super secret wednesdays = throw practice

so pretty much only five people showed up on Wednesday. I actually knew a lot of people weren't going to make it so I came prepared. I didn't even bring my cleats and just went on a little run over there. I took a long route to get more of a workout in. By the time I got to the field only Shannon and Melissa were there. We started throwing a disc around.

It turned out to be a good night for the girls who came. We spent a lot of time throwing and catching. It will help their game. I think it's hard to really get the basics down in the high-pressure situation of a game. Not that disc at Bryant is that high-pressure. It's actually pretty chill and swilly, if you ask me.

But anyway, I ran home afterward.

One thing I noticed on my run over there was my throat was really dry. That's a sign that I'm maybe getting sick, because I'd been hydrating all day. I've been taking it easy these past couple days. I'm still planning on going on a long run tomorrow. I just haven't decided if it's going to be 14 or just 10. I guess we'll see how I feel in the morning.

Throw practice; Bryant

disc

I went to monday night frisbee last night and Aaron Stringer made the comment that maybe all the jerks starting playing somewhere else... maybe they've formed their own secret frisbee??? Because lately things have calmed down quite a bit. The numbers are manageable and it's really a lot of fun.

The only problem with last night's game was that I had eaten a lot of food at FHE, as I like to do sometimes, and it made it really hard to run. So I didn't run. Not that much anyway. I felt completely lazy and apathetic, but that's nothing new.

My legs held up well, though. We played three games and I think my team lost all of them. But I had fun and that's all that matters.

3 games of disc; Bryant

Jordan River Parkway

I did another long run with Lindsay this morning. I ran about 12 miles on the JRP and she did around 10. I always like running there. She said it reminded her of the greenway in Idaho, so I think she enjoyed it as well.

I was feeling pretty good for most of the run. My right hamstring was bothering me, but only minimally. By the end it was hot and my legs were feeling a little tight. But let's be honest, I haven't gone running the past two days because I bought new running shoes from the Salt Lake Running Company on Thursday (I knew going into it that I was going to drop a whole lotta money in there... $140 later I knew I was right)from the cutest employee I've ever seen. His name is Taylor and I'll probably have to go back and buy some more Gu's sometime soon. Good Times. But anyway, after my adventure to buy running shoes and apparrel, I went out on a hot date with Marcus Wright. So that left no time for running. And Friday is usally my designated rest day. So there ya go.

One exciting thing about the run was that I bumped into Joy Postma. She used to run with Team In Training and she is the cutest woman alive. Her cute little baby, Isabelle, has cancer in her brain and it breaks my heart every time I think about it. They are both the strongest people I know!

For a lot of the run I was holding a pretty good pace. Between 8-9 minute miles. By the end I was shot, though. A little dehydrated and really hot. I was glad when it was over. Next week I'm getting out there even earlier.

~12 miles; Jordan River Parkway Trail

Mysterious injury--gone.

Okay, so I played secret frisbee last night and my mysterious pain was gone. I have no idea what's going on with my body these days. Seriously.

SF was fun. Only about ten people showed up. We played two games. I was a little worried in the beginning that nobody would show up; Don, Shannon, Melissa, and I had to resort to playing two on two. That's not the most effective way to play ultimate. Everyone knows who you're going to throw to! Finally Freddie came and other people started showing up.

I was able to run last night with no problems. That's a good sign.

Secret Wednesday; Bryant

I'm broken.

I played frisbee monday night and everything seemed fine. Though I can't remember now what my aches and pains were, if any.

Yesterday I noticed that my right shoulder hurt. It took me a while to realize that it was from throwing a softball around with Don at FHE on Monday. It turns out I don't make that motion very often. Who knew.

I also noticed that my left leg was hurting. I don't know if it would technically be classified as my hamstring, it seems that it's too far up the leg for that. If anyone out there has taken an anatomy class recently and would know this, please drop me a comment. This has been baffling me for days now. (Two to be exact.) Basically it seems it would be the opposite of your hip flexor--your butt flexor, perhaps? It's the connector between the butt cheek and the upper thigh. I didn't even notice until I had been laying on the couch, exhausted, for hours. It felt like I had pulled it or something, but it wasn't too bad so I didn't worry too much about it.

Last night I went running. I was worried that my run was going to be wasted on dollar burgers and zuchinni fries. It had been stormy all evening--we're talking a good summer storm with hard driving rain and lightning--so the air was grey and cool. Perfect running weather. But I was still feeling the effects of my trip to B&D Burgers earlier that afternoon. Once I got into the run I started feeling better.

