This is what my summer will look like
8 years ago
Showing posts with label Running. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Running. Show all posts
Saturday, May 24, 2014
Friday, July 29, 2011
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Caught in the Storm
Today's 20 mile run nearly killed me. And I don't mean that metaphorically speaking. Here's the story.
Arrived at The Point of the Mountain at the designated time of 8:30. The only other person from the running club to show up was Blaine. He had previously told me he would run my 20 miler with me. This was to be my peak run prior to the Salt Lake City Marathon next month.
It was 38 degrees and overcast when I woke up this morning. I had checked the weather earlier this week and thought I was good for rain/snow. 38 is a "warm" starting out temperature, so I went out with just shorts and a light weight, short sleeve tech t-shirt. Blaine, proven to be much wiser than me on a number of occasions, put on a pair of running pants last minute with his jacket.
It was windy on the exposed mountain top, so I was a little cold, but once we dropped down into Draper, I was fine. I simply didn't want to carry the extra weight of additional layers if they were only going to make me overheat. I've been the smart one many times this winter while everyone else was stripping off clothing mid run.
We kept a slow pace on purpose. Burning out early on a 20 miler is no fun.
Mile 1 9:28
Mile 2 9:25
Mile 3 9:14
Mile 4 9:20
Mile 5 9:20
Mile 6 8:53
We ran about a half mile with a couple guys just before Draper Park. You could tell they were runners and we chatted about various races around Utah for a bit. They had us doing an 8:15 pace for part of this mile, thus the faster split time. We stopped at the library to get a drink, but it didn't open till 10:00. I wasn't really thirsty and Blaine had brought his hydration pack. I told you he's smarter than me.
By now it was sprinkling a few drops her e and there, but that's all. What was worrying me a little was that the temperature hadn't risen any. I wasn't cold, but if it did start to rain, I'd be in trouble.
Mile 7 9:20
Mile 8 9:17 (This is where we turned around the last time we ran this trail)
Mile 9 9:12
Mile 10 9:23
Our turnaround point ended up being the Sandy TRAX station on about 10th South. We both took a GU and headed back the way we came. A pretty easy 10 miles.
Mile 11 9:26
So the wind was at our backs on the way out. It was now blowing into our face and felt colder than when we started this morning. Plus, you could see a storm had moved in off the mountains. It started to lightly rain.
Mile 12 9:07
It's raining harder and my exposed hands and arms are going numb. The temperature is still above freezing, but the wind is hitting the water and causing me a lot of pain. The rest of my body is still ok. I was vocally complaining about it. (Sorry Blaine) Our pace picked up a little because of it.
Mile 13 9:09
Shortly after passing one of those doggie poop bag dispensers, it occurred to me I could use them as gloves and wrist covers. I should have backtracked a little bit to get some, but I didn't. Big mistake. By the time we reached the library, my lower arms and hands were totally numb and my shirt was soaked through.
We went into the bathroom and I spent about 5 minutes defrosting my hands under the blow dryer. It hurt and then itched as feeling came back. We dried our hair with paper towels, ate a granola bar, and I drank for the first time from the fountain. It took us 30 seconds of staring at the pouring rain from the lobby before forcing ourselves to go back out.
Fortunately we found another poop bag dispenser just past Draper Park with a little more than 6 miles to go. The next couple miles weren't completely miserable now that my hands and wrists were shielded from the wind and rain. When we hit another stand, Blaine not only put on a pair himself, but had the great idea to double up. More warmth.
Mile 14 9:24
Mile 15 9:17
Mile 16 9:39
It's raining hard and we are both suffering quite bad at this point. The rain has made it through my shoes and shorts. The temperature is right at freezing now. Every gust of wind causes brain freeze like we just downed a Slushie. Our eyes are freezing shut, and I have stupid SUN BLOCK running into mine. Glad I rubbed that everywhere before I left.
It's at this point that we are both trying to stay positive, yet growing seriously concerned inside. I'm losing feeling in my body part by part. Fingers, hands, arms, face, shoulders, and then stomach. We stopped under a bridge to wipe the water from our hair and face, but I was really nervous to stop at this point. The only thing generating any heat in my body right now was the running.
Mile 17 8:37
I was pushing us to run faster. To generate more heat? Get to the cars quicker? Freeze our faces faster? I don't know. My brain wasn't working very well by this point. I'd been praying since mile 16 to make it to the cars. That was my only constant thought. That, and don't stop. Speed up if possible. I was a mule driver to Blaine, who's pants kept falling down from the weight of the water. I felt bad for being such a bully, but I was afraid to leave him behind and I was terrified of walking.
The rain turned to snow. Heavy snow. The only benefit here being that we could see better without rain pelting our eye balls. Unfortunately, the damage from the rain was already done. My socks had gone from moist to soggy sponges. Water had penetrated both layers of my shorts. My shirt was freezing to my torso and weighed about 5 pounds. In retrospect, I should have taken it off. It was doing more harm than good.
I remember thinking how beautiful the snow looked. Massive flakes everywhere. These last 3 miles are mostly uphill as we climbed The Point of the Mountain. The storm got worse the higher we went.
