop there were three teens just looking for something to do let me use their phone to call Jamie and let her know that my time was up and wasn't going to make it as far as I thought. I ran for about 1.5 hours, not sure how far it was, but either way the course felt like it was equivalent to 15 miles, but again at the same time I felt strong like my heart rate was not ever too far out of hand. Little pain in my knee as I came down the canyon, but I feel it was just the feeling of a good trail run. Great run I will be running that one again soon. Next Saturday my plan is a 20 miler, so my thinking right now is starting at 500 west hitting the canal road and seeing how long it is from there to Weber State. It would also be a run that is almost entirely on trails/canal roads. I live in a great place to run..... beautiful.