There was something in the air, though. Maybe it was the mood of the darkening sky, or the electricity in the air, but I was starting to get sketched out! There were too many dog walkers and people out and about. I didn't feel safe. So I turned around earlier then I probably would have and ran up to 9th East where it was better lighted. I feel like I was booking it pretty hard. It reminded me of that run I did a few years ago on Davis Boulevard. It was dark and it had been raining. As I was passing one of the reseviours there was a man walking the other direction with what looked like a big club. I thought for sure I was going to be hit to death in the darkness. It turns out it was just the guy's umbrella, but I still ran home faster than I ever had before. It was scary.

This morning as I was walking from the train to work I noticed that the pain in my leg had gotten worse. It feels like a totally new pain. It has moved from a pain in the muscle to the feeling of bone rubbing out of socket, or something like that. It hurts to walk. That's all I know. So now I'm gimping around, wondering what happened. Hopefully I'll be better by tonight to play some secret, or unsecret as some might say, frisbee. Everybody pray for me and my mysterious injuries.

A beautiful summer morning

I went on a long run with Lindsay Gardner this morning. This time she didn't stand me up. But Karla Hogard did. Okay, so we got there a little late and they had already left, but it was okay because Lindsay only needed to run about 8 miles anyway.

So we parked at the Einstein's Bagels on 3900 South and Wasatch. We ran north to the bike path near Parley's then out on Foothill. It was a good eight miles. The run had some definate downhill running for our quads and in return, some dang good hills to climb. It's all about the effort miles, really.

I felt pretty good. We started out at a pretty good pace for me--not too fast at all. I think Lindsay was still pushing it pretty hard, though. I could hear it in her breathing. She was a rockstar, though, and did well. My body held up. My ankles hurt a bit. I think that roll from the other night is affecting me a little bit. That tendon just feels tight. My hamstring held up well. On the last push home I had to kind of hold back a bit and not attack the last hill quite as hard. It's just not worth repulling.

It was a beautiful morning for a run. It wasn't even hot. I'm glad I finally have people to run with again. I'm a lot more motivated now. And it just feels so good to get it done.

~8 Miles; Wasatch Blvd to Foothill

Unsecret frisbee

We had a good turnout for secret frisbee last night. I quite enjoyed myself. My hamstring didn't hurt, though I did tank my right ankle on one run. At least it didn't take me out of the game or anything. I just tried to shake it off and stretch it a bit between points. I feel like I played well last night. It was just fun. I think we played three games--two with the same teams and then the last one we switched things up a bit. Or was it four games? I think I was on the winning team for all of them, though. I had some nice grabs. I'm going to miss this crowd when I'm gone.

Tonight's probably the last night of league for Team America as well. We start the tournament and we'll probably lose two straight games. Too bad we probably wont get to play our rivals. I'm going to miss that crowd too.

~2 hours; Bryant

Cross-training

I went for a ride last night. My foot has been hurting so I knew I needed to do something other than running. When I got home from running some errands around 7:30'ish I lamented to my roommate how I didn't want to go on a ride, how I hate riding in the city because I fear for my life, how running is so much easier because you just put on your shoes and go--no flat tires or other equipment worries, how it would be getting dark soon so I wouldn't even be able to go that far. After I was done telling her all these things I knew I hadn't talked myself out of it. I had to go. So I went in my room, pulled on some spandex, put on my cycling cleats and helmet and I was out the door.

The ride was nice. I guess it's a nice change from running. It's easier on my joints and hamstrings. Though, my right knee was bugging me a bit. I only went about ten miles. I felt like my bike was making weird noises (like something--the tire--was about to fall off or something) but maybe the chain just needs to be greesed up a bit? And I'm always paranoid about the inflation level of my tires. I sure do like running...

Maybe next time I'll try riding up a canyon. Emigration, perhaps?

~10 miles; 9th East

Running on vacation

Sure, it only took about five minutes to cover the main strip of the whole town, but it's Idaho and what can you really expect? This was my first run in Lava Hot Springs and I only saw two dog walkers and one other runner. It was eight o'clock in the morning. I did see some front porch sitters, though. Good times.

The unsettling thing was the pain in my left foot. That recurrent pain from my surfing injury two summers ago. I thought I was maybe done with this and I had new chronic injuries to worry about. I guess not. It would come and go, but it still worries me.