Mile 18 9:10
Mile 19 9:51
I thought we were going faster, but then again, I couldn't feel my legs anymore. I had been very concerned for the last 3 miles, but as we entered the last mile, I'm not joking when I say that I was afraid we might not make it. I was weighing the options of flagging down a motorist at the next road crossing, but was afraid to risk stopping even for that. We had been talking about getting so cold that we no longer felt it, and I had reached that point. If either of us had stopped at that point, it would have been lights out in 5 minutes.
Mile 20 8:49
I felt bad about it, but this is where I pulled ahead of Blaine who began slowing on the uphill. I was in survival mode and justified it in my mind because he had more layers on than me. I had to make my car soon or I wouldn't make it at all. I wasn't cold, but my entire body was throbbing in pain. I couldn't bend my fingers or arms. I could literally feel my body shutting down the last half mile. I kept tensing my muscles and then releasing to keep the blood flowing.
I was splashing through giant puddles that I didn't have the energy to dodge. It didn't matter. I couldn't get anymore wet than I already was. I began screaming for no other reason than to know I still had control over something. The last quarter mile was along the frontage road. the cars on the freeway were just 20 feet to my right behind a fence. My one reassuring thought was that if I collapsed, somebody would probably pull over and get me. They must have though I was insane to be running in shorts and a t-shirt in this blizzard.
I reached my car and it was covered with snow. It took me about 30 seconds to get the zipper down on my shorts and fish the key out of my pocket. My fingers were completely useless. I pressed as hard as I could on the unlock button, but couldn't tell if it had even gone down. After trying to get the key in the lock, I remembered I didn't need to do that and opened the door. I used every bit of focus I had left to turn the ignition and then cranked the heat.
I got the car in 1st and sped out down the road to find Blaine. By then, he was only a hundred yards out and waved me off, so I drove back and parked next to him again. I started breathing uncontrollably after a few minutes. Rapid short breaths that racked my whole body. I wanted a drink, but I couldn't get the lid of my water bottle off, so I gave up. I wised up and took my shirt off and then slowly got my arms through the sleeves of a dry jacket I had in the car.
After 15 minutes I was still shivering and breathing uncontrollably. The car heater wasn't getting the job done, so I switched the heat to unfog my windshield and made a break for home. Worst stick shift driving I've ever done. My brain was fuzzy. I felt like a drunk driver. Pulled into my garage, ran inside, and stripped my clothes off as I bee-lined for the shower. My breathing hadn't slowed. Still rapid fire breaths that I couldn't control.
I turned the shower onto a warm setting, but it felt like hot lava on my body, so I switched it to cold. After 5 minutes my breathing slowed to normal. I slowly increased the temperature every couple minutes. It hurt like crazy as each body part regained feeling. My stomach was the worst. Sat on the floor of the shower for at least a half hour. The storm outside is brutal. Snow and wind that lasted into the night.
Definitely the coldest I've ever been and the worst training run I've ever had. This storm caught me by surprise and I'm not lying when I say I feared for my life towards the end. Had the cars been any further out or we been in a more remote area, this blog post would never have been written. You can read Blaine's account at his blog.
Arrived at The Point of the Mountain at the designated time of 8:30. The only other person from the running club to show up was Blaine. He had previously told me he would run my 20 miler with me. This was to be my peak run prior to the Salt Lake City Marathon next month.
It was 38 degrees and overcast when I woke up this morning. I had checked the weather earlier this week and thought I was good for rain/snow. 38 is a "warm" starting out temperature, so I went out with just shorts and a light weight, short sleeve tech t-shirt. Blaine, proven to be much wiser than me on a number of occasions, put on a pair of running pants last minute with his jacket.
It was windy on the exposed mountain top, so I was a little cold, but once we dropped down into Draper, I was fine. I simply didn't want to carry the extra weight of additional layers if they were only going to make me overheat. I've been the smart one many times this winter while everyone else was stripping off clothing mid run.
We kept a slow pace on purpose. Burning out early on a 20 miler is no fun.
Mile 1 9:28
Mile 2 9:25
Mile 3 9:14
Mile 4 9:20
Mile 5 9:20
Mile 6 8:53
We ran about a half mile with a couple guys just before Draper Park. You could tell they were runners and we chatted about various races around Utah for a bit. They had us doing an 8:15 pace for part of this mile, thus the faster split time. We stopped at the library to get a drink, but it didn't open till 10:00. I wasn't really thirsty and Blaine had brought his hydration pack. I told you he's smarter than me.
By now it was sprinkling a few drops her e and there, but that's all. What was worrying me a little was that the temperature hadn't risen any. I wasn't cold, but if it did start to rain, I'd be in trouble.
Mile 7 9:20
Mile 8 9:17 (This is where we turned around the last time we ran this trail)
Mile 9 9:12
Mile 10 9:23
Our turnaround point ended up being the Sandy TRAX station on about 10th South. We both took a GU and headed back the way we came. A pretty easy 10 miles.