At least the temperature was cool. I was worried when I finally got out of bed at 8am that it would be too hot already. It was a pleasant surprise. I was still half asleep, though, and I might have looked a little drunk out there for the first half mile. I guess I was still rubbing the sleep away from my eyes. It ended up being a nice little run; a good stretch for the legs.

~2.5-3 miles; Main Street and beyond, Lava Hot Springs, Idaho

Yes, it's true...

...I woke up at 6 o'clock on a Saturday morning for a long run. Can I even remember the last time I did that? It was probably the beginning of May. I only ran ten miles. I suppose I should ease back into this long distance running thing. It's time to start, though. I only have two months until St George, and for one of those months I'll be on sabbatical in the high plains. Maybe I need more hill training now? I'll figure something out for the month of September. Over-passes, maybe?

So my long run was relatively coolish. It was a little cloudy, so even when the sun came up it still wasn't as hot as it could have been. But to be honest I was a little uncomfortable with the heat and had to run on the shadiest side of the street. My body held up pretty well. I'd go through phases of feeling really great and feeling like crap. Sometimes running makes you feel a little sick. Oh, I did have that random pain in my foot. This happened in my last pair of Aasics--after about eight miles I would get a pain in the ball of my foot. This pain kind of came and went, so it wasn't too bad. Overall it was a nice run.

10'ish miles; 9th East to 39th South; 1:30:00'ish

Still tied for worst team in the league

Last night we played the last games of regular season play for Summer League. We lost both games. But so did our rivals, the Blue team. I guess that means we're still tied.

Yesterday was interesting. I was already exhausted from a hard day at Club Ute, and playing in the extreme evening heat did me in. I could barely function! I still tried to play my best and run hard. I did get an awesome D in the first game. That made me feel better. We played our second game right afterward and I feel we played a little better. Suddenly some wind picked up and it forced an occasional zone defense. I played in the cup for one point and was so exhausted from all the running that I wanted to die. It felt like a long point. When I was handling on the zone offense, though I feel I was getting some good throws off. I was complimented by Arie afterward, she told my I was really handling well. That made me feel better about the game.

I think I was just tired and a little grumpy. Mostly just tired. We got to sit and watch Don, Shannon and Fred's game and then went out to dinner. I was hungry, but honestly too tired to eat all my food. I went home and practically fell asleep on the couch while talking to my roommates, Tori and Rhonda. Overall, the night was still fun. I just can't take this heat anymore!

2 games of Summer League

Secrets...

So Wednesday was a lot of fun. I think we had enough for 5 on 5 or so. I made sure I ran pretty slowly in the beginning as to not injur my hamstring anymore than I already have. I think it held up pretty well. It was my IT Band that was bothering me this time. We played two good games to 7 and then one quick one to 3. We had popsicles at Christian Sabey's afterwards. It was fun.

A couple of hours of good ultimate; Bryant

A hamstring update

I played Monday night and to my surprise and astonishment my right hamstring didn't really bother me. Maybe it was because I started out pretty mellow without any real hard cutting, but as the night progressed my hammy didn't get any worse either. Maybe it was a Monday night miracle! My hamstring didn't hurt last thursday either, and I was running pretty hard and cutting a lot. Maybe things are on the up and up? I guess as long as I give myself a little time to warm-up before I play things could actually start to heal. I'm playing secret frisbee tonight so we'll see how it holds up.

It's gotta be the rally headband!

City league was so much stinkin' fun last night! It was so bloody hot and we had the first game. Luckily we were on the first field and it was a little shaded by the ice skating rink. Okay, so the first game was horrible. Our team could not catch or throw. We had a few moments of flow, but basically it was just really embarrassing. I guess that's what you get when you're tied for worst team in the league.

The second game was a lot of fun. We played Don and Shannon's team (there's only five teams in the league, so we play the same teams a lot) and our record was 1-1 against them. They claim the reason they lost the last game to us was because their "advanced" player wasn't there. Well, he was there last night, skirt and all (it's a frisbee thing) and we still beat them! It was amazing!!

We went into it losing. They got up a few points on us until we started scoring. I think the game really turned around when Aaron the dream Weaver started making some hot D's and our team just came alive. I made some sweet points. One was beautiful. The point started out with some sweet flow down the field. Cuts timed perfectly. This one guy on my team (I still don't know have of their names--how sad is that?!) caught the frisbee, we made eye contact, and I took off for the endzone totally blowing off my defender, Shannon. He hucked it and it was a beautiful disc to run down for the score. I love moments like that. I also had some good D's. It was just fun.