Mile 11 9:26
So the wind was at our backs on the way out. It was now blowing into our face and felt colder than when we started this morning. Plus, you could see a storm had moved in off the mountains. It started to lightly rain.
Mile 12 9:07
It's raining harder and my exposed hands and arms are going numb. The temperature is still above freezing, but the wind is hitting the water and causing me a lot of pain. The rest of my body is still ok. I was vocally complaining about it. (Sorry Blaine) Our pace picked up a little because of it.
Mile 13 9:09
Shortly after passing one of those doggie poop bag dispensers, it occurred to me I could use them as gloves and wrist covers. I should have backtracked a little bit to get some, but I didn't. Big mistake. By the time we reached the library, my lower arms and hands were totally numb and my shirt was soaked through.
We went into the bathroom and I spent about 5 minutes defrosting my hands under the blow dryer. It hurt and then itched as feeling came back. We dried our hair with paper towels, ate a granola bar, and I drank for the first time from the fountain. It took us 30 seconds of staring at the pouring rain from the lobby before forcing ourselves to go back out.
Fortunately we found another poop bag dispenser just past Draper Park with a little more than 6 miles to go. The next couple miles weren't completely miserable now that my hands and wrists were shielded from the wind and rain. When we hit another stand, Blaine not only put on a pair himself, but had the great idea to double up. More warmth.
Mile 14 9:24
Mile 15 9:17
Mile 16 9:39
It's raining hard and we are both suffering quite bad at this point. The rain has made it through my shoes and shorts. The temperature is right at freezing now. Every gust of wind causes brain freeze like we just downed a Slushie. Our eyes are freezing shut, and I have stupid SUN BLOCK running into mine. Glad I rubbed that everywhere before I left.
It's at this point that we are both trying to stay positive, yet growing seriously concerned inside. I'm losing feeling in my body part by part. Fingers, hands, arms, face, shoulders, and then stomach. We stopped under a bridge to wipe the water from our hair and face, but I was really nervous to stop at this point. The only thing generating any heat in my body right now was the running.
Mile 17 8:37
I was pushing us to run faster. To generate more heat? Get to the cars quicker? Freeze our faces faster? I don't know. My brain wasn't working very well by this point. I'd been praying since mile 16 to make it to the cars. That was my only constant thought. That, and don't stop. Speed up if possible. I was a mule driver to Blaine, who's pants kept falling down from the weight of the water. I felt bad for being such a bully, but I was afraid to leave him behind and I was terrified of walking.
The rain turned to snow. Heavy snow. The only benefit here being that we could see better without rain pelting our eye balls. Unfortunately, the damage from the rain was already done. My socks had gone from moist to soggy sponges. Water had penetrated both layers of my shorts. My shirt was freezing to my torso and weighed about 5 pounds. In retrospect, I should have taken it off. It was doing more harm than good.
I remember thinking how beautiful the snow looked. Massive flakes everywhere. These last 3 miles are mostly uphill as we climbed The Point of the Mountain. The storm got worse the higher we went.
Mile 18 9:10
Mile 19 9:51
I thought we were going faster, but then again, I couldn't feel my legs anymore. I had been very concerned for the last 3 miles, but as we entered the last mile, I'm not joking when I say that I was afraid we might not make it. I was weighing the options of flagging down a motorist at the next road crossing, but was afraid to risk stopping even for that. We had been talking about getting so cold that we no longer felt it, and I had reached that point. If either of us had stopped at that point, it would have been lights out in 5 minutes.
Mile 20 8:49
I felt bad about it, but this is where I pulled ahead of Blaine who began slowing on the uphill. I was in survival mode and justified it in my mind because he had more layers on than me. I had to make my car soon or I wouldn't make it at all. I wasn't cold, but my entire body was throbbing in pain. I couldn't bend my fingers or arms. I could literally feel my body shutting down the last half mile. I kept tensing my muscles and then releasing to keep the blood flowing.
I was splashing through giant puddles that I didn't have the energy to dodge. It didn't matter. I couldn't get anymore wet than I already was. I began screaming for no other reason than to know I still had control over something. The last quarter mile was along the frontage road. the cars on the freeway were just 20 feet to my right behind a fence. My one reassuring thought was that if I collapsed, somebody would probably pull over and get me. They must have though I was insane to be running in shorts and a t-shirt in this blizzard.
I reached my car and it was covered with snow. It took me about 30 seconds to get the zipper down on my shorts and fish the key out of my pocket. My fingers were completely useless. I pressed as hard as I could on the unlock button, but couldn't tell if it had even gone down. After trying to get the key in the lock, I remembered I didn't need to do that and opened the door. I used every bit of focus I had left to turn the ignition and then cranked the heat.
I got the car in 1st and sped out down the road to find Blaine. By then, he was only a hundred yards out and waved me off, so I drove back and parked next to him again. I started breathing uncontrollably after a few minutes. Rapid short breaths that racked my whole body. I wanted a drink, but I couldn't get the lid of my water bottle off, so I gave up. I wised up and took my shirt off and then slowly got my arms through the sleeves of a dry jacket I had in the car.
After 15 minutes I was still shivering and breathing uncontrollably. The car heater wasn't getting the job done, so I switched the heat to unfog my windshield and made a break for home. Worst stick shift driving I've ever done. My brain was fuzzy. I felt like a drunk driver. Pulled into my garage, ran inside, and stripped my clothes off as I bee-lined for the shower. My breathing hadn't slowed. Still rapid fire breaths that I couldn't control.
I turned the shower onto a warm setting, but it felt like hot lava on my body, so I switched it to cold. After 5 minutes my breathing slowed to normal. I slowly increased the temperature every couple minutes. It hurt like crazy as each body part regained feeling. My stomach was the worst. Sat on the floor of the shower for at least a half hour. The storm outside is brutal. Snow and wind that lasted into the night.
Definitely the coldest I've ever been and the worst training run I've ever had. This storm caught me by surprise and I'm not lying when I say I feared for my life towards the end. Had the cars been any further out or we been in a more remote area, this blog post would never have been written. You can read Blaine's account at his blog.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Running in Malaysia
Not a good idea.
I plotted a 7 mile route on Google Maps this afternoon. It was overcast and rainy outside, so I figured this would be my best chance to survive the heat. Only 81 degrees out with 90% humidity. I brought along my smaller fuel belt, some money, and my room key. First mistake: realizing I forgot the paper with my directions a couple minutes into the run. Second mistake: thinking I had a good enough mental visualization of the map inside my head.
Turns out it probably wouldn't have mattered either way, as street signs are pretty scarce. I think I stayed the course for about 2-3 miles. After that, it's a mystery. Since I'm chalking this up as one of my worst runs ever, let me start with some of the positives before I go off on any rants.
Malaysian people are friendly. Men and women of all ages will shout out English greetings as I run by. Some get in a few sentences. "You are jogging. It is raining outside. You are getting wet." It got me thinking about how strange that would be if we did the same thing in the US. If we yelled out "Konichiwa" at every Asian we passed, or "Hola, Como Esta" at Latin Americans. It would be down right offensive. But in less integrated society's around the world, it's perfectly normal to shout out English words at any white person you see. It must seriously piss the French off.
It rained most of the time, which helped keep me from overheating.
I got in 11-12 miles instead of my planned 7.
I didn't get seriously injured or killed.
OK, so those are the good things; here are the not so good:
Traffic. I couldn't escape it. Cars are everywhere, and the exhaust was oppressive. It's like trying to run while breathing through a tail pipe. My throat was burning by the time I finished.
Sidewalks. When they have them, they are in always in a state of disrepair, and oftentimes covering a sewer drain below. Large holes appear out of nowhere. Half the time I was running on grass and dirt paths beside the road, inches from traffic.
Rivers are normally very scenic to run along, but here they stink and are filled with garbage and sewage. In fact, trash is everywhere. Almost everything is in a state of disrepair except for the handful of fancy resorts.
Right of way. As in most 3rd world countries, cars have the right of way. If you get hit, it's your own fault for not being more careful. They won't stop for you. I'm pretty good at being aware of my surroundings, but...
In Malaysia, they drive on the left side of the road, so I had to remember to run on the right side so I could see traffic coming. But sometimes, the left side had a sidewalk, so I'd switch, and then in a moment of forgetfulness, I'd forget which way cars were coming and have a few close calls. I wish I could have had a mounted video camera with me to record the miracle that was making it back in one piece.
In the US, people walk in the same fashion they drive--meaning we usually keep to the right side so those coming in the opposite direction can pass on our left. Not the case here. Dodging other pedestrians on the sidewalk, especially those with umbrellas, often resulted in a little side to side action before passing.
I mentioned the lack of street signs and that I forgot my directions, so I quickly became lost, which for some reason always results in me running much further. Never shorted distances. Once I knew for sure I was lost, and I was out more than an hour, I stopped at a market to ask directions.
Those were good enough to get me in the vicinity, but I got lost again and found myself in a really poor neighborhood along the coast. Wooden walkways led out to little homes built on stilts above the water. These people would have no chance if a bad storm hit, let alone a tsunami.
I asked for directions again, and the girl hesitated before pointing down a tiny road. I soon found out why. It led to the beach that lies between the stilt village and the Shangri-La. The beach was covered with garbage of every kind. There's no trash service--just the rivers and ocean. Very sad. Ran along the beach, dodging iron scraps and broken bottles until I reached a dirt trail through a jungly area.
It was getting dark and just as I emerged into one of the outlying parking lots and could see the hotel in front of me, a bug flew straight into my eye. It stung like mad, and I pawed and poked to try and get it out. I dumped the last of my water into my eyeball, hoping to wash the critter away.
Ran to my room and jumped in the shower where I let more cold water flush out my eye. Took about an hour before it stopped hurting. I was gone for 1 hour 48 minutes. By the time I was showered and dressed, I realized I was running late for our cultural dinner & show. Rushed to the lobby, but the bus had already left. One of the bellmen said they had left 5 minutes ago and called a taxi to take me there.