The end of the game was pretty intense too. The score was very close when the time cap was called. They scored again to finish off that point making the game tied. The next point won. Luckily, it was us.

2 games of city league fun!

So... frisbee, huh?

Yeah. I played last night. My hamstring was hurting pretty bad and I couldn't really run. Hard cuts and quick sprints were pretty much out of the picture. When will this madness end? Maria Nelson, I need the magic of the Nikken magnets! I want to be healed!!! *hallellujah!*

~1.5 hours; Bryant; some fun ultimate with the cool kids in the ward

Summer nights

I ran last night a little after nine o'clock and the heat was killing me. I've abandoned my waking up at five o'clock idea because I realize I am just not a morning person. Until I find some poor soul to wake up that early and go running with me, it just ain't gonna happen!

So I worked through the heat and ran a pretty respectable distance for my mid-week run. A solid five miles. I even ran up to the Smith's on 21st south to get a drink from the drinking fountain. I was thirsty and pretty much dehydrated.

While debating if I should take the detour and go to Smith's I decided I should really try and a Smith's to Smith's run one weekend. There's at least four Smith's in the downtown area that I could run to. I could loop around and hit each one as a water stop. It could be good times. I'll have to try it sometime.

I felt overall pretty good on my run. My right ham was bothering me a bit, but what's new? I can't function very well in heat, and I knew if the temp had been cooler I could've run it in a lot stronger pace, but I still felt like I was moving pretty fast.

I just really hate the summer for this reason. I am held hostage by sunlight. Forced to stay inside when I could otherwise be playing and doing the things I love. I don't like melting in slow motion.

5 miles; 8th East to 21st South

172.5 miles. 28 hours. 11 pairs of feet. 1 good time.

We started the day at Hardware Ranch near Logan, Utah. It was ten o'clock in the morning. We didn't stop until almost two o'clock the following afternoon. We went over three mountain passes, ran by at least three reseviors, and covered some of the most beautiful terrain in Utah. It was the Wasatch Back Relay, the craziest relay race I've ever seen.

It definately wasn't an easy race. Elevation, terrain, and weather definately conspired against us. But I had over 24 fun-filled hours to spend with some good friends in a van. I got to run almost 15 miles total. If you think about it, it was more like a party than a race!

I had leg 2, which was a relatively easy leg compared to some of the others. My first run was down the canyon from Hardware Ranch. It was an "easy" run, but it was hot outside. We hadn't quite thought of the van-shadowing-the-runner-to-give-her-water-during-the-run thing yet so it was over three miles of dehydration. I was happy to be done. Tim had done really well with the first leg and came in second in our starting time group. I quickly passed the girl who was ahead of us, but was then passed by two guys during that leg.

My next leg was down a mountain pass, and I mean DOWN! I would just like to say what a rockstar Tim Richey is for running UP that thing just so I could go down the other side. It wasn't easy. I'm surprised that it didn't hurt my quads that much. I just kind of pushed down as fast as I could. When I got down to the exchange my mom, dad, brother, and nephew were all waiting for me. They had come to see me race because they are the most supportive people I know! (Everyone on the team was very impressed that they came to see me.) My sister and brother inlaw were also there waiting because they were some of our volunteers and that was their schedule time slot and location. (THANK YOU PAUL AND ELIZA!!!) I'd also like to mention that I passed two guys. In a race like this when it's hard to know who's in the lead, it's enough just to know you've passed somebody.

Being in van 1, we didn't have to run at any hour that was too ridiculous. We were done with our legs by around 10 o'clock'ish and had the rest of the night to hang out at East Canyon Resevior where we all got about two hours of actual sleep. The second van was running straight through the middle of the night and we didn't hook up with them again until around 4 in the AM when Tim got to run. I was out on the road a little after five o'clock. I was kind of bummed that I didn't get to run through the mountains in complete darkness with my headlamp strapped to my head. Maybe next year.

I was passed by one girl, who I quickly repassed. I also passed two other guys. This leg was a little disceptive. The terrain wasn't too challenging--I was running through the streets of Kamas, I think. It was a little over six miles. I got on this straight stretch of road that when on for a couple miles. It was also a slight incline. I could see this stoplight in the distance. The disheartening thing about it all, was that no matter how far I ran that stoplight was always a few miles away. It never seemed to get any closer! EVER! It was always at least a mile in the distance. I never even reached the dang thing because we had to make a turn before we even got there. It was the hardest mental game to keep running toward that thing when it didn't seem like my efforts were getting me any closer to the goal. But eventually I finished and then I was... DONE!