We caught up to the bus and passed them, so I arrived 5 minutes early. I merged into my group after they arrived, and it seems nobody had any idea I was even missing. Which, is kind of sad. I need to work on making more of an impact.
So, I'm glad I got in a long run, but there's no way I'm doing 20 outside. Breathing in that exhaust and flirting with a hit-and-run is not worth it. I'll see what I can do on the treadmill instead.
I plotted a 7 mile route on Google Maps this afternoon. It was overcast and rainy outside, so I figured this would be my best chance to survive the heat. Only 81 degrees out with 90% humidity. I brought along my smaller fuel belt, some money, and my room key. First mistake: realizing I forgot the paper with my directions a couple minutes into the run. Second mistake: thinking I had a good enough mental visualization of the map inside my head.
Turns out it probably wouldn't have mattered either way, as street signs are pretty scarce. I think I stayed the course for about 2-3 miles. After that, it's a mystery. Since I'm chalking this up as one of my worst runs ever, let me start with some of the positives before I go off on any rants.
Malaysian people are friendly. Men and women of all ages will shout out English greetings as I run by. Some get in a few sentences. "You are jogging. It is raining outside. You are getting wet." It got me thinking about how strange that would be if we did the same thing in the US. If we yelled out "Konichiwa" at every Asian we passed, or "Hola, Como Esta" at Latin Americans. It would be down right offensive. But in less integrated society's around the world, it's perfectly normal to shout out English words at any white person you see. It must seriously piss the French off.
It rained most of the time, which helped keep me from overheating.
I got in 11-12 miles instead of my planned 7.
I didn't get seriously injured or killed.
OK, so those are the good things; here are the not so good:
Traffic. I couldn't escape it. Cars are everywhere, and the exhaust was oppressive. It's like trying to run while breathing through a tail pipe. My throat was burning by the time I finished.
Sidewalks. When they have them, they are in always in a state of disrepair, and oftentimes covering a sewer drain below. Large holes appear out of nowhere. Half the time I was running on grass and dirt paths beside the road, inches from traffic.
Rivers are normally very scenic to run along, but here they stink and are filled with garbage and sewage. In fact, trash is everywhere. Almost everything is in a state of disrepair except for the handful of fancy resorts.
Right of way. As in most 3rd world countries, cars have the right of way. If you get hit, it's your own fault for not being more careful. They won't stop for you. I'm pretty good at being aware of my surroundings, but...
In Malaysia, they drive on the left side of the road, so I had to remember to run on the right side so I could see traffic coming. But sometimes, the left side had a sidewalk, so I'd switch, and then in a moment of forgetfulness, I'd forget which way cars were coming and have a few close calls. I wish I could have had a mounted video camera with me to record the miracle that was making it back in one piece.
In the US, people walk in the same fashion they drive--meaning we usually keep to the right side so those coming in the opposite direction can pass on our left. Not the case here. Dodging other pedestrians on the sidewalk, especially those with umbrellas, often resulted in a little side to side action before passing.
I mentioned the lack of street signs and that I forgot my directions, so I quickly became lost, which for some reason always results in me running much further. Never shorted distances. Once I knew for sure I was lost, and I was out more than an hour, I stopped at a market to ask directions.
Those were good enough to get me in the vicinity, but I got lost again and found myself in a really poor neighborhood along the coast. Wooden walkways led out to little homes built on stilts above the water. These people would have no chance if a bad storm hit, let alone a tsunami.
I asked for directions again, and the girl hesitated before pointing down a tiny road. I soon found out why. It led to the beach that lies between the stilt village and the Shangri-La. The beach was covered with garbage of every kind. There's no trash service--just the rivers and ocean. Very sad. Ran along the beach, dodging iron scraps and broken bottles until I reached a dirt trail through a jungly area.
It was getting dark and just as I emerged into one of the outlying parking lots and could see the hotel in front of me, a bug flew straight into my eye. It stung like mad, and I pawed and poked to try and get it out. I dumped the last of my water into my eyeball, hoping to wash the critter away.
Ran to my room and jumped in the shower where I let more cold water flush out my eye. Took about an hour before it stopped hurting. I was gone for 1 hour 48 minutes. By the time I was showered and dressed, I realized I was running late for our cultural dinner & show. Rushed to the lobby, but the bus had already left. One of the bellmen said they had left 5 minutes ago and called a taxi to take me there.
We caught up to the bus and passed them, so I arrived 5 minutes early. I merged into my group after they arrived, and it seems nobody had any idea I was even missing. Which, is kind of sad. I need to work on making more of an impact.
So, I'm glad I got in a long run, but there's no way I'm doing 20 outside. Breathing in that exhaust and flirting with a hit-and-run is not worth it. I'll see what I can do on the treadmill instead.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Road Map
I get tired of running the same routes, so sometimes on my longer runs I'll map out a course through areas I haven't been through before. I have to write out directions and bring them with me so I don't get lost. This page below took me on a 16 mile tour of Highland and Lehi. Dang cold out, with a touch of snow. We should get more tonight.
Quick shout out to my dad who bested me today, going 17 miles. I'd link to his blog, but he hasn't posted in months. (hint hint)
Quick shout out to my dad who bested me today, going 17 miles. I'd link to his blog, but he hasn't posted in months. (hint hint)
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Coachella 2008: Saturday
Apr 26th – Sat:
My plan was to get 4 hours sleep, wake up at 6:00, and tackle the 18 mile run I had mapped out for myself. That was the plan. The reality is I screwed up setting the alarm, woke up on my own at 7:00, rushed to get ready, do a bit of stretching, and wolf down a banana before heading out at 7:20. My route took me north, outside of Palm Springs to a dirt road that cuts through the desert.
By 8:30 it was already blazing hot and I was about to begin the climb up the mountain to where they have a tram. I was at 500’ and had to reach 2600’ over the next 4 miles. This didn’t seem like such a big deal on paper, however I had not planned on it being so hot or the road so steep.
The first 2 miles were on the same dirt road I was following. I was trying to conserve water until I could make it to the top and refill my two belt containers. Soon after connecting to the paved road, I caught up to an old guy who was walking up to the creek. I joined him for awhile, as I was starting to overheat.
After he turned back, I alternated running and walking until I reached the top. My water was long gone and I was really fatigued. Great view though. Drank from a drinking fountain and filled up my two bottles. Checked the time. 9:30. A little worried since we were supposed to leave for the festival around 10:30. Started down the mountain.
Fast pace the whole way down, but my legs and feet took a beating. By the time I reached the bottom I was beat. It was in the 90’s already and I was getting burned, plus, I still had 4 miles to go. Jogged another mile until my left foot felt like it was broken. Every step was really painful. And even though I still had water, I was starting to get that tingly feeling in my hands, which I know from personal experience, means I unable to cool down and getting close to sun stroke.
So I tried hitch-hiking. I thought someone would for sure pick me up. I was clearly not carrying any weapons, and anyone could see from my red face that I was dying out there in the heat. Nobody stopped. I continued jogging and hitching for another mile without any luck. I probably could have made it home, but it was way past when I should have been back, so went inside a realtor office and used their phone to call the hotel and ask for a ride. So embarrassing. I’ve never had to be “rescued” before.
I only made it 16 of the 18 miles I needed, and some of that was walking, so I’m concerned about whether I’ll be ready for the marathon. Hopefully the heat and hill training will make up the difference. Hurried and showered, choked down a PB&J, and headed to Coachella.
Rachel had two Saturday tickets to scalp and I had 1 for Sunday. She was able to get face value for hers, while I had to let mine go for $30 less than face. If I go again next year, I’m just gonna buy some scalped tickets outside. It seems they always go for less the day off, even if they sell out.
I had to really take it easy today. I was already burned and exhausted from my run, so I sought shade and sat as much as possible.
The Bird And The Bee:
Their jazzy pop isn’t my favorite, but they sounded great and put on a good show.
Man Man:
5 dudes that really get into their performance. They incorporate a lot of instruments and are quite entertaining to watch.
DeVotchKa:
A fantastic band that didn’t live up to my expectations live. Pretty much came down to poor song choice. Plus, I let myself be exposed to the sun for their show. Left early to see…
Cold War Kids:
Glad I did. They sounded great on the main stage, and like The Raconteurs, translated well to a big arena with their indie rock style.
Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks:
However, did not. I expected much better things, but again, poor song selection led to a disappointing set.
Death Cab For Cutie:
The theme continues, unfortunately, as Death Cab chose to play a series of average songs, instead of the clear fan favorites. Additionally, whoever was mixing their sound was doing a terrible job. A few bright spots, but mostly bland.
Rilo Kiley:
I’ve never been a big fan, so it came as no surprise that I wasn’t thrilled by seeing them live. Left early to see…
M.I.A.:
Honestly, one of the artists I was most excited to see in the entire festival. Which of course set me up to be highly let down when she played only a few decent songs, and let all of them drone on forever, interspersed with her babbling to nobody in particular when they did finally end. Pretty much a huge mess on stage. I think a good 10 minutes of her set was spent complaining about the lights. Skip the show, buy the CDs.
Portishead:
HOORAY! A band that actually lived up to expectations. They are phenomenal live, and played their best songs from all their albums. Even the new stuff I had never heard before was excellent. Glad I got to see them.
Prince:
Starting at close to 11:00, he ensured that almost the entire crowd was at his stage, since there was nobody else to see by then. I think 90% of the crowd was there out of complete curiosity. Sure, I like some old Prince classics, but the guy has put out like 30 albums, and 99% of it sucks. Sorry Prince.
Morris Day and the Time (I think) opened things up, which was fun, and then Sheila E. came out to do her thing. Once Prince took over, things went downhill fast. I guess he though people were as familiar with his discography as he was, since he pulled out some real obscure numbers to drive away the crowd with. We caught a couple hits and then called it a night.
With Prince serenading us faintly in the background, we got lost trying to find the car and stumbled around in the dark for an hour before finding it. Poor Rachel had a sore foot and could barely walk. Prince was still playing when we left. He made have gone all night for all I know. He’s Prince after all.