Finishing all three legs was the best feeling. Knowing what I had gone through and that I didn't have to go through anymore was exhilerating! I could now relax and enjoy the rest of the race. We still had the rest of our runners and then van 2 to get through, so the day was far from over.

Almost 28 hours after starting this thing we finished as a team in the city park in Park City. What a feeling to run across that finish line with ten other runners who had worked so hard as a team. I wish I could have been there with van 2 on the last set of runs because I know they must have been pretty grueling. I am so proud of what everyone accomplished over those two days.

Next year I will try and eliminate the disconnect between the two vans. It didn't help that most of us were meeting for the first time, or had only met at one of the few team BBQ's. During the race we only got to breifly see eachother at the major exchanges. We all knew we were a team, but I can speak for van 1 when I say that at times it felt like we were out there for ourselves. Especially since van 1 was making such significant gains on our predicted pace time and van 2 would bring us right back to our scheduled time without keeping that lead at all. We tried to keep it in perspective though, and in the end I'm just happy we were out there doing what we were doing.

So the Hungry Hungry Hippos had a good time. Maybe next year we'll actually decorate our vans and make it under 24 hours. I was talking to Tim Richey last night and he and his brother (who couldn't make it for this year's race) are definately in for next year. We want to be more competitive and try to smash the 24 hour mark. I'm excited. Now that we know what this is all about maybe we'll even train for it--as a team!!!

~28 hours; 172.5 miles (~15 miles individually); the beauty of the Wasatch mountains

Secret Monday with a new location???

Okay, Matt Hein suggested at it and we all just laughed at him. You can't come in after not playing for months and make such changes when this is probably the only week you'll be able to play anyway! Sorry, Matt Hein. Monday night stays as annoying as ever, big crowds and all.

Actually, last night wasn't too bad for a Monday. For some reason the lights on the South side of the school still aren't turning on so we're forced to play on the other field--the one that is southwest of the school. It eventually got to be 10 on 10 which was definately too many for my liking. Fred from city league frisbee showed up, which was a pleasent surprise.

I actually felt like I ran a lot. I'm not saying I did a whole lot other than that, though. Last night was weird. I wasn't getting in the action as much as I'd like. For some reason I was getting looked off. Maybe it was because I had missed three huge throws early on, but they were all hammers, I think, which have a mind of their own anyway.

During the middle of the second game I practically gave up. I stopped running and just walked around, with an occasional sprint. Sometimes it's fun to just slack off and hang out.

~1.5 hrs; Bryant

This week.

Let's see, what have I done this week?

Sunday: Went camping with Christian Sabey and Matt Hein, oh yeah and some girls. We were in capital W Wilderness; I have never seen a peice of concrete so remote in all my life! And those trees! They were so many you would get lost in the remoteness of it all.

Monday: Nothing. Watched the ReAL game and had some indepence day firework goodness.

Tuesday: Ran 4 miles at ten o'clock at night. The temperature started out surprisingly coolish, but then turned into bloody hot. I felt pretty good; strong.

Wednesday: Secret Frisbee, or should I say Ladies Night, or rather I think it has turned into ward flirt. I get bugged by the girls who come and flirt with the boys. Well, one certain boy. Annoying.

Thursday: Nothing. Went to the Ben Harper concert with Marcus.

Friday: Nothing, 'cause I'm going down to Provo to have a 24 season 3 marathon.

Saturday: Supposedly playing soccer with some peeps in the heat of the day. We'll see if it happens.

On the run

It's funny how I'll rededicate myself to running at least once a month--usually when my copy of Runnner's World comes in the mail.

With that being said, I rededicated myself to running last night. I figured out the weekly mileage I will need to get myself to St George this fall. I drew up some calendars and weekly workout schedules. I decided I need to start waking up earlier to get a run in and then get another workout in at night, which will usually be frisbee because I'm playing it three nights a week now. I need to somehow fit in biking and swimming too. Oh, and weight training. I'll be one busy girl.

I went running last night too. I only ran three miles because I'm easing back into it since I've been sick for over a week. I'll tell you that my legs feel pretty shot. They're tight. My hamstrings hurt. I need to take care of them. I've decided that my hamstrings are a source of problems for me, they're holding me back from my potential. I need to rehabilitate them. I need to increase my flexibility. Because I can have Boston if I work hard and take care of my body.

3 miles; 8th East to Kensington Ave