Not sure what time we made it to bed. Sometime after 3:00 I think. All of us felt like we had sparred a few rounds with Mike Tyson. Can’t believe Jon and I went all 3 days last year.
My plan was to get 4 hours sleep, wake up at 6:00, and tackle the 18 mile run I had mapped out for myself. That was the plan. The reality is I screwed up setting the alarm, woke up on my own at 7:00, rushed to get ready, do a bit of stretching, and wolf down a banana before heading out at 7:20. My route took me north, outside of Palm Springs to a dirt road that cuts through the desert.
By 8:30 it was already blazing hot and I was about to begin the climb up the mountain to where they have a tram. I was at 500’ and had to reach 2600’ over the next 4 miles. This didn’t seem like such a big deal on paper, however I had not planned on it being so hot or the road so steep.
The first 2 miles were on the same dirt road I was following. I was trying to conserve water until I could make it to the top and refill my two belt containers. Soon after connecting to the paved road, I caught up to an old guy who was walking up to the creek. I joined him for awhile, as I was starting to overheat.
After he turned back, I alternated running and walking until I reached the top. My water was long gone and I was really fatigued. Great view though. Drank from a drinking fountain and filled up my two bottles. Checked the time. 9:30. A little worried since we were supposed to leave for the festival around 10:30. Started down the mountain.
Fast pace the whole way down, but my legs and feet took a beating. By the time I reached the bottom I was beat. It was in the 90’s already and I was getting burned, plus, I still had 4 miles to go. Jogged another mile until my left foot felt like it was broken. Every step was really painful. And even though I still had water, I was starting to get that tingly feeling in my hands, which I know from personal experience, means I unable to cool down and getting close to sun stroke.
So I tried hitch-hiking. I thought someone would for sure pick me up. I was clearly not carrying any weapons, and anyone could see from my red face that I was dying out there in the heat. Nobody stopped. I continued jogging and hitching for another mile without any luck. I probably could have made it home, but it was way past when I should have been back, so went inside a realtor office and used their phone to call the hotel and ask for a ride. So embarrassing. I’ve never had to be “rescued” before.
I only made it 16 of the 18 miles I needed, and some of that was walking, so I’m concerned about whether I’ll be ready for the marathon. Hopefully the heat and hill training will make up the difference. Hurried and showered, choked down a PB&J, and headed to Coachella.
Rachel had two Saturday tickets to scalp and I had 1 for Sunday. She was able to get face value for hers, while I had to let mine go for $30 less than face. If I go again next year, I’m just gonna buy some scalped tickets outside. It seems they always go for less the day off, even if they sell out.
I had to really take it easy today. I was already burned and exhausted from my run, so I sought shade and sat as much as possible.
The Bird And The Bee:
Their jazzy pop isn’t my favorite, but they sounded great and put on a good show.
Man Man:
5 dudes that really get into their performance. They incorporate a lot of instruments and are quite entertaining to watch.
DeVotchKa:
A fantastic band that didn’t live up to my expectations live. Pretty much came down to poor song choice. Plus, I let myself be exposed to the sun for their show. Left early to see…
Cold War Kids:
Glad I did. They sounded great on the main stage, and like The Raconteurs, translated well to a big arena with their indie rock style.
Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks:
However, did not. I expected much better things, but again, poor song selection led to a disappointing set.
Death Cab For Cutie:
The theme continues, unfortunately, as Death Cab chose to play a series of average songs, instead of the clear fan favorites. Additionally, whoever was mixing their sound was doing a terrible job. A few bright spots, but mostly bland.
Rilo Kiley:
I’ve never been a big fan, so it came as no surprise that I wasn’t thrilled by seeing them live. Left early to see…
M.I.A.:
Honestly, one of the artists I was most excited to see in the entire festival. Which of course set me up to be highly let down when she played only a few decent songs, and let all of them drone on forever, interspersed with her babbling to nobody in particular when they did finally end. Pretty much a huge mess on stage. I think a good 10 minutes of her set was spent complaining about the lights. Skip the show, buy the CDs.
Portishead:
HOORAY! A band that actually lived up to expectations. They are phenomenal live, and played their best songs from all their albums. Even the new stuff I had never heard before was excellent. Glad I got to see them.
Prince:
Starting at close to 11:00, he ensured that almost the entire crowd was at his stage, since there was nobody else to see by then. I think 90% of the crowd was there out of complete curiosity. Sure, I like some old Prince classics, but the guy has put out like 30 albums, and 99% of it sucks. Sorry Prince.
Morris Day and the Time (I think) opened things up, which was fun, and then Sheila E. came out to do her thing. Once Prince took over, things went downhill fast. I guess he though people were as familiar with his discography as he was, since he pulled out some real obscure numbers to drive away the crowd with. We caught a couple hits and then called it a night.
With Prince serenading us faintly in the background, we got lost trying to find the car and stumbled around in the dark for an hour before finding it. Poor Rachel had a sore foot and could barely walk. Prince was still playing when we left. He made have gone all night for all I know. He’s Prince after all.
Not sure what time we made it to bed. Sometime after 3:00 I think. All of us felt like we had sparred a few rounds with Mike Tyson. Can’t believe Jon and I went all 3 days last year.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
On my way to Coachella 2007
Flew out from SLC this morning to Ontario, CA, where I'll meet up with my friend Jon driving down from Bakersfield. We are both first timers to Coachella and have high expectations for the weekend.
I'm using Marriott points this trip for our hotel rooms. At the Residence Inn Ontario Airport, they upgraded me to a penthouse suite. It's no Wynn suite or anything, but still a lot nicer than a standard room. Thanks to my job, I earn a lot of Marriott points, which earned me Platinum status. I've noticed they treat you much nicer when you flash the platinum.
A few pics of the suite:
Checked in early and then changed into my running clothes. I had Googled a thrift store location and planned to run there and check it out. But first, I stopped by a Yoshinoya joint for some quick fuel. It's 1:00, and this was my first meal of the day. Yoshinoya is a Japanese fast food place that serves up cheap rice bowls in a delicious sauce. I got one with chicken and vegetables. I had slipped a credit card and $20 in my pocket for purchases.
I literally ate and ran--out the door and into the Rancho Cucamonga area. On the way, I passed a lady sitting at a bus top. She yelled out "What are you running from?", something people say when they are trying to be funny. She didn't wait for a response, following it up with "Pansy!"
I kept running without proffering a comeback. What was I supposed to do? Stop and kick her ass? Besides, she rides the bus. That's its own punishment.
I had a printed out map in my other pocket, and eventually found the store about 5 miles out: Assistance League Thrift Store.
I was a little embarrassed, since I was sweating profusely when I entered the store. I probably didn't smell too good either. I thought it was going to be a waste of time, but then I happened upon a mint condition vintage Adidas jacket.
Of course then I had to run back to the hotel with a bag in my hand. The sun was beating down and I was pretty tired when I got back. Showered and caught up on work e mails and a few calls. I’m never really completely off duty, especially tonight with 7 meetings going on.
The nice thing about Residence Inn’s is that in addition to the free breakfast, they now have a free social hour from 5-7pm where a light dinner and drinks are served. I was surprised to see wine and beer on tap included. I didn’t partake, but the gentleman around me were throwing them back like it was free. Oh wait, it was free.
I washed my salad and burritos down with some Dr. Pepper. I had a debate in my head for a minute about how I shouldn’t be drinking soda while training, but Dr. Pepper and his year’s of medical experience made a great case. I had no choice.
Back to the suite to watch game 3 of the Suns vs. Lakers. Jon arrives later tonight. It’s been a great beginning to the trip. Hoping it only gets better from here.
I'm using Marriott points this trip for our hotel rooms. At the Residence Inn Ontario Airport, they upgraded me to a penthouse suite. It's no Wynn suite or anything, but still a lot nicer than a standard room. Thanks to my job, I earn a lot of Marriott points, which earned me Platinum status. I've noticed they treat you much nicer when you flash the platinum.
A few pics of the suite:
Checked in early and then changed into my running clothes. I had Googled a thrift store location and planned to run there and check it out. But first, I stopped by a Yoshinoya joint for some quick fuel. It's 1:00, and this was my first meal of the day. Yoshinoya is a Japanese fast food place that serves up cheap rice bowls in a delicious sauce. I got one with chicken and vegetables. I had slipped a credit card and $20 in my pocket for purchases.
I literally ate and ran--out the door and into the Rancho Cucamonga area. On the way, I passed a lady sitting at a bus top. She yelled out "What are you running from?", something people say when they are trying to be funny. She didn't wait for a response, following it up with "Pansy!"
I kept running without proffering a comeback. What was I supposed to do? Stop and kick her ass? Besides, she rides the bus. That's its own punishment.
I had a printed out map in my other pocket, and eventually found the store about 5 miles out: Assistance League Thrift Store.
I was a little embarrassed, since I was sweating profusely when I entered the store. I probably didn't smell too good either. I thought it was going to be a waste of time, but then I happened upon a mint condition vintage Adidas jacket.
Of course then I had to run back to the hotel with a bag in my hand. The sun was beating down and I was pretty tired when I got back. Showered and caught up on work e mails and a few calls. I’m never really completely off duty, especially tonight with 7 meetings going on.
The nice thing about Residence Inn’s is that in addition to the free breakfast, they now have a free social hour from 5-7pm where a light dinner and drinks are served. I was surprised to see wine and beer on tap included. I didn’t partake, but the gentleman around me were throwing them back like it was free. Oh wait, it was free.
I washed my salad and burritos down with some Dr. Pepper. I had a debate in my head for a minute about how I shouldn’t be drinking soda while training, but Dr. Pepper and his year’s of medical experience made a great case. I had no choice.
Back to the suite to watch game 3 of the Suns vs. Lakers. Jon arrives later tonight. It’s been a great beginning to the trip. Hoping it only gets better from here.
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